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SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 2017

Business

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

YOUNG CENTRAL BANKERS SING, DANCE AND HAVE FUN

By Siegfrid Alegado

K

RISTEL Cabuling isn’t your typical central bank auditor.

She climbs mountains, sings for a choir and studies poledancing in her off hours.

“My friends wonder where I get time to do a lot of other things,” Cabuling, 29, Philippine central bank compliance specialist said while taking a break during choir practice. “Some of them, those working in other companies, even sleep in the office just to meet deadlines.”

The Philippines is home to one of the world’s youngest populations and labor forces and that presents special challenges to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the nation’s central bank. Some 44 percent of its staff belong to the Millennial generation, broadly defined as age 37 or lower.

I t ’s a generation that seeks a better work-life balance and is perfectly willing to jump ship to global and local commercial banks also vying for talent. “ We need to adapt to changing attitudes of a younger generation,” Deputy Governor Cyd Amador said in an interview. “It’s a generation not just fixated on monetary benefits but is also concerned about their wellness, hobbies, skills development and personal growth.”

The Philippine’s youthful population—almost half the workforce is below 34, the statistics authority estimates—is a huge economic advantage. The demographic dividend from a rising supply of young workers and their spending power is one reason why companies such as Unilever NV and Toyota Motor Corp. are expanding in the Philippines, helping drive an economic boom this decade. That’s in contrast to countries like Japan and South Korea where the workforce is declining.

Manila’s working-age population, at about 8.5 million, will increase by as much as 2.5 million by 2030 –equivalent to Rome’s total workers today, according to McKinsey & Co. Consumption by those of working age in the Philippine capital will grow by $74 billion during the period, it estimated in a report last year.

Kiel Cortez fulfills his exercise regiment at the rooftop track of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas headquarters in Manila.

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Accenture Philippines managing director JP Palpallatoc

ACCENTURE LAUNCHES MODERN PH STUDIO

By Kristin Mae Cortez and Aletha Jasmine Dela Cruz

Kristel Cabuling

The median age at the Philippine central bank has dropped to 38 from 48 in the decade to 2016, and may go lower with the upcoming retirement of Governor Amando Tetangco, 64, in July. His successor Nestor Espenilla is 58.

Yet for employers there are trade offs and challenges: recruiting and retaining top talent is more difficult with younger workers who demand benefits and enjoy employment opportunities across the financial industry in Asia.

Art club From art and fishing clubs to gym classes, the Philippine central bank is trying new ways to keep workers happy. A decade ago, it started offering free group exercises including yoga, hiphop and zumba while trainers stand ready for one-on-one coaching on weight training.

The central bank has a 400 square-meter gym complete with a running track on the roof where employees can be seen after work. Policy makers are also studying flexible hours, work-from-home options and sleeping pods for the staff.

It’s also paying competitive salaries to keep their loyalty, said Amador, who’s in charge of human resource management. A new college graduate

working in financial services can earn as much as $5,300 a year, higher than wages in sales and almost as much as what a masters degree holder would earn in human resources, according to advisory firm Willis Towers Watson.

Millennials prioritize well-being programs and career development, said Iris Anne Hamada, a senior consultant at management firm Aon Hewitt in Manila. Only one in three Filipino millennials plan to stay with their company for more than five years, according to a 2017 study by Deloitte LLP. Biggest loser Kiel Cortez, 26, was working long hours at the graveyard shift reconciling cash and stock transactions at JPMorgan Chase & Co. for four months before he got tired and quit in 2011.

Now a financial market research officer at the central bank’s treasury department, where he studies the lender’s asset allocation and investment policies, he’s using his free time to exercise and lost 26 pounds in the bank’s “Biggest Loser” contest.

“I definitely see myself staying here,” he said. “With JP Morgan, I normally miss Friday nights out because I have to work. But here, as long as I finish my job, I can go and do basketball, gym, or go out with friends.”

Businesses with fewer turnover among millennials communicate career development plans better, offer customized learning and personal development opportunities and engage workers regularly, according to Aon. About 5 percent of workers in finance leave their company, the second highest ratio among 17 industries, according to the statistics agency.

“One important workplace differentiator for millennials is communication,” Aon’s Hamada said.

Cabuling, a soprano, is already preparing for her next mountain ascent in the Cordillera range north of Manila in July. The journey to reach the peak at over 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) will take two days and will be one of the toughest she’s done.

“Frankly, I don’t know where life will take me, but it’s safe to say that I’m very, very happy where I’m at now,” Cabuling said.

Bloomberg

ACCENTURE, a global professional services company, has launched a new liquid studio in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig where clients can experiment with and learn from latest technologies and sof t ware application such as artificial intelligence, robotic process automation, augmented and virtual reality, cloud, Internet of Things and blockchain.

The 2,000-square-meter facility aims to help Accenture’s clients reduce development time from months to days by applying rapid development approaches including Agile methodologies and DevOps, and experimenting with disruptive technologies.

Accenture technology services group chief executive Bhaskar Ghosh, technology lead in the Philippines Ambe Tierro and managing director JP Palpallatoc led the launching of the liquid studio where clients can discover new concepts, applications and solutions with speed and agility.

The Accenture team agrees that the Philippines would greatly benefit from the studio because it is one of the large global delivery centers all over the world, including London, Milan, Paris, Kronberg, Singapore, Sidney and Silicon Valley.

“We promise to take ideas from conception to actual prototyping for our clients, so you can actually see it develop very rapidly, which is what innovation should be. Having one [liquid studio] in Manila would be a good way of showcasing Accenture innovations,” said technology lead Tierro, referring to the different architectures found in the studio.

“The liquid studio, which is the first to be co-located in an Accenture Delivery Center, helps clients create real-world solutions at speed and at scale through rapid prototyping, testing their viability in real-time. It is a great example of how Accenture leads with innovation to help clients ‘imagine and invent’ the future,” said Tierro.

One of the fascinating features in the studio is a room controlled by Google Home. Google Home follows commands such as “turn the lights on,” “play this music,” or “change the channel.”

In addition to serving clients, the liquid studio will be used to train and rotate Accenture professionals to new IT, providing them with experience in emerging technologies and ways of working. “ The liquid studio offers a ‘sandbox environment’ for Accenture employees, where they can experience emerging technologies first-hand and adopt an experimental culture. With this, they can build, test and deliver software with speed and agility. Combined with Accenture’s structured mentorships, this becomes an invaluable part of their career and learning journey at Accenture,” said Tierro.

COMPANY PROVIDES VENUE WHERE FILIPINO ARTISTRY THRIVES

By Kristin Mae Cortez and Aletha Jasmine Dela Cruz SEVERAL entrepreneurs have benefited from the works of Filipino artists during the three-day Art Mod Fair which showcased different techniques and styles of Filipino culture at Megatrade Hall of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

Ar tisteSpace, a company that organized the event, aims to promote a broad collection of art pieces that include photography, painting and drawing. ArtisteSpace also helps small and well-known organizations that focus

Filipino artists Joe Datuin, Migz Salazar, Oz Mendoza and Boysie Villavicencio and ArtisteSpace managing director Anton Magpantay answer questions from guests during the three-Day Art Mod Fair.

on buy-and-sell of artworks.

“We give importance not only to wellestablished artists. Of course, we also need them, but at the end of the day, we are also giving opportunities to other artists from the provinces,” says Anton Magpantay, managing director of the marketing company.

Among the well-known Filipino artists whose works were put on display at Art Mod Fair are Philipp Badon, Joe Datuin, Migz Salazar, Oz Mendoza and Boysie Villavicencio.

Magpantay is particularly excited about Ang Buhay at Hugis sa Paete, a heritage shop where authentic paete

wood carvings are priced according to their design, style and the wood used.

Meanwhile, one exhibitor said they used recycled gadgets and toys to catch up with the present innovations.

Art also has a different meaning to other artists and business owners like William Borja, who found a way to raise money for his wife who was diagnosed with ALS in 2014.

Jam Ramos, a photographer from Artvan and a contributing photographer for Top Gear Philippines, says the exhibition helps the public become aware of the value of art.

Business

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SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 2017 business@manilastandard.net

DOT ASKED TO TAP LOCAL AD TALENTS A S CO N G R E S S calls for an investigation on the rescinded P650-million advertising contract bet ween the Depar tment of Tourism and multinational company McCann Worldgroup Philippines, an advertising and public relations expert says both parties have to answer to the Filipino people not only for deceiving the world but for putting hard-earned people’s taxes to waste.

“I think both the Tour ism Department and the ad agency are to blame for this fiasco. There were numerous procedure before the promotional material came to life. They must have had several discussions for research, script, shoot and the people who will be involved in the project,” says media and ad expert Alejandro Danao, who has a 38-year experience in the industry.

It’s high time people in the ad industry take responsibility for their actions.

He says the ad agency has the full responsibility in the creation of the ad material and that it should have been honest enough to inform the client—the DOT—of the similarities with the South African campaign material.

“Integrity and honesty are of prime importance to a business relationship,” he says.

The biggest picture at stake, he says, is the spending of the P650-million ad budget which came from the Filipino people.

The government should be able to discern who is responsible and accountable for the publicity disaster, he says.

“What is also troubling is the department’s seeming lack of confidence on local talents,” Danao says.

“It’s high time people in the ad industry take responsibility for their actions. We shape the minds of the consuming public. Therefore we should be transparent enough to know want the client wants and what the consumers need. And if we want public respect, we should have ethics in the first place,” he says.

“There is this one liner that I always tell my people, ‘anything that matters to your clients’ survival, matters to you’,” he says.

The international promotional campaign ‘Sights’ of the DOT was the subject of debate on who should be held liable for such misinformation.

The ad material was allegedly a rip-off of another tourism campaign in South Africa produced by the same McCann outfit.

The DOT cancelled the contract with McCann, demanded a public apology and is mulling over the filing of a case against the multinational ad agency. Othel V. Campos

SHOPEE TURNS TWO, THANKS TO MILLENNIALS

By Othel V. Campos

M

OBILE-FIRST app Shopee is turning two years old in June, solidifying its status as one of the first mobile shopping platforms in the Philippines that brought an entire marketplace closer to consumers.

Macy Castillo, Shopee head of commercial business, said while there are similar platforms, Shopee remains unique because it is purely 100-percent market-based.

“This is like our second birthday here in the Philippines. We’ve been around, starting with our headquarters in Singapore. We’re now in seven countries including the Philippines. We’re mobile first, so that sort of differentiate us from those who came earlier. They are more of the desktop users. And what’s great about us that we’re very social. That’s what we really thought about when we started the business,” Castillo said.

For Shopee, being a virtual marketplace makes trade and commerce a whole lot easier and cost-neutral as the actual operations are done by the vendors themselves.

There is no capital investment needed to creating and maintaining a business like warehousing cost for physical inventory.

“Ours is just a platform. The real commerce happens between the sellers and the buyers. We encourage the buyers to be more pro-active in their buying habits, to engage the vendors to disclose more about their products to prevent miscommunication,” said Castillo who used to work for Zalora, the fashion online site.

She also worked in an e-commerce startup after her stint at Zalora.

The beauty of the marketplace, she said, is that it offers shoppers a whole range of products at different price points.

“They can compare the published prices so there’s more value for money. The more they visit and browse the app, the more they will learn about unique and novel products not yet offered in the malls and other shopping sites. What we did was we made sure that our buyers and sellers could talk to each other. If there’s a problem or question before they buy the product, the sellers and buyers can chat on the app real time. We localize everything so we have market support.

And also what’s very different for us compared to other buy-and-sell stores is that we have Shopee guarantee,” Castillo said.

She said there are buyers who have concerns about buying online so the only way they can assure the buyers that online shopping is safe, secure and convenient is by providing the socalled Shopee Guarantee.

With guarantee, Shopee makes sure that buyers receive the order before the payment is remitted to the sellers.

“We created all of these features for Shopee because we know people are hesitant to buy via the web. We want them to feel secure.That’s one of the things that we tell our buyers,” Castillo said.

She also noticed that the Philippines is the only market where sellers and buyers are both very engaging and are comfortable to chat on the app.

Compared to other countries where engagement is estimated at 75 percent, about 85 percent of Shopee buyers in the Philippines actually chat with sellers before a purchase is made.

“But what also makes us different aside from being social is that we really have full support to the sellers. We have all these tools that even for new sellers, it’s very easy for them to manage

Macy Castillo, Shopee head of commercial business

their inventory, to manage their income. They don’t need the desktop. They can do everything on their phone. All they have to do is take pictures of the products they intend to sell on our platform, register with us and post the photos,” Castillo said.

Shoppe’s support to sellers have come a long way since it started operating in the Philippines.

With the Shopee University, the app helps local entrepreneurs in setting up their online business and succeed in an increasingly competitive mobile-centric environment. It is a series of in-depth tutorial modules to educate sellers.

The first Shopee University class was held in February 2016, and since then, has visited 29 cities around the country and attended by thousands of participants.

Shopee plans to further expand and improve Shopee University across the Philippines which includes extending the curriculum and getting more prominent lecturers from m-commerce backgrounds to share their expertise with Shopee sellers.

A great deal of Shopee’s buyers are very millennial, an age group who are more confident buying online. Transactions at Shopee are still predominantly female-led with beauty and women’s crafts leading the growth.

In recent months, Shopee noted that more men are actually doing their shopping online.

“What is more amazing is the fact that male shoppers are actually buying beauty stuff on the net. Things like toner, facial wash, anti-aging creams, perfume, the likes,” said Castillo.

Shopee boasts of huge stock keeping units reaching 60 million at any given time, and the number is still increasing as more vendors join the market place.

In 2016, Shopee reported sales of $2.5 billion, a 900-percent growth over the previous year making it the top online shopping app in the region.

“I can’t reveal the targets but we’ve exceeded it already, I can tell you that. Midyear, we’ve exceeded targets. We’re growing it and we’re hoping to exceed the $2.5 billion this year,” said Castillo.

58 ‘LIGHTHOUSE’ SCHOOLS TEACH STUDENTS ON GARDENING F I F T Y - E I G H T “lighthouse” schools have been put up in Region 4A by the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction which teaches K-12 pupils gardening as a reliable solution to malnutrition that can be prevalent among schoolchildren.

IIRR says the lighthouse schools in its Gardening and Nutrition Education with School-based Supplementary Feeding is a viable way to source food right from one’s garden.

These gardens are now a source of food for a feeding program in public schools in Region 4A or Calabarzon (Cav i te, L a g u n a , B at a n g a s, R i z a l, Quezon).

Likewise, the gardens enlighten pupils and parents on nutrition education.

The program takes inspiration from Cornell University’s International Nutrition program. It uses nutrition education among children or parents as tool in mitigating malnutrition.

“Improved nutrition education has been one of the key factors to prevent

12,000 deaths a year worldwide,”according to the United Nations Millennium Campaign.

When one looks at the list of vegetables that IIRR teaches the schoolchildren to plant, he may doubt whether this battle for capturing pupils’ mind for agriculture can be won.

The vegetables are amaranth (kulitis), long-fruited jute (saluyot), Philippine spinach (talinum), horseradish (malunggay), rice bean (tapilan), cowpea (paayap), lima bean (patani), hyacinth bean (batao), ash/white gourd (kundol), pigeonpea (kadios), wiged bean (sigarilyas), and okra.

“We’re interested in influencing their thinking. We have a very powerful device to influence young people on basic environmental natural resource concepts.

By growing indigenous vegetables through Bio-intensive gardening[Big], you’re actually conserving our indigenous varieties for future use,” says IIRR farm expert Dr. Julian Gonsalves, who is also the senior program advisor.

Nourishment The apparently more important role of the GARNESSUP lighthouse schools is the nourishment of children in public schools.

An IIRR study shows that “schoolbased supplementary feeding using produce from school gardens effectively improved nutritional status and reduced

anemia rates.”

It notes a significant decrease in anemia prevalence from 20.8 percent to 4.2 percent in a group of children with feeding program using iron fortified rice compared to the children with ordinary rice and those that never had a feeding program at all.

Moreover, savings from the use of indigenous vegetables from school gardens in six months reached P8,851 and benefited 146 schoolchildren.

Schools studied were the Felipe Calderon Elementary School in Tanza, Cavite and the Gen. Aloha Elemenetary School in Gen. Trias, Cavite.

The study was conducted with the Department of Science and TechnologyFood and Nutrition Research Institute, International Development Research Centre, and the Department of Education.

DOST-FNRI noted in its National Nutrition Sur vey that 3.35 million children aged 4 and below were found undernourished under the MDG Philippine Progress Report 2010.

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SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 2017 reuelvidal@yahoo.com

MYANMAR HERO BEARS THE HOPE OF A NATION

N

ATIONS’ heroes have risen from the sporting arena. Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis are bigger than life heroes in the USA. There’s Manny Pacquiao and Eduard Folayang in the Philippines. Myanmar has Aung La N Sang who carries the hope and dreams of a nation whenever he fights.

The 32-year-old is set to challenge Vitaly Bigdash once again for the ONE Middleweight World Championship. The epic rematch takes place in the main event of ONE: Light of a Nation on June 30, Friday at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in his old stomping grounds of Yangon, Myanmar.

While the “Burmese Python” is now Myanmar’s foremost martial artist and national icon who inspires millions, there was a time when the challenger lacked passion and direction.

As a teenager, he attended the Yangon International School and scored impressively high grades.

Despite being an active and popular student, he did not have many aspirations.

“When I was younger, I did not have much inspiration to succeed and I wish my mind was a little different. I was more easygoing and free. I guess I was not as focused as I am now. My mind was like, ‘Whatever, as long as God leads the way, I am ok.’ I did not have much ambition, and that was the problem,” he said.

Over time, however, Aung La N Sang developed a deep admiration for his father. His father’s impeccable

Roger Pogoy

TNT ROOKIE SELECTED PBA PLAYER OF THE WEEK Aung La N Sang of Myanmar enters the ONE Championship arena to raucous cheer from fight fans. The 32-year-old will challenge Vitaly Bigdash for the ONE Middleweight World Championship on June 30, Friday at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium. ONE Championship

Men, women and children join Aung La N Sang as he visits his hometown of Myitkyina in the Kachin state for the first time in 14 years. ONE Championship

Aung La N Sang (right) stalks ONE Championship World Middleweight Champion Vitaly Bigdash during their first fight. The two will again meet on June 30 in Myanmar. ONE Championship

work ethic and tirelessness struck a chord within the Myanmar native.

“He always worked very hard. He was gone most of the time when we were younger, and he would come home and bring gifts for us. What inspired me about him is that he is not educated—he only had elementary school education—but he always sought learning,” he said.

“He speaks seven different languages, including Burmese, English, Thai, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

For somebody who has very little education, speaks that many languages, does business, and is able to succeed? That inspires me.”

Aung La N Sang’s father also gave the future middleweight contender many gems of advice throughout the years. But out of all those words of wisdom, there is one in particular that has become Aung La N Sang personal motto.

“He would always tell me that you should always remember your roots, you should always remember where you came from, and you should always help out,” Aung La N Sang said. They are words that he is living up to, more than a decade later.

Nearly a year after leaving Myanmar to study Agriculture Science at Andrews University in Michigan in 2003, he witnessed a Samoan student

hitting a heavy bag in the school’s gymnasium, and thought it was the coolest thing ever.

A week later, he went to a Carlson Gracie dojo affiliate in South Bend, Indiana, and he has been hooked on martial arts ever since.

It may have taken him twelve years to get to this point, but Aung La N Sang’s hard work paid off. He is now a world title contender and will challenge for the ONE Middleweight World Championship.

Along with being a world title contender comes international fame, and he is using that fame for the greater good and the advancement of his Myanmar countrymen.

For the first time in 14 years, the middleweight visited his hometown of Myitkyina in the Kachin state to auction off some of his fight gear, with the proceeds going to Internally Displaced People, or IDPs, in the local community.

In addition to that, he is leading a mixed martial arts movement in Myanmar, and helping young competitors like Phoe Thaw, make a successful transition from lethwei into the sport he loves.

Clearly, Aung La N Sang remembers his roots. What’s more, he is nurturing those roots and his father could not be any more pleased.

“One thing I always wanted to do was make my dad proud, and it just makes me happy I am on the right road. It gives me peace of mind and it makes me appreciate it, and it makes me want to work even harder,” he said.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www. onefc.com, follow on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like on Facebook at h t t p s : / / w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / ONEChampionship.

PRFU ANNOUNCES U20 NATIONAL SEVENS TEAM THE Philippine Rugby Football Union has announced their 17-man training roster for the upcoming U20 Asia Rugby Sevens Championships.

The Philippines will compete against the heavyweights of Asian Rugby including Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and Sri Lanka, just to name a few.

The U20 Sevens Program is aimed at developing the next batch of future Volcanoes to represent the Philippines on the international level. It is an opportunity for the youth to showcase their skill on the international scene.

“For the U20s, Dave Johnston and I are looking at the PRFU’s future. We want to see who can step up and match it with Asia’s best. Last year we sent a team

of 18-year-olds to compete at an U20 level. This year we are looking forward to seeing them one year older, one year wiser,” said Jake Letts, National Teams Head for the Philippine Volcanoes.

The Philippines selected the best of both local and international Philippine heritage players. The key members making their return include Rhys Jacob Mackley, Andrew Rodolfo Baldado and Joshua Golimlim Aragon. The U18s Captain from 2016 Ryan Ralston Santos also looks to make his first appearance in the national U20s program.

The tournament will be played at Kings Park, Hong Kong on August 5 and 6.

Seventeen players have been selected to attend the official

training camp on Saturday July 29 at the Southern Plains High Performance Facility in Calamba, Laguna.

They are Andrew Rodolfo Baldado, Donald Gregory Fontillas Anderson, Ethan Cuison Chen, Francis Paul Castro, Gabriel Lingan, James Halasan Ryan, Jan Philip De Gracia Ninalga, Jay Vincent Del Rosario Enriquez, Jeff Patrick De Gracia Ninalga, Josh Heredia Miller, Joshua Golimlim Aragon, Lyndon Cabano - Ang Adlao, Mark Joseph Llanera, Mike Joshua Llanera, Rhys Jacob Mackley, Ryan Retes Padilla and Ryan Ralston Santos.

Coach is David Johnston, Assistant Coach Jake Robrigado Letts, Physiotherapist Steph Yee and Strength and Conditioning Coach Chris Everingham.

Gabriel Lingan (left) tries to sprint past a defender during rugby football action. Raymond Braganza

ROGER Pogoy may only be a rookie, but the young TNT wingman plays with the confidence of a veteran.

The 6-2 former Far Eastern University showed just that on Sunday, firing 17 points, none bigger than his three-point shot with under two minutes left to help TNT KaTropa beat a rallying Barangay Ginebra side, 100-94 in the opening game of their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series.

A deadly gunner, whose confidence grew further with his recent stints at Gilas, Pogoy’s headsup play earned him the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period of June 6-11.

Pogoy, who only turned 25 this past Friday defeated TNT teammate Ranidel de Ocampo and Star forwards Allein Maliksi and Aldrech Ramos for the weekly citation.

The Cebuano shooter’s transition to the pros is seamless considering that he is now playing under Nash Racela, his coach back in college where they won a UAAP men’s championship in 2015.

TNT is on the verge of a stint in the finals of the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup. After TNT’s Game One victory Anthony Semerad had a breakout game in TNT uniform as the KaTropa powered to a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-five semifinals.

Semerad converted four threepointers in the fourth period, including the goal that pushed the Texters ahead for good which eventually led to a nail-biting 107103 victory Tuesday.

Import Joshua Smith helped preserve the win after he blocked Justine Brownlee’s shot during the Ginebra possession. He then followed up a miss by Jayson Castro at the other end.

Ginebra managed to cut the gap with an emphatic 125-101 victory over Katropa in Game Three Thursday night.

The trio of Brownlee, Japeth Aguilar and Scottie Thompson found their range early to power the Kings to an early lead and then go on to score the most lopsided victory in the series.

But the biggest factor may have been the absence of Smith who complained of a hurting right foot early in the second period.

The hulking TNT import went out at the 6:54 mark of the second period and never came back.

He finished with only four points and seven rebounds in nine minutes of action. This after exploding 35 point in the Texters’ Game Two victory.

As we went to press TNT and Ginebra are playing a Game Four which could extend the series or send TNT to the finals of the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup. The 6’2” Pogoy was born June 16, 1992 in Minglanilla, Cebu.

He first shone in basketball as a high school varsity player at the University of Cebu.

He then joined the Far Eastern University Tamaraws under Racela and helped the team win the 2015 University Athletic Association of the Philippines crown in 2015.

He was a member of the Philippine team which won the gold medal during the 2016 SEABA tournament in Bangkok, Thailand. He again joined the team for the 2017 SEABA held in the Philippines where the country retained the crown.

He joined TNT KaTropa after the 2016 PBA Special Draft. He was among the 2017 PBA All-Stars.

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Sports

SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor / Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor / Randy Caluag, Issue Editor

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

ALASKA POWERCAMP KID ON A MISSION

By Marjaleen Ramos

Conor Mcgregor showing his boxing skills during practice (Photo from Conor Macgregor twitter account)

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE FOR MCGREGOR?

By Randy Caluag

T

HE odds were out in Las Vegas and Conor McGregor has been tagged the underdog.

Quite not surprising since the oddsmakers and experts have not given even a speck of a chance for the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) star since his superfight with undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, Jr., was announced few days back.

Many are not aware though that the Irish fighter has been training hard since May even before Mayweather agreed to the multi-million boxing bout set on August 26 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The UFC champion posted last month on his twitter account a picture of himself following a conditioning training.

“Today we are in the Red Zone on the @conormcgregorfast conditioning program. I must always take a brief moment to myself before I begin this intense zone. I ask myself one simple question— “How bad do I want this?”

He really wanted the fight badly. Not just for pride but for the money, of course.

As per estimates, McGregor is set to receive US$75million while the 40-year-old Mayweather will get US$100 million for getting out of retirement and stepping back into the ring.

McGregor is fighting his first professional fight against an opponent who had battled the best boxing champs in the world, including Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao whom he defeated via a unanimous decision.

Is McGregor out to pull off a surprise?

“They say I’ve got no chance. But they say that every fight,” McGregor twitted.

Manila Standard interviewed some of the local and international personalities in boxing and asked for their pick in the McGregor-Mayweather superfight that has been attracting interest in the fight world.

They’re all for Mayweather.

The match-up was so one-sided for the American boxer that an international matchmaker, Warren Elliot, wondered why the fight even got sanctioned by

the Nevada State Commission.

Here’s what they said about the fight.

Warren Elliot, international matchmaker Mayweather. Why? Because it is his promotion and his opponent is fighting a debuting boxer.

Mayweather is 49-0.

“Meaningless fight.”

His opponent is a debut boxer…McGregor has never fought professionally in his life.

Why is this even being sanctioned I have no idea why. Money talks.”

Monsour del Rosario, taekwondo Olympian and Asian champion “Kung boxing ang laban, Mayweather. Kung MMA, si macgregor.

Floyd is a master boxer while Connor is a master MMA fighter. They are both (masters) in 2 (two) different disciplines.”

“It’s like making a badminton champion play against a tennis champion… different rules and different worlds .. similar but different.”

Monsour del Rosario with Barcelona Games boxing bronze medalist Roel Velasco

Rennie Ross, MMA coach of UFC campaigner CJ De Tomas “Boxing ang laban kaya Mayweather ako jan dahil sa excellent foot work nya. Mga 70 percent ako jan dahil sa wide stance ni McGregor, mahirapan siya ipasok ang killer straight punch nya.”

Oliver Garcia, international judge and referee “Sa tingin ko kapag umabot ng decision ang bout pweding makuha ni Mayweather kasi mas may advan-

tage sya pag dating sa defense at offense. Pero mas aggressive si Mcgregor fatal attack kungbaga.”

Brico Santig with boxing legend Roy Jones Jr., during the International Boxing Federation (IBF) convention

Brico Santig, international boxing promoter and matchmaker “For sure Mayweather yan, sawsawan yan …pag MMA pwede pa manalo si Mcgregor Pero di rin masabi kasi matagal na rin sa MMA si mcgregor and matagal na rin nagbo-boxing (striking).”

“Kung may tsamba for Mcgregor?

Oo. Boxing is boxing dahil bago nag mma yan sure nag boxing din sya saka malaki sa laban. For sure, ayaw din nya mapahiya.”

Emmanuel Sabrine, Kickboing champion, now president of National Muay Thai and Kickboxing Council of the Philippines Kung mag abot man sila sa taas ng cage, sempre McGregor. Lahat alam ni McGregor, solid lamang siya pero kung boxing ang pinag usapan sempre, Mayweather tayo.

Ray Biagtan, international muay thai trainer and MMA fighter “Boxing ang paglalabanan, kahit sabihin nating magaling si Connor sa MMA, alanganin siyang manalo kay mayweather. Forte ni Mayweather ang boxing at balwarte nya ang squared ring.....in fairness magaling naman si connor, mananalo siya kapag na KO niya si Mayweather.”

Eduard Folayang, MMA fighter, ONE lightweight champion “Mayweather sa tingin ko dahil boxing ang laban.”

THE Filipinos’ love and passion for playing basketball isn’t just a hobby anymore—it’s has become a culture.

Kurt Vinluan, a nine-year-old baller, is just one of the many kids who went all the way to Baguio to join the Alaska Powercamp basketball program at the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio under Philippine Basketball Association legend and Alaska Aces assistant coach Jeffrey Cariaso.

Unlike a normal kid who idolizes professional basketball players, Kurt’s two elder brothers, Kenneth and Kevin, served as his major inspirations and were the ones who urged him to join his first Alaska Powercamp.

“I get my inspiration from watching my kuyas, watching basketball,” Kurt said.

Kurt’s passion for basketball showed off and it didn’t seem like it was his first time at the Powercamp after topping every kid at the obstacle course challenge and channeling his inner Stephen Curry, winning the Best Shooter award.

“I joined the Alaska Basketball Powercamp so I could be a good basketball player like the other players that play in the NBA finals.”

The 4th grader who resides in Kuwait does not take his young age as an excuse on working out and continues to prove that it’s never too early for him to strive for greatness as it is his dream to be one of the best to ever play the sport.

“We always do exercises; sometimes push up, jumping jacks and some stretching.”

“I set my goals by doing them one by one and be better by doing them,” he shared.

Kurt is a firm believer that what every basketball players need to do to become the best is to practice and never stop practicing.

Likewise, it is also the same advice of their coach, “to just keep on practicing at home and use the exercises, the ones we do here and do it also at home so that we can improve here also.”

There’s no denying how almost every kid in the Philippines has a strong passion and enthusiasm to learn and play basketball in order to achieve their dreams of becoming a successful player one day.

Kurt, who lives thousands miles away, is no exception.

Kurt Vinluan was adjudged the best shooter in the recent Alaska Powercamp in Baguio City

VALDEZ VOWS FULL COMMITMENT TO NAT’L TEAM

Alyssa Valdez (5th from left), MVP of the PVL inaugural season, with her Creamline teammates

VOLLEYBALL star Alyssa Valdez reiterated her full commitment to the national team and vowed to go all out to give honor to country.

“It’s really an honor to represent the country po talaga. As an athlete, that’s the [ultimate] dream and goal,” said Valdez, who was recently named to the national team that will compete in the Southeast Asian Games set Aug.19-30 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

From the very beginning, Valdez had already committed herself to play for the national team as she took time out from her stint in Thailand and attended a whole-day tryout in Davao City.

There was a time when her full

commitment was questioned due to her absence from some activities put up by the Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas, the national association for the sport of volleyball, but it was only due to the conflict in her schedules.

“Everyone’s really committed naman talaga. If you really love the sport, we can’t question the commitment,” she said during a meet-and-greet with their fans at Gerry’s Grill to celebrate her Creamline team’s recent third-place finish in the inaugural season of the Philippine Volleyball League.

Valdez, who was adjudged the PVL Most Valuable Player, has already attended at least three practices of the national team at the Arellano

Gym and said that the focus of training is more on putting cohesiveness to the team.

“We had team plays and we’re working on the jelling and communication. Important talaga ang pag jell ng players because we all came from [different] club teams. Pero veterans and talented naman lahat players kaya it would be easier for us.”

Valdez was named to the team along with other volleyball stars Jaja Santiago and team captain Mika Reyes.

The women’s volleyball team, seeing only for the second time in the SEA Games after a long, long while, is looking for a bronze medal finish although a silver or even a gold

finish is not far-fetched. Expected to crowd the top are Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Other members of the national squad are Denden Lazaro, Kim Fajardo, Rhea Dimaculangan, Maika Ortiz, Gen Casugod, Aby Marano, Jovelyn Gonzaga, Aiza Maizo-Pontillas and Ces Molina all made the cut.

Making it to the reserves list are De La Salle star libero Dawn Macandili and veteran Rachel Anne Daquis.

They will get the chance to gauge their performance when they compete in the AVC Asian Seniors Women’s Championship slated in Manila on Aug. 9 to 17 before heading to Malaysia. Randy Caluag