Manila X Festival Exceeds Expectations

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Last Saturday, June 04, Manila X exceeded expectations as the first ever proudly local style and music festival in the country. The grandest fusion of music and fashion brought a multi-sensual feast accessible to every Filipino

Zalora was the first to present its romantic summer collection with music from The Juans Thyro and Yumi. This was followed by Myrrh Lao To's Coachella show led by stars Angel Locin, Pokwang, K Brosas, KZ Tandingan and Ylona Garcia. Up Dharma Downserenaded the crowd with their laidback hits as models strutted the runway.

John Paul Dizon went sleek with sophisticated looks to match his celebrity models led by Wynwyn Marquez, Jake Ejercito, Phytos Ramirez, Yasser Martha, Koreen Medina, Pauline Medina and Roxanne Barcelo. This was accompanied by performances from Kiana Valenciano and Yeng Constantino in collaboration with DJ Mars Miranda.

Takeda Digital Healthcare Innovation Challenge Launched First in PH, 10 Days Left to Apply

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Takeda Healthcare Philippines, Inc. launched the Digital Healthcare Innovation Challenge in a TechTalks.ph meetup last 19th May 2016 at A Space Makati. The Takeda Digital Healthcare Innovation Challenge, also known as Takeda DHIC, is a search for digital solutions in the area of Oncology. It is the first time for Takeda Global to hold this event. Philippines was the lucky country they chose to pilot from among their emerging markets.

Mr. Gabriel Georgy, Country Manager of Takeda Healthcare Philippines, Inc., with his leadership team, graced the event. The meetup became a venue to share Takeda’s commitment to innovation and discuss the current status of digital healthcare in the Philippines.

It was an interesting presentation from the panelist including Mr. Georgy himself; Jerome Wang, Digital Explorer for Emerging Markets of Takeda Pharmaceutical which is based in Singapore; and the invited speakers, Dr. Iris Thiele Isip-Tan from UP Medical Informatics, and Dr. Ryan Banez, founder of Healthylitics.

“Takeda is committed to innovation, and that is what we do every day and we are going to extend this. We want to come up with digital innovations and technologies that would improve the lives of those we care about - patients and their loved ones, physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals,” said Mr. Georgy.

Franchisers Optimistic on Entrep Growth Under New Admin

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Association of Filipino Franchisers, Inc. (AFFI) has expressed big hopes for entrepreneurs after hearing President-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s plans for the sector over the last few days.

Duterte has bared his 8-point economic agenda, which his administration plans to implement once he officially assumes office. He has also vowed to end red tape and corruption in the government to fast-track business processing, promising to cut business registration to only three days.

“We’ve been hoping to hear something like this from our would-be leader even before the elections,” says AFFI Executive Vice President Ricardo Cuna. “We’re ranked pretty low in terms of ease of doing business here in the country, and that’s primarily because of our current entrepreneurial ecosystem. I think most of us in the industry agree that it’s the first thing we need to improve.”

Cuna cited the latest World Bank Group’s Doing Business 2016 report, where the Philippines ranked 103rd out of 189 economies with regard to “processing business permits and registrations”. It also came 6th place among its ASEAN counterparts, with Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, and Vietnam outranking the country for the first five slots.

“This situation is one of the factors that slows down the growth of entrepreneurship in the country. Hearing directly from President-elect Duterte that he plans to focus on resolving that gives us confidence that this will all change soon,” mused Cuna.