Six Filipino Youths Emerged Winners of the ASEAN Data Science Explorers National Finals

ASEAN Data Science Explorers National Finals 1st place winners, Miguelito Tolipas and Alexis Glenn Espina (Team VizziePeople) from UP Diliman; 2nd place winners, Adelyn Labine and Laurenth Krishte Roxas (Team Neophyte) from Malayan Colleges Laguna; and 3rd place winners, Jay Mark Butalon and Tristan Gabriel Bal from Mapua University School of Information Technology; together with, representative of the ASEAN Foundation, and the guest panelists/judges: Carlos Mayorico Caliwara, Secretary of Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT); Mark Rivera, Vice President of Philippine Young Entrepreneurs Association (PYEA); Dr. Josefe Santarita of University of the Philippines; and Reynaldo Parangas,Customer Solution Director of SAP Philippines; during the awarding ceremony of the competition held recently at the SAP Philippines office in Makati City. 

 

• Data analytics competition co-organised by the ASEAN Foundation and SAP recognized the best ideas proposed by Filipino students to help drive ASEAN’s sustainable future
• Students leveraged data from ASEAN and SAP Analytics Cloud to derive meaningful insights, which led to their ideas
• Top country winner to represent the Philippines in the regional finals in November

Following the completion of the ASEAN Data Science Explorers Philippines National Finals, six local students were awarded the top three awards for their insights and ideas on driving a sustainable future for ASEAN. The six students, who represented three teams comprising two students each, were among the top 10 teams who were selected to pitch their ideas in the national finals, held at SAP Philippines office in Taguig City.

The competition, which is co-organised by the ASEAN Foundation and multinational software company SAP, is aimed at promoting awareness and appreciation of the ASEAN community amongst young people through digital literacy. Students who registered for the program earlier in 2017 were given access to ASEAN data as well as SAP Analytics Cloud platform, which allowed them to better analyze the data and derive meaningful insights. The initiative encourages participants to deliver data-driven insights which highlight issues in ASEAN across six United Nation Sustainable Development Goals, namely (1) good health and well-being, (2) quality education, (3) gender equality, (4) clean water and sanitation, (5) decent work and economic growth, and (6) sustainable cities and communities.

“This is the inaugural year in which we are conducting this competition, in partnership with SAP, and we are pleased to see high rates of registrations and submissions of ideas from students in Philippines. Following a stringent judging process, both the ASEAN Foundation and SAP selected the top 10 teams from the Philippines to present at the national finals held today. Many of the ideas proposed to us today were interesting and insightful, and I hope that these youths will continue to develop their passion and ideas to drive the ASEAN Community towards a sustainable future together,” said Elaine Tan, the Executive Director of the ASEAN Foundation.

Team “VizziePeople,” comprising students Miguelito Tolipas and Alexis Glenn Espina from University of the Philippines College of Business Administration in Diliman, bagged the national finals champions title for the Philippines. Meanwhile, Team “Neophyte,” composed of Laurenth Krishtel Roxas and Adelyn Labine from Malayan Colleges in Laguna; and Team “D’Papis” composed of Jay Mark Butalon and Tristan Gabriel Bal from Mapua School of Information Technology came in second and third, respectively.

“Our presentation focused on the development of sustainable cities and communities. We decided to delve on this topic because we believe that there is still so much to be done to achieve it. Getting the necessary insights on how we can help make cities more sustainable is vital not just for the Philippines, but for all of ASEAN,” said Miguel Tolipas of the winning team. “SAP Analytics Cloud platform allowed us have a macro perspective to better appreciate this issue. With the insights that we gained, we were able to come up with concrete recommendations to the Philippine government that can also be applied to other countries in the region.”

"I am happy to serve as one of the judges for the ASEAN Data Science Explorers National Finals. This initiative is a good exposure for our students to experience the rigors of international competition while learning the discipline of data analysis and reporting. Students are also able to tackle very relevant issues that impact the development of countries in the entire region and around the world," said Carlos Mayorico E. Caliwara, Assistant Secretary and Chief of Staff, Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Team “VizziePeople” will represent the Philippines in the ASEAN Data Science Explorers Regional Face-Off in Jakarta on November 23, where they will compete with the national winners from nine other ASEAN member states.

We Care, We Run, We Share

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Reyes Tacandong & Co. Foundation Inc. (RTCFI), a non-stock, non-profit organization committed to provide healthcare, educational access and livelihood projects to poor communities will be holding its first Fun Run Event entitled on November 19, 2017 “We Care, We Run, We Share” at McKinley West, Taguig.

This event aims to raise funds for RTCFI so it can financially support communities, beneficiaries or other non-profit organizations who provide affordable healthcare and educational facilities to poor communities. This event aims to promote awareness on social issues and to promote health and wellness activity to the event participants. Around 1000 paticipants from RT& Co. and outside the company are expected to come together for this event.

All proceeds shall go to projects on infrastructure buildings such as classrooms and health care centers for the beneficiaries of the foundation.

You may register at: https://reg.goorahna.com/#/event/we-care-we-run-we-share-2017


Registration Venues: (Starting November 7, 2017)
– Planet Sports Glorietta 3 Makati

The Script Live in Manila

Wazzup Pilipinas!

THE SCRIPT

LIVE IN MANILA

APRIL 14, 2018

MALL OF ASIA ARENA

Tickets go on sale 10 AM November 7th at all SM ticket outlets and SMtickets.com or (02) 470 2222

Midas Promotions is happy to announce that The Script are returning to Manila - admittedly one of their favourite tour destinations, for the fourth time - with their latest #1 album Freedom Child.

The concert will be held at the Mall of Asia Arena on April 14th, 2018.

Tickets prices are as follows (excluding ticket charges):

VIP Experience: P12,000

VIP: P8,500

Patron: P7,500

Lower Box A: P6,000

Lower Box B: P4,000

Upper Box: P2,500

GA: P1,000

The VIP Experience Includes:

Top price seated ticket

Exclusive 2018 tour VIP gift

The Script 2018 tour VIP tote bag

Signed 2018 tour programme

Commemorative VIP laminate & custom lanyard

The first single from Freedom Child, Rain, was immediately added to playlists around the world and stormed into the Top 10 on iTunes UK. The music video for Rain has been viewed over 18 million times on YouTube since it’s release on July 14.

The band currently have three songs charting in the Spotify Philippines Top 200, classics like The Man Who Can’t Be Moved, Breakeven, and their latest single Rain.

The Script are one of the world’s most successful bands and have sold over 29 million records.

The Irish three-piece have scored 3 multi-platinum albums, all of which were #1 in the UK.

The Script have also picked up a huge following in the USA where they have 4 platinum selling singles under their belt. The Script are also one of the biggest live bands, having sold over 1.4 million tickets across 203 headline shows and they sold out the legendary Croke Park stadium in their hometown of Dublin, Ireland in a matter of minutes.

Strike a Pose! Share Your Blessings!

Wazzup Pilipinas!
Running Photographers will hold a fun run on December 10, 2017 at the CCP Complex, Pasay City to celebrate the art of sharing, touching lives and making a difference. As a prelude to the Christmas Season, the event aims to raise funds for the benefit of Senden Home Foundation, a “home for homeless boys” in Binganonan, Rizal.

Aptly called Strike a Pose Fun Run, the event will feature different photo stations along the route. Runners will have the opportunity to have their “running moments” captured by our photographers at every station.

To add more fun to the run, the organizer and its sponsors will be raffling off a pair of Hoka shoes during the event. There will also be a mini-competition for best photos showing the runners’ best poses during the event. The mechanics will be posted at the Running Photographers’ Facebook page (www.facebook.com/runningphotographers). Team Soleus Philippines will also be leading the Zumba Reggaeton.

The fun run, sponsored by Lightwater, Vitamin Boost, Toby’s Sports, and Soleus, and powered by RG Events, will have three distance categories - 3kms, 5kms, and 10kms. The registration fees and gun start times are as follows:

Distance Fee Gun start

3kms P450.00 5:50AM

5kms P550.00 5:40AM

10kms P750.00 5:30AM

Alvin Patrimonio Undergoes Hair Transplant at MAXiM Manila

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Multi-titled PBA Legend Alvin Patrimonio visited the MAXiM Hair Restoration clinic in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines, recently to avail of a hair restoration procedure called Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). 

FUE is a no-stitch, no linear scar technique that takes individual grafts or follicular units from the back and sides of the head and transplants them to the thinning and balding areas. The result is permanent hair growth that is all natural because the transplanted hair is the patient’s own. 

Student Won an All Expense Trip to Bangkok & Experienced Working 48 Hours with Andrew Stotz

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Andrew Stotz, CFA, an award-winning financial analyst with more than two decades of experience in Asia, came to Philippines March and conducted a seminar on his new book “You Won’t Get Rich in the Stock Market Until You Change the Way You Think about It” at the Ugnayang La Salle, De La Salle University – Dasmariñas, Dasmariñas City, Cavite. 

The seminar was lively, retentive, exciting and the game “Coin Flipping” as an analogy in Stocks Picking was especially memorable to the attendees. To become an expert Stock Picker or Coin Flipper, one needs to have long experience and have the skill developed. All winners received a hardcopy of the book. 

Don’t Harm Your Law Firm with These Five Website Translation Mistakes

A website is the ‘shop window’ for professional services such as Law Offices. It’s also often the first port of call for potential clients looking for these services. It is crucial that a website conveys qualities of trust and credibility in all the languages of its audiences. Doing so supports the reputation built by these firms.

How information is displayed on a law firm’s website in all languages is of principal importance for building trust and creating a good impression. To effectively convey your branded message to all target audiences, official translation and localization must be at the heart of your website strategy.

Examples of website translation mistakes are easy to find and, fortunately, easy to avoid if you have the right tools and prior knowledge. Below are five of the most common mistakes made by law firms, along with advice to prevent falling into the same traps.

The Lure of Machine Translation
The temptation of machine translation for creating multilingual websites at a low cost and quick turnaround lures many firms towards these services. However, the poor syntax, grammar, and cultural insensitivity that results can damage credibility and create a poor first impression.

Translated landing pages will reach a wider audience, but if a confusing message about your services is conveyed you will be unable to convert people to paying clients.
Hiring professional legal translation services are the most cost-effective and efficient way of avoiding this mistake.

Experienced legal translators will be subject matter experts in the relevant legal fields. They’ll have the appropriate skills and tool at their disposal to optimize your pages for search engines through their understanding of localizing content for target demographics.

Unintelligible Automatic Responses
After taking the time to translate and localize web copy, the next steps of the conversion funnel must be considered.

Beginning your conversation in a prospect’s language only for auto-replies to arrive in a language that is unintelligible to them is certain to disrupt their journey.

Sensitive, technical, and urgent legal matters rely on clear understanding on both sides. It is essential that all steps of a prospect’s journey are delivered in a language that they can understand to ensure business is not lost.


Translate Profiles and Descriptions

Often, website visitors will have been directed to your firm by recommendations from friends, family, or colleagues. In their search for a legal firm to take on their case, lawyer profiles and service descriptions will enable them to make their decision. To avoid losing this warm lead, your lawyer’s profiles and descriptions should be translated. Doing so will also decrease bounce rates and improve conversions.
Google Analytics will provide the information necessary to ascertain which lawyer profiles receive the highest inbound traffic, allowing you to prioritize which profiles to translate first. This will confer the greatest impact in the shortest time to provide you with a quick win for your firm’s website.


Localizing Marketing Assets

Translating marketing assets such as email communications and newsletters for audiences of other languages is worth your time.

The use of email and newsletters to connect with all clients is an essential part of your marketing team’s toolkit. As these are often the first point of contact, translations must be of the highest quality.
Sending translated newsletters and emails to arrive on national holidays that are relevant to your target audience will demonstrate an understanding of their culture as well as their language. They will also provide an opportunity to build trust and credibility with your audience.

Supporting Clients Beyond Your Website
Creating multilingual websites that avoid the pitfalls above will be ineffective if your firm cannot support clients beyond their digital interactions in these languages. Think beyond your website to ensure you can integrate website initiatives with your internal and customer support initiatives.

Think about the entire client journey: If they call with a query, can your customer support team converse over the phone or via email in a language that they can comprehend? If a client needs to supply further documentation pertaining to their case, can your firm interpret them so that they can be understood?

Speaking a client’s language at all points of their interaction with your law firm will allow you to establish trust, build credibility, and develop a professional relationship with them. You can always opt to include a part of your website listing the different languages you service.

Demonstrating a clear understanding of your audience by communicating in a language they understand will convince clients that your firm is able to tailor its services to their requirements. It will also win you additional recommendations for further business. By starting with accurate website translations, the entire onboarding process from visitor to client becomes faster, easier, and overall more effective.

About the Author: Morningside Translations is a leading translation and localization company with a worldwide team of over 5000 linguists. They are dedicated to client satisfaction and in bridging the gap in communication between businesses languages. They bring personalized attention and a passion for excellence to every translation assignment, regardless of company size or industry.

Asia's Pop Sweetheart Julie Anne San Jose Signs with Universal Records

Kapuso Singer-Actress Julie Anne San Jose inked her recording contract on October 27, 2017 at Universal Records office. Present during the signing are Universal Records General Manager Kathleen Dy Go, Operations Manager Peter Chan, Senior AVP for Alternative Productions of GMA Gigi Santiago-Lara and Julie Anne San Jose. She joins Jose Mari Chan, Gary Valenciano, Christian Bautista, Noel Cabangon, Parokya ni Edgar, Gloc-9, Sponge Cola, Aiza Seguerra, Claudia Barretto, Donny Pangilinan and Elmo Magalona, in the elite roster of Universal Records’ prime artists.



Julie started her music career at very young age. In 2005, she was part of SugarPop and when the group disbanded she pursued a solo career. Her eponymous debut album, Julie Anne San Jose, was certified Diamond Record while her sophomore album, Deeper, went Triple Platinum. Her third one Chasing The Light shot to the top of several Digital Charts upon release! Julie has also done three solo concerts, all of which were sold out. She’s currently a mainstay of Sunday Pinasaya and Pepito Manaloto.

Julie will be releasing new music under Universal Records in 2018. Watch out for it!

Kevin Chung Kooks to Seize Opportunity of a Lifetime at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD

Kevin “Old Boy” Chung may be a fresh face to ONE Championship, but the promotional newcomer showed his immense talent and had an impressive debut this past June.

The 24-year-old Korean-American standout kicked off the main card of ONE: LIGHT OF A NATION with an exciting performance, defeating Chinese grappling ace Zhong Qing Ya via second-round technical knockout in their catchweight contest.

Chung got the job done in the second round, where he landed crisp punches and kicks from side control, and when Zhong turtled up, “Old Boy” took advantage of the position and delivered a pair of knees to the head.

It was all over from there as veteran referee Yuji Shimada stepped in and called a halt to the bout to award the stoppage victory to Chung.

Chung is taking the greatest risk of his budding young career in his next trip to the ONE Championship cage as he has an opportunity to establish himself as one of the premier bantamweights under the promotion’s banner.

In his upcoming bout, Chung is set to test his mettle with former world title contender Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon on the undercard of ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD, which takes place at the 20,000-seater SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on 10 November.

“I am super excited to visit the Philippines and put on a show. I know I am in his backyard, but I have no pressure on me like I did when I competed locally. It is going to be a wild night,” Chung said.

With a professional record of 16-5, Belingon is known as a fierce competitor with the ability to finish opponents in a variety of methods.

Moreover, the 29-year-old Baguio City native owns seven huge knockouts on his resume and is one of the most feared strikers in ONE Championship’s deep bantamweight division.

Although a mere glance at their records shows a sizeable gap in experience between the two bantamweights, Chung is confident in his own talent.

“To the common eye, it may be a mismatch on paper due to records and experience. But I am confident in my skills and feel like this is my time. Anything can happen, and I have the skills to finish him,” he stated.

Chung believes that great risks result to great rewards as a decisive win over Belingon could instantly catapult him into a championship clash with division kingpin Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes.

“I am not looking past Belingon and am just focused on the task at hand. However, when my hand is raised, I would like to challenge Bibiano Fernandes in Korea,” he expressed.

Like Chung, Belingon is looking to get a crack at Fernandes’ ONE Bantamweight World Championship once again, separating himself from the rest of the weight class’ pack with his three-bout winning streak.

Belingon aced his last three outings, dominating Tajikistan’s Muin Gafurov via unanimous decision in October of last year before stopping fellow title challengers Toni “Dynamite” Tauru and Reece “Lightning” McLaren in the first round earlier this year.

Even though Belingon has the upper hand in the striking department, Chung has no qualms when it comes to trading kicks and punches with the ferocious Filipino striker.

“A lot of people will look at us and say he has the striking advantage. But I have a slight height and reach advantage,” he explained.

“I feel like I can stand with him. A lot of guys do not believe they can and look to wrestle, but I think I can hurt him on the feet. It is a great feeling knowing that. If there is any point in the bout when I am in trouble, I know that I have other weapons to go to,” Chung added.

Chung asserted that he has a fair share of knowledge in terms of delivering blows from a toe-to-toe stance, but if the marquee match-up hits the canvas, he is prepared to exploit the Filipino foe’s perceived vulnerability.

“I know what his weaknesses are. I am sure he is working hard to correct that. Learning the proper mechanics of BJJ takes longer than a few months. Once we get in there and start throwing hands and it hits the ground, he is going to see that,” he mentioned.

With a gritty opposition in front of him, Chung stressed that he is motivated to shock the world at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD.

“It will be a barnburner, and I promise it will be the bout of the night. I will knock Belingon out within the time allowed,” he ended.

​​For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

Miss Universe 2015 Makes A Stand at Love Gala As Ripple Awards Nominees are Revealed

With the revelation of the 20 Ripple Awards nominees, Miss Universe 2015 and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for Asia and the Pacific Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach explained the importance to support and honor HIV and AIDS advocates through events like the Love Gala –Asia’s Premier Charity and Awards event on December 1.

Wurtzbach, who is the Love Gala Ambassador, said, "It's about time that we acknowledge them, gave them their time to shine, especially on an event like this."

"Hopefully, it'll give them a lot more motivation and drive to continue their work," the former Miss Universe said.

Exceptional social advocates, influential people, game-changers, celebrities, local and international officials and advocacy groups are among those who will make a stand during the World AIDS Day celebration on the same day.

Love Gala will take place at the elegant BGC Arts Center in Taguig City.

During the gala, ten (10) outstanding Filipino individuals will be awarded with the first-ever Ripple Awards, which symbolizes a person’s unparalleled dedication and passion in changing the landscape of HIV-AIDS advocacy in the country and the world over.

The Ripple Awards nominations closed last 15 September, and screening commenced after in which viable nominees are further evaluated by a sectoral panel of judges to complete the roster of awardees.

One of the highlights of the Gala is a charity fashion show featuring one-of-a-kind creations by five of the Philippine’s top couturiers who have earned the respect of the international fashion industry, namely: Francis Libiran, Cary Santiago, Nat Manilag, Cheeta Rivera and John Herrera.

The event also boasts of world-class performances by Filipino talents. Conceptual photographer and advocate, Niccolo Cosme, will also display his artworks under his series, “Project Headshot Clinic X,” which celebrates its 10th year on World AIDS Day.

An after party will be held at Nectar Nightclub along BGC Fort Strip.

Help and take part in fighting the HIV epidemic by being a donor-guest and purchasing Love Gala tickets here http://lovegala.org/tickets/. Donor-guests can reserve the following seats: VIP (P7,000.00); Patron (P5,000.00); Balcony A (P1,500.00) and Balcony B (P1,000.00). Ten percent (10%) of the ticket prices will benefit the worthwhile activities of partner organization.

Joining this year’s Love Gala is Miss Universe 2015 and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for Asia and the Pacific, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach.

The Love Gala organization believes that “a single person's act of love can start a wave that can save millions of people.”

The Love Gala is a collaboration of private and public institutions and youth-oriented organizations that aim to augment the efforts in mainstreaming the HIV-AIDS advocacy to a larger audience, as around 30 incidences of HIV infection are observed everyday in the country, according to the latest data from Department of Health.

Institutions and organizations coming together for Love Gala are the following: AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Better Together Initiative, Black Maria Productions, Castro Communications, Decent Image of South Signal Association (DIOSSA), Dentsu, Nectar Nightclub, Philippine National AIDS Council, Pinoy Plus Association Incorporated, Positibong Marino Philippines, Sustained Health Initiatives of the Philippines (SHIP), Taguig City Government, The Red Whistle, The LoveYourself Incorporated, UNAIDS, the US Embassy and World Health Organization-Philippines.