NEWS
Yulo delivers gold on Friday the 13th
May 13, 2022 10:39 p.m.
HANOI – World gymnastics champion Carlos Yulo and kurash bet Jack Escarpe delivered gold medals on Friday the 13th, averting what could have been a dreadful day for the Philippines as action went full blast in the 31st Vietnam Southeast Asian Games here.
Bucking a slip in the pommel horse that incurred a penalty, the 22-year-old Tokyo Olympian amassed 85.150 points in six apparatuses and bagged the individual all-around title, beating hometown bets Le Thanh Tung (84.050) and Dinh Phuong Thanh (82.450), who settled for the silver and bronze, respectively.
Yulo gave Filipinos their third gold here after the victory of Mary Francine Padios in pencak silat last Wednesday and the win of Escarpe in the 73kg class of kurash earlier Friday. Yulo also led the artistic gymnastics team that included Juancho Miguel Besana, John Matthew Vergara, Jann Gwynn Timbang and Justine Ace de Leon to the silver medal in the team event.
Aside from the three gold medals, the Philippines has also amassed seven silver and nine bronze medals to rank fifth, giving up fourth to Thailand (3-5-11). Vietnam started to pull away from the field with 20 gold, 11 silver and 15 bronze medals, followed by Malaysia (11-5-8) and Indonesia (5-8-1). Singapore and Myanmar also have two gold medals each.
Still to be concluded at press time is kickboxing, where six Filipinos are assured of at least silver medals.
“All I’m thinking is how to perform well and I think we did well,” said Yulo, who advanced to the finals of the vault, where he is the reigning world champion; high bar, parallel bar, pommel horse, rings, and floor exercise on Sunday and Monday.
“It’s not a bad first day at all,” said Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion, who expects Yulo to win at least four gold medals.
“Yeah, we are expecting more, so much more actually,” added Carrion, who kept an eagle eye on the manual scoring of the judges in lieu of computerized scoring.
Team Philippines scored 301.600 to lead the field after the morning session but Vietnam stormed ahead in the afternoon session and finished the day with 321,250 points. Singapore finished third with 297.650 points.
Over at the Thanh Tri Gymnasium, Filipino 3×3 bets suffered shocking defeats and needed to do better Saturday to sustain their hopes of retaining the men’s and women’s crowns in the event initially held in 2019 in the Philippines SEA Games.
The Gilas men’s squad beat of Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, Marvin Hayes, Jorey Napoles and Raymar Caduyac beat Cambodia 19-7 and Thailand 21-16 but sputtered against Indonesia and dropped a 13-15 decision.
The Gilas women’s squad found a roadblock in its title-retention bid, the Vietnamese team powered by the Truong sisters who played NCAA Division I ball at Gonzaga University.
With Kayleigh and Kaylynne Truong draining crucial two-pointers, the host team battled back from a 6-10 deficit and pulled the rug from under the Filipinas, scoring a stunning 21-18 win to the delight of the full house crowd.
The foursome of Janine Pontejos, Afril Bernardino, Clare Castro and Angelica Surada, who started the day with a convincing 21-5 win over Cambodia, also lost to Thailand 14-21.
Teen tennis sensation Alex Eala made her SEA Games debut by helping the national women’s team beat Malaysia and into the semifinals.
Jones Inso won a silver medal in the men’s taijiquan event of wushu at the Cau Gias Sporting Hall with a score of 9.70 points, losing the gold to Malaysian Zhi Yan Tan, the last of the nine participants, who scored 9.71 points.
In golf, the country’s bets in the women’s division — Rianne Malixi , Rafaela Singson and Lois Kaye Go — carded identical 76s at the Heron Lake Course and stood nine shots behind early leader Eila Galitsky of Thailand, who shot 67.
Gabriel Thomas Manotoc, John Edward Dy and Ethan Hernandez all scored 74 while Kristoffer Arevalo carded 78 in the men’s class, where Weerawish Narkprachar of Thailand led with a 68.
NEWS
Atayde bats for moratorium on student loan payments during emergencies, calamities
March 17, 2023 9:00 p.m.
STUDENTS won’t have to worry paying their loans during times of calamities and emergencies, as Quezon City first district Congressman Juan Carlos “Arjo” Atayde has introduced a moratorium on the payment of student loans administered by higher educational institutions (HEIs).
The House Bill 7279, which Atayde filed last Feb. 21, headed into its first reading six days later in the Committee on Higher and Technical Education, chaired by Baguio City Rep. Mark O. Go.
He said the bill — once it turns to a law — will halt the payment of all the fees, charges, and costs relating to student loans and technical-vocational training institutions (TVIs) or by the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UNIFAST) during emergencies.
It will cover all students residing in areas declared to be under a state of calamity or emergency — those who are enrolled in state universities and colleges (SUCs), local universities and colleges (LUCs), private HEIs, and public and private TVIs.
“We have to find a way to help our students and their families, when natural or even these man-made calamities hit them hard. We just have to make everything easy for them including a moratorium on the payment of student loans,” Atayde said. “It is a burden on a student and their family especially in difficult times like aftermath of typhoon, fire and earthquakes, among other disasters.”
“In the order of spending, student loans will be their least priority since spending will go mostly to basic necessities for survival,” Atayde added.
The moratorium shall be effective for the duration of the state of calamity or emergency and for 30 days after its lifting. No penalties shall be collected on the deferred payments.
“To provide adequate relief and protection to our students in times of calamities and emergencies, this measure shall allow the deferral of student loan collections for a reasonable period during and after the onset of disasters.”
The Quezon City lawmaker cited also the availability of the moratorium, which shall not adversely affect the status of the students concerned with regard to their eligibility for re-enrollment on the succeeding semesters or terms, or their eligibility for graduation.
“The proposed legislation doesn’t prevent public and private HEIs from implementing more favorable forms of payment relief or assistance to students affected by disasters, prohibiting students from voluntarily waiving the moratorium on student loan payments, or availing subsidies and assistance from the government,” Atayde concluded.
NEWS
ShopeePay now available as a payment method for App Store, other Apple services in PH
March 16, 2023 1:59 p.m.
Beginning today, ShopeePay, Shopee’s integrated mobile wallet, is now available as a payment method for Apple services in the Philippines. Customers can use their ShopeePay account to pay for App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV app, and iTunes Store purchases, iCloud storage and more.
The addition of ShopeePay as an Apple ID payment method offers a new way to pay for Apple services without needing a credit card and still allows for easy, secure one-tap purchasing from Apple products including iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Customers can manage their Apple ID payment information in Settings on iPhone and iPad, or on their Mac or PC.
Agatha Soh, Director at ShopeePay commented, “ShopeePay is committed to meeting the needs of users who are increasingly expecting seamless payments across all platforms. We are excited to offer ShopeePay as a convenient payment option for our customers, and expand access to digital payments, benefitting more users.”
For more information on how to add ShopeePay as a payment method, please visit https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201266 or https://shopee.ph/m/ShopeePay-Apple-ID-PH.
NEWS
Be bolder, braver, more confident at SM Supermalls’ Women’s Month celebration!
March 8, 2023, 8:30 p.m.
Ladies, take center stage as SM celebrates Women Power throughout the month of March. Lots of activities both online and on-ground are in store to empower women and girls all over the country.
Join the Future of Women Global Summit
SM Supermalls will be joining UN Women in kicking off the IWD 2023 celebration through a women’s summit on March 8, at the SM Aura Premier Samsung Hall. Focusing on the future of women in ICT, the two-part event will gather young women, country leaders, policy makers, and advocates together to share perspectives and affirm their commitment to supporting digital equality for women and girls.
Photo courtesy of SM City Lucena
Photo courtesy of SM City San Jose del Monte
Support your local Womenpreneurs
Great finds for ladies are on sale at the SM Womenpreneur Market! This pop-up of small and medium businesses owned by women for women will give you everything you need from food and beauty to wellness and fashion!
Wednesdays are for women!
Shopping on Wednesdays has become even more tempting because the Women’s Wednesday Sale is back! Achieve the glow-up you deserve with special discounts, deals, and promos on fashion, beauty, and fitness exclusively for women every Wednesday of March. So don’t hold back on your shopping; you deserve all these and more!
A beautiful treat of wellness all for you
Forda glow-up and pampering sesh tayo this month because lots of self-care deals are available at the Women’s Wellness Sale. Avail of great deals from wellness salons on facials, hair and body treatments, nail care, and massage from March 1 to March 31.
And more deals online!
Special deals are up for women via the SM Malls Online app. Get the best brand offerings every Wednesday from shoes and beauty and wellness to home and hobbies. Use the code WOMEN and get an extra 10% off, capped at 250. What’s great is that there’s no minimum purchase required!
Also, a collection of brand vouchers will be sent to all women SM Malls Online shoppers valid all month. Wait for your Beauty Pass and give yourself the retail therapy you deserve with tons of discounts, GWP deals, samplers, in-store pick up bonuses, and mystery boxes!
Plus, the SM Malls Online app will be hosting self-care sessions online. Follow SM Supermalls on social media to get a dose of starter packages, Get-Ready-With-Me routines, and beauty products that your favorite beauty experts swear by.
Photo courtesy of SM City East Ortigas
Photo courtesy of SM City Manila
Celebrate Women Power on IG!
Capture the beauty and power of women at the beautiful spots and installations all over SM. Be free to express your own uniqueness and creativity in the specially-designed selfie spaces in partnership with Selfie Studio. Don’t forget to tag us on IG!
We don’t know about you but exciting days await every SM woman. So be bolder, braver, and more confident! With these activities, you can confidently step forward in fashion, beauty, wellness, and express yourselves to make a positive impact.
Stay updated on all things women this IWD 2023 by visiting www.smsupermalls.com and following @smsupermalls on social media.
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