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Mark Angelo Mañez Manila - Jordan survived a nailbiter in front of a boisterous Philippine Arena crowd as they exacted revenge on Gilas Pilipinas, 91-90, at the final gameday of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Monday. The win also completed their own revenge plot after losing 66-74 in Amman last August. Photo Courtesy of Philippine Star Dar Tucker muscled through their hosts' small ball tactics as he rammed his way to a 22 point-12 board double-double. Freddy Ibrahim and ageless Zaid Abbas backstopped Tucker with their combined 29 points before the latter sat out after fishing his fifth foul in the dying moments. Jordan tore a page from Gilas' record-tying performance last Friday as they detonated half of their first 24 shots from long range en route to a 60-41 cushion. But they went nearly frozen as they sank to 3-for-20 after Gilas started adjusting defensively. Naturalized Filipino Justin Brownlee tied Andray Blatche's international career high with ...

Justine Juyad Home sweet home. Newly-naturalized Filipino Justin Brownlee made his debut with Gilas Pilipinas as the team got a dominant revenge against Lebanon, 107-96, in the final window of FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers at their homecourt, Philippine arena, on Friday. Photo Courtesy of The Manila Times The resident Barangay Ginebra import impressed the Filipino crowd in his first stint in Gilas jersey, leading the team with 17 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and two steals. “I got so much joy playing in the Philippines and playing in front of these fans,” said Brownlee after his much anticipated debut. The 3-time PBA best import played a huge role in their bounced back win after the Clarkson-led Gilas suffered a hard-fought loss in the fourth window when they visited Lebanon. After a not-so-good three-point shooting throughout the qualifiers, Gilas men lit up the torch as they knocked down 17 from beyond the arc to overwhelm the visiting team and grab their 6th win in the qualifier...

Joemar Yubokmee Some 70,000 people were imprisoned, 34,000 were tortured, and over 3,200 people were killed in the dark years of martial law , but it only took one peaceful revolution to topple over 20 years of Marcos' dictatorship. Cartoon by Maurice Gimena The EDSA Revolution of 1986 was a momentous four-day display of solidarity among Filipinos, where millions flocked to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Metro Manila and cities all over the country. It was a monumental event that brought back democracy as Filipinos stood up against a regime, bearing rosaries and flowers against the firearms and battle tanks that the Marcos loyalist soldiers wielded. The revolution was a gift and inspiration to the world. Filipinos proved that change could happen without spilling blood. It proved that the will of the people will always reign supreme over dictators, that justice prevails and retribution comes no matter how much propaganda, censorship, and oppression a dictator imposes agains...

Kartun ni Alex Macatuno Nagulo ang plano ng lahat sa biglaang pagpalit ng non-working holiday ng Malacañang noong huwebes sa komemorasyon ng ika-37 anibersaryo ng EDSA Revolution. Ngunit, huwag nating kalimutan ang tunay na diwa ng Pebrero 22-25 sa demokrasya at kalayaan ng Pilipino laban sa abusadong rehimen.  Narinig ng daigdig ang tumataginting na dismaya ng mga Pilipino sa bingging pamahalaang hinihingian ng hustisya. Sa lakas ng hiyaw, naging inspirasyon sa ibang nasyon ang pakikibaka ng tinatayang isa hanggang tatlong milyong katao noong 1986. Subalit habang ginugunita ang anibersaryo ng makapangyarihang rebolusyon, hindi pa rin naririnig ang suliranin ng bayan. Patuloy na nabubuhay ang laban na ipinanalo ngunit hindi naisakatuparan ng People Power Revolution noong dekada ‘80. Napabagsak man ang 20-taon diktadurya ng dating pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Sr., hindi naman lumaganap ang mga karapatang tinayuan, sinigaw, at ipinaglaban sa Epifanio de los Santos Avenue. Iba na ang m...

Denzel Jed Gaddi The Philippine Women's Football Team fadeth in the west as it ended the Pinatar Cup in a thwarted fashion, losing to Iceland, 0-5, in San Pedro Del Pinatar, Spain, Wednesday (Philippine time). Photo Courtesy of Philippine Star Before the match, Filipinas faced a gloomy shade against Wales and Scotland, chipping in only one goal in their first tournament in Europe. The Philippines looked to shake off their last combat’s defeat as they got a fleeting glimpse of the goal in Tahnai Annis’s foul. However, Maya Alcantara’s header could not pitch in an early game advantage. Just after a commendable start from Filipinas, Iceland’s Amanda Andradottir launched a heave just from outside the box and bombed it again past Olivia McDaniel in the 51st minute to go up 2-0 heading into the payoff period. The Iceland representatives did not look behind from there. After kicking out a Selma Magnusdottir slot home in the 71st minute, Hlin Eiriksdottir scored a goal of her own off a flu...

Mark Angelo Mañez Manila - FIBA has added another superstar in promoting the 2023 Basketball World Cup as they gear up preparations for the biggest basketball spectacle during its Global Ambassador presentation event inside Smart Araneta Coliseum, Friday afternoon. Photo Courtesy by  Mark Angelo Mañez, Explained PH NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony has joined legends Pau Gasol and Luís Scola in promoting the event jointly hosted by the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia which will tip-off on August 25th this year. Anthony, a 10-time All-Star, NBA 75th Anniversary team member and 10th in the all-time scoring list, displayed his high-scoring prowess with his then-U.S. record 35 points in 2006 when they flipped Italy in the knockout stage. The Americans eventually lost to Greece en route to their bronze medal. “I’ve proudly represented the USA on the world’s largest stages, and the World Cup is the toughest competition in international basketball,” Carmelo said. “It’s all about striking a ...

Lhiera Nicole Trinidad and Xy Aldrae Murillo  “Starting November 2, five-day face-to-face classes will be implemented for public schools, while either five-day face-to-face classes, a blended learning modality, or full distance learning for private schools...” The sound came from your 24/7 turned-on television, which always served as background noise while working on your modules. You typically ignore what you hear, but this time, it was different. You put down your pen and came to a halt. The news was nothing like you expected. It prompted you to get up from your seat, which you rarely do unless you’re going to the bathroom. Wanting to get a better listen to the stereo, you nearly ran over to it in a mad dash. From there, you hear the lines that will dictate the following days of your life, and it’s official. The Vice President and Secretary of Education, Sara Duterte, gave the go-ahead by signing DepEd Order (DO) 44, Series of 2022, a modified edition of DO 34 issued in July 2022...

Justine Juyad The Philippine women's national football team made its first goal in Pinatar Cup 2023 but still fell short against Scotland, 1-2, at the Pinatar Arena, Saturday (PH time). Photo Courtesy of Tiebreaker Times Following their goalless outing against Wales on Thursday, the 53rd ranked team converted their first goal in the tournament only to bow down to 25th-ranked Scots, who just got their first win after losing their opener. The goal came too late for a comeback as Meryll Serrano successfully converted a free kick in the 90th minute mark of the game, giving the Philippines a consolation goal despite a 0-2 win-loss record. The Pinay booters really had a hard time looking for a goal during the match as they only had possession 21% of the game. Despite limited touches, they were still able to create three shots on target only behind one compared to Scotland's four. However, the Scottish goalkeeper was able to deny two of them while her allies managed to pass through Ol...

 By Justine Juyad The Philippine Women’s National Football team suffered a 0-1 loss against Wales in their first matchup in Pinatar Cup 2023, held at San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain on Thursday (PH time). Photo Courtesy of Tiebreaker Times The 53rd FIFA-ranked team dropped the first of their four games in the invitational cup, failing to pull off a shocker against the 32nd-ranked Welsh. "We don’t like losing and we’ve spoken about that before but I’m really pleased with what we did tonight," head coach  Alen Stajcic stated after their tight loss. The Olympics-bound booters defended well in the first half, denying any goal attempts from Welsh for almost the entire half. However, the goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel failed to protect his post after Kayleigh Green of Wales converted a penalty kick from an unsuccessful challenge of Dominic in the last minute of the opening half. After failing to draw first blood, the Pinay booters started the second half more aggressive with Katrina Guill...

By Juan Carlo Mercado No Valdez, no problem for the Cool Smashers. Despite the absence of ace spiker Alyssa Valdez, Creamline Cool Smashers quickly dismantled the Cignal HD Spikers in three straight sets, 25-16, 25-21, 25-15, in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Elimination Rounds at the FilOil EcoOil Centre, February 9. Photo Courtesy of Inquirer Sports The well-balanced Cool Smashers had an impressive showdown, showcasing their suffocating net and floor defense and bucking numerous combination plays, scoring 46 excellent digs, and outscoring Cignal’s 23 points with 48 in all three frames to conquer Cignal in a 78-minute duel. Creamline's Tots Carlo and Jema joined forces as they both confused the HD Spikers' defense with their jaw-dropping combination attacks as well as their powerful pipe attacks, combining for 26 points. After the tilt, Creamline’s head coach Sherwin Meneses shared his statement on the impressive performance of his team. “Overall, we really moved well today,”...

 By Welsh Kendrick Osorio In the 2023 PBA Governors' Cup at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, Barangay Ginebra recovered from a sluggish start to thrash Northport 115-100, staying unharmed and earning its third straight victory. Photo Courtesy of Inquirer Sports Naturalized Filipino Justin Brownlee flashed his all-around brilliance with his second triple-double of the conference, finishing with 22 markers, 15 boards, 12 dimes and three steals to lead his shorthanded crew that missed Christian Standhardinger and Japeth Aguilar to injuries. "We're looking to win the game early. We're obviously gonna wear down and wins are really important for us," said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone. "We still have LA (Tenorio) in very limited minutes, no Christian, no Japeth. Scottie's banged up but he finds a way to play through it." Without the Gin Kings’ twin towers, Jamie Malonzo muscled the grit of his squad with a career-high 28 points along with 10 rebounds, fo...

Angeline Ashlee Marquez Some people would correlate love to an emotion commonly given to someone’s partners, friends, or family. But Kai’s point of view says otherwise, for their camera is their best friend, partner, and a way to do something they love.  They say that pictures tell a story through imagery, in which when words are hard to find, photography is the way to express many things. Some of them hold memories dear to them and are kept forever– while some take pictures to reminisce. Photographer Imee Antonette “Kai” Ocampo (any pronouns) has undoubtedly made it clear for both perspectives, as they have created a page that showcases many photographs from specific events.  The word “Arkaives” was a witty wordplay of ‘archives’ and their preferred name. It is e-folio photography, in which they have incorporated the mentioned word relating to it along with a personal touch, hence the birth of “Arkaives.” They made Arkaives reach a wider audience and inspire them all the same...

Reyza Ferranco More than 30 years after the initial ruling, the Supreme Court has dismissed graft charges filed against former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile and other personalities for their alleged misuse of the P840 million coco levy fund during the Marcos Sr. dictatorship, citing that it violates their constitutional right to speedy disposition of cases.  Photo Courtesy by Harshil Gudka/Unsplash / Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB According to the Court’s 53-page decision published on February 8, the eight-year delay of preliminary investigation is not warranted, more so the overall decades-long ongoing case.  “With this case pending for over 30 years and possibly more without the assurance of its resolution, the Court recognizes that the tactical disadvantages carried by the passage of time should be weighed against petitioner Republic and in favor of the respondents,” they stated. The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) filed graft charges against Enrile, Jose Concepcion...

Junel F. Fiestada Cartoon by Joseph Idusora A lot of us have probably heard and once believed that hard work is the key to success. While it is a key, it is not the key as hard work alone cannot suffice one’s needs, especially in times when everything grows substantially in price.  Just after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. succeeded the palace, his stance on the country’s inflation made headlines. Marcos Jr. disagreed with the figure presented by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and said that “We're not that high,” as the inflation reading in June 2022 was 6.1% The president seemed to be confident that his administration can handle the growing inflation, but current PSA figures proved him wrong. In a recently reported figure, January 2023 inflation rate spiked to 8.7% , the highest figure since November 2008. It is empirical that as livelihood and daily living costs increase, so should the minimum wage - that is the ratio of living costs to salary costs. However...

  Cartoon by John Ezekiel Santos

Rob Andrew Dongiapon Olympic bronze medalist Eumir Marcial showcased stinging power as he made quick work of Ricardo Villalba, scoring a second-round TKO victory, Sunday morning, inside the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.  Photo Courtesy of The Ring Magazine Marcial, fighting only his fourth fight in the middleweight division, had his opponent figured out early, dropping Villalba with a left to the body late in the opening round before which the Argentine fighter was saved by the bell.  Lopsided right from the get-go, Marcial never relented as he floored Villalba two more times in the second round with clinical shots on the body that forced the referee to call it off in the 48-second mark.  The win put Marcial record at 4-0 with two knockouts, while Villalba, the Filipino’s most experienced opponent as of yet, exited the match with 20-8-1 record.  The eight-round battle was scheduled to take place on the undercard of Showtime Championship Boxing's Rey Vargas vs. O'S...

Kenneth Joshua Dalde “Tonight was the definition of a team win,” quoted Jayson Tatum. It was not a lucky night for Boston Celtics, as four of their star players were out of the game, but they still managed to grab a win against the Philadelphia 76ers, 106-99, on Thursday (PH time) held at the TD Garden. Photo Courtesy of NBC Sports Celtics proved that the three-point line was their territory, carving out 19-for-35 triples compared to 10-of-30 of Philadelphia, which helped them to earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference.  Blake Griffin shone the brightest beyond the arc after firing five three-pointers, and tallying two rebounds and an assist.  Tatum, on the other hand, also carried the fight for the shorthanded Celtics as he produced 12 markers, eight rebounds, and five assists.  Tatum had a collision with his teammate Jaylon Brown during the last two minutes of the first half as both of them went for an offensive rebound, which led Brown to suffer a facial contusion ...