4 Online Shopping Sites That’ll Save You From Headaches This Christmas Season

 News
Dec 072017
 
Image Via Inquirer.net

Traffic tends to be bad during the holidays, but the current congestion in Manila is especially brutal this 2017. Drives that used to take 30 minutes take twice (even triple) the time nowdays, which makes shopping for gifts an ardous task.

There is an alternative: online shopping. And while buying stuff from the web in the comforts of your own home has existed long before 2017, there’s more secure options than ever before this 2017.

Lazada

There’s never been a better time to shop in Lazada, as the pioneering e-commerce site is currently holding their grand Christmas sale until the 12th. There’s great deals to be had on there, as the company has a excellent selection of electronics, toys and other consumer goods on offer. Best part is that you don’t need a credit card to pay for your purchases: Lazada accepts COD payments for goods bought in the site.

Zalora

Zalora is the sister company of Lazada, and primarily sells shoes, clothes and other fashion accessories. Like Lazada, Zalora has a large selection of branded goods, and will soon be conducting a sale of their own starting Dec. 12th. There’s a myriad of options available for payment and shipping as well, including COD or cash on delivery.

Amazon.com

Amazon has always been the go-to online shopping destination of the US, and a recent change to its importation and shipping policy will make it worth your while to shop in the website. Amazon no longer charges importation fees for items bought in the site under $200, which is the current de minimis amount that the Bureau of Customs will allow into the country without being taxed. Items that are fulfilled by Amazon also ships a lot faster to the Philippines, though payment is only available via Credit Card or Paypal.

Shopee

Shopee is a relatively new online shopping site in the Philippines, though it has a pretty good selection of goods on tap that’s locally based (some shops in Lazada are based overseas). Prices of items can be as low as Php 5.00, and listing items on the site are free to a point. That means there’s more mom-and-pop stores on Shopee than Lazada for specialty items, and sometimes prices (especially with shipping calculated in) can sometimes be cheaper.

Do you have any other favorite online shopping site for the holidays? Share them in the comments below!

US congressman slams Trump for ‘cozying up’ to ‘dictator’ Duterte

 Entertainment
Nov 182017
 
US congressman slams Trump for ‘cozying up’ to ‘dictator’ Duterte

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and his partner Honeylet welcome US President Donald Trump prior to the start of the gala dinner hosted by the Philippines for the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states and dialogue partners at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on November 12, 2017. (MNS photo) MANILA, Nov 14 (Mabuhay) — An American congressman on Tuesday slammed US President Donald Trump for “cozying up” to “dictator” President Rodrigo Duterte. Massachusetts Second District Representative Jim McGovern was reacting to a tweet by an American journalist saying that Trump allowed Duterte to “shut down US reporters’ questions about human rights.” Last week, Duterte threatened to ban McGovern and another US lawmaker, Republican Representative Randy, from coming to Manila after they criticized Trump for inviting the Philippine leader to visit the US. Speaking to members of the media, Duterte evaded a reporter’s question on whether he and his American counterpart would discuss human rights in their one-on-one, only saying “maybe a press conference will follow.” He also jokingly called the media “spies” as the media pool covering the start of his bilateral meeting with Trump were being ushered out of the room. Bilateral meetings are usually held behind closed doors. In his statement, Trump had boasted of a “great relationship” with the Philippine President. The two leaders first met in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Da Nang, Vietnam. Malacañang and the White House had contradicting statements on whether the two leaders discussed human Read More …

Why Is There No July 12 Philippine National Sovereignty Day Celebration?

 News
Jul 202017
 

President Rodrigo Duterte won the most votes among US overseas Filipino voters in the May 2016 elections partly due to his strong showing in The Filipino Channel (TFC) special town hall forum on the Philippine elections held on May 1, 2016 and presented to a TV audience of 250,000 cable subscribers. At this town hall forum, representatives from all the presidential candidates passionately presented their candidates’ views on a variety of topics and were cheered on by their supporters dressed festively in the political colors of their candidates …

Marawi unlikely to become IS fighters’ new hub – Palace

 Entertainment
Jun 242017
 
Marawi unlikely to become IS fighters’ new hub – Palace

City Of Marawi MANILA, June 20 – Malacañang on Tuesday said Marawi City is unlikely to turn into a new hub for extremist fighters from Southeast Asia as it downplayed concerns raised by several American lawmakers due to presence of foreign militants in the area. At a Palace briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) had been able to thwart the ISIS-inspired Maute group from taking over the whole of Marawi and making it as base for Islamic State operations. “At this stage, we’ll have to take the position that it’s unlikely for Marawi to become a new hub for IS fighters. The Philippine military has already preempted the Maute group from establishing a wilayat or a province in Marawi,” Abella said. The Palace official issued the statement after some US lawmakers expressed their belief that the US should take a bigger role in the Marawi operations to prevent the spread of the extremist group’s reach in the region. At present, the role of the US in the month-old crisis is limited to providing aerial surveillance and Malacañang wants it to stay that way. “The role of the US is to provide technical assistance as prescribed by the Constitution and we will abide by that. Let’s go by what is already present, technical assistance,” Abella said. He also downplayed suggestions that Philippine-US cooperation against extremist forces in Marawi was indicative of an improving relationship. “It’s always existing like that. Gen. Padilla has expressed that Read More …

Vogue says Filipino Food next great American Cuisine

 News
Jun 092017
 
Vogue says Filipino Food next great American Cuisine

Vogue magazine has published an article declaring “How Filipino Food Is Becoming the Next Great American Cuisine.” Noodles at LASA [by Claudia Mc Nelly via Vogue] Vogue’s Claudia McNeilly wrote about the journey of how finding a “treasured dish of the Philippines” does not end with a single entrée because of the many flavors of Filipino food. The American fashion and lifestyle magazine referred to Filipino food as the original fusion cuisine that is an “intricate pattern of Spanish, Western, Chinese, Japanese, and Pacific Islander flavors that serve as living proof of the country’s rich cultural history.” The article started off its listing of iconic Filipino dishes with the Spanish-influenced chicken pork adobo which was recently given a spotlight on “Good Morning America” when celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay said he preferred the Filipino-style adobo burger prepared in a show cook- off.  Kare-kare was next cited for its Indian heritage. The Pinoy comfort food Spamsilog and Spam sandwich were also on the list and traced to the American influence in the country during World War II. “The palate of Filipino food is entirely its own, relying on acids and sweetness perhaps more than any other cuisine,” according to the article which pointed out the lechon roast pig, pork longganisa, and even the world renowned Filipino food chain’s Jollibee-style spaghetti. “It’s here that flavors don’t blend together so much as sit atop one another, lifting each up into an addictive symphony of tangy, salty, and sweet,” McNeilly added. To prove the trend, Read More …

PEZA takes in over $4.5-billion US, Mideast investment pledges

 Economy
Apr 052017
 

THE AGENCY in charge of economic zones bagged more than $4 billion investment pledges from the US and Middle East, following its “aggressive” investor roadshows conducted during the first quarter. Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Director-General Charito B. Plaza told reporters on Tuesday evening that a US-based oil and gas refinery company, OS Petro, pledged to invest a total of $4 billion in 10 onshore blocks for oil and gas exploration, following her visit to the country last week.

Is Senator Alan Peter Cayetano a Philippine Citizen?

 News
Mar 282017
 

The names of singer Tina Turner, actor Jet Li and Philippine Senator Alan Peter Cayetano are all included in a Wikipedia list of distinguished former United States citizens who relinquished their nationality and whose relinquishment is memorialized in the official “Federal Register” of distinguished former US citizens …

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