This afternoon was certainly a time for celebration between the folks from the Philippine Olympic Committee, SportsP|us and Smart Communications Inc. as they sign a historic Memorandum of Agreement to support national athletes and teams with unparalleled connectivity, more online engagement and visibility in different sports events that they will be in this year and in the future.
The event was graced by James da Costa the head of SportsPlus partnerships, Bambol Tolentino the President of Philippine Olympic Committee, Jude Turcati the First Vice President for PLDT- Smart's Sports. There were also several athletes in the event including Carlos Baylon Jr. Gold Medalist in Wushu in the recent World Games (in China).
SportsP|us' James da Costa says "Standing beside athletes and equipping them with their needs is what we do. From grassroots development, we want to be part of our athletes efforts."
Jude Turcati from Smart says "The MVP has been beyond business to support the dreams of our athletes. The support has given us moments of pride on the world stage. Inspiring the youth, teamwork and resilience, and through this partnership we will get them connected especially when they compete abroad. We will be there every step of the way. We thank the POC and SportsP|us, the best is yet to come, para sa bayan, para sa Pilipino."
POC President Bambol Tolentino says "This is not for me, for POC, but all for our athletes. We put importance in preparations for the SEA Games, Asian Games, and the Olympics. Smart and SportsPlus has always been a big help ever since, and this may produce more medals. We are glad companies still support us, we thank them for their help with the government."
This starts a multi year support for funding the athletes training and preparation for the SEA Games, Asian Games and the Olympics. This will certainly benefit them in their goals to bring honor to the country. The endless pursuit to make sure they do their best in their respective sports and the support of the private sector will surely be a welcome development with various sports organizations that this will benefit. They will also help in the grassroots programs, plus a few local ones which the POC encourages they do in the next few years.
When I heard of it initially I didn't know what it meant, but LOHAS basically is Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability. Taiwan Excellence brought the cause to Market!Market! this morning with no less than Miss Universe Catriona Gray, a fitting face because this is something that she feels so strong about and they talked lengthy about it in what they call LOHAS DAYS Activate, which makes a lot of sense in this day and age.
Fitness sessions and lifestyle experiences, with the tons of brand that Taiwan has, they will be showcasing them at the Activity Center from September 12-14 to support your goals.
Check out what we saw at the event:
Aropec for water and diving gear, Besv Folding bikes, Acer Swift Laptops, Vinxper wine accessories, Hepty Extinguishers, Atunas Yoga and Fitness equipment, ASUS laptops, FECA Slam dunk Basketball Kit, GIANT XTC SLR 29, and more.
Josephine Shun of TECO says "Taiwan is serious about health, and the idea is very simple which is why we launched a program like LOHAS. This is health and lifestyle using Taiwanese technology. We are currently third in the world exporting fitness machines. Running along the mountain, the ocean and the warm smile, that is LOHAS and we want you to enjoy what you see around you!"
Director Alex Lai of the Taiwan Trade office in Manila says "LOHAS is not just strength, but a choice, the way we live. This is not just limited to us, but the generations to come. We have 70 Taiwanese companies presenting 30 products like folding bikes, eco products, and excited about you enjoying the fitness classes which we will hold here at the activity center. There is something for everyone, this is carefully selected to match your market and most of them have awards. You will also have the mascot to make sure you'll have fun today. On 17-19 there will be a Taiwan expo on SMX Convention center where you can find even more companies to grow your business with."
Catriona Gray says "As the LOHAS ambassador in the Philippines, I'm excited to make you enjoy fitness and a healthy lifestyle. I am very proud to represent them, many of us know it is attainable. A healthy sustainable life is achievable, we get to encourage our friends too. Like this year, I got into running because I wanted to move, it made me happy, I guess it's endorphins. My schedule is crazy but I wanted to have an achievable routine, so I do pilates, stretch, get in the water, it should fit your lifestyle. You need to take care of your mind spirit and body. I'm really inspired by their LOHAS movement, they enjoy it, use their spaces, something that we can learn and adapt in the Philippines. I love getting sleep, have a night without phones, eat good food, not just convenient food. We have to schedule time with activities, we are busy but we have to have some of it for ourselves."
She adds "Making conscious decisions is what sustainability is. I am conscious about water bottles, fashion, we need to look for solutions that impact the community. The car free days, the community runs, small actions that we can do for the environment."
If you want to join the fitness and wellness sessions, see exhibits and products from Taiwan, they will be there til the 14th so make sure you head down to Market!Market! or their FB page for updates by searching TaiwanExcellence.ph on the platform.
Taking time out of your busy schedule to watch a movie, a show or two has been really hard these days. Work for most is getting in the way, but it certainly the same level of sadness if you don't have your own projector at home. These days, it's essential because going to theaters have already been a little troublesome and expensive. Add to that, transportation costs, overpriced food, and that kid kicking your chair too.
I've featured LUMOS a few times here on the site and have lived to enjoy it so much that I get to use it regularly for family gatherings and parties. Folks often ask me where I got it. Well let me get you in on a secret, you can actually purchase this online and have it delivered to your home conveniently. They also have a new one called LUMOS FLOAT, a one of a kind 360 degree rotatable home cinema projector which we installed just a week ago. See, my room needed an upgrade because I've always wanted to have one installed for movie nights or YouTube sessions because I love watching anime series off the app.
The LUMOS FLOAT is pretty light and compact. No more heavy and bulky projectors!
For starters, installing this LUMOS FLOAT is quite easy. You can mount this off a regular tripod or choose to put this on a wall or ceiling. Think about the possibilities. If you put this above your bed, you can beam it to the wall in front or even use the ceiling if you are lying on your back. This means you can be in the most comfortable position you can imagine. Like watching the best shows without straining your neck.
They call this the SkyTrack, a built-in bracket that makes it even easier to mount the projector with hooks from 3M without the need to drill your walls or ceiling. You can then have it pointed to your preferred position, totally convenient for those who are not handy with building stuff (especially those IKEA shelves you've been meaning to finish months back LOL). The LUMOS FLOAT can be projected to a wall so you can get a 150-inch screen. Since my room is a bit small, I could take it a little around 1.5 meters away from it and I could enjoy a 50-inch screen. It's super easy to set it up that way and looks crisp at 1080p quality. It has 3000 lumens which makes it brighter than usual, I've seen no washed-out parts so far, the video quality is quite awesome!
The LUMOS FLOAT uses its remote to focus, way more convenient now since it's not manually done. The device also has built in apps like Netflix, Wi-Fi connection and Bluetooth if you want to connect it to the internet or your device. It has Wireless Mirror Casting, so you can easily see what you have on your phone. I even watched several videos from my phone without any hitches. The sound quality was also good and loud enough to fill the room. With it, you'll feel those shows and movies would be more immersive. You'll start to fall in love with those nights you'd spend with loved ones, your family, and with yourself.
If the video looks a little imbalanced, it's easy to access the settings and adjust the projector. You can also adjust the zoom to your liking. The device also has a USB port so if you've got media you need to access from a drive, this is plug and play. So far, I'm addicted watching anime on it and several Filipino series. I've also been watching several action movies which felt like I'm in the actual scene in full volume. No wonder a lot of people get hooked with the LUMOS projectors. This isn't just me, a lot of folks swear by it and I'm sure if you experience it first hand, you'll know what I'm talking about.
Here's a little preview of the LUMOS FLOAT:
The LUMOS FLOAT also comes in 3 colors. You can choose Gold, Silver or Pink. I prefer the Gold since I have several gold accents in my room and it goes pretty well with the white walls. This costs Php 4,999 for the regular while the Smart version (with the apps) cost Php 7,999. It also comes with a 1-year local warranty so if you run into concerns, they'd be able to take care of it.
If you want to know more, visit their official site http://www.lumosprojector.ph/float and see what difference it makes on your entertainment arsenal. Prepare to change your views about projectors and be obsessed!
I've been so lucky to have been able to celebrate a lot of parties, but the San Miguel Oktoberfest parties are on another level. They're marking their 135th Anniversary this year, and that means we get to enjoy a full blown rock fest... at no less than the Okada Manila grounds in Paranaque City.
This will be a 2 day event and will happen on September 20-21 where you can enjoy some of the country's top acts, tons of food and your well loved San Miguel beverage to fit right in your hand. They're going to fill the venue with it, to prove once again that there's a winning global brews in the midst, plus a multitude of dishes prepared by restaurants like Cibo, Wolfgang Steakhouse, Las Flores, and a whole lot more. Yes, you can be sure there's going to be a lot of pairing.
Music on the other hand will be taken on stage by Rico Blanco, December Avenue, artist Arthur Nery, popular band Lola Amour, the folks from Brownman Revival, iconic The Dawn, Autotelic, The Juans, The Cohens, DWTA, Carousel Casualties, Over October, It All Started in May, Magiliw Street plus more acts happening that day. The appearance of their very own San Miguel pro basketball team, Billiard gods Efren Bata Reyes, Django Bustamante (who will play too btw!), will be expected.
They might join the party too. There will be tons of San Miguel merch that you can avail on these 2 nights, so make sure you get enough shopping money to enjoy that. Tickets will be sold at the venue or Ticket2Me.net if you want to get them online. If you want to know more details about the event, just visit their FB page by searching SanMiguelOktoberfest on the platform to see how it all happens.
She's been out of the scene for a while but here she comes with a concert called JAYA ALL HITS to be held at the New Frontier Theater this September 14. Taking on her most popular songs that have been heavily missed, she's going to give one memorable night that only an icon could do. The Queen of Soul's show will be directed by John Prats with Musical Direction by Jem Florendo.
She will be joined by guests OgieAlcasid, Erik Santos and Jason Dy. This is going to be one exciting night of vocal supremacy, reminiscing, and fun!
Ms. Jaya says "God is so good because when I went to the US, we had the pandemic. After that, producers wanted to do shows so from 2021 til now the concerts didn't stop. There are a lot of Filipinos there and they have supported artists, they want to go back to listen to artists like me for nostalgia too. I had work, even do wakes singing beside coffins. I wanted to sing for any reason. My son is Sophomore, want to also take college courses, God has his plans for me. I'm currently doing businesses here, have a laundromat in Dasmariñas, cook too, and they wanted to do have someone who will fall in love with the business."
She also adds "We were worrying about a lot of things during that time but we sold the house, we assessed things, and it was because my family which is why we left. Back in Folk Arts, I had my Mom and Ms. Pilita to be with me on stage and that was super good. Now I'm going to introduce my daughter SABRIYA. I'm a little frazzled because of the time because the concert will be this Sunday."
Here's more of what we talked about this evening:
SABRIYA is a 19yo singer, composer and music producer. She was supposed to do college but had the courage to do music in the Philippines and bought tickets last minute. She's also very talented because she can play a lot of instruments. She also admits to have a different kind of genre compared to her mom Jaya, and grandma Ms. Elizabeth, and plans to do everything she can. You'll see her perform in the concert too, so there's a lot to look forward to.
This is produced by Cornerstone Concerts, L-Squared Production and CAL Studios. Tickets are available through Ticketnet.com.ph so get them before they run out fast!
This evening was so much fun as we got to spend some time off our regular coverage and see what actor Elijah Canlas is up to. Apparently, the good looking man is wearing another hat as he is given the opportunity to pursue singing and songwriting. He began indulging himself with his type of hip-hop music, and after hearing some of it earlier, we loved every bit of it. The single is called "JosephK", and it's been in his coffers for a while now because of creative reasons.
Elijah says "I love how they (recording corps) are giving value to the song, it's the least pop single with those that I have, but it is very personal. Thank you to Cornerstone, Project8, Island Records. This is black and white and it's cinematic, really cool."
He adds "JosephK
is actually something I didn't want to explain, but for trivia, it's
based on the novel called The Trial. It was when he was woken up on his birthday and sent
to court, accused of something but never told what it is. Now it's a
little grimey (the treatment for the video), I am JosephK. This is just a huge flex, I didn't expect
this to happen but thanks to UMG and Island records for pursuing it. I hope it would be
listened to by folks around the world and here in the PH. This is
special because there's a lot of cameos with my friends. I feel how they love and support me.
Direk Dan also conceptualized it, these are people I have worked before, and I
am very grateful."
He also mentions "I wrote this in 2021, but it felt like a Christian song, I shelved it because I didn't like how it sounded. I told myself that maybe the right time will come, a better version. I asked other musicians and they said sometimes it takes years to finish a song. It took me 4 days to do this song. Sometimes you just have to listen to it again and change the melody. It's personal and based on the book I mentioned earlier. You can compare that with the lead, and I just changed it into Filipino. I want to have more gigs, to perform more of my songs, take out songs, wrote and make more of it to everyone. I hope to also join UP Fair."
To date, he's got 4 out of 10 tracks that he plans to release. He told us "I think I can do an album. It has a story, collaboration with other artists, then hopefully a concert in the near future. I don't put myself on a pedestal, if you want to know me, listen to my music because it's deeper."
Here's the event as he talks about his music:
The single "JOSEPHK" is now out on digital streaming platforms. If you loved his new songs, you'll love this even more. It also has similarities to Brandy's Full Moon which is a genre they called reverse RnB in the 2000s. I also loved how he kinda mixed Manila sound to his first few songs. I like what I see so far and from the looks of it, Elijah is not done. You're about to see him get even better. He's just starting.
If you haven't heard of it yet, the folks from foodpanda started their biggest offers for the country's top brands on their app. They call it "PRO Weeks" which is exclusive for pandapro subscribers which will run from September 1-15, that's over 2 weeks of unadulterated discounts that could get you up to 50 percent off the price of your favorite food establishments, something you should take advantage of now!
According to foodpanda's Growth and Marketing Director Ms. Pat Jacinto, making the experience of ordering food online more convenient and affordable has always been their primary goal and in these PRO Weeks, they would be able to make people feel how it is to become a pandapro subscriber. With the tons of discounts and free delivery perks they get from restaurants and establishments on the app, you get to save a LOT even from your favorite grocery store Pandamart. If that's not enough, take that savings further with the folks from Robinsons Supermarket or Puregold because you can stack those vouchers and avail of the special bundles they have on different products too.
I'm sure this will be so attractive for existing pandapro members and will encourage new ones to subscribe to it so you get hooked up with these perks all year round! Mind you it's cheaper to actually get a 1 year plan because it'll cost Php 33.30 per month, even get you the subscription for FREE for one month (where available) oh that's going to be so good to experience for your next meal and supermarket order.
This is certainly the best deal out there, and it's not a drill. It's real and super affordable, don't take my word for it. Go install the foodpanda app from Google Play of the App Store because I'm enjoying it so much I didn't cook for several days. It's that convenient!
A beautiful morning at Marie France Makati had us enjoy a talk about feminine health. With her was Mariel Padilla, as she shares her experience with care and age.
Dr. Preetha Kkiran of Wonder Axon says "The first thing I want to tell you is to take care of your muscles, consider doing that in your post retirement life. In your early 30's there will be muscle reduction, and you may have to have 3-5% muscle loss. Everything that we see today is talking about muscle and protein, it's like sponge that absorbs glucose. We all want that magic, deep inside, it is directly related to metabolic rate. As we do activities, you consume energy and that comes from somewhere. You have to make a connection with muscle, fats and metabolism. If you give birth, ask your doctor when it is good to start with building muscle. In a generic manner, 6 weeks, 8-12 if c section when our body is healing. Recovery starts slowly, but we have to understand we have to start early. We have pelvic muscle strengthening treatment, it gives you a non invasive lift behind you, who doesn't want that?! It's a big challenge, but with Wonder Axon it helps you get oxygen in cells, blood in it. It helps you regain posture."
Here's Mariel talking about how she managed to pamper herself no matter how busy she is.
She says "No one talks about it but after giving birth, I had no idea it was going to be that way. I didn't have control anymore when going to the loo, when you laugh, cough, sneeze, you have to go to the bathroom and no one told me about it. I learned it was completely normal, I have more control of it now and if I knew about Wonder Axon, I could have made it early. The word for Wonder Axon for me is intense, but not painful. There are parts where I feel I'm strong. I get encouraged because you feel it is working, after it, I felt like I worked out when in fact I was just in Marie France for 25 minutes. My favorite part was in the buttocks and tummy area. The back thighs and arms were challenging. I feel it also released endorphins after the session and really felt it."
Mariel adds "I can relate to your story, with the brain fog, incontinence, we all experience that and we are not alone. You don't have to be afraid because it really does happen. There's something that can help us in Marie France and I'm so happy to be here. Now we women can share what we are going through and not be afraid. It's not just for losing weight, when we have muscles you can eat more."
At the event, we learned that there are 3 technologies used for the procedure, Neuro muscular stimulation (deeper penetration), electro magnetic transmission (comes from fat), and radio frequency (gives enhancement). They said this would also complement the Kiegl exercise. Aside from that, protein and amino acids also are something they encourage you to have (to see what you put on your plate). Include it on your diet, have enough good sleep, have night rituals, because all of that plays an important role.
If you would like to do it, just get in touch with the folks from Marie France and their branches.
Globe began the tradition of doing GDay on 9-17 and this year they are celebrating their 10th year. At the media launch, they are commiting to put customers at the heart of this celebration. It is meant to uplift the lives of Filipinos through digital innovation. This is the start of their season for giving thanks, in a bigger but more meaningful way.
Ms. Bianca from Globe says "We find ways to celebrate in different regions this year and they have surprises for people in hopes to get a ripple effect to spread the good vibes in GDay every day!"
Raymond Baritua who heads GDay celebrations this year enumerated a few things:
G Raffle Rush where you can get prizes every week, from groceries, devices, BYD car, condo units and trips to Japan or Cebu.
Regional GDay Pop ups will be seen in major cities, partner giveaways, promos will be given to lucky folks.
G Fair on September 19-20 a curated fair of Filipino goods where you can enjoy an actual bazaar. They will have Globe Business Hub, activities there too.
G Day Surprise Gift, where you just open the app and win during the season. Claim by opening it and tap play game, til your surprise gift is revealed!
GDay Fan Meet, bloom and meet with BINI if you are at home or at the venue. To score tickets, tap redeem rewards and play the game (a salamin).
Go Give, a place to donate points on the Globe One app to help fellow Filipinos.
This is just the tip of the iceberg so if you're excited as I am, go watch out for updates on Globe's social channels and the Globe One app!
A little on the third quarter but DigiP|us ain't letting those awards go as they earn 6 Quills from the 21st edition of the Philippine Quill Awards. They share this feat with their platforms B!ng0P|us, Ar3n@P|us and Gam3Z0ne as they get honored by this prestigious body that recognizes the best in business communications organized by IABC. This consists of an award for excellence and 5 merits because of their many initiatives this year.
The Award for Excellence was particularly for their website which they dubbed as The Digital Gateway to Entertainment Excellence which won in the Comms for the Web category.
The Award for Merits on the other hand came from their efforts on Investor Relations, Customer Service, Audio-visual, Publications, Marketing, Advertising and Brand Comms for the year in review. To date, they are a performing pretty well at the Philippine Stock Exchange and remains bullish on Fortune 500 at the SEA region.
They also won with their work in transforming from usual physical establishments to digital ones including their responsible g@ming campaigns in the same year. They also have achieved merits on showcasing transparency on their platforms and are thankful to be recognized for it.
Their Chairman Eusebio Tanco thanked the award giving body and IABC and attributes their win to the men and women from their side that has upheld their commitment to great comms. This happened last August 27 and they're super grateful to win these accolades and wish to continue to do more in the future too.
She's been very busy lately but still has time for her passion projects. Mika Salamanca recently announced the launch of her children's book called "LIPAD" which is set to debut at the upcoming 2025 edition of the Manila International Book Fair.
Recently, she also released her debut single called "Sino Nga Ba Siya" under Star Music. This book was something that she wanted to do for a long time now and said she wanted it to be a tool to teach values for kids, give confidence, and know that they are loved. She also adds "I know I've been very blessed with the many things I've received after PBB stint. This book really holds a special place in my heart, you've got no idea how much all these mean to me."
For a little background, the book is about a fairy named Mahika. She was born with the littlest wings and felt so different from others. It also tells kids how to love themselves, of what is unique with them, and bring them self confidence too. As of this date, she's got 20 Million social network following and knows she's got a responsibility on presenting what is apt for children.
She adds "There are times when we want to release books, but there's something that we feel the Lord was doing something about the timing. It might not be perceived the same way if we just released one, I dedicated this to people who want to TRY, those who have insecurities. I want to let them know that they are not alone. There are a lot of people who go through the same thing."
This book will be available at PaperKat Books Booth 2-122 at the 2nd Floor of SMX Convention Center from September 10-14 during the Manila International Book Fair. She intends to give this for free to charities and organizations that will benefit from it. Mika is currently working with Jollibee, Acer, MET, Awesam Dental, Dove, e-wallet corp MAYA, Jhaena Jewels, Luxe Organix, Mobile Legends Bang Bang, Taptap, and skin corp Aivee. Be alert though because there's a lot more in the pipeline which she's excited to unveil in the coming months. This includes acting projects, but for the meantime she's undergoing workshops under Ms. Ana Feleo.
Again, make sure to be there during the Manila International Book Fair because she'll be present to sign books and take photos with select folks who will avail of the book!
While the entertainment landscape changes, here goes Cornerstone Entertainment providing what you need online as they release new vertical content particularly "123 Boyfriend Ni Marie" and "My Favorite Liar". These two shows will be seen on Cornerstone's YouTube channel and the Beetzee Play website (which you can watch at 1 peso per episode), making it extremely affordable for everyone to see.
"123 Boyfriend Ni Marie" will star viral live seller and content creator Perlas plus her attractive love team Niko Badayos, they hunky guy from boy group Yes My Love. They will be together with Aaron Gonzales and Eli Padilla as love interests plus Naia Ching, Zoozoo, Sofia Jarhling and Samantha Samarita who'll play interesting characters in the show. Meanwhile, "My Favorite Liar" will star new loveteam Patrick Rocamora from boy group VXON and Cheska Cabrera together with Kobe Michael Francisco and Angela Balagtas who's going to be another pair telling their lies in this love story. They talked about it lengthily during our interview with them, so please, watch this!
Although new to acting, these folks scream a very promising career because they put effort into it. They have undergone workshops and see what they need to do now that they are being paired. I also liked what Perlas said about just being chill about it, because it would be awesome to see it bloom into something else, they just need to be as natural as they can be. All these homegrown Cornerstone artists plan to do more of these shows on the same platform so if you want to see the vertical series and future ones, sub because it's going to be a great ride!
The monsoon rains, typhoon and flooding was felt in Central Luzon. Taking up the task of Laundry Love are the folks from LG Philippines together with laundry soap brand Breeze and appliance center Addessa. It's their social efforts to provide free laundry services for families affected by calamities done last August 13 to 15 in Barangay Malued Dagupan City. They are so grateful for the help of Breeze who sent over 900 detergent sachets. Using huge LG washers and dryers, it has been able to help over 135 locals who are also trying to rebuild homes damaged by strong rains and flooding.
This isn't the first time LG is doing this as they've done similar help in 2023-2024 for those in La Union, Zambales, Marikina and Cainta. This will be done in several cities in the same predicament, to help even more people and their families. According to LG Philippines Managing Director NakhyunSeong, they will continue these CSR efforts as part of their commitment in doing community service. He sends his thanks to Breeze and Addessa who made sure they could source machines and laundry detergent during a very delicate time. They emphasize on giving back to help rebuilding efforts and support communities any way they can.
They are making lives better for Filipinos with this gesture. It's a small act, but has helped a lot during trying times. If you want to experience the same clean clothes, visit their social channels or their official website lg.com/ph to know more.
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