Following the success of the recently concluded 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Richard Bachmann expressed the agency’s aspiration to further nurture athletes that could bring glory to the country. Bachmann laid out plans to intensify grassroots and to initiate programs in order to bring consciousness to sports that are not usually patronized by youngsters and the general public.

In a battle of two teams with contrasting playstyles, TNT Tropang Giga prevailed against Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, 88-82 on Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.TNT emerged victorious behind the near triple-double performance of import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson who contributed 32 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists.Hollis-Jefferson's performance was highlighted by his three-pointer and a breakaway dunk from a steal in the homestretch of the game to help TNT bounce back from their sorry loss from their last game against Converge and regained the lead in Group A with a 3-1 record.Jayson Castro and Poy Erram joined RHJ in a 10-0 run that pushed the Tropang Giga to an 88-80 lead, after finding themselves trailing by two points going to the final four minutes of play.Using TNT’s signature threes to its advantage, Rondae knocked down one from beyond the arc to recapture the lead, 81-80, then stole Magnolia’s defensive identity when he closed the game with a winning fast break slam after deflecting the pass of Glenn Robinson III with 31.4 seconds remaining.

San Miguel took Game 1 of their best-of-five quarter finals series against Converge FiberXers, 102-95 on Thursday night, September 26, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.Beermen new import EJ Asonike, in lieu of the injured Jordan Adams, showed a decent debut performance by producing 28 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists.

Magnolia recovered from a disappointing start to dominate Game 4 of their quarter final series against Rain or Shine on Tuesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium to force a knockout game on Saturday, October 5.The Hotshots relied on their four-point shooting to extend their campaign in the 2024 PBA Governors’ Cup as they recorded a 129-100 win after.Paul Lee, in the most opportune time played his best game of the series to lead the team in saving their tournament lives. The ‘Leethal weapon” produced 25 points highlighted by a 3-of-4 four-pointers.Jabari Bird as usual delivered a quiet but effective offensive prowess for Magnolia as he led them in scoring with 30 markers.Jerrick Ahanmisi also helped in the scoring parade by contributing 14, including two 4-pointers to move out of a tie with Blackwater’s import George King (17) as the No. 1 in most four-pointers made in the PBA. His two conversions gave him the 18th and 19th of his career.Veterans Mark Barroca and Ian Sangalang also produced double-digit scoring for the Hotshots as they contributed 10 apiece. Calvin Abueva, Aris Dionisio and Rome Dela Rosa also helped in their offensive thrust as they tallied nine markers each.

Tachiana Mangin became the first Filipina world champion after dominating the 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Chuncheon, South Korea.The 16-year-old Filipina jin conquered local bet Kim Hyang-gi in the final of the women’s 49-kilogram category. Mangin secured the gold after three rounds of sparring via a 14-8, 3-4, 7-6 decision.Mangin is the first Filipino female world titlist of the tournament and the second Filipino athlete since Alex Borromeo triumphed in the 47-kilogram class in the first edition of the competition in 1996 held in Barcelona, Spain. 

Seeing the performance of his former players’ makes Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao happy after Game 3 against TNT last Sunday night, October 13, in Dasmariñas, Cavite.Even though Rey Nambatac, Calvin Oftana, and Paul Erram were considered by Guiao as problems in Game 3 because of the tight defense they showed, he’s still thankful that the Elasto Painters got the narrow 110-109 win over the Tropang Giga.

TNT narrowly defeated Rain or Shine, 81-79, to have a commanding 3-1 lead in their PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup semi-finals series.Tropang Giga import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson made the final basket of the game with a slam dunk with 37.3 seconds remaining on the game clock.Hollis-Jefferson also led TNT with his 23 points, 19 rebounds, five assists, five steals, and five blocks.

Carl Hilario emerged as the most decorated para swimmer after winning all three of his events on the second day of the Para Swimming competition in the 8th Philippine National Para Games on Tuesday, November 12, at the Teofilo Yldefonso Swimming Pool in Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.The 18-year-old PNPG rookie from Aklan gained his first gold medal in the men’s 100 meter freestyle S14 on Monday, November 11, finishing with 1:04.55.He went on to win two gold medals the following day in the men’s 200-meter freestyle S14 with a record of 2:31.80 and the men’s 100-meter butterfly S14 with 1:21.31.

The PLDT High Speed ​​Hitters finally grabbed their second straight win against the Galeries Tower Highrisers, 27-25, 25-22, 25-23, in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference held on Tuesday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.PLDT defeated the Galeries in three straight sets where the Filipino-Canadian spiker Savi Davison led the game and exploded 28 points, five of which she fired in the High Speed Hitters’ 10-2 finishing kick in the third set to snatch the victory, followed by former De La Salle Lady Spiker Erika Santos with 14 points.During her first game a week ago, she finished with a team-high 19 points, along with nine excellent receptions in PLDT’s four-set win over Nxled.“I think in my second game, I was a little bit more comfortable with how I moved around. I felt that I almost regained the trust of my teammates after coming back after missing the last conference. That felt really good, and I just feel better all around. I’m kind of just getting back to the groove of things. I honestly had no idea that I had that many points, but I’m just glad how it all transpired,” said Davison in an interview.

Nesthy Petecio, a two-time Olympic medallist, received a promotion from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) after winning a bronze medal in the Paris Olympics.The Filipina pugilist was promoted from Petty Officer Second Class (PO2) to the next higher rank of Petty Officer First Class (PO1).PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil L Gavan conducted the ceremony at the National Headquarters, Port Area, Manila, on Monday, December 2.

The NorthPort Batang Pier won their third straight victory in the ongoing PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup after overcoming Magnolia Hotshots, 107-103, on Wednesday, December 4, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.NorthPort relied on their defense to get the win. The Batang Piers tallied 15 steals and seven blocks, and also forced 24 opponent's turnovers.Import Kadeem Jack led NP with his double-double output of 30 points and 11 rebounds, to go along with two steals and two blocks.Arvin Tolentino and Joshua Munzon logged in 27 and 25 a piece to lead the local unit.Tolentino got four rebounds, one steal and a block. He also drew fouls from opponents 11 times, while Munzon added nine boards, three assists, and five steals to his name.

The Rice Vanguards seem very determined to bring back the championship in Nueva Ecija after failing to do so in the past two seasons.In their latest move, NERV signed the Marcelino twins who incidentally were part of the Zamboanga Master Sardines that they beat in the 2022 MBPL finals.On their Facebook page, the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards welcomed former MVP Jaycee Marcelino and his twin brother, Jayvee, to their turf.The team expects the relentless twins to bring their explosiveness, dynamics, and domination to Nueva Ecija.

Filipino cue artist Jefrey Roda secured the championship in the 3rd Universal Chinese Taipei Open and the World Nineball Tour (WNT) ranking event title against Ko Pin Yi of Taipei in the finals.In the finals, Roda was down 8-11 to Ko Pin Yi but won the next five racks to seal the win 13-11.It was Roda's first WNT ranking title. He first defeated Johann Chua in the quarterfinal round, 11-3,and dominated Spain's Francis Sanchez Ruiz in the semis, 11-2.In his social media post, Roda expressed his gratitude to those who supported and believed in his skills and ability to win the competition and to become champion. 

Barangay Ginebra gave a wonderful Christmas gift to their die-hard fans by defeating the Magnolia Hotshots, 95-92, in their Christmas Manila Clasico duel on Wednesday night, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.Magnolia seemed inspired to win their first back-to-back victories in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup as they erected a 55-41 halftime lead and even established a game-high 22-point lead in the third period.But the Gin Kings displayed their never-say-die attitude to put the game in a cliffhanger showdown.

Far Eastern University (FEU) continued its impressive UAAP Season 87 volleyball campaign, securing victories in both the men’s and women’s tournaments against the University of the East (UE) on Wednesday, March 26, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

Filipino-American standouts Brooke Van Sickle, MJ Phillips, and Tia Andaya are gearing up for their potential national team debut in the upcoming VTV Cup in Vietnam.This year marks the third consecutive appearance of a Philippine team in the VTV Cup.Alas Women head coach Jorge Souza de Brito expressed that the trio were not able to suit up for the AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup due to pending eligibility requirements under the Philippine Federation.Fortunately, their documentation is reportedly nearing its completion.De Brito also confirmed last week that Van Sickle had already joined the national team’s training alongside Phillips, Andaya, Maddie Madayag, and Alleiah Malaluan. 

As expected, the Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.Flagg is now expected to elevate the Mavericks franchise to new heights following the departure of former franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić, who was traded to Los Angeles before last season's trade deadline.The move to let go of Dončić sparked backlash from fans, but with Flagg now in the fold, there’s renewed optimism in Dallas — especially with a lineup that looks increasingly solid on paper.

Gilas Pilipinas put up a valiant fight but ultimately fell to New Zealand, 94-86, early Friday morning (Manila time) at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Justin Brownlee led the charge with 37 points, but a missed free throw in the final minute and a late-game surge by the Tall Blacks dashed the Nationals’ hopes of a comeback. Gilas erased an 18-point deficit and closed the gap to three, 85-82, with under four minutes remaining, but crucial turnovers and clutch plays by Taylor Britt sealed the win for New Zealand.Dwight Ramos contributed 19 points, while June Mar Fajardo chipped in 11 points and four rebounds. Jordan Ngatai paced New Zealand with 22 points—19 coming in a hot-shooting first half.Despite back-to-back losses, Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone remains optimistic as the team faces a do-or-die game in the 31st FIBA Asia Cup.After suffering their second straight defeat—this time to New Zealand—Cone acknowledged the tough situation the team is in, one few could have predicted. Gilas must now win against Iraq on Saturday to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive, as both teams are winless so far. Iraq also dropped their second game to Chinese Taipei, 87-60.“We’re disappointed, but the tournament is not over for us. We have a big game against Iraq coming up and we’ll see if we can get into the next round,” Cone said. A loss to Iraq would mean an early exit for world No. 34 Gilas Pilipinas, but Cone remains confident. “We just need to keep battling, keep our heads up, and move forward. We can’t dwell on these last two losses—there’s still more to do, and we’ll be ready for our next game,” he stressed.Gilas drops to 0-2 in group play but still has a chance to keep its quarterfinal hopes alive with a must-win game against Iraq on Saturday at 4 p.m. (Manila time).

Rookie wing spiker Alleiah Malaluan wasted no time making her presence felt in her Premier Volleyball League (PVL) debut, powering PLDT to a commanding 25-16, 25-14, 25-20 over Chery Tiggo in the 2025 PVL Invitational on Thursday, August 21, at the Philsports Arena.The De La Salle University standout fired 11 points built on 10 attacks and one ace, while also anchoring PLDT’s defense with 13 excellent digs and nine excellent receptions.Fresh from her stint with Alas Pilipinas, Malaluan expressed her gratitude for finally joining her mother club.“I’m really grateful for this opportunity because I’ve been with the team for a few months already, and this experience has been a stepping stone for me to build a connection with them. Of course, I need to develop that chemistry with everyone,” Malaluan said after the match.

Two visually impaired athletes from the National Capital Region (NCR) and Eastern Visayas (Region VIII) emerged victorious in the girls’ and boys’ categories secondary division of para athletics long jump competition.Alyana Casano Nuñez, a 20-year-old from NCR, clinched the top spot in the long jump girl’s event. Nuñez lost her sight because of glaucoma when she was 18.Despite her diagnosis, Alyana refused to let her disability hold her back. Instead, she channeled her energy into athletics, discovering a newfound sense of purpose in sports.“I hope to those who are blind like me, do not underestimate yourself because we give ourselves honor,” Nuñez said in an interview with Rappler.Meanwhile, 19-year-old Edmar Artillo from Eastern Visayas also triumphed in the para athletics long jump boys’ event.The Ormoc City native’s journey to the Palarong Pambansa was not without its challenges. He underwent rigorous training, pushing his physical limits with the guidance of his coach and teacher.“Those who have disabilities, don’t be afraid to come out and show your talents, don’t be afraid, don’t be ashamed to show yourself,” Artillo shared.The para games competitions are being held simultaneously with the Palarong Pambansa 2024.