Cine Lokal Celebrates All Kinds of Love in February

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Love in all its forms is worth celebrating, from loving one’s self to young and hopeful, and familial.

This February, Cine Lokal features a set of incredible films exploring this concepts which are all set to screen in eight (8) SM Cinemas.

Included in the lineup is a 2016 Sinag Maynila suspense thriller film “Lila” directed by Gino M. Santos starring Janine Gutierrez, Sherry Lara and Enchong Dee. The film is about a woman who tries to escape a past that haunts her and moves into the house of a warmhearted landlady, seeking atonement and a fresh start -- the house, however, has other ideas.

This is followed by the romantic drama film “4 Days” directed by Adolf Alix Jr. starring Sebastian Castro and Mikoy Morales.

4 Days tells the story of two college friends who slowly realize they mean more to each other than either had initially realized. 4 Days joins Derek and Mark in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day over the course of a few years- charting the blossoming of a friendship in to something much more enduring as time goes on - and challenging both to question who they thought they were and who they truly want to me. Painting a moving picture of how an abiding friendship can sometimes lead to love - and how we sometimes have to wrestle with our own demons to find their true self, 4 Days is achingly romantic and delicate.

Completing the list of February films is the 2nd ToFarm Film Festival’s 2nd Best Picture drama film “What Home Feels Like” directed by Joseph Abello which won the Best Actor and Actress awards for Bembol Roco and Irma Adlawan, together with Rex Lantano and Bianca Libinting. It tells the home life of father and seaman, Antonio, who is forced to spend most of time at home upon learning that he can never aboard a ship again. Facing struggles as he doesn’t know what to do next, he follows the footsteps of his parents and buys a farm using their family savings.

Catch these films at these dates and time at SM Manila, SM Sta. Mesa, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, SM North Edsa, SM Fairview, SM Southmall and SM Bacoor:

Discover Manila in a New Perspective with Power Mac Center’s #ThisIsManila #ShotoniPhone Campaign

Wazzup Pilipinas!

You’ve seen how photos inspired ideas, sparked debates, or moved people to action especially in this social media age. You may even have shared some of them yourself. This time, premium Apple partner Power Mac Center is inviting you to let your visual voice be heard and show the world that #ThisIsManila through the lens of your iPhone, the perfect tool for mobile photography.

The #ShotoniPhone worldwide campaign is Apple’s way of showcasing the creativity and diversity of its users with only the powerful cameras on the iPhone as their instrument. Power Mac Center hopes to put the spotlight on Manila by inspiring users to show the beauty of the city via fresh perspectives.

To participate, just take your iPhone around Metro Manila and shoot what inspires you or piques your interest. You may focus on what the place is like, what the people are like, or what life looks like in this corner of the world. Upload it to your Instagram account, tag @powermaccenter and include the hashtags #ThisIsManila and #ShotoniPhone.

For inspiration, you may look at the works of Power Mac Center’s featured photographers Aaron Quinto (@aieos), Aly Mananquil (@alleyttle), JC Gellidon (@jcgellidon), Je Villaroman (@jevillaroman), JL Javier (@jljavier), Koji Arboleda (@kojiarboleda), Regine David (@reginedavid), Renzo Navarro (@_renzonavarro), Ryle Uy (@rylejustinuy), and Tristan Tamayo (@tamayotristan).

“We want to show that there’s beauty and art in the simplicity or chaos of Manila. We want users to capture these images using their iPhone and share them with the world in the hope of preserving moments that could have easily faded away. Who knows what extraordinary things we can discover in the process,” said Marketing Director Joey Alvarez.

The campaign is powered by Polaroid, OtterBox, DJI, Leef, Pictar, ANKER, and UAG. As the first of a series of iPhone photography activities for the year, Power Mac Center will be featuring #ShotoniPhone photos on their social media accounts and in a photo exhibit to be held at the SM Mall of Asia Level 1 Main Mall from February 16-22, 2018.

Help put Manila in the global campaign of Apple #ShotoniPhone! For more information, follow @powermaccenter on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube.

DOTr Orders TRB to Scrap New Skyway Scheme

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade has directed the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) to scrap the new collection scheme at the Skyway and revert to the old one immediately.

Secretary Tugade said that a new toll collection system may not be put in place until it can be assured that it can be implemented smoothly.

“In governance, public convenience always comes first. It’s always public good over regulation,” said Tugade.

Last Saturday, January 27, the Skyway O&M Corporation began implementing a modified toll collection system, which coincides with the opening of a new toll plaza on the northbound section of the elevated Skyway.

The new scheme resulted in heavy traffic, and the Skyway management has temporarily reverted to the old “pay as you enter scheme” effective Tuesday night.

“These changes have to be communicated well to the public. We cannot afford confusion on the road because that will surely result in congestion. Dapat mas mabilis ang biyahe sa mga expressway kaya nga “express.” Ang mga karagdagang toll plaza, dapat nagpapabilis din ng biyahe, and not the other way around,” Tugade added.

Unifying Toll Systems

The DOTr-TRB, together with expressway operators in the country, has already facilitated the implementation of partial interoperability of toll operations since 20 December 2017.

Under partial interoperability, Autosweep RFID users may already use the same RFID tags in expressways operated by the Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) namely NLEX, CAVITEX, MPCALA and SCTEX, using Easytrip RFID tags. Users would just need to visit a loading kiosk for account registration.

As for expressways owned by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) namely SLEX, STAR, TPLEX and NAIAX, their Autosweep readers are already undergoing modification in order for them to to read Easytrip tags as well. These are expected to be interoperable-ready by first quarter of 2018.

The DOTr-TRB is currently discussing with SMC and the company’s software provider for the earlier re-programming of their system and implementation on their end.

The second phase of the interoperability project will be implemented in March 2018. Under this phase, SMC-operated expressways will be able to read Easytrip RFID tags. However, users would still have to maintain two accounts.

Meanwhile, the third phase will be implemented by September 2018. In this phase, all expressway users can go from North to South with just one account.