UNLI RISE: The Beloved Basketball

Bacolod City and Negros Occidental love the sport of basketball. It is one of the most popular sports in the region close to football and boxing, with fans across all walks of life, from urban hard courts to rural dirt playing place neighborhoods.

The recently concluded FIBA Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia stirred emotions of hardcore supporters for our national team, Gilas Pilipinas, as it stayed at No. 34 in the world rankings after a big loss to powerhouse Australian Boomers (ranked #7) in the quarterfinals. Every time Gilas lost its games, bashers and haters on social media were quick to post criticisms or unsolicited advice on the type of gameplay they were using. The coaching staff of Gilas is set on its course for international glory under coach Tim with his decades of experience in using the triangle offense that most players are familiar with executing. Moving forward, the next goal of Gilas is a spot for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification (Asia-Oceania region), which begins in November 2025 and concludes in March 2027. We can only hope for a local player to take the Pinoy style of play to the world court and take it to the next level, just like local legends like Boyet Fernandez, Noli Locsin, Mike Mustre, Django Rivera, Roel Bravo, Dongking Sasuman, Vernie & Vic Villarias, Freche Ang, Reynel Hugnatan, Leo Bat-og, Jeff Chan, James Yap, LA Revilla, Nonoy Baclao, or Jeff Manday, who carried their talents to the national.

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Searching for Bobby Fischer, Queen of Katwe, Critical Thinking–one of the common things about these movies is the sport of chess. My early influence for this board game came from the late and great Grandmaster Bobby Fischer’s King’s Indian structure in the 1990s. Out of the many openings he made in his lifetime, such as the Nimzo-Indian Defense, Benoni Defense, Sicilian Defense, Queen’s Gambit Declined, English Opening, Ruy Lopez, and Alekhine Defense, the Indian opening caught my attention. Two decades later, I get a chance to interview some local chess master and they showed me some efficient variations, like I should make it to the point that I meet the classical main line (Nf3/Be2) with 6…e5, and if 7.0-0, then 6…Nc6. One of them is PCMS Earnie Abanco, who made a podium finish for Gold and Silver in Chess at the 2025 World Police & Fire Games held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA on June 29. Abanco made a name for himself in the chess community, placing mostly on the top 5 best list if not winning the title.

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At least 3 fun run events are set to gun start in the early hours of Sunday, a day before September begins, and everyone is excited to end their August with a good run for a cause. The run events offer no less than a regular runner should receive — a decent Singlet, a finishers medal, a race bib to remember, and snacks for recovery. May I push this ahead and suggest you to join the Negros Press Club fun run (3k/5k) on site at the Provincial Capitol Grounds on August 31 until 5AM. NOCPPO and BCPO will send their distance runners from the police force to support the charity run for the benefit of NPC members’ medical needs.

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Sharing a quote from Stephen Guise: “…Every giant accomplishment is made of very small steps… and to take them one at a time like this is not weak, but precise.”* (JGT)