C1
SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017
Business
Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@manilastandard.net
INSURANCE CEO WANTS TO HIRE MORE MILLENNIALS Hitachi Asia Ltd. Philippine branch general manager Mitsuhiko Shimizu
HITACHI OFFERS TO MODERNIZE PH CITIES
By Kristin Mae Cortez and Aletha Jasmine Dela Cruz
Scan this icon to view the PDF
INSURERS
From left: AIA Group Limited regional chief executive Jacky Chan, AIA president and chief executive Ng Keng Hooi and Philam Life chief executive Ariel Cantos
By Roderick T. dela Cruz
A
RIEL Cantos, the chief executive of Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company, wants to hire more millennials to inform the younger generation about the importance of life insurance.
“Our industry needs a lot of people in that age bracket [millennials, 16 to 36], because people tend to listen to those in their age group,” says Cantos. Cantos, who holds 20 insurance policies for himself and his family, hopes to reach out to the younger generation to sustain the growth of the country’s largest life insurance company. Of the company’s 8,000 agents or financial advisors, less than 1,000 represent the millennials, he says. “It’s a minority, but it is a growing minority,” he says. Philam Life’s products and services are now geared toward serving the needs of the millennials. “We’re hoping that under health and wellness, we will be able to attract the younger generation,” says Cantos, who is also the president of the Philippine Life Insurance Association Inc. Philam Life has refurbished its centers of excellence to appeal to the millennials. A stateof-the-art facility in Makati City called Genesis by Philam Life serves as a training center for the company’s financial advisors. “It’s not a traditional training center. It is like the headquarters of Google meant to attract the younger generation,” says Cantos. Philam Life has three main sections designed
to “empower new financial advisors to become highly productive, collaborative, dynamic, techsavvy” and to have a good understanding of their clients’ needs, he says. Cantos says aside from the training center, Philam Life has also redesigned its offices to reflect a more vibrant vibe. “Knowing millennials, they go into digital and the like. Last year, we actually transformed close to 100 of our offices nationwide to look and feel very vibrant and very colorful. There’s WiFi facility and digital tools in most of these offices,” he says. Cantos says Philam Life is using digital technology for its presentation and transactions. “We provide a lot of options to our policy orders. If they want to transact with us from the comfort of their homes, then they can do that through digital. If they want a face-to-face transaction, they can also do that in our offices. As far as the customers are concerned, we’re also strengthening our distribution,” he says. “We are the only company in the industry that provides our advisers with digital tools so that when they make a presentation to clients, they use their iPads which makes it so engaging for the clients in terms of presentation,” says Cantos. “It is helping our advisers to have more meaningful plans. Our employees are very important to us. I’m very personal with my employees. At least once every week, I meet with a group of employees randomly chosen just to have a dialog with me,” says Cantos. He says Philam Life is strengthening its customer service to maintain its lead in the industry. “We focus on the customer, providing products that make it easy for them to be with us,” he says.
“With our employees, we create an inspiring workplace for them so that they will be eager to wake up in the morning and go to the office. I always remind them at the end of the day, the measure of our success is whether we make the customer happy about our service,” he says. Philam Life marks its 70th year, with a dramatic shift in overall strategy. It launched “Live Better” campaign to make healthy living more accessible to Filipinos. According to the 2016 Healthy Living Index, health is the primary concern of Filipinos. However, this does not translate into action, creating a gap between their concern and what they do. Philam Life believes this gap is an opportunity and is placing focus on capturing the wellness sphere. “As we look forward to the next 70 years, we will leverage on our financial strength, constantly creating and innovating new relevant propositions to meet our customers’ needs,” says Ariel Cantos. Philam Life had P245.9 billion in total assets as of Dec. 31, 2016. It has served more than 700,000 individual policyholders and over 2.5 million insured group members. Its subsidiaries include BPI Philam Life Assurance Company and Philam Asset Management Inc. It is a member of AIA Group Limited, the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. AIA is present in 18 markets in Asia-Pacific. It is listed in Hong Kong. “Life insurance is very important to a family. In my particular case, I have over 20 policies, not because I have 20 children, but because life insurance is something that you purchase as you proceed to your life stages,” says Cantos. With Kristin Cortez and Aletha dela Cruz
JAPANESE conglomerate Hitachi Ltd. offers assistance in the Philippines to modernize its cities. “What kind of society do you want to live in?” Hitachi Asia Ltd. Philippine Branch general manager Mitsuhiko Shimizu asked during the third Hitachi Social Innovation Forum at Fairmont Hotel in Makati City. Shimizu said the company was seeking to overcome challenges in Manila such as traffic, pollution and disasters over the next 20 to 30 years. Through the forum, Hitachi aimed to increase awareness of the company’s social innovation business in the Philippines, which combines information technology, operational technology and products/systems to its customers, business partners and major stakeholders. The third forum focused on Hitachi’s commitment to develop smart and sustainable cities for the country’s inclusive growth and development through areas such as energy management and more. Hitachi is expanding its presence in Asia to increase the share of its overseas sales to 55 percent by 2018. Shimizu said the Philippines would play an instrumental role in helping Hitachi achieve the target by focusing on energy management, railway and urban development solutions in addition to its high functional materials and ICT businesses. Shimizu said the company decided two years ago to focus on the Philippine market, helping transform former military bases into a smart city using innovations. “ Through the Hitachi Social Innovation Forum and the company’s social innovation business, we aim to contribute to the Philippines’ growth trajectory in an inclusive and sustainable manner,” said Shimizu. “With our unique competencies in IT and OT, as well as our proven experience in the global market, we are confident that we can leverage our expertise and be an innovative partner for both the public and private sectors working in areas such as railway systems, energy management, security solutions, IoT solutions among others,” he said. Following the first Hitachi Social Innovation Forum in February 2016, the second forum in February 2017, and the third in June 2017, the company plans to hold the next Hitachi Social Innovation Forum in September 2017.
LADY EXECUTIVE FORESEES TRANSFORMATION OF ASIAN LOGISTICS KAREN Reddington foresees the next evolution of the manufacturing and logistics sectors, with the advent of digital solutions and electronic commerce. She calls it the fourth industrial revolution, or ‘Industry 4.0.’ “Industry 4.0 is shorthand for applying new, digitally-driven capabilities to manufacturing and at each subsequent stage in the value chain. At its simplest, it can mean applying technology to a single stage in the chain,” says Reddington,
who serves as the president of the Asia Pacific division of FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company. “Once viewed purely in terms of its potential to yield cost efficiencies, supply chain management has evolved. Thanks to big data analytics and changing customer expectations, demand forecasting is more sophisticated. This means that modern supply chains now have a vital additional role in ensuring
customer satisfaction and retention,” she says. As head of FedEx in the Asia Pacific since January 2015, Reddington w o r k s f r o m t h e c o m p a n y ’s headquarters in Hong Kong to lead the FedEx business across the region, including overall planning and implementation of corporate strategies and operations across 30 countries and territories with more than 17,500 employees. Reddington says the rise of
e-commerce has created a new and large market of shippers with different needs for bulk shipments. She says e-tailers need to handle large numbers of smaller shipments to their customers and they need different shipping solutions to cater to their customers’ needs. “To respond to their needs, we’ve transformed our core international express business into a portfolio of solutions. These include flexible Turn to C2
FedEx president in Asia Pacific Karen Reddington
Business
C2
SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017 business@manilastandard.net
COFFEE LOVER HELPS FARMERS
LADY...
From C1
options for the speed of delivery, electronic tools to automate documents for customs clearance, and shipping solutions that simplify the product return process,” she says. Reddington, who holds a PhD in operations research from The London School of Economics and Political Science from University of London, also knows the Philippines, which she says has a crucial role in the regional operations of FedEx. “The work we do here in the Philippines is critical to the success of our business across a much wider area,” she says. “ Th e Phi li ppi nes p lays an important role supporting our Asia Pacific network. FedEx recently opened the Philippines IT Center in Taguig to support software development in the region. Our Asia Pacific Trade Facilitation Center in Clark assists in clearance and documentation work for Japan, Singapore and Taiwan,” says Reddington. She says FedEx is also in the position to help Philippine large and small businesses become more successful. “To make international shipping more convenient, we continue to open new FASCs [FedEx Authorized Ship Centers] throughout the Philippines via local logistics provider 2Go. Currently we have over 400 outlets nationwide. By providing local businesses with the right logistics support that they
ART FAIR CELEBRATES SKILLS OF FILIPINOS C R E AT I V E a n d e v e n t s a g e n c y ArtisteSpace is holding ‘Hue and Me: Embracing Art In Life’—an art fair that celebrates art in all its forms on July 8 to 9, 2017 at SM Aura Premier, Taguig. Hue and Me upholds the philosophy of incorporating art in everyday life for entertainment, aesthetics, personal development, business, or even to effect social change. The fair aims to provide opportunities for learning new art skills and crafts, appreciation for art, and discovering its therapeutic benefits that improve quality of life, as well as empowering the youth with applicable knowledge and entrepreneurial artistry. Artists and entrepreneurs exhibit their unique creations while engaging visitors to interesting and profitable workshops like how to make dream catchers, nail art, terrariums, charm bracelets, and potter y ; cupcake designing; face painting; tattooing; food carving; make-up application; T-shirt printing; slippers painting; and rags/fabric weaving. Visitors also get to participate in informative talks like make-up application, photography, art therapy, ar t entrepreneurship, doodling, calligraphy, nude sketching session, painting, latter art and digital art in character development.
By Katrina Delos Santos and Jamie Andrea Turalba
H
ENRY & Sons president Michael Harris Conlin is on a mission to grow the Philippine coffee industry and provide sustainable livelihood to Filipino farmers. “The legacy I would like to leave is for our Filipino farmers to get there and be able to get a living in farming because our farmers are getting ‘extinct’. I want them to thrive and make money,” says Conlin. Henry & Sons is a coffee solutions company that offers premium roasted coffee beans, top-of-the-line espresso machines under the Ricmas brand and training to coffee shops and companies. Conlin’s father, Henry, started as a passionate abaca rope maker in 1975 and became one of largest abaca rope manufacturers in the world with three factories in the Philippines. Henry & Sons ventured into the coffee business, driven by love for Arabica variety which grows in the highlands of Luzon. Conlin, however, learned that coffee farmers in La Trinidad, Benguet could only harvest and produce 50 kilograms of coffee, which was too small to supply the needs of coffee shops in the country. Conlin then organized a team of millennials to investigate the condition of farmers and discovered the five basic needs the farmers were not able to meet—need for water, good health, education, livelihood and market. That was when they decided to put up the Foundation for Sustainable Coffee Excellence and from there, The Giving Cafe, a social enterprise. “We want to create change. We want to put together a platform where we can help coffee farmers meet those five basic needs and we want it to be sustainable. We want it to be [adopted] by other companies and we want it to be able to be sustainable in that it generates income for the people who adopt The Giving Cafe,” Conlin says. Conlin then decided to incorporate his father’s business—abaca rope which is now apparent in TGC’S interior design. “The concept basically reminds us of [our] past; the rope, the banig on the ceiling. The funny thing is usually the banig is on the floor but now we use it as a roof. We also use ‘tubo’ right in the middle [of the ceiling] that [are] cut. We stitched it together and we put it up,” he says. Co n l i n s ays TG C i s a p l at fo r m t h at entrepreneurs and enterprises can easily adopt. His team plans to help those who would like to be social entrepreneurs and establish their own coffee shops by providing them the tools and the platforms needed to be successful in the industry. “The coffee shop industry has been growing and improving. A lot of people start to drink specialty coffee. They are starting to learn about the types of Arabica, the origin. So it’s really an exciting time for coffee.” The FSCE has two more platforms besides TGC in helping the coffee industry and the farmers of Benguet; The Giving Caravan and The Giving Cart. The Giving Caravan started at the Bonifacio Global City and was there for at least two months giving out free coffee and “promote love,
Henry & Sons president Michael Harris Conlin
friendship and thanksgiving.” Conlin says the caravan is not just about giving free coffee but is also about creating awareness for the programs their foundation has in La Trinidad. “[The farmers are] not having enough harvest, not having enough coffee, and having a hard time elevating their quality [and] if we’re giving away coffee, we’re giving away also 200 cups of coffee a day. It’s not going to be sustainable if there’s no income,” he says. Conlin and his foundation aim to drive social change and help provide livelihood to people. “I think we have to make it more sustainable. Not just giving away free coffee but what we do is we can sell Giving Coffee, we can sell comfort food, and give up small proceeds from the foundation and that way, we’ll be sustainable and we’ll work for the long run in the next 10 years,” he says. Meanwhile, The Giving Cart mobile stations hope to “encourage people to help while enjoying their coffee at bazaars, markets and, if sustainable, at malls.” Conlin says another plan is to feature the Bloom Coffee line, the newest addition to TGC’S goal in helping the farmers and the people of La Trinidad, Benguet through its five programs— Cup to Seed, The Giving Well, Beans for the Little Ones, The Coffee for Great Minds and Beans Within Reach— and make people see that there
is future in coffee farming. “The five programs that we have take care of the farmers, not just our coffee farmers but it’s applicable to [other] farmers,” says Conlin. TGC also teamed up with Vikings, a famous buffet restaurant in the Philippines, to provide 180 flu vaccines for the children of the coffee farmers through the Beans to the Little One’s program. For every kilo of coffee purchased by the restaurant from the company, P30 goes to the vaccinations. In terms of education, TGC helps through the Coffee for Great Minds, an educational scholarship program. The Beans Within Reach program is an annual activity of TGC which features the coffee of the farmers through the Bloom competition. The five programs conceptualized by FSCE are supported by some local government officials in Benguet. “We have our advocacy. TGC offers a list of motives and experience that highlights Henry & Sons’ expertise. That’s the dream we have. The more of these we have, the more farmers we can help and the more impact we have in society,” Conlin says. TGC is set to officially open on July 14 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City.
HOW LARGE RETAILERS HANDLE LARGE VOLUME OF MERCHANDISE By Othel V. Campos LARGE shopping malls and grocery stores use software and digital solutions to monitor and handle the large volume of merchandise coming in and out of their stores, according to JDA Software Group Inc. JDA Software, a leader in retail management, logistics and warehousing solutions, serves eight of the 10 largest companies in the Philippines. “We have been focused in the Philippines for the last 15 years specifically on retail supply chain. From retail planning we are now expanding our business to serve logistics companies operating in the Philippines,” says JDA vice president for Asia Pacific Amit Bagga. Bagga, who has a 20-year experience helping medium and large enterprises
drive technological transformations, says logistics software is a new unit of JDA in the Philippines. “We are expanding our business from local retailers to local logistics companies. Normally retail is about 80 percent. But I’m expecting logistics will become 30 percent in the next two years,” he says. Bagga explains why “retailers need to partner with a logistics company and why a logistics company need to stop the thinking that they bring boxes only.” “You see these are two very expensive components for a manufacturer and retailer—the inventory that is sitting there and the cost of moving it. Put them together and look at how you can optimize transportation and storage warehousing to load that inventory. That’s the real strategy,” Bagga says. He says JDA provides cloud-based
retail planning solution that combines the world’s leading forecasting, planning and space management tools to equip retailers with the responsiveness and insight to develop localized assortments and category plans that consistently attract, capture and retain market share. Bagga says JDA has already calculated the risks of traffic in the Philippine. “No traffic solution is complete without taking the into consideration the route. As you start working with this, you build scenarios. What we are looking for are customers like logistics providers who want the JD solution to do this in a more digital way,” he says. He says one major client of JDA in the Philippines is Robinsons Supermarket, a subsidiary of Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. Robinsons Supermarket procured
the JDA MMS solutions in 2001 to support its own outlets and the 1,912 stores of the Generics Pharmacy. The company then upgraded to MMS 7.7 to address the changing needs on price and promotions management, analytics, data base management, back-end processing and record management. JDS MMS is the core transactional and operational system of Robinsons Supermarket handling PO management, price and cost management, rebate and adjustments, and warehouse management. “The idea for us is how to connect s e a m l e s s f ro m t h e re t a i l e r s to consumers. Being able to seamlessly fulfill the logistics even to the point that the manufacturers determines what to manufacture when and for how much. Thats the end vision,” Bagga says.
JDA Sofware Group Inc. vice president for Asia Pacific Amit Bagga.
Sports
C3
SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017 reuelvidal@yahoo.com
AUNG LA FULFILLS NATION’S DREAM By Reuel Vidal
A
UNG La N Sang relied on an explosive start and then survived every subsequent challenge by Vitaly Bigdash to fulfill the hopes and dreams of his nation by winning the ONE Championship World Middleweight championship. Myanmar national icon “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang brought the crowd up to their feet with a spectacular victory over Russia’s Bigdash. In the first round, Aung La staggered Bigdash with a blistering combination that had him reeling against the cage fence. Bigdash, in a display of incredible toughness and warrior mindset, survived the round to the best of his ability. The rest of the bout saw both competitors each have their moments in what was a very close contest. In the end, all three judges scored in favor of Aung La who took home a hard-earned unanimous decision victory. “AGD Bank is proud of our national hero Aung La N Sang for his tremendous achievement tonight. He has united the nation and serves as an inspiration to all of us. We are also very proud of the Myanmar athletes who have fought tonight. I hope this is the start of a golden era of Myanmar Lethwei martial arts athletes excelling on the international stage,” said Htoo Htet Tay Za, Managing Director of AGD Bank. The result torpedoed a projected super fight between Bigdash and ONE Championship Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren. “Last time, I was preparing for one opponent, but got Aung La N Sang instead. This time, I am ready for him. I will finish him first, and then I would like to fight (ONE Welterweight World Champion) Ben Askren. He has been very vocal about me recently,” said Bigdash in an interview shortly before the fight. In the Yangon Flyweight Tournament Final, Saw Min Min captured the championship trophy, earning the respect of his hometown crowd with a spirited performance against compatriot Shwe Kyaung Thar. Saw Min Min finished his opponent via guillotine choke just under two minutes into the first round to be crowned Tournament Champion. It was a delightful showcase of local talent, one that promises a bright future for Myanmar’s budding martial arts ecosystem. The bout electrified crowd at
Alex Cabagnot
Aung La N Sang (left) mounts his opponent Vitaly Bigdash and tries to hammer him into submission during their ONE Championship World Middleweight championship in Yangon, Myanmar last Friday. Aung La prevailed by unanimous decision to claim the crown. ONE Championship
Aung La N Sang
the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium as the beautiful city of Yangon played host to ONE: Light of a Nation which showcased the absolute best in local and international martial arts talent. Meanwhile, in a back-and-forth battle between two former ONE world title challengers, Japan’s Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi and Chinese Taipei’s Jenny Huang brought the crowd up to their feet with a spectacular performance. It was a battle of two well-rounded competitors who each had their moments in a tough bout. After a first round which saw Yamaguchi take Huang down to the canvas with her wrestling, the Japanese martial artist opened up the second round looking to put on the finishing touches. Using her experience, Yamaguchi took Huang’s back and sunk in a rear naked choke to force the tap. Former Brazilian jiu-jitsu No Gi world champion Bruno Pucci scored the first technical knockout victory of his career, stopping Filipino featherweight Jimmy “The Silencer” Yabo with a volley
of strikes from full mount. As soon as the bout began, Pucci wasted no time in hunting for the takedown which he got on the first attempt. On the mat, Pucci easily passed guard, earning the finish shortly after. In a stunning battle between two former Lethwei practitioners, local bantamweight Tha Pyay Nyo made very quick work of opponent Htet Aung Oo to win by shocking knockout. As soon as the bell rang, the two warriors collided at the center of the cage looking to throw haymakers. Tha Pyay Nyo then connected on a picture-perfect right straight to send Htet Aung Oo crashing to the canvas, ending the bout just 16-seconds into the very first round. South Korean prospect Kevin “Oldboy” Chung made his ONE Championship debut opposite Chinese warrior Zhong Qing Ya in an action-packed affair. In the first round, Chung used his speed and power to connect on a hand-
ful of thudding strikes on Zhong who defended well against takedown attempts. In the second round, Chung finally took Zhong down with a doubleleg and went straight to work on the ground-and-pound, landing a series of sharp elbows. Referee Yuji Shimada called a halt to the contest in round two after Chung connected cleanly on two knees from side control. In two tough contests, the Yangon Flyweight Tournament kicked off all the action at ONE: LIGHT OF A NATION with explosive semifinal matchups. Saw Min Min won the first bout, knocking out opponent Kyar Ba Hein, while Ye Thway Ne battled Pat Kyaw Lin Naing in the second bout to win by unanimous decision after two rounds. 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.
Aung La N Sang (right) connects with his left leg as he kicks opponent Vitaly Bigdash during their ONE Championship World Middleweight championship in Yangon, Myanmar last Friday. Aung La prevailed by unanimous decision to claim the crown. ONE Championship
BEERMEN GUNNING FOR PBA CROWN AFTER guard Alex Cabagnot led them to a scrambling, 111-102, victory over the TNT KaTropa, to move within a win of back-to-back titles, the Beermen go for the championship of the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup 6:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight. San Miguel had to scramble to continue to avoid losing back-to-back games in the conference. They also had to come out of a 15-point hole at halftime to post the comefrom-behind victory over the Tropang Texters last Frday. Cabagnot led San Miguel in point production as he exploded for 28 points. Arwind Santos was close behind with 27 markers of his own. The Beermen are within a victory of ending a 16-year title drought in this midseason conference. San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria said at the post-game interview that he thought the game was lost after TNT posted that huge halftime lead. He added that his wards showed their true character by refusing to give up and coming back to overcome adversity. Ranidel de Ocampo, Jayson Castro, Kris Rosales, RR Garcia and Ryan Reyes shot the net to shred from outside as they combined for eight three-pointers in the second quarter to lead the Texters to a 61-46 halftime lead. TNT import Joshua Smith converted four-of-four field goal attempts early on. The Beermen countered by double teaming the big man but paid the price as the TNT gunners went wild from the outside. The Texters led by just a point, 41-40, when De Ocampo, Rosales and Castro drained consecutive three-pointers to post the 15-point advantage over San Miguel. The Texters converted 11-of-24 threepoint attempts in the first half alone compared to the Beermen who had only three triples. De Ocampo scored 19 markers, from three three-pointers, in the first half of play. Santos led the Beermen explosion in the third. He had plenty of help from Marcio Lassiter, Alex Cabagnot and Charles Rhodes as the Beermen completed their scrambling win to post a 3-2 lead in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-seven championship. The Beermen thus bounced back from their 97-102 loss in Game Four despite falling behind 46-61 at the half.
FORMER CONTENDER BACK IN ONE TITLE CONVERSATION GRAPPLING was supposed to be Jenny Huang’s strong suit but someone forgot to tell that Mei Yamaguchi who once battled Angela Lee for the inaugural ONE Championship World Atomweight championship. Yamaguchi fought fire with fire and beat Huang at her own grappling game to wheel back into the championship conversation with a decisive victory last Friday in Yangon, Myanmar. The Yamaguchi-Huang battle was only one of many bouts which electrified the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium during the ONE: Light of a Nation card at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium. Yamaguchi beat Huang by submission through rear naked choke early in the second round. Yamaguchi thus bounced back from a two-fight losing skein which found her dropping both her matches last year. She was calculating and patient as she relied on her grappling game which produced a secondround submission victory. Yamaguchi’s (16-10-1) was in no rush
against Huang (5-2). She took control of the game early on but didn’t rush to force a victory. She capitalized on superior position to clamp her arm around Huang’s neck and forced her opponent to tap out or be choked out. Yamaguchi, 34, relied on her experience to beat her younger foe who had fought in far fewer bouts. Huang was impatient committing several careless mistakes which allowed Yamaguchi to lock her arm around her neck to force the tap out. In other fights that evening Bruno Pucci defeated Jimmy Yabo by TKO (Strikes) at 2:12 minutes of round 1 in a Featherweight bout. Yabo (5-5) was no match for Pucci (5-2). Pucci brought the Filipino down to the mat then proceeded to pound him into submission to post the one-sided TKO victory in their featherweight fight. Pucci pushed Yabo on his back seconds after the fight began. He then mounted him and then unleashed a relentless stream of punches at Yabo who was in complete survival mode. The referee prevented any further damage by
waving off the contest after two minutes into Round 2. Bantamweight Tha Pyay Nyo defeated Htet Aung Oo by Knockout after just 16 seconds in the first round. In easily the most exciting bout of the evening Tha Pyay Nyo (4-0) remained undefeated in MMA competition with his most impressive victory ever as he flattened the game but inexperienced Htet Aung Oo (0-1). Nyo set up his thunderbolt right with a jab. Aung Oo countered but Nyo came over the top with a heavy right hand to the chin of Aung Oo who crumpled to the canvas. Nyo then pounced on his fallen opponent to add an extra shot before the referee stepped in to stop the bout. In a catchweight bout (68.0kg): Kevin Chung defeated Zhong Qing Ya by TKO (Strikes) after 3:37 minutes of round 2. 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.
Mei Yamaguchi, right, batters opponent Jenny Huang with a series heavy blows to the head and face. Huang turned around and gave Yamaguchi her back which led to the submission victory later in the fight. ONE Championship
C4
Sports
SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor / Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor / Randy Caluag, Issue Editor
sports_mstandard@yahoo.com
RACING CHAMPS ARE MADE, NOT BORN
Fight is on as defending champ Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and Australian challenger Jeff Horn make weight for their WBO welterweight title fight. AFP
ROACH SAYS PACQUIAO IS LOOKING FOR KNOCKOUT WIN
Media production executive Arbie Jacinto playfully embraces his car’s exhaust pipe. At right, Arbie during his winning run in Race 7 of the Vios Cup.
Text and photos by Ramon D. Boado
M
EDIA production executive Arbie Jacinto is a living proof that many racing champions are made, not born.
Look. Not one in his family is into racing. And the most “racing” he has done for a better part of his life was simply enjoying the Batangas Racing Circuit or the Clark International Speedway during many lazy weekends. But right in his first official race (Round 7) at last year’s Vios Cup in November, Arbie crushed the 21-car competition in the Promotional Class. Was it just a case of good luck for first-timers? Hardly. He placed fifth in Race 8, before pulling through with back-to-back podium finishes at the start of this year’s Vios Cup—not bad considering many of his rivals were veterans of the onemake race, with some already boasting of valuable experience racing in slalom, karting and circuit events. “The most memorable was last year’s Vios Cup because I became the champion of race 7. I was on cloud nine, considering I came out of nowhere. I felt like a victorious underdog,” said Arbie. “My previous races were informal; I just went to BRC or CIS and enjoyed the track. The story behind Vios Cup: in September 2016 I had one of my cars fixed at Bridgestone Alabang and I met Edward Dela Rosa and he joked that
with the money I spend on my car, I might as well race. He asked me to join Team Biskeg and drive for the Vios Cup so Edward ended up training me. The decision to join them didn’t take long. I finished some commitments in the US for a month and returned in October to begin my two-week training. So I could say the Vios Cup was the first discipline I joined.” After November’s Vios Cup, Arbie decided to stop due to time constraints at work, but opportunity presented itself when Pauland Dumlao, a known driver of Toyota San Fernando, invited him to join them as a driver under the promotional class. “We’re five in the team: two of us are in the promotional class, two in the sporting class and one in the super sporting class. Couldn’t say no to that,”he said. “Unlike other races where you just amp up your car’s power, participating in the Vios Cup taught me to be patient. It’s a one-make race and it’s tightly regulated—we drive cars with the same horsepower, same suspension. Everything is the same except for the car decals. There’s no room for error so we rely on our skills because we all drive the same car. During the race you have to keep your patience, mind your
brakes, control breathing, and execute precise turns along the track. You could lose your position in the race, when you commit the smallest mistake. Of course, like many racers worth his salt would say, Arbie wants to improve his driving skills and better his time on the track. “I’m with a new set of mentors since joining Toyota San Fernando. My first mentor was Edward with Team Biskeg. With TSF, I’m now trained by Tetsuya, a retired Japanese racecar driver, and Jeff de Leon of ForcedSpeed, a motorsport garage. They are the team’s training coaches and they’re responsible for teaching me new racing techniques,” said Arbie, whose family is now embracing his new calling. “I have a wife and an eight-year-old son who loves cars, which should be a good thing. He got it from me because I’m a car enthusiast—I’m an active member of various car clubs of the Philippines including the Manila GTR Owners’ Club. Motorsports is close to my heart so I’m glad my son likes it. I’m the first racer in the family. When I was young, I’d always ask my dad whenever we’re in his car if he thinks he would win if he could race. Turns out I’m now the one who’s into racing,” he said. If you’d ask Arbie when he was younger, what would be his plans in the future, he would probably laugh if you’d suggest he’d be racing competitively. He had his own business to tend to, and when we has in high school, he was even involved in gang fights. He even took dentistry in college.
“I’m 35 and I’ve run my own business —a media agency—since 2009. I had my fair share of notoriety during my younger years. Grade school was great, I was a good student but secondary school was a different story. I had my high school education at St. James College in Paranaque where I took part in gang fights a lot. Then I went to college and took dentistry at Centro Escolar University. Who would have thought? I tried things my generation went through —BPO’s and sales agencies. Then my child was born in 2008 and I decided to set my life straight,” Arbie said. Racing in the Vios Cup would turn out to be a huge help in setting his life straight. “I previously thought racing was just about power and ego. When I started training, it proved me wrong. I learned to be patient and I believe I’ve become a better person because of it. In the racetrack, it’s a game of precision. I learned to be organized, to have control and to react quickly to the situation. We race at midday—it’s hot and the AC’s off, windows up, race suit on—and you should take control despite the harsh conditions. Racing is like chess: know your moves but don’t overthink them. To aspiring drivers, find a mentor and train properly. Your mentor will teach you how to stay safe on the racetrack. Since we’re dealing with cars and maintenance, it will get costly. But you’ll know the sport is for you when you start practicing. In a way, racing has the best of both worlds—you get the strategic aspects of chess and the adrenaline rush of basketball,” said Arbie.
BRISBANE--Australian challenger Jeff Horn weighed in slightly heavier than Filipino great Manny Pacquiao today (July 2 in Manila) ahead of their World Boxing Organization welterweight title fight in Brisbane. Pacquiao tipped the scales at 66.1 kg (146 pounds) and Horn came in at 66.3 kg (146 pounds) at the official weigh-in. The Pacquiao camp throughout this week has said it is anticipating a “short and sweet” win over Horn, a 2012 Australian Olympian, before an expected 50,000 crowd at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday. The Pacquiao team has spoken of setting up another showdown with the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather, who outpointed ‘Pac-Man’ in the “Fight of the Century” two years ago. “We’re chasing a rematch with Floyd Mayweather and we know he has to score a spectacular knockout win over Jeff Horn if that’s going to happen,” Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said. “I’m looking for a big win in Brisbane so we can go on to bigger and better things. “I’ve been looking for a big knockout from him for a long time now and I think you’re going to see it in this fight.” Unbeaten Horn, a former schoolteacher, said he was ready for the biggest moment of his boxing life. “Game face is on. School’s out,” Horn told reporters. “I’m nice and relaxed. I’ll probably still maintain my relaxed state until fight day but I’m really looking forward to getting out there tomorrow and getting the job done.” Pacquiao, 38, an eight-weight world champion and one of the greatest fighters of his generation, did not make any comments and quickly left the weigh-in ceremony. “It’s never easy to lose that much weight,” Horn said. “It’s never easy to lose that much weight,” Horn said. “I’m going to feel a lot better very soon. I’ve got to go eat as soon as I finish with the media, keep drinking, keep up with the fluids all day, all night.” Trainer Glenn Rushton said Horn looked superb in his final training session late Friday. “He was brilliant, he was just like I want him to be. he was just electric,” Rushton said. “I know when he’s hitting the pads there’s just extra pop there in his punches. I just felt the hunger. That’s what I look for.” The Pacquiao camp throughout this week has said it is anticipating a “short and sweet” win over Horn, a 2012 Australian Olympian, before an expected 50,000 crowd at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday. AFP
URCC-SMC XXX TO INVADE MAINLAND CHINA BUOYED by the success of the initial international mixed martial arts event in San Francisco, California last January, the Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC) is set to conquer new ground next month in Beijing,China. URCC top brass Prof. Alvin Aguilar said eight of their world class fighters will represent the country in the URCC XXX Philippines vs China Bakbakan Na on July 8 at the Beijing Sports University Stadium. Team Philippines will be headed by two-division
URCC middleweight and light heavyweight champion Chris Valdez Hoffman of DEFTAC and women’s world flyweight champion Geli Bulaong of SubSports Philippines. They will be joined by former lightweight contender Raiaj ‘The Messiah Ordiz of BOSS MMA, rising star bantamweight Rodian ‘The Redeemer Menchavez of Catalan Fighting System, Rex ‘Knockout King de Lara of MUMMA Fight Factory, knockout artist Jojo ‘El Matador Orao of Elorde Tandang Sora, new prospect
Paolo Castillo of Abao Combat Club and newly-signed bantamweight champion Ralf Francisco. “This is our chance to shine and there’s no stopping URCC and it’s world class fighters in showing the world what we can do”, said Aguilar who is also the president of the Wrestling Association of the Philippines. Aguilar said no less than President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has approved the URCC-SMC XXX in China through the China-Philippines Martial Arts
Development and the Cross Straight Sports Development Bureau. “After 13 years in the fight business,the future shine even better as URCC and the China-Philippines Martial Arts Development is now supported by President Duterte and officially endorsed to the Philippine Sports Commission and the POC Martial Arts Council. The Philippines vs. China MMA Fight is presented by Red Horse Beer of the San Miguel Corp.
URCC-SMC XXX top Filipino bets pose with URCC president Prof.Alvin Aguilar (4th from left) and Games and Amusement Board chairman Baham Mitra during the event presentation at Winford Hotel recently.