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NU crowned Spikers’ Turf kings

October 1, 2022 10:30 p.m.

National U-Sta. Elena crowned itself the new Spikers’ Turf kings by ending Cignal HD’s reign in gripping fashion, essaying a 25-18, 23-25, 25-23, 25-23 victory to sweep its way to the Open Conference crown before a packed crowd at the Paco Arena Saturday night.

Buds Buddin blasted in a power hit that bounced off the out-stretched arms of two Cignal defenders and outside the court, capping the Nationals fightback from 12-15 down in the fourth and their rise to the men’s volley throne dominated by the HD Spikers with a sweep of the Reinforced and Open conferences in 2019 before play was halted due to pandemic.

But the young Nationals proved they’re ripe for the picking, stamping their class in the elims and then sweeping the Final Four and the HD Spikers in the finals to claim the crown after finishing third the last time out.

But this new batch, made up of certified stars, led by conference MVP Nico Almendras, Buddin, Ken Malinis and best setter Ave Retamar, showed it can measure up with the best of the best, besting Marck Espejo and the rest of the seasoned HD Spikers in the opener, 25-21, 20-25, 25-23, 25-18, and then repeating the feat in two hours and two minutes of top-notch hitting and blocking to complete their remarkable title run.

The HD Spikers looked headed to forcing a decider and a Game 3 as they fended off a series of the Nationals’ fightbacks in the fourth, the last at 22-20 on an Espejo crisp backrow attack.

But Malinis came through with a clean hit and Buddin scored on a tip off a broken play to tie the count and the Nationals sustained their momentum by winning three of the last four points, highlighted by Buddin’s decisive hit.

Buddin wound up with 22 points and deservedly clinched the Finals MVP honors, overshadowing Almendras’ 18-point output while Malinis backed them up with a solid 10-point showing. Retamar added seven points on top of 20 excellent sets and Oben Mukada finished with six points, including four kill blocks for the Nationals’ whose title romp should install them the team to beat in the coming UAAP wars.

Ysay Marasigan, whose late net violation put Sta. Elena at championship point, topscored for Cignal with 17 points while Espejo and Louie Ramirez fired 16 points apiece and JP Bugaoan added 12 points and Peter Torres chipped in eight points, including three quick running attacks in the stretch, the last forcing the last deadlock at 23.

Sta. Elena and Cignal split the first two sets in come-from-behind fashions with the Nationals battling back from four points down midway in the opening frame to win by a margin and the HD Spikers rallying from 15-19 down in the second then holding sway in the stretch to squeak out a two-point victory.

But the Nationals pulled through in a wild third set which they dominated majority of the way until the HD Spikers battled back from seven points down, 14-21, to threaten at 23-24 on an Almendras’ backrow attack that sailed long, ending a long tense-filled rally in a duel of spurts.

But Buddin scored on an off-the-block hit, moving the Nationals a set away from winning it all.

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)

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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.

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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.

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