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| (Image Source: airasia Philippines) |
AirAsia Philippines considers the issuance of Executive Order Number 3 (EO No. 3) or the optional wearing of face masks outdoors as a welcome development that will attract more leisure travelers in a bid to stir economic activity. Officially signed on September 12, 2022 by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., EO No. 3 no longer requires people to wear face masks in open areas with good ventilation.
The optional wearing of face masks outdoors was proposed by the IATF following the clamor from several industries, as well as the Department of Tourism (DOT), to relax restrictions on wearing face masks in open-air settings to attract more tourists to come to the Philippines and spur economic recovery. However, the world’s best low-cost airline reminds its guests that wearing face masks is still required in all public transportation, especially in enclosed spaces such as airports and airplanes. AirAsia PH Spokesperson and Head of Communications and Public Affairs Steve Dailisan said, “We remain committed to implementing stringent health protocols on the ground and in flight set by the IATF and firmly enforced by the aviation regulatory bodies. The signing of EO No. 3 is very timely since we are expecting more guests both foreign and local during ‘Ber’ months. People can now enjoy the fresh air outdoors and feel a sense of normalcy in our day-to-day lives.”
The local governments of Cebu and Iloilo have previously carried out optional face mask testing this month and have so far not seen a significant increase in the number of COVID cases. “Our multi-layered approach to safety — composed of the full vaccination of our crew, the presence of High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filters in our aircraft, contactless solutions available on the airasia Super App, and implementation of standard safety guidelines — has been proven effective in curbing the spread of COVID-19. This is evidenced by the perfect 7/7 safety compliance awarded by airlineratings.com to AirAsia,” Dailisan added.
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GMA Network Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative And Agripreneur Harvest Love Join Forces To Support Local Farmers
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| (Image Source: GMA Network) |
Staying true to GMA Network’s commitment to public service, the GMA-7 Employees’ Multi-Purpose Cooperative (GEMPC) and Agripreneur Harvest Love (AHL) team up to help the local farmers in selling their produce. GEMPC is an organization that provides excellent financial products and relevant services to improve the economic and social well-being of its members and employees. Meanwhile, AHL is an offshoot of the GMA weekend program ‘Agripreneur’ that features everything about agriculture. AHL is a social enterprise that supports farmers and allows them to earn decent incomes in a more sustainable manner.
Through this collaboration, local farmers get to sell their fruits, vegetables, and other products in the GEMPC grocery. AHL also assists small businesses that sell honey, peanut butter, tablea, coffee, salabat, gourmet tuyo and bagoong, among others. In return, consumers are guaranteed to have clean, safe, and affordable food. GEMPC Chairperson Jose Vernon Jacela shares their plan to further expand this partnership to the Coop members in GMA regional stations. “We believe that the future of our country is in agriculture. The partnership between GEMPC and AHL is more on enabling our local farmers to directly bring their fresh, healthy, and nutritious produce on the tables of our Kapuso and their families through our Coop," Jacela said.
Agripreneur, hosted by award-winning journalist Jiggy Manicad and airs every Saturday at 5:30 am on GMA, tackles not only the inspiring stories of agripreneurs but also the latest technology and modern ways of farming, poultry raising, livestock, fishing, and food production. Most importantly, it reflects the importance of agriculture and how Filipinos can earn from this rich industry. Jiggy reiterates that this show fulfills his passion to serve the people especially the farmers which he himself covered when he was still a reporter. "Now, everybody has a chance to help the farmers through Agripreneur Harvest Love by patronizing their produce at prices these farmers are happy with. I believe that this is what being a true blue Kapuso is — a servant for life. A true service to God, country and fellow Filipinos," Jiggy said. In 2021, Agripreneur won the ‘Best Agriculture Television Program’ in the Bright Leaf Journalism Awards for its ‘Arms to Farms’ feature, a story about former militant fighters who turned as successful farmers/entrepreneurs or simply called agripreneurs in Lanao del Norte.
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RP Blu Boys Secure Men's Softball World Cup Berth
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| RP Blu Boys, the Philippines' national men's softball team (Image Source: Manila Bulletin/Apol Rosales) |
Following the series of matches in the Asian Cup qualifier held in Kochi, Japan, the Philippine softball team RP Blu Boys, supported by Cebuana Lhuillier, is now qualified for the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Men’s Softball World Cup to be held on November 26 to December 4 in Auckland, New Zealand.
Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL) president, RP Blu Boys’ benefactor, and Cebuana Lhuillier president and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier expressed his pride and praised the team for their phenomenal performance. “I would like to extend my sincerest congratulations to the team for earning a World Cup berth and putting us in the international scene. It’s been a tough journey for our softball players, but it is without a doubt that they have the capacity to compete with other international players and rise above the challenges. We will continue to support them especially as they prepare for the World Cup. This will be a good experience for our players as they test their mettle against world-class teams," Lhuillier said.
For RP Blu Boys’ Head Coach Apol Rosales, the fight is far from over and the team will continue to do its best to win the coveted title. “We are happy that we are bearing the Philippines in this journey and we are immensely thankful to Mr. Jean Henri Lhuillier for always believing in the team. We are determined to give our 100% in the upcoming matches and show the world what the Philippine team is capable of," Rosales expressed. Despite losing to Singapore (5-6) and Japan (0-7) during the Super round, the RP Blu Boys bagged a win against India (8-1) which brought them to a rematch against Japan for the Asian title.
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Binibining Pilipinas 2022 1st Runner-Up Herlene Budol Receives Cash, GCs For Winning Bb. Pizza Hut 2022
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| (Image Source: Orange Magazine TV/Pizza Hut Philippines) |
Pizza Hut recently got together with Binibining Pilipinas 2022 first runner-up and Bb. Pizza Hut 2022 winner Herlene Nicole Budol for a very exciting event that highlighted the brand’s fun, bold, and playful vibes, and you know what, every moment of it was ICONIC.
During the event that took place last August 26, 2022 at the Pizza Hut Restaurant Service Center, Ms. Budol lit up the room with her ethereal beauty as she accepted her prizes for winning the coveted Bb. Pizza Hut title. Joining the fun were PPI Holdings Inc. Chief Operating Officer Chacha Juinio, Pizza Hut Philippines’ Head of Marketing Raymund Nobleza, and several other executives and employees of Pizza Hut, who were all smiles in her queenly presence. Talk about lucky! For her win, Ms. Budol received Php100,000 in cash and a total of Php50,000 worth of gift certificates from Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Dairy Queen. Aside from the turnover of the prizes, Pizza Hut also welcomed Ms. Budol as one of the newest ambassadors of the brand. With this, she will help Pizza hut in spreading positivity and good vibes as they Make It Great not only for fans of beauty pageants but also for anyone who just loves great food.
Aside from the awarding ceremony, Ms. Budol also posed for some snazzy snapshots with two fresh graduates of a week-long training at Pizza Hut Trinoma, Christine Magdahong and Joyce Ann Ravis. They were joined by PHI HRD and SVP Rose Herrera, J. Amado Araneta Foundation (JAAF) Executive Director Christine Dianne Romero, JAAF Program Coordinator May Geronimo, PHI’s Training Head Al Guillermo and Field Training Manager Florence Manlapaz, and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) 02 Coordinator Mei Parbo. Magdahong and Ravis are part of the joint skills certification program of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and USAID and will soon start working at Pizza Hut SM Marilao as part of YUM and Pizza Hut Philippines’ “A Slice for Everyone” project.
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MARVEL SNAP Soon To Enter PH Game Arena On Mobile And PC
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| (Image Source: Rock Paper Shotgun/Nuverse) |
Pinoy gamers and Marvel universe fans alike will have something exciting to look forward to as two game development companies — Nuverse and Second Dinner — team up with Marvel Entertainment to launch the highly anticipated game, MARVEL SNAP, on October 18. To be launched globally on mobile and PC in 13 languages, MARVEL SNAP is an adrenaline-pumping, superpowered card battler that lets fans assemble their Marvel dream team of heroes and villains and then battle their way through the multiverse to glory – all in just three-minute play sessions. MARVEL SNAP is super easy to learn but will take a lifetime for even the best of players to master.
Nuverse and Second Dinner have also released the game’s ‘Pre-Registration’ page, where players can sign up to get the latest information on the game and snap it up the moment it launches on October 18. “We can’t believe the amazing response we’ve gotten from players all over the world who have been able to experience MARVEL SNAP during our beta period this summer. MARVEL SNAP introduces a totally new type of card battler gameplay and fans can’t get enough of it. We can’t wait for players to assemble their ultimate roster of heroes and villains and then battle it out against each other starting October 18th,” said MARVEL SNAP (Nuverse) Senior Director of Business Development and Partnerships Tom van Dam. In an all-new gameplay trailer recently released on social media, fans can enjoy the first glimpse at never before seen footage of the full game. As the trailer reveals, each action-packed match lets players compete at three random locations, each of which has its own challenging, game-changing effects. With their pick of more than 150 beautifully-designed cards at launch and the surprise of more than 80 locations in the game, players will never experience the same game twice.
For players who love the thrill of a big win, MARVEL SNAP introduces a new way to compete, allowing players to “SNAP” to raise the stakes and double down. The mind games and bluffing inherent in this innovative mechanic makes MARVEL SNAP truly impossible to master, yet still incredibly fun to play every time. “We’ve spent years making sure that MARVEL SNAP is the kind of game that everyone, gamer or not, can’t wait to pick up and play. If you love fast-paced, strategic games and the thrill of throwing down a power move to stop your opponent at the last second to win the big game, you’re going to absolutely love MARVEL SNAP,” said Second Dinner Chief Development Officer Ben Brode.
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ABS-CBN Entertainment Racks Up One Million TikTok Followers
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| (Image Source: ABS-CBN Corporation) |
ABS-CBN Entertainment marks another digital milestone as its TikTok account has earned over one million followers and more than 18 million likes. In August 2022 alone, its TikTok account quickly gained over 488,900 new followers and 8.8 million likes, according to the analytics firm Social Blade. ABS-CBN Entertainment's videos reach up to millions of views, where followers are treated to content all day such as trending highlights and teasers from Kapamilya teleseryes “Mars Ravelo’s Darna”, “2 Good 2 Be True", “A Family Affair" and “Love in 40 Days". Followers can also watch a compilation of viral scenes and some of the most iconic lines from currently airing shows, updates from the hottest showbiz news, and find out what’s new and hot on the video sharing platform with “Kapamilya TikTok of the Week.”
This latest milestone strengthens ABS-CBN’s digital presence where its ABS-CBN Entertainment YouTube channel is still the most subscribed channel in all of Southeast Asia with over 41 million subscribers and 53.5 billion lifetime views. ABS-CBN Entertainment’s Facebook page also remains the most followed page in the Philippines with over 34 million followers. ABS-CBN’s efforts to continue to serve with entertaining and inspiring stories boosts the company’s transition into being an agile digital company with the biggest online presence among all media companies, and a growing list of digital properties that appeal to a wide array of audiences.
