Pinoy bakery renews trip to PHL prize contest By Abner Galino

 Entertainment
Dec 022017
 

Guests to the launching of the 2017-2018 Leelin’s VIP Rewards Loyalty Sweepstakes raise the thumbs up sign as they are led by “Momsy” Leelin (seated 7th from left). With her is her son and Leelin Bakery and Café founder Menard (seated 6th from left) and her grandson Michael (seated 5th from left). On her right is Philippine Air Lines (PAL) LAX area manager Michelle Narvaez. Also present are Cerritos Councilor Frank Yokoyama (seated 4th from left), host Thelma Sugay (standing 1st from left), singer Jaime Bacani (standing 3rd from left) and former wrestler Brittany Fetkin (standing 5th from left).

A customer loyalty rewards contest that offers free round-trip tickets to the Philippines and as well as a culinary tour has been recently re-launched by Leelin Bakery and Café, in cooperation with the Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) in Los Angeles and the Philippine Air Lines (PAL), during a modest ceremony in Cerritos last November 15.

Last year, a Filipino American who works at the Superior Court won the grand prize. Unfortunately, the winner was not around to tell his story. But Cerritos City Councilor Frank Aurelio Yokoyama, who won year long free meals in the 2016-2017 Leelin VIP Rewards Sweepstakes, was around to attest to the joy of such a reward.

I was so lucky to win Leelin Bakery and Café for a year, I was so sad when the year ended,” Yokoyama jested at the end of his short speech.

PDOT director Richmond Jimenez and Philippine Airlines (PAL) LAX area manager Michelle Narvaez graced the affair

“Since 2008, we’ve been so blessed that we’ve been partners with the Department of Tourism,” said Michael Leelin, chief financial officer of the firm and a third-generation Leelin.

Michael said the partnership with the Philippine tourism department has been a manifestation of the company’s desire to promote Filipino culture and heritage.

The launch was jointly hosted by Filipino American anchorwoman Thelma Sugay and former Japanese American professional wrestler Brittany Fetkin.

Entertainment was amply provided by local karaoke host and singer Jaime Bacani.

For his part, tourism director Jimenez disclosed that four million people have already visited the Philippines during the past eight months.

“We are expecting more visitors to come as the holiday season comes in,” Jimenez added.

Visitors to the launch were served with pancit, lumpiang shanghai, sisig na bangus, and dinuguan topped with crispy lechon.

One need not buy anything to become a VIP Rewards member. Interested customers only need to sign up for it in any Leelin Bakery and Café stores.

PHL gov’t partners with Facebook to offer faster internet

 News
Nov 292017
 

The Philippine government is partnering with Facebook to provide faster internet via the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure (LBI) project, effectively making it a third major player in the telecoms industry. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) signed an agreement with EDGE a.k.a. Facebook to build and operate submarine cable landing stations in Luzon, the first not to be owned by either of the other two major telecoms players in the country. Read Related Story: PH developers, startups offered on Internet.org by Facebook The Luzon project will pave the way to building an ultra high-speed Internet backbone for the entire country by the third quarter of 2019 where Internet speed can go up to 100 Mbps. BCDA will build the LBI made up of two cable landing stations that are connected by a 250-kilometer long cable network corridor, one in Baler Aurora and another in Poro Point, San Fernando, La Union. Facebook will construct and operate a submarine cable system that will land in the cable stations on the east and west coasts of Luzon. This cable link will provide direct access from the Luzon grid to Internet hubs in the United States and Asia. Read Related Story: PH wireless internet speed & access improves according to global report Facebook will also provide the Philippine government with a bandwidth of at least 2 million Mbps (or 2 Tbps) which is more than the present capacity of either Globe or PLDT, according to DICT Read More …

Krizziah Tabora is Bowling World Cup Champ, ending PHL’s 14 year title drought

 News
Nov 142017
 

The Philippines’ has a new Bowling World Cup champion! Krizziah Lyn Tabora beat Malaysia’s Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman, 232-196, in the stepladder finals as she was crowned the 53rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup (BWC) Champion in the women’s division in Hermosillo, Mexico. Tabora’s ends a 14 year title drought for the country in this prestigious bowling extravaganza. She is the 5th Filipino to win a BWC title after Christian Suarez in 2003 and the 3rd Filipina after Lita dela Rosa in 1978 and Olivia “Bong Coo” Garcia in 1979. Philippine legend Paeng Nepomuceno still holds the record of a Filipino with the most titles in the BWC, as he won in 1976, 1980, 1992 and 1996. Tabora, ranked 28th in Asia (2016), bested the Malaysian to clinch her first international singles championship. She entered the qualification round ranked 8th, but rose to 3rd place to advance to the semi-final round with a total of 6,897 pinfalls after 40 games. Tabora defeated Colombia’s Rocio Restrepo, 249-222, while Siti pulled off an upset win over the BWC’s defending champion Jenny Wegner of Sweden, 227-197. This set up the finals between the 3rd and 4th seed of the competition. The post Krizziah Tabora is Bowling World Cup Champ, ending PHL’s 14 year title drought appeared first on Good News Pilipinas.

PHL hosts 1st Asian Obstacle Course Race Championships in January

 News
Nov 072017
 

The first Asian Obstacle Course Race Championships will be hosted by the Philippines in 2018. The racing championships will be held on January 27, 2018 at the Aseana City, along J.W. Diokno Blvd. between Aseana and Bradco Avenues, Paranaque City. Pilipinas Obstacle Sports Federation (POSF), organizers of the regional meet, announced there will be two categories for Obstacle Course Racers (OCRacers), the Elite/ Pro and Age-Groups/ Open with a total of $4,500 in prizes at stake. POSF revealed in the event launch that the footrace will involve climbing ropes and over walls, carrying heavy objects, traversing bodies of water, crawling under barbed wire and jumping through fire, among others. The organizers caution would be participants that obstacle racing require physically and mentally tough individuals who want to exceed their limits. POSF President Alberto C. Agra called on OCRacers to prepare well for the championships. “Training is very important. We want racers to be fully prepared because the obstacle courses are really difficult. The satisfaction and fulfillment of finishing the race bring pride to the athlete. It’s very sentimental,” Agra said in a Philippine Star report. Invitations have been sent to more than 1,500 racing enthusiasts from Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines. The country’s hosting duties led by POSF has been sanctioned by the International Obstacle Sports Federation (OSF) and Obstacle Sports Federation Asia (OSF Asia). To participate, get the full details here. The post PHL hosts 1st Asian Obstacle Read More …

World Bank commends PHL’s model for migrant labor support

 News
Nov 052017
 
World Bank commends PHL’s model for migrant labor support

The Philippines was commended for its migrant labor support system in a World Bank (WB) report issued in October. The WB report, “Migrating to Opportunity: Overcoming Barriers to Labor Mobility in Southeast Asia,” commended the Philippines as a country that can serve as a good example to the region in helping boost labor mobility because of its migrant labor support. The “highly-developed support system for migrant labor in the Philippines can serve as a model for other countries,” stated the WB report which highlighted ASEAN countries’ contributions in promoting workers’ welfare and deepening of economic integration. Read Related Story: PH anti-poverty program praised by World Bank The Philippines is a good example of a migration system with clearly defined institutional responsibilities. In the Philippines, several migrant-focused agencies are housed mostly within the Department of Labor and Employment. Their roles and responsibilities are well defined, with the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency responsible mainly for managing migration and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration responsible mainly for protecting migrants. The Philippines provides a listing of job opportunities available abroad through the job advertising site JobStreet.com and offers an orientation program to workers who are contemplating migration. The Pre-Employment Orientation Seminar (PEOS) includes modules on working overseas, job search, illegal recruitment, allowable fees and the essential provisions of the employment contract, and country-specific information. The PEOS is mandatory for potential migrants, but can be completed online at no cost. “With the right policy choices, sending countries can reap the economic benefits of out-migration while Read More …

EcoWaste praises PHL for reducing harmful lead-containing paints

 News
Nov 042017
 
EcoWaste praises PHL for reducing harmful lead-containing paints

The Philippines has significantly decreased the availability of decorative solvent-based paints for home use containing lead which have proven to be hazardous especially to children’s health, signaling positive action from government, manufacturers, and civil society. The EcoWaste Coalition reported the decline in lead-containing decorative paints sold in hardware and paint stores as shown in the latest study it conducted in collaboration with IPEN (a global NGO network promoting safe chemicals policies and practices). The study evaluated the results of the government’s three-year phase-out program of solvent-based paints for ADH uses with high concentrations of lead which ended in December 2016. Read Related Story: Gina Lopez bags Int’l prize for championing islands ecosystems The EcoWaste and IPEN report credits the Chemical Control Order CCO for Lead and Lead Compounds issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in 2013 and the complementary efforts by the government, industry and civil society to push for compliance provided the impetus for most paint manufacturers to shift to non-lead raw materials and meet the deadline. Comparing the three studies undertaken by the EcoWaste Coalition and IPEN in 2013, 2015 and 2017, data show a significant decrease in the percentage of paints with lead levels above the regulatory limit of 90 parts per million (ppm) from 61 percent in 2013, 69 percent in 2015, to 24 percent in 2017. The percentage of paints with dangerously high lead levels equal to or greater than 10,000 ppm also dropped from 39 percent in 2013, 45 percent in Read More …

PHL and Japan to design Mega Manila Subway

 News
Aug 252017
 
PHL and Japan to design Mega Manila Subway

The Philippines and Japan are set to start designing an underground mass transportation system to connect major business districts and government centers in the National Capital Region. Mega Manila Subway [via Build] Dubbed the Mega Manila Subway, the 25-kilometer underground transport is expected to serve around 370,000 passengers per day in its opening year, according to the DOTr information. Estimated to cost at Php 227 billion, the subway design will begin in November, announced Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia in a press conference. "The subway I think is going to be the project of the century for the Philippines. Designing of that will be in November when Prime Minister Abe will come for the ASEAN Summit," Secretary Pernia said. The contract signing between the two governments is expected to happen when Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrives in the Philippines for the ASEAN ministers meeting in November. The subway project began in 2015 under then President Benigno Aquino III, as the Mass Transit System Loop or the Light Rail Transit Line 5. The Mega Manila Subway project study was conducted with a grant from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).   The post PHL and Japan to design Mega Manila Subway appeared first on Good News Pilipinas. Related posts: Japan’s Sogo Sosha to invest almost P 200B in PH economy Japan Cruise Lines to boost cruise tourism in PHL Japan’s Nomura upgrades PHL economic growth Filipina figure skaters win 12 gold, 6 silver in Japan

PHL economy growth pace quickens to 6.5% in the 2nd qtr

 News
Aug 202017
 
PHL economy growth pace quickens to 6.5% in the 2nd qtr

The Philippine economy grew at a sizzling pace in the second quarter, topping expectations due to a government-led construction boom and an extended rebound in the farm sector. Construction of new buildings [by Romeo Ranoco (REUTERS) via Daily News] The Southeast Asian nation is the second-fastest growing economy in Asia after China. Gross domestic product rose 6.5 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier, the national statistics agency said, picking up from the 6.4 percent pace in the first quarter, and above the 6.2 percent forecast in a Reuters poll. Quarter-on-quarter growth at 1.7 percent also topped the 1.6 percent pace projected in a Reuters poll, and faster than the previous quarter’s upwardly revised 1.3 percent. Like its regional neighbors, the Philippines has benefited from an improvement in global demand, with exports up nearly 14 percent in the six months to June. Household consumption grew at slightly faster annual pace of 5.9 percent in the second quarter compared with 5.8 percent in the first, while government spending jumped 7.1 percent in a dramatic rise from the revised 0.1 percent gain in the March quarter. “The sequential increase implies that the economy is gaining momentum,” said ANZ economist Eugenia Fabon Victorino in a note to clients.   The post PHL economy growth pace quickens to 6.5% in the 2nd qtr appeared first on Good News Pilipinas. Related posts: PHL is Asia’s fastest growing economy in 1st Qtr 2016 Philippine economy grew faster than China in 2016 Japan’s Nomura upgrades Read More …

PHL wins 1st Pony Girls Softball World Series

 News
Aug 062017
 
PHL wins 1st Pony Girls Softball World Series

Team Manila-Philippines has won the 2017 Pony International 18-U Girls Softball World Series held in California, the first Pony championship title for the country and for Asia. Team Manila Softball [via Facebook] Team Manila-Philippines dominated the 18U Pony International Softball series against 2016 defending champion Central Helmet Xplozion, winning 7-1. The World Series crown brought home by Team Manila-Philippines is the first for the country and for Asia in the Pony World Series, declared Pony Philippines founder Rodolfo Tingzon Sr. in a report by Arsenic Lacson. Sixteen-year- old pitcher Alma Tauli of Bulacan gave a command performance with five strike outs and six no-run innings that set back the defending champions. The Big City Softbelles’ centerfielder Christine Bautista and designated player Shaina Camacho completed a two-run hit play at the top of the first inning. Eighteen-year- old veteran Nichole Pasadas of Adamson gave the team its 3rd homerun at the top of the second inning. A 3-run hit play by right fielder Krisha Cantor completed by Bautista, Camacho and 3rd baseman Madaelene Dumaog gave the girls team a commanding 6-0 lead in the fourth inning. Team Manila–Philippines’ short stop Nichole Padasa [by Norman Macasaet via Facebook] Tauli led the Manila team in dousing the comeback of the defending champions, finally wrapping up the series with the title. “The girls deserve the win because we were able to keep our composure and were not intimidated by the defending champions so our errors were limited,” said head coach Ana Santiago in the Read More …

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