Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Orgreenics Greenhouse: An Inauguration of a Promising Organic Farm

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Located at Sto. Nino Plaridel, Bulacan, the newly-launched Orgreenics Greenhouse (Mia's Garden owned and operated by Luntiang Agri-Business Pilipinas, Inc.) is a promising venture by its proud owners who are actually not new in running successful businesses.

They proudly introduced their totally remarkable greenhouse at an inauguration held last July 26, 2014 - a very rainy night but I look at it as if nature is participating in blessing the new establishment. We welcome the creation of a very noble endeavor to produce more earth-friendly farm products like strawberries and grapes grown in a controlled environment.

Though we were caught in a traffic jam because of the rain, we made it just in time when ECOLEADERS Mark Valencia was about to introduce the Atmospheric Water Generators (AWG) Technology manufactured by ECOLOBLUE which plays a major part in the Orgreenics Greenhouse project.

The famed "water from air" technology is highly employed in the operation of the organic farm, and we luckily got to try drinking water from it again during the inauguration. The owner boasts of its alkaline content which is a lot healthier than the normal drinking water that we usually drink, which means the plants grown at the organic farm are actually enjoying healthier water.

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Promising a great amount of stores to partner with, plus the amaZing and unique rewards like cash rebates, access to exclusive events, lots of freebies, and other infinite perks makes the Zing Rewards card something to look forward to.

With an aim to give us an amaZing experience by redefining our shopping experience, the goal of Zing Rewards is to create a compelling lifestyle brand that caters to the varied needs of the contemporary urbanite. Developed by Jabez Infinity Group, Inc., Zing Rewards aims to revolutionize how businesses reward their loyal customers.

Memnber of the media attended the launch held last August 1, 2014 at the Century City Mall Event Center located at Kalayaan Avenue corner Salamanca Street Brgy Poblacion Makati City. We were also among the first ones to earn Zing Rewards points by simply swiping our cards on swiping stations carried by Zing Rewards representatives during the event

All of us were getting instant points while we dine on an impressive buffet dinner and entertained by world renowned Filipino magician and mentalist Erik Mana, which was also followed by several fabulous song numbers from a delightful lady performer. Don't forget the Wi-Fi Internet access which allowed us to tweet and post away on social media using our smartphones and tablets.

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Red Turnip Theater has just presented its initial offering for the season and oh Wow! - The Rabbit Hole press preview took us into another world - seemingly dark yet full of relatable emotions that might make you insane if you look into life so seriously.

Topper Fabregas directs a play that centers on a couple coping with grief due to the lost of a child, but interesting enough was the fact that somehow, we found a few bits and pieces of situations when we couldn't stop laughing or grinning for a while.

The press preview held at Whitespace located at Chino Roces Avenue Extension of Makati last August 1, 2014 was for me an unforgettable night filled with confused emotions that got recalled because of a past experience that I wanted to forget just to move on with our lives. But it seems life is such a naughty little kid that wants to play with us just for the fun of it.

Some of us must have gone through the same "rabbit hole" where none of our friends and families were able to ring us out entirely. There will be times when the feeling comes in uncontrollably as if we are losing our minds, suddenly staring at nowhere for an instant that will last from a few seconds to a couple of minutes, then you'll find yourself doing unimaginable things probably out of desperation that still lingers all throughout your lifetime.

The lost of a loved one is never easy. That is why we need more of our families and friends around us to constantly remind us that there are other people caring for us outside the horrible "rabbit hole."

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For the opening for its 36th season, Ed Lacson Jr. directs Tanghalang Ateneo's Middle Finger - an adaptation of the controversial Frank Wedekind’s modern classic, Spring Awakening, which tells the story of repressed sexual urges among the youth. Written by Han Ong and translated into Filipino by Ronan B. Capinding, the play promises to tackle prevalent issues that seems to be every generations confrontations.

The audience are seated around the stage for greater intimacy and the actors all come out from almost everywhere as the play transitions from one scene to the next. The audience is treated to various sexual scenarios and carnal desires from masturbation to prostitution, and everything else in between. But I wouldn't want to be a spoiler and tell you everything I've seen and experienced. You have to go there for yourself and personally be awed at the amazing production.

The longest-running theater company of the Loyola Schools of the Ateneo de Manila University has a season theme of Navigating Identities, and thus the play which centers on two Filipino teenagers, Jakob Rodriguez and Benjamin Lunga, explores an identity crisis among the boys who are presented here as students studying in a Catholic school. You can find a deep struggle to define one's individuality and significance in this world, as what we will also encounter in their upcoming plays for the season.

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One of the highlights of HAJA PARTY: 90s Pop and Kpop Clash is ARE U MY SEOULMATE?, an online contest in promotion of the song SOULMATE. The song is originally recorded by M3G, as their second single. It is supposed to mark their comeback as everyone anticipates them to perform this song live on October 31.

However, two of its members are allegedly getting a fix causing their uncontrollable misbehavior most of the time during official functions under Playhouse Production. “I have tried to talk to them, console them on their personal issues but there is really something unusual in the frequent fluctuation of their emotions. They always complain about extreme body pains but would resist to be brought to a physician”, explains Michelle Ann Rio, manager of M3G and founder of Playhouse Production.

The worst that they did was to spread misinformation that the event is canceled via social media and through other kpop events. “I had to release official statements also through social media and call each participant to explain the situation.

Agnes Locsin Has Done it Again with La Revolucion Filipina

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The re-staging of Agnes Locsin’s modern dance masterpiece “La Revolucion Filipina” allowed us to witness once more the stories behind the personalities of Philippine history like Emilio Aguinaldo, Andres Bonifacio and Apolinario Mabini.

Though I cannot confirm the authenticity and accurateness of the facts laid down to us via the unique storytelling through ballet dance, we were amazed by the gracefulness of the presentation done using mostly the power of body language. There may be occasional integration of spoken words all throughout the play, but the majority of the intended emotions were felt strongly from many of the dance moves.

You could see how passionate the dancers were as if they are truly involved with the stories of yesteryears. The Neo-ethnic style of dancing that only Agnes Locsin is able to impart to the dancers makes you envious of the mastery she is able to share to her dancers.

Though the play really pays homage to the crippled hero and political philosopher we all know with the name of Apolinario Mabini, the other characters of the play also played significant parts to make the play contain more substance. Agnes Locsin “taught” the paraplegic revolutionary icon to dance and soar high like following your dreams.

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Most gadget makers will try to make their products as affordable as possible thus sacrificing quality and performance. I was actually surprised that one company dares to meet the popular demand for on-the-go sources of power for portable devices with power bank products that comes in many stylish designs, stunning features and affordable prices. They came out with quite a number of designs to choose from during their launch more than a moth ago, and I still could not forget that impressive power bank with a 24,000 mAh capacity that has enough juice to power a laptop and quite a number of other devices.

Airborne Technologies is quite new in the business since they have just been around sometime January of 2014, yet they have quite a promising array of products that surpasses the common varieties available in most gadget and computer peripheral stores. They even recruited professional wake-boarder Simon Cantos, as their brand ambassador, to show how determined they are to make an identity as the ideal gadget provider for even the most rugged user with sporty and athletic lifestyles.

They recently made a formal launch of a power bank that looks like it just came out from a sci-fi movie. But the spectacular design doesn't end there when you find out that its waterproof, shockproof, and dustproof.

Yes! I've seen how they immersed it under water for several minutes, how they let it fall several feet from the floor, and Airborne Technologies General Manager Jason Ching even said I can have a car drive over it. Oh, Boy! This power bank is so tough that is why they chose to name it the AT-800 Tough Rock

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Easy Taxi is celebrating its first year of operations in the Philippines, and what better way to celebrate it but with their beloved taxi operators, drivers, partners, friends, and members of the media.

At their first year anniversary celebration held at the Luxent Hotel located in Timog Avenue Quezon City, Easy Taxi presented its company performance review that strongly established their presence in the Philippines as still the number one taxi booking app in the country. It also honored their top drivers like Policarpio Isla and Jiomedez Castilla who had an opportunity to talk on stage. The top taxi fleets were also awarded that day.

Regional Managing Director Mario Berta emphasized that they are the biggest in the world and is very successful in the country. They are constantly growing that they nearly open in one country every other month. They want to deliver a seamless experience everywhere in the world that you can use their app everywhere you go, including other countries like Singapore, Korea, Thailand, Myanmar, Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, and all the other countries possible. They have even received a $40 M funding recently, added to the previous $25 M and $10 M, making a total of $75 M of funding.

Anniversary of Easy Taxi held at Luxent hotel

Partnering with mall operator Megaworld, they will soon have three dedicated Easy Taxi locations at Lucky Chinatown Mall, Venice Piazza and Eastwood.

They are currently operating in Manila and Cebu, and soon in Davao. Eventhough there are several requests to have their service at places like Pampanga, Cagayan De Oro and other destinations, it's a little bit difficult right now for them. But maybe soon when the demand for their service really grows in a stunning size, they'll give in to the request of the commuters.

Easy Taxi honors its top partners, drivers and fleets with recognitions

The Easy Taxi Cupcakes

Sexy radio DJ hosts perks up the afternoon

Mario Berta impresses us with great information about Easy Taxi

Kris Moreno, Account Management Director, tells us more great news

One of the top drivers of Easy Taxi speaks English on stage

Mario Berta looks on while one of the top drivers talks on stage

They also have new products like the Easy Taxi Corporate where they will be selling to the major corporations in the country which is a great opportunity for the drivers who will soon have corporate accounts. Corporations as long as you can guarantee safety for their employees are very happy to pay you premium. There might also be bonus tips along the way if you really satisfied the customers. Thus, the drivers will make more money per ride.

There is also Easy Taxi Concierge at selected establishments where they would have their own employees booking taxis for the guests to deliver the best customer experience ever. This is essential for those passengers who are not familiar or hesitant in using the Easy Taxi app in booking taxis.

The Gryffindor Taxi

Incidentally, we had an amazing opportunity to ride an Easy Taxi cab immediately after the event on our way to our next event located at Resorts World Manila.

Easy Taxi picked us up from the Luxent Hotel and delivered us to Resorts World in just around 30 minutes. Wow! That was, I think, a super fast journey. We were fortunate that there was no traffic jam at around 2 pm, and made our way safely to Resorts World thanks to the driver of Gryffindor taxi with license plate number UWM 431. The taxi driver is Saplad Yaris. We got the information from the Easy Taxi operator who was also calling and checking on us via mobile phone. She was sending us all the details through our mobile phones like the license plate, name and even the mobile number of driver.

The Easy Taxi sticker

Saplad Yaris, our driver that got us quickly to our destination in just around 30 minutes

Also, beginning August 4 until September 4, Easy Taxi will be implementing a Zero Booking Fee promo. This means we only need to pay the metered bill which means a lot of savings per ride.

Easy Taxi is part of the Asia Pacific Internet Group (APIG). The Asia Pacific Internet Group supports some of the leading internet companies in the region. Founded by Rocket Internet in 2014, the APIG's mission is to promote innovation and entrepreneurship throughout Asia and the Pacific and to support the development of a vibrant online culture. APIG's network currently consists of 10 companies, which are operating in 15 countries.

Easy Taxi's mission since day one is to revolutionize the country's transportation system. No more manually hailing taxi cabs for everyone. Easy Taxi wants to modernize the way we commuters get their rides using the most convenient way possible just like in other countries that are already maximizing the use of the app.

Congratulations to Easy Taxi for a great year in the country, and since they have plenty of "oxygen" to run their operations, there will be no surprise if they remain to be the top taxi booking app in the country, and even the world. I am excited about the other promising plans to improve their services as they partner with more companies in order to deliver their promise for the best customer experience.

Watch out for further announcements as there are really more fascinating news coming our way thanks to Easy Taxi.

Energizer Night Race 2014: Fun Run Filled with PositivEnergy at Filinvest City Alabang

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The night of September 6, 2014 will be filled with lights coming from every individual who will be wearing Energizer's clip-on LED headlights. It will definitely be a race for a brighter world at Filinvest City Alabang since it is expected to attract thousands of runners coming from all walks of life. The Energizer Night Race 2014 will be phenomenally better and bigger as compared to last year's fun run.

At a press conference held last August 1, 2014 at the 23rd Floor Hanston Square, 17 San Miguel Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, members of the media were informed of the unique Energizer Night Race 2014 fun run where 3,000 target participants are expected to join.

President and Managing Director of Energizer Philippines Todd Montgomerie was present at the event and had the following statements to share: "Energizer's thrust is to increasingly engage consumers through a lot of community-based marketing events. This events takes a great deal of organization and planning to make it happen. Furthermore, to make them successful they take a great deal of local promotion and awareness. So in that line, I really would like to thank you all for coming today and to taking your time out to help us promote this very positive event."

I am proud that they have constantly mentioned bloggers as among the highly influential means of disseminating information about the race since everyone has accepted the fact that online is really more viral as compared to word of mouth nowadays since most of us have smartphones already that can allow us to share the event with others through social media right at that very time of the conference.

Epson Wins Canstar Blue 2014 Most Satisfied Customers Award

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In the latest Canstar Blue survey in Australia of small business owners and the printers they use, Epson has won the prestigious “Most Satisfied Customers Award – Printers, Small Business Award” for 2014.

Canstar Blue is one of the leading customer satisfaction research and ratings businesses that launched in July 2010 with the core purpose of helping consumers make better purchase decisions. Based on independent research conducted by Colmar Brunton, over 90,000 customers have rated their customer satisfaction across more than 100 different categories. Canstar Blue is focused on product and service excellence.

According to Canstar Blue, Epson not only won the award but, “stood out in these 2014 results, achieving five stars in many areas; such as reliability, value for money, features, and overall satisfaction.”

Per category, Epson received a five star rating for overall customer satisfaction, performance, reliability, and value for money. Epson customers also gave the company five stars for satisfaction with their printer’s range of features such as scanning, printing different sized pages, and printing photos.

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The literary and youth volunteer group Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA), will hold the 33rd edition of its nationwide seminar-workshop series, the "Pambansang Edukasyong Pampanitikan" (National Literary Education) at De La Salle University-Manila (Multipurpose Room, 2/F Enrique M. Razon Sports Complex) on October 3 – 4, 2014, Friday – Saturday, 8 am – 5 pm.

TO REGISTER:

(1) Log on to: http://bit.do/registerPEPmalate
(2) Fill out the online form.
(3) An email will be sent confirming your registration.

Registration is on a first come, first served basis and is free of charge. Priority will be given to teachers in the Malate district and adjacent areas. Lunch and snacks will be served.

Deadline of registration is on August 12, 2014, 5:00 PM. Only those duly registered can enter the university premises and will be given signed certificates.

Titled "PEP Malate, Manila," this leg is co-presented by the DLSU College of Computer Studies, in partnership with the DLSU Student Media Office, Malate Literary Folio (official arts and literary publication of DLSU), and Ang Pahayagang Plaridel (official newspaper in Filipino of DLSU); and with support from the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, JP Anthony D. Cuñada Law Office, Fringe Manila Arts Festival, ABS-CBN’s Choose Philippines, Kalatas magazine, and the Pulong ng Kabataan.

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This is Part 3 of our three-part of DLSU's 2nd Student Media Congress article. There were just too many significant personalities involved that we ought to give each and everyone of them highlights in the article. Many of them I have already personally met throughout my lifetime as either colleague or acquaintances met at the different events where they have also been invited as resource speakers.

We are truly proud of our youth that they continue to organize events like these that are totally beneficial to their fellow students. We admire how these college students are able to gather in one venue several of the countries popular innovators and influencers.

The country needs more of their kind so the interaction with the students will surely bring out the next set of professionals that will also make their own respective ,arks and legacies in society.

These students will soon reap their just rewards if they follow the path to success of the many speakers who graciously accepted the invitation to become part of this epic event. Wazzup Pilipinas is equally proud to have been one of its online media partners.

Please read on about the third set of speakers and the key points of their contribution to the event.

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Continuing the highlights of the 2nd Student Media Congress organized by the De La Salle University

The Congress tackled the trends and evolving dynamics of Philippine media as well as its presence and impact in the near future through the sharing of knowledge by the actual media practitioners themselves known to have given valuable contributions to society already.

Their works are appreciated by both colleagues and avid followers that have somehow used them as role models in pursuing their own dreams. We listened and interacted, and literally rubbed shoulders with the likes of media greats that we could only previously admire from afar either by reading their works in print, watching them from the television, or listening to them on the radio.

It was a great opportunity to personally hear them share their experiences and recommendations to help us improve our very own craft and skills. It is always advantageous to follow the advise of the experts as they are indeed seasoned and well-experienced enough to give out fair-sounding advise.

Below is part two of the highlights of the event presenting the continuation of the list of personalities who generously share their time and expertise for the benefit of the young audience

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After it sought to explore media breakthroughs in its first year, the DLSU Student Media Congress (SMC) was held the second time around at the DLSU Teresa Yuchengco Auditorium with the theme: “Empowering Media Catalysts”. On its first year, invited media practitioners, along with the SMC delegates probed the trends and evolving dynamics of Philippine media as well as its presence and impact in the near future.

It has been a week since the Congress yet many are still empowered with the many learnings, inspirations and realizations they got from the two day event where several of the countries significant influencers and innovators gathered together to bring one explosive sharing and brainstorming of knowledge and expertise. We have witnessed how "media" has evolved into a more relevant and social platform that totally affects the way we live, work and play.

There has been so many events lately that aimed to bring similar outputs from mostly the youth who are obviously more involved now due to the influence of media. Through the many talks and workshops at the event, the Congress tried its best to align the motives and direction of our youth towards a clearer and more profound path. We also hope it was able to bring about more significant yearnings for change and improvement with an objective role to become part of the solution rather than just a source of detraction. We all need to participate as nation-builders and not as the dividing force that builds walls instead of bridges.

Below are a list of the many speakers that graced the two day event. Since the speakers were so many, we actually divided the article into three parts. Please read on and be informed.

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As a season offering to all schools, parents and children, Kids Acts Philippines proudly presents “ALADDIN” with script and lyrics by LUIGI NACARIO and music by EUGENE BELBIS.

The story of Aladdin is adapted from the popular version of “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp” by Antoine Galland.

Aladdin is a story of a poor boy and his mother. One day, an African Magician disguised as his uncle asked the boy to work for him. He then brought the boy to a cave full of gold and told him to get an old lamp. Before he entered the cave, the African Magician gave him a magic ring. In the cave, Aladdin found the old lamp, but was trapped inside. He accidentally rubs the ring and a genie comes out and granted him his wish to get out of the cave. He was able to get home and handed the old lamp to his mother for her to clean it. As she was cleaning it, another genie comes out from the lamp and granted him all he wished for.

Later, he fell in love with the beautiful daughter of the Sultan, marries her and gave her an enormous palace. One day, the African Magician learned about Aladdin’s success and went to the palace and tricked his wife into trading an old lamp for a new one. The African Magician used the lamp to get Aladdin’s palace, wife and all his riches transferred to a lonely place in Africa. Aladdin, on the other hand, was despaired but tried to get back everything through the use of the magic ring.

Will he be able to get his Princess and the magic lamp back? Will he be able to defeat the evil magician?

Discover Aladdin’s Adventure as Kids Acts Philippines presents Aladdin and The Magic Lamp!