51Talk Now Publicly Listed on the New York Stock Exchange

Wazzup Pilipinas!

51Talk, also known as China Online Education Group, has announced a $72 million (along with Greenshoes & concurrent private placement) initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on June 10, 2016 under the ticker symbol COE. The company is the largest and fastest-growing online English language teaching platform in China, with over 100,000 students in China taking interactive English lessons on demand from a nationwide network of more than 6,000-strong, highly qualified English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers in the Philippines.

Its phenomenal growth has been fueled by the quality of English education it provides through its Filipino teachers, getting only the best of the best with strict recruitment processes. Says Shu Ting, co-founder and PH country manager of 51Talk, “The Philippines has made a name for itself as a top destination for quality English teachers. We at 51Talk go further by having an acceptance rate of 3% for our applicants, ensuring that we provide the highest standards in teaching our students. With this U.S. IPO, we expect to recruit more excellent English language teachers to our Chinese students.”

Being the biggest online English teaching platform in the world, 51Talk’s focus has remained on the recruitment of quality Filipino teachers, proving that the foundation of effective teaching lies in the kinds of teachers they bring on board. Going public means there are bigger expectations for the company to beef up their teaching body, with stringent processes in place, to ensure that online teaching and learning expertise are up to standards.

Cusi to NEA, Napocor: Address Electric Coop Concerns

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi urged all concerned agencies under the Department of Energy, particularly the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR), to "go down to the cooperatives" and address their issues and concerns.

In a dialogue sought by the officers and members of the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Inc., (PHILRECA) led by General Manager Wendell V. Ballesteros, Cusi told them: "It should be the NEA and NAPOCOR who should approach the coops, not the other way around. We have to work together to make household electrification happen especially in Mindanao."

Among the following concerns raised by the electric cooperatives (ECs) were:

(1) Ensure right-of-way for the delivery of electricity, including the interconnection of islands;

(2) Push for tax reforms to address consumer concerns;

(3) Non-privatization of Agus and Pulangui Complexes in Mindanao;

(4) Interconnection of SPUG areas to the main grid;

(5) DOE in cooperation with other government agencies to put up a One Stop Shop and Fast Lane for the processing and issuance of permits and licenses of energy projects;

(6) Clear policy in order to streamline the allocation and availment processes of government financial assistance for EC disaster-damaged facilities and EC disaster preparedness, prevention and mitigation measures and emergency response;

(7) Well-defined authority of the ECs in relation to right-of-way clearing; and

(8) EC provision for buffer stock of critical materials.

The General Managers of the coops around the country who joined the dialogue with the Energy Secretary were Horacio T. Santos of Agusan del Norte Electric Coop., Inc. (ANECO); Victor R. Cada of Quezon II Electric Coop., Inc. (QUEZELCO II); Rodrigo Sacedor, Davao del Sur Electric Coop., Inc. (DASURECO); Atty. Carlos Roman L. Uybarreta, 1 CARE Party-List Representative; Rene M. Fajilagutan, of Romblon Electric Coop., Inc. (ROMELCO); Sergio C. Dagooc of Siargao Island Electric Coop., Inc. (SIARELCO) and Dinagat Island Electric Coop., Inc. (DIELCO); Gabriel A. Tordesillas Sr. of Cagayan II Electric Coop., Inc. (CAGELCO II); Wendell V. Ballesteros of Davao Oriental Electric Coop., Inc. (DORECO); Ludovico D. Lim of Antique Electric Coop., Inc. (ANTECO); Veronica T. Briones of Camarines Sur IV Electric Coop., Inc. (CASURECO IV); Reynaldo V. Villanueva of Nueva Ecjia II Area 1 & 2 Electric Coop., Inc. (NEECO II-Area 1 & 2); and Egdon A. Sabio of Misamis Occidental II Electric Coop., Inc. (MOELCI II).

Cusi recommended that a vulnerability assessment be made to ascertain those highly prone areas to disasters to mitigate effects of calamity.

"Organize yourselves for emergency response, submit your individual disaster preparedness courses of action so we will know how to deal what to do when your area is affected."

Gatorade NBA Training Center and NBA FIT Week Kick Off

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Brandon Knight of the Phoenix Suns and former NBA player DeCovan "Dee" Brown tipped off the NBA FIT Week in the Philippines by training elite Filipino athletes and coaches at the Gatorade NBA Training Center held on July 19 at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong city.

The NBA FIT Week is the gathering of basketball, fitness and conditioning, nutriton to share best practices and learnings with local athletes and coaches and highlights the importance of healthy and active lifestyles through the three pillars: be active, eat healthy and play together.

Also at the kick off is NBA Philippines Country Manager Carlo Singson who I interviewed while some training exercises were going on so you may hear some dribbling on the background. I still have to upload the video interview but I released already the video invite notifying of two other events scheduled within the week of NBA Fit Week. You may want to watch the video below to find out where you can watch out for these NBA personalities soon.

They already had the interactive fan event featuring Globe Telecoms's sports ambassadors at the BGC Amphitheater on July 20, 2016. The next event on July 21 is at Trinoma with a full day health and wellness event sponsored by the NBA store, and an NBA Cares Clinic for 13-year old boys and girls from Special Olympics Philippines.

Brandon Knight at Panasonic 4k Pro Ultra HD TV and NBA Partnership Launch

Wazzup Pilipinas!

You can now watch the greatest league on the planet in full 4K glory!

4K Ultra HD video boards are coming to the NBA. The NBA's first-ever in-stadium 4K Ultra HD Center-Hung Video Board featuring the largest screens and highest resolution in the league will be installed inside Golden 1 Center, a new high-tech arena opening this fall. The four-screen display, built by Panasonic, is the largest in the NBA and totals more than 32 million pixels. It's seven times larger than what exists in the team's current arena. The ribbon atop the video board will be 6'3" and the main screens will be over 44 feet wide and over 24 feet tall.

At a re-launch held on July 19, 2016 at the Marriott Hotel Manila in Pasay city, Brandon Knight of Phoenix Suns was special guest at the Panasonic 4k Pro Ultra HD TV and NBA Partnership Launch. Brandon was with NBA Philippines Country Manager Carlo Singson who form part of the panel during the press briefing. 

Panasonic was represented by Shinichi Hayashi, President; Masaru Toyota, Vice President for Sales and Marketing; Satoshi Kono, Director for Sales and Marketing and Chino Galicia, Product Manager for AV Marketing.

TechTalks.ph Partners with US-based Tech Accelerator Techstars for Geeks on a Beach

Wazzup Pilipinas!

TechTalks.ph is partnering with the iconic US-based tech accelerator Techstars, renowned for mentoring hundreds of successful startups or innovation-driven enterprises based on apps or software, for the Geeks on a Beach (GOAB) international tech and startup event in Panglao, Bohol this August 2016.

“We will be partnering with the world’s largest startup organization in keeping with our tradition of bringing in key players in the global stage to a highly valuable yet fun-filled tech conference,” said Tech​Talks.ph founder Tina Amper.

Techstars co-founder and managing partner David Brown and Techstar’s Startup Weekend co-founder Marc Nager will be speaking in the fourth edition of GOAB.

The event is organized by TechTalks.ph and co-organized by the new Department of Information and Communications Technology (formerly the DOST-ICTO) and co-presented by the PLDT SME Nation, ​PLDT Innolab, Ideaspace, and SmartDevNet.

"The partnership with Techstars is a significant milestone in TechTalks.ph’s objective of ​helping ​build the Philippine startup ecosystem," Amper said. She said this will expose the local audience to world-class expertise in startups, investments, and entrepreneurial community building.

Techstars is a great addition to the list of investors and partners that are supporting and have supported GOAB in the past including 500Startups, Monk's Hill Ventures, Greylock Ventures, Plug and Play Tech Center, Ideaspace.ph, Kickstart.ph, MaGIC Malaysia, etc.

​Techstars was founded by big names in the startup world David Cohen, Brad Feld, David Brown, and Jared Polis, Techstars holds 13-week programs for startups in Boulder, New York City, Boston, Seattle, San Antonio, Austin, Chicago and London.

As of mid-2015, Techstars has accepted 526 companies into its program with mentors that include Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley, Tumblr CEO David Karp, HubSpot co-founder and CTO Dharmesh Shah, and Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures.

“In its fourth year, GOAB will continue to provide learning experiences and business opportunities for both big and small tech ventures. Our partnership with Techstars is a continuation of our local community’s conversation with the global startup arena that we’ve begun 3 years ago,” ​added David Overton, CEO of Sym.ph and Chief Geek of GOAB.​ ​He​ said this will help GOAB, which debuted in world famous Boracay Island in 2013, in bringing positive results for participants as in startups getting funding, corporations finding tech talents, investors finding co-investors, or techies learning new skills in business or tech.

“GOAB is an event that always strives to provide measurable results in business matching, mentoring, funding, and acceleration of startups by the community for the community. Having Techstars at GOAB will be a big boost to the local startup ecosystem,” said Amper.

Techstars will also be holding its internal Techstars Asia-Pacific (APAC) Summit 3 days before GOAB at the same venue in Bohol. This private event will be attended by over 100 startup community leaders and organizers from all over the region.

A senior government and private industry workshop with Techstars is also in the works for the purpose of sharing the best practices of other countries in developing their own startup ecosystems. Techstars has helped the government of Malaysia, among other countries, in crafting its own startup development plan.

“Techstars is close to our hearts. Techstars is the owner of Startup Weekend, and as such, we in TechTalks.ph worked with them since 2012 when we hosted our first Startup Weekend in Cebu. TechTalks.ph and its volunteers ​have ​organized over 18 Startup Weekends in the Philippines,” said Amper.

TechTalks.ph is working with the Science and Technology Advisory Council of Silicon Valley (STAC-SV) to secure local support for the Techstars APAC summit.

Organized by TechTalks.ph and the Department of Information and Communications Technology, GOAB will be held on August 25-26 at the Bellevue Hotel in Panglao, Bohol. Silver Sponsors are Zalora, Mynimo, Teradoor, and PouchNation while Bronze Sponsors are A Space, Yoyo Holdings, Payoneer, Eurekloud, USAID-STRIDE, US Embassy, Launchgarage, and StarTechUp Inc. GOAB organizational partners are Philippines Software Industry Association, National ICT Confederation of the Philippines., UP CebuInit.org, CedFIT.org, Game Developers Association of the Philippines, Digital Commerce Association of the Philippines, Developers Connect, STAC Silicon Valley and GoNegosyo. Media partners are Auza.Net, Tech in Asia, Geeks in Cambodia, Hubnob.tv, InnoPub Media, Mytechisland.com, Zerothreetwo.com, Jumpstart Magazine, Mobile Ecosystem Forum, Asian Journal Publications, Balikbayan Magazine, Innovation is Everywhere, e27, Newsdesk Asia, and Wazzup Pilipinas​.

GOAB is currently offering 15% discount on its tickets and 40% discount for group of 5 of more. Startups are also encouraged to apply to the 2nd GOAB International Startup Pitching Competition for opportunity to be matched with mentors and investors.

For more information, to sponsor or purchase tickets, visit, www.GeeksOnABeach.com; or contact Hello@GeeksOnABeach.com. Facebook: Geeks On A Beach and Twitter @GeeksOnABeach.

Cusi: Resolve Electrification Issues

Wazzup Pilipinas!

“We have to work together to make household electrification happen in Mindanao,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi urged officials of the National Electrification Administration and the National Power Corporation (Napocor) in a meeting on Monday, 18 July 2016.

Cusi asked both agencies to “go down to the cooperatives” to resolve the issues raised by electric cooperatives namely PHILRECA, QUEZELCO and AMRECO, among others.

Among the issues raised by the electric cooperatives were ensuring the right of way for electric projects, tax reforms, non-privatization of Agus and Pulangui complexes in Mindanao, the interconnection of SPUG areas to the main grid and the putting up of a one-stop shop and fast lane for the processing of permits and licenses for energy projects.

In photo with Cusi are DOE spokespersons Pete Ilagan (second from left) and DOE Undersecretary Wimpy Fuentebella. Joining them are officials of the abovementioned electric cooperatives who sought the dialogue.

NEC Philippines Celebrates 20 Years of Success and Innovation

Wazzup Pilipinas!

NEC Philippines today announced its 20th anniversary milestone since its establishment in 1996. Over the past two decades, NEC Philippines has built a strong reputation in the industry and achieved steady growth by providing its technologies, solutions, services and expertise to the public and private sectors.

To kick off the celebration, an event themed “NECPH@20: Providing Breakthrough Technologies for a Breakout Economy” was held at the Makati Diamond Residences, 2F Legazpi Ballroom, Makati City, on 20 July 2016.

The conference was opened by distinguished speakers, including His Excellency Mr. Kazuhide Ishikawa, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of the Philippines, Mr. Tetsuro Akagi, Chief Executive Officer of NEC Asia Pacific and Senior Vice President of NEC Corporation, and Mr. Jubert Alberto, Head of Operations, IDC Philippines.

The technology-empowered exhibition showcased how NEC is creating new value for society with solutions covering a wide spectrum of industries, demonstrating NEC’s commitment to orchestrate a brighter world through technology that improves the safety, security, equality and efficiency of society. Highlights include NEC’s world No. 1* facial and fingerprint recognition technologies, as well as its transportation, unified communication, healthcare, and broadcast solutions.

“NEC Philippines has come a long way since 1996. The success of the company cannot be achieved without our valued customers and business partners. We will continue to deliver innovative technologies that will benefit businesses, communities and society to allow people to live more abundant lives. We look forward to another 20 years of achievement,” said Agnes A. Gervacio, President, NEC Philippines.

At the event, participants learned about NEC’s thought leadership in topics such as big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), safer cities and social infrastructure solutions and innovative offerings in enterprise solutions.

GoSURF50 Changes PH Index as 2nd Most Affordable Mobile Data Service in Asia Pacific

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The top selling mobile data promo of Globe Prepaid, GoSURF50 was upgraded with 1GB of mobile data allocation to further support customers’ digital lifestyle. In terms of mobile data pricing, GoSURF50 is now the 2nd most competitive offer across the Asia Pacific region at only P48.82 per GB in comparison to top prepaid telco offerings in the region including Brunei, Singapore, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia.

The promo offered at retail price of only P50, valid for 3 days, also includes unlimited texts to all networks as well as free access to Facebook. GoSURF50’s 1 GB of data gives customers 700 MB for surfing while the remaining 300 MB allocation allows access to the customer’s app of choice such as Snapchat, Viber, Spotify Basic, YouTube + Daily Motion, Clash Royale, or Clash of Clans.

With 700 MB of data, one can enjoy streaming YouTube videos for 200 minutes; 600 posts and 880 likes on Facebook; 200 posts on Twitter; 100 Instagram uploads; and about 500 push emails.

According to Globe Senior Vice President for Consumer Mobile Business Issa Cabreira, “With the upgraded GoSURF50, we continue to provide our customers affordable promos that give them the most value for their money. Value added services such as free access to select apps as well as bundling core services such as unlimited SMS also allow us to provide a richer mobile experience.”

Globe Prepaid customers can subscribe to the new GoSURF50 and choose their free content via *143#. To check remaining MBs just send GoSURF STATUS to 8888. Customers will be notified immediately upon consuming 100% of the MB allocation.

To know more about the new GoSURF50 visit glbe.co/B1GGERGoSURF. For Globe Prepaid’s latest offers, visit http://www.globe.com.ph/surf/plan/gosurf50.

Hontiveros Files Six Health Bills in 15 Days

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Barangay health workers with no health insurance? That will soon change.

Keeping true to her campaign promise, Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed six essential bills within her platform of universal healthcare, fifteen days in on her first term.

One of her priority bills is the proposed legislation seeking PhP 6,000.00 as basic wage for barangay health workers or BHWs. Senate Bill No. 214 also seeks to provide training and accreditation to BHWs, currently serving in a volunteer basis.

“Barangay health workers aid the community in primary care like maternal and childcare and health education,” said Hontiveros. “But they are not given enough training and compensation for their service”, she added.

Having gone around the campaign trail, Hontiveros recalled her conversations with BHWs. She cited the case of numerous BHWs not being covered by PhilHealth. Hontiveros also served as PhilHealth director until October last year

“It’s a sad situation when health workers themselves are not insured of their health”, said Hontiveros. “Senate Bill No. 214 seeks to remedy that”, she added. Her bill seeks to provide BHWs with PHilHealth, GSIS and Pag-Ibig benefits.

According to latest data, there are 219,433 active BHWs in the country spread out in 42,000 barangays. The former PhilHealth Director sees the numbers as an opportunity: “The BHWs are or first responders. Imagine if we enhance their skills through more trainings”, she argued. The said bill promises a six-month Community Health Worker Education and Program to produce skilled medical professionals.

Hontiveros seeks counterpart funding from the national government to augment the support to BHWs given by local government units.

In addition to her bill on BHWs, Hontiveros also proposed legislations on the extension of maternity leave, strengthening of the HIV-AIDS law and the anti-hospital deposit law, establishment of the National Health Promotion Institute and providing mandatory PhilHealth coverage for persons with disabilities.

Hackzilla in Manila: Hackathon for Disaster Response Management

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Build the Tech, Stop the Carnage, Save the World!

Freelancer.com kicks off the largest inter-collegiate hackathin for disaster response management dubbed as Hackzilla in Manila.

The first-ever Hackzilla in Manila is Freelancer.com’s inter-collegiate hackathon. Within 36 hours, students will be challenged to build mobile applications, websites, and various other technological solutions that will concentrate on alleviating the harmful impact of natural calamities.

This year’s theme is Preparing the Philippines to effectively respond to natural disasters through the use of technology.

In partnership with the Philippine Disaster Response Foundation (PDRF), The Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Project NOAH, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Developers Connect Philippines (DevCon), and the Philippine Society of IT Educators (PSITE), Freelancer.com’s event Hackzilla in Manila will happen from July 22 to 23, 2016 at the Freelancer.com office, 30th floor, Ecotower, 32nd cor 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

WHAT: HACKZILLA IN MANILA
WHEN: 22 - 23 July 2016
WHERE: Freelancer.com Office
30th floor, Ecotower, 32nd cor 9th Avenue,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Below is the official Press Release:

On June 22, 2016, the whole of Metro Manila joined together in #MMShakeDrill--a massive earthquake drill aimed to prepare citizens for a 7.2-magnitude earthquake caused by the movement of the West Valley Fault.

Organized by the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MMDRRMC) together with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA),  the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), and various other stakeholders, the metrowide event aims to mitigate the widespread loss of lives and properties.

Such preparation is not unfounded paranoia: more than ever, it is a necessity. With the Philippines having been hailed as one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, the country must acknowledge the inevitable onslaught of supertyphoons and earthquakes (much like it had during Typhoons Yolanda and Ondoy) in the years to come. Being caught off-guard without proper disaster response strategies is the worst thing that could happen.

Creating Technologies to Combat Calamities

As a firm believer in the capability of technology to empower Filipino talent and catalyze positive change in communities, the world’s top online freelancing website Freelancer.com has spearheaded an innovative hackathon that will rally college students to pitch their transformative ideas to address societal problems.

With Preparing the Philippines to effectively respond to natural disasters through the use of technology as the theme of the first-ever Hackzilla in Manila, Freelancer.com’s inter-collegiate hackathon, students will be challenged to build mobile applications, websites, and various other technological solutions that will concentrate on alleviating the harmful impact of natural calamities.

In partnership with the Philippine Disaster Response Foundation (PDRF), The Department of Science and Technology’s Project NOAH, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Developers Connect Philippines (DevCon), and the Philippine Society of IT Educators (PSITE), Freelancer.com’s event Hackzilla in Manila will happen from July 22 to 23, 2016.

To qualify:

1.    Students must be currently enrolled in a CHED-accredited school;

2.    Each group can have a maximum of five (5) members. (Group members do not necessarily have to come from the same school.)

3.    Groups looking to join the competition will have to submit via the Sign Up form at http://www.hackzilla.io/sign-up/ the following details:

○     A brief write up providing the profile of the team members including Github (or similar) references showing capability through past projects;

○     A short 2-minute video, uploaded on YouTube, outlining their hackathon pitch in line with the event theme.  

4.    A maximum of 12 teams will be selected by the organizing committee, consisting of Freelancer.com senior engineers and staff, to compete in the event; 3 alternate teams will also be identified in case some of the selected teams decide to pull out of the event

5.    Deadline for submission of entries will be on July 8, 2016.

6.    Selected and alternate teams will be notified via email on July 15, 2016.

7.    Competing teams should be present on July 22 at the Freelancer.com office, 30th floor, Ecotower, 32nd cor 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

The winning team will be announced on July 23, with the finalists’ entries judged by representatives from Freelancer.com and its partner organizations.

To know more, visit: www.hackzilla.io