Jasha Gamao

MANILA—The AFP Cavaliers unleashed a ferocious offensive masterclass to demolish the NHA Home Masters, 95–55, in their UNTV Cup Season 12 showdown on June 14 at the Paco Arena. 

The Cavaliers asserted their dominance early and never looked back, orchestrating a massive 40-point blowout that left NHA struggling for answers on both ends of the floor.

Paulino Rebollos shook everyone with his burning offense against the NHA Home Masters. 

The unstoppable forward spearheaded the onslaught by racking up a stellar stat line of 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists, earning himself the well-deserved Best Player of the Game honors. 

Following his explosive performance, Rebollos emphasized his intentional mindset coming into the pivotal matchup.

“Pinaghandaan ko talaga ‘tong game na’to kasi importante po sa amin makapasok ng second round na mataas yung morale namin.” Rebollos said in a post-game interview.

With this resounding statement victory, AFP will now march to the next round of this season with high morale and an impressive 4-1 win-loss record. 

Meanwhile, the crushing defeat completely derails the campaign of the NHA Home Masters, who exit the tournament and is officially eliminated this season with a 2-3 record.

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MANILA—The Ombudsman Graftbusters continued their relentless march through the UNTV Cup Season 12 elimination round, delivering a convincing 93-81 beating to the DOJ Radiance on June 14 at the Paco Arena. 

The dominant victory ensures the Graftbusters remain completely undefeated, keeping their pristine record intact as they comfortably march into the next round of the tournament. 

In stark contrast, the blowout loss officially seals the fate of the DOJ Radiance, who bow out of the season with a disappointing 1-4 win-loss card.

Mark Chan put on a scoring masterclass to anchor the Graftbusters' offense, earning well-deserved Best Player of the Game honors. 

Chan put up a remarkable 21-point performance, while adding 2 rebounds and 1 steal, to single-handedly puncture the defense of the Radiance and deny them any chance of a season-ending upset. 

His scoring explosion down the stretch served as the definitive engine that kept the Ombudsman’s slate clean while sending their opponents packing.

Reflecting on the team's driving motivation after their masterful performance, Chan emphasized that last year's shortcomings are fueling their current dominance. 

“Yung heartbreak namin during the last season kasi it’s pushing us to work harder kasi alam namin gaano kataas yung competition here in UNTV—lahat ng teams nagpe-prepare, lahat ng teams nagpapalakas. So, we have to work harder than them.” Chan shared in the interview after the game.

MANILA—The COMELEC Suffragettes proved that lightning can indeed strike twice in the same place. In a stunning replication of their preliminary round heroics, the Suffragettes dismantled the powerhouse PhilHealth Health Insurers, 25-23, 23-25, 21-25, 23-25, during the UNTV Volleyball League (UVL) Season 4 single round-robin semifinals on June 10 at the Paco Arena. 

The thrilling four-set victory solidified COMELEC's reputation as PhilHealth's ultimate kryptonite, having previously handed the Health Insurers their solitary loss in the elimination round.

Danika Gendrauli spearheaded the Suffragettes' explosive offense, delivering a masterclass performance to neutralize PhilHealth's net defense. 

The veteran attacker erupted for 23 points, built on 22 ferocious kills and a service ace, to repeatedly puncture the Health Insurers' frontline and bag the Best Player of the Game honors. 

Gendrauli’s tactical scoring and relentless aggression in the transition plays ensured that COMELEC maintained its composure during high-

stakes rallies to seal the upset.

Despite repeating their historic feat against the tournament favorites, Gendrauli emphasized that the Suffragettes refuse to let their guard down as the semifinal race intensifies.

“Sabi namin na di talaga dapat kami mag-relax kasi alam namin babawi talaga yung PhilHealth sa’min since kami lang yung nakatalo sa kanila,” Gendrauli said in a post-game interview.

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MANILA—The BFP Lady Firefighters opened their UVL Season 4 single round-robin semifinals campaign with a burning passion, outlasting their fierce rivals, the PNP Lady Patrollers, in a grueling five-set thriller on June 10 at the Paco Arena. 

In a classic back-and-forth battle of grit and willpower, BFP drew first blood in the semis by carving out a 26-24, 19-25, 22-25, 25-12, 15-11 victory. 

The win provided a crucial head start for the top-seeded Lady Firefighters as they look to assert their dominance in the playoffs and keep their championship aspirations blazing.

Spurring the powerhouse squad to the hard-fought victory was Gang Abellana, who brought an undeniable will to win and earned well-deserved Best Player of the Game honors. 

Abellana spearheaded BFP’s frontline offense by unleashing a spectacular 26-point performance, anchored on 25 explosive attacks and a crucial block. 

Her steady leadership and clutch plays down the stretch proved to be the ultimate difference-maker, enabling the Lady Firefighters to dismantle the Lady Patrollers' defense in the final two frames.

For Abellana and the rest of the BFP squad, the high-stakes matchup carried a heavy sense of deja vu, evoking memories of their heartbreaking loss to the same PNP squad in the UVL Season 3 finals. 

Shaking off the ghosts of the past, Abellana highlighted the mental fortitude it took to reverse the outcome this time around. 

“Nag-recover lang, nag-reset, tsaka nag-compose ng sarili paano namin matatawid yung game na di kami natatakot at kaya namin lumaban,” she shared, reflecting the team’s renewed composure and relentless drive to rewrite their destiny this season.

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Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano slammed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for allegedly stirring up an unspecified security threat, accusing the agency of using it as a political tool to distract the public from an ongoing corruption probe. 

Cayetano questioned why the NBI selectively shared the intelligence with only a few lawmakers rather than the entire chamber, arguing that a genuine institutional threat should never be the private possession of one faction. 

“If the threat is credible, then every Senator, every member of the Secretariat, and every individual who works within these walls deserves to be informed and protected. Security is not the concern of one bloc. It is the concern of the entire Senate.” Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano wrote on his social media account.

He demanded full disclosure on the nature of the evidence, pointing out that the NBI bypassed standard security protocols by failing to clear the information with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, or the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.

“Since when has the NBI been the lead agency on matters of national intelligence and security? Where, in all of this, are the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police—the institutions actually mandated to assess and respond to threats of this nature? Has this so-called intelligence been validated by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, or by anyone in the professional intelligence community?” Senator Cayetano continued.

The Senate leader directly attacked the NBI's credibility, labeling the bureau "clearly partisan" and reminding the public of recent violent clashes inside the legislature. 

Cayetano recalled a chaotic incident weeks ago where NBI personnel allegedly assaulted a Senate employee, blocked an elected senator, and provoked a shootout with the Senate's own Sergeant-at-Arms on the legislative grounds. 

He also criticized the NBI Director for publicly choosing sides in an internal Senate leadership dispute, declaring that an external agency involved in physical violence within the building cannot credibly appoint itself the guardian of the senators' safety.

Cayetano firmly linked the timing of the security scare to the explosive testimonies emerging from the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. 

“And the timing demands honesty. This “threat” surfaces precisely as the testimonies made in the latest Blue Ribbon Committee hearing begins to press for answers from the names it has raised. We are asked to accept that this is coincidence. The Filipino people are not so easily convinced.” The Senate President said.

He stated that the threat conveniently surfaced just as the panel began pressing for hard answers from key individuals named in a massive multi-billion-peso flood control funding scandal. 

According to the Senate President, the move is a deliberate attempt to manage narratives, pressure the independent institution, and shift the national conversation away from government accountability.

Vowing that the legislature will not be intimidated or silenced, Cayetano confirmed that all legislative operations and committee hearings will proceed without delay. 

“And let there be no misunderstanding: the work of this Senate must continue. The surest test of whether a threat is genuine and not a pretext is simple—a real threat is used to protect the Senate’s work, never to suspend it. We will not permit the safety of this institution to become the instrument for silencing it.” Senate President Cayetano stressed.

He emphasized that the Senate must stay focused on passing critical economic measures and addressing urgent national crises, including climate disruptions impacting farmers and ongoing earthquake recovery efforts in Mindanao. 

The Senate will rely on its own internal security forces rather than surrender its independence to external actors, Cayetano concluded, asserting that the Filipino people are discerning enough to see through the diversion.

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