Traslacion 2018: The Procession of the Black Nazarene

Wazzup Pilipinas!

What is it about the Black Nazarene that moves millions of Filipino Catholics to gravitate to it?

This said to be miraculous image of Jesus Christ has blessed the lives of the devotees, but we should not hide the fact that it also claimed lives during the crowded procession.

But who are we to doubt what millions of people believe. Even at this day, there seems to be a multitude of believers who would literally die for offering their praises towards their beloved God.

Faith is indeed something great to hold on to as it gives many people strength and hope for a better tomorrow. But as they say "Nasa Diyos and Awa, Nasa Tao ang Gawa." We should therefore also exert extra effort to work on our dreams and aspirations, and not rely on a miracle. Praying to win in the Lotto is totally wrong. Praying to get a job without investing on learnings appropriate skills will get you nowhere. We all have to work hard, or smart, to get what we want.

For the annual Traslacion, a media briefing was held on January 4, 2018 at Quiapo church led by Quiapo Church Parish Priest Msgr. Hernando Coronel, MMDA Chair Danilo Lim, at MPD Director PC Supt. Joel Coronel

The Manila Police District (MPD) will be fielding more or less 5000 policemen and augmentation for the safe conduct of the Traslacion 2018 and security of devotees who will participate on January 9.

A Quiapo Church rector also said that organizers will be setting up 12 prayer stations along the procession route - an effort to give other devotees another option aside from joining the procession.

Classes in all levels for both private and public schools and work in government offices in Manila are suspended on January 9 in observance of Traslacion 2018.

Several roads will also be closed as early as Sunday from 1 p.m. onwards. Due to safety considerations, new route will be implemented for Traslacion 2018, veering away from the Lagusnilad: from Manila Hotel proceed to Katigbak drive to pass thru Intramuros to NPC to Jones Bridge then same route as to the previous years will be followed.

Aside from the signal jammers to prevent usage of mobile phones, a 48-hour gun ban will be implemented in the city from 12mn of Jan 8 to 12mn of Jan 10 as an security measure. 

There is no actual, direct or imminent threat reported.

As usual, it is expected that Manila will be a very busy day so it is advisable for commuters to avoid passing through the areas where the Traslacion is held. Pregnant women, children, elderly, sick and disabled or handicapped, are discouraged to attend since even the strongest man could be trampled upon by the over-eager crowd all wanting their share of the blessings.

We believe that God will grant our wishes even if we are miles away from the image of the Black Nazarene, or any other saint and church. We should not be required to actually be present at religious places to receive the blessings of the Lord. As we all believe, God is omnipresent and thus is everywhere. He is omnipotent which makes him capable enough to whatever he desires.

God gave us the free will to choose and decide for ourselves, so there is no wrong choice or decision, and that includes standing up to what we believe in. What is wrong is to give in to what the majority dictates in spite of our personal disbelief. We see Science and technology slowly enlightening us but there are still many questions left unanswered. We believe it will be a never-ending quest for answers as there are just too many wonders in this world.

Life alone is a miracle that still has many intricate complexities. We are forever a continuous story, and though we could not make it as perfect as we hoped for, the effort to go through life believing, or not, still serves many purpose for those who have gone through life loving others unconditionally.

Our fervent hope is for the devotees to spread their love not only towards the Black Nazarene, but to others as well. It is such a disappointment seeing religious people participating in the Traslacion and other similar activities but are perpetrators of unethical acts. Sadly, some just want to be seen for publicity - and this is not limited to the celebrities or politicians. 

Here's the Secret to Your Law Firm's Content Marketing Success

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Content marketing is one of the most effective ways to promote a law firm. By sharing blog posts, videos, and other informational content related to your particular area of the law, you can establish yourself as an authority.

Sharing “evergreen” content should play a major role in your strategy. You want to share information that will be relevant to your audience years after you first posted it. The following information will help you better understand how law firms can implement this approach.


What is Evergreen Content?

Evergreen content is content that remains useful or informative for long periods of time. For instance, if a personal injury law firm were to publish a blog post sharing details about an upcoming seminar on preventing slip and fall accidents, the information would be irrelevant after the event is over. That’s not an evergreen blog post.

An evergreen blog post for a law firm (depending on would be closer to “What to do When You’ve Been in a Car Accident,” “How to File a Wrongful Death Claim,” or “5 Tips for Choosing a Divorce Attorney.”

Barring any major changes to the law, that kind of content is useful for readers no matter when they find it.



Why is Evergreen Content Important?

Evergreen content has lasting value. When promoting a law firm, you want to share information that readers will keep discovering and sharing. Interest in a piece of content tends to fade once it is no longer relevant or helpful. As a result, it’s effectiveness as a promotional tool fades, too.

By sharing evergreen content, you can also develop your law firm’s overall ethos. A firm that shares only timely content won’t have the same authoritative web presence as one that shares useful, evergreen content.

Of course, understanding the value of this marketing strategy is one thing; actually adopting it involves a little more work. Don’t jump into your promotional strategy haphazardly. Follow these steps to develop an evergreen content marketing plan that works.



Select an Area of Focus

You shouldn’t share any content that’s vaguely related to the law. You’ll establish your authority more effectively if you select specific topics on which to focus.

However, going too broad is also dangerous. There’s a lot of content out there; yours will get lost in the mix if it’s too general. For instance, posting basic pieces of content about personal injury cases means your posts will blend in with all the other posts about personal injury cases.

When choosing your subjects, consider what kinds of cases you’re trying to bring in. Do you want to represent more clients facing deportation? Share content that directly relates to their needs, like “How to Apply for a United States Work Visa” or “5 Immediate Steps to Take When Facing Deportation.”



Know Your Audience

The more you know about your ideal audience, the easier it is to target your audience appropriately.

Start by considering their overall demographics. Maybe you stand out from other firms in the area by representing non-English speakers. Post content that’s relevant to potential clients seeking attorneys who speak their language.

You should also consider their location. Someone looking for a divorce lawyer in NYC is going to search for “NYC divorce lawyer” in Google. Include those kinds of terms in your blog posts to reach the right people.

Finally, if you’re simply struggling to come up with more topics to post about, put yourself in a client’s shoes. What problems do they have? What questions do they need answers for? This will help you better understand what kind of content will attract them.



Focus on Timeless Ideas

When you’re ready to actually develop content ideas, always go for topics that are evergreen. If you know that certain laws and regulations relevant to your area of expertise tend to change regularly (this is often the case when emerging technology, like cryptocurrency, triggers the need for new legislation), focus more on the areas of your specialty that rarely change.

While you may want to promote upcoming events every now and then, limit these posts. They shouldn’t play a major role in your long-term strategy.



Experiment with Different Types of Content

You want to reach potential clients via as many forms of media possible. Blog posts are effective because they allow you to clearly share information, but with many mobile device users consuming video content these days (it accounts for more than half of all mobile traffic). Therefore, it’s a smart idea to include it in your strategy.

Fortunately for law firms, longer blog posts are rising in popularity. This means you truly delve into a topic, instead of oversimplifying it.

Hiring a freelance graphic designer to translate your content into infographics gives you yet another way to attract clients. Infographics are eye-catching, and they make it easy to share a lot of information in a compressed space.

If you have the time, you might even consider hosting a regular podcast that delves into some of your major areas of interest more deeply. Most importantly, include a call-to-action whenever relevant. Tell listeners to call your firm; promote your free consultations. This is how you turn someone consuming your content into a legitimate client.



Getting it Out There

A quality website is the ideal platform for hosting your content. That said, you shouldn’t rely solely on this platform. Social media accounts give you the chance to reach even more people. Because it’s fairly easy to share content on social media, if your audience appreciates what you post, they’ll be more likely to share it with their followers.

Don’t think of content marketing as a minor promotional strategy. For a law firm, it’s how you develop your ethos, establish your authority, and let potential clients know you can help them address their specific needs. When your content is evergreen, the positive impact lasts much longer.

G.SKILL Releases New Sniper X DDR4 Memory Series

Wazzup Pilipinas!

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world’s leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is releasing the new Sniper X series DDR4 memory that features 3 different camouflage designs and available in speeds up to DDR4-3600MHz. This new family of high performance memory kits is perfect for memory upgrades or for building PC gaming rigs and custom system builds.





Unique Camouflage Design

Sniper X is designed with a militaristic camouflage top bar to compliment any gaming system with offerings in three distinct patterns: Classic Camo, Urban Camo, and Digital Camo. Classic Camo is inspired by the classic jungle green camouflage design, while Urban Camo is styled to blend into a concrete jungle combat setting with multiple shades of gray. And developed to match the ASUS TUF Gaming series motherboard, the Digital Camo features yellow stylistic highlights for a modern warfare look. All three variations are paired with minimalistic aluminum heatspreaders that further optimizes cooling performance under heavy computing load, so you won’t miss out on the next firefight!




Extreme Performance & Massive Capacity

Never miss a shot with memory speeds ranging from a standard DDR4-2400MHz up to an extremely fast DDR4-3600MHz. On top of the blazing speed, kit capacities are also offered up to an impressive 128GB (8x16GB) configuration for PC systems that handle gaming and content creation, such as 3D rendering or multimedia editing. Each memory kit is also validated under a series of rigorous tests for maximum compatibility and reliability on a multitude of platforms.




XMP 2.0 Support & Availability

This latest G.SKILL Sniper X DDR4 series supports the latest Intel XMP 2.0 for an easy one-step memory overclocking experience, providing a boost to memory performance across all types of workloads. The Sniper X series will be available at authorized G.SKILL distribution partners in 2018 Q1.