Bloggers Philippines - Online Magazine, Blogs, News, and Events!: June 2019

Saturday, June 29, 2019

Pride Lit, the first Filipino pop literature imprint focused on championing LGBTQ+

“Each book actually talks about different emotions, experiences and were written differently. The upcoming new titles will open readers’ minds on the fresh possibilities of storytelling. We plan to release more books and become a staple in the community. Aside from providing feel-good stories and erotic stories too, we plan to become more reachable to our target market and community.” ~Aiko Clarizza Buduan-Salazar, Pride Lit Brand Manager

Pride Lit

Where love is love and gender does not matter!

Now celebrating its third year in the publishing industry, Pride Lit is taking a huge leap by releasing five unique titles from its roster of seasoned and respected writers and contributors. As part of its advocacy to recognize the impact and massive contribution of our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters all over the world and give them a platform to share their colorful stories of love, romance, struggle, triumph, and determination, the initiative also coincides with the official launch of the publishing arm under Precious Hearts Romances Corporation, along with the maiden release of its four (4) brand new titles under its imprint.

Pride Lit

As the first Filipino pop literature imprint focused on championing LGBTQ+ narratives, Pride Lit stands proud as a great source of entertainment and inspiration to readers of all kinds. During the press conference that took place last June 28, 2019, at The Roxy Events Venue, Ground Floor, Alfredo's Restaurant Bldg. Tomas Morato Ave., Quezon City. Pride Lit's three-year experience in the publishing industry and the challenges that Pride Lit face in building a brand that fought hard for the inclusions of LGBTQ+ protagonists in pop culture narratives.

Pride Lit

"Ang mga kuwentong 'to ay narito para i-normalize ang pagiging bakla. Hindi ito protesta, pakikibaka, o kung ano man—bakla ka, and walang problema doon."

Pride Lit

True to its vision, Pride Lit steps up its game by ensuring LGBTQ+ characters and its allies could be prominent figures in pop culture narratives, and serve as an inspiration to the LGBTQ+ community whose vibrant lives are worth telling, and are now everyone’s stories.

Pride Lit

Alex Rosas’ gender-swap romance Gay’s Anatomy to Soju’s campy fantasy Ang Asul Na Buntot Ni Aquano.
The new releases represent diverse genres that speak of uniquely queer experiences and imaginative premises.
John Jack G. Wigley’s ensemble drama Kadenang Bahaghari
Lush Ericson’s instant pleaser Agustin and Ariston’s Version of the Universe.
Angelica Sorreda’s romantic offering Over Time.

But more than teaching us the value of appreciation and acceptance, the brand has been very consistent in creating a safe space for underrepresented voices to flourish and share their stories, whether it’s about finding love in many forms and shapes or discovering one’s sexual awakening with fleeting moments of kilig.

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

GCash Forest eyes 365 thousand trees planted in 365 days

“GCash Forest is about making it easier, more convenient, and even rewarding for everyone to take care of our environment for the benefit of the future generation. GCash is no longer just providing an excellent platform for accessible financial products and services but also enabling Filipinos to be more active in responding to real-life issues, such as climate change mitigation through reforestation. Many Filipinos, especially the younger ones, care about the environment but a lot of them don’t know how they can actively take part in environmental protection. This is a barrier that GCash Forest addresses because they only need to use their smartphones—an already integral part of their daily lives—to make a difference.” ~Anthony Thomas, Mynt CEO

The Philippines' leading mobile wallet GCash is now making it possible for its users to plant trees by simply using a mobile app for transactions. Filipinos who want to contribute to environmental preservation can now conveniently use an innovative mobile phone app to help plant trees and increase the Philippines’ forest cover. It happened last June 25, 2019, at The Eye at the Green Sun with their partners DENR, WWF, and Biofin as GCash unveils this ambitious and innovative plan to plant 365,000 trees in 365 days. GCash considers GCash Forest as the last mile initiative that fully recognizes the emergence of an all-digital Filipino lifestyle.

To implement its tree-planting initiatives, GCash Forest partnered with the:

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
The Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN)

The DENR will provide land resources in Ipo Watershed, an essential component of the Angat-Umiray-Ipo watersheds system supplying 98 percent of Metro Manila’s water. WWF will be providing trees and manpower while BIOFIN will provide expertise on monitoring. Recent findings on the Philippines’ vulnerability to climate-related hazards call for greater collective action. Results of the Global Peace Index 2019 identified the Philippines as the most susceptible country to the adverse effects of climate change. By leveraging the GCash platform and scale, GCash Forest aims to rally a coalition of individuals, non-government organizations, and international organizations to meet its 2020 targets.

Leading mobile wallet, GCash, is introducing an exciting “green” feature on the app called GCash Forest, which lets subscribers plant virtual trees that will have real-life counterparts. By the end of 365 days, GCash Forest aims to plant 365 thousand trees with the help of GCash subscribers.

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Forest Management Bureau (FMB), the Philippines is losing 47,000 hectares of forest cover every year. The FMB also reported the need to rehabilitate 1.2 million hectares of forest lands by 2022 to prevent landslides, ensure water availability, and preserve biodiversity.

To plant trees through GCash Forest, GCash users need to collect “green energy” by frequently using the app. Users who get enough green energy can choose which species of trees they want to plant in a selected area at the Ipo watershed. Once the trees are physically planted, users get to receive a certificate of ownership with a serial number, fun facts, and updates on the growth of their trees on their GCash apps.

The new feature is inspired by Alipay Ant Forest, a product operates by Ant Financial, an Alibaba affiliate and the parent company of the world’s leading payments and lifestyle platform, Alipay. Via the mobile platform, more than 500 million users have planted 100 million real trees and advanced a shared vision of sustainable and inclusive development.

“The GCash Forest shows digital technology holds a huge power to mobilize people in support of sustainable development and the fight against climate change. And this power goes beyond border and is at our fingertips through our mobile devices. We’re more than happy to open up our technology and expertise to current and potential partners to make the world a better place.” ~Yan Meng, Ant Financial’s Global Head of International Partnerships

FAST FACTS

Philippine Biodiversity

The Philippines is one of the 17 mega biodiverse countries. It is among the countries that contain two-thirds of the Earth’s biodiversity and 70 percent of world’s plants and animal species due to its geographical isolation, diverse habitats and high rates of endemism.
Thirty percent of the population, including 12 to 15 million indigenous people, resides in the uplands where most of the forests are located.
Haribon Foundation forester Thaddeus Martinez said the country needs 54 percent of forest cover to protect against landslides and ensure water availability from watersheds, but currently we are at around 22% forest Cover
Around 1.2 million hectares of denuded and degraded forest lands of the country need to be rehabilitated by 2022
The Philippines is one of the world’s hotspots with a large number of endangered and threatened species–making it a top global conservation priority area.
The country hosts more than 52,177 described species of which more than half is found nowhere else in the world. On a per unit area basis, the Philippines probably harbors more diversity of life than any other country on the planet.
According to 2011 FAO data, the forestry sector contributed US $ 528.7 million to the economy, which is approximately 0.2 percent of the GDP.
At least 49 thousand people are directly employed by the forestry sector.
The Philippines is losing approximately 47,000 hectares of forest cover every year
There are 237 terrestrial fauna (animals) are threatened with extinction and - 984 threatened Philippine plants
The Philippines still ranks among the top ten countries with the largest number of species threatened with extinction (CI, 2013)

Ipo Watershed

Ipo watershed is a vital link in the Angat-Umiray-Ipo watersheds system which supplies around 98% of the water needs of Metro Manila.
Primarily consisting of public forestlands, forest cover in the area has dramatically dropped from 85% to just 40% in recent years.
The main thrust of the project is to go beyond the usual tree planting activities and expand it to forests management to help ensure that the planted trees will actually grow to provide their full benefits to the environment and the different stakeholders. This will include rehabilitation and enhancement of existing forests and not just the reforestation of denuded areas. A long-term sustainability plan will be put in place, managed by an effective management body.
Philippine watersheds and aquifers could supple 479 billion cubic meters of water annually for domestic, industrial and agricultural uses.

Philippine Forests

Philippines lose 47k hectares of trees annually.
Haribon Foundation forester Thaddeus Martinez said the country needs 54 percent of forest cover to protect against landslides and ensure water availability from watersheds. Forest Coverage is currently at around 22%.
Around 1.2 million hectares of denuded and degraded forest lands of the country need to be rehabilitated by 2022.
Total Forest Cover has decreased from 7,168,400 (2003) to 6,839,717 (2010)

GCash considers GCash Forest as the last mile initiative that fully recognizes the emergence of an all-digital Filipino lifestyle.

#BestEverLife Salu-salo with #BestEverJoy

“With our effort to continuously innovate Joy to help Filipino families achieve their Best Ever Life, we introduce the new Best Ever Joy that can wash more plates with just one bottle. This means more savings for families that they can use to lead their best ever lives. The Best Ever Joy is so good that its new formulation was able to clean 17,500 plates with just one bottle of Joy, doubling our own record of almost 8,000 plates 20 years ago.” ~David Jay Gomez, Dish Care Brand Manager at Procter and Gamble

With its back-to-back launch happening on June 23 at the San Juanico Bridge where 17,000 plates has been washed and laid down to and from Samar and Leyte with just 1 BOTTLE of JOY. Hosted by actress, vlogger and host Jolina Magdangal a fun-filled celebration as we welcome the all-new JOY through a BEST-EVER LIFE salu-salo and bring this newly introduced variant to more Filipino homes.

Continuing the celebration that started on June 23 in Tacloban City to celebrate this record-breaking occasion, Joy hosted the #BestEverLife salu-salo at Plaza Ibarra with mom celebrity Jolina Magdangal-Escueta. Media and blogger guests were treated to a fiesta-themed event filled with scrumptious Filipino dishes and delicacies and festive song and dance performances.

“I love hosting and cooking for my family and friends, so I always end up with a lot of dishwares and cooking ware to clean after every event. But I only had to use one drop of Joy to clean them all.” ~Jolina Magdangal-Escueta

Jolina Magdangal-Escueta, joined by celebrity mom Ruffa Mae Quinto and blogger Momi Berlin shared their own stories of how the new best-ever Joy has helped them lead the best ever life for their families.

In the event, Joy showed its superior dishwashing ability through experiment videos that visualized the product’s new and improved formulation, and even a live demo of the Best Ever Joy cleaning up the plates used in the salu-salo.

Joy also extended the celebration of the Best Ever Life beyond the attendees of the event. The salu-salo commemorated SOS Children’s Village Alabang as Joy’s beneficiary in bringing the best ever life to Filipino household by supporting the children’s daily meals.

With the launch of the new best-ever Joy, more plates can be cleaned, and more Filipinos can discover their best ever life.

For more information about Joy, visit the Joy Philippines Facebook page.

About Procter & Gamble

P&G serves nearly five billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Duracell®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, Wella® and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

Vitress Hair Freshener and Solenn Heussaff-Bolzico’s Fight Bad Smelly Hair

“We want to show something different. Solenn’s action film debut beautifully captures how Vitress Hair Freshener can fight bad odors that we’re often exposed to and keep it smelling fresh all day long. Unlike the glamorous hair ads, Vitress Hair Fresher opted for an action film to demonstrate its power in quashing hair odor giving you that instant shine and freshness.” ~Pam Sulit, VP for Marketing and Brand Development

When it comes to hair dryness, dullness, frizz, and split end are the common hair problems that most Filipinas experience in their everyday life.

“Vitress Hair Freshener is my lifesaver. I have one in every bag. It knocks off awful smells like smoke or sweat especially during tapings when I’m under the sun. It’s a quick fix with long-lasting results.” ~Solenn Heussaff-Bolzico

In case you haven’t heard, a new action thriller has just been released, and it’s taking the internet by storm. Solenn Heussaff-Bolzico on being the most badass star in today's generation. Here she is in an action film for Vitress Hair Freshener, Solenn shows off awesome grit and badass moves that show off her shiny fresh hair and well-toned physique. It effectively fights the smells that stick to one's hair, including the smell of food, cigarette smoke, vehicle emissions, and sweat. A quick application of Vitress Hair Freshener makes #ShinyFreshHair a reality anytime, anywhere.

The video stars glam girl Solenn Heussaff, who stuns everyone as she displays her martial arts prowess to tame her tresses, with the help of Vitress Hair Freshener. The action kicks off in what looks like a typical neighborhood food park surrounded by grills and restaurants. Solenn, stunning with her shiny fresh flowing hair, is cast as an ordinary diner out to enjoy a quiet meal. Suddenly, a smelly and smoky presence permeates the air, threatening to take Solenn into its grip as it possesses her hair with its bad odors.

A lightly scented spray-on product for the hair, Vitress Hair Freshener deodorizes bad smells with its encapsulated InstaFresh technology that releases a fresh, fragrant, and long-lasting scent. It effectively fights the smell that sticks to one’s hair, including the smell of food, cigarette smoke, vehicle emissions, and sweat. Just like Solenn does in the action film, all that one has to do is reach for a bottle of Vitress Hair Freshener to achieve #ShinyFreshHair anytime, anywhere.

Take part in the action and see Solenn knock out the enemy. Check out Vitress official Facebook and Youtube pages for real action and to know how your hair can brave any day with Vitress Hair Freshener.

Monday, June 24, 2019

HDI inc Ad executive Darmo N. Castillo and others orders arrest in QuezonCity Court

“Anyone who may know their location please inform the nearest police agencies so that warrants may be served.” ~The QC court orders

The Complaint against the aforementioned individuals accused them with unlawfully taking millions of pesos from Media Puzzle. No bail has been recommended for the foregoing accused.

The RTC Branch 104 and RTC Branch 90 in Quezon City issued warrants of arrest against 9 directors and officials of HDI ADMIX Inc , namely CHIA TZU CHERN , DARMO N. CASTILLO, RAOUL L. BUENCUCHILLO, ATHENA B. GONZALES , PAMELA MAUREEN S. FERNANDO, CONCHITA G. NICOLAS, JUDYCEL M. DELOSREYES, MARGIE M. FORTIN, JOEL B. MENDOZA, who were charged with the offense of QUALIFIED THEFT.

Whereabouts of the accused are not known as of this moment. Anyone who may know their location please inform the nearest police agencies so that warrants may be served.