Foundations Pledge 2 Million for FutureSmart Grants for Edukasyon.PH

There exists brain drain and lack of IT professionals in the country. This includes sectors like programming, network engineering, software development, cyber security and more. While the population is available, it is quite expensive to send them to schools, and this is being addressed by private organizations like D!g!P|us and B!ng0P|us Foundation. 

These efforts were solidified by a MOA signing with executives from Edukasyon.PH, There exists brain drain and lack of IT professionals in the country. This includes sectors like programming, network engineering, software development, cyber security and more. While the population is available, it is quite expensive to send them to schools, and this is being addressed by private organizations like Edukasyon.ph, B!ng0P|us Foundation, There exists brain drain and lack of IT professionals in the country. This includes sectors like programming, cloud expertise, network engineering, software development, cyber security and more. While the population is available, it is quite expensive to send them to schools, and this is being addressed by private organizations like Edukasyon.ph, D!g!P|us and B!ng0P|us Foundation, Amazon Web Services Philippines and Greenfield for AWS ASEAN. So just imagine how much they could train for cloud services and tech using this initiative. 

They will begin with the AWS re/start program that runs for 12 weeks, something that could prepare them for cloud studies, then the folks from Edukasyon.ph will work on job placements that would hopefully land them one in 3 months including D!g!P|us and B!ng0P|us,.plus their affiliates. 

This part of their initiatives to increase work for Pinoys in this economy, as it already has changed over 5000 students, teachers through these efforts, and has already gotten them to win a Gold Stevie Award because of their huge social impact, as they plan to expand this to other areas pretty soon. D!g!P|us and B!ng0P|us will completely commit to help even more in the coming years, to hopefully develop more IT and cloud professionals as we get to become a bullish digital behemoth very soon. 

Head on to Edukasyon.ph if you want to become part of the movement or be one of their scholars!

RHIAN RAMOS, JC SANTOS Take On Complex Characters in PM Productions "MEG & RYAN"

A word was uttered around the venue when we were interviewing the cast of "Meg & Ryan", it was UNDERRATED, which we felt was certainly an apt one after meeting the stars of the movie under Pocket Media Films. 

Lead stars Rhian Ramos and JC Santos will be doing this romantic comedy film together with the cast award winning actor Cedrick Juan, Ces Quesada, Cris Villanueva, Jef Gaitan, JMee Katanyag, and social media stars Steven Bansil and Poca Osinaga, plus beauty queen Alison Black.   

While isn't first film to be directed by Direk Catherine O. Camarillo, this is somehow her first foray in the love story-romcom genre. "This is another masterpiece that I want to share with you, which I hope you would be able to give awareness to the audience, give them a fair chance to watch this in cinemas this coming August 5, 2025. (watched trailer, she became very emotional and said)  I am just overwhelmed seeing them on screen because they really look good together. Doing this was quite easy because I had some of the best actors to work with. It was quite to put them in what I envisioned in the film. I've done so many projects in the past that made me do compromises, I didn't have to do that here. I gave it my all, and got the ones I wanted to have in this project. I'm so happy I was able to do that in Meg & Ryan. I also felt the support of my cast, they respected the material, they loved this film as much as I did."

Rhian says "I haven't had drunk episodes where I wasn't aware of what I was doing. Either that, or may I just couldn't remember it. I really enjoyed the whole experience because JC is such a generous actor. If there's something he could do to help in the execution of a scene, he will. He will go farther than what is expected of him. It's not just the acting part that he's going to do, he contributes in the lines, change it to what feels more natural in the scenes. He really envibes what would Ryan do or say. It really helped me and made my job super easy! I really love complex characters, those with flaws, to make sense of people. Meg is an @lcoh0lic, opposites attract, I've seen Direk Catherine's previous films and wanted to work with JC which is why I wanted to do this. This is how I view love also, we have our own journey, when you find someone who understand that about you, it needs to be watched and told." 

JC Santos added "Actually everybody here was easy to work with. This is what's great about a collaboration because you can feel if you match. We enjoyed the process even the challenges, Rhian Ramos is a part of my bucket list and I'm seeing it now. I see how she gives the truth in her scenes. Even Tita Ces, Direk Catherine gives us freedom so we get our personalities in the mix. I also really wanted to work with Direk Catherine, and seeing the script, it's a different kind of love. It's something new, puberty at 35, he is complex, a bit difficult to do but I think we succeeded in creating this character."

Here's the press conference in full:

Aside from being shown in the Philippines, this will also have a theater run in Australia and New Zealand on August 14th. Please support Filipino films as these don't come cheap in production. They're taking a huge risk because they want to help the industry. The love story between Meg & Ryan was created by prolific writer Gina Marissa Tagasa. The soundtrack is also a fun version of Torete, which will make you feel a bit of nostalgia. This took a while before it was released, but from the looks of it, it has all the ingredients to make you connect with the story of Meg and Ryan. Go watch it on theaters, and see the trailers on their social channels because they already have 2 out!

Meet The Newest PPOP Girl Group in Town: VVINK

After covering one of the biggest PPOP collabs just a few days ago, here we go drowning ourselves in PPOP content with the arrival of a new female group called VVINK through their debut showcase held today at the HYPE club in Quezon City.

While they've already released songs in the past, that was their pre-debut which mostly showcased their individual talents. This time, they will be taking a huge leap with their new single TULALA under their label FlipMusic.

They took the risk to do this so their listeners would be able to get to know them at their best. The group is composed of their leader Angelika, main vocalist Jean, main rapper Ayaka, main dancer Odri and the all rounder Mariel. This new song has a very dreamy vibe, quite upbeat, while trying to express the feeling of one's first love. This is just the first of a plethora of songs they plan to release in the next few months which will be included in the album expected to be done til the 2nd quarter of 2026.

These ladies come from different places, but were all hand picked by their COO Jumbo Belen and CEO Jeli Mateo to become a part of this group. Unconventional as it may have seem to be launched like this, they were able to showcase their individual voices and genre. They also feel that with the training they went through, that it was all worth it. Here's the press conference in full on video:

Later in the day, they gave us a glimpse of their upcoming singles (to be launched this year til the 2nd quarter) and by the looks of it, they absolutely killed it on stage. The titles include "Tatlong Hiling", "Baduy", "Kailan Aamin", "Ikaw Lang Ang Kulang", and "Tulog Pa Si Ganda". Aside from being singers, some of them are talented songwriters and are pro choreographers. They contribute what they can for VVINK.

I think I loved what I saw today, and if you're raring to support these girls, make sure to follow their social channels by looking of VVINK PH on FB, IG and others, become VVINKies as they start their journey to conquer the world!

PUREGOLD OPMCon 2025 Makes History: OPM Generations Showcased!

I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't despise going to the Philippine Arena because 1, it's too far, 2, travel is too tiring, and 3 if the artist is worth it. I reckon it's the same sentiment for almost anyone from Manila right? Well the folks from PUREGOLD got me thinking because as members, they'll be giving us VIP treatment plus a lineup of artists that NOBODY in the right mind could ever resist. Imagine, the BIGGEST acts in Filipino entertainment all in one place. The boys from SB19, girl group BINI, top band Sunkissed Lola, vixens G22, rising KAIA, artists Skusta Clee and talented Flow G in one stage made me say a resounding YES as soon as I heard it. Whatever hardship I'll be experiencing traveling there will all be worth it just as long as I see them all.

As you can see on the top photo, I'm a silent A'Tin and have that guy Ken as my bias. But no, that doesn't mean I don't like the rest, because I do. There's a reason why, because they've continued to represent the country, and really, they've made us all proud! This goes the same with the other groups in the list, and I just can't believe it happened. Plus, there's more. 

BINI with James Reid

KAIA

Sunkissed Lola

G22 was so hot!

Flow G

Skusta Clee

They did a collab too!

When SB19.went out, everybody just lost it!

The finale song was super sweet, a fitting end to see them all singing one song!

At the event, they also surprised us with other iconic artists that performed with them. Names like James Reid, Rico Blanco, Mayonnaise, Yeng Constantino shocked us. . . then went on and did collabs with each other. It was really crazy, but crazy good. I felt I was witnessing history, thanks to Puregold who put this together out of their own pockets. They also had free stuff given away by their partner brands like Nestle, Nescafe, Koko Krunch, Chuckie, Tide, Safeguard, Cream Silk, Surf, Champion and Colgate. There were more but I didn't get to see them so they will remain unnamed haha! 

PUREGOLD OPMCON 2025 was certainly one for the books! It made history, seeing them all in one place was just a dream come true. Whoever says there was a group or fan war must be crazy. They're literally friends, and I'm sure this is not the last time that PUREGOLD is doing this. Thank you PUREGOLD!

TechLife Offers Pad Lite 8 at Best Price

It's back to school season and the folks from TechLife knows what you need during this school year, a new tablet called Pad Lite 8. Though you have to wait a few days to get it because it'll be launched on the 11th of this month. If it's for reading, writing, assignments, exams, it's the best companion your kids could use in school. It is good for everyday use, and it's small form factor and weight would be super nice and not be a burden for them. 

The tablet is also 4G LTE and VoLTE capable which means internet connection and voice wouldn't be bad with it. You can also use it for research and learning apps to make sure you get to do those school subjects and have it work for long hours because it can do 600 hours of standby time. 

It can also be used for wellness activities, if Mom prefers to squeeze in their workouts or learn recipes from the best cooks on the internet. They would be able to see it clearly because it's HD display is great. You can also learn life skills when needed plus, enjoy sound good because you can connect to external devices using Bluetooth. It's going to be available on Shopee come July 12th, and only costs Php 4,999. I prefer the Champagne Gold but if you want something colorful, get the Lilac Purple instead. They also will offer it at Php 3799 if you get vouchers on the platform, and give you a free TechLife Pad 8 Folio Case because you are nice boys and girls. Make sure you follow their social channels to know more about it! Just search TechLife okay?

QC Councilor Alfred Vargas Dedicates Recent Accomplishments to Manager Lolit Solis

QC Councilor Alfred Vargas just graduated from the University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP). He attained GWA of 1.028, and was recognized as class Valedictorian, even given the Dean’s Medallion in this very same course.  

As you may know, the showbiz industry is still grieving with the recent passing of Lolit Solis, manager to the stars and prolific entertainment scribe. She is also Councilor Alfred's manager for over 21 years, which is why he was extremely emotional upon accepting it. 

During his speech at the UP Film Center, he didn't forget to dedicate his accomplishments to Ms. Lolit, cried on the podium and said "This is for you!"

He also gave thanks to his wife Yasmine and kids Alexandra Aryana, Cristiano and Aurora for the insurmountable support and sacrifice during this period. He emphasized how love and compassion plays when doing urban planning for a city. He also egged his classmates to do the same, with kindness, as it plays a crucial role with planning urban dwellings. He adds "It would be quite meaningless if we be unconcerned with others. We shouldn't abandon these principles and do what is right. We can't be blind or numb about the lies, corruption and poverty because it is a reality. It's not enough to use our hands, we need to use our hearts, and compassion. That and good governance will bring social justice and bring dignity for those living in the state."

 

He also stated how important their roles are in looking for solutions to address overpopulation, the housing shortages, lack of infrastructure, issues with the environment, health, safety, education and inequalities. He reiterated the importance of listening to the needs of the public, of every sector, especially the marginalized ones before executing plans in the industry. This is something that he has learned early being a public servant. He also cited the Quezon City Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office (PDAO) wherein it has bore fruit, with the passage of the National Integrated Cancer Control Act when he was still congressman of the same district. He encouraged them to use what they learned from the course to improve lives of those living in their city, one area at a time.

After his undergrad degree in AB Management Economics from Ateneo in 2002, Master’s degree in Public Administration from UP Diliman’s National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) in 2021, he now plans to accomplish a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning at the same institution. Dedicating this to his late manager was an apt act, Ms. Lolit would have been mighty proud of his accomplishments as she was when she was still with us.

The Rise of Ascendra International: A Conversation with the Founders

Things are taking shape at the headquarters of Ascendra International. We had a glimpse of it at the 6th Floor of Global Link Center along Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City. We were welcomed by their executives headed by CEO Engr. Jurgen Daniel Gonzales, their Chief Strategy Officer Joseph Lim, COO Miko Imson and their Chief Financial Officer Ms. Francesca Fugen. As you may have heard, these names are no strangers in the network marketing industry and has brought decades of their experience to Ascendra International.

Their CFO Ms. Francesca Fugen says "Thank you and it's a pleasure to see you all here despite the rain and doing this on a Monday. Welcome to ASCENDRA! What you are seeing today is our new home, you will see a lot of things happen in this place." 

 

Chief Strategy Officer Joseph Lim says "Thank you to everyone who made it here, especially those who have come from far away like Northern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. We always hear that if it's MLM, people need to suffer, to have a lot of sacrifice in order to reach for their dreams, but in Ascendra, we will be part of your journey in achieving success!" 

COO Miko Imson told everyone about how excited they are and thanked them about spending their day at their new office. He described it as a new milestone, as the new office will be a venue to make dreams come true for a LOT of individuals and their families. He dubbed this as the start of their partnerships, and a new beginning, with hope and love.

Their CEO Engr. Jurgen Daniel Gonzales says "I am formally welcoming everyone in our new home. I want to thank everyone who put their trust in Ascendra, we are on a trial stage, haven't had proven things yet, but you are here to put your trust in us. And what we can say is, we will not break that trust, and together with our CSO, CFO, COO, we will be your partners in success. We will try to make it easier for your to achieve things with Ascendra!"

We asked them a few questions that afternoon, here's a video coverage of it:

They also emphasized how they want to change the industry by utilizing a business model that is rooted in sustainability, transparency and ownership. They will not be like the run of the mill corps and do products first. They also want to focus on their long term goals and use AI, education, to fulfill their purpose. They want Filipino entrepreneurs and support them through trainings and have distributors access it without trouble. They are also keen on streamlining all their processes, to make sure to lower costs, give what's due them, and to raise network marketing standards as a whole.

If you want to know more or be part of their growth, you may visit their social channels as Ascendra International will be on FB, IG, YouTube and TikTok. Just search for the name and they'll be there.

15 Years of Orange Love: ORANGE MAGAZINE TV

Thinking about this event took me a few days because I didn't want to go the emotional route as the event is celebratory. Orange Magazine just had their 15th Anniversary last July 1st 2025. For those who don't know, they're one of the OG's in the digital magazine space and I've had the pleasure of having them as peers in the industry for years now. 

While you were probably infants, these folks already made their mark in introducing artists, people, brands, businesses and SME's. This includes those who have no digital footprint back in the day, and has now grown even bigger with his team at Orange Magazine. I've seen some of the risk he took early on and challenges that broke everything because I'd say, the industry was still in its infancy compared to established traditional media companies that got a foothold of the trust of people. Jeman Villanueva wasn't all perfect - and quite loveless at that time 😂 - and he held on to those who have believed in him and his work especially in the different niche he handles, and here we are today!

Stronger and wiser than ever, Orange Magazine TV has been able to weather the rough obstacles that have come their way. Every year, they try to throw a thanksgiving party for the local PH blogging industry, giving back to folks who have stood by them all these years, including the brands and corporations who have believed in them since day 1.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by John Bueno (@kumagcow)

Team Orange gave away so many prizes and surprises from their sponsors like Timezone Philippines who took good care of the venue, PLDT Home, Home Credit Philippines, Xiaomi Philippines (whom I think gave some really nice smart watches), smartphone brand POCO, pr firm ALPAS Consultancy, Marie France + Facial Care Centre + Svenson (who gave trinkets, kits and skin products), Tai Chi Rub & VCO Liniments (who I absolutely love especially the Chili liniments and new sticks!), Doggies Choice (who gave doggie treats!), Cebu Pacific Air (who gave fantabulous trips to local destinations!), Maya, Honor Philippines (who gave health bands and ear buds, love that brand!), OPPO who gave away a brand new smartphone, Solaire Resort Entertainment City and Solaire Resort North (who I think gave stays), Skechers (who gave a choice of their super comfy shoes), Our Home, Hotel 101 Manila, The Ascott Limited, Citadines Benavidez Makati, Citadines Bay City Manila, Citadines Roces Avenue who also gave hotel stays, Klued (who introduced themselves and gave away some of their skin essentials), Primer Group of Companies and The Travel Club (who gave away luggages and products from their really good brands, I got a cap from ROX), Seda Manila Bay, Bell Kenz Pharma Inc., Luminisce who gave some skin treatments, Landco Pacific, Landco Lifestyle Ventures, AirAsia Philippines who have trips to local spots, RLC Residences, pr firm EON Public Relations (who also have a few prizes from their brands), TikTok Shop Philippines, Mega Prime Foods, Winford Resort and c@$in0 Manila, Redlion Private Pool Resort, pr firm Ripple8, Jollibee, Launch & Meet, pr firm Grupo Agatep, lovely chicken brand Mang Inasal who gave GC's, Angel's Pizza (who gave GC's also for pizza), A List & Partners Consulting Group Inc., Diana Stadler (who gave lots of skin products), PR and talent firm Spark It Philippines, Joy Nostalg Hotel and Suites, Foodpanda, Potato Corner, pr firm BRIDGES PR, Visual Scape, the ever favorite portable fan company Jisulife, pr firm Fifth Gear Ads and Activations, travel app Klook, SM Investments, SM Supermalls, my favorite skincare brand Beautéderm Corporation (and I love their Belle Dolls!), pr firm Narr8 PH Creative Communications, Centaur Marketing, SAFC, Human Nature, Uniquecorn Strategies, DermoRepubliq, ANKO, pr firm FuentesManila Public Relations, Buensalido and Associates PR, Access PR & Communications, Power Mac Center, and Ana Manansala Consultancy Services.

They would also like to thank the people from ROMA, pr corp CATPR Inc., coffee authority BREVILLE, Better Mondays PR, the good people of Conrad Manila, Newport World Resorts (hello Megaworld of whom I won a hotel stay yay!), Hilton Manila, Holiday Inn Express Manila, Maria Clara Sangria, Novotel Manila Araneta City, Ibis Styles Araneta City, Whip PR & Communications, ArdentComm, BrandComm, pr firm and agency eggshell, McDonald’s, the lovely people from Pascual Laboratories, 4610 PR and Integrated Marketing Inc., GCash, BrandPlay, COMCO Mundo League of Enterprises, TARO AOX, Inc., Midea, Canon, TA-FBDI, MSL, EY, OREO, Goldilocks, Megaworld Hotels & Resorts, phone brand realme, Corner Magazine PH, Zoobic Safari, the generous folks over at The Bistro Group, ODV Creative, Full Circle Communications Inc., JG Superstore, Cherry Philippines, Globe Telecom, Brand_It Consultancy, MG Asia Public Relations, the good people who got our photos and videos immortalized at Pix Republik/Reel Republik Studios, Domantay Consulting, Lorem Ipsum Consulting Inc., PRecious Communications, Brilliant Jerk Production, Insight 360 Consultancy Services, Inc., MediaSense, Orange Salon, Agents International, NYOU PH, Meat Plus Café, Tender Bob’s, Fireside, Kettle, PIAA, WSP, Stratworks, TV8 Media, Marriot Hotel Manila, PaperLess PR & Creative Agency, Inc., i55 Talent House Corp., TeamAsia, the generous Mr. Gene Paulo Bautista, Ms. Ruby Asoy Lebajo, Mr. Jeff Saw, Ms. Marjorie Pineda-Uy, Mr. Jonel Uy, and Mr. Harold Uy who gave away two way radios.

The event was hosted by beauty queen Samantha Purvor. She was so nice to everyone. 

I'd like to personally thank Jeman Villanueva who not just made this event possible, but really pulled strings to make sure each person in that event enjoyed their time, and went home all with something to remember the occasion. Thank you also to Team Orange's Kister and Janelle who's part of Orange Magazine's success since last year.

Thanks everyone! 🙂 

MMG Set To Release Original RUN TO YOU Single This 4th of July!

Mark Michael Garcia is turning a new leaf in his career. The very talented man who won "Tawag ng Tanghalan" as the Ultimate Resbaker a few years ago literally got stuck in limbo when the pandemic happened just when he was about to lay plans for his career and music. This year, he's sporting a new moniker as "MMG", which makes sense as it feels more catchy and current. Aside from that, he just got the nod of composer songwriter Allan Rich who did Whitney Houston's "Run To You" single for the movie "The Bodyguard". Together with Jud Friedman, they gifted him the rights to release the actual original song this 4th of July in streaming platforms worldwide. They caught him performing his James Ingram medley on the internet and was impressed, they got in touch and yes, the rest is history! 

We heard him a few days ago and by any standards, he's magnificent! Together with the single release, he's going to have a concert entitled CODE NAME: MMG which will happen on August 2 at the Samsung Music Hall in SM Aura BGC. He promises to perform new songs and covers that you might not have heard before. This is produced by Chef Jeng Sy Flores who also owns Heavenly Desserts by Chef Jeng and District One Gastrolounge in BGC. 

Here's what happened at the press conference 

 

Tomorrow, please tune in to Cornerstone Entertainment's channels as this heavily awaited single will be shown there. 

I'll update this post with the actual RUN TO YOU (alternative version) so you could witness his great work. By the way, he won a Best Male Vocalist award in the US, and some talk of him joining THE VOICE USA is also in the works. I'm sure he's going to blow the competition away!

Congratulations MMG!

The Runway Atelier Presents: REVERIE of VOWS, FATHERS and SCHOOL DAYS

 

Another fashion show happened at the Light and Love Events place in Quezon City. This was organized by TRA or The Runway Atelier, folks who have been doing events and runway training for promising kids, teens and talents. Since it's June, they entitled it REVERIE and had much of the models on the catwalk dressed in wedding attires. They also did a back to school themed runway walk together with bag brand Kittly Manila, and it was so cute to see them carrying backpacks in different shades amidst having very challenging weather that afternoon.

I've managed to take a few good portraits of the kids and the teens later on in the evening. They're really quite fired up and eager to showcase what they learned from The Runway Atelier Model Runway Training. A few of them performed too. They've got very talented singers and spirited dancers bar none. I heard a person comment beside me and said they weren't doing any of these when they were in their age. I see some of them learning a lot in terms of confidence, because performing in front of people including their families must have been scary. They also had a part of the show where they asked Dads to dance with their daughters, they were a little shy at most.

 

Here are scenes from the runway show: 

 

The Good News!

TRA Spokesperson Juls Natividad told us the good news that they'll be sending candidates of the Mr. and Ms. Tourism Junior 2025 to be held in Bangkok, Thailand. They opened casting for it and much of The Runway Atelier kids participated. Basically it's an international event that will also be participated by other countries. They'll be doing several categories, and he mentioned some special awards were already won in previous years.

They also hinted on a very big event on December and said they're already preparing for it. He warned that they'll be making an even bigger staging than last year so expect this to be extra fancy. They also had a part of the show where they donated school supplies and bags to deserving students, they also let them participate in the runway part of the program.

Congratulations to everyone who came to the show despite the challenges, it was really fun! Congratulations too to The Runway Atelier for mounting the show!