Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Friday, April 29, 2016

CMLI's SummerCon 2016: Ignite the Flame and Keep It Ablaze!

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The Children's Museum and Library Incorporated is a youth leadership organization that is geared towards the empowerment of the Filipino Youth through various conventions, competitions, seminars, tournaments and workshops. Celebrating its 59th year, CMLI aims to ignite the flame of leadership and excellence within the youth and inspire them to be active citizens of the nation.

With the theme, "CMLI IGNITE: Inspiring Greatness in the Nation's Integrity through Transformational Leadership and Excellence,” the 38th Annual National Summer Conference and Work Camp of Junior Members and Teacher-Advisers will be held at the Special Education Center for the Gifted, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Olongapo City from May 12, 2016 - May 16, 2016. Over 200 highschool and grade school delegates and teachers, both from public and private schools nationwide, will gather and participate in activities carefully prepared to promote camaraderie, social awareness, talent development, leadership and excellence.

This year's theme will further be discussed through Commission Discussions, which is also known as the heart of the convention. To be facilitated by the CMLI Junior Council – National Executive Board 2016, the "CDs" will serve as an avenue for the facilitators and delegates to tackle the theme in an interactive manner and incorporating camaraderie and social awareness.

The 5-day convention also features competitions for excellence and entertainment to develop and enhance the capabilities and talents of the youth. The Competitions for Excellence are composed of: Essay Writing, Extemporaneous Speaking, News Writing, Poetry Writing, Poster Making for both grade school and high school, and Project Feasibility Study Defense (for High School only) while the Competitions for Entertainment are: Talent Variety Show, Hip-Hop Dancing, Solo Singing and the much-awaited Mr. and Ms. SummerCon 2016.

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AF Payments Inc. announced that it has signed partnerships with three bus operators to accept payment through the contactless beep card. Agreements have been reached with Froehlich Tours, HM Transport, and Citylink Coach Services, marking the Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Ayala Corp.-led consortium’s first venture into buses serving commuters within Metro Manila.

The partnerships cover the following routes: Trinoma to Makati and SM North EDSA to SM Megamall for Froehlich Tours; Airport Loop for HM Transport; and Eastwood City, Uptown Bonifacio, San Lorenzo Place, McKinley Hill, and Newport City for Citylink Coach Services.

AF Payments Inc. President and CEO Peter Maher said, “We are delighted to have forged partnerships with leading bus operators to offer the beep card to their riders. This is an important milestone for AF Payments and a welcome development for commuters who have long wished for a truly convenient travel card for journeys within the Metro area.”

At the moment, the group is testing the new system across all partner bus operators. They hope to bring the system online in the very near future.

“As soon as we go live, the 1.75 million beep cards in circulation will be accepted on those buses displaying the beep acceptance mark,” Maher said.

AF Payments is calling on other bus operators in the city to join the service and enjoy the many benefits of cashless ticketing, including considerable savings on operational expenses associated with ticket issuance and fare collection.

The beep card is a tap and go payment system accepted in all three elevated railways (LRT 1, 2 and MRT 3). It can be reloaded as much as Php 10,000 and is valid for four years. For more information about beep™, visit http://www.beeptopay.com/ or Like/Follow beep card on Facebook and Twitter.

Manila Pavilion Hotel Pampers All Moms

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Your mother is walking miracles to you. This Mother’s day show your appreciation and love for her by treating her to a lavish Sunday brunch, the Manila Pavilion Hotel crowns the queen of our hearts with awe-inspiring offerings that is sure to make her feel truly special. Reward your mom with genuine affection by allowing her to celebrate the joy of being a mother.

Indulge her appetite with a sumptuous Mother’s Day Special Buffet lunch on May 08 at Manila Pavilion Hotel's very own interactive lifestyle restaurant – Seasons. With a group of three or more and get special treats from Manila Pavilion Hotel's sponsors (Dermcare, Tony and Jackey, and Metro Dental.)

Start the gastronomic experience with (best seller dish that will be served on lunch). Make sure to order The Manhattan Whiskey Shower – a mixture of Bourbon whiskey, sweet Vermouth and Angostura Bitter.

To cap off the experience, give in to the heavenly goodness of Patisserie’s Mango Cheesecake.

Pamper moms with a relaxing and luxurious getaway by availing room packages for as low as Php 3,600 nett.

For inquiries and reservations visit the Manila Pavilion Hotel at United Nations Avenue corner Maria Orosa Street in Manila. Log on to www.waterfronthotels.com.ph or call 5261212, for inquiries and reservations; Like or Follow @WaterfrontMNL for regular updates.

2015 - A Strong Year for Philippine Real Estate

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The biggest real estate players in the Philippines recently released their respective income reports for the year 2015, and as expected, the overall financial trend is predominantly good for almost all real estate companies. Online real estate portal Lamudi Philippines has listed down and analyzed the performance indicator of the country’s top real estate developers for 2015.

The highest income for 2015 goes to Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) at Php17.6 billion, 19 percent higher from the real estate giant’s 2014 figure of Php14.8 billion. The jump in profit was attributed to ALI’s diverse offering of residential and commercial products, especially its master-planned estates all over the country. ALI also amplified its presence in key growth centers and introduced three new integrated mixed-use estates in 2015. These are the 11-hectare Cloverleaf project in Quezon City, the nine-hectare Capitol Central in Bacolod, and the 700-hectare Vermosa in Cavite. Also highly anticipated is its Arca South project in Taguig and Vertis North in Quezon City. Early this year, the Ayala group has gained control of land-rich Ortigas & Co., along with the Sy (of the SM group) and Ortigas families.

Also coming strong is property giant Megaworld Corp., whose net income soared 10.58 percent from 2014’s Php9.40 billion. The company breached the Php10 billion mark in net core income for 2015, at Php10.40 billion. True to its title as the builder of live-work-play developments in the Philippines, Megaworld launched five integrated townships in 2015, marking a total of 20 integrated township developments across the country. Adding to the company’s success is the exponential growth of their rental business, especially BPO offices, for the last five years. As early as now, Megaworld Chief Finance Officer Francis Canuto shares that they are confident that they will reach the Php11 billion target by end of this year.

Microsoft’s ICT Manifesto Empowers Philippine IT Organizations to Campaign for the Advancement of Society Through Technology

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Three of the country’s leading ICT organizations are standing behind Microsoft’s Technology Manifesto months after its launch in the Philippines last November 2015.

United with Microsoft’s vison for a technology-led Philippines are the IT &Business Processing Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), CIO Forum Foundation, and Internet Society – Philippine Chapter.

Microsoft, in partnership with Lee Kwan Yew School of Public Policy and Asian Institute of Management, together with stakeholder from various private and public sectors, developed ‘ICT for Shared Prosperity: A Technology Manifesto for the Philippines, 2016 and Beyond’. It identifies national challenges and issues that need to be addressed, and key technology pillars that can help the country ultimately leapfrog technological development:

Preparing people for the future through 21^st century education
Building a more equitable society by ensuring connectivity for all
Leveraging ICT to enhance competitiveness in a mobile-first, cloud-first world
Moving towards a 21st century government that uses technology to become more trusted, more efficient, and more responsive.
Providing a safe and secure online environment for citizens, especially children, who represent the country’s future

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Global real estate portal Lamudi Philippines studied its data on foreclosed houses

In case homebuyers are wondering where they can get affordable houses, cities in Bulacan, Laguna, and Rizal right on the fringes of Metro Manila offer them the most viable options, as these areas are teeming with foreclosed properties, according to data from global real estate website Lamudi Philippines.

In its latest data analysis, Lamudi found that the cities of San Jose Del Monte (Bulacan), Dasmariñas (Cavite), San Mateo (Rizal), Bacoor (Cavite), and Santa Rosa (Laguna) have the most number of listed foreclosed houses in the website. These are followed by Antipolo (Rizal), Imus (Cavite), Caloocan (Metro Manila), San Pedro (Laguna), and Quezon City (Metro Manila). Caloocan and Quezon City are the lone Metro Manila cities that made it the top 10. Together, these cities comprise 51 percent of all foreclosed houses listed in the Lamudi website.

In terms of prices, San Jose Del Monte offers the most affordable foreclosed houses among the top 10 cities. Foreclosed houses in this Bulacan city average Php336,000. Quezon City, meanwhile, offer much pricier foreclosed houses, averaging Php5.33 million.

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"With your smartphone, you can be a philanthropist."

Introducing the Change4Change mobile app! Change4Change is a social giving platform that connects donors and volunteers to the causes they care about. You can use the app to donate to different projects or to discover various legal local non-profit organizations that you can volunteer to.

You can discover various non-profit organizations that do awesome work for social good in Change4Change’s continuously growing list of partners.

Browse by category based on causes you are interested in.

And make one-time or recurring donations conveniently thru your smartphone.

Donations go straight to the non-profit organizations’ bank account. This service is free for non-profit organizations and Change4Change does not get any percentage from the donations. The app is also free for download to smartphone users.

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Actor, singer, sportsman, director and painter Cesar Montano, appointed as commissioner of UNESCO in 2005, has his 3rd solo painting exhibit at Kamuning Bakery Cafe in Quezon City.

Kamuning Bakery Cafe is a venue for painters, sculptors, photographers, poets, authors and cartoonists to showcase their masterpieces related to the arts and culture. It is also a place where non-partisans, leaders, and newsmakers dialogue with media and intellectuals for the so called Pandesal Forum.

This is where popular personalities from artists to celebrities, politicians and advocates, all hold their special press conferences proudly called the Pandesal Forums to honor the Pandesal -the main product of the bakery and cafe.

Cesar Montano's first solo exhibit was at the Glass Wing of the Ayala Museum, and his second was in California. The exhibit showcases diverse works he has created which expresses his love for nature and life.

Notable personalities that attended the launch include Lily Monteverde, more popularly known as Mother Lily, who purchase some of Cesar Montano's paintings amounting to 1 million pesos.

We also learned that Cesar Montano is running alongside two other individuals under the Angat party-list.

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When Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice premiered March 26, 2016 in the Philippines, long lines of die-hard fans of the Bat of Gotham and the Son of Krypton formed in theaters.

But for many, watching the movie once was not enough. The MX4D experience now available in the Philippines let moviegoers double the fun and excitement of watching the super blockbuster in 4D.

MX4D is a movie-watching experience like no other. Right from the start you are part of the action on-screen when you watch movies like Batman vs. Superman in the new format. From the moment when the Metropolis is being destroyed by aliens, you ride shotgun with Bruce Wayne as he races to save his employees from the oncoming onslaught. Smoke comes out of the screen when the building collapses and debris starts flying everywhere.

You’ll never know what, or when, to expect the next big thing if you’re watching a movie in MX4D. Jolts, turns, gusts of wind and scents are some of the extraordinary things you will experience while watching a movie in the format.

It is highly recommended that you immerse yourself completely in the action and not munch on snacks while the on-screen action is hot. MX4D really literally moves you, and you won’t know what’s going to happen next. The action-filled Batman V Superman showcases the best of what the MX4D experience can offer.

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Health advocate and senatorial candidate Risa Hontiveros today committed to file a bill that institutionalizes the Conditional Cash Transfer and expands its budget allocation beyond the current appropriation of more than 60 billion pesos.

“Ang CCT ay isang napakahalagang programa ng gobyerno kontra-kahirapan at kailangan ito ipagpatuloy, pero madami pang mga pwede gawin para ayusin lalo ang programa,” Hontiveros said. “Unahin na siguro natin ang improvement ng health facilities na nagseserbisyo sa ating CCT beneficiaries.”

According to Hontiveros, there are currently more than 4 million Filipinos who are under the 4Ps program, but less than half of all barangays in the Philippines have barangay health centers.

“Kahit na mataas ang reported compliance ng mga beneficiaries, kung hindi naman mabigyan ng maayos na health facilities and health providers, hindi natin mamaximize ang programa,” Hontiveros explained further.

“Halimbawa, ang mga facilities para sa pagpapacheck-up ng mga buntis ay napakakonti, at minsan kailangang magbyahe ng malayo para lang magpatingin. May mga balita din ng mga batang pumipila sa labas ng health center ng ilang oras para magpacheck ng attendance dahil kapos ang bilang ng mga health care providers.”

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Leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom joins the US Embassy Manila, US Agency for International Development (USAID), and mobile content marketing firm Tone in staging the first Fishackathon in the Philippines on April 23-24 at Globe Valero Telepark in Makati City in an effort to develop usable technology solutions that will address the worldwide problem of overfishing.

The two-day activity, which will be staged simultaneously in 43 host cities worldwide, expect to bring together developers, designers, as well as representatives from government and non-government organizations who will #codeforfish, find innovative ways to collect and analyze data, and find solutions to the world's fisheries and oceans issues.

“It will be exciting to see effective and useful apps emerge at the Fishackathon 2016 Manila. We at Globe Labs, are proud to serve as a partner again with the US government in looking for ways for information and communications technology to be used in addressing issues that plague the world,” said Glenn Estrella, VP for Digital Ventures. Globe Labs partnered with the US government in hosting the TechCamp Hackathon two years ago.

Fishackathon 2016 is also in line with Globe Telecom’s sustainability advocacy to create a #WonderfulPH through positive societal impact with the use of modern technology. Globe has ongoing eco-tourism efforts which include communities involved in fisheries and aquatic resources such as the following: PUSOD on protection and enhancement of Taal Lake in Batangas ecosystem; Save Philippine Seas on protection of thresher sharks through engagement and education of community stakeholders in Malapascua, Cebu; Sangkalikasan Producers Cooperative on the establishment of an environment hotline center in Boracay, Malay, Aklan; and Casa San Miguel on livelihood opportunities for those living along the coastal barangays of San Antonio, Zambales.

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WSI, a reputable IT distributor in the country brings together the best-of-breed Unified Communications and Cloud solutions to fit Manila’s emergent commerce.

Life has become faster in the digital age. Most people today are familiar with Skype or other low-cost or free voice calls made via the internet. Many businesses of all sizes rely on this concept of IP-telephony. In many cases your customers are already using their own form of unified communications and they expect you to keep pace.

That’s why your business must work to embrace a Unified Communications solution now more than ever. Think about all of the moving parts and pieces in your business – the constant stream of emails, texts, files, voice mails and meeting reminders. These moving and redundant tasks inside an office is hard enough, unless you can find a way to organize or unify them into one tidy and manageable stack of data. Unified Communications or UC is the integration of all of your business communications needs under one, cohesive system. This includes instant messaging systems, email, telephone, audio and video conferencing and cloud sharing in order to reduce friction and create a better customer experience.

Wordtext Systems Inc. (WSI), a reputable IT distributor in our country today offers Unified Communication products and solutions that transform the way organizations communicate and collaborate.

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Now available at 0% interest on installment in select Home Credit partner outlets nationwide

The Samsung Galaxy J Series, the latest from Samsung’s highly popular Galaxy line, is now made even more affordable as Home Credit Philippines is offering units at 0% interest on installment from April 15 to May 29, 2016.

Home Credit is a global consumer financing company that offers affordable installment plans to Filipino consumers in an easy, simple and fast way. Customers only need to present two IDs and an initial cash payment. After which, Home Credit reviews the loan application in 15 minutes or less, and once approved, the customer can leave with their purchases in hand.

The Samsung Galaxy J series is one of Samsung’s most sought-after smartphones, and for all the right reasons. Incredible selfie functionality, enhanced viewing experience and longer battery life are all part of the deal with the Samsung Galaxy J5 and J7.

The Galaxy J series can produce the brightest and clearest photos with a 13 MP rear camera and f1.9 aperture. With a built-in front camera flash, photos are also well-lit even in low light conditions. Photos and videos may also be viewed on a higher level as the Galaxy J5 and J7 boasts its Super Amoled Display showing true-to-life color reproduction and contrast ratio. With faster web browsing, gaming and HD video-viewing, its high-capacity battery delivers a lengthened powerful mobile experience.

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The inaugural Paris ePrix took place in chilly but dry weather, a first for the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV and a challenge to which it rose without flinching.

The first Formula E race in the streets of Paris was a moment that the teams had long been waiting for, especially the French teams, of course, and also Michelin, a founding partner of the innovative electric single-seater series.

The 14-turn circuit of almost two kilometres in length formed a loop around the famous Hôtel des Invalides in the French capital’s seventh district and it turned out to be one of the most technically demanding of the championship. Its profile and surface were particularly hard on tyres, while Saturday’s cold weather – which saw the temperature rangefrom 9 to 12°C – prevented them from reachingtheir ideal working temperature as quickly as possible.

Serge Grisin, manager of Michelin’s Formula E programme, didn’t see that as a major problem, however: “Since the beginning of the Formula E Championship, we have come across practically all the types of conditions you can imagine. Our tyres have performed in track temperatures ranging from as lowas 5°C during testing at Donington [Great Britain] and Issoire [France], to as high as 55°C in Putrajaya [Malaysia] and Buenos Aires [Argentina]. The versatility of the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV, which was designed specifically for Formula E, is unique in the world of single-seater racing.”

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Globe Telecom small and medium enterprise arm (SME) Globe myBusiness is set to strengthen its presence in the Filipino-Chinese SME community in the country as it brings its nationwide digital solutions caravan in Binondo, Manila after successful runs in North Luzon (Cauayan, Isabela), Mindanao (Davao City), and South Luzon (Batangas City).

Happening on April 28, 2016 from 10:00am to 6:00pm at The Atrium of Lucky Chinatown in Binondo, Manila, the 4th Globe myBusiness Day caravan is expected to benefit Filipino-Chinese SMEs and merchants in the area as they discover new ways of doing business to stay competitive in the digital age, learn from interesting exchange of best practices from industry experts, and explore from a wide array of business investment opportunities from various suppliers, franchisors and loan facilities.

“Binondo is home to many milestones in the development of entrepreneurship in the country and we are excited to expand the reach of our Globe myBusiness Day caravan to Filipino-Chinese SMEs in the area so we can help them embrace the digital revolution to become more globally-competitive,” said Barbie Dapul, Vice President at Globe myBusiness.

Globe myBusiness has been working relentlessly with local government units (LGUs) nationwide to bring one of the country’s much-awaited ground fairs for existing and aspiring SMEs to help them learn the ropes of entrepreneurship in the digital age.