Lamudi Ranks Most Searched Neighborhoods in the Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Familiar neighborhoods top list of most-searched areas in the Philippines, according to latest Lamudi data

The first half of 2016 saw the continued dominance of Metro Manila areas or neighborhoods among places in the Philippines most searched for by online property-hunters. Sixteen of the top 20 areas or neighborhoods viewed by users of the Lamudi website were in Metro Manila, with interest shifting slightly among the areas as the year progressed.

Fairview in Quezon City was top among the areas or neighborhoods searched by online property-hunters. This Quezon City district was the most searched area in Metro Manila and the Philippines in the first half of 2016, according to Lamudi data. Although Fairview remained the most searched area from April to June 2016, search volume for this popular Quezon City location dipped 22% from Q1 to Q2 2016.

Fairview is followed by the Fort Bonifacio area in Taguig. Home to Bonifacio Global City, this area generated almost 150,000 page-views of properties in the first half of 2016. Furthermore, interest for this location among online property-hunters increased 14% from Q1 to Q2 2016.

Fort Bonifacio was followed two other Quezon City locations: Tandang Sora and Batasan Hills. However, similarly to Fairview, it looked that online property-hunters’ interest for these areas also waned between Q1 2016 and Q2 2016. Page-views for Tandang Sora dropped 38% between the first two quarters of 2016, while those for Batasan Hills dropped 15% during the same period.

Fifth on the list is the highly popular BF Homes in Parañaque. Properties in this gentrifying residential area, home to many restaurants, generated almost 130,000 page-views in the first half of 2016. In addition, search volume for BF Homes increased 9% between Q1 2016 and Q2 2016.

Wrapping up the top 10 most searched areas/neighborhoods in the Lamudi website are Legaspi Village (Makati), Novaliches (Quezon City), Talon Dos (Las Piñas), Poblacion (Makati), and Cubao (Quezon City).

From highest to lowest, the top 11 to 20 most-searched areas/neighborhoods included Talamban (Cebu), Malate (Manila), Don Bosco (Parañaque), Banilad (Cebu), Guadalupe (Cebu), Commonwealth (Quezon City), Salcedo Village (Makati), New Manila (Quezon City), Lahug (Cebu), and Bel-Air (Makati).

Together, these 20 areas/neighborhoods made up more than 24% of all searches conducted in the Lamudi website in the first six months of 2016. There were a total of 4,536 areas/neighborhoods all over the Philippines included in this data analysis.

According the Lamudi, the results of this analysis offer insights on which specific locations property-hunters are researching for online. Although certain locations definitely are easily remembered due to high real estate activity, notably by major property developers (e.g., Legaspi Village, Salcedo Village, and Fort Bonifacio), some definitely are constantly in prospective homebuyers’ mind, perhaps because they have been popular residential areas for many years (e.g., BF Homes, Tandang Sora, Batasan Hills, New Manila).

Fox Sports Philippines to Air WSOF Global Championship 3

Wazzup Pilipinas!

FOX Sports, synonymous with being the exclusive provider of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) worldwide, is now home to World Series of Fighting Global Championship (WSOF-GC) in Philippines.

A programming license agreement was reached between WSOF-GC and FOX Networks Group, seeing FOX Sports Philippines as the Official Media Partner for the Manila event this Saturday, July 30, and the exclusive Philippine Pay TV home for the 2016 WSOF Global Championship Events. WSOF Global Championship 3 airs July 31 at 10am on FOX Sports Philippines, with multiple repeats the following week, and will likewise be available via linear streaming and via video-on-demand via www.FOXsportsasia.com and FOX Sports Play shortly after.

Jude Turcuato, SVP and GM of FOX Networks Group Philippines said, "FOX Sports has always aligned itself with the biggest, top-tier international sports properties. At the same time, we realize the value of local relevance and being able to cater to the Filipino sports fan. We are excited to work with World Series of Fighting Global Championship, to help further their global brand to this market, and we hope to contribute in growing MMA in the Philippines through this partnership.”

“Today marks a huge step in the direction that WSOF Global is taking on airing our events around the world,” stated Dunesa Hesser, Owner of WSOF-GC. “We may not have the brand that UFC has, but we certainly have the talent. Our first fight with FOX Sports Philippines airs the day after the live event, which includes a main event with our reigning heavyweight champion, Evgeny Erokhin, on a 9-fight KO win streak, against 11-2 Richard Odoms, who was previously signed with the UFC but was released due to injury before he could make his debut there. Our event also showcases a 4-man tournament featuring four of the best flyweights in the world, as well as undefeated prospects from Philippines, Pakistan, and India. This exposure will be great for our company, the fighters, and for FOX Sports, as we continue to be the leading brand in the Asian market.”

Globe Denounces PCC’s Extra Judicial Stance and Mob Rule

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Globe reiterated its stance to provide its customers with better mobile internet services using the various frequencies it can now access through its joint buyout of the SMC telco assets. To date, Globe has fired up 20 sites using the 700 MHz frequency which were never used and stockpiled by SMC. On top of the 700 MHz, Globe also fired up 669 sites using the 2600 MHz through carrier aggregation in various parts of Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao. All these frequencies are using LTE technologies that will enable faster mobile internet browsing.

To use these frequencies using its current network, Globe is investing bulk of its $700 million in capital expenditure this year to retrofit cell sites, purchase new antenna systems specifically for 700 MHz, and install upgrades in new software that will make the use of multiple frequencies more efficient and optimized.

“By immediately using the additional capacities from these frequencies, coupled with additional network investments, our customers in various parts of the country are starting to feel the improvements in their mobile internet experience. This only affirms the urgency to meet customers’ demands. The additional capacity can only be generated by using a new set of frequencies, sadly it is the PCC that is exerting all efforts for us to prevent using these idle frequencies,” said Globe General Counsel Froilan Castelo.

Recognizing this urgency, Globe cooperated with all regulatory bodies including the SEC, NTC, and the PCC in providing all documentary requirements and disclosures, to ensure regulators the transaction is above board. However, based on its pronouncements to the media, the PCC has decided to block the deal by declaring it is “not deemed approved”. The PCC has also accused Globe of “its refusal to cooperate”, stating that its application is deficient.

Castelo said, “The PCC is not forthright in saying what is deficient in our notice. The PCC acted in bad faith and dragged their response, saying all sorts of excuses, even going against their own rules to justify a review of the transaction that is not within their transitory provision.”

“For the PCC to subject the telcos to mob rule is appalling. By asking for public comment on a so-called ‘review of the transaction’ is highly irregular and against the rights of the private parties involved,” adds Castelo.

Contrary to the press release of the PCC, it is merely the application for TRO that was not granted in the case Globe filed against the PCC in the Court of Appeals. The case is still set for deliberation, and technically, the Court of Appeals can still issue a writ of preliminary injunction, and eventually decide the case on the merits in favor of Globe. “We are still in the initial stage of the legal proceedings”, Castelo adds.