The current darling of the Philippine sports scene is tennis phenom Alex Eala. The 20-year-old is now the highest ranking Filipino in Women's Tennis Association (WTA) history at number 56. Just a few weeks ago, Alex played at Wimbledon against defending champion Barbora Krejcikova of Czechoslovakia. Though she wasn't able to beat Krejcikova that time, the tennis world took notice. The general outlook is it will only be a matter of time before Alex will be vying for the championship.

Here's a little known fact about her background: her first tennis trainor was her maternal grandfather, Bobby Maniego, who grew up in the University of the Philippines (UP) campus in Diliman. When Alex was a little girl, Maniego would take her to the UP tennis court for practice. Unfortunately, the grandfather passed away before his granddaughter started making her mark in world tennis.

Veteran sports columnist for Business Mirror Tessa Jazmines shares her story on Alex Eala.

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In another arena, a Filipino girl group is just as sensational. BINI, composed of eight multi-talented Filipinas, has exploded into the BINIverse and recently performed at London's OVO Wembley Arena. PF contributing writer Julienne Loreto was there and shares her unforgettable pride not just as a certified Bloom(s), often stylized as BL∞M(S), the BINI fandom, but as part of the huge Filipino community in the UK who came in hordes to support its own.

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The street heroes of Binondo is the subject of a photo essay by a journalism student, Mikaelah Bianca Panopio, based on her interviews with the street vendors and workers, and her photos of them.

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"What to the immigrant is the 4th of July?" In this timely essay that clearly resonates in these days of extreme uncertainty, Jose Antonio Vargas eloquently dissects the effects of recent government actions on those who are the subject of unwarranted scrutiny and harassment. First published in Time magazine and reposted with the author's permission, the essay is food for thought and action.

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