Grand Hyatt Manila Opens Its Doors

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In photo: Federal Land Inc. Chairman Alfred V. Ty (second from right) and Grand Hyatt SVP of Operations for Asia Pacific Mr. Tom Smith lead the soft opening event.

The Grand Hyatt Manila recently opened its doors to the public via a soft opening, that gathered top executives of Federal Land, Inc., ORIX Corporation, Metrobank and Bonifacio Landmark Realty and Development Corp. – the movers behind this iconic development. Poised to be the new benchmark of grand living, Grand Hyatt Manila is nestled within the 66-storey, Metrobank Center.

The Grand Hyatt Manila beckons guests to come and experience moments of more with the Grand Hyatt’s version of personalized sevice and accommodation, dining at the Grand Kitchen and The Cellar, and entertainment and drinks at the Lobby Lounge.

Idol Moms: First & Exclusive World Premiere on February 1

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Dive into the competitive world of K-pop with LIFETIME’s new show Idol Moms.

The all-new series takes you behind the scenes of SM Entertainment’s hardcore training program

Have you ever wondered how your favorite K-pop idols became the celebrities they are today? This February, LIFETIME is giving you a look at the intense journey to stardom in Idol Moms, an all-new series that follows the daily lives of five mothers as they support their children to soar in the industry.

Premiering on February 1, Thursday at 9 PM, this exciting new show takes you behind the curtain and gives you a sneak peak at the winning formula that SM Entertainment, one of South Korea’s biggest music labels, uses to train K-pop stars.

With over 300,000 young Korean idol hopefuls vying for their shot at success, the competition is fierce. In order to fulfill their dreams, they’ve got to have a strategy that’ll make them stand out and someone who’s always got their back - their mothers.

Record producer, actor, radio personality and idol from first-generation K-Pop group, H.O.T, Gang Ta will serve as the series’ mentor and host, alongside acclaimed choreographer Kim Tae-Woo and vocal coach Jang Jin-Young.

The complete season of Idol Moms will be available first and exclusively on LIFETIME Asia, with new episodes premiering on the same night as Korea so you’ll be able to get the latest updates on your favorite rising stars.

Don’t miss this cutthroat reality competition series that will make or break the biggest rising stars in Asia, only on LIFETIME.

Lifetime™ is available on SKYCable Ch 65 and Lifetime™ HD Ch 199; Cable Link Ch. 223; Dream Satellite Ch 28; Destiny Ch 44.

Lifetime™ is an entertainment destination offering the highest quality dramas, movies and reality with celebrated and award winning programmes like UnREAL, MasterChef Australia, MasterChef Asia, Dance Moms and critically-acclaimed Lifetime Original Movies. A television network infused with passion and empowerment, Lifetime™ reflects the full spectrum of the modern female experience, delivering top tier entertainment.

Japanese Engineers Kick Off System Audit on MRT-3

Wazzup Pilipinas!

More than 50 railway engineers and experts from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will kick-off today the due diligence and system audit of the MRT-3.

 

The system audit is a necessary step to determine all the rehabilitation and restoration works needed on the MRT-3 system, which will be done by a JICA-nominated rehabilitation and maintenance provider that will be mobilized in May.

 

A Japanese company designed and built the MRT-3 system from 1998 to 2000, and maintained it from 2000 to 2012.

 

“We obviously need all the help we can get and we are very grateful that the Japanese Government answered our call for assistance to rehabilitate and restore the MRT-3 system.,” said OIC Undersecretary for Railways TJ Batan.

 

The system audit that will commence today by JICA is separate from the ongoing Independent Audit and Assessment (IAA) by TUV Rheinland, an ISO 17020 and ISO 17065 certified and IFIA member certifier (International Federation of Inspection Agencies) for the entire MRT-3 system, including the 48 train cars from CRRC Dalian. The TUV Rheinland IAA commenced last Jan. 3 and has a 3 months duration.

Batan added that additional trains on the MRT-3 may be expected within February since the first batch of spare parts that were ordered last December are scheduled to be delivered and installed this month. The spare parts that were already ordered have a delivery lead time of 30 days to 6 months.

 

“We created a Special Bids and Awards Committee for MRT-3 to address the urgent need to restore its service, which require the expedited procurement of spare parts, among others,” added Batan.

 

The DOTr is currently implementing a four-point strategy to rehabilitate and restore the MRT-3 system. This involves (1) promoting accountability (termination of BURI); (2) ensuring continued service delivery (establishment of the Maintenance Transition Team); (3) contracting a qualified maintenance and rehabilitation service provider (together with the Japanese government); and (4) putting in place a long-term, single-point-of-responsibility, operator and maintenance provider for MRT-3 (O&M Unsolicited Proposal).