The Christmas Carnival Hot Air Balloon Lands at Sheraton Manila Bay

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Sheraton Manila Bay kicked off the holiday season with a festive Carnival-inspired Lighting ceremony.

Sheraton Manila Bay marks the start of the yuletide season in whimsical flair with a Christmas lighting ceremony highlighting the hotel’s 16-feet Carnival Hot Air Balloon at the newly refurbished lobby on November 10, 2022.

This year, all Marriott properties in the Philippines unite in a collective celebration of Paskonstelasyon where each Marriott hotels and resort in the country consecutively launched their own holiday festivities with the debut of their symbolic star. The Marriott Bonvoy constellation of stars include the Carnival Star (Sheraton Manila Bay), the Soiree Star (Sheraton Manila Hotel), the Destination Star (Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort), the North Star (Clark Marriott Hotel), the Vacation Star (Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo), and the Brilliant Star (Manila Marriott Hotel).

Sheraton Manila Bay’s ceremonial Christmas lighting event was graced by Manila City Mayor Hon. Honey Lacuna-Pangan, Manila City Vice Mayor John Marvin “Yul” Servo Nieto, and led by hotel General Manager, Richard Masselin. The Community Choir, the hotel’s singing ambassadors, serenaded the attending associates with classic Christmas Carols including the chorale rendition of the official Marriott Holiday Jingle “Moments With You” originally performed by Acel Bisa and Josh Espinosa. The hotel’s culinary team also prepared a festive buffet feast complete from ham carving station to holiday-inspired desserts.

Inspired by this year’s theme “Sheraton Manila Bay: The Carnival Star”, the ceremonial event focuses on the lighting of the hotel’s unique 16-feet tall Carnival Hot Air Balloon which symbolizes the promise of travel and mirrors the fun, festive vibe of carnival. The Sheraton Manila Bay “Carnival Hot Air Balloon” features a velvet gold and red sleigh filled with gifts, circus elements, clowns, Christmas drums, jester bears, and a prominent display of lighted parols mirroring Paskonstelasyon, the Marriott Bonvoy constellation of stars. A myriad of red, gold, purple and blue tones embellish and blend the hotel lobby into an inspiring celebration haven while the Pastry Carnival Tent, styled in similar fashion, are filled with holiday hampers and homemade goodies.

Sheraton Manila Bay is accepting order for holiday hampers, grazing boxes, and homemade goodies. Please check our holiday E-brochure for more information about our festive offers. Visit https://bit.ly/sheratoncarnivalchristmas

Sheraton Manila Bay is located at M. Adriatico cor. Gen. Malvar Streets, Malate, Manila. For reservation please call +632 5318 0788 or email reservations.manilabay@sheraton.com. Like us on Facebook and Instagram @sheratonmanilabay and Twitter at @sheratonmnlbay.

PLDT reinforces PH as next hyperscale hub in Southeast Asia at Telecoms World Asia

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



The PLDT Group bolsters its mission to help make the Philippines Southeast Asia’s next hyperscale hub. At the recent Telecoms World Asia conference held in Bangkok, Thailand, PLDT Enterprise’s Asia-Pacific Regional Head, Jeff Mendoza, emphasized the critical role played by PLDT in creating the digital infrastructure required by the country’s transformation into a regional hyperscale powerhouse.

At the conference, the premiere event on digital solutions and services for Asian Telcos, Mendoza discussed the emergence of holistic digital ecosystems in support of the Philippines’ fast-paced digitalization–particularly, the steps that the PLDT Group has taken in the last two years, cementing its lead in the industry and reinforcing its commitment to drive the country’s digital capabilities forward.

“Over the past few years, we have witnessed unprecedented digital adoption in the region, especially in the Philippines,” says Mendoza. “Google’s latest e-Conomy SEA report shows the Philippines as the frontrunner in Southeast Asia with its digital economy expected to be sustained at a CAGR of 20% through 2025.”

VITRO Sta. Rosa, the largest and most advanced hyperscale data center in the Philippines, is among PLDT’s notable investments in digital infrastructure, and adds to its current network of 10 data centers that host the country’s richest IP ecosystem.

The recently launched Jupiter Subsea Cable System, together with upcoming international cable systems ADC and Apricot, further deepen PLDT’s digital infrastructure investments.

Together, these form PLDT’s response to the rapidly growing requirements of the country’s thriving digital economy—driven by a young digital-savvy population and the strong propensity to use cloud across business sectors.

As PLDT continues to build world-class digital infrastructure to strengthen the Philippines’ position as the next hyperscale destination in Southeast Asia, it also continues its close collaboration with key government agencies, such as the Department of Trade and Industry, the Board of Investments, and the Department of Information and Communications Technology, to enable the country’s digital ecosystem.

These government entities continue to support the digital thrust by enabling policies that promote cloud computing as the preferred technology for administration and delivery of government services, and laws that grant fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for high-value strategic investments such as digital infrastructure.

PLDT’s efforts to help drive the Philippines as the next hyperscale hub is guided by an even bigger mission to help build a sustainable future for Filipinos. PLDT remains dedicated to its efforts and initiatives that strongly support UNSDG No. 9: ‘Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation’.



For more information, visit https://pldtenterprise.com/.

First Philippine Parks Congress: Growing healthier, more liveable cities through urban parks

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The Philippine Parks Congress will have its inaugural staging on November 23 to 25, 2022.

Organized by the Department of Tourism (DOT), National Parks Development Committee (NPDC), Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF), Intramuros Administration (IA), Urban Land Institute Philippines (ULI) in partnership with the City of Manila, and City of Baguio. The 1st Philippine Parks Congress aims to gather public and private sector stakeholders involved in developing urban parks and green spaces across the Philippines to lay the foundation for creating a national framework for the development of Philippine urban parks.

"The pandemic highlighted the importance of parks and open spaces and it's apt that we are holding the first Parks Congress at the largest park in Metro Manila - Rizal Park, Luneta," said Cecille Lorenzana Romero, Executive Director of NPDC.

“With the pandemic pushing us to be more appreciative of open spaces, there could be no more perfect time than now to organize the first-ever Philippine Park Congress not just to promote sustainable development for our community, but also to attract tourists and enhance the tourism experience which is included in the 7-point agenda of DOT Secretary Cristina Frasco,” shared by Nayong Pilipino Foundation Executive Director Gertie Duran-Batocabe.

“The Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 highlights that cultural infrastructure and open spaces should be more inclusive to allow for dialogue and cultural exchange. Parks promote art, heritage, culture and other related domain of the Philippine creative industry, and we have seen activities like these help Intramuros recover during the pandemic. The first Philippine Parks Congress will allow us to learn about best practices to make our parks and open spaces more inclusive, “ Edgardo Baysic, OIC of IA noted.

MANILA PARKS STUDY TOUR. The event will kick off on November 23, 2022 with a guided tour around major parks and open spaces in the country’s capital – Paco Park, Rizal Park Luneta, Fort Santiago, ASEAN Garden, Baluarte de San Diego Gardens, Arroceros Forest Park, Mehan Garden, and Kartilya ng Katipunan.

MAIN PLENARY DAY. A series of talks and lectures by key people from both the public and the private sector will take place on the Main Plenary Day at the Rizal Park Open Air Auditorium on November 24, 2022. Keynote Speaker, Jelle Hendrik Therry of Ramboll will open with a lecture on urban parks design from a global perspective and Paulo Alcazaren of PGAA Creative Design will provide a lecture on a history of urban parks in the Philippines. Other speakers will shed light on their respective organizations, agencies and companies by sharing their unique experiences, best practices and technical services in maintaining and operating public parks and open spaces.

Participants will also have a chance to take part in the discussion of the proposed National and Local Public Parks Authority (NALPA) bills currently being reviewed in Congress and in the Senate.

BAGUIO PARKS STUDY TOUR. With its new tourism campaign line, Breathe Baguio, the City of Baguio will share its rehabilitation projects and programs that breathed new life to its famous sites such as the Botanical Gardens, Mines View Park, Burnham Park, and Dominican Hill, a new art and cultural hub.

The inaugural Philippine Parks Congress is also a celebration and a recognition of the 60th Founding Anniversary of the National Parks Development Committee, 50th Founding Anniversary of Nayong Pilipino Foundation Inc., and 10th Founding Anniversary of Urban Land Institute Philippines.

Physical attendance is limited to participants who have been given email invitations.

The general public is invited to participate via Zoom or through Facebook Live. Certificates will be sent to those who have successfully attended via Zoom. Online participants may register here:

https://bit.ly/PPC_zoom

Secretariat: phparkscongress@gmail.com

Official website: bit.ly/1stPPC

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/parkscongressph/

Instagram: @parkscongressph