San Carlos News Central

The Negros Occidental Football Association-University of St. La Salle Mixed Under-13 9-a-side Interclub Football Championship and the NOFA Under-17 Ladies Championship will kick off at the USLS pitch on Saturday.

Booters from University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, ABES Football Club, St. Scholastica’s Academy, Rizal Elementary School will comprise Group A of the Under-13 mixed category in the groupings released by the NOFA Tuesday. Bracket B will include Real Murcia, Corazon Locsin Memorial Elementary School, Celta de Victorias, and St. Benilde School.

USLS, Handumanan United, Bago City FC, and Mabini FC will also see action in Group C, while Minulu-an-Talisay FC, Ma-ao United, West Negros College, and San Carlos City will compete in Bracket D.

In the Under-17 ladies, USLS-A, United-A, SSA/Bacolod United-A, Domingo Lacson National High School, and UNO-R team A lady booters will meet in Group A while USLS, SSA/Bacolod United-B, San Carlos FC, Handumanan United, and Ma-ao United are in Bracket B. FC de Pontevedra, UNO-R, St. John’s Institute, and Bacolod Tay Tung High School make up Group C.

About 50 delegates from private companies and entrepreneur groups attended a seminar on Filtered Bio-Diesel Utilizing Coco Oil held in Dumaguete City, Friday. The participants were from San Carlos City in Negros Occidental and local governments in Oriental Negros, and Siquijor.

Bayawan Mayor German Saraña said he is interested in adopting the Filtered Bio-Diesel Fuel utilizing Crude Coco Oil technology for his city, however, they would need a more detailed and comprehensive plan for a plant.

He said they can adopt the technology introduced by Dina Masa from Philippine Coconut Authority Central Office, if they can reduce the cost of the bio-diesel plant, a standard for which amounts to P1.8 million.

The city will organize a cooperative to manage the plant, and purchase equipment for it. Once it becomes operational, the cooperative will pay the government in a staggered basis, Saraña added.

He added that using their own budget and resources would mean big savings for the government while addressing the unemployment problem of the country.

Meanwhile, a private entrepreneur, Benjamin Kadusale, from Manjuyod challenged the PCA to produce a filtered bio-diesel through coco oil and sell it to the market since the technology need a huge capital.

But Masa explained that PCA has no ample budget for producing a filtered bio-diesel. It promised, though, to give technology assistance to local government units interested in the technology

Negrense boxer Gerry Peñalosa fought methodically and pushed Mexican champion Daniel Ponce De Leon to the limit but lost via unanimous decision at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Hotel Casino in Las Vegas yesterday.

Aggressive all throughout, De Leon apparently won a supposedly close decision but, surprisingly, he was handed a convincing victory based on the scorecards of judges Dave Moretti, Chuck Giampa and Nelson Vazquez.

Moretti had it 120-108, giving all 12 rounds to De Leon, while Giampa and Vazquez scored 119-109 with one round going to San Carlos City-born Peñalosa, who showed superior blocking and counter-punching skills to endure De Leon’s gung-ho fighting style. The 34-year-old Filipino challenger came alive in the second round, hitting De Leon with a heavy right hand to the side of the head that had the Mexican momentarily losing his balance.

But De Leon was more forceful and it reflected on the punch stats, which registered 1399 for the Mexican champion and 481 to the Filipino challenger.

Penalosa — who was coming off an impressive ninth-round TKO against former titlist Mauricio Martinez in October — was cut on his scalp in the second to the last round just as he was about to make a last-ditch assault to take the fight. “I’m really disappointed. I thought I won that fight,” Penalosa, who won the WBC super flyweight belt in 1997 and successfully defended it three times, said. “I want a rematch.”

In a report posted at ESPN.Com, several members of the media covering the fight actually had Peñalosa winning a close decision.

“It was a very hard fight,” the 26-year-old De Leon, who made his fourth defense, said. “I hurt him a couple of times, but he has great conditioning. I need to work more on my defense.”

Peñalosa planted a strong left straight to the face of Ponce De Leon in the seventh round, snapping the Mexican’s head back. He withstood a barrage of wild punches in the next round, before shaking the Mexican near the end with another left straight.

Ponce De Leon successfully evaded Peñalosa’s solid punches in the final round to keep his title and hike his record to 33-1 with 28 KO’s. Peñalosa, a 21-1 underdog according to a report posted at philboxing.com, dropped to 51-6-2 with 35 KO’s.

Jojo Bardon could well be the next big boxer to come out of San Carlos City.

Just hours after the city’s famous son, Gerry Peñalosa, failed in his bid to win a second world title, Bardon, fighting out of the Rex ‘Wakee’ Salud Stable, took the Orient Pacific Boxing Federation flyweight title after beating erstwhile undefeated Japanese Masaharu Naganawa with a split decision victory, philboxing.com reported.

The 12-round battle at the International Conference Hall in Nagoya, Japan ended with Bardon taking the well-deserved win, despite an unimpressive 15-10-1 record, compared to the Japanese’ 11-0-2 slate, the report said. In an interview with the boxing website, Salud, who manages Bardon, said that his ward’s victory was the result of hard work in the gym under the watchful eyes of trainer Juanito Ablaca.

Former WBC super flyweight champion Gerry Penalosa went up two divisions to fight the bigger and stronger WBO super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon but after a gallant effort lost a unanimous twelve round decision at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, yesterday.

However, the lopsided scorecards of judges Chuck Giampa, Dave Moretti and Nelson Vazquez lived up to the growing notoriety of the WBO as well as the Nevada State Athletic Commission which chooses the judges for fights in Las Vegas. When the decision was announced the huge audience watching the fight “live” in the ABS-CBN studios in the telecast hosted by Korina Sanchez let out a collective boo and cries of disbelief.

In an absolutely unbelievable assessment, judge Dave Moretti had Ponce De Leon winning every round for a 120-108 shutout while Chuck Giampa who last February 25 conspired with Raul Caiz Jr and referee Samuel Viruet to rob Z ”The Dream” Gorres of the WBO super flyweight title against Fernando Montiel had Ponce De Leon the winner 119-109 which was the same scorecard turned in by Nelson Vazquez.

WBC founding secretary general Rudy Salud who for some years managed Penalosa said we could all be proud of Penaloda’s performance saying “he surpassed all his past performances in title fights against In Joo Cho and Masamori Tokuyama and surprised all of us with the way he fought.” Salud blamed what he termed “a ridiculous rule adopted a few years ago that mandates judges to have a winner in every round even if it should be a draw. As a result the many close rounds were scored for the champion because he threw more punches.”

Salud said Penalosa simply couldn’t cope with the reach, height and power advantage of Ponce De Leon but hoped that he would be given a crack at the bantamweight title of any of the world organizations because he believed Penalosa still had it in him to become a world champion.

While Penalosa, a 21-1 underdog according to his wife Goody , scored with effective and crisp combinations the champion hardly stopped throwing punches except in the last three rounds after he hurt his left hand and decided to stay out of Penalosa’s range which frustrated the 34 year old southpaw . After the fight Ponce De Leon wore shades to cover his bruises and indicated he was ready to give Penalosa a rematch.

Penalosa demonstrated his superior skills in blocking or avoiding many of Ponce De Leon’s punches but the punch stats eventually proved decisive with the champion throwing more than 100 punches per round to outwork Penalosa by a landslide. Total punches thrown were 1399 to 481 in Ponce De Leon’s favor.

Penalosa caught Ponce De Leon with a hard right to the side of the head in round two but after the champion was all over Penalosa in the fourth round the game challenger responded to the pleadings of cornerman Justin Fortune to throw more combinations and took the fifth round with some well-timed shots.

A left flush on the face of Ponce De Leon appeared to give Penalosa the edge in round seven and while Ponce De Leon threw lots of punches in the eighth Penalosa rocked him with a solid right towards the end of the round.

Going into the final round Fortune who was substituting for celebrated trainer Freddie Roach who was busy preparing Oscar De La Hoya for his blockbuster showdown with Floyd Mayweather on May 5 told Penalosa he had to go for a knockout but sensing he had the fight won the champion continued to dance out of trouble to retain his title and improve his record to 33-1 with 28 KO’s. Penalosa dropped to 51-6-2 with 35 KO’s.

Whatever the outcome of his fight on Sunday, Filipino boxing fans won’t be seeing the last of grizzled warrior Gerry Peñalosa inside the ring.

Already in the twilight of his career, Peñalosa, who started his professional career in 1989, shrugged off retirement talks, saying he still has so many plans, after his duel against Mexican champion Daniel Ponce De Leon at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“I want to fight the best,” Peñalosa told maxboxing.com. “So Ponce is one of the best. There are more out there. So I have to beat the best to fight the other best.”

Although the odds are stacked against the 34-year-old southpaw from San Carlos City, he believes the scheduled 12-rounder for the World Boxing Association bantamweight belt against won’t go the distance.

“I believe the fight (with Ponce-De Leon) will not go the distance,” Peñalosa, who won the WBC super-flyweight title more than a decade ago, said in the pre-fight press conference Thursday.

In a report posted at philboxing.com, Peñalosa said he must win “convincingly and winning by knockout eliminate all other complications.”

After spending most of his career fighting in Asia, Peñalosa said he is excited by the fact that the whole world will be watching his fight, which is scheduled underneath the card, dubbed “Fearless” and topbilled by Mexican greats Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez.

“That’s what I want, that’s what I need. I fought many times in my country, Asian countries, but I wasn’t given a chance to fight in the USA. This time, I’m excited because I know the whole world will be watching this fight,” he added.

Philboxing.com also reported that Peñalosa did some light workout Thursday afternoon at the IBA gym and was already within the 122-pound limit when he weighed in at an unofficial scale.

“I am ready and I am confident that I will become world champion once again,” said Peñalosa, who got another morale boost when his wife, Goody, and their two kids flew in from Manila early this week.

The Filipino boxer said he believes his style will offset the size and strength advantages of Ponce, who is eight years his junior.

“I feel very good and I think this is the fight that will define my career. I have never trained harder than for this fight and I have prepared long and hard for this one. This is the fight that I have been waiting for,” added Peñalosa.

The boxing website also said that Peñalosa’s, chief trainer and manager Freddie Roach, speaking by long distance phone call from Puerto Rico, wished the Filipino well.

“Without a doubt, Gerry will become champion,” Roach said. “He will kill the guy (Ponce De Leon). Gerry is still one of the best pure boxers out there and he will prove it to everyone come fight night.”

In a separate interview with maxboxing.com, Justine Fortune, who is in charge of physical conditioning for all of the Wild Card boxers, including Penalosa, had nothing but praises for the San Carlos City-born boxer.

“He’s a lot more serious, a lot quieter,” Fortune said, in contrasting Peñalosa to the atmosphere brought by another Wild Card boxer, Manny Pacquiao.

“Obviously, he’s not as famous as Manny, who has delayed his return to the gym several times with an April 14th fight pending against Jorge Solis. I know where he is,” Fortune added. “He always shows up on time, too.”

Defending double champion San Carlos City and Celta de Victorias try to follow up their one-sided victories when they battle separate opponents as the NOFA Under-15 and Under-17 Provincial Football Championships resumes today.

San Carlos, coming off a 4-0 win over Andres Bonifacio Elementary School in the Under-15 event, take on Bago City at 1:30 p.m. today at the Carlos Hilado Memorial Sports Complex pitch. Victorias, represented by Don Bosco Technical Institute, battle ABES at 10 a.m. on Sunday. The Victorias booters scored an 8-1 win over Bago on opening-day.

If they come out victorious, Victorias and San Carlos are expected to battle for the Group A top spot and a semifinal berth.

In Group B, La Salle, which suffered a 1-7 beating at the hands of Handumanan last week, battle Valladolid at 10 a.m. today for the solo lead. Valladolid played University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos to a 2-all draw in its last outing.

The match between UNO-R and Handumanan, originally scheduled at 8 a.m. on Sunday, has been reset at 4 p.m. on March 22 because of the exam week of UNO-R.

Group C joint leaders La Carlota and Talisay will also be in action this weekend.

The La Carlota booters, who overwhelmed Maao, 8-2, collides against Cadiz at 3:30 p.m. today. Minuluan Talisay FC, which thumped Cadiz, 5-1, in its opening match, tackles Ma-ao at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

In Group D, West Negros College tries to bounce back against Bacolod City National High School in the first game at 8 a.m. today. Opening-day winners St. Benilde School and NOHS clash at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

UNDER-17 MATCHES

In the Under-17 matches at the BCNHS pitch, San Carlos tries to keep its unbeaten run dating back to last year’s tournament against NOHS at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. In the other Group A match, Handumanan will test Cadiz at 8 a.m. today.

In Group B, Pontevedra FC, which pulled off the biggest win in the tournament so far — a 12-0 drubbing of BCNHS, battles Talisay at 1:30 p.m., before Ma-ao goes for its second win against BCNHS at 8 a.m. on Sunday.

In Group C, Victorias will take the field against Kabankalan, 5-2 winner over Domingo Lacson National High School, at 10 a.m. La Consolacion School and DLNHS seek breakthrough victories when they clash at 8 a.m. today.

Meanwhile, tournament darkhorse St. Michael Academy-Pontevedra battles Escalante at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. SMA shocked reigning NOPSSCEA champion USLS, 4-1, last week. Bago, which defeated Escalante, 5-1, and USLS clash in the other Group D game at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Celebrated trainer Freddie Roach won’t be in the corner of former WBC super flyweight champion Gerry Penalosa when he battles WBO super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon on Sunday, Manila Time, at the Mandalay Bay Arena.

In an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today from Las Vegas, Penalosa’s wife Goody said she had been told that Roach would not be in Penalosa’s corner but that his trusted assistant Justin Fortune would be there.

However, in a telephone call from Puerto Rico where he is busy training Oscar De La Hoya for his massive showdown with Floyd Mayweather on May 5, Roach wished Penalosa all the best and said “without a doubt Gerry will become champion.” Campos quoted Roach as saying “He will kill this guy (Ponce De Leon)” who he believes doesn’t have the advantages that will help him retain his title. Roach added “Gerry is still one of the best pure boxers out there and he will prove it to everyone come fight night.”

Ms. Penalosa said while she was “very nervous” her 34 year old husband was both confident and excited. This was confirmed by journalist Winchell Campos in an email to The Standard. Campos said Penalosa did some light workout on Thursday afternoon at the IBA Gym and was already within the 122 pound limit when he weighed in at an unofficial scale “flashing a smile.”

Campos quoted Penalosa as saying “I believe this fight will not go the distance. I know I must win convincingly in order to take the title and winning by knockout will eliminate all other complications.”

For his part Ponce De Leon who is younger, bigger and stronger than Penalosa said he respected Penalosa because he is a former champion and he has “excellent boxing skills. But I have prepared hard for this fight too and this calls for a very exciting finish. I also think I will win by knockout.”

A paramilitary trooper ran amuck on Wednesday killing an Army detachment commander and a civilian, before he was shot dead by a colleague in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental.

Killed on the spot were Sgt. Jenny Cortez, commander of the Palampas detachment, CAFGU member Henry Daragoza and Bryan Egloria, 18, who was hit by stray bullets.

In his report to Negros Occidental police director Rosendo Franco, Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz yesterday said Cortez who was on a routine inspection of the detachment, saw Daragoza drinking intoxicating liquor at the sari-sari store of Melda Canas in Sitio Pamahawan of the barangay, although he was on duty.

Police investigations show that Daragoza appeared to be drunk when ordered by Cortez to return to the detachment.

An hour after, Daragoza returned to the sari-sari store armed with an M-16 armalite rifle- and shot his detachment commander without any provocation, de la Paz said.

Stray bullets also hit Egloria, police investigations showed.

De la Paz said CAFGU member Apolinario Samonte tried to grab the armalite rifle of Daragoza after witnessing the shooting incident, but failed to disarm him.

Cpl. Juicery Pomares, assistant detachment commander, who immediately went to the scene, shot Daragoza, the police also said.

An M-16 assault rifle with a magazine containing 10 rounds of live ammunition was recovered by Pomares from the slain Daragoza, while eight empty shells of the same caliber of firearm found at the crime scene, were turned over to the San Carlos Police Station.

Letty Daragoza, mother of the slain victim, in an interview at the Saksi program of RGMA Super Radyo, said her son and Cortez had a conflict.

De la Paz said Daragoza had previously been reprimanded and disarmed by his firearm by his immediate superior for indiscriminate firing.

The bodies of Cortez, Daragoza and Egloria were brought to the St. Francis Funeral Home in San Carlos City for autopsy purposes.

A cargo truck driver died and 16 were injured, when the vehicle they were riding on fell into a canal at the Don Carlos Ledesma Highway in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental.

City police chief Ricardo de la Paz yesterday identified the fatality as Enilido Doctolan,48, of Escalante City, who was declared dead on arrival at the San Carlos District Hospital. The 16 injured passengers are now being treated in the same hospital. De la Paz said the Fuzo cargo truck driven by Eddie Dijet had a mechanical malfunction that caused it to fell into the canal.