Community Outreach Cum Travel Adventure at Bontoc, Mountain Province

Wazzup Pilipinas!

She asked me why I joined? I told her it's because I realized that it would be awesome to travel while giving back something in return. I may be excited for the sights and experience of going to new places, but I was doubly excited in engaging with the community via an outreach. 

I know I am idealistic. I wanted to live in a world where no one gets left behind, in either their living conditions or opportunities. It may be foolish of me to think I could save the world within my lifetime, but I'm doing every little thing possible within my own network, so that I could influence others to do the same. At least someone would be inspired to follow my footsteps so that saving the world would be a continuous process.

I may not have super-powers like the heroes in comics, cartoons and movies, but though it would be spectacular to fly or have super strength, I could still find something to do that's worth emulating by others.

Others may say that those little things would not make much of a difference in the long run, but I know that when you get to touch the lives of others in your own little way, somehow there would be a spark of hope fro them to get up and move on with their own lives, to fin their rightful place in this world, and make their own mark for the benefit of all.

We joined Meaningful Travels PH at one of their community outreach cum travel events from May 25 to May 28, 2017. The destination was at Bontoc, Mountain Province, specifically barangay Maligcong and Mainit. Though it was already announced that it would be a 10 to 12 hour ride from Cubao, I did not feel any regrets since we are about to do good, while satisfying our own pleasures at the same time.

A Surprise Kabayan Homecoming

Wazzup Pilipinas!
 

Concepcion “Connie” Cabasa couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw her daughter Ruselle standing at the front of their house.  Ruselle Cabasa, who had not been home to the Philippines for seven years, has just arrived at their doorstep in Navarcan, Ilocos Sur unannounced.  What her mother Connie and her father Eddie Cabasa didn’t know about is that Ruselle had just won MoneyGram’s Kabayan Homecoming promotion where one MoneyGram customer from Japan could win an all-expense paid trip back home to the Philippines.  For Ruselle, it was a long time awaited visit

Ruselle had been working in Japan for 13 years now. She didn’t visit her loved ones home for seven years to send them more money. A roundtrip ticket costs as much as PhP40,000– an amount that would cover her family’s living and household expenses in Narvacan.  So, instead of regularly flying in for a visit like other OFWs, Ruselle had chosen to sacrifice her need to be with her family and support them financially instead.  To make up for her absence, she regularly phoned home to keep in touch with her parents and siblings. 

As the third out of four children, Ruselle always had a strong sense of responsibility for her family.  After college graduation, together with her twin sister Raquel, she immediately started working in Manila to support their family’s income.  Soon they learned of an opportunity to work in Japan.  Both sisters applied for this position, but only Ruselle’s application was accepted.  

Although it was difficult to work in a foreign country, not to mention being oceans away from her family, Ruselle stayed motivated and did her best at work.  She adapted to the culture and norms, and soon started her own family in Japan.  Whenever she was tired, homesick or longed for her loved ones in the Philippines, her children, Yoshitaka and Nozomi, kept her spirits up.

ÄRT MÖD: See You at the Fair!

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The first ÄRT MÖD Fair 2017 is opening its doors on Independence Day weekend from 10 AM - 7 PM on Friday, June 9 to Sunday, June 11, 2017 at the Megatrade Hall 2, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City.

The 3-day art fair will be filled with contemporary artworks from various artists, talks and discussions, live demonstrations and sketching sessions among others. Visitors will also be treated to a variety of activities that inspires creativity and spurs understanding of art and its processes.

Envisioned to bring the world of Philippine Modern Art to a wider audience, ÄRT MÖD Fair 2017 gathers a host of both established and upcoming visual artists like Philipp Badon, Boysie Villavicencio, Joe Datuin and Toym Imao and other artists together under one roof.

ÄRT MÖD Fair 2017 provides art enthusiasts a convenient and comfortable venue to experience and appreciate modern art like paintings, prints, photography, sculpture, mixed media and digital art. A rare opportunity for serious collectors and first-time buyers alike to find the artwork that matches their styles and tastes. The event provides an alternative venue for artistic creations, ranging from painting to mixed media at affordable prices to be showcased in a unique and comfortable buying experience situated conveniently at the heart of the city. The art fair connects artists and buyers to strike better deals and build a community of appreciation for local talents.

ÄRT MÖD, coined from “modern art”, aims to be one of the largest affordable art fairs in the Philippines promoting Filipino visual arts and artists to a wide market. 

Powering The Country

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi highlighted the Philippine energy sector’s strategic directions anchored on President Rodrigo Duterte’s banner campaign--Ambisyon 2040--when he was Guest Speaker during the GE Philippines’ Powering the Philippines Forum Wednesday at the New World Hotel in Makati City. 

The 8-point Strategic Directions from now to 2040 are: ensure energy security; expand energy access; promote a low carbon future; strengthen collaboration among all government agencies involved in energy; implement, monitor and integrate sectoral and technological roadmaps and action plans; advocate passage of the Department’s legislative agenda; strengthen consumer welfare and protection and foster stronger international relations and partnerships. 

In photo along with Cusi from left to right are National Grid Corporation of the Philippines’ Raul Joseph Seludo, National Renewable Energy Board Chairman Jose Layug Jr., Aboitiz Power Pres. & CEO Antonio Moraza, GE ASEAN Pres & CEO Wouter Van Wersch, Energy Regulatory Commission Commissioner Josefina Patricia M. Asirit, GE Philippines CEO Jose Victor Emmanuel “Jocot” De Dios, National Transmission Corporation Pres. & CEO Atty. Melvin Matibag and Bloomberg Philippines Anchor and event moderator Quintin Pastrana.

Compel Congress to Convene a Joint Session Regarding President Rodrigo Duterte’s Declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao

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Various civil libertarians, Church and student leaders trooped to the Supreme Court on Wednesday to ask the high tribunal to compel Congress to convene a joint session regarding President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of Martial law in Mindanao.

Led by Bishop Broderick Pabillo of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila, the petitioners said that “a plain reading of the 1987 Constitution leads to the indubitable conclusion that a joint session of Congress to review a declaration of Martial Law by the President is mandatory.” They said that failure to convene a joint session “deprives the public of transparent proceedings within which to be informed of the factual bases of the declaration of Martial law.”

Meanwhile, Former senator Wigberto “Bobby” Tañada, a co-petitioner, and who was also the leader of the "Magnificent 12", the group of senators who successfully voted to reject the United States military bases treaty, explained that Congress’ failure to convene a joint session deprived lawmakers of a deliberative and interrogatory process to review Martial law. The petitioners also asserted that the framers of the constitution intended that a joint session of Congress be convened immediately after the declaration of Martial law.

“Erroneous information”

The petitioners filed the petition amid accusations that there were erroneous information in the President’s report submitted to Congress regarding his Martial law declaration. The petitioner said that because of this, the holding of joint session becomes more imperative.

"Snowballing protest"

The other petitioners were prominent Catholic church leaders such as Bishop Emeritus Deogracias Iniguez, Bishop Antonio Tobias, D.D. and Mother Adelaida Ygrubay of the Order of St. Benedict. This marked the first open challenge of the Catholic Church leadership to President Duterte’s Martial law, and is part of a snowballing of protests against Congress’s failure to hold a joint session to deliberate the factual bases of the Martial law declaration.

Last Monday, several congressmen filed a petition before the high court to question the legality of President Duterte’s Martial law declaration. On Tuesday, former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, former Senator Rene Saguisag, former Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Loretta Ann Rosales, former peace negotiator Alex Padilla and former Representative Barry Gutierrez, along with more than 300 lawyers, filed a separate petition before the high court to compel Congress to convene a joint session.

“Meeting of two generations”

For her part, Shamah Bulangis, Secretary-general of Akbayan-youth, and also a co-petitioner, said that their act of seeking relief before the high court is a “meeting of two generations” fighting for democracy and civil liberties. “We millennials are honored to stand side by side with Senator Tañada and our Catholic bishops in the collective defense of our democracy from creeping authoritarianism. This is our way of thanking them for fighting tyranny during their time so that our generation may live as free citizens. Today, we honor them by standing up against those who want to drag us back to a dark and tyrannical past.”

The filing was initiated by the Gathering for Civil Liberties (GCL), a multi-tendency, multi-form and multi-sectoral loose formation organized by different personalities, human rights crusaders, sectoral leaders and social activists to provide safe and informal spaces to consolidate voices, perspectives and initiatives to promote democratic values and vigilance amid threats of creeping authoritarianism.

Venture Capital Cafe: Eat, Drink, Play, Meet, Collaborate and Get Funded

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Otherwise known as VC Cafe, the establishment has more than just coffee or pastries because it offers potential entrepreneurs (with great ideas) to be funded by the "venture capitalists" from the company that owns the cafe.

The place is actually dedicated for those who want to hang out, play video games, watch cartoons from the 80s, admire the toys or posters on display, while enjoying good food, and at the same time could present their ingenious ideas that are worth hearing out.

Who knows? You may have the next Google, or Facebook, or Uber, AirBnB or whatever idea. It doesn't even have to be an app or anything online. Just as long as you think you ideas have potential and sustainable, it may warrant a look from the people behind Venture Capital Cafe.

We will also focus our attention on the food available in their menu which is not limited to coffee or pastries. They have full meals with presentations that would beat those served at fine dining restaurants and hotels.

 We asked the Chef to bring out one food item per category so we could show you how their food looks like. We also had a short interview with the Chef so he could explain more about the food.

Below is the video interview we had with the Chef and the Managing Director, as well as another video showcasing the food. Also featured here are photos of the dishes from starter to pasta, salad, main entree, and drinks. We also had some dessert for sharing but it was not included on the video since it was just an additional order after everything else was done.

B&B Burgers & Brewskies: Definitely Big in Taste Even Without Beer

Wazzup Pilipinas!

As usual, I'm the early bird to come to the restaurant since I really hate to be late for a food tasting event. Just as how I hate people coming in late since if its this kind of event, the food is usually served ahead for photo (and video) before finally eating them all for tasting. So if you come in late, you'll end up eating left-overs, and worst is that you won't be having any good photos (and videos) of the food.

However, my experience at this restaurant is somewhat different because it let us order our own choice of burger (from between two selections only) and it just served what we normally call as the starters. Drinks could be cola, beer, or any liquor, but I chose a healthier drink of mango smoothie or shake since it was too early for alcoholic drinks.

I couldn't recall anymore how I got invited to this food tasting event but something tells me it must have been from a long-time sign-up opportunity looking for bloggers to try out restaurants. It's either my memory has defeated me or it was from a long time ago, and it is only now that they opted to invite us.

We were greeted by the organizer, Paulo, together with the owner and Chef who could be clearly known by the uniform he was wearing having the name tag of Marc. Chef Marc said they had a former branch at Capitol Commons but it had to close down. Right now he is concentrating on this only branch located at BGC which is now about to offer new menus for the restaurant.

We were told to bring in a plus one to join us for lunch but I completely forgot about it. Thus, I came there alone, while most of the attendees were with someone. But no worries since I left the resto smiling because of their delightful food.

NEC launches Center of Excellence for Analytics Platform & Solutions in India

Wazzup Pilipinas!

NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) and NEC Technologies India Private Limited (NTI) announced the launch of a “Center of Excellence for Analytics Platform & Solutions” (COE-APS) for promoting solutions and services of NEC’s Big Data & Analytics Platform, “Data Platform for Hadoop (DPH)”. The COE-APS will simplify digital transformation and act as a one stop shop for both customers and partners in the Telecom, Retail, Banking, Financial Services, Insurance and Manufacturing sectors, as well as Government organizations. NEC aims to achieve revenue of more than $100M USD within 3 years of the COE-APS’ establishment, which is being set-up with an overall investment of $10M USD over the same period.

The COE-APS will initially focus on markets that include Japan, India, Singapore, Philippines and Hong Kong, then gradually expand services throughout APAC and other regions. In order to support these growing operations, NEC plans to organize a team of 100 professionals within the first few years, as the Global Big Data & Analytics market is expected to reach $210B USD by 2020 (*1). Hadoop alone is expected to reach $50.2B USD by 2020 (*2). With the industry already facing a shortage in talent, specifically in Hadoop and analytics areas, the establishment of the COE-APS will help NEC to leverage India’s strong talent base.

In recent years, the exponential growth in data processing is straining the capabilities of conventional databases and data warehouse solutions. With the advent of Big Data & Analytics solutions, customers can be reassured that data is comprehensively and reliably analyzed, thereby enabling them to make well-informed decisions at the right time.

Moreover, the COE-APS will leverage the computational power and scalability of NEC’s specialized Hardware for Big Data & Analytics in order to flexibly handle the ever increasing demand for storage and computation by Hadoop.

The DPH features open source Hadoop from Hortonworks, as well as an analytics and Business Intelligence layer, making it a first-of-its-kind (*3) solution-in-a-box that frees customers from the burden of searching for the individual building blocks of big data analytics, and enables them to generate value from the enormous pools of data.

NEC has an accomplished record of contributing to national projects in India, including the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which is aligned with the Government’s “Digital India” initiative. For the DMIC, NEC established a Logistics Data Bank (LDB) that tracks almost 70% of containers in India (*4). In terms of the UIDAI, NEC provides a large-scale biometrics identification system which registered more than 1 billion people since its deployment.

“The key to success for organizations today is to make fast and informed decisions by extracting insights out of the huge volumes of data that are available to them. The new Center of Excellence is an important step towards utilizing big data analytics and NEC’s Data Platform for Hadoop to provide benefits for government bodies and enterprises in India and across the world,” said Tomoyasu Nishimura, Senior Vice President, NEC Corporation. “Going forward, we aim to continue driving digital transformation for industries of all sizes and markets.”

Tanada, Catholic Bishops and Student Leaders to File Petition Urging SC to Compel Congress to Hold Joint Session on Duterte's Martial Law

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Former Senator Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada, Bishop Broderick Pabillo of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila, Bishop Pablo David of the Caloocan Diocese, Mother Adelaida Ygrubay of the Order of St. Benedict and student council leaders from different universities will file a petition for Certiorari and Mandamus before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, June 7, 2017, Wednesday 11:30 am, to compel the legislature to do its constitutional duty to hold a joint session on President Duterte's Martial law in Mindanao.

Tanada, who was a member of the "Magnificent 12" that voted no to a new lease for the US bases in the country, said in their petition that a plain reading of the 1987 constitution leads to the "indutable conclusion that a joint session of Congress to review a declaration of Martial law by the President is mandatory."

The petitioners also said that failure to convene a joint session deprives the public of transparent proceedings within which to be informed of the factual bases of the declaration of Martial law.

It was reported that there were erronenous information in the President's report submitted to Congress regarding his Martial law declaration in Mindanao. Due to the non-holding of a joint session, there is no way of scrutinizing the said inconsistencies and errors. They now cast a dark cloud of doubt over the legitimacy and proportionality of Martial law as a response to the Marawi conflict.

The filing of the petition is initiated by the Gathering for Civil Liberties (GCL), a multi-tendency, multi-form and multi-sectoral loose formation organized by different personalities, human rights crusaders, sectoral leaders and social activists to provide safe and informal spaces to consolidate voices, perspectives and initiatives to promote democratic values and vigilance amid threats of creeping authoritarianism.

Photo opportunities and interviews will be made available.

Transpo Officials Assure the Public: “Proper Security Protocols are in Place on Major Transportation Facilities”

Wazzup PIlipinas!
 

Representatives from the different security services of major public transportation system providers in the country have assured the safety and security of citizens in transportation hubs, in light with the recent security breach in an entertainment center in Pasay City.

At the “Tapatan sa Aristocrat” on Monday morning, transportation officials from the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT3), Philippine National Railways (PNR), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and the Office of Transport Security (OTS) assured the public that proper security protocols are in place in all major air, land and sea facilities and gateways across the country.

“Sa atin, pag mayroon tayong nakukuhang delikadong information, vina-validate namin yan… Yun pong sinasabi mong threats, yung threats lagi pong nariyan yan. Omnipresent yan. Hindi tayo pwedeng magrelax. So if you noticed, even the President, alerto siya,” says Undersecretary Art Evangelista of the Office of Transport Security.

Evangelista adds that airports observe meticulous security procedures before passengers are allowed to enter the aircraft. There are even independent screening protocols laid out by airline companies before their planes depart.

“If you noticed sa airport, nago-observe kami ng three-tier defense system. Meron kaming checkpoint bago mag-terminal. Meron kaming screening point bago ka pumasok sa terminal. At doon sa final [post], may screening point pa roon. Hindi pa satisfied ang airline, mayroon rin silang sariling screening point bago ka pumasok ng eroplano. Ganun katindi ang screening sa airport,” Undersecretary Evangelista explains.

Similarly, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has been observing stringent measures of identifying potential threats on all ports. They have likewise stationed K-9 dogs to detect explosive devices and narcotics in every vessel.

 “Sa port security, meron po tayong tinatawag na layering katulad po din sa airport. Meron po tayong frisking. Meron po tayong X-ray machines at saka ibang sistema upang malaman po natin kung may threat o wala. At higit po sa lahat, lingid po sa kaalaman ng karamihan, ang Philippine Coast Guard ang may pinakamaraming inventory ng K-9 na aso sa Pilipinas,” explains Commodore Joel Garcia of the Philippine Coast Guard

The PCG also conducts constant periodic review of its security protocol to ensure that port monitoring is ensured.

For its part, the LRTA said that its management is beefing up with the procurement of emergency response equipment that are necessary for rescue and other untoward incidents.

“In-activate namin and we are lining up trainings and quick-response teams. Because as we all know, marami sa ikinamatay ng mga tao sa Resorts World ay due to suffocation. And the LRTA Administrator also ordered the procurement of breathing apparatus and rescue equipment na bini-bid na po natin yan. Siguro in a few weeks e ide-deliver na,” says Mr. Dominic Cabigting, Admin Department head of LRTA.