The SUN HK

Manager aims to make SCC Divas cricket team shed DH identity

Posted on 24 June 2019 No comments

By Vir B. Lumicao

SCC Divas pose for picture after receiving their second championship trophy on Jun 21

SCC Divas may be the only all-Filipino women’s cricket team in the world, says its manager, but it still known in Hong Kong as a group made up of domestic workers.

Manager Animesh Kulkarni says his ultimate goal is to make the team known simply as Filipinas, not as domestic helpers. He also plans to have one of the SCC Divas players drafted into the Hong Kong national team within the next three years.

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“We will continue to admit and train Filipinas who want to join the team as our contribution to Hong Kong cricket. But my ultimate goal is make you known not a team of domestic helpers but of Filipinas,” Kulkarni told the team after the awarding.

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Kulkarni and Parameswaran

SCC Divas was crowned champions for the second-year running in its division in Hong Kong. The team ruled Cricket Hong Kong’s Women’s Development League for the second consecutive year via a clean sweep of the four-team division in the 2018-2019 season that ended in April.

Cricket Hong Kong handed the trophy to the SCC Divas’ founder-captain Josie Arimas and vice-captain Jennifer Alumbro at the Awarding Night in Regal Oriental on Jun 21. Kulkarni said he wants to attract Hong Kong resident Filipinas to play for Divas.

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“We are now starting,” Kulkarni said when asked about when he is going to tap into the Filipino resident community to boost the team.

Assistant manager Chandrasekhar Parameswaran said the team had become a platform in the past two years for attracting more Filipinas to cricket.

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“We’ve got a good pool of 30 to 50 players from the Philippines who are already here and we’ve built a core of it. Now, through your platform, we would like to invite Hong Kong Filipinos …to practice every Sunday… and they could come through the system,” said Parameswaran.

Kulkarni praised Hong Kong-based SCC Divas as unique in that it is the only Filipina team in the whole world, there being no other team of Filipina cricketers in India, England, Australia, New Zealand or elsewhere.

“SCC Divas is the only team in the world for the associate or regular members (of the International Cricket Council) having an all-Filipina team. Other development we are starting, but we will carry on and we will go global,” said Kulkarni.

Kulkarni told the team after the awarding that he is trying to arrange matches for them against the Philippine women’s cricket team in Manila in December.

His statement ties in with plans for bilateral and trilateral tournaments in December at the Philippine Cricket Association ground in Dasmariñas City, Cavite. The one-day internationals were disclosed by PCA manager Faisal Khan in a message to Arimas.

Khan said some of the Divas players would be drafted into the Philippine national team that will play the Korean, Vietnamese and

Singapore

national teams in December.

Kulkarni said that SCC Divas played better in the recently ended season than in their maiden season that closed in 2018.

“Very good improvement and we are hoping that next year will be much better than this year,” said Kulkarni.

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SCC Divas players eyed for RP cricket national team

Posted on 22 June 2019 No comments

SCC Divas in a recent tournament

By Vir B. Lumicao

Hong Kong-based SCC Divas, the only Filipino women’s cricket team outside the Philippines, may see some of its players being drafted into a national team that the country will field in planned tournaments with Asian countries late this year.

The team is ecstatic over the news, which came as the two-year-old Divas, who won the championship in the Cricket Hong Kong Women’s Development League in their first year in 2018, clinched the title again in April.

They will receive trophies and medals during the Awards Night at Regal Oriental Hotel in Kowloon City on Jun 21.

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Faisal Khan, manager of the Philippine Cricket Association, told Divas founder Josie Arimas in a message that bilateral and trilateral tournaments are being planned for December this year on the PCA ground in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

Khan said the plan will be finalized with other countries at the International Cricket Council conference that he will be attending in July.

“We are targeting Vietnam, Korea and Singapore women’s teams for this,” Khan said. He added that the PCA is planning to invite one or two teams from those countries to play against the Philippine Women’s team in the December games.

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“We will definitely include Divas players to be part of the Philippine Team,” Khan said.

Arimas said her players are very excited about the prospect of joining the National Team.

“By July doon namin malalaman kung matutuloy kaming maglaro sa Manila, sa Aguinaldo Field sa Dasmariñas, Cavite,” Arimas said. “The players are very excited.”

Arimas said the team may begin training in July for the next season and hopes trainer/coach Najeeb Amar will devote full time to the team.

“Ang sabi ni Manager, kahit isa, dalawa o hanggang apat madadala, happy na siya,” she said, referring to team manager Animesh Kulkarni.

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Arimas said the team is looking for additional budget for the whole season to fund such costs as CHK registration, coach fee, training venue and food.

The Filipinas formed a second team, SCC Pinay, in the Women’s Development League. Arimas said the new team consists of mostly first-timers who have now, at least, experienced playing cricket.

SCC Pinay is led by captain Jackie Torate with Milenda Rodriguez as vice captain.

The team played four games, winning two, after their opponents forfeited their matches.

SCC Divas players 2018-19

1. Josie Arimas 2. Jennifer Alumbro 3. Romela Osabel 4. Jona Eguid 5. Lolita Olaqiuer 6. Rosaly Pagarigan 7. Marilyn Sebio 8. Melinda Rodriguez 9. Cristine Joy Lovino 10. Meri Criz Hindoy 11. Jessie Duque 12. Cherry Octaviano 13. Jackie Lou Torate 14. Julie Ann Ramos 15. April Rose Saguilon 16. Irish Mae Meru 17. Shiela May Fernandez 18. Jennifer Garcia 19. Michell Farinas 20. Mera Albarado 21. Annie Zamora 22. Ma. Sheila Mae Velado 23. Ma. Luz Mandia 24. Manelyn de la cruz 25. Marivic de Guia

New players: 1. Shela Descallar 2. Mary Jane April Napiza

SCC Divas captain in WDL – Jona Eguid; vice captain – Jennifer Alumbro

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Phl ex-foreign secretary back in Manila after being held at HK airport

Posted on 21 June 2019 No comments

By The SUN

Del Rosario shows his diplomatic passport on arrival in Manila (ABS-CBN photo)

Former Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario has returned to Manila after being barred entry to Hong Kong, and detained at the airport for about six hours before being allowed to leave.

The country’s former top diplomat arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport shortly after 4pm today, Jun 21, aboard a Cathay Pacific Airways flight.

Del Rosario, who is 79, called his detention in Hong Kong as “harassment.” He said that despite repeated questioning, Hong Kong immigration authorities merely said he was barred for “an immigration reason.”

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Del Rosario’s ordeal came just a month after the Philippines’ former Ombudswoman, Conchita Carpio-Morales, was also barred entry to Hong Kong.

The two jointly filed a case against Chinese President Xi Jinping at the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity, stemming from China’s incursions in the West Philippine Sea.

The elder statesman also led the team that successfully won the Philippines’ arbitration case against

China

over the resource-rich waters.

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Observers say these were clearly the reasons why Del Rosario was denied entry to Hong Kong, which is a special administrative region of China.

Del Rosario, who flew to Hong Kong to attend a board and shareholders meeting of the First Pacific group, also showed to reporters in Manila his diplomatic passport that failed to stop him being barred.

He decried this as a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

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But Philippine government officials showed little sympathy for what the elderly former cabinet secretary was made to go through in Hong Kong.

Senate President Tito Sotto even questioned Del Rosario’s used of a diplomatic passport when he was no longer in government.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, who is acting as government caretaker while President Rodrigo Duterte is in

Thailand

, said Del Rosario should have seen clearly what could happen to him, given Morales’ earlier experience.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo echoed the sentiment.

Nevertheless, Guevarra said he would ask the Department of Foreign Affairs to ask Hong Kong why Del Rosario was barred.

Like Morales, Del Rosario said he was held in isolation for nearly six hours, before Consulate officials led by Consul General Antonio Morales were allowed to see him.

But unlike Morales who was subsequently offered to enter Hong Kong along with her family members, Del Rosario was told to leave on the next available flight to Manila.

According to Corominas, the incident underlined the growing influence of China in Hong Kong, the reason why some two million people took to the streets here last week to protest a bill that could see arrested suspects being sent to the mainland for trial.

“This raises the question of where Hong Kong is getting instructions from.”

Asked how Del Rosario coped with the detention, Corominas said he was patient at first, but as the hours passed, it was only his strong faith in God that helped him bear the diplomatic snub.

“God is more powerful than

China

,” he reportedly said.

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Ex-Phil Foreign Secretary Del Rosario on way home after being held at HK airport

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Ex-Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario at the U.N. (AP file photo)

By The SUN

Former Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario is on his way back to Manila after being held for about six hours at Hong Kong International Airport for reasons that were not made clear.

The country’s former top diplomat arrived in Hong Kong from Manila on board a Cathay Pacific flight at about 7:30 am today, Jun 21, to attend a Board meeting of the First Pacific Group of Companies.

He flew back to Manila aboard another Cathay flight that was scheduled to land at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 4:25pm.

His lawyer, Anne Marie Corominas, said Del Rosario was holding a diplomatic passport and Hong Kong authorities were informed about his visit but did not give any indication that he would be barred entry.

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She said all that the Secretary was told was that he was being held because of “immigration reasons.”

Corominas said, “That raises the question of where Hong Kong is getting instructions from.”

Del Rosario’s ordeal came just a month after the Philippines’ former Ombudswoman, Conchita Carpio-Morales, was also barred entry to Hong Kong.

The two jointly filed a case against Chinese President Xi Jinping at the International Criminal Court over China’s incursions in the West Philippine Sea, which many observers say could have triggered the decision to bar them both from Hong Kong.

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As in Carpio-Morales’ case, Del Rosario was reportedly held in isolation for a few hours before Philippine Consulate officers were allowed to join them.

But Corominas said there was a difference in the two cases. Carpio-Morales visited Hong Kong as a tourist, holding a regular passport, while Del Rosario was here on official visit.

“He (Del Rosario) was traveling on a diplomatic passport and got permission to use it,” she said.

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After a few hours of being kept in a private room along with his protocol officer, Consul General Antonio Morales and Consul Paul Saret were allowed to join him.

Asked for his mood during the detention, Corominas said the elder statesman was patient at first, but as the hours passed, she said it was just his strong faith in God that helped him bear the diplomatic snub.

“God is more powerful than China,” he reportedly said.

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