Welcome relief for OFWs coming home for the Holidays

OFWs have long enjoyed travel tax exemption privileges under Section 2 of PD 1183, due to their significant contribution to our national economy. During the previous Holiday season though, and in Holiday Seasons past, those who wished to take advantage of their travel tax exemption had to obtain a certificate from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), for which there was a fee. This Holiday Season will be the first in which OFWs will no longer need to pay for and obtain a separate Travel Tax Exemption Certificate.

When leaving the country for their country of employment after this year’s holiday season. OFWs can be exempted automatically from travel taxes in one of two ways: If they were hired through the POEA, the Overseas Employment Certificate issued by the POEA will serve as the Travel Tax Exemption Certificate. For those hired directly by companies abroad, a Certificate of Employment issued by the Philippine Embassy / Consulate in the place of work or an Employment Contract authenticated by the Philippine Embassy / Consulate.

Sherlock’s Sidekick Reimagined

Elementary’s Dr. Watson is a master class of grace, wit, and power

Lucy Liu on both television and film is no stranger to strong female personas. From private investigator Alex Nuncy in Charlie’s Angels to Yakuza boss O-Ren Ishii in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, the Asian-American star showed that she has the versatility to take on a wide range of unforgettable roles.

Over the years, the award-winning actress-director moved further and further away from stereotypes often linked to actresses of Asian descent. Of all the roles she played, no departure is as striking as her character in the procedural drama Elementary, a modern reimagining of the world’s most famous fictional detective—Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.

Industry professionals learn best practices in construction in first-ever Bosch User Conference

Above: (From left) Dremel ambassadors 

Dennis Mendoza, Kenny Ansis, and Sonny Limjap 

(2nd from right), and Bosch ambassadors 

Paco Pili and Ricky Ongkeko

Leading power tool brand Bosch recently concluded the Bosch User Conference at MC Home Depot in Bonifacio Global City. Industry professionals, traders, dealers and users were gathered to see the latest from Bosch’s vast portfolio of portable handyman solutions and accessories from Bosch Professional, Bosch Cordless Tools, Bosch Measuring Tools and Dremel Rotary Tools. Held for the first time, the Bosch User Conference aims to build strong connection and support to its consumers through an educational platform that will help them maximize the capabilities of innovative power tools.

Bosch ambassadors and end-users Sonny Limjap, Paco Pili, Kenny Ansis, Dennis Mendoza and Ricky Ongkeko led interactive demonstrations and hands-on activities on woodworking, upcycling, DIY, and construction with the use of Bosch and Dremel rotary tools and measuring tools.

Michael Sheen, an Android Bartender in "Passengers"

He is known to millions as a vampire in the Twilight saga films and a werewolf in the Underworld franchise. Now, Michael Sheen now stars as Arthur, the android bartender on board the intergalactic spaceship in Columbia Pictures' exciting new action-thrlller Passengers.

In the film, Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence) and Jim (Christ Pratt) are two strangers who are on a 120-year journey to another planet when their hibernation pods wake them 90 years too early. Jim and Aurora are forced to unravel the mystery behind the malfunction as the ship teeters on the brink of collapse, jeopardizing the lives of the passengers on the greatest mass migration in human history.

New "Dunkirk" Trailer Puts You at the Battlefront

The new trailer of master filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s epic war film Dunkirk has just been released and may be viewed at https://youtu.be/L4-UIhtbz4M.

Nolan (Interstellar, Inception, The Dark Knight Trilogy) directs Dunkirk from his own original screenplay, utilizing a mixture of IMAX® and 65mm film to bring the story to the screen. 

Dunkirk opens as hundreds of thousands of British and Allied troops are surrounded by enemy forces.  Trapped on the beach with their backs to the sea they face an impossible situation as the enemy closes in.

Dunkirk features a prestigious cast, including Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh and Cillian Murphy as well as newcomer Fionn Whitehead.  The ensemble cast also includes Aneurin Barnard, Harry Styles, James D’Arcy, Jack Lowden, Barry Keoghan and Tom Glynn-Carney.

Warner Bros. Pictures is distributing Dunkirk worldwide and has slated the film for a July 20, 2017 release in the Philippines.

Press Release DTI’s Go Lokal signs MOA with Enchanted Kingdom

The Department of Trade and Industry signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the biggest and leading theme park in the Philippines, Enchanted Kingdom (EK) for its Go Lokal Store Project. EK is one of the first retail players that supported the Go Lokal Store Project of DTI which primarily aims to extensively promote products through provision of store space that will offer locally-made quality products of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from across the country. At present, EK selected 25 MSME suppliers from various regions that will be featured in the said theme park.

DTI’s Go Lokal signs MOA with Enchanted Kingdom. In photo (L-R): DTI Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion Assistant Director Marievic Bonoan and Director Rhodora Leaño, DTI Undersecretary for Industry Promotion Group Nora K. Terrado, Enchanted Kingdom Chairman and President Mr. Mario O. Mamon, and Enchanted Kingdom COO Mrs. Cynthia Mamon. (Photo by DTI-KMIS).

The Ultimate BROcation: The Hilarious Getaway

KIX, action entertainment TV channel, premiered a new reality show, The Ultimate BROcation, last December 14. It is a hilarious reality show about four celebrities from different countries discovering Hong Kong in an all-expense paid vacation, tailor-made for bros.  The show stars our very own R&B sensation Billy Crawford along with 3 other Asian celebrities: Thailand’s “bad boy” DJ and TV host P.K.; award-winning Malaysian hip hop artist SonaOne; and Singaporean maverick chef Bjorn Shen. These bros will bond in Hong Kong for five days with no girlfriends, no kids and no sleep, oh and get this – these four guys don’t even personally know each other.

Aleron All-Male Choir Launches Their Journey To Europe Via Release Of "Dakilang HIwaga" Christmas CD Album Launch

ALERON, one of the country’s top all-male choir launched recently their debut Christmas album “Dakilang Hiwaga,” which includes a wide variety of songs. Also included in the album are some songs from their European Concert and Competition tour repertoire.

The group aims to further cement the Filipino’s reputation of having some of the world’s most formidable musicians through this trip. The group is set to compete in the most prestigious choral singing festivals and competitions from May to July of 2017. 

The most important leg of their tour is the 11th World Symposium for Choral Music which will be held in Barcelona, Spain. The event is hosted by the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM) and will feature the world’s finest choirs and choral leaders. ALERON is one of IFCM’s ambassadors for 2017, and they are the only Filipino performer to have been invited to the event.

Get the know-how on your Globe Broadband connection with the informative and entertaining Just So You Know video series

There was a time when people did not know much about apps like Netflix or devices like Chromecast. Today, these have become a big part of a digital native’s lifestyle and vocabulary. With these new innovations, people need to keep up to maximize their internet connection.

As Globe Broadband continues to roll out faster speeds and better plans across the country, more people are able to gain access to new entertainment content and the latest gadgets customized for their lifestyle.

Taron Egerton is Johnny, the Soulful Gorilla in "Sing"

Young British actor Taron Egerton, known to audiences worldwide for his work in Kingsman: The Secret Service, lends his voice to the teenage gorilla Johnny, in Universal Pictures and Illumination’s Sing, a musical comedy about finding the shining star that lives inside all of us.

(Watch the featurette Be Like Johnny at http://youtu.be/ybKWEspdoJ4.)

A soulful, Cockney gorilla, Johnny’s beautiful singing voice and passion for music are in direct opposition to his role in his father’s bank-robbing crew. He has always resisted a life of crime but has no choice as he was born into it. Johnny wants to be a singer but knows that his alpha-male father would disown him, if he knew the truth. He keeps his involvement in the singing competition a secret, straddling a double life as an aspiring singer by day and getaway driver by night.