Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Lake Sebu: Cradle of Dreams Media Launch

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Department of Tourism - Regional Office XII recently organized a press launch of the Lake Sebu: Cradle of Dreams campaign held on September 5, 2015 during the Philippine Travel Mart event at SMX MOA complex in Pasay city which was running from September 4 to 6, 2015.

Photo above shows Ralph Layco- Marketing Consultant for Region 12 brand, Amor Maclang - Consultant and Marketing Strategist for South Cotabato, Regional Director Nelly Dillera, Shawn Agabe - South Cotabato Tourism officer and designer of T-boli accessories, Mayet Sy - Regional Tourism member and hotel owner, Michelle Solon - Regional Tourism President and wife of Governor.

Soccsksargen, now called shorter and friendlier as "Sox," and dubbed as the 12th paradise of the Philippines, offers adventures in culture, nature, and gastronomy. It already had two international events held this year of which are all firsts in the country, namely the Paragliding Accuracy World Cup and the International Folklore Festival.

DOT Region 12 has successfully participated in both Madrid Fusion Manila and Flavors of the Philippines last March and April respectively. It had a pavilion that is shared by the cities, municipalities and provinces of the region that showcased the different destinations such as river tubing in Maitum Sarangani, diving in Lemlunay resort, paragliding in Safi Ranch, cultural immersions in Lemlifew Cultural Village, Al jamelah Weaving Center, New Israel and the community of the moncados, a tour in Glan, GenSan Fishport, souvenirs of Kablon Farms, different trekking destinations of SIOK Falls in Koronadal City, Tawsuvan Falls, Asik asik curtain falls, a dip in the waters of hot and cold spring of Esperanza and Lake Agco pilgrimage in Lake Holon TBoli, Birds of Baras, Grand Mosquea nd brasswares in Cotabato City, and the muscovado processing plants of lambayong ultan Kudarat.

La Union Surfing Break Now on Its 10th Year

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At the 10th La Union Surfing Break presscon with DOT Region 1 Director Martin Valencia, La Union Tourism Officer Adamor Dagang, surfer and surf school owner Felimon "Lemon" Dines, the adorable Mutias of La Union namely Alessandra Casimiro, Angelica Maranan and Cassandra Ralbovsky, who won as Mutia Ti La Union, Mutia Ti Turismo, and Mutia Ti Kalikasan, respectively. and two more lovely ladies that I still have to verify the names (lol).

This was held on September 4, 2015 at Giligan's restaurant SM By The Bay Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay city. The actual event will be from October 28 to November 1 at San Juan, La Union.

La Unison Surfing Break is the flagship event of La Union that has continued to draw in crowds for years, and considered as one of the best tourism events geared on sports and wellness.

There will be a street dancing competition, surfboard design contest, surf clinics, sandcastle building contest, sundown fun run, Trick or Treat costume contest, Henna Tattoo design contest, and Face and Body painting contest.

A Fun Art exhibit by the Arts Guild of La Union (AsLAUN), Photography contest, Surfing competition, Zumba session, beach volleyball tournament, and beach party in the evening.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

From the all-girl band General Luna, Nicole Laurel Asensio is now ready to show her pure talent with the launch of her debut album called Schizoprano - a play of words combining schizophrenic and soprano. the album is produced by MCA Music (Universal Music Philippines)

Get to see what she showed us at her album launch on September 2, 2015 at 12 Monkeys Music Hall & Pub at Century City Mall in our video coverage of all her performances, plus special video greetings from Nicole Laurel Asensio herself.

I uploaded the videos on our YouTube channel several days ago and has now compiled them for your viewing pleasure convenience.

The tracks performed that night included "Leader for a Day" which lyrics came from replies taken from Nicole's Facebook status "What would you do if you were leader for a day?"

Joining her as back-up singers are her mom Iwi Laurel, cousin ino Asensio Lopez and friend
William Kramer Jr..

Her dearest friend Franco Mabanta hosted the night. Of course, her beloved Ira Cara Cruz will always be there for musical direction.

Drums: Wilf Trinidad, Bass: Louie Talan, Guitar: Ira Cara Cruz, Keys: Kim Lopez, Sax: Michael Mark Guevarra, Trombone: Jose Aris Antinero , Trumpet: EJ Celestial, Lights: Macky Mangasi, Sound: Angelo M. Rozul

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In their bid to expedite the testing of the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) prototype, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and MRT-3 project team will head to Dalian next week to meet with the German suppliers of traction systems, gearboxes, and brake systems.

“As we announced last June, static testing will be conducted from September to October. Meanwhile, dynamic testing was scheduled from November to December, when these parts will be delivered from Germany,” said DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya.

“To fast-track the whole process, we met with officials from the German Embassy, Voith, and Knorr-Bremse a few weeks back regarding delivery schedules. Next week, our team will discuss the details with these suppliers, so we can explore ways to provide more trains to the public earlier than scheduled,” he explained.

Voith will manufacture the traction systems and gearboxes for the 48 brand new coaches of the MRT-3 line, while Knorr-Bremse is in charge of the brake systems. Both firms are established suppliers in the global rail industry.

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Ready your hearts as Ateneo Blue Repertory presents its 24th Season Premiere, BREAKUPS & BREAKDOWNS, an original Filipino musical with book and lyrics by Joel Trinidad and music by Rony Fortich. It is a story of an unexpected (re)meeting of four people that leads to hilarity and a gratuitous amount of awkward moments, as well as finding love, and losing it.

Mark, portrayed by Alex Masucol, is a young playwright about to put the finishing touches on his play about finding the One Perfect Girl. The play is a thinly-veiled retelling of his failed relationship with Nina, portrayed by alternates Celine Bengzon and Marga Crisostomo, who, unbeknownst to Mark, is starting to miss him just a little.

Raffy Nepomuceno is Derek, Mark’s roommate and best friend, who used to be a notorious playboy, an expert at The Game. But that was before he started dating Sandy, played by alternates Angela Mercado and Maria Velez, the girl who was able to hook Derek and keep him on his toes because of her apparent disinterest in commitment.

Find out how their stories will go as they discover all about love, heartache, second chances, what-ifs, and what it means to finally find that One Perfect Person who’s worth the commitment.

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Healthway Medical, the most trusted and preferred mall-based clinics in the Philippines, recently partnered with PhilCare, the country’s first Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) provider, to be the official online seller of HealthCheQ, the Healthway’s premium brand of executive checkup.

The partnership will make Healthway’s HealthCheQ available through PhilCare’s digital platforms, including its website and Facebook page.

“With the new joint venture, we will be able to make preventive healthcare more accessible to every Filipino,” said Carmie de Leon, vice president for sales and marketing of Healthway Medical. “PhilCare is one of the biggest and most reputable HMOs in the country and we are privileged to finally forge this partnership.”

According to de Leon, Healthway customers no longer have to wait in line to purchase HealthCheQ.

“For a hassle-free transaction, they can simply avail the package and set their appointment at the comforts of their home. We want to emphasize the importance of keeping a close eye to your health,” she said. “Our aim is to give the ease of access to good health which is also achieved by having enough sleep, eating right, exercising, and de-stressing (S.E.E.D.),” she added.

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DHL Global Forwarding Philippines, Inc. is delighted to announce the appointment of the company’s new Country Manager, Mr. Imran Shaikh, which took effect on 15 July 2015.

Imran has over 15 years of experience in international logistics, accounts management, freight forwarding and import and export operations. His first exposure to the logistics and transportation industry was when he worked as Ocean Export Supervisor with Expeditors International in Los Angeles, California. He oversaw gateway operations, directed all aspects of ocean export operations and provided support to sales, by actively helping in the acquisition and maintenance of business and client base.

From 2002 to 2006, he held the role of Import Manager at Exel DHL Global Logistics in Los Angeles, California, where he handled the largest and most challenging US freight management accounts, import operations for LAX branch and the control tower for North America. He was a member of the U21 global strategy team and was involved in the design and implementation of the west coast competency center procedures, the first in North America. The same model was subsequently launched and used in the Midwest and east coast operations in North America. Imran also had a working stint in DGF Singapore from 2006 – 2008 as Director for Strategic Accounts.

In 2008, he was appointed Managing Director, DGF Pakistan, where he successfully expanded their domestic operations and achieved outstanding business results. Imran is a certified Global Logistics Specialist who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the California State University.

Please join us in congratulating Imran and wishing him every success in his new role. DGF Philippines also like to express gratitude to Stephen Ly for his leadership and guidance as Country Manager, DGF Philippines over the last few years.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Globe Telecom remains the dominant player in the country’s mobile postpaid segment after posting postpaid revenues of P15.8 billion during the first half of the year on the back of its innovative myLifestyle Plan which set a global standard in postpaid plan offerings.

The phenomenal growth in revenues gave Globe the upper-hand in terms of revenue market share, a global metric used in determining market leadership across telcos worldwide.

Postpaid customer base likewise grew by 12% to 2.3 million in the same period from 2.1 million in the previous year. These positive gains are derived from the success of the myLifestyle Plan that helped boost gross acquisitions to reach a new record-high of 477,608 for the first six months of the year, up 23% from last year. Year-to-date net incremental postpaid subscribers stood at 60,776, 14% higher than 2014 level.

With the myLifestyle Plan, customers get a base postpaid plan that already comes with built-in unlimited calls and texts to Globe and TM for only P499 monthly. With an additional P99, customers get data access and a free smartphone. Globe has also made available various lifestyle packs suited for their entertainment, social media or productivity needs. The more services they add on top of the base plan, the better the handset they can get.

Northpine Land Meets Increasing Demand For Horizontal Development In The South

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As the demand for horizontal developments outside of Metro Manila increases, one of the major players in the country’s real estate industry is focusing its efforts in the South.

For almost 20 years, NorthPine Land, Inc., (NLI) has been building quality yet affordable suburban communities in areas where there is a strong combination of accessibility and opportunity. NLI’s President Alan R. Cruz noted that the South, particularly the CALABARZON region, is one such area.

Mr. Cruz further stressed that, “In terms of accessibility, the South is an ideal place to raise a family, especially for professionals who work in cosmopolitan areas like Makati and Bonifacio Global City. This is why NorthPine Land made a firm commitment to change the landscape of the South to fit people’s lifestyle needs.”

Accessibility to Metro Manila will be further enhanced with the ongoing development of the Skyway extension and other infrastructure projects such as the Intermodal Transport System (ITS), the LRT 1 Cavite Extension and the LRT6 Project, among others.

These infrastructure projects are also expected to significantly decrease rush hour traffic in the near future, providing another reason why establishing a home in the South is such an appealing proposition.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Office spaces are quickly becoming the next attractive investment in Metro Manila’s real estate. Data from Colliers International show that as of the last quarter of 2014, the Philippines’ office market boasts a stock of 6.99 million sqm worth of inventory, which will surge 36 percent to 9.52 million sqm by 2018.

Prices and rental rates of office spaces, especially in the metro’s key central business districts (CBD), are poised to increase over the next year, thanks to healthy demand and tight supply, while vacancy rate is expected to decrease further as more companies (BPOs, corporate offices, and small and medium-sized enterprises) open and expand, providing savvy investors another option to diversify their real estate portfolio.

However, just like any business venture, office rentals have potential pitfalls if one is not sufficiently informed. Global property portal Lamudi Philippines (www.lamudi.com.ph) lists down several steps to get started on renting out office real estate.