Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Selfie Stamps: Visit The Philippines and Get Your Face on a Stamp!

Wazzup Pilipinas!It may be old news but it's still cool to have one of those and be able to officially use them as valid for your mail and/or packages is totally uber mega cool to the highest level!

I'm talking about the unique attraction being offered by the Philippines through its postal service, the Philippine Postal Corporation (PhilPost) in coordination with the Department of Tourism (DOT), that you won't see anywhere else.

Travel to the island of Boracay, or any one of the other 11 recommended tourism destinations in the Philippines, and have your own picture featured on a stamp. Personalized stamps? Now that really sounds like a fair deal! What's the catch? The "selfie" stamps cost Php 250. That much huh!

PhilPost postmaster general Josefina de la Cruz said by the time the summer season starts, their personalized stamp issuing photo booths would have rolled out in some of the country’s international airports and tourist destinations. Have you seen one already? It is said that they will make these photo booths available in cities like Baguio, Boracay, Bohol and Palawan. Let us know if there are PhilPost photo booths already setup at the said areas.

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Zomato Philippines invited us over at Ristorante Bigoli in Eastwood a few days ago to try out a couple of new pizza flavors of the restaurant... plus a surprise activity that won me some Gift certificates that I still am waiting to be delivered at home.

They have introduced the new pizza flavors almost a month already but this will be the first time they will present it to bloggers.

Zomato has been partnering with great restaurants of the metro (and continuously growing everyday) to add more publicity to promote the mouth-watering delicacies offered at the partner food establishments.

Zomato is an international brand that provides an online portal for foodies to check out restaurant reviews and directory guides. Its one of the most convenient way to be informed of food options in the Metro

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In the Philippines, we celebrate March as Women’s Role in History Month in accordance to Proclamation No. 227, signed in 1988. In this month, we recognize the contributions and achievements of the female genderwhich includes the most important women in our lives—our mothers.

Women have contributed much to the development of our nation. There are many we now consider heroes. In the past, their accomplishments have been neglected or relegated as something of lesser importance. But now with keen awareness, we are reassessing their roles and appreciating their participation. In this day and age women especially mothers are able to multitask and perform the multifaceted role of a mom. There are home makers who are also in the corporate world. Some are entrepreneurs who are also experts in raising children.

“Knowing that the task of motherhood is delicate and requiring dedication, Philips Avent has been coming up with innovative products that will help mothers everywhere. This year, it is celebrating 30 years of passionate pursuit of creating products with mothers in mind,” says Me-Ann Achacoso, Philips Consumer Lifestyle Business Development Manager for Health and Wellness.

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The world - in the midst of economic development and unprecedented advances in technology – faces an uncertain future as far as conservation and preservation of the environment is concerned. Rapid industrialization, massive deforestation, and other unscrupulous and indiscriminate ways of man have led to the deterioration of the environment and climate change whose ugly manifestations – landslide, flooding, and the unusual weather – have cost lives and properties.

The scale and magnitude of this environmental catastrophe gave rise to such international organizations as the World Wide Fund for Nature established in 1986 (its predecessor was the World Wide Fund conceived in 1961 and initially covered the protection of endangered animals). It mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is available, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

One aspect of the environment which is adversely affected by man’s wicked activities is the freshwater biodiversity which is among the most threatened in the world. Human activities such as overfishing, pollution, and economic development have pushed a number of species to the brink of extinction. Estimates show that 7.5 million people depend on freshwater fish for food and income. It was reported by British scientists that freshwater fish are the most endangered group of animals on the planet with more than a third threatened with extinction.

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One Fighting Championship (ONE FC), Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization with a 90% market share, has finalized the lineup for the blockbuster ONE FC: RISE OF HEROES event with the addition of a bout between boxing world champion Ana Julaton and Egyptian kickboxing champion Aya Saeid Saber.

Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Fighting Championship stated, “ONE FC is returning to the Philippines with a night of exciting mixed martial arts action! Filipino fight fans have been clamoring to see Ana Julaton in action for years and their wait is finally over as Julaton will make her mixed martial arts debut opposite kickboxing champion Aya Saeid Saber. This explosive bout completes the lineup for ONE FC: RISE OF HEROES. Fans all over the world can look forward to a night of world class mixed martial arts action as ONE FC: RISE OF HEROES comes to you live from the Philippines!”

Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton is the first Filipina boxer to win the women’s WBO Super Bantamweight and IBA Super Bantamweight World Championships while Aya Saeid Saber is an Egyptian kickboxing champion who has conquered the kickboxing scene in the Middle East.

Solenn Heussaff and Nico Bolzico Covers Hola Philippines April 2014 Issue

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"Hot and power couple Solenn Heussaff and Nico Bolzico turn up the heat in Aman Resorts' latest Vietnamese paradise on Hola Philippines magazine's April 2014 issue.
They will also be the first faces to grace their special cover edition in digital version on Zinio! Subscribe and grab a copy now! Get a copy here: http://bit.ly/solennnico

Read about how the couple allowed their love to bloom in the peace and beauty of Amano'i.

Get inspired to transform the beach strip to a summer catwalk under the heat of the sun with the laidback and comfy resort outfits of the couple.

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Our beloved cosplay idol Alodia Gosiengfiao was recently seen as a part of a Japanese TV commercial intended to promote a popular hand-held game. Alodia is seen here playing a Sony Playstation Vita and dancing along with a bunch of other Hatsune Miku fans performing a lively dance while playing the game. Behind them is a large screen display of the game. It mainly features the Tokyo Otaku Mode Special Creator.

To commemorate the release of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd, a rhythm-action game that features Vocaloid Hatsune Miku, a new TV commercial was recently created and is now already creating a huge stir and now eventually online since it has been recently uploaded on YouTube.

In order to further deepen enjoyment of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd, which was released in Japan only last March 27, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia (SCEJA) had previously announced “Dance with PS Vita” - a play style in which “players use their full bodies and dance to control the PS Vita version of the game.”

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Mangan tana! In celebration of International Museum Day in Central Luzon, the Museo ning Angeles would like to invite foodies to a culinary tour of Pampanga on May 15-16, 2014. Invited speakers are Felice Prudente Sta. Maria, Chef Claude Tayag, Atching Lillian Borromeo and Francis Musni.

Museo ning Angeles promises a guided tour of the inner depths of Filipino cuisine with lecturers who not only talk about the food but actually live it, at the same time, experience Kapampangan cooking traditions and feast upon it.

This will be an interesting event to join as we will hear from the real foodies themselves. Right now, everyone wants to be a culinary chef because of the perception that it gives an added prestige not brought about by merely being a cook. Today, the taste of the food is not the only objective. Everything from presentation, color, texture and smell must be well-coordinated to achieve an appetizing dish. I would like to see if Pampanga cuisines are going with the flow or maintaining the well-loved traditions.

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Since I have a few tickets that will let me and my family enjoy a thrilling day at this unique new summer getaway that's now redefining outdoor fun, I wanted to share a preview of what it will be like as I read everything about the place so I would know what to expect.

I've been to Porac, Pampanga particularly at Poracay, but that place only offers facilities for swimming, zipline and canoe-riding. But from what I hear about SandBox, it seems to be offering some sort of extreme activities suitable for those who want a taste of adrenaline-pumping action.

SandBox, which officially opened just last April 12, 2014, can be found in the vast terrain of Porac, Pampanga located in the new Alviera township development of Ayala Land, Inc., in partnership with Leonio Land.

Visitors of any age will have memorable experiences at SandBox since it features an array of exciting attractions that pumps up visitors to get active and enjoy the great outdoors. From the fun activities amplified by the scale of the facilities to Porac's wide green plains, there's plenty of reasons to get excited.

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In line with “Oplan Ligtas Biyahe: Kwaresma 2014,” Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Joseph “Jun” Abaya will join President Benigno S. Aquino III in inspecting various air, land, and sea transport facilities in Metro Manila tomorrow, to ensure smooth and seamless operations during the Holy Week.

“As part of our duty to provide safe and convenient transportation to the public, the DOTC has instructed all transport agencies to take necessary measures to ensure security at our terminals and stations, quick response capability in cases of emergencies, and enhanced facilities and services to meet the needs of our travellers during this peak season,” said Abaya.

The transport department launched this year’s Holy Week Oplan Ligtas Biyahe as early as last week, on April 11. It will run until April 20, to cover the period when large volumes of people were anticipated to travel in and out of Metro Manila.

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Zamboanga was originally called the City of Flowers even before another city used it, and so apparently they gave way and just used the monicker Asia's Latin City instead to also highlight the Chavacano (Spanish-based creole language) speaking residents of the city.

This is probably why when I entered the lobby of the Lantaka Hotel by the Sea, there were so many flowers, aside from the cannons, used to decorate the place. Flowers do beautify everything including the vintage, and Lantaka Hotel by the Sea is a popular heritage site known all over the Philippines as Zamboanga's pride and foremost hotel.

Although vintage, the location of the hotel is more than perfect. Located at the NS Valderossa street, it is just a stone's throw away from everywhere else including the Zamboanga city hall, Paseo Del Mar, Fort Pilar, Plaza del Pilar, and the newly constructed Cinematheque Zamboanga.

But what I consider the best part is the magnificent vantage point towards the crystalline waters of the Moro Gulf and the Basilan Island. You get to dine on the veranda of the in-house coffee shop and watch the sun rise and set on the beautiful Moro Gulf.

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Buenas Dias to all and let me welcome you again as your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger of the Philippines continue sharing with you another one of the many places we've been to during our four day visit to Asia's Latin City - the home of the only pink sand beach in the Philippines called the Grand and Little Santa Cruz Islands which we visited a few days ago.

Since we couldn't get enough of seafood, we visited another seafood restaurant for dinner during our last night in Zamboanga. We will be flying back to Manila later that night so we had to eat quick if we don't want to miss our Cebu Pacific flight. We also needed to go back to the Garden Orchid Hotel after dinner to get our stuff which we already packed earlier so it will be all ready for an immediate departure from the hotel.

Our gracious host picked the Zamboanga Seafood House located at Gov. Ramos Avenue of Barangay San Roque. It's my first time to hear about it so I was excited to try out another new restaurant so I can showcase it on my blog. I've always preferred to eat seafood because they say it's more nutritious and less fattening compared to the meat products like pork, beef and chicken. However, I do try my very best to balance my meals with small portions of each during every meal especially when its an eat-all-you-can buffet.

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It may be grim sight to look at but it was a reality that we could not hide from the world but only accept that there are really times that we even though we are all Filipinos living in one country, we could not agree to work out our differences in a peaceful manner.

That building that now looked like Swiss cheese was formerly a school but ridden with holes by weapons from government forces so they can drive away the alleged spliter group of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) away from the town they recently occupied by force.

We will never really know what drive these seemingly misguided elements to do such horrible acts because we mostly heard only from the side of the government. But in wars like these there are really no winners. Both lose in their hope for peace and unity, and the real losers are the families whose lives were lost, their properties damaged, and quite a number of them displaced. The conflict had paralyzed the economic activity of Zamboanga City. I am honored that I am now helping the city regain its foothold on its former glory.

The residents affected were from the barangays of Sta. Catalina, Rio Hondo, Kasangyangan, Mariki, and Sta. Barbara. Some of them settled in evacuation and relief centers while some are all lined up at the boulevard named after Filipino politician Roseller T. Lim, "The Great Filibuster".

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I missed the album launch of Paolo Onesa last March 19 at Cucina ni Bunso in Quezon City so it was a good thing for MCA Music to provide me a copy of his album during their next OPM artist album launch which was at the Johnny Alegre Infinity Stories album launch held at Tiendesitas in Pasig.

I decided to at least listen to the album first since I didn't have the pleasure of listening to him sing a few songs like what these artists do during their album launching. However, it took a long time before I could even open the album and play it due to a lot of backlogs.

Lucky enough that Holy Week is here and there are very little events scheduled for the week thus it was the right time to unwind and listen to some crooning from the Voice of the Philippines' “Ultimate Heartthrob Crooner.”

Paolo rightfully earned that monicker as evident from his album Pop Goes Standards as he takes you away (to dream land where you do nothing but fall in love) with his soothing voice caressing hit songs to the tune of signature pop-jazz standards.

Zamboanga Adventure: Exploring Asia's Latin City (Yakan Weaving Village)

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Located in upper Calarian, northwest of downtown lies the Yakan Weaving Village. The place does not look like a village because it's quite small and you'll surely miss it so easily because the only signage available is a dirty and worn-out tarpaulin that says Yakan Village Weaving Association with the word "Association" blocked by a wood used to put the signage in place. There's another signage beside it situated on top but its obviously not helping much because majority of the signage only displays a cola brand advertisement.

It seems they desperately need some funding to come up with a more decent signage. I hope the government could at least support them to become at least more visible for potential tourists. I admire what the Department of Tourism (DOT) is doing by inviting members of the media on a media junket and introducing the Yakan Weaving Village to us so we could help share their existence.

The Yakan people are among the major indigenous muslim tribes in Mindanao. They are the traditional settlers of Basilan Island in the Sulu Archipelago, situated to the west of Zamboanga. Some of them settled in Zamboanga City due to political unrest which led to the armed conflicts between the militant Moro and government soldiers.