Jr. NBA Philippines Presented by Alaska to Inspire Nationwide Youth Basketball Participation

Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 presented by Alaska returns this year to the Philippines from Jan. 20-May 14 as part of the league’s effort to encourage youth basketball participation. 

Jr. NBA, the league’s global youth basketball participation program for boys and girls, teaches participants the fundamental skills and core values of the game at the grassroots level in an effort to help grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents.  In addition, Jr. NBA Philippines will introduce a court refurbishment initiative that will revitalize a community court through the NBA Cares platform.

The Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 presented by Alaska is free and open to boys and girls ages 10-14 and is comprised of four stages: skills clinics in schools and communities, Regional Selection Camps, a National Training Camp and an NBA experience trip. 

The skills clinics will be held nationwide from January through April with stops in Bacolod, Batangas, Cagayan De Oro, Cavite, Cebu, Metro Manila and Subic.  The Regional Selection Camps will be held in Cagayan De Oro (Feb. 11-12), Lucena (Feb. 25-26), Cebu (March 11-12) and Metro Manila (April 1-2), with the top 37 boys and 37 girls advancing to the National Training Camp in Manila on May 12-14, which will feature an NBA and WNBA player or legend.  The program will culminate with the selection of 16 Jr. NBA All-Stars, comprised of eight boys and eight girls, who will embark on an overseas NBA experience trip with fellow Jr. NBA All-Stars from Southeast Asia.

Below is a look at the Jr. NBA in the Philippines By The Numbers:

·         133,000 –  The Jr. NBA Philippines Facebook page has more than 133,000 followers.

·         57,000 – More than 57,000 players have participated in the Jr. NBA Philippines.

·         3,000 – More than 3,000 coaches have participated in the Jr. NBA Philippines.

·         94 –  94 Jr. NBA All-Stars have been selected.

·         64 – Jr. NBA clinics have been conducted in 64 municipalities and cities across the Philippines.

·         10 – 10 current and former NBA and WNBA players have participated in the Jr. NBA Philippines: Tina Thompson, Ruth Riley, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, B.J. Armstrong, A.C. Green, Luc Longley, Muggsy Bogues, Gordon Hayward, Nerlens Noel and Norris Cole.

·         2 –  Two Jr. NBA Philippines alumni, Aljon Mariano and Raphael Banal, are currently playing in the Philippine Basketball Association.

·         1 – One Jr. NBA Philippines alumnus, Kobe Paras, plays for Creighton University, an NCAA Division I team.

The 2017 edition of Jr. NBA Philippines will begin the search for the Jr. NBA Coach of the Year Jan. 20 in Manila, led by Jr. NBA Head Coaches Craig Brown and Chris Sumner with Alaska Power Camp Coach Jeff Cariaso.  Fourteen Jr. NBA coaches will be selected as finalists and trained at the National Training Camp, with two Jr. NBA Coaches of the Year awarded with an NBA experience trip.

“Jr. NBA has provided world-class basketball instruction to communities across the country and produced a roster of athletes competing both on the local and international stage,” said NBA Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson.  “We are grateful for our partnership with Alaska, which supports our mission of instilling the core values of our game and promoting an active lifestyle among youth in the Philippines.”

“We are proud that Jr. NBA Philippines has established itself as one of the country’s premier youth basketball programs and shaped well-rounded athletes including Aljon Mariano, Kiefer Ravena, Kobe Paras, Kyla Flores and Rozie Amatong who inspire Filipino youth to fulfill their potential,” said Alaska Milk Corporation Marketing Director Blen Fernando.  “As partners of the NBA, Alaska Milk is committed to serving more Filipino children and families with affordable nutrition and providing first-rate training to guide their pursuit of becoming champions in life.”

Jr. NBA Philippines presented by Alaska continues to promote proper nutrition and an active lifestyle, serving as an effective platform in implementing Alaska Milk’s NUTRITION.ACTION.CHAMPION. program that helps address the issue of overweight and undernourished children in the Philippines.

CloudFone, Gatorade, Globe Telecom and Panasonic serve as Official Partners of the Jr. NBA in the Philippines, while Spalding is a Supporting Partner.  ABS-CBN Sports + Action, Basketball TV and NBA Premium TV are the Official NBA Broadcasters of the Jr. NBA in the Philippines.

The Jr. NBA program is free and open to boys and girls ages 10-14. Coaches and participants can now register online atwww.jrnba.asia/philippines, where the program terms and conditions can be found. 

Fans can also follow Jr. NBA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jrnbaphilippines.  For all things NBA, visit www.nba.com and follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/philsnba) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/nba_philippines).

To learn more about the Alaska Milk Corporation, visitwww.alaskamilk.com and www.playph.com.

About the NBA

The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League.  The league has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 49 languages, and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on 6 continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2016-17 season featured a record 113 international players from 41 countries and territories.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com and the NBA App, which achieved record viewership and traffic during the 2015-16 season.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than 1.3 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.

About Alaska Milk

Alaska Milk recognizes the need of Filipino children for proper nutrition. According to the 2011 National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), it was revealed that 3 out of 10 children aged 5-10 years were underweight while 8 out of 100 children of the same age were overweight, making malnutrition and obesity two of the most pressing nutritional problems in the Philippines today.  Alaska Milk is committed to help provide proper nutrition through its leading brands, Alaska Powdered Milk Drink and Alaska Chocolate Powdered Milk Drink.  It contains 20+ essential nutrients that help children reach their full growth potential.  Aside from proper nutrition, an active lifestyle is needed in order to shape and nurture healthier children.  Because of this, Alaska Milk encourages children to “go out and play” through its NUTRITION. ACTION. CHAMPION. programs: Alaska Basketball and Football Power Camps and Cups, Alaska IronKids Triathlon, Alaska Family Run and Alaska Cycle Philippines.  At the same time, Alaska Milk has a professional basketball team, the 14-time PBA champion, Alaska Aces, which continues to inspire the youth to become future champions who are guided by positive values.  Finally, Alaska Milk partners with excellent local and international organizations who share the same objectives, vision, and values namely the Philippine Basketball Association, National Basketball Association, World Triathlon Corporation, Cycle Asia, Makati and Alabang Football Schools and Sunrise Events, Incorporated.

Tire age does not matter. Tyre maintenance does

When you buy tires for your vehicle, do you look at the manufacture date and buy the tire with the latest DOT (tire’s fabrication date) because you think newer is better?

Chances are, you do. Used to reading food and medicine labels, we look for the manufacture or Best Before date because we have been conditioned to think there is an expiry date on everything.

Not so with tires. Unlike food, or medicine, or that fruit, the banana, that easily shows when it’s time to toss it, you do not need to look for the newest tires to ensure your safety on the road.

In fact the most important date to remember for your car tires is not its fabrication date, but the date they were installed on your vehicle. That’s when its aging process starts. A tire starts to age once it is installed and operates on a vehicle. Here’s why.

When the tires are already part of the vehicle, they are subjected to high stresses of stop and go, high speeds, sudden breaking, friction, contact with sharp objects, exposure to extreme temperatures, damage from the elements, heavy loads or simply, under inflation. Even when the vehicle is stored, the wheels may suffer. Tire pressure is affected, that is why correct tire pressure should be checked regularly.

Before car tires are installed on the vehicle, they are uninflated, do not carry any load, and deal only with minor temperature fluctuations in their storage facility, so they do not deteriorate. Tires are designed to provide good, reliable service on vehicles for many years, no matter their manufacture date.

Michelin has launched its Tires Are Not Bananas campaign to correct the misunderstanding about tires and their manufacture date. Michael Nunag, Michelin’s Chief Representative to the Philippines says the misunderstanding can be dangerous because consumers wrongly focus on the DOT instead of on correct safety maintenance after a tire is installed. Consumers may also wrongly  select tire dealers based on new stocks instead of looking for quality of service.

Three studies were conducted in Korea, Germany and Saudi Arabia that showed no difference in performance between newly manufactured tires and tires that have been in storage for 3 years, said Nunag. “The Saudi Arabia study showed that a tire used on a vehicle for one year had equivalent aging to a tire in storage for 10 years. In terms of the characteristics of the tread rubber, it took 20 years in storage at 40C to reach the same characteristics as the tires used at 40,000 Km showing that tires do age more rapidly when used than when stored.”

In South Korea, the Department of Customer Protection performed a safety test on new and un-used 3-year old tires. Both tires were subjected to high-speed tests and stepped-speed tests. No difference was detected between the two tires, Nunag shared.

In Germany, the German motorist organization, IADAC compared newly made tires to tires with three years storage in terms of rolling resistance. The study found identical rolling resistance (the ability to stop) on the old and new tires.

Nunag said Michelin recommends that Michelin tires older than 10 years on cars should be retired. “The recommendation is precautionary and not technically based, “ he said. “Tires endure lots of different stresses during their life on a vehicle. Sometimes the vehicle may be out of alignment, or the tire may be under inflated. Road obstacles, potholes, floods, extreme heat in the summer all take their toll on the tires.”

It is not on tyre age, but on correct tyre maintenance that vehicle owners should be meticulous about, Nunag said.. “Maintaining correct tire pressure, proper alignment, inspection for damages and tread depth measurements is important.”

Nunag said this is why Michelin continues to conduct its Michelin: Safe on the Road campaign, a Michelin global initiative that promotes road safety and mobility by increasing public consciousness about correct tire pressure and other safety concerns. Nunag said Michelin has a full six years warranty for replacement passenger and light truck tires that begins on the date of tire installation.

Alsa Ozamiz - What was That?!

This has been one of the most interesting travel that I had as a blogger, this my sound a little political but I guess it is still appropriate. The place that I went to was under a bad image for so long and I got amazed of the turn around that the local government together with its police authorities.

It all started off with the Press Conference in Ozamiz City Hall with Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and Vice Mayor Nova Princess Parojinog. They all discuss the current situation of Ozamiz together with the existing and upcoming projects of the city. Press were advised that the city had been fighting not only illegal drugs but anything else illegal in the city. We were advised that even Mayor Aldong goes to the raids personally and had video proof being in front of those raids. 3 thick books about the size of yellow pages were shown to us which is compose of all the reports that their administrations achievements, and improvements they have made in the city and they said that they are still trying to submit those books to our President Rody Duterte up until this date.

As we go out of the presscon we then proceeded with the next activity to witness which was the destruction of the surrendered fruit games and video karera machines which is roughtly around 560 illegal gambling machines, all were crushed by the payloader.



In the afternoon was the main event of the day which is Alsa Ozamiz, which was last done a generation ago. In the place that is called Cotta, near Ozamiz Port held the gathering of 51 Baranggay representatives covered the whole area inspite of the pouring rain. Nothing to worry as well because the place is completely secured by the local PNP. I've witnessed the unity of the people that both Mayor Aldong Parojinog and Vice Mayor Nova Princess Parojinog instilled in every Ozamiznon. Even got me teary eyed from all the speaches of the local barangay and religious leaders gave during the program. Ozamiz and Ozamiznons would like to clear out the stigma that their place is full of voilence and illegal activities they wanted to tell our President and the whole nation that it is a peaceful city full of friendly people and they are against anything or anyone that would like to destroy the image of their hometown.