Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Friday, November 25, 2016

A Delicate Balance: Batanes Food, Ecology and Community Book Launch

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"It's a food book, but it's not a food book." - Marian Pastor-Roces

Nature and people are intimately connected. Over thousands of years, people have interacted with, have formed, and have in return been shaped by, their environment. A closer look at food reveals a story of the delicate balance that can exist between nature and us.

Chimuchimusén, Chinavulés, Tambubu, Uví, Lunyis, Arayú, Maridá. Have you encountered these words? If you've been to Batanaes, and have mingled with the residents, you probably encountered a few of them during the trip. If you're new to them but would like to know more in preparation for a trip (or simply curious), get to know more about these words when you get a copy of A Delicate Balance: Batanes Food, Ecology and Community.

I was fortunate enough to be with the authors (Corazon Alvina and Marian Pastor Roces) of "A Delicate Balance: Batanes Food, Ecology and Community" during their book launch held on November 9, 2016 at the Bayanihan Center in Mandaluyong.

The authors gather in this handsome volume the work of many distinguished academics and Ivatan culture bearers, whose explorations into the Batanes Islands offer insights into an extraordinarily resilient food culture.

ABS-CBN Kapamilya Stars Take Center Stage In Ballet Philippines’ “Awitin Mo At Isasayaw Ko”

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Do you like the Pinoy disco music scene of the 70’s? Come and watch your favorite ABS-CBN Kapamilya stars led by Karylle, Michael Pangilinan, Markki Stroem, and Kyle Echarri as they sing, belt, gyrate and groove centerstage in Ballet Philippines’ holiday presentation “Awitin Mo At Isasayaw Ko,” a new dance musical set to the hits of Manila Sound legends VST & Company.

The VST & Co. is considered one of the pioneering groups from the music genre known as the Manila Sound in the mid 70s. The group is composed of Vic Sotto, Spanky Rigor, Tito Sotto, Val Sotto, Celso Llavina, Monet Gaskell, Male Rigor, Roger Rigor, Jun Medina, Joey de Leon, Homer Flores, Chito Ilagan, Ben Escasa, Fred Concepcion, Boy Alcaide, and Clod Baria. Their impressive collection of hits has left a legacy that endures to this day.

Directed by BP Artistic Director Paul Alexander Morales, “Awitin Mo At Isasayaw Ko” tells the story of the forbidden love between Teresa, a kolehiyala and Victor, a construction worker amidst the backdrop of the Philippines in the late ‘70s – burning with disco fever but chilled by the horrors of Martial Law. They are are separated in life but are united in heaven and once again dance up a storm.

Over the years, Karylle has established herself as one of the country’s finest female celebrities. With her immense talent and disarming beauty, she has conquered the local and international entertainment scene by storm. Her career has spanned the music, television, and film industries. Her performance in the international Asian TV series “The Kitchen Musical” earned her a nomination as Best Actress in the 52nd Monte Carlo TV Festival. She has been a regular host of “It’s Showtime” since 2010, but has left the show temporarily to work on Singapore-based television show “Private Investigator”. Her theater credits include Maria in “West Side Story” (2008), Sita in Ballet Philippines’ “Rama Hari” (2012), and Cinderella in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” (2013). In “Awitin Mo At Isasayaw Ko”, Karylle will take on the role of Ester, a strong-willed “woman of the night”.

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The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship (ONE), held a meet and greet session with world champion swimmer and Olympic gold medalist Joseph Schooling today at the Evolve Far East Square in Singapore. Schooling stepped inside the mixed martial arts (MMA) cage today and worked on some drills with ONE Championship athlete Christian “The Warrior” Lee and older sister, ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela “Unstoppable” Lee.

Earlier today at Evolve Mixed Martial Arts Far East Square, world champion swimmer 21-year-old Joseph Schooling took to the MMA cage to showcase a different set of skills. Assisting Schooling in his first experience training in MMA were ONE superstars Christian and Angela Lee. Schooling was guided in a few striking and grappling drills, as well as taught the basic mechanics of self-defense.

Schooling, who is no stranger to tough workout regimens, said it was interesting to try mixed martial arts.

“It’s really great cardio,” Schooling said about the MMA drills. “I just did it for 20 minutes and I'm already out of breath.”

Joseph Schooling was born and raised in Singapore and is a third generation Singaporean. During the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he became the country’s first Olympic gold medalist in nearly 51 years. On 12 August 2016, Schooling set an Olympic world record in the Men’s 100m Butterfly event with an official time of 50.39 seconds, defeating the United States’ Michael Phelps who came in at 2nd place with a time of 51.14 seconds.

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To celebrate the upcoming holiday season, Lenovo, the company that brought the groundbreaking Yoga Book to the Philippines, will be giving away travel vouchers for every purchase of participating Lenovo products.

From now to December 31, 2016, buyers of participating Lenovo products with Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 processors will be rewarded with P1,000 to P2,000 worth of travel vouchers, depending on the purchased product. The vouchers can be used to pay for domestic and international flights, baggage allowance, as well as in-flight meals with Lenovo’s partner airline.

Travel vouchers also await those who purchase the Lenovo PHAB 2 PLUS until December 31, 2016.

“2016 has been an unprecedented year for Lenovo as we launched two revolutionary products, the Yoga Book and Yoga 900. These two products perfectly embody our customers’ identity of being bold, energetic, and progressive,” said Lenovo Philippines Country General Manager Michael Ngan. “Just like our products, this holiday campaign is suited for our consumers who never stand still in the pursuit of continuous improvement and innovation.”

For every purchase of participating Intel Core i3 products, consumers will be given a travel voucher worth P1,000, while P1,500 and P2,000 worth of travel vouchers await those who purchase participating Intel Core i5 and i7 products, respectively.

P1,000 worth of travel vouchers goes to the buyers of the Lenovo PHAB 2 PLUS. All vouchers may be claimed at the designated claiming centers in Metro Manila, and for those who shopped in the provinces, the vouchers will be sent via courier.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

For a limited time, get back as much as half of what you paid for.

Typical reward programs would give you at least one to five percent rebate only, but with TravelBook.ph’s special promo for the holiday season, we will be offering an astounding 50% rebate!

Yes, that means you get back half of what you spend! This is TravelBook.ph’s biggest and most ambitious giveaway to date, and you only have from November 21 to 27, 2016 to avail of it.

Just imagine how much you’re getting with this promo: If you book a hotel worth PHP 2,000.00 you automatically get PHP 1,000.00 back in reward points. With this, you can already book a room worth PHP 1,000.00 for free or use it to further lower the prices of your future bookings. Take advantage of this weeklong promo, especially for the holiday season when staycations and out of town trips are trendy!

This is just the start of our six-week long holiday promo to say thank you to our loyal customers. Check back on www.travelbook.ph and www.facebook.com/TravelBook.ph every week to learn about the latest special deal that we will be giving away!

Book your hotels now at www.travelbook.ph and earn big reward points!

The Ultimate BGC Passionfest 2016 Survival Guide

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The BGC Passionfest 2016 is just around the corner and we bet that everyone’s excited to enjoy three days filled with Filipino food, music, games, art, and culture, and no one can blame you. From becoming a simple celebration of Pinoy culture within the BGC community, it has now become a much-awaited celebration for all.

Now running on its fifth year, it is undoubtedly exciting and fun-filled. As a way to help out those joining the festivities, here’s a simple “Survival Guide” for all of those attending.

Passionfest FAQs

First things first, here’s a little FAQs session to clear out a few things about the event.

Is the Passionfest only for the residents of Bonifacio Global City?

No! It’s open for everyone to enjoy.

When is it and where in BGC will it happen?

November 25 to 27, Friday to Monday. The event will take places simultaneously in various areas around BGC such as at Bonifacio High Street and The Mind Museum.

What will happen at this year’s Passionfest?

A lot! Games (with prizes up for grabs of course), music, art, food, you name it. For those attending, be sure to wear the proper clothes and drink lots of water.

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Maaga ang Pasko, the country’s biggest and longest-running annual toy and book donation drive, is once again bringing out the iconic boxes that have helped taught generations of Filipinos the value of sharing and the real spirit of Christmas.

On its 22nd year, the Maaga ang Pasko program welcomes the mother and son tandem of Jodi Sta. Maria and Thirdy as ambassadors, hoping to bring more smiles across the faces of more Filipino kids. “Seeing your kid grow up to be a loving, kind and generous person is the most fulfilling thing for a parent. That is why I wanted Thirdy to learn sharing early, and he started that right here at Jollibee,” said mommy Jodi.

To help make this Christmas brighter and warmer for less fortunate kids, the 22nd Maaga ang Pasko ambassadors are inviting families to place their pre-loved gifts—toys and children’s books—inside Maaga ang Pasko boxes at Jollibee stores nationwide, or send in their donations online through campaign partners Lazada and Blink and via the program’s website, http://www.jollibee.com.ph/MaagaAngPasko.

Filipino generosity overflowed in last year’s Maaga ang Pasko program as more than 5,000 kids benefitted from 600,000 toys and children’s books that were collected in Maaga ang Pasko boxes from Jollibee stores nationwide, corporate donors, partners, and online channels.

For this year, Jollibee invites parents and children of all ages to once again help shower children with joy and love. Simply donate pre-loved or brand new toys and books and you can add to the 3.1 million gifts unwrapped and embraced by new owners since the program was launched in 1994.

Geje Eustaquio Looks to Test Opponent’s Striking Ability

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Known as one of the most highly-skilled striking specialists in the Philippines, Team Lakay's Geje "Gravity" Eustaquio has faced some of the best fighters in the ONE Championship ranks. His ability to stay in the pocket and nullify an opponent's offense is perhaps the most deliberate of any fighter in the promotion. That unique striking advantage that Eustaquio possesses will come in handy in his next bout.

Eustaquio (RECORD) will return to the ONE Championship cage on Friday, 2 December at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. He will take on Finnish fighting sensation Toni "Dynamite" Tauru (RECORD) in a three-round bantamweight contest on the main card of ONE: AGE OF DOMINATION.

Eustaquio says he feels great and that training camp has been one of the toughest and most satisfying yet.

"My conditioning is on point. We are at ninety percent right now. By fight week we'll be at a hundred percent and I'll be ready," said Eustaquio.

"There's no more weight-cutting. Fighters fight at their walking weights which makes it so much easier to focus on training and getting better for the next one."

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The Christmas Warehouse Sale is back on its 6^th year!

With Christmas around the corner, the Christmas Warehouse Sale is expected to have more participating brands that offers a wide selection from select SM retail stores, lifestyle and top retail brands, and other independent distributors.

Christmas Warehouse Sale without a doubt will draw the weekend Christmas shoppers to this event for a hassle-free and laid-back shopping experience with great discounts!

From the latest fashion in clothes, gadgets, shoes, bags, Christmas decors, food and a whole lot more, Christmas Warehouse Sale will surely be the answer to your growing Christmas shopping list.

This event is being promoted by Megatrade Hall, the premier event venue for trade fairs, exhibits and events.

Enjoy a fun and convenient shopping at the Christmas Warehouse Sale on December 2-4, 2016, Friday to Sunday at the 5^th level of Mega B Megatrade Hall in SM Megamall.

Energy Chief Inaugurates 150MW Iloilo Power Plant

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As part of government efforts to provide reliable, stable and sufficient power supply in the Visayas, Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi led the inauguration ceremony of the Panay Energy Development Corp.’s 150-megawatt Expansion Project located in Barangay Ingore, La Paz, Iloilo City on Wednesday (23 November 2016).

In his keynote address, Cusi emphasized that community acceptability is one of the major considerations in putting g up a coal-fired power plant or any other energy development project.

“We need reliable and cheap power supply to support our economic development, especially in this fast growing region of Visayas,” said Cusi.

The Energy Secretary underscored the importance of the PEDC’s expansion project in addressing the Visayas power situation which has been experiencing Yellow and Red alerts or insufficient power supply.

Cusi urged strict adherence by coal-fired power plant operators to existing national and international environmental policies and regulations to help mitigate climate change.

“I am pro-environment. My challenge for you (referring to the plant operators) is how to co-exist with your neighbors,” he said.

Cusi also cited the benefits of Barangay Ingore and the City of Iloilo as the host community under Energy Regulation 1-94. "You can use this fund to develop the community and uplift the quality of life of Ilonggos."