THE 2007 NCAA ISSUE

2 NCAA 2007 Issue

NCAA BasketballChampion

ncaa history

1924 University of the Philippines1925 University of the Philippines1926 University of the Philippines1927 San Beda College1928 Ateneo de Manila University1929 University of the Philippines1930 University of Santo Tomas1931 Ateneo de Manila University1932 Ateneo de Manila University1933 Ateneo de Manila University1934 San Beda College1935 San Beda College1936 San Beda College1937 Ateneo de Manila University1938 Colegio de San Juan de Letran1939 De La Salle University1940 San Beda College1941 Ateneo de Manila University1942 N. A.1943 N. A.1944 N. A.1945 N. A.1946 N. A.1947 De La Salle University1948 De La Salle University1949 Mapua Institute of Technology1950 Colegio de San Juan de Letran1951 San Beda College1952 San Beda College1953 Ateneo de Manila University1954 Ateneo de Manila University1955 San Beda College1956 De La Salle University1957 Ateneo de Manila University1958 Ateneo de Manila University1959 San Beda College1960 Colegio de San Juan de Letran1961 Ateneo de Manila University1962 Suspended1963 Jose Rizal University1964 Jose Rizal University1965 Mapua Institute of Technology1966 Colegio de San Juan de Letran1967 Jose Rizal University1968 Jose Rizal University1969 Ateneo de Manila University1970 Colegio de San Juan de Letran1971 De La Salle University1972 Jose Rizal University1973 San Sebastian College-Recoletos1974 De La Salle University1975 Ateneo de Manila University1976 Ateneo de Manila University1977 San Beda College1978 San Beda College1979 Colegio de San Juan de Letran1980 Suspended1981 Mapua Institute of Technology1982 Colegio de San Juan de Letran1983 Colegio de San Juan de Letran1984 Colegio de San Juan de Letran1985 San Sebastian College-Recoletos1986 Colegio de San Juan de Letran1987 Colegio de San Juan de Letran1988 San Sebastian College-Recoletos1989 San Sebastian College-Recoletos1990 Mapua Institute of Technology1991 Mapua Institute of Technology1992 Colegio de San Juan de Letran1993 San Sebastian College-Recoletos1994 San Sebastian College-Recoletos1995 San Sebastian College-Recoletos1996 San Sebastian College-Recoletos1997 San Sebastian College-Recoletos1998 Colegio de San Juan de Letran1999 Colegio de San Juan de Letran2000 College of Saint Benilde2001 San Sebastian College-Recoletos2002 San Sebastian College-Recoletos2003 Colegio de San Juan de Letran2004 Philippine Christian University2005 Colegio de San Juan de Letran2006 San Beda College

Though from humble begin-nings, the goals of the fledglingleague was to unify athletes andserve as a launching pad forexcellence in athleticism thatcould eventually earn berths inthe Olympics.

The league flourished in thepre-World War II era and evenwith the abdication of UP, NUand UST to their own league,sports athleticism and inter-school competition was still atits peak. The three aforemen-tioned teams eventually estab-lished the University AthleticsAssociation of the Philippines(UAAP) in 1938.

From the start and even upto now, basketball remains asthe most popular sport in theNCAA. As such it became thebattlefield for supremacyamong schools especially in itsearly years. Such competitionand intense passion was shownthat eventually, rivalries wereformed among the differentmember-schools. Then, it wasLetran against De La Salle,Ateneo against San Beda andlastly, Ateneo against everyoneelse.

These sporting years gavebirth to the likes of the ChitoLoyzaga and Frankie Rabat, ri-vals in the NCAA hardcourt butteammates in the only Philip-pine team to ever reach the topthree of the Olympics.

The advent of World War IIforced the league to postponeits 17-year existence with a five-year break from 1942 to 1946.

NCAA: AnEndless Saga

SOURCE:SOURCE:SOURCE:SOURCE:SOURCE:The Bedan, vol.63

After the smoke cleared, theleague reopened its doors inpost-war 1947.However, whilethe Japanese have left and thePhilippines was free yet again,the NCAA struggled with an-other new enemy – inter-schoolhooliganism.

Intense rivalries turned intoviolent fistfights, while high-decibel boos and hisses turnedinto halftime bombardment oflitter and trash. Worse, skir-mishes in parking lots of gamevenues became a regular affairand inter-school vandalismsuddenly emerged. It was as ifthe league was entering its twi-light ages for in the years thatfollow things only got worseuntil eventually in 1962, thewhole NCAA season was sus-pended.

While glory was still to bewon in the hardcourt andathleticism was still of primeimportance among the mem-ber-schools, the league’s suddenturn for the worse forced someof its members to leaveindefinetly. After a bitter lossto San Beda in the 1972 NCAAchampionships, Ateneo left forthe UAAP. Three years later, LaSalle exited the NCAA after aviolence-marred championshipseries against Letran. Even SanBeda took a leave of absence in____.

The dark ages of the NCAAmay have tainted the gloriouspast but the league eventuallyrebounded years later. With there-entry of San Beda in _____

and the inclusion of Mapua, SanSebastian, University of Per-petual Help – Rizal, and latelythe College of St. Benilde andthe Philippine Christian Univer-sity, the league emerged out ofthe 20th century stronger andbetter than ever.

Today, the league has eightmember-schools competingfiercely in athletics while help-ing each other in the develop-ment of the league. A total of 16schools have been part of the 82year old NCAA, namely SanBeda, Ateneo, La Salle, UP, UST,San Vicente de Paul, UM, NU,CSJL, Mapua, JRU, Trinity Col-lege, UPHDS, San Sebastian,PCU, and CSB.

From a simple athletics orga-nization in 1925, the NCAA hasmoved mountains and becamethe home of great athletes andprominent people of today. Ithas survived two World Wars,outlasted a dictatorship, de-feated hooliganism and borewitness to all the presidents ofthe post-Commonwealth Phil-ippine government. All in all,the NCAA has experiencedmuch but has still to experiencemore. Generation by genera-tion, the NCAA will always beremembered as the pioneer incollegiate athleticism, as one ofthe premier basketball organi-zations in the country, the homeof heroes, the league of thebrave.

THE NCAA WAS founded in 1924 under theleadership of the late Dr. Regino R. Ylanan, then

the Physical Director of the University of the Phil-ippines (UP) Diliman. The founding members include

the University of Sto. Tomas (UST), University of Manila(UM), National University (NU), De La Salle College

(DLSU), Ateneo de Manila College (ADMU), San Beda Col-lege, and UP.

3NCAA 2007 Issue

opinion

IT IS ALL ABOUT SPORTS. Nothing more, noth-ing less.

This NCAA season think of nothing but sports. It is the aim, it isthe priority, it is the purpose. Just like the years before and theyears that would follow, it is all about sports.

It is all about sports when coaches are suddenly axed in order toappease the whim of the few. Contracts are forgotten, words ofhonor are forsaken. The vision of a handful is given precedenceover the sentiments of the many. Performance after all, is not anissue. But apparently, so are championships.

It is all about sports when athletes are devoid of the glory theyfought for and very much deserve. Although years are spent inbuilding dynasties and countless hours are exhausted in perfectingtheir respective game, it is all about sports when these same ath-letes suffer from the great financial burden that they are suddenlyfaced. Compensation, scholarships and even training fees are ne-glected; but on their performance, nothing seems to suffice every-one but perfection. Yes, it is all about sports. Or to be more precise,maybe in this instance, it is all about basketball.

Yes Bedans, it is all about sports; this year more than any other.While pressing issues are at our doorsteps and our basic rights asstudents are challenged, in the end, it is all about sports.

It is all about sports when the identity established by our for-bearers is suddenly and irrevocably changed without the student’sconsent and approval. When our culture is left for nothing, ourheritage given no importance – think only of sports. Because atleast there in the football fields, in the basketball courts and atother sporting grounds, our players are wearing red. Well, at leastfor now. Soon enough they may force them to wear yellow.

It is all about sports when student rights are trampled and theMagna Carta completely ignored. After all, it is but a simple docu-ment ratified by the whole student population and approved bythe administrators themselves to protect the student rights. In-stead, it is wiser to watch our athletes in their respective sports.Athletic competitions at least makes sense; arguing with certainprominent individuals regarding the validity of the Magna Carta,however, does not.

It is all about sports when competence is based on affiliationrather than qualification and when principled administrators arebullied, bribed and/or coerced to go along unprincipled actions.More, let us understand that all this is but a sport even if scores ofcomplaints are already lodged against individuals who are bla-tantly unsuitable for their jobs. Politics is a sport, and if it is playedin the NCAA, year after year, we will bring home the trophy.

It is all about sports even when all that is left in our once presti-gious school is its once prestigious name. The luster of our glorydays is all but gone, the proud departments considered then ascenters of excellence has already been discounted while the goodprofessors that propagated academic excellence are all but gone.What remains is but a shadow of the San Beda that once was. Andit is all about sports. For it is the only thing that still links thealumni to our school.

In the end, even this article is also but a sport. In football this isa goal kick aimed at the opposing goal. In basketball, this is but ahalf court shot. Lastly, in taekwondo this editorial is a flying kickaimed at everyone, but would probably hit no one.

So in this day, as we celebrate the opening of the NCAA’s 83rd

season, relax dear Bedans and think of nothing but sports. Perhaps,you can even daydream that our school is great. Besides, we are theNCAA basketball champions. So go ahead, dream.

After all, it is all about sports. Nothing more. Nothing less.

It is allaboutsports

3

Editorial

NCAA 2007 Issue

4 NCAA 2007 Issue

basketball

TITLE-RETENTION SEEMS to be the hardest thingto do.

After winning the 82nd NCAA basketball crown with then RedLions chief mentor Koy Banal as their tactician, the San Beda RedLions now face a tougher task - to retain the crown and to startbuilding their own dynasty without the man who made them achampion team.

Banal, the champion coach who turned the Red Lions from oneof the worst teams in the 81st NCAA season into champions thefollowing year, was removed from his post abruptly after schooladministrators and the alumni cited “commitment reasons” point-ing out Banal’s other coaching responsibilities in the PhilippineBasketball League and the Philippine Basketball Association.

After an extensive search for a new mentor that followed, FrankieLim, a man known as the general manager of Talk n’ Text, waschosen to lead the Red Lions this year and to forge forward intobuilding a Bedan dynasty.

Lim took over and guided the Red Lions during the off-seasontournaments such as the Fr. Martin’s Cup (FMC) and the FilOilFlying V Preseason Invitational Cup where they placed 1st runnerup against tournament favorite and champion the De La Salle GreenArchers.

Pre-season previewsDuring the off-season, the Red Lions participated in different

tournaments such as the FMC and the FilOil Flying V Preseasontournament where they both had respectable finishes.

The Mendiola-based cagers faced the Green Archers during thechampionship match in the FilOil cup with veteran La Sallite trioof TY Tang, JV Casio, and Rico Maierhofer leading the attack of theTaft-based stalwarts against the stingy defense of man-mountainSam Ekwe and King Red Lion Yousif Aljamal.

After three quarters of thrilling competition between the RedLions and the Green Archers, the defensive wall of the Red Lionssuddenly collapsed in the fourth canto enabling De La Salle tosqueak past with a win.

DestinyisDynastyq Marc Israel Castro

5NCAA 2007 Issue

basketball

In conjunction with the FilOil cup, theteam also spent part of their summer underintense training at the Joe Abunassar – Im-pact Basketball training center at Los Ange-les, California, USA.

The Red Lions went under intense condi-tioning and skills development includingdribbling and passing of the guards as wellas defense of the centers and the forwardsunder the tutelage of the basketball expertsof the said training center.

The results were apparent, as Lim him-self was quoted in saying, days after thetraining, the Red Lions routed the PCU Dol-phins with impressive form, showcasing astronger and faster Red Lions than the onethat notched the championship last year.

“They tried very hard to put the pressurein them. They did a very good job. Theirshooting percentage went up. Malaki angpinagbago nila,” Lim said.

As for the loss to De La Salle in the cham-pionships, Lim noted that this was anotherlearning experience for the Red Lions as henoted the exceptional plays of the team in-stead of delving on the shortcomings.

“A lot of things we learned [in the gameagainst La Salle]. Number one, composure.La Salle is not a weak team, but we did agood job on our game… We lost, but westay together [through out because] this isthe Bedan way,” Lim said.

Lions amongmen

With the de-parture of teamcaptain Ange-les and big manMartin Anto-nio, veteransAljamal andR a y m u n dMaggay willnow have toshoulder theleadership re-sponsibilitiesfor the team to-gether with lasts e a s o n ’ sRookie of theYear and MostV a l u a b l ePlayer awardeeSamuel Ekweand the sweet-s h o o t i n g ,baby-faced as-sassin, PongEscobal.

Also, ace

Red Lions’ LineupRaymond MaggayRiego Gamalinda

Chico TironaJR Tecson

Yousif AljamalDave Marcelo,

Antonio Jose CaramAlvin PadillaSam Ekwe

Jay-R TaganasRogemar MenorBorgie Hermida

Garvo LanetePong Escobal

Kristoffer TaupaHead CoachFrankie LimRE

DLIO

NSRE

DLIO

NSslasher RogemarMenor, BambamGamalinda, and Jay-RTaganas will have to step upand push their respectivegames a notch higher to pro-vide multiple scoring threatsagainst every opponent.

With mainstays KristofferTaupa, Borgie Hermida, sharpshooting JR Tecson, and injury-free Chico Tirona at the aid ofthe San Beda five, the coaches will h a v ean expansive array of basketball explosivesat their disposal.

In addition to the aforementioned, rook-ies Garvo Lanete, Alvin Padilla and Anto-nio Jose Caram will be manningthe backcourt, while prized re-cruit, former King Red CubDave Marcelo, will add fire-power and rebounding prow-ess as well as an alternate withother big men inside the paint.

Against the oddsLast year, the

Mendiola-based cagersalmost swept the elimina- tions witha 13 – 1 slate last season with their loneloss from the PCU dribblerswho also became their ri-val contender in thethrilling championshipseries.

The Dolphins, however,will not be seeing action thisyear as they are serving a one year suspen-sion because of fielding ineligible playersin the high school division.

But while the Dolphins slumber, otherNCAA schools are all ready to battle it outagainst the Red Lions. Already in the frontrunning among basketball aficionados arethe resurging Jose Rizal University HeavyBombers who posted impressive pre-sea-son campaigns.

Also, the Mapua Cardinals may soonprove to be the best team in Intramurosthis year as they retained the services ofalmost all their players. The LetranKnights, with the departure of veterancager Boyet Bautista, will field a depletedbut brave lineup while the San SebastianStags are keeping mum with their own stal-warts.

Truly, this coming NCAA season wouldbe a tougher one for the Red Lions. But comewhat may, the Red Lions are ready to battleit out in that stage where all that matters isthe time, the score, and the heart of the cham-pion – the hard court.

6 NCAA 2007 Issue

basketball

At the start of the fourth quarter, theundaunted PCU Dolphins mounted a des-perate surge that soon caught the Mendiolacagers cold on their feet. From 12 points,the lead was suddenly diminished to one.With the win on the line, Pong Escobalinbounded the ball to Sam Ekwe. The ballsailed way off Ekwe’s hands.

Sixteen seconds left to go and the ballwas back at the hands of the enemy.

The hope of winning the champi-onship was hanging on the line.Hearts pounding, the crowdwas at their feet waiting with

b a t e d

The Legacy of 82:

The Championship BlueprintThe Championship BlueprintThe Championship BlueprintThe Championship BlueprintThe Championship Blueprintq Carlo Benedict Sison

THE CHEERS WERE deafening, the lights were blinding.The sea of red that filled the Big Dome collapsed in a joyful frenzy as

the long dreamt of championship was finally fulfilled. People were cry-ing with joy, strangers were hugging each other, couples kissed while atthe hardcourt, the jubilant and newly-crowned champions were all revel-ing at their glory. Barely a few seconds ago, this scene of jubilant celebra-tion was but a din of silence.

breath on how things would transpire. PCUinbounds the ball; Jason Castro fakes a slashmisleading the Bedan defense and beforepassing to a wide open Beau Belga. Three

seconds left and the ballfound its way to

one PCU’s of-fensive arms.

He jumps.E v e r y -

o n es toodstill inunbe-

lieving silence. He shoots. Eternity passesas the ball slowly made its way to rim.

It falls short, and the rest, as they say, washistory.

The momentous experience of finallywinning the basketball championship after28 long years is priceless. But this cannot bedone without the efforts of the many indi-viduals who helped in realizing the visionof ending the title drought: the dedicatedmen and women of San Beda.

Lost GloryIt all started when the Red Lions reached

the Final Four picture in 2005 after sevenyears of languishing at the bottom. Led bythen team captain Jeff Bombeo and seasonedveteran Arjun Cordero, the Red Lionswound their way through the regular sea-son to enter the Final Four with a 7-7 win-loss card. They defeated the Mapua Cardi-nals in a do-or-die match to face the UPHDSAltas in the semifinals. As the Final Fourmatch ensues, the San Beda-UPHDS seriestied at one apiece to force a deciding gamethree to reach the finals. Sadly, the Red Li-

ons lost by twopoints,

7NCAA 2007 Issue

basketball

diminishing the hopes of Bedans of enter-ing the finals.

Season 81 came and with it, the departureof almost all of San Beda’s starting five.Even with the help coming from the alumniand support from the studentry, the RedLions only managed to win five games inthe regular season. The morale was at anall-time low, but championship drive wasall the more intensified.

As the flame of the championship dreamspread, the fire was pushed further ablazewhen a former Red Lion, coach Enrico ‘Koy’Banal, took the helm as the new Red Lions’head coach, giving a new hope for the Redpeople.

The Red Dawn beginsAll in all, the quest for the championship

began when San Beda then extended its in-fluence to boost the erring Red Lions ofbuilding a stronger lineup. Through thealumni and scouts all over the country, theRed Lions managed to enlist the services ofa sweet-shooting guard from the south,Pong Escobal and the imposing stature of a6’8 Nigerian Sam Ekwe. Also, the maturityand development of Yousif Aljamal, formerhigh school superstar Ogie Menor and theleadership of veteran Alex Angeles, paved

the way to the development of the Red Li-ons’ offensive and defensive abilities. Witha fiery coach, a feisty starting lineup and acommitted and supportive alumni andBedan community, the Red Lions formu-lated a motto that would eventually leadthem to the Promised Land: “End 28 at 82.”

With the help of the alumni, the Mendiolastalwarts worked and trained harder toeliminate the competition in the off-season.Suffering only a loss from their future fi-nals contender, the PCU Dolphins, the hun-gry Red Lions diminished the competitionas they led all the teams in thestandings.

The booster club, a group of die-hardalumni, put togetherthe three pillars ofachieving the championship crown: build achampionship team; improve the SBCA andthe band; and involve the Bedan commu-nity.

San Beda College Alumni Associationvice president Albert Almendralejowelcomed the suggestion of thebooster club and adopted it as apriority project of the Associa-tion.

“It was then I realizedthat the Alumni Asso-ciation could verywell be the um-brella organi-zation to-wards thea c h i e v e -ment ofthe goalof re-c l a i m -ing thechampi-o n s h i pcrown int h eNCAA,” hesaid.

They didso by whole-h e a r t e d l ysupporting theRed Lionst h r o u g hf u n d r a i s i n gevents, team build-ing sessions and do-nation of trainingequipment through theeffort of many concernedalumni of San Beda includingAtty. Art Tugade, Mike Advani andmost notably, business tycoonManny V. Pangilinan.

Meanwhile, last year’s SBCA chiefcheerleader EJ Mangahas, in chargeof uplifting the spirits of the crowdduring the games, thanks the respon-siveness of the community in help-ing advocate the winning drive ofthe team.

“We got a lot of help from the alumni. Itseemed that they were the catalyst thatbrought every aspect together. It also helpedthat the community and the administrationwere responsive to the initiatives of thealumni,” he said

In addition, the Student Council then alsowent along with the hype by involving theBedan community through providing fly-ers, posters, balloons and other parapher-nalia not just to show support for the teambut to unite the entire studentry as well.

All for one, one for allUltimately, the entire Bedan community’s

support was the main factor in winning the

championship. In a way, every single onewho had showed support owns a bit of theglory of ending the 28-year title drought.Everybody would remember the momentwhere the ball bounced off the rim and thecrowd was already sprinting towards thecourt even with still a second left. Every-body would remember how we tearfullysang the Bedan hymn with much pride andhonor in our voices.

When one wants something, he does ev-erything he can to achieve it. Everyone ownsa bit of history. Everyone helped in realiz-ing the vision. With ONE SAN BEDA, weended 28 at 82.

(with Danna Katrina Lim)

“Everybody would re-member the momentwhere the ball bouncedoff the rim and the crowdwas already sprinting to-wards the court evenwith still a second left.”

MOVE OVERBarbie, becausethese girls needno Ken.

It’s aIt’s aIt’s aIt’s aIt’s agirlgirlgirlgirlgirl

thing!thing!thing!thing!thing!q Marjerie Ann Ramos

Rising against the challengesof the paternal structure of SanBeda, Bedan females from allcourses and levels are slowlybut surely taking up the chal-lenge of athletics and are soonenough, bringing glory to ouralma mater.

It has been four years sinceSan Beda opened its doors towelcome female Bedans, count-ing them in as part of the lion’sden. As the Bedan communitycontinues to grow, a cycle fol-lows as women begin to emergenot only in the aspect of leader-ship and academics, but in thefield of sports as well.

Armed with the ferocity of atrue lioness and the cunning ofthe female species, these girlsare kicking, smashing and eventhrashing balls to the nextlevel.

Right on, girlfriend!Recognizing the presence and

potential of female Bedans inthe field of sports, the first fe-male athletes of San Beda wasformed in order to provide arespite for female Bedans whoare attuned to sports. The LadyBooters was the first women’steam to be formed in San Bedafollowed by the recruitment offemale taekwondo jins for theRed Jins and this year, San Bedaformed its own women’s vol-leyball team, the Lady Spikers.

These female Bedan athletesare practically your typical girl-next-doors – only much fiercerand more competitive than oth-ers. Unflinching in their train-ing and fully dedicated in theirrespective fields, they are will-ing to train under the burningsun in the name of pride and

honor in order to bring glory tothe school. Bedan female ath-letes are extraordinary ladies,aiming to prove themselvesagainst stereotypes who ques-tion their capabilities. “Usuallykapag babae kasi dapat femininekumilos, kaya nagugulat sila kapagtaekwondo player tapos babae.Dahil babae ka, hindi nila ini-expectna kaya mong gawin ‘yun,” saysLou Ann Velasquez, a goldmedalist during the last NCAAtaekwondo competition.

Regina Pajao, one of the pio-neering volleybelles of the RedSpikers, share the same senti-ments on being a female athlete,“Sometimes it is sad kasi ‘yungsupport ng mga tao dito sa SanBeda hindi pantay-pantay,” shesaid.

Nonetheless, she prefers totake it as a challenge and not asan obstacle for her skills to berecognized by the whole Bedancommunity. “You don’t have tobe discouraged if you reallyhave the passion for playing. Ibelieve women can also achievethose things usually accom-plished by men,” she continued.

You go girl!Compared to men, women

are generally looked upon asweak individuals. They are frag-

It’s aIt’s aIt’s aIt’s aIt’s agirlgirlgirlgirlgirl

thing!thing!thing!thing!thing!

ile and more delicate, believedto be incapable of most thingswhich men can do. However, inthe field of sports, Bedan femaleathletes train as hard and sweatas much as their male counter-parts. There are no consider-ations, even on menstrualcycles. “Pareho lang ‘yung train-ing. Pantay lang dapat ‘yung salalake at sa babae,” explains RedBooters assistant coach and LadyBooters’ trainer John Servita.

Further, Velasquez admittedthat there are moments she hasto endure as a female athlete,“Physically speaking mas weak‘yung babae sa lalake. Pero sataekwondo kasama talaga ‘yungganung masasaktan ka,” she said.

Nevertheless, she alsopointed that the innate dexter-ity and quickness of female ath-letes also help out in sports. Addto this, Velazquez pointed outthat being a second danblackbelter provides an inter-esting benefit to her lifestyle.“Matututo ka na ng self-defense,matututo ka pang maging tough,magiging physically fit ka pa!” shegaily said.

I’m every womanWhile training is at par with

male athletes, female Bedanathletes still have enormous

work ahead of them. Morethan winning glory for the

school, they are battlingfor recognition and sup-port among the studentry

– something that evenother male sporting

teams have failed toachieve.

The Bedanfemale ath-

letes areall pio-n e e r s

and as such,they are tasked to

build the name oftheir respectiveteams. The LadyBooters for a time lan-guished in medioc-rity before comingback and winningtheir first champi-

onship in 2006.Faring better

are the fe-male ath-

letes of

the Red Jins who helped theirteam claim the taekwondochampionships in the81st NCAA season.Right now, thevolleybelles ofthe RedSpikersa r e

gear-i n g t h e m -selves up for theirdebut perfor-mance – anevent thatmany arew a i t ingfor.

Othert h a nt h a t ,B e d a nfemale athletes alsosuffer the same fate asother less promi-nent athleticteams. They donot receiveany compen-sation out-side their ex-e m p t i o n sfrom their PEand NSTP classes. “Wala dinkaming scholarships. Siguro it’sjust the passion for the gamewhich makes us stay,” saysRachel Roxas of the LadyBooters.

But with these setbacks, thisearly on the female stalwarts ofSan Beda has already provedthemselves. Regardless of com-pensation and monetary sup-port, these female athletes arefighting for pride and recogni-tion.

Angel-looking dolls, Fight-ing lion babes

They are Bedan ladies carry-ing the name of San Beda Col-lege. They have the passion andthe strength. They are thirstyfor glory. And this comingNCAA season, they could onlyask for no more than all-out

support. “It’sscary, but it’s a privilege…Thewhole team is challenged dahilayaw naming mapahiya. Sanamasuportahan kami ng Bedancommunity,” Pajao said.

They have what it takes, will-ing to risk it all in the name ofthe victory. “I’m proud to repre-sent the school kasi out of so manywomen out there isa ko sa mganabigyan ng opportunity to rep-resent San Beda,” Velasquez says.When asked why she has thiskind of passion for playing, “Itruns in the blood,” she answered.

They do not just play dolls,they rock the game. They amuseboys, but in the field, they kickballs. They are Bedan femaleathletes, more than your girl-next-door.

14 NCAA 2007 Issue

cheering

THE BOOSTERS. The die hard supporters. The sixthman. Presenting our very own, the San BedaCheerleading Association (SBCA).

In preparation for the 83rd NCAA season, the SBCA this yearbusied themselves training new members and orienting them withthe new policies in order to instill in them the aim and purpose ofthe organization.

Leading the cheering pack in this coming season is chief cheer-leader John Eric Prado together with female chief Michelle de Leonand Indian chief Emer Ramada.

This year, the squad aims to add more members to their familyof 21 and with the loss of some of the squad’s nursing cheerleaders,Prado was quoted saying, “there are a lot of other member of thePep Squad who can take the place of the ones who will be missingthe games.”

The Bedan community can expect louder beats from the drumsand fiercer voices to fill the stands as Raul Roque, one of the big-gest supporters of San Beda, take the helm as the newly appointedmoderator of SBCA.

In addition, the drumrolls and high spirits of the cheerleaderswill not be limited to the Red Lions alone as Prado related to TheBedan that the Pep Squad will be cheering for other sporting eventsas well.

As parting words to the Bedan community, Prado left The Bedannot with a promise, but a commitment in these words, “to myfellow Bedans, prepare to love your alma mater because it willbring you more than the pride and maybe more than glory.”

“With cheers and songs we’ll rally round the canon song of yore,and the Abbey walls will echo with San Beda’s mighty roar,” heended, taking a line from a song entitled the Cannon Song.

(Athena Charmaine Santos)

SBCA

SBCA

The Red Armymarches on

Chief Cheerleader John Eric PradoFemale Chief Michelle de LeonIndian Chief Emer Ramada.

ModeratorRaul Roque

SBCA officers

15NCAA 2007 Issue

RED B

OOTE

RSRE

D BOO

TERS

KICKING WILL BE harder thistime around.

True enough, there is nowhere to go but upfor the Red Booters to stretch their champi-onship streak to seven this upcoming 83rd

NCAA season which will be a first in Philip-pine collegiate football history.

Banking on the maturity and expertise ofthe team’s remaining veteran players, assis-tant coach John Servita said the team wouldbe able to pull through to the season.

Veterans Michael Casas, JamesDimaculangan, Tonton Abiera, NayeemTahil, and Joseph Rojo are again expected toshowcase their prowess in the football arenato sail the team to the finals.

Servita also proudly paraded the promis-ing talents of five newly-acquired football re-cruits in the champion team’s roster hailingfrom different provinces of the country.

“Mabilis mag-step up ang mga lumang play-ers. Malalakas sila. [Dahil dito,] nahahatak ‘yungmga bagong [recruits to perform well in theteam practices],” said Servita who courteouslygranted the interview in behalf of head coachAris Caslib since the latter is training the Un-der 23 national team at South Korea as ofpress time.

Asked about the current preparations of theRed Booters, Servita revealed that theMendiola squad is training side-by-side withthe Under 23 national team since Caslib isalso the head coach of the latter.

As for the weakness, Servita admitted thatthe team needs to work on their defense.

“Compact pa rin ang team. [Kaso ‘yung] lineof defense alanganin ng konti,” he said.

Now that the PCU football squad has beenslapped with a one-year suspension, Servitaopined that the CSB squad is their main threatfollowed by participating members Mapúaand the UPHDS.

BreakawayBreakawayBreakawayBreakawayBreakawaypeatpeatpeatpeatpeat

q Miguel Ebarvia III

football

Michael CasasJerome Orcullo

Nicholas LeonoraNixon Leonora

Jemson AyubanTonton AbieraRoxie Dorlas

Elizer FabruadaAaron AlticheJoseph RojoDave Villon

Red Booters’ LineupNayeem Tahil

James DimaculanganJerry Avarilla

Reynaldo CortonArdillo Guarin

Mark Angeloe CortezKevin Sendino

Francis SumodevilaJay Liones

Aaron FloresAcener Ranay

Head CoachAris Caslib

16 NCAA 2007 Issue

RED S

PIKE

RSRE

D SPI

KERS

q Timothy Fino

ONE step at a time.In spite of having a young lineup, the Red Spikers are still looking forward to this new season with

renewed confidence as they prepare themselves for the NCAA volleyball court hoping for a muchbetter performance than last year.

Coach Christian John Cuevas, tentative head coach of the Red Spikers, said that the Mendiola-basedstalwarts have joined leagues such as the Toribio Cup to give their players game exposure and toprepare for the coming NCAA wars.

The Toribio Cup is a pre-seasonal collegiate league joined by different colleges and universitiessuch as San Beda, FEU, Lyceum, Letran and San Sebastian.

“We joined the Toribio Cup volleyball league to give our players experience and enough gameexposure, nakapasok din kami sa final four [but failed to enter the finals],” Cuevas said.

The tourney gave the Red Spikers much needed experience butthey fell short against FEU in the final four and the Lyceum ofManila in the battle for third as two of their key players wereinjured before the semifinals.

Despite the lack of tall players and the loss of their seniors,Cuevas still believes that the current Red Spikers squad has thecapability to improve compared to last year performance.

“Mas better ‘yung performance nila ngayon. Talagang nag-improveang mga players..[madadala natin ang improvement na ‘to sa NCAA],”

Cuevas confirmed.However, Cuevas said that they do not want to jump into any

conclusions regarding their Final Four standing in the NCAAstating instead that they will take it one step at a time.

“Tignan na lang ang magagawa. Pilitin lahat ng magagawa one step ata time,” he cited.

Cuevas and the Red Spikers look at Letran and San Sebastian astheir main rivals in the volleyball court in the coming NCAAseason.

Christian Allan AguilaChristopher Neil CuevasAaron Cezar Marquez

Billy Edzel SatumbaMicheas Victor Macatangay

Von Cyriel MabazzaSylvester Gil Honrade

Theodore Christian SamalaPatrik Milan MendozaLeonel Evan Laraya

Head Coach: Christian John Cuevas

Red Spikers’Lineup

Spikingagainst allodds

volleyball

17NCAA 2007 Issue

NEVER SAY drown.After grasping their fifth glorious NCAA title, the invincible Sea Lions are now gearing up their

champion strokes to snatch another championship plum this upcoming NCAA season.Even though victory has always been associated with the team’s name, the Sea Lions remains

modest and are still preparing intensely for their all-time tank rivals, PCU and CSB.The Sea Lions prepares vigorously by training morning-afternoons and joining off-season compe-

titions that led them to conquer their first international competition - the Hong Kong-Mantas Invita-tional Swim in which they ranked third out of 17 countries and harvested three gold, ten silver, andeight bronze medals.

Head coach Gavino Roxas said that this year’s Sea Lions are better than before as nobody left theteam and welcomed three new tankers, namely Jerwin Paragastosand John Paul Bautista from University of the East high school andErgel Arcinas from General Santos City.

“Walang umalis or natanggal sa line-up ngayon. Intact pa din angteam at may mga bago pa. We are aiming to get oursixth title,” Roxas said.

More, Roxas also revealed that the team is notonly preparing for the NCAA but are also prim-ing for the Southeast Asian games’ National teamtryouts and the Taipei invitational.

Completing the roster of tankers are RichardSarino, Jose Miguel Marty, Rocky Gappi, MiguelFrancisco Barcial, Jose Luis Cataluña, BernardMark Bueta, Varon Pagsisihan, John Micah Bueta,Amado Miguel Diaz, Romulo Cabal, John VinmarAniñon, Nico Viña. Geneson Mendoza, AldrianReyes, Rommel Clarin, Teohdy Gaviño, MacgyverReyes, Edson King Dinglasan and 82nd season swim-ming tournament MVP Ferdinand Frigillana.

Undeniably, with all the team’s effort to traineagerly and to win every competition, this SeaLions are raging their way in notching anotherchampionship.

SEA L

IONS

SEA L

IONS

q Eunice Carmela Ariate

Dive todynasty

swimming

Sea Lions’Lineup

Ferdinand Frigillana.Amado Miguel Diaz

Richard SarinoJose Miguel Marty

Rocky GappiMiguel Francisco Barcial

Jose Luis CataluñaBernard Mark BuetaVaron PagsisihanJohn Micah Bueta

Romulo CabalJohn Vinmar Aniñon

Nico ViñaGeneson Mendoza

Aldrian ReyesRommel ClarinTeohdy Gaviño

Macgyver ReyesEdson King Dinglasan

Head CoachDondon Roxas

18 NCAA 2007 Issue

table tennis

RED P

ADDL

ERS

RED P

ADDL

ERS

THEY SIGNED THE contract, they sealed the deal and though they have yet todeliver, they are more than ready to fly their way to victory.

After finishing fourth in the 82nd NCAA season, the Red Paddlers are now eager tocompete and bring home the championship plum.

The squad aims to take home this year’s NCAA championship crown byintensifying their daily training routine wherein they will begin workingon their physical condition and table skills while giving their 101% duringthe upcoming games.

Also, Red Paddlers’ head coach Kurt de Guzman will be exposinghis players to several tournaments including the annual Rector’s cup

of University of Sto. Tomas, Ateneo Cup, and the Unigames to furtherenhance their ability.

This season’s lineup includes veteransJohn Benedict Cruz and Gylur Villar forsingles while Nikki Jay Jaspe and MarkJester Tariga will continue to competefor the doubles division together withfreshmen players Joe Louie Ramos and

Gerald Marin.Although having a powerful set of play-

ers, de Guzman still considers all of their op-ponents to be strong and fully prepared for the upcoming season.

“Sa tingin ko, lahat ng kalaban namin malakas dahil lahat ng team balanse [at fullyprepared],” he said.

Despite having tough competitors, the team still believes that with prayerand thorough practice they have a big chance of winning the championship.

“I always tell my players that if they want to win there are many ways. Kompyansa atalisto ang importante sa laro,” de Guzman ended.

Signed,Sealed,Delivered

q Jacqueline Anne Chua

John Benedict CruzGylur Villar

Nikki Jay JaspeMark Jester TarigaJoe Louie Ramos

Gerald MarinHead Coach

Kurt de Guzman

Red Paddlers’Lineup

19NCAA 2007 Issue

Loreto VelasquezJose Emmanuel Enriquez

Dexter CabradillaGilbert Velo

Julius CingcoButch de Vera

John EkidPatrick Niño Ferrer

Kenneth KodaSirus Bongalos

Aris Sagoso

Head CoachNoel Veneracion

RED J

INS

RED J

INSIN THIS TOURNEY

of points, silvers kickharder than gold.

This holds true for the RedJins as they failed to grab lastseason’s NCAA champion-ship plum, falling short by justtwo points and yet the samefate is upon them again thiscoming season due to a lackof good players to battle theodds.

With zero recruits and alack in financial assistance,Red Jins head coach NoelVeneracion expressed his sen-timents about the lack of sup-port for his team which posesa huge hindrance to their path

towards the prime spot.“I only have seven na magagaling na players na black-

belters. Nauubusan ako ng players kasi limited ang bud-get ko kaya wala akong power mag-recruit ng players.With this format [point system], no way akong mananalo[sa championship] kapag wala akong twelve solid play-ers,” Veneracion stressed.

In addition, Veneracion explained that the NCAAwill be utilizing the same point system it used lastseason with the team garnering the highest over-all points to be hailed as the champions, dimin-ishing the importance of individual medals.

“Nawawalan na ng bearing ang mga medals. Masmabigat na ngayon ang dalawang silver [medals]kaysa sa isang gold [medal]. Kaya mahirap talagamag-champion lalo na at kulang ako sa magagalingna players,” Veneracion expounded.

Amid the rock-bottom challenges and lim-ited resources, the Red Jins still boast an array of

hard-hitting blows and groundbreaking kicks through key ath-letes such as current team captain Loreto Velasquez, two-timeformer national team member and last year’s team captain JoseEmmanuel Enriquez, Dexter Cabradilla, Gilbert Velo, JuliusCingco, Butch de Vera, and John Ekid.

Finally, Veneracion sets his eyes at reigning titleholder CSBas the top team to beat, but also senses Letran as another majorthreat due to their intensive recruitment program.

So muchfor gold

q Ramon King III

Red Jins’ Lineup

taekwando

20 NCAA 2007 Issue

TIRED BUT STILL onthe run.

Despite the valiant efforts ex-erted, the San Beda RedTracksters was not able to bringhome the crown as they landedon the eighth spot last season.

This time around though,they hope to finish better.

Assistant coach MarioBorromeo admits that the teamwill still have a hard time bring-ing home the crown this year asthey still have problems withthe development of the players.

He also added that they arehaving trouble recruiting play-ers because the school could notprovide full scholarships to theother players.

“Undermanned kami ngayonkasi halos lahat ng players dine-develop pa lang unlike ‘yungibang school, recruit at scholarlahat”, coach Borromeo said.

Despite these problems, theteam is still gearing up for theupcoming NCAA wars as theyconduct several training ses-sions inside and outside theschool.

“Uma-attend kami ng mga mara-thons para sa endurance taposnagte-training din kami sa PICCat Rizal Memorial Coliseum. Safield kasi bawal mag-throws atjumps, puro runs lang angpuwede”, coach Borromeo men-tioned.

Expected to step up for theteam are veterans, ChristopherFrederick Del Castillo, RogelioSiccion and Dhelmar Moreno.

Kaje Pablo FaderaJosephh PabitonTimothy Veron

Micheal Robert LavadoJohn Carlo Olaso

Jason OlivaBenju Reynald Pausanos

Christopher Frederick Del CastilloMartin Andrew Baldos

Rogelio SiccionPaul Gromlieng

Juan Miguel TapiaCharles Adrian Arriola

Dhelmar MorenoHead CoachChurva lou

RedTracksters’

Lineup

Gaspingfor airq Ralph Rudolf Adelino

track and field

RED T

RACK

STER

SRE

D TRA

CKST

ERS

21NCAA 2007 Issue

RED N

ETTE

RSRE

D NET

TERS BEING SECOND BEST is not an option.

After reaching a bridesmaid finish last NCAA season, the Red Netters is all geared up and now ready toconquer the tennis courts with a better and stronger team.

Red Netters head coach Jovy Mamawal said that he has better expectations this year after successfully recruit-ing a new set of tennis racketeers, setting his goals on nothing less than bringing home the championshiptrophy.

“Kung last year kulang tayo sa manpower, ngayon naman sobra pa. The last time na nagkaroon ako ng ganitongcomplete team, ‘yun ang huling championship natin sa tennis,” Mamawal said.

The Red Netters’ lineup includes experienced players topped by team captain Nic Fernandez, veteransGerber Mamawal and Jopy Mamawal, and Duma Boloto who is now eligible to participate in

the NCAA after his one-year residency.Further boosting the Red Netters’ prowess are

new recruits consisting of Arthur Taffaliafrom Doha, Qatar; Gerome Patrombom

from Iligan, Lanao del Norte; PatrickArevalo from Batac, Ilocos Norte;Kevin Flores from Mamburao,Mindoro; and Jaime Mamawal,brother of Red Netters’ head coach.

Although the Red Netters arejam-packed with remarkable players

this year, only four will be qualified totake part in the NCAA, encouraging eachone of them to work on their best

smashes to claim one of the four spots.“Basically, they have six months to

prove themselves para mailagay sila salineup. They would have to fight for their

spots,” Mamawal explained.

Smash tothe top

Nic FernandezGerber MamawalJopy MamawalDuma BolotoArthur Taffalia

Gerome PatrombomPatrick ArevaloKevin Flores

Jaime MamawalHead Coach

Jovy Mamawal

q Marjerie Ann Ramos

Red Netters’Lineup

lawn tennis

22 NCAA 2007 Issue

chess

SHARP MINDS, big hopes.Now that the PCU team was banned from joining this

year’s tournament, Red Woodpushers’ head coach HaroldMariano has every reason to be jubilant.

Mariano confidently assures that the Woodpushers’standing would dramatically improve from last seasonsixth place finish through the abilities and strategies thathis team will display on the chessboard once the tourna-ment is opened.

The team will also be ready to outsmart their oppo-nents with veterans Glenn Mendoza, Joey AngeloMendoza, Jomar Cawili, Carim Panumpang andEmmanuel Caparas all geared up to rally the Mendiola-based squad to greater heights.

New bloods that will add firepower to the team areSherwin Sia and Joseph Navaro, both already established year residence at SanBeda, together with reserve players Leo Bunag and Joy Carungay.

“[Definitely], aakyat kami kasi sila (veteranplayers) pa rin ang dating players. [Wala masyadongnatanggal sa lineup],” Mariano grinningly said.

As for the practices, the team is tuning uptheir opening and ending moves that would

nail a win for them according to Mariano.For the team to achieve such stunning

performance this season, they have to dealwith, what Mariano said, their greatest chal-

lenge: balancing academics and the sport.“Malakas [kung] sa malakas ang team. Solid

ang team. [Kaso] ang kalaban nila ay academics.Nasa San Beda tayo eh,” Mariano grimlyblurted out.

The stumbling blocks, according toMariano, that the team needs to passthrough to be able to have a decentfinish in the season are the teams ofSan Sebastian, Mapua, and Letran.RE

D WOO

DPUS

HERS

RED

WOO

DPUS

HERS

BackBackBackBackBackwith awith awith awith awith avengeancevengeancevengeancevengeancevengeanceq Miguel Ebarvia III

Glenn MendozaSherwin SiaLeo Bunag

Joseph NavaroJoey Angelo Mendoza

Joy CarungayJomar Cawili

Carim PanumpangEmmanuel Caparas

Head CoachChurva

RedWoodpushers’

Lineup

23NCAA 2007 Issue

In necessariis, unitas; in opinabilibus, libertas; in omnibus, caritas.

volume LXV no.2

is published by the studentsof the College of Arts and Sciences,

San Beda College

Member:College Editors Guild of the Philippines

Newsroom 34B-1, St. Anselm’s Hall, San BedaCollege, E. Mendiola St., San Miguel, 1005 Manila

Tel. 735-6011 to 15 loc. 4117thebedanmananambol@yahoo.com

Emmanuel James G. MangahasEditor in Chief

Carlo Benedict B. SisonAssociate EditorRamon E. King III

Managing EditorBryan M. BalcoNews Editor

Miguel D. Ebarvia IIIFeatures and Reviews Editor

Eunice Carmela M. AriateCultures Editor

Jameel Joshua A. PielagoSports Editor

q Editorial Board

Mia CaluttungBusiness ManagerJacqueline Anne Chua

Office ManagerTimothy Fino

Circulations Managerq Managing Staff

Patricia Rea CadaoasJulius Charles Mariano

Mona Katherine Felicidad San Juanq Senior Staff

Mary Anne Laurice ChavezProofreader

Ralph Rudolph AdelinoChristian Villanueva

Editorial CartoonistsDanna Katrina LimJeremy Magpayo

Stephen Russel Keith ValeraPhotographers

q Technical Staff

Marc Israel CastroJuan Ramon GaliciaLoise Laine Limos

Jordan Carlo MarianoBernadine Anne Catheryn Pabellan

Marjerie Ann Ramosq Junior Staff

Jose Ma. Arcadio Malbarosaq Technical Adviser

forum

“Dynasty at 83!”-Yangkidudel, 4IRR

“NO TO UNIFORM!”-psycho_dude

“Unity at 83!”-Macho man, 3ABE

“Chupungco at 84!”-Willy Bank

About the cover

The school chanted “End 28 at 82” last season, what do you thinkshould be this year’s yell?

I think their strength lies on the solid line-up

-Student 1

New recruits like Lanete will give an ex-tra boost to the team

-Castro, APH ‘07

Sam Ekwe pa rin!-Ekwe’s number one fan, 3IRR

“PCU, where are you?”-Gloc_09, AMC ‘07

“Yes to uniform!” hehe..-Winnie the Pooh, 4APH

“Koy at 84!”-non-practicing virgin stikes again

“Umpa! Umpa!” pa rin!-Virgil

What would be the Red Lion’s greatest strength this season?Syempre, kahit wala na si coach Koy,magaling naman si coach Frankie!

-Kotsylepew

Syempre the fans and the cheering willbe an important factor this season

-Chief dela Vega, 3ALM

I think mai-inspire sila sa mga freshmenna naka-dilaw. Hehehe… joke.

-Jio Aquino