Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Sparta Holds Biggest Calisthenics Competition in the Country

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Contestants from different parts of the country, some even came all the way from Baguio and Mindoro, gathered last Sunday to compete in the first ever SPARTA Battle of the Bars Calisthenics Competition held at SPARTA in Mandaluyong City.

The SPARTA Battle of the Bars was said to have been the biggest Calisthenics event ever organized in the country. At least 300 practitioners gathered at SPARTA, as they witnessed different contestants slug it out in the various rounds of the competition with bodyweight exercises.

SPARTA is at the forefront of bringing Calisthenics from underground to mainstream. It opened the Sparta Calisthenics Academy earlier this month, with the goal of encouraging more Filipinos to try it out.

According to Sparta Calisthenics Academy’s consultant and designer Ton Vergel de Dios, “Calisthenics as opposed to working out in a traditional gym is better because it is very honest. You can’t cheat a pull-up or a single legged squat. It is how athletes and warriors have trained for centuries. Calisthenics, uses body weight movements and has benefits which include increasing strength, balance, power, endurance, and of course, aesthetics.”

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AirAsia would like to encourage all guests travelling during the holiday period to conduct self-check-in and arrive at the airport earlier to clear all travelling formalities and avoid the expected congestion due to the surge of passenger numbers throughout this period.

Guests are recommended to arrive at the airport at least 3 hours for AirAsia flights prior to the scheduled time of departure of their respective flights and to perform Self-Check-In via Web, Mobile app or Kiosk services for their travel convenience.

Self Check-In via Web, Mobile or Kiosk services are available from 14 days and up to 1 hour prior to departure for all AirAsia flights. It is also highly recommended for guests to print out their boarding passes before arriving at the airport to ease their travel process.

For guests with baggage to check-in, Baggage Drop counters close 60 minutes before flight departure. As congestion is expected at the baggage drop counters, immigration checkpoints, security scanning, and baggage clearance during this holiday season, it is advisable to complete the baggage drop process and proceed to the boarding gate as early as possible.

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Congratulations to the emerging winners of the Slimmers World Great Bodies 2015 physique competition where 32 hopefuls competed for the title of Mr. and Ms. Great Bodies 2015.

The grand event was held on November 21, 2015 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater located within Resorts World Manila in Pasay city.

The grand winners are Jan Dominic Hung & Althea Vega, while 1st Runner-up are Manuel Nuezca & Maria Ten Franco. Coming in as 2nd Runner-up are Cedric Roxas & Shara Clemente.

Female grand winner Althea Vega posted on Facebook the following message "To my co candidates whom I consider my Brothers and Sisters, thank you for the great moments with you all. I'll keep these memories forever in my heart.☺ A million thanks to all our coaches and Slimmersworld Staff who allowed us to be more creative and utilize the skills we had. Much love and sending you good vibrations from me to all of you."

3 Start-ups Win P200,000 Impact Hub Fellowship on Innovation in Mobility with LBC Cohort Phase

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LBC Express and Impact Hub Manila has finally chosen the three teams to enter into the next phase of the Impact Hub Fellowship on Innovation in Mobility with LBC.

Congratulations to SkyEye, Wave and Food Planners for earning this chance to turn their inspiring business ideas into reality. The organizers are excited for this opportunity to empower these budding entrepreneurs.

For the next three months, the organizers will be providing SkyEye, Wave and Food Planners with living stipends, training and mentoring, skills development, a productive work space, access to a local community of entrepreneurs and innovators as well as to a network of 73 Impact Hubs worldwide, with over 12,000 members. Each package is worth 200,000PHP.

By March 2016, out of these three Cohorts, the winning Fellow will be selected. The Fellow will receive 250,000PHP seed funding and an additional 9 months of start-up support amounting to 500,000PHP. All these without the participants giving away shares or equity.

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A game app developer has taken advantage of the popularity of recent political issue and personalities starting off with the "Tanim Bala" game app released a few weeks ago, and now the "Go Duterte" game app, both of which can be downloaded from Google Play.

I still remember when I got so curious of Kulit Games' "Tanim Bala" game app which pokes fun of the bullet planting at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) issue. I tried the game and though it was hilarious to create something like it, the game was so simple and immediately becomes so boring after a few minutes of play. I downloaded but got rid of it immediately after trying.

There were also similarly-themed game apps like "Laglag Bala" from UltimaA Studios and "Laglag Tanim Bala NAIA" and "Laglag Tanim Bala Catch Throw" from Joey Bambico which also gives the players a few minutes of laughter.

Similarly, there is also another game app poking fun of the Duterte campaign called "Duterte for President Campaign."

Since the news about Rodrigo Duterte running for President is a much-talked-about news in the Philippines like the "laglag bala" issue, it was not at all surprising that folks will do more than just post on social media networks and create memes out of the hype. I am not surprised why I haven't seen any Grace Poe, Jejomar Binay, Miriam Defensor Santiago or Mar Roxas game apps.

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United Ministers Aiming for Gospels Advancement (UMAGA), composed of 15 Christian churches from Valenzuela, Malabon and Quezon City and in partnership with RLTV Entertainment production, Asian Television Content (ATC) and IBC 13 is producing, the first ever advocacy program in Valenzuela City titled: The Awakening Parenting Congress 2015.

The event is to be held at the Amphitheatre, Peoples Park, Valenzuela City on December 12, Saturday from 9am to 12 noon, for the Medical Mission and other Pre-activities (Indigents Christmas Sharing), and from 1pm to 5pm will be the Program Proper, which will focus on the major issue on Social Media, Early Pregnancy, Peer Pressures, Financial Matters and others.

To reach the goals on the above event, the organizers has invited known personalities and celebrities that are experts on parents-teens communication and beyond, namely Pastor Willie Basilio and Chinkee Tan.

In our current issues relevant to teenage problems, it is of great importance that a gathering of parents through the initiatives by some Christian churches and its leaders must be addressed immediately to our kids in order to come up with a solution that is beneficial in curtailing teenage problems.

This parenting Congress will be aired and televised via IBC 13 on December 29, 2015 8pm to 9pm as a Family TV Special, for the parents and their children.

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For the past 8 years, the performance of Philippine students on the National Achievement Test was below the national target of 75 mean score. The High School students' performance remained at around 50%.

This is why FrontLearners, an e-learning content developer and solution provider, promotes the use of BlendEd Mastery Learning Method in the country to help teachers improve the student competency. They cover Math, Science, English Grammar and other K-12 subjects.

Below are some photos during their deployment at two (2) Indigenous People (IP) schools located in Barangay Maruglo of Capas Tarlac.

Site 1

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE goes BlendEd
(Sitio Flora, Barangay Maruglo, Capas, Tarlac)

They are off-grid, off-cell-site, speak 5 languages, 90 minutes away from nearest barangay by fastest mode of transport, many aspire to be a teacher, nurse and engineer someday. The 77 students of Sitio Flora Elementary School and their three teachers are not far behind from the rest with their use of leading edge technologies in classroom. They are equipped with solar power and lighting, Samsung tablets and laptop computers, and FrontLearners' BlendEd Box. FrontLearners' BlendEd Box contains WiFi router and a Web Server containing thousands of DepEd K12 aligned e-learning modules to help teachers implement Blended Mastery Learning Method in their classes.

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The steady rise of HIV infections, with an average of 22 Filipinos daily now get infected, signifies the right timing to strengthen the advocacy that LoveYourself, Inc., among other groups, has been crusading to prevent the epidemic from blowing out of proportion.

On 29 November (Sunday), LoveYourself, in partnership with Department of Health-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (DOH-RITM), held its second HIV Screening Day for this year dubbed as “Ito ang Tamang Panahon: Free and Confidential HIV Test” at Victoria Court, North EDSA in Caloocan City.

“Testing is the first line of defense to curb the spread of HIV and it is just the right time to grab opportunities like this free and confidential HIV screening of LoveYourself,” Ms. Queen International 2015 Trixie Maristela said. She also said that this has been one of her advocacies even before she became beauty titlist to support anti-discrimination and erase stigma to and within the LGBT Community.

Apart from capability to detect strains of HIV, the LoveYourself testing also includes results for other sexually transmitted infections (STI), such as, Hepatitis B and Syphilis. Likewise, counselling and peer education will also be conducted during the screening day to raise awareness about sexual health, particularly about knowing the basics of how HIV is transmitted and acquired.

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Kaye Morales is the eponymous brand that offers clothes ranging from avant-garde gowns to off-the-rack pieces with a unique style statement that stays true to the brand’s vision of dark as enlightening, the rocker chic trend as sophisticated, and the odd as extraordinary. Her collections have been featured in both local and international shows, most notable of which are the LA Style and Vancouver Fashion Weeks. British Vogue has also penned a designer profile published in its Jan. 2014 issue.

Kaye Morales embraces men and women of all backgrounds with ‘Rebel,’ the designer’s collection for Spring/Summer 2016 set to hit the historic runway on Nov. 28, 2015 at Philippine Fashion Week – now on its 20th season. Dedicated to people of edgy yet chic sartorial inclinations, the latest line features tailored and wearable pieces that come in bursts of neon, fun prints, and playful embellishments.

Drawing inspiration from her own struggles as a woman, Morales shared, “I’m a lesbian and I want to (be) open (about) myself while making the fashion industry a welcoming place for all types of people. I want (others) to understand the different types of sexuality, especially mine, as I come out in this industry.”

Morales’ latest collection serves as a throwback of sorts to her humble beginnings as a student at the School of Fashion & the Arts (SoFA), during which she made her first serious foray into the industry with ‘Schizo,’ a ready-to-wear line for the young fashionable set inclined to making punk style statements.

This season, she wants to “let the audience feel that I haven’t lost (touch with) that side of myself (as a designer) and with what I’m really good at.”

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Finance Secretary of the Philippines Cesar Purisima together with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chief Representative of Japan Noriaki Niwa signed the US$ 2 Billion Loan Agreement for the North-South Commuter Railway Project (Malolos-Tutuban) of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) on November 27, 2015 at the Mezzanine Floor Lobby of the Robinsons (JG) Summit Center, Ayala Avenue, Makati City.

Also attending the signing were DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya, Department of Finance National Treasurer Roberto Tan, JICA Senior Representative Tetsuya Yamada, and JICA Section Chief Keisuke Fukui.

The project supports the expansion of a mass transportation network which is recognized as one of the priorities in the 2011-2016 Philippine Development Plan aiming to improve the efficiency of land transportation capacities in Metro Manila. It also seeks to provide a more environmentally sustainable mode of transport through the construction of about 37 km new elevated commuter railway from Malolos, Bulacan to Tutuban, Manila, procurement of rolling stock, and installation of electro-mechanical systems.

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The game fowl industry is a billion dollar industry that keeps growing to ensure veterinarians, breeders, caretakers, grafters, handlers and other forms of game fowl and cockfighting-related employment and businesses, benefit generously from the perks and privileges brought about by the caring, feeding and fighting activities and events.

It may still be considered barbaric by some due to the horrific deaths of game fowls involved in the cockfighting, but those who perceived it as a taboo sport are slowly realizing the greater benefits.

After years of importing parent stocks and breeding excellent game fowls, the Philippines is now considered the mecca of the game fowl industry.

The 3rd International Gamefowl Festival is now scheduled on January 8 to 10 at the SMX Convention Center of the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.

A press conference was held on November 26, 2015 at The Blackboard by Chef Michel located at The Podium in Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.

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The holiday season always means busy days fro many especially those who will prepare gifts and goodies for their loved ones and special friends. This includes the task of wrapping gifts and cooking all kinds of dishes for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Thanks to Top Pick Advertising and their Pre-Holiday Bloggers Workshop, held at Green Sun a week before December (November 25, 2015), we get to have additional ideas to improve our Christmas preparations.

They invited bloggers for an evening of Christmas-related demonstrations which included gift-wrapping and pasta cooking - activities that can help the attendees to really own Christmas using the skills learned at the workshop they dubbed as "Own Christmas!" Some bloggers were also invited to join the demos onstage so they can personally experience the fun.

Upon entering the event venue, you'll be amazed at the many holiday-themed decorations, cakes, cookies and other holiday delights from Goldilocks. The booth from El Real were giving away a cool pack of spaghetti enclosed in a plastic container, and La Filipina's booth were offering samples of their pork tuna for tasting. myPhone gave away a smartphone to one lucky participant in a contest.

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The Philippines is confirmed to host the second year of Madrid Fusion Manila (MFM) scheduled to take place on 7 - 9 April 2016. This was formalized in a signing ceremony between the Department of Tourism (DOT) and ICEX España Exportacion e Inversiones, the public export promotion agency under the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of the Kingdom of Spain, held on 26 November 2015 at the Crimson Hotel in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

Signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) were DOT Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. and Spain’s Secretary of State for Trade Jaime Garcia-Legaz. Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Luis Calvo; Deputy Director for Trade Policy with Europe and Asia, Maria Aparici; Advisor to the Secretary of State for Trade, Mar Casanova; Cultural Affairs First Secretary, Guillermo Escribano; Economic and Commercial Counsellor of Spain, Enrique Feas, with Joji Gregorio of Tourism Promotions Board and DOT Market Development Group Officer-in-Charge Director Verna Buensuceso witnessed the intimate ceremony.

“No event deserves repeated celebrations than Madrid Fusion Manila. Not only because it was expertly executed, not only because it was well attended, not only because it was roundly applauded, but more because it was a journey of rediscovery, a renewal of friendship, and of kinship,” Tourism Secretary Jimenez said during the signing ceremony which elicited rounds of applause from guests that include Filipino chef Margarita Fores, representatives of the Philippine Association of Convention / Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (PACEOS), and members from the media.

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Educators around the world are invited to participate in Microsoft’s annual two-day Skype-a-Thon, an event aimed at connecting classrooms around the world and showcasing how technology can be used to enhance the learning experience. Starting on December 3 and going through December 4, Microsoft's Global Skype-a-Thon will attempt to travel a million virtual miles during the two-day event.

For this year’s global Skype-a-Thon, educators can choose from thousands of activities including speaking with an expert guest speaker on a topic their class is studying. They can also choose to take their class on a virtual field trip. Skype in the Classroom offers these virtual trips that spark imagination, from learning about sea turtles to exploring cultural perspectives in Western American art - and nearly everything in between. Educators can also connect with classrooms in other countries with #Mystery Skype, a global guessing game that teaches kids geography, promotes cultural understanding and broadens perspectives.

Participants may be selected as one of 10 classrooms to be featured in the global Skype-a-Thon highlights video, which Microsoft will produce and share with their global educator community and beyond.

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Globe Telecom and Huawei Technologies signed a 5-year partnership deal to further enhance and expand the leading telecommunication provider’s mobile network to elevate the state of Philippine internet and strengthen its position as purveyor of Filipino digital lifestyle.

Specifically, the partnership involves planning and design of a mobile broadband network utilizing latest state of the art technology trends aimed at creating a wonderful digital world for its customers.The project also involves the creation of a “mobile innovation center” to yield innovative products and solutions that would ensure Globe maintains its competitive edge and leadership in the intensely competitive local telecommunications industry. The partnership is provided for in a memorandum of understanding signed by Globe President & CEO Ernest Cu and Huawei Rotating CEO and Vice Chairman Eric Xu November 23.

“Globe is committed in investing in and developing its mobile broadband network, understanding the needs of a growing chunk of our customers for high-speed data connectivity on their mobile devices as they continue to build their lives around a digital lifestyle,” Globe President & CEO Ernest Cu said.Cu said the partnership will deliver a more robust mobile network as well as innovative market-driven solutions to help hopefully ensure the company’s success in growing the mobile market.