Nietos doing their share in COVID-19 relief

Taken from Matt Nieto's Facebook account.

With virtually all sporting action worldwide heading into a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic, some have decided to take the cause of helping with relief operations.

Take for instance what Cainta natives Matt and Mike Nieto have done for their community since the start of the outbreak.

Godsons of Mayor Kit Nieto, the twins have done their share in facilitating relief work, securing donations from a variety of sources and helping allocate them towards those that need it. The duo took the cue and inspiration from their ninong, who has received plenty of plaudits with his leadership in handling the situation early on.

Their latest act of kindness took place on Monday, as they received cases of Gatorade, G-Active, and Aquafina from Pepsico Philippines, and rerouted them towards the medical frontliners that are hard at work in treating the pandemic.

Taken from Matt Nieto's Facebook account.

The first batch of cases went to the nearby Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center, with a planned visit to the Cainta Municipal Hospital on Tuesday.

Taken from Matt Nieto's Facebook account.

Matt shared with Kate Reyes of SPIN.PH, "We understand that we have a following, a platform, and a network we could leverage on so as to bring in as much help, donations, and support to Cainta as we can during these trying times.

He adds, "Hence, as much as we can, we try to look into our networks, post on our social media pages, and really coordinate with people willing to help, so that, together, we get to bring different forms of help to the communities in Cainta while inspiring and mobilizing others to do the same."

The duo is just a couple of the many sporting celebrities doing their share to help fight the pandemic.

Postponement of Philippines Football League Season 2020

PFF x PFL

The Philippine Football Federation and the Philippines Football League released a statement on Friday that postpones the start of the 2020 PFL season.

Full statement is as follows:

In view of the continuing spread of COVID-19, which prompted the Government’s Inter-Agency Task (IATF) to issue Resolution No. 11 yesterday, 12 March 2020, which raised the Alert Level to Code Red Sub-Level 2 and, among others, placed the entire National Capital Region under community quarantine for 30 days and prohibited mass gatherings, the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and Philippines Football League (PFL) have decided to postpone the Philippines Football League kick-off originally scheduled on 21 March 2020 to 18 April 2020 tentatively.

Utmost priority must be accorded to the safety, health, and welfare of the players, coaching staff, match officials, sponsors, and others who are involved in the organization of the matches.

PFF and PFL encourage all football stakeholders and the general public to be mindful always of the risks posed by COVID-19, observe the recommendations on how to avoid the virus, be safe and healthy during these times, and to help the nation combat the spread of COVID-19.

Ceres Negros FC is the defending league champion.

Pilipinas seeks to surprise in Davis Cup

Davis Cup

Expected to be heavy underdogs against Greece, the Philippines hopes to spring a surprise against their Davis Cup opposition this Friday and Saturday at the Philippine Columbian Association in Paco.

SEA Games gold medalist Francis Casey Alcantara shares, "We know they are tough especially with a world class player like Stefanos Tsitsipas, but we will do our best to make the country proud."

The hosts will field Jeson Patrombon, Ruben Gonzales, AJ Lim, and Eric Olivarez, Jr. alongside Alcantara, with Chris Cuarto acting as the non-playing captain.

Cuarto believes the crowd support would provide the team a boost, says "Hopefully, the home court advantage will help us."

Aside from Stefanos' younger brother Petros, Greece is also backstopped by Michail Pervolarakis and Markos Kalovelonis, with Dimitris Chatzinikoloau acting as their non-playing skipper.

The team draw is slated for Thursday, with the matches to be played on Friday and Saturday.

Tsitsipas now in the Philippines for Davis Cup

Stefanos Tsitsipas (photo from the Dubai Duty Free Championships)

Stefanos Tsitsipas arrived in the Philippines on Monday, showing readiness to represent Greece in Davis Cup play against the hosts later this week.

Fresh from bowing to Novak Djokovic in the Dubai Championships final, 3-6 4-6, the sixth-ranked player in the ATP is expected to give his all for the visitors as they look to impress this year.

Arriving separately from the rest of the Greek team, he shares, "I will try to represent my country as best as possible." Joining him for the tie are his younger brother Petros, Michail Pervolarakis, and Markos Kalovelonis, as well as non-playing captain Dimitris Chatzinikolaou.

Greece's ascent from Group III to Group II and potentially a Group I berth is anchored on the success of the 21-year old, who has won five singles titles and is currently toting an 11-5 record this year with a title to boot in Marseille.

Facing off against their first non-Asian team in Davis Cup play for the first time in almost two decades, the Philippines is going to rely on Francis Casey Alcantara, Jeson Patrombon, Ruben Gonzales, AJ Lim, and Eric Olivarez, Jr, as well as the stewardship of their non-playing skipper Chris Cuarto.

The draw to determine the matchups is slated on Thursday, with the first two singles matches slated for Friday and the remaining matches to be played on Saturday.