6th Entrepreneur and Franchise Expo Opens Today

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The 6th Entrepreneur and Franchise Expo (EFE) successfully opened its doors to aspiring entrepreneurs today at Megatrade Hall, SM Megamall. The event will run for 3 days, from July 19 to 21, and will feature over 100 Franchise Opportunities and Business Solutions.

The opening ceremony was led by the Founder of the event and CEO of Mediacom Solutions Inc. - David Abrenilla, together with, Ferdie de Belen, Senior Manager of Megatrade Hall; Trixie Esguerra, Founder of Wrap it Up; Rudolf Kotik, Founder of RK Franchise Consultancy; Johnah Umpo, Business Development Officer of DV Boer Farm; Michael Nobleza, Service Manager of Tysons Global Exchange Inc.; and Michael Exconde Bayot, Head of Sales and Marketing of Tysons Global Exchange Inc.

With the tagline “Your Step to Success”, the expo is the Philippines No.1 Entrepreneur and Franchise Event featuring 90 exhibitors with 100 franchising concepts and innovative SMEs.

The goal of the EFE is to give aspiring entrepreneurs an overview of the franchising industry in the Philippines and to connect franchisors with interested franchisees. At the same time, the expo will showcase various business suppliers catering to small and medium-sized businesses that can help them grow their business.

Apart from the Expo, Mediacom Solutions Inc., will also stage the Entrepreneur Success Summit which is a comprehensive series of talks with Successful Entrepreneurs that will share their entrepreneurial journey and their insights on How to START, GROW & SELECT a Successful Franchise. Some of the speakers for the Summit are the RJ Ledesma, Founder of Mercato Centrale; Franchising Expert - Rudolf Kotik; Glenn Razon, President of Razons by Glenn and more.

This year’s Entrepreneur and Franchise Expo is sponsored by Tysons Global Exchange Inc., Alkaviva Waters Philippines and DV Boer Farm.

To learn more, visit www.efe.ph and join their Facebook community at www.facebook.com/efeph.

Inclusive Growth Key to Peace and Prosperity in Mindanao

Wazzup Pilipinas!

An inclusive atmosphere in business is necessary to maintain the gains of peace and continue the enabling environment for prosperity in Mindanao.

This was emphasized by Dr. Annette Pelkmans-Balaoing, Escaping the Middle-Income Trap: Chains for Change (EMIT C4C) convenor, during a workshop in UP Diliman on July 12, 2019.

“In the context of conflict and war, we need markets to be humane. We need markets to be inclusive,” she said.

Pelkmans-Balaoing cited the case of Unifrutti Tropical Philippines, a firm that invested in a 1,300-hectare banana plantation called La Frutera in Maguindanao, and their relationship with the community and the farmers operating there.

Unifrutti, she said, recognized the land rights of the people in Maguindanao; it employed former rebels or combatants to build trust and establish relationships. 

“Investment usually expose you to higher risk. but in this sense, investment in the form of social capital lessens the risk in operating in a risky environment," she added.

According to Senen Bacani, chair of Peace and Equity Foundation and one of the co-founders of La Frutera, this success is due to the recognition that peace and development should always come together.

“Unifrutti went there for profit, but we believed that to do that, we needed to take care of the people, community, and environment,” he said.

Bacani further noted that cultural sensitivity matters in dealing with the social realities on the ground.

“If people trust you, they will do what you requested them to do. We always wanted to work with community leaders in the area,” he said.

Other topics such as the proposed details of a model Islamic community and logistics, and opportunities and challenges in connecting different producers and players in agriculture and urban markets in Mindanao were also discussed.

PEF is a partner in the EMIT C4C, a research program under the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies that collaborates with the Partnerships Resource Center of the Rotterdam School of Management (Erasmus University), seeks to understand the conditions for enhancing the competitiveness and inclusiveness of agriculture value chains. EMIT C4C, for instance, studies how smallholder farmers are linked with mainstream companies and social enterprises.


You can view this article here: https://pef.ph/index.php/2019/07/19/inclusive-growth-key-to-peace-and-prosperity-in-mindanao/

Tanghalang Ateneo to Open 41st Season with “Dolorosa”

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Tanghalang Ateneo, the longest-running theater company of the Loyola Schools of the Ateneo de Manila University, will kick off its 41st season, “Écriture Féminine | Sulat-Babae: The Women's Season,” this August with a full-length version of “Dolorosa” at the Doreen Black Box, Arts Wing, Areté.

Multihyphenate Jenny Jamora (“33 Variations,” “Every Brilliant Thing”) will direct the material, which was originally a one-act play and part of the Virgin Labfest 14 staged readings last year.

Playwright Peter Zaragoza Mayshle, an esteemed Tanghalang Ateneo alumnus and English professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, has expanded “Dolorosa” for this season’s opener.

In the story, a one-of-a-kind wooden statue of the Mater Dolorosa, which is a family’s prized heirloom, is put together and made whole by three siblings. They do this every year for the Holy Week procession in Paete, Laguna.

On this Maundy Thursday, they await the visit of their mother Pilar, who mysteriously abandoned them 15 years ago. When she arrives, they will confront the ghosts of their past and one shattering truth about their beloved Dolorosa statue.

“Dolorosa” will feature veteran actors Bibeth Orteza as Pilar and Ron Capinding as Mariano.

Also part of the cast are Clyde Enriquez (Elena/Claudia), Zoë de Ocampo (Pilar/Juliana), Rainbow Gutierrez (Victoria/Alicia), AJ Umali (Padre Galiano/Pablo/Tasyo), Sabrina Basilio (Chedeng/Mitring), Kat Dizon (Bernadette/Mary Seat of Wisdom), Dani Capinding (Jacinta/Mary Mystical Rose), Francesca Dela Cruz (Judiel/Mary Star of the Sea), Shaun Ocrisma (Elsa/Mary Tower of Ivory), Kim Donato (Lucia/Mary Mirror of Justice), Zarya Almocera, Nicole Chua, Darl Alba and Mekaella Mendoza (ensemble).

The artistic team is composed of production designers Ben Padero and Carlo Tabije (“Heneral Luna,” “Siargao”), movement designer Jomelle Era (“Desaparesidos”), lighting designer D Cortezano (“Desaparesidos,” “Marisol”), sound designer Arvy Dimaculangan (“Desaparesidos,” “Every Brilliant Thing”), graphic designer Zoë de Ocampo (“Alpha Kappa Omega,” “Stop Kiss”), photographer Jojit Lorenzo, vocal coaches Robin Aronson and Rachael Swartz, and dramaturg and current Ateneo Creative Writing major Elise Ofilada.

Tanghalang Ateneo, a multi-Aliw Awardee, has grown into one of the country’s leading school-based theater companies. Its repertoire of plays includes Filipino originals, world classics and documentary texts turned into theater pieces, both English and Filipino.

The play will run from August 15 to 17, 22 to 24, and 29 to 31 at 7:30 p.m. and on August 17, 24, 31 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are at 450 pesos each for ADMU students and 500 pesos each for the general public. For more information and other inquiries, contact Nicole at 0906-2662563.