SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2015

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03 04Coronation, grand finalefor the most beautiful

Pinay set on Friday

Page 06Ai-Ai, Jose, Wally and Marian headline GMA’s upcoming program Sunday PinaSaya

PHILSOC-MSK holdsbasic CPR at embassy

shelter

MANILA: Flash floods caused by heavy rain havekilled at least seven people, including four children, inthe southern Philippines, officials said Wednesday.Two others remain missing.

The regional Office of Civil Defense said the deadin southern Bukidnon province’s Valencia City includ-ed a 6-month-old girl and three other children aged 6to 9. They drowned Tuesday but their bodies wereretrieved Wednesday.

Weather bureau official Esperanza Cayananwarned of possible landslides after two weeks ofheavy rain in the central and southern regions.

She said starting Wednesday, the southwest mon-soon will be enhanced by Typhoon Soudelor, trigger-ing strong to moderate rains. Soudelor is approach-ing the Philippines but is not expected to make land-fall. As of late Wednesday, Soudelor was 1,235 kilo-meters (767 miles) east of northern Calayan island,packing winds of 195 kilometers (121 miles) per hourand gusts of up to 230 kph (143 mph).

Cayanan is moving at 20 kph (12 mph) and isexpected to blow away by Saturday towardTaiwan. —AP

7 killed, 2 missing in flash floods in

southern Philippines

KUALA LUMPUR: The United States and Chinaclashed Wednesday over who is to blame for risingtensions over territorial disputes in the South ChinaSea with Washington demanding a halt to “problem-atic actions” in the area and Beijing telling foreign par-ties to keep out.

In blunt but diplomatic terms, U.S. Secretary ofState John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yisuggested that efforts to ease tensions over compet-ing claims remained a contentious work in progressdespite hopes for movement on ways to resolvethem here at a Southeast Asian regional securityforum.

Kerry urged China to end provocative land recla-mation projects in the South China Sea that haveratcheted up tensions with its smaller neighbors insome of the world’s busiest commercial sea lanes.

Continued on Page 2

US, China bicker over territorial claims

in South China Sea

SAPANG UWAK: Philippine bush man Edward Serranostruck two rocks together and wrapped the faint spark inwood shavings, building a fire in much the same wayStone Age man must have done two million years ago.

The short, Afro-ed jungle survival instructor is an Aeta,from one of the most unique ethnolinguistic peoples ofthe Philippines, who are also the archipelago’s first

known inhabitants.But after hunting and gathering for most of the past

40,000 years, their bushcraft is nearly forgotten, many oftheir languages are all but extinct, and their way of life isswiftly dying out.

Rapid urbanisation has turned tiny Aeta forest settle-ments into virtual islands, their nomadic lifestyle shut

down as the deer, warthog and jungle fowl they hunt forfood are extirpated.

“We can no longer do many of the things that ourancestors took for granted,” said Serrano, a high-schooldropout who teaches soldiers and police how to makefire without matches or lighters.

Continuned on Page 2

Philippines’ Aeta people ‘beggars’ in their own land

SAPANG UWAK: File photos taken June 11, 2015, show, ‘aeta children’ and the daily struggles of ‘aetas’ at Sapang Uwak, whichmeans Crow Creek, in the foothills of the Pinatubo volcano about two hours’ drive from Manila. —AFP

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2015 2

Continued from Page 1

Wang, meanwhile, sent a strong message that those withoutclaims, such as the United States, should allow China and the oth-er claimants to deal with them on their own.

Kerry told foreign ministers of members of the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations that the U.S. shares their desire “to ensurethe security of critical sea lanes and fishing grounds, and we wantto see that disputes in the area are managed peacefully and onthe basis of international law.” A senior U.S. official said Kerry madethe case for easing tensions in a closed-door meeting with Wang.

In his meeting with Wang, Kerry reiterated U.S. concerns aboutthe rising tensions and “China’s large-scale reclamation, construc-tion, and militarization of features,” according to the senior U.S.official.

The official said Kerry had “encouraged” China, and the otherclaimants, “to halt problematic actions in order to create space fordiplomacy.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity becausehe was not authorized to speak publicly about the private meet-ing.

Chinese land reclamation in contested waters has irkedSoutheast Asian nations who, like the U.S., want China to stop.Washington is calling for a halt to aggressive actions by China andother claimants to allow a diplomatic solution to the rift. The U.S.is not a party to the conflict but says a peaceful resolution of theproblem and freedom of navigation are in the U.S. national inter-est.

China rejects any U.S. involvement and insists it has the right tocontinue the reclamation projects. Beijing was opposed to theissue being raised at the security forum in the first place.

Kerry told the ASEAN ministers that his meeting with Wanghad been “good” and that he hoped “we will find a way to moveforward effectively, together, all of us” over the course of the two-day forum.

But Wang gave no indication he had been swayed by Kerry,telling reporters later that foreign parties should support Beijingand ASEAN’s plan to accelerate negotiations on a code of conductgoverning behavior in the disputed waters.

“We want to send a clear message to the international com-munity that China and ASEAN have the capability and wisdomto resolve this specific issue between us,” he told a news confer-ence. “We shouldn’t allow the South China Sea region to bedestabilized.”

He said that China is committed to a peaceful solutionthrough “rules and mechanisms already in place.” He alsopledged that China will uphold freedom of navigation and over-flight at sea. “There has not, and will not be any problem in thisregard,” he said.

However, ASEAN members have complained that althoughChina has pledged to start substantive negotiations with themon a code of conduct governing behavior in the resource-richand busy waterways, there is a gap between its pledge and thesituation on the ground.

China, Taiwan and several ASEAN members - the Philippines,Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei - have wrangled over ownershipand control of the South China Sea in a conflict that has flaredon and off for decades.

Tensions rose last year when China began building artificialislands in the Spratly Islands, which the U.S. and Beijing’s rivalclaimant countries fear could impede freedom of navigationand overflights in a major transit area for the world’s oil andmerchandise.

The disputes have led to deadly confrontations betweenChina and Vietnam, and Washington and governments in theregion are concerned that greater military deploymentsincrease the risk of miscalculations and accidental clashes thatcould spiral out of control.

U.S. officials say China has reclaimed more than 3,000 acres(1,200 hectares) in the last 18 months alone. That figure dwarfsthe 100 acres (40 hectares) that Vietnam, Malaysia, thePhilippines and Taiwan have reclaimed in disputed areas overthe last 45 years.

Wang bristled when asked about calls for China to halt itsisland-building activities. “China has stopped, China hasstopped. You want to see who is building? Take a plane and gosee who is still building,” he said. —AP

Philippines’ Aeta ...Continued from Page 1

He teaches them where look for water, should they get lost inthe jungle, and which leaves, fruits and seeds are safe to eat —skills learnt from his father.

Sapang Uwak, which means Crow Creek, his sun-baked villagein the foothills of the Pinatubo volcano about two hours’ drivefrom Manila, showcases both the old way of life — and the disrup-tion of the new.

Languid water buffaloes pull carts filled with bananas and taroalong dirt roads, parched river beds and forests that the communi-ty of 1,700 people claim as their ancestral domain.

But to leave their village to take their produce to market or findwork as farmhands or construction workers, they have to passthrough a giant private entertainment park.

‘Aliens in our own land’ A 1997 law recognised the rights of some 15 million ethnic

minorities to their ancestral lands, and Sapang Uwak and nearbyAeta settlements have filed claims on a combined 17,000 hectares(42,000 acres).

However, the government has yet to define the boundaries ofmany areas, fuelling fears of encroachment by private developers,said Roman King, leader of an association of Aeta communities.

“We were the first peoples of the Philippines, but now we arealiens in our own country,” said King, a retired policeman from thenearby settlement of Inararo.

“If we lose our lands we have nowhere else to go... You’ll seemore of us begging in the streets,” he said.

Most of the Philippines’ estimated seven million Aetas live intiny, isolated communities, engaged in slash-and-burn farming —clearing forests for fields — moving with the seasons and with lim-ited contact with the outside world.

Aside from Sapang Uwak, three other Pinatubo Aeta communi-ties have won titles to 39,000 hectares, giving the families steadycash from land leased to quarries, golf courses, and tourist resorts.

But it is a cumbersome process and typically takes years tocomplete, said Jonathan Adaci, director of the ancestral domainsoffice at the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.

A mere 180 titles have been handed out nationwide, with somefive million other claims still being processed, Adaci said.

By law ancestral domains cannot be bought nor sold, but thishas not stopped outsiders from mysteriously obtaining titles.

“At times there are some powerful people in governmentinvolved,” he told AFP, declining to give names.

Unscrupulous people talk uneducated Aetas into parting withtheir land inheritance for a pittance, said Cynthia Zayas, aUniversity of the Philippines anthropologist.

“Private developers are eating up their land. The way it’s turningout, they could become squatters in their own land,” Zayas added.

The Aetas of Sapang Uwak are dismayed at the delays, but feelhelpless, said survival instructor Serrano, a father of seven in hislate 30s.

“We’ve been pushed out in the past. We do not want that tohappen to us again,” he told AFP.

- ‘They never fight back’ -Philippine minorities have been progressively elbowed out

since the late 16th century as first Spain and later the United Statescolonised the islands, introducing the concept of property titles,Zayas said.

“They never fight back... The Aeta will just run to the mountains.They’re a passive people and they don’t like violence,” she added.

For the Pinatubo Aetas, the 1991 volcanic eruption that killedmore than 600 people only made their plight worse.

Deprived of their farms as well as game to hunt, about 35,000Aetas moved to shelters clustered close to the main towns, accord-ing to government data.

Many never left, with families reduced to begging on the road-sides.

“They also started to adopt the values of the lowlanders, theybuy junk food, eat all these processed food and acquire the illness-es of lowlanders like high blood pressure and diabetes,” Zayas said.

Getting formal titles to their ancestral lands is not enough andAetas must learn new skills by going to school, said Adaci of theancestral domains office.

“If they embrace the mainstream they should have more stabili-ty, but that means they will no longer be able to roam,” he added.

Sapang Uwak children now go to school, but most are slowstarters. Teachers often buy their pupils pencils and pads out oftheir own pockets, said first grade teacher Betsy Lozano.

“It’s a difficult existence because their parents do not reallyhave stable incomes,” she told AFP. —-AFP

SAPANG UWAK: The village of Sapang Uwak, on the foothills of Pinatubo volcano. —AFP

US, China ...

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2015 3

KUWAIT: The grand finale and coronation nights forthe on-going search for the most beautiful OFW ladiesin Kuwait is slated this coming Friday at Swiss Bel Hotel,Kuwait City. The event organized by OFW MovementFPJPI Kuwait Chapter under the watchful eye of VanessaGalila. Tara na at saksihan ang sampung naggaganda-

hang dilag na kandidata. Kasama sa mga magigingpanauhin sa event na ito sina Consul General Atty. RaulDado, Vice Consul Atty. Shiena Tesorero, Labor AttacheAtty. Caesar Chavez, Polo Staff and rest of Filipinoorganization leaders in Kuwait. Here’s the list of candi-dates:

Coronation, grand finale for the most beautiful Pinay set on Friday

Candidate #1 Nheriedel Baigtan

Candidate #4 Charishmain Montejo Candidate #5 Urelyn Jamal Candidate #6 Kenneth Abedano

Candidate #7 Ma. Cecile De La Cruz Candidate #8 Marsha Nalagon Candidate #10 Karen Milan

Candidate #2 Fely Suyat Candidate #3 Irene Marasigan

Candidate #9 Chiney Abellar

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2015 4

PHILSOC-MSK holds basic CPR at embassy shelter KUWAIT: The Philippine Society of Marketing Specialists in Kuwait (PHILSOC-MSK) held its Basic First Aid Training with CPR & Feeding Program last Friday at the Philippine Embassy, OFW ResourceCenter, Hateen. The event was a part of the whole year program and advocacy of the PHILSOC-MSK to OFW wards sheltered in Hateen. The group would like to thank Ms. Virginia De Leon Santos(a licensed instructor from American Heart Academy) who conducted the training. Also the Dairy Queen, Kuwait who sponsored the Feeding Program, Consul General Raul Dado, Vice Consul AttyShienna Tesorero and all the officers and members who participated and give their support for this event. PHILSOC MSK is headed by President Nelson Fernandez, Vice-Chairman Basim Al-Ali andMs. Anna Del Mundo, the founding Chairman.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2015 5

Cardiovascular fitness program continues KUWAIT: Qadsiya Judo Hall in Hawally, the venue for weekly cardiovascular fitness programs for Pinoys once again witnessed another exciting and energetic Friday after fewweeks hiatus. The program was led by Zumba instructor Zin Jannet and hip hop dance coach Lyle Colina. Members of the Filipino organizations trooped the judo hall for thecomeback event! Congratulations to all participants!

By Miramar Del Mundo

FR. RAMON (Monching) ATANACIO(Kuwait Cathedral Parish Priest)

1Sa larangan ng pagtula, ay kulang ang karanasan

Nitong inyong abang lingkod ,na taga batangas langnaman

Datapwat sa ngayon ,nagbabalak na susubukan ,Kung papasa sa balana ,tula ko ay sisimulan.

11Ito’y tungkol sa isang taong ,tumawag ng aking pansin

Nagpabago sapananaw ,pumukaw sa kaisipanNapalapit sa aking puso, ginagawang kabutihan

Hindi lang sa Panginoon, kundi sa pang kalahatan.111

Tinutukoy ay di iba ,kundi sya’y isang pari,Nadestino dito sa kuwait ,sa atin ay napalapitAlam naman nting dito, klima ay sobrang init

Para namang nagyeyelo, pag dumating ang taglamig.Iv

Kanyang sakripisyo’y, di matatawaran ,Sa pagtupad niyong misyon, sa balikat nya’y nakaatang

Salita ng panginoon,buong pusong hinihimayWalang sawang paghahayag ,ginagawa gabi’t araw

VSa ganito nating kalagayan, na malayo sa pamilya

Paring katulad nya, ang karamay sa tuwinaSalamat sa pangangaral, paggabay at inspirasyonHangaring tayoy manalig, sa maykapal mapalapit

ViNagpapasalamat din ako, sa ating Dyos na dakila

Na paring tulad nya, ang itinalagaLakip ang dalangin , na sana sya’y pagpalain

Ilayo sa sakuna, patuloy na palakasin.Vii

Humahanga ako sa tulad nyang, walang sawang naglil-ingkod

Kahit saan idestino, buong pusong sumusunodIlan kayang katulad nya, ang sa mundo’y namumukod

Busilak ang kanyang puso, kalooba’y mapagtantoViii

Isip ang nagdikta, at puso ang ngsalitaPara akoy makabuo, nitong isang simpleng tulaDi kakasya ang espasyo, sa marami pang kataga

Paghanga sa katangian, nitong paring mapagmahalX

Salamat syo ,aming pari na butihinSalamat sa sakripisyo at sa matapat mong hangarin

Dika malilimutan habang buhay tataglayinPangalan moy nakatatak, sa puso ko at damdamin

ANG BUTIHING PARI

GhinHappy birthday kay Ghin,work po siya sa BadurTravels-Kuwait sa Aug 12naman sya. From SisterMay and Family

JergyHappy Birthday to Jergy Ilagotoday (Aug 9). Greetings frommama, titos and tiatas; tita May &ate Jane of Kuwait.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2015 6

On August 9, GMA Network raises the bar in Philippineentertainment with the premiere of its newest comedy-musical variety program Sunday PinaSaya on its flag-

ship international channel, GMA Pinoy TV.The program redefines the usual variety show, as it offers

viewers unique production numbers featuring the hottestcelebrities, comedy sketches and fun-filled games. It also unitesthe country’s biggest names in showbiz - Philippine ComedyQueen Aiai delas Alas, well-loved comic tandem Jose Manaloand Wally Bayola, and Kapuso Primetime QueenMarian Rivera.

Ai-Ai admits that she couldn’t wait for the show to start.“Sabi ko, parang,’game na ba ‘to? Kailan na ba magsisimula?’Tapos ayan na, game na talaga. Excited ako kasi this show iscomedy-based. Patatawanin muna namin kayo bago naminkayo mas lalong pasasayahin sa hatid naming mga papremyo.

At marami pa rin silang dapat abangan na mga bonggangperformances mula sa kanilang mga paboritong artista. [I saidto myself, ‘Is this really it? When will it start?’ And then theysaid it was a go. I’m excited because this show is comedy-based. We’ll make you laugh first before we make you evenhappier with prizes. They can look forward to more great per-formances from their favorite artists.]”

Meanwhile, Marian is excited for the program as it promis-es a new Sunday variety show experience, “Patatawaninnamin sila, magbibigay kami ng papremyo, at makikita nilaang iba’t ibang klaseng talento ng mga cast dito. At ang mag-anda sa Sunday PinaSaya, hindi lang kami yung makakasamanila dito dahil every Sunday ay may mga Kapuso tayo na pwe-deng mag-guest sa show. So everybody’s welcome sa SundayPinaSaya. [We’ll make them laugh, we’ll give prizes and they’ll

be able to see the various talents of the cast. The great thingabout Sunday PinaSaya is that it’s not just the hosts that theyget to see every week, but they can also watch other Kapusoartists as guests on the show. So everybody’s welcome onSunday PinaSaya.]”

Expect nothing but the best banters and funny antics fromAlden Richards, Julie Anne San Jose, Barbie Forteza, JoeyParas, Valeen Montenegro and Jerald Napoles, who will alsobring more fun to the show.

On its pilot episode, over 10 million worth of prizes are tobe given away, tax free.

Don’t miss the much-awaited premiere of the newest andtrendiest comedy-musical variety show this Sunday on GMAPinoy T V, because Sundays are fun days with SundayPinaSaya!

Ai-Ai, Jose, Wally and Marian headline GMA’s upcoming program Sunday PinaSaya

Ai Ai Alden Barbie Marian

Jerald Julie Ann Jose Wally

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2015 7

By Nathan V. Laxamana

KUWAIT: Team standing was greatly affected when there wasan obstreperous shake up inside the ‘magic 8’ in the penulti-mate week of the Philippine Bowling Association in Kuwait(PBAK) 2nd Season Team Tournament 2015. Fourth rankBowlersmate snatched the lead role from Asian Air Safari whowas dropped to third position; Thunder Dragons and UAEExchange moved up one step forward; optimistic All StarsStrikers jumped two steps forward after demolishing Nusantara;Travel Club and Cozmo find themselves in bungling positionafter defeat while Original Pin Killers tighten its grip for the sec-ond best and LEAF remain dangling behind the eight placer.

The ‘midair collision’ of the two fliers, Asian Air Safari andSwooping Eagles, the flying creature easily down the flyingmachine (2791-2637). With their 3-game series the seasonedpilots and staff of the airliner can’t do anything whenever theswooping eagle fly overhead. Swooping Eagles top scorer wasRiz Roque (537), supported by Danny Solis (479), John Caldwell(460), Jessica Balagat (460), Alonzo Bush and Jocelyn Ty whileSafari 5-man team were Gani dela Cruz (541), Mousa Abdullah(519), Norlan Balasan (519), Sonia Mathews (511) and ZairusJavellana (403). With the third consecutive wins the chances ofthe Eagles to join the elite group was still very remote while thedefeat of the Safari it lost the top ranking.

Once more the Bowlersmate grabbed the top rank whenthey easily demolished the 4-man team Travel Club (2943-2574) by winning the 3 games and scoring over 1000 points foradditional bonus points. Prolific scorer Yousef Khalil led hisgroup when he delivered 179/194/237 (610) followed by AjiVarghese (539), Mohammad Ismat (484), Jess Tolentino (464)

and Fe Ferrer (439) while the travelers have Tony Zuleta (562),Ferdie Saliba (491), Dan Montano (486), Perla Montano (481)and Bima Nitikusumo. With the loss the Travel Club is in thebrink of ejection if it continues playing blind in the final weekof elimination.

The mettlesome bowlers of All Star Strikers played their bestbut amazed in the third game after scoring 1004 points andlearned that still they lose the game when Nusantara scored1021 but still snatched the winning points and the final scorewas 2981-2783. The ace pinbusters of All Stars were AbdulazizAl Aslawi (625), Hanadi Mezail (604), Mohannad Ebrahim (583),Fadel Qassem (578) and Ali Ashkanani (491) while Nusantara’stop scorer was Laras Nitikusumo (520), supported by Abel andIman Nitikusumo, Saleh Al Faraj, Beyamin Hasan and AhmadFahmi.

In spite of high scores made by Fahad Abul (655), Ayad AlAmiri (618) and Farid Gabriel (586) of Cozmo team still theydescend to the last seat of the top 8 while UAE Exchange land-ed in a safer ground and the final score was (2914-2837). Thetop scorer of the Exchanger was Rani Skeik (570), MikeGonzales (545), Renato Pante (523) assisted by Rudy de Lima,Mariotte Vito, Freddie Santos and Myra Manalo. Other teammembers of the lane specialists were Nasser Hajras andJeanette Angeles.

Other results: Despite fourth straight win of Magnumagainst Thunder Dragons (3093-2812) standing neverchange and remain one of the cellar dwellers; LEAF easilydisposed Tsamba Strikers (2967-2421) but still tailingbehind the last occupant of the elite group and finallyMangaf Strikers surprised the Original Pin Killers in the lastgame of the 3-game series when it halted the winning

spree by just 2 points 815-813 Team Standing after twelfth round: 1. Bowlersmate (33989);

2. Original Pin Killers (33903); 3. Asian Air Safari (33890); 4.Thunder Dragons (33775); 5. All Star Strikers (33709); 6. TravelClub (33621); 7. UAE Exchange (33584); 8. Cozmo (33571); 9.LEAF (33543); 10. Swooping Eagles (32566); 11. Nusantara(32540); 12. Magnum (32242); 13. Tsamba Strikers (31229) and14. Mangaf Strikers (30234).

Individual High Game Individual High AverageMens-A A Aziz Al Aslawi 279 Greg Melancon 226.66Mens-B Yousef Khalil 257 Mike Gonzales 182.04Mens-C Ishaaq Waahid 248 Ishaaq Waahid 188.00Ladies A Hanadi Mezail 258 Hanadi Mezail 186.25Ladies B Laras Nitikusumo 191 Alma Turley 154.41Team High Game (Scratch) - All Star Strikers (1101)Team High Series (Scratch + Handicap) - All Star Strikers (3144)

Team Weekly SeriesWeek 1 - All Star Strikers - 3144Week 2 - Travel Club - 3009Week 3 - Bowlersmate - 2944Week 4 - Asian Air Safari - 2796Week 5 - Travel Club - 2963Week 6 - Original Pin Killers - 2970Week 7 - Swooping Eagles - 2830Week 8 - Thunder Dragons - 2900Week 9 - Original Pin Killers - 2919Week 10 - Bowlersmate - 2791Week 11 - Swooping Eagles - 2814 Week 12 - Magnum - 2992

Elite group shaken by a la ‘intensity 8’ tremor

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2015

Page 7

Elite group shaken by

a la ‘intensity 8’tremor

China named 2019 World Cup hostTOKYO: China has won the right to host the 2019 basketballWorld Cup, beating the Philippines in Friday’s vote in Tokyo.

The sport’s international ruling body FIBA chose basketball-mad China following a presentation by the country’s delegation,helped by former NBA giant Yao Ming.

“I’m very excited to bring the 2019 World Cup to China,” said

the one-time Houston Rockets great, who represented China atthe 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“I’m sure millions of Chinese fans share the same joy. I knowthe feeling to play in your home country and I’m sure that samefeeling will encourage many young athletes to play basketball.

“We have to make sure we deliver on the promises we’ve made,”

added Yao, arguably his country’s biggest sporting celebrity. “Wehave to develop the level of basketball in China, in the nationalteam, in the professional league, in high school and college.”

The Philippines lost out, meanwhile, despite the support ofboxing superstar Manny Pacquiao, himself an avid basketball fan,who was on hand in Tokyo to press his country’s case.—AFP

TOKYO: Members of the Chinese delegation celebrate after FIBA (International Basketball Federation) president HoracioMuratore from Argentina announced China as the host country of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup during a ceremony inTokyo on Friday. China has won the right to host the 2019 basketball World Cup, beating out the Philippines in a vote on August 7in Tokyo. (Insets left, Manny Pacquiao, center, attends the final announcement session, right, Muratore announces China as thehost country of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.—AFP

Filipino netizens quickly took to Twitterto express their sadness over the deci-sion of FIBA to award the BasketballWorld Cup hosting rights to China in2019. One even called this day as the“National Day of Brokenhearted” in refer-ence to the Philippines’ social mediacampaign, #PUSO2019, which trendedworldwide during the country’s presen-tation on Friday in Tokyo, Japan.Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas presi-dent Manny V. Pangilinan felt the needto apologize to the Filipinos for comingup short in its ambitious bid to host the2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

“It was disappointing but we have totake it. I’m sorry that we fell short for

what we wanted for the Philippines,” hetold News5?s Chiqui Roa-Puno after theannouncement that China won the

rights to the tournament during a cere-mony in Tokyo, Japan on Friday.

“We gave our best shot.” Filipino-American actor and director

Lou Diamond Phillips was gracious indefeat. Taking to Twitter immediatelyafter the conclusion of the hostannouncement ceremony held in TokyoSaturday, Phillips offered worlds of appre-ciation and encouragement to Filipinofans, whose passion for basketball heextolled so eloquently in a passionatepresentation speech he delivered along-side Manny V. Pangilinan and former GilasPilipinas head coach and now Sports 5head Chot Reyes. — Interaksyon

‘National Day of Brokenhearted’

ReyesPhilips Pangilinan