Gina Iniong Aims to Impress in ONE Championship Debut

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Considered as one of the best female Filipino fighters that the local Philippine mixed martial arts (MMA) scene has ever produced, Gina “Conviction” Iniong has finally found her way to ONE Championship.

Iniong will make her much-awaited promotional debut at ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY in Manila, Philippines on 21 April as she is booked to square off with Filipino-English stalwart Natalie Gonzales Hills in a three-round atomweight contest.

The 27-year-old Baguio City native is a member of the renowned Team Lakay and has a professional MMA record of 4-2. Three of her four career victories have come by thrilling finish, which includes two impressive submissions.

Team Lakay’s 5-foot-2 atomweight standout also owns notable victories over the likes of French fighter Nathalie Heidel and Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi.

In her last bout under a regional MMA promotion in January 2016, Iniong astonishingly submitted Spanish combatant Vanessa Rico Fernandez with a heel lock in the first round.

Now competing on a global stage like ONE Championship, Iniong sets her sights on establishing a lasting impression as she shares the cage with Hills on 21 April.

“I am grateful for the opportunity that has been given to me by this well-respected MMA promotion. ONE Championship is the premier MMA organization in Asia. With my debut taking place this April, it’s a chance to show the world what I am capable of doing inside the cage,” she said.

“I’m not going to waste this wonderful opportunity. I am here to give every Filipino MMA fan who is going to watch the event live a night to remember,” Iniong added.

Iniong admitted that she feels the pressure, but Mark Sangiao’s talented female ward stressed that she thrives on it as it brings out the best in her.

“There will always be pressure, but it is about channeling it in a right way. Being nervous before a fight can be good in a certain way. I thrive on it because it motivates me to overcome it by doing my best,” she stated.

As a fierce cage competitor with the ability to finish opponents in a variety of methods, Iniong seeks a statement-making victory in her first assignment as a ONE Championship athlete.

“I’ve been out for over a year. I cannot explain how excited I am to step inside the ONE Championship cage for the very first time. Of course, I want that finish. I am always looking for that. If there’s an opening to get the knockout or submission, I will go for that in a split second,” she 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.

The Largest Property Expo in the Philippines to Launch on May 27, 2017

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The 4th Philippine Property Expo, the country’s largest real estate expo will launch on May 27, 2017 and will run for 2 days at the Megatrade Hall, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila.

Philippine Property Expo is the perfect place for interested home buyers and real estate investors to find the best deals on top property developments, as well as real estate home supplies.

This 2-day event will feature over 100 Property Developers and Home Suppliers, Real Estate Brokerage Firms, Real Estate Marketing Agencies, Property Investment Firms and Consultancies, Vacation Membership Clubs, Home and Office Furniture, Construction Suppliers, Home Technology Solutions, Real Estate Online Portals and expected to be visited by over 6,000 visitors.

The expo will also feature a Property Industry Leadership Talk giving interested home buyers, property investors and real estate professionals the latest overview of the country's property market.

For the past 3 years, some of the biggest names in real estate have exhibited at the Philippine Property Expo such as Shang Properties, Ayala Land, Vista Land, SMDC, DMCI HOMES, Megaworld, Century Properties Group, Amaia Land, Filinvest Land, New San Jose Builders, Robinsons Land, PICAR Development, Phinma Properties, P.A Properties, PDB Properties, Sta. Lucia Land, Property Company of Friends, Geo Estate Development, Masaito Development, Jade Group Real Estate Developers, Greenfield Development, Zhongfa Development, Elanvital Enclaves, Sterling Properties, DDC Land, Merry Leaf Realty, Regus, Lamudi Philippines, ListingIN, Capitarise Property Management, Rider Levett Bucknall Philippines, Power Steel Specialist Trading, Cavite Form Modules, and many more.

WSI Highlights McAfee Security and How to Combat Against Cyber Attacks

Wazzup Pilipinas!

With billions of IT devices coming online during the next several years, the threat of cyber-attacks is very real.

There were over one million web attacks against people each day throughout the world. Cybercriminals continue to take advantage of vulnerabilities in legitimate websites to infect users. These cybercriminals have given the opportunity to access mass quantities of sensitive and personal information through the use of advance technologies.

Wordtext Systems Inc., the oldest pure IT distributor in the Philippines held an informative press launch last March 22 at the Discovery Primea, Makati City to keep up the importance of having dependable software security solutions that is intended for home and corporate environments.

Intel Security, the world's largest dedicated security technology company unveil strategic partnership to create an independent McAfee product lines that opt to deliver proactive and proven security solutions and services that help secure systems and networks around the world. It protects consumers and businesses of all sizes from the latest malware and emerging online threats. These software security solutions that WSI distributes were designed to work together, integrating anti-malware, anti-spyware, and antivirus software with security management features that deliver unsurpassed real-time visibility and analytics, reduce risk, ensure compliance, improve Internet security, and help businesses achieve operational efficiencies.

Shopback Redefines Smart Online Shopping with Cashback System

Wazzup Pilipinas!

E-commerce has increasingly changed the way people shop for consumer goods. Online stores like Lazada and Zalora in particular are favored in large part by Filipinos due to the huge discounts they offer on top of the added convenience of delivering purchased goods directly in their doorsteps.

Since its launch last year, the Philippine franchise of Southeast Asia's largest and fastest growing online loyalty platform has been making a good thing even better for thousands of online shoppers. Offering rebates they call “cashbacks,” ShopBack has been returning up to 30 percent of what consumers pay for a particular item or service. This is on top of any discount the online store is already offering.

Such cashbacks are not only given to shoppers of Lazada and Zalora but also to over 350 other popular online shopping destinations. 

“We at ShopBack not only help Filipinos get the best deals and discounts, but we even give cashbacks which is actually giving your cash back,” explains ShopBack Philippines country head Kristina Ay-ay.

“Here’s how it works. When you shop online at say, Lazada or Zalora through ShopBack, a portion of your purchase is returned to you within 48 hours in your ShopBack account even if your mode of payment is cash on delivery to the store. This translates to extra, unlimited savings whenever you shop online.”

Ay-ay said the cashback is made possible through commissions earned by ShopBack from partner merchants with every completed sales transaction. ShopBack then shares a portion of its commission with the shopper.

“Our partner merchants reward us with a commission for referring you to shop on their site. But instead of keeping the commission to ourselves, we are sharing them with our consumers,” Ay-Ay pointed out. 

Although ShopBack employs a loyalty scheme similar to other point system rewards programs and credit card rebates, what sets ShopBack apart from the rest is that the cashbacks are immediately credited to registered users.

Once the amount of cashback accumulates to a certain point, it is then deposited to the shopper’s bank, GCash or PayPal account which he or she can either withdraw or use as payment for future purchases.

This sharing system, developed by six enterprising individuals in Singapore, began when ShopBack was founded in 2014. Following the very favorable public reception there, ShopBack was subsequently introduced in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines and will be launching in Thailand within the year.

Now with over 1,300 global and local e-retailers in the Southeast Asian region, ShopBack is now the leading player in its field.

With almost half a million subscribers within a span of one year, ShopBack is obviously a big hit for Filipino consumers. But Ay-ay is not stopping there as she intends to make ShopBack an even more indispensable shopping portal and further evangelize on the benefits of its cashback system.

ShopBack will soon provide aggregated reviews and head-to-head comparisons in order to provide consumers with more informed decisions when they shop on the site.

“We want every Filipino to be able to save as much as they can when shopping online. That’s ShopBack’s promise,” Ay-ay concluded.

Indeed, smart shopping has never been this rewarding.

Better #InternetForAll is coming to Metro Manila

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Smart Communications is serious about giving everyone in the Philippines access to better Internet (the target is to cover 95% of the country’s cities and municipalities with LTE by end of 2018) and the work never ends. After completing its network improvement efforts in Boracay and Davao (where the company boosted 3G signal and expanded both indoor and outdoor LTE coverage) Smart is now working on giving residents and visitors of Metro Manila and the nearby Rizal province a much improved mobile internet experience.

The Metro Manila LTE rollout is expected to be completed very soon, but as early as now, tests already show massive improvements in mobile data speeds and coverage in key areas of NCR and Rizal. In a matter of weeks, people can expect better mobile internet to be experienced in more areas in the metro, even when inside establishments, workplaces, and residential buildings.

This network upgrade is aligned with Smart’s three-year nationwide network improvement plan. While these upgrades are happening, Smart explains that there will be unavoidable service interruptions, but they promise it will be worth the wait. Soon enough, more people from all over the country will get to use and experience what they call “Smart’s best network yet”.

Watch the video below:

CMLI 39th Annual Summer Convention: Dream Aloud! Empowering a Generation of Visionary Leaders towards the Growth and Sustainability of our Nation

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Now in its 60th year, the Children's Museum and Library, Inc. is a youth-oriented organization geared towards providing avenues for unleashing the excellence and leadership potential of the Filipino youth.

In line with this, the CMLI Junior Council - National Executive Board 2017 invites all grade school and high school students from all over the country to the 39th Annual Summer Convention, with the theme "Dream Aloud! Empowering a Generation of Visionary Leaders towards the Growth and Sustainability of our Nation." This five-day convention will be held on May 8-12 at the Villa Soledad Beach Resort in Bolinao, Pangasinan.

This year, the Annual Summer Convention will focus on empowering student delegates to become visionary leaders that can provide solutions to the many pressing problems that our country continues to face through various group discussions, workshops, and competitions.

Inspiring action through fun, the Commission Discussion, which is regarded as the heart of CMLI conventions, is a series of group activities and group discussions which aims to provide the delegates with a better understanding of the theme of the convention.

In addition to this, guest speakers will administer different workshops in order to further develop the talents and skills of the delegates. This year’s workshops will include Project Feasibility Study, Journalistic Writing, Creative Writing, Public Speaking, and Theatre.

Lastly, Competitions for Excellence and Entertainment will also be conducted in order to inspire the delegates to bring out the best in every single one of them. The Competitions for Excellence will include Essay Writing, News Writing, Editorial Writing, Poster Making, Extemporaneous Speaking, and Photojournalism, while the Competitions for Entertainment will include OPM Solo Singing, Talent Variety Show, Hip-hop Dancing, and the much-awaited Mr. and Ms. SummerCon.

Are you ready to #DreamAloud and #DreamForTheNation? Then don't miss out on this year's Annual Summer Convention!

For more details, visit us at www.facebook.com/CMLIOfficial on Facebook or follow us at @cmlijcneb on Twitter. For inquiries, contact us at 0915-871-8994, 435-0008, 924-2304 or cmlijcneb2017@gmail.com

Water Philippines Opens its 4th Edition with the First Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The 4th staging of Water Philippines 2017, co-locating the first-ever Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RE EE) Philippines 2017, opens on a high note as the most prominent personalities in the water and waste water industry gather during the Opening Ceremonies.

Sen. Cynthia A. Villar, the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, leads the Opening Ceremony as she emphasizes the importance of water sanitation and vital reforms in her Keynote Speech. "We must bear in mind that sanitation towards national sustainability is a shared responsibility", she also added.

As emphasized by Mr. M. Gandhi, President of UBM Exhibitions Philippines Inc., this year’s edition is 30% bigger featuring an even wider scope of the latest and best in water supply and sanitation, sewerage, industrial wastewater practices, trends and technologies.

“As we are about to begin the 4 th edition of Water Philippines 2017 and 1st edition of RE EE Philippines 2017, we are always reminded of how these two events create significant difference not only to businesses in the Water and Renewable Energy industry, but most importantly, its benefit to the community by sharing valuable information and knowledge to our practitioners and even to the end-users”, Mr. Gandhi also added.

Honorio Banario Says Renewed Confidence Is Biggest Difference

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario dropped five straight losses following his title-clinching performance over compatriot Eric Kelly in 2013, but has recently turned a new leaf, impressively winning three straight over top flight opponents. A renewed wave of confidence he says is what made a world of difference.

On Friday, 21 April, Banario (11-6) will return to action against tough and durable Australian foe “Ruthless” Rob Lisita (14-9) in a three-round lightweight bout that is being considered an early candidate for Fight of the Night honors.

His belief in himself, Banario explains, is at an all-time high.

“My recent wins have given me my confidence back. I’m happy that I’m now able to show the positive outcome of my hard work. Those losses didn’t put me down, they gave me the strength to push forward,” said Banario.

“It changed my outlook on life, my outlook on this sport.”

By the time Banario had dropped his fifth straight contest, a 56-second submission loss to Ev Ting, the proud Igorot warrior said he had already contemplated surrender and calling it a day. But it was those closest to him -- his family, friends, teammates at the Team Lakay MMA gym, coach Mark Sangiao -- who urged him to fight on.

“I knew it wasn’t over. I had so many fans, true fans, telling me to soldier on and keep fighting and that they still believed in me. Hearing all the words of encouragement, how can you continue to feel down after that?” said Banario.

“Coach Mark [Sangiao] kept a close eye on me and tried to observe my body language. He wanted to see if my confidence would ever come back. I had to remain positive. I knew whatever I needed to find was still inside of me.”

Now, Banario has won his last three bouts, the most impressive of which was a first round armbar victory over top Indian lightweight prospect Rajinder Singh Meena last December, in front of his hometown crowd in Manila.

This April however, Banario knows he has his work cut out for him. Lisita is one of the toughest fighters in ONE Championship, regardless of weight class.

“He (Lisita) is the type of fighter who will never give up no matter what. In a way, he’s just like me. It doesn’t matter if he’s tired, beat up or losing a fight. There’s no quit in the man. That’s why they call him ‘Ruthless’,” said Banario.

“But I’m prepared for anything. Whatever style he wants to bring to the cage. Whether it’s his usual fast-start, looking for the quick finish, or a more technical, drawn out approach -- I’m ready. I’m happy to fight him because I want to be able to test myself against him. He’s a real fighter.”

With the success he has enjoyed at this juncture of his career, Banario surprisingly admits that he feels no pressure at all in trying to extend his winning streak. He says that even though Lisita will be the one inside the cage with him, that he’s not worried about the Australian.

“The only person I’m concerned with is myself,” said Banario.

“I have to stay calm, and ease the pressure. The previous losses only served to teach me a valuable lesson. I’m not really going to battle with another person, I’m going to battle with myself. It’s my own fears and the negative feelings that I have to conquer. If I can beat myself, only then can I get to the next level,” Banario concluded.

​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.

Singapore Ambassador Kok Li Peng and Award Winning Poets Celebrates World Poetry Day at Kamuning Bakery

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Singapore Ambassador Madame Kok Li Peng joined award-winning poets Jose F. Lacaba and Marra Pl. Lanot on March 21 morning to celebrate UNESCO’s “World Poetry Day” at the Pandesal Forum of 78-year-old Kamuning Bakery Café in Quezon City. The envoy also discussed Philippine-Singapore relations and Asean issues with the media and intellectuals at the two-hour forum. This artisanal café also gave away free coffee or tea drinks the whole day to all people who came to pay with their original poems, in a unique civic and cultural project.

To celebrate “World Poetry Day”, Kamuning Bakery Café’s Wilson Lee Flores invited Singapore Ambassador Kok to recite one of her favorite poems entitled “The road not taken” by Robert Frost. Lacaba and Lanot both also each recited their original poems in the Filipino language.

During the free-wheeling Pandesal Forum with local and international media, Ambassador Kok extolled the warm diplomatic and economic ties between the Philippines and Singapore, as well as the general optimism of the Asean region as it celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with a high-level summit hosted by chairman the Philippines. She said that there are high hopes on the RCEP economic agreement being worked out between the 10-member nations of Asean region and China, that she thinks both this RCEP and even the TPP are all good initiatives to promote freer global trade.

DOT Secretary Wants Media to "Tone Down" Reports on EJK

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Here's what to expect if we make Mocha Uson as the new "Darna" aka "Narda"

Mocha: "Digong, ang bato!"
Digong: "Putang-inang bato yan! Ikaw batuhin ko!
Bato (Dela Rosa): "Sir, baka ako hinahanap niya! Pagsampalin ko na ba?"
Bato (stone): "Need nyo pa ba ako? Di ba may Oplan Tokhang na? Patay na mga adik sa Pilipinas"
Wanda Tulfo-Teo: "Guys, tone down on your statements. Nahihirapan ako i-promote ang Philippine tourism!"

“’Yung mga statements na ganoon, nahihirapan kaming i-sell ang Philippines so I hope we could kung puwede even… this does not only refer to VP Leni but also to the media to please medyo i-tone down natin yung [reports] on extrajudicial killings.” ~Tourism Sec. Corazon Wanda Tulfo-Teo

Statements like these just prove how insensible our current leaders are. They would rather "tone down" the truth about what's really happening in the Philippines just to let tourists keep coming in. When you tone-down, that could also mean telling a lie about the reality. You then put tourists in danger and the entire Philippines as a liar.

She's barking on the wrong tree! She should tell her boss, President Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte to stop his  Extra-Judicial Killings (EJK) disguised as a "War on Drugs" so she could have it easy with her job as Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary.

Tone down EJK operations instead - so that media has nothing "negative" to report about the Philippines.

"Typical "Best-and-the-Brightest" appointee in Duterte's mediocre cabinet. Unable to discern the real issues.

The main reasons she was appointed are: #1 Taga-Davao #2 Owns a travel agency #3 MonTulfo's sister. No competence in international marketing, attracting investors, sector planning.

If she was slightly more competent, she would have tried to make "lemonade out of lemons".

She could run a whole series of 'More Fun in the Philippines' ads around our latest selling propositions: EJKs, Death Squads, Tokhang-for-Ransom, Masked Mummies, Fake News, Cursing, Kowtowing to China, Death Penalty, Sex Tapes, Jet Skiing to Chinese-stolen islands. The possibilities are endless.

We would attract all the war-freaks, murderers & idiots from around the world. That's a large, gullible market to add to our own burgeoning pool.

And hell no. It is not safe in the Philippines. Just look at the murder stats. 51% up since Duterte became president." - Bernard Ong

Even the appointed Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Chief Operating Officer (COO), Cesar Montano, has been in the spotlight for anomalies within the TPB, and the worst is that his own staff are the ones complaining about his ways and methods touching on absurd spending personal travels, using public funds on non-related tourism activities like rallies, and hiring relatives and gardeners, and many more in redundant positions.

Even the appointment of Katherine Espin, Miss Earth 2016, as Ambassadress for the DOT, to promote Eco Tourism all over the nation, will not be enough to counter all that news about poor people getting killed by the police. It's so safe in the Philippines that you also get killed even inside the Camp Crame, the home of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and where the PNP Chief Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, resides.

As usual, there will always be people who will remain blind of the truth because they want to look their best to the one whom they owe their positions. You can't expect them to bite the hand that feeds them. There's what we call "Utang na Loob" that has always been the main reason for every downfall.

In our case, all of the Digong supporters are getting positions in government, or special favors if they do not want to be tied up in government. Never mind if there are more qualified people out there, the President knows who to thank by assigning them top responsibilities within his administration. He already kicked out Vice Presidnet Leni Robredo for going against him, and other officials who had to resign by force of because they couldn't stomach anymore the ludicrous ways of this administration.