Philippine Post Office unveils Jaworski Stamps, commemorates the 75th anniversary of the first stamp of the Republic

Wazzup Pilipinas?!


The Philippine Postal Corporation (Post Office) is set to launch the first-ever stamp featuring basketball great Robert Jaworski to kick off the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the first-ever stamp of the Republic of the Philippines.

Seventy-five years ago, in 1946, the Post Office issued the first stamp bearing the inauguration of the Philippine Republic. From this era, the Filipino people have risen up, setting the tide for world renowned talents and outstanding individuals who have made their mark in international stage.

On the occasion of the launching of Robert Jaworski Living Legend Stamps, the Post Office commemorates another remarkable milestone in the history of the country with the opening of “sALAMAT, Pagpupugay sa mga Alamat (ATribute to Filipino Legends) a three-part series of postage stamp issuances featuring 1.) Living Legends: World Renowned: 2.) Living Legends: Outstanding Filipinos; and 3.) Never Forgotten personalities that have made a mark and contributed greatly in their chosen fields here and abroad.

“This is our own llittle way of thanking and honoring these outstanding Filipinos in their chosen fields of endeavor in celebration of the 75 years of the first stamps issued in the Philippines as a Republic”. Postmaster General Norman Fulgencio said.

According to Postmaster General Norman Fulgencio, the Filipino people in this country are the most valuable asset and the real treasure a country could have.

“Naniniwala po kami na ang tunay na yaman ng Pilipinas ay tayong mga Pilipino (we believe that the real treasure of the Philippines are the Filipinos themselves) - their talents, characteristics, and the Filipino spirits”, Fulgencio said.

He added, “We are deeply honored to the family of Senator Robert Jaworski and his family for allowing us to feature his greatness in the Philippine Stamps. It is more fitting for his status as the sports “Living Legends” who personified the ‘never say die’ spirit to be the opening salvo for our upcoming stamps featuring outstanding Filipinos to give hope and strength for Filipinos in the midst of this pandemic.

“The stamp teaches us an important life lesson, that when it seems hopeless and you are about to give up, amazing things can still happen, if we keep the faith”, Fulgencio said.

The Post Office will feature new innovations in postage stamp designs to spark interest and excitement for people of all ages. The stamp shall be the medium to inspire and fully appreciate the achievements and pride of the country and people.

This forms part of the “Hatid Malasakit” campaign of the Post office to modernize the mail system in order to better serve the public. The Filipino people deserve no less than the best postal service by global standards.

Ka Leody De Guzman called out for his "mysogynistic" post

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Netizens expressed their concern over a recent statement of Ka Leody De Guzman which he posted on social media. 

His post somehow raised issues relating to his perception of VP Leni Robredo, of which commenters are worried that his statement was sort of "misogynistic" mainly because he mentioned the past female presidents Cory Aquino and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo...and how VP Leni Robredo seems to be motivated alone by the same goal to bring down the present administration. Just as how Aquino to Marcos, Arroyo to Estrada, and now Robredo to Duterte.

"Ang babaw naman po ng tingin ninyo kay VP Leni sa sinabi nyong gusto lang nyang wakasan ang pagbabalik ni Duterte at Marcos. Tutol din sya sa contractualization. Maganda din ang plano nya sa labor. So si Leni pa ang nanghati ng boto ngayon? Magaling."

"Ka Leody has raised some important points about class struggle and the continuous rule of the bourgeoisie.

Pero hold up......hindi lang si Cory at GMA ang naging problematic. Bakit puro babae ang tinira, including Leni?

Medyo off and misogynistic 'to, Ka Leody."

"Bilang mga lider ng bayan ay hindi maganda na punahin nyo ang hindi mga nagawa. Mas maganda na bigyan ng diin ang mga nagawa ng ating VP sa kabila ng mga panlalait ng mga katulad mga sinasabing mga tunay na lalaki sa larangan ng politika."

"Maganda na may babala na maaaring bumalik sa dati ang lahat at hindi hayagan at tuluyang maibigay sa manggawa't taongbayan ang nararapat, pero nagtitiwala po ako na sa pinamalas ni Robredo nitong 6 na taon, iba ang paradigm niya, pinahahalagahan."

"If Ka Leody hadn't posted an Facebook status na may low key attack on VP leni, I would have brushed that “maputlang spaghetti” tirade as a joke and maybe a coincidence. Pero hindi eh."

"....Isn’t the context of what Ka Leody is saying about Leni coming from the place of Leni and her camp shunning Ka Leody and his camp despite months of actively reaching out to them in order to form a united opposition?

This is something, I think, a lot of people don’t know about and understandably so. Personally, I found out fairly recently. I think there’s something to be said about Leni reaching out to Isko and Pacquiao but not to Ka Leody."

"Utterly and totally disappointed. it's saddening that all the male presidential candidates–yes even ka leody–spitting misogynistic remarks and targeting the only woman in the race"

"Misogyny is a serious matter and must never be downplayed. That said, the criticism of the political decisions of ruling class women is not in or by itself misogyny.

Ka Leody’s post, while a response to persistent questions from a Leni supporter, not only criticized Leni, Cory and Gloria. It reserved its most profound rancor for Marcos and Duterte, and also lambasted Isko and Manny as fake opposition.

I understand nevertheless that this was received as misogyny, and when someone says that they are hurt by misogyny, we should believe them. I have no doubt, too, that Leni, sadly, has faced and will continue to face misogyny throughout her career.

As for those who are cynically or cavalierly using the charge of misogyny for overtly partisan one-upmanship, however, they must know that their actions are harmful. Their use of the charge to avoid addressing substantive criticisms would be a gesture of bad faith."

Ka Leody released a statement on the matter:

"Politika ng mga bilyonaryo" - that tells a lot. Nasa kapitalistang bansa tayo, expected na iyan. Kahit sa mga socialist countries, meron din nyan. And lately, China which is communist, has embraced capitalism - hybrid or not. What needs to be focused on is to curb the excesses."

"Hindi ako namumuna dahil sa kanilang kasarian kundi dahil sa kanilang naging pagkukulang sa masa. Sa bandang huli, hindi pa rin nila naiwaksi ang nakagawiang politika ng mga bilyonaryo." -Ka Leody

"I dont think Ka Leody was misogynistic for comparing Leni to only Cory and GMA. Cory and GMA weren't singled out because they were women, but rather because they led their respective EDSAs which focused on Ferdinand Marcos/Erap in particular instead of systemic problems.

But to be balanced, it's not fair either to say or imply that Leni is anti-farmer or anti-worker. Also isn't fair to say or imply that Leni is running only to prevent BBM from becoming president. Eh di sana inendorse niya na lang si Isko di ba"

"Ka Leody is not a misogynist candidate because he is PRO-CHOICE. Sobrang clear naman sa stances niya that he's very supportive sa abortion, divorce, and other laws that will empower women. Leni failed to recognize that abortion is both women's right and a social class issue."

"For those confused, the criticism was all about the EDSA narrative that was being spun. Ka Leody’s candidacy stemmed from the failures of the 2 EDSAs. Nothing to do with Cory and Gloria being women."

"Pakibasa ang buong context ng post ni Ka Leody. He was criticizing the narrative being spun of Good vs Evil. Gloria vs Erap. Cory vs Marcos. People should stop cherry-picking criticsms so they can cry misogyny. Leni can take it. Hindi siya pabebe."

"Malaki ang aking respeto kay VP Leni at sa kanyang track record. Ngunit sa tingin ko lang ay mahalagang bigyan ng konteksto ang kanyang pagtakbo sa puntong ito ng ating kasaysayan nang hindi tayo humantong ulit sa mga pagkakamali ng nakaraan."- Ka Leody

Fair statement. I think the apology shows that Ka Leody really listens to constituents (more than I can say about most people running) but let’s also kill this narrative that Leni is ONLY there to stop B/B/M— she offers so much more!

Also, VP Leni may be focused to preventing the Duterte and Marcoses (which we clearly saw an alliance ever since the new administration too over.) but she also has other motivations if we'll consider her past activities and beliefs. Naturally, she's passionate against the possibility of having to continue with this kind of "bastos" government led by Duterte,  that has clearly made us suffer. The pandemic could have been a blessing because we saw how Duterte is  incompetent and full of himself with very little respect to his constituents.

I am in favor of presidential candidates that would offer something new but I must also consider if they would be capable enough to accomplish their promises. I don't want another Duterte laying out too good to be feasible objectives. They should be able to explain how their going to do them.

Check out KaLeodyKabataan to know more about him. Ka Leody is historically the first socialist labor leader to run for PH presidency. Here are some of his stances on key issues: 

Labor leader and presidential aspirant Ka Leody de Guzman announced on Saturday his senatorial lineup for the 2022 elections. 

Namely, Luke Espiritu, David D'Angelo, and Roy Cabonegro...with the more familiar personalities as guest candidates ( which includes Neri Colmenares, Risa Hontiveros, Chel Diokno, and Leila De Lima. There's two more guest candidates that are unfamiliar for me.

"Let's be realistic, please. Do you honestly think Ka Leody's votes will make a dent on another opposition candidate's votes? I mean, as big as Manny's or Isko's?"

I'm actually torn between voting for Ka Leody and VP Leni since we do have a better chance of winning if we do root for the more popular presidential candidate from the opposition, or anybody that has not shown any sign of being an enabler of the Duterte administration, or has expressed alliance with the Marcoses. This will be really tough for the voters.

Now what about Ka Leody's Senatorial line-up?

"We had been nominated to run for the Senate by the common people. It was never our intention but when we are asked to serve we gladly accept it. It is a great honor that I was able to be part of such great people headed by Ka Leody. Salamat po. Padayon!" - David D'Angelo 

I know David personally, so I could vouch for his character and passion...and he does have a genuine desire to serve and rally behind important issues that need to be raised for both awareness and implementation towards a better society. As what I've said about Ka Leody, will my friend be able to also successfully fill the seat of a Senator? Is he qualified to become one? 

I don't know about you guys, but I believe it's time we vote for new names/faces into government, and not always the same traditional politicians that have been around for years yet were not that very vocal and active in airing their sentiments to the rightful authorities or those officials up there at the higher, if not the top, positions in government. 

We need someone who will not compromise their beliefs just to avoid confrontation or gain more allies or supporters, but listens and takes into consideration all the voices understanding that the people of this country could be compared to a classroom full of students. Each and everyone needs to be given the corresponding attention and importance. Enough of the majority wins ideology. We've witnessed how the majority has not always been right. Remember the 16 million votes for Duterte, and how the likes of Bato, Bong Go, Imee Marcos, and other personalities won as senators? We should also look at how our representatives in congress got a slot. 

Unfortunately, we're too obsessed with voting only the familiar ones. Sadly, the election has become a popularity contest...and we're forgetting that those with funds or with powerful people helping finance the candidates run are getting the unfair advantage...and not too many are truly researching or getting to know the candidates thoroughly....minus all that hype brought about by their lavish campaign propaganda.

We need to become more critical of our choices. Otherwise, we're back to the same hell that we are experiencing right now.

We need less enablers.. That's should be our primary concern. Maybe these new faces could make the difference or not. So, let's find time to do our research since it's our future that is at stake.

Powering the Next Revolution: PLDT Enterprise successfully wraps up Philippine Digital Convention 2021

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

PLDT Enterprise has successfully staged the Philippine Digital Convention 2021, sharing significant insights to entrepreneurs and company decision-makers to leverage on emerging technologies that will help empower their businesses.

Titled “REVOLUTION,” this year’s three-day digital convention that happened from October 6 to 8, presented avenues to explore novel ways of doing business, opportunities to unlock greater possibilities through adopting relevant solutions, and how to successfully pivot amid the current economic and industry conditions. 

To fulfill their goal of driving technological enablement to the delegates, PLDT Enterprise invited thought leaders and industry experts to impart perspectives that would catalyze a new wave of revolution, where businesses of all sizes can maximize the power of technology. 

Given the exponentially growing business landscape, companies need to assess critical areas in their businesses to remain competitive. It has become pivotal to evolve and elevate their game by proactively identifying new ways that can help them maximize growth opportunities. 

It is thus imperative for entrepreneurs to look at trends happening now and be prepared for what’s coming next.

As such, companies need to constantly reinvent themselves to remain relevant with their desired customers and achieve their desired business outcomes through the use of technology.

PHOTO: The PH Digicon 2021 Virtual Event Platform

Reinvent.

The Philippine Digital Convention is the most prestigious digital thought leadership event hosted by PLDT Enterprise.

This year’s PH Digicon featured over 120 industry leaders and experts, sharing their expertise on topics such as technology predictions, industry evolution, emerging technologies, among others.

On the first day of the convention, the delegates were welcomed in an interactive virtual platform where they would discover groundbreaking opportunities to reach greater heights in their respective industries during the digital event. 

The three-day convention highlighted plenary sessions, which presented a full roster of prominent and esteemed personalities from different companies and industries all around the globe.

PHOTO: ePLDT President & CEO and SVP & Head of PLDT and Smart Enterprise and International Business Groups Jovy I. Hernandez

ePLDT President & CEO and SVP & Head of PLDT and Smart Enterprise and International Business Groups Jovy I. Hernandez opened the plenary session by introducing what revolution means and how it will impact society moving forward.

“We need to emerge from this crisis stronger. We cannot just rebuild and recover. We have to rediscover and redefine ourselves and our businesses. To harness technology and effectively navigate the new world of business, this revolution is mandating us not only to refresh our strategies but more importantly to rethink and rewire our mindsets and attitudes,” Hernandez shared.

Hernandez added that this period would give birth to more revolutionary technologies such as artificial intelligence, genome editing, 3D printing, autonomous vehicles, and IoT. 

“Now is the time to reimagine the world of business as we would like it to be. This is not pure imagination. It is up to all of us to make dreams into reality,” he said.

For the first plenary discussion, the first power panel discussed embracing revolutionary technology as an imperative for companies to thrive amid the shifting needs of customers in the post-pandemic era.

The thought leaders who took part in the plenary session include Manuel V. Pangilinan, Chairman of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC); John Harrington, Nokia Senior Vice President, Head of Asia-Pacific and Japan; Nicholas Ma, President of Huawei Asia Pacific Enterprise Business Group; Yasuo Suzuki, President of NTT Global Data Center, and Dave West, President of Cisco Asia Pacific, Japan, And Greater China.

PHOTO: PH Digicon 2021’s official host and moderator Cathy Yap-Yang with Yasuo Suzuki, President of NTT Global Data Center, John Harrington, Nokia Senior Vice President, Head of Asia-Pacific and Japan, Manuel V. Pangilinan, Chairman of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), Dave West, President of Cisco Asia Pacific, Japan, And Greater China, Nicholas Ma, President of Huawei Asia Pacific Enterprise Business Group

They shared valuable insights on how their respective companies had overcome the challenges of the pandemic and what it means to have a revolutionary leadership to steer businesses and organizations to success.

“In many ways we have to adopt the revolutionary aspects of leadership, adopting abrupt changes in certain areas that are really needed but at the same time maintaining the values that are important to our company, to PLDT and the overall First Pacific Group,” he said. 

PH Digicon 2021’s celebrity speaker Charlize Theron also spoke about her experiences in different aspects of life, as an award-winning Hollywood actress, film and TV producer, entrepreneur, and the UN Messenger of Peace.

PHOTO: PH Digicon 2021 celebrity headline speaker Charlize Theron

Theron left a piece of encouraging advice to women leaders since women’s empowerment has been a relevant issue in the business industry.

“Be resilient, find your crew, find your team, find and surround yourself by people who make you better, who challenge you, who push you… And I think understanding the value of leadership is not something that happens in a vacuum; doesn’t happen with one person.”

“It really happens with your village, it happens with constantly being hungry for that voice out there that might be of different than yours… Surround yourself with people who are like-minded but also different people that you can learn from. And never, ever, be too proud to say that you were wrong,” said Theron.

After the first plenary session, there were also tech leadership forums where significant perspectives on top technology trends and advancements in various industries were conferred.

PHOTO: PH Digicon 2021 Tech Leadership Forums’ official host and moderator broadcast journalist Danie Laurel

Three of the key themes discussed for the first day of the PH Digicon 2021 include adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT), empowering the retail industry through an all-new digital experience, and enabling the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry through solutions and technologies. 

 

Rediscover. 

Meanwhile, the second day was opened by key executives from the private sector together with the government in an exclusive roundtable discussion to examine the prospects of priming the Philippines as the next hyperscaler destination and data center hub in the Asia Pacific.

Present during this portion include Department of Trade and Industry Sec. Ramon Lopez, Philippine Bureau of Investments Executive Director Ma. Corazon Halili-Dochosa, MPower Senior Vice President and Head Roberto R. Almazora, Yasuo Suzuki of NTT Data Center, and Structure Research Head of Research Jabez Tan. 

They discussed the measures and technology investments currently done by both public and private institutions to lay the digital foundation of the Philippines for its bid to be the next strategic hyperscaler destination in the region.

The panel stressed that the Philippines has consistently increased its attractiveness to hyperscalers with critical investments in submarine cable systems in place, its stable political and business climate, increasing access to renewable energy, and the availability of a highly-educated and talented workforce and its high internet and smartphone penetration.

"The pandemic has pushed us to maximize the use of digital platforms, which accelerated the growth of our data center market. Our country's digital landscape makes it an ideal setting to support the growth of the hyperscalers as well as data center operations," said Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Mon Lopez.

PLDT VP and International Facilities Investments Management Head Gene Sanchez, on the other hand, said that PLDT is looking at all the building blocks necessary to make the Philippines the favored hub in Asia. 

“The Philippines is already part of the big chain, but we need to make us more favorable. We have embarked on implementing an international submarine network—a plan that would support hyperscaler requirements. That means we will be able to scale up submarine capacity at will,” Sanchez said.

PLDT’s current international cable network comprises 15 global subsea cable systems, which will further be expanded with its investment in additional subsea cables such as Asia Direct Cable, Jupiter, and Apricot that are expected to be operational by the end of this year to 2022.

Moreover, PLDT Group also announced that it is set to build the first hyperscaler data center in the country designed to serve the hyperscale requirements of global tech giants.

Right after the incisive roundtable discussion, the delegates were engaged in the second plenary session where key PLDT executives talked about how industries adapted to the shift brought by the global health crisis and how they stayed resilient amid these unique challenges.

PLDT Enterprise FVP and Enterprise Revenue Group Head Mitch Locsin, PLDT FVP & Enterprise Revenue Group Head Vic Tria, and Vice President and Enterprise Revenue Group Head for PLDT Enterprise Ding V. Villarino highlighted the role of innovation in various industries and how it ultimately advanced the economy forward despite the difficulties that companies had faced.

PHOTO: PLDT Enterprise FVP and Enterprise Revenue Group Head Mitch Locsin, PLDT FVP & Enterprise Revenue Group Head Vic Tria, and Vice President and Enterprise Revenue Group Head for PLDT Enterprise Ding V. Villarino

Furthermore, the panel discussion featured how businesses have successfully outmaneuvered the disruption brought by the pandemic and how they are continuously adapting their business models to facilitate growth and success in the better normal.

Several prominent Filipino tycoons spoke during the discussion, including Penshoppe Group Chairman and CEO Bernie Liu, Jollibee Group Chief Business Officer Joseph Tanbuntiong, JG Summit Holdings Inc. President and CEO Lance Gokongwei, Century Pacific Food, Inc. Executive Chairman Chris Po, and Alliance Global Group Inc. CEO Kevin L. Tan.

PHOTO: JG Summit Holdings Inc. President and CEO Lance Gokongwei, Penshoppe Group Chairman and CEO Bernie Liu, PLDT and Smart President and CEO Al Panlilio, Jollibee Group Chief Business Officer Joseph Tanbuntiong, Alliance Global Group Inc. CEO Kevin L. Tan and Century Pacific Food, Inc. Executive Chairman Chris Po

PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications President and CEO Al Panlilio also participated during this session and shared his insights and key learnings on what makes a revolutionary leader.

“It’s people-first mindset [for] both employee and customer, making sure they’re healthy, they’re safe, and decisions made around huge considerations for the people. From a leadership point of view, you have to be authentic, clear, and transparent to your people.

“In this pandemic, it is about leading bravely. We can never tell what will happen; thus, we must be more informed and, hopefully, make the right decisions… We have always pushed for a purpose, and that is to remain relevant to our customers,” said Panlilio.

In the afternoon, the tech leadership forums zeroed in on banking and e-commerce and strengthening an organization’s cybersecurity posture to stay resilient amid risks and attacks. 

Likewise, key industry leaders also shared how the education sector has been adapting to these challenging times and what they could do to improve the delivery of enriched education experience to the students despite having an all-digital classroom. 

 

Revolutionize.

The third and final day of the convention focused on the preparations for the next revolution in various industries and several business technologies that would continue to disrupt different market sectors.

The tech forum sessions focused on nurturing intelligent cities and what sustainable practices the public and private institutions must do to successfully transform urban areas into smart cities with ease and efficiency.

In addition, the convention also shared insights with regards to improving the delivery of health care services and how technology can be used to better equip healthcare facilities and healthcare workers to provide efficient, accessible, and inexpensive health care services to patients.

The closing plenary session has taught the delegates the fundamental requirements they should initiate to transform and stay competitive both locally and abroad.

PLDT Enterprise Core Business Solutions FVP & Head Jojo Gendrano underscored that to fully embrace digital transformation, companies need to have a clear and well-communicated strategy to lay the vision of what their customers want and where they want to take them in the company.

“The next step is structuring a team that is fit to transform the organization is important with clear lines of ownership and accountability set. And next is to pick partners that you can trust… On the side, if you want to be a brand and product leader, investments in resources like R&D are needed to achieve that differentiation. And lastly, things will not always go our way and this is where resilience comes in,” Gendrano noted.

 

Be the Revolution.

For business owners – whether of small or large enterprises - looking to be part of the digital revolution, the Philippine Digital Convention encourages you to step ahead, explore opportunities and learn how you can transform your organization to be at par with global industry leaders.

By consistently searching for insights, learnings, and being willing to embrace digital transformation, you will experience how industry players are incorporating digitalization into their business activities and how it propelled their organizations to succeed.

Relive the three-day convention like no other via the PH Digicon 2021 content on demand exclusively available at phdigicon2021.com. 

For more information, visit pldtenterprise.com.

COvER PHOTO: PLDT Enterprise held REVOLUTION: the Philippine Digital Convention 2021 last October 6 to 8 which gathered global technology leaders and industry experts in one platform.