Marriott Manila Joins Earth Hour with Dinner in the Dark

Wazzup Pilipinas!

As the whole world turns off lights on March 25 for Earth Hour, Marriott Hotel Manila brings back their illustrious Dinner in the Dark at Cru Steakhouse. Due to popular demand, this unique dining experience returns in the most perfect and darkest night.

Dinner in the Dark first came to the Philippines at Cru Steakhouse last October 2016. It returns this year with a 4-course exceptional fete for only Php 2,500 per person. How does it work? Blindfolds are provided to be worn as you take a seat and finish the last dish. Dishes are kept hidden for you to unfold by your tasteful judgement. A guide stands by for basic instructions and descriptions of what’s on your plate. Without the sense of sight, all your other senses will awaken to appreciate every flavor of the food and your ability to see.

Don’t just hide yourself in the dark on Earth Hour. As nature takes rest, jump up your appetites for this rare dining experience. Hit the dial button and see you in the dark! 

For more information, please call 988 9999 or visit www.manilamarriott.com. To join ongoing conversations, like Facebook.com/MarriottHotelManila, follow @marriottmanila on Twitter and @manilamarriott on Instagram.

I-Pay Partners with MYEG, Malaysia’s Leading e-Government Service Provider

Wazzup Pilipinas!

I-Pay Ventures Commerce Ventures, Inc. (I-Pay) signed a joint-venture agreement with MY E.G. Services Bhd (MYEG) on March 15, 2017. The 60/40 joint venture will be focused on enabling government and large enterprises to offer services online supported seamlessly by a Payment Gateway, and other value-added services.

Both parties envision the joint venture will replicate the business model of MYEG in Malaysia.

“We are super excited to work with I-Pay to offer a superior G2C user experience in the Philippines. Our unique model provides significant cost savings and increased efficiency to all stakeholders and combined with I-Pay’s established operating record, we are confident of achieving mass adoption in the coming years,” says TS Wong, Managing Director - My E.G. Services Bhd.

"Our partnership with MYEG gives us access to world class technology that can upgrade Internet infrastructure and government services in the Philippines. The ultimate goal of our partnership is to improve delivery of government services for the Filipino people. We have deep conviction behind our joint-venture with MYEG." says Enrique Y. Gonzalez, President of IP Ventures Group.

MYEG is Malaysia’s fastest growing company as the civil service embraces the digital way of providing services to the public. MYEG provides a multitude of government services which is available online in Malaysia which include online renewal of foreign workers permit and insurance, as well as online renewal of vehicle road tax and insurance and online transfer of vehicle ownership.

The tie-up with the Immigration Department and Road Transport Department has resulted in the company recording euphoric growth in its top and bottom lines.

According to its latest annual report, MYEG recorded a 36.8% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) in revenue for the five years between 2011 and June 2016 while its profit grew at a CAGR of 45.1% over the same period.

MYEG has also been constantly recognized by Forbes as one of Asia’s “Best Under A Billion” companies.

I-Pay is a payment processing provider and a direct agent of Western Union in the Philippines. IPCVI is backed by renowned investors such as IP Ventures Inc. (leading technology and retail conglomerate in the Philippines), Kaikaku Fund (Softbank affiliated fund), JJ Atencio (Founder and CEO of 8990 Holdings Inc.) and Derrick Chiongbian.

I-Pay’s vision is to enable Government and enterprises to provide its services through technology encompassing Internet, automation, big data and electronic payments.

I-Pay is the payment processing investment of the IP Ventures Group (IPVI). IPVI has successfully built market leading companies in the data center space, IP Converge Data Center Inc. (CLOUD); online gaming space, IP E-games (EG); and business outsourcing, PCCW Teleservices Philippines, Inc.

I-Pay is also a direct agent of Western Union in the Philippines, which has won various awards such the “Asia Pacific Best Newcomer” in 2010, and “Asia Pacific Fastest Expanding Network” in 2011.

Photo caption: From left to right:  Derrick Chiongbian – Chief Advisor, I-Pay Commerce Ventures, Inc.; Datuk P.S. Jaya – CEO, PDX.COM SDN. BHD.; Wong Thean Soon – Managing Director, My E.G. Services Bhd; Enrique Y. Gonzalez – President & CEO, IP Ventures Inc.; Ronald Allan M. Aquino – President, I-Pay Commerce Ventures, Inc.; Ron Lau – Group Head of Sales, My E.G. Services Bhd; Leon Loo – Business Development Manager, My E.G. Services Bhd

NEC's Video Face Recognition Technology Ranks First in NIST Testing

Wazzup Pilipinas!
NEC Corporation announced that NEC’s face recognition technology achieved the highest performance evaluation in the recent Face in Video Evaluation (FIVE, *1) testing performed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (*2). Results were released in NIST's Interagency Report 8173: Face In Video Evaluation (FIVE) Face Recognition of Non-Cooperative Subjects.

NEC's face recognition technology took first place for the fourth consecutive time following the 2009 Multiple Biometric Grand Challenge (MBGC 2009), 2010-2011 Multiple Biometrics Evaluation (MBE 2010-2011), and 2013 Face Recognition Vendor Test (FRVT 2013).

Video face recognition technology identifies the faces of moving subjects in real-time as they walk naturally without stopping in front of a camera. The benefits of high-speed video analysis enabled by this technology include the prevention of potential incidents through detection of suspicious individuals and recognition of individuals at the gateways of critical facilities.

Using video images from standard cameras for face recognition requires highly-advanced techniques when compared to still images. This is because images are greatly influenced by environmental conditions, such as camera location, image quality, lighting and subject size, in addition to the behavior of a subject, including walking speed, face direction and sight line.

To achieve reliable face recognition of a video image, NEC developed feature point extraction technology that enables enhanced face recognition to a level where an individual can be identified with high precision from within a group, even if their face is partially hidden, or the image is taken from different angles. NEC’s face recognition technology also uses deep learning technologies for face matching to increase accuracy to a level where an individual can be identified by a low resolution face image captured by a distant camera.

"It is a great honor that our face recognition technology received a first place evaluation for the fourth consecutive time from the NIST,” said Masakazu Yamashina, Senior Vice President, NEC Corporation. “We will further expand global business by offering innovative biometric solutions, such as the video face recognition system, throughout a wide range of fields, including security, transportation, finance and retail."


Evaluation examples from the NIST FIVE testing

· Entry-exit management at an airport passenger gate

Tests were conducted to recognize one individual at a time as they walk through an area without stopping or acknowledging the camera. NEC’s face recognition technology won first place with a matching accuracy of 99.2%. The error rate of 0.8% is less than one-fourth of the second place error rate.

· Detection of suspicious individuals at an indoor stadium

Tests were conducted with an individual situated far from the camera with their face direction changing frequently. NEC’s face recognition technology won first place with an error rate half that of the second place error rate.


For nearly 30 years, NEC has been developing face recognition technology by defining it as one of the key technologies to help achieve a safer and more secure society. The technology has now been implemented in more than 100 systems in 40 countries worldwide. NEC will continue to develop solutions that leverage face recognition technology as part of its portfolio of AI technologies “NEC the Wise” (*3), and to deliver the solutions for a wide range of fields, including social infrastructure and private sector facilities.


(*1) https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/face-video-evaluation-five

(*2) Results shown from the Face In Video Evaluation (FIVE), the Multiple Biometric Grand Challenge (MBGC), the Multiple Biometric Evaluation (MBE) and the Face Recognition Vendor Test (FRVT) do not constitute endorsement of any particular product by the U.S. Government.

(*3) http://www.nec.com/en/global/rd/crl/ai/index.html?