ONE Championship Unveils New Battlefield in 13th Trip to Manila on April 20

Wazzup Pilipinas!

If it can be said of the ultimate proving grounds of combat sports, there is nothing more closely associated with a roped platform famously referred to as “The Squared Circle.”

Many martial artists invested blood, sweat and tears within the four corners of the ring just to have their hand raised and become legends in their respective fields.

ONE Championship will be paying homage to the athletes who elevated combat sports to where it is today by having all bouts in its 13th venture on Philippine shores inside the promotion’s brand new five-rope ring.

Aside from the marquee talents that will be featured at ONE: HEROES OF HONOR in Manila, Philippines on April 20, ONE Championship will likewise introduce its new battlefield.

All 11 bouts at ONE: HEROES OF HONOR are expected to be held inside the new ring, including bouts that are officiated under the organization’s Global Rule Set.

For the first time in ONE Championship’s seven-year history, mixed martial arts contests will be held in the ring instead of in the cage.

Former world title contender Kevin Belingon, who is slated to face Andrew Leone in the main event of ONE: HEROES OF HONOR, welcomes the promotion’s transition from cage to ring for its live event in Manila with open arms because during the early part of his career, he started out competing inside the ring.

“I was surprised when I found out that my next bout would take place inside the ring. It brings a lot of memories because my first few fights were held inside the ring. I have no problem of competing inside the ring again. I am always ready,” Belingon stated.

According to Belingon, he has bigger chance to brandish a stand-up battle in his upcoming bout with Leone under such condition.

“Fighting inside the ring or cage is the same for me. But for sure, I will use my experience inside the ring this coming April 20th. I will make sure that the action stays at the center of the ring. If it stays there, it will be easier for me to dictate the pace of the bout,” the 30-year-old Baguio City resident explained.

Meanwhile, Belingon’s teammate Honorio Banario shared that some grappling techniques will be limited inside the ring.

“There are some things that you can’t do inside the ring, especially in the grappling aspect of the fight. The angles inside the ring are hugely different as you're fighting within a square because the ropes bend more and the corners are harder to elude. It’s challenging, but I like a challenge,” the ex-ONE Featherweight World Champion pointed out.

Banario, who is booked to square off with Australia’s Adrian Pang at ONE: HEROES OF HONOR, bared that he made a few adjustments upon learning that his next assignment will be held inside the ring.

“The ring offers a whole slew of different variables that a cage concept cannot offer. We made slight adjustments because since 2012, my bouts were held inside the cage. But it’s fine with me. The ring will allow me to strike more,” Banario said.

Also making its debut at ONE: HEROES OF HONOR is the highly-anticipated ONE Super Series, a new iteration in ONE Championship’s efforts to bring martial arts to the forefront in mainstream culture.

The premiere offering for Manila’s ONE Super Series is a three-round kickboxing encounter, featuring international superstar Giorgio Petrosyan of Italy who takes on “Smokin’” Jo Nattawut of Thailand.

In other ONE Super Series match-ups, celebrated Thai kickboxer Nong-O Gaiyanghadao is scheduled to duke it out with French-Italian dynamo Fabio Pinca in a three-round Muay Thai tussle.

Elliot Compton shares the ring with Cosmo Alexandre in a Muay Thai clash, while Brad Riddell locks horns with Regian Eersel in a kickboxing bout.

ONE Super Series competitors will either use ten-ounce or eight-ounce boxing gloves depending on the weight of the athletes.

Unlike its mixed martial arts counterpart, Muay Thai and kickboxing matches in ONE Super Series will be scored in a ten-point must system and will be contested in three three-minute rounds.

ONE: HEROES OF HONOR takes place at the 20,000-capacity SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on April 20.

​For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship. ​

PLDT’s Best Buy Bundle: Everything Your Family Needs for Your Digital Lifestyle

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Enjoy all the premium internet, mobile, and pay TV services your family needs at home

Beyond being the ultimate comfort zone, many of today’s Filipino homes are also evolving into digital hubs where families get to spend quality time while enjoying their connectivity, entertainment, and security.

High-speed internet, the rapid development of home entertainment technologies and the ease of access to digital content from around the world have all contributed to a major digital shift within Filipino families. Bonding over online content and connecting through digital platforms have become the norm as technology has evolved to enable stronger connections at home.

When it comes to Filipino homes, the digital lifestyle basics can be summed up into three: broadband to power the home, mobile connectivity and access to home entertainment. And is always the case, these digital basics should fit into the most important criterion of any regular Filipino household—budget-friendly.

Best premium services for less

Imagine getting all the best services for your home broadband, mobile and pay TV in one bill. Imagine spending less but getting more. Imagine enjoying a worry-free digital lifestyle with your loved ones.

This is what PLDT offers with the Best Buy Bundle—product bundles that enable subscribers to easily mix and match their unlimited PLDT Home Fibr, Smart mobile, and Cignal pay TV plans from the biggest brands PLDT Home, Smart, and Cignal TV.

More than the convenience of a unified bill, subscribers enjoy huge savings when they avail of bundles—up to 15% off when they bundle three services and up to 10% off when they mix and match two services. That’s savings of up to Php 11,300 in a year!

The services enable subscribers to enjoy the best and complete digital experience in and outside the home. PLDT Home’s unlimited Fibr plans allow families to enjoy the benefits of a SmartHome with the country’s most powerful broadband. This means seamless browsing and streaming at home. And an option to level up home security with devices like the home monitoring system Fam Cam, the cyber security platform Fam Zone and the multi-functional kiddie gadget Smart Watch.

Cignal TV provides topnotch entertainment and an array of high-definition (HD) pay TV content and channels for every member of the family—from news and sports to documentaries and children’s shows.

Finally, to ensure that the strongest connections can be enjoyed beyond the home, subscribers can rely on Smart for superior mobile data and voice services wherever they are in the country. Subscribers can also enjoy the fastest mobile data connection and the latest smartphones with Smart.



The First Converged Plan

PLDT’s Best Buy Bundles is the latest in the telco leader’s initiatives to provide Filipinos with the best data experience and support their increasingly digital lifestyles.

“PLDT offers the most powerful and seamless digital experience to Filipinos,” PLDT SVP and Head of Consumer Business Market Development Oscar A. Reyes, Jr. said. “As the country’s telco leader, we are committed to providing Filipino families with the strongest connections and world-class entertainment content in and outside the home.”

The PLDT group has invested over P300 billion or approximately $6 billion over the last 10 years in building its integrated fixed and wireless network, which includes the country’s most extensive fiber transmission and distribution infrastructure which now has over 170,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables that support the growing data traffic of its fixed line and mobile networks. On the other hand, its wireless unit, Smart, is also boosting its Smart LTE coverage and deployment of ultra-fast WiFi in the country’s top urban hubs.

Build your own Best Buy Bundle now. Visit pldthome.com.

President Manuel Roxas’ 70th Death Anniversary Marked on April 15

Wazzup Pilipinas!

April 15, 2018, is the 70th death anniversary of President Manuel A. Roxas, the last President of the Commonwealth and the first President of the new Republic of the Philippines.

Born on January 1, 1892 to Gerardo Roxas, Sr. and Rosario Acuña in Capiz, Capiz (now Roxas City), Roxas distinguished himself as our country’s first ever bar topnotcher and the only Filipino leader to have ever held and exercised authority in the capacity of House Speaker, Senate President, and President of the Republic.

He finished law in 1913 from the University of the Philippines College of Law, and passed the bar the same year. His entire political career spans 31 years beginning with his appointment as member of his hometown’s municipal council in 1917, and highlighted by his holding the highest office of the land from May 28, 1946 to April 15, 1948.

Roxas is distinctly known in Philippine history for his exemplary leadership and dedication to public service. Inheriting a country in ruins when he took over the reins of government at the end of World War II, this “nation builder” spurred our country’s return to normalcy and growth with his master economic plan, the very first known in developing Asia.

The great leader Claro M. Recto claimed that with “the extreme brevity of time fate was to allot to him”, which was barely 23 months into office, no other ruler with such talent and industry could have achieved as much as President Roxas did. In one year of office, President Roxas has provided a leadership which restored national vitality and safely bridged the critical transition period from Commonwealth status to Republic.

The late President’s legal mentor and first dean of the UP College of Law George Malcolm believed that few of Roxas’ generation approached him in brilliancy of mind, in breadth of information, and in gift of charm. The late President’s talent was notably evident in pioneer planning in the financial and economic fields. Malcolm wrote “Withal, Roxas was passionately devoted to his country. So honest was he in administering the important positions entrusted to him that, on occasions, he was in financial distress. Roxas died a poor man.”

The most profound tribute ever paid Roxas would come from the late President Manuel L. Quezon when he wrote to General MacArthur: “The news that Roxas has fallen in the hands of the enemy has almost broken me completely for I suspect that after his insistent refusal to be the President of the Philippines the Japanese have murdered him. But oh, how proud I am of him! I almost envy him for he had occasion to do what I wanted to do for myself — to tell the Japanese that we want nothing from them. If Roxas has been murdered he is the greatest loss that the Filipino people have suffered on this war. He can’t be replaced. And I don’t know how long this race will produce another Manuel Roxas.”

President Manuel A. Roxas succumbed to a heart attack on April 15, 1948 at Clark Field, Pampanga.