Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Oscar Winner Graces The Small Screen In New Medical Drama

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Academy Award winner for Best Actress Marcia Gay Harden (Polllack) stars in Code Black, a new medical procedural drama inspired by Ryan McGarry’s critically acclaimed documentary of the same title.

Every episode presents extraordinary medical cases in creative but very authentic perspectives. Events unfold in the nation’s busiest ER, where medical professionals are the heroes. In a perpetual race against time, they solve one medical case after the other using limited resources. This is far from your usual medical drama. Get ready to be hooked as it fires up adrenaline, intrigues the mind and ultimately compels the heart.

Follow Leanne Royer (Harden), the gritty resident who leads her medical team through seemingly insurmountable odds.Completing the cast are Bonnie Sommerville (NYPD Blue), Raza Jaffrey (Homeland), Luis Guzman (Oz), Melanie Kannokada (Love, Lies and Seeta), Harry M. Ford, Benjamin Hollingsworth, and William Allen Young.

Michael Seitzman, Marti Noxon, Ryan McGarry, and David Semel are the executive producers of this series that premieres on October 7, Wednesday, 8:50pm (same week as the US), first & Exclusive at Sony Channel.

Sony Channel is seen on SKYCable Channel 35, Cignal Digital TV Channel 60, Destiny Cable Channel 62, Cable Link Channel 39.

Wanted: Innovative, Disruptive and Sustainable Ideas in Mobility

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Do you have a smart and entrepreneurial idea or enterprise related to mobility? Get support and the chance to win more than P1 Million in start-up prizes! Applications are now open for the “Impact Hub Fellowship on Innovation in Mobility with LBC.”

Aside from the prizes, you will also earn guidance from a community of professionals and supporting corporations through Impact Hub Manila's incubation and mentoring program.

Impact Hub Manila, a startup incubator, and coworking and events space provider for a membership community of entrepreneurs, activists, creatives, and professionals taking action to drive positive social and environmental change, is looking for potentially world-changing ideas in the field of mobility.

In partnership with LBC, the Philippines' market leader in payments, remittance, courier products, mail, parcels and, cargo logistics, Impact Hub Manila is now accepting applicants that could offer innovative, disruptive and sustainable ideas for their very first fellowship program.

At a press conference held at the Impact Hub Manila office at the 5th floor of Green Sun on October 6, 2015, the key people from both Impact Hub Manila (LizAn Kuster and Matt Jaeggi, co-founders) and LBC (Fernando Araneta, CEO and Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer), presented the details of the fellowship program, plus a special speaker, Benjamin de la Peña, Director of the Knight Foundation and former Associate director at Rockefeller Foundation, gave us a general overview of the global trends and issues regarding mobility.

Singapore Airlines and Visa Unveil Exclusive Offers for Trips to Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Europe

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Singapore Airlines, together with Visa, invites travelers to jumpstart their adventure with its special all-inclusive Economy Class round trip fares starting from just USD190.

Singapore

Together with the Singapore Tourism Board, SIA brings an attractive all-inclusive round trip fare to Singapore from just USD190, for a minimum of two passengers travelling together. More of the Lion City is now also reachable through the Singapore Airlines Singapore Explorer Pass. With a top-up of just USD 48 per person, travelers may revel in over 20 different attractions (worth SGD 420), including Gardens by the Bay, Madame Tussauds, Singapore Cable Car, Singapore Zoo, Singapore Flyer and free rides on the SIA Hop on Bus.

Australia

From just USD630, an exciting Australian adventure awaits those who wish to visit Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. The Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia alliance provides more choice for domestic and international air travel to and from Australia, with attractive and seamless travel options across Australia. Passengers can smoothly plan their trip to various attractions in The Land Down Under and avail of more travel options and convenient connections. All-inclusive one way add-on rates are also available from USD 60 to USD 80, with trips from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney to multiple destinations such as Canberra, Gold Coast, Hobart, Mackay, Port Moresby, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast and Townsville.

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Globe Telecom has disconnected from service close to 30,000 prepaid numbers found to be consistent source of spam and scam text messages as the leading mobile operator continues to intensify efforts to eliminate such unsolicited and annoying messages.

The numbers blocked from the Globe network were subject of complaints reported through the http://www.globe.com.ph/stopspam where customers are simply required to provide all the details of spam and scam messages they received on their mobile devices. Numbers that are reported to be a constant source of spam messages are then disconnected from service.

The numbers were also identified via an automated filtering system implemented by Globe to keep its customers from receiving scam and spam messages. The telecommunications provider recently expanded the coverage of this functionality and the system now covers majority of the company’s 2.3 million postpaid customers.

A total of 29,347 numbers were blocked from the service since July last year, Globe Chief Information Security Officer Anton Bonifacio said. Of the number, a total of 24,787 numbers were disconnected for sending scam messages while 4,560 numbers were barred from using the Globe network for sending spam messages.

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Asia’s Acoustic Sweetheart Sabrina is going places! She will be representing the Philippines in the upcoming Asia Song Festival to be held on October 11 at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan, South Korea. Sabrina will be performing alongside Asia’s top music acts like KPop artists EXO, GOT7, Red Velvet and B.T.S, NGT48 from Japan and William Chan from China. She is also scheduled to collaborate on stage with KPop group B1A4 for their song “Lonely” where Sabrina will sing in Korean. Asia Song Festival is held every year since 2004 in Korea gathering the best singers in Asia and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Previous Philippine representatives include R&B singer Kyla and MYMP.

Sabrina recently conquered Malaysia when she performed at the Kuala Lumpur Lake Garden Festival last August 23 at Padang Merbok in the capital city. She was the only Filipino to sing at the festival alongside other Malaysian, Indonesian, Singaporean and other acts from Southeast Asia. She also did photoshoots, radio guestings, retail and TV appearances during her tour in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in time for her latest album “I Love Acoustic 8”. To date, she has also traveled to Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore where she had successful concerts and promo tours

She just released her latest album “I Love Acoustic 8” which debuted at #1 on iTunes Philippines and Indonesia and also on Top 10 of iTunes Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. The album is also released in CDs all over Asia making Sabrina one of the only few Filipinos to release a CD in the region and cementing her status as Asia’s Acoustic Sweetheart. In the Philippines, “I Love Acoustic” is now on the Top 10 of the country’s largest CD retailer Astroplus. The Malaysia version of the album includes her duet with Malaysian singer Natasha Sass with the Malay version of Freddie Aguilar’s iconic song “Anak” which is entitled “Terima Kasih”. Indonesia’s version had Sabrina record a duet with one of their top singers Chilla Kiana for the songs “Thinking Out Loud” and “Love Me Harder”.

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At the 21st United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly in Medellín, Colombia on 12-18 September 2015, the six Regional Commissions elected new chairs and vice-chairs for the period 2015-2017.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) is pleased to announce that the Philippines was unanimously elected as Chairperson of the Regional Commission for East Asia and the Pacific (CAP) with Cambodia and Japan as vice chairpersons. The Philippines will also sit as member of the Committee on Statistics and Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) owing to its efforts of institutionalizing the implementation of the TSA in the Philippines, the first in the ASEAN region which is in consonance with the UN system of satellite accounting.

Mr. Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General lauded the Philippines for taking the Chairmanship that will greatly contribute to the global travel and tourism agenda of increasing competitiveness and promoting sustainable development in the region. Asia and the Pacific region is now the fastest global tourism destination with 263 million international arrivals in 2014 with a growth rate of 5.3%.

The five other commissions and their respective chairs (C) and vice-chairs (VCs) are: Africa – Zimbabwe (C) and Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire (VCs); the Americas - Haiti (C) and Paraguay and Chile (VCs); Europe - Switzerland (C) and Montenegro and Lithuania; South Asia - India (C) and Bangladesh and Afghanistan (VCs); and the Middle East - Lebanon (C) and Egypt and Jemen (VCs).

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Social Media is turning out to be the best mode of communication in the business world today today..

However, many have also become victims of its misuse and abuse. it has been used to propagate negative campaigns, and in many occasions, defamation of character to many individuals; and/or many many more. Oftentimes, the victim asks; "Can file a libel case on the one who circulated a very damaging 'blog' or 'tweet'. In the corporate scenario, one basic question which always comes up is : Can i suspend or terminate the services of a staff for "posting", "bloging" or "Tweeting" a false and very damaging story or statement in "facebook" "wayne" "inckedin" "Whereareu" "nstagram etc.

Join the Employers' Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) as they discuss this topic on October 08, at the Henry sy Auditorium of St. Luke's Medical Center from 1:00pm to 5:00pm.

Investment fee is Php 1200 for non-ECOP members and Php 600 for ECOP members (VAT Exclusive)

Method of Registration:
1. Download Registration Form (PDF).
2. Print the Form, Accomplish, Scan, and Send to vic.darapiza@ecop.org.ph or membership@ecop.org.ph.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Nissan Philippines Celebrates 2nd Year Anniversary and Launches the New Nissan Juke

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Nissan Philippines celebrates its 2nd year anniversary and also launches the new Nissan Juke - a beautiful vehicle bringing together the toughness of an SUV and the dynamism of a sports car that's soon to be available on January 2016.

The 2nd anniversary and launch was held on October 5, 2015 at the Whitespace events place located in Makati city, and was attended by members of the media, Nissan employees and other special guests and VIPs. Your friendly neighborhood Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas was able to capture everything on video including the speeches of the Nissan Executives plus an up-close look at the exterior and interior of the new Nissan Juke.

With a tagline of "Rediscover Excitement. Rediscover Nissan," the automobile brand is determined to bring back the excitement by delivering the brand promise of "Innovation That Excites."

In the photo above is Nissan Philippines President and Managing Director Antonio "Toti" Zara and Marketing General Manager SungJoong "SJ" Huh who both shared their Nissan stories and the superb specifications that makes the new model an impressive offering to celebrate another milestone.

Wazzup Pilipinas is proud to have witnessed the event as it is a moment that should be cherished by all with the availability of the first automobile that puts emphasis on style and durability.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

After 68 years of taking care of Filipino skin, Cetaphil brings you a line specifically developed to care of your baby’s normal skin – exactly like how a mother’s loving touch will be. Backed by decades of world-class skincare science, Cetaphil introduces the arrival of Cetaphil Baby to provide the best in skincare that a baby deserves everyday.

Remember that first touch, that first look, and that first smile of your newborn? Cetaphil Baby is your partner through the magical beginnings of motherhood. Because every mother’s touch is filled with care, love, and passion, Cetaphil Baby will care for your little one’s skin just the way a mother does.

The brand comes in a complete skincare line with Gentle Wash & Shampoo, Ultra-moisturizing Bath & Wash, Massage Oil, Daily Lotion, Shampoo and Baby wipes to ensure that a mother’s loving touch is always accompanied by a world-class, trusted product. Designed for easy application, the complete line is paraben-free, free from minerals, gentle on the skin, and mild to cater to every baby with normal skin. .

Cetaphil Baby believes that the bond between a mother and her baby is unbreakable and so should the products that come into their relationship. The long wait for a baby product that extends the mother’s touch is now over, as Cetaphil Baby is now available at leading stores nationwide.

The Largest Philippine Real Estate Developers and Their CAPEX in 2015

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Here’s a rundown of how much the country’s largest property developers are spending in 2015 to finance their projects.

With a gross domestic product (GDP) growing on average 6.2 percent between 2010 and 2014, the Philippines has steadily emerged as one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia. Expectedly, local real estate has been one of the large contributors to the country’s GDP growth average.

While the industry had been doing well in the past couple of years on its own, even more vigorous growth in the immediate future is anticipated within. Rapid urbanization coupled with the continued rise of the residential sector have been the key sources of growth for local real estate, and is one of the main reason for several developers’ leading the way for record capital expenditures (CAPEX) in 2015.

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We are always proud to share the news about Filipino brands that have made it mainstream, and thus we are extremely happy that Plush and Play - those adorable fruits and vegetables stuffed toys with their own fun names - are now available for sale at Toy Kingdom of SM Megamall.

Fabien Courteille, a French man at Gawad Kalinga, was thrilled to share with us their product line as we interviewed him for WazzupPilipinas.com. He enumerated some of the many characters that make up the many fruits and vegetables stuffed toys partially handcrafted but whole-heartedly made by mothers at the Gawad Kalinga foundation at GK Enchanted Farm.

His partners, namely Howard Lorenzo, Ainee Idanan, and Coco Castro Cruz, were equally glad to tell their participation in the very first Filipino brand of stuffed toys that are indeed colorful and durable for all ages to play with, or even just display at home or even in the office.

We also interviewed Tony Meloto, the founder of Gawad Kalinga, and has his video message for everyone whom he encourages to support the Plush and Play brand. He said that it's ironic that it takes a French man to make this move in changing the mindset of our people in supporting Filipino brand of toys. We should be giving our kids something truly Filipino-made to play with so that it will eventually cascade to the betterment of both our people and economy. We should all be prioritizing in helping every Filipino endeavor so that we would all benefit from it.

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8Layer Academy visited us on September 3, 2015 to present the winning teams who bagged the 3 top places in the Hack UP competition recently held at the GT Toyota building of the University of the Philippines over the previous weekend.

The winners were from the following very promising apps: "Pulong", "Tara" and "Identinantion" that all had a common theme of "culture." These apps were designed to highlight related ways to bring the people closer to the Philippine culture as they respectively tackle the somewhat negative "Filipino time" culture and how to sort of address it by making people more aware of their current location during a call for a meeting, a more innovative way to gather people for culture-related events, and another app that seeks to bridge the gap to how little or wrong we know of the Philippine culture.

These young minds all seek to provide answers to the problems of society through this hackathon, and many more of its other runs at different venues all targeting the youth specifically college students.

I'm still waiting for their official press release so I can help share to you their accomplishments but I'm just too excited to share this already. These kind of news are the ones that we really need to support as they help build a more constructive hobby or past time for the youth. What could be better than spending your time and talent thinking of ways to improve the nation.

Mercato Centrale is Now Even Better at its New Location

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We interviewed co-founder RJ Ledesma, the man who wears many hats, and tried out the equally many dishes available at the new spot of the always festive Mercato Centrale that is now located at 25th street corner 5th avenue of Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. Here you'll see the "Between the Lines" astronaut mural created by the art duo Cyrcle from Los Angeles. The mural is actually more popularly known as "The Spaceman."

The new location is just opposite The Forum building where some restaurants are also located but I guess they may now have something to fear every Friday and Saturday, 6pm-‐3am, as Mercato Centrale offers so much with very affordable prices to boast. You'll be able to buy a meal here for only an average of Php 100 only, with quality that is comparable to other dishes served at top restaurants.

RJ Ledesma mentions some of his highly recommended brands in the video interview and encourages everyone to check all the others as they truly offer excellent choices.

In my case, I've got to try five dishes from the food stalls offering churros (Don Churro), cheesesteak (Ultimate Cheesesteak), Garlic Chicken rice meal (Edgy's Food Trip), layered crepe (Cakes by K ) and lasagna (Chicago Pizza). There was a Php 100 food coupon from Auntie May's that says it's good for the next visit, but the owner, Auntie May herself, gave the blessing to serve it to me already and even allowed me to not pay additional because the Angus Beef Salpicao dish was worth more than Php 100. Also, another coupon from JD's Takoyaki bought me 4 pieces of the yummy street food.

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Now making their presence felt in the Philippines is a new product that will change the way you eat bread. The product comes with different fillings but the outside appearance all look the same except for the colors of the Japanese writings in the wrapping.

The Hattendo Japanese Chilled Creams Buns were sort of weird at first touch because I was totally surprised it was cold, or as they say "chilled." I'm not really used to having cold buns for snacks, but I gave it a try. Why not? I asked myself. This was my first time to try something like this but definitely liked the product at my very first bite.

It was actually on display at an event that I attended on August 27, 2015 so the curiosity within me stepped in to inquire about the product from always want to try something new. Thus I immediately approached the lady who was attending to the Hattendo booth. There I found out from her that it was free for tasting, and she asked me to get one that I like. I asked for a recommendation on which flavor was the best and she gave me three choices. I chose the Custard flavor, and gladly can say I enjoyed it up to the last bite.

I found myself coming back to ask for more because I wanted to try out the other flavors like Matcha, Azuki Bean and many others, and luckily got to eat my second piece of Hattendo Japanese chilled cream bun that day, of which eventually they approached me and said that they will give me a few more in exchange of a blog review. They probably realized I liked it so much so they're giving me a great chance to splurge on the product. I agreed because that's great news that will also give me the opportunity to share it with my wife and kids.

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You friendly neighborhood Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas was invited at the media and VIP event of the PhilBike Expo 2015 event for its opening ceremonies and press conference plus the biking stunts exhibition of the three cycling superstars who visited the Philippines event from Spain, France and Italy, namely Viki Gomez, Matthias Dandois, and Vittorio Brumotti.

The PhilBike Expo is the country’s first and largest trade and consumer show dedicated to the promotion and development of cycling. Top and up-and-coming bicycle and sports brands put their best and latest wares on display and testing for the ever-growing local riding community. An indoor MTB track and BMX street park was also available for both play and competitions.

We took a special video coverage of almost everything so you could also see what went on during the first day of the event that was not yet open to the public. Sadly, I missed out on Vittorio's exhibition as it was scheduled far later in the afternoon of the same day. I actually waited for his turn but unfortunately I was waiting at the wrong end of the SMX halls. I thought he will also be doing his stunts at the same platform where BMX Bikers Matthias and Viki performed noontime.

Below are the videos I took of the event, plus interviews with two of the cyclist. Photo ops with the three cycling superstars are also here, plus photo coverage within the videos to be uploaded soon at our official Facebook page. Check out more videos at our YouTube channel.

Also here are the profile of the two cyclist as per official press release of the organizers.