Fil-Aussie Reece McLaren Battles for Validation as Next Flyweight Title Challenger

Wazzup Pilipinas!

After notching two impressive victories in the span of five months, Reece “Lightning” McLaren has proven without a shadow of a doubt that he truly is the top contender in ONE Championship’s star-studded flyweight division.

However, McLaren is having a slight detour towards his goal to meet undisputed flyweight kingpin Geje Eustaquio as he has been booked to duke it out with Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada.

Both men are slated to face each other in a three-round flyweight affair in the co-main event of ONE: BATTLE FOR THE HEAVENS, which takes place at the Guangzhou Tianhe Gymnasium in Guangzhou, China on Saturday, July 7.

“I do not really want to wait around,” McLaren said. “The way I see it is – if you are feeling like you are the champ, then you should be able to beat anyone on any given day.”

“My goal is to become the champ, and if I want to be the champ, then I have to be able to step up at any time and beat anyone. Champions train, losers complain,” he added.

After recreating himself as a flyweight, the 26-year-old Filipino-Australian dynamo has been a force to be reckoned with in ONE Championship’s 61.2-kilogram weight class.

In front of a sold-out crowd at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines last November, McLaren had a thunderous divisional debut when he submitted Anatpong Bunrad with a spectacular brabo choke.

McLaren followed it up with a feat that was just as impressive this past March, submitting Malaysian standout Gianni Subba in a short-notice bout with an arm-triangle choke in the second round.

Following his victory over Subba, it was clear as daylight that McLaren should be next in line for a shot, but before he could claim his championship opportunity, the promotion’s flyweight title picture situation had to be settled.

It was eventually sorted out at ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER last June when Eustaquio pulled off a gutsy split decision to defeat Adriano Moraes and become the undisputed ONE Flyweight World Champion.

McLaren could have sat on the sidelines and waited to challenge the winner of the aforementioned unification contest later this year, but he chose to get right back into action.

“I will get my shot regardless. I will knock the other contenders down one by one until I get it. It is just a matter of time,” he stated.

To show he is willing to square off with any combatant on the ONE Championship stage, McLaren crosses paths with Wada at ONE: BATTLE FOR THE HEAVENS.

Holding a professional record of 19-8-2, 1 NC, Wada is a former DEEP flyweight titleholder, who enters his in-ring encounter with McLaren with a phenomenal eight-bout winning streak.

McLaren is well aware of his Japanese opponent’s ability, which is why he refuses to take him lightly.

“He has had a lot of fights and he has a lot of experience. He has some awkward looking stand-up, and I think he has a really good ground game,” he explained. “It is a really good match, and I think it is a really dangerous match. I am always excited for a challenge. Whoever the name, I am happy to buckle in, and get set and go.”

Should McLaren beat Wada on Saturday, McLaren may furnish a date with Eustaquio and make his dream of becoming a world champion a reality.

“I have been dreaming of having a world title around my waist since I can ever remember. It is a lifetime goal, but to just win is not enough. I want more,” he ended.

​For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship. ​

Pour More Fun and Refreshment with Tang!

Wazzup Pilipinas!

It’s no secret that we Filipinos love our refreshing drinks. In the warmest of days, we always turn to our favorite refreshments to beat the heat! For us, an iced, refreshing drink to share with friends and family is the most satisfying. That’s why Tang has been a staple in countless Filipino homes for the past 46 years!  We get more refreshment, enjoyment, and value from Tang!


Still the Best Refreshment

Tang is a well-loved household name because it has stayed committed in making life more refreshing each time it’s shared with family friends. A glass of Tang’s unbeatable fruit-flavored and refreshing taste is sure to quench everyone’s thirst!


Real Fruit Flavors 

While everyone knows Tang started with just one flavor - its classic, Orange taste, - the brand continues to innovate and create new flavors for us to be refreshed in many different ways! Tang quenches your thirst in 16 different fruit flavors so you don’t have to settle for the same old carbonated drink. Made with real fruit extracts, you can be refreshed with tropical flavors like mango, pineapple, and dalandan. If you’re feeling more adventurous, make an iced-cold pitcher of Tang Pomelo, or Guyabano! You can also have a glass of the new Tang Mixed Berries - a wonderful fusion of grape, strawberry, and raspberry flavors which your family will surely love. Tang can definitely give you more by offering many delicious options for each day!


Vitamin Goodness 
In addition to having all of these wonderful flavors to choose from, each serving of Tang is fortified with Fruit Power7*. Unlike carbonated soft drinks, A glass of Tang has Vitamins A, B3, B6, Iron, and Folate to help meet your child’s daily nutrient needs, based on the 2002 Philippines Recommended Energy and Nutrients Intake (RENI). It also has Vitamin B2 and 100% Vitamin C, which helps boost the immune system. With Tang, kids ages 7 – 9 get more nutrients in every glass, giving more than just refreshment.


Value-filled Fun Family Times with Tang  

Tang also helps you get the most out of life with its budget-friendly price point. With a suggested retail price of 16.45 pesos per liter pack, you can have a cool and refreshing treat that is enough for 5 full glasses as opposed to a solo-sized can of soft drink, which is only good for one person - that is almost the same price!

Tang will surely remain as the market leader in the powdered beverage category in the country. With its pledge of creating delicious flavors, developing budget-friendly servings, and infusing vitamins and minerals in every pack, Tang simply packs more fruity goodness for every Filipino family. With Tang, you get many refreshing possibilities and even more added value!

To know more, like TANG on Facebook (www.facebook.com/TangPhilippines).

*Fruit Power7: Tang is a source of Vitamins A, B3, B6, Folate and Iron and high source of Vitamins B2 and C. This is based on the 2002 Philippines Recommended Energy and Nutrients Intake (RENI) for kids 7-9 years old.

Better Connectivity in Palawan: Network Upgrade Boosts Businesses, Smart Retailers’ Sales

Wazzup Pilipinas!

For a tourist-popular place like Puerto Princesa in Palawan, better mobile internet is a boon not only to travelers, but for local businesses as well.

“Mobile data is a need for our (travel) agency to keep up with the strong online community of travelers,” said Jocelyn Libato, staff at Pretty Planet Travel and Tours in Puerto Princesa. “We post updates, promos and tour packages on our Facebook page to attract customers here and abroad.”

Locally owned gaming shops like Lucky Panda Game Zone have also felt the boost. “It really helps me promote the business especially now that communication with customers mostly takes place online, be it via email, Facebook, or Messenger,” said Lucky Panda Game Zone supervisor Rochelle Baylon.

From P2,000 a week last year, store owner Evelyn Juntado now sells more than twice as much cell phone load. She is one of many Smart load retailers in Puerto Princesa enjoying a boost in earnings since Smart Communications upgraded its network, boosting connectivity and consequently driving data traffic.

“I have been re-loading from Smart agents more frequently since the LTE rollout,” she says, and P5,000 worth is easily sold out.

Marilyn Bundac, a veteran Smart retailer in Puerto Princesa, has likewise tripled her earnings because of better signal. “From P500 a day, I now average P1,000 to P1,500. My customers from the Land Transportation Office here say that they can use Smart’s faster LTE to watch videos on YouTube or play mobile games,” she said, adding that she herself is an avid Facebook user.

Smart is rolling out more Long Term Evolution (LTE) sites across Palawan, the country’s largest province in terms of land area, starting in Puerto Princesa. Initial internal tests in areas like the Puerto Princesa International Airport and Honda Bay wharf showed LTE download speeds between 12 and 60 Mbps, depending on the device.

Evelyn’s Jairus Store is located at Honda Bay wharf. Being also an online seller on Facebook, the mother of two herself uses mobile data -- GigaSurf50 for fast and stable online experience—the same promo she often recommends to her regular customers, mostly tricycle drivers and housewives.

Higher month-on-month growth

With increased data traffic Puerto Princesa, Smart in Palawan has also posted month-on-month growth in sales over the last six months.

Ryan Abadilla, provincial customer development manager for Palawan sees more opportunities for the province. “With improved connectivity, tourists can upload photos, update their social media, and keep in touch with their families via messaging apps faster.” And with more tourists coming in, “local businesses will also flourish.”

Aside from the city proper, tourist areas like Coron, El Nido, Roxas, San Vicente and Taytay have also been growing, thanks to Smart LTE already in place,” he adds.

Like Evelyn, load retailer Riza Cinco also reports a spike in business since the network upgrade.

“My customers now prefer higher load denominations ranging from P50 to 100 like GigaSurf50 and AllOutSurf 99 so they can enjoy mobile data for a longer period of time,” she says. “They also still buy call-and-text promos like the Super Combo 20 and UnliCall&Text30.”

Increasing LTE traffic

For student Aziel Almasco, who buys AllOutSurf99, mobile data is helpful for both work and play. “With the improved network in our area, I also get to enjoy the Free YouTube Everyday promo now that I am on vacation,” she says.

Until July 15, Smart, Sun, and TNT prepaid customers can enjoy up to one hour of free access to YouTube every day as long as they are registered to select promos including GigaSurf99, AllOutSurf99, GigaSurf 50, AllOutSurf 30, Panalo Data 30, Panalo Combo 30, Super Combo 20, and Big Time Data 70. This offer is also available to Smart and Sun postpaid customers, while Sun Fixed Load Plans users simply have to register to select load buckets to enjoy the offer.

Puerto Princesa is just one of many high-traffic areas where Smart has already deployed LTE. Recently, Smart also fired up LTE in the Philippines’ most picturesque tourist havens, including Batanes, Sagada, and Sarangani, as well as in the cities of Tacloban and Ormoc in Leyte, to name a few.

Investing in network transformation

In 2018, Smart is doubling the number of LTE base stations to about 17,700 nationwide and raising the number of LTE-equipped cell sites to more than 6,800, using frequencies that are compatible with CA-capable smartphones available in the market today. It is on track toward to fulfill its commitment to the National Telecommunications Commission to cover 90% of the country’s cities and municipalities with mobile data service by the end of this year.

Parent company PLDT has committed historic levels of resources to support network transformation, with capital expenditures expected to reach P58 billion this year. Alongside Smart’s ramped-up LTE roll out, PLDT is also aggressively rolling out its fiber broadband service, which also supports the stepped-up deployment of the mobile network by providing high-capacity links for cellular base stations.