Jr. NBA/Jr.WNBA Philippines 2016 Presented By Alaska To Encourage Youth Basketball Participation

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Jr. NBA /Jr. WNBA Philippines 2016 presented by Alaska will return to the Philippines for the ninth consecutive year from Jan. 23-April 24. The Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program is free and open to boys and girls between the ages of 10-14.

Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA, the league’s global youth basketball participation program for boys and girls, teaches the fundamental skills as well as the core values of the game at the grassroots level in an effort to help grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents. During the 2015-16 season, the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program will reach more than 6.5 million youth in 32 countries.

The Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Philippines 2016 presented by Alaska is comprised of four stages: skills clinics in schools and communities, Regional Selection Camps, a National Training Camp and an NBA experience trip. The skills clinics will be held nationwide from January through April with stops in Bukidnon, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Dagupan, Davao, Iloilo, Metro Manila and Puerto Princesa, and first-time locations in Batangas, Catanduanes and Cavite. Select players from these clinics will have the opportunity to showcase their skills in tryouts during the Regional Selection Camps, which will be held in Baguio (Feb. 20-21), Davao (Feb. 27-28), Cebu (March 5-6) and Metro Manila (April 9-10). The top 50 boys and 24 girls from the Regional Selection Camps will advance to the National Training Camp in Manila April 22-24.

Vista Malls Unveils Customized Community Malls At “All About You” Event

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Customized malls that reflect the heart and soul of their community are the gifts of the New Year for Vista Land residents. Vista Land & Lifescapes Chairman Manuel B. Villar welcomed the tenants and investors of Vista Malls at a pre-Christmas Investors’ Night at the Laurel House in Vista Shaw, Mandaluyong City to tell them about the wonderful things in store for Vista Land’s commercial projects in 2016.

Six community Vista Malls are already up, Mr. Villar announced: the flagship Vista Mall at EVIA in the heart of Vista City in Daang Hari, the yuppie-oriented Vista Mall at Trevi Residences in Pasong Tamo, Makati City; the scenic Vista Mall Lakefront in Sucat, set on a hill overlooking Laguna de Bay; Vista Mall Pampanga, a center for upscale fashion boutiques and diverse dining options; Vista Mall Antipolo, a mall-next-door that acts as a “big backyard” for its huge community of families; and Vista Mall CDO, an activity hub complete with biking trails, running paths, and pit stops for outdoor sports enthusiasts that will surely delight the active community that it serves.

The exciting news is that more Vista Malls are in the works beginning 2016, Villar shared with mall tenants and partners. With over 80 projects nationwide, Vista Land never forgets to think of ways to give their homeowners all the conveniences and amenities to live the lifestyle they have always dreamt of in Vista’s trademark COMMUNICITIES, he said. These amenities, which are at the center of all Vista Land township projects, house facilities to match the personalities of the communities that they serve.

CHED Clarifies So-Called “Unspent” Funds for Poor Students

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) seeks to clarify news reports on the Commission on Audit (COA) findings regarding the so-called “unspent P1.2-B fund for poor students.” COA’s latest report which was posted on their website early this week contains the annual audit report executive summary and outlined observations and recommendations on CHED accounts and operations in 2014. The report also enumerated CHED’s courses of action based on the agreements in the Commission’s exit conference with COA in July 2015.

At the time of the exit conference, documentation for the obligation of funds from the CHED regional offices still needed updating, but to date, these reports have already been completed. In fact, by December 31, 2015, the remaining P1.2-B 2014 budget which had a validity of two years, had been fully obligated with an assurance that the beneficiaries will be paid.

It can be recalled that at the end of 2013, the Supreme Court declared the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) unconstitutional. In response, lawmakers realigned their PDAF allocations to the calamity fund and six agencies, including CHED for scholarship assistance to students.

As a consequence, CHED’s Student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAPs) composed of scholarships, grants-in-aid and loans totaling 58,155 slots in the amount of P997-M in AY 2013-2014, ballooned nearly seven times to 391,817 slots in AY 2014-2015 amounting to P4.87-B, testing the carrying capacity of the agency.