PINACO Signs on as the Platinum Sponsor of the 30th SEA Games and 10th ASEAN Para Games In a Deal Brokered by Mediapro Asia

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Less than two months before the Philippine hosting of the 30th South East Asian Games, the Philippine South East Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) has gained a new partner through Mediapro Asia. PINACO, Vietnam’s leading dry cell and storage battery signed a commitment of support with PHISGOC for the hosting of the 30th SEA games.

“Since our last partnership announcement, we are excited to once again have another partner on board for the SEA Games. With PINACO, this opens up the Vietnamese market for us, and we are hoping that this would be the first of many other collaborations with PINACO,” said Lars Heidenreich, Managing Director Mediapro Asia.

PINACO has been the constant companion of many major regional and international sports events, and will be leveraging on this SEA Games as the opportunity to lead-up into the 2021 SEA Games taking place in Vietnam.

“It is such a great honour and pride for PINACO to be one of the official Platinum Partners of this event in the hopes of contributing to the success of the Games, especially given that the 30th SEA Games is the largest sports event in the region,” said Tran Thanh Van, General Director of PINACO.

PHISGOC Chair and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said the partnership with PINACO adds to the growing list of private companies expressing their support for the Philippines hosting.

For the past year, PHISGOC has been successful in tapping private companies to sponsor the events and augment the organizing committee’s budget.

“The overwhelming support of international brands boosts our efforts to facilitate our preparations and inspire us to work even harder every day,” Cayetano said.

The entry of PINACO, represented by its General Director, Tran Thanh Van, helps our organizing committee to raise its standards of hosting the 30th South East Asian Games.

In simple signing ceremonies held in Taguig on Thursday, Cayetano thanked PINACO for the opportunity to partner with PHISGOC for the successful hosting of this year's SEA games.

Given that 2019’s SEA Games is being promised as one of the biggest ever, with 56 sports, 8750 athletes and team officials; and targeting more than 500 million viewers, this would look to be a valuable sponsorship in exposures.

PHISGOC officials expressed their gratitude for giving their trust and confidence to the organizing committee.

For this year’s SEA games, PHISGOC is expecting the participation of 11,000 athletes and team officials, 9,000 volunteers, 530 medal events covering 56 sports in 53 competition venues for the 30th edition of the games, which will happen in 12 exciting days. The events will take place in 4 clusters in Clark, Subic, Metro Manila and other areas in South Luzon.

Five Foreign and One Local Companies Vie to Build PNR Clark 2 Segment to Clark Airport, Depot

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The massive North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project continues to draw a significant number of proposals from here and abroad, as Contract Packages 4 and 5 of the PNR Clark Phase 2 attracted one local and five international companies.

Bid submission was held Monday, 14 October 2019, at the office of the Procurement Service - Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM).

Following the record turnout of 11 international and local bidders for Contract Packages 1-3 in August, DOTr Undersecretary for Railways TJ Batan and PNR General Manager Junn Magno noted that the sustained interest of proponents in the NSCR Project, as manifested in the level of participation for Contract Packages 4 and 5, is continuing proof of the international infrastructure industry’s trust in the Duterte Administration’s Build Build Build Program.

Jointly implemented by the DOTr and PNR, and procured through the PS-DBM, “the turnout of bidders for Packages 1-5 of PNR Clark Phase 2 is proof that competition and value for taxpayers' money are enhanced with a bidding process that is transparent, fair, and corruption-free,” Batan said.

“The vibrant turnout of proponents yet again for Contract Packages 4 and 5 reflects the solid support and trust of the international infrastructure industry in the Duterte administration. With a robust competition, we also raise the standard of quality of our infrastructures that shall, in the end, best serve the Filipino people,” Magno added.

The NSCR Project – a mega railway network spanning 148 kilometers with 37 stations – is worth PhP777.55 billion. It is co-financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It notably remains to be both the ADB’s fastest rail project implementation and recipient of its largest financing — further proof of the trust that the international development finance community has extended to President Rodrigo Duterte's promise of delivering the Philippines' Golden Age of Infrastructure.

PNR Clark Phase 2 is a 53-kilometer segment from Malolos, Bulacan to Clark, Pampanga, which forms part of the NSCR. This rail line will feature the country’s first airport express railway service.

Contract Package 4 consists of 8 kilometers and includes Clark International Airport Station. Contract Package 5, meanwhile, consists of the NSCR’s Clark Depot.

Companies that participated in the bidding are Acciona (Spain), EEI (Philippines), GS Engineering & Construction (Korea), Posco Engineering & Construction (Korea), PT Waskita (Indonesia), and PT Wika (Indonesia).

PNR Clark Phase 2 is targeted for partial operations by 2022. This rail line will reduce travel time between Malolos, Bulacan and Clark International Airport to just 30-35 minutes; and from Buendia in Makati to Clark Airport from 2 hours via car to just 55 minutes through the airport express. It aims to serve 340,000 passengers daily in its opening year.

Before 2019 ends, more contract packages are scheduled for bid submission and publication. These include bid submission for PNR Calamba Package 1 (1 kilometer including Blumentritt Station) on 05 November 2019, and the start of bidding for the NSCR’s 304 Commuter Train Cars, 56 Airport Express Train Cars, and Electromechanical Systems within the last quarter of 2019.

World Leader Torani Holds First-ever Master Flavor Class in PH

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Do you know that how we experience flavors and taste is a science?

That you cannot taste flavor unless you can smell?

That color and aroma influence how we get attracted to and enjoy what we eat and drink?

That genetics, age, ethnic background, the number and sensitivity of our taste buds determine how we taste?

Over 60 baristas and restaurateurs from well-known coffee houses, restaurants, and hotels in Luzon learned about the science of flavor and more at the first-ever Torani Master Flavor Class held in the country at Seda Hotel in Taguig recently. It was jointly organized by Torani, world leader in flavoring syrups, sauces and blended drink bases, and Equilibrium Intertrade Corporation, top Philippine distributor of coffee, tea and specialty beverage products.

The three-part workshop was conducted by Anjali Ganpule, Torani’s innovative food scientist from Torani San Francisco and an active member of Northern California’s Institute of Food Technologists. Ms. Ganpule is a master at seducing the senses with both exciting and soothing flavors.

The class enabled participants to learn how to craft amazing flavors and also to understand, develop and promote their drinks in a competitive market.

The whole day deep-dive familiarized participants with the science, technology and art of creating amazing flavors. Participants learned how to enhance existing products and standardize sensory methods. They found out how customers use all of their senses to experience their drinks. By experiencing different tastes and flavors themselves, class members learned how to create yummy flavors through their knowledge of food science. They then created a drink menu with different kinds of flavors.

“Torani has over 100 flavors and those great flavors when paired with great coffee and prepared by great baristas will surely delight customers in a special way. I think that will greatly help to set their coffee shop apart from competition,” Ms. Ganpule said.

Torani Syrups & Sauces was brought to the Philippines by Equilibrium Intertrade Corporation from San Francisco, CA to re-create the café experience of the North Beach in San Francisco. It paved the way to the early beginnings and subsequent growth of the first and second waves of the Philippine Specialty Coffee Trade. These Rolls Royce of coffee flavorings has served millions of exciting lattes in many cafes in the country since it first went into the market in 1998.

Torani offers various syrups and sauces from Regular Syrup, Sauces, Fruit Purees, Real Fruit and Puremade Syrup, which delivers amazing flavor using the purest ingredients.

Equilibrium Intertrade Corporation, the country’s official distributor of Torani, has been in operation for more than 21 years in the Philippines. As the specialty coffee trade began to grow in the late 1900s, it expanded its products to include espresso machines, specialty teas and other specialty beverages. Its clients include top hotels, restaurants and the popular coffee places in the country.