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Wednesday, September 14, 2016

The First Voice Acting Book in the Philippines Launches at the 37th Manila International Book Fair


Wazzup Pilipinas!


Book enthusiasts, unite!

The 37th Manila International Book Fair will be held on September 14-18, 2016 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. It is the biggest and longest-running book expo in the country, where thousands of titles ranging from fiction, textbooks, graphic novels and educational materials may be seen and even bought at a discounted price. MIBF is a haven for book lovers as they have access to such wide variety of reading materials, and also an opportunity of exposure and exchange of ideas amongst the players in the publishing and academic industry.

MIBF is a great venue for authors to launch their new titles… and this year, I am blessed to be one of them.

In the book fair, I will be releasing my second book entitled “Gusto Kong Maging Voice Talent.” I am thrilled and honored to have written the country’s first-ever voice acting book, the way I have built the country’s first-ever voice acting school in 2005, the Philippine Center for Voice Acting.

Globe and Kiva Create Sustainable Livelihood Opportunities for Underserved PH Population


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Fifty-eight year old Josefina from Trinidad, Bohol only had P15,000 in savings when she started her small sari-sari store in 1999. Wanting to support the growing needs of her nephews, being single herself, Josefina requested P20,000 which she used to expand her business and attract more customers. She received financial assistance from 15 individual microlenders via one of Kiva’s Field Partners, Community Economic Ventures, Inc., which provides not only loans but training and insurance coverage as well.

Cebu-based Shayne Mae, on the other hand, is a hardworking entrepreneur who also needed additional funds to use as a working capital for her clothing sales business. With the assistance of eight individual microlenders under another Kiva Field Partner, Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF), Shayne Mae was able to borrow P11,999 to sustain her business. She dreams of saving enough money to send her children to college and renovate her family home.

Josefina and Shayne Mae are just two of hundreds of Filipinos which Globe Telecom and international non-profit organization Kiva are crowdfunding loans to create sustainable livelihood opportunities for the underserved population in the country.

San Francisco-based Kiva is an online crowdfunding platform that enables anyone in the world to make a microloan to micro enterprises in over 80 countries in the areas of agriculture, food, retail, and services in a bid to alleviate poverty.

Made in the Philippines: Everything Done Pinoy Teleserye Style


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Filipinos are undoubtedly very creative, and could think of many ways to tickle your imagination -in terms of spoofing, or making fun of even the most mundane. Actually, those are their favorite stuff to play with as a means to mock or just have lots of laughter especially when they are either irked or plain bored.

The popularity of the FPJ's Ang Probinsiyano teleserye soundtrack whose portion of the song plays everyday every time there's a critically worrisome scene in the teleserye made Pinoys poke fun of it by making their own version.

They applied the same song to everything else out there, from foreign TV series to movies like Stranger Things and Game of Thrones, and even animes or cartoons like Slam Dunk and Pokemon, up to sports events like the UAAP and Arnis competitions.

Now there's even some created using the style of Eat Bulaga's Juan for All and All for Juan - split screen and all that is AlDub, like the How I Met your Mother Pinoy Noontime Show Style. Lol!

Nothing will stop Filipinos from being imaginative up to a point when the creators of the point of subject finally wakes up and try out something new. Please lang po. Your style stinks and is apparently "bulok" that many of the Pinoys are probably either choking to death.

We don't really know if this trend means a positive towards Coco Martin's Ang Probinsiyano, but there are so many ideas out there that would be more interesting to watch out for instead of playing the same irritating song all over again. 

Below is a compilation of most of the videos made into Pinoy Teleserye style: 

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Print Photos from your Smartphone with the New Instax Share Printer


Wazzup Pilipinas!

With the rise of social media culture, today’s tech savvy millennials rely on their smartphones to capture their favorite moments and use various online platforms to share their photos. However, once uploaded or stored in their computer’s memory drive, these photos are left forgotten after some time.

Fujifilm Philippines has launched a product that would surely make preserving and sharing photos more fun. With the instax SHARE SP-2, you can make instax prints by sending the images from your smartphone directly to the printer. You can now turn your memorable moments into tangible keepsakes and share them with friends and loved ones.

The instax SHARE SP-2 is a small printer that allows users to produce instax prints using images sent wirelessly from a smartphone. It is powered by a rechargeable lithium battery and comes with a USB cable that you can connect to a portable charger (power bank)—perfect for travelers or those who are always on the go.

Unlike its predecessor, the instax SHARE SP-2 prints photos faster --- 10 seconds! --- and with a more improved image quality. It has new functions to meet users’ preferences and fit their lifestyle of taking and editing photos with smartphones. It also has a new exposure system that promises a higher image resolution.

#SuperficialGazette: Your Official Source of Revised Historical Facts

 

 Wazzup Pilipinas!

A typhoon named "Ferdie" is in the country while we're marking Marcos' 99th birth anniversary. Meanwhile, on September 11, 2016, the Official Gazette officially became a #PartnerForChange by subtly revising history. It has now become the official source of revised history.

Filipinos have taken to Twitter to offer their own examples of historical revisionism. There was even a site made to give emphasis on this blatant intent to brainwash the people, especially the Millennials who were not yet around to witness the many human rights violations, plunder, extrajudicial killings, and many other atrocities that happened during the Marcos regime whose reign of terror was catapulted during the Martial Law era.

The next thing they will post might be similar to what the netizens posted on Twitter:

"In 1986 there was an EDSA thingy that kinda ended a Martial Law thingy. But we're not sure who the dictator was."

"During February 1986, a few Filipinos decided to take a stroll down a street called EDSA. "

"During martial law years, more than 3000 people decided to leave their families for holidays and never returned."

"We had such a huge surplus of electricity in the martial law days that people were lining up to be electrocuted! "

"The workers building the Manila Film Center were so committed that they offered themselves up as building material."

"Mocha Uson was the first "journalist" to cover the People Power Rally in 1986. She was only 4-years-old at that time."

 


"There it is. #SuperficialGazette. Denying the elephant in the room. Insisting that the emperor still has clothes on."

Historical Revisionism: Duterte Administration Rewrites History In Favor of Marcos


Wazzup Pilipinas!
"The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines is the repository of government documents as stated by law. 
We are not in the business of revising history. We only convey what is documented in the official records. 
We continually update materials to keep them as historically accurate as possible.
The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines is devoid of any political color and affiliations." - Ramon L. Cualoping III, Assistant Secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office
Above is the team behind the Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines' efforts to revise our history. Huddling with another corrupt president who will probably receive a special greeting like the dictator.

The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines drew flak from netizens late Sunday for supposedly applying "historical revisionism" in its post commemorating the birth anniversary of late President Ferdinand Marcos late Sunday. For its part, the Official Gazette says it is "not in the business of revising history" and only states "what is documented in the official records."

The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines has become a tool for historical revisionism! People running the Official Gazette now (Duterte’s term) are insulting the very set of people they’re supposed to serve.

According to reports, the Official Gazette on Sunday, September 11, posted on its Facebook page the late dictator's photo with a long caption, edited the caption to allegedly downplay the Martial Law era, deleted that photo after going viral, and then reposted it with a shorter caption.


Netizens who are anti-Marcos, many of whom are pro-Aquino, criticized the Presidential Communications Office and accused it of attempting to revise the country's history. Some even called it "miscommunications office" and called on President Rodrigo Duterte to fire the staff.

The Presidential Communications Office has admitted to failing to think thoroughly about the implications of the Official Gazette’s Facebook post glorifying the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos for his birthday.

This is what happens when the Official Gazette is not managed by professional and credible historians. Please stop using our tax money to sanitize our country's dark history. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves. We demand a public apology!


The Office of Disinformation and Miscommunication should rename theOfficial Gazette to Official Marcos Fairy Tales. I wonder how it would commemorate the September 21 declaration of martial law? On September 21, 1972, Filipinos lived happily ever after.

Former deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte has taken to social media to vent her frustration over the Official Gazette’s seeming evolution (or is it devolution?) from a chronicler of important events in the country’s history to a government-run Marcos propaganda machine.

PCO Asec Ramon Cualoping III explains the Social Media Card to commemorate former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos' 99th birthday and the corrections made on the caption posted on the Official Gazette on Sunday.

"We continually update materials to keep it as historically accurate as possible. The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines is devoid of any political color and affiliations," he said.

He reiterated that "there was no revision of history and there will never be."

We got the comments (on the first caption of the Social Media card that was posted) from social media, and "we adjusted and edited the caption immediately," he said.

"This is a learning lesson for us and we will improve accordingly based on our efforts to have a streamlined national communications policy," he added.

To the people presently running the Official Gazette, we, the Filipino people, are not paying you with taxes from our hard-earned income just to be an instrument of pro-Marcos revisionism of our history.

In the name of truth, fairness and justice, please add the following facts about Ferdinand Marcos:

1. He was a dictator.
2. He was a mass murderer.
3. He was a human rights violator.
4. He was a thief and plunderer.
5. He allowed his family and cronies to steal from the Filipino people.
6. He ordered and/or allowed the torture, illegal detention, forced disappearance and summary execution of the people who were against his policies.
7. He was ousted by the Filipino people themselves through a popular and peaceful revolution.

This the truth and nothing but the whole truth.

This government is mobilizing taxpayer resources to rehabilitate the image of a dictator who raped and plundered the country.

Marco Angelo Cabrera, the person running the Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines, worked for Bongbong Marcos.

I hope that if indeed he worked for Bongbong Marcos, that he would have the delicadeza to (1) at the very least to recuse or inhibit from any Presidential Communications about the Marcoses especially about their place in history or (2) at the very most, resign.

The conflict of interest is so glaring and palpable. Multiple issues and events will require him to post on matters touching Ferdinand Marcos and his family - from the current issue on his burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani to future commemorations of the declaration of Martial Law and the EDSA Revolution.


Addendum: "Marcos became the longest serving president of the country after declaring Martial Law in 1972, following a fake assassination attempt to Juan Ponce Enrile which he used to justify his declaration.

He was thrown out of office by a People Power revolt in 1986, but not before he and his family amassed billions in ill-gotten wealth that to this date, continue to haunt Filipinos, more than a quarter of whom remain poor.

Because of the magnitude of his crime, Marcos was pronounced the second most corrupt leader by Transparency International, next only to Indonesia's Suharto, by measure of the amount he stole from the people."

Globe Enhances Customer Experience by Giving Customers a Real Voice with NICE Solution


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Adopting NICE Total Voice of the Customer, Globe anchors its customer experience decisions in real-world data, collected and analyzed when it counts

NICE announced that Globe Telecom, the leading mobile brand in the Philippines, is the first telecommunications company in the nation to implement the NICE Total Voice of the Customer (TVOC) solution. Globe, which made customer satisfaction a keystone of its revitalized corporate strategy, has steadily improved on its customer experience capabilities.

Deployed across seven of the company’s customer-facing touchpoints (including the contact center, retail centers, self- service points, outbound calls, and more), NICE TVOC combines instant solicited feedback with sophisticated interaction analytics for deep insight into the drivers of customer satisfaction. This improved visibility into the customer journey has given Globe the ability to take immediate action for recovery, when necessary, as well as to identify best practices to be shared with all service representatives.

As part of the company’s strategy of putting the customer first, insights from the TVOC solution are being used to bring company services in line with customer expectations. TVOC is the latest addition to the portfolio of NICE enterprise solutions Globe has implemented for comprehensive and effective service, including applications for workforce management, interaction analytics and quality optimization.

NICE is the worldwide leading provider of enterprise software solutions that empower organizations to make smarter decisions based on advanced analytics of structured and unstructured data. NICE solutions help the world’s largest organizations deliver better customer service, ensure compliance, combat fraud and safeguard citizens. Over 25,000 organizations in more than 150 countries, including over 80 of the Fortune 100 companies, are using NICE solutions.


Rebecca Eclipse, Chief Customer Experience Officer at Globe Telecom


“Globe chose to partner with NICE as part of our commitment to provide superior customer experience. Seeing that telco is a very dynamic space to be in, it is important for us get as much insight as we can about our customers so we can engage them at their ‘moment of truth’ and deliver real impact. Eventually, this will be our competitive edge, as we can quickly identify opportunities to better serve our customers and immediately take action.”



Raghav Sahgal, President, NICE APAC

“We are proud to be partnering with Globe Telecom as it continues its journey to creating a perfect customer experience. Using the NICE Total Voice of the Customer solution, Globe is on a strong path to bolstering its engagement with both employees and customers in order to improve its customer experience leadership and achieve significant business impact.”

PJMA Proudly Presents Ezel: Discovering Marketing wonders


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Stumble into the rabbit hole once again with the Philippine Junior Marketing Association as we bring you the most whimsical and wondrous General Assembly of the year,

EZEL: DISCOVERING MARKETING WONDERS

Release your inner madness and take part in a gathering of exceptional marketing students at The Yuchengco Auditorium of the De La Salle University on October 02, 2016 from 12:00NN to 5:00PM.

All member schools are entitled for FREE ADMISSION!

Sip into your favorite tea and be part of an adventure as we wander through the land of marketing wonders!

The Red Queen Awaits, Junior Marketers!

For inquiries, please contact Mr. Illac Aragon at 0936 209 6067 or email him at pjma.iparagon@gmail.com



#GeneralAssembly1617 #MarketingWonders

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Should Blogs Be Trusted?: When Bloggers Are Questioned of Their Credibility


Wazzup Pilipinas!

"Do you trust blogs?"

The answer to the question has evolved and now depends on how a blogger perceives the meaning of a "blog" and why he or she blogs.

Many have also accepted sponsored or organized events that some people may think a blogger would be less critical of his opinions or reviews because of "utang na loob" and the fear of being banned or blacklisted if he or she would be mean in his or her blog article.

Some would even say that those who ask for payment or any form of compensation are even less trustworthy since we cannot expect them to be fair and they could not help to be biased.

But some would also disagree since blogging has become a very powerful promotional tool for information dissemination and awareness, if a company or brand would ask for our help in spreading the news or stories about their product or service, that is already considered like hiring or recruiting for a service.

Thus bloggers, if cannot be fairly or equally compensated, deserve at least something for their efforts, and even more if there is a request for an extensive brand campaign that is beyond a blogger's usual task.

Also, when some people try to implement a set of standards and ethics, there would be those who would ridicule others if they differ in style or ways in blogging. Bloggers get bullied if they seem to go beyond what's natural. The sad part is some "uzi" bloggers would even fan the flames instead of working on reconciling and healing the wounds.

People forget the fact that blogs were originally a personal journal thus it should be uniquely our own, and no one should dictate on how we should run our blogs.

If we decide to make it financially rewarding through any means possible, should we be criticized for wanting this bonus to our hobby or past time? Should we care if others seem to be wrongly motivated, or with questionable intentions? Could we really identify who is harming the blogging community? Should we believe the seemingly self-righteous who police our ranks? or are they the real ones who shame the community by exaggerating on their accusations against fellow bloggers?

Most bloggers also don't have any formal training or education on blogging for there isn't any industry-accepted "blogging course" unlike most journalists who have degrees to boast of. Thus, many bloggers write with their own personal style in mind, and equipped only by their own knowledge or expertise, or also the lack of both. They would have been differently influenced, and have their own personal motivations on why they blog. Should we look down on them if they fail in grammar or sentence construction? Should we laugh at them if they seem to know nothing of the topic? Should we rant against them if they do something we feel is unethical or obnoxiously insensitive?

However, many would tend to blend or adapt to conform to the norm or become neutral to avoid conflicts, those who try to go against the status quo are seen as weird, crazy or a trouble-maker. Some would ignore or never interfere. I praise those who try to mediate and understand both sides.

Bloggers are influencers. Our readers get information and ideas from our blogs. Whatever we write there would somehow affect our readers directly or indirectly, thus it becomes a driving force in making decisions, whether critical or leisurely. We owe our readers the truth, but we cannot become fully truthful since our own personal desires, point of views, knowledge, emotional quotient and needs (may it be financial, social, or just the search for adventure or adrenaline rush) hinder our perception.

So should you trust blogs?

There is no absolute answer. Just keep in mind that there should never be any regrets for whatever decision we make. If we got influenced by a blog even though he has written an accurate, truthful and unbiased ---- or erroneous, fabricated and deceitful write-up, we should never blame the blogger for he is also not immune to making mistakes and wrong choices in life.


*Photo credit to beautyeditor.ca (minor modification done on image)

Crime Thriller The Blacklist Season 4 Set To Premiere On AXN With More Shocking Twists


Wazzup Pilipinas!

AXN turns up the drama this month with the gripping return of the critically acclaimed thriller, The Blacklist.

In season four, premiering on September 27 at 9:45pm, former U.S. Naval Intelligence Officer turned criminal mastermind Raymond “Red” Reddington (James Spader) has become the FBI’s Most Wanted Fugitive. For decades, he evaded capture until he voluntarily surrenders to FBI Assistant Director Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix). He claims he has in his possession a “blacklist” of the world’s most dangerous criminals he has been associated with during his nefarious career and is willing to cooperate with the FBI to bring them down under two conditions: immunity from prosecution, and that he insists on working exclusively with Elizabeth “Liz” Keen (Megan Boone), a newly assigned rookie profiler with the FBI.

Teaming up with special agents Donald Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff), Aram Motjabai (Amir Arison), and Samar Navabi (Mozhan Marnò) , Reddington and Liz join ranks, use all available resources and technology of the FBI, and will never stop at nothing until all names on his list are crossed out – either arrested or eliminated.

Along the way, Cooper, Keen, and the other agents become suspicious of the real motives of Reddington. They are not aware of the behind-the-scenes maneuverings perpetrated by Reddington as he manipulates to his end the trust of his former allies. Little did they know that for every case they work on, for every criminal they track down and apprehend, Reddington always has a hidden agenda for his own personal gain. Moreover, Keen starts to question Reddington’s interest in her, not content in hearing him say that she is “very special” to him.

For years, Reddington has sacrificed everything, even to the point of risking his life to protect Keen. But his efforts seem to be for nothing. Feeling betrayed, Keen loses focus, gets involved with the shooting of a high-ranking government official, and lands in the FBI’s Most Wanted list. In the end, she is determined to get away from what she perceives to be the controlling and overprotective Reddington. She devises a clever way and successfully does, but her plan backfires. Keen ends up in the hands of Reddington’s longtime nemesis, Alexander Kirk (Ulrich Thomsen), who claims to be her real father.

Everything becomes even more personal in the latest installment of the highly anticipated series. Reddington rescues Keen from Kirk, but their reunion casts a cloud of doubt on their relationship. The rivalry between Reddington and Kirk takes a dark turn. As Keen confronts her past, Ressler suddenly figures in her life. Is Kirk really Keen’s father? If not, who is? And the burning question will finally be answered: How is Reddington related to Keen that he cares so much about her?

The critically acclaimed crime thriller has received positive reviews for showing an ingenious and compelling crime procedural. Television critics have praised James Spader’s riveting performance as criminal-turned-informant Raymond Reddington, earning him a nomination for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in the Golden Globe Awards for two consecutive years, 2014 and 2015. He was also nominated for Best Actor in a Television Series in the Saturn Awards in 2014.

The Blacklist Season 4 premieres the same week as the U.S. telecast on September 27, every Tuesday at 9:45 pm. First & Exclusive on AXN

AXN is seen on Cable Link Channel 38, Cignal Digital TV Channel 61, Global Destiny Cable Channel 61, Dream Channel 20, GSat Channel 51, and SKYCable Channel 49.
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