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OKB Regional Trade Fair Bicol Investment Conference

rovielran — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:51 CDT

THE HERITAGE OF ORGULLO KAN BIKOL CONTINUES.

THROUGH THE YEARS,

THIS MARKETING AND CULTURAL SHOW

HAS GIVEN IMPETUS TO OUR MSMES

TO CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE

AND BECOME MORE COMPETITIVE

DESPITE DIFFICULT TIMES.

WE WEAVE OPPORTUNITIES

FOR OUR ENTREPRENEURS AS WE MOUNT

THIS REGIONAL TRADE FAIR

IN PURSUIT OF FRESH MARKETS FOR THEM.

WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO PROVIDE OUR CLIENTS

BETTER AVENUES TO PROMOTE THEIR PRODUCTS.

OK BIKOL IS AN ANNUAL MARKETING EVENT AT SM MEGAMALL, MANDALUYONG CITY, PHILIPPINES, WHERE OUR HOMEGROWN ENTREPRENEURS ARE AFFORDED VALUABLE MARKET EXPOSURE.

IT IS THE LONGEST RUNNING REGIONAL TRADE FAIR IN THE COUNTRY.

THIS 2010, THE BICOL INVESTMENT CONFERENCE TANDEMS WITH THE 14th ORGULLO KAN BIKOL REGIONAL TRADE FAIR.

OKB 2010 Events

Regional Trade Fair (OKB-RTF)

October 7-10, 2010

Megatrade…

Planning to work in Malaysia? Beware of Internet recruitment scam

rovielran — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:51 CDT

Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday warned Filipinos planning to work in Malaysia about a recruitment scam being perpetrated through the Internet.

Baldoz aired the warning after receiving a report from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Kuala Lumpur saying there are mails proliferating in the Internet on an alleged notice from the Immigration Department of Malaysia about its visa processing requirements.

“Such notices are a hoax and prospective workers for Malaysia should be very wary about answering these hoax emails,” Baldoz warned.

She explained that the alleged notice from the immigration authority is sent as an e-mail to a prospective applicant informing him of a pending appointment letter from a certain company, Mobil Oil Company, which allegedly requests for the processing of the applicant’s documents.

In a sample email received by a prospective applicant, labor attaché to Kuala Lumpur Hassan…

DOLE bats for green productivity technologies

rovielran — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:51 CDT

Recognizing the importance of addressing the impact of climate change in the place of work and in the lives of workers, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) today pushed for the implementation of green productivity technologies in local establishments.

Labor and Employment Sectretary Rosalinda D. Baldoz said the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC), an attached agency of DOLE, has developed a package of green productivity technologies which are designed to achieve higher levels of workers’ productivity and better environmental performance.

These techniques range from simple housekeeping to designing green products, from process modification to waste management and energy efficiency measures.

Baldoz said green productivity is an advocacy platform of DOLE on green workplaces which calls for the creation of green jobs in response to the growing concern on the need to address the impact of climate change.

She…

Pacquiao dedicates Margarito bout to John Arum

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:50 CDT

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao said he will not only dedicate his upcoming bout with Antonio Margarito to his fellow Filipinos but will also fight in memory of John Arum, the son of veteran boxing promoter Bob Arum.

“John was an (environmental) lawyer who fought for the people, the same way I fight for the people of the Philippines,” Pacquiao said in a statement posted on BoxingScene.com.

The 49-year-old John was found dead at the 7,700-foot level of the 8,500-foot-high Storm King Mountain in the North Cascades National Park in Washington State on Friday (Saturday in Manila).

“Bob Arum is my promoter and my friend. I want to do this for the entire Arum family,” Pacquiao added.

The boxer-turned-congressman even wanted his Canadian adviser, Mike Koncz, to inform the Arum family about his plan to dedicate his fight to the John.

“Manny asked me to go to Las Vegas and tell Bob personally, which I did,” shared Koncz.

The Filipino boxing icon will square off with Mexico’s Margarito on November 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) super welterweight belt.

“I will do my best against Margarito. He is bigger and stronger,” the 7-division world champion and reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight king vowed.

Pacquiao will begin preparing for his November 13 fight in the Philippines and will complete his training the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. – With a report from BoxingScene.com

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Bulldogs finish season with win over Tigers

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:49 CDT

source: abs-cbnnews.com

The National University (NU) Bulldogs finished their campaign with a 62-54 win over the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) Tigers on Thursday in the UAAP Season 73 seniors basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Bulldogs outpaced the Tigers throughout the game, drawing inspiration from their 62-59 upset of the Adamson Falcons over the weekend.

Cameroonian Emmanuel Mbe led NU with 18 points on 7-of-9 field goal shooting. He also hauled down 9 rebounds aside from dishing 1 block and 1 assist.

NU’s Jul-ashri Ignacio also made his presence felt with a 5-of-7 field goal shooting for a total of 15 points.

Although it failed to make it to the Final Four, NU had a good run in the 73rd season, improving from a horrendous 3-11 finish last year.

The Bulldogs closed their season with 7 wins against 7 losses.

UST went down with a 4-10 card, two games down from their 6-8 finish last year.

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Margarito's hand-wrap tackled in HBO's '24/7' series

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:49 CDT

source: abs-cbnnews.com

HBO Sports will bring back its award winning “24/7” series in October to feature the preparations leading to the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito fight on November 13.

According to HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg, the series will document the paths taken by the two boxers as they open their respective training camps.

Pacquiao is currently at the prime of his boxing career, having won 7 world titles in 7 weight classes. Adding to his successes in the ring is his current stature as a legislator representing the southern Philippine province of Sarangani.

Three-time world champion Margarito, on the other hand, is working on redeeming himself after being caught in a hand-wrap controversy before his fight against Shane Mosley in January 2009.

Greenburg said the hand-wrap controversy will be taken up in the documentary, as well as the events leading to Margarito’s reinstatement.

“Whether Margarito is guilty or innocent is up to others to decide,” Greenburg told Yahoo! Sports.

“Whatever it is, we have to do our job as journalists and tell the truth and the story as we know it. That’s what we will do. We couldn’t possibly ignore it, because this is a major part of this fight. So if we’re really going to go 24-7 on a fight, we have to tell the whole story, good and bad, and not just ignore parts we may be uncomfortable with,” he added.

The 4-part series will start on October 23, roughly 3 weeks before the November 13 fight.

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Cebu Niños nips MisOr to even TOP title series

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:49 CDT

source: gmanews.tv

Cebu came through with a solid defensive effort to eke out a vengeful 78-75 win over Misamis Oriental in Game 2 of their best-of-five title showdown in the Tournament of the Philippines on Wednesday night at the Cebu Coliseum in Cebu City.

The Niños, correcting their mistakes in a 90-87 Game 1 loss, came through with a solid defensive effort in the payoff period to avoid a 0-2 hole with the series shifting to the homecourt of the Meteors.

MisOr will have two chances of clinching the first-ever championship in the tournament jointly organized by the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) and Liga Pilipinas with Games 3 and 4 scheduled in Cagayan de Oro City.

Game 5, if necessary, will be held in Cebu on September 13.

Mark Magsumbol typified Cebu's tough defensive stand when he tapped the ball away from the hands of a driving Reed Juntilla.

Niños new recruit Froilan Baguion got the ball and was immediately fouled by Khiel Misa. The former National University Bulldog sank both free throws for a 69-63 tally.

The Meteors, however, refused to give up that easily and engaged the Niños in a fierce exchange of baskets. MisOr even had the chance to tie game after Stephen Padilla sank one of his two free throws, 77-75, with barely 22 ticks left.

But Cebu's defense proved too tough to penetrate forcing Misamis forward Neil Raneses to miss an open jumper after being forced out of his comfort zone.

In the next play, Bruce Dacia, one of Cebu's several ex-pros, split his free throws giving Misamis another chance to tie the game.

But once again, Cebu's defense prevented MisOr to put up a decent attempt with Patrick Cabahug missing an awkward three-point shot as time expired.

Nat Cruz led Cebu's balanced attack with 14 points while Magsumbol and Dacia added 12 and 11 markers each.

Cabahug was the lone Misamis player to score in double digits with 19 spiked by four triples.

Juntilla and Raneses, after exploding for 19 and 17 points apiece in the Meteors’ Game 1 win, was held to a combined 14 markers. – JVP, GMANews.TV

Scores:

Cebu 78 – Cruz 14, Magsumbol 12, Dacia 11, Basco 10, Padilla 8, Baguion 6, Saladaga 6, Santos 5, Mepaña 3, Ababon 4, Nailon 1.

Misamis Oriental 75 – Cabahug 19, Juntilla 9, Misa 9, Saldua 8, Daa 8, Lamocha 7, Rañeses 5, Andaya 4, Reguerra 3, Moreño 2, Capati 1, Taganas 1.

Quarter scores: 14-12, 39-30, 60-53, 78-75.

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Federer tops Soderling, reaches US Open semifinals

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:49 CDT

source: The Associated Press

NEW YORK — On this evening, certainly, Roger Federer was back to his old self. Back to beating Robin Soderling, and back to being a Grand Slam semifinalist — two things he used to do as a matter of course.

Treating the whipping wind and his familiar foe as only slight nuisances, 16-time Grand Slam champion Federer served his way to a convincing 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 victory over the fifth-seeded Soderling in the U.S. Open quarterfinals Wednesday night.

"I've been practicing my serve a whole lot, for my whole career. If I can't serve in the wind, I've got a problem, you know?" said Federer, who had an 18-2 edge in aces against the big-hitting Soderling. "You could probably wake me up at 2 in the morning, or 4 in the morning, and I could hit a few serves."

Federer mixed speed with pinpoint placement, keeping two-time French Open runner-up Soderling guessing on returns.

"I always expect Roger to play well and serve well," Soderling said. "He served really well. He was brushing the lines a lot with his first serve, which is not easy when the weather is like this. He did that really well; much better than me."

Federer is 13-1 against Soderling. The lone loss was in their previous match, in the French Open quarterfinals when Soderling Federer's streak of reaching the semifinals at a record 23 major tournaments.

Federer then lost in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, prompting some to question whether his best days were behind him. But now, a month after his 29th birthday, he is back in the semifinals at a Grand Slam tournament — one that he has won five times.

Federer has won 45 of his last 46 matches in Flushing Meadows, the one exception the 2009 final against Juan Martin del Potro.

The second-seeded Federer will meet third-seeded Novak Djokovic in Saturday's semifinals. It's the fourth consecutive year they'll play each other in New York; they met in the 2007 final, then the 2008-09 semifinals — and Federer went 3-0.

"You never know what's going to happen," 2008 Australian Open champion Djokovic said after beating 17th-seeded Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (2), 6-1, 6-2 earlier Wednesday. "I don't want to think about those losses in the last three years, which were really, really close."

All of the day's matches were filled with wind that gusted at up to 30 mph, sending all sorts of debris — brown napkins; plastic bags; players' towels — rolling on the court like tumbleweed, forcing points to be stopped and repeatedly making players catch their ball tosses.

"When it gets windy, I don't struggle much," Federer said. "I don't panic."

Other players did, earlier in the day, and about a half-dozen lets were called during top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki's 6-2, 7-5 victory over 45th-ranked Dominika Cibulkova in the last women's quarterfinal.

"This felt like playing in a hurricane or something," said Wozniacki, who is 19-1 since Wimbledon and has won her past 13 matches.

In Friday's semifinals, the 2009 U.S. Open runner-up will face 2010 Wimbledon runner-up Vera Zvonareva, a 6-3, 7-5 winner over 31st-seeded Kaia Kanepi.

A year ago in New York, during a fourth-round loss, Zvonareva wasted six match points and threw a tantrum. She bawled. She slammed her racket against her leg. She begged the chair umpire to get scissors so she could cut tape off her knees.

And Wednesday? No. 7 Zvonareva was calm and composed, letting Kanepi make mistake after mistake, 60 unforced errors in all. Zvonareva finished with only 28.

"Yeah, it was blowing in every way," Kanepi said.

Neither afternoon match featured much drama — nor doubt about who would win. In sum, they felt akin to opening acts before Wednesday's featured performers took the stage under the lights.

First came Wozniacki-Cibulkova, with Donald Trump in attendance, his hair getting mussed by the wind.

"He called my agent and asked if there was going to be a space in my box," said Wozniacki, who made only 18 unforced errors, 25 fewer than Cibulkova. "I said, 'Of course, there's always a place for Mr. Trump.'"

Trump stuck around for the main event: Federer vs. Soderling, a matchup made so much more intriguing by what happened the last time they squared off. That was on a dreary, rainy day in Paris, and the 6-foot-4 Soderling — he's 3 inches taller than Federer — used his strong forehand and serve to great effect, driving winners through the thick weather and pounding 14 aces.

On Wednesday, in contrast, Soderling didn't hit his first ace of the evening until the 143rd point of the match, nearly 1½ hours in, earning a smattering of sarcastic cheers from some fans in the sellout crowd of 23,718. By that time, Federer already had 15 aces, including three in a row in one game.

The wind affected shots, pushing behind a player's back at one end of the court, and blowing into his face at the other. How big a deal was it? Instead of opting to serve when he won the prematch coin toss, Federer selected which side of the court he wanted to start on, choosing to have the wind behind him for the first game.

"He can play really well in the wind," Soderling said. "He moves well. He's always in the right place."

Soderling chose to serve first, against the wind, and when they switched sides after that game, he earned three break points. But Federer saved each of them, the last with an ace at 120 mph, and held to 1-all. Soderling appeared to get rattled in that game on the first break point, when Federer challenged a call and got it overturned on replay review. Soderling wanted the point replayed, but the chair umpire awarded the point to Federer. Soderling argued, to no avail.

Soderling got a fourth break chance in the sixth game, but let that slide by pushing a forehand long. From there, Federer won the next 15 consecutive points on his serve, including 10 in a row in which Soderling didn't even manage to put the ball in play with a return.

At 3-all, 30-15, Soderling blinked first. He missed a backhand, then a forehand, giving Federer his first break opportunity. And Federer made good with a fantastic drop shot that simply died on the court, ending a 12-stroke point and making it 4-3.

After an early trade of service breaks in the second set, Soderling again had a lapse at 2-all. Ahead 40-love on his serve, he badly missed what should have been an easy overhead, putting it in the net. He lost the next five points to get broken — and was never again in that set.

Soderling appeared to get himself back into the match by breaking for a 5-3 lead in the third set when Federer sailed an inside-out forehand wide on a 13-stroke exchange. The intrigue there lasted for all of a minute or so, because Federer broke right back to 5-4, helped by three consecutive errant forehands by Soderling.

At 5-all, Federer used the wind in his favor, taking a strong forehand approach shot by Soderling and hitting a hard, slice backhand lob. The shot curled over Soderling and floated down near the baseline. Soderling got there, but his forehand went long.

That helped Federer get two more break points, and he converted the second when Soderling yanked a backhand wide.

All that was left for Federer to do was serve out the victory. He did. And he finished, appropriately, with a pair of aces.

"I was able to pull away," Federer said, "and close it out quickly." - AP

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Ex-pro cager Cardel wants to join PBA refs' pool

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:49 CDT

source: Rey Joble | gmanews.tv

Former Philippine Basketball Association guard Johnedel Cardel wants to continue a career in the Asia’s first professional league.

This time, the former high-flying guard from La Salle is seriously pursuing his plan of joining the pool of referees in the PBA.

This was disclosed by Ramil Cruz, supervisor of PBA referees, during the presentation of the new rules for the PBA's 36th season to mediamen Thursday at the PBA Office in Libis, Quezon City.

“Cardel is one of those who expressed interest in joining our referees’ pool," said Cruz, a former Philippine Basketball League standout playing under coach Joe Lipa’s Philip’s Sardines.

PBA operations manager Rickie Santos told GMANews.TV that a former PBA player like Cardel is one those being preferred to join the referees’ pool.

“He already has the feel of the game and he knows what it takes being a player. He will be a good addition if ever he did pursue his application," said Santos.

The PBA Office, through Mauro Bengua, confirmed that the 6-foot-1 guard, who was drafted sixth overall by Alaska in the 1993 Draft, sent his resume. The cager, who also had a stint in the Metropolitan Basketball League, is reportedly out of the country at this time.

Prior to his pro career, Cardel played for the Archers' squad that won back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990.

He also suited up for the Derick Pumaren-mentored national team that finished third in the Asian Basketball Confederation Under-18 tournament. The team also included several notable players from the amateur ranks at that time like Danny Francisco, Bong Ravena, Jun Limpot, EJ Feihl and Olsen Racela among others.

Should Cardel make it to the pool of refs in the PBA, he will become the fourth ex-pro player to make it to the roster of officials.

Former Crispa Redmanizers’ Tito Varela and Ernie de Leon and U-Tex’s Benjie Chua, all became Class A referees in the PBA.

All three cager-turned-referees have already retired.

One of the most notable players who saw action in the PBA and became a referee in the National Basketball Association is former Olympian Leon Wood.

Wood, a teammate of Michael Jordan in the 1984 Olympics, became an import of the Purefoods Hotdogs in the 1994 Third Conference, the same season when three of the teams’ marquee players – Alvin Patrimonio, Jerry Codiñera and then rookie Rey Evangelista -- were loaned to the national team handled by Norman Black in the Hiroshima Asian Games. - GMANews.TV

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Shane Mosley's List: "I Want Pacquiao, Cotto, Margarito"

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:49 CDT

source: Lem Satterfield | boxingscene.com

Former three division champion, Shane Mosley, is still looking to secure a few more career-defining fights at age 39.

Mosley (46-6, 39 KOs) returns on September 18 against former junior middleweight champion Sergio Mora (22-1-1, 6 KOs) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

In May, Mosley was dominated for the better part of his twelve round contest with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Looking back at the fight, Mosley attributes the poor performance to several factors, which include inactivity, bad strategy and an issue with his neck.

"I think that part of it was a little bit of bad strategy. Part of it was that my neck was tightening up. My neck tightening up, I couldn't throw punches the way I wanted to. But it wasn't age. You know. I hit him the hardest that anybody has ever hit him in his entire life. I had him hurt like nobody has," Mosley said.

"What it comes down to is that it was just a case of an off night. It was an off night. My last fight was the Antonio Margarito fight, and there was some time off away from the ring between that fight and the Floyd Mayweather fight. I mean, I didn't fight for over a year."

If Mosley defeats Mora, he has a potential fights on his wish list - and that includes a clash with the winner of November's battle between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito, and a rematch with Mayweather.

"Well, there are four or five more fights out there that I want. Manny Pacquiao, Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto. And of course Floyd Mayweather has a win over me, and I want to avenge that," Mosley said.

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B-Meg sees tough grind minus two key players

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:49 CDT

source: Nelson Beltran | philstar.com

With injured stars Kerby Raymundo and Marc Pingris out of the 2009-10 PBA Philippine Cup, coach Jorge Gallent considers B-MEG Derby Ace just “a middle-of-the-pack team” when the league fires off Oct. 3.

“We’ve lost a key offensive guy (Raymundo) and an important defensive player (Pingris). Their spots are hard to fill. We’ll be in for a tough grind in the coming tourney,” said Gallent, who has taken over the coaching chores from Ryan Gregorio.

Rookies Pari Llagas and Val Acuna will have their hands full in the absence of Raymundo and Pingris.

Another addition to the team is forward Jerwin Gaco, who scrapped a plan to return to the Asean Basketball League.

“He’s a good addition to us. He’s been practicing with us for three days. I’ve talked to (Philippine Patriots co-owner) Mikee Romero and he’s given his blessing for Jerwin to join us,” said Gallent, Gaco’s mentor with Harbour Centre in the PBL.

Still up in the air are the contracts of veterans Don Allado and Romel Adducul.

“The management has given Don until Friday to decide on our offer. The team has a good offer but I guess Don is bargaining,” said Gallent.

Adducul’s contract-extension, meanwhile, would depend on a league rule which Gallent is still checking on.

“Are we allowed to put 14 names on the roster with Kerby and Pingris on the injured list? Or should we include Kerby or Pingris on the 14 for us not to take the risk of losing them to free-agency? We don’t want what happened to San Miguel on the Sam Eman case,” said Gallent.

Alaska Milk grabbed Eman as San Miguel relegated the young behemoth to the unrestricted reserve list.

Gallent had earlier expressed his wish to have Mick Pennisi in his team but the SMC bosses turned his request down.

With what’s left in his roster, Gallent intends to make Derby Ace a quick running team in the coming tourney.

“We’ll be much, much quicker than the old team. We’ll do that in a bid to compensate for Kerby’s and Ping’s absence,” said Gallent.

“Jonas Villanueva will help us do that. I’ve also spoken to Roger Yap and he’s okay with that,” Gallent said.

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Toroman says RP 5 will go places

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:49 CDT

source: Joaquin Henson | philstar.com

Smart-Gilas coach Rajko Toroman said yesterday if the national team is reinforced by key PBA players and American import Marcus Douthit, it will be a strong contender for a medal at the Guangzhou Asian Games this November.

“It all depends on the support we get,” said Toroman whose claim to fame is earning for Iran a ticket to the Bejing Olympics by capturing the FIBA-Asia title in 2007. “We are waiting for passports to make Chris Lutz and Marcus eligible. We are also hoping the PBA allows Asi Taulava, James Yap and Kelly Williams to play for us. I think with Chris (Tiu) and James starting in the backcourt, we’ll be very competitive and the whole country will be behind us. If we put our best team on the floor, we’ll be in contention for the championship.”

Lutz, a Fil-Am sharp-shooting guard from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, is expected to receive his Philippine passport as a dual citizen next week. Douthit’s application for naturalization is pending in Congress. FIBA rules allow a national team to suit up one naturalized player, like Jackson Vroman for Lebanon and Rasheim Wright for Jordan.

Toroman stopped short of guaranteeing a gold medal if the PBA lends the three players and the Department of Foreign Affairs delivers the two passports.

“We’re not so far from first place,” said Toroman. “We’re now competing at a higher level, based on what we showed in the recent Stankovic Cup. I rank Iran and Lebanon in front of China in Asia. And we’re now competitive against Lebanon.”

Toroman recalled how Smart-Gilas nearly toppled Lebanon in the Stankovic Cup semifinals in Beirut last month. Lebanon won, 81-80, with Fadi El-Khatib scoring 25 and Vroman 23. Smart-Gilas played without Lutz, Douthit and Greg Slaughter. (click here for Smart Gilas vs. Lebanon Replay Video [WATCH HERE])

New Zealand coach Nenad Vucinic, a Serbian like Toroman, said he was surprised by the Philippines’ showing against Lebanon.

“He studied our game against Lebanon to prepare for the World Championships and noticed how our players had improved to the next level,” said Toroman. “It wasn’t like Lebanon didn’t play well because they did.”

Toroman said if the Philippines made it to the FIBA World Championships in Turkey, anything could’ve happened.

“We beat Jordan in the Stankovic Cup and before that, in the finals of the Manila invitationals and in Turkey, Jordan could’ve reached the round-of-16 except it lost to Australia by one and Argentina by nine,” said Toroman. “We almost beat Lebanon in the Stankovic semifinals but in Turkey, Lebanon beat Canada by 10. If we’re competitive against Jordan and Lebanon, then we should also be competitive against Australia, Argentina and Canada. I’m very satisfied with our progress. We’re clearly playing at a new level.”

In Guangzhou, Toroman said it’s anybody’s game. Jordan is losing Portuguese coach Mario Palma and will be in a period of transition. China will be toothless without Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian who are contractually bound to play in the NBA. Vroman may opt out of Lebanon if a lucrative offer comes to play in the Euro league. Hamed Haddadi will be with Memphis in the NBA and Arsalan Kazemi will return to Rice University in Houston but Iran hopes to welcome back this year’s Jones Cup MVP Samad Nikkhah Bahrami who sat out the World Championships with a knee injury.

“China is hosting the coming Asian Games but they don’t have a strong team anymore without Yao,” said Toroman. “They couldn’t beat Iran in the last FIBA-Asia championships which China hosted in Tianjin. They were lucky to enter the round-of-16 in Istanbul even after losing to Turkey by 47. Nobody expected Puerto Rico to lose to Ivory Coast and China qualified because Puerto Rico lost.”

For the 2014 World Championships in Madrid, there is a proposal to increase the Asian qualifiers from three to six and the entry list from 24 to 32 or 36. If the proposal is approved, the Philippines will surely return to the World Championships for the first time since hosting the quadrennial event in 1978. In Turkey, the three Asian qualifiers are Iran, China and Jordan with Lebanon joining with a wild card ticket.

FIBA allocated four wild card slots for Turkey and received 14 applications each paying a fee of $650,000. The four wild card countries that joined 20 others in the main draw were Lebanon, Lithuania, Germany and Russia. Among the countries that paid but weren’t chosen were Korea, England, Nigeria and Cameroon.

(by Joaquin Henson | philstar.com)

*********

Smart Gilas Tune-Up Games
Sept. 7, 2010 - Smart Gilas def. Seoul SK Knights, 77-76 [NEWS]
Sept. 12, 2010 - Smart Gilas vs. Seoul SK Knights

4th ABA Club Championship 2010
Haining, China
September 15-20, 2010

2010 Asian Games
Guangzhou, China
November 12-27, 2010

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Margarito Kicks Off Training

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:49 CDT

source: Nick Giongco | mb.com.ph

Antonio Margarito formally begins training camp at the TKO Boxing Gym in Las Vegas, roughly 10 weeks before he clashes with Filipino pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao on November 13 in Dallas.

Margarito’s trainer Robert Garcia is in Sin City to work the corner of a rising lightweight star Brandon Rios for a fight set this weekend and he has instructed the 5-11 Mexican to do light workouts in preparation for the tough grind that is set to commence Monday in Oxnard, California.

“We’ll do some work here then starting next week it’s going to be training proper,” said Garcia, who will work Margarito’s corner for only the second time after the fighter decided to drop Jaier Capetillo owing to the handwraps controversy that led to his one-year suspension.

Garcia said Margarito is not the type to bloat in-between fights and he expects to breeze through training camp with ease.

“Margarito is a hard worker and is always in good shape even if he doesn’t have a fight scheduled,” said Garcia, who is upbeat about his fighter’s chances of scoring a major upset at Cowboys Stadium.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, is still taking it nice and easy, still attending to his demanding job as Saragani congressman.

But Pacquiao expects to kick off his eight-week training camp on September 20 with Freddie Roach and strength coach Alex Ariza.

Reports say Pacquiao will now instead train in Metro Manila so he could attend sessions at Batasang Pambansa but Roach feels it would be better if they set up camp in Baguio City.

“The last time I talked with Manny when he was here last week, he said we’ll be going to Baguio for training camp,” said Roach.

Roach said it’s not a good idea to train in Manila owing to numerous distractions in the Big City.

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Misamis stuns Cebu Niños in opener

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:49 CDT

source: philstar.com

Mark Andaya hit two pressure-packed charities down the stretch to power Misamis Oriental to a 90-87 win over the fancied M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu in Game One of their title series in the Tournament of the Philippines (TOP) at the Cebu Coliseum in Cebu City Tuesday.

The Meteors blew a 14-point lead in the third quarter but recovered in the fourth before the 6-foot-7 Andaya came through with those free throws that shattered the 87-all count.

The Niños bungled two three-point attempts at the buzzer.

“It was a scary win but I’m happy with the way we closed out the game,” said MisOr coach Jun Noel. “This is really a big win for us.”

For taking the opening game of the best-of-five title series, the Meteors are now assured of playing Games 3 and 4 at their turf in a big boost to their title bid in the event jointly organized by the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) and Liga Pilipinas.

“That’s the most important, we will have two games in Cagayan but we will do everything to win Game 2,” said Noel.

Former UAAP standout Patrick Cabahug hit 25 points, including seven triples as the Meteors surged to a 58-44 lead in the third.

The Ninos, however, fought back with a series of spurts and grabbed a 67-65 edge. But the Meteors countered with an 11-0 run bridging the last two quarters to regain control, 76-67.

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Archers, Falcons dispute No. 3 slot

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:49 CDT

source: philstar.com

Adamson and De La Salle clash for the No. 3 seeding and the option to take on the No. 2 team in the Final Four when they tangle today in the UAAP Season 73 seniors basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.

Tied at 8-5, the Soaring Falcons and the Green Archers mix it up at 4 p.m., each looking to end their eliminations campaign on a higher position and on a winning note after dropping their previous games against National and University of the East, respectively.

“It doesn’t matter who we’ll go up against in the semis. What’s important now is for us to get momentum from our last game in the eliminations,” said AdU coach Leo Austria, whose wards prevailed over DLSU in the first round, 70-68.

Winner of today’s matchup will earn the right to face the No. 2 squad instead of the prelims topnotcher in the semis.

The top two spots will still be decided on Saturday when Far Eastern (11-2) and Ateneo (10-3) collide in the last day of elims.

However, both AdU and DLSU still need to beat their respective Final Four opponents twice to qualify to the championship round.

The NU Bulldogs (6-7), meanwhile, look to draw inspiration from their 62-59 upset of Adamson over the weekend as they cap their season against slumping University of Santo Tomas (4-9) in the 2 p.m curtain-raiser.

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Serbia knocks defending champion Spain out at FIBA worlds (VIDEO)

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:49 CDT

source: The Associated Press

World championship dark horses Serbia upset holders Spain to reach the semi-finals on Wednesday with a heart-stopping 92-89 win secured by Milos Teodosic’s three-pointer three seconds from time.

Teodosic, who otherwise had a poor shooting day, launched the winning shot with a Spanish defender in his face to send his team mates and a handful of Serbia fans into raptures.

“This is a fantastic win and we hope it’s not our last, we now have to come down to earth quickly and prepare for the semi-final,” Teodosic, who finished the game with 12 points and eight assists, told Serbian television.

“I didn’t have a good game by my standards but I kind of made up for it with the final shot; it was a team effort and we wouldn’t be here now if everyone hadn’t performed,” he said.

Serbia vs. Spain Video

[PLAY]

The Serbians, emphatically beaten by Spain in last year’s European championship final, raced into a 23-13 lead in the first quarter and appeared set to avoid the late drama after leading 86-78 with four minutes left.

But the resilient Spaniards, led by Barcelona guard Juan Carlos Navarro who was the game’s top scorer with 27 points, drew level with tight defence and several fast breaks.

With time running out and Serbia’s last possession falling apart, Teodosic struck from nine metres and Spain, looking for a three-pointer to force overtime, lost the ball in the final three seconds.

“It was a mentally and physically exhausting battle, I feel great and I have to thank my team mates for playing their hearts out to make this happen,” Serbia captain Nenad Krstic said.

Serbia will meet on Saturday hosts Turkey in semifinal game.

Tournament favourites the U.S. play Russia and Lithuania take on Argentina in the other two quarter-finals on Thursday.

Free Live Streaming: 2010 FIBA World Championship Free Live Streaming Link

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7 amateur RP boxers following Pacquiao's footsteps

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:48 CDT

source: Joseph Pimentel | abs-cbnnews.com

LOS ANGELES, California -- Members of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) are coming home as winners and conquering heroes after winning a total of 7 medals in the annual Blue & Gold boxing tournament in Maywood, California.

Five of them bagged first place while 2 nabbed second place last weekend in the boxing competition which is considered one of the largest amateur tournaments in the US.

Brothers Victorio and Ray Saludar, Delfin Boholst, Charley Suarez, and female boxer Josie Gabuco came out as champions in their respective divisions. Ricky Dulay and Gerson Nietes ended up with second place finishes.

Ed Picson, the executive director of ABAP, hopes the wins are signs of things to come for the amateur boxers of team Philippines, as they next prepare for the Asian games in China in November and the London Olympic Games in 2012.

“The ultimate goal is the Olympic gold. We cannot guarantee anything. There are no sure things in boxing. The only thing we can promise is that we'll work real hard," said Picson.

The Philippine team arrived in the US in early August. They first arrived in San Francisco where they trained with world champion Nonito Donaire's strength and conditioning coach. They also had a mini boxing tournament held at the University of San Francisco before flying out to Los Angeles to participate in the Blue and Gold Tournament.

Picson added they not only flew to US to get competitive exposure but also get advice on training for the ABAP coaches.

“We're concentrating on speed and power and accuracy. Those are what the ABAP coaches are drilling into our boxers, and so far we've gotten good results," said Picson.

One of the Philippine amateur boxers who displayed these results is Suarez. The 22-year-old Davao del Norte native defeated 3 opponents to claim the lightweight amateur championship, and was voted as the top boxer in the Blue & Gold tournament that fielded 220 boxers.

Suarez hopes he can end the Philippines' thirst for its first Olympic gold in 2012.

“That's what we're really trying to meet because there's never been a (Philippine) gold in the Olympics. If the lord gives it to me, it's a big deal. If it's not me, hopefully one of my teammates,” Suarez said.

The ABAP team will arrive in Manila on Thursday. Two other female boxers have already left for Barbados where they will be competing in the upcoming women's world championships.

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Adamson, SSC try to firm up final bids

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:48 CDT

source: philstar.com

Adamson and San Sebastian-Excelroof seek momentum for their projected showdown for the Shakey’s V-League Season 7 second conference crown as they take on separate rivals at the start of the Final Four at The Arena in San Juan today.

The Lady Falcons and the Stags are slightly favored in the opener of the best-of-three series, simply because of their sweeps over the Lyceum Pirates and the Far Eastern U Tams, respectively, in the elimination and the quarterfinal rounds of the season-ending conference.

Although Adamson needed five sets to topple Lyceum last July 22, the Lady Falcons went on to assert themselves with big wins after big wins, including a pair of victories over the fancied Lady Stags.

San Sebastian, meanwhile, posted a pair of 3-0 routs over FEU and is expected to go into its 2 p.m. match oozing with confidence with its sights trained on getting back at Adamson.

But the semis will be an entirely different phase with the Lady Pirates and the Tams building up their own momentum on their way to the Final Four. Lyceum scored a couple of sweeps over FEU and National U to clinch the No. 3 spot.

“Yes, it will be different. We have to come up with a new strategy (in the semis),” said Adamson coach Dulce Pante, who has whipped her crew into a championship-caliber unit.

The Lady Falcons, chasing their second championship in the league sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza and backed by Accel, Mikasa and Excelroof, actually swept the quarters in convincing fashion, making them the team to beat this conference.

“Hard training will be the key,” said Pante, who steered the team to victory in the 2008 first conference. “But we have to improve on our blocking, floor defense and reception.”

The Falcons and the Pirates clash in the 4 p.m. main game.

Meanwhile, the SSC-FEU clash will be shown on NBN-4 at 2 p.m. on Friday while the Adamson-Lyceum encounter will be aired on Saturday, according to the organizing Sports Vision.

For live streaming of the games, log on to v-league.ph. Pante hopes to draw the best again from former MVP Nerissa Bautista, Angela Benting, Pau Soriano, Michelle Laborte, Gail Martin and Lourdes Patilano, who will go up against Mary Jean Balse, also a former MVP, Dahlia Cruz, Joy Cases, Jamie Peña, Ann Tabafunda and Marie Casanova.

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Orcullo-Gomez tandem whips World Cup rivals

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:48 CDT

source: Rey Joble | gmanews.tv

Former world No.1 player Dennis Orcullo and 2007 World Pool runner-up Roberto Gomez used their experience to the hilt in dumping their young Croatian rivals, 8-4, in the World Cup of Pool Wednesday at the Midtown Wing of Robinsons Place in Ermita, Manila.

Orcullo committed three illegal breaks while Gomez made one, but everything changed the moment the Pinoy cue artists made key adjustments.

“Dennis committed three illegal breaks and I made one. You need to make a calculated break on the table to get your rhythm going," said Gomez, who lost the World 9-Ball Championship finals match to Daryl Peach of Great Britain at the Araneta Coliseum three years ago.

But the more experienced Filipinos were able to pounce on every miscue by their young Croatian counterparts – Carlo Dalmatin and Philipp Stojanovic.

The Croatians leveled the match for the last time at 4-all and they have a chance to grab the lead for the first time in the match, but Dalmatin missed a shot in the ninth rack then fouled on the ball No. 9 when his shirt hit the ball.

That gave the Filipinos the opportunity to take advantage as they took the next four racks en route to joining their much-heralded compatriots Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes and Francisco ‘Django’ Bustamante in the next round.

“Playing on the TV table is different from the practice table. This match is really difficult and you need to make a lot of safety breaks to avoid violations," said Orcullo.

Another tournament favorite – Chinese-Taipei – also lived up to its billing as one of the teams to watch out for in this tournament.

Chinese-Taipei’s pair of two-time World Junior champion Ko Pin-Yi and Chang Jung-Lin, demolished their Malaysian counterparts, Ibrahim Bin Amir and Lee Poh Soon, 8-2.

Also winning their respective matches Wednesday were England, which nipped Qatar, 8-7; France, which outplayed Australia, 8-5; Japan, which outlasted Slovenia, 8-7; and Poland, which clipped Malta, 8-6. - GMANews.TV

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Asi Taulava affirmed by DOJ, cleared of falsification charges

PhilBuzzPh — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:49:48 CDT

source: Rey Joble | gmanews.tv

After playing 11 seasons in the Philippine Basketball Association, Asi Taulava has finally received his much-awaited document from the Department of Justice – a decision which affirmed his status as a Filipino citizen.

The DOJ decision on I.S. No. 2005-118 was approved on May 7, 2010 by Chief State Prosecutor Claro A. Arellano, a copy of which was received by Taulava only last weekend.

Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Anthony D. Fadullon recommended the approval of the decision also signed by Assistant State Prosecutor Ma. Cristina P. Rilloraza and Prosecutor III Lourdes R. Zapanta.

“He deserves it," said Bo Perasol, Taulava’s coach with the Powerade Tigers. “He’s served the Philippine team since 2002 and has started a family here. He has also played in the PBA for several years now and is one of the more senior active players in the league."

Taulava has represented the all-pro national team three times – the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, Korea, the 2007 FIBA Asia Championship in Tokushima and the 2009 edition of the same tournament last year held in Tianjin.

The 6-foot-9 Fil-Tongan has also played as reinforcement for the Smart-Gilas national developmental team in the tough Stankovic Cup and is expected to lead the squad again in the coming Asian Games in Guangzhou this November.

Taulava said he considers the development as a “closure" to the controversy spawned by a Senate investigation in 2003 on a number of Filipino-Americans who were seeing action in the PBA.

Aside from obtaining DOJ affirmation, Taulava was also cleared on the falsification of documents charge filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). - Rey Joble, GMANews.TV

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