ARJO ATAYDE and Partners Open New INASAL REPUBLIC MASINAG

It's a Sunday, a fun day to gather with friends and family. During these days, there's nothing more comforting than a great plate of hot white rice, with a few slivers of garlic on top, then drizzled with a whole lot of chicken oil. Then you try and stop yourself from actually enjoying a thick, juicy, smoky chicken inasal pecho, or paa anytime.

We've enjoyed it in INASAL REPUBLIC Tomas Morato and West Avenue, and this time, the folks from the EAST side of Metro Manila will have their own as Arjo Atayde, and his partners Ivan Villamar, Mark San Diego, Director Richard Somes, his cousin Gab Atayde opened their newest branch in Masinag, Antipolo.

This sits right beside SM Masinag (on it's left side) and is a stone's throw away from the Antipolo LRT2 Station if you are coming from the north. This branch is a little special because it veered away from the regular restaurant look they had from their previous branches. They've managed to have a long driveway where you can park to eat. The grill masters are on the left side busy preparing your chicken inasal and other grilled products they have on the menu. The actual restaurant is at the back, air-conditioned, with a little around 16-20 tables, very comfortable, with attentive staff all around. The interiors are adorned with artwork, tropical looking light bulbs in every sector. It certainly looks super festive, something they did on purpose because yes, they plan to have different personalities reflect on their design in future restaurants which they plan to do this year and a lot more in 2025.

 

 Here's a preview of the place and the food which we saw yesterday, let's just say, we loved the new look!

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 We then talked to the young representative from the 1st District of Quezon City and Arjo says "This comes from a family recipe that was prepped by Direk Richard Somes, the usual gathering of friends, and it was so good I had to ask him if he'd want to make a business out of it, and he agreed! We really do believe in the product, we really do believe that we can give authentic Chicken Inasal for people who dine in INASAL REPUBLIC. Hopefully by next year, we would have 15 to 20 branches. We wanted to have this different from other locations, so we curated this with an artist and do the same in future locations. The Chicken Inasal here is authentic, my taste, I traveled to Bacolod and know this is what it tastes like when I was there. I love the Chicken Inasal Paa, and Liempo, those are my favorites! We also have Inasal Flakes, made of Chicken breast meat, and a new item on the menu Chicken Inasal Dynamite where we have those Inasal Flakes in (which I tried later, and it was hot, just the way I like it!)."

He adds "We're all hands on, you can see me and my partners manage operations. Why did I enter the Inasal industry? It's not just because it's a big industry, but I really trust the product. I won't just jump on a business if we don't believe in it."

 

 

Now YOU have the chance to taste it if you are in the Marikina, Pasig and Rizal areas. I would advise you get the Chicken Inasal Pecho, the Sizzling Sisig, the Halo Halo. It's become accessible, but they kept the quality of their food good and prices very reasonable. They also have a variety of Ilonggo favorites like KBL, Kansi, Pansit Molo and more on the menu, it's time you take the trip in INASAL REPUBLIC Masinag and have your share of good comfort food, in this side of town! 

Demi Moore Starrer "The SUBSTANCE" is Disturbingly Amazing!

Just got out of the Shang cinemas for the advanced screening of "THE SUBSTANCE", a movie starring the iconic Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid. It's a film by Coralie Fargeat and is released by CreaZion Studios in Southeast Asia. This will also be shown in Philippine theaters on September 25, 2024.

This already garnered an award from Cannes Film Festival for Best Screenplay and critics have already paid respects with this film that discusses looks, beauty standards and the miserable world of Hollywood.

This film for the lack of better description, is CRAZY. The shots alone for the scenes are non conventional. From far vantage points to super macro scenes, they apparently had a lot of fun doing that. Demi Moore is not playing games with this role, because it is her toughest, and bravest performance on the silver screen. This movie has a combination of sci-fi, drama, jump scares, shock and awe. This is still an acting piece, one that you wait for to happen every few minutes. You also need to be an adult to understand some of the concepts, and prepare a huge thinking cap from the moment they show Vlad and Gore (see what I did there!).

Margaret Qualley, albeit my first time seeing her, really left an impression. She's likeable, gorgeous, and fits the role. She's also flawless, I could liken her to a ultra fit femme fatale version of Billie Eilish.

Prosthetics are super cool, you would have never seen anything like it. The POV scenes made this a thrilling thing to watch, you'll feel weird, pity, mad and everything in between. I specifically would love to return to the movie house just for the thuds and running moments from the entertainment room to the bathroom. It's a Vlad fest. But it's made super good, especially for mature audiences. You will love how it ends, and its unconditional ways of making you feel different things.

I love weird movies, but this one was MAD GOOD. This made me want to bring back my personal weird emo days. So if you're looking for quality, and fond of horror flicks, or going to the dentist, watch it on theaters nationwide on the 25th! This gets 9/10 milk bottles for me.

An Unending Urge to Serve: Sam Verzosa

 

This is just one of the few instances where I met Congressman Sam Verzosa (of Tutok To Win Partylist), and yes he's been doing this even before he went into public service. Today was the same as he ventured into the inner streets of Manila, to say the least, spend time and effort for the people who live here. 

He's worked with organizations, in Frontrow Cares, and his show SV Cares in GTV to make sure that he could still lend a hand where he can. His story of success is amazing. Growing up in the streets of Sampaloc, Manila, he wanted to make sure his family would have food on the table, a livable income, and education. He didn't get this outright, so he had to device a way to use his street smarts to find and build a business that could finance his needs and his family. He now owns several businesses and was successful with it because he really worked hard for it. With his capacity yo earn, he now has the chance to help other people which is why he's doing this. He didn't just give rice and basic necessities, but also taught how they could have their own businesses so they too could fend for themselves. He's teaching them exactly what he learned from his life story, he did this in different parts of the Philippines and this time, he wanted to do it in his hometown Manila.

Here's our interview with him during his activities:

Sam says "This is really not just because I'm celebrating my birthday in a few days, this is something that I do on a normal day to help communities. I've been doing this for a while now. I'm glad that Frontrow Cares, different organizations, Tutok to Win, Batang Sampaloc Foundation and SV Cares have partnered up so we can do this for them. We are just continuously doing what we have been doing in the past. We are now in Pandacan, but this morning we also went to Sta. Mesa, Pandacan, Sta. Cruz, and not just give them necessities, but medical assistance too. People need their maintenance medicine, and we included that in our caravans."

He adds "I almost cried when I saw the crowd here earlier, they warmly welcomed me when I arrived. I went to different parts of Manila and it felt special. I received hugs, some people were crying, and this is one of the reasons why I want to do this more on ground. This is why I want to extend help, even if it's out of my pocket, because I have the capacity to do so and hope I could do this even more. As long as I have the capacity to help, I will do it." 

His unending urge to serve is evident, and for the people of Manila, who sees value in this, SV will be in your place soon. He promises to do this as long as he has got the capacity to help, and that's good news.

Foundation Builds PLUS Center for PWD's in Cebu

Exciting news regarding a few more projects of DigiPlus' BingøPlus Foundation as they build a new PLUS Center specifically for sports and physical rehab. The groundbreaking event was held recently in Cebu.

This is a place for Persons with Disabilities so they could work out, do rehab work, so they could function as productive members of society. This was funded with Php 2 Million with the help of Philippine Accessible Disability Services Inc. to empower PWD's so they could also engange in sports, health services and even employment.

According to DigiPlus VP for Investor Relations Celeste Jovenir (BingøPlus Foundation COO) "The PLUS Center will be a place for PWD's so they could become athletes, leaders and more in the future. We are working with PADS to develop world class athletes, to provide training and healthcare so they could do more in sports and related industries."

They also partnered with the City of Mandaue Cebu, Cebu Doctors University, various organizations dealing with the Rehabilitative Sciences, and PWD Federations in Cebu. This will be free for those who are recovering from the effects of strokes, paralysis, and other conditions. This will also become a place where Doctors could train, and provide needed care for those who need therapy among other services. The LGU's and local organizations express their thanks as the foundation will help and benefit thousands of people, the impact of this will surely be insurmountable.

You may check their website to know more about this cause and their CSR work.