FamilyMart gives you the chance to have a fun-filled Summer getaway

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Summer is coming and it’s time for you to go on vacation mode. After working for so many hours, you deserve that break to relax and recharge. That’s why your go-to for daily essentials FamilyMart is giving you the chance to win awesome getaway packages where you get to bring along your barkada or family! 

FamilyMart celebrates its 5th anniversary in the Philippines as it brings you the 5x the Summer Fun Raffle Promo from March 15 to May 31.

FamilyMart celebrates its 5^th anniversary in the Philippines as it brings you the 5x the Summer Fun Raffle Promo from March 15 to May 31.

As the popular Japanese convenience store celebrates its 5^th anniversary in the Philippines, FamilyMart is bringing you the 5x the Summer Fun Raffle Promo. 

Get a chance to go on that dream #SQUADGOALS vacay, because the grand prize is a trip for four to Bali, Indonesia, which includes a 3-day, 2-night hotel stay and roundtrip airfare. One other lucky winner will receive the second prize of a trip for four to the beautiful island of Siargao. 

Summer is also a great time to spend a chill #STAYCATION with the #FAMBAM. There will be one winner each of either a staycation package at Hotel H20 Manila with 4 passes to Manila Ocean Park, a luxurious stay at Nobu Hotel City of Dreams Manila plus 4 passes to DreamWorks entertainment playground DreamPlay, or a relaxing weekend at 5-star hotel resort Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila. 

Joining the raffle promo is easy. All you have to do is register for free via mobile by typing PFM Summer along with your name, complete address, email and send to 292-908. You’ll then receive a unique bCODE which you’ll scan at the counter every time you make a purchase. Registration is for one time only. 

Get one entry for every purchase worth P80 in a single receipt. You can also double your chances of winning by purchasing major sponsor products to earn 4 bonus entries or minor sponsor products to get an additional 2 bonus entries.  

Don’t just daydream about alarm-clock free mornings or sunbathing at the beach, make it happen! Head on over to FamilyMart for your daily favorites and you might just win one memorable summer getaway. 

Promo runs from March 15 to May 31. Per DTI-FTEB Permit No. 3663. Series of 2018.

For updates, exciting products, and awesome deals, like and follow FamilyMart Philippines on Facebook, @familymartph on Instagram, and @FamilyMartPH on Twitter.  For store locations or more information on FamilyMart Philippines, log on to www.familymart.com.ph.

FamilyMart is the 2^nd largest convenience store chain in the world with over 18,000 stores across Asia. In the Philippines, FamilyMart has branches in Makati, Fort Bonifacio, Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Pasay, Alabang and Laguna.

Sofitel Manila’s Official Statement on the UNTV Boycott Campaign

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The UNTV boycott campaign rooted from the removal of their local tv network from the channel listings of Sofitel Manila Hotel. The #NoToSofitel and #BoycottSofitelPH trending continues.

In line with the ongoing campaign to boycott Sofitel Manila, we would like to share with you all the official statement of the management:

Sofitel Manila’s Official Statement on the UNTV Boycott Campaign

“We do not discriminate against any local or international broadcasting television channel. While we supply several television channels for our guests, the channels we air in the hotel are system-limited, and regularly changed based on several factors, including guest feedback and demand.

We are happy to hear the public’s concerns, and will consider to re-instate the UNTV Channel if this is a request from our hotel guests”.

*The official statement was posted 15th of July 2014 via the official Facebook Page of Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila https://www.facebook.com/SofitelManila/posts/10152131396431568

About Sofitel, World Class Hotels & French Elegance

Sofitel is the only French luxury hotel brand with a presence on five continents with 120 addresses, in almost 40 countries (more than 30,000 rooms). Sofitel offers contemporary hotels and resorts adapted to today’s more demanding and more versatile consumers who expect and appreciate beauty, quality and excellence. Whether situated in the heart of a major city like Paris, London, New York, Shanghai or Beijing, or nestled away in a country landscape in Morocco, Egypt, French Polynesia or Thailand, each Sofitel property offers a genuine experience of the French “art de vivre”.

Sofitel Legend and & Sofitel So are two labels that come to enrich Sofitel Luxury hotels

Sofitel Legend hotels are iconic and mythical; they are often centuries-old listed heritage buildings: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam and Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan.

Sofitel So hotels are new « boutique hotels » characterized by a stylish focus on contemporary design by famous architects and/or embellished by international celebrities from the world of fashion, design or art: Sofitel So Mauritius Bel Ombre, Sofitel So Bangkok and Sofitel So Singapore (2013).

SOFITEL LUXURY HOTELS Philippine Plaza Manila

CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard Pasay City 1300 Metro Manila, Philippines

Official Website: www.SofitelManila.com

Sofitel's Facebook: Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila

Twitter: @SofitelManila

YouTube: Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila

Email: FBReservations@SofitelManila.com

#NoToSofitel and #BoycottSofitelPH trending continues, UNTV37 Boycotts Sofitel Manila for Discrimination

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Now on its second week, the campaign #NoToSofitel and #BoycottSofitelPH have been enjoying the top trending in twitter worldwide, and have created a louder buzz on facebook and instagram.

UNTV has launched a campaign that challenges its supporters to take part in.

At appoximately 9:17 PM (PHT) on July 19, 2014, #NoToSofitelDay7 and #BoycottSofitelPHDay7 start to fill the 3rd and 4th spots on Twitter’s Worldwide Trends.

The campaign stemmed from the report received by UNTV37 Chief Executive Office, Kuya Daniel Razon, that Hotel Sofitel Manila dropped the station from its channel listings. 

This, for no apparent reason.

This prompted Razon to call on UNTV37 supporters to launch a boycott against the hotel for clear discrimination of the station – a free channel that should be enjoying any and all channel listings in local and cable TV providers.

Soon after the launching of the campaign, issues after issues against said hotel were brought to the public’s attention. 

Age discrimination

Earlier in June, distinguished Election lawyer, Atty. Romulo Macalintal, filed a case against Sofitel when it refused to grant him 20% senior citizens discount on February 8, 2014, while he was dining with a friend at the Sofitel Le Bar Restaurant.

Macalintal claims that this is a violation of his rights as a senior citizen and that such move by said hotel is a clear case of age discrimination.

Social Status discrimination

Another issue that was brought to public attention is about the two nannies who were denied entry to the hotel’s buffet area just because they were wearing “scrub suits.” 

This apparently happened in December 2012, when said nannies of one of the guests in a wedding reception held in Sofitel were not allowed to enter the buffet area where they were about to dine because they were in their nanny uniforms. 

Said guest, who is also an Accor Advantage Plus member, cried social status discrimination pertaining to the incident.

Accor Advantage Plus is a program that offers Accor hotel customers advantages and rewards, wherein one of its member-hotels is Sofitel. 

Racial discrimination

Another incident was the refusal of Sofitel for a Filipino teenager, who was a hotel guest, to enter because the security said that “food bought from outside is not allowed.”

This happened in November 2013. The young man who didn’t really enjoy the food in the hotel bought food from a fastfood chain; but upon entering the hotel, the security guard didn’t allow him entry and told him to just eat the food in his car.

The following day, one of the young man’s companion saw a number of foreigners entering the hotel with “food bought from outside” right in front of the hotel security. 

Good thing this companion brought his smart phone and was able to video the whole thing. But when he showed the video to the Duty Manager, all that was said was “pagsasabihan ko na lang po ang guard” [I will just tell about this to the guard].

No sooner than he said it, another group of foreigners came in with “food bought from outside”. A glaring case of racial discrimination.

Media discrimination

And just recently, this action by Sofitel against UNTV37 happened. Razon and UNTV supporters cried media discrimination.

In its official statement, Sofitel reasoned “system-limited” facility as the basis of them removing the station in its channel listing.

Netizens who support UNTV37, on the other hand, stressed that a 5-star hotel with a limited system to carry a local free-tv channel is beyond any sane man’s comprehension.

They claimed that a small eatery with a rundown TV set is able to receive transmission of UNTV37, so why can’t a 5-star hotel, with supposed high technology and state-of-the-art facilities?

For them, this is simply absurd. And very unacceptable.

Sofitel also stated that it will consider re-instating the UNTV Channel if this is a request from their guests.

From UNTV37 side, however, the fact that the station formally requested Sofitel to include it in the channel list is already a guest request and feedback. 

The event conducted by the station in Sofitel costs more than a hundred guests. Therefore, Sofitel’s lack of action to reinstate UNTV37 is evidently unjustified.

For UNTV, this is what the campaign is all about. It is about the station’s indignation of the absurd, its refusal to accept the unacceptable, and its rejection to excuse such unjustifiable act.

The station maintained that discrimination in any shape or form does not, and should not, have room in a society that upholds democracy.

And the #NoToSofitel and #BoycottSofitelPH trending continues.

Within just 30 minutes of its first mention, #NoToSofitelDay12 and #BoycottSofitelPHDay12 climb up the 4th and 5th spots of Twitter's Philippines Trends.

Top 40 Binibining Pilipinas 2014 hopefuls were officially presented to media

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The forty most beautiful Filipinas were presented to the members of the press and other guests during the Binibining Pilipinas 2014 Official Press Presentation held at the Luzon Ballroom of the Sofitel last February 19. 

The stunning young Filipinas who came from all over the Philippines walked the ramp in front of sponsors, guests, and the media.

The 40 beauty queen hopefuls were trimmed down from over a hundred aspirants during the rigorous four-day screening back in January. Since 1964, the Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. (BPCI) has been the country’s prestigious discoverer and trainer of young ladies who represent us in well-known international beauty tilts. In a span of five decades, BPCI has proven its caliber as a credible institution that eyes these potential candidates, vaunting a resume that begins with Gloria Diaz’s Miss Universe win in 1969. In the last few years, the Philippines has been rising through the ranks as a beauty powerhouse with the impressive top five finishes of Venus Raj, Shamcey Supsup, Janine Tugonon, and Ariella Arida in the last four Miss Universe contests. 

Last year’s golden batch of winners, led by Miss International 2013 Bea Rose Santiago and Miss Supranational 2013 Johanna Datul, Miss Universe 2013 3rd runner up Ariella Arida, and Miss Tourism Queen International 2013 Top 10 finalist Cindy Miranda, brought immense pride to the country by doing well in their respective international competitions. 

This year’s roster of candidates include local pageant winners, graduates from top schools, artists, working professionals, and models who went through months of extensive training even before they joined the pageant. 

The 2014 Binibining Pilipinas candidates still have a lot on their plates leading up to the Grand Coronation Night. The Fashion Show is set on March 6, and the much-anticipated Parade of Beauties will be held on March 22.

The Grand Coronation Night will be held on March 30 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and telecast live at ABS-CBN.

Miss Universe 2013 Maria Gabriela Isler of Venezuela and Russian pop star Emin will be two of the special guests in the Binibining Pilipinas 2014 Grand Coronation Night. Gabriela will be one of the judges during the pageant and will help crown this year’s winners, while Emin will lead the list of the hotly-anticipated performers in the 51st edition of the most prestigious beauty contest in the country.

Tickets are available through Ticketnet Online www.ticketnet.com.ph or inquire at (02) 911 5555. 

The Binibining Pilipinas 2013 pageant is presented by the Araneta Center, ABS-CBN, PLDT Home, JAG Jeans, AVON, PAGCOR, Titan Watches—the official watch sponsor, Manhattan Garden City, Pizza Hut, Sofitel—the official residence, Manila Bulletin—the official print partner, David’s Salon, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Gold’s Gym, J.A.C. Motors, Picture City, Dale Carnegie Training Center, Entrepreneur School of Asia, Charter Ping An Insurance Corporation, and Raymond Saldaña Photography.

Oktoberfest 2013 at Sofitel Philippine Plaza

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This year will see a more spectacular celebration of  Oktoberfest’ - the biggest beer festival celebrated around the world, at Sofitel’s newly renovated Harbor Garden Tent. 

This year’s Oktoberfest’ marks the 75th year anniversary of German Club’s Oktoberfest in Manila and will have an even grander spread of authentic Bavarian cuisine. Music by the “Bavarian Sound Express”, well-known from previous Oktoberfests in Manila will definitely make every guest sing and dance all night long.

In celebration of the 180th year of the Oktoberfest worldwide, the Harbor Garden Tent will be decorated in the Bavarian colors, white and blue. Authentic Oktoberfest tables and benches will be set up to give a festive beer garden fair setting.

A colorful Bavarian culinary spread will be prepared by Sofitel Philippine Plaza’s executive chef Eric Costille and the German Club chefs such as fresh roasted pork knuckles, roasted calf, laugen rolls, grilled sausages and mouth-watering pastries paired with refreshing, ice cold San Miguel beer free flowing for all to enjoy. Ladies in dirndl and gentlemen in their Lederhosen will be adding to the Oktoberfest spirit.

Adding to the excitement and thrill of this year’s celebration is Bloomfields performing on the 19th of October.

Over 4 million worth of prizes to be won in the raffle from a roundtrip business class ticket to Germany with Etihad, Mercedes Benz ML class weekend drive with overnight stay in Baguio, laptops, DSL cameras from Canon, I-pads from Mac, Levis jeans, Puma shirts and many more.

Contact Details:

For inquiries, please call the German Club Manila at (63 2) 817-3552, (63 2) 818-4236 or Sofitel Philippine Plaza at (63 2) 832-6988 and (63 2) 551-5555 ext. 6988, or email germanclub@germanclub.ph