Predator League 2024 PH Qualifiers and Asia Pacific Regional Finals Announced

Looks like it's going to be a tough competition for Filipino E-Sport athletes as the Asia Pacific Predator League 2024 Philippine Qualifiers start this month. These are for the exciting RIOT titles particularly games DOTA 2 and Valorant which is still adored in the Manila and elsewhere in the world. This is part Predator's efforts to discover more talent and help existing gamers have an avenue to showcase their skills versus the best of the best for these games in the Asia Pacific region. 

Yes, this is a good stepping stone for budding E-Gamers to gain experience in the industry as slots will be given to winners of the Philippine Qualifiers then join the regional finals. 

Ms. Sue Ong Lim the GM of Acer Philippines says "I'd like to welcome everyone and our valued partners. Predator has been steadfast in championing eSports in the region. In the next few weeks, we will have a few teams announced as finalists, and we will have the winner soon."

Paulo Sy of TNC says "Asia Pacific Predator League is being hosted by Predator in the region where gamers get to showcase their talent against the best in the region. The country finals will happen at the SM North Edsa Annex Atrium and we have 4 teams Neon, Made in Philippines for DOTA2 and  for Valorant we have Naos eSports, Oasis, Zol and Valhalla. During the event the ambassadors and endorsers of Predator will be there to see you. The finals will happen at the Mall of Asia Arena where the Philippine representative will battle it out with other reps from other countries in the region. The finals will be on January 10-14, plus an on ground event and lives stream for those watching at home. It will be 16 teams all in all, separated into 4 groups, then the winners via round robin will battle it out in the championship. The winner will get 65000 USD and special awards will be up for grabs. There will be other events during those dates, and we can't wait to see them early next year!"

PESO Executive Director Marlon Marcelo says "We want to elevate eSports and we have teams doing that now in different events. Happy to say we have won several tournaments, we have been very busy fielding athletes for different games. There is an opportunity to join and compete in the international competitions for 2024. We are doing that in the national level too through Palarong Pambansa. We will do good in DOTA2 and Valorant, which is why we also support the Predator League because they consistently help us, give opportunity for amateurs and professionals to win in a higher competition. The ecosystem in the country is being supported by them, and MOA Arena will be a great venue next year to witness that. We are the number 1 eSports county, see you soon!"

For those who want to start their gaming journey, Predator has the new Helios line which you can check at their experience stores so you can try it out before getting one. The biggest fans of these games are in the Philippines, and the community surely will show up on the day. Be there and Stand Proud!

GrabFood Fan Faves Bared

If you're regularly using the Grab Superapp, you've probably spent a lot of time browsing the GrabGood section to scour for the best food items that restaurants offer. Recently, they announced the restaurants and products that made it to the GrabFood Fan Faves list which are all voted by consumers and users of the app. This has been going on for 3 years and there are millions of votes that came in to recognize chosen businesses in over 19 categories, and the Filipinos have it.

Establishments who garnered 50,000 votes and up have been bestowed Platinum Fan Fave status. This includes Filipino fast food chain Jollibee (who got wins in Burger, Fried Chicken and Pasta), Mang Inasal (for their Halo Halo in Cold Dessert, and Chicken with PM1), Starbucks, McDonalds (for their McCrispy Chicken Fillet with fries meal), Angel's Pizza (for their Double Deals), Chowking (for their Siomai Chao Fan in the Rice Meal category).

There were 39 of which have also achieved Gold tier status, then Trending Faves status for the next ones. Several more restaurants outside Metro Manila (in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) got Regional Faves status, a worthy recognition for those who worked hard giving the best of their dishes on the platform.

Here's the rest of the winners, congratulations!

Now head on to your phones and order through the Grab Superapp (they have the food establishments listed there too). You can download it off Google Play or the App Store today!

Gogoro Philippines Launch New Experience Store in Makati

It's a nice morning to celebrate new things as Gogoro Philippines just launched their new Gogoro Experience Store at the Greenbelt 3 in Makati City. The event was held at Ayala Museum with executives coming from the Ayala Corporation, Globe, GCash, 917 Ventures, Gogoro Taiwan, Gogoro Philippines, the Taiwanese Embassy in Manila and various stakeholders were in attendance to take a first glimpse of what will be launched and supposed to be sold next month. This is quite nice that they thought of making sure you experience riding, looking at the actual Electronic Vehicle first before they release it to the market.

Bernie Llamzon the President and CEO of GOGOGRO Philippines "It's a testament to urban mobility. Why are we opening the experience center? It's all about connection, and who stands to benefit from it, YOU. It's a bridge, we are opening our doors today so you can touch, feel and understand Gogoro. We are cultivating a community and it is an invitation for you to become part of the story. Your engagement and feedback will be part of our commercial launch next month. Welcome to the future of mobility, welcome to the new Gogoro Experience Center."

This is one of Ayala's projects in order to move to electric vehicles. Cesar Consing the CEO and President of the Ayala Corporation says "We do it across our companies, and this initiative of going green is something we take seriously. Gogoro is just an extension of that, we are going to lead the charge to EV's. That's what we are doing here, and this partnership of Gogoro and Globe, brought this EV brand in the Philippines. It's green, ecosystem and partnership that we are offering. We hope you like what you'll see."

Horace Luke the founder and CEO of Gogoro says "I've dreamed of this in 2011, we are now extending to outside Taiwan. Thank you to Ernest Cu of Globe who believes in me, and we know the world is going to two wheel and three wheel vehicles now. Thank you to the Gogoro Philippines team and the Taiwan team who worked tirelessly these past few years to bring this product to the PH. The electricity is sustainable, and recyclable parts are being used to make the footprint lower. We look forward to see what we built enable this vision in this country."

Ernest Cu the CEO of Globe says "When I saw this in Taiwan years ago, it was super nice. I didn't like bikes back then, EV was also too far from the Philippines. We timed our entry to the country, like GCash, no one was solving the problem and we only scaled it 6 years ago. The smartphone penetration was not as good, and when the pandemic hit we began working on it even more to become financially inclusive. Majority of Filipinos don't have plugs, the one minute swap is like prepaid... And we are the prepaid kings in the country. Now it is all paid electronically through GCash. It's different, and seamless now as it goes through the backbone of Globe and it's partners. Let us see the new Gogoro Experience Center, we want this to be perfect and hope you become our first customer."

You may also ask for a test drive as arrangements can be made, they also will explain to you the battery swapping mechanics so you could conveniently do it via their Gogoro Network power stations. The Smartscooters we saw on display was the Gogoro SuperSport, Gogoro VIVA and the Gogoro S1. Though they will make sure that the Gogoro 2 Premium and the Gogoro Delight will also be available in the Philippines.

You may visit the new Gogoro Experience Store at the 2nd level of Greenbelt 3, turn right when you enter through the bridge from Landmark (location of former Globe store).

Comedy, Love, Relationships and Second Chances on MMFF 2023 Entry BROKEN HEARTS TRIP

 

Giving you tons of laughter and a couple of heartstrings is this upcoming MMFF 2023 entry called "Broken Hearts Trip" to be shown on Christmas day.

The theme of the movie lies in the characters who's part of the LGBT community, 5 individuals who are trying to find their goals on money and love. Though this will be telling much of the hurt, the sacrifices, the change in people, these are the huge factor why the film was actually chosen for MMFF 2023 according to the Director Lem Lorca.

The film stars Christian Bables, Direk Andoy Ranay, Petite, Iyah Minah and Teejay Marquez. The movie also includes award winning actress Ms. Jaclyn Jose, Jay Gonzaga, Ron Angeles, Argel Saycon, Marvin Yap, Tart Carlos, Amold Reyes, Kevin Posadas and runway fairy extraordinaire Sinon Loresca.

Christian Bables adds "We promised to make people happy and wanted them to realize something about their pain and their broken hearts, and healing. I did my best as an actor, and with the grace of God, thank you, and if I didn't get the best actor trophy, I'd be glad to see the deserving one win it. I hope we both get recognition for the hard work and we also would love if we do good in the box office. I really appreciate learning the best worth ethics from Jaclyn Jose, I believe the best actors don't want to get that pressure from her. She's a very good listener, it doesn't matter if one is new in the industry because she will give you what you need in the scenes, she's that generous and great."

Direk Lem Lorca says "Broken Hearts Trip really had some things broken in the process, it's how we heal and the characters have different ways of finding a cure. Yes, it won't be solely solving their problems in one way, they are hurt, sad, angry and even hiding their feelings. We will take you for a ride when it comes out in Christmas."

Here's our video coverage of the event, please enjoy!

 During the press conference, I personally asked them about their personal experiences. Knowing they had their fair share of first love, breakups and things they've learned, Direk Andoy Ranay shared how he was in love with an older chap who after breaking up, was able to remain friends til today. Christian Bables on the other hand talked about young love, where he had a falling out with a lady who was already working while he was only starting out. They broke up in a cab, where he got the surprise of his life after being informed that he was "the other guy" in the relationship. Petite reminisced about the reasons how she and Amir broke up, and when she knew that she was already into the fantasy, joking that after they broke up, still had to send GCash after that. Iyah Minah on the other hand shared how she felt like a woman, she was treated like one, even when she hadn't transitioned yet. She was young, but it was the first time she experienced love and romance. She's still thankful that happened.

Becoming part of the MMFF 2023 final list isn't an accident for this one. The trailer alone gives that interesting story that's not just going to give you laughter from start to finish, but a whole new reason to believe in love, relationships, even second chances. The movie comes out on Christmas Day and will have a showcase internationally in January, please stay tuned for that especially those who are in North America. For those who are in the Philippines, make sure you've got Broken Hearts Trip as part of your MMFF 2023 Holiday watch list. It'll be doubly fun if you get your family and friends with you, after all, a happy movie won't hurt especially during the Christmas and New Year's Day. They promise you, it'll be fun with the right amount of love in between.

This is produced by BMC Films and Smart Films.