Pacquiao: Medical experts 'irresponsible' over Parkinson's fears

Pacman still determined to get 5th Marquez fight

MANILA, Philippines – Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao is distressed over claims that he might be in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. 

The Filipino boxer, who was with his family on vacation in Israel, criticized neurologist Rustico Jimenez and forensic expert Raquel Fortun for issuing statements about his condition without even personally examining him.

"The statements by the doctors show a total lack of ethics and it was irresponsible [for them to say this]. This was just personal opinion and there were no medical tests," Pacquiao toldJuan Carlos Torres, CEO of Zanfer Promotions, which promotes Juan Manuel Marquez’s fights.

Jimenez, president of Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, earlier told radio dzMM that Pacquiao’s “hand twitches and stuttering” are among the early signs of Parkinson's.

He, however, admitted that he could be wrong with his observations and has not met Pacquiao to personally check on his condition.

“Personal view lang naman ang sa akin - parang may early signs," he said.

Fortun, for her part, said she is not convinced with the CT scan results that cleared Pacquiao following his knockout defeat to Marquez.

She said severe head trauma could lead to Alzheimer’s disease or a form of dementia that worsens over time.

But Pacquiao asserted that he underwent two rigorous head examinations which indicated that he is 100% healthy.

"There is nothing to worry about,” the boxing superstar said on BoxingScene.com

“I am 100% healthy and right now I'm enjoying this memorable vacation with my family in this beautiful country of Israel.”

Pacquiao even said that he plans to go back to gym as early as February to prepare for two fights in 2013.

“I will return to the Philippines on January 14 and in early February I want to get to the gym because I want to have a fight in April and in September I want the fifth fight with Marquez," the former pound-for-pound king said.

Pacquiao suffered his second straight loss when he was knocked out cold by Marquez in the 6th round of their 4th clash.

The punch was so devastating that the Filipino boxer was unconscious for a few minutes.

Pinoy-made game application Streetfood Tycoon a big hit

Continuing to earn high approval rating from gamers is Streetfood Tycoon, a game application created by Filipino computer programmer/game developer Erickson Garayblas, which has already reached four million downloads.

Although hardly original – it obviously borrowed its format from several other popular tycoon type of games (Lemonade Tycoon, Fish Tycoon to name a few) – Streetfood Tycoon first gained notice early last year, earning over a thousand users by May 2012.

The game is available in iOS and Android formats. The main objective is to earn enough coins by selling food to customers who place their order through a picture bubble. Players need to tap all the right ingredients as shown in the bubble to create the order, dragging them towards the customer to complete the sale. There’s a time limit of course, and if you’re not quick enough the customer will leave in a huff.

There are also other matters (like stocks running low) that had to be addressed as you progress in the game. But users will also be able to upgrade their cart to serve more and better quality food.

According to Garayblas, developing the game meant months of research.

“Ang gusto ko kasi talaga ‘yung gumawa na isang game na topic ay pang-masa,” he told “Umagang Kay Ganda” on Thursday.

Garayblas said he thought of streetfood as the main component of the game as the idea seemed very “Filipino.” He was right. Among Streetfood Tycoons’ first few patron months after its release were Pinoys. Today, over a million Filipinos have already downloaded the game.

“Nakakatuwa na tinangkilik ng mga kababayan natin ang game,” he said.

Garayblas took the idea further by adding seeming caricatures of several celebrities that could or could not be Manny Pacquiao, Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber as featured customers.

“Nagustuhan nila [players] itong mga special characters sa game,” Garayblas shared. “So ginawan ko…pero parang spoof lang naman nila.”

(Story courtesy of NR Ramos of the Manila Bulletin)

Nonito Donaire's success signals rise of new era in Pinoy boxing

Although the devastating loss of Philippine boxing icon Manny Pacquiao to his Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez closed the curtain for the boxing world of 2012, it gave rise to the stellar performance of other Filipino boxers.

Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. (31-1, 20 KOs) has always been overshadowed by the achievements of Pacquiao who also happened to be his idol, a report by ESPN's Dan Rafael said.

However the recent contrast in the performances of Pacquiao and Donaire has been a turning point in both boxers' careers and their possible roles as the Philippine's boxing icon.

Pacquiao, 34 lost twice in 2012, first to Timothy Bradley Jr. in a controversial split decision in June then to Marquez in December when a solid right counter made him drop to the floor face first.

Marquez's merciless knockout of Pacquiao, which was a significant part of boxing history, was declared as ESPN's knockout of the year.

On the other hand, the 30-year-old Donaire had four bouts in 2012 where he won all of them easily even when moving up to a heavier weight division which was uncharted territory for the Filipino Flash.

He started his super bantamweight campaign defeating Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. and claiming the vacant 122-pound WBO super bantamweight title.

The 5'5 Donaire seemed to portray a “David and Goliath” when he pounded his tallest opponent ever, Jeffrey Mathebula.

Mathebula was a 5'11 towering champion and defeating him earned Donaire his second super bantamweight championship, the IBF title.

He then knocked out former No. 1 world division champion Toshiaki Nishioka in October who didn't have a belt only because he relinquished it.

With three successful bouts for 2012 safely tucked under his belt, Donaire pushed for a fourth bout which is rare for professional boxers because of the amount of time needed to prepare for a fight.

He was pitted against Mexican boxing veteran Jorge Arce whom he floored in the second round and finally knocking him out cold in the third to end the year with a stellar super bantamweight campaign.

This marked a sudden switch in the roles of Pacquiao and Donaire as the country's top and second seeded boxer with the latter even being announced as ESPN's fighter of the year.

Donaire is only the second Filipino to receive the honor, after Pacquiao, who won the award in 2006, 2008 and 2009.

Emulating the 2009 Pacquiao

Donaire's success in 2012 seemed to be similar to Pacquiao's boxing career in 2009 when he was declared as ESPN's fighter of the year for the third time.

In 2009, Pacquiao bested and knocked out his two opponents that year — Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton and Miguel Cotto — in an electrifying fashion, making him a crowd favorite.

Though these victories, Pacquiao won championships in two weight classes giving him a record of being the first title holder of seven different weight divisions.

However, even though Donaire is given much praise for his victories in the past year, he remains humble and maintains all respect for his idol whom many are clamoring to retire from the sport.

Another thing about Donaire is that he is the only boxer to sign to the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association which allows them to take his urine sample anytime they would like to, the ESPN report said.

This is big since a lot of unanswered questions have been thrown at sports – not just in the world of boxing – regarding the usage of athletes of performance enhancing drugs.

"I don't mind it. I think it's a good for the sport and I am going to do it," Donaire told ESPN adding, "It's a good idea. I have nothing to hide. I would love for all fighters to follow me, but not everybody is like me."

Now, people just have to wait whether Pacquiao will rise again and bask in boxing's prime spotlight together with Donaire or will the Filipino Flash step up and replace Pacman as the new face of Philippine boxing. - VVP, GMA News

Back in PHL, newly-crowned Miss Tourism Intl to visit Cebu's Sto. Niño Basilica

The 22-year-old beauty from Cebu who closed 2012 with an honor for the Philippines has returned to the country on Thursday evening, GMA Network's "News to Go" host Kara David said on Friday.

Rizzini Alexis Gomez bested over 50 candidates from various countries to win the Miss Tourism International 2012 title on December 31, 2012.

Gomez believes that her faith enabled her to win the pageant and the first thing she intends to do upon returning to Cebu is to visit the Basilica of Santo Niño.

Her homecoming was emotional because one of the people who welcomed her at the airport was her father whom she has not seen during the holidays as the pageant was held in Malaysia.

Aside from her father, Gomez was also welcomed back by her mentor Rogyl Flores and the president of the Mutya ng Pilipinas Jacqueline Tan.
Only a first timer in international pageants, Gomez also received the best in evening gown award, aside from the Miss Tourism International crown.

A registered nurse, Gomez plans to take up law in the future after her commitments to the pageant have been fulfilled. - Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News

Brillante Mendoza in History Channel documentary

MANILA, Philippines – Cannes award-winning director Brillante Mendoza is set to appear in an episode of “Around the World with Voyager” on the History Channel this month.

“Around the World with Voyager”, which premiered last November 28, aims to trace the evolution of five Asian cities (Manila, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India and Vietnam) through the eyes of a local icon, according to the description posted on History’s website.

The show is hosted by Singapore-based Canadian photographer Scott Woodward, who travels on the John Walker & Sons Voyager yacht.

The Manila episode will be aired at 11 p.m. on January 14 (Monday), with Mendoza expected to share how he “blazed the way for other Filipino filmmakers to take the world stage.”

“For the first stop, Brillante takes Scott to the University of Santo Tomas, one of the country’s oldest institutions, where he majored in advertising. From there, Brillante launched a successful career as a production designer, working on successful commercials for famous international and homegrown brands. But Brillante wanted something more,” the episode guide read, adding that Scott will also feature the Quiapo Church and Mendoza’s secret hideaway known as the “Secret Garden.”

Mendoza made news recently after accusing the organizers of the Metro Manila Film Festival of including box office results in their criteria for judging entries. His MMFF entry “Thy Womb”, which reaped recognition from international award-giving bodies, has been pulled out from several theaters due to its poor box office performance.

The movie also failed to win Best Picture despite bagging numerous awards in the festival, including Best Director for Mendoza and Best Actress for lead star Nora Aunor, as well as Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Original Story, the Gender Sensitivity Special Award and the Gatpuno Villegas Award.

Boracay is top place for relaxation: poll

MANILA, Philippines – The resort island of Boracay is the best place in the world for relaxation, according to a poll conducted by a hotel booking site.

The survey is based on feedback provided by over 113,000 respondents at the end of their stay, Agoda.com said in a statement released on Thursday.

It added that customers got to rate two categories – “nightlife” and “relaxation” – on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest.

Boracay in Aklan province ranked first in the “relaxation” category, and third in the “nightlife” category.

“Boracay is the lone Philippine destination that has made the Top 10 for both categories. Philippine capital Manila has held a Top 22 ranking in the nightlife category, while Visayas hub Cebu came in Top 19 in the relaxation category,” the press statement read.

Here are Top 10 destinations for relaxation and nightlife, according to the Agoda.com poll:

Relaxation

1. Boracay, Philippines
2. Bali, Indonesia
3. Koh Samui, Thailand
4. Chiang Mai, Thailand
5. Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
6. Krabi, Thailand
7. Langkawi, Malaysia
8. Hua Hin, Thailand
9. Dubai, UAE

Nightlife

1. Bangkok, Thailand
2. Dubai, UAE
3. Boracay, Philippines
4. Pattaya, Thailand
5. Tokyo, Japan
6. Phuket, Thailand
7. Hong Kong SAR, China
8. Macau SAR, China
9. Taipei, Taiwan
10. Bali, Indonesia

Boracay is no stranger to awards and recognitions, having been named the world’s best island getaway by Travel + Leisure magazine last year. It has also been voted by users of the travel website TripAdvisor as one of the world’s top beach destinations for 2012.

In 2008, a poll by the travel magazine Smart Travel Asia showed that Boracay is among the best holiday destinations in the region.

Bibingka in Travel + Leisure’s world’s most popular holiday foods

The humble bibingka, a Filipino rice cake, is one of the “most traditional” holiday treats in the world, according to a travel magazine.

Travel + Leisure included bibingka in its “World’s Most Traditional Holiday Foods” list, putting it alongside dishes from Japan, China, Russia and Sweden, among others.

In an article on Travel + Leisure’s website, writer Howie Kahn recommended buying bibingka at the stalls near Lourdes Church in Quezon City.

Bibingka is a yellow rice cake traditionally made from rice flour, eggs, milk and sugar. It is brushed with butter, topped with either salted egg or cheese, and served with niyog (grated coconut).

The sweet and salty bibingka has a soft and fluffy texture similar to puto, another Filipino rice cake, and is eaten warm.

Most Filipinos prefer buying bibingka because making one can be time-consuming. The traditional way of cooking this rice cake requires a terra cotta pot lined with banana leaves, heated coals, and lots of patience and energy.

Aside from bibingka, other holiday treats included in Travel + Leisure’s list are mushroom soup with zaprashka from Russia; tourtiere (ground, minced or cubed meat packed into a pie crust and served with ketchup or savory fruit relish) from Canada; curry devil (chicken, cocktail sausages, cabbage and cucumbers stewed in a spicy rempah gravy) from Singapore; toshikoshi soba from Japan; sarmale (cabbage rolls packed with pork, beef and rice and boiled in tomato sauce) from Romania; Jansson’s temptation (a casserole of potatoes, herring, onions, cream and bread crumbs) from Sweden; romeritos with mole from Mexico; yebeg wot (a thick, buttery berbere-spiced stew) from Ethiopia; eel from Italy and tangyuan (stuffed rice flour dumplings) from China.

(Story courtesy of ABS-CBN News)