Coldplay and BTS. My Universe Single Out Today

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Coldplay has today released their much-anticipated collaboration with BTS. My Universe, which was written by Coldplay and BTS and produced by Max Martin, is available to stream / download worldwide now.

Photo: James Marcus Haney x Heo Jae Young x Kim So Jung

The song’s official lyric video - which is available now - features handwritten lyrics from both groups, in both English and Korean.

Coldplay has also teased the song’s Dave Meyers-directed official music video, as “coming very soon”.

My Universe follows Coldplay’s worldwide hit Higher Power as the second single to be taken from the band’s forthcoming album Music Of The Spheres (out October 15th).

For more information please visit Coldplay.com 

LISTEN:

SIKAT SA PINAS

OPM ON THE RISE

PLDT lauds ‘unbreakable spirit’ of PH enterprises amid challenging times

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The COVID-19 pandemic has presented immense challenges to industries around the world. With mobility restrictions in place, business owners had to rethink their operations and adjust to navigate the uncertainties in the new normal.

PLDT Enterprise reinforces its unbreakable commitment in empowering the endeavors of businesses through technology

Although some companies were able to adapt and seamlessly shift to the new norm, the process was not easy with many struggling with financial losses and temporary business closures.

A survey from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) released September last year reported that the Philippine economy experienced the worst impacts of the pandemic. The Philippines logged the highest number of business closures and layoffs among its peers in Southeast Asia.

Despite that, Jovy Hernandez, ePLDT President & CEO and SVP and Head of PLDT & Smart Enterprise and International Business Groups, said that resilience is one of the core values that helped businesses conquer the challenges of the pandemic. This ‘unbreakable spirit’ of enterprises allowed them to embrace uncertainties, accept adversities, and implement necessary measures to continue their operations.

“Enterprises have successfully adapted and were able to minimize their losses through digitalization. This shows that enterprises – whether small or large – have the unbreakable spirit to overcome challenges, and we honor them for that,” he said.

During the onset of the lockdowns and community quarantine in place, PLDT Enterprise has continued to collaborate with businesses across the region to address their specific pain points and challenges through tailor-fit solutions. Such partnerships have allowed organizations in different industries to sustain their operations and in turn, continue serving their own end customers aligned to their individual visions.

Hernandez added that PLDT Enterprise is committed to strengthening its connectivity and technology services to support businesses in accelerating their recovery and building their resiliency.

“We express our sincerest gratitude to all of our partners for their continued trust in us. And we at PLDT Enterprise underscore our unbreakable commitment in providing more innovative digital solutions suitable to the changing times that will further support the recovery and growth of businesses—so together, we can continue making a positive impact on the lives of more Filipinos,” he concluded.

PLDT Enterprise recently unveiled its Unbreakable Commitment campaign which highlights how its collaboration with different brands and organizations in the country has helped them thrive despite today’s circumstances—and in turn, contribute to the lives of Filipinos. This campaign also reinforces PLDT Enterprise’s unbreakable commitment in empowering the endeavors of organizations through technology. Watch the video here:

https://youtu.be/uofuMK7E8NU

For more information, visit pldtenterprise.com. 

Miss Universe Philippines Fan Vote Extended Until Sept 29

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Beauty pageant fans now have until September 29 to vote their favorite Miss Universe Philippines finalist into the Top 16, only on Lazada – the pageant’s official voting platform this year. Fans can enter up to five (5) votes daily through the Fan Vote function and the finalist with the most votes will secure a place in the Top 16, bringing her a step closer to winning the coveted crown!

Instructions to access the voting page are as follows:

1. In the Lazada Home Page, click on ‘Feed’
2. In the ‘Feed’ page, click on the ‘Miss Universe Philippines’ tab at the top bar
3. Click the ‘Go to vote’ button and claim the five (5) Daily Free Votes
4. Click on ‘Vote’ below the finalist’s name and photo, and wait for a voting confirmation pop-up

Fans can also support their favorite candidate by purchasing special packages offered on the voting page:

1. On the ‘Miss Universe Philippines’ main page, click the ‘Get more votes’ button. Users then click ‘Buy Votes’ and are able to select among the Voting Packages offered
2. If the user has already used his/her five (5) Daily Free Vote, he/she can click the ‘Get more votes’ button shown at the top of the voting page, or whenever a user clicks on any finalist on the page.

In photo: Voting packages available on Lazada based on requirements from the Miss Universe Philippines Organization. 

Lazada’s Miss Universe Philippines Video Contest: Showcasing Shopping Faves from the Beauty Queens

In addition to the Fan Vote feature, fans were also given a special opportunity to get to know their candidates better through a recently concluded video contest that showcased the favorite Lazada shopping choices of each beauty queen. The social media contest asked each Miss Universe candidate to choose one item from Lazada, and top fan choices included a scrabble set chosen by Masbate’s Kirsten Danielle Delavin, a portable printer to capture and preserve memories on the go from Taguig’s Katrina Dimaranan, beauty products and face masks to detox for Cebu City’s Steffi Rose Aberasturi, Vitamin C infused with Vitamin E supplements for a healthy immune system and glowing skin for Pangasinan’s Maureen Christa Wroblewitz, and a nifty portable phone holder and lighting set-up for San Juan City’s Rousanne Marie Bernos. Kirsten Danielle Delavin, who won the video contest on Facebook, will be awarded during the preliminary competition the special title of Miss Universe Philippines Lazada and P50,000 in Lazada Wallet credits.

Who will you be voting for to join the Top 16? 

Enter your vote today on the Lazada voting page through the app/site: https://lzd.co/LazadaVoting.

Get ready to go on a gorgeous French vacation: Emily in Paris Season 2 Returns to Netflix this year 2021

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Emily in Paris Season 2

Now more entrenched in her life in Paris, Emily’s getting better at navigating the city but still struggling with the idiosyncrasies of French life. After stumbling into a love triangle with her neighbor and her first real French friend, Emily is determined to focus on her work — which is getting more complicated by the day. In French class, she meets a fellow expat who both infuriates and intrigues her.

Award-winning creator and showrunner Darren Star returns to helm the second season of the Emmy-nominated series EMILY IN PARIS, which became Netflix’s most-viewed comedy series of 2020. Producer and star Lily Collins reprises her role as Emily Cooper, alongside returning series regulars Philippine Leroy Beaulieu, Ashley Park, Lucas Bravo, Camille Razat, Samuel Arnold, Bruno Gouery, and William Abadie, recurring guest star Kate Walsh, and new cast members Lucien Laviscount, Jeremy O. Harris, and Arnaud Binard.

EMILY IN PARIS is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, Darren Star Productions, and Jax Media.

• Episodes: 10 episodes x 30 min

• Creator / Executive Producer / Writer: Darren Star

• Executive Producers: Tony Hernandez (JAX Media), Lilly Burns (JAX Media), Andrew Fleming

• Producers: Raphaël Benoliel, Stephen Brown, Lily Collins, Shihan Fey, Jake Fuller

• Returning Series Regulars: Lily Collins (Emily Cooper), Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu (Sylvie Grateau) Ashley Park (Mindy), Lucas Bravo (Gabriel), Camille Razat (Camille), Samuel Arnold (Luc), Bruno Gouery (Julien), William Abadie (Antoine Lambert)

• Recurring Cast: Kate Walsh (Madeline), Jeremy O. Harris (Gregory Elliott Dupree), Arnaud Binard (Laurent G), Lucien Laviscount (Alfie)

BUT WAIT - THERE’S MORE...

TUNE INTO TULUM: A NETFLIX GLOBAL FAN EVENT ON 

SUNDAY,  SEPTEMBER 26 

FOR MORE SPECIAL NEWS!

When and where to watch TUDUM

The three-hour Netflix TUDUM virtual event will premiere on September 26 at 12AM PHT, with a special Asian premiere starting at 11:00AM PHT.

TUDUM will be made available across Netflix YouTube channels worldwide, in a number of different languages, as well as Twitter and Twitch.

In the Philippines, TUDUM will be available in the localized YouTube streams below:

• Netflix Asia (English, Traditional Chinese and Vietnamese)

• Netflix Philippines (English)

Visit TUDUM.com for the latest news and information.

Gen Z and Millennial Airbnb Hosts in the Philippines leading the way for inclusive tourism recovery

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As the Philippines begins to relax domestic travel restrictions, Airbnb continues to steadily navigate the Covid-19 pandemic with hundreds of new local Hosts joining the platform in the first six months of 2021.

Latest Airbnb data shows over 68% of all new Filipino Hosts in H1 2021 are Gen Zs and millennials aged 18-40

The company announced today that Filipino Gen Zs and millennials are the driving force behind Airbnb’s growing community of Hosts in the Philippines, with over 68% of new Airbnb Hosts in H1 2021 comprising Gen Zs and millennials aged between 18 and 40*.

Despite hosting during small windows of opportunities due to the start-stop order of travel restrictions between January to June, new Filipino Hosts have collectively earned over PHP 21 million welcoming guests on Airbnb. Metro Manila, Tagaytay, and Metro Cebu also emerged as the top cities where new Airbnb Hosts are hosting*.

Tourism is a significant contributor to the Philippine economy and employment. In 2019, research from Oxford Economics revealed that Filipino Airbnb Hosts contributed USD 1 billion to the country’s GDP and supported over 160,000 jobs. Guests on Airbnb spent over USD 930 million, representing 1.2% of the country’s total tourism spending in the same year**.

Through the pandemic, hosting has emerged as an important economic lifeline for many Filipinos to make ends meet and support their families. A Q1 2021 survey by Airbnb reveals that 57% of Filipino Hosts polled said the income they’ve earned through hosting has helped them to stay in their homes, and over half said they want to find more ways to host with Airbnb. Over a third of Filipino Hosts also said they share recommendations with guests on their favourite local restaurants and businesses within their community***.

“This year’s World Tourism Day calls for more inclusive growth that advances prosperity for more communities and drives more sustainable development. It’s a call for our tourism industry to reset and rebuild tourism in a way that benefits more people and communities than ever before. As more Filipinos turn to hosting with Airbnb to support themselves and their families during this time of need, we remain fully committed to empowering our Hosts to provide unique, family-friendly, and clean, responsible travel,” shares Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager for Southeast Asia, India, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Earlier this year, Airbnb introduced more than 100 upgrades across its platform, including a new simplified 10-step process for anyone to become a Host. It also launched seven Host clubs this year across the Philippines to empower Hosts to connect, collaborate and support each other as well as their local communities, by sharing advice and best practices on hosting. During the pandemic, Airbnb launched its Airbnb Enhanced Clean protocol, an industry-first set of cleaning and sanitisation standards designed with guidance from the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure peace of mind for the community.

The company continues to support and strengthen the communities its Hosts call home, amidst the unprecedented changes brought about by the pandemic. In June, Mercy in Action, Childhope Philippines Foundation, Inc., Haligi ng Bata, Inc. and Reach Out and Feed Philippines were amongst the first 150 grant recipients of the inaugural Airbnb Community Fund, which will distribute US$100 million over 10 years to organizations around the world.

*Based on internal Airbnb data from January to June 2021.

**The Economic Impact of Airbnb in the Philippines: An Independent Report by Oxford Economics (August 2020)

***Based on an Airbnb survey from Feb 1, 2021 to Mar 3, 2021.