Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Renting a Condo in the Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!

It's not surprising that more expats than ever before are choosing to rent condos in the Philippines. The Philippines, an archipelago in South East Asia is located between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea making it a wonderful place to stay and rent a condo, whether short or long term.

These beautiful islands are renowned for their:

Idyllic beaches
Friendly locals
Diverse countryside
Tropical climate
Delicious cuisine
Relaxing atmosphere

The relatively low cost of living compared to the west is another reason why renting a condo in the Philippines is proving to be extremely popular. Condominium living in the Philippines is a practical option giving you a good idea of what to expect in this part of South East Asia. Condos offer the comfort of a traditional home design with the latest fashion in mind. There's no doubt, living in condominium definitely has its perks when you are within walking distance of stunning beaches, shopping malls, restaurants, bars and cafes.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

One of the most popular family that sings together during the 80s is once again in the Philippines for their Greatest Hits Tour.

Your Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas was invited to attend their Greatest Hits Tour press conference held on November 4, 2015 at the new Novotel hotel located at Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City. The hotel serves as their temporary home during their stay in the Philippines.

The Jets will be celebrating their 30th Anniversary in the music industry at a concert on November 6, 2015 at the Kia Theater located also at Araneta Center.

Members of the media got the rare privilege to interview and have photo ops with 5 of the siblings. I am proud to say we were the very first one to request for a photo ops with them while they were on the elevated platform where the press conference was held. We have video coverage of both media Q & A and their a cappella performances, including a personal interview with them.

You can view the videos below (divided into several parts for viewing convenience), or check them at our YouTube channel, or at our new Dailymotion channel. Links to the videos will also be posted at the Facebook fan page of Wazzup Pilipinas.

Travel Weekly Asia Readers Name AirAsia as Best Low Cost Carrier!

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AirAsia took home the coveted title of Best Low Cost Carrier at the inaugural 2015 Travel Weekly Asia Reader’s Choice Awards as voted by the leading travel trade magazine’s strong base of readers comprising of seasoned travellers and industry players.

Readers of Travel Weekly Asia magazine casted their votes from 14 August to 25 September 2015 on www.travelweekly-asia.com to choose their favourite travel and hospitality establishments out of 31 award categories ranging from airlines, cruise lines to travel agencies and hotel chains.

Mr Logan Velaitham, CEO of AirAsia Singapore received the award on behalf of the AirAsia Group at the award ceremony held yesterday in Singapore.

“On behalf of AirAsia Group, we are both delighted and proud to be recognized as the Best Low Cost Carrier among the readers of Travel Weekly Asia. Each award received is a testament to the hard work and determination of 17,000 AirAsia Allstars around the globe and it drives us to develop even better products and services for our guests. We would like to thank everyone for voting for us," said Logan.

This is the first Travel Weekly Reader’s Choice Awards that is held in the Asia region as the spin-off of its American version which has been running for over a decade now in the United States. The Travel Weekly Asia Reader’s Choice Award will be presented annually to industry leaders as recognition for their service and product excellence, voted by the magazine’s pool of discerning readers.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"I was taken by the power that savoring a simple cup of coffee can have to connect and create community" -Howard Schultz

Are you aspiring for success but do not know where to start? How about being competent on how a business works. Today’s generation is fuelled with fresh and brilliant ideas and all they need is a push to make it happen.

In pursuit of its objectives to promote academic excellence, efficient and effective usage of existing resources, and creativity and artistry within and beyond the organization, the University of the Philippines' Junior Executive Society (UPJES), together with Sun Life Financial and John Robert Powers, has organized UPJES KAPEHAN 2015: Enhancing the Business Competence of the Next Generation of Innovators, a symposium of the College of Economics and Management of University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) that will be held on the 9th of November 2015 at the NCAS Auditorium from 9am to 12nn, where the attendees are taught to pursue academic excellence and perform social responsibility though serving people by uplifting economic and entrepreneurial awareness.

Be the next business success story, don't miss the opportunity to attend this event.

Guest speakers at the event are Jamie Solivas-Dayacap, Senior Associate in Bengzon Negre Untalan Intellectual Property Attorneys; Luis Arcanghel, CEO of Montgomery and Fitch Associates; Glenn Baticados, Entrepreneur and Assistant Professor in College of Economics and Management (CEM) of UPLB.

WazzupPilipinas.com is a proud media partner together with Rappler and Monster RX 93.1.

Other sponsors are Birkenstock, and Gardenia.

Free coffee and snacks will be served. Admission is free!

For more information, you can reach our Facebook page at facebook.com/Upjes.kapehan15 or email us at upjes95@gmail.com.

Globe Invests In Employee Development; Launches Globe University Campus

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Strongly believing that employee engagement will further drive company growth and performance, Globe Telecom recently launched its first Globe University campus, showcasing the company’s commitment to invest in its people, motivating them towards personal and professional development.

Globe Telecom’s success as the leading mobile brand in the country is attributed in part to its efforts to create wonderful work environment for its employees, which in turn helps spin the company’s Circle of Happiness., a philosophy rooted in the belief that happy and engaged employees create more opportunities for better products and services which Globe customers enjoy. Happy customers, in turn, circle back towards increased growth and revenues for higher shareholder value.

The Globe University campus follows the design of the The Globe Tower, the leading telecommunication provider’s headquarters in Bonifacio Global City, which seeks to create an environment that reflects its vibrant culture and passion for technology. The campus features 5 studios or training rooms that can accommodate 18-25 people, pods or meeting rooms that can accommodate 8-12 people, a function hall called Collaborate, which can accommodate up to 200 people, a cafeteria called Munch and workstations in an area called Create. A planned expansion of its facilities would also include a design studio for digital learning, a test lab for networking training, a boutique for Globe and Globe University branded items, a Globe University Art Gallery as well as additional training rooms and meeting areas.

The Globe University campus supports the company’s talent development program that aims continuous progression of knowledge, skills, and attitude of Globe employees. Expanding its academic programs, Globe University now has five academies: namely Sales and Marketing, Technical, Professional Leadership, and Culture.

Boodle Fight at Sebay Surf Resort of La Union

Wazzup Pilipinas!

A "boodle fight" type of lunch or dinner, whether it's laid out on banana leaves, or any kind of layout, as in our case - something like a decorated bamboo tray filled with various viands along with the rice, soups and sauces, always adds that extra excitement for everyone that's partaking the meal.

The thought of sharing the festive meal with friends, colleagues, relatives or even total strangers, always brings out a smile in everyone's faces as they dig into the different dishes served in a seemingly big plate composed of an assortment of seafood, meat and vegetables.

The dining experience becomes even better when everyone is really hungry (like coming from a long trip so we can cover the 10th La Union Surfing Break). We just came from a five hour travel from Makati to San Juan, La Union specifically at Urbiztondo where our temporary home, Sebay Surf Resort, is located. This is also where most of our meals will be served.

Sometimes even if you're not that hungry, the sight of the boodle meals turns everyone into seemingly starving lunatics as they even eat with their bare hands. You do have the option to still use utensils as many of us did since it's our very first time to meet, but eventually if you give us more time and opportunities to do the same, we should soon be comfortable using our hands.

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HoReCa (hotel resto cafe & catering) Philippines is a non-profit organization that aims to reinforce the Filipino values and culture through acts of social entrepreneurship in the realm of Philippine Tourism and Hospitality Industry.

It hosted its first intimate gathering of HoReCa Leaders dubbed as "The HoReCa Leaders' Night" on October 28, 2015 at the Linden Suites in Ortigas Center.

The HoReCa event gathers the biggest hotel GMs, restaurant cafe and catering owners in the country.

To kick off the HoReCa Leaders' Night, one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the Philippines shared his story of inspiration from being zero to hero.

Mr. Jose Mari Del Rosario, the 2015 Ernst and Young Industry Entrepreneur of the Year, charmed the audience with his success stories and anecdote of failures that led him to where he is today. Mr. Del Rosario also heads the Microtel by Wyndham as President and CEO.

Also present at the event were HoReCa founder, Triccia Dacer; Mercato Centrale Group of Companies founder, RJ Ledesma; The Croque Cafe and Gruppo Kusinero President, Alexandra Ann Alaba; Linden Suites General Manager, Dominic Dorol; Bluewater Resorts Vice President Margarita Munsayac; The Burgery co-owners JC De Vera and Karlo Rono; The Wild Juan owner and San Miguel Corporation Special Projects for Business Development Thelma Dumpit-Murillo; and Acacia Hotel General Manager, Bobby Horigan.

I also met Microtel by Wyndham Director of Marketing Mary Grace T. Magnaye; The Linden Suites Director of Sales and Marketing Janice Ian Vicente; The Linden Suites Account Manager Nicole Marionette De Castro; The Linden Suites Marketing and Communications Manager Bianca de la Merced; Broadcaster and Columnist Vivien Mangalindan; and Pink Pumpkin's Kitchen and Pink Opal Jewelries owner Rosena Dixie Ruta.

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The largest sports media property in Asian history, One Championship, held its press conference for the December 11, 2015 One: Spirits of Champions titanic matches at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. The presscon was on Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at the City of Dreams in Pasay.

World-renowned Muay Thai stylist and 8-time Grappler's Quest Champion, Brandon "The Truth" Vera, and the Philippines' most talented young bantamweight, Mark "Mugen" Striegl, were present to answer the inquiries of the members of the media.

When Vera was asked what could be the weakness of Parry that could help bring him down, Vera replied that Parry is quite slow so he will take advantage of his speed in putting Parry down on maybe at the 4th or 5th round.

Vera was also thinking of letting people experience the championship belt so he plans to leave it in the Philippines to be loaned to Filipino fans if he wins at the December 11 match against Parry. Vera also plans to look for Whang Od, the oldest living traditional tattoo artist from Kalinga, after the fight so he could also be honored with her craftsmanship.

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Michelin continues its advocacy for road safety by holding more Fill up with Air safety campaigns in Metro Manila and CALABARZON. The events were held at S&R Membership Shopping Parking Lot at Imus, Cavite on Friday, September 18, and S&R Congressional Ave., in Quezon City on September 25. More FUWA events will be organized in the rest of the branches in the coming months.

Michelin, the leading tire company, is dedicated to sustainably improving the mobility of goods and people by manufacturing and marketing tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles/motorcycles, earthmovers, farm equipment and trucks. It also offers electronic mobility support services on ViaMichelin.com and publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases.

The Fill Up with Air Campaign aims to raise awareness among motorists on the importance of correct tire pressure and maintenance for vehicular safety and fuel efficiency.The campaign involves giving a free tire safety check and safety advice by the Michelin tire experts.

Fill Up with Air is a Michelin global initiative to increase public consciousness for road and public safety.

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Who says you need to take a flight to go to Japan? Hallohallo Inc. is going to give you two ways to experience Japan from north to south of Manila.

Register, be cool, and go shop at Cool Japan Shop!

This October, say konnichiwa to Japan, southern peeps! Hallohallo Inc. opened their new Japanese-themed concept store at Festival Supermall Alabang, Cool Japan Shop (CJS). Feel the exclusivity as we offer you a membership shopping experience. CJS gives you a membership card that can be used to purchase items at Cool Japan Shops, you can also use the card when shopping at Hallo Hallo Mall and Hallo Hallo Town.

There's more! CJS offers unique and authentic Japanese items ranging from food to clothing, as well novelty items, and many more. So, express yourself and be original. Don’t worry if you’re not an Otaku, we know you want it and we love you for that!

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Burgoo Tomas Morato now serves big breakfast starting from 9 am.

Yes! You read it right. Your favorite American Bar and Restaurant has now began serving breakfast starting October 26, 2015 for early bird customers looking for a satisfying meal in the early hours of the morning. We know that most establishments open late in the morning so there really are very little choices except for fast food chains that offer less fulfilling meals.

Now, Burgoo has joined the restaurants offering "almusal" or "breakfast" with choices of Continental or Filipino favorites giving us plenty of options to choose from.

"Big Breakfast" is accurate as the servings are indeed big for its very reasonable price. The prices starts at only Php 145 which gives you great value for your hard-earned money and a very satisfied tummy to start your day right with a hearty smile.

Since the Burgoo Tomas Morato branch is not located inside a mall, it is not restricted to mall hours of operation thus the "Big Breakfast" meals are born to our delight. I believe they are able to serve breakfast in very large serving since they are also not paying too much on building rentals. But hopefully they would be opening up equally independent branches that would also serve the same "Big Breakfast."

A few days before Halloween, or more popularly known as All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day or "Undas" for us Filipinos, we were invited by Burgoo to try out their breakfast meals for the very first time, and we were surprised to be the only guest of the restaurant that day. Since it was a Monday, and the very first day they would offer the "Big Breakfast" meals, we are proud to say we were among the first to experience a fabulous treat that was surely big enough for any individual who wants to begin their day with a heavy feast.

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Here are the following price adjustments as advised by oil companies on petroleum products as of this writing:

OIL

Pilipinas Shell: P0.25/L on gasoline; P0.10/L on kerosene

Chevron: P0.25/L on gasoline; P0.10/L on kerosene

* No adjustments on Diesel products.

*Both companies mentioned to adjust the following prices effective 6:00a.m. today (03 November 2015).

LPG

Solane; Gasul; and Petronas: P2.95/kg

*Adjustments for Solane; Gasul; and Petronas are effective today (02 November 2015)

Liquigaz: P2.50/kg effective 12:01 a.m. today (03 November 2015)

Eastern Petroleum: P2.90/kg effective 6:00 a.m. today (03 November 2015).

For your reference and use please.

Judicaël Perroy in Manila: From Bach to Villa-Lobos

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Independent Philippine Art Ventures (iPav) and Alliance Français de Manille (AFM) present an outstanding French guitarist in a concert at 7pm on November 12, Abelardo Hall, UP College of Music in Diliman.

Judicaël Perroy is one of the most sought-after classical guitarists on the world stage. He has had rave reviews not only as a concertist but as an inspiring teacher as well. His students have also won the most prestigious international awards.

During his stay November 11-15, Perroy will hold a master class for the country's most promising young guitarists to teach them theory and technique in one-on-one sessions.
To open the concert are multi-awarded Filipino guitarists Roneil Santos and Aaron Aguila, from the UP College of Music.

IPav was founded by classical guitarists and enthusiasts and has formed a solid alliance with AFM to promote classical music in the Philippines.
Concert tickets are available from TicketWorld and iPav.

Inquiries may also be addressed to ipavinc@gmail.com.

Why You Should Visit The Philippines

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There really has never been a better time to visit the Philippines. The country which is surrounded by a mass of jaw-dropping islands is a relatively well kept secret. In 2012 it was noted that whilst around 800,000 UK travellers jetted off to Thailand, only 120,000 headed to the Philippines. We have no idea why?! This vast archipelago is known for its rice fields, wacky painted jeepneys and the happy go lucky people populating its teeming cities. It has some beautiful beaches and water sports that will knock your socks off. Island hopping is a common endeavour for travellers looking to find that perfect spot. Scenic views abound if you’re looking for those perfect shots for your Instagram.

The Philippine climate is unforgiving. It is hot humid and tropical. Therefore travelling long distances can be somewhat uncomfortable. If you can handle the heat however, there is so much to see. The Philippines boasts some exceptional historical monuments to take in during your stay. The breathe-taking landmarks of Cebu are totally worth a visit. Soak up as much of the culture of these exceptional archipelagos as possible! The world heritage site in Banaue, North Luzon is accessible via Manilla where buses run regularly. Be prepared for a 9 hour journey but the stupendous views are worth the lengthy travel time. It’s extremely cost effective too. Bus fares can be purchased for £7 and a guide for the whole day for only £10.

The islands are home to vast amounts of wildlife. In addition to the native water buffalo there is another creature which famously calls the Philippines home. The tarsier, famous as one of the world’s smallest primates and inspiration for the character of Yoda in the Star Wars films is native to Bohol. The tiny, nocturnal creature has eyes which cover three quarters of its head and an exceptionally long middle finger- hence its name (tarsus bone). These cute creatures are currently in danger due to agricultural developments destroying their habitats. The Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary near Corella is worth a visit if you want the chance to get up close to the tiny primates.

Although The Philippines boasts some spectacular scenery and cultural delights, you can still expect to be connected to the world at large. Large masts are erected all around to be sure you’re never far away from a connection. Your Instagram posts can be uploaded immediately and you never have to miss your favourite new bingo sites 2016.

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This November, 80’s pop sensation, The Jets, is coming over to the Philippines for a two-night performance as part of their part of The Jets Live! 30th Anniversary Greatest Hits Tour.

Meet the musical Wolfgramm family from Minneapolis, Minnesota – Moana, Haini, Leroy, Rudy, Eddie, Natalia and Donnie on November 6, Friday, 7PM at the newly renovated The Kia Theatre, and on November 8, Sunday, 7PM at the Waterfront Cebu Hotel and Casino.

Originally, from the island of Tonga in the South Pacific, The Jets have made their way around the world with three world tours, and all the way to the top of US Billboard Charts, claiming eight (8) top ten hits that include Philippine #hugotfavorites “You Got It All,” “Make It Real,” the upbeat “Crush On You,” and their 1989 Grammy-nominated song for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group, “Rocket 2 U.”

This is The Jets’ third time in the Philippines, after many years since their last show more than twenty years ago.

“We’re very excited,” says Moana, on their invitational video out now on RandomMinds Production Facebook Page.

They close the video like an ace performer, with a sampling of their signature harmony, singing “Give us one more chance to make it real,” in a cappella.

Tickets to The Jets Live! 30th Anniversary Greatest Hits Tour are now available at all SM Tickets and Ticketnet outlets.