Australian Ambassador Hosts Launch of Penfolds Wine in the Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Iconic Australian wine brand Penfolds, made its official debut in the Philippines at a dinner event hosted by the Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely. Held at renowned restaurant Blackbird which is located at the historical Nielson Tower, and attended by key representatives from the food and beverage industry, the venue provided a fitting backdrop to launch the luxury wine brand.

Voted the ‘World’s Most Admired Wine Brand’ by Drinks International, an internationally recognised media authority in the wine and spirits industry, in their annual poll where almost 200 international industry experts including buyers, sommeliers, wine writers, Masters of Wine, industry experts and wine critics took part which pits wine brands from all global regions, styles and qualities against each other.

“I am pleased to host the formal launch of Penfolds in the Philippines, as we celebrate 70 years of Australia-Philippine bilateral relations. Penfolds is an example of an Australian brand which has enjoyed great success worldwide. I’m confident Penfolds wines will also be very well received in the Philippines, as Filipinos’ taste for fine wine continue to grow.” said Ambassador Gorely.

Yodi Mootoosamy, Treasury Wine Estates Regional Business Manager SEA, said, “Penfolds is one of Australia’s oldest and most iconic wineries, with a history and heritage that reflects the country’s journey growth. Penfolds has played a pivotal role in the evolution of winemaking in Australia – and across the world”.

APOS Summit Gathers Global Key Industry Leaders to Focus on Future Growth of Video Content Creation and Distribution

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Asia’s premier event for media, telecoms and entertainment industry APOS (Asia Pacific Pay-TV Operators Summit) recently gathered leaders from established companies and fast growing new businesses fostering discussions on the video sector and the ecosystem of creating, distributing and monetizing content.

APOS 2016, held at Bali Indonesia last April 26 to April 28, focused on the video industry, including TV and digital video. A fast growing $105 billion business, leaders sought to explore its exponential growth with the rapid evolution of consumer behavior and choices. Its key themes were centered on exploring opportunities and facing challenges that come with it.

Among the top themes for APOS 2016 include the future of content creation and distribution, video streaming, content packaging and pricing in broadband, social video curation and sports in digital platforms, among others.

With hundreds of participants from telco to entertainment companies, the summit saw 60 of the most innovative company leaders share their expertise and points of view on the various themes. Globe Telecom President and CEO Ernest Cu participated in a discussion on Game Changers and Disruptors, sharing how the company continues to prosper in a high-growth but increasingly aggressive market. Cu touched on its play in strengthening its digital content franchises giving it a competitive advantage. Moderating this Q&A with Cu is Media Partners Asia (MPA) Executive Director Vivek Couto.

Diwa Partylist Representative Emmeline Aglipay-Villar Commemorates Gen. Gregorio Aglipay's 156th Birthday

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Commemorating the 156th Birthday of Philippine revolution hero and independent church founder Gen. Gregorio Aglipay, Diwa Partylist Representative  Emmeline "Em" Aglipay-Villar was at the Pandesal Forum of Kamuning Bakery on May 5, 2016 for a small ceremony and press conference.

The Diwa partylist is running for re-election and represented by the daughter in law of the Manuel and Cynthia Villar whose son Mark is married to Em Aglipay, the great great granddaughter of Gen. Gregorio Aglipay.

Em goes on to share a lengthy speech to both explain about why the good general never had a fair share of recognition even though he had numerous worthy acts during his time. It was said that the general ran for President against Quezon during his time but failed to win because he was not popular with the Americans back then.

The lady representative of Diwa also shared some of their advocacy platform primarily focused on far and just labor practices. She shared that they are in favor of ending contractualization but only for the non-core functions of a business. She used as example an airline where the pilots and stewardess would be considered as part of the core functions of the business which should not hire contractual employees for the said positions. Meanwhile functions like catering would be considered as open for contractualization.