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SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2017
Business
Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@manilastandard.net
FILIPINO- BUILT MULTI-MISSION VESSELS UNVEILED By Anna Leah E. Gonzales
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INVENTOR
Inventor Gary Vazquez (left) guides his technical assistants in assembling Misty Kool fan units.
FILIPINO INVENTOR’S IDEAS COME TO LIFE IN CHINA
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DGARDO ‘Gary’ Vazquez, a 65-year-old inventor and entrepreneur, tinkers with big, innovative ideas to resolve perennial problems in the country, such as how to protect Filipinos from tropical heat, how to resolve the country’s huge housing backlog or how to ease the heavy traffic congestion along Edsa.
He is always in search of solutions to such problems—a habit formed through the years of being an inventor in a country where some people tend to shoot down big ideas. “We shoot down good products invented or developed by Filipinos,” he says. He recalls that when he introduced a cooling solution in the Philippines, he met cynics who claimed that the innovation would only cause ‘pneumonia’. “Instead of asking positive things about the invention, the first comment was that people would only become sick because of that. Why were they looking at it negatively? Why don’t we first develop the product, make it better and see what the effects are. But [some] were already working on the principle of negative thinking. Instead of encouraging the inventor, they are putting him down. When can we ever learn to appreciate and help one another, the Filipino way, the ‘bayanihan’ way?” Vazquez says in an interview at his home. Vazquez’s home in Makati City reflects how much he loves innovation. His big house was erected using his patented Vazbuilt modular housing and fencing technology. Solar panels are installed on his rooftop, supplying half of his power requirements. His patio is cooler by about 5-degrees, compared to outdoor atmosphere in Metro Manila, because it uses a patented cooling solution called Misty Kool. Vazquez can also watch his house from anywhere in the world and control the camera, appliances and gadgets in his kitchen using a
Misty Kool line system cools off the walkway of Philippine Arena. smartphone and an automated home technology. Soon, Vazquez and a big Chinese company will introduce smart home in the country. Vazquez now regularly flies between the Philippines and China, where he sees his big ideas come to life. He developed the prototype of an outdoor cooling solution with a timer in Guangzhou where young technical experts helped him find the necessary components such as high-pressure pumps, fine nozzles, switches, monitors, timer, automatic shut-off mechanism, hose and water tank. Now, Misty Kool is the only outdoor cooling solution with a timer, which is crucial in order to conserve water, reduce wetness on the surface and ensure the smooth operation of the misting system. Vazquez obtained a patent in the Philippines for Misty Kool which can lower outdoor temperature by 3 to 5-degree Celsius. He offers the technology in two forms—a line machine and electric
fan-type unit that can produce Baguio-like breeze instantly. “It is the first of its kind in the Philippines,” he says. A company in the Philippines, however, is contesting his use of the Misty Kool brand name. In response, Vazquez says the name was derived from the misting process, or flash point cooling system which forces water, by means of a highpressure pump, through misting nozzles, to create a mist of ultra fine water droplets with an average size of less than 10 microns. These water droplets absorb the heat in the environment and evaporate, becoming water vapor in the process. The misting system can cool off different open areas, porches, backyards, gardens and patios. The Philippine Arena complex in Bulacan uses the line system of Misty Kool to reduce temperature along its open walkway. The technology will also be used in the country’s Turn to C2
THE government has unveiled the first two Filipino-built multi-mission vessels. The two 50-meter offshore multimission vessels will be added to the growing number of floating assets of the Department of Agriculture– Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. The vessels are built in the Philippines and are now undergoing finishing touches. Construction of the vessels started in January 2016. “Initially built as research ships, the vessels were modified into offshore multi-mission vessels due to the intensified campaign against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing,” said BFAR. “These vessels, which will be called DA-BFAR MV Lapu-Lapu [MMOV 5001] and MV Francisco Dagohoy [MMOV 5002], are designed to operate in offshore areas of Philippine waters including the EEZ and the High Seas Pocket 1,” said Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol. “Hopefully by October, alongside the anniversary of Philippine Coast Guard, MV Lapu-Lapu and MV Francisco Dagohoy will sail in the West Philippine Sea, Philippine Rise, Cebu Sea and Sulu Sea,” he said. The ships were constructed by 300 Filipino workers, mostly from Navotas City, following the designs of Incat Crowther, which conformed to the rules, regulations, and requirements of Bureau Veritas, a world expert in Testing, Inspection, and Certification services. The vessels, which cost around P250 million each, were built to withstand 24-hour continuous, multi-purpose operations and are capable of remaining on station for 30 days. They have an excellent maneuverability and stationkeeping since it is made of twin fix-pitch propellers, twin rudders, twin independent electro-hydraulic steering gears and the electric driven how thruster. Piñol said he wanted to build more ships with the same features as a part of the efforts of the government to protect the ocean and its marine resources, and further strengthen the country’s manifestation against foreign intimidation. “Our government commitment is that we will use Filipino manpower and we will protect ocean for our future generation,” Piñol said. The agri chief said he is targeting construction of five ships every year for the next five years. To implement the project, the agri chief asked for a P1 billion budget for 2018. The multi-mission vessels will be added to the Bureau’s existing 123 floating assets deployed to fight IUU fishing in the country. Aside from their law enforcement functions, the vessels will also be utilized for research and survey operations, and for livelihood support to far-flung island coastal communities.
MAGSAYSAY REVEALS SUCCESS FORMULA OF POTATO CORNER DESPITE some popular franchises, a number of food cart businesses appear to be dime-a-dozen, here-today-gonetomorrow affairs. However, there are those that have legs. One of them is Potato Corner, the 25-year-old franchise business of Jose Magsaysay. “Jomag” to friends, Potato Corner’s CEO was part of its inception and initial growth. While he did leave the group in 1997 to work with Mister Donut, his return in 2001 sparked a resurgence for the french fries franchise. Here’s how Jomag turned Potato Corner into a longterm success. One: Build stronger systems. Potato Corner started out in 1992 simply as a
way for Jomag and his partners to earn some extra money. The brand soon became popular and, by the time Jomag stepped away in 1997, Potato Corner had mushroomed into 120 outlets. But the Asian Financial Crisis hit and the number of stores dwindled to 40. Compounding matters, a managing partner suddenly passed away. Around that time, Jomag was a student in the Master in Entrepreneurship program at Asian Institute of Management. Upon hearing about his former partner, Jomag shifted gears. He recalls, “I changed my laboratory business in the ME from Mister Donut to Potato Corner. When I graduated from
ME, I resigned from Mister Donut. Then I presented the five-year business plan for Potato Corner that I wrote during the ME to my former partners. I told them, if they liked the plan, could I run Potato Corner again?” The plan included streamlining and building systems for the company and strengthening various supply chains. Two: Hyperfocus. Jomag says, “I really believe in ‘one thing at a time.’ Potato Corner grew the way it did because we focused. We had a lot of opportunities to explore because of the success of the business, but we realized it was successful precisely because we were so focused.” Three: Understanding the market.
Potato Corner has always been marketed toward kids. This explains the branding elements and the presence of a mascot. When Jomag gets asked why a lot of millennials buy the product despite Potato Corner’s target market, he chuckles, “Sure, we get a lot of millennial customers. But how old were they when we opened shop in 1992?” His advice: “If you want a brand to stick, market it to kids.” It is best to build the relationship while your market is still young, Jomag explains, because “when you market to teenagers and adults, they will shift to the next big thing. But kids? Once you get them, they’re yours for life!”
Potato Corner founder Jose Magsaysay
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SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2017 business@manilastandard.net
FILIPINO...
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largest greenhouse which is being constructed in the same area. Vazquez says other produc ts in the market do not employ the high-pressure mist system, but only provide evaporative cooling, which happens when water is distributed by a submersible pump to a porous material. By gravity, water and air flows through the material, thus cooling the air that passes through. Another type of cooling system is the centrifugal cooler, which pumps water from the source to a fast rotating impeller blades with a porous material in between to induce flow or raise pressure of liquid. Water droplets are created by directing a flow of water onto a spinning disc. Vazquez says unlike these products, Misty Kool produces mist, which evaporates into the air, and this is sometimes called “flash evaporation” because it happens “quickly as a flash” and gives a stronger cooling effect. He says the air is cooled evenly and feels more like a fog. He says Misty Kool conserves energy while offering an air-cooling effect and repels flying insects, dust, smoke and pollen. Vazquez says Misty Kool is also different from other misting products because its mist machine has an oil monitor and programmable timer. Vazquez is also developing other cooling solutions such as an indoor sonic cooler, which uses vibration to create vapor, with a programmable timer and a turbo cooling and dust removal technology for industrial use. He is designing the new technologies in China where there are adequate components and technical skills that will help him put his ideas to work. On why he chooses to develop the prototype in China, Vazquez says: “In other countries, they encourage you, they are supportive, they come in as a group and they end up as a big mass of support in developing one product,” he says. “Here, I am not appreciated. Whenever I present some things, what I hear from fellow Filipinos is negative. In China, when I sit down with people in science and technology, we talk about how it is going to work, how it will look good, how it can be mass produced, then we create the prototype at once,” says Vazquez. “I am not a Chinese, but when it comes to science, they are very receptive. When I go there, they are there waiting for me at the airport. I am given a driver, an interpreter and I always talk to people in the universities who are mostly young people. Here, I receive nothing, but insults and lawsuits,” he says. Vazquez says this is the problem affecting science and technology in the Philippines. “We are a country with less in life, but more in imagination. That’s what you need in invention— imagination. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. People who have less in life have more imagination. So we are very rich with imagination. We are very rich with what we can do for the better, but we are very poor in helping one another,” says Vazquez. “This is the situation of science and technology in our country. What we have to develop here are more incubation places. When you fund science, that is a risk initially, because you don’t know if it is going to fly or not. But if it does not fly, you do not sue the inventor. You encourage him more, because the principle is already there. If you infuse more, he will reinvent it to make it work,” says Vazquez. Vazquez mentions the case of the late inventor Daniel Dingel whom he knew personally. Dingel developed a “hydrogen reactor” that was able to power a water-fueled car, but the invention was dismissed as a hoax by many people in the Philippine science community. “I know Daniel Dingel, the guy who developed hydrogen-powered cars using water. He was not appreciated here, so he sold his technology to Japanese and German car manufacturers. And they are now applying that technology. I don’t know why we are like this,” says Vazquez. Vazquez says despite the challenges of being an inventor in the Philippines, he will continue to work on his ideas and train and encourage more Filipinos to develop new products that will help the nation. Vazquez’s favorite quote is: “If you are buying an invention, you are buying more than an object. You’re buying hundreds of hours of error and experimentation. You’re buying years of frustration and moments of pure joy. You’re not buying just the invention, you’re buying a piece of the heart.” “I hope that we Filipinos will rediscover ‘bayanihan’ in our hearts. If this happens, we as a nation will be very strong,” says Vazquez. Roderick T. dela Cruz
BANATAO EXPECTS PH TRIUMPH OVER ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
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NVENTOR, entrepreneur and philanthropist Diosdado ‘Dado’ Banatao believes that Filipinos can excel in the field of artificial intelligence. He says that instead of displacing business process outsourcing professionals, AI can treble the size of the BPO sector, and together with data science and Internet of Things, can lift the whole economy.
“We will train a lot of engineers in designing those things and we have started already. We have already 20 AI engineers and we are beginning to train them here in the Philippines,” Banatao, a Silicon Valley-based Filipino technology innovator and venture capitalist, says during the inauguration of AIM-Dado Banatao Incubator Program at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City. “We did some basic AI, not even the best, but we know we can do it. And we actually have better than what they have in the US. We can replace their agencies in the US which could potentially triple the BPO revenue in the country from $40 billion. We can make that to $80 [billion] to $120 billion in a few years through AI. And so, we will just have to generate those engineers here,” he says. “Two years out, we should be able to triple the current revenue in BPO here,” says Banatao. AIM president Jikyeong Kang says with the onset of new technologies such as AI, data science and IoT, “there are plenty of jobs that would disappear, but there are plenty of new jobs that will be created.” “So what AIM is trying to do is to produce more CEOs. We wanted the same kind of role and make an impact so that we will not be looking at a time where BPO industry is no longer viable in this country while we are already trained by people with the right skills,” she says. Banatao is particularly interested in the potential of AI, or the intelligence exhibited by machines in transforming industries. Technology analysts warned that AI can displace thousands of call center agents and BPO professionals in the Philippines. The BPO sector in the country employed 1.2 million Filipinos and generated $22.9 billion in revenues in 2016, a number that is expected to hit $40 billion by 2022. Banatao says he expects the Philippines to sustain the growth of the BPO sector. “With some innovation, I can conclude that we can stay in that business. We can protect ourselves. We still have to compete against others. This is in artificial intelligence,” says Banatao, who helped fund two AI companies, one of which is considered the fastest AI engine in the world today and competes against the biggest companies such as Google and Amazon. “What I expect is that there will be more of us helping the country bringing in the technology, bringing in the courage to challenge themselves. I believe that the cycle has just started and what I mean by that is there’s the brains and the courage to do it,” he says. “We just have to show the population here, the ecosystem for startups including the investors.” Banatao, a son of a rice farmer from Cagayan province, is a microchip inventor who made it big in Silicon Valley. Kang describes Banatao as one of the most successful Filipino entrepreneurs in the highly competitive Silicon Valley. “Dado regaled us with the story of how he became an inventor, one of the most successful Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, and, eventually, a venture capitalist at his own firm Tallwood. So inspired was I by Dado’s stories and his encouragement that AIM set up an incubator, which could play a critical role in the Philippine innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, that I lost no time in enlisting his support,” says Kang, a South Korean professor who has taught around
Inventor Diosdado ‘Dado’ Banatao (right) and Asian Institute of Management president Jikyeong Kang lead the inauguration of AIM-Dado Banatao Incubator Program in Makati City. the world and served as a director of the Manchester Business School prior to her assignment at AIM. Banatao left the family’s farm in Cagayan to train as a commercial airline pilot with Philippine Airlines, and later as an aircraft engineer. He graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from Mapua Institute of Technology and pursued a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Stanford University. Banatao co-founded several technology startups including Chips & Technologies, S3 Graphics, SiRF, Marvell and Inphi. He has also made major investments in Cyras Systems, Stream Machine and Wilocity. He is best known for pioneering two technologies that are widely regarded as the cornerstones of today’s PC: chipset and graphics acceleration architecture. Banatao is currently the managing partner at Tallwood Venture Capital, which invests in unique and hard-to-do semiconductor technology solutions for computing, communication and consumer platforms. Banatao teamed up with AIM to launch the incubator program, which started with a P14.8-million grant from the Department of Science and Technology. The program will provide mentorship and free office space to 11 teams, initially, to help them start up their businesses. Banatao says successful applicants should be able to define the market for that startup. “Without a market, it doesn’t matter how your innovation works,” he says. “Number two, do you have a product idea that it differentiable and competitive in the market?” “As crucial drivers of the Philippine economy, startups have such huge potential. They are small, but agile, and can pivot quickly in response to a fickle, demanding market,” says Kang, who earned her PhD from the University of Minnesota. “I remember, when we launched last year, Dado said we would look for ‘suicidal’ entrepreneurs; those steeped in adversity, with the odds stacked against them, just raring for an opportunity to escape that vicious circle. Well, I am sure you will all agree, we certainly have lots of those in the Philippines,” she says. “One of the fastest ways we can achieve this is to give the country’s biggest economic engine the rare opportunity to benefit from the mentorship of global visionaries, such as Dado Banatao. As for AIM, aside from providing qualified startups rent-free working space, we will also gladly make accessible to them a mentoring program and the expertise of our faculty
and alumni, as well as support from leading businesses and industries,” says Kang. Banatao says that based on his experience as an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, the star tup phase is the toughest with the highest failure rate in the life of a company. “Unless there is help from investors or friendly mentors, founders of the company are either suicidal or ‘crazy’, putting at risk their life status, family, friends, and future,” says Banatao. Banatao, who is also the chairman of non-profit group PhilDev Foundation, says under the incubator program, the experience in building technology based, innovative and very successful companies from Silicon Valley will be used, while being aware of local culture and practices. K ang says “aside from providing qualified startups rent-free working space, AIM will also gladly make accessible to them a mentoring program and the expertise of our faculty and alumni.” “We do this in hopes of encouraging more angels and VC [venture capitalist] funds to invest as well as lowering the assumption-toknowledge ratio of startups in the incubator as painlessly as possible. As a management institute, AIM can do no less,” she says. I t will provide worldclass mentorship from serial entrepreneurs, top executives, industry experts, including individuals with a successful track record in Silicon Valley. The incubator intends to support early-stage startups with deep technology, science, or engineering solutions to the neglected problems of an emerging world. Eligible startups will have a proven ability to build quickly, sell to customers, and evolve their idea into a business that can grow. K ang says Banatao, being not only an inventor and engineer but also an entrepreneur, is an ideal model for the startups. “I think that makes a huge difference. He has been able to make a bridge between being an inventor, coming up with an innovative idea for the product and then being entrepreneurial in terms of how you sell those product to somebody who wants to pay money,” she says. “Now, as you all know he is a capitalist himself. Not only he has done it but he has done in it Silicon Valley where the competition is just enormous. We always talk about his humble beginning to the journey he took to where he is now,” says Kang. “He is our most famous technology innovator, inventor, entrepreneur and most importantly philanthropist.” Roderick T. dela Cruz and Marielle Franchesca Santiago
PH STARTUP DEVELOPS TAX FILING SOFTWARE THE Board of Investments has approved Taxumo Inc.’s P5-million startup project in Bonifacio Global City as a new creative industries/knowledge-based services provider under the preferred activities of the 2017 Investment Priorities Plan. The project is the first digital startup firm approved by the BOI under the 2017 IPP which promotes micro, small and medium enterprises and innovationdriven activities by creating a conducive environment and support systems for startup firms through fiscal incentives and other non-fiscal support. Ta x u m o i s f o c u s e d o n t h e development of an end-to-end, do-ityourself tax preparation software that aims to change how the preparation of taxes is being done in the country. The software will greatly allow for a more accurate filing of Bureau of Internal Revenue forms of the taxpayer resulting in more revenue for the government. This will help self- employed
individuals and professionals with their tax filings, from submission to payment. Users simply enter their income/expense figure in the system which then fills out the relevant tax forms (BIR Form 2551M for Monthly Percentage Tax Payments and Form 1701 for Quarterly Income Tax Payments) with calculations based on the data entered by the user.
Formal operation began in July 2017 after a trial run from November 2016 to June 2017. The services being rendered by the project is fully automated and does not require human intervention. The 24 personnel hired only acts as quality controllers and customer support representatives. The project has been in beta stage since December 2016. This is a phase wherein the firm opened its services to early adopters or users which helped the firm discover bugs and defects and request features that will allow the firm to launch a complete and effective product. No fees were charged during the trial run as they only solicited feedback and comments from the users. Once formally operational, Taxumo will earn from subscription fees that users pay in either monthly terms or annually to use the system. Taxpayers can go to the website, taxumo.com and for a free one month
trial. If satisfied, they can then subscribe to the different plans as outlined in the site. Every Filipino small business owners and professionals can register with an email and provide the necessary information. Then Taxumo will make it easy for them to prepare, compute and pay for their taxes. Taxumo co-founder E.J. Arboleda believes the “platform will empower MSMEs and individual taxpayers to become better corporate citizens with a do-it-yourself [DIY] platform t h a t a l l o w s fo r e f f i c i e n t f i l i n g, payment and monitoring of their tax returns. This is a win-win situation for both the entrepreneur and the government. We are happy to foster such collaboration.” Arboleda said he is grateful that the BOI has given the attention to companies like Taxumo because the start-up industry needs all the support it can get to move forward.
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SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2017 reuelvidal@yahoo.com
GILAS PILIPINAS SURPRISES EXPERTS
Gilas Pilipinas big guard Gabe Norwood (5) dribbles past an Iraqi defender during their match in the Fiba Asia Cup in Lebanon won by the Philippines. Photo courtesy of Fiba.com
By Reuel Vidal
”S
URPRISE us.” Those were the simple instructions of Gilas Pilipinas benefactor and MVP Group of companies head honcho Manny V. Pangilinan to the national team to the FIBA Asia Cup in Beirut, Lebanon.
The Philippine squad did just that first with a masterful 96-87 upset of powerhouse China. They then secured outright passage to the quarterfinals with an 84-68 demolition of Iraq. With the back-to-back victories over China and Iraq, the Philippines (20) will top Group B. The Filipinos plays winless Qatar (0-2) today Sunday to formalize the sweep of its group. Even in the unlikely chance of the squad losing to Qatar the Philippines will win any form of tiebreak over China and/or Iraq which the squad beat earlier. This affords the Philippine squad
a bye in the next phase and propels the team to the quarterfinals. The country didn’t really expect too much from this team. After all this squad will miss naturalized player Andray Blatche and probably June Mar Fajardo The team’s best big man Blatche opted to skip this tournament and will be replaced by Christian Standhardinger. Not as talented but actually an adequate rebounder and post defender. Fajardo, the squad’s best interior scorer, joined the squad in Lebanon but will miss most (if not all) of the team’s games because of
Gilas Pilipinas small forward Calvin Abueva contests a call made by referees during a game in the Fiba Asia Cup in Lebanon. The crowd of Filipino supporters cheer in the background. Photo courtesy of Fiba.com
a hurting leg. Despite the handicap the Philippine team shocked the tournament with a decisive victory over bitter rival China. That game was bruising from start to finish with players trading hits and cheap
zling dribbling display to elude the Chinese defenders and unerring outside shooting for the crucial points. Romeo drilled a triple to tie the count at 87-all in the final four minutes. He then hit a fadeway and another back-breaking triple to pad the Philippines’ lead, 92-87. Standhardinger and Matthew Wright then finalized the count for the Philippine squad. Romeo finished with 26 points after crucial baskets in the fourth to power the Gilas charge. He also had four assists and was blistering hot from three-point distance converting five of his seven attempts. Standhardinger had 15 points and six rebounds in his first outing as a national player. Wright chipped in 12 markers. It was a sweet victory for the the Philippine squad which avenged the 2015 loss to China in the Fiba Asia Championship. Gilas Pilipinas had an easier time against Iraq. The Filipinos trailed 2228 in the early goings but gradually took control of the game after gaining the measure of their taller but slower and less skilled opponents. The Filipinos exploded a 19-0 run in the third period to essentially win the game pulling away. Standhardinger and Romeo again led the Philippine attack. The Fil-German big man unloaded 10 of his 16 points in the third period while Romeo scored 11 of his own 17 in the quarter to lead Gilas to a rousing follow-up victory to its conquest of China.
Gilas Pilipinas shooting guard Terrence Romeo (2) sets up a play during their game in the Fiba Asia Cup in Lebanon against Iraq. Photo courtesy of Fiba.com
shots, many missed by the referees. Calvin Abueva tried to cut into the paint, was hit in the face and sent crashing down the floor by Li Gen who then stood provocatively in front of Abueva who was still on the floor. Abueva, obliged the invitation, stood up and hit the Chinese cager with head butt and was promptly ejected from the game. The incident hardly dampened the charged up Philippine squad which led by as much as 17 points early. The roughhousing China squad eventually caught up late and even took the lead in the fourth quarter as the Philippines trailed, 82-84, with six minutes left to play. Terrence Romeo then made his best Steph Curry impersonation with a daz-
Gabe Norwood, Carl Bryan Cruz and RR Pogoy also played also stepped up for the national team. China (1-1) and Iraq (1-1), who both beat Qatar, dispute second spot in the group in a crucial game also today Sunday. And more good news, Fajardo is already practicing with the squad and could conceivably join the team in more important games ahead possibly with medals at stake. After all the roadblocks early on, could this team pull off the biggest surprise and win the gold? Well, that would be the biggest, most welcome surprise that they could give the nation.
Janelle Frayna
Terrence Romeo. Photo courtesy of Fiba.com
ROMEO SILENCES ALL HIS DOUBTERS
MANY experts said that after Allan Caidic there has been a lack of great shooters in Philippine national teams to international competitions. That may have been true before, but not anymore with the way Terrence Romeo has been hitting his outside shots in Gilas Pilipinas uniform. The latest examples are the Philippines’ twin victories in the Fiba Asia Cup. Thanks in large part to Romeo’s heroics the Philippine squad staged a masterful 96-87 upset of powerhouse China and secured outright passage to the quarterfinals with an 84-68 demolition of Iraq. Unlike Caidic who is deadly as a catchand-shoot scoring threat Romeo likes to create his own shots off the dribble like Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors. Romeo in fact patterns his game after Curry almost completely including the pre-game drills and ritual of dribbling two balls at the same time. Romeo made a dazzling dribbling display to elude the Chinese defenders and showed unerring outside shooting for crucial points. He drilled a triple to tie the count at 87-all in the final four minutes. He then hit a fadeway and another back-breaking triple to pad the Philippines’ lead, 92-87. Standhardinger and Matthew Wright finalized the count for the Philippine squad. Romeo scored 14 points in final frame and eight of the team’s last 12 markers. He finished with 26 points and scored the crucial baskets in the fourth. He also had four assists and was blistering hot from three-point distance converting five of his seven attempts. It was a sweet victory for the the Philippine squad which avenged the 2015 loss to China in the Fiba Asia Championship. The Philippines again leaned on Romeo’s outside sniping to beat Iraq. Romeo sparked a third-quarter surge to power Gilas Pilipinas past Iraq to claim group’s top seed. Romeo sizzled with 11 third-quarter points to power the Gilas surge to break the game wide open in that period. Scouted well Romeo was held to just three points on 1-of-7 shooting in the first half. But he found his rhythm and exploded for 11 points in the third quarter to turn a slim 32-31 advantage at halftime into a full-blown rout. Two free throws capped a 24-4 explosion by the Philippines that pushed the squad to a daunting, 56-35, lead. Romeo led the squad in scoring 17 points off three triples. He also had four assists, two rebounds and one steal in just 21 minutes off the bench. It’s probably safe to say that Romeo will easily fill that need for an outside shooting threat for the Philippine national basketball team to be credible challengers in international competitions.
POCARI SWEAT, BALIPURE RENEW PVL RIVALRY THE Pocari Sweat Lady Warriors are brimming with confidence as they face perennial rival BaliPure in their Drive for Four in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference Finals at the Filoil Flying V Center. Two squads were playing the first game of the best-of-three finals at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan as we went to press yesterday Saturday. The Lady Warriors rallied from a set down to repulse the Water Defenders in sudden death to win the PVL Reinforced Conference crown last June, the franchise’s third straight championship in as many stints in the country’s premier women’s volley league organized by Sports Vision. But while Pocari remains upbeat of its chances for a repeat over BaliPure, the Water Defenders will be coming into the finals all fired-up to nail their maiden championship in the league backed by Mikasa and Asics. “I don’t look at it as a rematch. We’ll just go out there and play our best,” said BaliPure coach Roger Gorayeb. “But it’s a different feeling if you play in the championship
so I will just rely on their aggressiveness and teamwork.” Grethcel Soltones, Risa Sato, Aiko Urdas, Jerrili Malabanan, ace setter Jasmine Nabor and libero Lizlee Ann Pantone will be Gorayeb’s main weapons against a Pocari side led by power hitter Myla Pablo, Jeanette Panaga, Desiree Dadang, Jessey de Leon, Elaine Kasilag, new star Heather Guino-o, playmaker Gyzelle Sy and libero Melissa Gohing. While the road to a fourth straight final proved bumpy for the Lady Warriors, they still proved up to the task, bucking the odds to get another title crack, including a scary semifinal duel with the Hair Fairy Air Force Lady Jet Spikers. They groped for form in the elimination round, needed to toughen up in the quarters then rebounded from two sets down and saved two match points in their rubber match to frustrate the Lady Jet Spikers for the first finals slot. In all their struggles, new coach Rico de Guzman had kept the faith in his wards, who have responded with one big game af-
ter the other to move two wins away from nailing another championship. Pablo, fully recovered from an injury that slowed her down late in the elims, has been playing to her full potential the last few games while the rest have been dishing out solid support that has lined up the Lady Warriors’ for another title crack. Panaga, Dadang, Kasilag, de Leon and Gyzelle Sy have been providing able backup to Pablo while de Guzman turned Guino-o into an instant star when the former FEU mainstay delivered clutch hits and anchored the team’s come-frombehind victory over the Jet Spikers. “If you want to win, you also have to gamble,” said de Guzman, referring to his decision to field in Guino-o for Kasilag in the crucial stretch of Game 3. Guino-o scored 14 hits, including key attack points in the third and fifth sets. In the finals, while both teams will try to spring a surprise or two to startle the other side’s patterns, it will still boil down to their key players at crunch time with Pablo and Soltones tipped to lead their respective team’s title drive.
Pocari Sweat ace hitter Myla Pablo (8) unleashes one of her power spikes against Air Force setter Wendy Semana during their PVL Open Conference sudden death for the finals berth.
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SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor / Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor / Randy Caluag, Issue Editor
sports_mstandard@yahoo.com
ARCILLA, PJ TIERRO MARCH TO LAST 16
A TALE OF THREE IRON KIDS
By Marielle C. Santos and Patricia Bianca S. Taculao
L
IKE the famous biblical kings Saul, David and Absalom, three young Iron kids trudged through different paths to win their battles and emerge champions. Tara Borlain is so fortunate to have the resources needed in her quest for glory since engaging her chosen passion five years ago—to swim, bike and run in a grueling sport called triathlon. The 14-year-old Borlain capped her illustrious career in Alaska IronKids with another victory in the 13-14 category in the recent Alaska Ironkids in Cebu and just like her previous victories, her whole family was around to provide her moral support. “Ever since I started, the most important thing I learned is that family is the key,’’ said Borlain, an 8th grader at St. Paul University. “Winning is just in your mind and in your heart, and if you give your best, you’re already a champion. I believe that your family will be the one to push you for that success to happen.” For Tara, it was a continuation of winning tradition for the family, at least one last time. Her older sister, Samantha, also graduated last year from Iron Kids with aplomb as they finished 1-2 in the 1314 years old category. This time, it was only Tara who the family cheered for and she did not disappoint. Like her sister, Samantha, Tara works hard and maintains a strong belief in what she’s capable of doing. And it was not really a hard thing to do because, according to her, the family has always been around to cheer for them. “It’s actually the best thing I can ask for. When I’m with them, I feel more confident,’’ said Tara. “I got to know myself more because of them.’’
“I’m happy that I won. I thank my coaches for helping me,” Beboy said in Cebuano. He refused to answer further questions and began to cry and hide from cameras. Sigmund Estreba, one of the benefactors of Beboy, said the boy got overwhelmed by the large crowd and media attention that he got that day. But earlier, Beboy was a little monster. The 6th grader from Taytay Elementary School negotiated the 200-meter swim, 6km bike and 1.5km run contest to-toetoe with older participants and easily won her age-bracket. Running on borrowed shoes, it was in the foot race where he shone brightest. For his victory, Beboy was given a pair of brand-new pair of shoes by one of the race sponsors. It all started with Beboy’s innocence and curiosity. He sat with other kids one morning during a running seminar conducted by national mara-
Borrowed shoes
thon champion and Rio De Janeiro Olympian Mary Joy Tabal last year. That was after he was discovered by his coach Andoy Remolino. “I recognized his potential when I saw a group of kids swimming in Danao. Beboy can win over kids older than him,’’ he said in Cebuano. When Remolino brought Beboy to train at the Talisay Luigi Triathlon Group, he noted that the boy didn’t even have a pair of sneakers for running and had to borrow a bike from his fellow young triathletes. “Coach Andoy gives special treatment to Beboy and motivates him to become a winner. Even our friends be-
Coming from a poor family, 10-year-old Beboy Dolen was armed with only sheer guts and skills in taking up the expensive sport of triathlon. The son of a simple fisherman from Danao in Cebu, Dolen wowed everybody as he bested the field, including some participants four years older than him, in the running event to emerged champion in the 9-10 age category of the Ironkids. Beboy is a shy boy. Not used to undue attention given him, he was crying during the post-game press conference and could only say a few words when asked about his thoughts following his victory.
Beboy Delon topped the running event in the IronKids, beating some participants who are several years older than him
Mother and daughter, Charry and Kaira, dedicated the race to her missing father
gin to help us with the equipment because triathlon is an expensive sport,’’ added Estreba, former Talisay swim club president. Now, they have triathlon star in the making.
Her mother, Charry, couldn’t believe what they heard and she went on to investigate further. All they received were reports that Arcedny was last seen standing on the ship’s deck one afternoon and he never reported for duty again. He was assumed to have fallen from the ship which was cruising the shark-infested Indian Ocean. No one saw what really happened. No CCTV camera, no witnesses. “We never know what happened. Mahirap. We could not say if he’s really dead. We’re still hoping (that he’s still alive) “said Charry. Financially, it has also become difficult for the Bordios family because they have to wait for several years before the court, in the absence of a body, can declare the demise of Arcedny so that the family
can claim from his insurance. For other kids with weaker resolve, they could have just stopped and sulked in the sudden loss of the head of the family. But not the iron-willed Kaira. Despite the emotional burden and the dip in resources, Kaira and mom Charry did not stop from competing. Kaira continued to train in her native province in Bacolod for the much awaited Iron Kids in Cebu. “I want my Papa (father) to see that I’m strong. I want to improve for him,” said Kaira. She placed 11th place and got a finisher’s medal that glitters like gold. “I dedicate this (medal) for papa. I want him to know that I am here and competed,”added Kaira, who vowed to continue competing in triathlon until she becomes champion.
Winning is not everything
In the few times that they were together, Kaira Charlize Bordios would always hear her father telling her, “Even if you don’t win, you’re still a winner for me.” Life has been so good was full of rosy promises for the Bordios family, until one day in May, news came that her father, Arcedny, who working as a seaman, went missing.
Delon (center) holds his trophy
TOP seed Johnny Arcilla and No. 2 PJ Tierro shrugged off opening set threats to lead the siege of the fancied bets in the eighth Olivarez Cup Open Tennis Championship at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque on Sunday. Arcilla, winner of three of the last three staging of the annual event featuring the country’s cream of the crop, wore down Raymund Diaz in the first set then imposed his will in the next to carve out a 7-5, 6-1 victory for a Last 16 duel with Arthur Pantino, who upended No. 14 John Altiche, 6-2, 6-4. Tierro, on the other hand, bucked Bryan Saarenas’ tough stand in the early going and fashioned out a 6-4, 6-2 victory for a third round duel with No. 15 LA Canizares, who subdued Ed Parangan, 7-5, 6-0. Unranked Rodolfo Barquin provided the spark in the third day of action in the week-long event, put up by Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez along with Rep. Eric Olivarez and Dr. Pablo Olivarez as part of the family’s long-time commitment to boost the sport, outlasting No. 8 Marc Reyes, 6-3, 5-7, 14-12, to gain a spot in the upper half of the 64-player draw. The top UE bet will next face Jan Seno, who advanced with a walkover win over No. 9 Bryan Otico in the tournament backed by Palawan Pawnshop, Stronghold Insurance, Milestone Guarantee Assurance Corp. and Sterling Insurance Company. Others who rolled into the next round were Jason Patrombon, Marcus del Rosario, Rolando Ruel Jr., Ronard Joven, Leander Lazaro, Jose Cano, Eric “Jed” Olivarez, Vicente Anasta, Fritz Verdad and Deo Talatayod. The third-ranked Patrombon ripped Neil Co, 6-1, 6-1; del Rosario trounced Noel Damian Jr., 6-2, 6-2; Ruel held off Calvin Canlas, 6-4, 6-4; No. 6 Joven thwarted Mark Alcoseba, 7-6(5), 6-1; fifth seed Lazaro ousted Kristian Tesorio, 6-3, 3-0(ret.); Olivarez routed Francis Alcantara, 6-3, 6-0; No. 4 Anasta downed Dave Mosqueda, 6-4, 6-2; No. 7 Verdad toppled Jordan Cimafranca, 6-3, 6-1; and Talatayod survived Wilson Oblea, 6-3, 7-5(3). Defending three-time women’s singles champion Khim Iglupas also breezed through in the Last 16 in their side of the event, crushing Erika Manduriao, 6-0, 6-0, with top seed and last year’s runner-up Clarice Patrimonio bundling out Cianna Villafor, 6-1, 6-0. No. 3 Jade Capadocia likewise scored a 6-0, 6-0 romp over Nicole Bautista; fourth ranked Christine Patrimonio toppled Toni Rose Raymundo, 6-0, 6-1; No. 5 Shaira Rivera eased past Katrina Hernandez, 6-0, 6-0; and sixth seed Rachelle de Guzman scored a walkover win over Karamina Atangan. Joining the seeded bets into the next round are Bliss Bayking, Mary Grace Melchor, Alexi Santos, Sydney Enriquez, Chloe Saraza, Patricia Velez and Charito Capadocia. Bayking rapped Bea Ebriega, 6-1, 6-2; Melchor trampled Bea Gomez, 6-1, 6-3; Santos blasted Justine Manela, 6-3, 6-2; Enriquez won by default over Krizzhan Dumlao; Saraza foiled Yoshi Noguchi, 7-5, 4-6, 10-8; Velez routed Rafaella Villanueva, 6-3, 6-0; and Capadocia also scored a walkover win over Noriko Yamada.
THAI TOPS QUALIFYING; 19 PINOYS EARN PGTA CARDS TARLAC—hai Pasavee Lertvilai capped a four-day run of under-par scores with a second straight 69 and topped the PGT Asia Tour Qualifying School by five over American Seungjae Maeng at the Luisita Golf and Country Club course here on Saturday. Lertvilai, who cashed in on John Michael O’Toole’s shaky windup to move up by two in the third round, held sway despite an even-par card after 12 holes then birdied four against a bogey in the last six to finish with a 36-33 and a 13-under 275 aggregate, clinching the low medal honors in the 72-hole elims for the newest regional circuit put up by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. Maeng, who co-led with Swede
Fredrik From in the first round, bounced back from a third round 74 with a 69 to take runner-up honors at 280 while Jobim Carlos rallied with a bogey-free 67 to tie three others at third at 282 and emerge the top Filipino finisher in the event which staked 60 slots plus ties for the PGTA kicking off with the Aboitiz Invitational Tuesday at Southwoods. Other six-under overall scorers were American John Michael O’Toole (74), Korean-American Micah Shin (68) and Indonesian Joshua Wirawan (69). Elki Kow, aslo from Indonesia, shot a 67 and shared seventh place with another local bet Rey Pagunsan, who carded a 69, at 283, while Anthony Fernando, among the 19
Filipinos who qualified, finished tied for ninth at 284 with Aussie David Gleeson (70) and Swede Andreas Gronkvist (68) despite a 74. Carlos is actually eligible to play in the inaugural PGT Asia Tour being among the top 40 in the current Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit ranking. But by finishing in the top 60, the former national champion, Pagunsan and Fernando also assured themselves of spots in PGTA events to be staged abroad starting next year. Also guaranteed of that privilege Justin Quiban (67-285), Keanu Jahns (76-286), Dino Villanueva (70-286), Rudy Cabajar Jr. (73-288), Robert Pactolerin (74-289), amateur Richnell Albano (72-290), Ira Alido (73-
290), Charles Hong (72-290), Benjie Magada (73-291), Orlan Sumcad (73-293), Cookie La’O (74-295), Randy Garalde (79-296), Nelson Huerva (73-296), Joseph Suarez (80-297) and Arnel Enema (73-298). Kris Etter rebounded with an even-par 72 and tied Aussies Rick Coleman (76), Joshua Whitehouse (77) and Max Duffy (73) and Spain’s Salvador Paya Vila (76) for 58th at 301 for the last five PGTA berths. Missing the cut were former PGT leg winner Mars Pucay (80-303), Rolando Marabe Jr. (79-303), Raymund Gonzales (75-304), Erwin Arcillas (76305), Francis Morilla (72-305), John Kier Abdon (79-307), Carlos Packing (79307) and Tonton Asistio (79-308).
Thai Pasavee Lertvilai holds a giant copy of Champion’s Wacky Baniqued (right) and Joseff Miguel certifi cate inQuirino the PGTfinish Asia almost at a dead heat. Photo finish review eventually Tour Qualifying School. showed Baniqued as the winner. Marielle C. Santos