Pictures on the Trillanes and Lim Take Over of the Manila Peninsula Hotel!

The pictures were taken shortly after Senator Antonio Trillanes and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim marched to the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City after storming out of the Makati City Regional Trial Court. Antonio Trillanes and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim called on the Filipino people to join their cause and withdraw support from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Links to a number of reads follow some of the pictures. Yes, interesting reads. And I kid you not!

- Two members of the Magdalo group who were hiding inside the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City were arrested Thursday evening.

- News correspondents Pinky Webb and Ces Drilon, together with radio dzMM reporter Noel Alamar and technical crewmen, were arrested after Trillanes’s group abandoned the standoff for the safety of the people inside the hotel.

- Catholic bishops who have been critical of President Arroyo will lead a prayer rally at Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila Friday, Bonifacio Day, to reiterate calls for her resignation over unresolved political issues hounding her administration.

- A surprised Joseph Estrada denied that he had prior knowledge of the standoff in Makati City Thursday, saying he was busy for a medical mission in Quezon City with fellow opposition personalities.

- The Philippine National Police (PNP) said that the six-hour standoff at the Manila Peninsula hotel in Makati was “well-planned,” as authorities uncovered documents proving the organization that involved Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Army Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim.

- Retired general Jose Almonte, a national security adviser during the term of former president Fidel Ramos, said Thursday he sees no end in sight for incidents such as the crisis in Makati City “as long as the government is not doing its job.”

- Director General Avelino Razon Jr., Philippine National Police chief, told abs-cbnNEWS.com that the police was in the process of identifying the members of the "threat group," which has links with Trillanes and Lim.

- Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Thursday defended the arrests of some members of the media who covered the takeover of Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City.

- Malacañang on Thursday night declared a curfew, which will start midnight up to dawn of Friday, after ending a six-hour siege at the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City.

- A handcuffed Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV was dragged by policemen out the Manila Peninsula in Makati City after he and other supporters ended the six-hour standoff at the hotel.

- Wedding groom Rian Montano was enjoying lunch at the luxury Peninsula Hotel in Manila when around 30 rebel soldiers stormed through the doors, brandishing weapons and sending terrified diners fleeing.

- The US embassy in Manila on Thursday warned American citizens in the country to avoid Makati City after a group of soldiers stormed a hotel and demanded President Arroyo's immediate resignation.

- The Australian government cautioned its nationals in the Philippines not to let their guard down during the weekend.

- Video on Police Director Geary Barias of the National Capital Region Police Office as leaves the Peninsula Manila Hotel without talking to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV after setting the 3 p.m. deadline.

- Video on The Peninsula Manila during the start of the standoff between the Magdalo soldiers of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, wearing red armbands, and government forces.

- After a daring courtroom walkout that went unchecked by their security escorts, renegade officers on trial for the 2003 Oakwood mutiny -- led by Navy lieutenant and now Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV -- again sought to seize a posh Makati City hotel.

- As I’m writing this, my eyes and ears are at the same time glued to the TV set, where practically all networks are carrying live news footage of the takeover of Manila Peninsula Hotel of forces loyal to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, both of whom are facing trial for the alleged crime of coup d’etat.

- Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim ended their day the way they started it – behind bars – after holing up at the Peninsula Hotel Manila in Makati City yesterday with about 30 supporters to demand anew the resignation of President Arroyo.

- A cloud of tear gas and armored vehicles used as battering rams forced a group of rebellious former military officers out of an upscale Makati City hotel where they had staked out for almost seven hours in the hope of launching another “people power” revolt.

- Military officials believe the standoff in Makati City was unplanned, saying Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV appeared to be on his own when he walked out of a court hearing and took over a hotel yesterday.

- We are all Filipinos. We are one nation. Why can't we act for the common good instead of destroying our country with every year that goes by? Why can't we remember that we conquered Martial Law peacefully once?

- Four members of the Manila Bulletin staff – two reporters and two photographers – were among those detained by the military during the roundup operations at the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati yesterday.

- President Arroyo ordered the military and police yesterday to “mop up all residual threats” to her administration and to “fully restore” law and order.

- The Philippine National Police (PNP) will observe maximum tolerance at a multi-sectoral rally calling for the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in Manila Friday.

- The prosecutors of the Department of Justice (DOJ) recounted how the walkout of accused junior officers happened during a hearing on the trial on the failed 2003 coup at the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 148 Thursday.

- The National Union of People's Lawyers, an organization of human rights lawyers, blasted the curfew declared by government in the wake of the Makati standoff as “unconstitutional” and said any arrests for violating the curfew would be “illegal.”

- National Police chief Avelino Razon Jr. admitted Thursday night "weaknesses" in intelligence gathering allowed the six-hour standoff at The Manila Peninsula Hotel.

"The end does not justify the means. The AnitoKid."

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Senator Antonio Trillanes and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim Take Over the Manila Peninsula Hotel!

I'm in Makati City right now. Senator Antonio Trillanes and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim marched to the Manila Peninsula Hotel after storming out of the Makati City Regional Trial Court. Antonio Trillanes and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim are calling upon the Filipino people to withdraw support from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Will later post pictures on initial developments outside the Manila Penn. Some interesting reads include:

• - Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Brigadier Gen. Danilo Lim walked out of a Makati City courtroom and called upon the Filipino people to withdraw support from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Lim, who faces court martial proceedings in connection with the uprising on February 24 last year, was testifying on the coup d'etat case against the Magdalo Group when the incident occurred.
  
  
• - Transcript of Magdalo soldier Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, which he read during the conference.
  
  
• - Civil society groups and bishops called for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to resign and called on the people to come out and show support for Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. Among them were Jimmy Regalario of the Kilusang Makabansang Ekonomiya, Father Robert Reyes, former University of the Philippines president Francisco Nemenzo, former Vice President Teofisto Guingona, Bishops Julius Labayen and Gaudencio Tobias.
  
  
• - The website of a shadowy group called "Sundalo" is calling on the people to support rebel soldiers currently holed up in a hotel in Makati, just a few hours after they walked out of a court hearing. In bold and capital letters, the website announced: “Senator Antonio Trillanes, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, and Magdalo soldiers, their guards and the people are now in Manila Peninsula.”
  
  
• - Sundalo: The die is cast.
  
  
• - The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday afternoon gave Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim until 3 p.m. to peacefully surrender to authorities, as it ordered the evacuation of guests and personnel inside the Manila Peninsula Hotel.
  

• - Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is confident that “nothing will happen after 3 p.m.” Trillanes issued the statement Thursday as the deadline set by authorities for the senator and his group to vacate the Manila Peninsula lapsed. “What we did is a moral obligation, not only as citizens of this country,” said Trillanes, adding, “It is our duty as religious individuals to do what is right.”
  

  
  
• - "Marine Captain Nicanor Faeldon is going to be forcibly arraigned on the charge of violation of Article of War 70, in the absence of counsel," Trixie Angeles said.
  
  
• - President Arroyo ordered Thursday the Philippine National Police to arrest rebel soldiers, led by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Army Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, who occupied the Manila Peninsula Hotel and called for the president's ouster.
  

  
  
• - Soldiers set up checkpoints along the south and north Luzon expressways to prevent troops sympathetic to Senator Antonio Trillanes from proceeding to Metro Manila. Trillanes and other soldiers accused of coup d’etat walked out of their hearing at the Makati regional trial court and led a march to the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City on Thursday.
  
  
• - Major General Rodrigo Maclang, commander of the military’s Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom), has declared “heightened alert” in Central Luzon, the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, and Cordillera.
  
  
• - Malacañang has advised the public to stay away from the Ayala area "to avoid any confusion," as law enforcers said it was prepared to enforce the arrest warrant on Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said however that the situation was "under control" and assured that the rule of law would prevail.
  
  
• - The Presidential Security Group (PSG) was placed on red alert as security around the Malacañang Complex and nearby streets were tightened. Brigadier Gen. Romeo Prestoza, PSG commander, assured that Palace security personnel are prepared. The development comes on the heels of the protest march of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brigadier Gen. Danilo Lim in Makati City.
  
  
• - The forces of the Philippine Army troops are "intact" and will remain loyal to the chain of command amid calls by rebellious soldiers for their troops and the public to withdraw support from the government, Army chief Lieutenant General Alexander Yano said Thursday.
  
  
  
• - Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez on Thursday afternoon said those who led the courtroom walkout and the march to the Manila Peninsula hotel may face charges of sedition. Gonzalez, who was at an emergency Cabinet meeting in Malacañang, said tagged the Makati City gathering of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Brig. Gen Danilo Lim, several opposition figures and their supporters as “illegal."
  
  
• - Profile on former Navy Lieutenant Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes IV, 36, an elected senator, who led a march for withdrawal of support call against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Thursday with Brigadier Gen. Danilo Lim and former Vice President Teofisto Guingona.
  
  
• - Profile on Brig. Gend. Danilo, who was relieved from his post as commander of the elite First Scout Rangers Regiment for allegedly plotting a coup d'etat against the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo administration.
  
  
• - Oakwood Mutiny: More than 300 junior officers and enlisted men took over the Oakwood Premier in the Ayala Center, Makati City on July 27, 2003.
  
  
• - Navy Ltsg. Antonio Trillanes IV, Army Capt. Gerardo Gambala, Army Capt. Milo Maestrecampo, Navy Ltsg. James Layug, and Marine Capt. Gary Alejano led more than 300 junior officers and enlisted men and took over the Oakwood Premier in the Ayala Center, Makati City on July 27, 2003.
  
  
• - Destabilization efforts against the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo administration
  
  
• - Statement from a Magdalo soldier
  
  
• - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has left San Pablo City aboard a helicopter and will head straight to Malacañang where she will preside over a meeting by the crisis committee of the National Security Council that will discuss the situation in Makati City involving Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
  
  
• - “Trillanes and Lim are just saving their own skin in causing (a) commotion. That is just so irresponsible… This will definitely have an effect on our economy and the foreigners’ perception on our country," said Donald Dee, chairman of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
  
  
• - On the eve of the government-imposed "deadline" for their surrender, military sympathizers of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brigadier Gen. Danilo Lim said Thursday expressed readiness to fight to the very end.
  
  
• - Sen. Mar Roxas on Thursday urged his colleague Sen. Antonio Trillanes to “be calm, and do not bring this to a point where our people’s blood will be shed," adding that “we hear the frustration, the cynicism, the estrangement from the government that is in your voice and in your positions."
  
  
• - Pro-government have started closing in on the Manila Peninsula Hotel, in what is perceived as a preparation for a possible assault on the hotel in a bid to rearrest Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim.
  
  
• - After failing to convince members of the media and supporters of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim to leave the hotel, police Dir. Geary Barias on Thursday afternoon reiterated that government troops will effect the two officials' arrest by 3 p.m.
  
  
• - "Don't let the guests leave. Don't restrain them," Antonio Trillanes said in Filipino. He gave no other statement.
  
  
• - Senator Antonio Trillanes IV issued a message Thursday urging hotel guests to remain in their room, radio DZBB reported.
  
  
• - Vice President Manuel "Noli" de Castro appealed for calm in the wake of tensions at a Makati City hotel where Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brigadier Gen. Danilo Lim have been holed up since late Thursday morning.
  
  
• - Guests started evacuating a luxury hotel in Makati City Thursday after a group of rebel soldiers took over the building and demanded the resignation of President Arroyo.
  
  
• - On Thursday, the luxurious 497-room The Peninsula Hotel Manila became an unwilling host to a standoff tension between mutinous troops led by detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and soldiers loyal to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
  

  
  
• - The Philippine military is rushing around 1,500 troops to the capital Manila to crush a mutiny by rebel soldiers who have taken over a luxury hotel, a military spokesman said.
  
  
• - Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, a former Armed Forces chief of staff, said he hopes that the situation will not end up in “soldiers killing each other.”
  
  
• - At least 50 Special Weapons and Tactics commandos have lined up outside the Manila Pensinsula hotel in Makati City to enforce the arrest of rebel soldiers who stormed out of a Makati courtroom and called for President Arroyo's resignation.

• - Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday said he expects the worst to happen after he and two dozen rebel soldiers took over a luxury hotel in Makati City and called for President Arroyo's resignation.
  
  
• - Brigadier General Danilo Lim on Thursday said they will not surrender to government authorities, despite reported deployment of pro-government troops in preparation for the serving of the arrest warrant against Lim and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.
  

  
  
• - The takeover by rebel soldiers over a luxury hotel in Makati City might be part of a bigger plot by anti-Arroyo groups to overthro the government, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said Thursday.
  
  
• - Footage taken by ABS-CBN Sky Patrol showed Special Weapons and Tactics commandos moving in battle formation towards the hotel at 4 p.m.
  
  
  
• - An hour since the 3 p.m. deadline lapsed, government troops began its assault on the Manila Peninsula Hotel at 4 p.m.
  
  
• - Government soldiers, backed by armored personnel carrier, also were seen taking combat positions outside the hotel. Some were also seen going into the hotel premises.
  
  
• - Coping mechanisms
  

The Savebuckets Online Comparison Shopping Service

I came upon this interesting site, Savebuckets, which touts itself as a free to use online comparison shopping service that aims to help users find best-buy products. Savebuckets features a ton of products, e.g., consumer electronics, from a wide range of shops. One particular product line that caught my eye was Savebuckets’ MP3 players section. Savebuckets’ MP3 players section offers a gazillion of products from every corner of the globe! A highlight of Savebuckets’ MP3 players section is the integrated feature that allows one to compare prices and sort by best price! Wow! This will surely come in handy this coming Christmas season as I try to spread the holiday cheer among all my godkids who have been naughty and nice this year!

By the way, Savebuckets also allows users to enter the maximum amount they are prepared to pay against the selected product, e.g., iPod. Savebuckets’ will then check the price of that product whenever a shop on its service has changed the price. And via email, the online comparison shopping service will contact the user when the price has reached or fallen beneath the maximum price. The email even comes with a link directly to that shop! Wow! Isn’t that neat? IT IS! And I kid you not!

Wu-Chia Ching Wins the 40th All Japan Championships 2007!

Wu-Chia Ching, one of Taiwan’s billiards masters and the 2005 World Pool Champion, beat 1999 World Pool Champion and Filipino pool legend Efren Bata Reyes, aka The Magician, 11-6, in the quarter finals of the 40th All Japan Championships 2007 at the Hotel New Archaic Hall in Amagasaki-shi, Hyogo prefecture, Japan.

Acknowledged as one of the greatest pool players of all time, Efren Bata Reyes was the best finisher among the Filipino pool players in the just concluded billiards competition. The Magician, who comes from the Puyat Sports stable, received JPY250,000 for his last eight standing along with 2004 World Pool Championship runner-up Pei Wei-chang, Japan’s M. Tanaka, and 2004 World Pool Champion Mika Immonen, aka The Iceman. Filipino pool players Lee Vann Corteza and Warren Kiamco, who come from the Negros Billiard Stable, both received JPY125,000 for making it to the last 16.

Wu Chia-Ching massacred Japan’s T. Kuribayashi at 11-3 in the finals to snatch the top prize of JPY2,000,000. Wu Chia-Ching is just 18 years old! And I kid you not! Some of the great pool players who were trounced by Wu Chia-Ching include the 2006 All Japan Champion Filipino Lee Vann Corteza, 11-6 (last 16); Japan’s H. Hijikata, 11-1, (last 4), and T. Kuribayashi, 11-3, (finals).

Taiwan’s Shu-Han Chang won the women's crown of the 40th All Japan Championships 2007 by beating Japan’s A. Otani, 9-5.

"The champions are getting younger each year. The AnitoKid."

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CarAngel and Its Donate-A-Car Program

My friend over at The Broken Bow sent me an interesting link to check out, i.e., CarAngel. CarAngel is an organization that uses car donations to create a difference in children's lives via the creation of free children's DVDs, e.g., positive children’s animations and anti-drug documentaries.

CarAngel Ministries, which averages less than 5% of revenues for overhead, touts itself as an organization that aims to help others e.g., single mothers, orphans, the homeless, teen and adult drug users, and prisoners, via car donations. Anyone can become a Car Angel and choose the charity organization that will benefit from the donate-a-car program by donating a vehicle, e.g., car, boat, plane, motorcycle, or RV, or a house. In the process, the donor receives a tax deduction while avoiding hassles associated with private sales.

So, why vehicles? Well, the vehicle that one donates goes to provide much needed funding for preschool and grade school-aged children in the poorest nations of the world. Donated vehicles are sold to fund education pursuits, feeding programs, and provide teachers and training materials for our misfortunate brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. Sudan, Columbia, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mexico, Nigeria, India, and Kenya are reputedly some of the areas that have already been touched by CarAngel Ministries. The organization also included the Philippines in its list, but this is my first time to hear about them. I guess not all charitable organizations get that much-needed exposure from conventional media, right?

And what types of vehicles that one can donate to CarAngel Ministries? It does not matter what type, model, or year! CarAngel will accept old vehicles from the 1970s and 1980s or newer ones from the 1990s. It even accepts lawnmowers, tractors, and heavy earth-moving equipment! And for transparency, CarAngel gives an instant receipt for each donation!

So, if you are not using that extra car in your garage, do check out CarAngel Ministries and help them help others. And if you do not have a vehicle to donate, perhaps you know someone who does! Tell them about CarAngel Ministries and how they can make a difference in people’s lives. Because after all is said and done, we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what give. And I kid you not!

Efren Bata Reyes in 40th All Japan Championship Quarter Finals!

Filipino pool player Efren Bata Reyes, aka The Magician, annihilated Paul Potier of Canada with a 11-1 score to advance to the quarterfinals of the 40th All Japan Championship in Amagasaki-shi, Hyogo prefecture, Japan.

The 1999 World Pool Champion, Efren Reyes aka Bata (The Kid), set an exciting showdown with Wu Chia-ching, one of Taiwan’s billiards masters and 2005 World Pool Champion. Wu Chia-ching shocked defending champion Lee Vann Corteza at 11-6.

Other Filipino pool players who saw action but failed to progress at the 40th All Japan Championship include Warren Kiamco, who bowed to 2004 World Pool Championship runner-up Chang Pei-wei at 11-10; Francisco Django Bustamante, who suffered his second loss against Yang Ching-shun; and Ramil Bebeng Gallego, who succumbed to 1996 World Pool Champion Ralf Souquet, aka The Kaiser.

The quarter finals now bills Efren Bata Reyes, Wu Chia-ching, Chang Pei-wei, Ralf Souquet, 2001 World Pool Champion Mika Immonen, and Japan’s T. Kuribayashi, H. Hijakata and M. Tanaka. It promises to be one exhilarating showdown! And I kid you not!

The best of luck to the Magician!

PRIZE MONEY

Champion: JPY2,000,000

2^nd: JPY1,000,000

3^rd-4^th: JPY500,000

5^th-8^th: JPY250,000

9^th-16^th: JPY125,000

17^th-32^nd: JPY60,000

Other interesting reads

Magician Reaches Quarter Finals of JPBA
Corteza, Reyes Whips Foes
Three Filipinos Unscathed in All Japan Pool
On the hill (in Japanese)
Bata, Corteza, Kiamco Win Openers
Pics on the JPBA Men's Bracket
Pics on the JPBA Women's Bracket
JPBA Official Site
YouTube Videos on Billiards and JPBA

"Pocket billiards is best with The AnitoKid!"

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Join the 1st Makati Pool Players Association 9-Ball Challenge!

The Makati Pool Players Association (MAPPA) will hold its 1st 9-Balls Challenge at the AMF-Puyat Superbowl, Makati Cinema Square, Makati City, on November 29-30, and December 7-8, 2007.

Schedule of games is as follows

Nov. 29, Thursday: 6:00 PM
Nov. 30, Friday: 6:00 PM
Dec. 7, Friday: 6:00 PM
Dec. 8, Saturday: 3:00 PM

Registration fee is only Php500 (five hundred pesos). Player classification is ongoing at the AMF-Puyat Superbowl. For added info, please contact 818-0239 or 811-1922. Or better yet, leave a message at this post or call/text The AnitoKid at 0918-264-4445 (+63-918-264-4445) for any queries.

Much thanks to Mr. Ted Castro and Tony Baranda for sponsoring the 1st MAPPA 9-Ball Challenge! Maraming salamat sa supporta mga kaibigan! By the way, trophies await the winners of the billiards competition! And oh! These are not run-of-the-mill trophies, mind you! These are great looking trophies (and quite heavy, too) that will make a very distinct addition to anyone’s collection! That’s a promise!

So, what are you waiting for? Get your cues ready and join the competition! It’s a 9-ball challenge you surely wouldn’t want to miss! What? Me, join? I AM JOINING! I'm cleaning my Predator 2 and Viattorre cues as we speak! And I kid you not!

"Billiards is all about cue-ball control. The AnitoKid!"

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Willy Wang Wins in the 9th World Wushu Championship! Medals from Jennifer Lagilag, Mary Jane, Marian Mariano and Benjie Rivera!

Congratulations to Willy Wang of the Philippine Wushu Team, who clinched a gold medal at the 9th World Wushu Championship held at the National Olympic Center in Beijing, China.

Willy Wang is a former world silver medalist. He is also a double gold medalist in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games. Wang defeated Indonesian Heriyanto for the gold in the Nanquan event (Southern Fist style) of the competition, which was participated in by more than 1,000 Wushu athletes from 89 countries.

More congratulations to other members of the Philippine Wushu team, who also bagged two silver and two bronze medals for a seventh overall finish in the 9th World Wushu Championship. Jennifer Lagilag and Mary Jane Estimar won the two silvers in the women's Sanshou 48-kilogram and 52-kilogram division, respectively. Marian Mariano and Benjie Rivera won the bronze medals (Sanshou) in the 60 kg and 56 kg divisions, respectively. Benjie Rivera is a gold medalist in the 2005 World Wushu Championship in Vietnam.

Other members of the Philippine Wushu Team that saw action include Jessie Aligaga (48 kg), Jason Domingo (52 kg) and Mark Eddiva (65 kg). All competed in the men's Sanshou.

The stellar performance of the Philippine Wushu Team should be an indication of another exciting finish of the Philippine squad in upcoming 24th Southeast Asian Games in Thailand – December 2007. And I kid you not!

Congratulations Willy Wang, Jennifer Lagilag, Mary Jane Estimar, Marian Mariano, and Benjie Rivera! Mabuhay kayong lahat!

"Wushu is all about discipline. The AnitoKid!"

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Another Gabriel Flash Elorde Will Rule the Boxing World!

Here is an interesting read on Filipino boxer Juan Martin Elorde, aka Bai. Bai Elorde is a grandson of Gabriel "Flash" Elorde, the greatest world junior lightweight boxing champion in WBC history.

From ABS-CBN Interactive and The Philippine Star

Despite suffering a knockdown and barely beating unheralded Glen Mondol on points a few weeks ago, superfeatherweight Juan Martin (Bai) Elorde is determined to chase the dream of following in his grandfather’s footsteps as he takes on Cris Dollesin in the undercard of the Rey (Boom Boom) Bautista-Antonio Meza main event at the Araneta Coliseum on Dec. 2.

Elorde, 23, is a Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management graduate of St. Benilde and could be managing the family’s thriving gym business but chose a career that’s not only dangerous but also unstable.

But if a grandaunt who dabbles in fortune-telling is to be believed, Elorde is destined for greatness in the ring.

Vicenta Elorde, who once predicted her brother Gabriel or “Flash” would become a boxing champion, saw in the stars a sign that another Elorde would rule the world in the future.

“Flash” was undergoing chemotherapy for lung cancer when Bai was born in November 1984. He had lost his hair, could hardly speak and was confined to a wheelchair. The ring legend visited Bai, cradled in his mother Liza’s arms, a few days after delivery and noticed a violet-colored birthmark on the baby’s left fist. His eyes widened as he held the left hand as if to pass the torch to the heir of his throne.

Today, Bai – a southpaw like his late grandfather – is a budding prospect with a 5-0 record. He turned pro last February, beating Joseph Mateo in Cebu City. Then he outpointed Leo Albao, stopped Rommel Discalsote, decisioned Ronel Esparas and survived Mondol.

Every day, Bai gets up at 5 to run 10 rounds along the Manila Memorial perimeter in front of the Elorde Sports Complex in Sucat and works out in the gym at least two hours in the afternoon. Veteran trainer Mario Lumacad is his mentor while Panchito (Sugar Ray) Estrada is the catcher in his punch-mitt routine. His father Johnny, a former Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, watches from a distance and gives pointers, too.

Against Mondol, Bai went down from a left hook to the face in the second round but never panicked. He got up, weathered the storm and held on to score a majority decision at the Mall of Asia parking lot before a crowd that included delegates in the WBC Convention.

“That’s boxing,” said Bai. “Even world champions go down. I’m not discouraged. I want to continue fighting. I’m determined to improve.”

Liza couldn’t bear to watch her son hurt in the ring and closed her eyes as he took a mandatory eight-count. She was on her fifth rosary that day. Johnny said he wanted to jump into the ring when Bai fell – not to throw in the towel but to punch Mondol.

“Two weeks before the fight, my stomach was already turning over,” she said. “If you ask me, I prefer Bai to manage our gyms in Tektite and West Avenue. But he wants to fight. He has a lot of improving to do in the gym, particularly in footwork and defense. He still fights the amateur style and he has to tuck his chin a little bit more. But he has power in both hands. He’s very dedicated. He’s inspired by his grandfather and Manny Pacquiao. With God’s help, I think he can become a world champion someday.”

Former world titlists Rene Barrientos and Rolando Navarrete, watching at ringside, gave their thumbs-up to Bai. Barrientos advised Bai to learn how to bob and weave while Navarrete told Liza to make sure he’s not overmatched.

“When Bai was knocked down, I prayed to God and asked if boxing is meant for him, to help him get up but if not, to keep him down,” said Liza. “My prayer was answered.”

For Bai, there are disadvantages and advantages to being an Elorde. “Fans expect a lot more from you if you’re an Elorde,” he said. “Opponents prepare more to beat me because I’m an Elorde. I can feel the pressure but I’m not afraid. When I’m in the ring and I get hit, I forget about the pressure. I just go out and do my best.”

Bai was paid P6,000 for his fight against Mondol and after receiving the cash, went shopping at the Mall of Asia. He loves pizza, empanada and cakes from Conti’s and enjoys going to movies with his girlfriend Jamie, a St. Benilde student. But Bai isn’t an average young adult. He’s a gifted fighter whose fate could lie in the birthmark on his left fist.


More on Gabriel Flash Elorde

WBA Super Featherweight Champion, Feb 16, 1963 - Jun 15, 1967 WBC Super Featherweight Champion, Mar 16, 1960 - Jun 15, 1967

In 1974, the World Boxing Council named Gabriel "Flash" Elorde as "the greatest world junior lightweight boxing champion in WBC history" for winning 79 bouts in his professional boxing career. In 1993, Gabriel Elorde became the first Asian inducted into the New York-based International Boxing Hall of Fame. Flash was also enshrined into the World Boxing Hall of Fame. Elorde became a world champion in the 130-pound division on March 16, 1960 when he knocked out American Harold Gomes in the 7th round at the inauguration of the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City. On August 17 of the same year, Flash Elorde knocked out Gomes in the first round in a rematch in San Francisco, USA. Since then, he has defended his title in 10 bouts for seven years, making him the longest reigning world junior lightweight champion ever (seven years and three months). Gabriel Flash Elorde was born in Bogo, Cebu in 1935. The greatest Filipino boxer of all time died in 1985.

"Boxing is such a sweet science with The AnitoKid!"

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