Philippine News

January 5 ------ Filipina tennis star Alexandra “Alex” Eala is set to make a landmark homecoming after being named a wild card entry for the first-ever Philippine Women’s Open, scheduled from January 26 to 31, 2026 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila. Eala’s participation, like that of the other players on the entry list, remains subject to results at the Australian Open in Melbourne, as the Philippine Women’s Open coincides with the second week of the season’s firs

January 5 ------ ROYSE Tubino did not stay long on the free-agent market following her surprise exit from Choco Mucho. The 32-year-old soldier-athlete has landed with the Strong Group Athletics (SGA) stable ahead of the 2026 PVL season, the group announced. With the move, Tubino is set to be deployed to either Farm Fresh or ZUS Coffee, SGA’s sister teams, at management’s discretion. “Strong Group officially welcomes Honey Royse Tubino to the family! The veteran brings leaders

MANILA, Philippines, January 5 ------ Philippine ace Miguel Tabuena gets another shot at this year’s LIV Golf League through the third edition of the LIV Golf Promotions slated Jan. 8 to 11 in Lecanto, Florida. Tabuena barely missed out on the two golden tickets to the pro circuit via the International Series Rankings pathway, finishing one notch behind the coveted spots at the end of 2025. But the door remains open for the reigning IS Philippines titlist as he joins a crack

January 5 ------ CAN Carl Tamayo become the first homegrown Filipino to win the MVP honors in the Korean Basketball League? That may become a reality if the Gilas Pilipinas stud continues his fine form in the Land of the Morning Calm. Tamayo has spearheaded the league-leading Changwon LG Sakers to a 20-7 win-loss record at the halfway point of the ongoing tourney and has been commanding in doing so, averaging 16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. That was the case on Fr

January 4 ------ THE Eya Laure sweepstakes finally has a winner, with the Alas Pilipinas standout set to suit up for Choco Mucho in the 2026 PVL season. Laure’s new home made the announcement right at the stroke of midnight, ushering in the new year with a bang as Choco Mucho formally unveiled her signing. She will be joined by fellow new additions in ex-Chery Tiggo setter Alina Bicar and former Nxled middle blocker Jaila Atienza, along with the returning Caitlin Viray, as th

January 4 ------ New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe made his first visit to the Philippines extra special by giving back to young Filipino athletes through a free baseball camp in Taguig. Volpe, 24, is in town for a family wedding. What began as a personal trip, however, turned into a meaningful opportunity as he and his family decided to organize the camp for aspiring Filipino players. The young Yankees star wound up giving tips to 200 young players in the free camp, h

January 3 ------ Kevin Durant totaled 22 points and 11 assists against one of his former teams as the Houston Rockets pulled away in the third quarter for a 120-96 wire-to-wire victory over the short-handed Brooklyn Nets in New York. Amen Thompson made 10 of 12 shots and led Houston's potent offense with 23 points, including 12 in the third when the Rockets outscored the Nets 37-25 en route to their fourth straight win. Durant, who was a Net from 2019-23, made 8 of 15 shots,

January 3 ------ The Philippine women’s softball team continued its climb on the global stage after improving three rungs in the latest World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) rankings. According to the WBSC’s updated rankings released, the Blu Girls moved up to No. 13 with 993 points, buoyed by the 227 points they earned in 2025 which was enough to lift them to fourth place in the Asian region. The Nationals won their 11th straight gold medal after sweeping their rivals

January 2 ------ Julian Champagnie rattled in 11 three-pointers and Victor Wembanyama scored 31 points as the San Antonio Spurs came from behind to defeat the New York Knicks, 134-132, in a New Year's Eve thriller. San Antonio, beaten by the Knicks in the NBA Cup final two weeks ago, avenged that loss in sensational fashion after clawing their way back from a 19-point second-quarter deficit to score a superb win. French prodigy Wembanyama was instrumental in the victory, lead

MANILA, January 2 ------ Filipino tennis standout Alexandra Eala has arrived in Auckland, New Zealand to begin preparations for the WTA 250 ASB Classic, scheduled from January 5 to 11. Eala was seen practicing on court, with coach Joan Bosch by her side sharing photos of her training sessions on Instagram as she continues her buildup to the new season. The ASB Classic serves as one of the key lead-up tournaments to the Australian Open, with Eala using the Auckland event as pa

January 2 ------ Barangay Ginebra is quickly moving on from the celebrations of the new year as it looks forward to facing San Miguel once again in the best-of-seven semifinals in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup. Kings head coach Tim Cone said it’s been a working holiday for his team especially with the looming rematch against the Beermen which defeated them last season. “Back to work for us. It’s going to be a working holiday for us,” said Cone after Ginebra survived the yo

January 2 ------ INTERNATIONAL Master (IM) Christian Gian Karlo Arca of Zamboanga City added another hardware in his accolade collection after winning the runner-up trophy in standard competition of the 2025 Eastern Asian Juniors Chess Championships held in Hong Kong. In a must-win situation in his final game for a chance to win the title, the 16-year-old Arca, a Grade 11 student of Ramon Enriquez High School, defeated compatriot FIDE Master Alekhine Nouri and finished the 9-

January 1 ------ Riding the wave of another landmark year, Filipino athletes anchored by world-class standouts such as Alex Eala and Carlos Yulo -- look poised to carry that momentum forward to keep the Philippines firmly in the international spotlight. Eala, who has been turning heads in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), seeks another impressive season, particularly in the Grand Slams where she hopes to eclipse her historic first-round win at the US Open. Currently ranke

January 1 ------ The NBA and FIBA said they will start the process of engaging with teams and owners about joining their planned new league in Europe next month. As has been expected, the league will offer both permanent spots and “a merit-based pathway” to qualifying on an annual basis through FIBA's Basketball Champions League or an end-of-season tournament, the sides said. Every team in a FIBA-affiliated European league would have the chance to qualify. “The format of the

MANILA, Philippines, December 31 ------ Alex Eala was at the forefront of an eventful Philippine sports scene in 2025, taking the country to greater heights through her emphatic breakout year. Inquirer looks back on a busy year for Philippine sports, with Eala consistently delivering, from the opening quarter of the Women’s Tennis Association season to the Grand Slams and a historic finish in the Southeast Asian Games. The Miami Open proved to be Eala’s springboard, launching

December 31 ------ It has been a tough stretch for the Gilas Pilipinas Boys and Girls, as both squads dropped their positions in their respective categories in the latest International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rankings. The Gilas Boys saw themselves dropping eight notches to settle for No. 43 in the global list with 343.3 points. The LA Tenorio-mentored crew, led by Prince Carino and Jolo Pascual, endured a quick exit in the FIBA U16 Asia Cup in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia last

WASHINGTON, United States, December 30 ------ Chet Holmgren scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead reigning champion Oklahoma City over Philadelphia, 129-104 as the NBA's winningest team snapped a two-game losing streak. Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 27 points, five assists, two steals and two rebounds as the Thunder improved to 27-5. "We just did a good job getting back to our style of play and our standards," Thunder reserve And

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, December 30 ------ Undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue outpointed Alan David Picasso to set up a potential pound-for-pound super fight with Junto Nakatani. Three-weight world champion Nakatani also beat Sebastian Hernandez Reyes on points on the card in Saudi Arabia after making his debut in the division. The two victories set up a much-anticipated clash in 2026 that would be the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history. “Both of us had a

MANILA, December 29 ------ Barangay Ginebra broke the hearts of the Converge FiberXers pulling off a thrilling 99-98 win in their do-or-die quarterfinal game in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum. Stephen Holt was the hero for the Gin Kings, drilling the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to complete a hard-earned victory. With the result, Ginebra is headed to the semifinals of the conference, where they will play San Miguel in a best-o

December 29 ------ Filipina tennis star Alex Eala played a doubles match under unusual circumstances at the 2025 MGM Macau Tennis Masters. Eala teamed up with China's Jerry Shang in the mixed doubles, where they were supposed to play against a tandem that included world No. 9 Mirra Andreeva. The Russian star was forced to withdraw due to illness, however, and Eala wound up playing in a lighthearted doubles match against two male opponents. She and Yang took on the pair of Yib