The past few days have been marked by victories. In so many fronts.
The nation is still in euphoria with the win of Alex Eala over Iga Swiatek as she unseated the defending singles champion in the Wimbledon. Alex recorded not just one for the books but she also wrote history by being the first Filipino to ever made it in the Round of 16 in a prestigious grand slam tennis tournament. Regardless of the outcomes of how she fares in her next games, the Filipino nation already considers her a champion.
On the one hand, Gilas Pilipinas Men’s basketball team also scored a victory. It wasn’t exactly a win over New Zealand but to me that was also a triumph. It is not everyday that our national team forces an overtime match, much more a double overtime ordeal for an opponent that is way above in FIBA basketball world rankings than Philippines (and in their very own homecourt too). Gilas showed true grit, heart, and determination. They also sent a message that Filipinos are no pushovers and that no one can easily crush our spirits – that is the real victory.
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VICTORY IN eSPORTS. Although lacking in the same media exposure compared to the physical squad or its 3X3 counterpart, our eGilas Pilipinas basketball team also scored big wins in the Season 4 of the eFIBA basketball where they emerged as champions in Doha, Qatar. It was a tournament among eight teams from various parts of the globe. They brought home a trophy and a $20,000 plum.
Unknown to many is the fact that eGilas team members came from Laus eSports Team which has competed also in qualifying rounds of NBA2K in the world stage in the past.
This is the team where Laus Group president Paul Yusi has put so much faith and efforts on. While he has also spearheaded various trainings and tournaments on other eSports and other video game competitions, Paul has always been so determined to see our athletes play in global competitions. That victory has been in the making for many years now.
I remember how Paul had to really move heaven and earth for his team members to be included in qualifying events on global tournaments several years ago. I should know as he once told me of how he has to jockey for slots for Laus Team inclusion (not in this latest feat).
He was unrelenting in motivating his players, not to mention, of course the financial support that their company had to shell out for each and every game, tournament and training. His efforts and that of his team had paid off.
And with dividends at that. He has also been made part of the Board of Trustees of Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas, the governing body for the sport. While that may not be exactly his own liking, his inclusion manifests that recognition of his solid support to the sport whether on the real court or on video game platforms. Congratulations to Laus Group and its eSports under the leadership of Paul.
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VICTORY IN CLARK AVIATION. In investments, the past few days have seen have registered some wins at the Clark Civil Aviation Complex (CCAC – a government label for the 2,2000-hectare airside and landside lands where Clark International Airport or CRK is located)
First, there was that contract signing between BCDA and Lufthansa Technik Philippines where this company would bring its MRO (Maintenance Repair and Overhaul) to the airside of CCAC that is managed by LIPAD. Initial pronouncements have pegged the investments at $400 million.
The Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC), on the other hand, has also signed two investment projects that will be located at the landside. These two projects may not be as big in terms of amount of investments but their impact is equally huge.
For one, they are high value aerospace projects that lend prestige to Clark. Japan’s Jamco has signed with CIAC a P600 million expansion project. The Tokyo-headquartered company is a maker of aircraft interior components and sub-assembly parts. Heatcon, on the other hand, is a maker and supplier of composite repair equipment for aircraft parts. It is a global company with main offices in the US. Both of these firms have for clients major companies like Boeing and Airbus.
They bring to the table not just jobs and investments but also that investors’ confidence on Clark and the Philippines. They are high value aerospace projects that lend prestige to Clark as a center for investments.
These projects also prove the point where CIAC, despite not having the airport to operate any longer, is well serving its mandate. A fulfillment of CIAC’s vision to establish the Clark Aviation Capital (CAC). This, in simple terms is an aerotropolis – a city that does not only mean having a passenger terminal but also the support industries to a world-class airport
This includes logistics, warehousing, supply chain, hotels and other corollary industries for the airport. This also proves that the private sector (LIPAD) and government (CIAC) are in complementation in pushing for further development and progress at CCAC.
Call it tooting my own horn as I am part of the CIAC family but I cannot simply ignore how executives, officers and workers here have been diligently doing their jobs. Indulge me for a little pat on their backs
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VICTORY IN GOVT HOSPITALS. In government hospital initiatives, there is this triumph too in cornea donation. For the first time ever, the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Medical Hospital has successfully conducted retrieval and transplantation of this vital eye tissue within its facilities.
This effort by the regional medical institution can lead to life changing experiences as it joins battles an eye disorder that is largely the culprit in blindness.
Congratulations to the hospital’s top executives, its Department of Opthalmology, particularly Dr. Andrew Angeles who led the actual transplant. Gratefulness should also extend to the family of the donor who are deeply appreciated by the hospital staff.
Angeles has been doing transplants for the past 20 years. He and fellow experts Dr. Raoul Henson and Dr. Carlomagno Torres did a lasik surgery on me at AUF Medical Center some 17 years ago when that eye procedure was still at its infancy stage locally. These doctors are more than just eye experts They are true professionals who are also dedicated to noble causes that also have the poor and needy in mind. Kudos!
