Smart Wins Big at World Communication Awards in London

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Smart School-in-a-Bag, the mobile learning program for underserved education communities of Smart Communications (Smart), was honored alongside the global telecom industry’s top innovators at the recently concluded World Communication Award (WCA).

In ceremonies held in London by international publication Total Telecom, the Smart School-in-a-bag program won the Social Contribution Award. Other nominees under the said category included health and emergency preparedness projects such as Operation Healthy Heart by Viettel, EcoCash by Mahindra Comviva, Dronecell by Turkcell, and Building Dominica Back Better by Digicel.

A portable digital classroom, each School-in-a-bag consists of a backpack that teachers can carry while travelling different kinds of terrain and weather conditions. Its contents generally include a solar panel for charging devices, an LED television for showing educational videos, a laptop, student tablets, a smartphone for the teacher, a portable hotspot, and educational apps aligned with the curriculum of the Department of Education.

Funded by Smart and partner donors, the packages are designed to facilitate learning primarily in remote, off-grid areas in the Philippines. Program support and evaluation, as well as teachers’ trainings, are also provided.

Leveraging digital and mobile

With over 30,000 students and more than 1,000 teachers reached to-date, School-in-a-Bag recipients have reported better attendance and heightened interest in lessons.

WCA judges described School-in-a-Bag as “an intelligent and well-targeted combination of technology, content and human feelings." "It is a great initiative by Smart that leverages on digital and mobile to strengthen and speed up education, which is key for our societies," a judge noted.

More innovations

For 20 years, the World Communication Awards have recognized innovation and excellence for global telecoms. It continues to be one of the most esteemed achievements in the industry, with new categories presented every year as more innovations are discovered. 

For 2018, categories reflect the latest trends of 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Internet of Things (IoT).

Organizations and individuals who wish to learn more about School-in-a-Bag may send an email toLearnSmart@smart.com.ph or follow Smart Communities on Facebook.

Consider these 3 factors to choose a perfect POS System

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Whether you are an experienced merchant or are going to set-up a retail business, having the right POS system can prove critical to the success of your business. Registering for a merchant account and having a point of sale can make your business process less challenging and hassle free.

A great POS system like clover merchant facility can greatly simplify business operations. However, the real task lies in selecting the proper and ideal POS system. Follow these 3 factors to choose an ideal system one that could prove best for your business


Price –

When considering buying a POS for the business, it is important that you consider your budget and buy accordingly. Not quite long ago, buying a POS system used to be an expensive affair; however, with evolving technology there are numerous options available at the disposal of small and big businesses alike.

While the options are more, there are ones that are mediocre and does not provide the functionality similar to the ones that are available at better price. So, it is important that you address your requirement and invest in a POS system that could provide you with desired level of functionality within your budget.


What features do you need?

POS systems can be utilized in different businesses, from retails stores and restaurants to cafes and gyms. As a retail shop owner, the features that you may require with your clover pos system may not be the ones that other merchants would require.

So, when at the time of investing in Point of Sale system for your business, it gets crucial that you choose a device that has the exact features as required by your business. In this regard, you can simply make a list of features that you would require in your POS and use that list to shop for an ideal point of sale device for your business.


Usability –

When it comes down to making a choice for an ideal point of sale device, usability is a factor that you should consider. This generally means that the machine should be easy to use and should require less training for its operation. The system that you chose should be easy to operate for you as well as for your employees.

During the normal course of business, the staff would process sales, payments as well s put quotes and therefore the system should provide hassle free functionality without getting back to manual for learning how to operate the machine.

Benilde Films Lead UFF5 Winners

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Capstone projects from the Digital Filmmaking program of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde recently dominated the fifth Urduja Film Festival open competition at Sison Auditorium in Lingayen, Pangasinan.

Film alumnus Michael Joshua Pagaduan’s “Kaming Mga Nakakulong” paved the way for Benilde by bagging Best Film and Best Actor for lead star Matt Daclan. The short film tells the story of a man (Daclan) who struggles to face the reality of the present as he goes on a journey to find peace by reconciling with the horrors of his past. Fellow thespians Lui Manansala and Jill Palencia-Ibuyan provided support to Daclan.

“Kaming Mga Nakakulong” previously got the Best Student Short Film at the Guild of Educators, Mentors, and Students (GEMS) Hiyas ng Sining awards, Best Film and Best Director at the 2017 CineMapúa student film festival, and Outstanding Performance by an Actor for Daclan in the Maningning category of CineSB7: The Main Installment.

Meanwhile, “Delta” directed by Benilde alumni James Fuentes Garcia and Luigi Macalintal won Best Cinematography for director of photography Geo Cahoy, Best Supporting Actor for Jemuel Satumba and Best Supporting Actress for Chin Jongko.

In “Delta,” Satumba plays Marco who brings his younger brother, Lucas, to the river for a weekend without their parents to celebrate his birthday. As they bond together, Marco shares with Lucas his plan to explore the end of the river. Out of curiosity, Lucas heads out to the river alone.

Tim Rone Villanueva’s “Santa Nena!” received another Best Actor trophy for Ross Pesigan and Best Actress for Elora Españo while Kim Timan’s “Caramel Child” nabbed Best Actress for Sue Prado and Best Young Actress for Angelica Ulip.

Also winning UFF trophies are actors Tracy Quila for “Binihag” by Regina Aceron and CJ Villa; Anna Luna for “Saglit” by Dev Angeo and Tin Medenilla; Dylan Ray Talon for “Ang Mga Turo ng Gabi” (The Lessons of the Night) by Christian Rae Villanueva; Bobby Tamayo for “Benny’s Confession” by Anderson Co; Veronica Reyes for “Tayo” by Ron Dulatre and Elaiza Rivera; and Anton Collantes for “Theo” by Summer Castro.

Timan, Aceron, Villa, Angeo, Medenilla, Co, Dulatre, Rivera, Castro, and the two Villanuevas are also graduates of the Benilde film program.