LG POSITIONED AS ASIA’S INNOVATION LEADER WITH NEW SIGNATURE LINEUP

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Debut of Premium Brand and Market-Leading Products

to Receive Spotlight at InnoFest Asia

SEOUL — LG Electronics (LG) is set to shake up the Asian appliance market with the unveiling of its new ultra-premium brand, LG SIGNATURE, at InnoFest Asia taking place in Korea from February 16-18. LG’s InnoFest roadshow began earlier this month in Dubai with an expo for partners in African and the Middle East and travels to Seoul this week.

LG InnoFest provides the company with the opportunity to showcase its diverse range of products including consumer electronics and home appliances for the benefit of regional business partners, retailers and media. This year’s edition of LG InnoFest Asia will give approximately 300 dealers and journalists from 15 countries across the region, including Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, the chance to gain hands-on experience with LG’s latest innovations.

On the first day of the event, products from LG’s all-new premium LG SIGNATURE brand, such as the OLED TV and Twin Wash™ washing machine, will be showcased and demonstrated. Executives including LG H&A Company President and CEO Jo Seong-Jin, LG’s Global Marketing Officer Brian Na and Asia Regional Head Chris Yi will be on hand to discuss LG’s premium products and technologies as well as the company’s plans for future partnerships.

Since its founding, LG has been committed to making life better for consumers in Asia with air conditioners that repel mosquitos, air purifiers that cleanse the air that family members breathe, audio systems developed with Asian ears in mind and gorgeous TVs that the entire family can enjoy together. This formula of discovering and delivering the needs of Asian customers is what has made LG one of the top brands in the region.

“This event presents a great opportunity for LG to highlight its advanced technologies and designs. Personally, I’m excited to finally see the LG SIGNATURE lineup for myself,” Star Appliance Center, Inc. President Ma. Teresa Tiong Cheng said. Star Appliance, known to many as the electronics retail giant SM Appliance Center, is an affiliate of one of the country's largest conglomerates, the SM Group of Companies. “With LG having built its brand on reliability, we hope that we can maintain our win-win partnership with the electronics leader in the years to come”.

Participants in LG InnoFest will get the opportunity to visit the world-famous N Seoul Tower where a massive OLED display made up of 248 individual 55-inch LG OLED TVs will allow guests to experience the amazing picture quality of LG’s OLED technology firsthand.

“We are committed to developing innovative products and mutually-beneficially marketing activities to strengthen LG’s position as Asia’s most dynamic premium brand in the eyes of both partners and consumers,” said Chris Yi. “Events such as InnoFest allow us to give audiences a close up view of our newest products, which have to be seen to be truly appreciated.”

‘Upcycling Project’, UNIQLO Philippines and ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation (ALKFI) Helps Empower Women in the Philippines.

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UNIQLO Philippines and ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation (ALKFI) found a way to use excess denim fabrics and do some good - UNIQLO Excess Denim Fabric Helps Empower Women in the Philippines.

What happens to the excess denim fabrics from alteration processes in UNIQLO stores in the Philippines?

Everyday, UNIQLO collects denim fabrics from the customers who have their jeans altered. The scrap pieces of fabric are virtually unusable on their own, but UNIQLO Philippines and ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation (ALKFI) found a way to use them and do some good. 

Dubbed as the ‘Upcycling Project’, UNIQLO and ALKFI are providing an economic opportunity for disadvantaged women to support their families. With some creativity and on-site instruction from UNIQLO’s sewing takumi (sewing experts), these women have designed beautiful and functional bags from the alteration fabrics, which in turn were purchased by UNIQLO. After several months of hard work, the first lot of 1,000 ‘upcycled’ denim bags is now complete.

Katsumi Kubota, Chief Operations Officer, UNIQLO Philippines.

“UNIQLO not only tries to make life better for our customers through high-quality products. We also want to support communities like the ABS-CBN Foundation’s Bayan ni Juan project in Calauan, Laguna,” says Katsumi Kubota, Chief Operations Officer, UNIQLO Philippines.

“We want to give back to the community by providing training and an opportunity to empower these talented women.” 

Gina Lopez, ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation (ALKFI)

The women are from families who used to be an informal settler and lived along the polluted Pasig River in 2009. ABS-CBN Foundation’s Bayan ni Juan project relocated them to a community in Calauan, Laguna. 

UNIQLO is committed to give back to communities and make the world a better place through the power of clothing. In 2006, UNIQLO began All-Product Recycling Initiatives globally, and from November 2015, the company also runs a special recycling campaign called ‘10 Million Ways to HELP,’ to collect lightly used UNIQLO clothes and distribute them for refugees and others in need worldwide. In addition, UNIQLO Philippines has its own unique program to help local communities, like the Upcycling Project. 

“Through our Upcycling Project, we hope to restore the dignity among people and the environment, even in a small way,” Kubota adds.

These upcycled denim tote bags will be distributed to consumers as novelty items during UNIQLO Philippines’ events.

For more updates, please visit the UNIQLO Philippines’ website at www.uniqlo.com/ph and social media accounts, Facebook (facebook.com/uniqlo.ph), Twitter (twitter.com/uniqloph) and Instagram (Instagram.com/uniqlophofficial).

About UNIQLO LifeWear

Apparel that comes from the Japanese values of simplicity, quality and longevity. Designed to be of the time and for the time, LifeWear is made with such modern elegance that it becomes the building blocks of each individual’s style. A perfect shirt that is always being made more perfect. The simplest design hiding the most thoughtful and modern details. The best in fit and fabric made to be affordable and accessible to all. LifeWear is clothing that is constantly being innovated, bringing more warmth, more lightness, better design, and better comfort to people’s lives.

About UNIQLO and Fast Retailing

UNIQLO is a brand of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., a leading global Japanese retail holding company that designs, manufactures and sells clothing under seven main brands: Comptoir des Cotonniers, GU, Helmut Lang, J Brand, Princesse tam.tam, Theory, and UNIQLO. With global sales of approximately 1.6817 trillion yen for the 2015 fiscal year ending August 31, 2015 (US $13.88 billion, calculated in yen using the end of August 2015 rate of $1 = 121.18 yen), Fast Retailing is one of the world’s largest apparel retail companies, and UNIQLO is Japan’s leading specialty retailer.

UNIQLO continues to open large-scale stores in some of the world's most important cities and locations, as part of its ongoing efforts to solidify its status as a truly global brand. Today the company has a total of more than 1,700 stores in 17 markets worldwide including Japan, Australia, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, U.K. and the U.S. In addition, Grameen UNIQLO, a social business established in Bangladesh in September 2010, currently operates several Grameen UNIQLO stores in Dhaka. UNIQLO manages an integrated business model under which it designs, manufactures, markets and sells high-quality, casual apparel. The company believes that truly great clothes should be supremely comfortable, feature universal designs, are of high quality and offer a superb fit to everyone who wears them.

With a corporate statement committed to changing clothes, changing conventional wisdom and change the world, Fast Retailing is dedicated to creating great clothing with new and unique value to enrich the lives of people everywhere.

For more information about UNIQLO and Fast Retailing, please visit www.uniqlo.com and www.fastretailing.com.

Volleyball star Rachel Anne Daquis on championing women

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Rachel Anne Daquis, the former FEU Lady Tamaraw team captain, with a very successful career in the field of sports, is now ready to cross the boundary of athletics as she redefines the true meaning of being fit and healthy while reaching for aspirations.

For some, beauty comes in being pleasing to the eyes of the many, but for some, it comes in being extraordinary in the consciousness of the few. Volleyball star Daquis is ready to set another milestone in her career as the new figure of modern Filipina who is capable in reaching for dreams by being fit and healthy inside and out.

“Filipino women are known to have a stunning beauty and extraordinary traits that can impress men from around the world. But for me, the measure of true beauty does not simply stop from the physical appearance rather it is the start of deeper and more desirable traits that a Filipina has. It reinforces the image that is being portrayed and seen on the outside and it is best accompanied by being fit and healthy,” Daquis said.

“This day, sexy is a lot less about the height, shapes and colors. It has become a lot more about confidence, affection, humor, kindness, loyalty and intellect which every woman deserves to be described,” Daquis added.

Daquis wants every Filipina to realize that achieving dreams is possible with the support, self-motivation, and desire. Self-motivation will drive a person to get closer and closer to succeeding while making sure that it is what a person really wants in life.

“I like to prove that Filipinas have the ability to reach for their dreams. Before, I dreamt of becoming the best volleyball player, the best version of me. And of course, like every girl’s dream, I am conscious about my figure. I wanted to become fit and sexy,” Daquis said.

It’s no wonder Filipina women are proclaimed by many men to have the best female traits in the world. Daquis’ story is proof that Filipinas should never put boundaries on themselves. It’s her determination and success that made her the perfect addition as the newest ambassador of Vida Nutriscience, Inc.’s Snowcaps and mySlim.

Snowcaps is the first oral glutathione in the Philippines and is among the leading skin whitening supplements in the market today. As a brand which in the past managed to gather and to sustain a strong following through word of mouth, Snowcaps today takes the spotlight to play alongside the bigwigs – by partnering with one of the hottest stars in the Philippine showbiz today.

Snowcaps contains the premium, FDA-approved 500mg of L-Glutathione formulation, also known as the miracle enzyme, Alpha Lipoic Acid and Vitamin C for safe and effective whitening in as fast as six weeks.

It also contains 50 percent more glutathione than more expensive brands.

Glutathione is also a compound naturally produced by the liver and is considered one of the most powerful antioxidants which inhibit the production of toxins and free radicals caused by stress and other external lifestyle factors – perfect for busy individuals like Daquis who not only want to maintain luminous and fair skin but also sound and healthy body.

Daquis is among the new converts of mySlim Yerba Mate Drink. A clinically proven safe and effective detox and slimming supplement, mySlim is formulated with Yerba Mate to aid in weight loss, and Palatinose for prolonged energy, making it an ideal drink for people like Daquis who want a safer and healthier way to maintain or lose weight.

Independent methods like crash-dieting tend to be counterproductive for weight management. Studies by Swiss chemicals and Biotechnology Company, Lonza, show that crash diets only lessen bone density and lean tissue rather than fat, making physical activity more difficult than usual.

Good thing for Daquis as mySlim is packed with Carnipure which gives her the energy needed to keep up with the demands of her sport. 

When asked why she entrusts her skin and overall health to the brands, Daquis had these to say.

“I consider mySlim and Snowcaps as great tasting parts of my daily diet. Like every Filipina who wish to have pleasing body shapes, I am grateful that I’ve found mySlim and Snowcaps for these supplements don’t only promise you to have a sexy body, and white and glowing skin, it also guarantees you to have a healthy body,” Daquis said.

“There are so many people out there who will tell you that you can’t. What you’ve got to do is turn around and say, ‘I can and I will. Watch me,’” Daquis added.

Having Daquis represent Snowcaps and mySlim opens women to the opportunity to go beyond beauty and health supplements and partnering that with a healthy and active lifestyle. The aspiration of every Filipina to not only be fit and sexy but also healthy is possible through determination by never letting anybody push you around.

For more information on Snowcaps Glutathione and mySlim detox and slimming supplements, go to www.vidanutriscience.com. Available in all major drugstores nationwide.

ALMOST, MAINE is a mythical place, owing no real geographic reference except to the human heart.

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It is cold bleak landscapes, difficult to live in, and even harder to endure, but somehow the people that inhabit this place still manage to fill it with warmth, love, friendship and hope. It is their emotional journey that makes this place, located in the loneliest and most solitary corners of our hearts, still a place worth living.

Written by John Cariani, ALMOST, MAINE is one of those endearing plays that captures your imagination almost immediately, and never let’s go. With 19 characters played by a cast of only four people, it is most definitely an actor's piece. Two men and two women playing a host of complex characters is a daunting task indeed, and after several rounds of auditions and readings, the actors were finally found.

In the end, Reb Atadero (The Graduate, The Horse And His Boy) Caisa Borromeo (The Secret Garden, Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady), Natalie Everett (The Secret Garden, The Game's Afoot) and Jamie Wilson (Run For Your Wife, The Bridges of Madison County) were chosen to take up the acting chores.

All veterans of Repertory Philippines, the excitement at being cast in ALMOST, MAINE quickly overshadowed the hard work that would soon follow.

In the director's chair, another Rep veteran takes the helm. Always an artist of incredible vision, Bart Guingona (4000 Miles, The Normal Heart) has never been one to do a play as it is written, and has put his own twists and turns on this wonderful material. 

With stage design by Baby Imperial and Coco Anne, lighting by John Batalla, sound design by Jethro Joaquin and costumes by Marta Lovina, ALMOST, MAINE promises to be a strong offering in Repertory Philippines' 2016 season. ALMOST, MAINE opens at the Onstage Theater in Greenbelt One, Makati on February 19th.

Smart to usher in new frontier of mobile entertainment with Samsung Gear VR

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Unrivaled mobile services leader Smart Communications, Inc. is set to take the Filipino mobile lifestyle to a new frontier as it will soon offer the Samsung Gear VR, the world’s first consumer-focused virtual reality system.

A state-of-the-art headset which Samsung first launched last November, Gear VR offers an immersive and interactive virtual reality experience through a wide range of exciting mobile content, that include games, movies, apps, 360 videos and 360 photos, among others.

Touted as the best portable VR device in the market today, the Gear VR will soon be available to Smart Postpaid subscribers on select Samsung Plans through convenient payment options. 

“We are excited to bring the Gear VR soon in the Philippines as a welcome addition to our suite of meaningful and innovative products that enable subscribers to unlock the full power of their devices” said Ariel P. Fermin, Executive Vice President and Consumer Business Head at PLDT and Smart.

“The virtual reality platform is the future of mobile entertainment, and through the Gear VR our beloved subscribers will be able to peek into that future and boost their mobile entertainment experience anytime and anywhere they want,” Fermin added.

The Gear VR is seamlessly compatible with the latest Samsung Galaxy phones – namely the S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+ and Note 5. The device uses the handset as its processor, and displays content through a Super AMOLED screen.

By simply slipping in any compatible Samsung smartphone in front of the Gear VR lens, users can instantly transport themselves in 3D and CG animated worlds, as well as 180 or 360-degree live action scenes. The portable device features a touchpad, back key, volume key and focus adjustment wheel, as well as a gyro, accelerometer and proximity sensors for a complete out-of-this-world experience.

The Gear VR comes with pre-loaded trailers and videos, with more exciting apps and content available at the Oculus Store. Users can have loads of fun solving third-person adventure games such as Herobound: Spirit Champion and Adventure Time, or unlocking mysteries and exploring pathways with Land’s End. Shooter game fans will also have a blast with Viral, Smash Hit and Eve: Gunjack, which take users at center of the action with stunning graphics.

Users can also enjoy apps like Oculus Video and Netflix, which allow them to enjoy a virtual private theater set-up while watching their favorite films and series. With the Oculus Social app, Gear VR users from all over the world can hang out in a virtual movie theater while watching videos on Vimeo and Twitch.

“Smart subscribers are always the first to experience the latest in mobile innovations. This is part of our long-standing campaign for more Filipinos to embrace the Smart Life, enriched by our unparalleled breadth of digital content and backed by the country’s most extensive network,” said Fermin. 

Stay tuned to know when the Gear VR will be available at Smart by following its official accounts on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SmartCommunications), Twitter and Instagram (@LiveSmart).