MANILA, Philippines – Having more turnovers than assists spelled the doom for Meralco against Jeremy Lin and the New Taipei Kings in their East Asia Super League (EASL) clash Wednesday night, Bolts guard Chris Banchero said.
In Meralco’s 89-77 loss against the Kings, they were able to dish 10 assists against 12 turnovers.
In contrast, the Kings had 16 assists against just 11 turnovers.
After the game, Banchero, who played lead guard with the absence of Chris Newsome, said that it is “tough” if the team had that assist-to-turnover ratio against a team like New Taipei.
“It’s difficult when you put yourself in that situation and whenever you have 10 assists and 12 turnovers, not sharing the ball, not knocking down shots… that’s tough,” said the guard, who himself had three turnovers and only one assist.
Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo said the team’s ball movement “froze a little bit” and “that hurt us offensively.”
“It is different when we moved the ball around. And you credit the defense of the kings. They did what they needed to do,” Trillo told reporters after the game.
Meralco led by five, 47-42, at th e half.
But New Taipei showed why it is undefeated in their last two EASL games, unleashing a tide-turning 11-0 run to grab a 53-47 lead.
The momentum helped the team breeze through to the finish line, as its lead grew to as much as 15.
“Obviously, the first five minutes of that third quarter is such an important part of the game. We didn’t get the job done in the first five minutes and a big part of that was my responsibility,” Banchero said.
“We let them go on a run. And, from there, we’re just fighting back.”
The Kings showed their might in the defensive end, notching 11 steals and three blocks.
Trillo also rued the team’s inability to capitalize on Lin’s foul trouble.
“He was in foul trouble with three fouls. We could’ve punished them a bit. Made him play more defense,” said the Bolts coach.
Meralco will take on the Seoul SK Kni ghts next month, while the Kings will clash with the Ryukyu Golden Kings on January 10.
MANILA, Philippines — As the release of December’s inflation figures approaches on January 5, forecasts, including insights from AB Capital Securities, point towards an anticipated 4.1% inflation rate for December.
“Economi c managers are focused on hitting and maintaining inflation within the Central Bank’s target range,” the stockbroker said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has set aside P30.8 billion from the 2024 budget for the National Rice Program (NRP).
The amount has increased from last year and is aimed at boosting rice production, especially for an expected long dry period.
“The allocation breakdown includes P24.11 billion for production support services, P1.01 billion for irrigation network services, and P2.04 billion for extension support, education, and training services,” AB Capital Securities said.
The budget is separate from other funds designated in the 2024 General Appropriations Act for rice-related programs and local projects helping palay producers, the stockbroker added.
As rice contributes to nearly 9% of the nation’s consumer price index, AB Capital Securities said that the government is doubling down on efforts to secure a consistent and substantial rice supply.
“The global price of rice is near 15-year highs amidst concerns of El Niño and export bans from major rice producing countries,” AB Capital Securities said.
In December’s second phase of the inflation survey, the average price of well-milled rice per kilogram rose by 3.32% from the previous month.
Philippine Statistics Authority Undersecretary Dennis Mapa previously noted that prices of regular, well-milled and special rice increased across the board month-on-month, driving up rice inflation.
AB Capital Securities said that the government needs to take proactive steps to stabilize consumer prices and overcome potential challenges.
MANILA, Philippines — Kapamilya star Kathryn Bernardo spent the New Year with her family in Thailand.
In her Instagram account, Kathryn posted a series of photos with her family enjoying in the country.
“Day 1 in BKK and tummy’s already feeling happy! Can’t stop, won’t stop,” she captioned the post.
In another post, Kathryn shared all the bowls of Tom Yum she ate during the trip.
“Sharing a quick recap of all the bowls of tomyum that kept me busy during this trip… because why not?!” she wrote.
Kathryn has been going to Thailand many times. She loves elephants, and she and ex-boyfriend Daniel Padilla always traveled to Thailand to see elephants in the wild.
In fact, they celebrated their 10th year anniversarry enjoying the moment with elephants in Chiang Mai.
“Celebrated our special day in the most unforgettable way possible and enjoyed every minute of it,” Kathryn wrote.
“You know how much this trip means to me and how much I looove elephants, so without a question, you agreed to do this again with me right away. All you said to me was ‘kahit san mo gusto love, susunod ako after ng trabaho ko’,” she added.
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