...the Arafura Games

Phl swimmers snare 7 golds; PSL bets barred

By J. Villar  
(The Philippine Star)
May 11, 2011 

    

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines came through with a strong opening day performance in the Arafura Games tarnished by complaints that the country’s aquatics president allegedly barred the other Filipino bets from competing in the finals of various events in Darwin, Australia.

Aquatics chief Mark Joseph yesterday said the country has raked in a seven-gold, five-silver and two-bronze medal haul in Day One but the other group, the Philippine Swimming League-Diliman Prep (PSL-DSL), headed by former Sen. Nikki Coseteng, claimed the Phl could have won more if the former didn’t block the latter’s bets who made it to the finals of their respective events.

“Four of our five swimmers were not allowed to proceed to the finals even though they had topped the heats,” said Coseteng in a text message from Australia circulated to the media.

“Mark Joseph blocked our swimmers again from competing in spite of the fact that the highly trained swimmers were given support and assistance by the government.

“The organizers of the Arafura Games invited us to apply for participation, and we submitted proper documents. The PSC endorsed us, gave us uniforms, allowance and travel tax exemption while Australia issued visas,” she added.

Philippine Sports Commission chair Richie Garcia was also in Darwin along with the PSC endorsement but the organizers still decided to ignore the PSC endorsement based on the recommendation of Joseph, according to Coseteng.

“This is practically a slap on the PSC’s face by the head of a national sports association. With this, Joseph again shows his arrogance, insecurity and egotism. He cannot accept that our swimmers could be as good if not better than his so he blocked our swimmers from the finals so they can’t win medals,” said Coseteng.

“In some events, his swimmers won because our swimmers were not allowed to join, which is a blatant violation of children’s rights to pursue their dreams. They fight hard. So we all are wearing black ribbons now,” she said.

But Joseph said that Coseteng’s swimmers were allowed to compete only for exhibition for failing to comply with the event’s eligibility requirements.

“These swimmers were only allowed to swim for exhibition by the Arafura Games organizers because of their failure to comply with FINA, Australia and Arafura eligibility rules,” said Joseph.

“These people are always looking for excuses or people to blame, they don’t take responsibility for their own shortcomings and lack of understanding of simple rules that anyone can read on the Arafura website.

“Nonetheless, our legitimate Philippine team swimmers have been raking in the medals and improving their times tremendously with a day and a half to go. Currently, we’re ranked second overall,” he said.

Joseph said the victories came from Johansen Benedict Aguilar (50 backstroke -17 and above), Marc Artemius Joseph Paderon (200 IM- 13 to 14 yrs), Banjo Borja (200 IM – 17 and above), Dhill Andersen Lee (100 butterfly-17 and above), Hannah Dato (200 IM and 50 backstroke – 15 to 16 yrs) and Monique Bacolod (50 backstroke-17 and above).

The silvers, on the other hand, were won by Joanna Colleen Simbulan (200 IM-13-14 yrs), Aguilar (200 backstroke and 100 butterfly – 17 and above), Borja (50 backstroke – 17 and above) and Lee (200 IM-17 and above), while Roanne Florence Yu (50 backstroke-17 and above) and Raphael Sta. Maria (50 butterfly – 13-14 yrs) picked up two bronzes for the day.

But Coseteng insisted the country could’ve won more as Loren Echavez ruled the 200m freestyle heat while Priscilla and Antoniette Aquino and Kiefer Piccio made the cut, putting themselves in positions to add to the country’s medal collection.

“You can take my medals but not my heart and soul,” said a dejected Echavez. “Medals rot and it’s only a material thing but the organizers can not take my fighting heart.”

...the rice cake

Cebu starts bid for world's biggest rice cake

05/10/2011 

GMANews.tv

 

Residents in Mandaue City in Cebu province started cooking up Monday afternoon their bid to set a record for the world's biggest bibingka (rice cake), in time for their fiesta.

The residents started cooking the rice cake at 3 p.m. Monday and expect to finish it by 3 p.m. Tuesday, radio dzBB's Cebu affiliate reported early Tuesday.

Organizers said the rice cake would be as big as a basketball court, and would require 13,500 coconuts, 50 sacks of rice, and 50 sacks of sugar.

Mandaue prides itself in its bibingka, a local delicacy that has become a hit with tourists visiting the city.

The finished product will be served during the city's fiesta, the report said.

On the other hand, organizers pointed out the bid to set a world record had also been one of the highlights of this year’s fiesta. — RSJ, GMA News

...the Hollywood actor

Fil-Am actor makes it to 'Hawaii Five-0'

abs-cbnNEWS.com

05/10/2011

MANILA, Philippines - Another Filipino makes it big in Hollywood.

Filipino-American Mark Dacascos plays Wo Fat in the hit US TV series Hawaii Five-0, a remake of the popular 70's TV show.

Aside from the series, Mark also joined Dancing with the Stars, and is more popularly known as The Chairman in Iron Chef America.

Mark says that although he still has not met his family here in the Philippines, he hopes to get in touch with his Filipino roots soon.

"My father is Filipino. We have family somewhere in the Philippines. I was born in Hawaii so, unfortunately, I haven't connected with them yet but hopefully I will someday. But my aunt and uncle, they dance Filipino dances, they were professional dancers. My father teaches martial arts, arnis, eskrima and kali," he said. ANC

...the humanitarian report

Inquirer bags top awards for humanitarian reporting



Philippine Daily Inquirer
05/10/2011


MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Daily Inquirer bagged the first and third prizes of the first International Committee on the Red Cross (ICRC) Journalism Award on humanitarian reporting handed out on Saturday during a seminar on conflict reporting.

Inquirer correspondent Frinston Lim, who covers Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental and the Compostela Valley, won the first prize with his story, “Women grieve over land mine deaths,” published on Feb. 27.

The Geneva-based ICRC said Lim provided a “human-touch story,” which focused on the death of three civilians from a land mine explosion as they were onboard a military truck in Compostela Valley. It said the story gave a “deeper look into the humanitarian consequences of armed conflict.”

“New leg, new life,” by Stella Estremera, editor in chief of the SunStar Davao Daily, was adjudged second prize winner.

Fernando del Mundo, chief of the Inquirer investigative team, won the third prize on initiatives by international aid agencies to ease the plight of families displaced by the conflict in Mindanao.

Two other Inquirer stories made it to the top five of the ICRC ranking of 11 finalists in the print category of the awards given to journalists working for online, print, and radio and broadcast media.

In the short list of finalists were “19,000 still depend on food aid,” a story on Maguindanao evacuees by Inquirer Mindanao’s Nash B. Maulana, and “Abra women use livelihood to stop violence,” by Desiree Caluza of Inquirer Northern Luzon.

Also among the finalists were Ryan Rosauro, Inquirer correspondent for Ozamiz City; Francis William Wakefield, Manila Bulletin; Iris Cecilia Gonzales, Philippine Star; Pastor Antonio Manaytay, Zamboanga-Sibugay Tribune; Jaime Sta. Cruz, Mindanao Cross, and Claro Esoen, freelance journalist and columnist of the weekly Mountain Times in The Mountain Province.

ICRC officials cited efforts of groups of bloggers to promote social media networking on key national and international issues and concerns.

The ICRC said the judges included representatives of partner-organizations: International News Safety Institute, Peace and Conflict Journalism Network, Philippine Association of Communication Educators and Rotary Club of Manila.

Speakers at the seminar at the Richmonde Hotel in Pasig City included Prof. Miriam Coronel Ferrer, on Philippine media coverage of conflict situations; Antonio Cruz, president of Bloggers Association, on the role of new media in contemporary conflicts; and Agence France-Presse correspondent Jason Gutierrez, on covering war and other situations of violence.

Former Sen. Richard Gordon, chair of the Philippine National Red Cross, who assisted in handing out the awards, welcomed ICRC’s efforts to enhance reporting on humanitarian issues

...the PACMan

Pacquiao beats Mosley to retain WBO crown

By Francis Ochoa
Philippine Daily Inquirer
05/08/2011

MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao hammered out a lopsided unanimous decision victory over American Shane Mosley, using his speed and power to the hilt to retain his WBO welterweight crown Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Two judges gave all the rounds to the Filipino pound-for-pound icon while one handed Mosley a round. The scores came out 119-108, 120-108 and 120-107.

"He felt my power so he didn't want to fight toe to toe," said Pacquiao, who had Mosley on his heels the entire 12 rounds. "I was surprised he just ran and ran.

"He was always running every time I wanted to throw a lot of punches."

Pacquiao knocked Shane Mosley down in the third round with a one-two capped with a left straight that floored the challenger at the 1:17 mark. Mosley spent the rest of the bout in circles, staying away from the crisp combinations the Filipino kept uncorking.

Mosley floored Pacquiao in the 10th with a push, but referee Kenny Bayless inexplicably ruled it a knockdown. None of the judges seemed to have bought it judging from the scores. Television replays showed that Pacquiao was throwing a punch off balance, slipped and went down with a little help from Mosley's right hand. Bayless apologized to Pacquiao after the fight for the mistake.

Pacquiao didn't get the knockout he wanted, but the Filipino congressman kept his spot as boxing's top pound-for-pound fighter.

The southpaw from Sarangani, who suffered from leg cramps in the middle rounds, dominated from the opening bell as Mosley spent the majority of the fight in full retreat, bringing back memories for Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roach of a similar one-sided fight with Joshua Clottey last year.

Mosley had claimed he would expose Pacquiao's weaknesses but there was no turning back the clock for the 39-year-old four-time world champion, who looked every bit his age.

"He (Mosley) didn't try to win," Roach said. "He just tried to survive and when you get to that point in boxing it is time to call it a day."

Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) was the aggressor, pushing forward and trying without success to go for the knockout, especially in the third and 11th and 12th rounds.

After the fight, the multi-talented Pacquiao was scheduled to head across the Las Vegas strip to the Mandalay Bay hotel for a singing engagement with his band at a "Beach Party" in his honor.

In keeping with the party theme, he appeared at the post-fight news conference with American socialite Paris Hilton joining him and his wife, Jinky, at the podium.

Pacquiao threw 552 punches compared to just 260 for Mosley. The biggest problem for Pacquiao wasn't his opponent but rather cramping in his left leg which began in the fourth round.

"I told my coach to press my legs because I can't move," Pacquiao said. "My legs tightened up during the fight. I couldn't move. It is the same thing that happened to me against (Juan Manuel) Marquez. Now it has come back."

Mosley said he didn't hear the chorus of boos and denied that he is showing his age. Even though he comes from nearby Pomona, California, Mosley's fans were heavily outnumbered at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

"You can't blame age," Mosley said. "Manny is an exceptional fighter. He truly is the pound-for-pound king. He has speed and power that I have never felt before.

"He surprised me with that power with the knockdown. That's the most legitimate knockdown on me in a long time."

Indeed it is the first time Mosley has been knocked down in nine years, since losing to Vernon Forrest in 12 rounds.

Pacquiao earned close to $15 million while Mosley collected about $5 million.

Up next for Pacquiao is a third match with Juan Manuel Marquez in November.

Pacquiao was defending the title he won from Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto in 2009, where he stopped his rival in the 12th to become the first fighter to win titles in seven different weight classes. A victory over Antonio Margarito gave Pacquiao an unprecedented eight division crown.

Pacquiao extended his win streak to 14 bouts and improved his career record to 53-3 with two drawn.
Pacquiao was supposed to fight Floyd Mayweather last year but that fell through in a dispute over drug testing. Pacquiao said Saturday that his legacy is solid with or without a Mayweather fight on his resume.

"I don't care about that fight," Pacquiao said. "I am satisfied with everything that I have done in boxing."
With reports from Agence France-Presse, Associated Press