Learn Rugby 101 with the Philippine Volcanoes in ‘Us Girls’

Dubbed as the Volcanoes, the Philippine national rugby team is popularizing rugby football in the country as it continues to get international attention by crushing other countries’ squads.

Guest host Cesca Litton and the highly touted Volcanoes will give a crash course on rugby tomorrow (Sep 29) in “Us Girls.” Get to know the players and learn why the sport is starting to engage our athletic Kabarkadas.

Iya Villania, Angel Aquino, and Chesca Garcia-Kramer, on the other hand, will take you to an extraordinary restaurant that boasts a creative menu of celebrity-named dishes such as Pokwang Baboy, Rice Ganda, and Sam Milky.

Also, get to watch the exclusive unveiling of mom-to-be Chesca’s clothing line and get a sneak peek of beauty queen turned TV host Bianca Manalo’s “home away from home” or her very own car.

All these and more tomorrow (Sep 29) in “Us Girls,” 9:30 PM on Studio 23, or watch it online on http://www.studio23.tv.

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Philippine Arena is Set to Become the Biggest Indoor Dome in the World

The Iglesia ni Cristo’s “Philippine Arena” is going to be the largest indoor dome in the world come 2014.

A gigantic indoor dome is about to rise in Bocaue, Bulacan which is set to become the largest in the world.
The dome is called Philippine Arena, a joint project of religious group Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) and Korean builder Hanwha Engineering and Construction Corp. It’s located at the 74,000-square-meter area of Ciudad de Victoria project in Bocaue with a budget of $175 million and a seating capacity of around 50,000.
The soon-to-be-biggest dome is expected to be completed within 30 months in time for the INC’s 100th founding anniversary in 2014.
(Images via Pinoy Exchange)
The ground breaking ceremony was already held last August 17 at the Ciudad de Victoria and was attended by Hanwha and INC officials.

Did you know that the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao was once the world’s biggest indoor dome? Also known as the “Big Dome,” it held the record from 1960 to 2001 for having a dome-shape roof measuring 108 diameter. It was beaten by the Oita Stadium in Japan in 2001, also known as “The Big Eye” for having a retractable roof measuring a diameter of 274 m.
In 2009, the Oita Stadium was beated by the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington Texas by just 1 meter. The Cowboys Stadium is still the biggest indoor dome until now for having a retractable roof measuring a diameter of 275 m.

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Anne Curtis Wears See-Through Dress at Philippine Fashion Ball

Check out Anne Curtis‘ see-through dress at the Philippine Fashion Ball 2011:

The Rajo Laurel-designed gown gave hints of the actress’ cleavage, part of her tummy, her entire sides and back.

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ABS-CBN Rewards Philippine Dragon Boat Team with P1 Million

ABS-CBN bestowed P1 million to the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF) Team when it gave a day-long hero’s welcome for the Filipino dragon boat champions.

ABS-CBN President and COO Charo Santos-Concio said the amount was a token of appreciation for the team’s “hard work, perseverance and for bringing honor to our country.”

PDBF President Marcia Cristobal, meanwhile, thanked the media’s coverage of the team, as it has sparked a wave of support for them from both private and government sectors.

She also said ABS-CBN’s donation will go a long way, as the team will save a part of the amount for expenses in future tournaments.

Tremendous media attention and roaring fans greeted the dragon boat paddlers since they arrived from Tampa Bay, Florida, where they won five gold medals and two silvers in the recently concluded International Dragon Boat Federation World Championships.

After being stripped of their title as a National Team and consequently of any financial assistance from the government, the team almost never made it to the world championships in Florida.

In an interview with ANC anchor Bill Velasco, PDBF coach and drummer Annabelle Tario said support from private sectors started pouring in after the July 14 airing of Dyan Castillejo’s report in “Krusada,” ABS-CBN’s advocacy journalism program.

In the documentary feature, the “Sports Unlimited” anchor chronicled the plight, sacrifice, and devotion to the sport in order to represent the country. Due to the lack of financial support from the government, the team would leave with packed canned goods to get them through each tournament. At times, they would even dive for mussels just so they could eat.

Through the P1 million grant, ABS-CBN hopes to help alleviate the champion paddlers’ woes as they continue bringing glory to the country. The network, meanwhile, will continue giving full support to Filipino athletes and sports in general, through its multiplatform coverage of the biggest sporting events on Channel 2, Studio 23, and Balls Skycable CH. 34.

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Philippine Dragon Boat Team Bags 5 Gold, 2 Silver Medals at the 2011 Dragon Boat World Championships

The Philippine Dragon Boat team nabs their fifth gold medal on the final day of the 10th International Dragon Boat Federation World Championships in Tampa Bay, Florida.

The Philippine Dragon Boat Team ended their campaign on Sunday with another gold medal win in the 500-meter men’s division small boat event in what Dyan Castillejo described as “precision paddling, they topped the race and took the gold medal while their opponents had nothing but praise for the Filipinos.”

The Philippine team won their fourth gold medal in the 500-meters mixed event in the small boat division beating powerhouse teams from Hungary and Trinidad and Tobago. Their third world title came from the Premier 1000m category (small boat) setting a new world record of 4:57.13 for the said event.

Earlier last week, the team also bagged 2 gold medals, one from the 200m Premier Mixed and one from the 1000m Men’s category.

Aside from the 5 gold medals, the team also won two silver medals, one in the premier 200-meter men’s division event on Saturday and another one from the All Comers 200m small boat event.

The gallant Philippine dragon boat team was denied funding by the Philippine Sports Commission. Their trip to the championships was supported by Lucio Tan’s Philippine Airlines as well as Asia Brewery’s Cobra Energy Drink.

Photo Credit: Ellen Tordesillas

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Philippine Dragon Boat Paddlers Bag 3rd Gold at the World Championships

The Philippine Dragon Boat team has just won their third world title at the 10th World Dragon Boat Championships by the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) in Tampa Bay, Florida last Friday.

The Philippine team splashed their way to win the gold medal in the Premier 1000m event (small boat) by clocking a new world record of 4:57.13 for the event.

Australia settled for the silver medal with a time of 5:00.09 and Hungary captured the bronze with 5:03.71.

This is the first time that the Philippine team has won in the 1000m Premier event, powered by just 10 paddlers. Their two gold medals at the 2009 World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic was for the 200m Premiere Mixed and 200m Premier Open categories.

Aside from the gold medal from the Premier 1000m event, the Philippine team earlier bagged the gold medal in 200m Premier Mixed and 1000m Men’s categories. They also bagged a silver medal in the premier 200-meter men’s division event on Saturday.

Photo Credit: Ellen Tordesillas

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Philippine Azkals More Accustomed to Play in the Rain

Can a wet and rainy Rizal Memorial Stadium an advantage to our very own Azkals with their match against the Kuwait Al-Azraq this afternoon?

In a report by Dyan Castillejo on Bandila last night, it could help the Philippine Azkals to hit some goals because they are more accustomed to play in the rain unlike their Kuwaitis counterpart.

Not to mention the home advantage because it has been proven in the past that the Azkals play exceptionally well when they are in their home land.

The Azkals struggled against the Kuwaiti heat in their 3-0 loss to Al-Azraq last Sunday morning, the first leg of their FIFA qualifying match. This could be the other way around now that the second leg of the match is being held in Manila.

Another plus factor for the crucial win by the Azkals today is the presence of defender Aly Borromeo and midfielder Stephan Schrock. Aly and Stephan are expected to provide more defensive and offensive options for the Azkals.

The 2 Azkals sat out the 1st game against Kuwait due to the 1-game suspension they received in the series versus Sri Lanka.

The Azkals need at least a 4-0 win against Kuwait to advance in the 3rd round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The pessimists believe it’s impossible. But when adrenaline kicks in with national pride, a miracle is never impossible.

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