The Very First Whisky Live Manila Held at Shangri-La BGC

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The very first Whisky Live Manila was an outstanding success! Even during the first hours of the event, hundreds of attendees, both enthusiasts and newcomers to the world of the dram, sampled the many available whiskies within the ballrooms of no less than the newly opened Shangri-la Hotel, Bonifaco Global City in Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines on October 28 and 29, 2016.

Whisky Live Manila opened its doors to a huge number of whisky enthusiasts for two days. Manila is the world's premier whisky tasting show's 5th venue in Asia, and we are fortunate to be among the lucky media attendees invited to taste the whiskies and witness the other happenings including learning a little more from industry experts, and took it a step further by attending some of the organised master classes conducted by whisky experts like Jim Murray, author of the bestselling Whisky Bible, the world's leading whisky guide containing over 4,600 whiskies tasted, evaluated and rated.

I am amazed at how the event was promoted as there were a lot of foreigners, celebrities and other VIPs who attended the event. Some of the personalities that were at the event were Philippine Volcanoes team captain Jake Letts, veteran character actor Joel Torre,  fashion designer, columnist and socialite-philanthropist Tessa Prieto-Valdez, Uno Magazine editor-in-chief and Mercator Centrale owner RJ Ledesma, Model and son of governor Imee Marcos-Manotoc Birgy Manotoc, actor and Persia Grill restaurant owner Kian Kazemi, and a lot more.

DOE Drafts Comprehensive Energy Plan

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Under the helm of Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, DOE Undersecretary Jesus P. Posadas presented the DOE Strategic Directions and Energy Outlook during the Regional Public Consultation on the Philippine Energy Plan Public 2016-2030 today (04 November) at the F1 Hotel in BGC, Taguig City.

The public consultation was attended by various stakeholders – local government units, electric cooperatives, non-government organizations, civil society organizations (CSOs), academe, RE developers, oil industry players, generation companies, chamber of commerce and industries, financial institutions and development partners.

The Department of Energy- Energy Policy and Planning Bureau (DOE-EPPB) is conducting a series of sectoral campaigns in line with the agency’s mandate to formulate a comprehensive energy plan.

The DOE-EPPB is finalizing the Philippine Energy Plan 2016 to 2030 as the energy sector’s contribution to the Ambisyon Natin 2040 (Executive Order 5), which lays down the foundation for inclusive growth and a high-trust society.

According to Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, the DOE is currently formulating a 15-year energy plan and even a plan until 2040 that entails a series of studies factoring in gross domestic product (GDP) and population growth, among others.

According to DOE-EPPB, these sectoral roadmaps are a result of the review exercises done by the Department on the effectiveness of the current agenda and the identification of implementation gaps in the program. Each of the roadmaps is complemented by programs of action which are broken down into short, medium, and long-term targets guided by its overall objectives by 2030.

Cusi said, “The PEP formulation paved the way for the development of sectoral energy roadmaps that are critical to ensure energy security and increased energy access. We have conducted a series of consultations with various stakeholders – local government units, electric cooperatives, non-government organizations, civil society organizations (CSOs), academe, RE developers, oil industry players, generation companies, chamber of commerce and industries, financial institutions and development partners – to present the Plan and generate inputs for its enhancement."

The DOE brought the Plan to the following cities:

1)       Cagayan de Oro (11 October)

2)       Legaspi (13 October)

3)       Iloilo (18 October))

4)      Davao City (25 October)

5)       Cebu City (28 October)

6)      Bonifacio Global City (04 November).

The DOE-EPPB collated issues raised in the plenary discussion during the consultations held in the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Legaspi, Iloilo and Davao, which are initiatives on low carbon future (lowering of greenhouse gas emissions), oil deregulation, electricity pricing, rural electrification, renewable energy development and its policy mechanisms, measures on energy efficiency and conservation, Energy Regulations 1-94 and other local energy concerns.

“Planning our country’s energy roadmap safeguards our Filipino consumers and our industry participants from any undesirable energy scenarios in the future. It is our job to protect them,” Cusi explained.

"Once the plan is finished, it will greatly contribute to the expansion of the country’s economic prospects through the provision of employment opportunities and generation of investments that will subsequently provide all Filipinos a life envisioned to be Matatag, Maginhawa at Panatag,” Cusi concluded.

RICOH Continues to Innovate Philippine Print Industry

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Global imaging and technology leader RICOH opens the doors to new applications and revenue streams for local printing businesses with the launch of a new series of digital production devices, unveiled for the first time in the country at the recent Print Philippines 2016 industry expo in Pasay City.

The RICOH Pro C7100X series is the only machine in the market that boasts of a revolutionary fifth-color station for either clear gloss or white toner, which enables users to print additional colors than the traditional CMYK. This function allows more added-value applications such as spot gloss, flood, and watermark images along with regular printing, on both colored and clear media. Very soon, Ricoh will also be launching their fluorescent line of toners such as neon green and neon pink.

The RICOH Pro C7100X is ideal for high-end work on a wide range of print jobs, such as annual reports, catalogs, postcards, direct mail, business and invitation cards, posters, packaging, and a whole lot more. With digital technology, cutting-edge design and varnish effects that have previously been possible only with traditional offset printing is now made accessible for lower volume, on-demand print jobs.

“There are a lot of small and mid-sized printing businesses here in the Philippines, and all of them are always looking to expand their application portfolio to enter new markets and expand their business,” says Irene G. Santos, general manager and sales & marketing division head of RICOH Philippines. “This is definitely what we had in mind when we created the RICOH Pro C7100X series, especially when we added the fifth-station solution to the devices.”

“What’s happening with the market right now is that a lot of printing is moving from high volume analog to lower volume, short run digital printing,” affirms Eric Sulit, RICOH Philippines president and CEO. “That’s where a lot of features come in—variable data printing, capability to do very short runs and still have the quality of an offset machine. So jobs that previously a large printer would have turned down can now be accepted because of our machine.”