By: Jan Marcus Montevirgen
Alexandre “AK” Laverez, the reigning champion of the Combo Breaker 2024 Tekken Tournament, is making strides beyond the competitive gaming world as he joins AP.Bren as an Assistant Manager intern.
AK, currently a fourth-year Business Management student at College of Saint Benilde, chose Aces Pro as his preferred company for his required internship. The 23-year-old professional Tekken player believes that working with AP.Bren will further deepen his understanding of the esports industry.
“Kaya assistant manager ‘yung kinuha ko kasi yung OJT is kailangan sa tine-take kong course. Ang sinabi ko naman po sa [AP.Bren] is any role na connected sa Business Management and ‘yon assistant manager ‘yung binigay,” AK said in an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times.
“Swerte na rin po kasi may experience na po ako in the past sa pagma-manage ng team. Kasi naging ganon na rin po ako, naging team manager na rin po ako,” he added.
Explaining why he chose AP.Bren, AK said: “Kaya Bren yung pinili ko kasi or AP.Bren kasi sila yung one of the best esports teams in the Philippines, if not the best. So parang, ‘yun talaga yung target ng lahat eh. Hindi lang naman ako, yun yung gusto ko. Parang kapag part ka ng esports industry, yun yung isa sa mga esports teams na titignan mo or gusto mong pasukan. Kaya syempre number one ko talaga is AP.Bren.”
Lavarez, who started playing video games at the age of four and entered the competitive scene at just nine years old with Tekken, deliberately chose the esports industry for his on-the-job training.
“Opo [sinadya ko po]. Esports po kasi talaga yung ‘don ako galing eh. Parang yun talaga yung love natin. Gustong gusto ko po kasi talaga mag-work sa esports industry kasi yung feeling na ‘yan nasa mga ganitong event ka, yung makikita mo yung mga players na naglalaro sila, yung sobrang gandang mga events. And wala eh, ang sarap mag-work sa esports industry. Talagang pinilit kong ipasok,” he concluded.
In a separate interview with Tiebreaker Times, Jab Escutin, Director of AP.Bren, explained why they offered AK the Assistant Manager position for his internship, emphasizing his work ethic and professionalism.
“Kung matagal ka na sa esports industry dito sa Philippines, AK is known to be one of the good boys of esports. Sobrang ganda ng work ethic niya. ‘Yung mindset niya. Parang out of all the athletes sa esports kahit even compared to my boys na they’re really good,” Escutin shared.
He continued, “Pero if you’ll ask anybody here sa Philippines, AK would always be at the top na professional. Even after niya matalo, his mindset, whatever you will say, talagang he’s the best pagdating dyan sa professionalism niya. Ang ganda ng upbringing ng bata na ‘yan.”
Escutin also noted that despite many applicants vying for internships at their company, AK’s credentials and professionalism made him a priority. He even expressed how having Lavarez on board was a greater advantage for the team.
“I think it’s also right na parang shoo-in na lang ‘yan eh. I mean out of all of that, his credentials would definitely top the list. Kahit naman maraming [applicants], he’s definitely somebody that we want to join our team. Actually, it’s more advantageous for us rather than him,” he concluded.
