Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Alex Gonzaga: The First Filipina Face of Proactiv

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Proactiv, the skin care product choice among Hollywood’s elite, has been endorsed by many celebrities especially in Hollywood but there has never been a Filipino who directly endorses it as a brand ambassador from the Philippines.

Now, that has changed because Proactiv finally found the perfect Filipina who embodies the brand. Young, charming and most importantly, a loyal user of Proactiv, actress and comedienne Alex Gonzaga is the first Proactiv Filipino endorser.

“The Proactiv 3-Step System has been an important part of my daily skin care routine for years! It is effective and easy to use. I am so thrilled to be the first Filipina face of Proactiv and tell everyone all about my experience using it,” the 27-year old TV host shares. “Its mild formulation gently exfoliates my skin, removes excess oil and delivers powerful acne-fighting medicine.”

We were there to witness the official launch of Alex Gonzaga as celebrity endorser held at the Buddha Bar Manila in Makati just a few weeks ago. The ever charming and spunky Alex was so proud to be among the many endorsers of the brand.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Women of all ages, sizes, and gender identities… Come out, come all!

Spectrum MNL is back with another serving of what promises to be an awesome themed party that provides a safe space for women – lesbians, bisexuals, queers, pansexuals, asexuals, transgenders, and more – to celebrate their lives and their loves at Queerspotting: Pride Carnivale on October 24 at the Circulo Verde Guest House in Calle Industria.

Following its previous themed events which provided a venue for women to express themselves freely and encouraged them to break free from stereotypes without the threat of prejudice, Queerspotting: Pride Carnivale offers a unique experience that aims to celebrate diversity and empower women of all ages and gender identities through a festive themed party that promises to bring you the whole carnival experience complete with tricks and treats.

Get your costumes ready and come in your fanciest or scariest attire. Best dressed cirqueers (Queer of the Night and Best in Costume) are getting special trophies, free tattoos from Kulture of Ink, P5,000 worth of services from SandreaLee Salon(for Queer of the Night), gift certificates from SOGO Hotel, and a lot more products from our partners and sponsors.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The wait is over.

Drop everything.
Be ready.
Glow under the rays of the UV light.
Together, let's travel the unseen
And reveal the unraveled.

As UST ChES presents:

UNSEEN: Revealing the Unraveled, The UST ChES Grand Acquaintance Night!

Happening this OCTOBER 29, THURSDAY, at the Elements at Centris, Eton Centris, EDSA Corner Quezon Avenue from 5PM-11PM

Ticket Prices:
For ChES Members:
PHP 400 for single purchase
PHP 380 per head for BUNDLES of FIVE

For Non-ChES Members:
PHP 450 for single purchase

U-Hop Offers Mass Transport Ride Sharing Solution to Ease Traffic Problems

Wazzup Pilipinas!

They say the best way to prove that we are visiting a first world country is when you see their rich and affluent citizens riding the public mass transports. Only when we have made our mass transport solutions attractive for even the class As, it is the only time we can claim we have eased our traffic or transport problem, and got rid of infuriated passengers going mad and miserable by the seemingly unending traffic congestions all throughout the day and night of our every waking life.

At a media presentation organized on October 21 at Anabel's Restaurant in Tomas Morato, a new transport network company (TNC) aims to provide a better solution to challenge the already in-placed jurassic transport systems of other companies. We don't exactly know what she is after, but it was long gone now.

Internationally famous Urban Planner Felino "Jun" Palafox was invited to be their speaker at the launch. Above photo shows Jun receiving a trophy for his talk. Jun fully supports the goals of U-Hop and believes that this is one of the best ways to really ease our traffic and transport problems. He discussed his thoughts, ideas and many projects related to urban planning. Check out our video of him soon which I'm going to embed in this blog article as soon as I've uploaded them on YouTube.

It looks like Uber and Grab Car might be saying goodbye to the Philippines real soon because U-Hop is now here to start their operations next week starting with B2B arrangements, then as soon as another board of director from that transport agency of the government signs, they'll be offering to anybody who wants more convenient, comfortable, practical and affordable means of transportation that would directly pick you up from home, school, work, etc and vice versa.

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In support of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Globe Telecom transmitted text messages warning customers of potential danger coming from Typhoon Lando. Only customers in areas affected by the typhoon were given the message.

The move is also in compliance with the Free Mobile Disaster Alerts Act or Republic Act 10639, which requires all telecommunication service providers to send free mobile alerts before disasters such as typhoon happen.

“As mandated by law, Globe is privileged to be a conduit of useful information beneficial in ensuring the safety and security of people. We hope that through dissemination of timely and relevant alerts, Globe is able to assist and contribute to the government’s objective of minimizing casualties,” Globe Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications Yoly Crisanto said.

The mobile alerts include critical information that affected communities can use to prepare for and respond to disasters. The disaster alerts sent by Globe through SMS messaging were directed to customers in Aurora, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Viscaya, Ifugao, Northern Quezon, Polilio Island.

Crisanto said that Globe is also closely coordinating with NDRRMC for the immediate restoration of telecommunication services in areas affected by Typhoon Lando. Outages were caused mainly by power outages while strong winds brought by the typhoon also caused transmission issues. Outages were monitored in the provinces of Aurora, Benguet, Ifugao, Isabela, Kalinga, La Union, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija, Quirino, Tarlac and Zambales.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Halloween is fast approaching. For those who want to take their ghost-hunting experience to a different level this year, a trip to a mountain might be just what they need, as the Philippines is known to have supernatural elements lurking (and sometimes interacting with their visitors) in the depths of their land and mysterious forests.

As the saying goes, “Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints,” but locals say hikers who lived to tell their hair-raising experiences may not have followed this rule and had done something to offend those who dwell in these mountains. Though there are also hikers who insisted that they had prayed, asked permission, and were very respectful of the place and still experienced something out of the ordinary.

For those who’d rather see to believe, or are simply looking to have a good time, MyProperty.ph lists down five mountains in the country that are tied to various tales of mystery and horror.

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Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Loreta G. Ayson was awarded in the recently held ASEAN Energy Awards 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for her valuable contributions in forwarding energy cooperation as Senior Official on Energy (SOE) leader of the Philippines.

Usec. Ayson was awarded a trophy for Excellence in Energy Management along with eight other ASEAN leaders from different countries during the Awards Night last October 7 as part of the Joint Gala Dinner of the 33rd ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting and the ASEAN Energy Business Forum 2015.

The ASEAN Energy Awards, which started in 2000, is Southeast Asia’s prestigious annual awards program that recognizes outstanding work for excellence, creativity, practicality and dedication to a cause in the field of energy.

Usec. Ayson has been with the DOE since 1979 and has served in various capacities until she was appointed as Undersecretary in 2008. She has handled the DOE’s programs on energy efficiency and conservation, alternative fuels, energy research testing and laboratory, information technology management, as well as administration, legal and finance, including the supervision of the DOE Field Offices. She also served as Chairperson of the Policy Advisory Board of the Philippine Efficient Lighting Market Transformation Project and the Project Director of the Philippine Energy Efficiency Project (PEEP). Currently, she handles the Energy Policy and Planning Bureau and the Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Point System.

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The rise of millennial travelers, Filipinos’ increasing spending power, and aggressive expansion of commercial property developers in cities outside Metro Manila -- these are just some of the key trends that will discussed during the upcoming 4th Asia Pacific Real Estate Investment Summit (APREIS), to be held at Solaire Resort & Casino on October 22.

Moderating the discussion on these emerging trends on Philippine real estate is Jacqueline van den Ende, managing director of global property website Lamudi Philippines (www.lamudi.com.ph).

The discussion’s panelists include key people from different sector of the real estate industry. They include Al Legaspi, chief operating officer of Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts, who will share insights on the opportunities and challenges facing the country’s hospitality sector; Henry Co of First Philippine Industrial Park who will discuss industrial real estate; Lars Wittig of Regus Philippines and Michael McCullough KMC MAG Group, who will both tackle office real estate; Joseph Ramil Lombos, chief financial officer of DMCI Homes, to discuss the residential sector; and Lourdes Alano of Robinsons Land and Shaun Kwan of Trakomatic, to share their insights on the key trends in retail.

Among the burning issues to be tackled on during the discussion is how the Philippines can compete with established its Southeast Asian neighbors in terms of attracting foreign visitors, how the country can sustain buoyant consumption to maintain retail boom, and the opportunities for investors in the office sector.

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The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) welcomes the passage of the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) through Republic Act No. 106871 which was signed on October 15 by President Benigno S. Aquino III. The Commission hails it as a Landmark Social Legislation of the Administration benefiting Filipino youth.

Designed to unify all modalities of publicly-funded Student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAPs)—Scholarships, Grants-in-Aid and Student Loans—for Tertiary Education, the UniFAST rationalizes the allocation, utilization and client-targeting of government resources and improves access to quality higher and technical education for those who need it. It shall also serve as the ultimate national human resource development mechanism and strategy that will direct beneficiaries to priority courses needed for economic growth and development. Further, it insulates any StuFAPs modality from political labeling or partisan affiliation.

The idea of a harmonized financial assistance program emerged more than five years ago as a proposal of the NEDA-Social Development Committee, but the real work took place in 2013 after a comprehensive study was conducted by the Philippine Institute of Development Studies. CHED’s current Higher Education Reform Agenda, which deemed UniFAST a priority strategy for access, gave the necessary impetus. The Commission provided continuous technical assistance to both the Lower and Upper Houses of Congress in the formulation and eventual enactment of the Law.

The UniFAST will be governed by a Board composed of the heads of CHED, DOST and TESDA as co-chairs, with the head of DepEd and representatives from DOLE, NEDA and NYC as members. The Board, with the support of a technical secretariat, will ensure program sustainability and safeguard student welfare. It will see to it that standard-setting, client- targeting, fund allocation and prioritization are based on supply/demand situations, prices and inflationary factors, the government human resources development plan and current trends in internationally-shared human resources.

Issued this 21st day of October 2015 at the Higher Education Center Building, C.P. Garcia Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City.

(signed)
Patricia B. Licuanan, Ph.D.
Chairperson

IPR Week to Focus on Cross Border Challenges, Cooperation

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Amid the rise of cross border issues in intellectual property (IP), the program line-up for this year’s IP Week Celebration, to run from 26 to 30 October, puts focus on the regional and international challenges and cooperation relating to IP protection, enforcement and adjudication.

To open this year’s IP Week celebration is the 5th Philippine Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Summit on 26 October at the Marriot Hotel in Pasay City. With the theme “Building Cooperation Across Borders,” the Summit is organized by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the National Committee on IP Rights (NCIPR), the multi-agency taskforce on IP enforcement.

To supplement the presentations and discussions on the latest issues and developments in the Philippine IP enforcement, the organizers have invited foreign speakers to discuss the pressing issues in global IP enforcement and share their respective country experience on the topic. They are Mr. Hideyuki Morooka of the Japan Patent Office; Mr. Nam Ngo Thien, IPR Attaché for South-East Asia of the Embassy of France in Singapore; Mr. Louis Bonnier and Atty. Jean-Pierre Maeder of the Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP); Mr. Cha Tae-won of the Korean Copyright Commission; Mr. Etienne Sanz de Acedo of the International Trademark Association; Mr. Man F. Tse of the National Intellectual Property Rights Center, USA; Mr. Ignacio de Medrano Caballero of the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market; and Mr. Maysa Razavi of the International Trademark Association.

The Summit will also feature the awarding of this year’s IP Champions, a recognition given to the partner individuals and institutions in IP enforcement of the NCIPR and the oath-taking of the newest batch of the Young IP Advocates, an annual IP workshop for students from selected secondary schools.

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We were invited to attend the annual gala night of Jewelmer, a Filipino jeweler brand whose pieces are sold in mainstream stores worldwide, and supplies golden pearls to many international designer brands.

The Jewelmer brand name, put together by Filipino scion Manuel Cojuangco and French pilot and pearl entrepreneur Jacques Branellec, was coined from the English word "jewel" and French word "mer" which means "sea" in English. It is a partnership made several years ago that could be called a divine providence of which eventually resulted to another widely-recognized brand every Filipino should be proud of.

The annual gala was held at the Manila Peninsula Hotel on October 20, 2015 dubbed as "A Journey to the Extraordinary" where the company flaunted new priced pieces of their jewelry collection and new video presentations featuring how Jewelmer came to be.

The celebration was hosted by the adorably stunning Issa Litton, who introduced the two main men behind the brand. Both Cojuangco and Branellec gave their respective messages to the delight of the elite crowd.

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The Department of Energy (DOE), as part of its mandate to ensure sufficiency and reliability of the nationwide electric power supply, is enjoining all stakeholders to render support and assistance in safeguarding power facilities from any obstructions that would affect the continuous supply of electricity to all households and establishments.

“We appeal particularly to the local government units and land owners to cooperate with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the Concessionaire of the national transmission lines, in resolving the transmission issues on right of way and easements,” DOE OIC-Secretary Zenaida Y. Monsada said.

The NGCP reported that landowners in various areas refused to allow their crew members to enter their premises to clear fallen trees and vegetation that pose a threat to the safe and reliable operation of the power lines. NGCP also reported their difficulty in seeking permission to cut trees under transmission lines that eventually cause trippings of lines.

The recent occurrence is a sustained tripping of the Agus 2-Kibawe Line 1 which is caused by a fallen tree cutting the NGCP line conductors. This, as NGCP reported, may result to the isolation of the Agus Units 1 and 2 that are connected to the affected lines.

“To prevent unwarranted power supply disruptions and avoid power-related incidents to occur, Distribution Utilities and NGCP should be given right to access or traverse designated area of the real property to ensure that potential hazards are proactively managed before they encroached on the power lines,” OIC-Sec. Monsada emphasized.

adobo Magazine Presents 2015 adobo Festival of Ideas

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Celebrating the power of creativity, adobo magazine, the word on creativity, presents the 2015 adobo Festival of Ideas to be held at Resorts World Manila's Newport Performing Arts Theater on Saturday, November 7, 2015. The whole-day affair will be filled with a series of collaborative talks featuring luminaries from the advertising and marketing industry.

This year, the Festival explores the theme "Driving the Creative Economy" which takes a look at our industry as a living system that thrives on the exchange of ideas and innovation. How do we nurture healthy symbiotic relationships as we network in real life and online? How do we replenish our creative currency and prevent bankruptcy or burnout? How do freelancers and fully-employed creatives benefit idea-wise (and financially) in a free or mixed creative economy? What is the currency exchange when cross-collaborating? How do we realize the ROI when investing creatively? These issues and more will be addressed when the adobo Festival of Ideas unfolds before its audience.

Targeted towards students and young professionals in communications, marketing, production, design, and multimedia arts, the adobo Festival of Ideas is an opportunity to learn from the industry's movers and shakers as they talk about their field of specialty. The speaker lineup include tandems like Kenneth Cobonpue, internationally acclaimed industrial designer and Manny Ayala, Managing Director of Endeavor Philippines, Ed Mapa Jr., Chief Executive Officer of TBWA\Digital Arts Network and Margot Torres, Deputy Managing Director & EVP of McDonald’s Philippines, Lou Dela Peña, Chief Executive Officer of Publicis Singapore and Paolo Mercado, SVP Communications and Marketing Services of Nestle Philippines, Ramon Jimenez, Jr, Secretary of Department of Tourism and David Guerrero, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of BBDO Guerrero, and Mike Constantino, Managing Director of Brand New Media and Budjette Tan, Deputy Executive Creative Director of McCann Worldgroup Philippines. Solo speakers include: Eric Cruz, Executive Creative Director of AKQA Shanghai, Dan Matutina, designer and illustrator, and Leeroy New, artist, sculptor, and designer.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Artistang Artlets, the Official Theater Guild of the Faculty of Arts and Letters of the University of Santo Tomas, has been in active service to the Thomasian community for the past 35 years. As part of the guild’s thrust to promote theater as an alternative educational tool for the people inside and outside the university, we will be staging our Major Production for this academic year 2015 – 2016.

“Prima Facie” written by John Michael Peῆa is a play to be directed by Jennie Ver Gabon and produced by Shaira Joyce Javier to be staged this October 27, 28, and 29, 2015. Time slots will be 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, and 7pm at the Benavides Auditorium, UST High School Building, University of Santo Tomas.

“Minsan, hindi tunay ang inyong nakikita.”

Inihahandog ng Artistang Artlets, ang opisyal na samahang pang-teatro ng Pakultad ng Sining at Panitik ng Unibersidad ng Santo Tomas, ang “Prima Facie” sa panulat ni John Michael Peña.

Walang sikreto ang hindi nabubunyag.

Ang dulang ito ay tungkol sa isang kandidatong tatakbo sana sa pagka-pangulo ngunit sa isang iglap, siya ay binawian ng buhay.Walang nakakaalam kung paano at ano ang ikinamatay niya maliban sa mga taong nakasama niya nang hapunan bago ang pagkamatay niya.

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The Department of Energy (DOE) assures of adequate supply of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and fuels nationwide. In reports submitted to the DOE, LPG suppliers and oil companies relayed minimal damage sustained by facilities and adequate supply in areas hit by typhoon Lando (International name: Kuppo) over the weekend. However, oil companies stated that gas stations in flooded areas will have to clear debris and check their pumps prior to the resumption of their operations.

“Supply remains sufficient for petroleum products. However, gas stations in areas without power may still be suspended inasmuch as electricity is needed for gasoline pumps to function,” DOE OIC- Secretary Zenaida Y. Monsada said.

The DOE is coordinating with electric cooperatives to prioritize the restoration of power to gas stations to ensure continuity of works in the affected areas. “We are closely coordinating with the oil industry for the stable supply of petroleum products and resumption of retail activities to restore normalcy in businesses and households as quickly as possible,” OIC-Sec. Monsada added.

For updates on energy supply and power restorations, please visit the DOE social media accounts: Facebook:/doe.gov.ph; and Twitter: @doe_ph.