The country’s leading digital service providers PLDT Home Fibr and SMART Communications will bring the much-anticipated ESL One Manila 2016, to the Philippines. Southeast Asia’s first ever premiere DOTA 2 tournament brings in some of the world’s best online gamers to compete at the SM MOA Arena on April 23-24, 2016.

Trailblazing through history as the largest Esports event in the country, ESL One Manila 2016 is led by the Germany-based Turtle Entertainment – one of the world’s biggest Esports company – and is presented by PLDT Home Fibr and SMART, which have empowered Filipino gamers through their innovative products, services and the most awesome Esports experiences.

This exhilirating world-class spectacle is bound to bring more than 10,000 Filipino fans and gaming enthusiasts to attend this two-day event that will exclusively be broadcast by TV5.

CHANGING THE GAMERS’ GAME

“We are very thrilled to help bring a world-class gaming event in our country and put us on the map of the booming International Esports scene,” said Ariel P. Fermin, EVP and Head of Consumer Business at PLDT and SMART. “This is a milestone in PLDT Home Fibr and SMART’s pioneering efforts when it comes to ‘changing the game’ for Filipino games and fueling their passions with meaningful innovations and awesome experiences – both at home and mobile through the powerful convergence of our services.

He also pointed out that, “ESL One Manila 2016 also builds on our thrust to elevate online gaming to a form of a sport, where the values of team work and discipline, coupled with strategy and mental agility, are showcased. We are rooting for our Philippine representative to prove that Filipinos have what it takes to excel in competition online gaming in the international arena.”

MEET TEAM MINESKI.SPORTS5

So, who’s our representative in this prestigious ESL One Manila 2016?

Well, aside from gearing up for this milestone event in Philippine Esports, both PLDT Home Fibr and SMART Communications announced on Thursday, that Team Mineski.Sports5 is the country’s representative to this much-awaited gathering of the best gamers in the region.

Team Mineski.Sports5 is composed of veteran Esports players namely Ryan Jay Qui, Benhur Lawis, Jun Kanehara, Jessie Vash Cuyco and Julius Caesar Sto. Domingo.

Banking on their determination and experience in the international scene, the team emerged on top of the multi-legged nationwide qualifiers that gathered teams from the different parts of the country like Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao and Manila.

The team is bound to battle it out with other teams from Asia, Europe, and the United States. All 7 teams are vying for prestige and at stake is the massive prize pool worth of US$250,000.00.

EXCLUSIVE PERKS FOR PLDT HOME AND SMART SUBSCRIBERS

Subscribers of PLDT Home Fibr and SMART is bound to enjoy exclusive perks and treats from these leading digital service providers, among them is scoring tickets for this event.

Aside from that, they can win Steam vouchers, meet and greet their favorite Esports teams, and a chance to take home exciting prizes from raffle and games.

During the event, gamers can expect that PLDT Home Fibr and SMART are to put up hubs in order for gamers to enjoy the latest games and entertainment which is best experienced with fast and reliable fixed and wireless connectivity. Backed by most robust and extensive fiber optic footprint that spans over 100,000 kilometers, effectively boosting the Filipinos’ connected homes and digital lifestyles.

PIONEERING PRODUCTS FOR GAMERS

If you’re unfamiliar with DOTA 2, this is a hit game among millions of professional and casual players all over the world.

It’s a multi-player online battle arena game with eye-catching, gripping graphics and gameplay that needs great strategy and coordination whose matches are often played between two five-player teams whose main purpose is to destroy the opposing team’s stronghold while at the same time protecting their own.

Through PLDT, Filipinos are allowed to take their game play to the next level via the PLDT Home Fibr, the Philippines’ most powerful broadband service, as it provides the perfect exhilarating and action-packed online multiplayer games like DOTA2.

To add further convenience to gamers, PLDT Home has also made it more easy for their subscribers to charge their respective Steam wallet purchases to their bill.

Likewise, SMART has provided unaparalleled convenience to Filipino gamers via GameX, a pioneering platform that permits its subscribers to buy credits for popular PC and mobile games using prepaid load or postpaid account by visiting gamex.ph/epins, the Philippines’ leading game portal.

Those who are into mobile games can use Big Bytes 50—SMART’S biggest mobile data offer yet—which now provides ‘double data’ with 700MB for gaming and surfing, plus 600 MB for streaming on YouTube, YouTube Gaming and iflix, valid for 3 days for only P50.

SMART’s direct carrier billing on Google Play also lets mobile gamers to buy games and make in-app purchases conveniently using their prepaid load or charged to their postpaid account.

SOLID ESPORTS SUPPORTERS

Since 2013, both PLDT and SMART have continuously provide world-class Esports events. Both companies have also been mounting grassroots and pocket tournaments for hit online games in the Philippines. Aside from the upcoming ESL One Manila 2016, both digital providers mounted activities and events to support the passions of Filipino gamers and enthusiasts. One of the Esports activities that they helped put together is Rampage 2015, the national finals for League of Legends last August. Followed by more activities the following month, both PLDT and SMART staged the much celebrated Asia Pop Comic Con Manila, the first ever International comics convention in the country. Also last September SMART mounted the Philippine Clash, the country’s biggest and most prestigious nationwide Clash of Clans tournament. This was followed by both companies supporting the Esports and Gaming Summit, the country’s biggest showcase of games and publishers.

For details about the different activities at ESL One Manila 2016, visit www.esl-one.com/dota2/manila-2016 and follow PLDT Home and SMART’s official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Photos courtesy of RM Marcelo (@fabulousRM)