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By Anna Valmero AT first look, anyone can mistake him as the lost twin brother of Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. But blood relatives they are not. Pacman’s double “Manny Paksiw” joined the motorcade of Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao along Metro Manila. Riding a yellow truck at the end of the convoy, Manny Paksiw said it is his way of showing support for the international boxing champ. “Hindi ko lang siya idol, kaibigan ko rin siya at ito ay paraan ng pagsuporta ko sa kanya bilang kaibigan [He is not only my boxing idol, he is also my friend and this is my way of supporting him],” he said. Born Johny Dagami Jr. in real life, he said it has been a tradition for him to welcome his arrival from the airport and congratulate Pacquiao before his departure to his native city General Santos. Manny Paksiw said he went to the NAIA airport as early as 3 A.M. to welcome Pacquiao on his arrival Wednesday. He also paid Pacquiao a visit at the Renaissance Hotel in Makati, where his idol stayed since Wednesday. He said his friendship with Pacman starts way back the international champ’s beginnings at the local TV show “Blow-by-Blow.” At that time, neighbors in Leyte would say they looked very much alike. Later in 2000, he moved to Manila to try his luck. When Pacquaio saw him, he was given the name “Manny Paksiw,” which he is now popularly known. That was the start of his career as double or stunt man for Manny Pacquiao in local films while being paired as guest with Pacman in local TV shows. “Proud ako kay Manny na nanalo na naman siya ulit kay Dela Hoya. Alam naman natin si Manny kapag lumaban, nandun lahat ng suporta ng mga Pilipino [I am proud that Manny won again. We know that when he fights, the Filipino country supports him],”he said. He said that before the Dela Hoya fight, he is confident Pacquiao would get the title. “Kayang kaya ni Manny. Naalala ko pa nga noon pag nakakasama ko pa siya sa shows sa TV, pag binibiro niya ako ng jab, naramdaman ko yung hangin na parang malakas [He can win the fight. I remember during the days when we have shows together at a local TV station, he would jokingly give me a jab and I can feel something strong like wind],” he said. When asked to comment about Pacquiao’s plan to enter politics, he said he would continue to support Pacquiao. “Kapag talagang gusto niya na makatulong sa pagpapaunlad ng bayan, bakit hindi pagbigyan kung saan siya gusto tumakbo. Alam kong pangarap niya na tumulong sa bayan natin, pwede rin naming hindi siya tumakbo basta tutulong nalang siya [If he really wants to help people why not give him a chance to serve. I know that he dreams to help his fellow Filipinos although I guess, he can also help even if he is not in office],” he said. Dagami Jr. is a standup comedian as one of the Spice Guys performing at local club Spice One. He is also president of the Manny Paksiw Stuntmen Group Inc., a character actor and standup comedian group

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.net TAGUIG City, Philippines -- Stacking a dozen plastic cups might sound like a parlor game played during children's parties but some kids get to play it as a sport. In fact, a sibling of three Filipino kids showed that stacking can be serious fun. The Purugganan brothers Andrew, 16, Brian, 12, and Steven, 11, have been playing and breaking records in this relatively unheard of speed stacking contest. They and their proud parents Danilo and Victoria Purugganan are in the Philippines as participants in the the Passion Rush at the Bonifacio Global City. As the name implies, sport stacking requires players to stack up to 12 cups in a pyramid. While some people would take over a minute to stack up all 12 cups without them falling, these boys can stack the cups in threes, six, and dozen consecutively in less than 10 seconds. There are four basic categories in competition level speed stacking. These are the 3-3-3 wherein the player has to stack nine cups in threes then nest them back; the 3-6-3 is with 12 cups where the goal is to stack three sets of cups in threes, six and another threes; and the 1-10-1 also using 12 cups. The fourth category is the cycle stack, where the player is required to cycle through the three other categories. A fifth category is the doubles with two players doing a cycle stack with one hand each. The youngest of the Purugganans Steven is currently the world record holder for three categories: 3-3-3 that he completed in 1.86 seconds; the 3-6-3 category in 2.34 seconds and cycle stack category at 6.21 seconds. He broke the 3-3-3 and cycle stack records at the recently held World Sport Stacking Championships in Denver, Colorado. Steven and his brother Andrew also held the doubles championship title with 7.84 seconds, which they got at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships in Delaware. This was broken by Germans Timo Reuhl and David Wolf with a very close 7.65 seconds during the 2008 World Sport Stacking Championships. Their mother Victoria said the boys only started playing less than two years ago after watching the competition on TV. "They got interested in it so we bought them cups that they could play," she said, noting that they first joined the New York State Championships in October 2007 and from thereon, they've been breaking records. And like all athletes, Victoria said her children do some exercises before joining any competition, such as push ups and jogging. Even when they are not practicing, which she said is a lot, the boys still get to do other activities, such as playing other sports like basketball, swimming, baseball and soccer. Victoria said she is proud to let her kids compete in a sport they love while still having fun. She hopes that her kids will pursue the things they like and be successful at it.

ONE of the all-time greats of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), former professional basketball player Fortunato "Atoy" Co, was the special guest at the annual summer basketball tournament of the Filipino community in Dubai and the Northern Emirates which opened on April 11. Here's a photo of Co addressing the participating teams. The opening ceremonies held at the Al Nasr Gymnasium in Oud Metha, Dubai saw the Intercontinental Hotel team win the best in uniform award, while Nina Cascades of the Fairmont Hotel team was named Ms. FBC-Chikka Grill at Marco Polo Hotel Cup. The marching band of the United International Private School provided the fanfare. For his part, Philippine Consul Vicente Bandillo commended the participating teams and the organizers for the good turnout. Co is a member of the PBA Hall of Fame. He was the first player to score 5,000 and 10,000 points at the time when the three-point shot was not yet introduced. He was part of the fabled Crispa Redmanizers ballclub that won two Grand Slams, in 1976 and 1983. He won the Most Valuable Player award in 1979, and is a 9-time Mythical First Team Member. In a press statement, Ramon Pizarras, chairman of the Filipino Basketball Center (FBC), said the tournament dubbed as “Chikka Grill at Marco Polo Hotel Cup” will see the participation of 40 teams representing the hotel and corporate sectors in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, as well as teams with former professional basketball players from the Philippines. The tournament will be held every Friday and will end in September. “This year’s event will see a new division being introduced. We have opened up the tournament for basketball enthusiasts who are 40 and above. It will be a good opportunity for these individuals to continue playing in a competitive environment,” Pizarras said. The FBC is a duly-licensed entity in the United Arab Emirates established to promote sports and entertainment activities among the Filipinos and other nationalities. It was responsible for bringing the first Middle East game of the PBA when Ginebra and Purefoods played against each other on April 13, 2007 in Dubai. Editor's note: Photos by Darwin Reyes of MEsnipers.