Sports bits

Django nabs Tokyo plum

Francisco "Django" Bustamante showcased his pool prowess to the max by beating former world no.1 and champion Ralf Soquet of Germany, 9-0, March 24, in the final of the Tokyo 9-Ball tournament which featured the top pool professionals in the world.

Based in Kiel,Germany for years now, Bustamante won $12,000 in the first major tournament for the pool of players sponsored by Puyat Sports that includes PSA Co-Athlete of the Year Efren "Bata" Reyes.

Reyes almost forged an all-Filipino final while ahead, 8-6, against Soquet in the semifinals. But "The Magician" scratched on his break in the 15th game and allowed the German to sweep the next three racks.

A winner over homegrown talent Itsuzaki, 9-5, in the semis, Bustamante credited his second victory in Japanese soil in the series of games against young talent Lee Van Corteza before leaving for Tokyo.

MBA scraps player bonuses

The Metropolitan Basketball Association decided to do away with allowing won-game and placement bonuses in individual player's contracts beginning with the 2002 season which kicks off April 6.

In an MBA press release, it was stipulated that the league will give team placement bonuses totaling P3.6 million for the year, the division of which will be decided by the managements in consultation with the players and the coaching staff who have worked hard to earn it.

According to MBA Commissioner Chito Loyzaga, the idea of giving bonuses to players for winning games will be a thing of the past as they are already given salaries to play their best as written in their contracts as professionals.

The radical move, Loyzaga further explained, is a strong message to younger players that getting into sports is a privilege and not playing well on purpose because of a lack of monetary incentives is contrary to the values the MBA wants to develop.

PSC launches grassroots dev't

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Eric Buhain recently embarked on the National Grassroots Development Program (NGDP) that will calendar all sports events from Palarong Pambansa to Batang Pinoy.

Under the NGDP, the Palarong Pambansa and CHED (Commission on Higher education) national games will be held every summer, the Mindanao Friendship Games in November and Batang Pinoy every December.

Other sports events like the Summer Youth Training Camp, AFP-PNP Special Olympics, PRISAA, Uni-games and Batang Lansangan will also be fixed in accordance to the program. The events will culminate in what the PSC will label as the Philippine National Open Championships (PNOC) which the agency plans to stage starting next year.

By coming up with the program, Buhain said that the PSC hopes to detect the infirmities besetting Philippine sports particularly the lack of a broad pool of new and fresh athletic talents.

Senate plans probe on Fil-Am hirings

Senator Robert Barbers, chairman of the Senate committee on games, amusement, and sports, is reported to question the formation of the Asian Games squad in the issue of foreign-bred players being favored over pure local talents.

It has been reported that Filipino players sought the help of Senator Barbers, with players from at least two teams - Fed Ex and Purefoods - having affixed their signatures on the planned probe which they hope could also minimize the future entry of Fil-foreign players in the PBA.

PBA observers have noted the partiality of teams towards the hiring of Fil-foreign players at the expense of homegrown talents stressing the notion that since one is a mixed-breed, he must be more talented than his local counterpart.

Palaro kicks off May 19 in Naga City

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has designated Naga City as this year's host of the Palarong Pambansa, which will unveil on May 19 while bestowing Tubod, Lanao Del Norte as the 2002 venue of the multi-sports event.

According to the President, she based her decisions on the recommendations of PSC Chairman Eric Buhain. Buhain, along with the Education Department endorsed Naga City as this year's Palaro site while PSC Commissioners Butch Ramirez and Cynthia Carrion and some politicians advocated for Tubod.

The armed conflict between government forces and Muslim rebel groups may have derailed Tubod's bid as this year's host but it is hoped that the Mindanao situation would improve in 2003 for the staging of the annual sports spectacle for elementary and high school students.

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