2017 SEA GAMES : A SALUTE TO OUR SPORTS HEROES - OUR PHILIPPINE MEDALISTS

The 2017 Southeast Asian Games is closing today and it is just fitting that we salute our new heroes - this year's Philippine medalists.

For this edition, the Philippines collected 121 total medals - 24 golds, 33 silvers and 64 bronze medals. Though we fell short of our target of 50 gold medals and even lower than our 29 gold medal output in the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore, it is just right to salute the sacrifices our our athletes to win these medals on the week when we celebrated Araw ng Kagitingan.

So here are our heroes:

GOLD MEDALISTS

Mary Joy Tabal - Athletics - Women's Marathon
Nikko Bryan Huelgas - Men's Triathlon
Marion Kim Mangrobang - Women's Triathlon
Reyland Capellan - Gymnastics - Men's Floor Exercise
Kaitlin de Guzman - Gymnastics - Women's Uneven Bars
Agatha Chrystenzen Wong - Wushu - Women's Taijiquan
Brennan Wayne Louie - Fencing - Men's Foil
Eric Shaun Cray - Athletics - Men's 400m Hurdles
Aries Toledo - Athletics - Men's Decathlon
Trenten Anthony Beram - Athletics - Men's 200m and 400m
Curte Robert Guarin, Emmanuel Portacio, Leoncio Carreon, Jr. and Ronald Lising - Lawn Bowls - Men's Fours Team
Eumir Felix Marcial - Boxing - Men's Middleweight
John Marvin - Boxing - Men's Light Heavyweight
Men's Ice Hockey Team - Ice Hockey
Rodolfo Reyes, Jr., Dustin Jacob Mella, Raphael Enrico Mella - Taekwondo - Men's Poomsae Team
Kiyomi Watanabe - Judo - Women's 63kg
Gilas Pilipinas Cadets Team - Basketball - Men's Basketball
Chezka Centeno - Billiards - Women's 9 Ball Singles
Samuel Thomas Morrison- Taekwondo - Kyorugi - Men's -74kg
Mariya Takahashi - Judo - Women's -70kg
Carlo Biado - Billiards - Men's 9 Ball Singles
Colin John Syquia - Equestrian - Individual Showjumping
Dines Dumaan - Pencak Silat - Tanding Men's Class A

SILVER MEDALISTS

Men's Chinlone Team - Sepak Takraw - Men's Chinlone Team (Linking)
Nicole Marie Tagle - Archery - Women's Individual Recurve
John Leerams Chicano - Men's Triathlon
Ma. Claire Adorna - Women's Triathlon
Samantha Kyle Catantan - Fencing - Women's Individual Foil
Agatha Chrystenzen Wong - Wushu - Women's Optional Taijijian
Hanniel Abel - Fencing - Women's Individual Epee
Nathaniel Perez - Fencing - Men's Foil
Jason Ramil Macaalay - Karate - Men's Kumite +60kg
Rexor Tucay - Karate - Men's Kumite - -67kg
Eric Shaun Cray - Athletics - Men's 100m
Kaitlin de Guzman - Gymnastics - Women's Floor Exercise
Marco Vilog - Athletics - Men's 800m
Mark Harry Diones - Athletics - Men's Triple Jump
Mario Fernandez - Boxing - Men's Bantamweight
Marisa Baronda, Nancy Toyko, Nenita Tabiano, Sharon Hauters - Lawn Bowls - Women's Fours
Jemyca Aribado & Yvonne Alyssa Dalida- Squash - Women's Jumbo Doubles
Hazel Jagonoy, Rosita Bradborn, Vilma Greenless - Lawn Bowls - Women's Triples
James Deiparine - Swimming - Men's Breaststroke - 100m and 50m
Marcelito Pancho & Angelo Morales - Lawn Bowls - Men's Pairs
Anna Clarice Patrimonio - Tennis - Women's Singles
Colin John Syquia, Sophia Amor Chiara, Joker Arroyo, Marie Antonette Leviste - Equestrian - Team Show Jumping
Rubilen Amit - Billiards - Women's 9 Ball Singles
Arven Alcantara - Taekwondo - Kyorugi Men's -68kg
Michael Martinez - Ice Skating - Men's Figure Skating
Rhezie Aragon - Taekwondo - Kyorugi Women's -53kg
Geylord Coveta - Sailing - Men's RS One Windsurfing
Kristie Elaine Alora - Taekwondo - Kyorugi Women's -73kg
Jason Huerte, Mark Joseph Gonzales, Rheyjey Ortouste, Ronsited Gabayeron - Sepak Takraw- Men's Regu
Robert Andrew Garcia, Reymark Begornia, David William Pelino, Juan Rafael Yam - Squash - Men;s Team

BRONZE MEDALISTS

Paul Marton dela Cruz - Archery - Men's Individual Compound
Paul Marton dela Cruz, Joseph Benjamin Vicencio & Earl Benjamin Yap - Archery - Men's Team Compound
Mark Javer, Florante Matan & Gabriel Moreno - Archery - Men's Recurve Team
Nicole Marie Tagle, Kareel Meer Hongitan & Mary Queen Ybanez - Archery - Women's Recurve Team
Maxine Isabel Esteban - Fencing - Women's Individual Foil
Women's Regu Team - Sepak Takraw - Women's Regu
Orencio James delos Santos - Karate - Men's Individual Kata
Junna Tsukii - Karate - Women's Kumite -50kg
Harlene Raguin - Fencing - Women's Individual Epee
Richard Gonzales - Table Tennis - Men's Singles
Roxanne Ashley yu - Swimming - Women's 200m Backstroke
Evalyn Palabrica - Athletics - Women's Javelin Throw
Kaitlin de Guzman - Gymnastics - Women's Balance Beam
Reyland Capellan - Gymnastics - Men's Vault
Arnel Ferrera - Athletics - Men's Hammer Throw
Mae Soriano - Karate - Women's Kumite -55kg
Jasmin Alkhaldi - Swimming - Women's 100m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly, 200m Freestyle
Jemyca Aribado & Yvonne Alyssa Dalida- Squash - Women's Doubles
Amparo Teresa Acuna - Shooting - Women's 50m Rifle
Ian Clark Bautista - Boxing - Men's Flyweight
Charly Suarez - Boxing - Men's Light Welterweight
Marvin Guarte - Athletics - Men's 1500m
Women's Kumite Team - Karate - Women's Team Kumite
Lois Kaye Go - Golf - Women's Individual
Women's Bowling Team - Bowling - Women's Team
David Pelino & Robert Andrew Garcia - Squash - Men's Jumbo Doubles
Janry Ubas - Athletics - Men's Long Jump
Dennis Orcullo & Warren Kiamco - Billiards - Men's 9 Ball Doubles
Alkhaldi, Oliva, Pamintuan, Sta. Ana - Swimming - Women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
Denise Dy & Katharina Lenhert - Tennis - Women's Doubles
Kayla Richardson, Kyla Richardson, Zion Nelson & Eloiza Luzon - Athletics - Women's 4 x 100m Relay
Anfernee Lopena, Archand Christian Bagsit, Eric Shaun Cray, Trenten Anthony Beram - Athletics - Men's 4 x 100m Relay
Melvin Calano - Athletics - Men's Javelin Throw
Marestella Sunang - Athletics - Women's Long Jump
Mark Griffin - Wakeboarding - Men's Individual
Rodolfo Reyes, Jr. - Taekwondo - Men's Individual Poomsae
Clinton Kingsley Bautista - Athletics - Men's 110m Hurdles
Rinna Babanto, Juvenille Crisostomo and Jecel Lyn Ninobla - Taekwondo - Women's Poomsae Team
Daniel Caluag - Cycling - Men's BMX
Shugen Nakano - Judo - Men's -66kg
Keisei Nakano - Judo - Men's 73kg
Ainie Knight & Asuncion Bruce - Lawn Bowls - Women's Pairs
Denise Dy & Ruben Gonzales - Tennis - Mixed Doubles
Edgardo Alejan, Archand Christian Bagsit, Michael Carlo del Prado, Aries Toledo - Athletics - Men's 4 x 400m Relay
Elmer Abatayo - Lawn Bowls - Men's Singles
Jayson Huerte, Rheyjey Ortouste, Mark Joseph Gonzales - Sepak Takraw - Men's Doubles
Emerson Villena & Lester Troy Tayon - Sailing - Men's International 470
Women's Team - Rhythmic Gymnastics - Women's Single Apparatus
Sydney Sy - Judo - Women's -68kg
Pauline Louise Lopez - Taekwondo - Kyorugi Women's -62kg
Alisson Perticheto - Ice Skating - Women's Figure Skating
Johann Chua - Billiards - Men's 9 Ball Singles
Jemyca Aribado - Squash - Women's Singles
Robert Andrew Garcia- Squash - Men's Singles
Princesslyn Enopia - Pencak Silat - Tanding Women's Class A
Rickrod Ortega - Pencak Silat - Tanding Men’s Class C
Jefferson Rhey Loon - Pencak Silat - Tanding Men’s Class D
Ryan Jakiri - Muay - Men's 60-63kg
Francis Aaron Agojo - Taekwondo - Kyorugi Men's -63kg
Juryll del Rosario - Pencak Silat - Tanding Men’s Class I
Isabelle Gotuaco, Jemyca Aribado, Joan Aribado, Yvonne Dalida - Squash - Women's Team

Congratulations to all our Philippine medalists and to all the athletes that competed! Mabuhay kayo!

To all SEA Games athletes - see you in Manila in 2019!

HOLIDAY ALERT : SEPTEMBER 1 DECLARED A HOLIDAY TO COMMEMORATE EID'L ADHA

The long wait is over. Malacanang has released a declaration that indeed, September 1, 2017 is a holiday to commemorate the Muslim holiday Eid;l Adha,

Here is the announcement as posted in ABS CBN News Channel Twitter account:

Palace declares Sept. 1 regular holiday for Eid'l Adha | @pia_gutierrez pic.twitter.com/6t7SxlPebw

— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) August 29, 2017

This is the 3rd long weekend in a row this month after Aug 21 (Ninoy Aquino Day) and Aug 28 (National Heroes Day) - both Mondays are holidays.

Another short week this week and off to a relaxing weekend.

UP FIGHT : UP MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM ROSTER FOR SEASON 80 REVEALED

The roster of the University of the Philippines Maroons Men's Basketball Team for the UAAP Season 80 has been revealed just before the UP Pep Rally earlier today.

This team will be aiming to win the university's 2nd basketball title and end its final four and championship drought. The UP Fighting Maroons last entered the final four in 1997 which is already 20 seasons ago and last won its first and only championship in 1989 which is already 28 years ago.

This year's team will still be coached by UP alumni Coach Bo Perasol and will be co-captained by last year's UAAP Mythical Team member Paul Desiderio and senior Andrew Harris.

Here is UP MBT's Season 80 roster:

UP Fighting Maroons is ready to #GoForGreat this #UAAPSeason80! Here is the official list of players facing this year's feisty competition.✊ pic.twitter.com/RGBRhIPqnE

— UP Fighting Maroons (@upmbt) August 29, 2017

New faces for the UP Fighting Maroons are Cebuano Jun Manzo who transferred from University of the Visayas and served residency last year and UPIS standout and UAAP Season 79 Basketball Juniors MVP Juan Gomez de Liano.

This seems to be a solid roster for UP considering their good preseason build up where they were able to get a championship and train in Las Vegas last month.

For their first round schedule, please see this link to an earlier post.

Good Luck UP Fighting Maroons! #UPFight

UP FIGHT : UP WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL TEAM ROSTER IN PVL COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE REVEALED

The roster of the University of the Philippines Lady Maroons Volleyball Team in the upcoming Premiere Volleyball League Collegiate Conference has been revealed.

The team which will still be coached by Coach Jerry Yee will be a mix of the UP volleyball team core and new blood, including new recruits and high school student commits, some of whom also played last season. The team will still be led by team captain Tots Carlos.

The roster for this tournament is as follows:

Here's your @UPWVT lineup for the PVL Collegiate Conference! #UPFight ❤️✊🏻 (c)abscbns+a pic.twitter.com/Ti3MDVjYjf

— UP Volleyball (@UPBalibol) August 29, 2017

New faces are US recruit Cynthia Escutin and new libero Josetti Thai. High school commit Roselyn Rossier and comebacking Vina Alinas will also play.

UP will be in Group B together with Arellano, TIP, San Beda, Adamson and Benilde. The initial UP schedule is as follows:

Sept 4 6:30pm - vs Adamson
Sept 11 4:00pm - vs TIP
Sept 18 4:00pm - vs CSB
Sept 23 4:00pm - vs San Beda
Sept 30 1:00pm - vs Arellano

All games will be played at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.

Good Luch UP Lady Maroons! #UPFight

2017 SEA GAMES : MARY JOY TABAL WINS PHILIPPINES' 1ST GOLD MEDAL

Veteran marathoner Mary Joy Tabal has won the Philippines' first gold medals of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.

Tabal led almost the full length of the race and clocked in with a time of about 2 hours and 48 minutes and 26 minutes, more than 7 minutes ahead of the second placer and improving her silver medal finish 2 years ago in the 2015 SEA games. She beat 6 other female runners, including 2015 SEA Games winner Natthaya Thanaronnawat of Thailand.

The silver medal went to Hoang Thi Thanh of Vietnam (2:55:43) while the bronze was won by Natthaya Thanaronnawat of Thailand (2:58:17).

Here is her winning moment as posted in Camille Naredo's Twitter account:

Mary Joy Tabal crosses the finish line! What a performance! pic.twitter.com/RYjzSP6vEZ

— Camille B. Naredo (@camillenaredo) August 19, 2017

Tabal, an Olympian and a 4-peat winner of the Milo Marathon, almost did not make it to the national team for the SEA Games after some dispute with PATAFA, the country's athletics association. She was later reinstated after agreeing to a compromise. This is just a validation that she really belongs to the national team.

With this win, Tabal ends the Philippines' 8 year gold medal drought in SEA Games marathon. The last time Philippines won a gold medal was in 2009 in Laos when both Eduardo Buenavista and Jho-An Banayag ruled both the men's and women's races.

On the men's side, Jeson Agravante failed to finish in the men's marathon race after getting cramps a few kilometers to the finish line.

Congratulations to Mary Joy for this golden performance and thank you Jeson for representing the country!

#LabanPilipinas

AVC WOMEN'S SENIOR VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP : JAPAN WINS GOLD, DAWN MACANDILI NAMED 2ND BEST LIBERO

Japan was named the champion of the 2017 AVC Women's Senior Volleyball Championship after their come from behind victory over Thailand. The Japanese overcame a 2 set lead of the Thais and win the last 3 sets en route to a thrilling 5 set victory: 26-28, 20-25, 25-16, 25-16 and 15-7.

Korea won the bronze after beating East Asian rival China in an earlier game. The Philippines finished in eight place after bowing to Kazakhstan in a 5-set thriller as well.

The final standings are as follows:

2017 Asian Senior Women's Volleyball Championship final standings

🏐 #AVCWomensSCH pic.twitter.com/c6PRSWTJl7

— VolleyMetricsPH (@VolleyMetricsPH) August 17, 2017

Individual awards were also given out. And for the surprise of everyone, a 2nd best libero award was given out and it went to Philippines' Ms Everywhere Dawn Macandili. Here is the list of individual awardees:

#AVCWomensSCH individual awards @spinph pic.twitter.com/pp1dlcqqDk

— Mei-Lin Lozada (@meilinspin) August 17, 2017

Congratulations to all winners! To the Philippine girls, let's now win that bronze in the SEA Games!

2017 SEA GAMES : TEAM PHILIPPINES GETS ITS FIRST SILVER AND BRONZE MEDALS

Team Philippines got its first 2 medals 3 days before the official opening of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The country's first medal is a silver - won by the Chinlone (Linking) men's team in Sepak Takraw after they qualified in the finals after the morning qualifiers but succumb to the Malaysians in the finals. This is a good start to the sepak takraw team's campaign since they are targeting to win 6 medals in this games - 1 gold, 2 silvers and 3 bronzes. In 2015, they only won 2 medals - 1 silver and 1 bronze.

Gallant stand by PHI sepak takraw team! Silver medalists #SEAGames2017 in men's chin lone pic.twitter.com/tAgNFZOkTc

— Marc Anthony Reyes (@marcreyesINQ) August 16, 2017

The second medal was a bronze medal from Archery, won by Paul Marton dela Cruz in Men's Singles Compound Archery event. He edged out a Malaysian archer in the battle for 3rd place where they both shot to a score of 144 but his best arrow was closer to the bulls eye so he was awarded the bronze medal. Unfortunately, the distaff side was not able to get a medal.

Paul Martin snatches bronze in men's individual compound pic.twitter.com/NDBeCZE2z8

— Marc Anthony Reyes (@marcreyesINQ) August 16, 2017

In other events, the men's water polo team succumb to the host Malaysia in a very close match, 7 - 8. In netball, Siklab Pilipinas suffered its 2nd straight loss after losing to Brunei, 32 - 69.

Here is the Team Philippines' schedule for tomorrow, August 17.

10:00am - Sepak Takraw - Chinlone Event 3
11:00am - Aquatic Water Polo - Men's - Philippines vs Singapore
2:30pm - Aquatic Synchronized - Solo Free Routine
4:00pm - Football - Women's - Philippines vs Vietnam
5:15pm - Netball - Women's - Philippines vs Singapore
8:00pm - Aquatic Synchronized - Solo Technical Routine
8:45pm - Football - Men's - Philippines vs Indonesia

Congratulations to the Sepak Takraw Team and Paul Marton dela Cruz! Mabuhay kayo! #LabanPilipinas

2017 SEA GAMES : KEY WINS IN WATER POLO AND FOOTBALL FOR TEAM PHILIPPINES

Team Philippines got good results in water polo and football on the first day it plunged into action at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The first team that went into action was the men's water polo team, who beat 2015 SEA Games bronze medalist Thailand with a score of 9 - 7. The offense of the Philippines was Roy Canete who came back to help the team from Dubai. In 2015, the men's water polo team went home winless and are here to definitely get a medal. They last got a medal when they got the silver in Indonesia in 2011. The team will next face hots Malaysia tomorrow.

Netball, which is in infancy state in the Philippines, suffered a setback after the team lost to 2015 bronze medalist Thailand, 16 - 86. The netball team, a last minute addition to the Philippine delegation, was also winless in the 2015 games in Singapore. The girls will go for a come back tomorrow against Brunei.

Football also registered great starts from both the men's and women's teams. The men's team won over Cambodia, 2-0 with 2nd half goals from Reymart Cubon (52') and Kouichi Belgira (81').

FT: CAM 🇰🇭 0-2 PHI 🇵🇭

Three points for the Philippines as they open their @KL2017 SEA Games campaign with a win against Cambodia. #KL2017 pic.twitter.com/Ng5pqDaJ0z

— The-AFC.com (@theafcdotcom) August 15, 2017

On the other hand, the women's team was victorious over the host team Malaysia, 2-1 with goals from Patrice Impelido (45') and Camille Rodriguez (73').

FT: MAS 🇲🇾 1-2 PHI 🇵🇭

All three points for the Philippines after a narrow win over Malaysia in the @KL2017 opener! #KL2017 pic.twitter.com/4E4JQdU3fV

— The-AFC.com (@theafcdotcom) August 15, 2017

The next assignments for the men's team is Indonesia and for the women's team, it will be Vietnam, both on Thursday, September 17.

Team Philippines' schedule for tomorrow, August 16 is as follows:

9:00am - Aquatic Water Polo - Men's - Philippines vs Malaysia
9:30am - Archery - Compound - Men's Qualification Distance 1
9:30am - Archery - Compound - Women's Qualification Distance 1
10:00am - Sepak Takraw - Chinlone Event 3
10:55am - Archery - Compound - Men's Qualification Distance 2
10:55am - Archery - Compound - Women's Qualification Distance 2
2:30pm onwards - Archery - Compound - Men's and Womens - Quarterfinals to Finals
3:00pm - Netball - Women's - Philippines vs Brunei

Congratulations to the water polo and football teams for the wins today! Good luck to all athletes! #LabanPilipinas

GREAT FOODIE FIND : MADISON COMMONS FOOD PARK

I have been working in an office sandwiched between Pioneer St. and Brixton St. for several months now and I never knew that a food park is just a few meters away from our parking lot. Thanks to the great food hunter - my sister - for giving me a link to a website about this hidden food spot.

Let me introduce to you - Madison Commons. This food park is along Brixton St., just behind Pioneer Center. Once you exit from Pioneer Center, cross Brixton St. then turn right. After passing the Overruns Store, you will see the food park (first stall is Persiana). It is not very visible if you are in a car along Brixton so it is better to keep a close watch if you are using Waze for direction and you might miss it. There is also a parking lot beside the foodpark but has limited slots. This is open from 4pm up to I think about midnight.

Since my sister had a seminar near our office, we decided to have dinner here tonight. Since it was our first time here, we decided to buy a variety of food from different stalls to get a taste of what this food park has to offer. So after going around the whole park, here is what our dinner looked like.

Let me take you one by one on what we ordered and on what food stall.

Pipa House
Will Smeat Fried Pizza (All Meat)
PhP149.00

Since we agreed not to order rice tonight, definitely something heavy is a must. Pizza is definitely in our radar and once we saw the store, we agreed to get one. We ordered the all meat pizza - Will Smeat (a witty name and a play on Will Smith - most of their pizza are actually named this way). The service was quite fast since I was expecting a longer waiting time for pizza. It is a very thin crust pizza but it has a generous amount of sauce and toppings. It was very filling and was definitely worth its price.

Rating this 4 out of 5 spoons.

Chicas Amigas
Chicawings (1/2 pound) - Salted Egg
PhP180.00

Wings is not really my favorite chicken part but is definitely a finger food in tonight's food spread. The stock we received was 6 pieces and was cooked just the way I like it - very crispy and just on the verge of being overcooked. The salted egg sauce definitely complimented the chicken and was definitely the best dish on our table tonight. Unfortunately, waiting time was really long, it was the last dish to make our table. But it is definitely worth the wait.

Rating this 4.5 out of 5 spoons.

Smoke and Barrel
Chacho Nachos
PhP150.00

Nachos will definitely be one of our favorite appetizer and this store offers it with barbecue tacos, pulled pork, tomato salsa, home made barbecue sauce and cheese sauce - a combination really worth ordering. Service was great and food was on our table in less than 5 minutes. Nacho will always be good food - but this was a bit disappointing, maybe the sauce is quite tangy for my taste.

Rating this 3.5 out of 5 spoons.

Meat at Stake
Crispy Pork
PhP145.00

Anything pork, crispy and deep fried to perfection is just heaven. So let's meet - Crispy Pork from Meat at Stake. It is a bunch of thinly sliced pork, deep fried and served with vinegar. I think I would not expound further but this is highly recommended and really worth trying.

Rating this 4.5 spoons out of 5.

Taking everything into consideration, we really had a great first experience at Madison Commons. With its proximity to our home and my office, we will definitely be back to try some other stalls in the food park. Will I go bak for anything? I will definitely go back for the Crispy Pork and the Wings with Salted Egg and try another Pizza flavor.

Good night with good food - a good way to end my day.

AVC WOMEN'S SENIOR VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP : PHILIPPINES BEATS VIETNAM IN 4 SETS

In their last game in the second round of the AVC Women's Senior Volleyball Championship, the hosts Philippines just beat one of the Southeast Asian greats Vietnam in a 4 set thriller at the Alonte Sports Arena in Binan, Laguna.

The Philippines has to come from behind to win the first two sets, 27-25 and 26-24. The third set was handily won by Vietnam, building a commanding lead early in the set, which ended at 17-25. The fourth set was not even a close one. The Philippines lead almost the whole set, building as much as a 6 point lead. In the end, a combination play for Alyssa Valdez ended the match. Here is the match point of Valdez as posted in the ABS-CBN Sports Twitter page:

.@kimfajardo9 to @AlyssaValdez2 FOR THE WIN! #AVCWomensSCH pic.twitter.com/o0sgVIzDal

— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) August 14, 2017

Valdez top scored the Philippines with 20 points and Jaja Santiago added 19 markers. It is also good to note that we also had superb floor defense from Dawn Macandili and blocks from Aby Marano.

If this is a good gauge for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games, we really have a good chance in getting a podium finish this year after 12 years since we last won the bronze from the regional meet when we last hosted the games in 2005.

The Philippines will next meet another Southeast Asian volleyball giant Thailand in the quarterfinals tomorrow night.

Big congratulations to the Philippine girls!

2017 SEA GAMES : TEAM PIULIPINAS SCHEDULE FOR AUGUST 15 TO 19

The 2017 Southeast Asian Games or SEA Games will officially open on August 19 but some sports will already start the competition.

Athletes from water polo, football, netball, synchronized swimming, archery, sepak takraw, open water swimming and rugby 7s will open the country's quest this SEA Games.

Here is your guide to the competition schedule of Team Pilipinas from August 15 - 19, 2017:

August 15
11:00am - Aquatic Water Polo - Men's - Philippines vs Thailand
3:00pm - Netball - Women's - Philippines vs Thailand
8:45pm - Football - Men's - Philippines vs Cambodia
8:45pm - Football - Women's - Philippines vs Malaysia

August 16
9:00am - Aquatic Water Polo - Men's - Philippines vs Malaysia
9:30am - Archery - Compound - Men's Qualification Distance 1
9:30am - Archery - Compound - Women's Qualification Distance 1
10:00am - Sepak Takraw - Chinlone Event 3
10:55am - Archery - Compound - Men's Qualification Distance 2
10:55am - Archery - Compound - Women's Qualification Distance 2
2:30pm onwards - Archery - Compound - Men's and Womens - Quarterfinals to Finals
3:00pm - Netball - Women's - Philippines vs Brunei

August 17
10:00am - Sepak Takraw - Chinlone Event 3
11:00am - Aquatic Water Polo - Men's - Philippines vs Singapore
2:30pm - Aquatic Synchronized - Solo Free Routine
4:00pm - Football - Women's - Philippines vs Vietnam
5:15pm - Netball - Women's - Philippines vs Singapore
8:00pm - Aquatic Synchronized - Solo Technical Routine
8:45pm - Football - Men's - Philippines vs Indonesia

August 18
8:30am - Aquatics Open Water - 10km - Men's (Teodoro Roy Canete, Jr. and Mico Anota)
8:35am - Aquatics Open Water - 10km - Women's (Courtney Gray and Erica Kristy Lukang)
3:00pm - Netball - Women's - Philippines vs Malaysia
3:15pm - Aquatic Synchronized - Duet Technical Routine


August 19
6:00am - Athletics - Marathon - Men's
6:15am - Athletics - Marathon - Women's (Mary Joy Tabal)
10:22am - Rugby 7s - Men's - Philippines vs Indonesia (Philippine Volcanoes)
11:50am - Rugby 7s - Women's - Philippines vs Malaysia
12:38pm - Rugby 7s - Men's - Philippines vs Cambodia (Philippine Volcanoes)
2:28pm - Rugby 7s - Women's - Philippines vs Laos
3:16pm - Rugby 7s - Men's - Philippines vs Laos (Philippine Volcanoes)
4:44pm - Rugby 7s - Women's - Philippines vs Indonesia

Good Luck to all the Filipino athletes in the SEA Games! Laban Pilipinas!

FIBA ASIA CUP 2017 : GILAS PILIPINAS SWEEPS GROUP B AS MORE THAN 2000 FILIPINOS CHEER ON

Gilas Pilipinas went on to sweep Group A of the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 in Beirut, Lebanon by beating Qatar, 80 - 74. With June Mar Fajardo still injured and Christian Standhardinger also sitting out due to a bad case of stiff neck, the Philippines had to rely on the sweet shooting of Matthew Right who finished with 25 points which included 7 three pointers.

Calvin Abueva also slipped in the second quarter and was not able to come back, our big guys having early foul trouble and Terrence Romeo was also misfiring, Gilas Pilipinas was able to play good team ball and had great performances from Gabe Norwood and Carl Bryan Cruz.

But what made this win special is that more than 15 bus fulls of Filipinos came out to support the team and the stadium felt like homecourt for the team. It is really amazing how Filipinos support Gilas where ever they play. They also get a chance to meet their idols after the game.

More than 2,000 Filipinos in Beirut to meet the Gilas Pilipinas: https://t.co/dfQQEM8F7X 😵🇵🇭🎉 #FIBAAsiaCup2017 pic.twitter.com/wWKj5xlkSX

— FIBA (@FIBA) August 13, 2017

With this win, Gilas Pilipinas advances automatically to the the quarterfinals, joining other top teams from the other groups - Australia, New Zealand and Iran. They will be battling against the winner of the game tonight between Korea and Japan. Whoever wins will definitely be a challenge for Gilas since both Korea has been a constant antagonist of Gilas while Japan gave us a good fight in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championships.

With 3 days rest, the Filipinos will definitely prepare hard for the game on Wednesday. Surely, Standhardinger and Abueva will be back to play and all are playing for June Mar to be able to play as well.

Laban Pilipinas!

WORLD HIP HOP DANCE CHAMPIONSHIP: UPEEPZ IS CROWNED CHAMPIONS FOR THE 2ND STRAIGHT YEAR

UPeepz once again was declared the champion of the Megacrew Division in the 2017 World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Phoenix, Arizona.

IN FIRST PLACE IN THE MEGACREW DIVISION

UPeepz - Philippines pic.twitter.com/JMCQcWQlsb

— HipHop International (@OfficialHHI) August 13, 2017

This is the second straight year that the group was declared the champions. Another Filipino squad Legit Status placed 3rd in the same division. Here is UPeepz dance routine as posted in the HipHop International YouTube page:

Congrats UPeepz and all the dance groups that made us proud in this competition!

BASKETBALL : METTA WORLD PEACE IN MANILA

Basketball icon Metta World Peace (formerly known as Ron Artest) has arrived in Manila today, as posted in his Twitter account:

Just arrived in Manila .. Love the Filipino people. Halo halo time!!! pic.twitter.com/ASw2lAU6s2

— Metta World Peace (@MettaWorldPeace) August 12, 2017

This is his first time in the Philippines. And with him is a revelation that will make Filipino fans happy. According to an article in Spin.ph, he revealed that his half Filipino son, Jeron Artest has applied for a Philippine passport in the hopes of making it to the national team Gilas Pilipinas someday.

And based on his latest post, Metta World Peace is now eating Filipino comfort food at Manams in Greenbelt.

Comfort Filipino food pic.twitter.com/udDTaZYuBw

— Metta World Peace (@MettaWorldPeace) August 12, 2017

Welcome to the Philippines Metta World Peace!

ALAB PILIPINAS : JIMMY ALAPAG NAMED AS THE NEW HEAD COACH

Alab Pilipinas looks like it is really serious to bring back the ASEAN Basketball League Crown to the Philippines. Alab announced that they are getting the services of the Mighty Mouse and Gilas Pilipinas legend and now assistant coach Jimmy Alapag to be their head coach in the upcoming tournaments including the new season of ABL.

Bagong laban, bagong #pALABan! ALAB PILIPINAS welcomes new Head Coach JIMMY "The Mighty Mouse" ALAPAG! 🔥🔥🔥 Official signing in a bit! pic.twitter.com/zwGWzxn8DZ

— Alab Pilipinas (@AlabPilipinas) August 12, 2017

The announcement came after a few teasers in their official Twitter and Facebook pages and even coined him as the Fire Starter and the new pALABan and a known leader in the court. Fans has speculated that it is Alapag and was only confirmed today when the contract signing was also aired lived in their Facebook page.

Last season's coach Mac Cuan, who lead the team to a semi-finals finish in their maiden season will still be in the coaching staff. I am excited to know who will compose the new Alab Pilipinas team after some of their players have been signed by PBA teams. I really hope the team gets stronger and they can win the championship next season.

Congrats Alab Pilipinas and Jimmy Alapag! I hope this will start a new winning partnership in the ABL.

GREAT FOODIE FIND : INDUSTRIE FOOD LOFT

For someone who loves eating out very much, to find new places to eat out is like finding a gift under the tree on Chrsitmas Day. My sister told me about this food park in Pasig for the longest time and we only had time to visit the place last weekend.

Industrie Food Loft is located in the complex of City Golf Plaza along Julia Vargas Ave. in Pasig. It is open from 10am to 1am. We went there on a Sunday afternoon, around a little before 3pm after a long discussion on where to eat. We were quite fortunate that the parking was almost empty since the my sister said the last time she was there with her officemates, the parking was full.

The Industrie Food Loft is composed of different food stalls - just like your typical food park. The ambiance was very nice despite the place being quite small.

So we looked around and gravitated towards Prime Shack MNL since we were craving for shrimps for so long. We ordered the Bag of Shrimps with Salted Egg Sauce - which they said was once of their best sellers. The wait was quite long, which made us quite impatient since this is our very late lunch and our tummies are already complaining.

The presentation was quite a let down - it was literally a bag of shrimp in an oval shaped yellow plate with a wedge of lemon beside it. But who cares, right? The shrimps really tastes good but the hint of the slated egg is only a faint back tone to the shrimp. I would prefer a stronger salted egg flavor but it is still good. This costs PhP400 pesos for 400grams which we already shared. Rice costs PhP35 per cup but would be a great pairing with the shrimp, as we all love.

Of course, what is a good meal without a sweet dessert? We cannot resist the gelato of Manila Creamery which is just beside Prime Shack MNL. I got a scoop of Kinder Bueno gelato and here is how they served it:

Presentation wise, it is so nice to look at - with a touch of triangular shaped waffle cone on top of the gelato scoop. It also tastes good - the Kinder Bueno flavor is like hazelnut flavor and was so good. Also, you can take a sample bite so you can choose the flavor you like. The single scoop costs PhP100 for regular flavors and PhP120 for premium flavors which is all worth the money.

All in all, I had a great time at Industrie Food Loft and will definitely be back to try the other stalls real soon.

FIBA ASIA CUP 2017 : GILAS PILIPINAS WINS OVER IRAQ, GETS SURE QUARTERFINAL SLOT

Gilas Pilipinas got over a slow first half and came back guns ablaze in the third quarter to seal the win against the tough Iraq team, 84 - 68 at the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Beirut, Lebanon.

After a close first half which ended at 32-31 in favor of Gilas, the Filipinos broke the game open on the 26-9 scoring run in the 3rd quarter to seal the game. The duo of Terrence Romeo and Christian Standhardinger provided crucial runs in the said quarter to help the Gilas squad to lead as much as more than 20 points and never look back from there. Romeo finished with 17 points and Standhardinger with 16 points, topscoring for the Philippines.

With this win, the Philippines is now sure of the top seed in Group B irregardless of the result of the match against Qatar on Sunday. This means that the Gilas Pilipinas will avoid going against Australia and New Zealand which is expected to top their respective groups.

Most probably, the Philippines will face the winner between Japan and Korea or Lebanon in the quarterfinals.

Another great win for Gilas Pilipinas! #LabanPilipinas

TEAM PILIPINAS: 3 GREAT WINS FOR A GREAT SPORTS NIGHT

Good things indeed come in threes.

Filipino sports fans was in for a treat tonight - with not one, not two but three great wins tonight from 3 different Philippine teams in 3 different sports.

The first win was scored by the Philippine National Women's Volleyball team when they sweep their first group match versus Hong Kong in the AVC Senior Women's Volleyball Championship at the Alonte Sports Arena in Binan, Laguna. The Filipinas had a tentative start but never looked back once they got the momentum. They beat the HK ladies via a 25-21, 25-16, 25-17 tally.

FINAL: PHI starts strong, sweeps HK, 25-21, 25-16, 25-17.

Catch #AVCWomensSCH: Philippines🇵🇭 vs Hong Kong🇭🇰 NOW AIRING on S+A! pic.twitter.com/8mJgoeGIuF

— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) August 9, 2017

The team was led by Alyssa Valdez with 14 points and Jaja Santiago with 13 points. The next assignment of the girls will be Kazakhstan on Friday.

The next win was from Gilas Pilipinas who also opened their campaign in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Beirut, Lebanon. In their first group stage match, they were able to get an upset win over defending champion China, 96-87.

The Philippines 🇵🇭 fight off a big comeback from China 🇨🇳 to open their #FIBAAsiaCup2017 campaign

📊 https://t.co/zbXwbsAnpH pic.twitter.com/t3GUKM644w

— FIBA (@FIBA) August 9, 2017

Gilas led most of the game, with China almost pulling off their come from behind surge in the fourth quarter, even getting the lead in the last quarter. But Gilas was able to hold on and was able to clinch the win. Terrence Romeo topscorred with 26 points, Japeth Aguilar has 5 blocked shots and Gabe Norwood coming up with 3 steals and 3 blocks. Here are the highlights of the game from FIBA's official YouTube channel:

Next game will be against WABA dark horse Iraq on Friday night.

To cap off this streak, PFL's Ceres Negros FC was declared as the ASEAN Zone Champion at the 2017 AFC Cup in front of their home crowd in Bacolod City.  Ceres Negros won over Home United FC at Bacolod with a score of 2-0 and a 3-2 win on aggregate. OJ Porteria started with an early goal at 2' time. The second goal was from a penalty kick from Manny Ott.

👑 Congratulations to the #AFCCup2017 ASEAN Zone champions @CeresNegrosFC! pic.twitter.com/HmP46npXMD

— AFC Cup (@AFCCup) August 9, 2017

This is the farthest a Filipino team got to since the start of the tournament. They will face FC Istikol on August 22.

Congrats to all the Filipino atheletes! #LabanPilipinas

UAAP 80 : UP FIGHTING MAROONS MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM ROUND 1 SCHEDULE

Here is the round 1 schedule of the UP Fighting Maroons Men's Basketball Team in UAAP Season 80. The season will start on September 9 but UP's game will only start the day after. This schedule is posted in the official Twitter page of the UPMBT.

SHARE & TAG your friends! #UAAPSeason80 is here! 

Like our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages for more updates: @upmbt :-) pic.twitter.com/GfhKF6ZtMX

— UP Fighting Maroons (@upmbt) August 7, 2017

I am planning to watch some games this season, so see you in the games fellow isko and iska. #UPFight

BASKETBALL : METTA WORLD PEACE IS COMING TO MANILA!

In a surprise post in his Twitter account, Metta World Peace, an NBA player formerly known as Ron Artest, is coming to Manila for the first time!

I'm finally going to Manilla, Philipines.. August 11th.. 1st time ever...

— Metta World Peace (@MettaWorldPeace) August 7, 2017

Details on what event he will be joining has not yet been revealed but Filipino fans need to block this date to see him. Metta has a bit of Filipino connection as well - his son Jeron Artest - is part Filipino with a Filipina mom.

See you soon in Manila Metta World Peace!

FIBA ASIA CUP 2016 : GILAS PILIPINAS GAMES SCHEDULE

Gilas Pilipinas once again will try to win the elusive Asia crown after two consecutive runner up finishes in the 2013 and 2015 editions. This year's competition will take place in Beirut, Lebanon from August 8 to 20, 2017. The Philippines last won the Asian title in 1985 - 32 years ago.

For the group stage, the Philippines was drawn in the so-called "Group of Death" - Group B. Also in this group are defending champion China, who defeated us in the finals in Wuhan in 2015; Gulf champion Qatar and WABA Championship dark horse Iraq.

The Philippines will be playing without naturalized player  Andray Blatche who suited up for Gilas in the 2014 World Cup, 2015 FIBA Asia Championship and 2017 SEABA tournament. The Gilas roster includes:

Jayson Castro
Terrence Romeo
Jio Jalalon
Carl Bryan Cruz
Roger Pogoy
Matthew Wright
Calvin Abueva
Gabe Norwood
Raymond Almazan
Japeth Aguilar
June Mar Fajardo
Christian Standhardinger

Recently, June Mar Fajardo might also be out of the competition due to a calf muscle injury. He traveled with the team to Lebanon but not sure if he will be playing.

The schedule for games and telecast for the group stage are as follows:

August 9 vs China - 6:30 PM LIVE on TV5, Aksyon TV and on www.sports5.ph/live
August 11 vs Iraq - 9:00 PM LIVE on TV5, Aksyon TV and on www.sports5.ph/live
August 13 vs Qatar - 9:00 PM LIVE on www.sports5.ph/live (Delayed telecast on TV5 at 10:00 PM)

Let's support Gila Pilipinas!

AVC SENIOR WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP : MATCH AND TELECST SCHEDULE

The Philippine National Women's Volleyball Team will wrap up its preparation for the 2017 Southeast Asian Games by participating in the 2017 AVC Senior Women's Volleyball Championship. The tournament will be held here in the Philippines, at the Alonte Sports Arena in Binan, Laguna and Muntinlupa Sports Complex on August 9 to 17, 2017.

The Philippines is in Group A together with Hong Kong and Kazakhstan. Pool B is composed of powerhouses China, Japan and Australia; while Group C is formed by South Korea, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Lastly, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Iran and Maldives is pooled in Group D.

The Philippine team is formed by the following athletes which is still fresh from their 17 day training camp in Japan and is coached by Francis Vicente:

Kim Fajardo
Jaja Santiago
Mika Reyes
Jovelyn Gonzaga
Alyssa Valdez
Denden Lazaro
Rhea Dimaculangan
Mika Ortiz
Gen Casugod
Aby Marano
Aiza Maizo-Pontillas
Ces Molina
Kim Dy
Dawn Macandali

Here is the tournament schedule:

Telecast schedule for the group stage to be shown at ABS-CBN Sports + Action is as follows:

August 9 - 12:30pm (Live) - Chinese Taipei vs Iran
August 9 - 6:30pm (Delayed) - Opening Ceremonies / Hong Kong vs Philippines
August 9 - 11:30pm (Delayed) - Thailand vs Maldives
August 10 - 12:30pm (Live) - China vs Japan
August 10 - 6:30pm (Delayed) - Kazakhstan vs Hong Kong
August 10 - 8:30pm (Delayed) - Thailand vs Iran
August 11 - 6:30pm (Delayed) - Philippines vs Kazakhstan
August 11 - 8:30pm (Delayed) - Thailand vs Chinese Taipei

Hope everyone supports the team. Good Luck girls!

GILAS PILIPINAS: JUNE MAR WILL SIT OUT FIBA ASIA CUP DUE TO INJURY

Another unexpected blow to the Gilas Pilipinas campaign was all over Twitter world today. It was announced this afternoon that June Mar Fajardo might miss out on the Gilas campaign at the FIBA Asia Cup after injuring his calf during the San Miguel - Talk N Text game last Wednesday.

The 3 time and reigning PBA MVP apparently has a strained right calf muscle and will be out for at least a couple of weeks. It was also reported that June Mar will still travel with the team to Lebanon to observe on the playing style of the other countries, maybe for preparation for the World Cup qualifiers which will start before the year ends.

Here is the medical certificate which was given to the media by the PBA Commissioner:

Copy June Mar Fajardo's medical report (distributed by Comm. Narvasa). The Kraken will miss the 2017 FIBA-Asia Cup | @abscbnsports pic.twitter.com/83kVBxP7xl

— Paul Kennedy Lintag (@paullintag8) August 4, 2017

Gilas coach Chot Reyes then posted this in his Twitter account:

As the size gets smaller & the number dwindles, the fight grows bigger as the heart expands even more. #💪🇵🇭❤️

— Chot Reyes (@coachot) August 4, 2017

Another Gilas player was also reported to be injured. Returning Gilas defense specialist Gabe Norwood was also reported to be injured and will also be out of the FIBA Asia campaign. In his Twitter account, Gabe posted this:

I'm hurt?

— Gabe Norwood (@GNorwood5) August 4, 2017

He was then quick to clarify that he is not hurt and will play in FIBA Asia Cup.

I'm not hurt

— Gabe Norwood (@GNorwood5) August 4, 2017

Given all of what has happened, with the limited preparation that we have, I am tempering my expectations of our placing in this tournament. But who knows? We might still pull off some surprise wins.

But one thing is for sure, I am still supporting Gilas Pilipinas. Puso!

AFC CUP 2017 : LET'S SUPPORT CERES NEGROS FC IN THE ZONAL FINALS

Ceres Negros FC will be battling for the Southeast Asia Zonal Championship of the 2017 AFC Cup against Home United FC of Singapore. This is the first time that a Filipino Club reached this stage of the competition and will have a chance to even go further and compete for the cup.

The Filipino side will again rely on Bienvenido Maranon, Iain Ramsay, Manny Ott and captain Martin Steuble to score goals, Luke Woodland and Junior Munoz for their defense and Roland Muller's goalkeeping. They will also be fielding their new mainstay, Stephan Shrock for the first time in the competition.

The first game (the Away game for Ceres Negros FC) will be tomorrow, August 2 in Singapore. The 2nd game (the Home game for Ceres Negros FC) will be on August 9 in Bacolod. Both games will be broadcasted live by Fox Sports.

Good luck Ceres and win that zonal championship!