Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

FlipTrip's Sun and Soul Takes Place in Zambales

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The rain may have delayed the event for a few days, but every good thing must always push through no matter how many times we encounter misfortunes. Even if it means waiting for a few more days, we simply had to follow the sun for a brighter set of activities. Though no gloomy weather can really put us down, the warmth of the sunshine was better than remaining indoors due to the rains. We really want to enjoy the most memorable experience so that we could later on share the stories to everyone.

Since not too many travel-related organizations offer the same set of packages, performers and activities, the event was attended by more than a hundred participants. Everyone gathered in Zambales for the most soulful and inspiring weekend of the year. Sun and Soul 2015 took place in Liwliwa, San Felipe, Zambales—a small town known for being a surfing spot, as well as its friendly locals.

Team FlipTrip envisioned this event as a collaboration with the community of Liwliwa, as everyone’s—including the locals’—effort helped make this come alive. Local FlipTrip partners, The Circle Hostel, Kila Bot Sir Ping Spot, Kapitan’s Liwa, Board Culture Liwliwa (BCL) and Mommy Phoebe’s collaborated with the team to prepare Liwliwa for the event.

A day before Sun and Soul, everyone in town were doing different things: level out the roads, paint the signs around the venue, and put up lights and decorations for the jam session. Truly it was an inspiring sight to see the community work together to make it an event to remember.

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There will be changes in the composition of the Philippine Azkals when they face Uzbekistan in their FIFA World Cup qualifier match on Sept. 8 at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan.

The Philippine Football Federation has added three new players to replace defender Rob Gier, forward Mark Hartmann and goalkeeper Tomas Trigo. Gier was put on the back burner because of a knee injury while Hartmann and Trigo were taken out.

The three new players are Filipino-German goalkeeper Roland Muller, Filipino-Dutch midfielder Paul Mulders and United Football League (UFL) team Global FC goalkeeper Jun-jun Badelic of Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.

Muller joined the Philippine national’s team training in 2011 and was eventually named in the final 20-man squad for the 2011 Long Teng Cup and the provisional Philippines under-23 squad for the 2011 Southeast Asian Games.

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BAYAN MUNA Partylist Representative Neri Javier Colmenares talks about Good Governance as an electoral agenda for poverty reduction at the Foundation for Social Sustainability (FSSI) forums held during their 20th Anniversary celebrations at the Gateway Mall of Araneta Center in Quezon City last August 9 and 10, 2015. The series of forums were held at one of the function rooms of the Gloria Maris restaurant located at the same mall.

What was very interesting about Colmenares' talk was about the different type of pork barrel, and how one man in full decision of the allocation of so much money can turn any politician or government employee into a corrupt public servant.

Greed will soon take over any righteous person given the responsibility to handle a huge amount. It is proper to just let the real experts, like the engineering team of government agencies like DPWH, to manage the many projects of which they are more than qualified to identify the importance and priorities.

We've talked earlier about how Representative Lennie Robredo discussed major highlights in her and her husband's life and career, and how the people have eventually become cooperative to projects run by or partnered with the local government unit of Naga.

Colmenares had a lot to say about some of his colleagues in the government, and how ludicrous their ideas were especially the one who wanted to shower the people of Payatas with baby cologne.

Foundation for a Sustainable Society Inc: Champions of Social Entrepreneurship

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We've attended the press briefing held by the Foundation for a Sustainable Society Inc., (FSSI) held during their 20th Anniversary celebrations at Gateway Mall where they had a series of activities which includes an opening ceremony, an exhibit, and a series of talks which spanned for two days from August 9 to 10.

At the press briefing, FSSI Executive Director Jay Bertram Lacsamana discussed how they empower the rural poor through Social Enterprises. He gave a lengthy presentation which was expected especially now that they have been around for 20 years yet this is the very first time they had a grand celebration to commemorate it.

With them are some of the officials of the FSSI, as well as two of the cooperatives who they have assisted through their projects by providing loans and additional support. Present were Laurence Padilla, Executive Director of the Palawan Center for Appropriate Rural Technology (PCART) and Ernesto Lactao, General Manager of the Malaya Development Cooperative and President of the Isabela -SE-LEd Network.

We had a n opportunity to ask them to give a few statements regarding how FSSI has helped their organization.

From the FSSI, Assistant Director Jerome Ignacio was able to share an overview of what FSSI is all about.

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"Project NOAH is the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) response to the call of President Benigno S. Aquino III for a more accurate, integrated, and responsive disaster prevention and mitigation system, especially in high-risk areas throughout the Philippines.

The Project will harness technologies and management services for disaster risk reduction activities offered by the DOST through PAGASA, PHIVOLCS, and the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI), in partnership with the UP National Institute of Geological Sciences and the UP College of Engineering."

Chief Technology Officer Oscar Victor Lizardo of Project NOAH was one of the esteemed guests to share the impact of disaster and calamities with regards to property concerns during the TOP-LRA Summit.

The TOPS-LRA Summit is a collaborative project of The Organization of Property Stakeholders Inc. (TOPS) and the Land Registration Authority (LRA) which aspires to provide new solutions and strategies to future challenges that might slow down the development of the property sector in the country.

Philippine 3D Printing and Digifab Expo and Conference 2015

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The future is here now that there are 3D printing technologies that will allow us to build our three-dimensional designs into real objects that we can use for real-life applications.

The possibilities of the uses of 3D printing are endless. The exhibitors commonly display toy or comic-inspired images like anime or cartoon characters as samples since they are more colorful and recognizable, but the stuff that you can print can be more functional and detailed than merely for fancy kid's toys.

I've first heard of 3D printing a few years ago but have only seen an actual 3D printer in action just last year at an event introducing 3D printing to us organized by one of the event exhibitors b=namely CIM Technologies, and the second time was during a recent event that talked about robotics and how the parts can be made out of 3D printed objects, and that was the first locally manufactured 3D printer created by Justine Gabutan of Puzzlebox 3D.

Since the type of raw materials used for printing can also vary, it is not surprising to soon hear about stronger and more durable materials that can be used for more specialized functions like surgery.

The Philippine 3D Printing and Digifab Expo and Conference 2015 was able to gather leading 3D printing companies to exhibit their products. The event was held last August 7 and 8, 2015 at the SMX Convention Center of SM Aura and showcased different companies that offer 3D Printing and related services. There were plenty of 3D printers on display as well as the many creations that were created using the same machines. I've even seen a few machines that were currently printing some 3D objects. Several talks were also held in conjunction to the expo so that the audience would get a good grasp of what 3D Printing is all about.

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Representative Maria Leonor "Lennie" Gerona-Robredo talked about best practices on Good Governance for an enabling environment during the series of forums organized by the Foundation for a Sustainable Society (FSSI) during their 20th Anniversary celebrations held at the Gateway Mall in Araneta Center Quezon City last August 9 and 10, 2015.

The forums were held at the Imperial room of the Gloria Maris restaurant located at the 4th level of the mall, while there were opening ceremonies held at the first day in conjunction with the exhibits held for both days at the ground floor of the said mall. A press briefing was also held sometime at noon on the first day where members of the media were given information about the 20th Anniversary with a theme of "Celebrating 20 Years of Just, Sustainable and Empowered Communities."

We have previously written about the events at an earlier blog article which only gave the overview of what transpired that day. Now we are posting a portion of the talks conducted by some of the guests speakers of which one of them is the Camarines Sur District 3 Representative, Lennie Robredo, the wife of the late Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) head Jessie Robredo who was also the former Mayor of Naga for several terms.

Below are the video coverage divided into two parts spanning around 10 minutes each.

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Davao is now being called a sustainable avenue for globally dynamic investments. As one of the Philippines' next wave cities, Davao is aggressively moving forward in the national business scene. Now, investors are flocking into the city as they capitalize on its economic dynamism. Here's why you should, too!

In a nutshell, here are the top perks of investing in Davao.

1. It is the Philippines' safest city (and recognized as fourth in global rankings)
2. It is the 3rd top outsourcing destination in the Philippines
3. It has a consistently booming economy

Davao is hailed as one of the country's Next Wave Cities as it aims to be the best in providing BPO services.

1. Focused on building high-tech infrastructure
2. Home to a rich source of qualified talents
3. Recognized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)

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Multilingual call center Open Access BPO officially launched its new office in Davao City, Philippines last August 11, as spearheaded by company CEO Benjamin Davidowitz and President Henry Chang. The office is set to start its operations in mid-September this year.

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Davidowitz emphasized the company’s culture more than the organization’s infrastructure and marketing activities as the main key to the firm’s growth.

“When I looked inside Open Access BPO and looked for options to grow outside of Makati, there was really no other decision but Davao because two of the most special people of our company had moved here. So this is why we’re here and this is where we’re going to grow,” Davidowitz remarked.

According to Davidowitz, Open Access BPO prizes its employees above other factors, as he believes that they are the most important driver of any organization’s success. This has paved the way for the company’s recent progress, including its previous expansion in Taipei, Taiwan and its improved capacity to deliver customer service in 25 languages. He also promises an enabling work environment for Davaoeños through the company’s newly launched office.

“When you see [our call center] ... it’s gonna be much more warm and more humanistic. The type of work we’re going to be providing to [professionals in] this area is going to be [scheduled during the] daytime, so people can have a balance between family life and work,” he commented during the event press conference.

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Finally, we have the complete set of video coverage of the six-part video coverage of the Single\Single Press Conference held at the 14th floor of ELJ ABS-CBN building last August 13. So it took me 5 days uploading seven 10-minute videos to finally be able to show them all to yo in one blog article.

The delay was due to a problem we had with our PLDT Home Internet connection of which was poor in performance due to an ongoing maintenance in our area. That is according to PLDT Home. Customer service couldn't pinpoint what exactly is the problem since none of them are really made aware of the actual situation. All they could offer is for you to file a rebate as soon as the connection normalizes.

Single\Single features Shaina Magdayao and Matteo Guidicelli will be shown soon at Cinema One on August 29 at 8 pm with replays every Wednesdays at 8:30 pm and Sundays at 10 pm. Meanwhile Francis Kong will be giving weekly wealth management advises in the Philippine Star newspaper in relation to the episodes shown. This project is a partnership between Cinema One and The Philippine Star.

Au-some 2 Rockin' Years: Skippy's Bar and Grill Celebrates 2nd Anniversary

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We send our heartfelt and warmest congratulations to Skippy's Bar and Grill for celebrating their 2nd year in the restaurant business.

The restaurant has offered a piece of Australia to both their Filipino and foreign customers throughout their two years of existence at the Forum building located in Bonifacio Global City. Owners Steve and Cristina Bird couldn't be more than proud they're still serving every mate out there with their dynamic Aussie resto experience.

My fellow bloggers and I got invited to join their 2nd year anniversary celebration on the night of August 15 Saturday where they also served some new dishes they will soon offer to their customers. I'm sure their loyal customers would be extremely happy to indulge on new dishes to satisfy their palate.

Restaurants really have to keep introducing new or special dishes to keep everyone's interest at a high knowing they would always find something new in the menu. It's a great idea to occasionally introduce new choices even for just a limited time, and to keep the favorites but lose the less in demand so that the customers would know the management listens to their cravings.

Among the dishes they served that night, I was biased to the Omelette Pizza since I have always been a pizza lover. The Shepherd's Pie came in second. Everything else came smacked in third. That means every dish was a winner! But don't just take my word for it, try them yourselves!

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Inside Out, that new adorable and cute animated movie from Disney and Pixar featuring characters representing emotions, is now showing in the Philippines, and Smart Parenting magazine, together with SM Cinema and Snacktime, recognized that there's a better way to use the popularity of the movie and its characters to give some parents and their children some additional excitement, learning and joy before aside from the special movie screening.

The companies, together with other sponsors like Krispy Kreme, Bioessence, and a lot more, offered special treats for both parents and children to pamper and bring extra fun to make their Saturday movie treat more memorable.

Marylaine Louise Viernes, one of the best, brightest, wittiest and highly in-demand events hosts, took charge of passionately hosting the Inside Out movie special movie screening event. She was wearing a lovely yellow outfit that made her look so stunningly more beautiful than she ever was. She wore yellow to be in tune with one of the characters of the movie named "Joy" and oh how wonderful she looked up there on stage, and most especially up close.

Speakers like Chef Roselle Miranda of Good Housekeeping, and Master Doodler Mark Dean Lim of Color Me Doodle, were there to share their expertise to the eager audience composed mostly of young children and their parents.

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There is an ongoing celebration of the Kaplag, or the 450th anniversary of the founding of the Sto. Nino in the Philippines. Read more about it in a separate article that we published a few days ago regarding our coverage of the press conference held at the San Agustin Church led by Father Harold Rentoria and the Augustinian fathers.

They informed us of the happenings like masses, processions, a conference, and a fluvial parade among many others, to be done in Manila to celebrate the Kaplag which is a very important celebration for many Catholics.

Below are some information about it to better inform us hat it is all about and how significant it is for the Philippines.

KAPLAG is a Cebuano term for "finding" or "discovery". The celebration refers to the historic finding of the religious relic, the image of the Santo Niño, on April 28, 1565. The image is believed to be brought by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 as a gift to Rajah Humabon and his wife, Amihan who were converted to the Christian faith. The image was discovered by one of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi's soldiers, Juan Camus, in a partially burned hut.

The 450th Anniversary of Kaplag also commemorates the 450 years of Augustinian presence in the Philippines. Likewise, the celebration marks the 50th Anniversary of the Santo Niño Church as having been elevated to the honorific title, “Basilica Minore” – a title conferred in 1965 by Pope Paul VI through his Papal Legate Archbishop Ildebrando Cardinal Antonuitti.

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Thank you BeamAndGo for the experience of convenience in buying groceries at Super-8 Grocery Store,Ortigas Ext., My transaction was on Sunday August 9 in the morning and the text message was sent to the recipient the following day Monday August 10. Since we were both working throughout the weekdays, we claimed the online GC only today Sunday August 16 after coming from church. I'm impressed with how the Super-8 staff treated us like we were VIPs. We were actually the very first to use this Internet transaction at their branch.

What exactly is BeamAndGo?

I've posted an initial article about what exactly it is and how it greatly helps avoid remittances being misspent on other stuff. You may want to read it first by clicking on the link. BeamAndGo allows the sender to send a recipient an online GC using the service. A code will be sent through the recipient's mobile phone in the form of 3 Short Messaging System (SMS) text messages that they can show at certain partner establishments to easily claim the service.

The best example is this experience of ours when we tried the convenient facility at Super8 Grocery Warehouse located at Ortigas Extension. We got a hold of a voucher when a co-founder of Beam And Go gave us the opportunity to use their system. He was one of our guests at the Vigattin Radio show of Radyo Inquirer aired every Saturday from 10 to 11 am where I co-anchor with Elison Barcelo and Arne Barcelo. Even before the show started that day, he already handed over a voucher and encouraged me to try it out. He also gave some more to our other guests in the show so they too can experience what BeamAndGo is all about.

The Lazada Big App Sale: A Shopping Treat for all those Shoppers On-The-Go!

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Lazada, the Philippines’ largest online shopping mall, is again rolling out five (5) days of non-stop shopping deals for all Filipinos to enjoy. Packed with deals, discounts, and games, the Lazada Big App Sale (www.lazada.com.ph/big-app-sale-days/) is Lazada Philippines’ way of making shopping more enviably effortless, enjoyable, and fun for Filipinos through the Lazada Mobile App.

With as much as 80% exclusive discounts on bestsellers and favorite brands, the Lazada Big App Sale boasts hundreds of thousands of products all housed in the Lazada Mobile App.

So save and shop now with the Lazada Mobile App and be part of the Lazada Big App Sale(www.lazada.com.ph/big-app-sale-days/) this August 27-31.