Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Philippine International Motor Show: Progress In Motion Towards the Future of Automotive Industry

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The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI) brings back the country’s premiere motoring exhibit on September 18-21 at the World Trade Center, Pasay City.

At a press conference held last Thursday, July 10, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Ballroom 1, Fairmont Hotel, Makati City, CAMPI announced the much-awaited 5th Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) which banners the theme “Progress in Motion” to highlight the robust performance of the motoring industry and its vital role in Philippines’ growing economy.the event focused on how the automotive industry’s recent triumphs boost the nation’s upward mobility and economic growth.

PIMS was established by CAMPI in 2008 as the prime industry supported motor show in the country.The last show had the theme "Drive The Fun." The CEOs and Presidents of the CAMPI members were present in this momentous event.

Present at the event were Maricar Parco - President of Asian Carmakers Corporation, Felix Ang - President of Auto Nation Group Inc., John Philip Orbeta - President of Automobile Central Enterprise, Steven Tan - President of Berjaya Auto Philippines Inc., Ginnia Domingo - President of Columbian Autocar Corporation, Arsenio Yap - President of Columbian Manufacturing Corporation, Dong Magsajo - Marketing and Communications Director - Eurobrands Distributor Inc., Atty. Rommel Guttierez - President of CAMPI, USEC Edwin Lopez of DOTC, Gov. Jose Alvarez - Chairman Emeritus of CAMPI, Noel Barachina - Vice President of Honda Cars Philippines, Nobuo Izumina - President of Isuzu Philippines Corporation, Hikosaburo Shibata - President of Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation, Kenji Naito - President and Managing Director Nissan Philippines, Inc., Shuzo Hoshikura - Automotive Division General Manager of Suzuki Philippines Inc., Yohei Murase - EVP for Marketing of Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation, and George Chua - Principal Adviser of Universal Motors Corporation.

Laugh and Stack Open Mic Showdown: Laughing Out Loud All Night with the Boys of Comedy Cartel

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Being a stand-up comic is really hard work. For one, you need to match your jokes to your audience profiles. You can only find out what tickles their fancy once you're already in the middle of the stage and doing your thing. Thus, you need to have a lot of stuff as reserve. Find their soft spot first by trying out a few short jokes, serve the similar ones that clicks, and continue pushing the experience further to that point where they will really laugh out loud, and you're good for the rest of the night.

The experience on stage and performing for a huge crowd must have been totally out of this world. I can imagine the stage fright, and that "mental block" state when you forgot all of your lines, plus all the sweaty foreheads and armpits due to nervousness especially if the crowd does not react to your initial jokes. I would have fainted and almost died immediately.

I therefore admired those who were able to finish their few minutes of fame or shame, whatever they may call it, but the courage they showed to get up on that stage really points more to respect towards the boys of Comedy Cartel during the Laugh and Stack Open Mic Showdown held at Relik Tapas Bar and Lounge located at Bonifacio Global City last July 12, 2014.

The night was filled with jokes coming from both newbies and veteran stand-up comics who all fought for the votes of the audience on who will emerge as the crowd's favorite. With special guests like Uli Oposa and Mike Unson, the night promised to be full of laughter.

Ryzza Mae Dizon Wows the Crowd at the Loom Band Magic Show

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Young and old alike, everyone loves Ryzza Mae Dizon - that cute and cuddly "Aleng Maliit" that we see almost everyday from Monday to Saturday at the popular noon time show Eat Bulaga which airs on GMA 7 and also has her bubbly and vibrant show dubbed as The Ryzza Mae Show.

I've witnessed how the children adored the child star and former Little Miss Philippines winner who has consistently amazed the crowd with her charming personality and an aura that fascinates everyone inside the Solaire Resort and Casino Grand Ballroom. The Loom Bands Magic Show, with Ryzza Mae and Rico the Magician as headliners, was jam-packed with half of the audience being children of all ages.

Though there were many other performers that were equally amazing, it was still Ryzza Mae who got a standing ovation and literally the security couldn't stop everyone, especially the children, to go up front towards the stage to see the child star up close. Everyone was truly starstruck and if it were not for the security, everyone would have asked for a photo ops or "selfie" with the little wonder girl.

Wazzup Pilipinas is proud to have been a media partner of the event as everyone in the family really love Ryzza Mae. It was actually my second time to see her in person but I still couldn't stop myself staring at her performance. I am that kind of person that is hard to impress but there is something in the child that always triggers the child in me.

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Metro Manila continues to witness major transformations on its landscape. What were once barren districts are now thriving with structures that host multinational companies and iconic commercial and residential developments.

Long-standing buildings from old avenues are being preserved through furthering its purpose and role in the growth of its provenance. The number of city centers, or at least those that are aspiring to serve as one, is on the rise—bringing together the live-work-play aspects in a single dense area to fulfill the promise of convenience and modern living.

Despite such renovations, the paths that identify the richness of Manila’s history are still visible— how the metropolis sprung from cohesion of small communities in the form of barangays, as well as the influence of the colonial era. Picturing these elements, when combined, the city has an immense contrast of edifices that help strengthen the character and diversity of its entirety.

These are just some of the ideas that make up WTA Architect and Design Studio’s installation for the Global Art Affairs Foundation Architecture Exhibition, a collateral event for the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale. Carrying the theme "Fragments: Uncertainties and Characters," WTA will be presenting the various cultural, social, and political influences that mold the urban character of cities in the Philippines, particularly that of Metro Manila. Dissecting Manila’s Urban Fabric “Our exhibit seeks to elaborate how uncertainty and informality allow for a greater growth and creativity,” shares Founder of WTA Architect William T. Ti.

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We have witnessed how tri-media (print, radio and TV) networks have crossed over new media (blogs and social media networks) to share their news. Bloggers have also been doing the same as they now penetrate the mentioned news and entertainment sources. Many bloggers have written for newspapers and magazines and been interviewed and guested on TV and radio shows. It seems blogging has reached a new level as many bloggers are really investing on better ways to share their stories online, and now embracing other mediums to gain access to a wider audience.

Bloggers from the Wazzup Pilipinas community were given the opportunity to guest at the Vigattin Radio Show of Radyo Inquirer DZIQ 990 AM last July 12, 2014 during the 10 to 11 am time slot. Thank you to Elison Barcelo, CEO of of Vigattin Inc. and co-anchors Den Macaranas and Arne Bacelo for allowing Ross Del Rosario of Wazzup Pilipinas to bring along other bloggers to share the spotlight. If Ross was all alone there being interviewed, he would have suffered terribly from "mental block," "stage fright", and who knows what else. It was great to have fellow bloggers with him as it was more comfortable to talk while they had fun temporary ruling the airwaves that day.

Pepi De Leon of Kampeon Ng Pag-Ibig, Rey Estevez of Boy Raket, Ronnie Bernardo of Helicon Projects and of course, Ross Del Rosario of Wazzup Pilipinas were interviewed about their lives as a blogger - how they got started, what influenced them to start blogging, to answer the question "Is there money in blogging," and other topics circling the blogosphere including an on-the-spot blogging-on-air task given by the radio anchors.

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Algoriddim and Spotify recently announced a major update to djay for iPhone and iPad, the world’s best selling DJ app with over 10 million users on iOS. This new version lets Spotify Premium subscribers mix millions of tracks using their iPhone and iPad, as well as hook up their professional DJ hardware to a massive library of music - being a DJ has never been easier or more fun!

● Find the perfect next track with Match. Finding the next track to mix has always been one of the biggest challenges for DJs, and it doesn’t get easier when you’ve got millions of tracks to choose from. Also recently introduced is Match, an innovative feature that recommends tracks that go well with what the DJ is currently playing - allowing users of any skill level to create professional sounding mixes. Match, powered by Spotify’s recent acquisition The Echo Nest, provides unprecedented track recommendations based on danceability, BPM, key, music style, and how well the song mixes with the currently playing track.

● Introducing Automix Radio. For people who simply want to lean back and have a continuous music mix at their next party, the all-new Automix Radio in djay 2 not only picks tracks that go well with each other, but also automatically mixes these tracks for them with beatmatched, DJ-style transitions. This means users can step away and enjoy live DJ mixes based on their personal musical taste. All with the simple tap of a button.

3M: Enabling Next Generation Electronics at the PSECE 2014

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Hundreds of people flocked to the semiconductor and electronics industry’s biggest and most awaited event of the year - the Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Convention and Exhibition 2014 (PSECE 2014). Exhibitors and delegates from the industry, government, and academe all gathered to showcase and witness a wide variety of technologies as well as participate in numerous forums on this year’s theme: Manufacturing and R&D: Leveling Up the Philippines’ Capability.

3M Philippines was a highlight at the exhibition, celebrating 50 years of Innovation in the country. At the forefront was 3M Electronics business stressing vitality of innovation to the growth of the entire local industry. The 3M two-story booth – which bagged the best booth award in the 36sqm category - stood tall at the front of the exhibition hall demonstrating a culture of innovation spilling over to fun and exciting activities and displays such as product-fashion shows, a daring VHB tape hanging chair photobooth, a Lego®-robot static monitoring display, and a working CPU submerged in Novec™ liquid.

The event held at the SMX from June 4-6 was organized by the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Inc. (SEIPI). Electronics products continue to be the country’s top export and as such present during the opening ceremony was PEZA Director-General Dr. Lilia De Lima.

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Veteran team building facilitator, management consultant and long time sportswriter Lito Cinco has successfully finished part 1 of his free Mental Strengthening Seminar being held at R.O.X. Bonifacio Global City for two dates. The first part last July 10 was all about the athlete and the coach and how each one can offer his best towards achieving any goal especially in sports.Both athlete and coach needs to mentally dig deep within their personality to be able to accomplish tasks that would be a lot more difficult if you have no "will power" to begin with.

Sponsored by 3M Futuro, a full line of supports, braces, and compression products, the seminar dubbed as "Skills & Attitude, Life's Winning Combination" shared several learning that may become optimal towards coach and athlete relationships. I learned from the first part that talent and skills alone may not be enough to win a game. Most of the time, it takes a lot of positive and good attitude in order to increase our chances of "winning" - in both sports-related activities and our lives as well.

A lot has been said but many are basically common sense that we often neglect to do since we are sometimes blinded by too much or lack of domineering authority, in the case of the coaches, or by too much or the lack of self confidence, in the case of the players or athletes.

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In an effort to lead an innovation campaign for the local music industry, the students of iACADEMY in cooperation with music online sites PinoyTuner, Radio Republic, Amplify, Vandals on the Wall and Ndfy, has successfully developed a local search engine that will give you search results containing only local Filipino music creations. The search engine will also allow you to share your choice of music among your friends through the social media networks.

PiLE hopes to give users access to an impressive database of Filipino music and artists, culled from other locally managed sites, as a way to keep up with a rapidly evolving industry.

We all know that when we use the more popular search engines on the Internet, the usual search results may lead us to some other sites that does not really offer what we intended to look for, and quite possibly lead us away and into something else foreign thus losing the opportunity of our local music artists to get our attention and support. There is a huge competition with the foreign artists for being always on the top of the lists of search engines because of their popularity that we often neglect to appreciate our own.

At a preview held at the new location of iACADEMY, some members of the media were introduced to the new search engine and had the opportunity to interview the leads of the project. It is admirable to see the youth participating in this cause to help promote original Filipino music. I actually suggested that the Organisasyon ng mga Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM) should partner with them as both groups will benefit. Since OPM would like Filipinos to support Filipino music more, the search engine could become valuable to introduce everyone to the new local talents who do not have the luxury of being backed up by big recording companies.

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To kick off Ballet Philippines' 45th Anniversary – The Sapphire Season, the sublime paralytic Apolinario Mabini and the story of his role in the Philippine Revolution are brought into the limelight once again, just in time for the hero’s sesquicentennial birth anniversary.

La Revolucion Filipina is scheduled from July 25 to 27, 2014 at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) and is the fourth restaging of the modern dance masterpiece led by three members of La Revolucion Filipina’s original cast, Annette Cruz-Mariano, Judell de Guzman-Sicam, and Alden Lugnasin.The show is at 3pm and 8 pm (Friday and Saturday) and 2pm and 6pm (Sunday).

At a media launch held at the CCP itself last Friday July 11, 2014, members of the media were treated to an excerpt of the show performed flawlessly by the cast themselves, and then followed by a press conference participated by the management of Ballet Philippines and the La Revolucion Filipina cast themselves. Present to answer our inquiries were choreographer Agnes Locsin, Ballet Philippines President Margie Moran, set designer Mio Infante, librettist Dennis Marasigan, Ballet Philippines Artistic Director Paul Morales and some of the lead cast of La Revolucion Filipina.

FILA and ATAT Racing Team Partnership: A Testament of Superior Branding

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FILA Philippines has consistently been promoting sports since its promotional tie-up with the popular basketball during its earlier years. Undoubtedly, it has evolved into a brand that identifies itself more with elite sports like Polo, Rugby, Figure Skating, and now more recently with Motorbike Racing.

At an event launching its partnership with the ATAT Racing Team, along with the Ducati and Aprilia brand of motorbikes, the brand has manifested its commitment to partner with only the best to endorse its products. It's not the company that hires the most popular celebrities out there, but it's obviously one that looks into an upper level of appreciation towards promoting sports-related activities geared to better and healthy living, that hopefully the people will realize.

Jill's Bar located at The Fort in Bonifacio Global City, along with its neighboring bar called Jack's, was fully booked with many of the friends, colleagues and sponsors of both FILA and ATAT (Any Time All The Time), as well as friends from the media. The July 9 night was oozing with party-filled excitement as we finally had a chance to meet the team that were primarily racing because of their passion.

Lots of raffle prizes were given away including 3 watches from TechnoMarine, 10 FILA shoes, an expensive Foil A Car service, and 120 bottles of vodka - of which I haven't claimed mine yet. Lol!

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Proposing Sangley Point in Cavite as the site for a new international gateway, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has also recommended to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) that this new airport operate under an integrated airspace with the same air traffic control tower as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) until 2025.

“JICA’s recommendation means that, in effect, the new Sangley airport will be NAIA’s ‘third runway’ until greater expansion can be made in the long-term. Meanwhile, upgrading Sangley’s existing airport may be done faster and at a lower cost, since initial reclamation will be needed for only one to two runways, instead of three to four. This will significantly bring down JICA’s initial ballpark estimate of $ 10 Billion to build a 4-runway airport in Sangley,” noted DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya.

The decision on whether NAIA should be closed down eventually may be made later on, based on the evolution of this common-airspace strategy. The options for 2025 and beyond would be to close NAIA once Sangley is expanded into a 4-runway airport, or to retain this dual-airport system and possibly develop Sangley into a 2- to 3- runway airport.

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They are more than meets the eye! They magically transform into something new! They cleverly convert into another convenient thing that's all useful, trendy, and affordable. They are Parachute Bags - a unique and stylish backpack can quickly turn into a messenger bag, or vice versa, and many other variations with stunning printed designs that can fashionably reflect your changing moods.

From the same people who gave you Elle bags, these new line of convertible bags makes it look like you own more than just one bag. It is undeniably an ingenious way to make people think you rock with a couple of stylish bags!

The materials are imported and water repellant and is deal for everyday use whether by students or professionals who value quality and affordability matched by that uber-trendy style that makes you feel young and alive.

At a launch held at Just Thai Bonifacio Global City branch, bloggers were introduced to the several lines of Parachute Bags and eventually made everyone jaws drop because of the "convertible" feature. These bags were designed to impress!

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To everyone who is looking for affordable and semi-furnished condominiums, there is a new condominium project that will soon be towering at a height of 42 stories at No. 69 Sierra Madre street, Barangay Highway Hills, in Mandaluyong and just along EDSA for that added convenience that will surely catch the attention of our mid-class single upwardly professionals, or otherwise known as "yuppies," and colleges students.

Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger was invited to the groundbreaking ceremonies of another great condominium project that will reach out more to the younger generation that needs more time for themselves and their career or studies rather than wasting their time in the busy streets of the metro.

Aimed to address the need for a quality lifestyle for long-hour commuters, the Urban Deca Towers project ultimately becomes a weekday halfway house or private dwelling unit for those who would otherwise co-share apartment or dormitories. It is expected to be finished by third quarter of 2017 but now pre-sells at prices starting at P875,000 which equates to a monthly amortization of around P7500 only.

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The Cultural Center of the Philippines and Galleria Duemila presents Psychology Today, a solo show by conceptual painter Maria Cruz. Psychology Today is a suite of text-based paintings based on eight out of seventeen topics from an advertorial insert of the same name at a 1971 issue of Esquire magazine. The selection strikes a chord in the areas of gender, politics, race, and identity.

The exhibition aligns with one of Cruz’s recurring themes in her body of work—identifying helplessness and potential in casual text, and eventually dressing them up as vigorous propaganda-like forms. In creating text-based works Maria Cruz has utilized constructivist color systems, color combinations that undermine meaning, and modified color concepts.

Maria Cruz will be giving an Artist talk on 24 July, Thursday, 4pm, which will be followed by her Opening Reception at 6pm. Psychology Today will be on view from July 24 until August 24, 2014 at the Bulwagang Fernando Amorsolo (Small Gallery) of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Viewing Hours are Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6 pm.