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SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2017

Business

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

HOW ‘FIL-AM’ BOYS GREW CHILI’S IN PH

By Othel V. Campos

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PINOY APP READIES ASEAN EXPANSION

ne of the country’s most eligible bachelors, Luigi Vera, oversaw the expansion of Chili’s Grill & Bar Restaurant in the Philippines which now has a dozen stores, including two that opened this year.

Vera and his longtime business partners— Richie Yang and Robert Epes—are celebrating their two decades in the casual dining business, after putting up the first Chili’s store in Makati City in 1996.

“There were challenges along the way. It was never purely smooth and fun as we tread on our 20th year. It was like raising kids, tough but fulfilling,” says Vera who is very hands-on with the business.

He describes himself as more of a store guy than an office executive. He prefers having meetings in stores and making daily rounds of Chili’s outlets as managing director.

Spending time in stores is what he takes delight most about especially during the construction of a new branch. He set aside a lucrative career as a civil engineer back in the US where he and partners went to school.

For a US-educated guy, Vera is not the typical “Amboy-Conio” type. Chili’s crew is fond of his funny antics and of his personal managerial touch.

Educated in Xavier School from elementary to high school, he was also ‘Jesuits-raised” in the US. He studied at Sta. Clara University in the Bay area in the US, another Jesuits-run institution near San Jose.

Yang, one of his business partners, also enrolled at Sta. Clara while Epes, an American who grew up in the Philippines, also went to college in the Bay Area.

When it was time for them to go home to the Philippines, they thought of putting up a business together. What brought them together is their combined love for food and the Chili’s brand.

They formed Am-Phil Inc., but not after the three of them created stable professional careers in the Philippines with Vera working for Citibank and Yang and Epes for their family businesses.

“It was in 1987 when we first stepped into Chili’s in Cupertino, California and we instantly loved their food. We will order the same things— steak fajitas, burgers, baby back ribs, wings over buffalo and country fried steak. Our theory was to go into business while all of us were employed elsewhere so that the business wouldn’t be supporting us,” Vera says.

When asked why Chili’s is not as aggressive as other brands in creating more footprint in the casual dining space, Vera has a standard reply. He says that “expanding the brand, even as it is a necessary tool to grow a business, is not an imperative move for the company to survive competition.”

“We don’t need to be number one in terms of sales and size. We endured all these years because we value consistency. It is a big factor why we’re still here. People say Chili’s food is still the same quality as when we introduced the brand twenty years ago. The service is also friendly. That’s why we have customers who keep on coming back,” he says.

Expansion, he says, is nothing like finding location, “and that’s it.”

It should be finding the perfect location—a dilemma that has always been a big deal for the team.

“There should always be the right blend of

Mober Technology Inc. founder Dennis Ng

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RESTAURATEUR.

Am-Phil Inc. managing director Luigi Vera oversaw the expansion of Chili’s Grill & Bar Restaurant in the Philippines.

where to put a branch, the volume of foot traffic and the convenience the branch can afford to give the customers,” Vera says.

He cites a long standing ambition to put up a branch in Manila City, along the famous Adriatico strip but traffic was outrageous and parking was a problem in the area.

Growing the brand to a dozen branches fell on perfect timing, a great gift for a 20 year-old franchise.

Chili’s pilot branch in Greenbelt, established in 1996, is still up and running, unlike other casual diners and restaurants that came up only to disappear years, if not months later.

Other Chili’s branches are strategically situated in Greenhills, Tomas Morato, Rockwell Power Plant, Alabang Town Center, Megamall, Fairview Terraces, Mall of Asia, UP Town Center and the Block at SM North Edsa.

Even as Chili’s bestsellers remain—baby back ribs, burgers, fajitas, burgers, chips, nachos, chicken crispers and margarita drinks—the food chain continues to update its menu such that it

has three types of burgers with a wider variety.

It also adapted to Filipino’s choice of food and introduced Beef Salpicao and Country-Style Prok Belly, a Filipino signature fare that cannot be found in any Chili’s stores upstate and Chili’s anywhere in the world.

Alongside Chili’s franchise, Am-Phil has also ventured into smaller yet ambitious brands such as Super Bowl of China, Nanbantei of Tokyo, Tokyo Tonteki and Salvatore Cuomo Restaurant and Bar inside the Bonifacio Global Center.

As AmPhil grows its food enterprise, its workforce is also expanding with 1,000 people working for all company franchises.

The company, a strong believer in empowering children and education improvement, also supports Children’s Hour.

This is a shared vision of company co-owners.

Vera is a devout Christian, from a family who goes to Church regulary if the occasion permits while Yang is a church minister.

“These values we share with the people we work with and with our customers,” says Vera.

FILIPINO start-up and mobile app Mober Technology Inc. has disclosed plans to penetrate the delivery market of Singapore and other markets in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Mober founder and chief executive Dennis Ng says the company is raising at least $1 million from preseries A funding for an equity swap of 10 percent to enable to company to innovate, intensify marketing support and move on to the latest technology on bulk deliveries via web-based or mobile-based tracking.

“It is a mature market. I expect we will not have any difficulties in transaction and deliveries. Our success there will depend on our van partners who, I supposed, are very reliable partners given that Singapore is a very picky,” he says.

Established in 2015, the two-yearold company has a standing offer from a Singaporean company to buy out Mober for $5 million.

“I refused because we have so much ideas we are excited to execute and we know there is huge demand for the service we offer. I am interested to let go of the company entirely,” he says, adding that he is willing to dispose of 20 percent equity with van partners in Singapore if they are performing well enough.

He says the delivery opportunities in the Philippines is growing rapidly with the current nationwide inventory of 15,000 vans and about 10 million transactions.

The start-up company is doing local roadshows for funding in Cebu and Davao where the company is also trying to gain foothold. Mober will be available in Cebu by April and in Davao within the year.

Mober expects to hit $12 million in cumulative revenue by 2019, at 3 million deliveries and a minimum $4 commission rate per $18 transaction.

It grew by 65 percent month-onmonth in 2016. From an average of 238 transactions in the first quarter of 2016, it grew to 6,842 transactions in the fourth quarter of 2016.

From 100 van partners, the company plans to have 3,000 van partners by 2019.

Among the company’s captured markets are SM appliance Center, Our Home, Mandaue Foam, Dimensione, Adidas, Red Ribbon, Blims Furniture, Bags in the City, HMR Philippines, Inc., WorldBex, Rockwell Land, Better Dog and other local companies with mobility requirement.

It also has initial talks with Philippine Airlines for “straight-fromthe airport” delivery to clients within a 15-kilometer radius.

Mober is growing to be the preferred business-tobusiness of Philippine retailers and establishments because of accessibility and real time delivery.

Othel V. Campos

COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN RECOGNIZES 400 OUTSTANDING ALUMNI ALUMNI of Colegio de San Juan de Letran reunited at the New World Hotel in Makati City on March 23, ahead of the school’s celebration of 400th year by 2020.

Colegio de San Juan de Letran Alumni Association used the occasion to honor Letran’s 400 Great Men and Women (Grandes Figuras) who have shown and manifested the school’s ideals of “love to God, country and alma mater.”

Colegio de San Juan de Letran is a private Roman Catholic Dominican institution of learning in Intramuros, Manila.

Established in 1620, it has the distinction of being the oldest college in the Philippines.

The school has produced Philippine presidents, revolutionary heroes, poets, legislators, members of the clergy and jurists. It has also produced several Catholic saints who lived and studied in its campus.

Among the awardees are Carmelo Casas, Antonio

Tuviera, Henry Lim Bom Liong, Jaime Bautista, Dr. Gregorio Andaman Jr., Don Juan Geronimo Guerrero, Jose Maria Aligda, Charles Yu, William Uy, Bernie Atienza, Maj. Gen. Victor Felix (ret), Dr. Gregorio Andaman, Dr. Manuel Mariano and Cavite Rep. Strike Revilla.

The awardees were recognized for their selfless and humble way of serving communities and making Letran proud through their good will.

Revilla, of Batch ‘93 who started his political career at the age of 25 when he was elected as councilor of Bacoor in 1995, says his Letran education helped him become a better public servant.

Grandes Figuras awardee Rep. “It’s Letran that helped me think what good things I can contribute to our country. Love to God, country and alma Strike Revilla (center) with Letran’s mater stays with me even after I finished school,” says Revilla, Fr. Boyd Sulpicio (left) and Fr. Clarence Victor Marqez (right). who served as mayor of Bacoor from 2007 to 2016 before being elected as a member of Congress.

Business

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SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2017 business@thestandard.com.ph

BRAIN TUMOR PATIENTS SEE BEAMS OF HOPE A DIAGNOSIS of a brain tumor often means traditional brain surgery: invasive procedures that carry with it high-risk especially for the delicate tissues of the brain.

A breakthrough technology called Gamma Knife allows patients to now choose a non-invasive procedure proven to shrink brain tumors or stop its growth nearly 90 percent of the time.

Gamma Knife actually uses gamma rays instead of the traditional surgical knife. This non-invasive procedure has the ability to target small brain tumors without hurting the surrounding healthy tissue. For every Gamma Knife surgery, a multidisciplinary team of neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists carefully customize the dosage of gamma rays and deliver the exact amount with micro-precision with the help of a state-of-the-art software.

By using tiny beams of radiation, Gamma Knife surgery is able to treat hard-to-reach tumors that traditional open brain surgery cannot.

More accurate targeting means being able to deliver a full dose of radiation at one time instead of multiple treatments.

LADY BPO PIONEER MAKES HER MARK IN INSURANCE SECTOR

QBE Group Shared Services executive general manager Karen Batungbacal-De Venecia

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The medical team of Philippine Gamma Knife Center at Cardinal Santos Memorial Hospital

In the country, the Philippine Gamma Knife Center is housed at Cardinal Santos Memorial Hospital.

The Philippine Gamma Knife Center is one of the multidisciplinary centers of the Brain and Spine Institute at Cardinal Santos Medical Center.

Established in 1998, the Philippine Gamma Knife Center has since performed almost 3,000 successful Gamma Knife procedures since it launched. It has acquired the Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion, the most accurate and most advanced radiosurgery technology available in the world today.

“Perfexion now has an eXtend program, which allows the delivery of multiple sessions of Gamma Knife by using a head cushion to immobilize the patient’s head—it improves their tolerance for multi-session procedures. Before, treatments that took 3 to 5 consecutive days would be difficult for the patient. This means, Perfexion can now safely treat brain tumors that require more than one session of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery,” says Dr. Ted Vesagas.

He says over 280 successful procedures have been undertaken using Perfexion at the center. With this new technology available in the country, more people will be able to overcome the devastating diagnosis of a brain tumor because of the beams of hope that the Gamma Knife Perfexion surgery delivers.

n a challenging environment where markets are increasingly unpredictable, ‘cut-throat’ is the perfect word to describe the insurance industry today. Although growth is probable and expansion is expected to be sustained by 2019, incumbent insurers nonetheless face existential pressures.

The insurance industry has been maledominated from its earliest days. Some consider it a profession that has minimal place for women.

However, in the recent 2016 Women in Insurance Conference Series, a conference spearheaded by the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation in Los Angeles, women were identified as having made great strides in achieving equality in the industry on an international scale. Survey results showed that 86 percent of insurance professionals believe that the industry is making progress towards gender equality.

In the Philippines, a woman stands out as she maneuvers her company’s success in the local insurance market. Kar en Batungbacal-De Venecia, executive general manager of QBE Group Shared Services, knows the real deal and continues to dominate the Philippine insurance scene.

Starting operations in the Philippines in 2013, the largest global insurer in Australia, the QBE Insurance Group, aggressively penetrated the Philippine insurance arena since its establishment. Karen is instrumental to the success of the QBE Insurance Group both internationally and locally.

As she builds the QBE name in the Philippines, Karen works in tandem with Joli Wu, another woman leader who stands as the president and chief executive of QBE

Seaboard.

QBE Seaboard Insurance Philippines is an insurance company that combines the operations of QBE Insurance (Philippines) and the portfolio of Seaboard Eastern Insurance Company. It helps corporations and professionals to minimize and mitigate risk by providing a wide range of cover against legal liabilities.

Karen leads the QBE Group Shared Services Center, the strategic hub of QBE’s global business and processes. She is a pioneer in the business process off-shoring and shared services space, having built and led companies in this sector since 2000. She co-founded and was the first president of IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines and continues to be a senior advisor to the Board of Trustees of the association.

Now, leading the full operations of QBE-GSSC, she is faced with a greater role that makes her responsible for rem ov ing ro ad b l o c k s a n d m a k i n g multi-million peso contracts that fuel the company’s fire.

As a female leader, Karen believes that a woman’s intuition is an asset in a society that correlates rational thinking to decision making. “A woman’s touch in leadership puts in a unique perspective in terms of management style. A femaIe leader brings intuitiveness to the table in a business culture where we are engrossed with rational thinking.

Although this is a tried-and-tested trait, sometimes, we also need to take a step back and consider our instinct towards something,” she shared.

As a woman who calls the shots in the organization, Karen admitted that she still has to contend in a field dominated by men. In the business scene where success stories of businessmen tend to attract the limelight, Karen attests that it is challenging for women leaders to stand out.

“My dynamics change when I am around a group of businessmen. It’s a whole new

playing field when you’re in a room full of assertive personalities. But I always keep in mind what I am capable of as a woman leader. Besides, I know women like me in the workplace have the DNA for leadership, at par or even greater than the opposite gender,” she said.

Being a female leader in a maledominated business culture, Karen is a representation of major advances for women in the workplace. The Philippines, ranking 4th among ten of the countries with the highest percentage of women leaders, is a living proof of how Filipinas are starting to be at par with men in running the business scene.

“It’s great to see women out there who are successful. I thank them, all of these trailblazers, who made it easier for all of us to aim high in our respective industries.

To see that there are already women associations like the Filipina CEO Circle, a circle of Philippine women corporate leaders that I am also a part of, is proof that we are indeed moving forward,” she said.

As an advocate for women, Karen encourages all to continue celebrating and embracing who they are and what they are capable of as females. “I believe it’s the woman in me that helped me make those “leaps of faith” into the many adventures in my life. Many of my life and career choices weren’t logical. Most of it was based on what I felt I should be doing, a gut-feel, and I trusted that gut-feel,” she said.

A bright future for QBE and the industry as a whole is what Karen strives for as a woman leader. She prides herself in leading a winning team whose members promise to walk with her hand-in-hand towards success.

She continues to propel over 3,000 employees from Manila and Cebu and promises to lead in ways she does best—providing a corporate culture that emphasizes diversity and inclusion, and empowering Filipino women to become industry leaders themselves.

194 CHILDREN OF COCONUT FARMERS GET UCPB SCHOLARSHIPS UCPB and its affiliate Coconut Industry Investment Fund companies are funding the college study and technical-vocational training of 194 more coconut farmer children in school year 2017-2018.

The new scholars will bring to 2,894 the total number of children of coconut farmers who have received grants for a four- to five-year college course or a 12- to 16-month technical-vocational course from the UCPB-CIIF Scholarship Program since its launch in 2003.

Coconut farmers are among the poorest in the country. Most could not afford to send their children to college or even trade school.

The UCPB-CIIF Scholarship Program, which is being implemented by the UCPBCIIF Foundation, pays for the scholars’ tuition and other school fees and provides them with a monthly living allowance.

“We have been supporting the program from the start and will continue to do so because it is helping to uplift the living

condition of coconut farmers, which is the bank’s common social mandate with the CIIF companies,” UCPB president and chief executive Higinio Macadaeg, Jr. said.

The CIIF companies supporting the scholarship program are Cocolife, UCPB General Insurance, Cocochem and the CIIF Oil Mills Group.

Macadaeg cited the results of the annual survey conducted last year which showed that 80 percent of the scholar-graduates are earning incomes with 86 percent percent of them earning enough to be able to regularly send money home for their families’ daily expenses and their siblings’ education.

The UCPB-CIIF Scholarship Program has so far produced 1,467 graduates, 756 of whom earned technical-vocational skill certifications from six Don Bosco Training Centers and 711, college degrees from 71 state colleges and universities. Another 269 scholars are graduating this school year.

The UCPB-CIIF scholars come from 63

coconut provinces from as far North as Quirino and Aurora Province to as deep South as Tawi-Tawi and Jolo.

Nearly a fifth of the program’s college graduates have completed their courses with honors with two graduating summa cum laude, eight magna cum laude and 94 cum laude.

More are expected to join the program’s honor rolls as the scholars graduating this year have posted an average grade of 1.84.

The success of the program has generated support from other companies and foundations, outside of the UCPB and the CIIF groups, including San Miguel Foundation, which is sponsoring 10 technical-vocational scholars in Mindanao; the Philippine Development Alternative Foundation, 20 college scholars in the Bicol Region and in the Visayas; Bataan Shipyard and Engineering Co., 34 college scholars in Manila and in the Visayas; and Save Coconut Foundation and St. Paul University Quezon City, 36 college scholars in Manila.

With his mother beside him, Coco Foundation scholar Joderick Montebon shows off his certificate of recognition for academic excellence during his graduation last year.

Sports

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SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2017 randyproject@yahoo.com

KICKBOXING SEEKING SLOTS IN MARTIAL ARTS GAMES

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ARTIAL Arts clubs specializing in kickboxing are hoping to form a competitive team and join the Philippine delegation to the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) that will take place in September in Turkmenistan.

Monith Pabroa, head coach of the D Elements MMA, maintains a slew of mixed martial arts fighters who have kickboxing and muay thai as skill base.

“Marami akong pwedeng fighters na isabak sa qualifying events.

Currently they are very active sila sa MMA scene,” said Pabroa, a member of the National Muay Thai and Kickboxing Council of the Philippines (NMKBP).

NMKBP is a group of martial arts gyms headed by Emmanuel Sabrine, who is also the founder of the Southeast Asia Fighting Championships, based in Angeles City, Pampanga.

Other members of the NMKBP are New Blood MMA of Larry Baluyan and Rey Abiquebel, Rey Biagtan of Biagtan MMA in Caviete, to name a few. The NMKBP have bonded with other gyms like YawYan Kampilan, Phil Kamao, MP Highland and World Kickboxing League-Philipines to form the Kickboxing Alliance of the Philippines (KAP).

The KAP has an active line-up of Filipino fighters ready to carry the country’s flag in international competitions, like the Asian martial arts games.

Among the athletes who have expressed intention to join the kickboxing national team are CJ De Tomas, former kickboxing champion in the national games and currently MMA champion at URCC, and Aj Matthews, a Fil-American MMA fighter seeing action at Bellator.

Stakeholders of the KAP have also vowed to work closely with the Muay Association of the Philippines (MAP), headed by Gen. (ret.) Lucas Managuelod and secretary general Pearl Managuelod.

“Maganda ito para sa kapakanan ng mga fighters and unity ng martial arts sa Pilipinas,” Brico Santig of WKL-Philippines. “We can help both in kickboxing and muay thai ng MAP. Hopefuly, we’ll be able to come up with a competitive team that will qualify to the criteria set by officials.”

The Philippine Olympic Committee has formed the task force that will lead the selection of athletes who will make up the Philippine delegation to be headed by Chief of Mission Monsour Del Rosario of tae-

GAB chairman Baham Mitra

GAB TO REQUIRE PRO BOXERS TO UNDERGO MRI

Baden Loman is one of the kickboxers hoping slot in the Asian martial arts games

kwondo and deputy chief Raymund Lee Reyes of karate.

For sports that are not regular member of the National Sports Associations under the POC, Reyes said they are planning to hold unified qualifying events.

“Dito natin makukuha ung best athletes to represent the Philippines,” said Reyes.

The Task Force had recently made its assessment of athletes bidding to join the games set Sept. 17-27 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

Around 30 wrestlers, 28 athletes in the sport of kurasch and eight athletes in dance sports are currently preparing to join.

“This is what we got so far, from the many number of events listed,” said Lee-Reyes in an radio interview.

Del Rosario and Lee-Reyes recently checked the preparations of Filipino athletes by visiting the office and training areas of many NSAs involved.

So far, there are 12 male and 5 female athletes that are aspiring to make it to the Greco Roman squad in regular wrestling, while another 20 are being considered in belt wrestling.

Sports officials are still finding out if there are players from billiards team, bowling Association.

In sports of kurasch, they are thinking of bringing along 14 male and 14 female athletes.

In the 2013 AIMAG held in

Phil Kamao has been conducting kickboxing event at its home gym in Caloocan City to discover fresh talent in the sport

Incheon, South Korea, the PhilipChery Gamili and Clarice Parpines won three medals—one gold con claimed the gold and bronze in and two bronzes—and wound up dancesport while Rubilen Amit took 19th out of 43 competing nations. the bronze in billiards.

THE Games and Amusements Board thru Chairman Abraham Mitra announced it is now considering including magnetic resonance imaging or MRI as one of the licensing requirements for professional boxers.

In a meeting of the GAB ratings committee recently, Chairman Mitra mentioned to attendees that “as a response to the recent debate between Senators (Franklin) Drilon and (Manny) Pacquiao during the interpellations on Senate Bill No. 130,” the GAB is now inclined and seriously studying requiring all professional boxers to undergo MRI”.

The GAB ratings committee is composed of GAB officials and representatives from promoters groups, managers, matchmakers, media and boxers, Chairman Mitra mentioned to attendees that “as a response to the recent debate between Senators (Franklin) Drilon and (Manny) Pacquiao during the interpellations on Senate Bill No. 130,” the GAB is now inclined and seriously studying requiring all professional boxers to undergo MRI”.

Mitra said that boxers shall be required to undergo MRI tests annually in order to secure a license.

Senator Pacquiao was quoted in the Senate debate transcript as saying that “ dapat ginagawa ng GAB, pero hindi nila ginagawa (GAB should be doing it, but they are not doing it)”.

Leading matchmaker Art Mones said, “this is another imposition on the boxers, and, promoters will surely carry the burden. This imposition could kill Philippine boxing as they might stop promoting because of the high cost of MRI which is about P8-12,000.”

Mitra and commissioners Fritz Gaston and Eduard Trinidad regularly meet with boxing stakeholders in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

“We are extending our utmost assistance to them to reinvigorate Philippine boxing,” Mitra said. “Our mandate is to look after the welfare of the boxers and we do all our best to make sure they are all fit to fight and that we avoid mismatches,” said Mitra.

He added, “we look up to Senator Manny as our Godfather and guru and if he feels very strongly that MRI should be imposed then we will heed his advice and do so.”

“We recognize the wisdom of requiring MRI from the start, for the welfare of the boxers. It’s just a question of budget, and GAB has reiterated that need from the inception of the discussions,” Mitra concluded.

Pacquiao filed the bill dubbed Boxers’ Welfare Act seeking to form the Philippine Boxing Commission separate from the GAB and will have its own separate budget and officials.

ELITE CAST TO VIE AT 12TH MERCEDES TROPY

MERCEDES-BENZ owners take time out from their busy corporate schedules and the like to compete in a special golf tournament with a select roster of guests, who share the same passion for the sport.

The MercedesTrophy, an international three-tier structured amateur golf series which stakes coveted spots in the MT World Final in Germany, fires off tomorrow (March 27) at the posh Sta. Elena Golf Club in Sta. Rosa, Laguna with over 200 players competing.

To speed up play for a big field, organizers have set up a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. with the awards rites set at 4 p.m.

What makes the 12th staging of the annual event special is that MercedesBenz will donate to the Cardinal Medical Charities Foundation, Inc. as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program.

“A specific amount of cash will be

donated to the organization based on the number of players,” said Marvin Caparros, MercedesTrophy Golf director.

Marco Mendoza (Class A), Victor Mapua (Class B) and Joseph Sy (Class C) shared top honors in last year’s edition of the event with Myra Caparros bagging the ladies crown in the tournament also held at Santa Elena Golf & Country Club.

Three division champions and their respective runners-up along with the winner in ladies play will represent the Philippines in the MercedesTrophy Asian Finals in Australia via Philippine Airlines (business class).

The MercedesTrophy 2017 is sponsored by Makati Shangri-La Hotel, PLDT Alpha, Philippine Airlines, Shell Philippines, and QBE Seaboard Insurance, Inc. with TW Steel, Security Bank Corp., Business Mirror, and Remy Martin as minor sponsors.

Felix Ang (fifth from left), president of Auto Nation Group, Inc., the general distributor of Mercedes-Benz in the Philippines, poses with sponsors of the MercedesTrophy 2017 set on Monday (March 27) at Sta. Elena Golf Club in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. They are (from left) QBE Asia Pacific Regional head for Agency Lucas Teng, QBE Seaboard Insurance Philippines head of Retail Larry Wu, QBE Seaboard Insurance Philippines CEO Joli Wu, PLDT Alpha Enterprise head Jovy Hernandez, PLDT VP and head of Corporate Relationship Management D Vic Tria, and PLDT VP and head of Corporate Relationship Management B Jay Lagdameo; Shell Philippines Finance director Jerome Pascual; Philippine Airlines SVP for Airline Operations Ismael Augusto Gozon and VP for Security Caesar Ronnie Ordoyo.

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SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor / Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor / Randy Caluag, Issue Editor

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

PETRON FAVORED TO WIN PSL TITLE

Shinya Aoki

GRAPPLING LEGEND RETURNS TO ACTION

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HILIPPINE Super Liga teams virtually revamp their line-ups every season.

Theoretically, it should be difficult to predict which teams will fare well. But since all the teams do this anyway, it isn’t really difficult to know which teams will be favored to win it all.

Just pick the team with the best lineup. This conference is no exception with top teams Petron Blaze Spikers and Cignal HD Spikers parading new, but star-studded squads.

After the completion of the elimination round the Petron Blaze Spikers leaned on their deep, deep bench to become the only unbeaten team into the final round.

Petron’s starting unit consists of setter Rhea Dimaculangan, opposite hitter Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, open spikers Ces Molina and Mina Aganon, as well as middle blockers Mika Reyes and CJ Rosario.

Then there are reserve spikers Bang Pineda and Mela Tunay. It’s as good a lineup as any in the PSL. The Blaze Spikers assembled that powerhouse squad after recruiting Reyes, Dimaculangan, Tunay, Dusaran and Bacolod middle blocker Gianes Dolar in the off season.

The recruits join Aganon, Pineda, Molina, Maizo-Pontillas, Rosario, Mayette Zapanta and April Ross Hingpit to spearhead the Blaze Spikers this conference.

The biggest challenge for Petron will be the HD Spikers with former RC Cola-Army star players Rachel Anne Daquis, Honey Royse Tubino and Jovelyn Gonzaga as well as former Petron team captain Maica Morada.

They join the veteran core of Janine Marciano, Paneng Mercado,

Petron Blaze Spikers middle blocker Mika Reyes (3) tries to hammer a spike through the blocking hands of Foton Tornadoes blocker Dindin Santiago-Manabat (16).

Mylene Paat, Cherry Vivas, Sandra Delos Santos, Lourdes Patillano, May Macatuno, Len Cortel and Chie Saet and all-star libero Jheck Dionela.

The Foton Tornadoes with mid-

Petron Blaze Spikers veteran opposite hitter Aiza Maizo Pontillas (8) eludes Generika-Ayala defenders Patty Orendain (5) and Mikaela Lopez (11).

dle blockers Dindin Santiago and Maika Ortiz, open spiker Grethcel Soltones, veteran setter Rubie De Leon as well energetic libero Jen Reyes should have made this a three-way title fight. But with the exit of Santiago-Manabat due to injury effectively eliminates Foton from title consideration.

Petron validated its lofty preseason ranking by sweeping its elimination round schedule. Its last elimination round match was a dominant 25-11, 23-25, 25-18, 25-19, victory over GenerikaAyala. Team captain Molina and Aganon were all fired up while libero Dusaran did a marvelous job manning the defense for the Blaze Spikers.

The five-set duel won by Petron over Cignal HD earlier in the elimination round validates the view that the PSL will be a tough battle between the two squads.

The Blaze Spikers advanced to the final round where they join Cignal, a Japanese guest team in Kobe Shinwa University and the Foton Tornadoes. The final round

starts March 30.

Molina, one of seven Filipinas who played in the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship last year, delivered 11 kills and a block to finish with 13 points. Aganon scored 13 markers, all on spikes, underscoring Petron’s dominant attacking style.

Dusaran, who filled big shoes with the departure of Reyes, was responsible for 12 of the Blaze Spikers’ 43 digs. She made life easier for veteran setter Dimaculangan who mapped out Petron offense.

Petron won the first set but stumbled out of the starting gate in the second set. Although they started out slow, the Blaze Spikers were able to come back as Molina, Aganon and Rosario turned a 1-4 deficit into a 16-8 lead entering the second technical timeout.

Maizo-Pontillas joined the fray as she uncorked a bomb from the service line for a 20-13 lead which virtually decided the victory.

Angeli Araneta and Gen Casugod led the scoring parade for Generika with 11 and 10 markers.

FORMER ONE Championship Lightweight world champion and Mixed Martial Arts legend Shinya Aoki returns to action with a blockbuster Grappling Super-Match against International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation World and Pan American Brazilian jiujitsu champion Garry Tonon.

The legendary Aoki saw his fouryear winning streak snapped when he yielded his crown to reigning ONE Championship Lightweight world champion Eduard Folayang. He returns to action to regain lost luster and resume his MMA career.

The match will be held at ONE: Dynasty of Heroes set May 26 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The spectacular fight card is headlined by an exciting main event bout between ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela “Unstoppable” Lee and top challenger Istela Nunes.

Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Championship said Aoki remains one of the greatest grapplers in all of mixed martial arts.

“Aoki’s ability to scientifically break down opponents on the mat is nothing short of legendary in the industry. At the same time, Garry Tonon is known as one of the most exciting Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitors in the world. The Aoki-Tonon Grappling Super-Match is certainly a matchup that fans will not want to miss. Catch them in Singapore this May!” Aoki of Shizuoka, Japan is one of the world’s most decorated mixed martial artists. He is the DREAM Lightweight Champion, former Shooto Welterweight Champion, and the former ONE Lightweight World Champion.

The 33-year-old Aoki is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Yuki Nakai and has won multiple grappling tournaments across the globe. He also holds a black belt in judo. A veteran in both MMA and the Brazilian jiu-jitsu scene, Aoki’s reputation as a grappling specialist is unrivaled.

Tonon of the United States is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Tom deBlass and Ricardo Almeida. He is a No Gi specialist who has clinched multiple world titles at the IBJJF World and Pan American Championships.

At age 14, Tonon fell in love with wrestling and grappling and has developed into a bonafide grappling superstar over the course of his career.

He is a prominent fixture in submission-only format competitions such as Metamoris, Polaris and the Eddie Bravo Invitational.

Ticket information for ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES is available at www.onefc.com For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc. com, follow on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like on Facebook at https://www.facebook. com/ONEChampionship.

GLOBE TAPS FORMER NBA STAR TO TEACH CHILDREN FILIPINOS simply love basketball and Globe-Telecom teamed up with NBA Cares to give underprivileged children a once-in-a-lifetime experience of being taught by an NBA legend.

Glen Rice and two-time Philippine Basketball Association most valuable player LA Tenorio staged last week a twohour NBA Cares-Globe Telecom sports clinic for underprivileged children.

Rice and Tenorio taught 40 children from Globe partner communities and Globe employee volunteers basic basketball skills such as dribbling, passing, and shooting to hone the talents of the aspiring basketball players. Both Globe and NBA Cares, the league’s global social responsibility program, share the

mission of inspiring play and teaching the values of basketball as a way to address important social issues.

“In view of the Filipinos undying love for basketball, Globe is supporting the league’s week long celebration of Philippine culture through the NBA Filipino Heritage Week. Through this basketball clinic, we’re giving the underprivileged youth a chance not only to meet Glen Rice but also to be coached by an NBA legend. Together with NBA, we are able to create opportunities and unique experiences for Filipino kids that aims to bring out their potential,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications.

She added: “Sports is a great equalizer. Working with underprivileged communities and discovering several sports-oriented and talented children encourage us that we are indeed on the right track in nationbuilding through grassroots sports development.”

The basketball clinic is a subset of a larger Globe grassroots sports development program called “Sports Para Sa Bayan”. Due to the popularity of basketball, football, and volleyball among Filipinos, Globe uses these sports as the perfect platform to promote a healthy lifestyle, build character, and create opportunities for academic advancement for the underprivileged Filipino youth

—instilling in them not only the importance of having great skills but also of good values and good education.

Meanwhile, Tenorio, who is also the founder of Method Basketball Academy, was tapped by Globe in 2016 to lead the basketball component given his passion for basketball and desire to impart his knowledge and skills to the youth. The basketball program will kick off within the second quarter of 2017 and consists of free basketball clinics for boys and girls ages 9-14 in key cities nationwide. In addition, the program involves a 3-on-3 tournament nationwide to determine the team that will participate in the NBA 3X Philippines 2017 in Manila and get a chance to watch an NBA game abroad.

NBA legend Glen Rice teaches children proper ball handling during the event held by Globe Telecom.