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Caught on camera

Three of the Philippines’ endemic animals have been caught on camera at the buffer zone of Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary in Davao Oriental with the ongoing 160-day trapping activity being undertaken by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Davao (DENR-11). Beginning December 2018, DENR-11 has set up state-of-the-art camera traps in the area to monitor wildlife. At least three Philippine Warty Pigs (Sus philippensis), two Philippine Deers (Cervus mariannus), and three Philippine Macaques (Macaca fascicularis philippensis) have been documented. Under the DENR List of Terrestrial Threatened Species, the warty pig and deer are considered “vulnerable” due to declining population, while the macaques are threatened species as they are “prone to extinction due to its small population.” Mt. Hamiguitan’s ecosystems management specialist Clint Michael Cleofe said.

“The presence and absence of these species indicate the status of our forest and other habitats. If we were able to spot them, it means that we still have a good forest condition and ecosystem dynamics.” Mt. Hamiguitan is a declared protected area under Philippine law and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nation at a Glance — (05/01/19)

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.

Nation at a Glance — (05/01/19)

Beermen, Hotshots begin best-of-7 PHL Cup Finals

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE season-opening PBA Philippine Cup hits the championship phase beginning today with familiar foes San Miguel Beermen and Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok getting their best-of-seven series going with Game One at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

A rematch of last year’s finals joust, the Beermen and the Hotshots are out to see their respective causes through with the former seeking to claim their fifth straight Philippine Basketball Association All-Filipino title and the latter looking to win back-to-back PBA titles after winning the previous conference.

In the 2017-18 Philippine Cup Finals, San Miguel won the title in five games, 4-1, punctuated by a 108-99 double-overtime victory in the clincher.

The Beermen made it to their fifth straight finals appearance by besting the TNT KaTropa in the quarterfinals and the top-seeds Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters in the semifinals.

Before those, San Miguel bucked early struggles in the elimination round to wind up at the fifth spot with a 6-5 record.

Magnolia hotshots also had it rough early in the eliminations, opening its campaign 0-3 and needing to win five of its last six matches to make its way to the next round.

It also fell behind in its best-of-three quarterfinal match with the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings and in the best-of-seven semifinals with the second-seeded Rain or Shine Elasto Painters but in both times they were able to rally back and win.

While they got the better of the Hotshots in last year’s finals, San Miguel coach Leo Austria said they are expecting a much-improved Magnolia squad in their championship re-engagement.

“Magnolia has gained a lot of experience since we last met them in the finals. They won the championship last conference,” the San Miguel coach said during Monday’s press conference for the about-to-start finals. Adding, “They are very competitive and we expect this to be a tough series.”

For Magnolia, it sees itself as an underdog in the series but said it would not stop it from going for it and fighting it out with the defending champions.

“We will come in prepared for the finals despite the short turnaround. We know we’re the underdogs in this series but that’s our story since the start of the conference. We will just keep fighting,” said Hotshots coach Chito Victolero, whose wards secured their finals spot over Rain or Shine only last Sunday in Game Seven of their semifinal tiff.

In their lone encounter this conference on Feb. 10, the Beermen defeated the Hotshots, 113-92.

San Miguel used a strong start and finish to go on top of Magnolia in said match.

Arwind Santos led the Beermen in the victory with 29 points with Terrence Romeo and June Mar Fajardo also producing big numbers of 23 and 22 points, respectively.

Ian Sangalang was the high point man for the Hotshots with 19 markers and Paul Lee finishing with 16.

Game One of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals is set for 7 p.m.

Playoff for UAAP second seed up today

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE ELIMINATION round of the women’s volleyball tournament of Season 81 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines goes into overdrive today with the defending champions De La Salle Lady Spikers and University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses disputing the second seed in a one-game playoff at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

Finished the elimination phase with identical 10-4 records, the Lady Spikers and Tigresses are to break the tie in the scheduled 3:30 p.m. match where the victor earns the twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.

The two teams though are the ones meeting in one bracket of the semifinals of Season 81 with the other pairing having top seeds Ateneo Lady Eagles against number four Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws.

La Salle could have avoided the playoff with UST and earned outright the Final Four incentive had it won its last game of the elimination versus FEU last Sunday.

Instead of notching the win, the Lady Spikers were dealt a stinging defeat in five sets by the Lady Tamaraws, 25-22, 13-25, 15-25, 27-25 and 15-8.

Rookie Jolina Dela Cruz had a solid game of 22 points with Tin Tiamzon and May Luna adding 17 and 15 points, respectively.

Those were not enough though to go past FEU which played steadier in the last two sets.

The Lady Spikers rued the missed opportunity but conceded they did not do what they were supposed to do and are looking forward to faring better in today’s game.

UST, meanwhile, finished the eliminations strong, winning four straight matches.

The Tigresses have expressed readiness to take on the challenge regardless if they wound second or third, bent on seeing their championship aspirations through.

“We are here so we have to continue working hard and to take it all the way,” said UST coach Kungfu Reyes after they finished their elimination schedule with a four-sets win over the National University Lady Bulldogs, 26-24, 25-17, 21-25 and 25-16, on April 27.

League leading scorer Sisi Rondina top-scored for the Tigresses with 21 points while Eya Laure finished with 13 against NU.

Meanwhile, for her solid performance against La Salle on Sunday, FEU graduating player Heather Guino-o earned UAAP player of the week honors.

Guino-o fired off 24 points to lead her team to the win that effectively derailed the Lady Spikers’ push to claim outright the number two spot heading into the Final Four.

The FEU leading scorer in winning the award, given by media covering the league, bested Chiara Permentilla of Adamson, Rondina, Kat Tolentino of Ateneo and Dela Cruz.

AFC Cup: Ceres-Negros seeks to secure top spot in Group G in Myanmar

UNDEFEATED in four matches to date in Group G of the 2019 AFC Cup, Ceres-Negros FC seeks to win its fifth straight and in the process to secure the top spot in the grouping when it plays Shan United FC in Myanmar today.

Set for 5 p.m. (Manila time) at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon, Ceres (4-0-0), on the top of the heap with 12 points, goes for victory number five that will hand it direct passage to the next round of the tournament.

The “Busmen” are fresh from a gallant come-from-behind 3-2 win over Persija Jakarta of Indonesia on April 23 that saw midfielder Mike Ott delivering the go-ahead goal late in the contest.

Persija was first on the scoreboard, connecting in the 49th and 57th minute care off midfielders Sandi Sute and Rizki Ramdani Lestaluhu, respectively.

But Ceres remained steadfast in its resolve and slowly chipped away on its deficit.

Substitute Miguel Tanton narrowed the gap at 2-1 with a smooth free kick in the 70th minute.

Team scorer Bienvenido Maranon then pulled Ceres even in the 85th minute when he headed into the net a nifty pass from Stephan Schrock.

Got the momentum it needed, Ceres continued to put pressure on the home team, which it was eventually reward for in stoppage time as Mr. Ott took a pass from Mr. Schrock and swished it past the Persija keeper for what turned out to be the winning goal.

Persija tried to salvage the game after but to no avail.

“We are happy with the win first of all. The team showed that if everybody works hard anything is possible. It’s very nice,” said Mr. Ott in the postmatch interview as he underscored the effort that his team put in as they made their way back into the contest.

Waiting for Ceres in Yangon is home team Shan United (0-0-4), which is already eliminated from the running.

Its latest defeat came at the hands of Becamex Binh Duong of Vietnam, 6-0, on April 16.

Becamex Binh Duong (2-1-1) is second-running in Group G with seven points followed by Persija Jakarta (1-1-2) with four points.

In the AFC Cup, tournament format has the top teams in each of the groupings earning an automatic spot in the Zonal semifinals with the runner-up with the best record also advancing. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Three late non-calls were wrong in Rockets-Warriors series opener

LOS ANGELES — The NBA’s Last Two Minute report displays there were three incorrect non-calls in the final 71 seconds of Sunday’s game between the Houston Rockets and the Warriors — all of which went in favor of Golden State.

The Warriors posted a 104-100 victory in the Western Conference semifinal opener, after which Rockets guard James Harden criticized the officiating afterward.

Two of the incorrect non-calls involved Harden, but a pivotal non-call with 10.1 seconds left was ruled to have been correct.

In that sequence, Harden put up a 3-point attempt with 10.1 seconds left that could have tied the game. There was no foul called on Golden State’s Draymond Green because “Harden (HOU) draws Green (GSW) into the air during his shot attempt. Green jumps in front of Harden and would have missed him if Harden hadn’t extended his legs.”

The incorrect non-calls occurred with 1:10.6, 51.9 seconds and 5.2 seconds remaining.

The first involved a turnover by Harden in which he stepped on the baseline. The report said that a foul should have been called on Golden State’s Stephen Curry.

“(Review) shows that Curry (GSW) is moving laterally into Harden’s (HOU) path and that the contact causes Harden to go out of bounds,” the report said.

With 51.9 seconds left, Golden State’s Klay Thompson made a move toward the basket and took a jumper. The report said Thompson should have been called for traveling.

“Thompson (GSW) slides his pivot foot at the end of his dribble,” according to the report.

After Harden missed the tying 3-point try with 10.1 seconds left, there was a scramble for the loose ball. Houston’s Eric Gordon was ruled to have stepped out of bounds with 5.2 seconds left. The report said Curry should have been called for a foul.

“(Review) shows Curry makes contact with Gordon’s (HOU) arm, affecting his ability to secure the ball,” the report said.

In the aftermath of that call, Houston’s Chris Paul was called for a technical foul and Curry sank the free throw to turn the contest into a two-possession game. The Warriors then hung on.

Meanwhile, the officiating in Game 7 of last season’s Western Conference finals is still an issue for the Rockets.

ESPN obtained a team audit report put together by the Rockets that claimed the officiating cost Houston last season’s NBA championship, citing there were 81 instances of total calls, non-calls and violations that cost the Rockets 18.6 points. Houston lost the game 101-92.

“Referees likely changed the eventual NBA champion,” says the memo, which was addressed to NBA president of league operations Byron Spruell. “There can be no worse result for the NBA.”

The NBA, which does its own reviews, has a different viewpoint.

“As we told the Rockets, we do not agree with their methodology,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN.

Houston’s memo also insists that veteran officials “exhibit the most bias against our players.”

“The reason we are in this situation,” the memo says, “is the efforts made to improve the referees have been too slow, not extensive enough, and have been held back by entrenched referees who are resisting reform.” — Reuters

Philadelphia ends Canadian curse

LOS ANGELES — Jimmy Butler scored 30 points and added 11 rebounds as the visiting Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Toronto Raptors 94-89 Monday night to even their Eastern Conference semifinal series at one win each.

It was the first win in Toronto for the 76ers since Nov. 10, 2012, following 14 consecutive losses.

Game 3 in the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Thursday in Philadelphia.

James Ennis III added 13 points off the bench for the 76ers, Joel Embiid had 12 points, JJ Redick had 11, Greg Monroe 10 and Tobias Harris nine points and 11 rebounds.

Kawhi Leonard scored 35 points for Toronto, Pascal Siakam added 21 and Kyle Lowry 20.

The 76ers, who led by as many as 19 points in the second quarter, took a six-point advantage into the fourth.

Philadelphia opened the final period with a 7-2 surge to lead by 11 with 8:44 to play.

The advantage reached 13 on a 7-foot shot by Harris with 5:44 to go.

Lowry struck with a 3-pointer to bring Toronto within four points with two minutes left.

After Butler sank two free throws, Lowry made another 3-pointer with 1:36 left. Siakam reduced the deficit to one with a put-back layup before Embiid banked in a hook shot with 24.3 seconds to play.

After Toronto’s Danny Green missed a 3-point attempt for the tie with 10.3 seconds to go, Harris ended the game by hitting two free throws with 3.8 seconds left.

Ennis closed the first-quarter scoring with a 3-pointer to give the 76ers a 26-17 lead.

The 76ers led by 18 when Ennis nailed a 3-pointer with 4:19 remaining in the half. Raptors coach Nick Nurse was called for a technical foul, and Butler made the foul shot to boost the lead 19.

The Raptors cut that to 13 on Siakam’s layup with 2:09 to play.

Philadelphia pulled ahead by 18 before Green made a 3-pointer after a steal by Leonard to complete the scoring in the first half. Philadelphia led 51-38 at halftime with Butler scoring 13 points and Ennis adding 12. Leonard topped Toronto with 15 first-half points, and Lowry had 10. — Reuters

MPBL: Basilan Steel and Zamboanga retool lineup ahead of coming season

BASILAN and Zamboanga, two teams from the Mindanao region, had started to build up ahead of the coming season of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).

The Basilan Steel had done massive changes in their lineup, acquiring key players from different teams to beef up their roster. They’ve surrounded the team with star players anchored on MPBL All-Star Jay Collado and fellow ex-Quezon City Capitals Hesed Gabo.

Mr. Collado has averaged close to 15 points and eight rebounds per game while his teammate, Mr. Gabo, tallied nearly 12 points and seven assists per outing.

Basilan also picked up ex-pros Jonathan Uyloan and Tonton Bringas, swingman Gab Dagangon, who was released by the Bataan Risers, Pasay Voyagers stalwarts Bobby Balucanag, Jett Vidal and Shaq Alanes and Navotas big man Michole Sorrela.

“I think we’ve started to put up a competitive team. These players one way or another have become my players, so adjustment in my system won’t be much of a problem. Still, the outcome would still depend on how we perform on the court and not on paper,” said Jerson Cabiltes, head coach of the Steel.

While Basilan was busy shopping around for players within or outside the MPBL, the Family’s Brand Sardines-backed Zamboanga squad opted to keep Robin Roño and Reed Juntilla, two of the team’s top guns in the season just passed.

One of the top three-point shooters in the recent MPBL Datu Cup, Mr. Roño has averaged 17.13 points per game and shot 34% from beyond the arc. His backcourt partner, Mr. Juntilla, a grizzled veteran who played for Barako Bull in the PBA, managed to average 16.75 points per game.

Also re-signed by the team is guard Joseph Nalos.

Zamboanga also recruited homegrown Gino Jumao-as, who previously played for the Navotas Clutch, and Leo de Vera, a frontliner from the Bacoor Strikers. — Rey Joble

Capt. Napoleon rules Punta Fuego-Busuanga Race

IN A REGATTA dominated by unpredictable wind conditions, Captain Napoleon, sailing two-handed, mastered the conditions to win the Cruising Class in the recent Punta Fuego to Busuanga Race.

Helmed by Napoleon Padarakis, the boat clocked an elapsed time of 32:16:13 to edge Makani Loa and Freewheler, which settled for second and third places, respectively.

The 135-nautical mile regatta, which ran from Nasugbu to northern Palawan, attracted its largest fleet so far with 17 sailing and two motor yachts from Punta Fuego, Manila, Puerto Galera and Subic Bay yacht clubs.

Sponsored by Club Punta Fuego, Busuanga Bay Lodge, and supported by Broadwater Marine, Marina Del Sol Resort & Yacht Club, Anya Resort, Acea Subic Bay, Dusit Thani Hotel, and Air Juan, the event is organized by the Philippine Inter-Island Sailing Federation (Phinsaf) which seeks to put the archipelago on the world’s sailing map and promote sports tourism.

Now on its third edition, the unique race allows boats to start at any time based on their navigators’ best estimate of the wind conditions. Early finishing times were made for the Cruising Class which has the option to transfer to the Cruising or Motoring class, whose times are multiplied by 1.5 to achieve an expanded total elapsed time and give the slower cruising boats a fair chance.

The early starters benefitted from a 6-knot northeasterly rising to 15 knots as they crossed the Calavite Passage and fading again as they entered the wind shadow of Mindoro Occidental. The passage is known for merciless winds and steep waves which many sailors dread.

Meanwhile, Sole Leopard 40 Cariño of Monchu Garcia triumphed in the Ocean Multihull Class with an elapsed time of 34:27:3, outracing runners-up Mi Rosa and Winbell.

Rounding up the winning circle is Selma Star of Subic Lighthouse Marina Resort led by Jun Avecilla which topped the elite International Rating Certificate (IRC) Class for the second year in a row with a time of 29:43:01, besting elite racers Bellatrix and Sabad, which won second and third places, respectively.

UAAP volleyball Final Four

The elimination round of the women’s volleyball tournament in Season 81 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines is technical not yet over as two teams are still to dispute the second seed in a one-game playoff today. But the semifinal protagonists are already known and, boy, the Final Four of women’s play should be a good one.

Composed of undeniably the best teams this season, this year’s Final Four will have the Ateneo Lady Eagles (12-2) as top seeds with defending champions De La Salle Lady Spikers (10-4) and University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses (10-4) either taking second spot depending on the outcome of their playoff. The Far Eastern University and Lady Tamaraws (9-5) are at fourth.

The Lady Eagles face off with the Lady Tamaraws in the semifinals with the former enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage while the Lady Spikers and Tigressess collide in the other pairing which has been rendered a de facto best-of-three affair because of their scheduled playoff today at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

A rematch of last year’s semifinal encounter, there is going to be no love lost between Ateneo and FEU in this one.

The tables have been turned this time around which bodes well for the Katipunan-based team but I am not counting out outright the ability of the Morayta-based players to make things happen.

Ateneo has been the most consistent team in Season 81 and responding well under the stewardship of coach Oliver Almadro.

It has a solid core of Kat Tolentino, Maddie Madayag, Bea de Leon, Jules Samonte, Deanna Wong and Ponggay Gaston which together has done wonders against opponents not La Salle.

The Lady Eagles have a more firm grip on who they are as a team than last year and while they are showing vulnerabilities here and there, by and large, they have been topnotch.

On the other end, FEU has had its ups and downs this season but when it is clicking it is about as dangerous as it can get even for a team like Ateneo.

The loss of rookie Lycha Ebon because of injury was a huge blow but the Lady Tamaraws have been managing on the lead of veterans Heather Guino-o, Jerrili Malabanan and Kyle Negrito.

They also have players like Cel Domingo, Nette Villarreal, Czarina Carandang, Ivan Agudo, Gel Cayuna and France Ronquillo who are capable of changing the complexion of games in their team’s favor.

Ateneo just needs to look at FEU’s last game against La Salle on Sunday, a five-sets win, to get a clear view of what an in-synch Lady Tamaraws can do.

La Salle-UST is equally engaging for the two teams are similar in composition of quality veterans and rookies.

The Lady Spikers have been solid for much of the season with veterans Des Cheng, Aduke Ogunsanya, May Luna, Michelle Cobb and Tin Tiamzon working with new players like Jolina Dela Cruz and Des Clemente.

Obviously this is not the La Salle team that won the title last year as up to this point it seemingly is still looking for the form it wants to be in. But it is nonetheless a good team to be overlooked.

UST, for its part, is the hottest team heading into the Final Four and the Lady Spikers should be wary of that.

Sisi Rondina and the Tigresses are on mission of making it a final year for the former to remember and bring back the title to España.

The Tigresses have the tools to do so as apart from Rondina they have super rookie Eya Laure in their fold with quality contributions coming from the likes of Caitlin Viray, KC Galdones, Mafe Galanza, Dimdim Pacres and Ysa Jimenez.

They have been on the same page since the start and it is hard to argue with the results.

Laure versus Dela Cruz in a super rookie collision is to be kept an eye on. It should be fun.

UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball has been an eventful one so far and should continue to bring exciting goods in the championship rounds. Looking forward to an enjoyable ride.

 

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

msmurillo@bworldonline.com

Sixers even series

Game One of the semifinal-round affair between the Raptors and the Sixers proved quite a shocker to not a few pundits. It wasn’t simply that the hosts finally stopped a disturbing streak of losses in series openers. It was how they did so, banking on seminal performances from prospective franchise cornerstone Kawhi Leonard and breakout performer Pascal Siakam to hold supposedly solid rivals in abeyance. Essentially, they got the shots they wanted at the times they desired; they just couldn’t be stopped.

Heading into yesterday’s set-to, Sixers head coach Brett Brown promised a more concerted effort on the defensive end. His charges, he said, were capable of much better basketball, and Game Two would show it. And, as things turned out, he was right. Leonard remained largely unstoppable throughout the contest, coming up with 35 markers on 24 shots. Outside of the three-time All-Star, however, the Raptors wound up misfiring; all the others hit a mere 20 of 67 attempts combined.

Significantly, the Sixers likewise displayed a transformed offense. In the regular season and the first round of the playoffs, the knock on them was that they went only so far as Embiid could take them. Yesterday, through, they underscored their vaunted depth. With their superstar slotman slowed by intestinal problems and, at the same time, forced by Siakam to exert extra effort on coverage, they needed to get their points elsewhere. And while they didn’t lack for candidates to pick up the slack, it surprised no one that in-season acquisition did, and in a manner consistent with his alpha-dog predilections.

If the 30, 11, and five Butler put up yesterday to help the Sixers steal homecourt advantage in the series is an audition for a max contract, it couldn’t have been appreciated more. He had hitherto been content to acknowledge the prevailing pecking order and provide support for Embiid, but, true to himself, he pounced on the first opportunity to strut his stuff. And how he assesses his importance to the cause moving forward may well determine the postseason fate of the red, white, and blue.

All other things being equal, the Raptors’ capacity to be greater than the sum of their parts should propel them to the East finals. On the flipside, the Sixers have demonstrated a remarkable willingness to keep competitive by making adjustments on the fly; the resolve was evident in a Game Two triumph. Who will ultimately prevail? For now, the answer looks to be one only a Game Seven can provide.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

How Mineski’s growth mirrors the growth of the local esports industry

Reporting
Mark Louis F. Ferrolino

Video
Paolo L. Lopez

Illustration
Fortunato V. Dañas

Editor
Sam L. Marcelo

Ronald Robins, founder and chief executive officer of the largest electronic sports (esports) organization in Southeast Asia, dreamed about a plane crash and an attendant who, in the middle of that horrifying scenario, kept calling him “Mineski.”

The day after the nightmare, Mr. Robins, a professional Dota player then, changed his in-game name to “rhomineski.” In the 15 years since he was baptized “Mineski” in a dream, Mr. Robins managed to turn the portentous term into a mainstream brand: one cannot talk about the thriving esports scene in the country without mentioning Mineski.

Mineski, in the world of esports, refers to several things under the umbrella of Mineski Corporation. It can be a professional gaming team under the Mineski Pro Team; a cybercafé franchise by Mineski Franchise Corp.; or the Mineski Events Team (MET), which organizes big esports events in Southeast Asia.

In an interview with BusinessWorld, Mr. Robins said that Mineski began as a gaming team he founded with like-minded friends. That was 2004, when it was nearly impossible to make a full-time career out of video gaming.

[vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88B1IpM_aM4″ align=”center”]

Esports back then was a relatively new concept and tournaments were limited to weekend LAN (local area network) parties. There were no regional and global championships, no support from organizations. “Esports before was basically a leap of faith,” Mr. Robins said. “There was that big uncertainty.”

Despite these risks, Mr. Robins’ team persevered. They reaped the rewards when larger tournaments started coming in and their team rose in popularity after bagging numerous championships. Mineski was considered one of the strongest Dota squads in the Philippines and represented the country in several regional competitions.

Just like other teams, Mineski faced the struggle of looking for computer shops with high-end gaming facilities. That is why, in 2008, Mr. Robins and his partners decided to open the first branch of Mineski Infinity in Taft, Manila.

Unlike other cybercafés with bulky cathode-ray tube monitors and slow-running computers, Mineski Infinity was the first to house computers with flat-panel LED monitors and quad-core processors. As the first-of-its-kind cybercafé, Mr. Robins’ team immediately received requests to open other branches in other locations.

Team Mineski, meanwhile, continued to dominate Dota competitions in the country, up to the point where none of the local teams could break Mineski’s stranglehold on the game. This, on the other hand, resulted in a way of thinking called “new blood mentality” in gaming circles. The term refers to the mentality of new teams who don’t want to compete with strong teams, lobbying instead for the banning of highly experienced teams in tournaments under the guise of a level playing field.

“At that point in time, I saw this as a big problem,” Mr. Robins said, adding that new teams can’t improve their gameplay if they don’t compete with the best.

This issue paved the way for Mineski’s third arm, MET, and its aim of creating a series of tournaments that would act as a gateway into the competitive sphere of gaming.

In 2009, despite a successful career in the pro gaming scene, Mr. Robins decided to step down from the limelight and focus on the business instead. It was a ballsy move for someone who was considered one of the country’s most influential players of his time.

“It was really a big decision for me. I realized that there was a bigger purpose for me rather than just play,” he said, adding that quitting as a player would allow him to concentrate on doing his part in making the gaming industry sustainable for future generations of gamers.

SHAPING THE ESPORTS ECOSYSTEM

Through the years, Mineski’s three main business units have evolved on their own paths, shaping the country’s esports ecosystem along the way.

At present, Mineski Pro Team not only refers to an iconic Dota team; it now features teams across multiple competitive titles, including League of Legends (LoL), Overwatch, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). The organization has a good history of managing its players, who now have the legal protections and benefits due an esports athlete.

Meanwhile, from a single branch of Mineski Infinity in Manila, the company now boasts a network of 150 cybercafé branches across the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Plans to expand to other countries in the next three years are already in the pipeline, Mr. Robins said.

While Mineski’s professional teams continue to make waves abroad and Mineski’s cybercafé business keeps on expanding its network, MET has remained committed to its mission of popularizing esports in the country and across the region.

The events team has established itself as the premier organizer of large-scale esports events in Southeast Asia. Among these events are the Pinoy Gaming Festival, Mineski Pro-Gaming League, CrossFire Stars Invitational, and The Manila Masters.

TOO BIG, TOO FAST

Mineski’s trajectory mirrors the growth of Philippine esports, which Mr. Robins believes to be an emerging industry with enormous potential. Mineski is still on track to legitimize professional video gaming as a “real” sport. The company has been working closely with the Games and Amusements Board (GAB), the government-run regulatory body of professional sports in the country, for this matter. In 2017, GAB allowed professional esports players to secure athletic licenses, making it easier for them to secure visas when competing internationally.

The biggest breakthrough, so far, is the inclusion of six esports titles in the 30th edition of the Southeast Asian Games, to be held in the country at the end of the year. Five of the six games have been named: Dota 2, Starcraft II, Tekken 7, Arena of Valor, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

Mr. Robins hopes that more firms and brands will invest in the industry, whether by partnering with esports event organizers or sponsoring players and teams. Aside from helping the industry grow further, such investments, according to Mr. Robins, bring value to the investing companies, especially to those who want to tap younger demographics.

Market research company GlobalWebIndex said in its 2018 ESports Trends Report that esports fans are more likely to be young, male and affluent – a demographic which marketers are finding increasingly difficult to reach. The firm noted that majority or 71% of esports audience is male, while around 73% aged from 16 to 34.

Over the past years, the eSports industry has grown at a tremendous pace. Market intelligence and analytics firm Newzoo said in its 2019 Global ESports Market Report that the global esports revenues will reach an impressive $1.1 billion this year, the first billion-dollar year for the industry with a revenue increase of 26.7% year-over-year.

Considering viewership, esports have attracted massive followings comparable to traditional sports. The League of Legends World Championship, for instance, attracted 99.6 million unique viewers in 2018 for the final series. This is a lot closer to 103.39 million viewers of the National Football League’s Super Bowl, the most-watched sporting event in America, in the same year.

Many of Mineski’s plans involve improving the sustainability of the industry and attracting more investments. “We know that this industry is too big for us. It’s growing too fast beyond the control of our company. That’s why we always entertain third-party partners,” Mr. Robins said.

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