Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Saturday, July 25, 2015

What Can Chris Brown Do With His One Million Dollars?

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Grammy Award-winning entertainer Chris Brown is again in the news, and again perhaps not in a way he wants.

Philippine immigration officials have barred the singer-songwriter from leaving the country due to a fraud complaint filed by the influential Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) sect. In the complaint, the INC claims that Brown and his Canadian promoter, John Michael Pio Roda, swindled the sect when it failed to show up for a New Year’s Eve concert in 2014. The INC maintains that Brown and his promoter have been paid in full ($1,006,250, to be exact) for the concert.

Now that all is clear about how much (allegedly) Brown pocketed from a concert he didn’t show up for, Lamudi Philippines has put together a list of luxury properties he can spend his money on while stuck in the Philippines. After all, a million bucks can go a long, long way here.

YouthHack Manila: Back with the 2015 Startup Challenge - Think. Create. Innovate.

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YouthHack Manila was started one year ago with the goal of helping students learn more about startups, technology and entrepreneurship. YouthHack held its first startup challenge last July 12-13, 2014 at the Gates Professional Schools where over 100 high school students got the opportunity to hear from experienced entrepreneurs, go through ideation, prototyping and pitching workshops and pitch their idea to a panel of judges.

YouthHack Founder David Ongchoco shared, “Through our events and programs, we hope to empower students to build their skills, take risks and turn their ideas into reality. It’s my dream that hopefully, the next Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs or Bill Gates success story will come from YouthHack.”

Since starting out with a two-day event last year, YouthHack has expanded its programs to include a Code Weekend and a Fellowship Program that pairs talented high school and university students with fast-growing startups. The first-ever YouthHack Code Weekend was held last July 11 and 12, 2015 in Microsoft Philippines where participants spent over 36 hours building a working prototype of their ideas. YouthHack has also held events and programs in Philadelphia and Singapore.

This July, YouthHack Manila in partnership with Katalyst.ph will be holding the YouthHack Manila Startup Challenge on July 25 and 26 in Xavier School. More than 250 students, including both high school and university students, will gather for an opportunity to learn more about startups and entrepreneurship.

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Epson, the world’s number one projector maker, is redefining the market for business projectors with its first value-priced WUXGA projectors that deliver superb high-resolution images beyond Full HD video and other graphics-intensive content.

Supporting a Widescreen Ultra Extended Array (WUXGA) resolution of 1,920x1,200 pixels that goes beyond Full HD, the EB-U32 and EB-U04 promise eye-popping images, distortion-free video, plus enhanced color and white brightness of over 3,000 lumens.

The two new projectors are part of value-priced projectors that delivers industry-leading features that many businesses around the world depend on for high quality color projections.

Unlike other 1-chip projectors, Epson projectors are not susceptible to the “rainbow effect” – a limitation of the 1-chip technology that occurs while projecting darker moving images.

That is because all Epson projectors are powered by Epson’s proprietary 3LCD technology that produces vibrant color projections and smooth projections of movies without color breakup. They also deliver up to 3 times higher color brightness and up to 3 times wider color gamut than 1-chip projectors.

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Fortinet, the global leader in high-performance cybersecurity solutions, announced the launch of the FortiGate 400D and the FortiGate 900D next-generation firewalls (NGFWs). These new appliances further bolster Fortinet’s broad portfolio of integrated security solutions while delivering five times greater NGFW performance than competing products. With the introduction of these two solutions, Fortinet has again made high-performance, cutting-edge cybersecurity more accessible for mid-market and enterprise organizations.

Organizations of all sizes are being targeted by cyber criminals and must defend their critical infrastructures and proprietary data from advanced, highly focused threats more than ever before. Yet, increased bandwidth requirements and network utilization complicate the process, particularly as organizations increase in size and scope. What they need are industry-leading solutions that provide the security effectiveness and features to protect from advanced threats, while delivering the performance and connectivity to future-proof their infrastructures.

Fortinet’s new FortiGate 400D and 900D NGFWs were engineered to deliver high-performance security and specifically tailored to meet the grueling demands of mid-sized and enterprise organizations today and into the future. Leveraging Fortinet’s legendary FortiASIC-accelerated performance, both Appliances utilize Fortinet’s proprietary Network Processor 6 (NP6), providing the FortiGate 400D with throughput performance of 16 Gbps and propelling the FortiGate 900D to speeds of 52 Gbps.

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The Philippine national football team is scheduled to play only three more games in the country in the ongoing qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup as the rest of its matches will be held outside the Philippines.

“Let’s take advantage of the hometown matches by watching the Azkals play in person. The Azkals will be playing for the country’s honor. The fans’ support will count a lot,” Team Manager Dan Stephen Palami said.

The next Azkals game is scheduled on September 8 against a tough Uzbekistan squad at the spanking Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan. Kickoff time is at 8 p.m.

Palami said playing before a home crowd will be motivating for the Azkals, especially if the players see the all-out support of fans turning up in droves for the games.

“We are fortunate to see our Azkals playing more home games, unlike in the 2011 qualifiers where they had only two home games,” he said.

Epson Marks 5th Anniversary of Ink Tank System Printers In Southeast Asia With Powerful New Range

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2015 marks a significant milestone in the printing industry: it is the fifth anniversary of the world’s first branded ink tank system printers since they first launched in Southeast Asia. Introduced in 2010 by Epson, the L-Series ink tank system printers have successfully helped businesses and home users enjoy unsurpassed lowest printing costs while the range progressively added and upgraded models with increasing performance and features. To date, over two million Epson ink tank system printers have been sold in Southeast Asia alone.

To celebrate the fifth anniversary and success of the L-Series in Southeast Asia, Epson has refreshed the entire range with six powerful models that bring significant performance improvements to the series. In addition to improved ISO print speeds, the new range includes the L655 flagship model which is the first ink tank system printer with Epson’s advanced PrecisionCore business printing technology, allowing it to achieve high ISO print speeds.

“The Epson L-Series was specially designed for Southeast Asia, and its great success over these past five years affirms its popularity among the over two million customers in the region who have bought it since its launch,” says Epson Southeast Asia’s Managing Director, Toshimitsu Tanaka. “We will continue to improve the L-Series while committing to provide the world’s lowest printing costs it has become famous for,” he concludes.

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"I am looking at these security solutions because they protect these assets that drives 3 million dollars of revenue for our organization. Can you please approve this." is a much better statement to hear from the IT manager than just saying "Please approve this firewall that we need to buy." The CEO or CFO would know that we are thinking about the business. Remapping your proposal using business lingo is a more effective way to convince management to approve your plans.

The same way that Fortinet does not hard sell their products. They try to understand the situation of the organization so they could pinpoint the actual weakness in the security infrastructure to provide the better solution to their needs or requirements. It's not about quickly offering an equipment that they can buy to address the issues but to understand first the problem like the challenges and specific points that needs protection. There really is a need to see the big picture before a recommendation should be given.

It's basically educating the clients on what are the possible things to do or maximize on their existing infrastructure rather than letting them figure it out on their own and adjust on the product's capabilities and limitations. This allows the clients to get the most appropriate solution from Fortinet.

At an intimate media discussion, experts from Fortinet led by Alvin Rodrigues, Fortinet Marketing Development Director for Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Also present during the discussions where Jeff Castillo, Managing Country Director of Fortinet, Nap Castillo, Regional Pre-Sales Consultant of Fortinet and Rachelle Alcantara, Channel Account Manager of Fortinet.

The event was held at Café 1771 located at Greenbelt 5 in Makati city and attended by select members of the media. A presentation was held while food was being served to everyone. We enjoyed a delightful feast from Café 1771 while questions were being thrown to the Fortinet guys.

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The 2nd Day of the National ICT Summit started with the presentation of the recap of Day 1 by Virgilio Gaje, the Public Relations Officer of the CIO Forum.

The National ICT Summit 2015 or NICT Summit 2015 had Senator Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV during the ribbon cutting ceremonies and the keynote message. The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Mario Montejo was also there to provide a keynote message. DOST-ICTO Undersecretary and Executive Director Louis Napoleon Casambre delivered the welcome remarks. Joining them are Denis Villorente, President of the CIO Forum; Clarito Magsino, President of CIOF Forum; and George Kintanar, Chairman of the CIOF Foundation.

Joe Pasqua, Executive Vice President of MarkLogic then discussed The Turning Point of Data. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Adrian Cristobal followed with a talk entitled Competitiveness Activities Towards AEC.

Former Deputy Commissioner and now author Carolina Colborn told us the story of how she went out of the country to find her dreams, and how the Internet helped her achieved it. She is now happily married to a foreigner and has written books about her adventure.

US-Based Tech Entrepreneurs Hold Meetup for Geeks on a Beach Int’l Tech Confab

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Tech entrepreneurs, designers, and startups based in San Francisco, USA met up last July 2, 2015 at the San Francisco Airport Marriot Waterfront Hotel Lounge to talk about the Geeks on a Beach (GOAB) international tech startup confab this August 21-22.

STAC Silicon Valley and Global Filipino Network organized the said meetup with TechTalks.ph and GOAB lead organizer Tina Amper, who is now concluding her rounds in the United States to whip up support for the upcoming big event.

Now in its third year, GOAB was first conducted on the beaches of Boracay Island, Philippines in September 2013 where more than 300 participants attended. It is set to return to Boracay this August after holding the event at Moevenpick Beach Resort Hotel Cebu last year.

Unlike other international conferences, GOAB is unique for the beach fun vibe yet productive atmosphere that offers participants opportunities to network, learn about the latest on tech and entrepreneurship, and secure business deals.

GOAB holds the distinction of being the leading national tech startup conference in the Philippines with last year’s event gathering over 400 participants and global speakers like Dave McClure of 500Startups and Maria Ressa of Rappler.com, among many others.

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LDF Events Management will held its first ever Pinoy Entrepreneur Summit: Getting INto Business - From Passion to Action on October 14, 2015 (Wednesday) 10:00 AM- 5:00 PM at Megatrade Conference Center, 5/F Bdg. B, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City.

Pinoy Entrepreneur Summit: Getting INto Business - From Passion to Action is a fun and dynamic gathering of the youth, aspiring entrepreneurs and young professionals who want to get inspired in transforming their ideas and passion into real businesses. This is an ideal space to discover new innovation and trends especially for young entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to improve their business strategies and practices. Participants and visitors will be able to form collaborative partnerships that will help them turn their breakthrough moments into reality.

With a well-balanced line up of topics and speakers, this summit will certainly help individuals to mold and bring out their entrepreneurial skills and spirit. Come to the event, hear and learn from our top entrepreneurs and experts like Earl Martin Valencia-IdeaSpace Foundation, Gian Scottie Javelona-Orange Apps Inc., Janette Toral-Digital Filipino.com, Homer Nievera-NegoSentro, Ifore Yu-Chicken Charlie, Mark Rivera-Minka The Toothbrush Movement and Karen Bordador-Sister Secrets, who will talk about various topics such as Social Entrepreneurship, Ecopreneurship, Technopreneurship, Fashion Entrepreneurship and Foodpreneurship.

Don’t miss this opportunity to participate in a unique summit like no other, bringing the culture of the youth and 101’s in business together in one place!

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Mala-piratang pagkilos ng China sa West Philippine Sea, itigil na!

Kumbinsido si dating Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Rafael M. Alunan III na makasasama sa tunay na layunin ng China para magpatuloy ang kanilang kaunlaran kung paiigtingin pa ang agresibong pagkamkam sa ating mga teritoryo sa West Philippine Sea.

Ayon kay Alunan, Lead Convenor ng West Philippine Sea Coalition, mababalewala ang lahat ng nakamit na kaunlaran ng mga Chinese kung magpapatuloy sila sa pambu-bully sa ating bansa. “Dapat lamang na lumingon ang China at balikan ang kanilang mapayapang paraan ng pag-unlad. Pero masyadong naghahanap ang China ng kaguluhan sanhi ng kanilang agresibong pagkilos sa West Philippine Sea at nakasasama pa ito para sa pangdaigdigang kapayapaan,” paliwanag ni Alunan na nangunguna sa pagtutol sa maling pagkilos ng China sa karagatang higit na malapit sa Pilipinas.

Iginiit pa ni Alunan na mataas pa rin ang kanyang pagtitiwala na wala tayong nilabag na anumang alituntunin, bagkus naniniwala pa rin ang ating bansa sa mapayapang pakikipag-usap at pagsasampa ng petisyon sa International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). “Wala naman akong bahid ng pagdududa na napanatili nating mga Pilipino ang mataas na moralidad hinggil sa aksiyon ng China.

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Epson Philippines Corporation (EPC) unveiled its latest series of printers and projectors, in the company’s bid to further solidify its status as the leading brand in Printers and Projectors.

According to FutureSource Consulting, the leading research and forecasting company for consumer electronics, entertainment, and education, Epson Philippines has captured 31% market leadership and has joined many Epson companies worldwide that contributed to the brand’s unprecedented 14 consecutive years of global leadership in the projector category.

Epson also led the local market for printers with an incredible growth of 11.3% in 2014. The latest annual IDC report has placed Epson printers on top with 35.9% market share.

“Envision Innovation Today”, held at the Grand Ballroom of City of Dreams, served as a fete for customers and partners. During the event, Epson launched its latest projectors and printers that will further advance Epson's position as an industry game-changer.

“As the Filipino’s brand of choice in both the projector and printer categories, we are pleased to share that innovations in technology have allowed Epson to once again improve on these products lines -- offering more durable and even more reliable products for our customers,” said EPC Head for Marketing Division Ed Bonoan.

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As one of the original Epson PRO, an eminent group of photographers and graphic artists in the Philippines, distinguished Filipino photographer George Tapan has been a long-time Epson user, and considers Epson as part of his family.

Thus, he now showcases the diversity of Filipino tribes in his latest exhibit displaying photos printed using Epson printers. The exhibit entitled “Abot-Tanaw ni George Tapan” is being held at the National Museum of Anthropology located at the Old Finance Building along Finance Road, Ermita, Manila. The exhibit was unveiled last June 19, and will run Tuesdays to Sundays from 10 AM to 5 PM until August 16.

“For this exhibit, I used Epson scanners and printers, because in my eye, Epson produces the nearest natural color. The right color, archival ink, and the variety of paper or media to choose from is why I chose Epson as a partner for exhibits, including this one. For the “Abot-Tanaw” exhibit at the National Museum, I used Epson’s archival paper that produces no glare, to help me showcase the beauty of the subjects and photographs without using an encasing glass.”

“Abot-Tanaw ni George Tapan” features the diverse culture of the Philippines as shown by the different indigenous tribes around the country. The subject matter is close to his heart, as showing recognition to these indigenous tribes is part of his personal advocacy. “We should never forget the indigenous people; we should show them respect and give them dignity. Without them, there is no us,” he elaborated.

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We believe everyone is in equal footing when it comes to online work. This is because the job requires a lot of creativity and logical thinking which we can do at the comforts of our own homes rather than out there among the hustle and bustle of the corporate world. I envy those who get to avoid the traffic congestion or the long queue at every public transportation spot including the MRT or LRT train stations.

The work at home professionals don't suffer as we do who would normally sweat it out amidst a huge crowd and exposed to all the dust and pollution, including the dangers of getting robbed or swindled in the dangerous streets of Manila. I've had my share of pickpockets and other modus operandi just to rob me of my hard-earned money.

The ICT 4 Biz: Connecting Your Business with the Right People, held last June 17, 2015 at the Sequioa Hotel located in Quezon City, was particularly aimed to provide decent online employment opportunities for all. This was part of the ICT Expo 2015 with a theme of ICT For All: No Juan Left Behind series of events celebrating June as the ICT Month.

What was very interesting about the event was it highlighted Persons With Disabilities (PWDs). We are now looking into e-commerce as a viable source of work opportunities for our PWDs. Since the skills required are more about online expertise rather than having all limbs functional, it makes sense that we should be tapping them who really deserves both our attention and admiration.

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"Noel Cruz is one of the most versatile & distinguished repaint artists in the doll community. He is most recognized for his character & celebrity based dolls due to their uncanny resemblance to the people they portray.

His repaints as well as his portraits are done with intricate detail to the point of being naturally lifelike in essence.

Noel attempts to raise the bar and bring a fresh take to the common mass produced doll with every face he paints. Noel's specialty is with one of a kind repaints. The beauty of repaints is that almost no two are exactly alike just as no two artists are alike."

3 stars & a sun! I'm holding up our flag high, proudly waving it, because no one.. noooo one does this amazing creativity, but a Pinoy!

Yes! Noel Cruz is a proud Filipino! Another gifted talent whose intricate repaints on dolls are totally world-class! It makes us real proud we are Filipinos. He may be based in California, but he is still our kababayan!

Noel's paint-overs are really awesome. The dolls totally look like the actual celebs. It's like he paints life into them. Awesome work indeed! So very talented that I would want more than one for my collection. This gentleman has a true gift. This kind of talent always leaves me completely gobsmacked!