Square One BGC: Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation's Co-Working Space Offering

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation (FBDC) has caught up with the newest trending business opportunity intended to target SMEs and startups. It is without any doubt that entrepreneurs are now greatly composed of even as young as new college graduates thus bringing assortment to the usual demographics.

I hear more and more newly grads that have set their eyes on opening their own business, either in a form of startup for those who need investment opportunities, or small and medium scale enterprises using capital borrowed mostly from their parents.

True enough, quite a lot of my younger friends are thinking of just spending a year or two with an employer but then soon resigning to setup their own business ventures. It is not only cool to become our own boss but also quite a remarkable achievement to be able to stand up on our own and receiving the full benefits and rewards once a business turns successful.

Though still one has to contend with very little financing capability thus many of these small time visionaries are eyeing on making a formal physical presence at coworking spaces. We all know that it's a lot better to meet our clients or partners at an office which we could call our own instead of lounging at coffee shops or restaurants.

Recently I've been getting a lot of event invitations that features new or expanding coworking spaces (shared offices) which confirms how popular this business venture has become. In a span of two weeks, I've been to four coworking spaces already, and this does not include the others that I've visited the past months of this year.

Square One BGC is a new coworking space offering of the FBDC that's strikingly huge. Located at the ground floor of the Bonifacio Technology Center which you can find at 31st street cor 2nd Avenue, its 200 sqm Social Hall alone could fit quite a lot of like-minded peeps for special events or gatherings. These minds are all aiming to soon become among the industry giants, and I am extremely hopeful that many would follow this trend, both coworking spaces and youth entrepreneurship.

Large Marine Protected Areas Established in Palawan to Rebuild Fish Stocks

Wazzup Pilipinas!

A whopping 1,013,340 hectares covering both the coastal and offshore waters of Cagayancillo, plus 80,000 hectares of Aborlan in the Philippine province of Palawan were recently declared as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

This is part of a two-country initiative by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Fondation Segré to rebuild the fish stocks of the Coral Triangle by changing the way people view protected areas.

MPAs are portions of the sea which are protected by law. According to MPAtlas, the Philippines hosts 1557 – more than any in Southeast Asia. Established largely through local government initiatives and administered by coastal communities, these undersea enclaves provide vital safe havens for marine life, while also attracting droves of tourists.

Sadly, many MPAs are plagued by a lack of funding. Perhaps just over 100 MPAs are properly administered. Many are negatively viewed by coastal people as deterrents to their ability to fish in front of their homes.

This is because most MPAs have been designed to protect marine biodiversity rather than to replenish fish stocks and support local economies. “Fishermen were initially concerned that they would no longer be allowed to fish,” recalls Aborlan Barangay Captain Zabalo. “But proper zoning allocated areas for fishing.”

Over the past decade, WWF has been trying to put people’s needs first by focusing on the value of MPAs to maximize fisheries production instead of merely protecting biodiversity. So effective has the move been that the people of Cagayancillo clamored to have their waters protected because they benefited from the bounty of the nearby Tubbataha Reefs plus their own marine conservation efforts in Cagayancillo.

“Since WWF introduced marine conservation in early 2000, we have been vigilant. The reefs sustain our need for food and income. For years, we have had an abundant fish supply. I really believe some of them come from Tubbataha, especially the big ones,” shares Cagayancillo-based conservationist Nison Abados. Though composed of both offshore and coastal zones, Cagayancillo is now the largest MPA in the country – due mostly to an ordinance under Republic Act 7611.

Collaborative management is the key to effective and sustainably-funded MPAs. Roles, responsibilities and benefits are shared between national and local authorities, communities, the private sector and other resource users.

Realizing that sustainability means business viability, the initiative works with the local seafood and tourism sectors to finance and manage MPAs and sustainable fishing initiatives.

“The ease and speed by which Aborlan protected its waters was due to a three-year initiative by local provincial, municipal and village governments, the Environmental Legal Assistance Center, Western Philippines University and WWF,” says WWF-Philippines President and CEO Joel Palma.

The move heavily involves local fishermen and communities in the management of marine resources by helping them gain exclusive rights to fisheries located in or near MPAs and by working with them to improve the health and productivity of their fisheries.

An example would be Seven Lines, a coral reef system in Aborlan. “Seven Lines supplies fish to smaller coral reefs in the region. This means fisherfolk don’t need to travel far for fishing,” says Aborlan Municipal Agriculture Officer Cacatian. This means that even if certain areas are off-limits to fishers, the spillover effects of protection will seed large areas with life.

The project aims to expand the network of critical marine areas that are protected, effectively-managed and sustainably financed in the Coral Triangle. “Through well-managed MPAs, coastal communities can realize that conservation is the surest way to secure tomorrow’s fish,” concludes Palma.

As of 2016, the projects of WWF and its allies are protecting 904,000 hectares of MPAs in the Philippines.

NBA Global Games Herald Start of New NBA Season

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Question: How do you know that the NBA regular season is about to begin?

Answer: There’s a lot of buzz worldwide about the NBA pre-season including the Global Games.

The NBA Global Games are a series of NBA games played outside of the United States and Canada where NBA teams play against fellow NBA squads or foreign ball clubs.

The first official overseas game featuring an NBA team was played on Sept. 7, 1978 when the Washington Bullets traveled to Israel to take on Maccabi Tel Aviv in an exhibition game. More games would be played across Europe and the Soviet Union until 1988. In 1990, the first regular season NBA Games outside the United States were held in Tokyo featuring the Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz.

With the league expanding its international footprint, the NBA Global Games have been staged in various parts of the world including Spain, England, Brazil, Istanbul, Italy, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei and the Philippines. The NBA and SM staged the first-ever NBA preseason game in the Philippines between the Houston Rockets and the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 10, 2013. Since 2004, thirteen NBA teams have played in Greater China specifically in Beijing, Guangzhou, Macao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Taipei.

The 10th edition of NBA Global Games China, featuring the New Orleans Pelicans and the Houston Rockets, will be staged in Shanghai at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Oct. 9, followed by a rematch in Beijing on Oct. 12 at The LeSports Center. This will be the Rockets’ fourth trip to Greater China following visits in 2004, 2010 and 2013.

NBA Global Games China 2016 will feature a variety of off-court activities, including the fifth Fan Appreciation Day presented by Dongfeng Nissan on Oct. 7 in Shanghai, providing thousands of fans with the chance to participate in on-court games and watch the Pelicans and Rockets in open practice. The league will also conduct NBA Cares and Jr. NBA community events and league partners will host interactive fan activities.

This year’s batch of Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA All-Stars will watch their favorite Pelicans and Rockets players in Shanghai along with other Jr. NBA All-Stars from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Philippines 2016 All-Stars is composed of Kai Zachary Sotto, Tracy Carl Dadang, Fritz Felix Valencia, Harold Alarcon, Julian Jugo, Miguel Tan, Andrei Lechoncito, Rhic Gatuz, Jearico Nunez, Isaiah Blanco Hontiveros, Rozie Amatong, Florence Jill Talas, Aloha Marie Betanio, Maria Cecilia Quelenderino and Darle Regasajo.

Local celebrity Gerald Anderson and #ShootLikeTheNBA winners Kat Tan and Paolo Miguel Bernardo will also travel to Shanghai to watch the NBA Global Games.