Driver’s License Cards Out in Metro Manila on Monday, December 19

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Plastic license cards will be available beginning December 19, Monday, the Land Transportation Office announced Saturday.

LTO Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante said those who have pending applications from Jan. 1 to Oct. 16 may claim their cards at 36 licensing offices in Metro Manila on Dec. 19.

Galvante said applicants only need to present the Official Receipt issued to them when they applied for their license card. He also warned the public not to deal with fixers who may deceive them and ask for fees to claim their cards.

“I would like to caution all the claimants that they need not pay a single centavo to claim their driver’s licenses since they have already paid for it,” he said.

The Metro Manila release of the cards will erase 700,000 of the 3-million backlog in 3-years valid driver’s license cards. Rollout in other regions will follow, and is expected to be completed by February 2017.

LTO’s last supplier of cards was Allcard Philippines Inc. But its contract had expired last May.

The shortage of license cards started in 2013 when the Commission on Audit disallowed payments to former supplier, Amalgamated Motor Philippines Inc., for lack of a proper contract.

PAL Launches Clark-Caticlan Flights at Clark International Airport

Wazzup Pilipinas!

This new milestone is part of a Memorandum of Agreement signed between Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) and PAL on 15 December 2016, wherein the flag carrier committed to mount domestic and international flights in Clark beginning December 2016 to first quarter of 2017.

The maiden flight with route Clark-Caticlan was welcomed with a water salute at Clark International Airport today, December 18, 2016.

PAL President James Bautista said the agreement further solidifies the airline’s commitment to help the government develop secondary hubs in order to ease congestion at the Manila terminals.

There will be one Clark-Caticlan flight a day, or seven flights in a week. Starting January 2017, PAL will be adding more flights in Clark for its Cebu, Davao, Busuanga and Cagayan de Oro routes. PAL will also launch daily international flights to Incheon, South Korea from Clark Airport by January 2017. It is expected to have 21 flights per week at Clark airport.

Aleron All-Male Choir Launches their Journey to Europe via Release of “Dakilang Hiwaga” Christmas CD Album

Wazzup Pilipinas!

ALERON, one of the country’s top all-male choir launched recently their debut Christmas album “Dakilang Hiwaga,” which includes a wide variety of songs. Also included in the album are some songs from their European Concert and Competition tour repertoire.

The group aims to further cement the Filipino’s reputation of having some of the world’s most formidable musicians through this trip. The group is set to compete in the most prestigious choral singing festivals and competitions from May to July of 2017.

The most important leg of their tour is the 11th World Symposium for Choral Music which will be held in Barcelona, Spain. The event is hosted by the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM) and will feature the world’s finest choirs and choral leaders. ALERON is one of IFCM’s ambassadors for 2017, and they are the only Filipino performer to have been invited to the event.

ALERON, translated from Latin as "the winged one," is geared towards exploring the male choral soundscape. Through innovative programming and the performance of repertoires across musical styles and genres, the group aims to deliver to its audiences a diverse and unique choral experience.

ALERON first came into existence in 2006 as the alumni ensemble of the Ateneo de Manila High School Glee Club under the musical direction of Christopher Ong Arceo. Today, the group is composed of male choristers from different backgrounds: most of which are from the Ateneo de Manila University and University of the Philippines musical networks.

ALERON envisions to broaden the all-male choral genre by continuously commissioning and premiering new works throughout its concert seasons. To date, the group has performed original works by several established and up-and-coming Filipino composers such as Josefino Chino Toledo, Robin Estrada and Mary Katherine Trangco.