Category: Business Mirror

Ask a casual fan to name a University Athletic Association of the Philippines basketball rivalry and you’ll most probably get: Ateneo-La Salle. The Battle of Katipunan. The Battle of the East. The Battle of the Birds. Maybe De La Salle U vs. State U – the trilogy still unfolding into a possible tetralogy.

But there’s another rivalry flying under the radar that’s driven by intense and cutthroat competition. It involves both basketball and volleyball teams and runs strong in both the men’s and women’s divisions.

Far Eastern U versus National U. Tamaraws versus Bulldogs. It’s not loud. It’s not always on primetime. But it’s the rivalry that never really goes away.

In basketball, it has history that still stings. In volleyball, meetings seem fated and destiny-arranged.

October 15, 2014. Smart Araneta Coliseum. Game 3. The National University Bulldogs defeated the Far Eastern University Tamaraws 75-59 to win the UAAP men’s basketball championship. It was only NU’s second title, its first in 60 years since the days of its iconic Bulldog, Narciso Bernardo, who won them their first UAAP crown in 1954.

That winner-take-all game in ’54 was played at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. FEU, already considered basketball royalty at that time had four UAAP championships to its name (1938, 1939, 1947 and 1950). It was NU’s very first UAAP Men’s basketball title since the league was founded in 1938. That year they beat FEU in the finals too.

In 2014, FEU was supposed to have claimed its 20th title. Instead, NU ended a 60-year drought – again on FEU’s watch. Ray Parks, Troy Rosario, Gelo Alolino didn’t just win a championship. They closed a chapter FEU thought it owned.

Since then, every FEU-NU game in basketball has had that undercurrent humming underneath the floorboards. NU beat FEU 85-79 in the first round of UAAP Season 82, finally getting their first win after successive losses – again at the expense of FEU.

In the second round, NU embarrassed FEU with a lopsided 61-39 win. But come Season 84, FEU stole a win in the most painful way for NU. Xyrus Torres hurled a slightly off-balanced shot with 2.2 seconds to go. The shot fell through and shook the Bulldogs to their very core. 57, NU; 59, FEU.

So now, when Bulldogs and Tamaraws trade blows at Araneta and the Mall Of Asia Arena, it’s never just about standings. It’s about who remembers 2014 better. It’s a never ending story.

In volleyball, the rivalry is even more personal.

NU and FEU squared off for UAAP men’s volleyball supremacy in Seasons 87 and 88. In ’87, FEU was top dog following an impressive 13-1 finish in the eliminations. Their lone defeat came at the hands of a team chasing a historic five-peat – NU.

FEU swept NU 27-25, 25-14, 25-23 in the first round. NU answered back 17-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-14, 15-9 in the second round, dealing FEU its only loss that denied them an outright finals berth.

After FEU and NU battled it out in the men’s volleyball finals in Season 87, they faced off with each other again in Season 88. FEU could have won its 26th men’s volleyball crown that season – a title long overdue since 2012. But the Buds Buddin, Leo Ordiales, Leo Aringo and Jade Disquitado-led Bulldogs frustrated the Dryx Saavedra and Miko Espartero-led Tamaraws. They were so close.

The following year, FEU’s most dominant season yet, they were again defeated by the hardworking Bulldogs in the men’s championship series. NU got to complete its six-peat while the Tams stayed silver for another year.

On the women’s side, it’s just as tight. National University avenged a stunning loss to Far Eastern University and came out with a dominating 25-13, 27-25, 25-15 victory in Season 86, forging a Finals duel. In Season 88, NU completed a reverse sweep 17-25, 16-25, 25-19, 25-21, 15-12, then FEU outlasted NU in a five-set thriller 25-23, 25-23, 20-25, 21-25, 22-20 – the longest five-setter of the season. It was De La Salle Lady Spikers though who were crowned women’s volleyball champs last year.

To summarize, FEU is the old empire – 20 basketball titles, 25 volleyball titles, the Morayta factory that has produced gladiators since the 1930s. NU is the new dynasty – the school that waited 60 years for one basketball title and then decided it didn’t want to wait anymore for anything.

The UAAP is so big on rivalries, you can actually choose your flavor. A word of advice, however. Don’t just go for the strawberry, chocolate or vanilla flavors. Try this chili-flavored rivalry for the ages. For a change.

Fourteen years after turning professional, Art Arbole finally claimed his first Philippine Golf Tour title, surviving a disastrous hole and a late scare to win the International Container Terminal Services Inc. Negros Occidental Classic at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club on Thursday.

Arbole fired a closing 70 to finish at 10-under 270, one shot ahead of Jeffren Lumbo, who closed with a 67 for 271. Jhonnel Ababa was third at 272 after a 71, followed by Zanieboy Gialon (273) and two-time champion Rupert Zaragosa (275).

Arbole appeared in danger of losing control after driving out-of-bounds on No. 4 and making a 7, turning a one-shot lead into a two-shot deficit to Ababa. He fell three shots back after a bogey on No. 8 but responded with birdies on Nos. 9, 10, 12 and 14 to regain the lead.

‘I just hung in there and stayed focused. I never let those early setbacks shake my mindset,’ said Arbole, who turns 36 next week.

He survived another scare on the par-5 18th after pulling his drive. Arbole reached the green in four and sank a 21-foot par putt to preserve his one-shot lead.

The victory ended a 14-year wait that began with his professional debut at Splendido Taal in 2012. His previous best PGT finish was a top-five result at the 2024 Lakewood Championship.

‘At the start, I really didn’t expect to win, but I felt like I could do it,’ Arbole said.

Zanieboy Gialon made a move with a 33 on the front nine, only to see his challenge fade into a string of backside pars for a 68.

Zaragosa threatened to turn the finish into a four-man shootout after three straight birdies from No. 7 put him within one shot of the lead at eight-under. But a bogey on No. 13 sent him four shots back, and bogeys on the final two holes dropped him to fifth.

THE Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) has retracted the extension it granted Discord to comply with its directive to set up a local office in the Philippines, saying the platform merely offered a briefing on its existing safeguards instead of addressing the government’s demands.

However, the extension given to Reddit, which the agency earlier said was ‘indefinite,’ stands. This, after the platform committed to establish an office in the country and a team that would coordinate with the CICC.

‘We thought they were proposing a meeting. Unlike Reddit that had concrete plans of complying, they just provided us a list of their existing safeguards,’ CICC Executive Director Undersecretary Renato Paraiso said of Discord in a phone interview.

‘They just wanted to have a briefing and not address our demands.’

Paraiso said he wanted Discord to take the kind of steps Reddit had committed to.

The CICC initially extended the deadline for both platforms after officials of the two companies reached out and committed to work with the government on online child safety. Reddit responded within the original 24-hour ultimatum and met with CICC officials online on Wednesday, while Discord separately wrote to the agency.

‘We decided to grant them an extension since they responded within the 24 hours and we want to give them the opportunity to work with us because what we want is accountability and a clear mechanism for government to coordinate with the platforms,’ Paraiso said.

He stressed then that the agency expects concrete results.

‘While we welcome their commitment to work with us, we will not settle for anything less. This commitment must translate into concrete action, genuine accountability, faster response mechanisms and stronger protections for our Filipino children online,’ Paraiso said.

Reddit’s commitments

During the Wednesday meeting, Reddit Vice President of Policy Jessica Ashooh, Deputy General Counsel Leslie Liu and Policy and Regulatory Affairs Manager Vijay Pamarathi discussed setting up ‘green lanes,’ or direct channels where Philippine authorities can flag potentially harmful content for expedited review and possible takedown.

These channels would cover content involving online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (Osaec), child sexual abuse and exploitation materials (Csaem), scams, misinformation, harmful content, and materials associated with Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE).

Reddit, however, did not provide a specific timeline for putting its office, coordination team and other mechanisms in place.

In return, the CICC will provide Reddit with information and literature, including Philippine laws and regulations, to help the platform better understand the local framework governing online safety and cybercrime.

In its letter to Paraiso, Discord expressed concern over recent incidents in the country and said it was willing to work directly with the CICC to protect minors from exploitation, grooming and exposure to violent content.

Amid scrutiny over the use of Discord in communities associated with NVE, the platform said it was prepared to brief the CICC on its newly rolled out Global Teen Experience, which includes age-assurance measures designed to place teenage users in an age-appropriate experience by default.

Discord Senior Public Policy Advisor Vasundhara Singh said that under the new system, users who cannot be confidently placed into an age group through account-level signals may confirm their age through privacy-preserving methods, including on-device facial age estimation, with biometric data neither shared with nor stored by Discord.

Discord also offered to brief the agency on its Family Center tools and its Kodex system, which allows law enforcement agencies to submit lawful takedown and data requests and receive fast-tracked responses.

For Paraiso, these were ‘not enough’ noting ‘if I wanted to know what they were doing, then I would have just read their policy page.’

The CICC had earlier given both platforms 24 hours to designate a resident agent or local representative who could facilitate Philippine jurisdiction and improve coordination with authorities.

The order came as law enforcement and cybersecurity agencies raised alarms over the use of private, invitation-only digital communities to groom, radicalize and recruit minors into real-world violence.

Carlos Yulo delivered another golden performance on Thursday afternoon at the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games to further cement his name as one of the best gymnasts ever in this generation.

‘It felt like Paris,’ said Yulo, who won the men’s floor exercise gold medal that will forever glitter as one of the most precious for the Philippines in the Asian Games.

Not only was the gold Yulo’s first on the continental stage, but it was also the country’s first in gymnastics in the 80-year history of the Asian Games.

‘I am truly overwhelmed and overjoyed by the experience,’ Yulo said. ‘It is a great honor to receive this blessing from God, and I will truly cherish it.’

Cherish he and the entire delegation will as the Philippines finally got into the gold medal column five days into the games where disappointments in swimming and mixed martial arts stunted the country’s campaign to match the four mints won in Hangzhou three years ago.

Drama and suspense marked Yulo’s journey on the floor exercise mat of the Rainbow Hall of the Nagoya City General Gymnasium. He was fourth to perform behind two South Koreans and his younger Eldrew and ahead of a Chinese and two Japanese and a Kazakh-all three are his podium nemesis for at least the past four years.

Eldrew Yulo didn’t get the scores good enough for a podium finish-he’s the youngest among the eight finalists at 18-but big brother was up next to bail the Philippine campaign that teetered on glass after MMA bets Jean Claude Saclag and Carlos Alvarez and swimmer Kayla Sanchez fell short of bagging gold medals.

Yulo pulled off a near flawless performance for a front-running 14.666 score on a 5.7 difficulty, but had to sit on the edge as he awaited his dreaded opponents to get their cts on the floor.

In the end, it was Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi who got the silver with 14.600 points on the same difficulty as Yulo and Japan’s Shoma Tsukiyama claiming bronze with 14.566 points on a slightly less difficulty.

Yulo admitted he had to make crucial adjustments after his first pass although his landings were the steadiest among the finalists.

‘I knew after the first pass that I had to adjust, otherwise I won’t perform the way I did,’ said Yulo, who was awarded the gold by Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino during the medal ceremony.

Yulo has two more opportunities to win gold, in the vault and parallel bars that are set Friday.

‘Hopefully, this will spark a streak,’ Tolentino told the POC Media Pool with Yulo by his side. ‘One down, seven to go.’

Tolentino predicted at least eight gold medals in Nagoya to double the output in Hangzhou, although he lamented the lost opportunities in MMA and swimming.

‘Those should have been gold medals,’ said Tolentino referring to MMA’s Alvarez and Saclag, who settled for silver. ‘And Kayla was disheartened by her loss in the 100 meters [freestyle] and couldn’t get going in the 50.’

Sanchez again finished just outside the podium in the 100 free at 24.75 seconds-China’s Wu Qingfeng (23.98), Hong Kong-China’s Siobhan Haughey (24.32) and China’s Cheng Yujie (24.46) occupied the podium.

The men’s basketball 3×3 team of Nic Cabañero, Luis Pablo, Doy Dungo and Koji Buenaflor, meanwhile, advanced to the semifinals following a 21-19 victory over Chinese-Taipei, but will have their hands full reaching the gold medal match as they take on South Korea-22-13 winner over China-next.

The women’s 3×3 squad composed of Kennan Ka, Maria Pasilang, Amyah Espanol and Quinn de la Rosa-also reached the semifinals at Singapore’s expense, 22-12, but they’ll take on Thailand in Friday’s semifinals-the Thais beat the Iranians, 12-11.

In skateboarding, Mazel Paris and Jericho Francisco advanced to the final round of their respective events at the 20th Asian Games at Aichi Sky Expo also on Thursday.

Paris, 12, finished fourth in the women’s park preliminaries with 73.93 points, while Francisco had 80-64 points to also progress to the medal round.

Boxer Norlan Petecio exited from his Asian Games debut after losing to Japan’s Sewonrets Quincy Mensah Okazawa, 0-5, in a men’s 70 kgs round of 16 bout.

Art Arbole recovered from back-to-back bogeys with birdie on No. 15, submitting a four-under 68 on Wednesday to stay in the lead after three rounds of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. Negros Occidental Classic in Bacolod.

Arbole moved to 10-under 200, one stroke ahead of Jhonnel Ababa, who also carded a 68.

Arbole, yet to win on the Philippine Golf Tour, suffered bogeys on Nos. 12 and 13 but hit birdie on the 15th, where Ababa stumbled to a bogey after struggling with his approach.

‘I was a little pressured because it’s my first time leading a tournament,’ Arbole, who turned professional in 2012, said. ‘But I just stayed focused on my game.’

Arbole hooked his drive into the water hazard on the par-4 12th, then missed a 10-foot par putt from the bunker on the next hole, but quickly regained his groove.

‘Good tee shot, good second shot, good putt. Lucky birdie,’ he said about No. 15.

Ababa, meanwhile, struggled on his approach and needed extra work around the green and wound up with bogey.

‘I’m just going to enjoy it tang take it shot by shot,’ Arbole said.

The winner bags P448,750 from the pot of P2.5 million in the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

Jeffren Lumbo remained in third at six-under 204 after a 69, just four shots off the pace.

Rupert Zaragosa, seeking a third straight title at Marapara, carded a 67 to tie Zanieboy Gialon, who fired the day’s best round of 65, at 205.

Clyde Mondilla and Randy Garalde matched 69s for joint sixth at 207.

Aidric Chan shot a 67 to join Josh Jorge, who carded a 70, and Guido van der Valk, who slipped to a 73, at 208.

Angelo Que, the recent Summit Point leg winner and reigning Order of Merit champion, faltered with a double-bogey on No. 7 and struggled to recover on the back nine, closing with two bogeys against a lone birdie for a 71. The stumble left him tied for 21st at 213, 13 strokes off Arbole, effectively ending his title hopes.

THE national government’s budget deficit swelled by 90 percent in August from a year ago as slower economic activity weakened revenue collections while spending climbed.

The Bureau of the Treasury reported last Thursday that the shortfall between revenues collected and the amount spent by the government widened to P161.3 billion in August from P84.8 billion in the same month last year.

The gap comes after revenues waned by 1.85 percent to P346 billion from P352.5 billion, as non-tax collections dropped and tax revenue growth slowed.

Non-tax revenues fell by 35.59 percent year-on-year to P13.7 billion from P21.3 billion due to lower Treasury income and collections from other offices.

Collections of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the main tax-collecting agency, inched down by 0.70 percent to P248.4 billion from P250.1 billion a year earlier due to higher tax refunds paid during the month.

Revenue take of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), meanwhile, grew by 4.15 percent year-on-year to P80.7 billion from P77.4 billion.

John Paolo R. Rivera, senior research fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, told the BusinessMirror that weaker revenue collection ‘may reflect subdued economic activity, which affects income and consumption-related tax collections, alongside possible timing differences in tax and non-tax receipts.’

On the spending side, expenditures rose by 16 percent to P507.3 billion from last year’s spending of P437.3 billion.

The Treasury attributed the increase partly to the P58.6-billion budgetary support to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. for the health insurance premiums of those enrolled under the National Health Insurance Program.

Higher national tax allotment shares for local government units also contributed to the increase in August disbursements.

Interest payments, likewise, increased by 3.98 percent to P65.6 billion from P63.1 billion.

Jonathan A. Ravelas, senior adviser at Reyes Tacandong and Co., told the BusinessMirror that the higher spending suggests that the government remains focused on supporting growth through public spending.

‘While this has resulted in a wider fiscal deficit, the more important issue is whether the spending translates into stronger economic activity, job creation, and improved revenue generation over the medium term,’ Ravelas added. ‘Fiscal discipline remains important, but growth-enhancing expenditures can ultimately strengthen the government’s fiscal position if executed effectively.’

Budget hole

FROM January to August this year, the budget hole expanded by 21.30 percent to P1.054 trillion from P869.2 billion in last year’s comparable period.

Revenues reached P3.216 trillion during the eight-month period, up 4.27 percent from P3.085 trillion a year earlier.

The BIR amassed P2.238 trillion, up by 4.60 percent year-on-year, while the BOC’s cumulative collection rose by 6.87 percent to P664.1 billion.

Non-tax collections, however, declined by 2.83 percent to P289.8 billion from P298.3 billion due to a high base from one-off remittances in 2025.

Government spending totaled P4.270 trillion as of end-August, 8.01 percent higher than the P3.954 trillion recorded in the same period last year.

Interest payments accounted for P686.5 billion of the total, up 17.52 percent from P584.1 billion a year earlier.

Additional pressure

TO bridge the fiscal gap, the government also borrows to raise funds.

However, higher domestic yields will further raise the government’s debt-servicing costs as it undertakes new borrowings and refinances maturing obligations, Rivera explained.

‘This will place additional pressure on future budgets, leaving less fiscal space for infrastructure, education, healthcare, and other development priorities,’ he added.

‘With expenditures growing faster than revenues, priority is to strengthen revenue administration and ensure that public spending translates into productive economic activity, which can support a more sustainable revenue base,’ Rivera said.

The government has set a target budget deficit of P1.658 trillion this year, equivalent to 5.4 percent of gross domestic product.

The revenue collection goal is P4.806 trillion, while disbursements are pegged at P6.465 trillion.

Last year, the government ran a budget deficit of P1.576 trillion, wider by 4.67 percent from P1.506 trillion a year ago.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Thursday said they are now considering the adoption of a technology-driven platform that will strengthen coordination among law enforcement agencies, schools, and local stakeholders to address security concerns in educational institutions across the country.

The PNP chief, in a statement, said the move seeks to expand the ‘Build Partnership. Early Detection. Swift Alert. Tactical Response’ (B.E.S.T.) School Alert and Rapid Response System, an initiative developed by the Police Regional Office 4A (Calabarzon) to facilitate immediate reporting, information-sharing, and action during emergencies and security incidents in schools.

‘We are exploring the institutionalization of this rapid response system to further help us identify and respond to threats in schools, as well as ensure better coordination and swift action in any incident or challenge,’ Nartatez said.

The proposed system came amid growing concerns over recent incidents reported within school premises in various parts of the country.

Under the Calabarzon pilot implementation, about 155 schools are set to utilize the application as part of an organized alert and response mechanism that allows faster coordination among authorities and concerned agencies.

‘Technology is a critical aspect of our security and law enforcement, and our personnel must have access to modern facilities and training innovations to improve our security systems,’ Nartatez said.

The PNP chief also emphasized that law enforcement agencies must continue adapting to changing threats by maximizing available tools and resources.

The PNP is also looking to coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) as part of efforts to further develop and sustain the platform should it be rolled out on a wider scale.

‘We have skilled police experts, and we are also equipped with advanced technology that can help us elevate our emergency response techniques. Now is the time to utilize them properly,’ Nartatez noted.

Meanwhile, the PNP chief commended the Calabarzon police for developing a practical response tool that could serve as a model for other police offices and units nationwide.

‘The best practices of one police unit can actually bring the needed improvement in our system to ensure a safe and secure learning environment for our children,’ he shared.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its KALAHI-CIDSS National Program Management Office, successfully conducted the National Bayani Ka! cum Tatak KALAHI-CIDSS LGU Awards on September 22, 2026, held at the SMX Sky Hall, Bacolod City.

A major highlight of the event was the official launching of the Performance-Based Grant for Sustainability (PBGS), led by DSWD Undersecretary for Operations Pinky Romualdez. The PBGS provides direct grant funding to high-performing Local Government Units (LGUs) to maintain community infrastructure, strengthen participatory governance, and enhance local disaster resilience.

Joined by DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the ceremony also recognized outstanding community volunteers and partner LGUs across two main tracks:

Bayani Ka! Awards – recognized extraordinary community volunteers and local leaders in categories such as Gender and Development, Environmental Protection/DRRM, Indigenous Peoples Welfare, Senior Citizens, and Volunteerism.

Tatak KALAHI-CIDSS LGU Awards – honored top-performing municipal, barangay, and provincial LGUs – including Lopez Jaena (Misamis Occidental), Claveria (Masbate), and Zamboanguita (Negros Oriental) – for co-funding sub-projects and institutionalizing Community-Driven Development (CDD).

ACROSS Greenbelt, Glorietta, and One Ayala, a new season of considered discovery will soon bring the world’s most talked-about brands closer to home via Ayala Malls.

Spanning fashion, fragrance and dining, these highly anticipated arrivals bring together some of the world’s most exciting names, each chosen for its relevance, distinct point of view, and ability to connect with the evolving preferences of Filipino consumers.

‘The global debuts across our malls add new and exciting dimensions to the experiences we offer at Greenbelt, Glorietta and One Ayala,’ says Mae Dichupa, Ayala Malls’ portfolio head for Makati and BGC.

‘More than introducing new names, we’re bringing in brands that people have been curious about, talking about, and looking forward to experiencing. It’s a thoughtful approach to discovery that keeps our destinations dynamic, relevant and engaging.’

Across Glorietta and Greenbelt, a discerning roster of global brands is set to bring new energy to the fashion and lifestyle landscape. Headlining the arrivals is South Korea’s Musinsa Standard, which will open its first Southeast Asian store. It will be joined by a lineup with equal weight: performance sportswear ON, workwear icon Carhartt, and Seoul-based lifestyle and fashion brand EMIS. Each has built a devoted following in its home market, making their arrival a notable addition to the malls’ expanding collection of international names, and signals their growing pull as regional retail destinations.

Meanwhile, the sense of wonder is set to deepen at Ayala Malls, which is shaping up as a dedicated sanctuary for niche perfumery with fragrances people once had to travel for: Byredo, Penhaligon’s, Creed, Kilian, Acqua di Parma, Matiere Premiere-all of which now share a single address at Greenbelt. Seoul’s Born to Stand Out, on the other hand, brings its provocative edge to Glorietta. It turns perfume shopping into a sensory ritual: the slow, deliberate search for a signature scent that feels entirely one’s own.

The culinary lineup will also tell its own story of craft and connection. At its core is The Pig and Palm, the acclaimed Cebu-based restaurant by Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton, alongside Sobamae Yamato’s hand-crafted Japanese soba. Joining them is Bread Ahead, London’s iconic Borough Market bakery, bringing its renowned signature sourdough breads and artisanal doughnuts to Makati. Completed by Spain’s smooy and its guilt-free frozen yogurt and ice cream, the collection turns a casual bite into a deliberate, memorable pause.

And when the afternoon calls for a slower pace, specialty coffee spots like Ten Thousand Coffee (a favorite from Sydney to New York) and Seoul’s sleek Super Matcha invite guests to linger. Joined by an expanding roster of specialty cafés, they prove that even an ordinary coffee break can turn into an intentional moment of joy.

For Ayala Malls, this is what considered discovery looks like in practice-not simply adding more, but adding meaning: brands people have sought out, talked about, and waited for, brought together in destinations that already feel like home.

NAGOYA-Nic Cabañero and his teammates in men’s 3×3 of basketball has been staying at the massive cruise ship Costa Serena moored at Nagoya harbor for at least a week on Thursday.

Nagoya and Aichi prefecture don’t have enough hotel beds to accommodate more than 11,500 athletes-not counting officials and families-for the 20th Asian Games and opted to utilize the cruise ship that could billet 5,000 individuals.

Obviously, the spaces are cramped inside the ship and have to navigate through standard long and narrow hallways-the quarters are compact and provide the essential comforts needed for recovery.

It didn’t take much some time for Cabañero to get used to cruise ship accommodation and any discomfort doesn’t show at all as his teammates-De La Salle’s Luis Pablo and Doy Dungo and University of Santo Tomas’s Koji Buenaflor-played in the quarterfinals against Chinese-Taipei on Thursday.

Tall as they are at 6-feet-3 average, there seemed to be no problem at all.

And the waves?

‘We don’t get nauseous, we just got used to the environment,’ said Cabañero, who’s playing out of Binan Tatak Gel in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. ‘When your inside your room, it doesn’t feel that you’re inside a ship.’

The only downside, Cabañero said, is that there are no potholes in their room.

‘On our side of the ship there are no potholes, but the cabins on the other side have,’ he said.

Inside the cabin are a functional vanity and desk area with a flat-screen television, a telephone, kettle and counter space, while the sleeping areas are cozy with twin beds covered with white linens separated by a small nightstand under framed artwork.

Space is highly utilized with the athletes’ bags-including the unmistakable red ‘Team Philippines’ hardcase luggage emblazoned with the iconic yellow sun-filling up the floor area around the beds.

Despite the tight squeeze, the setup provides a vital resting sanctuary after intense, high-stakes competitions.

Besides the Costa Serena, athletes are billeted in what is called the Athletes Villa, not Village, which consists of wooden cabins.

There are 100 Filipino athletes who are alternately billeted at Costa Serena depending on their competition schedule and Doha was the first to utilize cruise ships as accommodation facility in the 2006 Asian Games.