Kylie Verzosa was crowned 2016 Miss International

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Miss Philippines Kylie Verzosa was crowned 2016 Miss International in the coronation held at Tokyo Dome City Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Thursday. 

Versoza is the sixth Miss International crown for the Philippines.

Winners are the following : 

4th Runner up – Miss USA

3rd Runner up – Miss Nicaragua

2nd runner up – Miss Indonesia

1st runner up – Miss Australia

"If I become Miss International 2016, I will devote myself to cultural understanding and international understanding because I believe that it is in developing in each of us sensitivity to other cultures that we expand our horizons, tolerate difference and appreciate diversity," she said in her speech after the announcement of the top 15 finalists. 

Verzosa thanked all those who joined her in her journey.

"I cannot believe this moment right now, and I am ecstatic and happy. Thank you so much to my family, to the Philippines, to everyone who supported me. I did not go through this journey alone, but I had a lot of help from the people who love me. I deeply appreciate this. This moment has only happened in my dreams. Thank you so much, Japan. Thank you, Miss International," she said.

Aside from the big winners, other contestants also received special awards:

Miss International ASIA - Hong Kong

Miss International EUROPE - Netherlands

Miss International AMERICA - Ecuador

Miss International AFRICA - Sierra Leone

Miss International OCEANIA - Hawaii

Top 15 were: 

Finland

Mexico

Japan

El Salvador

Canada

Dominican Republic

Argentina

Russia

Thailand

Poland

Special Awards : 

National costume   -   Miss Nicaragua 

Miss Best Dresser   -  Miss Indonesia

Miss Perfect Body -   Miss Moldova

Binibining Pilipinas took to Facebook to congratulate Verzosa.

"Congratulations to the new Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa, besting over 69 other candidates in the pageant held in Tokyo, Japan. Your journey of finding true beauty and strength is an inspiration to every Filipina; and your advocacy is a shining example of selflessness and true humanity that many should emulate. BPCI is proud to have supported you every step of the way."

Here’s a full text of Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa

"Three things come to mind when I think of Miss International – Culture, education and international understanding. These three works together to make the brand of the Miss International beauty pageant relevant to the global community and to our time.
If I become Miss International 2016, I will devote myself to cultural understanding and international understanding because I believe that it is with developing in each of us sensitivity to other cultures that we expand our horizons, tolerate difference, and appreciate diversity. 

All these enable us to achieve international understanding. And I believe I'm prepared to take on this responsibility. 

Domo arigatou gozaimasu."

#MissInternational2016

#ForThePhilippines

Bryan Adams coming to Manila for GET UP World tour

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Wilbros Live is thrilled to announce that Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Bryan Adams is finally coming to Manila on January 18, 2017 at the Araneta Coliseum for his GET UP World tour.

Known for his raspy and strong signature vocals, Adams has churned out multiple chart-topping hits including Summer of 69, Heaven, Straight from the Heart, Cuts Like a Knife, Run To You, Please Forgive Me, All For Love, Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman, I Finally Found Someone, and (Everything I Do) I Do It For You – which holds the record for the longest run at number one in the charts in British music history.

Recognized as one of the world’s best selling artists of all time, Bryan Adams has been making musical history for more than 30 years and has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. With 21 top ten hits, seven number one singles and topping the charts in more than 40 countries around the world, it is no wonder that Adams is touted as Canada’s ambassador to the world.

As one of the biggest rock superstars of our time, Adams has been the recipient of the Order of British Columbia and the Order of Canada; been nominated for three Academy Awards and five Golden Globes; and received 18 Juno Awards, an American Music Award and five ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards.

Besides his repertoire of his greatest hits, the concert tour will also feature tunes from his thirteenth studio album GET UP, made up of up-tempo tracks such as Brand New Day, You Belong To Me and Thunderbolt, to the gentler songs such as Don’t Even Try and We Did It All.

Please Forgive Me

Straight from the Heart

(Everything I Do) I Do It For You

With his unique ability to fuse rock anthems and power ballads, Filipino fans can expect a night full of fun and entertainment.

Tickets to Bryan Adams’ concert in Manila will be on-sale beginning October 1st via TicketNet Online (www.ticketnet.com.ph) or call the hotlines 911-5555 or 374-9999.

For more concert updates, check out Bryan Adams’ official website and social media accounts: Facebook page /@BryanAdamsOfficial, IG & Twitter: @BryanAdams or check out Wilbros Live’s official website or follow @wilbroslive on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Don't miss the icon and all his smash hits. Book now at TicketNet.com,ph!

Official hashtags:

#BryanAdamsMNL

#BryanAdamsGetUp

Philippine Homeschool Conference Expo (PHC) : Securing a Child’s Future through Education

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The sixth annual Philippine Homeschool Conference Expo (PHC) held at the SMX Convention Center, SM Aura Premier in Taguig City on October 22, 2016.

With this year’s theme “From roots to wings”, PHC hopes to nourish the firm foundation that they have with parents by continuing to equip them with knowledge and virtues that would help them soar together. The event, led by the Homeschooling Association of the Philippine Islands (HAPI) gathered some of the country’s experts on homeschooling to share their insights on the importance and implications of homeschooling.

Among them was Eric Nicdao, District Manager of Philam Life. Nicdao explained that while there are distinct advantages to homeschooling, it is never without a challenge. 

“The cost of education for homeschooling a child is not inexpensive as others perceive it to be”, said Mr. Nicdao.

He further explained that this is because homeschooling entails the presence of one of the parents at home which will potentially reduce the family’s overall income. With the increasing costs of college education, it will be very daunting to have only one breadwinner. Mr. Nicdao also shared why it is important to plan early for the child’s education.

“As a parent myself, I understand the real-life struggles that parents go through to give the best to their children. It is, therefore, wise and even necessary to invest in a plan with guaranteed education benefits even if school-going children are still quite young. Plans like this should have the potential to grow to cope adequately with annual tuition fee hikes.” Nicdao added. 

“More to the point, a parent and a child should not have to guess what the future brings. There are too many uncertainties already and having something secure and reliable allows a family to focus on learning and academic excellence rather than trying to make sure that there is a school they can afford.”

To help address these concerns, Philam Life launched a new education product, Future Scholar.

Future Scholar offers guaranteed education benefits and long term growth potential through access to expertly-managed funds. The plan will continue without the need to pay future payments should the payor pass away or suffer total and permanent disability.It is to these concerns that Philam Life’s Future Scholar plan focuses with its guaranteed educational benefits and unique features available like making life insurance coverage for parents or premium adjustments in times of great need.

To learn more about Future Scholar, please visit http://www.philamlife.com.

PALSCON, other groups unite to end “Contractualization,” “ENDO,” “5-5-5”

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The Philippine Association of Legitimate Service Contractors (PALSCON), linked up with other groups with the hopes of sending a united voice to end the illegal employment practice of “contractualization” or “End of Contract,” more popularly known as “ENDO” and “5-5-5.”

During its recent General Membership Meeting held in this city, PALSCON invited various employers’ groups and other associations such as the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), the Makati Business Club (MBC), the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines, Inc. (SEIPI) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), to name a few, for a dialogue on the issue. 

The objective of the historic dialogue between PALSCON and the associations was to unite and find winnable solutions to end “ENDO” and “5-5-5.” Many from the government and labor groups are clamoring for an end to these illegal labor practices that they see as detrimental to the economy and the growth of the Filipino labor force. 

In light of this important meeting, PALSCON already came up with a draft manifesto and provided it to all the groups, who promised to look and review said manifesto. As soon as all issues are thoroughly discussed, PALSCON and the groups will issue a joint statement regarding the result of their discussion.

ECOP President Donald Dee said they welcomed the invitation of PALSCON to dialogue regarding the issue. “We are glad that PALSCON invited us to sit down with them together with other concerned groups and hopefully, we can resolve this together very soon.”

The Board of Trustees of the Philippine Association of Legitimate Service Contractors (PALSCON) are shown in photo together with Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) President Donald Dee (6th from left) and PALSCON National President Ms. Rhoda Caliwara (5th from right).

Others in photo are (left to right) Jojo Jabines, PALSCON Treasurer, Henry Nuqui, PALSCON Vice President, Sarah Deloraya, PALSCON past President, Fermin Cunanan, PALSCON past President, Lea Soriano, PALSCON Auditor, PALSCON past President Butch Guerrero, and Armand Gutierrez Jr. and Agnes Escalona, PALSCON Directors.

George Barcelon, President of PCCI, for his part, said that they fully support PALSCON and the call to end “ENDO” and “5-5-5”once and for all.

Both acknowledged that PALSCON’s draft manifesto is a good step to have the voice of the service contractors be heard and promised that they will both study its contents.

“Time and again, PALSCON is at the forefront of combating illegal labor practices. ‘Service contracting’ is already a globally accepted labor trend. Our objective is to help educate the public and our Filipino workers and of course the government regarding service contracting and hopefully, we will reach our objective together with our partners here today,” declares Rhoda Caliwara, President of PALSCON.

Caliwara said service contracting cannot be banned since it is already an accepted labor practice with many benefits among major countries such as the United States, China, Japan and in many countries in Europe, and that most workers are satisfied under an “agency” setup. “Agency work is the first to adjust to major market fluctuations, and most of all provides flexibility to corporations,” says Caliwara. 

She said in the Philippines, service contracting is allowed under Articles 106 to 109 of the Labor Code. In 2011, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) passed Department Order (DO) 18-A which raised the standards of service contracting to include higher capitalization in order to prevent “labor-only” contracting. The DOLE pegged a minimum capitalization requirement of P3 million for agencies, a registration fee of from a measly P100 to P25,000, and a minimum administrative fee of 10% to prevent cut-throat competition in the industry.

DO 18-A’s stringent requirements, according to Caliwara, also helped PALSCON police its ranks and reduced the number of service contractors from more than 16,000 to only more than 5,000 in 2015 to eliminate the so-called “fly-by-night contractors.” 

“We hope the government should inspect first these ‘fly-by-night’ agencies rather than the registered contractors who are the ones complying with the law.” 

Be informed of the latest issues in ending "ENDO" and "5-5-5". Attend the PALSCON 6th National Forum happening on November 14, 2016 (8am to 5pm) at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, Ortigas Center, Quezon City. Don't be left behind! Limited Slots only!

Register now and be a part of the biggest gathering of Service Contractors.

For inquiries, email palscon_6thnationalforum@yahoo.com.

Acer Academy honored new and loyal members at awards night

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From left to right: Acer Philippines Sales and Marketing Manager Sue Ong-Lim; Acer Philippines Managing Director Manuel Wong; St. Dominic College of Asia President Dr. Greg Andaman and wife; Joselito Dominguez and Fritz Agapito of Metro Manila College; Ivar Nelson Bingcang and Jenald Rodelas of Adventist University of the Philippines; Raul Acapulco of Immaculada Concepcion College; Fr. Uly Rimabawa and Rodelio Barcenas of Don Dosco Technical College; Carlo Anthony Nakpil and Ana Niguidula of Holistic Development Center; Acer Commercial Channel Sales Manager Carren Garcia

Local IT giant Acer Philippines, Inc. recently honored members of its Acer Academy program during the awards night held at the Manila Ocean Park.

Acer introduced the new members of its growing Acer Academy program. The event also served as a platform to showcase its continuing efforts in strengthening its partnership with the academe in setting new benchmarks in the education sphere.

Loyalty awards were also given to schools that were part of the program for no less than 3 years. Benefits included rewards based on purchases where points are earned and can be converted into training opportunities, free devices for the school, discounts and freebies. For walk-in purchases at the Acer Concept Store, the faculty will be awarded with outright discounts upon showing of their school ID and upon availing of the Extended Faculty Purchase Program from the loyalty program. This offer is good for one year only.

The new members for Luzon include Metro Manila College, St. Dominic College of Asia, Adventist University of the Philippines, Immaculada Concepcion College, Don Bosco Technical College, Holistic and Development Center, and Faith Academy. The Loyalty awardees are Saint Pedro Poveda College, De La Salle University-Dasmariñas, and Holy Angel University.

Acer also showcased its various impressive new products for the education sector, particularly its latest desktops, laptops, tablets, projectors and other modern teaching equipment for today’s 21st Century classrooms during the event, themed “Dive into Discovery: Experience the world of innovation.”

From left to right: Sue Ong-Lim, Acer Philippines Sales and Marketing Director; Manuel Wong, Acer Philippines Managing Director; Carlo Anthony Nakpil and Ana Niguidula of Holistic Development Center; Acer Philippines Sales Manager for Business Development Alexis De Guzman; Acer Philippines Commercial Channel Sales Manager Carren Garcia.

Major event highlights include the inspirational talks from two of Acer’s latest brand ambassadors. Francis Kong, an award-winning business columnist and speaker, talked about the challenges he faced early on in his career and how he aspired for greater goals in order to succeed. Megan Young, Miss World 2013, on the other hand, talked about how her aspirations to succeed pushed her to achieve her goals through hard work and determination.

Prior to the Acer brand ambassadors’ speeches, an exciting “Mermaid Show” was performed by the Manila Ocean Park Mermaid team. Later in the evening, a thrilling treat was provided by Acer Philippines where member-schools toured the Manila Ocean Park and visited some of its most notable attractions like the “Oceanarium,” “Fish Spa” and “Trails to Antarctica.”

Carren Garcia, Channel Sales Manager, Acer Philippines, also provided updates regarding the program, which now has 97 members, a far cry from only 11 member-schools when the program started several years back. “The target was to grow the membership to 100 schools by year-end. Definitely we are on target of surpassing that number,” she pointed out.

The Acer Academy Program started in 2012. The membership now includes colleges and universities nationwide, with the biggest coming from Luzon, followed by Mindanao and then the Visayas. As member-schools of the program, the school and students enjoy several benefits such as Acer’s sponsorship of school events and activities, free training for the school faculty and IT personnel, participation in campus tours, and students of an Acer Academy program member are prioritized under Acer’s internship program where they get first crack at on-the-job or even possible hiring opportunities.

Garcia also announced that they are looking at growing the number of the program’s member-schools. More importantly, however, she said it is all about retaining more member-schools for it to be able to serve the academe. “Our plan next year is to engage even the students of member-schools and not just the faculty. We are also looking at creating an annual programming and design skills competition using Acer devices, technology and other gadgets. The mechanics is already being crafted. Initially, we’re looking at senior high school to college students as participants.”

From left to right: Sue Ong-Lim, Acer Philippines Sales and Marketing Director; Manuel Wong, Acer Philippines Managing Director, Raul Acapulco of Immaculada Concepcion College; Acer Philippines Sales Manager for Business Development Alexis De Guzman; Acer Philippines Commercial Channel Sales Manager Carren Garcia.

Other plans, Garcia said, include the launching of the “Acer Cloud Professor,” which will utilize software programming and robotics, plus conducting outreach programs where Acer will seek the help of member-schools in identifying certain indigent communities by helping share technologies and other CSR-related activities.

From left to right: Acer Philippines Sales and Marketing Director Sue Ong-Lim; Acer Philippines Managing Director Manuel Wong; Jenal Rodelas and Ivar Nelson Bingcang of Adventist University of the Philippines; Acer Philippines Sales Manager for Business Development Alexis De Guzman; Acer Philippines Commercial Channel Sales Manager Carren Garcia.

From left to right: Acer Philippines Sales and Marketing Director Sue Ong-Lim; Acer Philippines Managing Director Manuel Wong; Fritz Agapito and Joselito Dominguez of Metro Manila College; Acer Philippines Sales Manager for Business Development Alexis De Guzman; Acer Philippines Commercial Channel Sales Manager Carren Garcia.

For more about the Acer Academy Program, go to www.acer.com.ph, follow Acer via Twitter (twitter.com/acerphils) or www.Facebook.com/AcerPH.