Storage and Charging Solutions from Adam elements Available at Power Mac Center

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The product launch of Adam elements was made more special when it was held at along with the opening of the 21st Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta at Omni Aviation Filed of Clark, Pampanga. The brand, along with Power Mac Center - the exclusive retailer stores for their products, integrated the grand launch along side the grand 1st day of the highly anticipated annual hot air balloon event. The actual launch was held at the Quest Hotel (formerly Holiday Inn Clark) but bloggers were treated to a hot air balloon experience before it.

Thus, an early morning trip to Pampanga was required of attendees with a meetup at a certain fastfood restaurant in Ortigas, Pasig as early as 2 am.  A bus took us along with representatives from Power Mac Center, Adam elements and the respective PRs on an almost 2 hour travel time in order to reach the venue before its actual start of events where the hot air balloons are inflated and started flying off into the skies of Pampanga.

Thus, as expected, several photos and videos were taken to immortalize the event. In relaton to this, the brands lent us iOS devices together with storage devices specifically OTG iOS storage units called iKlips with models like iKlips Duo and iKlips Duo+.

You really need such devices in order to have room for all those photos and videos you can take from the hot air balloon event. The fascination with hot air balloons is no surprise as they are indeed majestically colorful and awesomely huge. The bare field was made spectacular when you these balloons inflated and starting to fly high up into the Pampanga sky.

DOE Consultations Show Wide Support For WESM Mindanao Establishment

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Given the excess in power generation capacity in Mindanao, preparatory activities for the launch of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) in Mindanao are being undertaken by the Department of Energy (DOE). This is in coordination with the Philippine Electricity Market Corporation (PEMC) and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

The DOE has already completed two public consultations this month in Cagayan de Oro and in Zamboanga City. It focused on a draft circular that will govern the operation of WESM Mindanao in fulfilment of the DOE's mandate to ensure the security, reliability and availability of transparent and reasonably-priced electricity in the country.

The above-mentioned mandate of the DOE, under the stewardship of Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, is underlined in Republic Act 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001.

The two public consultations on the draft circular “Declaring the Launch of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market in Mindanao and Providing for Transition Arrangements" gathered together energy experts and power industry participants, as well as investors, consumers, members of the academe and other stakeholders.

The consultation participants were united in expressing confidence that with a stable and competitively-priced energy source, Mindanao can experience and sustain an economic boom under the Duterte Administration's 10-point socio-economic program.

The establishment of WESM in Mindanao is a high priority agenda of Cusi targeting its commercial operation by June 26, 2017. The DOE is set to conduct three more public consultations in Davao City on Feb. 21, Butuan City on the 28th, and General Santos City on March 7.

For decades, Mindanao has lagged behind Luzon and the Visayas in economic development under the past Administrations with their Manila centrist policies which the Duterte Administration has seen as one of the root causes of poverty and strife in Mindanao.

The objective of the public consultations is to solicit the views of all stakeholders on how to improve the circular which will lay down the policies for the establishment of WESM Mindanao.

To be able to reach more participants, the DOE forged a partnership with the Mindanao Development Authority which, together with the PEMC and NGCP, will undertake an intensive and massive Information, Education and Communication (IEC) drive.

The information drive will help more Mindanaoans better understand WESM and to appreciate the benefits it will bring about in sustaining investments in Mindanao, which needs a robust power sector to support a booming economy.

In 2016, Mindanao had an additional generating capacity of 782 megawatts (MW) and is expecting the commercial operations of additional 1,208 MW this year.

Despite the additional supply, there remains power interruptions in Mindanao especially in the franchise areas of distribution utilities which do not have sufficient power supply agreements to cover their increasing demand for electricity.

In the absence of such contracts, power generation companies are hesitant to operate their plants without an approved supply contract or any compensation mechanism duly approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission.

Thus, the establishment of the WESM will serve as the mechanism to efficiently tap the excess capacities in the area to avoid rotating brownouts and ensure 24-hours continuous electricity service.

From the two consultations, the DOE recognized that most of the concerns were operational in nature rendering the need to move forward with the IEC drive.

Through the IEC, the DOE hopes to address also occasional opposing views which can be attributed to the lack of deeper understanding of the WESM.

The draft circular was posted at the DOE and PEMC website last 24 January. Comments and suggestions will be processed until 14 March 2017.

LINKED's U 2.0: Be the Best Version of Yourself Seminar

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Last February 18, LINKED Training and Events, Inc, partnered with Uber Pilipinas, conducted a seminar called "U 2.0: Be the Best Version of Yourself" in Batis, Manila Ocean Park, Luneta Manila. This wasn't just your typical motivational talk; It also centered around building confidence and a personal branding in order to reach your dreams! There were about 100 students and faculty who attended, mostly from different PUP campuses.

U 2.0 aims to help students and professionals maximize their full potential through saying YES and finding your passion as students and young adults take on a new path: Their career.

What I loved about the whole seminar was that the speakers shared their true stories and experiences with making changes and getting out of their comfort zones to find passion with what they do. It's very inspiring, especially for those who are too afraid to move out of their shells in fear of losing stability in their life.

Engr. Angela Cathleen K. Go and Engr. Jacqueline Maye S. Lim both come form the same university and company, taking on the same route of leaving their comfort zones and doing what they think is right for themselves. Despite not knowing what the future holds, they did it out of passion and their happiness. Needless to say, they are now in great positions, living life to the fullest. Like what they say, "If you aren't scared, you aren't growing."

We then had our lunch and an intermission number, with games sponsored by Faber Castell, Tupperware, and Collegio. It was very fun watching students and faculty members alike play "Bring Me!" or have dance-offs!

After the break, Dr. Marissa B. Ferrer talked about work-life balance and how to differentiate what is urgent and what can be done in time. We also learned about priorities and how to balance your career and personal life, most especially family.

Dr. Dave D. Centeno then talked about personal branding and how you should find your passion and what you want people to see you as in order to create a unique name for yourself. Through knowing your specialty and owning it, you'll be able to get your brand into the world and become successful.

Through U 2.0, I learned about how we should always move forward with our careers, deciding where to go for the sake of what we feel is right for US, rather than just the financial stability. To prioritize ourselves and family is much more important. So long as we create the personal branding and stay passionate with what we do, we will head on to success.

Contributed by Issa Villapando