Smart Powers Sarangani Bay Festival

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Tourists and residents attending the Sarangani Bay Festival will enjoy much improved mobile data experience as PLDT wireless arm Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) boosts connectivity in the area in time for the province’s much-awaited event.

As part of its commitment to cover 90% of the country’s cities and municipalities with mobile data service by the end of this year, Smart has fired up LTE-Advanced and carrier aggregation technology in the province to improve the mobile internet experience of residents and tourists, especially those expected to attend the sporting and music events during the festival.

After LTE-A was rolled-out last month, residents have reported experiencing download speeds of over 40 Mbps in Gumasa, Sarangani Bay.

“With Smart’s LTE-A network now in place in Sarangani, attendees of the province’s biggest festival can stay connected to loved ones via messaging apps, share their experiences in real time via social media, or learn about new ways to protect and preserve marine life,” said Mario G. Tamayo, PLDT and Smart Senior Vice President for Network Planning and Engineering.

In the first quarter of 2018, Smart installed 1,300 more LTE base stations across the country, raising the total count to over 10,000 nationwide. These base stations use various radio frequency bands, specifically the 700 MHz band for better coverage and indoor penetration, and the 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz for additional capacity. Smart aims to increase the number of LTE base stations to about 17,700 by the end of 2018, and raise the number of LTE-equipped cell sites to over 6,800.

The installation of multiple LTE base stations in existing cell sites paves the way for the activation of LTE-A, which can deliver faster mobile data services to customers. Through LTE-A’s feature called carrier aggregation, much higher mobile data speeds are achieved by combining the capacity of two up to five frequency bands.

“By boosting connectivity in tourist havens like Sarangani, we hope to help local tourism flourish and open up more opportunities for other local businesses, who can now be at par with their counterparts outside of the province,” Tamayo added. “This is part of Smart’s commitment to deliver world-class internet service to more Filipinos in all corners of the country.”

Other summer hotspots recently connected by Smart LTE-A include Batanes, Sagada and Baguio, to name a few.

Parent company PLDT has committed historic levels of resources to support network transformation. Capital expenditures are expected to reach P58 billion this year.

In the past, Smart has also been supporting Sarangani’s environmental campaign that pushes for the responsible use and protection of the 230-kilometer Sarangani bay, which is home to diverse marine life. Sarangani is popular for its bangus and tuna.

Now on its 11th year, the Sarangani Bay Festival is mounted by the Department of Tourism and the local government of Sarangani and will feature various sports competitions, fitness activities, environmental advocacies, nightly shows, concerts and a music festival.

Tata Motors Turns Over SFC 407 Units to Mober

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Tata Motors Philippines has solidified its presence in transportation and logistics through its partnership with Mober. Mober Technology PTE, Inc. is the country’s pioneering and leading mobile app-based on-demand cargo-sharing delivery service that specializes in same-day delivery in the most efficient and cost effective way possible. To strengthen the “Tibay at Tiwala sa Mober” partnership, several units of Tata SFC 407 were allotted to the operations of Mober to deliver large items in metro cities.

The SFC 407 is the ideal cargo mover in its class with Gross Vehicle Weight of 4.45 tons. This is the main reason why Mober founder and CEO Mr. Dennis Ng chose SFC 407 to support its growing operations. “I am very much satisfied with the cargo capacity and how reliable Tata Motors commercial vehicles are. The SFC 407 units are big support to the backbone of Mober operations,” Mr. Ng said.

The units were turned over to Mober on April 30, 2018 at Pilipinas Taj Autogroup, Inc. office in Marikina City. Mr. Arthur Balmadrid, Pilipinas Taj Autogroup’s Vice President and General Manager, gladly presented the new cargo vehicles to Mober. “Tata Motors Philippines is delighted that Mober chose the Tata SFC 407 to support their existing fleet of Tata Super Ace. The new fleet will match the rising demand of Mober’s clients,” Mr. Balmadrid said.

Tata Motors Limited, India’s largest automobile company has operations worldwide and has a strong global network of 76 subsidiary and associate companies. Pilipinas Taj Autogroup, Inc. is the exclusive distributor of Tata Motors in the Philippines.

Traveling Tips for Interacting with a Different Culture

Wazzup Pilipinas!

A change is as good as a rest, as the saying goes, and traveling abroad to experience different cultures the world has to offer is crucial to broadening one's worldview and picking up some timeless memories along the way. It's always important, though, to be mindful of the cultures of the places you're going to be visiting, so if you're not going to blend in, you can still find ways of navigating them in a sensitive and respectful manner. There are a few things to think about here that you can apply as guidelines in a general manner to anyway going to be visiting.


Language

You don't have to do sound like a native speaker when you're in a foreign country, but it always pays to try your best and make the effort to pick up, if nothing else, at least some basic phrases. "Please" and "thank you" should be the first words you learn, and use them liberally in customer service interactions and with anyone who helps you out. Also try and learn how to order food and asked for basic directions. Sometimes it's not even that important that you speak the language fluently or have a wide vocabulary to speak with. What is important, is that people will see that you're making the effort to try to adapt to their country, which they will often respond with enthusiasm and interest to in and of itself.


Etiquette

Do some research about the cultural mores and local customs and area before you go. Learn whether people speak to each other in a casual or formal context, especially if they just met or are interacting with you in the capacity of say a restaurant. From there, you can start finding out the details of the particular style of etiquette expected in different situations and country. For example, find out what the local customs are as far as tipping taxi drivers and waiters go, and the amounts appropriate. Also, be sure to be aware in plenty of situations how your behavior may reflect back on those around you. For example, if someone has taken you into their home and is feeding you a meal, be sure to finish what's on the plate and let them know that you enjoy the food. If someone offers you second helpings try and accept them so as not to cause offense, and if you don't like some of the food get your head down and try to eat it anyway.

Clothing

Obviously you shouldn't wear clothes that will be too offensive or shocking to a culture abroad when you go there. Dressing like a punk rocker or gangster rapper is obviously not a good idea and will make you stand out the wrong reasons, and potentially be seen as insensitive. Unfortunately, women will have to be more rigorously aware of the standards of clothing seen as acceptable in the places they going to particularly in areas such as the Middle East, as having too much exposed flesh or hair can be seen as particularly offensive. Bear in mind as well, if you're going into place of worship or shrine you made expected to dress differently, take off your shoes, and observe other particular religious customs. If you have wealth, don't flaunt that either. Wearing a Rolex, for example, can be seen showing off and as much as anything else make you more attractive to the local criminal element and draw unwanted attention from their own quarters. For the most part, exercising common sense wherever possible and not throwing your weight around, whilst showing enthusiasm for the locals and a desire to learn about the culture will normally be enough to steer you okay in most situations. For everything else do some research, figure out the local do's and don'ts and if you have a question never be afraid to ask it.


Written by Ellen Royce

Ellen is a Colchester-based web writer. Having graduated the University of Essex for creative writing and traveled the world, she has developed a passion for technology and culture - how the two interact and change each other, how the society changes in the 21st century.