NEWS
Filipinas make history with 1st-ever win in Women’s World Cup

WELLINGTON – Don’t count Filipinas out just yet.
In front of a stunned packed crowd 32,357 of mostly hometown fans at the Sky Stadium, the Filipinas pulled the rugged from the under the fancied Ferns 1-0 Tuesday to achieve another historic-making victory while staying very much alive in Group A of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
And once again it was irrepressible striker Sarina Bolden who became the hosts’ tormentor, taking a nifty cross from Sarah Eggesvik in scoring a scorching header in the 24th minute that goalkeeper Victoria Esson could not contain, the ball fumbling out of her hand and flipping into the net.
Goalkeeper Chandler McDaniel also shared the spotlight, earning Woman-of-the-Match honors for her timely saves in another nerve-wracking thriller that saw the Filipinas achieve a score of firsts as the breaks finally went their way.
Nowhere was this seen when Jacqui Hand’s potential equalizing header in the 68th minute, when McDaniel was caught out of position, was ruled offside by Mexican referee Katia Garcia after reviewing the play with the Virtual Assistant Referee – much to the Philippine camp’s relief.
Playing with grit and gumption from that point on, the Filipinas managed to hang on and preserve their first World Cup win on top of gaining three well-earned points that put them back in contention of advancing to the next round after a 0-2 loss to Switzerland in Dunedin last week.
After their rousing 1-0 win over Norway in Eden Park last week, the wards of Czech coach Jitka Kimklova slid in to a tie with the upstart Filipinas with similar 1-1 win-loss records each.
Switzerland held Norway to a scoreless draw at the Waikato Stadium in Hamilton to wind up on top of the group with four points while leaving their rivals, who were earlier tipped to the top the bracket, mired in last place with one point.
“This must be a special moment in (Philippine football history), the biggest win in any team sport,” stressed Australian coach Alen Stajcic of the enormity of the victory, although he later admitted that Lady Fortune also smiled on them.
“Of course we rode our luck because New Zealand had three or four unbelievable chances There was that VAR call, an inside the post goal (that McDaniel was able to save),” he recalled. “But the unity, work rate and heart of team was special. We had some luck but we earned that luck. “
“We really put our head down and we knew what was really coming at us. New Zealand would be coming hard from their momentum of their win against Switzerland but we put our head down and came in focused. We had a goal in mind and we achieved it,” McDaniel said of the rousing triumph.
She also chose to share her trophy with the rest of her team and the country, saying: “This is just what I have done, this is what the team has done and what the country has done. It was a team win.
“It is amazing but hopefully this is not the last accolade we will win. It is a team win.”
As what she would do with her trophy, the plucky goalkeeper, still euphoric from the victory, quipped: “Hopefully we will keep it next to the World Cup trophy when we get it.”
But she admitted that like the rest of her teammates, she had some anxious moments when Hand’s pointblank goal was being reviewed by the referee on the VAR.
“We collective held our breath a minute or two. Such an incredible goal by them but we are grateful that it was called back and we had to move forward. We had to settle down and knew that would keep coming and we to make sure that it would not happen again,” McDaniel said with relief.

Asked where this victory ranked, Stajcic, a two-time World Cup coach with the Matildas, replied without batting an eyelash: “Beating the host nation in a World Cup, nothing beats that. It’s No. 1.”
As early as three hours before kick-off time, fans, including Fiiipinos sporting red-white-blue scarves and PH flaglets, started streaming in at the 34,000-capacity stadium.
Among them were actor Ryan Agoncillo and popular actress wife Judy Ann Santos, who flew all the way from Manila to support the Filipinas and watch them play.
Also among the crowd was Magnolia assistant coach Jason Webb, a former football player in his high school days, with daughters Tatiana and Blessing plus former Senator Freddie Webb and wife Elizabeth Webb in tow.
The Filipino community also came out here in full force with around 500 of them, led by community leader Matilde Figuracion and husband Clark , who, clad, in colorful “Ati-Atihan costumes, led around 100 of them in a street dance from the waterfront to the arena just before kick-off.
NEWS
SM Prime explores potential partnership with Japanese firm for waste-to-fuel solutions

September 25, 2023 12:39 p.m.

Shown here are (from left) SM Supermalls Vice President Liza Silerio, SM Prime Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans T. Sy, GUUN Chief Executive Officer Shinji Fujieda, GUUN Philippine Branch Senior Managing Director and General Manager Takeshi Konishi
Leading real estate developer in Southeast Asia, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan’s GUUN Co. Ltd. to explore a potential partnership to implement waste management solutions by recycling waste paper and plastics as an alternative source of energy called ‘fluff fuel’.
Fluff Fuels are one type of RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) which are produced from shredded and compressed plastics, papers, and fibers. These are used as fuels in cement manufacturing, paper mill companies, or power companies in Japan.
SM Prime Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans T. Sy is positive that a partnership with GUUN will contribute to the waste reduction goals of the country. “Today, Japan’s waste management and recycling technology is among the most advanced in the world,” he said. “There is no better partner for SM because we do not just talk about being big, we make sure we do it; we do not talk about being environment friendly but we do take bold steps to save the environment. I am looking forward to growing with GUUN as among leaders in solving environmental issues in the Philippines.”
GUUN Co., Ltd., founded in March 2001 and headquartered in Yokohama City, Japan, piloted the production of fluff fuel from plastic waste in Inayawan, Cebu in 2014 and recently inaugurated its P200-million, 2,400-square meter waste recycling plant in Tayud, Consolacion, Cebu.
Since then, Japan’s Ministry of the Environment has adopted GUUN’s waste-to-fuel technology as a model for advanced low-carbon technology innovation for further deployment in developing countries.
“This will be a milestone partnership for us,” GUNN Chief Executive Officer Shinji Fujieda said after the signing ceremony. “I understand very much how important waste management is for SM and for the Philippines and we look forward to more projects we can do with the properties of SM Prime.”
SM Prime’s initiatives for waste management include waste reduction and effective waste collection and segregation. Over the years, it has implemented programs such as Trash to Cash, Plastic Waste Collection, and E-Waste Collection that have contributed to reducing the total solid waste generation across its real estate portfolio.
Through its pioneering Trash to Cash recycling market, SM Prime has collected and recycled 1.4M kg of plastics, paper, metals, and others in 2022. “We have saved 16,766 trees from the 986,222 kg of paper recycled,” SM Prime disclosed in its 2022 Integrated Report to shareholders.
Meanwhile, SM’s Plastic Waste Collection program, a partnership with the Plastic Credit Exchange that was launched in February 2021, has accumulated 42,541kg of plastic waste from 14 mall sites. Also present in all its 83 SM Supermalls is the E-Waste Collection program for the responsible disposal of WEEE (Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment). This drive has helped process close to 7,000 kilograms of e-waste. (ENDS)
NEWS
Satisfy your cravings with these best-selling Nanyang drinks

September 15, 2023 3:30 p.m.
Nanyang isn’t only known for its Laksa Prawn, Cheesy Chicken Chop Noodles and Singapore’s best selling Hainanese Chicken Rice and Kopi.
It also has several best-selling drinks to whet your appetite and satisfy your sweet tooth, such as Iced Teh Melaka, Kopi Jelly Milk Tea, Milo Dinosaur and Kopi O.
Head over to your nearest Nanyang branches nationwide.

NEWS
USA back on top; Germany takes Top 3 spot in FIBA World Ranking

September 15, 2023 1:28 p.m.
MIES (Switzerland) – The recent completion of the prestigious FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 has produced some eye-catching positive climbs in the latest FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike.
USA reclaim pole position with 786.6 points after benefiting from their consistency at major tournaments over the last three summers. Finishing in fourth place at the FIBA Basketball World Cup where they outperformed former number one nation Spain, their run to the Semi-Finals came off the back of winning an Olympic title at Tokyo in 2021 and also taking bronze at the FIBA AmeriCup 2022.
Recently crowned FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 champions Germany have another slice of history to enjoy as they step into the top three of the rankings for the very first time after moving up a massive eight places and onto 759.7 points. Their stunning success made all the more incredible because of the fact they made the journey to the top step of the podium without tasting defeat.
Canada also have another reason to celebrate too, with their maiden FIBA Basketball World Cup medal fueling an even bigger rise of nine spots. They now occupy sixth position with 745.5 points.
Serbia performed in outstanding fashion to make the title game and their second-placed finish gave their fans something to be proud of. Those supporters can also now enjoy and reflect on their country being a top five nation again as they move up a place and into fifth position on 755.6 points.
Meanwhile, when it comes to the scale and impact of climbing the rankings in the upper echelon, nobody can match Latvia. They have rocketed up a staggering 22 places and into the top 10 after their heroic underdog displays which ensured they took fifth place at the FIBA Basketball World Cup. They now sit in 8th position on 743.7 points.
There were many other teams who impressed at the flagship event, including Brazil who recorded three wins in five games and moves up a place into 12th in the rankings on 660.5 points. The Americas region can also boast a nice move upwards of five places into 16th for Puerto Rico on 611.1 points, while Dominican Republic rise six spots into 18th place on 561.9 points.
There were also notable improvements for Georgia who move up 10 positions and into 23rd on 465.9 points, Japan jump 11 spots to 26th on 432.2 points and Lebanon claim an uplift of 16 places into 28th on 423.3.
One nation that truly made everyone sit up and take notice at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 were first-timers South Sudan. They made history by beating China to claim a first win at the event, then pushing on to beat the Philippines and Angola. This has resulted in a sensational climb of 32 spots in the rankings. They now find themselves in 31st place with 375.5 points.
For more information about the method used in the calculation of the FIBA World Ranking Men, please refer to the “How It Works” section.
Click here to view the full FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike.