MarkADo! Winning Ads on the Board

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

MANILA, Philippines — Curious why some ads are unforgettable or why some jingles stay in your head?

THE UN2LD, fourth-year Advertising and Public Relations (ADPR) students from Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), will kick off “MarkADo! Winning Ads on the Board” seminar on January 27, 2026 at PUP Bulwagang Balagtas from 8:30 AM to 12:00 NN as part of the 22nd PUP Advertising Congress.

The PUP Advertising Congress is a three-day annual event that offers a series of seminars for students and aspiring professionals in the ADPR industry. Now in its 22nd year, it continues the tradition of delivering meaningful discussions, real industry perspectives, and opportunities that inspire excellence in the field.

MarkADo! breaks down the play-by-play behind creative advertising approaches that leave a lasting impression on audiences’ minds. It also aims to expand the knowledge of ADPR and marketing students in content strategy, enhance their creative production skills, and equip them with the foresight to adapt to future trends and challenges in the industry.

The featured guest speakers for MarkADo! are a diverse roster of industry professionals. The first segment talk will be led by Margie Husmalaga, a Media Director for advertising agency GIGIL Philippines. This portion dives into the dilemmas in today’s advertising and redefines ad recall, leveraging the role of timing and frequency—how sending the right message at the right moment helps audiences remember ads.

This will be followed by the second segment divided into two parts: audio recall will be discussed by Jeriko Buenafe, the jingle composer behind the iconic Ritemed tune; while visual recall will be discussed by Roman Carlo Olivares, the Executive Creative Director of MullenLowe TREYNA group. Adding a fresh digital perspective to the conversation, social media personality Inah Evans will make a special appearance as a resource panelist for the segment.

To complete the seminar, Mr. Gio Puyat, an Advertising Director of many popular brands and the Podcast Host of Kwentong Creatives, will complete the seminar—-focusing on how brands can sustain recall in the ever-evolving world of advertising. He will dive into strategies that blend creativity with data and strengthen brand continuity through consistent identity.

Beyond the seminar, THE UN2LD is a body of creatives that continues to learn and grow through projects they led within the ADPR program. Over the years, they’ve produced various campaigns and brand-focused outputs where they successfully collaborated with well-known brands and media organizations through academic partnerships.

The team is set to deliver a checkmate-level experience alongside its Lead Media Partners—Manila Standard, Manila Bulletin, and Wazzup Pilipinas. Also joined by Official Media Partners—WhenInManila.com, IKOT.PH, Edge TV Philippines, Now You Know PH, and TV Maria.

The board will be packed with exciting activities and prizes, made possible by our generous sponsors: Fitbar, the Official Health Boost Partner; PUPian Lifestyle, the Official Merch Partner; 901 Studios, the Official Production House Partner; and Fudgee Barr, Doowee Donut Delectables, and Brownie Break as the Official Snack Partners. The event is also mounted in collaboration with Cookie Corner, FlexOffice Philippines, and Ohana Philippines, with more support from event sponsors Careline, Floofs, Goya, Tri-Vision Ventures, Inc., and Dunkin’.

If you are a student or an aspiring practitioner who wants to improve your understanding of ad recall, strengthen your creative instincts, and learn what makes campaigns stand out, this seminar will help sharpen your next big move!

Don’t forget to follow @theun2ld’s official social media accounts for more updates!

The Body as a Battlefield of Spirit: Asia Butoh Gathering 2026 Descends on Manila

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

In the quiet tension between a falling leaf and a rising storm, the art of Butoh finds its home. This February, Manila transforms into the epicenter of this "dance of darkness" as the Asia Butoh Gathering (ABG) 2026 convenes practitioners from across the continent for a landmark three-day festival.

Titled "Moving Roots, Moving Cultures," the gathering is more than a performance series; it is a profound cultural bridge marking 70 years of Japan-Philippines diplomatic relations. From February 6 to 8, artists from Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and the Philippines will unite to explore the shared pulse of an Asian identity through embodied movement.

A Living Ecology: Butoh in the Time of Ecological Crisis

While Butoh was born in the post-war soil of Japan, ABG 2026 recognizes it as a living, evolving ecology. The festival’s curatorial frame, "Butoh in the Time of Ecological Crisis," addresses a world grappling with environmental collapse and the desperate hope for renewal.

The visual heart of the festival is a haunting stage installation: a floating, uprooted tree—suspended in mid-air, wounded yet stubbornly alive. It serves as a visceral symbol of the tension between decay and resilience, mirroring the festival's central performance program, "Falling Earth, Moving Sky". This performance arc moves from the "Falling Earth"—gestures of extinction and grief—to the "Moving Sky," where bodies search for new forms of kinship and repair.

The Program: From Critical Discourse to Embodied Magic

The festival offers a rich tapestry of intellectual and physical immersion across multiple venues:

Dialogue & Workshops (Feb 6): The event opens at WhyNot Manila with roundtable conversations featuring speakers from nine Asian regions, moderated by Katrina Stuart Santiago, and a keynote by Anton Juan. The evening transitions into the physical with a workshop led by the renowned Yuko Kawamoto.

Archives & Cinema (Feb 7): Attendees can experience a screening of the 84-minute film Darkness Princess Bamboo, followed by lecture-presentations from Japanese masters Kae Ishimoto, Tenko Ima, and Yuko Kawamoto.

The Grand Finale (Feb 8): The festival culminates at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium (RCBC) with the ticketed performance "Falling Earth, Moving Sky," a powerful exploration of ancestry, land, and gender.

Festival At-a-Glance

Feature Details

Dates

February 6-8, 2026 

Theme

Moving Roots, Moving Cultures 

Primary Venue

WhyNot Manila (Makati) & Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium (RCBC) 

Core Philosophy

Kapwa—shared self and interconnectedness 

Ticketing & Registration

The festival invites both the curious and the devoted to join this process of reflection and exchange. While many daytime sessions are free, the closing performance is a ticketed event with Early Bird rates available until January 31, 2026.

Early Bird: ₱800 

General Admission: ₱1,000 

Student/PWD: ₱800 (or ₱600 with Early Bird) 

President Marcos leads launch of key education initiatives with PBBM-GABAY ng Bayan Programs

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 



LAOAG CITY, 23 JANUARY 2026 — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday led the rollout of major education initiatives under the “Programa para sa Buti ng Bayan at Mamamayan: Galing, Akses, Batid at Angat Tungo sa Yaman ng Bayan” or the PBBM-GABAY ng Bayan Programs at the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena in Laoag City.



The launch formed part of the 2nd Joint Education Trifocal Management Committee Meeting of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Department of Education (DepEd), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), with the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II). The event highlighted the national government’s unified approach to strengthening access, equity, and relevance across the Philippine education system under the Bagong Pilipinas agenda.

 



Officials from the education agencies, partner national government offices, local government units, higher education institutions, and other education stakeholders attended the program. Around 5,000 participants, including high school students and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, witnessed the rollout of the initiatives.



A central highlight of the program was the ceremonial signing of the joint memorandum circular on the Policies and Guidelines for the Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program (BPMSP) by CHED, DepEd, and TESDA. The guidelines establish a unified framework for the transparent and coordinated implementation of the program across the education sector.



The BPMSP, representing Galing in GABAY, is a competitive, merit-based scholarship program open to top-performing senior high school graduates nationwide from both public and private schools, including the Philippine Science High School System, as well as qualified holders of TESDA National Certificates. Scholars may pursue degree programs aligned with priority sectors such as healthcare, engineering and digital technology, agriculture and fisheries, education, and financial services in public or private higher education institutions that meet quality standards. Likewise, scholars may also choose to study TESDA-identified priority diploma programs offered by registered Technical Vocational Institutions. These include courses in industry sectors such as agriculture, ICT, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing and semiconductor. Applicants to this program must have attained a minimum General Weighted Average of 90% or its equivalent.

For Academic Year 2026–2027, the program targets 20,000 scholars nationwide.


TESDA Secretary Kiko Benitez said the BPMSP supports TESDA students in combining technical skills with further education. “Certificate holders can choose to continue their studies and complement the skills they’ve already earned, opening up new possibilities,” he added.


Representing Akses was the Project “Patuloy na Edukasyon, Patuloy na Pag-Ahon” (Project PEPA), a nationwide information caravan designed to improve access to accurate and timely information on government-funded education opportunities for 4Ps families. This aims to reach nearly 490,000 senior high school graduates from 4Ps households across all regions, who are eligible for the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) Program upon enrollment in public or CHED-recognized private higher education institutions.

For Batid, CHED launched TANAW, a national higher education data visualization platform that integrates institutional, enrollment, scholarship, and graduate outcomes data to support transparency, informed student choice, and evidence-based policy and planning.

CHED Chairperson Shirley Agrupis emphasized the importance of timely and accurate data in helping education stakeholders make better choices. “Sound decisions also require reliable information. CHED TANAW provides a national, data-driven platform that allows students and families to verify institutions, programs, and quality indicators using official data, reducing misinformation and uncertainty in education choices. Reaching those farthest from information is equally important,” she said.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara led the oath-taking of more than 700 newly promoted public school teachers under DepEd’s Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System. Angat, as embodied in GABAY, reflects the administration’s commitment to recognizing merit, uplifting educators, and strengthening the education workforce.


“For years, public school teachers dedicated themselves to their students while waiting for long-delayed promotions, with some only reaching senior ranks near retirement and away from the classroom they loved. The ECP addresses long-standing delays in teacher promotions by linking career advancement to merit and performance,” DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said.


CHED and the Pag-IBIG Fund likewise signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Project BALAY: Building Access to Learning for Students, a strategic partnership focused on developing affordable student housing, faculty and staff accommodation, and higher education infrastructure, particularly in state universities and colleges. CHED Chairperson Agrupis and Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Marilene Acosta underscored the project’s role in improving learning outcomes and student completion in higher education institutions.

Taken together, these initiatives demonstrate a coordinated and integrated approach to education reform across all levels.

CHED, DepEd, and TESDA reaffirmed their to working hand in hand to implement the PBBM-GABAY ng Bayan Program effectively. Yaman, the culmination of GABAY, represents mga mamamayang may kakayahan at oportunidad or Filipinos equipped with knowledge and skills to contribute productively to nation-building.

Under the Bagong Pilipinas agenda, the government continues to position education as a key driver of inclusive growth, workforce development, and long-term national competitiveness.