Agilan Thani Sees Clear Path to Welterweight Crown by Beating Division’s Best Contenders

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Malaysia’s Agilan “The Alligator” Thani has quickly established himself as one of the world’s best welterweight martial artists.

The 22-year-old martial arts standout who grew up from the rough streets of Sentul has become widely respected for his relentless pace and suffocating ground attack, which ultimately elevated him to a shot at the ONE Welterweight World Championship in May 2017.

However, it did not go his way as Thani suffered his first professional career loss at the hands of ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben “Funky” Askren of the United States.

Thani was forced to wave the white flag by Askren in the first round with an arm-triangle choke to keep the welterweight title around his waist.

“When I vied for the title last year, there was a tremendous outpour of support. Of course, I was so sad that I wasn’t able to bring home the prestigious world title. Even though I lost, there were still a lot of people who extended their encouragement that really uplifted me,” Thani sentimentally recalled.

With the drive to reinsert his name into the winner’s column, Thani chose not to wallow over his setback to Askren as he jumped right back into action by squaring off with Egyptian stalwart Sherif “The Shark” Mohamed at ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS in front of a hometown crowd three months later.

Showing off new skills and techniques that he learned from training with the world-famous Team Quest, Thani scored a unanimous decision victory over Mohamed to place himself back on the winning track.

Even though he authored one of the most dominant performances of the night at that event, Thani admitted that his cage encounter against Mohamed held a little extra significance.

Thani thoroughly routed Mohamed in dominant fashion over the course of three rounds to earn a unanimous decision, but it was the first time that he had never been past the second round as he had finished every opponent by either knockout or submission before then.

“I trained so hard for that camp, and I realized that if your mind is not there, the training is just useless. [So for that] last match-up with Mohamed, all I wanted to do was to perform, and perform at my best level,” he shared.

“I am happy with what I did in the last bout. But if I got the finish, I would have been even happier. Finishing a bout is the best feeling in the whole world. You just made a man quit. I just want to finish my opponent as quickly as possible. But if it goes 15 minutes, I will take it,” Thani added.

Thani eyes to make a lasting impression in his return to the ONE Championship cage on 9 March as he is scheduled to face promotional newcomer Amitesh Chaubey on the undercard of ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY, which takes place at Kuala Lumpur’s state-of-the-art showground of Axiata Arena.

“It feels great to be competing again in front of my country men. Every time I step outside the curtains and walk towards the cage, I feel the energy from the home crowd. Every roar from my countrymen gives me the adrenaline that I need for my match. It brings out the best in me,” he stated.

Chaubey, an SFL Welterweight Champion, is a boxer from India and known as an aggressive knockout artist.

In addition, Chaubey has displayed some grappling expertise in the past as he has a few submission victories to his name.

“I watched a couple of his bouts, and he has a very big overhand right. He is a very naturally strong guy. I will not underestimate him. He is a very good, quality opponent, and I am just hopeful to put on a show for everyone and show my best against him,” Thani said of his opponent.

With Askren deciding to call it a day after successfully defending the belt against Shinya Aoki last November, Thani is training harder than ever to show he deserves another chance at the belt.

“I am training all aspects of the game to achieve my goal — to win against my opponent and be one step closer to getting back to a world title shot. I am not treating this match lightly,” he declared.

Thani stressed that he still has his sights on the ONE Welterweight World Championship, but he asserted that defeating the toughest athletes in the division will get him closer to the gold-plated strap that he craves.

“I want to beat the best guys. I just want to win and move forward,” he said. “I just want to keep competing [against] the best so that I can win every match, and eventually get my way back to the title.”

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SAP Learning Hub Launches Editions for Solution-Specific Proficiency

Wazzup Pilipinas!

SAP SE announced the launch of SAP^® Learning Hub, solution editions, for eight specific SAP solution areas. The new editions are focused on helping those involved in SAP solution implementation projects in small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) within the SAP ecosystem and partners. The latest editions help boost productivity by keeping employee skill levels high and knowledge current for new implementations as well as solutions already in production.

SAP Learning Hub, solution editions, include eight different editions, each specific to a SAP solution portfolio. The solutions editions of SAP Learning Hub are:

·         Edition for SAP S/4HANA^® Cloud

·         Edition for cloud and data platforms

·         Edition for procurement and networks

·         Edition for analytics

·         Edition for customer engagement and commerce

·         Edition for IoT and digital supply chain

·         Edition for HR

·         Edition for finance

“Following the success of our existing editions of SAP Learning Hub, we wanted to further our commitment to empowering our specialized partners and small and midsize customers with training tailored to their unique implementation needs,” said Bernd Welz, executive vice president and chief knowledge officer, SAP Products and Innovation, SAP. “With the introduction of SAP Learning Hub, solution editions, we are ensuring that all our customers – no matter their size or solution needs – have access to the training they need to implement and use SAP solutions successfully.”

SAP Learning Hub, solution editions, deliver effective learning focused on individual solutions. As with SAP Learning Hub, professional edition, the solution editions help learners achieve full solution proficiency by providing access to the entire training scope including:

·       Learning Journey guides: Learners can follow a recommended path to competency in the SAP solutions the editions cover by completing individual learning assignments in implementation, development and technology.

·       Social learning through SAP Learning Rooms: Through interactive expert-led social and collaborative spaces, learners can exchange insights and tap into various resources, such as video tutorials. SAP Learning Rooms allow learners to work with SAP experts at every stage of their implementation project.

·       Expert-led sessions: Learners can access SAP experts through scheduled and unscheduled sessions. Depending on format, participants are led through course content in a series of steps or are able to participate in informal Q&A events and supportive sessions that cover strategic topics and best practices.

·       Solution-specific self-study training content: Learners are given access to resources such as e-books, e-learning courses, assessments and quick reference guides to help accelerate adoption.

·       Preconfigured live training systems: Subscriptions provide access to the SAP Live Access environment for hands-on experience and practice.

Focusing on one solution area at a time, learners can “walk through” the software – from implementation and configuration, to operation, best practices and uses. Those involved in implementation and deployment can maintain and advance their SAP solution-specific proficiency and take advantage of new software features and functionality to stay current with the latest technology innovation.

Customers may sign up for and learn more about SAP Learning Hub, solution edition, at www.sap.com/learninghub.

For more information, visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews.

DOTr, I-ACT To Launch Sumbong Bulok Sumbok Usok Hotline

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In an effort to encourage citizen participation, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (i-ACT) will launch today a digital platform where the public can report smoke belching vehicles and other violations. 

The “Sumbong Bulok, Sumbong Usok” (SBSU) Hotline is a digital chatbot hotline that may be accessed via the I-ACT Facebook Messenger. 

With the SBSU Chatbot Hotline, around 45 million Facebook users in the Philippines may report vehicles that are no longer road-worthy, as well as smoke belching vehicles, colorum PUVs, illegally-parked vehicles, illegal vendors, among others. The platform will automatically enable netizens to post a photo or a video, and identify the location where the violation was committed through GPS.

DOTr Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said that the digital hotline is a form of people empowerment, and a way to encourage citizens to actively participate in effecting positive change on public transport. 

“This Sumbong Bulok, Sumbong Usok Chatbot hotline is basically citizen empowerment. The success of this platform in helping realize the objectives of our “Tanggal Bulok, Tanggal Usok” operations will serve as a solid proof that if the government, its people, and technology are put into one, nothing is impossible,” Sec. Tugade said.

The transportation chief likewise noted that the SBSU digital platform will push I-ACT member agencies to act on concerns expeditiously, given that a case management system is integrated in the platform’s back end.

“This platform will not only help citizens send their complaints easily. This will also help our case managers and resolvers monitor the status of concerns. Makikita doon ng DOTr kung anong mga lugar ang pinakamaraming reklamo, at sinong mga ahensya ang hindi sumasagot sa reklamo,” Tugade added.

For his part, DOTr Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Tim Orbos said the SBSU hotline shall help expand the enforcement capabilities of I-ACT, especially that most traffic violators and errant drivers come out and ply the streets at night. 

“With this hotline, we will be expanding our enforcement of traffic rules and regulations through our law-abiding citizens. Lalawak ang coverage natin dahil ang mga tao mismo ang siyang tutulong sa atin,” Usec. Orbos  said. 

Apart from the DOTr, I-ACT member-agencies such as the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Land Transportation Office, and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority will be receiving, processing, and resolving reports and complaints sent to the SBSU Chatbot Hotline.

Currently, I-ACT is implementing the “Tanggal Usok, Tanggal Bulok” campaign in different parts of Metro Manila, as well as nearby provinces such as Pampanga, Bulacan, and Rizal.

The Sumbong Bulok Sumbong Usok chatbot hotline is a project of DOTr, in partnership with Trufidelity Innovations, a private company who has offered to DOTr I-ACT free use of their digital media platform.