Joshua Pacio Says He Has Unfinished Business with Yosuke Saruta in 2021

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Like everyone else, reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio of the Philippines has had a rough 2020, having to deal with many complications arising from the advent of COVID-19 in the country.

His day-to-day routine changed drastically from being able to train at full speed everyday, to staying at home and socially distancing from his friends, family, and teammates at Team Lakay. The 24-year-old recently spoke about those challenges, and how it has helped make him a better fighter.

“It has certainly been a challenging year for everyone, especially in the Philippines where the people had to deal with more than just the pandemic. We certainly learned a lot of hard lessons. This has been one of the toughest years ever, but I’m confident we will come out of this stronger than ever,” said Pacio.

“Adversity is the key to becoming better in anything because it forces us outside of our comfort zone. It forces us to discover things about ourselves. I think because of these complications, we’ve been very creative in trying to adapt our training. If anything, we’re probably mentally stronger now than ever before.”

Pacio was last seen in the Circle in a close split decision win against former champion Alex Silva in January. It was a performance that showcased Pacio’s maturity as a fighter.

But even though he’s already reached the pinnacle of his division, having defended his title twice successfully, Pacio feels he is continuing to get better with each outing. Over the next 12 months, Pacio wants to showcase his improvements in every fight.

“I’m happy I got to defend my title last January. That has been my biggest achievement this year. The rest of the year was dedicated to continuous learning, even during the lockdowns. I think I’ve improved myself both physically and mentally this year. And I’m continuing to upgrade my techniques. The journey never ends, and I feel compelled to keep moving forward,” said Pacio.

“My goal in 2021 is to continue to defend my belt and my throne. I want to showcase improvement in every fight. What you saw from me last January has to be different from what you see next time. You have to see something better.”

While 2020 has been a successful year for Pacio, the same can’t be said for his Team Lakay teammates, who had to deal with a host of painful setbacks over the past few months.

But despite the losses, Pacio feels the team will come back stronger. He says Team Lakay deals with setbacks very well, and uses them as a springboard to get better.

“Losses are nothing new to us at Team Lakay. We embrace the challenges. I think we’ve all learned more in our losses than in our wins. It’s what helps us come back stronger and tougher. Personally, I’m excited to see my teammates back in action next year, and I’m excited to see how much they’ve improved after some tough lessons,” said Pacio.

“The key is determining where you went wrong, what mistakes you made, and working to fix those mistakes. Then the hard work comes in training. That’s how to be a better fighter.”

As for his own career, Pacio singled out one individual he would like to face next year above all.

“Right now I think the number one contender is Yosuke Saruta. He just recently defeated Yoshitaka Naito and it was a solid performance. We’ve had two fights so far, with one victory each, so I feel there is some unfinished business there. I’m looking forward to settling that in the Circle,” Pacio concluded.

“I am confident I can defend my belt multiple times. Even now, I am still just 24 years old, I’m still getting better every time.”

Next, ONE Championship returns with ONE: COLLISION COURSE, which broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, 18 December. In the main event, ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion Roman Kryklia of the Ukraine defends his title against challenger Andrei “Mister KO” Stoica of Romania.

Watch the event on One Sports+ at 8:30 p.m. Philippine Standard Time (PHT). One Sports will air the event on a same-day delay at 9 p.m. PHT. Additionally, TV5 will air the event on a next-day delay at 11 p.m. PHT.

RC Cola pours us another glass of weirdness

Wazzup Pilipinas!

So much has changed in the beverage industry since 1905, when Claud A. Hatcher, a pharmacist in Columbus, Georgia, USA, first started experimenting with soft drinks, and created RC Cola International! 

Which is your favorite RC Cola brand? Does Royal Crown Cola get first prize or does RC Q cross the finish line first? 

And now, meanwhile in the Philippines, they’re back with their weirdness! RC Cola has just released a new ad following its viral, weirdo “Family” video. Sabi nga ng iba, sundan agad habang mapapansin. Samantalahin ang hype.

Another masterpiece from the RC Cola Cinematic Universe? Seriously, though the concept might be "weird" or even disturbing for some, pero yung message? Ang ganda.  --- "WE UNDERSTAND." 

RC Cola accepts and understands you. 

They're back at it again with the weird ass ad. Pero entertaining naman. Do you agree or not?

Yes, may RC Cola advertisement or commercial part 2! Damn! I should've taken that offer where i get paid to tweet about soda but I didn't accept because I didn't wanna promote diabetes. I only promote drug addiction. In RC Cola's case, i can do both..lol

Refreshing from the usual ads?

RC Cola pours us another glass of weirdness with their latest advertisement.

Naloka ba kayo sa bagong commercial ng RC Cola 

"Eyes (Ice) dispenser" 

Baka next concept nila ay tan-SON na .

I appreciate RC Cola's marketing and production team but I'm also deeply concerned on what have they been smoking.

Whoever is making these RC Cola commercials, they should try making a sci-fi franchise.

The new RC Cola commercial talks about our differences and accepting one's uniqueness and 'different-ness'. It's about inclusivity, confidence, acceptance.. pero syempre hindi mo napansin yun. Mababaw ka eh. 

Screenshots from RC Cola Philippines video ad

Yahoo Year in Review: Philippines’ top searches in 2020

Wazzup Pilipinas!

By any measure, 2020 has been one of the most momentous years of the past century. The past 50-odd weeks have kept netizens in the Philippines glued to their devices in search of information, ideas and opinions through a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. From the eruption of the Taal Volcano, and the NBA, to local and Korean entertainment choices, there has been a flood of online activity this year as netizens sought out their passions online like never before.

As the year draws to a close, Yahoo’s Year in Review 2020 takes a look at the top happenings, people, and trends that captured the interest of the Philippines’ online community in 2020.


Top newsmakers of 2020: Uncertainty, tragedy and politics headline search

Taal Volcano, one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes, was the top searched news in the Philippines this year -- its activity in January threatened the lives of nearly a million people across Calabarzon, Metro Manila and some parts of Central Luzon and Ilocos region. Late NBA superstar Kobe Bryant ranked second in the search list as basketball-obsessed Philippines reeled from news of his untimely passing.

Local and international politics featured prominently, with the US Presidential Elections (3rd) and President Donald Trump (6th), as well as our own President Rodrigo Duterte (4th) and his additional authority to combat COVID-19 granted through the Bayanihan Act 2020 (5th), also known as the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, ranking high on users’ searches.

The arrest and ongoing saga of businessman and popular internet personality Francis Leo Marcos (7th) for alleged violation of Optometry Law also kept users on the edge of their seats.



Most searched celebrities: Ivana Alawi and Raffy Tulfo take tops spots

Filipino celebrities dominated the most searched female celebrities list this year, taking eight out of the 10 top spots. Catapulting into the top spot was Kapamilya actress Ivana Alawi whose wildly popular YouTube channel drove her meteoric rise to fame in just a year. Sarah Geronimo ranked second on the list as news of her surprise secret wedding sent users on a frantic hunt for details of the ‘AshMatt’ nuptials. Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray’s (3rd) controversial breakup with her ex Clint Bondad was thrust back into the public light as alleged photos of them circulated on social media.

There was no resisting the charm of South Korean oppas as they took up almost half of the spots in the most searched male celebrities list. Gaining international popularity with Crash Landing on You, 2020 was a shining year for Hyun Bin (2nd) as he also clinched a commercial deal with telco Smart Communications. Other South Korean male celebrities who made the list were Lee Min-Ho (6th), Park Seo Joon (9th), and Ji Chang Wook (10th). Broadcast journalist and host Raffy Tulfo surged to the top of the list as he edged out even the best looking South Korean male celebrities to take the coveted top spot.

Remembering the ‘King of Philippine Movies’ Fernando Poe Jr., legislation filed in Congress to rename an avenue after him sparked interest, ranking him third on the search list. Subject of false reports of his death, Marcelito Pomoy (4th) whose outstanding solo performance of the classic duet ‘The Prayer’ captivated millions of viewers on America’s Got Talent, and the Philippine’s favourite son, Manny Pacquiao (5th) rounded off the top half of the list.



Most searched movies and TV shows: Local showbiz holds on, K-drama rises

No surprises this year as local showbiz continued to be popular, even as the Korean wave continued making inroads into the Philippines.

K-drama Crash Landing on You was the most searched in the list as stars of the series clinched commercial deals in the country - a couple even had photoshoots themed after the series. The World of the Married, another South Korean series, came in seventh as ABS-CBN quickly clinched airing rights for the show with a Tagalog-dubbed version. Rounding up the list was Oscar-winning South Korean film, Parasite (10th).

Not to be beaten, local showbiz with a mix of local TV series, newscast, and variety shows were also popularly searched. Encantadia was second most searched, with TV Patrol (3rd), Wowowin (6th), and Ang Probinsyano (8th) proving time-tested favourites.

While it dominated the list in 2019, the popularity of Hollywood waned in 2020 -- only America’s Got Talent (4th) and Frozen 2 (5th) were featured in the list.



Most searched events: Sporting events reign

With major events and concerts cancelled due to the pandemic, users turned to sporting events to keep them entertained in the comforts of their homes. This year, sporting events filled all 10 of the most searched events.

Our country’s love affair with basketball prevailed even through the pandemic, as the NBA and the PBA Philippine Cup were the top two most searched events in 2020; the latter took users on a rollercoaster ride with several changes in its schedule before resuming in October.

Notably, tennis was also well-loved by users as the Australian Open (3rd), French Open (5th), and US Open (9th) secured three spots on the list. Other major sports events popular with locals such as baseball, football, mixed martial arts, racing, and golf rounded up the list.



#COVID19: Users searched for updates, symptoms, lockdowns and vaccine

As COVID-19 upended the lives of Filipinos and people around the world, ‘Coronavirus Update’, ‘Coronavirus Philippines’ and ‘Covid19 symptoms’ became the top three pandemic search terms amongst users. ‘Covid 19 update worldwide’, ‘Covid 19 vaccine’, ‘Covid 19 tracker’, ‘Quarantine’, ‘Pandemic’, and ‘Lockdown’ were hot on the heels of the top search terms, coming in from fourth to ninth place.

Interestingly, Italy was a country of interest to users in the Philippines, due to its status as one of the largest European migration destinations for Filipinos. ‘‘Coronavirus Italy’ (10th) made an appearance as one of the popular searches related to Coronavirus.