La Union Surfing Break Now on Its 10th Year

Wazzup Pilipinas!

At the 10th La Union Surfing Break presscon with DOT Region 1 Director Martin Valencia, La Union Tourism Officer Adamor Dagang, surfer and surf school owner Felimon "Lemon" Dines, the adorable Mutias of La Union namely Alessandra Casimiro, Angelica Maranan and Cassandra Ralbovsky, who won as Mutia Ti La Union, Mutia Ti Turismo, and Mutia Ti Kalikasan, respectively. and two more lovely ladies that I still have to verify the names (lol).

This was held on September 4, 2015 at Giligan's restaurant SM By The Bay Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay city. The actual event will be from October 28 to November 1 at San Juan, La Union.

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.

There will be a street dancing competition, surfboard design contest, surf clinics, sandcastle building contest, sundown fun run, Trick or Treat costume contest, Henna Tattoo design contest, and Face and Body painting contest. 

A Fun Art exhibit by the Arts Guild of La Union (AsLAUN), Photography contest, Surfing competition, Zumba session, beach volleyball tournament, and beach party in the evening.

Schizoprano: Nicole Laurel Asensio Debut Album Launch

Wazzup Pilipinas!

From the all-girl band General Luna, Nicole Laurel Asensio is now ready to show her pure talent with the launch of her debut album called Schizoprano - a play of words combining schizophrenic and soprano. the album is produced by MCA Music (Universal Music Philippines)

Get to see what she showed us at her album launch on September 2, 2015 at 12 Monkeys Music Hall & Pub at Century City Mall in our video coverage of all her performances, plus special video greetings from Nicole Laurel Asensio herself.

I uploaded the videos on our YouTube channel several days ago and has now compiled them for your viewing pleasure convenience.

The tracks performed that night included "Leader for a Day" which lyrics came from replies taken from Nicole's Facebook status "What would you do if you were leader for a day?"

Joining her as back-up singers are her mom Iwi Laurel, cousin ino Asensio Lopez and friend
William Kramer Jr..

Her dearest friend Franco Mabanta hosted the night. Of course, her beloved Ira Cara Cruz will always be there for musical direction.

Drums: Wilf Trinidad, Bass: Louie Talan, Guitar: Ira Cara Cruz, Keys: Kim Lopez, Sax: Michael Mark Guevarra, Trombone: Jose Aris Antinero , Trumpet: EJ Celestial, Lights: Macky Mangasi, Sound: Angelo M. Rozul

DOTC, German Firms Tackle Fast-Tracking of MRT-3 Prototype

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In their bid to expedite the testing of the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) prototype, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and MRT-3 project team will head to Dalian next week to meet with the German suppliers of traction systems, gearboxes, and brake systems.

“As we announced last June, static testing will be conducted from September to October. Meanwhile, dynamic testing was scheduled from November to December, when these parts will be delivered from Germany,” said DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya.

“To fast-track the whole process, we met with officials from the German Embassy, Voith, and Knorr-Bremse a few weeks back regarding delivery schedules. Next week, our team will discuss the details with these suppliers, so we can explore ways to provide more trains to the public earlier than scheduled,” he explained.

Voith will manufacture the traction systems and gearboxes for the 48 brand new coaches of the MRT-3 line, while Knorr-Bremse is in charge of the brake systems. Both firms are established suppliers in the global rail industry.