‘I go to war with you anytime’ said Robin Padilla to commissioner Chito Salud

One day after PBA comissioner Chito Salud made the decision to hand Renaldo Balkman a lifetime ban from the league after his meltdown last Friday, actor Robin Padilla took to Instagram to express his support for the commissioner, whom he said he would go to war with anytime.

by: Mikkel Bolante

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SMC to ‘re-evaluate’ PBA participation after Balkman incident

San Miguel Corporation, which owns the Petron Blaze Boosters, has accepted the PBA’s decision to impose a ban on Renaldo Balkman after the import’s meltdown last Friday against Alaska.

But the conglomerate said in a statement that it will “re-evaluate” its continued participation in the professional league after the damage to its reputation caused by the incident.

“San Miguel Corporation would like to apologize to basketball fans and the Philippine Basketball Association, for the unsportsmanlike conduct shown by its import, Renaldo Balkman, last Friday, March 8. We accept the decision to ban Mr. Balkman for life from the league,” said the corporation in a statement

“Unfortunately, the incident has been blown out of proportion and has damaged our good name. Already, news of the incident has spread throughout the country and overseas through traditional and online media.”

Apart from Petron, SMC owns Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the San Mig Coffee Mixers, the two most popular teams in the PBA. SMC has been a member of the PBA since the league’s inception in 1975 with the Petron franchise, which carried the Royal Tru-Orange, San Miguel Beer, and Magnolia brands.

SMC’s statement follows in full:

    San Miguel Corporation would like to apologize to basketball fans and the Philippine Basketball Association, for the unsportsmanlike conduct shown by its import, Renaldo Balkman, last Friday, March 8. We accept the decision to ban Mr. Balkman for life from the league.

    We do not condone his actions. The mandate of our basketball operations has always been to entertain basketball fans and foster camaraderie and a spirit of healthy competition. We pride ourselves in having great teams who serve as good role models to the youth and community.

    Unfortunately, the incident has been blown out of proportion and has damaged our good name. Already, news of the incident has spread throughout the country and overseas through traditional and online media.

    Our reputation is of utmost importance to us because we have worked hard to cultivate this good name through the decades. But it takes only one unfortunate incident like this to undo all our efforts.

    As such, given the possible long-term effect of this incident to the San Miguel organization’s image, and in consideration of our need to preserve our good reputation, Management has decided to re-evaluate the company’s continuing participation in the PBA.

    Moving forward, we believe sports is a pillar of Philippine society and we will continue to support it and Filipino athletes in general in meaningful ways in and out of the PBA.

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PBA commissioner Chito Salud announces Balkman's ban - Video

The PBA has banned Petron Blaze import Renaldo Balkman from the league after his meltdown last Friday against the Alaska Aces.

PBA commissioner Chito Salud made the announcement Monday afternoon after his meeting with the import in the morning.

Check out this video:



courtesy of InterAKTV

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PBA bans Renaldo Balkman

The PBA has banned Petron Blaze import Renaldo Balkman from the league after his meltdown last Friday against the Alaska Aces.

The league made the announcement Monday afternoon on its official Twitter account after commissioner Chito Salud met with the import in the morning.

Balkman was in the midst of his worst game of the tournament against the Aces, scoring just six points after averaging 28 in his first six matches. After being called for a foul late in the game, Balkman confronted all three game referees.

Petron coaches and players tried to calm Balkman down to no avail. The import got into a shoving match with Petron co-captain Arwind Santos, a scene that ended with Balkman grabbing at his teammate’s neck.

Balkman has since apologized publicly for his actions, and the Boosters joined him at the PBA office as a show of support.

But Salud did not seem to buy Balkman’s explanation. Apart from the ban, the PBA also meted a P250,000 fine on the former New York Knicks draft pick.

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Stars showdown as Caguioa edges Yap

Two of today's top PBA gunners went at each other on Sunday night. And in the end, it was the 'The Spark' who got the better of his veritable shootout over 'Big Game James.'

Mark Caguioa outscored James Yap in their one-on-one duel as Barangay Ginebra edged out defending champion San Mig Coffee, 96-88, in a battle of Commissioner’s Cup marquee teams before a huge crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Caguioa topscored for the Kings with 25 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three-point territory, two of them serving as huge cushion for the league’s most popular team at the height of a furious Mixers endgame rally.

Yap finished with 21 points and was 4-of-11 from beyond the arc, but his back-to-back three-pointers in the final two minutes had the Mixers breathing down the Kings' neck coming home.

But on this night, there was no denying the reigning league MVP as he and the Kings pulled off one over the former two-time MVP and the defending champions.

Caguioa, who also had seven rebounds and five assists, later played down the shootout, but appears to relish his rivalry with Yap.

“There’s always a rivalry. May mga fan bases yan. There’s gonna be fans of James Yap, there’s gonna be fans of Mark Caguioa and hindi magpapatalo ang dalawang yan,” said Ginebra's acknowledged heart and soul.

Yap had three assists and three rebounds, and appears uncomfortable talking about the rivalry being hyped between him and Caguioa, with whom he’s close with outside the court.

“Sa akin naman I don’t think may rivalry kami. Nagkataon lang talaga na lahat naka-focus sa amin,” said the shooting guard out of University of the East.

 “Basta we’re just doing our thing inside the court. Personally, sa akin walang rivalry. Kakulitan ko nga yang si Mark,” added the San Mig Coffee star.

“Ang importante lang is to perform like tonight.”

by: @gerardmos

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PBA Standings as of March 10, 2013

The Air 21 Express opened PBA Super Ball Sunday action by snapping their five-game losing streak, defeating the GlobalPort Batang Pier, 106-94, behind 35 points and 20 rebounds from import Michael Dunigan.

In the evening’s Manila Clasico encounter, Mark Caguioa led the way for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel with 25 points as the Gin Kings hacked out a 96-88 victory over the San Mig Coffee Mixers before a crowd of 16,617.

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Streak
Alaska Aces	6	1	0.857	-	W1
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters	5	1	0.833	0.5	W5
Petron Blaze Boosters	5	2	0.714	1	L1
Meralco Bolts	3	3	0.500	2.5	W2
Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters	3	3	0.500	2.5	W1
Barako Bull Energy Colas	3	4	0.429	3	L3
San Mig Coffee Mixers	3	4	0.429	3	L1
Air 21 Express	2	5	0.286	4	W1
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel	2	5	0.286	4	W1
GlobalPort Batang Pier	2	6	0.250	4.5	L5

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Caguioa Sparks to survive Mixers rally

Barangay Ginebra survived a late San Mig Coffee rally for a huge 96-88 victory Sunday night in the PBA Commissioner's Cup before a capacity crowd at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

In front of the biggest crowd of the tournament, Mark “The Spark” Caguioa shone brightest


The Kings almost squandered a 15-point fourth-quarter cushion, but held on behind the outside snippings of reigning MVP Mark Caguioa.

The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel superstar scored 25 points, including two huge three-pointers in the last two minutes, to lead the Gin Kings to a 96-88 victory over the San Mig Coffee Mixers in their Manila Clasico showdown Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Two-time league MVP James Yap carried the reigning champion Mixers on his shoulders and engaged Caguioa in a virtual shootout entering the stretch run of the match the Kings dominated all the way..

The win gave the Gin Kings its second win in seven games, coming against their traditional rivals in front of a wild crowd of 16,617.

“Pinakita lang ni Mark Caguioa na he’s still Mark Caguioa,” said Ginebra coach Alfrancis Chua.

But Caguioa did not do it alone. LA Tenorio quarterbacked the squad masterfully, finishing with 12 points and 13 assists.

“Malaking isda ‘tong nahuli namin,” said Chua.

“They’re taller, they’re stronger than us. Pero mas malaki ang puso nila sa kalaban.”

Import Vernon Macklin added 20 points and 16 rebounds for Ginebra while providing the energy for the squad.

“Gusto siya ng mga players because of his fighting heart,” said Chua. “Yung mga ganun masarap kasama sa laban.”

Ginebra got key contributions from role players Billy Mamaril, who scored 13 points, and Chris Ellis, who added 11.

Denzel Bowles led the fight for San Mig Coffee with 25 points and 16 rebounds, while James Yap added 21.

The loss snapped San Mig Coffee’s three-game winning streak. The Mixers’ win-loss record fell to 3-4.

The scores:

GINEBRA 96 – Caguioa 25, Macklin 20, Mamaril 13, Tenorio 12, Ellis 11, Raymundo 6, Labagala 4, Baracael 4, Maierhofer 1.

SAN MIG COFFEE 88 – Bowles 25, Yap 21, Devance 13, Pingris 11, Mallari 4, Barroca 4, Simon 4, De Ocampo 4, Najorda 2, Gaco 0.

Quarters: 24-17, 48-35, 67-58, 96-88

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Manila Clasico: Mixers, Kings renew rivalry

Defending champion San Mig Coffee, in a logjam at midtable, tries to move up a notch when it battles cellar-dwelling Barangay Ginebra on Sunday in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup main at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Mixers are even at 3-3 after winning their last three games, going 3-1 with recently reacquired import Denzel Bowles. They go for their fourth straight win this conference against the Gin Kings (1-5) at 6:30 p.m.

“You get those runs of four, five or six-game winning streak. But everybody then starts gunning for you. For us, we’re desperate for a win. We’re trying to create our momentum,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.

The Mixers are enter the match tied for fourth with Barako Bull and Meralco and hope to close in on the idle league-leader Alaska (6-1).

“I always tell the team, until we get to .500 we can’t talk about anything, like playoffs. But good news, because we got here now, and hopefully, we keep winning and get a good playoff position,” he added.

The 6-foot-10 Bowles, tapped to replace Matt Rogers, has been averaging modest numbers for the Mixers this conference – 19.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.7 blocks in 35.7 minutes of play.

The big difference is Bowles’ familiarity with Cone’s system, which made it easy for the team to adjust when Rogers was replaced after his one-game stint with Petron.

On the other hand, the Gin Kings are still struggling despite a change of import from Herbert Hill to Vernon Macklin.

While Macklin is a high-energy guy who can provide offense inside because of his size, strength and leaping ability, local players from the Gin Kings need to come to his support if they hope to begin their climb to respectability.

Barangay Ginebra is coming off a 93-96 loss to Rain or Shine last week after hitting just 27-of-46 free throws. Macklin said that pretty much explains the wasted opportunities.

“We just have to regroup and play harder. I kind of let my team down missing those free throws,” explained Macklin, who still finished the game with 27 points, 16 rebounds and two shot blocks.

Consistency is something the Gin Kings need to display this conference in order for the team not to be overly dependent on its import and Mark Caguioa for offense.

The “Spark” has been doing it all for the locals in the Kings’ first six games, averaging 21.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 37.1 minutes.

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Renaldo Balkman chokes Arwind Santos - Video

For five straight game, Renaldo Balkman was the hero for the Petron Blaze Boosters’ winning run.

But the former New York Knicks first round pick was frustrated all game against Alaska Friday night, as Petron saw its winning streak snapped.

Balkman melted down near the end of the game, confronting all three referees after committing a foul with 21.6 seconds left.

Petron assistant coach Biboy Ravanes and teammate Ronald Tubid tried to pacify the import, but were shoved away by Balkman.

Boosters co-captain Arwind Santos took his turn to try calming down Balkman, but was also pushed away. Santos responded with a push of his own, before Balkman grabbed at his neck.

Teammates and coaches had to come in and separate the two players, before Balkman was finally calmed down and subbed out.

Check out this video:



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Barako Bull and Talk ‘N Text showdown in Legazpi

Barako Bull and Talk ‘N Text collide on Saturday in Legazpi City, Albay in a battle of two struggling teams in the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

The Energy Colas and the Tropang Texters both enter the game with a two-game losing slide, and one streak will end after their 6:30 p.m. encounter.

After a promising 3-1 start, Barako Bull absorbed back-to-back blowout losses to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (93-72) and Petron Blaze (91-78) to see its win-loss record slide to 3-3.

“We have to play better than in our last two games. I don’t know if it is enough to win,” said Barako Bull consultant Rajko Toroman, who admittedly was not pleased with how his players performed in their last two assignments.

They will be up against another skidding team in Talk ‘N Text, which is sitting at the bottom half of the team standings with a 2-3 mark.

The Philippine Cup champions are parading balik-import Donnell Harvey, who replaced Keith Benson.

“They changed their import. They lost two in a row and these are the reasons why it will be very difficult for us,” Toroman added.

Harvey was Talk ‘N Text’s import when the franchise lost to B-MEG (now San Mig Coffee) in last season’s Commissioner’s Cup finals in seven grueling games.

The 32-year old Harvey averaged 19 points and 16 rebounds in the best-of-seven championship series against the Llamados.

The Tropang Texters have lost to Alaska (69-92) and the Coffee Mixers (82-90) in their past two games.

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Alaska vs. Petron to notch top spot; GlobalPort and Rain or Shine clash

Alaska and Petron Blaze dispute the solo lead as they collide in the main game of the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Aces and the Boosters meet at 7:30 p.m. right after the opening game tussle of GlobaPort and Rain or Shine at 5:15 p.m.

Alaska and Petron are currently tied for the top spot with 5-1 win-loss marks and the winner takes the solo lead in the tournament.

The Aces’ unbeaten start ended last Wednesday after bowing to San Mig Coffee, 75-68, while the Boosters are on a five-game winning run.

“This will be a good match up for us, a true test. This will be a gauge for us to see how far we’ve come as a team,” said Petron coach Olsen Racela whose team is coming off a 91-78 win over Barako Bull.

Alex Cabagnot is expected to suit up for the Boosters tonight, according to Racela, while Chris Lutz will still be out for three more games.

The return of Cabagnot and the impressive showing of Renaldo Balkman makes Alaska mentor Luigi Trillo, whose wards try to bounce back from a sorry loss, wary of the Boosters.

“Balkman is playing really well and Cabagnot is coming back into the lineup, another guy we have to watch out for,” said Trillo.

In the opener, Batang Pier (2-4) hope to snap a three-game slide against the Elasto Painters (4-1) who enter the game with a three-game run.

“It is urgent that we pick up our game at this juncture and hopefully we get a win against Rain or Shine,” said GlobaPort coach Junel Baculi.

“Our import (Justin Williams) should be more aggressive on offense. He must assert his game more than the locals,” he added.

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Talk ‘n Text brings back Donnell Harvey

Talk ‘n Text hopes to get back to its winning ways when it parades balik-impot Donnell Harvey on Saturday in a game against the skidding Barako Bull squad in a PBA Commissioner’s Cup road game in Legazpi City.

The 6’8” Harvey is fresh from a stint with the Tianjin Ronggang in the Chinese Basketball Association and will be replacing Keith Benson, who could only help the squad to a 2-3 record in his five-game stint with the Texters.

Talk ‘N Text team manager Aboy Castro said he was told by Harvey that his return stint has something to do with his mission of trying to complete an “unfinished business” with the Tropang Texters.

“I think more importantly, Harvey will bring toughness to the team and rebounding. He has been telling us that he has some unfinished business here. And for sure, he knows what the team needs,” Castro told Spin.ph shortly after arriving in Legazpi City.

Black, meantime, said he’ll find ways to fit the 32-year-old Harvey into the team’s system though their immediate goal is to get back on the winning track against the Energy Cola.

“Harvey is now with us in Legazpi. We are hoping that he will improve our chances this conference especially since he led us to the finals last year,” said Black.

The former University of Alabama alumnus averaged 19.06 points, 16 rebounds, 2.17 assiasts and 1.5 steals last season for the Tropang Texters, who bowed to B-Meg (now San Mig Coffee) in the Finals in seven games.

Talk 'N Text is the second team to replace its import after San Mig, which welcomed back last season's Commissioner's Cup Best Import Denzel Bowles.

Since replacing Matt Rogers, the Mixers under Bowles have won three of their last four games.

by: @richava

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Ref banned for Ross 'obvious' non-call foul

Coach Franz Pumaren said the pain of Air'21 heartbreaking loss on Wednesday was somehow eased after they learned that referee Peter Balao was slapped a 10-day suspension without pay for a crucial non-call in the final 10 seconds of the Express' loss to Meralco in the PBA Commissioner's Cup.

“Second quarter of the second game (on Wednesday), I was already told by the Commissioner’s Office that referee Balao was suspended,” Pumaren told Spin.ph just before the team’s practice at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong.

“The mere fact that they suspended the referee is a validation that indeed, there was a non-call in the final 10 seconds. And that just ruined a very nice game,” lamented the Air21 mentor, whose team fell to its fifth straight loss after bowing to Meralco, 88-89, at the Big Dome.

The multi-titled former La Salle coach said the critical non-call dealt another crucial blow to the Express, considering the team managed to stage a huge comeback in the final quarter that saw them take an 88-85 lead late in the game after being down by 18 points.

The Bolts though scored the last four points – a basket from point-blank range by import Eric Dawson and a pair of free throws from Chris Ross for the marginal points.

Air21 had one last chance to steal the game but Mike Cortez lost the handle of the ball after coming into contact with Ross, which was not called, leading to the Meralco guard’s fifth steal as the Bolts went on to escape with the victory.

Air21 board governor Lito Alvarez said he hopes the state of officiating will be tackled in the pro league’s board meeting this month to find ways to improve it.

“It’s a very obvious foul that was not called. And if the foul was called, since Meralco was in the penalty, we could have won the game kung ma-shoot yung two free throws. Game-changer yung non-call na iyun. Sa susunud na board meeting, we hope to na mapag-usapan namin iyan (officiating),” said Alvarez.

Balao is the third referee to be suspended this conference, after Emmanuel Tankion and Allan Balatucan.

by: @richava

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Ginebra aim 2nd win against Rain or Shine; Petron faces Barako

Petron Blaze guns for a fifth straight win against Barako Bull in Sunday’s opening game as the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup resumes at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Boosters and the Energy Colas clash at 4:15 p.m. to be followed by the tussle between Rain or Shine and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel at 6:30 p.m.

After losing its opening match to GlobalPort, Petron has won its next four assignments, including a 60-53 win against Air 21 last Friday.

And the Boosters are doing it minus starting point guard Alex Cabagnot, Chris Lutz, and Danny Ildefonso, who are all sidelined due to injury.

Petron coach Olsen Racela commended his players for playing together and import Renaldo Balkman for providing the leadership.

“I have to give it to our import. He’s our leader and he has stepped up his game,” said Racela, who will be facing his former consultant Rajko Toroman.

Toroman is now on the bench of Barako Bull also serving as consultant to coach Bong Ramos.

The Energy Colas (3-2) are coming off a 93-72 defeat to the Gin Kings last Wednesday.

In the second game, the Elasto Painters try to extend their winning streak to four games against a motivated Ginebra squad, which finally broke into the win column after dropping its first four assignments.

Rain or Shine is coming off a 99-97 win against the Express and coach Yeng Guiao cautions his players not to take the 1-4 Kings lightly.

“You cannot take any team for granted in this league,” said Guiao. “Like what happened to us against Air 21. Suwerte kami nakalusot kami sa game na iyon.”

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PJ Simon lift San Mig Coffee past GlobalPort

Denzel Bowles wasn’t quite the monster in his third game back for San Mig Coffee.

Fortunately for the Mixers, Peter June Simon and James Yap rose to the occasion just when their foul-troubled import needed backup against GlobalPort.

Simon scored 19 points, while Yap hit a dagger three-pointer at the height of a furious late rally by the Batang Pier, as San Mig Coffee grabbed its second straight Commissioner’s Cup win, 91-84, at the Jesse Robredo Coliseum in Naga City.

The Mixers led by as much as 23 points in the second quarter, but Bowles’ foul trouble — he picked up his fifth foul late in the third period — allowed the Batang Pier to come back.

Gary David and Japeth Aguilar tried to lead the GlobalPort uprising, only to fall short. David finished with 27 points while Aguilar added 21.

But the Batang Pier were unable to set up opportunities for import Justin Williams, who scored just 11 points despite Bowles suffering from foul trouble.

The scores:

San Mig Coffee (91) – Simon 19, Bowles 18, Yap 15, Devance 15, Mallari 9, Barroca 8, Pingris 3, Najorda 2, De Ocampo 2, Gaco 0, Ponferada 0.

GlobalPort (84) — David 27, Aguilar 21, Mercado19, Williams 11, Yee 3, Lingganay 2, Salvador 1, Miller 0, Deutchman 0, Mandani 0, Adducul 0.

Quarters: 27-15, 46-33, 68-56, 91-84.

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San Mig Coffee Mixers goes 'Mixin’ It with the Mixers' - Video

San Mig Coffee fan page released dance video featuring the San Mig Coffee Mixers team.

Get a chance to WIN a Meet and Greet with your Mixers Idols in their 'Mixin’ It with the Mixers' Video contest!

Mixin' It With The Mixers Video Contest- Promo Mechanics 

Check out the full video:

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Bowles too skilled not to be a great player in our league, said Cone

Defending champion San Mig Coffee still has a long way to go in its climb up the standings, but coach Tim Cone is convinced his team is headed in the right direction after a 90-82 win over Talk ‘N Text on Sunday.

Now, San Mig hopes to build on that victory when it clashes with unpredictable Globalport on Saturday when the PBA Commissioner’s Cup continues with a road game in Naga City, Camarines Sur.

Last season’s Commissioner’s Cup best import Denzel Bowles is coming off a monster performance against Talk ‘N Text after finishing with 29 points, 23 rebounds, three blocks and two assists - numbers which Cone said they can expect from the young, athletic reinforcement.

“He (Bowles) only had three practices before his first game … but he’s gonna get his rhythm,” Cone said of Bowles, who had a disappointing debut against Rain or Shine. “He’s too skilled not to be a great player in our league. But I think (his skill is) gonna consistently show up this conference.”

Bowles will be facing the conference’s top rebounder and shot-blocker in Globalport’s import Justin Williams. The 6-9 Williams is the least-offensive minded among the 10 PBA imports at the moment, but his presence in the paint has been huge this conference.

Williams though is coming off an anemic five-point effort in the team’s shocking 89-90 loss to Meralco which the Bolts won on Sunday Salvacion’s buzzer-beating three-point shot.

Globalport team owner Mikee Romero was so disappointed with Williams' performance that he later disclosed to Spin.ph that he’ll possibly be seeking for a replacement following the team’s two-game slide.

Among those being eyed as replacements to Williams are DJ Mbenga and Brian Cook, two former members of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Batang Pier star Gary David, however, said the news should serve as a challenge to Williams.

“Sa ganyang balita kahit naman sino macha-challenge. Pero pinangakuan siya na mag-stay siya kapag nanalo kami so somehow, pressured siya,” David told Spin.ph just before he and the rest of the Batang Pier boarded their flight to Legaspi City.

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