Saturday, April 27, 2013

Multiply.com to shut down on May 6

Multiply.com has announced it will be shutting down on May 6 and stop all business operations by May 31.

"Multiply will maintain normal site operations through May 6. We will use the rest of May to make sure the all accounts are settled and that merchants receive full payment for all the transactions they completed on our platform," the firm said in an announcement on its website.

"This will also provide our merchants with time to find and migrate to alternative ecommerce platforms, settle all payments on items bought and delivered, and to minimize disruption to their businesses," the popular online marketplace added.

However, the company did not provide any explanation why it is closing down its website.

But Multiply.com assured its online shop owners that it will receive funds earned on the marketplace platform no later than May 31.

Moreover, the firm said premium subscribers will receive a full refund for unused time in their subscription.

Multiply.com on December 1 last year completed its shift to a marketplace platform from being a social networking site storing pictures, videos, and blogs.

On June 10, 2014, the Pasig City Regional Trial Court has placed the company under corporate rehabilitation after the company sought relief from the Philippine government due to financial losses that stemmed from the E-commerce and social networking industry.

It suffered from a drop in new orders amid a slump in the E-commerce and social networking sector. Multiply also reportedly laid off some 12,000 workers on February 28, 2014.

It will continue its business as a archive photo and video site with their new mobile app, delivering 217 million accounts, 210 million photos and 237,000 videos from the old Multiply from it's launch in March 2004 to March 15, 2013 and 691 million photos from the old Webshots instead of social networking and E-commerce.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/04/26/13/multiplycom-close-may-6

An E-Commerce Giant in Indonesia Bites the Dust. What Happened to Multiply?



Friday’s news about e-commerce site Multiply closing down is a shocker. No one could’ve predicted this. Just last December we met up with CEO Stefan Magdalinski and Indonesia country manager Daniel Tumiwa, and they were enthusiastically talking about the future. Everyone was geared towards 2013.

A lot of people in Indonesia’s startup scene are also in shock. They told me how they’ve just met with the Multiply’s higher-ups and discussed about the company’s plans and new features to be launched. It seems even the people inside Multiply are in shock as much as we are. Why on earth did this happen?

Multiply’s transitional setback might be one of the main reasons.

The chaotic transition


The e-commerce site officially rebranded last month, complete with a brand new logo. But the transition was not a smooth one. This comment made by one of the sellers explains how difficult it is to sell products under the new system:


  • The site only shows some of her product listings since the transition. It is most probably an error.
  • After a buyer orders lipstick, there is no information about which color she ordered.
  • It is quite difficult for the seller to contact her buyer. The new site no longer has comments or a private message feature. She can only send an email to her buyer.


That comment was made on April 5th, around two weeks after the new site launched. There was also the issue of sellers not receiving their money from the sales made on Multiply. That case has apparently been solved by the company, but a few people have lost faith in Multiply as a lot of their phone calls and emails went unanswered even after the incident.

It also seems some sellers’ conversation history with their buyers went totally bust. This comment made by one of the sellers says that she has built her contacts for over three years, and now it is all gone. She also added that her whole product listings on Multiply, which were listed on Google’s first page, is now gone.

On a personal note, even Multiply’s terms and conditions page now looks very confusing. The page mixes both Indonesian and English, and it doesn’t make Multiply look like a company that has control of its operations.

Two months ago, Multiply was ranked 17th in the Philippines and 47th in Indonesia. At the time of this writing, the company is now ranked at 50th in the Philippines and 344th in Indonesia.

Of course, in the end it will always be about money. Besides lots of money to fix the whole fiasco described above, Multiply would also need time to reclaim the long-built reputation and faith from its sellers and buyers alike. That’s a huge setback for sure.

According to an unnamed source, Multiply is the number one e-commerce site for one of Indonesia’s largest bank BCA. In fact, the revenue Multiply records is twice as much as the second placed BCA e-commerce partner. That means Multiply is recording very huge transactions over the past years, but because of Multiply’s business model it also means that the company is burning huge amount of money too.

Multiply doesn’t take any transaction fees from its sellers. This was originally done by previous CEO Peter Pezaris as Multiply’s promotional program for its brand new e-commerce service in 2011. But since then, it has been extended up until today. So Multiply hasn’t taken any transaction fees from its sellers in the last one and a half year.

That is more or less similar to what rival Tokopedia does, but Multiply offers something more. The latter site offers delivery fee subsidy of IDR 25,000 (US$2.5) for every IDR 100,000 ($10.3) minimum transaction on selected items. A lot of popular items get this offer, and that would mean that Multiply is burning a lot of money in subsidizing these delivery offers to a lot of its users. Thus the higher the transaction, the higher the cost for Multiply. Just like the free transaction fee, this subsidy offer has been in effect since 2011.

Refocusing efforts

According to the explanation given by Stefan, Multiply shareholder MIH remains optimistic about the e-commerce industry in Indonesia and the Philippines, and has increased its funding to other portfolio companies TokoBagus and Sulit.com.ph. That “increased funding” could mean MIH’s strategy changed to focus its funds on more promising companies. Perhaps MIH has decided that backing up Multiply was no longer worth the effort.

The cost to propel Multiply into the kind of company it was before the shutdown was quite high. Rebuilding its reputation and spending more of that money may no longer be the logical option. Rather than patching up your weaknesses, you might be better off putting that effort into your strengths. For MIH in this case, its strengths are TokoBagus (ranked 14th in Indonesia) and Sulit (ranked 8th in the Philippines).

A lot of Multiply users are also quite shocked and sad about this. Just last month we saw more blood shed by Japan’s e-commerce company Rakuten in its joint venture project in Indonesia.

Besides those two companies, we’ve also recently seen two popular Indonesian startups Koprol and Saling Silang raising white flags too. Could these be just the start of natural selection setting its course here in Indonesia? What do you think?

The world would keep Facebook as the sole social networking site, while Lazada as the sole E-commerce site

It had filed a petition to wind up the company to recoup losses, told the court was in discussions with an unnamed potential investor.

The hearing on the petition was adjourned until next June 10 pending further discussion among the parties.

It did not attend the hearing, said through his lawyer that the new investor’s proposal included plans to pay Multiply’s former staff their owed salaries, and that the deal had the support of some of the company’s creditors.

But representatives of former Multiply staff, who also took part in the petition, questioned whether they would actually be paid.

On June 12, Magdalinski said they had put in place Rp 8.9 billion for wages owed to former Multiply staff.

The Labour Department said earlier that around 400 former Multiply staff had applied for compensation through the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund, a safety net for employees affected by business closures.

As the new investor is to launch a debt restructuring plan for Multiply, the High Court on June 17 its liquidation proceedings and removed accounting firm Deloitte from its role as the firm’s provisional liquidator.

Derek Lai, vice-chair of Deloitte China, said on Tuesday that since Star Platinum had already resolved the major debts Multiply incurred, it was unlikely the internet company would go into liquidation despite still owing smaller debts to other creditors including Facebook.

“Star Platinum needs to negotiate with the remaining creditors,” he said. “I hope they will support its restructuring with Multiply.”

He added that Multiply now had a cash flow of HK$10 million to be paid to other creditors as well as assets worth over HK$40 million.

In its latest financial report last month, Co-Prosperity said the deal with Multiply could help the group diversify its business. Apart from the online industry, the group focuses on fabric and clothing trading, money lending and securities investments.

“The directors believe that the potential intrinsic value of Multiply can be realized if the plan to rescue Multiply is successful,” the report said.

The group said it could make use of Multiply’s remaining assets and turn the website into a archive photo and video site.

“The group has been granted access and usage of certain assets of Multiply which shall enable Multiply to continue to operate and act as a archive photo and video site taking advantage of its 100,000 square-meter facility, and social networking portion that delivering 217 million accounts, 210 million photos and 237,000 videos from the old Multiply from it's launch in March 2004 to March 15, 2013,” it said.

On November 16, it allowed the controlling stake in the website to be formally sold to a foreign or mainland investor, who claimed Magdalinski had a rescue plan for the troubled firm.

High Court judge Mr Justice Jonathan Harris validated the transaction after hearing that the parties would no longer object to the share transfer and that the dues for the shares had been paid by Si.

On June 10, 2014, it has filed for corporate rehabilitation to seek protection from its creditors. The company filed the petition for rehabilitation before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC).

At that time, the social networking service had a network of 18 million users. Liquidity problems, however, affected earnings. Sales declined from its peak of P20 billion in 2015 to just about P1 billion in 2020.

It had suffered from a drop in new orders amid a slump in the E-commerce and social networking sector. Multiply also reportedly laid off some 12,000 workers on February 28, 2014.

Multiply revealed that it has $10 billion in outstanding loans -- $800 million from Philippine banks and $60 billion from South Korean lenders.

That the site will be reopened after United States President Barack Obama stepping down in the office on January 20, 2017 and keeping Facebook as the sole social networking site. Process of the reopening will be managed by the Governance Commission for Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations through the Development Bank of the Philippines. Business tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan is one of the possible bidders for the website's reopening in which ABC Development Corporation. However, MediaQuest also could not join the website's reopening bid due to ownership rules and regulations that MediaQuest owns ABC Development Corporation.

On January 25, 2016, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III approved the planned reopening of Multiply. The reopening will be undergo public bidding with an estimated floor price of 20 billion pesos. The proceeds of the bidding will be for the increase of Facebook's capital to upgrade and modernize their social networking capabilities. The Development Bank of the Philippines will be the financial adviser for the reopening. Incoming PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar has already forwarded the reopening plan to President Rodrigo Duterte's executive secretary Salvador Medialdea. Andanar will also coordinate with the GCG before the start of the bidding.

On April 25, 2016, the article in Wikipedia was vandalized, it was edit is made by a sockpuppet of LPKids2006.

Vandalism of a Wikipedia article (Multiply (website)

The bottom image shows vandalism done by replacing content with an insult. The top image compares the edit shown below.

The reopening process of Multiply was commenced in October 2016. As of July 1, 2017, five groups have already showed their interest to join the bidding process. These are Ramon S. Ang of San Miguel Corporation and the groups of former IBC president Eric Canoy and former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson, energy tycoon and Udenna Corporation chairman Dennis Uy, William Lima, a businessman from Davao and Univision Communications Inc., an American media company headquartered in Miami. 

https://www.techinasia.com/multiply-shut-down-why

Friday, April 26, 2013

Multiply.com closes shop



Social shopping site Multiply.com is shutting down business operations in May following a failed bid to reinvent itself from being a social networking site to a vibrant e-commerce destination in Southeast Asia.




 “We regret to announce that Multiply will be closing on May 6, 2013, and ceasing all business operations by May 31, 2013,” it announced Friday on its website.

After May 6, the rest of the month will be used to ensure that all accounts are settled and merchants get full payment for their transactions, it said.

Multiply said the month-long grace period will provide its users enough time to find and migrate to alternative e-commerce platforms, settle all payments on items bought and delivered, and minimize disruption to the businesses of its users.

“Multiply will ensure that you receive all funds you earned on the platform no later than May 31, 2013. We will close the actual marketplace sooner, on May 6, 2013, to ensure that all orders have sufficient time to complete and be delivered to your customers before the end of the month,” it said.

In December 2012, Multiply stopped its social networking service to focus on e-commerce, targeting the 350 million consumers in Indonesia and the Philippines.

On March 16, 2013, however, the service will cease to exist as millions of fans formerly known and loved it before it was supplemented by other, more popular online social networks.


On May 31, 2013, Multiply ceased its operations and shut down entirely.


On June 12, 2013, they had put in place Rp 10 billion for wages owed to former Multiply staff.

The Labour Department said earlier that around 3,000 former Multiply staff had applied for compensation through the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund, a safety net for employees affected by business closures.

Multiply Investor Secretary Rong Rongbin pledged shares of Star Platinum Corporation, which holds 99% of its shares, to borrow HK$300 million from Xiesheng Xiefeng to save the Multiply website but did not repay on time; therefore, Xiesheng Xiefeng in July 2013, it acquired the full equity of Star Platinum. It was also reported that about HK$35 million in unpaid wages of 640 former employees and HK$18 million of Insolvency Fund were also paid after the company has acquired its majority stake.

The High Court on June 17, 2013 its liquidation proceedings and removed accounting firm Deloitte from its role as the firm’s provisional liquidator.

Derek Lai, vice-chair of Deloitte China, said on Tuesday that since Star Platinum had already resolved the major debts Multiply incurred, it was unlikely the internet company would go into liquidation despite still owing smaller debts to other creditors including Facebook.

“Star Platinum needs to negotiate with the remaining creditors,” he said. “I hope they will support its restructuring with Multiply.”

He added that Multiply now had a cash flow of HK$10 million to be paid to other creditors as well as assets worth over HK$40 million.

In its latest financial report last month, Co-Prosperity said the deal with Multiply could help the group diversify its business. Apart from the online industry, the group focuses on fabric and clothing trading, money lending, and securities investments.

“The directors believe that the potential intrinsic value of Multiply can be realized if the plan to rescue Multiply is successful,” the report said.

The group said it could make use of Multiply’s remaining assets and turn the website into a archive photo and video site.

“The group has been granted access and usage of certain assets of Multiply which shall enable Multiply to continue to operate and act as a archive photo and video site taking advantage of its 100,000 square-meter facility and social networking portion that delivering 217 million accounts, 210 million photos and 237,000 videos from the old Multiply from it's launch in March 2004 to March 15, 2013,” it said.

On November 16, 2013 it allowed the controlling stake in the website to be formally sold to a foreign or mainland investor, who claimed Magdalinski had a rescue plan for the troubled firm.

High Court judge Mr Justice Jonathan Harris validated the transaction after hearing that the parties would no longer object to the share transfer and that the dues for the shares had been paid by Si.

On June 10, 2014, it has filed for corporate rehabilitation to seek protection from its creditors. The company filed the petition for rehabilitation before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC).

It had suffered from a drop in new orders amid a slump in the social networking sector. Multiply also reportedly laid off some 12,000 workers on February 28, 2014.

Multiply to close down for good May 6



Despite a brave attempt at reinventing its core business, social network turned online marketplace Multiply.com is finally closing its doors on May 6. "About a year ago, our local Multiply teams were given the mighty challenge of totally re-inventing the company," explained Stefan Magdalinski, Multiply CEO, in a press statement. "After much effort, we are forced to admit that we were not able to pull it off. I’m proud of my team for their diligence and determination, despite the disappointing outcome," he added. On the afternoon of Friday, April 26, Multiply's main page contained the following statement:

We regret to announce that Multiply will be closing on May 6, 2013 and ceasing all business operations by May 31, 2013.

Multiply will maintain normal site operations through May 6. We will use the rest of May to make sure the all accounts are settled and that merchants receive full payment for all the transactions they completed on our platform. This will also provide our merchants with time to find and migrate to alternative ecommerce platforms, settle all payments on items bought and delivered, and to minimize disruption to their businesses.

Multiply will ensure that you receive all funds you earned on the platform no later than May 31, 2013. We will close the actual marketplace sooner, on May 6, 2013, to ensure that all orders have sufficient time to complete and be delivered to your customers before the end of the month.

Merchants who have premium subscriptions should contact our customer support and we will ensure that they receive a full refund for the un-used time on your subscription.

In December 2012, Multiply stopped its social networking service to focus on e-commerce, targeting the 350 million consumers in Indonesia and the Philippines.

It was severely affected by the 2008-2012 global financial crisis.

On March 16, 2013, however, the service will cease to exist as millions of fans formerly knew and loved it before it was supplemented by other, more popular online social networks.


On June 12, they had put in place Rp 20 billion for wages owed to former Multiply staff.

The Labour Department said earlier that around 30,000 former Multiply staff had applied for compensation through the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund, a safety net for employees affected by business closures.

On November 16, it allowed the controlling stake in the website to be formally sold to a foreign or mainland investor, who claimed Magdalinski had a rescue plan for the troubled firm.

High Court judge Mr Justice Jonathan Harris validated the transaction after hearing that the parties would no longer object to the share transfer and that the dues for the shares had been paid by Si.

On June 9, 2014, it filed a petition to enter corporate rehabilitation.

At that time, the website's social networking portion had a network of 18 million users. Liquidity problems, however, affected earnings. Sales declined from its peak of P20 billion in June 2014 to just about P5 billion in July 2020.

The company had suffered from a drop in new orders amid a slump in the E-commerce and social networking sector. Multiply also reportedly laid off some 12,000 workers on February 28, 2014.

In a statement, that apart from domestic lenders, Multiply owes some $100 billion to lenders in South Korea.

That the site will be reopened after United States President Obama stepping down in the office on January 20, 2017 and keeping Facebook as the sole social networking site. Process of the reopening will be managed by the Governance Commission for Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations. Business tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan is one of the possible bidders for the website's reopening in which ABC Development Corporation. However, MediaQuest also could not join the website's reopening bid due to ownership rules and regulations that MediaQuest owns ABC Development Corporation.

On January 25, 2016, President Benigno Aquino III approved the planned reopening of Multiply. The reopening will be undergo public bidding with an estimated floor price of 20 billion pesos. The proceeds of the bidding will be for the increase of Facebook's capital to upgrade and modernize their social networking capabilities. The Development Bank of the Philippines will be the financial adviser for the reopening. Incoming PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar has already forwarded the reopening plan to President Rodrigo Duterte's executive secretary Salvador Medialdea. Andanar will also coordinate with the GCG before the start of the bidding.

The reopening process of Multiply was commenced in October 2016. As of July 1, 2017, five groups have already showed their interest to join the bidding process. These are Ramon S. Ang of San Miguel Corporation and the groups of former IBC president Eric Canoy and former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson, energy tycoon and Udenna Corporation chairman Dennis Uy, William Lima, a businessman from Davao and Univision Communications Inc., an American media company headquartered in Miami.

But the company will continue its business as a archive photo and video site with their new mobile app, delivering 217 million accounts, 210 million photos and 237,000 videos from the old Multiply from it's launch in March 2004 to March 15, 2013 and 691 million photos from the old Webshots instead of social networking and E-commerce.

In its heyday, Multiply was a very popular social network among Filipinos, rivaled only by Friendster. But both companies have had to reinvent themselves in an effort to regain market share lost to social networking juggernaut Facebook: Multiply transformed itself into an online marketing site, while Friendster has since become a "social discovery and gaming" site. — GMA News

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/hashtag/content/305727/multiply-to-close-down-for-good-may-6/story/

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Multiply closes amid money and financial woes

Social networking site Multiply has been shut down by the government.


Multiply CEO, Stefan Magdalinski says that apart from the website's serious financial problems, it lacks expertise and knowledge in social networking.


Magdalinski says Multiply has reached a point where it could no longer meet its operating expenses.


He says government is reviewing the website's financial status and will also consider whether the closure poses a risk to the public.


Multiply say the outcome of these considerations will determine the government's final decision on the website's future.


Multiply is the only website in the world that an emphasis on allowing users to share media – such as photos, videos and blog entries – with their "real-world" network.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Gov't eyes new hub in Caloocan as 'common train station'

The government is looking at the proposed LRT Malvar station in Caloocan City as a new hub for the Metro Manila Integrated Rail Terminal or common station where three railways will meet.

The Malvar station is seen as more viable for a common terminal, as it has the accessibility for commuters and capacity for the trains.

"Last week, we had a briefing in Malvar in order to open that area, kasi marami galing north dun sumasakay. Malvar is a possible common station," Transportation Secretary Jun Abaya told ABS-CBNnews.com.

The common station was first broached in 2006, and was supposed to rise adjacent to SM Annex on EDSA, Quezon City.

Despite the deal having been forged, the previous administration decided to change plans, saying it would be cheaper to put up the station on the Ayala-owned Trinoma Mall.

Construction of the common station was supposed to be completed back in May 2010 but was temporarily put aside citing cost and engineering issues.

In August 2014, SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPHI) obtained a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court to prevent the then Department of Transportation and Communications from moving the location of the common station near Trinoma.

In a decision issued July 30, the Supreme Court said the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) violated the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) dated September 28, 2009 with SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPHI).

The respondents were given 10 days from notice to comment – and not to file a motion to dismiss.

The Supreme Court also directed SMPHI to submit sufficient verification of the petition pursuant to Section 4, Rule 7, 1997 Rules of Civil Procedures and a proof of service of the petition on the adverse parties.

The High Court’s TRO reinforces the company’s position on the case, now pending before the Regional Trial Court of Pasay City.

SMPHI had asked the court to stop the agencies from transferring the common station to TriNoma mall from SM City North EDSA mall, citing the MOA signed with LRTA years ago.

SMPHI also claimed it had naming rights to the station after paying the government the sum of P200 million ($4.58 million).

The Pasay court junked on June 23 SMPHI’s application for a TRO and preliminary injunction. SMPHI then elevated the case to the Supreme Court.

The DOTC, for its part, said the MOA had lapsed in 2011, as the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) had approved the construction of the common station at TriNoma.

Compromise talks were initiated by Abaya, but a resolution was never reached until President Aquino III stepped down last June 30, 2016. At one point, Abaya had suggested building two common stations—one each to be located near SM North Edsa and Trinoma—to urge SM to withdraw its lawsuit.

The two-station plan was eventually abandoned and deferred as private sector stakeholders said it would inconvenience commuters.

It will house the planned link of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) and the proposed MRT-7.

SM Prime Holdings had earlier given the Light Rail Transit Authority P200 million for "naming rights" over the station. But Abaya said, distance may cause a problem in putting up the station near SM City North EDSA.

"The problem with the common station in SM is it's too short a distance from the MRT's last station. You run 600 meters and then to turn around that's not good for train operations. You have to decide on having them separate, people have to walk or have another common station."

Abaya however said, the P200 million deposit will be returned once the project does not materialize.

"We will look into that. If we received it and it wasn't constructed then dapat isauli."

The nearly 17-kilometer MRT-3 traverses North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City, while the 20.7-km LRT-1 runs from Baclaran in Pasay City to Roosevelt Station in Quezon City.

The proposed MRT-7 meantime stretches from San Jose del Monte Bulacan to North Avenue Quezon City with a total length of 22 kilometers involving 14 train stations.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Olympians, Fil-Ams boost swimmers SEA Games bid

NAKHON RATCHASIMA – US-trained Miguel Molina and Ryan Arabejo, whose recent feats earned them a spot in next year’s Beijing Olympics, will lead a 14-member RP team hoping to improve on its 2005 four-gold medal haul against world-class opposition in the 24th Southeast Asian Games competitions which start tomorrow.

Four Fil-Americans, all trained in the US under prominent coaches, and local swimmers culled from the national eliminations, the Palarong Pambansa and Philippine Olympic Festival, are also on the national team seeing action in the competitions slated Dec. 7-11 at the Aquatic Center, His Majesty the King’s 80th birth anniversary stadium, here.

Molina, winner of the 200 and 400 individual medley and 200m breaststroke in the Manila SEA Games, gained a slot in the 2008 Olympics when his clocking of 2:03.06 in the 200m IM met the Olympic qualifying time of 2:05.65.


The 23-year-old Molina, who trains at the University of California in Barkley, hopes to improve on his silver medal finish in the 200m freestyle in 2005 and contend for the gold in the 100m and 50m freestyles in what could be his last SEAG stint.

Molina now owns the RP mark in the 100m free (51.11) 200m free (1:52.67) and 50m breaststroke (29.44).

Arabejo, at 17 the present and future hope of Philippine swimming, holds the RP mark in the 400m freestyle (3:58.51) and 1,500m freestyle (15:39.86) from his stints in the Janet Evans Invitational in the US last July and the 12th World Championships last March.

Four Fil-Americans on the team are 20-year-old James Walsh, a pre-med scholar at the University of Florida; Daniel Coakley of the University of Hawaii, Jaclyn Pangilinan of Harvard University in Boston, and Erica Totten of the University of Arkansas.

Walsh established the RP mark in the 100m and 200m butterfly in the Conoco Philips USA competition in July this year. Pangilinan holds the national 50, 100 and 200m breaststroke records.

Totten, who also holds the RP mark in the 400IM from the last SEA Games, made huge inroads this year, setting new RP norms in the 200, 400 and 800m freestyle. Coakley, a promising swimmer at 18, made the grade with his impressive finish in the 50 and 100m breaststroke and freestyle in last year’s World Junior championships.

But the presence of world-class competition is making it hard for RP swimming president Mark Joseph to assure the certainty of even one gold.

“It’s really hard to predict. But what we’re looking for is to beat our four-gold medal haul the last time in Manila,” said Joseph.

“Swimming in the region has taken a quantum leap with the standard A time for the Athens Olympics now being just the B time for the Beijing Olympics qualifying.

All the swimmers are trying to improve and that really makes it hard to win the gold medal in this SEA Games,” Joseph explained.

“It could be easier to gain an Olympic berth than to win the gold medal here.”

Gold medals in women’s 100m freestyle, men’s and women’s 200m backstroke, men’s 400m individual medley, women’s 200m individual medley, men’s and women’s 4x200m freestyle relay are up for grabs on opening day here tomorrow.

Two US coaches in Jeff Poppel of University of Arkansas and Jason Calanog of Bolles flew here with the six US collegiate swimming scholars.

“They’re (Poppel and Calanog) familiar with the conditioning of our US-based swimmers. So we asked them to come,” said Joseph.

Molina has qualified for the Olympics in 200m IM, Walsh in 200m butterfly and Arabejo in 1500m freestyle. The three will target for more Olympic events here aside from shooting for SEAG medals.

“Molina and Arabejo are now ranked 24th in the world in their respective events. They’ll try to improve on that,” said Joseph.

Completing the cast are Ernest Dee of La Salle, Gian Berino of UST High School, Kendrick Uy who joined Arabejo in summer training at Bolles School in Florida under the Olympic Solidarity Movement, Denjylie Cordero, a product of the Philippine Olympic Festival, 18-year-old Marichi Gandionco, a swimming scholar at the University of Nevada, Celina Gonzalez of TRACE Aquatic Center in Laguna., Nikita Dacera and Nicole Santiago.

Marciano Paynor Jr, chief of Presidential Protocol. A man who wears many hats, Paynor is also Director-General for Operations of the ASEAN 2017 National Organizing Council. He is also President Rodrigo Duterte's choice to be the next ambassador to the United States.

Paynor talks to Rappler about the 2007 SEA Games sa Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand

http://www.philstar.com/sports/31607/olympians-fil-ams-boost-swimmers-sea-games-bid

Friday, November 23, 2012

Lupang Hinirang Kit ipamamahagi sa Sorsogon

Ni: Bennie A. Recebido

LUNGSOD NG SORSOGON, Nobyembre 22 (PIA) – Namahagi ngayon ng Lupang Hinirang Kit ang Dr. Salvador H. Escudero III Foundation sa pangunguna ng maybahay ng yumaong 1st district congressman ng Sorsogon Hon. Salvador “Sonny” H. Escudero III na si Nanay Evie Escudero.

Alas-nuebe ng umaga kanina naganap ang turn-over ceremony ng mga Lupang Hinirang Kit para sa mga paaralan sa lungsod ng Sorsogon. Ang turn-over ceremony ay ginanap sa DepEd Multi-purpose Hall sa Brgy. Cabid-an, Sorsogon City kung saan tinanggap ang nasabing mga kit ni City Schools Division Superintendent Socorro V. Dela Rosa.


Mamayang hapon ay igagawad naman ang kahalintulad na kit sa Rotary Club of Metro Sorsogon (RCMS) sa Bacon East Central School, Bacon District, Sorsogon City kung saan tatanggapin ito ni RCMS president Dr. Dennis Donor.


Ang nasabing Lupang Hinirang kit ay naglalaman ng CD ng tamang awit at tugtog ng Lupang Hinirang na orihinal na komposisyon ni Julian Felipe, kopya ng Republic Act 8491 o mas kilala bilang Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, kopya ng Basic Values Manual at Philippine Flag.


Matatandaang ang namayapang si Congressman Sonny Escudero ay isang masugid na tagapagsulong ng tamang pag-awit ng Lupang Hinirang at siya ring may akda ng Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines.


Alinsunod sa itinatakda ng section 37 ng Republic Act No. 8491, ang pagkanta ng Pambansang Awit, pinatutugtog man o kinakanta, ay dapat na naaayon sa pagkakaayos at komposisyon ni Julian Felipe.


Dagdag din ng R.A. 8491 na ang Lupang Hinirang ay dapat awitin sa ating pambansang wika, mapasa-ibang bansa man ito o dito sa Pilipinas.


Ang Pambansang Awit ay tinutugtog at inaawit tuwing may mga pampublikong pagtitipon ng mga Pilipino sa loob at labas ng bansa.


Ayon sa R.A. 8491, naaayon sa alituntunin ng National Historical Institute ang paggamit ng awiting ito.


Pinagbabawal ng R.A. 8491 ang pag-awit nito bilang isang “recreation, amusement, o entertainment” maliban sa sumusunod: sa mga international competitions kung saan ang Pilipinas ang host o representative; mga lokal na kumpetisyon; tuwing "signing off" at "signing on" ng mga radio broadcasting at television stations; at bago ang pag-umpisa ng mga pelikula sa sinehan at iba pang mga theater performances. Ibinigay, na ang mga may-ari at pamamahala ng mga establisimyento ay dapat na utusan upang ipatupad ang tamang pakikitungo at ipatupad ang mga may kinalaman sa batas na ito; civic na aktibidad, mga palabas sa kultura o mga presentasyon at iba pang okasyon na maaaring pahintulutan ng NHI.


Ang Panatang Makabayan ay dapat na bigkasin pagkatapos ng pagkanta ng pambansang awit sa mga opisina at paaralan. Ang Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat ng Pilipinas ay maaaring kabisado din, bagaman ang batas ay hindi tumutukoy kung sino ang kinakailangan upang gawin ito.


Habang ang section 20 naman nito ay nagsasaad na ang seremonya sa pagtataas ng watawat ng pilipinas sa mga opisyal o sibikong pagtitipon ay dapat na simple at may paggalang, at dapat na patugtugin o kantahin sa orihinal na lirikong Filipino at pamartsang ritmo.


Nakassad din sa RA 8491 na ang sinumang lalabag dito ay maaaring patawan ng parusa na nagkakahalaga ng hindi bababa sa P20,000 o pagkakakulong ng hindi lalagpas sa isang taon.


Ang pangangailangan na pagtayo tuwing kinakanta at tinutugtog ang Pambansang Awit sa isang pagtitipon sa publiko tulad ng sinehan. Ang mga manonood na hindi tatayo tuwing 
kinakanta at tinutugtog ang Pambansang Awit ay maaaring hulihin sa pamamagitan ng citizens arrest ng security personnel at ushers.

Subalit ito’y mariing itinanggi ng mga mang-aawit. Tama lang daw ang kaniyang pagkaka-awit.


Kung gayon, papaano nga ba aawitin ang Lupang Hinirang?


Hindi naman siguro mahirap sagutin ang tanong na ito na kahit isang musmos na bata sa kindergarten ay alam kung papaano ito aawitin.


At papaano nga ba? Titindig dapat ng matuwid, iiwanan o ititigil panandali ang ginagawa, ilalagay ang kanang kamay sa dibdib, titingin sa watawat, sabay buka ng bibig habang sinasabayan ang kumpas ni titser at pag-awit ng “Bayang Magiliw, Perlas ng Silanganan. Alab ng puso sa dibdib mo’y buhay. Lupang Hinirang, duyan ka ng magiting. Sa manlulupig, di ka pasisiil”.

Hindi naman pala mahirap awitin kung saan kahit isang paslit na bata ay makaka-awit nito ng buong ningning. You don’t need to be a concert king or a balladeer to sing it, and sing it well. Ang kailangan lamang pala ay taglay ang dalisay na puso at malinis na pakay kapag aawit nito, tulad ng isang bata, at hindi upang ipagmalaki sa buong mundo na tayo ay magaling na mang-aawit. Ito ang tamang pag-awit ng Lupang Hinirang.

Ang pagdiriwang ng ating Kalayaan at ito’y sa Hunyo 12. Nawa’y sa pag-awit natin ng Lupang Hinirang bilang pagpupugay sa nakamit na kasarinlan, tiyaking tama ang lyrics ng ating awit at nasa tamang tono at bilis.

Memorized ko yung Lupang Hinirang tsaka yung old version ng Panatang Makabayan. yung new version, hindi ko man lang alam. College na kasi ako nung napalitang yung Panatang Makabayan, eh hindi naman nirerecite yung nung college na ko.

memorized ko kapag may kasabay ako.

Yup! (Naka-perfect ako sa pambansang awit at panatang makabayan) pero hindi ko po kabisado yung Ako ay Pilipino

Pagkatapos ng Lupang Hinirang, Panatang Makabayan naman, Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat at sa huli Pilipinas Kong Mahal.

Dorie Linse "Tama ka, Maharlika, dahil simula ng grade 1 ako 1958 hanggang makatapos ng HS pagkatapos ng bayang magiliw ay panatang makabayan ang kasunod at papasok na sa silid aralan na may tugtog ng River Kwai."

Vien Neib Cie "Naabutan ko yan ... batang 90s ako hehe"

Reymond Mago Defeo "Dahil na din sa pag upgrade daw ng curiculom nabawasan yung pagka makabansa. Ako sa sarili ko dala ko pa hanggang ngayon ang turo ng mga guro na pagka makabansa. Pag papahalaga sa bansa bilang pilipino."

Del T. Blanco "My elementary days,mas magalang ang kabataan,mas may takot sa Diyos ,mas takot gumawa ng kalokohan pero mas masaya mababa pa ang mga krimen,kahit kamote at kamoteng kahoy ang tanghalian masaya na😃panahong kaunting bagay na naumit o ninakaw ng kaklase napakalaking kahihiyan na ng pamilya at magulang kung anak nila ang involve"

Feds Santos "👍🏻👊🏻 at yung mag exercise tayo tuwing umaga😁"

Lucy de Ocampo "Karamihan sa ngayun di na nga alam yang panatang makabayan. kami noon pagkatapos kantahin ang lupang hinirang kasunod naman panatang makabayan .. ganun din mga anak ko kung saan sila nag-aaral . ngaun iba na nagkatuon at abala ang ibang nasa gobyerno sa pagnanakaw, pangungurakot ..di nla alam kung ano kahulugan ng mga salita sa panatang makabayan .."

Armando Lalog Jr. "After FEM walang ginawa mga aquino at ibapa kung hindi magnakaw at sisihin si marcos."

Noel Mar "Kasi daw po ang yellow Democracy is a road to success!!!!!! Ay Syett ... road to hell pala to the filipinos .... but a luxurious living for the oligarchs!!!! ..... More Business and free of taxes... and you can spread fake news... get a good looking actor and actress ... promote their deceitful propaganda!!! And the best of them all , you have the holy shit.... Priests, bishops , Cardinals... who mix politics with religions, and sometimes make their homily not based on the Bible but lies and hypocrisy... to defend the oligarchs who probably donates large monetary amount and high valuable gifts.... what the hell to Yellow Democracy.... tinarantado nila ang bayan!!!!!"

Maria Koro "Ibang iba na talaga ngayon hindi nayan binibigkas sa school paano naman pati din Teacher ay adik narin yung iba"

Tita Nepomuceno "I think the panata has been reworded, although hindi ko alam ano yung mga pinalitan. Honestly memorized ko pa sya hanggang ngayon, dahil siguro i have Internalized it, naisa-puso ko na. Hindi na rin araw-araw na nagpa-flag ceremony in most schools, if ever lunes na lang at biernes. Lunes itinataas ang bandila, at biernes ibinababa. Dapat ngang ibalik yan flag ceremony araw-araw at ang recitation ng panatang makabayan. Sa araw araw at paulit ulit na pagre-recite, nai-internalize ng bata eventually nai-inculcate yung patriotism. Ewan ko ba sa DepEd, ang daming inalis sa curriculum, procedures and practices. Then marami ipinasok sa curriculum na hindi kailangan, while yung kailangan, inalis. Yan mga nasa DepEd kasi may mga masters at doctorate so habang nagaaral ang tao, nagiging matalino sa libro, bobo sa practical side of life.

Maharlika "Tita Nepomuceno tama po . Kaya nga dapat ang pinupwesto sa Dep-Ed ay may pagmamahal sa bayan at pahahalagahan ang edukasyon. Kailangan natin hubugin ang kabataan sa unang araw pa lang na pagpasok sa eskwelahan pati mga magulang kailangan i orient o seminar kung paano isapuso at isabuhay ang mga nabanggit sa Panatang Makabayan, Panunumpa sa watawat at sa Lupang Hinirang . Kumbaga iukit sa kanilang puso at isipan para dala-dala nila hanggang sa paglaki nila at maging responsableng mamayan sila."

Tita Nepomuceno "Yet kung napansin nyo Ms. Maharlika at mga kababayan, sa report card ng mga bata, may rating sa “patriotism”. Nung nakita ko yon noon, immediately ang reaction ko —paano nila ni-rate yung bata? how did the child demonstrated yung patriotism nya? anong pinagbasehan nung teacher sa grade o assessment nya nun?"

Antilegando Lacida Wilmita "Tama po mam Daming inalis, tapos shortened ang time ng students puro pera nasa ulo ng most school, bayad, donations kuno pero nagbabanggit ng amount at eto ay a must for every student, they shortened the time pero amount ng TF tumaas, they should be monitored! They don't learned much already kasi puro pera lang ang gusto ng school, They even call themselves Chistian school pero may ari mismo walang modo di marunong magbabayad ng utang!!!"

Deo Deo "Yes yong katipunero ang isip,salita at gawa...huwag yong makaliwa at wlang paki sa pinas..."

Emmanuel Padilla "Tita Nepomuceno pinalitan yan pag upo yan ni cory 1986 pinalitan lahat pati constitution ginawa na sila lang mga dilawan ang makikinabang pati DepEd ay binago yung mga original na curriculom noon araw araw ay msy flag ceremony at flag retreat yung preamble nga ay pinapamemorize pa sa amin sa subject ss college noon na Phol. Constitution kahit anong course ang iyong kinukha ay meron"

Choling DG Ingeniero Tita Nepomuceno "true"

Josie De Silva Ignacio Tita Nepomuceno "oh ganun po? Wala ng flag raising every morning??? "

Marla Dumbrique Kabisado ko pa ,minsan kung akoy nag iisa yan ang binibigkas ko ang Panatang makabayan

Erna Delacruz “Noong elementary school kinakanta namin yang baayaang magiliw at lupang hinirang sa labas ng school nakatapat sa watawat ng pilipinas habang inaakyat ang watawat nakatingin ang mga bata at ang kamay kanan nakahawak sa baba ng puso sa kaliwa”

Jericho Baltar: "Bayang magiliw perlas ng silanganan alab ng puso sa dibdib moy buhay lupang hinirang duyan ka ng magiting sa manlulupig di ka pasisiil sa dagat at bundok sa simoy at sa langit mong bughaw may dilag ang tula at awit sa paglayang minamahal ang kislap ng watawat mo'y tagumpay na nagniningning ang bituin at araw niya kailan pa may 'di magdidilim lupa ng araw ng luwalhati' pagsinta buhay ay langit sa piling mo aming ligaya ng pag may mang aapi ang mamatay ng dahil sa'yo"

Cordova Bernardino "Bayang magiliw, Perlas ng Silanganan. Alab ng puso, sa dibdib mo’y buhay. Lupang hinirang, duyan ka ng magiting. Sa manlulupig, ‘di ka pasisiil. Sa dagat at bundok, sa simoy at sa langit mong bughaw. May dilag ang tula at awit sa paglayang minamahal. Ang kislap ng watawat mo’y tagumpay na nagniningning. Ang bituin at araw niya kailan pa may ‘di magdidilim. Lupa ng araw ng luwalhati’t pagsinta, buhay ay langit sa piling mo. Aming ligaya na 'pag may mang-aapi, ang mamatay ng dahil sa’yo.

Panatang makabayan, Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas. Ito ang aking lupang sinilangan. Ito ang tahanan ng aking lahi. Ako'y kanyang kinukupkop at tinutulungan Upang maging malakas, maligaya at kapakipakinabang. Bilang ganti, ay diringgin ko ang payo ng aking mga magulang. Susundin ko ang mga tuntunin ng aking paaralan. Tutuparin ko ang mga tungkulin ng isang mamamayang makabayan at masunurin sa batas. Paglilingkuran ko ang aking bayan nang walang pag-iimbot at ng buong katapatan. Sisikapin kong maging isang tunay na Pilipino sa isip, sa salita, at sa gawa.

Panunumpa ng katapatan sa watawat ng Pilipinas: Ako ay Pilipino buong katapatang nanunumpa sa watawat ng Pilipinas at sa bansang kanyang sinasagisag na may dangal, katarungan at kalayaan na pinakikilos ng sambayanang maka-Diyos, maka-tao, makakalikasan, at makabansa.

Ang bayan kong Pilipinas, lupain ng ginto't bulaklak. Pag-ibig sa kanyang palad, nag-alay ng ganda't dilag. At sa kanyang yumi at ganda, dayuhan ay nahalina. Bayan ko, binihag ka nasadlak sa dusa. Ibon mang may layang lumipad, kulungin mo at umiiyak. Bayan pa kayang sakdal dilag, ang di magnasang makaalpas. Pilipinas kong minumutya, pugad ng luha ko’t dalita. Aking adhika, makita kang sakdal laya. Ibon mang may layang lumipad, kulungin mo at umiiyak. Bayan pa kayang sakdal dilag, ang di magnasang makaalpas. Pilipinas kong minumutya, pugad ng luha ko’t dalita. Aking adhika, makita kang sakdal laya.

Ang bayan ko'y tanging ikaw Pilipinas kong mahal ang puso ko at buhay man sa iyo'y ibibigay tungkulin ko'y gagampanan na laging kang paglingkuran ang laya mo'y babantayan Pilipinas kong hirang

Ako ay Pilipino ang dugo'y Maharlika, likas sa aking puso adhikaing kay ganda sa Pilipinas na aking bayan lantay na Perlas ng Silanganan wari'y natipon ang kayamanan ng Maykapal. Bigay sa 'king talino sa mabuti lang laan sa aki'y katutubo ang maging mapagmahal. Ako ay Pilipino, ako ay Pilipino isang bansa isang diwa ang minimithi ko sa Bayan ko't Bandila laan Buhay ko't Diwa ako ay Pilipino, Pilipinong totoo. Ako ay Pilipino, ako ay Pilipino taas noo kahit kanino ang Pilipino ay ako.”

Winnie Banzuelo Hermo "Ako, tuwing nakakarinig ako ng tugtog ng Lupang Hinirang, ang Pambansang Awit ng Pilipinas, ako'y umiiyak. Marami na kaseng mga kabataan ngayon na hindi marunong gumalang sa ating bandila pag itinataas. Sana, maturuuan sila."

Justina Marcelo Winnie Banzuelo Hermo "pag nag Pambansang Awit na Lupang Hinirang lahat tumitigil at me paggalang ng naklagay ang ating kanan kamay sa dibdib, at pagkatapos ang panunumpa dapat mabalik ang pagkilala natin sa ating bansang Pilipinas, marami kabataan ang hindi na alam at nawala na rin paggalang at walang paki sa kalinisan, kalikasan. sana mabalik na rin ang GMRC”

Rey Caba Justina Marcelo “tama po kayo dati panahon ni pangulong ferdinand marcos sr. kapag narinig ang bayang magiliw lahat humihinto pati sasakyan inaantay matapos ang awit bago uli aarangkada ang mga tao at sasakyan”

Ernie Abordo Jr. “Noong una kahit wala ka sa loob ng eskwelahan at napadaan ka lang kapag narinig mo ng kumakanta ng bayang magiliw titigil ka sa paglalakad at tatapusin mo muna ang kanta bago ka ulit lumakad yan ay bilang paggalang natin sa ating inang bayan”

John N. Retuerto: “buti pa sa sinehan... bago magsimula ang palabas... tatayo muna at kinakanta ang Lupang Hinirang...”

Founder Eagle Nelson Acompañado "Ibalik dapat ang dating kaugaliang pagkanta at pag awit ng (Lupang Hinirang), at ibalik din ang Panatang Makabayan... Kay ganda noong araw sa panahon ni late apo lakay marcos, pagtungtong ng mga epal at mga anay sa lipunang mga oligarkiya, mga aquino.. nawala na ang mga kagawiang kanta awit at panatang makabayan.. pati mga lessons ng history ay toloyan ng inalis nila, pura bulagin ang mga mag aaral maging mga guro sa tunay at diwa ng kalahagahan nito.. Sana ngayon new administration ay mabalik na ang dating nakagawian ang pagkanta araw-araw ng (Lupang Hinirang) at pagbigkas ng (Panatang Makabayan) at (Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat ng Pilipinas) sa mga paaralan tuwing umaga..at flag retreat naman sa tuwing hapon.."

Charline Villafuerte Founder Eagle Nelson Acompañado "at kapag napadaan ka sa eskwelahan na inaawit ang lupang hinirang kailangan huminto at magbigay galang habang inaawit ito"

Charline Villafuerte "korek po at tama po talaga kayo maam.. sagad sa mga pangaral ang mga kabataang mag aaral noong unang mga nakaraang panahon, kay gandang isipin at gunitaing muli... kaya ang panawagan ng ating bagong halal na pangulong BBM, ibalik at sama sama tayong babangun muli... at taas noo kahit kanino..."

Ronaldo Sigua "Sa elementarya ngayon hindi kinakanta yan lupang hinirang sa loob ng kwarto araw-araw sabi ng anak ko tuwing lunes na lang... Kaya mga elementarya dapat din kabisado ang lyrics until now. Sana sa mga guro kahit bawal mag flag ceremony sa labas kahit sa loob ng classroom na lang araw arawin sana ang pagkanta ng lupang hinirang..."

Anila De Juan "Dapat isabatas na kapag tumutugtog at tinataas ang watawat kahit saang ĺugar dapat huminto ang mga tao at mga sasakyan"

Mico Cangmaong "Araw araw may flag ceremony at inaawit ang Pambansang Awit LUPANG HINIRANG pero sayang wala maintindihi ang Message sa flag at awit, ngayon binaloktot na ang kanilang tungkolin sa bayan, Protect the People Secure the Sovereignty of the State and the Integrity of the National Territory, wala binuboli na ang ating bansa sa China"

Vikki Reyes Pornobi "Di nga nahinto ang mga tao sa paglakad at pati mga sasakyan tuwing flag ceremony di pinapansin... in short nawala na ang pggalang"

Isaac Mamucud "noon kami ang nasa elementarya sa labas kinakanta nmin ang lupang hinirang at yung panatang makabayan, kung nasaan ang flag pole sa umaga itaas ang bandila araw-araw"

Nenita Torres Isaac Mamucud "Umaga at hapon Yan kinakanta, at yong flag, di Yan Pina ulanan, tubing hapon ibinaba at ilagay sa lalagyan,"

Isaac Mamucud Nenita Torres "tama po kayo,pag tag ulan nakasabit sa harapan ng iskwelahan na di nababasa ng ulan"

Ronaldo Sigua Nenita Torres "ewan ko nga po bkit hindi na pinagagawa ng teacher ngaun yan... sila dapat nakaka alam ng ganyan para ipagawa sa ating mga anak,,hindi na tao dapat pang ipaaalala pa sa kanila matik na dapat,,"

Jenneth Rojas Nenita Torres "pag di ka naka attend ng flag ceremony, late ka"

Isaac Mamucud Jenneth Rojas "kaya nga po,maaga kming pumapasok noon 7am time na 6am nasa school na kami."

Ronaldo Sigua Isaac Mamucud "principal at guro po dapat ang nagpapatupad ngaun nian sa skwelahan,,mukang nkalimutan npo na nila yan pag galng nayan,,, Cguro nmn ung mga teacher na ngaun ay inabot pa nila ung mga gawain na yan,, So bakit hindi nila pinagpapatuloy ang ganyang paggalang sa ating watawat,, 

Isaac Mamucud Ronaldo Sigua principal at teacher lahat nasa harapan kasama mga styudante nila,napapansin ko ngayon may kinder,may prep pa may k12 ang iq nila parang bumababa napapansin ku lng.

Ligaya Rivera "kami noon daily morning ang hapon . paggrde 6 schedule nang pupils magpataas at pababa nang saka pagfold fold nang bandera pupils assigned pagbeat ng pambansing awit (Lupang Hinirang) at iba naman ang sa panatang makabayan. Kaya almost 100 percent pupils summarized nila lahat. Grabe ang deciplina noon"

니노 Ligaya Rivera "baka memorized. Pero totoo"

Zenaida Leah Mateo "Tama Po sana ibalik yung pagkanta tuwing umaga ang pambansang awit at sa panatang makabayan. Kasi Hindi na alam ng mga bata kantahin. Nakakahiya!"

Joon Bena Ligaya Rivera "memorize po, tama po kayo" (B. A. Recebido, PIA Sorsogon)

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Eat Bulaga! picks Cebu for first-ever regional game show

 The country’s longest-running noontime show Eat Bulaga! offers a special lunch treat to Cebuano televiewers via the 30-minute radio and television program dubbed as “Eat Na Ta.”

According to Malou Choa-Fagar, SVP and COO of Television and Production Exponents Incorporated (TAPE, Inc.), the producer of Eat Bulaga!, “Eat Na Ta” is exclusive in the Visayas region with major media concentration in Cebu. This latest offering is part of efforts to strengthen the mother program and its home network’s presence in Cebu. “We want to step up on our performance in the ratings. We have to admit that we are lagging behind the competition here in Cebu,” revealed Choa-Fagar in a presscon at Golden Cowrie in Salinas Drive last Monday.

The radio component of “Eat Na Ta,” which premiered last November 12, airs 11:30 am from Monday to Friday, while the pilot episode of its TV component has yet to see live broadcast this Saturday, November 24, still from 11:30 am to 12 noon over GMA 7 Cebu.  

It was revealed that they have long wanted to expand “Eat Bulaga!” in Cebu, initially conceptualizing a one-time show, but the idea has now evolved into a long-term project. Even if the program may come across to viewers like a spin-off of Eat Bulaga!, the program is still very Cebuano, Choa-Fagar stressed, from its hosts to the EB jingle now in Cebuano.

“Eat Na Ta” will be “loaded with prizes and surprises” including a shot at Eat Bulaga!’s widely popular game segments.

Game segments include Itaktak Gyud, wherein in the radio game Cebuanos can join via telephone by answering Taktak Mo o Tatakbo-styled questions. Winners will automatically win P300, and will have the chance to play for Itaktak Yud on Eat Nat Ta-TV, which will be staged in various barangays of Cebu. In the TV game, the contestants can win up to P20,000 cash or get the chance to play in Eat Bulaga! for that chance to spin the Taktak Mo or Tatakbo roleta for the P1M jackpot.

Ang Akong Pangandoy takes after Eat Bulaga!’s “Send In Your Dreams.” Cebuanos may send letters sharing their “dreams” via this segment, which will be narrated through a “radionovela.” The “fulfillment” of the dreams will be then be aired on the TV program. 

“Kwarta Na Ni” will give away cash prizes through texting. There will be an early morning texting edition from 6am to 10 am and the texting promo will continue from 11:30 to 12nn. Four winners of P300 will be announced daily.

“Eat Na Ta sa Radyo” is hosted by GMA Cebu talents “Talk to Papa” deejay-host Papa Joe, entertainment news host and drama talent Choopetah plus Undoy Z (otherwise known as Cerj Michael in the stand up comedy circuit). Undoy Z will spot both listeners and viewers of Eat Na Ta all over Cebu. For the radio, winners will be given P300 and a chance to greet on air, while for TV, Undoy Z will conduct an instant card game called “Itaas…lubos! Imong Bulsa Mabdos!” for viewers who will be spotted watching Eat Na Ta every Saturday. 

“Eat Na Ta sa TV” will still feature Papa Joe, Undoy Z plus Cutie del Mar, one of Cebu’s loveliest faces who has made a name for herself in the hosting arena of the media industry as news anchor and TV host. –NMT

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Multiply.com to stop social network services

Multiply.com users take note: less than four months from now, there’ll be no more photos, videos, blogs, social messaging, etc.

Multiply, which boasts of 11 million users, is halting its social networking and content sharing services as  it shifts its focus to ecommerce.

“From December first, we will unfortunately no longer be able to support Multiply in its current form – notably we will be removing the social networking and content sharing part of Multiply (photos, videos, blogs, social messaging, etc.),” said CEO Stefan Magdalinski.

“We have decided to discontinue providing and hosting these services, as we have concluded that other Internet sites who are committed to social networking services will do a better job serving you than we can,” Magdalinski said.

And from Boca Raton, Florida, Multiply is now headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia.

“As most of you are probably aware, Multiply’s mission has evolved over the past year and a half to become the biggest and most beloved ecommerce marketplace in two very exciting markets, Indonesia and the Philippines,” he said. “As our focus has shifted, we have reviewed all of our operations, and made some decisions that will affect everyone here.”

Magdalinski promised to provide social network users easy ways to retrieve or transfer their contents.

“For our existing users of social networking features, we will be providing easy ways for you to either download your stuff (photos, blogs, content, etc), or migrate it to other online services,”  Magdalinski said. “We’ll announce the precise details shortly. It will be your choice whether to download, migrate or just let your content lapse (and get deleted).”

“For our existing ecommerce users (both buyers and sellers) in Indonesia and the Philippines, there will be no action required,” he said, adding that the company will refund any existing Multiply Premium subscriptions.

“I am aware of how disruptive this news may be, and understand the disappointment that it may cause. Ultimately this was a business decision, critical to our to success moving forward,” Magdalinski said.

“Instead, we are excited to pursue our own mission to give the 350 million consumers in Indonesia and the Philippines a great way to buy and sell items online. Our singular focus now is for Multiply to retain its status as a vibrant e-commerce destination in Southeast Asia in the years ahead.”

https://technology.inquirer.net/15271/multiply-com-to-stop-social-network-services

Friday, August 10, 2012

Multiply social platform to be scrapped by December

SOCIAL NETWORKING site Multiply, Inc. will be scrapping its photo sharing and blogging offerings by December to pave the way for its complete shift into e-commerce platform, a notice posted on its Web site showed.

"From Dec. 1, we will unfortunately no longer be able to support Multiply in its current form -- notably, we will be removing the social networking and content sharing part of Multiply (photos, videos, blogs, social messaging, etc.)," Stephan Magdalinski, Multiply's chief operating officer, told clients in a notice on the Web site.

"We have decided to discontinue providing and hosting these services, as we have concluded that other Internet sites who are committed to social networking services will do a better job serving you than we can," he added.

This comes as Multiply is eyeing to completely transform the site into an e-commerce portal.

"Multiply's mission has evolved over the past year and a half to become the biggest and most beloved e-commerce marketplace in two very exciting markets, Indonesia and the Philippines," the notice read.

"As our focus has shifted, we have reviewed all of our operations, and made some decisions that will affect everyone here."

Multiply also assured its users that it will be providing easy ways for them to either download their content, or migrate it to other online services.

"For our existing ecommerce users (both buyers and sellers) in Indonesia and the Philippines, there will be no action required," the notice read further.

The company in May 2010 formally signalled a shift to the e-commerce platform despite being successful as a social networking site, Rianna R. Trinidad, the company's marketing head, had said.

She, however, noted that e-commerce transactions in the Philippines were already seen even as early as 2006.

Since the new platform is still young, Jonathan R. Madrid, country manager of Multiply.com Philippines said bulk of the transactions are still offline or "face-to-face" arrangements.

To encourage customers to shift to online commerce, Mr. Madrid said the company would be offering more payment options.

Already, Multiply.com Philippines accepts over-the-counter deposits through Bank of the Philippines Islands and BDO Unibank, Inc. It also accepts payments through PayPal and G-Cash, the money transfer facility of Globe Telecom, Inc.

Luring customers to shift to its e-commerce platform is also necessary in generating additional revenues for the company.

Multiply currently has 250,000 merchants, of which 130,000 are from the Philippines, 70,000 of which are from Indonesia while the rest are in other parts of Southeast Asia. -- C.H.C. Venzon

https://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Corporate&title=Multiply-social-platform-to-be-scrapped-by-December&id=56576

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Multiply.com quits social networking

Time to transfer those photos and videos.
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Mutliply.com announced on Thursday that it will stop its social networking functions in December, choosing to focus instead on its electronic commerce operations in Indonesia and the Philippines.

“From December 1st, we will unfortunately no longer be able to support Multiply in its current form - notably we will be removing the social networking and content sharing part of Multiply (photos, videos, blogs, social messaging, etc.),” Stefan Magdalinski, chief executive officer at Multiply Global, said in a statement posted on its website.
With the rise of Facebook as the dominant player in the social networking arena, Multiply had sought to differentiate itself from competitors by highlighting itself as the ‘social shopping’ hub for online marketers.

“For our existing users of social networking features, we will be providing easy ways for you to either download your stuff (photos, blogs, content, etc), or migrate it to other online services,” he noted, saying that they will announce the file migration details soon.

The eight-year-old service, which claimed to be the “biggest and beloved” e-commerce marketplace in Indonesia and the Philippines, will now focus on its e-commerce platform.

“Our singular focus now is for Multiply to retain its status as a vibrant e-commerce destination in Southeast Asia in the years ahead,” Magdalinski noted.

To gear up for the anticipated service transfer, Multiply launched last June its “Merchant Dashboard” that provides technology solutions to its online sellers.

The new feature provides detailed product listing, inventory management, and order tracking.

The website likewise put up a buyer protection program that aims to safeguard online shoppers from fraudulent merchants and scammers. 

Currently, about 130,000 Multiply users in the Philippines are involved with online selling. — TJD, GMA News

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/hashtag/content/269019/multiply-com-quits-social-networking/story/

Multiply.com quits social networking

Time to transfer those photos and videos.

Mutliply.com announced on Thursday that it will stop its social networking functions in December, choosing to focus instead on its electronic commerce operations in Indonesia and the Philippines.

“From December 1st, we will unfortunately no longer be able to support Multiply in its current form - notably we will be removing the social networking and content sharing part of Multiply (photos, videos, blogs, social messaging, etc.),” Stefan Magdalinski, chief executive officer at Multiply Global, said in a statement posted on its website.

With the rise of Facebook as the dominant player in the social networking arena, Multiply had sought to differentiate itself from competitors by highlighting itself as the ‘social shopping’ hub for online marketers.

“For our existing users of social networking features, we will be providing easy ways for you to either download your stuff (photos, blogs, content, etc), or migrate it to other online services,” he noted, saying that they will announce the file migration details soon.

The eight-year-old service, which claimed to be the “biggest and beloved” e-commerce marketplace in Indonesia and the Philippines, will now focus on its e-commerce platform.

“Our singular focus now is for Multiply to retain its status as a vibrant e-commerce destination in Southeast Asia in the years ahead,” Magdalinski noted.

To gear up for the anticipated service transfer, Multiply launched last June its “Merchant Dashboard” that provides technology solutions to its online sellers.

The new feature provides detailed product listing, inventory management, and order tracking.

The website likewise put up a buyer protection program that aims to safeguard online shoppers from fraudulent merchants and scammers. 

Currently, about 130,000 Multiply users in the Philippines are involved with online selling. — TJD, GMA News

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/hashtag/content/269019/multiply-com-quits-social-networking/story/

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

No fancy anthem singing, please

After the hoopla and all, we join our countrymen in rejoicing the third-round victory of Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao in his bout with Mexican boxer Eric Morales in Las Vegas, Nevada last Sunday. As we watched the match, beamed live all over the Philippines, we take pride with our countrymen in waving our Philippine flag inside the arena.

If his schedule pushes through, Pacquiao would arrive here by tomorrow. We should not begrudge our political leaders for organizing again a lavish "hero;s welcome" for Pacquiao. After all, Pacquiao is one of our "Champions for Life" awardees who was bestowed this title by President Arroyo earlier this year.

I don;t want to be the "let down voice" in these glorious moments over Pacquiao's victory. But enough is enough. In particular, will somebody put a stop in desecrating the singing of our national anthem "Lupang Hinirang." No matter how good the singer is, like Sarah Geronimo who sang it almost flawlessly before the fight of Pacquiao, I simply could not agree with the rather operatic rendition again and again of our national anthem. But not all those Filipinos inside the ring can hit such high notes as she can even as they can sing with gusto and identify with Pacquiao as a rallying idol.

Throughout my education in private and public schools, the singing of our National Anthem was the first thing that we did in the morning before classes and at the end of the day at 5 p.m. after classes. And that is why, I’m sure as everyone else is, we have been trained in our school to sing "Lupang Hinirang" in its four-fourth beat or tempo. I remember it was usually the music teacher or a designated student-leader who would lead the en masse singing to keep everyone in tune and in tempo.

I distinctly recall an incident at Malacañang Palace when former President Fidel V. Ramos blew his top during a formal gathering and the National Anthem was sung differently from the standard marching beat the way it should have been sung. A very angry Ramos had to ask his guests to sing it again with the proper tempo of our sacred hymn. The former President was not being chivalrous or dictatorial in demanding a take-two in singing the National Anthem. Although the singing of the Anthem during that gathering was melodious enough, the former President’s ears did not like the rendition that was completely different from the original arrangement of its music.

Our Philippine history books tell us it was the late Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, the first President of the Republic, who prompted the composition of our National Anthem to rally the nation against the continuing occupation of the Spanish colonizers. On June 5, 1898, he commissioned Julian Felipe, a Cavite pianist and composer, to work on a march for the Filipino revolutionary soldiers. Aguinaldo was not satisfied with just a marching song. Recognizing Felipe’s skills, he asked him to compose a more soul-rousing tune that would instill courage and patriotism in the hearts of every Filipino. Felipe supposedly worked on the assignment for six days and on June 11, sitting in front of a piano in the Aguinaldo living room in Kawit, played his music before the Presidente and his lieutenants. Named by Felipe the Marcha Filipino Magdalo (after Aguinaldo’s nom de guerre and his faction in the Katipunan), the music was adopted on the spot and renamed the Marcha Nacional Filipina (Philippine National March).

The national anthem was heard publicly for the first time on June 12, 1898, when, standing on the balcony of his Kawit mansion, Aguinaldo proclaimed Asia's first independent Republic before the cheering Filipino patriots. The "defiant" lyrics of the marching hymn were supplied by Jose Palma, a 23-year old soldier who was described as adept with the pen as he was with the sword. He wrote a poem entitled "Filipinas" and this was used as the fighting lyrics to the Felipe composition. And from then on, the anthem was readily taken by the Filipino nation.

But on March 23, 1901, the war with America ground to a halt with the capture of Aguinaldo in Palanan, Isabela. The American administrators discouraged the singing of the anthem. In the 1920s, Palma's original Spanish lyrics underwent several English and Tagalog translations. However, the most popular version was written by Mary A. Lane and Senator Camilo Osias, known as the "Philippine Hymn." On Dec. 5, 1938, the Philippine Congress passed Commonwealth Act 382, which made the anthem’s English words official. In 1956, a new version penned by the Surian ng Wikang Pambansa (Institute of National Language) was adopted. These are the official Filipino lyrics of "Lupang Hinirang" as we sing it today.

Based on these historical accounts, the Ramos administration aggressively pushed the passage of The Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines under Republic Act (RA) 8491 which he signed into law on Feb. 12, 1998. And specifically in Chapter II, Section 37 of RA 8491 as provided, and I quote: "The rendition of the National Anthem, whether played or sung, shall be in accordance with the musical arrangement and composition of Julian Felipe, in 2/4 beat when played; and within the range of 100 to 120 metronome in 4/4 beat when sang."

When it is heard, stand upright, facing the flag and place the right hand on the left chest while singing.

It can be sung in international competitions where the Philippines is the host or has a representative; national and local sports competitions, during the "signing off" and "signing on" of radio broadcasting and television stations, before the initial and last screening of films and before the opening of theater performances; Provided, that the owners and management of the establishments shall be mandated to enforce proper decorum and implement the pertinent provisions of this act; and other occasions as may be allowed by the NHI.

The Oath of Patriotism (Panatang Makabayan) must be recited after the singing of the national anthem in basic education institutions.

The Pledge of Allegiance (Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat ng Pilipinas) may be recited as well, though the law did not specify who is required to do so.

So, all these fancy singing of "Lupang Hinirang" are really a violation of this law. But I'm sure there was no such ill motive for many of those who sing it with so much fervor and capping them with dramatic higher notes. Perhaps, it is their way of showing their love of country. Singing it though in higher notes expose them to risk of being out of pitch and out of tune. And it also defeats the intention of encouraging all to sing the National Anthem.

The best way to avoid embarrassment is simply to obey the law by singing the National Anthem the way it should be no higher, no slower than it should be sung. Aside from standing at attention and facing the Philippine flag (if displayed), RA 8491 also requires us to place our right palm over our left chest while singing the National Anthem.

The singing of our National Anthem is not only a patriotic duty but also a daily ritual for school children and perhaps for the men in uniform in the police and military camps. The civilian employees of the government, on the other hand, are only required to sing the National Anthem every Monday morning in flag-raising rites. These days, the only time I get to sing the National Anthem, except when I attend an official occasion, is when I watch the last full show in a movie house. But then again, I only get disappointed when they play the bastardized version of the National Anthem. Our government authorities should do something to correct such dishonor to the sacred hymn of our nation.