BingoPlus is one of PH’s top apps in 2023

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



BingoPlus, the first live-streaming bingo in the country and the most popular, was the most downloadable app in the Philippines, according to the recently released 2023 State of Mobile reports of data.ai (formerly App Annie). The second ranking is a scale-up run from its 4th rank during the last quarter of 2022.

BingoPlus was launched in January 2022 to deliver the perfect alternative bingo experience for Filipinos. The app enables players to enjoy playing bingo at their convenience from home or anywhere else just by using their mobile devices and a stable internet connection.

“The breakthrough of being a top app provides high command to BingoPlus to further advance its mission to bring more fun and entertainment to Filipinos who subscribe and support it,” said Jasper Vicencio, president of AB Leisure Exponent Inc.

“BingoPlus ignites the fun of playing bingo in an online space with its rich promotional activities and bonuses. To date, more than 2.3 billion pesos worth of jackpot prizes have been given away,” Vicencio added.

To experience the fun and entertainment, download the BingoPlus App from Google Play and the App Store. Visit www.bingoplus.com for more details.

Pinoy appointed editor of esteemed int’l journal

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



For the first time in its 77-year history, the esteemed scientific publication Optik: International Journal for Light and Electron Optics will be helmed by a Filipino scientist.


Prof. Percival F. Almoro of the University of the Philippines - Diliman College of Science National Institute of Physics (UPD-CS NIP) was appointed Section Editor of the Optik journal by international scientific publishing house Elsevier as of June 2023.

Established in 1946, Optik is an internationally-renowned scientific journal, having published in its pages works by famous physicists including R. W. Gerchberg and W. O. Saxton, for whom the phase retrieval algorithm is named. It is also the official journal of the German Society for Applied Optics, which counts among its honorary members Nobel Prize winners Stefan Hell (2014, super-resolved fluorescence microscopy) and Denni Gabor (1979, holography). As of 2021, Optik showcased an above-average impact factor of 2.84.

In his new editorial capacity, Almoro will have final responsibility and the last word on the journal’s specialized content in areas ranging from optical metrology and interferometry to phase retrieval.

“This editorship stint is a great honor not just for me but also for all Filipinos,” Almoro said. “It is a recognition on the international stage that researchers in the country can carry out good quality research.”

Sleep Crisis in Southeast Asia: Almost 3 in 4 Southeast Asians are not getting a good night’s sleep

While a deep slumber may help prevent memory loss or the onset of Alzheimer’s disease for older adults, it seems that almost 3 in 4 Southeast Asians are experiencing sleep problems. Milieu Insight, Southeast Asia's leading consumer research firm, has released a sleep tracker study revealing that 46% in Southeast Asia face sleep problems at least a few times a week, with the highest prevalence observed in the Philippines (56%). Several sleep problems are more common among Thais, including excessive daytime sleepiness (46%) and increased movement during sleep (40%). Additionally, the study highlights that 59% of individuals in Southeast Asia sleep for less than seven hours.

The most common sleep problems that respondents picked were: “difficulty falling asleep” (49%); “waking up often at night” (39%) and “Irregular sleep and wake cycle” (38%). Vietnam (80%) and the Philippines (79%) had the largest number of respondents with sleep problems.

The popularity of sleep trackers was highest in Vietnam based on number of users (26%), and regionally, 14% of respondents indicated they were using a sleep tracker. Of those currently using sleep tracker apps, 10% and 47% said that these apps have helped to improve their sleep quality to a “great extent” and “some extent” respectively. In Singapore, users seem to observe less effective results, with 2% and 28% sharing similar sentiments.

Overall, the top 3 functions/data that were used to monitor sleep patterns were sleep duration (61%), sleep quality (i.e amount of uninterrupted sleep) (60%) and sleep phases (i.e light or deep sleep phases) (46%).

Personal privacy was not much of a concern as 89% of respondents were either “very comfortable” or “somewhat comfortable” when asked if they were comfortable to share their sleep actvity data with sleep tracker apps.

Sentiments among Thailand and Vietnam respondents were largely positive and around 3 in 10 indicated that they were “very comfortable” - Thailand (37%) and Vietnam (32%).

In anticipation of the launch of Pokemon Sleep, respondents were asked about their interest in trying Pokemon Sleep to track their sleep patterns and 72% responded positively (20% very interested; 52% somewhat interested). Interest in Vietnam ranked the highest (82%), followed by Thailand (76%) and the Philippines (76%).

Top 5 words that respondents used to describe what they think about Pokemon Sleep:

1. Interesting (51%)
2. Unique (32%)
3. Useful (32%)
4. Fun (28%)
5. Indifferent (13%)

With its captivating premise, Pokémon Sleep is poised to reshape the landscape of sleep tracking with 7 in 10 respondents in Southeast Asia either very/somewhat interested to try the app. There are promising opportunities for other companies to use gamification to drive behavioural change for users to track their sleep data and we expect to usher in a new era of health-conscious technology.

About Milieu Insight Milieu Insight is Southeast Asia's leading consumer research and data analytics company, renowned for its expertise in providing brands and businesses with valuable insights and market research data. Operating in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam, Milieu Insight’s industry-transforming solutions were awarded several prestigious awards, including Campaign Asia’s Market Research Agency of the Year (Gold) and Tech MVP 2022. Its one-stop insights platform, Canvas, offers tools for analysing and visualising consumer opinion data across a multitude of lifestyle topics and sectors, powering businesses to make better, more impactful decisions and strategies. Methodology: Based on Milieu Insight surveys with N=500 respondents each in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, conducted in April 2023.