Category: Philippine Star

Pickleball, the nation’s fastest-growing sport, gets an official platform for more exposure and development with the launch of the inaugural Maharlika Pilipinas Pickleball Tour (MPPT) in partnership with Solar Sports starting in October in five different cities.

The MPPT serves as the newest league on Solar Sports, one of the country’s longest sports networks, aside from the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Season 8 as sports patron and founder Manny Pacquiao, also the newly appointed secretary of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) continues to champion the growth of the Philippine sports as a whole more than just boxing.

The MPPT, set for broadcast on Solar Sports during weekends, will start with 12 teams, made up of eight to 10 players, including a requirement of two homegrown bets, for the Invitationals before an expected participation of 16 to 24 teams in Season 1 in March 2027.

‘From the beginning, our goal has been to give Filipino athletes a bigger platform and help bring pickleball to more people across the country. Having Solar Sports as our broadcast partner allows us to bring the MPPT and our athletes to an even bigger audience. This is another important step forward for the MPPT and for the sport in the Philippines,” said Pacquiao.

“We have one shared vision with Solar Sports and that’s to take Philippine pickleball to the next level with the MPPT. We’re excited for this venture with one of the country’s best sports networks,” added MPPL Commissioner Mark Espinosa.

“We strengthen our enduring partner with Secretary Pacquiao. Expanding the success of the MPBL, Solar Sports is thrilled to carry on the momentum into pickleball, the nation’s fastest growing sport as the national broadcaster of the inaugural MPPT season. We hope to propel the sport forward,” said Solar Sports President Wilson Tieng, a longtime friend of Pacquiao back in his boxing glory days.

The Rizal Illustrados, led by former national tennister Bambi Zoleta, along with the Bacoor Strikers, Muntinlupa Smashers, Pampanga Chiefs, Batangas Bangers, Alfonso Siklab, Bangued Miki, GenSan Punchers, Paranaque Titans, Camarines Norte Golden Hawks and Abra River Paddlers make the inaugural tourney.

After the opener at the PCPH Court in Angeles City, the MPPT Invitationals will visit Tagaytay, Abra and Bacoor with the fifth leg for the national finals still to be determined but is likely to be held at a bigger venue in Metro Manila.

Pacquiao and his wife, who are avid pickleball fans and players themselves, are expected to grace the opening ceremony alongside some celebrities and influencers who have fell in love with the new sport like Tacloban team owner Karla Estrada.

Teams will play men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles in a single-round robin format during Saturdays with the top 8 teams figuring in the playoffs during Sundays of each leg. In case of a tie based on point ranking system, a singles match between the teams’ best players will be in play.

A whopping prize pool of P1 million is up for grabs in each leg with an expected bigger purse in the national finals, where the top eight teams will battle it out at the end of October.

The new pro league, licensed by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB), is open to all Filipinos at least 18 years of age. Consent or waiver will be required for minors, if teams opt to field younger bets.

One win away from history.

MMA fighter Jean Claude Saclag powered into the gold-medal match and ace gymnast Carlos Yulo roared into four finals to headline a day of triumph and grind – and ultimately rewarding – for Team Philippines at the Asian Games here yesterday.

Saclag is now a victory away from delivering the country’s first gold in this Asiad – and the first-ever Asian Games gold in mixed martial arts.

The Filipino standout neutralized Japan’s Daisuke Murayama in the men’s traditional -65kg semifinals at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center, using sharp striking and airtight takedown defense to keep the dangerous grappler at bay for a unanimous decision.

The Baguio warrior faces Tajikistan’s Otabek Rajabov for gold today.

‘Ramdam ko na mas malakas ako. Na-overpower ko siya,’ said Saclag whose game plan was simple: keep distance, punish, and don’t get dragged to the mat.

‘Kailangan keep natin ‘yung distance, saktan natin siya, tapos depensahan natin ‘yung takedowns niya,’ he said. ‘Sanay naman tayo lumaban sa finals, kaya mas lalo akong na-inspire. Iba pa rin ‘to. Asian Games ‘to, eh.’

Saclag’s win assured the Philippines of at least silver and followed Carlos Alvarez’s bronze in the men’s traditional -77kg.

Alvarez, 27, swept Indonesia’s Ananda Wahyu Setyo Prabowo, 3-0, in the quarters before bowing to Kazakhstan’s taller Yerkingali Burkutalin, 0-3, in a tight semifinal. King Carlos delivers again

It was an emotional day for Philippine gymnastics. The morning started with news that Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion had lost her husband back home. She was scheduled to fly out of Nagoya last night.

Her gymnasts responded with a performance that made the nation proud.

Carlos Yulo, Karl Eldrew Yulo, Juancho Miguel Besana, Justine Ace de Leon and Zachary Nunez composed Team Phl that topped the morning qualification round before eventually settling for sixth – after the afternoon subdivision. The Philippines made the team final with China, Japan, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam and Singapore.

In the individual all-around, Eldrew placed seventh and Carlos ninth as China’s Zhang Boheng took gold over Japanese stars Shinnosuke Oka and Daiki Hashimoto.

But Yulo, the elder, wasn’t done.

King Carlos – the No. 1 qualifier in floor exercise – booked three apparatus finals: floor (No. 1), vault (No. 7) and parallel bars (No. 6). Eldrew joined him in the floor final at No. 4 and just missed the horizontal bar final at No. 9. Besana will join Carlos in the vault medal round.

The men’s floor final is tomorrow and vault and parallel bars on Friday.

Elsewhere, boxer Norlan Petecio made an impressive Asian Games debut and Gilas Pilipinas Men’s 3×3 scored a two-game sweep.

Filipinas make quarterfinals anew

The Filipinas marched to the quarterfinals for the second straight Asiad after finishing as the best third-placed team in group play.

Despite dropping a 1-5 loss to China in the final match of Group G at the Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium yesterday, the Pinay booters have logged enough – four points on a 1-1-1 win-draw-loss card – to join the group topnotcher Chinese (seven points on two wins and a draw) and No. 2 Uzbekistan (five points on one win and two draws) in the KO rounds.

But it will be tough in the Last-8 with a battle against the Group E winner – most likely defending champion and host Japan – next.

Sanchez sets national mark

In the pool, Kayla Sanchez and Teia Salvino made the women’s 50m backstroke final but finished fifth and 10th, respectively.

Sanchez put up a fierce fight. While backstroke isn’t her forte, the Filipina swimming sensation showcased incredible versatility and broke her newly set national record, clocking 28.19 seconds.

Salvino also gave it her all, clocking 29.02 seconds.

On the sand, Sofiah Shanine Pagara and Khylem Harl Progella overwhelmed Maldives’ Anal Fathimath and Areesha Aminath, 21-6, 21-11, in women’s Pool G, while James Buytrago and Ronniel Rosales crushed Mongolia’s Shijir-erdene Bat-enkh and Amar Batmunkh, 21-11, 21-15, in men’s Pool C.

Team Phl missed a sweep after Lerry John Francisco and Alnakran Abdilla bowed to Qatar’s Ahmed Janko and Cherif Samba, 7-21, 10-21.

In triathlon, the mixed relay team of Raven Faith Alcoseba, Andrew Kim Remolino, Kim Mangrobang and Fernando Jose Casares clocked 1:32:56 for ninth out of 14 teams. China – Lin Xinyu, Li Mingyu, Huang Anqi and Zhang Xirui – ruled in 1:25:54.

The Philippines overpowered Angola, 3.5-.5, with Mhage Sebastian leading the way with a smashing Board-1 victory Woman FIDE Master Jemima Paulo and regaining lost footing after the sixth round of the 46th World Chess Olympiad at the Silk Road International Exhibition Centre in Samarkand, Uzbekistan Monday night.

Thrusted into the limelight as the team’s top board player despite being an Olympiad rookie, Sebastian has delivered and, in fact, has scored a solid 3.5 points on three wins, a draw and a single defeat.

Also coming through were Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna and WFM Shania Mae Mendoza on Boards 2 and 4, respectively, while Woman International Master Ruelle Canino drew with WIM Caxita Esperanca on Board 3 to complete the one-sided win.

That propelled the Filipinas, whose trip in Samarkand is being bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission, into a 30-nation tie for 28th spot with eight match points each.

The Filipinos were equally impressive in their 3.5-.5 rout of the Yemenis to zoom to a 30-nation logjam for No. 29 also with eight match points.

They, like everyone else, get a much-deserved respite Tuesday and should come into Wednesday’s seventh round reenergized against Argentina in the men’s and Kyrgyzstan in the women’s where they seek nothing but a victory.

A win, of course, would send them back into the top 20 and closer to a potential top-10 finish, where they would receive a P1-million incentive from delegation head and Misamis Occidental Gov. Henry Oaminal Sr.

For UAAP Season 89 this year, Cignal is bringing full coverage of the Men’s Basketball tournament and Cheerdance Competition action to more Filipinos at home, overseas, and on-the-go via YouTube.

Every week, Cignal will broadcast live games and upload comprehensive highlights on the One Sports YouTube channel. This allows fans to stream live games or catch up on game-winning plays and routine breakdowns on demand across mobile devices, desktops, and even on their connected TVs.

The move expands collegiate sports access by leveraging on YouTube’s global reach and flexible formats, from livestreams, long-form, or shorts. This strengthens Cignal’s ability to serve as the country’s go-to destination for sports, delivering world-class athletic action to passionate Filipino fans worldwide.

‘Through this partnership with YouTube, we are significantly expanding the reach of one of the country’s most loved leagues: the UAAP,’ said Eric Centeno, vice president and head of the Sports Sales Team at Cignal. ‘From free television and Pay TV to OTT streaming, and now YouTube, students, alumni, and supporters can enjoy UAAP games live anytime and anywhere,’ he added.

‘At YouTube, we strive to connect people with the culture and moments they love most,’ said Prep Palacios, Google Philippines country director. ‘Partnering with Cignal to stream UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball and the Cheerdance Competition transforms the fan experience, offering seamless, unified access to cheer for their favorite teams from any screen.’

A group of elderly Blaan traders in Tampakan, South Cotabato, underwent an entrepreneurial development workshop over the weekend as part of a livelihood support program aimed at accelerating economic growth in their communities.

Tampakan, a state-recognized Blaan ancestral domain, is one of the ten towns in South Cotabato in Region 12.

The Entrepreneurial Development and Values Reorientation for Senior Citizens Workshop, facilitated by the Sagittarius Mines Incorporated, more commonly known as the SMI, focused on providing participants with ample insights into small and medium enterprise initiatives and how to connect with traders in other areas for them to earn more via innovative trading schemes and by ensuring good quality of their marketable products.

The day-long workshop was held at the field base of the SMI, also in Barangay Tablu.

A Blaan community leader, Bae Lolita Puli, told reporters on Tuesday that she and other elderly Blaans from different areas in Barangay Tablu who participated in the workshop are grateful to officials and employees of the SMI for having embarked on the activity.

She said they learned from the workshop the importance of trading cooperation among entrepreneurs to maximize earnings and how to improve the marketability of their merchandise that they circulate in Barangay Tablu and in nearby areas.

‘We appreciate a lot the efforts of the SMI and other entities that cooperated in facilitating the workshop,’ Puli, a Blaan community leader in Barangay Tablu, said.

South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr., said on Tuesday that he is grateful to the SMI for embarking on the activity, which augurs well with the efforts of his office to improve the business climate in Tampakan as part of their campaign to sustain the peace now spreading around the municipality, long cleared jointly by the police and military from the presence of the New People’s Army.

Tamayo, chairperson of the multi-sector Regional Peace and Order Council 12, said a progressive, stable economy in Tampakan can generate employment and provide marginalized villagers with livelihood opportunities that can generate for them the income needed for the schooling of their children and other needs of their families.

Fourteen years of waiting have brought Art Arbole to a place he has long dreamed of reaching: the top of a Philippine Golf Tour leaderboard with a championship within sight.

Arbole took a major step toward ending that long title drought Tuesday, producing a personal-best 36-hole total and a bogey-free 67 to seize solo control at the halfway mark of the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club here.

For the second straight day, the short but tricky layout yielded to Arbole’s steady all-around game. More importantly, the performance gave the journeyman his first outright lead after two rounds – a position that carried both promise and pressure as the tournament heads into the pivotal final 36 holes.

‘This is the first time that I was able to lead in two days. My game continues to come together – driving, irons and putting,’ said Arbole, his eyes betraying the excitement of a player who knows how close he is to a long-awaited breakthrough.

‘I just need to stay focused day-to-day. Basta mag-connect lang lahat,’ added Arbole, who overcame a double bogey in the opening round with an eagle and five birdies to share the lead with Jhonnel Ababa at 65.

Now, with two rounds still to play, Arbole is refusing to look beyond the next shot.

‘Hanggang Thursday na lang. Ulitin mo lang ‘yung ginawa mo sa first two days,’ he kept telling himself as motivation.

Focus lang sa mga shots na hindi mag-trouble. I’ll do my very best in the last two days,’ said Arbole, who missed three birdie putts but made four scrambling pars at the back.

‘Mahirap talaga ang back nine ng Marapara,’ added Arbole, who turned pro in 2012 with a career-best Top 5 finish.

Arbole’s eight-under 132 put him one stroke clear of Ababa, but the chasing pack is close enough to make the third round a potential turning point.

‘Kailangan dito steady ang driving mo,’ said Ababa, who stayed within striking distance with a 68 despite another costly bogey on the par-5 18th.

Starting on No. 10, Ababa parred his first eight holes before dropping a stroke on No. 18 for the second straight day.

He recovered in style, however, with three birdies on the front nine to salvage his round and move to 133.

”Yung back nine ko, hindi masyadong maganda dahil ilang greens lang tinamayan ko, tapos ‘yung paborito kong hole – No. 18 – bogey na naman. Pero nakabawi naman sa front nine,’ said Ababa.

He rued a third shot that hit a divot on No. 18 after a solid drive and second shot.

‘Maganda naman yung drive ko at second shot sa No. 18, pero yung third shot tumama sa divot kaya na-bogey,’ he said.

Still, the former Order of Merit winner remains firmly in the hunt as he tries to add another title to his résumé after edging Guido van der Valk in a sudden-death playoff at Apo in 2024.

Only one stroke separates the top two, while Jeffren Lumbo lurks three shots behind Arbole at 135.

Lumbo erased the bitter memory of a triple-bogey 8 on No. 18 that marred his otherwise impressive opening-round 68, firing another 67 highlighted by four straight birdies from No. 4.

He is tied with van der Valk, who also carded a three-under card in another scorching day.

Lumbo is chasing a second PGT title after breaking through at South Pacific last year, while van der Valk is likewise looking to snap a lengthy title drought.

Albin Engino carded another 68 to move into solo fifth at 136, while Clyde Mondilla also shot a 68 to join Randy Garalde (69), Russell Bautista (70), defending two-time champion Rupert Zaragosa (70) and Josh Jorge (71) in a share of sixth at 138.

The tour’s biggest names all survived the cut and advanced to the final 36 holes of the P2.5-million championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., but they now face a sizable deficit and will need a strong Moving Day charge to get back into the thick of the title fight.

Aidric Chan shot a 69 but remained tied for 17th at 141 with Tony Lascuña, who slipped to 72, along with Ira Alido (70) and Edmar Salvador Jr. (70).

Caliraya Springs and Summit Point leg winner Angelo Que rebounded from a 73 with a 69 to join Erwin Madrileño (70), Jobim Carlos (72) and Jay Bayron (75) at 21st at 142.

Eight players caught the last bus at the cutoff score of 145: Rico Depilo (71), Kim Tae Soo (72), Jeremy Tandoy (72), Ramil Bisera (73), Boni Salahog (73), Gab Manotoc (74), Francis Morilla (75) and Kristoffer Arevalo (76).

For Arbole, however, the numbers that matter most are 132 – and 14.

The first is his halfway score. The second is the number of years he has spent chasing a PGT title.

With two rounds left, the elusive championship that has stayed just beyond his reach is finally beginning to look tangible.

Friday, Sept. 25, is the Mid-Autumn Festival, an important festival second only to the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. It is celebrated across China and in Chinese communities around the world. Hereabouts it is no longer just a Tsinoy celebration; Pinoys have embraced the festival, with families, barkadas, companies and organizations observing the Mooncake Festival.

That, however, is a bit of a misnomer, for while the mooncake is an integral part of the tradition, the festival is not about the cake but the moon, which is at its biggest and brightest on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, or mid-autumn (zhong qiu).

A cousin in our Viber chat group posted the other week an invitation to a ”Mooncake Festival’ that her village association was hosting, adding the following query: ‘I wonder how many Tsinoys today understand or remember the cultural and historical background of the moon festival.’ Another cousin said: ‘I suspect few care,’ to which she replied: ‘My grandpa said in a merchant class society, survival matters more than culture.’ Indeed.

I asked my niece Stef, ahead of our advance celebration last Sunday, whether she knew why we have mooncakes. ‘The messages in the cake to revolt’ was her answer.

ChatGPT cautions me to say ‘According to a famous legend…’ when recounting this tale, since it is not an established historical fact; but it’s a good story nevertheless. Han Chinese during the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty were plotting a coup and rebels communicated their plans by hiding messages inside mooncakes, which were widely distributed during this festival. The rebellion succeeded, the Yuan was toppled and the Ming dynasty was established.

A more romantic tale associated with this festival is the one about the maiden in the moon, Chang’e. Her husband Hou Yi the archer saved the kingdom and its people from the disastrous effects of climate change – a major heatwave caused by all 10 suns coming out at the same time – by shooting down nine of the 10 suns. He was rewarded by the gods with the elixir of immortality, which he did not take since he didn’t want to be separated from his wife. But one day, to keep the elixir from being stolen by a very bad guy – probably a cong-tractor – Chang’e drank it and immediately began to float heavenward. She chose to live on the moon, closest to Earth.

I don’t know how the Jade Rabbit got into the story, but the legend has it that it’s there in the moon, keeping Chang’e company and constantly pounding herbs to make more of the elixir of immortality – for whom and for what purpose, I guess only the rabbit knows.

So on Friday night when the moon is big and bright, you might just see them both if you look closely enough. I hope it’s a clear night so we can see the harvest moon in its full glory. Do join Hou Yi and look up to see Chang’e and think of those you love who are far away.

Mid-autumn is harvest time for the largely agricultural (at least in ancient times) southern China, where most of our ancestors are from. Thus it is a time of plenty, and families gather for a feast, a tradition that is still observed today.

Mooncakes are of course round; any square ones – and I’ve seen some – are blasphemy. A glossy deep brown pastry encases a rich filling of lotus or red bean paste, with one or two salted egg yolks. Some varieties have a mix of seeds and nuts. These days you can have different flavors of mooncakes – pandan, ube, cheese, even savory ones. They used to come in a red and gold tin of four cakes, and the tins are reused for holding hairpins or knickknacks or whatever. Cost cutting has substituted cardboard boxes instead, but some outlets have really elaborate containers that can double as purses or jewelry boxes and probably cost more than the cakes which, by the way, are not cheap – anywhere from P375 a piece to P4,888 for a box of four at one hotel.

The dice game associated with this festival is a Hokkien (Fujian, particularly Xiamen) thing, played with six dice in a bowl – it better be a big bowl, so the dice won’t jump out, as that forfeits your turn. My other niece Mart says ‘the game was invented to entertain soldiers, thus the number combinations mimic their ranks.’

A more common interpretation links it to the imperial exams, thus the number combinations or prize levels refer to the ranks: tsiong guan, the top scholar, is the grand prize, then down six levels to siu tsai, the lowly entry level scholar. There are 32 prizes for the lowest level, then 16, eight, four, two up to the big one. Traditionally, these are different sizes of cakes – the smallest, 32 of these about an inch and a half in diameter, is of course for the poor guy who just made it past the first level of the imperial exams; the largest is about 10-12 inches – but who wants to eat all that hopia? So nowadays, different prizes – sometimes even cash – of increasing value are substituted. Tradition dictates that the one who wins the tsiong guan hosts the next year’s celebration.

I didn’t do very well at our dice game last Sunday, although I did get one of the two prizes in the second highest level and a paltry two of the saling pusa prizes. My dog FJ lucked out, as those who won pears gave them to him, pears being his favorite snack.

Property giant Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) is reinforcing water infrastructure in its Lio Estate in Palawan to support El Nido’s continued growth as a tourism and lifestyle destination.

ALI said a new seawater reverse osmosis facility capable of producing up to 500 cubic meters of potable water per day is being developed in the coastal estate.

The facility, which is expected to begin operations in August 2027, will provide Lio Estate with an additional source of water supply as the estate expands its tourism, hospitality, residential and commercial offerings.

At present, Lio Estate relies on its own groundwater wells.

The facility is being developed and will be operated by Estate Water, a division of Manila Water Philippine Ventures Inc.

‘As Lio continues to grow, we want to make sure our infrastructure is always a step ahead of demand, not catching up to it,’ Cris Zuluaga, head of Ayala Land Leisure Estates, said.

‘This facility is part of that long-term view – strengthening what we already have in place and preparing Lio for the years ahead,’ Zuluaga said.

Beyond adding water production capacity, ALI said the project would strengthen Lio’s overall water infrastructure by introducing another source of supply and reducing reliance on a single source, particularly during periods of increased demand.

ALI said the project forms part of the company’s long-term vision of creating well-planned and resilient estates where infrastructure keeps pace with growth and supports the needs of communities, businesses and visitors.

The new facility will support Lio Estate’s current requirements and future developments, including the Balai Adlao Expansion, Tara Hostel, Estate Support Facilities, additional retail offerings and Sitio Aplaya, Lio’s newest residential-commercial district.

A data breach in the electronic support system of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has been confirmed by the National Privacy Commission.

The NPC said it received the LTFRB’s data breach notification on Sept. 13.

‘As of now, we’re waiting for clearance to disclose full details of the notification. We will provide updates once available,’ Roren Marie Chin, chief of the NPC Public Information and Assistance Division, said.

The LTFRB is coordinating with the NPC, Department of Information and Communications Technology as well as the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center to validate affected data and restore operations.

The third round of big time oil price hike takes effect this week starting Tuesday, September 22.

The Department of Energy (DOE) earlier announced that the following pump price increase will be implemented:

Diesel – up by P8.82 per liter

Kerosene – up by P6.47 per liter

Gasoline – up by P4.88 per liter

According to the energy department, upward movements in prices are likely to remain until the end of the year as tensions in the Middle East continue to affect the global oil supply.

Here are the estimated new prices of local oil and fuel products for September 22 to 28: