‘To achieve goals, we need empowered leaders’ - AFFI

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Recognizing the importance of strong leader-figures in the realization of its goals, the Association of Filipino Franchisers, Inc. (AFFI) has recently launched the first Leadership Council Conference for its board officers at the Pioneer House, Makati City.

With the theme “Thriving Nation through Empowered Business Leaders”, the whole-day event focused on instilling the organization’s five core values acronymed as NICES (Nationalism, Integrity-Leadership, Camaraderie, Enterprising, and Service) in the members of its leadership council.

The conference was faciltated by AFFI Honorary Member and Toastmaster Sonia Roco, Philippine Environmental Sustainability advocate Antonio Ingles, and motivational speaker and author, Jayson Lo. Some of the topics highlighted were sustainable environmental acts for business continuity, and social issues that can be answered by the business sector.

“What every group needs is an empowered leader. Inspiration ignites change, and empowerment creates success. That’s what we try to emulate thru our members and officers,” says AFFI Treasurer and Leadership Conference Program Head Teresita Ngan Tian of Lots’ A Pizza. “We can lay out plans every year to help our businesses and the entire community grow, but unless we have leaders who have the will, the skills and the passion to enact those plans, we would not be able to reach our vision by 2020.”

Ngan Tian is referring to the association’s Thrive Towards 2020 roadmap in conjunction with the full-implementation of the ASEAN integrated economy in the same year.

The event was sponsored by Pioneer Insurance, Fiorgelato, Peanut World, Ferino’s Bibingka, Aquabest, Nail It!, and Ink All-you-can.​

​AFFI’s current Leadership Council poses for a group photo after the successful conference.

​One of the conference’s mentors, Ms. Sonia Roco, and AFFI leaders pledge commitment to the Philippine flag as a promise to help solve the country’s problems thru responsible business acts.

ABS-CBN presents "Dirty Watercolor" at Rockwell Center May 24-26, 2016

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ABS - CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc. presents an art exhibit - "Dirty Watercolor," on May 24-26, 2016. The opening reception of Dirty Watercolor on May 24, 2016, 6:00 pm, at the Kirov Showroom, Rockwell Center.

Toti Cerda, JC Vargas, Kean Barrameda, Fred Failano, Allan Clerigo, Van Isunza, Luigi Almuena, Renee Ysabelle Jose, and John Ed De Vera help raise awareness on Manila’s polluted rivers and tributaries in “Dirty Watercolor.” 

These paintings were created using pigments from Manila's most polluted rivers and tributaries. The sample water was decontaminated and then concentrated in order to come up with the dirty watercolor they used to paint such beautiful art pieces.

A project of TBWA/SMP and presented by ABS-CBN, the show is for the benefit of the ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, leading the cleaning up of our polluted rivers.

DepEd’s Operation Balik-Eskwela Set for June School Opening

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The Department of Education (DepEd) and its regional and division offices nationwide are all set for the opening of classes in June 13, 2016—one of the most significant events for the education sector—setting into motion the nationwide Oplan Balik Eskwela (OBE) 2016.

Under the OBE, DepEd activates quick response teams, emergency hotlines and helpdesks to respond to needs and queries pertaining to school opening. Moreover, DepEd has already prepared and disseminated the guidelines and standard procedures in all schools on the conduct the school opening event.


This year, DepEd teamed up with IBEX Global Solutions, a call center, to set up a Senior High School (SHS) Help Desk with the hotline number 667-1188. The said help desk will be operational on Monday, May 23, 2016, and will be open from 9am to 6pm, Mondays to Fridays until June 30, 2016.

“Our goal is to ensure that we will have a smooth opening of classes, with all concerns –major and minor – promptly addressed by the department and our partner agencies from other government agencies and the private sector,” Education Secretary Br. Armin A. Luistro FSC said.

Incidentally, also this June, DepEd is rolling out the final leg of the K to 12 Law which is the SHS Program. This year, Grade 11 will be introduced in all schools nationwide – public and private.

The annual OBE aims to address all possible concerns and challenges that may arise from the school opening such as school records, room assignment, classrooms, teachers, power and water supply, traffic, peace and order, weather condition and prices of school supplies, among others.

DepEd takes the lead in enlisting the support and teamwork among school opening key stakeholders by convening an inter-agency task force way ahead of the school opening.

“The practice of working harmoniously with our partner agencies every school opening has resulted to better coordination and smoother issues management arising from this annual national event,"  Luistro said.

Rihanna to perform on the "2016 Billboard Music Awards"

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INTERNATIONAL MEGASTAR RIHANNA TO PERFORM ON THE “2016 BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS”

Ludacris & Ciara to Host the “2016 Billboard Music Awards”

LIVE on May 23, Monday 8am (7am JKT/BKK) on RTL CBS Entertainment HD

Billboard and dick clark productions announced today that international music sensation Rihanna will perform on the “2016 Billboard Music Awards”, almost ten years to the day since her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (“SOS” hit the charts on May 13, 2006 and spent a total of three weeks at No. 1). The “2016 Billboard Music Awards” will broadcast LIVE from Las Vegas on Monday, May 23 8am (7am JKT/BKK) on RTL CBS Entertainment HD. This year’s show, which will be hosted by hip-hop artist Ludacris and international music sensation Ciara, will showcase big performances, unexpected collaborations and much-discussed pop culture moments. Rihanna joins previously announced performers Justin Bieber, Celine Dion, DNCE, The Go-Go’s, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Shawn Mendes, P!nk, “Kia’s One to Watch” Troye Sivan, Britney Spears, and collaborations with Fifth Harmony featuring Ty Dolla $ign, Nick Jonas with Tove Lo, and Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, and Madonna will honor Prince.

Rihanna has taken the music, entertainment and fashion industry by storm. As an accomplished performer, she has sold 60 million albums and 215 million digital tracks worldwide making her the top-selling digital artist of all time. She's put out 8 albums, achieved 14 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and won 8 Grammy Awards. With over 8.5 billion views and 21 Vevo certified videos she is the most viewed female artist on Vevo/YouTube and is one of the biggest artists on Facebook with over 81 million likes. In addition, she's successfully launched six fragrances, she is PUMA's global ambassador for Women’s Training and now serves as the Creative Director of the brand, bringing her styling sensibilities and innovation to PUMA’s collections. The first drop of the PUMA creeper collection sold out in just three hours and continue to fly off the shelves with every release. Aside from PUMA, her limited capsule collection with Manolo Blahnik is in-stores now. As of July 2015, Rihanna also serves as Contributing Creative Director and Punk & Poet brand ambassador for Stance.

Rihanna is also a finalist for this year’s fan-voted Billboard Chart Achievement Award. Fans can vote for their favorite artist who has accomplished an outstanding and rare achievement on the Billboard music charts over the past year. The finalists are:

Adele's album 25 scored the largest U.S. sales week ever for an album in Nielsen Music history: 3.38 million sold in its first week. 

Drake scored his landmark 100th Billboard Hot 100 hit, a sum only four acts heave reached. 

Rihanna has now spent 60 total weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her 14 No. 1s, passing the Beatles for the second-most weeks at No. 1 all time. 

Little Big Town's "Girl Crush” set the record for most weeks at No. 1 (13) by a group (of at least three members) on Hot Country Songs. 

The Weeknd is now one of only 12 acts to replace himself at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as “The Hills” succeeded “Can’t Feel My Face.” 

About Billboard

Billboard is the world’s most influential music brand, built on the most complete and well- respected database of charts across all music genres. The Billboard charts define success in music. From the iconic Billboard magazine to Billboard.com, the ultimate consumer-facing destination for millions of passionate music fans, to the industry’s most elite conference series and influencer events including the Power 100 and Women in Music

– the Billboard brand has unmatched authority among fans, artists and the industry alike. Billboard was named the leading U.S. brand on Twitter, surpassing the NFL, ESPN, BuzzFeed and MTV, with 7.5 million engaged actions in Q4 2015, and named an overall Top 10 U.S. Media Publisher in December 2015 with 11.8 million social actions. Billboard topped Shareablee’s list of U.S. publishers by engagement on Twitter in Q4, ahead of brands including Bleacher Report, BuzzFeed and The New York Times. Billboard magazine has scored major news-generating covers recently including Nicki Minaj, Lana Del Rey, Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber.

About “2016 Billboard Music Awards”

The show will showcase this year’s hottest and biggest music stars. Billboard Music Awards finalists are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital songs sales, radio airplay, streaming, touring and social engagement. These measurements are tracked year-round by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound. The awards are based on the reporting period of March 23, 2015 through March 17, 2016. The “2016 Billboard Music Awards” is produced by dick clark productions. Allen Shapiro, Mike Mahan, Mark Bracco, Barry Adelman and Robert Deaton are Executive Producers.

About RTL CBS Entertainment HD

Your destination for the best mix of reality, drama, comedy and daily entertainment. Featuring shows express from the U.S. and U.K. including top-rated dramas Limitless, Scorpion, House of Cards and Elementary; the biggest talent competitions in the world, America’s Got Talent, Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor UK; dailies Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Late Late Show with James Corden. It is home to some of the biggest award shows in the world aired ‘LIVE,’ including The Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Critics’ Choice Awards, American Music Awards, People’s Choice Awards and Billboard Music Awards.

Facebook: Facebook.com/RTLCBSEntertainment Twitter: @RTLCBSEntertain

LaCie Launches Next Generation Porsche Design Drives and New Rugged Products, First Showcased With Power Mac Center

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LaCie Porsche Design Drives New USB-C connector for next-generation computers

Charge your laptop while connected to the drive

Included USB 3.0 adapter works with PC or Mac®

Sleek, all-aluminum enclosure by Porsche Design

LaCie, the premium brand from Seagate Technology announced the availability of a new line of LaCie® Porsche Design Drives and LaCie® Rugged™ mobile drives in the Philippines. These new products were first showcased at Power Mac Center located at Power Plant Mall.

LaCie Porsche Design Drives 

Housed in sleek all-aluminum enclosures that reflect the signature Porsche Design style, the new Mobile and Desktop Drives feature forward-thinking USB-C connectivity for next generation computers like the latest MacBook®.

Its new USB-C connector makes the drive incredibly easy to connect, since both ends of the cable are identical and the connector is reversible. The drives also deliver fast transfer speeds, so users can drag and drop files and perform backups quickly. Plus, they are compatible with standard USB 3.0 (Type-A) ports thanks to the included adapter cable.

By harnessing the power of USB 3.1, the LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive will charge a compatible laptop’s battery* when the drive’s power supply is connected to the wall outlet. Via a single USB-C cable, users can power their notebook and access their drive at the same time.

Both the Mobile and Desktop Drives feature all-aluminum enclosures to make the products lightweight yet sturdy, while forming the distinctly Porsche Design modern and elegant style. Beyond aesthetics, the solid aluminum enclosure is also scratch resistant, protects the hard drive mechanics and dissipates heat for optimal performance.

LaCie Rugged DRIVES

With its durability, performance and data security, the LaCie Rugged family, design by Neil Poulton, has been the preferred all-terrain storage by creative professionals on the go. 

LaCie Rugged RAID

Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 for speeds of up to 240 MB/s

Hardware RAID 0/1 flexibility for speed or security 

Shock, dust and water resistance for all-terrain use

LaCie Rugged RAID offers twice the speed and capacity of a standard mobile hard drive**. It is also the only product in its class to feature hardware RAID 0 and 1, which lets professionals optimize the product for speed or data security according to their workflow.

LaCie Rugged RAID features Thunderbolt™ and USB 3.0 along with two internal hard drives that are preconfigured in hardware RAID 0 for sustained performance of up to 240 MB/s***. With this speed, users can transfer 64 GB of content in less than five minutes, and even start to edit photos in the field with Adobe® Lightroom®. This time savings is key for field-based professionals who collect and move tons of data onto external storage.

When choosing RAID 1 (mirrored mode), the data is duplicated across the two drives. So, even if a single drive fails in the field, the data remains accessible from the other drive. This is especially helpful to on-the-go professionals with limited laptop capacity. 

With 4TB capacity, the LaCie Rugged can store the equivalent of sixty 64 GB memory cards. This allows professionals to carry fewer drives while acquiring more photos, footage, and other types of content in the field. 

LaCie Rugged RAID is tested to withstand drops▲ of up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) and being run over by a 1-ton car▲▲. With its cap in place, the LaCie Rugged is IP 54-rated for superior resistance to dust and water splashing – even during operation. It also includes LaCie Private-Public software, which lets users password-protect the entire drive or only certain volumes with AES 256-bit encryption. 

The LaCie Rugged Triple Hard Disk provides speeds of USB 3.0 and FireWire 800, with superior durability that users have come to expect. It offers universal connectivity as it is fully backward compatible with FireWire 400 and USB 2.0.

These new LaCie products were first showcased by Power Mac Center, a LaCie Partner. With the added Rugged mobile drives, Power Mac Center is the first in the country to offer the complete range of the LaCie Rugged family. 

“We are excited to introduce new LaCie storage drives in Philippines,” said Tim Bucher, vice president for Seagate’s Consumer Group. “We are committed to bring the best-in-class storage solutions that merge sleek designs and latest technologies, providing users with complete peace of mind that their precious data is protected.

AVAILABILITY 

The LaCie Rugged RAID, LaCie Rugged Triple and LaCie Porsche Design Drives will be available this June 2016 at select Power Mac Center stores and LaCie Resellers.  

The LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive will be available in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacities starting at PHP 6,990 

LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive comes in 4TB, 5TB and 8TB capacities starting at PHP12,490.  

The LaCie Rugged RAID comes in 4TB at PHP 24,999. The LaCie Rugged Triple drive is at PHP 8,899 (1TB) and PHP 12,999 (2TB).

 Find out more at www.lacie.com.