Page 39 - SEPTEMBER 2017 B ISSUE

September 2017 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition
DuterteMALACAÑANG gives P25.2M
incentives to SEA Games
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on
Wednesday awarded more than P25.2
million in cash incentives to the athletes
who earned medals at the recently
concluded 29th Southeast Asian Games.
According to the Philippines Sports
Commission, a total of P18,037,500 was
given to the athletes and P7,181,250 to
their coaches.
The amount was based on Republic
Act 10699 or the National Athletes and
Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act. It
provides that SEA Games gold medalists
would receive P300,000; silver medalists,
P150,000; and bronze medalists,
P60,000.
Athletes in team sports with less than
five participants per team will receive the SEA Games. n Trisha Macas, NB, GMA News |
same cash incentives for individual medal
PBA
Casio,
for 46
Abueva combine
as Aces outlast Kia
THE Alaska Aces overcame a 10-point
fourth quarter deficit to defeat the Kia
Picanto, 102-94, on Sunday in the 2017
PBA Governors’ Cup.
Jayvee Casio matched import
Ladontae Henton’s 20-point performance,
while Calvin Abueva added 26 off the
bench to give the Aces the victory.
Kia entered the fourth ahead by 10,
77-67, before Jayvee Casio led the charge
to tie the game at 84-all halfway through
the quarter. The two teams remained
knotted till the 1:28 mark, until Ladontae
Henton and Casio stretched Alaska’s lead
to five heading into the final 36 seconds,
PBA Elasto Painters make it rain, beat Phoenix
THE Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
buried the Phoenix Fuelmasters in 17
three-pointers en route to a 116-111
victory on Wednesday at the Ynares
Center in Antipolo.
Import J’Nathan Bullock accounted for
seven of Rain or Shine’s triples for 33 big
points, while Jericho Cruz connected for
four for 14 points. Raymond Almazan led
the locals with 25 points and 11 boards,
while Gabe Norwood was stellar off the
bench for 17.
The Elasto Painters carried a 61-45
winners to be divided equally among the
members present during the competition.
For team sports with five or more
participants, each member will receive
25 percent of the cash incentives for the
individual medal winners.
Aside from the incentives provided by
law, presidential adviser for sports Dennis
Uy—also the chairman And president
of Phoenix Petroleum Holdings Inc.—
gave an additional of P50,000 for gold
medalists, P30,000 for silver medalists,
and P10,000 for bronze medalists from
his company through the Siklab Atleta
Pilipinas Sports Foundation.
The Philippines won 24 gold, 33
silver, and 64 bronze medals during the
Published September 13, 2017 8:25 PM
Alaska Aces’ Chris Banchero and Kia Picanto’s Glenn
Khobuntin grapple for the ball in their 2017 PBA Governors’ her a “bonus round,” but it was thanks to
Cup on Sunday, September 10, 2017. Photo bu KC Cruz
99-94.
Back to back misses from Mark
Lee and Philip Paniamogan led to two
charities from Casio, putting the game
away with 11 seconds to go.
Geron Johnson carried Kia with 39
points, while Philip Paniamogan tallied
12. Nico Elorde and Mark Lee chipped in
11 each, while Glen Khobuntin added 10
off the bench.
It is the third straight victory for Alaska
as they improved to 3-6. Kia, meanwhile,
remain winless after nine outings. n Renee
Fopalan | Published BM, GMA News September 10,
2017 7:44 PM “When I competed dito sa Manila ng
edge heading into the halftime break,
but Phoenix tried to turn it around by
uncorking a 39-24 blast in the third.
Heading into the final frame, Rain or
Shine led by only one.
The Elasto Painters, however,
countered with their own 10-2 run to re-
establish a nine-point spread with nine
minutes remaining. A Mark Borboran
trey stretched the lead to 13, 102-89, but
Brandon Brown carried Phoenix into a
21-11 blast to trim the lead to three with
69 seconds left.
SPORTS
W OR LD POOL How Rubilen Amit sunk sexism and self-
doubt to be the first Pinay world pool champ
MEN used to consider playing against
their jeering that Rubilen Amit pursued
billiards to become a world champion.
At the height of billiards’ popularity,
the sport was largely dominated by
men. Because of this, Amit faced male
opponents more often than not.
“Remembering back when I was
younger… When I started out, it really
was a man’s sport. To the point na
sometimes, people would call it a vice,”
Amit told GMA News Online.
She was 12 when she properly learned
to use a cue stick. Playing pool started
out as a bonding activity with her father.
Soon she was leaving her home in Cebu
to compete in amateur tournaments in
Manila, and that’s when she realized she
had a long way ahead of her
mga amateur tournaments, since konti
lang kami na women players, like one
or two lang out of...a hundred players,
I’d always be playing against a male
opponent,” Amit recalled.
“Minsan naririnig ko, ‘O, pare, bonus
na yan, babae ‘yung kalaban mo’,” she
added.
But instead of letting it bring her
down, Amit took it as a challenge. And it
was the challenge that kept pushing her
to continue pursuing the sport for more
than two decades.
“I enjoy the challenge, na parang ‘Ha,
akala mo ha’... ‘yun din ang nag-push sa
A Norwood basket, along with a pair
of offensive boards were enough to melt
the clock, though, giving Rain or Shine
the victory.
Matthew Wright paced Phoenix with
36 points, while Brandon Brown scored
33 with 20 boards. No other Fuelmaster
scored in double figures, though, while
RJ Jazul coming closest with nine off the
bench. Jeff Chan was limited to just six
points in 26 minutes in his first outing
against his former team. n Renee Fopalan,
Published JST, GMA News September 13, 2017 8:56 PM
www.hello-philippines.com 39
in cash
medalists
akin to pursue the sport kasi mahilig ako sa Rubilen Amit showing off her medal from the SEA games.
challenge,” she said. Photo: Jessica Bartolome
Slowly, Amit started to be recognized for “With our sport, you play against
her talent instead of her gender. yourself,” she said.
She joined the national team in 2005, Giving back. Amit has conquered
and in 2009, she broke records by becoming sexism, world cups, and self-doubt, but she
the first Filipino woman to become a world is far from done.
pool champion.
She assured that she is not planning on
Recently, she snatched the silver medal setting down her cue stick anytime soon.
in the 2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games
held in Kuapal Lumpur, Malaysia. While she has a particular age in mind
to retire from the sport, Amit said that even
Mental chatter. Amit is nearly 36 now, that’s not set in stone.
and has been representing the Philippines
in international competitions for 12 years. “I have an age in mind, pero baka
She has won a total of six SEA Games gold mamaya when I reach that age, ayaw ko pa
medals, four silvers, and one bronze. She pala,” Amit laughed.
claimed the WPA women’s world 10-Ball
title in 2009 and 2013. But when it does happen, Amit plans to
make her retirement worth it.
But like all champions, Amit has an even
greater number of losses. “Hopefully by that time, I’d be able to
give back naman sa sport. I’d be able to
“Ang hindi niyo nakikita, ang talo namin, teach the younger generation, and be able
ang dami-dami,” Amit said. to help and guide the younger ones,” she
said. n Jessica Bartolome, LA/KVD, GMA News |
One loss stands out in particular, and
Amit looks back on that moment often. Published September 14, 2017 6:10 PM
“2011, SEA Games. I also won silver, but
it was the manner of how I lost. I played
scared. I was doubting...I was very fearful. I
felt na it wasn’t me,” she said.
“But when people ask me also kung ano
yung pinaka-gusto ko na medal, I would say
the same thing, because it taught me a lot,”
she added.
That internal struggle, self-doubt, and
crippling nervousness doesn’t quite go away.
Amit said that in billiards, for all its silence on
the table, invokes a lot of mental chatter.