Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Benguet: Strawberry Fields are Forever at La Trinidad

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Every time you mention Baguio, the first things that comes into mind are pine trees and strawberries, aside from the Panagbenga Festival, the cold climate, and the sweet delicacies at Good Shepherd like the Ube Jam. Of course, there's the popular tourist spots like Camp Jon Hay, the Mines View, the Burnham Park, and the many emerging restaurant favorites like Oh My Gulay offering veggie dishes which we visited during our previous trip sometime last week of February of 2015.

You have to try their strawberry taho and ice cream but be warned that there's a big difference in the preparation where you buy it. It is highly recommended you buy them from places not in Baguio but near the Strawberry Farms of La Trinidad. Benguet.

It is here where you get to pick strawberries on your own together with the Ibaloi farmers. Just a friendly reminder that it will cost you twice the amount if you pick the strawberries yourselves. They say you're paying for the "awesome" experience and the delight in picking the best strawberries in the farm. Some will argue it should have been cheaper because they save on the labor or effort to harvest.

But the real reason why it costs more is because strawberries are actually very delicate compared to picking apples and oranges (like in other countries). The farm owners find it reasonable to ask for an additional cost when amateurs harvest the strawberries. Newbies would tend to damage the strawberry shrubs so half the cost was allocated for the risk. Prices will vary depending on the season. Of course it's a lot more expensive during the summer when a lot of tourists flock the already considered iconic site.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

An oddly shaped volcanic formation that dominated the seascape of Boracay's White Beach at Station 1 just fifty or a hundred meters off shore (low tide and high tide respectively) is the most famous photographed landmark that's called Willy's Rock.

Residents say it was named after the Willy Gelito, the founder of Willy's Beach Hotel, which is located right across the formation. You can easily reach it during low tide but you'll need a snorkel during high tide.

It is during the Ber months when you can see the rock bottom of Willy's Rock without the seaweeds. Better go there during the early morning so that it's not too crowded with tourists who are also eager in taking several photos from selfies to professional photo shoots.

The Catholic devout local residents constructed several steps of stairs leading to and around the grotto where the shrine of the image of the glorious blessed Virgin Mary is situated adorned by flowers and candles, and along side are some plants and shrubs with some trees.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Since this is my second year of being a media partner of the LPG Forum, I decided to make it more of a video blog and took several videos, aside from the photos, of the event. The two day forum was filled with several information on why we should be using LPG as one of the best alternative to other sources of fuel or power. It was surprising to know that the Philippines is still left behind in the use of the LPG because of misinformation that has caused fear among the consumers.

From the different talks given by the many speakers, you can easily distinguish the advantages of using LPG as compared to our traditional source of fuel for our vehicles but the rumors that spread during a few years ago halted the public's patronage due to health hazard concerns.

The first day was graced by the Department of Energy OIC Zenaida Monsada who delivered the keynote message. I was able to ask for a video message from her and was able to talk with her Executive Assistant to include me in their mailing list so they can send me their official press releases and announcements too. The second day had Representative Rey Umali delivering the keynote message. Both government officials speak highly of the LPG as a highly recommended power and fuel alternative and would like to encourage more people from the Philippines to make us of it for being among the safest and reliable.

There were several speakers from different specialties who participated in the forum and raised valuable points and insights regarding LPG. Some of them were even outraged why the country has not been very enthusiastic of the usage. It seems some agencies of the government had something to do with the delayed acceptance of many people of which details are too complicated to discuss here, and of course, we do not want to point fingers as to who may have caused all these obstacles.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

You will wonder how these mountains came to be. There's not too many places that you can see similar occurrences of mountains all located at a particular area. For Bohol, the count was 1, 776 but if you'll consider the others located at different parts of the provinces, the figures will reach up to more than 4,000.

That was according to our tour guide Josue who knows exactly how these mounds came to be. He was telling us all about the Chocolate Hills of Bohol as we were nearing the viewing deck area which is actually located at one of the Chocolate Hills too.

Just like life, the hills have a cycle when it is green and when its brown like the color of chocolate. Just like life having its ups and downs, the Chocolate Hills of Bohol has its fair share of being so greenish during the rainy season, and brownish during summer.

The story of Josue was too technical for me and quite hard to remember so I asked him to share the story on video. He tells it better and a lot more interesting since he's been doing it for several years already as a professional tour guide for Travel Village.

He also tells us how the viewing deck was damaged during the earthquake in 2013 which also damaged all but two of Bohol's churches. The province has been rebuilding both the viewing deck and the churches as we speak. But it will take time, effort and financing before all of these damages are repaired.

E-Commerce Entrepreneurs Summit at Best Western Plus Antel Hotel

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The 7th DigitalFilipino E-Commerce Entrepreneurs Summit Manila 2015, also referred to as E-Commerce Entrepreneurs Summit, was an intensive 1-day educational event on e-commerce strategies that was held on August 29, 2015 at the Best Western Plus Antel Hotel, Makati Avenue, Makati City. The theme for this 7th edition was “E-Commerce for Economic Growth.”

It is also meant to celebrate the 16th year of DigitalFilipino.com blog. This 1-day event had e-commerce practitioners sharing insights and strategies on making e-commerce work and help grow your business.

I've seen a lot of familiar faces from which I've known them before from other companies. Now they've leveled up into someone more successful and eager to share their expertise for the greater good of the audience.

This is highly admirable and I do believe that when you share your blessings through any form you will be rewarded with greater success. We all know karma works both ways. If you do good (or bad), you'll also receive your just deserves.

The E-Commerce Entrepreneurs Summit had Miss Janette Toral and Genesis Reonico as moderators. It was the first time Genesis was moderating for the mother of E-Commerce. I must say he did a great job but he really needs to be more persistent with the audience to motivate them to participate in the discussion, or question and answer portion. Non-participation could mean several things: 1. They understood clearly 2, They were too shy to ask questions 3. They want the event to be over asap. Lol!

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Here are some shots of the sketch/drafting views for the WazzupPilipinas.com trophy, with rounded dimensions. The images here have already been modified a bit since we wanted to put a base where we can put the label or plate to indicate the name of the awardee, the award he received, the WazzupPilipinas.com logo and other vital information regarding the award.

We don't think it will look good if we put it on the sun or the symbol of the letter P. The label is normally found at the base of trophies so we told Shapecloud if we can make the base thicker. Also, we should be able to put in that label/plate similarly to how a Lego set is connected so we don't need to use a glue or anything similar.

Another comment we had was "Do you think it would look better if we elevate some of the elements of the trophy so that the side views will not be totally boring. Like the P is one elevation higher, then the W is another elevation higher than P? Or maybe the sun and the waves? At both sides?"

Erick Chua of Shapecloud replied that it was a "valid point with regard to the name plate that you regularly use I suppose on your trophies. Could I ask the size of this so we can attempt to adjust the base or another part of the design while still keeping the dimensions?"

He goes on to say "I'm unsure how well it would look though, but we can try to look into this. We'll explore how to change up the side view as well, though it might be a little more complicated, and likely require a fair amount of remodeling given that the vector file isn't split by the factions of your logo (i.e. waves not in a separate vector, sun not in a separate vector, etc)."

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Energy (DOE) has lifted the suspension of Semirara Mining and Power Corporation’s (SMPC) operations for its Coal Operating Contract (COC) No. 5 upon the recommendation of the DOE-Investigation Committee (DOE-IC).

In a letter dated September 17, the DOE confirmed SMPC’s compliance to the agency’s recommendations after a series of site visits and a thorough review of the Committee on the company’s strengthened commitment to implement safety precautions, procedures, and plans in its coal mining operations. The lifting paves the way for the resumption of the operations in Semirara Island located in Caluya, Antique.

In its recommendation, the DOE-IC found that SMPC has substantially complied with the conditions set forth by the agency to ensure paramount safety of SMPC employees.

The DOE-IC’s recommendations include, but not limited to, hiring of Safety Consultant; upgrading Mining Protocol (e.g, construction of a standard buffer zone to ensure bottom support, among others), and Safety Program on Hazard Identification Risk Assessment and Control of its mining personnel; providing a detailed Mining Plan incorporating the geotechnical study; and upgrading the company’s Alert/Evacuation Procedures.

To ensure the safety of the coal-mining site, the DOE-IC will continue to oversee and monitor the mining operations in COC No.5 to ensure persistent compliance of SMPC to the abovementioned recommendations.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Bridestory, Southeast Asia’s leading wedding marketplace that helps couples with their weddings and provides a platform for wedding professionals, is expanding to the Philippines.

Several weeks ago, Bridestory launched a local website for the Philippine market (www.bridestory.com.ph). The company will also launch a mobile app for wedding vendors across the globe later this month.

The Indonesia-based online wedding platform seeks to establish more presence in the country to administer their on-ground operations more efficiently.

Bridestory, which has over 200 curated vendors in the Philippines, currently manages its relationships with Filipino vendors from its Jakarta headquarters.

Bridestory has received investments from Rocket Internet, Sovereign’s Capital, Fenox Venture Capital, East Ventures, Lippo Digital Ventures, Skystar Capital, and BEENOS Plaza in the past year.

“Bridestory is like Pinterest for weddings but more,” said Kevin Mintaraga, Chief Executive Officer of the firm. He adds that Bridestory combines the convenience of having a wedding directory and an inspiration site in one portal.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Tourism (DOT) office along Senator Gil J. Puyat Avenue and Jupiter Street in Makati City opens its doors again to the public as a must-experience venue for its “Countdown to Christmas: Celebrating the Regions” beginning September 21 until December 18.

This Yuletide countdown will showcase the best tourism products and services of the Philippines’ 16 regions for a period of two weeks each. It will be the tourism regions’ yearly showcase during the Christmas season by promoting their diverse cultures through vignette fiesta performances, native arts and crafts, locally processed and packed food products as well as travel packages featuring both popular and emerging tourist destinations. The kick-off is also in time for the tourism month.

This year, the focus will be on Community-based Ecotourism (CBET) sites with their products and services. There will be a travel consultant or concierge to share information and give professional advice to visitors. The building’s ground and second floors will be converted into an Eco Store where the regions’ native products, especially gifts for Christmas, will be on sale on said duration.

Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. remarked, “The Philippines holds the distinction of having the longest Christmas season in the world, starting early in September and even lasting until January 6 or the feast of the Three Kings. The success of this project which debuted last year inspired us to continue and give our foreign and local tourists alike a glimpse how Christmas is celebrated across the archipelago and how our brand of fun becomes more vivid this time of the year.”

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In a memorandum to the Presidents/Heads of Public and Private Colleges and Universities in the National Capital Region (NCR) dated September 18, CHED-NCR Director Dr. Leonida S. Calagui reveals November 17 and 20 as “school holidays.”

The pronouncement was made in order to contribute to the security of the 21 Leaders expected to attend the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting on November 18 and 19, 2015. The Palace earlier declared November 18 and 19 as special (non-working) days in NCR via Proclamation No. 1072, series of 2015.

The memorandum also stated that all higher education institutions in NCR are encouraged to give their students alternative activities and assignments to keep them off campus and roads on the said dates.