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Avoiding the play-in
The NBA regular season ends on April 14, meaning only 20 days are left to determine which teams from the East and West will figure in the dreaded play-in tournament......»»
Did you know Nedy Tantoco loved to play the guitar?
Much has been said about the sudden passing of well-loved businesswoman Nedy Tantoco who excelled in everything she did and did many things from the kindness of her heart......»»
Stewart Cink, 50, part of five-way tie for Valspar lead
(Photo credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports) Fifty-year-old Stewart Cink shot a 4-under 67 to join a five-way tie for the lead at the Valspar Championship before play was suspended Friday in Palm Harbor, Fla. As the field endured rainy conditions at Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Course, 20 golfers did not complete their rounds before darkness fell. They will resume their second rounds Saturday at 9 a.m. The five co-lea.....»»
SC affirms ruling granting bail to ex-Masbate lawmaker, Napoles
The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed a ruling of the Sandiganbayan that allowed businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles and former Masbate congresswoman Rizalina Seachone-Laneta to post bail in the plunder charges filed against them in connection with the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork scam......»»
Who’ll be All-Star Game MVP?
Scottie Thompson, nursing a bad back, won’t be able to play for coach Tim Cone’s Team Japeth against coach Jorge Gallent’s Team Mark in the highlight of the PBA All-Star extravaganza at the University of St. La Salle gym in Bacolod City tonight......»»
Betterment of women s sports tackled in forum
In celebration of Women's Month, Evident Integrated Marketing and PR hosted a forum called Equal Play: Accelerating Progress for Filipina Athletes, to discuss the progress of Filipina athletes in terms of representation and opportunities......»»
Stewart Cink, 50, part of five-way tie for Valspar lead
(Photo credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports) Fifty-year-old Stewart Cink shot a 4-under 67 to join a five-way tie for the lead at the Valspar Championship before play was suspended Friday in Palm Harbor, Fla. As the field endured rainy conditions at Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Course, 20 golfers did not complete their rounds before darkness fell. They will resume their second rounds Saturday at 9 a.m. The five co-lea.....»»
Squires, Junior Altas play for all the marbles
Letran seeks to bury the ghost of Game 2 while University of Perpetual Help hopes to relive its glory as the two battle each other in Saturday’s rubber match at the Filoil EcoOil Arena that will determine who brings home the NCAA Season 99 junior basketball trophy......»»
From the Newsrooms: March 10 to 16, 2024
THE STATE of the ruling alliance has taken back the news spotlight as the President and his predecessor engaged in yet another sharp exchange, suggesting that all is not well in Team Unity. The depth of hostility between the two remains the subject of public speculation.The media this week reported yet another back-and-forth between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the former president, Rodrigo Duterte. The ex.....»»
ADB approves USD 100 mln loan to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Sri Lanka
Manila [Philippines], March 19 (ANI): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 100 million loan to provide small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sri Lanka more access to finance and build their resilience to external shocks, such as the economic crisis and climate change. SMEs play a critical role in Sri Lanka's economy, contributing 52 per cent to the country's gross domestic product and employ 45 per c.....»»
WHAT IF... Dawn Macandili landed in Ateneo?
Dawn Macandili is a La Sallian through and through. From prep to college, the former Lady Spikers libero was under the De La Salle University education system. Macandili’s volleyball career started during her grade school days in DLSU-Lipa that eventually landed her a ticket to DLSU-Zobel. There she won three UAAP titles and eventually won three more with the Lady Spikers in college. The diminutive defense specialist wore the green and white with great pride. With that said, it’s hard to imagine Macandili wearing any other color. But then what if she did? Besides, Macandili admited that she did try to get into other schools for college in case her DLSU entrance exam didn't go out well. “Nag-try din ako mag-entrance exam sa ibang school kasi siyempre baka naman ang kapal ng mukha ko ‘De La Salle ako tapos bumagsak pala ako,’” said Macandili laughing during her appearance on Volleyball DNA hosted by Anton Roxas and Denden Lazaro. She mentioned two schools, Ateneo de Manila University and College of St. Benilde. So what if Macandili chose to don the blue and white instead of sister-schools DLSU and CSB’s colors? Now that’s interesting. Imagine the UAAP Season 78 and 79 Best Receiver and Season 78 Best Digger Macandili playing alongside Lazaro for the Lady Eagles. For sure, it will be a nightmare for the opposing teams considering the caliber of these liberos. Of course, Macandili would definitely take the backseat in her first two years in Seasons 76 and 77 as it would still be Lazaro’s and all-around hitter Ella De Jesus’ show. But with Lazaro and De Jesus exhausting all their playing eligibility after Season 77, the national team standout would’ve been Ateneo’s game-changer in Season 78. Macandili would’ve saved the Lady Eagles from their Achilles’ Heel: floor defense. Ateneo was sixth in digs and third in reception that season. She would’ve lightened up the defensive load on Ateneo hitters Alyssa Valdez and Jho Maraguinot. Her presence would also give the Lady Eagles a last line of defense in case opposing hitters got past middles Bea De Leon and Amy Ahomiro. And of course, it would’ve been quite a sight to watch the connection of Macandili with setter Jia Morado in Ateneo’s transition from defense to offense. With these pieces set, the Lady Eagles’ reign might even be extended to a three-peat. Macandili’s last two seasons in Ateneo would surely be a challenging one after the departure of Valdez after Season 78 and Morado foregoing her final year in Season 80. But then again with a veteran in Macandili at the helm, Ateneo’s chances of winning another crown would’ve been higher. --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @fromtheriles.....»»
BATCH CLASH: Do you agree? Season 76 Lady Eagles will beat Season 81 Lady Eagles?
Remember when we did a Batch Clash piece pitting the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles champion team of Season 76 against the title squad of Season 81? ABS-CBN Sports laid down the statistics, team composition, strengths and the competition faced by the two Ateneo teams and let the readers decide who would fare better if they were to square off in a match. [Related story: BATCH CLASH: Season 76 Lady Eagles vs. Season 81 Lady Eagles] It would really be interesting to see these Lady Eagles go at it, right? But again, who will emerge victorious between the two batches of UAAP champions? Without batting an eyelash, Ricky Palou, former Ateneo athletic director and one of the brilliant minds behind turning the struggling Lady Eagles into one the best women’s volleyball programs in the UAAP, gave it to the breakthrough Ateneo squad. “I’d go for Batch 76,” Palou said during his interview on the Crossover podcast. The chief of Sports Vision, which is the organizer of the Premier Volleyball League, backed up his claim by pointing out that Batch 76 went through a tougher journey to the throne. Batch 76 was in a rebuilding stage that year after the departure of the Fab Five and under a new system with the arrival of Thai coach Tai Bundit. For him, the Lady Eagles of Season 76 are tougher. The heartstrong Batch 76 will definitely win. “I saw how they, Coach Tai that was his first year here. He worked them really very, very hard. I was looking at some of these players and some of them were thinking of quitting because training was tough. Most of them held on,” recalled Palou, who together with the amiable and media savvy former team manager Tony Boy Liao, is the architect of the successful Ateneo volleyball program. “I figured the training that they went through and the games that they went through, even competition that they went through. So, I’d go for Batch 76,” he added. HEIGHT vs. MAGIC Man-to-man both Alyssa Valdez and libero Denden Lazaro-Revilla agreed that Batch 76 is at a disadvantage in terms of height. “Advantage ng Season 81 is really height,” said the three-time UAAP Most Valuable Player. “We don’t have that nu’ng Season 76.” “Talo kami sa height,” Lazaro-Revilla echoed. Batch 81 boasts of a pair of 5-foot-10 and very skilled middles in Bea De Leon and Maddie Madayag and a 6-foot-2 wing spiker in Kat Tolentino. “Our middles are Amy (Ahomiro) and Aeriel (Patnongon) and Marge (Tejada) and Ana (Gopico). But Marge and Ana got injured. So we have like two lang so parang hindi namin alam. Libero kami lamang,” said Valdez. “Lamang sa height. Sa setter Jia (Morado) and Deanna (Wong)? Deanna’s taller I think,” Lazaro-Revilla said. But what they lack in ceiling, Batch 76 compensates with its superb and versatile wing spikers and solid floor defense. “I think (for Batch 81) it’s Jules (Samonte) and Ponggay (Gaston). So our open hitters would be me and Ella (de Jesus). Kay Ella pa lang, alam mo na,” Valdez said with confidence. “Tiwala kami kay Ella. Utility namin would be Mich (Morente) or Kim (Gequillana). And they have Kat.” “It’s really height vs. magic?” added Valdez. Anchored behind the consistency of the Iron Eagle Denden Lazaro and with the support of Morente and De Jesus, Batch 76 will give Batch 81 a hard time scoring. “I think lamang namin is floor defense. May tiwala ako sa teammates ko,” said Lazaro-Revilla, a two-time Best Receiver winner and Season 76 Best Digger. In which Valdez chimed in: “Si Den, si Ella and Michifu (Morente) kasi ako wala talaga kong ginagawa na floor defense.” “Hindi ka lang rume-receive pero dumedepensa ka naman,” quipped Lazaro-Revilla. “Binabawi mo naman sa mga palo mo and serves.” Looking back, Palou stressed that Batch 76’s Cinderella run is a feat that is tough to beat. Besides, that Lady Eagles team made a miracle when they survived a string of do-or-die games before toppling the four-peat-seeking and thrice-to-beat powerhouse De La Salle University in the Finals. “But you know, you look at the competition then, look at the team of La Salle, it was a powerhouse, Aby Marano, Kim Fajardo, you look at NU they have the Santiago sisters (Dindin and Jaja), they have Myla Pablo. You look at FEU they have (Bernadeth) Pons, (Toni) Basas, all those good players,” Palou said. “So even competition-wise, the competition they fought then was better and stronger than what they had in the other group.” “I agree,” said Lazaro-Revilla. “I mean the competition that we went through nu’ng time na yun. It was tough for us because given na we were a rebuilding team. So for us it was really tough.” --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @fromtheriles.....»»
Volleyball Community Gives Back PH to hold SERVE AS ONE Variety Show
Volleyball Community Gives Back PH has something to serve up for those matchday personnel affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Charo Soriano, who is one of the VCGB PH leaders, is looking forward for two memorable fun days from the sport's biggest stars through the SERVE AS ONE Variety Show. A fundraising effort for volleyball personnel presented by Volleyball Community Gives Back PH, the show is scheduled on June 5 and 6, 7:30 p.m. on the ABS-CBN Sports Website, ABS-CBN Sports Facebook Page and ABS-CBN Sports YouTube Channel. "Time and time again, the Philippine volleyball community has exemplified solidarity in the face of various adversities - from community development, natural disaster responses, relief operations and more recently, distribution of PPEs to different provinces. Everyone helps out. And people - players, coaches, management, staff, officials, and fans - all do their part," said Soriano. Last month, the #CARINGFORALL: Down The Line, We Are One was launched to provide assistance for the paid-per-day personnel, as any help will go a long way. As of last Friday, VCGB PH was able to provide 200 care packs to volleyball personnel all over Metro Manila. The group hopes to raise funds and provide care packs to be distributed for more volleyball personnel families affected by the postponement and cancellation of volleyball leagues. Help is on the way and Kiwi Ahomiro, who recently lent her hand in delivering PPEs to the Philippine Army, is more than ready. "We wanted to reach out and help our volleyball personnel and staff and all those who made our games possible - bouncers, ball retrievers, referees, technicians all those whose livelihoods have been threatened due to COVID-19 so we came up with the idea of putting up the SERVE AS ONE Variety Show. All proceeds will go to the care packages for their families," said Ahomiro. Aby Maraño, who was involved in distributing the second wave of care packages, saw the hardships of the matchday personnel. "Our volleyball officials and personnel felt really sad about the fact that volleyball will stop for the next month cause volleyball from most of them is the only source of income they have. I learned that they started small businesses like selling sweet Pinoy desserts, some are selling peanut butters and garlic spicy sauce only to sustain their lives amidst the pandemic situation," said Maraño. Also taking part in handing out the care packages was Amanda Villanueva, who hopes that the help will go a long way to boost the spirits of the volleyball game's unsung heroes. "In these trying times my main motivation in helping our dearest group of volleyball personnel is the vision of hope that everything will eventually come to an end. To let them know as well that we are in this together and that nobody gets left behind in life whichever direction life leads us because we are one community and we strive to help each other in whatever way we can. To stand together as one family not just on the court but also outside of the court," said Villanueva. It may still a long way to go but Alyssa Valdez believes that the volleyball community will be in the same page to keep the personnel afloat in this challenging time. "The fight is far from over, we’re like in a championship situation, like 14-14 all, fifth set. We need one another to be able to win this fight! So I’m inviting everyone...let’s go help serve and win as one," said Valdez. Donations can be sent to Ryan Sordan through BPI bank account 8069 0632 77, GCash at 0917-5003390 and PayMaya at 0917-5003390. Meanwhile, a total of 2,081 protective personal equipments (PPEs) was distributed by the VCGB PH in the #ServeOurFrontliners: RAFFLES FOR HEROES fund drive for the medical frontliners who are doing a valiant battle against coronavirus. VCGB PH was already able to donate 310 PPEs to Sultan Kudarat, 220 to Quezon Medical Center, 301 PPEs to Batangas, 200 to Aklan, 100 to Puerto Galera, 200 to Cebu, 250 to Northern Mindanao Medical Center, 300 to National Children’s Hospital, 100 to Army, 50 to Navy and 50 to Maysan Health Station. Please visit Volleyball Community Give Back on Facebook and @vcgbph on Instagram and Twitter for more details......»»
WHAT IF… Bea De Leon missed the rest of Season 77?
Ateneo de Manila University achieved perfection in UAAP Season 77 after the Lady Eagles swept their way to a second straight women’s volleyball title. Stacked with powerful hitters in Alyssa Valdez, Michelle Morente, Ella de Jesus and Jho Maraguinot, Ateneo’s offense was unstoppable. The Katipunan-based squad also had prized setter Jia Morado and libero Denden Lazaro with veteran middle Amy Ahomiro. But another vital cog that made Ateneo a super team that year was the presence of rookie middle Bea De Leon. The former Poveda standout earned a starting spot in the Tai Bundit-mentored team, which the year before completed a Cinderella story with a championship. De Leon proved her worth and even had a strong case for the coveted Rookie of the Year award. She was having a splendid season until she was forced to miss three games after suffering a finger injury during practice with Ateneo already in a 10-game romp. De Leon chose to just have her left index finger stitched and have therapy than go under the knife. She returned just in time for the pivotal end of the elimination round match against archrival De La Salle University. Getting the green light to play on the eve of the game, De Leon was surprised as she was included in the starting line-up and she did not disappoint. De Leon, who risked aggravating her heavily bandaged finger, scored 11 points including three kill blocks in the Lady Eagles’ 25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 27-25, victory that sent Ateneo straight to the Finals with a thrice-to-beat advantage. From there, Ateneo made history. But what if De Leon underwent surgery? One thing is for sure, De Leon would be out of commission for an extended period if not for the remainder of the season. Without her, Ateneo would surely be in a precarious situation in that decisive end of the elims match against the Lady Spikers. Taking down DLSU won’t be easy for the Lady Eagles to begin with. In their first meeting, Ateneo had to come back from a set down to outlast DLSU in a five sets match. Without De Leon, Coach Tai would be forced to put in either veteran but seldom-used Aeriel Patnongon or another rookie Maddie Madayag to help Ahomiro. Both rode the bench in the first Ateneo-DLSU encounter. DLSU, which was coming off a six-game win run, would be in a favorable position to exploit its height advantage and would’ve had an open sky for the Lady Spikers’ hitters. And if DLSU won that game against an Ateneo squad missing its starting middle, that would put the semifinals in the usual Final Four format. The Lady Eagles will still have a twice-to-beat advantage and would still overpower Far Eastern University. As for DLSU, coming off a win over Ateneo, the Lady Spikers would be in high spirits against National University. The twice-to-beat Lady Spikers might not need to go to a do-or-die decider against the Lady Bulldogs. Probably, DLSU would have been spared of losing its best scorer Ara Galang from a harrowing knee injury. Of course, the Finals would’ve been a different story. Ateneo will be missing De Leon’s Finals average of eight points per game and a vital piece both on offense and defense. But then again, the Lady Eagles still had its ace Valdez and their reliable wings to take care of the scoring as well as the steady Ahomiro. We can never know what the outcome of that Finals series would have been if De Leon missed the rest of the season. But we can surely say that De Leon’s return from that finger injury proved to be a decisive moment in the Lady Eagles' historic perfect season. --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @fromtheriles.....»»