Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Friday, May 6, 2016

APOS Summit Gathers Global Key Industry Leaders to Focus on Future Growth of Video Content Creation and Distribution

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Asia’s premier event for media, telecoms and entertainment industry APOS (Asia Pacific Pay-TV Operators Summit) recently gathered leaders from established companies and fast growing new businesses fostering discussions on the video sector and the ecosystem of creating, distributing and monetizing content.

APOS 2016, held at Bali Indonesia last April 26 to April 28, focused on the video industry, including TV and digital video. A fast growing $105 billion business, leaders sought to explore its exponential growth with the rapid evolution of consumer behavior and choices. Its key themes were centered on exploring opportunities and facing challenges that come with it.

Among the top themes for APOS 2016 include the future of content creation and distribution, video streaming, content packaging and pricing in broadband, social video curation and sports in digital platforms, among others.

With hundreds of participants from telco to entertainment companies, the summit saw 60 of the most innovative company leaders share their expertise and points of view on the various themes. Globe Telecom President and CEO Ernest Cu participated in a discussion on Game Changers and Disruptors, sharing how the company continues to prosper in a high-growth but increasingly aggressive market. Cu touched on its play in strengthening its digital content franchises giving it a competitive advantage. Moderating this Q&A with Cu is Media Partners Asia (MPA) Executive Director Vivek Couto.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Commemorating the 156th Birthday of Philippine revolution hero and independent church founder Gen. Gregorio Aglipay, Diwa Partylist Representative Emmeline "Em" Aglipay-Villar was at the Pandesal Forum of Kamuning Bakery on May 5, 2016 for a small ceremony and press conference.

The Diwa partylist is running for re-election and represented by the daughter in law of the Manuel and Cynthia Villar whose son Mark is married to Em Aglipay, the great great granddaughter of Gen. Gregorio Aglipay.

Em goes on to share a lengthy speech to both explain about why the good general never had a fair share of recognition even though he had numerous worthy acts during his time. It was said that the general ran for President against Quezon during his time but failed to win because he was not popular with the Americans back then.

The lady representative of Diwa also shared some of their advocacy platform primarily focused on far and just labor practices. She shared that they are in favor of ending contractualization but only for the non-core functions of a business. She used as example an airline where the pilots and stewardess would be considered as part of the core functions of the business which should not hire contractual employees for the said positions. Meanwhile functions like catering would be considered as open for contractualization.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The summer months are here again! And what better way to spend it than with the must-haves that are sure to make your days cooler and lighter. Whether it’s a laptop that will allow you a more productive work setup or an air-conditioner that makes home a more comfortable place to live in, the good news is that there is an easy, simple and fast way to get these in time for this season.

Laptops, air-conditioners and more

With a lot of schools now shifting their calendars to include classes during the summer months, laptops are now also timely to purchase. Available in Silicon Valley branches, Asus, Acer and Lenovo are among the most popular brands offering the most reasonably-priced feature-packed laptops available in the market today.

Summer can also be enjoyed at the comfort of your own home. Offered at Automatic Centre are a wide variety of the latest and most budget-friendly air-conditioners that are sure to make your house cooler and more comfortable without causing a big dent in your savings. Whether it’s a split-type or a window-style one, an air-conditioner is a welcome addition to any household during this time of the year. You can also add-in a new TV and other appliances to spruce your home up even more.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Sophos, a global leader in network and endpoint security, today revealed SophosLabs research that indicates a growing trend among cybercriminals to target and even filter out specific countries when designing ransomware and other malicious cyberattacks. The research includes information from millions of endpoints worldwide and is analyzed by the team at SophosLabs.

To lure more victims with their attacks, cybercriminals are now crafting customized spam to carry threats using regional vernacular, brands and payment methods for better cultural compatibility, according to Sophos.

Ransomware cleverly disguised as authentic email notifications, complete with counterfeit local logos, is more believable, highly clickable and therefore more financially rewarding to the criminal. To be as effective as possible, these scam emails now impersonate local postal companies, tax and law enforcement agencies and utility firms, including phony shipping notices, refunds, speeding tickets and electricity bills. SophosLabs has seen a rise in spam where the grammar is more often properly written and perfectly punctuated.

“You have to look harder to spot fake emails from real ones,” said Chester Wisniewski, senior security advisor at Sophos. “Being aware of the tactics used in your region is becoming an important aspect of security.”

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Your Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas was invited to attend the launch of the new MINI convertible, the only premium convertible in the small car segment that offers a refreshing open-top driving experience on all four seats. held on April 5, 2016 at the MINI showroom in Bonifacio Global City.

MINI Asia and MINI Philippines says it is available in two variants: MINI Cooper Convertible S and MINI John Cooper Works Convertible. What was unveiled to us during the launch was the former in a stunning chili red color. Now, is this something fiery to drive during the scorching summer heat in the Philippines? Why not! Who cares about the heat when we could look fabulously good driving the MINI Convertible.

Seriously, we can easily put on the car roof for the sunny or rainy days, and only partially open it during days when you just want to feel the natural blow of the wind instead of the air-conditioning. But when the breeze is cool, just like the MINI Convertible, we can fully open up the top for a more refreshing drive around everywhere, within the metro or at the provinces.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Who created and paid for this Anti-Duterte TV advertisement using children to convey the impending threat to society?

Some say that "The children are saying things that are true. They were not made to lie. Besides children have been used and abused a lot in the media especially those stupid drama series. Why complain when children say the truth? Because Duterte is offended and is such a drama queen?" and that "The words that were said on the TV ad came from Duterte himself."

Below are some of the thoughts coming from different people that I gathered from my social media timelines. I selected those whose ideas seems agreeable to what I would like to also share to my readers, but there are also points that I included to be fair and somewhat bring out some humor to this chaotic pre-election season.

"The shockvertising aired last night proves one thing. Mas madami talaga nanonood sa ABS-CBN. Everybody's ganging up against ABS while reports say it was also shown on other channels."

I actually saw it already a few days before from somewhere which I could not remember. But my reaction was pale in comparison to what I am seeing now on my social media timelines.

In a tweet from MTRCB, they inform the general public that it is the COMELEC which has sole jurisdiction to regulate political TV ads under the Fair Elections Act.

"In a statement, ABS-CBN said it had nothing to do with the production of the political ad, and that it was "duty bound to air a legitimate ad."

"The controversial political advertisement being talked about in social media, which aired on ABS-CBN, was produced and paid for by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. Prior to the airing, ABS-CBN’s ethics committee reviewed the content of the material, which complies with the requirements of pertinent election laws," the company said.

ABS-CBN pointed out that Commission on Elections' (COMELEC) guidelines prohibit radio and television stations from discriminating against any candidate or political party in the sale of air time.

"By airing the said commercial, ABS-CBN is being consistent with COMELEC guidelines, which prohibit radio or television stations to discriminate in the sale of air time against any political party or candidate. We are duty bound to air a legitimate ad."

An audio version of the negative ad has been airing on radio stations.

A different negative ad about Duterte also began airing on GMA Network on Thursday. "

Mom for all Seasons: Vilma Santos Tops 2016 Lazada Polls

Wazzup Pilipinas!

To celebrate mother’s day, Lazada , the country’s one stop shopping and selling destination, conducted an online survey among members of the Lazada Super Moms and main FB page. Survey results are based on direct consumer responses and not reflective of the views of Lazada.com or its employees.

Lazada moms are Vilmanians at heart with 69% of respondents saying she is the best representation of a mother, winning over other showbiz icons Sharon Cuneta, Dawn Zulueta and Jaclyn Jose.

Ely beats Chris, but Brad lords over them all

When it comes to music and entertainment, the popularity of local band Eraserheads (40%) beats out international bands, Coldplay and U2. But when it comes to Hollywood crushes, Leo (24%) still has a long way to go before reaching Brad’s (53%) stature.

Mom’s everyday essentials

Moms are more active than ever before. With the limitless number of mom apps available, almost three (71%) out of four respondents prefer using an Android over an iOS. Function over femininity rules as moms prefer wearing shorts (45.3%) as their comfy #OOTD, with jeans as a close contender (43.7%). Baby wipes top their survival kit must have (36.0%) to take out.

Value Hunters and Pamperers

Moms are always on the lookout for great deals, especially during sales (37.6%). For example in diapers, Huggies was ranked as the most preferred and trusted brand by moms (34.4%). Interesting to note that moms would rather (1) buy during a sale, (2) use discount vouchers or (3) buy product bundles than ask allowance from dad when the household budget gets pretty tight.

One thing moms aren’t afraid to scrimp on are themselves. 36% of respondents described themselves as part of the Health and Beauty category. When asked what form of dieting they prefer, moms prefer a diet of fruits and veggies (58%) instead of depriving themselves of sweets or rice. For mini-breaks, a surprising 41.2% prefer staycations over out of town getaways.

Mother’s Day Mindfulness

As Mother’s Day is just around the corner, Lazada treats all mothers out there with Mother’s Day Specials until May 5, 2016 with up to 80% off on a wide assortment of products. Perfect gifts for mothers are available from kitchenware, cameras, gadgets and a whole lot more. Lazada also makes flower deliveries possible on Mother’s Day for its first 400 customers who would be pre-ordering on or before 5:00p.m onMay 6.

Mom is definitely the queen this May. Treat your royal highness by visiting www.lazada.com.ph or by downloading the mobile app for free.

Animal Planet Celebrates Motherhood on May 8

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The art of being a mother is more complex than any of us could have imagined. Even in the animal kingdom, mothers have a lot to teach us. On May 8, Animal Planet celebrates Mother’s Day by showing that universal truth through several special one-offs starting at 8PM.

Following a well-established pride of lions on the plains of the Serengeti, Queen of the Beasts will attempt to unravel the story of the "King of Beasts" and the role of his queen, the lioness, in pride life. The lion, for all his size and swagger, is revealed as more a consort than a king.

Real power lies with the queen. It is the lionesses who own the territory and provide the ongoing stability for the pride: mothers, daughters, aunts and grandmothers form a close-knit group that looks after all the cubs, and surprisingly, the old and infirm. Queen of the Beasts airs May 8, 8PM on Animal Planet.

In Wildwives of Savannah Lane, mothers are guarantors of the savannah's diversity -- picky about their partners, yet in most cases, utterly devoted to their young. Which creatures among these have mastered the ways in which to be the perfect wildwife?

Wazzup Pilipinas!

One of the most fearsome thoughts for both men and women is the prospect of balding. Thinning hair or hair that grows in patches can be just as alarming.

A fear of baldness is called phalacrophobia. But even just the loss of a little hair can cause major anxiety for some people.

Now, those with balding heads or thinning hair can find a quick solution to their problem at MAXiM, an international hair restoration center based here in the Philippines. The answer is MAXiM’s MEGA Sessions – a procedure that allows clients to grow a good head of hair from just one visit. In the MEGA Sessions, up to 4,000 grafts of hair (up to 10,000 hair follicles) are implanted on the scalp in one sitting so clients do not have to do multiple visits.

MEGA Sessions are unique to MAXiM, which has been doing various types of hair transplant procedures on local and foreign clients since 2004. While other hair centers can only transplant 1,000 to 2,000 grafts, MAXiM plastic surgeons and nurses are uniquely qualified to perform Mega Sessions that already produce satisfying results in just one session.

“The big advantage of MEGA Sessions, besides the great improvement in looks, is that the client does not have to keep coming back to the clinic for repeat sessions just to get a full head of hair. The improvement in appearance and image is really quite significant and many clients are pleased. With a full head of hair, many of our clients tell us they have landed good jobs, gotten promotions, found the love of their lives, and have renewed self-confidence because of their youthful look,” said MAXiM Hair Restoration CEO Mac Fadra.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Sony Channel, the home of Hollywood’s entertainment, has added two new comedy shows for this merry month of May: CROWDED and SUPERSTORE.

CROWDED: Premieres Sunday, May 8 at 8:30pm

Taking its place alongside comedy series Dr. Ken on ROFLing Sunday nights, CROWDED follows married couple Mike and Martina Moore who are excited to settle into their new life as empty-nesters. But not all goes to plan and chaos ensues as their two daughters unexpectedly return home to figure out their lives and Mike’s parents decide to stay with them instead of moving to Florida.

CROWDED is produced by Hazy Mills Productions, Sam Jen Productions, and Universal Television. The show stars Patrick Warburton as Mike Moore, Carrie Preston as Martina Moore, Miranda Cosgrove as Shea Moore, and Mia Serafino as Stella Moore. Stacy Keach plays Mike’s father Bob while Carlease Burke plays Mike’s mother Alice. CROWDED premieres on Sunday, May 8 at 8:30pm

SUPERSTORE: Premieres Sunday, May 22 at 8:00pm

SUPERSTORE, starring America Ferrera, is a LOL comedy which features a fascinating look into the lives of employees of a big box store called Cloud 9 in St. Louis, Missouri. From interns to long-term managers, each employee’s life and background play a crucial role in their characters and add a kaleidoscope of colour to the challenges of dealing with the unpredictable world of retail.

SUPERSTORE was created by Justin Spitzer and produced by Spitzer Holding Company, The District, and Universal Television. The show stars America Ferrera who played Betty in the famous comedy Ugly Betty. Also starring are Ben Feldman, Lauren Ash, Colton Dunn, Nichole Bloom, and Mark McKinney.

Sony Channel is seen on SKYCable Channel 35, Cignal Digital TV Channel 60, Destiny Cable Channel 62, Cable Link Channel 39.