Good morning. How about the rest of us? Malacanang recently declared today as a special non-working day for Malabon, in commemoration of its 425th founding anniversary.

Stocks: Peso Depreciates to 57.9 to US Dollar. Meanwhile, Asian stocks show promise after Wall Street Closes Out Another Winning Week

Local News

💾 Megawide’s Mega Data Center Dream

By Tobias Bautista

Modern companies, paired with the rise of AI, need lots of data to keep an edge. And so…

Megawide Construction Corp. is on the hunt for big-name tenants for its upcoming data center, hoping to cash in on the booming demand for data storage. Think of it as building a high-tech hotel, but for data instead of people.

Edgar Saavedra, Megawide's chair, shared that they're on the lookout for anchor tenants before breaking ground on their new facility. They’re eyeing the giants like Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google GCP to fill up their digital digs.

Last year, Megawide partnered with Singapore's Evolution Data Centers to design, build, and operate a data center in Cavite. This project will start with a 23-megawatt capacity facility on a 4-hectare site, costing around P16.5 billion over five years. It's like setting up a power plant but for cloud computing needs.

Cloud tech is hotter than a Manila summer, with businesses everywhere needing robust online systems for hybrid work setups. This surge has everyone from PLDT to Globe Telecom investing heavily in their data center capacities.

PLDT is opening a 50-MW data center in Laguna this July, while Globe's data center arm broke ground on a massive 124-MW facility in Quezon City last year. The Department of Information and Communications Technology predicts local data center capacity will grow by 500% in the next two years.

Megawide has turned around its financials with a net income of P188.38 million in Q1 2024, reversing last year's net loss. Total revenues jumped 19% to P5.2 billion, with a hefty order book of P44.58 billion.

As they scout for tenants, it’s clear that Megawide is gearing up to be a major player in the data center game. Stay tuned for more updates as they build the digital backbone of tomorrow!

🧀 Let the Chiz-y Era Begin

by Titus Bautista

Looks like the Senate wants more Chiz as they voted Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero as it’s next Senate President. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano nominated Sen. Escudero on Monday, without any protest from the other senators. Sorry guys, we have no say in these matters. Gotta have a seat at the big boys table. The newly elected Senate President took his oath immediately while accompanied by his lovely wife Heart Evangelista.

But all this happened cause Miguel Zubiri - the previous SP - actually quit. “Hindi naman siguro tayo kalaban ng powers that be pero siguro dahil not following instructions kaya nadali tayo,” the senator said in a privilege speech yesterday. His speech actually raised eyebrows given the ongoing probe into alleged leaked Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) documents. But he blamed his current situation to just plain old politics. Business is business and I guess politics is politics.

As Hamlet once said, “Something is Rotten in the State of Denmark”. Is there something Sen. Zubiri refuses to put into light? 👀

🛵 Angkas Boosts Emergency Response Team

by Tobias Bautista

Motorcycle-hailing app Angkas just leveled up its emergency game, making sure riders and passengers are safer than ever on the go.

Angkas announced that their emergency response protocol now features round-the-clock coverage by emergency medical technicians (EMTs), ready to swoop in within 15 to 30 minutes. Think of them as the superheroes of the road, but with helmets and first aid kits.

In addition to beefing up their own team, Angkas is teaming up with hospitals and ambulance networks to ensure swift medical assistance. “We've broadened our training, acquired new equipment, and refined our skills to better handle potential emergencies,” said Marlon Abilong, Angkas’ ERT lead.

Angkas riders are also getting some serious life-saving skills. Clinics in Cainta and Makati are set up for bikers and their families to get checkups, and bikers are undergoing basic life support and first aid training. When an emergency report comes in via hotline, the nearest EMT is dispatched pronto. If needed, they'll call in backup or an ambulance to get the individual to the hospital.

This superhero squad is already operational in Metro Manila, Cagayan de Oro, and Cebu City, with emergency hotlines available 24/7.

Need help? Here are the hotlines: 0917 3264 527 for Globe and 0918 9264 527 for Smart. Angkas has your back, anytime, anywhere!

World News

⚔️ Turbulence in Tehran: Iran Prime Minister Dead

By Tobias Bautista

In a shocking turn of events, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and several top officials were found dead after their helicopter crashed in a foggy, mountainous region of northwest Iran. Raisi was 63.

The crash comes amid regional chaos from the Israel-Hamas war. Just last month, Raisi, under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, launched an unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel. Under his leadership, Iran also ramped up uranium enrichment and armed militias across the Middle East.

State TV hasn’t pinpointed a cause for the crash yet. Among the dead is Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, 60. Early Monday, Turkish authorities released drone footage of a fire they suspect to be the wreckage, found 12 miles south of the Azerbaijan-Iran border.

Footage showed soldiers discovering the crash site in a steep valley. Supreme Leader Khamenei urged the public to pray for Raisi’s safe return, though he assured that Iran’s government would continue to function. By law, First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber steps in until a new election is held within 50 days.

Sports

🏀 3 Best Words in Sports: Two Game 7’s—which headlined yesterday morning’s NBA Playoffs

By Koby del Rosario

It was for all the marbles when both Game 7’s scheduled for May 19th’s 2024 NBA Playoffs went under way as Conference Finals berths were on the line.

In the hotly-contested matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets, it was a tale of two halves as the T-Wolves pulled away late to eliminate the defending champions, 4-3, in Game 7, 98-90. Even with his clutch heroics, superstar Anthony Edwards (16 pts, 8 rebs, 8 assts) had poor efficiency (6/24 FGM) as his teammates picked up the slack with Karl Anthony-Towns and Jaden Mcdaniels dropping 23 each—with the former grabbing 12 rebounds as well.

Stunned by the loss, Nuggets stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray had 34 and 35, respectively, as they were the only ones from their squad who scored double digits.

The win now sets up an exciting Western Conference Finals series between Minnesota and the red hot Dallas Mavericks. 

Out in Madison Square Garden, the Indiana Pacers capitalized on an injury-ridiculed New York Knicks team as they went on to win Game 7, 130-109, edging them out in the second round series, 4-3. The whole starting five of the Pacers enjoyed a high-efficient game, as all of them scored at least 17 points on a historic NBA Playoff clip.

Despite going down on things out of their control, Donte Divincenzo stepped up in a major way with 39 markers while Alec Burks complimented him with 26 off the bench.

This victory will now have the Boston Celtics face off against Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals.

2024 NBA Playoff action continues on Wednesday Philippine time, with the ECF beginning first.

News Roundup

• For Shell, gas prices decrease by 0.10/liter while diesel increase by 0.25/liter in this third week of May

• International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for Israel and Hamas leaders due to war crimes. This includes Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu

• Jim Halpert’s John Krasinski’s ‘IF’ score a subpar $35 Million box office debut, but its reviews are showing promise

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