LUVIT Launched in the Philippines

Took my sweet time traveling to Ortigas this afternoon to celebrate the launch of the new LUVIT Card. It's the new installment based buy now pay later card (connected with Mastercard) that's got a physical card and virtual one for your convenience. 

Folks who are into microlending would surely love this new service by the FinVolution Group including the folks from JuanHand which has been very successful in the country. 

Currently, they are offering 40 days of Zero Percent interest and a credit limit of up to 200K (if you're a good payer). You can avail of 3-6 month installment plants to make it easier for you to pay, something fit if you purchase products daily. If you also love food trips, or go to Boracay for a weekend, or watch BTS or Taylor Swift, wouldn't this be a good idea?!

Francisco Mauricio the CEO of Wefund Lending Corporation says "We want financial freedom to be accessed by Filipinos. We are letting you access it first. We are a startup, but we have been here for more than 17 years, 8 countries in the world. AI is in our DNA, and our sister is JuanHand. It's public, more importantly, we are bound with higher standards. We are the fastest growing financial app in Asia and the vision for LUVIT is to make financial choices human and simple. Loans can be used to buy fertilizer for farmers, it is something that people dream about, as we get the flexibility to pay. Remember, more than 90 percent of Filipinos don't have this. They have the capability to borrow and pay. This financial tool can get you places. Loans can be powerful, even the biggest corporations borrow money. Finally, we are helping you to enjoy it. You can now live the life you deserve."

Thing is, they are telling us that they can approve applications for their card in as fast as 90 seconds. If you're looking for something to buy and you don't have the money for it yet, this could be a life saver! There are also a lot of establishments that accept Mastercard which means you can access a lot of merchants through this card and it's virtual counterpart. Customer service has live agents so concerns can be easily addressed when you need to. You only need one ID to apply for it. With the card, you can pay for it right away or do a flexible payment instead.

You can now download it on the Google Play store (if you're on Android) or the App Store on iOS by searching LUVIT x JuanHand. Spot the app with the green heart and enjoy the perks starting now!

ALMOST US: Hear JMFyang Fans Screaming in Cinemas Today!

JM Ibarra and Fyang Smith officially just released their first ever movie under Projec8Project and Regal Films. The movie talks about the lives of friends, one who's got a knack of creating their own knight and shining armor (in literature) while the other wants to break from the labels of friendship.

Commonly known as JMFyang, the pair looked incredibly comfortable with their characters. I'd say Fyang took her character into a more crass persona (by choice) , deadly in love with the hero she created for her fanfic. It builds a story between reality and fiction, But yes, it's super cute. There's not much drama (except in the latter part), a good thing because this was made to be enjoyed by fans. 

Much of the conversations are situational and delusional at times, I could see a lot of the fans in front of the cinema laughing and eagerly awaiting what would happen next. Kenzo (played by Dustin Yu) is an individual who loves ideas, music, happiness, and the concept of hope that someday, he would take notice of her, including her fantasies.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by John Bueno (@kumagcow)

Fyang gave a very convincing performance, she's super fun. JM's character on the other hand was a hopeless romantic, put in a situation that made him weigh if his efforts are enough for a relationship to happen (or did it).

Today will be the first day of showing, and if you're raring to find out what happens in the movie, with the relationship and how they end up in the end, go show your support now. Just so you know, fans were screaming inside the cinemas. That alone should convince you to see it.

I'd give this a happy 8/10. 

Take Advantage of Lower Prices and Create Your Smart YALE Home

Security is always a top priority in our home, and one brand stands out all these years. It's called YALE, and they're bringing out their best products into the Philippine market. 

If you're employing smart devices in your own home to manage small appliances, lights and stuff, I bring good news as YALE launches their very own SMART YALE HOME line. At True Value in Shangri-la Plaza in Mandaluyong City They have a kiosk and a few aisles dedicated for the new smart door locks including the ones I saw in display like the Luna Pro+, YDM7116A, By You D Pro and By You H Pro. They have small more affordable ones, but I'm super impressed with the Luna Pro+ that's got security through fingerprint (100 can he registered), PIN on the pad, RFID cards which you can give family members, Mechanical keys if you need it, Real Time Video, CCTV, chat on screen, Bluetooth connection to also do it. They also have the Yale Home app to manage these connections if you want to automate it with your existing network. 

Isabel Oli Prats talked about how she put these devices on her new home

Jonathan Kwong of ASSA ABLOY Philippines says "Thank you for being here and taking time to support us in our campaign. Yale started years ago, and now we are present in over 100 countries. We are still manufacturing a lot of products and looking for ways to innovative our home security line."

True Value's Cynthia Chavez adds "Welcome to our Yale Home launch. At True Value we deliver the best products for the way you live. Convenience, control is needed, and these new products, it will grow with the need of new smart homes in the country. Their YALE products can be easily found in our stores especially this May. They get you the chance to win gifts at pop up booths, and it's perfect for modern living."

Here's what we saw that afternoon:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by John Bueno (@kumagcow)

I've seen people take advantage of the almost 30k discount on some of these smart locks. They also have safes if you prefer locking up documents, personal jewelry or money at home. Go check out the products this May because the deals will only be there til end of the month. I'm planning to get one for my home, and you should consider it too! They're keen to offer these in condominiums too, so kf you're interested, go talk to them in person or talk to one of the staff manning the popup in True Value. It's pretty dope!

Don't say I didn't tell you about it! :)

VIBE PH Knows How to Party

VIBE PH Jocks and Manny Pangilinan

Took the trip down Reliance street to visit VIBE PH as they take their awesome party at their newest place, the MVP STUDIO. It's their biggest one to date (I heard they've got bigger plans), but seeing them enjoy their new home was something I didn't want to miss. I could see the hosts excitement before the opening number and I managed to document parts of that and talk to them about it. When I asked if they were nervous about performing in the show, they told me they were more keen to give their viewers the best OPM performances they can dish out.

Elmo Magalona performed with the Vibe Jocks, they did several songs of his Dad Francis Magalona which I kinda miss seeing on TV. It's been a while since we've seen Elmo too, and I hope they get to do more with him in future shows. Aside from that, they also did a tribute to well loved all girl 90's band Prettier Than Pink. They performed the hit song "Cool Ka Lang", something folks in those younger years actually bopped with. It's so good to see them happily playing instruments again together, like a reunion of sorts and VIBE PH made it happen. 

Prettier Than Pink performing Cool Ka Lang

VIBE PH Jocks and Elmo Magalona

PPOP Group VVINK

Shaina Magdayao and JM De Guzman

Enrique Gil and Andrea Brillantes

The Juans with Vibe Jocks

We also saw VVINK perform one of their hit songs, which was young, fun and fresh sounding. They're pretty good dancers too as with any good PPOP group would do. They also had The Juans, Earl Agustin and the band Lily for the Main Vibe stage, can't help but notice because they've got lots of fans screaming their lungs out. To end the evening, they had Salbakuta on stage, who performed their hit songs. They had the crowd up on their seats, and the Vibe Jocks also did a few Basil Valdez songs which they also loved. Enrique Gil, Andrea Brillantes, Shaina Magdayao and JM De Guzman then surprised people, then promoted their two shows A Secret in Prague and My Bespren Emman. 

Imagine, these folks have been doing these performances every week (and good ones at that). They also try to do new things, play those OPM songs you love and make a huge effort to present it to you the way you love. The sheer number of talented artists each week baffles me, because production must have cost a ton to do this. New artists on the other hand can also promote their songs, it's a really nice platform for them. They also can rally their fans to vote so they could watch them on stage. It's a full blown entertainment hub, and it'll be a better one since they have a new home in Mandaluyong. It sits beside the Launchpad Building in the same street.

See, they're just starting, and soon they'll have more icons, great performers in the show. I think VIBE PH is doing a good job. I can't wait to see what they would come up with in the next few weeks, months or years!