ONE Championship Holds Inaugural Even in Surabaya, Indonesia with ONE: Conquest of Kings

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “There is always a tremendous atmosphere and excitement when ONE Championship visits Indonesia, and it is a delight to finally announce our first event for fans in Surabaya. We’re coming at you live and ready to showcase the world’s most authentic display of martial arts. We have a thrilling main event planned, with ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat Akhmetov facing Interim Champion Adriano Moraes, in a rematch of their first encounter to crown the undisputed king of the division.”

Kairat Akhmetov of Kazakhstan is undefeated inside the mixed martial arts cage. He boasts an unblemished 23-0 record over his six years as a professional. Akhmetov employs a devastating attack with power in both hands, as well as a tenacious wrestling game that overpowers his opponents. In Akhmetov’s last bout, he defeated top flyweight and former champion Adriano Moraes to capture the ONE Flyweight World Championship. Now, the two are set for a much-anticipated rematch in Surabaya.

Interim ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes had his initial title reign cut short, when he met Kairat Akhmetov in November of 2015, losing via split decision. It was a close bout, but Akhmetov’s wrestling proved difficult to handle, even for an athlete of Moraes’ caliber. As champion, Moraes was skillful and dominant, and was rarely opposed inside the ONE Championship cage. In his most recent bout, Moraes secured the Interim Flyweight World Title with a victory over Tilek Batyrov. The rematch with Akhmetov will determine the rightful owner of ONE Championship gold in a highly-anticipated title unification bout.

For the first time ever, a Traditional Silat Bout will be held at ONE: CONQUEST OF KINGS, showcasing the beauty and authenticity of the ancient Indonesian combat discipline at the forefront of Asian martial arts. Top Silat practitioners, Khamid Wichaksana and Muchamad Fauzi, are set to display their amazing skills in front of a packed crowd eager for authentic traditional martial arts action.

32-year-old Toni “Dynamite” Tauru of Utti, Finland, is a professional martial arts athlete competing in ONE Championship’s bantamweight division. He owns a record of 11 wins and five losses, including one draw, with eight of his wins coming impressively by submission. A feared grappling specialist, Tauru is a former European MMA champion and has shown an incredible ability to finish his opponents with high-level techniques. Now, Tauru is tasked to take on Leandro Issa.

Leandro “Brodinho” Issa is a 33-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion black belt from Sao Paulo, Brazil, who trains and competes out of the world-renowned Evolve Fight Team in Singapore. With a record of 13 wins and six losses, including nine wins by submission and one by knockout, Issa has proven to be an exciting competitor with a penchant for spectacular victories. A pioneer of ONE Championship’s bantamweight division, Issa returns to the cage to face Toni Tauru.

Marcin Prachnio is a Polish martial arts athlete with an impressive 12-2 professional record. He’s on a seven bout win-streak, including five wins by devastating technical knockout. He is currently unbeaten in ONE Championship, overcoming three tough challenges in Alexandre Machado, Leandro Ataides, and most recently, Jake Butler. Prachnio is now ready to make his return to the ONE Championship cage to stake his claim as one of the top contenders for the middleweight title. Prachnio’s next assignment is the veteran Gilberto Galvão.

Acer Philippines Launches #TimeForUs to Bring Generations Together

Acer Philippines, a leading tech and innovations company, launches #TimeForUs, a movement that aims to narrow the divide between Gen Xers and millennials. Acer Philippines moves to bring two generations closer through technology, breaking down barriers built on misconceptions and misunderstandings.

“At Acer, we believe that it’s time to focus on bridging the generation divide,” shares Sue Ong-Lim, Sales and Marketing Director of Acer Philippines. “It’s imperative that we see that, amidst the differences between Gen Xers and millennials, they are also a lot alike.”

Central to the campaign is the partnership between Acer Philippines and G-Shock, a sub-brand under Casio. G-Shock’s appeal has spanned both the Gen X and millennial generation, and continues to be popular among the youth today.

Acer Philippines also called on rock musician Basti Artadi and spoken word artist Juan Miguel Severo, both artistic icons of their craft and time, to collaborate and develop “Time For Us” a musical-and-spoken word piece to drive the message of the campaign. Basti Artadi, vocalist of the award-winning rock band Wolfgang, rose to fame in the mid- to late-90s, making him a legend among those from Gen X.

Meanwhile, Juan Miguel Severo popularized the art of spoken word poetry when “Ito Na Ang Huling Tula Na Isusulat Ko Para Sa’yo”, his original piece, made rounds on social media, making it viral among the millennials. The piece cemented the admiration of spoken word poetry as an art form, and since then, Juan Miguel Severo has become the face of the craft.

“G-Shock is proud to be Acer’s partner in furthering this cause. With Basti Artadi and Juan Miguel Severo, we aspire to bring the Gen X and millennial generation together,” says Charlene Hung, Marketing Officer of Casio Philippines. “With their help, we are optimistic that we will ultimately be able to succeed.”

The #TimeForUs Launch Event

The #TimeForUs launch led by Acer Philippines was held at Yes Please in June. This modern bar at Bonifacio Global City was transformed into a nostalgic wonderland reminiscent of the 80s and 90s, but peppered with today’s technology, symbolic of the event’s cause – old school arcades paired with Acer’s latest laptops, music sets that shifted from old school beats to modern pop, and an overall aesthetic that brought out the best from both eras.

As Acer Philippines formally announced its partnership with G-Shock, the powerhouse brands launched the #TimeForUs promo, where every purchase of qualifying Acer laptops entitles its buyers to a G-Shock watch, which they may claim in any of Acer’s service centers in Manila, Cebu, and Davao.

The event also saw the debut of “Time For Us” - the musical-and-spoken word piece created by Basti Artadi and Juan Miguel Severo. Basti Artadi pumped up the crowd with his roaring voice as Juan Miguel Severo, representative of the millennials, spewed compelling words; together, they delivered a powerful performance which was symbolic of two generations uniting. The Time For Us music video is now live online – you may watch the compelling piece at the Acer Philippines Facebook Page.

“At the end of the campaign, both G-Shock and Acer Philippines want to have brought a better understanding of and between Gen Xers and millennials,” adds Hung. “We want these two generations to see the merits of working together.”

To learn more about Acer and #TimeForUs, you can visit www.acer.com.ph, follow @acerphils on Twitter, or visit the Acer Philippines Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AcerPH. Interested parties may also see flyers for more details on the G-Shock promo.

About Acer

Established in 1976, Acer is a hardware + software + services company dedicated to the research, design, marketing, sale, and support of innovative products that enhance people's lives. Acer's product offerings include PCs, displays, projectors, servers, tablets, smartphones and wearables. It is also developing cloud solutions to bring together the Internet of Things. Acer celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2016 and is one of the world’s top 5 PC companies. It employs 7,000 people worldwide and has a presence in over 160 countries. To know more about Acer Philippines, go to www.acer.com.ph, follow @acerphils on Twitter, and visit www.facebook.com/AcerPH.

‘Now, a perfect time to expand’— Lopez to IT-BMP players

The government intensifies its support for the continuous development of the information technology-business process management (IT-BPM) industry, following the industry’s generated revenue of around US$23 billion and direct employment of 1.3 million last year.

Speaking at the office opening of financial institution ING Business Shared Services BV on 20 June, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez said that ING’s expansion comes at a perfect time when the Philippines is considered the global leader in IT-BPM, having an annual growth rate of 30% over a decade.

Sec. Lopez also mentioned that IT-BMP’s economic contributions surpass remittances of overseas Filipino workers, making the industry more competitive and growth-driven.

“The industry benefits from an enabling policy environment under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. I encourage the IT-BMP industry players to continue expanding and specifically take advantage of this moment, when the Philippines is experiencing an economic breakout, as further intensified by efforts to improve ease of doing business,” he said. 

The trade chief also highlighted that the country has a qualified, highly-trainable, hardworking work force, with notable English proficiency and fast learning curve.

“Filipinos’ adaptability to universal cultures and their high level of commitment and loyalty prove that the country’s greatest asset has always been its people, who will bring inclusive growth to the rest of the country,” he said.

Globally, the Philippines is competitively positioned in terms of talent, costs, and risks relative to established and emerging offshore destinations. Cities from Metro Manila to Clark, to the cities of Cebu, Davao, Santa Rosa, Bacolod, Iloilo, Dumaguete, and Baguio are listed in the 2016 Top 100 Outsourcing Destinations as reported by Tholons.

While the Philippines is the number one global provider of voice BPM services, it is also rapidly expanding in the value-driven non-voice, complex services segments of the industry.

Non-voice services included range from engineering, health care, legal, financial, creative, and software services for the energy, banking, investment, insurance, shipping, media, and other industries.

DTI has set up Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP) for IT-BPM, wherein the government invests on training for students to work in the industry.

DTI also has a partnership with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) to run the Service Management Program (SMP), a specialized track for business and IT schools to develop skills in students needed to work in the IT-BPM industry.

The first foreign bank that transitioned into a universal bank in the country, ING offers banking insurance, retirement and investments services with global presence in 40 countries. 

*This is Press Release