Venus Tan is the new Chief Operating Officer of TPB

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The Board of Directors of the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Marie Venus Tan as its Vice Chairperson and concurrently, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the TPB.

Tourism Promotions Board chief operating officer Marie Venus Tan

Prior to her assumption of office at the TPB, COO Tan was the Director of the Department of Tourism in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DOT-CAR) for three (3) years. In that capacity, she spearheaded several urban rehabilitation tourism initiatives, including her brainchild campaign, Rev Up, Revive, Revisit, Revitalize (REV-BLOOM), Project Stobosa, Project PURAW and the Village Innovation Community Enhancement Project, among others. Likewise, COO Tan held the post National Coordinator for International Marketing and Promotions of North Luzon and Palawan from May 2015 until September 2018.

She is known for her genuine dedication to the cause of sustainable tourism, as attested by her affiliation with notable local and international organizations dedicated to socio-civic causes. COO Tan is a member of the Steering Committee of the United Nations Mountain Partnership in Slow Food International, Chair of the Asia Pacific Government Cluster and the focal person in the Philippines for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network 2017. She is Vice President of the Cordillera Association of Regional Executives (CARE), the founding Chair of the non-governmental organization Inspirational Women of the Cordilleras (IWOC), the International Organization Women in Travel, and Asia Travel Marketing Association.

Department of Tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat swears in Tourism Promotions Board chief operating officer Marie Venus Tan

COO Tan started her career as a Senior Public Relations Officer of the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) from January 1980 to December 1986. She went on and acquired nearly 13 years’ worth of experience as Chief III of the Europe and the Americas Divisions of the then Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation (PCVC), the precursor of the TPB. COO Tan’s hard work lead to a significant contribution to the development of Philippine tourism relations with Western, Central and Eastern Europe for 15 years, serving as Tourism Attaché for these regions beginning 2000 to 2015.

COO Tan is determined to make the TPB the DOT’s best performing agency under her administration. Topmost among her priorities are the development of meetings, incentive travel, conventions and exhibition events (MICE), providing optimal experiences for long-staying guests, and aiming for the Philippines’ high-spending source markets.

Former Goin’ Bulilit Kids thrill, excite, surprise in “Class of 2018”

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Former “Goin’ Bulilit” kids Nash Aguas, Sharlene San Pedro, CJ Navato, Kristel Fulgar, Kiray Celis, topbill the upcoming teen horror-thriller “Class of 2018” which opens in cinemas nationwide on November 7. The film written by Jericho Aguado and Charliebebs Gohetia and directed by Charliebebs Gohetia, is the “back-from-sem-break” offering of T-Rex Entertainment—the studio that brought us the celebrated “Deadma Walking” and “Bakwit Boys,” among many other hit movies.

When Nash, Sharlene, CJ, Kristel, and Kiray were little kids, they were mainstays of the popular “Goin’ Bulilit” comedy show of ABS-CBN. Together with other child performers, they cheered up weekend nights with their wit, charm and impeccable comedic timing. Since then, these five have become multi-talented stars.

Sharlene is now a MYX VJ and recording artist and favorite teen actress of “Maalaala Mo Kaya.” Nash, an award-winning actor, has gotten raves for his role in the teleserye, “The Good Son.” Kristel and CJ are social media stars whose song covers on YouTube have garnered millions of views. Kiray, meanwhile, has starred in box-office hits like “Shake, Rattle, and Roll XV” and “Crazy Beautiful You” alongside leading love team, Kathniel.

They give life to distinct and memorable characters in “Class of 2018” — Sharlene is Ada, a loner who gets bullied. Nash is RJ, a “cool kid” who is a part of the popular rich boy posse. CJ is Migs, a geek obsessed with conspiracy theories. Kristel is Princess, a reformed mean girl who is doing her best to befriend the class, while Kiray is Venus, the school’s reigning queen bee who leads a popular clique.

“Class of 2018” is about Section Zamora, which is a class of underachievers, repeaters, and delinquents. When Section Zamora goes on an out-of-town field trip, a classmate contracts a mysterious virus, which prompts the military to quarantine them in an abandoned military facility. Ada, RJ, Princess, Migs, Venus, and the rest of Section Zamora fight for survival while dealing with the dangers of the infectious virus and politics among untrustworthy classmates.

When the project was offered to the actors, they responded with instant enthusiasm. Sharlene says she found the premise very intriguing, “Nabasa ko ang summary. Sabi ko sa sarili ko, ‘Kakaiba!’ Shinare ko sa mommy at daddy ko at nag-agree sila na kakaiba nga. So sabi ko, ‘Go tayo dito!’”

The energy on the set was undeniable; just like the mysterious virus, it was hard to contain. Direk Charliebebs reveals that his cast was a noisy but incredible bunch. “Napakaingay nila. Pero kapag take naman, ginagawa nila kung ano ang instructions ko.”

So whether it was doing a complicated fight scene, running endlessly in hallways, moving the audience with a heartfelt dialogue, or uttering a hilarious line (“Merong parts na matatawa ka rin!” says Nash), the cast of “Class of

2018” were always spot-on perfect! Direk Charliebebs says that their experience plus rapport made for a terrific movie. “Nag-gel lahat. Magagaling sila,” he says of his cast.

“Class of 2018” also features a stellar ensemble composed of Yayo Aguila, Adrian Alandy, Dido dela Paz, Alex Medina, Sherry Lara, Michelle Vito, Ethan Salvador, Jomari Angeles, Kelvin Miranda, Nikki Gonzales, Lara Fortuna, Aga Arceo, Shara Dizon, Hanna Francisco, Renshi de Guzman, Dylan Ray Talon, Micah Jackson, Jude Matthew Servilla, John Vic De Guzman, Yvette Sanchez, Jerom Canlas, and Noubikko Ray.

For updates, follow @prodsthatmatter on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Vivo releases Y95 that brings expansive view, enhanced selfies, higher capacity battery

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Global smartphone brand Vivo has released another powerful addition to its growing family, the Vivo Y95, that comes with the maker’s thumbprint specs—a 6.22-inch Halo FullView™ Display for an expansive view and a 20-megapixel front camera for clearer selfies. But what’s great about the new release is its higher capacity battery and other features that make every Y95 one of the bests of its league. 

Vivo releases another head-turner, the Y95. 

See beyond the limits 

The Vivo Y95 is equipped with the all-new 6.22-inch Halo FullView™ Display with a maximized screen-to-body ratio of 88.6%. The front camera sensor’s place holder in the top middle of the smartphone evokes the halo of a rising sun. It is part of the brand’s efforts to provide a more expansive mobile viewing experience to its every patron. It also provides 1520 x 720 HD+ resolution that ensures vibrant colors and clarity on screen. 

Enhanced beauty and clarity 

Vivo Y95's 20MP front camera allows it to capture more details to render clearer selfies. Just like most Vivo smartphones, the Y95 is also equipped with artificial intelligence technology such as AI Face Beauty and AI Selfie Lighting that detect age, gender, skin tone, skin texture, and lighting environment to accurately enhance features. 

Double the brilliance 

The new smartphone also comes with a double rear camera with 13MP main rear camera and a 2MP secondary rear camera. The Y95’s double rear camera captures depth-of-field information to recreate professional-grade bokeh shots effortlessly. Thanks to AI technology, the smartphone can also intelligently identify 140 different photo scenes to automatically optimize every shot to deliver richer blue skies or livelier flowers. 

Even without third-party apps, the Y95 can add fun to any photo with its own range of fun, unique stickers that are enhanced with AR technology. 

Play on with power that lasts 

The Y95 is equipped with higher capacity battery to ensure longer performance. Its 4030mAh battery is complemented by an exclusive, smart-energy power management system that allows users to play at will without running out of battery. 

This is further enhanced with the Vivo’s smartphone’s 4GB RAM and Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 octa-core processor with a 12nm design so users can run multiple apps with ease. Moreover, the Vivo Y95 has 64GB of internal storage so users can download as many apps and files as possible. 

Smarter user experience 

The Vivo Y95 has an updated AI Game Mode that improves functions such as Floating Call Alerts, Background Calls, and the Game Keyboard. But it also added features such as the new Game Assistant. A quick sideways swipe gives users easy access to all these functions, so they can choose what to turn on or off without leaving the game. In addition, the all-new Auto Gaming Mode can keep games running in the background that turns the screen black while opening other apps so game progress will always be saved. 

The Y95 has the capabilities to understand what every user needs through its Jovi AI. It can count daily steps and calories, tell the results of sports games, provide updates on weather conditions, and prompt users to take a rest if working late into the night. 

Vivo Y95 allows users to enjoy two worlds at the same time with its Split Screen feature. A simple, three-fingered swipe splits the screen in two, enabling users to chat with friends while simultaneously watching videos. It currently supports video streaming, Facebook, Line, Messages, Viber, WeChat, WhatsApp, BBM, Play Movies & TV, YouTube, Video, MX Player, VLC for Android, Google Map, WPS Office, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Chrome, Gmail, and more. 

In collaboration with Google, Vivo Y95’s camera has been integrated with Google Lens technology to bring AI image recognition. Using an industry-leading deep learning algorithm, combined with neural network technology, the Y95 can identify objects and scenes in photos taken and perform related searches. 

The Vivo Y95 is available in Starry Black and Aurora Red. The Starry Black model adopts a whole new gloss painting process on the back that perfectly blends a deep black and shimmering blue, along with the beautifully pale purple visible when viewed from certain angles. 

Enjoy the powerful specs of the Vivo Y95 for only Php13,999. It is available in all Vivo stores and kiosks nationwide. Don’t have time to pick up the model yourself? Get the new Y95 through Vivo’s official online store on Lazada and Shopee. 

About Vivo 

A global smartphone brand focused on introducing perfect sound quality and ultimate photography with cutting-edge technology, Vivo develops innovative and stylish products for young people. We now have over two hundred million users and are one of the preferred brands of young people around the world. As an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup™, Vivo believes in the importance of encouraging young people to embrace self-expression and an energetic lifestyle. In the Philippines, Vivo is the top 3 smartphone brand in terms of market share with 1.5 million users nationwide. 

For inquiries about Vivo, visit the Vivo website at vivoglobal.ph or check out their Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/vivophil), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/vivo_philippines/), and Twitter (https://twitter.com/vivo_phil) accounts. 

PhilSka Music Festival 2018

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As we celebrate the Philippine Ska Community's 1st year anniversary on November 17, PHILIPPINE SKA COMMUNITY (in cooperation with INFINITY ADS SOLUTION) brings you the biggest and grandest Ska music festival in Philippine history--PHILSKA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2018, happening on DECEMBER 1 at Mayflower Parking, Greenfield District, Mandaluyong, 2pm.

Filipino fans are expected to witness a night filled with music and lots of fun. It features two global SKA talents plus 13 homegrown SKA bands headlining the music fest.

Two international SKA bands are ready to invade Pinoy stage: Beat Bahnhof (Japan) and Red Stripes (Hongkong) who offered their music that's why the music festival created. 

13 Homegrown SKA bands are ready for epic performances that will keep the audience on their feet: GoForTheGoatSKA! (Cavite),

The Stolenshots (Albay), The Upbeats Ska (Albay), The Buzzer Beaters (Laguna), STEADYMOVINBEAT, Mobster Manila, Rocket Punch, Pinkcow Philippines, Dandimites, Neighbors, Skabeche, ZCENTIDO, and Todo Pasa.

Today, the Philippines are yet to discover the beat and sound of SKA, but it has already reached its audience. These 13 homegrown SKA bands are set to showcase SKA, from its tone to its message.

Mr Noel Salonga, founder of PhilSka community, gives his vision: to create a community of not only musicians but group of people who deeply appreciates Ska Music. 

Since the group have already reached 3,000+ members and still increasing locally and acknowledged internationally, he thought that this is the time to have a grand eyeball with everyone. 

With this Music Festival, this will expose that Ska Music can be on the mainstream too.

Get 50% Off* and a Chance to Win a Condo at Lazada 11.11 with GCash!

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The biggest one-day online sale of the year, the Lazada 11.11 Sale, is just a few days away. So what do you do when items you've been wanting to buy are discounted up to 60% off? You shop with GCash!

In time for Lazada 11.11 Sale, the country's leading mobile wallet provider GCash can now be used to pay for purchases at Lazada real-time. This is thanks to the company's tech integration efforts with the biggest online shopping platform in the Philippines. This payment feature is available to customers with a GCash account, regardless if they’re using a Globe, TM, Smart, Sun, or Talk n' Text network SIM. They just need to link their GCash-registered mobile number upon selecting GCash as a payment method at the checkout screen.

Tens of thousands of products will be on sale at Lazada on November 11, 2018, starting 12:00 AM, including gadgets and electronics, personal care items, and apparel, among others, with site-wide discounts up to 60% off. On top of this, GCash is also giving away 50% discount voucher codes for use at the Lazada 11.11 Sale, capped at PHP 200 per transaction per user. Customers should just key in “GCASH1111” upon checkout to avail of the discount voucher code.

"The Lazada 11.11 Shopping Festival is the single most important date in online shopping in the Philippines. Filipinos are big in online retail and in deals, and GCash will enable them to purchase the items they want directly. They just need to create a GCash account by downloading the GCash App from the App Store or from Google Play, and link it with their Lazada account via mobile or PC. They will also be able to enjoy discounts being offered by Lazada," said Mynt President and CEO Anthony Thomas. Mynt is the holding company of GCash.

GCash is also holding a huge promo exclusive to Lazada: One lucky customer that would pay using GCash on Lazada starting 11.11 to 12.31 will get a chance to win a condominium unit worth PHP 2 million as the grand prize. A customer should just use the code “GCASHCONDO” with a minimum purchase worth PHP 50 upon checkout to get one (1) entry to the condo raffle.

Getting a GCash account is easy. Just download the GCash App for free from the App Store or from Google Play and sign up for an account. Alternatively, you can look for @gcashofficial on Messenger and sign up.

To fund their GCash account, a user can visit over 16,000 GCash partner outlets nationwide, like 7-Eleven, SM Business Centers, Robinsons Business Centers, Puregold branches, and Villarica Pawnshop branches, and tell the cashier to cash-in to their GCash account. Cashing-in to a GCash account is free.

For the latest updates, visit GCash's social

https://www.facebook.com/gcashofficial

https://www.instagram.com/gcashofficial

https://twitter.com/gcashofficial