Online Publication Blackmails Event Organizer: Kick Them Out or We Won't Publish Your Press Releases

Wazzup Pilipinas!

I got a phone call yesterday from an event organizer who told me that there's this online publication that threatened not to publish the event's press releases if Wazzup Pilipinas is kept as a media partner.

The words "threatened" and even "blackmail" were mentioned by the caller because the online publication was sort of forcing them to kick Wazzup Pilipinas out as a media partner of their event, or this online publication would back out as a media partner. You could imagine it like an "It's either her or me, make a choice!" scenario in movies where a man is caught in a situation to pick between two lovers, could be a wife and a mistress, or two girlfriends.

In this case, there was indeed a "romantic relationship" that happened once but eventually went awry due to circumstances. If you'll take time to scrutinize further by looking deeper into our past, you'll understand why this online publication is so keen in putting us down.

The event organizer tried to keep this online publication anonymous but when I mentioned the probable suspect, he readily confirmed and was wondering why this online publication has personally pinpointed us out. He was asking what could be the reason behind their blatant disgust of Wazzup Pilipinas? For him, it felt like "away-bata" or children's quarrel wherein someone like a student would tell his teacher that he doesn't want to cooperate in a group project if the classmate that he hates is a member.

So I naturally told him my unflattering history with this online publication that I'm sure its veracity will be contested profusely by them. They once tried to make it look they kicked me out of their team, when in fact I have stopped writing for them even before we parted ways.

Yup, I was their former Senior Writer (promoted to that position after 3 months as among their newest writers). But I was disenchanted with them when they reacted negatively when a point came in our relationship that I was the one giving out assignments to the other contributing writers. This was because there were a lot of opportunities for collaboration coming my way that I was actively sharing slots for possible feature stories. Back then I was getting plenty of event invites including tons of requests for restaurant features that I saw myself going to a max of 4 to 5 restaurants a day together with other bloggers whom I invited to join.

This online publication is obviously up to its nasty "unfair competition practice" again! I should say it has not stop at all the first time I discovered. I actually got a hunch already when there were sudden events that would suddenly back out from a partnership, and so it was only last year that I got confirmation when somebody sent me a screenshot of their nasty "threats". When I posted about it online, the testimonials grew and soon I got so many screenshots and revelations from other events and organizations of how this online publication backed out from the media partnership and tried to indirectly convince them that they should only partner with those on the "top" of rankings.

Before, the reports I received were not specific to which media partner they were referring to but yesterday the caller told me Wazzup Pilipinas was specifically mentioned by no less than the Editor-in-Chief and founder.

This is something that the Philippine Competition Commission needs to really look into before it becomes too big to handle and blows up into their faces when they act too late. This also adds to my collection of reports submitted to us by the many media partners who informed us about how this online publication sends e-mails threatening to back out from the media partnership because they do not want other media partner(s) present among the event supporters.

What this online publication is doing is undoubtedly a deliberate attempt to muscle out others because they think they will be chosen to remain, or that they are too confident of themselves that it is alright to lose partnership with other events because they have so many anyway. It makes event organizers wary to invite other media partners especially if they want to keep the partnership with the so called claim to be the top online publication in the country with millions of views or "impressions" - something that could be easily done if you would invest on SEO and other strategies, even the dirty ones that fools people in believing they have the numbers to effectively influence people in patronizing a brand.

In a country like the Philippines which eats up most "entertaining" articles like the viral and trending stories that could be refurbished or rehashed to become new articles, they don't automatically translate into a sale  for a brand since most readers of such content are just visiting the site to be entertained. When I left the online publication way back 2013, my site was already getting the same number of daily views they were having because I implemented their strategy, but eventually stopped because I realized it is actually "hurting" the readers more because I was putting out insignificant stories that would not contribute to healthy nation building but rather turn people to focus on the trivial and ignore or set aside the more important ones.

"Blogging has become a very profitable business, but we would rather be true to ourselves and to our readers, than kiss asses just to keep relationships. We believe we would benefit more if the nation is well-informed of the truth and not of superficialities."

Why is this online publication trying to put us down? They won't directly give out the reason to the organizers they sent emails to, but would only claim that they are among the top online publications and that the event organizers should look into partnering only with publications with similar stats as theirs - something to that effect where their stinking arrogance could be smelt (or smelled) several miles away.

They boasts of their stats but many have told me that they only have the numbers because they fill up their site with memes, controversies, click-baits, and many similar insignificant stuff that would not even encourage a sale for the brands that sponsors or advertise with them. Just as how predictable and cheap "teleseryes" dumbs the masses, their content is mostly rubbish designed to add to their stats. There was even a PR who was among their contributors but called out to them online to air the same concerns, so they eventually removed him as a contributor and unfriended him. Just as how they did a witch-hunt among their writers back then to find those who were allied with me, and removed them as well.

If they are indeed among the top, they do not need to resort to crab mentality and/or character assassination by indirectly or directly demeaning their fellow media entities, or media personalities, may they be bloggers or mainstream media, and would readily set themselves side by side with seemingly competing media entities. They do not need to bring down others if they are truly on top.

Furthermore, the more media partners supporting, the more advantageous it is for the event. This is why we detest exclusivity with regards to media partnership. You should not keep the news reporting or event promotion to yourself or only a few. Those who usually do this believes there would be a big return, or profit, for them, or there really is something already agreed as a rewarding ex-deal.

There is no argument with the fact that it would be more beneficial for an event to have as many media partners as possible to gain more mileage, and thus attract more audience or attendees since each one of these media entities have their own set of followers. It would be a waste of opportunity to be able to reach out to more people if limited to just a few media partners.

Though it will be unfortunate for us to lose the partnership if the event organizer would choose to keep the arrogant online publication, we would prefer to partner with those who truly knows what to value more - give in to a blackmailer who flaunts their questionable wide reach and belittles others, or stick with the underdog who's obviously being bullied by this menacing threat. 

Dinagyang Festival: A Grand Celebration of the Vibrant Culture of Iloilo

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"Iloilo's famous Dinagyang Festival, showcases the tribal costumes, culture, history, tradition and devotion to the image of the Santo Niño."

It was indeed a grand celebration of the vibrant culture of the city! It bursts with color and creativity that's comparable to the other Philippine fiestas across the country.

Iloilo is also a favorite destination of both local and foreign tourists during the festival parades and ceremonies.

The Dinagyang (dee-nag-yungh) Festival is a religious and cultural festival in Iloilo City, Philippines held on the fourth Sunday of January, or right after the Sinulog in Cebu and the Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo, Aklan.

 
The 50th Anniversary in Iloilo City was a pleasure to see and feel. Similar to other festivities all over the country, many of those who performed were high school students who spent the entire year working on their routine and costumes. 

The youth has an endless supply of eagerness and enthusiasm that they seem to be tireless and always full of energy. It makes me wonder how they could cope with the after class practices and extracurricular activities while they study their lessons, or vice versa depending on their priorities. Lol!

But for me, being actively engaged in such activities during school years builds the youth to become better citizens of the nation since it also improves many of their necessary attributes like camaraderie among their peers, involvement in culture-inspired movements (honoring the city they represent), plus builds up their stamina and endurance (from all those weekly routine practices).

Nothing can beat the street parties in Iloilo City, also known as the City of Love, even if others would challenge or contest that statement. This is probably because it is not as commercialized as other festivals that have turned into mostly brand-sponsored activities ruined by so many brand tarpaulins, posters and banners carrying logos and promos.

But we're not really complaining as the sponsorship also made it possible to bring in more stuff such as celebrities for additional eye-candy. Though it somehow robbed the attention of the masses on the original concept of the festival, the new generation would not be eating up the showbiz attraction if they are not really addicted to teleserye or movie fanaticism.

By the way, these celebrities would readily hop aboard a plane and show up in Iloilo on their own if the festival is truly awesome. We would prefer to see those who naturally adore the festivities rather than those who were paid to be there. But hey, they won't be expected to perform a song and dance number if they were not hired to do so. Thus, it makes sense to have sponsored activities since a city would need to spend a lot for talent fees.

Do we also cheer for the politicians who were seen as VIP guests on stage, and those mingling with the crowd like they are common Ilongos?

The Dinagyang festival culminated with the intense Ati-Atihan parade but as we go back home to Manila, the memories will forever seem immortalized in our souls as we excitedly anticipate next year's run.

I can't show you all the wonderful photos we got from the festival but you can check them out at our official Facebook page at http://www.Facebook.com/wazzuppilipinas
Congratulations Iloilo. Keep on making us proud to the world for having yearly successful performances that awe the crowd of both new and returning visitors, including the locals themselves.

"Jetlagged and peeling like an amphibian. I would describe my skin color as Dinagyang-Black."

Photos by Collin Yap

Entertainment and Music Network Soon to Rise Online

Wazzup Pilipinas!

My kids no longer watch TV.

It has been several years already that we couldn't even keep them away from their tablets, smartphones, smart TVs and laptops because they're all glued browsing the Internet, and among what keeps them busy is watching livestreams and other video content.

Information is faster, more comprehensive and intellectually-challenging compared to the traditional TV (especially the very predictable and cheap Pinoy teleseryes), plus you could immediately choose your preferred content - that is humungously endless on the Internet. Whether it is from fellow Filipinos or from citizens of other countries, you'll find a lot more amazing content-providers online.

Even traditional media have alreadyvbeen  sharing news or information that they see online .... which only means one reality - online is the NOW and the FUTURE.

This makes us so very excited for our online TV/radio project that's soon to happen anytime now. There's already a lot of interested hosts/DJs joining so this will be an awesome collaboration with peeps to air their own shows specially conceptualized by themselves.

We've identified all the equipment already, and now we're doing the stage/booth designs next!

We'll be able to invite various guests to share their stories, promote their products, services and events, and of course, advertise.

Everything's livestreaming online, and also recorded, thus media mileage will be better because the content will stay on the Internet forever! Yup! There is forever!!! Meaning you can watch again and again your favorite shows.

Viewer interaction is immediate since everypne could post their comments, questions, feedbacks, etc. in real time.

Enough with the expensive advertising, we can customize our packages to fit your budget!

"In time we should be able to do it all, in one sense. For now, we're just testing and rolling. In a few more days, or a week we are in the process of re-designing our logos, our our websites, our formats, etc. etc.  For now, please always also remember that we are INTERNATIONAL / WORLD-WIDE IN SCOPE!   So when Philippines is "sleeping" we do have the rest of the world listening as well.  And we will also have DEEJAY's and Radio/ TV Personalities there as well.

So what are you guys waiting for?

Find out how you could collaborate with us! there's always rooms for everyone because this project is for all of us.

Online rules!

8 Foods To Add To Your Weight Loss Diet For Women

Wazzup Pilipinas!

It can be hard to know what you should and shouldn't eat for a weight loss diet for women when there are so many foods to choose from. But, there are some foods that are great for you and help you lose weight at the same time.


WHAT MAKES A FOOD THE 'HEALTHIEST'

The healthiest foods should meet 6 important criteria:

Dense Nutrients - They should have a high percentage of essential nutrients compared to the amount of calories.

Good Taste - If you have to hold your nose and gag it down, chances are you won't eat it no matter how good it is for you.

Whole - Processed foods have been stripped of most of their nutrients and have had a ton of artificial ingredients added to them that just aren't good for you.

Affordable - You need to be able to find them fresh, at a good price.

Available - The best foods can be found from your local market. Many of them are locally grown.

Familiar - The healthiest foods should be easily recognizable. You should know how to prepare them and what foods they work with, to make them easy to add to your meal plans.


So what are the best foods for weight loss for women?

Beef: The fat content in beef regulates your hormones. This is great for preventing that afternoon crash. Try adding it to your breakfast with some nuts to improve your mental accuracy and focus. The protein also helps rebuild muscle tissue after you exercise, aiding in your post work out recovery. What a great way to start your day!

Fish Oil: Fish oils have a ton of benefits.

They:
- Give your body energy- Prevent fat storage
- Increase your body's insulin sensitivity- Lower your cholesterol levels
- Promote muscle growth
- Reduce inflammation- Lower blood pressure.

Some studies have even found fish oils reduce your risk of various cancers and other diseases. And because it improves so many different aspects of your health and athletic performance, it makes it one of the best supplements you can take in a weight loss diet for women.

Grapefruit: Grapefruit contain a number of important nutrients and antioxidants including:

- Vitamin C
- Lycopene
- Polyphenols
- Phenolic compounds
- Limonoids
- Pectin
- Naringenin

EGGS: The leucine found in eggs makes them a great food to include in a weight loss diet for women. This amino acid helps reduce the amount of lean tissue loss, while increasing fat loss and stabilizing your glucose levels. In other words, it boosts your metabolism and turns you into a fat-burning machine.

BROCCOLI: Low in carbs and high in fiber, broccoli helps you feel full and sustain your energy levels. It's low in calories and fat, and high in vitamin C, which helps you fight illnesses while and burn fat. In fact, one study performed by Dr. Carol Johnston found vitamin C could increase weight loss by up to 30%.

BEANS: If added to your diet in the right way, beans can help you lose lots of weight. They're an excellent source of lean protein and low in calories, so use them to substitute foods that are high in calories and saturated fats. And because they're high in fiber, they'll help you feel full, so you'll eat less without feeling hungry.

TURKEY: Turkey is an excellent source of protein and low in calories, but the best part about eating turkey is its high level of tryptophan. Tryptophan is one of the 10 essential amino acids the body uses in a number of processes, including producing nervous system messengers like those necessary for rest, relaxation, and sleep.

SWEET POTATOES: Sweet potatoes are another food high in fiber, which is important in a weight loss diet for women.

Fiber helps keeps us regular, fights diseases, and reduces our risk of colon cancer. It also slows digestion to help you feel fuller longer, while helping us flush fat from our bodies.

Sweet potatoes are also an excellent source of beta-carotene, complex carbohydrates, manganese, vitamin b6, and vitamin c. Their antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties are great for helping you stay healthy and rebuild muscle tissue after exercising.

Add these eight foods into a weight loss diet for women and you'll be losing inches and building muscle like crazy. You'll look fantastic and feel like you can take on the world, and that's how you should feel!

Flavia Del Monte is a Registered Nurse, Certified Physical Trainer, Certified Nutritionist and the creator of Full-Body-Licious. You can read more about her training programs, nutrition advice and workouts for women on her female fitness blog.


Author Bio:

Nicole Clark is a freelance writer. Deeply engaged in studying education topics. She has experience in writing works for famous media and educational blogs. Nicole has her own blog on Blablawriting.com and helps students with writing essays and dissertations. She believes that the right choice of the topic is 90% success.

Happy Chinese New Year 2018

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Lunar New Year 2018 is like opening a new sheet of blank paper, a paper that we will write the various words and meanings of the coming life. Happy Chinese New Year 2018! Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Know your Chinese languages and Chinese New Year greetings (correct me if I'm wrong):

Hokkien (most spoken Chinese languge in PH, from southern Fujian): Kiong Hee Huat Tsai 

Cantonese (HK and Guangdong): Kung Hei Fat Choi 

Mandarin (most spoken in the world): Gong Xi Fa Cai

We also found this online:

恭喜發財 | Gong Xi Fa Cai (Wishing you a prosperous new year)

新年快樂 | Xin Nian Kuai Le (Happy new year) 

萬事如意 | Wan Shi Ru Yi (May all your wishes be fulfilled) 

吉慶有餘 | Ji Qing You Yu (May your happiness be without limit)

Just as you usher in lights, lanterns and other forms of illuminations to welcome the New Year, may the New Year usher in for you new hopes, dreams and aspirations.

The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. May everything beautiful and best be condensed in all our wishes!

May this auspicious year of the dog bring health, wealth, prosperity and longevity to all!

Roel Rosauro Relish​es Chance to Introduce Yaw-Yan on Global Stage

Wazzup Pilipinas!

After years of strutting his wares in the local ranks, Filipino martial artist Roel “Akiyama” Rosauro finally gets his long-awaited break into the international scene as he is set to make his promotional debut in ONE Championship on 23 February.

Rosauro is slated to square off with Chinese prospect Li Kai Wen in a three-round featherweight bout on the undercard of ONE: QUEST FOR GOLD, which takes place at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar.

The 29-year-old native of Cebu, Philippines stepped in as a replacement for compatriot Rodian Menchavez, who was forced to withdraw from his clash with Li at the aforementioned event due to an injury.

Rosauro is the fifth Cebuano to showcase his skills on Asia's premier martial arts stage, following in the footsteps of Cary Bullos, Vaughn Donayre, Eugene Toquero and Jimmy Yabo.

“I was shocked, but I’m very happy because this is what I have been dreaming of, to reach this level,” he said. “I have waited for this opportunity for so long. This is a dream come true for me to compete on one of the sport’s biggest stages. I will fight not only for myself but also for the pride of my country.”

Holding a professional record of 4-1, Rosauro is a practitioner of the Filipino martial arts discipline Yaw-Yan, which was derived from the last two syllables of Sayaw ng Kamatayan meaning "Dance of Death."

Yaw-Yan is a Filipino style of kickboxing, which was developed by the late grandmaster Napoleon “Nap” Fernandez to specifically suit the smaller Filipino body frame.

It closely resembles Muay Thai, but Yaw-Yan differs in the hip-torquing motion as well as the downward-cutting nature of its kicks with emphasis on delivering attacks from long range.

Rosauro sees his maiden appearance in ONE Championship as an opportunity to showcase Yaw-Yan in front of a worldwide audience as the live events of the organization are broadcasted to over 1.7-billion potential viewers across 136 countries.

“Yaw-Yan's ultimate goal is to preserve, promote and continuously improve and further develop our very own Filipino martial arts. As I make my debut in ONE Championship on February 23, I have the chance and honor to formally introduce Yaw-Yan to the world and showcase its strength and beauty,” he stated.

Rosauro will pay his respects to Fernandez, who passed away this past January at the age of 92, by dedicating his international martial arts debut at ONE: QUEST FOR GOLD to Yaw-Yan’s deceased grandmaster.

“I wouldn’t be here at this point of my career if not for Yaw-Yan. Grandmaster Nap paved the way for all of us. Now that I am part of ONE Championship, I will honor his great work and represent Yaw-Yan on the global stage with pride,” he stressed.

Rosauro has honed his skills under the tutelage of Benigno “Ekin” Caniga Jr., the headmaster of the Cebu chapter of Yaw-Yan Ardigma.

As he steps inside the ONE Championship cage for the first time at ONE: QUEST FOR GOLD, Rosauro has been working on his ground game, which paid dividends when he won a silver medal at the recent Dumau International Jiu-Jitsu Tournament.

Rosauro believes that he has a tall order in front of him as the Filipino expects Li to capitalize on his experience

Li has already faced some of the best athletes in the promotion’s 70.3-kilogram weight class, including two-division world champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen, who defeated him via first-round stoppage in April 2016.

“I’m putting pressure on my training because this came all of a sudden. He’s a striker and a brawler, and I think he’s also a champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. But in this fight, I believe that he will be striking,” Rosauro shared.

Although he has a tough opposition on 23 February, Rosauro is confident that he could notch a decisive triumph in his favor.

“It is a difficult task, but I know deep in my heart that I can do it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am not here to waste it,” 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.

Etihad Airways Executive Breaks World Record

Wazzup Pilipinas!

 Abu DhaEtihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has honoured its high flying executive Andrew Fisher following his record-breaking feat of travelling around the globe in the fastest time and in the fewest number of flights.

Clocking a flying time of 52 hours and 34 minutes, Andrew managed to beat the previous record by 3 hours and 13 minutes, and using only four scheduled commercial flights instead of five to achieve his lifelong ambition.

The Guinness World Records has officially declared his successful attempt a world record.

Andrew’s journey covered 41,375 km on scheduled flights operated by Air New Zealand, KLM and China Eastern that took him from Shanghai to Auckland; Buenos Aires to Amsterdam; and back to Shanghai.

“It’s an incredible feeling to have finally achieved my dream,” recalled Andrew, Etihad Airways Vice President Fleet Planning, after touching down at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai.

“Although I managed only 16 hours of sleep throughout the journey, I still felt fresh, perhaps due to the adrenalin and excitement at completing this unique experience. And it’s a great feeling to be part of a company that encourages and enables its employees to pursue their dreams.”

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer, added: “On behalf of employees across the company, I congratulate Andrew for this remarkable achievement.

“This feat requires significant commitment, dedication and perseverance – values that we at Etihad instil in all our employees, and we are extremely proud to have Andrew as a member of our Etihad family.”

New Zealander Andrew, who joined Etihad Airways in 2007, and who has a passion for studying airline route networks and schedules, meticulously charted his journey. He targeted the record for over 20 years, and was first keen to attempt to break it as a teenager.

“With the advent of new longer range and fuel-efficient aircraft over the years, airlines have been able to introduce non-stop long haul flights and add frequencies that facilitated my record-breaking attempt,” commented Andrew.

“Planning the trip was a matter of identifying the most suitable qualifying antipodal city pairs and then finding the best routes, schedules and tightest possible connections within the right window of opportunity.”

Andrew had a few words of encouragement for those pursuing their ambitions: “Never give up on your dream no matter how unrealistic it might seem to others. Take every opportunity to follow your passion.”

A video account of Andrew’s journey can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/Xc6e36cE1tc