Melissa Bulanhagui’s journey from national skating champion to adult entertainment resurfaces

The story of Filipino-American figure skater Melissa Bulanhagui has once again drawn attention online, years after she won consecutive Philippine national titles before entering the adult entertainment industry under the name Jada Kai.

Several content creators have recently revisited Bulanhagui’s career shift, but reports about her skating struggles date back to 2013.

Bulanhagui previously represented the United States before choosing to compete for the Philippines in 2011. She went on to become the country’s national figure skating champion in 2012 and 2013.

In a Philippine Star report published on September 23, 2013, Bulanhagui detailed the sacrifices she made after switching allegiances.

“I gave up all my funding, support and travel to compete for the Philippines,” she said back then.

She said she personally covered expenses related to training, equipment, costumes and international competitions. Bulanhagui also revealed that her skates alone cost $2,000, with travel expenses adding to the financial burden.

“My skates alone cost $2,000 and travel costs about as much,” she said.

She also recalled not receiving a Philippine team uniform and not being sent to an Olympic qualifying event.

Despite the difficulties, Bulanhagui took pride in winning two national championships while representing the country.

“I came here from Team USA to compete as a Filipino national, hoping to prove that I was the best in the country and I did that twice,” she said.

She later voiced concern over the possible impact of limited support on younger athletes.

“I have so much love for the sport but if they can do it to me, the more they can do it to the kids who spent so much time and effort,” she lamented.

Bulanhagui retired from competitive skating in 2015. Years later, she transitioned into the adult entertainment industry and adopted the professional name Jada Kai.

While her funding concerns during her skating career were documented, there is no established evidence directly linking those difficulties to her later decision to enter adult entertainment. The two developments occurred during separate stages of her life. (Adrian Co)

The post Melissa Bulanhagui’s journey from national skating champion to adult entertainment resurfaces first appeared on Fastbreak.

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Jarencio credits team effort in UST’s huge win over DLSU

University of Santo Tomas head coach Pido Jarencio credited the Growling Tigers’ collective effort after they recovered from their opening-day defeat to the University of the Philippines with an 80-75 victory over De La Salle University on Wednesday.

Jarencio said the coaching staff, players and management were determined to respond after the setback against UP. He also revealed that team mentor Alfrancis Chua called before the game to remind them of the need to bounce back.

“Coaches, players, management, siyempre mentor ko si Alfrancis Chua tumawag pa nga sa akin. Hindi tayo pwede matalo ngayon kasi last time natalo tayo against UP, kailangan bumawi tayo,” Jarencio said.

The UST coach added that the team carefully studied DLSU and prepared for the individual strengths of the Green Archers’ players.

“Ngayon sila talagang nag-scout nang husto, bawat player, in-coaching team,” he said.

Despite the expectations surrounding the Growling Tigers, Jarencio insisted that his squad is not taking its supposed strength for granted. He said the team must avoid relying on individual performances and instead focus on playing together.

“Saka actually walang pressure sa amin, sa amin lalaro lang kami. Marami lang nagsasabi malakas ang team namin, hindi po malakas ang team namin,” Jarencio said.

“Pero hindi kami malakas. … individualistic kami, kanya-kanya. Lesson learned, iyan natalo kami against UP.”

Jarencio described the loss to UP as an immediate wake-up call that helped the team recognize the need for greater discipline and teamwork.

“Wake-up call kaagad iyan. That’s a good wake-up call for us kasi first game talo kaagad para magising na lahat,” he said.

The coach emphasized that UST’s progress would depend on its ability to improve with every game and remain united.

“Because we work together, we improve each game, ako masaya na ako roon,” he said.

He also dedicated the victory to the UST community, whose support has continued to grow during the season.

“And then para masaya rin ang UST community. This is for the community na bumabalik, tinitingnan kami at naroonood. Marami nang noonood,” Jarencio said.

Jarencio said the team’s hard work in practice translated into its performance against La Salle.

“We stand as a unit. We play as a team. It’s a collective effort,” he said. “We stay composed. We lost to UP. We had to bounce back and do what we gotta do. In practice, we practiced hard coming into the game. So, the result was not surprising.”

The victory improved UST’s record to 1-1, while DLSU also dropped to 1-1. (Adrian Co)

The post Jarencio credits team effort in UST’s huge win over DLSU first appeared on Fastbreak.

Pido Jarencio, UST dedicate games to late Bobet Baterbonia

University of Santo Tomas head coach Pido Jarencio said the Growling Tigers would dedicate their games to the memory of the late Ateneo de Manila University member Rene Baterbonia after an emotional encounter involving Baterbonia’s mother and UST player Koji Buenaflor.

Jarencio shared the moment following UST’s 80-75 victory over De La Salle University Green Archers in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday.

According to the veteran coach, Baterbonia’s mother approached Buenaflor because of the player’s resemblance to her late son. The emotional meeting brought back memories of Rene and moved his mother to tears.

“First of all, touching ang nangyari kanina kasi iyung mother pumunta sa amin, pumunta kay Koji kasi si Koji parang lookalike ni Rene. Naalala tuloy ng nanay si Koji na siya si Rene niyakap, umiyak ang nanay,” Jarencio said.

He added that he assured Baterbonia’s mother that UST would honor Rene throughout the season.

“Ang sinabi ko naman sa kanya, nandito kayo, ide-dedicate namin lahat ng games namin para sa anak ninyo kay Rene, itong tumayong nanay,” he said.

Jarencio explained that Buenaflor had also become a reminder of Rene for Baterbonia’s family.

“Koji, naaalala nila parang anak nila. Kaya kami naman, iyan lang ang nai-offer ko sa kanila, every game dedicated to Rene Baterbonia,” the coach said.

Although Baterbonia was associated with Ateneo de Manila University, Jarencio stressed that UST’s gesture came from the team’s own compassion and respect for the late student-athlete.

“We’re not from Ateneo. Basta kami sarili namin, sa puso namin ang galing,” he said.

Baterbonia and Ateneo teammate Divine Adili died in a drowning incident during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora, on June 8. The UAAP honored both student-athletes with a moment of silence before Ateneo’s Season 89 opener. (Adrian Co)

The post Pido Jarencio, UST dedicate games to late Bobet Baterbonia first appeared on Fastbreak.

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