Mayor earns ire of village leaders on ‘job orders’ issue

A village official recently spoke up against the uninformed inclusion of his relative in the list of job order appointments of the City Government.

Councilmen’s League of Angeles City (CLAC) Executive Vice President and Barangay Cutcut official Roy Ogurida, in a radio interview, said the inclusion of his sister’s name in the list of the City Government’s job order employees, along with the names of the relatives of other barangay officials, was done without their knowledge.

“Ito ang tunay na mga ‘ghost employees’ ng City Hall. Nakalista ang mga pangalan nila sa payroll pero kung hahanapin mo sila ay hindi naman talaga nagtatrabaho dahil ni hindi nila alam na nakalista pala sila bilang mga job order,” Ogurida said.
 
Ogurida said that during the CLAC emergency meeting held in November 27, the barangay officials refuted all 40 names listed as job order appointments in the PhilHealth Program under the Office of the Mayor.

He said these people are not actually working for City Hall and are not even aware that they are listed as job order employees and they have not been the ones collecting their supposed salary.
 
Ogurida also said that they made a computation of the supposed salaries of these JOs, which is listed as P500 per day or P11,000 a month and they discovered that within the appointment period from July to October 2012, the salary allotted for the 40 people in the PhilHealth Program amounts to P1.7 million.
 
Asked about where the names of their relatives could have been taken from, Ogurida surmised that the list must have been taken from the Personal Data Sheets (PDS) submitted by barangay officials.
 
Earlier, David expressed resentment over the situation after learning that the name of his wife, Irene David, was also included in the list of job orders without their knowledge.

David said his wife does not work at the city hall and collect her supposed salary.
 
On October 19, 2012, graft and corruption charges were filed before the Office of the Ombudsman against Pamintuan, City Accountant Wilfredo Tiotuico, City Budget Officer Fe Corpuz, City Treasurer Juliet Quinsaat and and other department heads by local newsman Robledo Sanchez in relation to the 2,506 job order employees of the City Government.
 
Sanchez also called Pamintuan out for having several relatives of barangay officials listed as JOs under the City Government.

Pacquiao updates

His pretty face was battered and bruised as Pacquiao, with blinding hand-speed and remarkable movement cut De La Hoya to ribbons, nailing him with punches from all angles and darting in and out with such dexterity that De La Hoya couldn't catch him, laying to waste his boast that he would knock Pacquiao out because the battle was "personal."

During a courtesy call at the Philippine Consulate in Chicago prior to Manny Pacquiao's showdown with "The Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya, astute Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said "speed kills."

While Pacquiao's speed didn't take the life of De La Hoya, the Filipino southpaw pulverized one of the biggest names and certainly one of the most glamorous fighters in the history of the sport, forcing him to quit seated on his stool at the end of the 7th round.

It obviously had to do with Pacquiao accepting $250,000 following a dinner with De La Hoya in Los Angeles and then signing a promotional contract without realizing that under the terms of an existing contract with Top Rank's Bob Arum, he couldn't break away.

In the end Pacquiao light-heartedly blamed his lawyer, Atty. Franklin "Jeng" Gacal for the ill-advised decision, returned De La Hoya's money and signed a new contract with Arum.

That contract, for the record, was recently extended to December 2014 with reports that Pacquiao got a $1 million signing bonus.

The 2014 deadline provides an insight into Pacquiao's career path. By then Pacquiao would be 35 years old and would wish to concentrate on his political career. It also leaves enough time for him to entice undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr to step into the ring against him in a fight the world has clamored for but is unlikely to do so, for much longer.

Pacquiao has bent backwards to accommodate Mayweather's demands including taking a smaller purse and agreeing to random drugs tests. As one boxing columnist pointed out, the only thing Pacquiao didn't offer to do was to drive Mayweather to the venue of their fight.

With the possibility of a rematch or even a trilogy provided they are able to agree on the first fight, then the 2014 contract extension fits nicely into Pacquiao's plans.

Right now however, his plans are centered on shutting up Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez who has continued to irritatingly claim that he won their three previous fights and was robbed of the decision by the judges.

If at all, Marquez could make a case for a truly controversial split decision victory by Pacquiao in their third encounter but there is no way he won the first after being dropped three times in the opening round which ended in a draw after judge Burt Clements admitted he made a mistake scoring the first round 10-7 instead of 10-6 which the two other judges did based on the three knockdowns.

In their rematch Pacquiao dropped Marquez once again with a perfectly-timed left hook to win a majority decision.

But after the controversial third fight and Marquez's posturing, celebrated trainer Freddie Roach wants nothing less than a knockout to erase the doubts over their previous battles and to effectively prove who is the better fighter.

Roach has made it clear "It has to be a knockout" which is what they have worked on in the gym, hammering out a strategy that would accomplish the goal.

Legendary Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez, Sr.  told Pacquiao's strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza that reflecting over Pacquiao's recent fights "the problem with Manny is he thinks too much and when he does some thing he gives Marquez time. But when Manny loosens up and lets it go, Marquez looks lost. He didn't know what to do at times. That's Manny Pacquiao."

Chavez added: "You don't know what he's doing when he throws so many punches. You don't have time to figure and set up counter punches because it's 'boom, boom, boom and its coming from. everywhere."

Chavez, Sr. believes Pacquao must let his hands go, and go after Marquez because when he does there is nobody who can deal with that. In short, Manny must return to being a street-fighter ready to rip Marquez' head off.

From all accounts after two weeks preparation at the Wild Card Gym following two weeks of solid training in his hometown of General Santos City with childhood friend and Filipino trainer Restituto "Buboy" Fernandez which even drew a surprised look on Roach's face to see Pacquiao in such good shape and commendation from Ariza, Pacquiao appears to be returning to the fiery fighter he once was — the same devastating puncher who mauled De La Hoya, separated Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton from his senses in two rounds and ripped Miguel Cotto to score a 12th round TKO.

As Pacquiao himself has said the challenge is to put on a performance that will "put this fight into history."

In the assessment of Ariza, who normally likes to back off from making the mistake of painting a glowing picture of where Pacquiao is at and how well he's doing, the old fire is back in the belly of Pacquiao.

Six sparring sessions have demonstrated the sharp focus and the relentless pursuit of a goal by Pacquiao which was set for him by Roach. Nothing short of a knockout would suffice when he clashes with Marquez for the fourth time at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 9 (Manila Time).

As he finished his second week under the watchful eye of Roach and wound up on Saturday with eight rounds of sparring, Ariza couldn't help but sound elated in a conversation with Yahoo! Philippines. "He was simply amazing," said Ariza after eight rounds of sparring.

To him it's clear that Manny wants to be the old Manny Pacquiao who, when he hurt an opponent he would pursue him and when he threw punches it was with the intention of hurting the man in front of him.

The resiliency is there and he's relentless throwing flurries of punches and putting them together effectively.

To the strength and conditioning coach who began his association with Roach and took over Pacquiao's conditioning from former heavyweight contender Justin Fortune, "It's a different Manny Pacquiao, just like the old times."

The normally conservative Ariza didn't back off when asked what he thought of Pacquiao with four weeks to go before fight night He conceded that "on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give him a 10!"

But he quickly threw in a conditionality stating that he hated making such assessments "because I don't want to set myself up since I don't know what's going to happen over the next two weeks."

If all goes as planned then Freddie Roach may well  get his wish as well as Pacquiao's mother, Dionisia Pacquiao, who has made it clear she wants her son to finish Marquez "in one or two rounds."

Still no definite opponent for Manny Pacquiao

The question in the minds of most of the fans of "Fighter of the Decade" Manny Pacquiao is what' s taking him so long to decide on the opponent for his planned December 8 fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Initially, there was some confusion on when the fight would take place, if at all.

Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley's gimmick in holding up a large replica of a fight ticket for November 10 which Bradley picked as the  date of a rematch has apparently backfired on him.

In fact, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told us the US pay-per-view networks are not interested in a Pacquiao-Bradley rematch since their first meeting produced a mere 700,000 PPV buys which were basically regarded as people who wanted to watch Pacquiao, not Bradley.

The hugely controversial split decision in which Bradley grabbed the WBO welterweight title of Pacquiao didn't sit well with many who condemned the decision as a robbery perpetrated, in the words of Arum, by three blind mice.

The other aspect of the Bradley equation is that he, as champion in the books, would ask for more than the $5 million he got the first time around and Arum isn't prepared to fork out any extra dollars unless it comes out of Pacquiao's purse. And for all Manny's charitable disposition he is unlikely to take a cut in his purse merely to have an opportunity to avenge his defeat which, in the eyes of the whole wide world, was no defeat at all.

Pacquiao, according to Arum who actually deals with him through Michael Koncz, Pacquiao's adviser who is also a good friend of Arum, will "definitely fight on December 8."

The venue will be the MGM Grand Garden Arena. But, as of this moment, Pacquiao hasn't decided on an opponent although his options, based on the proposals laid out by Arum, have been narrowed down to Bradley and Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez after Pacquiao's initial choice Miguel Cotto dropped out, refusing to come down to 150 pounds and preferring to face champion Austin Trout.

Perhaps the delay in Pacquiao's decision stems from the fact that if chances of a massive money-earning showdown with undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr look much better  today after  Mayweather's close friend 50 Cent got into the boxing promotion business, Manny may not wish to gamble on a troublesome opponent like Marquez whose three fights with Pacquiao have all been close with the last one truly controversial.

Of course Marquez keeps blabbering that he won all three fights but that the judges robbed him of victory.

Whether this is a ploy to entice Pacquiao to agree to a fourth fight in a desire to shut him up we'll never know.

But one thing for sure, the influential president of the World Boxing Council Don Jose Sulaiman doesn't want Pacquiao to give Marquez a chance to make a lot more money fighting him after having effectively insulted Pacquiao by his claims and apparently bad-mouthing the eight division champion in Mexico.

Don Jose is one of those who staunchly believes a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight can be made and has offered to lend his good offices to help achieve the goal of staging a fight the whole world wants to see before both fighters begin to fade and the long wait erodes public interest.

Arum himself believes that 50 Cent has shown a good business sense and would be far easier to deal with compared to his arch rivals — or is it enemy — Golden Boy Promotions who Arum claims,  carry a lot of baggage when they enter into negotiations.

Getting back to the December 8 date, Arum told us the other day he has an idea as to who Pacquiao is leaning towards and said he expects a decision to be made within the week which is the same tune that Michael Koncz is singing.

Mexican promoter Fernando Beltran who is also close to Arum says a Marquez fight is 95 percent done while Koncz says a few things need to be resolved.

Both celebrated trainer Freddie Roach and strength and conditioning guru Alex Ariza have openly stated that a fourth fight with Marquez would  be testy. And they are laying down specific suggestions which, hopefully, Manny will respond to, positively.

The common ground is that Pacquiao should train for eight weeks solely at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles and scrap the Baguio City training camp where they realize there are far too many distractions, including nightly Bible Study and preaching sessions where a gathering of pastors seem to have replaced the previous group of hangers-on.

While the excesses of the past have happily disappeared, Pacquiao is still forced into long hours and late nights with his new-found evangelical mission telling on him, physically.

Several individuals close to Pacquiao tell us that whenever they bring up the question of who his next opponent will be, Manny shrugs them off with vague and inconclusive answers making them wonder whether indeed he is going to fight on December 8 or linger awhile hoping that a Mayweather fight could be made before next May's congressional elections.

Pacquiao is running for re-election from the lone district of Sarangani province and while he is unlikely to face any credible challenge, a political war chest replenished by a possible $50 million bonanza from a Mayweather fight would certainly make things so much easier.

In the meantime, we are all required to wait, wondering what's taking Manny so long to decide.

WBO panel says Pacquiao won by unanimous decision

Judges convened by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) unanimously scored in favor of Filipino ring icon Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao after reviewing his controversial split decision loss to American Timothy Bradley, which took place in Las Vegas June 9.

RingTV reported that the five judges, commissioned by WBO President Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel, unanimously scored the bout in Pacquiao’s favor, 117-111, 117-111, 118-110, 116-112 and 115-113.

In what was one of the most shocking decisions in boxing this year, Bradley was named the victor in their WBO welterweight clash last June 9, with judges Duane Ford and CJ Ross scoring the bout 115-113 in his favor. Only Jerry Roth scored the bout for Pacquiao, 115-113.

The result was derided by boxing media – most of whom saw Pacquiao winning by a wide margin – and fight fans, who suspected that there was a conspiracy which led to Bradley's victory.

Because of the controversial result, the WBO decided to take action, with Valcarcel saying that they will "take measures in accordance with the rules of procedure."

Despite the panel’s review, the WBO cannot reverse the decision of the judges on fight night.

"The only thing that we can do is authorize a rematch," Valcarcel told RingTV.

Pacquiao and Bradley’s fight contract contains a rematch clause, scheduled for November 10, but Top Rank officials – including chief executive Bob Arum and president Todd DuBoef – have said that they will most likely not push through with it.

Instead, Pacquiao may fight Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez for a fourth time this November.

Arum lauded the WBO's findings as a "Solomon-like conclusion."

"Paco is a good man, he really is. I have great respect for him and what he says. It's appropriate for him to make that final conclusion," the promoter told RingTV.

Arum said he will have to talk to Pacquiao about what he wants to do for his next bout.

"My first stop on any quest to determine what to do next is that I have to talk to the guy who is the money generator, and that's Manny Pacquiao," he said. "And I have to determine after discussions with him what he wants to do next, and we'll go from there."

Pacquiao is currently in the Philippines, where he is attending to his constituents in Sarangani after the province experienced severe floodings due to Typhoon "Butchoy."

Bradley is confident that he defeated Pacquiao, telling his supporters in Palm Springs, California that he won the fight eight rounds to four.

Pacquiao, for his part, has repeatedly asked his fans to accept his loss, as well as to not blame Bradley for the judges' decision.

The bout is also under investigation by the Attorney General of Nevada after a request filed by Arum. The Nevada State Athletic Commission, led by director Keith Kizer, will also review the video along with the three judges.

CHINA BEHIND PACQUIAO DEFEAT

It would be the first loss since 2005 for the ‘People’s Champ’ after losing via split decision to the ‘Desert Storm’, who is now the new WBO World Welterweight champion. Judges CJ Ross and Duane Ford scored it in favor of Bradley while Judge Jerry Roth scored it in favor of Pacquiao. Many believed that Pacquiao won the match.

What would seem like a failure or a flaw of the judging system implemented in boxing matches actually goes deeper, if a confidential report coming from Malacañang is to be believed.

According to our source, the confidential document contains findings by the intelligence community that concludes China as the one who was actually  behind the loss of the country’s prize-fighter. China apparently paid off the judges so that Pacquiao would surely lose the fight when it comes time to judge it. They were confident that the match would go to the scorecards because the gloves that the boxers used were specifically made in a factory in Tianjin, China. Said gloves had special materials that would soften the impact of the punches and minimize the chances of a knockout.  The original plan  was to payoff all the judges so that Pacquiao would lose unanimously, but being stingy that they were, China decided to just go with two judges hence the split decision.

The bribery was all part of the country’s grand scheme to destabilize the Philippines and to demoralize Filipinos, in an operation dubbed “打倒菲律宾人的骄傲 or “Bring Down Pinoy Pride” when translated to English.

This is China’s retaliation against the Philippines due to the ongoing dispute on Scarborough shoal which started a few months back. Authorities believed that China has targeted our weak spot when it decided to attack our pride. “Wala naman kasi tayong military installations or key strategic buildings na puwedeng atakin to speak of (We don’t even have military installations or key strategic building that they can attack to speak of),” said one high-ranking official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Many Filipinos were shocked and upset with the outcome of the boxing match. Even Pacquiao’s mother, Mommy Dionesia, fainted upon hearing the news of her son’s loss. But what is alarming is the fact that China state television network China Central Television (CCTV) featured the fainting incident in a humor inspired segment, similar to that of Marc Logan’s; as propaganda for its people to mock the Philippines.

Recent events that have transpired would lend credence to the findings by Malacañang and would indeed seem like China was behind the following events to demoralize Filipinos:

• Jessica Sanchez losing to Philip Phillips in American Idol
• China suspending importation of Philippine bananas
• Shanghai Sharks cancels goodwill games against Philippine basketball squad
• Controversial BAYO ad that angered netizens

Dr. Ignacio Sanchez, head of Human Behavioral studies at the Universal College of the Philippines; who recently did a study on criminals, believed that China also perpetuated the outcome of the impeachment trial of then Chief Justice Corona.

“After masterminding the shocking result of Season 11 of American Idol, China then gave hope to the Filipinos when it orchestrated a 20-3 guilty vote for the impeachment of the Chief Justice,” explains Sanchez. “But it then quickly pulled-out the rug underneath us all by cancelling the basketball game,  launching the ‘racist’ ad to  dishearten the Philippines and the shocking results of the boxing match.”

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The doctor likens this tactic to a man who humiliates another man by pulling down the latter’s pants in front of the public after rescuing him from the brink of death (i.e. speeding truck, psycho mugger, asthma attack). “It’s catching you off-guard when you least expect it, or when you think that you’re on top of the world,” said Dr. Sanchez. “It’s very disheartening indeed. A perfect one-two-three counter-punch combination”

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The confidential report also narrates in detail the final coup de grace of Operation 打倒菲律宾人的骄傲. It describes a strategic pull out of all things Chinese from the Philippines that would ensure total destabilization of the country.

The ‘final push’ would anger, dishearten, bankrupt and depress adults and children alike that would send a chilling effect to the entire archipelago. And when the entire nation is down, that is when China would claim victory and proceed to occupy Scarborough Shoal. “If Filipinos are getting depressed by non-favorable contest results, what more would they feel if something big indeed happen,” said a Chinese diplomat who wishes to be unnamed.

The government is already coming up with contingency plans to provide substitutes for the above mentioned services, in case China indeed pushes through with the final stage of their plan.

Controversial split decision victory over Manny Pacquiao

WBO President Francisco ''Paco'' Valcarcel said in a statement Wednesday that the WBO's championship committee will review video of the fight with five ''recognized international judges'' and make a recommendation. He said the WBO does not doubt the ability of the scoring judges.

Most reporters seated ringside and the vast majority of fans inside the MGM Grand arena on Saturday night thought Pacquiao had easily defended his welterweight title against Bradley.

The first surprise came when ring announcer Michael Buffer announced that there was a split decision, and the biggest surprise came in the reading of the scores. Jerry Roth had it 115-113 for Pacquiao, while judges Duane Ford and C.J. Ross had it for Bradley by the same score.

The Associated Press scored the fight 117-111 for Pacquiao.

''The public saw the fight and they're outraged, and we need clarity here,'' Arum told The Associated Press on Wednesday. ''We need those responsible to investigate, to see what happened, how the judges could be so off.

''Was there any funny business going on? Or no funny business? Did they have a conversation with each other?'' Arum asked. ''We need to get clarity. The public is demanding it.''

Arum's powerful promotional company, Top Rank, has staged thousands of fights over more than four decades, including some of the most significant in the history of the sport.

He said that the scoring of Saturday night's fight was among the worst he's ever seen.

''It puts boxing in a very horrible light,'' he said. ''I'm looking for the sport to do damage control, and the only way it does damage control is if you do a full and complete investigation.''

Arum submitted a formal request to the Nevada Attorney General's office on Monday asking for an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the fight. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the senior senator from  
Nevada, also has asked for an investigation.

Jennifer Lopez, a spokeswoman for the Nevada Attorney General's office, said in an email to the AP that Arum's complaint is currently under review.

''We are treating the complaint like any other complaint our office receives,'' Lopez said. ''We do not confirm or deny if we have an ongoing criminal investigation.''

The Nevada State Athletic Commission's executive director, Keith Kizer, said this week that he has no plans to review the fight, even though he acknowledged having Pacquiao ahead.

Commission chairman Skip Avansino told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he was content with the scoring, while Ford defended his scorecard in an interview with the newspaper.

''I thought Bradley gave Pacquiao a boxing lesson,'' Ford said. ''I thought a lot of the rounds were close. Pacquiao missed a lot of punches and I thought he was throwing wildly.''

Arum believes the decision - along with the Nevada commission's reluctance to conduct its own investigation - could provide the impetus for a federal commission to provide oversight for the sport, which has long battled the perception that it is rife with corruption.

''If the commission here in Nevada will be in intransigent, and won't cooperate, we have to have a federal commission,'' Arum said. ''We have to examine who these are on the commission, how they got there, how they operate. Something is broke.''

Stats compiled by Compubox showed Pacquiao landing 253 punches to 159 for Bradley, and having a 190-108 edge in power punches. Pacquiao landed at 38.5 percent to 27.7 percent for Bradley.

The decision ended Pacquiao's 15-fight winning streak, but also sets up a potential rematch later this year.

There has been talk that it could happen in November.

Perhaps by then, Arum will have the clarity he is seeking from their first fight.
''Any other sport - football, baseball - the commissioner's office would investigate,'' he said. ''I'm not saying hang anybody, but let's get clarity here. Let's get a complete report as to what happened. They could say,

'Hey, all three judges had a bad night.' That's possible, too. I'm not leaping to conclusions. I want to know as well as anybody else.''

House bill that would institutionalize the Palarong Pambansa

House Bill 6119 aims to create a policy and coordinating body for the conduct of the 37-year-old Palaro, which shall be headed by the Department of Education (DepEd).

Saying it has lost its prestige and popularity among Filipinos over the years, the House of Representatives recently approved a bill that would institutionalize the Palarong Pambansa as the premier national sporting event of the country.

The Palaro Board members are the DepEd secretary, four DepEd undersecretaries, three DepEd assistant secretaries, chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), president of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), and the secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Among others, the board will be tasked to provide incentives/rewards to participating schools and local government units; formulate and issue policies and guidelines on the accreditation of athletes, coaches and chaperones; approve bids to host the Palarong Pambansa; and identify the sports events to be included.
The measure also requires the organization of the Regional Athletic Associations, which shall supervise the conduct of the regional meets.

To ensure the event’s success, the PSC shall make available its manpower and technical resources, as well as facilities, said Camarines Norte Representative Renato Unico Jr., chair of the House Committee on Youth and Sports Development.

In coordination with the DepEd, the PSC shall formulate and implement a training program for outstanding athletes of the Palarong Pambansa to ensure the continuity of their athletic development and education.
The Senate may adopt the House version of the bill for early transmittal and signature by President Benigno Aquino III.

China issues warnings on Philippines

'No other option but the use of arms'

The dispute began when Philippine authorities detected Chinese ships fishing there. They attempted to arrest the crew, but were blocked by Chinese surveillance vessels that were quickly deployed to the area.

The Philippines insists its claims to the area are backed by international law, as the shoal is well within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.

The shoal sits about 230 kilometres (140 miles) from the Philippines' main island of Luzon. The nearest major Chinese landmass is 1,200 kilometres northwest of the shoal, according to Filipino navy maps.

But China claims virtually all of the South China Sea as its territory, even waters close to the coasts of the Philippines and other Asian countries.

Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia also claim parts of the sea, which is believed to sit atop vast oil and gas resources. The rival claims have for decades made the waters one of Asia's potential military flashpoints.
The Philippines, which admits to having an extremely weak military, has repeatedly said it wants to solve the stand-off over the shoal through diplomatic means.

But it has also said it secured a pledge from the United States, its main military ally, to protect the Philippines from attacks in the South China Sea.

A coalition of Filipino activist groups is planning to hold rallies at Chinese embassies around the world on Friday to support the Philippines in the dispute.

Organisers are hoping thousands of people will attend what they expect to be the biggest of the rallies, in Manila, and the Chinese embassy's safety alert was circulated chiefly to warn its nationals about that protest.
But Jackson Gan, a Filipino-Chinese businessman who is one the rally's organisers, said there was no need for such a warning because the protest would not target individuals and there had been no inciting of violence.

"This is going to be peaceful. No burning of Chinese flags, just singing of patriotic songs and making our presence felt," Gan told AFP.

Philippine foreign department spokesman Raul Hernandez also said Chinese nationals were in no danger of being attacked because of the diplomatic tensions.

"The Philippines remains a safe and welcoming country," he told AFP, adding Friday's protesters would not target Chinese people.

"There is nothing for our Chinese friends to be apprehensive about regarding this protest action."
China told its citizens Thursday they were not safe in the Philippines and its state media warned of war, as a month-long row over rival claims in the South China Sea threatened to spill out of control.

Chinese travel agencies announced they had suspended tours to the Philippines, under government orders, and the embassy in Manila advised its nationals already in the country to stay indoors ahead of planned protests.

"Avoid going out at all if possible, and if not, to avoid going out alone. If you come across any demonstrations, leave the area, do not stay to watch," the embassy's advisory said.

The safety alerts came as government-controlled media in China warned the country was prepared to go to war to end the stand-off over Scarborough Shoal -- small islands in the South China Sea that both nations claim as their own.

"No matter how willing we are to discuss the issue, the current Philippine leadership is intent on pressing us into a corner where there is no other option left but the use of arms," the China Daily said in an editorial.
"Manila is living in a fantasy world if it mistakes our forbearance for timidity."

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China was committed to a peaceful resolution.
But the editorial echoed other warnings in recent weeks in the state-run media that China was prepared to use its massive military advantage to crush the Philippines' challenge for the shoal.

The two nations have had non-military vessels stationed at the shoal since April 8 in an effort to assert their sovereignty to the area.

Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton won over Segura

Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton showed why she is one of the most dominating female fighters in the world today. Not only did she plead to fight a Power Punching Mexican Fighter in Segura who came in 4lbs over the contract limit during weigh ins at 130lbs (Contract weight was 126lbs) which is a higher weight class for Julaton who normally fights at 122lbs, but she dominated Segura by using angles, footwork and her Signature Jab. Segura who was visibly the bigger fighter could not establish her power punching rhythm during the fight as Julaton put on a pure display of boxing excellence in the ring tonight. "Ana boxed beautifully tonight, this is the style that suits her best and I was so very proud of her performance tonight!! She pitched a "NO HITTER" and I am confident Ana will win her fourth World Title this year" said Allan Tremblay of Orion Sports management who has guided Julaton's career.

"I am happy to have the full support of Orion Sports Management and I am very happy that Allan continues to trust me with these opportunities" Julaton said about her Promoter. Julaton who is now 11Wins 3Losses 1 Draw was cheered on by the hometown crowd of Yucatan as this was her second fight in their homeland and she is showing why she is a fan favorite World Wide. Some locals yelled "Ms Pac Man Please Knock her out" and other cheers were directed towards the Female fighting pride of the Philippines. Many yucatan people have been calling Julaton "Huracan de Yucatan" as she had been given a Jersey by the Yucatan Leones Baseball team President with the an inscription in the back "Huracan de Yucatan" the night before the fight as Ana threw the first pitch of the game.

Canal Trece's Juan Carlos Guitierez interviewed Ana in the fight in which Julaton thanked all the support from the people all over the world and thanked the GMA Network and Yucatan Boxing. The question was asked what is next for her and Julaton's response was "I would like to fight Jackie Nava next and since she doesn't like to leave her hometown to fight I have no problem fighting Nava right her in Mexico!"

Allan Tremblay who was interviewed by the GMA Network who was in Mexico covering the fight said "I would like Ana to fight Jackie Nava in her home province of Pangasinan as I believe it would be one of the great events this year. I have been attempting to contact Governor Amado Espino Jr. through his staff and I hope to hear a response from him soon before I make my decision for Ana's next fight. There are many locations interested in that fight but I would for us to give Ana's next World Title fight to the good people of the Philippines. It's time for her to have a Homecoming Event."

Pangasinan Governor Amado T. Espino Jr. hosted Ana Julaton's Homecoming Celebration in 2010 after Julaton won the WBO 122lbs Championship defeating current WBC Silver Belt Champion Mexico's Maria elena Villalobos. A fight in the Philippines would be a mega attraction with Julaton challenging for her 4th World Championship. Rumor's are that Jackie Nava will be fighting on July 14th in Texas on the undercard of Juan Manuel Marquez. A Julaton vs Nava fight would be one of the biggest events in Mexico and the Philippines but could be a great addition to that fight card in Texas.

Orion Sports Management will announce Julaton's next fight venue within the next few weeks. Philippines, Mexico, Argentina or Texas where ever it may be the Hurricane is back into her "Pugilist Specialist" ways.

MAYWEATHER - 151 LBS vs COTTO - 154 LBS

When the smoke cleared, the main-eventers easily made weight but one of the boxers involved in the supporting main event came in a tad over the limit.

Miguel Cotto (37-2-0,30 KO) of Caguas, Puerto Rico made the super welterweight limit of 154 pounds without any problem at all.

Floyd Mayweather (42-0-0,26 KO) of Grand Rapids, Michigan surprisingly came in 3 pounds under the contract limit. He was a sizzling 151 pounder.
 
Moments ago inside of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the weigh-in took place for this weekend’s ‘Ring Kings’ pay-per-view blockbuster.

In the evening’s main event, Miguel Cotto defends his WBA junior middleweight crown against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Cotto came in exactly at the limit of 154 pounds while Mayweather, who is moving up for this fight, came in at 151 pounds.

In the evening’s co-feature, Saul Alvarez came in at 154 pounds in advance of his WBC junior middleweight title defense against Shane Mosley, who was a half a pound over at 154.5 pounds. Mosley would later come back to make the weight and the bout is a go for tomorrow night.

It maybe noted that this is the heaviest that Mayweather ever was in any weigh-in he has had in his past fights.

Mayweather and Cotto are fighting for the WBA vacant Super welterweight title and a minor belt, the WBC Diamond Super welterweight title.

In the supporting main event, a fight that is for the WBC Super welterweight crown, world champion Canelo Alvarez (39-0-1, 29KO) of Guadalajara, Mexico hit the scales at exactly 154 lbs.

His challenger, former world champion Sugar Shane Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KO) of Pomona, California however was half a pound over the contract limit of 154 lbs.

Mosley was given two hours to shed the excess baggage and without doubt, he will make it the second time around as half a pound is really nothing to lose for professional boxers like him.

Will the weight be an issue tomorrow? Let us just wait and see.

In the other supporting bouts, Las Vegas rising star, Jessie Vargas (18-0-0, 9KO) came in at 146 lbs while his opponent veteran Steve Forbes, (35-10-0, 11KO) also from Las Vegas was a 146.5 lbs.

Carlos Quintana (28-3-0, 22KO) of Moca, Puerto Rico hit the scales at 154 lbas and his opponent DeAndre Latrimore (23-3-0, 17 KO) of Las Vegas was 154.5 lbs.

Most of the talk in the media room centered around Mosley. The veteran according to a reliable source is being paid $650,000 for the fight, indeed a neat sum that will go towards his retirement. Champion Alvarez is on the other hand getting a whooping $1.2 million.

Reasons to Watch Pacquiao Vs Bradley

Manny Pacquiao vs Bradley on June 9th is going to be a great fight. Neither boxer knows how to quit and they are going to go right at each other. Therefore, these are 4 reasons to watch Pacquiao vs Bradley?

They are Good Guys
 
Boxing has gained a bad reputation. Casual sports fan like to talk about everything that is wrong with the sport. They will mention bad decisions, corruption and so-called less than entertaining fights. Likewise, boxers such as Dereck Chisora that engaged in a press conference brawl contributes to boxing's bad image.

It is good for boxing to have a prizefight between guys with good character such as Bradley and Pacquiao. They will bring attention to what is important the boxing match. Not pre-fight brawls and silly name calling. They are professionals that are not going to engage in any nonsense.


They are Two of the Best Pound for Pound Boxers in the World
The last few years in boxing their have been several mismatches and overhyped fights. Likewise, it is boring to watch an elite fighter against a boxer that is too inexperienced or past his prime.

However, Bradley vs Pacquiao will be a competitive fight. Pacquiao is arguably the best pound for pound fighter in the world. And the Ring Magazine ranks Bradley as the number eight pound for pound fighter in the world. They are also both in or near their primes.


Timothy Bradley is a Live Underdog

It has been a long time since Pacquiao fought a young fighter is in his prime. Juan Manuel Marquez gave a good performance in his last fight against Pacquiao. But, Pacquiao's fights against Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley and Joshua Clottey were not competitive fights.

Bradley is the younger boxer at 28 years old. His hand speed and counterpunching skills could give Pacquiao problems. Besides, Bradley said that he learned from the Marquez-Pacquiao fight to take advantage of Pacquiao's problems dealing with counterpunching. He is also a smart fighter that knows how to make adjustments. So Pacquiao will need to bring his "A" game on June 9th.


They are Fighters Not Boxers
Some fighters turn almost all their boxing matches into brawls. They come right at their opponent. Likewise, Bradley and Pacquiao are aggressive fighters that love to fight.

Pacquiao is one of the most exciting fighters in the world. He is a phenomenal offensive fighter. It is mesmerizing to watch him as he throws combinations that with blistering speed.

" Let me tell you this, this fight I'm sure that it's gonna be a good fight because of Tim Bradley's style, he love to fight toe to toe, he keep coming inside," said Pacquiao. Likewise, Bradley is not going to fight to only survive. He is going to try to win.

We can do much more for the Philippines

To all Filipinos Everywhere:

I used to think that corruption and criminality in the Philippines were caused by poverty. But recent events tell me this isn’t true. It is one thing to see people turn into drug addicts, prostitutes, thieves and murderers because of hunger and poverty, but what excuse do these rich, educated people have that could possibly explain their bizarre behavior? And to think I was always so relieved when petty snatchers got caught and locked away in jail because I never fully realized that the big time thieves were out there, making the laws and running our country. Can it get any worse than this?

Every night, I come home and am compelled to turn on my tv to watch the latest turn of events. I am mesmerized by these characters. They are not men. They are caricatures of men - too unreal to be believable and too bad to be real. To see these “honorable” crooks lambast each other, call each one names, look each other in the eye and accuse the other of committing the very same crimes that they themselves are guilty of, is so comical and apalling that I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. It is entertainment at its worst!

I have never seen so many criminals roaming around unfettered and looking smug until now. These criminals wear suits and barongs, strut around with the confidence of the rich and famous, inspire fear and awe from the very citizens who voted them to power, bear titles like “Honorable”, “Senator”, “Justice”, “General” and worse, “President”. Ironically, these lawless individuals practice law, make our laws, enforce the law. And we wonder why our policemen act the way they do! These are their leaders, and the leaders of this nation – Robin Hoodlum and his band of moneymen. Their motto? “Rob the poor, moderate the greed of the rich.”

It makes me wonder where on earth these people came from, and what kind of upbringing they had to make them act the way they do for all the world to see. It makes me wonder what kind of schools they went to, what kind of teachers they had, what kind of environment would produce such creatures who can lie, cheat and steal from an already indebted country and from the impoverished people they had vowed to serve. It makes me wonder what their children and grandchildren think of them, and if they are breeding a whole new generation of improved Filipino crooks and liars with maybe a tad more style but equally negligible conscience. Heaven forbid!

I am an ordinary citizen and taxpayer. I am blessed to have a job that pays for my needs and those of my family’s, even though 30% of my earnings go to the nation’s coffers. Just like others in my lot, I have complained time and again because our government could not provide enough of the basic services that I expect and deserve. Rutty roads, poor educational system, poor social services, poor health services, poor everything. But I have always thought that was what all third world countries were all about, and my complaints never amounted to anything more.

And then this. Scandalous government deals. Plundering presidents pointing fingers. Senators associated with crooks. Congressmen who accept bribes. Big time lawyers on the side of injustice. De Venecia ratting on his boss only after his interminable term has ended, Enrile inquiring about someone’s morality! The already filthy rich Abalos and Arroyo wanting more money than they or their great grandchildren could ever spend in a lifetime. Joker making a joke of his own “pag bad ka, lagot ka!” slogan.. Defensor rendered defenseless. Gen. Razon involved in kidnapping. Security men providing anything but a sense of security. And it’s all about money, money, money that the average Juan de la Cruz could not even imagine in his dreams. Is it any wonder why our few remaining decent and hardworking citizens are leaving to go work in other countries?

And worst of all, we are once again saddled with a power-hungry president whose addiction has her clinging on to it like barnacle on a rusty ship. “Love (of power) is blind” takes a whole new meaning when PGMA time and again turns a blind eye on her husband’s financial deals. And still blinded with all that is happening, she opts to traipse around the world with her cohorts in tow while her country is in shambles.

They say the few stupid ones like me who remain in the Philippines are no longer capable of showing disgust. I don’t agree. Many like me feel anger at the brazenness of men we call our leaders, embarrassment to share the same nationality with them, frustration for our nation and helplessness at my own ineffectuality. It is not that I won’t make a stand. It is just that I am afraid my actions would only be futile. After all, these monsters are capable of anything. They can hurt me and my family. They already have, though I may not yet feel it.

But I am writing this because I need to do something concrete. I need to let others know that ordinary citizens like me do not remain lukewarm to issues that would later affect me and my children. I want to make it known that there are also Filipinos who dream of something better for the Philippines . I want them to know that my country is not filled with scalawags and crooks in every corner, and that there are citizens left who believe in decency, fairness, a right to speak, a right to voice out ideas, a right to tell the people we have trusted to lead us that they have abused their power and that it is time for them to step down. I refuse to let this country go to hell because it is the only country I call mine and it is my responsibility to make sure I have done what I could for it.

Those of us who do not have the wealth, power or position it needs to battle the evil crime lords in the government can summon the power of good. We can pray. We can do this with our families every night. We can offer petitions every time we celebrate mass. We can ask others to pray, too, including relatives and friends here and overseas. And we can offer sacrifices along with our petitions, just so we get the message to Him of our desperation in ridding our nation of these vermin. After all, they cannot be more powerful than God!

I implore mothers out there to raise your children the best way you can. Do not smother, pamper, or lavish them with too much of the material comforts of life even if you can well afford them. Teach them that there are more important things in this world. I beg all fathers to spend time with their children, to teach them the virtues of hard work, honesty, fair play, sharing, dignity and compassion – right from the sandbox till they are old enough to go on their own. Not just in your homes, but at work, in school, everywhere you go. Be good role models. Be shining examples for your children so they will learn to be responsible adults who will carry and pass on your family name with pride and honor.

I call on educators and teachers – we always underestimate the power of your influence on the minds of our youth. Encourage them to be aware of what is happening in their surroundings. Instill in them a love of their country, inculcate in them the value of perseverance in order to gain real, worthwhile knowledge, help us mold our children into honorable men and women. Encourage our graduates, our best and brightest, to do what they can to lift this country from the mire our traditional politicians have sunk us into. The youth is our future – and it would be largely because of you, our educators, that we will be able to repopulate the seats of power with good leaders, presidents, senators, congressmen, justices, lawmakers, law enforcers and lawful citizens.

I ask all students, young people and young professionals everywhere to look around and get involved in what is happening. Do not let your youth be an excuse for failure to concern yourselves with the harsh realities you see. But neither let this make you cynical, because we need your idealism and fresh perspective just as you need the wisdom of your elders. YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU! Let your voices be heard. Do what you can for this land that gave you your ancestors and your heritage. Use technology and all available resources at hand to spread good. Text meaningful messages to awaken social conscience. Try your best to fight moral decay because I promise you will not regret it when you become parents yourselves. You will look back at your past misdeeds and pray that your children will do better than you did.

Remember that there are a few handful who are capable of running this country.. You can join their ranks and make their numbers greater. We are tired of the old trapos. We need brave idealistic leaders who will think of the greater good before anything else. Do your utmost to excel in your chosen field.. Be good lawyers, civil servants, accountants, computer techs, engineers, doctors, military men so that when you are called to serve in government, you will have credibility and a record that can speak for itself.

For love of this country, for the future of our children, for the many who have sacrificed and died to uphold our rights and ideals, I urge you to do what you can. As ordinary citizens, we can do much more for the Philippines than sit around and let crooks lead us to perdition. We owe ourselves this.. And we owe our country even more.

Anna Julaton loses WBO super bantamweight belt to Marcos

Anna Julaton was defeated by challenger Yesica Marcos in a unanimous ten rounds decision in front of the 27,000 strong Argentinian fans and lost her WBO Women’s Super Bantamweight Title. Scoring for the bout were Jose Roberto Torress (98-91), Ignacio Robles (96-92) and Cesar Ramos (98-92) all in favor for Yesica Marcos.

The match went the full 10 rounds with the 31-year-old Julaton losing via unanimous decision over the undefeated and younger Marcos.

All three judges saw the fight in favor of the challenger with Cesar Ramos and Ignacio Robles scoring the fight at 98-92, while Jose Roberto Torres had the fight at 98-91.

Julaton, who knocked down Marcos in the second round, dropped to 10-3-1 win-loss-draw with one win by way of knockout.

Before facing Marcos, Julaton defeated Mexican Jessica Villafranca by unanimous decision in September last year.

Marcos remained undefeated with a 19-0 record with six KOs against one draw.

The Filipino-American Anna “The Hurricane” Julaton scored a knockdown through a left hand jab to the jaw in the second round but the Argentinian Ramos was able to recover quickly on the next round and started pummeling the defending champion.

Yesica Marcos was using a different tactics during the game especially after her knockdown in the second round as she experimented with her southpaw jab that frustrate Julaton on the next round.

The southpaw combination from Marcos works well for her as she followed it up with a right cross power shots to the body and to the face of Anna Julaton.

Officials disclosed for Julaton-Marcos title fight in Argentina

Promoter Allan Tremblay disclosed to me the names of the neutral officials assigned for Ana Julaton's WBO super bantamweight title defense against undefeated Argentinian challenger Yesica Marcos on March 16, in an effort to assure fans that there won't be any chicanery going on in Argentina.

Supervising the fight will be Rolando Marco Hermoso who hails from Panama City, Panama. The referee is Roberto Ramirez of San Juan, Puerto Rico. While the judges are Cesar Ramos, from Bayamon, Puerto Rico; Ignacio Robles from Panama City, Panama; and Roark Young from Miami, Florida.

Unlike in the US and in the Philippines, women's boxing is major attraction in Argentina, as well as several other South American countries, and the undefeated Marcos is definitely one of the sport's rising stars. The venue, Teatro Griego Juan Pablo Segundo, in San Martin, Mendoza, is reportedly selling 60,000 tickets to the fight in anticipation of a huge turnout. On the other hand, the GMA network in the Philippines will be broadcasting the fight nationwide.

This will be the most important fight in Julaton's career thus far, and is a fight that can potentially put women's boxing on the map, especially with its addition to the 2012 London Olympics for the very first time in its storied history. Here's hoping all the powers that be do their jobs to the best of their abilities, uncompromised by the crowd, location, or any other factors that can spoil such a potentially historic bout.

Promoter Osvaldo Rivero assures Julaton's safety in Argentina

After concerns from Philippine boxing fans regarding 3-time women's boxing World Champion Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton (10-2-1), who is set to defend her WBO super bantamweight crown in Argentina against undefeated Yesica Marcos (18-0-1) on March 16, Julaton's promoter Allan Tremblay advised this scribe about the lengths they have gone to assure a fair fight and the Philippine contingent's safety.

On top of ensuring the presence of neutral officials for the contest under the sanctioning of the WBO, Tremblay wrote Argentinian promoter Osvaldo Rivero, the same promoter for the infamous brawl that went down in Argentina after Johnriel Casimero beat Luis Lazarte for the IBF Interim jr. flyweight crown, about his concerns. Tremblay shared to me Rivero's letter in response written in Spanish, which I have loosely translated below.

As for Julaton, the incident only fired up her competitive spirit even more. "I'm really excited about fighting in Argentina. All of it just gets me amped up, it's really getting me juiced about it," Julaton told me when she stopped by dBoxing Source Radio show.

“I want to show the Boxing World that I will fight anyone, anywhere at any time and will do my utmost to represent the proud Filipina Nation in the great traditions that they come to expect," a determined Julaton said.

Ana Julaton vs. Yesica Marcos

GMA will air the match, dubbed “Laban ng Lahi presents: Giyera Sa Argentina Ana Julaton vs. Yesica Marcos”, on March 18, 11 a.m. via satellite.

Muling patutunayan ni Filipino 3-time World Champion Ana Julaton ang kanyang tikas sa ibabaw ng ring sa darating na Marso 16 taglay ang kartadang (10-2-1).

Makakaharap niya sa isang championship fight ang Interim Champion na si Yesica Marcos (18-0-1) sa bansa mismo ng wala pang talo na boksingerong Latina.

Sa kabila ng impresibong record ang kakalabanin, ay determinado si Julaton at handang patunayan kahit kanino ang kanyang tikas sa larangan ng boksing. Anya pa, “I want to show the Boxing World that I will fight anyone, anywhere at anytime and I will do my utmost to represent the proud Filipino Nation in the great traditions that they come to expect,”

Maging si Allan Tremblay ng Orion Sports Management, promoter ni Julaton ay may tiwala na hindi matitibag ang ipinagmamalaking Pinay boxer kahit pa na ang laban ay gaganapin sa bayan ng kalaban basta alinsunod lang umano sa pinirmahan ng promoter ng kalaban na ang mga mangangasiwa sa bakbakan na may pahintulot ng World Boxing Organization ay neutral officials.

Ayon pa kay Tremblay, ang labang ito ni Ana ang siyang pinakamahirap na pagsubok ng kanyang kakayahan sa boksing, buo ang loob umano ng pinay na mananalo.

ANA “The Hurricane” Julaton, Pangasinan’s pride and current IBA and WBO Women’s Super Bantamweight champion, has signed a three-fight deal with GMA Network, Inc. beginning with her upcoming match against Argentinean Yesica “La Leona” Marcos this month.

The fight, in defense of Julaton’s WBO Super Bantamweight title, will be held in Marcos’ hometown in San Martin, Argentina.

“I am happy my promoter, Allan Tremblay of Orion Sports, and I are one with GMA Network again,” said the Filipina fighter, with roots in Pangasinan.

Julaton is now in Argentina preparing for the match.

Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton

With such an honorary background and a work ethic to support it, there’s no question as to why or how the land of the Philippines recently witnessed the emergence of this young lady who is a true pure Beauty and the Beast she unleashes when it comes to her sport. In America, Basketball has Michael Jordan and Lisa Leslie. Golf has Tiger Woods and Michelle Wie, Tennis has Rafael Nadal and Ana Kournokova, Racing has Mario Andretti and Danika Patrick. But as great as those men and women are, few can argue they are little more than the face of their respective sports.

The Filipino nation, on the other hand, now follows the cadence of a man who serves as the face of his entire country, (Manny Pacquiao). And as we all know, for every true King, there must be a Queen to walk beside him. The woman who most would identify as the lead for this role aside the sports current P4P champ is none other than Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton. The latest Filipino to take the boxing world by storm, as well as represent a nation that has slowly become very key in the sport. Ana Julaton shocked the female fighting world stage with her seminole moment in the sport, becoming a world champion in only her 5th Professional Win.

Ana Julaton (born 5 July 1980) is the first Filipino American boxer to win the Women's WBO Super Bantamweight and IBA Super Bantamweight titles. Nicknamed “The Hurricane,” she is also one of the “quickest” boxers ever to win a world title, having fought only five other professional bouts before winning the IBA Super Bantamweight title.

Luciana “Ana” B. Julaton was born on 5 July 1980 in San Francisco, California. Despite her father making her train in martial arts when she was little, she had no interest in boxing whatsoever. It was only while working as a bok-fu instructor at the West Wind Martial Arts and Boxing School in Berkeley, California, that Julaton was introduced to boxing through a lecture session organized by her now trainer-manager, Angelo Reyes.

She then made her amateur boxing debut in 2004, managing to win a silver in the San Francisco Golden Gloves despite having officially trained for only two weeks. After delivering a good performance at the National Golden Gloves in 2005, Julaton would be taken under the wing of two-division world champion Carina Moreno and trainer Rick Noble, further improving her craft.

By 2007, she was ranked as second among all female amateur boxers in the United States, and took part of the unsuccessful campaign to include women's boxing in the lineup of events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

At this point Julaton decided to turn pro, and approached veteran trainer Freddie Roach. Impressing Roach with her work ethic—even sparring against male fighters—Julaton eventually became part of Roach's large stable of boxers, alongside Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and former world champion Gerry Peñalosa.

She was about to make her professional debut against Hondi Hernandez as part of the undercard of the Pacquiao-Barrera rematch in October 2007, but her fight was canceled when Hernandez failed to make the weight limit. Julaton instead fought and won against Rita Valentini one month later. This was followed by several other successful fights, culminating in her first title win against Kelsey “The Road Warrior” Jeffries last 12 September 2009 for the vacant International Boxing Association super bantamweight title in women's boxing.

Now trained by Nonito Donaire Sr., father of boxer Nonito Donaire Jr., Julaton followed up that win by defeating Donna Biggers and becoming the first female World Boxing Organization Super Bantamweight champion on 4 December 2009. Her next fight is scheduled on 27 March 2010, against boxer Lisa Brown for the vacant World Boxing Association junior featherweight title.

Is Manny Pacquiao a victim of crab mentality?

Why is it that every time Manny Pacquiao, the reigning World Boxing Organization welterweight champion fights, issues against him readily crop up? There was this tax evasion charges, for instance, which hounded him several years back before he fought Marco Antonio Barrera. Then the infidelity scandal that came out prior to his demolition of Antonio Margarito two years ago. Previous to his confrontation, his third, against Juan Manuel Marquez, reports of his bearing a child to someone other than wife Jinkee also came about.

There they go again. They of the crab mentality syndrome, who hate to see someone succeeding in his calling. Not even a boxer like Manny Pacquiao, who is hailed all over the world as the only man to win eight world championships in as many weight divisions and, thus, brought immeasurable honor to the country.

These are a few of the many issues and charges hurled against the 33-year-old ring icon, who is acknowledged as the saving grace for the bad image the country is being pictured by the Filipino-hating foreign media.

Three months before battling undefeated world junior welterweight titleholder Tim Bradley, another tax evasion case is thrown against him by no less than the government in the person of Bureau of Internal Revenue commissioner Kim Henares.

Henares herself insinuated the Lord of the Ring might be put in jail
should he fails to settle the alleged discrepancies in the tax return
he filed on regards with his the past two years.

Of course, the foreign media had a feast day exploiting the story derived from their local counterparts based on the statements and pronouncements of the BIR boss, who. some said could be trying to makeup for her unimpressive stint as prosecution witness in the on-going impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Politics, according to them is behind this latest character assassination being employed against Pacquiao, the fighting congressman of Sarangani Province who could easily be the Greatest Filipino Athlete this country has produced in the 100 years of Philippine sports if there is one.

Two days ago, an American boxing writer wrote that politics could, indeed, be the reason. Manny, he reported, is a well known friend of former President, Gloria Arroyo who is currently under "hospital arrest" and a sworn enemy of the current President.

“Although Manny tried to be in his (President Noynoy) good graces, Manny has not completely voted in Congress the way the Administration would want him todo. Even the funding for his hospital in Sarangani is in jeopardy,” the writer reported.

A kind of story the country doesn’t need at this time when the name Philippines and the Filipino still remain in the quagmire of corruption-related controversies that place the country and this government in bad light.

Whatever the reasons are, politics or not, the present issue might could serve as mental distraction that can affect Pacquiao’s performance in his coming fight on June 9 like the infidelity issue that confronted him in Act III of his trilogy with Marquez whom he barely defeated.

The saddest part of the whole thing is that the still to be proven misdemeanor emanated right in this shore inspired by a branch of government and exploited by Philippine media.

If this is being made to destroy Pacquiao, a national treasure, then those who started the move several years back might succeed this time. The story added that “in the Philippines, there is a saying "weather-weather", meaning "panapanahon" loosely translated as "your time was yesterday, now it is our time". Whoever is in charge and the friends of those in charge, call the shots. And the friends of the those previously in charge better fly under the radar.

It appears that everybody and anybody who had some close relationships with the former administration are targeted. I don't have any evidence but I speculate that Manny is being sent a message, "you may be the most famous Pinoy, but the only P' Noy who counts is NoyNoy, the President.

If Manny wants to succeed politically, he has to bow to the current king of Malacanang.

Just like most high profile political drama in the Philippines, this will be a forgotten footnote a couple of weeks from now. There is another saying in the Philippines, "ningas kugon", meaning sudden wild fire but fizzles in a second.

There will be a lot of noise about this right now but will be forgotten and would seem a distant past by next month. By the time he fights in June, same politicians who are going after him will be jockeying for position among each other to gain Manny's favor for a seat to see him at MGM.

I would not be surprised that the BIR's senior leadership would be at ringside. By the way, unlike the IRS which sent Al Capone to prison, the BIR has yet to send a single high profile tax cheat to prison.

If The BIR actually prosecutes and sends tax cheats to prison, the Philippines will be left without a government. They will all be in Muntinlupa.

Who's PPV King, Pacman or Floyd?

The superfight is far from happening, and in fact it may never happen at all. But in the next couple of months they will be pitted against each other once more.

It will be a big battle over pay-per-view numbers when Mayweather takes on Miguel Cotto on May 5, and Pacquiao collides with Tim Bradley on June 9.

Two great fights in a span of five weeks, and again a lot of people will be waiting for the numbers to come in once they’re through with their fights.

It will be the question of who the sport’s biggest draw is. Mayweather claims he’s the greatest of them all, and Pacquiao said he couldn’t care less.

“I even don’t think of myself as a great boxer. I let the people say how good I am as a fighter,” said Pacquiao.

Mayweather said he will be Mayweather even if he doesn’t fight the Filipino superstar. Pacquiao said he’s the same without mentioning the name of the undefeated American.

Over recent years, Pacquiao has made pay-per-view his bread and butter, with close to eight million buys combined in his last seven fights.

Pacquiao hit over a million buys against Oscar dela Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez, which did close to 1.4 million last year.

“That takes him to the super elite status and in the annals of pay-per-view history,” said the HBO senior vice president Mark Taffet of Pacquiao.

Mayweather still shares the pay-per-view record of 2.4 million buys in his fight against Dela Hoya in 2007 but since he came out of retirement hasn’t gone over 1.25 (against Victor Ortiz).

Insiders say Mayweather vs Cotto is easier to sell than Pacquiao vs Bradley, just one of the great fighters but whose name doesn’t really ring a bell outside the United States.

Pacquiao is done with Cotto, with boxing’s only eight-division champion stopping the heavy-handed Puerto Rican inside 12 rounds.

Many thought it was the end of the line for Cotto until he bounced back with a string of victories, including a big one against Antonio Margarito last December.

It earned Cotto the right to fight Mayweather who needed Cotto as his next opponent more than Pacquiao needed Cotto for a rematch.

Mayweather will do everything to go over a million pay-per-view buys against Cotto, and hope that Pacquiao fails to draw the number against Bradley.

If that happens, then Mayweather can keep his head up, and say he’s the biggest star out there, again just enough for him to demand a bigger share of the purse for a possible fight with Pacquiao.

If Mayweather beats Cotto, he also becomes the junior-middleweight champion, and he’d surely ask Pacquiao to climb the ladder and challenge him at 154 lb.

Denver Cuello knocks out Samat Chaiyong

The Thai tried everything to stop Cuello’s attack in the fifth to eighth rounds but got trapped in a corner in the ninth and absorbed a hail of punches, forcing referee Bruce McTavish to stop the fight.

But Denver Cuello did not disappoint his hometown fans as he scored a fourth-round technical knockout win over Indonesian challenger Kid Suryana in their scheduled 10-round non-title bout Saturday night at the Jaro Plaza Gym in Iloilo City, Iloilo.

Cuello, The Ring Magazine's No. 7 strawweight contender and Cabatuan town native, stopped Suryana at the one-minute and 48-second mark of the fourth round to hike his fight record to 30 wins (20 knockouts), four losses and six draws.

The 25-year-old Cuello got off to a fast start, stunning the outclassed 23-year-old Suryana (8-2, four KOs) with his power and speed and putting him on the defensive. After four one-sided rounds the referee waved it off, declaring Cuello the winner.

Cuello's manager Aljoe Jaro says he was happy with the promotion, which he estimates drew a paid crowd of 3,000.

Cuello's next assignment will be on May 12 when he faces World Boxing Council (WBC) number one Ganigan Lopez (20-4, 14 KOs) of Amecameca, Mexico, possibly at the Ynares Sports Complex in Pasig City.

Biography of Manny Pacquiao

Pacquiao started his professional boxing career in 1995 at 106 lbs (Light flyweight) at the age of 16. His early fights usually took place in small venues and were shown on Vintage Sports’ Blow by Blow, an evening boxing show. Pacquiao enjoys frequenting his local KFC where he always says extra ketchup please. known in the local philipine community as the ketchup enthusiast. His professional debut was a 4-round bout against Edmund Enting Ignacio on January 22, 1995, which Pacquiao won via decision, becoming an instant star of the program. Close friend Mark Penaflorida’s death in 1994 spurred young Pacquiao to pursue a professional career.

His weight increased from 106 to 113 lbs before losing in his 12th bout against Rustico Torrecampo via a third-round knockout (KO). As sportscaster Joaquin “Quinito” Henson observed, Pacquiao had not made weight. So he was forced to use heavier gloves than Torrecampo, thereby putting Pacquiao at a disadvantage.

Shortly after the Torrecampo fight, Pacquiao settled at 112 lbs, winning the WBC Flyweight title over Chatchai Sasakul in the eighth round only to lose it in his second defense against Medgoen Singsurat, or Medgoen 3K Battery, via a third-round knockout on a bout held at Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. Technically, Pacquiao lost the belt at the scales by surpassing the required weight of 112 lbs (51 kg).

Following his loss to Singsurat, Pacquiao gained weight anew, this time stopping at the superbantamweight division of 122 lbs (55 kg), where he picked up the WBC International Super Bantamweight title, defending it five times before his next world title fight came.

Pacquiao’s big break came on June 23, 2001, against IBF Super Bantamweight champion Lehlohonolo Ledwaba. Pacquiao stepped into the fight as a late replacement and won the fight by technical knockout to become the IBF Super Bantamweight champion on a bout held at MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada. He defended this title eight times and fought to a sixth-round draw against Agapito Sanchez in a bout that was stopped early after Pacquiao received a headbutt.

His parents are Rosalio and Dionisia Pacquiao. His brother Bobby Pacquiao is also a boxer. He is married to Maria Geraldine “Jinkee” Pacquiao with 3 children: PJ Hoffy, Bebot and Christian. His wife Jinkee is pregnant with another female child.