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| (Image Source: airasia) |
A mass signing ceremony with over 50 key hotel groups from Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia further solidifies airasia Super App’s position as the region’s fastest-growing travel & lifestyle super app platform. The massive boost of room inventories to “airasia hotels” gives app users an extensive array of hotel options to choose from according to their budget via the airasia Super App, adding further convenience and value.
The symbolic event held at De.Wan 1958 by Chef Wan @ The Linc KL reiterates the value that airasia Super App’s hotel booking platform brings to direct hotel partners where they are able to leverage on AirAsia’s strong brand presence and connectivity network aside from a daily active user database of 1.25 million who are scouring for travel deals. This enables airasia Super App to avail more marketing opportunities and visibility for each hotel partner while offering them extremely competitive rates. The airasia Super App has dedicated teams in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines to support each hotel partner with the right strategy with relevant data and travel trends. As a hotel booking platform, airasia Super App offers consumers a choice of over 700,000 hotels worldwide, the ability to earn and redeem airasia points, and even to pair their flights and hotel bookings in one seamless transaction via SNAP. airasia Super App’s hotel booking platform will also guarantee the best hotel prices on the platform with A ‘Best Price Guaranteed’ scheme which will be launched very soon, aside from special members’ rates.
Reflecting on the significant occasion today, Capital A Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes commented, “When the travel industry was in full force, we were flying 100 million guests just on the AirAsia network alone, which translates into a valuable customer base. This customer base is something that no other online travel agent (OTA) can offer aside from the airasia Super App because we are the only travel super app that also owns an airline group. With the revival of travel now and the capability of the airasia Super App’s strength as an online travel agent (OTA) – reinforcing our hotel booking platform is crucial to capture and fulfil market demand. And this is what we’d like to reemphasize to our hotel partners – by being on the airasia Super App’s hotel booking platform, you will be able to leverage on a natural pool of rich and robust travellers base, and together we can offer customers an enhanced travel experience in one seamless app." “It’s all about having a complete travel ecosystem that would create better value for our customers. And being an OTA which owns an airline allows us to offer products such as SNAP – our flight + hotel combo platform, creating better uptake for our hotel partners while providing travellers a better booking experience,” added Tony Fernandes.
Hotels or other interested parties who would like to be part of the airasia Super App OTA platform can reach out to aacompartners@airasia.com. Currently, the airasia Super App’s hotel booking platform has over 700,000 hotels listed with at least 3,000 direct hotel partners focusing on the Southeast Asian (ASEAN) region.
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Broadcast Journalist Karmina Constantino Named As 2022 Marshall McLuhan Fellow for Excellence In Journalism
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| (Image Source: ABS-CBN Corporation) |
The Embassy of Canada in the Philippines presented the annual Marshall McLuhan Fellowship for Excellence in Journalism to ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC)'s Karmina Constantino in recognition of her stellar work in the past year. Mr. Colin Townson, Chargé d'affaires of the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines, named Ms. Constantino as the new McLuhan Fellow during the virtual Jaime V. Ongpin Journalism Seminar (JVOJS) organized by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility.
In presenting the award, Mr. Townson cited Ms. Constantino's professional qualities: “...an unflinching commitment to speak truth to power, an admirable consistency in ferreting out the most complicated issues of the day, and a stirring courage to ask the toughest questions." He also lauded Ms. Constantino. “This year’s McLuhan Fellowship goes to a journalist whose passion for the craft (that) has seen the ebbs and flows of the news industry in the past two and a half decades and whose wise instinct to clarify and challenge statements and assumptions sheds light into issues thereby shielding the public from the prospects of disinformation." Karmina expressed her gratitude upon receiving the prestigious award and addressed the budding journalists present during the seminar. She said, “I think the future of journalism is vibrant because as we are here, you are there, too. Just continue doing the work and I hope to see you in our newsroom soon.”
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PLDT, Smart Enable Distance Learning In Catanduanes Schools In The New Normal
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| (Image Source: Orange Magazine TV/PLDT/Smart Communications) |
PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) continue to support learning institutions in the new normal of education. PLDT and Smart onboarded teachers from public schools across Catanduanes into the Central Visayan Institute Foundation – Dynamic Learning Program (CVIF-DLP). As the new school year welcomes students back to the classroom, some schools have retained hybrid learning to address disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis-resilient CVIF-DLP complements the current lesson delivery channels of the Department of Education.
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| (Image Source: Manila Standard/PLDT/Smart Communications) |
“The CVIF-DLP is a teaching strategy that builds on the DepEd’s current delivery platforms whether these are on-site learning, online classes, printed modules, or broadcast media. It’s a proven pedagogy that has proven its worth at the height of pandemic-related restrictions. More than 700 public school teachers have been trained for School Year (SY) 2022-2023,” said PLDT and Smart Assistant Vice President and Stakeholder Management Head Stephanie Orlino. Developed by Ramon Magsaysay awardees Dr. Christopher Bernido and the late Dr. Maria Victoria Bernido, the CVIF-DLP encourages independent learning among students. Central to the program is the CVIF-DLP Learning Activity Sheets (LAS) that help improve learner outcomes even with little to no teacher or parent intervention. “The CVIF-DLP LAS guarantee that lessons are concise and easy to follow. They help teachers gradually increase the complexity of the subject while ensuring that learners can cope with the pace,” said Desi Dario Magnaye, Principal at Davao Christian High School V. Mapa Campus and CVIF-DLP Ambassador.
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| (Image Source: PLDT/Smart Communications) |
“Learners and their parents told us that the workload is more manageable with the CVIF-DLP LAS. Students are more motivated to complete their tasks because activities are simplified,” said Edward Ryan Gulam, Division Learning Resource Management System (LRMS) Coordinator of the Schools Division of Sarangani. Smart and PLDT-Smart Foundation have supported the CVIF-DLP for over a decade. The program highlights PLDT and Smart’s thrust to promote inclusive quality education that leaves no learner behind. PLDT and Smart create and support various educational initiatives in line with their commitment to help the nation achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) #4: Quality Education.
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Mang Inasal Supports Farmer Livelihood Initiative
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| (Image Source: Wazzup.PH/Jollibee Foods Corporation) |
Have you ever thought about the ingredients being used to get that savory, juicy, and deliciously char-grilled Chicken Inasal? Where does Mang Inasal even get it? “Every Chicken Inasal order contributes to the livelihood of smallholder farmers under the Farmer Entrepreneurship Program (FEP) of the Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF). This is because FEP farmers supply fresh ginger, one of many natural ingredients used to make the marinade of our famous Chicken Inasal,” said Mang Inasal Business Unit Head Mike V. Castro.
FEP is a multi-awarded initiative that enables and empowers smallholder farmers with leadership skills, and systems needed to collectively market their produce to institutional buyers like Mang Inasal, resulting in increased and sustained income. “There are many barriers that our farmers face today in getting their crops to markets and suppliers. By purchasing directly from farmers, Mang Inasal is able to support our farmers and uplift them, so they have more opportunities to earn and become entrepreneurs themselves,” Castro added. The group supplying ginger to Mang Inasal is the AGAP Farmers’ Association. It has 37 ginger farmers from three clusters who used to sell their vegetables on their own and struggled to find a stable market. With JGF and its partner Ahon sa Hirap Inc. (ASHI), farmers from Laguna and Rizal learned to work together as clusters and produce ginger that adheres to the quality standards set by an institutional market like Mang Inasal.
In 2021, their first year as Mang Inasal suppliers, the farmers delivered 22% of the company’s requirements for the year. Vicente Bojawe, 58, is one of the farmers under AGAP. “Noong una, malaking hamon sa amin ang magdeliver sa malaking market kasi maraming training at kulang kami sa experience. Sa tulong ng Jollibee Group Foundation at ASHI, nagkaroon kami ng guide at ngayon ay natupad na ang pangarap namin namakapag-deliver sa Mang Inasal (At first, it was a big challenge for us to deliver to a big market as we needed training and welacked experience. Through Jollibee Group Foundation and ASHI, we received guidance and achieved our dream of delivering to Mang Inasal),” he shared. Vicente’s increased earnings helped him build his house and invest more in his farm.
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Google Play Games Beta On PC Now Available In PH
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| (Image Source: Orange Magazine TV/Google Play) |
Google Play Games beta on PC is now available in more markets including the Philippines – expanding the platform beyond mobile gaming while bringing new and exciting games for everyone to play on their PCs. Announced earlier this year, Google Play Games was initially available for a limited market in Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and Australia. Google’s goal was to gather early feedback to continue to improve the product to fit the needs of players and developers around the world. Now, the platform is available for download in more countries including the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Google Play Games Director Arjun Dayal said, “Our broader goal continues to be meeting players where they are and giving them access to their games on as many devices as possible. Players participating in the beta have expressed excitement at being able to seamlessly play their favorite games across their phones, tablets, Chromebooks, and PCs. Additionally, since launching earlier this year we have made significant strides to reach even more players by reducing the minimum spec requirements to PCs running Windows 10+ with an integrated graphics card and 4+ core CPU.” Google Play Games offers a growing selection of games that can be played on the platform. This provides players with more variety and flexibility to play their games across devices including phones, tablets, Chromebooks, and PCs. Try your hand at popular match-3 games Homescapes and Gardenscapes, fight for supremacy in Summoners War, and test your driving skills in Asphalt 9: Legends. Other exciting games are also available such as Township, Cookie Run: Kingdom, State of Survival: Zombie War, and Hungry Shark Evolution.
Dayal continued, “We’re thrilled to expand our platform to more markets for players to enjoy their favorite games on Google Play. As we move towards a full release, we will continue to add new features and evaluate developer and player feedback.” To sign up for future announcements, or to access Google Play Games beta on PC, go to g.co/googleplaygames.
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Disney+ Presents Imagine More By Asia's Phoenix Morissette
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| (Image Source: Manila Bulletin/Disney+) |
Disney+ is pleased to unveil an original song “Imagine More” performed by local vocal powerhouse Morissette. The soaring number marks the streaming service’s availability in the Philippines on November 17, 2022 and pays tribute to Disney’s heritage of unparalleled storytelling and creativity. The musical short film invites viewers to push the boundaries of their imagination as scenes from iconic stories such as Encanto, Lightyear, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted and BTS: PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE – LA come to life. Fans in the Philippines are also seen connecting with their favorite characters and shows. Morissette’s powerful vocals ground the song, breezing through the high notes and will strike an emotional chord with every listener.
