Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Going Digital, Consumerization of IT, Growth Engines for SMEs ― IPC

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“There are over 95,000 small to medium enterprises in the country, with each and every one having the potential to grow and compete on a global scale. With a wide assortment of online tools now within reach, there is no better time to be an SME than today,” said Reynaldo Huergas, President of IPC (IP Converge Data Services, Inc.), a local cloud services and data center pioneer.

According to data from the research agency We Are Social, the Philippines harbors an Internet penetration of 44 percent. For businesses, this translates to the opportunity to engage almost half the total population via the Internet, and ultimately, cultivate huge potential for growth.

Customers are largely mobile, with about 32 million active mobile Internet users in the Philippines. This makes going digital and embracing the consumerization of IT, now more critical than ever. Enterprises need to be easily reached by their customers via various channels such as social media, email and mobile. “People want information in real time and if they can’t get it from you, they’ll get it from your competitors. Business is lost,” said Huergas.

Huergas said that 2016 is also the time to tap big data and analytics. “Big data analytics can give valuable insights about your customers and target market. In essence, it uses statistics to understand customer behavior which allows for more effective campaigns and product or service developments that help achieve optimum results.”

Power Stakeholders Convene to Fast-Track Attainment of 90% Household Electrification

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The Household Unified and Strategic Electrification (HOUSE) Team spearheaded by the Department of Energy (DOE) convened yesterday (January 25) at the Legend Villas Hotel in Mandaluyong City to discuss the various commitments and implementation issues concerning the government’s Total Electrification Program for grid and off-grid areas around the country.

Energy Secretary Zenaida Y. Monsada stressed the fast-tracking of the implementation of all projects and activities to attain the Philippine Development Plan’s target of ninety percent (90%) household electrification by end of 2017. She specifically mentioned the completion of Sitio Electrification Program by end of 1st Quarter of 2016 as a commitment to the President.

Currently, the DOE is laying the foundation and strategies for the Total Electrification Program, which will center on enhancing existing distribution systems and electricity services, intensifying household electrification activities, expanding services to new areas, defining off-grid electrification program, and using renewable energy technologies, such as, solar home systems for off-grid electrification.

Under the Department Circular No. DC2014-09-0018 entitled “Prescribing the Policies for the Implementation of the Household Electrification Program and Creating the Household Unified Strategic Electrification (HOUSE) Team for the Purpose of Achieving the Country’s Total Electrification Goals,” the HOUSE Team members and technical working group include the Department of Budget and Management, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR), National Electrification Administration, and representatives from the Distribution Utilities.

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The DOST - Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Office’s Free Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Places project will be including class one and two municipalities in its roll out, in order to better reach the class three to six municipalities which were the original target beneficiaries of the project.

The decision to include class one and two municipalities initially stemmed from the low participation in the procurement of providers for the original 967 beneficiary municipalities. A reason cited by the providers was the low price of Allocated Budget for Contract (ABC) for the various municipalities. According to Undersecretary Louis Casambre of the ICT Office, “We intend to increase the budget allocation for Municipal Connectivity for the project, by around 50%, likewise, we will also be including class one and two municipalities in order to better reach classes three to six, the ones who need Internet connectivity the most.” The total number of beneficiary municipalities now stands at 1,435.

Usec. Casambre further stated that providers would need to upgrade and expand their communications infrastructure in order to serve far flung areas, and with class one and a municipalities included it would be easier for them to reach the poorer communities. “Tenders are currently being prepared for the new municipalities with the new budget, and they should be available within the month.” Usec. Casambre added. According to the Project Management Team, 1.6 billion pesos was added to the 2015 unobligated funds for the 2016 budget.

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Globe gathers students on January 30, 2015 at UP Diliman to learn how digital innovations can be used to create positive change

The continuing rise in smartphone penetration in the Philippines has allowed more individuals to get a hold of their own device and eventually learn to adapt a digital lifestyle – from social networking sites to various apps for efficiency. One’s mobile experience has immensely improved with tasks such as booking movies, restaurant seats, and even hailing cabs now having its corresponding apps for convenience.

With this fast-paced evolution, the youth now have more power than ever in their fingertips. Knowing how to maximize, adapt and embrace it the right way is what Globe Telecom advocates through the #StartNow Youth Summit. Set to be a venue for learning, the Youth Summit aims to immerse students in the latest digital trends, innovations, and applications, and further open their creative minds to innovate for the development of their future. The Youth Summit also focuses to inspire students and equip them with the tools to contribute to the greater good.

Globe #StartNow Youth Summit will be on January 30, 2015 at the University Theatre, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. Open and free for all students, participants will be able to join various activities related to digital trends. One of the highlights is the plenary sessions headlined by select speakers specializing in different fields.

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An integrated transport hub will soon rise at the southern edge of the metropolis, as the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has signed the Concession Agreement for the South Integrated Transport System (ITS) with the winning concessionaire today.

“With the South ITS connecting different modes of transportation and services, we can guarantee the public more efficient and seamless transfers. It will also improve traffic flow and reduce congestion in Metro Manila, as it will serve as a transfer point for provincial buses entering the metropolis,” said DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya.

The 35-year concession agreement with Arca South Integrated Terminal, Inc., which is fully owned by Ayala Land, Inc., was signed following the firm’s submission of the lowest annual grantor payment at P277.9 million and the fulfillment of all post-award requirements.

Construction is set to commence in September 2016. As a Private-Public Partnership (PPP) project, private sector efficiency can be expected once the hub is fully operational.

The South ITS is one of the intermodal facilities that will be the end-point for over 2,000 provincial buses currently entering Metro Manila daily, effectively decongesting main thoroughfares. Moreover, it will allow convenient in-city public transport transfers, as railway lines, city buses, taxis, and other public utility vehicles servicing inner Metro Manila will be made available.

The terminal will be situated in a 5.7-hectare plot of land in the FTI Compound along SLEX, and will be connected to the North-South Railway Project.

Top 10 Facts You Should Know About Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach

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Thousands of people all over the Metro waited and cheered at our Miss Universe of the Philippines. On Monday, January 25, 2016, was the grand homecoming parade of Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach. Her parade float was inspired by her $300,000 Miss Universe crown. Blue was the color of the day, but she was wearing a green Filipiniana gown.

True enough, Pia shines as she waves to the people all around her float. The queen tirelessly waves from the Miss Universe float for several hours during the motorcade. The last time the Philippines saw a crowd like this was during the visit of the Pope. Now it is the homecoming of another P - Pia. It's almost the same majestic welcome for our Pambansang Kamao Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao. "Like our boxing champ Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao (who is by the way another P), Pia unites our nation at a time when various issues divide us. Except that she comes in a prettier package."

"We're so happy to have an up close look with Queen Pia! What an amazing crowd in Ayala. The only parade which was supported and participated by thousands of employees of the Central Business District of the Philippines."

Pia is the third Filipina to win the title, ending a title drought of 42 years for the Philippines.
The Philippines last took home the crown in 1973, courtesy of Margie Moran. It was a short wait after the victory of Gloria Diaz in 1969.

Pia inadvertently won the most awkward Miss Universe moment in history after its host Steve Harvey wrongfully crowned Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez as Miss Universe 2015. Gutierrez had to be decrowned on the live telecast to give way to the rightful queen.

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The University of the Philippines’ annual UP Fair in its Diliman campus is always a much-anticipated event for the campus’ students and for non-students alike as this week-long festivity pools together the most sought-after local bands of the generation.

For the second and stronger time around, in keeping with UP Fair’s tradition of bringing only the best in the local music industry, the UP Junior Philippine Institute of Accountants proudly bring you Elements! Having set a high standard last year, this year’s event will aim to maintain the same high quality experience to the concert-goers with 20 of the finest talents to bring the house down with some sweet rock ‘n roll.

On the third day of the UP Fair, catch gloc-9, Callalily, Spongecola, Pupil, Sandwich, Moonstar88, Chicosci, 6cyclemind, Imago, Pedicab, Gracenote, Banda ni Kleggy, Lunar Lights, The Marty's, Stellar, Sunday Radio, BennyBunnyBand, Android-18, Runway Hits, and Eulysis perform live as they shake the ground and rock the night.

February 11, 2016 will be a celebration for the Filipino community, highlighting the beauty and diversity of the OPM industry with the different genres to be showcased, and underscoring the significance of transparency in the upcoming National Elections.

All the elements are complete for an awesome evening; you’re the only one missing.

Mass Media Awareness Month Bridges Industry And Academe

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The College of Mass Communication Student Council (CMCSC) on February will hold a month-long campaign to raise awareness on recent media issues in an attempt to link the industry with the academe.

Under the Mass Media Awareness Movement, the month will be stocked with events under the theme, “Retrospective x Prospective,” a way of looking back to the past in order to move forward.

Launching February 2, a series of events will be held that will suggest new and revolutionary ways to bring the media to the students, and vice versa.

Separated into four parts, each week will attempt to view the media in different perspectives, ranging from the students to the whole landscape of media.

Week one features “Ansaveh?” a talkshow to raise the discourse on the topic of popular culture. The experimental program will directly involve media personalities discussing the way they conduct themselves and the content they create in the process.

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I need to watch more of Stan Lee's Lucky Man. I have not read any comics version, if ever there is, but the pilot episode seems lacking in some Stan Lee touch....but who am I to critic? Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion, that is why effective reviews should be done by as many people as possible to accurately gauge your performance.

Anyway, I can relate because I've been so very lucky for the past almost 3 years I've been a blogger. There may be lots of bashers throwing unfounded issues against me, but still (humility aside) many award-giving bodies keep giving me awards and recognition, not only to my blog, but to me as well.

My first year was full of awards and that goes the same for the years that came after. The countless request for media partnerships that kept on filling up my inbox almost everyday is my trusted gauge - far better than relying on Alexa rankings and similar online stats.

Why? Because anything online can be easily manipulated especially if you have the financing and technical know-how. It is our performance out in the real world that truly measures how effective we are.

The real third parties are those that are not associated in any way with our own community. We cannot ask for advise among the ones in our own backyard. If we want to clearly see how we are perceived outside, it is the people belonging to a different neighborhood ( a different sector of society ) who collaborated with us in many of our endeavors.

So if you are going to ask me now if I find the TV series good or not, it would be like asking me if I liked the final episode of Heroes Reborn and the pilot episode of Legends of Tomorrow.

Yes or No?

Nothing should be left answered by a simple Yes or No. Expounding on the answer is what makes life so bittersweet yet memorably meaningful.

PCARI to Conduct Series of Road Shows in Selected Philippine Schools

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The Philippine-California Advanced Research Institute (PCARI) will carry out a nationwide series of road shows in selected Philippine schools this coming month of February. The main objective of this publicity campaign is to attract scholarship applicants from all over the Philippines for the 200 PCARI scholarship slots.

The scholarship project offers support for full time study towards a master’s or doctoral degree in selected universities in the Philippines or in the University of California Berkeley, University of California San Francisco or the University of California Davis. The PCARI Scholarship also supports postdoctoral study award involving training below six (6) months in the priority fields of information and infrastructure development and health innovation and translational medicine.

The road shows will take place in selected regional schools that are included in the top performing educational institution in the fields of Science and Engineering. Schools which offer the following graduate courses: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Molecular Biology, BioTech, Health Informatics, and Physics will also be visited.

The activity will be composed of a forum wherein the resource person(s) will explain the details of the whole PCARI Scholarship Project with a 10-minute open forum at the end of the program. Leaflets containing all the necessary information about PCARI will also be made available at the venue.

The first leg of the campus tour is set to be staged at selected schools in the National Capital Region, Region I and CAR.

8th Philippine Boatshow & Nautical Lifestyle Expo and Conference: Sea-Ex 2016

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Celebrate the ocean with the 8th Philippine Boatshow & Nautical Lifestyle Expo and Conference: Sea-Ex. The three-day event is set to kick off the start of summer on Feb 19-21, 2016 at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City, Manila. Co-organized by Fairs & More, a subsidiary of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, the show continues to be the best place to find great deals on all your beach going essentials and then some!

Sea-Ex 2016 will be bringing in a huge display of boats (dinghies to yachts), boating equipment, watersports gear, diving accessories, fishing paraphernalia, beach apparel, resort getaways and support services in a true celebration of Philippine waters. The country’s first electric powered jet surfboard will be making its debut at the show as well as an assortment of new marine products.

The event is highlighted by a conference on coastal development, marine security and sea conservation. International and local speakers will be brought in to share their knowledge and discuss opportunities to further expand the Philippine maritime leisure industry.

For inquiries and booth reservations email: sales@seaex.ph; call: (02) 4038368 or visit: seaex.ph

Below are some photos to give you an idea on what to expect at the expo.

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The Department of Health, UNICEF and the National Nutrition Council led the Philippine launch of the 2015 Global Nutrition Report (GNR), a comprehensive scorecard of both global and country-level progress on nutrition; as well as vital global determinants like food security, water and sanitation, resource allocations, and institutional and policy reforms.

The 2015 Global Nutrition Report: Actions and Accountability to Advance Nutrition and Sustainable Development was prepared by the Independent Expert Group of international experts, published by the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, DC. Dr. Lawrence Haddad, international expert in nutrition and the Report’s lead author, presented highlights on the status of 193 countries.

The report shows the Philippine score was considered “on course” in meeting the targets to reduce child stunting and overweight; while it is “off course” for child wasting and anemia.

While the country has seen slow reductions in malnutrition, Dr. Haddad said that if the Philippines and other countries want to attain the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and the World Health Assembly 2025 Global Targets, there must scaling up of proven nutrition interventions and investment; and hold nutrition stakeholders accountable, including the government and the private sector.

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The Department of Health (DOH), through the National Nutrition Council (NNC), in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF) convenes for the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Philippine Gathering (#SUNMOVEMENTPH) to bring key players from the government agencies, developmental partners, civil society groups, business sector and the academe to identify actions in addressing malnutrition.

The SUN movement calls on member countries, including the Philippines which is the 51st country to be accepted, to scale up nutrition actions including promotion of breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding, management of acute malnutrition, and nutrition-sensitive interventions in agriculture, education and social welfare among others.

Globally, close to half of deaths in children under 5 years old can be directly or indirectly linked to malnutrition. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 17 million children under age five in the world are severely malnourished and have at least 9x increased risk for death.

Malnutrition remains a significant public health concern in the Philippines with a staggering 3.4 million children who are stunted (short for their age) and more than 300,000 children under 5 years who are wasted (underweight for their age). This continues to be a serious child health problem, with the Philippines being highly disaster-prone. The risk of malnutrition increases in the aftermath of emergencies.

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It was both good and bad news for the Philippines as the status of addressing malnutrition in the world was reported in a forum held on 25-26 January 2016 convened by the National Nutrition Council (NNC), Department of Health and UNICEF Philippines.

The forum launched the “2015 Global Nutrition Report: Actions and Accountability to Advance Nutrition and Sustainable Development” which was prepared by the Independent Expert Group of international experts and published by the International Food Policy Research Institute based in Washington, D. C..

Dr. Lawrence Haddad, noted international expert in nutrition and lead author of the 2015 Global Nutrition Report, presented the highlights of the report that reviewed the status of 193 countries. In the report, the Philippines score was considered “on course” in meeting targets to reduce child stunting and overweight. On the other hand, the Philippines is “off course” for child wasting and anemia.

Like many countries, the Philippines has seen slow reductions in malnutrition. Dr. Haddad went on to say that if the Philippines and other countries want to achieve their commitment to attain the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 as well as the World Health Assembly 2025 Global Targets, countries have to end all forms of malnutrition by scaling up proven nutrition interventions and by committing and investing in nutrition as well as holding nutrition stakeholders accountable. Haddad further stressed that “Ending malnutrition will drive sustainable development forward.”

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The Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Philippines 2016 presented by Alaska hosted 281 coaches from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao during the coaches clinic while the open clinics trained 1,068 youth from ages 5-16, setting a new attendance record for the Jr. NBA tip-off event at Don Bosco Technical Institute, Makati.

NBA Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson welcomed participants to the ninth consecutive staging of the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Philippines program, which launched its inaugural event in the same venue nine years ago. Harry the Atlanta Hawks mascot and assistant Leighton together with Alaska Aces mascot E-Cow entertained children, parents and coaches with a dance showdown featuring kids from the audience.

Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Philippines 2016 presented by Alaska, running from January 23 to April 24, will teach basketball fundamentals and impart its core values of Sportsmanship, Teamwork, a positive Attitude and Respect at the grassroots level to improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents. The Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program is free and open to boys and girls between the ages of 10-14.

Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Philippines is comprised of four stages: skills clinics in schools and communities, Regional Selection Camps, a National Training Camp and an NBA experience trip. The skills clinics will be held nationwide from January through April with stops in Bukidnon, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Dagupan, Davao, Iloilo, Metro Manila and Puerto Princesa, and first-time locations in Batangas, Catanduanes and Cavite. Select players from these clinics will have the opportunity to showcase their skills in tryouts during the Regional Selection Camps, which will be held in Baguio (Feb. 20-21), Davao (Feb. 27-28), Cebu (March 5-6) and Metro Manila (April 9-10). The top 50 boys and 24 girls from the Regional Selection Camps will advance to the National Training Camp in Manila April 22-24.