World Vision and DOH Strengthens Philippine Milk Code Implementation

In simple ceremonies at the Luxent Hotel in Quezon City, World Vision in Partnership with the Department of Health launchrd a project for implementing Executive Order 51 more known as the Philippine Milk Code. They have been steadfastly supporting this project for a few years already and with the advent of changes in it's implementing rules and regulations, it's now going to be easy to report violations that would fall under this executive order. This included corporations and establishments that have no lactation facilities, no lactation breaks for employees and anything that would fall under this lot.

There would be three main channels Moms could go to namely the www.mother-babyfriendlyphilippines.org website, the Mother Baby Philippines app through Google Play and the App Store and through SMS. On the website simply fill out the form under the SUBMIT A REPORT button on the main page, on the app click on the REPORT VIOLATION button and follow the procedure listed there, and for SMS, just text Name, Location, Date and Time of Violation, and details to 292906237. You will get confirmation that your report has been received. They will make sure that your report will be kept confidential, and will be acted upon by agencies concerned with the report. It'll be taken cared of and they will get in touch with you if needed. This way, the implementation will be strongly enforced and monitored by dedicated teams in our locale.

Ms. Carleneth F. San Valentin, the Technical Manager for Health and Nutrition under World Vision Development Foundation, Inc. said "Thank you for gracing us, I would like to thank you all from the Mother Baby Friendly Philippines team of World Vision, to celebrate us with victories big or small. We will make more women realize that breastfeeding is a biological norm."

It looks promising, I can't wait for this to be seen implemented all throughout the country. Congratulations World Vision and DOH!

KUMAGCOW

Fresh Blogs Fast!

INNOVLABS by Synergy88 Digital

If you're a budding technology and programming enthusiast, you better listen in. As you may have already learned on our first article, Synergy88 Digital has already been able to achieve a lot in the past few years and has pegged itself as a world class company that delivers digital creative solutions with exceptional quality. That in itself is a feat, harnessing triple A talents from the country to produce extraordinary game and app concepts, development, 2D and 3D art and animation. Now all that didn't come easy as they had to face a little known problem in the industry, the goal to find talented workers. 

As you may understand, the work they do might have to have had divine intervention but most of it has got to do with the talented individuals doing magic behind computer screens. The difficult task of finding the right person to press those keys and scribble those pens is daunting as it requires the same quality of skill set to match the world class things they produce. The hard task must have brought out the best in them because they didn't even think of putting up INNOVATION LABS. It suddenly became an opportunity to help the Filipino skilled workers  get to the level they were expecting and needed. It was but natural for them to take part in an initiative to share their expertise to partner schools and have them experience, learn and take part of what made Synergy88 Digital successful all these years. 

We got to interview the Senior Manager for Business Development and head of INNOVLABS operations Miker Rivera about the program  and here's what he's got to say:

To add to that, we also had a chat with Ms. Geraldine Yumul, Synergy88 Digital's Corporate Representative on Industry and Government Alliances. Here's what she had to say:

Learning to do those skills in a bigger setting, to get your feet wet, to get those young minds realize their ideas in a the real world, that was set in stone and interpreted to a chartered map. It was also one of the opportunities to see and identify promising and talented individuals that could eventually be part of their teams. All of these would come from proposed theses in these partner schools, they'll help them to make it, train with appropriate workshops and have them use the resources as accorded by their agreements. This will also be properly screened for candidates, expecting the same professional work they churn out in these offices. They have a lot of success stories, but this had an arm dipped in a willing corporate social responsibility too to help uplift the kind of education people get from the universities and colleges they partnered with, teaching not just the theoretical and technical legwork that comes with the territory, but the necessary work ethic on a level that is expected of a triple A level professional.

Currently, they are receiving a lot of interested parties, schools and government agencies because this is absolutely seen as an industry with BIG potential. Imagine how this would disrupt the current business worldwide when we witness the full capabilities of Filipino artists, programmers and individuals who would undergo INNOVLABS in the long run. We know how we're being sought after by people in the same industry around the world, and imagine how convenient it would be for families to stay together because this division is going to be based here in our own country. Nobody would have the thinking of leaving the Philippines anymore because we're capable, we have the studios and armaments to do it in our own turf. That's probably going to happen in the near future, imagine the possibilities. Just think of the countless students and schools that INNOVLABS could help with this program. Thousands of lives would be changed and I'm excited as it holds a lot of promise.

To get to know more about INNOVLABS and Synergy88 Digital, please find their contact details via their official website www.synergy88digital.com.

OKTOBERFEST Happening This Weekend at Sofitel Manila

When I got to Sofitel a few weeks ago, I knew I was in for a FUN afternoon because the preparations have already started for the 79th OKTOBERFEST here in Manila. Set at the majestic Sofitel Manila, Germans from all over the Philippines, Filipinos and other nationalities will converge at the Sofitel Garden Tent for a night of merrymaking, tons of men in tights, women in pigtails, and just about all the BEER, Sauerkraut, Sausages, Pretzels and sweets you can devour all in three nights. The main event though will happen on October 7, 2017 and tickets are sold through the German Club so get them via their email address reservations@germanclub.ph. October 6 will be for German corporations and entities, and the main celebration will be on October 7. During last year, I could still see a few people buying tickets in front of the venue, aside from that, there were a couple more raffles that they hold via a ticket they sell separately. If you purchase that, you could win tons of prizes including a trip which some of the German companies actually give away.

Just like this cute cow on the tower, you'll never ever run out of beer because they have tons of it to consume.

Plus the sausages, the saurkraut and other German dishes that they have are prepared exquisitely by the Chefs of Sofitel Manila, and by the German standards, they do it the LEGIT way.

So what are you waiting for? Go and email them or head over to Sofitel Manila and enjoy it like the Germans would do. Ein Prosit!

Philippine Based Synergy88 Digital Joins External Development Summit

Ms. Jackeline Chua, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Synergy88 Digital

This year has been successful for Synergy88 Digital, one of the biggest Filipino owned multi business process and graphic arts service providers in the country. Their thrust is on animation, game and art development that's got their entire operations based in the country. The extraordinary accomplishments has already brought the nod of government agencies and so with their recent representation of the Philippines in Vancouver, Canada, they showcased what current talent they have over at Synergy88 Digital as they joined the External Development Summit (XDS). This is the premier international games industry event that focuses on external development of art, animation, audio, software engineering, quality assurance and more. This was the same event where Synergy88 Digital met a subsidiary of Microsoft called The Coalition and Microsoft Studios (back in 2014) who was at that time working with a game called Gears of War 4, part of the Gears of War series heavily favored on Windows 10 PC's the newer XBOX Consoles. Thanks to the Department of Trade and Industry - Board of Investments and their other offices, they're already scheduled to come back next year. 

The company and it's divisions went through rigorous tests, standardization procedures so all it's processes would come accorded with their counterparts, later on achieving the coveted certification from Microsoft. Synergy88 Digital is officially a Microsoft Certified Development Studio, the only one in the Philippines. Soon thereafter, they accomplished training, passed exams and requirements and are still continuously learning from Microsoft directly. Gears of War 4 by the way has been nominated with several awards and have been lauded by critics for the exceptional artwork for characters, realistic weaponry, environments and stunning visual effects. 

Aside from the work they put in on these incredible games, they also have other projects under NDA's and revered as top secret as they haven't gone out of the market yet. They've attributed their success mostly on the things they've learned along the way including the representations they did during XDS as they clearly didn't just showcase their ware, they were able to learn a lot from the new technologies introduced in the summit. They get to see the latest trends, learn from actual companies, interact with the world's best game developers, programmers, publishers and vendors. They shared the next generation AR and VR technologies have already reached their offices, so we'll be seeing quite a throng of great titles in the next couple of years. They also hold the title of being the first Microsoft 3D Game Art Vendor in the country. Here's a short interview we did at their studios in Quezon City.

We had the feeling of optimism from Ms. Jackie Chua and the people from her office because as they've communicated they have just barely scratched the tip of the iceberg on this 100 Billion Dollar industry. The talented triple A skilled people of Synergy88 Digital are also into digital, film and special effects. Those nice things you see on local prime time shows in ABSCBN, a couple of indie and mainstream movie projects (of which are also award winning ones) come from here too. Their other divisions like ASI Studios, Kalaro Games, Synergy88 Productions, South Eastern Data Center and Renderbee would continue to churn out more products in the coming years, and they are actively looking for talents to join their roster. They have a program to discover talents which they have started recently, I'm raring to telly you about that on the next article so stay tuned! For more information about their company, please visit their official website www.synergy88studios.com.

On a personal note: I actually worked in a similar industry and by my standards, I am impressed about their products and skill sets. Their goals however do not end there.