DOE-IIEE Join Forces to Audit the Country’s Power System

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Energy (DOE) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines (IIEE) on 8 August 2016. The parties agreed to organize Task Forces consisting of DOE personnel and IIEE members that will conduct the technical audit of the generation, transmission and distribution facilities in the country.

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said: “It is imperative for us to immediately determine the causes, whether technical or contractual, of the current power supply situation. We have to find a lasting solution to this recurring problem as well as establishing and institutionalizing far-reaching formulae, because it is our people who are bearing the brunt of power interruptions and we cannot allow that to continue.”

On a pro-bono basis, the DOE tapped IIEE for being the only Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC)-accredited professional association in the field of electrical engineering with the necessary technical knowledge, expertise and competence to assist the DOE in addressing the current power situation. The IIEE has 47,000 licensed and competent electrical engineers and master electricians across the country.

Pursuant to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), the DOE and IIEE agreed to look into current mechanisms aimed at ensuring the safety, efficiency, quality, reliability and security of the power system.

The audit is also envisioned to disentangle and unbundle the flaws in the generation-transmission-distribution chain that cause deficiencies in our power supply.

The agreement was brought to the table because of the recent spate of power supply reserve deficiencies due to forced outages of major plants in Luzon. These deficiencies resulted to rotational brownouts in Metro Manila and nearby provinces in the past few days.

Present during the signing ceremony were (L-R) IIEE National President Larry C. Cruz and DOE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, along with Atty. Felix Wimpy Fuentebella, DOE Spokesperson; Mr. Ramon P. Ayaton, Executive Director; Engr. Rogelio M. Avenido, 1986 National President; Engr. Alex C. Cabugao, 2014 National President; Engr. Florigo C. Varona, VP for External Affairs; Pete L. Ilagan, DOE Spokesperson; Engr. Florencio D. Berenguel, National Auditor; Engr. Ariel P. Duran, Former Metro Manila Regional Governor; Engr. Hipolito A. Leoncio, 2008 National President; Atty. Gerardo D. Erguiza Jr.; Engr. Arwin L. Ardon, PNOC-RC President and Dir. Arthus T. Tenazas, DOE Legal Services.

The DOE assures the public that it continues to monitor the developments in the power industry and to exhaust all possible measures to resolve the power supply situation in the country.

Globe Telecom Positions Davao in Global Connectivity Map

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Globe Telecom is positioning Davao in the global connectivity map by aggressively building on its network infrastructure in the city that includes the construction of the Philippine end of an international undersea cable system, the only facility of such kind in the country to directly connect Davao with the rest of the world.

“Both facilities will help underpin local economic growth as it will provide support for the expanding business requirement for data not only in Mindanao region but also in the country as a whole. Both the data center and the undersea cable systems are critical in ensuring the resiliency of the country’s internet connectivity with the rest of world, particularly US, where much of internet content is sourced,” said Globe President & CEO Ernest Cu.

The two facilities will play a major role in providing the ideal IT Infrastructure and International connectivity requirement not only of businesses located in Davao, but also for enterprises in Luzon and Visayas in line with the company’s vision of enhancing business capacities of enterprises and help usher the Philippines to become a digital nation, said Cu. "Enterprises located in northern and central Philippines may consider the data center as the primary site for Mindanao and secondary site of Luzon and Visayas in the event of natural or man-made disasters, explained Cu, emphasizing that the two facilities will help strengthen the company’s overall network resiliency ensuring its customers will have seamless connectivity, and providing constant support for next-generation technologies."

According to him, the data center, which is situated in the same location as the SEA-US cable landing station, will cater to BPOs, financial institutions, internet service providers and other content providers in southern Philippines. The project, once completed, will address ICT requirements of major trade and industry centers in Mindanao region, he emphasized.

Cu explained the Globe Business’ Davao Data Center is the best location for customers looking for a data center in the Mindanao region as it is located within the region’s central business hubs. He said the facility is Seismic Zone 4 compliant, which means that it has been retrofitted for earthquake safety. Also, infrastructure and redundant security solutions have been put in place to ensure that systems remain continuously available and secure. The data center is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2017.

The SEA-US cable system, on the other hand, will ease the country’s dependence on international cable systems routed through northern Philippines, said Cu. This could prevent a repeat of a 2008 incident where major international cables were broken because of the Taiwan earthquake. As a result, the Philippines became isolated for a few days in terms of internet connectivity.

To date, Globe already completed the construction of the Davao Power Feed Equipment, a facility that will address the energy requirement of SEA-US cable system. At a project cost of approximately $250 million, the SEA-US undersea cable system will provide superior latency, delivering an additional 20 Terabits per/second capacity, utilizing the latest 100 gigabits per second transmission technology. Such additional capacity will cater to the exponential growth of bandwidth between the two continents.

The SEA-US cable is being built by a consortium of 7 international telecommunication companies, that include Globe Telecom and will link 5 countries and territories that include Manado (Indonesia), Davao (Philippines), Piti (Guam), Oahu (Hawaii, United States) and Los Angeles (California, United States). The SEA-US project will be approximately 15,000 kilometers in length, provides route diversity from the North Pacific, avoiding earthquake prone areas in East Asia. The cable system is expected to provide more efficient connectivity to approximately 1.5 billion people. Aside from Globe Telecom, members of the SEA-US consortium include PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin), Telkom USA, GTI Corporation (a member of the Globe Group of companies), RAM Telecom International (RTI), Teleguam Holdings (GTA) and Hawaiian Telcom (HTEL).

In addition to the construction of the data center and the SEA-US undersea cable system, the telecommunications operator is also embarking on an aggressive deployment of fiber-optic broadband technology and utilization of additional spectrum assets such as those in the 700 megahertz (MHz), 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands in Davao City. Furthermore, Globe is also rolling out a fiber optic cable system in the country, including Davao. The objective is to create an internet superhighway by deploying fiber in 20,000 barangays by 2020 and provide ultra-fast internet access to around 2 million homes nationwide.

*Photo Caption: Globe President & CEO Ernest Cu (2nd from right) and Davao City chairman of the Association of Barangay Captains and Councilor January Duterte (3rd from left) lead the opening of the power feed equipment site of the SEA-US cable landing facility located in Barangay Talomo, Davao City.

PH Auto Industry Vehicle Sales Exceed Expectations

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Carmudi Philippines—the local arm for the leading vehicle platform around the world—expressed confidence that online vehicle sales in the country will follow suit over the stellar sales performance achieved by the local automotive industry in closing the second quarter of 2016.

Carmudi Philippines Managing Director Abhi Mohan said that following the high vehicle sales numbers, they are expecting constant growth on all sectors concerning vehicle sales.

“We believe that the online sales atmosphere would follow suit in providing a strong commercial environment for the local automotive industry. For example, since more and more people are buying brand-new units, more pre-owned vehicles will be up for sale,” he explained.

He was referring to the 167,481 sales record posted by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) for the first six months of 2016, posting a 27.4 percent surge against the 131,465 sales tallied in the same period last year. The said figures also surpassed highest monthly record.

Citing his previous claim that vehicle sales for the second and third quarter of 2016 would pose a challenge in the annual sales target for the year, Mohan now expresses confidence that those numbers will be met, and eventually exceeded.

“I could never be happier that I was wrong regarding the turnout of sales. This proves that the Philippine automotive industry would enjoy a remarkable sales performance all throughout the year,” Mohan said.

According to Mohan, he was surprised to learn about the figures, saying that despite the challenges for June, automotive sales remain stellar.

Medical Series Set In A World Of Crime And Mystery Enthralls Viewers With Its Dark Charm

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Phenomenal TV series Body of Proof proves to be a masterful piece of work which mesmerizes viewers with the shadowy appeal of each episode.

Dr. Megan Hunt was the head neurosurgeon at a Philadelphia hospital. She eventually lost her job due to an unfortunate accident which caused her to have paresthesia, a condition brought about by severe nerve damage and which brings about tingling and numbness to her hands. Without prior awareness of the condition, she performed an operation in which the patient died.

After a few years, Dr. Hunt was able to acquire a job as a medical examiner. Considering her extensive experience as a medical practitioner, she is able to dig deeper into some of the most mind-boggling crimes performed on a dead person’s body. Mimicking a seemingly modern day Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Hunt utilizes extraordinary ways of solving the puzzles. While on the job, she is supported by her boss, Dr. Kate Murphy, and her fellow medical examiner, Peter Dunlop, who is a former policeman. Dr. Hunt may be the best in her field, but how does she juggle her personal and work life with the pressures from the police department?

Body of Proof is created by Christopher Murphey. It stars Dana Delaney as Dr. Megan Hunt, Jeri Ryan as Dr. Kate Murphy, and Nicholas Bishop as Peter Dunlop.

Catch Body of Proofon Sony Channel everyThursday at 8:50pm.

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

Hontiveros to Duterte: You Can’t Destroy Oligarchy by Giving Marcos a Hero’s Burial

Wazzup Pilipinas!

“For someone who publicly disapproves of oligarchs, President Duterte’s decision to give the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos a hero’s burial is the height of contradiction.”

This was the statement issued today by Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros as she opposed the plan by the government to bury the remains of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB).

In a resolution she filed on Monday, Hontiveros said that allowing the former President to be buried at the cemetery will only cause further divisiveness and reopen old wounds, especially as the country is in the process of providing reparations to Martial Law victims.

“President Duterte cannot end the rule of oligarchs in the country by honoring the very man who created a crony oligarchy during Martial Law,” Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros argued that Marcos does not qualify to be buried at the heroes' cemetery. She said that while the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) regulation regarding the allocation of cemetery plots at the LNMB allows for the burial of former presidents, an exception was provided for those who were convicted of offenses involving moral turpitude.

“In the case of Hilao v. Estate of Marcos, the jury found the estate of defendant Ferdinand Marco liable to 10,059 plaintiffs for the acts of torture, summary execution and disappearance. This conviction should suffice to disqualify Marcos from being buried at the heroes’ cemetery,” Hontiveros explained.

The neophyte senator said that the Duterte government should just lay the remains of the late strongman in his hometown or some other place “that will not serve to distort history, assail democracy and insult all those who fought and died to end the dictatorship.”

“This is the more appropriate resolution that the government can pursue on this matter rather than yield to the Marcoses’ attempt to paint a rosy picture of the dictatorship, rehabilitate their image and whitewash their crimes against the people,” Hontiveros ended.

‘Teen Wolf’ Star Holland Roden to Fly to Manila for AsiaPOP Comicon 2016

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Things are looking to be monsterrific as AsiaPOP Comicon Manila 2016 (APCC Manila) revealed Hollywood actress Holland Roden, as the latest celebrity guest to invade the biggest pop culture gathering slated on August 26 to 28 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

Roden is best known for playing the smart and beautiful Lydia Martin on the MTV series Teen Wolf. She has also played supporting roles in other popular series such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Lost, Community, Criminal Minds, and Grey's Anatomy. She is also a host for MTV, doing various fashion and entertainment segments for the channel, MTV.com, and the brand MTVStyle.

For the fans of Roden, APCC Manila is offering Autograph and Photograph session tickets with the stunning celebrity, which will be available soon for purchase on SM Tickets website, https://smtickets.com/, or at all SM Tickets outlets. Autograph and Photograph tickets will also be available for purchase on event days.

APCC Manila 2016 tickets are now available via SM Tickets with ticket prices PhP550 (one-day pass), PhP850 (two-day pass), and PhP1,050 (three-day pass). All these will give the ticketholder access to stage activities, performances, and the main show floor. The event is free for children aged five years and below for all days, but a valid identification is required for verification purposes before entering the show floor.

A special Geek Bundle is also available at PhP3500 for the FIRST 100 customers which includes an event lanyard, tote bag, cape, a 3-day pass, and a 1/12 Iron Man Mark XL "Shotgun" collectible figure from Comicave Studios.

For more information and event updates, please visit asiapopcomicon.com/manila

and official Facebook Page facebook.com/apccmanila

Fortinet FortiGuard Labs Cites Increased Cyber Threat Activity in Brazil

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Fortinet’s FortiGuard Labs cybersecurity threat report takes a look at the nature of attacks – how attackers get in, how they manage to persist inside networks, what they want, and who they are. It also provides insight into three key areas of concern that our FortiGuard Labs team has identified, and they bear reviewing here.

2016 Rio Olympics:

Cyberattacks during the Olympic games are not new. We have seen a spike of attacks focused on the Olympics – including targeting vendors and spectators – beginning as far back as the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece. However, there are three main reasons why the 2016 Rio Olympics deserves special attention:

1. Analysis seems to indicate that cyberthreats and attacks are not (yet) a priority for Brazil. According to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) ranking of global risks, Brazil only ranks concerns about cyberattacks as #23, and data fraud/theft at #16. This is concerning since countries like the US, Japan, Germany, Netherlands, and a few others rank cyberattacks as their #1 business risk. Given the high profile of the Olympic games, we would expect the risks of cyberattack and data theft to be ranked much higher for Brazil.

2. The volume of malicious and phishing artifacts (i.e. domain names and URLs) in Brazil is on the rise. In June, Brazil’s percentage increase was higher in three of four categories in Fortinet’s report when compared with the global percentage increase. The highest percentage growth was in the malicious URL category at 83% compared to 16% for the rest of the world.

3. As the 2016 Rio Olympics unfold, the history of these increased attacks will undoubtedly continue and FortiGuard Labs is already seeing indicators of repeat techniques such as domain lookalikes for payment fraud and malicious websites or URLs targeting event and government officials.

“Behavior Blending”:
We are seeing signs of increasingly sophisticated methods to help attackers persist inside systems they have breached. It is something we call “behavior blending.”

As the name implies, behavior blending is a technique used by criminals that allows them to blend in with everyone else on a compromised network. Once an attacker succeeds in acquiring valid user credentials, they proceed to assume the identity of the user through monitoring and learning the online behaviors of the authorized credential owner. They then attempt mimic as closely as possible the normal behavior patterns of that user. This allows them to remain unnoticed by the latest generation of automated analysis tools searching for anomalous behaviors.

Of course, this requires considerable research for success. As it’s very difficult to understand and replicate normal behavior patterns right away, we have been able to identify threat actors before they become camouflaged. Traditionally, this sort of obfuscation is difficult even for seasoned penetration experts with authorized access to systems. But new tools are emerging to speed up and enhance this process. Because this evasion technique has a lot of potential for thwarting detection, we expect to see more of it as the technique is refined and new tools are developed to better mimic the behavior of a credentialed target. It also represents a new challenge for defenders and security vendors looking to identify sophisticated attacks based on behavior analysis.

Increased Threats:

Overall, we continue to see an increase in threat activity. This isn’t news, per se, but the implications are worth considering.

First, we are seeing the return of old threats and attack vectors, as well as the continued persistence of classic attacks, such as Conficker and ransomware, through updated variants. Of course, this begs the question: Why, after all the money and research being spent on security, are not only the number of attacks increasing, but many older attacks continuing to persist? Surely, the sophisticated cybercriminal community wouldn’t still be using these if they weren’t successful.

The answer, of course, is complicated. New user devices and applications, new communications methods, the rise of virtualized and cloud-based networking, and things like IoT continue to expand the attack surface. And many organizations continue to adopt and deploy these new technologies before security has rotated to protect them. And far too many organizations are simply skating by on doing the absolute minimum hoping they get overlooked, or because the tradeoff between productivity and security seems too high.

But there is another issue at work here: it’s the industry’s general approach to security that is a critical part of the problem. It’s clear that increased spending on traditional, isolated security devices isn't working, because networks are still getting broken into pretty consistently. Like the old saying goes, we keep doing the same thing over and over again hoping for a different result. It turns out that the classic arms race approach is a zero sum game.

Companies need something different. Which is why Fortinet, the original innovator of cutting edge ASIC technology designed to increase performance while keeping costs under control, has recently announced the Fortinet Security Fabric.

Of course, a number of vendors have made noise about security platforms and solutions. But until now, none have truly delivered an integrated security architecture designed to unify management, centralize and coordinate threat detection and intelligence, and provide a dynamically coordinated response to threats anywhere across the distributed network, from IoT to the cloud. The Fortinet Security Fabric represents a complete rethinking of how security is to be designed, implemented, and managed, allowing organizations to stop playing catch-up with cybercriminals and finally get out in front of the threat community.

Download and read the report.

Learn more about the Fortinet Security Fabric.


Source & Read more:

https://blog.fortinet.com/2016/08/01/fortinet-fortiguard-labs-cites-increased-cyber-threat-activity-in-brazil-deserving-special-attention-in-coming-weeks

PLDT Enterprise Supports The Philippine Virtual Reality Conference and Mobile VR Jam

Wazzup Pilipinas!

PLDT Enterprise, through its emerging technologies business unit, Disruptive Business Group (DBG), aims to drive awareness for Virtual Reality (VR) technologies in the country with its support of the recently concluded Philippine Mobile VR Jam and Virtual Reality Conference.

The 1st Philippine Mobile VR Jam and Virtual Reality Conference provided participants with a first look at the most promising projects in the country through a series of workshops and seminars. It was organized by VR Philippines, a group of virtual reality developers and enthusiasts dedicated to promoting the advancement of virtual reality technology. Among the attendees were software developers across the country.

Niko Peralta, Head of PLDT DBG’s Digital Mobility R&D said, “PLDT Enterprise is proud to support the burgeoning VR industry. As part of the PLDT Group’s digital pivot, we are constantly on the look-out for new-frontier solutions that will further the advancement of today’s digital enterprise. Start-ups can always rely on our support by which they can build on these newer tech.”

PLDT and SMART’s support of the Philippine Mobile VR Jam and Virtual Reality Conference events underscore its commitment to be at the forefront of the dawning VR technology revolution in the country. “We view virtual reality as technology that today’s enterprises can potentially utilize to deliver more engaging and immersive customer experiences,” said Lemelen Palad, DBG Product Development Manager for M2M and IOT. “A more personalized approach in the ever-growing mobile-first consumer market dictates that businesses today have to be more creative in the way they reach out to their customers,” Palad added.

The event series culminated with the “Virtual Reality Conference” which featured exhibits by various software companies, displaying an end-to-end VR ecosystem from design and production, including proposed commercial applications. Business models include gamification, real-estate, first-person training modules, among others.

Joey Limjap, VP & Head of PLDT ICT Research & Development, added, “We know that VR is still at its nascent stage, and are delighted to be a part of the Philippine Virtual Reality Conference and help create greater awareness of this fascinating and exciting technology. Of course, our PLDT Innolab will always be open to the new technologies like VR and serve as an incubator to further develop it’s potential.”
*Photo caption: From left to right: Cristopher David (VR Philippines), Joey Limjap (PLDT Innolab), Mark Joseph Basibas (Mobile VR Jam participant), Paolo Espiritu (Mobile VR Jam participant), John Hay Supetran (Mobile VR Jam participant), Michael Gaerlan (Samsung), and Lemelen Palad (DBG).

Naxional South American Diner: Family Recipes From Over 10 South American Countries

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Head over to one of the newest restaurants in Bonifacio Global City today and start your day with plenty of South American-themed dishes. Naxional South American Diner has recently opened at the 2nd floor of Uptown Parade (9th Avenue corner 38th street) to serve gastronomical delights heavily-inspired by traditional, home-cooked family recipes from over 10 different South American countries like Brazil, Venezuela, and Peru.

At a press conference held on August 8, 2016, just a few days before its grand opening on August 12, Christi McGarry, Miss Intercontinental 2015 1st Runner Up, Gabe Norwood, Gilas Pilipinas basketball team captain, and Vanessa Matsunaga, just one of the 13 co-partners of Naxional South American Diner, which is the brainchild of Raymund Magdaluyo, were seen at Naxional South American Diner to grace its formal announcement to media so we could share the great news to the public especially the foodies out there who would gladly visit newly opened restaurants.

Other well-known South American partners include Vanessa's brotehr and mom, Daniel Matsunaga and Gege Matsunaga respectively. There's also Cynthia Patos, Lifestyle Network's Venezuelan host and winner of "The Clash."

Gabe Norwood is joined by his wife Lei Norwood as founding partners also taht are not originally from South America.

Beauty Queen Christi McGarry vibrantly hosted the event making the day a lot more brighter and beautiful inspite of the rain that day.

Citi x Zomato Food Run with The Bistro Group of Restaurants

Wazzup Pilipinas!

August 9 and 10, 2016 is going to be another gastronomic adventure as we get to attend the Citi x Zomato Food Run with The Bistro Group of restaurants as their way of promoting the Citi promotional offer of 30% on all appetizers and salads. No minimum. Valid daily until September 15, 2016 for all Citibank cardholders.

We will be visiting 12 restaurants (6 per day) to try out their appetizers on a half-day food run within Uptown Mall and High Street of Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig city on the first day, and Greenbelt, Makati city and Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay city on the 2nd day.

Here's the list of restaurants we are going to visit for two days:

1st Day (August 9, 2016):

Uptown Mall

Italianni's

Texas Roadhouse
Moe's
Watami
Buffalo Wild Wings​

BGC High Street
Village Tavern

2nd Day (August 10, 2016):
Greenbelt

Krazy Garlic
Tonkatsu ​by Terazawa

Mall of Asia
Fish & Co
Bulgogi Brothers
Modern Shanghai
TGI Friday's