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Thursday, August 21, 2014
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A NATURE’S MASTERPIECE: AGNO’S UMBRELLA ROCK FORMATIONS



Pangasinan is undeniably hallowed by nature’s wonders.

From the mesmerizing view of Mapita Trail of Aguilar and Mt. Zion of Bugallon, to the beautiful Hundred Islands of the City of Alaminos, the caves of Bani, and the pristine white sand beaches and diving sites of Dasol and Bolinao, Pangasinan is a province worth a thousand words of admiration.

Gifted with a vast fishing ground of milkfish or “bangus,” and big fish like tuna and blue marlin, the rustic town of Agno is one of the places should you not miss when visiting Pangasinan. The name Agno was derived from swamp tree called “Agno Casto” that grow abundantly in the locality and is being used to relieve pain and illness. It is characterized by beautiful rolling terrains and rice fields productive in rice, mangoes, vegetables, and root crops and abundant in bamboos and coconuts, all of which you could see on the way to the town proper.

As you near the Poblacion, the town plaza, the road passes along the beautiful Mabini River, which in turn meets with the South China Sea further west. Some of the famous beaches in Agno are Abagatanen beach, a white sand beach, and Baruan beach. And of course, the nearest beach in town, the Sabangan Beach where the Umbrella Rock Formations are situated.



Amazingly carved by nature at the shore of Sabangan beach, they were called the Umbrella Rocks because along the shore, there are big rock formations that resemble gigantic umbrellas where you can rest from the rays of the sun. This picturesque view of the umbrella rocks beside the beach and mountain is the reason why the place is loved by nature lovers and photographers.

Aside from the famous Umbrella Rocks, Sabangan beach also has an old lighthouse wherein you can see the panoramic view of beach and its fern-decorated boulders that appear to be umbrellas. It will take less than hundred steps to the old light house.

How to get there

Public Transport - Take a bus ride from Manila to Bani, Pangasinan, then take a tricycle or jeepney ride to Agno, Pangasinan or direct bus ride  from Manila to Agno, Pangasinan (limited trips only for Five Star Bus/Dagupan Bus Co.) Travel time is about 5 to 6 hours. 
at 10:00 AM 0 comments
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Renewable energy attractiveness: How we fared?

Renewable energy attractiveness: How we fared?

Photo source: www.greenpeace.org
Amid growing concerns over the country’s power supply, it is comforting to know that the Philippine renewable energy (RE) sector continues to pique investor interest. Last June, the Philippines made its debut into an annual global index that tracks 40 RE investment locations. The country’s increasing energy requirements, coupled with its incentives regime, encourage investors to take a closer look.

The Philippines is among the newest entrants in EY’s latest Renewable Energy Attractiveness Index, placing 35th out of 40 countries being monitored for macro, energy market, and technology-specific drivers. Each parameter is measured using indicators which include economic and political stability, ease of doing business, prioritization of renewables, availability of finance, strength of natural resource and technological maturity. The overall ranking puts the Philippines ahead of neighboring Indonesia (39th) and even RE heavyweight Finland (36th).

The Philippines was among those cited in the EY report due to three factors, namely: its “ambitious renewables targets, stable incentive regime, and high energy demand driven by a large and growing population.”

For its targets, the Philippines has set a goal of 15,304 megawatts (MW) of RE capacity by 2030 based on the 2011-2030 Philippine Energy Plan. This is almost triple the 5,438-MW capacity measured in 2010. As of 2012, RE accounted for 32% of the total installed generating capacity, while coal cornered the largest share at 33%.

This is reflected in the Philippines’ sub-rankings in the EY index. The Philippines placed highly in terms of the “technology-specific” performance of geothermal (8th out of 40 countries), marine (8th), hydro (21st), and solar (22nd) resources. These rankings are based on indicators which take into consideration the abundance of the natural resource, attractiveness of power offtake, quality of technology, forecast growth and pipeline, among others.

The geothermal capacity of the Philippines is said to be the second largest in the world, next only to the United States. The Philippines has also been reported to place 5th in the world in terms of annual investment in geothermal power capacity in 2013 according to REN21, a global RE policy multi-stakeholder network.
Meanwhile, in terms of the country’s incentives regime and government support, the government includes RE in the Philippine Energy Plan. Furthermore, incentives abound for RE investors as provided by the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 (Republic Act 9513).

As the country’s population and economy grow, an increase in demand for energy follows. It has been reported that consumers could expect another round of rotating brownouts in 2015 due to low reserves, and expectations that upcoming power plants will not start operations on time. According to International Energy Consultants, the energy rate per kWh in the Philippines is currently one of the highest in the world. In 2012, the Philippines ranked the highest in South East Asia and 2nd only to Japan in Asia. This could be partly remedied by RE projects. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) reportedly claims that geothermal energy is the most economical if all costs were truly considered. Among the eight sources cited, hydro, which is among the country’s main sources of energy, is ranked 5th cheapest.
It is hoped that the mention of these three factors for the Philippines in the EY index will energize and boost RE investment in the country. The index is a good indicator of the positive outlook for the local RE sector. Nevertheless, more action is still needed to fulfill the country’s RE potential. Failing to rise to the challenge of energy development and the inability to optimize the country’s RE resources would have dire consequences for our people and economy. The public and private sectors must unite to unleash the sector’s true capacity in any or all the areas of biomass, geothermal, hydro, marine, solar, or wind, since the Philippines is blessed to have them all. (Source: www.bworldonline.com)
at 9:46 AM 0 comments
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Pangasinan ICT Council co- organizes DICT Congress 4

The annual Digital ICT Congress is now in its 4th year, and this time, the newly-reorganized Pangasinan ICT Council (PICTC) is co-organizing it.

Sonny Ramirez of 1Digitech Philippines told FOCUS that the 4th staging of DICT Congress to be held in Lingayen and Dagupan subsequently on October 9 to 11, 2014 will be in partnership with Pangasinan ICT Council.

Pangasinan ICT Council Media Affairs Officer Davett Santiago said that the council decided to support DICT 4 because the Council wanted to see what Pangasinan students are capable of doing and what area in technology can we specialize on.

“Since Pangasinan is late bloomer in terms of IT, and seeing that a lot of other provinces in the Philippines have already made it to the global tech scene, we wanted Pangasinan to and thrive in the industry, too”, says Santiago. 


DICT4 will be open to all college students in Pangasinan as well as 3rd year and senior high school students. Various competitions relative to the theme are also up.


Digital ICT Congress Year 3

Santiago added that the Pangasinan ICT Council welcomes the gesture, and calls the partnership a “perfect union”. He said that while it is true that the DICT has been partnering with big brands for the past three years, the entry of PICTC will make it more beneficial to the students. 

This year’s theme, “The Internet of Things, Start tomorrow now!”,DICT4 is eyed to keep improving every year. Previously, the event encouraged Pangasinenses to be awesome, and not settle on average things, average careers, and average lives.

Now that the world is gearing towards interconnected devices, and cloud technology, it is better for Pangasinan students to specialize on creating apps and devices that will lead to the internet of things.

According to Vanj Padilla, topics during the seminar-workshop include the house of the future: how your household appliances connect and communicate with each other and talk to your phone; the healthcare of the future; how your devices and wearables warn and tell you about your health conditions and the things you need to do to maintain your well-being; the car of the futurewhich connects it to your phone, gets data from the road you take, and tells you the information you need to know; and all other things that the future holds.

“We wanted Pangasinan to be known as major player and maker in The Internet of Things technology so that our entry to the global tech industry is more futuristic where not only the developed countries or the Silicon Valley locals can say that we just watched and never played. Maybe not now, but in the few years to come, but somehow we have to start from somewhere and the perfect venue for this is the DICT 4. It sure is an ambitious project but at least we are going to get there”, hopeful Padilla said. 

DICT is an event by 1Digitech Philippines that gathers thousands of students for a seminar and competition. Last year, it invited speakers from other Asian countries like Malaysia and Thailand and this year, new sets of international speakers will once again visit Pangasinan to share valuable insights and knowledge about “The Internet of Things (IoT)”

Companies who are interested to be part of this tech event, and for more information on how you can participate, you can directly contact the organizers thru mobile at 09235931677 or email at isiptikwak@gmail.com. 
at 9:44 AM 0 comments
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Canva opens shop in Manila

Canva opens shop in Manila

Canva, a budding online graphic design platform from Australia, has expanded by opening an office in the Philippines just 11 months from its debut.

An idea in the works since 2007, founders Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams created a way to simplify graphic design with a drag-and-drop tool paired with a library of more than 1 million photographs, graphics and fonts.

By boiling down the design process to its simplest components, users from any experience level can now create professional looking projects like those done in Photoshop of InDesign – a particular interest to marketers especially in the digital and social media space who need to quickly create content like a picture or a header.

“Canva can be used to create almost anything for Web and print, including presentations, blog graphics, Facebook covers and invitations. Our biggest users are marketers, bloggers and small business using Canva to create their own marketing materials,” Perkins, Canvas CEO, shared with Marketing via e-mail

Since its launch, the company has amassed over 650,000 users and has piqued investor appetite. Just this July, Canva raised an aditional $3.6 million in funding from Shasta Ventures, Founders Fund, Matrix Partners, Blackbird Ventures and Square Peg Capital.

Canva Manila, formally launched last 8 August, will be the startup’s first shop outside its home country, which will be manned by eight people to work initially on marketing, customer service and graphic design. The office will be headed by Kei San Pablo as Manila Office Manager.

"We've just opened our Manila office this week and we're very excited about the potential in the Philippines," said Zach Kitschke, head of communications.

In photo (L-R): Cliff Obrecht, COO, Kei San Pablo of Canva Manila, Melanie Perkins, CEO, Zach Kitschke, head of communications, and Tin Atanacio of Canva Manila

Perkins confirmed that they are currently recruiting marketers, graphic designers and customer service professionals sourced from the local talent pool.

Without citing hard numbers, she confirmed that the Philippines is one of the company’s top 10 markets, owed to the Filipinos’ strong design aesthetic and being fast adopters of new technology. So far, over four million designs have now been created using the Canva platform.

Supporting the company’s overall strategy is Guy Kawasaki, which joined Canva last April as Chief Evangelist, a former role he had with Apple in the 1980’s. He is also an advisor to Google, co-founder of venture capital firm Garage Technology Venture and behind the online magazine rack, Alltop.

To add to Canva’s creative muscle, Peg Fitzpatrick has also joined Canva as Head of Social Strategy. Prior to this, she worked with Kawasaki as his social media architect, and she was the co-founder of the 12 Most website.

Canva has also announced a series of partnerships with companies including GoDaddy, Tailwind, Agora Pulse, Post Planner, and TabSite. Users of these websites will be able to create Canva graphics without leaving their page via the newly released Canva Button.
at 9:40 AM 0 comments
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Philippines wrestles with slow internet as mobile grows

Philippines wrestles with slow internet as mobile grows

The Philippines has one of the lowest smartphone penetration figures for a country with one of the highest mobile penetration figures overall.

 On Device Research has tallied the country’s mobile penetration at 101% while only 15% of Filipino users have smartphones (For comparison, smartphone penetration in the Philippines is also the lowest of all the countries in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia at 80%, Thailand at 49%, and Indonesia at 23%). Various contributing factors such as the traditionally high prices of smartphones and the notoriously poor internet speeds in the country have hindered the growth of smartphone use. But recent research predicts that a boom in the Philippines’ smartphone market will occur over the next year.

On Device Research cites predictions from the Oxford Business Group which estimates that the penetration of smartphones will greatly increase over the next year and reach 50% in 2015—over a tripling of the current figure — despite the unavoidable problem of lagging internet speeds.

This prediction, if true, opens the door for a ton of foreign interest in selling smartphones in the Philippines. On Device Research shows that Samsung is currently the leader, holding 43% of the market. Google’s Android is the likely winner when considering which types of phones will become more popular, mostly because of Android-based phones’ lower prices than Apple’s.

But the country is going to continue to wrestle with slow internet, especially once more mobile web users are on board. The Philippines has the slowest average speed in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, according to Net Index rankings by broadband testing company Ookla. Mobile does fare a bit better, but still sits at the fifth spot in the region, with Smart Communications and Globe Telecom as the two dominating mobile internet providers. They combine to make a total of 83% of the market share with Sun Cellular in third place.

Speed isn’t the only obstacle for internet in the Philippines; in February, the Philippines Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of an internet libel law that allows the government to pursue authors of content deemed “defamatory” to the government. Many see this ruling more along the lines of censorship than anything else. Restricting content published on the internet is not a good way to venture into the burgeoning internet market, and certainly does not encourage entrepreneurship in the field. But the Philippines is going to have to figure out how to improve web speeds and manage content laws as the internet-connected device market surges over the next year. (Source: Juliana Kenny/blouinnews.com)
at 9:39 AM 0 comments
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In Baguio City, lies a sports mecca

In Baguio City, lies a sports mecca


The summer capital of the Philippines remains the top tourist destination in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and among the top 14 travellers choice nationwide, making it a serious economic player in the country.

The city already had the picturesque views and inviting Cordilleran culture as its main economic driver, a strong industrial sector, and thriving local tourism.

But city officials wanted to do something more, something different. So they turned their attention to sports.
Mayor Domogan affirmed during his latest State of the City Address the importance of sporting events as one of the city’s major tourist attractions in recent years.

 “The sterling performance of the various city teams and the hosting of other recognized events are tourism boosters for the city,” Mayor Mauricio Domogan said.

Sports bring people together, as they say. So the city has recognized the general impact of organizing sporting activities that provide significant economic and employment benefits. The sports sector has a major economic impact, boosting a growth in the local tourism industry.

New Tourism Strategy
The strategy has shifted to high gear as the city plans to improve the sports facilities including the rehabilitation of Athletic Bowl in order to conveniently accommodate more sports enthusiasts and draw investors. Generally deemed for good, a funding has been approved to rubberize the track oval and improve the bleachers of the Athletic Bowl. With world class sports facilities in place for future events, the city is expecting to hold national and international sports tournaments.

The city is driving really hard on sports tourism. With the emergence of fans wanting to be at the thick of the frenzy, the potential for growth is considerable. Mayor Domogan said that sports sector is seen to generate profit, not only bringing in more visitors to the city but promoting the city and nearby areas as well.

Thriving Tourism Industry
Sports occupy a central place within Baguio’s culture and identity based on achievements across a wide range of sports. With the success of local based athletes in the regional, national, and international competitions, the city has lured other sportsmen to train in a high-altitude atmosphere as their training ground. 

The Team Lakay fighters in the mix martial arts world, the overall championship of Baguio in the 2014 Batang PInoy Games, the overall title of 2014 Philippine National Games in May, among others, will attest to Baguio City’s love and passion for the sport. 

We linger for as long as the city let us. Sports destination is just one of the reasons why we love coming to Baguio City and hate leaving. 
at 9:32 AM 0 comments
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