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wo young ladies from the University of the Philippines-Visayas teamed up with two Malaysian engineers to convert water lilies clogging lakes and rivers into eco-friendly charcoal for cooking.

“Four million die every year because of in-house air pollution mainly due to firewood used for cooking. We found a cleaner solution which is smokeless ‘charcoal’ made of water hyacinth,” says Zherluck Shaen Rodriguez, the 22-year-old chief marketing officer of HiGi Energy Pte. Ltd. in Tarlac province.

Rodriguez describes HiGi as an Asean social startup that seeks to reduce the use of firewood and charcoal by converting agricultural wastes such as water hyacinth, rice hulls and coconut husk into smokeless biomass briquettes which can serve as a cleaner and cheaper alternative cooking energy in rural areas.

Rodriguez together with Hazel May Pajotagana, the 23-year-old chief financial officer of HiGi recently represented the Victoria, Tarlac-based startup in the Impact Hub Fellowship Program on Sustainable Energy Solutions.

HiGi is one of the three groups that won the six-month fellowship program and P800,000 in financial support from Impact Hub Manila, World Wide Fund for Nature, Peace and Equity Foundation and the Asian Development Bank. Other awardees are Solar Solutions and CleverHeat Thermal Technologies.

Rodriguez and Pajotagana teamed up with Jackie Yap and Leon Kee, two young Malaysian engineers to establish HiGi Energy and produce briquettes for lowincome communities under the brand ‘Uling Lily’. Yap, 24, serves as the company’s chief executive and Lee, 22, is the chief technology officer.

“HiGi refers to Hyacinth for Green Energy,” says Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, who obtained a Business Administration degree from UP Visayas in Iloilo in 2014, believes that aside from being a social enterprise, HiGi can also be a profitable business, as about 65 percent of households in the countryside still use firewood and charcoal in cooking.

“We are a nine-month-old startup based in Victoria, Tarlac where there is a lot of water hyacinth or water lilies,” she says.

Rodriguez, who was born in North Cotabato, says the concept about HiGi started after a flood hit Cotabato last year. The founders discovered that water hyacinth aggravated the flooding as it clogged the river and residents found it difficult to cook because there was no dry firewood.

“There were hundreds of families affected by flooding in Cotabato City. We found out they were using firewood and charcoal in cooking,” says Rodriguez.

The young founders asked: “Why not use water hyacinth for cooking?” Armed with a new idea to solve an age-old problem, the Filipino and Malaysian partners went on to form a company in Tarlac, which now has nine employees who chop, grind and turn water lilies into briquettes.

“Our echo-friendly briquettes are cheaper, burn longer and are actually smokeless,” says Rodriguez.

Pajotagan says HiGi will use the cash prize from the Impact Hub Fellowship Program on Sustainable Energy Solutions to scale up

Business

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2016 Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@thestandard.com.ph

MILLENNIALS TURN

WATER LILIES INTO CHARCOAL

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MILLENNIALS HiGi Energy Pte. Ltd. chief marketing officer Zherluck Shaen Rodriguez and chief finance officer Hazel May Pajotagana

business operations and acquire machineries to increase production and enable them to serve other areas that are infested by water hyacinth.

Rodriguez says while their initial focus is Tarlac, the company aims to expand to other areas such as Metro Manila and Laguna, where water lilies pose a problem.

“We are actually in market expansion and also product development stage. We are more now into finding more people to actually use the product,” says Rodriguez.

“We are expanding in Metro Manila within this year. We will be having a lot of barbecue parties to invite more people to showcase our products,” she says.

Rodriguez says HiGi is an example

that ‘millennials’ are concerned about the environment. “Millennials are doing new things to solve old problems,” she says.

Pajotagana agrees, saying millennials are driven to make a change. “We are proud to be millennials,” say the two young ladies.

“We are now seven months away from home. If we make an impact here, then we can go back home and be proud of what we actually did,” says Rodriguez.

Impact Hub Manila co-founder LizAn Kuster says 53 groups initially participated in the fellowship program on sustainable energy, a number that was trimmed down to three in the final stage of the competition.

“Why did we choose three” Because

we see in so many people and teams so much potential and we just didn’t want to limit ourselves to one,” says Kuster.

Apart from a substantial seed funding, the winning groups are given access to the collaborative co-working community of Impact Hub, facilitated introductions and connections to likeminded peers, investors and experts on energy and entrepreneurship as well as continuous training, mentoring and coaching over the course of six months.

“What is happening now is they will go through a six-month incubation phase where they get grants—more than P500,000 in cash each and they will receive more than P300,000 in work space and mentorship,” says Kuster. Roderick T. dela Cruz

Manny Pacquiao is the new Anta endorser.

PACQUIAO PICKED AS NEW ANTA ENDORSER NINE months after being dumped

by Nike for his alleged anti-gay remarks, eight-division boxing champion Manny Pacquiao was chosen as the new endorser of global sportswear brand Anta.

Anta Sports Products Limited announced in a statement that Pacquiao signed the endorsement deal in a ceremony at Wynn Las Vegas on Nov. 2.

Those who attended the signing ceremony, aside from Pacquiao, are Pacquiao’s manager Vegafria Arnold, Chinese boxing champion Zou Shiming and Anta officials led by chairman and chief executive Ding Shizhong, president James Zheng, senior brand and marketing director Major Zhu and sports marketing director Yang Chun.

Anta introduced “Fight On”themed Pacquiao series during the event.

The Chinese brand said after signing Chinese boxers Zou Shiming and Yang Lianhui, the endorsement deal with Pacquiao “not only helps improve the brand influence of Anta across the globe, but also helps strengthen the presence of Anta in the training and boxing market.”

“Manny Pacquiao is one of the world’s best professional boxing champions and Anta is one of the leading sportswear brands in China. The collaboration is a big news for both boxing, and the sports industry in general,” the company said.

Pacquiao began professional boxing at 16 and during his legendary 21-year career he has won world boxing titles in eight different weight categories.

Anta brand president Zheng Jie said: “Pacquiao is not only a great boxer, but he serves as a great role model for all sports enthusiasts. He is strict with his training routine and never gives up, which is in keeping with the brand spirit of Anta.

Furthermore, Anta and Pacquiao are determined to inspire all customers to continue to ‘Fight On’.”

Pacquiao said not only is Anta a leading brand in China, but it also has a strong global influence. “I have followed ANTA’s development in boxing, and got more details from Zou Shiming. Undoubtedly Anta is very professional in the research and development of boxing products as well as the promotion of boxing events. I am looking forward to advocating professional boxing with Anta around the world,” said Pacquiao, who now serves as a senator in the Philippines.

Anta hopes that the signing of Pacquiao will become the strong “engine” for growth for the brand’s training series and the enhancement of the functionality of its boxing products.

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FILIPINO STUDENT GETS INTO MIT LGO

DOMINIQUE Rustia became the first student from the Philippines to enroll in the prestigious Leaders for Global Operations or LGO Program of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Sloan School of Management in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In the MIT LGO program, Rustia will earn both an MBA from MIT Sloan and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from MIT’s School of Engineering.

Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña (right), together with Filipino Inventors Society Producers Cooperative president Francisco ‘Popoy’ Pagayon (center) and FISPC engineering committee head Arjay Munsayac

Dominique Rustia The MIT Sloan School of Management is where smart, independent leaders come together to solve problems, create new organizations and improve the world, according to a statement sent by Jennifer Grady, the media relations specialist at MIT Sloan School of Management.

Rustia previously earned a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from De La Salle University in Manila. She graduated cum laude and at the top of her class with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from the same university in June 2012.

“With her technical prowess, natural curiosity, and humility, we are fortunate to have Rustia in MIT’s LGO Program, and to be able to attract talent of her caliber from around the world,” says Thomas Roemer, executive director of the MIT LGO Program.

“I came to MIT for its focus on action learning, which is reflected in the Institute’s mission of ‘mens et manus’ or ‘mind and hand.’ Students work on hands-on projects to solve real-world issues, applying what they learn in class,” says Rustia. “I also came here because of MIT’s entrepreneurial network, clubs, and labs that provide opportunities to learn from industry leaders and conduct cuttingedge research.”

Rustia is from Manila and previously worked for Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods Philippines) as part of its Graduate Trainee Program. Rustia also cofounded a recruitment startup called InternMe.

FILIPINO INVENTOR ENDORSES ELECTRIC CANON FIRECRACKERS

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Filipino inventor promotes the use of a canon-type electric firecracker on New Year’s Eve, amid the government’s plan to impose a ban on pyrotechnics nationwide.

Francisco ‘Popoy’ Pagayon, president and chief executive of Filipino Inventors Society Producers Cooperative, says the canon-type firecracker is an electric device that should replace traditional pyrotechnics which can be harmful and risky.

“With our canon-type electric firecrackers, you can bring the celebration of New Year’s Eve inside your home without any risk to health and property,” says Pagayon.

Pagayon says the invention, whose patent was filed with the Intellectual Property Office, is timely as President

Rodrigo Duterte plans to expand the firecracker ban from Davao City to other parts of the country. A ban on pyrotechnics has been enforced in Davao City since 2002.

“Our e-firecrackers do not emit toxic smoke and harmful chemicals to the atmosphere. You can celebrate the festive occasion safely by using e-firecrackers that produce similar sounds caused by pyrotechnics,” he says.

Arjay Munsayac, head of FISPC’s engineering committee, says the canon-type e-firecrackers provide the same thrill to celebrants, because the users need to light up the trigger before they can produce successive explosive sounds.

“This is our innovation, because the thrill of firing up a pyrotechnic is still there. The difference is that it is safe to spark e-firecrackers even inside your homes. It produces rapid explosive sounds, without causing an actual explosion. We use safe materials,” Munsayac says.

Munsayac says the canon-type efirecrackers consist of electronics that

load electricity to produce strong sounds, similar to the explosions caused by ‘piccolo’ firecrackers.

“With one-time payment, you can produce unlimited number of explosive sounds in many occasions. The good thing about it is that you can use efirecrackers every year during the New Year’s Eve celebration,” says Munsayac.

Last year, FISPC also displayed an electric firecracker developed by electronics engineer Jun Meneses.

Pagayon says FISPC continues to look for solutions to other problems prevailing in Philippine society. Elektro, a can-like electric firecracker, has an ignition tube, which when lit by fire, starts a sequence of firecracker sounds. “If you want to celebrate New Year’s Eve safely, you can try our Filipino inventions that provide real solutions,” he says.

The canon-type e-firecracker is produced by Oral Educational Distributor Media Affairs Inc. and showcased at FISPC Showroom and Business Center at Delta Building along Quezon Ave. corner West Ave.

in Quezon City.

Pagayon, who is credited for ‘Probaton’, a truncheon which has armed more than 150,000 policemen and village watchmen across the country, says the canon-type e-firecracker is one of the four innovations introduced by FISPC this year.

“Probaton can be used in antidrug campaign, while the canon-type e-firecracker is timely for the New Year’s Eve celebration,” he says.

Other innovations introduced by the cooperative are Probiotic for poultry and livestock; traffic cone overland emergency device, a multipurpose road safety and trouble aid for motor vehicles; and D&G Black Seed Soap, which is made from blackseed oil and powder.

“We have already filed applications for government patent for these innovations,” says Pagayon.

Pagayon says FISPC is open to other Filipino inventors and entrepreneurs who would like to promote their products and reach a bigger market. Roderick T. dela Cruz

JUDO CHAMPION NOW AYALA’S MEDICAL DIRECTOR A FORMER member of the Philippine national judo team now oversees the healthcare unit of Ayala Corp. which aims to build the largest network of medical clinics and drugstores in the country.

“We are committing 1,000 Generika drugstores and 100 FamilyDoc clinics by 2020,” says Dr. Michael Laurente Santos, the medical director of Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc. Ayala Healthcare was established in June 2015 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ayala Corp., reviving the conglomerate’s healthcare business which began with Botica Zobel 180 years ago.

Santos, who obtained a bachelor’s degree in Sport Science from the University of the Philippines-Diliman in 2001 and a doctor’s degree in medicine from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila in 2009, was a national judo champion and MVP for judo during the 59th season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.

He trained for four months in Japan and could perform various disciplines such as Nage-no-kata, Kime-no-kata and Ju-no-kata.

Santos was also a track and field varsity player at UP and a member of the national powerlifting team. He was a national open powerlifting champion in the 67.5-kilogram weight division and national open bench press champion in the same weight division.

Santos is also an expert rescue scuba diver, skin dive instructor, surfer/skim boarder and mountaineer. He was also a TV production assistant, a live clips operator and event producer.

“That was a long time ago. I had a weird childhood,” he says.

From left: GE Healthcare Philippines government affairs and policy leader Martin Crisostomo, Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc. medical director Michael Santos, Asian Development Bank health specialist Eduardo Banzon and GE Healthcare Philippines country manager Ivan Alexi Arota.

Santos still believes that fitness and lifestyle have important role in healthcare. “We always advocate, not only personally but with FamilyDoc as well, that before anything else, lifestyle change is the best form of management that we could get,” he says.

“If you exercise and you get to eat healthier, your body becomes better. Of course maintenance medicine is important. But if you don’t change as a person, medicine is not enough,” says Santos.

As the medical director of Ayala Healthcare, Santos is in charge of expanding the chain of FamilyDoc clinics and Generika drugstores. He says FamilyDoc is a three-in-one communitybased primary care clinic offering outpatient services, a diagnostic facility and a pharmacy under one roof.

“We opened the first two clinics in Las Piñas and Cavite last year. We now have six. Starting April next year, we will open 30 clinics. The target is to have 100 clinics by 2020,” he says.

Santos says from more than 600 outlets, the goal is to have 1,000 Generika drugstores by 2020, offering quality, yet affordable generic medicines.

He says a typical FamilyDoc Clinic is managed by two doctors, a pharmacist and three to four nurses, depending on the patient volume. The clinics have Xray and ultrasound equipment provided

by GE Healthcare.

“Our price points are very attractive for the broad C and D [income groups] It is more affordable,” he says.

Santos says more FamilyDoc clinics will rise outside the central business districts but “in the fringes of Metro Manila where employees live.”

“By early 2018, we will already be the

largest [chain of clinics],” he says, adding that Ayala Corp. is investing in the healthcare sector to meet the needs of the people.

“We feel that there is an unmet need.

The market is unable to deliver adequate service. There are a lot of things we can do in terms of consolidation and integration. Healthcare is actually a commodity,” he says.

Santos says while profit is a goal for any business, Ayala Healthcare focuses on making it sustainable first. “We are hoping to become profitable. But it has to be sustainable first. The business has to make sense. Our aim more than profit is sustainability,” he says.

Santos says Ayala Healthcare tapped GE Healthcare to avail of its quality and affordable medical equipment. “Our partnership with GE started out in the early stages of FamilyDoc. We were looking for quality and affordable equipment. They are a very good supplier.

Aside from that, they have been helping us with international best practice, education and a lot of things,” says Santos.

GE Healthcare Philippines country manager Ivan Alexi Arota says the multinational company is committed to providing affordable medical equipment to emerging markets such as the Philippines.

“Our company has committed $300 million to develop solutions geared towards emerging markets,” says Arota.

Arota says GE Healthcare introduced an affordable CT scan machine in the Philippines this year to help secondary hospitals meet the needs of patients.

He says these machines from India are about 40 percent cheaper than other brands. Roderick T. dela Cruz

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2016 reuelvidal@yahoo.com

RUGBY 7S CONCLUDE EXCITING SEASON

ATENEO’S CARLOS WON’T BE DENIED Eventual champion Bianca Carlos of Ateneo De Manila University prepares to receive a serve from opponent Sarah Joy Barredo during their Bingo Bonanza National Badminton Open women’s singles title match.

By Reuel Vidal

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ianca Carlos, star player of the Ateneo De Manila University women’s badminton team, will not be denied.

Carlos virtually toyed with defending champion Sarah Joy Barredo, 21-13, 21-11, to win the women’s singles title as well as the P100,000 top prize at the Bingo Bonanza National Badminton Open last month at SM Megamall.

She said winning the cash prize wasn’t as important as being rewarded for all her sacrifice and hard work.

“I think winning the Bingo Bonanza is not about the money but the blood, sweat and tears. All the hard work you did from training paid off. You sacrifice your free time to go out and relax and instead train more. I think the real beauty of victory is from the pain of not

giving up in anything,” said Carlos.

What was expected to be tightly contested title match turned into a lopsided rout as Carlos manhandled Barredo to follow up an equally one-sided, 21-15, 21-10, demolition of Malvinne Ann Alcala in the semifinals.

The victory more than made up for the disappointing finish by the Ateneo’s ladies badminton team in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines competition a few weeks ago.

Leading their best-of-three championship playoff 1-0 Ateneo lost two successive matches to yield the series to the University of the Philippines Lady Fighting Maroons.

Ros Pedrosa executes a forehand return against Clarence Filart in the men’s singles championship match of the Bingo Bonanza tournament.

In the second match of that title showdown Ateneo led 2-1and needed to win just one more game to annex the title. UP won backto-back games to win that match and extend the series where Ateneo eventually placed runner-up to their fellow Katipunan-based school for the second consecutive year.

Carlos won her singles and doubles matches in the UAAP tourney but UP relied on a deeper bench to prevail in the team competition.

After a disappointing turn at the UAAP nothing could stop a motivated Carlos in the Bingo Bonanza tournament.

“Competing in this tournament is a different experience compared to the UAAP. Even if we weren’t able to grab the gold, I believe our team gave the best fight against UP. I won in the Bingo Bonanza carrying not only my name but the whole team. So I did it for my team and coaches. I still have one more playing year in the UAAP. Hopefully we can get the championship next year,” said Carlos who admitted her desire to get back at the UP Lady Fighting Maroons.

Ateneo men’s varsity badminton player Clarence Filart almost made it a double celebration for their school but fell short as he bowed to Ros Pedrosa who tallied an emphatic 21-11, 21-14 victory to claim the men’s singles crown as well as the P100,000 prize in the annual tournament sponsored by Bingo Bonanza.

The Ateneo men’s badminton team, led

by Filart, likewise came tantalizingly close to a UAAP title but eventually placed second to champion National University.

In the Bingo Bonanza championship match Carlos controlled the match early and relied on her aggressive attacking style to keep Barredo on the defensive.

The former National Open champion alternated powerful smashes with deceptive drop shots to force Barredo to commit one error after another. Carlos posted a decisive victory in just 35 minutes.

Earlier, Carlos gained a measure of revenge after she smashed UP’s Alcala in the semifinals.

Carlos is a former National Open champion and many-time 19-under champion. She set the tone early with her power game and commanding court coverage to foil Alcala, 21-15, 21-10, and move into the gold medal match against the top-seeded Barredo.

BRENT LEADS YELLOW CAB WINNERS

By Peter Atencio LINDSAY Whaley, who helped the Grasshoppers of Brent International School win the title in her age category, was hailed as the MVP of the 17-under girls division of the Yellow Cab Football Cup last weekend at the Gatorade Blue Pitch at the Circuit in Makati City.

Over 500 children with a passion for the game of football saw action in the first ever Yellow Cab Football Cup, which began last October.

In 15-under boys action, Jeckster Galicia scored the winning goal of Gawad Kalinga in their 1-0 win over La Salle Greenhills in the finals.

Their coach Chester de Torres said the boys played well, and it was their good passing and com-

munication inside which helped them win.

Makati Football Club took the 13-under boys crown following a 3-0 victory over La Salle Greenhills, with Adri Caraig taking the MVP plum.

Joey Takuma emerged as MVP in the 11-under section after Makati FC outplayed Kaya Yellow, 3-1.

LSGH-Field of Hope won the 9-under side following a 3-1 victory over Makati FC, with Aaron Azurin taking the MVP award.

British School Manila White won over British School Manila-Blue, 3-1 in the 7-under boys action, with Alana Gil as the MVP. Whaley scored eight goals in matches that day to win the best striker and MVP honors in her division.

But the Grasshoppers of Brent International School faced Kaya

Black, Whaley unselfishly passed the ball to midfielder Carmen Castellanos, who scored the winning goal in the sixth minute.

The Grasshoppers eventually won the crown after the 1-0 result over Kaya Black in their finals encounter.

“It was really good. We had a lot of fun today,” said the 15-year-old Castellanos, an 11th grader who eventually bagged the best midfielder award.

Their coach Trinchy Garcia said the tournament proved to be a confidence booster for the girls, who are taking a break from their stint in the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools, which sees them travelling to Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore and other countries in the region for school-based tournaments during the season.

Children battle to control the football during a game in the first ever Yellow Cab Football Cup held at the Gatorade Blue Pitch at the Circuit in Makati City.

THE Alabang Eagles finished the 2016 JML 7s League undefeated, capping their season with a 21-0 beating of the Clark Jets, 21-0, to go back-to-back in the 2016 JML Rugby 7s League at the Southern Plains Rugby Complex in Calamba, Laguna.

The team proved to be a class above the rest, conceding only 36 points throughout the seven weeks of competition.

“It has been a great campaign for the Eagles, undefeated for the entire tournament. We will use this momentum leading into our next tournament in Cebu in November,” said Philippine Rugby Federation Union’s Jake Robrigado Letts.

The Albay Vulcans were able to seal a comfortable 17-5 win over the Manila Carabaos in the Shield Final. But it was the CBRE Mavericks that stole the show, beating their rival Alabang teams in the finals of the Plate, Bowl and Women’s divisions.

Philippine Under 18 Volcanoes Bryan Tan, Wiremu O’Regan-Brown and Ryan Santos all showed glimpses of class but it was Santos’ younger brother and Philippine Under 16 Volcano, Reed Santos, who shone, earning him the most valuable player award for the Bowl division. The Mavericks won the Bowl final over the Alabang Loros by a single conversion, 14-12.

The Plate final was also a very close encounter. The CBRE Mavericks beat the Alabang Ibons 10-7. The strength and power of Alabang Ibons and Philippine Volcano players Christopher Hettel and Timothy Kong wasn’t enough to counter the speed and agility of CBRE Mavericks and Philippine Volcanoes Alexander Aronson and Lito Ramirez.

With the final selections being made for the Ladies development tour to Bangkok in mid-November, the Women’s final was always going to fierce. This also finished very tightly, but yet again the CBRE Lady Mavericks edged out the Alabang Lady Eagles by a single try, winning 12-7. Lady Volcano, Sylvia Tudoc was the stand out player, earning herself the most valuable player award and ticket to Bangkok.

Timothy Kong of the Alabang Ibons (right) is about to fall down into the pitch after being tackled by a CBRE Mavericks defender. Raymond Braganza/PRFU

“It has been an exciting finish to a busy domestic competition, it is amazing to see more and more homegrown players embracing and excelling in the sport. We now look forward to the international season starting in December for our National U19s playing Korea, Singapore and UAE,” said Jovan Masalunga, Rugby Development Manager of the PRFU. The PRFU is the official governing body of Rugby in the Philippines. Over the last decade, the PRFU has continued to teach, grow and develop the sport of Rugby and its values throughout the country. The national side is more commonly known as the Philippine Volcanoes.

The PRFU hosts three domestic leagues each year for all versions of the game. Rugby can be played under three different variants.

Rugby 7s is played with only seven players per side for a total of 14 minutes per match. Each team plays three matches per day. This is a much faster version of the game which is played at the South East Asian Games, Asian Games and Olympic Games.

Rugby 15s is played with 15 players per side. This is a much more physical game that lasts 80 minutes.

Rugby 10s is played with 10 players per side. A match lasts 20 minutes in total which is also a full contact game.

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2016 Riera U. Mallari, Editor / Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

PACMAN SEEKING TO LAND BIG PUNCH

By Robbie Pangilinan

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AS VEGAS—Manny Pacquiao, the only eightdivision world champion, and WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas easily made the 147-pound weight limit Saturday, with the former tipping the scales at 144.8 pounds and the latter at 146.5 pounds in front of a huge crowd at the Wynn Las Vegas – Encore Theatre.

Eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao waves to an adoring crowd during the weigh-in for his WBO title clash with reigning champion Jessie Vargas. Below, the protagonists are shown for the traditional staredown. AFP

Pacquiao and Vargas face each other on the ring at the Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Las Vegas, Nevada today for their 12-round World Boxing Organization welterweight title clash.

The Pambansang Kamao will try to regain the WBO welterweight crown and attempt a knock out to re-establish his reputation.

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach has been training the fighting Senator of the Philippines to use his speed and excellent footwork to land the big punch.

“Manny closes the distance better than any fighter in the world in my opinion,” he noted. “When he is on his toes and uses his foot speed to close the distance so fast that his opponents don’t see what’s coming. That’s where he succeeds with his speed.”

Another of Pacman’s trainer, Buboy Fernandez, warned: “Pag nakipagsabayan (Vargas) ay may paglalagyan.”

Trainer Justine Fortune is confident that Pacquiao will “hurt Vargas like what he did with Margarito and the other Goliaths,” adding that Pacquiao is in 120% condition.

Vargas is also eyeing for a KO and taunted Pacquiao by saying that the famous Filipino boxer had lost his killer’s instinct.

“I will have to knock Pacquiao out,” the defending champion said.

Meanwhile, for the co-featured fights of WBO junior featherweight titleholder Nonito Donaire Jr. and his mandatory challenger Jessie Magdaleno also made the weight, 121.8 and 121.25 pounds, respectively, for their 12-round WBO junior featherweight title.

The 34-year-old Donaireis defending his title for the second time and Pacquiao knows that his fellow Filipino fighter will give his all for the title.

“When you hit Magdaleno, he will fight back. Magdaleno is a brave guy, he’s got balls and he will fight back. And that might be his downfall,” Pacman said, The Filipino Flash Donaire is confident that he going to dominate the fight in eight rounds or less.

PATRIOTISM THRU A MOUTHGUARD LAS VEGAS via YSA— Atop the boxing ring of the Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas on November 5, Manny Pacquiao will again represent his beloved country, the Philippines, where he is an elected senator.

From his Pinoy heart and mind, boxing gear, down to his mouthguard, Pacquiao shows off his being a Filipino. He will be sporting a red, white, and blue mouthguard with the seal of the Philippine Senate in the middle.

The mouthguard of the Fighting Senator of the Philippines was created by none other than mouthguard maker to the stars, Dr. Ed de la Vega, DDS, a well-known dentist in Los Angeles and Manny’s official photographer since 2008.

“We created a design for Manny with the help of artist Jun Aquino,” said dela Vega.

“Many fighters opt to put their names or their monikers on their mouthguards, but of course, the eight-division world champ doesn’t need to do this because everyone knows who he is. A simple design with a logo, that’s all he needs,” added the dentist. Robbie Pangilinan

Manny Pacquiao helping Dr. Ed de la Vega design his mouthpiece

ALL EYES ON DUKE, BETTEN BOHOL—Sam Betten and Dimity Lee Duke head a big field of over 600, including newcomers, elite performers and the pros as they slug it out in a test of strength and stamina in the Bellevue Resort 5i50 Triathlon firing off today (Sunday, Nov. 6) at the Bellevue Resort in Panglao Island here.

Although the Aussie tandem remains the triathletes to beat owing to their form, experience and skills, reversals are not being ruled out both in the men’s and women’s side of the centerpiece pro category of the 1.5k swim, 40k bike and 10k run event as well as in the elite and age group competitions.

Top Filipina triathlete Monica Torres, a consistent top finisher, has begged off due to personal reasons but Rebecca Ohlwein, Betten’s girlfriend who has been competing since 2012, is in the fold, ready to challenge Duke along with Amelia Watkinson and Michelle Duffield.

“Looks like it’s gonna be a hard one tomorrow (today). There’s a couple of new girls here, they haven’t raced here before and hopefully I can cash in on my advantage. But they’re quality athletes,” said Duke of her chief rivals, particularly Watkinson.

Members of Smart Tri Team check their bikes upon registration for the Belleveu 5150 Triathlon.

“She (Watkinson) comes in red-hot. She won the Subic 5150 a couple of months ago. I’ll just keep an eye on her. But anything can happen. I have to give it my best and let’s see what happens,” added Duke, the 2016 Bangsaen Triathlon Thailand champion, who also finished third in the Century Tuna Ironman 70.3 in Subic early this year.

The Bellevue Resort 5150 will fire off at 6:28 a.m. on Nov. 6 with Wave 1 composed of the pros and Filipino elite while the male age group 15-39 will start at 6:30 a.m.

The male age group 15-39 will flag off at 6:35 a.m. while the female age groups and relay teams will start at 6:40 a.m.

Cut-off time for the swim stage is at 7:40 a.m. while the bike and finish line cut-offs are set at 10:10 a.m. and 12:10 p.m., respectively.

Spicing up the event is the Sunrise Sprint race, a 750m swim, a 20k bike and a 5k run event for beginners and for those who has been off the circuit and out to make a comeback. The 102-athlete field will start at 8 a.m. for the male division and 8:05 a.m. for the female side.

“While we acknowledge that triathletes look to compete in the Ironman series, we also realize that one needs to start somewhere and the Sunrise Sprint race does exactly that,” said Fred Uytengsu, founder of the organizing Sunrise Events Inc. “The distance is still challenging for the novice triathlete and we hope to encourage many athletes to start with this (distance).”

The Bellevue 5i50 also caps SEI’s triathlon calendar for the year that included the Xterra Albay, Century Tuna Ironman 70.3 and the Alaska Ironkids in Subic. For details, visit www. bellevue.5150philippines.com.

SEI and Bellevue Resort, a world-class resort on the coastline of Panglao Island in Bohol, have lined up a challenging course with the swim stage to start in the shores of Bellevue Hotel. The bike and run legs will be relatively flat but also feature narrow roads and hilly areas.