51Talk Now Publicly Listed on the New York Stock Exchange

Wazzup Pilipinas!

51Talk, also known as China Online Education Group, has announced a $72 million (along with Greenshoes & concurrent private placement) initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on June 10, 2016 under the ticker symbol COE. The company is the largest and fastest-growing online English language teaching platform in China, with over 100,000 students in China taking interactive English lessons on demand from a nationwide network of more than 6,000-strong, highly qualified English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers in the Philippines.

Its phenomenal growth has been fueled by the quality of English education it provides through its Filipino teachers, getting only the best of the best with strict recruitment processes. Says Shu Ting, co-founder and PH country manager of 51Talk, “The Philippines has made a name for itself as a top destination for quality English teachers. We at 51Talk go further by having an acceptance rate of 3% for our applicants, ensuring that we provide the highest standards in teaching our students. With this U.S. IPO, we expect to recruit more excellent English language teachers to our Chinese students.”

Being the biggest online English teaching platform in the world, 51Talk’s focus has remained on the recruitment of quality Filipino teachers, proving that the foundation of effective teaching lies in the kinds of teachers they bring on board. Going public means there are bigger expectations for the company to beef up their teaching body, with stringent processes in place, to ensure that online teaching and learning expertise are up to standards.

Cusi to NEA, Napocor: Address Electric Coop Concerns

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi urged all concerned agencies under the Department of Energy, particularly the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR), to "go down to the cooperatives" and address their issues and concerns.

In a dialogue sought by the officers and members of the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Inc., (PHILRECA) led by General Manager Wendell V. Ballesteros, Cusi told them: "It should be the NEA and NAPOCOR who should approach the coops, not the other way around. We have to work together to make household electrification happen especially in Mindanao."

Among the following concerns raised by the electric cooperatives (ECs) were:

(1) Ensure right-of-way for the delivery of electricity, including the interconnection of islands;

(2) Push for tax reforms to address consumer concerns;

(3) Non-privatization of Agus and Pulangui Complexes in Mindanao;

(4) Interconnection of SPUG areas to the main grid;

(5) DOE in cooperation with other government agencies to put up a One Stop Shop and Fast Lane for the processing and issuance of permits and licenses of energy projects;

(6) Clear policy in order to streamline the allocation and availment processes of government financial assistance for EC disaster-damaged facilities and EC disaster preparedness, prevention and mitigation measures and emergency response;

(7) Well-defined authority of the ECs in relation to right-of-way clearing; and

(8) EC provision for buffer stock of critical materials.

The General Managers of the coops around the country who joined the dialogue with the Energy Secretary were Horacio T. Santos of Agusan del Norte Electric Coop., Inc. (ANECO); Victor R. Cada of Quezon II Electric Coop., Inc. (QUEZELCO II); Rodrigo Sacedor, Davao del Sur Electric Coop., Inc. (DASURECO); Atty. Carlos Roman L. Uybarreta, 1 CARE Party-List Representative; Rene M. Fajilagutan, of Romblon Electric Coop., Inc. (ROMELCO); Sergio C. Dagooc of Siargao Island Electric Coop., Inc. (SIARELCO) and Dinagat Island Electric Coop., Inc. (DIELCO); Gabriel A. Tordesillas Sr. of Cagayan II Electric Coop., Inc. (CAGELCO II); Wendell V. Ballesteros of Davao Oriental Electric Coop., Inc. (DORECO); Ludovico D. Lim of Antique Electric Coop., Inc. (ANTECO); Veronica T. Briones of Camarines Sur IV Electric Coop., Inc. (CASURECO IV); Reynaldo V. Villanueva of Nueva Ecjia II Area 1 & 2 Electric Coop., Inc. (NEECO II-Area 1 & 2); and Egdon A. Sabio of Misamis Occidental II Electric Coop., Inc. (MOELCI II).

Cusi recommended that a vulnerability assessment be made to ascertain those highly prone areas to disasters to mitigate effects of calamity.

"Organize yourselves for emergency response, submit your individual disaster preparedness courses of action so we will know how to deal what to do when your area is affected."

Gatorade NBA Training Center and NBA FIT Week Kick Off

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Brandon Knight of the Phoenix Suns and former NBA player DeCovan "Dee" Brown tipped off the NBA FIT Week in the Philippines by training elite Filipino athletes and coaches at the Gatorade NBA Training Center held on July 19 at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong city.

The NBA FIT Week is the gathering of basketball, fitness and conditioning, nutriton to share best practices and learnings with local athletes and coaches and highlights the importance of healthy and active lifestyles through the three pillars: be active, eat healthy and play together.

Also at the kick off is NBA Philippines Country Manager Carlo Singson who I interviewed while some training exercises were going on so you may hear some dribbling on the background. I still have to upload the video interview but I released already the video invite notifying of two other events scheduled within the week of NBA Fit Week. You may want to watch the video below to find out where you can watch out for these NBA personalities soon.

They already had the interactive fan event featuring Globe Telecoms's sports ambassadors at the BGC Amphitheater on July 20, 2016. The next event on July 21 is at Trinoma with a full day health and wellness event sponsored by the NBA store, and an NBA Cares Clinic for 13-year old boys and girls from Special Olympics Philippines.