Talk2 launches Balik-Bayan, Balik-Saya Promo, aims to give a grand homecoming to OFWs this Christmas season

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Christmas is the longest holiday in the Philippines - beginning in September and stretching until January of the next year. But the Filipinos’ fascination with Christmas does not start and end on the delicious smell of puto bungbong on simbang gabi, or the piles of gifts sitting under the Christmas tree. To many Filipino families, this season signifies the homecoming of their loved ones working in other parts of the world.

The promise of a grand homecoming this Christmas awaits our hardworking kababayans abroad as Talk2, a communication app developed by Voyager Innovations, launches its Balik-Bayan, Balik-Saya promo.

From September to December 14, 2017, OFWs and their loved ones back home can get a chance to win the ultimate pamasko from Talk2 - a BalikBayan travel package within the country, or a flashy, new iPhone 7 unit.

To join the promo, the OFW must download the Talk2 app, register by texting JOIN <space>Complete Name/Gender/Age/Complete Address to 82552 using the Talk2 app, and wait for the raffle confirmation from the said mobile number.

“We are delighted to offer this Christmas gift to our users all over the world. This is, of course, Talk2’s way of showing appreciation for the hard work and contributions of our modern day heroes to their families, and the entire country. With this, we hope more family members and friends would encourage their OFW loved ones to join this promo and get a chance to win these exciting prizes.” Heidi Garayblas, Head of Integrated Marketing and Communications at hatch, the digital customer engagement arm of Voyager.

Talk2 is one of the many digital and mobile platforms being offered by hatch to millions of Filipino users nationwide. It is an app that allows Filipinos to communicate with their loved ones working abroad at local rates.

By downloading the app and purchasing at least one Talk2 call/text package, the user residing abroad automatically gets a Philippine mobile number so that their friends and family back home can call and text them as if they never left. This means that their loved ones in the Philippines do not need to own a smartphone or connect to the internet in order to reach them, and OFWs can easily contact them at the most affordable rates.

More than just providing an affordable, reliable, and convenient means of communication to its users, Talk2 is all about bridging the distance between our hardworking kababayans abroad and their loved ones in the Philippines - giving them the “Kwentuhang Parang Nasa Pinas Lang” experience.

In fact, Talk2 has enabled closer connections and digital experiences among over a million families in the Philippines and their loved ones abroad.

Android users can easily download Talk2 from the Google Play Store, while iOS users can download the app from the App store. Upon downloading the app, all users need to do is sign-up using their mobile number to use Talk2.

Talk2 is one of the many digital products fuelled by Voyager Innovations. Voyager seeks to develop the products that will accelerate the digital transformation of Filipino consumers and enterprises. Key to this transformation is the communication space, which Talk2 is seeking to redefine.

Download the Talk2 app now at http://htch.ph/talk2android for Android and http://htch.ph/talk2ios for iOS.

Google Philippines crowdsourced “Miss Ko Na” OFW song first 360-degree video

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Tapsilog, Halo-halo and noche buena, among the things overseas Pinoys miss

Google Philippines recently launched  its crowdsourced song entitled “Miss Ko Na” for OFWs. Also, the music video of the song is the first 360-degree video in the Philippines.

Together with 5 well known bands and musicians, Google released the “Miss Ko Na” song featuring crowdsourced lyrics from Filipinos here and abroad. Sponge Cola, ItchyWorms and Kjwan, along with vocalist Ebe Dancel, and YouTube star Mikey Bustos worked together to put melody and structure to the answers to Google’s question “Anong namimiss mo sa Pilipinas?” (“What do you miss most in the Philippines?”) Google asked for submissions from OFWs using Google Forms and on their social media accounts using the hashtag #GoogleMissKoNa, which were then used as lyrics to the song.

The “Miss Ko Na” music video is also the first 360-degree YouTube video in the Philippines, which viewers on Chrome browser can tap on and drag to see different perspectives of the video. Viewers on Android phones using the YouTube App can simply move their phones to watch the video from different angles. 

The video found on https://youtu.be/gD8RPX3NoQs can also be saved on the YouTube Offline playlist for viewing within 48-hours without an internet connection. 

“The submissions of our kababayans were very inspiring and made it easy for us to come up with a song that speaks of their longing for home. “Miss Ko Na” is not only about the story of OFWs; it is also a story about sacrifice and selfless love that Filipinos are known for,” shares Kelley Mangahas of Kjwan.

The song captures famous Filipino traditions such as celebrating noche buena with family, going to fiestas with friends, playing basketball with relatives, and eating with bare hands, among others. It also showcased Filipino food that OFWs crave for such as halo-halo and tapsilog.

Yael Yuzon of Sponge Cola said “It’s a simple catchy song that captures the Filipino spirit. It reflects how we celebrate the good and we pummel through the bad with a smile and a positive outlook.” 

“We are very thankful for the participation of our kababayans in this initiative. To show our gratitude, Google and the collaborators donated a peso for every submission we got, and the overwhelming replies from Pinoys allowed us to donate Php 1 million to the Blas Ople Policy Center & Training Institute. This will be used to build halfway houses for overseas Filipinos in need,” says Ryan Morales Google Philippines country marketing manager.

Filipinos can sing-along using the YouTube Karaoke version at http://youtu.be/71ozeiT7Kq8. 

For National Heroes Day, five Pinoy musicians (Ebe Dancel, Itchyworms, Kjwan, Mikey Bustos, and Sponge Cola) wrote this song for OFWs, with a little help from Filipinos all around the world.

The song is exclusively available on YouTube.

SM Global Pinoy gives tribute to our Modern Day Heroes

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SM Global Pinoy believes in the value of the family being together, especially during the holidays. For this Christmas, we pay tribute to an OFW who came home to spend this holiday season with her loved ones.

The SM Global Pinoy Program aims to give honor to the OFWs and their families. We show our appreciation by providing them with an exclusive lounge inside our SM malls nationwide and we also give them access to exclusive events, activities, perks and privileges.

The holiday season is the perfect time for SM Global Pinoy to give tribute to our Modern Day Heroes.

Check this video : 

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=918354498194376&set=vb.137438556285978&type=2&theater

This tribute video is our gift to them and their families and it is our way of saying ‘thank you’ for their hard work and support, not only for their families, but also to the program.