Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

UP Debate Society Hosts Largest Asian Parliamentary Debate Competition in the Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In its 15th year, the Philippine Intercollegiate Debating Championship (PIDC) kicks off with more than 30 institutions set to battle it out this April 15-20, 2016 in UP Diliman. The University of the Philippines Debate Society (UPDS) is the main organizer of PIDC, the largest Asian Parliamentary debate tournament in the country. Approximately 500 debaters and adjudicators will compete for the prestigious championship title.

Engaging in arduous seven preliminary rounds, debaters from various colleges and universities shall be filtered thereon. The adjudicators are assigned randomly and scored after each round. The top sixteen teams, ranked according to the number of wins and individual speaker scores, will advance to the Octofinals. After, the remaining teams will undergo a series of single elimination rounds that will take the top two teams to the Grand Finals.

The Adjudication Core, as elected by the Philippine Debate Union (PDU), is responsible for composing the official motions handed out every round. The distinguished members of this year’s PIDC are the following: Jose Escalante from the University of the Philippines Diliman, Milky Babilonia from the University of the Philippines Los Bańos, Inah Robles from Ateneo de Manila University, Charles de Belen from San Beda College, and Avi Castano from De La Salle University Manila.

The motions, or topics that participants will debate on, range from global concerns to pressing local issues. This year, PIDC 2016’s theme is Empower Discourse. With the aim to elevate Philippine debating as a platform for youth involvement especially in the 2016 elections season, motions tackle issues from socio-legal to political and economic.

Creating a ‘Smarter’ City Through the Human Centric Innovation

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Different nations are now embarking on a journey to become smarter. But with the looming population growth worldwide, how will it be possible for one city to address their setbacks for growth?

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), the world’s urban population is expected to grow to 70 percent by 2050. This trend makes efficient resource usage and traffic even bigger challenges, making sustainable urbanization more relevant than ever.

“There’s going to be a completely different paradigm of the world coming,” said Rio Yamaura, vice president of Fujitsu’s New Solution Business Division.

According to Yamaura, the concept of having a smarter city is rooted from the amalgamation of people, infrastructure and information, with people at the society’s very core. This is the Human Centric Innovation, an approach to creating business and social value by empowering people with the power of technology.

During the recently held Fujitsu Asia Conference in Makati, City, Yamaura explained that Singapore adopted this approach to create a “futuristic urban city.”

Last year, Fujitsu penned a master research collaboration agreement with Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) and Singapore Management University to harness ICT in developing solutions for sustainable urban operations including crowd mobility and transport engineering.

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One of the top Malaysian mixed martial arts prospects, 23-year old flyweight standout Gianni Subba (7-1) will return to the ONE Championship cage next Friday at ONE: GLOBAL RIVALS, against the Philippines best flyweight bet Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio (7-4) of Baguio City’s Team Lakay. With a victory, Subba feels he will be one step closer to a shot at the ONE Flyweight World Championship.

“Whatever one championship has planned for me, the goal is to win a world title for Malaysia,” said Subba, who faces his toughest test yet in Eustaquio.

Eustaquio is arguably the Philippines’ most talented fighter at flyweight, with a record of seven wins and only four defeats. The Filipino stalwart is known for keeping his cool and composure in the face of adversity, while dishing out some of the fastest strikes in the business nicely packed in Wushu Sanshou.

For Subba, the fact that Eustaquio is also on the rise makes him feel their paths would inevitably cross one day.

“I always knew that I would eventually be fighting Geje [Eustaquio] so I wasn't surprised that I got the matchup,” said Subba. “He's fought some of the best in the division and I'm working my way up, it was inevitable.”

At seven wins and just one loss, Subba is at the top of the list of flyweight prospects on the cusp of a breakout performance. All Subba needs is one solid victory against a highly-ranked opponent, and he could be next in line for a crack at ONE Championship gold.

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With a series of hellos and goodbyes following the graduation season, Discovery Channel also brings in a new series, a one-off, and the final season of one of its most-followed programs.

This month, one of Formula 1’s top mechanics seeks a fresh challenge after nearly 10 immensely successful years in the motorsports industry. Marc “Elvis” Priestley, who was an integral part of Lewis Hamilton’s championship-winning pitstop crew in 2008, embarked on a journey to find the planet’s most fascinating amateur motorsports and the result is the show Gears, Grease & Glory.

With his F1 knowledge and experience, Elvis will be exploring the world’s most fascinating motorsport subcultures and working with amateur enthusiasts to create, build and customize one-of-a-kind vehicles which they will test in a racing environment. The new series Gears, Grease & Glory premieres April 7, Thursday, 8PM on Discovery Channel.

Returning for its new and final season are special effects experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman in their multiple attempts to find out the truth. Using modern day science, they put everyday myths and urban legends to the test to determine what's busted and what's confirmed. This team is always ready to take it to the next level with explosive results!

Catch the final season of Mythbusters as it premieres April 13, Wednesday, 9 PM.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Philippine real estate portal MyProperty.ph recently launched a new tech feature that will help home-buyers choose a property more easily. Called the “Compare Listings” feature, it allows users to view multiple listings on one page, providing them with an overview that compares properties in aspects such as price, size, number of bedrooms, and nearby points of interest.

“The Compare Listings feature is a first for MyProperty,” Jacqueline van den Ende, managing director of both MyProperty.ph and Lamudi Philippines, said of the feature implemented early this year. “We’ve always been dedicated to helping Filipinos find their dream home, and this new feature will bring them one step closer to achieving that dream.”

The MyProperty.ph Compare Listings feature allows buyers to find out what makes one home a more ideal option over another by letting them view properties and their characteristics side-by-side. It’s versatile as well; users can even compare different types of properties from different locations. For instance, a user can put two Taguig condos side-by-side, compare and contrast the details of a house and a condo in Quezon City, or see why a townhouse in Cavite is better than a house in Rizal. What’s more, it can also be used for any type of listing for rent to help out those looking to lease a temporary home.

MyProperty.ph currently has over 130,000 listings all over the Philippines, and going through all of them will be a difficult task, hence the search filters. Once a user has filtered their search to show only a few properties, it’s only a matter of choosing the best one for them to buy. With the Compare Listings feature, they have a chance to see what advantage one property has over another to help them make the right decision.

The 4th Annual Marketista Awards: Search for the Next Outstanding Junior Marketing Association of the Philippines

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The paragons of the marketing community will glimmer once again as the Philippine Junior Marketing Association (PJMA) honors the different junior marketing associations across the country who have taken excellence to new heights!

The 4th Annual Marketista Awards is all set to name the most brilliant among the myriad of stars this 30th of April 2016, 6-10PM at City Garden Grand Hotel in Makati City.

Make your greatest pitch on any of these categories:

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY encloses events that aims to give back to the community by addressing a social concern.

ACADEMIC covers scholarly events held inside the university/college whose attendees are from the same university/college.

INTERSCHOLASTIC comprises events attended by students from different universities and colleges.

BREAKTHROUGH includes the biggest and most standout event of a local junior marketing association.

Put your best foot forward in all these four major categories and get a chance to be hailed as THE OUTSTANDING JUNIOR MARKETING ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES!

Go above par and submit your entries until the 15^th of April 2016, 11:59PM. Be in the know by checking out PJMA’s Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/philippinejuniormarketingassociation)

Take a leap now and let your success shine the brightest in the most exquisite constellation of marketing!

For inquiries and other concerns, you may reach Anna Calvan at 0926 260 4493 or email her at pjma.amjpcalvan@gmail.com.

#MarketistaAwards2016

Yamaha Presents the Rev Hall, A Gala of Ingenuity at the 10th IR Bikefest

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Motorbikes are now the most popular means of transportation mainly because it is easier to purchase motorbikes that are available in convenient and easy payment terms. You only need a few thousand pesos of down payment and a reliable source of income to get the opportunity to own your very own motorbike.

During my first years at my initial work right after graduation, I already had the opportunity to purchase one just by presenting my monthly payslips as proof of my employment, and I could bring home a motorbike within just a few days.

Now, motorbike riders could be seen everywhere you look which is probably why the 10th Inside Racing Bikefest was highly attended by both pro and newbie enthusiasts of motorbiking for sports, leisure and work.

Among the exhibitors at the 10th IR Bikefest is Yamaha Motor Philippines which is returning bigger than ever to the event. Yamaha has been in the industry for over 60 years and its designs have been unique through the years yet continuously evolving. The brand is already a household name known to many for both music and motorbikes.

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Anime fans in Asia are in for a double dose of action and adventure as Asia’s top Japanese anime channel, Animax, is set to air two of this season’s biggest series – My Hero Academia and Twin Stars Exorcists, on the same day it premieres in Japan!

First to premiere on Animax last April 3 is My Hero Academia, the first-ever television anime adaptation of the wildly popular Weekly Shonen Jump manga will deliver 13 episodes of superhero action and comedy. Set in a world where a majority of the population possess superpowers, the anime will tell the tale of 15-year-old Izuku Midoriya, who was born without any powers, as he defies his birth rights and joins the hero-training high school in Japan. Will he be able to match up with his elite peers and emerge as the ultimate hero?

My Hero Academia airs every Sunday at 8pm.

Also premiering on the same day as Japan is the action-packed Twin Star Exorcists. Helmed by the acclaimed studio that produced major hits such as Naruto and Bleach, this supernatural anime adventure is highly-anticipated by both the fans and media. Like the manga of the same name, the series will follow the journey of rival exorcists Rokuro and Benio, as they discover their true destinies and pair up to exorcise all the evil in the world.

Twin Star Exorcists is set to premiere on 6 April, airing every Wednesday at 10pm.

Animax is seen on SKYCable Channel 46, Cignal Digital TV Channel 34 and Dream Channel 07.

Akapela: Philippines' First Full Contemporary A Cappella Concert

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The Philippine Contemporary A cappella Society beams with pride as it presents AKAPELA, a one-of-its-kind, one-night-only contemporary a capella concert featuring two of this generation’s most talented and in demand vocal acts in the country today namely: PINOPELA and BAIHANA.

Pinopela is an alumni group of the internationally acclaimed choral group, Saint Louis University Glee Club and was originally formed for the singular purpose of competing in the Akapela Open, but since placing second in 2013 and further after winning the championship in 2014, the group has evolved into a true professional. Pinopela began accepting invitations to perform at various functions after their warm reception at the Akapela Open 2013, and has since then wowed innumerable audiences previously unacquainted to contemporary a capella. The group opened the Myx Mo 2015 anniversary concert at the MOA concert grounds, that became one of the concert highlights, with an all a cappella opm number with some of the country’s biggest stars ! The group’s lone female beatbox also bagged the Mossimo Music Summit 2015 title last year. This year, Pinopela qualified for two international a cappella competitions and will battle head on with other international groups.

Baihana is an all-female vocal trio that creates, arranges and performs music that is uniquely refreshing to young and old alike. Let Krina Cayabyab, Anna Graham and Mel Torre take you back in time with their doo-wop take on standards and current radio hits. Whether you’re a devout jazz lover or someone searching for entertainment after a hard day’s work, Baihana has something for you and much, much more.

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Lately, Flash launched a “Life with Metal” photography campaign on its official website, covering six countries: India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. It is reported that a total of more than 2,000 pieces of photographs have been received within only ten days and the click counts on the web page of the event have exceeded 160,000. The photographers took photos of a variety of metal objects from rings, automobiles to an iron tower, revealing the art of life in the form of photography.

Notably, this event is not merely a photography campaign, for it has sent an important signal that “Flash is soon to launch a new product”. On the homepage of the event, it is said that Flash is going to select 10 excellent photographs from each country that will be displayed with signature of photographers during the new product launch event. Also, the prize-winning photographers of every country will each get a new smart phone as a gift. Does this suggest that Flash is soon to hold the new product launch event and release the latest smart phone?

According to the previous product releases, it’s highly likely that a new product of Flash will make its debut very soon. Up till now, the Flash series have already had three models of smart phones: Flash launched in September 2014, Flash Plus in May 2015, and Flash 2 in September 2015. According to such a tempo, the unknown fourth model is very likely to come in no time. What’s more, the Flash series once had created phenomenal e-commerce sales craze in Southeast Asia, with enormous market potential and consumer needs: Flash Plus once set the record of selling out 100 units in one minute while Flash 2 became the sales champion of Southeast Asia’s largest e-commerce platform Lazada for the same price range within one month of being placed in market - it regained popularity during the December 12th promo with sales volume up close to those of Apple and Samsung. Given such favorable market situation, if Flash “strikes iron while it is hot” to launch a new product, it will be sure to reset the sales record of smart phones.