The final washing out of the sinking portion of Halsema Highway in Pilando, Bakun, Benguet has given rise to ambitious dream of constructing a cable-stayed bridge, an idea from Benguet Congressman Eric Yap. Many are questioning if it is possible. The short answer is: The proposed Cable-stayed Bridge is as possible as a non-Benguet person becoming a Benguet Congressman. It is very Possible. How?

National Road Priority Project– This is a national road serving Cordillera Provinces such as Benguet, Mt Province, Ifugao, and other provinces. The congressmen of all these provinces can combine their political influence to pressure the DPWH to prioritise this project, if not use their own office funds and source out other funds from their networks.

Contractors- This big project is very possible, and will be constructed with quality and spot-on schedule, if constructed by an international contractors and not settled by networks of contractors and subcontractors attached to politicians and the DPWH.

Funding- Funding is not a problem since Philippines is wealthy, evidently seen on the billions of pesos spent on undamaged roads and infrastructures being repeatedly demolished and reconstructed plus the billions of confidential and intelligence funds, the country has a lot of money.

Flyover Versus Cable-Stayed Bridge- The Marcos Highways Flyover is one of the most successful mega-infrastructure project in the Cordilleras. Since its construction, after the 1990 earthquake, the project has been beneficial to motorists going in and out Baguio City, thanks to its robust built that it is still intact for almost three decades. If the same has been implemented along the stretch of Halsema Highway, there could have been lesser washed-out portions of the road. Unfortunately, we have chosen to do small kabites or rip rap which easily collapses and being eroded and rebuilt over the years. The wasted monies which were used on reconstructions could have built similar flyover projects. Obviously, considering the altitude and geographical make-up of halsema highway, fly-over projects will be more practical, sturdy and cost-effective approach than an ambitious cable-stayed bridges. We also need to consider the the accessibility of the local communities most especially farmers that will be affected by the structures.

As a Cordilleran, what is your opinion?

Carlos Yulo is a true Filipino hero not only because of his superb olympics performance but also because of his careful handling of the issues between him, his mum and girlfriend. Bad critics say he should have honoured his mum instead of his girlfriend but he actually did more than that and knew his priority.

Carlos knew what his olympics performance meant. Investing blood and sweat on his training from when he was young, he felt the heavy responsibility in making sure he will give good returns for his country. He needed to make sure he gives his best, to be the best among the rest of nations in his chosen sport.

Surely, his 2 gold medals made Philippines into the headlines. Our Philippine National Anthem was played and it echoed thru the ears of different witnessing nations; something that our other neighbouring countries failed to achieve.

Carlos Yulo achieved these for the nation despite his heavy inner battle, the feud between him, his mum and girlfriend. No matter how painful, disheartening and discouraging, most especially when you’re own mum, is cheering for other contestants while your fight is on the line. This is the most painful thing a son would ever hear from his mum. The pain is more than that of a salt and vinegar being poured over his wounds. It is more than a spear pricking the heart. With this, Carlos could have crumbled and lost; but luckily, he got inspiration from the only person cheering him, his girlfriend, and with his strong fighting spirit, he managed to forget the miseries and instead gave his best. Amidst all the pain and jeer from his own mum, he survived and won.

Carlos’ win could have gave him the motivation to get back to his mum and despised her act but he chose to just explained his side. He only enumerated the reasons of the misunderstanding and what he experienced that lead to the family feud. He even gave his best wishes to his mum and advised of the best thing they can all do for the moment, to get healed. With this, Carlos did not closed the door for his mum, his gesture opened future chances for their reconciliation.

Carlos standing by his girlfriend is an act of being a gentleman.

Some jealous netizens don’t appreciate the fact that Carlos made the best decision.

Carlos’ girlfriend being around at his interviews, recognitions and all undertakings does not mean Carlos is disrespecting or disregarding his mum and family. Carlos knew that his achievement must be the focus and not about the issues with his family. It is something that shows his mental discipline, stability and maturity, not involving the family, something that even our President Bong Bong Marcos could learn from. Carlos Yulo is a true hero.

Philippines has its best performance so far at the Paris 2024 Olympics, 37th place among 206 competing nations,

Paris Olympics 2024 medal tabl

Rank	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States	40	44	42	126
2	China	40	27	24	91
3	Japan	20	12	13	45
4	Australia	18	19	16	53
5	France	16	26	22	64
6	Netherlands	15	7	12	34
7	Great Britain	14	22	29	65
8	South Korea	13	9	10	32
9	Italy	12	13	15	40
10	Germany	12	13	8	33
11	New Zealand	10	7	3	20
12	Canada	9	7	11	27
13	Uzbekistan	8	2	3	13
14	Hungary	6	7	6	19
15	Spain	5	4	9	18
16	Sweden	4	4	3	11
17	Kenya	4	2	5	11
18	Norway	4	1	3	8
19	Ireland	4	0	3	7
20	Brazil	3	7	10	20
21	Iran	3	6	3	12
22	Ukraine	3	5	4	12
23	Romania	3	4	2	9
24	Georgia	3	3	1	7
25	Belgium	3	1	6	10
26	Bulgaria	3	1	3	7
27	Serbia	3	1	1	5
28	Czech Republic	3	0	2	5
29	Denmark	2	2	5	9
30	Azerbaijan	2	2	3	7
30	Croatia	2	2	3	7
32	Cuba	2	1	6	9
33	Bahrain	2	1	1	4
34	Slovenia	2	1	0	3
35	Chinese Taipei	2	0	5	7
36	Austria	2	0	3	5
37	Hong Kong	2	0	2	4
37	Philippines	2	0	2	4
39	Algeria	2	0	1	3
39	Indonesia	2	0	1	3
41	Israel	1	5	1	7
42	Poland	1	4	5	10
43	Kazakhstan	1	3	3	7
44	Jamaica	1	3	2	6
44	South Africa	1	3	2	6
44	Thailand	1	3	2	6
47	Ethiopia	1	3	0	4
48	Switzerland	1	2	5	8
49	Ecuador	1	2	2	5
50	Portugal	1	2	1	4
51	Greece	1	1	6	8
52	Argentina	1	1	1	3
52	Egypt	1	1	1	3
52	Tunisia	1	1	1	3
55	Botswana	1	1	0	2
55	Chile	1	1	0	2
55	St Lucia	1	1	0	2
55	Uganda	1	1	0	2
59	Dominican Republic	1	0	2	3
60	Guatemala	1	0	1	2
60	Morocco	1	0	1	2
62	Dominica	1	0	0	1
62	Pakistan	1	0	0	1
64	Turkey	0	3	5	8
65	Mexico	0	3	2	5
66	Armenia	0	3	1	4
66	Colombia	0	3	1	4
68	North Korea	0	2	4	6
68	Kyrgyzstan	0	2	4	6
70	Lithuania	0	2	2	4
71	India	0	1	5	6
72	Moldova	0	1	3	4
73	Kosovo	0	1	1	2
74	Cyprus	0	1	0	1
74	Fiji	0	1	0	1
74	Jordan	0	1	0	1
74	Mongolia	0	1	0	1
74	Panama	0	1	0	1
79	Tajikistan	0	0	3	3
80	Albania	0	0	2	2
80	Grenada	0	0	2	2
80	Malaysia	0	0	2	2
80	Puerto Rico	0	0	2	2
84	Cape Verde	0	0	1	1
84	Ivory Coast	0	0	1	1
84	Refugee Olympic Team	0	0	1	1
84	Peru	0	0	1	1
84	Qatar	0	0	1	1
84	Singapore	0	0	1	1
84	Slovakia	0	0	1	1
84	Zambia	0	0	1	1
92	Afghanistan	0	0	0	0
92	American Samoa	0	0	0	0
92	Andorra	0	0	0	0
92	Angola	0	0	0	0
92	Antigua and Barbuda	0	0	0	0
92	Aruba	0	0	0	0
92	Bahamas	0	0	0	0
92	Bangladesh	0	0	0	0
92	Barbados	0	0	0	0
92	Belize	0	0	0	0
92	Benin	0	0	0	0
92	Bermuda	0	0	0	0
92	Bhutan	0	0	0	0
92	Bolivia	0	0	0	0
92	Bosnia-Herzegovina	0	0	0	0
92	Brunei	0	0	0	0
92	Burkina Faso	0	0	0	0
92	Burundi	0	0	0	0
92	Cambodia	0	0	0	0
92	Cameroon	0	0	0	0
92	Cayman Islands	0	0	0	0
92	Central African Republic	0	0	0	0
92	Chad	0	0	0	0
92	Comoros	0	0	0	0
92	Congo	0	0	0	0
92	Cook Islands	0	0	0	0
92	Costa Rica	0	0	0	0
92	Djibouti	0	0	0	0
92	DR Congo	0	0	0	0
92	El Salvador	0	0	0	0
92	Equatorial Guinea	0	0	0	0
92	Eritrea	0	0	0	0
92	Estonia	0	0	0	0
92	Eswatini	0	0	0	0
92	Finland	0	0	0	0
92	Gabon	0	0	0	0
92	Gambia	0	0	0	0
92	Ghana	0	0	0	0
92	Guam	0	0	0	0
92	Guinea	0	0	0	0
92	Guinea-Bissau	0	0	0	0
92	Guyana	0	0	0	0
92	Haiti	0	0	0	0
92	Honduras	0	0	0	0
92	Iceland	0	0	0	0
92	Iraq	0	0	0	0
92	Kiribati	0	0	0	0
92	Kuwait	0	0	0	0
92	Laos	0	0	0	0
92	Latvia	0	0	0	0
92	Lebanon	0	0	0	0
92	Lesotho	0	0	0	0
92	Liberia	0	0	0	0
92	Libya	0	0	0	0
92	Liechtenstein	0	0	0	0
92	Luxembourg	0	0	0	0
92	Madagascar	0	0	0	0
92	Malawi	0	0	0	0
92	Maldives	0	0	0	0
92	Mali	0	0	0	0
92	Malta	0	0	0	0
92	Marshall Islands	0	0	0	0
92	Mauritania	0	0	0	0
92	Mauritius	0	0	0	0
92	Micronesia	0	0	0	0
92	Monaco	0	0	0	0
92	Montenegro	0	0	0	0
92	Mozambique	0	0	0	0
92	Myanmar	0	0	0	0
92	Namibia	0	0	0	0
92	Nauru	0	0	0	0
92	Nepal	0	0	0	0
92	Nicaragua	0	0	0	0
92	Niger	0	0	0	0
92	Nigeria	0	0	0	0
92	North Macedonia	0	0	0	0
92	Oman	0	0	0	0
92	Palau	0	0	0	0
92	Palestine	0	0	0	0
92	Papua New Guinea	0	0	0	0
92	Paraguay	0	0	0	0
92	Rwanda	0	0	0	0
92	Samoa	0	0	0	0
92	San Marino	0	0	0	0
92	Sao Tome and Principe	0	0	0	0
92	Saudi Arabia	0	0	0	0
92	Senegal	0	0	0	0
92	Seychelles	0	0	0	0
92	Sierra Leone	0	0	0	0
92	Solomon Islands	0	0	0	0
92	Somalia	0	0	0	0
92	South Sudan	0	0	0	0
92	Sri Lanka	0	0	0	0
92	St Kitts and Nevis	0	0	0	0
92	St Vincent and the Grenadines	0	0	0	0
92	Sudan	0	0	0	0
92	Suriname	0	0	0	0
92	Syria	0	0	0	0
92	Tanzania	0	0	0	0
92	East Timor	0	0	0	0
92	Togo	0	0	0	0
92	Tonga	0	0	0	0
92	Trinidad and Tobago	0	0	0	0
92	Turkmenistan	0	0	0	0
92	Tuvalu	0	0	0	0
92	United Arab Emirates	0	0	0	0
92	Uruguay	0	0	0	0
92	Vanuatu	0	0	0	0
92	Venezuela	0	0	0	0
92	Vietnam	0	0	0	0
92	British Virgin Islands	0	0	0	0
92	American Virgin Islands	0	0	0	0
92	Yemen	0	0	0	0
92	Zimbabwe	0	0	0	0

Source: BBC

Algerian Boxer, Olympic Gold Medalist Imane Khelif has been controversial for its participation at the Olympics Paris 2024 despite disqualification from previous boxing match due to its high testosterone levels and XY chromosomes. Imane was criticised for fighting with normal women. The boxer was accused to be a man and not supposed to fight norman women.

Khelif’s fans and supporter’s came to defense, stating that the boxer was born woman, a female and will always be a woman. Apprently, has been also defeated by women in the past.

Then this picture at the boxing match finals came. There is now an evidence! So looking at this latest picture of her and coach. What can you say? VOte now!!!

Now vote to express your opinion on this matter!

Paris 2024 Olympics showcased that size really matters. It can make or break a life or someone’s future. France’s viral pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati became a internet sensation across the world after a small fiasco that made the world know his name, but for all the weird reasons. Determined to jump for the gold, Anthony Ammirati’s ‘private parts’ touched the crossbar of the pole vault arena, when he was taking his final jump of the qualifying event.

Even though Anthony Ammirati’s torso had almost crossed the crossbar and he was about to get qualified for the next level, Ammirati’s private parts touched the crossbar, sending it tumbling to the ground. Soon after, he became an instant sensation on social media and this video of his jump was replayed again and again, making things complicated and viral for the track and field athlete. Even though he was disqualified and called a very unlucky athlete for missed out on a pole vault berth in the  next stage, an adult entertainment company caught hold of his video and gave him a $250,000 job offer to come onboard their company.

In here, the size broke Ammirati’s dream of bringing home olympic gold but at the same time it made some other opportunities get to him.

Source: The Economic Times

Nesthy Petecio of Davao and an alumna of University of Baguio wins bronze medal for Philippines in boxing women’s 57kg at the Olympics Paris 2024. This is Petecio’s second Olympic medal after she won silver at Tokyo 2020 (after a close-fight with a Polish fighter.

The 32-year-old’s bronze earns the Philippines their fourth medal of Paris 2024 and their second in boxing adding to Aira Villegas who took bronze the day before.

Petecio was initially on top in the opening round, showing great grit and impressing all five judges who gave it in her favour. But her opponent was resurgent in the second round and pulled herself back into it, though neither boxer was really able to take control of the fight.

That is how it would stay in the third and final round, with just a point between them and a place in the gold medal match at stake.

It was Szeremeta who prevailed in the end, taking a 4-1 victory via split decision to advance to the final.

Biographical Information

Highlights:

Olympic Games

Rank	Event	Year	Location
2	Women’s 57kg	2021	Tokyo, JPN

Asian Games

Rank	Event	Year	Location
9	Women’s 57kg	2023	Hangzhou, CHN

1st World Qualification Tournament

Rank	Event	Year	Location
1	Women’s 57kg	2024	Busto Arsizio, ITA

Note:

Results in Non-Olympic events are not included in the above section.

Award:

Flagbearer for the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony (2024).

Family:

Father, Teodoro.

Ambition:

To win the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Education:

University of Baguio (PHI).

Nickname:

Nesh.

Occupation:

Athlete.

Languages Spoken:

English, Filipino

Coach:

National: Reynaldo Galido (PHI).

Hand:

Ambidextrous (asbcnews.org, 13 Feb 2018)

Start:

Began boxing at age seven in Davao, Philippines. Took up the sport competitively in 2007 when she was recruited by the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines-Calinan boxing team.

Reason:

Her father Teodoro taught her how to box as a child. She then took up the sport competitively so she could help her family earn extra income. “The reason I chose boxing is because I can help my family, and study for free. There are a lot of opportunities for me in the sport. At first, it wasn’t my choice. It was more for self-defence only.” (myInfo)

Hero:

Boxer Manny Pacquiao (PHI), the first eight-division world champion, winning 12 major world titles across multiple weight classes in a career spanning four decades. His record boasts 62 wins, 39 by knockout, 8 losses and 2 draws. While he never competed in the Olympic Games, he was the Philippine delegation’s flagbearer at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony as the first-ever non-participant to serve as the country’s flagbearer. Outside of boxing, he has served as a Senator of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022.

Influence:

Her family.

Philosophy:

“No stopping until there is no gold.” (myInfo)

General Interest

RETIREMENT THOUGHTS
Hit a low point in her career when she was knocked out of the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia in the first round. However, the following year she claimed gold at the 2019 World Championships in Ulan-Ude (RUS). “When I lost my opening bout at the 2018 Asian Games, I really wanted to stop. I was going to look for a job. I was looking for other options. At that time, I was really feeling down. I was feeling depressed, I was stressed. Winning the 2019 World Championships helped me a lot. It certainly added to my self confidence.” Plans to retire after Paris 2024, no matter the result. (myInfo)

Milestones

Featherweight silver medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, becoming the first Filipina boxer to win an Olympic medal. Lost to Sena Irie (JPN) in the final.

Two-time world championship featherweight medallist (2019 gold, 2014 silver).

Three-time Asian championship medallist (silver – bantamweight 2015, bronze – bantamweight 2012, bronze – featherweight 2022).

Two-time Southeast Asian Games featherweight champion (2019, 2023).

Social Media:

• FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Nesthypetecioofficial
• INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/p/C7T1ZhSv3KW/
• TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com@nesh114
• TWITTER: https://x.com/nesthypetecio11
• YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@nesthypetecio1929

Source: Olympic.com “No copyright infringement intended.”

Aira Villegas from Tacloban City wins Bronze Medal for the Philippines in Boxing 50kgs at Paris 2024. The Olympians campaing was brought to an end after she lost to Buse Naz Cakiroglu of Turkey by way of unanimous decision.

PROFILE

VILLEGAS Aira 

Philippines

Boxing

Date of Birth:  1 Aug 1995

Age:  29

Gender:  Female

Function:  Athlete

Height m / ft in:  1.58/5’2”

Place of birth:  TACLOBAN CITY

Birth Country:  Philippines

Place of residence :  TACLOBAN CITY

Residence Country:  Philippines

Biographical Information

Highlights:

Asian Games

Rank	Event	Year	Location
17	Women’s 50kg	2023	Hangzhou, CHN

1st World Qualification Tournament

Rank	Event	Year	Location
1	Women’s 50kg	2024	Busto Arsizio, ITA

Note:

Results in Non-Olympic events are not included in the above section.

Family:

Older brother, Rominick.

Position Style:

Southpaw.

Ambition:

Aims to win the gold medal at Paris 2024.

Languages Spoken:

English, Filipino

Start:

Started boxing at the age of nine.

Reason:

Started when her older brother, Rominick, would train her just for fun.

Influence:

Her parents.

General Interest

OLYMPIC SCHOLARSHIP
In 2021, Villegas was selected by the Philippine Olympic Committee for the Olympic Solidarity Scholarship Grant from the International Olympic Committee.

EYE-RAISING LOOK
Sports a self-made cut/scar over her left eye.

Milestones

Qualified for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 via the 1st World Qualifying Tournament, defeating Zlatislava Chukanova (BUL) 5-0 in the decisive bout.

Reached the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Championships, losing 5-0 to Buse Cakiroglu (TUR).

Bronze medallist at the 2019 South East Asian Games.

Philippine national champion (2016).

Social Media:

• INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/iiamairavillegas/

SOURCE: OLYMPICS.COM