 |
| (Image Source: KJC eSports/AcadArena) |
CONQuest Festival 2023, AcadArena’s award-winning gaming and pop culture convention slated for June 2-4, 2023, is gearing up to be bigger and bolder than its previous iterations in all ways possible. CONQuest 2023 expands on last year’s SMX Convention Center venue to include the adjacent Seashell Lane, Conrad Manila, Mall of Asia, and National University MoA. The multi-venue setup will host a variety of events that will have over 70 local and international guests celebrating gaming, tech, music, pop culture, and everything in between.
Headlining the CONQuest 2023 guest roster are Valkyrae, Pokimane, Sykkuno, South Korean rock indie band The Rose, and Filipino singer-actor James Reid. Other notable internet personalities include Fuslie, Michael Reeves and LilyPichu, as well as anime content creators JoeyTheAnimeMan and AkiDearest. “We always joked about eventually growing CONQuest in Iloilo to the point we’d get to Manila and have international guests. We even had OfflineTV as an April Fools’ joke. But thanks to the community’s undying passion, our dreams are coming true,” said CONQuest founder and AcadArena Chief Growth Officer Justin Banusing.
CONQuest 2023 also brings musical acts into the fray for the first time with the introduction of Music Night. Joining The Rose and James Reid are local stars Carousel Casualties, Oh Flamingo!, and Autotelic, as well as international DJs James Landino and Hyper Potions. A number of warmly-received guests from last year’s CONQuest are also set for a return. This includes Genshin Impact voice actresses Anne Yatco and Ratana, Vtuber Bao, and content creators Atsu and BTMC. The allure of worldwide attention has also enticed some of the biggest brands to support CONQuest which extends its gratitude to Presenting Partner Globe Telecom as well as Platinum Partners Riot Games, Predator Gaming, and Blockchain Space. Joining the roster are Gold Sponsors composed of Lazada, Grab Philippines, Jollibee, Kumu, Coin98, coins.ph, SVGA, UniPin, and Tier One Entertainment.
* * * *
Sun Life Renews Tie-Up With Smart To Promote Financial Literacy Among Cooperatives
 |
| Participants of Smart and Sun Life Financial's financial literacy training program from Cambinocot Multipurpose Cooperative in Cebu (Image Source: Dot Daily Dose/Smart Communications) |
Sun Life Philippines (Sun Life), the number 1 life insurance company in the country for the 12th year in a row, and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), the country’s fastest and best mobile network according to Ookla, have renewed their strategic partnership to increase financial literacy among Smart’s partner cooperatives. The renewal will expand the program’s coverage where financial literacy training will also be held for cooperatives in Benguet, Bulacan, Cavite, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, and Metro Manila throughout the year.
Sun Life and Smart are looking forward to exceeding the program’s success in 2022 where close to 500 cooperative members were engaged and educated on finance fundamentals and their relevance to their industry. “Sun Life has always been a staunch advocate of financial literacy as we believe it plays a key role in achieving a brighter life. We are always looking for ways to elevate our efforts and help empower even more Filipinos to pursue their financial goals. I believe the renewal of our tie-up with Smart can help us do that,” said Sun Life President Alex Narciso.
“Given the key role that cooperatives play in their respective communities and in our country’s economy as a whole, it is important to empower them through financial literacy and digitalization. Through the renewal of this partnership with Sun Life, we are doubling down on our commitment to support our partner cooperatives and help provide them with relevant solutions,” said Smart First Vice President and Group Head of Go-To Market and Subscriber Management Melvin Nubla. This collaboration with Smart is part of Sun Life’s efforts to spread its financial literacy advocacy and empower Filipinos in their journey to financial independence.
* * * *
Experience Immersive Viewing And Gaming With The New SONY BRAVIA A80L OLED TV
 |
| Sony BRAVIA A80L OLED TV (Image Source: GIZGUIDE/Sony Electronics) |
Elevate your home entertainment and gaming experience as Sony Philippines unveils its latest masterpiece, the BRAVIA A80L OLED TV. This next-generation OLED TV sets a new standard for spatial entertainment and gaming with its unrivaled picture and sound quality, making it the perfect addition to any home. The newest BRAVIA is packed with top-of-the-line features to provide an unparalleled viewing and gaming experience. Its OLED technology ensures that each pixel emits light, providing a deeper black color and infinite contrast, while its Cognitive Processor upscales and enhances the picture quality. Apart from the top-notch optical specs, the A80L comes with Google TV, allowing users to easily navigate and access their favorite content.
The BRAVIA A80L OLED TV also boasts of the XR OLED Contrast Pro, XR Clear Image, and XR Triluminos Pro features, which enhance the picture quality, providing a true-to-life viewing experience. The Grouped XR OLED Contrast Pro and XR Clear Image enhance colors and ensure that every detail is captured, making every scene vibrant and lifelike. The BRAVIA A80L OLED TV also offers exceptional sound quality with the Acoustic Surface Audio+ logo, Dolby Atmos, and 3D Surround Upscaling features. Acoustic Surface Audio+ ensures that the sound comes from the exact location of the action on the screen while Dolby Atmos and 3D Surround Upscaling enhance the sound quality and provide an immersive audio experience, putting viewers right in the center of the scene.
With the new BRAVIA A80L, viewers can have the total immersive experience. The Bravia A80L is available in two sizes: the XR-55A80L 55-inch TV which retails for Php111,199 and the XR-65A80L 65-inch TV at Php144,499.
* * * *
Smart Beefs Up SIM Registration Assistance To Quezon City Seniors
 |
| (Image Source: Smart Communications) |
To provide SIM registration assistance especially to senior citizens and persons with disabilities, Smart Communications worked with the local government unit of Quezon City to set up assisted SIM registration booths at the City Hall and in Batasan Hills in collaboration with Councilor Mikey Belmonte’s Buhay at Bahay Caravan. Buhay at Bahay Caravan is the Quezon City second district’s poverty reduction program which involves collaborations with several partner agencies and institutions to provide access to affordable housing units, water, electricity, and livelihood, among other resources.
“Since December, Smart has deployed thousands of SIM registration booths where we extend VIP assistance to seniors, persons with disabilities, and those using non-data phones. This is the same kind of service that we make available at all of our assisted booths all over the Philippines and is a key part of our commitment to not leave anybody behind in registering their SIM,” said PLDT and Smart Senior Vice President and Consumer Sales Group Head Alex O. Caeg. Smart has rolled out thousands of assisted SIM registration booths across the country, extending priority assistance to senior citizens and persons with disabilities, in collaboration with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), LGUs, malls, schools, and other community partners.
New and existing Smart Prepaid and TNT subscribers may also visit PLDT and Smart stores, or access Smart’s SIM registration portal through https://simreg.smart.com.ph/. Postpaid users, meanwhile, are considered registered using existing account details provided consistent with the SIM Registration Act. All SIM users are required to register their SIMs by July 25, 2023 according to Republic Act No. 11934 or the Subscriber Identity Module Registration Act.
* * * *
Gather The Stars And Win A New TCL C645
 |
| (Image Source: Manila Bulletin/TCL Philippines) |
Brace yourself for an epic surprise as TCL Electronics, a leading brand in consumer electronics and TV manufacturing, lets you gather the stars, light them up, reach for them and fulfill your own dreams to win some awesome prizes this season with the “Gather The Stars And Win TV C645" promo. Game fanatics will have a chance to enjoy vivid color and vigorous life on your TV screens and win the most awesome C645 TV. That’s not all, TCL is also giving exciting products like the newest C645 QLED TV, S522W Soundbars, and Breeva A2 Black Air Purifiers for lucky winners. Those who are interested to join this promo shall follow these steps:
1. Download the TCL Home App thru Apple or Google Play Store and register/log in, or sign up to their TCL account thru the TCL Website/TCL TV.
2. Participants must click each step to light up the first 3 stars and invite a friend to light up the fourth star. Participants need to take a screenshot and save their number page.
3. TCL will select 10 participants randomly and announce the winners on TCL’s Facebook page on June 24, 2023.
4. In order to claim their prize, winners must email TCL at marketingph@tcl.com within 72 hours with their full name, residential address, phone number, and a screenshot of their number page.
Experience brilliance like never with TCL C645 QLED TVs with exceptional picture quality and immersive features. The TCL C645 Color Master is part of the groundbreaking C Series line together with C745 Game Master and C845 All Around Master giving the users a brilliant experience like they’ve never had before. The TCL C645 and the other C models C646 & C647 will be exclusively available at the different TCL dealers nationwide. TCL's "Gather The Stars And Win TV C645" promo runs until June 24, 2023.
* * * *
UAAP Joins Government Campaign Against Drug Use
 |
| (L-R) De La Salle Green Archers' Joaqui Manuel with PBA stars June Mar Fajardo and Paul Lee (Image Source: ABS-CBN News/UAAP) |
The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) has joined the Department of Interior and Local Government in its campaign against drug use in the country. Last May 25, 2023 at the Richmonde Hotel in Eastwood City, the UAAP, together with professional leagues such as the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and Premier Volleyball League (PVL), joined forces to represent the sports sector in the launch of the ministry’s “BIDA (Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan)” program.
UAAP Executive Director Atty. Rene “Rebo” Saguisag said involving athletes in the government’s anti-drug campaign is a positive step forward since they serve as role models for the youth. “We welcome this new approach to a long-standing problem – the landscape has changed significantly, and so must our strategies. Today’s student-athletes also play a crucial role in shaping society, and they can do so through constantly evolving platforms,” said Saguisag who is also a councilor in the first district of Makati City.
Also representing the UAAP were Season 85 Vice President Rodrigo Roque of University of the East and De La Salle University’s representative to the Board of Managing Directors Emmanuel Calanog. The UAAP will actively participate in this campaign through its sporting events starting with Season 86 slated to begin throughout the onset of the holiday season in the Philippines. "In the end, we hope to come out as winners, dahil tayong lahat ang BIDA," said Saguisag.
