Fighting the climate crisis through the power of the youth

Calling all Filipino youth! Be counted and sign the Global Youth Letter. Our voices make a difference, and no act is too small. Young people all over the world are raising their voices for climate action. #AddYourVoice now: bit.ly/AddYourVoicePH

Over the last six months, the British Council has crowdsourced the views of more than 8000 young people from diverse backgrounds across 23 countries to find out what their priorities are for climate action. The research shows that 90 per cent of young Filipinos already feel the effects of climate change, impacting their lives. Moreover, 77 per cent of young Filipinos believe they have the skills to address climate change. But they also know that young people have, far too often, been ignored, and any meaningful spaces for ‘active participation’ are closed. 

Review from The Sound Desk: "BINI's "Golden Arrow", 3rd Single from iTunes PH's number one album, "Born to Win"

"Grab the ice cream, go turn the clock Dance till midnight, nobody knock..."

When Mikha of leading female P-Pop group BINI rapped these lines from "Golden Arrow," the third single from their debut album, "Born to Win," the ladies made no mistake about being dead serious... about having fun.  

For sure, Aiah, Colet, Maloi, Gwen, Stacey, Mikha, Sheena and Jhoanna are having the time of their lives right now: B2W has peaked at number one on iTunes Philippines' Top Album Chart with 12 of its tracks making the list of the top 15 songs.  It's more than just an auspicious debut; it's phenomenal.  And the single, "Golden Arrow" captures the essence of the ladies' massive appeal.

Ben&Ben team up with Taiwanese Mandopop star WeiBird on dreamlike track “Cheap Love”

2021 has been a massive year for Filipino folk-pop collective Ben&Ben in terms of commercial and critical success. Their sophomore album, Pebble House, Vol. 1: Kuwaderno has earned glowing praises from reputable music critics and publications in the Philippines and Asia, with Rick Olivares of ABS-CBN News calling it a “brilliant masterpiece” and Paul John Caña of Esquire Philippines pointing out its vital role in establishing the band as the “pre-eminent artist of their generation.” In less than two months, Ben&Ben’s recently released album has surpassed more than 30 million streams on Spotify alone—a groundbreaking feat that attests to the group’s universal appeal and enduring impact for nearly an entire decade.

Huawei's Ryan Ding: Green 5G Networks for a Low-Carbon Future

At the 2021 Global Mobile Broadband Forum (MBBF), Ryan Ding, Huawei's Executive Director and President of the Carrier Business Group, gave a keynote speech entitled "Green 5G Networks for a Low-Carbon Future". In his speech, Ding said that 5G has become a new engine for the growth of the mobile industry, and that to adapt to the rapid growth of data traffic, the whole industry will need to keep pursuing innovations in power supply, distribution, use, and management, and build greener 5G networks with higher performance and lower energy consumption.

According to Ding, in countries where 5G is developing faster, operators who have invested heavily in 5G have seen remarkable returns, but he stressed that operators will realize business value only when the 5G user penetration rate is high enough. When the 5G user penetration rate reaches a threshold of 20%, Ding said, rapid development of 5G will follow. In countries such as China, South Korea, and Kuwait, operators were quick to provide continuous nationwide coverage, giving users a consistent experience. They also offer flexible service packages, which delivers a win-win result for both users and themselves. In addition, these operators are providing a gigabit experience—a tangible improvement over 4G—to accelerate user migration and network evolution. In these countries, the 5G user penetration rate has exceeded the 20% threshold, triggering a positive cycle of user growth, business returns, and network construction.

On World Smile Day®, Smile Train Celebrated Smiles Through The #KayGandaNgBawatNgiti Campaign

Smile Train, the world’s leading cleft charity, launched the #KayGandaNgBawatNgiti campaign in the Philippines as they invited Filipinos to celebrate World Smile Day® on October 1st. Held annually on the first Friday of October, World Smile Day®, is a day dedicated to inspiring everyone to do acts of kindness around the world.  

In line with Smile Train’s global message, “All Smiles are Beautiful”, Smile Train Philippines localized the campaign with #KayGandaNgBawatNgiti which aims to raise awareness for cleft-affected individuals, capturing the beauty of all kinds of smiles and mitigate discrimination towards those born with a cleft or other birth differences. 

“Smile Train strives to give individuals born with a cleft their forever smiles and brighter futures. With the help of all our partner hospitals and medical professionals, we can truly make a difference to create more smiles and second chances at life,” said Vice President, Smile Train South East Asia, Kimmy Coseteng-Flaviano.

LRT-1 launches #LightRailTourism Photo Contest to inspire city travel

We all miss travelling – exploring destinations, revisiting favorite spots, and even discovering new ones. With this in mind, LRT-1 private operator Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) is launching #LightRailTourism, a photo contest to support the gradual recovery of local tourism within the metro, one click at a time.

Keeping in mind the minimum safety health protocols, the public is invited to share snapshots of interesting or unique spots in Metro Manila, which can be easily accessed by riding the LRT-1. 

You can choose from three categories: #LRT1Mamasyal for destinations and attractions, #LRT1MagFoodTrip for the delicious and mouthwatering food from the city, or #LRT1MagShopping for the best bargains and finds from different shopping centers.

Upload the photo on your personal Facebook account, add a caption, and don’t forget to include the hashtags #LightRailTourism, #ikotMNL, #LRT1, and the hashtag specifying its category. Include a location and tag LRMC’s Facebook page. Make sure it is a public post too!

AmiananPop champions North Luzon pop music with first edition of its songwriting festival

The movement aims to secure regional music’s place in the contemporary music canon

In an effort to foster a better understanding of the North Luzon culture and identity through contemporary music, AmiananPop Music Inc. is officially launching the maiden edition of its songwriting festival, which will take place online this December 4, 2021.

Taking a page from fellow contemporaries, Visayan Pop Music Festival (Vispop) and Mindanao Popular Music Festival (MinPop), the newly formed institution puts a spotlight on a new breed of composers, interpreters, musicians, and producers representing the Ilocos, Cordillera, and Cagayan region, as well as some non-Tagalog speaking areas in Central Luzon.