Welcome volleyball, goodbye basketball
Credit to Author: Monico Puentevella| Date: Sun, 24 Nov 2019 16:14:27 +0000
I’m one of those who are really happy it’s over. Except for the last Finals game, it was getting to be quite a bore. As my fearless forecast from the very start, Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) is just too strong as a team and individually. What else can you expect from a team that’s been together for the last four to five years and aided by a 7-foot African. But still, this corner is hats off to the University of Santo Tomas’ (UST) spirited five and probably the best coach for this years’ University Athletic Association of the Philippines — if ever there was one. Beating favored University of the Philippines four times in a row this season is no mean feat. Bravo. He’ll go places soon. Just watch.
And what a finals! Two of my kababayan, SJ Belangel of AdMU and Nonoy of UST from Negros, played their best. Belangel’s dad, Sammy, was a speedy player himself in Bacolod, but he produced quite a three-pointer. And good for another three years. While Nonoy came from nowhere from our barangay, he has shown this basketball-loving country another guard with the likes of Yoyong Martinez or Jason Castro. Mighty proud of these two Negrenses.
Oh, my fearless forecast for this years volleyball finals? Adamson University vs De La Salle University.
With Smartmatic, you must be joking!
I’m more in agreement with one of our colleagues here who wrote that all our elections have been rigged since the 2010 elections. With the exception of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s protest, is there any decision reversed by the Commissions on Elections (Comelec) since 2010? Nada. Why? Because if there was one recounted and reversed, it would open a can of worms and make the Comelec look useless and inutile. And make all past elections null and void. And totally abolish the Comelec. Right?
And somebody once said in Tokyo just one week after the last election that Smartmatic was full of fraud and should be burned. He was replying to one of the questions raised by one of the overseas Filipino workers. He said he planned to include this in his next State of the Nation Address (SONA). I personally attended the delayed last SONA being a three-termer in the House (all on manual counting), but nothing was said. Up to now, it’s been silent. What happened? Another change of heart or mind? So how can we have an honest election then? With Smartmatic, no way. But I hope the President keeps his word.
Mahiwagang kaldero?
Never in the history of the Olympics, Asian Games and Southeast Asia (SEA) Games has there been a cauldron that has been lit outside of the stadium where the opening ceremony was held. Secret? That’s a lot of bull. The P55 million was a secret until Sen. Franklin Drilon brought it out in the open. And there will be more secrets coming out after the SEA Games when the Senate blue ribbon committee will be held. Last year, as former chairman of the Philippine Olympic Committee and currently, president of the Philippine Weightlifting Association, I stood up on the floor and warned my colleagues about this so-called foundation that was leaving a bad taste in the mouth among our circles. At that time, no one answered my query and left everybody hanging. Now, the cat is out of the bag. Oh, don’t worry. We’ll surely win these Games. After all, we’re supposed to be spending a total of around P20 billion, including for the infrastructures in Clark. But the sad fact remains, our national athletes today are receiving a measly monthly allowance between P10,000 to P12,000 just to survive. Although I heard recently that the current Philippine Sports Commission administration is planning to raise this immediately after the SEA Games. Go for it guys! … Oh by the way, Malaysia hosted the games two years ago, and it spent only P15 million on their “caldero” compared to our P55 million. I was also warning my friend Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano few months ago about this, but he said it would be all right. I told him “Watch your back, because we know all the people around you,” but he wouldn’t listen. Now, it may be too late. Will winning the Games put all these questions in the Senate to the garbage bin? Doubt it.
Let the games begin
Here’s one for all the football fanatics out there. While the Opening Ceremony will be on November 30 at the Iglesia Arena in Bulacan, football competition starts already tonight. Our first game at 8 p.m. in the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila as usual will be against unpredictable Cambodia. While we have not made any waves for football before in past SEA Games, let’s cheer for our team tonight and make this a memorable one.