Personal Finance Seminar in Bacolod City

I attended one of Randell’s seminars. I suggest you or your friends and family in Bacolod do the same – it’s worth more than what you paid for.

Source: Randell Tiongson’s Website.

Philippines-Canada Trade Council Christmas Party

For details, please see the poster below.

Source: Mike Calingo

Who Sang the Philippine National Anthem at the Pacquiao-Cotto Fight?

The audition was participated by both ABS-CBN and GMA stars. And it is the La Diva group that was chosen to sing Lupang Hinirang in Pacquiao vs Cotto fight. La Diva group is composed of Jonalyn Viray, Aicelle Santos and Maricris Garcia who were all “Pinoy Pop Superstar” champions.

Source: Victorina.

Free New Moon Tickets for Nov 19 Screening

See poster below for details.

Source: National Bookstore and SM.

KALOOBAN – The Filipino Soul in Dance

Tickets may be purchased at the Folk Arts Theater and all Ticketworld Outlets. For inquiries, contact KALOOB at 832-1120 or 0917-549-2624, email at kaloobpilipinas@gmail.com or daybyday@pldtdsl.net.

To sponsor typhoon victims to watch the show, special tickets are available. Call or email the same contact information above.

Smart is Buying Chikka.com

Leading wireless provider Smart Communications has agreed to buy 100 percent of Chikka Holdings Ltd., a wireless application service provider that provides instant web-based messaging services.

“The transaction is expected to be closed sometime in late December, subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions,” Smart said in a press statement Friday.

Read more at Inquirer.net.

San Jose / Valley Charity for Ondoy Victims

Volunteers at St. John the Baptist Church are hard at work gathering canned goods, adult and children’s clothing, blankets, towels, medicine and money for the victims of the Ondoy flood in the Philippines. Tropical Storm Ondoy ravaged the Philippines with a month’s worth of rain in a day, leaving Manila and surrounding cities with the worst flooding in 40 years.

Dropoffs can be made at Pavalkis Hall, 279 S. Main St., from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekends. Those who wish to write checks are asked to make them payable to St. John the Baptist Church, with Ondoy Flood Drive in the memo space. The Antipolo and Pasig dioceses will be the recipients of the donations. For more information, call 262-2546.

Source: The Mercury News – San Jose / Valley

Send Money to the Philippines for FREE

XOOM - one of the biggest worldwide money transfer service

Remittance king Xoom.com has launched a new program that allows overseas and migrant Filipinos, or practically anyone for that matter, to send money to the Philippines for free. The catch includes two things:

 

(1) The first transfer is FREE of any fees;

(2) The coupon code will expire in seven (7) days

When you login to the XOOM.com website, you have to enter the coupon code XOOM4FREE located at the bottom of the “Payments Page”.

For more information, call XOOM in North America through 1-888-993-3966 or go to their Help Center website.

Combined Choirs of 150 Voices to Sing Christmas Carols

The combined choirs of the COMELEC Chorale, Coro de San Antonio, Coro Tomasino, De La Salle University Chorale and the St. Paul University Manila Chorale will stage a 150 voice ensemble on December 3, 2009 at 7:00 PM at the Manila Cathedral dubbed “The 4th Manila Cathedral Basilica Pipe Organ Festival Gala Concert.” The choirs will be singing Christmas song and will be accompanied by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. Amelita Guevara will conduct.

This concert will feature a 6,000-pipe church organ, the biggest in Southeast Asia. Other performers include Ken Weber of the US, Armando Salarza from the Philippines, Austrian conductor Ernest Hoetzl, soprano Camile Lopez Molina, tenor Dominique Moralez from Fance and bass Nono Baang.

For ticket inquiries, call 527-1796, 527-3889, or 0917-514-2011.

Ayayay! Boracay!

An old summer hit by sizzling Abbey

Typhoon Mirinae Is Coming To Town (Philippines)

Click the image to enlarge.

Path of Typhoon Mirinae to the Philippines

Halloween Treat – 50 Percent Off Brothers Burgers

Only available at Cebu, BF Paranaque, Ortigas, Malaet, Pasong Tamo, SM Megamall, Tomas Morato, Capitol Hills, Paseo de Sta. Rosa and Telus Araneta Center.

For inquiries, call 815-0732.

Filipino in Top 10 Finalist for CNN Hero for the Year Award

Twenty-eight year old Filipino named EFREN PENAFLORIDA was bullied by gangs in high school. Today, he offers Filipino youth an alternative to gang membership through education. For the past 12 years, Peñaflorida and his team of teen volunteers have taught basic reading and writing to children living on the streets. Their main tool: A pushcart classroom. Born into a poor family, he lived in a shanty near the city dump site. But he says he refused to allow his circumstances to define his future.

He created the Dynamic Teen Company to offer his classmates an outlet to lift up themselves and their community. For Peñaflorida, that meant returning to the slums of his childhood to give kids the education he felt they deserved. Since 1997, an estimated 10,000 members have helped teach more than 1,500 children living in the slums. The organization supports its efforts by making and selling crafts and collecting items to recycle.

Click To Vote EFREN PENAFLORIDA as CNN’s Hero

Philippine Cities Cebu, Makati, Quezon City, Mandaluyong in Top Global Outsourcing Lists

Cebu City hits the number one spot in Trendsiff.com’s Top 50 Emerging Global Outsourcing Cities. Shanghai and Beijing cities, both in China, followed Cebu City in the list. Makati City, on the other hand, makes the 8th place in the Top 8 Global Outsourcing Centers. This list includes (from the top) Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune, all from India, and Dublin in Ireland.

There are also two Philippine cities that is part of the 2008 Top 50 newly-emerging outsourcing hotspots, namely, Quezon City (21st) and Mandaluyong City (45th).

The studies’ overall ranking are based on the following location assessment categories: scale and quality of workforce, cost, business catalyst, risk profile, infrastructure availability, and quality of life. Also, the “choice city” has now given way to “choice of country.”

The lists are according to a study by CyberMedia’s Global Services and investment advisory firm Tholons.

Reference: Trendsiff.com

German Moreno – The Ultimate Philippine Entertainment Star Builder

For almost 50 years, this man has been a staple character on our television screens. If it weren’t for him, we would not have the likes of Lea Salonga, Ruffa Gutierrez, Judy Ann Santos, Billy Crawford and Sharon Cuneta in the showbiz industry today. He is the ultimate star builder, an industry legend, and the one and only Master Showman: German Moreno.

Read more at Philippine Entertainment Portal

The Classic Palmolive TV Ad That Created Alice Dixon

I just couldn’t help but post this YouTube video. For the 80’s people, this not only created the career of Alice Dixon but generated that shoulder-circling, kikay-like, “I can feel it!” craze!

Johnny Rockets Opens in the Philippines

A Johnny Rockets hamburger franchise recently opened in the Philippines right the day before typhoon Ondoy (or Ketsana) wreaked havoc on the country. The 2,000+ square foot restaurant is located inside the mall in Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City. This is the first branch of twenty that is planned in the Philippines.

Since 1986, Johnny Rockets has been offering the all-American fast food service, which includes hamburgers, classic sandwiches and hand-dipped shakes and malts. It is headquartered in Lake Forest, California, with about 280 corporate and franchise-owned restaurants in 29 states and 11 countries.

Visit the Johnny Rockets Website

Adopt or Sponsor A Rescued Dog

For 300 Pesos or $6.50 a month, you can keep a rescued dog alive. For more information e-mail, call or visit the website of the Animal Kingdom Foundation, Inc. at:

akfadvocates@gmail.com
+63 (2) 467-1261
+63 (920) 983-5109
http://www.animalkingdomfoundation.org

Source: The Animal Kingdom Foundation, Inc.

Free Laundry for Victims of Typhoon Ondoy

Below is a message relayed through the Facebook Group “Philippine Renaissance International Movement.” In summary, typhoon victims, local government units, non-profit organizations and other groups involved in relief operations may send their dirty laundry to:

Kalinisan Steam Laundry, Inc.
No. 10 Manggahan Street, Bagumbayan
Libis, Quezon City
Tel. No. 635-0601 to 05 local 128
Mobile No. 0917-890-9577 (look for Alex Malco)
Mobile No. 0917-859-1917 (look for Espie Ditablan)
Mobile No. 0917-893-6630 (look for Atty. Raul Lambino)

=====================================================

Today October 3, 2009, in a lunch meeting with my client MR. WYDEN KING, owner of KALINISAN STEAM LAUNDRY, INC., one of the biggest industrial laundry company in the country that serves various big establishments like hotels, hospitals, & garment factories, he has told me that KALINISAN is offering FREE LAUNDRY & WASHING of all clothing materials (linens, bedsheets, pants, shirts, dresses, etc.) to all victims of typhoon Ondoy in Marikina, Quezon City, Cainta, Pasig, Taguig, Antipolo City and other areas in NCR, Rizal & Southern Tagalog. He instructed me to help disseminate this information so Kalinisan can immediately serve our people.

After the meeting, I immediately called up Mayor Mon Ilagan of Cainta, Rizal about this development and texted various friends in the media. Then I went to the Kalinisan warehouse at No. 10 Manggahan St., Bagumbayan, Libis, Quezon City where the factory is situated and conferred with the people in charge of the operations. I saw some dirty clothings already arriving from numerous victims and even saw more than 500 people-evacuees who are comfortably housed at the Kalinisan warehouse and supplied with foods, water and other needs mostly from Mrs. Peachy King, wife of Mr. Wyden King. Their condition is much-much better of than those who are now in other evacuation centers.

We enjoin the concerned LGUs, government agencies, NGO’s , foundations, other individuals and the victims themselves to bring to Kalinisan such cloth items if theY have the logistics to do so, or coordinate with their respective LGUs how we can effectively carry out this mission.

You can get in touch directly to Kalinisan by calling or texting these numbers: Tels. 6350601 to 05 local 128; CP # 0917-8909577 look for ALEX MALCO; or 0917-8591917 look for ESPIE DITABLAN. Likewise, you may call or text me at 09178936630.

Please pass this Note to others & let us do our little share in helping and uniting our nation by alleviating the plight of those who are most in need at such kind of moment. God bless us all.

ATTY RAUL LAMBINO

National Bookstore’s Project Aral for Ondoy Victims

Purchase 20 or 25 Peso “Study Kits,” put your name on the tag and drop them in the boxes provided in National Bookstore branches. Runs from October 10 up to 24, 2009.

Forecast of Typhoon Parma or Pepeng in the Philippines

Provincial Locations to Donate for the Victims of Typhoon Ondoy

BACOLOD:
University of St. La Salle Coliseum. 435-3857
Cafe Breizh. 0919-365-1101

BAGUIO:
ABS-CBN Baguio Office
Baguio Convention Center Executive Room (volunteers also needed)
Donations of veggies from Baguio via Victory Liner. Dave-0917-839-6179.

BATANGAS:
De La Salle Lipa

BICOL:
ABS-CBN Naga
ABS-CBN Daet
ABS-CBN Legazpi
Plaza Quezon, Naga City, needs volunteers
Universided de Sta. Isabel, Naga City at the Community Extension Service office.

BOHOL:
Nutrimart Warehouse at CPG North Avenue near Bohol Wisdom School.

BULACAN:
RedCross Bulacan at in Malolos near Bulacan Capitol

CAGAYAN:
Xavier University, KKP Office
Ateneo de Cagayan

CAVITE:
De La Salle-Dasmariñas at 2nd floor of SBC Building

CEBU:
University of San Carlos, North Campus
Gawad Kalinga Office. Tel 581-9754 or May Nogra 0922-810-1820

DUMAGUETE and NEGROS:
Silliman University. Tweet http://twitter.com/princessngaako

DAVAO:
Ateneo de Davao, Samahan Office in Jacinto Campus
Bantay Bata 163, Matina, Davao City

ZAMBOANGA:
Ateneo de Zamboanga, SACSI Office. Alma Curesma 991-0871, loc 2224 or 2225.

Source: SuperBianca

UNICEF Will Match Your Donations to Philippines – Dollar for Dollar

UNICEF’s webpage writes, “Give today and an anonymous donor will match your gift, dollar for dollar, up to $100,000 — doubling your support for UNICEF’s lifesaving efforts in the Philippines.”

Wells Fargo Eliminates Remittance Transfer Fees To Philippines

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) —with its remittance network member Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) – is temporarily eliminating all remittance transfer fees (normally $5 or $7) for customers sending money using the ExpressSend® service to friends and family in the Philippines impacted by Typhoon Ketsana (also known as Typhoon Ondoy). The fee waiver is effective September 29 through October 12, 2009.

ExpressSend customers can send up to $3,000 a day for $5 if originated from an eligible Wells Fargo account (or $7 if originated from cash). The fee will be waived September 29 through October 12, 2009. Recipients can claim their funds at more than 800 branches and 1,500 plus ATMs throughout the Philippines.

Read more at [Wells Fargo article].

Canadian Red Cross Accepts Donations for Typhoon Ketsana/Ondoy

Philippines Unite for Typhoon Ondoy Victims

Benefit Concert for the Victims of Ondoy

La Salle Schools Offer Relief Distribution Help for Ondoy Victims

Ads-link: Moving Company Los Angeles

Lea Salonga 2009 Philippine Concert Now On Sale

Lea Salong, after a two month North American concert tour this September through November, will be back on Philippine stage at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) for a two-night special show singing the songs that, as Lea writes in her website LeaYourSongs.com, “your songs.” It’s not be too late to send her your requests that you’d like to hear her sing – the deadline is September 30.

Tickets are now available online: Dec. 11 or Dec. 12 shows, respectively.

Reference: LeaYourSongs.

New Comedy Book By Filipino Out About Getting Married

There is no end to writers that attempt to write comedy. Many comics are funny, but few are hilarious. Ledesma is well, hilarious… What makes him even more hilarious that most writers of comedy is that he finds even things familiar to us funny..from the conventional rituals of getting married to going on a foreign trip to realizing that one is balding. That is the secret of his humor: he makes his fellowmen laugh at themselves.. His ribbing is never not in jest, but where there is comic smoke, there is bound to be tragic truth.

“I Do or I Die”
RJ Ledesma’s Imaginary Guide to Getting Married
by RJ Ledesma

[Click Here] to go to Anvil Publishing, Inc.

How To Check Your Plate Number By Text Messaging

If by chance you are told by a police (in a checkpoint) that your car plates have been tampered with or are stolen – and you know they’re not – here’s a way to check it by way of “text messaging” and show them proof (or something like that.)

Write a text message as:

LTO <space> VEHICLE <space> XXX999

…where XXX999 is your plate number, i.e. LTO VEHICLE PAM224

Send this text-message to 2600 and wait for reply message. The reply should be inform you of the following:

Car Plate:
Model:
Year:
Color:
Date of Last Registered:
LTO Apprehension, if any:
LTO Alarm, if any:

This SMS service is also userful for car buyers. The usual fee of 2.50 Pesos is charged to the sender for every text message sent.

Source: E-mail blast from Tribu Verde Group

How To Invest For YOUR Financial Future

…and that also means your family’s financial future, too.

If you think 1,300 Pesos is too much money to spend for a half-day seminar on “personal finance planning,” you’re dead wrong. There are tons of training sessions and seminars out there being offered and conducted for thousands more; and people think that just because it’s being hosted by some “name brand” training and seminar company guarantees you to win. I’ve been to so many similar sessions in the past that all I got are some awakening moments but no substance. What substance, you say? A lot of these sessions miss out on the practicalities of doing things in Philippine soil. Many of these sessions have theoretical content gushing out the United States which, if you must know, is reeling from a severe recession that resonates in many of the First World and developed countries, worldwide. So, for a practical session on your personal finance using real Philippine experience, let an a Registered Personal Finance Planner and expert like Randell teach you how to do it right – and this time, succeed!

1,300 Pesos is about 60 Pesos daily for a month’s amount of working days. Want to go deeper? Think of working half-a-day only. That’s an investment of about 14 Pesos per hour. Or, you could NOT spend 300 Pesos every weekend of a month passing by the gasoline station convenience store and buying your favorite chips, chocolate and soda, and just invest it in this event.

But, why bother asking yourself if 1,300 Pesos is too much? You’re just spending unproductive resource in your brain to do some self-deliberation that usually results is more indecision. Just do it! Besides, Randell’s wife Mia is serving great food, too, just like paying for a buffet but getting a lifetime’s worth of ideas, tips and expert techniques to change your financial life around.

Set the date: Friday, September 25, 2009 at 1:30 PM.

For more details, [Click Here].

Lea Salong Concert Shows in North America and Hawaii

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Lea's 20 city concert is a blast!

Lea Salonga will be doing a series of concerts in the continental United States, Canada and Hawaii between September 18 through November 14 this year. Wow! That’s a total of twenty shows. The broadway diva, whose fame to glory came from her starring role in “Miss Saigon,” eventually won her an international award. Lea also started a website called “Lea Salonga – Your Songs” which she asked the general public to drop her a note and let her know what songs they’d like to hear, both for this concert series and one more in December to be held in the Philippines.

Catch her at a concert place nearest you!

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Below is Lea’s schedule sourced out from her Facebook Invitation:

9/18/09 – 8 PM
River Rock Show Theatre,
Richmond BC Canada
Click for Tickets

9/20/09 – 7 PM
Snoqualmie Casino Ballroom
Snoqualmie, WA
Click for Tickets

9/25/09 – 7:30 PM
Horseshoe Casino
Elizabeth, IN
Click for Tickets

9/25/09 – 9 PM
The Venue Horseshoe Casino
Hammond, IN
Click for Tickets

9/26/09 – 9 PM
The Venue Horseshoe Casino
Hammond, IN
Click for Tickets

9/28/09 – 8:30 PM
McPhillips Street Station Casino
Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
Click for Tickets

9/29/09 – 6 PM
McPhillips Street Station Casino
Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
(Available only with 15,500 player points only at Casino Ticketmaster. The Club Card Member Gala of the Year, including reception, four course dinner, and concert.)
Click for Tickets

9/29/09 – 8:30 PM
McPhillips Street Station Casino
Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
Click for Tickets

10/2/09 – 8 PM
Pechanga Theater, Pechanga Resort & Casino
Temecula, CA
Click for Tickets

10/9/09 – 8 PM
Tarrytown Music Hall
Tarrytown, NY
Click for Tickets

10/10/09 – 8 PM
Mainstage Theatre, University At Buffalo Center for the Arts
Buffalo, NY
Click for Tickets

10/16/09 – 9 PM
Club 88, Cache Creek Indian Casino
Brooks, CA
Click for Tickets

10/17/09 – 8 PM
Club 88, Cache Creek Indian Casino
Brooks, CA
Click for Tickets

10/18/09 – 7 PM
Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
Cerritos, CA (Benefit)
Click for Tickets
(VIP ticket includes private reception and dinner)

10/20/09 – 7:30 PM
Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater
Medford, OR
Click for Tickets

10/31/09 – 8 PM
Eisemann Center
Richardson, TX
Click for Tickets

11/2/09 – 7 PM
Morongo Casino Resort & Spa
Cabazon, CA
Click for Tickets

11/6/09 – 8 PM
Arena Theatre
Houston, TX
Click for Tickets

11/7/09 – 8 PM
Paramount Theatre
Austin, TX
Click for Tickets

11/10/09 – 8 PM
The Concert Hall, Neil S. Blaisdell Center
Honolulu, HI
Ticket sale coming soon.

11/14/09 – 8 PM
Harold K.L. Castle Theater at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center
Kahului, HI
Ticket sale coming soon.

Sony CyberShot Online Blogger Search

You can start by voting for this blog-site, right? ☺

Do you know your favorite bloggers? Send in your top 3 local bloggers under the following categories and get a ch ance to win a Sony Cyber-shot.

FOOD, FASHION, TECH and TRAVEL

Submit your nominees to cybershottx1@gmail.com. Follow the entry format below:

Name: Anna Cruz
Address: Unit 234 Princeton Building Makati City
Contact: 09174253777

Technology

1. blogsite
2. blogsite
3. blogsite

Fashion

1. blogsite
2. blogsite
3. blogsite

Travel

1. blogsite
2. blogsite
3. blogsite

Food

1. blogsite
2. blogsite
3. blogsite

Submission of nominees is from September 15 to 30, 2009.

Sony is taking the digital imaging technology to the next level with its introduction of the new Cyber-shot TX1 and Party-shot accessory. Taking great photos under various situations has never been this exciting and fun.

Only the best will be captured on October 15, 2009. The party is about to begin.

Filipino Kids in Brunei Get Free Language and Culture Course

A Sense of Asean identity will be among the subjects touched during the nine-day cultural enrichment programme for children offered by the Philippine Embassy during the school holidays starting on Monday. Twenty-two Filipino children from six to 14 registered yesterday for the free Filipino language and culture programme to be conducted by volunteer teachers at the Philippine Embassy Chancery from Monday, Sept 14. The programme aims to teach children born and raised overseas the culture, history, customs and traditions of the Philippines and its Asean neighbours, and how these are embodied in today’s global Filipino, said Filipino cultural enrichment class programme head Rowena E Hautea.

More at: BruDirect.com, Brunei’s No. 1 News Website.

Filipino Stores in US Meet Big Chain Competition

Even Filipino stores in the United States meet competition of growing “big chain” stores specializing in Asian products. In California, there two big Asian supermarkets that are adding more branches — 99 Ranch and Seafood City. Of course, it’s a great welcome for the Asian community where these chains exist but it spells trouble for the smaller groceries such as Concord’s (California) Oriental Food Market, owned by Sherrie Gaerlan and her husband for some eight years already.

Source: Contra Costa Times.

Over-population in the Philippines

The Positive Impact of Tourism in the Philippines

I was surfing around and found someone named “bala” from the Top10TravelSite.com who quipped this question: “What good practices from a cultural perspective being undertaken by organizations within the tourism and travel industry?”

One of the best answers I read from an “Anonymous” person read:

Gosh….I’ve written a whole thesis on this issue. But here it is in brief:

Positive impact:

• Reasonable foreign currency income for the state;
• Slight development of tourism infrastructure;
• Marginal increase in employment levels in industries related to the travel sector: hospitality, travel agencies and tour operators, transportation, etc.;
• Sustainance of domestic airlines, charters and to some extent, shipping, to some degree.
• Better awareness in the Philippines of foreign cultures and traditions, needs of tourists etc.

Negative impact:

• Sex tourism, with aged foreigners flocking to the country seeking young women as partners. Others come to indulge in pedophile activities;
• Negligence of environmental considerations in some cases by both foreign nationals and Filipinos;
• The government hurries to attract foreign tourists without the existence of a proper tourism infrastructure;
• Due to the negative image of the Philippines as a corrupt nation, visitors believe they can escape justice easily by bribing law enforcement authorities.

There are many (other positive and negative) points but these would require at least a day to list and detail.

Why Cruise Ships Do Not Pass-by the Philippines

My uncle in the U.S. recently forwarded this e-mail message to me. After I read it, I realized it answered a long forgotten question in my mind why Manila was not a destination-of-choice of the cruise ships. I recently got involved with the travel service business and wished there were cruise ships that stopped by the Philippines.

I do hope that our electoral bets for the 2010 elections could find a way to fix this erring and embarrassing situation because I’m not banking at the current administration for a “change for the good.” The writer is right to say that each ship brings thousands tourists wherever they stop. Even to stopover for two nights or so already brings in thousands of tourist Dollars that could help further boost our tourism industry. Please share this story to them.

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Hmmmm… I’m not really sure (if this) is the only reason: I know there’s the security involved for the American passengers (remember the kidnapping scandals?) At least, that’s what Tess Tumaneng’s version was (from Princess Cruises). There is a large presence of Al Queda members in our country plus our famous “mandurukots,” of course. Judge for yourself and please read below. When you think of it, why are cruise ships docking at Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Korea and other (cities), and they’re no better than Manila or Cebu?

This was written by a Pinoy couple who now lives in the US.

(I) would like to share with you what we found out as the reason why cruise ships of the big cruise companies skip Manila. My wife and I are regular cruisers and we always talk to the Filipino crew. When we took the 12-day Mediterranean cruise I asked the Pinoy waiters (because we are in a big group, we usually request for Pinoy waiters to be assigned to us) why all their Asian cruises skip Manila when they go to all the neighboring countries of the Philippines. “Tanong ko bakit ba wala sa itinerary ninyo ang Manila?“

Ang sagot sa akin: “Noong una ho may cruises kami na humihinto sa Manila (subali’t) masyado hong matakaw ang mga taga Customs sa atin kaya ang management ho namin nag decide na i-skip na ang Manila. When inspection time comes upon our arrival and departure, yung mga Customs inspectors ho kasama ang mga pamilya nila para kumain ng libre sa ship namin. Tapos bago magbigay ng clearance para maka-depart ang ship namin maraming hinihingi ng sigarilyo at mga alak. Sa Manila lang namin na experience ang ganoon kaya nahihiya ho kaming mga Pinoy dito sa ship. Sa ibang ports sa Asia wala hong nanghihingi.

The new cruise ships have an everage of 2,000 to 3,000 passengers. Imagine the loss of tourism revenue for the Philippines because most cruise ships do not go to the Philippines. WHY???

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How can the back crawl?

Lamoiyan Corp to Export Hapee Products to China

Filipino-owned Lamoiyan Corp., the manufacturer of the Hapee toothpaste brand, will be exporting its products to China, the company’s top official said. Cecilio Kwok Pedro, the company’s president and chief executive, said they have decided to be more aggressive and enter the Chinese market. Lamoiyan has been exporting its products to Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, Pa-pua New Guinea and the Middle East [...]

Read more at PhilStar.com.

Japan, Korea, Philippines in Renewable Energy Deals in Philippines

The three-country consortium of three companies are in agreement to create renewable energy projects in the Philippines. These are Alternergy Philippine Holdings Corporation, Eurus Energy Japan Corporation and Korea East West Power Company. This type of investment commitment comes from the perks that’s offered by the country’s “Renewable Energy Act.”

Source: Manila Bulletin.

Customer Contact Philippines 2009 BPO Event on October 7-9, 2009

A two-day BPO event will be held in the Philippines on October 7-8, 2009 at the Peninsula Manila Hotel. Frost & Sullivan’s “Customer Contact Philippines 2009” aims to bring together Senior Executives from around the region to discuss strategic, tactical and implementation issues facing the Contact Center Industry today.

The summit will feature two speakers from the often-quoted Contact Center Innovator, Kevin Panozza and Industry Leader, Jonathan De Luzuriaga. It will also have four specialist tracks on People (Staff), Customer, Business Strategy and Technology/Process, plus industry case studies from leading Organizations in Asia Pacific. An “Ask the Experts” Panel Discussions will also be conducted where Functional Experts & Delegates can engage in various discussions on topical customer contact issues. Lastly, there will also be a “Speed Networking Wheel” where delegates can meet & engage in short but valuable one-to-one meetings with key industry players based on a rotating table format.

Some discussion topics include:

• Transforming Customer Experience
• The Next Generation Virtual Contact Centers – Break the boundaries by integrating communications into Business Processes
• Best Practices in creating additional values in your Customer Base
• Destination of Choice: The Selection Process for the IT/BPO Industry
• Staffing, Training & Supervising Remote Agents
• Structuring & Organizing the Contact Center for greater Competitiveness
• Maintaining Control in a Virtual Contact Center
• Building a customer-focused Organizational Culture
• Strategic Contact Center Outsourcing & Partnerships
• Leveraging on the Voice of the Customer
• Attracting, retaining & engaging Generation Y (Gen Y) Staff in the Customer Contact Profession
• Extending the Contact Center into the Enterprise.

For more information please visit www.frost-ccph.com, call Sheryl Fuertez at +65 6890-0963 or email sheryl.f@frost.com.

SMART Promo Giving Away 50 Million Pesos in Daily, Monthly and Grand Draw

SMART Communications (Philippines) is giving away over 50 Million Pesos.

Their new promo is called “BigTym Buddy Promo!” There are daily cash prizes of 500 thousand, monthly raffles of 1 million and the grand draw worth 5 million Pesos. This new promo starts today, Friday, September 11, 2009 and will run until December 9, 2009.

To register, send your name and address to 2332, e.g. JUAN TAMAD / 10 PASEO DE ROXAS, MAKATI. The registration also serves as an opt-in command to the promo alerts pushed to the subscriber at specific times in a day. These free announcements may include but not limited to winner information, registration reminder, profiling questions, promo tips as well as special messages. Special messages inform subscribers of instances to increase the number of raffle entries that they may receive by answering certain questions. Registration is a one-time process per SIM card and is free of charge. However, you may register the same name using several SIM cards / mobile numbers.

Next, you must text BIG to 2332 within the promo hours (12:01 AM to 11:59 PM). In return, you will receive a confirmation message. Each text message will cost you 15 Pesos. This entitles you to 15 raffle entries for the daily, monthly and grand draws and 15 free texts valid for 1 day only within the Smart/Talk N’ Text network only. You will also earn 15 points that you can later use to download content from the web. If you haven’t registered, you will be prompted to register. However, entries earned prior to registration will not be considered valid. Points earned prior to registration can however be used to redeem content.

You can only win once in the daily draw, but still remain eligible to win in the monthly and grand draws. Entries earned only by registered subscribers are eligible to win in the daily, monthly & grand draws. Purchases made prior to registration shall earn entries but will not be considered valid. Once a subscriber registers, previously earned entries since the promo started shall be considered valid.

For more information, visit smart.com.ph/bigtym or send BIGINFO to 2332 (2.50 Pesos per text).

Pearl of the Orient Dance at Sacramento, CA

St. Francis High School of Sacramento, CA is hosting a dinner dance themed “The Pearl of the Orient.” This even will be from 5:00 to 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 19 in the gymnasium at St. Francis, 5900 Elvas Ave., Sacramento. This is hosted by Filipino parents and showcases Filipino culture through music, folk dance and food. Tickets are $30 general, $15 students, $10 ages 3 to 10, free for ages 2 and under. Call Rose Avila at (916) 834-7294.

Source: The Sacramento Bee.

Project Runway Philippines – Video Trailer

PUBLICO Set to Release Independent Debut Album

Banco Sentral to Cut Fees on Remittance

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has agreed (in principle) to reduce fees on fund transfers, as much as 5 Pesos per transaction. BSP is encouring the member-banks of the Association of Bank Remittance Officers (ABROI) to do the same by coursing its remittances through the BSP’S Philippine Payments and Settlements Systems. BSP wants ABROI and the Bankers Association of the Philippines to standardize all backend processing fees to lower the cost of remitting funds. Current bank process fees go as much as 250 Pesos per transaction for same day deliveries.

Source: Manila Bulletin.

Clark Airport Promoted in Hong Kong

Clark is promoting the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Hong Kong, at the Langham Place Hotel in Kowloon, as its first location for its international roadshow. Presentations were made by both the airport management team and airlines that ply the Clark airport. Also present were several members of the Clark Freeport area. The intention of the presentations is to raise awareness of Clark airport as viable (and alternative) international gateway to the Philippines. There are about 130,000 Filipinos living and working in Hong Kong. Air Asia of Malaysia, Asiana of Korea, Cebu Pacific, Seair and Tiger Airways of Singapore are among the current air service providers using the Clark airport.

Source: TaleWins.

PAL Discounts for Iglesia Ni Cristo Members Abroad

Philippine Airlines is offering discounted air fares for all the members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo abroad who wants to come to the Philippines to pay their respects to the late founder and executive minister of INC, Erano “Ka Erdy” Manalo. The special “round-trip” economy fares exclude government taxes. Sales, ticketing and travel are valid from September 2 to 9, 2009. Other fare conditions are a minimum of three days and a maximum of 14 days for US and Australia; and a minimum of three days and maximum of 8 days for regional flights. Rebooking allowed on the return flight within ticket validity and fees apply. Check out the PAL website for more details.

US$699 – United States
AUD$799 – Australia
HK$1,099 – Hong Kong
MOP1,099 – Macau
SG$399 – Singapore
US$299 – Guam
THB7,999 – Thailand
Y49,999 – Japan
TW$4,999 – Taiwan

Source: The Visayan Daily Star.

Unionbank Invites You to Bid for Repossessed Cars

Bid forms are available at Unionbank ARG, 20th floor, Unionbank Plaza, Meralco Avenue corner Onyx Street, Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Bids for the repossessed cars should be submitted together with Php5,000 (in the form of a Manager’s Check) at the above address not later than September 8, 2009. For more details, you may call Babes through Tel# 638-0113 or 667-6388 loc. 8370

Source: Foreclosure Philippines.

SM Bacolod Has Its Own Blog Site

The sub-header reads: “Welcome to SM City Bacolod blogsite! You will find here the events of the week, upcoming activities, schedule of malls shows, celebrations and job openings at SM. Subscribe now to this site and be the first to know the latest about the leading shopping destination in Bacolod and Negros Occidental!.”

Link: http://smcitybacolod.blogspot.com/

All-Filipino Video Site

This website is powered by photo.net.ph and features the best Filipino videos online. From Travel, Adventure, Food, Pinoy TV, Music and even Politics and sports, its aim is to compile the best videos online for every Filipino’s viewing pleasure. This site is all about showing “Pinoy pride” online.

All videos are categorized and arranged by specific keywords, and are also hosted by YouTube. If you want to add your video, you need to contact the website’s operator at info@videos.ph.

Link: Videos.Ph.

Qantas Holidays and Viva! Holidays in the Philippines

Qantas Holidays and Viva! Holidays announce the release of the new Philippines product range. As the only major wholesaler currently selling the 2009/2010 range of Philippines holiday packages, the focus is on offering a ‘one stop shop’ option for agents and their clients. A comprehensive selection of almost 30 different hotels spread across regions including Manila, Cebu, Mactan Island, Boracay, Palawan and Bohol, giving agents the opportunity to create unique and varied holidays for honeymooners, couples, adventure travellers and families. Options include packages such as five nights accommodation including breakfast at the Boracay Regency Beach Resort from $460 per person, twin share. Valid for travel on selected dates from 31 August – 30 September 2009.

For more information or to book, call 13 27 87 or visit qantasholidays.com.au/agents.

Source: Travel Blackboard.

San Miguel To Spend $2 Billion in Acquisitions

Philippine food and drinks giant San Miguel Corporation intends to spend about $2 billion in acquiring companies in various industries such as infrastructure projects and power plants. Such investments include tollway roads, power, oil, water and telecommunications.

Source: Bloomberg.com.

Gawad Kalinga Show at Carnegie Features Stephanie Reese

Stephanie Reese is an enigmatic singer – the power of her voice speaks for her as a great entertainer. A Filipino-American born and raised in Washington, Stephanie’s musical background isn’t just grassroots. She’s performed as Kim in the German production of Miss Saigon, as Esmeralda in the Disney World premier of the Hunchback of Notre Dame and Princess Tuptim in the Palladium Theatre’s production of The King and I in London’s West End.

See Stephanie embark on a solo concert at famed Carnegie Hall in New York on November 7, 2009, at 7:30 PM.  This show is for the benefit of Gawad Kalinga. Tickets range from $75 to $135 and they start going on sale on September 8. Accordingly, the first 100 buyers of the show will get a free autographed poster.

Source: Facebook Group.

Logitech Opens First Brand Store in Philippines

Swiss peripheral products company Logitech recently opened its first brand store in the Philippines at the Cyberzone technology area of SM Megamall. During the opening, Logitech unveiled new products such as new Logitech keyboards, a software for video-call streaming, wireless mouse and a host of others. In the store, customers can actually touch, demo and use their products on display. The brand store is being managed by Villman Computer; however, all products inside the store are for display and demo purposes and possible sales will be referred to Logitech’s sales channel partners in the country.

Source: Philstar.com.

40 Richest Persons in the Philippines

Henry Sy tops the list with $4 Billion at 86 years of age followed by Lucio Tan at $2.3 Billion who is 72 years old. Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala is third at $2 billion with fourth by Eduardo Cojuangco at $840 million. At fifth is George Ty at $830 million.

Click here to read the entire list at the Catanduanes Forum site.

Filipino Parents Spanking a Child Will Soon Go to Jail

The Anti-Corporal Punishment Act of 2009 (House Bill 6699) was filed this July by its author, Representative Nikki Prietto-Teodoro of the 1st district of Tarlac, with already 56 co-authors in the House, has gone through its second reading and is expected to be approved this year.

This bill will prohibit Filipino parents from using physical force to reprimand their children, including (wow!) harsh verbal assaults and (degradingly) humuliating their child for bad behavior. Child Rights Ambassador of Plan International Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski expressed support for a law that will protect children. Reacting to a comment that corporal punishment is sometimes brought about by poverty, Jaworski said, “No amount of poverty is a justification for corporal punishment.”

Corporal punishment has been the norm of many parents in the Philippines since time-a-memorial. Spanking and famously hitting children with slippers (“tsinelas”) are common sights in Filipino households, a way to correct unwanted bad behavior of the child.

Article 45 of the Child and Youth Welfare Code allows corporal punishments as long as these are “just and reasonable” and “moderate in degree.” However, those are vague words. Current laws only defend the child from severe harm.

The bill seeks to define corporal punishment as the use of physical force, forcing a child to undergo physical, painful or damaging acts, neglecting a child’s basic needs (such as starvation), use of external substance harmful to the child, forcing a child to undergo hazardous tasks, confinement (in unsafe places), and verbal assaults, threats or intimidation. This bill also covers the similar illegal acts conducted in schools, institutions, youth detention centers, and offices.

Sources: ABS-CBN News | TUCP

APO Concerts in Texas and California

Houston TX – Saturday, October 17, 2009 7:30 PM – Stafford Civic Center
VIP Tickets at $125 includes Dinner – Other tickets at $66, $45

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Dallas, TX – Sunday, October 18, 2009 5:00 PM – Granville Arts Center
VIP Tickets at $120 includes “Meet and Greet” with the APO – Other tickets at $90, $75, $55

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Hayward, CA – Friday, October 23, 2009 — Doors open7:00 PM, Show starts 9:00 PM
Chabot College Performance Arts Center
Limited VIP Tickets at $100 – Other tickets at $65, $45

Resorts World Manila Opens

Philippine billionaire Andrew Tan and Star Cruises Ltd. opened their $700 million Resorts World Manila, which is expected to double the gambling tables in the city. The venture will tap Star Cruises’ network of more than 2.5 million customers and will bus in people from outside Manila. The casino opens in spitting distance from the NAIA International Airport Terminal 3. The venture, Travellers International Hotel Group Inc., opened the first floor of a three-level casino at a complex that will include hotels and a shopping mall.

Source: Bloomberg.com.

Former Philippine President Fidel Ramos in Thailand

Former President Fidel V. Ramos recently attended the 50th anniversary of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Bangkok held at the Grand Hyatt Erawan on August 19. The AIT conferred the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Technology on him in May 1998. During his four-day stay in Thailand, he also met with the Filipino community working and living in the country.

Source: Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Go Negosyo Youth Entrepreneurship Summit on 9/11

The Go Negosyo Youth Entrepreneurship Summit will be held on September 11, 2009 at the SMX Convention Center in the Mall of Asia. The summit is a one-day forum cum expo which hopes to spark that entrepreneurial spirit among the youth. There’ll be forums with experienced Go Negosyo entrepreneurs and mentors who will be sharing tips and advice on opportunity-seeking, marketing, financing, product development, and all the basics of going into business. Government leaders will also be sharing their views on the need for entrepreneurship development in the country.

Admission is free and the event is open to everyone, including the not-so-young or young-at-heart. LOL! This event is organized by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship, the NGO behind the Go Negosyo advocacy.

As a Participant, you can attend the event and be inspired by the Go Negosyo mentors. Learn the basics of putting up a business, and grab the chance to ask these established mentors questions on how you can put your dream business.

As an Exhibitor or Sponsor, you can showcase and expose your products and services to 20,000 youth, let your brand be associated with the advocacy and enjoy cost-efficient media values.

Certificate of attendance will be issued upon request after the event. For certificate requests, please e-mail youthsummit@gonegosyo.net prior to attending the event or call (02) 637-9347 and look for Myra Lorredo.

To register for the summit, simply drop by the event and fill-out the registration forms. Drop those registration forms at the designated drop boxes for a chance to win exciting prizes.

The summit is also searching for the “Go Negosyo Most Inspiring Young Entrepreneur.” You can also nominate a deserving candidate who is a Filipino, below 35 years old, and has established and managed a business that has been operating for at least three (3) years. The winners are determined by a panel of judges headed by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship, who reserves the right to screen and determine awardees.

Source: Go Negosyo.

August 24, 2009 Philippine Economy Update

Click here to read the article.

About Randell Tiongson:  Randell is an Entrepreneur and a Personal Finance Coach & Educator. He is President & COO of Personal Finance Advisers Philippines Corp. and co-founder of http://www.income-tacts.com, the country’s premiere personal finance on-line forums. It’s an on-line community that is dedicated to the financial education of Filipinos. It now has over 2,300 members in 1 year’s time. He is also Director of the Registered Financial Planner Institute Philippines (local chapter of RFPI, Ohio, U.S.A.). Randell has 20+ years of experience in the Financial Service Industries – Banking, Mutual Funds & Insurance. He is a columnist for the Business Mirror and a contributor for Moneysense Magazine and UNO Magazine. A featured speaker for educational institutions like the Asian Institute of Management, Ateneo, De La Salle, Mapua University, University of Santo Tomas, La Salle Greenhills; De La Salle University, University of the Philippines and various conferences and companies, he appears as a resource person for various TV shows like TV Patrol, Bandila, Mornings at ANC, Shoptalk, Business Nightly, Light Talk, Sis, Umagang Kay Ganda, etc. Randell has been married for 18 years with 4 children.

Read and subscribe to his blog at http://www.randelltiongson.com.

Video: How to Invest in Stocks in the Philippines

Roger Groh is the founder of Groh Asset Management and speaks about investing in stocks in the Philippines.

Kadayawan sa Davao Festival

The 24th Kadayawan sa Davao, an annual thanksgiving celebration for a bountiful harvests centered on the importance of “communion with the Earth.” The festival has two main components: the Lumadnong Kasaulogan (Indigenous Peoples Festival), which is the core of the Kadayawan Festival showcasing the indigenous peoples’ culture and arts and the Subay sa Lumadnong Kagikan (Contemporary Indigenous-motivated celebrations) that showcases the impact of the indigenous culture and traditions to contemporary artists and communities. The Kadayawan sa Davao is celebrated from August 17 to 23.

Source: CBCP News

Where in Queens are the Pinoys?

There are 75,352 Filipinos in the city of New York (2005-2007 survey) of which 60% reside in the borough of Queens. Wow! This makes the migrant Filipinos the fourth largest group of Asians in the entire city. For “Filipino businesses,” you can find many congregated along Roosevelt Avenue at Woodside, Queens.

Read the article in Nomadic Pinoy and see the pictures for yourself.

Asia Journalism Internships

The Asia New Zealand Foundation (www.asianz.org.nz) is offering three journalism internships at Asia-based news media organisations. Applications are now open for the two or three month long internships which are to be undertaken in 2010. The three host media organisations are the Philippine Star in Manila, CNBC Asia in Singapore and the International Herald Tribune in Hong Kong. Note that the internships are unpaid. The Asia New Zealand Foundation will provide $NZ5000 to cover return flights with the balance to go to accommodation and other expenses. Participants will be generally responsible for their own travel, insurance, accommodation and living expenses during the internships.

For more information, click here to read the New Zealand site Scoop.

“Us Girls” August Awards on August 20 at Eastwood

Studio 23’s magazine show, Us Girls, will be having their ” Us Girls ” August Awards this coming Thursday, August 20 to be held at the the New Eastwood Mall in Libis, Quezon City. Categories like Face of the Year, Most Fashionable, Make-up Artist of the Year and Stylist of the Year will be their base to determine this year’s winners. Watch out as hosts Iya Villania, Megan Young and Angel Aquino recognize the best in Philippine fashion this year.

Source: Grabeh.com

Pag-IBIG Overseas Program for Overseas, Migrant or Naturalized Filipino

The Pag-IBIG Overseas Program (POP) is a voluntary savings program which aims to provide Filipino overseas contract workers, immigrants and naturalized citizens the opportunity to save for their future and the chance to avail of a housing loan of as much as two million Pesos. Membership under the Pag-IBIG Overseas Program (POP) shall be open to all Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) with valid visas or employment contracts. Likewise, it shall be open to Filipino immigrants and to Filipinos naturalized in other countries.

Click here to read more at the “Pinoy Around the World” blog.

NEXUS Allows Employees to Register With Comelec on Paid Company Time

NEXUS has launched a 100% Employee Voters Registration Program where every eligible voter in the company is allowed to register with the Commission on Elections by taking a day off to register. That day will not be deducted from their vacation leaves. Employees who are already registered voters, being responsible citizens, are also entitled to a paid day off. In addition, the first fifty employees to submit their official voter registration documents to Human Resources get free tickets to Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds starring Brad Pitt, which opens in October.

Click here to read the JessicaRulesTheUniverse.com article.

Filipino Migrants Crucial for New Zealand’s Dairy Industry

A Mid Canterbury dairy farming leader says it would be frightening to think about where New Zealand’s dairy industry would be today if it was not for a migrant workforce. Former Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers dairy section chairman Dean McConnell said the Filipino workforce was performing a vital role in the dairy industry and filled a serious gap in staffing on dairy farms. “If we didn’t have them, we would have really struggled. In fact, it would be frightening to think of what would have happened if we didn’t have the migrant workers irrespective of the standard of them.”

Filipina Belinda Dewe, of Timaru, has formed a “shelter and cultural” group called the South Canterbury Filipino Association. It links with a similar Mid Canterbury organisation to look after the interests of Filipino farm workers.

For more on the article, read the Otago Daily Times.

Filipino Language Classes in California High School

Otay Ranch High School in Filipino-populated Chula Vista has a lot of Filipino classes available, in addition to offering Japanese. It is becoming useful as a diaspora language. The prevalence of the Filipino language classes may be because of the naval base in San Diego which gave birth to a lot of Filipinos working there and becoming immigrants and citizens of the United States.

Click here to read Jeff’s article.

TFC now on mobile in Japan

ABS-CBN’s ‘The Filipino Channel’ (TFC)  is bringing the latest news and the best in entertainment to Filipinos in Japan on mobile. TFC subscribers on mobile will now have the chance to be updated with ABS-CBN’s latest news and entertainment scoops, variety shows, drama series, movies and sports events on the palm of their hands through compatible mobile phones within the country.

Read more at abs-cbnnews.com.

Philippine HR Professionals Summit 2

A gathering of the Philippines’ Human Resources practitioners, recruiters and recruitment providers will be held on August 26 and 27, 2009, at the Crowne Plaza Galleria in EDSA. Featured speakers include Cecilio Pedro, President and CEO of Lamoiyan Corporation, the makers of Happee Toothpaste, Grace Abella-Zata, Managing Director of the Corporate Executive Search, Inc., Hans Montenegro, Associate Director of Human Resources for The Nielsen Company, and many more.

Regular rate for the two-day summit is 7,995 Pesos + VAT. For reservations and inquiries, call Porter and Miles, Inc. at telephone numbers 706-1307, 986-3631, 706-1321, 706-1392 or mobile phone number 0916-425-1870. You may also e-mail any of the following: sophia_porterandmiles@yahoo.com, sophia_pmi@yahoo.com or phia05@gmail.com.

Pinoy Friendster Day on August 15

Friendster is the biggest, most influential online social networking site in the Philippines. In fact, I have never met a call center agent who doesn’t have a Friendster account (yet). It’s no surprise that an “eyeball” event will be staged on Saturday, August 15, 2009, at the SM Mall of Asia for all Friendster-ians and Friendster-ettes.

Click here for the promotional YouTube video of Pinoy Friendster Day.

Top 10 Emerging Influential Bloggers

Janet Toral, a mainstay in the Philippine internet world, set up a project called the “Top 10 Emerging Influential Bloggers” in the Philippines and around the world. Bloggers who want to join can nominate their top 10 blogs that qualify where an event was staged to announce the Top 10 winners.

Kelvinonian Ideas 2.0 won as one of the top winners. Click here to read his article and view his photos of the event.

Cory was RP’s gift to the world

Corazon C. Aquino will go down in history as one of the best presidents the Philippines ever had, businessman Joey de Venecia III said yesterday.

“She is more than just an icon of democracy as everyone calls her, she was the country’s gift to the world,” de Venecia said.

The widow of the late Senator Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Jr. was the inspiration of the Edsa Revolution of 1986 which restored the country’s democratic processes. Also known as the People Power revolution, the event inspired the peoples of numerous countries to peacefully remove unpopular leaders in the decades that followed.

“President Aquino’s commitment to democracy was absolute,” de Venecia said, “Because of her, the Filipino people will never again allow anyone to deprive them of their freedoms, their rights, and their civil liberties.”

The ZTE-NBN whistleblower said his own willingness to fight against insurmountable odds would not have been possible without the previous battle that Cory Aquino fought and won in 1986.

“The ‘impossible dream’ that Cory dared dream, and Ninoy before her, taught us a lesson we must never forget,” according to de Venecia. “All of us must be willing to march into hell if need be for a heavenly cause,” he added, borrowing the words of a song that was a favorite of Cory and Ninoy Aquino.

The son and namesake of former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. said the late president was a personal friend of their family. “My thoughts and prayers are with the Aquino family at this most difficult time.”

He called on the government to work with the Aquino family in insuring a fitting farewell for the former president. De Venecia said political rivalries must be set aside during the one week period of national mourning announced by Malacanang. He also asked the public to unite in giving everyone’s “Tita Cory” the proper exit that she so richly deserves.

“I guess we can all take comfort in the fact that she is now reunited with her beloved Ninoy,” de Venecia said.

Cory Aquino’s Advise to Filipino-Americans

“I thought of Cory as Jawaharlal Nehru once said of Mahatma Gandhi, the light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere,” says writer of blog Trueversy.com. After assuming the presidency of the Philippines, Cory Aquino visited San Francisco on September 23, 1986 and spoke to 4,500 members of the Filipino community at a banquet held at the Moscone Center. The writer/blogger was chair of the committee which hosted the largest banquet ever held for a visiting head of state in San Francisco history, and tells the story therein.

Click here to read the Trueversy.com article.

A New International Airport for Boracay

A private company names Aklan-Romblon Properties Corporation (ARPC) is going to build an international airport very near the island of Boracay. The airport will be constructed on Carabao Island in San Jose, Romblon, and will cost some six billion Pesos. This means pump-boat travel time to the famous beach resort island will drastically be reduced. ARPC has already purchased about 120 hectares of land for the airport project and has also fenced its perimeter. Though still in design phase, detailed drawings will be submitted to the Philippine Department of Transportation and Communication within 60 to 90 days. No word yet as to when the airport will be operational but the DoTC’s office has already granted locational clearance for the project.

Philippines to Participate in Brunei Trade Expo and Ministerial Meeting

Nearly 50 delegates from the Philippines, led by Secretary Jesus G. Dureza, are participating in the Trade Expo 2009 and Ministerial Meeting in Brunei. The Philippines has five booths showcasing handicraft products, fashion accessories, bags, bottled sardines and small and medium industries products at the Trade Expo held at the International Convention Centre in Berakas.

Is Working Abroad as an OFW Worth It?

Was working abroad for a quarter of a century worth it? The story in this abs-cbnnews.com article is from the book “Migrants’ Stories, Migrants’ Voices 1″ published by the Philippine Migrants Rights Watch (PMRW). The book contains a collection of 12 stories of the realities of migration as experienced by overseas Filipino workers and their families. abs-cbnNEWS.com obtained permission from PMRW to publish the stories online. The essay speaks of the triumphs and perils of working abroad, in this case, the Middle East.

Click here to read the article at ABS-CBN Online News.

Lea Salonga – Your Songs (Concert)

This is a new website by Lea Salonga where she’s asking the general public’s help to drop a note and let her know what songs you’d like to hear during her upcoming special concert in December.

Click here to go to Lea Salonga… Your Songs.

The 1st Metro Comic-Con

5-10 Filipina Maids Fleeing Sponsors Everyday

There are currently around 176 runaway housemaids being housed at the embassy’s Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) in Kuwait, where an average of 5 to 10 Filipina housemaids are fleeing their sponsors everyday. The OFW cite non-payment of salaries, verbal abuse and sexual harassment as reasons for fleeing. Some of these Filipinas will return home, while others will stay and have their work visas transferred to other sponsors.

Click here to read the KuwaitiTimes.com story.

Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Social Networking Site

MabuhayCity.com is a social networking and forum community for the Overseas Filipino Workers or OFW. This site is owned and operated by Philippine actress and celebrity, Klaudia Koronel (really!) From Middle East, Asia Pacific, North America, Europe and Africa, members share experience about visa and immigration, working and living abroad, job opportunities, nursing education, investment and entrepreneurship, pictures, music and videos, etc. You can even hook up with Facebook and Twitter inside this community.

Click here to go to MabuhayCity.com.

Official Fan Site of Paula Taylor

Her fan site reads:

Most Thai people know of Paula as a VJ for Channel [V], the Canon girl and Lays’ most irresistible lady.

Many people in Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong see her as a veteran model, as she struts her stuff in modelling assignments.

Even by the age of twenty, Malaysians recognised her as one of the top endorsers of Giordano and Laurier products.

In The Philippines, her cosmopolitan style may be seen in her campaign ads. for Plains and Prints, or in her looking blooming ad. for Myra-E.

As for the rest of Asia, her reality TV stints in The Amazing Race Asia 2, probably won her instant admiration, due to her sweet demeanour and the sportsmanship she, and her childhood friend Natasha Monks, displayed whilst invariably flaunting their signature Siamese smile.

So, where do you think you first saw Paula? Read on and find out more about her!

Click here to go to her fan site.

Remembering PGMA’S 2001-2008 SONA

Here’s a great article from Filipino Voices capturing the many highlights of Arroyo’s past eight State of the Nationa Addresses. As Flowell Galindez writes, “In her 9th year in her term as the president of the Philippines from replacing the ousted president Joseph Ejercito Estrada and her re-election on 2004 let’s recall and run down details of her 8 State of the Nation Address as we prepare to listen on her last on the 27th of July.”

Click here to read the Filipino Voices article.

Old Manila Walks

The website introduces itself like this: “We’re a bunch of passionate, obsessive and saucy ‘street walkers’(!) determined to walk and talk about one thing: the history, the culture and the heritage plus everything over, under, outside, inside this city of our affections – Manila.”

Old Manila Walks operates on a simple principle: to have you experience the best of historic Manila – one step at a time.

Click here to go to Old Manila Walks.

Guam Will Soon Need More Filipino Healthcare Professionals

The US government will soon transfer 8,930 active duty and 19,140 dependents of Marine and Air Force personnel to Guam, which means Filipino health care workers will be in demand as Guam transforms itself into a major US military base in the Asia-Pacific region. Filipino nurses that have passed the requisite US licensure examinations and Filipino doctors that have US board certifications are qualified to apply, according to the news article in Tribune.net.ph.

The transfer would begin in 2012 while the additional active duty and dependents are expected to be fully relocated by 2014.

One-stop-shop for Philippine Weddings

There’s a (new?) site that’s touted to be the portal for Philippine weddings. Be it the best or most unique venues to say your vows or hold your intimate reception, gowns, photography, cake, flowers or getting help to plan your wedding while you’re away – WeddingInTheSky.com looks like they’re building the directory of service providers for the local, overseas and migrant Filipino (or a foreigner marrying a Filipino/Filipina).

Click here to go to Wedding In The Sky.

More Filipino-Americans Moving to Chino Hills

Filipino-Americans are consistently moving to the relatively new and affluent community of Chino Hills, establishing a large number of members at the local Catholic church and driving the city to become an economic boom for the region. The city is now home to 10,000 Filipino-Americans.

According ContraCostaTimes.com, most Filipino-Americans in the region belong to the middle-class demographics where many Chino Hills residents are economically well-off. Many who began life in cities where the population of Filipino-Americans is high, cities like Filipino Town in Los Angeles, have now begun their exodus outward to cities like Chino Hills. It attracts Fil-Ams because of the reasonable home prices, which results in affordability of a better place to live, plus various cultural services directed towards this demographics. Just take the Philippine independence celebration in the city where more than 3,000 Filipino-Americans graced the festivities at its community park. Much of its Fil-Am residents are second and third generation Filipinos. There are a little less than 5 million Filipino-Americans in the United States, the second largest Asian-American group after Chinese-Americans, with a purchasing power of about $20 billion and a median annual income of $50,000 (early decade census).

New Library and Philippine Study Center by Ortigas Foundation

A year ago the Ortigas Foundation opened its new Library and Philippine Study Center on a handsomely renovated floor of the old Ortigas Building in Pasig. 2006 marked the seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of Ortigas and Company and the Ortigas family members and their corporate partners felt it was important to give back something substantial to the community. For several generations the Ortigases have been the leading real-estate developers of the Mandaluyong-Pasig area. Their holdings once included a large part of what is now Mandaluyong, Pasig, San Juan, Camp Crame and even Marikina.

The new library, with over sixteen thousand books and periodicals about Philippine history and culture, is designed to be both a valuable information center for researchers and a lively community center for everyone interested in Philippine culture. It has display cases for rare books, maps and photographs and comfortable conference rooms for lectures, seminars and other cultural events such as book launches, video and film presentations and small exhibitions. The library is now open to the public from Tuesday through Saturday free of charge.

Click here to go to the Ortigas Foundation Library website.

First Gay Filipino Wins Gender-based Asylum in United States

A gay Filipino has won a gender-based asymlum granted to him last month by a U.S. immigration court judge. Philip Belarmino states in his asylum case that as a young boy, he had been molested several times, and was persecuted for being gay. He did not report the abuse to anyone because he did not want his very conservative parents to know he was gay. His asylum was granted last May 21, 2009. For now, he is officially a refugee and is entitled to stay, live and work in the United States as well as travel except to the Philippines. Belarmino is the first known Filipino to win an asylum case based on sexual orientation.

SM to Build 3 Malls a Year in China

SM retail tycoon and billionaire Henry Sy will be building 3 malls a year in China as an expansion strategy ro rebound from the global recession. SM Prime Holdings Inc. is expected to spend 5.5 billion Pesos in China this year. According to Forbes magazine, Henry Sy is estimated to be worth $2.7 billion. SM Prime expects to open one mall in 2010 and increase the pace to 3 malls a year by 2013. About 20% of the Philippine’s consumer spending is done through SM’S malls and stores, and the company gets 33 cents of every U.S. Dollar spent by families of Filipinos working abroad. SM Prime doesn’t sell retail space, instead preferring long-term recurring rental income and will apply the same principle in China. It will focus on the mainland’s emerging cities because their development and consumers’ profiles closely resemble those at home.

Click here to read the Bloomberg.com article.

Filipino-American Poet in San Francisco International Poetry Festival

Filipino American poets Tony Robles and Sasha Pimentel Chacón will be participating in this year’s San Francisco International Poetry Festival,  Philippine Writers and Artists, Inc. reports.

To read more, click here.

Don’t Price Ourselves Out of the Global Outsourcing Market

This was the cry of Philippine Senator Mar Roxas, considered to be the father of the Philippine BPO industry because of his aggressive policies during his trade secretary days. The average salaries of call center agents have been increasing 10% every year. What used to be a monthly gross salary of about P10,000 per new hire is now P15,000. It is now becoming more expensive to outsource to the Philippines in comparison to other countries around the world. Besides the manpower cost increases, the Philippine is incurring too many holidays, thus driving labor costs higher as call center companies have to pay for extra pay besides night shift differentials. The call center or contact center segment of the BPO industry accounts for 70% of the industry’s revenue and employment and generated P5 billion in revenue this year.

Source of information came from NewsBreak.com.ph.

Meralco using power lines for broadband internet

The Manila Electric Company, more famously known as Meralco, is about to test its power lines as a medium of transmitting broadband internet, creating a new source of business for its 24 million (or so) customers in the Philippines. Broadband over power lines can deliver as much as 200 Mbps in speed to residences, housing developments and small businesses without costly cabling. All the customer needs is an adapter or modem that’s plugged into the electric wall socket. There are limitations that Meralco will challenge during its tests, such as statis interferences and theft of service or “pilferege.” PLDT and its pension fund is now the biggest shareholder of Meralco, with 30.17 percent stake.

Tata Group of India setting up Call Center in Philippines

Tata Group of India is setting up call center operations here, with an initial capacity of 250-300 seats. The group was looking at areas in the Visayas and Mindanao.

OFW and Remittances

The National Statistics Office (NSO) revealed that the number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) rose 14.6% to 2 million last year from 1.7 million in 2007; 94% of these were overseas contract workers (OCW).  Of the OCWs, 32% of them were laborers or unskilled workers. Half of the OFWs originated from Metro Manila and its surrounding provinces. 1 out of 5 OFWs work in Saudi Arabia.

Total remittance sent by OFWs rose 30% to P142 billion from P109 billion. 76% were done through banks and 12% through door-to-door services. OFWs working in Asia sent the biggest cash remittance of P70 million.

Click here to read the Business World Online article.

A Filipino Jazz Musician living in Italy

Faye Miravite is originally from the Philippines but now lives in Florence, Italy for the last 20 years. Faye is a multi-cultural jazz musician who has created a world of jazz that has Italian, Philippine and even Brazilian roots. You hear piano, drums, vocals, guitar, soprano & tenor sax along with contrabass.  The musical connection between Miravite’s music and the people playing her tunes is immense. “La brezza” is Faye’s new album is a very well-polished, very smooth and easy-listening jazz sound.

Click here to know more about Faye at www.fayemiravite.com.