MANILA, Philippines — University of Santo Tomas once again claimed the lead in the UAAP Season 86 seniors division’ general championship race with 12 medals to show after the exciting first semester of play.
The Tigers, who have won seven gold, three silver and two bronze medals in 19 sporting events so far, amassed 202 points to seize the driver’s seat entering the second semester.
Santo Tomas’ biggest performance was in women’s basketball courtesy of the Growling Tigresses, who ended the dynasty of the National U Lady Bulldogs in epic fashion.
The España-based squad unseated NU after its reign for seven consecutive years, thus snapping UST’s 17-year title drought. Included in the conquest was Santo Tomas’ first win against NU after a 20-game, 11-year losing skid.
Santo Tomas also captured crowns in men’s chess, men’s table tennis, poomsae, men’s and women’s beach volleyball and women’s taekwondo.
The Tigers copped the silver medal in men’s taekwondo, men’s and women’s judo. They finished with bronze medals in women’s swimming and women’s athletics.
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) awarded a total of P10.6 million to medal winners in the Hangzhou 19th Asian Games during yesterday’s General Assembly at the East Ocean Palace Restaurant in Parañaque.
“It was a General Assembly where the POC family came together in joy and camaraderie… full of Christmas spirit,” POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said. “We didn’t discuss any topic, but just giving the incentives and hosting our Christmas Party.”
The Philippines won four gold, two silver and 12 bronzes for a total of 18 medals in Hangzhou.
Personally receiving their incentives were jiu-jitsu gold medalist Annie Ramirez, who banked P1 million, and boxing silver medalist Eumir Felix Marcial, who re ceived P500,000.
POC athletes commission Nikko Huelgas head received for pole vault champion and record holder Ernest John “EJ” Obiena his P1-million check, while her fellow jiu-jitsu athletes got Meggie O choa’s bonus.
Members of the gold medal-winning men’s basketball team each got P200,000 with Magnum Membrere, a member of the MVP Group, symbolically receiving the check.
Wushu’s Arnel Mandal also got P500,000 for his silver while Patrick King Perez (poomsae), Patrick Coo (cycling), Sakura Alforte (karate), Kaila Napolis (jiu-jitsu), Erleen Ann Ando (weightlifting) and wushu’s Jones Inso, Gideon Padua and Clemente Tabugara of wushu were rewarded P300,000 each.
Alex Eala got P450,000 for her bronze in wo men’s singles and mixed doubles (P150,000) of tennis with Francis Casey Alcantara.
Sepak takraw’s Jason Huerte, Rheyjey Ortouste, Vince Torno, Mark Joseph Gonzales, Ronsited Gabayeron and Jom Lerry Rafael received P200,000 each for their two bronzes in men’s quadrant and regu.
MANILA, Philippines — The PBA is scoreless in six games so far in EASL’s inaugural home-and-away season with five of the losses on the road. TNT and Meralco are the PBA’s reps in the eight-team tournament which is billed as “Where Champions Clash.” The best of the best in East Asia are vying for the $1-million first prize with the Final Four set to reel off in March.
TNT qualified for EASL by virtue of winning the last Governors’ Cup. Barangay Ginebra also made it after topping the Commissioner’s Cup but begged off as coach Tim Cone and key players Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo and Japeth Aguilar were exhausted from Gilas duties. Meralco joined as a late replacement, coming off a semifinal finish in the Governors’ Cup.
TNT is 0-4 with defeats to Chiba twice, 93-75 and 75-66, Taipei Fubon, 106-97 and Anyang, 105-97. Meralco is 0-3 after bowing to Ryukyu, 89-61 and New Taipei, 97-92. Six games are left in the PBA’s calendar. Meralco battles Ryukyu tonight in Macau. It was initially scheduled as a home stand for the Bolts but EASL negotiated a deal with Macau to bring the game over as a special treat for fans at the Studio City in partnership with Melco Resorts and Entertainment. Then, TNT takes on Taipei Fubon on Dec. 20 and Meralco tackles Seoul on Dec. 27, both at home. Meralco meets New Taipei on Jan. 7 and TNT engages Anyang on Jan 24, both at home before Meralco travels to Seoul on Feb. 7. The top two finishers in two four-team groups will advance to the Final Four.
In Meralco’s first meeting with Ryukyu, the Bolts were without deadshots Allein Maliksi, Chris Banchero and Zach Lofton. This time, the three will be in harness and Meralco coach Luigi Trillo said the Bolts are ready to rumble. Ryukyu’s chief import is Allen Durham who played five conferences with Meralco in the PBA. The Golden Kings’ other import is 6-9 Jack Cooley who has been with Ryukyu since 2019-20. UP’s Carl Tamayo is Ryukyu’s Asian heritage import.
“We’ve got a lot of respect for Ryukyu which is a disciplined and precis ion-playing team,” said Trillo. “Their locals and imports are extremely competitive. No excuses but we’re playing with only one import in the PBA and we play with two in EASL so there’s a big adjustment. We just have to find a way to compete and win. We’re excited to play in EASL. We would’ve liked to play our import Su (Braimoh) but as a Nigerian passport holder, he only has a single entry visa so it’s difficult for him to go in and out of the Philippines. We played only Prince (Ibeh) in our first two EASL games then brought in Zach for the third. That was Zach’s first game with us.”
Last Sunday, Lofton erupted for 54 points to lift Meralco to a third straight win in the Commissioner’s Cup. Trillo said with Lofton now more comfortable playing the Bolts system, he’s confident Meralco can nail the PBA’s first win in EASL. “Zach can create, draw the double, score, pass and CB and Allein are playing,” he said. “Brandon (Bates) is fitting in as a rookie, Norbert (Torres) gives us size and outside shooting, Prince and Raymond will take care of the inside, New (Chris Newsome) can play point and Cliff is a tough import defender. I think we’ve got the pieces to go out and win.”
MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers will make another pitch for constitutional amendments next year, focusing on economic provisions deemed “very prohibitive,” Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said yesterday.
“I believe 2024 will allow us again to revisit the whole issue of the Constitution because I think it’s timely that we revisit,s and I’d say we’d like to focus very much on the economic provisions,” Romualdez told reporters at a Christmas luncheon he hosted.
“We will be studying this during our Christmas break. And perhaps there might be some initiatives even during the break that would prepare us for the ensuing year, and perhaps what would be our legacy in the 19th Congress (2022-2025),” the Speaker said.
Congress goes on Christmas break on Friday. The renewed Charter change (Cha-cha) initiative being eyed by Romualdez will come a year before the mid-term elections.
The leader of the 310-member House of Representatives explained that 2024 would be a good time to review the 1987 Constitution since the chamber has already passed all priority measures outlined by President Marcos in his July 2022 State of the Nation Address and endorsed by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.
With the development, the chamber’s focus would now be on “reviewing and revisiting” the Constitution to “make it more attuned, sensitive and responsive to the times,” Romualdez said.
On Monday, during an economic briefing in the Visayas, Romualdez said their preferred mode of amending the Constitution is through people’s initiative wherein it would be decided whether the Senate and the House should vote as one or separately.
“We will highly recommend that we embark on the people’s initiative to cure this impasse, so to speak, on how we vote,” he told delegates to the Philippine Economic Briefing held at the Marriott hotel in Iloilo City.
“I hope that we can undertake this ASAP so we could have some clarity on the procedures. So we would like to amend the Constitution vis-à-vis: How we procedurally amend the same and that’s either we vote jointly or separately,” Romualdez, a lawyer by profession, explained.
“We’d like to have that resolved by and through a people’s initiative,” the Leyte congressman added, noting the impasse should be resolved, specifically “addressing the procedural gap or question as to how we amend the Constitution.”
The House leader also mentioned constituent assembly as another mode of making changes in the Constitution.
“We want to do this because we really want to address the economy. We want to lift the restrictive provisions in our Constitution, vis-a-vis the economy. We feel that the Constitution should be prospective and not reactionary,” Romualdez stressed.
“Right now. It is very prohibitive, the most prohibitive in the region,” he said added.
“We would like to lift these restrictions…just like other nations do. So, this is what we will be embarking on in the ensuing months. And we will be working hand in hand with economic managers to see what are the priorities and what we should take up first,” he pointed out.
“These are all being undertaken in pursuit of the economic managers’ thrust to transform the economy under the administration of President Marcos. It’s been three and a half decades. We feel that it’s timely and that we would like to get your support as well in this matter,” he maintained.
The Speaker first raised the idea of amending the 1987 Constitution last September before CEOs gathered at an event organized by the Philippine Constitution Association where he sits as president.
At a Manila Overseas Press Club meeting attended mostly by business leaders, Romualdez declared that the 1987 Constitution is no longer attuned to the digital times.
“In summary, our Constitution, as noble and well-intentioned as it is, has elements that are no longer adaptive to our needs,” the Speaker said.