MUST WATCH: Hit Korean Movie REBOUND in PH Theaters May 3

Just got off the advanced screening of hit Korean movie REBOUND starring Ahn Jae-Hong (who also appeared in Reply 1988), Jeong Jinwoon (who's in Dream High 1 and 2), Jung Gun-Joo (who's in TV drama True Beauty in 2021), Kim Taek (who was a Prince in TV drama The King's Affection), Kim Min, and Lee Sin-Young (who also was in Crash Landing on You and several dramas). This film is based on a true story about a high school basketball team who used to win championships but had a long stretch of losses and almost didn't continue to their basketball program. They had to resort to getting an inexperienced coach (an alumnus of the same school) with a skeleton team that had no interest in the sport. Some eventually quit, for multitude reasons, and the coach had to scout a few players to exist and join tournaments versus other schools. 

They ended up with 6 players, and this starts the grueling task of making the impossible, possible. I definitely liked the story. It's also the personalities of the different players that will get you hooked. Aside from that, it's a journey, and really... this is the first time that I saw a cinema where people who were watching were clapping and rooting for Busan Jungang High School. I'm sure it's the innate Filipino love for basketball, that story of the underdog who's trying to win on the court and in life. Will they win in the end and make their dreams come true?

This is being released in the Philippines by 888 Films. For me, this scores a well deserved 8/10 for the story and entertainment value. It's something you should DEFINITELY watch if you're a fan of KDrama and Korean TV shows. Plus points too because it is based on a TRUE STORY. Make sure you stay to see the ending because it'll surely pull heartstrings. I hope Filipinos troop to cinemas, because even as a skeptic going inside the theater, I really appreciated it! Again, it shows in cinemas on May 3!

Thank you to Ms. Sylvia Sanchez and Sir Art for inviting us to this screening! I'm telling my friends!

foodpanda Forges Patnership with NBA

Went to Mall of Asia Entertainment Hall pretty early for the recent announcement of foodpanda and their partnership with the biggest league in the world, the NBA. Present during the occasion was their fun lovin' mascot Paupau, their executives  Amer Bakshi, Lorelie Olalia and NBA's Hubert Ling and Mae Dichupa. 

They also brought in UAAP and PBA players to make sure games would be extra fun for participating foodpanda customers that morning. 

This means that from now on, foodpanda will be the official food delivery partner of the NBA. Each time you watch the NBA games especially this coming NBA All Star Weekend, it'll be super convenient to order up at your foodpanda app and get your food delivered fast.

150K dollars will be given for two charity organizations, and it's been a while since Lebron lost one so who knows?! 

I'm watching the games now at Tipsy Pig in QC where they are doing a Livestream together with Cignal. I hope he still wins because the draft was good.

Everyone plays at "Batang Pilipino Basketball League"

Just got off from the Batang Pilipino Basketball League press conference this afternoon. By any standard, I am so excited about what's going to happen this January 27-28 at 4 different courts in the city of San Juan namely Ronac Art Center, FilOil EcoOil Centre, the San Juan Gymnasium and the Greenhills West Basketball Court in the same area. 

It's a grassroots program initiated by its founders Jun Ebdane and Coach Ron Camara which started October 2020. There's a huge potential in the pool of Filipino youth that still remains untapped and with this program, it'll be an avenue to showcase their talent on the hard court especially in the NCAA, UAAP, PBA and others. They've already held 2 rounds of local games and became champs of their respective regions in order to qualify for this national event. They also have done tryouts for young men and women because they've got separate games for them too. There's also a stark difference with how their version of Basketball is done, because teams must have their players all play once on the court, coaches then can use their best ones in latter quarters hence their tagline "Lahat ng Player Makakalaro, Walang Mababangko!" which means all players will have the chance to have playing time on the court, nobody will be left on the bench.

From a total of 194 different teams composed of 2910 individuals from all over the country, only 500 of them will get the chance to participate in the Finals on January 29 at 4pm. Tickets will be sold at the venue so if you're looking for a place to start for your basketball career, you might just be looking at it.

Aside from that, the league also allows local businesses market their products around venues so they too can earn from the events. Aside from that, they are partnering with the different provinces, local government agencies that help boost tourism in their respective communities to help then grow as a destination. This is just the tip of the iceberg, because they also announced the coming second season which will start around May. So stay tuned for that! 

Meanwhile, here's our interview with them this afternoon as they discussed the challenges they had mounting this league and the upcoming finals where 500 of these athletes will all be flown in to Manila and compete here.

See you on these dates and support your favorite teams! You can also watch it on ABSCBN Sports Youtube Channel and will be streamed live as it happens. See you on the sidelines!