Fashion Exhibit and Show Highlight Social Advocacies

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In this era where the world constantly demands for the new and the unique, how will this generation’s budding designers bring forth fresh concepts that set the bar for the future of fashion and would hold the fort?

Sinulid, the annual culminating show of the Fashion Design and Merchandising Program graduating students of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, is set to gather both experts and mavericks in the industry to witness the vast design possibilities produced by today’s passionate and aspiring style hopefuls.

Equipped with the knowledge and skills garnered from renowned designer Lulu Tan-Gan and Fashion Merchandiser and Program Chairperson Christine Bennet, a total of 93 student-artists will encapsulate three years of exceptional guidance and nurtured training into ten months of creative process in preparation for Sinulid’s third – and biggest ever.

Themed Stories Unraveled, this year’s presentation will unveil not only new trendsetting ideas, but also garments that will speak of advocacies on femininity, mental health awareness, sustainability, and sexuality. Likewise to be highlighted will be looks that depict the wonders of heritage, structural architecture, mutation, singularity, luxe, playfulness, and a seamless fusion of Philippine textile and contemporary fashion directions from the capital cities of the world.

On Thursday, August 2, 2018, the long runway set up in the midst of SM Aura’s Samsung Hall will stage 171 head-turning creations, ranging from ready-to-wear, avant-garde, bespoke pieces, and evening long gowns. The SM Atrium on the Ground Floor will likewise be decked and dressed with 159 original and distinct garments, most of which are gearing up for future brand openings.

“This year, we are once again blessed with talented, diverse and hardworking artists,” Benet shared. “They successfully encountered a rigorous design process that began by identifying their design aesthetics and career aspirations. Through Sinulid, they will showcase their works on different platforms that best suits them, allowing them to widen their horizon of opportunities in the fashion industry: may it be through Design, Merchandising, or Styling,” she added.

The Rise of Filipino Digital Marketing Consultants

 Homebased freelancer turned FB ads consultant Ann Kristine Penaredondo

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Because the new OFWs are gaining better ground in the industry…

Insider parlance used to kid about the term OFW to now mean “Online Filipino Worker” instead of its original meaning: overseas Filipino worker. Well, some factors are similar: both earn dollars, and both earn way more than similar jobs here in the Philippines. 

To add to that, the low barriers to entry and heightened appreciation and mastery of social media promotions have also supercharged a lot of Filipinos into boosting their expertise in digital marketing.

When before, being an online worker means being a virtual assistant, transcriptionist, or that you have to know a lot about tech, today, there are a lot more career directions that our online warriors can go.

Increased government support

Last year, a breakthrough project by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has successfully run their first batch of trainees from 26 local government units in different provinces all over the Philippines. 

This program netted 534 graduates, with two dozen trainers, and another two-dozen-person support team from the agency, all over the country.

Last year, the budget was only P22M, but with their success, the agency secured another P50M this year, in order to impact more areas and produce more graduates.

DICT Undersecretary Monchito Ibrahim said that he is seeing a possibility of hitting thrice the number of graduates/ scholars for the run this year, and that he is very confident that the results will aide in improving the lives of many Filipino families.

DICT’s Rural Impact Sourcing program is a one-month training that covers the basics of digital marketing, copywriting, social media management, and starting an e-commerce version of already established small and medium enterprises. They are also working to “bridge the digital gap by providing digital access and trainings to underserved communities.”

Better career recognition, better industry leaders

With better government support, the industry leadership in the digital marketing and e-commerce world also evolved throughout the years.

One of the industry’s veterans, e-commerce advocate Janette Toral, noticed the shift in new influencers and industry leaders, and how they’re also getting younger and younger, with ideas that also get sharper and sharper. This is something to be celebrated, she says, because this is a testament on how the industry is growing, and how these experts are also invested in positioning.

“It’s all about positioning. Whether one is an expert or not is subjective – based on claims, sustained strength of portfolio, certifications, and how critical these things are to your target client. The market is huge enough that we can decide where to niche. If you are really good, and you are liked by your clients all you need to do is focus on getting better everyday and add value to others.”

Today, it’s not new for digital marketing consultants to show up and do their own web shows, podcasts, invest in high level PR, and stage their own talks.

When before, these freelancers took pride in being  “homebased”, now, they’re bolder, more equipped, and ready to take on the world.

Homebased freelancers taking their skills to the metro

One of the up-and-rising freelancers-turned-consultants in Metro Manila right now is Ann Kristine Peñaredondo of A Kompelling Purpose. After being a Virtual Assistant for almost a decade, she used her skills to master Facebook and LinkedIn ads.

With her experience in retail and the food industry, she has honed her skills by working with multimillion-peso ad campaigns for manufacturing industries and even with some government organizations.

If you think this is impressive, this is not even a quarter of her goals. After being timid and “hiding from her cave” for so long, she’s excited to bring more to the table. She also urges her fellow freelancers to explore a new path in the digital marketing world.

“Homebased freelancers become digital marketing experts because they took advantage of learning from the job. Having a job does not mean you cannot strive to do more, it means you recognize the possibility that you can be more,” she shares.

Today, Ann does speaking engagements for Facebook marketing, manages her agency, and is continuing to help hundreds of freelancers in building their freelance careers.

There are different reasons why more and more Filipinos choose this path - from being more present for family, a new sense of fulfillment, to earning more, or even to take more vacation days than regular employment, here’s an industry that’s still young, and thriving. Indeed, the ecosystem of Philippine Digital Marketing is abloom. And we still have so much more to look forward to.

Phl Nets Another Gold in the International Mathematical Olympiad

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Philippines wins its historic third gold medal in the prestigious 58^th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).

The Philippines won a gold medal, a silver medal, two bronze medals, and two honorable mentions in the 59th IMO held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, from July 3 to 14, 2018. The IMO is the world championship mathematics competition for high school students, making it the most prestigious and the most difficult high school mathematics competition in the world.

Albert John Patupat of De La Salle University Integrated School led the way in capturing the country’s third gold medal in what is branded as “the Olympics of math competitions.” Previous IMO Gold Medalist Kyle Patrick Dulay of Philippine Science High School – Main Campus scored a silver medal this year. IMO first-timer Emmanuel Osbert Cajayon of Emilio Aguinaldo College, along with veteran Shaquille Wyan Que of Grace Christian College, both secured Bronze Medals. Andres Rico Gonzales III of DLSU Integrated School and Sean Anderson Ty of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School each won an Honorable Mention Award. The Philippines ranked 38^th in the Competition participated by 107 countries.

The Team is headed by Leader Dr. Richard Eden and Deputy Leader Dr. Christian Paul Chan Shio, both of Ateneo de Manila University. They are joined in Romania by trainer Mr. Carlo Francisco Adajar of University of the Philippines – Diliman.

The Team participated through the efforts of the Mathematical Society of the Philippines (MSP), with support from major sponsors Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI) Foundation and Manulife Business Processing Services, and in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI).

DOST-SEI Director Josette Biyo congratulated the Team and lauded the MSP for tirelessly pursuing a stronger presence for the country in international mathematics competitions. “Our young math wizards made us proud today but I hope the claps and cheers for them in the future would come from Filipinos they’ve helped improved lives through their outstanding mathematical abilities,” Biyo added.