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| (Image Source: Lifestyle Plus/Spotify) |
Spotify debuted the fourth episode of Billions Club: The Series, the digital franchise featuring artists celebrating the career milestone of surpassing one billion streams on Spotify. The episode put the spotlight on BLACKPINK’s Lisa and celebrated her solo hit “Money” reaching one billion streams. On September 18, 2023, the track became her first song to join Spotify’s Billions Club, giving her the honor of becoming the first female K-Pop artist to achieve this milestone on the platform.
While in Paris, Lisa took a moment to celebrate this historic feat and momentous occasion by cooking her favorite Thai dish Khai Jiao, a shrimp omelet that’s a staple in every Thai home. The K-Pop darling also made her favorite Thai dessert Itim Khanom Pang, a coconut ice cream sandwich with sticky rice, which she loves to eat whenever she’s at her grandparents’ house. As she prepared her meal, Lisa recalled her first reaction upon hearing “Money” for the first time. “As soon as I heard it, I was like, ‘This is my song!’ When I first got into the record room, I just felt like this was made for me. It’s one of my favorite songs and I’m so happy that you all loved it,” shared Lisa.
Lisa became the first solo K-Pop star to be featured on Spotify’s most popular and highly influential playlist, Today’s Top Hits, following her single’s release last year. The Philippines ranked amongst the Top 10 countries that streamed “Money”. “I’m so happy to join this billions club. Thank you so much for loving Money, you guys made this happen! It’s something that I will remember for the rest of my life!” said Lisa of “Money” reaching 1 Billion streams. Check out Billions Club: The Series featuring BLACKPINK's Lisa on Spotify's social media channels.
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Inspire Music Launches Lighthearted Tunes
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| (Image Source: ABS-CBN Corporation) |
ABS-CBN Music's new record label Inspire Music unveils uplifting fresh tunes from Kapamilya artists Jamie Rivera, Angela Ken, Fabio Santos, Fana, Francine Diaz, Imogen, KD Estrada, and Jed Madela. "We want to generate faith para mas maraming tao ang maniwala sa Panginoon at magkaroon ng hope pati na rin pagmamahal sa kapwa. Iyon ang ultimate goal ng Inspire Music," shared Jamie who is the label head of the newly-launched record label brand.
Jamie takes part in a collaboration with Jed, Francine, and KD for the track "Faith, Hope, and Love" which seeks to promote world peace amid today’s conflict arising in various parts of the world. The Inspirational Diva also offers an exciting revamped remix of the label's first single "3-in-1” which talks about the joys of believing in God and features "It's Showtime" child star Imogen and "The Voice Kids" season 5 contestant Fabio Santos. Folk-pop artist Angela shows off her sweet side in her upcoming single "Pansinin Mo Naman Ako", her first release under Inspire Music. Up-and-coming singer Fana, meanwhile, puts a modern twist to Gloc-9’s hit song "Love Story Ko" which highlights the joys of falling in love. Composed by A. Polisco and Christian Martinez, the reimagined version released last November 10, 2023 was produced by Jamie.
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Five ABS-CBN Journalists Earn Local And International Recognition
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| (Image Source: ABS-CBN Corporation) |
ABS-CBN News' veteran broadcaster Karen Davila and esteemed journalists Mike Navallo, Dennis Datu, Jervis Manahan and Jacque Manabat added feathers to their cap as they were recognized by international agencies and local award-giving bodies for their excellence in journalism. Davila, who anchors “TV Patrol” and “ANC Headstart", was appointed as the National Goodwill Ambassador for the Philippines by UN Women to amplify critical issues and inspire change, drawing attention to the role of women in development and nation building, promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. “It is an honor to be UN Women’s first National Goodwill Ambassador for the Philippines. I will be working with many others who speak out in support of UN Women to help bring about positive change in mindsets, behaviors, and hopefully, in the everyday lives of women and girls,” said Karen.
Meanwhile, Navallo was the recipient of the esteemed Jaime V. Ongpin (JVO) Award of Distinction presented by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) while Dennis Datu was named as TV Reporter of the Year by the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) during its first-ever MOPC Bell of Freedom and Excellence Awards. Additionally, Manahan won Best Online Story at the 16th Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards for his special report “The Onion Story" which probed the problems of onion farmers in the country. Manabat, on the other hand, attended the World Creator Festival, an event that aims to celebrate the people who shape how netizens consume media and information, in South Korea as the only Filipino journalist invited by the organizers.
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SM Recognized By DOH For Contributions To A Healthier Society
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| (Image Source: Filipino News Sentinel/SM Supermalls) |
SM Cares and SM Supermalls were honored by the Department of Health (DOH) at the Healthy Pilipinas Awards for Partners, held last October 27, 2023 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). The Healthy Pilipinas Awards, together with its partner Galing Pook Foundation, recognizes citizen-led organizations who embody innovation, sustainability and citizen empowerment, and have made positive contributions to improving the quality of health, life and well-being of their communities.
Celebrating success in promoting a healthier Philippines, SM Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Supermalls, earned Gold distinctions from the Department of Health (DOH) for two of its impactful initiatives. The Bike-Friendly projects across all SM malls nationwide is committed to sustainable and active living which includes equipping SM malls with dedicated bike lanes, bike parking facilities and bike repair racks, and partnering with bike organizations for fun bike rides for various causes. Meanwhile, the SM Cares breastfeeding awareness campaign promotes safe and supportive spaces for breastfeeding mothers and normalizing breastfeeding in public. While it is free to feed anywhere at SM, the campaign goes a step further with the provision of breastfeeding stations, available in 80 SM malls nationwide for the comfort of mothers and their children.
On the other hand, SM Supermalls was given the Bronze award for its comprehensive COVID-19 Vaccination Program, reaching 10.6 million jabs as part of nationwide immunization across 77 SM malls nationwide while SM City Davao was also awarded Bronze specifically for its One-Stop Venue for Health initiatives targeting the communities in the southern part of Davao. SM supports the DOH in leading the way towards a safer, healthier, and happier well-being of all Filipinos. Through its numerous projects and initiatives, SM aims to encourage people’s participation and promote sustainable initiatives that improve access to basic needs.
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FAITH, UB-Lipa, LPU-Batangas Conquer DTI-Batangas' Infomercial Competition
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| (Image Source: Batangas Provincial Public Information Office/Mac Ocampo) |
An Infomercial Contest for Batangueño college students was conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) - Batangas Provincial Office, in partnership with the Batangas Provincial Government and Asian Vision, Inc., on November 16, 2023 at the Batangan Hall of the Provincial Capitol in Batangas City. The group of students from the First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities (FAITH) Colleges of Tanauan City won the first prize while the entries from the University of Batangas (UB) – Lipa Campus and Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) Batangas placed second and third, respectively. FAITH Colleges also won the special award for Best in Video Editing.
As part of DTI's celebration of National Consumer Welfare Month, the contest had six infomercial entries from FAITH Colleges which two of them passed through, LPU-Batangas, UB-Lipa, Batangas State University (BSU)-Lipa and Kolehiyo ng Lungsod ng Lipa (KLL). Guided by the theme "GenS: Generation Sustainable", the contest aims to promote and emphasize to the public the practice of "sustainable consumption" in order to preserve nature and the environment for everyone. DTI Batangas Provincial Director Leila Cabreros is very grateful to the provincial government, particularly Batangas Governor Hermilando "DoDo" Mandanas, for its continued support in the activities of their agency.
Prior to this, the Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office, DTI Batangas and Jollibee became partners in Project GenS: Generation Sustainable, which was launched in Lipa City on October 25, 2023, which aims to encourage Batangueño consumers to avoid or reduce the use of plastics in food from drive-thru and take-out orders in fast food stores to make it a habit to use reusable utensils when eating at fast foods restaurants and in other places outside the home, get into the habit of bringing personal equipment to avoid the use of disposable plastics, and join the practice and rejection of the use of plastic to achieve the preservation of the beauty of the environment and natural resources.
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RSG PH Rises Above As ONE eSports MPL Invitational 2023 Champions
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| RSG Philippines raising the ONE eSports MPL Invitational 2023 championship trophy (Image Source: ONE eSports) |
RSG Philippines has emerged victorious as the champion of ONE eSports MPL Invitational (MPLI) 2023. In an epic Grand Final showdown, RSG PH withstood ECHO’s surge of momentum after levelling the series 1-1, and clinched a decisive 3-1 victory over the MPL Philippines Season 11 champions. Held live at the GBK Basketball Hall in Jakarta, Indonesia on November 15-19, 2023, ONE eSports MPLI 2023 saw 16 international teams from eight regions and countries vying for the lion’s share of the US$100,00 prize pool.
This year’s competition marked many firsts including offline play and an all-new fan vote system which allowed fans to determine the seedings in the Group Stage. ONE eSports MPLI 2023 also featured NOVA eSports which marks China’s debut on the international stage in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) esports. The annual MPLI serves as a cornerstone in the evolution of MLBB as a premier eSports title. This year’s tournament brought together the world’s best teams featuring rosters from Southeast Asia, North America, the Middle East and North Africa, and China for the first time in MPLI’s four-year history.
“This year’s MPLI introduced teams from new regions and countries who shook the status quo of competitive MLBB. We would like to thank our partners, MOONTON Games, the participating teams, and most importantly, our fans, for joining us on our mission to unleash eSports heroes who ignite the world with hope, strength, dreams, and inspiration," said ONE eSports CEO Carlos Alimurung. “We are heartened by the support of the local and international fans and for the support of ONE eSports. This year’s MPLI marks a new and fresh beginning for many, and we hope to see more innovative and engaging tournament formats going forward next year," stated MOONTON Games Head of eSports Ecosystem Ray Ng.
