GILAS PILIPINAS : 2015 FIBA ASIA CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST ROUND SCHEDULE

It is just three days away from the kick off of the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in China, which serves as the qualifier for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Gilas Pilipinas will be playing in Group B for the first round, which will be in a single round robin format. Also in the same group are Middle Eastern teams Kuwait and first timer Palestine, and East Asian qualifier Hong Kong. The top 3 teams will advance to the next round and will be joined by the top 3 teams of Group A.

Here is Gilas Pilipinas team as posted in the Sports5 twitter account:

Here is the first round schedule of Gilas Pilipinas in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship! #LabanPilipinas #PUSO pic.twitter.com/N9EOVDJdL7

— Sports5 (@Sports5PH) September 18, 2015

ABS-CBN APOLOGIZES TO UPLB

Last week, Vice President Jejomar Binay agreed to speak in front of the students of University of the Philippines Los Banos about political transparency and social transformation in the Philippines. Things got more interesting during the open forum where the students did not hesitate to ask questions to the presidentiable, as seen in this video from Rappler's YouTube Channel :

Apparently, at the start of the discussion, students shouted "Sample! Sample!" since this portion came after an intermission number. ABS-CBN reported in its website that the students shouted "Trapo! Trapo!" which means traditional politician in local political lingo. This prompted some netizens to react negatively to the students of UPLB.

The UPLB University Student Council released in its Facebook page an open letter to the news agency, demanded a public apology by wrongly accussing the studentry of such action :

I really applaud this act of UPLB USC for standing for the students against irresponsible journalism. This prompted students and alumni of the university to take the fight to social media, sharing the post more than 7,000 times.

The hashtag #ABSCBNSaySorryToUPLB trended in Twitter in the afternoon as well, just behind the hashtags used by Eat Bulaga and It's Showtime.

After several hours, ABS-CBN News posted an apology in its website and shared it in its Twitter account:

.@ABSCBNNews apologizes over mistake on UP Los Baños report http://t.co/LSlhPhyea2 pic.twitter.com/Hdhs1gvtBu

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) September 19, 2015

In its website, the following statement was posted :

I also applaud ABS-CBN News for giving the apology. I really hope that this incident has taught all news sites to gear towards responsible and accurate journalism.

YOUR FACE SOUNDS FAMILIAR : ERIC NICOLAS WINS WEEK 1

The second season of the hit talent show Your Face Sounds Familiar premiered on a very good note last week. All celebrity ka-familiars delivered on their first performances.

But in the end it was comedian Eric Nicolas who won the nod of the judges and his fellow contestants. His portrayal of host Willie Revillame was really spot on, and from a far, he really looks like the comedian. He placed first with 42 points, a big 15 points ahead of 2nd placer Sam Concepcion.

Here is his performance from ABS-CBN Entertainment YouTube Channel :

The other celebrities who performed were Sam Concepcion as Eminem, Myrtle Sarrosa as Sandara Park, KZ Tandingan as Vina Morales, Kakai Bautista as Sia, Denise Laurel as Jennifer Lopez, Michael Pangilinan as George Michael and Kean Cipriano as Harry Styles of One Direction.

GILAS PILIPINAS : FINAL 12 FOR 2015 FIBA ASIA CHAMPIONSHIP NAMED

The final 12 members of Gilas Pilipinas that will try to get the ticket to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games has been named by Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas. The announcement came on the night of the deadline of the final team rosters for the event which will happen in 2 weeks time.

The Gilas pool has just came back from a silver medal finish from the 2015 Jones Cup in Taiwan and is now preparing for the inaugural 2015 MVP Cup which is their final preparation before the Asian Championship in China.

The final 12 players are Gilas 2.0 holdovers Ranidel de Ocampo, Marc Pingris, Gabe Norwood and Jayson Castro; veterans Asi Taulava and Dondon Hontiveros, Sonny Thoss, Matt Ganuelas, Gilas rookies JC Intal, Calvin Abueva and Terence Romeo and naturalized player Andray Blatche.

NBA sophomore Jordan Clarkson was initially in the list but has not yet been given the green light by FIBA to play as a natural born citizen is out of the final line up. There is also schedule conflicts due to the preparations for the upcoming NBA season. But kudos to Clarkson for expressing his interest to play for the flag and country.

Big thank you as well to the other players in the pool for not turning your backs to the flag's call - Gary David, Aldrech Ramos, Jimmy Alapag (who I think will be an assistant coach) and PBA rookies Troy Rosario and Moala Tautua.

NEW GOOGLE LOGO UNVEILED

The new logo of Google has been unveiled today in its website :

I like the new logo. It is more modern and cleaner compared to the old one. It's just a good time to change since the old one looks outdated already.

Good job Google!

BUZZFEED VIDEO : WHEN MY PARENT PASSED AWAY

I am sharing this video not just because I can relate to it but because it is just so real :

To all of you that still have your parents, hope this inspires you to cherish them and say thank you or i love you to them.

GILAS PILIPINAS : 2015 JONES CUP SCHEDULE

Gilas Pilipinas is currently in Taiwan for the 2015 Jones Cup, after 2 year of absence in the tournament. This will serve as part of their preparation for the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship that will take place late September in China.

The team will be missing the services of naturalized player Andray Blatche, who returned to the US to attend to his uncle's funeral and visit his sick mother. On the other hand, this will be the return of Marc Pingris to the team. Jordan Clarkson is also expected to watch the games, hopefully in preparation of him joining the team.

Here is the game schedule as posted in the Twitter account of Sports 5 :

Gilas Pilipinas' complete TV5 schedule for the 2015 Jones Cup campaign! Gilas fever is on! #LabanPilipinas #PUSO pic.twitter.com/eb0t2t8clg

— Sports5 (@Sports5PH) August 27, 2015

YOUR FACE SOUNDS FAMILIAR : NEW SET OF CELEBRITY REVEALED

The new set of celebrity contestants for the 2nd season of the hit show Your Face Sounds Familiar has been finally revealed.

The show will be back in September, replacing The Voice Kids which will have it's finale tonight, and will be hosted again by Billy Crawford with his new co-host, season 1 winner Melai Cantiveros. Judges Gary Valenciano, Jed Madela and Sharon Cuneta will also be back this season.

In a post from the show's official Instagram account, the new batch of celebrities includes:

The Harana Prince - Michael Pangilinan
The Playful Angel - Myrtle Sarrosa
The Dental Diva - Kakai Bautista
The Rebel Rock Royalty - Kean Cipriano
The Sultry Heiress - Denise Laurel
Ang Komikero ng Masa - Eric Nicolas
The Absolute Performer - Sam Concepcion
The Soul Supreme - KZ Tandingan

Here is their group photo from Instagram :

Handa ka na bang makita mag-perform ang 8 celebrity performers ng #YFSFNewSeason? #YourFaceSoundsFamiliar #TVK2Finale

A photo posted by Your Face Sounds Familiar PH (@yourfaceph) on Aug 29, 2015 at 6:50am PDT

X FACTOR UK : FILIPINA SISTERS 4TH POWER WOWS JUDGES IN THE AUDITIONS

The X Factor UK, the British version of the popular talent show, was caught off guard by 4 Filipina singers.

4th Power, a group of sisters from the Philippines, who was known locally before as the Cercado sisters, rocked the auditions with their version of Jessie J's hit song Bang Bang. The group is composed of sisters Almira, Irene, Mylene and Celina wowed the British audience and the show's judges Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Rita Ora, Nick Grimshaw and Simon Cowell with their amazing vocals, rap skills and dance moves. Simon even said that it was one of the best auditions he had ever seen.

Here is the girl group's audition from the show's YouTube channel :

In 2013, Rose Fostanes took the title in X Factor Israel. Last year, it was Marlisa Punzalan who won in X Factor Australia. Will the Philippine talent take over X Factor UK this year?

MOCKINGJAY PART 2 : NEW TRAILER RELEASED

This might be a little late (since this was released 1 month ago) but I am posting it anyway since I am excited to watch this. The movie will be shown in November 20, and it will definitely be my birthday movie!

GILAS PILIPINAS : JORDAN CLARKSON IS INCLUDED IN THE INITIAL ROSTER FOR FIBA ASIA CHAMPIONSHIP

Jordan Clarkson is indeed included in the initial 24 man roster of Gilas Pilipinas for the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship to be help in China next month.

Sports analyst Quinito Henson posted this picture of the initial line up document submitted by Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP) to the tournament organizers in his Instagram account :

Official 24-man Philippine basketball team lineup submitted by SBP exec director Sonny Barrios to FIBA Asia last Aug. 20, only players from this lineup may be picked for the final 12-man roster to be submitted by Sept. 8 for the FIBA Asia Championships in Changsha on Sept. 23-Oct. 3 ... the players in the "just-in-case" 24-man list are Andray Blatche, Jimmy Alapag, Gabe Norwood, Sonny Thoss, Calvin Abueva, J. C. Intal, Aldrech Ramos, Marc Pingris, Jayson Castro, Troy Rosario, Matt Ganuelas, Dondon Hontiveros, Gary David, Ranidel de Ocampo, Moala Tautuaa, Asi Taulava, Terrence Romeo, JuneMar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter, Paul Lee, Kiefer Ravena, Jordan Clarkson, L.A. Tenorio and Bobby Ray Parks ... all players are Philippine passport holders including Clarkson @draylive @jalapag3 @gnorwood5 @sonny_thoss @8calvinabueva @jcintal7 @aldrech17ramos @jeanmarc15 @jaywill_17 @real_mateo @dhonts7 @gry_dvd20 @teamrdo @agelessasi88 @tbvr07 @saginghilaw15 @ladylassiter13 @lethalweapon03 @kieferravena15 @la_tenorio @ray15parks #LabanPilipinasPuso

A photo posted by Joaquin Henson (@therealdeanquinito) on Aug 24, 2015 at 5:42pm PDT

The line up also includes current Gilas 3.0 recruits Sonny Thoss, Calvin Abueva, JC Intal, Aldrech Ramos, Matt Ganuelas, Marcio Lassiter and Terence Romeo; newly drafted Moala Tautuaa and Troy Rosario; returning veterans Dondon Hontiveros and Asi Taulava, Gilas 2.0 veterans Jimmy Alapag, Marc Pingris, Jayson Castro, Gary David, Ranidel de Ocampo, June Mar Fajardo, Paul Lee and LA Tenorio, amateur standouts Kiefer Ravena and Bobby Ray Parks and naturalized player Andray Blatche,

Fajardo, Tenorio, Lassiter and Lee has not attended any of the practices of Gilas yet and Pingris is expected to return to practice on Wednesday. Surprise names that were included are Ravena and Parks since they were not previously named as part of the pool.

This will give a boost to the Philippines' chances for the championship and eventually, a ticket to the 2016 Rio Olympics. He is still awaiting FIBA's decision on his eligibility.

On the other hand, ABS-CBN was able to get in touch with representatives from the Los Angeles Lakers, Clakson's current club in the NBA. In their article (you read it in full here), it was revealed that the team is aware of this development but cannot give out anymore information on the matter.

Let us all hope that FIBA will confirm Clarkson's eligibility and LA Lakers will allow him to play.

YOUR FACE SOUNDS FAMILIAR : MELAI RETURNS IN SEASON 2 AS CO-HOST

Your Face Sounds Familiar season 1 champion Melai Cantiveros will return in season 2, not as a judge but as the new co-host alongside season 1 host Billy Crawford.

The second season will start in September and might be the show that will replace talent show The Voice Kids Philippines season 2 which will have their grand finals this weekend.

This was revealed in a series of video teasers shown this weekend and was also posted in the show's Instagram account:

A photo posted by Your Face Sounds Familiar PH (@yourfaceph) on Aug 23, 2015 at 12:25am PDT

GILAS PILIPINAS : WILL FIBA ALLOW JORDAN CLARKSON TO SUIT UP FOR THE PHILIPPINES?

After a series of players begging off the roster, late preparations and losing all games in a pocket tournament, Gilas Pilipinas finally get some good news - a very good news at that.

Fil-Am player Jordan Clarkson, who is currently playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA, might be qualified to play as a natural born Filipino after all. According to the SBP, Clarkson got his Filipino passport at the age of 12, way ahead of the 16 year old maximum limit set by the current FIBA rules.

According to the SBP, the passports with other documents has been submitted to FIBA. Clarkson, who is set to arrive in Manila tonight for a endorsement contract signing, will be bringing along supplementary documents that FIBA requested for his accreditation.

This is a welcome positive development to the team, who is currently rebuilding with the best talent available and any talented player of Clarkson's caliber will definitely help the team. Clarkson is also expected to observe the Gilas practice and their participation in the William Jones Cup next month in Taipei.

With Clarkson's addition, Gilas will boast of 2 NBA caliber players - Andray Blatche, who is our current naturalized player, and him. The other Gilas players will also benefit a lot from this experience, having trained and played with a current NBA player.

It is very refreshing to see that Fil-Am players are considering to come back here and represent the country. I really hope that this gesture by Clarkson will influence other talented Fil-foreign kids will also consider getting their Philippine passports before the limit set by FIBA so they can also come back and help Gilas in the future.

Right now, it is in the hands of FIBA to decide if Clarkson is eligible or not. Let us also hope that the Lakers will allow him to play as well.

Image is from the ESPN website.

2015 SOUTHEAST ASIAN GAMES : FIL-AMS DELIVER 3 ATHLETICS GOLD MEDALS

Three Filipino-American recruits deliver gold medal performances at the start of the athletics competition at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore.

New recruit Caleb Stuart started the day for the Philippines with a record setting performance at the Men's Hammer Throw. His 3rd throw of 65.63m is the new SEA Games record. He was able to beat Thailand (62.12m) and Malaysia (61.18m). Another Filipino, veteran camapaigner Arnel Ferrera, finished fifth. Here is Caleb's performance:

In a rare feat, the fastest man and woman in Southeast Asia comes from the Philippines. Eric Shaun Cray and Kayla Richardson both won the 100m for Men and Women, respectively. Cray clocked in at 10.25s, a clear 0.20s faster than the silver medalist. Richardson, on the other hand, had a photo finish race against the Thai runner and both of them clocked in identical times of 11.76s. In the end, the gold was awarded to Richardson.

Here are their performances at the 100m sprint races:

With more events for all these 3 athletes, the target of 8-12 medals for athletics seems very much attainable. Hope this is the start of the resurgence of Philippine athletics.

2015 FIBA 3X3 UNDER-18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP : KOBE PARAS DEFENDS DUNK CROWN

Team Pilipinas captain Kobe Paras was able to defend his slam dunk title that he won 2 years ago in Jakarta, Indonesia, He was able to again be the champion in the 2015 FIBA Under-18 World Championship Slam Dunk Contest in Hungary.

Here is the video of the contest as posted by FIBA 3x3 official YouTube channel:

YOUR FACE SOUNDS FAMILIAR : MELAI CANTIVEROS IS THE FIRST GRAND WINNER

PBB Double Up Big Winner Melai Cantiveros has been declared the first grand winner of the localized version of the talent show Your Face Sounds Familiar. The results of the voting was announced during the grand finale last Sunday at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Casino.

Melai got 51.39% of the public text votes. She was able to edge out 2nd placer Nyoy Volante (24.51%), 3rd place Jay-R (16.1%) and 4th placer Edgar Allan Guzman (7.47%).

Here are the winners as posted in the show's official Instagram page :

Congratulations MELAI! Ikaw ang #YFSFGrandWinner!

A photo posted by Your Face Sounds Familiar PH (@yourfaceph) on Jun 7, 2015 at 7:30am PDT

Congratulations @nyoyvolante! #2ndplacer #YSFSGrandWinner

A photo posted by Your Face Sounds Familiar PH (@yourfaceph) on Jun 7, 2015 at 7:29am PDT

Congratulations Jay R! #3rdplacer #YSFSGrandWinner

A photo posted by Your Face Sounds Familiar PH (@yourfaceph) on Jun 7, 2015 at 7:17am PDT

Congratulations EA! #4thplacer #YFSFGrandWinner

A photo posted by Your Face Sounds Familiar PH (@yourfaceph) on Jun 7, 2015 at 7:15am PDT

PINOY BIG BROTHER : ANOTHER 4 HOUSEMATES REVEALED

Pinoy Big Brother released teasers revealing 4 more housemates in their official Twitter account. There is one global housemate, 2 from Visayas and 1 from Luzon. Here are the teasers released in Twitter:

First up, we've got another Global Housemate 🙌🏼 #PBB737 pic.twitter.com/5mI9NTqbvI

— Pinoy Big Brother (@PBBabscbn) June 6, 2015

We've got a sweet girl from Luzon 🙋🏻 #PBB737 pic.twitter.com/l6gqGTyoI0

— Pinoy Big Brother (@PBBabscbn) June 6, 2015

Umiyak sa sobrang tuwa nung nalaman niya na confirmed housemate siya! Visayas represent 🙌🏼 #PBB737 pic.twitter.com/UoADX8YymP

— Pinoy Big Brother (@PBBabscbn) June 6, 2015

We've got another confirmed housemate from the Visayas 🙌🏼 #PBB737 pic.twitter.com/pDGTqJhGiW

— Pinoy Big Brother (@PBBabscbn) June 7, 2015

It was also revealed that the show will start on June 20. 

Super excited to watch this new season!

2015 SOUTHEAST ASIAN GAMES : PHILIPPINES SNAGS 6 GOLDS DURING THE WEEKEND GAMES

Team Philippines delivered 6 gold medals over the weekend, with 5 more silvers and 14 bronzes. With this medal haul, Philippines is still in 7th place in the medal tally.

The 6 gold medals came from 5 sports : triathlon, wushu, rugby, billiards and judo.

The Philippines shown its dominance in triathlon, winning both the men's and women's events. Claire Adorna and Kim Mangrobang finished 1-2 in their Saturday race respectively. They delivered the first gold medal of the Philippines. Here are the girls as posted in Inquirer Group's Twitter Page :

Palace lauds Claire Adorna for winning PH’s first SEA Games gold http://t.co/9cuEh5FCSY | @AHeginaINQ pic.twitter.com/NmMrPeXXRF

— Inquirer Group (@inquirerdotnet) June 7, 2015

Nikko Huelgas continued the country's dominance in the event by topping the men's race earlier this morning. Here is his winning moment as posted in the 2015 SEA Games Twitter page :

#Triathlon #PHI Nikko Bryan Huelgas was tearing up as he marked 2:04:32 to secure place as winner! Photo by Hutomo pic.twitter.com/fbcfUzhaAY

— 28th SEA Games (@seagames2015) June 7, 2015

Wushu athlete Daniel Parantac also delivered by topping Men's Optional Taijijian event. He scored 9.71 and just 0.02 points ahead of the silver medalist. Here is the awarding ceremonies of the event as posted in the Sports Singapore YouTube channel :

Wushu was also able to deliver a silver medal in the Men's Duel Event - Weapons from the trio of Parantac, Norlence Ardee Catolico and John Keithley Chan.

Billiards also delivered a golden performance with the pair of Carlo Biado and Warren Kiamco winning the 9-ball doubles event. They beat Vietnam in the finals with a score 9-5. Here is the awarding ceremonies for the event, also posted in the Singapore Sports YouTube channel:

The Philippine Volcanoes also did not disappoint, sweeping the elimination rounds up to the finals to capture the men's Rugby 7s gold medal. The women's team also got a podium finish, getting the bronze medal in distaff side. Here is a picture of the Philippine rugby team celebrating after the medal ceremony as posted in the official Twitter page of Philippine Volcanoes:

Inaalay namin ang mga medalyang ito sa lahat ng Pilipino sa buong mundo! Salamat po sa suporta! #LabanPilipinas pic.twitter.com/N8hXKwtkTS

— PhilippineVolcanoes™ (@PhilippineRugby) June 7, 2015

The last gold medal of the weekend was contributed by judoka Kiyomi Watanabe in the Women's 57 - 63kg division. Judo also contributed 2 bronze medals by Gilbert Ramirez and Helen Dawa in their respective divisions.

Other sports that contributed medals were swimming (3 bronzes) athletics (1 silver), canoeing (2 bronzes), fencing (4 silvers and 1 bronze), gymnastics (1 bronze), shooting (2 bronze) and table tennis (1 silver).

Hope this is a sign of more medals in the coming days. Good luck Team Pilipinas!

2015 SOUTHEAST ASIAN GAMES FORMALLY OPENS

The 2015 Southeast Asian Games was formally opened today at the Singapore National Stadium with a 2 hour program.

The best athletes and coaches from the 11 member nations of Southeast Asia; Brunei Darusalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Timor Leste, Vietnam and host Singapore, marched into the stadium to proudly represent their respective countries in this 28th edition of the games. There are 37 sports in this edition and will run until June 16.

Here is a glimpse of Team Philippines during the parade of nations, led by volleybelle Alyssa Valdez as posted by GMA News in their Twitter account :

LOOK: Team Philippines at the #SEAGames2015 led by flag-bearer @AlyssaValdez2 http://t.co/AnR6QxgBlM pic.twitter.com/wGgz5reUCT

— GMA News (@gmanews) June 5, 2015

Here is the video of the Team Philippines during the parade of nations as posted in the YouTube channel of Sports Singapore :

It was also revealed that Philippines is interested to host the 30th SEA Games in 2019 after Brunei backed out. It will be a busy year for sports if we confirm hosting the SEA Games and if we win hosting the 2019 FIBA World Cup as well!

2015 SOUTHEAST ASIAN GAMES : GOLD STILL ELUSIVE FOR PHILIPPINES, FENCING AND TABLE TENNIS DELIVER MEDALS

Team Philippines still cannot get that first gold medal a day before the official opening of the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore.

The good news is that the Filipino fencers added 2 more medals and table tennis added 1 more before the day ends to keep the Philippines in 5th place in the medal tally with 3 silvers and 1 bronze medals.

Fencer Nathaniel Perez got the first bronze of the country after losing to Minh Quang Nguyen of Vietnam in the semi-final round of the Men's Individual Foil, 14 - 15.

Shortly after that, fencing delivered another silver medal. Harlene Raguin lost to Thi Len Than of Vietnam in the Women's Individuale Epee event, 7 - 11. Here is Harlene during the the awarding ceremony as posted in the Twitter page of the Sountheast Asian Games :

#Fencing: women's épée ind event - congrats to #VIE, #PHI, #SIN, THA! By Leong Mei Lin & Naomi Michiko #seagames2015 pic.twitter.com/11lH4CJQz5

— 28th SEA Games (@seagames2015) June 4, 2015

Table tennis also contributed to the medal count for Team Pilipinas. Richard Gonzales got the silver medal after losing to World No. 15 Gao Ning of Singapore, 1 - 3.

2015 FIBA UNDER-18 3X3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP : KOBE PARAS BECOMING NEW COVERBOY OF THE TOURNAMENT

Team Pilipinas captain Kobe Paras is becoming the new coverboy of the 2015 FIBA Under-18 3x3 World Championship. KObe has been featured so many times in articles about the tournament and has been named one of the 10 players to watch out for in the tournament in FIBA.com.

He was also the only male player in the opening press conference. Kobe has risen to stardom from virtually unknown to an internet sensation after winning the slam dunk contest in the 2013 edition of the tournament in Indonesia.

Here is a preview of the tournament posted in the official YouTube channel featuring no other than our very own Kobe Paras:

2018 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIER : PHILIPPINE AZKALS LAUNCES NEW KITS

The Philippine Azkals launched their new kits for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers that will start on June 11.

The kits were made by the sportswear brand LGR. The shoes of the Azkals will still be sponsored by Adidas.

The kits will be available to the public and will be sold at the Bootcamp Football Shop which has branches in Quezon City, BGC and in Cebu.

Here is a photo of the new Azkals kits as posted in the Twitter page of Sports5 :

PHOTO | Azkals’ new kits for FIFA World Cup qualifiers http://t.co/Y6jY4fBZT9 pic.twitter.com/MaEnHRzZ2f

— Sports5 (@Sports5PH) June 3, 2015

YOUR FACE SOUNDS FAMILIAR : HOW TO VOTE FOR YOUR GRAND WINNER

The grand showdown of the hit show Your Face Sounds Familiar will happen on Saturday and Sunday, June 6 and 7. The final 4 celebrities were the one who choose the icons that they will impersonate for the finals night.

The grand champion will be decided via a public vote and the voting mechanics has been released by the show in their Facebook page.

Here are the instructions on how to vote for your grand champion for the show (only 1 vote per SIM is allowed) :

2015 SOUTHEAST ASIAN GAMES : FENCER JUSTINE GAIL TINIO GIVES TEAM PILIPINAS ITS FIRST MEDAL

With still 2 days before the actual opening ceremonies, Team Philippines already barged into the medal tally. A silver medal was won by one of our lady fencer in the Women's Individual Foil event.

Tinio, a UAAP fencing champion from the University of the East, lost to Singaporean Wenying Wang in the finals, 15-7.

Here is a photo of Tinio during the medal ceremony as posted by Sports5 in their Twitter page:

Philippines' first Silver Medal in the 28th SEA Games courtesy of Justine Gail Tinio! #LabanPilipinas pic.twitter.com/hogO7qwyQ2

— Sports5 (@Sports5PH) June 3, 2015

This is also posted in the 2015 SEA Games Facebook page :

Hope this is the start of more medals for Team Pilipinas! Congratulations Justine Gail!

MOCKINGJAY PART 2 : NEW POSTER RELEASED

The new poster for the 2nd part of the last of the Huger Games series, Mockingjay, has been released in the movie's official Twitter account :

Down with the Capitol! Check out the all-new official poster for #MockingjayPart2 & #UNITE at http://t.co/ILbKFF3L06! pic.twitter.com/iQVFnjSLwF

— Mockingjay - Part 2 (@TheHungerGames) June 1, 2015

The Mockingjay Part 2 will be released on November 20, 2015. I am just so excited to see this movie!

PROJECT RUNWAY PHILIPPINES : MEET THE DESIGNERS OF SEASON 4

ETC released the designers that will compete in the 4th season of the reality show Project Runway Philippines through their official Facebook page. The following are the 15 designers that will compete this season:

The show will premiere on June 14 at 8pm.

2018 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIER : PHILIPPINE AZKALS STARTS TRAINING CAMP

<UPDATED JUNE 2> The Philippine Azkals has started its training camp here in Manila today, June 1. This will be the start of their preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

PFF previously announced the 23 men that were called up for the training camp -  mix of veterans, youngbloods and new foreign recruits. You can view the list here.

In a tweet from @Clyde17Azkals , Stephan Schrock is back in Manila to train with the Azkals after the falling out incident last year with Azkals coach Thomas Dooley:

Stephan Schrock has arrived. @teddydario @filipinofootbal @dscpalami @mikelimpag @RyanFenix @PassionateFanPH pic.twitter.com/xaf8mfWfgs

— Clarence Clyde (@Clyde17Azkal) May 30, 2015

Cedelf Tupas (@cedelfpt) also posted a photo of the new Azkals recruits Luke Woodland and Kevin Ingreso :

New Azkals Luke Woodland (right) and Kevin Ingreso.Luke's mom is from Talisay, Cam Norte. Kevin's dad is from Manila pic.twitter.com/AHlUnlBwel

— Cedelf Tupas (@cedelfpt) June 1, 2015

He also posted some pictures of the Azkals training camp today:

Azkals train for the first time in preparation for World Cup Qualifying match vs Bahrain on June 11 pic.twitter.com/pdArD0LLpT

— Cedelf Tupas (@cedelfpt) June 1, 2015

A picture of another new Azkals recruit Iain Ramsay was also posted in the Facebook page of football.com.ph when he arrived at the Rizal Memorial Stadium straight from the airport.

The Azkals will start their World Cup Qualifier campaign with a home game against Bahrain at the Philippine Stadium in Bulacan on June 11 and then an away game against Yemen on June 16 in Doha, Qatar.

COKE PHILIPPINES LAUNCHES ITS TIMEOUT CAMPAIGN

Coca-Cola Philippines launch its Timeout campaign this weekend through its newest TV commercial which feature Kapamilya teenstar Janella Salvador.

The company also launched its new bottle design for the 237mL size. It is a taller bottle but still have the iconic Coke curves and is sold at an SRP of PhP7.

YOUR FACE SOUNDS FAMILIAR : FINAL FOUR ANNOUNCED!

After 12 intense week of competition, the newest hit reality show "Your Face Sounds Familiar" announced the final four celebrities that will battle it out live next week for the chance to be the first celebrity winner of the show.

The final four celebrities are:

NYOY VOLANTE

Acoustic singer Nyoy topped the elimination round with a total of 257 points. He won twice, first when he impersonated Justin Bieber and during the last week when he impersonated Luciano Pavarotti. Nyoy has been the most consistent contestant in the show.

JAY-R

R&B singer Jay-R got second place after the 12 week eliminations with 246 points. He also won twice, during the first week when he impersonated Pinoy rock legend Pepe Smith and during the fourth week when he impersonated Kenny Rogers. He is the only finalist that never got the last place.

MELAI CANTIVEROS

Pinoy Big Brother big winner Melai Cantiveros is the only female finalist in the show. She is tied with Edgar Allan at 3rd place after the elimination round with 202 points. She won once during week 9 when she impersonated Elizabeth Ramsey. She never fails to entertain everyone week after week in this show.

EDGAR ALLAN GUZMAN

Indie Prince Edgar Allan Guzman is the biggest revelation in this show. The winner of Eat Bulaga's Mr Pogi in 2006 is tied with Melai after the elimination round with 202 points. He won once during week 10 when he impersonated Vice Ganda. He has impressed everyone with his dancing and even his singing skills.

The show will have its live finale next week.

Images are from the official website of Your Face Sounds Familiar Philippines.

2015 SOUTHEAST ASIAN GAMES : PROMO FOR GILAS PILIPINAS CADETS

With a few days left in the preparations, here is a short promo published by Sports 5 in their YouTube channel for the Philippine basketball team, the Gilas Pilipinas Cadets, for the 2015 Southeast Asian Games who are targeting to defend their title that they won in 2013 in Myanmar :

The team will be composed of the following players: Baser Amer, Mac Belo, Kevin Ferrer, Jiovani Jalalon, Glenn Khobuntin, Kiefer Ravena, Prince Rivero, Troy Rosario, Earl Scottie Thompson, Norbert Torres, Almond Vosotros and naturalized veteran Marcus Douthit. They will be coached by Tab Baldwin.

The team will be playing in Group A and will start their campaign on June 10. Here is their game schedule:

June 10 - vs Indonesia (1pm)

June 11 - vs Malaysia (4pm)

June 12 - vs Timor Leste (6pm)

The semi-final matches will be played on June 14 and the finals will be on June 15.

2015 SOUTHEAST ASIAN GAMES : PHILIPPINE VOLLEYBALL TEAM RECOGNIZED DURING THE SHAKEYS V-LEAGUE FINALS

The members of the Philippine Volleyball National Team for the 2015 Southeast Asian Games was called and recognized during the finals of the Open Conference of Shakey's V-League. All 13 members of the team was present and were called out before the awarding ceremonies where PLDT got the championship after winning over Army.

Here is a glimpse of the national team from Tiebraker Times Twitter account :

#LabanPilipinas PH WVT SEA Games team present earlier. pic.twitter.com/HqVziijpeU

— Tiebreaker Times (@TiebreakerTimes) May 31, 2015

The team will join other athletes during the opening ceremonies on June 5, where Alyssa Valdez will be the flag bearer, and will start their quest for a medal after a decade long absence on June 10.

Here is a promo released by Sports5 in their YouTube channel:

The team will start their campaign on June 10, their schedule is as follows:

June 10 - vs Indonesia (12pm)
June 11 - vs Malaysia (10am)
June 13 - vs Vietnam (10am)

Semifinal matches will be played on June 14 and the finals on June 15.

Wishing good luck to Team Philippines and I am hoping that everyone will cheer for them, politics aside.