Andok's Launches Spicy Dokito with Piolo Pascual

We all love Andok’s and how it has been part of every occasion, every meal on the Filipino table. I must say, I am a huge fan of the Lechon Manok and their lovely, crispy Pork Chop. I just feel it actually tastes better especially in their Boracay branch when it is freshly cooked, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but it just is super good. Add to that their throng of products including their famous Liver Sauce which I have at home. It’s too good that other brands copied it, or try to as their CEO says. 

Mayor Leonardo Sandy M. Javier Jr. the President and CEO of Andok’s mentions “My children are all my inspiration, also our Andok’s family. This comes as a pleasant surprise as I prepare a new venture in Congress but I never forgot about the Spicy Dokito. It has been planned for months. Back in 2003 we were in Boracay and we got hit by slowness of business, but we knew how to survive in the island. There were tons of people who wanted good food but things were not affordable, but ours were comparable, we really have the best chicken in the country. Let me recognize our Andok’s management team, they are trained to be the best, I thank them for all the support they gave in the Andok’s family. It’s been years since I have served my constituents, Andoks didn’t start from business tycoons, we started from scratch. We did advertising, through plywood so people would remember us. My father passed of Cancer, my brother is Danny Javier, and they gave a lot to alleviate pain, I didn’t, but I promised him I will make his name famous, and this is Andok’s. I always tell people not to worry about making mistakes, just don’t do it again and learn from them. I also know recently that people get tired of the usual, it was why the lechon liempo happened, sorry for those who got sick of it (he kids), I had to be sensitive with the market too so we thought about a smaller but filling one, it’s the Andok’s fried chicken which we call the Dokito. It took us 6 months before we perfected it, we learned the ropes, we wanted to be better than the others, when we knew it was already perfect, (against the colonel and the bee) we learned to be the best. It was the thing that saved us hence our market grew. We knew innovation was important, so we are now coming up with a real good, real hot spicy chicken, this is our Spicy Dokito. This is our blockbuster.” 

Then his son Maverick Leonardo Javier came up on stage and said “I love Dokito and I have been eating it everyday, as you can see (he kids). I think I am Dokito being I am Leonardo too. I created this product and I personally love it. Spicy, Crazy, Feisty, but first time in history of Andok’s we will have an endorser. Our endorser is spicy, hot too, maybe guapo like me but maybe times 20. With his help I hope we reach every corner of the country, and elsewhere in the world.” 

Piolo Pascual their new endorser was frantic, jokingly told the audience “I’m sorry I was eating the new Spicy Dokito backstage. I wanted to be part of the one brand which is at every corner of streets. It’s a no brainer, I am now with Andok’s. Whoooow! Tikman niyo na ang Andok’s Spicy Dokito!” 

Oh and yes, the latest Spicy Dokito did not disappoint! Super crunchy, hot and fresh from the fryer, the spicyness is just right from the bits of chili in the meat. It’s like they took time to really marinate, prolly brine so the chicken stays juicy inside. Obviously you’ll see how this is different from the ones served in fastfood joints, it’s very affordable too. 

Now this world class Filipino brand is present in other countries, and truly, they are just starting with their expansion. Hopefully, Piolo Pascual and his charm would make Andok’s even better in the next few years as they take on food giants here and elsewhere in the world! 

Be ready for the Spicy Dokito!

The Sense of Community at BRIA Homes

I sincerely envy them, they live in a thriving community. Their lush green spaces, playgrounds, sports and recreation areas, I wish I had them in my hood. 

I guess it stems from getting planned well, BRIA Homes being a mass housing developer in the country made sure that each home they put up have corresponding amenities around them. A place where they could bond, be with other community members and be in a safe environment. Things should be simple, and they have done that in several properties (around 50) just like in Mariveles and Hermosa in Bataan, Urdaneta in Pangasinan, Paniqui town in Tarlac, San Fernando and Magalang in Pampanga, Plaridel, Sta. Maria, Norzagaray, and San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan, Teresa, Baras and Binangonan in the nearby province of Rizal, General Trias, Trece Martires and Indang in Cavite, Calamba, Sta. Cruz, San Pablo, Calauan, Alaminos and Bay in Laguna, Lipa and Balayan in Batangas and Pili, Iriga, and Naga in down south Camarines Sur. They also have developments in Calbayog, Samar, Ormoc, Leyte and Dumaguete in peaceful Negros Oriental. In Mindanao they have Tagum, Maco and Panabo in Davao Del Norte, Carmen, Davao City, Digos in Davao Del Sur, General Santos, South Cotabato, Kidapawan, North Cotabato, and more in Cagayan De Oro, Balingasag and Gingoog in Misamis Oriental, Manolo Fortich and Valencia in Pineapple laden province of Bukidnon. 

Homes could also go as low as Php 1897 a month, with thousands of families already living in it enjoying what they already have inside their community plus the nearby schools, churches, hospitals and markets which they strategically plotted with the community in mind. This is why owning a BRIA becomes so pleasant for them all, maybe you should consider having one too. 

BRIA Homes has that sense of community indeed.

Family History Delivers Ugly Cries, Spitting Laughter

Maybe just maybe, I was expecting less from this project... but they delivered.

Albeit no stranger in front and at the back of the camera, Michael V has stretched feathers among his many hats to be a real life Producer, Director, Writer and Actor for this film called Family History. I have never, been ever, effectively been confused about my feelings while watching a film because as soon as the hospital scenes started (oh that'll be early), I was already trying to stop myself from totally balling in the dark because I didn't want people to see me crying. 

This is a family film - of sorts, ideal in one side... but totally flawed on the next one. I know while you're reading that you're already getting confused, but trust me, it's because the twist in this film would just be making you even more insecure about your judgement about their characters, neither did they.

I initially thought I would be bored about a family drama, but it wasn’t even a few seconds into the film and people were giggling. Michael V and Ms. Dawn were definitely in a class of their own. Heck I can already say Dawn Zulueta can read a phonebook in a scene and still make you do ugly cry, she’s that good and she did that in several sequences. - undoubtedly, she is an icon! 

Michael V on the other hand could stand serious and unfazed with reality in one scene, but stamps his kind of comedy. He is definitely an authority, how can you not be impressed with the very talented Bitoy, who up to this moment I’ve lost count on figuring out how many times he’s transformed into different characters. You will see that happen here so many times. The movie might come off to you as clear, with very nice treatment and color grading but injects several graphics to denote out of this world reactions to everyday struggles. It was a secret nobody knew would happen, and that part was totally effective especially when he was talking to his boss and best man. 

A word of warning, there will be continuous flashbacks, and it is necessary. It gives you a backgrounder on why and how they ended up that way, so you too could understand how characters work. 

It is an awesome film with realistic, heart wrenching situations. If there's a takeaway from this movie, it's the capacity of the human heart to forgive and how to love without condiions (or is it?). Now I suggest you go find yourself some good cinema seats and be awed by how Michael V creates his first mainstream movie with effective artists and make you feel crazy. Hope you’ll end up crying and laughing at the same time, just like me when I was watching it. In the meantime, I didn't want to waste time so here are some of the celebrities that graced the event that afternoon.

I also have huge urge on what ideal movies to watch, this is one nice story. 

Worth every penny, because they over delivered. You'll leave the dark halls hopeful - and happy.

Taiwan Excellence Showcases Best To Inspire Philippines

Taiwan Excellence just concluded their presentation at the ASIA IOT Business Platform conference at the Mariott Hotel in Manila, Philippines.

Taiwan has been regarded as a leader in the ICT sector, proudly serving the global companies (Apple, Google, Microsoft) and their supply chains for years now. In Telco, retail, business, industries, even AI and IoT, they’ve practically done it all and places a significant part in production of the world's best tech devices. Wireless or otherwise.

Clement Chen the Director of TECO in Manila says “We invited companies to briefly introduce what Taiwan Excellence is all about as authorized by the ministry of Taiwan. We bring only the cream of the crop, seeing this seal only means that. Thank you for gracing our presentation.”

Mr. Wen Chung Chan the Director of the Economic Division of TECO in Manila says “The Philippines is one of the largest population and is continually growing. The need for greener and more climate healthy cities is also increasing and Taiwan fits to inspire the Philippines in industrial development. The AI sector in Taiwan has been highly recognized and the Taiwanese companies offer innovation and ideas for future solutions. We want to also introduce brands that have our seal, successful in their own right and has passed strict standards to be able to hold that.”

IOT Lighting Solutions

Accton Technology Corporation’s Arnold Dimayuga says “We are in the ODM manufacturing and design industry based in Taiwan and has offices in China. We have wireless solutions, power over ethernet, management and even a smart lighting control system which are cloud based. You may check Accton.com for more information.”

Smart Storage Solutions

Apacer Technology Inc’s Mike Wang says “It is our first time to be here, we are very glad to participate this year. We have subsidiaries around the world and function as a digital storage brand. We have consumer products in Japan, China, Netherlands and the US. We also have a 24/7 delivery service for industrial solutions mainly for industrial storage, do hardware and firmware design, around 240 patent applications, write our own source codes, deliver flash memory modules like SSD, Sata, USB, etc. Our software also provides solutions for extreme environments, data security. We also have tons of partners who have been with us for a number of years including providing solutions for offshore rigs. We currently are the 8th largest provider of SSD’s in the world and number one in industrial applications.”

Visualizers

Aver Information Inc’s Raver Jocson says “We are a global communication and audio visual technology company. In this age of technology, meetings and collaborations are not the same. Teleconference, audio issues, we all had problems with that before, we still experience that. As systems integrators we want that not to happen so we partner with different providers and platforms to help make the most of your investments be future proof.”

Smart Factory Monitoring Solutions

Industrialization and automation technology is the name of the game with Joyce Yeh’s of ICP DAS. She discussed “Keys to Build Smart Factories and key data needs automation solutions. We apply machine, networking, energy management solutions so your production costs go down. We also have sensing solutions, recording systems in food factories, smart farming, breeding and food processing. We also build Smart Control Centers so you can manage these well. We also have IoT Cloud Software for private and public cloud, sensor data import analysis, so you can look at information real time. We also can integrate with mobile applications in our cloud solutions. You may look up the ICP DAS website for more information. They supply hardware and software solutions, and have local partners to operate and analyze it.”

The Transport Sector

Senior Product Vice President Don Yu introduced IEI Integration, a company based in Taiwan. They have been in the industry since 1997. They work in aerospace and military industries, includes 3200 employees all over the world and plans to do more work in AI. From consumer retail, Health, everything around us, the have experience in providing adept solutions and use Intel technologies. They also have IEI AI Inference Solutions and apply this on Smart Transportation technologies as well. They also use AI for Smart City solutions and City Surveillance, making it easier to manage communities using proprietary technologies. They not only capture data, they also can modify AI solutions (even facial recognition) and integrate it in some existing software and solutions.

This is just the tip of the iceberg and if you’re raring to avail these services or technologies, you can identify it with the Taiwan Excellence seal so you’re sure to get only the best. Hopefully the Philippines gets inspired with what they’ve done, we just can’t be left behind.