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Beckham, Garrett lead Browns’ 23-3 victory over New York Jets

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Odell Beckham Jr. had a career-long, 89-yard touchdown reception, and Myles Garrett recorded three sacks as the Cleveland Browns posted a 23-3 victory over the New York Jets on Monday night at East Rutherford, N.J.

Baker Mayfield completed 19 of 35 passes for 325 yards with one interception and the touchdown to Beckham, who had six catches for 161 yards. Beckham’s big showing came at MetLife Stadium, the venue he called home for five seasons with the New York Giants before being traded to the Browns during the offseason.

Nick Chubb added a rushing touchdown, and Austin Seibert kicked three field goals for Cleveland (1-1), which impressively rebounded from a season-opening 43-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

New York (0-2) totaled 262 offensive yards without starting quarterback Sam Darnold (mononucleosis) and also lost fill-in Trevor Siemian to an injured left ankle with 7:47 left in the second quarter. Siemian completed 3 of 6 passes for 3 yards before exiting.

Luke Falk finished the game and went 20 of 25 for 198 yards. Le’Veon Bell rushed for 68 yards on 21 carries and caught 10 passes for 61 more as New York absorbed its seventh straight home setback.

The Browns, who had 375 offensive yards, scored the game’s first 13 points while quickly taking control.

Seibert kicked field goals of 23 and 48 yards in the first quarter, and Chubb scored on a 19-yard run through the left side to make it 13-0 with 10:16 left in the half.

Siemian was injured about 2 1/2 minutes later when he was hit by Garrett after throwing a deep incompletion. Siemian’s toes pressed into the turf and his left leg twisted as he felt the brunt of the weight of his lower body plus Garrett’s body weight falling on him.

Falk entered and drove the Jets to Sam Ficken’s 46-yard field goal with 2:56 left in the half.

Seibert booted a 43-yard field out as time expired to give Cleveland a 16-3 halftime lead.

The big play by Beckham all but assured the Browns’ victory. Cleveland was at its own 11-yard line when Mayfield hit a wide-open Beckham with a short throw at the 22. Beckham headed upfield and outran four New York secondary players with 3:32 left in the third quarter.

Beckham also made an acrobatic one-handed, 33-yard reception in the opening quarter to set up Seibert’s first field goal. — Reuters

Bad weather, suspension of classes force postponement of NCAA games

BAD WEATHER caused by monsoon rains and the subsequent cancellation of classes in the metro forced the National Collegiate Athletic Association to postpone scheduled Season 95 games at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City on Tuesday.

In a statement, NCAA Management Committee chairman Peter Cayco of season host Arellano University said that with the inclement weather the games had to be postponed, to ensure safety of both the teams and spectators, and rescheduled to a later date.

Affected games were those of the San Sebastian Stags (7-3) against the Perpetual Help Altas (3-7) at 12 noon, Mapua Cardinals (4-6) versus the College of Saint Benilde Blazers (6-4) at 2 p.m., and the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers (4-7) against Arellano (2-9) at 4 p.m.

San Sebastian was looking to extend its winning streak to six games and fortify its push for a top-two finish in the elimination round of the ongoing season of the country’s oldest collegiate league.

Perpetual Help, for its part, has lost back-to-back games and was angling to wiggle out of the skid.

Mapua and JRU, meanwhile, were out to build on their victories last time around and pad their respective thrusts towards the top half of the standings against opponents which are having it rough of late.

Next NCAA action is set for Thursday, Sept. 19. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Top PFL teams Ceres-Negros, Kaya-FC Iloilo collide in Biñan

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE MARQUEE collision of top Philippines Football League teams Ceres-Negros FC and Kaya FC-Iloilo headlines the league’s midweek offering.

Set for 3:30 p.m. today at the Biñan Football Stadium in Laguna, league-leading Ceres (14-1-0) and second-running Kaya (12-1-2) seek to advance their respective causes and fan their push to the top with a victory in their encounter, the third this season.

Ceres, at the top of the heap with 43 points, has been on a massive roll, winning 14 straight matches and its only blemish a draw on its opening game.

The latest of the wins of the “Busmen” came on Sept. 14, a 7-0 shellacking of Philippine Air Force FC.

Ceres was led by the hat trick of Robert Lopez Mendy with Bienvenido Maranon, OJ Porteria, Mike Ott ad Dennis Villanueva contributing a goal each.

The Busmen had it slow at the beginning but once they got their rhythm collectively they were simply unstoppable.

Ceres has had the number of Kaya this season so far, taking their first two matches.

It came from behind to clinch a 2-1 win last July 10 at the PFF National Training Center before securing a 1-0 victory with mostly 10 men last Aug. 3 at the Aboitiz Pitch.

But despite having beaten Kaya in previous occasions this season, Ceres coach Risto Vidakovic said there is no resting against a team like Kaya, which he describes as “special.”

“Kaya is a special team, they are our strongest opponent in the league. I think the players will give everything in this game because it is crucial to win the league again,” said Mr. Vidakovic, whose wards are the two-time defending PFL champions.

Kaya, for its part, is second with 37 points and is on a five-game winning streak.

It defeated Global Cebu FC, 5-1, on Sept. 7 with Jordan Mintah’s hat trick and goals from Darryl Roberts and Alfred Osei accounting for its game tally.

The Ceres-Kaya match will be shown live on pfltv.ph and on Facebook Live via the PFL page.

Meanwhile, also seeing action today are Stallion Laguna FC (8-4-4) and Mendiola FC 1991 (3-3-10) at 4 p.m. at the Aboitiz Pitch in Lipa City, Batangas.

Smile Train’s Team Empower championing runs for a cause

FINDING much success and willing partners for its Team Empower fund-raising platform, Smile Train, the world’s leading cleft charity, is extending the program in the country for a third straight year with a new set of athletes championing the impact that runs for a cause have.

In line with Smile Train’s thrust to create more smiles, new beginnings, and the opportunity for children with clefts to live full and productive lives, Team Empower, brought in the Philippines in 2017, is an endurance fundraizing platform that allows athletes to create an online fundraising page and encourage their friends and family to show support by donating to the cause.

Smile Train Team Empower currently has charity slots soldout to marathons and multi-sport races, such as the London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City marathons and a number of Ironman races around the world.

Since being organized here, the program has been received well in the local setting, something Smile Train officials hope to sustain moving forward.

“As Smile Train celebrates its 20th year, we continue to recognize people who want to contribute their time and talent for a good cause,” said Kimmy Coseteng-Flaviano, Smile Train’s Area Director for Southeast Asia.

“Smile Train Team EMPOWER is the perfect avenue for athletes to pursue their personal fitness goals while still creating a brighter future for babies born with clefts,” she added.

For this year, the Team Empower athletes include founder and president of People Ignite and a cancer survivor, Joy Wong; Pound Fitness pro, Marge Camacho; triathlete coach, Coach Norman Pascual; and Joyette Jopson, triathlete coach and the First Filipino Finisher of the FWD 78° North Marathon.

They were recently introduced to media in a gathering held at The Rudy Project Lifestyle Store in Uptown Mall, Bonifacio Global City, where they participated in an open discussion and shared some fitness tips.

“In the Philippines, there is an estimate of 5,000 babies with clefts born every year. We are grateful for our Smile Train Team Empower athletes who help us raise funds and awareness for children in need. Having their support helps us reach more patients all over the country,” said Ms. Coseteng-Flaviano of their organization and partners.

To learn more about Smile Train Team Empower and the races, visit smiletrain.org/get-involved/team-empower or e-mail philippines@smiletrain.org. For more information about Smile Train’s global efforts and to donate, visit smiletrain.org. — — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Philam Football League: Mondo International upsets Ghana FC

TAGUIG CITY — Match Day 2 commenced with an upset victory of Mondo International over the defending champions Ghana FC. Laro FC, Real Amigos and Bohemian Sporting Club remain undefeated while Super Eagles and Tondo FC score their first wins of the season.

Ghana FC tasted their first defeat of the Season 4 in the hands of Mondo International, 2-1. Both teams were tied at 1-1 at full time and Mondo’s Jangobah Johnson scored the golden goal in extra time for the victory.

“All our hard work paid off. Our first game, we weren’t very tuned in yet. We weren’t synced in but we proved our worth. Today was worth it. We played our hearts,” said Mondo International Academy founder and coach Butch Mondenedo.

“The key thing is we played our tactics, we played our game. That is the one thing that we didn’t implement on the first game. The first game was very difficult because we are feeling out each player. Now, that the players are training more often, we are connecting much better,” shared Mondenedo on how they overcame Ghana FC.

In another extra-time thriller, Laro FC’s Kevin Skinker scored the lone goal of the match to defeat Matu Deportivo. Laro FC is one of the teams that still have an unblemished record after Match Day 2.

“The good energy of the team, that was important. We got good coaching, good experience and the young guys stepped up today,” said Laro’s Aly Borromeo. “It is good to come off with a clean sheet today at the same time we can’t be too overconfident. We look forward to play with the big boys like Super Eagles and Ghana in the next few rounds.”

On the other hand, Real Amigos and Super Eagles dominated their opponents. DMatsunaga experienced their first loss of the season against Real Amigos, 5-1, while Monte Manila falls to 0-2 after losing to the Super Eagles, 1-6. Both winning teams want to make a statement in their Match Day 2 wins.

“Two wins, it is very important for our confidence but moving forward, we want the teams to talk about us. We want them to talk if we are the team to beat or not,” said Real Amigo’s head coach Lerche on the statement win.

“We just needed to make a statement today,” said Super Eagles head coach Danny Cross who lost their opening day game against Ghana FC. “From now on, the momentum is on. Last weekend, was disappointing but that is football. Today, we got the victory, we are happy and good to go.”

Tondo FC registered their first win of Season 4 with a tough match against Futbol Funatics, 2-1. Roberto Corsame and Leonardo Kabalungan each scored goals for Tondo FC before the Futbol Funatics scored one late in the end but time ran out for a comeback.

“We addressed the stamina. For the past three training sessions, we build up our stamina,” said Dennis Balbin of Tondo FC. “This win is important because it will bring more momentum for our team and brings more motivation.”

Bohemian Sporting Club is still undefeated after Match Day 2 with Hajime Hajimehdi scoring a hat-trick over Superbad FC, 3-1.

Steelers quarterback Roethlisberger lost for season

PITTSBURG — A painful Sunday led to a sobering Monday for some of the NFL’s biggest names, and nowhere was the news more sobering than in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers learned starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will miss the remainder of the season.

While the team did not disclose the exact nature of the injury, coach Mike Tomlin said through a statement that an MRI exam on Roethlisberger’s right elbow Sunday night revealed an injury that would require surgery — a surgery which will happen this week and end the quarterback’s season.

Roethlisberger left the game against the Seattle Seahawks in the second quarter, grabbing his right elbow after a throw. The Steelers lost 28-26 at home and are 0-2 to start the season for only the second time in Roethlisberger’s 16-year career.

Mason Rudolph entered the game and completed 12 of 19 passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns. He will now start in Roethlisberger’s place.

The other major quarterback injury was to New Orleans’ Drew Brees, who sustained an injury to a thumb ligament when his hand was hit by Los Angeles defensive tackle Aaron Donald as he threw a pass.

The NFL Network reported Monday that Brees will undergo surgery to repair the ligament in his right thumb and could miss six weeks, but Saints coach Sean Payton said on a conference call later in the day that Brees was seeking a second opinion and the Saints had no news to report on his status.

Teddy Bridgewater replaced Brees and will start this weekend in Seattle. He was 17 of 30 for 165 yards in the 27-9 loss.

IN OTHER INJURY NEWS
Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian sustained an ankle injury and exited the field midway through the second quarter of New York’s Monday night game against the Cleveland Browns. Third-stringer Luke Falk took his place. Steelers starting running back James Conner told 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh that he was confident he would play next Sunday in San Francisco after injuring his knee against Seattle.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup reportedly needs arthroscopic surgery to trim the meniscus in his left knee and will miss 2-4 weeks.

Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee sustained a chest injury that resulted in his coughing up blood in a hospital, Rams coach Sean McVay confirmed to reporters. McVay said Higbee has a lung contusion and is day to day.

Los Angeles Chargers safety Adrian Phillips will go on injured reserve and be lost for a “significant amount of time” because of a broken right forearm, coach Anthony Lynn said.

Kansas City running back LeSean McCoy was reportedly set to undergo an MRI exam on his ankle after suffering an injury late in a 28-10 win in Oakland.

Philadelphia defensive tackle Tim Jernigan reportedly suffered a foot injury, with NFL Network saying the injury could cost him “roughly a month” while Pro Football Talk said the foot is broken and Jernigan could be out for the year.

New England Patriots left tackle Isaiah Wynn will reportedly have an MRI exam for a toe injury suffered after playing just 11 snaps. — Reuters

Milliam, Maneja rule Cebuana Lhuillier Girls’ Tennis Challenge

ALEXA Joy Milliam and Justine Hannah Maneja will represent the country in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Future Stars Tournament, after clinching finals victories in the Cebuana Lhuillier Girls’ Tennis Challenge Under 14 and Under 16 Qualifying Tournament, held at the Makati Sports Club in Makati City.

Displaying championship composure, top-seed Milliam completely dominated Jufe-Ann Cocoy, 7-5, 6-3, in a fast-paced finals match to capture the 14-under title in the tournament sanctioned by Unified Tennis Philippines (UTP) and supported by AXA Philippines, Standard Insurance, Dunlop, and the Makati Sports Club.

Third-seed Maneja, meanwhile, pulled off an upset in disposing of top-ranked Jenaila Rose Prulla, 6-4, 1-6, 10-2, to win in the 16-and-under category.

“Thank you and congratulations to all the participants, most especially our two champions, Alexa Milliam and Justine Maneja. This competition has brought out the best in both of you and I hope you will showcase the talents and skills that we have witnessed here as you vie for that WTA Future Stars Tournament title. Good luck and make your country proud,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, UTP president and Cebuana Lhuillier president and CEO.

Milliam outclassed Mica Ella Emana, 6-2, 6-3, while Cocoy recovered just in time to beat third ranked Tiffany Claire Nocos, 1-6, 6-3, 10-8, to arrange the 14-under finals match. Maneja held off Sydney Ezra Enriquez, 6-2, 6-3, while Prulla ousted 2nd seed Amanda Gabrielle Zoleta, 6-1, 6-2, in the 16-under semi-finals duel.

Milliam and Maneja will compete against other top junior players from across the Asia Pacific region in the WTA Future Stars Tournament to hold from Oct. 20 to 28 in Shenzhen, China.

Fortified Milkmen

When the season-ending Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup unfurls later this week, a new-look Alaska Aces will be competing after they made changes during the in-between conference break.

Alaska has a new coach manning the sidelines in erstwhile deputy Jeff Cariaso, who replaced Alex Compton, the man who handled the team for five years.

The team also has new players in Maverick Ahanmisi and Abu Tratter whom it acquired in different trades with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and Blackwater Elite, respectively.

In exchange the Aces lost stalwarts Ping Exciminiano and a draft pick in the next rookie draft to ROS and Carl Bryan Cruz to Blackwater.

Considering how things were going for the Aces of late, a shake-up at this point might not be a bad track to take.

To be fair, they have been competing but simply just could not get the needed push to go deeper in tournaments.

It remains to be seen whether Cariaso will do a better job than Compton, who took the Aces to a number of trips to the finals during his term as coach, the last one in the Governors’ Cup last season, but just could not hand that elusive 15th league title to the team.

But having had a chance to talk to him in the past, Cariaso is very driven to succeed in coaching much like how he approached the game during a highly successful PBA career.

Cariaso respects the game and wants to win, something the Aces could take positive cue from for the now and future.

He has been with Alaska for majority of his PBA life both as a player and part of its coaching staff, has seen its highs and lows, and is fully aware of what the team wants to accomplish which should guide him now as the main man on the bench of the Aces.

Ahanmisi and Tratter should also be a boon to the Alaska roster with the skills sets they bring.

Exciminiano is a solid player on both ends on the court and was a valuable part of the guard rotation of the Aces but Ahanmisi would be an upgrade.

Ahanmisi is bigger in built and taller and has more range offensively which would go a long way for the Aces as they make their push.

He is also a PBA champion and has played in big games and delivered.

Ahanmisi is coming off an injury but when he gets his groove back and familiarize with the Alaska system it is going to be a partnership that would highly likely to bear much fruit.

Tratter, meanwhile, may not have the offensive range of Cruz but he is going to be a presence for the Aces’ frontline.

He is a wide body who can complement fellow big men Noy Baclao, Vic Manuel and Sonny Thoss as well as Governors’ Cup reinforcement Justin Watts both offensively and defensively.

While with Blackwater, rookie Tratter has shown the ability to make things happen without necessarily creating a play for himself, adding further dimension to the Aces’ thrust.

Needing to shake things up and fortify its makeup, the Aces went for it and actually did a good job. It is still going to be tough battle for the team in the PBA but with the moves they had made they put themselves with better leverage to compete.

 

Michael Angelo S. Murillo has been a columnist since 2003. He is a BusinessWorld reporter covering the Sports beat.

msmurillo@bworldonline.com

Jordan’s tequila venture

It’s a testament to the continued pull of Michael Jordan that he continues to command top billing even when mentioned alongside other marquee figures. Anything he does becomes fodder for hoops habitues, never mind that he hasn’t played competitively since April 2003, and that his transition to the front office as the principal investor of the Hornets has been far from smooth and successful. Not that it’s surprising; after all, he’s the best of the best of all time, and his image and likeness adorn the Jordan Brand line of Nike gear that netted close to $3 billion in revenues last year.

In this regard, seeing Jordan hog headlines for selling a minority stake in the Hornets was nothing out of the ordinary. Neither was finding his name first in a short list of National Basketball Association franchise owners dabbling in the tequila business. A simple dinner with the Celtics’ Wyc Grousbeck, the Lakers’ Jeanie Buss, and the Bucks’ Wes Edens three years ago — during which a bond for the blue agave beverage was formed — thereafter found him engaged in mapping the future of Cincoro Tequila. So involved was he that he even tapped Nike Innovation creative director of special projects Mark Smith to help design the bottle in which the four blends would be distributed.

From the looks of things, the newly launched Cincoro Tequila is well on its way to success. As Emilia Fazzalari, Grousbeck’s wife and founding partner of Cinco Spirits, noted, the aim is to make available the four flavors, which range from the unaged $70 Blanco to the 44-month $1,600 Extra Anejo, in all 50 states, and then outside North America. “We cannot wait to share Cincoro to the world,” she said, even as she revealed sellouts in a handful of the 12 markets they are currently in. Not coincidentally, Cincoro — “five gold” in Spanish — references the partners and the venture’s aim to be “the gold standard in tequila.”

Needless to say, the attachment to Jordan figures to be a boon as Cincoro Tequila widens its presence. It has widely highlighted his participation, and his high Q Score and status as the highest-paid athlete of all time should help it in its aim to be top of mind in the category. Competition is fierce, but it’s already off to a fast start. And if he, Grousbeck, Buss, and Edens continue to devote time and effort to its growth, the safe bet is that it won’t just survive, but thrive.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Partnership for power consumers’ gain

Manila Electric Company signed power supply agreements (PSA) with partners First Gen Hydro Power Corp., Phinma Energy Corp. and South Premiere Power Corp. (SPPC) for the supply of 500 MW mid-merit capacity for five years starting December 2019. The PSAs were awarded to the three winning bidders in accordance with the Department of Energy Circular which required distribution utilities (DUs) to procure power through Competitive Selection Process. According to Meralco President & CEO Ray Espinosa, “The resulting prices from the CSP are significantly lower than average generation cost today and are expected to save consumers PhP 4.4 billion annually for the next five years.” This is Meralco’s second successful round of CSP, after successfully signing 1,200 MW of baseload capacity last September 13. During the signing, Department of Energy Director Mario Marasigan said, “Indeed the winners for this activity are actually the Meralco consumers,” also expressing optimism that the success of the Meralco CSPs will be replicated to subsequent biddings.

You can win the world’s biggest jackpot from the Philippines

If you wondered what’s the biggest lottery jackpot in the world today, there would be two answers. The American Mega Millions lottery offers a $192 million jackpot while the leading lottery in Europe, EuroMillions, offers a €173 million top prize. Depending on how you do your currency conversions, these two huge jackpots are nearly the exact same prize.

Amazingly, you don’t need to travel to America to play Mega Millions and there’s no need for you to get on a plane to Europe to play EuroMillions. It’s possible to play both of these lotteries, with official lottery tickets, without leaving your home in the Philippines.

Here’s how to play from the Philippines:

  • Sign up at theLotter.com, the world’s leading online lottery ticket purchasing service.
  • Select either Mega Millions, or EuroMillions, or even both of them from over 50 lotteries available on the site.
  • Fill out your tickets with your favorite numbers, or use a computer-generated random selection.
  • Indicate how many lines you want to play, or choose to play with a lottery syndicate to increase your chances of winning.
  • Confirm your ticket purchase and you’re eligible to win prizes in the upcoming draw.

How theLotter works

As a lottery ticket messenger service, theLotter uses local agents in America to buy official Mega Millions and local agents in Europe to purchase EuroMillions lottery tickets on behalf of its customers from all over the world. A small surcharge is added to ticket prices in order to cover the cost of this service.

Tickets are scanned and uploaded to a customer’s account before the draw. With these scanned versions of the tickets and email confirmation, customers can rest assured that they have full ownership of their tickets. TheLotter provides a dedicated support team, available 24/7, to help customers with any concerns.

What happens when you win?

When you win a lottery jackpot prize at theLotter, the entire amount is yours! No commissions are deducted from winning tickets. Winnings are transferred to your secure, private account and you can withdraw them at any time.
Over the years, theLotter has paid out more than $95 million in prizes to over 5 million winners from across the globe. The biggest winners include a woman from Panama who won $30 million playing the Florida Lotto and a man from Iraq who won a $6.4 million Oregon Megabucks jackpot.

The Mega Millions and EuroMillions jackpots could be won at any time and the next draw is coming up soon. It is totally possible for the next big lottery prize winner to be a resident of the Philippines!

For more information on how to play lotteries online from the Philippines, visit theLotter.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Spotlight is BusinessWorld’s new sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with BusinessWorld’s audience by enabling them to publish their stories directly on the BusinessWorld Web site. For more information, send an email to online@bworldonline.com.

 

 

POGOs now top property demand driver

PHILIPPINE Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) have displaced the information technology-business process management (IT-BPM) sector as the single biggest source of demand for office space in the country, real estate service firm Leechiu Property Consultants (LPC) reported on Monday.

LPC noted that POGOs have accounted for 375,000 sq.m., or 38%, of total Metro Manila office space take-up of 990,000 sq.m. year-to-date, as “[t]he Philippine offshore gaming industry surged ahead of the IT-BPM sector for the first time as the country’s top demand driver for office space…”

“They did not stop negotiating for more office space despite China’s crackdown,” LPC President David Leechiu said in a press briefing in Makati City.

The Department of Finance (DoF) last week said it would take its crackdown on tax-dodging POGOs a step further by closing down those that still refuse to pay personal income tax withheld from their foreign workers even after being notified of such liabilities, and haling them to court.

The government estimates POGOs’ tax liabilities at a cumulative P21.62 billion, so far, and that it foregoes about P2 billion in monthly revenues for every 100,000 unregistered POGO workers in the country.

Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Andrea D. Domingo backed the DoF’s move, telling reporters in a mobile phone message on Monday that the “BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) has the legal authority to close down establishments that evade taxes.”

“Pagcor supports this move. We are issuing a letter to all POGO operators and service providers to this effect.”

Traditional office tenants were the second biggest demand driver, taking up 320,000 sq.m., while IT-BPM firms occupied around 294,000 sq.m.

By the end of 2019, LPC estimates total office take-up to reach 1.2 million sq.m. in Metro Manila, about 450,000 sq.m of which will be by POGOs. IT-BPM locators are projected to occupy 350,000 sq.m., while the rest will be taken up by traditional offices.

Should the crackdown against POGOs prompt several of these businesses to leave the country, Mr. Leechiu said that IT-BPM — also known as business process outsourcing (BPO) — will be able to fill the gap.

“The POGO footprint is in four geographies, so if they disappeared today, the BPO sector will just backfill that requirement,” Mr. Leechiu explained.

POGOs currently operate in the so-called Bay area — land reclaimed from Manila Bay, Makati City, Alabang and Quezon City.

Mr. Leechiu also noted that 60-70% of POGOs are from China, while others hail from other markets like Australia, Europe and Japan.

Citing data from the Bureau of Immigration and IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines, LPC said POGOs spend about $9 billion in annual salaries for their employees, bigger than the estimated $7.5-billion cumulative annual pay for BPO workers.

POGOs are also seen as a key driver for the residential market, generating annual housing rental income of $680 million.

At the same time, the property consultancy maintained its stance that the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) should continue declaring more economic zones in Metro Manila to drive the expansion of the IT-BPM sector, notwithstanding a moratorium imposed in June by Malacañan Palace under Administrative Order No. 18. “We would continue to encourage signing of more PEZA zones in Metro Manila because we need the BPO sector to keep growing in Manila if we want them to grow in the provinces,” Mr. Leechiu said.

AO 18 forms part of government efforts to push development further away from Metro Manila.

LPC noted that out of the 1.2-million sq.m supply pipeline until 2022, 86% are still applying for PEZA accreditation. Delays in their approval could lead to a deficit in PEZA space in the next five years, causing a slowdown in IT-BPM expansion in that period.

Mr. Leechiu said further that IT-BPM firms are likely to accelerate expansion in the Philippines over the next 12 months, in the face of expected recession in several major economies such as Italy, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, China, the United States and some Middle East countries.

“The Philippines is one of only two places in the world where BPOs can scale at the level they need to scale globally and quickly. Only India and the Philippines can give them the scale of talent they need to be able to have a meaningful impact on their bottom line.” — Arra B. Francia

What sectors drive demand for office space?

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