In observance of the Holy Week, the Philippine News Agency’s online news service will be off on March 29, Good Friday, and March 30, Black Saturday. Normal operations will resume on March 31, Easter Sunday.

— The Editors

Bren's MLBB gold highlights PH team's surge to 5th place

By Ivan Stewart Saldajeno

May 15, 2023, 8:00 am Updated on May 15, 2023, 9:41 am

<p>Philippines men's Mobile Legends: Bang Bang team<em> (Infographics courtesy of PSC)</em></p>

Philippines men's Mobile Legends: Bang Bang team (Infographics courtesy of PSC)

BIÑAN, Laguna — Bren Esports won the gold medal in the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB) event after sweeping Malaysia in the grand finals, 3-0, at the NABA Theater in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Sunday night.

It was the third straight time the national team program for esports, Sibol, racked up the gold for the SEA Games MLBB event, winning all the editions since its inception in 2019.

The championship put midlaner Angelo "Phewww" Arcangel in the history books as he became the first player to win the gold multiple times. He was also part of Sibol's inaugural MLBB team in the 2019 edition in San Juan City.

This time, though, he was with the entire Bren side, which also has David "FlapTzy" Canon, Michael Angelo "KyleTzy" Sayson, "Super" Marco Requitano and Rowgien "Owgwen" Unigo.

The Filipino side bounced back in the midgame and stole the series opener after Malaysia, made up of an all-star lineup of Muhammad Halim, Mohammad Lim, Muhammad Najmi, Muhammad Fuad, and Mohammad Noor, had a shot at repeating that group stage upset.

Bren would dominate the Malaysians in the next two games to seal the gold.

Petecio, Paalam deliver gold medals in boxing

Bren's successful conquest was just one of a nine-gold haul for the Philippine team on Day 10 of the Games.

Olympians Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam's golds for boxing were also among the main highlights.

Petecio and Paalam beat their Indonesian opponents even as Paul Bascon downed Rujakran Juntrong of Thailand in the junior welterweight final to cap a three-gold Sunday for the boxers.

Elreen Ando, on the other hand, set new SEA Games records to rule the women's 59-kilogram weightlifting event.

Also winning golds were Rena Furukawa for judo, Jason Balabal for wrestling, and Charlotte Ann Tolentino and Jedah Mae Soriano for arnis.

As of 8 p.m. Sunday, the Philippines is in fifth place in the medal count with 46 golds, overtaking Singapore, which had a slow day and currently has 42.

Vietnam kept the top spot with a 107-92-95 gold-silver-bronze tally, followed by Thailand (91-68-87).

Unless No. 3 Cambodia (65-61-104) and No. 4 Indonesia (68-61-80) go cold in the last two days of competition, the Filipinos' chances of matching their fourth-place finish in Hanoi, Vietnam last year appear slim. (PNA) 

Comments