Ms sect c 20170521 sunday

C1

SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2017

Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@manilastandard.net

FOOD FIRM ADDS 2 TO 3 STORES A DAY

A

FOOD industry executive is overseeing the construction of two to three stores a day this year for a fast growing company that sold 70 million chicken last year.

Crispin “Pinggoy ” Aquino was appointed in January 2017 as vice president for supply chain management and engineering and executive assistant to the president of Bounty Agro Ventures Inc., a company with a target to open 700 new stores this year under three retail brands— Chooks to Go, Uling Roasters and Reyal Litson Manok.

Since Januar y, Pinggoy has been involved in the planning and construction of more than 300 stores nationwide. And he expects BAVI to open additional 300 or more until December.

BAVI is a part of the Chen family’s Bounty Fresh Group of Companies— the fastest growing and second largest broiler integrator in the Philippines that registered more than P11 billion in sales in 2016.

BAVI president and general manager Ronald Daniel Ricaforte Mascariñas tapped Aquino, 55, to run the supply chain division and engineering unit of the company to support the retail expansion.

“By yearend, I think we will have a total of 2,000 stores nationwide,”Pinggoy says in an interview in Makati City. That will make Chooks to Go one of the largest food chains in the country.

Chooks to Go, the flagship brand of BAVI, is already the dominant leader in the rotisserie chicken industry, as it has more stores than the combined outlets of its three biggest competitors.

On Jan. 1 to May 16 this year alone, BAVI opened 337 stores, about 70 percent of which are under Chooks to Go brand. BAVI had a total of 1,843 stores nationwide as of May 18, according to Pinggoy. These included 1,257 stores under Chooks To Go, 395 under Uling Roasters and 171 under Reyal. The group also diversified into

Business

Scan this icon to view the PDF

MANAGER.

Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. vice president for supply chain management and engineering Crispin “Pinggoy” Aquino the snack industry when it introduced Snok, which sells chicken snacks and French fries. Snok now has 20 stores.

Pinggoy, who studied at Philippine Science High School in Quezon City and obtained a BS Degree in Agricultural Engineering at UP Los Baños in 1985

and MBA at UP Diliman, brings with him a 30-year experience in supply chain management, logistics, procurement and operations.

He was an executive of Jollibee Foods Corp., IDS Philippines and Ramcar Food Group (KFC, Mr. Donut and Tokyo Tokyo)

HP PHILIPPINES OPENS ENTREHPRENEUR HUB EASILY accessible and ready-to-use, coworking spaces are all the rage in the country today. These spaces are favored by individuals who value freedom and flexibility in their work—from freelancers and startups to small and medium-sized businesses—those who are mobile and tech-driven. Since they need to be adaptive, working in more than one location, this new crop of entrepreneurs and professionals also benefit from sturdy and lightweight devices that boast of powerful technical features.

As a move to support the individuals who redefine the work and space, HP Inc. Philippines introduces EntreHPreneur, a campaign dedicated to providing strong business solutions to SMBs in the country.

Born out of the desire to empower Filipino SMBs, EntreHPreneur aims to addresses their need for innovative tech solutions and productive environments.

With this in mind, HP teamed up with Microsoft and the Penbrothers Co-working Space to develop the EntreHPreneur Hub. An enhanced collaborative working space, the EntreHPreneur Hub is filled with the tech giant’s powerful business tools that will aid business owners, startups and freelancers in their day-to-day operations.

These devices are all enterprise-worthy, which can help them all work better and smarter.

“We at HP want to improve the modern workspace through various mobile business solutions,” says Kris Seville, HP Philippines’ Business Unit Manager for PC. “Over the years, we have always been on the lookout on ways we can create and reinvent impact among our users. As a leading device and solutions provider for corporations, we wanted to bring our expertise in enterprise to SMBs—startup companies, and other establishments that are on the top of their game when they are mobile and on-the-go.”

During the EntreHPreneur Hub reveal, HP showcased devices that make content creation, consumption, and idea generation more efficient and with optimum security.

These include: • HP EliteBook x360 – As the world’s thinnest convertible business laptop, the HP EliteBook x360 takes the user seamlessly

from work to personal life. It combines a powerful thin, light, and stylish design with Elite-class enterprise security and mobility, being just 14.95 mm with a battery life of 16.5 hrs.

• HP Elite X2 1012 –The HP Elite X2 is a versatile and durable powerhouse.

Presenting uncompromised productivity, the HP Elite X2 is built with precisioncrafted keyboards, LTE connectivity, 10hour battery life designed to the exacting standards of the enterprise.

• HP Elite X3 - The HP Elite X3 is the first built-for-business 3-in-1 device to deliver seamless phablet, laptop, and desktop business productivity. Let increased output, collaboration, and security be part of dayto-day work with HP Elite X3.

• HP EliteDisplays – Work and collaborate in style with HP’s new line of EliteDisplays designed to bring the most out of your HP Elite PC. Choose from a standard display with four-way adjustability and expansive connectivity, a curved display that will stop colleagues and customers in their tracks, a Certified for Skype for Business display designed for efficient collaboration, or a display with an integrated wireless charging stand for your mobile devices.

By providing work flexibility and mobility, co-working spaces allow SMBs to have more control on how they work. HP understands this and wants to enhance the experience through the EntreHPreneur Hub. “Here in Penbrothers, we understand the challenges many SMBs face - hiring, payroll, working space - and we have introduced an innovative approach to meet these needs by providing an end-to-end solution,” says Guilherme Faria, Penbrothers co-founder.

“The launch of EntreHPreneur Hub further helps young businesses in tackling these challenges, given the flexibility and functionality of their gadgets. We are proud to collaborate with HP Inc. Philippines and Microsoft Philippines on this project.”

Starting with the Penbrothers Coworking Space (6th Floor, OPL Bldg. C. Palanca St., Legaspi Village, Makati), the EntreHPreneur Hub will be available in other co-working spaces around Metro Manila in the following months.

and taught Business Management courses at UP Diliman and Ateneo de Manila University.

“I graduated from UPLB with a degree in Agriculture Engineering. I was supposed to be designing farm machines. But I have never practiced

that, except in my first job in corn growing,” says Pinggoy, who worked as the operations supervisor of Urban Food Foundation Inc. between January 1986 and May 1991, before he joined Jollibee.

Turn to C2

Business

C2

SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2017 business@manilastandard.net

FOOD...

From C1

H e wo r k e d a s a p ro d u c t i o n supervisor between 1991 and 1996 and as work management analyst in 1997 at Jollibee. He became a faculty member of UP Diliman’s College of Business Administration and ADMU’s Management Engineering Department until 2001, when he joined Ramcar Food Group, the local franchise holder of quick service restaurant KFC and Mister Donut and the owner of Tokyo Tokyo brand.

At Ramcar, he held various positions such as manager for systems and methods improvement, director for commissary operations, vice president for supply chain management, vice president for special projects and poultry operations and vice president for logistics.

Pinggoy was planning to retire early, but an offer from Mascariñas, the founder of BAVI and a former executive of Purefoods, proved to be challenging enough for him to forgo his retirement plans. “There were other offers from big companies in the food industry, but I chose BAVI,” he says.

“I felt challenged by the responsibilities entrusted to me by the president. Because of the trust given to me, I do not want to disappoint the organization about what I can contribute through the wealth of experience I have,” he says.

At BAVI, Pinggoy is responsible over purchasing, logistics, store construction, store and plant maintenance, demand planning and inventory management, fleet management, food manufacturing and value added products. He also acts as the executive assistant to the president (Mascariñas).

BAVI is aggressively planning the expansion of its store network, with a typical outlet occupying an average of 20 to 25 square meters.

“I only started with the company in January this year, but it seems to me like four years,” says Pinggoy.

The Chen family built the Bounty Fresh Group of Companies in the 1980s, starting with a poultry farm in Sta. Maria, Bulacan. Bounty Fresh Food Inc. became known for its high-quality and fresh chicken under the Bounty Fresh brand and became a top supplier of fresh-chilled chicken and table eggs to various hotels, restaurants, institutional food companies and supermarkets.

As a fully‐integrated poultry company with its own feed mills, Bounty Fresh was able to control cost and become competitive in the market. Mascariñas’ decision to team up with the Chen family gave way to the rapid expansion of the rotisserie chicken industry.

BAVI started its flagship brand Chooks to Go in 2008, which was well received by the local market because of its delicious taste even without sauce.

Two other retail brands followed—Uling Roasters and Reyal Litson Manok.

“All our chicken at retail branches are supplied internally. Our poultry farms are scattered all over the country. That is one of the key factors that worked well for Chooks to Go. We can supply all our stores nationwide using our own chicken at a relatively lower cost,” says Pinggoy.

On how BAVI achieved such a a rapid growth, Pinggoy says the company management “executes fast, addresses concerns fast and decides fast.”

“The company through the president is generous in many ways. This is why BAVI has grown to what it is today,” he says.

Pinggoy says he is confident about the continuous growth of BAVI’s retail network, as chicken is considered a major source of nutrition in the Philippines. The economy is growing and more Filipinos become wage earners and spenders.

He says the plan is to “continuously grow the existing retail brands to their saturation point” and offer new product lines in the food business through internal development or acquiring local and international franchise brands. “We prepare for new modes and trends in bringing our products to our customers.”

Pinggoy believes that while BAVI is aggressively expanding, there is a need to reduce overall costs by making things work more efficiently especially on areas under his supervision. “We need to make use of our resources more efficiently. We need to reduce wastage.

We need to bring down all our costs. We need to reduce the inventory system wide to free up tied-up capital. There is always a better way [and] continuous improvement and management by numbers are some of the consciousness I want to impart. I want to prepare company for the future,” he says.

“I am confident that I can help bring it to the next level to support the further expansion of the group,” Pinggoy says.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

ERRATUM Venture Capital Cafe and Youth Hostel Leisure and Resort Corp. wish to clarify that it will be building its own hotel at Station 3 on Boracay Island, and that it will not take the place of Red Coconut contrary to what was reported in this space on May 14, 2017. For clarification, Venture Capital Cafe and Youth Hostel Leisure has no transaction or connection whatsoever with the latter company.

CREDIT SUISSE APPOINTS FILIPINO INVESTMENT BANKER

C

REDIT Suisse, one of the world’s largest banks based in Switzerland, has tapped a Filipino manager to head the investment banking and capital markets department of its Philippine unit.

Credit Suisse head of Philippines coverage Michael De Guzman

Michael De Guzman, the former managing director of Macquarie Capital Funds in the Philippines, was appointed as the new head of Credit Suisse’s Philippines coverage in Asia-Pacific Investment Banking & Capital Markets department.

“As an important addition to Credit Suisse’s leading Southeast Asia franchise, Mr. De Guzman will be responsible for driving the growth of its IBCM business in the Philippines. This includes broadening relationships with entrepreneurs and corporate clients in the market as well as delivering the full range of Credit Suisse’s integrated bank offering in line with its positioning as the Trusted Entrepreneurs’ Bank,” the bank said.

De Guzman will report to Pankaj Goel and Rizal Gozali, Credit Suisse’s co-heads of IBCM Southeast Asia based in Singapore.

De Guzman brings extensive Asia Pacific investment banking experience across mergers and acquisitions, leverage buyouts, principal investments, equity capital markets and general corporate finance, as well as a deep understanding of the Philippines market.

He joins Credit Suisse from Macquarie Group, where he spent 17 years in various roles based around Asia Pacific. For the past eight years, he held the role of head of Macquarie Capital Philippines advising and raising capital for various top Philippine conglomerates.

At Macquarie, De Guzman advised on a number of notable transactions in the Philippines including SM Prime’s $8-billion real estate restructuring and $400-million equity raising, Emperador’s $700-million acquisition of Whyte & Mckay, the Ayala/Metro Pacific consortium’s LRT-1 transaction, and the $530 million IPO of SM InvestmentsCorp.

“The Philippines is an important part of Credit Suisse’s Southeast Asia franchise, and where the bank has been a leading financial advisor since1992,” the Swiss bank said.

Credit Suisse has advised on numerous landmark and innovative transactions in the country, including the Republic of the Philippines accelerated switch tender offer and $2-billion notes offering which marked the bank’s 17th bond offering and/or liability management deal led for the ROP since 2004, and a $1.2-billion rights issue for BDO Unibank.

Credit Suisse offers clients its combined expertise in the areas of private banking, investment banking and asset management. It provides advisory services, comprehensive solutions and innovative products to companies, institutional clients and high-net-worth private clients globally, as well as to retail clients in Switzerland.

Credit Suisse is headquartered in Zurich and operates in over 50 countries where it employs 46,640 people.

MILLENNIALS ENCOURAGED TO INVEST A LIFE insurance company has tapped a celebrity endorser to teach millennials on how to invest and achieve their life goals.

Sun Life Asset Management Company Inc. teamed up with actor Matteo Guidicelli to launch a series of video blogs on investing which they say can help millennials plan their future better. The campaign aims to encourage Filipinos to invest in mutual funds.

SLAMCI, the mutual fund unit of Sun Life of Canada, wants to have millennials as investors and chose the 27-year-old actor to lead the vlog campaign. Guidicelli says he has been entrusting his money with Sunlife for the past three years now, with a portion of his earnings steadily going to savings and investment.

A survey by Sunlife shows that while 80 percent of millennials consider it important to invest, less than 1 percent actually invest in stocks and funds.

“Imagine if we invest in Sunlife now, we will have nicer and bigger travels, five or 10 years from now,” says Guidicelli. “It is about planning your life goals.”

The vlogs, dubbed ‘Make it Mutual’ tackle

topics relevant to personal finance such as growing one’s money, beating inflation and investing regularly.

“I myself have life goals I’d like to pursue and I’m happy to share that ever since I made it mutual with SLAMCI, I’ve been well on my way to achieving all those goals. It would be great if more Filipinos can experience the same,” says Guidicelli.

SLAMCI president Valerie Pama says the company is committed to helping more Filipinos discover the benefits of investing so they may reap its rewards.

“We all have goals that we’d like to accomplish, such as buying a house or a car, traveling to a dream destination, or planning a wedding. These are goals that require a significant amount of money, and sometimes, Filipinos become discouraged knowing how much they need to raise to be able to fund their dreams,” she says. “We’d like to show them that by saving and investing in mutual funds, all their dreams can become a reality. They simply have to ‘Make It Mutual.’”

Sun Life chief marketing officer Mylene

Lopa says the vlogs are a part of Financial Independence Month campaign in June. “We remain committed to this cause. Sun Life is always eager to promote it in ways that are creative, relatable, easily understandable,” says Lopa. “We will never tire of advocating financial literacy to Filipinos.”

Lopa cites a historical performance of SLAMCI funds where investors doubled their investments every 10 years. The company, however, does not give any assurance on the exact rate of return.

SLAMCI, the mutual fund arm of Sun Life of Canada (Philippines) Inc., manages P57.8 billion in assets under 11 mutual funds collectively called Sun Life Prosperity Funds.

“We are continuously growing. We are gaining more clients. We have 130,000 clients. Our assets under management are getting bigger. A lot of clients are quite confident putting their money with Sunlife.

We conservatively manage these assets to the best of our abilities,” says Gerard Bautista, SLAMCI head for bank and alternative channels. Roderick T. dela Cruz

SM MARKETS HELPS ‘MUSHROOMING’ COMMUNITIES SM MARKETS, the largest food retail chain in the country, becomes the first retailer to bring fresh local oyster mushrooms to the supermarket in support of Go Negosyo’s initiative to help engage local farmers.

Sourced from Trophy Farm, a Leytebased mushroom farm, the initial order of mushrooms is already available on the shelves of SM Markets’ member stores, SM Supermarket Cebu, SM Supermarket Seaside, Savemore Market Parkmall and Savemore Market Tacloban since early this May. SM Markets has always been suppor tive of small and medium enterprises. Before sourcing mushrooms, SM Markets recently helped the farmers of Nueva Ecija move their locally grown red and white onions.

For fresh oyster mushrooms, SM Markets dealt with the Leyte-based Trophy Farm as endorsed by Go Negosyo. SM Markets’ and Go Negosyo’s objective is to help farmers develop their entrepreneurship by connecting them to

local food retailers and suppliers to better move their produce.

As one of the pioneering supermarket chains in the country, SM Markets continues to deliver worldclass products and services to over 230 cities and municipalities nationwide and counting.

Apart from supporting Go Negosyo’s campaign, SM Markets also develops SMEs suppliers’ expansion by hosting weekend bazaars, offering opportunities to supply for SM Bonus, and helping farmers become sustainable through training under SM Foundation’s Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan program.

According to SM Markets, SMEs add more variety to SM’s offerings and in turn, their products are displayed among more popular varieties giving them the same exposure as multinational corporations. SM Markets will help augment mushroom sales SM Markets lends a helping hand to the Oyster Mushroom farmers of Leyte by through communication efforts in enjoining its shoppers to help support putting their produce on the shelves of SM Supermarket Cebu, SM Supermarket Seaside, Savemore Market Parkmall and Savemore Market Tacloban. the initiative.

Sports

C3

SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2017 reuelvidal@yahoo.com

EUSTAQUIO WANTS TO TASTE REVENGE June Mar Fajardo

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED FOR GILAS PILIPINAS

Geje Eustaquio (right) connects with a roundhouse kick which is barely deflected by his opponent Gianni Subba. Eustaquio beat Subba by unanimous decision at ONE: Global Rivals, April 15, 2016. ONE Championship

By Reuel Vidal

R

EVENGE is supposed to be a dish best served cold. Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio gets to prove that adage when he gets his long-awaited rematch against Thai rival Anatpong Bunrad at ONE: Dynasty of Heroes on May 26.

Eustaquio has waited two years to experience the sweet taste of vengeance when he gets his shot at Bunrad after the Thai narrowly beat him by split decision at ONE: Valor of Champions on April 24, 2015.

And after a bout that could have gone either way and which resulted in a bitter loss, Eustaquio says he’s not about to take any chances and will not let the three judges decide the outcome of the match.

“My first fight against him

served as a big lesson. It’s my duty to learn from my mistakes and improve to become a better martial artist. I know what I am capable of. I can’t wait to showcase my talent this coming May 26,” Eustaquio said.

Eustaquio has power in both mitts. He knocked out Malaysian standout Saiful Merican with a counter left hook in the first round during their bout January last year.

He hopes to score a similarly decisive win over Bunrad.

Geje Eustaquio (left) talks to Manila Standard’s Reuel Vidal before working out at a gym.

“I have to make sure it will be a landslide if it will go to a decision, or if God permits, I will knock him down or submit him. I will go there and do my job. If God permits, I will bring home the victory,” he said.

Eustaquio squares off against Bunrad at the 12,000-capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium. He says he’s ready for the challenge.

“The last time we fought, it was a razor-thin decision.

Maybe I lacked the quantity in striking. There were also cases when his leg kicks, though those were weak ones, did connect. It didn’t hurt as much, but in the eyes of the judges, it had a big impact. So maybe this time, I’ll avoid those leg kicks,” Eustaquio said.

Eustaquio believes he won their last bout. He will admit though that it was a close decision and does not the blame the judges. But this time around he wants to leave no doubt by posting a decisive win. He plans to finish his foe by knockout or submission.

With a week left before the bout, Eustaquio said he also addressed the mental aspect of the marquee match-up.

“As we wrap up the training camp, we now channel our focus on the mental aspect. Since we fought before, we know how high his energy is. I have to be mentally prepared as well,” he said.

Twenty eight-year-old Baguio City native Eustaquio will rely on his stamina and plans to consistently put the pressure on his Thai counterpart throughout the fight.

Geje Eustaquio (left) hits Thai rival Anatpong Bunrad on the face with a left straight. Eustaquio lost to Bunrad by split decision at ONE Valor of Champions on April 24, 2015. ONE Championship

Bunrad hasn’t fought since December 2015 when he lost a narrow split decision to Gianna Subba who incidentally was convincingly beaten by Eustaquio by unanimous decision at ONE: Global Rivals April 15, 2016.

Bunrad was supposed to battle Eugene Toquero May last year but their bout was cancelled for undisclosed reasons. Eustaquio will undoubtedly be the sharper competitor between the two.

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.

ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia.

ONE Championship is broadcast to over one billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, MYTV, HTV, OSN and more.

OVERKILL? Not really, not when the goal was not just win the Southeast Asia Basketball Association Championship but win so convincingly that there is no doubt as to who are the kings of the sport in the region.

The Philippine team did just that.

Winning its first game by 103 points; scoring over 100 points in every game but their last; and decimating the opposition so badly that the betting line during their games was never who wins but by how big a margin the Philippines will rout the other team.

Historically, the Philippines sent just amateur players to compete in the Seaba as well as the SEA Games. But in the face of the ever improving play of our Southeast Asia neighbors the country’s ruling body of the sport decided to send the strongest possible team to the competition.

Leading the squad was three-time Philippine Basketball Association Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo and the man they call The Beast Calvin Abueva. They were joined by the countr y ’s best basketball players in Jayson Castro, Terrence Romeo, Japeth Ag u i l a r, A l l e i n M a l i k s i , R ay m o n d Almazan and Troy Rosario.

Completing the cast were Gilas Cadets Jio Jalalon, Roger Pogoy and Matthew Wright. The team, already strong enough to manhandle every team in the Seaba, was made even stronger with the addition of naturalized player Andray Blatche.

I n t he l op s i d e d c ha m p i ons hi p game Gilas Pilipinas trounced Indonesia 97-64 to complete a sweep of the tournament and seal a berth in World Cup qualifiers.

Indonesia was supposed to pose a challenge to the national team. Well, if trailing 2-5 at the start of the game and never trailing again; and then winning by 33 points could be considered a challenge then Gilas did get challenged at least once this tournament.

Blatche led Gilas with 21 points, on four triples and 10 rebounds despite playing just 20 minutes.

Castro, considered the best point guard in Asia, orchestrated the Gilas offense and added 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Fajardo had 13 points, four rebounds and two blocks.

Abueva was a hyper kinetic bundle of energy as he pressured and harassed the Indonesia offense and collared eight rebounds to go with five points, one steal and one block.

Fajardo and Blatche relied on their size and length to score at will inside the paint.

When the Indonesians shifted to a zone, outside shooters Wright, Romeo, Jalalon, Castro and even Blatche sniped from afar to complete the rout. Reuel Vidal

SPI VOLCANOES FIGHT FOR 3RD PLACE IN ASIA RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIPS THE SPI Volcanoes are looking to finish strong in their final match of the Asia Rugby Championships as they face United Arab Emirates in a playoff match for third place Saturday, May 27 in Ipoh, Malaysia.

The Volcanoes have not been able to withstand and convert pressure into points in their first two matches, going down to Sri Lanka in their opening game on Sunday and Malaysia on Wednesday.

“It’s been a tough campaign for us, losing key personnel early in the tournament. Credit to Sri Lanka and Malaysia, they were the better team on the day. We do however have one game left, and want to ensure that we perform to the best of our ability, which I know we can and finish third in the championships,” stand in captain Jake

Robrigado Letts said.

The Volcanoes will have to pass UAE, a team the Volcanoes last played in 2013 at Rizal Memorial Stadium, in the playoff match to hold their position in Division 1.

In 2013, the Philippines were successful beating the visiting nation 24 points to 8.

“The last time we played them it was tough match, they are a new side now and so are we. They have had two close matches in this series also so we know Saturday is going to another tough one,” said veteran prop forward and vice captain Austin Garnica Dacanay.

Both the Philippines and UAE have everything to fight for in the playoff match, the winner not only finishes third but also cements their place in Division 1 again in 2018. The loser will be relegated into Division 2.

With a string of injuries to the playing

roster, the SPI Volcanoes are expected to keep a similar line up. Michael Estrada Duhig at hooker is hopeful to make a return after being forced to sit out the first two matches with injury.

“Looking ahead our coaching staff will field our strongest 23 available. I know the players here have what it takes to win this playoff match. I am more than confident that if we can do the basics well, limit our error rate and play to our shapes we can come away with the win.

It’s a new day, we have the opportunity to turn the result in our favor and I know the players will be giving it everything come Saturday,” Letts said.

The SPI Philippine Volcanoes will kick off at 2 p.m., Saturday, May 27.

Games are covered by Astro, Rugby Pass and showed live on the Asia Rugby Facebook page.

Philippine Volcanoes defenders (white top) try to bring down a Malaysian as they play defense. The Volcanoes were tested by the fierce Malaysian outfit at match two of the Asia Rugby Championships. Asia Rugby

C4

Sports

SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor / Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor / Randy Caluag, Issue Editor

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

COMBAT SPORTS TAKE SPOTLIGHT

By Randy Caluag

F

ILIPINOS take pride in their innate passion for martial arts. It’s not surprising that combat sports always serve as the ticket to success for Filipinos in the global sports stage.

Of the 10 medals won by the Philippines in the Olympics, the most prestigious and biggest sports show on earth, boxers gave the most numbers of medals with Anthony Villanueva and Mansueto Velasco winning silver. Roel Velasco and Leopoldo Serrantes gave the country a bronze medal each.

The third silver medal was delivered by female weightlifter in the last edition of the quadrennial Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Combat sports like karate, wushu, taekwondo have made the country proud in the world stage as well. It’s not surprising indeed that the Philippines will again bank on these disciplines as it goes for the elusive gold medal in the next Olympics in Tokyo in 2020.

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) have put up united front to make sure in keeping the Filipino warrior spirit by competing regularly in the Asian Martial Arts Games (AIMAG), the 7th edition of which will took place on September 17 to 27 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan “We will continue to seek ways to discover new talents that will make us proud in the global stage,” said Cong. Mounsour Del Rosario, secretary-general of the Philippine Taekwondo Federation.

Del Rosario, a former Olympian and Asian taekwondo champion, has been designated as Chef De Mission to AIMAG that will be participated in by thousands of athletes from 62 countries in Asia and Oceania.

“We truly believe in the deep warrior spirit of the Filipino athletes,” added Del Rosario, who decided to expand the program by holding a tournament that will help select members of the national team in non-Olympic sports.

Pre-AIMAG event

Del Rosario, with his assistant chef de mission Raymund Lee Reyes of karate, will organize the Pre-AIMAG tournament, featuring sports like Kickboxing, Kurash, Sambo, Belt Wrestling and Traditional Wrestling on May 29 to June 2 at Harisson Plaza Mall, Manila.

The event is open to all Filipino practitioners and can register with the organizers per sport or directly coordinate with the PSC which is funding the event.

“With this (Pre-Aimag) event, we will showcase new sports that will help our country achieve more medal for the counrty that’s way we featured this new combat sports event because Filipinos are good in combat sports,” said

Sam Betten

BETTEN SEEKS THREE-PEAT IN REGENT 1550

Veteran internationalist MJ Abrillo (right) is one of the participants in the pre-AIMAG tournament in Harrison Plaza, Manila. (From MJ Abrillo Facebook)

Philippine team chef de mission to AIMAG, Cong. Monsour del Rosario, and hisa asst. CDM Raymund Lee Reyes give their reports to the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) board regarding the country’s preparation for the AIMAG

pines of Brico Santig have bonded to form the Kickboxing Alliance of the Philippines (KAP).

Other affiliate gyms like martial arts gyms like New Blood MMA, Cerberus, D Elements, Highland Boxing MMA, Yaw-Yan Kampilan, Biagtan MMA, to name a few, have also expressed their support.

“We are very glad that our sport will now be given more chances to be exposed to the new generation. We really should continue our martial arts tradition because of the explosion of mixed martial arts as a professional sport.

AIMAG is one of the biggest events where Filipino can show their skills,” said KAP board member Sabrine.

Martial arts along with other disciplines like athletics, chess, cycling, lawn tennis, muay thai,

Del Rosario and Reyes with officials of Philippine Sports Commission and sports representatives during a coordination meeting

Reyes, secretary-general of the Philippine Karatedo Federation.

“This is also the best time for martial arts groups to unite for the country,” said Reyes, who set kickboxing as good example.

Some of the biggest kickboxing organizations like the Kickboxing and Muay Thai Council of the Philippines, headed by Emmanuel Sabrine, WMKF-Philippines of Gerald Basig, World Kickboxing League-Philip-

weightlifting, taekwondo, billiards, football, swimming, bowling, dancesport, basketbal and futsal will be featured in the actual AIMAG in Uzbekistan. With reports from Nathaniel Mariano

HE’S back.

And Sam Betten’s not only chasing a back-to-back title but a rare grand slam in the local version of the world’s largest Olympic distance triathlon series when the Regent 5150 is fired off June 4 in Subic Bay. The 6-4 Aussie topped the last two editions of the event, including a dominating performance last year when he led from start to finish of the challenging 1.5k swim, 40k bike and 10k run event and churned out a 2:06.55 clocking.

That should pump Betten all the more this year—not only for the rare chance to become the first triathlete to score a three-peat in the annual event but also to prime up for the another 5150 championship in Bohol later this year.

But Betten will be in for a tough outing this time with fellow Aussies and veterans Ben Allen, Mitch Robins and Dan Brown along with Iain Alexandridis of the US going all-out to foil his ambitious bid.

“It’s tougher to win twice in a row.

So going for three is something very special but very challenging,” said the 29-year-old Betten.

While last year’s women’s champ won’t be around to defend her crown, veteran campaigner and bemedalled triathlete Dimity-Lee Duke, also of Australia, is tipped to dispute the title with Hungarian Anna Eberhardt, and Kerry Mulholland and Annelies Jeffries, both from Down Under.

To spice up the event, sponsored by the country’s leading snack manufacturing company, the organizing Sunrise Events, Inc. is again putting up a short distance race series, featuring a 750m swim, a 20k bike and a 5k run, that proved to be a big hit last year.

Dubbed the Sunrise Sprint, the event is designed for beginners wanting to immerse themselves into triathlon racing, a tri warrior who has been off the circuit and out to make a comeback or simply a triathlon enthusiast.

SEI founder Fred Uytengsu said that it has been their desire to expand the base of triathlon since they took the cudgels for the sport in mid-2000 with the Sunrise Sprint providing beginners or those on a comeback trail a fun and friendly racing experience.

Regent Foods president and CEO Ricky See, on the other hand, is renewing its sponsorship of the sport as part of the firm’s continuing commitment to support the Filipino’s changing lifestyles and needs.

“Regent Foods started to focus in promoting a balanced routine through our participation in fun run events. And after seeing triathlon evolve into what it is today, we are truly proud to be part in supporting the triathlon community with the Regent 5150 event,” said See.

LADY BULLDOGS REPEL FALCONS, COP NAT’L SOFTBALL CROWN NATIONAL U fought back from three runs down with a late charge then leaned on Ethel Cuyo’s big hit in the sixth inning to hack out a thrilling 4-3 victory over Adamson and snare the Cebuana Lhuillier-ASAPHIL National Softball Intercollegiate Championships crown recently at the Sto. Niño Ballpark in Marikina City.

The Lady Bulldogs yielded three runs after the fourth but pounced on Adamson’s catching errors in the bottom sixth and equalized at 3 on Clarifel Singh’s two RBIs before Cuyo came through with a hit to put NU on top before the Bustillos-based squad capped its come-from-behind win with a fly-out.

“I’d like to commend every team that participated in this tournament.

Everyone did an impressive job in competing against each other and in showing the great potential of Philippine softball. Congratulations to National University and I hope to see everyone again next year,” said ASAPHIL and Cebuana Lhuillier president Jean Henri Lhuillier.

Meanwhile, NU’s Mean Ramos took the Best Pitcher award and emerged the league’s MVP while teammate Elsie dela Torre bagged the Best Hitter trophy and UP’s Mary Joy Abanes captured the Best Slugger honors. Other awardees were AdU’s Gelyn Lamata (Most Homeruns) and

Diane Jane Balderama also of AdU (Most RBIs).

UP-Diliman placed third while PUP and Rizal Technological University ended up fourth and fifth, respectively.

It was a sorry loss for Adamson, which, after a scoreless first two innings, surged ahead with two runs in the third on a sacrifice hit by Diane Balderama coupled with an NU throwing error.

The Lady Falcons sustained their form and scored another run in the fourth after Leslie Benabaye battedin a long ball for a January Cantor run before NU, which eased out UPDiliman, 8-3, in the semis, broke the spell with a run in the fifth courtesy of Nicole Ordoyo.

National University’s Ethel Cuyo comes through with a crucial hit to secure the Lady Bulldog’s come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Adamson Lady Falcons in the finals of the Cebuana LhuillierASAPHIL 2017 National Softball Intercollegiate Championships at the Sto. Niño Ballpark in Marikina.