Blacklist International, Team Secret, and other Filipino esports teams gun for victories over the region’s best at the Asia Pacific Predator League 2024 Grand Finals

It is all systems go for the highly anticipated Asia Pacific Predator League 2024 Grand Finals at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on January 13 and 14. Twenty-six (26) teams from across the Asia Pacific region will compete in Dota 2 and VALORANT for the coveted Predator Shield and their share of the $200,000 prize pool. 

The question is: How will Filipino teams fare in the tournament? 

For Dota 2, iconic teams Blacklist International, Execration, and defending Asia Pacific Predator League champions Polaris Esports will be joined by the winners of the Philippine qualifiers, Made in Philippines. 

For VALORANT, Team Secret, one of the most renowned teams in the VCT Pacific League, will be alongside Oasis Gaming and ZOL Esports, who both qualified during the Philippine Finals.

“It will be anybody’s game. Predator League is the stomping ground of the region’s up-and-coming esports talents. We are excited to see who is hungry enough for the victory to overcome the competition and win the Predator Shield,” said Sue Ong Lim, General Manager at Acer Philippines.

Globe sees 85% decline in scam, spam SMS, credits strong partnership with banks against fraud

The number of blocked spam and scam text messages related to banks declined by over 85% based on data covering the first three quarters of 2023, reflecting gains of Globe’s vigorous partnerships with the country’s major banks and financial institutions. 

From January to September, Globe’s proactive blocking efforts fended off over 7 million bank-related spam and scam SMS, crashing from a high of 49.3 million in the same period in 2022.

This follows anti-fraud pacts with the Bankers Association of the Philippines, covering 45 major banks, and with individual players in the finance sector, which enable vigorous and timely data and intelligence-sharing to align and enhance efforts to prevent and investigate fraud.

Dive into the Vibrant World of Fiesta with Ginebra San Miguel's 2024 Calendar Girl

Every year, the world’s best-selling gin selects a Calendar Girl who embodies the spirit of the brand. For 2024, Heaven Peralejo is unveiled as Ginebra San Miguel’s Calendar Girl during a festive media launch at The Westin Manila, Mandaluyong City. 

Best known for her acting in the movie ‘Nananahimik ang Gabi,’ which awarded her the Philippines Best Actress award from the Asian Academy Creative Awards, as well as starring in the youth series ‘The Rain in España,’ Heaven shared that it is a dream come true for her to endorse an iconic brand, Ginebra San Miguel. “It’s such a beautiful milestone of my life to be part of Ginebra. When I was 18 years old, gin bilog with pineapple juice was my first drink. It’s a dream come true, my first drink is also my first big endorsement,” she said.  

With the theme “Philippine Fiesta,” the 2024 edition of the Ginebra San Miguel Calendar showcases Heaven in six vibrant fiesta layouts (Panagbenga, Lantern, Higantes, Pintados, Kadayawan, and Masskara), embodying the vibrant spirit of Philippine Fiestas. 

Original Japanese and English-Dubbed Versions of The Boy and The Heron Available in Ph cinemas when it opens January 8

Advanced Fan Screening Event on January 6, Saturday at SM Megamall Cinema 2

Buy your tickets here

Fans who are eagerly awaiting Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and The Heron are in for a thrilling experience at the cinemas as Encore Films (Ph) and Warner Bros. bring the original Japanese and English-dubbed versions to local screens nationwide.

The film has been nominated and also won in prestigious film awards circles. The film continues to awe audiences around the globe, palpably evident with rave reviews from critics and non-critics alike, even breaking box-office records in every territory where it opened. 

Globe Group 2023 Yearender: A year of firsts in life-enabling digital innovations

The year 2023 was a time of greater expansion for the Globe Group, as it continued to deliver life-enabling innovations that solve daily pain points of Filipinos.

From its network optimization and data center business to its debut in climate tech and fintech expansion overseas, the Globe Group cast an even wider net across industries this year, with unstoppable momentum going into the new year.

“Despite the challenges we faced, 2023 was another banner year for Globe, as we continued to cement our standing as the foremost digital solutions provider in the Philippines, with an unrivaled ecosystem of products and services that make life better,” said Ernest Cu, Globe Group President and CEO.

Join Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Keegan-Michael Key, Awkwafina and Danny Devito on an epic family adventure in Illumination’s action-packed new original comedy “Migration”

New year, new beginning. 

This January, meet the latest original adorable characters created by Illumination, the animation studio behind the record-shattering The Super Mario Bros. Movie and beloved franchises Minions, Despicable Me, Sing and The Secret Life of Pets—a duck family called the Mallards, who are going to embark on a great big adventure for the first time ever in the new comedy Migration. 

And it’s not just the Mallards who are doing something new. With Migration, a funny, emotional and visually stunning film that explores universal themes of family, curiosity and the rewards of stepping outside your comfort zone, Illumination embarks on a new adventure as well. 

“At Illumination, we’re fortunate to be the stewards of a number of franchises, but we also believe that we have a mission to bring new stories and new characters to the world,” Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri says. “The making of Migration has been a great adventure. Each time we create a new story, we start in different places. From the time I was a child, I’ve always found ducks incredibly appealing because they’re so silly and likable. But what really gives this movie its universality is that the film is touching on issues that are very human, relevant issues.”

Producer’s picks: Executive producer and star Sydney Sweeney picked Glen Powell and director Will Gluck to work with on “Anyone But You”

In the new edgy and sexy romantic-comedy Anyone But You, Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell play romantic enemies who have to put aside their personal vendettas and pretend to be a head-over-heels couple in order to keep the peace at Bea’s sister’s dream destination wedding. “This movie is a wild, fun time,” says Sweeney, who plays Bea. “It’s sexy, it’s funny, it’s R-rated, there’s beautiful places, an amazing cast. What more could you want?”

TCL's C755 QD-Mini LED TV Dubbed As 'Ultra Game Master' Is Available in Abensons

TCL just unveiled something big and something powerful that goes well with gamers and their need to have optimized TVs that can keep up with the graphic-intensive games that keeps getting competitive everyday. They introduced the TCL C755 QD-Mini LED TV, which dubbed as 'Ultra Game Master' and launched at the Abenson Quezon Avenue Flagship Store.

TCL, a leading brand in consumer electronics and TV manufacturing and the World's Top 2 TV brand together with Abensons join forces to herald the coming of the C755 'Ultra Game Master' QD-Mini LED TV through a formal launch. The event, which was held at the Abenson flagship store at Quezon Avenue, was highlighted with gaming activations to spotlight on this supreme TV main features.  

The Dragon Rises: Rising Tigers Magazine welcomes the Year of the Dragon

Rising Tigers Magazine launched at 2022 on the year of the Tiger. The Magazine is currently the most distributed Leadership Magazine in the Philippines. The growth of the Magazine was due to the stories of the Top Business Leaders, Public Servants and Prominent figures of the country. In just two years, the Magazine expaneded to more National Bookstore branches and successfully penetrated different industries in the Country. Philippine Airlines became one of its strongest partners, and now the Magazine is available in all Mabuhay Lounge as one of their many milestones.

As we enter 2024, Rising Tigers welcomes the year of the Wood Dragon. The dragon symbolizes power, nobleness, honor, and luck. It is a supernatural being with no parallel for talent and excellence.  

According to China Highlights, Because of the Dragons knowledge, power and capability, people are willing to take orders from them. They are best suited leaders of the world with their character traits of dominance and ambition. They are also ambitious, and have a strong drive to realize their dreams and they are adventurous. Once goals are settled, they will try their best to fight for success. Their eloquence and passion make their speech authoritative. They have another gift - their innate luck, which will help them achieve their goals. They are people of charm, so they can always win another's heart easily.

Day 1 of the Asia Pacific Predator League 2024 Grand Finals features Felip-Ylona special collab stage

The two days of the anticipated Asia Pacific Predator League 2024 Grand Finals will not just be filled with Dota 2 and VALORANT action as 26 teams vie for the coveted Predator Shield and the combined prize pool of $200,000. Gaming fans at the SM Mall of Asia Arena will be treated to amazing performances by some of the Philippines’ top artists, including Acer ambassadors Sarah Geronimo and SB19.

Get ready for the special collaboration stage of singer, songwriter, and rapper Felip and Paradise Rising artist Ylona Garcia. Felip, known as Ken, is the main dancer, lead rapper, and vocalist of the phenomenal group SB19. He released his solo debut EP called COM • PLEX 

early this year. Ylona Garcia is a singer and songwriter under Paradise Rising, a label under 88rising and Globe. One of her songs, titled “Entertain Me,” was released in partnership with VALORANT.