Fontana and Goldwin Holdings Corporation Ink Partnership

 

It's been ages since we've covered something in the north, and this was well worth the trip because something big is about to happen at Fontana Leisure Parks. They just signed an MOU with Goldwin Holdings Corporation to develop and revamp the 302 hectare property.

The event was attended by Fontana's executives and Goldwin Holdings Corporation's head honchos MGen. Jesus Sarsagat the President of Goldwin Holdings Corporation, Michael Chul Kim the CEO of Goldwin Holdings Corporation, Mr. Shuiqing Wu the General Manager of Fontana and Ms. Vera Cheung, the owners representative from Fontana. Held at the Piano Bar, it was fun and festive to see guests from Manila, Korea and China raising their glasses just for this occasion. Folks from Fontana Leisure Parks welcomed us warmly despite the heavy rains that morning.

Here's some highlights of the event including their speech that day:

This became a reality because of their shared vision, and a promise of security from external issues that they may encounter in the coming years. They will be changing the whole look, renovate and re-design the Fontana Building complex so they could accommodate their clientele who are mostly VIP's. Aside from the aesthetics, they will also provide employment for hundreds of individuals who will be part of the property and its operations.

It's going to be a place of luxury, something that guests won't forget after their first visit. Goldwin Holdings CEO Michael Kim expressed his excitement about this partnership with Fontanta and thanked MGen. Jesus Sarsagat for their leadership, together with the men and women who made this amazing partnership possible.

This is just the start but it was well received by the business leaders, their employees and stakeholders. It holds a lot of promise, and I can't wait to see the new things that they plan to do with the property. Everyone raised their glasses and wished this partnership to flourish. You will see a different, more luxurious Fontana Leisure Park very soon!

This event was staged by Midnight Thinkers Productions, if you have events, launches, they can do it for you. You may get in touch with them via 0927- 898 54 50.

Clorox x Philippine Airlines Keep Airports + Offices Clean

Things may have relaxed but that doesn't mean we should especially when it comes to maintaining cleanliness indoors and outdoors. Still on top of the game is Clorox Philippines and with tourism opening its doors in the country, a collaboration with the country's flag carrier Philippine Airlines seem to be the apt thing to do.

This means Clorox Philippines and PAL will be working together for the safety of their passengers. You can be sure that each airport hub, ticket office across the country will be using Clorox products to make sure you're getting expert disinfection done right in all these locations. Now you've got Clorox Expert Disinfectant Spray, Clorox Expert Disinfecting Wipes, Clorox Clean-Up All-Purpose Cleaner and Toilet Bowl Cleaners present in all their facilities, so you're sure you get the protection you need if you have a flight or transacting business with them.

PAL VP for Marketing Ria Domingo says "We value the health and safety of our passengers. This is a huge priority. Our partnership with Clorox Philippines has come at a most opportune time. This is timely as customers fly PAL once again. We're glad this happened!"

Today, Clorox Expert Disinfecting Wipes continue to be given to arriving passengers from international and local destinations. This is also being given to patrons going in PAL offices in the country. Clorox International Marketing Manager for SEA Region Monique Gonzales says "These uncertain times surely has put in cleanliness at the forefront of Filipino lives, we are part of that... and we commit to make the lives of our countrymen better each day. Making the PAL passengers, travelers safe is part of that."

That's a good thing.

Huawei International Inked MOU with Singapore Based NUS BAC

Looks like folks at Singapore are going to have a piece of the cake as Huawei International penned an MOU with the prestigious National University of Singapore Business Analytics Center with its goal of nurturing talent in the region. This will be a good opportunity to reduce talent drain in the tech sector.

Both Huawei and NUS BAC are working on understanding more about big data, cloud computing, business analytics and real world application, to give more opportunities to students and those who do research in the ICT sector. This would be like a sandbox so those who are still learning would be able to dip their hands into software, tech dev resources that Huawei is known for. This would also be a good place for those taking the Masters in Business Analytics program in NUS BAC to learn even more in this partnership with Huawei.

These efforts were lauded by Associate Professor James Pang Yan who also is the Co-Director of the NUS BAC. They will cooperate in the fields of big data, AI, cloud which will make their current expertise in business analytics, so they too would be involved in the ICT industry. This is indeed good news.

PLDT Enterprise x AIM for Local Hackathon Against COVID-19

I have been in hackathons in the past and this one is pretty amazing as PLDT Enterprise through PLDT Innolab just recently launched their partnership with AIM (Asian Institute of Management) to propose and work on digital solutions to help battle COVID19. The pandemic has disabled tons of companies and set the whole world in turmoil and this event is set to generate innovative ideas from professionals across the country and try to rid problems brought about the virus.

They called it Bayanihan@AIM. Over 70 teams from different places in the Philippines, winners were given mobile phones and cash prizes to deserving teams. PLDT Innolab has been supporting different organizations and collaborated with AIM and ADB in this enterprise. They worked on three themes namely Food Security, Jobs and the future of work. JoJo Gendrano the FVP and head of PLDT Enterprise and Core Business Solutions was also there to witness their efforts. 

The Hackathon ran from April 27 to May 10 and was participated by schools and young professionals. Amherstia Ojerio and Rosette Astoriano won the Food Security challenge with Urban Farming with a build operate transfer model. Kevin Sison, Carmelita Esclanda, Elijah Medina and Naman Punit won the Jobs challenge with their inclusive platform with e-learning and job matching. Michael Kakumoto, Jann Teng, Ariel Silva Jr. did the MSME challenge by making digital tools to manage customers to increase productivity even under these COVID19 ECQ/GCQ conditions. 

AIM President and Dean Jikyeong Kang was also present and lauded the efforts of PLDT Enterprise for doing this. 

This is such a successful partnership, wish I could be there too.

Quezon Is Home

This August marks another year to celebrate "Buwan ng Wika", celebrating the country's national language. Did you know that this was put into law during the time of Manuel Quezon? We actually owe a lot to this man and obviously for the great things he's done for the country including our independence from the US. 

Just this morning, I was among the few people invited to the unveiling of this gorgeous Fernando Amorsolo painting of Manuel Quezon at the Manuel L. Quezon University Campus in Quezon City. That might be a mouthful, but it's an honor bestowed a great man and rightfully so or we all wouldn't be where we are today without him. 

The event was graced by MLQU Executives, Directors, officials, and former Speaker of the House Sonny Belmonte. He's my congressman too and I've been a QC boy all my life. It just is different when you see the actual painting, it's like taking something that is rightfully supposed to be here. 

A man that has been honored here and around the world, his body lies in the Quezon Memorial Shrine, but his legacy continues. Bringing home this paintig of the great man to the MLQU Graduate School was just the rightful thing to do. MLQU just transferred this from Manila Campus, to it's new home in Quezon City. I think they are transferring everything here in a few years time. It's an offshoot of MLQU's success and they have the student population has doubled this year. Improvements are also being felt in professional schools, graduate school this semester. This is a mark of their cooperation with various institutions and industries.

Bloomberg has also been offering business courses, local and international business programs, all competency based and will in the end have Bloomberg certificates upon finishing the course. They have been active in doing these for professionals, a lot of companies do this with Bloomberg terminals and they have signed an agreement with MLQU the Bloomberg laboratories open to all that wishes to enhance their qualifications now that people are competing with other countries.

They see the need to compete with that. They will have equivalency programs too. MLQU will offer these programs with international qualifications, getting all these degrees in 4-5 years. They are planning to do this with the thought of being the Harvard of Asia. So for those looking for further studies, they're just here at MLQU beside the MRT Station in Kamuning QC. This is in cooperation with East West Educational Specialists. This is good news. They also have real estate management certifications soon as they partnered with CREBA. MLQU will be tapping Engineering, Academe and everything else soon and not just concentrating in Law which is their primary course. The drive to get their students quality and relevant education. 

They are just starting. 

KUMAGCOW

Fresh Blogs Fast

SmartBro x UFC Partnership Draws First Blood

Ever wanted one of these? Me too. I actually wanted to do MMA and ever since I've watched fights on TV and cable, it just made me so eager to see them in real life. This afternoon, we're blessed to have been able to witness a partnership between Smart (through SmartBRO), the country's biggest network and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) the biggest league there is in multi disciplined fighting sports.

This means that starting today, Smart Bro will offer subscribers and UFC fans exclusive access to UFC FIGHT PASS, it's the digital streaming service that accesses the biggest library of fight content. Now you can watch your favorite fighter slug it out in the famous Octagon thay they've long fighting in. Aside from that, Smart Bro might be flying you and one of your friends to a UFC Pay per View fight. Isn't that awesome?

Now you don't event have to fly to the US or other countries because Smart is bringing all of them closer to you. These awesome content can now be accessed on the UFC official app and maybe soon, a full pledged UFC event in the country. It'll all be within reach as Filipinos becomr hungry for more digital content in the coming years, Smart, Smart Bro and UFC will all be part of that!

Ms. Pam Santiago AVP for Smart Bro's Data Services says "This is a multi year partnership and this will make us the proud mobile carrier of UFC in the country. You'll have exclusive perks like this March 6, for the UFC Women's viewing party at Skinny Mike's so please come over and bring your pocket wifi! Only Smart can get you all these anytime and anywhere. You can reach your favorite athletes, and we're happy for you to witness this today! We will bring UFC closer to the fans."

Mr. Kenneth Berger EVP and General Manager of UFC Asia says "This is going to be an exciting year for UFC and now that we've partnered with Smart, you can access a whole community, a huge library so you can watch anywhere with almost any device. We look forward to doing more experiences and shows back here in Manila. We want to bring more fights and content." 

Then they surprised is with Stephen Thompson!

I can't wait for his next fight since he wants to get #1 slot, the title fight which he says will happen very soon!

Thank you for having us Smart Bro!

Facebook's Internet.org Partners with Smart's Talk 'N Text!

Internet.org has been put up by Facebook with the goal of putting data be affordable with anyone, any place in the world. During a small event in Blue Leaf Pavilion in Fort Bonifacio, the country's biggest network Smart, through their most affordable network subsidiary Talk'N Text has announced their partnership with Internet.org with the goal of bringing not just affordable rates but free internet access to some of the most popular websites so there wouldn't be more reason not to get connected in the Philippines. This huge undertaking wouldn't be possible if it were not for the willingness of the executives and the people behind Talk'NText and Facebook.

Some of Talk'NText's brightest stars and endorsers were there to witness the occasion. Robin Padilla, Jericho Rosales and the stunning Marian Rivera are just some of them. As of this writing, only Robin and his brother was present.

Chairman of the Board and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan was there too. He's always present in big announcements like these. The tag line is #PanaloAngMayAlam (Those who know are winners!) which exactly reflects that those who have connections, the better informed ones win. A fitting statement that would best reflect their goal, of getting internet connection for 2/3 of the world population that doesn't have internet yet.

Napoleon Nazareno who heads PLDT and Smart says "This is the first internet.org partnership in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. We'll have 24 well chosen websites accesible for a whole year as we boost our "Internet for All" campaign and advocacy to make useful information accesible with Filipinos. We hope more content partners join this mission. There is still a lot of work to do but be assured of our continuing commitment."

This has been launched in Colombia, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, India and Zambia. Markku Makelainen, the Director of Global Partnerships from Facebook says "We are working with operators, content partners and governments all over the world to address the barriers. Now, we're bringing the Internet.org app to the Philippines and give you access to internet services, tools to help create new ideas and opportunities. The potential and brilliance of people is big. We want to focus on awareness and affordability. Poverty should not be an excuse, it should be a right to access the internet to get help in employment, or just living our daily lives."

These are just some of the sites but there's more! All 24 websites will be free on the Internet.org app on Google Play so just text the word INTERNET to 9999. Now, poverty shouldn't be a reason not to get information on the Internet. Searching for tips, education, health, finances and livelihood will be free for a whole year! They are now moving towards the task of getting more people to use the Internet, and with the success of the Free Internet campaign they did a few months ago, this just can go anywhere but up!

Mobile smartphone usage has gone to 30% last year and they expect a huge jump this year. The cost of smartphones will also go down, even TalkNText has packaged it with Android Mobile Phones so in the next few months you'll see even more people in the country using data and perhaps make people appreciate and take relevance to internet connectivity in their lives. 

This is Basic Internet Access for all! There's no better news than that! 

Ciao!

KUMAGCOW

Cravings Group x Di Bella Coffee

I've gone to several beer, wine and food pairings but I haven't gone to one that does Coffee and Cake. Perfect timing had me going to a place in Epicurious at the East Wing of Shangrila Mall for an occasion that officially takes this beverage a step further - because this time, it's not going to be something for survival anymore. The Cravings Group who makes some of the best dessert pieces in the metro has now partnered with Australian brand Di Bella Coffee to give their clientele their dream of the ultimate coffee experience. 

Since October 28, all Cravings group restaurant chains have officially started to serve Di Bella's specialty coffee line which means all the coffee you'll get from places like Cravings, Epicurious, Lucia Ristorante, Lombardi’s, C2 Classic Cuisine, B&P, The Blackboard by Chef Michel and The Coffee Beanery (TCB) outlets nationwide will be fully supplied with coffee from them. Phillip Di Bella, the founder and managing director of Di Bella Coffee was there and he said "One of the few factors that got us interested in this partnership is because Di Bella Coffee and the Cravings Group have something similar. Both corporations started small, humble and family based. We pride ourselves with products that you wholly take care from the farm to the cup, the Cravings Group always has freshness and quality in mind and when this talk started with our partners, we never hesitated and we find this as an opportunity to grow in the Southeast Asian market. I guess we found our perfect pair with the Cravings Group."

Also present in the occasion was Ms. Annie P. Guerrero, the President, Badjie G. Trinidad, CEO both from The Cravings Group, Giuseppe "Joe" Molinario, the partner of Phillip Di Bella and Michael Anato Di Bella Coffe's Crop to Cup specialist.

The Cravings Group showed us what they were made of and got busy preparing the freshest bread and desserts they could whip up on their live kitchen.

Seeing these savory and sweet creations on the table top just made our mouth water. The line did actually not stop for these treats and I got so indulged in the Yema Balls covered in thick caramel candy shell. The freshly baked croissants? They took that away then smothered it with melted chocolate. The small canapes were like small vegetarian pizzas filled with mushrooms, bell peppers and melted cheese. Shall I continue? I don't want to torture you.

Di Bella prepared coffee for us and brought along their experts to do it.

Impressed? Not yet!

I must say, this is Instagram worthy.

Di Bella and The Cravings Group will not only make these extra ordinary cups in their stores. They have bigger plans with this happening. Ms. Marinela G. Trinidad says "With this partnership, the Philippine coffee industry also stands to gain so much. Di Bella is very intent in supporting The Cravings Group educate and train local farmers with ethical, sustainable coffee bean-growing practices. By learning and adapting such renowned leadership, excellence and expertise, Filipino coffee farmers will have the opportunity to learn and eventually harvest the best-quality, locally-grown beans which in turn give Filipinos the best cup experience. The Cravings Group is proud to partner with Di Bella.  Not only do we raise the bar of café concept by presenting customers with new world-class coffee choices; we are also more than happy to create positive impacts to Filipino coffee farmers" the CEO added.

Fruitful partnerships never had it this good. With the mighty ensemble of food items from The Cravings Group and the excellent coffee from Di Bella, we're assured of quality products in the coming years and it'll benefit us consumers in the end.

For more information about their stores:

The Cravings Group

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Visit their official website

http://www.my-cravings.com/

Free Access on BPI Express Mobile App for Globe Subscribers

An afternoon of good news was up at the Holiday Inn Suites in Makati as Bank of the Philippine Islands and Globe announced a spectacular deal that would make your smart phones a tad better. Whether you are postpaid or prepaid subscribers of this network, you now have access to the BPI Express Mobile App anywhere in the Philippines and Globe won't charge you a single cent for it. This means that you can have banking transactions right on your smart phone and make inquiries, bank transfers, payments and other services as easy as a flick of a button. Ms. Nabbie Alejo, the Executive Vice President and Head of Retail Segments and Channels Group for BPI says this partnership only has everything to gain and will make it easier for their bankers to access their bank accounts, transfer money, pay for bills and reload mobile phones when you need it and where you need it. It's the aggressive stance of BPI that makes it all worthwhile to be with them as they continue to make the banking experience as easy as 123.

I always use this app to monitor my investments and check my balance if I need to. They've also updated the app recently so it goes with the iOS7 design, look and feel. It also is responsive, fast and efficient if I wanted to bank wherever I am in the country. Now, it'll be more accessible to the public because it's totally free! I have to tell you though that just don't use the location services on the app so you don't get charged for that (the ATM locator) because as I've been informed that isn't included. Everything else is fair game!

Daniel Horan, Globe's Senior Advisor for Consumer Business says that this partnership with Bank of the Philippine Islands enforces their customers digital lifestyles. Today, mobile phones are not just about calls and texts, but people use it for financial services as well. Globe is steadfastly growing smartphone consumer base and they will definitely benefit from this wonderful service.

BPI's Senior Vice President and Electronic Channels Group Head Manuel Tagaza says that BPI has always been at the forefront of introducing new channels for their clients. It is a must for them to access their accounts conveniently. The BPI Express Mobile app is the number one finance related app on the App Store and it is doing quite well. They are now just extending their portfolio and always trying to make sure that the technology available in banking would be available for all their clients. They put effort in making collaborations like these because it makes everything easier. A feat not available in other banks in the country.

Congratulations BPI and Globe on this wonderful partnership! Together, you are making the Filipinos live their lives better!

For more information about their services:

BPI

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

http://www.bpiexpressonline.com