Say Hello to New Streaming Platform FUN UNLIMITED

The Filipino hunger for content has evidently increased in recent years and why not, that pandemic certainly has given us more reason to enjoy things like streaming apps. This is why media companies are also changing their ways, starting from digitizing their movies and shows, libraries from big production houses to independent ones. It has also given folks the option of watching from their own homes, or even anywhere they please because it's convenient on tablets or even their phones. This is the reason why FUN UNLIMITED was born. It's moniker is F. U., very easy to recall. They've got local and international content plus a lot of genres you can consume. 

This includes drama, comedy, action, romance, even those for mature audiences. Some of which tackled things that would sometime educate you, all in the form of edutainment. 

For starters, they have movies stsrting with Rebound, Survive, Redcon 1, Alone, Shadow of God, Champion, Alone, Champion, The Wrath, Instant Death, Uranus and so much more. For the mature audiences they've got titles that would tickle your fancy, to answer those questions you're raring to ask behind closed doors (also actress Salome Salvi and Ms. Myra Manibog). There's also comedy titles from social media stars like Bernie Batin and his other role as Lola AI. If you're also fond of Mr. FU, he's got a show called Files Unlocked plus other titles you'll enjoy!

Make sure you get FUN UNLIMITED once it comes out. It's from the guys at Maralabs and will be available starting August 8th in Google Play Store and the App Store! 

BIGO Recongizes Filipino Creators at Annual Awards Gala

Sat down with individuals clad in their best shiny and off the chart black and white outfits at the BIGO Live Philippines Awards Gala in Dusit Thani Manila-Makati City. This is an annual event where the streaming platform would honor creators, agencies and community members who have done exceptionally well in making each stream a meaningful, innovative and positive one. Seeing them mostly sat together made me realize how tight nit each of them are, even if they're all individually successful in what they do. This is just a part of over 400 Million users in BIGO Live, which if you've seen them stream, have been quite a venue for talented individuals in this neck of the woods.

We were also given a treat by witnessing a couple of performers like gonggcha, RiyanMariyaa, Jfaye and Annrain who went up the stage to entertain us in between awards that were given that evening. They also gave away recognitions for the "Rising Star of the Year, Livehouse Icon, Trailblazer Agency of the Year, Super Giver of the Year, Top Family, Most Impactful Icon of the Night, Family of the Night. Meanwhile, the group PH-PTA2 and IkangMO were given the "Most Impactful Icon of the Night Award" to end the show. Some of them were also given the opportunity to go to Singapore's Marina Bay Sands last January 24 for the Global BIGO Awards Gala to represent the country amongst counterparts from different regions. 

Here's a glimpse of what happened that evening:

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There will be more creator and community centric activities lined up in the app, in hopes to give a platform for those who have different kinds of talent, which members would truly enjoy. They've been in the industry since 2016, go see their social channels and website to know more about why they've been successful all these years.

DigiPlus Wins Big at SIGMA

Looks like DigiPlus Interactive Corporation has added another feather to their hat as their internet gaming platform called ArenaPlus just gained the nod of the SIGMA Group, the largest events and media org that recognizes the best in tech, digital health and affiliate industries. They were handed the award in Manila during the recent SIGMA Asia Awards 2024 and was noted best in innovations on their platform.

DigiPlus President Andy Tsui welcomed this recognition and said "Thank you SIGMA Awards for this honor as we continue to revolutionize the Filipinos entertainment experience on our platform. We work hard on making sure that are innovations are felt, and hope they see our creativity in everything we have exhibited here."

DigiPlus also participated in the SIGMA Asia Convention, highlighting the things that both BingoPlus and ArenaPlus has accomplished these past year. They also supported the Startup Pitch Section in the event so they could discover more and help others in their respective projects too.

This is just one of the few awards they received this year. They had multiple wins at 9th Global Good Governance Awards last month in Taguig, plus one from Cmbridge Financial Finance Advisory for their Best in class Social Responsibility Campaign, and Excellence in ESG. Congratulations to the men and women who made this possible for DigiPlus!

It Deserves to Be Seen: PIETA with NORA AUNOR and ALFRED VARGAS

 

I distinctly remember watching re-runs of Pieta on television back in the day. It was made by Carlo J. Caparas, and stars Ace Vergel†, Charito Solis† and so many others. The other was for TV with Ryan Agoncillo and the iconic Ms. Cherie Gil†. I was looking forward to see this version of "PIETA" made by director Adolfo Alix Jr. which stars National Artist and Superstar Ms. Nora Aunor and former Congressman and now Councilor Alfred Vargas from Quezon City. During MMFF 2023, they didn't include this film in the lineup. It would have made history to see the legendary actresses battle it out in cinemas, but I guess fate had other plans.

Good news for those who wait as this film produced by Alternative Vision Cinema Inc. and Noble Wolf Films will be shown in January in cinemas nationwide. But before that happens, we got first dibs during the advanced screening last week at Sine Pop in Cubao, Quezon City.

First of all, the cast is a lethal combination. If you could measure acting prowess with a device, it would break if you put them together in one room. With the likes of Gina Alajar, Jaclyn Jose, Angeli Bayani, Bembol Roco, it would be a bit impossible not to see how rich their bench is. Also in the cast is Ina Raymundo, Allan Paule, Dan Alvaro, Elora Espano, and Tommy Alejandrino, who will all get themselves involved in the lives of Rebecca and Isaac (played by Nora and Alfred). 

This piece is totally different from the Caparas film, and is not in any way related to it. PIETA is written by heavily awarded Jerry Gracio known for his work in several movies, MMK on TV, screenplays and great literary work in Filipino. He's also a Palanca awardee, so you could sense there's great expectations in actually having this written for the silver screen.

 Here's some scenes before the advanced screening:

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Alfred Vargas' character Isaac lives in troubled times. Having spent years in incarceration, he was given a second chance to live a good life. He was in for murder, but remained oblivious about what happened. When he arrived home, his Mom had supposed Alzheimer's disease or some form of dementia. Nora's character Rebecca used to religiously visit him in jail but suddenly stopped, and they attributed it to the condition which he found out after arriving at the ancestral home/farm. He found her there almost completely blind, unaware of who he is, with Beth (played by Gina Alajar) providing care for her.

He was set on now dividing his time in finding out the truth, and see ways on how he could at least get to be recognized by his own Mom. He also knew how his own brother stood witness against him, but he couldn't figure out why. This and all the other complications in his new life happens, right when he thought he was doing good.    

The film discusses a lot of social issues, but its main essence lies on the relationship of the Mother and Son. This is their journey to discovering how even if the mind won't recognize who he is, her heart would eventually know. Their attempts to reconnect treads cute to dark poetry, dance and even folk songs. Her singing? Can't tell if she did (as it might spoil things), but it'll fit right with Rebecca's silent moments which you'll find essential. Director Adolf Alix Jr. knows how to set up things on the plot, a lot of which you'll find flipped and reversed.     

 

Putting Ms. Nora Aunor in a film is like an automatic masterclass of sorts. It felt like a treat to see her in PIETA. There's a Filipino term "mata-mata acting" which connotes acting with just the eyes... and how powerful she could encompass emotions with it (let alone do it while blind). She's literally known for that in the industry; and how even without words, she could do it with ease. That's one of the reasons she's adored, and highly regarded by peers. Direk Adolf also emphasized how Ms. Nora doesn't fear CHANGE, they've absolutely done remarkable work and let the eyes talk lengthily in this film. They did the same for Alfred Vargas' scenes and close up shots. Make sure you watch it in cinemas because it'll feel a lot different. They're planning to release this also in streaming platforms so it could get to Noranians around the world. 

 

Here's Director Adolfo Alix Jr. talking about his experience with the cast:

PIETA will be released during the 1st Quarter of 2024. I like what I saw. This acting piece didn't go to the wrong people. It's rare to see an ensemble cast of this caliber to happen in a film. 

It needs to be seen.

BIGO Live Set to Hold 1st Philippine Annual Awards Gala

Looks like BIGO Live is celebrating in a grand way as they hold the first ever BIGO Live Philippines Annual Awards Gala this coming December 23rd at 8PM. This streaming platform has entertained countless Filipinos and connected us to various content creators across the world.

This time, the locals will be given their well deserved recognition especially since hosts, users, agencies and partners have always gotten the community alive and kicking all these years. It will be given to three categories particularly The Host Awards, The Agency Awards, and The Family Awards. Live performances are also going to be seen as The Top Performer of the Night, The Best Team of the Night and The Best MC of the Night will be determined from it. It'll also be done via votes specifically during that day so if you've got someone you love, it's the best time to show your support.

A new innovation will also be launched called "Virtual Love 3D Avatars". Pretty sick to see how this will pan out as this may change the way BIGO Live will work especially in the realm of VR, AR and content creation in the platform. Make sure you are there on December 23, as I'll be watching too!

Award Winning Movies on UPSTREAM via GMovies

Looks like your evening movie dates won't be left watching the run of the mill content from other streaming platforms because UPSTREAM has several award winning movies from different countries which you can watch via GMovies.

This includes Svetlana Cvatko's Show Me What You Got that won Best Narrative Film, Cinematography in High Falls film Festival, Best Supporting Actress for Cristina Rambaldi, Best Cinematography in Loudoun Arts Film Festival and more. If you are fond of K-Dramas, you can opt for the Korean movie Hahaha, The Woman, Right Now, Wrong Then, Our Sunhi, In Another Country which are all masterpieces of Director Hong Sang-Soo.

There's also Promising Young Woman by Emerald Fennel, David Byrne's American Utopia by Spike Lee, Come Play by Jacob Chase, Land by Robin Wright, Brothers by Blood by Jeremie Guez, which are all award winning mix of action, horror and drama which you can watch in one platform. If you want to see them all, just download the GMovies app or visit their site GMovies.ph and select the movie you want to stream, tap the pay button and cconfirm. You should see them all on your "My Shows" tab and hit play to see it all. This is all possible with the partnership between UPSTREAM.PH and GMovies, pretty affordable too. It kinda simplifies everything if you want to watch the latest movies intended for international audiences. We didn't even have to leave the country for it.

It should be this easy.

DENR-BMB Launch Digital Wildlife Training Platform on World Wildlife Day

March 3, 2021 marks the celebration of World Wildlife Day. Part of the celebrations in the Philippines include DENR-BMB's launc of their digital wildlife training program which is now available online. Aside from that, they also held art/poster making contest. This year's theme also talks about "Forests and Livelihood: Sustaining People and Planet" which is quite an important subject. 

DENR is making sure that the government conservation and protection efforts would be continued and this includes wildlife. All these even during the pandemic. The online conference was also hosted by eco warrior and celebrity Antoinette Taus.

Jim Sampulna Mining and Muslim Affairs of DENR says "The theme for the world wildlife day this year has a vital role in sustaining not just biodiversity but the livelihood of people globally. The green oasis not just provide food but wildlife. Forests are important for our indigents to provide energy, food and shelter. By working together we can stop bio-life traders. Happy world wildlife day to everyone." 

Senator Cynthia Villar says "Thank you for having me in the World Wildlife Day 2021 celebration. I'm happy to be here with you today. This is very relevant for our time, as a legislator, I have filed yesterday an act strengthening the wildlife conservation particularly the wildlife protection act. RA 9147 is a measure that enables PH protect wildlife comprehensively including acts detrimental to wildlife including fines and penalties. The trade and transport of wildlife species has been international in nature and we have to have more teeth of which this new RA provide with more protection with our resources. The constant exploitation of wild fauna may have effects on diseases which are from animals, in turn spread viruses. We need not to only create awareness, but to take action with its protection. It would be too much for a country such as ours if we don't take care of our environment. Our country is one of a few biodiversity hot-spots. The more we protect, the less we lose wildlife. Now more than ever, there is a real need to strengthen our laws and include the protection of the world's most bio-diverse areas. As in any environmental issue, our actions are essential. It's part of our duty to make this world better than we found it." 

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri Senator announced during this occasion filed SBN 2079 An Act Providing for a Revised Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act. This appropriates funds for this cause and other purposes. 

Ricardo Calderon AFoCO Executive Director says "This crisis reminded us the relationship between animals and human, the global efforts has started and the Philippines through DENR should recognize these developments. We are hoping to work more closely with DENR, the Biodiversity Management Bureau in making sure our resources and fauna are protected."

Eco Warrior and Artist Joey Ayala performed during the online event

Also present during the occasion was Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu. He lauded the addition of two online learning platforms launched on this day as it enables the DENR to uphold its mandate of educating the people about the country’s wildlife resources despite the prevailing COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) pandemic. He says "Thanks to technology, we are able not only to communicate remotely, but also make sure that the Filipinos can continue to educate themselves about the environment, especially in protecting our wildlife species. Thanks to partner organizations as these breakthroughs would not be possible without their help."

The DENR Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) launched this eTraining Course on  Basic Wildlife Law Enforcement (BWLE) which can be accessed through https://elearn.adb.org. The site contains 7 modules and 19 stand alone topics which professionals can use which includes topics such as Wildlife Law Enforcement in the Philippines, Species Commonly involved in Wildlife Crimes and more. Aside from that, they also introduced the Wildlife Philippines Podcast which were developed with 20 higher education institutions under their Institutes of Environmental Governance. It is available on streaming platforms worldwide.

During the event, they also announced the automation of the issuance of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) permits which aims to improve to control international trade of endangered species and reduce opportunities for corruption and fraudulent documents. This will also enhance their capacity for information exchange with other countries.

This is a step ahead for those who care about the environment, our flora and fauna. The Philippines is in the middle of it all and if the right things happen to local agencies, the laws and regulations are passed, then all of the improvement and red-tape lessened, this could benefit more Filipinos and our future generations.

Finding Your Home in Ohmyhome

Ohmyhome, Singapore’s market leader in property solution platforms has been in the Philippines since September. They saw demand for residential properties was still high even if we were under strict lockdown in Manila. Now I hope that's not because everyone lost their homes because the economy and businesses stopped, but really because there was growth in interest in residential proporties.

Filipinos look now for good location, design, modern facilities and a good place to stay in. These days, we need a place to work even at home. Co-founder & COO of OhMyHome Race Wong says "Even if property seekers are still looking at houses located near commercial areas, they also consider those outside Metro Manila because of new work arrangements. It's quite flexible now in PH homes too."

Currently, they see value in working with developers so they could better serve their customers. Their platform remains to be straightforward, which only takes a few minutes to do and very easy to understand. OhMyHome quality assurance teams make sure only active homes remain listed and sellers get to put in properties easily. In case there are issues, they also have several in-house agents to help you get the deals for your dream home.

While we still are under the quarantine regulations issued by the government, the platform remains to be a very good source of information to make it all happen. It would benefit real estate brokers, developers and those who would like a place they could call home. Download it off Google Play or iOS. 

 

It's pretty cool!

Ticket2Me Launches New Ticketing and Video Platform

My first encounter with Ticket2Me was about a little over 2 years ago when I watched a musical in PETA here in Quezon City. Back then, they were still in their infancy but I could tell they've handled online ticket sales quite nicely. It was fast, easy to use, and secure. I got my taste of shows and could get tickets mighty fast as soon as they're listed on the app and platforms.

As you might have guessed, they're bound to be heavily affected by the closures of entertainment areas and theatres as this pandemic didn't spare any business. True enough, they had to transform their business model, innovate to survive. It was in March 2020 wherein they started the lockdown period, and it earmarked efforts by Ticket2Me and their Founder/CEO Darwin Mariano to cooperate with the Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership and find ways to aid the country’s health sector frontliners. They started a huge fundraising campaign and worked with the Office of Vice President Leni Robredo in the hopes of raising funds to supply personal protective equipment and food and care packages for these health workers. In just a span of a few days they got to raise millions surpassing their goal by a mile and got to help thousands of people and mobilize help where it's needed, a noble gesture indeed.

Ticket2Me then also started the Open House campaign which they did together with Artist Welfare Project, Philstage, SPIT MNL, Third World Improv and the Theater Actor’s Guild to benefit of the performing arts community which also got heavily affected by the COVID19 outbreak. It was one of 20 they did with different organizations including one for displaced film and performing arts professionals plus funds to build emergency quarantine facilities in Metro Manila, a tough hot spot for the dreaded virus.

Recently, they also catered to the demand of online events. Adapting to the new normal meant they also need to launch their own pay gated video platform so they can hold concerts, theatrical productions, workshops and more. They also launched Dok2Me, a patient-doctor platform so they too would be able to do online consultation. They will also start production of their own online series called Boys' Lockdown come this September. 

With over 11,000 combined cash and online payment options throughout the country, Ticket2Me is achieving its goal to be one of the largest ticketing and events tech company. They can help you manage your transitions to online processes. Download it off the App Store or Google Play now or visit their site Ticket2Me.net to try it out and find more information about them.

Sounds good.

 

Dating Throwdown

Social networks have been a part of the online culture. Weather you call them generation X, Y or Z it's always going to be the new generation that is going to harness the power of connecting with friends and their friends as well.

Millions of people around the world join these networks for various reasons. This does not discount the fact that they are also looking for love. Online dating has been connecting people since the invention of the Internet. I know some of them and weather they choose to marry a foreigner or a local person it seems to find its way no matter how distance separate them. Dating is getting harder these days because there are several etiquette procedures that they don't follow. They do not really get it when you have to call the spade a spade.

Analyzing the trend of facebook dating for example makes one consider what they should do. A lot of single men are around in the US and taking your best foot forward is definitely not everything. There is nothing sweeter than a summer fling but if you find the right one then that should stay. Check out http://www.thecharmingyou.com and see what's in store for you in the online dating scene.