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Rain or Shine leaned on Caelan Tiongson’s shooting and an all-around showing from import Aaron Fuller to take down Barangay Ginebra, 110-99, for back-to-back wins after a 0-2 start in the PBA Governors’ Cup on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Tiongson fired five threes on his way to 21 points while Fuller had 37 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals as the Elasto Painters moved up to a three-way share of second to fourth places in Group B.

The Elasto Painters are now tied with the Blackwater Bossing and Meralco Bolts.

Also instrumental were Jhonard Clarito and Adrian Nocum, who both scored 13 points, with the latter dishing out 10 assists for Rain or Shine.

Ginebra couldn’t make a serious run after Rain or Shine took control in the first half and eventually fell to a 1-2 record, tied for dead last in the group with Magnolia.

It was the first meeting between the two squads since the Commissioner’s Cup semifinals which saw Ginebra beating Rain or Shine, 4-2, on its way to the championship.

Import Riley Grigsby posted 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Gin Kings.

RJ Abarrientos and Troy Rosario registered 13 points each even as Jeremiah Gray added 11.

An upset in Paris as Team Liquid Philippines (TLPH) were eliminated by Latin American squad Entity7 during the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Mid Season Cup (MSC) at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026.

Photo from the Esports Foundation

Fallen Champions

The MPL Philippines and MSC 2025 champions were in unfamiliar territory after Aurora Gaming sent them to the lower bracket.

Then, despite fan expectations and the international experience of the Filipino representatives, the draft advantage proved greater for Entity7.

TLPH became the first Philippine team eliminated from an international tournament before the playoffs without winning a game.

RELATED STORY: Philippines’ Team Encore beats Indonesia in ROOC Tyr Cup Finals

The new meta

In a post-match interview, TLPH spoke about the challenges of entering the tournament on a newly released patch.

‘What’s more difficult is going into the tournament blind on a new patch,’ said Coach Ong ‘Aeon’ Wei Sheng. ‘As well as having not much information on the opponent. I think that’s something I have to learn to overcome.’

About Entity7

Entity7 jungler Facundo ‘Hideonbush’ Ledesma is the team’s only returning player from a previous MSC at EWC.

His teammates and coach, however, are on their international debut run.

In an interview taken for Tech INQ, Hideonbush revealed that he had to take on the role of player-coach this season.

‘It’s my job as player, analyst, and coach, to constantly be up to date with my team, to analyze to see the mistakes we make. That allowed me and my teammates to work around and improve,’ he said.

When asked about defeating Karl ‘KarlTzy’ Nepomuceno, Hideonbush said he did not see it as beating the ‘GOAT of MLBB,’ but rather as a team accomplishment.

‘It’s really about winning against the team itself because without my team, I wouldn’t be the player I am right now.’

Entity7 will face PRO Esports for their next potential elimination match.

PRO Esports is composed of former MPL players Kyle ‘Koyl’ Reyes and Salvick ‘Kouzen’ Tolarba.

Meanwhile, Team Falcons Philippines will play their own elimination match on July 26 against MENA representative Team Falcons.

Two infrastructure projects in Taguig City allegedly used the same photo for billing purposes, Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson said on Sunday.

The senator provided an update as he continues to look into alleged ghost projects in Taguig – the turf of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who insists there is a lack of priority in the inquiry into the flood control scandal.

‘Two different projects, two distinct appropriations, two different technical descriptions and locations, two different contractors, but sharing the same photo for billing purposes. Status: both billed and collected,’ Lacson wrote in a social media post.

It must be noted that some government-funded infrastructure projects found to be ‘ghost projects’ also used photos of other existing projects as ‘proof of completion.’

Lacson also revealed that a single slope project in Taguig had two budget appropriations.

‘One slope protection project, one location, one technical description, two separate budget appropriations. Status: both billed and collected,’ he said.

Multiple appropriations for the same project were also previously flagged at the height of the flood control scandal investigations.

In the same post, Lacson asked: ‘Are these not criminal acts?’

This was the latest in a series of posts Lacson has made regarding his findings on the alleged ghost projects in Taguig.

Previously, Lacson pointed out that Cayetano had nearly seven billion pesos in budget insertions for the 2025 General Appropriations Act supposedly to fund 70 infrastructure projects in his bailiwick.

Cayetano has repeatedly denied that there are ghost projects in Taguig, noting that flooding rarely occurs in the city.

LeBron James and Bryce Harper spent their careers on a parallel path toward stardom.

They were teenage phenoms who graced the cover of Sports Illustrated (back when magazines were cool) and both prodigies were No. 1 overall draft picks straight out of high school.

When Harper earned his first chance at testing free agency, there was only one city, one contract that was right for him.

Philadelphia.

It took a few years, but Harper has some company on the short list of top elite athletes who have signed in Philadelphia.

Harper and the Phillies.

Pete Rose and Kyle Schwarber and the Phillies.

Saquon Barkley and Reggie White and the Eagles.

In the greatest July signature in Philadelphia since 1776, James has followed Harper from free agency to Philly when he rocked the NBA and signed a two-year deal for the bargain-basement price of $8 million total – only a smidge more per season than first-round pick Labaron Philon Jr. will earn – that stamped the Sixers as the most compelling team in the league this season.

Keeping tabs on the ballyhooed deal is Harper.

‘He’s going to have a great couple of years here, and obviously everyone’s going to expect him to win a championship here like everywhere else,’ Harper said. ‘So nothing new for him. He’s had all the pressure since he was in high school or younger than that.’

Here’s the difference between James and all the superstars in the city that played before him.

He’s LeBron James.

Meaning, his reach is so beyond the court – from fame around the globe to his bank account to the cash register to pop culture – that there is no fair comparison. He is No. 4 on Forbes’ real-time list of wealthiest athletes at $1.4 billon, so his pay cut may not even be noticed in the ledger book. James has commercials and movie roles, and endorsement deals that alone would outearn every single player on the Sixers.

Joel Embiid, league MVP and two-time scoring champion. He’s not LeBron.

Jaylen Brown, NBA Finals MVP and champion, He’s not LeBron.

Tyrese Maxey, an All-Star and the real franchise player in Philly. He’s not LeBron.

‘I think it’s pretty cool to have one of the greatest basketball players ever to play, in the same city,’ Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said. ‘So I’m excited for those who haven’t gotten a chance to see him play.’

Here are the CliffsNotes:

James is a 22-time All-Star, a 21-time All-NBA selection, a four-time Most Valuable Player, a four-time NBA Finals MVP, a three-time All-Star Game MVP and a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.

He also is coming off a season when he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. For his career, he has averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists in more than 1,600 games.

‘He’s played in big markets before,’ Harper said. ‘He knows exactly what he needs to do.’

Harper has largely lived up to the 13-year, $330 million contract he signed ahead of the 2019 season when he spurned the Washington Nationals for the Phillies and owned the richest contract in baseball history. He led the Phillies to the 2022 World Series, won the NL MVP in 2021 and helped win back-to-back NL East titles.

But he’s 0-for-October.

Barkley rushed for more than 2,000 yards in his first season with the Eagles and led them to a Super Bowl championship.

Rose was the missing piece to help Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton win the World Series in 1980. It was the first World Series title in franchise history.

The 76ers have seemed to wait almost as long for a parade down Broad Street.

They have won titles in Philadelphia in 1967 and 1983 and have failed to advance out of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs since 2001.

And yet somehow, one of the most famous athletes – strike that, people! – walking and dunking on the face of the Earth decided he wanted to play in Philadelphia.

‘I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family,’ James wrote Friday on social media. ‘What am I really playing for at this point? I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning.’

James celebrated his decision on Instagram with a career highlight reel set to Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill’s ‘Dreams and Nightmares,’ the adopted sports anthem of city teams blasted ad nauseam throughout the sports complex.

The video ends with the lyric, ‘hold up, wait a minute. Y’all thought I was finished?’ and cuts to a 76ers logo.

James isn’t finished – even if his best isn’t yet to come.

He won NBA titles at each of his three previous stops – Cleveland, Miami and the Los Angeles Lakers – and could become the first player ever to win a title with four teams.

The countdown to opening night is on.

The stakes have really never been higher for the franchise. If the Sixers can’t win with the Beatles shirt – LeBron and Embiid and Brown and Maxey – can they ever?

Get ready, everyone.

And skip the advice.

James doesn’t need any tips on surviving the deep fryer of fandom in Philly.

‘He can do whatever the hell he wants,’ Harper said. ‘But the city loves a winner. So win.’

Oyo and Danica Sotto said they were never raised to depend on family wealth or expect an inheritance from their parents, Vic Sotto and Dina Bonnevie.

The siblings made the remarks on the latest episode of their family show ‘House of D,’ as they reacted to online comments claiming they do not need to work because of their parents’ success.

Oyo recalled reading comments accusing him of living off his father. ‘May nag-comment, laro lang daw ako nang laro. Hindi na daw ako nagtatrabaho,’ he recalled.

Danica rejected the criticism, saying she and her brother were not raised to depend on their parents.

‘Masyado namang makapag-judge. At saka, sorry to say, pero hindi po kami pinalaking ganoon ng mommy at daddy namin,’ she said.

Oyo said the misconception may have stemmed from the years he worked alongside Vic Sotto in television sitcoms, including ‘Daddy’s Gurl,’ ‘Bossing and Ai,’ ‘Hay, Bahay!’ and ‘Vampire ang Daddy Ko.’

‘I think working for your dad is the best job you can do as a son. I was working for my dad. Hindi nila nakikita iyon,’ he said.

‘Akala nila sinusuwelduhan lang ako ni Daddy, pero hindi nila alam na nagtatrabaho ka para sa tatay mo,’ added the celebrity son.

The conversation also turned to inheritance, with Oyo saying parents are not obligated to leave wealth to their children.

‘I don’t think na obligasyon ng bawat magulang na mag-iwan ng pera. But, if you have extra, di ba, sige bigyan mo,’ he said.

Oyo explained that he and Danica have always shared the same view, expressing gratitude for whatever their parents may choose to give but insisting they do not expect anything.

‘Kami ni Ate, we’ve said this a lot of times na if you’re gonna bless us, thank you… If not, okay lang din. Hindi kami magagalit. Hindi kami magtatampo. Why? Kasi, ang ultimate provider naman namin si God,’ he said.

Oyo added that he does not agree with the mindset of waiting for an inheritance.

‘Kasi alam ko may mga ganoong tao. Gusto nang mamatay ang magulang para may mana. Parang ang pangit naman,’ added the actor.

Bonnevie said she has already discussed financial planning with her children and continues to encourage them to invest wisely.

‘Sa akin, there’s nothing more fulfilling for a parent than to see your children growing up the way you raised them, as far as discipline is concerned, values, beliefs, faith, and aside from that, to see them successful,’

Danica said that their parents consistently taught them the value of money despite growing up with privileges.

”O, kayo, ha, dapat kahit na privileged kayo, nakakakain kayo, I don’t pick money from trees.’ Ganoong hirit ni Mama na dapat matuto din kayo,’ she said.

Police anti-narcotics operatives in Quezon province dealt another blow to drug traffickers with the arrest of a suspected big-time pusher and the seizure of more than P1.1 million worth of ‘shabu’ (crystal meth) in a buy-bust operation in Sariaya town on Saturday night, July 25.

Members of the provincial drug enforcement unit arrested the suspect identified only as ‘Ching,’ 43, after he sold P1,000 worth of shabu to an undercover policeman in Barangay Talaan Aplaya at 10:05 p.m., Col. Romulo Albacea, Quezon police chief, said in a report Sunday.

The law enforcers confiscated five heat-sealed plastic sachets, one heat-sealed transparent plastic and one knot-tied plastic bag containing suspected shabu, weighing a total of 170 grams.

Based on the Dangerous Drugs Board’s standard price, the confiscated shabu was valued at P1,156,000 at P6,800 per gram.

REA: P4.1-M shabu seized in Quezon; 3 suspected traffickers held

The report tagged Ching as a high-value individual (HVI), typically classified as a trafficker, financier, or member of a drug syndicate.

The arrested suspect is being held in custody and will face charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.