Eduard Folayang Looking to Knock Out Eddie Alvarez

“My journey as a World Champion is like a roller coaster. There are times when I am a World Champion and people look up to me. There are also times when I am defeated, so I will try again to climb the ladder to get the belt back. I got it but lost it again this time. I think the most challenging part is how to get yourself back on the winning track. We are going to start again. That is not something new to us. One of the things that I learned in my career so far is to never stop learning and improving as much as possible because you should realize that everyone is aiming to become a [World] Champion. As an athlete, if you start to think that you are good, you will no longer grow. [That is why] as much as possible, I want to learn to be better, sharpen my strengths, and improve my weaknesses. I think Eddie is a good martial artist – you will not become a World Champion if you don’t have a good approach to being a martial artist. I believe wrestling and boxing are his strengths, but if you’ll look at Eddie’s track record, you will see that almost all his defeats are from high-level strikers – that is his weakness. It’s hard, but I am pushing myself to prepare. A knockout and submission will always be there if you are in the proper position – that is a given,” he said. “I think it will end in a knockout. Having this bout here in the Philippines gives me confidence,” he concluded. “Those are what gives me the confidence to face him in this bout – my preparation and the crowd.” ~Eduard “Landslide” Folayang

Former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang will get a shot at redemption when he takes on his dream opponent, Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES on 2 August at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. 

Folayang relinquished the ONE Lightweight World Championship to Japanese grappling legend Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki at ONE: NEW ERA in March. The Team Lakay athlete will enter the Alvarez bout at a critical time in his career, and a win would likely put him at the front of the line once more for another shot at the belt. 

Despite his recent setbacks, Folayang wants to continue to improve his skills and bounce back strong.

Before he puts another digit in the win column though, Folayang will have to go through another former multiple-time World Champion in Alvarez who is in desperate need of a win after losing his ONE debut.

The Filipino athlete remains optimistic of his chances against the American and is looking to beat him by way of knockout. 

Fortunately for Folayang, he won’t be facing Alvarez alone as he will have the entire crowd behind him in Manila.

Additionally, ONE Championship is launching special edition merchandise to commemorate the blockbuster Eduard Folayang vs Eddie Alvarez bout which takes place at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES. The commemorative t-shirt will be available for sale at the Mall of Asia Arena on 2 August.

Smartphone giant OPPO renews three-year partnership with world-famous Football team FC Barcelona

“These elements aim to inspire Barca fans, strengthen the community by bringing them closer to the club and OPPO products, and drive our two sides’ shared values of passion, creativity, innovation, and perfection.” ~Derek Sun, OPPO Global Marketing Director

This 2019, stunning new Limited Edition FC Barcelona’s handset from OPPO celebrates the three-year partnership, highlighting to fans the fruitful relationship between the two. This commemorative edition of OPPO’s Reno 10x Zoom phone blends the team’s famous garnet and blue colors, creating a genuine work of art that is sure to resonate with Barça supporters globally.

Smartphone giant OPPO renews three-year partnership with world-famous Football team FC Barcelona. Commemorating this long-standing partnership is the release of a Limited Edition FC Barcelona Reno 10x Zoom Series handset. World-leading smartphone brand OPPO recently announced its renewed three-year partnership with football team FC Barcelona. This furthers an already successful four-year alliance with the world-famous team, which is now the longest-running partnership between a Chinese brand and a European football club. This new chapter was also commemorated by the release of a Limited Edition FC Barcelona Reno 10x Zoom Series handset.

Kicking off an exciting new chapter

The renewed partnership will include in-stadium signage, training camps, workshops for fans, plus creative online and off-line fans engagement activities; kicking off an exciting new chapter in the OPPO- FC Barcelona story.

Both organizations’ mutual philosophies have become even more apparent with this re-upped partnership. Just as FC Barcelona’s world-renowned passion for the “beautiful game” has effectively transformed football into an art; likewise, OPPO aims to create beauty in people’s lives, through cutting-edge devices that unleash users’ creativity. Both partners’ shared values extend to innovation and perfection, with OPPO setting up institutes across the world to advance the company’s tech innovation and research capabilities in 5G and AI, as well as the Barça Innovation Hub, that is exploring the use of new technologies on the football field.  Camp Nou is also set to become the first stadium in Europe with dedicated 5G coverage. 

OPPO has been able to reach out to Barça’s more than 200 million fans across the world, making this a critical element of the company’s overseas branding strategy.

An already successful partnership

When OPPO and FC Barcelona kickstarted their partnership in 2015, it marked the very first in-depth cooperation between a Chinese brand and a European football club. 

OPPO places tremendous value in sports globally, becoming the first Asian sponsor of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in the UK, the first Chinese sponsor of the French Tennis Open, Roland-Garros, while also backing the Indian National Cricket Team. These events serve as a communication bridge for OPPO, effectively bringing its young and innovative technology to sports fans worldwide.

OPPO, FC Barcelona continue their 4-year alliance

Stunning new handset that combines technology with art

Since the start of OPPO and FC Barcelona, it has gifted fans several limited edition smartphones. Under the slogan “The Smartphone of Champions”, OPPO released the FC Barcelona Edition of the R7 Plus in 2015. Following this initial success came a series of well-received limited edition handsets including the R9 (2016), F3 (2017) and R11 Plus (2017).

Sporting the powerful features of the Reno 10x Zoom such as the camera with 60x zoom and Ultra Night Mode 2.0, panoramic screen, and VOOC 3.0, this limited edition smartphone offers something more special to fans. 

Inspired by the club flags waving in Camp Nou, the phone’s exterior sports the club’s famous garnet and blue colors. This used an innovative, industry-first heat-press technique to create its unique gradient effect. Overlaying this is two Barça logos: a larger blurred logo, paying homage to the club’s glorious history, as well as a smaller gold team logo at the bottom, which represents the club’s present, as well as its bright future.  It also comes equipped with custom software, including exclusive wallpapers and icons such as footballs, garnet, and blue kits, and more. Fans can also feel like Barca is with them wherever they go, thanks to its custom ringtones that sample the FC Barcelona anthem and stadium sounds. 

The Limited Edition FC Barcelona OPPO Reno 10x Zoom with 8GB RAM and 256GB ROM will be available in select markets in Europe and Asia.

About OPPO

OPPO is a leading global smart device brand. Since launching its first smartphone - “Smiley Face” - in 2008, OPPO has been in relentless pursuit of the synergy of aesthetic satisfaction and innovative technology, Today, OPPO provides customers with a wide range of smart devices spearheaded by the Find and R series, ColorOS operating system, as well as internet services such as OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. OPPO operates in more than 40 countries and regions, with 6 research institutes and 4 R&D centers worldwide and an international design center in London, OPPO’s more than 40,000 employees are dedicated to creating a better life for customers around the world.

About FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona was founded nearly 120 years ago in 1899, and is unique in many ways. The club is owned by its more than 145,000 members and can boast of being the most successful club in Europe over the last years. Since season 2004/05 they have won four of the Club’s five Champions League titles and nine of their 26 domestic league titles. Due to its very special personality, ‘Barça’ is recognized as being ‘more than a club’. The team’s distinctive style of play is projected around the world by the best players and coaches of their time in combination with club’s famous reliance on homegrown talent.

All of this goes hand in hand with its ongoing ambition to become the most admired, beloved and global sports institution on the planet. This mission is supported by such core principles as humility, effort, ambition, respect and team-work, while the club is also famed for its commitment to society, which is channeled through the FC Barcelona Foundation and its work to educate children through the positive values of sport. Such unstoppable growth in recent years has led to a global reach of more than 315 million fans and made FC Barcelona a world leader on social media.

Reddoorz climbs to the top of travel apps in PH

Current trends in traveling have drastically changed over the years. More and more people are looking for ways to start an adventure without having to shell out a lot of money to visit beaches, tourist spots, and other cultural landmarks, be it in the outskirts of the Philippines or in international territories.

One way to ride the wave of the travel boom is to look for affordable airfare and budget-friendly hotels.  

Thankfully, Reddoorz, the hotel management, and booking platform, has opened up opportunities for both local travelers and foreign tourists to find and live in comfortable, well-appointed hotels that cost only a fraction of the cost of five-star hotels.

The Reddoorz travel app – downloadable on the Google Play Store and App Store – has helped drive the travel fever, putting booking and access to affordable accommodations all over the Philippines at one’s fingertips. The Reddoorz app has consistently placed among the top 5 travel apps of choice but climbed to Number 1 as of July 24, 2019.

With the help of the app and avid consumer usage, RedDoorz has enlivened the travel scene, accommodating tourists and travelers in over 150 affordable accommodations in over 10 cities in the Philippines. Reddoorz hotels can be found in the busy streets of Metro Manila, Cebu, and Pampanga to bustling tourist spots like Tagaytay and Davao,. The technology-driven company has caught the attention of travel-hungry people who are always on-the-go, letting them know that there is the best quality affordable hotel available at practically any time of the year, letting them save money as they experience big adventures. No need to postpone travel plans until after the usual big amount allocated for travel has been saved or earned.

It’s a “fly now, pay now” experience with Reddoorz. Lodging costs are so affordable, anyone can travel every time the travel bug bites. Furthermore, travelers will be able to allocate a portion of their money for other things like food, transportation, pasalubongs, and fun activities instead of spending a big chunk of the budget on lodging. The good news is, today’s budget hotels place a premium on comfort and convenience as well.

To make sure that not only tourists benefit, but the whole hotel industry as well, RedDoorz has partnered with smaller hotels and apartelles in various cities and key provinces to perk up the tourist activity in more locations.

So now, if the impulse hits to watch and swim with the whale sharks in Cebu, bask in the beaches of Palawan, see the century-old Spanish churches and houses in Iloilo, grab a bite of the famous Chicken Inasal in Bacolod, embark on a food trip in Pampanga, feel the cold air of the City of Pines or Tagaytay, or simply hang out in Manila, there’s always a range of properties to choose from to turn all that into reality. The Reddoorz App makes all that happen right when it’s wanted in the easiest possible way. Just choose the destination, find the Reddoorz hotel there and start packing.

Now crossing out target destinations from one’s bucket list is easy as pie.

TPB gears up for global competitiveness

To achieve its global competitiveness goal and attract more travelers, visitors, and investors, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), is conducting a series of Tourism Marketing Educational Seminars among participants from DOT Regional Offices and local government units (LGUs), which kicked off in Batangas City this June, and will go to Cebu and Butuan in August.

The seminars will focus on skills training and upgrading competency level through workshops, case studies and collaborative research projects. This intends to boost the employment rate, improve income opportunities and subsequently increase tourism arrivals and receipts.

Moreover, the seminar-workshop is expected to empower LGU’s tourism officers with greater knowledge to initiate and oversee successful tourism marketing strategies that can significantly contribute to the country’s economic and social development. 

TPB will also discuss relevant issues affecting the tourism industry that may impact the market and provide an opportunity to enhance performance and decision-making skills.

The seminars, which anticipates approximately 60 participants per run is part of TPB's initiative to support the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2016-2022, aiming to build and upscale the implementation of tourism programs to deliver a more competitive, sustainable and inclusive tourism sector.

McDonald’s Philippines sweeps PANAta Awards 2019 with 15 wins

“We always aim to deliver campaigns that showcase feel-good moments through stories that strongly resonate with the Filipino people. Our goal is to create strong and authentic connections with our customers, ensuring they have more and more reasons to love the brand and what it stands for.” ~McDonald’s Marketing Director, Christina Lao

Earlier this year, McDonald’s also won Gold for Advocacy for “Hope for Marawi” during 2019 Asia-Pacific Tambuli Awards.

McDonald’s, and its creative agency Leo Burnett, once again dominated the stage during the 2019 PANAta Awards as the brand brought home a multitude of recognitions—including five Golds, four Silvers, three Bronzes, and three People’s Choice Awards. Amongst over 130 entries received, McDonald’s campaigns that were recognized for their excellence included “Hope for Marawi,” “Frymoji,” “Doodelivery,” “#WalangPasok Deals,” and “ShaGab Loves McDo.” 

The Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA) hosts its annual awards show called the PANAta Awards which showcases the industry’s best brand campaigns that have exhibited excellence in strategy, execution, and results.

Last year, McDonald's won the Brand Builder of the Year Award for its McDelivery Pin campaign, following its induction into the “PANAta Hall Of Fame” the year before—a distinction held by no other brand in the industry.

Honorio Banario Training Efficiently To Avoid Injuries

“I find my match with Lowen [Tynanes] as somewhat bittersweet. I did my best in that match but Lowen proved to be the better man that night. He was quick in taking me down and I failed to defend myself on time. I have learned a lot from that match and I will be taking those lessons in my upcoming bout. Coach Mark always plans our daily training menu with our efficiency and safety in mind. Even though there are five of us competing in Manila, we have always been training independently with our partners in the same weight division. We know the pressure coach Mark is feeling with roughly half of his athletes competing on the same night so we also do our part and train diligently. This is the perfect opportunity for me to win. It is unfortunate that great athletes are getting injured and even though I’m out of the tournament, I will be doing my best to win on behalf of them as well as all the fans who are supporting us in my upcoming match.” ~Honorio “The Rock” Banario

Honorio “The Rock” Banario will be returning to the biggest global stage of martial arts competition to face “Crazy Dog” Dae Sung Park at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES on August 2 in Manila, Philippines.

Banario recently fell to Hawaiian Elite MMA representative Lowen Tynanes in the first round of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix at ONE: HERO’S ASCENT. 

Eyeing a return to the winner’s circle, “The Rock” has been training non-stop to give another great performance in front of his countrymen. He says his previous outing serves as a lesson, and that he vows to showcase his improvements moving forward.

Tynanes, Ariel Sexton, and Timofey Nastyukhin all had to pull out of the high-profile tournament due to injuries. Although he has already bowed out of the tournament, the Baguio City native is training efficiently with his stablemates at Team Lakay to avoid any injury. Banario is one of five Team Lakay athletes preparing for the blockbuster Manila event.

The former ONE Featherweight World Champion is eager to get back into action especially with his teammates sharing the stage in front of their Filipino fans.

In1Go and AIM collaborate for data science project

“We’re looking forward to this partnership because this is new in the industry. With data science becoming more important, we’re looking into gaining insights from the information that we have to leverage our clients’ position.” ~Ramon S. Garcia, chief executive officer of In1Go

Present at the signing ceremony held at AIM were (from left) Dr. Tahrini A. Garcia, chief finance officer of In1Go; Ramon S. Garcia, chief executive officer of In1Go; Dr. Christopher P. Monterola, executive director, ACCeSs@AiM and school head of AIM’s Aboitiz School of Innovation Technology and Entrepreneurship; and Dr. Erika Fille T. Legara, deputy director, ACCeSs@AiM and program director of AIM’s Master of Science in Data Science program.

In1Go Technologies, Inc. has partnered with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) for the data science project Capstone Project Collaboration.

The project aims to use information or real data to solve the company’s real-world business problems. Data from various industries are becoming more and more important for businesses to get ahead.

In1Go Technologies, Inc., an information technology services and BPO (business process outsourcing) company that provides a wide range of value solutions using the latest technologies, provided data so students in AIM’s Master of Science in Data Science program could develop a model that could lead to solutions to its business problems.

“What we envision is for our students to work closely with different industries and do a practical application of data science by working hand in hand with various organizations.” ~Dr. Christopher P. Monterola, Executive Director at ACCeSs@AiM and head of AIM’s Aboitiz School of Innovation Technology and Entrepreneurship

Data In1Go shared from its clients could help develop a predictive model that the company could use internally for its projects or incorporate into its existing applications. In1Go’s clients are mostly from the fast-moving consumer good (FMCG) industry. Their data include inventories, sales, and on-shelf availability.

Data Science students from AIM studied, analyzed and worked on the live data to create a model that could benefit In1Go’s clients. Students partnered with data scientists from ACCeSs@AiM to look for patterns and gain insights from the information provided to meet In1Go’s requirements and parameters to solve its business problems.

Students used computers, machine learning, and algorithms to process the data. Depending on the business objective or problem, students tried developing solutions based on the information from the data. The collaborative project also served to meet thesis requirements of AIM’s Data Science students.

The Master of Science in Data Science program is a pioneering program of AIM’s Aboitiz School of Innovation Technology and Entrepreneurship, considered the first in the Philippines and one of the firsts in Asia.

In1Go specializes in supply chain, field and distribution management, location marketing and location-based services using state-of-the-art technologies.

Through this collaboration, In1Go hopes to use of the information they have to service its clients more effectively. AIM, on the other hand, hopes to work with more industries and help them understand the advantages of using data science in today’s competitive business environment.