ABS-CBN’s “Quezon’s Game” to Premiere in Cinemas

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The multi-awarded period film “Quezon’s Game” directed by Matthew E. Rosen is set to hit Philippine cinemas this May 29, 2019.

Inspired by true events, “Quezon’s Game” pays tribute to former Philippine president Manuel Quezon’s heroism of rescuing around 1,200 Jews seeking refuge from the Holocaust. The film is a joint venture production of Star Cinema, ABS-CBN’s streaming service iWant, and Kinetek Productions, and it stars Raymond Bagatsing, Rachel Alejandro, and Kate Alejandrino.

ABS-CBN held a VIP Screening last May 7, 2019 at Power Plant Mall in Makati City attended by ABS-CBN President and CEO Carlo Katigbak, ABS-CBN Chairman Martin Lopez, and Head of ABS-CBN Films Olivia Lamasan. Manolo Quezon III represented the Quezon family. Some government officials were also present during the event, namely Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Martin Diño and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo.

“Very few of us wouldn’t have the chance to live under the era of President Quezon, but his presence is immortalized in the lives of and descendants of more than a thousand people that he saved. President Quezon’s shining legacy is not just to the Philippines but to humanity,” said ABS-CBN President and CEO Carlo Katigbak.

Meanwhile, “Quezon’s Game” director Matthew Rosen emphasized about the compassion Filipinos have, which is reflected in the film. He stated, “This movie isn’t really about politics at all. In fact, this movie isn’t really about the life of Quezon. What this movie to me is really about is that culture that we as Filipinos have in this time where we shone a light of humanity when the rest of the world was drowning in the pity of their war.”

ABS-CBN also presented a video interview of Holocaust survivors Margot Pins Kestenbaum and Max Weissler who received help from Manuel Quezon and are currently living in Israel.

The film is supported by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and is part of Sandaan, the celebration of the One Hundred Years of Philippine Cinema. "We are honored that Quezon's Game premieres in the Philippines just in time for our celebration of Sandaan where we recognize our legacy, our heritage, and the people and talents that have led us to the milestone. With films such as ‘Quezon's Game’ which not just educates, but enlightens a meaningful moment in our history, it makes Sandaan all the more significant," said Liza Diño, Chairperson and CEO of FDCP.

“Quezon’s Game” bagged more than 20 awards all over the world, including major prizes from Cinema WorldFest Awards in Canada, IndieFEST Film Awards in California, USA, and WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival in Texas, USA.

Discover the secret in Philippine history as “Quezon’s Game” screens in cinemas this month.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup is coming to the Philippines this 19 to 23 June 2019

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup (MSC), the region’s elite Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) tournament, is coming to Manila this June 19 to 23, 2019. Happening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, MSC 2019 is going to be the biggest and most exciting MLBB esports event to take place in the Philippines.

“MLBB fans here in the Philippines have shown great love for the game and the level of MLBB esports talent here is outstanding. In fact, MSC 2018’s 1st and 2nd place winners were both Filipino teams. It is only fitting for us to have MSC, the region’s most prestigious MLBB esports tournament, right here in Manila. At Moonton, we are proud to have created a game that has resonated well in the SEA region. Much of that success is thanks to the passion shown by our community here, so this one's for you,” said JJ Lin, Esports Manager, Moonton.

MSC 2019: Invited teams and format

MSC will see a total of 12 invited teams from nine different Southeast Asian countries compete for the prestigious title of MSC Champion. Countries with their respective Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional Leagues (MPL) such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar will each send two teams, with the exception of Malaysia and Singapore which will send one team each. Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are hosting local qualifiers with the winning team from each country qualifying for MSC.

To date, the confirmed teams invited to MSC 2019 are Onic Esports and Louvre Esports from Indonesia (1st and 2nd place winners at MPL-ID Season 3), as well as Malaysia’s Geek Fam and Singapore’s EVOS Esports SG (1st and 2nd place winners at MPL-MY/SG Season 3).

MSC 2019 will kick off with a group stage draw on 4 June 2019 where all participating teams will be drawn into four groups. Fans can catch this draw live on MLBB’s Facebook page. On 19 and 20 June, the group stage will take place to determine which teams get a spot in the upper bracket of the playoffs. The remaining teams will then face off in a play-in round to fight for the last four spots in the lower bracket of the playoffs. Both the play-in round and playoffs will happen on the big stage from June 21 to 23, 2019 at SMART Araneta Coliseum.

“Besides being the main venue of the Philippines Basketball Association, The Big Dome has provided a stage for some truly historic events, such as the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ where boxing legend Muhammad Ali fought Joe Frazier in 1975. From sports to esports, we’re excited to bring the very first esports event to the iconic SMART Araneta Coliseum,” added Lin.   

The entire tournament including the group stages will be streamed live on Facebook at the official Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Facebook page. More information and details will be released there, so be sure to follow the page at https://www.facebook.com/MobileLegendsOnlinePH/.

Know The Process And The Risks Of Debt Settlement Beforehand

Wazzup Pilipinas!

If you want to make your debt settlement process a success, you will need to know the risks that you may face apart from the working process of it. In simple terms, debt settlement is one of the most popular strategies of finance industry wherein a negotiation is initiated between the creditor and the borrower finding it difficult to pay off the debt to that particular creditor.

As a result of this negotiation, an agreement is arrived in which the creditor accepts a lower amount than the actual debt balance as full payment and the debt is cancelled. Simple! Well, it is not that simple at all.

Why? Because:

A debt settlement negotiation may or may not be initiated by the creditor especially when there is a third party negotiator involved

The amount that you or your debt settlement company offer to the creditor may not be accepted

When you stop making payments to your creditor in this process it will damage your credit score which is why most people having a good credit avoids this process

Debt collectors may still continue to hound you for asking to make your payments that you have stopped

The creditors may still sue you for not paying and if they win they may even garnish your wage to recover their money for unsecured loans and confiscate the collateral for secured loans

The escrow account created by the debt settlement company needs to be managed well and the company will charge you a monthly fee for that matter along with their original service fees making the debt settlement process costly

There is a fair enough chance of being duped by scam debt settlement companies if you are not careful with your selection and do not compare the debt settlement ratings for that matter

It can take a long time, anything between two to four years to reach to a settlement and accomplish it and

It can take years after a successful debt settlement just to discover that you owe some tax on your forgiven debt as per the Internal Revenue Service clause.

Therefore, with all such risks involved, debt settlement should be your last resort, in spite of its benefits.

Limits of debt settlement

There is no way in which you can opt for debt settlement right away. There are a few limitations for this process to come into play.

Typically, debt settlement process is not possible unless there are not any skipped or late payments and unless it is a potential collection account. However, deliberate failures will not facilitate debt settlement.

The creditor has to believe that you really are in a state of financial crisis and it is better to accept what you can afford and offer rather than lose the entire sum if you file for bankruptcy down the road. If they believe that you can pay the full amount that you agreed to originally, they will not settle your account.

Debt settlement is the most suitable option for unsecured debt such as credit cards. You will not be able to settle a few specific types of debts such as federal student loans or a secured loan on a house that can be foreclosed on or even a car loan as it can be repossessed.

Add to that, debt settlement offers will only work when you open a separate savings account and stop making payments to your creditor and instead pay a monthly sum in to this specific savings account to build a substantial amount of money which the debt settlement company can offer to your creditor as a lump sum offer for a reduced debt amount.

This means, when debt settlement does not work you will need to look for other available options to repay your debt. These options includes taking on a debt management plan as an income based repayment plan or taking on a debt consolidation loan.

No guarantees for success

When you opt for debt settlement you take on a lot of risks because there is no guarantee for the success of this process. Moreover, even if the creditor allows settling your debt for a lower amount, there is no clear cut process for its success. Often scam companies will advertise that they will reduce your debts by as much as 50% and make you debt free within three years but the fact can be far from it.

Considering the facts and statements of two of the largest debt settlement companies namely, National Debt Relief and Freedom Debt Relief it is found that no more than $8 billion in debt has been settled by the for about 450,000 clients since 2002. This figure may be substantial but they still do not guarantee success for debt settlement considering the fact that a few of the creditors do not even negotiate with them.

Another research conducted by a nonprofit research and policy group The Center for Responsible Lending it is found that at least four of the loan accounts of most the consumers needed to be settled to gain the net benefit. In addition to that there is always the risk of the debt total rising due to fees accrued and therefore aggressive collection attempts still continued in most of the cases even after the loans were under consideration for settlement.

If you are already a delinquent customer you will be badly hit if you opt for debt settlement. This is because the reports of delinquent accounts stay on the credit reports for several years when the lenders report that the debt has been charged off.

Therefore, you must consult a reputed credit counselor before you take on debt settlement as your option to prevent the risks. However, every debt relief option may come with its significant amount of risk. It is for this reason you are advised to take on as much debt as you can afford to repay back on time and not fall behind. Following a proper household budget is the most prudent way to manage your finance, debt and your mental peace.