Wipro Acquires Philippines S Brands Consumer Care Inc.

Companies are getting bigger by the minute and that's including the folks from WIPRO and consumer brand S Brands Consumer Care Incorporated, makers of Keratin Plus, AlcoPlus and their affiliated products (Empress Shampoo, Grips Ignite Body Sprays, DEOPlus deodorants, Fiona Cologne and more!).

The event was attended by their executives Dwarakanath Ayengar, Arun Giridhar, Prabhat Garg, Maansi Gagroo, Amit Dawn, Nagender Arya, Dick Sy Ong, Sharon Yu Ong, Teodorico Jimenez, Romel Hipolito and Rosario Aquino.

Mr. Dick Sy Ong of S Brands says "S Brands is growing and Wipro has the record to get that going. I see their leadership, and see the heart, we believe in the same thing. Every success we celebrate today is because of you. We thank our consumers, and this is the beginning of a new chapter. The best is yet to come."

Nagender Arya of Wipro Consumer Care adds "Welcome everyone, to our partners who made this possible. Putting your trust in us made us all excited. We at Wipro are very diversified, we are already 81 years old, initially an IT services provider, listed in NY and Mumbai, but we are also in consumer products in India, US and large markets. We also have charity initiatives which works in the rural and poor area of India, all for a noble cause. Wipro and Consumer Care and Lighting is now present in Southeast Asia, China, Africa and over 60 countries. We started as a cooking oil company and now have 37 brands. We have grown 36 times in 25 years, all because of the amazing teams and partners we have in these areas. It has helped us be global, and today our partnership with S Brands makes this the 16th one, we welcome them especially with Keratin Plus, AlcoPlus, Grips, DeoPlus, Empress, Fiona Cologne, we have creative campaigns ready as part of our smart marketing. Our plans for the country is complementing what we have in Wipro, it expands our footprint here and makes us ready for other markets, making it possible to get the brands to Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, South China and Hong Kong markets where we are present."

Then they signed the pact in front of the media, answered questions about the benefits of having S Brands becoming part of Wipro and vice versa. S Brands has local influence, they also have a good presence in the Philippines and will take advantage of bringing in what they have and do the same for the hygiene category, a strong market in the Philippines.

They also said the Philippines is the 4th largest market in Asia and is a very young and bullish market. S Brands also saw their culture, R&D and they just clicked. Being in the consumer care business, they have similar values, sort of aligned. They have the passion and way of working. Product development will be easy, they would work side by side to grow, which means more products for Filipino consumers. Retail partners and distributors can expect a rapid growth rate, and they will be happy about the experience they will get. They will have more exposure for the international markets. It will benefit all. 

They are also delving into AI, and since they are also in the tech business, they will adapt and use it for their advantage. Marketing, campaigns, all will be done by that in the future. People will also be trained, make their work enhanced, included in the roadmap they designed with consumer analysis and social media work. 

Can't wait to see everything happen soon! Congratulations!!

VINCENT CO Led PUREGOLD Increases Availability of Affordable Essentials Amidst Uncertainties

The country is experiencing a circus over at the Senate and countless Filipinos are still experiencing poverty, high gas prices and commodities have gone up. Vincent Co, the President of top market brand PUREGOLD is making sure they're putting their priorities right by committing themselves to make sure that affordable and basic necessities are within reach in all their stores nationwide. 

They just launched "Always Price Packs", to help you and I with matters concerning inflation, something that has risen in the past few years. I'm these packs, products are being sold below 100 pesos and are going to be fixed so people have something affordable to get at tough times like these. Vincent says this is their mission, to serve Filipino consumers at difficult times and add how they understand what we're going. through, and take all efforts to reach the larger population in these times. Always Price Packs are designed to help ease the burden of consumers wherever they are in the country. He hopes this would also help their loyal customers to manage their budgets, but still get something of quality. 

This is their mission, to help those in the Filipino homes in these tough times. Go visit one near you to get them deals!

Some Good Duru Bulgur from The Goodwill Market

Going to the market is a little arduous these days but I had to do it during the most difficult times in our lives, the pandemic. One of the few discoveries I've had during that time was a welcome treat, it's called Bulgur. It is cracked wheat grain that's known to be more nutritious than white rice. It's got twice more fiber content which makes it also better for diabetics (like me) who want to control our blood sugar levels.

I've had the chance to eat this quite a lot in hotels but it wasn't that conveniently available in Philippine markets. I also don't know how to cook it other than just mixing veggies and protein (and a bouillon cube on some occasion). It's very filling and satisfying, plus it tastes great. I was wondering what other recipes could be cooked with it, but here goes the good people from The Goodwill Market showing me how it's done. 

In Ilocos, there's a very little known noodle dish called Pansit Lusay. I'm quite familiar with it as I've spend quite a while in the region. The Goodwill Market is sharing this recipe with Bulgur to show how easy it is to make dishes out of it.

 Here are the ingredients:

1 cup of Duru Bulgur (Coarse Bulgur)
½ cup of tomatoes chopeed and seeds taken out
½ cup of onions thinly sliced
1 can Tuna
2-4 tbsp Bagoong Ilocano
Pinch of Black pepper
Salt to taste

Put Duru Bulgur in a rice cooker and wash it first. Cook til it gets fluffy or according to package instructions. Take it out of cooker and scrape with fork onto a tray then put in the fridge to chill. In another container, put tomatoes and onions together, drain the tuna from the can and mix together. Combine it with the Bulgur and treat this like a cold salad. Pour Bagoong Ilocano, salt and pepper to taste. 

This is certainly full of vitamins, minerals, Omega 3, and is an excellent alternative to rice, noodles or pasta. Think about the things you could do with this in soups, salads, Filipino or international dishes that would usually include rice or noodles, using Duru Bulgur was really an eye opener for me and it's been something that I add to any dish if I want to make it a little more healthy. Plus even if you put a little, it's already filling. Plus it can be sent to your home via The Goodwill Market. You can visit their website at https://goodwill.market/. They also have different healthy organic products you should try if you're into healthy stuff. They also have cleaning products, some for the skin, even coffee for those who are choosy. You don't have to travel to other countries to get it, it's all at The Goodwill Market.

 Don't take my word for it, you got to try if it fits your taste!

 

Xiaomi Launches First Service Center in the Country

There's no stopping a growing brand as Xiaomi officially opens their first Mi Service Center in the country. Now there's going to be a one stop shop for all your Mi Smartphone servicing needs and support will be more accessible for Filipinos in the south. This particular branch is located at the ground floor of Ayala Mall's Market!Market!

It's very spacious, much of the space was dedicated to tables wherein you could try out the different handset models they currently have released. Aside from that, they've got the various Mi AIoT line like the Mi Scooter Pro, Mi Vacuum Cleaners, Mi Electric Kettles, Mi Smart Wifi LED Lamps, Mi Motion Sensors, Mi Wifi Routers, accessories and more. Check out this video we made of our short tour of the Service Center last week.

 

 

Holiday promos are available so if you plan to get the Xiaomi 11T Series, Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE, Mi 11 Lite or the Xiaomi Pad 5, you can get the free Mi Bunny plushie which you can exclusively get just for this instance. This will only me available from November 13 up to January 14 next year.

 

 Now if you're having trouble getting support for your device, simply call the Xiaomi toll-free number (for Smart/PLDT) 1-800-1312-0048 or (Globe) 1-800-8386-5529. You may also email them at service.ph@xiaomi.com or mi-phfeedback@xiaomi.com for your concerns. If you want to know their services, you can check out their official website at mi.com/ph/service/repair as everything is also going to be listed there, at least have an idea before rushing to their service center. This is of course just the start and they plan to put up more of these so you can reach them in major cities because they promised that if there's great demand for their products in certain areas, they'll put one up for it. That's assuring.

 

ACER Leads in PH

The title alone is a mouthful and yes, a market research firm just confirmed that ACER is the number 1 consumer and gaming laptop brand in the country. This still happened even if we are under GCQ and experiencing the pandemic.

Acer was able to hold the top spot as there was a huge demand for notebook laptops in the Philippine market. This happened as students and employees went into a digital shift this third quarter of 2020. Acer held a 32%-unit share brand performance in August alone and recorded the highest sales units in more than a year. Acer led value shares at 31% of the market and reached the highest brand value seen in a 13 month duration. This was based on the firms research. Acer officially holds the number 1 position in the notebook laptops market in 14 consecutive years.

Acer also strengthened its hold of the Gaming notebooks market. They got a whopping 42%-unit share in August. Predator Helios 300 holds the bestselling Gaming notebook for Acer.

Aside from that, Acer dominated the Education market by introducing the Acer Academy program designed to provide an educational environment promoting interaction. It has a dedicated team that works closely with schools and academic institutions to develop IT solutions which can accelerate the learning process and possibly set new educational standards. The is open to all private and public schools, colleges and universities in the Philippines.

Acer also included product discounts thru the Acer Academy Faculty Student Purchase Program and Learn from Home Campaign. This is a product bundle which they instituted with Smart for a Department of Education (DepEd) compliant online learning setup. They also have an Acer and Intel Scholar program wherein they offer free laptops for scholars. They have continued operations to serve essential and frontline workers. It was important for industries such as healthcare, banks, telecommunications and BPOs who needed to still operate and employ work from home arrangements during the lockdown period. This also has increased demand for laptops putting Acer products at Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise market.

They also enhanced their existing e-commerce channels to sell laptops, desktops, projectors, monitors, and accessories in their website.

Meanwhile, Predator recently concluded Predacast which is a series of online workshops conducted by their brand ambassadors Alodia & Ashley Gosiengfiao, CongTV & Team Payaman, Akosi Dogie, TNC Predator Dota 2 Pro Team, ArkAngel Predator PUBG Pro Team, Nexplay Predator, VladFX, Kuya Nic & Lupon WxC, Kang Dupet, Een Mercado, Kuku Palad, Marlon Marcelo including the hottest Ivana Alawi... And more celebrities and influencers. They also offered Home Credit for their units with 18 months installment at 0% interest plus free foldable work desks bundled with select Acer laptops so they can work right at the comforts of their home. They also made their after-sales servive low-touch and employef warranty extension for products. This includes 24/7 phone/chat support, and door-to-door pick-up and delivery service so people didn't have to go out just to get an Acer laptop.

They also made their after-sales service low-touch and employed warranty extension for products. This includes 24/7 phone/chat support, and door-to-door pick-up and delivery service so people didn't have to go out just to get an Acer laptop.

If you need more information about how to get one, check their social pages on Facebook and IG @acerph, their Twitter account @acerphils and their official website www.acer.com as it is all there!

A Lovely Afternoon at Market Basket in Alabang

Dropped by Market Basket this afternoon. It's a restaurant located just outside Festival Mall's River Park area in Alabang Muntinlupa. I was in the mood for sophisticated European dishes or modern Filipino food which the place prides itself with. It's like a modern day "Dampa" dining place with an interior that would remind you of a country home or what is called shabby chic. 

The place can sit about 100-120 people including the seating outside with a view of a fancy fountain. They also have a private room upstairs which you could use for small gatherings or meetings, just let them know ahead of time to reserve.

The concept of a modern day "Dampa" must be amusing, but do know they get the freshest produce around Manila and turn them into delectable dishes in just a few minutes. All you need to do is choose - and tell them what you would like to do with it. The price is accorded to the weight of the produce but their minimum is 200 grams, and you only pay once unlike regular "Dampa" that's got separate bills for the market and for the cooking.

I was with a couple of other people having lunch so it was a nice way to see what they could whip out for us. It was hot so I ordered Iced Tea which they hand in these lovely mason jars. 

Pomelo Salad

Fruits and Nuts Salad

Crispy Parmesan Tacos

Sinigang na Salmon

Eggplant and Mango Salad (my personal favorite)

Fish Ceviche

Chili Crab

Mussels Mariniere

Lapu Lapu Escabeche (Sweet and Sour)

Seafood Hotpot

Sizzling Lechon Kawali Sisig (maygahd!)

Shrimp and Steak

Seafood Thermidore (a great hit!)

We also had Sinigang Na Ulo and Belly of Salmon, Pomelo Salad, Fish Ceviche, Crispy Parmesan Tacos, Sizzling Lechon Kawali Sisig (I know! Lol) for appetizers. Then for our main course we had Seafood Hotpot, Prawn Thermidore, Chili Crab, Steak and Shrimp, Mussels Mariniere and Sweet and Sour Lapu Lapu.

For Dessert, we had Skillet Smores, Nilupak Roulade, Triple Chocolate Cheesecake, Sizzling Fruit and Ice Cream, but I was really interested with the various Flavored Pastillas they had in the counter. It looked so yummy!

Thanks Chef Jinelle Juson and Chef Arnel Arjona for preparing great food!

You may check out Market Basket at the River Park section of Festival Mall. They're open from 10am to 11pm or as long as there are customers. Market Basket is also part of the Chef's Quarter Group that owns Chef's Quarter, Old Vine, Uncle Cheffy, Chef's Barrel and Kusé. No wonder it's good! Visit https://www.facebook.com/marketbasketalabang/ for more information about their restaurant. 

KUMAGCOW

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Divisoria and Binondo After Christmas

Today was great! I had time to spare so I went to Divisoria and Binondo today and see if I could actually do a short photowalk in Manila's streets after Christmas. The last time I did this was during my D60Krew days back when we had time to do photowalks and didn't have jobs to bother. Anyway, I've been very discreet and careful about doing this because I don't know the place that much and it's been notorious for crimes (as seen on TV) so instead of lugging around my huge DSLR I just used my phone. It's been here since the dark ages, a part of Philippine history, where commerce brewed between the Tagalogs, the provinces and the Chinese. It's also the oldest Chinatown in the world and I couldn't have gone in an opportune time since the crowd has thinned out a bit. Let's start shall we?!

Betty Go - Belmonte Station

Recto Terminal Station

Recto Terminal Station stairway to exit

The short trek required me to take the MRT2 and go to the Recto station. Even if you're fresh, perfumed and all, you're going to smell like shawarma after passing this joint LOL. I took a jeep to Divisoria after that.

You won't really need to be dressed and all, so it'll be better if you're in rags so you kinda blend in and be incognito. I went to different malls like 999, 168 and a couple more just outside the buildings. It's like a complex, some are airconditioned and some are just out in the sun. I've seen a couple of foreigners carrying bags for their Filipina wives, and they looked like they were having fun. I was trying to look for a couple of things to shop for and ended up just people watching. I tried to shop but some of the things just looked cheap. I lowered my expectations of course, but if you think about it I'm the one who's going to wear the clothes and giving the gifts, the wrong grammar on the mugs and prints on the shirt were just too obvious and I might have to go there some other day and do the buying again if I find something good. I mean, I like the stuff in Greenhills and most of them come from Divisoria right? I might probably am looking at the wrong place, so that needs another visit.

I also got lost and ended up walking back from the wet market of Divisoria. I didn't know that was actually Recto too that the vendors are on. I looked at google maps and they were actual roads there. On the ground it was like Balintawak Market but only bigger, most were outside too.

So when I didn't get to buy anything, I got hungry. I went to Wai Ying, a hole in the wall Chinese fastfood restaurant in the district of Binondo. I didn't hold back ordering, as it was cheap and very good. I think it's my third time here.

This is their kitchen, there's a fryer back there and a huge steamer on the front counter. Most of their customers are Filipino Chinese which would probably vouch for their authenticity. 

Like in Hong Kong, they serve you hot tea for free before a meal. I wanted a glass of ice cold water but this will do lol.

I ordered the Hong Kong Iced Milk Tea. They have this in hot versions but I was already hot BOOM and it wouldn't make sense LOL.

I ordered these Beef Balls and should have ordered more. This was so good rather than just having Siu Mai no?

They had chili and soy sauce so ordering sharks fin (without sharks harmed on this meal) was but a good idea. It's pork and a few veggies, it was hot and amazing to have before having my main course.

There's like a 15 minute wait time for this and the shrimp dumpling, but it was so worth it. This is the Kuchai Dumpling (pork and spring onions I think?) and it was probably because of the glass like skin on them that actually deteriorates if steamed too much. Hence the wait time.

I was craving for Siopao since Christmas eve and since I was already here I said "what the heck!" so I ordered Bola Bola and Asado Siopao (2 pcs.) too. It was barbecuey, sweet and savory so I was already full even before my Mami came out of the kitchen.

For my main course (fine dining? Lol) I ordered Dumpling Mami. I know, I've been ordering too much of it but hey I like it. I don't like the gamey smell of carabeef  so I opted for the lighter more neutral Mami instead. I ate it all, yes! It's not impossible, you just have to put your mind into it. I'll be going back to Divisoria very soon and I'll be eating at some more Binondo restaurants, I'll post more as Kumagcow eats more of the streets next year. This was just fun not to repeat!

Merry Christmas by the way and ciao! Thanks to Smart's 3G and LTE connection I was posting non stop from there today!

KUMAGCOW

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