Belingon Ready to Seize ONE Championship Gold

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Like most Filipino mixed martial artists, Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon (13-4-0) of Baguio City, Philippines is working hard towards realizing his dreams, when his efforts materialize into a world title shot. More importantly, each one of his victories has presented the opportunity to live a better life.

This Saturday, January 23, at the Helong Stadium in Changsha, China, Belingon will receive the opportunity of a lifetime when he challenges Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes (18-3-0) in a five-round battle for the ONE Bantamweight World Championship.

Since joining ONE Championship and debuting for the promotion four years ago, Belingon has had his fair share of highs and lows. He’s had spectacular wins as well as heartbreaking setbacks, but what’s consistent with the 28-year old’s performances is his desire for all-out action from start to finish.

And he knows exactly how he’ll approach Fernandes once they are both staring each other down from across the ONE Cage.

“I know where I can catch Fernandes and that's in the striking department,” said Belingon.

“[Fernandes] has a great ground game, but I'm working on my takedown defense and I'll look to hit him with something he won't see coming."

Globe Telecom’s Proposed Open Access Law Possible as Priority in Next Congress

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) of the House of Representatives may include in its priority list in the next Congress the proposed Open Access Law of Globe Telecom for the telecommunications industry.

In a letter to Globe, CPBRD requested for additional details on the telecommunication company’s proposal of an Open Access Law as a way to mitigate bureaucratic red tape and other political hurdles that stand in the way in the deployment of telecommunications and broadband infra such as cell sites.

Globe General Counsel Atty. Froilan Castelo emphasized that an Open Access legislation for the telecom industry would help minimize bureaucratic red tape and expedite the issuance of all relevant permits for all telecommunication facilities at the local government level. “Legislation of an Open Access law is extremely important if we are to support growth and development of the next generation. The interest that the CPBRD has shown for our proposal further motivates us to remain aggressive in developing a robust telecom infrastructure that we hope will support business capabilities of local industries,” Castelo said.

According to Castelo, the quality of existing telecommunication infrastructure in a given locality is oftentimes a direct result of the LGU permitting environment. He pointed out that securing different permits at LGU level could become very challenging, from the sheer number of permits to the different political personalities that mobile operators have to deal with.

City Skylines In Emerging Markets More Recognizable Than Ever

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Most Filipinos can tell the difference between the skylines of Makati and other cities around the globe - and now it seems the rest of the world can, too. The Philippine’s skyline is the most recognizable of any in the emerging markets, according to a new survey from global property portal Lamudi.

The multiple choice survey asked participants in the developed world - as well as countries in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa - to identify emerging market cities by their skylines. The survey presented respondents with skyline images of Medellín, Colombia; Lima, Peru; Karachi, Pakistan; Colombo, Sri Lanka and Makati, the Philippines.

The survey found that approximately 58 percent of Westerners were able to identify the Makati skyline, making the Metro Manila city the most recognizable. The skyline of Colombo was the least recognizable, with 52 percent.

According to survey results, Westerners were able to identify these five cities with surprising ease. Each city was identified correctly by more than 50 percent of respondents, regardless of their regional origin. These results point to a growing consciousness of emerging markets in the West.