The PR & Events Circuit

After months of waiting and preparing, Laboracay 2016 is finally here! But while you dive into all the fun and excitement that the season brings, remember that the best partygoers of Boracay are those who know how to properly dispose and clean up after their own trashes, because amidst all the hoopla under the sun, they care most for the pristine island.  Spearheading the turnover ceremony of the trash bins to the local government of Boracay Island were (L-R) Saki Mirabueno, VP for sales and marketing for Boracay Newcoast, GERI; Glenn Sacapaño, Boracay Island officer; Tresha Lyn Lozanes, senior environmental management specialist of Boracay Island; and Harold Geronimo, AVP and head of PR and Communications, Megaworld. Megaworld, through its subsidiary Global-Estate Resorts, Inc. (GERI), invites locals and tourists during the Laboracay 2016 weekend to join a coastal clean-up after the weekend's various parties and events.  "Boracay Island has seen the benefits of exc

In celebration of SM Supermall’s 30th Anniversary, SM City Iloilo presents Fashion Nomads: Travel in Style on April 30, 2016, 5pm at The Northwing of SM City Iloilo.  Collections from The SM Store, Forme, Penshoppe, Folded and Hung, Mags, SM Accessories, Dickies, Plains and Prints, Columbia, Kamiseta and Memo are featured in the show. The featured brands will showcase travel fashion suggestions that will not only give you convenience but to let you travel in style. Thrity of Iloilo’s young and brightest personalities will be featured in this coming out fashion show.

"Your Everyday Mall” CityMall opened its 6th mall with a grand celebration in Kalibo, Aklan last April 25, 2016.  Edgar "Injap" Sia II (3rd from right), Chairman and CEO, DoubleDragon Properties led the opening of the 6th CityMall in Kalibo, Aklan Home to the "Mother of all Festivals" Ati-atihan, the municipality of Kalibo almost stood still as thousands gathered to witness the opening of the new shopping center. Kapamilya stars Rayver Cruz and Arci Muñoz add glitter to the already colorful event in Kalibo!

Simply Shoes , an affiliate of SM Retail just opened it's 13th branch at the newly opened CityMall Kalibo .  VIPS: Ribbon cutting ceremony with Ferdinand Sia, Nico Chu, Edgar "Injap" Sia, Eugene Saw and Rosauro Quialda The opening was led by Simply Shoes executives; Nico Chu - Head for Merchandising;  Eugene Saw - Business Unit Head ; and Rosauro Oquialda - Head of Operations. Also gracing the ribbon-cutting ceremony were Edgar "Injap" Sia II, Chairman and CEO, DoubleDragon Properties and Ferdinand Sia, COO, DoubleDragon Properties. (DoubleDragon Properties owns 2/3 of the CityMall Philippines while the remaining third is owned by SM Investments)

For prepaid customers, one of the basic challenges when upgrading to a postpaid plan is to change your mobile number.  Not anymore.  Globe has made another game changing service by allowing prepaid customers to use their mobile numbers even as they move to a postpaid plan - the Globe MyStarter plan.  The all-in-one budget friendly Globe myStarter plan is available at Plan 300 and Plan 500, designed for customers who are new on postpaid and wants a simple and seamless transition to postpaid. Plus, you get to keep your prepaid mobile number! “Being able to retain an existing prepaid number for a postpaid plan has always been a recurring inquiry among our customers who are ready to move to postpaid. As their devices become an important part of their daily life, customers prefer a seamless transition to their new plan alongside the assurance and convenience of a fixed monthly bill that is within their budget. The new myStarter plans provide them exactly this kind of experience,”

2Go Travel, one of the most renowned sea and land transportation companies in the Philippines, was born out of the integration of the 2 major shipping companies in the Philippines in December 2010 when Negros Navigation Inc. bought out the Aboitiz Transport Systems (ATS) group which operated the "SuperFerry" passenger brand. The rebranding of both companies used the ubiquitous "2GO" brand in 2011 across all business units, finally naming the passenger brand "2GO Travel."  Sealing the partnership are 2Go Travel Senior Vice President Stephen Tagud (2nd from right) and With Globe Enterprise Sales Vice President Dion Asencio (2nd from left). With them are MYNT AVP for Business Development Jose Luigi Reyes (leftmost) and 2Go Travel VP for Retail Sales Grace Golez (rightmost). 2GO Travel is the first shipping-passenger brand in the Philippines that completely changed the sea travel experience. With excellent customer service, upscale hotel passenger suite

He was once a child laborer. At the age of 10, Johnny Lutrago started working at the sugarcane plantation where his parents work as ‘sacada’ labourers in Toboso, Negros Occidental. Sacada refers to a laborer or planter of sugarcane, wherein most of these labourers could be found in Negros Occidental, known to be the ‘sugar capital’ or ‘sugar bowl’ of the Philippines.  Johnny is the second child among the eight siblings. Being the eldest son, he wanted to help his parents by working also at the sugar plantation so he could have baon in school.  Before going to school, he would wake up early morning so he could start filing those cut sugarcane ready to be picked up by the trucks that will carry them up to sugar central.

Rising 15 storeys high, Marriott Courtyard Hotel at the Iloilo Business Park will boast of 320 rooms and suites when it opens by the first quarter of 2017. Located beside the iconic Iloilo Convention Center in Megaworld’s 72-hectare urban township development in Mandurriao district, it was given the coveted recognition among many other hotel developments in the country. AWARD-WINNING HOTEL IN ILOILO. Megaworld senior vice president Jericho Go (left) and AVP and head of public relations and communications Harold Geronimo (right) show the two awards received by Marriott Courtyard Hotel at the prestigious 2016 Philippines Property Awards held in Makati City recently. The 15-storey first-class hotel (on background) bagged ‘Highly Commended’ awards for “Best Hotel Development” and “Best Hotel Interior Design,” among other hotel developments in the country. Receiving two ‘ Highly Commended ’ awards for Best Hotel Development and Best Hotel Interior Design at the 2016 Philippi

Additional 24 beneficiaries are looking forward to safe new homes in Sara, Iloilo as Monsanto Philippines prepares to turn over the completed housing units to GawadKalinga Community Development Foundation, Inc. (GK).This is the second phase of the Monsanto-GK housing initiative in the Municipality of Sara, where an initial 30 core shelters were completed last February 2015. The housing unitswere built to withstand strong winds of possible super typhoons in the future. The housing project is part of a community recovery program by Monsanto-Philippines and GawadKalinga for farming communities affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda and Typhoon Ruby that hit parts of Iloilo Province. The Monsanto Fund donated a total of PhP16.8 million to improve the lives of 2,200 farmers in the province. “We partnered with GawadKalinga because we were aiming for our project to have a holistic approach towards achieving our beneficiaries’ overall well-being. GawadKalingaincorporates livelihood develop

Every first in a child’s life is wonderful. Every first touch, first smile, first word and all other “first” milestones will be cherished by loved ones forever.   Capture these moments, treasure these, and make these more special by dressing-up the little ones with Babies’ Fashion Firsts from SM Babies.

Ilonggos can enjoy a break from the hustle and bustle of city life without going that far as Sheridan Boutique Resorts launches its new and exclusive "Local Residents' Rate" offering. For the unbeatable rate of PhP 2,700/night net, it includes

Globe Telecom held its Annual Stockholders Meeting, on April 13, 2016, at the Fairmont Hotel in Makati. Globe Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala (second from right) reported during the event that the company in 2015 surpassed its performance in the previous year, posting new highs in service revenues, EBITDA and net profit. The company’s remarkable performance was driven by broad-based data-driven growth across its key services, helped in part, by the consolidation of Bayan in the second half of last year, he said.  Photo above also shows (from left) Globe Director Fernando Zobel de Ayala; Globe Corporate Secretary Solomon Hermosura; and Globe President & CEO Ernest Cu. Following its impressive performance last year, the Globe board of directors approved early this year the declaration of a first quarter cash dividend of P22 per share for holders of its common shares.

THE Department of Social Wefare and Development (DSWD) Field Office VI yesterday launched a campaign to prevent elderly abuse. The program, called ReSPPEC or Reporting System and Prevention Program for Elder Abuse Cases, was launched in Lambunao, Iloilo, the only pilot area in Western Visayas. Director Thelsa Biolena of the DSWD Social Technology Bureau and regional director Rebecca Geamala  during the commitment signing “The program is titled ReSPPEC which sounds like the word respect which means paggalang. This is not only a program to encouraging reporting abuse to the elderly but also aims to prevent occurence of such,” said Director Thelsa Biolena of DSWD Social Technology Bureau in Manila.

“Feels like we’re kids all over again!,” exclaimed Chris Castillo after being a “kuya” to his adopted sibling during the For The Kids Festival: La Viva Nino- A Carnival of Wonders held one Sunday at the De La Salle University.    It was not Chris’ usual kuya role as together with 30 other Globe employees and 1,000 DLSU students and staff, they provided a fun experience for 580 special children through play, arts, crafts, and dance. Patrick Omar Erestain of Globe Corporate Social Responsibility joins the kids in a simple modern dance exercise For the Kids (FTK) is a mini Olympics for children from different schools, institutions, and centers around Metro Manila who have physical, emotional, and mental difficulties and challenges.  It is an annual activity being conducted by DLSU Center for Social Concern and Action (DLSU-COSCA)for the past 27 years and is a big part of the La Sallian tradition of serving kids with special needs.

Alliance Global Group, Inc. (AGI) generated a net income of P21.6 billion last year, reflecting a 3.5% increase over 2014, on a recurring basis. This record-breaking income was achieved on consolidated revenues of P139 billion, also a record level for the Andrew Tan-led conglomerate, which is engaged in property development, food and beverage manufacture and distribution, quick-service restaurants and integrated tourism development businesses. Revenue growth was around 11%.  “Our performance remains strong amid challenges that we face. It’s actually an opportunity for us to thrive even more. We simply focus on what we do best and we are very passionate about what we do best,” said Kingson U. Sian, president and chief operating officer, AGI. 

The country is alive with social conversations and movements as the May 9 national and local elections near. Conversations and movements online are stronger than ever during this year’s electionseason. Social media platforms have become the conversation space of choice for many Filipinos. In recent news releases, Facebook reports that a “total of 12 million people around the world participated in conversations about the Philippine elections from November 20, 2015 to March 8, 2016, resulting in more than 81 million interactions.”  Notably, out of 49 million Facebook users in the country, “20 percent are actively engaged and are sharing their opinions on key election issues.”  While conversations are alive online, offline movements have likewise taken off. This time, there are strong volunteer movements all over the country, with volunteers having taken an active role in campaigning for their chosen candidates. 

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in partnership with GCash mobile money service, is set to re-launch the first electronic filing and payment system in the country on Apr 12, 2016. Together with the USAID Facilitating Public Investment Project and the USAID E-PESO Activity,these computerization and digitization reform measures aim to improve tax collection and administration, curb corruption, and strengthen business climate in the country. ONLINE TAX FILING. From left to right Randolph Montesa, First VP, Land Bank of the Philippines; Albert Tinio, CEO, GXchange, Inc.; Bill Gardner, Chief of Party, USAID Facilitating Public Investment Project; Nelson Aspe, Deputy Commissioner for Operations, Bureau of Internal Revenue; Lilia Guillermo, Deputy Commissioner for Information Systems, Bureau of Internal Revenue; Cecilia King, Deputy Commissioner for Resource Management, Bureau of Internal Revenue; and Estela Sales, Deputy Commissioner for Legal, Bureau of Internal Revenue  “ Sa p

Megaworld’s subsidiary, Global-Estate Resorts, Inc. (GERI), the country’s biggest developer of integrated leisure and tourism townships, posted a net income of P667-million (net of P181-million non-recurring gain) for 2015, a 39% increase from P479-million (net of P377-million non-recurring gain) in 2014. Santa Barbara Heights in Iloilo Excluding non-recurring gains, GERI’s consolidated revenues in 2015 amounted to P5.21-billion, 75% up from P2.98-billion the previous year. The company’s remarkable growth was spurred by its residential business, which contributes around 80% of consolidated revenues. 

Exciting times are ahead for the Philippine mobile industry as Globe launches its most revolutionary postpaid plan yet. A groundbreaking offer in mobile, the new Globe myLifestyle No Lock-Up plan lets one surf and stream with almost double the data allocation along with unlimited texts to all networks. Unlike regular postpaid plans, it no longer has a 24-month lock-up, and its bigger data allocation and free content lets one stay connected for a richer digital experience. With more affordable smartphones making a debut in the market, the Globe myLifestyle No Lock-up plan also lets customers use the device of their choice, without being limited to any device offer. The application process is also made easier, by just presenting one valid ID.       

Globe Business, the enterprise information and communications technology (ICT) arm of Globe Telecom, has led the digital transformation of the country’s top enterprises in 2015 following the strong performance of its enterprise data and broadband segments. Full-year enterprise revenues in 2015 have grown by 12% versus previous year, while EBITDA increased by 15.7%, primarily driven by the growth in data business at 18%. Various IT-enabled enterprise services have also seen strong take-up such as Enterprise Infrastructure-as-a-service (IAAS) with revenues growing by 190%, Managed Security Services with revenue growth of 2233%, and Business Applications growing by 428%.

The Province of Iloilo will  hold the 3rd “Dalagan sa Kaadlawan 3” at SM City Iloilo on April 16, 2016. This is in connection with the activities for the celebration of the  115th Semana sang Iloilo. The fun run will start at 530AM and end at the front covered walk of SM City Iloilo. The Iloilo Provincial Government, through the Provincial Community and Media Affairs Office, have donated the proceeds of previous year’s run to the SM Cares Housing Project in Brgy. Bacjawan Sur, Concepcion, Iloilo as their contribution to the said project.

MANILA, 7 APRIL 2016 – The AirAsia Runway Ready Designer Search (AARRDS) goes regional this year with the competition expanded to include the Philippines including Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia to provide a platform for young aspiring designers from around the region to showcase their talents and help catapult them into the fashion industry. This designer search, which is being held for the second time is in collaboration with the Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week Ready to Wear (KLFW RTW) team was formally launched in March 29 by Ms Aireen Omar, Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Berhad together with Mr Andrew Tan, Founder of KLFW RTW in Kuala Lumpur.

The launch of the latest Samsung Galaxy models, S7 and S7 edge showed today’s digital generation how a smartphone can truly be part of life’s everyday adventures. Complementing the new phones is the introduction of the latest device that will open up a whole new world of entertainment - Samsung Gear VR.  Allowing one to experience a new dimension of mobile entertainment, Samsung Gear VR lets Globe Platinum customers see more inspiring moments as it comes FREE with the Platinum Lifestyle Plans.  Order your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge from Globe Platinum and get the latest in wearable technology A Globe Platinum exclusive offer, by visiting www.globe.com.ph/platinum-S7, customers can pre-order their new Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 edge on any of the Platinum Lifestyle Plans starting at Plan 3799 to get their free Samsung Gear VR. Redefining what a phone can do, the Gear VR changes content is enjoyed and experiences are shared. It boasts a super AMOLED display, wide field of view, preci

Megaworld, the country’s largest developer of integrated urban townships and the biggest lessor of office spaces,has breached the P10-billion mark in net core income for 2015. The company’s core profitreached P10.40-billion (net of P181-million non-recurring gain from P10.58-billion), up 10.58%from last year’s P9.40-billion (net of P12.16-billion non-recurring gain).  Property giant’s rental income in all-time high, up by 23.46% to P8.73-B “We already have a strong roster of townships across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao that are backed by adequate landbanking and carefully-thought masterplans. We have already mastered the art of township development. What we want to put focus on now is how to further grow our rental portfolio, which is integral to being a township developer. Malls and offices are key components of an urban township,“says Francis Canuto, chief finance officer, Megaworld. 

Emperador Inc., the world's largest brandy company, reported a net income of PHP7 billion on revenues of PHP43.6 billion last year, inclusive of foreign operations. The company made the highest quarterly net income in the fourth quarter of 2015, amounting to PHP2.26 billion, showing a 38% year-on-year increase versus the fourth quarter of 2014 and as much as 56% quarter-on-quarter increase against the third quarter of 2015. Emperador chairman Dr. Andrew L. Tan said, “The fourth quarter of 2015 also marked a significant milestone in Emperador’s history as an agreement with Beam Suntory Inc was reached to buy Fundador – Philippines’ best-selling premium brandy and an iconic brand for more than 150 years. The purchase also included other Spanish assets like Terry Centenario, Spain’s number one selling brandy; Tres Cepas, the number one brandy in Equatorial Guinea; and Harveys, the number one selling sherry wine in the United Kingdom. The turnover of the Spanish assets recently

The best of the Island Province of Guimaras will be showcased at the Mango Festival of SM City Iloilo! The world famous sweetest mangoes will be the highlight of the festival which will run on April 4-10, 2016. The opening program of the sweetest gastronomic event of the year will take place 4pm at the Event Center on April 4. 

Five years after its successful network modernization program that saw mobile data exploding in the Philippines, Globe Telecom embarks on another nationwide infrastructure program that would enhance the country's Internet experience within homes and across businesses.   Filipinos to experience better Internet in 2M homes by 2020 Globe announced that the bulk of the $750 million capex this year would be allotted to deploy fiber optic cables in 20,000 barangays all over the country to provide faster and more reliable Internet access in about 2 million homes nationwide. The infrastructure build is expected to take 5 years and will extend network coverage to more areas that currently have no connection or spotty service.