Oakwood Suites Bangkok Introduces Refined Residential Living to Thailand

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Oakwood, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mapletree Investments (“Mapletree”), today announced the official opening of Oakwood Suites Bangkok, its third property in Bangkok and sixth in Thailand. Strategically located along Sukhumvit Soi 24 in the popular Phrom Phong district, the property will offer a sanctuary of tranquility and privacy within the Thai capital’s thriving commercial complexes, and vibrant mix of shopping malls, restaurants and bars.

With a total of 228 well-appointed studio, premier, one- and two-bedroom apartments that cater to the diverse needs of travellers on business or leisure, each unit is equipped with a fully-furnished kitchen featuring top-of-the-line appliances, a Nespresso coffee machine and in-room entertainment system. Providing easy reach to the city’s Central Business District as well as the elevated convenience of access to major landmarks such as EmQuartier mall, Benjasiri Park and a plethora of other shopping and dining options, Oakwood Suites Bangkok will redefine the jetsetting lifestyle of savvy travellers through Oakwood’s delivery of service excellence coupled with renowned Thai hospitality.

“From restful green spaces to lively markets and contemporary sky bars, Bangkok is an exciting mix of modern and traditional Thai lifestyles. Being a gateway to Asia, the bustling city is an important commercial hub and a convenient springboard to the rest of the continent. We are thrilled to unveil Oakwood Suites in Bangkok, bringing elevated contemporary luxury to this key market,” said Dean Schreiber, interim chief executive officer of Oakwood and managing director of Oakwood Asia Pacific.

Designed to provide unparalled residential comfort for well-heeled travellers and senior executives, most of the studios and apartments at Oakwood Suites Bangkok feature a private balcony with cityscape views of the heart of Bangkok.

While guests can expect unobtrusive service tailored to one’s lifestyle with a focus on subtlety, they can also look to enjoy the property’s range of facilities such as an infinity outdoor swimming pool, a stunning sky lounge with meeting room, a residents’ lounge, a fully-equipped fitness centre, and a children’s playroom. ALICE Café & Bistro, an all-day dining restaurant, will feature an innovative repertoire of Asian-fusion cuisine complemented by a delightful array of international classics and freshly-made desserts.

Livelihood Program Set for T’bolis in South Cotabato

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Seven entities signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide livelihood opportunities and markets to coffee and abaca farmers from upland T’boli communities in South Cotabato.

The partnership among the Peace and Equity Foundation, United States Agency for International Development, Philippine Fiber Industry Development Industry (PFIDI), United Maligang Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Joscual Trading and the local government unit (LGU) of T'boli will benefit 200 farmers of Knoon Highland Farmers Association (KHFA) and strengthen their community by helping them be competitive in the value chain while doing conservation-based agriculture.

According to Joscual Trading owner Jojo Joson, they hope to train 75 KHFA members to produce high quality green coffee beans.

“Second to that, we also want them to fully participate in the value chain by training them on how to process their coffee,” he said.

Joson added that bringing PFIDI and UMFMPC will revitalize abaca production, a year-long crop as opposed to seasonal coffee.

Meanwhile, the T’boli LGU through the Office of the Municipal Agriculture will provide other institutional development and capability-building assistance to KHFA and will monitor and evaluate the implementation of the projects based on the MoU.

For her part, PEF Area Officer Shunie Pearl Palacios noted that the community is looking forward to the development with the coming together of the leading stakeholders in the area.

“Na-observe ko na tumaas ang level ng motivation ng mga farmers to work hard sa mga farms nila knowing na may mga organizations at LGU na nakasuporta sa kanila. I believe it's a good start towards community empowerment, to trust each other,” she said.

Also present at the signing ceremony held last November 2019 were T'boli Mayor Dibu Tuan, Councilor and Sangguniang Bayan Chairman on Agriculture Pacifico Cordada Jr., USAID Program Manager Rey Teves and KHFA President Levy Calan.

FDCP To Hold the Fourth Annual Film Ambassadors' Night In February: FDCP To Hold the Fourth Annual Film Ambassadors' Night In February

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For its annual kickoff event, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) will usher in 2020 by honoring Filipino filmmakers, producers, actors, projects and the various figures of the film industry that received global recognition over the past year at the fourth edition of FDCP’s Film Ambassadors’ Night.

Film Ambassador’s Night, which inaugurated in 2017, has honored over 200 filmmakers with particular focus on those who represented the Philippines in the international arena. In this year's edition to be held on February 9 (Sunday), FDCP will recognize several Film Ambassadors who consist of Filipino film industry artists, filmmakers, and films across genres and formats that received awards in film festivals abroad.

“We call our honorees Film Ambassadors for their incredible role in promoting and elevating Philippine Cinema globally by winning in international platforms,” said FDCP Chairperson Liza Dino said, “ Their works and artistry add to the whole of an already great Filipino heritage that is constantly growing in scale and quality. and it makes us truly proud that we call the world's attention to the Philippine Cinema through their efforts,” she added.”

In the past, these recognitions have included director Brillante Mendoza as part of the A-listers category for winning the special jury prize in San Sebastian Film Festival in 2018 and directors Treb Monteras and Mikhail Red as some of the many ‘Film Ambassadors’. The event also brings together industry workers and opens up the possibilities of sharing experiences and future collaborations.

In addition to recognizing these ‘Film Ambassadors,’ FDCP will present the Camera Obscura Artistic Excellence award to three members of the film industry. This award recognizes outstanding representatives of the film industry — be they filmmakers, producers, actors and so on — who made breakthroughs internationally, brought an appreciation for Philippine cinema abroad, and have positively inspired the Philippine film industry to aspire to greater heights. Awardees will receive a trophy and 50,000 pesos from FDCP.

Last year’s Camera Obscura awardees included filmmaker and national artist Kidlat Tahimik, film producer Bianca Balbuena and the highest-grossing Filipino film of 2018, The Hows of Us. Other past winners include Lav Diaz and Jaclyn Jose, as well as the films Saving Sally (dir. Avid Liongoren) for its recognition as an original full-length animation film and Kita Kita (dir. Sigrid Andrea Bernardo) for setting a new box office record as the highest-grossing, independently produced Filipino film.

FDCP’s Film Ambassador’s Night is the first of many events to be held this 2020 by the agency as it continues spearheading the year-long celebration of Sine Sandaan, the commemoration of a hundred years of Philippine cinema.