Nine North Luzon Players to Compete at the Jr. NBA Philippines National Training Camp

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Over a thousand young basketball players from Baguio, Benguet, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan and other nearby provinces joined the Jr. NBA Philippines North Luzon Regional Selection Camp at Benguet State University in La Trinidad on March 23-24.

After two days of basketball drills and exercises, seven boys and two girls exhibited outstanding oncourt skills and embodied the core values of the game and will move on to the next stage of the program—the Jr. NBA Philippines National Training Camp-- in Don Bosco Technical Institute Makati on May 17-19. A roster of 40 boys and 40 girls will be gathered from the Jr. NBA Philippines Regional Selection Camps in Benguet, Butuan, Dumaguete, Lucena, and Metro Manila, and a select group from the Alaska Power Camp. Players from across the archipelago will showcase their talents and vie to be named as Jr. NBA Philippines All-Stars.

“What I’ve noticed here in Baguio is that there are a lot of good dribblers. The kids here are very competitive, very enthusiastic. They’re working hard. The three questions I always ask the kids – Did you have fun? Did you give your best? And the last one is, do you love basketball? And it’s all, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” and I think that’s our goal here, making sure that the kids are learning basketball, they’re having fun and more importantly they are giving their best,” said former PBA player Tony dela Cruz from presenting partner Alaska.

This year, Jr. NBA Philippines All-Stars—comprised of as many as five boys and five girls—will compete in the first Jr. NBA Global Championship Asia Pacific Selection Camp, a week-long camp in June that includes top youth players from North Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific region.

The Asia Pacific regional competition will provide the 2019 batch of Jr. NBA All-Stars the opportunity to represent the region in the Jr. NBA Global Championship that will be held Aug. 6-11 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida. The international event will feature talented youth from the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, China, Mexico, Africa, India and the Asia-Pacific.

Boys and girls aged 10-14 years old can join the remaining Jr. NBA Philippines Regional Selection Camps in Dumaguete (March 30-31), Butuan (April 13-14) and Metro Manila (April 27-28) by registering at www.jrnba.asia/philippines.

Jr. NBA Philippines 2019 is presented by Alaska, with AXA, Gatorade, Globe, Panasonic, Rexona and Vivo as official partners. ABS-CBN S+A, Basketball TV and NBA Premium TV are the official broadcasters of Jr. NBA Philippines.

For all things NBA, fans can follow Jr. NBA on Facebook and the NBA at www.nba.com and on Facebook and Twitter. Fans can visit www.alaskamilk.com to learn more about the Alaska Milk Corporation, and follow Alaska Milk on Facebook for more information about Alaska Sports

Ramon Gonzales Eager To Sustain Winning Momentum In Homecoming Bout

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Ramon "The Bicolano" Gonzales has finally gotten his wish to compete in front of his countrymen after being officially included in ONE Championship's next visit to the Philippines.

The Filipino National Kyokushin Karate Champion is slated to duke it out with Japan's Akihiro "Superjap" Fujisawa at ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR, which emanates from the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on 12 April.

He won his last two bouts under the ONE Championship banner, including his first-round submission win over Dodi Mardian of Indonesia at ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES in October 2018.

Gonzales revealed that he has not stopped working since he established the first winning streak of his professional career.

"Me and my team have been training day and night after I won in Thailand. I’m very excited to represent the country once again and show the world how talented Filipinos are," he said.

"I’ve been upgrading my overall game to make sure that I’ll be prepared on whatever challenge I will be facing on the ONE Championship stage."

Capable of unleashing deadly strikes on his feet, Gonzales proved in his last couple of matches that he is capable of ending a contest by submission as well.

He plans to continue his streak, this time in Manila, as he aims to make the most out of the opportunity that was given to him by the world's largest martial arts organization.

"I have always been requesting to be included on the Manila card," Gonzales stated. "I'm eager to get back to the ONE Championship stage and continue where I left off."

Team Lakay's Edward "The Ferocious" Kelly has likewise been added to the aforementioned event as he looks to get back to his winning ways when he takes on South Korea’s Sung Jong Lee.

Also included on the same card is Eric "The Natural" Kelly, who is scheduled to lock horns with Tang Kai of China.

DOTr-MARINA Commits Full Compliance with IMO Standards to Maintain “White List” Status

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) commit to fully comply with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) for seafarers to maintain its status in the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) “White List.”

The DOTr-MARINA is taking the necessary steps to consistently improve the country’s maritime education, training, examination, and assessment system.

According to DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade, the MARINA should do its utmost to ensure that the country’s status in the IMO remains.

“Dugo’t pawis ang puhunan ng ating mga marino sa kanilang trabaho. Hindi matatawaran ang sakripisyo at karangalang ibinibigay nila sa bayan kaya nararapat lang na dugo’t pawis din ang ipuhunan ng gobyerno upang masigurong mananatili tayo sa IMO White List. Kailangang protektahan natin ang kabuhayan at kapakanan ng ating mga marino,” Secretary Tugade said.

Independent Evaluation as Part of Continuing Compliance

Starting April 2019, a panel of international maritime experts will conduct an independent evaluation as part of the Philippines’ continuing compliance with the pertinent provisions, particularly Regulation I/8 or in the area of Quality Standards, of the International Convention on STCW, 1978, as amended.

As a State Party to the STCW Convention, the Philippines is mandated to ensure that an evaluation is periodically undertaken by qualified persons who are not involved in the implementation of this international regulatory instrument in the country.

The evaluation is aimed at providing an independent assessment of the effectiveness of the quality standard arrangements at all levels.

Meanwhile, MARINA OIC Administrator Vice Admiral Narciso Vingson Jr. is confident that the evaluation of the country’s STCW system will solidify the Philippines inclusion in the “White List” of the IMO.

“Our engagement with the professional services of independent evaluators shows our full efforts in maintaining our seafarer’s reputation worldwide as a dependable maritime workforce. We will continue to comply with IMO standards for the benefit of our seafarers,” Vice Admiral Vingson said.

The results of next month’s evaluation will form part of the regular Communication of Information of the Philippines to the IMO as required under Regulation I/7 of the Convention.


Caution against undue panic

Contrary to recent reports, the Philippines is still included in the “White List” of the IMO, signifying the nation’s compliance with international maritime standards.

This is attested by the IMO MSC Circular (MSC.1/Circ.1163/Rev.11) published on 14 December 2018.

The “White List” refers to parties confirmed by the IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) to have communicated information that demonstrates the full and complete effect that is given to the relevant provisions of the STCW.

In a statement released on 21 March 2019, the DOTr and MARINA cautioned the public to remain vigilant against claims that the country was allegedly excluded from the IMO White List.

With proof of compliance with IMO standards, the livelihood of the country’s over 400,000 seafarers ultimately continues to be among the top priorities of the DOTr and MARINA.