STARPRENEUR Bazaar at the Fifth at Rockwell

I saw a lot of smiles coming out of vendors from this event. I couldn't blame them because aside from the fact that this is a full bazaar, it's certainly a way to prove that there's a lot of potential for MSME's in the country. This is the STARPRENEUR Bazaar held at the FIFTH at Rockwell in Makati. This is organized by Bela Padilla and Filipino entrepreneurs Ms. Lanie Tañedo and Mr. Dennis Valbuena. If you are familiar with the brand Bela by Bela Padilla, they are the same folks who started her cosmetic, product and perfume line with her a couple months ago. This time, they're working with young Hollywood star and PH showbiz royalty Iñigo Pascual.

Iñigo says "It's something that I wanted to do for a long time. I've dreamt about it since college but I never got to finish my course in entrepreneurship. I've been involved in acting and music, and I wanted something different from that. Before I met them (Ms. Lanie Tañedo and Mr. Dennis Valbuena) I really wanted to start something but I didn't really know what to do and where to start. They showed me the ropes on how to start a business. They also showed me technology because it's different now. You really have to learn what's on trend, and for me, they really are the ones who guided me."

He adds "A lot of the products we have in herzy. is mentholated, and if you just got out of the shower, some complain from the heat, and they're already perspiring. I wanted folks to still feel fresh and clean after trying our products. The difference between men and women is, we want everything to be simple, less fuss, when you try it, it's really nice and smells good. It's easy to use and carry around. The ingredients are also natural, I even styled my own hair with it, and admit that sometimes men are even more vain about hair. We hope you love these products! I hope you love the Brow Serum which they initially designed to grow and nourish hair, last minute, we thought of using it for the brows because people often ask me about it. This was named after my Grandfather, we just turned the Herzig into Herzy to make it easy to pronounce."

Mr. Dennis Valbuena replied "We really appreciate that. Now that you've learned from us, it's your turn to guide others about the business. He was very hands on. We saw his potential right from the start."

At the event, they also took time to talk to entrepreneurs about their businesses and how they started. It was a very nice way for other entrepreneurs to learn from each other and perhaps network so they could also improve their businesses. The Runway Atelier also got their cute models on stage sing and walk for the event. Seeing kids there was super cute!

Here's a short chat we had with him at the venue:

 

 

Meanwhile, I have also managed to use the herzy. products this week and so far, I'm loving the herzy. Hairstyling Stick the most. Like him, I've got pretty wavy hair which gets uncontrollable after a few hours. It made my dilemma of looking well put together easy because you can get rid of those frizzy fly away hair in just a few seconds with it. The herzy. Body Wash not only smells good, but a bit minty. It feels fresh even in the hot afternoons in Manila. They've really made a very promising line of products designed for men (that can also be used by women). Best of all, men don't have to smell like flowers LOL.

 

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There was a bit when Inigo Pascual sat down and talked to other MSME's. The chat included Mr. Dennis Valbuena of DL Wear Private, Mr. Nio Siggaoat and Ms. Valerie Lim of beauty brand Ready.Set.Glow (RSG), Twin CEO's Mark and Spencer Elimanco of LINKIT (who introduced high tech calling cards), Ms. Audrey Ong of Sweet Kamote, Ms. Jana Berenguer of J&A The Label (of TikTok fame, you should check out their story), Ms. Rich Garceron and Mr. Jed Homar Sison of Anytime Fitness Hemady Branch (whom you might want to check out to have no excuse to go to the gym) and Ms. Elvira and Eleanor of Thermomix.

The event also featured Dani by Bela (fragrance of Dani Baretto under Bela Padilla's brand), Bela by Bela, The Runway Atelier, AY Clothing Shop, Get Spotted, Sweet Kamote, Kittly Manila, Show Idea Mayumico, iWhite Korea, Hiraya Pilipina, Pan de Carpio, Prints FX and Signs, Miruku, Duchess The Label, alas hot sauce, FizzStop, Nutral, Developers HideOut, Luka's meat products, and a lot more.

The STARPRENEUR BAZAAR was so much fun, and I hope folks not just the consumers learned a lot from the business owners who shared their stories on stage. Congratulations to Bela, Ms. Lanie Tañedo and Mr. Dennis Valbuena. Can't wait to see what you have up your sleeves this year and beyond!

Inigo Pascual Shares Experience in BOYETTE: Not A Girl, Yet

Zaijian Jaranilla is starring in a coming of age film produced by Star Cinema called BOYETTE: Not A Girl, Yet which will show on November 27 via KTX.PH and the iWant TFC app, CIGNAL and SkyCable Pay Per View channels on the same date.

Inigo Pascual plays Charles, a jock who will be Zaijian Jaranilla's love interest in the film. Zaijian will try to woo him by joining his dance crew and acting like a straight guy, will this become a love story or will it be utter disaster? That remains to be seen. 

Inigo got caught in traffic, but he obliged doing the blogcon while on the road

Inigo says "I am Charles, he's my best friend and we grew up together. I transferred when we were kids and just saw each other in college. I didn't know he was already Boyette, and initially I only knew him as Boyet, these are two different things. We then are going to discover how he was able to find out who he really is. I just enjoyed this really, it was not heavy, but there is a conflict because Charles is a homophobe. Direk Jumbo made it easy for me because he gave us freedom on what we could do as well. I enjoyed the locked in taping, it was safe for us. We did swab tests before, during and after. You kinda didn't go far with your character. We were able to immerse and become really close."

"Ever since the start, I didn't see anything bad being Piolo's son. It was a blessing for me, I can show who I am, my talent, to make my own name. I had my own thing that I want to do, I had the chance to explore and I didn't get to worry about that because he is really my Dad. I'm proud of him really."

He added "There were plans, a lot of them got cancelled because of the pandemic. I feel like things had to change because of it and for me, all I wanted to do is share what I have. I was able to release and share my music to everyone. I felt one day that I wanted to do a project, and the offer came a few days after. They assured us it was safe and protocols were observed. I just enjoyed acting, to explore it more, together with my music with Tarsier and of course local music. Before Boyette, we didn't have to talk about network wars, I'm personally against that. As long as we entertain people, I'm all for that. For me, I grew up not judging people, everyone has their own preference. They are human, and there is always a common ground. I've had friends who came out to me, they trust me that much, I comfort them and tell them there's nothing wrong with that."

"During work, we had two days off in a week and we used that to bond quite frequently. We had to do that too because we had to have that eagerness to hang out with him. I learned a lot from that kid even if he's younger than me. We didn't have air in between us, we just had a fun time doing it. I miss the classroom setting, I just don't miss the homework. For me, getting noticed by LGBT or anyone for that matter, I feel happy. If they look at me like I'm their crush, I'm quite okay with it, nothing really wrong about that. When I'm alone, I write songs and the pandemic time was pretty productive for me. I also did some projects and shows in between aside from Boyette. This is my reunion movie with Mariz. There was a moment where we were just talking to each other, and she shared her music with me, I cherished that moment. Whatever we talked about during that time, we understood each other, and I really miss that. This is the first time I saw her that she's not trying to impress people, she was so comfortable and confident and I was so happy to see that. This is the first time I've seen her like that while we were making a comedy film. We also roam around even if we had days off and we enjoyed that part. To clear things, we did go through things as a love team and as a pair. I can't say that much, it was 2 or 3 years working with each other and... (he stops)... (When he was asked if she is attracted to Mariz) When you see her, it's hard not to be at awe with what she is doing. I do think about having relationships but if in a lockdown, that is hard. I long for physical contact, I'm a hugger and it is a bit hard to do that in this time. Charles has so much experience, he had to hide things and not everyone sees his troubles. It was easy to do his character because in a way I can relate to him being happy, being a dancer, and how he doesn't choose his friends. I can't say we're like the same person, because I'm not a homophobe. If I were given the role of Boyette, it would be challenging to do that. It was such a beautiful thing to do a role that has been real for our Director, it is his life story."

It was nice to see Inigo a little uncomfortable answering stuff like that. It felt real and sincere. I hope fans get to see their film BOYETTE: Not A Girl, Yet because it is in some way, a good representation of who they are as artists now. We all have that friend, or people we know who are also like Boyette, Inigo also told us we should know their plight. To see their struggle, to show how they love, and make sure they know there is nothing wrong with that.

Bianca Umali, Inigo Pascual, and Enzo Pineda for World Vision’s “Hope Town”

World Vision has been helping kids, their homes and the community for years now. For non sponsors like me, you must be clueless about what they are doing especially if it comes to sponsoring a child through their organization. A few days ago, we got the chance to see it ourselves through a mock child house they call Hope Town wherein they replicated a real life house of beneficiary child called Nica. She lives in a shanty in the ourskirts, off the shores of Cebu.

Their house has a small kitchen, a place to sleep, and a little garden outside their sort of 2x3 meter house (merely a box). I felt claustrophobic and saw how they could have survived in a place that small without that much money to fend for food or schooling. I guess that’s exactly the type of kids that World Vision is helping, and this is nice to understand how it looks like in real life. If you sponsor a child, it would help them get access to education so they can help themselves, so they could work and go have better jobs and help their families. Celebrities like Bianca Umali, Inigo Pascual, and Enzo Pineda joined in and saw the launch of World Vision’s experiential booth. In “Hope Town”, they got to attract a lot of people to join in and understand a bit more about their advocacy, of course it got crowded so fast and people learned about the plight of Nica.

World Vision and their programs a very effective. It gives chance to kids like Nica to excel at school, to eventually have her own success story just like several people who lead the organization too. A lot of them have already graduated, feels like a family as they also get in touch with their donors to personally say thanks about helping them. That is so touching. The Hope Town display is just at the top floor of Trinoma in front of Krispy Kreme, go visit it and perhaps, make it your turn to help a person who would like to go to school like Nica. 

VIVO Does ONE MUSIC POPSSSS

It looks like Vivo isn't going to let music lovers down as they become a part of ONE MUSIC POPSSSS presented by VIVO which is an exclusive online show on ABSCBN's One Music PH. They have already featured artists including online streamed concerts in an effort to cater to a selfie centric audience which they also have. The first salvo had talented rock princess Alexa Ilacad who's been working so hard to put out her music for Alexanators and NLEX fans world wide. It's a wonderful feeling to see them all enjoy the experience through the Vivo sponsored event.

It was also hosted by Vivo's top endorsers Inigo Pascual and Tony Labrusca who in their own right have also been able to showcase fun selfies all throughout the show, it don't matter if they look silly because they still look good in these shots because they use Vivo V7 and Vivo V7 Plus to take it. 

Inigo and Tony are no strangers either in the music scene as they've already had hits on their belt. Vivo believes in them too so hosting this event was nothing but fate, the right thing to do. As they shine, Vivo hopes to be with them all throughout their careers, they're both doing good.

Maris Racal Swears Sweet Music with Vivo V7+

You can't let a talented and beautiful girl go to waste so this PBB teen housemate is grabbing every opportunity that would come her way. She's been 1st Runner up to Daniel Matsunaga in PBB All In, part of the girl group in her home network ABSCBN, she's now also joining the ranks of her MarnIgo love team this time as she is now part of global brand Vivo.

The Singing Sunshine from Davao was elated upon learning that she's going to be part of Vivo Philippines because she always wanted to endorse a phone brand that's pretty much like her. Young, hip and global, she wants her talent to shine in every way. If you've been following her lately on Instagram, you would know how much she's showing off some of the shots of the Vivo V7+.

She says “I look super good and fresh in all my selfies even without make-up on. The V7+ really does works wonders because it's got that 24MP capable clearer selfie so you still look natural looking in every shot!". She is also super thrilled about how the V7+ is equipped with the AK4376A Hi-Fidelity audio chip, so she listens to all the lovely music she needs to hear, and inspire her to make her own music too.

For MarnIgo fans, don't worry because Maris will be part of the mall show series together with Inigo Pascual so they could promote more of Vivo V7+ in your cities. Hopefully you could catch one near you as it will only last until the end of this last quarter of 2017. Make sure you visit their website www.vivo.com/ph and their social media channels to know more. Like their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/VivoPhil, follow their Instagram accounts @vivophil and Twitter too @vivo_phil today!

She's gorgeous, bubbly and very kind too when I got the chance to talk to her a couple of months ago, and she's bound for stardom! Congratulations Maris!

Inigo Pascual Enjoys Movies Vivo V7+

Who doesn't want to watch movies these days? Amidst the busy work week, we all want to sit back, relax and enjoy movies whether on our smart phones, the actual movie house, or just about any place imaginable. Although we can't get the actual super dar ambiance (unless we fix our own rooms at home) we wouldn't be able to compete with a movie house. But these days, we're all seeing how revolutionary smartphones have become as far as it's displays go. Take Inigo for example, he loves watching movies on his smartphone still because he's got the Vivo V7+.

Vivo V7+ is no doubt one of the best in the market. It still ranks 5th in the 2016-2017 Leading Global Smartphone Brands. But what makes it double special is the V7+’s enlarged all-screen display. You just can't resist it being the perfect screen for watching movies and videos sans the expensive movie house experience. It just is a satisfying experience even if you're not int the big screen. You take control of the video and take charge of it's clarity, size and video resolution if you want to. From real deal movies, to streaming apps, to Youtube and just about anything you've downloaded on the internet, the phone performs superior without any hitches because they made it for that purpose. You get to appreciate the colors and texture of the film, and the V7+’s AK4376A Hi-Fi audio chip brings you audio technology like no other as it outperforms its counterparts. You get to enjoy the real sound, enhance it so you get to experience all videos like in a cinema setting even at the comforts of your own home. This is because V7+’s phone speakers reach up to 3-6dB, and that's uncommon with smartphones these days, but they do. The Vivo V7+ though can fit right in your pocket, without the hassle of having to go far and out to watch in a movie house, because you can enjoy it right there.

They also get V7+ to still perform excellently with selfies, a must in today's generation of smartphone consumers. That has bee Vivo’s mission all along, they want advanced technologies fit in that hardware, so you get more than what you pay for. This phone comes in Matte Black and Crown Gold for only Php 17,990. It's available at Lazada, Argomall and all Vivo concept stores nationwide. You may visit their website www.vivo.com/ph for more details. Or their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/VivoPhil, their Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/vivophil/ and Twitter account https://twitter.com/vivo_phil. 

Inigo says so!

Fresh New Songs Heard in HIMIG HANDOG 2017

It looks like we're up to hear even more FRESH songs in this year's Himig Handog 2017. I've heard all of the entries during the press conference this afternoon at ABSCBN, and so far I like a couple of them already. After screening about a thousand songs, ABSCBN and Star Music has finally chosen the final 10.

 

Here are snippets of the press conference together with Jonathan Manalo, the composers and artists who are interpreting the songs.

BAGYO will be performed by Jake Zyrus, BES will be performed by Migs Haleco, EXTENSYON will be done by Iñigo Pascual and Aikee, NARIRINIG MO BA will be sung by new Asian sensation Morisette, SAMPU by Jona, TANGHALING TAPAT by Unit 406, TAYO NA LANG KASI will be by Kyla and Kason Dy, THE LABO SONG will be performed by Kaye Cal, TITIBO-TIBO by Moira and WOW NA FEELINGS will be performed by Janella Salvador.

The Grand Finals will happen on November 26. All these songs will be available at Apple Music, iTunes, One Music, Music Video, Astroplus, Odyssey Music and Video, ABSCBN Store, and can be heard through Star Music channels, MOR plus their social media channels. 

My personal favorite is the song TITIBO-TIBO by Moira. It's catchy and when I heard it, it just was flawless. I hope she wins!

Sun Life Financial Philippines Presents: LEGACY - The Sun Life Story

Sun Life has been in the Philippines for 120 years. I've only known them for quite a while because of the research that I've personally done when choosing investments. They've gone way beyond the form of an insurance company and with the recent celebration of their anniversary, they wanted to show everyone who has been part of their success what they have done to the country. A mark that may last here for generations to see, feel and hear. This is what they call their LEGACY, a musical to celebrate their 120th year in the country.

When they arrived in Manila a century and some years ago, they had high hopes, they had dreams, so they started to educate Filipinos about life insurance. They had some resistance because Pinoys never found any sense in getting money after they're dead. They wanted to change that mindset and let them see the benefits that it'll give to those who are left on this earth. I can even hear some of the ladies ridicule these Canadians and how they see no sense on having life insurance at that day and age, but when the wars started. that's where tons of Pinoys lost their lives, their families left in distraught and tried to rebuild their lives.

Sun Life even had tons of their records lost during that time and it was very hard to keep most of it. They had to resort to putting them underground and had hundreds of them burned by the Japanese. Commerce was put to a halt and lives were lost. After the war, people were clamoring for the Life Insurance they had with the corporation. They had the choice to just stick to those who still had their records but Sun Life understood they had the responsibility. They honored each and every person that went to them to claim what was rightfully theirs. They got to help all those who need it. Sun Life stood by them after all those years.

They did it because it was the right thing to do. They did it because at the time they needed the business, the Filipinos believed in them. The Canadian based company made their lives better. When they needed to rebuild and start over, the money went to the families of the plan holders. Even if some of them lost their papers during the war, Sun Life did not leave them hanging and honored all of it. A noble thing indeed.

Years after, they made the profession even greater than what it is. They started not only selling plans, but giving professional financial advice to people of all classes. They wanted to provide the quality of life that their plan holders to a larger population and they stuck to what they know best, making an impression that they are serious in what they are doing. The professionalism they implemented made so much sense even in the 60's when everyone else were in the discos, bars, the changes were absolutely working for them even more.

Their current President and CEO Riza Mantaring,  Chairman of the Board Jose Isidro N. "Lito" Camacho, and Kevin Strain who is President of Sun Life Financial Asia were also there to award former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos who has been instrumental to how Sun Life is in the Philippines. When they were distraught during the financial crisis, then a political one during Edsa, he encouraged them to stay and believe in the Filipino. They also championed the lives of Filipinas who have been part of Sun Life's workforce and they showed how it has improved their way of living. Filipinas believed in themselves, they professionalized and made them more independent. They helped more families in the process and shown how they valued them too. This is something noble. This is Sun Life's Legacy.

Executives, performers sang too in the end of the show. This is Sun Life's Legacy.

Inigo Pascual was also there. As one of Sun Life's endorsers, he believes in the value of saving for a rainy day. He also believes in investing for the future of his own family and to take an early step to financial freedom. His future lies on how he manages his finances and a Sun Life's advisor could help make that dream come true.

It's not just the personalities that prove Sun Life's the best in the industry. They are the number one insurance provider in the Philippines and if these people can do it, so can you. It is possible. They have their own legacy to prove what they've done to improve the lives of Filipinos. If you haven't had the chance to talk to anyone yet about your finances, investing of life insurance, visit http://www.sunlife.com.ph and make that leap to make your plans better, one that would benefit your family and community. You can also visit http://brighterlife.com.ph and see how it works. It's easy, talk to one of their Sun Life Financial advisors today!

For more information about their services:

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http://www.brighterlife.com.ph/