The Philippines is set to be the host of the International Tax and
Investment Conference dubbed "FAST FORWARD 2025" aimed to promote ESG
investing in the country. For those who don't know, that stands for
Environmental, Social and Governance, a way to evaluate sustainability
and ethical impact of a company.
The conference will be very
instrumental in this discussion and encouraging more foreign investments
in the country. March 26 will start panel discussions, exhibits on
local products and the ACG Global Awards to recognize champions and
advocates of sustainability. Lead Convenor for this event is Mon Abrea,
the CEO of Asian Consulting Group who's tax reform advocacy has moved
mountains in the region. To date, ACG has over 191 Billion pesos of
savings from BIR cases of their clients. Dr. Bing Limjoco Head of the
Philippine Franchise Association and Franchise Asia will be Vice
Chairman of this event.
The event will also mark the launch of Mon Abrea's newest book "Re-imagining the World Without Climate Change" which includes real world studies of FAST industries who follow ESG principles, proving it can be done. The press conference also was graced by the one and only Madame Loida Lewis, who was given honors before she left for New York. Young entrepreneur and actress Bea Binene also shared why she trusts ACG and how ESG efforts have made her even trust the firm more in managing her tax and businesses to this date.
Here's the press conference in its entirety!
If you want to join FAST FORWARD 2025 you may email them at itic@acg.ph or visit their website itic2025.helixpay.ph if you want to secure a slot to the event.
It's the 5th year of Sine Sindak, the horror film festival hosted by SM Cinemas. This year, they are holding it from October 30 to November 5, and from the looks of it, there's no stopping them from holding it to stimulate audiences to go back to theaters now.
For starters, one of the entries called PASAHERO held their red carpet screening today at SM North The Block. It stars Bea Binene, Louise delos Reyes, Mark Anthony Fernandez, Katya Santos, Yumi Garcia, Andre Yllana, Dani Zee, LeAnn Johnson and Rafa Siguion Reyna.
It's been a while since I've last seen these two, and I think the last time I interviewed Bea was during a tax event a couple years back. They've gone through networks and management changes during those times and it was refreshing to see them again, not for anything, but working together. Bea told us they're very good friends and this opportunity to work together was something she was so happy about, thankful that Viva trusted them to do it
We talked to them in the sidelines right before they walked on the red carpet, to talk about their characters and the experience of working with the Director.
The movie was more of a thriller rather than a full blown horror film. It has its moments, and you could laud the story behind each character except one. You'll learn more about how ordinary folks could end up helping other people, and remember to not turn your back on them when they need help. You'll see that be told multiple times in this movie.
Sine Sindak is an SM Cinema festival where it will be shown in their theaters exclusively. They also charge only Php 150 for this to make sure it is accessible for anyone who wants to watch in cinemas. If you opt to pay 300, you can watch all you want the other entries from the same festival. This is officially their 5th year, and I don't think they will stop anytime soon. Should you watch PASAHERO? Of course! If you're a fan of Louise and Bea, the more reason to do so.
It's not Valentine's season, but that doesn't mean we can't indulge in stories of love designed with some of your favorite OPM hits. These are some of your favorite music pieces that we all fell in love when they came out. This show also will be featuring several stories meant to pull those heartstrings, some sad, some with a happy ending.
The story will also include some of your favorite actors, love teams, of which were also there during the show's mediacon a few days ago. The roster includes Heaven Peralejo and Marco Gallo, Bea Binene (who will be paired with Gab Lagman), Krissha Viaje and Wilbert Ross, plus the previously paired (in different shows) Jairus Aquino and Aubrey Caraan (who I found so lovely by the way!).
I find Heaven and Marco really endearing during the presser, and while we were talking about love and serious stuff, they've been pressed a lot of times about the status of their relationship. I got the notion that they didn't really have a label but rather just enjoy what they have right now. Marco was also quite serious about courtship, because the thing he wanted is for that certain person to be the one he plans to marry, and I really am impressed with that answer. Bea on the other hand didn't want to touch on her previous relationships and just concentrate on the now, whilst Jairus is certainly a different man now if you compare him during his younger days. This isn't the first time he's being paired with Aubrey but things went smoothly. Aubrey on the other hand is a person that's NBSB (No Boyfriend Since Birth), so when asked about how she connected with the love songs, she got a little nervous answering questions from the press. They look so cute on screen and in real life though!
Here's what happened during the event!
For those who love hearing Ms. Pops Fernandez sing, this is the opportune time to actually watch the show. She will be singing the different songs from Viva's music library and put her little spin on it so it'll be amazing to see that during the episodes. Remember, this will all start on July 29th 3:20pm on TV5. It's going to be a great time to fall in love, and listen to the music we love all these years! This is brought to you by TV5 and Viva Entertainment. Make sure you also follow their social channels for BTS and updates about the show!
Paying taxes hasn't been something people love on face value. For starters, it's complicated, it takes a LOT of effort, expensive, and not to mention you don't really have that much motivation because of politics, or corruption and just base it off just by being a responsible citizen and hope your taxes won't go to waste in this country.
The Asian Consulting Group (ACG) has recently launched an update for the TaxWhizPH App. In a nutshell, this is their version 2.0. This app can compute your taxes with up to date rates and policies. It also guides you to take photos of your receipts, so in case there's need to file for VAT transactions and come tax time, you'll be notified when to pay as it's got calendars for it. The app was developed by ACG and for those who don't know, President Nadine Lustre had a hand for the creative part of this app. She's quite involved since the start and now that it's released, she's quite happy with it.
Nadine was game answering several questions about the app, and how she manages working with the ACG team, and her businesses. She personally knows how hard it is for an ordinary joe to file taxes and glad that ACG and the TaxWhizPH app can help a lot of people.
Mon Abrea also launched his new book IWAS BUWIS-it 2022. This is a step by step guide on how to file taxes including those who are into YouTube, the influencers, and businesses. We asked Mon about how he feels about recent news of politicians not paying taxes, I like what he said about it as it MAKES TOTAL SENSE. Check out our coverage of the event on this video.
Currently, the app is available on beta and can be downloaded through QR code on Android. Please make sure to follow the ACG social channels for updates about it or check the Google Play Store. It's also FREE which means you don't have to pay to use it. You can also talk through chat, email as they've got support for that too. The book is going to be available through ACG and leading book stores nationwide, you can pre order through them or National Bookstore. See? There are a lot of people who still care about the country, and now this would make it easier to do our part as citizens.
Rocco Nacino, Patricia Tumulak and Bea Binene just signed with Kapuso Foundation as their advocates. There will be several projects for education, health, that they will be committed to after doing this. To involve the youth, they want the idols to also be there to get involved.
Ms. Mel Tiangco says “I just came from my checkup, and it was just lack of water. I’ve been sick for a few days and hopefully I’ll be 100% now. This is a big day for Kapuso Foundation because for the longest time I have been praying for everyone in the network to be of service to the Filipino people. Here we have real people who help, who go and serve, we didn’t need to be just doing this in our birthdays, all our artists, our executives so they can be of service for others. Our colleagues are also here to join us, thank you for coming.”
Ms. Gigi says “The artists of GMA are very supportive about the projects of the network, for telethons, and we really appreciate that. We are so proud to have been able to easily ask them for that and we appreciate their presence, of who are also here today to pay it forward so they too would be examples to the other artists as well.”
Simoun Ferrer says “To be able to use their voice and encourage others to help as well, GMA Artist Center has committed to promote the different causes. We are thankful for them being here.”
Patricia says “I am super happy to have share my passion for education. It’s connected to what I have been doing in the past and I think this is the reason we got together. In line of our projects, we did runs in the past and helped put up bridges so they can go to school and also trade in the countryside. I used to teach kids with special needs, and this is perfect for me.”
Bea says “I am thankful to GMA Kapuso Foundation, to be part of this because I have been with them since I was 6 years old. In my time I will be doing work involved in environmental work and disaster preparedness. I am proud to say the foundation has been able to help people in far flung areas, I hope to be able to go to help, influence people, make the youth aware also. This is very important.”
Rocco Nacino added “I feel so new, but I really feel humbled and honored to be part of this. Our small contributions before has now bloomed into being part of Kapuso Foundation, to now go to different parts of the Philippines and bring my co artists to educate people, as a medical professional, we can impart laymans term explanation, to teach them what I know and use it for our projects, I will be finishing my course as a Navy Reservist to hopefully give hope to people, to children with cancer, for having me onboard, I am thankful for the opportunity. One of GMA Kapuso Foundation’s project is for free chemotherapy sessions, I have expressed to go to the quarterly medical missions. Hopefully to start helping people, the way I can.”
Here's part of the press conference which I streamed on our YouTube channel
Ms. Mel Tiangco, Ricky Escudero, executives of GMA Kapuso Foundation and Ms. Gigi Santiago Lara, Simon Ferrer, Vic Del Rosario of Artist Center are also present during the signing. They are now mounting relief efforts for the Mindanao Earthquake.
Now you’ll see them more visible in GMA Kapuso Foundation projects and they will not let off with their personal advocacies, this is just the beginning of a long journey of service to the Filipinos.
You ain’t see action like these in GMA yet, so it is quite nice to see them do this. As PDEA Agents, they form a band together to finish people behind the deaths of their lovef ones. Bing Loyzaga will be a formidable foe, so will they succeed? Maybe.
Heated encounters, a mole in the agency will prove it very hard to solve cases. This September 9 will be a different evening as they showcase their training, real stuff which they had to undergo before shooting this. Yes, it’s called Beautiful Justice. This stars Gabbi Garcia, Bea Binene and Yasmien Kurdi. Gil Cuerva, Derrick Monasterio, Valeen Montenegro, Victor Neri, Gabby Eigenmann will reprise some of the roles in the first few weeks, what will happen to them? That’s what you’ll see on Monday.
Gabbi and Yasmien weren’t there but Bea says “There are different challenges here, on how you deliver. This is based on suggestions from PDEA agents themselves so while we try and find out or own Beautiful Justice, there will also be a bit of other cases on different days and not just our own case. This is also hard to do because we had to train for a month and continuously remain to do so til now because the project is just bold. We have had training previously but the fight sequences need us to train, all of us that is.”
The show already started yesterday so if you wanna see more, stay on GMA!
Bea Binene, one of GMA’s brightest stars is the new face for the TAXWHIZPH Mobile App. It is an all in one app that provides taxpayer assistance inside the app. It does automatic tax calculations, updates your tax calendars and the thing also files tax returns electronically.
Mon Abrea, author of Got A Question About Taxes books and person behind TAXWHIZPH App
Tax Whiz and expert Mon Abrea from Asian Consulting Group says “I do sincere and real content and even if my followers are a few, they are game changers, senators. We are a social enterprise ready to help the clueless or people who are given the wrong advice. This is the time where we need to work together. You just have to approach our associates and you’ll get help from them and the government agencies. When it comes to business we all want to save from taxes, through legislation we should take off renewals, just pay and make it easy to do business. Whoever you are, doing it in mobile services should suffice, looking forward I hope government agencies would help. Here, we even adapted a 4 day work week. People now have more time with family, even some work at home just as long as deliverables are met. Productivity is on top, honesty too, it includes people, it includes you. You don’t have to fear paying taxes or start something new.”
He also lauded Bea and says “Not all celebrities do that but she did it personally. It is important that people do not fear it.”
The app also captures information on receipts to extract TIN numbers, name, address, date and amounts. Your returns can be filed through it so you get seamless processing of your papers. Soon, they will also include mobile payment options so you can transact with partner banks. The app also assists you in choosing the specific form you need in order to pay the correct taxes, generate and prepare your return documents. If you also plan to put up business, they can help you decide income and business tax procedures plus Asian Consulting Group’s publications and monthly seminars. It also reminds you of deadlines so you pay the right amount of taxes when it’s time to do so.
Bea Binene says “Aside from acting, I also am into business. Mix and Brew Coffee just launched a few months ago. We have our own blend, local ones and international ones. We are armed by coffee science, our baristas are also skilled and we are in popups and soon we will be in a mall.”
She adds “I started in a franchise expo, I met him (he was a speaker) and thought he’s an expert in taxes so it was nice to see them in that place. They personally assisted us and they explained to us everything. We feel BIR is the enemy, but they explained where it goes, when and where receipts are issued. To know when it is VAT and NON VAT, to claim and encourage people to collect receipts and save a lot in taxes. Now I have peace of mind, even though I don’t have a big business yet. It is better to be safe rather than end up with cases against BIR on TV for the whole world to see. Here in ACG you will see how you can do it legally, there are resolutions to tax issues and their advocacy is real.“
Go download the app on the App Store and Google Play then subscribe to the service today. It would be but proper that you start paying for your taxes and if all you need is proper guidance, you can start with this app. It’s also completely free, all thanks to ACG and their partner government agencies Filipinos now have a place to go to when asking questions about taxes!
Dragon Lady will have a Filipino Chinese twist, so there will be sub stories in between the main characters. This is where Kristoffer, Bea Binene and Derrick Monasterio will come in.
Mainly it was appropriate to see them in one soap and it will be a cinch to have physical resemblance to their future selves. They have had a long wait to do this and acting maturity wise, it is different now.
Bea says “It was just a week before the shoot when I got the role. Artist Center told me how great the story is and we will be opening the show. This is easier because we didn’t have to gel anymore, they are my long time friends. They tell me to cry, I do it on the spot because it is easy to work with friends. I get more focused. They have distinct qualities I like,I can’t choose, they are good actors. I cannot think of a day without them. As friends, we have become matured. Now we talk about business and investments. The bed scene wasn’t too much, it is just a scene with skin. I had to turn my hair black again, I had to make arrangements because people will notice if I have hair color.”
Kristoffer Martin says “In Luna Blanca we were kinda playing, having fun, I always pull emotions from Bea. I didn’t have much scenes with Derek. Bea and I are so much of bestfriends, we do not even think of malice.”
Derrick Monasterio was pretty game and said “I do have malice when it comes to Bea, because she’s pretty and sexy. She always likes to get praised lol (he kids). When we were kids we didn’t think about things, we just wanted new things, new stuff, but now we think of the house, the bills, small things really didn’t matter anymore. “
So after watching the series this afternoon after Eat Bulaga, how did you like it?
I've been witness to how Kapuso actress Bea Binene has been able to achieve a lot of success in recent years and true enough, she's had countless shows and endorsements but felt it's high time to feed her other passion... the environment. Through a self conceptualized and produced indie film that talks about mother nature, she says this advocacy needs to be shown so people would get to know about it, decide how to take action and inspire the youth. This is called FADING PARADISE. The cast includes Krystal Reyes, Coleen Perez, Kenneth Paul Cruz, Mark Castillo, Angelo Serna and Ms. Alma Moreno.
Bea says "The cast includes almost all my friends. We had screen tests and they all were included. This was the time when Tsuperhero was being done so we had Ms. Alma Moreno included. It was Mom who did the production and we wanted a certain topic that people could relate to. This was intended to be shown in schools, and if you see this film it will have an open ended scene in the last few frames because we want to incorporate a short forum right after the film showing of this indie advocacy film. We will have a screening at the 20th, 24th and 26th because this will be included in QCinema's featured films. In the film, it showcases what happens if occurs in Manila or in the provinces. It all just fell into place because in Bicol we didn't have set design, all the trash came from other places and settled there when we shot it in a beach. Proceeds of this film will go to GMA Kapuso Foundation (to help in cancer stricken kids) and some of our amputee soldiers."
She adds "When I did the Haribon Foundation tree planting activities, I realized how important it is and how mother nature is getting affected including our own beaches, our tourist destinations. Even the resorts where we went to later on closed because of it's effects. We wanted a location where everything was already there so when we thought of this, Bicol had a community ready and it was a struggle to do this in only a few days. We wanted to do this before November 1 when everyone was going to their own provinces because it's a holiday."
"We somehow didn't want this to have Artist Center artists and I blatantly used my friendship cards instead because if I do they needed to go through a lot of approvals. I started to help when I was still a kid and this is my way of giving back. The way they thanked me, those cancer patients just make this cause worthwhile. My mom is the one who's doing all of these, I help when I can. My character is actually so near my personality so we named her the same, I want people to go with her, make this as an eye opener that they need to do something. This will premier at QCinema and we have a few cities we have partnered with, so if there are people who would want to show this in their turf, just please coordinate with my Mom and my handler. I really want to thank Artist Center for helping us about promoting this film."
Here's a snippet of her interview this afternoon:
Fading Paradise will be part of QCinema this October. So if you want to watch it, they'll be at Gateway Cinema 7 on October 20, that's Friday next week at 3PM. They also have a screening at Robinsons Galleria Cinema 7 on October 24, that's on Tuesday at 3:30PM and at the QC Museum Mini Theater on October 26 at 3PM. For those who also want to partner with them for screenings, you may coordinate with her Mom or Manager so you could work things out for shows. Artist Center and Bea Binene would also like to thank ETUDE House and Unisilver Time for the stuff they sent for this blog conference.
Bea Binene has remained as one of GMA Network's prized actresses. She continues to make top of the line afternoon prime shows that has been receiving great ratings and this one goes the same. The story line of a human who identifies herself as a dog just takes primitive to a whole new level. There are real cases of these and if you can just imagine how Bea has put up her paws just to deliver this role, it would have been really hard. The make up process takes hours and she had to be in it for more. It wasn't the best feeling as she says it was sticky, hot and you could pass out anytime soon if you think about the weather in the Philippines. It was hard at first but she knows the director wouldn't ask her to do it if it wouldn't be part of the script and imagine, Laurice Guillen is telling you what to do. If she finds out you are not prepared and you haven't really memorized your lines, she'd probably go ballistic and let you feel you are the cause of delay when in the shoot. They all said that during the small interviews we had with them.
Here's Bea Binene's interview on video, this is in two parts so make sure you play part 2, enjoy!
Check out how Bea reveals more about Derrick Monasterio and how they bully each other.
Jak Roberto has been able to show his prowess in all the projects that he's been in GMA. He knows he needs to do this in return for all the help that Master Showman German Moreno has given him and countless talents in the industry. He's a product of Walang Tulugan and attributes most of his success to the man who is behind it. I find Jak very fit in dramatic roles and he all seems so natural. I wouldn't be surprised though if he gets casted for sexy ones because just take a look at him, he's one of the most well built guys on screen and he's not afraid to show it. In the show, he plays the role of Elmo, a friend of Calvin and he's admittedly saying that the character is some sort of a rebound but not a contra bida. Take a look at our short interview with Jak during the set visit of HMKM, he also describes his working relationship with the famed director Laurice Guillen and how he's learning a lot from it. Here's the hunky guy in two parts, enjoy!
Jak also has a short message for Sanya Lopez, his sister who landed the role of Danaya in GMA's epic show Encantadia.
The man of the hour, the guy who's possibly being groomed as the next GMA prime actor is no other than Derrick Monasterio. I can feel how GMA is moving earth and the heavens to have him spotted at the best magazines, events, an album, the best shows so he could well be on his way. This is without discounting the fact that Derrick is freaking working hard to achieve this goal. During this interview, you might see him a little uncomfortable, not because he is, but because he's actually working out so much that it hurts when he walks. He's that determined to be the ultimate guy on screen, the one you always dreamed of, and why not give it to the one that does the legwork figuratively and literally. He plays the role of Calvin in the series, the one who took Bea's character in. He's going to tell you what's about to happen to them in the series and would share a couple more things about working with his co stars and Direk Laurice. Bea and Derrick are super close friends in real life, the kind that bully each other and takes it lightly in the end. He's going to discuss how different it is in "Vampire Ang Daddy Ko" and working here.
Here's our interview with Derrick in two parts, make sure you watch both!
Here's Derrick to personally invite you to watch their show!
Hanggang Makita Kang Miuli shows 3:30PM in GMA's Afternoon Prime. Make sure you catch the story early on, so you know where their characters are coming from. Thank you so much to Bea, Jak and Derrick for letting us interview them during their busy shoot. Thank you also to GMA Social Media for connecting us! Hope this isn't the last!
Kristoffer Martin aka Tuns as called by most of his closest friends just celebrated his birthday in Manila a few days ago. I've personally worked with him during a photoshoot and find the young man and Kapuso star a bit underrated. He's a top caliber actor with passion in his craft. He's also a very dedicated student who wants to ultimately finish his studies, get that degree and still do good as an actor. He's one of the most humble actors I've ever met and even Artist Center says that's how they see this good guy. We surprised him a few days ago in Cafe UK in Mendiola, a British themed coffee shop near San Beda where Kristoffer studies.
Tuns almost cried, he didn't know people were going to be there. He had a small hunch it was a surprise but not as BIG as this surprise. He kinda knew because his handler kept on asking him to hurry to the venue and he knows his handler only does that when there's something he's trying to hide. Anyway, he was so happy about the whole thing, more so the whole San Beda Red Corps was there to greet him in his birthday. He was also surprised by his best friend Bea Binene during this birthday celebration. It was awesome that his friends, his fans and GMA Artist Center family was there to witness it.
Super happy for you Tuns! Again, happy happy birthday!
