Joshua Pacio Joins the Team Lakay Mountain Biking Craze

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Team Lakay is hands down the most prolific martial arts team in the Philippines. With well-known and established stars such as former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang, and former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin Belingon leading the pack, Team Lakay is the absolute elite in Asian martial arts.

But because of the effect the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the world, particularly the Philippines where movement has been greatly restricted, Team Lakay has had to resort to alternative methods of training to keep their physical fitness at the highest level.

Fortunately, the team is situated in one of the most breathtaking locales in the entire country. Baguio City is abundant with lush greenery, cool weather, and fresh mountain air.

Reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio recently took up the Team Lakay pastime of mountain biking, and now a handful of their team members regularly hit the dirt roads to experience the fun and excitement of this alternative sport.

“I took up mountain biking because I saw kuya Edward [Kelly], kuya Geje [Eustaquio], and kuya Honorio [Banario] doing it. So I tried it way back then, but it took me two years to buy my own bike. I’ve only just now made it a regular thing. Now we all go biking together, and it’s a lot of fun,” said Pacio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbL2XgcpC-I&t=153s

“Mountain biking is a leisure activity, but it’s also good for cardio exercise.”

Pacio and the team typically integrate mountain biking into their training regimen, riding at least once a week during training camp, and two to three times a week when they don’t have upcoming bouts.

The area they usually ride in Baguio City is flush with natural beauty -- hills, valleys, rivers, and flourishing wildlife.

For Pacio, it’s a chance not only to get in a great workout, but also to absorb the unique energy of mother nature.

“Me, Danny [Kingad], Jeremy [Pacatiw], Jomar [Paac], kuya Geje, Edward, and Honorio all ride a lot. It’s one of the ways we bond. We ride together and experience the outdoors. It’s reenergizing and revitalizing, great for the mind and body,” said Pacio.

“What I love most about mountain biking is that you don’t really notice how physically tiring it is because you’re having so much fun. It’s especially fun riding up mountains and roads. Baguio City has some of the best scenic locations in the Philippines. It’s so refreshing to just take in nature. We also have the best weather in the country.”

Pacio is staying ready and staying sharp. Once the situation with Covid-19 begins to improve and restrictions are relaxed, ONE Championship will look to host events in Manila once again. Pacio, who holds the ONE Strawweight World Title, knows he has to be at the top of his game constantly for when he gets the call to defend his belt.

Luckily, Pacio has mountain biking to keep him busy until he steps into the ONE Circle again. The Team Lakay group activity has produced some memorable moments for Pacio.

“One of my most memorable experiences mountain biking was when ONE Championship came to Baguio for a shoot. They wanted to capture us mountain biking, so we went to Bubok Bisal, which is an hour and a half away from here. We enjoyed it a lot,” Pacio recalled.

“There were a lot of uphill and downhill slopes. We started riding at 10 in the morning, and we finished around 4:30 in the afternoon, ending up along a river where we had a meal before we went home. It’s those moments that get etched into your memory. It was such an amazing experience.”

Philippine Film Archive Continues Preservation of Gems from UPFI Film Collection

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The community quarantine due to COVID-19 took over the second quarter of 2020, but this did not deter the Philippine Film Archive (PFA) from fulfilling its role of protecting our national film heritage, which includes the University of the Philippines Film Institute (UPFI) Film Center film collection.

The PFA, a division of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), reported that from April to June 2020, it was able to complete the rewinding, transfer, and inventory of Class A and Class B elements from its acquisitions from the UPFI Film Center.

Among the historical and cultural gems that went through the rewinding, transfer, and inventory process are two films done by National Artists. These are “Noli Me Tangere” (1961), in original print, by National Artist for Cinema Gerardo de Leon and “Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim” (1984) by National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Lino Brocka.

Class A elements are in good condition with just minimal damage while Class B elements have medium to heavy damage such as warping, light to medium deterioration, slight blockage, and low to high Vinegar Syndrome. Class C elements, which are subject for disposal because of having melted images, blockage, or heavy deterioration, are undergoing rewinding, transfer, and inventory at present.

In August 2019, the UPFI Film Center turned over 1,024 film reels to the PFA for archiving, scanning, digitization, and possible restoration. There are even Russian titles in the acquired collection. Through FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño-Seguerra, the PFA had a fruitful meeting with UPFI Director Patrick Campos which led to the completion of the acquisition of the UPFI film collection.

PFA Head Don Gervin Arawan explains the rollercoaster of emotions that he and his team feels whenever they do the film archiving process: “There is excitement during acquisition; feeling of loss before we leave, seeing some films that were destroyed in time; thrill during inspection; and tension during the handling of some delicate and damaged films.”

He continued, “Then, there is pleasure after initial cleaning and transfer to a new container, and fulfillment when we complete the inventory and put them on racks or inside the film vaults. And before the day ends, we feel very honored to be able to do this for our country and for the present and future generations.”

Arawan reveals that the plans for the UPFI gems include digitizing the collection, migrating it to a new medium, and generating access copies for the public. Titles with significant historical and cultural values, such as “Noli Me Tangere” and “Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim,” will be prioritized for the PFA Film Restoration Program, which has already restored nine titles and is currently restoring two films.

“Our beloved Chairperson Liza Diño-Seguerra is always ecstatic about these kinds of projects and she already has plans on how to showcase and share to the Filipino people this culturally and historically significant endeavor,” concluded Arawan.

Economic valuation for marine turtles and blue-naped parrots held

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What is the Value of Wildlife?

What’s the value of a parrot soaring above a forest? How about a marine turtle grazing serenely by the coast?

The reasons for conserving wildlife range from the moral obligation to prevent extinction to more pragmatic reasons like wildlife tourism or the protection of natural systems which benefit local communities.

To better appreciate the value of marine turtles and blue-naped parrots, ADB, DENR-BMB and NIRAS Asia Manila sought expert counsel for an economic valuation review of wildlife last 12 August. Led by environmental economist Dr. Agustin Arcenas, the report analyzed the monetary value and ecosystem benefits derived from marine turtles and blue-naped parrots, representing some of the most iconic wildlife of the Philippines.

“The study aims to convince decision-makers that many animals are worth more alive than dead by assessing the trade, tourism and ecological value of marine turtles and blue-naped parrots,” explains Dr. Arcenas. Results shall be publicized in the coming months.

Other speakers included two marine turtle experts, Cecilia Fischer from ADB and independent consultant Romeo Trono. Two parrot experts, ornithologist Dr. Juan Carlos Gonzalez of UPLB and biologist Peter Widmann from the Katala Foundation shared their insights. A total of 42 representatives from the government, academe, plus international aid and nonprofit agencies attended the online event, which is part of a DENR-ADB/GEF project to combat the illegal wildlife trade, or IWT, in the Philippines.

The Philippines is an hotspot of biodiversity but also an IWT hub, having served as an illegal transshipment point for elephant ivory, as a source country of wildlife and wildlife byproducts such as pangolins and marine turtles, as well as a destination of trades, such as parrots kept as pets.

“People know that wildlife play an important role in balancing the environment, but their economic value has never been taken seriously,” adds DENR-BMB Wildlife Resources Division OIC Atty. Theresa Tenazas. “This study can finally give our enforcers, law practitioners, prosecutors and judges the correct valuation of wildlife – preventing the dismissal of wildlife cases because of the inability to establish their economic value, an argument often used by offenders to escape conviction.”

DENR-ADB/GEF is pushing for stronger legal reforms against IWT, enhanced capacity-building for law enforcers, plus demand reduction measures targeting consumers, with an emphasis on marine turtles and blue-naped parrots – legally-protected animals, which are nevertheless regularly captured for consumption, curio and pet trade.

“Biology, conservation science and economics must be meshed together to defeat the illegal wildlife trade and we are glad to see that the Philippines is taking a leading role in this,” concludes ADB environmental specialist Dr. Francesco Ricciardi.