MANILA, Philippines – The junior tennis season kicks off Thursday, January 4, with the traditional Masters Top 8 with the top-ranked players in four age-group categories last year clashing for top honors at the Iloilo Sports Complex’s courts in Iloilo City.
This marks the first time that the Province of Iloilo is hosting a tournament of this magnitude with Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. guaranteeing its successful staging at the ISC synthetic grass courts and LaPaz hard courts.
Kimi Brodeth, Chloe Mercado, Chelsea Bernaldez, Sanshena Francisco, Czarina Miraflor, AJ Acabo, Jasmine Jaran and Faith Blanco banner the girls’ 18-and-under division with Kendrick Bona, Mclean Gomera, Randy Pausanos, Ivan Manila, Ariel Cabaral, Gio Manito, Chad Cuizon and John Lataza disputing the crown in the boys’ side of the premier division presented by the Province of Iloilo.
Under the format, the eight players are divided into two groups with the top two from each pool advancing to the crossover semifinals of the event supported by the Iloilo Sports Development and Management, headed by Ma. Janelyn Fundal and Ray Cabarles. Winners will dispute the crowns in one-game duels.
Making up the 16-and-under cast are Jana Diaz, Erynne Ong, Aleeva Suace, Shara Paliwag, Joy Ansay, Ma. Niña Torrejos, Daveaine Gauran and Queen Villa (girls) and Kenzon Brodeth, Al Tristan Licayan, France Dilao, Aar on Tabura, Reign Maravilla, Frank Dilao, Josh Jim and Francis de Juan (boys).
Meanwhile, the PPS-PEPP juniors circuit ushers in its new regular season wit h the staging of the Kasadyahan and Dinagyang Festival National Juniors Tennis Championships on January 8-12, also in Iloilo City.
For details and listu p, contact event organizer Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.
Headling the field in the girls’ 14-and-under category are Ave Maria Policarpio, Ronielle Oliveros, Chrystell Laguna, Isobel Alipo-on, Cadee Jan Dagoon, Alexa Cruspero, Loraine Jallorina and Julienne Celeste (girls) while Lexious Cruz, Adrian Rodriguez, Aljohn Rombawa and David Ezra Sepulveda lead the chase in the boys’ side of the circuit put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro and backed by Slazenger and Dunlop.
Others in the boys’ 14-and-U fold are Anthony Castigador, Julio Naredo, Pete Bandala and Dean Palaroan, while Maristela Torrecampo, Gabrielle Bulado, Justine Gumbao, Stella Policarpio, Ma. Caroliean Fiel, Lilith Rufino, Maria Ataiza and Etha Seno banner the girls’ 12-and-under cast.
Disputing the boys’ 12-and-U trophy are Claudwin Tonacao, Joshua Stewart, James Estrella, Enzo Niere, Xian Calagos, Pete Niere, Marcus Go and Francisco de Juan.
COTABATO CITY — The police arrested 10 indiv iduals tagged in a deadly shootout in Barangay Rosary Heights 6, Cotabato City amid a dialogue among members of the Sinsuat clan in nearby Maguindanao del Norte province on Tuesday afternoon.
The dialogue is meant to resolve the deep-seated misunderstandings among them.
Brig. Gen. Alla n Nobleza, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, on Wednesday said that their main effort in the meantime is to diffuse tension among members of the Sinsuat clan while investigators are still trying to determine the real circumstances that led to the incident and resulted in the death of Staff Sgt. Zahraman Mustapha Diocolano.
Diocolano, who belonged to the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company of the Maguindanao del Norte Provincial Police Office, was an escort of Mayor Lester Sinsuat of the nearby Datu Odin Sinsuat municipality, the political bailiwick of their clan.
Responding policemen arrested Army Private First Class John Carlo Bravo Nocum of the 2nd Mechanized Battalion, Jholex Padsod Buludan, Ali Ibrahim Mongkar and Roufden Angkad Ameril, who were allegedly involved in the gunfight that led to Diocolano’s death.
The Cotabato City Police Office, in a report to Nobleza late Tuesday, said that six others were arrested in connection with the incident in pursuit operations several hours later.
The gunfight within the vicinity of the house of former Rep. Ronnie Sinsuat (Maguindanao del Norte) in Barangay Rosary Heights, Cotabato, venue of their clan’s peace dialogue, caused panic among villagers in houses nearby and employees inside the office of the National Irrigation Administration 12, just few meters away.
The hostility among members of the Sinsuat clan is rooted to the controversial anointment by the United Bangsamoro Justice Party of Jamael Sinsuat as its candidate for mayor of Datu Odin Sinsuat during last year’s electoral exercise, against his nephew, Lester, who had won the two-cornered race handily.
Jamael is a younger brother of Lester’s father, the late Ombra, and the ex-congressman Ronnie. Ombra had served as mayor of Datu Odin Sinsuat for three consecutive terms.
Jamael was killed in a gun attack in the town proper of Datu Odin Sinsuat in September last year, an atrocity that hit the news and went viral on Facebook.
The Sinsuat clan has been ruling Datu Odin Sinsuat since creation on Aug. 18, 1947, originally named Dinaig municipality, via an executive order by then President Manuel Roxas.