Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, invites Filipinos to enjoy big deals and exclusive promotions from the country’s leading brands at its 5.5 Brands Festival. Shoppers can expect discounts up to 90% off, flash deals up to 50% off, free shipping with no minimum spend, and 50% cashback from crowd favorites such as OPPO, Vivo, Realme, Colgate, Abbott, L’Oreal Paris, Enfagrow, Procter & Gamble, Olay, Unilever, Nestle, Colourette Cosmetics, and Maybelline.

Martin Yu, Director at Shopee Philippines, said, “At Shopee, it is our goal to work together with brands loved by Filipinos to deliver the best value on their favorite products so they can maximize their financial resources. With all the deals in-store at the Shopee 5.5 Brands Festival, we are enabling Filipinos to secure everything they need at the best prices while making shopping safe, convenient, and rewarding.”

Until May 5, shoppers can look forward to the following daily promotions:

Big discounts at Super Brand Days

Don’t miss out on back-to-back brand takeovers on Shopee. Enjoy discounts up to 90% off on leading brands on the following days: OPPO on April 29, Procter & Gamble on April 30, Vivo on May 1, Realme on May 2, Maybelline on May 3, and Olay on May 4.

Limited deals and promotions during themed days

Leading up to 5.5, watch out for themed days with exciting deals. Enjoy free shipping with no minimum spend at ShopeePay Sale on April 29, claim over ₱1,000,000 worth of prizes at Shopee Prizes Sale on May 3, and redeem over ₱5,500 worth of vouchers at Brands Vouchers Sale on May 4.

Cashbacks at category fairs

Redeem 50% cashback and enjoy flash deals up to 50% off on brands at the Home Fair from April 29 to May 1, and at the Electronics Fair from May 2 to May 4.

5.5 D-Day Deals

On May 5, enjoy 24 hours of non-stop promotions, including flash deals up to 50% off on selected brands including:

●Pampers: Enjoy all-day deals up to 34% off on the entire Pampers line. Stay tuned for special price drops of up to 50% off on selected products from 12:00 AM to 2:00 AM and 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
●Enfagrow: Get up to 37% off Enfamama A+, Enfagrow A+ Nurapro, Enfagrow A+ range, and more.
●Vivo: Slash ₱300 off each purchase with ₱6,000 minimum spend by using the Shopee-exclusive ‘VIVO300’ voucher code.
●Nestlé: Get 50% off Nestlé favorites including Bear Brand Powdered Milk, Nestlé All-Purpose Cream, and Nescafé Gold.
●Colourette: Enjoy up to 50% off selected Colourette products and get free shipping for a minimum spend of ₱999. Stay alert for even bigger discounts during flash sales!

Make the most out of free shipping with no minimum spend, 50% cashback from participating Shopee Mall stores, and up to 90% off on select products from Tender Care, AirQueen PH, Unicare, Reckitt, GSK, Pedigree, Whiskas, IAMS, Peculiar Eyewear, Puritan's Pride, Shigetsu, Mikana, INSPI, Organic Skin, Organic Official, Teetalk, Crown, Chef's Classics, and XTREME Appliances.

For more information on these D-Day Deals, visit: https://shopee.ph/m/brand-parade.

Cash prizes up for grab at 5.5 Brands Festival TV Special

Tune in to Wowowin this May 5, 5:00 PM to catch the 5.5 Brands Festival TV Special on GMA 7 and Shopee Live. Aside from watching exciting performances from celebrities, viewers can also win big cash prizes. Play Watch and Win, Shopee Shake, and Shopee Milyonaryo to become the lucky winner of over ₱3,500,000 worth of cash, products, and ShopeePay credits.

Exclusive perks with ShopeePay

Go cashless for more deals and discounts! Get all-day free shipping vouchers and 55% cashback, both with no minimum spend. Buy ₱10 worth of data for ₱1, ₱5 load for only ₱1, and ₱10 load for only ₱5 with ShopeePay. Pay bills on Shopee and get up to 25% cashback, capped at 150 coins.

More prizes at the #NextShopeeEndorser contest

Strike a pose with a product from Shopee Mall for a chance to win ₱10,000. Shopee will pick five winners with the most creative and original entries. Users can check out the mechanics and submit photo entries until May 5 through this link: http://bit.ly/NextShopeeEndorser.

For more information on all the deals you can score at 5.5 Brands Festival, visit https://shopee.ph/m/5-5-2.

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

When Jenny To, CEO of Vmart.ph, established the first store, currently located at 174 Yakal Street Makati City, its primary goal was to serve and bring Vietnamese products to its ex-pats living in Makati. Then, after a short period of business in the country, they have decided to integrate their business into the local scene.

“Our products originally and majorly are Vietnam products. We’re currently looking into the Vietnam market in the Philippines then start to expand to the local market here. We want to stretch to the local market now and try switching from Vietnam-centered market to the local,” said To.

Vmart.ph primarily has Vietnamese goods, but it also includes Korean, Thai, Chinese, and some Filipino products.

Who would have not known the name Jobstreet? In fact when it comes to finding your dream job Jobstreet is the place to look for it. In this time of the pandemic, many of our Kababayans were at loss. Some of them were layoff and some are still looking for the right employment for them. 

Living up to its commitment to provide jobs that matter across the country, leading online job portal JobStreet is going hyperlocal as it launches its dedicated microsite for Cebu, Iloilo, and Davao as well as its upcoming virtual career fair with the selected Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional Offices in time for the upcoming Labor Day.

The initiatives also help boost the job market in provinces as the public is encouraged to decongest Metro Manila following the on-going pandemic.

Jobseekers from Cebu, Iloilo, and Davao can now browse thousands of jobs available in their locality through the respective microsites. Candidates can also learn from work-life guides and advice from JobStreet’s career hub which will be written in their local dialect.

“Many Filipinos recently returned to their provinces because of layoffs or the new work from home arrangements and this caused a shift in the labor market. We’ve also observed that candidates from major provinces have increased their activities in terms of platform website visits, which is why we really targeted to promote local employment and provide them valuable support in their career through their own dialect,” said JobStreet Philippines Country Manager Philip Gioca.

Shocked! Surprised! And probably in awe of the revelation made by one of the casts of Bagong Umaga during the finale media conference. A revelation that is probably shouldn't be revealed, especially to the media people and bloggers present at the online conference, but it was maybe unintentionally mentioned. (Watch the video below)

Though there was news that some of the members of the casts of Bagong Umaga were affected by the COVID-19, it was a revelation that most of the cast were tested positive. Heaven Peralejo, Sunshine Dizon, and Nikki Valdez are some of the actors that were on news and who openly shared their experiences of being afflicted by the virus. Thankfully, the ABS CBN Management and their set of protocols made the experiences of these affected actors bearable and assuring that they will get through. 

Working during this pandemic is a risk and everyone knows it very well but knowing that everyone is a Kapamilya, the casts of Bagong Umaga gave their assuring words that they will not hesitate to work again to bring a teleserye that brings new light and new hope. 

The Bagong Umaga will still have three more days to air and more exciting scenes to catch. 

 

The group of four, The Gold Squad, is making their barkada even bigger as they welcome new more squadmates who are ready to conquer showbiz with their talents via The Squad Plus. The barkada is growing!

The Squad Plus boasts four artists who are passionate about music – Angela Ken is a newly minted OPM sensation, while Sam Cruz, KD Estrada, and Anji Salvacion are regularly seen performing on “ASAP Natin ‘To” as part of its new breed of singers.

Here are some fun facts about the group’s four fresh faces and voices:

This is the premise of Be Cool, the new printer sustainability campaign launched by Epson Southeast Asia. The regional campaign was created to remind customers that it is possible to maximize efficiency and productivity while reducing environmental impact. Banking on the brand’s expertise in innovation, businesses can choose to Be Cool and discover how Epson technology makes the sustainable choice a simple one.

The campaign is fuelled by Epson’s range of EcoTank and Business Inkjet printers that use Heat-Free Technology to deliver advanced benefits over laser and thermal inkjet technology. It also features the world’s first[ PaperLab is the first office paper making system to use a dry process, based on Epson research conducted in November 2016.] dry process office paper-making system, PaperLab.

“Our Be Cool campaign demonstrates how Epson’s Heat-Free Technology and PaperLab can transform the way businesses work by helping increase productivity, while saving on energy consumption and use of resources. By making the switch to our cool products, businesses can take an active role in the journey towards promoting greener, more sustainable businesses across Southeast Asia,” said Tan May Lin, Regional Director for Epson Sales Division, Retail Products, and Regional Brand & Communications.

Printing can Be Cool

Be Cool brings three product lines front and centre to highlight how its eco features can help significantly streamline processes and give businesses a competitive advantage.

Epson’s Heat-Free Technology ensures that its EcoTank and Business Inkjet printers use no heat in the ink ejection process, which means less power consumption and more savings on electricity costs.

With this original technology, no heat is required for printer warm up, allowing you to save time with consistent high-speed printing. Since inkjet printers do not have fusers that need heating, less energy is consumed, resulting in cost savings for the business. Epson’s EcoTank and Business Inkjet printers also use fewer parts and consumables that require replacement which minimises user intervention and increases productivity.

Pushing the envelope on environment-friendly technology is Epson’s first in-office paper recycling system, PaperLab. Powered by Dry Fiber Technology, PaperLab turns wastepaper into new paper, using a virtually dry process[ A small amount of water is used to maintain a certain level of humidity inside the system.], in just 3 minutes[ Approximate values. Output speed, first sheet out time may vary depending on environmental conditions.]. It uses only about 1/100th[ Water consumption of ordinary paper includes water used in the growth of the trees that supply the virgin pulp. Ordinary paper means paper distributed in Japan.] of the water it takes to make an equivalent mass of ordinary paper so that businesses conserve water while reducing the volume of paper that must be transported to off-site recyclers.

When data security is crucial for your business, PaperLab delivers absolute certainty that key confidential waste is safely and effectively destroyed. It removes toner and inks and reduces the wastepaper into fibers. This means information stays safely on site with no need to trust external contractors.

With PaperLab’s unique technology, water is conserved, less heat is used, carbon footprint is reduced, and wood resources are saved. Combined with Epson’s heat-free printing solutions, PaperLab helps build a recycling loop in the office and promotes a circular economy for businesses.

Make the switch

By highlighting the synergy between Epson’s Heat-Free Technology or Dry Fiber Technology with the products’ productivity features, the Be Cool campaign presents how performance and sustainability can go hand in hand and urges businesses to make the green choice with Epson’s business solutions.

To learn how you can make the switch to sustainable technology, visit the website or get in touch with your local Epson Authorised Dealers.

 

Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, makes it easier for users to top up their ShopeePay mobile wallets with the all-new debit card integration feature.

The digital economy in the Philippines has seen a solid annual growth rate of 12.2%. In the government’s roadmap for e-commerce, the Philippines is expected to shift to a cashless society by 2030 driven by seamless customer experience, convenience, and secure digital infrastructure.

Shopee recorded a 4x uplift in the total number of orders completed by its mobile wallets across the region in 2020, and this is set to increase as more people adopt digital payment options. Shopee aims to provide users with a seamless and convenient shopping experience through its integrated ecosystem. Enhancing ShopeePay with additional top-up methods is one of the many ways that Shopee is doing so.

Martin Yu, Director of Shopee Philippines, said, “We aim to provide our users with the most convenient shopping experience through ShopeePay. With the new debit card integration feature, users can enjoy convenient and secure payment options while making purchases online, and get access to exclusive promotions, vouchers, and overall greater cost savings. We are continuously looking for ways to deliver a seamless online shopping experience for our users during this pandemic.”

Even if after the network’s shutdown happened last year, this did not dampen the spirit of Direk Rahyan to stop training actors. In fact, he and his teachers held all workshops online via zoom. In June 2020, Star Magic had a soft launch of all workshops online. “We had 250 students all over the world during the pandemic from 22 participating countries such as England, London, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Florence Italy, Virginia, New York, L.A., Guam, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, France, New Jersey, Dubai, Qatar, and Canada. We had live and recorded online recitals and culminating activities of all our workshops and people were so entertained and cheered for their loved ones who participated in the online training,” said Direk Rahyan.

 

Sometimes in order to save some people would go for the counterfeit but in fact, it is the opposite. As printing becomes more accessible, an increasing number of counterfeit inks are entering the market to provide consumers with cheaper options. While it might be tempting to cut costs by purchasing non-genuine inks, doing so entails serious risks and threats.

For Epson printer users at home or in the office, managing printing requirements demands saving money while you can, but what is the true cost of buying into counterfeit inks? Here are some of the dangers of using non-genuine inks for your printer:

1.Possible printer damage

Non-genuine inks purchased from unauthorized sellers may cause leaks and clogging that may lead to printer damage. Using non-genuine inks may provide savings in the short run, but it can potentially be costly with the additional servicing required when the other components in your printer have been compromised.

2.Warranty void

A home or office printer is an asset, and you want to make sure that you have the best protection for your investment. Deciding to go for counterfeit inks will automatically void your Epson printer warranty, and since counterfeit inks may potentially harm your printer, the money saved on the initial purchase of non-genuine inks simply isn’t worth the potential cost of having to replace damaged parts without warranty protection.

3.Higher costs

Counterfeit inks are widely available, and consumers often choose to use them believing that they provide the same performance as genuine inks. This could be a costly mistake as non-genuine supplies could pose multiple risks as mentioned above and may affect both print quality and performance.

Maintaining your printer equipment in good working condition is the key to productivity. To get the most out of your Epson printer, we recommend using only Epson genuine inks to keep your machine at optimal performance.

Three of today’s hottest stars, Gerald Anderson, Yam Concepcion, and JM de Guzman, are set to capture viewers’ hearts as they get entangled in a controversial love triangle in ABS-CBN Star Creatives’ highly anticipated new series, "Init Sa Magdamag," which will air on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, and TV5 this April 19.

The trailer has hit 12 million views 13 days after it was first released on YouTube and became a hot trending topic on social media.

Yam and JM play the prominent political couple Rita and Peterson, whose marriage is on the brink of collapse as they struggle to have a child. Peterson met an accident years earlier that made him incapable of fathering a child.

Jamill, or individually known as Jayzam Manabat and Camille Trinidad, is now in the limelight of criticism from the public, online and offline, after being allegedly involved in a cheating issue. Another social media celebrity couple whose relationship is now getting rocked by an allegedly cheating issue of Jayzam Manabat.

Remember that in just more than a year of being quarantined and lockdown, different social media celebrity couples started getting their names on the viral list online after losing their grip with the relationships they have. They all went shaking and reach the point of going on separate ways.

During the ECQ in 2020, 'Walang Hanggang Paalam' is the first teleserye to do the off-studio shoot with their different scenes. Also, the first team to test the process set by ABS CBN when it comes to the health and safety of their personnel, crew, and artists following the stand implemented by the Inter-Agency Task Force or IATF. Despite the different challenges faced, the Walang Hanggang Paalam team didn't falter in moving forward with the project. Professionally, they made an extraordinary teleserye for the Kapamilya viewers to keep them entertained during the quarantine period.

BLACK SHEEP, a film outfit under ABS-CBN, is known for films that tell fresh stories with a vision that have no boundaries. And now, a first of its kind in our distributions we bring you BLACK SHEEP’S BLACK PACK, 3 exciting films in 1 exclusive access.

For the very first edition, we programmed Black Sheep’s 3 internationally recognized films: Raya Martin’s DEATH OF NINTENDO, Bradley Liew’s MOTEL ACACIA and Dwein Baltazar’s ODA SA WALA. After their World Premieres and screenings in various International Film Festivals, finally they’re home and will be available in the Philippines.

From Nostalgia of our youth and of the 90s in Death of Nintendo to suspenseful actionpacked adventure in a mysterious Motel Acacia to finding luck and love in stillness in Oda Sa Wala, Black Sheep is all set to take you to 1 cinematic journey this summer.

Black Sheep’s Black Pack is streaming on April 23, 2021 via KTX.ph and iWant TFC. Tickets are available on solo.to/BlackPack with an EARLY BIRD ticket price of 250php (Until April 22 only) and with a regular ticket price of 300php

DEATH OF NINTENDO

Set in Manila in the 1990s, DEATH OF NINTENDO takes us into the colorful pop culture world of four teenage friends, back in the days when video games were still a novelty. During a summer, Mimaw and her friends Paolo, Kachi and Gilligan go on a journey of self-discovery together as they try to one-up each other's high scores and face life's obstacles, including puppy love, peer pressure and balancing family tradition with self-identity.

Runtime: 98 min
Language: English, Tagalog/Filipino with English Subtitle
Genre: Period, Comedy-Drama, Coming-of-Age

Festivals and Screenings:

(WORLD PREMIERE) Berlin International Film Festival-Generation Kplus
Toronto International Film Festival-Next Wave Canada
Busan International Film Festival
Sarajevo International Film Festival
Cineteca Madrid
Pesaro, Italy
Buster, Copenhagen Denmark
Calgary, Canada
Odesa, Ukraine
Urbanworld, NY
LA Asian Pacific, CA
NY Asian, NY
Taoyuan, Taiwan
Hawaii
Minsk, Belarus
QCinema International Film Festival
Hainan Island, China
Cinematheque Macau
Colorado Dragon Boat
Portland Film Festival
BAFICI Argentina
Milwaukee, WI

CREW CREDITS

Director Raya Martin
Writer/Producer Valerie Castillo Martinez
Producers
(Black Sheep)
Marizel Samson-Martinez Kriz G. Gazmen
Marjorie B. Lachica
Executive Producers
Carlo L. Katigbak
Olivia M. Lamasan
Co-Producers
Lope Juban
Nikolo Juban
Jeremy Chua
Associate Producers
Alexander Nishioka
Dan Sima
Joseph Zamora
Jeremiah Oh
Kang Xin Ying
Director of Photography
Ante Cheng
Assistant Director
Timmy Harn
Production Designers
Whammy Alcazaren
Thesa Tang
Editor
Cyril Aris
Sound Designer
Andy Sisul
Composers
Zeke Khaseli
Yudhi Arfani
CAST CREDITS
Kim Chloe Oquendo.... Mimaw
Noel Comia Jr............. PaoloJohn Vincent Servilla... Kachi
Jigger Sementilla........ Gilligan
Elijah Alejo................. Shiara
Cayden Williams......... Jimbo
Jude Servilla............... Badong
Agot Isidro................. Patricia
Nikki Valdez............... Maribel
Angelina Canapi.......... Shirley
Ramon Bautista........... Kuya Johnny
Lou Veloso.................. Mang Pido
***

MOTEL ACACIA

JC, a young Filipino man, is forced to take over the family business set by his estranged tyrant father, a lonesome motel in the remote wilderness, providing shelter to illegal immigrants on behalf of the Government. Butas JC and the guests soon discover, Motel Acacia is home to a dark and ancient spirit trapped in a bed, which devours men and impregnates women. After the death of his father, JC is set with an impossible task–stopping the men his father failed to kill from escaping whilst still keeping everyone alive. With food running out and a violent blizzard preventing the guests to leave, a desperate fight for survival begins. In an attempt to rid himself from his father’s shadow, JC risks losing his own humanity.

GENRE: Supernatural Horror, Suspense
LANGUAGE: English, Filipino, Thai
RUNNING TIME: 88 min

Festivals and Screenings:

(WORLD PREMIERE) Tokyo International Film Festival4
Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival
Taipei Golden Horse Film FestivalJogja Netpac Asian Film Festival

CREW CREDITS

DIRECTOR Bradley Liew
SCREENPLAY Bradley Liew & Bianca Balbuena
PRODUCERS
Bianca Balbuena
Bradley Liew
Jeremy Chua
BoštjanVirc
SinišaJuričič
Kriz Gazmen
Marizel S. Martinez
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Olivia Lamasan
Carlo Katigbak
Bianca Balbuena
Jeremiah Oh
Yeh Jufeng
BoštjanVirc
Quark Henares
Joe Caliro
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS
Ivy Y.H. Chiang
Armi Rae Cacanindin
Kang Xin Ying
Sam Tzu-Hsiang Yuan
Rica Salvador
Lee Chatametikool
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Larry Manda
SOUNDVincent Villa
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Benjamin Padero & Carlo Tabije
EDITOR
Benjamin Tolentino
MUSIC
Chris Letcher
CAST CREDITS
JC Santos.................... JC
Jan Bijvoet............... The Father
Nicholas Saputra...................Don
Agot Isidro...........................Angeli
Vithaya Pangringarm..........................Sami
Bront Palarae......................Bront
Will Jaymes......................James
Talia Zucker..................Cathy
***

ODA SA WALA

Sonya is an old maid stuck in a town that long ceased to recognize her existence but only until one fateful morning when a mysterious corpse arrives at the footsteps of their family-owned funeral shop. Bringing forth strange luck and fortune, Sonya instantly gets drawn to the corpse’s mystique, reinvigorating not only her life but also that of her father Mang Rudy. But luck would eventually dry up, provoking further distress back to Sonya’s life. She faces the reality that her existence is nothing more that of the corpse, at the tail end of its mortality staring life wither away.

Genre: Drama
Language: Tagalog (Filipino)
Running Time: 92 mins

Festivals and Screenings:

(WORLD PREMIERE) QCinema International Film Festival
(INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE) Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Luang Prabang Film Festival
Exground Filmfest
Jogja Netpac Asian Film Festival
Filmfest Hamburg

CREW CREDITS

Written and Directed By Dwein Ruedas Baltazar
Produced by
Bianca Balbuena-Liew
Iana Celest Bernardez
Kriz Gazmen
Marizel Samson-Martinez
Executive Producers
Carlo L. Katigbak
Olivia M. Lamasan
Eduardo Lejano Jr.
Manet Dayrit
Cinematographer
Neil Daza
Sound
Immanuel Verona
Music
Richard Gonzales
Colorist
Dia Dia Magsaysay
Production Design
Marxie Maolen Fadul
Editor
Dwein Ruedas BaltazaCAST CREDITS
Marietta Subong.............Sonya
Joonee Gamboa............Rudy
Angelita Loresco........... Old Woman/Dead Body
Dido Dela Paz................Theodore
Anthony Falcon...............Elmer
Iana Bernardez.......................Elmer’s Wif