SanMiguelCorporation buildsSportsCenterin Batangas

A50 million sports complex will be built by San Miguel Corporation in Balayan, Batangas as part of its pledge to support the growth of local athletes who can compete in regional and international sporting events and to advance health and well-being in the community and the province.

A Swift Lead

DʼNavigatorsIloiloestablishestheir dominance by winning 3 straight sets in the semifinals against AMC Cotabato at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum on March 22 after losing the preliminariestothematthePacoArena 3 days prior. During the semifinals, Iloilo kept a consistent lead through all 3 sets, teasing the enemy with shortlived point advantages only to take it backjustminutesafter.

The DʼNavigators went the aggressive route, earning most of the points in Set 1 via spikes and serves They took the gameʼs first point to show their burning desire for victory and closed out the first set with a comfortable 25-19.

To Iloiloʼs dismay, the AMC Spikers picked up the pace in Set 2 by not only scoring the first three points, but by also maintaining their lead for most of the set Fortunately, the DʼNavigators navigated their way through the match and found a weak point to Nursidiikʼs impenetrable blocks and Disquitadoʼs earth-shattering spikes handing them the win with a close 25-22

A sense of deja vu hits in Set 3 as AMC, once again, takes another early lead for a decent chunk of the match before the DʼNavigators fully adapted to the enemy's tactics and snatched the advantage for themselves. Even with that, the two teams were still neck and neck in the scoreboard until Nursidiik extinguished the rivalʼs fire with a game-ending block, satisfying Iloiloʼs thirst for retribution with a clinching score of 25-23.

“Ito kasi back to zero na ʻto eh Semis na so talagang pinag-ensayuhan namin ʻto, nag-prepare talaga kami sa game na ʻto saka siguro para sa amin din talaga ʻtong game na ʻto, binigay talaga siguro ni Lord sa amin,” said Kenneth Panes, the DʼNavigatorsʼ head coach, after the thrilling match

Iloilo's performance further cements that even when faced with a loss, you can still come out on top It really shows that one must fail often to succeed only once, and this match could serve as a great inspiration for those who choose to cease their struggle instead of persisting to success

Disquitado performed phenomenally as his teamʼs best scorer with 19 points from his spikes alone Nursidiik proved to be a wall with 17 blocks and Apolinario became a pillar of their success with his extraordinary setups

It was announced by the SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang. He was formally introduced as an adopted son of Balayan during the official opening of the Balayan municipal building and government complex

According to Ang, the local government's commitment of constructing a sports facility is in line with its post-pandemic recovery objectives, which include encouraging health and well-being through a public sports facility within its enormous government building

Ang said, “With the growing maturity of Filipinos getting protected against Covid-19 through vaccination, there should be a greater emphasis on health and fitness for the public in the coming years Through this sports center, which will be part of our companyʼs overall support for sports development, we hope to get more Balayan residents involved in sports”

According to Ang, the province of Batangas is home to several well-known athletes Both volleyball player Alyssa Valdez and Barangay Ginebra's LA Tenorio are natives of San Juan and Nasugbu, respectively.

“We hope to do this in Balayan to help support the growth of your local economy and provide opportunities not just for people here, but also from all over Batangas, Ang said

SMC recently finished building the SMC Sports Complex in Pasig, a new sports complex intended for use by the firm and its PBA-affiliated professional basketball teams

Three air-conditioned main basketball courts, totaling 5,013 square meters, are available at the SMC sports facility Activities for SMC's Covid-19 employee vacation are now taking place there

Shepherdsarebackontrackforthisyear'sBCPRISA

TheBatangasCityPrivateSchoolsAssociation(BCPRISA)isfinallybackwith their sports competitions after almost 3 years of inactivity due to the pandemic. Their latest tournament was held on February 7‒10, 2023, at the LPU BatangasRiversideCampus

St Bridget College's Varsity Wing, most commonly known as the Shepherds, participated in various sports like basketball, volleyball, and badminton

For basketball boys (secondary level), the Shepherds prospered as they were given a chance to participate in the said tournament

The team consisted of the junior high school level's Miguel Aguado, Rigel Aguado, Gabriel Alvarez, Denver Balse, John Calangi, Charles Ebora, Caleb Godoy, Rigel Ingal, Karl Masajo, and Josef Noche

For basketball's 3x3 division, the team had Calangi, Noche, and Miguel Aguado, who then bagged 3rd place and was supervised by their coach, Mr Robert Abando

On the other hand, the Shepherds volleyball team won 2 out of 4 games,which helped them garner 3rd place for volleyball girls (secondary level) They have trained three times a week under Mr Bobby Abas

The athletes who have participated in the said category are Meigerrie Alo, Kristine Alvarez, Denice Beron, Sharenea Cruz, Khloe Fortu, Phoenix Quizon, Thracy Ramirez, Angelica Roallos, Kloe Rosales, and Mikaela Silang

The players for volleyball boys, namely Zedrich Andal, John Balse, Nodjzer Café, Jaeden Jabon, Keith Plata, Troy Ramirez, and Aaron Trayco, also won 3rd place for the category of volleyball boys (secondary level), again under the care of Coach Bobby Abas

The 3-year-long break of the BCPRISA sports competitions made the shepherds eager to win after the Corona Virus Pandemic Break a leg for these amazing athletes as the new school year comes and the tournaments happen again s made the Shepherds eager to win after the Corona Virus Pandemic Break a leg for these amazing athletes as the new school year comes and the tournaments happen again