Alaska Aces send Manuel to Phoenix Fuel Masters

February 23, 2021 | 5:39 pm

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

Philippine Basketball Association forward Vic Manuel finally got his wish to be traded after the Alaska Aces sent him to the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters on Tuesday.

The Aces also shipped their first (seventh overall) and second (19^th overall) round picks in this year’s rookie draft in the deal which was sent to the league office and eventually approved by the trade committee.

In exchange for Mr. Manuel and the two picks, Phoenix sent guard Brian Heruela and the team’s first-round pick (sixth overall) in the March 14 rookie draft, which it got in a previous trade with the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok for Calvin Abueva.

The Fuel Masters also gave the Aces their second-round pick (16^th overall) in this year’s draft and first-round pick for Season 47.

Mr. Manuel, 33, requested for a trade last month over what he felt was Alaska’s lack of interest in re-signing him after his contract lapsed last year.

But Alaska said the player was part of their plans and intent on signing him.

Phoenix was one of the teams Mr. Manuel preferred to be traded to if a deal was to happen.

The “Muscleman” Manuel averaged 15.9 points, six rebounds and 2.1 assists in the PBA “bubble” last year for the Aces, where they reached the quarterfinals.

In Phoenix, Mr. Manuel is expected to fill the void left by do-it-all Abueva, who was traded to Magnolia last week.

The Fuel Masters also look to add key pieces from the picks they got.

Alaska, meanwhile, got a veteran player in Mr. Heruela but on top of that it got picks it can use to further fill up its roster for what seemingly is a youth movement in the team for the upcoming season.

ONE’s The Apprentice contestant Sangalang savors being part of it

February 23, 2021 | 5:38 pm

HONED by his experience in doing combat sports and establishing a career in the corporate world, Louie Sangalang savors the opportunity to participate in the upcoming reality TV show The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.

One of the 16 contestants selected to compete in the popular show, Mr. Sangalang considers it as a “dream come true” as it provides him a platform to showcase what he can do in such a setting.

“I’ve always wanted to join The Apprentice. So when I found out that there was going to be a ONE Championship Edition, I thought to myself, this fits my skills perfectly. I’m a martial artist at heart, and I’m highly interested in sports. So I figured, why not? I just wanted to give it a shot,” said Mr. Sangalang in a statement.

“I think anyone who got selected would feel ecstatic, right? First of all, it’s not just any organization. It’s a huge and very young, powerful company. Second, ONE Championship is a big name in the martial arts scene… [It] occupies a huge space in the market, especially in Asia. Another thing that excited me was that it was going to be a tough competition, all driven by challenges. It’s what really motivated me, something that aligned with my willingness to take on challenges in my life,” he added.

Apart from Mr. Sangalang, also representing the Philippines in the show is Baguio-based accountant and martial artist Lara Alvarez.

In The Apprentice, Mr. Sangalang from Manila will be banking on the lessons he got as an undefeated former Universal Reality Combat Championship featherweight champion as well as his extensive experience working for several industries.

He, too, is a cancer survivor and is using it as a motor to keep going no matter the odds.

Mr. Sangalang shared that he always values doing things prepared and not being overconfident, something he hopes pays off for him in the show.

“I’m not the type of person who likes to be overconfident or sure of things. Or who overly tries to psyche himself up and tell himself he can do things. I don’t go in there riding high and willing to take on any task,” he said.

“I like to come in well-prepared instead. It minimizes mistakes, helps me prepare for the unexpected.”

The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition is touted as the toughest version in the show’s history, consisting of both business and physical challenges.

The participants are asked to solve business problems in real time, but a twist — in the form of physical challenges with mixed martial arts (MMA) stars — is also involved.

To make the challenges well-rounded for the participants, it has invited executives from top companies to be part of the show. Up for grabs is a US$250,000 job offer to work for a year under ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

The show is set for airing in Asia beginning March 18 over AXN. It will have 13 episodes and will also be available on other platforms and TV networks across Asia, including TV5 here in the Philippines. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

USGA, R&A propose changes allowing amateurs to accept sponsorships

February 23, 2021 | 5:38 pm

THE Royal and Ancient (R&A) and United States Golf Association (USGA) on Monday announced proposals to change to the rules of amateur status, including removing sponsorship restrictions and allowing amateurs to enter competitions as professionals.

As part of its modernization plans following a review of the rules of amateur status that began in late 2017, the two bodies proposed that amateur players should be allowed to accept cash prizes of up to $750 without losing their status.

The two bodies also sought to remove restrictions on rules surrounding long-drive, putting and skills competitions that are not played as part of a tee-to-hole events.

The current rules state that amateur golfers cannot conduct or identify themselves as professional golfers and must waive rights to any prize money in competitions.

Under the proposed changes, amateur golfers will enjoy more freedom and will only lose their status if they accept prize money in excess of the set limit.

They can also be stripped of their status if they accept payment for giving instruction or gain employment as a golf club professional or membership of an association.

“The Rules of Amateur Status play an important role in protecting the integrity of our self-regulating sport, but the code must continue to evolve,” the R&A director of rules Grant Moir said in a statement.

“This is particularly so in relation to the modern elite amateur game, where many of the players need financial support to compete and develop to their full potential, and the proposed new rules will give much greater scope for this.”

Craig Winter, the USGA’s senior director of rules of golf and amateur status said the organization understood and valued the importance of amateur status.

“These updates should help simplify these rules and ensure the health of the amateur game.”

The two organizations said they were inviting feedback from golfers and other stakeholders until March 26, with the new rules set to come into force from Jan. 1, 2022. — Reuters

Wizards take down Lakers in overtime for 5^th straight win

February 23, 2021 | 5:37 pm

BRADLEY Beal scored 33 points and Russell Westbrook added 32 on Monday as the visiting Washington Wizards rallied for a 127-124 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Lakers for their first five-game winning streak in three years.

Beal scored six points in overtime after not making a field goal in the fourth quarter, missing a long jumper as time expired in regulation to leave the score tied 115-all.

Westbrook, who added 14 rebounds and nine assists, made a shot inside and was fouled with 11.6 seconds remaining in overtime to put the Wizards up three points.

Westbrook missed the ensuing free throw to give the Lakers a chance to tie the score, but LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma missed 3-point attempts on Los Angeles’ final possession.

Rui Hachimura scored 15 points and Robin Lopez added 13 off the bench as the Wizards improved to 2-0 to open a four-game road trip against Western Conference teams. Washington’s last five-game win streak was Jan. 27-Feb. 10, 2018. — Reuters

Australian Open beats the odds to lay out a blueprint

February 23, 2021 | 5:37 pm

SYDNEY — Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic were rightly hailed as deserved Australian Open champions at the weekend, but the ashen-faced former tennis coach standing behind them on the podium might be considered the real hero of the year’s first Grand Slam.

Tournament director Craig Tiley and his Tennis Australia team faced down sizeable odds to get the tournament up and running, albeit by the skin of their teeth at times, while much of the world was still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“At the beginning, I think there were many people who doubted we could pull it off,” South African Tiley told reporters in Melbourne on Monday.

“We can look back on it now as a highly successful event in the circumstances. I believe in the coming month, there will be a realization of the extent of what we managed to achieve in pulling off what we did.”

In a project unique in the annals of sport, more than 1,000 players and support staff were flown to Australia on charter flights from around the world and quarantined for 14 days from mid-January.

Melbourne is the biggest city in the state of Victoria, which had endured one of the longest and strictest lockdowns in the world to all but eradicate community transmission of COVID-19.

Perhaps Tiley’s greatest achievement was to convince a local government determined to keep the virus out of the state to let the players in, and to allow crowds to watch them.

The tournament survived the infection of one of the quarantine hotel workers only five days before it was due to start, but only after everyone in the tennis cohort had been tested for the virus again.

Crowds were present for just five days of action until Victoria went into a snap lockdown in response to a small outbreak of the variant of the virus associated with Britain.

“BLUEPRINT”
The fans returned in reduced numbers from last Thursday, however, and were present in sufficient numbers to create an atmosphere at the weekend’s finals.

Tiley believes that the Australian Open has now set an example that other sports events — including the Tokyo Olympics — can follow, but only if they make a commitment to some form of quarantine.

“This was the first time since the start of the pandemic began that there was a sport and entertainment event that had crowds (and) had every top player bar a few that couldn’t make it,” he added.

“I think it is a blueprint that works, it requires more resources and more time, but that’s a commitment that you have to make.”

The 14 days of quarantine prompted an outpouring of complaints from players. Most were allowed out to train for five hours a day, but 72 were forced into total lockdown after passengers on their flights tested positive for COVID-19.

The stress of fulfilling his masterplan was clearly etched on Tiley’s face during the weekend’s trophy ceremonies and he revealed the toll it had taken on him in an interview with local media on Sunday.

In order to assuage athletes not used to confinement, Tiley had committed to spending hours on Zoom calls each day listening to their concerns.

“I got abused on the calls. It was significant,” Tiley told Australian Associated Press (AAP). “Normally, when you take heat, you take it once. This was 15 straight days. It’s like being attacked for 15 straight days, verbally.”

Tennis Australia also ran up a huge financial bill for putting on the tournament, especially after the snap lockdown robbed them of crowds in the middle weekend — usually the busiest of the fortnight.

Tiley said Tennis Australia’s cash reserves of A$80 million ($62.96 million) had been exhausted and the governing body had taken out a loan to get them through to next year.

Prize money may drop a little in 2022, Tiley suggested, but there was no doubt the Australian Open would be back.

“We started planning it a week ago… 2022 is going to be a magnificent year,” he said.

“If we’re still in a version of the pandemic, we’ll be well prepared for that. Any single thing you could list that could happen to an event, we had it these last two weeks.” — Reuters

Djokovic faces a sideline spell with muscle tear after sweet success

February 23, 2021 | 5:36 pm

MELBOURNE — Novak Djokovic will need to spend some time on the sidelines recovering from a muscle tear that hindered him in the later rounds of the Australian Open, the Serbian said as he celebrated his ninth Melbourne Park title on Monday.

The 33-year-old extended his own record with an emphatic (7-5, 6-2, 6-2) victory over Daniil Medvedev at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday, despite carrying the injury suffered in the third round of the tournament.

Parading his trophy on the beach in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton on Monday, Djokovic said a second scan of his abdomen had revealed he had made the injury worse by playing on.

“I just came actually came from another MRI that I’ve done this morning and the damage is bigger than what it was when it happened, when I did the first MRI after the third round,” he told reporters.

“It’s not too bad judging by what doctor said but I’ll have to take some time off and heal. The tear is bigger.”

The injury was not the only issue Djokovic had to contend with during his time in Australia.

The world number one riled some locals when he submitted suggestions to organizers over how quarantine conditions for players could be improved.

The ups and downs of what he described as a “roller coaster” of a trip Down Under had made his 18th Grand Slam title triumph all the more satisfying.

“I reflect on it as a great experience, and a unique journey, and I would definitely remember and try to take out a lot of positives from it,” he said.

“I have learned a lot of lessons, and learned a lot of things, about myself and about everything that was going on in the last five to six weeks, but I think that everything that was happening on and off the court makes this victory even better and even sweeter.”

Djokovic said he had celebrated his triumph by calling his family back home in Serbia and sitting down for a meal capped off with a cake.

“I used to go wild and go to discotheques and nightclubs and God knows what, and now it is a bit different,” he said.

“A different kind of celebration, more of a home a celebration with family and close people.” — Reuters

Ronaldo double helps Juve cruise past Crotone to go third

February 23, 2021 | 5:36 pm

TURIN, Italy — Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Juventus strolled to a 3-0 home win over bottom side Crotone in Serie A on Monday, with the victory taking the champions up to third in the standings.

Juve were slow to get going, but their ever-reliable talisman arrived to meet an Alex Sandro cross in the 38^th minute to give Andrea Pirlo’s side the lead.

The Portugal forward looked hungry for more and another bullet header in first-half stoppage time doubled the lead, taking him back to the top of the league’s scoring charts on 18 goals, one ahead of Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku.

The 36-year-old Ronaldo had chances to complete a hat-trick, but it was Weston McKennie who added the third, hammering home his fourth Serie A goal of the season in the 66^th minute.

A first win in four matches in all competitions ensured Juve climbed from sixth to third in the table and onto 45 points, eight behind leaders Inter with a game in hand.

“The desire we have to return to the top makes me feel comfortable,” Pirlo said. “The attitude of the players also pleases me.

“When we have more players free from injury, I will have more choice and this also makes me feel comfortable. We know that Inter are a great team and we know we have to fight (to win the title).”

Crotone remain rooted to the foot of the table with 12 points from 23 games, eight points from the safety zone.

Aaron Ramsey thought he had given Juve the lead with a looping header only to see the ball hit the bar before Ronaldo showed him how it is done with two expertly-taken headers.

Ronaldo’s goals mean Crotone are the 78^th different team he has scored against in Europe’s top five leagues — only Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored against more sides since 2000.

A glaring miss at the end of the half showed Ronaldo is only human, before two fine saves by Alex Cordaz after the break denied the Portuguese another hat-trick.

McKennie’s close-range finish put the game beyond doubt, but league-leading scorer Ronaldo tried everything he could until the last minute to add more to his tally. — Reuters

No. 1

February 23, 2021 | 5:36 pm

Novak Djokovic was his usual confident self when he headed to the Rod Laver Arena for the Australian Open singles final last Sunday. It didn’t matter that he went through a more rigorous test than he envisioned through the last fortnight; his third-round match against gritty Taylor Fritz was particularly testy, lasting all of five sets and forcing him to compete with a torn abdominal oblique muscle from then on. And never mind that he faced red-hot Daniil Medvedev, whose 20-match win streak had a number of quarters wondering if the new batch of talents would finally break through in a major championship. As far as he was concerned, Melbourne Park was his home, and it remained as welcoming as it had been in 2019 and 2020, and in the six other times he went home with the Norman Brooks Challenge Cup.

If there’s anything the rest of the cool night proved, it’s that Djokovic had ample reason for his self-assurance. He promptly made short work of Medvedev; in fact, so dominant was he that he needed less than two hours to secure the title. And considering the finalists’ shared predilection to construct points as opposed to quickly go for high-risk killer strikes, the veritable sprint serves as a reflection of his utter sharpness. In the aftermath, his vanquished foe could only acknowledge his greatness on the cushion acrylic hard courts of the continent’s pride. Not for nothing is he now a perfect nine of nine with the hardware on the line.

Certainly, a lot could have gone wrong en route. Apart from the sport’s fickle nature, Djokovic needed to overcome concerns unique to the pandemic; from restrictive safety protocols to legitimate scheduling concerns, he faced obstacles that compelled him to keep adjusting. There was likewise the relative toughness of his bracket in the face of his injury. Then again, he is who he is — tennis royalty in a stratosphere shared only with all-time greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. And, Down Under, he is all but invincible. On a surface where he is able to provide extra spring to his groundstrokes and keep balls low, Medvedev had no chance.

Djokovic began 2020 with promise, his Australian Open triumph seemingly laying the groundwork for a stellar season. Instead, he won no more major crowns; Wimbledon was canceled, the United States Open a disappointment following his freak banishment, and the French Open a lost cause vis-a-vis Nadal’s utter superiority on red clay. This time around, he figures to use his latest achievement as springboard for a better — make that much better — campaign. This time next month, he will have spent more weeks at Number zone in world rankings than any other player in the annals of the sport. And given his ambition, it’s fair to argue that, this time next year, he aims to be without peer in terms of the number of Grand Slam titles on his résumé.

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

Vietnam details priorities for first phase of COVID-19 vaccinations

February 23, 2021 | 1:15 pm

HANOI – Vietnam’s government said on Tuesday health workers, diplomats and military personnel would be among the first to be vaccinated against COVID-19 when the country starts its inoculation programme next month.

The Southeast Asian country with a population of 98 million said it will receive 60 million vaccine doses this year, including half under the WHO-led COVAX scheme.

In the first quarter of 2021, Vietnam aims to inoculate 500,000 medical staff and 116,000 others directly involved in the fight against the pandemic, the government said in a statement.

Vietnam was lauded globally for containing the virus for months using mass testing and strict quarantining, though has faced a recent new wave of infections.

Late last month, Vietnam approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use days after the country detected the first locally transmitted cases in nearly two months.

The government said previously it was in talks with Russian and U.S. vaccine manufacturers on potential supply agreements, while it expects a home-grown vaccine to be ready for domestic inoculation by May.

In the second quarter, Vietnam plans to vaccinate 1.8 million more people, including 9,200 customs officials, 4,080 diplomats, 1.03 million military personnel, 304,000 police officers and 550,000 teachers, the government said.

The country intends for 16 million to be vaccinated by the end of the third quarter, including 7.6 million people over the age of 65, the government said. Vietnam has recorded 803 new COVID-19 cases since the latest outbreak started last month or about a third of its overall caseload of 2,395 infections since infections were first detected a year ago. Vietnam has reported 35 deaths due to the virus. – Reuters

Facebook to restore Australian news pages after tweaks to news legislation

February 23, 2021 | 1:11 pm

CANBERRA – Facebook will restore Australian news pages after Canberra offered amendments to legislation that would force the tech giant to pay for media content, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Tuesday.

Australia and the social media group have been locked in a standoff for more than a week after the government introduced legislation that challenged Facebook and Alphabet Inc’s Google’s dominance in the news content market.

Facebook last week blocked all news content and several state government and emergency department accounts.

But after a series of talks between Mr. Frydenberg and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the weekend, a concession deal has been struck.

Australia will offer four amendments, including to the mechanism for final offer arbitration, which a Facebook executive told local media was a sticking point for the company.

“We are satisfied that the Australian government has agreed to a number of changes and guarantees that address our core concerns about allowing commercial deals that recognise the value our platform provides to publishers relative to the value we receive from them,” Facebook said in a statement posted online.

The issue has been widely watched internationally as other countries including Canada and Britain considering similar legislation.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Rod Sims, the main architect of the law, was not immediately available for comment. At a speech earlier on Tuesday, Sims declined to answer questions about the standoff on the grounds that it was before parliament.

S.African upstart bank teams up with JG Summit to expand into Philippines

February 23, 2021 | 1:09 pm

SINGAPORE – South African digital bank Tyme has raised $110 million in private capital and linked up with JG Summit, one of the biggest conglomerates in the Philippines, to apply for a local digital bank licence, a top Tyme executive told Reuters.

Tyme, majority-owned by South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe, will use most of the money, mainly from private equity fund Apis Partners, to expand TymeBank in South Africa, Coen Jonker, co-founder and executive chairman of Tyme said.

The proceeds will also finance the Philippine venture, said Jonker, a former senior executive of Commonwealth Bank of Australia. JG Summit also participated in the Tyme funding.

“We believe that the future of digital banking in emerging markets is multi-country, to actually build a banking group where there is enough critical mass of customers,” Jonker said in an interview on Monday.

Across Asia, regulators are opening up banking to digital players, encouraged by a boom in mobile connectivity and the prospect of tech firms offering low-cost financing services. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for digital transactions.

In the Philippines, the central bank last November approved rules allowing the creation and licensing of digital banks. Last December, Singapore gave out four digital banking licences.

“For us, the Philippines represents the best fit in terms of our business and operating model to expand, and JG Summit the best partner in terms of the retail capacity that they have and their loyalty programmes,” said Jonker.
In South Africa, TymeBank customers can set up accounts and get a debit card at more than 700 automated kiosks in Boxer supermarkets, owned by one of the country’s largest chains Pick n Pay, where account holders can benefit from the stores’ rewards programme. This is in addition to the mobile app.

TymeBank has already attracted 2.8 million customers in South Africa since its launch two years ago.

Tyme is now looking to replicate part of that strategy in the Philippines, where it can piggyback on JG Summit’s retail reach in shopping malls, grocery and pharmacy stores. JG Summit’s other interests include food manufacturing, real estate and hotels.

This month, Jonker relocated from Hong Kong to Singapore where Tyme is setting up its global business strategy team.

After the new funding, the stake of Motsepe’s investment vehicle African Rainbow Capital will reduce slightly in Tyme but it will remain the biggest investor.

Jonker said Tyme was also looking to apply for a digital banking licence in Malaysia, where the regulator has issued a policy framework for online-only banks and plans to issue up to five licences.

“We are in the final stages of closing in on an exclusive partnership with a consortium,” said Coen. — Reuters

Improving community health and sustainability by optimizing telemedicine

February 23, 2021 | 10:00 am

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines telemedicine as the delivery of health services where distance is a critical factor by healthcare professionals using information and communications technology. While telemedicine provides patient services such as diagnosis, treatment, and injury and disease prevention, it also serves as a platform for further education of healthcare providers in advancing the health of the communities they belong to.

The current state of telemedicine in The Philippines

As an archipelago home to over 100 million people, the Philippines is a nation where telemedicine can be a viable option to expand the reach of healthcare providers and resources, especially for the benefit of communities in far-flung locations. Although telemedicine can result in improved healthcare access, cost-efficiency, and patient satisfaction, but the search for better telemedicine and e-health systems in the country is still nascent. While visibility and dialogue on the need to improve the country’s current telemedicine systems were brought to higher attention with the advent of COVID-19, there are still barriers that stand in the way of further development and widescale implementation.

Currently, there have been some initial attempts by some private and government organizations to provide telemedicine services to a nation with high rates of both digital literacy and mobile adoption. While collective efforts through the years have partially addressed some pre-COVID implementation barriers such as the lack of awareness, technical resources, training, and security measures, there remains a need for clear guidelines and standards for providers to consistently ensure high quality, safe, reliable, and efficient delivery of healthcare services through telemedicine.

As a focused leader in the field of health technology, at Philips, we strive to make the world healthier and more sustainable through innovation. Our goal is to improve the lives of 2.5 billion people a year by 2030. In order to do so, we address both the social and ecological dimensions of health and sustainability as reflected in our commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Our contributions to health and well-being for all is a key pillar in our “Healthy people, Sustainable planet” Program. By shifting to a value-based healthcare model, we enhance the work-life of healthcare professionals and enable financially sustainable care that improves the patient experience and extends care services to those in underserved areas. Given the geography of the Philippines, telemedicine can bridge the gap between quality healthcare and Filipinos in remote areas in need of those services.

However, with the current situation making community health even more of an imperative, the improvement of our telemedicine and other local healthcare systems must start now.

Telemedicine and Digitalization in delivering value-based care

Technology is a key agent of change in terms of transforming health systems. With digitalization transforming healthcare across the globe, here in the Philippines, our ongoing shift towards digitalization must coincide with delivering value-based care for all Filipinos. As a model geared towards extending access to care while reducing costs, value-based care requires both a shift from response to prevention, as well as a change in focus from treatment of illness to maintaining community wellness.

For the benefit of our communities, especially those in remote areas, care delivery must evolve from episodic to continuous — supported by digitalization and improved network connectivity. To improve telemedicine and e-health services in the country, we must approach care from a holistic perspective — looking beyond public health to see its established links with environmental health and sustainability. Instead of products, we provide sustainable services and solutions to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment strategies from the start, which brings up patient satisfaction and drives down both cost and waste.

A recent example of a project implemented was the successful deployment of a first-of-its-kind Clinical Command Centre solution with East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS) in Australia to improve patient care and proactively detect the risk of patient deterioration. As a cornerstone of EMHS’s Health in A Virtual Environment (HIVE) program, the Clinical Command Centre solution drives a hub-and-spoke model of care utilizing machine learning, and predictive analytics to reduce the length of stay as well as complications, avoidable transfers, and mortality.

The Clinical Command Centre is based at Royal Perth Hospital, overseeing inpatients in step-down units and higher acuity wards. Utilizing a model of care refined by Philips over the last 20 years, EMHS clinicians and nurses will be providing a virtual safety net of specialist support for over 100 beds over the next five years.

By integrating innovations with the accessible platform of telemedicine, we provide better care for more people, improving lives in the process. However, the task of expanding care is not up to a single party alone. As the challenge of health must be addressed through a multi-disciplinary perspective, many entities must work together to ensure the best possible outcome for our communities. From private companies, financial institutions, donors, government units, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), to community stakeholders, we all must shoulder the task to deliver better digitally-enabled solutions for optimal community care and better quality of life all throughout the country.

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