By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.   SANS doubt, I believe the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) owned by former senator Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is one of the major national sporting events in the country today. Records show that our beloved province already produced standouts in Philippine basketball: Marlou Aquino and…

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr. I STILL recall the tale of Pangasinan’s famous single day annual bikefest which was eventually dubbed as “Werweran ed Mangaldan.” It was initiated and organized by former Mangaldan mayor, the late Atty. Macario G. Ydia, on March 7, 1974 in conjunction with the celebration of…

By Jeus A. Garcia Jr.   DESPITE the distraction from the obstructionists over a permit issue, the much-awaited mountain bikefest ‘2nd VM Mejia Cup Mountain Bikefest of Mangaldan 2024’ finally pushed through under the directorship of my son Jazy, last June 8. Despite the hassle, it was a very successful…

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.   OUR province’s team ‘Pangasinan Heatwaves’ in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) returned to Calasiao Sports Complex last May 31 with another vengeance. This time it repulsed the highly rated Paranaque Patriots, 68-60, to the delight of the big hometown crowd. Our local boys…

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.   WITHOUT a doubt, the talk of the sports world now is the NBA championships. We watched how the former champion Boston Celtics swept arch rival Indiana Pacers, 4-0, in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference championship series last week. Meanwhile, the winner of the Western Conference…

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.   PANGASINAN’s booming town Calasiao under the leadership of the town’s sports-minded Mayor Kevin Roy Macanlalay hosted again the country’s famous amateur basketball league, the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) for the third time last May 18 that featured our provincial quintet called “Pangasinan Heatwaves.”…

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.   IN our last week’s issue, I acknowledged the many queries from our avid cycling enthusiasts about who, when, where and how Pangasinan’s cyclists fared and succeeded in competitive cycling over the years. I decided that the best way to respond to these questions is…

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr. I SEE it as my responsibility to respond to queries from our avid cycling readers here and overseas about Pangasinan cycling history in this two-wheeled sport. Yes, I can cite many details about it having been a 32-years veteran myself in this sport from 1961…

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr. “LIGHTNING doesn’t strike twice at the same spot,” as the axiom says. And that’s what exactly happened to our contingent to the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Sixth Season tournament last April 27. After losing its inaugural game against the league’s co-rookie squad the Abra…

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.   I WAS shocked to receive a sad message from a retired cyclist and former Highway Patrol Group (HPG) member Anthony Valdez of Urdaneta City, informing me that 1976 Tour of Luzon champion Modesto Bonzo passed away last April 18 but it was not clear…