Jomary Torres Eyes Huge Win Over Thai Martial Arts Superstar in ONE Championship Debut

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Filipino newcomer Jomary Torres sets her sights on a colossal goal in her ONE Championship debut as she aims to make a statement against up-and-coming Thai martial arts superstar Rika “Tinydoll” Ishige.

Both ladies are set to square off against each other on the undercard of ONE: KINGS & CONQUERORS, which takes place at the glamorous Cotai Arena of The Venetian Macao in Macao, China on 5 August.

Torres, who holds a fledgling professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record of 1-0, is not expecting to be other competitor’s footstool to move up in the rankings as she intends to walk out with the victory in her first appearance as a ONE Championship athlete.

“It’s my first time to compete in ONE Championship. I am honored and blessed to be in this top-notch organization, which is widely considered as the frontrunner of MMA in the region. Of course, I am aiming to get a big win. I’ve worked hard just to make it here. I won’t waste this opportunity,” she claimed.

Torres is a talented Filipino prospect who trains out of the Wushu-savvy Catalan Fighting System gym.

Moreover, Torres had her lone match in August 2016 at a local Filipino MMA event, where she took a convincing unanimous decision triumph.

However, Torres is fully aware that having her hand raised against a well-rounded MMA competitor like Ishige will be a tough task.

Ishige is a certified eye candy that can grace on the cover of a top fashion magazine, sashay down the catwalk with the latest apparel, or endorse high-end beauty products in a television advertisement.

But Ishige is more than a pretty face because deep within, she is an authentic martial artist.

The 28-year-old beauty is of Thai and Japanese heritage and comes from a family of martial artists. Her late father was a judo practitioner, and her older sister who is now a medical doctor trained in Taekwondo.

Heavily influenced by her father, Ishige began her martial arts training at the age of nine with Aikido, Karate and Taekwondo.

Ishige successfully won her first two assignments as a pro this year, stopping Audreylaura Boniface via first-round technical knockout this past March before notching a first-round submission win over Nita Dea last May.

“We are keenly studying my opponent for this fight. She is a true martial artist. It’s part of her lifestyle. It’s in her blood,” Torres said of Ishige.

“I know what she is capable of doing inside the cage. She has a good Muay Thai base. Aside from that, she also has a good ground game. But I am coming into this bout very prepared. I am not giving myself any room for error,” she added.

Even though Ishige seems to have the upper hand in some departments of the vast fight game, Torres has no qualms when it comes to trading kicks and punches with her highly-touted Thai foe.

“My foundation is Wushu. I have no problem if she wants to fight standing up. I am already expecting that she will trade strikes with me. I can strike very hard too,” she cautioned.

Torres and Ishige are relatively inexperienced with almost matching records, but the Filipina striker believes that her key to victory lies wholly within herself.

“I will work hard on myself. I like to concentrate my training on myself. It does not matter about the opponent. The important thing for success is self-confidence. The key to self-confidence is preparation, and I am well prepared for this fight. If I have good preparation, I can fight anybody,” she ended.

​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.

Intellicare Attributes Business Growth and Success to Adapting a Digital Mindset

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Intellicare, one of the country’s preeminent HMOs (Healthcare Management Organizations), recently posted a membership base of more than 1.2 million--a significant increase from 100,000 members in 2000. Aside from excellent service, the company attributes this growth to their thrust in embracing digital transformation.

Also known as Asalus Corporation, Intellicare tapped local cloud pioneer IPC (IP Converge Data Services, Inc.) to elevate its IT systems. Through IPC, Intellicare subscribed to Google’s G Suite, an integrated productivity suite made for communication, storage, and collaboration in the workplace.

“As we continued to grow and expand our client base, we started to receive hundreds of emails every day, coming from within and from our clients in different sites nationwide. Sustaining this growth wouldn’t be possible without adapting a digital mindset and the assistance of IPC,” said Arnie Dantis, Intellicare’s Vice President – Operations & Information Technology.

G Suite is not only about email. The package is inclusive of various workplace productivity tools namely: video and voice conferencing, chat messaging, 30GB of file and email storage, unlimited online storage for standard quality photos and documents, sheets and slides created using the native apps, basic website development and hosting, calendars and notes, all with the capability to share and collaborate online, anytime, anywhere, on any device.

According to Dave de Leon, IPC Chief Operating Officer, Intellicare’s choice of employing G Suite was a sound and necessary decision that is required in most enterprises today. “With Intellicare’s fast-growing client base, they needed a software that can keep up with their business by encouraging collaboration and productivity. With G Suite, they now have a stable, reliable, and highly mobile work email, collaborative desktop tools, and easy to use chat and video communications. By embracing digital, Intellicare is in a better position to support their clientele.”

By having access to emails, important work files, and chat and video software on the go, IPC explained that companies that shift from traditional email to G Suite can expect significant improvements in overall team collaboration and productivity.

“One main issue that we had before was the capital expenditure needed to upgrade our old system. Because G Suite is all in the cloud, we no longer have to worry about physical infrastructure. Since email is a vital part of our technical ecosystem, we at Intellicare cite the mobility factor as the top solution that alleviated us from all the headaches,” added Dantis.

To further empower Filipino enterprises and organizations, IPC launched its #DiscoverDigital campaign in May, consisting of various activities including seminars in business centers across Metro Manila to encourage them to think out of the box and make the digital pivot towards operational efficiency, profitability, and business success.

To find out how your company can ride the digital wave and to register for IPC’s #DiscoverDigital events, visit www.ipc.ph/discoverdigital and follow IPC on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Guardians of the Visayan Sea Convened

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Governors and mayors from the Visayas committed to protect and restore the Visayan Sea, one of the richest fishing grounds in the Philippines, from illegal commercial and destructive fishing.

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Director Eduardo Gongona signed the covenant of commitment and cooperation for the protection and conservation of the Visayan Sea, with Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Sr. and Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III represented by the Provincial Environment and Management Office (PEMO) head, Baltazar Tribunalo Jr.

“Our goal is to be food sufficient, and later on, to be a food exporting country. We have to protect and develop our marine resources, especially for food security, to feed millions of people. This is a challenge, but we can do it. If we do our job together, with strong partnership with local government units, we can achieve more,” Gongona said during the governor’s meeting in Sicogon Island in Carles, Iloilo last 22 July.

Bounded by the provinces of Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Cebu and Masbate, the Visayan Sea is one of the country’s richest fishing grounds, hosting a variety of high-value species such as tuna, herring, mackerel, blue swimming crab and sardines. However, scientists reported a steady decline in seafood supply from the 1980s onwards – due mostly to the prevalence of blast fishing, plus the encroachment of trawls, purse seines and ring nets in municipal waters.