PLAYER OF THE GAME 🏀
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto was named "Player of the Game" after leading Team Uratex to victory in the Ateneo Alumni Association Sports League at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
"#89 Vico Sotto gets the job done, putting up 18 points, six rebounds, and five assists in Uratex's victory," the Ateneo Alumni Association Sports League wrote on Saturday. (Facebook/AAA Sports League)
Alex Eala celebrates herstoric win after ousting world No. 3 and defending champion Iga Swiatek, 7-6 (11-9), 6-2, in the third round of Wimbledon to become the first Filipino player to reach the Round of 16 at any Grand Slam. “For the girls with ruffled socks, light up shoes and chubby cheeks,” she wrote in her post on Sunday. (Photos/Alex Eala, Reuters)
BINI arrives at the Department of Tourism for the official announcement naming the P-pop sensation as the agency's newest tourism ambassadors.
‘KAPAG LUMAGO, HINDI NA HIHINTO’ 🤍🇵🇭
Tennis star Alex Eala on Thursday shared an inspiring message ahead of her upcoming matches, including her second-round rematch against Australia's Maya Joint at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships.
"Kapag lumago, hindi na hihinto," she expressed, sharing a photo of a cap embroidered with the motivational phrase.
Eala is set to take on Joint in a rematch today, July 2, 2026 at Court 3, with play expected to begin at around 9:30 PM (Philippine time). (Instagram/Wimbleton and Alex Eala) - Phil Star
'HE LOOKED UP TO ME'
Police Staff Sergeant Arla Paciencia testified before a Senate panel on Wednesday that her nephew, alias “Nash,” had expressed a desire to become a police officer and often looked up to her.
She said the teenager told her he wanted to follow in her footsteps and had even asked to be brought to a firing range.
Paciencia also maintained that the service firearm used in the San Jose National High School shooting was taken without her knowledge after her home was allegedly broken into, resulting in three fatalities.
--Bilyonaryo
MIYEMBRO O HINDI MIYEMBRO, DAPAT PANTAY-PANTAY’ WATCH: Malacañang said it hopes the Iglesia ni Cristo will support holding people accountable regardless of whether they are members of the religious group. In a Palace briefing, Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said President Bongbong Marcos supports the church’s call for accountability and transparency, but stressed that these principles should apply equally to everyone. The Iglesia ni Cristo endorsed Marcos’ presidential bid in 2022.
NewsWatchPh
’40 LOOKS THIS GOOD BECAUSE 40 LOOKS LIKE YOU’ 💗
TV host Drew Arellano dedicated a sweet yet playful poem for his wife Iya Villania to mark her 40th birthday on Monday.
“Roses are red, violets are blue,
It’s your 40th birthday, my love so true.
Still feels like yesterday I attended your debut —
40 looks this good because 40 looks like you. ❤️
Who needs peptides when all we need is YOU,” he wrote.
(Instagram/Drew Arellano)
"Life just got a whole lot sweeter since you arrived.🩵"
Jinkee Pacquiao shared about her family's bonding time, with her granddaughter Clara stealing the spotlight in new snaps.
(📸: Jinkee / Instagram)
OH BABY BABY BABY...
ATENEO VOWS FULL COOPERATION IN DOJ REVIEW
READ: Ateneo de Manila University said it will continue to fully cooperate with all authorities as the Department of Justice (DOJ) reviews the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group's (CIDG) recommendation to file charges against former Ateneo men's basketball team head coach Tab Baldwin and 10 others in connection with the deaths of student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.
The university said it acknowledges the CIDG's recommendation and the work undertaken during its investigation, adding that it will continue to cooperate with all competent authorities as other investigations remain ongoing while expressing confidence that the facts will be fully and fairly evaluated through due process.
Ateneo also reaffirmed its commitment to accountability, student welfare, and the highest standards of safety and institutional responsibility, while pledging continued support for the affected families and the implementation of reforms aimed at preventing a similar tragedy from happening again.
📸 Ateneo de Manila University
- Bilyonaryo
JUST IN: Senator Risa Hontiveros, who chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, is set to hold a Senate hearing on July 1, 2026, to probe on the recent Tacloban high school shooting incident.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Hontiveros announced that the committee will investigate whether online platforms influenced the two minors involved in the shooting.
The suspects, a 15-year-old Grade 9 student known as “Rod” and a 14-year-old known as “Nash,” entered two classrooms and opened fire at 40 to 50 of their classmates at the San Jose National High School in Barangay 86 at around 9 a.m. on Monday, June 22, 2026.
Three students were killed and 20 others were injured in the incident.
Philippine Star
LUISTRO DISMISSES ‘EATEN ALIVE’ CLAIMS AS FAKE NEWS
House Lead Prosecutor Gerville Luistro branded as “fake news” claims that she was supposedly “eaten alive” by the lead defense counsel of Vice President #Sara #Duterte during the first day of the pre-trial conference in the #impeachment proceedings.
“That has been anticipated since we started these proceedings that there will be a lot of social media operations,” Luistro said.
The Senate impeachment court is currently conducting pre-trial proceedings, where both sides are addressing procedural matters and marking evidence ahead of the trial proper. -News5
'THANKS TO ME YOU'RE A DAD'
Actress Solenn Heussaff brought laughter to netizens with her playful Father's Day greeting for her husband, Nico Bolzico.
"Happy Father's Day, Nico! Thanks to me you're a dad," she wrote on Sunday.
"100% true!" Bolzico commented.
Heussaff also separately posted their family photo, where she expressed their love for Bolzico with a simple message: "We love you!" (Instagram/Solenn Heussaff) Philippine Star
🤣
WATCH: Senator Bong Go says he is unfazed amid talks that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a warrant of arrest against him.
“Hindi ako takot. Nandirito ako, nagseserbisyo ako sa inyo basta ‘wag lang mapulitika, huwag lang haluan ng pulitika, ako po’y kampante na hindi po ako madadamay sa mga isyu po ng ICC,” he said at an event in Caloocan City.
Davao City Rep. Pulong Duterte had said a “highly reliable source” informed him that ICC arrest warrants had been issued against Go and two former police officers. No government agency has confirmed the claim. News Watch Plus
‘WILL FOREVER BE PROUD OF YOU!!!’
Beauty queen-actress Bianca Manalo took to social media to congratulate her former partner, Senate President Win Gatchalian.
“Will forever be proud of you!!! Well deserved!!!!!! It’s about time! The country needs you!!!” she wrote on her Instagram Story on Wednesday. (Instagram/Bianca Manalo)
WATCH: There was reportedly a brief moment of tension between some members of the prosecution and defense teams during the ongoing pre-trial conference for the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte. However, according to Atty. Michael Poa, minor disagreements are a normal part of any trial. | via Isaiah Mirafuentes, http://bnc.ph
The aftermath of the Aurora tragedy continues to impact Ateneo de Manila University’s basketball program, with four highly touted recruits from Davao reportedly withdrawing their commitments to the Blue Eagles.
Posts circulating on social media claimed that Macky Peligrino disclosed during a TikTok Live session that he, along with fellow prospects Matt Cayetano, JM Sanoria, and Rhysus Bajentin, had decided to back out of their commitments to Ateneo.
The four players were teammates with Rene Baterbonia at Ateneo de Davao University and were considered key pieces in the Blue Eagles’ long-term rebuilding plans in the UAAP.
Their reported decision comes as the Ateneo community continues to mourn the deaths of Baterbonia and Divine Adili, who drowned during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora on June 8.
Since the incident, the Blue Eagles have undergone significant changes.
The program withdrew from the FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup, while veteran head coach Tab Baldwin and team manager Epok Quimpo stepped down from their positions as investigations into the tragedy proceeded.
Peligrino, Cayetano, Sanoria, and Bajentin had been viewed as part of Ateneo’s next generation of talent. However, as of writing, neither the university nor the players have released official statements regarding the reported decommitments.
-BNC