Philippines AirAsia Launches Restaurant In The Sky

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Craving for sisig from 35,000 feet above? AirAsia guests flying to, from, and within the Philippines are in for a wonderful treat as Philippines AirAsia today officially started serving hot meals from its newest in-flight menu concept themed “Santan” which replaces AirAsia Café as part of the airline’s latest offerings to enhance customer experience while flying.

Fresh new items include Bangus Sisig, a Filipino dish made of chunks of boneless milkfish sautéed in onions seasoned with salt, pepper and spices. Buffalo Chicken Strips and Barbeque Cola Beef are tasty versions of grilled meat with smoky sauce paired with tomato rice or roasted potatoes. Those who are watching their calories, meanwhile, must try the new Vegetarian Chickpea Curry or the classic Maan’s Pasta Arabiata. New dishes are available for on-board and pre-book purchase in all Philippines AirAsia flights to/from Manila, Kalibo/Boracay, Palawan, Bohol, Cebu, Davao, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau and South Korea.

Other delectable dishes also pay tribute to ASEAN flavours such as Nasi Lemak, Chicken Rice, Beef Caldereta and Adobo hence the menu is titled: Santan, an essential ingredient in Malay cooking which refers to the liquid obtained from pressing shredded coconut meat. Santan is thick, creamy and often use as a substitute for butter, cream or soup stock in Asean cooking.

Apart from the new hot meals, guests will be able to choose from variety of sweets with choices such as Lemon Torte, Banoffee Cake, Sinful chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies from as low as P80 for on-board purchase and at discounted price for pre-booked.

Promenade/Theater Mall Christmas Lighting Ceremony Ushers In December Mall Activities

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Christmas came alive at Greenhills Promenade and Theater Mall with the official Christmas Lighting ceremony on November 26 when hot young stars Ken Chan of GMA’s Destiny Rose, Jake Vargas, Prince Villanueva and Sanya Lopez joined Music Museum Group president Precy M. Florentino and other MMGI officials in switching on hundreds of glittery parols.

They were joined by Kuya Germs, German Moreno, Walang Tulugan co-hosts Jon Knight and Sharmaine Santiago, Music Museum Group Vice Presidents Paolo F. Mendoza and Rosalina F. Mendoza.

The Christmas lighting ceremony is an annual tradition in this part of Greenhills that is enlivened by the presence of stars and entertainment personalities. The dining, shopping and entertainment enclave is best known among leisure lovers for its favorite performance venues, the Music Museum and Teatrino, its glam Greenhills Cinemas, the first movie theaters in the country to show movies in state of the art sound technology, Dolby Atmos and its lively mix of shops and restaurants.

The lighting ceremony also touched off a series of engaging Christmas activities at the Promenade and Theater Mall. The Teatrino Film Series, a Philippine independent movie festival put together by Heneral Luna director Jerrold Tarog in September 2014, continues to regale moviegoers with weekend movie treats at the Teatrino up to December 19. 

IPC Presents Leading ICT Industry Trends for 2016

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Local cloud services and data center firm IPC (IP Converge Data Services, Inc.) has recently announced the top trends in the Philippine ICT industry for the year 2016. The leading shifts include increased use of hybrid cloud services, more innovative IT enterprises, and better government support for the IT sector. 

Hybrid Cloud is on the Rise

IPC President Rene Huergas first shared that enterprises across Asia are fast adopting cloud services, with a preference for hybrid cloud models. The trend is rooted on the perception that the public cloud does not suit needs specific to Asian companies, steering the demand towards private cloud services. The current hybrid model involves storing all mission critical data in the private cloud, while non-mission critical data are stored into the public counterpart.

According to Frost & Sullivan more than half of Asian Enterprises intend to adopt hybrid cloud solutions in 2016, thus, stirring its growth rate by 20% from 2014 to 2019. This translates to a market value of $25.7bn up to $65.2bn in 2019.

“The Philippines ranks as the 33rd most attacked country in the world. A hybrid cloud, one that also includes a DDoS mitigation system, will best respond to the ICT demands of an Asian enterprise,” Huergas recommended.

Globe Keeps Lead in Mobile Data Biz with Revenues Hitting P15-B Mark

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Globe Telecom remained the dominant player in the country’s mobile data business as its mobile browsing and other data revenues reached P15.1 billion for the first nine months of 2015, up by a solid 48% from P10.2 billion a year ago. Mobile data users grew by 126% year-on-year, while mobile data traffic increased by 89% from previous year’s level.

On a sequential basis, mobile browsing and other data revenues grew by 9% from the P5.1 billion posted the prior quarter to P5.6 billion. Mobile browsing and other data revenues accounted for 24% of total mobile service revenues.

“Our mobile data revenues have once again exceeded our expectations, maintaining its robust double-digit growth in revenues and traffic, as well as triple-digit growth in user base. We are confident that we can sustain this growth momentum towards the end of the year as the demand for data connectivity during the holidays is expected to soar. This shift to the digital lifestyle is part of our commitment to drive the country’s position as the world’s next social media capital,” Globe Senior Advisor for Consumer Business Dan Horan said.

To sustain leadership in the mobile data space, Globe continued on with partnering with internet and device providers to give customers a differentiated experience. Globe worked closely with internet giant Google to bring Chromecast to the country, giving users a new way to stream their favorite entertainment content at home. The thumb-sized media streaming device will allow customers to get instant access to quality entertainment experience at home as they get to see their favorite content and apps from the small screen to the big screen.

Globe Telecom Brings Country’s Biggest Star Wars Play Hub To BGC

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The above photo shows Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu, Senior Advisor for Consumer Business Dan Horan and The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia’s General Manager for Studio Entertainment and International Distribution, Amit Maholtra riding the bus with the Stormtroopers of the 501^st Legion on the way to the Star Wars Park.

Fans enjoyed a complete galactic experience at the Bonifacio High Street Central amphitheater complete with game booths and merchandise displays on December 12-13, 2015

Globe Telecom brought surprises in galactic proportions when it set up the country’s biggest Star Wars play hub at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, taking the Star Wars experience beyond the cinema as Filipinos gear up for the much-awaited international release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on December 17, 2015.

With its comprehensive and multiyear collaboration with The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia whose brands include Star Wars, the leader in digital services and the purveyor of the Filipino digital lifestyle has launched the Globe-Star Wars Galactic Celebration, which transforms the Bonifacio High Street Central amphitheater into a big Star Wars playground on December 12-13, 2015.

Open to the public for free, the Globe-Star Wars Galactic Celebration allowed Star Wars fans and onlookers alike to spend the weekend playing at the game booths, taking photos of famous Star Wars icons and characters, purchasing retail collectibles from participating fashion brands, and enjoying the different treats and offers of Globe brands.

The Only Ribbon That Ties Families Closer During Christmas

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The holiday season is the time to hang your Christmas ornaments and play your favorite holiday tunes when family and friends get together. But while you’re making your home more festive and exciting for the holiday season, receiving a box of treats is still perhaps one of the most anticipated activities.

What marks Christmas is the series of feasts that are meant to bring family and friends closer. And no meal is ever complete without a Red Ribbon product.

“Christmas may seem very merry with presents under the tree. However, this season is all about sharing, and nothing is more memorable than sharing special moments with people closest to you,” said Zinnia Rivera, general manager of Red Ribbon.

She added, “This is where Red Ribbon comes in—while people may serve different types of food during family reunions, Red Ribbon never misses the dining table especially during the holidays as it brings the family closer.”

DOST – ICT Office Reveres Partners in Rural Connectivity Project

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The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Office of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) paid homage to its partners from the public and private sector who made possible the “TV White Space (TVWS) Supported Fisher folk Registration in the Danajon Reef”, which won the P3 (public-private partnership) Impact Award at the 2015 Concordia Summit, the DOST-ICT Office held a Philippine P3 Awarding Ceremony on December 11, 2015 at their office. Internet connectivity provided by the project not only boosted fisher folk registration but also provided Internet access to schools and public areas in Bohol and delivered essential communications support for the relief efforts after the Bohol earthquake and Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

The P3 Impact Award is considered a top honor in the arena of public-private partnership development. It was bestowed by the United States Department of State Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships, the University of Virginia Darden School for Business Institute in Society, and Concordia, and presented via satellite by US Secretary of State, John Kerry. In Kerry’s speech, he stated the importance of giving recognition to model public-private partnerships in order to inspire future public-private partnerships to come.

The P3 Impact Award was received by DOST Undersecretary Louis Napoleon Casambre last October 2, 2015 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City, The TVWS Supported Fisherfolk Registration project, which aimed to increase fisherfolk registration in six pilot municipalities in Bohol using the technology of TV White Space or unutilized broadcast frequencies, is a joint initiative of DOST-ICTO, the USAID-supported Ecosystems Improved for Sustainable Fisheries (ECOFISH) Project of the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) the provincial government of Bohol, Microsoft-Philippines, Nityo Infotech and IXS4All . The project bested more than 50 other applicants, including finalists from Coca-Cola, the Global Development Lab, Dow Chemical, and General Mills, which highlights the exceptional impact that this partnership has made.

Laundrybest Holds Productivity Seminar

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GQWEST Inc. the company behind the Aquabest and Laundrybest franchise brands recently held a seminar on how to enhance the productivity and profitability of its laundry business concept.

The seminar was conducted in cooperation with its official detergent Ariel. The seminar was facilitated by the company's Customer Care Manager Susan Ho and Leslie Grace Lee and Eric Sto Thomas from P&G. The seminar shared business practices with its franchisees. It also covered how using Ariel products would improve the franchisees cost efficiency and product quality.

The partnership is part of the company's efforts to give added value to their franchisees and customers. "Through this partnership we can assure our customers that their laundry will be processed with the utmost care thanks to our partnership with a credible brand like Ariel" says the company’s President Carson Tan.

Laundrybest is the laundromat concept attached to the company's Aquabest water refilling franchise. At present there are 50 Laundrybest stores in Metro Manila with more set to open.

Real Estate Investment Opportunities In 2016

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With 2015 drawing to an end, many would-be real estate investors and homebuyers must be wondering what 2016 would bring. Will the condo market finally experience a downturn? Should investors diversify their portfolios and turn to offices? Or should we look outside Metro Manila?

Global property website Lamudi Philippines (www.lamudi.com.ph) takes a look on what are potentially good real estate investment deals in 2016.


1. Strata-titled Offices

Unlike the BPO office towers built and owned by real estate developers and rented to BPO companies, strata-titled offices can be bought by individual investors and buyers and have them rented out to companies. For property buyers looking to diversify their investment portfolios, this property type makes sense as there is currently a shortage of office space in Metro Manila, especially in the major CBDs, placing an upward pressure on rental rates. In addition, Colliers International said in its third quarter 2015 report that decreasing land-bank options in the Makati CBD, Bonifacio Global City (BGC), and Ortigas Center is also pushing capital values of office buildings upward.

Among strata-titled developments currently on the market include Alveo Financial Center along Ayala Avenue, which has 363 units and sells on average Php223,000 per sqm. Others include The Stiles in Circuit Makati (Alveo Land; 283 units; Php198,000/sqm); Century Spire in Century City (Century Properties; 283 units; Php203,000/sqm); Capital House in BGC (Avida Land; 222 units; Php142,000/sqm); One World Place in BGC (Daiichi Properties; 283 units; Php136,000/sqm); and Parkway Corporate Center in Alabang (Filinvest Land; 390 units; Php168,000/sqm).

Finalists for the National Digital Arts Awards 2015 Named

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Globaltronics announced the finalists for the digital print and motion graphics categories of the National Digital Arts Awards 2015 #DIGITALPINOYAKO.

Out of 300 entries, 25 were screened and judged by top creative directors and designers in the Philippines. All the finalists will move up to the NDAA2015 Awarding Concert on January 15, 2016 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila, Pasay City. Special performers Up Dharma Down, Kean and Eunice, Parokya ni Edgar, and Alden Richards will be entertaining the crowd during the awarding concert.

For this year, the awards are open only for Filipino students. Globaltronics sought to cultivate the young Filipino digital artist, especially the multimedia arts and design students and enthusiasts’ creativity and national awareness.

Both categories will have its respective grand winners, 2nd and 3rd placers, and people’s choice awardees. The grand winner for print category will receive a cash prize of Php175,000, 2nd place winner will receive Php150,000, and Php100,000 for the 3rd place winner. For the motion graphics category, grand winner will receive a cash prize of Php200,000, 2nd place winner will win Php150,000, and 3rd place winner will receive Php125,000. A total of One million of cash prize will be given away to all the winners. Aside from that, they will receive the iconic NDAA trophy and certificate. Winners’ schools will also receive cash incentives.