Archive for April 2010
Finance Seminar Targeting the Youth 13 to 20 years old
My friend Randell Tiongson, a Registered Financial Planner (RFP) in the Philippines, together with other luminaries in the financial sector of the country, will be conducting a financial literacy seminar for the youth, ages 13 to 20 years old, this coming May.
BLUE CHIP: Financial Literacy Program for the Youth!
May 13 and 14, 2010
9:00am to 5:30pm
Victory Center, Upper Level
Promenade, Greenhills
Poster from R.Tiongson
If you have kids in this age-range, I guarantee you they’ll come out better equipped to deal with money than the combined years you’ve been teaching them. Randell and team brings a light manner of learning yet intense in its wisdom and knowledge your only reaction is to ask for more. Don’t even wink and pause looking at the price – trust me, they’re worth more than you’re paying.
To register, please contact Jenny Igancio-Magalong at 0939-117-7856 or e-mail her at jcignaciomagalong@gmail.com.
The Second Philippine Airlines (PAL) Midnight Sale
PAL is going to run another midnight sale on May 2, 2010, starting 12:01am up to 6:00am, Manila time.
Banner from PAL's website
Interested people are advised to visit PAL’s website starting May 1, 2010, at 6:00pm, Manila time, to know more about what’s at stake for their Midnight Special promotions.
Source: Philippine Airlines.
Find the Best Deals in Your (U.S.) City
They have a Buy-3-Get-1-Free deal, meaning if you share the deal with your friends and 3 of them buy, you get yours for FREE.
Source: LivingSocial’s Daily Deal.
Arizona’s New Immigration Law Will Turn It Into a Ghost Town
By CircleStone at Flickr.com
Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law tough measures targeting illegal immigrants. However, what’s starting to happen is the beginning of an exodus of people who brought cheap labor to budding entrepreneurs setting up businesses in the Grand Canyon State. Starting with the Hispanic community, many small business owners catering to this ethnic minority are already feeling the brunt of slumped sales and may consider shutting down within a few months if it continues. Streets that were bustling with people vehicles are now deserted.
Proponents say the law will temper the negative effects of the new immigration, such as crime and the misuse of taxpayer dollars to fund health care and education needs of illegal immigrants. Opponents, however, fear that the “reasonable suspicion” standard will create a climate of fear that condones racial profiling, akin to fascism and apartheid.
“This law punishes local business owners who make a living catering to a certain market,” one Hispanic Arizonian said. “They’ve done everything expected of them. So why are they the ones getting punished?”
Source: CNN.com
Set up and operate a call center on a shoestring budget
Thursday, 22 April 2010 10:00 PM Rafael Pekson II
Photo by Raffy Pekson II
When everyone thinks you should also join the fray of setting up a call center, you wonder if it’s the right thing to do. Though many have succeeded in building one from scratch, others have also failed nonetheless. This three-part series intends to provide you with a practical guide to set up and operate your call center in a simple yet profitable manner within the context of the Philippine business world.
Read more at Philippine Online Chronicle
Philippine Airlines (PAL) Promo Ends in 3 hours
Promotion ends 6:00 AM today, April 25, 2010, Manila time. Go to http://www.philippineairlines.com
INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL FLIGHTS
| From MANILA | Fare Basis |
Base Fare in USD |
Est. Taxes |
Total (Fare+ YQ+ Taxes) in USD |
|
 By Pinoy Nikonians at Flickr.com Travelling Period: San Francisco - 07May10, 08 May10 and 09May10 Australia and Asian – 26 April to 09 May10 Minimum/Maximum days: |
|||||
| Los Angeles | KWEBNITE | 798 | 287* | 1,085 |  Book this fare |
| San Francisco | Book this fare |
||||
| Brisbane | WEBNITE | 300 | 322.80 | 622.80 | Book this fare |
| Bangkok | 80 | 103.70 | 183.70 | Book this fare |
|
| Hong Kong | 75** | 65.50 | 140.50 | Book this fare |
|
| Jakarta | 80 | 100 | 180 | Book this fare |
|
| Saigon | 80 | 88 | 168 | Book this fare |
|
| Singapore | 80 | 90.30 | 170.30 | Book this fare |
|
- Valid for round trip travel on fiesta (economy) class
- Tickets and surcharges are non-refundable
- Rebooking/rerouting/reissuance/upgrading/endorsement not permitted
- Child discount/Infant discount:
Los Angeles/San Francisco – No discount for child and infant with seat; Infant without seat - 20% of the fare
Regional destinations – No discount for child and infant with seat; Infant without seat - 10% of the fare - Free Baggage Allowance:
Los Angeles/San Francisco - 2 pieces at 50 lbs each
Australia – 23 kgs.
Asia – 15 kgs. - Mileage Accrual:
Australia – 100%
USA and Asia - 25% - Service Class Award Upgrade not permitted
DOMESTIC
| From/To MANILA | Base Fare in PHP ONE-WAY (PPS) |
Base Fare in PHP ONE-WAY (PMS) |
|
| Travelling Period: 27 April to 31 May 2010 |
|||
| Bacolod | - | 788 | Book this fare |
| Cagayan de Oro | - | 1,388 | Book this fare |
| Cebu | - | 788 | Book this fare |
| Cotabato | 70 | 788 | Book this fare |
| Davao | - | 1,388 | Book this fare |
| Dipolog | 70 | 788 | Book this fare |
| General Santos | - | 1,388 | Book this fare |
| Iloilo | - | 788 | Book this fare |
| Kalibo | 70 | - | Book this fare |
| Zamboanga | - | 1,388 | Book this fare |
| From/To Cebu | |||
| Davao | 70 | 788 | Book this fare |
- Valid for one way and combinable for roundtrip travel on fiesta (economy) class
- Fare includes surcharges and 12% VAT but excludes Aviation Security Fee
- Restricted for sales and ticketing in the Philippines
- Tickets and surcharges are non-refundable and non-reroutable
- Upgrading to higher fare is permitted provided that non-refundable amount remains non-refundable
- Rebooking due to upgrade is at PHP600 per coupon. Rebooking on the same booking class is not allowed
- Re-issuance is allowed at PHP600 per ticket
- No Show surcharge is PHP600 per sector
- Child discount/Infant discount
Infant without seat – 75% of the accompanying adult fare - Free Baggage Allowance is 15 kgs.
- No Mileage Accrual
Other Midnight Specials
For tickets purchased during the promo period, get the following discounts from our partners. Presentation of the e-tickets to the participating hotels and establishments is required.
Terms and conditions apply.
| Partner Establishments | Discounts/Freebies |
| Hotel | |
| Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa | 25% discount from best available rate |
| Makati Shangrila Hotel | Get one (1) complimentary Dim Sum Plus when you feast with six or more guests at Shang Palace of Makati Shangrila Hotel – Manila. Available for lunch from Mondays to Saturdays (except holidays), for only Php 810* per person. May 1 – June 30, 2010 |
| Mandarin Hotel | Paseo Uno – fantastic buffets to enjoy 15% discount off food; Club Suite Temptations - book 2 nights and get the 3rd night free ( consecutive days stay) |
| Pan Pacific | 40% discount on Rack rates 20% discount on F & B |
| Resorts World | 25% discount on all F&B outlets at RWM. Valid from May to December 2010 |
| Sofitel | 10% discount on all room rates. F & B and spa. |
| The Farm | 30% discount on Published room rates (SULU terraces or PALMERA Suites); Book a Garden Villa and get 1 night FREE |
| www.swiss-belhotel.com | Avail of and enjoy special rates and discounts from among the listed hotel partners |
| Lifestyle | |
| Travel Club | 15% discount to customers who will purchase a minimum of P1,000 |
Free Breakfast on Friday April 23 at Subway Canada
Customer Appreciation Event on Friday, April 23, 2010. Starts 7:00am up to 11:00am only.
Free breakfast melt and a cup of coffee.
No purchase required.
Introducing Globe Muzta! for Overseas and Migrant Filipinos
Globe recently launched Globe Muzta!, a new service that’s designed to allow the overseas and migrant Filipino to call and send text messages to family and friends in the Philippines using nominal rates. Much like the common features of Skype, YM and Chikka, PC-to-PC audio and video calls are free as well as PC-to-PC instant messaging or chat. However, calls made to any Philippine mobile or landline number costs P6.50/minute while SMS or text messages sent to any Philippine mobile or landline number is P1.00 each.
This new service also allows Globe and Touch Mobile subscribers to contact your PC through a virtual 817 number assigned to you, at local Philippine rates. There are no registration or monthly fees. You only need to pay for the calls and text-messages you make which is by loading credits to your prepaid account. To load, you can use your credit card, international autoload Max (IAMAX), prepaid call cards and e-PINs. Load expiry ranges from 45 to 120 days, depending on the amount of load, i.e. P100 at 45 days, P500 at 120 days.
You will get to keep your 817 virtual number as long as your account is active. For prepaid accounts, your account will expire if you do not top-up within the required period.
You will need the following minimum requirements:
- A PC running with at least a Pentium 3 processor at 650 MHz
- At least 256 MB RAM
- 200 MB free Hard Disk Space
- Audio support (microphone and speakers or headset)
- A webcam if you plan to use the video calling feature
- Windows XP Service Pack 2
Globe Muzta! works with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. The application to download is about 22 Mb in size.
Source: Globe Muzta!
More Than Half-a-million Overseas Filipinos Start Voting Today
Photo by junsabayton at Flickr.com
More than half-a-million Filipinos living and working overseas started voting yesterday until May 10 at a little less than a hundred Philippine Embassies and Consulate Offices around the world. Only Hong Kong and Singapore will use the automated poll system.
Overseas Absentee Voting or OAV started at 8:00AM yesterday, April 10, at every embassy and consulate office and ends 6:00PM daily until May 10. There are a little less than 150,000 opting for postal voting while the rest are expected to personally appear for voting.
Philippine-Canada Trade Council Presentation and Networking Event on Immigration and Foreign Credentials
An informative presentation and networking on Canadian immigration integration and foreign credentials conducted by the Philippines-Canadian Trade Commission (PCTC) to be held in Vancouver, BC.
______________
Source: E-mail from Mike Calingo.
U.S. State Deparment and Embassy in the Philippines Issues Travel Warning
Logo from US State Department webiste
The Embassy of the United States in the Philippines issues a travel warning to all American citizens in or about to travel to the country. The message relays warnings of caution for the following areas:
- Central and western portions of Mindanao including the Sulu Archipelago due to bombings and sporadic clashes between lawless groups and the Philippine Armed Forces. U.S. Government employees must seek special permission to travel to these areas;
. - Kidnap-for-ransom gangs are active throughout the Philippines;
. - The Philippine government declared a state of emergency for the provinces of Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat, and Cotobato City as a result of election-related violence;
. - Exercise hieghtened caution in public gathering places where events may occur in relation to the May 2010 elections and June inauguration
The warning also encourages U.S. citizens in the Philippines to register with the Consular Section of the U.S Embassy in Manila through the State Department’s travel registration website or visit the Embassy office in Manila. The 24-hour telephone number in Manila is +63 (2) 301-2000.
Source: U.S. Embassy, Manila Philippines
1World Cash in Hong Kong Targets Filipinos
One World Ventures, Inc., the provider of prepaid cards and 1World Cash, announced the establishment of 1World Cash Hong Kong. “Our new services are dedicated to the Filipino community at the present time,” CEO Steve Prior said. This is the first step in One World Ventures strategy to use the 1World Card and 1World Cash branded services to focus on its desire to serve the underbanked and underserved in locations like the Philippines, Indonesia, Mongolia, Mexico, United States and elsewhere.
From 1WorldCash.net
One World Ventures, Inc. is a holding company with management resourced in Asia and the United States that invests in technologies, communities and systems that facilitate trade, finance, communication and travel across international boundaries, cultures and languages.
Read more at MarketWatch.com
Amazing Statistics of People Visiting Mini-Philippines Blog
I never realized it that more than half of the visitors to this website or blog have come from people outside the Philippines. According to the stats, “96 different countries have visited this site!”
Thank you all for supporting this site. I’m not after any number of hits for that matter. I’m just having fun doing this in my spare time and sharing what interests me.
Happy Easter and more fun, joy and laughter to all of us this year!
Rafael (Raffy) Pekson II
Makati City, Philippines
Richmond, BC and Montreal, QUE (Canada)
1-877-586-6328 ext. 207
- paid advertisement -
Broadway Star Lea Salonga Teams Up with George Takei of Star Trek in a New American Musical
I was doing my thing in Facebook when I noticed this ad on the right that featured a somewhat blurred picture of Lea Salonga.
In my curiosity, I clicked on the ad and landed in a Facebook Fan Page called “Allegiance – A New Musical.” However, clicking on the “Info” tab displayed something weird – “Founded August 2008.” Is this a muscial that’s played a few years ago yet somehow nobody knew about it? Funny, for Lea Salonga to star in it, it couldn’t be an unknown event.
So, I clicked on the website http://www.allegiancemusical.com/ and landed at finally what it was all about.
George Takei? The Star Trek guy? Oh, wow! For someone who loves both the arts and Star Trek, it’s a perfect combination for a musical. Though I should say, it must be a really big musical production in the works as the slated run date starts in 2012 – two years from now!
Lea, now this is intriguingly exciting!
Filipino Mass at Sydney (Australia) Church Every First Sunday
Photo by Santuario de Santa Philomena - MANILA at Flickr.com
St Peter Julian’s Church is a eucharistic shrine in the pastoral care of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation in the heart of Sydney’s Chinatown at 641 George Street, Haymarket.
The church is named after the Congregation’s founder St Peter Julian Eymard, who was canonised in 1962.
A Filipino mass is held at 1:00pm every first Sunday of each month.
Source: St. Peter Julian’s Church Website.
New Security Checks for Flights to the United States (USA)
Photo by Reto Kurmann at Flickr.com
President Obama has signed off on new security protocols for people flying to the United States, establishing a system that uses intelligence information and assessment of threats to identify passengers who could have links to terrorism, a senior administration official said Thursday.
The new approach will replace a broader layer of extra scrutiny that had been imposed recently on all passengers from 14 countries, most of which are Muslim.
The change, which will be announced Friday by the Department of Homeland Security, is the result of a review of security at international airports ordered by Mr. Obama after the Christmas Day attempt to blow up a jetliner bound for Detroit. The system, which will be put in place this month, applies only to travelers flying into the United States.
Read more at the NY Times.
All About Money – Living the Life You Can Afford
Randell poked this message on his Facebook wall as a public post. I’ve been to two of Randell’s seminars and I think you ought to go to this one if you’re in town. Randell Tiongson is joined by prominent finance gurus Chinkee Tan and Cito Beltran in this unique half-day event. Randell talks about the financial roadmap to your future, Chinkee on getting out of debt, and Cito on guarding your financial future. Randell quips about this April 24 event:
What can P400.00 do for you nowadays? You can buy cell phone load, have Starbucks Coffee with your date, 2.5 meals at McDonalds, watch a movie with popcorn, buy a t-shirt on sale, buy a CD… or, attend a life-changing event that will finally put you in a path towards achieving Financial Peace.”
Call Jenny Ignacio in the Philippines at 0939-117-7856 or send an email to jcignacio.magalong@gmail.com.
Kris Aquino Ad on Facebook – Really?
There’s a Facebook Ad you’ll sometimes see that says “Kris Aquino Online,” the daughter of the former Philippine President and late Cory Aquino; Kris also happens to be the current Presidential candidate Noynoy Aquino.
When you click on the ad, it brings you to http://krisaquinoinfo.blogspot.com/ which is titled “Kris Aquino And ABS-CBN Talents Online” with a tag line at the bottom “The Online Showbiz Chika About Kris Aquino.” However, the very first thing you see is a poll question, “Suma Sang-ayon ka ba na Gawing Bayani ng Democrasya Si Tita Cory” with Yes, No or No Comment selection of answers.
Mighty generous of the Kris fan to do this, eh? Or is it a fan? In this time of day nearing the national and presidential elections in the Philippines, one wonders what any of these mean.
