UAAP finals: Ateneo lifer Matt Nieto comfortable with any role if it leads to winning

MANILA, Philippines—After tallying a career-best 27 points in Game 1 of the UAAP Season 81 men's basketball finals, Matt Nieto was limited to just six points in Game 2 on Wednesday and yet the Ateneo guard could not be happier about it.

Nieto was the hero of the Blue Eagles' 88-79 triumph over University of the Philippines in last Saturday's Game 1, as he knocked down big shot after big shot in the fourth quarter to hold off the Fighting Maroons.

In Game 2, however, Nieto finished with only 6 points on 3-of-9 shooting, though he added 3 rebounds and 5 assists in 26 minutes of action. The Blue Eagles didn't need him to hit clutch shots, as they routed UP 99-81 to secure a second straight men's basketball title.

"First quarter pa lang, they put a defensive player sa akin, si Jarell (Lim), but you know that scoring isn't the first option for me, so I was really happy that they were guarding me, because I can set up my teammates," said Nieto.

Nieto spent the game setting the table for his teammates, with Ange Kouame and Thirdy Ravena being his primary beneficiaries. The highlight of the game came with 62 seconds left, when he dished off to Ravena for a two-handed jam.

"I saw Thirdy, he was in the zone, so I really tried to look for him," said Nieto, who added that he would have loved for Ravena to reach 40 points. Ravena, the eventual finals MVP, settled for a career-best 38.

"He really deserves that, kaya binigay ko sa kaniya 'yung points na 'yun. Because we know, deserving siya."

Ravena was no slouch in Game 1, putting up 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. He and Nieto were hailed as the heroes then, but Nieto didn't mind ceding the spotlight to his teammate for the title-clinching game.

"Sabi niya nga, kaming dalawa 'yung nagdala ng Game 1. Sabi ko wala 'yun," he said.

" 'Yung Game 2 dapat, gusto ko kahit mababa 'yung score ko, basta 'yung lead namin malaki," Nieto stressed. "Mas pipiliin ko na manalo kami na 'yung margin (ganito), kesa 'yung hard-fought game na nag-27 ako."

"So I will choose to win in a blowout, kesa 'yung gitgitan na 27 points ako. I will take that every time."

Nieto, an Ateneo student since the preparatory level, has now won two championships on the collegiate level after winning one title in high school. He is hoping that in his final year in Season 82, he and twin brother Mike will graduate as champions.

"I wanna end my college career on a winning note," said Nieto. "Kasi after next year, 16 years in Ateneo, I will be graduating already, and I wanna end on a winning note, and I hope that my teammates will be there for me."

"(But) now, it's time to celebrate," he added.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Chef Tatung interprets Puerto Princesa cuisine

MANILA – For local celebrity chef Myke “Tatung” Sarthou, simplicity is the key element in the cuisine of Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

The man behind the Filipino restaurant Alab in Quezon City was tasked to prepare a meal celebrating Puerto Princesa’s flavors during a recent dinner hosted by the Mama Sita Foundation and the Ateneo de Manila University’s Cultural Heritage Studies Program for the "Mga Kuwentong Pagkain" campaign.

Sarthou’s initial approach was to be as innovative as possible, given his Cebuano-Bicolano heritage. But in the end, he realized that the best way to tackle Puerto Princesa’s cuisine is to focus on the basics.

“When I was told about this project, it really was a challenge. As a chef, I can’t help but get my creative juices flowing, to interpret [the cuisine] and tell a story,” he explained. “But after doing my research on Palawan, I realized that for me to present Palawan food, I have to remove myself from the process.”

So instead of coming up with unique recipes and interesting twists, Sarthou humbly took a step back and prepared the elements of the very simple four-course Puerto Princesa meal, letting his guests savor each ingredient.

He started by serving plates of raw fish, shellfish, shrimp and seaweed, different kinds of vinegar from Mama Sita, vegetables and some coconut cream for some do-it-yourself kinilaw, a dish that is similar to ceviche.

His interpretation presented different flavor combinations – spiced vinegar types provide more heat, cashew vinegar lends some bold notes, while the coconut cream adds another layer of texture, for instance.

“It’s up to you to play around with it,” he said, noting Puerto Princesa’s focus on fresh seafood and minimal spices. “It’s a communal setting and it allows you to be more engaged in the process of preparing your food.”

Before the dinner, students of Ateneo presented their respective research on Puerto Princesa’s cuisine, which is said to have three major streams – Tagbanua, or “forest food” in tune with the rhythm of nature; Cuyonon, or fresh seafood or meat seasoned with fruits and lemongrass; and Palawan-Vietnamese, which features sweeter, stronger and bolder flavors than the parent culture.

Sarthou took off from here and presented Puerto Princesa specialties, using only one cooking method for each dish.

After the raw kinilaw, the chef showcased the distinctly Palaweño laoya, a soup of pork hocks boiled for three hours with jackfruit, onion and lemongrass.

The dish was surprisingly light and left guests wanting more of the mild sweetness of the pork and the comforting soup.

Staying true to his meal’s simple theme, Sarthou proceeded with the main course – chicken inato and pork belly served with puso, or organic rice wrapped in palm leaves.

There were no special seasonings or added frills – the chef only relied on salt to bring out the flavors of the tender chicken and meat while grilling.

For dessert, Sarthou served his signature Egg Yolk and Honey Custard topped with toasted Palawan cashews and steamed sticky rice balls with coconut milk and ginger.

The sweet and sticky ending was washed down with local Palawan craft beers made with indigenous ingredients.

With his self-imposed limitations, Sarthou was able to open his mind to a different way of cooking through Puerto Princesa’s cuisine which, he said, is about respecting fresh ingredients and flavors.

He said that the simplicity of the dishes is exactly what makes Puerto Princesa’s food special.

“When I was in Palawan, ganoon lang ‘yung mga tao, simple lang… It’s for you to see how the food changes, how the character of the food changes with the addition and exclusion of different ingredients,” he ended.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Ateneo College Entrance Test postponed

MANILA - The Ateneo College Entrance Test (ACET) in Metro Manila and all testing centers in Luzon this weekend has been postponed due to bad weather brought about by tropical storm "Mario."



On its Twitter account, the Ateneo de Manila University said they will announce the new test schedule next week.

The ACET in the Visayas and Mindanao will push through as scheduled, the university said.

Meanwhile, the University of Santo Tomas has also announced the postponement of the UST Entrance Test (USTET) on Saturday at the T. del Rosario High School in Balanga, Bataan.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Ateneo Continues Bar Dominance

MANILA, Philippines — Ateneo de Manila asserted its dominance in the Bar examinations, producing its third topnotcher in five years.

In the results of the 2011 Bar examinations released by the Supreme Court Wednesday, Atenean Raoul Angelo D. Atadero had the highest grade – 85.5363 percent. Ateneans also topped the Bar exams in 2007 and 2010.

The second and eighth placers in the 2011 exams are also from Ateneo. A total of 1,913 out of the 5,987 examinees who took the tests passed, or 31.95 percent, Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez, chief of the Supreme Court Public Information Office, said the number is the “second highest rate in the millennium.”

Also landing in the Top 10 are Luz Danielle O. Bolong, 2nd place, ADMU; Cherry Liez O. Rafal-Roble, 3rd place, Arellano University; Rosemil R. Banaga, 4th place, Notre Dame University; Christian Louie C. Gonzales, University of Santo Tomas, 5th place; Ivan M. Bandal, 6th place, Silliman University; Eireene Xina M. Acosta, 7th place, San Beda College; Irene Marie P. Qua, 8th place, ADMU; Elaine Marie G. Laceda, 9th place, Far Eastern University-DLSU; Rodolfo Q. Aquino, 10th place, San Beda College.

Atadero, the valedictorian of his class, and Bolong are new associates of Puno and Puno Law Offices. They joined the firm in February.

Supreme Court Justice Roberto A. Abad, chairman of the 2001 bar examinations committee, said the passers will take their oath as new lawyers on March 21 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

Abad said the passers may secure their clearances from the Supreme Court’s office of the Bar confidant during office hours Monday to Friday, starting Thursday.

source: mb.com.ph

Pinoy IT activist Manny Amador found dead

Passionate Linux advocate and local IT pioneer Manny Amador was found dead by authorities on Friday in his rented house in Cebu where he had relocated to work for open-source firm InfoWeapons.

He turned 49 last July 7.

Amador, brother of theatre actress Pinky Amador, apparently died in his sleep due to cardiac arrest that may have been triggered by diabetic complications. Sketchy reports indicated he may have been dead for three days before being discovered by local police.

While in Cebu, Amador also worked as correspondent for an IT publication. He also maintained at least three blogs which served as his outlets for his many persuasions.

Aside from being a hardcore techie, Amador was also an ardent anti-RH Bill advocate, a dedicated motorcycle enthusiast, and former lead guitarist of the pioneering Pinoy hard-rock band The Breed.

But the work that really defined Amador was his involvement in consumer activism in the early days of the Internet in the Philippines. He was a leading light in local IT scene when open-source was also just gaining a foothold in the country.

As president of the Philippine League for Democratic Telecommunications Inc. (PLDTi), Amador was deeply involved in opposing telephone metering being proposed then.

He also led the PLDTi in suing PLDT for P100 million after the telco giant included his group in a case against Gerry Kaimo who held the domain PLDT.com then.

In an interview with Wired Philippines, he had this to say about the issue: “PLDT clearly made a mistake when it included PLDTi in the lawsuit since the League does not own or maintain the PLDT.COM website. That’s why we’re suing them for P100 million. That should show them that they cannot just drag innocent people to court without facing the consequences. The League will not be intimidated by this malicious and clumsy attempt to silence it. We will continue to speak out against PLDT’s unfair and backward metering scheme and any other anti-consumer practices."

As a fervent open-source supporter, Amador said in the same interview said that an effective answer to software piracy would be the promotion of open-source software.

“Instead of fighting piracy, why not avoid it altogether? Linux, for example, is the world’s fastest growing operating system and it’s practically free! Can you imagine how much piracy could be diminished if government offices and business switched to Linux? The improvement would be tremendous," he said.

Born and raised in Manila, Amador graduated from Ateneo de Manila with a degree in AB Communication Arts and AB Philosophy. He, however, called Cebu his home in the last days of his life. Part of the reason he relocated to the province was to marry a local girl – but the wedding didn’t push through. Nonetheless, he stayed put and learned to love the island life. — Newsbytes.ph

Source- gmanews.tv