In Proclamation No. 38, Malacañang Palace has already released the majority of the regular holidays and special non-working days for the upcoming year. There will be 17 Philippine holidays in 2024, some of which happen on weekends, but there will also be a few long weekends that are suitable for travel.

For the REGULAR HOLIDAYS (and long-weekends):

January

• December 30, 2023 (Saturday) – Rizal Day
• December 31, 2023 (Sunday) – Last day of the year
• January 1 (Monday) – New Year’s Day

March

• March 28 (Thursday) – Maundy Thursday
• March 29 (Friday) – Good Friday
• March 30 (Saturday) – Black Saturday
• March 31 (Sunday) – Easter Sunday

April

• April 6 (Saturday)
• April 7 (Sunday)
• April 8 (Monday) – file for leave
• April 9 (Tuesday) – Araw Ng Kagitingan

August

• August 24 (Saturday)
• August 25 (Sunday)
• August 26 (Monday) – National Heroes Day

November

• November 1 (Friday) – All Saints’ Day
• November 2 (Saturday) – All Souls’ Day
• November 3 (Sunday)

December

• December 28 (Saturday)
• December 29 (Sunday)
• December 30 (Monday) – Rizal Day
• December 31 (Tuesday) – Last day of the year

For the SPECIAL NON-WORKING days:

• February 10 (Saturday) – Chinese New Year
• March 30 (Saturday) – Black Saturday
• August 21 (Wednesday) – Ninoy Aquino Day
• November 1 (Friday) – All Saint’s Day
• November 2 (Saturday) – All Soul’s Day
• December 8 (Sunday) – Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary
• December 24 (Tuesday) – Christmas Eve
• December 31 (Tuesday) – Last Day of the Year

“The summit will put the spotlight on Quezon City as a top business destination for local and international investors. We hope to attract many investors who can help further stimulate the economy and provide employment for QCitizens,” Mayor Belmonte said.

“Quezon City is future ready, ready for investors, ready to build a better and more prosperous city so that our QCitizens will be able to enjoy the resulting benefits,” said Margarita Santos, head of the Business Permits and Licensing Department (BPLD) of Quezon City.

Aside from its strategic location, Quezon City also has the homegrown QC E-Services platform that makes business processes such as permit and license applications easy for investors, according to Santos.

As a matter of principle, the Quezon City government constantly consults and coordinates with the business sector, which has enabled both sectors to build a relationship of mutual respect and support. “This continued dialogue with the private sector helps all stakeholders to address various challenges and issues, and to think up ways to create a free, fair and fertile business environment,” Perry Dominguez, head of the Local Economic Investment Promotions Office, points out.

The local government is known as an ardent supporter of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), providing them with incentives from tax breaks, tax payment extensions to changing the validity of business permits and licenses to help businesses especially during the pandemic.

The city’s commitment to good governance saw results when the Quezon City government received its second straight unqualified opinion from the Commission on Audit for its annual audit report for the year 2021. An unqualified opinion is the highest audit rating that can be rendered by COA to a government agency.

Recognized for its quality public service, Quezon City has increased its social services budget over the past three years, enabling the local government to provide livelihood opportunities and create more jobs, support education, and provide permanent housing, better healthcare and social safety nets, among others.

Ad Asia Events, the organizer of the said expo has chosen the CRYSTAL CORRIDOR of OKADA MANILA to be this year’s official venue occupying 5,758sqm space consisting of 200 booths on display.

Moreover, OKADA MANILA will offer wide range of amenities to the WTE2022 Sponsors, exhibitors and guests such as free parking, excellent Wi-Fi connection, and shuttle service to main pick-up points, providing a more convenient transportation as they visit the expo.

Likewise, the World Travel Expo will prepare a better line-up of amazing travel promos, deals, and packages that will help the visitors of the event achieve their best vacation without all the hassle!
The expo will run from October 21–23, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Evening visitors will get to witness the fountain’s hourly shows beginning at 6 pm daily, which will be an additional attraction to the event.

L-R:
Mr. Carlo Baldonido, Senior Manager for Destination Marketing & Partnership- Okada Manila;
Ms. Miles Caballero, Managing Director – Ad Asia Events;
Ms. Wendy Ni- VP of Strategic Marketing – Okada Manila ;
Mr. Alvaro Ramos – AVP of Retail Okada Manila

Check out WORLD TRAVEL EXPO through its Facebook page: @worldtravelexpoph for more details.

The Asia Young Designer Awards 2021(AYDA2021) Philippines culminated last night with the announcement of the winners in both the Architecture and Interior Design category in a live Zoom event that was also broadcasted on live on the NipponpaintAYDAPH Facebook page.

Hundreds of entries came in from different schools all over the country and with the help of the judges this list was whittled down to the top 10 in each category.

The judges

The panel of judges for AYDA is made up of luminaries and respected Architects and Interior Designers here and abroad, most of whom have served as a judge for AYDA and other design competitions in the past.

The panel of Architecture judges is headed by Ar. Richard Garcia of VisionArch who has been a part of the AYDA family for some time.  Joining him are seasoned AYDA judges Ar. Boon Che Wee from Malaysia, Ar. Nina Bailon Arce, Ar. Ana Mangalino-Ling, Ar. Ed Casares, and Ar. Leo Pariñas.  Joining the panel for the first time are Ar. Cathy Saldaña and Ar. Normandy Canlas.

For Interior Design the panel of judges is headed by the dynamic duo of IDr. Ivy Almario and IDr. Cathy Almario of Atelier Almario.  They are joined this year by seasoned judges and longtime members of the AYDA family: IDr. Fendarie Su from Malaysia, IDr. Cara Marcelo, and IDr. Chat Fores.  Joining them for the first time is IDr. Wilmer Lopez.

Mentoring Sessions and Design Talks

The quality of the entries presented this year have risen to an unprecedented level.  This is largely due to the many mentoring sessions and webinars (DesignTalks) that were offered to the students and mentors throughout the journey.  These sessions are thanks to the unwavering support of Nippon Paint and the tireless efforts of AYDA Regional coaches IDr. Michael Pizarro and Mr. Eric Cruz.

Asia Young Designer Awards

After carefully assessing each of the entries for AYDA2021, the panel of judges were able to identify 10 designs in each category as the best of the best from which they had to decide who receives given awards. Special awards were given out first and were awarded by Ms. Blanch Garcia and Ms. Giselle Campos of Nippon Paint.

Best Supporting School/University Award

This award is given to given to the school of a finalist who has sent in the most entries in this year’s competition.  11 schools made it into the finals, they are: Ateneo de Manila University, Bulacan State University, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Mapua University, Saint Mary’s University, Technological Institute of the Philippines, University of Mindanao, University of Northern Philippines, University of San Carlos, University of Santo Tomas, and the University of the Philippines – Diliman.

This year’s winners are: The University of Santo Tomas (Interior Design) and Bulacan State University (Architecture).

People’s Choice Award

This award is given to the finalist who received the greatest number of votes via likes and reactions on Facebook and Instagram combined.  The winners of the People’s Choice Award are: Moira Kayla Ramiro of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (Interior Design) and Juan Paolo Aguilar of The Technological Institute of The Philippines Quezon City (Architecture).

Best Colour Choice Award

This award is given to the finalist whom the judges felt exhibited the best use of colors in their design.  This award goes to: Mary Margareth Calvo of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde for ADALLAY PAVILLION (Interior Design) and Fitzgerald Eyas of Ateneo de Davao University for LAUT (Architecture).

Best Green Innovation Award

This award is given to the finalist whose design best applied the sustainable development goals of the United Nations.  This award goes to Kizzie Marie Pacaro of the University of San Carlos Cebu (Interior Design) and John Gabriel Espiritu of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde for Habi-Nidus (Architecture).

Major Awards

The top two finalists are given the Gold and Silver Awards where the recipient of the Gold Award will go on to represent the Philippines in the upcoming regional summit.

Silver Award

In second place, this award goes to Nuri Hong of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde for NAMNAMA COMMUNITY HUB (Interior Design) and Darwin Aquino of Bulacan State University for A.F.L.O.A.T. (Architecture)

Gold Award

The crème de la crème, the best of the best of the local competition receives the Gold Award and will go on to compete against other Gold Award recipients from other AYDA participating countries.

The Gold Award for Interior Design goes to Moira Kayla Ramiro for Marahuyo Design Camp.  Her mentor, IDr. Candice Arboleda is awarded the Best Mentor Award while her school, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde receives the award for Best School/University.

In Architecture the Gold Award is given to Karen Joy Robines for Tagum City Garden.  Her school, the University of Mindanao receives the award for Best School/University while her mentor, Ar. Matias Baring receives the award for Best Mentor.

Congratulations to all the winners!  And to our Gold Award winners, good luck as you continue your journey to the regional summit!

A fun-filled and meaningful day!

The Filipino Bloggers Network (FBN), one of the most active Philippine-Based community of bloggers and influencers in the country, held its 10th Annual Christmas Party virtually last December 12.

FBN currently has almost 2,000 members around the country and continues to expand as it provides a venue for Filipino bloggers to interact with other members even those based overseas. Moderating the discussions and posting opportunities from several brands are co-admins Divine RC and Richard Mamuyac and Lariza Garcia.

The yearly event serves as a venue to reacquaint with fellow members around the country, celebrate the holiday season and create great new memories. Just like last year, the gathering was conducted online and livestreamed within the official FBN group page. Aside from the exciting prizes given away during the virtual games and raffle draws, a couple of members received financial assistance to support them in their family medical emergency. Indeed, it was both a fun-filled and meaningful day at the same time.

Different PR groups and brands and individual sponsors were acknowledged during the event for supporting the online community in 2021 and hopefully for more years to come. This year’s virtual event is made possible by the following generous donors:

PR Partnerss – CAT PR, i55 Talent Hose, Page One, M2.0 Communications, Comm&Sense, ROAR Agile, GPS TV, BIOCOCO, Full Circle, Pro Communications Inc. Pro Solutions ,Full Circle and Ripple 8.

Brand and Individual sponsors – Pacific Sunrise, Goodah!, Cebuana Llhuillier, Glorious Blend, Rex Education, Gur Lavi Corporation (Telavi); Dyna Drug Corporation, Diana Stalder, Sagada Harvest, Stevia Natural Sweetener, a number of fellow FBN members and public servants like Rep. Eric Yap of ACT-CIS partylist, Rep. Joey Salceda (2nd District of Albay), Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento (1st District of Samar). Rep. Mike Defensor of Anakalusugan partylist, General Guillermo Eleazar, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and Deputy Commissioner Randy Escolango of the Philippine Insurance Commission.

With the great support and opportunities that FBN received this year from partners companies and brands, the group is looking forward to more campaigns and activities that members can join and engage with in the coming new year.

Let us claim that 2022 will be a better year for all of us. Cheers for more success and blessings!

Nippon Paint has the vision to nurture the next generation of design talents. Hence in 2008, the Asia Young Designer Awards (AYDA) was launched. AYDA serves as a platform to inspire Architectural and Interior Design students to develop their skills through cross-learning opportunities and networking with key industry players, including fellow Architectural and Interior Design peers in the region.

Over the years, AYDA established itself as one of Asia’s premier design awards, having received more than 28,000 entries from over 900 tertiary education institutions to date, across 15 different geographical locations in Asia. Thus made an impact on thousands of young and talented student designers, giving them multiple opportunities to engage with renowned speakers and key figures in the design industry through personalized coaching, mentoring, and skills-building via workshops. Besides exposure to first-hand industry knowledge, the platform allows designers to learn from their fellow peers from within and across borders.

BRIEF :

This year, the theme is “Forward: Amplifying Empathy Through Design”. We live in a world where there is too much noise in design, and it gets harder by the day to stand out in the world of spatial design. At the same time, designers are burdened with needing to strike a balance between commercial and environmental values as they deploy their ideas.

The role of the designers of tomorrow must be redefined with a clear vision. Designers are no longer providing only a framework for the hardware aspects of space; they are also required to think about how people would interact with the software of the space.

RULES and REGULATIONS :

• This is strictly and INDIVIDUAL contest.

• Participants must be enrolled in an educational institution of interior design or architecture.

• This contest is open to all Architecture & Interior Design students in their third year and above.

• Only one entry is allowed per student.

To read more about the Rules and Regulations, click here.

OTHER INFORMATION :

To learn more about this event, click here

SIGN UP NOW :

Come and join us every Friday, starting August 06, 2021 until end of October, 2021. Sign up here: https://bit.ly/AYDA2021-caravan

The event will feature BPI’s product partners from Auto and Housing Loan, Credit Card, and Personal Loans, Business Banking Loans BPI M/S, and BPI-Philam, with special offers and discounts. There will also be a series of webinars with the topics on owning your dream home, responsible borrowing, the next normal for MSMEs, sustainable fitness, and more.

The Zoom event will allow clients to speak with a BPI representative during the webinars. There are also one-on-one private conversations via breakout rooms where clients can ask for advice regarding loans and other services. To ensure the safety and protection of both clients and employees in this pandemic, all applications and transactions will be done digitally.

Some of the promo and special offerings include credit card deals, such as:

• conversion of credit card line to cash for a rate of up to 0.59% for 36 months,
• waived fees for three years for preferred clients, and
• waived AMF (annual minimum spend conditions apply) for personal cards.

BPI Loans

BPI clients may also apply for a BPI Personal Loan and get a rate for as low as 0.98% for 36 months; as for auto loans, they may avail of the Step-up Pay Plan, which guarantees the lowest monthly amortization on the client’s first years in the loan, plus event-exclusive low rates and discounts.

For the Housing Loan, there will be a 5.88% fixed rate for the first one to three years and a 6.88% fixed for the first four to five years. For Business Banking Loan, there will be a waived process fee amounting to Php3,500.00.

BPI Insurance

For BPI MS Insurance, they will offer exclusive rates for all private vehicles* during the event; fire Insurance from Home Care Advantage, Condo Care Advantage, to Business Care Advantage; Family Personal Accident Insurance for only Php 999; and Hospital Confinement Income Protect (HCIP).

Clients may also avail of free Covid-19 Insurance Coverage amounting to Php 200,000 (for Breakout room or live conversations with a BSE) care of BPI-Philam.

For registration, you may visit https://www.bpi.com.ph/lifestyle-virtual-experience, you may also contact BPI representative Vince Yap at 0917-818-4623 for other inquiries.

Indulge in a choice of starters like the savory Spinach-Ricotta Ravioli in light Parmesan Cream Sauce or Pomelo-Prawns Lumpia in Calamansi Honey Dressing; a main course of sumptuous Beef Tenderloin in Balsamic glaze with marble potato and market vegetables or Pampano cooked in Tandoori Oven with Peas Pilaf rice and stir-fried Asian vegetables; and dessert of Fresh Fruits Salad with Ube ice cream or Mango panna cotta as dessert. The starter-main-dessert set is offered at only P980 net per person, but cannot be availed of in conjunction with other promos or discounts.

Manila Restaurant Week is an event under the “Manila, Support Local” Campaign, launched by the Bureau of Permits and City Government of Manila. The city-wide project aims to promote local food establishments in Manila that have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. About 80 restaurants will be offering prix fixe menus at affordable prices during Manila Restaurant Week.

Launched on September 15, The Manila Hotel played one of the hosts of the multi-venue simultaneous kick-off, which was livestreamed on social media platforms. The other hosts were Bayleaf Hotel, Lucky China Town Mall, and Robinsons Place Ermita. The virtual launch was marked by an online performance of Lea Salonga who sang her new single, “Dream Again,” the official theme song of the campaign.

“I believe we can do a lot in restoring the City of Manila back to its former glory under the leadership of Mayor Isko Moreno. We in the private sectors will always support you in this very worthwhile undertaking. Soon, Manila will be great again,” said Atty. Joey Lina, The Manila Hotel President, in his opening remarks during the launch.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuña gave their respective speeches before checking the 11 restaurants that showcased their dishes at The Manila Hotel’s Roma Salon—namely Café Ilang-Ilang, Century Park Hotel, Scorched, Golden Fortune, Luneta Park Hotel, Ilustrado, Tanabe, Jus & Jerrys, Patio de Conchita, Pares Kimchi, and Harbor View—and visiting the other venues, which was watched by thousands via livestream.

The Manila Hotel and all its outlets operate in strict compliance with health protocols, so our guests are assured of the highest standards of food safety and sanitation measures in accordance with the government guidelines.

For more information, you may check us out on Facebook or Instagram (@TheManilaHotel), or call 85270011 or 09989501912. For reservations, email resvn@themanilahotel.com.

TripTeach is a learning approach that combines the structure of traditional education, the synergies of progressive learning, and the commitment of homeschooling.

Click here to register https://www.eventbrite.com/e/parent-seminar-tickets-111914252542. You can also set a reminder directly from your Facebook messenger here: https://m.me/AHEADAlpha?ref=w11647324

#AHEADAlpha #BlendFlex #TripTeach #HomebasedSchool #HomeSchool #SalgadoPR