Ryan Ablang rules Philippine Autocross Championship Series; set to continue winning streak in Super Sprint 2020

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Ryan Ablang of Team Autoforce made history again, tagged the Fastest Driver of the Day and the Open Class Champion in the Philippine Autocross Championship Series (PACS) Round 2 held February 8, in R33 Trucks, San Simon, Pampanga.

Also bagging the Open Class Champion title, 37-year-old racer Ablang clocked 00:38.85 seconds, followed by Jevoy Moreno at 00:38.90 seconds and Mike Potenciano at 00:39.47 seconds.

Now on its 20th season, the Philippine Autocross Championship Series founded by Danny Santiago is the farthest-reaching motorships campaign in the country, advocating for disciplined-driving and contributing challenging programs to Philippine Motorsports.

Recently, Ablang also dominated the first round of Super Sprint 2020, held at Meycauayan Commercial Complex last February 2.

Driving his Honda Civic EG Hatchback with its 2.0 B20 modified engine, Ablang won first place in the Prepped B3 Class, Prepped C3 Class, and Prepped D3 class of Super Sprint Round 1, clocking in 00:059.179 seconds, 00:59.008 seconds, and 00:57.478 seconds respectively, also winning fastest time of the day for his team, Autoforce.

In the previous year, Ablang has dominated Super Sprint, held as the champion for Prepped B 3, Prepped C 3, and Prepped D 3 class, granting him the title of 2019 Prepped Overall Champion.

For Super Sprint, Prepped Class is the category for any driver who has moderate to more experience in motorsports competitions. Other driver classifications are street, amateur, and intermediate.

So far, Ablang’s most notable wins in the motorsports industry aside from those mentioned above include 2008 Race Motorsports Club Slalom Racing Novice Overall Champion, 2017 Philippine Autocross Championship Series Novice Overall Champion, 2001 and up Category Champion in Metro Manila (2019 AAP-MSDP National Gymkhana) 2019 Golden Wheel Awardee Sparco Cup Grid Group 6, and Open Class Fastest Time of the Day in the last round of the 2019 Philippine Autocross Championship Series, timed at 00:30.94 seconds.

Ablang started the racing scene early, in 2007, participating in Race Motorsports Club Slalom Racing, and returned to his passion in 2017, after attending to building a stable family life. He dedicates his continuous wins to his family who supports his passion, and to his sponsors who believe in his skill.

Ablang is currently backed by Motolite, Keon Sondra LED PH, Denso Mandaluyong, MovNCool, Dynamics Performance Engineering, JG Remaps and Tuning, Unico Hijo Resort, Carbon Nitomura, JDM USDM Surplus Autoparts, Casa Cruz Barberia, Station Lifestyle Supply Co, OEM Auto Fab, and Dohcthor Performance by BertSpeed. 

Shawarma Shack visits and extends help to Taal Volcano eruption victims

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Notable for its buy one, take one shawarma, Shawarma Shack extended a helping hand to Taal Volcano eruption victims.

Shawarma Shack  visited the affected communities of the recent Taal Volcano eruption, particularly those in Tanauan City, Batangas. Bottled water and relief goods were donated to over 1,000 families in different areas. 

This good came from the heart of Shawarma Shack founder Walther Buenavista's wife, Patricia Buenavista, who spent her early childhood in Tanauan City. It was disclosed that she has relatives residing in the area when the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) raised alert level 4 for Taal Volcano on January 12, 2020.

Multiple houses and livelihoods were destroyed since the volcano started erupting, forcing residents within the 14-kilometer radius from the main crater to immediately evacuate. This is when the bayanihan evidently blossomed among Filipinos—everyone, even in their own little way, lent a helping hand.

Shawarma Shack visited and gave aid to 170 families relocated to La Consolation College, 70 families at Daughters of Mary Immaculate School, 89 families at Tanauan Local Government Unit Evacuation Center, 120 families at Tapia Elementary School in Barangay Trapiche, 98 families at Jesus is Lord Christian School, 45 families at Tanauan City College, 250 families at Pamahalaang Sentral ng Hilagang Tanauan, 98 families at Ulango Elementary School, and 92 families at Pantay Bata Elementary School.

Tanauan City Vice Mayor Atty. Herminigildo "Jun-jun" G. Trinidad assisted the Buenavista family along with other Shawarma Shack volunteers during this relief operation. 

Get a glimpse of how Shawarma Shack extended a helping hand to Taal Volcano eruption victims by watching this video.

Visit Shawarma Shack's Facebook and Instagram pages for more information.

PayMaya #BalikBayad Campaign with Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla

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Top-rated young actors Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla were officially unveiled as the latest brand ambassadors for PayMaya’s “BalikBayad” campaign, which encourages Filipinos to experience the most rewarding mobile wallet app in the country today which gives them cashback and other perks for their cashless transactions via PayMaya.

As we call them the “Teen Royalties” Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla reunite for an action-packed project that sees them sharing the many perks and rewards of going cashless through PayMaya’s “BalikBayad” campaign.

Serving as a follow-up to PayMaya’s widely successful “Don’t Pay Cash. PayMaya!” campaign last year which gave birth to a catchy video and jingle set to the tune of the hit ‘90’s Eraserheads song “Ligaya,” the “BalikBayad” campaign sees Kathryn and Daniel in action-packed scenes teaming up to beat a common foe–cash.

Set as a typical ‘90’s action movie complete with guns, goons, and even the penultimate “Pinoy Kontrabida” in the form of Rez Cortez, the campaign video features the two young celebrities using the powers of PayMaya to tackle everyday transactions that are typically paid with cash, such as grocery shopping, paying bills, buying load, and online shopping, among many others.

“We’re very excited to have KathNiel representing the ‘BalikBayad’ campaign, because just as these two big celebrity icons have made a comeback for PayMaya this year, our users can also expect something to come back–in the form of cashback–every time they use PayMaya instead of cash,” said Mark Jason Dee, Head of Growth and Marketing of PayMaya.

“PayMaya is a young and fun brand and we’re definitely lucky to have collaborated with Kathryn and Daniel in this campaign, because they represent the exciting and energetic lifestyles of most of our users,” Dee added.

Filipinos can get in on the most rewarding mobile wallet experience by downloading the PayMaya app on their iOS or Android devices and using the code PAYMAYAKATHNIEL upon signing up to get an instant reward, apart from the many other cashback and discount perks they can get by being a PayMaya user.

In February alone, PayMaya users can get as much as P6,000 in cashback when they participate in the mobile wallet’s various promos for bills payment, buying load, paying for goods and services via QR, online shopping, and sending money, among many others.

PayMaya has also expanded the list of merchants and establishments under its PayMaya Preferred program, which gives additional cashback to users who scan to pay with PayMaya QR on top of the regular cashback that they usually receive. Some of these new partners include Landers Superstore, Mercury Drug, KFC, Robinson’s Department Store, Total Alabang and Valenzuela, and Toys ‘R Us, among many others.

Bringing back time and convenience

But aside from getting monetary rewards in the form of cashback every time they pay, users are also able to make more time and experience greater convenience when they use PayMaya.

With PayMaya’s virtual card, for example, users can instantly gain access to a payment card which they can easily use for online shopping and other digital payments for a faster, more efficient payment experience.

PayMaya also recently introduced the ability to transfer money from users’ PayMaya account to other bank accounts, eliminating the need to wait in line at bank branches in order to make a bank deposit.

“PayMaya users can definitely look forward to even more features and services that will give them more convenient ways to pay as well as awesome rewards in the months to come,” Dee added.

To know more about the BalikBayad campaign and how you can get all of these exciting perks from PayMaya, visit www.paymaya.com/balikbayad or follow @PayMayaOfficial on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Converge ICT Solutions inks partnership with Pay & Go for easier payment schemes

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The leading fiber internet and digital consumer-centric services provider in the country, Converge ICT Solutions further ensures of a more convenient customer journey, aims to innovate their services and make it more accessible.

Signing of partnership with Peter Blackett General Manager, Strategic Development & Asia of BANKTECH, and Director of BTI Payments Philippines; Jesus C. Romero, Chief Operating Officer, Converge ICT Solutions, Inc. and Dan Ibarra, BTI Payments Country Head  during the media conference, held at the Golf and Country Club, Wack Wack, Shaw Blvd. on February 5, 2020.

The new partnership with leading self-service payment kiosk operator BTI Payments, Converge ICT’s customers can pay their bills in more than 500 self-service Pay & Go payment kiosks, with a number of them operating 24/7. 

For customers, this means more locations for paying bills, shorter queues, and an enhanced customer experience.

Since launching the country’s first pure end-to-end fiber internet network, Converge ICT has been offering Filipino consumers a speedier and more reliable internet connection. Last year, Converge ICT rolled out the country’s first 400Gbps backbone to augment existing domestic network capacity. As an extension of the company’s mantra to optimize customer experience, Converge ICT partnered with BTI. This endeavor intends to deliver an improved end-to-end customer experience that goes all the way to bills payment.

Innovative customer-centric programs as such has enabled Converge ICT to grow its base and allow more Filipinos to enjoy premium fiber internet experience. And for efforts such as this, the fiber internet organization has been cited by London-based International Finance Awards Group as the “Fastest Growing Fiber Internet Service Provider in the Philippines.”

“Converge ICT is about giving Filipino consumers the kind of connectivity that is simple, fast, and easy. As we grow our presence in the Philippines, we are turning to credible and capable partners who will help us deliver the kind of customer experience we promise. In terms of bills payment, Pay & Go has the expertise and nationwide presence that complement our goal of delivering that seamless experience,” said Dennis “J3” Uy, Converge ICT President & CEO.

Dan Ibarra, BTI Payments Country Head 

“Our growing portfolio of kiosks is located nationwide and will be in more places relevant and synonymous to where paying customers are at. We want to seamlessly integrate it into their fast-paced lifestyles, making payments without a hassle – whether you are in the office, supermarket, pharmacy, mall or at home. As our service is real time, anytime – we ensure Converge transactions through Pay & Go will be no different from doing it at their stores or business offices,” said BTI Payments Country Head Dan Ibarra. 

“We aim to support the growing Philippine market with decades of experience in payments solutions. We are looking forward to collaborate with Converge and BTI Payments PH to enhance processes that will provide better customer service,” said Peter Blackett General Manager, Strategic Development & Asia of BANKTECH, and Director of BTI Payments Philippines.

BTI payments is a wholly owned subsidiary of BANKTECH, a top provider of ATM and payment technology in Australia and Asia for the past 25 years.

Bigger and better Get Reel Film Festival 2020 now accepts entries

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World-class leather accessories brand McJim Classic Leather brings back Get Reel Film Festival 2020, a bigger and more challenging edition of last year’s successful Get Reel Mobile Shorts Film Festival. 

This time around, the competition is accepting entries that touch on the theme, “Filipino Values Beyond Generations.”

The 2020 Get Reel Film Festival is upping the ante with two brand-new categories: the Main Competition for professional and amateur filmmakers using digital cameras and the Brand Digital Ads category for innovative ads for McJim Classic Leather. These will complement the Mobile Shorts Competition for users of mobile phone cameras. 

Professional and amateur filmmakers now have more opportunities to showcase their talents and share stories displaying the timeless values of the modern Filipino gentleman.

The winning entries from the 2020 Get Reel Film Festival will join the prestigious group of notable films from last year’s Mobile Shorts Competition: Dylan Ray Talon’s Walang Hanggang Ligaya Sa Una Mong Ngiti; James Edward Golla’s May Love Life Na Si Pepito Jr.; and John Carlo Balasbas Tarobal’s Champion, which all garnered critical acclaim for their inspiring stories and excellent filmmaking. 

Cash prizes and trophies await the festival winners.

Chris Cahilig, award-winning filmmaker and festival director, says, “Through the powerful medium of filmmaking, a brand breaks into the new media to advance its social cause and deliver good value and entertainment to its audience.” 

Cahilig’s hope is for the festival to provide a platform for aspiring filmmakers. “Get Reel Film Festival 2020 aims to inspire more filmmakers to create moving, relatable, and distinctly Filipino narratives that will be screened online,” he says.

The festival is open to all Filipino filmmakers from around the world. All entries to the Main Competition and the Mobile Shorts Competition must have a minimum length of two (2) minutes and a maximum length of ten (10) minutes, including opening and closing credits. Films of all genres are qualified to participate.

The selected films will be eligible for eight awards: The McJim Prize for Best Short Film (P50,000); 2nd Prize for Best Short Film (P30,000); Best Director (P25,000); Best Inspirational Story (P10,000); Best in Cinematography (P10,000); Best Actor (P10,000); Best Actress (P10,000); Best Screenplay (P10,000); and the Get Reel Viral Film Award (P10,000). Winners will be chosen for both the Main Competition and the Mobile Shorts Competition.

Entries to the Brand Digital Ads category must have a maximum length of sixty (60) and depict a modern Filipino gentleman as the lead character. The select brand digital ads will be eligible for the following prizes: 1st Prize (P100,000); 2nd Prize (P50,000); and 3rd Prize (P25,000).

All films submitted should be recorded and edited in not less than 720 HD format, but using 1080 HD is highly recommended. Only digital submissions emailed to mcjimtv@gmail.com will be accepted.

All submitted films must use any McJim Classic Leather accessories (bags, belts, wallets) as an organic part of the narratives. 

A panel of judges will determine the finalists and winners through a deliberation. The results will be final and irrevocable.

No film entry shall be an imitation or plagiarized version of any copyrighted work. Get Reel Film Festival and its organizers will not be responsible for any copyright infringement committed by the participants. 

The deadline for submission is on May 20, 2020. The finalists will be announced on June 15, 2020, and the winners will be awarded on July 15, 2020. 

Participating filmmakers must be willing to have their works posted on various social media accounts of McJim Classic Leather and its agency, Insight 360 Consultancy Services, Inc.