2013-05-05 ~ Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Witch Hunters Versus Blogger : Comics Coming Out Soon

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Warning: This interview is purely fictional but may seem real-life because of certain similarities with existing personalities. However, it was purely coincidental and should not be assumed as intentional. Though it may obviously seem factual, I tried to make it somehow satirical.

Incidentally, we will be coming out with a comics version soon. So calling all comic artists who would like to contribute. We will appreciate your creativity and talent.

Interview with a Blogger

Question: Could you please tell something about yourself, especially for those who do not know you yet.

Answer: I am a newbie blogger who used to "blog" for "Whine and Manira" and admins for "Blogapaloozer Bloggers". However, after several articles (you wouldn't see my name as the author anymore because they remove my name and was replaced with just "Whine and Manira Contributor" ), and plenty of personal reasons, I am now just focusing on my blogs called "What's That Pilipinut" and "Pinoy Tekkie Tekkie Muna" which also has Pacebook pages with the same name. I also organize events for bloggers and companies where I coordinate with different establishments to help them promote their products, services, venues and other things. Lately I now have newspaper and TV contributions. Before blogging, I used to contribute for printed and online magazines.

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Real energising refreshment comes from getting nourishment from beverages and not just sugar, flavourings and colourings.

Kefir is one potent probiotic beverage with ancient origins that has withstood the test of time as they have potent health benefits–almost too good to be true for a lot of people but many from all over the world attest to its curative powers. And with talented kefir brewers like Jeren of Goody Kefir, this otherwise obscure beverage is now fast gaining popularity amongst health buffs and other people in the Metropolis.

Try out our kefir transformed into delectable smoothies, wraps, cheesecake and even vegan ice cream. Creatively combining it with fruits and natural sweeteners to make it enjoyable even for kids. Healthy Choices by Sugarleaf, our minimart of organic and natural products sells kefir made from raw milk and coconut water which you can bring home to enjoy by itself or use in a variety of recipes.

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WD, a Western Digital company, and SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today announced that the two companies are collaborating to introduce hybrid storage devices that feature best-in-class flash memory technology from SanDisk and best-in-class hard drive technology from WD.

SanDisk is supplying a SanDisk iSSD storage device for the WD Black solid state hybrid drive (SSHD), the world’s thinnest 2.5-inch SSHD solution, which utilizes both WD proprietary hybrid technology and industry standard SATA IO technology. The SanDisk iSSD brings an elegant balance of performance, low power consumption, cost, reliability, and a compact form factor to this SSHD, which will offer ample storage to meet consumers’ growing appetite for digital content as well as flash-enabled speed, data throughput and responsiveness – all within ultra-slim form factors.

Google Translate Now Available in Cebuano

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Good afternoon! Rather, maayong hapon kanimo!

You might have guessed it right, Google Translate is now available in Cebuano and four more languages.

Hopefully I got this right too: Adunay usa ka mahinungdanon nga adlaw! :)

Users unfamiliar with the dialect in Central Visayas and some parts of Mindanao can now count on Google Translate to communicate better with the locals. Users versed in Cebuano but not in other languages can use the tool as well to comprehend information online or offline.

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All roads lead to the SM Mall of Asia on May 15, 2013.

SM Cinema, the country’s home of premiere nights, will host the upcoming Fast and Furious 6 premiere which will be held at SM Mall of Asia on May 15, 2013. The film’s lead action star, Vin Diesel, along with fellow stars Michelle Rodriguez, Gina Carano and Luke Evans, producer Neal H. Moritz, and director Justin Lin will be coming to the Philippines to be part of this exciting movie event.

Fast & Furious 6 continues the tradition of thrilling fast‐paced car chases, action, and suspense that has made the movie franchise a worldwide sensation. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson lead the returning cast of all‐stars as the global blockbuster franchise built on speed races to its next continent.

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As part of its commitment to superior customer experience, Globe Telecom beefs up its rewards program with the launch of its newest rewards offer that gives subscribers more ways to use their rewards points.

Beyond telco services, gadgets, and gift certificates as rewards available for redemption, Globe rewards points are now recognized as a form of payment similar to cash in partner-merchants nationwide.

With a much-improved rewards program, Globe is implementing a straightforward points-to-peso conversion of 1 point = Php 1.00, making it easier for subscribers to use their points and redeem rewards. With the new system, Globe rewards points are now recognized as a form of payment, similar to regular cash.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Moms are probably the most hard-working, dedicated, and selfless people. You can be sure that your mom would always put you first above anything, and that she has your best interests at heart.

This Mother’s Day, return some of the love she has given you by planning a special day for her. Pamper her, give her the royal treatment, take her out and make her feel extra special with these Mother's Day gift ideas courtesy of Philips.

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DAY THREE: Spending time with our Host Family

For our third day in Japan, we left Kansai Center early to meet our respective host families at the Osaka International House. We were assigned to Horii Ryuzo and Horii Mitsu. They prefer to be called Horii-san and Mitsu-san, respectively.

The Horiis are actually former high school teachers. Horii-san was a Social Science teacher, while Mitsu-san was a Mathematics teacher. They have three sons, but all were studying in different prefectures in Japan, and so they were at the nesting stage in their lives.

For this task, I was partnered with Daniela-san of F. Torres High School. When we first met the Horiis, we were instantly at ease and felt at home. They were so kind, hospitable and warm, just like Filipinos. From the Osaka International House, we went to a grocery store first where we bought the ingredients to the food we were going to prepare for lunch. I had no idea that Mitsu-san had sashimi and California maki in mind. But I was glad she chose those meals because I can eat them, unlike other more exotic meals which I might have to politely turn down. I actually loved how our cooking session turned out.

It was very educational, and it was fun.

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Get ready to be moved to tears for June's Friday Eiga Night!

For this June, the film " WANKO - The Story of Me, My Family and My Dog
" will be featured starring Sato Ryuta and directed by Nakae Isamu.

A touching family movie based on a true story that was featured on "Kyo no Wanko" (Today's Dog), a popular segment in a Fuji Television news magazine show. Set during the volcanic eruption on the island of Miyakejima in Augus...t 2000, it is an unwavering portrayal of the bond between a boy and his beloved dog that also touches on the emotions of the islanders who were forced to evacuate the island. Shin (Hashino Ryunosuke), the eldest son of the Noyama family who manage a guest house on the island of Miyakejima , spends every moment of every day together with his golden retriever Rock. However, they become separated when the island's volcano erupts and he is forced to evacuate with his father Matsuo (Sato Ryuta) and the rest of his family.

Google’s Resource Page for Philippine Elections Gets Hits from Over 50 Countries

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Google's election page has been visited by netizens from over 50 countries around the world, in just a few days after its launch.

Since its launch on the first week of May, Google’s Philippine elections resource page (Google.com.ph/elections) has been getting hits from over 50 countries around over the world. As of this writing, the resource page has been visited by Internet users from as far as Uzbekistan, Rwanda, Finland, and the Netherlands.

The resource page is a collaboration between Google Philippines and broadcast networks ABS-CBN, GMA, PTV, and SOLARtv, and online news portals Rappler.com, PhilStar.com, Inquirer.net and Interaksyon.com. The site brings together election-related updates from Google Philippines’ partner media establishments in one platform.

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Officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Mindanao have met with various civil society groups and government agency representatives to identify areas of cooperation and convergence in a bid to seek potential partners that will augment its sustainable livelihood program.

“The convergence approach pushes us to go beyond our own boundaries. We believe that other groups can also share what they have in order to improve the lives of Pantawid families and that they will no longer go back to their previous survival status,” DSWD-12 Assistant Regional Director Gemma Rivera said.

Norayda Busran, focal person of Sustainable Livelihood Program, said the objective was to ensure the success of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) which implementation is being spearheaded by DSWD.

“We have listed all services of other groups and we will identify the appropriate services that will respond to the needs of our 4Ps families," she said.

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Eat’s going to be a fun foodie adventure in Eastwood as the Mercato Centrale group, organizer of the premier food and lifestyle night markets around the metropolis, brings to you Levante – the newest night food market in Eastwood Citywalk 2. Grand opening is on May 17, Friday from 6pm to 3am.

Enjoy a culinary adventure at Levante with its mouth-watering homemade cooking straight from the kitchens of Eastwood’s budding food entrepreneurs, along with your favorite Pinoy street foods and, of course, the best-selling dishes from your favorite Mercato Centrale vendors.

“Eastwood has always been very supportive of new food concepts, from their new fusion restaurants up to their gourmet food markets in the malls. We are very glad to bring the Mercato Centrale concept to Eastwood to further complement the foodie-friendly lifestyle they have created” said Anton Diaz, co-organizer of Levante. Diaz is responsible for the popular food and travel blog www.OurAwesomePlanet.com.

DOTC Announces 5 Prequalified Bidders for P 1.72-Billion AFCS PPP Project

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Five (5) out of the nine (9) consortia which sought to qualify for the P 1.72-Billion Automatic Fare Collection System (AFCS) Project have been shortlisted by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), the Transport Department disclosed on Wednesday (May 8, 2013).

The 5 bidders which prequalified are: (1) AF Consortium, led by the Metro Pacific and Ayala groups; (2) Comworks Consortium, which includes Taiwan’s Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp.; (3) E-Trans Solutions Joint Venture, Inc. Consortium, which includes Eastwest Banking Corp.; (4) Megawide-Suyen-Eurolink Consortium, which will tap the experience of Singapore’s EZ-Link Pte. Ltd.; and (5) SM Consortium, led by several companies of the Sy family.

“We are pleased to announce that 5 interested groups have prequalified to bid for the AFCS Project, one of our first PPP (Public-Private Partnership) offerings. This means that we are getting closer to identifying who our private sector partner will be in bringing a modern commuting experience to the public,” said the DOTC.

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The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is beginning a three (3)-year program aimed at generating growth for the country’s agribusiness trade, directly benefitting workers in the agricultural and fisheries sectors across the country, in line with President Benigno S. Aquino III’s push for inclusive growth.

The DOTC announced on Wednesday (May 8, 2013) that it has signed a Cooperation Agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to pursue various policy and regulatory reforms in the Philippine shipping sector in order to improve our farmers’ market access and integration by reducing the cost of domestic shipping.

The project will involve a diagnostic review by the IFC to identify areas where pro-competitive practices will help meet these goals. The DOTC will work together with its frontline agencies, the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), in reviewing the results of the study and implementing the recommendations of the IFC from 2013 to 2016.

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Gone are the days when you had to spend a fortune in phone bills or on mobile internet fees to keep in touch with friends and family around the world. There is now a single service that integrates all the popular web chat platforms and makes it a snap to send messages and chat on any phone model worldwide.

Launched in 2006 and now wildly popular, Sun iMessenger is a breakthrough service that makes it possible to communicate with anyone from anywhere in the world, as long as they’re a Sun mobile subscriber. To do this, SunIM uses the text messaging feature of a phone, translating mobile chat into text messages seamlessly, and giving regular cellular phone users access to a service that would usually only be available to people with smart phones.

The service also allows you to send messages using your laptop, smart phone, or computer. It integrates several platforms: Yahoo Messenger, Facebook chat, MSN, AIM, ICQ, and, just recently, Gmail chat, making all your accounts available to you on one sign-in page. It is, to date, the only platform to do so.

Globe Tatt Awards : Vote for Wazzup Pilipinas as Best Community of Bloggers

Wazzup Pilipinas for Best Community of Bloggers (Nominate a New Category)

in the Tatt Awards website http://www.tattawards2013.com/

#TattAwards2013.

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Category: new category>type in > Best Community of Bloggers

Tell us why: (Write your own or pick from any of below:)

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This year, Nido Fortified and Science Discovery Center is set to take their journey into greater heights as they reignite their partnership to launch a new advocacy campaign and high-tech facilities as they unveil a state-of-the-art planetarium with the most advanced and sophisticated theater system in the country.

The Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center (NFSDC) is the first Technology-Based premiere Science Center in the country, housed in a 3000 square meter, two-level facility in the SM Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City. SM SDC is devoted to providing the public- kids and adults alike- entertainment, fun, and most of all, a highly interactive way to learn and appreciate Science and Technology. The center houses nine walk-through galleries, many of which contain interactive stations that enhance visitor experience.

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Cat@lyst is Tattoo's corporate social responsibility initiative that seeks to promote the use of innovative ICT tools to provide solutions to real community problems such as air pollution, traffic enforcement, crime prevention, among others.

Filipino citizens, aged 18-30, can submit a proposal via a one-minute video entry from May 2 to 31. Five winners will then be chosen in June and will be awarded a P200,000 cash grant for program development, mentorship, and ICT support.

Be the start. Lead the change.

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Epson, the no. 1 projector maker in the world1, recently treated its customers to a next-generation 3D and Interactive experience through a 3-day exhibit at the SM North EDSA, Cyberzone.

The exhibit, dubbed as “Transform Your Vision - Unravel the Future”, featured a futuristic theme that reflects how Epson is leading the industry through its cutting-edge new projectors.

The exhibit kicked off with a message from Epson Philippines President/Country Manager Toshimitsu Tanaka, and a product presentation by Lyn Lizarondo, Epson’s Product Manager for Visual Imaging.

“Twelve consecutive years as the world’s no. 1 projector maker proves that Epson’s industry-leading technologies give our projectors an authoritative edge over competition,” says Tanaka. “As you can see, the 3D and interactive projector models launched today break barriers in performance, innovation, and functionality for a wide range of customers.”

Q1 Tourist Arrivals Bring “More Fun” With 1.27M Visitors

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First quarter visitor arrivals reached 1.27 million, a 10.76 percent growth from last year’s 1.15 million for the same period. This marks the second time that foreign tourist arrivals breached the one-million mark in the first quarter, setting the pace for the Department of Tourism to reach its 5.5 million arrival target for 2013. The first quarter performance accounts for 23 percent of the target arrivals for the year.

Korea remains the leading visitor market, which captured 25.83% of the total inbound traffic with 328,454 arrivals, followed by the United States with 186,065 or 14.63% of the overall visitor volume. The Japanese market contributed the third biggest arrivals with 114,269 or 8.99%. Rounding up the top five visitor markets for the first quarter are China with 98,242 and Taiwan with 53,867 visitors. The Korean market rose by 23.93%, the highest among the top five major markets.

Other key markets contributing significant volume of arrivals include Australia with 53,679; Singapore with 41,524; Canada with 38,486; Hongkong with 36,005; United Kingdom with 32,475; Malaysia with 27,212; and Germany with 22,491.

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The Presidential Task Force composed of the Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR), and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), in cooperation with the local government unit of Malay and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), lauds several DOT-accredited enterprises which have voluntarily cleaned the beach area fronting their establishments and cleared structures in support of the 25 plus 5 meter easement regulation in the island of Boracay.

The DOT Region VI office reported that among those which have complied are the Ambassador in Paradise and Seawind Beach Resort, both high-end resorts located at Brgy. Balabag. Ambassador in Paradise was the first resort to implement the clearing of the seawall built in front of the establishment that encroaches the easement. The clearing was made after the resort management attended the Consultation with the Business Cluster spearheaded by DOT Region VI last 17 January 2013, in which representatives of tourism establishments were advised to tear down the said structures to protect the area from further damage caused by sand erosions during south monsoon season. Other establishments located at Sitio Mangayad in Brgy. Balabag such as The Mandarin de Boracay Resort, Le Soleil de Boracay Beach Resort, Boracay Uptown, Chez de Paris Restaurant, and Nigi Nigi Nu Noos Resort also did their share by relocating fish bars and seafood display tables inside their respective establishments to allot space for the walkways.