Top Malaysian prospect Gianni Subba on road to ONE title

One of the top Malaysian mixed martial arts prospects, 23-year old flyweight standout Gianni Subba (7-1) will return to the ONE Championship cage next Friday at ONE: GLOBAL RIVALS, against the Philippines best flyweight bet Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio (7-4) of Baguio City’s Team Lakay. With a victory, Subba feels he will be one step closer to a shot at the ONE Flyweight World Championship.

“Whatever one championship has planned for me, the goal is to win a world title for Malaysia,” said Subba, who faces his toughest test yet in Eustaquio.

Eustaquio is arguably the Philippines’ most talented fighter at flyweight, with a record of seven wins and only four defeats. The Filipino stalwart is known for keeping his cool and composure in the face of adversity, while dishing out some of the fastest strikes in the business nicely packed in Wushu Sanshou.

For Subba, the fact that Eustaquio is also on the rise makes him feel their paths would inevitably cross one day.

“I always knew that I would eventually be fighting Geje [Eustaquio] so I wasn't surprised that I got the matchup,” said Subba. “He's fought some of the best in the division and I'm working my way up, it was inevitable.”

At seven wins and just one loss, Subba is at the top of the list of flyweight prospects on the cusp of a breakout performance. All Subba needs is one solid victory against a highly-ranked opponent, and he could be next in line for a crack at ONE Championship gold.

Eustaquio, 26, has competed for the ONE title before, losing via Guillotine Choke submission to former champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes. Despite the loss, the Filipino was able to showcase his solid striking technique and impeccable timing and although Moraes was able to gut out the victory, it didn’t come without resistance.

In Eustaquio’s most recent bout earlier this year, he stopped another Malaysian fighter in Saiful “The Vampire” Merican. Eustaquio clipped Merican on the temple with a clubbing left hook that sent him reeling to the canvas. The Filipino then finished the job with a technical ground kick, coercing referee Joey Lepiten to call a halt to the contest.

It was an abrupt and sweet night for Eustaquio, whose highlight reel finish made the rounds on social media shortly after his victory.

Despite his opponent’s high caliber, Subba feels he is well equipped to handle anything Eustaquio brings to the table.

“Filipinos are known to be durable and strong. The strategy is to beat Geje everywhere,” said Subba. “ I'm not afraid to test my striking and I'm confident in my ground game. Geje is tough just like the rest of my opponents before.”

A victory here should bring Subba one step closer to a title shot against reigning ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat Akhmetov, or a gatekeeper fight against former champion Moraes.

On the flipside, after Eustaquio’s stunning victory over Merican last January, a victory over Subba may be just the ticket the Filipino will also need to book another title shot.

The winner of this bout will undoubtedly be lined up for another huge fight in the near future. But even then, if the opportunity doesn’t immediately present itself, Subba says he is fine waiting.

“If I have to wait, it will just be more time to work on my game,” said Subba, constantly working on improving his skills. “The motivation is and has always been to be the best that I can be. Having a supporting family and great teammates who have the same goals makes it easy for me to work hard day in and day out.”

*This is Press Release

Paella Gigante kicks-off Flavors of the Philippines

Organized by Greenbelt, the Sociedad Española de Beneficencia (SEB), LTB Chefs Association and the Spain Tourism Board, the fourth Festival dela Paella Gigante gathered some of the best chefs in the Philippines to cook the biggest paella in the country for a charitable cause. The event was also the launch of Flavors of the Philippines, a month-long and nationwide series of activities initiated by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) and Department of Tourism (DOT) that celebrates the unique and rich cultural heritage of Filipinos.

Filled with over 600 kilograms of various ingredients, the paella was cooked on the spot by some the country’s most popular chefs namely Club Punta Fuego’s Mikkel Arriet, Aracama Filipino Cuisine’s Fernando Aramaca, Cirkulo and MilkyWay Restaurants’ J Gamboa, The Country Club’s Sito Senn, Terry’s Juan Carlos de Terry, Kai and Cerveseria’s Gilbert Pangilinan, Tambai’s Jerome Valencia, and LTB Phils Chefs Association’s James Antolin.

“The launch of Flavors of the Philippines through the Paella Gigante definitely displays the unifying element of food. Aside from Paella Gigante, our country will also host other big gastronomic events such as Madrid Fusion Manila 2016 and the World Street Food Congress on April, as we celebrate Food Month. The Philippines indeed is fast-becoming the center for culinary excellence, attracting more travellers and increasing tourist arrivals in the Philippines,” says TPB Chief Operating Officer Domingo Ramon C. Enerio III.

Greenbelt General Manager Mina Domingo, DOT‘s Undersecretary Benito C. Bengzon, Jr., Assistant Secretary Arturo P. Boncato, Jr. and Verna C. Buensuceso, TPB’s Arnold T. Gonzales and SEB President Pablo Garcia-Morera and SEB Executive Director Lally Hildalgo San José ceremoniously started the cooking extravaganza by pouring oil into the paellera, which measured 10-feet in diameter. The event was graced by His Excellency, the Ambassador of Spain, Don Luis Antonio Calvo.

 

Aside from the giant paella, whetting the guests’ appetite were other Filipino and Spanish favorites such as lechon, sangria, churros and croquetas de jamón. Nyko Maca together with Emma Estrada and Grupo Nuevo Flamenco completed the event’s Spanish ambiance with Spanish music and flamenco performances. Proceeds of the Paella Gigante festival will go to the shelter and healthcare assistance programs of Sociedad Española de Beneficencia (SEB).

The Festival de la Paella Gigante was indeed a tasty celebration of great food and shared history and heritage. Aside from fostering the strengthening ties between Spain and the Philippines, the Paella Gigante festival was also a great opportunity to showcase the country’s culinary treasures in an effort to put the Philippines at the center of the global culinary map.

MyProperty.ph Unveils New Feature for comparing Real Estate Listings

Philippine real estate portal MyProperty.ph recently launched a new tech feature that will help home-buyers choose a property more easily. Called the “Compare Listings” feature, it allows users to view multiple listings on one page, providing them with an overview that compares properties in aspects such as price, size, number of bedrooms, and nearby points of interest.

“The Compare Listings feature is a first for MyProperty,” Jacqueline van den Ende, managing director of both MyProperty.ph and Lamudi Philippines, said of the feature implemented early this year. “We’ve always been dedicated to helping Filipinos find their dream home, and this new feature will bring them one step closer to achieving that dream.”

The MyProperty.ph Compare Listings feature allows buyers to find out what makes one home a more ideal option over another by letting them view properties and their characteristics side-by-side. It’s versatile as well; users can even compare different types of properties from different locations. For instance, a user can put two Taguig condos side-by-side, compare and contrast the details of a house and a condo in Quezon City, or see why a townhouse in Cavite is better than a house in Rizal. What’s more, it can also be used for any type of listing for rent to help out those looking to lease a temporary home.

MyProperty.ph currently has over 130,000 listings all over the Philippines, and going through all of them will be a difficult task, hence the search filters. Once a user has filtered their search to show only a few properties, it’s only a matter of choosing the best one for them to buy. With the Compare Listings feature, they have a chance to see what advantage one property has over another to help them make the right decision.

To use the Compare Listings feature, a user visits www.myproperty.ph to search for a property for sale or for rent and clicks on the “Add this to compare” button below the property’s gallery. To maximize the capacity of the feature, a user can compare up to four listings at the same time. To view all of the selected properties, the user then clicks on “Open compare list” button that appears after a property has been added to the list. The user can also go back to the search results page to see the “Open compare list” button, which also displays how many properties are already on the list.

At the “Compare” page, the user will see a rundown of each listings’ essential details, starting from their prices and locations. Down the list, the user will also be able to view other vital information of each listing, such as the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and parking slots; the condition of the property, the amenities, and the points of interest nearest to it. To add another property to the “Compare” page, the user simply clicks on “Add Another Property” to go back to the search results page, where they can select another listing. They can also start another search for a different type of listing to add to the same Compare list.

The new MyProperty.ph feature is not restricted to homebuyers; it can be used by those searching for commercial properties as well. This means that business owners looking to rent an office or buy a warehouse can also take advantage of the comparison feature.

MyProperty.ph is a local real estate portal acquired by Lamudi in 2015. Together, these two websites are the dominant players in Philippine online real estate.