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SEC asks Google’s help in crackdown vs illegal lending apps

By Denise A. Valdez, Reporter

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seeking assistance from Google Philippines in its crackdown against illegal online lending applications.

SEC Commissioner Kelvin Lester K. Lee told reporters Thursday the corporate regulator has scheduled a meeting with Google on Monday to discuss possible courses of action to stop apps of these illegal lenders from sprouting up on Google Play.

Google Play is the official app store for the Android operating system.

“Ang bilis kasi pumasok sa Google Play [It’s so easy to get into Google Play]. That’s why I’m reaching out to Google, I need to talk to them about their app store,” he said on the sidelines of a forum in Makati City.

Mr. Lee said the government wants to better familiarize itself with the requirements of Google in launching mobile applications, and from there discuss how restrictions and standards could be shaped in relation to illegal online lending in the country.

“Marami kasi talaga [There really are plenty of illegal online lenders]. We are forced at the SEC to act proactively,” he said.

The regulator has so far issued cease and desist orders (CDO) against 30 illegal online lending applications, and is looking to issue the same to more operators in the coming days.

“We already issued a cease and desist order against 30 in total. There is another eight. Then after that I have a few more,” Mr. Lee said.

The CDOs cite violations of Republic Act No. 9474 or the Lending Company Regulation Act of 2007, which restricts the operation of a lending business without a permit from the SEC.

Under the law, violators that continue to operate as illegal lenders can be fined between P10,000 to P50,000, face imprisonment of six months to 10 years, or both.

“I’m hoping they’ll cooperate with us, they’ll help us in this,” Mr. Lee said, referring to Google. “Hanapan natin ng paraan sana [I hope we can find a solution] because it’s a battle right now eh. We have so many victims which we at the SEC are trying to help.”

As of last month, the SEC already issued CDOs to the following illegal online lending applications: Cash Whale, Cash 100, Cashafin, CashFlyer, CashMaya, Cashope, Cashwarm, Cashwow, Creditpeso, ET Easy Loan, Peso2Go, Pera, QuickPera, Lendmo Philippines, Binixo, CashBus, Cashcat, Cashuttle, Crazy Loan, Flash Cash, Happy2Peso, Hatulong, MeLoan, MoneyTree Quick Loan, Pera Express, Pera4u, Peramart, PesoLending, QuickPeso and Umbrella.

PLDT to conduct consent solicitation exercise

PLDT, Inc. is seeking to amend the terms of its seven-year and ten-year fixed-rate bonds to help it gain flexibility in raising its budget for capital spending.

The telecommunications firm told the stock exchange Friday it is asking bondholders to agree to the amendment of the maximum stand-alone total debt to EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) ratio in its trust indenture for the bonds to 4.0:1 from 3.0:1.

The consent solicitation exercise is for the company’s 5.2250% seven-year fixed-rate bonds due Feb. 6, 2021 and 5.2813% 10-year fixed-rate bonds due Feb. 6, 2024.

“The Proposed Amendment seeks to provide the Issuer with greater flexibility to support, if necessary, higher levels of capital expenditures and general corporate requirements given the pipeline of network expansion programs that PLDT would like to undertake and in order to serve the increasing data requirements of its customers so as to strengthen PLDT’s market position,” the telco giant said.

PLDT allotted a record capital expenditure investment of P78.4 billion this year, 34% up from last year’s P58.5 billion.

“Moreover, it will align the covenant ratio of PLDT’s outstanding debt capital market issuances with that of the existing bilateral facilities of both PLDT and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Smart Communications, Inc.,” it added.

In a consent solicitation statement on its website, PLDT said the activity does not intend to change the interest rate, maturity dates and its obligation to make principal and interest payments on the bonds.

The consent solicitation exercise will begin on Oct. 16 and will last until Nov. 15.

The company said it will pay bondholders that are registered as of Oct. 8 P1 per P1,000 of the principal amount of the bonds if they are able to give a properly and validly executed consent form agreeing to the proposed amendment.

PLDT appointed BDO Capital & Investment Corp., BPI Capital Corp. and First Metro Investment Corp. as advisors for the consent solicitation exercise.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Denise A. Valdez

8990 pays P27-M fine imposed by PCC

8990 Holdings, Inc. has paid the P27.11 million fine imposed by the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) after its subsidiary Urban Deca Homes Manila Condominium Corporation was charged with abuse of dominance.

Marking the country’s first abuse of dominance case, Urban Deca Homes was found to have imposed its in-house internet service provider (ISP) Fiber to Deca Homes on unit owners and tenants at its Tondo, Manila property.

“Considering that the provision of internet services is not a business line that the Company is [actively] engaged in and is not a significant source of revenue for the Company, the Company has decided to negotiate an amicable settlement with PCC, resulting in the filing of an Amended Joint Motion for Settlement (the Settlement) in July 2019,” 8990 Holdings told the stock exchange on Friday.

In a decision dated Sept. 30, the PCC found that the company’s proposed commitment, terms, and conditions in the settlement sufficiently addresses the anti-trust body’s concerns.

PCC ordered the company to terminate its imposition of a single ISP in its nine condominium projects nationwide, applying the terms of settlement to properties in Tondo, Mandaluyong, Muntinlupa, Bulacan, Cavite, Iloilo, and Cebu.

Shares in 8990 Holdings were unchanged at P98 on Friday. — Jenina P. Ibañez

DENR claps P1-M fine on GSMI unit

A wholly-owned subsidiary of Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. has been fined P1.03 million by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for failing to meet environmental standards.

In a disclosure to the stock exchange Friday, the liquor firm said its subsidiary East Pacific Star Bottlers Phils, Inc. (EPSBPI) was fined by the Pollution Adjudication Board of DENR for violating Republic Act No. 9275 or the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004.

“DENR-PAB issued an order dated September 13, 2019 in connection with case entitled ‘In the Matter of the Water Pollution Control and Abatement Case,’ docketed as DENR-PAB Case No. 02-F00184-17, which imposed a fine on EPSBPI for violation of RA 9275 and its implementing rules and regulations,” it said.

EPSBPI was found allegedly discharging liquid waste that do not meet the DENR Effluent Standards. But Ginebra said EPSBPI will be filing a motion for reconsideration for the case.

“EPSBPI has corrected such finding and will file a Motion for Reconsideration of the DENR-PAB Order, dated September 13, 2019, on or before October 23, 2019,” it said.

EPSBPI, which is in the business of manufacturing and bottling of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, was bought by Ginebra in 2012.

Ginebra booked a net income of P980 million in the six months to June, higher by 94% from the same period last year. Its parent, diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp., dropped 5% to a net income of P26.15 billion in the same six-month period. — Denise A. Valdez

PNB raises P4.6 billion via LTNCDs

PHILIPPINE National Bank (PNB) has raised P4.6 billion in long-term negotiable certificates of deposit (LTNCD), marking the second tranche of its P20-billion program approved by the central bank.

PNB on Friday listed the debt papers which have a tenor of 5.5 years and an interest rate of 4.375% at the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. (PDEx).

The bank’s offer was more than twice oversubscribed against the announced issue size of P2 billion, PNB Chief Financial Officer Nelson C. Reyes said during the listing ceremony in Makati on Friday.

“This second tranche puts our aggregate LTNCD issuance for the year to P12.82 billion and brings the aggregate total of new PDEx listing from PNB for the year to P26.7 billion,” Mr. Reyes said.

“Aside from business expansion, the LTNCD issuances support the bank’s efforts to diversify its funding sources to meet the financial needs of clients,” the bank said in a statement on Friday.

PNB said last month that it is offering the LTNCDs to extend the maturity profile of its liabilities, support its compliance with regulatory liquidity ratios and raise long-term funds for general corporate purposes.

The central bank approved PNB’s LTNCD program in October 2018.

PNB offered the LTNCDs to investors from Sept. 27 to Oct. 4. The LTNCDs were offered at an indicative rate of 4.25%–4.375%.

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. Ltd. was the sole arranger and bookrunner of the transaction. It also acted as a selling agent alongside PNB, First Metro Investment Corp. and Multinational Investment Bancorporation.

In February, PNB issued P8.22 billion worth of 5.5-year LTNCDs, which carry an interest rate of 5.75% to be paid quarterly until 2024. This was the first tranche of its P20-billion LTNCD program.

Like regular time deposits offered by banks, LTNCDs offer higher interest rates. However, LTNCDs cannot be pre-terminated but can be sold on the secondary market, making them “negotiable.”

PDEx President and Chief Operating Officer Antonino A. Nakpil said in his speech during the listing ceremony that bond listings have reached new highs.

“In terms of primary market activity, we are already at record levels of new bond listings today now at P274.8 billion for 2019, a 91% increase from the same period last year,” Mr. Nakpil said.

PNB’s net earnings fell to P3.9 billion in the six months ended June from P5.4 billion a year earlier, which included a one-time gain from the sale of foreclosed assets.

Assets of PNB and its units grew 24% to P1.09 trillion. The bank’s net interest income rose 13% to P14.7 billion, while loans and receivables increased by the same rate to P594.1 billion.

Shares in PNB went down 65 centavos or 1.49% to close at P42.85 apiece on Friday. — with a report from LWTN

Banks need to digitize, tap fintech firms

THE BANKING INDUSTRY needs to go digital for survival and may seek the specialty offered by financial technology (fintech) firms for more efficient service delivery, according to bank and fintech executives on Thursday.

During the The Asian Banker’s Finance Philippines 2019 conference at Taguig City on Thursday, UnionBank of the Philippines, Inc. President and CEO of Edwin R. Bautista said banks have an excess of data accumulated over decades of operations, as well as a strong customer base, but remain “stuck” in the traditional way of operating.

“Banks also have the customer base that you can start to milk. The only problem is they may want to partner with you but if they realize that you cant run as fast as them, they’re going to lose interest in you and that’s the biggest challenge,” Mr. Bautista said during a panel discussion.

Monetary Authority of Singapore’s special advisor on artificial intelligence David R. Hardoon was of the same sentiment, saying traditional banks have accumulated immense data through years of collection but are not as efficient in utilizing them as fintech firms.

Mr. Bautista said financial institutions’ “willingness” to change will play a crucial role in “retooling” their infrastructure and business models.

“We have to retool our basic infrastructure, we have to start thinking almost like them so we can run and work with them. Otherwise, they will go elsewhere,” he said.

For Cezar P. Consing, president of Bankers Association of the Philippines and also the president and CEO of Bank of the Philippine Islands, going digital will also help in banks’ survival and in keeping up with fintech players, adding that this could also bring business costs down.

“We need to transform ourselves into this agile, different type of organization that seemingly harvests technology culturally and differently… If you think that the world is gonna be the same forever, then there’s no business proposition in digital transformation,” Mr. Consing said.

Likewise, Jackal Ma, co-founder of China’s Tongdun Technology, said technology will ultimately help boost customer experience for financial institutions, including the use of the artificial intelligence (AI) which “improves the balance between user experience and risk control.”

Mr. Ma said some of the services that AI can help in are detecting fraud discussions, particularly in social networks, and identifying patterns of suspicious behavior.

Going digital will also allow lenders to reach the huge unbanked sector in the Philippines, said Vijay Manoharan, CEO of CIMB Philippines.

Mr. Manoharan said digitalization will simplify account and credit applications as well as reduce the complexity of the traditional banking experience, which will ultimately attract clients to transact with banks.

According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ Financial Inclusion Survey, 22.6% or around 15.8 million of Filipino adults as of 2017 have bank accounts, leaving 52.8 million adults or over 70% unbanked or without accounts with any financial institution. — B.M. Laforga

Peso strengthens further on hopes of US-China trade deal

THE PESO climbed further on Friday on the back of optimism on a trade deal between the United States and China.

The local unit finished at P51.58 against the greenback on Friday, gaining six centavos from its P51.64-to-a-dollar close on Thursday.

Week on week, it strengthened by 15 centavos from the P51.73 close last Oct.4.

The peso started the session at P51.55 versus the dollar. Its worst showing for the session was at P51.615, while its intraday best was at P51.475 against the greenback.

Dollars traded on Friday dropped to $981.25 million from the $1.158 billion logged on Thursday.

“The peso’s strength was on the back of positive developments coming from the US and China trade talks which commenced on Thursday. Corporate demand resurfaced which brought down the peso to a strong close,” a trader said in a phone call.

Aside from optimism due to the US-China trade talks, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael L. Ricafort attributed the peso’s performance to better global risk appetite.

“Global market sentiment also improved on possible direction towards a Brexit deal before the October 31 deadline for UK (United Kingdom) to leave the EU (European Union),” Mr. Ricafort said in a text message.

Top US and Chinese negotiators wrapped up a first day of trade talks in more than two months on Thursday as business groups expressed optimism the two sides might be able to ease a 15-month trade war and delay a US tariff hike scheduled for next week.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and US Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer met with Vice Premier Liu He and other senior Chinese officials for about seven hours at the USTR’s headquarters near the White House.

“We had a very, very good negotiation with China,” US President Donald Trump told reporters after the talks concluded. He reiterated his plans to meet with Liu at the White House on Friday, regarded as a good sign.

Meanwhile, the chief Brexit negotiators of the EU and Britain met for breakfast on Friday, hours after Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart unexpectedly said they had found a pathway to a possible deal at last-ditch talks. — L.W.T. Noble with Reuters

Stocks climb further on positive US-China trade talks

LOCAL SHARES sustained their momentum on the last day of this week’s trading after positive developments in the trade talks between the United States and China.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) gained 84.91 points or 1.09% to close at 7,849.94 on Friday, while the broader all shares index also jumped 49.59 points or 1.05% to 4,741.49.

“Local stocks advanced after President Donald Trump said he would meet China’s chief trade negotiator at the White House, again raising hopes for progress from two days of talks in Washington in an effort to resolve the two-year-old trade war,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan said in a mobile message.

US and China resumed trade talks on Thursday in Washington DC, which Mr. Trump said resulted in a “very, very good negotiation,” Reuters reported.

The trade talks will resume Friday and Mr. Trump is scheduled to meet with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He after.

All sectoral indices improved on Friday, led by property which increased 56.23 points or 1.38% to 4,129.68.

Holding firms added 93.93 points or 1.24% to end at 7,670.38; services rose 14.21 points or 0.94% to 1,526.32; industrials climbed 90.82 points or 0.85% to 10,677.38; mining and oil gained 68.62 points or 0.75% to 9,178.36; and financials moved up 9.12 points or 0.5% to 1,821.17.

Value turnover dropped to P4.5 billion on Friday from P14.46 billion the previous session, with 428.87 million shares changing hands.

Advancers defeated decliners, 121 to 58, while 48 names were unchanged.

Foreigners turned net sellers anew, as net outflows totalled P233.69 million on Friday, a reversal of Thursday’s net buying worth P5.07 billion. — D.A. Valdez with Reuters

TBA Studios set to spend P500 million on films, microcinemas, writing workshops

FILM company TBA Studios is confident in the growing Philippine industry, so much so that it is set to invest P500 million in film production and expanding its microcinema venture over the next three to five years, company executives said.

“At TBA Studios, we are committed to delivering the kind of high-quality films the will uplift and give the Filipinos the intelligent alternative. That is how highly we view the market. We also intend to produce original content for all these different platforms that are disrupting the industry… we see it as a growth opportunity,” Vincent “Ting” Nebrida, President of TBA, said in a statement.

TBA Studios — which is made up of three production companies, namely Tuko Film Productions, Buchi Boy Entertainment, and Artikulo Uno Productions — was formally set up in 2017, although Tuko, Buchi Boy, and Artikulo Uno had already been producing films since 2013 under their individual names. TBA is best known for producing the 2015 historical epic Heneral Luna, directed by Jerrold Tarog. The biopic about Gen. Antonio Luna and his fight against the American colonizers and fellow Filipinos became the highest-grossing historical film in the country after earning P300 million during its run.

Next came Goyo: The Boy General in 2018, which served as a follow-up to Heneral Luna. Also directed by Mr. Tarog, the film followed the life and death at the Battle of Tirad Pass of Gen. Gregorio del Pilar.

Informally called the Bayani film franchise, TBA Studios is currently working on the third installment of its historical series, a film about President Manuel L. Quezon during the Commonwealth period.

The movie is set to start filming in 2021, according to Eduardo A. Rocha, co-CEO of TBA, during a press conference on Oct. 9 at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.

Mr. Rocha and Fernando Ortigas are the joint CEOs of TBA Studios.

TBA Studios will also be starting the crafting of a script for the film adaptation of Arnold Arre’s graphic novel Mythology Class, to be filmed in 2021, again under the direction of Mr. Tarog.

Alongside its big-budget productions, TBA Studios is also known for its smaller-budget films like Mikhail Red’s Birdshot in 2015 and I’m Drunk, I Love You by JP Habac in 2017.

“On average, we produce about three to four films a year… we spend a long time to create our films because, especially with the epics we don’t want to rush… we want to standardize the quality basically,” Mr. Nebrida told the press.

Their bullish outlook on the Philippine film industry is based on Mr. Nebrida’s opinion that far from stagnating, as director Erik Matti opined earlier this year, the country is in fact at the beginning of “another Golden Age.”

“I think we’ve been in a Golden Age since 2013 because look at how many local film festivals there are,” he said.

The country’s first Golden Age of film was in the 1950s, followed by a second Golden Age in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Aside from TBA’s film productions, Mr. Rocha said that they are looking to put up more screens under the Cinema 76 microcinema name.

“We’re looking at locations within Metro Manila and in the region,” he said, before explaining that there is a need to put up more screens so smaller films can reach more people.

Cinema 76 currently has two locations — one screen in San Juan City and two screens in Anonas, Cubao. The theater in San Juan has a seating capacity of 60 people while the Anonas branch can accommodate 70 and 130 people with the latter screen having a DCP projector unlike the mp4 projectors of the other two screens.

CO-PRODUCTIONS AND WRITING WORKSHOPS
Another testament to the booming local film industry is the increasing number of international film outfits looking at having Filipino co-productions.

Mr. Nebrida said they are in discussions on working on co-productions with outfits from around the world, though he is mum on details.

They did announce that they are planning to co-produce a script by Mr. Rocha called Color of Fire which will revolve around a Filipino family during the Battle of Manila in 1945. Mr. Rocha said that the film will probably be their biggest to date as they are in talks with a Hollywood production company to produce the film. He pegs the budget at around “$5 million to $6 million.”

He then clarified that Color of Fire isn’t included in TBA Studios’ P500 million budget.

What will be part of the investment is the ramping up of writing workshops called Writer’s Room in order to help develop more stories and talents.

“We started writing workshops a few months ago and we’ve seen so much demand for it,” Mr. Nebrida said. — Zsarlene B. Chua

Moira dela Torre is the big winner at Awit Awards

SINGER Moira dela Torre took home the night’s biggest awards including the coveted Song of the Year and Album of the Year at the 2019 Awit Awards, held on Oct. 9 at the New Frontier Center, Quezon City.

Ms. Dela Torre won Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year for her ballad “Tagpuan.” She also took home Album of the Year for Malaya.

Aside from the top awards, she also won Best Collaboration for “Knots,” a song she did with Nieman, Most Streamed Single for “Tagpuan,” and Most Streamed Album for Malaya.

Another of the night’s big winners are Janine Tenoso who won Record of the Year for “Ang Awit Natin” and Juan Karlos who took home Best Performance by a Male Artist, Best Rock/Alternative Recording, and Favorite Song/Favorite Record for his song “Buwan.”

Seasoned singer Sarah Geronimo meanwhile won Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist and Best Song Written for Movie/Stage/Play for “Isa Pang Araw” which was the main theme of the film Miss Granny (2018), directed by Joyce E. Bernal.

The Awit Awards are given annually by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry to recognize outstanding achievements in the music industry.

The complete list of winners follows:

• Album of the Year: Malaya by Moira dela Torre

• Record of the Year: “Ang Awit Natin” by Janine Teñoso

• Song of the Year: “Tagpuan” by Moira dela Torre

• Music Video of the Year: “Tagpuan” by Moira dela Torre

• Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist: “Isa Pang Araw” by Sarah Geronimo

• Best Performance by a Male Recording Artist: “Buwan” by Juan Karlos

• Best Collaboration: “Knots” by Moira dela Torre and Nieman

• Best Performance by a Group of Recording Artists: “Kahit Ayaw Mo Na” by This Band

• Best Performance by a New Female Recording Artist: “Happy For You” by Jayda

• Best Performance by a New Male Recording Artist: “Tuldok” by Chan Millanes

• Best Performance by a New Group of Recording Artists: “So Good” by BRWN

• Best Ballad Recording: “Hanggang Dito Na Lang” by Jaya

• Best Pop Recording: “’Di Na Muli” by Janine Teñoso

• Best Rock/Alternative Recording: “Buwan” by Juan Karlos

• Best World Music Recording: “Jak En Poy” by Bullet Dumas

• Best Dance Recording: “Sarung Banggi” by Sam Concepcion

• Best Rap/HipHop Recording: “Lagi” by Gloc-9 featuring Al James

• Best R&B Recording: “Take It To Forever” by Jona, Jay-R, and REQ

• Best Song Written for Movie/TV/Stage Play: “Isa Pang Araw” by Sarah Geronimo for the movie Miss Granny

• Most Streamed Single: “Tagpuan” by Moira dela Torre

• Most Streamed Album: “Malaya” by Moira dela Torre

• Special Dangal Award: Francis Magalona

• Favorite Song: “Buwan” by Juan Karlos

• Favorite Record: “Buwan” by Juan Karlos

• Favorite Male Artist: Juan Karlos

• Favorite Female Artist: Sarah Geronimo

• Favorite New Male Artist: Just Hush

• Favorite New Female Artist: Maris Racal

• Favorite Group: TNT Boys

• Favorite New Group: TNT Boys

• Favorite Album: Breakthrough by Julie Anne San Jose

• Favorite Collaboration: “Down For Me” by Julie Anne San Jose and Fern.

• Favorite Music Video: “Sugarol” by Maris Racal

— Z.B. Chua

ONE Championship: a “Century” and beyond

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

TOKYO — October 13, 2019 marks an important date in ONE Championship’s growing history as it holds its biggest live event to date — “ONE: Century.”

Century is the 100th show of Asia’s largest sports media property since opening shop in 2011 and will feature a never-been-done-before offering of two full shows in one day.

It will happen at the famed Ryogoku Kokugikan in Sumida City and has 22 matchups, split into two equally exciting shows of 11 fights each.

For ONE Championship officials, the much-anticipated event is a testament to how far it has come as an organization and sets the direction it is heading to moving forward.

“This is a historic moment, not only for Japan, but for the entire world of martial arts. I named this event, ONE: CENTURY, to signify the greatest martial arts event in the last 100 years. Twenty-eight world champions from across various martial arts, seven world title bouts, two full-scale events — it has never been done before in history,” said ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong at the press conference for Century on Thursday at the Park Hyatt Hotel here.

Launched in July 2011, ONE, known then as ONE Fighting Championship, has steadily grown to become a major player in sports not only in this side of the world but in the entire globe with broadcast reach now spreading to 140 countries and to potentially 2.6 billion viewers.

As a martial arts organization it has also established itself as a true home to such, going beyond mixed martial arts and featuring as well bouts across the full spectrum of martial arts such as muay thai, kickboxing, karate, silat, sanda, lethwei, taekwondo, submission grappling, and more.

Mr. Sityodtong said adding to their pride as an organization is the fact that they were able to achieve such feats by adhering to the mission and vision they had right from the very start of bringing to the fore what true martial arts is, which is anchored on deep-rooted Asian values of integrity, humility, honor, respect, courage, discipline and compassion.

And along the way ONE Championship has attracted like-minded organizations which have partnered with it in bringing its thrust forward.

Among these organizations are Disney, Marvel, LG, Sony, Facebook, Haier, Kawasaki, L’Oreal, Casio, Bayer, Shiseido, Grab and Singtel.

Recently, ONE expanded its makeup with the establishment of an esports component in the organization, recognizing a natural crossover between martial arts and gaming fans in Asia.

In the lead-up to ONE: Century, the organization held various esports activities and tournaments which were received well by esports athletes and fans alike.

Hitting a century of shows and taking into consideration all the gains they had in the last eight years, Mr. Sityodtong said ONE Championship is more determined to push ahead and take martial arts recognition to an even higher level.

“My fellow brothers and sisters are here, the greatest martial artists on the planet, but above all, truly amazing human beings. The world will witness greatness. Most importantly, the world will witness the unleashing of real-life superheroes who ignite the world with hope, strength, dreams, and inspiration. Let us all embrace the true spirit, the warrior spirit of martial arts. Let’s show the world the power of martial arts,” the ONE official said.

Kingad looking forward to showcase talent to a bigger audience

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

TOKYO — Filipino fighter Danny “The King” Kingad will take what he considers to be the biggest fight in his professional career to date, facing off with mixed martial arts legend Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson of the United States in the final of ONE Championship’s world flyweight grand prix at the promotion’s highly anticipated “Century” event on Oct. 13 here.

And Team Lakay stalwart Kingad (11-1) expressed excitement heading into the fight not only because he gets to share the ONE Ccircle with Mr. Johnson (29-3-1), whom he considers as one of his MMA heroes, in a high-stakes bout at that, but also because the fight would allow him to showcase his talent to an even bigger audience.

Part of the co-main event features of Part One of the two-pronged ONE: Century in the morning on Sunday, Mr. Kingad’s fight with Mr. Johnson will be broadcast live in prime time in the United States by way of TNT and Bleacher Report Live.

“I’m excited to showcase Filipino martial arts talent to the American audience,” Mr. Kingad asserted of the added significance of his upcoming fight at the press conference for Century on Thursday at the Park Hyatt Hotel.

Mr. Kingad’s grand prix title quest is included in the main card in the fight lineup bannered by the ONE world atomweight title clash between reigning champion Angela “The Unstoppable” Lee of Singapore against challenger and world strawweight champ “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan of China.

The other fights are the ONE world lightweight grand prix final between Singaporean champion Christian “The Warrior” Lee and Turkish Sayid Guseyn Arslanaliev and the atomweight muay thai collision of American Janet Todd and Belarusian Ekaterina Vandaryeva.

“I’m happy to be back here again and competing in the most important match of my life. It is an honor to represent my country, the Philippines, and I am glad to be here with my Team Lakay family,” said Mr. Kingad, who started competing professionally in 2014.

Up against a legend in Johnson, Mr. Kingad said he recognizes that the odds are not in his favor but nonetheless believes that he has prepared well and sharpened his skills giving him a solid shot at beating the American.

“I believe I have the chance to beat him (Johnson). If I beat him, it will be the greatest accomplishment of my career,” he said.

Mr. Kingad reached the finale of the flyweight grand prix with hard-earned victories in the previous two rounds, beating Japanese Senzo Ikeda in March by unanimous decision and Australian Reece McLaren in August by split decision.

Mr. Johnson, for his part, took down Japanese Yuya Wakamatsu and Tatsumitsu Wada, in that order, by submission and unanimous decision, respectively, to reach the final.

ONE: Century will take place at the famed Ryogoku Kokugikan in Sumida City.

In the Philippines, Century will be carried live locally by both ESPN5 and Cignal, and ABS-CBN Sports and iWant Sports. Part one will be aired beginning at 8 a.m. and part two at 4 p.m.

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