Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Monday, August 3, 2015

DOST Hybrid Road Train: Possible Solution to Traffic Congestion

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The Hybrid Road Train, a part of the three-component project of the Advanced Transport Program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) under the Makina Para sa Bayan Program of MakiBayan, was one of the various technologies that was featured at the 2015 DOST National Science and Technology Week (NSTW)held on July 24 to 28, 2015 at the SMX Convention Center of the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay city.

The DOST NSTW is set every third week of July and is a show window for Filipino ingenuity, innovation, S&T developments, eye-catching exhibits, interactive gadgets, robotic creations by students, and other local inventions. The NSTW also holds several product launching, press conferences, career talks, product demonstrations, awards and other activities during the week-long celebration. NSTW is also a platform for promoting poverty alleviation and economic development.

Eyed as one of the possible solutions to ease the traffic congestion of Metro Manila, the Hybrid Road Train is a 40-meter long system of interlinked and air-conditioned coaches. It is estimated to serve around 650,000 passengers when rolled out. That will be 60 persons per coach for a total of 240 passengers.

The train weighs about 10 metric tons but can run at a top speed of 50 kph and is equipped with dual braking system for efficient braking. It uses ordinary rubber tires so there is no need for rails. It is also environment-friendly with the last of the five coaches dedicated to its electric power batteries which are used alternately with its diesel fuel. It is also cost-effective since most of its parts are locally sourced like the coaches which are fabricated locally.

Metro Online Influencers Kapihan: Shaping Business and Political Landscapes Towards 2016

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Where else can you find the likes of Lynda Jumilla, senior news reporter of ABS-CBN; Janette Toral, Mother of E-Commerce; honorable Vice Mayor Isko Moreno of Manila; Dr. Ana Maria Tabunda, Research Director of Pulse Asia; Atty. Karen Jimeno, anchor/host of CNN Philippines anchor, and the honorable Senator Antonio Trillanes?

Where else but at the Metro Online Influencers Kapihan!

I got an invite from Paulo Florendo but unfortunately I already had a previous engagement for that day so I missed this opportunity to hear the messages and stories of these influential people who have been using the power of online media for many purposes.

But since I truly support this idea of a "Kapihan" for online media practitioners, I am blogging about this event even though I was not able to attend. It gives me great pleasure to talk about how online media is becoming a powerful force to reckon with that even the traditional media of print, radio and television have started mobilizing efforts to create their own digital strategies as they are accept the fact that the only way to go now is online.

The event that focused on the role of online media and influencers in shaping the business and political landscape of the country towards 2016, was held at the Wheatberry Bakery and Coffeeshop located at 84 Scout Castor cor. Scout Tuazon, Barangay Laging Handa, Quezon City. It was a very familiar place since I already had a chance to do a review of the restaurant.

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"The city of Pasig is a highly urbanized eastern city found in the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It was once the capital of the province of Rizal before it became a part of the conurbation of cities that constitute Metro Manila, the country’s National Capital Region. It is surrounded by the cities of Quezon and Mandaluyong in the west, Marikina in the north, Makati, Taguig, and the municipality of Pateros in the south, and in the east by the municipality of Cainta in Rizal province. Flowing through it is the Pasig River that connects the Laguna Bay with the Manila Bay. Thus, the name Pasig, derived from a Hindu word, literally denotes a body of water connecting two bodies of water."

What is interesting to take note of today is that one of the historical structure is being renovated. We do not really know what the exact plans are but I read somewhere that they are planning to revive the restaurant.

The Pasig City Revolving Restaurant is one of the rare examples of Brutalist towers in Asia. It opened in 1974, offering panoramic views of the city with one revolution every hour. For some reason, it fell into disuse in the 1980s. It looks like a control tower of an airport.

It is currently being renovated right now as I write this article. I do not really know the details yet but I am aiming to find more information about it from the city government soon if they will allow me to interview them.

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Philippine Azkals coach Thomas Dooley believes he has formed a squad that will take the country to greater heights against some of Asia’s finest teams in the World Cup Qualifiers.

Now on his second year at the helm of the team, the German-American mentor finally found the best mix of players to banner the country’s bid particularly in the qualifying tournament for football’s most prestigious tournament.

Working closely with Azkals manager Dan Palami, Dooley infused some fresh talent to the team by calling up Luke Woodland, Stephan Palla, Kevin Ingreso and Iain Ramsay for the games against Bahrain and Yemen last June.

The entry of the four players coincided with the return of Stephan Schrock, Neil Etheridge and Javier Patino as well as the resurgence of Misagh Bahadoran who already has two goals in the first two matches.

Midfielder Manny Ott has also improved immensely under Dooley’s reign, while Phil Younghusband remained effective even after the coach switched him from striker to midfielder.

The Azkals’ results have been impressive with a 2-1 home win over Bahrain followed by a 2-0 conquest of Yemen in Qatar in the first two match days in Group H.

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We were recently invited to attend Hudyat: The State of Philippine Heritage Address last Sunday, July 26, 2 p.m. It was organized by the Heritage Conservation Society-Youth, Sanghabi, and Kapitbahayan sa Kalye Bautista.

Heritage conservation volunteers and students convened at the site of the Jai Alai building (in front of Torre de Manila) to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Jai Alai’s demolition and give light to the country's heritage situation.

Activities included a Jericho Walk - harkening back to the biblical story, the walk was an educational tour to several of Manila’s under-appreciated heritage sites, and to raise awareness about threats that they face. It covere the following destinations around the area like the Casino Español (Instituto Cervantes), the San Vicente Church, Adamson University Main Building, the Former Meralco Headquarters, and the Normal Hall, Philippine Normal University.

The Trumpeting of the Budyong, or shell horn, was done during the Jericho Walk to signify the start of a new beginning - a renaissance for heritage conservation.

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Friday nights have always been very busy for many of us as this is usually the time when many event organizers hold special gatherings or activities thinking the following weekend will guarantee attendance. Most events will start usually during late afternoons or night time until the wee hours of the morning.

I always find myself going from one event to the next (event hopping) because I really want to satisfy every event invite. But Fridays have always been undoubtedly the most hectic. Another reason why I really hate to decline is because I do not want to miss out on great opportunities to network or collaborate with like-minded individuals that I could possibly meet at events.

Watson Institute Philippines, An incubator program for student entrepreneurs, leaders, and innovators in Manila, recently invited us to its culminating event, "The Watson Demo Day." last Friday, July 31, 2015, 6-9PM at the Freelancer office located at Ecotower Building, Bonifacio Global City (BGC), 32nd cor. 9th Ave, Taguig Philippines.

The Watson Demo Day showcased the ventures of the 13 Watson Institute Scholars who have been convened for 2 months this summer. They have been rigorously trained in transformative leadership and entrepreneurship and were mentored by the world's foremost social entrepreneurs, leaders, and innovators.

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Join the Mahalin Pagkaing Atin movement to support the local farmers and the love of local food.

The Mahalin Pagkaing Atin program aims to to encourage more farmers to invest in manufacturing local produce, and to encourage corporations and entrepreneurs to buy home-grown food instead of importing from abroad in the hopes of bringing forward the quality of local Filipino goods, which showcases that local quality food can be better than foreign produce.

The movement is directed towards providing sustainable livelihood businesses to places with high incidences of poverty, disasters, and conflict. It also aims to tell the story of the farmers, whose produce reflects the various geographical conditions in the country, as well as the differences in local farming practices and culture.

We were invited to visit the Mercato Centrale, BCG on July 31 8PM-12MN for the Mahalin Pagkaing Atin movement with a theme of Panlasang Norte - to experience the taste the best of the North has to offer!

Mercato Centrale that night had some of the famous dishes and delicacies from Luzon that's truly #MahalinPagkaingAtin. There was a live band playing with performers giving out their best songs. There were also the DJ hosts from a local FM radio station who moderated the program proper for the night including the introduction of RJ Ledesma, co-founder of Mercato Centrale; John Paul Pangilinan, Marketing Manager of Pilmico Foods, and Chef Boy Logro, celebrity chef of the Kapamilya network giving a few "ping, ping, ping, ping" cooking demos of dishes that can be found up North.

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Addasound Denmark A/S, global top headset manufacturer and headset provider of wearable intelligent voice and unified communication devices from Denmark, and its local partner Ardent Networks, Inc.,the Philippine distributor of Addasound products, and in partnership with the Embassy of Denmark, recently made a product launch of their headsets on July 31, Friday at Ascott BGC hotel in Taguig.

I was fortunate enough to be among the very first to discover the latest state-of-the-art voice solutions equipped with the world's most advanced electro-acoustic devices, providing powerful support for products’ design, development, and testing. Addasound products target users from different customer groups, such as office, education, mobile, car, medical cares, etc.

Addasound products incorporate leading technologies to offer advanced Noise-Cancelling-Technology to guarantee high-standard sound quality and best user experience. It's simple Nordic style design perfectly combines outer simplicity and inner excellence. From product to service, the brand looks deeply into every detail to meet our every need.

Thus the tagline of "Sound Changing the World" since it offers high-end headsets for optimum performance. Addasound develops products based on the customer's need and devotes into making outstanding technology practically usable. The ergonomic design combines outer simplicity with inner exquisiteness.

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TaskUs Philippines has acquired a new home within the 24/7 McKinley building located of Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. The new office has a floor area of 2,500sq. ft. occupying three floors of space and boasts facilities such as spacious meeting rooms, boardrooms, and recruitment facilities, as well as state-of-the-art data centers equipped with Variable Refrigerant Flow air conditioning system, and 100 percent back up power capability.

The new office facility, that will be the official flagship regional corporate headquarters, is just the first phase of their expansion. It is capable of seating 400 employees and will also have amenities like a gym, theater and facilities where employees can rest or sleep. This is the third site after the company opened offices Imus in Cavite and in SM Aura also located in Taguig.

TaskUs expanded its presence in the country after an investment came in the form of a US$15M private equity funding from Navegar. Navegar is a locally-based fund established by individuals from the call center industry. The expansion will strengthen the company's operational and employee capabilities in the country.

Celebrating the expansion at the same building, a Gatsby-inspired theme party took place last July 31, 2015 with their employees and friends, including members of the media. I was fortunate enough to be among the few invited to attend this celebration.

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Everyone's creating their own mobile app due to the popularity of smartphone access of the Internet. It seems that everyone prefers searching for information through their portable devices instead of researching using the desktop or laptop computers.

Many companies out there have realized that online mobile presence is very significant if they want to remain competitive since the trend dictates what would be highly in demand. Even the traditional media of print, radio and television have admitted being threatened by online media.

It is really evident that many has embraced the latest technologies available to every Juan or Maria of the Philippines. If the current trend continues, online mobility will soon become the most prominent preference of many.

This is probably why Health and Lifestyle (H&L) magazine has now provided doctors and healthcare professionals an easy-read online magazine that emphasizes the importance of health promotion and healthy lifestyle to prevent non-communicable diseases. The mobile app is now available for free for download compatible for Android smartphones, and will soon be available in iOS version soon sometime September.

A grand launch was held on July 29, 2015 at The Lounge in Tomas Morato where the organizers invited some of their partners for a few discussions about some latest stories on health and medicine. Dr. Rafael Castillo, Chairman of the Board of FAME Inc., gave the opening remarks while Hudson Peter Pelayo, Group Operations manager of FAME talked about the H&L mobile app. Godfrey Santos of FAME, Inc., Marketing was, as always, the designated host of the event.