Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Is Gift-Giving Still a Good Marketing Investment?

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Is your PR budget being “realigned”? Before you trim or worse, scrap your budget for corporate gifts, think again.

Shrugging off corporate gift-giving as an unnecessary expense may be one of the biggest branding mistakes you can make. With the ever-increasing competition across all sectors and industries, that little token might just be the final push that your brand needs to get its message across.

A restricted budget is simply an invitation to explore your creativity. Rather than just considering the cost, think about the perceived value of an item, anticipate the needs of the recipient, or even re-think the packaging for a more customized look. Most importantly, make sure whatever you’re giving reflects well on your brand.

Sounds complicated? Not really. Simplify your life and find what you need by visiting Corporate Giveaways 2014 at the SMX Convention Center on July 9-11, 2014.

The Corporate Giveaway Buyers’ Show on Business Gifts, Premiums, Promotional Ideas and Merchandise Incentives is an annual event held every July to help companies prepare for holiday and year-round gift-giving needs. This event will definitely be beneficial for Purchasing Marketing, Advertising and PR professionals, along with business owners, event managers, wedding planners, and the like as suppliers of quality and creative gift items will all be gathered under one roof.

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"Pansamantala nating nilisan ang kapitolyo ng Laguna upang panatilihan ang kaayusan at katahimikan sa Lalawigan ng Laguna. Base na rin sa paki-usap at payo ng aking tiyuhin at dating Pangulo Joseph "Erap" Estrada tayo ay pansamantang bumaba bilang gobernador upang hintayin ang ating apela sa Supreme Court para sa TRO o status quo order sapagka't ako ay naniniwala na magiging patas ang kanilang hatol at papakinggan ang boses ng 550,000 na lagunense na naglagay sa akin sa katungkulan bilang ama ng lalawigan. Nawa tayo ay patuloy na magdasal at magkaisa para sa ating minamahal na Lalawigan ng Laguna!" - ER Ejercito

Even when Ramil Hernandez stepped in and declared himself as the new governor after the COMELEC has disqualified the current governor for overspending during the elections, ER Ejercito was still determined to stay as governor. But it took his uncle, former president Joseph "Erap" Estrada to finally convince him to step down for the sake of peace and order.

Erap even told the people that the same situation happened to him during his term as president when he voluntarily stepped down to avoid further turmoil, but thern he said also that "the Agila will return" (and so he did as Mayor of Manila), the same with ER when he said "the Lawin will return!", but maybe not as governor again, like his uncle, probably getting another position in government.

Abangan ang pagbabalik ng mga "Angry Birds."

Quanta Paper Presents R3RUN: The Run for Sustainability

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Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blog is supporting another fun run activity to be held this coming August 10, 2014 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Roxas Boulevard Manila. We caught one of the organizers looming around the Jasmine Curtis-Smith fans day so we took the opportunity to air our support towards our beloved young actress and her endorsements.

The eco-friendly tissue paper manufacturer in the Philippines organizes the most aggressive green campaign fun run dubbed as R3RUN for Sustainability or also called as R3RUN (Reuse, Reduce, Recycle Run). You have to sign up to sustainability as it's all up to us if we want to live in a better world.

Participants will range from students, government officials and employees, artists and TV personalities, corporate partners and green advocates from all walks of life. And of course, we expect event endorser Jasmine Curtis-Smith, also the Company’s brand endorser for its new sanitary napkin product, to be there joining in the activities.

There will be four race categories, namely 1km and 4km (carrying the Company’s sanitary napkin brand, Perfect), and 8km (carrying the Company’s institutional brand, Eco-Hygiene), and 12km (carrying the Company’s flagship brand, Fresh).

Wazzup Pilipinas is proud to be an online media partner of the R3RUN for Sustainability.

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When I learned about Norman Black as brand ambassador of the leading power tools brand Skil , and that he is coming to the 90th anniversary celebratory campaign dubbed as “May Tiwala Ako” press launch, I had to block of my schedule immediately.

The popular basketball icon is a great choice as an ambassador to the Skil line of products. Loyal users of Skil products, who have placed their trust in the brand, should be able to look up to someone that has an equally great reputation in his field of expertise.

And if you want to talk about someone to look up to, then with Norman Black's intimidating height, you really need to look up.

The "May Tiwala Ako" campaign centers on building long-term relationships with the brand’s consumers and pays homage to its real users which include the professional workers, freelancers, small scale businesses, and tradesmen.

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At a fans day gathering held at Shangri-La Restaurant in West Triangle Quezon City, Jasmine Curtis Smith, the equally talented and shining-as-bright younger sister of Kapamilya ABS-CBN's Anne Curtis Smith, reveals to her fans the run of a new television series on her Kapatid TV5 channel.

JasMINE is a first-of-its-kind television series formed out of the partnership among Ace Saatchi & Saatchi (creative content), Unitel (line producer) and TV5. The TV series is a romantic drama series with a touch of suspense. It's actually a TV series-within-a-TV series, where Jasmine plays the role of a fictional version of herself as among a TV network's promising young actress.She is posed to be the on-screen partner of the network's hottest hunk actor, Alexis Vergara played by actor Vin Abrenica.

But the story becomes more interesting when she doesn't get the role she auditioned for in the network's flagship TV project called Ur Loved. Adversity among her fellow actress who surprisingly get teribbly hurt from an accident, and the revelation of a stalker named Maskara made the TV series a bit more interesting and in the midst of becoming suspenseful as we try to figure out the identity of the masked stalker.

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In a marathon session lasting until close to midnight, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Board approved several transportation projects last night, said Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Abaya.

“We are pleased that we can now proceed with these projects. They will modernize our country’s transportation systems, and boost travelling convenience, safety, and efficiency for the people. Our hard work today will pay off tomorrow, which is why we now have to make sure that they will be bid out, awarded, and implemented at the soonest possible time,” said Abaya.

The following projects were approved:

P 10.618 Billion Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) – the first of its kind in the Philippines, this relatively new land-based system is being introduced by the World Bank, which will finance the project through a loan.

The BRT system, which has been a success in other parts of the world, entails a segregated lane for buses, controlled dispatching, priority in stoplight signaling, fixed stops, and various technical components, all of which are designed to substantially increase passenger mobility.

One of its significant impacts is that its buses will run on fixed schedules, providing riders with greater reliability, efficiency, and convenience.

The project in Cebu will run on a 23-kilometer corridor having 33 stations. It will have 176 high-quality buses. A detailed engineering design (DED) is currently being prepared, and bidding for its construction is scheduled for Q2 of 2015.

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Through the years, Disney had given us entertaining and at the same time genuinely meaningful movies. They never fail not only to amaze us but also impart life lessons with the countless works they’ve created so far.

This year, Disney retells one of our childhood fairytales, Sleeping Beauty, in a way that we might’ve not expected it to be told. It is like a “what if” question answered imaginatively. This variation of the tale tells it from the viewpoint of the villain, who is later proven to be, surprisingly, the hero as well.

Maleficent is definitely worth the watch. Maybe it’s just me being a fantasy lover, but it is now one of my favorite movies. The imaginary world is well portrayed as well as the actuality of the real world. The movie succeeds in leaving the viewers a new perspective on the well-known children’s fairytale we all know and miss. Like it says, it “tests you how well you know the tale.”

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Now on its 3rd year in the Philippines and with 17 branches in NCR to serve you, Papa John's gives you more reasons to enjoy its great-tasting pizza with the launch of the new Chicken Carbonara Pizza!

The new Chicken Carbonara Pizza comes with crispy bacon in creamy carbonara sauce and a blend of Parmesan, Romano, and Mozzarella Cheeese, topped with grilled chicken, onion bacon and mushroom at a party size price of P485!

We were invited to the launch held on May 29, 2014, Thursday, at their Tomas Morato branch in Quezon City, and got to taste for the first time their new pizza offering that taste just like your favorite chicken carbonara. It's a dining experience worth trying out by every pizza and carbonara lover. Your two favorite dishes combined into one feast.

We were also given a quick demonstration on the pizza making process as one of their crew showed us a glimpse of how a Hawaiian pizza is made. They told us what really makes Papa John's stand out among other pizza restaurants. I have a video of the actual demonstration so please do watch and learn from the experts.

Free Kids' Workshops, Shows at "Likot, Liksi, Lipad Children's Arts Festival"

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The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) Theater Center invites all children ages 6-12 years old, as well as teens ages 13 -16 years old to an art extravaganza this May 30, 31 and June 1! Likot, Liksi, Lipad Children's Arts Festival is a three day celebration of children's creative potential - a fun filled event open to the public. Children and their parents can enjoy live performances, workshops, seminars and other creative activities in various spaces at the PETA Theater Center.

As an added treat, PETA's partners will be showing films about children all throughout the festival. Green Days from the Korean Cultural Center, Brave Story: Wanko from the Japan Foundation Manila and Les Fables from Alliance Francaise de Manille will be shown at designated free play areas.

One of the highlights of the festival is a special storytelling session by veteran actor Kuya Bodjie Pascua on March 30, 1:00 PM at the PLDT/SMART Hall of the PETA Theater Center.

For the schedule of events, see the calendar below:

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The Zero Carbon Resorts (ZCR) project conference was held in celebration of the success and achievements of the SWITCH-Asia project in its 4 and a half years of implementation. The organizers successfully hosted a closing ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Casino Manila on May 21, 2014.

Dr. Robert Wimmer, ZCR project leader, opened the event with his warm welcome to all guests and participants. Mr. Matthieu Penot, on behalf of the European Union funding agency, delivered an inspiring message and stressed the importance of the ZCR project for the Philippine tourism sector.

Implementing project partners namely Dr. Robert Wimmer (GrAT), Engr. Charlton Materum (GrAT), Ms. Maria Luz Martinez (PCSD), Dr. Guillermo Zaragoza (CIEMAT-PSA) and Ms. Olga Babina (ASSIST), all gave notable presentations which focused on the core outputs of the project.

The awarding of ZCR members from all over the Philippines that gained the highest energy and resource savings was considered among the highlights of the conference. Chosen as the top 10 awardees were the Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort, Oakwood Premier Joy~Nostalg Center Manila, Kokossnuss Resort, Tropical Sun Inn, Balay Tuko Garden Inn, Puerto Pension Bed&Breakfast, Alta Pension House, River View Resort & Conference Center, Sangat Island Dive Resort and La Vicente Hotel. Following the unique 3R Methodology of the project - "REDUCE, REPLACE and REDESIGN" - the award is based on the number of implementations for energy, resource and monetary savings per room.

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Filipina educator and international lecturer Rayla Melchor Santos received the prestigious Global Education Motivators (GEM) Award for 2013-2014 for her advocacy on the empowerment of children in schools under the I Am SAM Foundation.

Santos, of Muntinlupa, Philippines, acceped the GEM Global Educator Award at the 9th Annual United Nations Conference on Teaching Peace and Human Rights on Saturday morning, April 4, 2014. Wayne Jacoby, President of Global Education Motivators looks on as Santos thanks the people and organizations who helped make her, I AM S.A.M Foundation, successful.

Santos co-founded the I am SAM foundation in 2010 following her mother Merci Melchor’s long years of advocacy to help abused women and children to be aware of their rights and be able to rebuild lives after suffering from various forms of abuse.

The teachings of the I am SAM foundation are based on two fundamental UN treaties- the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Their flagship program, IamSAM Prevent-to-Empower Protocol (PEP), was created to teach children and women the values of self worth and uniqueness, respect and responsibility for self and for others.

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On your way towards becoming the blushing bride, allow Diamond Hotel to escort you through the necessary wedding plans. Catch the latest and greatest ideas from our exhibitors, guest speakers and event planners. And if you're in need of a fashion inspiration for your big day, a bridal fashion show at the hotel lobby will cap the event with the creations of Manila's finest designers from the Fashion and Design Council of the Philippines strutting down the catwalk.

Diamond Hotel brings together the industry’s top designers, stylists, florists and finest event suppliers to create a burst of captivating ideas to plan your wedding day.

The bridal fair will conclude with an exclusive bridal fashion show facilitated by master director Jackie Aquino at the hotel lobby, with the creations of Manila’s finest designers from the Fashion and Design Council of the Philippines strutting down the catwalk.

The event is in partnership with Fashion and Design Council of the Philippines, Company of Brides and Max Factor. Media partners are Lifestyle Network, Crossover Radio 105.1, Business Mirror, The View, Cook, Health & Fitness, and Philippines Graphic.

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We invite everyone to attend and join our 13th Philippine Toycon 2014 Epic Launch and press con this Saturday, May 31, 2014 at Newport Mall, Resorts World Manila. The event will start from 10am onwards, and the media and press con starts at 2pm. Entrance is FREE!

We’re going to show you a teaser of our 13th Philippine Toycon 2014 event by bringing the whole toys, comics, anime, cosplay, hobbyist community for one day in Resorts World Manila.

Enjoy the toys and collectibles exhibit provided by the best toy collectors of Manila featuring different toy lines based on our movie partners for the year – Transformers 4: Age of Extinction, Guardians of the Galaxy and Rurouni Kenshin. Also check out the X-Men Icons on Exhibit at the G/F Newport Mall.

Start your treasure hunt by shopping for awesome deals with our Toycon exhibitors and official toy distributors. They will sell new toy items and bargain collectibles for one day at Newport Mall. Get a chance to learn how to be a toy and comic collector by listening to our experts at the panel discussions about our Toycon hot topics.

Join the Toycon cosplay contest open category at 5pm. Come in as your favorite comics, toys, superhero, animation, or gaming character.

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Everybody is invited! Come to the first Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon in the Philippines!

Organized by Wikimedia Philippines, the Wikipedia Edit-a-thon Manila on May 31 will be the first Edit-a-thon organized in the Philippines.

And what is a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon?

Wikipedia Edit-a-thons are social events where experienced Wikipedians and Wikimedians, newbies, and other people interested in Wikipedia can meet offline to discuss, edit, review, contribute, and collaborate on Wikipedia and its sister projects like Wikimedia Commons.

At Wikimedia Philippines, the Edit-a-thon on May 31 will be a combination of a meetup for experienced local Wikipedia editors, and a chance to introduce Wikipedia editing to interested newbies who want to contribute to the growing body of knowledge in Wikipedia.

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#‎TheDreamExpoMNL‬ is a 3-day exposition that will celebrate and feature more than 30 inspiring Filipino innovators from various fields of specialization and regions.

In partnership with the Office of Sen. Bam Aquino, IdeaSpace Foundation, ADB Youth Initiative, Global Shapers Manila Hub, Works of Heart and The Dream Project PH, #TheDreamExpoMNL is a free event that generally hopes to map out Philippines through the different social innovations (initiatives, projects, enterprises, movements) created by Filipino innovators in the different regions of the country.

WHO CAN JOIN:
#TheDreamExpoMNL seeks to engage Filipino youth who have existing social innovations (project, enterprise, invention, program) or want to learn more about Filipino social innovations.

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION:
Accomplish #TheDreamExpoMNL Application Form at http://bit.ly/TheDreamExpoMNL. Please note that the application for registration will close at 2 PM of 1 June, Sunday.