Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Monday, October 12, 2015

Strong Tourist Influx, Economic Growth Spur Serviced Apartment Developments

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The recent years have witnessed an upswing in the tourism industry. According to Colliers International’s Second Quarter 2015 Research and Forecast Report on the Philippines, the number of foreign arrivals to the country improved in the first five months of 2015, with year-to-date 2015 figures representing an 8.15% rise from the same period in 2014.

With this trend is the growing need to improve the quality of destinations and the availability of more accommodations in more parts of the country. Of particular note is the entry of a new kind of accommodation: the serviced apartment — a fully-furnished apartment with amenities usually available in hotels. It is a cheaper alternative to hotels, making it ideal for both short and long term stays.

“The booming economy equals new businesses, which equals to more executives looking for efficient places to live in the central business districts in the Philippines,” said Andrew Sparrow, Development Director for Dusit Thani Residences Davao.

Dusit Thani Residences Davao is Dusit International’s bid to add to the serviced residences options in the Philippines. The international hotel brand has recently opened its showroom for Dusit Thani Residences Davao. This is the first Dusit Thani Residences in Asia-Pacific, as the company’s other serviced apartments are located in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The property is scheduled for turnover in 2018.

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With its full range of ICT solutions, Globe Business has become the preferred ICT partner of leading companies in the Philippines

Enterprises looking to maintain a competitive advantage are now relying more heavily on information and communications Technology (ICT) to improve productivity, promote innovation, and speed up the time to market their products and services. The ability to digitize and simplify business-critical operations and management systems continues to grow in importance, since companies need to find ways to keep up as new trends become available and prepare for an eventual business expansion.

To address this, companies are now turning to a partner who understands not only the requirements of their business, but also delivers innovative and relevant solutions as well as consistent superior customer service that will bring forth a meaningful and long-lasting partnership. Enterprises have found that partner in Globe Business.

Globe Business powers close to 10,000 leading corporations, enterprises and companies spanning the spectrum of various industries in the country such as business process outsourcing, manufacturing, financial institutions, services, transport and logistics, healthcare and retail, among many others.

Globe Business has stepped up to the challenge of collaborating with its enterprise clients by allowing them to define and achieve the benefit they need. As the enterprise information and communications technology arm of leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom, Globe Business has been maximizing its full capacity to help make businesses perform at an optimum level with its comprehensive portfolio of mobility, connectivity, business voice, collaboration, business-enabling and IT-enabled services.

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My daughter's classmates went to visit our home last Sunday after a grouping nearby for a school project so I decided to pause my work for a while and let them be downstairs so they would be comfortable without parents looking into and hearing their discussions. My son, who was upstairs when they arrived, also went down to join them as he is also fond of meeting people especially if it's her sisters friends.

I went upstairs to our bedroom to have a short nap but fell asleep for several minutes only to woke up at the sound of laughter and singing. True enough, the teens were all happily having a great time by themselves and doing all sorts of stuff like hearing each other sing and tell stories.

An idea struck in mind when I heard them discussing about my son's singing voice and giving suggestions on how he could improve it. I went down bringing along the Plush and Play stuffed toys along with my camera and directly suggested my idea to the kids. I asked them if they can use their talent to come up with a story involving the stuffed toys which I can take videos of and eventually upload online.

I was in luck because they were all in to it. They loved the idea and went on to think of an impromptu story and coming up with personalities that would match the stuffed toys. They were all keen on making the story relevant to the current issues of today involving political and showbiz characters.

Mystery Affair: A Speed Dating Event by Telu Events (Updated)

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Blood. Black roses. Guns. Candles. Can you keep a secret?

On October 31, let Telu Events present to you a one-of-a-kind Halloween event you shouldn’t missed.

After a successful Valentines special at Oz Bar, Holiday Inn & Suites Makati, Telu Events will once again set the tone for Halloween with their event entitled “Mystery Affair: A Speed Dating Event”, and take you back in the 1920’s to search not only for the suspect, but for friendship, and maybe love?

All single ladies and gentleman aged 23 – 35 years old are invited to attend. Only 25 pairs will be accommodated for the event. Speed daters are mostly professionals, with Telu Events making sure that they screen the participants according to age group and personality profiling so everyone will find a match. Participants will be given 5 minutes to know their dates before the bell rings to signify to move on to the next.

As quoted from their previous participants:

“It was a fun event. The participants are diverse and interesting. Thanks and good job Telu! J ”

Thank you for the great service! :) Great job on the concept as well, it was very consistent.

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The Philippine Department of Energy (DOE) is ready to welcome the arrival of more than 200 delegates from Member Economies, including the United States, Japan, People's Republic of China, Russia, and Thailand, among others for the 12th APEC Energy Ministers’ Meeting (EMM12) on 12-14 October 2015 in Cebu.

In addressing the changing energy climate affected by natural and human-induced disasters, Energy Ministers will convene for the EMM12 to set directions and discuss various best practices on climate-proofing energy infrastructures, avenues for promoting cutting edge energy efficiency technologies, community-based clean energies to help alleviate poverty, and most importantly, facilitating energy trade and investment in the APEC community.

The Ministers are also expected to come up with what will be called “the Cebu Declaration” embodying and focusing on plans and strategies “Towards an Energy Resilient APEC Community.” The Energy Working Group will be tasked by the Energy Ministers to develop and implement Action Plans to carry out the agreements to be finalized in the Declaration and may cover the following areas:

— Resiliency of Energy Infrastructures
— Energy Investments
— Low Carbon Development/Clean Energy technologies
— Energy-water Nexus
— Eco-tourism Sites
— Regional Standards on Energy Products and Services
— Inventory and Mapping of Energy Resources
— Human Resources Development
— Gender Fair Approaches in Energy

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Pop star Sarah Geronimo was recently announced as the new celebrity endorser of Michaela, a Filipino brand specializing in bags, shoes, pouches, umbrellas and other fashionable ladies' accessories created by Goldnines International.

A celebration was held at the Activity Center of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong where several friends from the media, partners, customers and all mall-goers were able to witness Sarah Geronimo perform live two of her popular songs matched with her amazingly cute dance moves.

Sarah is very proud to support a Filipino brand that equally came from humble beginnings just as she was. Many have seen the Michaela brand grow from way back to 2005 up to what it is right now that's totally a favorite ladies brand.

We should support Filipino-made products since they would eventually translate to a better economy for the country. As they say, love our own so that many of our Filipino entrepreneurs would be encourage to setup their own business in the country for the benefit of the Filipinos.

Sarah Geronimo has remained humble inspite of her royalty status as one of the most popular singers and actresses of the Philippines. Her albums and movies remained to be always a hit whenever she has launched or released one. She is a real inspiration for many who would like to aspire to be a top entertainer.

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We’re back for another Encore! That’s right, the Encore 2 just got a new upgrade! Still armed with the Kitkat OS as well as the AllWinner A33 Quad Core, it’s still twice as fast as the original. Only now, it comes equipped with the HD capacitive touch screen (1024*600 pixels, 16:9) and an increased storage capacity! Double the speed, double the power all wrapped in a sleek 7” tablet. We’ve stepped up the Encore 2u because we believe you deserve the most amazing user experience possible. Consider it, our gift 2 u.

Now available in all Ekotek branches* for only P2999**
No time to hit the mall? We’re also available online: http://j.mp/ekoteklazada

We’ve got branches in SM Megamall, SM North EDSA, SM Fairview, SM Muntinlupa, SM Las Piñas, SM City Pampanga, SM City Clark, SM San Fernando Downtown, SM Southmall, SM San Mateo, SM Manila, SM Valenzuela, Victory Mall Pasay and Victory Mall Antipolo

*SRP. Online Prices are subject to change.

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Your Pambansang Blog ng Pilipinas (National Blog of the Philippines), Wazzup Pilipinas, was invited to become an official media partner of the Mr. and Ms. Great Bodies of Slimmers World (Asia’s leader in slimming, health, fitness and beauty) several weeks ago so as an added support for the event, I invited them to guests in the Vigattin Radio of Radyo Inquirer DZIQ 990 AM where I co-anchor with Elison "Vigattin" Barcelo and the Cheerleader of the Startup Community, Professor Arne Barcelo.

Since there is very little room at our radio booth to fit all 32 candidates, we only were able to allow six candidates to guest, along with some of the people from Slimmers' World responsible in managing the event and the candidates themselves.

I asked them to be there as early as 9:30 am so we could do some briefing and photo/video profiling of the candidates. I could use the photo and videos as a promotional material to get the interest of my readers about the event which will be happening six weeks from now.

Within those six weeks, the candidates would have plenty of time (if matched with discipline and determination) to be as fit and fab as possible in time for the two separate pre-judging and grand finale this November.

Sarah Geronimo is New Celebrity Endorser of Michaela Ladies' Fashion Accessories by Goldnines International

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Watch out for our special video and photo coverage of Sarah Geronimo as celebrity endorser of Michaela - a Filipino brand of bags, shoes, pouches, umbrellas and other ladies accessories. Let's love our own. Let's love Filipino brands.

The grand launch that formally introduced Sarah Geronimo as brand ambassador was held at the Activity Center of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong on the night of October 10, 2015. It was also a celebration of the 10th anniversary of Goldnines International, the company behind Michaela.

Thus, many fans from the mall shoppers and tenants, and the invited guests, media and partners of Goldnines International, were able to witness Sarah performing live two of her popular songs that were matched with her very lively dance moves.

There was also a special interview done on stage with the event hosts, and a raffle where the winners were drawn by Sarah herself. The winners get the opportunity for a later up close and personal meet and greet complete with photo ops and selfies with the pop star royalty.

Michaela: A Decade of Style, Inspiration and Dedication to Women

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In the year 2005 at the heart of Binondo Manila, Goldnines International Co., Ltd., the company behind Michaela, open its first boutique located in Juan Luna street offering its first line of lady's bags designed to fit the Filipino woman's lifestyle.

The well-known active district paved the way for the company to be prosperous and fruitful allowing them now to expand their operations in the Visayas and Mindanao region.

From its humble beginnings to being a well-known creators of lady's bags in the market, the company has diversified its product line to cater to different groups.

The birth of ABkD bags, which caters to fashionable teens, and AYLA bags, its premium brand for sophisticated and classy young women enabled Goldnines to successfully carry out their mission of providing high quality and stylish products in the fashion industry.

Today, after 10 fruitful years of growth, style, inspiration and dedication for women; Goldnines International is proud to present its first ever brand endorser for MICHAELA bags, shoes and umbrella; the pop star royalty Ms. Sarah Geronimo.

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This month, get your tools out and stock up on popcorn as DMAX brings back three of your favorite shows on automobile and jet restoration, refurbishment and even repossession!

The CAR CHASERS are back for a second season - which means more cars, more transformations and bigger deals. CAR CHASERS season 2 premieres on Monday, October 12, at 8:10 p.m.

Dan Short is an automotive force of nature. He does whatever it takes to restore cars to the highest possible standard, and he doesn’t care who he has to steamroll, charm or sandblast along the way. Dan knows that each car is a powder keg of hidden surprises and problems to be solved, and the only way that a restoration will succeed is if the owner is as committed to the restoration as Dan and his team. Witness top class automobile restorations in the all-new episodes of FANTOMWORKS, premiering on Tuesday, October 13, at 8:10 p.m.

Few men can make it in the high stakes game of airplane repossession, and AIRPLANE REPO follows them on their clandestine missions. Banks and creditors call these guys to outfox deadbeat owners and recover the expensive aircraft – they are the best of the best in what they do. The latest episodes of AIRPLANE REPO premieres on Wednesday, October 28 at 8:10 p.m.

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Globe Telecom provides the fastest LTE service in the Philippines, affirming the superiority of its mobile internet service and network infrastructure amid intensely competitive environment in the local telecommunications industry.

Based on OpenSignal’s State of LTE report for the third quarter of 2015, Globe Telecom’s LTE download speed is at 10 Mbps, double its competition’s LTE download speed of only 5 Mbps. Globe Telecom’s LTE download speed is comparable to territories/countries like Hong Kong (Smart Tone), India (Airtel), Norway (Telenor, Network Norway), Portugal (NOS), Indonesia (Indosat), which all registered a 10 Mbps download speed, and even higher than the 8 Mbps download speed in Russia (MTS), Malaysia (DiGi) and even US (AT&T, US Cellular, Sprint, C Spire Wireless).

While Globe Telecom’s download speed of 10 Mbps is considered adequate, its competition’s download speed of 5 Mbps dragged down the Philippines’ average LTE download speed to 8Mbps. OpenSignal specializes in mobile coverage mapping by crowdsourcing signal strength, data speed and reliability. In terms of LTE coverage, that of Globe is also superior at 41% against its competitor’s 36%.

“These findings prove our success in continuously expanding our network capacities amid ever-increasing demand for high-speed mobile internet access as more and more of our customers build their life and work experiences around a digital lifestyle,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications, noting that about a third of the company’s 48.4 million mobile customers are now using smartphones.

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Over the years, the Philippines has produced some amazing architectural structures that can be considered as national gems, not just for their aesthetics but also for the way they molded the country into to what it is today. Noted Philippine real estate marketplace MyProperty lists 10 of the country’s most historically and culturally significant edifices. From an antique lighthouse to a modern condominium, here are their choices for the most recognizable structures in the country.

The Manila Hotel (Ermita, Manila). Built in 1909, the Manila Hotel is the oldest premiere hotel in the Philippines and was opened in conjunction with the commemoration date of the American Independence. Built on a 35,000 sqm reclaimed area and composed of 570 rooms, the five-star hotel served as the residence of General Douglas MacArthur from 1935 to 1941, and has also hosted worldfamous personalities like the late U.S. president John F. Kennedy, author Ernest Hemingway, actor John Wayne, and entertainer Michael Jackson.

The Gramercy Residences (Makati City). Rising 262 meters in Century City, Makati, The Gramercy Residences is currently the tallest building in the Philippines, dethroning the 259-meter-tall PBCom Tower when the former was officially opened in 2012. Developed by Century Properties, the 73-story condominium’s main attraction is Skypark, which is located at the 36th floor and houses features like a three-story waterfall, lagoon pools, a garden island, and a cantilevering walkway.

Intramuros (Manila). As the oldest district of Manila, Intramuros was the seat of government during the Spanish colonial period. In 1590, the area along the southern bank of Pasig River facing Manila Bay was enclosed with walls 22 feet high and 8 feet thick to protect the government from foreign invaders, earning it the moniker “Walled City.” Declared a historical monument in 1951, Intramuros houses many historically and culturally significant features, such as the Manila Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila; and Fort Santiago, a national shrine and popular tourist destination.

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Do you have thinning hair because of alopecia, menopause or male pattern baldness? Are you going bald and want to have your hair back?

If you don’t want to wear wigs or a hair replacement system, and think you’re not yet ready for a hair transplant, Scalp Micropigmentation, also known as SMP is the novel remedy for baldness. It may be your best bet.

Essentially, scalp micropigmentation (SMP) is a non-surgical hair restoration solution. It is a cutting-edge, non-surgical office-based procedure that is non-invasive and uses sophisticated micro needles that deposit pigment into the scalp. The SMP technique replicates tiny hair follicles to restore thinning hair and resemble its previous density.

Does it hurt? Not really. During the SMP procedure, you may feel a bit of discomfort in certain areas of the scalp. But the discomfort wears off once the procedure is complete.

Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) uses a digitally controlled machine combined with tiny needles that are tinier compared to typical tattoo needles, but it is not a tattoo. The pigment used is much less concentrated and does not have the chemical additives found in tattoo ink. It doesn’t penetrate the skin as deeply as normal tattooing and the color can be matched to your natural color, even if you go gray. The effect is natural, as the needles mimic individual hair follicles and gives the look of a full, youthful head of cropped hair.

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October is SIDS Awareness Month. One of the most crucial information parents need to know is how to protect their babies while sleeping. Babies spend up to 16 hours sleeping in their first year of life. It is often during sleep that babies are left unattended, and yet this is when they are most at risk of suffocation and Sudden Infant Death (SIDS) – a sudden, unexpected death of an otherwise healthy and normal baby during sleep.

For safer sleep, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests using a wearable blanket instead of loose blankets to keep your baby warm. Remove all blankets, pillows, comforters and toys from your baby’s sleep area. Your baby’s crib should have nothing inside except a tight fitted sheet and only your baby in a wearable blanket.

Halo Sleep Sack Philippines (www.halophilippines.com), through its #SafeSleepPH campaign, aims to educate Filipino parents on the importance of safe sleep for babies.

The HALO SleepSack is an award-winning wearable blanket worn over regular sleepwear as a safer alternative to loose blankets. HALO products are backed by 20 years of SIDS and clinical research. It is the only brand that carries the seals of leading SIDS and safety organizations. All this makes HALO the #1 trusted brand by moms, and the ONLY brand used in over 1,000 US Hospitals.