5th Treasures of SOX: A Travel & Trade Expo

Wazzup Pilipinas!?




The Dept of Tourism - SOCCSKSARGEN Region and its partner agencies will be conducting a travel and trade expo in Manila from June 23-25, 2023 at the Midtown Atrium, Robinsons Place Manila.

Here are some of the activities during the 5th Treasures of SOX: A Travel & Trade Expo

B2B

Accredited tour operators shall be the main participants to these separate and simultaneous business matching. The Department of Tourism XII will be in-charge for the this.

During the event, a place shall be arranged where Business Meetings/ Matching will be done. The Business Meetings will be between the company owner/representative, the potential buyer and a representative from the government agency that monitor such sales. A form to this effect shall be prepared in triplicate and distributed to the Buyer, Seller and the NGA Monitoring staff. This shall be filed and be a basis of following up later that will form part the accomplishment report.

Sellers should bring with them calling cards, sample products or collaterals containing information about products sold. They may provide discounts and freebies at this time to entice more buyers to participate and book. Actual booking and payment will depend on the Sellers.

Cultural Performances

SOCCSKSARGEN Region is one of the indigenous people’s ancestral haven where they flourished the richness of their culture and even enriched their diversified rituals through dances and movements to worship the gods and goddesses they believed in. During the said event, this will highlight the stories behind the IP groups and their narrative legends through dance movements and chants. A colorful display of traditional decorative emblems combined with rhythms of the hinterlands will tell the stories of every tribe in SOX in a creative and theatrical way.

Fashion Show

The Fashion Show is entitled “ SOX in Style” hosted by DOT 12 featuring the collections of Ivan Raborar from South Cotabato. It will showcase the collections reflecting the life and work of the indigenous cultures of SOX.

Coutures accentuated by the local fabrics – tnalak, tabih, and inaul shall be used. The local novelty items shall also be showcased.

There will be a dance drama presented by Hinugyaw Cultural Troupe of Koronadal City that will trace back the culture, way of life, arts and crafts of the Tbolis, Blaans, Manobos and Maguindanaoans.

Product Presentations and Distribution of Promo Collaterals – Publicity and Promotion

Various Types of promo collaterals shall be produced to promote not only the event but the major products such as eco tourism, farm tourism, fresh and processed food produced in the region.

Promotion on how these can be visited and how people can help to sustain and protect these areas are also imperative. These materials will be packaged and distributed during the event.

Farm Tourism sites shall also be promoted. In partnership with DA-ATI, agricultural properties or farms in the region were transformed to farm tourism sites that provides actual itinerary with tour guides within the farm site. Visitors can experience various activities relating to farm like harvesting, processing, fishing, learning new technologies in plant production and many other exciting activities.

GSIS donates office equipment, computers to PHLPost

Wazzup Pilipinas!?


The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) formally accepted the donated office equipment and computers given by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) in solidarity with the on-going efforts of the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) to mitigate the effects of fire that burned their near-century old Manila Central Post Office Building.


“We thank our government partner-GSIS for extending their assistance to PHLPost during this time. It is a great help for our affected employees especially in our continuous recovery efforts”, said Atty. Lori Ann Atal, Officer in Charge and Assistant Postmaster General for Administration and Finance.


GSIS President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo ‘Wick’ A. Veloso President and General Manager officially handed over 45 steel tables, 45 chairs, 67 desktops and 7 laptops.

”Nung ako po ay nag-ocular inspection kasama si Postmaster General Carlos, nakita ko na ang mga kawani at lingkod bayan ng PHLPost ay nagta-trabaho sa ilalim ng makeshift tent, nasa ilalim ng araw at kalimitan ay nababasa pa sila ng ulan. Masikip ang area at tabi-tabi sa mga table ngunit patuloy silang naglilingkod para sa bayan. This resilience, this unwavering commitment to serve the public, is truly inspirational. Despite the setback on May 22, PHLPost employees never faltered in their duty”, GM Veloso said.


Meanwhile, PHLPost assured the public that all its branches are business as usual. The Manila Central Post Office has been relocated to the Surface Mail Exchange Department (SMED) in Delpan, Port Area. There are nearby post offices in Manila and other parts in Metro Manila where the public can also send their mails and packages.

PHLPost corporate offices are temporarily housed at the Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC) facility in Pasay City.


Postmaster General Luis Carlos said PHLPost is now focusing on the recovery and rehabilitation of the damaged structure which is considered a national historical landmark.


Built in 1926, the historic Manila Central Post Office was designed by Filipino architects Juan Arellano and Tomas Mapua. It was damaged during World War II, during the Battle of Manila and was restored in 1946, right after the war.

The HallyUniverse Comeback: A successful takeoff featuring Calista, G22, and BINI

Wazzup Pilipinas!?


Cheers filled the UP Bahay ng Alumni last May 27 as everyone anticipated the latest installment of HallyUP's flagship event, HallyUniverse 8: The Infinite Beyond. This unique Hallyu convention consists of K-Pop cover performances, P-Pop stages, merchandise booths, food stalls, crowd-interactive mini-games, random play dance segments, and various prizes for the event-goers to enjoy!

UP Diliman’s premier K-Pop organization, the University of the Philippines Society of Students for Korean Popular Culture or HallyUP, launched its first onsite flagship event, HallyUniverse, after four years and it was a definite shining spectacle. Themed after the cosmos this season, the gathering was headlined by the rising P-Pop girl groups Calista, G22, and BINI who performed covers and their original tracks.

Setting the stage alight alongside the P-Pop acts are HallyUP’s very own members and other Filipino cover groups: Wildcards, Dee Omega, XPG, Joshua Kim, æons, FAVE:, and Principium. TikTok star Junjun Salarzon also showed up to perform a popping performance and cater to the humor of Filipino K-Pop fans. Coming up to the stage virtually was also Prof. Dr. Dal Yong Jin on K-Pop and Transnational Fandom in the Digital Platform Era, covering the necessary aspect of analysis within any culture.

Of course, the crowd got their share of the limelight, too! The forever iconic Random Play Dance segment enabled certain audience members to showcase their dancing skills and K-pop know-how, serving as the real rocket fuel during the event.

Partner fanbases, shops, and organizations also lined up their products for sale ranging from fan-made art prints and decals, official albums and photocards, to an array of foods ready for open wallets (though a few were for free!) — adding to the buzz from the night’s stages.

The 8th HallyUniverse stands out from the previous installments as a part of it was a greeting event for BINI Maloi’s birthday, giving Filipino Blooms the opportunity to personally sing happy birthday and give gifts to her on her special day.

More than just spreading the love for K-Pop, HallyUP has also strived to give back to its community and create events like HallyUniverse to forward their cause, specifically to help the Kopino Children Association, the main beneficiary of this event and a wonderful organization that promotes the welfare of Korean-Filipino youth in the Philippines. So after the triumphant onsite return of HallyUniverse, Hallyu fans are sure to expect more from the University of the Philippines’ premiere K-Pop organization. This year was simply just the takeoff; next time, get ready to touch the stars and witness the limitless possibilities HallyUP has to offer! See you then!