Transport Department, Smart Ink Deal for Free WiFi access in Key Transport Hubs

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In the effort to enhance connectivity and modernize the transportation systems, the Department of Transportation and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today that will provide enhanced Wi-Fi access to passengers of key transport hubs nationwide, including but not limited to airports, sea ports, train stations. and bus terminals.

“Passengers will now enjoy free WiFi connections during their stay in various transport hubs. We aim to provide high standards and better services to the public,” Tugade added.”

Smart said the WiFi speed will be 10 times faster, at par with international standards.

“We thank our partner, Smart, for supporting the government’s thrust to make passengers’ travel experience more comfortable, convenient and connected,” Tugade added.

Tugade further emphasized that this initiative demonstrates what can be accomplished with public-private sector cooperation.

Under the MoU, Smart will operate and maintain the Wi-Fi facility at no cost to the government. The telecom company has identified key transport hubs nationwide in which to implement the project.

Last week, the Department of Transportation and local airline companies signed a Memorandum of Agreement on the upkeep of Manila airport terminals.

How a Footwear Business Walks its Way to Success with Shopify

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Business success stories usually start with an inspiration. For Regina Sambalido and her business partners, the idea of making affordable yet lovely-looking leather sandals available to Filipinos came during a trip abroad where they stumbled upon several stores selling beautiful leather footwear. They were so taken with the sandals that they decided to bring a couple of pairs home and offer them online. This started their love affair with footwear and the birth of Renegade Folk.

Regina and her three siblings together with Bibay Puyat initially offered a variety of quality leather sandals with the best material. The sandals can be worn by people of any age, which is what Renegade Folk is after. Most of their footwear now comes from the local manufacturing industry, which also benefit from Renegade Folk’s loyal online customers not only in the Philippines but also in Singapore, Australia, and Canada.

With their growing portfolio of everyday sandals, Renegade Folk has to strengthen its online exposure to expand its business, prompting the store to tap Shopify as its e-commerce platform. Shopify provides Renegade Folk with a portal for customers to see, appreciate and purchase their products at an affordable price.

“We are extremely happy with Shopify because it is very user-friendly. It also has a great design interface with customizable templates, easy report generation, and automatic reply features that anyone can use,” shared Sambalido. 

5 Tips to Avoid Online Fraud

Wazzup Pilipinas! 

Activities shopping online continues to increase from year to year. We are so often spoiled with a wide variety of goods ranging from clothing appliances to household appliances and to food appliances, where all of it can now be delivered to our doorsteps through online transactions.

We have to be aware that online transactions are not entirely safe. Through a survey from iprice Group, among the 26 countries in the world, Philippines is the country with the most victims of online fraud. Up to a total of 26% of online consumers have lost money due to fraud in cyberspace.

Fraud stories such as goods which never arrived, illicit payments via credit cards to the loss of thousands and millions of pesos could happen if we are not careful in the deals online as well as protecting ourselves from cyberhackers.


Here are 5 tips that you can do to avoid scams online:

1. Safe Shopping Site

Try to shop on the sites with the address ‘https: //’ instead of ‘http: //’. The letter “s” means that sites are using a secured server and will protect your personal information from hackers.

According to David Chmelař, CEO of iprice Group, you can pay attention to the reviews from previous customers, and ask a friend or colleague who has experience of shopping onine to ensure your destination site is a trusted website.


2. Save Transaction Evidence

Proof of electronic payment such as the confirmation email, SMS, and others can help to record and track the history of your transaction. They can also be used as strong evidence if there is a dispute with the seller in the future.

3. Protect Your Credit Card

Hackers to your credit card can be prevented and stopped as soon as possible after the transaction has taken place. Here are some ways to protect your credit card:

• Set SMS notifications on a credit card, so you get news of any transactions done. If there is a suspicious transaction, you may contact the bank’s Customer Service to ask for confirmation and blocking transactions which leads to any hacking indications.
• Use One-Time Password (OTP), which is the password that will be sent to a personal moblie phone after an online transaction. OTP provides a layer of security to your credit card.
• Limit the number of transactions on your credit card so that transactions cannot be processed when it reaches a certain threshold.
• Check your credit card statement. There is a transaction which you did not make but is listed in the monthly report? If yes, then contact your Customer Service immediately.

4. Avoid Using Wifi Internet when Accessing Personal Activity

While doing online shopping or bank transactions, avoid using free Wifi because if may well open opportunities for other people to access your private data.

5. Use Smart and Powerful Password

It is important to have a password that is strong because the password associated with yourself like your birthday, can be easily guessed by the people who know you or the hackers. Hackers generally guess and match your personal records word by word and letter by letter. Make sure you use numbers, symbols, uppercase and lowercase letters.



Contributed by
Davin Chuah
An alumni of Taylor’s University and is passionate in writing about lifestyle, tech and travelling related pieces. He believes in communicating experiences and feelings through writing.