Why You Need to Do Online Shopping this Christmas Season in the Philippines

 News
Nov 282017
 

Online Shopping is so underrated in the Philippines. A lot of us still prefer to go to the mall to buy what we want and need but we’re missing out when we don’t consider just shopping online. Here are the top 5 reasons why you should just focus on buying stuff from your smartphone or laptop this Holiday season versus making that trip to the mall.

1. Ang Sagwa ng Traffic mga Besh

The most obvious reason is that you get to save yourself from the horrendous Christmas traffic. We all know that EDSA comes to a gruesome halt starting the Ber months because of the volume of cars that hit the road, especially the ones going to malls. You can save yourself the stress by just buying online.

2. Lots of Promos and Sales Exclusively Online

There are more sales online than there are in physical stores. Lazada recently did a bunch of massive sales in November and the deals were ridiculously good, especially for electronics. Those are prices you don’t see in physical retail.

They’re gearing up for another massive sale on December 12. Make sure you remember that date and make it a point to visit online stores on that day to see deals that you can take advantage of.

3. You can do COD even for International Items

LAZADA, through their new investor and owner Alibaba, recently made the entire Alibaba Taobao collection available on their site. This is a fantastic range of affordable China-made products that you can buy for your home. The great news is that you don’t even need a credit card for International transactions on Lazada. They can do Cash on Delivery even for items from this collection!

4. You can buy from Amazon US and Ship it to the PH

Here’s one thing a lot of Pinoys don’t know. You can do a lot of your online shopping in the US via Amazon and have it shipped to a US address via LBC’s Shipping Cart service. You then pay LBC to have those items shipped directly to your doorstep in the Philippines. Check them out. I’m a huge fan of their service.

5. There are a lot of Good Online Pinoy Businesses

And last, but definitely not the least, is the rise of Pinoy Online Businesses. More and more Pinoy entreps are bringing excellent locally made or designed products online. Let’s support local by buying from our own.

And that’s it! 5 reasons why you should be shopping online and not just at retail stores this December.

Free Wi-Fi on 24-km stretch of EDSA now available

 News
Jun 142017
 
Free Wi-Fi on 24-km stretch of EDSA now available

High-speed Wi-Fi Internet for commuters plying the EDSA highway in Metro Manila has been made accessible to the public beginning June 12, Philippine Independence Day. The “EDSA Wi-Fi” project is available at street level throughout the whole 24-kilometer stretch of the major highway, including all 13 stations of the MRT Line 3, from Taft Avenue in Pasay City to North Avenue in Quezon City. Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Rodolfo A. Salalima in a media release said the public EDSA Wi-Fi offering is a “gift to the people of this free nation” on the occasion of the Philippine Independence Day. According to Secretary Salalima, this follows through President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to provide free Internet access in public places nationwide. “We work to give Filipinos access to the information and technology that they need in their daily lives. EDSA Wi-Fi will benefit the hundreds of thousands of commuters along EDSA daily.” To ensure the availability and resilience of the free public Wi-Fi service, the DICT has tapped the facilities of the country’s largest Internet service providers Globe Telecom and PLDT, Inc. Both operators have been working with the local government and public works units of Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Makati, Manila, Pasay City, as well as the MRT administration and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), to complete installation of the public Wi-Fi service. With each service provider working on different schemes and access points for this free public Wi-Fi offering, Secretary Salalima highlighted that commuters will have Read More …

Palace: Aquino not insensitive, to spend EDSA anniv in calamity-hit areas

 Entertainment
Feb 212014
 
Palace: Aquino not insensitive, to spend EDSA anniv in calamity-hit areas

President Benigno S. Aquino III tours and inspects the facilities of the Estero de San Miguel Micro Medium-Rise Building (mMRB) Model Unit at the Claro M. Recto High School in Barangay 412, Zone 42, Legarda Street, Sampaloc, Manila City on Wednesday (February 19, 2014). The Estero de San Miguel Project is in line with the program goal of providing safe, affordable, decent and humane relocation in accordance with the Relocation Action Plan (RAP) through the People’s Plan mechanism and process for on-site, near-city relocation of affected ISFs in accordance with People’s Plan that contains shelter solutions and finance scheme development, validated and accepted by the ISFs themselves. The MRB model unit started construction in November 2013 and was completed in January 2014.(MNS photo) MANILA, Feb 20 (Mabuhay) – A Malacañang spokesperson on Thursday downplayed a reported disconnect between typhoon victims and President Benigno Aquino III, saying the President will even spend the anniversary of the 1986 People Power Revolution in calamity-hit areas. “Is there a disconnect? I don’t think so. I think the actions of the President have shown that he is anything but insensitive,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said during a press conference. Lacierda’s remark came a day after Aquino thumbed down the demand of some Yolanda survivors for the government to grant their families P40,000 each, saying it will not solve their problem in the long run. Lacierda, however, said the “resolve to help and assist the people on the affected areas remains to be strong.” In fact, Read More …

GET to launch e-shuttle route along EDSA

 Economy
Oct 122013
 
GET to launch e-shuttle route along EDSA

MANILA, Philippines – Global Electric Transportation Ltd. (GET) is aiming to deploy 50 units of its fully electric city shuttle, dubbed the City Optimized Managed Electric Transport (Comet), by 2014, its top official said. The initial routes will ply from SM North EDSA to SM Megamall, said GET chief executive officer Kenneth Montler. “GET was formed by a group within the US and the Philippines. The Philippines is a great place to showcase what we want to do because we have a city that suffers from congestion, noise and air pollution,” he said. The Comet can comfortably seat 16 passengers with a height clearance of over six feet. It also charges on a 220-volt outlet, with its charging system built into the vehicle requiring only a four-hour charge time and has a range of 80 to 100 kilometers on a full charge, GET said. The vehicle uses lithium-iron phosphate batteries that are enclosed in a watertight casing and consists of less than 300 parts instead of the usual 4,000 parts of a typical diesel-run engine, which translates to cost-efficient manufacturing and minimal maintenance, Montler also said. The Comet will apply a cashless fare system to ensure secure fare collection, so drivers can focus their eyes on the road, similar to systems implemented by transportation companies in other countries, he said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Fleet management, meanwhile, will be handled by GET’s Command Center through GPS and Vehicle Telemetry Tracking, the company said. For its Read More …

Outgoing CBCP head backs EDSA anti-pork vigil

 News
Sep 052013
 
Outgoing CBCP head backs EDSA anti-pork vigil

The head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines on Thursday expressed solidarity with participants to an upcoming prayer vigil against the pork barrel system at the EDSA Shrine on September 11. CBCP president and Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma also called on the Catholics to make Saturday, Sept. 7, a “Day of Atonement” for letting corruption the pork system offend God. “It’s about time that people manifest their own conviction. The people have already organized. Ours is an expression of solidarity,” he said. Next week’s vigil is a follow-up of sorts to the anti-pork gathering at the Luneta in Manila last Aug. 26. Participants in the Aug. 26 gathering had called for the abolition of the pork barrel system in the wake of a P10-billion scam involving ghost non-government organizations that siphoned funds from the Priority Development Assistance Fund. Contrition In a pastoral statement Palma signed, the CBCP said “God is offended” because His commandments against stealing, coveting others’ goods and bearing false witness against neighbors are violated. It added the faithful’s first response to the pork barrel issue must be not protest but contrition. “We are not just victims of a corrupt system. We have all, in one way or another, contributed to this worsening social cancer—through our indifferent silence or through our cooperation when we were benefiting from the sweet cake of graft and corruption,” it said. While Palma urged the Catholic faithful to join Pope Francis in offering prayers and sacrifices on September 7 for peace Read More …

DOH, MMDA clean, disinfect bus terminals along EDSA

 Entertainment
Jul 152013
 

MANILA  (Mabuhay) — The Department of Health-National Capital Region (DOH-NCR) and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) conducted early Friday their regular misting (space spraying), disinfecting and clean-up drive of bus terminals along EDSA. The activities started at 6:30 a.m. with simultaneous clean-up operation by the MMDA and distribution of flyers and posters on preventive […]

EDSA traffic worse today than yesterday

 Economy
Feb 252013
 
EDSA traffic worse today than yesterday

Complaints about the traffic in EDSA are increasing with the situation getting worse more today than yesterday. Over 120,000 cars were sold in 2012 (not including trucks and other vehicles) – just think of the heavy volume of vehicles added to the streets every year. It was really prudent of the government to defer the two-year EDSA rehabilitation plan unless new alternative routes are opened. Yesterday when parts of EDSA were closed for the 27th People Power celebrations, a young businessman spent four hours getting to the airport from White Plains – double the time it takes on a “normal” day. A lot of plans and proposals have been made to address the worsening traffic and the only feasible plan is to build a skyway, plus add more trains on the MRT and lessen the number of buses. Other creative solutions have been tried and tested, but none made remarkable improvements as far as traffic congestion is concerned. Reader Dr. Ron Benitez is suggesting a “brand coding scheme” in addition to the current number coding to ease up traffic – saying his proposal could help drastically reduce the estimated 400,000 vehicles plying EDSA every day. The plan is for every vehicle manufacturer to attend a “lottery” conducted by MMDA or DOTC to draw the day when their respective brands will not be allowed along EDSA. For instance, if Toyota drew Monday, then all types of Toyota-manufactured vehicles will be restricted from EDSA. MMDA or the DOTC can combine different brands Read More …

Films, music, tweets to take centerstage in 1986 EDSA revolt anniversary

 News
Feb 222013
 
Films, music, tweets to take centerstage in 1986 EDSA revolt anniversary

This year, Malacañang is taking the commemoration of the first EDSA Revolution into the digital age. Using the hashtag #EDSA27, the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) will be tweeting the events of the four-day protest to overthrow Ferdinand Marcos as if it were happening today. “The PCDSPO will be tweeting the events of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution as they happened, based on the compiled timeline of Angela Stuart Santiago,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a statement Friday. The peaceful revolt installed to power President Benigno Aquino III’s mother, the late President Corazon “Cory” Aquino, and ended the decades-long Marcos dictatorship. This year’s celebration aims to highlight the role of “other EDSA’s” or the main roads of Baguio, Iloilo, and Davao “which contributed in their own way to overthrow an oppressive regime and restore democracy,” said Valte. Valte said they plan to do this by showcasing online Kidlat Tahimik’s semi-autobiographical film “Why is Yellow the Middle of the Rainbow?” Tahimik, also known as Eric de Guia, is a multi-awarded Filipino filmmaker who received the 2012 Fukuoka Prize for arts and culture. “We are making available online a portion of his film featuring the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, and simultaneous uprisings in key landmarks of Baguio City,” she said. Additional celebrations to commemorate the People Power Revolution include the superimposition of the iconic map used by Marcos and General Fabian Ver to plan out their attack on Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo onto a Read More …

Palace: No date yet for martial law compensation bill signing

 News
Feb 022013
 
Palace: No date yet for martial law compensation bill signing

Malacañang on Saturday said there is no definite date yet for the signing of the newly ratified bill that will provide compensation to human rights violations victims during Martial Law. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that as of Saturday morning, the Palace has yet to receive the transmittal of the bill from Congress. “Wala pa… [itse-]check namin, hindi pa namin na-receive ang transmittal,” she said on government-run dzRB radio, when asked if the bill would be signed into law on Feb. 25. Feb. 25, 2013 is the 27th anniversary of the EDSA-1 People Power revolution, which ousted Marcos and installed President Benigno Aquino III’s late mother Corazon to the presidency in 1986. Some reports had said President Aquino might sign the bill into law on that date. Valte also said the Palace is still waiting for another measure, the bill for the K-to-12 basic education program, to be transmitted after its ratification. Earlier this week, both houses of Congress ratified the human rights violation victims’ compensation bill, a landmark measure that will finance claims by victims of Martial Law. Under the measure, a P10-billion fund plus interest is to be appropriated to the claimants. The fund will be sourced mainly from funds transferred to the government by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court and held in escrow. On the other hand, both houses of Congress also ratified the K-to-12 Basic Education Reform program. — LBG, GMA News