Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Nine Bouts Announced for One Championship: Global Rivals in Manila

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has announced nine bouts for ONE: GLOBAL RIVALS which takes place 15 April at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila. Fans in the Philippines will witness all the action live as ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben “Funky” Askren returns to defend his title against hard-charging Russian opponent Nikolay Aleksakhin.

CEO of ONE Championship, Victor Cui stated: “We have an absolutely stacked card planned for fight fans in Manila, and we’re happy to be back at the Mall of Asia Arena for another awesome night of MMA. Each time out, our Manila show gets bigger and better, and this year is no exception.”

Tickets for ONE: GLOBAL RIVALS are available at www.smtickets.com.

Former NCAA Division I All-American and Olympian Ben Askren is a collegiate wrestling legend and one of the finest mixed martial artists in the world today. In just a few fights in ONE, Askren was able to seize the ONE Welterweight World Championship with a resounding technical knockout victory over Nobutatsu Suzuki. The highly-skilled Askren is widely considered to be the absolute best in his division and one of the best fighters in the world pound for pound. His next challenge is a tough one, as he goes head-to-head with Russia’s Nikolay Aleksakhin.

A veteran welterweight from Russia, Nikolay Aleksakhin will make his highly-anticipated return to the ONE Championship cage in Manila this April. Aleksakhin was impressive in his debut for the promotion when he submitted Burenzorig Batmunkh with a rear naked choke within three rounds. Now, Aleksakhin gets the call to face ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren and will look to surprise the crowd with intense action.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

With the full implementation of the K-12 program this June with onset of the additional 2-year senior high school program, an education technology company out to improve the teaching and learning experience is now offering its services in Cebu.

Yuki Naotori, Country Manager of Quipper, said the launching at Tisa Elementary School, which is plagued by many of the same challenges besetting high schools nationwide, exemplifies the company’s vision for a world where everyone has easy access to quality education.

“This year is a pivotal one for Philippine education, with an estimated 1.2 to 1.6 million students beginning grade 11 in June. By providing excellent, K-12 aligned content on a platform that helps teachers streamline their teaching methods and class management while simultaneously providing students with an engaging yet effective learning experience, we hope to make this transition easier for both public and private schools in Cebu and the rest of the country,” said Naotori.

To access the platform and content, teachers need to sign up at school.quipper.com, register their school, then invite their students to create accounts and join their class. Once students have signed-in, teachers can send assignments or exams and communicate with students via the platform’s messaging system. Educators are also able to upload their own content and access analytics on their students’ performance. The platform is gamified, so students get instant feedback upon answering, and earn ‘coins’ for correct answers, which they can use to ‘buy’ desktop wallpaper for their Quipper account. The use of Quipper School and all its features is free of charge.

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100% Filipino-owned Profil Holidays, one of the Philippines’ leading travel and tours company, is celebrating the 25th year in the business as among the leaders in the industry. With this, they have recently unveiled 6 exciting new travel packages including budget travels that will suite the more tight on the budget yet adventurous type of traveler.

Profil actually stands for Professional Filipino, meaning they probably thought of the names 25 years ago to indicate how dedicated and determined they are in providing Filipinos the opportunity to travel around the world and see different tourist spots and destinations in the most affordable yet memorable package.

Profil Holidays had helped thousands of Filipinos explore more than 100 countries in five continents, giving them a lifetime’s worth of unforgettable experiences. True enough, they are also launching a mobile app they call Travel Scout that will also help travelers for added convenience in targeting their desired destinations. Soon the mobile app will undergo additional improvements and add-ons to make it a lot more better to serve more in seeing the world. The app is now available for download at Google Play for Android smartphones and at the App Store for iPhones.

From the media conference held at the iconic Manila Hotel on March 8, 2016, it is surprising to find out that many still perceive Filipinos as "babies" with regards to their attitude in traveling. Rosanna "Anne" Inchiong, General Manager of Profil Holidays, and Benilo "Bomg" Tabang, Sales Director of Profil Holidays both agree that Americans and Europeans are more mature in dealing and communicating with people around the world. Filipinos tend to expect more pampering while the said foreign customers are thrilled to travel backpacker style.

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"The COMELEC found itself in a state of emergency on Tuesday, March 8, after a Supreme Court ruling practically required the poll body to overhaul crucial processes that took months to finish." - Rappler

"This may go against the celebratory mood of most people but the SC decision on the printing of receipts as VVPAT mechanism for PCOS might create more problem than solution. Why?

1) As per COMELEC statistics, we have 54.3 M registered voters divided in 92,509 Clustered Precincts (CP), so in theory, you'll have 586 voters per CP. Printing of receipts will take 13 seconds while reading and confirming might take 20-30 seconds (note: this is a conservative estimate not yet considering our special needs sector) so that's 33-43 seconds per voter. Thus, voting time will have to be extended by 19338 seconds (5.37 HOURS)- 25198 (6.99 HOURS). Considering the 2013 elections that operated from 7am to 7pm, we're looking at closing precincts now at around 12AM-2AM.

2) The need to reconfigure 96,096 PCOS considering printing of receipts is not included in the present model. I'm not yet sure if they have to reconfigure the software or/and hardware of the machines.

3) Remember that we are not allowed to bring receipts outside the polling center because they need to be surrendered and put into ballot boxes? Yup, we have to buy those ballot boxes too. Let's assume that 1 CP needs 1 ballot box, so we will be needing 92,509 ballot boxes. 1 ballot box will incur 3,000 pesos ( AES watch versus COMELEC) so that's an additional cost of 277 M pesos for an election that's already spending 12 BILLION already. I'm not yet mentioning the 1.2 M additional rolls of thermal paper.

DLSU BMS Proudly Presents Unplugged

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"RELAX. UNWIND. UNPLUG.

DLSU Business Management Society Proudly Presents:

UNPLUGGED
March 12, 2016 - Saturday
Track 30th, Bonifacio Global City
6PM onwards

JAM OUT to the freshest sounds brought to you by Metro Manila’s up and coming artists, including your SoundCloud favorites while you INDULGE YOUR TASTEBUDS on food served by only the finest food start-ups!

Treat yourself with a night of GREAT FOOD ang GREAT MUSIC—this will be an event you definitely won’t want to miss!

#RelaxUnwindUnplug

https://www.facebook.com/BMSUnplugged
https://twitter.com/BMSUnplugged
https://instagram.com/BMSUnplugged"

Home Credit Promotes Health and Financial Literacy

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Promoting health and financial literacy. A mother reads a comic book on saving and budgeting money to her child at a medical mission activity conducted by consumer finance company Home Credit at Nagpayong High School in Pasig. More than 100 families were given free check-ups and vitamins, as well as consultations with Home Credit volunteers on how to better take care of their finances. Aside from receiving free comic books, interested parents also joined teachers of the high school in an interactive game which aims to teach financial literacy in a fun and engaging way. Home Credit considers financial literacy as one of its primary advocacies, and has so far done community engagements in areas in Metro Manila, Laguna and Cebu, with more areas still lined up.

UP's Phi Lambda Delta Proudly Presents Impulse: The Most Anticipated Party of 2016

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Are you ready to witness a change in momentum, and yield to the impulse?

Join us as the premiere sorority of the UP College of Medicine, the Phi Lambda Delta, brings you the most anticipated party of 2016: Impulse. Now on its third year, Impulse once again lets you immerse yourself in the lights and sounds of the city.

On March 19, Saturday, head on over to Aracama, The Fort Strip, and party the night away, with the hottest DJs in the metro DJ Arthur Tan, DJ Miko Amante and DJ Kev Chan. It’s going to be a night you would not want to miss.

For tickets, please contact Bea Constantino at 09178860893. Impulse is a fundraising activity of the sorority so it may better serve charity patients of the Philippine General Hospital and the Sorority’s service arm, PagKalMa. This event is in cooperation with SkinCell, FLY Health Hub, Shades & Style, Markyn Kho Photography, and Zalora. In partnership with the Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity and the Alpha Sigma Fraternity.

Wazzup Pilipinas is a proud media partner of Impulse.

Tanghalang Ateneo Ends Its 37th Season With Rene O. Villanueva’s “Kalantiaw”

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Tanghalang Ateneo, the longest-running theater company of the Loyola Schools will end its 37th Season: “Staging Revolution/s” this March with Rene O. Villanueva’s “KALANTIAW”. Based on real-life events, this play, originally entitled “Ang Kagila-gilalas na Kasinungalingan Tungkol sa Isang Kayumangging Bayan”, is written by the country's leading playwright in Filipino, Rene O. Villanueva. This Palanca First Prize-winning play is about the life of historian Jose E. Marco and the hoax he created - the controversial Code of Kalantiaw. The play, first performed at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and then at the Theatre Le Rond Point in Paris by Tanghalang Pilipino, forces us to take a closer and more critical look at our sense of nationalism.

Synopsis of the play: The play focuses on the themes of nationalism and the creation of history. It follows an unnamed young historian as he dives deep into the annals of Philippine history in search for the truth about life in pre-colonial Philippines. His research leads him to Jose E. Marco, a historian who allegedly uncovered an important piece of anthropological text depicting the rules and systems implemented during those times. The young researcher delves into the lives of those who were involved in the process of making the Code of Kalantiaw, which is considered as an important part of the canon of Philippine historical texts. Many of Marco’s alleged texts are hinted at throughout the play as baseless fabrications that hold no value in the academic community. In the end, while the young historian is successful in disproving the claims of Marco, he also realizes that his search was in vain as it only led him to lies and deceit.

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They may be some of the most successful BBQ competitors around, but every competition is a clean slate and an imposing challenge.

DMAX follows four noted BBQ teams as they compete in some of the most prestigious and demanding BBQ competitions on the circuit to see what it's really like when you're in the thick of the battle. The all-new season of BBQ Pit Wars premieres on March 10 and airs every Thursday at 9:50 PM.

Power Mac Center Brings 21st Century Learning to Kids This Summer

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It’s almost summer and while kids are excited for vacation, premier Apple reseller Power Mac Center offers another activity that promises to be both fun and educational.

Summer Workshops 2016 is part of an annual workshop series conducted by Power Mac Center’s Apple Authorized Training Center (AATC). Now on its 9th year, this summer’s trainings will revolve around the theme “ReCREATE LEARNING: Shaping Kids for the Information Age.” It features specialized topics integrated to 21st century skills, a set of abilities including critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity that students need to develop in order to succeed in the information age.

This techie summer treat allows children aged 7 to 12 to have fun while learning digital skills with the use of customized learning spaces. Power Mac Center’s Apple Authorized trainers will serve as mentors to enhance kids’ use of advanced digital tools and to bring their imagination to life. The advanced training methodology used for these classes involves lectures, demonstrations, guided hands-on activities, and actual project creation.

“We’re doing this workshop series to bring out the inner creative genius in kids,” said Joey Alvarez, Marketing Director of Power Mac Center. “We want them to start young and make learning a habit, while enjoying the company of other children at the same time.”

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Team Ra, composed of students from the Ateneo de Manila University won the 8th CFA Institute Research Challenge (IRC) Local Finals held last February 23, 2016 at the PSE Auditorium in Ortigas, Pasig City, besting six other universities that joined this year’s challenge.

The Ateneo de Manila team, composed of Abelardo Hernandez, Giovanni Carlo Ong, II, Rafael Francisco Suarez, Agnes Melissa Gabrielle Tan and John Victor Te won a cash prize of Php100,000. The team will also represent the Philippines in the Asia-Pacific regional finals, to be held in Chicago, Illinois, USA on April 13 this year. If destiny is on their side, they also get to compete in the global finals which will be held in the same venue the very next day April 14.

The four finalist teams from top universities in the country presented their findings about this year’s subject company, SM Prime Holdings Inc., to the five judges namely: Valens Securities Chief Investment Strategist, Joel Litman; Fund Managers’ Association of the Philippines Founding President, Mr. Marvin Fausto; JP Morgan Head of Research, Jeanette Yutan; Bloomberry Resorts Corp. Director-Investor Relation, Leo Venezuela; and COL Financial Group Inc. Investment Analyst, Richard Laneda, CFA.

Ms. April Tan, CFA, CFA Philippines President, shares, “CFA Philippines congratulates the grand winner of this year’s local IRC and wish them the best in the regionals. We are very proud of the work of the students. Although it may seem ambitious, we are hopeful that the Philippine team will once again win the regional and the global championship this year.”

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Enjoying an ice cold beer sometimes goes beyond the act of merely drinking it straight from the bottle. Beer enthusiasts are beginning to realize that there are some things worth waiting for—and in the case of Stella Artois, it means understanding the importance of a properly and perfectly poured beer.

Belgian beers are traditionally served in unique glasses designed to draw out the flavor and accentuate the profile of a particular brew. For Stella Artois, that glass is the Chalice. The classic 9-Step pouring ritual uses the Chalice's curves, stem and signature gold rim to create the perfect drinking experience that of our Stella Artois fans palettes long for.

“The brand has a time-honored, nine-step ritual that hopes to give Stella Artois fans around the world the same experience they would get if they enjoyed a pint in Belgium. Backed by hundreds of years of brewing experience, there’s only one way to pour a Chalice of Stella Artois,” explains Chester Cabrera, Marketing Manager of Booze Online Inc, Stella Artois' official and exclusive distributor.

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Air Sports in the Philippines is evolving. Paragliding is the up and coming new airsport which will hopefully be included in the SEA Games 2017 Malaysia, Asian Games 2018 Indonesia, 2019 SEA GMAES Philippines, 2020, Olympic Games Japan. Many countries are asking the NOC and IOC to include it.

For those who are unaware what paragliding is, Wikipedia explains paragliding as "a recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing comprising a large number of interconnected baffled cells. Wing shape is maintained by the suspension lines, the pressure of air entering vents in the front of the wing, and the aerodynamic forces of the air flowing over the outside.

Despite not using an engine, paragliders flight can last many hours and cover many hundreds of kilometers, though flights of one to two hours and covering some tens of kilometers are more the norm. By skillful exploitation of sources of lift, the pilot may gain height, often climbing to altitudes of a few thousand meters."

For 20 years at the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, this is the first time that a paragliding was included. Paragliding is free flying, without any motor, usually foot launched from a cliff. The Balloon fest is done in the Clark airport so since it’s flatland, paragliding is not usually included during this event.

This year was different. For the first time, PPHGA (Philippine Paragliding and Hang Gliding Association) was responsible for the segment of paragliding in the balloon fest in Clark, Pampanga.

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William "Bill" Shaw writes about the typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) tragedy but is focused more on the stories of the survivors from Tacloban. I attended his Book Launch a few days ago on the 18th of February at Nuvo Bar, Greenbelt 3 in Makati city.

The book is entitled "Yolanda: The Roaring, The Waves, The Waiting" about the typhoon that happened two years ago but brought a lot of despair throughout the Philippines striking Tacloban as among the worst to be hit by the disaster.

There were several lives and properties lost during that day when the sudden flash floods hit and the worst is for the ones left behind, the survivors, who were left without the presence of their loved ones anymore. The hardest part was the times when they were looking for their families when they got separated during the typhoon and hoping they survived. The saddest is when realizing they are gone, and even more devastating is not finding them at all. There were around 6, 300 recorded dead and maybe more since it is difficult to accurately get the numbers especially for provinces like Tacloban.

I am a victim also of a typhoon but it was Ondoy that struck us here in Metro Manila. I was in Pasig that day when the floods engulfed our business establishment where we run a computer rental business. It was a weekend so our children were with us that day and you can't imagine the fear we had when we couldn't even guess when the storm will stop and how high the waters will get. We were actually on the rooftop waiting to be saved but the authorities would only reach us the following day and would not even make efforts to rescue us as most of our areas were 10 feet or more under flood water. So were left there on the roof waiting for the waters to subside.

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SAP gives out support to help improve operational efficiency and achieve social objectives of 4 social enterprises and non-profit organizations namely GKNomics of Gawad Kalinga, Silid Aralan, Teach for the Philippines and for the 2nd time, Messy Bessy Cleaners.

They sent out 12 of their top talents from Europe, US, Latin America and India to come to the Philippines for a 1 month engagement with the mentioned 4 organizations to help them out in automating and improving their almost manual processes. The SAP employees leveraged their expertise in areas such as strategy, marketing and IT, to guide the four social enterprises and non-profit organisations in the Philippines on issues pertaining to marketing development, strategy expansion, infrastructure design, and expansion planning.

At a press conference held at the SAP Bonifacio Global City office, all of the 4 social media enterprises and non-profit organizations involved, as well as the SAP employees who were with them throughout the month-long sabbatical program, The press conference was led by Scott Russell, COO of SAP in Asia Pacific and Japan, and Ryan Poggi, Managing Director of SAP, who answered all inquiries from the media. I have everything on video and hopefully could share with you some of the highlights and quotable quotes when I find the time to transcribed the talks and discussion.

The representatives of the social media enterprises and non-profit organizations in attendance at the press conference were Krie Lopez of Messy Bessy Cleaners, Angel Ramos of Teach for the Philippines, Arcie Mallari of Silid Aralan, and Aimee Gloria of GKNomics.

Besides the Philippines, the SAP Social Sabbatical program was also taking place in Myanmar and Gabarone, Botswana, with plans to extend to Kigali, Rwanda, in July 2016.