National Cheerleading Championships set for Fearless 14th season with ESPN5

What to expect at the NCC

We are Fearless.

That is the theme of the National Cheerleading Championships as it commences with its 14th season of showcasing the best in cheer, dance, and in snapping the beats on the drums. It is a trait that epitomizes each and every cheerleader as they attempt to take risks and exceed limits. At the same time, it also reflects on the NCC with its bold steps in recognizing the strength and resiliency of Filipino cheerleading.

Reflecting on this, NCC founder Carlos Valdes says, "In a real sense, the NCC is just like the sport of cheerleading. It requires courage over anxiety, resolve over doubt, discipline over comfort. You really have to be fearless."

For this season, over 300 teams are expected to take part in the NCC, which will commence with the first of six regional qualifiers with the South Luzon leg this weekend at Robinsons Las Pinas.

Set to follow in South Luzon's footsteps later this year are Central Luzon on October 13-14, Cebu and Legaspi in November, and Davao in December. The final set of qualifiers will take place in late January with the NCR.

Outstanding squads will have the chance to be the best among the best in the country with the Nationals this coming March at the Mall of Asia Arena, and could even have a chance to go up against international competition with the ICU Philippine Open that same month.

In addition, the NCC sees this as the opportunity to find those who can comprise Team Pilipinas, who would then represent the country in the different ICU-linked competitions in the region, as well as in the World Championships held next year in Orlando, Florida. Last year's edition saw athletes from Assumption College in the Cheer Hip-Hop division and Poveda Juniors in the Juniors Championships, with the All-Girl and Co-Ed Elite teams were comprised of student-athletes from NU, Ateneo, UST, La Salle, and FEU, among others.

Reflecting their own kind of fearless, ESPN 5 forged a partnership with the NCC that would allow the former to cover the latter, starting from the qualifiers onto the Nationals. Expect multi-platform coverage to showcase the best and the brightest, including LIVE free tv coverage of the Nationals. Highlights will be part of the package on SportsCenter Philippines.

On their partnership, TV5 President Chot Reyes shares, "Our network remains steadfast in its role of supporting every Filipino athlete as they represent our country on the world stage; in line with this is our active pursuit to expand awareness for our breadth of local talent, and the different sports in which they excel. It was only natural for us to continue our partnership with the NCC as they pursue their vision of advancing cheerleading as a sport in the country."

Valdes adds, "ESPN5 has stayed true to its mission of bringing great sports content to Filipinos. With their world-class content delivery platforms, we are elated to have them on board for the whole season of the NCC, and together with the journey of Team Pilipinas."

For more details on the National Cheerleading Championships, one can check out www.nccphilippines.com.ph.

Perpetual-San Sebastian, San Beda-CSB highlight Thursday NCAA action

Games scheduled on Thursday at the Filoil Flying V Centre

10am San Sebastian vs Perpetual (HS)
12nn San Beda vs La Salle-Greenhills (HS)
2pm San Sebastian vs Perpetual
4pm San Beda vs College of Saint Benilde

An interesting Thursday basketball schedule even got more attention with the latest developments that got fleshed out on Wednesday afternoon.

First reported on by Christian Jacinto on SPIN, the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta's season could unravel with the revelation that the Altas may have broken some eligibility rules involving some of their players, most notably Edgar Charcos and Kim Aurin.

As a result, Frankie Lim could potentially be missing their key cogs heading into their matchup against San Sebastian at 2pm, a matchup that went down the wire to the final seconds in Las Pinas during the first round.

The Golden Stags, as well as the Mapua Cardinals, Arellano Chiefs, and the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals, will stand to benefit if the nine Perpetual victories are to be forfeited, as the four schools would be brought back into the postseason chase, with the chance to potentially catch-up with the College of Saint Benilde, who will have to deal with a punishing gauntlet of a schedule to end their eliminations stint.

The Blazers are playing defending champions San Beda later that afternoon at 4pm, with matches still to be played against currently top-ranked Lyceum and third-place Letran sandwiched around a match against also-rans JRU.

In the high school division, the Staglets are seeking to take advantage of a free-falling Junior Altas at 10am, with the loser of this matchup officially kissing their Final Four hopes goodbye. The other matchup features La Salle-Greenhills against San Beda at noon. The Red Cubs are looking to join Mapua/Malayan in a tie for second place if they can beat the Greenies.

Azkals kick off Bangabandhu Gold Cup campaign against Laos

The Bangabandhu Gold Cup

The Azkals continue their preparations for their AFF Suzuki Cup and AFC Asian Cup campaigns with their participation in the Bangabandhu Gold Cup tournament in Bangladesh this week.

Kicking off their stint in Dhaka is a matchup against fellow ASEAN side Laos. Streaming link for the match is below.



The Philippines has won its last four meetings against Laos, with their last defeat taking place almost ten years ago.

Under the coaching guidance of Scott Cooper and assisted by Anto Gonzales and Popoy Clarino, the Philippine Football Federation enlisted these 21 players to represent the country for this tournament.

Goalkeepers: Louie Casas, Eduard Sacapano, Ace Villaneuva
Defenders: Amani Aguinaldo, Jerry Barbaso, Ian Clarino, Anton del Rosario, Jordan Jarvis, Alvin Sarmiento
Midfielders: Nate Alquiros, Marvin Angeles, Marwin Angeles, Kenshiro Daniels, Angel Guirado, Angelo Marasigan, Hikaru Minegeshi, Paolo Salenga
Forwards: Fitch Arboleda, Misagh Bahadoran, Jovin Bedic, Jarvey Gayoso

Pilipinas with contrasting World Chess Olympiad results against South American opposition

The Filipino chess contingent faced off against South American opposition in the eighth round of the 43rd World Chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia, with contrasting results for the men and women.

The ladies bowed to higher-seeded Argentina on Tuesday night, 1.5 to 2.5, dropping them to just outside the top 40.

Both Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna and Woman International Master Catherine Secopito dropped their respective assignments against IM Carolina Lujan and WIM Maria Florencia Fernandez.

With WIM Bernadette Galas sharing the point with WIM Marisa Zuriel, it ensured that the matchup would end in the Argentine's favor. Galas had the chance to snatch the win after winning a Queen for a rook and bishop, but the match-up eventually ended in a draw as a result of that missed opportunity.

WIM Marie Antoinette San Diego provided the only win for the Pinays, defeating WIM Ayelen Martinez at Board 3.

The results moves the Philippines in to a tie for 45th place in the women's division with nine points.

As for the men, they managed to keep their winning run going with a 3-1 victory over Uruguay to move them into a share of 33rd spot with ten points.

A couple of points came from victories by GM Julio Catalino Sadorra and IM Haridas Pascua, defeating GM Andres Rodriguez Vila and FIDE Master Rafael Muniz, with GM John Paul Gomez and IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia halving the point with FM Nicolas Lopez Azambuja and IM Luis Ernesto Rodi, respectively.

The WCO campaign is funded by part by the Philippine Sports Commission and has secured the sanction from National Chess Federation of the Philippines chair Butch Pichay.

Galvelo selected as NCAA Player of the Week

It took a while, but Koy Galvelo finally got the chance to showcase what he can do for Colegio de San Juan de Letran this season.

And it came at an important time for the Knights, with Jerrick Balanza's condition keeping him in the sidelines for the rest of the season, with someone needing to fill in those minutes.

He erupted for fifteen points on 6/9 shooting in their 91-82 win over EAC, then led the Knights in scoring with sixteen points on 5/11 shooting in their 89-79 win over JRU.

Such feats did not go unnoticed, as the NCAA Press Corps selected him as the third Letran player to be named as its Player of the Week, presented by Chooks-to-Go. He beat out Robert Bolick and Javee Mocon of San Beda, JC Marcelino of Lyceum, and JP Magullano of EAC for the nod.

Having gone a combined 7/16 from three in their last two games, Galvelo's range definitely helps his team free up space underneath for their big men to roam and for their slashers to cut into the lane.

Koy also had to overcome being benched for the first nine games as a result of being involved in "ligang labas." He shared to the media, "Matagal ko na ring iniintay to." He also added, "As a rookie, syempre kailangan mag-step up. Tapos yun nga, sa pagkawala ni Jerrick [Balanza], kailangan talaga ng suporta. Yung mga teammate ko, sinasabi na kailangan talaga naming tumulong."

His head coach Jeff Napa credits his senior leadership as to helping Galvelo build enough confidence to where he is now, "Nagpapasalamat din ako sa mga teammates niya. Talagang hindi nila sinukuan at dinala nila ito sa tamang landas."

Lyceum seeks twice-to-beat advantage

Games Tuesday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan

10am Arellano vs EAC-ICA (HS)
12nn Mapua/Malayan vs Lyceum (HS)
2pm Arellano vs EAC
4pm Mapua vs Lyceum

Already assured of a Final Four spot, Lyceum is seeking to assure themselves of a twice-to-beat advantage as they face Mapua at 4pm this afternoon, when the NCAA resumes its senior men's basketball tournament.

The Pirates, along with idle San Beda, secured postseason berths after Emilio Aguinaldo College tripped the College of Saint Benilde last week, 69-67. By beating the Cardinals, Lyceum is guaranteed at least a playoff for the twice-to-beat advantage that the top two teams after the eliminations earn.

Lyceum head coach Topex Robinson shared to the media after their 113-79 demolition of Arellano, "The goal remains the same, which is to win a championship. But we know it will take a step-by-step approach for us starting with this (Mapua) game."

In the other collegiate matchup scheduled, the Chiefs face off against the Generals at 2pm, as they attempt to keep their flickering postseason hopes alive. Toting a 4-9 record, Arellano needs to sweep the remainder of its games AND hope that Perpetual loses its remaining games AND that the Blazers win no more than one game in their remaining schedule.

In the high school level, Mapua/Malayan seeks to formalize its entry in the Final Four against EAC-ICA at 10am, followed by a huge matchup between Arellano and Lyceum at 12nn.

The Red Robins, at 11-3, need a win to secure a Final Four spot, while the Braves and Junior Pirates attempt to put an eighth loss on each other. The loser of that matchup will be dealt a huge blow to their postseason hopes, with both San Beda and Jose Rizal University already toting nine wins this season.

Makabansa Basketball League set for Season Two

The second season of the Makabansa Basketball League commenced last Saturday at the MERALCO Fitness Center in Pasig last September 29, which included the Opening Ceremonies.

Powered by Kings of the Court and under the auspices of the MVP Sports Foundation and the Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, the MBL is the brainchild of Atty. Oscar "Jang" P. Moreno, Jr, who is Meralco's Head for Local Government Affairs and Special Projects Office. It is a basketball tournament that aims to promote health and wellness, as well as foster camaraderie amongst its participants. The league believes that through sportsmanship and healthy competition, it would be able to solidify partnerships between those in the public and private sectors in order for them to better serve the public.

Moreno shares, "Sports is important in nation-building. As Filipinos are passionate about basketball, we use this to create cohesiveness and solidify business partnerships by fostering camaderie."

Eighteen teams are taking part in the MBL's second season. Fourteen coming from the public and four from the private sector. There are also five new teams: the Office of the President, Tanodbayan, Commission on Elections, Department of Energy, and the Philippine Sportswriters' Association.

Completing the cast are MERALCO, SMART, the Department of Justice, the House of Representatives, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, PLDT Digital, the Philippine National Police, Justice League, the Office of the Solicitor-General, the Senate, NLEX, the Metro Manila Development Authority, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Subdivided into three divisions, (A: MERALCO, SMART, Justice League, HoR, TanodBayan, COMELEC / B: DENR, PLDT, PNP, DOJ, OSG, PSA / C: Senate, NLEX, MMDA, DILG, OP, DOE) the format sees teams face their division teammates in a round-robin, with the top four teams from each division advancing to the next round, which will be seeded. Win that, then they advance to the quarterfinals, which also is a knockout round. Win that, and the three remaining teams will have a single round robin to determine the finalists, which will have a best-of-three series for the championship.