14th STI Basketball Showdown: Global City, Fairview and Muñoz wins

Jeanssen Pangilinan goes strong to the hoop

STI College Global City finally found the right mix as it ended a gallant stand by last year’s runner up, STI College Malolos to win a tighly fought match 86 -79.  STI College Malolos played catch up the whole game and finally led with three minutes left but unfortunately faltered in the endgame to give the Taguig based Global City cagers the win.  In the other matches, STI College Muñoz showed more experience in subduing the returning STI College Cubao team 76 – 60.  The Cubao dribblers are back after a three year hiatus from the league. The second game saw another returnee, STI College Fairview beat newcomer STI College San Pablo 73 – 48.

Carlo Jimenez leaves everyone behind

The Global City and Malolos match up lived up to the billing as Team Global City finally got back at Team Malolos that beat them 2 years back to claim third place. This time, the Global City squad had six players score in double figures as their centers Arjay Napenas and Jeanssen Pangilinan controlled the middle by scoring 16 and 11 points respectively.  On the other hand, helping out veteran shooting guard Jim Lontoc who scored 14 points are the newbies namely King Carlos who added 12 markers, Mike Sampurna who had 11 points and Junard Gubat who also scored 11 points.

Arjay Napeñas floats in mid-air

The Global City team started like a house on fire as they led by as much as 16 points enroute to a 25 – 13 first quarter. The Malolos team’s offense eventually caught fire as Abram Pineda ignited a 2^nd quarter comeback that had their team catch up but at the end of the half they were 10 points away from their opponents.

Sherwin Sayo scores 

The third quarter saw a fiery STI College Malolos squad as their ace point guard Carlo Jimenez combined with Pineda to score 12 straight points on four three pointers with each of them sinking two apiece.  Jimenez was relentless on defense and unstoppable on offense as he willed his team back to life by scoring 16 third quarter points.  After three quarters the game was tied again at 65 – all as the Global City team lost focus and allowed the Bulacan based dribblers to come back.

Jim Lontoc delivers the winning basket

The fourth quarter was a seesaw battle for both teams as neither of the two teams willing to yield. With time running out for the Global City team, Jim Lontoc sank a clutch three pointer to give Global City back the lead 79 – 78. Forward John Marcelo would sink a free throw while Mike Sampurna sank a basket to give the Global City squad an 81 – 79 lead.  Unfortunately Marcelo missed a potential game tying lay-up and the Global city team capitalized on this by scoring 5 consecutive free throws, Two from Napeñas and three from Lontoc to give STI College Global City a rousing nerve wracking debut.

Mark Baloaloa scores on this basket

STI College Munoz on the other hand showed their experience as Mark Baloaloa, Cedrick Manansala, Christian Sol, John Lopez, and Kristopher de Leon took turns in scorching the net with Baloaloa topscoring with 18 points.  STI College Cubao tried to comeback but was denied by the Muñoz defense time and time again. Shooting guard Vince Bantasan led the STI College Cubao team but needed more support since Khayan Dacles was the only other player to score in double figures.

Renz Galvez scores on this strong move

STI College Fairview on the other hand showed its strength and size as it relied on the big game of big man Renz Galvez who scored 17 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and blocked four shots. Galvez was a beast in the middle as he scored 11 first quarter points to jumpstart the campaign of the Regalado based dribblers. Aldrin Eli wowed the crowd with his terrific basketball skills and he ably supported Galvez by scoring 12 second half points to help his team get the win. Denmark Ramos and Renzon Ticzon each scored 12 points to help lead the STI College San Pablo squad.

Follow up play by Inojales

THE SCORES

GAME 1

STI COLLEGE MUÑOZ (76)

Baloaloa 18, Manansala 12, Sol 11, Lopez 10, de Leon 10, Cuadra 8, Santillan 7, Cacay  0,

STI COLLEGE CUBAO (60)

Bantasan 17, Dacles 10, Tovillo 9, Belmonte 7, Silvania 7, Cruz 6, Teologo 4, Alas 0, Ricarte 0

Quarter scores: 16 – 9, 38 – 26, 54 – 40, 76 - 60

GAME 2

STI COLLEGE FAIRVIEW (73)

Galvez 17, Eli 16, Sanggacala 8, Arangel 6, Esteban 6, Inojales 5, Cañedo 3, Colcol 2, Sales 2, Labanon 2, Avenie 2, Gustilo 2, Ontal 2, Gonzales 0, Brillantes 0

STI COLLEGE SAN PABLO (48)

Ramos 12, Ticzon 12, Faylon 8, Mendoza 8, Tiongson 4, Lambit 4, delos Santos 0, Esteban 0, Tolentino 0, Tanqueco 0, Sayo 0

Quarter scores: 22 – 12, 32 – 26, 50 – 39, 73 - 48

GAME 3

STI COLLEGE GLOBAL CITY (86)

Napeñas 16, Lontoc 14, Carlos 12, Pangilinan 11,  Sampurna 11, Gubat 11, Abuy 5, Bernal 2, Bungar 2, Delabajan 2, Norte 0, Sultan 0,

STI COLLEGE MALOLOS (79)

Jimenez 29, Pineda 17, Sayo 12, Marcelo 7, Victoria 5, Panopio 4, Gatchalian 4, Cruz 1, Bonifacio 0, Capule 0, Ecleo 0,

Quarter scores:  25 – 13, 43 – 33, 65 – 65, 86 – 79

The STI Basketball Showdown opens 14th Season

Yours truly with the ceremonial toss

The first day of the 14^th STI Basketball showdown saw the powerhouse teams demolish the new teams as four time defending champion STI College Santa Rosa showed balanced scoring by beating STI Pasay 100 -33.  In the final game, last year’s 1^st Runner-up STI College Malolos blasted a stubborn STI College Tanay team 104 -55 to keep pace with the Santa Rosa based defending champs. The opener of the league also saw a vastly improved STI College Caloocan team beat the returning STI College Ortigas-Cainta team 76 - 66.   There are Four (4) new teams playing for this year’s STI Basketball Showdown while there are three (3) returnees and five veteran teams.

One of many Santa Rosa fastbreak points

The four time defending champs used their vaunted full court press once again to set the tone for the new season.  The Santa Rosa defense was so stingy that it limited the newcomers to just three points in the second quarter while erupting for 54 points themselves on account of the balanced scoring because of so many steals that led to uncontested fastbreaks. 

Veteran Point Guard Reb Maunahan

scores on the fastbreak

Rookies June Aliparo and John Geli led the charge for the Santa Rosa cagers as the duo scored 13 and 10 points respectively while a third rookie Norbert Peña chipped in 9 points.  Veterans Reb Maunahan coasted along by scoring 8 points and the vastly improved Addis Lizen added 8 points but was a tower of power by pulling down 15 rebounds.  The Santa Rosa defense also produced 30 steals with Raul Guerrero leading the charge with 5 steals. 

The STI College Santa Rosa defense

Groping for form were the newcomers from Pasay as they bled all the way in scoring 33 points as the pesky defense of the Santa Rosa team made them turn the ball over a lot which resulted to fast break points for the Laguna cagers.  Jayron Silapan led the Pasay cagers with 10 points while Jovimar Alejandro added 8 points. The STI Pasay team was in shock and had a hard time breaking the full court and half court pressure defense of the defending champs.

Rugged action

The vastly improved STI College Caloocan team opened their season on a winning note by besting returnee STI College Ortigas- Cainta 76 - 66.  Kevin Bautista played an all-around game by scoring 19 points and also hauled 10 rebounds to help the Caloocan team break away from a tight first half battle with the Cainta-based ORCA Team.  Ably helping him out was Mark Abin and Ariel Bautista who added 14 and 12 points respectively.

De Vera scores on this lay up

Returning to the STI basketball showdown after a long hiatus in the STI basketball scene, STI College Ortigas-Cainta relied on the inside presence of Allen Abes and Robin Merque.  Merque was a force in the paint but was unfortunately ganged up by the Caloocan defense which resulted in turnovers.  After scoring just three second quarter points, Team ORCA finally heated up in the fourth quarter as they cut a once 17 points lead to six points but the STI College Caloocan team eventually stemmed the tide by scoring in the final minutes for the win.

John Victoria on the pull up jumper

In the last game, Last year’s runner-up, STI College Malolos took advantage of STI College Tanay’s poor transition defense to score almost at will and build on a small lead to a big rout at the end of four quarters.  The amazing duo of Abram Pineda and Carlo Jimenez ran rings around the Rizal based Tanay squad as Pineda scored on three fastbreak attempts with a three pointer while Jimenez sank two three pointers from the top of the key to give the Malolos squad a 15 -2 lead in the first three minutes of the game.  The Bulacan based dribblers never looked back as they went on to win with a lot to spare.

Marjon Ludovico scores

STI College Tanay on the other hand relied on Mark Anago and Marjon Ludovico as the two tried to bring back the Tanay cagers back to the game but their efforts were not enough against the balanced scoring attack of the Malolos cagers. Anago and Ludovico scored 15 and 14 points respectively and no other team mate scored in double figures.  In contrast, the Malolos squad had 5 players score in double figures with John Marcelo leading the scoring parade with 18 markers, Ralph Bonifacio following suit with 14 points, Jimenez and Pineda finishing with 12 points apiece and Robie Angeles chipping in 10 points. Two other Malolos cagers barely scored double figures as veteran center John Victoria and rookie Sherwin Sayo added 9 points apiece to the cause of STI College Malolos.

Loose ball action

This year’s STI Basketball showdown attracted 12 teams and are divided into two groups with six teams each group.  The top two teams qualify for the semifinals with the top team getting a twice to beat advantage in the final four. The winners of the final four will figure in a best of three finals.  This year, six provincial teams are in the fold while another six metro manila teams answered the call.  Five teams from last year are still with the league with three returnees and four new teams. The tournament will run for five weeks.  So the question is, will STI College Santa Rosa win their fifth straight title or will there be another champion. Find out as the STI Basketball showdown goes on full gear this year.

Carlo Jimenez scores

BOX SCORES:

GAME 1

STI COLLEGE CALOOCAN (76)

Bautista K. 19, Abin 14, Bautista A. 12, Alonzo 7, Roldan 7, Flores 4, Palle 3, Carcellar 2, Laplana 2, Inocencio 2, Lazaro 2, Nadarisay 2, Richmon 0,

STI COLLEGE ORTIGAS-CAINTA (66)

Abes 19, Merque 12, Deniega 9, Moran 8, De Vera Re. 7, De Vera Ru. 6, Francisco 4, Picones 1, Siongco 0, Mateo 0,  Pedida 0, Paredes 0

Quarterscores:

26 – 24,  38 – 27, 53 – 35,  76 - 66

GAME 2

STI COLLEGE SANTA ROSA (100)

Aliparo 13, Geli 10, Peña 9, Maunahan 8, Lizen 8, Salazar 8, Ursua 8, Almoro 8,Guerrero 6, Mamaed 6, Vincent 6, Caraan 4, Batiquin 2, Sabino 2, Fudotan 2,

STI PASAY (33)

Silapyan 10, Alejandro 8, Amante 4, Santos 4, Macario 3, Lozada 2, Ordonez 2, Dela Cruz 0, Langcauon 0, Fastido 0, Giles 0, Ordoñez 0,

Quarter scores:

31 – 12, 54 – 15, 78 – 24, 100 - 33

GAME 3

STI COLLEGE MALOLOS (104)

Marcelo 18, Bonifacio 14, Jimenez 12, Pineda 12, Angeles 10, Victoria 9, Sayo 9, Panopio 7, Gatchalian 6, Capule 0, Ecleo 0, Hernandez 0

STI COLLEGE TANAY (55)

Anago 15, Ludovico 14, Piguing 7, Lontok 6, Inguito 5, Tesoro 4, Vista 2, Roderos 1, Roces 0, Lacerna 0, Vidanes 0,

QUarterscores:  31 – 11, 58 – 25, 70 – 43,  104 - 55

Ms. Teen Philippines outreach program

The beauties with Efren and K2 kids

Ms. Teen Philippines is not just another beauty pageant that was put up to raise funds. From the conceptualization to the implementation, the organizers see to it that their contestants, Filipina Female Teens aged 13 -18, will learn abundantly on the experiences that the pageant will offer to prepare all of them to become future role models.  Ms. Teen Philippines theme for this year is Global readiness through education. That is why in moving on with the pageant the organizers saw to it that they partner with entities that will help the candidates become ready for the educational challenges ahead.  Ms. Teen Philippines partnered with the Department of Education and the National Youth Commission to be able to consistently provide their contestants with valuable inputs from these institutions.

Yours truly with the contestants and Efren

One of the projects done by the Ms. Teen Philippines Contestants is the visit to CNN Hero of the Year 2009 Efren Peñaflorida’s Balik Eskwela event in Cavite City. Balik Eskwela is an annual event of Efren’s Dynamic Teen Company that gives out school supplies to children who are actively involved in the Kariton Klasrum (K4), Learner’s Educational Aid Program (LEAP) and Drop-out and Out-of School Edification Program (DOSE) and other volunteers as well.  The attendees are given school materials that they will be using for the upcoming school year.  The supplies were sponsored by Ms. Teen Philippines Inc.

The STI Mobile School Park outside the venue

Ms. Teen Philippines contestants themselves helped out in distributing the various goodie bags and school items to the kids and teens. ON the other hand, to give additional value to the event, Ms. Teen Philippines also partnered with STI College to bring its STI Mobile School to give the participants added computer knowledge while the event is ongoing.

Inside the mobile school

You can see by the smile of the faces of the kids that the event was an overwhelming success since they not only learned, got goodie bags but also gained adopted sisters as the Ms. Teen Philippines contestants offered not only their beautiful smiles but stories of encouragement to the kids. This event is something worth doing over and over again to give underprivileged kids the thought that in education, they have partners who will guide them and help them succeed. 

Yours truly with STI Mobile School crew,

 Efren Peñaflorida and Ms. Teen organizers

King Chef Seafood Restaurant in Lucky Chinatown Mall

I am not much a fan of Chinese Food. But since I tag along with a lot of my friends who have the knack for Chinese food, I suddenly developed a sense of enjoying dimsums and six to ten course meals depending on what is on the menu. At the same time, i eventually got to enjoy eating steamed food which is something that Chinese cooks have shared with us Filipinos. In celebrating Mother's Day, I told my mom that we will celebrate a week after so that there won't be much people. This morning we started our day at the Binondo Church and had lunch at the nearby mall Lucky Chinatown Mall to check out this superb Chinese Seafood Restaurant - King Chef.

Located at the second floor of the Lucky Chinatown mall in Binondo, Manila, King Chef Seafood Restaurant is actually one of the branches of the resto that is in Banawe Quezon City.  What I particularly like about ordering Chinese food is that they usually have small, medium and large servings depending on your budget and how many you want to eat. Your budget can range from P 500-P 800 per head depending on the mix of food you will order per serving. Let me just put here what we ordered and share the King Chef experience.

Even when I was already at home I was still dreaming of their Fried Lapu - Lapu in Mango Sauce. I particularly liked the Mango Sauce which was similar to the taste of Thai mango sauces. I would recommend that if ever you eat here that you include this and it will definitely make you want to have more.

That's me, Rising with up with the Rice.  As you can see, the restaurant can accommodate big groups with seats ranging from two to 10 seats in a table. I liked the way that the restaurant isn't cramped which is something i hate about other restaurants.

Going back to the food, this is an all time favorite that defines Chinese food, the Seaweed with Century egg. This is my favorite appetizer as opposed to the usual cold cuts.  I liked the seaweeds which was quite spicy and thick.

For the main course, I have always liked the steam white chicken complete with the ginger sauce. This order did not disappoint and was its freshness which was very evident. 

Another  favorite of mine is their Salt and Pepper Spare Ribs. As seen here in this picture, you can already imagine how this good dish tastes. The pork is so crunchy and sumptuous I almost forgot to take a picture before eating it .

This is one dish that will definitely make you eat more rice. The crispiness of the pork is one of a kind and the spices and herbs that were combined makes the dish all the more delicious.

This time, instead of getting the usual vegetables we got the Beef with brocolli with the greens as our veggies. The dish is so juicy that it didn't last long and were eventually at the bottom of our bellies in no time.  Other meals on the menu I forgot to order is their Sauteed Suahe with Green Tea leaves, the Peking duck and Shao Long Pao. 

The place is very clean as seen in this table shot. They also have big VIP rooms for birthdays or other celebrations. King Chef is definitely one of the best, if not the best, in serving authentic Cantonese Cuisine in the country. Lastly, service was quick and the waiters were very accommodating, courteous and pay attention to your needs which is for me an important mix of having good meals and good people. This is definitely one restaurant worth going back to.  Truly the food here is really fit for a king. 

King Chef Seafood restaurant as I mentioned is located at the 2nd Floor of Lucky Chinatown Mall. The Mall is at the corner of Reina Regente and La Chambre streets in Binondo Manila.  Their contact numbers are 720-8594, 720-9062, 466-5765.  To know more about King Chef check out their website http://www.kingchef.com.ph and their facebook site. 

Much thanks to my good friend Spanky Enriquez for allowing us to enjoy the best Chinese/Cantonese cuisine I have ever tasted. Hats off to you Spanky.

Ms. Bikini Phils 2014 Winners

The 29 Lovely Contestants 

in their Bikinis

The Contestants donning their National Costumes

The Scintillating Hot Beauties in their barely there bikinis

#25 Diana Mackey was a 

delight for the sponsors

Hazel Ortiz was winner of 

best in Creative Posing

Winners of Special Awards

An inspiring intermission number

from James Wright

Tom Rodriguez serenades 

the contestants

The Contestants in their

 formal wear

Last year's 2nd runner - up 

Ms. Rose Turner

Hazel Ortiz shows em how

A glimpse of the creative posing competition

Sheryn Regis sings "Let it Go!"

The winners

Hazel Ortiz - Ms. Bikini Philippines

Jessica Arqueza - 1st Runner-up
Roshiel Asingua - 2nd Runner-up

A historic family outing

Last Saturday,  our family went to Los Baños Laguna for our annual outing. Our objective was to bond and enjoy swimming. Little did we know that we were in for a history lesson on the place where we went.  I am quite lucky that I am blessed with super generous friends since the venue of our outing was in the ancestral house of the family of my good friend Maurice Hilario.

This is actually the second straight year that we are having our outing at the house of his grandfather, the house of Gen. Paciano P. Rizal – the older brother of our national Hero Jose P. Rizal.  As you enter their house you can see the nice structure of the statue of Gen. Paciano Rizal and at the right part (not seen in this pic) is a tomb that has the bones of Paciano and his three sisters.

Gen. Paciano P. Rizal was born in Calamba Laguna on March 9, 1851. Born to a wealthy family, the RIZAL name actually came from “Rice Lands” as the Rizals obviously were rice land owners.  Paciano was a Brigadier General of the Revolutionary Forces and was the Secretary of Finance in the Departmental Government of Central Luzon in the Philippines.(1897 - 1900 ) 

After the Filipino – American war in the early 1900’s the Rizals were         driven out of their home in Calamba and Paciano eventually settled in Los Baños so that it will just be near Calamba.  The house that Paciano built is a monument to his greatness which has been constantly renovated by his family even generations after.  

The antique table here in this terrace is where Dr. Jose Rizal would eat whenever he would visit his mother at the house of his sister Narcisa at Calle Estraude in Binondo Manila. The table was made in the old traditional way using wooden pegs instead of nails. No restoration has been made since its appearance in 1891.  Due to age, its color may have changed  but its structure is sturdy enough to be used by their family now.

As Maurice narrated, beneath the house is a small pool with hot spring water from Mt. Makiling in Laguna. This is where Gen. Paciano Rizal reinvigorates himself.  Mt. Makiling is a dormant volcano. Although historically it has never erupted it has supplied numerous resorts and private pools with hot springs in the Calamba and Los Baños area. Maurice describes the water as "Sulfuric Volcanic Water" which eventually cleanses your body, opens your pores and gives you a good night sleep after experiencing it.

The small pool was eventually transformed into a nice jacuzzi and another pool was made.  Their family was also one of the major sponsors of the Ms. Universe pageant when it was held in Manila in 1974 and back then they sponsored souvenir ashtrays that were crafted from tiles. Since there were so many tiles manufactured, they eventually used the excess tiles as flooring of the pool built just at the side of the house.

Once again our thanks to Maurice for this wonderful opportunity to bond with my family and at the same time witness history through the Gen. Paciano Shrine. We look forward to going back in the future to once again bond and listen to more stories about our country’s history.

Here i am looking at the Facsimile copy (original printer's proof) of the Jose Rizal's Books - Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. It gives me goosebumps looking at the copies of a remarkable piece of our history.