Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

DOTC Assures Public: Security Measures at Transport Facilities in Place

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In response to the bombing incidents in Belgium yesterday, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and all concerned agencies are working together to ensure continued safety of travel, as instructed by President Benigno Aquino III.

“We assure the public that the government is taking all the necessary measures to secure our airports, other transport facilities, and most especially our people, as they travel during this peak season and beyond. All concerned entities — from government and private sector alike — are ready to address any possible situation,” said DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya.

The DOTC has directed transport agencies and their security groups to be extra vigilant and further intensify security measures in additions to preparations made for the annual observance of Holy Week. Terminals and stations have been placed on heighted alert status. Other courses of action in order to bolster the security and safety of the public include implementation of checkpoint monitoring outside these transport facilities and increasing visibility of uniformed personnel.

“For the time being, we have no reason to fear similar events taking place in the country. We are merely taking precautionary steps and activating quick-response protocols in case any emergencies arise,” added Abaya.

Croque Cafe + Bakery: Committed to Freshness and Comfort

Wazzup Pilipinas!
"Croque pronounced as “Krohk” came from “croquer” which means crunch in French. It describes us well, as crunch pertains to freshness and comfort which basically who we are and what we serve." - Croque Cafe +Bakery

Croque Cafe + Bakery, a business venture of chef couple Alexa Abala and Paco Lao offers European-Filipino inspired dishes aside from their freshly-baked breads and pastries, and coffee classics. They also have other offerings that you would soon find out as you read this story of my dining experience at their restaurant.

Just like the other famous chef couple that I know (the Laudicos - Chef Roland and Chef Jackie), the lady chef specializes on the pastries, while her boyfriend would always be in the kitchen in charge of the hot dishes. I believe Alexa was the one who conceptualized the homey look of the resto which is now a trending look for other restos who want to project a cozy ambiance that's conducive to hanging out while reading a book, or for today's Millennials, browsing online through an iPad, smartphone or tablet, or simply passing the time chatting with friends.

It is not my first time to visit the cafe as I attended an event that was held there a few months ago but I never got back to visiting them on my own. However, I met Alexa in a certain gathering of people managing hotels, resorts and restaurants where they raffled off a gift certificate for the restaurant which I won. So that basically how I found my way back to the cafe to try again their dishes.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

There's a popular saying that goes something like "The family that eats out a lot together, grows fat and chubby forever," or something similarly like that. I just added a twist to make it a little bit personalized and appropriate for our family.

Needless to say, we are a happy bunch who loves every opportunity of going out to eat. Thank goodness there's always an endless array of blessings which keeps us going out to share festive meals together.

We are the family that's always "busog" every time we decide to go out on a weekend or during special occasions where we celebrate a birthday, anniversary, an accomplishment or a long holiday when there's a longer vacation from school.

Thus you would guess that summer would be a time when we would mostly be out enjoying a family vacation, a hotel staycation, a restaurant visit - that's done usually after mass from our church morning visits - or simply going shopping at the nearest malls.

Among our weekend escapade is our visit to Skippy's Bar and Grill, an Australian restaurant that's not only open at night time for their beer-loving customers, it also welcomes families who want great Aussie-inspired dishes conceptualized by it's Australian owner together with his lovely Filipina wife.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Science and Technology–Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICT Office) and the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) forged a partnership to implement the Tech4ED project in over 1,000 public libraries towards community empowerment.

Led by the DOST-ICT Office, the Technology for Economic Development (Tech4ED) project establishes centers in rural and underserved areas to expand access to ICT services, learning resources, and opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment.

The photo above shows the Department of Science and Technology–Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICT Office) and the National Library of the Philippines signing of the Memorandum of Agreement led by Blesila Velasco, Chief of the Public Libraries Division, NLP and Bettina Quimson, Deputy Executive Director for eSociety, DOST-ICT Office. Joining them were (standing from left): Jilven Amar, Librarian III, NLP; Clarissa Navarro, Tech4ED Project Manager; Irma Saligumba, Molave Development Foundation, Inc., and Program Manager, Beyond Access Phillipines; and Michael Pinto and Roilingel Calilung, Vice President and President of the Association of Librarians in Public Sector (ALPS), respectively.

The establishment of Tech4ED Centers in over 1,000 public libraries affiliated with the NLP will be a breakthrough in addressing digital inclusion. “We aim to make our public libraries more relevant to the community and further increase their utilization. With Tech4ED in our libraries, we can bring the benefits of ICT to more Filipinos,” said Jilven Amar, Librarian III of the NLP.

“Tech4ED is about creating equal opportunities for everybody,” said Bettina Quimson, Deputy Executive Director for eSociety, DOST-ICT Office. “Librarians are very essential in enabling a person to be trained on special skill sets toward employment and entrepreneurship,” Quimson said. “If the public library has at least three computers and Internet connectivity, we will work with them immediately to set up the Tech4ED platform.”

SikatPinoy National Food Fair 2016: A Taste of Every Kitchen Corner in the Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!

As many as our islands, there are so many flavors, textures, and ingredients that make up our Filipino dishes that were reinvented in so many variations. It is not totally surprising as these same islands have paved the way for our ancestors to be more creative in concocting unique recipes depending on the availability of ingredients within their areas.

When the roads, bridges and modern forms of transportation were developed and built, it expanded the recipes with so many twists and turns making our dishes a lot more interesting. When Pinoys began traveling around the Philippines and even outside the country, they also brought back home new methods and discoveries that further enhanced the flavors and appearance of Filipino delicacies brought to a new level.

The accessibility of different flavorings, seasonings and spices, the availability of quality food processing equipment, and the elevation of the culinary basics into a higher art form brought about the interest of so many to become chefs of varied specialties. Chefs are now also considered as celebrities that can easily flaunt their mouth-watering and gastronomically delightful masterpieces through any form of media may it be print, online or on television.

The Department of Trade and Industry - Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion (DTI-BDTP) recently held the SikatPinoy National Food Fair 2016, a part of a series of national trade fairs to help promising small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with a theme of Piliping-Piling Pagkaing Pilipino and aimed at helping our modest entrepreneurs to gain a better foothold as an emerging market among the numerous and highly competitive businesses in existence. It also prepares them towards the global export market so they could tap even foreign buyers that would be interested to purchase or even invest on their product ventures.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Sophos, a global leader in network and endpoint security, today announced that its Sophos Email Appliance now includes Sophos Sandstorm, an advanced, next-generation sandboxing technology that quickly and accurately detects, blocks and responds to sophisticated, constantly-changing cyber threats.

Sophos Sandstorm is an advanced persistent threat (APT) and zero day malware security technology. To combat elusive threats that target email accounts on multiple platforms and mobile devices, companies need signatureless protection in addition to traditional malware protection. Threats are now engineered to be “low and slow” to stay under the radar, using polymorphic and stealth techniques to avoid and delay detection.

Today’s cybercriminals are also proactively taking steps to target, research and crack an organisation’s specific security measures by sending bespoke malware attached to seemingly-benign email messages. Sophos Sandstorm uses powerful cloud-based technology to isolate and address these types of threats before they enter a business network. Information technology managers are provided with detailed reports of threat behavior and analysis for further investigation and action, if required.

“Sophos Sandstorm combines prevention, detection and investigation in one solution to protect against cybercriminals who now use social-engineering tactics with new, not-previously-known malware to invade company networks,” said Bryan Barney, senior vice president and general manager, Sophos Network Security Group. “Keeping threats away from the network is a critical first line of defense. Sophos Sandstorm automatically isolates files to determine if they’re safe, providing an instant additional layer of detection and protection. Advanced technologies are often too expensive and require additional security expertise to implement and monitor them. Sophos is changing this by providing all businesses access to advanced protection that’s affordable and simple to deploy.”

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Philippines held their very first Kapihan session for the Science, Technology, Research, and Innovation for Development (STRIDE) Program.

It was held at the Makati Diamond Residences in Makati City on March 9, 2016 led by USAID/Philippines Mission Director Dr. Susan Brems, USAID/Philippines Senior Education Adviser Mr. Mir Tillah, STRIDE Chief of Party Dr. Dave Hall and STRIDE Deputy Chief of Party Dr. Larry Ilag. Dr. Richard Abendan, STRIDE Research and Industry Partnerships Manager, facilitated the event.

STRIDE is USAID/Philippines’ flagship science, technology and innovation program that aims to strengthen local capacity for innovation-led economic growth by building the capacity of universities for industry-relevant applied research. This will make science and technology research a driving force of economic growth in the Philippines.

It is a five-year, PhP1.5 billion project under the Partnership for Growth (PFG) agreement between the U.S. and the Philippine governments. The Philippines is one of only four countries selected for the PFG, with the ultimate goal of accelerating broad-based, inclusive growth.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Amidst all the minimalist fashion trending, one woman dares to stand out like a wildflower.

Unleash also your inner wildflower with WildFlower: A Fashion Retrospective exhibit featuring inspiring wardrobe pieces made by Manila's Top Designer for style icon Tessa Prieto-Valdes on March 8 to 18, 2016 at SM Megamall Fashion Hall.

WildFlower by Tessa Prieto-Valdes features her best gowns and ensembles of her favorite and most loved designers! These iconic designs were on display at the Mega Fashion hall in SM Megamall until the 18th of March highlighting top Filipino designers like Francis Libiran, Rajo Laurel, Cherry Veric, Lesley Mobo, Michael Cinco, Monique Lhuiller, Cary Santiago, Inno Sotto and so much more.

The Sea Princess’ whimsical wardrobe collection is a diverse set of colorful and flamboyant pieces from couture gowns to headdresses that exuding a magical aura of sophistication and lavishness. I have not seen any other lady that can pull off this kind of fashion statement.

From beads, to feathers and even head dresses, you can see the creative and passionate work of our very talented Filipino designers!

Congratulations to Tessa Prieto-Valdes for remaining a one of a kind style icon who always stands out at every event she graciously honors with her presence.

Wazup Pilipinas!

At first I thought that the most popular and highly bought product would be the one that exhibits all the best qualities and usefulness. However, I was proved wrong several times as we would really get what we paid for if we settle for a brand that has mass appeal only because it is available at a lower price.

Usually, the ones that get the most sales are the ones that would not last long making the purchase actually costing you more because you would need to buy a new one to replace the quickly turned defective or dead product.

We should prefer a brand that would make us feel more relaxed and secure and give us less of the stress that we experience every time a product conks out and needs to be brought to the service center for repair.

As compared to a product bought with a higher value, it is much better and less of a hassle if it will continuously run well for years, and with less maintenance requirements.

I see those qualities from Panasonic products especially when I've learned that their projectors consume less electricity as compared to other brands in the market.

The very first Panasonic Rental Summit held on March 17 at the grand ballroom of the City of Dreams was a showcase of Panasonic products used for Staging, Events Rental and Digital Advertisements like Projection Mapping.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

DOST-ICT Office’s flagship project, the Juan Konek Free Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Places Project, is set to begin the initial phases of implementation with the issuance of the Notice to Proceed (NTP) of the Project’s commissioned Service Providers last March 16, 2016.

Undersecretary Louis Napoleon C. Casambre stated the importance of the collective efforts of the private and public sectors as catalysts in the completion of Juan Konek, “The road to connectivity, however, is one that should not be treaded alone. Our Office recognizes that the public and private sectors each possess particular strengths, and when both parties channel their efforts towards a shared goal, the sky’s the limit to what they can accomplish.”

The commissioned Service Providers are; Innove Communications, Inc. & Yondu Inc (Joint Venture), We are IT Philippines, Inc., Converge ICT Solutions, Inc., AZ Communications Network, Inc., and Omniprime Marketing, Inc., PLDT Alpha and Abratique and Associates Philippines Inc.

Engr. Efren R. Abratique of Abratique & Associates Philippines, Inc. expressed their eagerness for the Free Wi-Fi Project,

“We are happy to support the government’s efforts for digital inclusion and providing Internet for all”. “The Juan Konek, Free Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Places will go a long way in providing access to information, educational materials, e-commerce and communications for Filipinos, particularly in Rural Areas. “ Engr. Abratique said.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Dome Cafe has just launched their new Domefied Menu items and Connoisseur "Conno" Card.

They new Conno card, with a design showcasing the beauty of the store, is given to the restaurant's patrons so the cardholders will receive exclusive rewards, promos and special perks. All cardholders can avail of the 20% discount on the recently launched new food items until March 30, 2016.

The cardholder is entitled to the following benefits:

1. 10% discount for all purchases
2. Free one time drink of his choice from any of the handcrafted espresso beverages (except premium coffees) to be claimed upon purchase using the card
3. Exclusive partners to perks with partnrs and tie-ups
4. Exclusive invites to Dome special events
5. 20% discount on ne menu items within the first week of launch
6. Birthday treat for a minimum bill of P2500 within the birth month (requires presentation of valid ID card containing date of birth information)

In order to have the Conno card, one must have visited the restaurant at least 3 times and have their cards stamped. Once they have completed the 3 stamps, they will be given their Conno plastic cards and be eligible for wonderful benefits from Dome Cafe.

As always, the dishes served during the new menu launch were great. I personally liked the Grilled Salmon and the Vegetarian Sandwich. Perfect for summer was the introduction of their Coolers.

Acoustic nights are also featured every Friday and Saturday and comes with unlimited cocktails.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Crystal clear water, white sand and unspoiled island - these are just my words when I saw Kalanggaman Island. Located in Palompon, Leyte, this island is yet another paradise.

About 2 to 3 hours travel time from Tacloban Airport by land and another 1 hour boat ride you’ll be able to see what Leyte has to be proud of. If you are travelling by group of 7 and up there are vans outside the airport for hire going directly to Palompon proper with reasonable rent prices.

I noticed that Palompon Tourism Office is well organized in people going in the island. Before we depart, they oriented us about rules and regulations in the island including waste management, they even gave us two colored big plastics to separate wastes from non-biodegradable and biodegradable. I must say that it is well maintained and not abused. Hooray for the management!

We planned to stay overnight in the lovely island so when we got in there in the afternoon, two groups of day tour beach bummers were already packing up. Yep! We were the only group that time exploring the island; it's like owning the paradise for a time. We rented a cottage and a bigger hut for overnight.

Be reminded that you have to bring your own food since there are no stores available in the island, you can do barbeques too, the caretakers provided us with concrete grill to use, just bring your own charcoal.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

There were over 1.6 Million tweets during the second Presidential Debate on 20 March 2016.

No hour and a half long wait quelled the fiery conversations that Filipino voters anticipated from yesterday’s second Presidential TV debate. The political showdown went on between Jejomar Binay, Rodrigo Duterte, Grace Poe, and Mar Roxas at the University of the Philippines in Cebu, despite the absence of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago who had to excuse herself to undergo an experimental treatment for her medical condition.

There were over 1.6 million Tweets sent during the debate (from its scheduled broadcast of 4:30PM-9.30pm, 20 March 2016), boosting the #PiliPinasDebates2016 hashtag to the #1 Twitter trending topic not only in the Philippines, but also worldwide. The Twitter conversation peaked over 16,000 Tweets per minute around 6:49PM during the heated exchange between Senator Grace Poe (@SenGracePOE) and Vice President Jejomar Binay (@VPJojoBinay) on Freedom of Information bill.

“As we continue amplifying the sentiments of Filipinos over their presidential candidates, Twitter is giving each voter a voice to be heard by their fellow citizens to make a more informed voting decision,” said Pratiksha Rao, Twitter’s Head for Media Partnerships for Southeast Asia. “The second run of the #PiliPinasDebates2016 saw a higher level of engagement and Tweets than the first debate, proving that more and more Filipinos are joining the election conversation, analyzing the debates, and responding in real-time to the candidates’ answers, all on Twitter.”

Embeddable chart: http://reverb.twitter.com/view/689225780792313823

(Embed code: <iframe src='http://reverb.twitter.com/view/689225780792313823' width='768px' height='432px'></iframe> )

Wazzup Pilipinas!

“Let’s cross the bridge when we get there.”

This might sound really old but let’s face it, you’ll never know what lies ahead of you if you don’t take the first step and accept the challenge that you are now more than just a college graduate.

College has been a rollercoaster ride of sleepless nights and deadlines, juggling time for your happy moments and tight academic schedules. We know and we feel you.

Luckily, a lot of tools have helped you in that journey. In fact, these devices and technologies will be much more important to you now as you confidently enter the competitive - yet very rewarding – world of working professionals. And if you haven’t heard of Windows 10, the most productive, innovative and secure OS out there, then you’re definitely missing out.

Windows 10-powered 2-in-1 devices will allow you to transcend from personal to professional seamlessly, because there’s no need to choose whether to bring your laptop, tablet or phone – everything can be at the palm of your hand.

Whether you want to connect with friends while searching for job opportunities online, create an impressive resume while chatting with your college sweetheart, or make that first sales pitch while Minecraft runs in the background – Windows 10 2-in-1 devices lets you get stuff done, whether for work or play, professional or personal, at home, at work, or on the move.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

HISTORY premieres “Roots” on 31 May 2016, airing over four consecutive nights at 9pm (PH). The four-night, eight-hour event series developed by HISTORY, from A+E Studios, is a historical portrait of American slavery recounting the journey of one family and their will to survive and ultimately carry on their legacy despite hardship.

The stellar cast includesAcademy Award winners Forest Whitaker (“Fiddler”) and Anna Paquin(“Nancy Holt”); Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Laurence Fishburne (“Alex Haley”); Golden Globe Award winning and Emmy Award nominated actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers (“Tom Lea”); Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose (“Kizzy”); Grammy Award winner Tip “T.I.” Harris(“Cyrus”); Chad L. Coleman (“Mingo”);EmayatzyCorinealdi (“Belle”); Matthew Goode (“Dr. William Waller”);Derek Luke (“Silla Ba Dibba”); MekhiPhifer (“Jerusalem”); James Purefoy (“John Waller”); Erica Tazel (“Matilda”)and introducesRegé-Jean Page (“Chicken George”) and Malachi Kirby (“KuntaKinte”).

“’Roots’ will allow new audiences to experience this epic family saga with a new vision that is both inspiring and tremendously entertaining,” said Paul Buccieri, President of A&E and HISTORY. “We are proud that HISTORY will be able to bring new life to this powerful story that remains as important today as it did when the original ‘Roots’ first premiered.”