Pilipinas Shell hails talented student-artist winners of 52nd National Students Art Competition (NSAC)

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The Philippine art scene welcomes new blood and talent as Pilipinas Shell awarded 12 student-artist winners at this year’s 52nd National Students Art Competition (NSAC). 

Pilipinas Shell President and CEO Cesar Romero (2nd row, 6th from left) and Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat (2nd row, 7th from left) pose with the 12 winners of Shell’s 52nd National Students Art Competition, special guests, and other Shell executives during the awarding ceremony. 

The twelve winners for oil/acrylic, watercolor, sculpture, and digital fine arts categories received their recognitions and showcased their artwork at the Glorietta Mall in Makati last November 11.

“Shell continues to invest in programs that promote social development because we believe in the power of the Filipino youth. We believe that they can influence the country towards a better and brighter future,” said Pilipinas Shell President and CEO Cesar Romero. 

Also gracing the event was the Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, who praised the beauty of the students’ works and their contribution to the country’s rich art history. 

“Filipino contemporary artists have long been making a mark in the international art world, and many of them started their careers in this competition,” mused Romulo-Puyat. “Looking at the creations of the students here, I think your next artwork could very well start a revolution!” 

Imagining the nation’s future in different mediums 

The Shell NSAC winners were handpicked by painters and master artists who served as the critics and judges for this year’s competition. From over 1,000 entries, three winners from each of the four categories were chosen. Their artworks represent their creative take on this year’s theme, “ImagineNation.” 

The following are the winners with the respective works and schools: 

Oil/acrylic category: 

1st Place: Rhichelle Kirk A. Tabanera of the Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology, for his work “Still Standing” 

2nd Place: Nemesis B. Manahan of the Bulacan State University, for his work “Let There Be Light” 

3rd Place: Trinkher Q. Nogueras of the University of the East, for his work “Mag-aaral” 

1st Place: Rhichelle Kirk A. Tabanera of the Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology, for his work “Still Standing” 

2nd Place: Nemesis B. Manahan of the Bulacan State University, for his work “Let There Be Light” 

3rd Place: Trinkher Q. Nogueras of the University of the East, for his work “Mag-aaral” 

Watercolor category: 

1st Place: Nicolle T. Plamer of the Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology, for her work “Gising Sanip” 

2nd Place: Jarren V. Dahan of the University of Mindanao, for his work “May Layang Lumipad” 

3rd Place: Paul John V. Galagar of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños, for his work “Pira-piraso” 

1st Place: Nicolle T. Plamer of the Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology, for her work “Gising Sanip” 

2nd Place: Jarren V. Dahan of the University of Mindanao, for his work “May Layang Lumipad” 

3rd Place: Paul John V. Galagar of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños, for his work “Pira-piraso”

Sculpture category: 

1st Place: Justin Angelo D.G. Vital of the Bulacan State University, for his work “The Safe and Sound of Patong-Patong” 

2nd Place: Wendi T. Patoc of the Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology, for his work “Pagsibol” 

3rd Place: Sherlyn A. Belga of Adventis University of the Philippines, for her work “Key Roots” 

1st Place: Justin Angelo D.G. Vital of the Bulacan State University, for his work “The Safe and Sound of Patong-Patong” 

2nd Place: Wendi T. Patoc of the Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology, for his work “Pagsibol” 

3rd Place: Sherlyn A. Belga of Adventis University of the Philippines, for her work “Key Roots” 

Digital fine arts category: 

1st Place: Jemill B. Pangilinan of the Technological University of the Philippines, for his work “Rich Mind, Rich Land” 

2nd Place: Keith Andrew M. Sescon of the University of the Philippines-Cebu, for his work “Transparency” 

3rd Place: Andrei Timothy D. Barrantes of the University of the East, for his work “The Maker” 

1st Place: Jemill B. Pangilinan of the Technological University of the Philippines, for his work “Rich Mind, Rich Land” 

2nd Place: Keith Andrew M. Sescon of the University of the Philippines-Cebu, for his work “Transparency” 

3rd Place: Andrei Timothy D. Barrantes of the University of the East, for his work “The Maker” 

Each of the winners received a cash prize, a plaque, and art material supplies care so they can continue their journey in their craft. The first place, second place, and third place winners received P60,000, P40,000, and P30,000 respectively. Winning works are on display alongside the top 100 submissions at Glorietta 4 from November 12 to 23. 

Continuing the legacy of supporting aspiring Filipino artists 

Shell NSAC has built a legacy of developing the local art scene by creating an opportunity for young talent to showcase their hard work. As the organizers of one of the longest-running art competitions in the Philippines, Pilipinas Shell has hoped to continue its legacy of recognizing and driving artists to excel, just like the many artists who started their careers with Shell NSAC. 

For the last 105 years of its operations in the Philippines, Pilipinas Shell has remained committed to the industry and the consumers of its products. As a partner in nation-building, the company continues to envision the Philippines that is fueled by creativity and innovation. 

Pilipinas Shell continues to make the future of Filipino art so that future generations continue to be inspired.

Announcing the official Philippine National Volleyball Team lineup for the 2019 SEA Games

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The Philippine national men’s and women’s volleyball teams have released their official line-ups for the games, featuring a pool of talented professional and competitive players. 

Here is a look at our Volleyball representatives eyeing a podium finish in the regional meet.

MEN’S NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL TEAM

Joining the men’s national volleyball team are talented players who have made their mark in the sport. Headlining the team is a powerful trio collectively known as BAE (a playful acronym of their surnames), and their team captain John Vic de Guzman.

John Vic de Guzman

Men’s national volleyball team captain John Vic de Guzman is a stellar pro athlete with the PLDT Home Fibr Ultra Fast Hitters. He shot to prominence through his winning collegiate career, leading De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde to an NCAA championship in Season 92, as well as earning the MVP honors along the way.

Bryan Bagunas

Bryan Bagunas is a collegiate MVP and Japan-based pro player. Bagunas led the Bulldogs to two UAAP championship runs and finished his storied collegiate career with two MVP titles. The 6-foot-5 athlete portrays his power on the court through his long wing-span and powerful spikes, taking his talents not only to the Philippine national team, but also to the Oita Miyoshi Weisse Adler volleyball club in Japan.

Alnakran “Ranran” Abdilla

Alnakran “Ranran” Abdilla is a standout pro from Tawi-Tawi, Mindanao. He is a BS Criminology graduate from DLSU-Dasmarinas, where he helped the team win three national championships from the Private Schools Athletic Association, two from the National Capital Region Athletic Association, and three from the Universities and Colleges Athletic Association. He currently plays in the Premier Volleyball League for the Philippine Air Force, in which he also serves as an airman 2^nd class. Folks in his hometown of Bongao revere him as a hero and a role model for the youth.

Marck Espejo

Marck Espejo is the country’s first ever “Mr. Volleyball,” proving himself a force to be reckoned with. Espejo’s crowning achievement is winning the Most Valuable Player in Ateneo de Manila University’s three consecutive championship seasons from UAAP Seasons 77 to 79, along with Rookie of the Year, Best Attacker, Best Server, and Best Scorer awards.

Together with Bagunas, Abadilla, Espejo, and De Guzman, the Men’s National Team, coached by Dante Alinsunurin, is completed by these talented players:

• Francis Saura – Philippine Air Force
• Kim Malabunga – Philippine Air Force
• Ricky Marcos – Sta. Elena-NU Bulldogs
• Esmilzo Polvorosa – Cignal HD Spikers
• Jessie Lopez – Philippine Air Force
• Ave Joshua Retamar – Sta. Elena-NU Bulldogs
• Rex Intal – Cignal HD Spikers
• Mark Alfafara – PLDT
• Jack Kalingking – Philippine Navy
• Joshua Umandal – PLDT
• 
  

WOMEN’S NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL TEAM

The star-studded and jam-packed women’s team is headlined by the best and brightest volleyball stars of this generation. Led by Coach Cesael delos Santos, the team hopes to earn home-court advantage as they look to bring back the glory days of Philippine volleyball. Some of the headliners are:

Aby Maraño

A champion professional and collegiate MVP, women’s national team captain Aby Maraño plays with a burning passion under the mantra Beast Mode Don’t Care, or BMDC. Maraño shot to fame in her college days playing for the De La Salle University Lady Spikers, where she helped the team win an impressive three consecutive UAAP championships, earning two MVP awards along the way. Maraño has also had a successful pro career thus far, winning six championships in the Philippine Super Liga, five of which were with the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers. With this dazzling resume of accolades under her belt, Maraño will be looking to lead the team in dominating the field at the 2019 SEA Games this November.

Alyssa Valdez

Alyssa Valdez, affectionately known as “The Phenom,” is one of the most popular athletes of her generation. She’s best known for her time as a star player of Ateneo de Manila University during her college days, where she unceasingly led her team to two UAAP and two Shakey’s V-League championships, as well as numerous individual awards for her amazing play, including three MVP awards. Valdez has also been a standout in donning the Philippine tri-color in international tournaments, as well as in her pro career, leading her current team the Creamline Cool Smashers to two Premier Volleyball League championships in 2018 and 2019.

Majoy Baron

Majoy Baron is another champion pro and collegiate MVP.  She is truly unpredictable when she starts hitting it out on the court. She led the De La Salle University Lady Spikers to three consecutive UAAP championships, where she also won individual awards because of her commendable performance. Baron’s pro career is also flourishing, helping take the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers to five PSL championships, including the recently-concluded 2019 PSL Invitational Conference, in which she also won MVP. Baron is not new to international volleyball tournaments—just recently, she was named the Best Middle Blocker in the ASEAN Grand Prix held in Thailand and the Philippines.

Jia Morado

Jia Morado is an award-winning pro MVP and former college standout who has previous experience representing the Philippines in the SEA Games. During the recently concluded 2019 ASEAN Grand Prix, Morado made noise by setting the pace for the national team during its five-set victory against Vietnam. Netizens praised her outstanding performance, with some describing her playmaking as a “game changer.” Her pro career with the Creamline Cool Smashers has seen incredible accomplishments so far, with two Premiere Volleyball League championships playing for the club.

Completing the promising women’s national volleyball team in the 2019 SEA Games are:

• Rhea Dimaculangan – Petron Tri-Activ Spikers
• Ces Molina – Petron Tri-Activ Spikers
• Eya Laure – Foton Tornadoes
• Kalei Mau – F2 Logistics Cargo Movers
• Mylene Paat – Cignal HD Spikers
• Jovelyn Gonzaga – Cignal HD Spikers, PacificTown-Army
• Maddie Madayag – Choco Mucho
• Mika Reyes – Petron Blaze Spikers
• Dawn Macandili – F2 Logistics Cargo Movers
• Kath Arado – Generika-Ayala Lifesavers

Cheering as Sambansa in the 2019 SEA Games

Now that we know who will represent the Philippines at the SEA Games this November, don’t be shy to show your support! Both the men and women’s teams have been busy preparing with the help of various organizations and companies such as Rebisco, and they will need all the support they can get from their Filipino fans as our players look to play their best against the top talent of Southeast Asia and bring home the gold.

The volleyball tournament of the 2019 SEA Games will be held from November 28 to December 10 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Rizal Sports Complex, Manila.

For more info and updates on the Philippine national volleyball team, follow Rebisco Pilipinas on Facebook (facebook.com/RebiscoSambansa/), and on Twitter and Instagram at @RebiscoSambansa.

Millenial Pop Princess Janah Zaplan releases first Christmas Single under Star Music

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Janah Zaplan finds a new home. After signing an exclusive digital distribution deal with the country’s leading record label, Star Music, Janah is set to conquer new heights with the release of her very first Christmas single, “Sana Lagi Ay Pasko”, produced by the award-winning SonicState Audio Services helmed by songwriter/producer Brian Lotho. This is a big leap for Janah as she is now joining the star-studded line-up of artists distributed by Star, ABS-CBN’s music label arm. 

“Sana Lagi Ay Pasko” is a mid-tempo pop track penned by Brian Lotho, a young songwriter who has worked with big-named artists such as Christian Bautista, Maja Salvador, Jennylyn Mercado, among others. The song reflects the sentiments of our overseas workers who endure the loneliness of being away from their families, but look forward to the Christmas season to spend it with them.

Being an official Kapamilya excites the young singer. She hopes to be given the chance to work and collaborate not just with Star Music artists but with the network’s superstars as well like her idol, Sarah Geronimo. 

With “Sana Lagi Ay Pasko” Janah hopes to finally be recognized as one of OPM’s next big thing, a title she rightfully deserves.

Don’t pay cash, just send to bank with PayMaya! You can now instantly transfer funds to more than 40 banks with your PayMaya account

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Getting turned off by the hassles and extra transaction fees of moving money to another bank account? Did you wish you didn’t have to line up at a bank branch just to make a deposit? Now there’s no need to worry–you can now skip the line and send money the most convenient way with PayMaya’s Send Money to Bank feature powered by InstaPay!

That’s right, with your upgraded PayMaya account you can send money* to more than 40 local banks and financial institutions that can receive money via InstaPay. The best part is it’s absolutely instant and secure–helping account holders save time and effort whenever they need to send money to another person’s bank account.

“This new feature will definitely make it easier for PayMaya account holders to manage their money conveniently. Whether they’re sending money to an online seller or transferring money from one of their bank accounts to another, everything is instant and seamless with PayMaya’s new Send Money to Bank feature,” said Shailesh Baidwan, President of PayMaya.

It’s really easy to Send Money to Bank via PayMaya. In the app, go to Send Money and select To Bank Account. In the next screen, choose the bank or financial institution you’ll be sending money to, put in the amount you want to send, and fill in all the important details of your recipient. It’s so simple, and your recipient will get the money in an instant, and as of now PayMaya is not charging any transaction fees for the service until further notice.

This new feature is also in accordance with the efforts of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to increase the percentage of digital transactions in the country to 20% by the year 2020, under the National Retail Payment System (NRPS).

So if you’re looking for a better way to manage your money between accounts or you just want to avoid the hassles of falling in line at the bank, now is the best time to have a PayMaya account so you can take advantage of this exciting feature. 

Get your own PayMaya account by downloading the PayMaya app now for iOS or Android, and signing up today to feel the joy of sending money to anyone, anytime in the fastest, most secure, rewarding, and hassle-free way!

To know how you can get even more from your PayMaya account, check out www.PayMaya.com/deals or follow @PayMayaOfficial on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  

PayMaya, the digital financial services arm of Voyager Innovations, is the only financial technology company in the Philippines offering integrated consumer and merchant payment solutions with the widest on-ground branch network. It is the first to give millions of Filipinos an e-wallet that allows them to pay cashless transactions at any time of the day, anywhere in the world, and from any device. It is the financial technology arm of Voyager Innovations, the leading technology company in the country backed by PLDT, KKR, Tencent, World Bank’s IFC and the IFC Emerging Asia Fund. 

*up to P50,000 or five times per day and until the account’s aggregate monthly limit has been reached

Coleen and EA’s on-screen chemistry sizzles in “Mia” trailer

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LEAD ACTORS Coleen Garcia and Edgar Allan Guzman displayexceptional on-screen chemistry in the official trailer of their latest film,“Mia,” released by Insight 360 Films in partnership with Viva Films.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Veronica Velasco, “Mia” is a romantic comedy filmabout a doctor Mia Salazar (Garcia) and a nerdy forester Jay Policarpio (Guzman).

Jay, who transforms mined-out land into rainforests, pursues the self-destructivealcoholic, Mia, who recently joined the government’s Doctor To The Barrios program to heal from the tragedy of her fiance’s death.  

Showing that conflict sometimes belies an undercurrent of passion, Mia and Jay’s occasional clashes soon create compelling chemistry between them.

The trailer, which was released on various prominent Youtube and Facebook channels including Insight 360, Mia: The Movie, CinemaBravo, and Design Pirate PH, also features the film’s official soundtrack titled “Sa Iba Na Lang” performed by duo B.O.U. and written by Jayson Dedal.       

Other cast members include veteran actors Yayo Aguila and William Martinez, Billy Crawford, Star Orjaliza, Jeremy Domingo, Sunshine Teodoro, Pau Benitez, and Xenia Barrameda.  

The screenplay was co-written by Velasco and Jinky Laurel while Noel Teehankee served as its director of photography.

Produced by public relations and digital marketing expert Chris Cahilig, “Mia” is scheduled to be in cinemas on January 15, 2020.