2015-08-16 ~ Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Saturday, August 22, 2015

The Health Cost of Using Traditional Fuels

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By the time you finish reading this article, over 10 people would have died from health complications caused by air pollution.

Worldwide, over 8 million premature deaths can be attributed to air pollution every year and it is a silent killer that nobody seems to be doing much about. The burning of traditional fuels like firewood and charcoal for cooking and diesel for transportation, all contribute to what the World Health Organization (WHO) has singled out as a major health hazard - air pollution.

Ironically, the “cure” for air pollution has already been around for over 100 years, just not applied well - LPG. LPG is a clean fuel that burns without emitting noxious fumes and particulate matters that get into your lungs and causes cancer, asthma and other respiratory diseases. LPG is not only clean, it is portable, versatile and efficient, and can be used for thousands of applications, including cooking, driving, generating power, and even, mowing the lawn! More importantly, LPG is already readily available throughout the Philippines.

But isn’t LPG expensive? Surprisingly, the solution is not uneconomical to implement. A 2006 cost-benefit study by the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that investing US$13 billion a year to provide LPG access worldwide would halve the number of people cooking with solid fuels by 2015 and in turn generate a return of US$ 91 billion in health and other community benefits. Not many investment projects can boast a 700% return on investment that investing in access to LPG will bring.

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Two senators have added fire to the growing excitement being generated by the approaching World Cup qualifying match between the Philippines and Uzbekistan on September 8 at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan.

In separate tweets, Senators Sonny Angara and Pia Cayetano made known their interest in the forthcoming match, with the latter calling on fans to support the Philippine national football team during games.

“Let’s support our Azkals in the World Cup qualifiers, esp in their hometown matches!” Cayetano tweeted to her 401,900 followers and attached a link to a Philippine Star article.

Angara tweeted to his over 70,000 followers “#azkals gearing up for #WorldCupQualifiers on #sept8 at the #philstadium.”

Earlier, mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar Fil-Am Brandon Vera also tweeted to urge fans to support the Azkals and watch the game on September 8.

Dan Palami, Philippine Azkals team manager, expressed appreciation over the support being given by well-known personalities to the national football team.

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One of the highlights of the province of Camarines Sur is the CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC) which boasts of wakeboarding facilities for both newbies and professionals. It is the most frequented place in the province where both local and foreign tourists can enjoy an entire weekend of wakeboarding water sports for leisure or competition.

The venue has regular wakeboarding events where you can compete and proudly come out as a winner since the sport caters to both fit and flabby. You don't really need to be as slim as a fashion model or as muscular as a body-builder as long as you know how to perfectly balance your body and surf smoothly through the waters.

We had a chance to personally see the good looking and youngest Governor of the world, Migs Villafuerte, so we will show those scenes in upcoming posts here in the blog. The very young governor is among the other Villafuertes that holds a position in their locality. The CWC is actually owned by the local government but it was the Villafuertes who led the project.

For now, we can show you the interview we had with the fabulous couple of John and Monique in charge of the CWC Wakeboarding Nationals - an annual event held at entirely at CWC simultaneous with other activities like a beauty pageant, a series of night concerts, and so on in line with the Kaogma Festival.

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The Children’s Museum and Library, Incorporated is a youth leadership organization that promotes the welfare, development, and empowerment of the Filipino youth through its conventions, competitions, seminars, and tournaments. As it celebrates its 58th year, CMLI aims to help realize the opportunities that the ASEAN integration will bring to the country and the vital role of the country’s youth as it happens.

With the theme, “CMLI and the Filipino Youth: Trailblazing a Filipino Identity in the Global Society”, the 36th Annual National Graders Convention will be held at Teachers’ Camp, Baguio City from September 3, 2015 to September 7, 2015. The convention will gather over 700 grade school delegates and teachers nationwide (from both public and private schools) to empower them through leadership training, talent development, social awareness, and national friendship.

The commission discussions, handled by trained youth facilitators from CMLI’s Junior Council-National Executive Board, will be the avenue for the delegates to tackle the convention’s theme in a more interactive manner. Delegates are randomly assigned to commissions to maximize their interaction with their co-delegates from all over the country.

The convention also features competitions for excellence and entertainment, both aiming to develop and emphasize the talents of the youth. The competitions for excellence are: News Writing, Essay Writing, Poetry Writing, Poster Making, Comic-Strip Making, Extemporaneous Speaking, Story Telling, and the Pop Quiz Hot Shots. The competitions for entertainment are: Solo Singing, Hip-Hop Dancing, Talent Variety Show, Character Portrayal, and the Mr. and Ms. GradersCon 2015 Pageant.

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The Department of Tourism (DOT) recently signed an ASEAN Tourism Agreement (ATA) with other member states, establishing among others a Regional Secretariat that will oversee and facilitate the full implementation of the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) on Tourism Professionals, which was previously signed in November 2012.

The said ATA underlines cooperation of member states in facilitating travel into and within ASEAN; further cooperation in the tourism industry among ASEAN member states in order to improve efficiency and competitiveness; less restrictions on trade in tourism and travel services among member states; the development and promotion of ASEAN as a single tourism destination with world-class standards, facilities, and attractions; enhanced mutual assistance in human resource development and cooperation in developing, upgrading and expanding of tourism and travel facilities and services in ASEAN; and the creation of favorable conditions for the public and private sectors to engage more deeply in tourism development, intra-ASEAN travel and investment in tourism services and facilities.

The MRA on Tourism Professionals, on the other hand, aims to facilitate the mobility of tourism professionals, the exchange of information on best practices in competency-based education and training for tourism professionals, and to provide opportunities for cooperation and capacity-building across ASEAN member states. It was established by ASEAN as an active response to the booming tourism demand in the region, raising the bar in the quality of service delivered by tourism professionals. At present, there are thirty-two (32) work positions covered under the MRA, ranging from housekeeping, front office, food and beverage services, and food production for hospitality, to travel agencies and tour operator for tourism enterprises, among others.

Celebrity Chef Boy Logro Demonstrates How to Cook Panlasang Norte Pinoy Dishes

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This is a portion of the cooking demonstration done by GMA 7 Kapuso celebrity Chef Boy Logro at the Pilmico Foods Mahalin Pagkaing Atin Panlasang Norte event held at Mercato Centrale night food market.

The Mercato Centrale food market which offers varied food stalls located under one roof at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig is owned by UNO Editor-in-Chief RJ Ledesma and popular Food Blogger Anton Diaz. They also have other food markets located at other areas within Metro Mnaila. Their food markets has also been the venue for many events catering to food-related launches, initiatives and programs especially those that are owned or managed by the small and medium sized (SMEs) Pinoy entrepreneurs or startups.

Chef Boy Logro has become a household name due to his popularity in hosting a GMA-7 television cooking show. His show is frequented by celebrity guests who helps him out in his many delightful cooking demonstrations highlighted by his unusual flair for creativity and taste.

We see Chef Boy Logro cook up a few popular dishes at the event but we only get to show you one for now. The entire cooking demonstration for this particular dish is divided into three parts averaging 10 minutes in length.

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The 1st day of the Geeks on a Beach 2015 ended with the grand photo ops of all participants who were all requested to gather together upfront to immortalize this moment, together with the winners of the International Pitching Competition, everyone gave their best smiles to the many photographers and members of the media who are covering this event.

There was supposed to be a drone to fly and take our photos from the air but due to some technical difficulties in getting a signal, the drone had to flew manually thanks to this guy who took the initiative to "fly" the drone around the crowd. Lol!

We would like to congratulate the winners of the Geeks on a Beach 3 International Pitching Competition led by the grand champion and even a winner of special prizes - Near Circles represented by Suresh.

Coming in second place is Mobkard, and Protees positioned in third place.

Special prizes from Venture Labs goes to Mobkard and Iskwelahan, while Smart awards their special prizes to Iskwelahan, Mobkard and Near Circles.

There were originally 28 applicants for the pitching competition. 10 got shortlisted and even shortened to 5 who pitched on August 20, 2015!

Our judges in the pitching competition were @alquemiepartner @e27co @ICTOffice @tchae @BikeshL & Paolo Azzola @PayMaya

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Inspired by the lyrics of Vehnee Saturno, Stages Production Specialist Inc. is unveiling a musical comedy poised to become this season’s theatrical hit.

Saturno, a multi-awarded composer best known for creating popular hits such as Be My Lady (Martin Nievera), Sana Kahit Minsan and Simple Lang (Ariel Rivera), Isang Lahi (Regine Velasquez), Mr. Kupido (Rachel Alejandro), Bakit Pa? (Jessa Zaragoza), Wala Na Bang Pag-ibig and Dahil Tanging Ikaw (Jaya), celebrates his 35th anniversary in the industry with Chuva Choo Choo – The Mr.Kupido Musicale, where his most popular compositions will be featured.

Directed by seven-time Palanca winner George de Jesus III, the musical tells the story of two sisters, Dina and Darla, played by Joanna Ampil and Morisette Amon, who go from amateur singing contestants to national stars. After being unwitting witnesses to an altercation between the town Mayor and the contest organizer, the pair head off to Manila to seek refuge where they begin to work as female impersonators. The sisters then face a series of hilarious misadventures in their quest for stardom and true love.

Chuva Choo Choo, which is set to open on September 25 will run at the Power Mac Center Spotlight—a 300-seater black box theater. This multi-purpose venue with flexible seating set-up and lights and sound system is patterned to compliment interactive, dynamic, fresh and innovative performances. It is designed to showcase diverse Filipino talents and numerous entertainment options.

DOST-ICTO Launches Philippine Roadmap for Digital Startups at GOAB 3

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There's no stopping the emergence of support for the Philippine startup community as many are now aware of their overall significance. It will not be surprising to see it grow exponentially within the next few years as investors from all over the world are now looking into our country as a potentially profitable source of investment.

The press conference for the Philippine Roadmap for Digital Startups was recently launched by the Department of Science and Technology - Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO) on August 20, 2015 at the Geeks on a Beach 3 which is now currently ongoing at the Crown Regency Hotel in Boracay Island in Aklan.

Present in the panel during the press conference were Christian Besler of Kickstart, Jojo Flores of Plug and Play Technology Center, Earl Martin Valencia of Ideaspace, Jay Fajardo of Proudcloud, Cristina Laskowski of STAC Silicon Valley, Tina Amper of Techtalks.ph, Bery Li of Philippine Roadmap for Digital Startups, Karl Sapinigan of Senator Bam Aquino's office, Arup Maity of Blastasia, and Mon Ibrahim of DOST-ICTO. Senator Bam Aquino was supposed to be among the panelist but due to the death of his uncle, Butch Aquino, he was unable to join the press conference.

Geeks on a Beach is one of the biggest international startup events in the country and is very appropriate venue for the launch of the Philippine Roadmap for Digital Startups. The roadmap provides a framework for developing Philippine Startup ecosystem which are mainly composed of Internet-related innovations.

WD Expands Its Performance Level Desktop Hard Drives to 6 TB Capacity

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WD, a Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) company and a world leader in hard drives, today announced the expansion of its award-winning WD Black line of performance hard drives up to 6 TB capacity. Shipping now, the 3.5-inch, 7200 RPM drive is the perfect solution for gamers and professionals in need of high-performance desktop systems and workstations.

WD Black hard drives combine 7200 RPM spin speed, 128 MB cache, dual stage actuator technology, SATA 6 gigabits per second (Gb/s) interface, and an integrated dual processor to deliver ultimate performance in a maximum-capacity drive. The WD Black 6 TB is up to 29% faster than the previous WD Black 4 TB version in maximum data rate throughput and 10% faster in PCMark Vantage.

“Combining maximum system performance with generous capacity, the expansion of WD Black to 6 TB allows gamers, enthusiasts and creatives to push the boundaries of personalization without compromise,” said Cindi Grace, senior vice president of WD storage technology group. “In choosing WD Black hard drives, WD desktop customers get the best possible mix of capacity, performance and reliability to handle intense desktop computing with ease.”

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Financial expert, motivational speaker and author Francis Kong, gives an interesting talk about the digital natives of this generation at the TOPS-LRA Summit held at Fairmont Hotel in Makati on July 28, 2015.

The TOPS-LRA Summit is a collaborative project of The Organization of Property Stakeholders Inc. (TOPS) and the Land Registration Authority (LRA).

With a theme of "Measuring Our Gains and Meeting the Challenges Ahead," the summit aspires to provide new solutions and strategies to future challenges that might slow down the development of the property sector in the country. Experts and leaders talked about climate change, geological hazards, E-titling, computerized land registration, BIR initiatives, the Uniform Loan And Mortgage Agreement (ULAMA) and the real estate industry’s contributions to the national economy.

Francis brightened up the afternoon discussion by delivering laughable yet highly factual stories almost everyone can relate to. It would have been an otherwise sleepy and sometimes boring time after a lunch break, but I guess the organizers of the event were smart enough to realize everyone needed and would appreciate a wake-me-up talk from Francis.

Francis begins by talking about his family and continues to declaring that the basic human needs of this generation now involves the demand for having battery and Wi-Fi. The rest of his story goes on to discuss the Generation of Firsts of which he enumerated examples of the lifestyle of today's youth like the ability to broadcast their every thought and emotion using the power of social media, and the uncanny ability to learn more from a portable device rather than a normal class at school. The stories goes on with more realities told in a subtle yet humorous way. Francis really knows how to engage an audience.

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When events like the recent discovery of Kepler-186f, or the first habitable zone planet comparable to Earth - happen, we cannot help but ask, are we truly alone in this universe?

With the rest of the galaxy still unexplored, it is not a far-out possibility that the universe could be inhabited by non-human neighbors. They seem to want to make their presence felt, too, as evidenced by multiple accounts of encounters from everywhere around the world. In the Philippines, reports of unidentified flying objects and alien sightings have been documented and we count down some of those shared by Edwin Gatia, author of “Unknown & Unearthly: The Philippine UFO Experience”, as well as Tony Israel, Founder of the UFO Society of the Philippines.

1. Iloilo Encounters. A series of encounters with strange-looking individuals occurred in Barangay Lawigan, Iloilo in September of 2010. The witnesses included kids and adults alike who came face-to-face with the creatures. Witnesses claimed they saw a group of seven beings with oddly-big, red eyes and huge bald heads. None of the residents can say what the non-human visitors’ affairs were. To this day, the residents of Lawigan are vigilant – they believe these creatures might return.

2. Pilots’ testimonials – While some would claim that unidentified flying objects might just be planes, testimonials from three pilots of a renowned local carrier talk of simultaneous sightings of a multi-colored object in the sky while they were on board their respective flights. The separate flights came from Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga and Davao, and all three pilots saw the same thing.

Geeks on a Beach 3 Holds Pre-Event Press Conference at Crown Regency Boracay

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Geeks on a Beach (GOAB) 2015 just had a pre-event press conference for selected members of the media who are there right now to cover the 3rd run of GOAB - an event where startups with possible world-changing ideas are given an opportunity to pitch to a group of investors from both local and international. This is their chance to impress a potential source of funding if they can give a convincing presentation. Of course, it is not just the presentation skills that make a successful startup become noticeable. It is also the idea, the ability to implement in a global scale, the strength of the team, and the growth and profitability, among many other factors, that gives a startup an advantage.

The pre-event press conference was composed of Earl Valencia, Presoident and Founder of Ideaspace Foundation; Tina Amper, GOAB Founder; and Paul Pajo, Chief Developer and Evangelist of Smart Devnet.

The three shared how GOAB came to materialize out from a discussion during lunch time. It was Tina Amper who took the idea seriously until she suddenly saw herself collaborating with other people to make GOAB possible.

The primary seeders of GOAB is the PLDT Group from which Ideaspace is a part of, together with Smart Telecommunications and other related companies run by the same group of companies.

The first GOAB was also done in Boracay which was followed by the second run in Cebu. GOAB has returned to Boracay to again change some people's lives similarly to what happened to some of the startups who were part of the first two GOAB. Tina Amper relates the success stories of Zipmatch and Innovantage who eventually got their funding resulting from the GOAB events.

The three shared very interesting thoughts of which we took videos so you can hear the for yourselves. I'll upload the videos soon when there's a good Internet connection around.

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The Artist Playground proudly presents “ TAG-ANI ” an endearing love story of two people in their twilight years written by Amelia Lapena Bonifacio as part of the trilogy Taluhan (Tatlong Dula ng Pag-ibig).

First performed in 1975, “ TAG-ANI ” is a “Tragicomedy” that features two characters in their 70’s who tries to rekindle the joys of love and being in love. The twist in its ending is a piercing truth that resonates the tragedy of those who have fully experienced love and have lost it and those who have never experienced love at all.

The playdates of Tag-Ani are August 22 - 23, 29 - 30 (Saturday and Sunday). Time: 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm. Performance venue is at 1701 The Little Room Upstairs, Landsdale Tower, Mother Ignacia Ave. Quezon City

“ TAG-ANI ” is an interesting story that celebrates love and the idea of being in love in a very odd at the same time fascinating way. In its tale, the power of love to bring meaning to one’s existence is highlighted. The interplay of flirtatious imagery embedded in the poetic lines, mischievous choices of the characters and the vintage courtship dynamics make each moment of the play very compelling.

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If you think it’s just male models and fashion forward guys who have style cred, think again.

The most stylish and coolest men in the planet are probably in sports – professional basketball, most notably. Cool, confident and loaded with swag, NBA players now appear catwalk-ready, whether they’re checking in for their pre-game walk-through, chillin’ away from the court, or doing business outside of the playing arena.

Credit the A-List look on NBA players to a dress code instituted in 2005 by then National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern who felt that players should wear a ‘business casual’ attire every time they ‘engaged in a team or league business.’ This includes all games (pre-game and postgame), press interviews, and charity events throughout the season.

Now NBA players set fashion trends, are looked up to as icons of good fashion sense and sophistication. In 2006 LeBron James appointed stylist Rachel Johnson to take over his work wardrobe and made even bigger waves off the court. Those with wilder tastes – like Dwayne Wade, who started the revolution of ultra colorful basketball socks with fun designs – have gained their own cult following.

Today, the NBA’s pre-game and postgame routines are as watched as the games themselves – mainly because that’s where one sees star players coming or going, dressed to the nines or sporting the most desirable smart casual duds while they sport Dre headphones and listen to music that pumps them up for the game.

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The rain may have delayed the event for a few days, but every good thing must always push through no matter how many times we encounter misfortunes. Even if it means waiting for a few more days, we simply had to follow the sun for a brighter set of activities. Though no gloomy weather can really put us down, the warmth of the sunshine was better than remaining indoors due to the rains. We really want to enjoy the most memorable experience so that we could later on share the stories to everyone.

Since not too many travel-related organizations offer the same set of packages, performers and activities, the event was attended by more than a hundred participants. Everyone gathered in Zambales for the most soulful and inspiring weekend of the year. Sun and Soul 2015 took place in Liwliwa, San Felipe, Zambales—a small town known for being a surfing spot, as well as its friendly locals.

Team FlipTrip envisioned this event as a collaboration with the community of Liwliwa, as everyone’s—including the locals’—effort helped make this come alive. Local FlipTrip partners, The Circle Hostel, Kila Bot Sir Ping Spot, Kapitan’s Liwa, Board Culture Liwliwa (BCL) and Mommy Phoebe’s collaborated with the team to prepare Liwliwa for the event.

A day before Sun and Soul, everyone in town were doing different things: level out the roads, paint the signs around the venue, and put up lights and decorations for the jam session. Truly it was an inspiring sight to see the community work together to make it an event to remember.

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There will be changes in the composition of the Philippine Azkals when they face Uzbekistan in their FIFA World Cup qualifier match on Sept. 8 at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan.

The Philippine Football Federation has added three new players to replace defender Rob Gier, forward Mark Hartmann and goalkeeper Tomas Trigo. Gier was put on the back burner because of a knee injury while Hartmann and Trigo were taken out.

The three new players are Filipino-German goalkeeper Roland Muller, Filipino-Dutch midfielder Paul Mulders and United Football League (UFL) team Global FC goalkeeper Jun-jun Badelic of Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.

Muller joined the Philippine national’s team training in 2011 and was eventually named in the final 20-man squad for the 2011 Long Teng Cup and the provisional Philippines under-23 squad for the 2011 Southeast Asian Games.

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BAYAN MUNA Partylist Representative Neri Javier Colmenares talks about Good Governance as an electoral agenda for poverty reduction at the Foundation for Social Sustainability (FSSI) forums held during their 20th Anniversary celebrations at the Gateway Mall of Araneta Center in Quezon City last August 9 and 10, 2015. The series of forums were held at one of the function rooms of the Gloria Maris restaurant located at the same mall.

What was very interesting about Colmenares' talk was about the different type of pork barrel, and how one man in full decision of the allocation of so much money can turn any politician or government employee into a corrupt public servant.

Greed will soon take over any righteous person given the responsibility to handle a huge amount. It is proper to just let the real experts, like the engineering team of government agencies like DPWH, to manage the many projects of which they are more than qualified to identify the importance and priorities.

We've talked earlier about how Representative Lennie Robredo discussed major highlights in her and her husband's life and career, and how the people have eventually become cooperative to projects run by or partnered with the local government unit of Naga.

Colmenares had a lot to say about some of his colleagues in the government, and how ludicrous their ideas were especially the one who wanted to shower the people of Payatas with baby cologne.

Foundation for a Sustainable Society Inc: Champions of Social Entrepreneurship

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We've attended the press briefing held by the Foundation for a Sustainable Society Inc., (FSSI) held during their 20th Anniversary celebrations at Gateway Mall where they had a series of activities which includes an opening ceremony, an exhibit, and a series of talks which spanned for two days from August 9 to 10.

At the press briefing, FSSI Executive Director Jay Bertram Lacsamana discussed how they empower the rural poor through Social Enterprises. He gave a lengthy presentation which was expected especially now that they have been around for 20 years yet this is the very first time they had a grand celebration to commemorate it.

With them are some of the officials of the FSSI, as well as two of the cooperatives who they have assisted through their projects by providing loans and additional support. Present were Laurence Padilla, Executive Director of the Palawan Center for Appropriate Rural Technology (PCART) and Ernesto Lactao, General Manager of the Malaya Development Cooperative and President of the Isabela -SE-LEd Network.

We had a n opportunity to ask them to give a few statements regarding how FSSI has helped their organization.

From the FSSI, Assistant Director Jerome Ignacio was able to share an overview of what FSSI is all about.

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"Project NOAH is the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) response to the call of President Benigno S. Aquino III for a more accurate, integrated, and responsive disaster prevention and mitigation system, especially in high-risk areas throughout the Philippines.

The Project will harness technologies and management services for disaster risk reduction activities offered by the DOST through PAGASA, PHIVOLCS, and the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI), in partnership with the UP National Institute of Geological Sciences and the UP College of Engineering."

Chief Technology Officer Oscar Victor Lizardo of Project NOAH was one of the esteemed guests to share the impact of disaster and calamities with regards to property concerns during the TOP-LRA Summit.

The TOPS-LRA Summit is a collaborative project of The Organization of Property Stakeholders Inc. (TOPS) and the Land Registration Authority (LRA) which aspires to provide new solutions and strategies to future challenges that might slow down the development of the property sector in the country.

Philippine 3D Printing and Digifab Expo and Conference 2015

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The future is here now that there are 3D printing technologies that will allow us to build our three-dimensional designs into real objects that we can use for real-life applications.

The possibilities of the uses of 3D printing are endless. The exhibitors commonly display toy or comic-inspired images like anime or cartoon characters as samples since they are more colorful and recognizable, but the stuff that you can print can be more functional and detailed than merely for fancy kid's toys.

I've first heard of 3D printing a few years ago but have only seen an actual 3D printer in action just last year at an event introducing 3D printing to us organized by one of the event exhibitors b=namely CIM Technologies, and the second time was during a recent event that talked about robotics and how the parts can be made out of 3D printed objects, and that was the first locally manufactured 3D printer created by Justine Gabutan of Puzzlebox 3D.

Since the type of raw materials used for printing can also vary, it is not surprising to soon hear about stronger and more durable materials that can be used for more specialized functions like surgery.

The Philippine 3D Printing and Digifab Expo and Conference 2015 was able to gather leading 3D printing companies to exhibit their products. The event was held last August 7 and 8, 2015 at the SMX Convention Center of SM Aura and showcased different companies that offer 3D Printing and related services. There were plenty of 3D printers on display as well as the many creations that were created using the same machines. I've even seen a few machines that were currently printing some 3D objects. Several talks were also held in conjunction to the expo so that the audience would get a good grasp of what 3D Printing is all about.

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Representative Maria Leonor "Lennie" Gerona-Robredo talked about best practices on Good Governance for an enabling environment during the series of forums organized by the Foundation for a Sustainable Society (FSSI) during their 20th Anniversary celebrations held at the Gateway Mall in Araneta Center Quezon City last August 9 and 10, 2015.

The forums were held at the Imperial room of the Gloria Maris restaurant located at the 4th level of the mall, while there were opening ceremonies held at the first day in conjunction with the exhibits held for both days at the ground floor of the said mall. A press briefing was also held sometime at noon on the first day where members of the media were given information about the 20th Anniversary with a theme of "Celebrating 20 Years of Just, Sustainable and Empowered Communities."

We have previously written about the events at an earlier blog article which only gave the overview of what transpired that day. Now we are posting a portion of the talks conducted by some of the guests speakers of which one of them is the Camarines Sur District 3 Representative, Lennie Robredo, the wife of the late Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) head Jessie Robredo who was also the former Mayor of Naga for several terms.

Below are the video coverage divided into two parts spanning around 10 minutes each.

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Davao is now being called a sustainable avenue for globally dynamic investments. As one of the Philippines' next wave cities, Davao is aggressively moving forward in the national business scene. Now, investors are flocking into the city as they capitalize on its economic dynamism. Here's why you should, too!

In a nutshell, here are the top perks of investing in Davao.

1. It is the Philippines' safest city (and recognized as fourth in global rankings)
2. It is the 3rd top outsourcing destination in the Philippines
3. It has a consistently booming economy

Davao is hailed as one of the country's Next Wave Cities as it aims to be the best in providing BPO services.

1. Focused on building high-tech infrastructure
2. Home to a rich source of qualified talents
3. Recognized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)

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Multilingual call center Open Access BPO officially launched its new office in Davao City, Philippines last August 11, as spearheaded by company CEO Benjamin Davidowitz and President Henry Chang. The office is set to start its operations in mid-September this year.

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Davidowitz emphasized the company’s culture more than the organization’s infrastructure and marketing activities as the main key to the firm’s growth.

“When I looked inside Open Access BPO and looked for options to grow outside of Makati, there was really no other decision but Davao because two of the most special people of our company had moved here. So this is why we’re here and this is where we’re going to grow,” Davidowitz remarked.

According to Davidowitz, Open Access BPO prizes its employees above other factors, as he believes that they are the most important driver of any organization’s success. This has paved the way for the company’s recent progress, including its previous expansion in Taipei, Taiwan and its improved capacity to deliver customer service in 25 languages. He also promises an enabling work environment for Davaoeños through the company’s newly launched office.

“When you see [our call center] ... it’s gonna be much more warm and more humanistic. The type of work we’re going to be providing to [professionals in] this area is going to be [scheduled during the] daytime, so people can have a balance between family life and work,” he commented during the event press conference.

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Finally, we have the complete set of video coverage of the six-part video coverage of the Single\Single Press Conference held at the 14th floor of ELJ ABS-CBN building last August 13. So it took me 5 days uploading seven 10-minute videos to finally be able to show them all to yo in one blog article.

The delay was due to a problem we had with our PLDT Home Internet connection of which was poor in performance due to an ongoing maintenance in our area. That is according to PLDT Home. Customer service couldn't pinpoint what exactly is the problem since none of them are really made aware of the actual situation. All they could offer is for you to file a rebate as soon as the connection normalizes.

Single\Single features Shaina Magdayao and Matteo Guidicelli will be shown soon at Cinema One on August 29 at 8 pm with replays every Wednesdays at 8:30 pm and Sundays at 10 pm. Meanwhile Francis Kong will be giving weekly wealth management advises in the Philippine Star newspaper in relation to the episodes shown. This project is a partnership between Cinema One and The Philippine Star.

Au-some 2 Rockin' Years: Skippy's Bar and Grill Celebrates 2nd Anniversary

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We send our heartfelt and warmest congratulations to Skippy's Bar and Grill for celebrating their 2nd year in the restaurant business.

The restaurant has offered a piece of Australia to both their Filipino and foreign customers throughout their two years of existence at the Forum building located in Bonifacio Global City. Owners Steve and Cristina Bird couldn't be more than proud they're still serving every mate out there with their dynamic Aussie resto experience.

My fellow bloggers and I got invited to join their 2nd year anniversary celebration on the night of August 15 Saturday where they also served some new dishes they will soon offer to their customers. I'm sure their loyal customers would be extremely happy to indulge on new dishes to satisfy their palate.

Restaurants really have to keep introducing new or special dishes to keep everyone's interest at a high knowing they would always find something new in the menu. It's a great idea to occasionally introduce new choices even for just a limited time, and to keep the favorites but lose the less in demand so that the customers would know the management listens to their cravings.

Among the dishes they served that night, I was biased to the Omelette Pizza since I have always been a pizza lover. The Shepherd's Pie came in second. Everything else came smacked in third. That means every dish was a winner! But don't just take my word for it, try them yourselves!

Wazzup Pilipinas!
Inside Out, that new adorable and cute animated movie from Disney and Pixar featuring characters representing emotions, is now showing in the Philippines, and Smart Parenting magazine, together with SM Cinema and Snacktime, recognized that there's a better way to use the popularity of the movie and its characters to give some parents and their children some additional excitement, learning and joy before aside from the special movie screening.

The companies, together with other sponsors like Krispy Kreme, Bioessence, and a lot more, offered special treats for both parents and children to pamper and bring extra fun to make their Saturday movie treat more memorable.

Marylaine Louise Viernes, one of the best, brightest, wittiest and highly in-demand events hosts, took charge of passionately hosting the Inside Out movie special movie screening event. She was wearing a lovely yellow outfit that made her look so stunningly more beautiful than she ever was. She wore yellow to be in tune with one of the characters of the movie named "Joy" and oh how wonderful she looked up there on stage, and most especially up close.

Speakers like Chef Roselle Miranda of Good Housekeeping, and Master Doodler Mark Dean Lim of Color Me Doodle, were there to share their expertise to the eager audience composed mostly of young children and their parents.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

There is an ongoing celebration of the Kaplag, or the 450th anniversary of the founding of the Sto. Nino in the Philippines. Read more about it in a separate article that we published a few days ago regarding our coverage of the press conference held at the San Agustin Church led by Father Harold Rentoria and the Augustinian fathers.

They informed us of the happenings like masses, processions, a conference, and a fluvial parade among many others, to be done in Manila to celebrate the Kaplag which is a very important celebration for many Catholics.

Below are some information about it to better inform us hat it is all about and how significant it is for the Philippines.

KAPLAG is a Cebuano term for "finding" or "discovery". The celebration refers to the historic finding of the religious relic, the image of the Santo Niño, on April 28, 1565. The image is believed to be brought by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 as a gift to Rajah Humabon and his wife, Amihan who were converted to the Christian faith. The image was discovered by one of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi's soldiers, Juan Camus, in a partially burned hut.

The 450th Anniversary of Kaplag also commemorates the 450 years of Augustinian presence in the Philippines. Likewise, the celebration marks the 50th Anniversary of the Santo Niño Church as having been elevated to the honorific title, “Basilica Minore” – a title conferred in 1965 by Pope Paul VI through his Papal Legate Archbishop Ildebrando Cardinal Antonuitti.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Thank you BeamAndGo for the experience of convenience in buying groceries at Super-8 Grocery Store,Ortigas Ext., My transaction was on Sunday August 9 in the morning and the text message was sent to the recipient the following day Monday August 10. Since we were both working throughout the weekdays, we claimed the online GC only today Sunday August 16 after coming from church. I'm impressed with how the Super-8 staff treated us like we were VIPs. We were actually the very first to use this Internet transaction at their branch.

What exactly is BeamAndGo?

I've posted an initial article about what exactly it is and how it greatly helps avoid remittances being misspent on other stuff. You may want to read it first by clicking on the link. BeamAndGo allows the sender to send a recipient an online GC using the service. A code will be sent through the recipient's mobile phone in the form of 3 Short Messaging System (SMS) text messages that they can show at certain partner establishments to easily claim the service.

The best example is this experience of ours when we tried the convenient facility at Super8 Grocery Warehouse located at Ortigas Extension. We got a hold of a voucher when a co-founder of Beam And Go gave us the opportunity to use their system. He was one of our guests at the Vigattin Radio show of Radyo Inquirer aired every Saturday from 10 to 11 am where I co-anchor with Elison Barcelo and Arne Barcelo. Even before the show started that day, he already handed over a voucher and encouraged me to try it out. He also gave some more to our other guests in the show so they too can experience what BeamAndGo is all about.