EXTENDED CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: UP Cinema sets extended deadline of entries for Kino Punch 7

Wazzup Pilipinas!?




UP Cinema’s seventh installment of their official film magazine “KINO PUNCH: KP7ARAN” with the theme of Divination and Future Reading extends their ongoing call for submissions, moving the deadline from April 10, 2023 to April 26, 2023.

With this, the film organization continues its search for film reviews, essays, poetry, artworks, photographs, and photo essays (English and Filipino works are accepted), revolving around the foreseeable future of cinema, with respect to the issue’s theme. In observance of the extended deadline, all entries submitted on or before April 26, 2023 will still be accepted and considered for inclusion in the film magazine.

The call for contributions remains open to ALL Filipino film enthusiasts, literary writers and artists who seek to share their original or collaborative works.

Submission guidelines may be found through this link: https://bit.ly/KP7Guidelines

An in-person issue launch is expected to happen by July 2023. This edition of Kino Punch will be available both digitally and in print this year (2023) through the guidance of its Editorial Board, consisting of Mae Malaya (Editor-in-Chief), Abigael Manalili (Managing Editor), Rian Piamonte (Managing Editor), Ivan Gentolizo (Associate Editor), FJ Calvario (Copy Editor), Althea Ann Laylo (Creative Director), Mikayla Manganti (Creative Director), Ymarc Manzano (Marketing and Publicity Editor), Allen Prodigalidad (Marketing and Publicity Editor), and Max Guanzon (Layout Editor).

For more information on the publication, visit the official Kino Punch social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

ArenaPlus ties up with PBA, Scottie Thompson is first athlete endorser

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Watching professional basketball games just got more fun. Fans can get more actively and deeply involved in the action now that ArenaPlus has signed a sponsorship deal with the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

ArenaPlus, the newest online entertainment offering of Total Gamezone Xtreme Incorporated (TGXI), is now the Official Sports Entertainment Gateway of the PBA.

With the sponsorship, the PBA’s first-ever official sports entertainment gateway partner and Asia’s first-ever professional basketball league aim to level up PBA fans’ entertainment experience with more fun, thrill and excitement.

Multiple-year sponsor ArenaPlus will have brand presence in playing venues of regular PBA 5x5 games, PBA3x3 games and special events like the PBA Draft, All-Star Week, Media Day and the PBA On Tour, among others. It will also be on the league’s social media accounts and digital platforms.

Popular Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel shooting guard Scottie Thompson was announced as the first ArenaPlus athlete endorser. The PBA’s Best Player of the 2021 PBA Governor’s Cup Conference, Mythical Team Member and one-time Most Valuable Player who was also Second Best Player in the 2022-23 PBA Commissioners’ Cup on January 2023, was selected by the brand because of his exciting brand of play and huge impact on the fans.

The signing ceremony was held in early April at the PBA Office in Quezon City and was attended by PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial, PBA Marketing Director Jo Francisco, DigiPlus President Andy Tsui and TGXI President Jasper Vicencio. Vicencio said they are super excited to show the PBA and Filipino fans what ArenaPlus is all about and how much fun it can bring to the viewing experience. “The brand will surely add hype and level up the fun and entertainment of the PBA,” Vicencio said.

DigiPlus President Andy Tsui thanked the PBA for allowing DigiPlus to introduce its new brand. “Your support is indeed a part of our success and we will continue to support this source of great entertainment for Filipinos,” he said.



ArenaPlus is an affiliate of BingoPlus and a subsidiary of DigiPlus Interactive Corporation. The ArenaPlus App can be downloaded in Google Play and the App Store.

SSS conducts RACE ops in Mandaluyong City

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The Social Security System (SSS) kicked off its first Run After Contribution Evaders (RACE) activity in Mandaluyong City on March 3, 2023 by issuing notices to 12 employers for not remitting the contributions of their employees to SSS.

These employers incurred more than P57 million worth of unpaid contributions and penalties, computed as of February 28, 2023, affecting the SSS benefits of 451 employees.


SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Rolando Ledesma Macasaet said that owners of these establishments who received the show cause orders are given 15 days to coordinate with SSS New Panaderos Branch and explain why SSS should not take any legal action against them.


“The RACE activity in Mandaluyong City is part of our nationwide campaign to ensure the social security coverage of members and enhance SSS’ collection efficiency,” Macasaet added.


Likewise, during the press briefing, SSS Executive Vice President for Branch Operations Sector Voltaire Agas reminded employers of their legal obligation under Republic Act No. 11199 or the Social Security Act of 2018 to report their employees to SSS and remit the corresponding monthly contributions of their workers.


“We appeal to these employers to religiously remit the monthly SSS contributions of their employees. If they neglect their duties, their employees will not qualify for the benefits they are entitled to claim because of insufficient contributions or their contribution records are not updated,” Agas added.


Under the SS Law, employers who failed to register their employees or have not deducted and remitted their employees’ contributions will be penalized with a fine of P5,000 to P20,000 and face imprisonment ranging from six years and one day to 12 years.


Currently, SSS offers the Contribution Penalty Condonation, Delinquency Management and Restructuring Program (CPCoDe MRP) for business employers and the Contribution Penalty Condonation and Restructuring Program (CPCR-P) for household employers to help them settle their delinquencies in paying the contributions of their employees and household helpers or kasambahay.


Under these programs, delinquent employers can pay the unremitted contributions of their employees and kasambahay, less the accrued penalties, through a one-time payment or installment term.

“We encourage our employers to take this opportunity to settle their delinquencies and avoid the lengthy judicial processes for them to gain back their good standing with us,” Macasaet concluded.