UAAP Season 70, EDSA Tres, 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand and the Worldwide Celebration of the New Millennium 2008

Return of De La Salle University Green Archers in the UAAP

The 70th season of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) is set to open with colorful rites on July 7, 2007 at the Araneta Coliseum, in Quezon City.

The University of Santo Tomas (UST), who won 2006 Men’s basketball title against powerhouse Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), will play as host for this year. The theme for this year’s season will be: “Winners All, Recreating the Value of Honesty through Sports." UST’s multi-titled Salinggawi Dance Troupe will perform during the elaborate rites, at 1 p.m. Fr. Ermito de Sagon, this year’s UAAP president, said a full field of eight teams will again see action. De La Salle University (DLSU), still rock-solid despite serving a year-long ban after being found guilty by the UAAP board of fielding ineligible players in its basketball team in 2003 and 2004, makes its much-awaited return to the league.

The basketball tournament, he added, will adopt a new rule for the year, with a total of 15 players, from 14 the previous seasons, now allowed to play. "This is among the new rules we are implementing to make sure that the basketball games will be more exciting and fun to watch," De Sagon said during a press briefing on Monday, July 2 to announce the launching the 70th season of the country's premier collegiate league.

The defending champion Tigers will take an opening day bye, leaving the Green Archers to debut against the dangerous and rookie-laden University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons at 2 p.m. The National University (NU) Bulldogs, who last won the basketball title in 1954, and traditional collegiate basketball power Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws clash in another game scheduled at 4 p.m.

De Sagon said most of the games will be played at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila, with the Tigers debuting there on Sunday, July 8 against traditional foe University of the East (UE) Red Warriors at 4 p.m. Aside from basketball, first semester sports will also include men’s baseball, women’s softball, men’s and women’s chess, taekwondo, judo, and swimming.

On July 8, 2007, In a pair of world championship bouts, Florante Condes beats IBF minimum weight champion Muhammad Rachman in a bout a Jakarta and Nonito Donaire beat the IBF flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States to become only the two current Filipino world champions.
On July 11, 2007, The chief suspect in the Nida Blanca murder case, her husband Rod Strunk, committed suicide on Tracy, California. Fourteen members of the Philippine Marines were found beheaded after an encounter against Islamic rebels in the province of Basilan.
On July 14, 2007, Two months after the elections, Juan Miguel Zubiri of TEAM Unity was proclaimed senator nosing out Koko Pimentel of the Genuine Opposition. 

Celebrities grace newest hang-out (from the July 10, 2007 issue of Malaya)

The opening of the Krispy Kreme drive-thru store in Greenhills Shopping Center was graced by local celebrities who added glitz to this newest hang-out.

Long time Krispy Kreme and Max’s friend Piolo Pascual performed opening day duties, giving a sweet surprise to one lucky lady customer as he served doughnuts at the drive-thru. Earlier that day, the bubbly Sam Oh, Issa Litton and Sam YG of Hit 99.5 worked up the morning crowd as they counted down live on-air for the grand opening.

On the VIP night, stars joined in to get their Krispy Kreme fix. Host Phoemela Baranda joined by gal pal Bubbles Paraiso in welcoming the guests. Star Magic’s up-and-comers – Diane Medina, Megan Young, Lauren Young, Chris Gutierrez, Empress Schuck, Carla Humphries, John Wayne Sace, Angelo Patrimonio, AJ Perez, Enchong Dee, Bryan Homecillo, and Valeen Montenegro represented youth power.

Also spotted queueing for doughnuts were stars Isabel Oli, Victor Basa, Aiza Seguerra (with Mommy Caring in tow), Geoff Eigenmann, and "It’s A Guy Thing’s" John Joe Joseph. Mo Twister and on-air partner Andi Manzano (MTV VJ Hunt 2007 winner) also dropped by for some doughnut action.

"Wazzup Wazzup'’s" Camille Packing, ANC’'s Ali Smith, ABS-CBN News’' Paul Henson and Mario Dumaual, and GMA News’' Nelson Canlas were also among the guests.

Krispy Kreme Greenhills is the third outlet and first free-standing store in the Philippines, and the first drive-thru outlet in Asia.

Krispy Kreme not only offers its world famous Original Glazed doughnuts and a variety of filled, cake, and sprinkled doughnuts, but also a wide selection of coffee beverages made from high quality coffee beans, roasted by its own Krispy Kreme roast master with state-of-the-art roasting facility.

EDSA Tres and July 15 riots

The rebellion aimed to remove Tito Keren Pascual from the presidency and to reinstate Arroyo. The rebellion came to a head on the morning of July 15, 2007 most of the people left specially the Iglesia ni Cristo members as an agreement of their leaders and the government. Still hundreds of thousands of protesters stormed towards Malacañan Palace, the presidential residence; government soldiers and the policemen dispersed the marchers, causing violence. Several broadcast vans of ABS-CBN were torched by members of the crowd, while others attacked the police and soldiers with rocks, sticks, and pipes. The police and military responded with force after implementing a "maximum tolerance" policy, which led to the injury of many of the protesters. On July 21, 2007, President Pascual lifted the State of Rebellion.

On July 20, 2007, The Alaska Aces defeated the Talk N Text Phone Pals to win their 12th Philippine Basketball Association championship in the 2007 PBA Fiesta Conference.
On July 27, 2007, when The Philippine Department of Agriculture declares an outbreak of hog cholera at the provinces of Pampanga and Bulacan.

What part of your life would you want to change?

Life is not always as we want or plan it to be. There are times we wish we could live our lives in a different way and that the good times would never end. But it is these unpredictable moments that make life more exciting — just living life as it comes, praying and trusting that everything that happens will be what is best for us.

ANA AMIGO ANTONIO, founder and managing director, Chocolate Clothing Company: Sometimes there are parts of my life or mistakes that I wish I had the power to change, but I realize that I am where I am because of everything that has happened in my life. I learned from all the things I would have wished to change, moved on and made it into a positive. So my answer would be none. My only wish is that I continue to learn and live a good and prosperous life that creates a positive influence.

QUEENIE GONZALES, president, Green Ladies Movement of Mandaluyong: None. All the emotional highs and lows I’ve encountered have made me wiser and more fearless in embracing life’s most unpredictable rides.

Senator RAMON MAGSAYSAY JR.: There’s not a part of my life I would want changed despite the toll of mistakes, faux pas, indecisions and decisions impulsively made. We accept the good with the bad, even if the bad outnumbers the good. In short, this is how the Lord above planned my life for me, and the family and friends simply make it happen in a more joyful way. I would not exchange that for anything in this world.

XENG ZULUETA, Shu Uemura artist: If I could change anything in my life now, it would be to have more spare time to spend with my family. I hardly get to see them because they all live abroad.

WILLIAM ANTONIO, athlete, Coca-Cola Tigers, PBA: I think if you love your life the way it is in the present, you wouldn’t change a thing. There’s always the woulda, coulda, shoulda’s that I’d want to go back to and change but I think those are the events that have molded me in the present.  Where I am now, where I am going is because of where I came from.

 ENCHONG DEE, actor and swimming champion: If there’s anything I want to change in my life, it would probably be to spend more time with my parents despite the long hours of training. I just wish we could have gone to Disneyland when I was younger, pero the rest is happiness.

TATS REJANTE MANAHAN, surface designer/writer: It is tempting to say I’d want to change the parts of my life where I made mistakes. But looking at the bigger picture, I’ve come to realize that God, who foreknew my life, allowed the mistakes so I could learn to respond wisely the next time.

YENG S.LIM, Bantay Bata 163 resource mobilization officer: To be honest, it would be losing my mom at an early age and my dad five years ago. But then again, I am not God to decide when is the right time for them to go. In retrospect, and with acceptance of things happening in my life, there’s nothing that I would want to change. My life is perfectly imperfect, and I can only strive for excellence.

Task Force okays 591-strong RP team

October 8, 2007 - A 591-strong Philippine contingent will try to defend the country’s overall crown in the 24th Southeast Asian Games set in three venues in Thailand in December.

Beijing Olympic qualifiers Ryan Arabejo, Miguel Molina and James Walsh of swimming and Tsomlee Go of taekwondo lead the list of Thailand-bound athletes named by the SEAG POC-PSC Task Force yesterday.

Filipino athletes will compete in 44 events in the 10-day sports spectacle opening Dec. 5 at the Nakhon Ratchasima Stadium.

Three hundred fifty-six male and 235 female athletes comprise the delegation which could have their hands full defending the championship they won at home turf in 2005.

Arabejo, Molina and Walsh spearhead the swimming team that includes Daniel Coakley, Nikita Dacera, Earnest Lorenzo Dee, Ronald Guiriba, Kendrick Uy, Denjylie Cordero, Anna Celina Gonzales, Jaclyn Pangilinan, Nicole Santiago and Eric Totten.

Go banners the taekwondo squad including Mike Alejandrino, Alexander Briones, Jeffrey Figueroa, John Paul Lizardo, Ernesto Juan Mendoza, Carlos Jose Padilla, Manuel Rivero, Kathleen Eunice Alora, Kirstie Elaine Alora, Loralie Catalan, Veronica Domingo, Mary Antoinette Rivero, Ma. Criselda Roxas, Sabrina Simbulan and Esther Marie Singson.

Doha Asiad gold medalist Joan Tipon leads the 17-strong boxing team that also include Delfin Boholst, Junel Cantancio, Maraon Golez, Joegen Ladon, Wilfredo Lopez, Albert Pabila, Orlando Tacuyan Jr., Junie Tizon, Bill Vicera, Annie Albania, Alice Kate Aparri, Jouvilet Chilem, Annaliza Cruz, Josie Gabuco, Mitchelle Martinez and Renijen Sofla.

The RP Davis Cup team of Cecil Mamiit, Eric Taino, Johnny Arcilla and Patrick John Tierro seeks to sustain its romp in the games. The women’s team is composed of Czarina Mae Arevalo, Maureen Diaz, Denise Dy and Diane Matias.

Basketball, football, futsal, lawn bowls, rugby football submitted names subject to final confirmation.

Curiously, Fil-Am Alex Crisano, barred in the PBA due to lack of documents, is in the tentative men’s basketball lineup that also includes UAAP MVP winner Jervy Cruz and NCAA recruit Pong Escobal.

The ladies team named 12 players plus two alternates. In the list is US NCAA product Victoria Brick.

Athletics has the largest delegation with 40 followed by softball with 34, futsal and traditional boat race with 28 each, basketball and fencing with 24, baseball 22, football 20, cycling 19, shooting 17, taekwondo 16 and sepak takraw 15.

Molina sa SEA Games

PINANGUNAHAN ni Miguel Molina ang 14-kataong national swimming team na sasabak sa 2007 Thailand Southeast Asian Games sa Disyembre.
Bukod kay Molina, kasama sa men’s squad sina 2007 UAAP swimming MVP Enchong Dee, Ryan Arabejo, JB Walsh, Ken Uy, Lambert Guiriba, Dan Coakley at Nikita Decera.
Kabilang sa magbabakasakali ng gintong medalya sa distaff side sina Harvard standout Jackie Pangilinan, Erica Totten, Marichi Gandionco, Nikki Santiago, Denjylie Cordero at Celina Gonzales.
Ang Pilipinas ay nanalo ng apat na gintong medalya sa 2005 edition.

DLSU's Enchong Dee, co-star in Lastikman, bagged 7 gold medals in UAAP Men's Swimming

La Salle’s Enchong Dee bagged the Most Valuable Player award after winning seven gold medals and setting new league records in the 50m butterfly (26.03 seconds), 100m butterfly (56.38 sec) and 400m individual medley (4:47.30 minutes). Teammate Maxim Quilala won Rookie of the Year.
Enchong is included in the elite list of RP swimmers going to Thailand this December for the SEA Games so him winning 7 golds in the UAAP is actually nothing new. Can somebody tell this kid to stick to swimming instead of acting. He can do more good helping the cause of RP swimming than playing love interest to so and so teens of ABS-CBN.
I spoke to him on this...he's obviously taking my advice in that he's milking his 15 minutes of fame for all that it's worth and will later focus on swimming and acting when his star begins to fade.

Enchong is a smart dude...he knows what he's doing good to hear this.

we've seen so much stars who were either good in academics or are potential athletic wonder but were reduced to nothing due to serving two masters at the same time. Enchong is one of those kids who I find smart and can really contribute to RP swimming that is why I find it to crappy seeing him singing and dancing when the SEA Games is just around the corner. But if he needs additional income which the PSC cant provide then why not but could you tell this guy to take swimming first then acting ...uhhmmmm 10th on the list? :laugh:

anyways he is a good swimmer, 'nuf said.

ayos yan si enchong...i guess he should be the AOY for season 70...mahirap ang ginagawa niya...he should better called student-athlete-showbiz personality

congrats! halos 1 month na tapos ang swimming competition pero it's all good...

Olympians, Fil-Ams boost swimmers SEA Games bid (By Gerry Carpio And Nelson Beltran, The Philippine Star)

NAKHON RATCHASIMA, December 6, 2007 – US-trained Miguel Molina and Ryan Arabejo, whose recent feats earned them a spot in next year’s Beijing Olympics, will lead a 14-member RP team hoping to improve on its 2005 four-gold medal haul against world-class opposition in the 24th Southeast Asian Games competitions which start tomorrow.

Four Fil-Americans, all trained in the US under prominent coaches, and local swimmers culled from the national eliminations, the Palarong Pambansa and Philippine Olympic Festival, are also on the national team seeing action in the competitions slated Dec. 7-11 at the Aquatic Center, His Majesty the King’s 80th birth anniversary stadium, here.

Molina, winner of the 200 and 400 individual medley and 200m breaststroke in the Manila SEA Games, gained a slot in the 2008 Olympics when his clocking of 2:03.06 in the 200m IM met the Olympic qualifying time of 2:05.65.

The 23-year-old Molina, who trains at the University of California in Barkley, hopes to improve on his silver medal finish in the 200m freestyle in 2005 and contend for the gold in the 100m and 50m freestyles in what could be his last SEAG stint.

Molina now owns the RP mark in the 100m free (51.11) 200m free (1:52.67) and 50m breaststroke (29.44).

Arabejo, at 17 the present and future hope of Philippine swimming, holds the RP mark in the 400m freestyle (3:58.51) and 1,500m freestyle (15:39.86) from his stints in the Janet Evans Invitational in the US last July and the 12th World Championships last March.

Four Fil-Americans on the team are 20-year-old James Walsh, a pre-med scholar at the University of Florida; Daniel Coakley of the University of Hawaii, Jaclyn Pangilinan of Harvard University in Boston, and Erica Totten of the University of Arkansas.

Walsh established the RP mark in the 100m and 200m butterfly in the Conoco Philips USA competition in July this year. Pangilinan holds the national 50, 100 and 200m breaststroke records.

Totten, who also holds the RP mark in the 400IM from the last SEA Games, made huge inroads this year, setting new RP norms in the 200, 400 and 800m freestyle. Coakley, a promising swimmer at 18, made the grade with his impressive finish in the 50 and 100m breaststroke and freestyle in last year’s World Junior championships.

But the presence of world-class competition is making it hard for RP swimming president Mark Joseph to assure the certainty of even one gold.

“It’s really hard to predict. But what we’re looking for is to beat our four-gold medal haul the last time in Manila,” said Joseph.

“Swimming in the region has taken a quantum leap with the standard A time for the Athens Olympics now being just the B time for the Beijing Olympics qualifying.

All the swimmers are trying to improve and that really makes it hard to win the gold medal in this SEA Games,” Joseph explained.

“It could be easier to gain an Olympic berth than to win the gold medal here.”

Gold medals in women’s 100m freestyle, men’s and women’s 200m backstroke, men’s 400m individual medley, women’s 200m individual medley, men’s and women’s 4x200m freestyle relay are up for grabs on opening day here tomorrow.

Two US coaches in Jeff Poppel of University of Arkansas and Jason Calanog of Bolles flew here with the six US collegiate swimming scholars.

“They’re (Poppel and Calanog) familiar with the conditioning of our US-based swimmers. So we asked them to come,” said Joseph.

Molina has qualified for the Olympics in 200m IM, Walsh in 200m butterfly and Arabejo in 1500m freestyle. The three will target for more Olympic events here aside from shooting for SEAG medals.

“Molina and Arabejo are now ranked 24th in the world in their respective events. They’ll try to improve on that,” said Joseph.

Completing the cast are Ernest Dee of La Salle, Kendrick Uy who joined Arabejo in summer training at Bolles School in Florida under the Olympic Solidarity Movement, Denjylie Cordero, a product of the Philippine Olympic Festival, 18-year-old Marichi Gandionco, a swimming scholar at the University of Nevada, Celina Gonzalez of TRACE Aquatic Center in Laguna., Nikita Dacera and Nicole Santiago.

The Pia Cayetano-Paolo Abrera Affair and re-run of Ninoy Aquino assassination (Companero y Companera, Part 2)

On December 6 to 15, 2007 when the 24th Southeast Asian Games was held in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

Inquirer Lifestyle Series: Fitness.Fashion with Samsung fashion show's guest model Enchong Dee before the in the finals of men’s 100-meter butterfly and he was placed eighth in the finals with the time of 56.87 seconds during the 2007 Southeast Asian Games swimming events in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand last Sunday, December 9, 2007. Photos: Lourise Gandionco-David/Multiply.com and courtesy of Bench

December 8-9 and 11-12, 2007, During a five-day swimming competition for the 24th Southeast Asian Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand with national swimmer and then University of California swimmer Miguel Molina and the fashion show's guest model turned De La Salle Green Tanker Enchong Dee, the Senator Pia Cayetano-Paolo Abrera-Marco Protacio affair and the riots at Dee residence in Barangay Horseshoe, Quezon City. A 25-hour overnight vigil was held at the Greenbelt Chapel in Makati City, held on the same day starting at 7:00 p.m. and ends at 8:00 p.m. of the same day. Dee was in the finals of men's 100-meter butterfly last December 9 and lane 1 of men's 200-meter butterfly finals last December 11, and he was the eighth place finish in the said event with the time of 2 minutes, 11.47 seconds and he lost to Filipino-American James Bernard Walsh, the gold medal winner of men's 200-meter butterfly finals.

A re-run of the August 21, 1983 assassination of former Philippine senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. aired by GMA Network. (In 1983, Channel 7 was the first to break the news of Ninoy Aquino's death, and later would be the only television station to broadcast his funeral.)

The video conversation starts with the sound of the plane landing and people talking among themselves.

• “Everybody remains on board,” one of them says.

Moments later, a single gunshot rings out and women are wailing.

• “What happened? What was that?” a woman’s voice asks.
• More gunshots. The wailing becomes louder.
• Then an order from several men: “Inside, inside, inside!”
• “The soldiers… shot Ninoy. He’s dead out there,” a woman cries out.

Burton’s tape records faintly the sound of someone saying, “Eto na (This is it).” Footage shot by a foreign TV crew captures the words by now familiar to Filipinos who lived through the events surrounding the Aquino assassination. “Eto na, eto na! Ako na, ako na! Op! Pusila, pusila (This is it, this is it! Let me, let me! Shoot, shoot)!”

And then, the gunshot.

What is significant about the tape are the reactions of Aquino’s fellow passengers and the conversations Burton had with them.

Burton apparently kept recording as she discussed with fellow foreign journalists what happened.

Some eight minutes into the tape, Burton is heard saying, “It’s very confusing, I mean, I don’t know.” She then answers more questions from someone who sounded like an American.

• Man: “They shot Ninoy?”
• Woman, presumably Burton: “Yeah.”
• Man: “Where?”
• Burton: “Right at the bottom of the stairs.”
• Man: “When Ninoy was still on it or when…”
• Burton: “No, when he got off. I’m sure he’s dead.”

The tape also captures Burton and her fellow passengers after they had disembarked and ran into people waiting to meet the passengers from the China Airlines flight.

Local journalists who covered the airport at the time had been herded by military men to the entrance to the tube where they were to await Aquino. When they learned of the commotion at the tarmac, they interviewed the disembarking passengers to ask them what happened.

One conversation was that of Burton and a Filipino.

• Man: “What did you see? Who did it?”
• Burton: “Soldiers.”
• Man: “How many of them?”
• Burton: “I don’t know. I think we’d better wait.”
• Man: “Did you recognize him? Aquino?”
• Burton: “Yeah.”
• Man: “What’s your name?”
• Burton: “No, I’m not gonna… this is not the place to talk. We had just seen two assassinations take place right outside our window.”

The tape then records what sounded like Burton comparing notes with fellow foreign correspondents, everyone recalling what they heard and trying to reconstruct the moments when they heard the shorts.

In one portion of the tape, the conversation turns to who killed Aquino, and Burton points out that a Japanese reporter had seen one of the men in khaki, referring to one of Aquino’s escorts, being the gunman.

But a man contradicts her saying, “I did not see a man in khaki uniform shoot Aquino.” To this day, the question who shot Aquino remains subject to debate.

Cayetano and three personalities along with Samson, Reyes, Claparols and Eala were stayed in the same place to the said sporting event for fifteen days between December 6 to 15, 2007, followed by her father, the late former Philippine Senator Atty. Rene L. Cayetano's 73rd birthday celebration on December 12, 2007 and the welcome the new millennium 2008 between December 31, 2007 and January 1, 2008.

December 12, 2007, One of Enchanted Kingdom's attractions, the Space Shuttle roller coaster, stalled between the tracks, where school children from Bulacan, Laguna, and Batangas were included.

GMA7's Excessive Pride Should Be Stopped

In a report last night from GMA-7's Frontpage, GMA-7 execs and stars hosted the "No.1 Na Tayo, Kapuso!" party for the press and advertising people in a bid to lure investors and other people into the network with GMA7's own "claim to fame".

It can be remembered that only a number GMA-7 programs reached the top spots in the primetime ratings charts in the history of the Rainbow Network this 2004: these are Imbestigador and StarStruck. It was two years since GMA-7 launched an offensive to snatch away the overall No. 1 Philippine TV network spot from ABS-CBN (still called the Star Network), but only had its 2 shows out of the top 10 primetime slots currently. ABS-CBN is still clinging on to a vast Metro Manila audience share of 40-50% (in contrast to GMA-7's Metro Manila audience share of 20-35%), and a massive regional share of 70-90%. It's a stark contrast with what happened to ABS-CBN after EDSA Uno, where it took less than 2 years to go back to the overall No. 1 spot for the Philippines' most watched TV network (having its 10 shows in the top 10 primetime slots), which it had since 1953-1972 and 1986-2004. And ABS-CBN still has the strong trust of majority of advertisers, being the No. 1 network for the whole of 2003.

Claims are virtually ridiculous, malicious and baseless with regards to ABS-CBN conniving with 2 of the world's most trusted TV ratings groups--AGB and AC Nielsen, and with regards to the moving of channels of both ABS-CBN and GMA-7 by some cable operators, who were falsely accused of conniving with ABS-CBN execs, as various reports by the Philippine Star declared so.

While GMA-7 heavily has its Kapuso campaign since October 27, 2002, ABS-CBN still has the Kapamilya campaign, which has been with the network since January 1, 2000. The Kapamilya campaign of ABS-CBN was first done in coinciding ABS-CBN's two grand events: the network's Philippine Independence Centennial party at Expo Filipino in June 1998, and the nationwide and worldwide multimedia year-end broadcast "The ABS-CBN Worldwide Celebration of the New Millennium" last December 31, 1999 to January 1, 2000.