Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Martin Nguyen Sacrifices Christmas Family Time in Pursuit of Future Title Shot

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Sacrifice means to give up something cherished in order to get something even more valuable in the future. This concept also applies to mixed martial arts (MMA) as the path to becoming a world champion is paved with much sacrifice.

To set foot on the pinnacle of success, all fighters must go through blood, sweat and tears in training. Moreover, MMA athletes have to be separated from their families for months to dedicate their lives to the craft that they seek to perfect.

Australian standout Martin Nguyen (7-1) had to undergo the same process as he is slated to square off with former featherweight title contender Kazunori Yokota (25-6-3) in the co-headliner of ONE: QUEST FOR POWER on 14 January.

“The life of a fighter is difficult, but I understand that in order to be the best, fighters have to make certain sacrifices. Spending time away from friends and family to train isn’t easy,” Nguyen said.

For his high-profile bout against Yokota, Nguyen had to give up spending Christmas and the rest of the Yuletide season with his family to fully focus on his training.

Nguyen admitted the most painful sacrifice is the separation from his family, but he knows that there is a reward waiting for him.

“It’s part of being a professional fighter. A lot of sacrifices have been made. Training in December is one of them. I have to give up Christmas celebrations for this fight,” he stated.

“If I want to consider myself as a championship-quality fighter, I have to make that sacrifice. In the end, I will reap the fruits of my labor. Hard work cannot be denied forever,” Nguyen added.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Impact Hub Manila introduced StartupBoat through a two-day launch on December 13 and 14, 2016. The overall aim was to build a community of creative thinkers, innovators, and entrepreneurs who are passionate to bring change in the community by developing and implementing groundbreaking ideas together. Its main mission is to make innovation accessible for all.

It was during the StartHubs AsiaBerlin Roadshow in Manila when Paula Schwarz (Founder of StartupBoat), Ces Rondario and LizAn Kuster (Co-Founders of Impact Hub Manila), and Ranganath Thota (CEO and Founder of Fuel A Dream India) came together and agreed on launching StartupBoat in Manila, Philippines and Bangalore, India.

In Manila, StartupBoat worked together with Impact Hub Manila and Bayer Foundations to create a platform for individuals who wish to collaborate for the collective growth of the health sector of the country. The main objective was to share, learn and contribute for an implementable action plan in 2017 for the health sector in the Philippines and to mentor startups to act as multipliers.

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Under the direction of DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi, DOE ASec. Gerpy Erguiza visited the Malampaya platform to conduct due diligence regarding the Malampaya scheduled maintenance shutdown from 28 January to 16 February 2017.

In light of the Malampaya maintenance activities next year, the Department of Energy (DOE) through the strong directive of Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi has started preparatory activities jointly with industry stakeholders to safeguard energy consumers from possible impact on supply and prices of electricity during the scheduled maintenance activities from 28 January 2017 to 16 February 2017.

“My directive was clear - the Malampaya maintenance activities should pose no substantial impact to supply of electricity by using all available resources and remedies, because power is a basic necessity for our countrymen,” Sec. Cusi said. He added that plans and alternative modes should be in place and ready before the actual shutdown.

Sec. Cusi said, “We have to ensure that the program works for Malampaya is within the prescribed schedule given to the DOE. Historically, SPEX completed its maintenance period on time. It is expected that it will do the same this time.”

In a meeting with industry participants last 15 December, the DOE was apprised by the Shell Philippines Exploration Corporation (SPEx) of the preparatory works for the Malampaya services maintenance shutdown (Malampaya SMS).