Erel Cabatbat’s Post

The Philippine National Men’s Football Team (PNMFT) has the odds stacked against its favor literally days before the Merdeka Cup. Losing its coach just a few days before competition? No problem. Notable names begging off due to injuries? No problem. Although one of them is seen practicing with his club. But then again his club has every right not to release him. One day training before the actual game? No problem. The team, however, failed to anticipate a very incompetent official in its game against host Malaysia last Wednesday night at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. For the complete kuwento, and not just the screenshot, please get a copy of today's issue of the Manila Standard and check The Designated Kit Man or simply click the link below. Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!

A perfect analogy on what transpired is like this: a man suddenly left his girlfriend for another girl. And instead of the boyfriend telling his former significant other that he was moving on, it was his new girlfriend who confirmed to his ex that they are now together, or something to that effect. The ex just said okay upon receiving the news. For the complete kuwento, and not just the screenshot, please get a copy of today’s issue of the Manila Standard and check The Designated Kit Man or simply click the link below. Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!

But more than the records, endorsement and personal bests, Santos was very thankful for the opportunity after the pandemic to reunite with his friends, fellow junior swimmers, relatives and his two adoring Lolas who traveled all the way from Pampanga just to see him compete for the first time. “One of the main reasons actually why I wanted to go to Manila is for my Lola Lou and Lola Remy (from his father’s side) to be able to come and watch me. They have been supporting me all my life and this was the first competition, where they were able to see me in person. It was a totally different experience having them on the sidelines,” Santos shared. For the complete kuwento, and not just the screenshot, please get a copy of tomorrow’s issue of the Manila Standard and check The Designated Kitman or simply click the link below. Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!

“One of the players we are most excited about is Bjorn Christensen. He’ll be coming from Norway and we are looking at one or two more. The papers of Nick and Anthony Markanich, who are playing in the United States, are now being processed but as of now we can’t confirm yet if both will be available for the tournament,” Jamlang said. If these players are able to suit up for flag and country, then the national team will have a lot of options on offense, something that the team formerly known as the Azkals really needed in their last few games. Imagine having Christensen and Nick Markanich on the offense with Sebastian Rasmussen, Jarvey Gayoso, and old but reliable Patrick Reichelt as other options, then the team will be indeed a tough one to beat on the pitch. Madly hoping that the team will bring the championship home. But of course, the operative word here is if. Then again, libre ang mangarap because it is the only option that we have right now. Always the eternal optimist when it comes to our national football teams, The Designated Kit Man is hoping that we all rally behind our national teams in the next few months. I’m also hoping that the PFF will not do a National Golf Association of the Philippines when it comes to the uniform of our national players which despite knowing that the Paris Olympic Games will happen in late July to mid-August, still failed to deliver Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina’s national kits in time. And instead of owning the incompetence, the NSA blamed the _uck-up on someone else. Mahiya naman kayo. For the complete kuwento, and not just the screenshot, please get a copy of today's issue of the Manila Standard and check The Designated Kit Man or simply click the link below. Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!

By this time, much has been said about the personal life of our Paris Summer Games double gold medalist Carlos Yulo and less about his accomplishments on why he is the greatest Filipino Olympian ever. This is a pity—the guy will be coming back to the country but instead of celebrating what could have been our greatest triumph in the biggest sporting event in the world, he is being subjected to personal matters that we have no business to meddle with in the first place. Let his victories not be overshadowed by other narratives that he doesn’t deserve and by comments of people who suddenly became experts on family matters and relationships. Moreover, let our hero be at peace without him explaining or answering things that should be between him, his mother, or his significant other. Let’s celebrate his victories the way he richly deserves them and nothing more. I’m also a parent and I only demand a few things from my kids – for them to love and respect us their parents; and for them to be good people when they grow up. Anything more than these is nothing but bonuses and blessings that will be met with utmost gratitude, pride, and happiness. Just the same, thank you Caloy for a job well done! For the complete kuwento, and not just the screenshot, please get a copy of today's issue of the Manila Standard or simply click the link below. Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!

Moving forward, here is hoping that the remaining athletes still in contention in the Paris Olympics will do their best in making the country proud and inspired. A medal, regardless of color, will go a long way for our kababayans, battered with so many concerns, including natural disasters and man-made ones, during these hard times. We all know that the opposition will be great and the odds even bigger in the Summer Games, but if our bets go down, I’m praying that it will be with dignity, honor and pride knowing that they gave their best. For the complete kuwento, and not just the screenshot, please get a copy of today's issue of the Manila Standard and check The Designated Kit Man or simply click the link below. Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!

Should be a 2-0 win against Timor Leste. My apologies…. “The Designated Kit Man believes that the NSA responsible for sending these youth teams should first clarify their reasons for participating. Do they want to win or do they just want to gain some learning experience at the expense of being laughed at in international competitions? By doing so at least we could also lower our expectations so that we can also manage our disappointments. Kawawa rin kasi ang mga bata.” For the complete kuwento, and not just the screenshot, please get a copy of Friday’s issue of the Manila Standard and check The Designated Kit Man or simply click the link below. Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!

You can say a lot about Chino, some would even fault him for some things. Understandable, because they don’t know him that well. I was one of the fortunate ones to be able to have a peek into his life, in the man behind the persona, the brashness and the trademark passion that he has. I also got to know the man who loves his parents so much, Manong Recah and Mommy Fe; brothers Paolo and Sebastian; and his wife Babs and their children Yoye, Duz and Pis. He also loves the lesser-known athletes, the underdogs and the forgotten heroes of the past. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity. Iilan lang ang mga tunay na kaibigan, nabawasan pa ng isa… Yes Kuyang Chino, gising na at gising pa ako… For the complete kuwento, and not just the screenshot, please get a copy of today's issue of the Manila Standard and check The Designated Kit Man or simply click the link below. Stay safe. Stay happy peeps…

While having your subjects or your sources as friends is one of the most welcome upsides of being a journalist, it is not the main reason I do this job. I might have upset, annoyed or even angered some people with the topics of my columns, but then again, you just can’t please everyone. Someone or some people will still have something to say, whether reasonable or based on facts is totally a different matter, on almost anything. Some will raise definite concerns. Others para mema lang. But one will be lucky indeed if the argument came from logic and not just because of a phrase in the column that someone just quoted without the full context or worse, drawing a conclusion from just a screenshot. Being a journalist is a hard job. But at the end of the day, our loyalty belongs first with the public. We are here, I think this applies to most of us, to find out the truth and help our readers or our audience make informed choices that will impact their future. We are here not to make friends. For the complete kuwento, and not just the screenshot, please get a copy of today's issue of the Manila Standard and check The Designated Kit Man or simply click the link below. Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!

“If that’s the case, we’re ok with the excuse, but we’re made to believe the ID Camp would be from June 10 to July 11. I heard many overseas players came from Europe and the US and they also experienced the same fate. One week and the PFF cut them. Are the local players really better in quality than the other overseas players?” the parent asked. For context, the son attended the camp for one week. While here, they won one game against a local team playing in the local league. The young man is also a Philippine passport holder as his parents are both Filipinos, the father coming from Region 4, while the mother is from the North. Not from Winterfell, but from Ilocandia. “I was livid about spending more than $8,000 when all the PFF could do was look at my son for one week. That’s 2-3 hours of training per day and one scrimmage,” he lamented. For the complete kuwento, and not just the screenshot, please get a copy of today's issue of the Manila Standard and check The Designated Kit Man or simply click the link below. Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!