C1
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017
Business
Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@thestandard.com.ph
PALAWAN OIL FIELD HOLDS MORE RESERVES
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By Alena Mae S. Flores
GERMAN HONEY.
Langnese Honey Fürsten – Reform export manager Mark Baumgärtner
GERMAN HONEY MAKERS NOW SWEETEN PH FOOD T
he large and fast growing Philippine population, considered in the past as a drag on the economy, is now seen as the country’s number one asset in attracting multinational companies. Among them are top German companies —from consumer brands Adidas, Puma, Hugo Boss and Nivea and automotive manufacturers Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Porsche, BMW and Audi to technology giants SAP, Bosch and Siemens and industrial conglomerates Bayer, Lufthansa and thyssenkrupp. “The Philippines is indeed a very good location for German companies to be here. You see the growing population of more than 100 million Filipinos. There is a growing middle class that will now be able to purchase products like Langnese honey,” says Dr. Andree Buhl, commercial attaché of the German embassy in Manila during the launch of the honey brand in the country. Langnese, the leading honey brand in Germany and Europe, is now in the Philippines, after local distributor Fly Ace Corp. teamed up with Fürsten – Reform, the German company behind the brand. Buhl says the entry of Langnese honey into the Philippine market will help expand bilateral trade
between Germany and the Philippines. “The bilateral economic relations are very good already. We have a trade volume of about 5 billion euros, with a slight advantage for the Philippines, because the Philippines is exporting more. Maybe now, with Langnese honey, I am not sure if you will be able to close the gap, because it is 1 billion euros. Maybe you can help a little bit in closing this gap between exports and imports,” he says. “I am sure that this product will be successful because from my time in the Philippines, for one and a half years, I know that the Filipinos like sweet products very much,” he says. Fly Ace Corp. president Jun Cochanco says Filipinos deserve world-class products such as Langnese honey, which is known for its purity. “We at Fly Ace Corp. envision bringing the world’s finest food and beverage brands and products into Filipino homes. We extensively research and carefully choose our product sources Turn to C2
Marriott Hotel Manila executive chef Meik Brammer
A CONSORTIUM led by Australian company N ido Petroleum Ltd. hopes to extract more oil from the Galoc oil field located 60 kilometers northwest off Palawan. Nido Petroleum’s subsidiary Galoc Production Co. WLL signed a binding rig contract with Golden Close Maritime Corp. Ltd. for the drillship “Deepsea Metro I” to drill an appraisal well at the Galoc mid area on behalf of the Galoc joint venture. Nido said the Deepsea Metro I is a cutting edge drillship capable of simultaneous, safe and efficient operations. “ The Deepsea Metro I will be contracted by the Galoc joint venture for a period of approximately four to five weeks with a contract commencement window of March 1 to 31, 2017,” it said. The Deepsea Metro I is capable of operating in water depths of up to 10,000 feet and drilling to a total depth of 40,000 feet. Golden Close Maritime Corp. Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deepsea Metro Ltd. which is 40 percent owned by the Odfjell Drilling group. Nido managing director Mike Fischer said the consortium was looking forward to drilling operations commencing in the Philippines “as we seek to unlock the potential for extending the field life of our cornerstone asset.” Nido and its joint venture par tners are pursuing the appraisal well at the Galoc mid area of the Galoc field i n n o r t hwe s t Pa l aw a n i n preparation for the eventual depletion of the remaining reserves by 2019. “If the Galoc-7/7ST is successful, the subsequent d e ve l o p m e nt o f t h e G MA will materially increase re s e r ve s a n d p ro d u c t i o n , substantially extending the life of the Galoc field,” Nido said earlier. “Production at the Galoc field is currently declining and based on Nido’s proven reserves, estimates is anticipated to become sub-commercial in 2019,” Nido said. The successful development of the GMA will extend the life of the Galoc field to the first quarter of 2027. Members of the Galoc joint venture are Nido, Kufpec, Oriental Petroleum and Minerals and The Philodrill Corp. The Galoc oil field produces an average daily of production of 5,079 barrels a day. The field has produced over 17.8 million barrels since 2008.
CONVERGYS CHAIR APPOINTED MAP PRESIDENT THE country chair of the largest private employer in the Philippines is the new head of the Management Association of the Philippines. MAP, a multi-industry organization promoting management excellence for nation-building, inducted its 2017 board of governors led by Marife Zamora, chairperson of Convergys Philippines, as MAP president. Zamora is MAP’s 68th president and the first to come from the business process outsourcing sector since the organization was established in 1950. A multi-awarded executive, her
contributions to the BPO industry included establishing the Philippine operations of Convergys Corp., a global leader in customer management. Serving as its first country manager in 2003, Zamora was pivotal in growing Convergys to becoming the Philippines’ largest private employer, where she is currently chairperson. In her role as MAP president, Zamora will be leading the organization towards the fulfillment of its programs and advocacies together with eight members of MAP’s board of governors, comprised of top executives from
financial services, public utility, media, academe and management consultancy firms. The induction of MAP’s 2017 board of governors, held at the Peninsula Manila on Jan. 25, was spearheaded by Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who also served as guest speaker at the event. This was followed by Zamora’s inaugural address where she revealed MAP’s theme for this year: “Working Together to Achieve Inclusive Prosperity,” which conveys bringing about positive change and inspiring courage and
optimism to overcome challenges. The theme is operationalized as the organization strengthens its commitment to integrity; to delivering economic freedom to marginalized sectors through skills generation, education and promoting sustainable business; and to helping create a more equitable workforce and an inclusive economy. Zamora also disclosed MAP’s five top priority programs which include traffic management advocacy, ease of doing business, entrepreneurship or
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Convergys Philippines chairperson Marife Zamora delivers her inaugural address as 2017 president of the Management Association of the Philippines.
Business
C2
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 business@thestandard.com.ph
CYBERCRIME VICTIMS STRUGGLE TO RECOVER MONEY EACH year thousands of Internet users become victims of a cybercrime. Research from Kaspersky Lab reveals that over half (52 percent) of Internet users who’ve lost money at the hands of cybercriminals have only got some, or none, of their stolen funds back. With the variety and sophistication of online financial threats against consumers growing, losses from online fraud, identity theft and hacking are now running at billions a year. And with many cases going unreported, the true economic cost is likely to be significantly higher. The research reveals how costly these attacks are for Internet users, and how lucrative they’ve become for cybercriminals. On average, Internet users lose $476 per attack and one-inten people surveyed said they lost more than $5,000. A large majority of Internet users say they conduct financial operations online (81 percent) and just under half (44 percent) store financial data on their connected devices. As more users go online to manage their finances, more cybercriminals are looking for opportunities to cash in, making it important for users to have robust Internet security in place to protect themselves and their money. Nevertheless, only 60 percent of Internet users protect all their devices.
Fort Bonifacio commercial business district
PH ASIA’S NEW GROWTH LEADER By Karl Lester M. Yap
A Attitudes to online safety could be influenced by users mistakenly thinking lost money will be automatically refunded to them. Almost half (45 percent) say that they assume they will be reimbursed by banks for financial cybercrime without any problems, but as the survey shows, over half (52 percent) of people affected haven’t had all their stolen money returned. “Cybercriminals are continually looking for new ways to exploit and defraud consumers and that’s why it’s important for Internet users to be on their guard at all times,” says Vyacheslav Zakorzhevsky, head of the anti-malware research team at Kaspersky Lab. “Cybercriminals can conduc t financial crimes via malware, phishing and more. Don’t assume you will always get all your money back if you become a target and funds are stolen from you. The best way to safeguard your finances online is to make sure you don’t become a victim, and for that we recommend specialist software that protects your identity and keeps sensitive data out of the hands of the cybercriminals,” she says. Kaspersky Safe Money, one of key features of Kaspersky Lab home products, such as Kaspersky Total Security, is a financial security suite of technologies, designed to protect the online financial operations of users with three core principles — trusted site, trusted connection and trusted environment. This solution’s ability to effectively protect users against financial threats has been approved by many independent researchers.
fter years spent languishing behind its neighbors, the Philippines is finally catching up with its fellow Asian tiger economies as it posts some of the fastest growth rates in the world.
With the World Bank forecasting expansion of more than 6 percent for eight years until 2019-unparalleled in the nation’s history -- the Philippines is mimicking gains seen in Malaysia and Thailand in the 1990s as they industrialized. Growth in the Philippines was 6.8 percent in 2016, faster than China’s, data released on Thursday showed. T h e r e g i o n’s f o r m e r powerhouses are giving way to newcomers like the Philippines and Vietnam, whose younger populations and rising middle classes help lure manufacturers. While Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has alienated some with his anti-U.S. rhetoric and deadly drug war, his ambitious $160 billion infrastructure plan and push for greater investment from China, Russia and the Middle East are strengthening the
outlook. “We are seeing a transformation to a stronger, more developed economy,” said Frederic Neumann, co-head of Asian economic research at HSBC Holdings Plc in Hong Kong. “Recent administrations worked hard to ensure macroeconomic stability which serves as its anchor.” The Philippine economy—now about $292 billion—was more than twice the size of Malaysia’s and 10 times bigger than Singapore’s in 1960. A steady decline since then got it the label “the sick man of Asia” while its peers expanded rapidly. The nation’s resurgence begun with former President Benigno Aquino, who took office in 2010, raised revenue, curbed corruption and won the nation’s first-ever investment grade credit ratings. By the end of this decade, the Philippines can achieve upper middle-income country status with per capita income of at least $4,126, the Asian Development Bank
GERMAN HONEY... From C1 because we believe you deserve only the best,” says Cochanco. Fürsten – Reform export manager Mark Baumgärtner says the Langnese brand represents German quality. “Everybody is aware of Mercedez, BMW, Siemens which are mainly in the field of automotive, machinery and so on. However, a lot of German food products are representing high quality standards as well and are mainly produced by medium and small enterprises in Germany, which are family-owned,” says Baumgärtner. “Langnese honey is not only the market leader in Germany and Europe, but is also known in 45 countries. The Philippines is our next market,” he says. Baumgärtner says honey is a healthy product that is known for its anti-bacterial, anti-septic and anti-microbic features. This is confirmed by Prof. Cleofas Cervancia of UP Los Baños, the president of Apimondia Regional Commission for Asia. However, she says not all honeys are equal, because many brands in the market are adulterated. “Make sure you buy the authentic one,” she says.
Cervancia says a physicochemical analysis of commercial honey from selected supermarkets in Metro Manila last year found that only 24 out of 39 samples, or 64 percent, were authentic. Six of 14 or 42 percent of local honey were discovered to be authentic, while 18 or 25 or 72 percent of imported honey were found the same. The analysis also found that only two brands passed the European Union Directive, which has the most strict standards for honey.
forecasts, joining the likes of China, Malaysia and Thailand. Even with the strong growth outlook, financial markets have been mixed. While the government last week sold $2 billion of global bonds at the tightest spread ever, the peso is among the worst performing Asian currencies in the past six months and stocks have faltered. The ADB has said that boosting manufacturing is key to creating more jobs. The Philippines is among the least reliant on exports in the region, depending instead on a youthful and growing consumer base. Household spending, which makes up about 70 percent of gross domestic product, rose more than 6 percent for an eighth quarter. “ The economic takeoffs of countries like Thailand and Malaysia were built on their manufacturing prowess and this is where the government must redouble their efforts,” Neumann said. “This is a
Cervancia says other brands had adulterated or low quality honey, with either high moisture content, high apparent sucrose or high hydroxymethylfurfural or HMF. She says the Philippines imports about 80 percent of its honey requirements. “We are producing a very little amount of honey. We import about 500 metric tons of honey every years,” she says. Fly Ace Corp. brand manager Emie San Beda says Filipinos love honey because of its important health benefits and also because it is a very versatile ingredient in cooking and food preparation. “However, majority of us do not know that the honey brands you see in the supermarket are not 100-percent real honey. But now, with Langnese brand, consumers can get a honey that is of highest quality and purity. Consumers can have the peace of mind that the honey they are buying is real, authentic and pure,” she says. San Beda says Langnese honey is available in five variants in the Philippines: acacia, golden clear, black forest, wild flower and lavender. “When it comes to honey, there’s a reason why Langnese has been around for decades and a consistent market leader all these years—its name is the ultimate representation of what a real and reliable honey should be,” says Canchoco. Roderick T. dela Cruz
tough nut to crack. It will require infrastructure improvements and attracting more foreign direct investment to turn that into a reality.” FDI to the Philippines surged more than five times to $5.8 billion between 2010 and 2015, but that still pales in comparison to Thailand’s $9 billion and Malaysia’s $11 billion. To compete, Duterte is planning to boost infrastructure spending to 7 percent of GDP from the previous administration’s goal of 5 percent. He is also pushing for changes to tax laws to boost revenue and amend the Constitution to shift to federalism. “If they manage to push through tax reforms and boost infrastructure spending, manufacturing will now become its next leg of growth, adding to remittances and outsourcing,” said Michael Wan, an economist at Credit Suisse Group AG in Singapore. “This will boost the growth potential to at least 7 percent in the years ahead.” Bloomberg
CONVERGYS...
From C1
enterprise development, employment generation, and women empowerment. The first two, traffic management advocacy and ease of doing business, are crucial in creating a productive and enabling business environment. Efforts in enterprise development and employment generation include MAP’s Educated Marginalized Entrepreneurs Resource Generation Program that assists the entrepreneurial poor on business and job generation. MAP also aims to address women empowerment issues such as the ability to control and benefit from resources, assets, and income, as well as manage risk and improve economic well-being. Zamora said MAP will continue to push for reforms and policies in these areas, leveraging management excellence to ensure that programs will be implemented with continued collaboration among its members, other business organizations, the government and civic groups. Zamora concluded her inaugural address with a call for MAP members to share their talent, time and resources to help make the organization increasingly relevant by spearheading critical learning sessions to leverage industry best practices, and more networking fellowship activities this year.
Sports
C3
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 reuelvidal@yahoo.com
SITYODTONG WANTS ONE UNITED ASIA By Reuel Vidal
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HATRI Sityodtong has a singular vision. He wants to unite all of Asia with ONE Championship a homegrown sports media property. “Every region in the world has a multi-billion sports media property. North America has NBA, NFL, MLB, NASCAR and UFC. They’re worth four to 30 billion dollars. You go to Europe it’s the same thing. There’s EPL, Formula 1, Bundesliga, Spanish La Liga. All worth two to 20 billion dollars each,” said Sityodtong Founder and Chairman of ONE Championship. “You come to Asia, there’s absolutely nothing on a Pan Asian basis except One Championship. There’s a billion dollar cricket industry in India. A billion dollar business of baseball in Japan. But nothing on a Pan Asian basis. That’s why I started ONE Championship.” The choice to unite Asia under the MMA banner is well founded because Asia has been the home of martial arts for thousands of years. “There’s a martial art in every country,” said Sityodtong. “Our biggest movie heroes all have martial arts background. Jet Li, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan. The biggest sports hero in all of Asia is a boxer. Manny Pacquiao. So for me, I believed in my heart when I started. I knew ONE Championship would be Asia’s largest sports media property.” Sityodtong is the quintessential renaissance man who has succeeded in everything he is involved in. He is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, lecturer, philanthropist, martial arts practitioner and teacher. “I’ve been doing Muay Thai for 30 years so I’m really an expert martial artist as well,” said Sityodtong. “That certainly helps me in terms of understanding what drives fighters. What their needs are. What their dreams are. What it’s like to step into a cage. Everything from safety procedures to doctors and the entire protocol to ensure safety. I understand that very intimately. I’ve also been a coach. So I know everything about what coaches go through when they’re in the cage with a fighter.” Sityodtong has been an entrepreneur the vast majority of his life. He says he’s blessed to be able to combine the greatest
Matthew Wright
MATTHEW MADE OF WRIGHT STUFF Chatri Sityodtong unloads a roundhouse kick while training for kickboxing. The ONE Championship C…hairman is an expert martial artist as well. ONE Championship
passion of his life, which is MMA, with business. “I’m able to bring 20 plus years as an entrepreneur, from Silicon Valley to Wall Street, to m y experiences here at ONE championship. At the same time I’m the only person in the company who is able to switch hats, from being a chairman to being a matchmaker, to put in the best fighters, to assembling the best fight cards. I am comfortable at talking to the CEO of a media broadcast company or to the press because of my business background. I feel very lucky to be from both worlds,” said Sityodtong. ONE Championship is already Asia’s largest sports media property with a global broadcast to over one billion homes across 118 countries around the world. Its founder and chairman is far from satisfied. “We have 18 events this year. I won’t
rest until we have one event every single week, held in a major city in Asia. Tokyo, Beijing,
Shanghai, Bangkok, Manila. I won’t rest until we have four billion fans in Asia who genuinely love ONE Championship. I really believe it will become mainstream. Why not? The NBA and the NFL are mainstream in America. And Asia’s missing it,” said Sityodtong. “Every indication is that martial arts could be the greatest cultural treasure of Asia. I want everyone in Asia to be a fan. I want everyone in Asia rooting for their hometown hero on the global stage of ONE Championship. I want every broadcast company to say this is my number one rated show. I want every sponsor to say I am so proud to be associated with this property. That’s my vision. And that is why I started this company. I started five years ago because I wanted to create the first multi-billion sports media property in Asia.”
ONE Championship Founder and Chairman Chatri Sityodtong has a singular vision which is to unite all of Asia with a homegrown sports media property. ONE Championship
ROOKIE Matthew Wright is playing like a veteran in his initial conference in the PBA. Flashing his all-around game, the 6-foot-4 Wright stepped up big-time to help the Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters beat the NLEX Road Warriors and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, respectively last week to clinch at least a playoff berth for a quarterfinal seat in the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup. The Fil-Canadian wingman averaged all-around numbers of 15.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists for Phoenix to earn the Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period of January 16-22. The former St. Bonaventure U standout missed just one assist of registering his first triple-double as a pro, tallying 12 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists to steer Phoenix past NLEX, 102-91 last Wednesday. Four days later, the sweet-shooting Wright banged in eight of his teamhigh 18 points as Phoenix completed a 79-73 escape act against a Japeth Aguilar-less Barangay Ginebra side. The 25-year-old Wright, who won an Asean Basketball League title with the KL Dragons last year, before joining the PBA, beat his Phoenix teammates JC Intal, Simon Enciso and Willy Wilson for the weekly citation. Other contenders for the award were San Miguel Beer’s Arwind Santos, Meralco’s Cliff Hodge, Troy Rosario and Roger Pogoy of TNT, Alaska’s Vic Manuel and Calvin Abueva as well as Scottie Thompson of Ginebra. Phoenix (6 wins, 5 losses) closed out its elimination round campaign bowing to Alaska. The Fuel Masters are in sixth place behind the San Miguel Beermen (9-1), Alaska (6-4), TNT Ka Tropa (6-4), the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (5-4) and the Star Hotshots (5-4). The other teams include Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (5-5), GlobalPort Batang Pier (5-5), the Blackwater Elite (5-6), the Meralco Bolts (3-7), the Mahindra Floodbuster (3-7) and the NLEX Road Warriors (2-8). The loss to Alaska hardly matters because the team has already qualified to the playoffs. And with the way Wright and his teammates are playing the Fuel Masters will definitely be competitive in the playoffs as well. RD
LADY RED SPIKERS WANT MORE THAN FINAL 4 FINISH
Cesca Racraquin (right) of the San Beda Lady Spikers defies the doubleblock defense at the net by College of St. Benilde defenders Ranya Musa (17) and Pauline Cadiente (8). Roman Prospero
SAN BEDA’S irrepressible Lady Red Spikers, who have already achieved a milestone by advancing to the Final Four of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, are not done yet and aim to be competitive in the playoffs. San Beda coach Nemesio Gavino confessed that advancing to the playoffs for the first time ever is already a milestone. But he added that his players want more. “For us, it’s already an achievement to reach the Final 4. But I told my players not to be content. We will strive for more. Hopefully, we can advance to the finals,” said Gavino. San Beda team captain Cesca Racraquin echoed the words of his coach expressing how pleased they were at reaching the playoffs.
“The whole team is ecstatic. This is the first time for the team to reach the Final 4. It’s a great feeling because it was really our goal to reach the Final 4,” said Racraquin. Like his coach the San Beda players led by team captain Racraquin are hardly satisfied with just making it to the playoffs. Racraquin said she has been telling her teammates that they have the potential to go deep into the playoffs if they continue to work hard. “I tell them to trust each other, and that they do a great job. I tell them to just play their game and the win will come, basta team work lang. And aggressiveness,” said Racraquin. The stepladder semifinals start on Tuesday, January 31. San Beda plays defending champion College of St. Benilde. Sure, the
Lady Spikers lost to CSB just last Friday. But it was just a playoff for the fourth spot. What really matters is the game on Tuesday with the winner advancing into the matchup against the twice-to-beat Arellano Lady Chiefs. If the Lady Spikers prevail then they advance to the playoff for the crown against the unbeaten San Sebastian College Lady Stags. It’s quite a mountain to climb. But the De La Salle University Lady Spikers did it just last year to win the University Athletic Association ladies volleyball title. So don’t write off the Lady Red Spikers just yet. By reaching the Final 4 they’ve already achieved something never achieved by any other previous San Beda ladies volleyball team. And they’re not done yet. Reuel Vidal
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Sports
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor / Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor / Randy Caluag, Issue Editor
sports_mstandard@yahoo.com
Coach Chot Reyes
REYES: GILAS 5 YOUNG, FIGHTING TEAM
APPBRO members with GAB officials led by chairman Baham Mitra
‘PROTECT YOURSELF AT ALL TIMES’ By Randy Caluag
T
HERE is no denying that boxing is a dangerous sport. That when a referee tells the boxers before the beginning of the fight to “protect yourself at all times”, he’s actually telling them to be alert at all times and never let their guards down.
From that moment on, the boxers entrust their lives to the referee. While the boxers are there to punch their way to victory, the referee should be on top of the situation to protect them from life-threatening danger. The referee should be the man in charge of the action. The man on top of the situation at all times in the fight. International referee Danrex Tapdasan, speaking before his colleagues during a general assembly meeting,
like multi-awarded Silvestre Abainza, Virgilio Garcia and Angeles City-based Bruce Mctavish. APPBRO recently held its first assembly at the Grand Villa Hotel in Pateros City following the election of the new set of officers led by an equally respected and veteran referee Ferdinand Estrella as newly elected president. “We have this active organization, first and foremost, to help maintain the high quality of officiating for boxing in
APPBRO president Ferdie Estrella (seated right) and board director Greg Ortega (standing) lead the exchange of ideas during the assembly of the country’s top boxing ring officials
said that foremost of the traits that a referee should have is “he should be able to assert his authority in the ring.” “Our most primordial concern is the safety of the fighters. We should be able to enforce the rules and that the fight should be done in the most fair and orderly manner,” shared Tapdasan, who is a lawyer by profession. Tapdasan, one of the top referees of the World Boxing Organization and other international world bodies, is vice president of the (Association of the Philippine Professional Boxing Ring Officials). It is a group formed by some of the most prominent referees and judges
the Philippines. In our first assembly, we held a refresher course to update the knowledge of our referees and judges,” said Estrella, a former Makati City councilor. Tapdasan, who was asked to talk about effective refereeing, shared some of his trainings abroad with fellow officials. “Our training is always focused on preserving life. We may be in the sport of fighting but we are actually putting premium on safety. One that stuck the most in my brain was that it is better to stop the fight one punch earlier, than one punch late.” He was talking about a fight being
Danrex Tapdasan: It’s better to stop the fight one punch earlier than one punch late
stopped by the referee at the right time when the other fighter is being pummeled haplessly. It’s better to stop the fight sooner than stepping in late that may cause the life of a fighter. The referee is always on the lookout for fouls like low blow or hitting below the belt, headbutt, boxing after the bell, punching when the opponent is already down, and the kidney and rabbit punches. The last one, which is a punch on the back of the head, is the most dangerous as it could cause long-term damage on the aggrieved boxer. Before Tapdasan’s talk, the youthful but very knowledgeable Oliver Garcia shared his thoughts about the referee’s preparation before the bout. Foremost, Garcia said, is that the referee should make research about the two fighters he was tasked to officiate. “Kailangan malaman mo kung anong klaseng mga fighters ba ito. Marumi bang maglaro? nakakatagal ba sa laban? Para mas guided ang referee kung kailan dapat ihinto ang laban or alam niya kung anong babantayan na foul sa mga boxers.” He told the referees, as well as the judges, should carry themselves well upon arriving at the venue and maintain a respectable presence and credibility that we mean serious business. Jerrold Tomeldan and Zaldy Lopez made a joint presentation of the topic about effective judging as they adopted the modern 3D Scoring Theory developed by the WBC ring
officials Steve Morrow, Barry Lindenman and Hubert Minn. The 3D simplified boxing scoring to three major factors which are damage, dominance and disruption. When asked why judges hand down different decisions in a particularly close fight, architect Greg Ortega came up with an answer. “Iba-iba ang anggulo ng mga positions ng judges, yung nakitang scoring punch ng isa, maaring hindi makita nung sa kabilang judges, laluna kapag nakatalikod ang mga fighters and minsan natatakpan pa ng mga referees,” explained Ortega, an international judge accredited with the IBF, WBO, WBC and OPBF. Ortega said being a being a boxing judge is no easy task. “You have to spend a lot of time studying but the most important is you have to love the sport.” Estrella said that more seminars and trainings will be held to update the APPBRO members on the latest international practices. Other members who attended the first assembly for the year were Elmo Coloma, Gil Co, Sammy Bernabe, Al Llaneta, Mike Ochosa, Elmer Lopez, Danny Lopez, Baluyot, Nowel Jaduca, Jojo Llanera, Fernando Batistil, Gerry Tayag, Nikka Ortega and Robert bridges. Games and Amusement Board (GAB) chairman Baham Mitra graced the affair together with Boxing and Contact Sport division chief Dr. Nasser Cruz, officers Tony Comia and Ralph Diokno.
GILAS Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes, together with officials from the SamahangBasketbolngPilipinas (SBP) headed by its President Al Panlilio, presented the 24 men that will be part of the pool of Chooks Gilas Pilipinas for 2017. In stark contrast to past iterations of Gilas Pilipinas, the fifth version of the men’s national basketball team under the SBP will be a potent brew of youth over experience. Jayson Castro, Asia’s best point guard, leads the cast and will serve as the team’s eldest statesman at 30 years of age. “We have a very clear picture of the kind of game that we want to play. We wanted the best players that can execute and implement that kind of game. We took a look at 2019 [FIBA World Cup] and our target is 2019,” Reyes said. “We chose, for now, to get players who will be at the peak of their careers in three years’ time.” Joining Castro in this new journey, supported by Chooks-to-Go, are five players who have also represented the country in past competitions. Three-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo, two-time PBA scoring champion Terrence Romeo, Japeth Aguilar, Calvin Abueva, and Paul Lee—all former PBA champions as well. “Now, our issue will be the same with what we had before, which is making them come together and making them a team. We like combination of their youth and veteran smarts,” the National Team mentor added. “It’s a good mix and it’s possibly the tallest group of players that we can assemble. I really like its composition.” Reyes and Panlilio were joined by PBA officials and Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc. (BAVI) President and General Manager Ronald Mascariñas. BAVI is the company behind Chooks-to-Go, the major partner of Gilas for its continued quest to basketball stardom. In addition to the 12 cadets, rounding-up the pool are Rain or Shine’s Raymond Almazan, Blackwater’s Art dela Cruz, NLEX Road Warrior Bradwyn Guinto, Norbert Torres of Phoenix, Jonathan Grey of Meralco, and Mahindra floor general LA Revilla. “The team looks very promising especially with a very young core,” Mascariñas said. “It’s going to be fun to watch and will prepare us for the long haul.” Moreover, Mascariñas reiterated Chooks-to-Go’s commitment to the National Team program, vowing that they will be there for every practice, every game and every moment Gilas will take part in.
MARTIAL ARTS GAMES
DEL ROSARIO, REYES TO LEAD PH CAMPAIGN
TAEKWONDO’S Monsour Del Rosario and karate’s Raymund Lee Reyes were tasked by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to lead the country’s campaign in the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games slated September in Ashgabat,Turkmenistan. Del Rosario was appointed Chief of Mission and Reyes as deputy. They will lead the formation and preparation of the Philippine national team that will compete
in 21 sports disciplines. There will be 45 countries competing for honors in chess, bowling, dancesport, muay thai, taekwondo, tennis, weightlifting, 3-on-3 basketball, cycling (track), equestrian (jumping), wrestling, billiards, kickboxing, jiujitsu, kuresh, athletics (indoor), football (futsal), aquatics (short course swimming), belt wrestling, sambo and traditional wrestling. “WE are very honored to be
part of this campaign. We are a hardworking team and we will leave no stone unturned in making sure that will have be able to make our country proud in this competition,” said Reyes, secretary-general of the Philippine Karatedo Federation. Reyes has been providing able support to PKF president Joey Romasanta in spreading the popularity of the sport in the country as well as product elite athletes that will carry the
national colors in international competition. Del Rosario, a former Asian champion and Olympian in taekwondo, is a representative of the first district of Makati City and a very active official of the Philippine Olympic Association. He was two-time Southeast Asian Games champion and bronze medalist in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games and reached the quarterfinals of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Randy Caluag
Raymund Lee Reyes and Monsour Del Rosario