Nat’l athletes, coaches get 20% discount on goods, services
National athletes and coaches can now avail of 20 percent discount on goods and services. The Philippine Sports Commission in a board meeting on Friday announced that the 20 percent discount for athletes and coaches, a provision in RA 10699, will finally be implemented as BIR issued Revenue Regulation 13-2020, dated May 27. “We have been looking forward to this and we are thankful that our athletes and coaches will finally enjoy the privilege they deserve,” said PSC chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez. The PSC has been working on the implementation of this privilege for a long time and have made headway with the help of the BIR last year. Effectivity of the privilege will be 15 days after publication in the official gazette or any two nationally-circulated newspapers. National athletes and coaches will also receive booklets aside from identification cards in order for beneficiaries to avail the said discounts, much like the booklet and ID being issued to senior citizens. PSC is now having the booklets prepared. Members of the national team have already been issued their IDs. Discounts shall be applied to food, medicine, recreation centers, hotels, and lodging establishments and sports equipment purchases. BUDGET CUT While the discount privilege is welcome news, the Board also tackled belt-tightening measures with much of the government’s finances diverted to address the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The board and senior officers of the agency decided to implement a 50% reduction on allowances of athletes and coaches starting June 1 (to be remitted in July). The decision came following the diminished finances from the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF), from which the allowances are taken, because of the health crisis. The board said that this action was taken in order to sustain the granting of allowances until December 2020. “This is a hard decision to make, but one that needed to be done so we can continue caring for our athletes longer,” said Ramirez, who assured that the allowances will be restored to the present rate once the NSDF reaches a comfortable level. Last month the country’s sport department in order to cut back on expenses and reserve the remaining resources to continue its commitment to providing the allowances of athletes and coaches, discontinued contracts of sports coordinators, consultants, and JO staff......»»
AP sources: No consensus yet on NBA return-to-play plan
AP sources: No consensus yet on NBA return-to-play plan.....»»
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......»»
Sunsparks sweep BREN Esports to reach Mobile Legends Bang Bang Professional League-Philippines (MPL-PH) Grand Finals
With Jaypee leading the way, Sunsparks swept BREN Esports to march to their second straight SMART Mobile Legends Bang Bang Professional League-Philippines (MPL-PH) Grand Finals, Saturday. After dominating BREN in the opening game of the series, the reigning kings of MPL-PH carried enough momentum in Game Two to hand the league-leaders a 2-0 sweep. The top two squads of the regular season figured in a clash at the top side of the river with Kielvj (Esmeralda) taking down Pheww (Popol and Kupa) to kick-start the blood bath. Though BREN was able to shut Jaypee (Karrie) down in the ensuing play, Greed_ (Selena), Killuash (Xborg), Rafflesia (Lolita), and Kielvj was able to stand their ground even without their hyper carry, killing Ribo (Valir), Lastii (Atlas), and KarlTzy (Wanwan), to completely tighten their grip on the match. BREN tried one last attempt to save the game, but Jaypee and the rest of the men in blue made sure to lock onto the victory en route to their second consecutive finals appearance. “Sobrang synced ng team namin, saka ang ganda ng galaw namin, lahat kami gumagalaw sa team namin na hindi lang sa isa umaasa,” said “Jaypee” Dela Cruz. Jaypee spearheaded Sunsparks’ rally with four kills, six assists, and two deaths while Kielvj displayed another consistent performance with norms of six kills, two assists, and two deaths to send BREN Esports to the lower bracket. KarlTzy, on the other hand, was the lone bright spot for BREN with four kills, two assists, and two deaths. Meanwhile, ONIC PH, who booted out SGD-Omega earlier in the day, ended Execration’s run via a 2-0 sweep to set up a lower bracket final match-up against BREN Esports. ONIC PH team captain OhMyV33NUS (Popol and Kupa) was hailed as the Most Valuable Player in Game Two after finishing with a stat line of two kills and eight assists. Dlar (Uranus) provided four kills and four assists while Wise (Hanzo) had two kills and four assists to deny local MLBB star Z4pnu a shot at the grand finals. Execration, who defeated Blacklist International before facing ONIC PH, tallied only three kills in the match – all coming from Bennyqt (Esmeralda). The lower bracket finale between ONIC PH and BREN Esports will happen Sunday at 6:30 p.m. The winner of the match will take the last seat in the finals and face defending champions Sunsparks at 8:00 p.m. in the grand finals. Catch the MPL-PH on LIGA SKY Cable channel 86 and SKY Cable HD channel 183 with livestream on sports.abs-cbn.com/livestream/mlbb, YouTube.com/ABSCBNSports......»»
15 fit players enough for teams when EPL resumes in pandemic
15 fit players enough for teams when EPL resumes in pandemic.....»»
Spanish soccer league to resume full team training
Spanish soccer league to resume full team training.....»»
Kitchen Whiz: Celeb-Bookmarked Stress Baking Ideas
Look no further for your next quarantine hobby!.....»»
How Hackett and Harris went beyond 100 points
(This story was originally published on June 30, 2016) One-hundred-point explosions are a rarity in professional basketball. Even in the NBA, no one has ever eclipsed Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points in his game with the Philadelphia Warriors in trouncing the New York Knicks, 169-147, on March 2, 1962. So when you learn that two men, Americans playing as imports in the Philippine Basketball Association, had scored more than Wilt, you’d certainly be awed and astonished that such incredible feats in the history of the sport had actually occurred in our shores. Legends These legends, Michael Hackett, the man-mountain who leisurely takes care of business in the paint while reinforcing Ginebra San Miguel, and Tony Harris, the “Hurricane” who brings down opponents with his devastating scoring sprees through quick, shifty on court moves while playing for Swift Mighty Meaty Hotdogs, definitely left an indelible mark in PBA annals with those historic barrages that surely left everyone, foe or fan, stupefied and dazzled. Hackett, the hulking yet amiable giant, achieved the first-ever milestone on November 21, 1985 as Ginebra faced Great Taste in a battle for third place in the PBA Reinforced Conference. His burly 6’5” frame would always have its way in the shaded lane, barreling his way through thick defensive walls and converting—all in bewildering succession. He pumped in 48 points at halftime, before scoring another 33 in the third quarter, and swishing 22 in the final period—for an eye-popping record-setting total of 103 points in one game. Breaching the Chamberlain record, Hackett had been praised as pro ball’s greatest scorer ever, even if he had not made the cut in the Los Angeles Lakers’ lineup during the Showtime era after being the 22nd pick in the 3rd round of the 1982 NBA Draft. During that conference, Hackett averaged 50 points, 20 rebounds and 6 assists in 24 games that made him a hands-down choice for Best Import. With this lofty achievement, who would even think, much less imagine that this record would be broken seven years later. Best scorer Perhaps the all-time best performing scorer in the PBA’s history walked into a packed town gym in Iloilo City on October 10, 1992 in the elimination round of the PBA Third Conference to show Robert Jaworski and his Ginebra squad what he’s got. And, it was simply merciless. Scoring relentlessly from the field through lane incursions, midrange jumpers, slam dunks off the fastbreak and baskets from beyond the arc, the Hurricane already reached the highest score anyone could produce at halftime, 59 points. Harris continued his romp in the last two quarters, just leaving the never-say-die squad in the dust with another 46 points, leading Swift to a 151-147 victory and achieving a record-breaking single-game individual score of 105, surpassing Hackett’s record by two points. This scoring record remains to this day. Indeed, a double heartbreak for the country’s most popular team and a historic achievement by the flamboyant and perplexing import. Tough fouls But what was really exceptional was that he accomplished this feat despite Ginebra players fouling him a record 52 times, which he claimed in an NBA Philippines interview two years ago as “tough fouls” with “knees purposely extended to hit my groin, or the spitting on my face.” He was unfazed and this motivated the Monroe, Louisiana native even more by converting most of his points in his amazing 105-point game from the free throw area, where he made 45 out of 53 attempts. But what’s even more mind-blowing about Harris is that this was no single-game fluke or a stroke of luck. He scored 98 points only seven days after his 105-point game to lead Swift to a 157-147 victory over Presto Ice Cream. Harris also scored 82 points in Swift’s conquest of Purefoods in Davao City a day before that record-breaking feat. Before all of these scoring exploits, he actually “introduced” himself to the league with an 87-point performance in his debut in routing the San Miguel Beermen, 134-106. He also had 69, 57, and 54-point games throughout the season, ending up with a record 60.4 scoring average. Best achievement The best achievement of them all was that he steered the Mighty Meaties to the RFM franchise’s first-ever PBA championship by sweeping the 7-Up Uncolas in the Finals, 4-0. It was the current Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao’s first title. After his high-flying PBA stint, Harris tried his luck in the NBA via short 10-day deals with the Boston Celtics, but fell short with a mere 5-point clip in 14 games—a far cry from the fearsome offensive form he displayed in the PBA. He has since distanced himself from professional play, and now heads a sports apparel, supplies and equipment company in Los Angeles. Hackett, on the other hand, also did not engage in competitive basketball after his spectacular PBA run from 1985 to 1988, although he had once served as an assistant coach for a school in his native Jacksonville, Florida, and is now a sales consultant for a wine and beverage firm. But even if Harris or Hackett’s storied scoring feats and iconic stints did not replicate on their real home courts and since hung their jerseys for other careers, their astounding on-court achievements in the PBA remain an inspiration for greatness in this basketball-crazy nation......»»
NCAA Finals: For the haters, Fran Yu drives Letran to championship
(This story was originally published on Nov. 11, 2019) Fran Yu is the breakout star of all of the playoffs NCAA 95 Men's Basketball Tournament. Without a doubt, just about everybody would recognize Colegio de San Juan de Letran's playmaker now. This, four years after he got bad vibes from social media when the 5-foot-10 playmaker was still playing for University of the East. "Dati, 'di ako makatulog. Wala namang akong ginawa sa kanila tapos gaganunin nila ako," he said. He then continued, "Naging motivation ko yung post na yun. Gusto kong i-prove na balewala ang hitsura mo pag naglalaro ka ng basketball." Back in 2015, Yu was a Red Warrior and a certain post questioned where he had come from - and, essentially, just who he was. Four years later, the now 21-year-old has an NCAA championship as well as a Finals MVP award. And with that, he has an answer for all those questions from before. "Hi, I'm Fran Yu and we are champions. Mas masarap ibalik yung paninira niya at ito, nagbunga dahil nag-champion kami," he said. He then continued, "Naging motivation nga yun sa akin dahil gusto kong patunayang dati, inaasar niyo ako pero ngaoyn, champion na kami. Mas masarap yung bawi namin!" Tell the truth, Fran Yu! You deserve to! --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @riegogogo......»»
Federer tops highest-earning athlete list at more than $100M
Federer tops highest-earning athlete list at more than $100M.....»»
UEFA mulls Champions League final host away from Istanbul
UEFA mulls Champions League final host away from Istanbul.....»»
French clubs can play friendlies in July before new Ligue 1
French clubs can play friendlies in July before new Ligue 1.....»»
On Our Radar: Pinoy Celebs Bond With Pets During Lockdown
Cuddle time!.....»»
Style Inspo: Hyun Bin s Easy Fashion Sense That Left Pinoys Smitten
His heartwarming casual, everyday wear makes him truly an ideal boyfriend-ish ahjussi, with a mix of colors shaping his appeal that really make girlfriend wannabes instantly fall in love.....»»
Hot Stuff: BrightWin, Thai BL Stars Part Of World s Biggest Virtual Meet-And-Greet
You're in for an experience!.....»»
PBA: New diet and extra shooting doing wonders for RR Pogoy
RR Pogoy was a top prospect when he entered the PBA, and his status was only proven when he won Rookie of the Year in 2017. Since then, Pogoy has made a steady climb as a true key piece for TNT, and his rise to become a PBA star was accelerated and became complete last season for the KaTropa. Pogoy, always a reliable defender and shooter, became a top-10 scorer in the PBA in 2019. His 16.6 points per game actually led the KaTropa, beating out teammates Troy Rosario and Jayson Castro. A key turning point for Pogoy's rise can be attributed to his health and nutrition, which was emphasized when active consultant Mark Dickel first joined the team late in the 2018 season. "Binago yung diet ko," Pogoy said during the PBA's Kamustahan session online. "Nagpa-gaan ako ng timbang, bawas-bawas ako sa rice, and more on healthy foods ang kinakain ko," he added. On top of his new diet, Pogoy also worked extra for his shooting. The results were seen immediately as Pogoy made 124 total three-point shots on 35 percent shooting last year. Pogoy peaked in the mid-season Commissioner's Cup, where he converted a career-high 10 triples in one game, making him the the fourth of five players to accomplish such feat. "Alas-9 yung ensayo pero 6:30 pa lang nandoo na kami ni Coach Mark, nage-extra na kami. Siguro doon ko nakuha yung ganda ng laro ko," Pogoy said. "Kumpiyansa ako kasi alam ko ini-ensayo ko araw-araw. Sa awa ng Diyos, gumanda ang laro ko. May bunga talaga pag magta-tanim ka," he added. — Follow this writer on Twitter, @paullintag8.....»»
Kiefer, Kobe team up in Bo Perasol s UAAP First 5
Bo Perasol has been calling the shots for the University of the Philippines from 2016 to present. Before this, the always amiable mentor was at the helm for Ateneo de Manila University from 2013 to 2015. Through all of that, he has had a hand in the discovery and the development of young talent for his teams as well as the game planning for the opposing rising stars. Among all of those, who are the best of the best for him? Here is Bo Perasol's UAAP First 5, as listed down by him in an online question-and-answer session organized by Hoops Coaches International: KIEFER RAVENA Ravena was the main man for each and every one of Perasol's seasons in Ateneo - the last two of which produced back-to-back MVPs for the former. What it fell short of producing, however, was a championship which was a different feeling - relative to them, at least - as Ateneo was coming off a five-peat. Still, under Perasol, Ravena was allowed to spread his wings to its widest reach and fly to the greatest of heights. KOBE PARAS Paras decided to come home to the Philippines and play for UP - coincidentally, his father's alma mater. What he found in the Fighting Maroons was a mean machine that had been newly assembled into a legitimate contender under Perasol's direction. In the first of his two years for State U, Paras wasted no time in putting on display just how much of a two-way force he could be. PAUL DESIDERIO Perasol picked up the pieces of the puzzle for UP and then put them all together into a working and winning machine. The heart and soul of that machine, however, was, without a doubt, Desiderio - he of "Atin 'to, papasok 'to" lore. Desiderio was never the most talented player on the court, but his love for the game and love for UP inspired all of the Fighting Maroons all the way to a historic Season 81. CHRIS NEWSOME Ravena, for the most part, got the headlines and highlights, but it should never be forgotten that right there with him was Newsome. A do-it-all swingman could turn the tide for Ateneo just as well as he could make a memorable play on either end. With Newsome and Ravena, Perasol's Blue Eagles had an argument to have had the most talented backcourt. ANDREW HARRIS Perasol has coached Season 81 MVP Akhuetie, but for his man in the middle, decided to go with Harris "for character." For sure, the 6-foot-4 big man is not a star player, but he never failed to go all-out each and every moment he was on the court. That energy and effort consistently brought by the now-Philippine national team player in handball is why Perasol has him on his personal list. --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @riegogogo......»»
Thirdy Ravena shows off new look on Instagram
Three-time UAAP Men's Basketball champion and Finals MVP Thirdy Ravena surprised his social media followers by debuting a fresh, new look, Friday. The former Ateneo Blue Eagle rocked a buzz cut that was dyed pink, which could be an homage to former Chicago Bulls great Dennis Rodman, who was known for his different hair colors. View this post on Instagram ???? A post shared by Thirdy (@3rd_e) on May 29, 2020 at 12:41am PDT The always-fashionable Ravena has never been afraid to try out new things when it comes to his look and his style, so obviously, a new hairdo isn't out of the realm of his possibilities. What can you say about Thirdy's new look? .....»»
Colts hoping for lucrative payoff from betting big on Rivers
Colts hoping for lucrative payoff from betting big on Rivers.....»»
Police want Liverpool title decider in neutral stadium
Police want Liverpool title decider in neutral stadium.....»»