Michael Learns to Rock: Live at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on September 19

Wazzup Pilipinas!

It’s a fact --Filipinos love to sing. We all love to sing-along with an artist during concerts. One such artist that could ignite our passion for singing is Michael Learns to Rock. Yes, their Pinoy fans are now eagerly anticipating their one-night-only concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, on September 19, 2015. Expect the big dome to rock and reverberate with heartfelt emotions as audiences will definitely sing their hearts out with the band when they deliver their greatest hits, live!

This concert is a timely and momentous occasion to celebrate Michael Learns to Rocks’ 25 years of racking up a compelling and unbroken string of memorable, catchy, and timeless love songs. “The Actor”, “25 Minutes”, “Sleeping Child”, “Out of the Blue”, “That’s Why You Go Away”, “Nothing To Lose”, “Breaking My Heart”, Take Me To Your Heart”, “Someday”, “Paint My Love”, and many more hits have been dubbed as ‘all-time favorite ‘classics’.

Michael Learns to Rock was formed in the spring of 1988 in Denmark. The band is composed of singer and keyboard player JASCHA RICHTER, drummer KÅRE WANSCHER, guitarist MIKKEL LENTZ . This year 2015, as Michael Learns to Rock celebrate their 25th year anniversary, their biggest and most comprehensive Greatest Hits collection, simply title ‘25’, will hit stores and digital downloading sites soon. “25” marks the first time that all of Michael Learns to Rock’s hits are presented in one collection, offering a soundtrack of hits as you walk down memory lane.

3-Year MRT Maintenance Provider Under Procurement After GPPB Approval

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Along with government actively upgrading the worn-out facilities of the privately-owned Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) system, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is now undertaking emergency procurement for a long-term maintenance contractor pursuant to Republic Act No. 9184.

"We were given the go signal by the GPPB last to pursue this mode of negotiated procurement. We're targeting to award the contract within the year, and to have the new maintenance provider begin its services in January next year," said DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya.

The Government Procurement Policy Board unanimously approved the resort to this negotiated mode of procurement on August 20, 2015, pursuant to Section 53.2 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Procurement Law. This was in recognition of the urgent need to address the railway's maintenance requirements.

In the DOTC's request for the GPPB's approval, the agency cited the immediate need for a three-year total maintenance provider, as well as the general overhaul of existing train coaches and the replacement of the system's signaling system. These are essential in order to address the core problems of obsolescence and complete wear-and-tear.

Government has already stepped in to upgrade MRT-3's facilities due to the failure of the Sobrepena-controlled private owner to add coaches when they became due a decade ago, to conduct proper train overhauling, to replace rail tracks, and to upgrade the signaling system, among others.

Let's All Cheer for Philippine Azkals National Football Team

Wazzup Pilipinas!

With less than a week before the pivotal match against a strong Uzbekistan squad, the Philippine national football team, popularly known as Azkals, is appealing to Filipinos to show up at the game venue and cheer for the team.

Azkals coach Thomas Dooley and players Phil Younghusband, Neil Etheridge and Misagh Bahadoran said the fans’ presence and cheers will motivate and spur on the team and have an impact on their game. They were interviewed after a late afternoon to early evening practice session last Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Malate, Manila.

The Azkals-Uzbeks match will be held on September 8 at 8 p.m. at the world-class Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan, as part of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

Dooley acknowledged the difficulty of getting to the venue but said the fans could make the effort in order to boost and give their support to the national team.

“I love to see you guys during the game. It’s very important for us to win this match,” Dooley said as he stressed that the national team is preparing hard for the game.

He hinted that the fans will not get disappointed when they watch the Azkals play live.

“We have a great team. Everybody is working for everybody.”