Heliconia Supports One Championship to Grow Sports Media and Entertainment Industry in Asia

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship (ONE), has announced that it has entered into definitive agreements with a consortium-led by Heliconia Capital Management (“Heliconia”) for an investment into the company.

With this new partnership, ONE Championship will continue to expand and break new ground, and increase the number of live Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) events across Asia, especially in China.

Chatri Sityodtong, Founder and Chairman of ONE Championship, stated: “In less than five years, ONE Championship has grown into a global brand with a broadcast reach to over 1 billion homes across 118 countries around the world. We have consistently broken attendance records at many of the largest stadiums across Asia. I expect to see an acceleration in business fundamentals across the board for ONE Championship. My team and I are fully committed to building a global business with strong ethics and values such as integrity, respect, humility, courage and inspiration. As Asia’s largest sports media property and the 2nd largest MMA organization in the world, ONE Championship will benefit significantly from Heliconia’s ecosystem, network, and resources.”

MMA is currently the fastest growing sport, accelerating exponentially by over 30 times in the past 10 years. In the past five years, ONE Championship has accelerated the growth of MMA in Asia as the market leader, organising live events across the region and broadcasting around the world.

Derek Lau, CEO of Heliconia stated: “We believe ONE Championship can potentially be the next big thing for consumers in Asia. They have the right product for Asia, they understand Asia and know how to monetise the value proposition in various ways in the New Economy. We are really excited to see ONE Championship taking the lead in the coming years to grow the sports media and entertainment industry in Asia.”

Lee Ark Boon, CEO of IE Singapore, said: “Traditional media and entertainment companies in Asia are facing strong headwinds with declining content sales and advertising revenues. ONE Championship’s foresight to identify and create unique content with global appeal illustrates the need for our companies to embrace new business models and transform themselves into globally competitive companies.”

Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “I believe this partnership marks the beginning of a long and fruitful journey to bring ONE Championship to the rest of the world. Heliconia is a well-respected investment firm with the expertise, resources and contacts across Asia. For us, this investment by Heliconia represents a strong vote of confidence and a belief in the value that ONE Championship can bring. This partnership will unlock additional markets and opportunities for ONE Championship.”

ONE Championship has consistently partnered with the best blue chip global brands around the world such as Disney, Facebook, Marvel, Under Armour, Sony, Universal Music Group, L'Oreal, and others. It currently has a roster of the best local and international athletes and champions in Asia. ONE Championship is dedicated to developing these athletes into true Asian heroes to inspire fans across Asia.

For more updates on ONE Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow Twitter and Instagram @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA.

Statement of Senator Risa Hontiveros on the Spate of Extrajudicial Killings

Wazzup Pilipinas!

I join the government in its desire to rid the country of crime and illegal drug trafficking. The people deserve a peaceful environment, free of crime. We must respect everyone's right to pursue his or her aspirations without fear.

I am extremely concerned over the spate of extrajudicial killings happening all over the country. I am worried that lawless elements and public officials with less commitment to the rule of law are taking advantage of the government's anti-crime campaign to cover up higher crimes. President Rodrigo Duterte's camp had even said that this might be part of a design to protect big-time criminals.

I therefore support any legislative inquiry that will seriously look into the cases of extrajudicial killings and summary executions allegedly done in the name of fighting crime. Contrary to the claim that this will undermine the government's anti-crime initiative, an impartial inquiry will actually contribute in preventing it from being hijacked by vested interests while safeguarding the rights of all citizens. The government's effort to protect the public from crime and illegal drug trafficking must not sow fear among the public and encourage vigilantism. It must not be tainted by abuse and other excesses.

Fighting crime and safeguarding the rights of all citizens are not mutually exclusive of one another. They co-exist. President Duterte himself said during his inauguration that his adherence to due process and rule of law is uncompromising. I trust that the administration will prosecute its anti-crime campaign based on the said standards

Huawei Turns Over 100 Laptops to Ayala Foundation for Globe Telecom’s Global Filipino Schools Program

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Global information and communications technology solutions provider Huawei Technologies Philippines, Inc. supports the Global Filipino Schools Program of Globe Telecom, Inc. and Ayala Foundation, Inc. as it turns over 100 laptops for use of public elementary schools under the program.

While Globe provides internet access to both teachers and students in GFS schools, additional devices such as the donated laptops are needed to allow more students to explore the internet and learn applications which are critical in ushering 21st century learning in public schools.

“It is Huawei’s commitment to bridge the digital divide where everyone can link up and openly collaborate. At the same time, we continue to work with our customers and partners like Globe to build a better connected world. Through this donation, we hope to give an opportunity to teachers and students in different parts of the Philippines to enjoy high-quality educational materials right at their fingertips,” said Jacky Gao, Huawei Philippines Chief Executive Officer.

Fernando Esguerra, Globe Director for Citizenship said: “Globe believes in the power of technology to forward 21st century learning in public schools nationwide. We want to improve the digital skills among the teachers and students particularly in using technology and computer software, thus, this donation from Huawei would be of great help in increasing student engagement in the classroom and in enabling them to develop critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication.”

There are currently 20 public schools across the country which have been transformed into GFS centers of excellence even as Globe continues to forge partnerships with the regional offices of the Department of Education to scale the program and cover all 221 school divisions nationwide within a five-year period. So far, GFS has benefited 41,038 students and 7,227 public school teachers who have been trained as Global Filipino Teachers.

AFI serves as the implementing arm of Globe this year for eight schools under GFS which include the beneficiaries of the donation such as Sta. Cruz Elementary School in Albay and Center of Excellence in Public Elementary Education (CENTEX) Batangas, among others.

"We wish to thank Globe and Huawei for this valuable partnership which will enable us to serve more young people through various tools and techniques. Technology is indeed a great enabler and with these gifts from Huawei, more young minds will enjoy the wonders of information and creative learning," said Ruel Maranan, President of AFI.

Aside from providing support to the education advocacy of Globe, Huawei also adopted the latter’s Project 1 Phone electronic waste recovery and recycling program that aims to recover e-wastes from mobile phones and portable devices to promote proper disposal. Proceeds of P1P will also help build more Global Filipinos Schools across the Philippines.

Huawei has already turned over to Globe approximately 2000 kilograms of assorted e-wastes coming from old and decommissioned corporate assets and personal donations from employees since January this year.

The photo above shows (L-R): Fernando Esguerra, Globe Director for Citizenship; Bruce Liu, Huawei Philippine VP for Sales; Romualdo Katigbak, CFO of Ayala Foundation, Inc.; and Margarita Limcauco, Project Officer of AFI.