Open Access BPO Employees Join 5th Annual Blood Drive

Wazzup Pilipinas!

To promote volunteerism and spread awareness among employees, Philippine call center Open Access BPO partnered with the Philippine Red Cross to conduct its fifth annual blood drive.

Last year, Open Access BPO partnered with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) to organize its 4th annual blood donation drive. This year, fourteen out of the 37 employees who expressed their interest were able to donate blood. The whole-day activity was held in the Philippine call center’s Makati office on April 7.

"This partnership (between Open Access BPO and PRC) emphasizes volunteerism. Blood donation is a good form of community service or corporate social responsibility," Dr. Edmundo Marra from the PRC team said. Dr. Marra spearheaded the blood donation activity.

Furthermore, according to Dr. Marra, blood donation is beneficial not only to the recipient but also to the donor. Blood loss stimulates the replenishment of red blood cells, which improves circulation and energizes the body.

"I’ve been donating blood regularly, but last year, I wasn’t able to participate in Open Access BPO’s blood drive since I was then a new employee. I definitely would join volunteer activities like this in the future, because I want to help those who need medical assistance," Edmond Enoy, one of the donors, said.

24 NCR Youth Advance to JR. NBA/JR. WNBA Philippines 2016 National Training Camp

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Sixteen boys and eight girls stood out over the rest in the Manila Regional Selection Camp of the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Philippines 2016 presented by Alaska at Don Bosco Technical Institute on April 9-10. They will represent the National Capital Region in the National Training Camp on April 22-24.

Fourteen of the 16 Jr. NBA finalists are from Metro Manila while the remaining two players came from Batangas City and Bacolod City respectively. Mark Glenn Gabon, 14, of National University; Luis Gabriel Aguila, 13, of Nazareth School of NU; Johndhel Austria, 13, of Escuela de Sophia; Jearico Nunez, 13, of University of Perpetual Help System-Dalta; Kai Zachary Sotto, 13, Jericho Ross Paglinawan, 14 and Mark Nicole Lucban, 13 of St. Francis of Assisi School; Reich Randell Villegas, 13, of Ateneo de Manila; Prince Junnell de Belen, 13, of San Isidro Catholic School; Pauloh Villarin, 13, of De La Salle Zobel; Patrick Lance Inting, 14, of Our Lady of Pillar Catholic School; Miguel Rey Luis, 13, of Xavier School; Anjelo Raphael Argente, 14, of De La Salle Lipa and Andrei Philip Lechoncito, 13, of St. John’s Institute of Bacolod are headed to the next phase of the program.

Eight girls were selected as Jr. WNBA representatives of Metro Manila composed of the following individuals: Dianne Camille Nolasco, 11, of Miriam College; Lalaine Gonzales, 13, of Escuela de Sophia; Carly Monreal, 13, and Princess Marie Villarin, 10, of De La Salle Zobel; Jonalyn Bongalos of University of Perpetual Help System-Dalta; Lindsey Nacional, 12 of Baptist Bible Seminary Institute, Taytay; Magda Lioui Flores, 13, of Christian Grace School of Cavite and Ma. Cecilia Quilenderino of Dalig National High School of Antipolo.

The fourth and final Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Philippines 2016 Regional Selection Camp drew a record number of 1,114 participants—the highest Regional Selection Camp attendance to date since the grassroots program was established in 2007. The camp also attracted young players from the Southern Tagalog and Visayas regions like Jem Joaquin, 14, and Mark Salibio, 12, who are indigenous people of the Ati tribe in Boracay.

Ben Askren Defends ONE Welterweight Title Against Nikolay Aleksakhin at MOA Arena on April 15

Wazzup Pilipinas!

ONE Championship, Asia’s largest sports media property with a global broadcast to over 1 billion homes across 75 countries, holds its first event in Manila for 2016 on Friday, April 15 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

ONE: GLOBAL RIVALS, which will be headlined by the world championship fight between American ONE Welterweight Champion Ben Askren and Nikolay Aleksakhin, Pro FC Welterweight Grand Prix champ, starts at 7 p.m. and features ten fights, seven of which feature Filipino fighters in various weight categories.

Up first is April Osenio vs. Batalie Gonzales Hills in a purely Pinay encounter, in the Atomweight category, followed by Burn Soriano versus Sunoto of Indonesia in the Bantamweight category.

Team Lakay’s Danny Kingad goes up against Muhamad Haidar of Malaysia in the Flyweight Division. Former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “the Rock” Banario tackles Pan Asian Champ Vaughn Donayre in the following Lightweight fight.

Featherweight Champion Martin Nguyen of Vietnam disputes the Featherweight title against Li Kai Wen of Beijing. Another All-Filipino showdown happens next –North versus South -- when Joshua Pacio, Grand Prix champ from Baguio’s Team Lakay meets Robin Catalan, National Wushu Champion from Mindanao in the Straweight category.