Mindanao Art Student Tops 31st PLDT Directory Art Contest

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Artemio Bongawan Jr. of the University of Mindanao won the grand prize of the 31st Visual Arts Competition (VAC 31) of the Directories Philippines Corporation and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company.

Bongawan’s hyperrealistic entry "AGEnt of Success", which showed an old woman who dreams of finishing her studies, captured the interest of the judges with its rendering and clear, uplifting message. This year’s competition challenged fine arts students nationwide to interpret the theme “Habang May Buhay, May Pag-asa”.

"I wanted to show that as long as you have hope and you persevere, nothing comes too late. Age doesn't matter when it comes to aspiring for success," Bongawan explained.

Meanwhile, John Merick Eupalao of Adventist University of the Philippines of Cavite and Maria Teresa Ramos of Far Eastern University won second and third prizes, respectively. Eupalao won for his colorful acrylic on canvas painting entitled “Pag May Pagmamahal, May Pag-asa , while Ramos won for her painting entitled “Light of Hope”. FEU has been the winningest university through the years in the directory art competition.

Besides the top three winners, Arvin Cantalejo Jr.'s Reflection of Hope, a disabled man who paints himself as a whole person, won the People's Choice Award. The winning entries will be used for the 2017-18 White and Yellow Pages PLDT directories.

87 art works with different interpretations of the theme were submitted for the competition, with 30 entries moving up as finalists. The 30 finalist entries were exhibited at the Pasilyo Vicente Manansala at the Cultural Center of the Philippines prior to the final judging and awarding ceremony.

Rotortrade Services Signs Partnership with Philjets Group and Starline Global Industries

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The photo above is taken at the Leonardo booth during HAI HELI-EXPO 2017: Aurelien Blanc Managing Director, Emilio Dalmasso Senior Vice President Commercial Business Unit and Philippe Lubrano President from Rotortrade Services with Thierry Tea Chairman PhilJets Aero Services & Managing Director of Starline Global Industries

Further cementing its position to become the international leader for the growing pre-owned helicopter market, Rotortrade Services, the independent multibrand helicopter brokerage service company and exclusive global distributor of Leonardo’s pre-owned helicopters, enters into a strategic partnership with the PhilJets Group and its major shareholder Starline Global Industries to access the Philippine and Cambodian markets.

Established in 2013 in Singapore by Philippe and Raymond Lubrano, Rotortrade Services continues its development plan to explore professional partnerships with outstanding international aviation companies in line with its global vision. PhilJets Group and Starline Global Industries have a proven track record of offering the best value in regards to the helicopter needs of their respective markets in Cambodia and the Philippines. Partnerships such as this aim to create win-win solutions for all companies involved that will ultimately enhance total customer satisfaction.

“Rotortrade is thrilled to cement and extend a long-lasting relationship with Starline and PhilJets. Both companies share the same values and drive to elevate the (pre-owned

helicopter) market by providing uncompromising quality and service to its customers by offering the right aircraft,” says Lubrano.

Founded in Manila by Chairman & CEO Thierry Tea, PhilJets Group is a leading boutique aviation company that services the Asia Pacific region, specifically the Philippines. By fourth quarter of 2017, PhilJets Helicopters Division will be accounting nine Helicopters including eight Airbus Helicopters, making it the largest Airbus Helicopter operator in the country.

Consolidating purchases for PhilJets Group is its major shareholder Starline Global Industries, the group’s holding company based in Singapore and founded by Tea in late 2012. Starline Global Industries has purchased, leased, sold and financed more than 12 helicopters in the past 18 months for the Southeast Asian region.

Tea, of Cambodian-French descent, has been developing both Starline and PhilJets’ activities in Cambodia since 2014, resulting in the group’s first three transactions in the promising emerging Cambodian market.

Together, the Starline teams’ track record comprises over USD11 billion in aircraft sales, including over USD290 million for 68 helicopters sales.

“Thanks to this partnership with Rotortrade Services and all of its network partners, we will be able to have more exchanges and to learn from other partners worldwide. We are delighted to be joining such formidable group of experts on a global stage,” says Tea.

This network agreement will allow Rotortrade Services to offer the Philippine and Cambodian markets a wider selection of pre-owned helicopters while PhilJets Aero Services Inc., the PhilJets Group’s MRO and aerospace trading arm, will have access to a larger potential worldwide customer base of helicopters and a stronger back office support. Geoffroy Cahen, Head of Sales & Marketing added, “Our success with the Airbus range has been great, though various opportunities with Bell, Leonardo and Robinsons were available that we were not able to fulfill. We believe this strategic alliance will allow our customers’ needs to be better addressed.”

Philjets Group Adds Brand New H145 to its Fleet

Wazzup Pilipinas!

PhilJets Group, a leading boutique aviation company that services the Asia Pacific region— specifically the Philippines—charges forward in its thrust to become the top leader in business aviation by introducing a new helicopter manufacturer to its fleet for 2017.

Though PhilJets has sustained constant dynamic growth these past three years, it strives to strengthen its position in business aviation. To complement its existing fleet of single engine helicopters: five Airbus H130 and one Airbus AS350B2 squirrel, PhilJets is delighted to welcome one Airbus H145 T2, its first twin-engine helicopter that will provide its customers with a bigger payload and capability. Moreover, as it can comfortably seat two pilots and eight passengers for long flights, it is very much adapted to the landscape of the 7,107 Philippine islands.

The latest member of the Airbus 4-ton-class twin-engine rotorcraft product range, Airbus H145 T2 is compact in size, boasts a small footprint and yet offers a cabin that can comfortably fit two pilots and eight passengers. The H145 T2 is the perfect aircraft to take passengers on longer rotary flights around the Philippine archipelago and features large windows with excellent visibility that both pilots and passengers will appreciate. As the quietest helicopter in its class, the H145 T2 can efficiently land in busy work sites, office zones and urban areas.

As PhilJets’ first twin-engine helicopter, the company will soon be able to strengthen additional segments such as Medevac and cargo. The delivery of the brand new H145 T2 is scheduled in fourth quarter 2017 and it will give PhilJets a total of eight Airbus Helicopters—the group has two H130T2 on order scheduled for delivery in second and third quarter– making it one of the largest Airbus Helicopters operators in the Philippines in 2017.