Hit Korean show One Night Food Trip returns to the Philippines - K-Pop’s hottest idols tour the Philippines on a wild 48-hour gastronomic frenzy

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Nichkhun and Alexander “Xander” Lee 

Asia’s craziest food contest returns to the Philippines as One Night Food Trip – International Edition enters its second season on tvN Asia. This time, K-pop heartthrobs Nichkhun of boy band 2PM and actor-host Alexander “Xander” Lee face off against celebrity cousins Danica Sotto-Pingris and Ciara Sotto in a culinary frenzy around the country. One Night Food Trip – International Edition will fly exclusively with Cebu Pacific for the entire second season.

Ciara Sotto and Danica Sotto-Pingris

Based on popular Korean food competition show One Night Food Trip, the international edition adds a twist by having K-pop celebrities travel to various Asian destination including the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, and Malaysia where they eat, play, and compete against local celebrities. Each team must complete missions involving exotic flavors and cultural attractions to earn stamps. The team that collects the most stamps within 48 hours takes home the Golden Passport.

Nichkhun

Alexander “Xander” Lee

In the Philippine segment of the show, Nichkhun and Xander jet-set together from Cebu to Pampanga, while celebrity chef Danica and singer-actress Ciara take a separate route from Coron to Legazpi for a unique experience of the country’s sights and delicacies. One of their stops is at luxury integrated resort City of Dreams Manila where they explore the Forbes five-star hotel, NÜWA, try out decadent dishes at the award-winning Crystal Dragon restaurant, and immerse in the DreamWorks-inspired interactive play space called DreamPlay.

The four-episode Philippine segment on Season 2 airs on 30 July (Monday) at 18:30 (GMT+8). 

It is in partnership with the Tourism Promotions Board, an attached agency of the Department of Tourism, that markets and promotes the Philippines domestically and internationally as a world-class tourism destination.

Aside from 2PM, Nichkhun is also a songwriter, actor and model, with television and film projects in South Korea and China. On the other hand, Xander Lee is a former member of the South Korean boy band U-KISS. His most recent projects include the lead role in a Philippine TV series “My Korean Jagiya,” opposite Heart Evangelista.

From the Philippines, Danica Sotto-Pingris is a television host and celebrity chef, with a degree in Culinary Arts and Technology Management from the Center for Culinary Arts Manila. Her cousin, Ciara Sotto, is a television host, singer, actress and expert pole dancer. She regularly teaches pole dancing classes in Manila.

Cebu Pacific, the official carrier of One Night Food Trip – International Edition 2, has the widest network within the Philippines with 37 domestic destinations, which made traveling and shooting from one island to another easier with seamless inter-island connections, sparing the hosts and crew from flying to bigger airport hubs just to move across the Philippines. Aside from a direct flight between Manila and Incheon, Cebu Pacific also flies directly from Incheon to Cebu, making it easier to get to popular beach destinations like Mactan Island or Bohol, or connect to 26 international destinations that span the Middle East, Asia, Australia and the United States (Guam).

One Night Food Trip – International Edition debuted in 2017 on tvN in Asia with sister-and-brother K-pop idols, Sandara “Dara” Park and Thunder pairing against TV host Grace Lee and radio DJ Sam YG for the Philippine segment.

One Night Food Trip – International Edition will premiere exclusively on tvN on 30 July (Monday) at 18:30 (GMT+8). tvN is available in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, with subtitles in English, Chinese, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia and Thai.

Follow One Night Food Trip – International Edition Season 2 on social media with hashtags #OneNightFoodTripIntl2, #ONFTIntl2, #CEBTravels and #tvNAsia.

Learn more about tvN on Facebook @Ch.tvNAsia, Instagram @tvNAsia, and Twitter @tvN_Asia. tvN, where fun takes off!

Official Airline Partner: Cebu Pacific

The show is supported by:

-              Tourism Promotions Board Philippines

-              City of Dreams, Manila

Website                 :               tvNAsia.net

Facebook              :               @Ch.tvNAsia

Instagram             :               @tvN.Asia

Twitter                  :               @tvN_Asia

Youtube                 :               https://www.youtube.com/c/tvNAsiaOfficial 

Official Hashtags  :               #tvN #tvNAsia #OneNightFoodTripIntl2 #ONFTIntl2

About Cebu Pacific

Cebu Pacific is the largest carrier in the Philippine air transportation industry, offering its low-cost services to more destinations and routes with higher flight frequency within the Philippines than any other airline. Cebu Pacific currently offers over 100 flights a week between the Philippines, South Korea and ten other Southeast Asian destinations, including Jakarta and Denpasar (Bali) in Indonesia; Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia; Singapore; Thailand; Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam; Hong Kong; and Taiwan.

Founded in 1996, Cebu Pacific has carried over 150 million passengers since inception across 37 destinations within the Philippines and 26 international destinations across Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Guam. It operates one of the youngest fleets in the world with an average age of below five years old for all its aircraft. Its 67-strong fleet is comprised of five Airbus A321ceo (Current Engine Option), 36 Airbus A320, eight Airbus A330, eight ATR 72-500, and ten ATR 72-600 aircraft.

For bookings and inquiries, guests can visit http://www.cebupacificair.com, or call the reservation hotlines (+632)7020-888 or (+6332)230-8888. The latest seat sales can be found in the official Twitter (@CebuPacificAir) and Facebook pages. Guests may also download the Cebu Pacific official mobile app on the App Store and Google Play.

About tvN

The no. 1 pay TV channel in Korea, tvN is expanding to Asia-Pacific. Being the content trend leader, tvN provides the best general entertainment through express top-rated variety shows, record breaking hit dramas, world class music shows, trend leading lifestyle programes, and star-studded original productions exclusively for Asian viewers. tvN is available in Asia-Pacific countries, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. tvN is owned by CJ E&M, a Korean leading media conglomerate.

tvN, where fun takes off!

About CJ E&M

CJ E&M is Asia’s leading content and media company headquartered in Seoul, Korea. Since 2011, with five main business units -broadcast, film, music, live entertainment and animation, CJ E&M is contributing to promote Korean culture around the world, through the company's 'One Source, Multi-Content' strategy. As a trend leader in Asia, CJ E&M has produced and distributed various popular content, some of which include Asia’s largest music festival Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA), leading Hallyu convention KCON, Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots, record-breaking box office hits Roaring Currents (2014), Ode to My Father (2014) and Veteran (2015), along with sought-after television programs such as Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, The Legend of the Blue Sea, Grandpas over Flowers and more.

With regional offices in Asia and the U.S., CJ E&M currently employs over 2,000 people worldwide, and is traded on KOSDAQ under the ticker 130960. For more information, please visit: http://en.cjenm.com

Shopee Partners with P&G to Launch Debut “Super Brand Day”

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From June 25 to 28, check out Shopee’s first Super Brand Day with P&G and enjoy exclusive deals and up to 50% off P&G’s beauty brands

Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, officially launches Super Brand Day to recognize key brand partners, and provide them with exclusive marketing support to reach out to around 12 million Shopee users across the Philippines. 

Every installment of Super Brand Day will feature an in-app “takeover”, a revamp of the Shopee app interface to highlight one of Shopee’s leading Shopee Mall brands for 24 hours.

For its debut Super Brand Day, Shopee will be partnering with leading FMCG brand, Procter & Gamble (P&G) to bring users exclusive deals and promotions across P&G’s beauty brands.

Terence Pang, Shopee’s Chief Operating Officer said, 

“At Shopee, we are always looking for ways to strengthen our brand partnerships in order to give our users access to exclusive deals and campaigns from their favourite brands. Super Brand Day was launched to not only acknowledge the support we’ve had from our key brand partners, but to also provide them with increased exposure beyond our usual campaigns. Shopee will also be providing all featured brands with exclusive marketing and operational support so that they can more effectively reach out to users across the country.”

Shopee’s debut Super Brand Day with P&G will kick off on June 25 and culminate in P&G’s exclusive 24 hour in-app takeover on 28 June. Users can look forward to daily flash deals happening two times a day, and exclusive deals and bundle promotions across P&G’s beauty brands including Olay, Safeguard, Pantene, and Head and Shoulders. As an added bonus, P&G will also be offering gifts with purchases, limited to the first few thousand orders made on P&G brands.

“Shopee’s first Super Brand Day also marks the start of our partnership with P&G, and we look forward to bringing users even more collaborations with P&G in the months ahead,” added Pang.

For more information, visit www.shopee.ph.

Download the Shopee app for free on Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Smart notches 5G speeds of over 14Gbps

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Amid preparations for the coming of 5G technology in the country, PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and technology partner Huawei Technologies Phils. Inc. have successfully breached 5G speeds of over 14Gbps during a test held at the recently launched PLDT-Smart 5G TechnoLab.

The speeds were achieved using 5G New Radio, in which the second set of global standards have been recently ratified.

Earlier this month, Smart and Huawei also attained 5G speeds of 6.5Gbps during another test inside the TechnoLab.

Mario G. Tamayo, PLDT-Smart Senior Vice President for Network Planning and Engineering; Chaye Cabal-Revilla, Smart Chief Financial Officer; Czar Lopez, PLDT-Smart Technology and Strategy Transformation Office; and Clint Cation, also from PLDT-Smart.

“The coming of 5G opens up many opportunities to offer a wider selection of relevant services and solutions to our customers,” said Eric R. Alberto, PLDT and Smart Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer.

“Now that global standards have already been approved, we are already investing in future-proofing our network and making sure that our network is ready for 5G,” he added.

“To be able to deliver 5G services to our customers in the future, we have begun upgrading our network’s Core and Transport elements,” said Mario G. Tamayo, PLDT and Smart Senior Vice President for Network Planning and Engineering.

These include upgrading to fiber the backhaul connecting the network’s cell sites around the country alongside deploying 5G-ready equipment in the ongoing LTE roll-out.

“As we continue to ramp up the roll-out of LTE, LTE-Advanced and carrier aggregation technology nationwide, we are also making sure that these equipment are already future-proof and 5G-capable,” Tamayo added.

Designed to be a sustainable environment for innovative services, the 5G Technolab is PLDT-Smart’s flagship facility for the research and development, standardization, and testing of 5G, or fifth-generation wireless broadband technologies and services.

With its capability to deliver extremely high speeds coupled with low latency, 5G opens up exciting possibilities for Internet of Things (IoT) applications for Filipinos, particularly in healthcare and smart cities.

The technologies showcased in the 5G Technolab include Smart’s software-defined and fully virtualized network elements, the next generation 5G mmWave NR (Wireless) and XGS-PON (Fixed), which supports up to 10Gbps uplink and downlink speeds for bandwidth-heavy activities like future Virtual Reality, 4K displays and massive IoT deployments. These latest advancements will enable other services such as Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and Voice over Wifi (VoWIFI), IoT platforms and devices related to industrial utility meters and smart city solutions.

Future-proofed network

Smart has been testing 5G since 2016, when it achieved with technology partner Nokia 5G speeds of 2.5 Gigabits per second (Gbps) using 100 MHz with latency of just 1 millisecond over a ‘live’ network--the first in the Philippines.

Months later, PLDT and Smart announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Huawei “to shape the strategic and commercial development of the 5G ecosystem in the Philippines.” In particular, the two parties were looking to identify and develop the areas of technological innovation needed to deliver 5G, which is expected to provide the foundation for the digital connected society.

Parent company PLDT has committed historic levels of resources for network transformation. For 2018, PLDT capex is expected to reach P58 billion, which includes allocations for the aggressive roll-out of its fiber broadband service, which also supports the stepped-up deployment of the mobile network by providing high-capacity links for cellular base stations. 

“Fate Smiles on Mark Oblea”

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As a contestant on Pinoy Boyband Superstar, Mark Oblea was called the “Kwelang Bad Boy ng Bacoor.” But while it’s true that he got into his fair share of trouble when he was younger, he isn’t all bad. The truth is, under his leather jacket and tough demeanor beats the heart of a responsible, softhearted young man. 

Case in point : when Mark was eliminated during the grand finals of the show, his first thought wasn’t for himself or the opportunity he lost. It was for his family. His burning desire to give his mother and siblings a better life was the main reason he joined the competition in the first place. “Sila talaga ang nasa isip ko the whole time na lumalaban ako”, Mark says.

His thoughts also went to his mother who had been a struggling single parent. Mark promised her he’ll take on the responsibility of being the breadwinner for their family. It was then that Mark decided to establish a showbiz career. He believed doing so was the fastest way to secure his family’s future. However, finding success as a performer proved to be harder than he thought it would be. Mark went on many auditions but he always came away empty-handed. He also performed whenever and wherever he could, booking gigs at town fiestas and the like.

Mark also tried his luck at an open auditions for reality shows and talent searches. Eventually he realized he might have to give up on his showbiz dream to seek his fortune in a different industry. As much as he wanted to become a performer, Mark could no longer ignore the fact that his family needed him. “Dumating ako sa point na gusto ko na mag-quit sa pag try sa pag-aartista kasi hindi kami stable financially. Sinabi rin ng nanay ko sa akin na baka hindi para sa akin ang showbiz. Hindi naman kami nagkaroon ng intense na away about it, pero ang sakit sa akin na umabot na sa ganun, na kinailangan na niya akong sabihan ng ganun. Pero alam kong tama siya.”

Despite the challenges, Mark chose to hold on to the value of education. A graduate of De La Salle University Dasmariñas, where he studied Hotel and Restaurant Management, Mark applied as a flight attendant. Thankfully, just as he was about to turn his back on showbiz forever, fate suddenly smiled upon him. “Sinabi ko sa Mom ko na maghahanap na lang ako ng ibang trabaho, kaya nag-apply na ako sa PAL. Tapos bigla kong napanood yung commercial para sa Pinoy Boyband Superstar,” he recalls.

But because he himself had started to feel beaten down by all the times he had been rejected, Mark didn’t jump at the chance to audition for the show. He hemmed and hawed about it for a while until he decided to ask God what he should do. He prayed for a sign.

“At that time, yung kagustuhan kong pumasok sa showbiz medyo wala na. Hindi na ako kasing eager ng dati dahil ilang beses na akong na-reject. Sabi ko sa sarili ko noon, ‘Ayoko na. Mag-pa-PAL na lang ako.’ Pero naisip ko rin kasi na sayang kung hindi ko susubukan. Eh kaso hindi ko naabutan yung audition sa Alabang, and sabi nila yun na daw yung last. So nagdasal ako. Sabi ko kay Lord, ‘Kung para po sa akin ito, magkakaroon pa po ng isa pang audition.’ Lo and behold, a few days later Mark heard there would be another open audition for Pinoy Boyband Superstar at the Lucky Chinatown Mall. “Nagulat ako,” he says of that moment. “Sabi ko, ito na yung sign na hinahanap ko. Kaya nagpunta na ako.”

Mark braved a thunderstorm to go all the way to Binondo to try his luck one last time. When he got to the Lucky Chinatown Mall, he was wet from head to toe, so he freshened up in a restroom first. But just before his audition, he decided to approach it differently this time around. “Yung way na nag-audition ako hindi na katulad nung dati,” he says. “Kung kausapin ko yung staff parang tambay lang ako. Nung pinakanta nila ako, kinanta ko yung ‘Simpleng Tulad Mo.’ Pinasayaw din nila ako, so sayaw naman ako. Pero sa totoo lang, hindi na ako kasing gigil nung dati. Chill na lang ako.”

Mark’s nonchalance may have caught the staff’s eye, because soon after he got home, they told him he made it to the next round. Instead of jumping up and down with excitement, Mark considered skipping it. He didn’t want to set himself up for further disappointment in case he didn’t make the cut. But after a close friend gave him a pep talk, he went ahead and auditioned for the show’s judges—Aga Muhlach, Sandara Park, Vice Ganda and Yeng Constantino. The rest, as they say, is history.

When Mark didn’t make it into the group that was eventually named BoybandPH, disappointment, fear, and yes, a little bit of envy threatened to swallow him whole. But he got over it when he realized how fortunate he was to have made it as far as he did.

“Nakaramdam ako ng disappointment, and siyempre natakot din ako kasi hindi ko alam kung anong mangyayari sa akin. Eventually naging happy ako sa mga nakapasok. Deserving naman sila. Saka nung binalikan ko lahat, naalala ko na ang hiningi ko lang kay Lord sa simula nung competition was makapasok sa Top 12. Eh higit pa doon ang naabot ko. Nung na-realize ko yun, OK na, nawala na yung sakit. Natanggap ko na yung nangyari.” 

That paved the way for other things to come his way. Immediately the day after the Pinoy Boyband Superstar finale, Mark found himself in meetings with talent management Cornerstone Entertainment. Mark has since done two shows for Dreamscape which gave him his first official TV breaks : Wansapanataym titled My Hair Lady and a primetime hit teleserye My Dear Heart both were in triangle with Loisa Andalio and Jameson Blake. “Forever ako magiging grateful kay Sir Deo and buong Dreamscape family sa tiwala na binigay nila”. After airing of both soaps in July 2017, Mark spent months in honing his music which is his first love. He underwent trainings in vocals, guitars and songwriting. Alongside acting workshops under Nicco Manalo and PETA’s Dudz Teraña.

Mark has high hopes for his music. “Gusto kong dumating din ako sa point na kapag narinig ng mga tao yung intro pa lang ng kanta ko, kahit nga yung first few chords pa lang ang nag-pe-play sa radyo, magsisigawan na sila. Sobrang solid nun pag nagkataon.” December 2017, Mark got signed by one of the country’s prime record labels - Universal Records. “Dream come true na making part ng iconic na record label. Medyo pressured nung una na mas excited kasi para makasama sa roster ng artists ng Universal di ba? Sobrang honored, and also magandang motivation and drive for me to do better ang making bahagi ng UR family”.

Mark released his debut single entitled ‘Langit Pag Nandiyan’ written by Gracenote lead vocalist Eunice Jorge and produced by hit-making producer Ito Rapadas which is performing very well in major digital stores - Apple Music, i-Tunes, Amazon, Deezer and Spotify. Talking about the meaning behind the song, Mark says “The song is about honoring people in your life. It can be a song for a friend, a loved one, a relative, or anyone who’s always there to support you despite different setbacks and challenges. At the same time, it is also a personal anthem for all the people who’ve been a part of my journey to pursue my dreams”. Last May 26, its official music video was premiered on MYX and now enjoying a good rotation on air. 

Mark also recorded a remake of “Tabi”, a 2008 original OPM hit by Paraluman. Universal Records did a silent release online and has been receiving an overwhelming response. In less than three weeks, it already gained almost 200k hits on Spotify without announcement and hype, and included in four playlists to date : Men Of OPM, OPM Chillax, Acoustically OPM and Pinoy Covers. 

Mark also penned couple of original songs that will be included in his EP that’s slated for release on the third quarter of the year. “Masaya ako na nakapasa sa UR ang mga origs ko. Excited ako sa kung paano sila iaarrange ulit ni Sir Ito”. There’s a track too from his co-Cornerstone artist who eventually became his good friend. Frontman of iconic OPM band Callalily Kean Cipriano. “Nagkakilala kami dahil sa Cornerstone. Pareho kami ng handler,” he explains. “Eventually niyaya ako ni Kean pumunta sa bahay niya. Hindi ako makapaniwala. Pinapakinggan ko lang yung mga kanta niya dati, and ngayon kaya ko na siyang i-reach anytime kung may mga tanong ako about music and we have plans to collaborate too. Sobrang astig.”

2018 is a brighter year for Mark for having bagged the following exciting projects : Task Us’ leadman in their very first 6-part webseries, an upcoming guesting in an indie film called “Amats” directed by one of the best names in the industry Direk Dondon Santos which is an official entry in 2018 Pista Ng Pelikulang Pilipino come August, sang one of the sub themesongs for another indie film “Bakwit Boys” produced by T-Rex Productions called “Fiona”. September 2018, Mark will be seen again nightly in ABSCBN’s latest primetime teleserye as a regular cast. Having to share the same stage with OPM bands that he used to listen to when he was growing up and was on the road to being a musician, is another dream come true for Mark. He was recently part of Robinson’s OPM Jams series with Spongecola and come June 19, Mark will be fronting for The Dawn at Eastwood Central Plaza for “Rewind Tuesdays”.

Fate smiled upon Mark by pairing him with the right people who are all guiding him on his way to stardom. As long as he works hard and keeps his eye on the sweet and priceless rewards, there will be no stopping him. With his rugged good looks, charm, and musical talent, Mark is bound to win the hearts of many fans worldwide. 

Young Generation Stars Live in SM Sangandaan June 30

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All roads lead to SM Sangandaan as SRATS (the young stars of Asian Artists Agency) and LA Santos perform on June 30.

SRATS are Aiana Juarez (online singing star and cover princess), Selena Marie (dubbed as the Ukulele Girl of YouTube and Facebook), Drei Raña (acoustic singer and PolyEast recording artist who just launched his debut single titled Ligaya), Miko and Gab (singing duo who popularized the hit song Hugot and who recently released another single, Sino Ba S’ya), and Mastermind (online dance superstars and YouTube Silver Creator Awardees).

LA Santos is a Star Music recording artist whose self-titled debut album features the hit single Tinamaan.

The show's repertoire includes solo numbers and several musical collaborations.

Expect SRATS and LA Santos to enliven the stage as they perform songs that are close to their hearts and speak about today’s millennials. One special number is the Anton Juarez's penned I Wanna Be On Top. Anton also serves as the musical director and arranger of the concerts. 

For inquiries, please call (02) 855-4765 or (02) 405-4423, email info@asianartistsagency.com, and visit fb.com/asianartistsagency