Eduard Folayang Determined to Power Himself Out of Slump Against Veteran Yoshihiro Akiyama

Former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang is coming into his next bout full of motivation, after witnessing his Team Lakay teammates claim victories early into the year.

The 37-year-old ONE Championship veteran is in the most difficult stretch of his 14 year professional career, as “Landslide” has dropped four of his last five. Folayang, however, remains full of hope, and is determined to power himself out of his most recent slump.

ONE Championship recently confirmed Folayang’s highly anticipated return to action. The Team Lakay senior will take on Korean-Japanese superstar Yoshihiro “Sexyama” Akiyama at “ONE on TNT IV,” scheduled for Wednesday 28 April (Thursday, 29 April PH time) at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.

It’s the fourth installment in the “ONE on TNT” event series, which is broadcast to American audiences on US prime time via B/R Live and TNT.

Folayang is excited to face the 45-year-old Akiyama, and is currently deep in training, looking for his first victory in nearly two years.

“This will be a great fight for me. I’m working hard with the team right now, and I’m definitely up for the challenge. Everyone is gearing up,” said Folayang.

“Our victories in the first half of the year have boosted our morale. I, myself, have been inspired by my team’s victories. With our hard work, and discipline, and by the grace of God, 2021 will be a good year for Team Lakay.”

Folayang’s last victory in the Circle came against tough Mongolian Amarsanaa Tsogookhuu in November 2019. Prior to that, he dropped submission losses to Japanese rival Shinya Aoki and former UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez. Most recently, Folayang experienced decision losses to highly-regarded lightweights Pieter Buist and Antonio Caruso.

It has certainly been a rough stretch for the Filipino star, to say the least. But Folayang remains confident he can still put together a run back to the top, beginning with a solid performance against Akiyama.

“It is always an honor to share the Circle with legends. It gives me added motivation. Yoshihiro Akiyama is a legend and a veteran of the cage. His name is known throughout the world. This fight excites me because I know I’m going up against a great fighter. I’m working hard to come into the Circle well-conditioned with my mind and body,” said Folayang.

“This is a very important battle for me. I didn’t get the results that I wanted in my previous fights, and I wasn’t able to perform the way I wanted. The key to this fight is going to be the preparation. We’re coming up with a solid game plan. He’s not going to be an easy opponent. But at the same time, I’m confident in my skills. This time, I will aim for a steadfast victory.”

Women Make it Happen in Airspeed

There is no better time than National Women’s Month to highlight the ever-increasing role of women in shaping Philippine society in general, and the business world in particular.

In the Philippines’ male dominated corporate world, a woman named Rosemarie P. Rafael has been breaking stereotypes and challenging the big boys since the 1980s. In 1985, Mrs. Rafael founded Airspeed, one of the leading logistics solutions and express courier companies in the country. Airspeed is a company that reflects Ms. Rafael’s values and beliefs as a woman, a mother, and a leader. Being Airspeed’s Chairman and President and a true advocate of women, Ms. Rafael chose to empower women at Airspeed because she believes women are naturally nurturing and she knows that when people are supported and enabled, they can do great and impossible things.

These three women executives of Airspeed – together with the management team, envisioned to help propel the company to greater heights and, in the process, make the company better and reach success.

Anna Lyn Discaya is the new Chief Administrative Officer under Airspeed Group of Companies Holding Corp. In her new role, Ann will be in charge of managing and overseeing the company’s Administrative Group which comprises the Human Resources Team, Procurement Team, Security Group, Legal and Compliance Team, and Administrative Maintenance.

Claudette ‘Claude’ Lucasan-Canta is the new Chief Supply Chain Officer, and will oversee the supply chain solutions design, warehouse operational processes, distribution, procedures, and work process flow of all companies under the holdings group. She is tasked to align with different business unit heads on the requirements of prospects and accounts, as well as the review of onboarding processes of each account. Claude will also help define the goals and programs for each of the businesses operation units and review financial projections per cost modules for new and existing business.

Liza Fallar-Marquez, the Chief Information Technology Officer, leads the Management Information System Department. Liza has been with Airspeed for 23 years, and has made sure to establish and direct strategic long-term goals, policies and procedures for their information technology department. She leads the implementation of new IT Systems by adapting new technology platforms to improve the client experience, as well as monitor changes in the technology sector to discover ways the company can improve and develop its IT Infrastructure.

In closing off National Women’s Month, Airspeed is committed to pay tribute to females by entrusting them extraordinary roles as trailblazers and forerunners of change. In shining the spotlight on women, Airspeed is confident it can attain greater success for many more years to come.

MSMEs Share their Digital Journey in Time for Shopee’s 4.4 Mega Shopping Sale

MANILA, MARCH 26, 2021 - As e-commerce takes on greater importance in Filipinos’ lives, entrepreneurs continue to explore online selling opportunities to reach a new generation of tech-savvy users.

Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, provides an ideal avenue for MSMEs to quickly shift their businesses to e-commerce, the tools to upskill entrepreneurs, and engagement features to reach even more customers. With about 88,000 new online business registrations in 2020, 86,000 of these businesses registered from March to December when strict lockdown measures were implemented across the country. With many entrepreneurs going digital and turning to online platforms, Shopee shares two business owners’ success stories on the platform.

Jhoanna Tabije (Abubot PH)

Jhoanna Tabije joined Shopee shortly after she lost her job in 2018. It was a low time for her, and it wasn’t easy to find another job that quickly. Seeing her struggle, her friend encouraged her to try selling online. She decided to join Shopee after, and within a year, her ready-to-wear clothing apparel business was thriving. “Being on Shopee helped us a lot. Not only were we able to reach customers from all over the Philippines, but we also got resellers from Mindanao, especially when the lockdown happened,” Tabije said.

Through Shopee and its in-app features like Shopee Feed, Tabije reached more customers and gained better exposure for her store. “I really plan to use Shopee Live soon since there’s probably a market we haven’t tapped into yet.” Tabije also started joining the mega campaigns in 2019 and saw a large increase in sales as a result.

For the upcoming Shopee 4.4 Mega Shopping Day, Tabije and her team stocked up in early March to prepare to meet the forecasted surge in orders. “Last 3.3, we received a total of 41,000 orders and are expecting more this coming 4.4.” Tabije encourages other budding entrepreneurs to try selling online as well. “I think this is e-commerce’s golden era. It’s easier, faster, and safer. Now is the perfect time to sell online. We’ve been on Shopee for three years now, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Richard Salvo (randashoesofficial)

With over 87,000 followers on Shopee and an overall star rating of 4.92 out of 5, Richard Salvo’s store is on the right path to achieving even more online success. He established his footwear business but ran into financial difficulties. He took the risk of renting a stall at the mall, but the costs were too high. To continue his business without spending too much, Salvo decided to sign up on Shopee in August of 2019.

“I was amazed because joining Shopee was very easy. I started exploring the different marketing tools within the app and used them to gain more exposure to potential buyers. We even utilized the ads and vouchers heavily that time,” Salvo said. After realizing how convenient it was to be a Shopee seller, he ended his contract with the mall as it wasn’t generating as much income compared to his Shopee store.

“In 2019, I started out by storing the stocks in our living room and only had one employee. In that same year, we achieved more than ₱2M sales on Shopee despite the lack of manpower and storage capacity,” he said.

However, 2020 was a challenging year for Salvo. “We were not able to sell because our couriers had to shut down their operations for a while due to the pandemic. Despite everything, we even got to expand our business on Shopee, employing 14 more personnel and renting a bigger space.”

The obstacles did not stop Salvo and his team from achieving even greater success. At the end of the year, Salvo’s business garnered more than ₱23 million in sales with the help of his online store on Shopee.

“We are really growing with Shopee. With our earnings, we invested in a warehouse where we can store our stocks. We also established our own Shoe Raw Material Supply Store. We bought the property where our main footwear manufacturing facility was built. We now have a total of 16 employees for our online shop alone and two footwear manufacturing facilities managed by R&A Shoes, plus seven suppliers,” Salvo added.

For 4.4, Salvo and his team are preparing early for the big sale. Two weeks before 4.4, they make sure that they have stocks ready and they study their business insights data to learn which items will sell the most quickly. “Our team also ensures that we have new products to offer our shoppers,” he added.

This coming 4.4, shoppers can look forward to great deals and new items from Abubot PH and Randa Shoes. Users can also expect other brand deals and amazing promotions at the Shopee 4.4 Mega Shopping Day. For more information, visit https://shopee.ph/m/4-4.

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play. Shop, buy, load, and pay bills using ShopeePay to enjoy more perks.


About Shopee

Shopee is the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia & Taiwan. Shopee connects shoppers, brands, and sellers across Asia and other fast-growing markets, empowering anyone to buy and sell anywhere and at any time.

Shopee offers an easy, secure, and engaging experience that is enjoyed by millions of people daily. It offers a wide product assortment, supported by integrated payments and logistics, as well as popular entertainment features tailored for each market. Shopee is also a key contributor to the region’s digital economy with a firm commitment to helping brands and entrepreneurs succeed in e-commerce.

Shopee is a part of Sea Limited (NYSE:SE), a leading global consumer internet company. In addition to Shopee, Sea’s other core businesses include its digital entertainment arm, Garena, and digital financial services arm, SeaMoney. Sea’s mission is to better the lives of consumers and small businesses with technology.