Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Videos: Microtel by Wyndham's Quezon City Experience Tour

Wazzup Pilipinas!

During our stay at the Microtel by Wyndham Up Technohub branch, the organizers toured us around the tourist spots near the vicinity of the hotel. The first day afternoon was spent biking with the UP Bike Share founders within the grounds of the University of the Philippines (UP), but the following morning was a tour which included the Quezon City Memorial Circle where you can find the Quezon Memorial shrine with a 66-meter trylon monument at the heart of Quezon City's most important park, and the QCX, an interactive 'social history museum' also called as the Quezon City Experience.

Below is a series of videos which starts at a tour of the Microtel by Wyndham UP Technohub hotel and includes the walk-through of the destinations we mentioned. Though this is not how the tour exactly happened but I felt it was but right to begin the tour at our point of origin.

We used a GoPro Hero4 Silver as our action camera so the shots will be different from the usual video coverage we make.

Thank you to Microtel by Wyndham for organizing this fabulous tour which was just part 1 of our Quezon City hotels media familiarization tour. The second part was a tour of the Microtel Acropolis, their newest hotel branch just opposite Eastwood city, and boasts of being a "green" establishment. We will tell you more about that particular hotel on our next blogs. Sorry if it has taken too long to release the videos. We again encountered problems with our Internet Service Provider or telco so hoping that when the new president of the country finally sits in Malacanang, he will stand up and take action against these erring telcos tat could not provide satisfactory services.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In celebration of the 118th Celebration of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence, PIA-NCR, in partnership with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC), and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), will conduct a river tour entitled Balik Tanaw 2016: A Pasig River Tour and Cultural Heritage Experience on June 8, 2016 (Wednesday), 8:30 AM.

The activity aims to create a community that is well-informed on the rich history of various cities in Metro Manila traversed by the Ilog Pasig as well as to increase their level of awareness on the importance and preservation of heritage sites, and rehabilitation of rivers and its tributaries (esteros).

Historians and tour guides will be onboard during the tour. Aside from this, various art activities such as kundiman and spoken word performances will be the major highlights of the event onboard.

The tour will originate at the Guadalupe Ferry Station (Dr. Jose P. Rizal Avenue, Makati, Metro Manila) and the end point will be at the Escolta Ferry Station. The Pasig River tour will take around one (1) hour from Guadalupe Ferry Station to Escolta Ferry Station. We were advised that taking videos/photographs along the Malacañang Area is NOT allowed.

There will also be a walking tour in Escolta, Manila. The Escolta Commercial Association, Inc. and Heritage Conservation Society will lead the tour in various museums located at Escolta. The walking tour is FREE however,donations are encouraged. The walking tour at Escolta will also take around one-hour.

Wazzup Pilipinas!
Congratulations to the Miss Tourism Philippines 2016 winners held on May 28 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater of Resorts World Manila. Among the 42 official candidates, only a few were given recognition through special awards.

Miss Tourism World Philippines: Pangasinan Sharyl Diana Catchillar

She will be the Philippine representative to the annual Miss Tourism World pageant.

Miss Model of the World Philippines 2016: Cebu City, Ethel Abellanosa
Miss Model of the Universe Philippines 2016: Capas-Tarlac, Jean Tumang
Miss Bikini World Philippines 2016: Ibaan-Batangas, Krizsa Nicolitte Serquina

1st runner-up: Makati City, Jane Sotomayor
2nd runner-up: Rodriguez-Rizal, Karen Grace Atienza
3rd runner-up: Muntinlupa City, Quennie Marie Orbeta
4th runner-up: Pasay City, Joana Espiritu

Special award winners:
Miss Snap Travel: Palawan
Best in Swimsuit: Ibaan, Batangas
Best in Talent: Muntinlupa City
Miss Friendship: Pila, Laguna

Miss Best in National Costume: Dapitan City
Miss Lady Grace: Pangasinan
Miss Zen Zest: Pasay City
Miss Aqua Mineral: Manila
Miss Envy Body: Dapitan City

Top 15:
Zambales
Cebu City
Rodriguez-Rizal
Ibaan- Batangas
Palawan
Makati City
Tabuk City
Cagayan De Oro
Pangasinan
Dapitan City
Capas -Tarlac
Pasay
Marilao-Bulacan
Marikina
Muntinlupa

Special awards have been given to the following during their pre-pageant activities:

Darling of the Press: Ms. Patricia Kay Arabaca of Pampanga

Best Sta. Cruzan Gowns:

Ms. Asmen Razul of Palawan; Ms. Aeriel Bartolome of Marikina City; Ms. Marlyn Dela Merced of Guinto,Marilao-Bulacan ; Ms. Sheena Mae Zaldivar of Dapitan City

Miss La Virginia Resort & Miss Kutis Filipina: Ms. Krizsa Nicolitte Serquina of Ibaan-Batangas

Miss Lima Park Hotel: Ms. Sharyl Diana Catchillar of Pangasinan

Below are some of the winning ladies in swimsuit:

*Photos from Fab Manila, Joy Arguil, Vanessa Velasco

We Got Whipped and We Liked It; Sugar Waxing for Eyebrow and Underarm

Wazzup Pilipinas!

You can remove unwanted hair quickly and easily with sugar waxing - a method that has been perfected at Whipped Sugar Wax and Body Scrub Salon.

This old-school waxing method is cheap, requires no heat or strips, and is as effective and less painful than conventional methods. The sugaring technique employs the use of a sugar paste or gel made from sugar, lemon juice and water. It is often credited as nature’s permanent hair removal.

It was my wife's first time trying out sugar waxing to remove unwanted body hair like those found in our underarms, and also to sculpt the eyebrows perfectly well by removing the excess or runaway hair around them.

Whipped is owned by Ms. Bing Fabi. They have three branches located at 3rd Floor, Ayala Fairview Terraces, 2nd Floor, Commerce Avenue Wing, Alabang Town Center and 2nd Floor, Eight Forbes Town Center. We visited the third one on May 17, 2016 for sugar waxing of eyebrow and underam for my wife.

Sugar waxing, or Persian waxing, is a method of hair removal that has been in use since 1900 BC. It is an old, tried and true way to wax, naturally. It is not as harmful as regular waxing because the sugar sticks only to the hair and not the skin. Sugaring is gentler to the skin and less painful than waxing. It doesn’t rip your skin off especially for those with sensitive skin.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

We would like to congratulate all the winners of the Miss Global Philippines 2016 Resorts Wear and Long Gown Competition held at Hannah's Beach Resort and Convention Center located in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte on May 28, 2016.

The final results shows candidate number 19, Camille Hirro, as the emerging top winner for bagging both Best in Resorts Wear and Best in Evening Gown, and the special award as Miss Hannah's.

The Miss Hannah's 1st Runner Up position went to candidate number 21, Janelle Olafson, while candidate number 23, Perlyn Ocampo, won the 2nd Runner Up award.

No. 19 Camille Hirro
Miss Hannah's
Best in Resorts wear
Best in Evening Gown

No. 21 Janelle Olafson
Miss Hannah's 1st runner up

No. 23 Perlyn Ocampo
Miss Hannah's 2nd runner up

Brigada Eskwela 2016: Tayo para sa Paaralang Ligtas Maayos at Handa

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Brigada Eskwela, also known as the National Schools Maintenance Week, will be on Monday, May 30, until June 3. In this regard, the Department of Education invites you all to help in making our neighborhood schools clean, safe, and disaster-free. Please bring cleaning materials such as grass cutter, guna, bolos, rakes, brooms as well as saws, hammers etc. as there would probably not enough tools to clean-up the school.

Brigada Eskwela 2016 will have a theme dubbed as:"Tayo para sa Paaralang Ligtas Maayos at Handa Mula Kindergarten Hanggang Senior High School".

Every year, people from all over the country volunteer their time and effort to prepare public school facilities for the opening of classes. We see this as an opportunity to manifest core values of Teamwork and Responsibility, and provide meaningful community work for all the people of the community.

All stakeholders are welcome to volunteer their services on these days. The school will appreciate it very much if volunteers with skills in masonry, carpentry, painting, electricity, plumbing, gardening and landscaping will extend their expertise during the Brigada Eskwela days. They would also welcome generous donors of cash or in kind such as paints, cement, plywood, etc on these dates. You may also help out by donating materials and equipment for our Junior High School and Senior High School program.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Men who violated the 10pm liquor ban, seen drinking on public places, are temporarily detained and made to do 40 push-ups at a police headquarters in Las Pinas.

Those who finished the 40 push ups were allowed to go home while those who haven't completed the punishment were jailed temporarily, the report said.

The mass arrests were made in line with “Oplan RODY,” a campaign named after Davao City mayor and now incoming president Rodrigo "Rody" Duterte or otehrwise known as "Digong."

At about 10:00pm, elements of the Las Pinas city police station led by PSUPT CONRADO N BUNYI, ACOPA together with PCI LIBRETO BUISAN, ACOPO with the full cooperation of Las Piñas City Force Multipliers under the direct supervision of PSSUPT JEMAR D MODEQUILLO, ACOP conducted "OPLAN RODY" (Rid the streets Of Drinkers and Youth) at Barangay CAA, Las Piñas City.

The said successful operation resulted to the rescue of 57 minors and the arrest of 2 Drinking in Public, 16 Half Naked and 8 for violation of RA 9165 (COMPREHENSIVE DANGEROUS DRUGS ACT OF 2002). The number was said to increase to more than 100.

Flores de Pusher is the New Walk of Shame

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Tanauan, Batangas innovates their shame campaign against drug pushers with their newly repackaged and quite humorous walk of shame dubbed as Flores de Pusher reported to have been held on May 23, 2016.

Mayor Antonio Halili came up with his own version of the Flores de Mayo designed for the drug pushers of his city. The suspects, bearing the signs that say “Ako'y drug pusher, 'wag tularan,” were made to walk under a bamboo arch with the sign “Flores de Pusher." The Mayor explained that the “walk of shame” is an approach he found effective and conceptualized the thematic event. Eleven suspected drug pushers in Tanauan, Batangas, were forced to join the walk of shame campaign.

As a staunch advocate against illegal drugs, they say presumptive president Rodrigo Duterte supports the shaming of drug pushers.

Tanauan City is known to have a lot of drug addicts and pushers, and the Mayor's Anti-Crime Group lead by MACG Chief Mr Allan Fajardo is the one assigned to implement strategies to strengthen the fight against illegal drugs.

Sigh! It seems the iron-fist and unconventional style of governance of incoming President Rodrigo Duterte is slowly rubbing off on other people. But this is considered more humane than the Davao DEath Squad. Though the Commission on Human Rights is looking at this issue with a glaring eye, I doubt they have enough political will to implement any strong resistance against the Local Government Units.
What about you? Would you commend or abhor the Flores de Pusher?

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Illuminate: Ignite the Light Featuring the Albert Andrada Collection

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Albert Andrada's beautiful and stunning creation were worn by some of the renowned Pinay beauty queens of the country. Illuminate: Ignite The Light, The Albert Andrada Collection was held on May 26, 2016 at the One Esplanade in Mall of Asia Complex Pasay City.

World-class Fililipina beauty queens including Miss World 2015 Top 10 Hillarie Danielle Parungao
Miss Earth 2015 Angelia Gabrena Ong, Miss Globe 2015 Ann Lorraine Colis, Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International 2015 Leren Mae Bautista, and Miss Intercontinental 2015 1st runner-up Christi McGarry.

All of them wearing beautiful gowns designed by world-class Filipino designer Sir Albert Andrada.

Viral newsmaker and former Binibining Pilipinas-Universe Maria Isabel Lopez also graced the runway during this Lumina Events show. After many years, Maria Isabel Lopes is still so graceful and exudes the real beauty queen aura unlike other past winners who allowed themselves to look like real grannies.

We also saw Miss Universe Philippines 2011 Shamcey Supsup that is slim and sexy even after a recent pregnancy.

The event also featured other designers such as Rocky Gathercole, Bessie Besaña among others showcasing their collections modeled by Main Models.

Reigning Miss Earth 2015 Angelia Ong came out with designer Albert Andrada in the conclusion of Illuminate: Ignite the Light fashion event.

Congratulations to Albert Andrada for the fabulous collection.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

There is an urgent call for financial inclusion among a significant portion of the population as the country builds a healthy cash flow in the communities, prompting Mynt, a wholly-owned financial services company of Globe Telecom, to step in and provide the unbanked and underserved sectors a chance to take part of the shared growth for consumers and businesses.

“Mynt sees an opportunity to create a financially inclusive environment that will cater to every person who does not have access to formal financial facilities and services. We already started with the Philippines and will eventually move into the ASEAN region. Right now, there are about 1.5 billion people in the region who are unbanked and underserved and who can benefit from financial technology,” said John Rubio, Mynt President and CEO.

At present, three out of four Filipinos aged 15 years old and above do not have accounts with banks or financial entities, 95% of Filipinos do not have credit cards and 40 % of Philippine municipalities do not have access to physical banks.

“With no credit cards and no banks, many people succumb to informal lenders. Many of them also find it costly to send money. But with FinTech, anyone can have access to consumer loans, micro finance, various payment platforms, domestic and international remittance, and digital bills payments, among others,” Rubio said even as he pointed out that the rapid adoption of FinTech is necessary to create a digital nation which could further help the country move forward.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Ross Del Rosario, founder of Wazzup Pilipinas (the self-declared Pambansang Blog ng Pilipinas or the National Blog of the Philippines), will soon be receiving another award for "Best Choice Achievers for Accomplishments and Success in Multimedia Advertising Opinion Blogging Industry."

This is not the first time that Ross Del Rosario will be recognized for his achievements in the blogging industry. He was previously conferred a similar award a few years ago due to his accomplishments in managing the Wazzup Pilipinas community blog. We should also mention the numerous awards conferred to the community blog site itself. throughout the three years of its existence.

The Wazzup Pilipinas blog site started only on March 2013 but it has already received several awards every year for both blog and founder. Though the founder notes that he owes everything to the community of bloggers, contributors, partners, readers and followers of the blog site in making the Wazzup Pilipinas blog very successful as one of the leading blogs in the Philippines, we should mention his unwavering determination to keep Wazzup Pilipinas among the most notable blogs in the Philippines through several collaborations. He believes that opportunities should be shared with everyone so that blessings and rewards would continue to be plentiful.

Wazzup Pilipinas has been a very popular blog site for media partnership of events and brands and has partnered with so many organizations and companies including colleges and universities for their events and advocacy programs. It has been known to promote everything that is happening in the Philippines but has also collaborated with international brands and movements.

We would like to congratulate our founder, Ross Del Rosario, for his remarkable achievements in blogging. We would also like to thank all of those who appreciate his efforts and have continued to partner with the blog site all throughout the years.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Chef Shigeki Iimura, world renowned chef and Corporate Japanese Chef of Buddha-Bar group, visited Buddha-Bar Manila to introduce new Japanese-Pevuvian cuisines to its customers. That means more choices to choose from for those who love to spend their dinner at this cool restaurant in Makati.

The awesome culinary treat, held on May 20 and May 21, is a world-class experience since not everyday do we meet chefs from foreign lands. Not only were the dishes superbly appetizing on both their look and taste, but the opportunity to interview Chef Shigeki is something very memorable for me. I am always fascinated with individuals who possess a lot of creativity and chefs are known to be very imaginative and innovative in coming up with unique concepts that will surely make you want to keep coming back for more surprises from their kitchen.

Japanese-Prevuvian is also known as Nikkei cuisine, this particular type of cooking has its roots in South America, where there is a huge convergence of Japanese and Latin American culture. Best described as a fusion of Japanese food made with Peruvian ingredients and cooking technique, Nikkei cuisine has become a global food trend among many cities worldwide.

I was the early bird so I got to be the first to interview Chef Shigeki who was very willing to accommodate my request. Actually, the Restaurant General Manager was the one who arranged that I get that interview to make my time more productive. I knew that it might be a bit difficult oif I request for the interview later or at the end of the event.

#YouThinkYouCan Do Anything with the New Cadbury 5Star

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Dare to break out of your comfort zone and prepare to take on the world, the universe rather, with a little push to go on full from the newest, craziest, chocolatey goodness of Cadbury 5Star.

At a recent launch held on May 27, 2016 at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati city, we were treated to the newest product from Mondelez Philippines, makers of our favorite Cadbury Dairy Milk and Toblerone chocolates.

As expected, lots of Cadbury 5Star chocolate bars were being given away to the attendees of the event by simply doing the challenges. They get the chance to win loot bags from Cadbury 5Star if they post their challenge online and gets chosen as a lucky winner.

Cadbury 5Star offers a new chocolate experience but with the familiar, velvety smooth Cadbury milk chocolate wrapped neatly around an exciting blend of gooey caramel and a soft chocolatey center. We could feel the crunch of the crispy biscuits inside which makes the experience totally awesome! This particular brand of chocolate is available in two sizes (15g and 35g) for P10 and P34 each.

The world is our playground but the last thing anyone wants is to find themselves doing the exact same thing every day. The world is bigger than what we see, so we shouldn’t just waste it on what we already know, or what we've been doing as an everyday routine.

With one bite of the new Cadbury 5Star, you’ll think you can do anything that you might just want to pack your bags, travel the world, become fearless and daring, and do some of the things on your bucket list.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Just as we are about to transition from President Benigno Aquino Jr. to President Elect Rodrigo Duterte, and the Philippines is sitting on a failing grade for the Millenium Development Goal’s HIV Program, some youth and adolescents join forces to campaign against HIV Stigma and promote awareness and family discussion about a virus that has been infecting some 27 persons a day.

The Youth/Adolescents Health Advocates’ Network or YAHA Network will stage a play-variety-musical and interactive show “Journey to Panagimpan”, written by Crisaldo Vicente Pablo and directed by Ryceanne Manlulu and Francis Adarlo, on Saturday, June 4, 2016, at 6 pm at the Quezon City High School, Scout Ybardolaza corner Kamuning Road, Quezon City.

“Journey to Panagimpan” is a comedy drama musical show on adolescent gender identification and expression, parenting and family support, HIV and AIDS. The show is part of The LoveLife Project’s campaign “Positive Journeys: Adolescent Moments of Confrontation with HIV” which has a series of workshops on HIV for adolescents and parents, a community and campus tour of the advocacy movie and/or the interactive play variety show. The LoveLife Project is about to shoot the advocacy movie “Ang Timeline ng Buhay ni B” about an adolescent who gets infected with HIV and his journey through life as a person living with HIV.

In partnership with Quezon City Health Department’s Adolescent Health Program and the QC STI AIDS Council, The LoveLife Project for Health and Environment Inc., InteGreat Media Inc., Crisp Essential Media, National Youth Commission and Batasan Hills Barangay Council for the Protection of Children, The LoveLife Project recently conducted an independent advocacy media acting and production workshop for adolescents with attendees coming from Quezon City Barangays Batasan Hills, Commonwealth and Kaunlaran, Cubao.The LoveLife Project is composed of award-winning media professionals who believe in holistic approach to being healthy, happy and productive. The LoveLife Project intends to work with government agencies and private institutions to design a massive multimedia program on HIV education, inclusive of gender and sexuality, adolescent wellness and empowerment.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Are you into dance? Perhaps, an aspiring professional dancer, a dancer in your past life (as in before work got in your way), a student-artist who wants to improve himself/herself, or simply someone who wants to learn how to dance? We know you love dance in one way or another. That’s why, we’re bringing you Dance at The PARC.

The PARC Foundation, in cooperation with Daloy Dance Company, Next.Ep, and eXcellerate Dance Company, presents Dance at The PARC, a series of dance classes including Basic Jazz, Advanced Jazz, Contemporary, Creative Movement, Movement Meditation, Jazz Funk, and Urban. It will run from June 1, 2016 until December 15, 2016.

Here are some reasons why you should try it:

1. The venue, The PARC Manila, is close to business districts and schools. It won’t be as hard to find as your forever is!

2. You wouldn’t have to worry about your 9-5 job / class. We thought of that already! All our weekday classes are scheduled from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM and we made sure we have Saturday classes too! So whether you’re a working professional or a student, busy building your needy relationship with your job or acads, Dance at The PARC can help you find time for your other love which is dancing.

3. There are plenty of classes to choose from. You wouldn’t have to settle for less. If you think you and dancing are currently very much in love, you can add spice to your relationship by enrolling to further enhance your skills. Let’s say you’re already good in jazz, then you can try Advanced Jazz or you can learn Contemporary instead. On the other hand, if you’re just starting, you can try Basic Jazz, or get to know your body more through Creative Movement and Movement Meditation. Not to mention, you can try Urban and Jazz Funk as well. You might even be discovered for it, you’ll never know.

4. Dance at The PARC can help you stop being bitter about dance not loving you back. ‘Coz we’re pretty sure our dance masters will be patient and kind with you. They will guide you in bringing out your inner dancer.

5. And like those reasons are still not good enough, you can even try each of the dance classes for FREE. Yes, you’ve read that right, FREE. And after your trial/s, you can enjoy the dance classes, no matter what genre, for as low as P150 per session -- if you avail of the Titanium package which is well, unlimited!

6. Most importantly, it’s FOR A CAUSE. Dance at The PARC is one of The PARC Foundation’s programs to support performing arts groups in developing their skills and sharing their artistry to the youth. As a newly established non-profit organization, The PARC Foundation aims to help make performing arts become a part of every Filipino youth’s life. By joining Dance at The PARC, you will not only improve your dancing skills but you will also help the artists and the foundation itself with its causes and take part in the beginning of achieving a big dream, which is the establishment of a Performing Arts and Recreation Center at the heart of Metro Manila.

https://media.giphy.com/media/3oEjHFAxk1JvxQapTW/giphy.gif

For more info about Dance at The PARC, you can like The PARC Foundation’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PARCFoundationPH. You can also join our event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1014528875268163/.

Another way that you can support our foundation is by helping us raise funds for the construction of The PARC (Performing Arts and Recreation Center) Manila. Kindly contact Ms. Alecks Ambayec at 09173490917 or at alecks@theparcfoundation.ph for donations.