Open Data, Government and Freedom of Information: Effects of the Political Landscape of the Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Ever wonder why the Freedom of Information Bill is still not rendered to as a law? Ever heard of such a thing as “Open Data”? The UP People Oriented Leadership for the Interest of Community Awareness (UP POLITICA) co-organized with the School of Data, will conduct a forum entitled: Open Data, Government and Freedom of Information: Effects of the Political Landscape of the Philippines. The event will be held on September 28, 2015, from 1:00-4:00pm at the Claro M. Recto Hall, Faculty Center, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.

The forum seeks to elucidate the difference between Open Data and Freedom of Information; how actors from the private sector and civil society groups see its role in promoting a more transparent and accountable government; and how Open Data is shaping up the political landscape of the Philippines. Invited speakers are Ivory Ong of the Open Data Task Force – Department of Budget and Management, Ms. Happy Feraren of Bantay.ph, and Malou Mangahas of Philippines Center for Investigative Journalism.

The Eye Bank Foundation Launches Exhibit of Artworks Centered on Gift of Sight

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Eye Bank Foundation of the Philippines (EBFP) opened last September 14 an exhibit of around 80 artworks for its Nationwide Poster Making Contest. The public viewing, which will run until September 19 at the lobby of Gateway Mall, Araneta Center, Cubao, features the creations of Filipino artists which were made through various techniques to encapsulate the EBFP’s poster contest theme for 2015: “A journey’s end, a gift of hope, a new beginning.”

Submissions came from the metro to as far as the Visayas as a testament of the growing number of support to the EBFP’s advocacy of giving the gift of sight. All the artworks underline the theme which references to the hope that donors give others at the end of one’s journey on earth through the act of cornea or eye donation. The theme elaborates that both the recipient and the donor begin new lives; one still on earth and the other in the afterlife.

“It is heartwarming to know that we have local artists from all over the Philippines who support our cause at the Eye Bank Foundation. These artworks fuel our excitement. Hopefully, these will equally inspire the viewing public to come and join our endeavor as we mark another milestone of the EBFP’s 20th year celebration,” Dr. Minguita Padilla, President and CEO of the Eye Bank Foundation of the Philippines, said.

A press conference was held by Dr. Padilla, together with other members of the board, to foster the participation of and dialogue between the EBFP, stakeholders, partners and media personalities on the former’s campaign to reduce corneal blindness in the country; as well as to showcase the wonderful works of art created by Filipinos to inspire others to share the gift of sight. Guests to the event were also serenaded by the Lyric Opera of the Philippines’ tenor Sherwin Sozon and soprano Ana Feleo. Some of the judges who were present to officially launch the exhibit are renowned painter Manuel Ocampo and owner of web design company MAGCON, Mike Maglipon. Joining them in adjudging the best entries are Arch. Joven Ignacio and ophthalmologists/artists Dr. Eva Olivar-Santos and Dr. Victor Lopez.

Brokers Can Start Receiving Inquiries Through SMS

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In an effort to make its service more efficient for licensed real estate professionals, global property portal Lamudi Philippines (www.lamudi.com.ph) is launching an SMS service that will have brokers receiving text messages from prospective buyers directly to their mobile phones. This service allows brokers to receive SMS notifications one hour after property-hunters have inquired about their properties through the Lamudi website.

According to Lamudi Philippines managing director Jacqueline van den Ende, the first hour after a potential buyer inquires is a very important window in sales. “In order for real estate brokers to successfully close this sale, they must reply to a customer inquiry before another seller does.”

In fact, as study conducted by U.S.-based CRM platform Salesforce, online customers who receive a reply one hour after an inquiry are 60 times more likely to convert than those contacted after 24 hours.

Called the first-mover advantage, a seller who replies to an inquiry the fastest can earn a potential buyer’s loyalty. This is really important in e-commerce, said van den Ende, as online customers are generally not loyal. “Research shows that even through a customer is going price-shopping online, a sense of loyalty drives them back to the vendor who responded to them first.”