Government's Reaction to Amnesty International Report: Appalling, Unconscionable

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Any Senate or government-led inquiry that will sincerely help the people in their search for the truth and in crafting better policies to safeguard human rights is welcome.

As such, I am dismayed at how the Duterte administration has responded to the Amnesty International's report on extrajudicial killings in the country. From the House Speaker's "it's none of their business" remark to the Justice Secretary's "criminals are not humans" statement, to the President's usual profanity-laced attacks, the government's lack of commitment to address the country's human rights issues is appalling and unconscionable.

After all, what should a government be for, if not to protect the basic rights and liberties of its citizens? It is important to remember that peace and order is worth nothing and will eventually itself be destroyed without human rights, that an improvement in people's lives will only have lasting positive effects if it were founded on human rights for all.

The Amnesty International has a long track record of safeguarding human rights. It will not stake its reputation by issuing baseless reports. Its findings on the country's extrajudicial killings are a very serious matter. It deserves the government and the country's utmost serious attention.

Ipo Watershed Rangers Can Now Patrol Longer with Solar Lamps and Chargers

Wazzup Pilipinas!

They don’t pack high-tech gear nor high-caliber weapons, but the Dumagat rangers of Ipo Watershed patrol Bulacan’s forests like it were their home. Because it is.

Sporting simple tools and gear donated by mountaineers, the rangers work day and night to protect the Sierra Madre mountain range against illegal loggers, slash-and-burn farmers and charcoal collectors. With little gear and basic pay, they’ve had a tough run, but they finally got help.

Last 10 January, the watershed’s rangers received solar lamps and mobile chargers from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) and AVolution, a digital signage solutions company whose core business is to supply and install LED screens across the Philippines. A total of 52 lamps were made available to the rangers to augment their capacity to patrol at night, while allowing them to charge their mobile phones and other communications gear, increasing the range of foot patrols.

“Our LED There be Light initiative illuminates distant communities and helps locals do their jobs without relying on dangerous, dirty and expensive kerosene or carbide lamps,” explains AVolution's President and General Manager Lani Kimber Campos. AVolution also gave 200 solar lamps to farmers in Brgy. Tiniguiban, Gumaca, Quezon Province last year.

Ipo Watershed, together with the Angat and Umiray watersheds, supply 98% of the water consumed by Metro Manila. Situated northeast of the sprawling Metropolis, it covers 7161 hectares in Norzagaray and San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan, plus Rodriguez in Rizal. 

AVolution representatives Lani Campos (President and General Manager) and Maria Lea Bermudez (VP for Sales and Marketing) join WWF-Philippines representatives Paolo Pagaduan (Project Manager), Dr. Ria Lambino (VP for Sustainable Production) and Joel Palma (CEO). 

Sadly, the watershed’s forests are in full retreat. Though protected by several proclamations including a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title for the Indigenous Dumagat tribes of the watershed, the area is pockmarked by patches of bare soil. From 85%, forest cover plummeted to 40% in recent years. The government and groups like the UP Mountaineers have been helping locals protect the watershed.

WWF and its allies, which include Banco de Oro, Samsung and the Sunlife Foundation, recently joined the fray. “The deployment of solar lamps is just part of a larger initiative to protect the entire watershed,” explains WWF-Philippines Project Manager Paolo Pagaduan, who formerly oversaw a watershed conservation project in Rizal.

“We’re now working to develop a sustainable watershed management plan, form an effective management body for all micro-watersheds, aid groundwater recharge, minimize erosion and siltation, mitigate pollution through waste management, conduct regular monitoring and the evaluation of interventions and replant denuded areas to provide livelihood opportunities and maximize forest recovery. Simply put, we’re going beyond tree-planting,” he explains. 

The burning of trees for charcoal is one of the biggest threats facing Philippine forests today. The ubiqutous blocks of charcoal or uling used to cook your barbeque or inihaw was probably taken from the mountains. 

Ranger Bayani Cruz shows off three Kupang (Parkia timoriana) seedlings at a native plant nursery inside the Ipo Watershed. Bayani is part of a 52-ranger contingent tasked with protecting the forests ringing the watershed.

Ipo’s park rangers are always on the lookout for illegal loggers and charcoal makers. 

But the proof of the pudding is in the eating – and the rangers were visibly excited to try out their new solar lamps and chargers at the turnover ceremonies.

“Sometimes we spend up to three days patrolling these mountains,” gestures veteran ranger Bayani Cruz to the distant mountains east of Ipo Dam, already scarred by kaingin or slash-and burn farmers. “Conditions are rough, especially during the monsoon season, when rivers swell and trails turn to streams – but we always do our duty. We earn only one hundred Pesos per day – but we don’t do this just for money. We are Dumagat. We were born in the forest and we are just protecting our homes.”

Through the efforts of the aptly-named Bayani, plus the rest of the rangers protecting the Ipo Watershed, Metro Manila’s 12 million residents can rest easy, knowing there will always be water to drink.


Cover photo caption: Ipo Watershed, together with the Angat and Umiray watersheds, supply 98% of the water requirements of Metro Manila – a metropolis of 12 million people. It is one of WWF’s project sites in the Philippines.

UP Music Circle Proudly Presents Haraya on UP Fair

Wazzup Pilipinas!

UP Music Circle, a premier music organization of the University of the Philippines Diliman, which aims to contribute growth to the local music scene by establishing relationships within college music enthusiasts and thereupon generating groups of talented musicians.

UPMC is privileged to sponsor a night during UP's biggest event every year, the UP Fair. Every night during the UP Fair week, around 12,000 audience is expected to gather to witness the most anticipated concerts organized by various notable student organizations. Entitled HARAYA, it is set to take place at the UP Sunken Garden on February 15, 2017.

HARAYA, meaning imagination, aims to be a groundbreaking concert welcoming the Iskolar ng Bayan and guests alike to revive and renew the tradition of UP Fair: good company, quality performances, and a great time through new ideas and aspirations.

HARAYA aims to support the creative boom fostered by youth today, and calls for the implementation of free education, to create spaces for quality education accessible to all. We believe this step must be taken to allow the youth to bring these imaginations to life and build a world for the betterment of our entire country.

HARAYA, the sole Filipino-named night of UP Fair 2017, also supports the perpetuation of core Filipino values like kapwa and love for our own. In line with this, HARAYA acts as a stage of opportunities for up and coming homegrown bands to display their musical talent alongside some of the biggest names in Filipino music. 

At the strike of midnight, spectacular fireworks will shoot across the sky; a symbol of the turn of a generation and the uprising of the endless power of the country's youth, sprung from our imagination and determination. Join our cause and come live your wildest dreams in the realm of impossibilities at UP Fair: HARAYA.

FDCP Honors Film Ambassadors

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Film Development Council of the Philippines recognized the creativity and global achievements of recent international film festival winners during the Film Ambassadors Night 2017 held last January 31 at the FDCP Cinematheque Manila Open Grounds, T.M. Kalaw St., Ermita, Manila.

Among those honored are FDCP Artistic Excellence Awardee Brillante Mendoza (“Ma’Rosa”) and Film Ambassadors Erik Matti (“Honor Thy Father”), Jun Lana and Paolo Ballesteros (“Die Beautiful”), Cesar Montano (“Nilalang”), Eduardo Roy, Jr. and Hasmine Kilip (“Pamilya Ordinaryo”), Mario Cornejo (“Apocalypse Child”), Mikhail Red (“Birdshot”), Paolo Dy (“Ignacio de Loyola”), Seymour B. Sanchez (“Caretaker”), Khavn Dela Cruz (“Alipato: The Very Brief of an Ember”), Joseph Israel Laban (“Happy New Year”), Sue Prado and Marco Felipe Villa Lopez (“The Sister”), Noriel Jarito (“Huramentado”), Vincent Soberano (“Blood Hunters”), Dominic Nuesa (“Ang Araw sa Likod”), P.R. Patindol (“Hilom”) and Bradley Liew (“Singing in Graveyards”).

Also bestowed Film Ambassador honors by the FDCP are International Film Festival Manhattan Lifetime Achievement Awardees Gloria Sevilla and Ricky Lee and IFFM 2016 winners Sigfreid Barros-Sanchez (“Magtanggol”), Ato Bautista (“Gemini”), Andreas Muñoz (“Ignacio de Loyola”), Nathalie Hart (“Siphayo”), Leon Miguel (“Red Lights”), Madonna Sanchez (“Filemon Mamon”), Giovanni Baldisseri (“Lucky Jinx”), Carlo Ortega Cuevas (“Walang Take Two”) and Rhoda Joy Blaza (“The Equation”).

Rounding up the FDCP Film Ambassador awardees are Los Angeles Philippine International Film Festival 2016 winners Carlo Catu and Robby Tantingco (“Ari: My Life with a King”), Randolph Longjas and Candy Pangilinan (“Star na si Van Damme Stallone”), Pedring Lopez (“Nilalang”), King Palisoc (“Tandem”), Soliman Cruz (“Balik”), Clanch Dayve Belleza and Albert Chan Paran (“Julie”), Anj Macalanda (“Wawa”), Niko Salazar (“Sejour”), Jae-re Louise Liwanag (“Sukat”), Katherine Olmedo (“Got it Maid”) and Leeds Animation Workshop and Pavilion (“They Call Us Maids”).

Hontiveros: Bluring Police and Military Functions, a Throwback to Martial Law Times

Wazzup Piipinas!

The plan by President Rodrigo Duterte to let the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) lead the government's anti-drug campaign is not new. PDEA has the mandate to push for efficient law enforcement in the fight against illegal drugs. "Automatic na yan."

However, unless the government's current strategy to respond to the country's drug problem is radically overhauled and the country's security forces are thoroughly cleansed of scalawags, whether it is the PDEA or Philippine National Police (PNP), the anti-drug campaign will continue to be abusive and corrupt-prone.

Hindi lang implementers ang may problema. Mas lalo na ang polisiya.

Also, the government's plan to include the military will add to the already chaotic situation. It will roll back the important gains in security sector reforms in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It could also lead to unnecessary clashes between the military and PDEA. I am wary that allowing the AFP to implement a flawed and abusive style of war on drugs will only subject it to the same fate as the PNP.

May I remind the government that the military has a different mandate and orientation. It should not be dragged into civilian policing. While the military and PNP are both 'legal bearers of arms' they have different roles and training. The police force is for law enforcement and apprehension. The military is trained for combat duties. To blur these lines is not only dangerous, it is a throwback to Martial Law times. It is a nod to authoritarian leadership.

Ikaw Pa Rin ang Gusto Kong Leading Lady sa Teleserye ng Buhay Ko

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"Don't cry over the past, it's gone. Don't stress about the future, it hasn't arrived. Live in the present & make it beautiful!"

Alam mo ba kung ano yung masakit? Yung wala kang ka-date sa Valentine's Day!

Buti pa ang shoes may PAIR,
Ang calendar may DATE.
Pero ako, WALEY!

I feel so empty
Loss half of my life
Dahil walang lovey-dovey

Nganga pa rin ako, bes
Kahit na I did all my best
She treated me like pest

Sa pag-ibig kasi ay walang bulag, walang pipi, pero TANGA? Marami.

Pero lilipas din yan! Dahil wala naman talagang forever. Ang puso kasi ay parang paminta, buo talaga pero pilit lang dinudurog ng iba.

Narito naman ako, napaka-gwapo (o maganda) pero bakit walang pumapansin o nagpaparamdam. Gusto ko na talagang lumandi pero walang magkamali.Kapag ako ang pinili mo, hindi ako magsasawang suyuin ka, intindihin ka, ipagparaya ka, at mahalin ka. Mamahalin kita nang tapat at lubusan. Nawa'y mapansin ang hangarin ng pusong hirang. I am your "real talk" in a world full of "charot!"

Ang lamig noh? Kasing lamig ng walang kaniig o katabi man lang ngayon malapit na araw ng mga puso. Dahil love is in the air ... but only for those with a BF or GF.

Sa February 14, tiyak na uulan ng mga roses, teddy bears at chocolates. Habang ako, nag-iinternet at kumakain. Dadami na naman ang may birthday ng November, kasi mabubuo ng February. Char!

So sa Valentine's Day ba ay mag-po-post ka ng mga pictures ng bulaklak, chocolates, stuff toys, etc., sa Facebook o Instagram mo?

Hindi ko alam kung sino kasama mo sa araw na ito, pero sana .. ako na lang muli. Ikaw pa rin ang gusto ong leading lady sa mala-teleseryeng buhay ko (biglang tumugtog yung kanta ni Gary Valenciano sa Ang Probinsiyano ni Coco Martin).

It hurts so much when you still have someone in your heart, but no longer in your arms. Ikaw pa rin ang hinahanap-hanap. Gusto muling mayakap, makahalikan, maka-holding hands, makipagpalitang ng matatamis na sulyap at ngiti.

Sana ang love katulad ng sinasabi ng dentista "sabihin mo lang kung masakit, lalagyan ko ng anesthesia." Akala ko ay naka move on na ako, kaso di pa pala ako nakaka recover.

Grabe ang aking kalungkutan noong tayo ay nagkahiwalay. Para akong namatayan...hindi..ako ang namatay! At ngayon ay parang zombie ..walang katinuan, nakatingin sa kalayuan, pero wala namang tinititigan.

Tibok ng puso ay para lang sa iyo, pero ayaw mo na talagang makipag-balikan dahil sa aking kagagawang kataksilan. Masyado kasi akong naging mayabang. Akala ko ay sobrang macho ako ako. Sinubukang maki-landi sa ibang baabe, kaya ayun nahuli.

Pero later on na-realize ko, ikaw naman talaga ang tunay na pag-ibig ko, at lahat sila ay pampataba lang ng ego ko.

Kaya ngayon nalulungkot tuwing nakikitang kang masaya sa social media. Panay post mo sa Facebook, Twitter at Instagram ng mga selfies ninyo together. As if parang may gusto kang inggitin at pag-selosin. Hindi kaya may pag-ibig ka parin sa akin? at ginagamit mo lang siya para durugin ang puso ko?

Ayun siguradong pupunta na naman ako ng mall para maglibang at makalimutan na wala na akong special someone. Kaso bigla namang mapapa-gitnaan ng couples na holding hands while walking at panay ang display of affection. Madaming mag-jowang makikita. Pero ako ay forever alone, laging mag-iisa. Ang saya-saya talaga!

Pero ayoko talagang maging bitter sa February 14. Hindi Nutrition Month ngayon para sa mga ampalaya. Ayoko ng humugot! Nakakapagod na! Parang pagmamahal ko sa kaniya!

Hindi mo hiniling sa akin noon na bigyan ka ng kahit na anong materyal na bagay. Pagmamahal at oras ko lang ay okay na sa iyo. Ngayon ko napagtanto na ako talaga ang mahal mo at hindi kayamanan ko. Bonus lang iyong kotse, shopping spree at food crawl.

Pero how long ba ang aking ipaghihintay, how long should I be patient enough to wait for the one who can replace you in my heart. Kahit gusto ko sanang gumawa ng love letter para sa iyo, kaso naalala ko bigla na wala nga pala akong papel sa buhay mo. Ngayong may iba ka na, wala na akong pag-asang tayo'y magkakabalikan.

Pero hindi ko ipagpilitan ang sarili ko sa taong hindi naman interesado sa akin. Kaya lang, sometimes ay naisip ko na pwede na rin yung taong hindi tunay na minamahal ako, dahil okay na rin sa akin yung pakitang-tao man lang. Later na lang niya niya siguro ma-realize yung mga efforts ko balang araw. Eventualy, she will fall in love with me na rin.

Hindi na ako umaasang may mag-de-date sa akin sa Valentine's Day. Pero OK na rin sana kung MU na lang, iyon bang Malanding Ugnayan.

Ang sabi ko sa sarili ay .. Valentine's Day lang yan, malayo sa bituka. Hindi man ako ang naiisip niya sa araw ng Valentine's Day, andito pa rin ako na magpapasaya sa inyo ....kahit mag-isa akong nagmumukmok sa aking kwarto at ang tanging kaharap ay ang mga computer ko.

Subukan ko muna siguro maghintay pa ng ilang taon bago ko sukuan. Pero ang sabi nila ay paano ko ba makikita yung para sa akin kung ayaw kong tantanan ikaw at pinipilit kong maging aking muli! Nakatutok na lang ako sa iyo, kahit bale-wala na talaga ako.

Sana birthday ko na lang sa Valentine's Day para may ma-i-celebrate din ako kahit paano.

Para sa mga lonely sa Valentine's Day, huwag magpadalos-dalos sa inyong desisyon. Learn to wait and extend your patience because your right one is soon coming. Hanap ka ng hanap para diyan sa lovelife mo, e yung love ba na binigay sa iyo ni God binabalewala mo.

At kahit na walang lovelife, basta nandiyan ang tropa, ayos na. Nyak, who am I kidding?!

Kapag nakahanap naman tayo ng para sa atin, maglaro kayo ng kahit ano, wag lang taguan. Kasi someone like each one of you is hard to find. Huwag makipag-sapalaran sa tsambahan or pwede na iyan. Treat them the very best way possible.

Ang pag-ibig ay paramg bulaklak. Kapag inaalagaan, namumukadkad. Pero ito ay para ring kape. Kapag pinabayaan, lumalamig! Huwag nang paabutin pa sa punto na unti-unti na kayong nanlalamig sa isa't-isa.

You should want a relationship where people would be like : "Hanggang ngayon sila pa rin?"

Kaya pwedeng habang maaga pa, tatapusin ko na dahil ayaw kong tumagal pa ang iyong kalungkutan.
Seriously, one day you'll realize that being alone isn't too bad at all.

"We should love, not fall in love. Because everything that falls gets broken."

Send Us Your Stories and Be Part of Our Community

Wazzup Pilipinas!

“Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!” 

Short and sweet, but the message succinct. New year, new stories, what's up or what's happening, que sera sera, whatever will be, will be. Wooot, wooot! Tomorrow is today for WazzupPilipinas.com!

Eyes on the prize, lock in. Let's all roll out, and get ready to rumble! Hear out our battle cries!

Ei! Ei! Oh! Allahu Akbar! Jaya Mahakali, Ayo Gorkhali! Deus Vult! Alala! Usuthu! Hakkaa Paalle! Bole So Nihal!…Sat Sri Akal! Hokahey! Uukhai! Oorah! Desperta Ferro! Currahee! Tulta munille! Sh'ma Yisra'el! Leeeroy Jennnkins! Geronimo! By the Power of Greyskull! SPOOOOOOOOOOON!!!

We'll show you what we can do! Right here! Right now!

The start of 2017 has brought us great joy once again. Though we are are already used to receiving recognition or awards every year since we started our blog site way back 2013, we are still humbled whenever we get a notice of an award.

A first award for the year was a returning award-giving body that gave us an award a few years ago, now they've notified us again of another award.

We haven't formally received the first award for the year yet, when comes another e-mail from a different award-giving body notifying us of another award for the year. Of course we were overwhelmed especially that this is a new organization that has never contacted us before. But nothing comes close or compares to the experience we felt when we got another e-mail a few days afterwards that notified us of a third award for this year. OMG! For sure our bashers would be talking about us again. There would be memes coming out trying to make fun of us. But, hold your horses, fans... it's not our fault we have become a favorite blog.

Obviously, it's awards season again so we won't be surprised if this three awards would again be followed by more upwards throughout the remaining months of 2017. Hey! It's only February! It's just the start of teh year and yet we are already conquering the blogging community!

I know some of you would feel we are getting over our heads, or are heads are swelling up from all of these attention, but we are just overjoyed and proud we are getting noticed.

In short, we are truly humbled in receiving three awards notice for our Wazzup Pilipinas blog site for the year 2017, and hopefully still more awards will be coming soon! We promise to make sure we are all worth of the praise and commendations.

We all thank you for all the congratulations, but we've practically just began our adventure. It's just the tip of the iceberg, coz our real strength is not entirely visible to just about anybody. Thus, we are also inviting our readers to contribute your own news and stories to us. After all, we are a community blog, and aside from being well connected, informed, and engaged, you rightfully belong to be actively involved as well.

Send us your stories, and we'll be happy to publish them. Be part of our community!

E-mail us at WazzupPilipinas@gmail.com

From "Best" to "Babe" to "Break" Real Quick at #MMKWhenLoveGrows

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"and after all this time, I'm still into you.."

It's the most significant change I've seen in the world in the last 10 years. Ang madasaling si Santino, lumalandi na! Lol!

#MMKWhenLoveGrows tells a story of childhood friends Sandra and Mart who will fall in love at one point or another.

MMK's episode reminds us our first crush, first love, our first "best". Pabebe man ang MMK episode, still, we can't deny the fact that many of us can relate to it. MMK gave us a major throwback to the feeling when we had with our first crush. We can't help ourselves from smiling.

They say love is something we shouldn't hide but openly share. Kaya pag gusto mo ang isang tao, speak up. Falling in love in on our 1st teenage years is so exciting. That kind of love can never be matched again in our lives. However, sometimes, we may be too young to know better.

"Best may boyfriend na ako" That is how to break your bestfriend's heart! Ugh! It also works worst for girls. The sad reality of "akala ko" towards a boy who only considers you as a friend.

Wala nga kasing forever. Ang aga mo kasing lumandi. Iyan tuloy maaga ka din nasaktan.

But when your crush, crushes you back. Been there, done that! Hahahahahahaha. LOL!

The Filipino Komiks and Art Market "KOMIKET" Gears Up for its 3rd Year

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Artists, writers, readers and enthusiasts are expected to converge again in the third Filipino Komiks and Art Market (KOMIKET). This year, there will be two different events -- the February 25 (Saturday) Komiks and Art Market at the Elements at Centris and the February 26 (Sunday) Artist Talks at the U-View Theater at Fully Booked, Bonifacio Global City.

Whether you are a curious newbie or an art market enthusiast, organizers are inviting everyone to two days of fun as a way to support Filipino comics or "komiks."

SATURDAY ART MARKET

Meet and greet over 300 authors, illustrators and "komiks" creators who eagerly want to share what they have worked on the past few months. Get a first crack at their latest works, story compilations, graphic novels, stickers, postcards, art prints and original artworks up for grabs on February 25, Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Elements at Centris.

The Komiket Inc. will also release its first book, KOMIKS CUM LAUDE, a student comic book anthology featuring ten of the top student creators today: Mich Cervantes, Juan Carlos Panlilio, Aljon Perdon and Jose Victor Perey (De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde); Danielle Riña, Gia Duran, Danielle Dy-Liacco and Japhet Marquez (UP Diliman); Richard Mercado, Kevin Samala and Ianthe Pimentel (Ateneo de Manila University); Diklap Aytin (Ateneo Junior High School) and Tori Tadiar, Jess Santiago and Jez Nabong (Komiket’s Comic Book Creator’s Workshops).

SUNDAY ARTIST TALK

Listen and learn from superstar comics creators like Arnold Arre, Manix Abrera, Carlo Vergara, Eugene Madayag (Libreng Komiks) as they talk back with readers at the Komiket Artist Talks on February 26, Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the U-View Theater at the Basement of Fully Booked BGC. Only limited seats (70 per set) are available for the talks, and tickets will be sold at the venue.

The winners of the Komiket Awards will also be announced. The Best Komiks, Best Komiks Writer, Best Komiks Artist and Best Student Komiks will win komikstarter prizes—a five thousand-peso reimbursable fund to help kickstart their next "komiks."

LOVE LOCAL, SUPPORT LOCAL

The KOMIKET aims to help cultivate, promote and nurture local creators who would like to share their work to more readers. To those who want to show their support, see you at the 3rd Filipino Komiks and Art Market. Entrance tickets to the market cost 50 pesos each. Registration to the talk is at 550 pesos. 

Elements at Centris is located at Eton Centris, EDSA corner Quezon Avenue, QC. Fully Booked BGC is at B6 Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Like KOMIKET on Facebook for more details.

City of Dreams Holds Chinese New Year Festivities

Wazzup PIlipinas!

City of Dreams recently held their Chinese New Year festivities to celebrate the Year of the Fire Rooster last January 27, 2017.

The celebration begun at 4 PM on the Upper Ground level. Red lanterns adorned the activity area. It is believed that hanging red lanterns drives off bad luck based on Chinese New Year traditions. Red decorations, roosters and lucky symbols completed the festive look! 

At these booths, City of Dreams patrons got to experience Chinese arts and crafts such as Caricatures and Chinese Calligraphy. There were also Fortune Telling booths at the activity strip. 

And the Lunar New Year celebration won't be complete without generous gift-giving! 

Guests were also treated to surprise freebies as the Gods of Fortune roamed and gave out angpaos spreading luck and prosperity to all. 

And while you are there, you can have your photo taken with the Chinese Gods of Fortune to usher in wealth and prosperity this Year of the Rooster. 

The celebration extends up to the weekend so go and visit at the Upper Ground level of City of Dreams Manila to see cultural performances by dancers, opera singers and Wushu martial artists as they take place.

Contributed by Emiliana Sison


Below is the official press release for the CNY-related activites:

City Of Dreams Manila Welcomes the Year of the Fire Rooster with Luck, Happiness and Prosperity

City of Dreams Manila ushers in the Chinese New Year with exceptional dining options and thrilling entertainment experiences signifying good luck, happiness, and prosperity. Crystal Dragon, one the luxury integrated resort’s premium restaurants, serves exclusive Chinese New Year-themed a la carte and set menus from January 16 to February 11, while 24-hour casual Chinese dining at Noodl8 offers sumptuous dishes for all of January and February. Themed gift items perfect for the festive occasion are likewise available at Café Society.

At The Shops at the Boulevard on the upper ground level, a three-day Year of the Rooster festival from January 27 to 29 showcases a variety of fun-filled Chinese New Year-themed activities and performances as well as a God of Fortune spreading gifts and good cheer to guests while roaming around the integrated resort.

For evening entertainment, guests can head to City of Dreams KTV’s elegant themed-rooms and sing to their heart’s content with special Chinese New Year ala carte dishes and unlimited Tsing Tao beer included in the package.

Crystal Dragon

Set Menus (January 16 to February 11)

The Chinese New Year Happiness Menu starts with Prosperity Salmon Fish Yu Shang with Fruit Salad followed by Braised Eight Sea Treasure and Shredded Abalone Broth; Steamed Cod with Baby Cabbage in Supreme Soy, Hong Kong Style; Wok-fried King Prawns with Reduction Supreme Soya Sauce; Wok-fried Shanghai Rice Cake Sliced with Selected Seafood; and ends with Chilled Mango Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream and Double Flavor of Chinese New Year Nian Gao Platter.

The Chinese New Year Abundance Menu serves Prosperity Salmon Fish Yu Shang with Rock Melon Salad; Double Boiled Sea Treasure with Baby Abalone in Cordycep Flower Soup; Steamed Sea Grouper with Shredded Ginger in Homemade Soy Sauce; Roasted Chicken Roll filled with Foie Gras and Wild Mushrooms; Stew Pork Belly with Sea Cucumber, Bean Curd and Green Vegetables; Wok-fried Shanghai Rice Cake Sliced with Selected Seafood; complemented by Warm Sweetened Eight Treasures Tea with Ginseng in Honey and Double Flavor of Chinese New Year Nian Gao Platter. Both the “Happiness” and “Abundance” menus come with traditional Chinese Tea.

A La Carte (January 16 to February 11)

For guests who prefer to dine a la carte, dishes such as Prosperity Salmon Fish Yu Shang; Shredded Roasted Duck with Fresh Fruit Salad in Dressing, Oven Baked Marinated Cod Fish Fillet with Fragrant Golden Garlic, Slow Cook Supreme Sea Cucumber with Abalone and Pork Knuckle in a Clay Pot, Roasted Chicken Roll filled with Foie Gras and Wild Mushrooms; Braised Dried Oyster and Black Mushrooms Roll with Sea Moss; Wok-fried King Prawns with Reduction Supreme Soya Sauce, Wok-fried Shanghai Rice Cake Sliced with Selected Seafood, and Three Flavor Chinese New Year Nian Gao Platter are available. Medium portions are ideal for four to six guests while large orders are best for six to ten.

The Chinese New Year Happiness Menu is priced at P3,680++ per person, while the Chinese New Year Treasures Menu is at P 6,680++, both for a minimum of four to six persons. A la carte offerings range from P460++ to P1,680++. Crystal Dragon is open daily for lunch from 12 to 3 pm and dinner from 6 to 11 pm.

Symbolism

The Prosperity Salmon Fish Yu Shang and the Shredded Roasted Duck with Fresh Fruit Salad in Dressing are traditional offerings to fittingly welcome the Chinese New Year. For the Prosperity Salmon Fish Yu Shang, the raw fish symbolizes abundance and good fortune, mixed in with shredded fruits and vegetables which signify wealth, luck, eternal youth, a flourishing business and health. Plum sauce for good fortune, peanuts for long life and stability, olive oil and wonton crisps for a house full of gold bind the ingredients together are tossed as high as possible, believed to bless all who partake of them. The duck represents fertility while the combination of fresh fruits are said to bring wisdom, peace, gold, wealth, fertility, family harmony, health and luck.

Noodl8

Lunar Celebrations (January and February)

Diners can celebrate the New Year with authentic Chinese and Korean fare any time of the day at Noodl8 throughout January and February. Chinese dishes served exclusively during this period are Fried Aromatic Pork Ribs with Seven Spices Salt, Pork & Cabbage Dumpling with Black Vinegar & Chili Oil, Poached Hand Pull Noodle topped with Baby Abalone and Minced Pork, and Double Boiled Warm Sweetened Sesame Ginger Tea with Sesame Dumpling. For Korean offerings, these include Steamed Kimchi Dumpling and Kimchi Dumpling Soup.

Prices for the Chinese and Korean a la carte dishes range between P310++ to P688++. Noodl8 is open 24 hours a day and is located on the main gaming area at the ground floor.

Café Society (January 16 to February 11)

Guests can likewise bring home Café Society’s Chinese New Year-themed treats or gift them to loved ones to spread good luck and prosperity. Available items from January 16 to February 11 are Mandarin Cake with Rooster Chocolate, White Chocolate with Red Bean Cake, Nian Gao (Tikoy) Box, X.O Sauce, Green Tea Pound Cake, Pineapple Cake with 2017 Fondant, as well as macarons and pralines in half dozen to dozen quantities.

Prices range between P680++ to 1,810++. Café Society is open from 10 am to 10 pm on Monday through Thursday and 10 am to 12 am on Friday through Sunday.

City of Dreams KTV

Chinese New Year KTV Package (January 28 to February 11)

For intimate gatherings with family and friends during this momentous celebration, guests can head to City of Dreams KTV and avail of the Chinese New Year KTV Package for P10,000++ which includes festive dishes such as Prosperity Salmon Fish Yu Shang, Wok-fried Shanghai Rice Cake Sliced with Selected Seafood, Three Flavor Chinese New Year Nian Gao Platter, and unlimited Tsing Tao beer. The package lets guests choose songs from an extensive selection of Chinese and Korean songs as well as international classics and contemporary pop tunes in one of the venue’s 10 themed KTV rooms, accommodating up to 15 people. City of Dreams KTV is open from 7 pm to 2 am daily and is on the upper level of Chaos Manila nightclub.

Chinese New Year Activities (January 27 to 29)

At The Shops at the Boulevard on the upper ground level, a three-day festival features a variety of fun-filled activities such as Chinese calligraphy, fortunetelling and caricature art as well as performances by Chinese opera singers, cultural dancers and Wushu martial artists from January 27 to 29 at 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm. A God of Fortune will be roaming the main gaming area on the ground floor and the upper ground level to hand out ang baos containing gift certificates, discount coupons and chocolates to lucky guests.

For restaurant reservations, call 8008080 or email guestservices@cod-manila.com.

Soleus Running Goes Sabor Latino 100% with William Flores

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Hola Manila! Soleus Running is celebrating the passion for dance with Soleus Running Dance Festival 2017 with famous Peruvian International Zumba fitness instructor William Flores will lead the post-race dance party. Experience the first and biggest celebration in the country combining running and dancing with William who is also an experienced dancer of modern jazz, reggaeton, salsa, cumbia, folk dance, merengue, hip hop and ballet.

The Soelus Running event held on February 4, 2017 at SM Mall of Asia with 5K, 10K and 21K distances to choose from also had a pre-event media launch held a couple of days (February 2) before the run at Marriott Hotel in Pasay city. This is where William Flores led the powerful 90 minutes of almost non-stop Zumba dancing.

The media event was participated by selected fitness instructors, enthusiasts and members of the media, plus celebrities like husband and wife team Eric and Rona Tai who were third place from the recent The Amazing Race Asia reality TV competition held a few months ago. We also saw Janeena Chan with her friends electrifying the dance floor with their sultriness wearing body hugging outfits.

Guests witnessed an invigorating Zumba Dance Fest preview after a short program hosted by Anthony Suntay who we see frequently hosting sports-related events like One Championship Mixed Martial Arts media launches.

Many fitness enthusiasts consider dancing as one of the many ways to keep fit and slim because you really indeed break out a lot of sweat after every routine or work-out. Just an hour of Zumba is already exhilarating enough to make you feel refreshed amidst equally fascinated individuals all raving for healthy living.

KonsultaMD Now Accessible from All Philippine Telecom Networks

Wazzup Pilipinas!

KonsultaMD, a 24/7 health hotline service by Global Telehealth, Inc., provides access to licensed and professional doctors who give immediate medical attention to its members, is now accessible from all telecom operators in the Philippines.

“KonsultaMD has always been about helping address the healthcare pain points of the Philippines. All of us, regardless of the network we choose, experience these pain points. Hence, it makes sense to make KonsultaMD services available to all,” said Maridol Ylanan, CEO of Global Telehealth, Inc., an affiliate of leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom, Inc.

Globe’s mission is to create wonderful experiences for people, to have choices, overcome challenges, and discover ways to enjoy life. Given this direction, Globe has invested in Global Telehealth to provide medical services to the consumers.

Global Telehealth also took aggressive steps to be able to move beyond what their customers need by offering KonsultaMD services to other telco networks nationwide.

KonsultaMD works by simply calling 79880 (mobile) or (02) 798 8000 (landline). Members of KonsultaMD can speak to a licensed Filipino doctor, immediately and directly with no waiting time, regarding their health concerns. Inquiries about health-related issues include, but are not limited to maternity, pediatrics and primary conditions like fever, rashes, and allergies, to name a few. Callers may also inquire about matters pertaining to health coaching, nutrition counselling, permissible medication and even laboratory results.

Globe Postpaid customers only need to pay a fee of Php150 a month to avail of KonsultaMD services which can be used by up to four additional members while Globe Prepaid and TM customers have the option to subscribe for an individual membership by paying Php15 a week or Php60 monthly.

Customers of other networks can now subscribe to KonsultaMD by simply logging on to www.konsulta.md, clicking on subscribe and going to ‘Other Networks’ where they can fill out an online application form. Subscription payments can be made via Visa, MasterCard, GCash, BancNet or SMART Money. Upon receipt of SMS and email confirmation, customers can start using the service by calling the KonsultaMD hotline at 79880 (mobile) or (02) 798 8000.

Calls from Globe landlines nationwide and calls within Metro Manila via landline are free. Calls from Globe or TM mobile numbers are charged a special call rate of Php1 per minute while non-Globe customers pay the standard mobile and NDD rates.

New Digital Banking Solution from SAP Simplifies IT and Fosters Co-Innovation for the Bank of Tomorrow

Wazzup Pilipinas!

SAP SE recently announced the latest release of SAP® Omnichannel Banking, a digital banking solution that went live on December 23, 2016. The offering simplifies the process of managing mobile and online applications for retail, small business and commercial banking customers on a single platform built on open standards. With more than 500 available microservices, the new digital banking solution helps banks build responsive mobile, tablet and desktop apps with a unique, digital customer experience.

SAP Omnichannel Banking complements the solutions for customer engagement and commerce in the SAP Hybris® portfolio to form a comprehensive offering for banks to manage all aspects of customer interaction. Planned application programming interface (API) integration between these components will provide customers a seamless experience across multiple touchpoints. Together, SAP Omnichannel Banking and the SAP Hybris solution portfolio will enable banks to deploy intelligent digital sales and service processes, creating personalized customer interaction across all channels and helping banks get a 360-degree view of their customers.

The modular architecture of SAP Omnichannel Banking enables banks to roll out new products and services in an incremental fashion, without disrupting existing functionality. The solution can be deployed on premise or in the cloud and also addresses the need for faster time to market as well as an increasing frequency of updates. By providing an extensive library of customization accelerators and a single call-out for over 200 configuration services, the solution can substantially reduce the effort involved in developing bank-specific extensions. In addition, SAP Omnichannel Banking provides state-of-the-art tooling in the form of Eclipse plug-ins, a widely used integrated development environment (IDE) for developing microservices. This vastly increases development productivity and allows a growing ecosystem of established partners and FinTechs to further enrich SAP’s offering.

“For banks, maintaining multiple platforms requires multiple work streams, separate maintenance schedules and a slow, complex approach to updates,” said Falk Rieker, global head of the banking business unit at SAP. “With SAP Omnichannel Banking and SAP Hybris solutions, we are providing a holistic offering to manage all types of digital customer engagement – mobile and online, and across multiple lines of business. This is nothing short of a game changer, one that empowers banks to differentiate from each other and allows them to provide a tailored, digital customer experience.”  

The latest release of SAP Omnichannel Banking provides:

• Comprehensive business logic and robust self-service features that power out-of-the-box applications for retail and commercial banking 
• Components to centralize critical, operational tasks by providing frameworks for security, entitlements, approvals, alerting, channel management, scheduling, distributed caching, notifications, validations, customer insight aggregation, digital process framework, user administration, and channel and device management
• Open architecture that supports third-party business services and partner integration with the goal of creating collaborative scenarios and accelerating innovation
• Fully responsive SAPUI5, removing all restrictions on the technology used for UI development
• Optional integration with SAP’s core banking solution 

A recent IDC study commissioned by SAP found that banks want to collaborate with FinTech startups; however, the complexity of the IT architectures within banks makes that collaboration cumbersome. The API framework built into SAP Omnichannel Banking streamlines this process. Banks now are flexible enough to take an active role in the ecosystem, partner with FinTech companies and engage with established partners and industry leaders.

For more information, visit the SAP News Center or follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews. To learn more about SAP Omnichannel Banking, visit www.sap.com/solution/industry/banking.html.

Confidently Beautiful with a Blog

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Regardless of the unsaid but obvious "discrimination" and "disrespect" towards bloggers, we are very much proud that we are helping out others with our content that were originally just intended to serve as our outlet to express our thoughts, opinions, etc, and serve as our medium to share our story and experiences.

Even though some are taking us for granted by offering demeaning and less satisfying deals or arrangement, our priorities overcome the need to demand what we rightfully deserve if treated fairly based on our significant worth.

We have also evolved to be more appreciated but still the intimacy and personal touch remains since we are not tied up with a particular entity that will hold responsible for our demeanor or misdemeanor.

The future is all about online, and many of the traditional media outfits have embraced already their fate thus the effort towards digital content has grown enormous and rapid in the past years. You will surely be left out of the game if you are without an online presence.

Do you believe that we should stop differentiating or separately mentioning "bloggers" from "media" (i.e. traditional media - print, TV and radio)?

Since bloggers are online media per se, and equally "influential" and could even have a wider reach, everyone should be collectively called as "media" instead to stop the "discrimination"

Though there are also the "online" media like Rappler, Choose Philippines, etc.(that are backed up or funded by "bigger" people), or the online counterparts of the traditional media outfits (that are equally highly financed), blogs are the more personal and intimate, and most of the time unedited, unfiltered and unrestricted. (Does it really matter if there's so many grammatical, or even spelling, errors...or the photos were poorly taken using a smartphone camera?) or mind the the numerous plagiarizing or "copy-paste" of articles and photos, otherwise known as "Sotto-fied" - named after the infamous comedian turned Senator of the country due to his popularity with the "madlang people." Filipinos are just fond of voting for anybody who makes them laugh.

If in politics, it doesn't matter if you had political backgrounds, or an actor's award, what matters is the people's grown trust in a specific "brand" by how they were promoted using any medium. May it be through the television, radio, magazine, newspaper,...or online via the Internet (free Wi-Fi at malls or coffee shops), all that's important for the "fans" is visibility or familiarity.

There's what you call subconscious mind-conditioning of which you are seemingly "brainwashed" - made to believe a reality which does not really exists but are forced to accept it as a reality by overfeeding us with the thought of it being true. Confused? You should be! It's happening right now as you read this article.

In the end, it's all about "reaching a larger and appropriate target market(s)" to sell products or services effectively (stressing on "effectively).

Even the "news" or "public service" is considered a product that aims to gain a considerable amount of followers.

If one has the budget or financing to launch a massive online campaign for the benefit of a "brand," that could very well make become successful if you just patiently invest incorporated with time and creativity, and a fabulous endorser to take it up a notch.

Nowadays, it's so easy to scam anybody so be warned that the "numbers" should not always be the basis of making your decisions. Sometimes, you have to rely on that "gut" feeling to know if what you see is too good to be true, or underrated.

To finally break it at a language you could easily understand, "media" today could now be even anybody posting on social media pages like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram since the "words" or "testimonies" of the actual people are the "real" information or feedback we should all be considering when looking for our next restaurant, hotel, TV show, or anything else we want some sincere recommendations.

Even if I was not a blogger, I would always speak highly of "reviews" or commentaries that are coming from those not connected to the large media outfits whose "sponsorship, ads, or commercials" makes them biased.

Sold Out: Cebu Pacific's "Piso Fare"

Wazzup Pilipinas!

It's the start of the travel season again, especially eager to experience again the many colorful festivals or fiestas at each province like for January there's Sinulog in Cebu, Biniray in Romblon, Ati-Atihan in Aklan, Apribaba in Sorsogon, Dinagyang in Iloilo or the rest of the festivals and celebrations for the rest of the year.

As expected, Cebu Pacific's Piso Fare promos are back, and we could't decide where we wanna go first! Stressful, yet adrenaline-pumping experience.

However, we envy those who have successfully booked their fights during Cebu Pacific's Piso Fare period. We were still trying to look for flights last night but apparently we were too late to decide. The Cebu Pacific site was crashing because of the Piso Fare sale. Many received the error message "Sorry for the slowdown! There's a lot of visitors accessing the site right now."

The final announcement of "Sold Out" was the terrible news. Expected but still gravely saddened of our fate.

"Your quick work on our PISO sale offer is testament to how everyJuan loves to fly, and at a bargain! All PISO seats sold, thanks for the "heart"!"

It is always good to have travel plans ready. No panic. Relax when booking. We should know better to plan ahead. I was semi-conscious aware of the Piso fare last night but the next moment I woke, they were all gone! How many seats did they sell anyway?

"Check back again soon!" could be another message you'll receive. It's just their way of saying "Better luck next time!"

If you are not aware, you don't exactly pay only 1 peso for the flight. If you add taxes and the other miscellaneous expenses, a Php 900 roundtrip would have been a nice deal already.

However, Cebu Pacific should create a separate website for their Piso Fare promo so as not to disrupt other customers who want an urgent flight and not availing of the sale! When the site crashes, even the regular passengers are affected.

"Dear self, you have enough trips for the year and you have bills to pay. STOP. IMPULSE. BUYING. PISO. FARE. TICKETS."