Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Hadrian Mendoza's August Exhibit at Galleria Duemila

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Red. The color of ferocity and passion. Hadrian Mendoza chooses to reference the societal issues enveloping the country today in his latest exhibit at Galleria Duemila. The war on drugs, the cycle of life and death and a momentous scene of forgetting, even letting go in his new set of ceramics bombard and astonish the viewer in the two rooms of the gallery.

A Drop of Red, a wall-hanging installation illustrates the cycle of nature mixed with the intervention of the government to actively solve some if not all drug problems in the country. Pusher, a large installation of ash-glazed ceramics composed of haggard and tense facial expressions make the exhibition grounded and humane, establishing a connection with the characters in the narrative that we exist in. Blood Moon, made up of 28 square ox blood red glaze with porcelain slip wall pieces, represent Mendoza’s affinity with the lunar theme although incorporating it with a practical solution for the aforementioned problem. It is a both a story-telling and a commentary sculpted in elegant and red-glazed works.

Awarded by the George Washington University as bearer of the Alfred E. Steck Memorial Prize in Sculpture this April 2017 and a Master of Fine Arts candidate in the institution, Hadrian Mendoza is an esteemed studio potter and kiln-builder. Participating in local and international conferences in ceramic such as the Southeast Asian Ceramics Festival and the Ceramic View Symposium in Thailand organized by the International Academy of Ceramics in Switzerland, Mendoza prides himself with hard work in expanding the practice of pottery both in the Philippines and abroad.

Hadrian Mendoza’s works are on display at Galleria Duemila, 210 Loring St. 1300 Pasay City on August 5 – 31 2017.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Leading real estate portal Lamudi Philippines helps newlyweds how to choose a location where to settle down

After the hype and excitement of the honeymoon wears off, the most important matter that the newlyweds have to consider and decide upon is where to settle down. For most couples, making their own family nest is a thrilling yet a challenging first ride as husband and wife.

To ease the task a bit, global property website Lamudi Philippines shares it expertise to guide new couples on how to choose the best place to begin a lifetime of adventures.

In the Philippines, the first few months or even years of the newlywed couples are often spent with the in-laws as close-family ties are seriously observed in the country. They usually go back and forth to visit and stay with both sides of the family. This scenario could be happy, endearing, and tiresome at the same time, and as real life sets in, the marriage will not be complete without a place they can call their home.

But what does it take for a community to house your future home? As the need of each couple varies, different deciding factors are also at play before finally being able to pick where to settle. It can be proximity to family, nearness to work and leisure, affordability, amenities, or even house architecture.

Mostly, the top deciding reason is still familiarity and closeness to family. Newlyweds start their solo life together but still prefer to be easily surrounded by family and common things so they rent out apartments or units near their family houses.

On the other hand, for those who are ready to dive in an independent lifestyle, here are some suggestions that could narrow down the search.

Live, Work, and Play

Walkable communities are very appealing to most house-hunters today especially to new couples who love to spend time together and not waste time. Top cities with good mixed-used locations where everything and anything are within reach are Makati, Taguig, Mandaluyong, and Quezon City. These cities house top multinational corporations, topnotch schools, and hospitals, and residential buildings are likewise strategically located around these places. Leisure components such as shopping malls, supermarkets, and other retail shops are also scattered around these mixed-use townships, making everything you ever need and want just a few minutes away.

Condominiums in these top central areas are also built with top-notch amenities that could make life more handy and suitable. Aside from the normal water and fitness features, developers are coming up with more unique services to offer like relaxing spas, reliable day care centers, valet parking and a myriad others.

Value-For-Money Homes in Suburban Areas

Cities and provinces located at the fringe areas of Metro Manila are also good options for future home. As revealed by Lamudi’s search data, Filipino house-hunters still prefer landed houses over condominium units. This is easily achievable in next wave cities like those found in Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, and Rizal. In these areas, you can live just at the outskirts of the big city and go home to quaint and suburban home.

In addition, business process outsourcing (BPO) firms and other corporate offices are also choosing to locate in some of these areas, especially when real estate developers are unveiling provincial projects that also cater to them. This makes finding employment outside the traditional business districts possible. In addition, upcoming infrastructure projects like the Cavite–Laguna Expressway, the NLEX–SLEX Connector Road, MRT-7 are also currently in the development pipeline, ensuring that travel to these areas will become fast and easy in the future.

One: Light of a Nation is June’s Special Treat to Martial Arts Fans

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Widely considered as the frontrunner of mixed martial arts in the Asian region, ONE Championship seeks to end the first half of 2017 on an astounding note as the organization makes its way back to the beautiful city of Yangon to stage its fourth live event in Myanmar at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium on 30 June.

Looking to keep that big ball of momentum going generated its recent highly-acclaimed trips to Manila and Singapore, ONE: LIGHT OF A NATION will feature the absolute best in local and international MMA talent, accentuating a tremendous five-round middleweight championship rematch between reigning division kingpin Vitaly Bigdash and Myanmar’s favorite son Aung La N Sang.

“This year, we’re giving Yangon something new, a much deeper roster of talents. We are bringing guys from different parts of the globe to showcase world-class action,” ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong said.

“The first bout was an absolute showcase of incredible skill and unwavering determination, and the rematch promises nothing short of another classic. We have an absolutely stacked card from top to bottom prepared for Yangon, and it will be a night fans will not want to miss,” he added.

Bigdash and Aung La first crossed paths five months ago at ONE: QUEST FOR POWER, where the Russian champion had to dig deep to take a unanimous decision victory.

The contest was evenly-matched for the first two rounds, but midway through the bout, Bigdash landed a powerful kick to the head of the Burmese hero that had everyone watching convinced it would be all over soon.

However, Aung La N Sang had other ideas as he proved that he would not go down without a fight, putting on an inspiring display of courage that showed the world that he had the true heart of a champion.

Aung La became an embodiment of incredible toughness and resolve, defending against Bigdash’s relentless assault while managing to mount a credible offense of his own.

Moreover, the proud Yangon native took Bigdash’s best shots and responded, lasting to the final bell in a valiant performance.

Although he was not able to claim victory, Aung La will challenge Bigdash once again this 30 June at ONE: LIGHT OF A NATION.

“It’s one of the most highly-anticipated rematches in history. Both of these guys know what to deliver on fight night. They have rich experience in their combat game. Strategically, it’s the perfect combination on June 30th,” Sityodtong stated about the encounter.

Aside from the main event, ONE Championship has prepared a special co-featured attraction to the Bigdash vs. Aung La II as Japan’s Mei “V.V.” Yamguchi squares off with fellow ex-world title contender Jenny Huang of Chinese Taipei.

The winner of scheduled three-round meeting between Yamaguchi and Huang could secure a rematch with Asian MMA superstar Angela “Unstoppable” Lee for the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship title.

Also slated on the undercard of ONE: LIGHT OF A NATION is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion Bruno "Pucci Bull" Pucci, who faces Filipino fighter Jimmy “The Silencer” Yabo.

Meanwhile, ONE Myanmar Featherweight Tournament 2015 Tha Pyay Nyo will return to the ONE Championship cage to battle former Lethwei fighter Htet Aung Oo, who makes his promotional debut.

Furthermore, South Korea’s Kevin “Old Boy” Chung is set to have his first ONE Championship debut against Chinese combatant Zhong Qingya.

ONE: LIGHT OF A NATION will likewise make history on 30 June as for the first time ever, a traditional Lethwei bout will be held inside the ONE Championship cage, showcasing front and center the beauty and authenticity of this ancient Burmese fighting discipline.

Lethwei fighters Shan Ko and Thway Thit Win Hlaing are set to display their amazing striking skills in front of a packed crowd eager for authentic Lethwei action.

In addition, ONE Championship has organized a Myanmar Flyweight Tournament to determine the country’s next flyweight superstar.

Saw Min Min will take on Tun Lwin Moe, while Ye Thway Ne battles Pat Kyaw Lin Naing in the semi-final matches. Shwe Kyaung Thar locks horns with Ye Yint Thway in the alternate bout.

With the box-office receptions of its two previous events, Sityodtong guarantees that ONE Championship’s fourth event in Myanmar will also be a night to remember.

“It will be bigger, better, bolder, crazier than ever before. It’s the month of June’s special gift to the great followers of this wonderful sport and to the genuine admirers of martial arts. June 30th in Yangon is going to be a massive, massive event. You’ve got to come out and show your love. It will be a lot of fun,” he ended.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

Welcome to the NBA G League

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The NBA and Gatorade announced that beginning today the NBA Development League (NBA D-League), the NBA’s minor league, will officially become the NBA G League.

Beginning with the 2017-18 season, the NBA G League will feature 26 teams, an expansion of four teams since last season, 22 of which are owned and operated by NBA franchises.

For the first time this coming fall, NBA teams can sign up to two “two-way” players to NBA contracts. These contracts allow “two-way” players to be with their NBA parent team for up to 45 days, spending most of the season in the NBA G League.

The NBA G League has more than tripled in size since it debuted with eight teams during the 2001-02 season. Last season, nearly 1.5 million fans attended games, marking the eighth straight year the league has surpassed 1 million fans.

For the 2017-18 season, the NBA G League will unveil new on-court uniforms and collaborate with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) on programs to enhance player sports performance and recovery. Gatorade will begin to incubate its latest product and equipment innovations into NBA G League locker rooms, and teams will have the opportunity to collaborate with Gatorade to help players maximize their athletic potential and on-court performance.

“This is a pivotal moment for the NBA G League,” said NBA G League President Malcolm Turner. “The league is experiencing unprecedented success both on and off the court, and our partnership with Gatorade is helping to drive momentum and create exciting opportunities for innovation, sports performance and player development.”

Forty-four percent of players on 2016-17 end-of-season NBA rosters had NBA G League experience, while 65 percent of players selected in NBA Draft 2016 presented by State Farm® spent time in the NBA G League last season, including more than half of the first-round picks.

To support today’s launch, the NBA G League debuted its new website, NBAGLeague.com, an updated NBA G League app, a slate of updated social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, and a new official handle (@nbagleague) and hashtag (#NBAGLeague). Additionally, NBA G League merchandise is now available at NBAGLeagueStore.com.

Gatorade was a founding partner of the league, dating to the inaugural 2001-02 season.

Brillante Mendoza Presents “Anak” at TV 5 on June 25

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Anak, the latest episode in the Brillante Mendoza Presents series will warm the hearts of viewers with its family oriented theme when it airs at TV 5 on June 25 at 10:30 pm. The series is a collaboration between TV 5 and Director Brillante Mendoza with support from SM.

Starring real life couple Harlene Bautista as Risa and Romnick Sarmenta as Lex, Anak follows the story of an old barren couple who make a pilgrimage to the Obando Fertility Rites to petition for a child.

A few years later, the wife conceives miraculously despite her age, but undergoes a difficult pregnancy which is life threatening to both her and her unborn child. She suffers from hypertension and delivers prematurely, causing a huge risk to her newborn child. After a month of enduring the hardships of caring for a premature baby at the hospital, the couple are finally able to bring home their baby and become a family.

Viewers of this latest masterpiece by Director Brillante Mendoza will also have a glimpse of the festive traditional Obando Fertility Rights. Celebrated every May, pilgrims and locals dance and sing to ask Obando’s three patron saints: San Pascual, Santa Clara and Nuestra Señora de Salambáo to grant their wish for a child. Throughout the fertility dance ritual, they ask the saints for the spirit of life to enter in to the wombs of women for a child to be conceived.

Other Anak cast members include Perla Bautista as Joy Bismark, Bea Saw as Michelle Hernandez, Gay Quililan as Lydia Martinez, and Kimmy Maclang as Beth Salud. Arianna Martinez wrote the episode with Armando “Bing” Lao as creative consultant.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

So you’ve managed to survive endless presentations in class, aced the grueling quizzes, and defended your undergraduate thesis. Congratulations, you’ve finally earned your bachelor’s degree! You’ve done it!

Now, welcome to the real world, it’s time to find a job and start doing adult things like paying bills and managing finances. Here’s a pro-tip, not everything can be taught in school, there are just some lessons you have to pick up as you start work.

With Carousell, we share three hacks to give you a head-start in building your business acumen as you transition from student to salaryman, ready to take on the world.

Monetise existing assets; Getting entrepreneurial

Assets are things that bring value or revenue to your life and business. As a student, your assets were probably your textbooks, notebooks and calculators. Now that you’re about to start a new phase in life, you won’t have much use for these things anymore.

One option would be to throw everything away. But why waste this entrepreneurial opportunity? You spent some good money on these books, it’s better to recoup the costs.

At Carousell, there’s a ready marketplace for you to find potential buyers for your preloved textbooks.

Textbooks is one of our top 10 categories for preloved items. Subjects range from auditing and accounting to biochemistry. The community is also very active as new batches of students come in hunting for their textbooks every year.

By opting to sell off your old textbooks, you’re not only clearing precious space in your home but also earning some extra pocket change.

Besides textbooks, a change in wardrobe is likely to follow suit. You’ll need to swap out your casual university wear for something more formal for job interviews and work days.

Your usual quick outfit of tank top, polo shirt, denim jeans and sneakers won’t cut it anymore, not if you want your future boss and colleagues to take you seriously. Or worse, you might even need to clear out clothes to make way for more work clothes.

Instead of discarding or giving away your preloved clothes, just like the textbooks, you could consider selling them off on Carousell. Men and Women’s fashion are the two most popular categories on the Carousell marketplace and there’s no shortage of buyers looking for a good deal.

In looking at the things you won’t be needing in your next stage in life and selling them, you’ve cleared up your place and earned a fair bit of money from all those sales.

Business of bargains

Now you’ve made a few extra dollars selling your preloved college items, it’s time to start checking out the styles and accessories for the young urban professional.

In any transaction, you’ll want to practice fundamental business principles. Buy low, sell high.

As you’re just starting out, perhaps it’s not such a good idea to break the bank on that brand new Zara blazer or those glamorous heels. The trick is hunting for those great deals that increase your personal brand value without having to fork out a fortune. Think profit margin.

Carousell is a great place to find bargains to complete your professional attire on a budget. Carousellers such as @adoptatop or @cbylapins have a range of functional and chic fashion, from blazers to formal shoes at affordable prices.

In your first few months of work, maximize your paycheck by choosing to buy preloved items.

Building relationships

With all this talk on buying and selling, it’s also important not to forget the networking and building relationships with clients.

The community is a huge part of Carousell and what we do. It’s simple to start connections with our in-app chat.

Carousell Groups is also a great place to meet and chat with other who share similar interests. On Carousell, we have groups ranging from Lego collectors to book lovers.

It’s always good to maintain ties with the university and your alma mater. Who knows, maybe someone you helped out selling a textbook on the cheap might be end up in a position to return the favour in the future.

With a marketplace where buying as easy as chatting, it’s also a great platform to get to know people, all whom may one day be part of your professional network.

24 Agencis, 20 Transports Groups and Cooperatives Push for PUV Modernization

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The PUV Modernization Program, a long overdue reform in the road-based public transportation system, got government agencies, transport groups and cooperatives to work together for the first time.

At least 24 government agencies and 20 transport groups and cooperatives from all over the country showed their support for the program during the launch held at Camp Aguinaldo yesterday. Given program's scope and range, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) sought the assistance and support of relevant agencies and groups to move the program forward.

DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade especially thanked transport groups for working with the government instead of rallying in the streets. Groups such as Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (FEJODAP), 41. 1-United Transport Koalisyon (1-UTAK), Alliance of Transport Operators d Drivers Association of the Philippines (ALTODAP), and Coalition of Operators, Drivers, Employees, Atbp. (CODE-X), and ACTO expressed their support during the launch.

“Kung kami lang po, hindi namin kaya. Kailangan sama-sama ‘yung mga mananakay, operators, at drivers na makiisa sa magandang layunin ng programa. At kung mabigyang katuparan ang programang ito, pangako sa inyo, tuluy-tuloy ang dayalogo at pag-uusap. Kung may mga punto at bagay-bagay na dapat pag-usapan at baguhin, pag-uusapan natin ‘yan at babaguhin,” Tugade told reporters after the launch.

He also allayed fears that the program will affect the livelihood of PUV drivers and operators.

“Ang administrasyong ito, pabor sa anumang kabuhayan. Pero dapat lang, ang kabuhayan ay hindi kikitil ng buhay,” said Tugade referring to the many accidents involving old and dilapidated public utility vehicles.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Hitachi Data Systems (HDS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501), today announced that it has been honored as a winner of two VMware Partner of the Year awards in the Innovation OEM Partner category for its exceptional efforts both globally and in EMEA at the VMware Partner Leadership Summit 2017.

The two awards recognize the company’s accomplishments in 2016, including unprecedented year-over-year revenue growth and continued integration between Hitachi Unified Compute Platform (UCP) offerings and VMware vSphere, vSAN, vRealize and NSX solutions. Furthermore, with its next-generation Programmable Data Center concept, HDS enables customers to consume IT and data services from both traditional and cloud-native workloads, addressing the needs of the entire application portfolio.

“Digital transformation requires a modern, agile IT environment to take advantage of emerging trends and requirements. In collaboration with VMware, we’ve focused on engineering new ways to deliver capabilities that meet customer business objectives, reduce business risk and anticipate future customer needs. We appreciate the recognition for all that we’ve accomplished over the past year and look forward to expanding upon that success with VMware to help customers realize the power of their data for both today and tomorrow,” said Mike Walkey, senior vice president, Global Partner Organization, Hitachi Data Systems.

“For years, VMware and HDS have worked together to help customers on their transformation journey. In 2016, we raised the bar for our partnership with VMware in EMEA and globally. Our successful collaborations have resulted in a digital platform that offers flexibility, agility and a point from which customers can achieve outcomes above and beyond infrastructure modernization,” said Steve Furniss, vice president, Solutions and Products, Hitachi Data Systems EMEA.

“VMware is pleased to recognize this year’s Global Partner Innovation Award winners, which are given to a select group of partners for their exceptional efforts in 2016,” said Ross Brown, senior vice president, Worldwide Partners and Alliances, VMware. “VMware is proud to seeHitachi Data Systems win these awards and we look forward to our continued collaboration.”

ePLDT VITRO Makati and Clark: The Only Data Centers in PH with Global Tier 3 Certificate

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Companies are highly dependent on IT in delivering mission-critical services. With this, it has become a standard for colocation providers to design their data centers with high availability and efficiency in mind to ensure that their customers’ businesses are at their optimal state.

ePLDT, Inc., with its ongoing efforts to push for business resilience through its network of data centers, recently announced that its two flagship VITRO Data Centers in Makati City and Clark, Pampanga are the first and only in the country to receive the ANSI/TIA-942 Rated 3 Design Certificate. The standard is based on all physical infrastructure like site location, fire safety, architectural, electrical, mechanical, security, telecommunication and other critical data center requirements.

The guidelines set by ANSI/TIA-942 emphasized the redundancy design of the data centers to ensure the highest availability during unplanned maintenance and infrastructure expansion. This means that ePLDT’s data centers in Makati and Clark have a concurrently maintainable site infrastructure where each of its components—including all the circuit breakers, panel boards and power strips—can be removed, replaced or serviced without affecting the operations of colocation customers.

“Choosing the right data center that supports the growth trajectory of local businesses is a critical decision for owners,” said Nerisse Ramos, Chief Operating Officer of ePLDT Group. “Because of that, we designed our data centers based on the latest best practices in the industry, putting a premium on the business resiliency needs of today’s businesses in the country. To receive such certificate means that the data centers adopted international infrastructure design yet are flexible enough to suffice the needs of local businesses.”

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Ragnarok Online (RO), the most popular MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) in the Philippines which revolutionized the landscape of online gaming will once again open the gates of Rune Midgard.

Publishing partner companies Electronics Extreme Ltd., and ELITE, began its CLOSED BETA TEST on June 20, 2017, 3:00 pm. Henceforth, beta testers got firsthand experience and involvement on this phase by helping the ROPH team in providing the best MMORPG experience.

During the Ragnarok Online’s Q & A Session, last May 12, 2017, Kamphee “Ken” Phiromwad, Managing Director of Electronics Extreme, and ELITE CEO Johnny Paek revealed some of the most awaited game details:

· It will be protected by EasyDefender (Solid proof from Thailand), this improves the game experience with its anti-bot and cheat protection systems;

· FREE TO WIN: All Key-items could be dropped in game. All you need is teamwork and assiduity. It will provide everything that gamers need to advance and thrive in-game;

· An special Revo-Classic version of the game starting with the 2-1 class, with class 2-2 and high class expected within 6 months and 1-2 years, respectively;

· The return of the demised Morroc Town;

· Monsters will be back to their original spawn point and will ignore the level differences between players and monsters;

· Guild Wars will be released within the first 3 weeks with Godly Items not be immediately available but will soon be released;

· Customized events for the Philippines;

· Revival of team competition through the Ragnarok World Championship; and

· There will be 2 available servers in CBT, namely, Thor and Loki.

ELITE, ensures that there is a continuous improvement of game experience through gathering of data during and after CBT. There is also a 24/7 customer support that will be available to handle all concerns that the players may encounter.

*CBT Client ready for download on their official website.