Beermen seek to regain winning touch, battle Converge FiberXers

SAN Miguel Beer has been winning and losing close games.

Even minus their big stars, the Beermen have been competing.

It is as clear as day San Miguel will continue to be among the teams to be reckoned with as the regular season reels off sometime in October.

Meanwhile, the Beermen continue to battle with their second stringers as they take on the Converge FiberXers at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in PBA on Tour, presented by Arena Plus and sponsored by Bingo Plus, at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

After dropping tight matches versus the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the Meralco Bolts, coach Jorge Gallent’s troops hope to regain their winning ways versus the Converge side which also looks to snap its own losing skein.

The Beermen are now at 2-3, bowing to the Bolts, 89-92, as Terrence Romeo joined other SMB stars on the sideline in their last outing.

Sans June Mar Fajardo, Chris Ross, Vic Manuel, Simon Enciso, Marcio Lassiter and Romeo, the Beermen went to Jericho Cruz, Moala Tautuaa, and Rodney Brondial for leadership, firepower, and defensive muscles. Still, they dragged the Bolts to a battle.

Cruz (19 points), Allyn Bulanadi (18), Marvin Lee (18),

Tautuaa (12), and Brondial (15) all delivered double-digit outputs as starters, but SMB drew just eight markers from the rest of the team.

The FiberXers, meanwhile, have skidded to 1-3, losing their last three games after a winning debut in the preseason series -- a 119-92 rout of the Terrafirma Dyip.

After the big triumph, the FiberXers reeled to successive losses to the Magnolia Hotshots (95-99), the Meralco Bolts (88-96), and the Blackwater Bossing (97-102). (From PBA.ph)

Wheelchair race champ inspires kids to take up taekwondo

JERROLD Mangliwan, the country’s top wheelchair racer, is inspiring the next generation of his family to be competitive.

After earning a total of six Asean Para Games gold medals in the last 18 years that he has competed, he inspired his three children to find their own interest and get serious with it.

When he finally earned two gold medals in the recently-concluded meet in Cambodia, his eldest child Ryzza, a taekwondo enthusiast, got encouraged to join the regionals in Bulacan.

The 14-year old Ryzza managed to top the Region 3 qualifiers, and earned the right to represent Bulacan in the national finals of the 2023 Palarong Pambansa this July in Marikina.

“Hopefully, sumunod siya sa yapak ko(as a competitive athlete),” said Mangliwan, whose family is based in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. Mangliwan, afflicted by polio since he was two years old, is one of veteran competitors in Para Games since 2005. He feels that the Cambodia games is very special to him and his family.

“Ito na po ang pinaka-special sa akin. Kasi po, well motivated ang team,” added Mangliwan, who is married to Rosie. Because of the great support that he and members of the Philippine team had for each, Mangliwan said he was able to be at his best. Peter Atencio

89-86, while the Marikina Shoemasters dumped depleted Quezon City Gaz N Go, 89-50. Mindoro could have won outright, but Paulo Hubalde missed on a drive as the final buzzer sounded, enabling Pasay to rise to 11-3.

The Voyagers drew 29 points from Laurenz Pasul Victoria, 23 points from Alejandro Inigo and 10 from Rommel Mangalino.

Mindoro, which fell to 2-13, got 21 points from Kristan Hernandez, 16 from Christian De Chavez and 10 from Marvel Jimenez.

With Eloie Tan Marikina posting 13 points plus 9 boards, Marikina climbed to 7-8. Quezon, which fielded only 10 players, tumbled to 3-13.

The MPBL goes to the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena on Saturday with a triple bill pitting Bulacan against Bacolod at 4 p.m., Muntinlupa against Negros at 6 p.m. and Makati against Quezon at 8 p.m.

Uy toughens up in pursuit of elusive LPGT win

DANIELLA Uy has had her fair share of woes six stops into this year’s Ladies Philippine Golf Tour. But the former Junior World champion isn’t one to dwell on the past, always looking for ways to get better and stronger while gearing up for the next battle.

Heading to the ICTSI Forest Hills Classic, which begins Tuesday (June 20), Uy took a respite after another runner-up finish at Valley, hit the gym for strength training and polished her putting stroke.

That should make her armed and equipped as she chases the elusive win in the P1 million championship put up by ICTSI. “After Valley, I took a few days off to give my left wrist a rest. Then I focused on getting my body stronger in the gym and worked on my putting,” said Uy, who scored her maiden LPGT win at Riviera-Langer in 2021 but has since come up short of a follow-up victory.

She campaigned abroad for the majority of 2022 to toughen up but has not hit paydirt back on the local tour although she has never missed a Top 5 finish halfway through the season. She placed fifth in Bacolod, tied for fourth in Iloilo, shared fifth place at Caliraya Springs, lost in sudden death at Luisita, tied for third at Villamor Philippine Masters and ended up runner-up again at Valley ruled by amateur Mafy Singson. She rued her shaky putting the last time out and has put a lot of time working on her stroke in anticipation of a challenging week at Forest Hills.

“My putting was really bad (at Valley) that’s why I needed to work on it to shoot low at Forest Hills,” said Uy. “I expect Nicklaus course to be hard, it’s hilly and the greens are challenging.”

She also emphasized the need for ball control, saying: “It’s really important to know my yardages.”

Meanwhile, Harmie Constantino seeks redemption from a joint fifth-place finish at Valley, where she was tipped to figure in the hunt for a record third straight championship after topping the Luisita and Villamor stages.

Mikha Fortuna is likewise expected to atone for her final round showing where she closed out with an 80 after crowding the leaderboard with a second-round 71 in her first pro tournament.

Chihiro Ikeda, who won two legs last year, is also due for a big finish, along with Sarah Ababa, Florence Bisera, Pamela Mariano and Martina Miñoza and top amateur Lois Kaye Go, while Koreans Juyoung Kim, MinYeong Kim and amateur Jiwon Lee seek to halt the locals’ domination in the absence of injured and Caliraya Springs leg runner-up Seoyun Kim.