PayMaya Tara! Ultimate Adventure Promo!

The ability of people to shop online without a credit card. It was the thing in 2015, travel is probably the next on your bucketlist. Over the years we started with a small concept and this is not the only event we are going to do this year, there will be more. Thank you all for being here. - Paymaya COO Paolo Azzola

Their executives Kenneth Palacios and Kenneth Villanueva shared “Everyone knows Paymaya is innovative. It is a travel buddy, so when you go out in the islands, you can shop, eat at restaurants, book hotels, flights too. It is a travel product, perfect for seat sales, but we are taking you to the next level. Filipinos love to travel, the PayMaya app can be accepted where Visa and Mastercard are accepted, no need to call before or after your trip, you can track all your spendings, withdraw cash anywhere, get cashbacks, rewards and very safe. You get peace of mind because you can use it internationally, but if it gets lost you have the ability to block your card via the app, all the control begins with you.”

PayMaya Tara! is their third travel blowout promo. Last year there were three winners. This year, one winner can bring 3 additional friends and family. The places you can go to includes Italy (a culinary tour), Iceland and Croatia (land of ice and fire), South Africa (Safari), London and UK (Harry Potter), plus South Korea for the ultimate Kpop experience. A videographer/photographer will also be with you so you don’t have to look for people to shoot your photos or videos. Sounds cool? It is.

Now go download the app on iOS or Google Play, use your app, card and you earn raffle entries. Activating your virtual card means 10 entries, if you link your physical card, you earn 10 too. If you add money to your account, upgrade it, if you pay your bills (full and on time), send money to family and friends, purchase stuff at the PayMaya shop, scan to pay in QR codes of partner merchants, swipe the Physical card (min 300 spend), you get more entries. Winners will be picked randomly via electronic raffle.

Ehhh what are you doing? Why aren’t you using your PayMaya? Go get them entries to win!

Arjo Atayde and Jessy Mendiola for STRANDED

“When you’re afraid, take deep breaths and you’ll be okay.” -Arjo

Watched STRANDED this evening. This film stars Jessie Mendiola and Arjo Atayde and throng of support stars from Regal Films. Honestly, the movie had us wondering about the plot at face value because of the title. It made sense when they started telling us the personas of their character. Jessie plays a corporate slave, goody two shows woman who wants stability, but lost her sense of adventure and life. Arjo on the other hand is in between jobs, albeit successful, he turns into a food delivery connoisseur and crossed paths with geeky Jessie one day.

Stranded becomes a reality when the heavens would have a hand on it. Ice Adanan doesn’t hurry telling things, it felt like a normal romance between the two was brewing, but they have their priorities and relationships to deal with before this thing happened. They will be stranded in their own situations, but both characters give you a sense that they haven’t really given up on their dreams, they still gave it a try in the end.

This romance never had much drama, it didn’t really have much complications other than their own lives. Nobody cried much in the movie, everything was made subtle, because if it didn’t need to be told like that, they didn’t have to resort to TV Patrol acting. Nothing annoying of that nature, it was just one was being cute, the other had qualms to reciprocate his innuendos.

I think this is much of a feel good movie rather than a drama piece. Arjo and Jessie are natural actors, they didn’t have to be over the top in any scene and that might be good for people who don’t want stress. I think it wants to inspire you to do things that you want to do, to tick off everything on your bucketlist and not feel bad about it. Because ultimately, you can find your happiness, and not just depend on others to find it.

Because it may not be enough. Worthy to watch? Yeah, definitely. Regal thinks you should just watch it for merits of making you feel good about your decisions, that’s what the movie implies to me.

STRANDED will show on theaters April 10, in cinemas nationwide!

ER Ejercito Cries Political Harrasment on Graft Case

“Before I fought in politics in 2010, they paid 5 boatmen to file cases against me. I won against Joey Lina and Noynoy Aquino got mad at me.” -ER Ejercito

These are some of the words I heard during a presscon in Quezon City today with Governor Emilio Ramon ER Ejercito. News came out that Sandiganbayan guilty of graft for anomalous insurance plans when he was still Mayor of Pagsanjan, a progressive tourism town in Laguna. In an article published in news outlets, the said anti graft court sentenced him to prison for 6-8 years and said to perpetually disqualify him from holding any public office.

According to a statement by his legal counsel Atty. Larry Gadon, he is not disqualified and attributed this case to Noynoy Aquino loyalists. In the same paper, they claim he isn’t disqualified to run and that the Sandiganbayan decision is not final and executory. He has paid bail amounting to Php 30,600 and will be appealed at the Supreme Court, then says the social media fake news is black propaganda.

Here is their statement in full:

According to their statement, it was initially dismissed by the Ombudsman and reopened by the Sandiganbayan in 2016 to harass him during the elections on the same year. The Accident Protection Assistance Program was for tourists and boatmen who may get hurt while shooting the rapids of Pagsanjan Falls, of which they all say was part of their sustained rescue and assistance program for the local government of Pagsanjan.

The ruling came out on April 5, 2019 and included Mayor ER, former councilor Arlyn Lazaro - Torres, Terryl Gamit - Talabong, Kalahi Rabago, Erwin Sacluti, Gener Dimaranan and a certain private respondent Marilyn Bruel. They were charged with one count of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices act that has got an accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

This is certainly worrying for the Laguna folks who would be looking at this case closely.

Maine Mendoza, Drew Arellano and Nico Bolzico for SHELL

Today is a great day for news this good. Pilipinas Shell Corporation seem to be making their presence felt locally with heavy named celebrities Maine Mendoza, Drew Arellano and Nico Bolzico. In an effort to show how Filipinos relate their personal experiences in using their products, they chose the three to be the faces of their quality fuel products, some of which their formulations has been just launched last year.

Maine Mendoza is the brand ambassador for Shell FuelSave. It’s propreitary Dynaflex Technology is made to help improve engine efficiency, so you’re expected to run and get better with it in your system. For those who don’t know, Maine Mendoza’s own family owns several Shell Station dealerships. She says “My parents wanted to invest in a company with credibility and quality. We didn’t second guess doing it with Shell. I have always been practical, to go with smart options and Shell FuelSave made our cars/vans very fuel efficient. We took a franchise 20 years ago, I get to share more what I know about it. I love long drives, north to south, if not a beach, I just love driving. Sometimes we just want to take a break, I bring a lot of food. I use FuelSave for Eat Bulaga remote areas and it is sulit na, may savings pa! We will help bring more exciting news for our customers, Shell has good toilets, yun pa lang pwede na puntahan!”

Drew Arellano on the other had chooses Shell V-Power and says “This is a premium gasoline with boosted Dynaflex Technology. Just like Maines, it does the same job in engine performance and efficiency. I have never had problems since I started using it. I use it on my bikes, my car, my van for my family. They also support movements for road safety and environmental sustainability. I drive for work, I use it also for long rides and racing. I focus on the road because it makes me relaxed. It’s a no brainer. We are going to have to talk about car maintenance.”

Nico Bolzico adds “This is my most trusted fuel brand and I am impressed on how they partnered with Plastic Bank and Global Road Safety Partnership Philippines. Even in Argentina I have already used this and I would never compromise on quality because obviously this is world class! We see the people behind the brand and we are proud to be part of it. My Dad refuse to use other brands in Argentina, he doesn’t even understand it but when I told them about it they were very happy. It involves much more than business and I am glad I represent the brand. I drive for work and do it in North and South because of our farms. We count on Shell for business. I will share with you our work with Pilipinas Shell Foundation. We are also going to promote road safety, all those things with the best fuel company in the world!”

Mark Malabanan the Shell V-Power Brand Manager says “We have the best fuels for any kind of motorist. We chose them because they are living testaments to what we stand for as a brand. We have value to give to our customers. We are partners with the Philippines in nation building as we celebrate our 105th year in the country. Dynaflex Technology has friction reducing ingredients, you get the most out of every liter. You get to do more with less.”

Big and cleaner energy solutions, quality products and their advocacy to safety and social responsibility has made them who they are today. With their more relatable faces in frontlines, you will see more of them in advertising on TV, print and perhaps all their collaterals. Watch out for it online too!

We worked with celebrities but are very picky, and Maine, Drew and Nico, we are looking for brand ambassadors who attest to the brand and they do involve Shell.