Cebuana Lhuillier and Bayad intensifies partnership through real-time bills payment services

Cebuana Lhuillier, one of the leading micro financial service provider companies in the Philippines, boosts its bills payment services through its intensified partnership with Bayad, a trusted multi-channel payment solutions.

Meralco bills can now be paid conveniently in more than 3,000 Cebuana Lhuillier branches.

“Cebuana Lhuillier has always been committed to offer efficient micro financial solutions to our clients, and partnering with the biggest and widest multi-channel payment platform in the country will surely optimize one of our essential services. As we continue to expand our network and improve our digital payment facilities, we will provide our clients more convenient options for their bills payment needs,” Cebuana Lhuillier President and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier shared.

Sponge Cola reveals the inconvenient truth about regret on new single “Laman Ng Panaginip”

The new single is inspired by the power ballads of the ‘80s and ‘90s

Filipino alternative rock outfit Sponge Cola addresses the truth about regret and longing on their heart-wrenching single “Laman Ng Panaginip”—released via Sony Music Philippines.

Redefining love songs with reckless abandon, the Filipino quartet expresses the complexity of impossible choices in a world that is grounded in the familiar and often neglected reality of prioritizing practicality first before anything else, including love.

“This idea is mentioned concretely in the song almost as blunt exposition,” lead vocalist and guitarist Yael Yuzon stresses. “I really wanted the listener to feel that slab of reality to the face as opposed to something vague and symbolic. No figures of speech here; just feel it and let it all out. It’s the type of material that deserves to be sung out loud in the videoke over drinks with our friends and family for some kind of release.”

According to Yuzon, the song is about a love that never was. “The courage and reckless abandon that goes with singing a power ballad oftentimes come from a place of regret.” 

In terms of sonic approach and arrangement, “Laman Ng Panaginip” is inspired by the power ballad movement of the ‘80s and early ‘90s. With guidance from producer Joey Santos of Love One Another Studios, the track delivers another high point in the band’s career with indelible catchiness and impressive musical chops to back it up.

“It's a direct reference to a specific genre and time period that had a very influential impact in our formative years,” guitarist Armo Armovit shares in a statement. “It was recorded in Love One Another with producer Joey Santos making sure each layer of production had meaning and told the story.”

The song’s release is accompanied by an arresting visual helmed by filmmaker Ken Tan. Referencing Armovit, the MV director “did an excellent job in conveying the dream vs reality theme with the most minimal of elements.” The Sponge Cola’s resident guitarist adds, “The dancer, Ysabel Lava, delivered a captivating and emotionally charged performance with every move she choreographed herself.”

“Laman Ng Panaginip” is the fifth single released off their upcoming new album, CLASSIC—to be released sometime this year. The new record will serve as the band’s eighth full-length album, following a string of multiplatinum and critically acclaimed hits that span for more than two decades.

Sponge Cola’s “Laman Ng Panaginip” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Philippines. Watch the music video here.

Globe signs in AcadArena as first gaming partner to support the Hapag Movement

Globe is tapping the local gaming community to help alleviate hunger.  As gaming continues to thrive in the country, Globe saw an opportunity to give customers an avenue to contribute to something meaningful through The Hapag Movement, a fundraising initiative that aims to encourage support for vulnerable families and communities.

To jumpstart the gaming industry's involvement in The Hapag Movement, AcadArena, a leading organization for campus gaming and esports education in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, was the first to signify its support. They have a long-standing partnership with Globe that focuses on building skills development programs, hosting gaming leagues and tournaments, and providing scholarship support.

Musica FEUROPA: Going Strong On Its 13th Year

A Decade And Three Years Of Music, Harmony, And Legacy

MUSICA FEUROPA, the annual national choral festival of Far Eastern University with the European Union (EU) in the Philippines as its partner, makes its mark in the choral scene as it holds its 13th iteration this year. 

The key criterion of MUSICA FEUROPA is that each participating choir has to perform two songs: one song written in any Filipino language, and one song written in an official EU language by someone from an EU member nation. 

Starting with four choirs in 2009, the participants of the choral festival rose to an all-time high of thirty-one choirs from all over the Philippines, with some of them going on to win in competitions outside the country.

Musica FEUROPA became one of the definitive choral competitions in the country. 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic that still affects our country today, Musica FEUROPA has moved to an online setup, utilizing the power of technology to stage the choral festival and present the participating choirs’ music, allowing audiences from around the country and the world to hear their harmony, and letting the choirs build their legacy. 

Justin Bieber Announce Final Global Dates For Justice World Tour

Justin Bieber today announced the final international dates for his record-setting Justice World Tour, including Manila on October 29, 2022 at CCP Open Grounds Manila, Philippines. Having sold in excess of 1.3 million tickets so far, the tour will travel to over 30 countries -- playing more than 125 shows – from May 2022 through March 2023.  

Promoted by AEG Presents Asia and Ovation Productions, tickets to Justin Bieber Justice World Tour Manila are priced from PHP2,692.8 and will go on sale at 10AM local time on May 30, 2022 via Ovationtickets.com and SMTickets.com. 

The upcoming dates start this month in Mexico, with a stop in Italy before continuing on to Scandinavia for shows in August.  Next up is South America, South Africa and the Middle East in September and October.  The tour will close out the year in Asia, Australia and New Zealand before moving to the UK and Europe in early 2023.  Additional dates have also been announced in Dubai, Bahrain, Sydney, New Delhi, Manila, Amsterdam, London and Dublin.

These new shows come on the heels of his 52-date 2022 North American tour, which kicked off in San Diego on February 18. Each evening promises to be a celebration for both Justin and his fans after the pandemic sidelined his 2020 tour.  

Cast of "Top Gun: Maverick" Thrilled to Fly Actual Fighter Jets

Ever wondered what it’s like to fly in a fighter jet? It’s like being strapped onto a DRAGON.  Join Tom Cruise and the cast and crew of Top Gun: Maverick, as they discuss their experiences flying in actual US Navy F/A-18s in this behind-the-scenes featurette called “Power of the Naval Aircraft.”

Check out the video below and watch Top Gun: Maverick in cinemas across the Philippines May 25.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/8Ez6ZLU30-Q

“Tom [Cruise] said that the only way he was going to do this sequel was if there was no CGI,” says co-star Miles Teller of Cruise’s one undebatable demand. Fortunately, the director of Top Gun: Maverick, Joseph Kosinski, felt exactly the same way. “That was one of the first tenets of even doing this movie,” says Kosinski. “Tom doesn’t have to do another movie for the rest of his life. [He] will only make a movie if he truly believes there’s a reason it has to be made.” That reason? To do the only thing he couldn’t last time out: shoot it for real. “It’s a love letter to aviation,” says producer Jerry Bruckheimer of shooting without CGI trickery. “We’re going to show you what it’s really like to be a Top Gun pilot. An aviation film like this has never been done.”

New Trailer Explores the Rise to Fame of "Elvis"

“I’m gonna show you what the real Elvis is like tonight.” Don’t miss Austin Butler and Tom Hanks in THE film of the summer. Check out the new trailer of Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” below and watch the film only in theaters across the Philippines June 22.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/J-_kQZPOOIs

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/warnerbrosphils/videos/742988720039748/

About “Elvis”

From Oscar-nominated visionary filmmaker Baz Luhrmann comes Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama “Elvis,” starring Austin Butler and Oscar winner Tom Hanks.

The film explores the life and music of Elvis Presley (Butler), seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Hanks).  The story delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America.  Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).