MANILA — Floyd Mayweather and several foreign athletes have sounded off on the latest controversy that has hit embattled boxing star and senatorial candidate Manny Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, who is gunning for a Senate seat in May, is under fire for describing couples in same-sex relationships as worse than animals.
The Filipino sportsman has since apologized for his statement, which drew strong condemnation from gay rights advocates, but maintained that he remains opposed to the idea of same-sex marriage.
“Ako po ay humihingi ng paumanhin sa lahat ng mga nasaktan dahil sa aking pagkumpara ng tao sa hayop,” he said in a video posted on Facebook on late Tuesday.
“[Pero] hindi po nagbabago ang aking desisyon na against po ako sa same-sex marriage at iyan po ang paniniwala ko,” he stressed.
Floyd Mayweather Jr., who beat Pacquiao via unanimous decision last year, disagreed with his rival’s views.
“I feel like we should stay positive and we should let people live their lives the way they want to live their lives. To each his own,” the now retired boxing champion said in an interview with TMZ Sports.
“I don’t have nothing against anyone,” he said.
But other athletes were not as kind.
Retired NBA player Jason Collins, who used to play for the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets, gave a more blunt response to Pacquiao’s statements.
Collins, the first openly gay athlete in the NBA, said the former world champion should never hold public office.
“I lost all respect for you. Bigoted people like you (& yes you are one) should never hold an office in politics,” Collins said through his Twitter account.
Football stars Joey Barton and Lianne Sanderson also didn’t appreciate Pacquiao’s remarks.
Barton, who has made 240 appearances in the Premier League, openly supports gay rights.
“Pacquiao is a huge global star who transcended his sport. He is politically motivated to help less privileged people,” said Barton. “[But] his comments are absurd and show a lack of intellect. Someone in his position should keep his ignorant bigotry private. His source of knowledge?”
Sanderson, who plays for Apollon Limassol on loan from Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League, is engaged to her teammate Joanna Lohman.
“People are entitled to their opinions but @mannypacquiao you just lost a few fans, I would say. Its a disgrace what you said. #ignorant,” said Sanderson. – ABS CBN News
THE Office of the Ombudsman found probable cause to file criminal charges before the Pasay City Regional Trial Court against a former employee of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
In separate Informations, former Finance Officer/ Foreign Service Staff III Ginia Rica Concha was charged with Malversation of Public Funds (Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code) and Violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act).
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by Melita Sta. Maria-Thomeczek, DFA Assistant Secretary for Personnel and Administrative Services against Concha who was previously assigned at the Dubai Philippine Consulate General (Dubai-PCG) from November 27, 2004 to August 21, 2006.
Investigation conducted by the Dubai-PCG revealed that “as of March 31, 2007, Dubai PCG’s local currency collection amounting to AED 106,706.11 (P1,399,702.16) was in the custody of respondent but was not deposited nor turned over to the incoming Finance Officer resulting in the loss of said funds.”
In Concha’s Memorandum dated 13 June 2007, she admitted and took full responsibility for the loss of the Dubai funds and likewise executed an affidavit of undertaking and acknowledgment of accountability.
In a seven-page Resolution, the Office of the Ombudsman determined that all the elements of Malversation are present in this case, relying heavily on her Memorandum in which “she appeared to have admitted her liability.”
She was charged with graft for causing undue injury to the government because it was deprived of the amount derived from the Philippine Consulate services of Dubai which should have been deposited with or turned over to the incoming Finance Officer.
NEW YORK – Maria Sharapova shrugged off a verbal jab from Nadia Petrova about being saved by the rain after sneaking into the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open on Sunday (Monday, PHL time).
Sharapova won a nail-biter 6-1 4-6 6-4 against her fellow Russian to set up a clash with Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli.
Petrova led 2-0 in the third set when rain halted proceedings for an hour and 13 minutes.
Sharapova spoke to her father, Yuri, on the telephone during the break and took his advice to play with increased energy and aggression when play resumed.
Petrova said it was Sharapova’s lucky day because she could regroup when the match was slipping away.
“You should ask her what happened,” a frustrated Petrova said. “I don’t know what went through her head. I had been in control in the third set. I had everything in my hands.
“Maria looked hesitant and she couldn’t get a hold of her game. But then after the rain break, actually it went in her favor because she had time to think, regroup, talk to her coach.
“And then she came out completely cool and collected. She started playing big tennis. Unfortunately, luck was on her side today.”
Sharapova paused and then shrugged when told of Petrova’s remarks.
“Great,” Sharapova said. “I’m the winner so whatever she wants to call it is fine with me.”
Sharapova was told by her coach, Thomas Hogstedt, during the delay that her father wanted to speak to her.
“I called him,” Sharapova said. “I didn’t want to hear it after, if I didn’t call him. I didn’t want to have that conversation.
“He just said, ‘Your energy dropped in the beginning of the second set. That’s over. That’s done. Now you got to go out there and fight.’ I wasn’t going to leave that court without a fight.”
Sharapova’s two hour, 14-minute victory was her 11th win in as many three-set matches this year.
“It’s a nice statistic,” she said. “It certainly wasn’t on my mind because every match is different, different circumstances, whether you have started slow and come back in the second set or whether you had a letdown in the second.
“No matter how you start the match, it’s always how you finish. Whether it’s an hour or whether it’s three hours that you’re out there, I don’t want to give up until the last point.
“That’s pretty much the mentality I have.”
Sharapova said she was motivated to finish the year strongly after landing the French Open title and an Olympic silver medal.
“I’ll tell you, it’s a lot tougher mentally, more challenging, to lose a match and say right away, ‘I’m hungry for more,'” Sharapova said. “Just because losing is not always fun.
“When you have moments of victory, when you’re holding the trophy, you think back to the work you have put in and that’s when you realize it’s worth it. That’s when there is no better motivation.
“If I didn’t have that, I would be announcing a retirement, but I’m not. I still have a lot left in me.” – Reuters
Filipino-American Kyla Ross was part of the five-woman team that won gold at the team all-around event in artistic gymnastics Tuesday, with the 15-year-old contributing to the USA’s final score of 183.596.
The Russians settled for silver with 178.530, while Romania settled for bronze with 176.414.
Ross scored 15.133 on the beam and 14.933 on the uneven bars, contributing 30.066 to the US total of 183.596. It was the first gold for American team gymnastics since their last one 16 years ago in Atlanta. It is also their first gold on foreign soil.
Born in 1996 in Honolulu, Hawaii, Ross started in gymnastics when she was three. Her mother Kiana is half Filipino and half Puerto Rican, while her father Jason is part African-American and part Japanese.
“Thanks everyone who has supported me and my team throughout this journey! We are so honored to wear that red white and blue on our backs,” said Ross on her Twitter account @kyla_ross96.
The performance of the women’s gymnastics team certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed. President Obama called to congratulate the five after their victory. Praises also came via Twitter, with Oprah Winfrey, basketball star Carmelo Anthony, and country singer Taylor Swift congratulating “the fab five.” – AMD, GMA News
BEIJING – Disgraced Chinese Yu Yang has decided to quit badminton while national officials have told their Olympic team leaders and disgraced players to make a public apology for throwing matches at the London Games.
Yu was among eight women’s doubles players expelled from the Games on Wednesday. The others were teammate Wang Xiaoli, South Korean pairs Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na, and Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung, plus Greysia Polii and Meiliana Jauhari of Indonesia.
“This is my last competition. Goodbye Badminton World Federation (BWF), goodbye my beloved badminton,” Yu wrote on her Tencent microblog. “We … only chose to use the rules to abandon the match.
“This was only so as to be able to compete better in the second round of the knockout [stage]. This is the first time the Olympics has changed the [event’s format]. Don’t they understand the harm this has caused the athletes?
“You have heartlessly shattered our dreams,” said Yu. “It’s that simple, not complicated at all. But this is unforgivable.”
Yu and Wang were the top-seeded pair.
The eight players were turfed out of the Olympics by the BWF for throwing matches in a bid to secure more favorable draws later in the tournament.
The sight of four pairs deliberately easing off disgusted a crowd of 4,800 packed into Wembley Arena expecting to see the best of badminton’s best.
Hopeless shots
Instead the fans were treated with disdain as the Chinese, Korean and Indonesian players sprayed hopeless shots into the net and beyond the lines. Their antics were also beamed around the globe to a disbelieving audience.
The Xinhua state news agency said Chinese officials were demanding their disgraced players make a public apology.
“The delegation has already severely criticized and educated the responsible badminton leaders, team and relevant players and demanded they profoundly recognize the seriousness and the harmfulness of this matter, reflect deeply on it, publicly apologize and resolutely prevent such incidents from happening again,” Xinhua quoted an unnamed spokesman as saying.
Li Yongbo, chief coach of the Chinese badminton team, said the poor behavior of his players reflected the shortcomings of the new regulations in the sport.
“I feel that no matter whether it is the rules or something else, that’s no excuse,” said Li. “The key point is we did not behave professionally as athletes and did not treat each match seriously.
“We didn’t strive with all our might in the Olympic way. From that point of view we really didn’t grasp this point thoroughly … as chief coach I really feel I must say sorry to fans and viewers nationwide,” Li told Xinhua.
The issue has generated heated debate on Chinese microblogs.
While some people said the players deserved to be thrown out, others expressed sympathy.
“They should certainly be punished but the burden should not fall on those two players. The trainer was the mastermind behind this. The players are only scapegoats,” wrote one user on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo. – Reuters
The brief but heavy rain showers and thunderstorms that hit Metro Manila and nearby provinces since Thursday night may persist all the way to Monday, when President Benigno Aquino III delivers his State of the Nation Address, state weather forecasters said Friday.
In its special three-day weather outlook, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said such rain is due to the southwest monsoon enhanced by an active low-pressure area (ALPA) over Extreme Northern Luzon.
“The southwest monsoon enhanced by the ALPA over extreme northern Luzon will continue to bring scattered rain showers (light to moderate rains) and thunderstorms (brief but heavy rain showers) over Metro Manila,” PAGASA administrator Nathaniel Servando said.
Similar weather conditions may be expected over Luzon and Visayas especially the western sections, he added.
Earlier, PAGASA weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said the ALPA is expected to intensify into a cyclone while inside Philippine territory. If it does, it will be codenamed “Ferdie.”
“Asahan natin maulan pa rin sa Lunes lalo sa Luzon at Visayas. Ang active low-pressure area inaasahan natin lalabas sa Philippine area of responsibility maaring Sabado o Linggo, at kung magtagal maaring Lunes,” Aurelio said in an interview on dzBB radio. (GMA News)
MANCHESTER – The United States warmed up for the defense of their Olympic men’s basketball title by handing hosts Britain a 118-78 thrashing before a 17,000 sell-out crowd on Thursday.
Deron Williams and Carmelo Anthony each scored 19 points among six Americans in double figures while Britain’s NBA All-Star Luol Deng led all scorers with 25 points at the MEN arena.
The win came 10 days before the U.S. face France in their opening Group A game at the London Olympics. Argentina, Tunisia, Nigeria and Lithuania are also in their section.
The Americans were hugely popular with the Manchester crowd and the names of players such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were greeted with louder cheers than those of their British counterparts in the pre-match introductions.
Portland Trailblazers’ new signing Joel Freeland put Britain 2-0 ahead but that was the closest the home crowd would come to dreaming of an upset over the world renowned Americans.
A 10-0 run at the end of the first period put the U.S. 33-20 in front and they were 55-37 ahead at halftime before winning comfortably, though the players are taking nothing for granted.
“If we don’t come to play, if we’re not ready, we can be beat,” said Williams, a point guard with the Brooklyn Nets. “Teams could beat us.
“Spain is one of them, Brazil is one of them, Argentina is one of them and we’re playing all three teams in warm-up games so hopefully that will help us.
“We realize we have some flaws in our game and we have to sew them up,” he added.
Second-half collapse
Britain coach Chris Finch was unhappy with his team’s second-half collapse and blamed mental lapses for a heavy defeat but he warned that the U.S. were not guaranteed to win gold.
“Every game has to be played out, every possession has to be played out,” said Finch. “Of course they can be beaten. There are a lot of quality players, a lot of experienced teams in the field.
“The Americans shot the ball extremely well and they have to continue to do so. They’re the best team in the tournament, no doubt, but there are a lot of teams who could beat them on any given day.”
The skills of the U.S. team were certainly appreciated by the home crowd and the Americans are likely to be not only among the biggest gold medal favorites but also the most popular.
“We love Great Britain, we’re brothers and I think the fans here are really appreciative of outstanding basketball,” said U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski.
“The one thing about Great Britain is you appreciate someone who is really good in their sport. There is an etiquette there, a respect, that transcends all sports in Great Britain.
“If an opponent is that good, you acknowledge that and our guys really played hard tonight. It was just a really good night for basketball in Great Britain.”
The hosts face Australia, Brazil, China, Spain and the Russian Federation in their Group B games starting on July 29 (July 30, PHL time). – Reuters
Posted onJuly 11, 2012|Comments Off on Dolphy was proud to be OFW in Hong Kong in 1940s
Dolphy was proud to have been one of the first OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) in Hong Kong in the 1940s, having been a young dancer and errand boy there, struggling like the masses of Filipinos who later adored him.
Dolphy, born Rodolfo Quizon Sr. in Tondo, Manila on July 25, 1928, passed away at age 83 on Tuesday at 8:34 p.m. in Makati due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Dolphy was rushed to the intensive care unit of the Makati Medical Center on June 9, after complaining of difficulty in breathing. He also suffered from pneumonia and kidney ailments.
In an interview with GMA News in 2009, Dolphy recalled how, at just over 20 years old, he worked as a dancer in Hong Kong in the late 1940s. When not on stage or the dance floor, he was also an errand boy.
“Nagsasayaw lang ako, may boss din akong nagdala sa akin, errand boy din ako and at the same time nagsasayaw din ako,” he recalled.
“Unang dating ako, nakikisama ako at gusto kong matuto, ako ang pinaka-errand boy ng pinakaboss ko. Tsaka, marunong-runong ako ng English,” he said.
He said his attitude of being “mabilis at masipag,” was probably the reason why was entrusted to run errands for his boss.
In a concert in Hong Kong in 2009, Dolphy introduced himself as an OFW and told the audience, “Alam nyo ba 1950 pa lang, nagtatrabaho na ko dito..”
Advice for OFWs: Don’t gamble
Dolphy encouraged OFWs to protect their hard-earned money.
“Dapat ingatan nyo, kung nagsusugal, huwag kayong magsusugal. Yan ang unang-unang iwasan yang sugal… Daig lahat ng sugal,” Dolphy said.
He added: “Be practical.”
“Kain ka nang kain sa labas, bumili ka na lang ng naka-stock sa bahay. Kasi kami ganoon eh. Meron akong loaf of bread,” he said.
He even recalled how much the Philippine peso fared against the Hong Kong dollar.
“Ang pera natin mas mahalaga kaysa sa pera nila. Natatandaan ko ang one peso is two dollar and eighty cents. Ang value — 2 is to 2, or 3 is to 1 ang pera natin.”
He said “masarap ang buhay at mura ang bilihin noon.”
After his stint as an OFW in Hong Kong, Dolphy became one of the most popular actors in the Philippine movie and television industry, having starred in over 200 movies, including the hit TV sitcom “John en Marsha” where he played the role of John Purontong.
Dolphy was born in Tondo, Manila to Melencio Espinosa-Quizon, a ship mechanic, and Salud Vera Quizon.
The Comedy King was the eldest of 10 children that included Corazon, Josefina (Josie), Melencio Jr. “Junior,” Laura, Aurora (Auring), Jorge (Georgie), Jaime (Jimmy), Teresita and Jaime.
Dolphy had 18 children from six different women:
six children with Grace Dominguez,
four with Gloria Smith,
four with Baby Smith,
one with Vangie Tagulao,
one with actress Alma Moreno, and
two (one was adopted) with singer Zsa Zsa Padilla.
Dolphy never married any of the six women he was with. — VVP/HS, GMA News
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Comments Off on Dolphy was proud to be OFW in Hong Kong in 1940s
Despite his high regard for the late King of Comedy Dolphy (or Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr. in real life), President Benigno Aquino III won’t intervene in the process to select the new set of National Artists.
“The President thinks very highly of Mang Dolphy. However, we have stated in the past that we do not want to politicize the process. We do not want to make any prejudgments,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said during a briefing in Malacañang on Wednesday.
She issued the statement amid calls to declare Dolphy, who passed away on Tuesday night, as National Artist.
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), together with the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), manages the process for the award.
The selection of nominees is administered by the Special Research Group, which validates the works of the nominees, and the National Artist Award Council of Peers, which screens the nominees and recommends them to the NCCA and CCP boards. The boards then deliberate and make a vote.
The final list is then presented to the President, who confirms the list and confers the award.
Dolphy nominated
Valte said that Communications Group Undersecretary Manolo Quezon had spoken to the NCCA last week and was informed that Dolphy has been nominated for the Award.
She said the late comedian was nominated by the Manila City Council.
“They will be receiving other nominations. The NCCA has gotten clearance from the Office of the Solicitor General to proceed with the screening and the vetting of nominees for National Artist for 2012. So they will be proceeding with their screening and vetting,” she said.
Valte said that when Dolphy was nominated for the same award in 2009, he only managed to pass the first screening and not the succeeding ones.
She noted, however, that they don’t want to preempt the selection process. She likewise refused to comment on Aquino’s inclination regarding the issue.
“The President obviously has very great respect for Mang Dolphy. Nakita naman din po natin ‘yung naging pahayag ‘nung Pangulo—‘yung naging pahayag ng Pangulo noong ginawaran po siya ‘nung Order of the Golden Heart—and apart from that the statement of the President yesterday,” she said.
“[Pero] magsasalita na lang po tayo kapag nakapagbigay na ng shortlist ang NCCA for the award,” she added.
Earlier in the day, the Palace official also said that the conferment of the award must go through the proper process.
The award
The National Artist Award (Gawad Pambansang Alagad ng Sining) is considered “the highest national recognition given to Filipino individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts.”
The award is given both to living artists and to those who died after the establishment of the award in 1972 who excelled in the following fields: Music, Dance, Theater, Visual Arts, Literature, Film, Broadcast Arts, and Architecture and Allied Arts.
Recipients of the award are entitled to a cash prize of up to P100,000, monthly life pension, medical benefits, life insurance coverage, and a state funeral.
Valte, meanwhile, said Aquino has expressed his intention to visit Dolphy’s wake but has yet to set a specific schedule for it.
She also said that the President will still have to hear proposals to declare a National Day of Mourning for the actor’s passing. –KG/HS, GMA News
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan on Sunday called on the Philippine government to disclose the truth behind a New York Times report that the United States military conducted a drone strike in the Philippines in 2006.
The July 6, 2012 New York Times article by Mark Mazzetti called The Drone Zone claims that a Predator drone fired a “barrage of Hellfire missiles” in the “jungles of the Philippines”. The drone strike was an attempt to kill Indonesian Bali-bomber Umar Patek.
The New York Times article said that the drone strike was reported as a “Philippine military operation”.
The strike failed to kill Patek, who was recently convicted by an Indonesian court for 20 years for his role in the Bali Bombings.
“Is the US unilaterally conducting these drone strikes in violation of our laws and of the VFA itself? From the looks of it, the claim that the US is not engaged in direct combat in the Philippines is a patent lie being perpetuated by both the US and Philippine governments,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr. in a statement.
In a phone interview with GMA News Online, Reyes also voiced his suspicions that the February 2012 air strike that killed Jemaah Islamiyah leader Zulkifli bin Hir, and Abu Sayyaf leader Umbra Jumdail, alias Dr. Abu, was actually a drone attack.
Reyes said that the U.S. and Philippine governments later revealed that the air strike was conducted with an American guided “smartbomb” dropped from a Philippine plane.
“The Philippine Air Force is not capable of this kind of pinpoint air strike. The strike was done at 2 a.m.,” said Reyes, “Imagine the visibility at that hour.”
Dr. Abu was said to be involved in the 2001 the Dos Palmas and Sipadan, Malaysia kidnapping incidents.
“While the PH government must deal decisively with suspected terrorists, it is unacceptable to allow a foreign power to conduct combat operations in our country. This makes us no different from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq,” he added.
Furthermore, Reyes said that these drone strikes places Filipinos at risk.
“Just remember the countless civilians that have died in Pakistan and Afghanistan because of these drone strikes conducted by the U.S.,” Reyes said.
Drone strikes ban
In a March 2012 Agence France-Presse interview, President Benigno Aquino III said the Philippines is only allowing US drones to conduct reconnaissance flights over Philippine territory. Strikes from the unmanned planes are banned.
When asked whether the Philippines would allow, or had allowed, US drones to drop bombs, Aquino said that would violate a ban on the American forces from participating in combat operations.
“No drone strikes,” he said.
According to the report, hundreds of American troops have been helping to contain an Islamic militant threat for a decade.
“They are here as advisers. They are here as trainers. They can not participate in combat operations,” said Aquino.
As of posting time, Neither the Department of National Defense nor the Armed Forces of the Philippines could be reached for comment regarding the New York Times story or Bayan’s allegations. — DVM/LBG, GMA News
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