Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

La Estrella: A Night of Music and Flamenco Media Preview

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Portkey Events recently embarked on a project that aims to reintroduce and enrich the Spanish culture here in the Philippines through a show entitled La Estrella, A Night of Music and Flamenco. We attended the media presentation held on May 20, 2017 at 3 pm at the Power Mac Center Spotlight theater located at Circuit Makati.

La Estrella is a love triangle story between childhood friends which will be communicated through Spanish classical songs with Arman Ferrer (Philstage Gawad Buhay Awardee for Best Male Featured in a Musical in 2015; last seen on Disney in Concert, Tale as Old as Time with ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, November 2016), Spanish pop songs with David Ezra (Aliw Awards Best New Male Artist in 2015 and Aliw Awards Best Actor Nominee for 2016; son of Asia's Diva, Dulce) and different forms and style of Flamenco dance with Katsie Llave (practiced flamenco in Escuela Amor De Dios: Centro de Arte Flamenco y Danza Espanola in Madrid under legendary teachers Antonio Maya, Alfonso Losa, Miguel Canas, Immaculada Ortega, La Truco and Nino de los Reyes).

Following its success at the Insular Life Building in October 2016, Portkey Events would like to continue to run this show and gain a wider audience.

Set in the south of Spain, La Estrella follows the story of Carina (Katsie Llave), and her childhood best friends –Alejandro (David Ezra) the shy but sweet village boy, and Ricardo (Arman Ferrer) the headstrong but charming aristocrat, as they journey through life, and discover love in its purest and most steadfast form.

First of its kind, this Flamenco/Classical/Musical Theater showcase directed by Katreen Dela Cruz explores the profound simplicity of life through dance and music: the challenges of growing up, the complexity of friendship, and the pain, strength, and hope in love.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

NEC Philippines, Inc., a leading communication solutions provider for small, medium and large enterprises in both the private and public sectors, announced today that NEC’s SL1000 Unified Communications Solution has been successfully deployed at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital to allow a more responsive workforce and deliver service quality.

Located in Daet, Camarines Norte, approximately 360 kilometers south of Metro Manila, the 100-bed capacity Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital serves the entire Bicol Region. In cooperation with its sister company, the Our Lady of Lourdes College Foundation, the hospital coordinates the annual Emilia Palencia Medical Mission to provide free medical and dental care to local residents.

“We at NEC Philippines are happy that our powerful range of Unified Communications Solutions were chosen by Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. We understand that a robust and reliable communication system is extremely important in the healthcare industry, connecting clinicians and staff to obtain the right information. We are privileged and excited with this first installation in Daet, Camarines Norte and we hope that its collaborative and intuitive functions will help increase productivity within any business organization,” said Elizabeth Pangan, President of NEC Philippines.

The SL1000 is an intelligent cost-effective telecommunication system that packs affordability, efficiency, IP-telephony and ecology all into one, and is equipped with the capabilities to adapt to functions for immediate or emerging business needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), small offices and home offices (SOHOs).

The NEC SL1000 Unified Communications Solution system was installed by Clari-trade Multi Distribution Inc.’s Authorized Reseller, Fortle Telecoms.

Cover photo caption:

Pictured from left to right (sitting): Fortunato Mercado (Managing Director, Fortle Telecoms; Dr. Raul G. Palencia (Hospital Administrator and one of the owners of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital)

Left to right (standing): Charlene Tan (Operations Manager, Clari-trade Multi Distribution Inc.); Rell Perez (Channels Officer, NEC Philippines)

Lisa Soberano as the New Darna: Excited for Her Portrayal of the Iconic Super-heroine of the Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Maja Salvador, Jessy Mendiola, Megan Young, Nadine Lustre, Lisa Soberano, and even Pia Wurtzbach were among those that were rumored among the choices for the role of the new Darna.

But finally it has been announced that the role is given to Lisa Soberano, who inspite of being most connected as an English-speaking teen actress, she managed to get away with the role of a poor girl at the La Presa community in the Forevermore teleserye.

After successful portrayals of Angel Locsin and Marianne Rivera, it is but fitting that the chosen actress to play the role of the new Darna comes equal if not better than the two, and especially the earlier actresses who had worn the ala- Wonder Woman costume. Though we all know that Darna may just be the Filipino version of Wonder Woman, the Darna superhero is still among our iconic images in Philippine pop culture. The character deserves higher quality of portrayal from the most suited and fitting actress of this generation.

Why not, Lisa Soberano definitely has the face and the body, including a voluptuous bosom that would look good in a Darna outfit. The question now is what would the outfit look like. Would the production team come up with a modern look for Darna, or would they still go for the traditional sexy and alluring look complete with head gear and bracelets?

Ever since the announcement, netizens have also released several artworks or renditions of Lisa Soberano donning the Darna outfit.

Below are just some of the noteworthy images as compiled from the Internet coming from social media pages like Facebook.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Leading property portal Lamudi looks at the real estate preferences of Filipino millennials—one of the biggest market segments in the world today

Considered as decision-makers with a considerable purchasing power, millennials have been the target of most businesses and industries of today. Referring to those born between the early 1980s to the early 2000s, millennials are deemed as the digital natives. This generation is widely connected socially and virtually through multiple devices, and they gave new meaning to multitasking and real-time communication. In this age bracket, everyone loves to work hard but they also play harder. They tag themselves as travelers and entrepreneurs that overflow with ideas and online breakthroughs.

As one-third of the Philippine population is made up of millennials aged 20 to 31 years old who can move and shake the economy, developments and cities are now remaking themselves according to the wants of this age group. Due to their importance in the movement of the economy in general and real estate in particular, leading property portal Lamudi wants to answer the great question: Where do millennials want to live?

Using its data to study the online behavior of millennials who use the real estate platform, Lamudi reveals the preferences of this age group with regards to real estate. As more and more new developments are now taking into consideration the needs and wants of this generation, it is just important to find out what exactly should developers do to get the big yes of the millennials.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Determined to help Filipinos attain homeownership, leading property portal Lamudi brings together the best affordable housing options under one roof

Basking on the success of last year’s Lamudi Housing Fair, leading property portal Lamudi is topping its feat by holding a bigger and better housing fair, this time focusing on the affordable market segment.

“This slice of the market needs most attention not only from the government but from private players as well. That’s why we at Lamudi wants to jump-start the work by organizing the very first affordable-focused housing event,” shared Bhavna Suresh Chathambeth, CEO of Lamudi and its sister website MyProperty.ph.

“As we envision the Lamudi brand to be Filipinos’ one-stop shop for everything real estate, we are continuously exploring ways on how to best serve homebuyers, most especially the affordable sector. Apart from assisting the industry through our technology and reliable real estate data and information, we are also conducting events that bridge homeownership to even more Filipinos,” Ms. Suresh added.

For this edition, Lamudi promises that the grand showcase of affordable homes will not be complete without these 10 must-see, must-hear, and must-get at the Lamudi Affordable Housing Fair on July 15 and 16 at the Glorietta 3 Activity Center in Makati City.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) today announced that passengers of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT Line 1) will soon experience enhanced services with the adoption of a new timetable.

“The 20-kilometer railway system from Baclaran in Paranaque to Roosevelt in Quezon City is set to implement a new timetable to increase the number of weekday trips, extend operating hours and shorten waiting periods for its clients,” says DOTr Undersecretary for Rails Cesar Chavez.

The new weekday schedule is expected to increase the number of trips of LRT Line 1 from the current 512 to 554 daily trips, which is equivalent to an 8% increase. However, the existing schedule for weekends and holidays will still be in effect.

The Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), concessionaire of LRT Line 1, will start morning operations from Baclaran to Roosevelt station at 4:30 a.m., as opposed to the existing schedule of 5:00 a.m. For the evening operations, the last trip northbound, from Baclaran to Roosevelt, will be extended up to 10:00 p.m., while the last trip southbound will leave the Roosevelt station at 10:15 p.m.

LRT-1 will likewise increase its speed limit for the LRT-1 north extension (Monumento to Roosevelt stations) from 40 kph to 60 kph.

“Passengers will experience shorter waiting periods once the change is put in effect,” Usec. Chavez said.

Since it took over, the LRMC has restored middle cars for the LRT Generation 1 trains from 77 light rail vehicles (LRVs) to 103 LRVs. It further disclosed that the rail line has reached an average daily ridership of 443,000 for the first quarter of 2017, or a 6% year-on-year increase.

Balik Tanaw Pasig River Tour and Cultural Heritage Experience Returns for Its 2nd Year

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In celebration of the 118th Celebration of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence, PIA-NCR, in partnership with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC), and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), conducted a river tour entitled BALIK TANAW 2016: A Pasig River Tour and Cultural Heritage Experience on June 8, 2016 (Wednesday), 8:30 AM.

Historians and tour guides were onboard again during the tour. Aside from this, various art activities such as kundiman and spoken word performances were the major highlights of the event onboard.

Reaching Manila, everyone was also toured around some heritage areas including Escolta, the old building of a TV network, plus other sites worth reminiscing and preserving. The last leg of the tour was also sort of a museum on its second floor but the ground level were being used to showcase Filipino entrepreneurs in a tiangge style market place.

For its second year, almost the same group, together with the Intramuros Administration, will be conducting a Pasig River Tour and Cultural Heritage Experience entitled ISANG BANGKA TAYO: BALIKTANAW 2017 on June 9, 2017 (Friday), 8:30 AM at the Guadalupe Ferry Station in Makati City.

The activity aims to create a community that is well-informed on the rich history of various cities in Metro Manila traversed by the Ilog Pasig, increase the level of awareness on the importance and rehabilitation of rivers and its tributaries (esteros), and to introduce the ASEAN Vision 2025 which aims for a sustainable ASEAN region by Conservation and Sustainable Management of Biodiversity.

Wazzup Pilipinas Radio x Manila Wrestling Federation

Wazzup Pilipinas!

What's the latest about the Philippine Wrestling scene? Well, we have the Manila Wrestling Federation (MWF) that aims to be the top Philippine wrestling organization in Asia.

That may be a very optimistic vision for their future, but who knows? We Filipinos are known to exert extra effort to achieve our ultimate goals, thus many of us are determined to reach the top no matter how hard it is.

Since we are also very talented and creative, the only thing stopping us from leveling up is ourselves. If we are keen enough to pursue our wishes, we will be a very formidable force to reckon with.

The Manila Wrestling Federation, specifically Mr. Lucha, Gigz Stryker, Gus Queens, Rex Lawin and Tala Haliya, guested recently on Wazzup Pilipinas Radio at their usual time slot of 6 to 7 am on June 4, 2017. The Wazzup Pilipinas Radio show is on air at DZRJ 810 AM and livestreaming on 8Trimedia Network's social media accounts every Sunday.

The wrestling group discussed their presence as a form of entertainment for all ages. There may be some form of violence on their show, but they do their fights with style and drama which they term as story-telling. Thus, they could easily say that even kids can watch their fights.

Though some would say that wrestling may be fake because the fights are scripted or planned ahead, the preparation to execute and end up with the desired outcome would require physical prowess to achieve. Thus, aside from fighting skills which requires you to be fit and able, wrestling could also require being emotionally or mentally stable.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Senator Loren Legarda decries U.S. withdrawal from Paris agreement & says Philippines should seek “climate justice”

Quezon City’s first bakery the 78-year-old, pugon-style Kamuning Bakery Café and Senator Loren Legarda led celebrations of United Nation’s “World Environment Day” on June 5 at the bakery’s “Pandesal Forum” starting with a ceremonial planting of Kamuning tree seedlings in Quezon City.

In the same Pandesal Forum, Senator Loren Legarda lamented United States President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw its government from the Paris climate change agreement, she said: “The decision reeks of ignorance and condemns U.S. foreign policy to infamy. It is truly sad, but we are not hopeless. The way forward is for U.S. cities and states to enforce it.” She cited other countries of the world such as China, France and others for their governments’ commitment to the Paris Agreement and to global joint efforts in finding ways to solve the climate crisis facing the earth.

Senator Loren Legarda said that the Philippines is only 0.3 percent share in global greenhouse gases (GHG), yet the country is the world’s third most vulnerable to climate change impacts. She said that developing countries like the Philippines should demand “climate justice” and vigorously champion pro-active efforts to protect the environment. She also stressed that 64 of our 84 Philippine provinces, plus 822 coastal municipalities and 25 major coastal cities are at risk due to sea level rise.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

We joined Meaningful Travels PH at one of their community outreach cum travel events last May 25 to May 28. The journey starts with Day 0 - a 10-hour bus trip from Codalines Cubao to Banaue, then to barangay Maligcong of Bontoc, Mountain Province for Day 1 and half of Day 2, then from barangay Maligcong to barangay Mainit for half of Day 2 and more than half of Day 3. We left Bontoc on the afternoon of Day 3 but got left by the bus so we chased it via jeepney, and stranded for hours due to landslide accident caused by non-stop rains at Benguet. Got back home in Manila by around 9:00 am.

There's an article we posted showcasing what the Bontoc, Mountain experience so be sure to check out the link to the story here. It was scheduled to upload on the day we started our adventure there.

What you will read and see on the photos and videos here are just glimpses of the entire journey. A vlog series is posted separately by chronological order on our Facebook page at http://www.Facebook.com/wazzuppilipinas while some of them will also be uploaded on on our YouTube channel at http://www.YouTube.com/user/wazzuppilipinas

Since there are so many interesting stories to share, we decided to tell our stories in bite-size digestible parts on our social media pages, but is also offering a compiled version here on our blog site. It may be a bit tedious and redundant, but we won't be tired or bored to reshare our experiences all throughout our forms of media.

We even shared part of our story on our radio show (Wazzup Pilipinas Radio), along with other experiences from other events, last Sunday, on June 4, 2017 which was broadcasted live at DZRJ 810 AM and at all 8Trimedia Network sites and social media pages via livestreaming. You could always look for it online together with our topic for the day as we guested the very colorful and interesting members of the Manila Wrestling Federation that early morning of Sunday. A separate blog post about their guesting will be posted.