DITO Telecommunity, the third major player in the telecommunications industry, announced during their virtual press conference last March 8 that its first act as a commercially launched telecom will be to provide free DITO service to 3,000 frontliners from the Visayas and Mindanao, in recognition of their efforts in building the nation amidst the global pandemic. DITO has begun the rollout of this initiative with 300 frontliners from Davao City.
Atty. Adel Tamano, the Chief Administrative Officer of DITO, said, “We are proud to announce that the first two front liners, a nurse and a public school teacher in Davao City, have already received their free DITO-compatible mobile phones as well as free DITO mobile and internet service.”
On March 19, 2021, the DITO CSR and Trade Marketing team visited Miss Daisylen Apostol, a nurse’s aide assigned to care for COVID-19 patients at the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City, and Miss Mae Ann Jean Justol, Grade 1 teacher at the Alfredo A. Aledia Elementary School in Davao City.
“I am truly honored to be chosen as one of the first recipients of the DITO project for front liners. Malaking tulong ito sa akin para mabilis akong makasagot sa mga calls at messages ng mga pasyente ko. I’m always looking for ways that I can be of better service to the patients placed under my care, lalo na sila ay COVID-19 patients,” said Nurse Daisylen.
She added that, as a nurse’s aide, she plans to undergo further training, especially online, to become a full-fledged nurse in the future.
“When the pandemic struck, it became more important for me to have strong and reliable na internet connection so I can do online studies and research and to attend our regular meetings,” ended Nurse Daisylen.
Daisylen Apostol of Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City withDITO Trade Marketing representatives Jestonie Divino and Patrick Young.
Teacher Mae had this to say: “This truly is a blessing especially now as we all have to contend with the changes brought about by the pandemic. I am very glad na I am able to continue to conduct classes and do research without fear of being disconnected. I also no longer need to walk around to find internet signal as much. Ay daghang salamat DITO for this and more power!”
Mae Ann Jean Justol, Grade 1 teacher at the Alfredo A. Aledia Elementary School in Davao City with DITO Trade Marketing representatives Jestonie Divino and Patrick Young.
The DITO Chief Administrative Officer reminded everyone, “From day one, even before the first ever bid documents were opened and made public, the mandate of providing better and more accessible services has stood as the foundation of DITO Telecommunity. As we continue to expand our coverage and as we continue to provide services especially to the front liners, we are optimistic that we will live up to our mandate and our commitment to the Filipino people.”
The official music video for public school
teacher-turned-artist Jayson Dedal’s debut single “Bilyon-Bilyong Panalangin”
is a moving piece of short film that takes a page from popular Asian boys’ love
(BL) series.
Jayson Dedal and Alfio Schmidt are an odd couple with incredible chemistry on the BL-themed video for Bilyon-Bilyong Panalangin
The video showcases
Dedal’s acting chops opposite his love interest played by top model Alfio
Schmidt. We see Dedal go through the moments of unfeigned but unrequited
intimacy, as he falls deeper and deeper into Schmidt’s charms.
Throughout these memorable
moments like baking cakes or playing billiards, Schmidt gives Dedal every
reason to believe in love. He acts as the partner his friend has wanted for a
long time—someone who’s gentle, patient and, above all, present. And despite
the singer’s fears of a lack of reciprocity and being out of his league, Dedal
tries to muster up whatever courage he can to express his feelings. But as many
real love stories go, the story doesn’t end in ‘happily ever after.’
The crushing plot twist
is something best left unspoiled to viewers, but what can be said is how
evidently Dedal regrets missing his chance to accept the love in front of him.
And it’s clear Dedal’s somber crooning draws not only from the singer’s pain
but also from the earthshaking emotion often displayed in BL series.
“For the video, we
drew a lot of inspiration from BL shows” said Dedal. “Any fan of BL will tell
you that it’s the one genre that really captures the essence of the selfless
giving and painful pining often involved in loving someone.”
Dedal isn’t alone,
as the BL genre has quickly become one of the fastest-rising television genres
out there. And for good reason, as it’s a genre made exclusively to tell the
stories of gay men, and by extension, the entire LGBT community.
This advocacy involving
LGBT issues is something that Insight Music President and Chief Creative Head
Chris Cahilig feels very strongly about, and it’s what he and the
“Bilyon-Bilyong Panalangin” crew really wanted to express in the music video.
“This is perhaps the
first time that an openly gay Filipino balladeer will have a music video as
unapologetic as this,” says Cahilig. “We hope that with the music video of
‘Bilyon-Bilyong Panalangin,’ we can provide an opening for greater LGBT representation
in OPM, and spawn discussions about what it means to tell stories from that
perspective.”
“The song and the video make it clear that people of any gender identity or
sexual orientation experience the exact same feelings cisgender and
heterosexual people do,” adds Cahilig. “The LGBT community is just as—if not
more—capable of telling stories of love, loss, and grief. That’s what we wanted
to put on display with this song and music video.”
Jayson Dedal finally takes his talents from public school teaching to the music business with his first single BILYON-BILYONG PANALANGIN.
Jayson Dedal and Alfio Schmidt take a sweet selfie in Insight Music’s latest MV
Jayson Dedal gazes into his love interest (Alfio Schmidt) like an abyss of unrequited longing
A lovestruck Jayson Dedal pulls out his acting chops in his emotional new music video
The music video for
Bilyon-Bilyong Panalangin was written and directed by Ken Laviste of Arkos
Digital. It is available to stream on YouTube via Insight Music’s official
page. The song is also widely available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music,
and all other streaming platforms.
Calling all Mi Fans! Get
ready to add to cart your favorite Xiaomi devices and enjoy up to 30% off
during the Lazada Birthday sale on March 27.
Amazing offers
are lined up on a wide selection of Xiaomi products this one-day sale. Catch
the Flash Sale happening from 12:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. and enjoy fantastic
discounts including the Redmi 9A 2+32GB variant at PHP 3,990 (from PHP 4,690), the
Redmi Note 8 4+64GB at PHP 5,490 (from PHP 7,990) and the Mi 10T Pro 8+256GB at
PHP 23,990 (from PHP 24,990).
Mi Fans
should also keep an eye on Mega Offers available throughout the day for the
Redmi Note 9 Pro 6+64GB variant at PHP 8,490 (from PHP 9,990) and the Redmi
Note 9 Pro 6+128GB variant at PHP 9,990 (from PHP 10,490). Also, the highly
raved Mi 10T 6+128GB variant is now priced at PHP 17,990 (from PHP 19,990). The
Redmi 9T 4+64GB and 6+128GB variants are also up for grabs for PHP 6,990 and
PHP 7,990 respectively.
POCO fans can
also enjoy great deals during the flash sale as the POCO M3 4+64GB can now be purchased
at PHP 5,790 (from PHP 6,990) while the POCO M3 4+128GB variant is now
available at PHP 6,790 (from PHP 7,990). The POCO X3 NFC 6+64GB variant will
also be on sale at PHP 8,990 (from PHP 10,990) for one day only.
More Flash
Sales and Mega Offers await Mi Fans at the one-day Lazada Birthday Sale this
Saturday, March 27! Don’t miss out on getting your own fast-performing,
high-quality Xiaomi smartphones at a discounted price. Head right onto Xiaomi’s
Lazada store and add to cart now: https://www.lazada.com.ph/shop/xiaomi-official-store.
The Series Is Set In
Victorian-era London About People – Mostly Women – Who Suddenly Manifest
HBO drama series The Nevers premieres same time as the U.S. on Monday, 12 April at 9am exclusively on HBO GO and HBO, with a same day encore at 10pm on HBO. The first season is in two parts with the first six episodes of Part One airing every Monday at the same time while Part Two's six episodes will follow at a later date.
August, 1896. Victorian London is
rocked to its foundations by a supernatural event which gives certain people -
mostly women - abnormal abilities, from the wondrous to the disturbing. But no
matter their particular “turns,” all who belong to this new underclass are in
grave danger. It falls to mysterious, quick-fisted widow Amalia True (Laura
Donnelly) and brilliant young inventor Penance Adair (Ann Skelly) to protect
and shelter these gifted “orphans.” To do so, they will have to face the brutal
forces determined to annihilate their kind.
Rounding out this genre-bending
drama’s acclaimed cast are:
●Olivia Williams (“The Ghost Writer”) as Lavinia Bidlow, the wealthy
benefactress funding the orphanage for Amalia’s outcasts, who are also known as
the Touched.
●James Norton (“Little Women”) as Hugo Swann, the rich and irreverent
proprietor of a den of iniquity.
●Tom Riley (“Da Vinci’s Demons”) as Augustus “Augie” Bidlow, Lavinia’s
sweet, awkward, younger brother with a secret of his own.
●Pip Torrens (“The Crown”) as Lord Gilbert Massen, a high-ranking
government official leading the crusade against our heroines.
●Ben Chaplin (“The Thin Red Line”) as Inspector Frank Mundi, who’s torn
between his police duties and moral compass.
●Emmy®-nominee Denis O’Hare (“American Horror Story”)
as Edmund Hague, a deranged doctor searching for the source of the powers.
●Amy Manson (“Once Upon a Time”) as the tortured, murderous Maladie, who
derives power from pain.
●Rochelle Neil (“Terminator: Dark Fate”) as the fire-wielding Annie
“Bonfire” Carby, one of Maladie’s motley gang.
●Zackary Momoh (“Seven Seconds”) as orphanage doctor Horatio Cousens, whose
turn equips him with healing powers.
●Eleanor Tomlinson (“The Illusionist”) as Mary Brighton, a broken and
resilient performer pursuing her dream of singing on stage.
●Elizabeth Berrington (“In Bruges”) as Lucy Best, adaptive
and streetwise, her quick-wit and high spirits mask the pain of a tragic past.
●Anna Devlin (“All the Money in the World”) as Primrose Chattoway who, at
ten feet tall and a dreamy demeanor, wishes to be an ordinary girl not taking
up too much space.
●Kiran Sonia Sawar (“HBO Max’s Pure”) as Harriet Kaur, a young Scottish
Sikh and aspiring lawyer, determined to live her life as she planned.
●Viola Prettejohn (“The Witcher”) as Myrtle Haplisch, a middle-class
girl rescued from a family who cannot understand her - literally, as she can no
longer speak any form of language they understand.
●Ella Smith (“Ray & Liz”) as Désireé Blodgett, a prostitute with a
power that gets her in trouble and a six-year old son who never speaks.
●Vinnie Heaven as Nimble Jack, a rakish and charming young thief and an
expert at breaking and entering.
●Nick Frost (“Shaun of the Dead”) as feared criminal overlord Declan
“Beggar King” Orrun.
Episodes include:
Episode 1: “Pilot”
Debut Date: Monday, 12 April at 9am on HBO GO and HBO
Series premiere. London, 1899. Three
years after an inexplicable event suddenly equips them with extraordinary
abilities, Amalia True (Laura Donnelly) and Penance Adair (Ann Skelly) work to
protect their kind from widespread, deepening antipathy. Meanwhile, police
inspector Frank Mundi (Ben Chaplin) investigates a string of murders at the
hands of a reportedly Touched and highly dangerous serial killer named Maladie
(Amy Manson).
Written & directed by Joss
Whedon.
Episode 2: “Exposure”
Debut Date: Monday, 19 April at 9am on HBO GO and HBO
With the city reeling from Maladie’s
(Amy Manson) opera debut, Mundi (Ben Chaplin) takes a personal stake in
tracking her down, while Amalia (Laura Donnelly) launches an investigation of
her own. Meanwhile, the charitable Lavinia Bidlow (Olivia Williams) seeks to
destigmatize the Touched at a society event, Hugo Swann (James Norton) enlists
Lavinia’s younger brother Augie (Tom Riley) to help monetize his illicit
enterprise, and a deranged doctor (Denis O’Hare) conducts a series of
experiments.
Written by Jane Espenson; Directed by
Joss Whedon.
Penance (Ann Skelly) creates an
amplifier to spread Mary’s (Eleanor Tomlinson) hope-inspiring song across the
city – but first, Mary (Tomlinson) must find her elusive voice. As danger
mounts against her group, Amalia (Laura Donnelly) propositions an unlikely ally
and sets out to expand the Orphanage’s reach. Swann (James Norton) further
entangles Augie (Tom Riley) and Mundi (Ben Chaplin) in his business affairs.
Written by Kevin Lau; Directed by
David Semel.
Episode 4: “Undertaking”
Debut Date: Monday, 3 May at 9am on HBO GO and HBO
While Mundi (Ben Chaplin) seeks
justice, Amalia (Laura Donnelly) and her most trusted advisors make a list of
potential enemies. Harriet (Kiran Sonia Sawar), Primrose (Anna Devlin), and the
other Orphans attempt to decipher a message. Later, Amalia (Donnelly) exposes
an unexpected threat.
Written by Madhuri Shekar; Directed by
David Semel.
Episode 5: “Hanged”
Debut Date: Monday, 10 May at 9am on HBO GO and HBO
As the city buzzes with anticipation
over a pending execution, Penance (Ann Skelly) grapples with a moral calling at
odds with Amalia’s (Laura Donnelly) plan. With the two women at a crossroads,
the Orphans must decide whom to follow.
Written by Melissa Iqbal; Directed by
Joss Whedon.
Episode 6: “True” (Part One Finale)
Debut Date: Monday, 17 May at 9am on HBO GO and HBO
After Amalia’s (Laura Donnelly)
origin story is revealed, a long-awaited reunion crystallizes the Orphans’
mission.
Written by Jane Espenson; Directed by
Zetna Fuentes.
The Nevers Part One of the first season is executive produced by Joss
Whedon, Bernadette Caulfield, Ilene S. Landress, Doug Petrie, Jane Espenson and
Philippa Goslett. Daniel S. Kaminsky co-executive produces.
Stream or download The
Neverson HBO GO. Download the app from the App
Store or Play
Store on your device and enjoy a free trial. You can also access HBO GO via Cignal or at https://www.hbogoasia.com/. HBO GO
is also available via Android TV, Apple TV, LG TV and Samsung Smart TV – and
comes with AirPlay and Google Cast functionality.
Follow along on Instagram @nevershbo
and Facebook /thenevershbo for exclusive content. #TheNever
Aside
from churning out modern rock classics that carve a special place in our
collective consciousness, Sponge Cola has always been adept in capturing
the divine feeling of romantic high, the cautionary tale that comes after, and
the journey caught in between the respective timelines.
The
“Siguro Nga” hitmakers have mastered the art of helming the soundtrack of our
lives with universal appeal, and this time, they are putting a uniquely
captivating but relatable spin on the ‘love song’ format with the release of
their new single “Labis-labis” via Sony Music
Philippines.
According
to guitarist Erwin "Armo" Armovit, their latest single is all about
the “overflowing, overwhelming joy of being fully yourself with someone,” and
was written from a sincere, heartwarming place. “Love is an inexhaustible
source of inspiration that takes countless forms; and songs are stories set to
music. Every person experiences love differently, but every person experiences
love.”
Having
redefined stories about romance and defeat from varying lenses, Sponge Cola
refuses to pin down their songwriting sensibilities with a one-dimensional
approach. As bassist Gosh Dilay puts it, “With love songs, there is always a
new angle/new dimension to explore.”
True
to its core, “Labis-labis” works because beyond its gloriously cinematic chorus
and inescapable verses, the song is specifically made to describe a
moment—fleeting, short, but resonant to the experiences of the people around
us, most especially those that chose to accept and reciprocate love in various
shapes and forms, regardless of its possible consequences. Dilay perfectly sums
up this emotional retreat into words, “it’s the gleeful feeling of excitement
upon seeing someone you love, after being away for so long. Or even just after
a brief period. That’s the magic of the song.”
Recording
“Labis-labis” turned out to be fun and exciting for Sponge Cola, even if it has
undergone the most transformations out of any songs that they’ve previously
worked on. “The song started as a mid-tempo, all acoustic ballad and
continuously evolved into its current state as we played it together as a band
and incorporated modern arrangement ideas from our producer, Joey Santos.”
Armovit said, “We had to play the song repeatedly and listen to really figure
out what it needed and where it wanted to go.”
The
track brought their funk on, albeit in a subtle way, while retaining the
unapologetic pop smarts infused in the arrangement. The arrangements also took
a more interesting direction music-wise, making it little more rocking and
special.
Sponge
Cola’s “Labis-labis” is out now on all digital
platforms worldwide via Sony Music Philippines.
