Super Soldiers distress Nueva Esperanza

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Backed by his newly formed soldiers who have superpowers to cause great harm, Heneral Borgo (Richard Quan) has made his biggest move yet to finally seize the mystical white stone from Narda/ Darna (Jane De Leon) in the hit primetime series “Mars Ravelo’s Darna.”

Among the supervillains are Noah (Paolo Gumabao), Andre (Young JV), Mayor Zaldy (Simon Ibarra), Maisha (Dawn Chang), Sigfried (Joshua Colet), Arthur Pineda (Eric Fructuoso), Ishna (Kim Rodriguez), and (Ali) Mark Manicad.

Noah can now manipulate fire, Andre has explosive powers, Mayor Zaldy has superhuman strength, Maisha can make people involuntarily move and mimic her, Pineda can control inanimate objects, and Sigfried can create a force field as a shield. Ishna, the longtime assistant of Borgo, is a shapeshifter, while Ali has yet to transform and demonstrate his superpowers.

After making sure his Super Soldiers are set for the coming battles, Borgo proceeded to his next step of revealing his identity to Darna as Rex Vanguardia. This is in order to trick the superhero to fall into his trap so that he can fully unleash the real monster behind Regina/ Valentina (Janella Salvador), his biggest weapon to victory.

With Borgo’s game plan in place, can Darna still save the day?

“Darna” continues to fly high on primetime TV and digital. It also spawned various Darna-related content on TikTok with the #Darna with 2.3 billion combined views in 2022.

The “Darna” cast is also set to join Iloilo’s Dinagyang Festival on Sunday (January 22) at 4 pm at Vista Mall Iloilo.

Make way for the biggest battles in Nueva Esperanza in “Darna,” airing weeknights at 8 pm on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, CineMo, A2Z, and TV5. The ABS-CBN series produced by JRB Creative Production is also available on iWantTFC, and TFC.

For more information, follow JRB Creative Production on Facebook and Twitter (@JRBcreativeprod) and on Instagram (@JRBcreativeproduction).

For updates, follow @abscbnpr on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram or visit www.abs-cbn.com/newsroom.

Society Pass, Inc. (SOPA) / NusaTrip Expands Services to Philippines

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(Philippines, January 18, 2023) - NusaTrip, Indonesia’s first IATA-certified online travel agency (OTA) and the travel vertical of Society Pass Incorporated (Nasdaq:SOPA), today formally announces the opening of its second Southeast Asia (SEA) regional office in Philippines.

The market for Filipino tourists and foreign workers is sizable. According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration's (POEA) data, approximately 2.3 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were deployed in 2019. In 2021, OFW was estimated to be 1.83 million, up from 1.77 million in 2020. Based on the Department of Tourism's November 2022 report, 73% of the 2.025 million visitors to the Philippines are foreign tourists, whereas 27% are OFWs. In 2023, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) aims to increase the number of overseas Filipino workers. The majority of OFWs work in the service sector, such as domestic help, healthcare, engineering, and construction. By 2020, Asia employed 83.6% of OFWs, followed by Europe, America, and Australia.

NusaTrip CEO Johanes (Joe) Chang elaborates, "Considering the market's size and potential, the Philippines is an essential market for our ecosystem. NusaTrip aims to be the promotion partners for the Philippines tourism boards and become the travel hub that helps to connect overseas Filipinos with their home country. We are excited to collaborate with the local businesses. It will accelerate and improve the quality of our synergies and customer growth rate in Southeast Asia. In addition, given Philippines’ countless scenic spots and picturesque beaches, NusaTrip will focus on promoting thousands of hotels into our platform and provide leisure alternatives for international travelers”.

Leveraging the momentum of the travel and tourism industry recovery post-COVID-19 pandemic, NusaTrip is expanding its offering beyond air travel. NusaTrip aims to extend its flight content with more travel inspirations and relevant options, so everyone will always find something to explore and somewhere to fly to. 

On the business side, NusaTrip connects worldwide flight content through streamlined integration with low-cost and full-service airlines from multiple points of sale and enables global distribution at ease via its proprietary technology, the NusaXchange platform.

Nusatrip regional offices will focus on creating more variety of marketing initiatives and managing existing business relationships with airlines, hotels, and tourism promotion board partners.

"We are very excited to welcome NusaTrip and look forward to the collaboration with our local businesses. I believe it will benefit our business partners and customers," said Arbie Christie Pagdangan, Country Manager for Society Pass in the Philippines.

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About NusaTrip

Founded in 2013, NusaTrip is an IATA-licensed online travel agency that serves both local and global customers and partners by optimizing cutting-edge technology and providing 24/7 customer-centric support team-as-a-service.

NusaTrip is now a member of Society Pass (Nasdaq: SoPa) ecosystem.

For more information, please visit: https://www.nusatrip.com.

About Society Pass Inc.

Founded in 2018 as a data-driven loyalty, fintech and e-commerce ecosystem in the fast-growing markets of Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, which account for more than 80% of the SEA population, and with offices located in Angeles, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Manila, and Singapore, Society Pass Incorporated (Nasdaq: SOPA) is an acquisition-focused holding company operating 6 interconnected verticals (loyalty, digital media, travel, telecoms, lifestyle, and F&B), which seamlessly connects millions of registered consumers and hundreds of thousands of registered merchants/brands across multiple product and service categories throughout SEA.

Society Pass completed an initial public offering and began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker SOPA in November 2021. SOPA shares were added to the Russell 2000 index in December 2021.

SoPa acquires fast growing e-commerce companies and expands its user base across a robust product and service ecosystem. SoPa integrates these complementary businesses through its signature Society Pass fintech platform and circulation of its universal loyalty points or Society Points, which has entered beta testing and is expected to launch broadly at the beginning of 2023. Society Pass loyalty program members earn and redeem Society Points and receive personalised promotions based on SoPa’s data capabilities and understanding of consumer shopping behaviour. SoPa has amassed more than 3.3 million registered consumers and over 205,000 registered merchants and brands. It has invested 2+ years building proprietary IT architecture to effectively scale and support its consumers, merchants, and acquisitions.

Society Pass leverages technology to tailor a more personalised experience for customers in the purchase journey and to transform the entire retail value chain in SEA. SoPa operates Thoughtful Media Group, a Thailand-based, a social commerce-focused, premium digital video multi-platform network; NusaTrip, a leading Indonesia-based Online Travel Agency; Gorilla Networks, a Singapore-based, web3-enabled mobile blockchain network operator; Leflair.com, Vietnam’s leading lifestyle e-commerce platform; Pushkart.ph, a popular grocery delivery company in Philippines; Handycart.vn, a leading online restaurant delivery service based in Vietnam; and Mangan.ph, a leading local restaurant delivery service in Philippines.

For more information on Society Pass, please visit:

Website at https://www.thesocietypass.com 

LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/societypass 

Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thesocietypass 

Twitter at https://twitter.com/society_pass 

Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/societypass/.

Globe urges Filipinos to continue supporting local businesses as it wraps up purposeful holiday celebration

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As the New Year begins, Globe encourages Filipinos to continue supporting local businesses, just as it wrapped up a holiday celebration of giving back.

Through the Globe of Good umbrella program, Globe brings together an ecosystem of impact where stakeholders can connect and work together to help communities in need move forward from the adverse effects of the pandemic.

Under this initiative, the company revived its annual December tradition of holding The Purpose Tree campaign and the Gift Local bazaar with a face-to-face engagement for the first time after two years of virtual activities.

The Purpose Tree is an internal fundraising effort for employees to give back to a worthy cause. Contributions go to the Hapag Movement, Globe’s banner program for hunger alleviation through technology.

As a program, the Hapag Movement aims to address involuntary hunger through technology, including the use of electronic donation platforms, and connects multi-sectoral partners to achieve social impact at scale. It also provides livelihood training for a sustainable source of income for beneficiaries.

"Christmas at Globe has always been about giving back. As we pass on our gratitude, compassion and care to our employees, we implore them to do the same by sharing their blessings with our kababayans. With the Hapag Movement as our main advocacy, we hoped to make the Christmas season just as special for those in our partner communities,” said Ato Jiao, Chief Human Resource Officer, Globe Group.

The Purpose Tree launch at The Globe Tower was attended by Hapag Movement partners Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines and World Vision Philippines, and Globe executives led by Globe Group President and CEO Ernest L. Cu, Chief Customer Experience Officer and Strategy Management Head Rebecca Eclipse, and Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer Yoly Crisanto, and Jiao.

The leaders hung custom-made Christmas balls with the Hapag Movement GCash QR Code to serve as an accessible way for employees and office guests to donate to the advocacy.

Meanwhile, Globe Business MSME Group organized the Gift Local bazaar for its clients. The annual activity allows some of their key clients to participate and sell their products to Globe’s employees this season.

“Through Gift Local, we were able to showcase more homegrown brands and products in the market; and now, as we go into our fifth year, we've moved from online selling to creating a more hybrid customer experience,” said KD Dizon, MSME Group Head, Globe Business.

Several small businesses took part in the bazaar, which ran for three days at The Globe Tower, Globe’s Headquarters in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Employees got their pick from diverse offerings such as scented candles, sustainable lifestyle products, fruits, ice cream, cupcakes, specialty coffee, collectibles, and many more.

Globe Business also provided merchants with a free trial until yearend on ChatGenie, an e-commerce solution that helps entrepreneurs easily manage their online shops via chat on Facebook, Instagram, Viber and GLife on GCash. Through ChatGenie, sellers can accept multiple modes of payment, plus arrange and track delivery directly on the messaging thread.

As a contribution to the Hapag Movement, the MSMEs donated their joining fees to the advocacy, which was then matched by Globe Business. The total raised and pledged donations reached P200,000.

Globe Business also led a Live Selling event on December 2 on its Facebook page, where partner MSMEs got to sell their products.

To learn more about Globe, visit www.globe.com.ph.

A Sense of Ease Uniqlo U 2023 Spring/Summer Collection Launches February 17

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Global apparel retailer UNIQLO announces the launch of the Uniqlo U 2023 Spring/Summer collection starting February 17. Designed by Artistic Director Christophe Lemaire and his UNIQLO R&D team in Paris, the new collection themed A Sense of Ease offers a modern, timeless modular wardrobe centered on clothes that make life easier.

Layering pieces in soft, matte cotton and refreshing AIRism cotton meet airy utilitarian outerwear to create a complete range of versatile basics with often unexpected, always thoughtfully considered proportions. A playful yet elegant color palette combines understated neutrals and rich blues and beiges with bright pops of green, orange, yellow, purple, and pink.

Womenswear

Womenswear offers versatility; refined, seamless activewear is interchangeable between exercise and everyday life. Tailoring is soft and easy. A sheer shirt with patch pockets in matte-finish cotton is a fresh staple. The new jeans are slightly curved with a fitted leg to create a fresh silhouette.

Menswear

A complete range of versatile basics for a modern yet timeless look. Seersucker striped shirts and cotton shorts are cut wide for an easy summer silhouette. An oversized utility jacket is a new proportion for outerwear. The crew neck 3/4 sleeve T-shirt has been further perfected with a boxy fit. Parachute pants are utilitarian and effortless with adjustable drawstrings at the hem.

Accessories

BLOCKTECH hats and jet caps, and a new bucket bag in two sizes marry form and function, while the beloved drawstring shoulder bag returns for another season.

Stylings

Collection

The lineup includes 27 items for women, 23 items for men, and 7 items for accessories.

Lineup and Pricing

Items	Prices	Items	Prices
Outerwear	Php 3,490 – Php 6,990	Knits	Php 1,490 – Php 2,490
Pants & Skirts	Php 1,990 – Php 2,490	Dresses	Php 1,490 – Php 2,490
Shirts	Php 1,990	Accessories	Php 1,490 – 1,990
Cut & Sewn items	Php 590 – Php 1,490

 

Note: The above prices are provisional and subject to change

Special Website: https://www.uniqlo.com/ph/en/contents/collaboration/uniqlo-u/23ss/  

UNIQLO R&D Centers

Uniqlo U is a collection of “Future LifeWear Essentials.” The world-class designers and patternmakers in the Paris design team reimagine everyday clothing using innovative materials and new, contemporary silhouettes. Each season is designed with the highest precision and in pursuit of a simplified, modern wardrobe.

UNIQLO R&D Centers are places for experimentation, spaces to try new ideas, innovate and create. The Paris R&D Center complements other UNIQLO R&D Centers in Tokyo, Shanghai, New York, and Los Angeles.

Christophe Lemaire

Christophe Lemaire has been designing his namesake collection since 1991. He has also served as Artistic Director of Lacoste and Artistic Director of women’s ready-to-wear at Hermès. In 2015, he partnered with UNIQLO, resulting in the UNIQLO AND LEMAIRE collaboration collections for Fall/Winter 2015 and Spring/Summer 2016. Christophe Lemaire was appointed Artistic Director of the UNIQLO Paris R&D Center in 2016, where he and his handpicked team of designers create the Uniqlo U collection.

 

Bayad and PitakaMo Relaunches Partnership, Strengthening Its One Stop Shop Bills Payment Solution

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CIS Bayad Center Inc. (Bayad), the largest multi-channel payment platform in the Philippines relaunches partnership with PitakaMo IT Solutions and Marketing Corporation (PitakaMo), a digital payment service provider of its franchisor brand AllEn One Grocery and Payment Center (AllEn One).

In photo (L-R): Lawrence Y. Ferrer – Bayad President and CEO, Dennis S. Gatuslao – Bayad Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer, Alexander Charles Mascenon – PitakaMo IT Solutions and Marketing Corporation VP for Operations, and Alexander Benedict Mascenon – PitakaMo IT Solutions and Marketing Corporation President and CEO

Gaining foothold in the retail industry, AllEn One has already established over 47 store branches nationwide in just a span of 2 years. As the company thrives through expansion, it continues to offer value added services including a one stop shop bills payment solution, enabled by Bayad’s upgraded system integration with PitakaMo.

Today, AllEn One customers can expect seamless payment transactions with various billers covering services like electric and water utility, cable & internet, government contributions, loan payments, school tuition fees, online shopping, insurance, and many others.

To top it off, most of these billers offer real-time payment posting allowing customers to pay their bills instantaneously, without delay, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Bayad President and CEO, Lawrence Y. Ferrer shared, “We and PitakaMo share the same goal of providing convenient financial services. Together, we’ve enhanced a one stop shop bills payment solution as we respond to the various needs of the customers that we both serve, especially those who are always on the go. Ultimately, we stand with PitakaMo in shaping the future of fintech as we help make payment transactions frictionless, secured, and more accessible to Filipinos.”

PitakaMo President and CEO, Alexander Benedict Mascenon added “Our partnership with Bayad Center is vital in providing essential services through our AllEn One Grocery, Pharmacy & Payment Centers nationwide.”

For financial institutions and businesses like PitakaMo that are interested to be part of Bayad’s extensive channel network, you may send an email to partnerships@bayad.com. Bayad enables partners to attain nationwide presence and provides end-to-end support services for efficient payment and collection processing.

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About Bayad

Bayad is the pioneer and trusted brand in the outsourced payment collection service in the Philippines, aggregating a multitude of billers into a robust system that is now being used by more than 100,000 physical touchpoints and leading digital and mobile platforms across the country. Formerly known as Bayad Center, it continues trailblaze the industry as it evolves from an over-the-counter payment center into a full-service fintech service company, offering a whole suite of financial products & services available to both consumers and businesses.

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About PitakaMo

PitakaMo IT Solutions and Marketing Corp offers AllEn One Grocery, Pharmacy & Payment Center. It is an affordable “all-en-one” franchised business that uses technology and innovations to better serve the needs of its community and expand its customer reach. Perfect for first-time entrepreneurs. It is a branded convenience store, with pharmaceuticals, money transfer, bills payment, e-loads, insurance, travel & tours, and ATM services. It comes with an ALLEN ONE Retailer App for the wholesale part of your business.