2015-11-15 ~ Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Voices in Harmony 2015: The 17th Annual Awit-Tagisan ng Batang Pilipino

Wazzup Pilipinas!

If one would look closely at the iconic logo of Voices in Harmony, one would notice that the three faces are tilted in different angles.

Yet there is one thing in common - they are all singing. This symbolizes the different perspectives individuals have and emphasizes how in singing, people unite and create harmony.

Through ViH, let us continue encapsulating the essence of Filipino culture and the arts - diverse but unitive.

Voices in Harmony, with its passion and heart for music, has withstood the Philippines' struggles for almost two decades. It has stayed strong together with the Filipino youth in preserving this country's culture through music.

The years made their music stronger.

With OPM and with you, ViH will not stop as long as there is Filipino music to be made.

Join them as they continue the mission.

Witness the top ten choirs as they sing it out for the championship in the grandest, most prominent, and most sought-after high school choral competition in the country, Voices in Harmony 2015: The 17th Annual Awit-Tagisan ng Batang Pilipino!

Don't miss your chance to experience the talent, the victory, and the glory of music on December 6, 2015, 5:00 PM at the AFP Theater. Mark your calendars and join them as they celebrate the endless possibility of writing new musical history.

Who will take home the coveted Aria? See you at the Finals Night!

Friday, November 20, 2015

Narantungalag Jadambaa and Marat Gafurov Set for One Featherweight World Championship Bout

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The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship (ONE), announced today that the mixed martial artists competing at ONE WUJIE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS II (BEIJING) are ready for all the action which takes place tomorrow evening, 12 November, at the Gymnasium of National Olympic Sports Centre in Beijing, China. ONE Featherweight World Champion Narantungalag Jadambaa and interim ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov have successfully made the featherweight limit ahead of their main event bout.

Visit the official ONE WUJIE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS II (BEIJING) weigh-in photo gallery by clicking: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6k384krsvdao0f3/AABoZfKfuYDUszYYrjf_77sta?lst=

CEO of ONE Championship, Victor Cui stated, “ONE Championship is back in Beijing and we’ve lined up an amazing card for fans all across the world! Our featherweight champions, Narantungalag Jadambaa and Marat Gafurov are ready to unify the ONE Featherweight World Championship. Get ready for a thrilling night of world-class MMA action!”

ONE Featherweight World Champion, Narantungalag Jadambaa stated, “I am proud to be recognized as champion. It is an honor for both myself and my country. Tomorrow night, Marat Gafurov and I will determine who will have the privilege to be called the undisputed champion.”

Interim ONE Featherweight World Champion, Marat Gafurov stated, “It has always been my dream to be champion. I won’t stop until I am considered the best in this sport -- for my family, my country and for myself. Tomorrow night, I have the chance to claim sole honor of being ONE Featherweight World Champion. It’s an opportunity that I am ready to seize.”

Wazzup Pilipinas!

For the third straight year, Globe Telecom President & CEO Ernest Cu is on the elite list of Global Telecoms Business Power 100 for 2015. Cu is the only Filipino executive to make it to the Power 100 and among the top 10 in Asia. The GT Business Power 100 annually releases its list of the most powerful people in telecoms worldwide.

This year’s list of Power 100 is different from previous year’s versions as inclusion was divided into a number of different categories such as operators in various parts of the world, over-the-top and content providers, hardware companies, among others. Cu was listed in the Top Ten Operators from Asia.

“Under Cu’s leadership, Globe Telecom has held its own against stiffening competition in the telecoms market in the Philippines. Setting itself apart from its rivals, the operator has focused on growing its revenue from the market’s postpaid subscriptions while providing consumers with value-added services such as music streaming service Spotify and video streaming service Hooq in a bid to boost its revenues,” Global Telecoms Business said. Global Telecoms Business is the only magazine and website dedicated for senior executives of telecommunication companies worldwide.

“Our business success catapulting Globe as the leading mobile operator in the Philippines is a result of our strategy of providing differentiated customer service. Globe shall continue to deliver innovative and game-changing products and services most relevant to our customers’ digital lifestyle,” said Cu.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Taking inspiration from the honored traditions of ancient Japan, Slimmers World International conducts the search for the 2015 Mr. & Ms. Great Bodies on November 21, 2015 at the Resorts World, Manila.

Asia’s foremost name in health, slimming, fitness and beauty, Slimmers World celebrates the 20th year of Mr. & Ms. Great Bodies with the biggest ever search for the pinnacle of physical perfection.

This year’s 32 candidates embody the spirit of the samurai, sacrificing time and effort, training relentlessly, and conducting themselves with unwavering discipline and honor to reach the ultimate goal of achieving the peak of the human form.

The 32 elite candidates, the practitioners of the way of the warrior are a diverse group from all across the country.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Michelin Pilot Sport EV overcame difficult weather conditions to deliver consistent, competitive performance and grip throughout the day in Putrajaya, Malaysia, despite temperatures in excess of 30°C, a track temperature of almost 50°C and humidity levels of between 60 and 90 percent.

Round 2 of the 2015/2016 Formula E ePrix featured the same format as 2014, with a 12-turn, 2.5km track and the start brought forward by two hours to 2:04pm local time in order to minimise the threat of wet weather. Indeed, torrential rain swept over the city an hour after the chequered flag was shown. The hot, damp conditions made the day hard not only for the drivers, but also for the battery of their all-electric single-seater racing cars. However, the teams knew they could count on their Michelin tyres which effectively proved a match for the challenge

Excellence and versatility

While all the teams are using the same chassis as least season, the latest technical regulations of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) now allow them to run their own motor, transmission and electronic management system. The rear suspension may also be modified, but the rest of the specification – including the battery – is identical to last season. Meanwhile, the FIA has authorised a power increase from 150kW to 170kW for the races, and from 170kW to 200kW in qualifying, and that has resulted in an improvement of around two seconds per lap at circuits like Putrajaya.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

AirAsia, the world’s best low cost airline for seven consecutive years, launched its all-new mobile application offering innovative new features, smoother functionality and an improved interface to provide guests with an enhanced and seamless flying experience with AirAsia.

AirAsia's mobile app is nominated as the 'World's Leading Low-Cost Airline App' at the upcoming World Travel Awards. This enhanced version is now available in 11 languages and it can be downloaded from the respective app stores of both iOS and Android devices.

Siegtraund Teh, Group Chief Commercial Officer of AirAsia said, “We are constantly investing in technology and innovation to make flying easier and more enjoyable for our guests. Our all-new mobile app offers our guests everything they need right at their fingertips. There has been over 9 million downloads of the AirAsia mobile app on both iOS and Android platforms, and we hope that more people will discover the convenience of our new and improved mobile app.”

Among the new features of the AirAsia mobile app are the ‘Add to Calendar’ feature, which automatically links upcoming flights to the calendar; faster and simpler flight booking process, as well as improved mobile check-in and Manage My Booking experience where guests can include various add-ons to their flight bookings easily.

Alodia Gosiengfiao, AKB48, Akishibu Project, Kawaii 5 and Friends at Cool Japan Festival 2015

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We just experienced the biggest Japanese event dubbed as Cool Japan Festival 2015 last November 7 and 8, 2015 courtesy of Hallo Hallo Alliance.

The event highlighted the biggest idols from Japan and the Philippines namely AKB48 Team 8, our very own cosplay queen Alodia Gosiengfiao, Akishibu Project, Kawaii 5 (featuring Amachan), the Japanese drum group Tokoro Taiko, Hello Kitty and Doraemon and his friends Nobita and Shizuka.

Alodia Gosiengfiao did a fabulous song number with the Akishibu Project to the delight of the crowd who were all fans of both celebrities.

The two day festival also featured Japanese-inspired attractions like the teamLab Drawing Aquarium where drawings on paper come to life on massive screen, http://www.team-lab.net/en/all/products/aquarium.html, the teamLab Camera where a photobooth with 3 kinds of fun backgrounds and unique themes is available: https://youtu.be/Pfb1taVJ5Ac, a real Sushi Nigiri Experience where they had a chef straight from Japan who taught attendees how to make sushi!

There were also a Make-up Workshop where we learned the kawaii style makeups from BCL cosmetics, a Hello Kitty / Sanrio booth giving you nothing but cute and kitty goodies!

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Finally, the advocacy for Cordillera Autonomy goes national. On November 25, 2015, the Regional Development Council of the Cordillera Administrative Region (RDC-CAR) will be holding a National Conference on Cordillera Autonomy at the Novotel Manila, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City. Around 350 officials of national government agencies, Congress and the Senate, the Judiciary, civil society organizations, executives of the business sector and the Cordillera leaders and elders will attend the National Conference.

The collective struggle for an Autonomous Cordillera has indeed come a long way. Since Philippine political independence in 1946, there have been several attempts by the Filipino government to integrate the Cordillera into the mainstream. The Commission on National Integration was established in 1957. In 1964, the Mountain Province Development Authority (patterned after the Tennessee Valley Authority) was established to facilitate development efforts in the region. By the 1970s, the Cordillera became a hotbed for foreign-funded infrastructure programs foremost of which were dams. The Cordillera peoples who continued to experience geographic and social dislocation opposed all these efforts. To suppress the local resistance, militarization in the region intensified.

Finally, in 1987, the Philippine constitution recognized the need for the establishment of autonomous regions in Mindanao and the Cordillera. Today, however, the Cordillera peoples still have to define the substance of that autonomy which would fully put to practice the Cordillera people’s vision of having control over their institutions, their economy and their affairs.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

MiCab, the Cebu-based tech startup that developed a low cost taxi-hailing app, will be sharing their experience as a startup or innovation-driven enterprise at the Startup Weekend (SW) Iloilo on November 12.

The tech start-up which started as a pitch during Startup Weekend Cebu in 2012 will also be sponsoring the inaugural SW Iloilo at UP Iloilo.

MiCab’s Chief Executive Officer Eddie Ybanez will be a judge and Chief Marketing Officer Kenn Costales will be mentoring the participants for the 54-hour startup competition and seminar.

“We at MiCab feel humbled and excited to share our experiences, failures and learning points, and hopeful that we can help in our own little way,” Ybanez added.

“MiCab are bringing their experience and perspective of running a homegrown startup. They can help participants go over their strategy and business model to hopefully form their own homegrown startup,” said Kyra Ann Dianon, SW Iloilo co-organizer.

“Our goal is to create an environment where skilled and creative people can come together to build a business idea within 54 hours. Startup Weekend offers participants the opportunity to learn, network, see their potential, and see a business idea turn to reality,” said Dianon.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Congratulations to Sharla Santillan of Baragatan Festival-Palawan for being the very first Mimaropa Festival Queen. Marielle Sarmiento of Oriental Mindoro is 1st Runner Up while Princess Anne Noche of Marinduque was 2nd Runner Up.

Marrielle Sarmiento, Miss Oriental Mindoro, was also Best in Modern Filipiniana Casual Wear, and Best in Barong Inspired Long Gown. She also won the Sponsors Awards for Miss Avon, Miss Kia Motors, and Miss Aram Wellness.

Miss Photogenic was Princess Anne Noche, Miss Marinduque. Best in Festival Wear was Mikaela Diestro, Miss Puerto Princesa, and the Best in Dance Presentation was Miss Palawan, Sharla Santillan.

The other Festival Candidates candidates are Ariane Garcia, Miss Calapan City, and Kattline Joy Eranes, Miss Romblon. Occidental Mindoro was not able to send a candidates since they are also busy celebrating their own 65th founding anniversary.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The call time for members of the media was at 6 am of October 29, 2015 at the Department of Tourism (DOT) Makati office. Our destination was San Juan, La Union, known as the surfing capital of the North for being the preferred surfing spot for both beginners and professionals who want a laid-back surfing experience.

With only five hours away from Manila, the place is very accessible even through commute via bus lines that directly pass along the spot where many surfing enthusiasts gather almost every weekend and even during weekdays especially during the surfing seasons when the tides are at its best.

We travelled via van exclusive to a handful of media people invited by DOT to cover the annual event. Wazzup Pilipinas is proud to be a part of the group. It was a great day to travel since it was fairly sunny and without any sign of rain. We will surely be stoked this weekend!

What makes the place very special is the annual surfing break event that is always held at the same spot. The 10th La Union Surfing Break, held from October 30 to November 1 at Urbiztondo San Juan, La Union, is the climactic event when all surfers, wannabes, and other like-minded individuals, enjoy being together under the sun and amongst the sand and sea.

La Unison Surfing Break is the flagship event of La Union that has continued to draw in crowds for years, and considered as one of the best tourism events geared on sports and wellness. If the regular days already attracts crowds, what more during the surfing break events. You'll definitely see San Juan alive all throughout the day - from early morning up until 9 am when surfing is at its best, and the nightlife at bars and restaurants where you can chill with your friends or barkadas, or just about anybody you newly met while surfing.

The event boasts of a street dancing competition, a surfboard design contest, several surf clinics from different surf shops, a sandcastle building contest, a sundown fun run, a Trick or Treat costume contest to celebrate Halloween, a Henna Tattoo design contest, and a Face and Body painting contest.

We had surfing lessons 101 from Surf Star, owned by Felimon "Lemon" Dines, who was also one of the organizers of the event. His team taught us the basics of surfing in just a few minutes before going to the waters, and almost an hour doing the actual surfing through their guidance. Some of us managed to successfully stand on top of the surfboard since some already had previous experience on surfing while some of us still had to endure falling down into the waters at every attempt.

Also at the event were a Fun Art exhibit by the Arts Guild of La Union (AsLAUN), a photography contest, a few surfing competition, a Zumba session, a beach volleyball tournament, and a beach party in the evening filled with booze and food from participating stalls.

Thank you to the organizers of the 10th La Union Surfing Break headed by DOT Region 1 Director Martin Valencia, La Union Tourism Officer Adamor Dagang, surfer and surf school owner Felimon "Lemon" Dines.

See you again next year for the 11th La Union Surfing Break, of which the DOT has announced the transfer of obligation to the local government. By next year, the LGU will now be responsible in organizing the annual event. We hope that it will be equally as successful as when the DOT was leading it.

Zoomanity Group Gives Diners a Taste of Dinner in the Dark

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Zoomanity Group, one of the leading companies in the park industry, is hosting a series of "Dinner in the Dark" events this November.

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of being one of the visitors of Zoocobia Park Zoo to experience this much-talked about dining event.

The zoo is located on top of Sacobia Valley in Clark, Pampanga. It's name was the combination of the words "zoo"anacobia". The name of Zoocobia’s three adorable owl mascots: Zooc, Cobi, and Bia, was derived from Zoocobia.

In addition to the park’s informative animal exhibits and taxidermy displays, Zoocobia offers a variety of other opportunities to make your visit memorable, from enjoying camel (yes, you read that right!) rides to feeding bearcats and long-tailed monkeys. It’s an ideal weekend getaway with loved ones, young and old.

An Intimate Afternoon with Addasound Philippines

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As technology moves, new trends emerge. High call volumes in today’s businesses have put forward higher requirements for headsets to have long time wearing comfort, excellent noise cancellation and durability at an affordable price.

Addasound Denmark A/S, global top headset manufacturer and headset provider of wearable intelligent voice and unified communication devices, can help us meet the said demands. The woman behind the Philippine office, namely Country Representative Loren Remo Aguilar, invited selected members of the media to an afternoon of coffee and snacks on November 17, 2015 at 1pm in Ascott Hotel, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Building up on the successful history of acoustic companies based in Denmark, Addasound believes that the trend goes further towards hand-free communication and natural sound. They develop products based on the customer's need and devote themselves into making outstanding technology practically usable. The ergonomic design combines outer simplicity with inner exquisiteness.

The event introduced us to the excellently crafted audio solutions developed by Addasound whose technology offers the latest state-of-the-art voice solutions led by an award winning team from Denmark, a global leader in sound technology.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

MCA Music’s very own Darren Espanto the runner up for the 1st season of The Voice Kids performed for Wish 107.5’s radio show called the Roadshow. The 14-year old showed his vocal prowess with his rendition of Sia’s hit, “Chandelier”.

Darren Espanto was able to hit and belt every note with ease thus impressing the DJ of the show; little did the young singer know that somewhere and somehow a very popular international artist was also wowed by his vocal chops.

Nicki Minaj an international singer and rapper shared the young singer’s video on her facebook page. “So effortless. Incredible voice!” said Nicki, sharing her thoughts about the video. Not only had the international artist got to share her thoughts about the video but also the fans of both artists also shared their delight over the video, and how impressed they are with the young singer’s amazing voice.

One person even said that Darren’s version is better than the original, while Darren’s fans thanked the international artists for sharing a video of their idol. Nicki’s shared video garnered 5,000 plus likes, and still counting!

Wazzup Pilipinas!

I was surprised to find out that I am Vitamin D deficient. This was according to the test conducted on me via a quick method using just a few drips of my blood pricked from one of my fingers. The tool was like that from a pregnancy test but instead of dripping urine, they used blood fro the testing.

According to the invitation we got, Vitamin D deficiency is now considered a global pandemic. Why does it matter? New research shows it's no longer just for calcium and bone health. Vitamin D deficiency is now linked to conditions like fatigue, depression, risk of pre-eclampsia, and diseases like diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's, and psoriasis!

This prompted me to attend the event held on November 12, 2015 at Biobalance situated at the Soho Central building at the Greenfield District along Shaw Boulevard. I assumed there will be free testing, and if ever they find me Vitamin D deficient, they will provide a corresponding solutionor cure.

We were informed that today's lifestyle, of being mostly indoors under roofed and airconditioned housing, establishments and other facilities, and the farming and preparation of our food (vegetables, fruits, poultry and similar sources, has changed the amount of Vitamin D we receive on a regular basis. At an afternoon of "D"-coding with BioBalance consultant, Dr. Stan Chua (Functional Medicine Practitioner) gave us more reasons why we needed to bask under the sun more often than stay indoors in the comfort of our homes.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Starting off with 10 lifestyle channels, from which 8 are locally-produced, TV4ME.ph, an online lifestyle multi-channel network from Media5 Marketing Corporation and Brand New Media, is offering content that the Filipinos would surely love, and the best part is everything is accessible for free, anytime, anywhere and on any Internet-connected device.

At the launch held on November 12, 2015 at the Brand NewMedia offices of the TV5 Media Center, the TV4ME.ph network was introduced to members of the media. Yours truly was among the selected media invited to the event where Mike Constantino, formerly from Yahoo Philippines, led the program which was hosted by Boom Gonzales, also one of the talents of the network.

During the press launch, we got to experience first-hand the rich quality of content TV4ME offers in all lifestyle aspects – food, wellness, fashion and travel. We interacted with some of the talents in front of and behind the online multi-channel network’s shows, and discovered how through TV4Me, we can find all the resources we need for a better life.

TV4ME.ph primarily serves bite-sized content via a best-in-class video technology that plays the videos seamlessly even on a tablet or mobile phone. Thousands of hours of helpful video content about food, fashion, home, and health & wellness fill the void in local content that Filipinos are most passionate about.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

These cities outside Metro Manila have what it takes to give you a spacious home that fits your one-million-peso budget.

Many assume that buying a home in a highly urbanized city (defined by the National Statistics Office as having a minimum population of 200,000 and an annual income of at least Php50 million) is expensive. But it looks like this is not the case. According to data from MyProperty.ph, the following are highly urbanized Philippine cities that boast urban yet laidback lifestyle, great culinary tradition, buoyant economies, and most importantly, affordable real estate.

DUMAGUETE CITY
Photo by Mike Gonzales via Wikimedia Commons

Dumaguete City, nicknamed the City of Gentle People, is located in the province of Negros Oriental. This city is accessible by air via Sibulan Airport (aka Dumaguete Airport), which is located in the general area of the city. If traveling by sea, it can be reached via daily ferry transportation to and from neighboring Cebu Province.

This city is also the home of Asia’s first American private university, Silliman University, which makes Dumaguete a popular college town in the Visayas region.

According to the 2014 Retire Overseas Index released by Live and Invest Overseas, Dumaguete is one of seven best places to retire in the world. The index, which was cited in an article published in Forbes magazine, singled out Dumaguete’s beaches, affordable real estate, and good health care facilities are major draws.

So if one plans to relocate in Dumaguete, he will be delighted to know that houses for sale in the city are some of the most affordable. MyProperty.ph data shows that depending on the area, a two-bedroom house may cost as low as P hp 410,000.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

If you own either a residential lot or a raw land and plans to sell it, then your property better be in Quezon City, Tagaytay, or Baguio to get as much inquiries as possible.

In a recent data analysis conducted by global property website Lamudi Philippines, these three cities, plus Davao and Antipolo, are the top five most searched by property-hunters researching land for sale online. Wrapping up the top 10 were Manila, Taguig, Pasig, and Dumaguete, with Las Piñas and Marikina tied at the 10th spot.

According to Lamudi, what is interesting about its latest data analysis is that half of the top 10 most searched cities are located outside Metro Manila. Tagaytay and Baguio are the second and third most searched cities, respectively, and many of those researching about available land for sale in these areas are probably real estate companies looking for potential new areas to develop, or private buyers looking for available lots to build their own vacation homes. Tagaytay and Baguio are both tourist hotspots popular during the summer and Christmas seasons.

On the other hand, Davao and Antipolo are cities with high population (1.45 million and 677,740 as of 2010, respectively), and both are popular with buyers looking to buy land on which to build their home. Ninety-five percent of all land for sale in Antipolo listed in Lamudi are residential lots, while in Davao it is 67 percent.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The N°1 NISMO-run Motul Nissan GT-R were forced to start the Motegi GT 250Km Race, final round of Japan’s 2015 Super GT Championship, from 12th on the grid after an extremely wet qualifying session. Even so, drivers Ronnie Quintarelli and Tsugio Matsuda were determined to finish at least fifth and, above all, ahead of the N°12 car (Yasuda/De Oliviera) which began the weekend with a three-point advantage over the Nissan squad in the Teams’ standings and two points clear in the Drivers’ classification.

Prior to the start, the staff at NISMO and its partner Michelin Motorsport were tense and extremely focused on their mission since success in Super GT is as much a question of prestige as it is an indication of technical supremacy. It is this that drives the Japanese makes and the four world class tyre brands which are active in the championship to dedicate such significant technological resources to the series.

Despite facing competition from three local tyre makers, Michelin has risen to the challenge in style in recent years to claim three of the past four titles, including the 2014 crown with NISMO and Quintarelli/Matsuda.

The track was wet and the weather overcast for the start of this year’s Motegi GT 250Km Race but brighter sky was visible on the horizon and the local forecasters predicted sunshine before the chequered flag. As a result, the crews faced a mixed bag of conditions, making tyre versatility a potentially crucial factor which boosted Michelin’s hopes of a strong result.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Varsitarian, the 87-year-old official student publication of the University of Santo Tomas, will be hosting the 17th edition of Inkblots, the annual UST national campus journalism conference and fellowship.

Inkblots will be held on Dec. 1 to 3, 2015 at Thomas Aquinas Research Complex in UST.

This year's Inkblots theme is "Rise Beyond the Norm," with speakers talking about how budding writers and journalists can rise above the constraints posed by the practice of journalism in the campus setting.

Inkblots speakers will share their expertise in doing good journalism in the digital era, through sessions in news writing, feature writing, sports writing, and photojournalism, among others.

Speakers include author Eros Atalia for Filipino Journalism, ABS-CBN reporter Christian Esguerra for news writing, Tempo Entertainment editor Nestor Cuartero for feature writing, and ABS-CBN Photographer and Editor Jun Sepe for photojournalism.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"All Universes must begin somewhere."

Come see the wonders on the 28th of November as Woman, Create finally debuts the first edition of their creative planner, 365 Wonders, a planner / art book featuring local artists, writers, illuminators and dreamers across the city. For 365 days, let this book be your excuse to create, scribble, think, ideate and find inspiration in your everyday; a reason to jumpstart your creative journey and enrich the Universe found within you.

Find truth and comfort in the art, stories, thoughtful meanderings, poetry, lines, insights and experiences of strangers you will never meet, except through this book.

Are you ready to ...take the next dip into your creative wonders?

Avail our pre-order promo from November 10 - November 28, 2015 to receive 20% OFF its original price.

Pre-order via: http://bit.do/365WondersPreOrder

Wazzup Pilipinas!

This November 21, 2015, the University of the Philippines Department of Science and Technology Scholars’ Association (UP DOST SA) will be holding the 31st Annual SciQuiz, or simply SciQuiz: HELIX, at the College of Science (CS) Auditorium, UP Diliman. On this day, Grades 7 to 10 students from all over the region will gather to engage in a healthy competition that will test their knowledge of the different sciences.

With the theme, “HELIX: Spiraling Towards Scientific Excellence,” the event aims to enhance students’ scientific abilities and critical thinking skills, promote science consciousness among the youth, and build camaraderie among the participating schools. It shall also introduce the DOST-SEI scholarship for the future applicants. SciQuiz: HELIX consists of the following rounds: (1) a written exam, (2) a quiz bee round, (3) an oral defense, and (4) a buzzer beater round.

This year’s SciQuiz is co-presented by Iflix, in cooperation with Ponds, also brought to you by the Mind Museum with our media partners Wazzup Pilipinas, ClickTheCity and DZUP 1602. Your school can still join! For more information, like UP DOST SA’s official SciQuiz page: www.facebook.com/SciQuizUPDOSTSA.

Monday, November 16, 2015

U-Hop Wins Final Arena Battle at Tech in Asia 2015

Wazzup Pilipinas!

U- hop, the country’s first app based shuttle service, recently won in the Final Arena Battle at Tech in Asia 2015 held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Tech in Asia’s two day conferences are held tri‐annually in Singapore, Tokyo, and Jakarta. They are among Asia’s largest conferences organized for the region’s tech ecosystem. The conference bring together entrepreneurs, investors, media and developers to understand more about the startup community.

Before the conference proper, Tech in Asia scour the whole Asian region and pick the top 10 startups to compete in the final Arena battle on November 12. U- hop was chosen to participate and won in the Arena. The first Filipino company ever to win the prestigious competition.
U- hop brought home a prize money of US$10,000 and a legacy engraved on Tech in Asia Jakarta 2015 Champion Trophy. Our victory was featured on different media outlets all over the world.

Tech in Asia’s partners include Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Samsung to name a few.

Ayala Land, Inc. Bags ITS South Terminal Project

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has awarded the Integrated Transport System (ITS) South Terminal to Ayala Land, Inc. after the firm submitted the bid with the lowest annual grantor payment of Php 277.8-Million. The original project cost is at Php 4-Billion.

“This is the second ITS Project that we have awarded. Our goal here is to give passengers coming from the South seamless transfers to other modes of transportation, as well as help decongest traffic in the Metro.” said DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya.

The winning concessionaire is required to submit post-award requirements to the Pre-qualification, Bids and Awards Committee (PBAC) no later than twenty (20) days from the receipt of the Notice of Award (NOA).

Ayala Land, Inc. is responsible for the design and construction of the new terminal which will be situated in a 5.57 hectare land along FTI Compound in Taguig, this will connect passengers traveling from neighboring provinces such as Laguna and Batangas to other modes of transport including buses, taxis and jeepneys.

The private concessionaire will operate and maintain the terminal for a period of thirty-five years (35).

Construction is set to commence in August 2016 and be completed in 18 months or in January 2018. Operations of the terminal will be in full swing by February 2018.

Sparta Opens Calisthenics Academy

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Sports and Recreational Training Arena, also known as SPARTA, recently opened the first and only calisthenics academy in the country.

SPARTA has a sprawling space of almost 10,000 square meters right smack in the middle of Mandaluyong City. The entire facility is being developed phase by phase. Early this year, it initially opened the country's first and only FIFA 1-star certified indoor football field.

Its owner, TV host and football player Amanda Fernandez, says, “We envision a sports facility which turns ordinary individuals into modern-day Spartans wherein they can overcome their own limitations through constant practice and focused training that challenge them beyond their limits.”

The Sparta Calisthenics Academy was launched this November with the aim of training athletes and non-athletes using bodyweight movements. The benefits of calisthenics include being able to build Spartan-like strength, power, balance, endurance, proprioception, and of course, aesthetics.

Calisthenics comes from the Greek words, "Kalos" and "Sthenos” which means beauty and strength.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Nick Foster, in the Bob Jane T-Marts Porsche fitted with Michelin tyres, has been crowned the 2015 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Champion this weekend on the streets of the Gold Coast.

After what he described as the worst possible start to the season, Nick Foster never gave up and today claimed the ultimate reward.

Failing to score even a single point in the first four races of the season, the challenge ahead of Nick was huge. The speed was always there, and thanks in part to the knowledge that his tyres would not let him down, Foster was able to push hard in every race.

“To win the Championship is by far the best moment of my career so far – it hardly seems real at the moment! Even though the start of the year was tough, I never gave up because I knew we had the package to get the job done,” said Foster.

“Having the confidence to push hard each and every lap was really important, especially this season. With Michelin tyres we know this is possible. There have been times this season when we have taken the tyres off at the end of the round, and there is still plenty of life left. We can’t ask for more than that!”

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In line of Thanksgiving Day celebration on November 26, Burgoo is giving away Free Angus Cheeseburger from November 26-30 with P500.00 food purchase at any Burgoo American Bar Restaurants.

An annual celebration in the US, Thanksgiving Day is now also celebrated in the Philippines which is also a time for merrymaking, shopping, family reunions and feasts. Consequently, this Thanksgiving Day feast on Burgoo’s sumptuous variety of appetizers to share, sandwich and burgers, soups and salads, stone-baked pizzas, delicious pasta, mouth-watering chicken and chops, seafood sensations, premium steaks and ribs, and luscious desserts. At Burgoo it’s always a family treat!

This is also Burgoo’s way of thanking God for its many blessings ad giving back to its loyal guests!

The Burgoo restaurants are located at Tomas Morato (9277424), Rockwell (8981815), The Podium (6875565), Gateway Mall (9136112), SM Mall of Asia (5560091), Robinsons Galleria (6336256), The Block (4420115), SM Marikina (4771934), Fairview Terraces by Ayala (720-9513), SM Southmall (5192114), The District Imus (0915-8023070), and Starmall Prima in Taguig (632-1411).

Thanksgiving Treats At Gumbo

Wazzup Pilipinas!

On the fourth Thursday of November, Gumbo New Orleans Restaurant joins in commemorating this one of the most important holidays in the US, Canada and several countries including the Philippines. Thanksgiving Day is a joyous family festival celebrated with lots of enthusiasm. On this day people express gratitude to God for His blessings and give thanks to dear ones for their love and support.

As an act of thanksgiving, Gumbo is giving away complimentary Fish & Chips with P500.00 food and drinks purchase in all of its outlets from November 26-30. Thank your family and friends by treating them with these sumptuous and mouth-watering dishes at Gumbo such as Seafood Jambalaya, Bayou’s Stuffed Crabs, Shrimp Etouffe, Bourbon-Style Baby Back Ribs, Southern-Grilled Chicken Caesar, Cajun-Style Fried Chicken, Seafood Boil, Family Feast, among others.

Visit Gumbo at SM Mall of Asia (5560238), The Block 442-0106, Mega Atrium (6353015), Robinsons Manila Midtown (5671820), Gateway Mall (440-4632), Robinsons Magnolia (7209632).

Upsilon Sigma Phi Conducts Breakthrough Medical Mission

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Celebrating 97 years of excellence, leadership and service, the Upsilon Sigma Phi, the oldest Greek-lettered fraternity in Asia, recently reaffirmed its commitment to serve the public with the Upsilon Cares: Free medical, dental, optical and surgical mission held last November 14 at Barangay Kabulusan, Pakil, Laguna.

A breakthrough number of more than 2,000 underserved residents of six barangays Banilan, Dorado, Casa Real, Matikiw, Casinsin and Kabulusan in Pakil received free medical and health care services including medicines and eyeglasses. In cooperation with the Provincial Government of Laguna, the activity was part of the UP-based fraternity’s 97th anniversary celebration appropriately dubbed “Transcendence: 97 Years of Living the Imperative of Service” and is a continuing testament to the brotherhood’s tradition of making a difference in the lives of Filipinos.

The massive public service initiative was also a major success as it was able to bring together almost a hundred resident members and alumni from the fraternity’s only two chapters in UP Los Banos and UP Diliman/Manila. Upsilon alumni doctors, Dr Renato Dario, Dr Ian Ezpeleta, Dr Francis Rabara, Dr Jegar Catindig and Dr Sean Aquilino and twenty (20) other UP Manila medical students also collaborated with other doctors and staff of the provincial government medical team in dispensing various medical assistance services of the event.

Upsilon Cares provided FREE of these services: medical consultation, dental (tooth extraction), minor surgical procedure (warts removal, cysts (Sebaceous, Lymphoma), boils, circumcision), optical (eye screening) and pap smear. Also, free ECG and laboratory (FBS/ RBS, urinalysis, cholesterol test, uric acid test). The event also provided free medicines, eyeglasses, food, games and toys for kids and provided even free haircut for all.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Sodas and juice drinks are no longer the only things that come in 6-packs as Starmobile offers the UNO B206 featurephone in discounted 6-pack bundles. Dubbed the ‘Christmas 6-Pack Deal‘, the limited-time offer gives Filipinos to enjoy additional holiday savings by buying in bulk.

“Christmas is a time of giving and reconnecting with family and friends. The UNOB206 6-pack deal is an easy and affordable way to be able to call and text your loved ones both here and abroad,” said Starmobile President Ulysses Lao.

Available beginning tomorrow, October 31, 2015 at S&R Fort BGC, Shaw Boulevard, Congressional, Alabang, and soon S&R Nuvali, the bundle includes 6 phone units, 6 multi-cut Smart Prepaid SIMs, and 6 gift labels at a discounted price of only P3,399.

We would also like to share with you Starmobile’s first nationwide brand TVC. It is now airing in major networks and on cable TV.

Starmobile TVC (30s): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbdAui6ukqc
Starmobile TVC (15s): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5gwjijsHsc

Design Ideas That Appeal To Women Home Buyers

Wazzup Pilipinas!

With Filipino women comprising 61 percent of all prospective homebuyers, according to data from Lamudi Philippines (www.lamudi.com.ph), it is imperative homes are designed in a way that appeals to them. After all, Filipino women have a huge say on how much to buy, where to buy, and what to buy—the latter should appeal to their tastes. Hence, real estate developers and homebuilders should incorporate more women-friendly design into the homes they sell. Lamudi Philippines has a few suggestions.

1. Walk-in Closet

A walk-in closet is a big draw among female homebuyers not just because of the ample space it provides, but also because it offers a smart storage solution. In advent of small homes and condos, the idea of a “perfect” storage involves plastic boxes stacked on top of one another, which creates a problem as sensitive items like leather shoes and bags stored inside them become susceptible to mildews. If properly designed, a walk-in closet lets a homeowner have a space these items “breathe,” be on display, and easily reached.

2. Easily Accessible Laundry Area

Most Filipino homes have laundry area at the back of the house, which is a long way from the bedroom. Why not have it easily accessible to the master bedroom? This will mean shorter trips from the clothesline to the bedroom closets.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Vermosa, Ayala Land’s sprawling 700 hectare modern suburban community in Cavite that integrates healthy living with everyday life, holds Vermosa Holiday Escape, a unique Christmas bazaar that offers a much needed escape from the stressful, crowded and run-of-the-mill shopping experience in the metro.

On December 12 and 13, the Christmas vibe will fill the air as holiday shoppers go full throttle in picking gift items from a wide range of products and items billed as GO GREEN and GO ACTIVE.

GO GREEN merchants will sell fresh, healthy and organic wares straight from nearby farms and local markets in Cavite. Shoppers can also unwind and treat themselves to a refreshing massage and other natural treatments from Nurture Wellness Spa. Meanwhile, GO ACTIVE has athletes and sports enthusiasts in mind, expect sporting gears, apparels, and accessories to choose from. The bazaar will also feature top Instagram sellers offering a new platform to shoppers who are active and always on the go.

At its core, holiday bazaars bring families to spend time together and Vermosa Holiday Escape has prepared many family activities to enjoy such as musical entertainment from OPM, food trucks, kite flying, remote control cars, and art workshops for kids. Adding thrill and excitement to the two-day event, don’t miss the opportunity to watch some of the country’s top riders as they hold motocross and bike skills clinics at the recently launched Vermosa Mountain Bike Skills Trail (MTB) and Vermosa Motocross Track (MX).

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Online property portal Lamudi Philippines has released an updated version of its innovative Android app. The update features extensive improvements to its user interface with a major focus on the map experience.

The addition of maps means increased usability and functionality, where users can quickly and easily add and remove properties to their favorites list directly from the map. They can also change search criteria without leaving the map screen.

Additionally, properties without images or pricing information can be excluded from search results. When users return to the map from a particular listing, the improved map feature retains its previous view settings, such as the user’s position and properties viewed.

The latest update also includes other useful features, such as retaining previously viewed maps offline after having visited a listing, as well as special markers for favorited and already-seen properties.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Enjoy worry-free connectivity with the Surf More monthly mobile data of 15GB, free content access to premium apps, plus exclusive perks and privileges for your Platinum lifestyle

Globe Telecom premium postpaid brand Globe Platinum has unveiled its roster of offerings for the highly-anticipated devices today, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, with its enhanced Platinum Lifestyle Plans, giving customers exclusive access to another signature premium customer experience that only Globe Platinum can offer.

With the Platinum Lifestyle Plan 3799, Globe Platinum customers can enjoy the iPhone 6s 16GB for free complete with a rich mobile data allocation of 15GB monthly, a built-in productivity pack for free use of Facebook, Viber, Gmail, and Yahoo Mail, unlimited texts to all networks and unlimited calls to Globe/TM, and a choice of a complimentary premium app (Spotify Premium, HOOQ, or NBA) until December 31, 2015.

Meanwhile, customers can avail of the iPhone 6s Plus 16GB or the iPhone 6s 64GB free with the Platinum Lifestyle Plan 4999. Its All-Net or Roam offer also allows users to Surf More with an increased data allocation of 15GB on top of the extensive plan inclusions such as unlimited calls and texts to all networks or consumable roaming. Apple’s latest mobile marvels are also available on Platinum Lifestyle Plan 7999 which comes with the iPhone 6s 128GB and iPhone 6s Plus 128GB powered with an Unlimited Data Roaming feature.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The leading mobile messaging app calls on Filipino creatives to be the next great sticker artist via the Sticky Fingers 2 design competition. This time around, Sticky Fingers focuses on having creatives from all over bring their favorite cities to life with the My City, My Vibe theme.

Viber, best known for its stickers that ooze with personality, has initiated the contest with worldwide creative community Talenthouse to find the next great sticker artist whose winning design will be available to send across the globe by the messaging app’s 516 million users.

20 finalists will be selected, each to receive $1,000. From those, 5 artists will be chosen to work with the Viber design studio to develop their character into sticker packs, and receive a revenue share for every sticker sold of their design. The competition is open to Filipino creatives, and as the selection will be based on quality of submission, the more entries the Philippines produces means higher chances for Pinoys to make it as finalists.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Globe Telecom believes that the equitable distribution of the unused 700-megahertz frequency band currently held by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) will help improve Internet speed in the country, and is one of the answers to the explosion of mobile data use.

“Part of the solution to the clamor for faster Internet is the harmonization of the 700 Mhz frequency,” said Globe General Legal Counsel Atty. Froilan Castelo. “Giving active and operating telecommunications companies access to this band will allow the industry to provide broadband and data services at faster speeds and in a more cost-efficient manner,” he added.

Castelo said that as early as 2005, Globe already wrote to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) requesting for an allocation and assignment of frequencies within the 700 Mhz and 800 Mhz for its broadband wireless network, but NTC did not act favorably on its request.

Earlier, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) also pressed the NTC to auction off part of the 700 Mhz frequency band to industry players who actually have more subscribers than SMC. PLDT’s Regulatory Affairs head Atty. Ray Espinosa said that the frequency is very important in terms of providing local networks with the ability to attain much needed capacity and speed.