Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Globe Telecom Brings Country’s Biggest Star Wars Play Hub To BGC

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The above photo shows Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu, Senior Advisor for Consumer Business Dan Horan and The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia’s General Manager for Studio Entertainment and International Distribution, Amit Maholtra riding the bus with the Stormtroopers of the 501^st Legion on the way to the Star Wars Park.

Fans enjoyed a complete galactic experience at the Bonifacio High Street Central amphitheater complete with game booths and merchandise displays on December 12-13, 2015

Globe Telecom brought surprises in galactic proportions when it set up the country’s biggest Star Wars play hub at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, taking the Star Wars experience beyond the cinema as Filipinos gear up for the much-awaited international release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on December 17, 2015.

With its comprehensive and multiyear collaboration with The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia whose brands include Star Wars, the leader in digital services and the purveyor of the Filipino digital lifestyle has launched the Globe-Star Wars Galactic Celebration, which transforms the Bonifacio High Street Central amphitheater into a big Star Wars playground on December 12-13, 2015.

Open to the public for free, the Globe-Star Wars Galactic Celebration allowed Star Wars fans and onlookers alike to spend the weekend playing at the game booths, taking photos of famous Star Wars icons and characters, purchasing retail collectibles from participating fashion brands, and enjoying the different treats and offers of Globe brands.

The Only Ribbon That Ties Families Closer During Christmas

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The holiday season is the time to hang your Christmas ornaments and play your favorite holiday tunes when family and friends get together. But while you’re making your home more festive and exciting for the holiday season, receiving a box of treats is still perhaps one of the most anticipated activities.

What marks Christmas is the series of feasts that are meant to bring family and friends closer. And no meal is ever complete without a Red Ribbon product.

“Christmas may seem very merry with presents under the tree. However, this season is all about sharing, and nothing is more memorable than sharing special moments with people closest to you,” said Zinnia Rivera, general manager of Red Ribbon.

She added, “This is where Red Ribbon comes in—while people may serve different types of food during family reunions, Red Ribbon never misses the dining table especially during the holidays as it brings the family closer.”

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The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Office of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) paid homage to its partners from the public and private sector who made possible the “TV White Space (TVWS) Supported Fisher folk Registration in the Danajon Reef”, which won the P3 (public-private partnership) Impact Award at the 2015 Concordia Summit, the DOST-ICT Office held a Philippine P3 Awarding Ceremony on December 11, 2015 at their office. Internet connectivity provided by the project not only boosted fisher folk registration but also provided Internet access to schools and public areas in Bohol and delivered essential communications support for the relief efforts after the Bohol earthquake and Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

The P3 Impact Award is considered a top honor in the arena of public-private partnership development. It was bestowed by the United States Department of State Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships, the University of Virginia Darden School for Business Institute in Society, and Concordia, and presented via satellite by US Secretary of State, John Kerry. In Kerry’s speech, he stated the importance of giving recognition to model public-private partnerships in order to inspire future public-private partnerships to come.

The P3 Impact Award was received by DOST Undersecretary Louis Napoleon Casambre last October 2, 2015 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City, The TVWS Supported Fisherfolk Registration project, which aimed to increase fisherfolk registration in six pilot municipalities in Bohol using the technology of TV White Space or unutilized broadcast frequencies, is a joint initiative of DOST-ICTO, the USAID-supported Ecosystems Improved for Sustainable Fisheries (ECOFISH) Project of the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) the provincial government of Bohol, Microsoft-Philippines, Nityo Infotech and IXS4All . The project bested more than 50 other applicants, including finalists from Coca-Cola, the Global Development Lab, Dow Chemical, and General Mills, which highlights the exceptional impact that this partnership has made.

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GQWEST Inc. the company behind the Aquabest and Laundrybest franchise brands recently held a seminar on how to enhance the productivity and profitability of its laundry business concept.

The seminar was conducted in cooperation with its official detergent Ariel. The seminar was facilitated by the company's Customer Care Manager Susan Ho and Leslie Grace Lee and Eric Sto Thomas from P&G. The seminar shared business practices with its franchisees. It also covered how using Ariel products would improve the franchisees cost efficiency and product quality.

The partnership is part of the company's efforts to give added value to their franchisees and customers. "Through this partnership we can assure our customers that their laundry will be processed with the utmost care thanks to our partnership with a credible brand like Ariel" says the company’s President Carson Tan.

Laundrybest is the laundromat concept attached to the company's Aquabest water refilling franchise. At present there are 50 Laundrybest stores in Metro Manila with more set to open.

Real Estate Investment Opportunities In 2016

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With 2015 drawing to an end, many would-be real estate investors and homebuyers must be wondering what 2016 would bring. Will the condo market finally experience a downturn? Should investors diversify their portfolios and turn to offices? Or should we look outside Metro Manila?

Global property website Lamudi Philippines (www.lamudi.com.ph) takes a look on what are potentially good real estate investment deals in 2016.

1. Strata-titled Offices

Unlike the BPO office towers built and owned by real estate developers and rented to BPO companies, strata-titled offices can be bought by individual investors and buyers and have them rented out to companies. For property buyers looking to diversify their investment portfolios, this property type makes sense as there is currently a shortage of office space in Metro Manila, especially in the major CBDs, placing an upward pressure on rental rates. In addition, Colliers International said in its third quarter 2015 report that decreasing land-bank options in the Makati CBD, Bonifacio Global City (BGC), and Ortigas Center is also pushing capital values of office buildings upward.

Among strata-titled developments currently on the market include Alveo Financial Center along Ayala Avenue, which has 363 units and sells on average Php223,000 per sqm. Others include The Stiles in Circuit Makati (Alveo Land; 283 units; Php198,000/sqm); Century Spire in Century City (Century Properties; 283 units; Php203,000/sqm); Capital House in BGC (Avida Land; 222 units; Php142,000/sqm); One World Place in BGC (Daiichi Properties; 283 units; Php136,000/sqm); and Parkway Corporate Center in Alabang (Filinvest Land; 390 units; Php168,000/sqm).

Finalists for the National Digital Arts Awards 2015 Named

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Globaltronics announced the finalists for the digital print and motion graphics categories of the National Digital Arts Awards 2015 #DIGITALPINOYAKO.

Out of 300 entries, 25 were screened and judged by top creative directors and designers in the Philippines. All the finalists will move up to the NDAA2015 Awarding Concert on January 15, 2016 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila, Pasay City. Special performers Up Dharma Down, Kean and Eunice, Parokya ni Edgar, and Alden Richards will be entertaining the crowd during the awarding concert.

For this year, the awards are open only for Filipino students. Globaltronics sought to cultivate the young Filipino digital artist, especially the multimedia arts and design students and enthusiasts’ creativity and national awareness.

Both categories will have its respective grand winners, 2nd and 3rd placers, and people’s choice awardees. The grand winner for print category will receive a cash prize of Php175,000, 2nd place winner will receive Php150,000, and Php100,000 for the 3rd place winner. For the motion graphics category, grand winner will receive a cash prize of Php200,000, 2nd place winner will win Php150,000, and 3rd place winner will receive Php125,000. A total of One million of cash prize will be given away to all the winners. Aside from that, they will receive the iconic NDAA trophy and certificate. Winners’ schools will also receive cash incentives.

Warner Music Philippines' Year-End Blogcon 2015

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I recently attended the year end blogcon of Warner Music Philippines held at Lola Café + Bar, Sct. Lozano, Quezon City on December 11, 2015.

This is the first time I will be attending an event organized by Warner Music Philippines so I feel honored that they reached out to me for an opportunity to collaborate with them in sharing the news about their artists, both foreign and domestic.

Warner Music Philippines is an affiliate of Warner Music Group, a leading music company in local and international repertoire that operates through numerous international affiliates and licensees in more than 50 countries. The label is also home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry. WarnerMusic Group also includes Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world's leading music publishers.

The night started off with a fabulous dinner featuring Lola Café + Bar's specialties including their pasta. Donna Aquino, Warner Music Philippines’ Digital Media Promo Executive, welcomed the attendees and led the program announcing many news about several artists including Coldplay’s latest album, “A Head Full of Dreams”, Charlie Puth's debut album Nine Track Mind, the return of Janet Jackson and Missy Elliott, and many more international releases.

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The 700 Club Asia host Kata Inocencio joins the Walang Tulugan with the Master Showman gang this Saturday, December 12, at 12 midnight, to share the good news about the inspirational show’s move back to its original home. The 700 Club Asia will start airing in GMA 7 on Monday, December 14, weeknights from 12:00-12:30 a.m.

NBA All-Star Voting 2016 Presented By Verizon

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The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Verizon recently tipped off NBA All-Star Voting 2016. The all-digital program gives fans everywhere the opportunity to vote for their favorite players as starters for NBA All-Star 2016 in Toronto, the first All-Star Game to be held outside of the U.S. in the event’s 65-year history.

New to the voting program this year, NBA fans are now able to cast their daily votes directly through Google Search on their desktop, tablet and mobile devices. They can also vote on NBA.com, through the NBA App (available on Android and iOS), SMS text, and social media networks including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as via Sina Weibo and Tencent Microblogs in China.

All current NBA players are available for selection. Fans can select up to two guards and three front court players from each conference when choosing starters via NBA.com or the NBA App.

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The GSM Association (GSMA) stressed the need for Asia-Pacific countries to allocate the 700 MHz band to mobile broadband use immediately, in order to take advantage of its socio-economic benefits. It found that further delays in the use of the spectrum could result in billions of dollars worth of losses in incremental GDP growth.

Utilizing the 700 MHZ spectrum, which is well suited to providing mobile broadband coverage indoors and over large areas, can potentially increase countries’ GDP impact by tenfold according to the GSMA. Its Mobile Economy Asia study also found that the spectrum use can create 2.1 million additional jobs for the region by 2020.

The ITU reinforced GSMA’s findings by globally harmonizing the 700-MHz band and allocating it for LTE use in ITU Region 1, which covers Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. The decision was taken during this year's World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15), and follows similar action taken at WRC-07, which saw 700-MHz spectrum adopted by ITU regions two and three, which cover the Americas and Asia-Pacific.

“The global harmonization of the 700 MHz frequency band that has been decided by WRC-15 paves the way for manufacturers and mobile operators to offer mobile broadband at an affordable price in currently underserved areas,” said François Rancy, Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau.

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The hype is building up for AirAsia in the Philippines with the consolidation of its operation two years after its local unit, AirAsia Inc. signed a partnership agreement with home grown airline ZestAir in 2013.

Philippines AirAsia CEO, Joy Cañeba said, “Efficient service to our guests and safety are at the heart of everything we do in Philippines AirAsia. We are here to provide only the best value and world-class service that every Filipino deserves.”

Philippines AirAsia has replaced the AirAsia Zest brand following the approval from Philippine regulatory authorities in September by the Securities and Exchange Commission and in December by CAAP (Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines) and CAB (Civil Aeronautics Board) this year.

The airline has a total of 927 regular employees after the transition to a single operating certificate in September. Captain Dexter Commendador was also recently appointed Chief Operating Officer.

To celebrate the announcement, international and domestic flights to/from Manila, Davao, Cebu, Tagbilaran (Bohol), Puerto Princesa (Palawan), Kalibo(Boracay), Tacloban, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia and South Korea are on promotional sale from as low as P1,299, all-in and one-way only and available for booking at www.airasia.com from today (December 7) to 13 December 2015. The travel period for this promo will be for immediate travels now until30 June 2016.

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Clinic aims to train and at the same time inspire promising Tennis players with proper training and access to academic education

Topspin Ace PH together with Globe Telecom brings to the Philippines for the first time, the Rafa Nadal Academy, a high-performance academy where together with Nadal’s team, they will develop young tennis players using the same values that have been fundamental to his achievements and success.

Organized by Topspin Ace PH, the Academy’s representative in the country and exclusively presented by Globe, It will be a by-invitation only clinic that will be personally conducted by his coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, who also heads the academy. The clinic will be held at Colegio de San Agustin in Makati on December 6, 2015.

“At Globe, every effort we undertake lets us bring our customers’ passions closer to them. From music to movies, and now sports, we’d like to give our customers who are also major tennis fans the best access so they can meet and see live their favorite players. Through the Rafa Nadal Tennis Clinic, not only will our customers see Nadal live, they also get to be a part of a worthy cause by supporting our young tennis talents,” said Globe Vice President for Postpaid Business Erli Valdez.

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The Philippines is one of 17 mega diverse countries, harboring more diversity of life per hectare than any other country in the world. Yet encroachment in forested areas, pollution, over fishing, poor land management practices, are leading to biodiversity loss at an alarming rate.

To address these threats, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), other national government agencies, academe, civil society and development partners, has developed the Philippines Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP). The PBSAP is the country’s road map in conserving biodiversity and critical ecosystem services for the next 13 years.

Similarly, through the UNDP’s Biodiversity Financing Initiative (BioFin), the DENR-BMB has determined the financing gap of implementing the PBSAP, estimated to be at least Php 334 billion (US$7.4 billion) over the next 13 years [PhP24 billion annually]. This covers actions on: forest, coastal and marine, inland wetlands, caves and cave systems, protected areas, invasive alien species, agrobiodiversity, access and benefit-sharing and urban biodiversity.

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The search is on for the most captivating woman who can represent the Philippine Aviation Industry!

The Miss Aviation Philippines 2016 preliminary screening of candidates was held on December 12, 2015 at the Mirror Theater Studio located on the 5th floor of the SJG Building in Kalayaan, Makati city.

A total of 11 candidates gave their best to impress the screening committee with both their physical and intellectual attributes which included cocktail dress and swimsuit presentation, and the highly stressful question and answer portion.

The crowned winners of the Miss Aviation Philippines 2016 beauty pageant, which will hold its pageant night on February 9, 2016 at the Manila Peninsula hotel, will grace the 20th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF), one of Asia’s longest-running sports aviation events that gathers aviators from the local and international scene. The 4-day PIHABF will be held on February 11 to 14, 2016 at Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga with the theme of "A Weekend of Everything That Flies."

The screening committee was led by Captain Joy Roa, Event Director of the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) and Morena Carla Cabrera-Quimpo, Miss Aviation Philippines pageant director. Cleo Margaret Brown, Miss Aviation Philippines 2015 grand winner, and Lizl Louise Resoles, 1st Runner Up, also joined the committee as part of the judges.

RAWR Awards Recognize Popular Showbiz Personalities

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LionhearTV, the showbiz and entertainment blog with the heart of a lion, recently concluded its awards nights dubbed as the RAWR Awards where they recognized more than just the popular celebrities but also equally popular radio and TV networks, plus the most outstanding fans club that emerged as the top supporter of the celebrities they patronize and adore.

Overall, the Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla (Kathniel) love team rated most popular when the results revealed several awards related to their tandem. Some members of the fans club Kathniel KaDreamers, who were also recognized as one of the awardees, were present at the event. Representatives even went up the stage to receive their award trophy.

ABS-CBN talents and shows were declared mostly as the winners of the awards night. It is just a pity that all awardees were not around to personally receive their awards.

We were told that KathNiel, and even Alden Richards (half of the AlDub accidental love team) will also be attending the event. But unfortunately, there were no signs of them, and even the other awardees. That's a negative then for backstage requests for some of our companions who were there to watch the awarding and take selfies with the winners.