BeamAndGo Leads Socio-Civic Groups in Empowering OFW Children

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Financial technology startup BeamAndGo, in partnership with the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the Villar SIPAG Foundation staged a interactive workshop dubbed LearnAndGo: My Ticket to an Empowered Life on April 23, 2016. The seminar focused on the needs and challenges of one of the most vulnerable groups in society – Overseas Filipino Workers and their children.

Senator Cynthia Villar stressed the extreme irony of the OFW situation: A person leaves the country in a move to better financially establish the family but this act often results in tearing that same family apart due to the distance between members.

“The main problem is that the OFWs leave their children and the family has a hard time coping. It’s so ironic that they earn money for their children yet their families can end up broken. May pera pero wala yung guidance ng magulang.”

It is for this reason that the CBCP through the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care for Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI), Villar SIPAG Foundation, and BeamAndGo crafted the program for the children as they are most affected by such separations. There are numerous stories of how such children end up dropping out of school or getting involved in not very productive activities because at least one parent is missing and cannot provide correct guidance. 

Rising Internet Use In Emerging Markets: A Business Opportunity

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The internet is increasingly integrated in everyday life in emerging countries, yet the rate of web connectivity in these regions still lags significantly behind more developed markets.

On a global scale, the number of Internet users worldwide hit an estimated 3.2 billion in 2015 - that’s about 43 percent of the world’s population who now have access to the web. Of these, two billion web users are based in the emerging markets, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

This means that for every Internet user in the developed world, there are two in developing countries. Yet significant disparities in access remain. Figures from the ITU show that 34 percent of households in developing countries have Internet access. In developed countries, 80 percent of households have an Internet connection.

However, while Internet usage in the developed world significantly outstrips that in the emerging markets, the fast-growing internet penetration rate outside of the west presents an opportunity for online businesses operating in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Moreover, while shopping for clothes or searching for property online have been common practice in developed markets for some time, these tasks are now catching on in emerging countries. 

Dennis Quaid and Kate Bosworth Set to Sizzle on The Art of More at Sony Channel

Wazzup Pilipinas!

A gripping new drama series stars is set to premiere this May 24 on Sony Channel. "The Art of More" is an original Sony production, which exposes the secretive, exclusive and corrupt world of auction houses.

The critically acclaimed original series is a winning combination of thrilling storylines and outstanding casting. Delving into the business of art collectors who employ modern day treasure hunters to pursue priceless artefacts at any cost, it is hard to tell collector from criminal. This outwardly glamourous occupation is layered in deceit, fraud and racketeers.

Graham Connor (Christian Cooke) is a new executive at Parke-Mason working for Arthur Davenport (Cary Elwes), a shrewd and eccentric world-class collector of art and illegal antiquities. Utilizing Connor's connections with a smuggling ring he encountered during his tour in Iraq, they procure priceless artifacts for his clients who don't care how their objects of desire are acquired.

Dennis Quaid, also an executive producer, stars as charismatic real estate shark Samuel Brukner, who has a penchant for ill-gotten art, and Kate Bosworth as Roxanna Whitman, daughter of the CEO of one of the two warring auction houses.

Whether buyer, seller or something in between, everyone in "The Art of More" is chasing something they covet and struggling with the extent they will go when unchecked by morality.

Sony's first one-hour scripted drama series from its U.S based streaming service Crackle.com, will air from May 24, Tuesday at 8.50pm, first and exclusively on Sony Channel.

Sony Channel is seen on SKYCable Channel 35, Cignal Digital TV Channel 60, Destiny Cable Channel 62, Cable Link Channel 39.