Globe Provides Libreng Tawag and Charging to CDO Flood Victims

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Leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom reaches out to victims of torrential rains and severe flooding in Cagayan de Oro City by setting up Libreng Tawag and Libreng Charging stations in three of the most affected areas.The Globe booths are located at Brgy. Hall, Mabolo St., Brgy. Carmen; Cugman Elementary School; and Brgy. 26 Osmena St. in front of ongoing SM construction. They are open until January 22, from 9 am to 6 pm and may still be extended depending on the need.

Pinoy Fighter Roy Doliguez Finds One-Year Hiatus Beneficial in Skill Growth

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Over a year sitting on the sidelines, Filipino fighter Roy Doliguez makes his much-awaited return to the ONE Championship cage on 10 February as he is set to square off with grappling ace Alex Silva on the undercard of ONE: THRONE OF TIGERS in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Doliguez, who holds a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record of 6-3, is considered one of the best strawweight competitors that the local combat scene in the Philippines has produced.

The 34-year-old native of Malungon, Sarangani is also a former professional boxer, who has nearly 50 fights under his belt. He captured the WBO Asia Pacific light flyweight title in September 2002.

Doliguez, who has been out of action since January 2016, did not mince words about his excitement for his comeback bout at ONE: THRONE OF TIGERS.

“I am back, and I am so happy. I might have been away from action for over a year, but the desire to compete has been always there. I am so excited. I want to put on a great fight for the fans in Malaysia. And of course, bring pride and honor to the Philippines,” he said.

Although he has been away from the international MMA spotlight for 14 months, Doliguez revealed that he kept himself active during his absence from active competition.

“I was still training. It did not stop. Even if there wasn’t a fight, I still trained like there is an upcoming fight. It’s my lifestyle. I’m in great shape for this fight,” he stated.

Lenovo Launches Think University to Enrich Learning Experience in Partner Schools

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Recognizing the growing role of technology in the learning process of students, Lenovo Philippines launches Think University, an initiative that empowers partner schools to provide an enhanced and more interactive learning experience through a grant of 10 units of ThinkCentre M73 Tiny Desktop to qualified colleges and universities. By purchasing a certain number of Lenovo computers, a school can qualify for the program.

“Lenovo believes that empowering the youth through quality education is vital to nation-building. Think University is part of our efforts to leverage our innovative devices to aid the academy in enhancing the overall experience,” said Michael Ngan, Country General Manager of Lenovo Philippines. “We hope that through this, our partner schools can create an immersive, interactive learning environment for their students.”

With the Lenovo computers, the students are able to access technological resources that will strengthen their learning experience. It will allow them to engage more fully in class activities and access worldwide databases with ease, acquiring competence in technologies that are relevant to their studies.

Ngan explains that an improved IT infrastructure in schools can further boost learning in the classroom. “Technology today enables students to learn at their own pace. Almost all educational apps allow for individualized instruction and there are plenty of legitimate resources that can be accessed anytime on the Internet. With this, students can learn according to their abilities and needs. This form of teaching is also great for the teacher because it gives him or her the time to work individually with students who may be struggling,” said Ngan.

As the leading PC manufacturer and seller of consumer electronics in the country, Lenovo’s products are known for their durability, ruggedness, and reliability—three critical factors which the company believes are tailor-made for the classroom. Lenovo’s products are flexible enough to adapt to the many ways technology can be incorporated into the overall school experience.

Not only for students
Knowing that improved education technology leads to better teaching opportunities, Lenovo also aims to assist educators. The products enables teachers to deliver more dynamic lessons by providing reliable access to the latest online multimedia materials and connecting their PCs to interactive online classroom boards. Administrators can also update policies and procedures on the overall network in real-time, maintain up-to-date emergency plans and increase collaboration among staff for school-wide initiatives.

“Being a global leader in technology and innovation, we have a special role in developing the use of technology in the classroom. We also understand the challenges schools face in improving education with new models of teaching while managing cost, efficiency, and security and that is why Lenovo will continue to support its partner schools,” added Ngan.

ThinkCentre M73 Tiny Desktop is a compact computer packed with the same reliable and powerful performance one expects from bigger desktops. It features 4th Gen Intel Core processors as well as plenty of storage and memory, making it a good fit for school use. Moreover, the model comes with an advanced heat regulator and an ultra-efficient Green design to help lessen energy use.

Cusi Outlines PH’s Energy Thrust in Abu Dhabi Meet

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Advancing continental energy cooperation, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi led a delegation from his department in taking an active role during the 15th Ministerial Meeting of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) in Abu Dhabi.

The dialogue hosted by the United Arab Emirates last Jan. 17 had for its theme “Abu Dhabi, the Capital of Sustainable Energy.”

In his speech, Secretary Cusi said “ACD is evolving to a higher level and serious intent of cooperation. The Philippines is one with the ACD in pursuing its vision of sustainable energy and secured energy access for Asia.”

Recognizing the importance of energy planning with rising power demand due to rapid urbanization, Sec. Cusi emphasized that “the energy sector will play a critical role in ensuring the reliable supply of energy to all our consumers nationwide. We take the role of sustainable energy very seriously.”

“We continue to work with other countries to ensure a strong enabling environment which will encourage greater investment, especially in renewable forms of energy, as well as other conventional forms of energy,” he added.

Global Filipino Schools Enhance eLearning with 220 Tablet Donation from Cloudfone

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Select public schools under the Global Filipino School (GFS) program of Globe Telecom can now further enhance digital learning and promote love of reading among K-12 students through the help of 220 tablets donated by Cloudfone, one of the leading providers of smartphones and tablets in the country.

Globe and Cloudfone launched the partnership by holding a different kind of reading session at the Andres Bonifacio Integrated School in Mandaluyong City where 40 grades 5 and 6 students enjoyed stories told by Globe employee volunteers using the tablets.

The first 11 schools which implemented the GFS program received Cloudpad 900TV tablets pre-loaded with an ebook reader app. The tablets are on top of the regular Globe Digital Laboratory package that are provided to all GFS containing netbooks/tablets, wifi devices, and a mobile cart with a built-in projector screen.

"Part of Cloudfone's advocacy is to equip the youth of today with technological devices such as these Cloudpads, to make their learning experience awesome and worthwhile,” said Eric S. Yu, President and CEO of Cloudfone.

“Through this partnership with Cloudfone, more students and teachers can have access to a vast library of information previously out of their reach. Students can go beyond what they learned in the classroom with just a few clicks while teachers benefit too because the information they get from the internet can make for more interesting and enriching lessons,” said Yoly Crisanto, Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications of Globe.

With the help of the tablets, students and teachers can fully explore the GFS Library (http://www.gfslibrary.com), a free, web-based platform that provides free and quick access to digital story books for children and young adults as well as textbooks on core subjects such as Math, Science, English, Filipino, Music, Arts, among others. They may also use the Globe-provided internet service to connect to the GFS Library and to download as many titles as needed for their learning needs.

Under GFS, schools are provided with unparalleled online connectivity to give homeroom teachers access to limitless teaching and learning engagements available on the internet that will help further improve their craft and make learning fun and interesting for the students.

GFS Library is a component of the GFS program, a long-term Globe educational initiative that seeks to transform public schools into centers of Information and Communications Technology excellence and innovative teaching methods in order to set the stage for 21st Century Learning.

All schools under GFS are, likewise, intended to become teacher training hubs and training partners of the DepEd Division Offices in conducting teaching workshops for neighboring schools of each division.

There are currently 80 schools under the GFS program, with Globe expecting to put up a GFS school in each of the 221 school divisions of the Department of Education (DepEd) nationwide within the next four years.

PHOTO CAPTION:

Students of Andres Bonifacio Integrated School listen intently to a Globe employee volunteer who reads them a story using the Cloudpad 900TV tablet.

DOTr Statement on 260% increase of Common Station from Original Php778 M to Php2.8 B

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Here is the statement of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in response to the post of Renato (Nato) Reyes Jr. re: 260% increase in the project cost for the Common Station from the original Php778 million in 2009 to Php2.8 Billion:

"CLARIFICATION: The Php777 million is not the cost for the SM City Annex Station. It is the ADDITIONAL COST TO THE ORIGINAL COST of the North Avenue Station of the North Extension Project (NEP) which was transferred to the SM Annex location because of MRT7. Please take note that the 2009 transfer of the NEP's North Avenue Station to the SM City Annex location was due to the fact that the MRT7 project was not yet in place back in 2006.

The original cost of the North Avenue Station of the NEP in 2006 was approximately Php780 million. When it was moved to SM City Annex in 2009, an additional Php777 million was needed with a total cost of around Php1.5 Billion. This is because the original North Avenue Station of the NEP was originally intended to service ONLY Lines 1 and 3. BUT, with the subsequent approval of Line 7, the government needed a bigger station to serve three (3) rail systems. Bigger station equals bigger budget.

The "additional" 777 million approved in 2009 was on top of LRT-1 NEP's original 2007 NEDA Board approved Project Cost of Php6.3 billion. The reason for the additional cost was because the SM Annex station (a.k.a. MM Integrated Rail Terminal) is larger than the original LRT-1 NEP terminal station across Trinoma (because instead of just being a transfer station between LRT-1 and MRT-3, the SM Annex station connected LRT-1, MRT-3, and MRT-7). Again, Php777 million is NOT the cost of the SM Annex station; Php777 million is the "ADDITIONAL" cost entailed by shifting from the original LRT-1 NEP terminal station across Trinoma to the SM Annex Station.

Boodle Fight in a Bilao at St. Nicholas Catering and Restaurant

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Our pre-Christmas get-together last December was a tummy-filled foodie blast thanks to St. Nicholas Catering and Restaurant's "Boodle Fight sa Bilao." Unlike most boodles that you eat either on banana leaves, the restaurant's boodle fight is conveniently placed in a "bilao" or large woven tray. The "Boodle Fight in a Bilao" is available for Dine in or Take out.

The "Boodle Fight in a Bilao" is available in many variants or food combinations. In our case, we got three "bilaos" of the one they call "Davao" with Shrimps, Calamares, Shrimp tempura, Lechong Kawali, Eggplant Tempura, of course Rice, plus some Salted Egg Tomato and Onion.The "Palawan" version has Fried Chicken, Pancit Canton, and Okoy Gulay to replace the Shrimp tempura, Lechong Kawali, and Eggplant Tempura, while the "Boracay" bilao has Fried Chicken, Lechong Kawali, Sisig, Pritong Talong with Bagoong, and Pancit Canton. "Cebu" has Calderetang Baka, Lechon Kawali, Sisig and Pancit Canton. "Batangas" has Adobo sa Dilaw, Calamares, Shrimp Tempura, and Pancit Bihon. All Boodle sa Bilao have Shrimps, Salted Egg, Tomato, Onion and Rice. You save around Php200 per bilao.

Too bad it's not yet available for delivery since the place is quite hard to get a taxi or regular transport services if you're just going to commute. Getting a Grab or Uber transport may be difficult especially during peak hours. It is thus advisable to bring a car or any vehicle as service. But the owners just wants you to come to the place so you could personally visit and take some photos with their new giant teddy bear.

The Top Five Real Estate Emerging Market Trends for 2017

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Property portal Lamudi Philippines predicts five market trends that will shape the property sector in 2017

The year 2016 was a challenging year for real estate. Most of the year was rapt with uncertainty in the aftermath of two seismic events—Brexit and the U.S. elections.

Anyone thinking of buying property became hesitant and decided that it was more prudent to wait until there is more clarity about how these unexpected events would affect the market. Buyers in Mexico were worried that a wall might be built sending the country into an economic recession. English investors were concerned that the inevitable departure from the EU would be cataclysmic for the domestic property market.

Analysts at Lamudi Philippines have spent some time in the lab crunching the stats, to come up with five trends they deem will shape real estate in 2017.

Steady as She Goes

With torpid real GDP growth across most of the emerging markets, governments are reluctant to raise interest rates. So where does that leave the market? In many cases due to difficulties securing construction financing and the cash required to purchase prize locations, there is now a situation where investors will look to avoid risk more so than usual. In brief, this will create a calm market, where real estate prices remain stable. While construction activity is expected to pick up pace in the second half of 2017, the start of the new year will be slower to gain momentum.

Emerging Markets Are a Portfolio Essential

A smart move for the new year is to hedge your investments in Europe and the United States by including some higher risk real estate investment funds. In a world of unattractive global investment options going against the grain might be the ticket to prosperity. Despite the International Monetary Fund cutting its global growth forecast to 3.4 percent for 2017, there is hope in the developing world.

Attack of the Drones

Unmanned aerial vehicles or drones will be the big tech advancement in 2017. Real estate agents will look to gain an edge over competitors by providing flyovers of properties for exclusive properties and agents. Home-buyers and sellers will be able to use drones to their advantage. One caveat: certain flights will need the local tower’s permission along with a flight plan filed online. There is a real danger that drones could crash into commercial planes; considering the damage a bird can do this is something users need to bear in mind.

Optionality Is Back

As investors flee to relative safe havens; developers and investors are seeking solace in multi-use projects. Owners of versatile buildings can benefit from finding the maximum rent from the ideal tenant, whether that is through offices, retail outlets, or residential blocks. Flexible leases will become more common in a coworking type of arrangement. Lamudi—the global property platform whose global HQ is in the trendy Kreuzberg area of Berlin, Germany, share their building with other Rocket Internet startups. This is an ideal way for owners to get the full rental income while companies can engage in knowledge sharing.

Smart Home Tech and IoT

In 2016 we read a lot about the revolution that the Internet-of-Things (IoT) promised and 2017 may be the year for smart home technology to become more widespread. The problem is that there is a lot of competition, but no single company has managed to combine multiple appliances and apps into a seamless catch-all product. That could soon change with Google and Apple entering the market, giants of uniform user experiences. So brace yourself for smart houses that make life very, very easy for you.

Construction of Common Station to Start in December 2017

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The construction of the Common Station project is targeted to start by December this year after the Department of Transportation and concerned parties today signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on the long-delayed railway project.

The MOA was signed by the DOTr, SM Prime Holdings, Inc., Universal LRT Corporation (BVI) Limited of the San Miguel Corporation (SMC), Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), North Triangle Depot Commercial Corporation (NTDCC), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA). 

Specific signatories as seen in the photo above are (R to L) Bernard Vincent Dy, President and CEO of Ayala Land Inc.; Jeffrey Lim, President of SM Prime Holdings Inc.; Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Vice Chairman of Ayala Land Inc.; Hans Sy, Chairman of SM Prime Holdings; Mark Villar, Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary; Arther Tugade, Department of Transportation Secretary; Manny Pangilinan, Vice Chairman of Light Rail Manila Corporation; Ramon Ang, President of San Miguel Corporation; Lorenzo Formos of San Miguel Corporation; Rogelio Singson, President and CEO of Light Rail Manila Corporation; and Ret. Gene. Reynaldo Berroya, Light Rail Transit Authority Administrator.

The MOA contains the design parameters for the Common Station, which will be the basis of the detailed designs that will be developed after the signing.

IPC to Offer Salesforce Training Classes for Users

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IPC (IP Converge Data Services, Inc.), leading PH cloud and data center services provider and Southeast Asia’s first and only Salesforce Gold Cloud Alliance Partner, today announced that it will conduct a series of Salesforce University training classes designed to aid End-Users, Systems Administrators, and Developers using the platform.

“For enterprises to experience a truly streamlined sales cycle and really get the most out of Salesforce CRM (Customer Relationship Management), special skillsets are required, and this knowledge base can only be acquired from IPC, being the only Authorized Training and Delivery Partner of Salesforce University in the country today,” said Niño Valmonte, Director for Marketing and Digital Innovation in IPC. “Through this accreditation, IPC has gained the knowledge to conduct Salesforce training courses in order to help users maximize the platform for their respective businesses.”

IPC is the only partner in the Philippines that has been certified for training delivery and training resellership by Salesforce University. This distinction gives them exclusive access to modules and exercises made by the developers of the world’s leading cloud-based CRM platform.

The classes will feature a Salesforce University Certified Instructor who will teach students through a series of exercises designed to reinforce the concepts presented in class. For this year, IPC will offer four courses: Administration Essentials for New Administrators (ADM201), Administration Essentials for New Administrators (Professional Edition) (ADM202), Administration Essentials for Experienced Administrators (ADM211), and Declarative Development for Platform App Builders (DEV402).