Kärcher Strengthens PH Presence; Inaugurates First Flagship Center

Wazzup Pilipinas!

FIRST KÄRCHER CENTER IN THE PHILIPPINES.Global cleaning technology and solutions provider Kärcher recently inaugurated its first service center and showroom in the Philippines. Located in Sucat, Parañaque, Kärcher Center Manila displays the company’s latest and upcoming products while also giving customers and potential business clients the chance to experience the products by themselves or see how they work through a demonstration by professionals. 

In photo from left to right: Parañaque City Vice Mayor Jose Enrico Golez, Kärcher Philippines Country Manager Zurich Fernandez, Kärcher Global Deputy CEO Markus Asch, Kärcher ASEAN President Klaus Puehmeyer, and Dr. Andree Buhl, Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the German Embassy in Manila.

Global cleaning technology and solutions leader Kärcher recently inaugurated its first service center and showroom in the Philippines, as part of efforts to bring the innovative products closer to Filipinos.

Located in Sucat, Parañaque, the new Kärcher Center Manila serves as a showroom where visitors can view and buy the company’s latest products. Customers and potential business clients can also personally experience the products or see how they work through a demonstration by professionals. In addition, the center also functions as the business and service center for Filipino customers for both the Home & Garden as well as the Professional product lines.

“Our new flagship Kärcher Center will definitely help develop our commitment to bring the right cleaning solution to every Filipino customer. With the brand new showroom and service center, local customers can now expect full and immediate support from us ─ from simply inquiring about our products to actually seeing and using the products in action for a test run,” said Kärcher Philippines Country Manager Zurich Fernandez.

The opening of the Kärcher Center is a sign of the budding German interest in setting up business in the Philippines. “The Philippines is an economic powerhouse in the Southeast region, and together with its English-speaking population, it is no wonder that German firms are confident in expanding in the country. I’m very excited that a company as huge as Kärcher is now here. It will not only bring world-class cleaning technologies for Filipinos but also help both nations’ economies in creating job opportunities,” said Dr. Andree Buhl, Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the German Embassy in Manila.

The same sentiments were shared by Parañaque Vice Mayor Jose Enrico Golez, who wished that the city’s ongoing partnership with Kärcher will lead to more opportunities for growth. “On behalf of the city, I am very happy that we have new investors here in Parañaque. Germany has a longstanding relationship with the Philippines that I’m not surprised a great German company has invested here. We hope that this is the start of a very good relationship with Kärcher, which will contribute to further economic growth in the Philippines.”

Kärcher’s decision to complement the online shopping trend by opening a physical showroom is a testament to its commitment to show customers that cleaning is a process. “By having a brick-and-mortar-store, we can teach our customers the right process. We can offer them advice and practical learning through our professionals. At the same time, it gives us the opportunity to know our customers better by way of face-to-face interactions,” Fernandez added.

The Kärcher Center Manila is just part of the company’s ongoing initiatives in the Philippines. Earlier this year, it restored the People Power Monument along EDSA, and last December, refurbished the Rizal Monument in Luneta Park. Both of these are under the “Kärcher Cleans the World” campaign that aims to help preserve national and historic landmark across the world.

Kärcher Center Manila is located at ECH Plaza Bay 5-7 No. 8006 San Antonio, Parañaque City. Also present in its inauguration were Peter Kompalla, Executive Director of the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Klaus Puehmeyer, Kärcher ASEAN Regional President, and Markus Asch, Kärcher Deputy CEO. For more information, visit www.karcher.com.ph and facebook.com/karcher.inc/.

FDCP to Feature International Experts at Film Industry Conference

Wazzup Pilipinas!

August is a big month for the Philippine film industry and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) as the agency is once again hosting the Film Industry Conference (FIC) on August 17-18, 2018at Novotel Araneta Center, Quezon City. Now on its second year, the Conference will feature panels and workshops with international experts and film industry leaders who will share the current trends and tricks of the trade in the international scene.

FIC will be zeroing in on Asia as a regional industry and the many insights that the Filipino film industry can learn from the resource speakers and can follow in terms of best practices and market trends. With topics ranging from film funding opportunities to bridging technical gaps to get films ready for the international market and the type of Asian stories that work with the global audience today, FIC will surely be beneficial to Filipino industry players and professionals, and even young filmmakers and students who wish to learn more about film as an industry.

With the Keynote Address to be delivered by the Motion Picture Association International, the Conference leads with expert speakers coming to Manila including international distributors, film commissions, foreign co-producers, members of the international press, and post-production supervisors.

Film Funds and Labs

Purin Pictures

Asian Cinema Fund

Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab (SEAFIC)

Production and Post-Production Companies

Silvermedia

WhiteLight Post

Distribution Companies

Astro Malaysia

Chinese Shadows

Film Commissions

Taipei Film Commission

Saga Prefectural Film Commission

Cambodia Film Commission

Korea Film Commissions and Industry Network

Ravenbanner Entertainment

International Media

Variety

Screen International

Additionally, workshops on international film distribution, film criticism, audio post- production, and film archiving will be featured alongside the panels. In terms of the post-production workshop, this will be the first time WhiteLight’s Lee Chatametikool is administering the topic to share with post-production enthusiasts and professionals in the Philippines. WhiteLight is an award-winning post-production house which has worked on internationally acclaimed films like Call Me By Your Name. (See attached for full list of topics and workshops).

“We are particularly proud to bring together all these experts and leaders to personally share insights and the ways of the industry to our Filipino filmmakers and producers. Through FIC, we hope to give them a better understanding of the bigger world of film and the market as we gear up to go global,” said FDCP Chairperson Liza Dino.

Pre-registration is required for the Film Industry Conference. For online sign ups, please visitwww.fdcp.ph/fic. Deadline of registration is on August 10, 2018.

FIC is a part of the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino 2018, an exclusive one-week screening of Filipino films from August 15-21, 2018.

PPP is presented in partnership with National Cinemas Association of the Philippines (NCAP), Unicef, Globe Play It Right, SOLAR Entertainment Corporation, Outpost Visual Frontier, Nestle, ThinkBit, Sequioa Hotel, Camella Homes. It is also supported by the Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors (SPEED), CNN Philippines, PEP.ph, MOR 101.9 For Life, The Manila Bulletin, Malaya, Philippine Star, Wish 107.5, Push.com, Uniquely Pinoy, as well as by the following government agency partners, Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), National Commission on Culture and Arts (NCCA), Department of Transportation (DOTr), National Youth Commission (NYC), Office of the Vice Mayor Quezon City (OVM) and Quezon City Film Development Commission (QCFDC).

Energy Budget Targets Unserved, Underserved Areas

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Energy (DOE) is determined to bring light to 3 million households more at the soonest possible time through its Total Electrification Program (TEP).

The energy family led by Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi appeared on Tuesday before the House Committee on Energy seeking support for its two billion peso 2019 budget which intensifies efforts to provide electricity access to unserved and underserved areas throughout the country.

"We are aggressively pursuing initiatives catering to the unserved and underserved areas of the country to promote inclusive growth. This initiative supports Ambisyon Natin 2040 - providing a strongly-rooted, comfortable and secure life for all Filipinos," Sec. Cusi said in his opening statement.

The Energy Secretary further emphasized that achieving total electrification is more than a budgetary matter. Bringing power to the remotest zones of the Philippines entails effective collaboration with distribution utilities given that unserved and underserved sectors are located within their franchise areas.

TOTAL ELECTRIFICATION BY 2022

Based on the 2015 census, the December 2017 data of the DOE pegs the current household electrification level at 88.3 percent, with 21 million of the 24 million households in the country having access to electricity.

In the proposed 2019 budget, the TEP accounts for about 25 percent or an initial allocation of P505 million. It will align all of its efforts on providing electricity services to about 14,320 households with the National Electrification Administration, the National Power Corporation, the distribution utilities and other key stakeholders in the energy industry.

Initial DOE estimates have identified six regions with electrification levels falling below 80 percent. There are four in Mindanao (Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao 27.4 percent, SOCCSKARGEN 65.6 percent, Zamboanga peninsula 67 percent, and Davao region 68.2 percent), the Negros Island Region in the Visayas (79.3 percent) and MIMAROPA in Luzon (79.9 percent).

While the TEP envisions 100 percent electrification by 2022, Sec. Cusi also assured members of the House Committee on Energy that the energy family is working very hard to hit the target sooner.