Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Friday, February 12, 2016

We Flew High with the Hot Air Balloons at the #BalloonfestPH 2016

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It's the Weekend of Everything that Flies, and I have to agree because we all seem to be flying as well after witnessing up close and personal all the hot air balloons being inflated and flown up into the air at Clark, Pampanga!

We came there early since hot air balloon flights are preferred during the early hours of the morning since the heat of the sun will not be very accommodating for hot air balloons. It was an awesome sight anyway to see how the hot air balloons are setup with those flames and magically lifting the very colorful and amazingly designed hot air balloons up, up and away!

Below are some photos and videos from the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta Day 1. More to be uploaded by members of my group plus lots of videos and special features for our cable TV program soon.

We will also talk about this amazing event this Saturday morning on our Radyo INQUIRER Vigattin Radio show from 10 to 11 am.

Thank you to our professional videographer and director Peter Allan Mariano, his lovely PA Inday Ni Direk, the bloggers Allan Bough Gokongwei and Jayson R. Biadog and of course Wazzup Pilipinas - the Pambansang Blog ng Pilipinas!!!

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"With great power comes with great responsibility" – Ben Parker

CD-R King Your one stop shop gives you an insightful iRover safety usage.

The stylish and frolicsome appeal of iRover maybe mistaken as a toy. It is apparent to many that your futuristic iRover/hoverboard is fun to play with, but it is far from being a toy.

As per DTI’s consumer’s safety requirement, it should be clear to hoverboard enthusiasts that the gadget is intended for age 14 and above. We need to realize that we should exercise proper care when using anything that has 2-wheels. Protective gear such as helmet and wrist guards, elbow and knee pads should be worn whenever onboard a hoverboard.

Safety precaution for first-time users includes that the user should be in front of a sturdy handle to achieve balance in riding the iRover. Test your balance by slowly leaning back to move backwards. Gently lean forward to thrust in a slow mode forward. For novice users, always start working on a slow and steady pace until conquering the iRover.

In maneuvering towards left, slightly put weight on the right portion of iRover, while in turning right the left portion should bear more weight.

No V-date, No Problem! It’s Bromance Weekend on DMAX

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Finally, some DMAX and chill for car lovers as DMAX presents a lineup that will surely make vehicle enthusiasts fall in love more with the cars of their dreams.

Phil Glenister and internationally-renowned car designer Ant Anstead are on a mission to find and restore six unsung but heroic British cars. These cars are everyday classics. They’re the cars our dads drove, cars that we loved as kids, cars that make us smile.

Find out more on For the Love of Cars as it jumpstarts the Bromance Weekend on February 14, Sunday, at 11:50 AM.

For the Love of Cars

Screen Machines

From classic cars to supercars, creative petrol heads Elo and Will work their hearts out to achieve their car goals. They simply can't resist turning rust buckets into Ultimate Wheels. Witness as the magic happens on Elo's supercar workshop as Ultimate Wheels airs February 14, Sunday, at 1:30 PM.

Robert "Videobob" Moseley is the creative mastermind behind a unique shop that creates iconic replica cars from TV shows and movies. His clients are often adult "fanboys" who still hold onto the big screen obsessions of their youth. Catch him and his masterpieces on Screen Machines (New Series) starting February 23, Tuesday, at 9:50 PM.

Laugh Out Love: The Comedy Cartel Valentines Day Special

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Ikaw ba ay Nalolongkot? Walang ka-date ngayong Valentimes Day? O may date ka pero di mo siya mapatawa? Nuod na ng "Laugh Out Love: The Comedy Cartel Valentines Day Special" show at siguradong makakalimutan ninyo ang mga hugot niyo sa Araw ng mga Puso!

Makisaya at Makiisa sa Comedy Cartel sa Feb. 13, 9:30 pm sa Archipelago 7107 Bar at sabay sabay tayong ma-in-laugh sa isa't isa sa isa sa mga comedy shows ng Fringe Manila Festival 2016 this February! Nuod na!

Call/Text 5339316 or 09178860706 for ticket & seat reservations!" #FringeMnl #ComedyCartelPH #Comedy #Standupcomedy

Amazing Race Runs Into The Digital Age On Its 28th Edition

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In one of its wisest moves yet, Amazing Race 28 stays relevant to its audience by featuring 11 teams of YouTube, Vine and Instagram stars in pursuit of the $1 million pot.

See your favourite online celebrities cross over to traditional “boob tube” as they begin the race from the symbolic spot of Monumento ala Revolucion in Mexico City and travel around the world.

The 28th installment of this iconic reality show franchise began filming last November 15, 2015, with host Phil Koeghan live streaming a blow by blow account of what was happening (in true digital age style).

Known to be one of the pioneers of the revolutionary reality show genre, Amazing Race has won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program more than any of its competition in that category.

Jerry Bruckheimer, Bertram van Munster, Jonathan Littman, Elise Doganieri and Mark Vertullo are the executive producers for Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Earthview Inc. in association with ABC Studios and Amazing Race Productions. THE AMAZING RACE was created by Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri.

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AirAsia, the World’s Best Low Cost Carrier for seven consecutive years, has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Davao tourism represented by Visit Davao Fun Sale (VDFS) Vice Chair Fides Bernabe and Department of Tourism (DOT) Region XI Director Roberto Alabado III. The partnership aims to establish Davao as a premiere tourist destination in the Philippines with abundant resources for eco-tourism and available facilities for sports and outdoor competitions.

As airline partner, AirAsia is offering low fares for its Manila-Davao flights to encourage more and more tourist to visit and enjoy Davao’s latest attractions. Among the major activities that will happen this year include, Visit Davao Fun Sale, Let’s Meet in Davao: MICE Davao program and the 9th Mt. Apo Boulder Face Challenge, which were launched at the recently held travel and expo tour in Manila.

Scheduled from March 25 to May 31, the Visit Davao Fun Sale is a city-wide sale and events extravaganza that offer affordable tour packages and big discounts to over 250 participating stores and restaurants. MICE which stands for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions is also a key tourism project in Davao according to DOT with affordable hotel rates and incentives to be offered for groups with one thousand or more participants.

Meanwhile, fans of extreme sports should visit Davao in April 23 for the official start of the 9th Mt. Apo Boulder Face Challenge which features a 24-hour race to the Philippines’ highest peak.

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Last February 9, the annual MYX nominations night for the music awards was held at 12 Monkey Music Hall & Pub in Makati. Artists, musicians, and celebrities gathered around to show support and celebrate this glorious event for artists alike. Meanwhile MCA Music was already on a good spot with a roster that dominated the nominations night for being nominated in different categories.

Darren Espanto was the most nominated for being included in 5 categories. He’s nominated for the following categories; Favorite Music Video (Directed by Ian Galsim), Favorite Song for “Stuck”, Favorite Artist, Favorite Male Artist, and Favorite MYX Celebrity VJ. Next to Darren is The Voice Kids season 1 finalist, Juan Karlos Labajo who was nominated for Favorite Male Artist, Favorite Mellow Video for “Para Sa ‘Yo” (Directed by Frank Lloyd Mamaril), and Favorite MYX Celebrity VJ. Jason Dy the haranista heartthrob was nominated for Favorite New Artist. The veteran rockers Pupil is nominated for Favorite Rock Video for “Why” (Directed by Mike Talampas & Nick Santiago). Lastly on the local roster of MCA Music, rapper Ron Henley is nominated for Favorite Urban Video for “Langit” (Directed by Jasper Salimbangon).

MCA Music International artists are all nominated in the same category for Favorite International Video; Taylor Swift for Bad Blood, the kings of the new broken scene, 5 Seconds Of Summer is also nominated for the song “She’s Kinda Hot”, and lastly Ariana Grande’s “One Last Time”.

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TechTalks.ph and Frame316 will be holding a Content Strategy Masterclass in Cebu City this March 14-15 to help Cebu companies take advantage of the shift from traditional to digital marketing.

The two-day, hands-on workshop aims to align a company’s current marketing efforts to that of a digital content approach. The event will run from Monday, March 14, 9am to 5pm and Tuesday, March 15, 2016 – 9am to 12noon. Meanwhile, the location is yet to be finalized.

Speaking at the event will be Robert Cristobal, founder and creative storyteller of Frame316.

Although Cristobal warned that companies should “ready for the challenges ahead in adapting to digital trends,” he is hopeful that the “Philippine digital marketing ecosystem will exponentially grow.”

“We are flying to Cebu to conduct a masterclass that aims to equip business people to take their first step towards a content-centric digital approach, and we hope to add value to the advertising community by providing a practical approach in making that shift,” he added.

The workshop will centre on digital brand building and will cover topics such as: identifying your brand message; qualifying your audience; identifying & creating the right content for the right audience; distributing your message to the right channels; and nurturing and conversion of your audience to buyers.

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In the field where “competitive advantage” is definitely a watchword, how would you stand out?

Attributed to the future corporate players’ constant quest for opportune techniques, 1DeCalibre Production brings “Game On: Activating Strategies and Communications to Market Domination”. This year’s most powerful seminar will conquer the walls of SM City Sta. Mesa Cinema 1 on February 15, 2016.

From a simple satisfying-the-customers landscape, the business world is consumed these days with the trumpeting arrival of customized, out-of-the-box, and more aggressive ideas and execution that lures the market. This is the current battle ground and here lies the ultimate challenge for the soon-to-be master marketers. Game On looks forward to enforcing more competent young strategists, so it will showcase high-rated keynote speakers that will take on the minds of 1, 200 students.

The first speaker is the current Brand Manager of Mega Tuna of Mega Fishing Corporation, Mr. Paolo Calona. He will address the strategies and share proactive approaches regarding the competition-packed marketing environment. Second is Mr. Manny Gonzales—the Head of Strategy and Analytics of NuWorks Interactive Labs, Inc. which is an award-winning full-service digital agency that focuses on telling human stories through creative technology (Story-teching)— an industry expert who will talk about cutting through the clutter through Integrated Marketing Communications. And lastly, Ms. JV Wong, the Chief Executive Igniter of People Ignite, Inc. is set to lift up the heart of the youngsters, encourage them to stand out and manage their strengths through personal branding.

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The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Thursday issued a Board Resolution announcing the qualification of Froehlich Tours, Inc. to operate two (2) additional premium point-to-point (P2P) routes. These two routes are North EDSA - Makati City and North EDSA – Ortigas.

The Board invited interested bus companies to submit qualification documents to provide P2P in the two routes.

Three bus companies namely: City Bus Inc., Laguna Star Bus Transportation System, and Froelich Tours, Inc. submitted qualification documents.

The Board’s Pre-Qualification Committee with the assistance of the Technical Working Group (TWG) and in the presence of observers from the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Office of the Cabinet Secretary after carefully opening and evaluating the qualification documents submitted by the three participants, decided that only Froelich Tours, Inc. passed and qualified the qualification process.

The Pre-Qualification Committee, in its Resolution dated 10 February 2016, recommended that Froelich be directed to inform the Board within 48 hours from the receipt of the Notice of Selection of its intention to operate an interim service on the routes it applied for based on the specifications and operating condition set forth under Memorandum Circular 2016-001.

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Globe Telecom said its board approved the declaration of a first quarter cash dividend of P22 per share for common shares. The dividend will be paid to shareholders on record as of February 22, 2016, with payment date on March 4, 2016.

“The dividend payout is in line with the policy of distributing 75%-90% of prior year’s core net income,” said Rizza Maniego-Eala, Globe Acting Chief Finance Officer, adding the quarter’s dividend payment totals about P2.9 billion. On an annualized basis, the dividends represent a payout of 77% of 2015 core net income.

Notwithstanding its dividend payment, Globe is also allocating a capital expenditure of up to $750 million for 2016, of which majority will be related to data, including spend for deployment of LTE mobile and LTE @Home, increased network capacities and coverage as well as enhancement of fixed line data infrastructure and transmission facilities. The company’s aggressive stance to continue investing in its network reach and capacity is geared towards enhancing its customers’ digital lifestyle.

Globe Telecom’s spending for its network infrastructure is one of the highest among Asian operators over the last two years, as it devotes up to 24% of annual revenues for its infrastructure build. Based on publicly available regulatory reports, Globe had a capex to revenue ratio of 28% in 2015, and 27% in 2014 for both wireless and wireline, which were higher than the Philippine telecommunications industry average of 23% in both 2015 and 2014.

Lumia 550 Now Available in the Philippines

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Microsoft today announced the availability of the Lumia 550 in the Philippines for only PHP6490.

The newest smartphone to join the Lumia family, the Lumia 550 is our most affordable 4G LTE smartphone with Windows 10, signature Microsoft apps and services such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)***, Cortana ****, OneDrive, Outlook Mail and Outlook Calendar on a premium 4.7” HD display.

· Enjoy the familiarity of Windows 10, with Microsoft Office apps tailored to your screen size and OneDrive cloud storage so that you can view, create, and edit documents on the go

· See and do more with a premium 4.7” HD display even in bright sunlight, whether you are reviewing documents, looking at photos or watching videos

· Stay on top of everything in your life with Cortana, your truly personal digital assistant, that helps you be more productive and stay organised by completing basic tasks like sending emails, scheduling events and syncing your reminders across your Windows 10 devices

· Get more done with a superfast LTE 4G internet connectivity combined with a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad core processor and 1GB RAM that keeps you up to speed

· Power through the day with up to 14 hours of talk time and 28 days of standby time, thanks to a long-lasting 2100 mAh battery

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U- hop will soon be launching new products. On top of the product launch is the "U-Hop Q," an automated queuing system enabled through a smartphone app. By using the U-Hop Q app, you no longer have to physically line up for transactions and services; the app will generate a number for you and you can do other things meantime while you wait for your turn. The app has a real-time update of the number being served at that given moment, so you can manage your time well. U-Hop is working on their partnerships, which include banks and other government services. Their technology is provided for by Q Happy, a Thailand-based Tech company.

Another new product is the Froehlich Tours. Froehlich Tours Inc. is a service that provides tour buses all over the Philippines. U-Hop will provide the tap cards which is similar to MRT's Beep Card. By using their tap card, traveling will be more efficient as you can always hop on the tour bus without the hassle of pre-booking. For every time you board the bus, you are updated on how much credit is left on your card.

Lastly, U-Hop has the B to B or Business to Business service. This is a shuttle service that provides employees with a ride to the office and back. They recently did a pilot test with the employees of Banco de Oro, and initial feedback includes the increase on productivity because the employees are no longer late, and compared to the toll that commuting takes on your mind and body, employees find that they are more efficient being ferried to work. U-Hop is excited to tell you about their new products, all within their vision to provide a more efficient transport service for the public.

E-Club To Launch Seminar For Micro-Entrepreneurs

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In line with its goal to empower small scale enterprise, The Entrepreneurship Club (E-Club) of Far Eastern University (FEU) in partnership with Rizal Technological University – Young Entrepreneurs Society, DTI, and Mandaluyong Negosyo Center invites aspiring entrepreneurs and seventy sari-sari store owners to take part in E-Raise on February 15, 2016 in Mandaluyong City.

This six-month program will include a comprehensive plenary discussion on the fundamentals of business, including funding, accounting, marketing, sustainability and scalability, which are of paramount importance to smalltime entrepreneurs.

The notable speakers invited to the seminar are Benita & Catalino Yap Foundation (BCYF) member Ronaldo De Los Santos from BCYF Advisory Council, BCYF Executive Vice President J Anton R. Yap, Ronda Palengke Initiatives founder Kevin Dela Cruz, and Strokes of Broke artist Nikky Rivera. Members of Go Negosyo, Grant Thornton Philippines and Junior Achievement Philippines will also be present at the event to share their expertise.

Aside from the valuable discussions, E-Raise will also be open for entrepreneurial consultations on general micro-business, bookkeeping, basic accounting, and regulatory process and requirements. More so, the FEU students will be in charge of monitoring the participants and mentoring them regarding sales, profit, cost accounting, pricing, and marketing aspects of business throughout the program.

Red Bull Asks PH Students: Can You Make It (in Europe)?

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Are you a local university student with an up-for-anything attitude and a great sense of daring? Got two other friends who crave adventure as much as you do? If so, Red Bull wants you for Can You Make It? 2016, an epic journey featuring 165 student teams from more than 50 countries around the globe, traveling across Europe using Red Bull as their only currency.

Open to teams of three current university students, Can You Make It? invites interested Filipino participants to create a minute-long video explaining why they should be chosen to represent their country while showing their love for adventure and their smarts – a few of the more important attributes that make a winning Can You Make It? team.

Entries should be uploaded to www.redbullcanyoumakeit.com no later than February 14, 2016. Then teams are encouraged to gather as much social media support during the online voting period to make it as finalists. Among them, a panel of judges is set to pick winning teams that will represent their countries and will get a chance to begin their one-of-a-kind, week-long adventure this April 2016 at one of five starting points in Europe: Barcelona, Florence, Berlin, Edinburgh, and Prague.

During its first season in 2014, Can You Make It? had among its roster the Philippines’ own Beasts of the Southeast made up of Dave Agbayani, Red Calayan, and R-jay Esposo from the University of the Philippines. They began their journey in Schwechat, Austria and traded Red Bull cans through Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, until their final stop with the rest of the international teams in Munich, Germany.