The next leap for Filipino fighters/London postscript

The One FC: Pride of a Nation fight card gave local mixed martial artists a big boost and something to aim for, as the three Filipinos lined up all came through with impressive wins in front of a rabid crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday.

Even as early as the open workout at the Discovery Suites Wednesday, observers were raving about Eric Kelly’s speed and striking ability. Kelly, a former taxi driver, bodyguard and movie stuntman, stopped Jens “Lil Evil” Pulver, the first lightweight champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), at 1:42 of the second round. Kelly, who has been fighting all over Southeast Asia, is unbeaten after eight fights, and has won by submission six times. He has been drawing comparisons to eight-time world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao.

“Your boy was so fast and strong. He’s definitely the Manny Pacquiao of MMA,” Pulver himself said. “I’m 37 and I think it’s retirement for me now.”

So impressed was One FC chief executive officer and countryman Victor Cui that he announced he would give Kelly a shot at the vacant featherweight crown against Honorio Banario in one of the three title bouts to be featured in One FC 6: Rise of Kings at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Oct. 6. Banario defeated Andrew Benibe by TKO in the third round of their bout Friday.

Banario’s Team Lakay stablemate Eduard Folayang will also be fighting for a title in October. “Landslide” maximized his kicks to carve out a unanimous decision win over Felipe Enomoto. After the fight, Cui revealed that Folayang will get a shot at the vacant lightweight title against Brazilian Zorobabel Moreira in the Singapore card.

“Thank you for the opportunity, and I promise to win it for the country,” Folayang said.

What One FC has done in the region is bring stability and unity to the sport, and attracted big-name talent from around the world. In the globe’s biggest market, this also gives Filipino fighters a bigger goal to aspire for, after over a decade of building up the sport to little reward on their own. Now, Filipinos are building a fan base outside the country, and making the next leap to a bigger stage.

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In a previous piece, we mentioned how engineering for accessibility from the outset contributed to the success of London 2012. As a postscript, CH2M Hill, one of the world’s largest engineering companies based in Denver, Colorado, led a three-company international consortium called CLM that provided the program management services for the planning, design and construction of the infrastructure and venues for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games. Leading international think-tank Ethisphere named CH2M Hill one of the 2012 World’s Most Ethical Companies, the fourth year in a row that the firm has received that recognition.

Together with its British partners and the country’s biggest construction company Laing O’Rourke and construction management company Mace Ltd., CH2M Hill oversaw construction of $14 billion worth over 22 venues, including the 80,000-seat Olympic stadium, the centerpiece of the Summer Games, the 6,000-seat Velodrome for cycling, the 17,500-seat Aquatics Centre, and the Olympic Village, where more than 17,000 athletes and officials lived during the Games.

The consortium also upgraded and modified existing London venues, including historic locations such as Wimbledon and Lord’s cricket ground. CH2M Hill finished the massive projects in July, allowing for the venues to be tested prior to the Olympics proper. This was their fourth Olympic Games after Atlanta in 1996, Salt Lake City in 2002, Beijing in 2008 and Vancouver in 2010. In accordance with the organizing committee’s directive, CH2M Hill made sure that the venues built would be used after the Olympics and not become white elephants.

CH2M Hill is the same American company helping First Philippine Industrial Corporation (FPIC) clean up the oil leak from its pipeline that affected certain areas in Barangay Bangkal, Makati. CH2M Hill designed the government-approved multi-phase extraction (MPE) system that is being used for the recovery and treatment of petroleum leakage from the FPIC pipeline, which affected the West Tower condominium and nearby streets in Bangkal. The MPE system is designed to extract volatile organic compounds or VOCs in soil, vapor and groundwater in the affected areas, and clean the soil and groundwater up to levels which will not pose any long-term health risk to the community. It is also designed to discharge air emissions and liquid effluents which comply with the standards of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.

The government’s Interagency Committee on Environmental Health (IACEH) had previously approved the MPE system for the long-term remediation of the affected areas in Barangay Bangkal upon the endorsement of the Department of Science and Technology.