Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Monday, January 19, 2015

SM City Baguio Cuts Down 60 Pine Trees Like a Thief in the Night

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SM City Baguio is under fire for cutting down at least 60 pine trees like it's a heinous crime. The pine trees were gone overnight via a rushed job employing hundreds of men. Everyone was in a frenzy over the Pope being in the country that only a few people noticed. If our figures are right, there are now182 pine trees gone in this portion of SM City Baguio.

Is bringing down 60 more pine trees enough justification to give way to an environment-friendly sky park? Is a "green" building, 2,000 trees already planted at the Busol watershed and 30,000 more within the next 3 years, sounds fair over a total of 182 uprooted trees, and possibly more soon?

Is SM City Baguio continuing to become the murderer of helpless pine trees as it blatantly rushed the uprooting of pine trees infront of the mall so they could build an expansion? Nagtatanong lang po.

Did SM City Baguio take advantage of the fact that our attention was focused on the Pope, so they cut down the trees thinking nobody would notice? Is "Money is the root of all the uprooting of trees!"

Dear @Pontifex, after your mass at SM MOA, SM City Baguio cuts the pine trees stealthily like a thief in the night. They come to take away your local businesses, and your trees too. If the pope was informed by the fate of those trees at SM City Baguio, I'm sure he would've cancelled the MOA event. There were rumors saying that they cut the trees during the exact moment the Sy siblings were shaking Pope Francis' hands. Oh humans! Such questionable stewards of God's creation.

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Piling Obrang Vidyo (POV) is in their 11th year with their annual inter-collegiate video competition that will be held on January 24, 2015, Saturday at UP Cine Adarna Theatre.

POV encourages aspiring student filmmakers from universities and colleges around the nation debut their entries on the big screen. Participating schools this year include University of the Philippines, University of San Carlos, Meridian International College, Far Eastern University, Malayan Colleges Laguna, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, De La Salle Lipa, Ateneo de Manila University, Asia Pacific Film Institute, Southern Luzon State University, and Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba.

The finalists will be screened at 1 P.M., followed by the awards ceremony and an after party. The jury for this year’s Piling Obrang Vidyo includes Erik Matti, Nora Aunor, Ricky Lee, Dan Villegas, Benjamin Tolentino, Mikko Quizon, Richard Somes, and Teresa Barrozo for the Narrative Category. Rox Lee, Raya Martin, and Dodo Dayao for the Experimental Category. Keith Sicat, Raya Martin, Jewel Maranan, and Ditsi Carolino for the Documentary Category.

Several awards from various categories will be given, including: a Best Film from each category, a Viewer’s Choice Award, The Cinemaster’s Choice, and citations in the Narrative category for: Best Direction, Best Production Design, Best Performance, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Editing, and Best Music.

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Nightime is never boring at Puerto Galera because it's practically when a different kind of fun begins due to the nightlife that can be found in town. There's so many bars and restaurants offering both great food and drink choices, lots of entertainment that ranges from stand-up comedy skits to singing impersonators, and of course, the booze that will keep you awake and eventually drunk the whole night, and with a hang-over on the morning of the following day.

You'll see the fire dancers, also called or poi dancers, wearing skimpy clothes while seemingly risking their bare skin from the fire they're playing with. Some of them do get a little burned all in the line of work but it comes with the job of making sure the island visitors visit your place instead of the many competitors nearby.

But we were dead tired from all the activities that day that going to town was no longer part of our itinerary. We simply needed a good night's dinner, watch a few minutes of cable TV to update us on the news, check on our e-mails and social media accounts, then immediately go to sleep in our comfy beds to regain the energy needed for tomorrow's next set of activities.

Infinity Resort serves many culinary delicacies as we have already relayed from our past stories about them from our breakfast and lunch dining experiences, and so it applies similarly to a sumptuous dinner for that night.

English Grammar Stuff That My Dad Habitually Overlooks

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The English language, in my opinion, is one of the easiest yet puzzling languages in the world. Many people believe that it is easy because of the fact that countless people all over the world know the language and learn it effortlessly. Because of this, it is often titled as the “universal language”, despite it only being second to Mandarin as the most spoken language in the world.

Now, for some people, English is a tricky language to be familiar with. There are things such as the Oxford comma, homonyms (words that sound alike but have different meanings), contractions, even the lesson that I’m sure we all took in class called subject-verb agreement and the like. Although it is generally easy to communicate in English, some of us, if not all, have their own little flaws, especially when speaking. I’ve heard that in places such as the United States of America, English grammar is usually not a big deal as long as your point is understood.

Putting that aside, as an entitled grammar Nazi (not to say that I don’t make mistakes, mind you,) and loving daughter to my dearest father, I’ve gathered up these habitually overlooked English mistakes I’ve noticed in him so far:

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Millions of Filipinos flock to hear Pope Francis' offers of hope and consolation to the poor at the concluding mass. People have stood since midnight and through the rain to see @Pontifex in Manila. A strong sign of faith and belief in a higher power. People can be seen holding up images of Sto. Nino chanting "Pit Señor" and "Papa Francisco." Present also is President Benigno Simeon Aquino II or otherwise known as PNoy or Noynoy has arrived wearing a baseball cap to attend the Mass. The Presidentiable family, including Kris Aquino wearing a yellow raincoat, is also here. PNoy and his coterie are surprisingly in blue (or was it black) jackets while the mass choir sings in various Filipino languages.

The Pope arrives and incenses the altar to begin the Mass in where we most commonly refer to as Luneta or Rizal Park where the monument of our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal is erected. He also blesses a statue of Sto. Niño.PH celebrates the Feast of Sto. Niño to honor the Infant Jesus. Pope Francis speaks in Latin to deliver his message and as he consecrates the bread and wine, and blesses the Eucharist.

Before the mass, @Pontifex met with the Catholic volunteer Kristel Padasas' father and cousin sharing grief and condolences over her tragic death at Tacloban. It is unfortunate that the Pope is unlike Jesus Christ who is able to bring the dead back to life but I have an uncanny feeling that there is now an angel guarding the family of the deceased.

Providing musical accompaniment for "Gloria" (Glory to God) following after "Kyrie" (Lord have mercy) is a 1,000-strong choir and 200-piece orchestra performing for the concluding mass of Pope Francis at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila attended by an estimated 6 Million people all wanting to see and hear the Pope and his message to the Filipinos. The EDSA Shrine Rector Fr. Nilo Mangussads lead the orchestra.

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At an encounter with the youth, Pope Francis had expressed so many wonderful words of wisdom for the youth present at the grounds of the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) in Espana, Manila. The Pope prayed for the 27-year old lady Kristel who died in Tacloban before proceeding with the program planned for the day.

There are so many beautiful words in Spanish that cannot be fully translated to English. How beautiful the Spanish language really is. I bet it sounds better in Spanish and understand the situation of the translator that not all Spanish words have an exact equivalent in English. What a waste that most Filipinos cannot speak it when our language is so close to Spanish. Que lastima!

The Pontifex said to allow ourselves to be surprised by God ... it will help us move forward. Indeed, all the so called surprises, including those that shocked us, is a way to lead us to a better and stronger future. "Don't be frightened by surprises. They shake the ground and make us unsure. But they move us forward."

"Why does God allow children to suffer?" Probably to teach us how to cry, to weep. There are certain realities in life we only see through eyes that are cleansed with our tears. "Don't be frightened of crying..learn how to weep!" In reference to the girl who wasn’t able to express her full statements in words, and could only only continue in tears, there are things we only understand with eyes that have been cleared by tears.

Pope Francis said "Be wise young people. To be wise: think well, feel well, and do well. Be surprised by the love of God." He then followed it up with "The danger is becoming a museum of information, of having everything, but not knowing what to do with it. No young museums." He captured it perfectly with "Youth Museum." Think of endless curation, self-motivated goals, putting achievements first.

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It's not yet summer in the Philippines but there's a good reason to indulge and reward ourselves with some sweet cold treats as early as today.

Rita's Italian Ice is now in the Philippines! Yup! You heard me right! The largest Italian Ice concept in the world, offering a variety of cool treats including the famous Italian Ice, made fresh daily with real fruit, available in over sixty-five flavors including Old-Fashioned Frozen Custard, Sundaes, Light Custard, Frozen Custard Cakes, Custard Cookie Sandwiches made with Oreo, layered Gelati as well as their signature Misto and Blendini creations are finally here in the country to satisfy our desire for sweet deletable cool creations.

We went to their grand opening last January 16, 2015 to try out their cool product lines and experience the very first branch at VMall in Greenhills here in the Philippines - the very first branch in Southeast Asia. With over 600 stores in the U.S., Rita's Italian Ice Rita’s has been dedicated to serving up a big dose of happiness with their freshly made, delicious, custom treats, in a fun-filled atmosphere, spreading “Ice, Custard, Happiness!”

With some perks to give its first customers like a year's supply of Rita's Italian Ice for 1 year for the first 20 customers and and free Mango Italian Ice for the first 100 customers, some have literally camped out at their store area as early as 2:30 am to get the chance to win Rita's cool treats.

Papal Visit: Pope Francis at the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila

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Hoping for a good weather tomorrow at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila. We heard news that people are already camped out at the Ma. Orosa entrance near the area for a chance to be among the first to get a good spot while Pope Francis celebrates mass on Sunday.

If we want the homily of #PopeFrancisPH tomorrow to be understood by more, why not use that Argentine priest who speaks fluent Tagalog as interpreter. Though English is the international language, it would be best for the majority of Filipinos so they could clearly understand the messages of the Pope.

For your information, the Pope's real name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio but uses the name of Francis which he borrowed from St. Francis of Assisi. Is it more appropriate to call him "Lolo Jorge" instead of "Lolo Kiko." He surprisingly has an M.S. Chemistry in University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, but worked as a bouncer before getting involved in the church.

He is currently staying at the Apostolic Nunciature located at the corner of Quirino Avenue and Taft Avenue, Manila, and is also the official quarters of all the visitors from the Vatican, as they embark on a four-day trip here in the Philippines including typhoon-ravaged Tacloban to meet the survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” after their visit in Sri Lanka. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said it is standard operating procedure for visiting popes to stay at the Apostolic Nunciature.

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Lolo Kiko or Francisco to some, #PopeFrancisPH started his homily saying "Do you love me?" The crowd said yes, and the Pope replied, "Thank you very much," he replied and laughed. "I am here to be with you. A little bit late, I have to say, but I am here." The fact that #PopeFrancisPH showed up despite storm signal no. 2 is already comforting enough. Pope's insistence on visiting Leyte despite the typhoon shows how important this is for him.

Braving storm, poncho-clad pope visits typhoon zone. Pope's well-wishers refuse to seek shelter amid reports of hospitalizations due to hypothermia. The Pope's heart-warming homily in his Tacloban mass was well-attended by lots of people they massively call as pilgrims. #PopeFrancisPH set aside the prepared English sermon and delivered the homily in Spanish, which allowed him to speak from the heart.

Many pilgrims, wearing raincoats or none, suffered in the cold weather and got drenched from the heavy rains in Tacloban airport

Though words are never enough in times of unspeakable grief but his presence gave everyone some sort of relief. Wearing a yellow raincoat (Are the yellow raincoats on purpose? Really? No other color available?), he shared many words of wisdom on love, trials, and hope as his speech to the people of Tacloban. Pope Francis said to the Yolanda survivors that Jesus "never lets us down" and that "When I saw from Rome that catastrophe, I felt that I need to be here." Pope Francis comforts the Yolanda victims and tells them that "Jesus knows your suffering" and that "We have a Lord capable of walking with us in the most difficult moments of our life." He also expressed "Please know that the love and tenderness of Mother Mary never lets you down."

Nicole Scherzinger Sizzles as Proactiv's New Endorser

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We recently learned that Filipino/Hawaiian/Russian descent Nicole Scherzinger of the famous all-girl group Pussycats Dolls is Proactiv's newest celebrity endorser.

Nicole Scherzinger's charisma knows no bounds and her international sex appeal needs no translation. We've all seen how Nicole rose to stardom. However, that popularity wasn’t always smooth and easy. She was raised in a modest household by her mom and German-American stepfather, but her humble upbringing didn’t deter her from pursuing her burning ambition to become a singer.

Her big break into the pop scene was during her stint as lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls before embarking on a solo career as a recording artist, selling a total of 60 million records. She also has film experience, won Season 10 of Dancing with the Stars and was a judge at the UK and US editions of The X Factor.

Nicole still makes sure that she maintains her radiant and glowing skin. “I feel like in my line of work, I’m always under the microscope. It’s quite traumatic when you have an acne breakout and blemishes because you wake up and you’re hoping that your face is clear,” she shares.

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With online car buying, shopping being the trend nowadays, more and more websites have emerged over the Internet. But only some guaranteed and dished out positive results. One of which is Carmudi.

Carmudi, the leading vehicle platform around the world, has recently tapped the Philippine automotive scene in providing buyers, sellers, and car dealers an opportunity to experience safe and convenient online transactions.

Carmudi Philippines—through its website www.carmudi.com.ph—has been generating positive leads for potential car buyers and sellers in the country since it started January 2014. The website currently has close to 25,000 vehicles in its inventory spanning from cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles; brand new or used.

According to Subir Lohani, managing director of Carmudi Philippines, “Having the most number of listings is not the main thing that defines Carmudi.com.ph and Carmudi in general. We look on the quality of listings and value of proposition that we offer both buyers and sellers of vehicles that defines us.”

Lohani explained, “We envision Carmudi Philippines to become a complete one-stop shop for anything vehicle related such as loans, finding an auto repair shop, tips and tricks for your car, and more. Cars are essentially a lifestyle product. Whether it be the brand, model, make, or color, it tells about your individual personality so Carmudi must also evolve into a lifestyle product which we are in process of doing.”

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The Philippines is blessed with so many wonders of nature that it is no surprise many of our tourist destinations are popular worldwide among both local and foreign visitors who are really in search of the best summer getaway.

The tourism efforts of many cities and provinces all over the country are starting to be felt once more as they make their presence felt a lot stronger now that the coming summer season will soon be with us in just a few months.

But many visitors from other countries are not waiting for summer to start planning their holidays, in fact many have started flocking the Philippines to experience its many wonderful attractions especially the numerous white sand beaches and gorgeous resorts and getaways.

Who doesn't love bumming on the Philippines' awesome beaches admiring the paradise-like sceneries, spending some hours basking in the tropical sun, and swimming in its blue and marine-life rich waters.

Summer is still about three months away, but to warm things up a bit, let’s look at these seven gorgeous beachfront properties from Lamudi Philippines that will get you dreaming of summer.

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The Philippines is set to have a very blessed year to be graced with the Holy Father’s presence this January. Pope Francis’ heart is close to the young ones all over the world, often taking selfies with them but sadly, some Filipino youth still do not seem to be as excited to attend the Papal visit in Manila because they don’t see what’s in it for them if they go.

To bring Pope Francis even closer to the Filipino youth, the graduating class of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) students from the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) launched a marketing communications campaign to bridge the youth to Pope Francis and his message of mercy and compassion using the influence of the Filipino barkadas.

The campaign is entitled “BFF 2015: Bonding with Friends and Francis” and it features an “online-serye”, which revolves around a character named Frankie Francisco, who is trying to convince his other friends Mark, Bea, Kim, and Josh to go with him to the Papal Visit. Each of the characters represent an archetype in a typical Filipino barkada, whom the youth can surely relate with.

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We join the whole country in welcoming the beloved Pope Francis here in the Philippines as he visits us for a few days mainly to personally meet the people of Tacloban - especially the survivors of typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).

To help our curious countrymen get a glimpse of the Pope, DZRH has partnered with OurLivestream.TV for a live online streaming broadcast of the Papal Visit coverage. This is another technology-driven initiative to bring the news about the Pope a lot closer to the people since the coverage can be watched over our smartphones, or through the web browser via the official site of http://www.ourlivestream.tv.

Wazzup Pilipinas partners with the two mentioned organizations to share the news to everyone online through our blog and social media accounts.

This is highly useful for those who do not have immediate access to a television or could not be near the pope struggling within the vast crowd that all gathered to the many venues and paths that the Pope is scheduled to visit and pass through.

We may not be among the lucky, fortunate or influential ones who were given an opportunity to see and meet the Pope up close and personal, we have technology as our tool to help us update ourselves about the many happenings about the Pope.

#CavEAT: Cavinti Eco-Adventure Tour (Second Day Wrap Up)

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The second day of our #CavEAT: Cavinti Eco-Adventure Tour was more of a leisure walk in the park compared to the first day. There was nobody screaming out loud this time but surprisingly some of us somehow still got wet at one of the activities that we tried out. What was more evident were the sincere smiles and laughter from everyone.

The #CavEAT: Cavinti Eco-Adventure Tour is a Tourism Advocacy Campaign to help generate online buzz for the upcoming Cavinti Water Sports Olympics: 1st International Competition happening on February 8-14, 2015. We were there to visit the site where the event will take place and to tour the other places where visitors could also check out to give them more reasons to agree when we say "It's More Fun in Cavinti" as well.

The early morning wake-up call of the numerous roosters around our improvised sleeping quarters at the Villa Oliveros Resort were no longer necessary since majority of us were already awake due to the 3 am earthquake. The rest who slept even during the earthquake were apparently dead tired from all the climbing we did during our descent down the Cavinti Falls through the metal ladders or stairs designed to test our endurance and courage against our fear of heights.

Honestly, I didn't take a bath in the morning because I already almost froze to death last night when I took a shower. It's quite a challenge taking a bath here at Cavinti due to the cold weather. I just hope nobody was smelling me secretly (and dying of the scent) during the tour. Poor seatmates in the jeepney. Lol!