Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Tanghalang Ateneo Presents 37th Season Line-Up Of Productions

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Tanghalang Ateneo, the longest-running theater company of the Loyola Schools of the Ateneo de Manila University, is celebrating its 37th season with the theme "Staging Revolution/s".

Growing from a fledgling band of student players to one of the country’s leading school-based theater companies, Tanghalang Ateneo will stage this season three works that have been deemed revolutionary when they were first unleashed to the world.

These productions are:

R.U.R. (Robot Unibersal ni Rossum)

written by Karel Čapek

translation by Guelan Varela-Luarca

direction by JK Anicoche

September 30, October 1-3, 6-10, and 13-17

Venue: Ateneo's Fine Arts Black Box Theater

"R.U.R. (ROSSUM’S UNIVERSAL ROBOTS/ROBOT UNIBERSAL NI ROSSUM)" is a science fiction classic by Czech writer Karel Capek. Originally written in Czech, this Tanghalang Ateneo production will use a new Filipino translation by Palanca winner Guelan Varela-Luarca. The play is about the rebellion of human-like creatures called robots that leads to the extinction of the human race. The danger of man’s desires of a utopian and totalitarian world is one of the play's central themes.

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Ballet Philippines opens its season with Body Positive +, A Dance Gala for HIV Awareness. Featuring excerpts from Swan Lake, Mark Bogaerts’ Bolero, Enrico Labayen’s Cloth, and other landmark pieces, the show celebrates the dancers’ innate athleticism in the context of the alarming rise of HIV in the Philippines.

The prevalence of HIV in the country has risen by over 50% in the last 3 years, yet the general public remains largely unaware. Males having sex with other males (MSM) remains the predominant mode of transmission among males and comprised 84% of infections through sexual contact from the study period of January 2010 to April 2015. With around 20 newly reported cases of HIV per day in 2015, Ballet Philippines was compelled to raise its voice about the matter.

On why BP decided to adopt this particular advocacy in its season opener, Ballet Philippines Artistic Director Paul Alexander Morales says, “When the HIV/AIDS epidemic struck many countries in the 80s, the Philippines was mostly unaffected. Now it’s here, and it’s spreading at three times the rate that it was in 2012, but it’s hardly being talked about. Body Positive + is our small contribution towards changing that.”

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Two fresh productions are set to bring Ballet Philippines (BP)’s 46th Season off to a good start. On September 12, 13, and 19, the company will perform Body Positive +, A Dance Gala for HIV Awareness. September 20 brings the comeback of Hugot Sa Rosas, featuring Ballet Philippines 2, BP’s junior performing arm. The performances will be held at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater).

Swans, Queers, and the rise of AIDS take the spotlight in Body Positive +. Featuring excerpts from Swan Lake, Mark Bogaerts’ Bolero, Enrico Labayen’s Cloth, and other landmark pieces, the show celebrates the dancers’ innate athleticism in the context of the alarming rise of HIV in the Philippines.

Enrico Labayen’s works add a deeper dimension into the show’s HIV awareness advocacy. A Ballet Philippines alumnus and staunch AIDS activist, Labayen lends his voice to raise up the advocacy in the Be Positive forums at the start of the Body Positive + shows.

For one night only, Ballet Philippines 2’s acclaimed concert, Hugot Sa Rosas, returns for a performance at the CCP Little Theater. Set to music from Vincent de Jesus’ Songs to Slash Your Wrist By, the show highlights the talents of BP’s junior company and its new breed of dancers and choreographers. The show premiered at Ballet Philippines Studio One in February 2015, as part of Fringe MNL.

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MiCab, the Cebu-based tech startup celebrated for its locally-developed and low cost taxi-hailing app for the riding public, welcomes the new guidelines on ride-sharing apps crafted by the Land Transport and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

“As more and more Filipinos use app-based services for commuting, the new LTFRB rules can help level the playing field in the industry and ultimately benefit commuters with better and safer app-based car hire services,” said miCab founder Eddie Ybañez.

For Ybañez, LTFRB’s setting of new regulations for online and mobile-based transport services goes a long way in providing more convenience and safety to public commuters.

“The LTFRB’s new rules make the Philippines the first country to establish guidelines in this brave new world of internet and mobile app-based solutions to public transportation. This is indeed a landmark ruling,” he said.

The LTFRB defines private vehicles for hire that use net or mobile apps for booking and dispatching as a “Premium Taxi.”

Under its new rules, premium taxi operators must have at least 20 units in his or her fleet. These vehicles must be brand-new at the time of franchise application, follow the color set by the agency, and have a maximum age of only 7 years.

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Twitter today expanded its self-service ads platform from 33 countries to over 200 countries and territories. Now, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) from Honduras to Hong Kong can more effectively reach target audiences on Twitter in 15 languages. In addition, Twitter announced that there are now approximately 100,000 active advertisers on Twitter, including SMBs.

Asia Pacific is Twitter’s fastest growing region worldwide and the platform expansion provides additional support for SMBs in Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Philippines. According to recent research from the Asian Development Bank, SMBs account for 98% of all enterprises in Asia.

"Small and medium-sized businesses face the most challenges and are least resourced to promote the good work they do," says Emily Huo, SMB lead for Asia Pacific at Twitter. "With the expansion of the Twitter self-service ads platform, we are excited to help SMBs level the playing field with digital advertising."

Since Twitter launched Twitter Ads for SMBs over two years ago, Twitter’s clients have talked about how they’ve used Twitter’s creative, measurement, and targeting tools to drive website clicks or conversions, leads, and app installs or re-engagements. And, with objective-based campaigns, reports, and pricing and other tools available on Twitter’s global marketplace, it’s easier than ever for SMBs to drive results on Twitter while only paying for the actions that align with marketing objectives.

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The many wonders of the world will rule on Discovery Science this month.

A broad-based new science series explores our own planet with the same sense of awe and wonder normally reserved for alien worlds. Secrets of the Earth shows you Earth as you have never seen it before. High-end computer graphics, fun visual analogies and a recurring cast of dynamic experts combine to bring a stunning new perspective to the world you think you know. Catch the Secrets of The Earth in its new season premiering September 4, airing Fridays at 9:50 PM.

Have you ever wondered how things are made? You are not alone. From car tires to eye shadows, find out how many of the everyday objects we use become the things they are. Discovery Science will show you How It’s Made, with the new season premiering on September 5, airing Saturdays at 8:10 pm.

Brand-new series Outrageous Acts of Psych features unsuspecting people on the street, in offices, restaurants and public places unwittingly taking part in hilarious hidden-camera stunts that look like practical jokes but are really social science experiments. The resulting scenarios are analyzed by a rotating cast of experts who help us understand why we humans behave in the funny ways we do. Catch Outrageous Acts of Psych premiering September 21, airing Mondays at 9 pm.

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It’s a fact --Filipinos love to sing. We all love to sing-along with an artist during concerts. One such artist that could ignite our passion for singing is Michael Learns to Rock. Yes, their Pinoy fans are now eagerly anticipating their one-night-only concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, on September 19, 2015. Expect the big dome to rock and reverberate with heartfelt emotions as audiences will deﬁnitely sing their hearts out with the band when they deliver their greatest hits, live!

This concert is a timely and momentous occasion to celebrate Michael Learns to Rocks’ 25 years of racking up a compelling and unbroken string of memorable, catchy, and timeless love songs. “The Actor”, “25 Minutes”, “Sleeping Child”, “Out of the Blue”, “That’s Why You Go Away”, “Nothing To Lose”, “Breaking My Heart”, Take Me To Your Heart”, “Someday”, “Paint My Love”, and many more hits have been dubbed as ‘all-time favorite ‘classics’.

Michael Learns to Rock was formed in the spring of 1988 in Denmark. The band is composed of singer and keyboard player JASCHA RICHTER, drummer KÅRE WANSCHER, guitarist MIKKEL LENTZ . This year 2015, as Michael Learns to Rock celebrate their 25th year anniversary, their biggest and most comprehensive Greatest Hits collection, simply title ‘25’, will hit stores and digital downloading sites soon. “25” marks the ﬁrst time that all of Michael Learns to Rock’s hits are presented in one collection, oﬀering a soundtrack of hits as you walk down memory lane.

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Along with government actively upgrading the worn-out facilities of the privately-owned Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) system, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is now undertaking emergency procurement for a long-term maintenance contractor pursuant to Republic Act No. 9184.

"We were given the go signal by the GPPB last to pursue this mode of negotiated procurement. We're targeting to award the contract within the year, and to have the new maintenance provider begin its services in January next year," said DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya.

The Government Procurement Policy Board unanimously approved the resort to this negotiated mode of procurement on August 20, 2015, pursuant to Section 53.2 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Procurement Law. This was in recognition of the urgent need to address the railway's maintenance requirements.

In the DOTC's request for the GPPB's approval, the agency cited the immediate need for a three-year total maintenance provider, as well as the general overhaul of existing train coaches and the replacement of the system's signaling system. These are essential in order to address the core problems of obsolescence and complete wear-and-tear.

Government has already stepped in to upgrade MRT-3's facilities due to the failure of the Sobrepena-controlled private owner to add coaches when they became due a decade ago, to conduct proper train overhauling, to replace rail tracks, and to upgrade the signaling system, among others.

Let's All Cheer for Philippine Azkals National Football Team

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With less than a week before the pivotal match against a strong Uzbekistan squad, the Philippine national football team, popularly known as Azkals, is appealing to Filipinos to show up at the game venue and cheer for the team.

Azkals coach Thomas Dooley and players Phil Younghusband, Neil Etheridge and Misagh Bahadoran said the fans’ presence and cheers will motivate and spur on the team and have an impact on their game. They were interviewed after a late afternoon to early evening practice session last Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Malate, Manila.

The Azkals-Uzbeks match will be held on September 8 at 8 p.m. at the world-class Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan, as part of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

Dooley acknowledged the difficulty of getting to the venue but said the fans could make the effort in order to boost and give their support to the national team.

“I love to see you guys during the game. It’s very important for us to win this match,” Dooley said as he stressed that the national team is preparing hard for the game.

He hinted that the fans will not get disappointed when they watch the Azkals play live.

“We have a great team. Everybody is working for everybody.”

Araneta Group Streamlines Franchise Operations with SAP Business All-in-One

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SAP AE has announced that Araneta Group, a pioneer in entertainment and leisure development in the Philippines, has implemented SAP Business All-in-One to streamline operations, logistics, and financial systems of its food group Philippine Pizza Inc. This implementation was spearheaded by Fujitsu Philippines, SAP’s channel partner and Questronix, an SAP reseller.

According to Kenneth Mondero, SAP project leader and SVP for Finance at the Araneta Group, Philippine Pizza Inc. had individual legacy systems for each of its food franchises namely, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Dairy Queen. “SAP Business All-in-One gives us the upper hand now. We are able to access reports and time-sensitive information across finance, logistics, and operations departments. There is definitely a quicker turnaround in decision-making.”

Mondero also noted that this implementation enabled larger savings. “SAP Business All-in-One has allowed us to take a consolidated view of our expenses and optimize decision-making. Higher accuracy is another important advantage of this implementation.”

Today, SAP Business All-in-One is an important part of the Group’s technology investments across its various businesses. This includes the Philippine Pizza, Inc., to leisure innovator Araneta Center Inc. that houses Gateway Mall, Farmers Plaza and Ali Mall, as well as Uniprom Inc. which handles Smart Araneta Coliseum, Ticketnet, Gateway, and Ali Mall Cineplex. Araneta’s relationship with SAP has grown in strength due to the direct and indirect benefits the Group has realized over the last few months.

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Philam Life, the country’s premier life insurance company, recently renewed its partnership with Globe Business—the information and communication technology (ICT) arm of Globe Telecom. This is to address its growing connectivity requirements for more efficient operations. Leading the contract signing are Globe SVP for Enterprise Group Nikko Acosta (2nd from left) and Philam Life CEO J. Axel Bromley (2nd from right), together with Globe Business VP for Sales Dion Asencio (left) and Philam Life Head of Information Technology Nilo Zantua (right).

With the partnership, Philam Life gets access to a number of ICT solutions offered by Globe Business, including Data Services, which enables data access on demand to users regardless of their geographic location; Data Center Colocation, which provides managed space for lease for servers and IT-equipment that run mission-critical systems; and Mobility solutions that power Philam Life agents’ mobile applications.

“Globe Business and Philam Life has a longstanding relationship that stems from a common goal of providing excellent service to our customers. With this partnership, we provide tailor-fit solutions to boost Philam’s operational effectiveness and efficiency,” shared Globe Senior Vice President for Enterprise Group Nikko Acosta.

Philam Life CEO J. Axel Bromley affirmed the partnership saying, “We are happy to have found a reliable service provider in Globe Business to support us in fulfilling our commitment to offer the right plans and the right solutions to our customers and provide service in the most efficient way.”

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Dive Resort Travel (DRT) Philippines Show 2015, envisioned to be the first and biggest international dive event in the country, will be held on 11 – 13 September 2015 at the SM Megatrade Hall in Mandaluyong City.

With the theme “It’s more fun to dive in the Philippines,” the DRT is a three-day exposition that will gather dive industry stakeholders, especially those from Asia and Oceania, together in one venue. Expected to participate are at least 2,000 international dive exhibitors, enthusiasts, and marine conservationists.

Organized by the Hong Kong and Shanghai-based LX Development Group (LXDG), the elements of “fun” and “festivity” will be infused in all components of the Dive Resort Travel Philippines Show from the exhibit to the travel exchange, seminars and workshops, photo gallery, familiarization tours, and other special events like cultural performances and entertainment showcase during the opening ceremonies and farewell dinner. The dive exhibit will feature the country’s dive destinations, beach and dive resorts, dive centers and shops of dive equipment and apparel. Participants include dive tour operators, resort owners, underwater photographers, marine conservationists, and instructors from international scuba diving schools like PADI, NAUI, SSI, TDI, SDI, UTD, PSAI and DAN.

The Philippine Dive Travel Exchange (DIVE-TRAVEX) will be a platform for invited foreign buyers of dive tourism products and services to meet with local dive tour sellers in one-on-one business-to-business (B2B) meetings in scheduled appointments. Selected foreign buyers and dive enthusiasts will also be invited to the five-day post-event and complimentary familiarization dive tours to some of the country’s top dive destinations like Batangas, Puerto Galera, Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Palawan. .

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CFA Society of the Philippines is proud to host the 2nd Philippine Junior Finance and Investment Summit to be held in Metro Manila. Established in 2013, the summit helps future investment professionals establish a clear view of how to build a career in finance, provides an overview of investment products and tools as well as a forum to explore the significance of ethics and professional standards.

The event will be held at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay, on Saturday 12th September from 9am-5.30pm. It will be a one-day session which will gather together more than 3,000 seniors from 15 universities and young professionals in the finance industry. The event will also be broadcast live to students in Cebu.

Among the topics on the agenda are:

Is the Philippines economy entering a golden age?
The CFA Charter: your global passport to a career in the finance and investment industry
Pursuing a successful career in the finance industry
Career trends and opportunities in the Philippines today
Risk and return profile of the different financial products
How to stand out in a highly competitive job market
Financial fitness 101

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The country’s number 1 mobile brand Globe Telecom continues its drive to position the Philippines as the Digital Lifestyle Capital of the World by giving customers free access to Facebook and Viber with their favorite Globe call, text, and surf promos.

As the leader in the country’s mobile data segment, Globe has been an industry pioneer in offering Filipinos easy and seamless access to top social networking and over-the-top (OTT) messaging sites, enabling users to embrace the digital revolution and helping shape the country’s potential to become the world’s next digital hub.

Starting September 1, 2015, all Globe Postpaid, Prepaid, TM and Tattoo customers can enjoy free access to Facebook and Viber when subscribed to promos including GoSURF variants and other existing call and text promos such as GOUNLI, ALLNETCOMBO and TMSULITXT, among others without the need for a Wi-Fi connection.

“Since 2013, we have given customers a whole new way of enjoying an enriched and content-driven mobile experience by being the first telco in the country to give free access to a full Facebook experience. The overwhelming market take-up further drove us to partner with global content players like Viber to take the experience a notch higher,” shares Dan Horan, Senior Advisor for Consumer Business at Globe. “Starting September 1, over 50 million mobile and broadband customers will once again enjoy free access to Facebook and Viber by subscribing to their favorite call, text, and surf promos for a leveled-up digital connectivity like no other.”

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Globaltronics officially launched the National Digital Arts Awards (NDAA) 2015 under the theme #DigitalPinoyAko last August 7 at 500 Shaw Zentrum Events Pavilion. About 600 people mostly student participants, media agencies, corporate and marketing executives, and sponsors attended the kick-off party.

The event featured three of the top disk jockeys in the country DJ Jet Boado, DJ Callum David, and DJ Tom Taus. The party had open bar for everyone in celebration of the continuing rise of the digital arts in the country. All the guests were treated to a programme of exciting entertainment and surprises.

“We want to give way to all the students who dream to be part of the digital arts community in the country. This is their chance to highlight their talents in creating works using digital media. We believe that this is the best time for them to join the awards because this is the biggest NDAA so far” stated by Fortunato Agbayani, COO of Globaltronics. NDAA is an advocacy of Globaltronics that aims to highlight the skills and talents of digital artists in the country.