NEWS
Cool Smashers barge into PVL finals
April 4, 2022 12:44 p.m.
ITS will and character tested, Creamline took Choco Mucho’s challenge to heart, battling back from a set down and pounding out a 23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-15 victory to clinch the first championship berth in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference in Pasay Sunday.
The big crowd were back at the MOA Arena and so were the Cool Smashers in the finals as the 2018-19 champions came away with two decisive scoring runs in the last two sets, the first shattering a 15-all count with a six-point roll and the other breaking a 7-all game with a seven-point binge for a pair of breakaway romps.
Creamline, which failed to make it three-in-a-row in the league’s centerpiece event after losing to Chery Tiggo in Ilocos Norte last August, awaits the winner in the other semifinal duel pitting Cignal HD and Petro Gazz.
Game One of the Finals will start Wednesday, also at the MOA Arena.
A victory by Petro Gazz will set a knockout match for the other finals berth today (Monday).
Creamline also subdued Choco Mucho in four, 25-18, 17-25, 25-19, 25-11, in Game One at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan last Friday.
While the Flying Titans surprised the Cool Smashers with their solid net defense in the opening set that saw them produce seven blocks against their rivals’ one, the latter went to their vaunted power game, raining Choco Mucho with 62 attacks points, 26 more than their sister team.
“We’re thankful that we were able to recover from our first set loss. We came up short but the team’s maturity and chemistry are there. We only have to play our game,” said Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses.
And play they did.
The high-flying, jump-serving Tots Carlos stood at the forefront of Creamline’s offense with 23 points, including 19 attacks, while Jema Galanza unloaded 16 attacks and finished with 18 points and skipper Alyssa Valdez backed them up with a solid 17-hit effort.
Pangs Panaga added 10 points, making her presence felt at the end of the fourth set where she pumped in back-to-back attacks that likewise exposed the Flying Titans’ inability to respond to the Cool Smashers’ quick plays.
“We really trained hard and studied Choco Mucho’s play,” said Galanza, named the best player of the game that actually produced a lot of heroes for the Cool Smashers, who drew inspiration from and lived through the roars of the crowd all game to mark their return to the Open finals for the fourth straight year.
It was a sorry setback for the young Flying Titans, who had appeared headed to extending the series with an impressive win in the opening set. But they slowed down in net defense in the next two, scoring just two in the second and had zero blocks in the third.
Kat Tolentino finished with 14 points while Des Cheng scored 13 points, the last two kept the team in the hunt at 14-20 and 15-22. But the Cool Smashers pulled away again on those Panaga’s hits and Valdez did what she does best, closing out their rivals with a power hit that pierced through Bea de Leon’s stretched-out arms.
De Leon made nine points in a three-set stint while Aduke Ogunsanya and Cherry Nunag added six points apiece for the Flying Titans, who scored 23 points off the Cool Smashers’ unforced errors but yielded 10 aces.Stung by the Flying Titans’ strong start, the Cool Smashers drew level with an imposing win in the second set then broke away from a tight game midway in the third frame.
Fully regaining their confidence, not to mention the momentum, the crowd favorites squandered an early 6-1 lead in the fourth but like in the previous set, they broke a 7-all count with a decisive seven-point run on their way to completing a sweep of the Flying Titans.
Choco Mucho also had a fair share of the cheers and screams, particularly when the Flying Titans stymied the dreaded Creamline attacking game with solid blocking in the opening set and in the fourth when they rallied from 7-14 down to within 12-14 on a five-point roll capped by Isa Molde’s back-to-back hits.
But the heavy-handed Cool Smashers came out of the huddle an organized lot, firing away hits after hits behind Carlos, Valdez and Galanza on their way to posting another 21-14 cushion that proved to be too big a deficit for the Flying Titans to overcome.
NEWS
SmarTrade Talks Financial Literacy with Future Business Leaders at National Teachers College
7:28 p.m. July 11, 2025
SmarTrade, a leader in empowering Filipinos with comprehensive financial education, trading insights, and market strategies, continues its university outreach initiatives to help young individuals make informed financial decisions and develop essential skills for their futures.
The company was at the National Teachers College (NTC) in Mendiola for the school’s “The Professional’s Playbook in Action” Leadership Series where Ed Saguibo, SmarTrade’s Head of Learning and Development, was invited as guest speaker for the special segment “LEFT BRAIN FOCUS: Financial Precision”.
Saguibo’s talk, attended by Business Administration students, focused on the timely and relevant topic of “Quantitative Decision Making and Identifying Poor Decisions in Financial Choices,” a critical area of knowledge for future professionals navigating today’s increasingly complex financial landscape. He emphasized how data-backed decisions can positively impact personal and business finances, providing technical insights combined with real-life scenarios and common decision-making pitfalls to offer practical tools that students can immediately apply.
“It’s not just about making smart decisions, it’s about making informed ones. When students learn how to analyze numbers and spot red flags in their financial behavior early on, they are better prepared to lead successful financial lives, whether as entrepreneurs, professionals, or investors,” said Saguibo.
This is SmarTrade’s third campus engagement for the year under its nationwide campaign P.A.R.T.N.E.R. Summit (Profitable Alliances: Reshaping Trading Networks for Endless Rewards), which aims to promote financial literacy and readiness among students and young professionals. The campaign is built around a vision of equipping Filipinos with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate and thrive in the trading and investment world. By incorporating school engagements, SmarTrade continues to lay the groundwork for a financially empowered generation.
“We’re proud to bring this advocacy to institutions like the National Teachers College,” said Joyce Mayo, President and CEO of SmarTrade. “Education is at the core of what we do, and through our P.A.R.T.N.E.R. campaign, we aim to go beyond trading to build a community of financially literate Filipinos. These students are the future, and it’s our role to help shape that future through opportunity and learning.”
To inquire on how your college, university, or student organization can be part of the P.A.R.T.N.E.R. Summit campaign, email events@smartrade.com.ph. To learn more about SmarTrade and its services, including free training sessions and personalized coaching, visit www.smartradeph.com or follow their official Facebook and Instagram pages.
NEWS
Political Pump makes waves at PH Blockchain Week
7:30 a.m. July 10, 2025
In a sea of short-lived hype cycles token launches, Political Pump is emerging as a cultural movement for the next generation of crypto enthusiasts. Showcased at Philippine Blockchain Week 2025, the platform brings a new, safer frontier for meme coin lovers, one where you can buy, hold, and sleep soundly.
Political Pump is not just another meme coin, it’s a decentralized collectible platform where political figures meet blockchain in a unique blend of satire, scarcity, and community governance. Each politician-based micro memecoin has a fixed supply and is launched without presales or insider allocations. True to the spirit of decentralization, 100% of liquidity is burned, ensuring fair, transparent, and tamper-proof tokenomics. It’s not just a token. It’s a conversation. A collectible. A piece of digital history.
(Photo from Philippine Blockchain Week: Jose Manuel Torres, Co-Founder of Political Pump)
“This isn’t just another meme coin. It’s a statement,” said Jose Manuel Torres, Co-Founder of Political Pump. “We launched without presales, private allocations, or team-controlled wallets. Every coin is market-driven, with all liquidity burned, ensuring there’s no room for manipulation. No secret deals, no backroom games—just pure, transparent crypto play. We don’t believe in governance tokens or centralized control. We believe the people should speak through the free market.”
From left to right: Chezka Gonzales, Vice President of Blockchain Council of the Philippines and Co Founder of Philippine Blockchain Week, Donnalyn Bartolome, multi-talented Filipina personality, Jose Manuel Torres, Co-Founder of Political Pump Political Pump piqued interest and stood out alongside other noteworthy innovations and meme coin activations at Philippine Blockchain Week 2025, a true celebration of culture, technology, and community-led finance. If you missed out, learn more by visiting www.politicalpump.com.
NEWS
Makati Business Club believes Customs chief Nepomuceno can reform, modernize agency
5:39 p.m. July 26, 2025
In a strong show of confidence from the country’s premier business group, Makati Business Club (MBC) Executive Director Rafael “Apa” Ongpin praised Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno during a recent high-profile interview, calling him a man of “great integrity” and a capable leader poised to reform and modernize the agency.
“We discussed him in Makati Business Club. Quite a few members are familiar with him — apparently, he came from the private sector. He has a good reputation,” Ongpin said, speaking on behalf of the business community’s early impressions of the newly appointed Customs chief.
Ongpin commended Nepomuceno’s intelligence and openness to innovation: “Apparently he’s very bright, he’s very up to date with technology — and he has great integrity. So, we have high hopes for this guy, Mr. Nepomuceno.”
Commissioner Nepomuceno, who previously held key roles in both government and the private sector, has been widely expected to bring a more results-oriented and transparent leadership style to the BOC. The endorsement from the MBC — an influential voice in Philippine economic policy and governance — adds momentum to ongoing reform efforts at Customs, long seen as a critical chokepoint in trade facilitation and anti-smuggling operations.
Observers note that such public praise from the business sector underscores the importance of trust and modernization in government institutions.
Commissioner Nepomuceno, meanwhile, has previously vowed to lead the BOC with transparency, digitalization, and accountability as top priorities.
SmarTrade Talks Financial Literacy with Future Business Leaders at National Teachers College
Political Pump makes waves at PH Blockchain Week
Shell empowers Filipino SMEs thru award-winning Fleet App
