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Bank of America commits to London despite Brexit

BANK OF AMERICA Corp. is the latest overseas bank to commit its long-term future to the United Kingdom even as the country prepares for Brexit.

The US lender has extended the lease on its London headquarters by 10 years to 2032, according to a spokesman. That’s well beyond the UK’s planned departure from the European Union.

The Bank of America Merrill Lynch Financial Centre at 2 King Edward Street in the City of London, which has about 585,000 square feet (54,300 square meters) of office space, is owned by Norway’s sovereign wealth fund. A spokeswoman for the wealth fund declined to comment.

WILD CARD
“The big wild card is how Brexit will fall out,” Bank of America Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan said in an interview with Bloomberg TV in December. “I think it is a negative, but I don’t think it is a strong negative.”

Another US company, Northern Trust Corp., is searching for a new London base after its current lease expires in 2022, two people with knowledge of the plan said. The asset manager has hired CBRE Group Inc. to draw up a list of options if it chooses to leave its current building in the Canary Wharf district, the people said, asking not to be identified because the plan is private.

“We have engaged CBRE in a planning effort to determine how best to maximize our space requirements,” spokeswoman Camilla Greene said in an e-mail. London will continue to be the company’s regional headquarters for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, she said.

The UK is due to leave the European Union in March 2019.

The government is negotiating a transition period to come into effect after this date to ensure that businesses don’t face a sudden change in regulations. — Bloomberg

Cinema Rehiyon comes to Manila next week

AS PART of the celebration of the National Arts Month this February, the 10th edition of the Cinema Rehiyon Film Festival and Forum of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) will be held on Feb. 25-28 in Metro Manila.

Dubbed as “Cinema Rehiyon X: One Country. One Cinema. One Future,” the festival aims to be the platform for critical conversations for shaping the future of Philippine Cinema and to highlight the value of cultivating regional cinema and its contributions to the development of national cinema.

For four days, the festival will bring together delegates and participants from all over the country for a series of film screenings, forums, workshops and activities. The festival is expected to be attended by around 200-300 participants from all over the country and is free of charge.

Day 2 (Feb. 26) of the festival will be held and co-hosted by the DLSU-Department of Communication at the Natividad Fajardo Auditorium of Br Andrew Gonzales Hall, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m..

The full festival program is available from Cinema Rehiyon’s Facebook page.

Panelists for the forum will include film makers from the region whose films will be screened during the festival, as well as DLSU Department of Communication Faculty and advocates of regional and independent cinema: Prof Clodualdo Del Mundo, Dr. Miguel Rapatan and Ed Cabagnot.

What to see this week

3 films to see on the week of February 23-March 2, 2018

Every Day


Based on David Levithan’s New York Times best-selling novel of the same title, Every Day centers on 16-year-old Rhiannon who falls in love with “A,” a mysterious soul who assumes different bodies every day. Directed by Michael Sucsy, it stars Angourie Rice, Maria Bello, Debby Ryan, Jacob Batalon, Justice Smith, and Owen Teague.

MTRCB Rating: PG

The 15:17 to Paris


The film is based on a true story about an incident on Aug. 21, 2015 where three Americans — Anthony Sadler, Oregon National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, and US Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone (who play themselves in the film) — prevented a man carrying an AK-47 pistol from wounding and killing passengers on a train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris. Directed by Clint Eastwood, it also stars Judy Greer, Jenna Fischer, and Thomas Lennon. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a measly 24% rating. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman writes, “The film keeps telling us that what took place aboard that train was the fulfillment of something, but neither the event nor the three people re-enacting it seem entirely real. They seem like pieces of reality trapped in a movie.”

MTRCB Rating: PG

The Significant Other


EDWARD, a cosmetic surgeon, and Maxene, a fashion model, are happily married. However, their relationship is challenged when Edward commits adulterous acts with his patient Nicole. Directed by Joel Lamangan, it stars Erich Gonzales, Lovi Poe, and Tom Rodriguez.

MTRCB Rating: R-13

LRMC taps Voith to repair trains

LIGHT RAIL Manila Corp. (LRMC) has signed a P450-million agreement with Voith Digital Solutions Austria GmBH and Co KG for the rehabilitation and upgrade of Light Rail Transit-1 (LRT-1) generation-2 trains.

In a statement, the operator and maintenance provider of the LRT-1 system said   the Austrian company will re-engineer the 24 light rail vehicles (LRVs) of six train sets in the next two years.

“The rehabilitation of the 24 LRVs will expand capacity which should result in faster travel time because of reduced train headway and queueing time,” LRMC President Juan F. Alfonso said in a statement.

The project will be the first overhaul of the Generation 2 fleet’s propulsion system since the government bought the generation-2 trains from Hyundai and Adtranz Sweden in 1999, said LRMC.

The current fleet of LRT-1 includes 51 generation-1 LRVs bought in 1984, eight generation-2 LRVs bought in 1999, and 44 generation-3 LRVs bought in 2007. The Department of Transportation (DoTr) last month signed the procurement of 120 new LRVs for delivery in 2020.

LRMC has already completed the P1-billion rehabilitation of Generation 1 LRVs, which expanded the fleet, from 77 to 109 LRVs, and the number of daily trips from 498 to 554.

LRMC is the consortium of Ayala Corp., Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp., of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte. Ltd.

Metro Pacific Investment Corp. is one of three Philippine subsidiaries of Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being PLDT, Inc. and Philex Mining Corp. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., maintains an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo

How PSEi member stocks performed — February 22, 2018

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Thursday, February 22, 2018.

Corruption Perceptions Index 2017

THE PHILIPPINES dropped 10 spots globally and languished in the lower third of the Asia-Pacific list in an annual report of businessmen’s corruption perception that tagged the country “among the worst” in terms of dealing with those who “dare to challenge the status quo.” Read the full story.
Corruption Perceptions Index

Sustainable business: transcending CSR theaters

Recent developments across the globe have tested companies in a number of ways. Corporate citizenship, philanthropy and social innovation have been swiftly thrust into the limelight and are no longer regarded as mere buzzwords. And I say rightfully so. Today, there is an increasing pressure and expectations are high for corporations to have greater involvement in addressing a growing list of issues covering the three pillars of sustainability — social, environmental and economic. This article discusses why there is only one way for a business to be sustainable. Companies need to reinvent, integrate and sustain its corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies in a way that will respond to customer and global problems while maintaining the bottom line.

A 2015 study published by the Harvard Business Review suggests that companies with relatively advanced CSR practices operate a multifaceted version of CSR that runs through the gamut of the three theaters of practice. Broad as it may be, the study likewise found that CSR programs are often laden with coordination issues across theaters. This hinders the achievement of maximum positive impact and further highlights the need to operate coordinated and interdependent programs across the CSR portfolio.

THREE THEATERS OF CSR
Theater One focuses purely on philanthropy. CSR programs classified under this theater by nature of its philanthropic objective are not designed to produce profits or directly improve business performance. Examples include donations and engagements in socio-civic organizations and initiatives.

On the other hand, Theater Two aligns closely with improvements in operational effectiveness while functioning within existing business models. Examples include sustainability initiatives that address resource utility and degradation which may result into cost reduction and enhanced productivity.

Finally, Theater Three has an effect of transforming the companies’ business model as it address social or environmental challenges. Achieving positive social or environmental results thru CSR programs under this theater will drive improved business performance.

TRANSCENDING CSR THEATERS
With ever-growing social and environmental concerns, clearly, it is no longer enough for companies to disassociate their CSR activities with its business purpose and values. The boundaries between theaters have now become porous in order to create shared value for the firm, society and the planet.

To illustrate, the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) ensures that it carries out relevant and meaningful social responsibility programs that works within its business model, cutting across development imperatives in the environment and social spheres. Its flagship programs are the DBP Forest Program and the DBP Endowment for Education Program (DEEP) now rechristened the DBP Resources for Inclusive and Sustainable Education (RISE) initiative.

Launched in 2005, the DBP Forest Program (DFP) is a non-credit program that aims to curb incidence of denudation and restore the country’s forest cover. Presently, it had 44 projects covering more than 7,054 hectares of forest area with more that 5,600 hectares already planted. Under the program, DBP partners with local government units, state universities and colleges, people’s organizations and other government agencies qualified as forest partners to ensure coordinated efforts for this reforestation initiative.

Aside from helping to address pressing environmental problems, the DFP also provides livelihood opportunities for forest partners and their families through the harvest, sale or processing of fruits and other tree products. Nearly 7,000 individuals — including Palawenos, Tbolis, Igorots, Manobos, Mangyans, and Aetas — have already benefited from this program. The bank has committed funding assistance to the program amounting to P182 million, with over 51% or more that P104 million being released to forest partners during the past 12 years.

On the other hand, the DEEP has supported over 3,500 scholars from indigent families coming from different parts of the country since its launching in 2008. This scholarship program is funded by a P1 billion seed money, which is intended to support government initiatives to scale up investment in the country’s human capital.

Through the years, the DEEP has already produced a pool of qualified and highly-skilled professionals who are already serving the needs of the local and global job markets. To further bolster efforts to improve access to education, the bank is set to launch the DBP RISE later this year. An offshoot of the DEEP, this new program will provide financial assistance to the best and brightest high school graduates of indigent Filipino families.

With an allocation of P500 million, the DBP RISE scholarship program is aimed at complementing the National Government’s thrust towards infrastructure build-up by supporting the education of qualified scholars enrolled in engineering and science courses as well as in programs which are in demand in the job market.

The model of scattered philanthropy is useful to address specific emergencies but the better approach seems to be one integrated with what the institution ultimately stands for. This way leads to transformation that makes a more lasting impact.

Benel D. Lagua is Executive Vice President at the Development Bank of the Philippines.   He is an active FINEX member and a long time advocate of risk-based lending for SMEs. The views expressed herein are his own and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of his office as well as FINEX.

Your Weekend Guide (February 23, 2018)

Philippine Madrigal Singers in concert

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) presents a concert by the Philippine Madrigal Singers called 5-in 1: Mas Pinalasa, Mas Pinasarap ang Timpla! on Feb. 24, 8 p.m., and Feb. 25, 5 p.m., at the CCP Main Theater. For tickets and schedules, visit TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

A Scene from PETA’s ’Nite, Mother.

PETA’s season ender ’Night, Mother

PETA closes its 50th theater season with Marsha Norman’s Pulitzer-prize winning drama, ’Night, Mother, featuring Eugene Domingo and Sherry Lara. On an otherwise normal evening, Jessie announces to her mother that she plans to kill herself before the night ends. The show runs until March 18 at the PETA Theater Center, No. 5 Eymard Drive, New Manila, Quezon City. For tickets and schedules, visit TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

Himala: Isang Musikal returns onstage

AICELLE SANTOS stars as Elsa, a young woman who is looked upon as a desperate town’s savior, in Himala: Isang Musikal. The show runs until March 4 at the PowerMac Center Spotlight, Circuit Lane, Circuit Makati, Makati City. The musical is based on the 1982 Ishmael Bernal film starring Nora Aunor. For tickets and schedules, visit TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

Nang Dalawin ng Pag-ibig si Juan Tamad

BASED on a short story in Nick Joaquin’s book Pop Stories for Groovy Kids (1979), Tanghalang Pilipino presents a stage adaptation of Nang Dalawin ng Pag-ibig si Juan Tamad until March 11 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Little Theater. The play was adapted by Rody Vera and directed by Jonathan Tadioan. For tickets and schedules, visit TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

Araneta Center holds art exhibit for a cause

Fourteen employees from the Araneta Center show off their artistic talents in Beginnings: Art for Hope, a charity exhibit that will benefit the key programs of the J. Amado Araneta Foundation. Beginnings is an open theme exhibit that gathers the diverse artworks created by the employees who belong to different departments of the company such as Archives, Business Development, Marketing, Clinic, Property Administration, Architectural & Engineering. Over 40 artworks are on display that use a variety of media including oil, acrylic, yarn, ballpoint, pencil and charcoal. Beginnings is on view at the Gateway Gallery in Araneta Center, Quezon City until Feb. 28.

Museum Foundation’s lecture on cone snails

The Museum Foundation will host a lecture on cone shells.

The first of the Museum Foundation of the Philippines’ Sabado sa Museo Lecture Series will be held on Feb. 24, 2 p.m.-4 p.m. at the National Museum Auditorium, National Museum of Fine Arts, P. Burgos St., Manila. The lecture is “Cone Snails: From Natural History Treasures to A Pharmacological Cornucopia for Novel Non-Opioid Drugs for Pain” by Dr. Baldomero “Toto” M. Olivera. The shells of cone snails were among the most highly prized Natural History objects in the 17th to 19th centuries, and today, their venoms are a source of drug leads for pain providing new alternatives to opioids. Dr. Olivera will describe how from his start collecting cone shells as a child, he has become a scientist developing the rich biodiversity of cone shells as an exciting source of potential new drugs. He has published over 300 research papers and described over 30 new species of venomous marine snails from the Philippines. Admission to the lecture is free but participants must pre-register. For details, call 404-2685, text 0915-4688-912, or e-mail inquiry@museumfoundationph.org.

YouTube sensation Alex Aiono at the mall

Alex Aiono

Angeles-based musician and YouTube sensation Alex Aiono will be performing at Megaworld Lifestyle Malls this weekend. He will be at the Uptown Mall on Feb. 23, 7 p.m., Eastwood City on Feb. 24, 6 p.m., and Venice Grand Canal on Feb. 25, 5 p.m. He gained a following after posting his video of a successful mashup attempt of Drake’s “One Dance” and Nicky Jam’s “Hasta el Amanecer” on YouTube. His other tracks include “Thinking About You,” “Work The Middle,” “Does It Feel Like Falling feat. Trinidad Cardona,” among others. For details, contact the Megaworld Lifestyle Malls Concierge at 709-9888, 709-0888 or 0917-8380111 or visit www.megaworldlifestylemalls.com.

Boomers send Gilas crashing in Melbourne

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

AUSTRALIA kept its unblemished record in group play of the FIBA Asian World Cup Qualifiers yesterday, defeating Gilas Pilipinas, 84-68, in their battle of unbeaten teams at the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne.

Greatly challenged in the opening half, the Boomers proved themselves steady in the second fold of the match and out-sprinted Gilas to notch the victory, their third in as many games in Group B of the qualifiers, while sending the Philippines (2-1) to its first defeat in the tournament.

Australia got the scoring going early, outscoring the Philippines, 5-0, in the first two minutes of the opening quarter.

Gilas though would retaliate with five straight points after with Matthew Wright and Gabe Norwood conspiring.

The two teams went back and forth the rest of the way, making runs and counter-runs, finishing the frame leveled at 19-all.

In the second period it was Gilas’ turn to jump-start things, with June Mar Fajardo getting it going.

The Philippines held a five-point cushion, 30-25, at the 5:03 mark of the period.

But Australia did not stay down for long as it began to make its move back.

It retook the lead, 31-30, with 3:26 remaining on a basket by forward Mitchell Creek before outgunning the Philippines for the remainder of the half, 6-2, to build a 37-32 advantage by the halftime break.

Action picked up to start the third canto as both teams had their guns firing.

They fought to a 42-39 count with Australia on top with 7:48 on the clock.

Gilas’ offense, however, tapered off which the home team capitalized on as it built a 10-point gap, 54-44, at the 3:11 mark of the quarter.

Mr. Fajardo scored back-to-back baskets to pull the Philippines to within six points, 54-48.

It was the closest Gilas would come at that point as the Boomers pushed the gas as the frame wound up to extend their lead to 14 points, 63-49, heading into the final 10 minutes of the contest.

Sensing that the momentum was now on their side, the Boomers went for the kill to begin the fourth, going on a 7-0 run to establish their biggest lead of 21 points, 70-49, with over eight minutes remaining.

Gilas continued to fight amid the onslaught of Australia, coming within 14 points twice, 77-63 and 79-65.

The Boomers though would stay steady thereafter and went on to roll to the victory.

Cameron Gliddon led Australia with 16 points followed by Mr. Creek and naturalized player Kevin Lisch with 12 points apiece.

Mr. Fajardo, meanwhile, paced Gilas with 15 points with Mr. Wright adding nine.

Andray Blatche had a strong first half but fizzled out in the second to finish with eight points and seven rebounds.

Despite the loss, the Philippine still remains in second place in the standings in Group B behind Australia.

Japan and Chinese Taipei, which were to battle also yesterday, remained winless in the group.

In the Asian Qualifiers, 16 teams have been divided into four groups to determine the top seven teams joining World Cup host China as representatives of Asia/Oceania at the 32-field Basketball World Cup happening in August 2019.

Gilas Pilipinas next plays on Sunday against Japan at the Mall of Asia Arena at 7 p.m.

Alaska Aces aim to enter quarterfinals on high note

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

WHILE the consecutive losses they absorbed in their last two games in the PBA Philippine Cup dealt a huge blow to their chances of securing a top two finish at the end of the elimination round, and notch the twice-to-beat incentive that goes with it in the next phase, still the Alaska Aces are not being down on themselves and are instead determined to finish on a high note.

To take on the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the 7 p.m. main game today of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, the Aces (6-4) play their final game in the classification round with the hope of coming out on top and fortifying their place in the quarterfinals.

Currently tied at fourth place, Alaska is outside looking in for the top two but is already assured of a top six finish which would allow it to play in a best-of-three series in the next round.

As per tournament format, only the top eight teams at the end of the elimination round move on to the next phase with the top two enjoying a twice-to-beat edge over the two lowest teams while the middle teams battle in a best-of-three series — #3 vs. #6 and #4 vs. #5.

The Aces come in to their game against third-running Rain or Shine (5-3) off a loss to the league-leading San Miguel Beermen, 109-96, in an out-of-town game in Batangas City last Saturday.

It was their second in as many games after dropping their previous match against the NLEX Road Warriors.

Alaska gave everything they got against the Beermen but just could not complete the win as the latter showed the composure and step-up abilities, anchored by their starters, to withstand the Aces’ challenge.

JVee Casio paced Alaska with 20 points as Sonny Thoss added 15 and Vic Manuel and Kevin Racal had 13 points apiece.

The loss set the Aces back in their push for the top where they were at earlier in the tournament after racking up six consecutive victories midway into.

Despite the slippage, the Aces are not losing focus on their end goal and looking to regroup heading into the higher rounds and go as deep as possible in the conference.

“Our goal is to win the championship at the end of every conference and not to be number one at the end of the elimination round. It remains that way. We want to keep bettering ourselves and learn each time moving forward,” said Alaska coach Alex Compton after their game against San Miguel.

He went on to say that they will try to claim the win over Rain or Shine, which is on a three-game winning streak and off a near two-week break, to have something to build on come the quarterfinals wherever they made end up.

“They (E-Painters) have been playing well. They beat Magnolia in their last game. They are well-rested and will be ready. So we really have to prepare for them,” the Alaska coach said.

Meanwhile, in the first game at 4:30 p.m., San Miguel (7-2) goes for a spot in the top two when they take on also-rans Kia Picanto (1-9).

Nietes pits skills on HBO’s Superfly 2 card

THE Philippines’ longest-reigning boxing world champion Donnie “Ahas” Nietes returns to the ring after a nearly a one-year break, pitting his skills on HBO Boxing After Dark’s Superfly 2 card this weekend.

Mr. Nietes, 35, will defend his International Boxing Federation flyweight title, which he won last time around, against Argentine challenger Juan Carlos Reveco in the Superfly 2 card at The Forum in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday, Feb. 25 (Manila time).

While the fight is not his first time to show his wares in mainland United States, having headlined some fights for ALA Boxing, it is, however, his debut with HBO, and is expected to introduce him to a wider audience that could well take an already successful professional career to another plane.

Considering what is at stake, Mr. Nietes (40-1-4) and his team said they are viewing the fight with much significance and coming in prepared against Mr. Reveco (39-3-0) to create the biggest splash in the event as possible.

In his last fight in April, Mr. Nietes hacked out a unanimous decision victory over Thai Komgrich Nantapech that allowed him joined the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire, Jr. as multi-division Filipino world champions.

This is apart from having the distinction as the longest-reigning Filipino champion, a top dog as a light flyweight for more than a decade, beating the record of seven years previously held by legendary fighter Gabriel “Flash” Elorde.

BIGGEST MOMENT
For local fight analyst Nissi Icasiano, Mr. Nietes’ upcoming foray in the United States is undoubtedly a major one notwithstanding his outstanding track record in the boxing ring.

“If you’re going to look at his curriculum vitae in this sport, it is hard to deny Donnie Nietes’ place in boxing history. Although he is the longest-reigning Filipino boxing world champion for 10 years and 8 months and counting, he has yet to prove himself or raise his stock on the other side of the planet. Let’s take note that this is only his third fight on United States soil, but I will say that this is the biggest at the moment,” said Mr. Icasiano when asked by BusinessWorld for his thoughts on the Nietes fight.

“Nietes has long craved for that career-defining bout that will showcase him in front of the captious American boxing audience, and this fight against Juan Carlos Reveco will be a step in the right direction,” he added.

Mr. Icasiano said that Murcia, Negros Occidental native Nietes is very deserving of a spot in the Superfly series.

“Nietes will be on a card that is stacked with outstanding talents such as Srisaket Sur Rungvisai, Juan Francisco Estrada and Carlos Cuadras. Aside from that, the event will be broadcast by HBO. Nietes is about to get his own share of the spotlight in the United States,” he said.

Adding, “He has been competing in lower weight classes which has not been given prime-time attention by most television networks in the United States. However, there was a sudden surge of interest in the lower weight divisions after the success of ‘Super Fly’ in September 2017. The 35-year-old pugilist from Bacolod City, Negros Occidental is really in a great position being part of the HBO’s “Super Fly 2” card.”

As for Mr. Nietes’ opponent, Mr. Reveco, the analyst believes he is good challenge to the Filipino champ but may eventually fall to the latter.

“Reveco is a boxer with good hand speed and lateral movement. He is essentially a boxer, one who works behind a left jab-overhand right combination. Although he also has a championship experience as he held the WBA title before, Reveco has never shared a ring with a pugilist of Nietes’ caliber,” he said.

“Reveco is susceptible to the counter right as he tends to get lazy with the left jab as he moves in. With that being said, it is expected for Nietes to notice what I’ve mentioned and exploit it,” Mr. Icasiano added.

Also seeing action on Superfly 2 is Filipino-American Brian “The Hawaiian Punch” Viloria, who will be fighting for the vacant World Boxing Association flyweight world championship against Ukraine’s Artem Dalakian. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Cheerleading competition will air live on ESPN5

THE National Cheerleading Competition (NCC) has found a string partner in ESPN5, making the event available for international audience.

ESPN5, the collaboration between TV5 and ESPN, will present the exclusive live coverage of the event on Feb. 27 and March 1-2 at the Mall of Asia Arena, but making the biggest cheer and dance competition more significant is the fact that it will be covered live.

This year’s event is also tipped as the biggest as it will be held in three phases.

The Cheer Camps non-competition events, the Regional Qualifiers in Bicol, Visayas, Mindanao and the National Capital Region and the Nationals final round.

The NCC serves as a platform for all schools competing in the cheer and dance competition where competing colleges and universities from the UAAP and the NCAA as well as other institutions from the metropolis and nearby provinces will get a chance to showcase their wares.

Last year, 150 schools consisting of over 3,500 athletes competed in the NCC’s Dance, Cheer, and Drumline competitions. This year promises to have a similar or even bigger number of participants in what promises to be a more exciting competition up ahead.

As part of its coverage, ESPN5 will have a live coverage of the National Dance and National Drumline Championships on Feb. 27 as well as the All-Girl Cheerleading Championships scheduled for March 1 and the Co-Ed Cheerleading Championships on March 2.

All three events will be live streamed on ESPN5.com while the March 1 and 2 events will start airing on Aksyon TV while there will also be a two-hour highlights episode on TV5 on March 3 from 2 to 4PM.

Vincent “Chot” Reyes, President and CEO of TV5 noted that the extensive coverage of the National Cheerleading Competition is part of ESPN5’s efforts to give sports fans the broadest array of Philippine sports content.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the National Cheerleading Championships to bring the sport of cheerleading to larger audience in the Philippines. Aligned with our thrust of super-serving the Filipino sports fan is the goal of providing all sports with a platform to help them reach and grow their audience. What better way to showcase the best our country has to offer than by showing local talent on ESPN5,” Mr. Reyes said.

Carlos Valdes III, president of the National Cheerleading Competition expresses a similar sentiment and said, “We’re excited about this partnership with ESPN5, particularly now that cheerleading is recognized by the Olympics as a sport. Since we started in 2006, the Philippine cheer community has grown by leaps and bounds and is now considered one of the top teams in the world, and with this partnership, we continue to aim to develop our community and continue to compete with best in the world — and maybe even an eventual Olympic medal.”

“I’d like to thank the ESPN5 management for recognizing and supporting cheerleading. The broad coverage plan and media platforms of the ESPN5 network will provide our growing community with an unprecedented opportunity to enjoy the sport as it was meant to be. We hope to continue this partnership in the coming years,” Mr. Valdes enthused. — Rey Joble