Ortigas Malls Media Alerts: Holy Week, Ortigas Malls store hours

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 In observance of Holy Week, Ortigas Malls store hours are as follows:

From April 3 to 5, Greenhills Mall will be open from 10am to 8pm, Tiendesitas will be from 10am to 9pm, and Estancia will be from 11am to 9pm. All three malls will be closed on Maundy Thursday (April 6) and Good Friday (April 7).

The malls will open again at regular hours on Black Saturday (April 8) and Easter Sunday (April 9).

Check Ortigas Malls’ Holy Week schedule below:

For more details, visit the social media pages of Greenhills Mall, Tiendesitas, and Estancia. Download the Ortigas Malls app to find out more about upcoming events, and sign up for the Ortigas Community Card for exciting perks.

Spend Easter Break at Richmonde Hotel Ortigas

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Holy Week is the perfect time to rest and spend time with family, and what can be more relaxing than staying in the city away from the crowded beaches and packed roads to out-of-town hotspots. At the center of the metro within the accessible Ortigas Center is Richmonde Hotel Ortigas which offers local staycationers a soothing sanctuary at special rates for an easy and affordable urban getaway.

Easter Break Escape Rates are available from April 1 to 10, 2023 starting at

PhP 3,400 nett per night for a 2-night stay, and PhP 3,500 nett for an overnight stay.

Available from April 1 to 10, 2023, Richmonde’s Easter Break Escape Room Package provides guests with a soothing sojourn for as low as PhP 3,400 nett per night if staying for two or more nights. Overnight rates are also reasonable priced starting at PhP 3,500 nett for Sunday to Thursday stays and PhP 3,700 nett for Friday & Saturday check-ins. For rates that come with daily breakfast buffet for up to two adults and two children aged 5 years old and below, rates begin at PhP 4,200 nett per night for a minimum of 2 nights, PhP 4,300 nett and PhP 4,500 nett for nightly stays from Sunday to Thursday and Friday to Saturday, respectively.

All guests also get complimentary use of the Health Club’s gym and heated indoor pool, scheduled afternoon snacks at the café and lemonade at the pool area on April 6, 7 & 8. And for the convenience of in-house guests on April 9, an Easter Sunday mass will be celebrated at the 3rd floor function rooms at 10:30am.

Savor the fresh and delicate flavors of Richmonde Café’s Seafood Specials featuring grilled marlin, sous vid black cod, and salmon teriyaki.

RHO Seafood Specials_Black Cod

RHO Seafood Specials_Grilled Blue Marlin

RHO Seafood Specials_Salmon Teriyaki

For guilt-free indulgences this Lent and the summer season, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, Richmonde Café, introduces new seafood specials featuring fresh and healthy pescatarian dishes like grilled blue marlin (PhP 810nett), sous vid black cod (PhP 940nett), and salmon teriyaki (PhP 865nett). These delightful entrées are available for a la carte orders the whole month of April.

For bookings and inquiries, call Richmonde Hotel Ortigas at (632) 8638 7777 or email stay@richmondeortigas.com. You may also call or message via mobile/Viber 0917 859 7914 (Room Reservations) and 0917 534 4352 (Richmonde Café).

As the initial venture of leading real estate company, Megaworld Corporation, into the hospitality business, Richmonde Hotel Ortigas is a proud local brand that opened in 1999 at the heart of the then-burgeoning Ortigas Center. It is now a member of the steadily growing stable of homegrown brands under the Megaworld Hotels and Resorts group. For more information on Richmonde Hotel Ortigas, log on to www.richmondehotelortigas.com.ph and for the latest news on the hotel, follow @RichmondeHotelOrtigas on Facebook and Instagram.

Earth Hour 2023 unites more than 60 NGOs, NGAs and LGUs to give the biggest hour for Earth

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The celebration of Earth Hour 2023 in the Philippines was a success, with iconic landmarks, local governments, and businesses across the country participating in the switch-off.

A T-rex hugs the “60” Earth Hour logo in front of the Manuel Quezon Memorial just before the lights were switched off for WWF-Philippines Earth Hour celebration last March 25, 2023.

Credit: WWF-Philippines/Alo Lantin

Earth Hour is an annual event organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines (WWF-Philippines) that encourages people to turn off their lights for an hour as a symbol of their commitment to the planet. This global movement aims to raise awareness about climate change and the need for urgent action to mitigate its impacts. The event also seeks to highlight the value of nature as climate’s secret ally and the halting of biodiversity loss as one of the organization’s critical advocacies.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) measured a total nationwide drop in electricity grid load of 62.68 megawatts (MW) during Earth Hour. Luzon saw the most significant drop with 33.28 MW, while Visayas and Mindanao saw load drops of 20.5 MW and 8.9 MW, respectively. To put this into perspective, a small household can consume around 150 to 250 kilowatts in a month, making the energy saved during Earth Hour equivalent to 250 to 418 small households not consuming electricity for a whole month.

“We see how much Filipinos care about the planet because of their consistent annual participation in Earth Hour. Each person’s contribution adds up to the bigger goal of reducing the country’s reliance on fossil fuels,” Earth Hour Philippines National Director Atty. Angela Consuelo Ibay said.

“Now that Filipinos have taken the first step of switching off their lights, it’s time to keep going by going beyond the hour. We need more people to support environmental efforts whether it is in reducing plastic waste, promoting renewable energy, and eating and living sustainably,” she added.

Atty. Ibay explained that switching off the lights for one hour is just a small act for one person, but when millions of people do it, it adds up to significant savings in terms of energy usage. She said that the switch-off is simply the first step to becoming more aware of our individual roles in protecting the environment.

Members of The Scouts of the Philippines and parkgoers write their pledges for nature and the environment on the freedom wall during the annual celebration of Earth Hour on March 25, 2023..

Credit: WWF-Philippines/Janine Peralta

A cyclist and fitness enthusiast signs up for the Earth Hour Virtual Run in the WWF-Philippines booth at the Earth Hour Sustainability Fair.

Credit: WWF-Philippines/Janine Peralta

WWF-Philippines’ Earth Hour in-person program at the Quezon City Memorial Circle was hosted by WWF-Philippines ambassadors Janine Gutierrez, Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski and Karen Ibasco.

Credit: WWF-Philippines/Janine Peralta

This year’s Earth Hour was held on March 25 at the Quezon City Memorial Circle and was attended by an estimated 1,200 people, according to the Quezon City Department of Public Order and Safety. The event was marked by a series of activities, including a sustainability fair, a symbolic run for the Earth, and musical entertainment by local artists.

"It only takes 60 minutes to do good for our future, 60 minutes to take notice and commit to saving Mother Nature, to be united and take action because together nothing is impossible,” the President said in a video statement. "Let's switch off and give Mother Nature 60 minutes to breathe," he added.

In the previous year’s Earth Hour celebration, the total load drop measured was 65.32 MW for the entire country with the largest savings of 35.26 MW from Luzon, followed by 15.3 MW for Mindanao, and 14.76 MW for Visayas.

Since the first Earth Hour in 2007 in Australia, millions of people participate every year in Earth Hour from various sectors, groups, and parts of the world, making it an authentic movement of humanity for the environment. The Philippines joined the global movement in 2008. The yearly global switching off of lights is observed from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm, where over 190 countries around the world joined in as part of this one-of-a-kind global grassroots movement for nature.

The Quezon City Memorial Circle monument, which usually flashes multiple colors, shuts off its lights during Earth Hour   (Credit: WWF-Philippines/Alo Lantin)

Earth Hour 2023 is co-presented by Quezon City Government, together with our Official Communications and PR Partner, COMCO Mundo League of Enterprises; media partners The Philippine Star, GMA, Radyo Veritas, and Globaltronics; promotional partners Creator and Influencer Council of the Philippines, Leo Burnett, and GCash; marketing partners Salad Stop, Coca-Cola, SSI Group, Inc., Epson Philippines, Sun Life Foundation, Booths & Partners, Ayala Malls, and Megaworld Lifestyle Malls; and community partners Save the Children, Oxfam Pilipinas, World Vision, United Nations Development Programme, International Organization for Migration, Association of Young Environmental Journalists, The Asia Foundation, De La Salle University and Philippine Scouts.

The following government offices support this event: the Department of Energy, Climate Change Commission, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, League of Cities of the Philippines, League of Provinces of the Philippines, Department of Agriculture, Court of Appeals, Department of Health, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of Information and Communications Technology, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, National Parks Development Committee, National Economic Development Authority, Department of Education, Department of Interior and Local Governance, Laguna Lake Development Authority.

The success of the Earth Hour event in the Philippines serves as an inspiration to other countries in the region and around the world. It shows that by working together, we can make a difference in our planet's future.

The Night Agent accepts its next mission: Season 2

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Netflix renews The Night Agent for a second season consisting of 10 episodes. The series, which is produced by Sony Pictures Television Studios, premiered on March 23, 2023, and immediately reached Netflix’s Top 10. The series debuted in the #1 spot on the English TV List with 168.71M hours viewed, making it the most viewed title this week. The action-thriller ranks #3 for premiere week of viewing across all Season 1 TV and appeared in the Top 10 in 93 countries. 

Creator / Showrunner / Executive Producer: Shawn Ryan (The Shield, S.W.A.T.) with MiddKid Productions.

Executive Producers from the first season also include Marney Hochman with MiddKid Productions; Seth Gordon and Julia Gunn with Exhibit A; Jamie Vanderbilt, William Sherak, Paul Neinstein and Nicole Tossou with Project X; and David Beaubaire with Sunset Lane Media.

Season 1 Logline: Based on the novel by Matthew Quirk, The Night Agent is a sophisticated, character-based, action-thriller centering on a low level FBI Agent who works in the basement of the White House, manning a phone that never rings -- until the night that it does, propelling him into a fast moving and dangerous conspiracy that ultimately leads all the way to the Oval Office.

QUOTES:

• Shawn Ryan,  Creator, Showrunner, Executive Producer, The Night Agent: “The last week has been a whirlwind as we've finally been able to share The Night Agent with the world. To see the tremendous reaction to the show has been a great joy and is a credit to our cast, our writers, our directors, our crew and our partners at Sony Pictures Television and Netflix. We couldn't be any prouder or more excited to get cracking on Season 2 to share the further adventures of Night Action with our newfound fans.”

• Jinny Howe, Vice President of Drama Series, Netflix: “We’re proud to see The Night Agent deliver a breakout performance and become instantly embraced around the world. Shawn Ryan has created a spy thriller sensation that viewers cannot get enough of, with a stellar cast featuring Gabriel Basso, Luciane Buchanan and Hong Chau, and we’re here to bring them more of the action and suspense they love.”

• Katherine Pope, President of Sony Pictures Television: “We are thrilled to see The Night Agent become an instant global sensation and can’t wait to continue telling this story with our remarkable cast, creative leader, Shawn Ryan and our wonderful partners at Netflix.”

GCash FutureCast Introduces 10 New Innovations That Bring The Future Of Fintech To All Filipinos

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GCash is the Philippines’ #1 Finance Super App with over 79 million users who enjoy fast, safe, and convenient transactions online. Based on Data.ai, a reputable 3rd party platform, GCash is the #1 Finance Super App in the country with the most downloads, the highest Monthly Active Users, and even the highest Daily Active Users, as GCash is now part of their daily routines.

GCash FutureCast 2023: The Future of Fintech

First launched as an SMS platform in 2005 and later as a super app in 2012, GCash was the first to introduce the QR payment system in the country. It supported the digital migration of Filipinos during the pandemic, and now that the world has reopened, it expands its services to suit the changing needs of Filipinos in a global digital financial landscape.

At this year’s #GCashFutureCast event, GCash ushered in the future of Fintech through 10 ground-breaking innovations for every Filipino.

Tools for financial freedom

GCash has made wealth management products like savings, insurance, and investments easy and accessible. Now it introduces products to help people grow their wealth and to help them protect it.

GStocks PH is AB Capital Securities, Inc.'s (ABCSI) online retail securities trading services made accessible through the GCash app. Its user-friendly and simplified trading interface was designed through a collaboration with the Philippine Stock Exchange. Through GStocks PH, users can now trade stocks of over 280 local companies. GStocks PH will be available to more users soon.

GCrypto allows users to discover and explore the world of Crypto and NFTs. Users get access to curated NFT collections, like The House of OhLala by Filipino contemporary artist, Reen Barrera, on the GCrypto NFT Hub.  Buying and selling Crypto is also made easier with an exchange powered by PDAX, the Philippines’ leading homegrown cryptocurrency exchange.

GInsure Online Shopping Protect insurance offers users 60 days of coverage up to P20,000 for all their online purchases for just P34. The insurance covers scenarios when orders are not delivered, are accidentally damaged, are not as described, or are stolen. The insurance product, powered by Chubb, is embedded in the user’s online GCash payment journey across 1,500 online shops and platforms.

GCash goes global

Traveling Filipinos can now go cashless globally using GCash’s newest services. For overseas Filipinos, they can now use GCash to send money and support to their family back home.

GCash Global Pay allows Filipino travelers to do cross-border QR payments at Alipay+ merchants in Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, Germany, Italy, France and the United Kingdom. This eliminates the hassle of paying with cash, or withdrawing money at ATMs where you can incur high service fees. It offers real-time Forex charging, with no service fees.

GCash Card gives travelers the advantage of real time Forex charging at low exchange rates and no service fees. With this, users can access their funds in a single tap at over 100 million shops across 200 countries and territories around the world through VISA’s expansive network.. This enables travelers to enjoy hassle-free shopping and dining experiences wherever they may be.  The new GCash card will be available later this year.

GCash Overseas allows overseas Filipinos in Japan, Australia, Italy and the USA to download GCash using international SIM cards. Now they can send money, buy load, and pay bills for their loved ones back home. They can enjoy the convenience of sending money for free with GCash to GCash transactions, saving them the cost of remittance fees. GCash also announced that it is now available in the UK and Canada.  GCash Overseas is currently on Beta and is limited to a number of users, but will expand to more users soon.

Neil Trinidad, Chief Marketing Officer for GCash 

Michelle Fernandez, GCash Head of Digital Experience introducing the brands new GChat feature 

Borrowing made easier

GGives supports Filipinos with the ability to buy now, pay later with zero credit cards, zero additional documents, zero down payment, and now with zero interest at select merchants. GCash users are now free from the barriers normally associated with installment plans, for both in-store or online purchases.

Borrow Load will allow eligible users to borrow their favorite load promos today at zero cash out, giving them access to their preferred entertainment – even if they’re short on budget. They can now afford to access data-heavy apps with load promos valid for up to 7 days. Borrow Load will be rolling out to more users soon.

Sharing in the celebration for GCash’s 10 new groundbreaking innovations: GCash Head of Growth Marketing Fe Olivia Mir, GCash Chief Marketing Officer Neil Trinidad, GCash Chief Technology & Operations Officer Pebbles Sy, GCash Endorser - Joshua Garcia, GCash Chief Executive Officer Martha Sazon and GCash Head of New Business Winsley Bangit 

Improved security and user experience

GCash has taken steps to make transactions safer and more seamless through two new features:

GChat is a new, user-friendly messenger feature that makes it easier to chat and transact with contacts, share receipts instantly, and trace transaction histories. The feature makes it easier to search for conversations with friends, merchants or customers, while the Gigi and Advisories features allow users to get help anytime in real-time. GChat will be rolling out to users in the next few months.

DoubleSafe is the latest GCash security feature that prevents fraudsters from taking over accounts. It provides an additional layer of security on top of the 2-Factor Authentication and mobile pin (MPIN). DoubleSafe will be activated for every first login to a new mobile phone, and will use facial recognition to secure an account should the user inadvertently share their MPIN and OTP to fraudsters

GCash CEO Martha Sazon introducing GCash as the country’s #1 Finance Super App 

with over 79 million users 

At the FutureCast event, GCash CEO Martha Sazon said, “GCash has empowered and enabled every Filipino to remain hopeful and pursue progress. As the Philippines’ #1 Finance Super App and the first finance app to be a household name in the country, GCash is positioned to be everyone’s enabler to be future-ready. With the 10 new innovations at GCash, our hopes for a better tomorrow begins today.”