Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Philstage Brings “Mundong Entablado” to One Night Stand on September 1

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Seven of the country’s finest theater artists are set to join forces on September 1 for PHILSTAGE’s fundraiser. Entitled “Mundong Entablado”, the show is part of the One Night Stand monthly cabaret at 12 Monkeys Music Hall, and features songs from eleven contemporary Filipino musicals.

Theater veterans Bituin Escalante, Cris Villonco, Sweet Plantado, Nonie Buencamino, and OJ Mariano take the stage with rising stars Kim Molina and Sandino Martin in this unique celebration of Manila’s vibrant performing arts scene.

Under the direction of Topper Fabregas and musical direction of Ejay Yatco, the program consists of songs from Rock Supremo, Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah, Bituing Walang Ningning, Lorenzo, Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo, Maxie the Musical, Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady, Sa Wakas, Rizal X, Isang Panaginip na Fili, and Rak of Aegis, all re-arranged for this cabaret.

Proceeds of the event will help fund PHILSTAGE’s projects such as theatre workshops, master classes, and the annual Gawad Buhay! Awards.

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Believing that one cannot teach students how to become an artist, but only show what’s its like to be one, Richard Tuttle often said this line whenever he is invited to give a talk at an art school - “If Aristotle can’t be your teacher, you have to teach yourself.”

This line also serves as a reference point for an exhibition featuring works by thirteen contemporary artists – Raena Abella, Juan Alcazaren, Felix Bacolor, Gino Bueza, Monica Delgado, Nilo Ilarde, Lubin Nepomuceno, Jonathan Olazo, Michelle Perez, Juni Salvador, Hubert San Juan, Angel Ulama, and Atsuko Yamagata. Curated by Nilo Ilarde, who noted that “the learning curve does not end in school”, the exhibition is an assembly of paintings, collages, photographs, and objects that are informed by the artists’ own digressions from current precepts and edifications in art.

“If Aristotle can’t be your teacher, you have to teach yourself” runs from September 5-28, 2015 at Galleria Duemila, located at 210 Loring Street, 1300 Pasay City. For more information, you may reach: Tel. No. +632 831 9990; Telefax no. +632 833 9815, email: gduemila@gmail.com, Twitter and Instagram: @galleriaduemila or visit our website at www.galleriaduemila.com and follow us on Facebook.

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To encourage employees to lead a healthy and active lifestyle, Open Access BPO held another wellness exhibit in its Makati office on August 26. The multilingual call center invited several health experts, some of which provided nutritional counseling, free blood pressure monitoring, and blood sugar testing. Attendees also received free product samples from pharmaceutical companies.

Tracing its roots back to 2006, Open Access BPO was founded by Benjamin Davidowitz and Henry Chang primarily as a telemarketing service in California. It branched out to Makati City, Philippines a year later, marking its breakthrough in the global offshoring industry. Now, the company provides multilingual customer support in 25 languages and back office services to businesses all over the world.

Between its offices in Makati, Philippines and Taipei, Taiwan, the outsourcing firm employs more than 500 skilled specialists at the frontline of its wide array of outsourcing services.

As a premier multilingual outsourcing hub catering to international brands with a diverse market reach, Open Access BPO dedicates itself to providing the best solutions to its clients.

Learn more by visiting http://openaccessbpo.com/.

Fortinet Launches the Industry's Most Secure Cloud-Managed Enterprise Wi-Fi Solution

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Fortinet's New Cloud-Managed Wireless LAN Solution Delivers Wi-Fi Access with an Emphasis on Management Simplicity and High-Performance Security for Wireless Networks and Mobile Devices

Fortinet, a global leader in high-performance cybersecurity solutions − today announced enhancements to its cloud-based FortiCloud management system and a new line of cloud-managed wireless access points (APs), continuing the company's strategic investments and momentum in the secure wireless networking market. Fortinet's "FortiAP-S series" wireless LAN (WLAN) APs are the most secure cloud-managed enterprise Wi-Fi products on the market, featuring Fortinet's cybersecurity technology running directly on the AP and the latest security updates from Fortinet's industry-leading FortiGuard Labs Threat Intelligence team. Now organizations no longer need to sacrifice security when opting to manage their enterprise wireless LAN from the cloud.

Next Generation Cloud-Managed Wireless Access Points

Distributed organizations face many challenges as they deploy and manage a wireless LAN solution for their customers and employees. Current enterprise WLAN solutions often require complex architectures to segment guest and internal networks, while demanding extra hardware like separate WLAN controllers and security appliances. While emerging cloud-managed Wi-Fi vendors have helped to reduce the complexity and management issues associated with deploying wireless networks, moving WLAN control into the cloud has introduced security challenges that have yet to be addressed until now.

Fortinet's new FortiAP-S series of wireless access points empower organizations to forego separate WLAN controllers without exposing the network to cyber-threats. Every FortiAP-S series access point is centrally managed through the cloud-based FortiCloud management system, enabling effortless Wi-Fi network deployment and management, increasing security, visibility and control, and reducing overall infrastructure complexity. This makes it easy for organizations to implement and manage a secure Wi-Fi network, while the scalability of cloud management makes the solution ideal for distributed enterprises that may have thousands of sites.

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Jesse Lucas set to music a poem by Maningning Miclat titled “Ginugunita Kita” and was welcomed by viewers when first aired on TV and was passed online by hundreds of netizens last May.

Critics, music lovers and avid fans watched it, and seven other Lucas songs of Maningning poems, at the Aldaba Recital Hall of the UP Diliman Theater on the fifth and last Saturday of the same month. Said songs, and more, will be featured at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines on September 3, back to back with the 2015 Maningning Miclat Trilingual Poetry Awards featuring Kammerchor Manila. It is aptly entitled “Ginugunita Kita.”

Lucas is a multi-awarded composer for film, television, theater and dance. Miclat was a trilingual poet, award-winning visual artist and art teacher. Directed by film and theater actor Roeder Camaňag, the performance will feature soloist Banaue Miclat-Janssen and master cellist Renato Lucas, together with singer Al Gatmaitan and artist Delphine Buencamino.

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Samsung Corporate Citizenship celebrates the richness of Filipino culture and heritage by using innovative technology to cast the spotlight on historical sites and landmarks.

Once the center of Filipino life, plazas in Manila are either disappearing or falling into a state of disrepair. Few people recognize the historical and cultural significance of these landmarks, and they are often overlooked by heritage conservationists, as well as students of history.

To help Filipinos rediscover Philippine heritage and culture, Samsung and the Philippine Science High School Foundation, Inc. have teamed up to hold an exhibit entitled The Plazas of Manila at Yuchengco Museum with noted architect, designer, and urban planner Paulo Alcazaren as the curator. Open from August 27 until September 18, the exhibit highlights the historical and cultural significance of plazas in Manila, with the use of augmented reality on Samsung’s latest digital tablet and Smart TV technology.

Coinciding with the exhibit is the launch of Culture Explorer, a mobile application that uses augmented reality technology to help people, especially the youth, learn about Manila’s plazas and other cultural and heritage landmarks. The app is virtually a tour guide in one’s pocket, with fresh content and plenty of interesting trivia. It also allows users to navigate around key landmarks and travel back in time to see how the landmark has looked and evolved over the years. Since history is better appreciated with other people, the Culture Explorer app allows users to connect with other Culture Explorers who share their interest in the different sites.

"Through this exhibit, we are able to cast the spotlight on one of the most important elements of Filipino culture and history, the plaza. This exhibit allows us to bridge technology and art together, giving the Filipino youth a chance to learn about their roots," said Linda Cordova, Executive Director of the Philippine Science High School Foundation, Inc.

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Through its official partnership with global iconic basketball association, NBA, Globe Telecom brings fans closer to the international court with a weekend-long series of basketball events.

The country's leading mobile brand, Globe Telecom, fortifies its official partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) as it presents NBA 3X, an entire weekend of balling activities that will bring Filipino fans closer to their basketball dreams.

Happening at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall and Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on August 28 - 30, 2015, the NBA 3X will allow Filipino fans to enjoy a fantastic NBA experience like no other. All guests and visitors will play witness to the thrilling main event - the most-awaited 3-on-3 basketball tourney that will test the skills, talent, and perseverance of every basketball enthusiast who will make it through the nationwide search and elimination rounds.

Globe is also bringing in two astounding teams from the regional provinces of Tawi-Tawi and Bacolod to compete in the 3-on-3 competition. Aside from flying them in, the telco is giving the teams a complete NBA experience, from providing the best basketball gear to the opportunity to meet the NBA superstars slated to appear during the weekend. This is testament to the telco's commitment to nation-building by creating avenues for its customers to pursue their passions and reach for their dreams aside from providing innovative services and offers.

"We are very proud and honored to be the official mobile and broadband partner of the NBA, with this partnership even extending to helping fulfill dreams and aspirations of young Filipino basketball enthusiasts. We look forward to giving our customers the best and most meaningful sports experiences with our participation to this year's NBA 3X Competition," says Jil Go, Vice President for Content at Globe Telecom.

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Has your vehicle become an antique? Then repair and refurbish this September as DMAX takes you on a restoration trip from home garages to the vast seas. Whether it’s a rustic car or an abandoned ship, DMAX will bring you the fix you need.

Last year, custom car guru Rick Dore and ex-WWE wrestler Chuck Palumbo teamed up to start SLAM, a revolutionary new body shop specializing in the last untapped frontier of classic American automobiles – car hoards. All over the country, classics such as Zephyrs, Mercs, T Birds and Camaros are collecting rust as their owners wait for that elusive “someday” when they’ll finally restore their dream cars.

In the new season of EXTREME CAR HOARDERS, Chuck and Rick offer these hoarders a golden opportunity: they’ll tow away your rusting fleet, sell what they can, and use the money from the sales to turn one of your cars into a priceless, show-worthy vehicle for you to keep. But transforming cars for hoarders is a risky proposition. Finding buyers for rust buckets is never easy, and the restoration and customization business is full of unexpected pitfalls that can sink their partnership for good. Chuck and Rick are all in, and it’s going to be a wild ride starting September 2, airing Wednesdays at 8:10 p.m.

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The Philippine Azkals must rack up more wins not only to qualify for the 2018 World Cup but also to increase football’s awareness in the country.

“We feel the pressure of winning not only to qualify (for the World Cup) but also for awareness of the sport in the country,” Azkals manager Dan Palami said.

“We help the sport by winning. The more popular football gets, the more kids play the sport. More players mean more support for the sport and hopefully, the national team,” Palami stressed.

Palami’s dream is to ignite a football passion in the Philippines and make the sport a national obsession similar to other countries.

He said he wants to produce homegrown talents who would inspire more young people to play football and propel the country’s pride.

“We also need to create a passionate fan base to fuel the sport,” he added.

To achieve this, Palami needed to walk the talk, thus his all-out support for and unwavering commitment to the national football team, which is beginning to bear fruit.

Through his efforts, as well as those of other football officials, the Philippine Azkals have come a long way in their attempt to boost the country’s stock in football in the last five years.

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At a press conference earlier today, August 28, 2015, at the LRT-2 Depot located at Santolan, Quezon City, a panelist composed of spokespersons from the LTO, LRTA and DOTC announce the traffic management plan for LRT-2 Masinag East Extension. There will be a dry run to initiate on August 29, 2015.

We also made a quick tour of the actual site were the extending viaduct along Marcos Highway will be constructed. There will also be two (2) additional stations to be constructed — one to be situated in front of the Robinsons Metro East and Sta. Lucia East Grand Malls, and a second one at the Masinag Junction in Antipolo City.

Since the dry run is already scheduled tomorrow, we will post the press conference video coverage and video invites on a later date, and just proceed in sharing to you their official press release sent to us earlier this morning. We were out all day until late at night covering other event so we could only share this right now. Watch out for the videos soon at http://www.YouTube.com/wazzuppilipinas and the photos at http://www.Facebook.com/wazzuppilipinas

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Acknowledging the vital role of education in nation-building and economic development, the education budget has grown tremendously under the Aquino Administration. The budget of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) actually doubled from PhP23.8B in 2010 to an all-time high of PhP46B in 2016. Comparing the 2016 against the 2015 budget, there is an increase of PhP1.6B or 3.6%.

In the 2016 budget hearing at the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan defended the agency’s and the SUCs’ budgets. Reports on that hearing have been inaccurate. In response to reports that more than 50 SUCs received budget cuts for next year, it must be pointed out that in truth, only 10 SUCs will sustain net decreases in funding with Philippine Normal University (PNU) getting the largest reduction of 19%, University of the Philippines System (UP System) 16%, and the rest single-digit decreases ranging from 0.59 to 7%.

In the case of PNU whose 2016 budget of PhP558M is lower by PhP132M from its 2015 budget of PhP690M, the decrease is due to a one-time congressional insertion in 2015 of PhP100M and its low utilization rate.

On the other hand, the 2.2B decrease in the 2016 budget of the UP System, from its 2015 budget of PhP13.7B is due to a one-time allotment provided for medical equipment of the UP-Philippine General Hospital amounting to PhP3.1B. Without this one-time allocation in 2015, UP’s 2016 budget actually increased by almost PhP1B.

GOAB Organizer Says Launch of Startup Roadmap is Just the Beginning

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The Philippine Startup Roadmap, launched at the just concluded third Geeks on a Beach (GOAB) in Boracay, looks forward to spawning some 500 startups with an estimated cumulative valuation of $2 billion by 2020.

Deputy Executive Director Mon Ibrahim of the Department of Science ande Technology-Information Communication Technology Office (DOST-ICTO) led the launch of the roadmap which he described as a list of what the Philippine startup community needs to do.

The roadmap declares that its “main goal is to produce the next billion dollar tech startup from the Philippines.”

“The launch of the roadmap is just the beginning,” said Tina Amper of TechTalks.ph, the community that organized the annual Geeks on a Beach conference.

“The next steps of implementing, funding and constant collaborating are critical to positive impact to the Philippine economy,” she said adding that GOAB 2015 generated inquiries to take GOAB to other parts of the country.

“We are open to partnering with like-minded companies who can bring this happiness business to other parts of the world,” Amper said.

According to Amper, “Year 3 produced lots of positive feedback from participants about connections made, lessons learned, dreams re-discovered, and passions stirred.”

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The Junior Achievement Marketing Society, the official national student marketing organization of the Junior Achievement of the Philippines Inc. which is an international organization under JA Worldwide, will hold its first event for the Academic Year 2015-2016. The event is entitled “Association Management Training.” It will be on August 29, 2015 at Accenture Philippines, Edsa corner, Pioneer St., Mandaluyong City. The Philippine Council for Advance Association Executive (PCAAE) formed two years ago by the best association management trainers who prepare young leaders in the world of work and professional association management is the official partner of JAMS for this program.

“Association Management Training,” is a one-day workshop about effective association management and handling responsibilities. This will cater business student leaders from different recognized junior associations/councils. One of the main goals of this is for the junior associations to create networks among members and fosters learning within their choice of discipline; this is also an opportunity to prepare this young people to manage their professional organization in the future.

The program is divided into two sessions that will be led by two of the best association management trainers from the PCAAE. The first session is about the right foundation for junior management association and governance by the PCAAE Chair, Ms. Corazon D. Conde; while the second session will be headed by a Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner, Mr. Enrique I. Florencio who will talk on designing successful membership and services for Junior Association.

Executives of different Junior Management/Marketing Organizations from 26 universities and colleges in the Philippines affiliated in JAMS will join the workshop. The event will not be possible without the collaboration of HOOQ Philippines and Hawk Back; co-presenters—Nescafe Smoovlatte, Asian Secrets, pH Care, Post-it, Scotch, Oracare, Glutaphos, John Robert Powers, Matchimi; the partnership of Boardwalk; and the media partners—Mint Magazine, Adobo Magazine, WazzupPilipinas.com, Boracay Beach Radio, and Amplify PH.

Globe Fires Up Portal to Serve Early Customers of Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+

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As the leader in the digital lifestyle, Globe Telecom is gearing up to welcome the newest Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ to Philippine shores with an online portal to serve early customers. The portal accepts registration of interest among customers purchasing the latest devices from Samsung with the myLifestyle Plan from Globe.

New and existing postpaid customers can visit the registration of interest portal available on the Globe website via www.globe.com.ph/postpaid/samsung/register to register and indicate their preferred Samsung handset model in advance, along with their name, mobile number, and e-mail address. The customer database will be used to update registered customers with postpaid plan offers and pricing details. A reference number will be provided to customers so they can track status of their application.

“With our registration of interest portal, customers get first dibs on our offers as well as exclusive privileges which they can avail when they get the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ from Globe,” says Erli Valdez, Vice President for Postpaid Business at Globe. “As the leader in postpaid and preferred telco carrier of the latest smartphones and "phablets", we are poised to take one's device experience to the next level with our innovative myLifestyle Plan offerings, which gives customers access to their digital lifestyle while enjoying the amazing features of the devices.”

Valdez adds, “Over the next few days, customers will find out why it’s best to get the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6+edge from Globe with our unbeatable offers.”

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Curiosity buzzed as inquisitive media reps gathered at the recent event for OLX Philippines, the country’s leading online classifieds platform. It was an intimate event between OLX and the media to talk about the changes since the rebranding and their plans moving forward.

RJ David, Co-founder and Managing Director of OLX Philippines and one of the most successful online entrepreneurs in the country, talked lengthily about these changes. “We want to provide win-win exchanges for everyone by giving consumers equal buying and selling opportunities. We also want them to become more madiskarte in buying and selling 2nd hand items online.”

David added that they have expanded to Cebu and merged with another online classified ads platform to encourage more Filipinos to get into the habit of online buying and selling. Add to these, the improved look and feel of OLX Philippines: faster loading pages, more simplified sell form and an improved report button for keeping spam and scam ads at bay. To provide a fair selling venue and to promote high quality ads, OLX has removed the feedback system and minimized the number of free ad slots.

OLX has also taken a big step by releasing and managing their own content platform called OLX Yaman. Jean Magboo, OLX Philippines Content Marketing Manager, explains, “We’re now more than just a buy and sell platform, OLX is a service that provides an opportunity for Filipinos to make smart and practical choices that can lead to an improved life.”