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‘Overhauled’ security system ready for Boracay reopening

AS RESORT island Boracay reopens on Oct. 26 after a six-month closure for rehabilitation and tourism policy reshaping, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it is also ready to provide improved security measures.
“Along with the rebirth of Boracay, we are proud to showcase as well a completely overhauled security system and peace and order program that will address the perennial issues and concerns that we have experienced during the previous local tourism operations prior to the six-month rehabilitation work since April,” PNP chief Director General Oscar D. Albayalde said in a statement on Thursday, Oct. 25.
Police forces, along with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard, conducted a Capability Demonstration Exercise on the island on Thursday, showing response operations in various emergency situations.
Mr. Albayalde said the police units on the island were reorganized and more than 400 police personnel will be deployed during the reopening.
“To deal with the anticipated heavy influx of tourist arrivals upon the formal reopening of Boracay Island, we are restructuring the organization of PNP units that will be deployed in the island as well as in mainland Malay, Aklan with the objective of creating seamless but contiguously defined areas of jurisdiction under the Malay Municipal Tourist Police Station manned by 413 police personnel,” he said.
The new police unit’s headquarters will have five sub-stations located in Barangays Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak, and in Caticlan and Poblacion.
Mr. Albayalde said they will help ensure that the prescribed maximum daily tourist capacity of 6,405 people a day will be implemented.
An inter-agency committee will be stationed at the entry point, the Cagban Port area.
The PNP chief said alternate ports will be opened in case of bad weather or sea conditions.
Mr. Albayalde also said that police presence will remain high to prevent crimes such as the proliferation of illegal drugs.
During the opening, the police will also launch the Kaligtasan at Kalikasan (KALIGKASAN) Volunteer Program with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
“KALIGKASAN is the PNP’s community-based response to environmental issues that serve the PNP’s contribution in promoting environment (protection) in all tourist destinations of the country, with Metro Boracay as the pilot project area,” he said.
OTHER ISLANDS
Meanwhile, President Rodrigo R. Duterte has ordered the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to inspect other tourism destinations in the country.
DILG Officer-in-Charge Eduardo M. Año has instructed all regional offices of the department to submit a list and summary of provincial, city, or municipal ordinances relating to environmental conservation, building construction, and easement regulations.
“The DILG will evaluate the status of sewage treatment facilities, power and water supply service capacity, and Zoning Ordinance and Comprehensive Land Use Plan of local government units (LGUs) that have beach tourism destinations,” said Mr. Año in a statement on Thursday.
The regional reports will be submitted to the DILG Beach Tourism Monitoring Team for evaluation.
“We should all learn from the Boracay experience. Let’s not wait until your beaches turn into another cesspool,” said Mr. Año.
“Complacency is tantamount to dereliction of duty. Local chief executives are accountable of regulating tourism businesses and enforcing critical environmental laws, rules and regulations, and local ordinances,” he added. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Race for Cebu governor: Magpale files disqualification case vs Garcia


CEBU VICE-GOVERNOR Agnes A. Magpale, who is running for governor in the 2019 elections, has filed a disqualification case against her opponent, 3rd District Representative Gwendolyn F. Garcia. Ms. Magpale said the petition was filed at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) central office in Manila and that she is confident it will hold water. She did not disclose the grounds of the disqualification. Another petition was filed earlier by lawyer Edgar Gica, citing that Ms. Garcia lied in her Certificate of Candidacy when she said she has not been the subject of a court ruling that finds her guilty and bars her from holding public office. The case stems from the backfilling of the controversial Balili property in Naga City when Ms. Garcia was governor. Ms. Garcia, on the other hand, asserted that the Ombudsman ruling against her is not yet final and executory as her appeal is still pending before the Court of Appeals. — The Freeman
>> See the full story on https://goo.gl/tHdZAq

Zamboanga fisheries sector makes wish list to boost production

THE FISHERIES sector in Zamboanga City has drawn up a proposal designed to increase production and harvest in fishponds, seaweed farms, and common fishing grounds, as well as improve the income of those engaged in fish and dried fish trading. Carmencita C. Sanchez, officer-in-charge of the City Agriculturist Office (CAO), said the proposal was the sector representatives’ output during the food security stakeholder’s consultation conducted by the CAO last week. “They wanted post harvest facilities like solar dyers, warehouse and drying facilities to include truck payloader with bailing machine, and a sea weed nursery,” Ms. Sanchez said in a statement released by the city government. Zamboanga City currently has at least 130 fish-drying plants, which employs about 1,950 direct workers. “All these proposal, requests and recommendations during the food summit will be submitted to the city government for final approval and for funding,” she said. — Albert F. Arcilla

DoE optimistic on investor interest in PCECP

THE DEPARTMENT of Energy (DoE) recently concluded its road show on the Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program for Petroleum (PCECP) in Zamboanga City, and is now preparing for the launch in Manila, optimistic of having stimulated investor interest in the program. “The DoE is pursuing initiatives to ensure the affordable, reliable and sustainable energy (through PCECP)… we will launch PCECP on 22 November,” said Ismael U. Ocampo, assistant director of the DoE’s Energy Resource Development Bureau. Margene Gregandy P. Servito, science research specialist of the DoE’s Petroleum Resources Development Division, cited the advantages in exploring the country’s natural resources: under-explored hydrocarbon potential, only 10% of which had been explored, very attractive fiscal terms, expanding internal energy market and technology-neutral policy. “We need to intensify the effort to explore our indigenous oil,” Mr. Serviette said. — Albert F. Arcilla

Nation at a Glance — (10/26/18)

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

PSE index sinks below 7,000 on global sell-off

By Arra B. Francia, Reporter
LOCAL STOCKS tumbled on Thursday, sending the main index back below the 7,000 level alongside the global equity sell-off that saw Wall Street indices wipe out their gains for the year.
The 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) spiraled down 2.28% or 162.58 points to close at 6,966.84. The main index hit an intraday low of 6,941.10 before paring down losses by the end of the day’s session.
The broader all-shares index likewise plunged 1.85% or 81.07 points to 4,281.24.
“This onslaught is mainly brought by the US market sell-off. Dow, S&P and Nasdaq have recently entered correction territory followed by Asian markets also. This is brought by weaker sales of houses and mixed earnings result, with Philippine equities affected by this negative sentiment,” Philstocks Financial, Inc. Research Associate Piper Chaucer E. Tan said via text.
Wall Street indices tanked overnight, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 2.41% or 608.01 points to 24,583.42. The S&P 500 index shed 3.09% or 84.59 points to 2,656.10, while the Nasdaq Composite index declined 4.43% or 329.14 points to 7,108.40.
“With global growth slowing, trade tensions escalating, and a string of weaker-than-expected Q3 earnings reports from US industrials, it was just a matter of time before equity markets worldwide finally dipped,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Managing Director Luis A. Limlingan said in a mobile message.
Asian markets were not spared from the bloodbath, with MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares ex-Japan retreating by almost 2% on Thursday.
Back home, all sectoral indices moved to negative territory, led by property which gave up 2.64% or 92.92 points to 3,423.68. Financials followed with a 2.52% or 40.44-point decline to 1,562.08.
Industrials slumped 2.37% or 253.49 points to 10,432.05; holding firms slipped 1.93% or 134.70 points to 6,811.83; services went down 1.49% or 22.06 points to 1,457.97; while mining and oil fell 0.41% or 39.02 points to 9,426.18.
Decliners were about four times as many as advancers, 146 to 38, while 34 names remained unchanged.
Some 870.53 million issues switched hands valued at P5.50 billion, climbing from the previous session’s P4.64-billion turnover.
Net foreign outflows ballooned to P1.12 billion on Thursday, rising from the previous session’s P700.05-million net sales.
The list of 20 most actively traded stocks showed 16 losers, led by Universal Robina Corp. which released its earnings results on Thursday. The Gokongwei-led firm said attributable profit declined by 19% to P6.8 billion in the nine months ending September, blaming lower operating income and the weaker peso for the results.

TNT and NLEX shooting for key victories today

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
WITH their playoff lives in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup still not safe, both the TNT KaTropa and NLEX Road Warriors are looking to book key wins today in league action at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Both sporting identical 4-5 records as the elimination round approaches the end line, the Ka-Tropa and Road Warriors are in joint seventh place and still at risk of missing out on the playoff bus if they do not come up with victories in their remaining games.
TNT faces off with league-leading Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok (7-2) at 7 p.m. while NLEX takes on another top team Alaska Aces (7-2) in the 4:30 p.m. opener.
The KaTropa are coming off of a loss in their last game against the San Miguel Beermen, 107-96, on Oct. 20.
In said game, TNT had the Beermen under control for much of the contest until the latter made a late charge to pull the rug from under the KaTropa to book the win.
The loss effectively halted TNT’s three-game winning streak that had it willing itself back in the mix.
Import Marqus Blakely had a near triple-double of 26 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists in the match against San Miguel with Roger Pogoy and Terrence Romeo adding 21 and 18 points, respectively.
Their efforts though were negated as the team could not finish things against the Beermen.
TNT now hopes to get back on the winning track and pad its playoff push against the Hotshots, who are also out to bounce back after losing in their previous game, 94-88, against the Meralco Bolts a week ago.
Magnolia with a win today would boost its chances of advancing to the next round with a twice-to-beat advantage.
The match against TNT also marks the first time Magnolia is facing former import Blakely.
NLEX
NLEX, meanwhile, looks to claw its way out of a deeper hole, having lost its last three games that has significantly slowed it down in the tournament.
The latest of the defeats of the Road Warriors was at the hands of Meralco, 108-105, on Oct. 14, in a game that saw them dropping the ball and allowing the Bolts to come back in the dying seconds and win.
Import Aaron Fuller finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds for NLEX with Larry Fonacier and JR Quiñahan adding 21 and 17 points, respectively.
Looking to add to the misery of NLEX while considerably helping its cause is Alaska.
Like Magnolia, a win today almost assures the Aces a top-four finish in the elimination round and earns for them the twice-to-beat edge in the quarterfinals.
Alaska has won its last two games, the most recent over the Blackwater Elite, 116-109, on Oct. 21, Sunday.

League-leaders San Beda, Lyceum begin Final 4 bid

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
NATIONAL Collegiate Athletic Association Season 94 league-leaders San Beda Red Lions and Lyceum Pirates begin their Final Four campaign today with intent of making full use of their twice-to-beat advantage over their respective foes to advance outright to the Big Dance.
Set at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City, the top-seeds and defending champions Lions take on season hosts Perpetual Help Altas at 4 p.m. in one playoff bracket while the second-running Pirates collide with the third-seeded Letran Knights at 1:30 p.m. in the other pairing.
The Lions and Pirates carry twice-to-beat advantages over their opponents after finishing 1 and 2 in the elimination round.
As of this writing it remains to be seen if the Altas will maintain hold of the fourth spot as they are the subject of a league inquiry over eligibility of some their players.
The league policy board met anew over the issue last Tuesday, the final play date of the elimination round, but has yet to come out with a decision.
If found to have committed a violation, Perpetual Help forfeits all of its games, handing in the process the playoff spot to the College of St. Benilde Blazers, the fifth place team with a 10-8 record, just a win below the Altas (11-7).
However, if Perpetual Help keeps the spot, it pushes through with the semifinal against San Beda, a team that swept it the elimination round.
The Lions will rely anew on their balanced attack and depth on both ends of the court when they go on and try to book another finals seat in the country’s longest-standing collegiate league.
San Beda is top five in league offense with 76.9 points per game in Season 94 while tops in defense, allowing just 62.2 points to its opponents.
It is being led by the “Big Three” of Robert Bolick (16.4 ppg and 5.5 apg), Donald Tankoua (13.1 ppg and 9.3 rpg) and Javee Mocon (12.7 ppg and (9.3 rpg) while also getting valuable contributions from James Kwekuteye, AC Soberano, and Calvin Oftana, among other bench players.
The Lions won in each of their two encounters with the Altas in the elimination round, taking the first round, 67-65, and the second, 80-72.
Perpetual Help, meanwhile, is in the top five in offense and defense, averaging 77.4 points per game and allowing 75 points to its opponent.
It has four players averaging in double digits in scoring, namely Prinze Eze (18.2 ppg, 16.5 rpg and 3.3 bpg), Edgar Charcos (14.2 ppg), Jelo Razon (11.6 ppg) and Kim Aurin (11.3 ppg).
“We have to be ready come the semifinals regardless of who we face,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez as he highlighted the kind of mindset they should have in the playoffs.
PIRATES VS KNIGHTS
In the other semifinal pairing are the Pirates and Knights, two teams that split their meetings in the classification phase.
Lyceum took the first encounter, 87-82, and lost in the second, 80-79.
The Pirates are the most explosive team in the season, averaging 86.6 points, while steady in defense, allowing 74.7 points.
Reigning league most valuable player CJ Perez paces the Pirates with numbers of 18.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, four assists and 3.3 steals per game, followed by big man Mike Nzeusseu with 13.7 ppg, 9.6 rpg and 1.9 bpg, Jaycee Marcelino (13.3 ppg), and MJ Ayaay (9.1 ppg).
On the part of Letran, veteran Bong Quinto leads with all-around numbers of 15.1 points. 8.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.
JP Calvo has been good for 14.1 ppg and 5.1 apg and big man Larry Muyang averaging 12.1 ppg and 8.8 rpg.
As a team, the Knights are both second in offense (80.8 points) and defense (73.8 points).
While facing a twice-to-win disadvantage, Letran coach Jeff Napa said they are ready come what may.
“From our end we will just be ready for whoever we face in the Final Four and where we end up. That’s the Letran way. Ready to go to battle,” Mr. Napa said.
If necessary, Final Four rubber matches are set for Oct. 29 with the best-of-three finals commencing on Nov. 6.

Martinez’s clutch hit gives Red Sox 2-0 Series lead

BOSTON — J.D. Martinez hit a bases-loaded, two-run single to break a fifth-inning tie as the Boston Red Sox rode yet another two-out rally past the Los Angeles Dodgers for a 4-2 win in Game 2 of the World Series on Wednesday night.
Boston takes a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Friday. As happy as the Dodgers will be to return to the warmth of home, the Red Sox might be equally excited to hit the road, where they are 5-0 this postseason.
Four Boston pitchers, led by starter David Price, limited the Dodgers to three hits.
Trailing 2-1 entering the fifth, the Red Sox made two quick outs before five consecutive batters reached base. No. 9 hitter Christian Vazquez and Mookie Betts each singled, and Andrew Benintendi walked to load the bases and end Dodgers left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu’s night.
Ryan Madson came in and walked Steve Pearce on five pitches to force in the tying run. Martinez, whom Madson described facing as knowing “you’re in a pit with a rattlesnake” pregame, flared an opposite-field single to right for a two-run lead.
The Red Sox entered the contest with a robust .405 average with two outs and runners in scoring position this postseason. All four of their runs Wednesday night came in such situations.
Boston won its sixth straight game, improving to 9-0 this postseason when scoring first. Mookie Betts had three hits.
Price (1-0) won his second consecutive postseason start after going 0-9 in his first 11. The left-hander allowed two runs on three hits in six innings, striking out five and walking three.
Price cruised through the first three innings, allowing no hits and just two walks, both of which came with two outs. Meanwhile, Boston jumped on top 1-0 on Ian Kinsler’s RBI single in the second.
The lone blip for Price came in the fourth inning, when he loaded the bases with no outs. Matt Kemp hit a sacrifice fly to center to tie the score. Price struck out Enrique Hernandez after a nine-pitch at-bat for the second out before Yasiel Puig hit a single to center for a 2-1 Los Angeles lead.
After Price whiffed Austin Barnes to end the inning, he had a short conversation with home plate umpire Kerwin Danley, who ruled most close pitches on the inside of the plate balls throughout the night.
Price retired the last seven batters he faced, including Brian Dozier on a line-out to left to lead off the fifth, with Benintendi making a leaping grab.
The Dodgers went down in order across their last 16 batters. Joe Kelly struck out two in the seventh, Nathan Eovaldi fanned one in the eighth, and Craig Kimbrel tossed the ninth to earn his sixth save this postseason.
Ryu (0-1) allowed four runs on six hits in his 4 2/3 innings, striking out five and walking one. — Reuters

Road to The Nationals Finals at ESGS

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
FOLLOWING months of intense and competitive DOTA 2 and Tekken 7 action across several regions in the country, the Road to The Nationals Finals takes place this weekend in time with the staging of the ESports and Gaming Summit (ESGS).
Happening from Oct. 26 to 28 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, the ESGS will be the battlefield for the top esports players in the land, who survived the tough competition in the various legs of the Road to The Nationals, which designed in recognition of the burgeoning esports scene in the country and to discover the best local esports athletes to represent the country in international competitions.
At stake for the Grand Finals will be a total prize pool of P1.2 million for DOTA 2 and P300,000 for Tekken 7. Also up for grabs is a chance to be drafted as part of The Nationals, the country’s first franchise-based esports league.
“We are astonished by the excellent level of play that Filipino esports athletes have shown all throughout the Road to The Nationals qualifiers,” said Andrew Santos, FVP-Consumer Marketing Head for PLDT and Smart, during the press conference for the ESGS on Thursday.
“We are fully committed to supporting our esports athletes by providing them with opportunities from the grassroots level, all the way up to creating the first franchise-based professional league in the Philippines. PLDT and Smart are not only building esports teams for The Nationals – we are also ensuring that gamers are equipped with the best gaming experience through our PLDT Home FIBR and Smart LTE networks,” he added.
PLDT Home Fibr and Smart are co-presentors of the ESGS, now running on its fourth year.
The Grand Finals of the Tekken 7 tournament is on Saturday, Oct. 26 while for the DOTA 2 it is on Sunday, Oct. 28. They will be broadcast beginning at 6 p.m. over Aksyon TV and livestream on GG Network’s Facebook page and on Sports 5’s YouTube page.
Apart from the finals of the Road to The Nationals, ESGS, organized by Gariath Concepts and dubbed as “one of the biggest E-Sports Competition and Gaming Conventions in Southeast Asia,” will also the venue in showcasing big gaming and tech brands.
From the tech side, Asus Republic of Gamers will feature their latest line of gaming laptops as well as making a big reveal with their highly anticipated ROG Phone. Other hardware brands such as MSI, HyperX, Predator, HP Omen, ViewSonic and Logitech will also grace the event with their own lineup of activities and event exclusive deals.
And there are still more surprises from the gaming side, with Kojima Productions making a presence in the event by selling their exclusive merchandise. Capcom will be showcasing their upcoming titles to the public, such as the Resident Evil 2 Remake and Devil May Cry 5. On the local developers’ side, Secret Six is also back for more activities with Project Xandata and Synergy 88 will promote its newest animated series project Barangay 143. More game publishers will be promoting their new and hit titles, these include Gameclub, Gumi, Gravity, Monstronauts, Most Played Games, Ranida Games, NetEase Games, GMA New Media, Valofe and more.
Other fighting game tournaments are also in store.
Fans can expect a lot of merchandise as well at the three-day event. With the Artist Alley attendees can check out fan arts, ask for artwork commissions and purchase other awesome works from the talented artists. There is also the merchandise area for those who want to buy some action figures, apparels and other cool trinkets. There are also ESGS-exclusive merchandise on sale for those who want to have souvenirs of the event.
The annual cosplay competition is also back, but given a new twist. This year, contestants will compete in their best fighting game cosplay, performing in their best moves as well, and cosplay judges Kang Dupet, Loki Heart and Tessa will make the return to evaluate the contestants.

LeBron books first win as a Laker; Utah Jazz down Houston Rockets

PHOENIX — LeBron James won his first game as a Laker, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in a 131-113 victory against the host Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.
Lance Stephenson had 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists off the bench, and JaVale McGee led five starters in double figures with 20 points.
Kyle Kuzma scored 17 points and Josh Hart made his first start of the season for Los Angeles and scored 15.
Phoenix guard Devin Booker scored 23 points before leaving with a strained left hamstring late in the third quarter. Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Tyson Chandler had 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
James had 10 points and five assists in the second quarter to help the Lakers outscore the Suns 44-24 and take a 76-54 lead into the half.
Los Angeles took its first double-digit lead on basket by Stephenson with 9:30 left in the first half, and Hart’s steal and layup made it 63-43 with 3:51 remaining.
James drove to the basket in the final seconds, grabbed his own rebound off the glass and put it in with 2.4 seconds on the clock, give Los Angeles its biggest lead heading into the break.
Phoenix could only get as close as 17 points in the third quarter before the Lakers took a 106-86 lead into the fourth, when James sat out.
Los Angeles finished with 34 assists and eight turnovers while shooting 51.5% from the floor.
The Lakers were without starting small forward Brandon Ingram and starting point guard Rajon Rondo, who were serving the second game of suspensions for their roles in a fight on Saturday night against the visiting Houston Rockets. Ingram was suspended four games and Rondo for three.
Booker, who became the second Phoenix player to score at least 25 points in the first three games of a season, made his first three shots to help the Suns to an early 8-2 lead, but the Lakers eventually took a 32-30 advantage heading into the second quarter.
JAZZ DOWN ROCKETS
Donovan Mitchell paired 38 points with seven assists, and the Utah Jazz overcame 19 turnovers Wednesday in a 100-89 victory over the host Houston Rockets, who saw star James Harden exit due to hamstring tightness.
Mitchell proved instrumental in helping the Jazz fend off the Rockets throughout. His 3-pointer with 4:36 left in the fourth quarter extended the Utah lead back to double digits, and he followed with a nifty pass that Rudy Gobert (12 points, 13 rebounds) converted into an alley-oop and a 91-79 advantage.
Harden, who left for good at the 5:19 mark of the fourth quarter, said the issue was “nothing serious.” He will be re-evaluated Thursday, Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. Harden had team highs of 29 points and seven assists but also logged seven turnovers.
Houston dropped both games with guard Chris Paul serving a two-game suspension following his role in an altercation with Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo on Saturday at Staples Center. The Rockets fell to 0-2 at home on the season.
RAPTORS 112, TIMBERWOLVES 105
Kawhi Leonard scored 35 points and added five rebounds to help undefeated Toronto defeat visiting Minnesota. The Raptors have opened the season with five straight wins for the second time in franchise history, matching their start in 2015-16.
Kyle Lowry had his third consecutive double-double for Toronto with 13 points and 10 assists. Jonas Valanciunas added 16 points and nine rebounds, Serge Ibaka scored 15 points, and Norman Powell had 10 points in 13 minutes off the bench.
The Raptors have won 15 consecutive home games against the Timberwolves, who last won in Toronto on Jan. 21, 2004. Jimmy Butler led Minnesota with 23 points and six steals while Derrick Rose had 16 points. — Reuters

National Basketball Association touts ‘localization’ as key in growing business in Asia, the Philippines

HAVING steadily grown its business in the Asian region, the National Basketball Association highlighted the key role that “localization” plays in its thrust in bringing the brand, and what it stands for, to more people.
In a roundtable discussion with local media on Wednesday at the NBA Philippines office at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, NBA Asia Managing Director Scott Levy shared that the success The Association is experiencing in this part of the world is a by-product of efforts to really take time to understand the market and find ways to serve it better.
“For us it starts with localization. In every country in the world, people have different habits. They have different ways of experiencing … any brand or any sport. So our focus is to understand the way local cultures work here,” said Mr. Levy, who holds office in Hong Kong and has been overseeing the NBA business here in Asia since 2009.
“… Our key approach is to make sure it’s (brand) embedded in the culture as opposed to asking people to consume the product in something that might be foreign to them. We spend a tremendous amount of time doing that — not only through media and merchandise, but also by going into local communities. We work with schools, work with local coaches to understand what additional tools they might need,” he added.
The NBA official went on to say that the Philippines provides a “special” component in the NBA business in Asia and, hence, deserves the corresponding attention even as he said the market presents challenges as well which they are all too willing to take on.
“We do more here. We never think it’s easy because Filipinos are very demanding. They come back to us and say, ‘There’s not enough games on TV. We want more games on TV. There’s not enough content on social media. The players are not in the market.’ So we want to bring more players here, bring the real experiences. So we bring NBA players during the year, we bring NBA legends, we have dance teams, we have mascots. People can get very close to the game. I think [with] every market, we have a different strategy depending on the dynamics in that market. But the Philippines is one we spend a lot of time on, and make sure we have an office here,” Mr. Levy said.
CLOSURE OF NBA CAFÉ AND STORES
On the recent closure of the NBA Café and stores in the country, Mr. Levy said they lament that it had to happen but nonetheless are bent on learning from it as they continue to build and improve on their business.
“We’re in so many businesses here in the Philippines and our desire is always to find more ways to engage. And you know, sometimes those businesses are not gonna be the best ways. So we’re willing to try things and if they’re successful, great we’ll continue them, and if we think there are better ways to engage we’ll do that,” he said.
“So, when you think about our stores, our focus is about making sure that the product is available – the right type of product is available — in as many places as possible so people can purchase that. Through NBAStore.com, through Nike, through Toby’s and through Titan, we are making sure that we’re putting the best possible product in there. And the [NBA] stores are not critical to making sure that the product is out there. But we may come back to that at some point but that partnership expired and again, that was just a piece of our product distribution and another experience for our fans. Those things are still happening and will continue to happen,” he added.
Moving ahead, Mr. Levy said Asia, and the Philippines in particular, figure prominently in the plans of the NBA, and shoring up the business in the region will continue through, among other things, partnerships.
“Asia has been one of our fastest-growing regions around the world. We have established many new partnerships. We have a long-term partnership with Rakuten in Japan. Rakuten is one of the most innovative companies in the world and the structure of our partnerships are very comprehensive and they’re gonna work with us in many ways to grow the game. Similarly in Indonesia, we have a partnership with Emtek, another technologically advanced company that has distribution across many platforms, they’re very engaged in basketball and that’s gonna help grow the affinity there. I can go on with partnerships from Vietnam and Thailand that are the same way,” he said.
“As for the Philippines, it is an incredibly important market for us. It’s one of our largest markets in the world. It probably is the market with the highest fan affinity for basketball and that’s daunting. To satisfy everybody, that’s a full-time job. That’s why we have the team here on the ground, the team in Hong Kong, that’s also focused on the Philippines and, of course, our entire organization that contributes to everything that we’re doing here. So we don’t take the fan base here lightly. We are focused on making sure that everybody is happy with what they have available and we’re listening for the things that we need to do better,” Mr. Levy added. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

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