Late Registration Now Open for ASEAN Youth Summit 2018

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ASEAN Youth Summit 2018 will accept late applicants from August 1 to 8, 2018.

The qualifications for applicants are as follows:
Must be a citizen from the ASEAN Member-States or ASEAN +3 Member-States (Delegates)
Must be a citizen from non-ASEAN Member-States or non-ASEAN +3 Member-States (Observers)
Must be 15-30 years of age
Must be mentally and physically fit to travel

AYS 2018 aims to connect the ASEAN youth to opportunities in achieving and accomplishing greater goals. Centered on ASEAN’s three pillars – the Economic Community, the Socio-Cultural Community, and the Political-Security Community – this year’s summit holds a case study competition that challenges the youth to critically analyze different issues that persist in ASEAN Member-States. The case study competition encourages its participants to create solutions to these issues from different angles. 

Interested participants may apply as a delegate or an observer. The delegates are entitled to the full package which includes the talks, meals, field trip, and other activities. Delegates will also be able to take part in the case study competition wherein they will analyze the different issues that exist in their represented country and propose long term solutions in line with the goals of the three ASEAN pillars to solve these problems. The observers will not participate in the case study competition. However, they will be able to listen to the same speakers and participate in the same program of the delegates. They are more than welcome to join the delegates’ plenary sessions to give insight and listen to their case study presentations.

All accepted late applicants are expected to pay the registration fee of USD 180 which is inclusive of the conference fee, field trip fee, delegate kit, AYS shirt, meals during the program, and the transportation fee from DLSU to other program venues.

Register now at www.ays2018.com or email us at info@ays2018.com for more inquiries.

The Value of Landscape Design

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Property values have been plummeting as the market flounders under the widespread financial crisis. Of course, property owners are anxious about this. Real estate professionals have, however, identified one of the ways by which the value of a property can be raised. This is by providing aesthetically pleasing lawn landscaping with excellent landscape design.

Of course, not every property owner is qualified to achieve this alone. It is still best to hire the services of a professional who has the required expertise in landscape design and lawn landscaping. Such expertise should, however, be balanced by cost effective services and environmental responsibility. It is not impossible to find such professional landscape management, design and lawn landscaping services in Wadhurst, UK.

Of course lawn landscaping services should include regular maintenance. 

Of course lawn landscaping services should include regular maintenance. One of the main components of regular maintenance services is pest control Wolverhampton. Common pests such as white grubs, mole crickets and fungus should be completely eliminated and prevented from returning. For health and ecological considerations, it is crucial that inexpensive but environmentally safe solutions are used in pest control. The property owner should demand this from the chosen lawn landscaping maintenance service provider in Wadhurst, UK.

Environmental and health safety issues should also be taken into consideration on the issue of fertilizers. It is recognized that lawn fertilization is a necessary part of lawn landscaping maintenance. If the lawn is not properly fertilized it could develop unsightly brown discoloration of the grass.

Fertilization could also incorporate weed prevention. Once again, the property owner should require the lawn landscaping maintenance service provider in Wadhurst, UK to use only environmentally safe and preferably organic fertilizers and weed prevention solutions.

To be consistent in the area of environmental responsibility, the property owner should also choose a lawn landscaping maintenance service provider in Wadhurst, UK that uses a lawn watering system which supports water conservation.

It is inevitable, however, to incur some lawn damage due to various factors. Lawn landscaping maintenance services therefore include lawn repair as well.

Although grass seed is less expensive than grass sod for covering entire lawns, sodding can be cheaper and more convenient in repairing small areas. A small patch of grass sod can cost less than a bag of grass seed in Wadhurst, UK.

Skillful landscape design consultant 
nt the development of lawn problems. For example, lawn landscaping should not include low areas that tend to pool and retain water while not receiving proper air circulation.

Such faulty designing cause some landscapes in Wadhurst, UK to harbour a variety of lawn diseases.

Heavy foot traffic across lawns likewise causes damage to the grass, particularly for the more fragile species. Instead of putting the lawn off limits to human traffic, foot paths that traverse through it could be incorporated into the landscape design. This will allow better enjoyment of the landscape design and lawn landscaping by both the property owner and welcome visitors in Wadhurst, UK.

Indeed, aesthetics must also serve a practical purpose. Landscape design should therefore also strive to use low maintenance landscaping elements such as gravel, shrubs and small trees to enhance lawns in Wadhurst, UK.

Since it has been proven that having an unkempt lawn is counterproductive in terms of preserving a property's market value while having beautiful lawn landscaping and landscape design can make it much more valuable, it is logically wise to invest in professional landscape design and lawn landscaping as well as regular maintenance services. Not only will the property owner in Wadhurst, UK have peace of mind with regard to financial matters but the enjoyment of the beautiful view will likewise bring a feeling of well being each and every day.

Faster Mobile Data Speeds Boost VisMin Load Sales

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Tacloban retailer Josephine Derwin says drivers in the Tacloban New Transport Terminal load up at her store so they can keep in touch with their families while on the road.

For long-haul drivers constantly away from home, a mobile phone is the only way to stay connected with family while on the road. 

This means steady business for sari-sari store owner Josephine Derwin, who sells e-load at the Tacloban New Transport Terminal. Most of her customers are drivers, who are quick to avail of promos, such as UTP, GigaSurf 50 and AllOutSurf50.

Sales have further spiked, she said, following Smart network upgrades in the Visayas and Mindanao. The same was observed by Abby Pedrero, whose store customers are mostly gamers and avid social media users on the lookout for promos for online apps and mobile games.

Similarly Cyril Puzon Mejos reported quadruple income from “strong load sales” at her store in the popular resort island of Panglao in Bohol.

In Davao, load seller May Anne Veneroso noted that the network upgrade is what draws repeat customers. “Of course, they would buy from the fastest network,” she said.

Best technologies

Smart ramped up the roll-out of Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced across the country, including key areas like Leyte and Bohol. LTE and LTE-A are the best technologies to bring fast, affordable and reliable mobile internet services to customers.

The Tacloban New Transport Terminal, Panglao island and Davao City are just a few of the areas in the Visayas and Mindanao enjoying the benefits of the recent network upgrades.

Internal tests around Tacloban and Ormoc have shown speeds ranging from 19 Mbps to 67 Mbps on LTE and LTE-A-capable devices, specifically in areas around RTR Plaza in Tacloban, Ormoc City Public Market, and Sabin Hotel in Ormoc. Speeds ranging from 20 Mbps to almost 100 Mbps were achieved in areas like Tagbilaran, Dauis and Baclayon in Bohol.

Clodualda Bibi of Ormoc, who has been able to provide for the family by selling load, is confident that with better signal in the area, business will further improve.  

Fastest networks

PLDT is investing heavily in transforming its fixed and mobile networks to bring world-class connectivity nationwide. As a result, PLDT and Smart were recently cited for being the country’s fastest networks for Q1-Q2 2018, respectively, by Ookla^®, the global leader in internet testing and analysis.

Ookla said Smart achieved a Speed Score^TM of 14.98, with average download speeds of 17.25 Mbps and average upload speeds of 7.65 Mbps, based on 2,118,464 user-initiated tests taken with Speedtest^® on LTE-capable devices in the Philippines for Q1-Q2.  

PLDT achieved a Speed Score^TM of 17.31, with average download speeds of 22.84 Mbps and average upload speeds of 23.45 Mbps. The fixed network award is based on 29,076,090 user-initiated Speedtest nationwide for the same period.

PLDT has committed around US$ 5 billion for network upgrades from 2016 to 2020, with capital expenditures expected to reach P58 billion this year. 

Underpinning this level of service is PLDT’s most extensive fiber network, which also supports Smart’s mobile network by providing high-capacity links for cellular base stations.

Level up to LTE in VisMin

Recently, Smart also fired up LTE in the Philippines’ northernmost province of Batanes, Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, and Sarangani.

Amid this ramped-up roll out, Smart is on track to meet its commitment to the National Telecommunications Commission to achieve 90% municipality coverage for 3G and 4G mobile broadband by this year.

To fully enjoy the improved Smart LTE network, customers are encouraged to upgrade to an LTE-capable smartphone and an LTE SIM.

Smart Prepaid and Smart Postpaid customers can check if their SIMs are LTE-ready by texting SIMCHECK to 5832 for free.

Smart, TNT and Sun customers can also easily upgrade to an LTE SIM without changing their existing number by going to a nearby Smart Store or through an LTE-Ready Self-Service Upgrade SIM, which is available for P10 at Smart loading partners nationwide, with free 1GB data valid for three days upon upgrading.