NEC Aims to Discover New Drugs Harnessing Advanced AI Technology

Wazzup Pilipinas!

NEC Corporation announced the establishment of “CYTLIMIC Inc.” (CYTLIMIC), a new company that promotes the development and application of therapeutic cancer peptide (*1) vaccines discovered using NEC’s unique advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. Moreover, NEC has concluded an agreement in respect to a third-party allocation of newly issued shares to CYTLIMIC underwritten by Fast Track Initiative, Inc., SMBC Venture Capital Co., Ltd., and NEC Capital Solutions Limited as part of reinforcing its healthcare business and commencing with the drug development business.

NEC’s “NEC the WISE” (*2) cutting-edge AI technologies combine machine learning and experimentation to produce a unique “immune function prediction technology” that is able to efficiently discover peptides that are potential vaccines in a short period of time and at a low cost.

Harnessing this technology, NEC has been engaged in collaborative research since 2014 with Yamaguchi University and Kochi University, and in clinical research with Yamaguchi University, resulting in the discovery of a peptide vaccine that promises to be effective in the treatment of hepatoma and esophageal cancer and is compatible with the genetic profile of approximately 85% of Japan’s population.

Currently, NEC is advancing its application as a new cancer drug through CYTLIMIC, by developing investigational use formulations of the discovered peptide vaccine, confirming its safety and efficacy through nonclinical and clinical tests, and investigating its commercialization with pharmaceutical companies. With initiatives such as this latest drug development business, NEC will continue to expand its “Solutions for Society” business by harnessing AI and other cutting-edge technologies to strengthen its healthcare business.

Love Your Family at the SM Store

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When one thinks of Christmas, one thinks of family. It’s that time of year when members – who at times are based in different parts of the country – get together to celebrate the joys of the season.

It’s also a time to highlight cherished family traditions – the Christmas reunion, the Noche Buena spread, and gift giving. While these have undergone some updates through the years, these are the ties that bind and bring so much happiness to family members.

This year, The SM Store in Makati, Aura and Megamall celebrates the holidays with the #SMLoveYourFamily campaign.

Here, the Alunan family, style siblings Daryl and Andre Chang, fashion photographer BJ Pascual, and Eric and Bea Soriano-Dee share with us why Christmas is truly a time to love your family at SM.

Alodia Gosiengfiao To Launch Mobile Game App "Zombies vs Humans" this Christmas

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"Been keeping this a secret for so long but finally, I can announce it! Our game “Zombies VS Humans” is almost done! It is a mobile game and it will be out this Christmas! 

We’ve been working on this for over a year! And this team of talented artists and programmers has done an amazing job creating this game from scratch! I am so honored to be actually part of this amazing game development company - Club Six Studios! We’re an all Filipino team (some based in the US) and hope you guys would support this as we release it in the next few weeks! 

Right now, we are finalizing little details in the game play, UI and stability! Please check back for more updates!" - Alodia Gosiengfiao

If you're going to ask if the geeks with her are working on the mobile game for free, then that could be a possibility in exchange of the popularity it will give the game development studio since Alodia is undoubtedly a celebrity icon in the cosplay and gaming industry. I also know quite a few geeks who would work for free just to be close to her...hehehe

The Tower Defense mobile game app will be available in the IOS App Store soon! Android to follow. We have no idea yet if it will be available for free but Alodia promises to give updates soon since they plan to put this out on Christmas day.

"A growing number of Hollywood celebrities pursue tech-related businesses. Vin Diesel runs a game development studio. Ashton Kutcher invests in Silicon Valley startups.
Most Filipino celebrities just open restaurants. This girl bucks the trend. Alodia Gosiengfiao, the world's most popular cosplayer, announces her development studio's upcoming game. 

Interestingly enough, Jessica Nigri, America's most popular cosplayer, has stated in interviews that she wants to put up a game development studio someday. 

This could become a trend among top cosplayers. Considering the connections they make over the course of their careers, it makes perfect sense. The video game industry is the number one employer of cosplayers as promotional models." - Mike Abundo

*Photo credits from Alodi's FB page

App Challenge Cebu 2016 Awards Winners

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Globe Telecom, in partnership with Molave Development Foundation, awarded Team Magtutudlog Bisaya, comprised of Jonie Aranzado-Jumamil, Genesis Lagacan, and Vahn Marty Cagalawan, as the Grand Prize winner of App Challenge Cebu 2016 held last December 13, 2016 at the Cebu City Public Library. The competition was designed to encourage local developers to create educational Android apps that will teach K-3 pupils about reading and writing in Cebuano. The team bested other teams in a live pitch and prototype demonstration to a panel of esteemed judges: Ms. Michelle Tapia, Ms. Bea Lacson, and Ms. Mara Garcia from Globe Telecom; Ms. Irma Saligumba from Molave Development Foundation; Ms. Irene Pilapil from the Department of Education, and Ms. Tina Amper of TechTalks.ph.

“Amazing, we can’t believe it,” Jonie exclaimed when he and his team won PhP 100,000 in the App Challenge. Aside from the cash prize, the team is supported with supervisory guidance and continued mentorship from Globe Telecom, Molave Development Foundation, and IREX through their Beyond Access program as they continue to build their learning app.

While the team, along with their university MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology, celebrates their win, they are also looking forward to developing their learning app further in the next few months to come. The app, which will feature familiar games to Cebuano kids, will be an essential digital tool in teaching kids how to read and write in Cebuano. Education stakeholders present at the Pitch & Awarding, including officials from the University of Cebu, the Mayor’s Office, Department of Education, and the Cebu City Library, have commented on how the app will be a welcome addition to the literacy content for the Cebuano community.

At present, a lot of students have minimal-to-no usable material for in-classroom learning or for self-study especially for fundamental skills like mother tongue literacy in K-3, thus, while they are able to speak and to understand their main language or dialect, their reading and writing abilities are limited.

On the other hand, many teachers all over the country are saddled with additional work on content development to compensate for the lack of available good-quality materials instead of being able to focus on improving student outcomes.

Cebuano is among the pre-identified major Mother Tongues for instruction, according to the Department of Education. The language is the second most widely used language, after Tagalog, and is spoken by 21 million Filipinos.

The app is expected to help address the problem by teaching the half-a-million Cebuano children their native alphabet and helping them build their vocabulary, among other things, through various activities. Learning concepts will focus on colors, numbers, shapes, family members, and/or body parts.

Team MAJA, comprised of Aldrin Navarro, Jay Arnel Bilocura, and Jae Marie Magdadaro, came in as the first runner-up in the App Challenge. Their learning app, when developed, has great potential to be added to the ever-growing body of content for the Cebuano language.

Globe Telecom, along with Manila-based Molave Development Foundation and Washington D.C.-based IREX, are closely invested in enriching education through tools, content and technology that advance basic education in the Philippines. The local developer community is very much alive and thriving, and as highlighted through the promising work of budding developers, has great potential to help shape and transform Philippine education for the better.

PPA Ready for the Holidays all the Way to the Chinese New Year

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With only five days to go before the Philippines celebrates Christmas and 12 days away from the New year, Philippine ports remain efficient and productive despite the influx of Christmas cargoes.

Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) General Manager Jay Daniel R. Santiago, however, continues to urge the cargo owners not to relax in the cargo withdrawals and continue to take advantage of the Truck Appointment and Booking System in order to have a very smooth turnaround time for the country’s foreign cargoes.

“Philippine ports, particularly our international gateways, will be in full commercial operations except for a couple of hours on Christmas and New Year’s Day because ships continue to come and go even during holidays,” Santiago explained.

“I am urging all cargo owners and other stakeholders to maintain their current operations in order to have a swift turnaround time for their cargoes and if possible send their exports bound for Chinese ports early to prevent any hold-up when celebrations for the Chinese New year kicks in,” Santiago said.

“The domestic ports are also replicating the procedures of the international ports in order to secure safe travel of passengers relative to Oplan Ligtas Biyahe: Christmas 2016 and at the same time guarantee just in time delivery of domestic goods,” Santiago added.

As of the moment, cargo utilization at the two main gateways of the Philippines—the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) and the Manila South Harbor (MSH)—remain very healthy at 60% or approximately 49,000 twenty-foot equivalent units inside the terminal ready to be withdrawn or exported. Yard productivity at the two ports also remains high with an average of 20-25 moves an hour.

Both terminals attribute the healthy yard utilization and productivity to the Truck Appointment and Booking System as well as the high storage penalty imposed by the Authority.

Cargo volume, on the other hand, is in the uptrend since the start of the 3rd quarter due to the run-up to Christmas by about 10% a month.

PPA has likewise maintained the tight security in the domestic ports since the All Saints Day celebration to ensure safety, security and comfort of passengers while inside the terminals.

“I reiterated to our port personnel to take all the necessary measures to reduce any inconvenience and to make sure that our ports are safe at all times,” Santiago said.

PPA has likewise assured importers, exporters and cargo owners that ports have enough capacity with the coming Chinese New Year wherein Chinese-owned firms shut down operations for a couple of days for the festivities.

Have a Cheesy Christmas at Burgoo!

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Imagine this luscious, heavenly, creamy cheesecake to be the centerpiece of your Noche Buena and Medya Noche table! Yes Burgoo American Bar and Restaurant is now selling your favorite Cheesecake in time for this Christmas season so the whole family can enjoy it at the comfort of their homes and also to giveaway to friends and loved ones.

Save as much as 20% discount for the whole cheesecake! It comes in two sizes: 8” Raspberry and Oreo Cheesecake priced at P1,800 while get 6” of these flavors for only P1,350. Other cheesecake varieties available are Black & White and Fudge Brownie Cheesecakes for P1,950 (8”) and P1,470 (6”). These impeccable and superior cheesecakes are made upon order only to ensure quality and freshness. Please order at least 3 days in advance at Burgoo Rockwell (8981815) to get these cheesecakes for take out or pick up only. However you can still coordinate at Burgoo Rockwell if you’ll like your cheesecake to be picked up at other branches located at Tomas Morato, The Podium, Gateway Mall, SM Mall of Asia, Robinsons Galleria, The Block, SM Marikina, Fairview Terraces by Ayala, SM Southmall, The District Imus, and Starmall Prima in Taguig, and Solenad 3 in Sta Rosa Laguna.

Also don’t miss 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 other luscious desserts this Christmas celebrations. At Burgoo it’s always a family treat!

Gumbo Muffins for Gift Giving and Noche Buena

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Does it seem like a chore to shop for gifts especially during the Christmas Season? Looking for something new and fresh especially for those people who seem to have everything. Give them these superb and delicious Gumbo Muffins! Made only from the highest and quality ingredients, they’re perfect for gifts, potluck or even family gatherings for Noche Buena Medya Noche.

Available at all Gumbo branches at SM Mall of Asia (5560238), The Block 442-0106, Mega Atrium (6353015), Robinsons Manila Midtown (5671820), Gateway Mall (440-4632) and Robinsons Magnolia (7209632) for take out or pick up only, these muffins comes in a box of 6 for P150.00 and box of 12 for only P275.00 Also, try these 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 for dine in or take out, perfect treat these holiday season!

OFWs Now Able to Provide Medicines to their Family Through Globe and RiteMed Partnership

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Globe Telecom’s International Business Group recently partnered with RiteMed Philippines, Inc. (RiteMED) to offer a service that allows overseas Filipinos to purchase RiteMED medicines while abroad and be able to deliver to their dependents in the Philippines.

“This is just one of our initiatives to show our customers that we are expanding beyond communications and on to relevant life services to empower and improve lives of Overseas Filipinos”, says Senior Vice President for International Business Group Nikko Acosta.

“RiteMED recognizes the dedication and sacrifices of our fellow Filipinos working abroad to serve their families here in our country. Our partnership with Globe will enable us to assist our kababayans to ensure that their families are well taken care of by providing safe and reliable access to affordable and high quality medicines,” adds Vincent Patrick Guerrero, General Manager of RiteMED.

Together with Globe International Business Group, RiteMED has created an avenue for Globe customers to have an easier access to the most trusted branded generic line of medicines for their families back home.

With this partnership, customers can easily call or approach a distributor’s agent, select the medicines from a catalog, fill out a physical order form and then pay in cash. Globe Distributors send order details through an interim Order Management System (OMS) wherein partner retailers receive the orders then call the Philippines’ recipients to validate the orders. They deliver the medicines and update the OMS. Upon delivery, customers are advised by the Distributor’s agent.

Globe is also gearing up for the launch of an online solution for this type of service. Soon, customers will be able to purchase RiteMED medicines directly using the online solution where they can pay using cash via agent or credit card. Partner retailers will call the recipients, deliver the medicines and update the online solution once orders have been received. Customers will be informed via SMS/Email upon delivery.

Aside from medical supplies, Globe provides international hotline support to overseas customers to ensure proper customer service is in place regardless of location. Customers can call Globe’s international hotline at 58036610 anytime to check on their order’s status.

“Through this first of its kind partnership, Globe customers can now enjoy the best operational assistance to deliver the brand’s connectivity services namely, the embedded SIM cards for laptops and tablets that work like data roaming through a Globe network,” stressed Nikko Acosta.

For more information, you may go to www.globe.com.ph.

For First Time, NBA Players and Media will Join Fans in Selecting Starting Lineups for NBA All-Star 2017

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For the first time ever, NBA players and basketball media will join fans in selecting the starters for NBA All-Star 2017 in New Orleans. NBA All-Star Voting 2017 presented by Verizon will tip off at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 25 before an exciting lineup of five Christmas Day matchups on ABC and ESPN.

Fans were first given the opportunity to vote for NBA All-Star starters during the 1974-75 season. This year, the league will extend the platform to include two other important constituents of the game – NBA players and NBA media. Fans will account for 50 percent of the vote, while all current players and a panel of basketball media will account for 25 percent each.

Players and media will be able to complete one full ballot, featuring three frontcourt players and two guards from both the Eastern and Western Conference. Players may vote for their teammates or themselves.

NBA fans may submit one full ballot each day through NBA.com, the NBA App (available on Android and iOS), Twitter, Facebook and Google Search, as well as via Sina Weibo and Tencent Microblogs in China. All current NBA players will be available for selection.

How to vote:

• NBA.com voting page at NBA.com/vote: Fill out one full ballot per day (per day is defined as once every 24 hours) on NBA.com/vote from a desktop or mobile browser.  Fans can select up to two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference when choosing starters.  

• NBA App: Access the ballot and vote through the app, which is available on Android and iOS.  Fans can fill out one full ballot per day, and select up to two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference when choosing starters.

• Twitter: Tweet, retweet or reply with an NBA player’s first and last name or Twitter handle, along with the hashtag #NBAVOTE.  Each Tweet may include only one player’s name or handle.  Fans may vote for 10 unique players each day throughout the NBA All-Star voting period. 

• Facebook: Post the player’s first and last name along with the hashtag #NBAVOTE on your personal Facebook account, or comment on another’s Facebook post.   Each post may include only one player’s name.  Fans may post votes for 10 unique players per day throughout the voting period.  

• Google Search: Search “NBA Vote All-Star” or “NBA Vote Team Name” (ex: NBA Vote Celtics), and use respective voting cards to select teams and then players.  Fans may submit votes for 10 unique players per day throughout the voting period.

Fan voting updates will be shared on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017, and Thursday, Jan. 12. Voting will conclude on Monday, Jan. 16 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Starters will be announced live on TNT on Thursday, Jan. 19, during a special one-hour edition of TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader.com at 7 p.m. ET, featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith. The special will air prior to TNT’s exclusive doubleheader featuring the Washington Wizards at the New York Knicks (8 p.m. ET) and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the LA Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET). The Eastern Conference and Western Conference All-Star reserves, as selected by NBA head coaches, will be announced the following week on Thursday, Jan. 26.

Globe Helps Rebuild Schools in Isabela

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Leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom has donated P1-million worth of construction materials to the Province of Isabela to help rebuild schools which were severely damaged by Super Typhoon Lawin last October.

The province identified specific materials such as marine plywood, galvanized iron roofing sheets, and umbrella roofing nails which are needed to replace school roofs ripped off by the strong winds.

“Although Isabela is already in the process of rebuilding, they still need support from the private sector due to the overwhelming extent of devastation. Realizing this, Globe decided to reach out to the provincial government as part of our commitment to nation-building,” said Robert Aquino, Globe Director for Sector Relations.

In the past, Globe also extended similar assistance to typhoon victims such as those affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan in Leyte, Cebu, and Aklan three years ago.