Eleksyon 2013 – I Voted Wisely

Juan Luna Elementary School ,  830 G. Tolentino Street,  Barangay 397, Sampaloc, Manila-Philippines

I am a long time resident  and a voter of Manila.  My family  lived in various districts – Tondo, Binondo, San Miguel , Santa Mesa, Santa Cruz and Sampaloc. I remember our first polling precinct was located in the old PUP  ( Lepanto street ) campus now Sergio H. Loyola street then transferred to the Church of the Later Day Saints compound along R. Papa near Far Eastern University  before moving to the current site.

Paaralang Juan Luna

I wanted to vote as early as possible,  normally would go to the polling station 30 minutes to  1 hour before the opening . But somehow went to Divisoria to do some last minute shopping. Just a little over 7:00 am – I got an sms from a friend that there is a long line at  the polling station and the PCOS machine had a malfunction ! See the exact map : http://wikimapia.org/745738/Juan-Luna-Elementary-School

voters outside of the polling station located within Juan Luna Elementary School

OMG, I don’t want to be stuck in the long lines just like what happened in 2010 Presidential election .  I just took my time roaming around until past noontime when i received another sms message that the polling station line was short. but the PCOS machine still had some problem ( voting had to start by 8:00am after two voters sheet were initially rejected. ) before the BEI allowed the voters to start voting .

barangay number  with  their  corresponding polling precinct

At around past 1:00pm  ( after lunch )  ,  I went to look at the bulletin board  in front of the school .  Since i knew our barangay number and polling station – It just took less than 30 seconds to pinpoint my polling station and it was located on the third floor of the school. While climbing to the stairs – I saw several senior citizens  and person with disabilities having a hard time going up stairs .  One had to be carried sitting on a mono- block chair up to the third floor of the school!

list of voters

It was indeed a very sad incident that COMELEC officials must consider in the next election . Senior citizens and Person with disabilities must be allocated a space preferably in ground floor so that they will not climb up to the second , third , firth and even fifth floor of the polling precinct. Unlike in Quezon City or Makati . Barangays in  Caloocan  , Manila  are based on a numerical number , zone rather than a barangay name.  It is wise for voters to know their barangay number and barangay chairman- A classic example is M.V. Delos Santos street which are divided into 3 barangays with 3 different barangay  numbers .

voting precinct 2027-A -Room 317

I was able to  locate our polling precinct and was assisted by our barangay chairman who happened to be within the vicinity.  I went to the Board of Election Inspector ( BEI) and introduced myself to them, then identified the polling station, barangay number – Then after a quick look , The BEI handed me the ballot sheet and let me  sign opposite my name .  The process is quite quick unlike the 2010 elections! It took less than 5 minutes compared to more than 2 hours and queuing for the long lines .  I  prepared a short list of names of whom to vote , so it just took me about 5 minutes to finish  voting. There were only 5 voters when i voted a little past 2:00 pm , I handed the ballot to one of the member and he just put the filled  ballot right beside a small box beside the PCOS machine , apparently the COMELEC technicians were not able to trouble shoot the machine  . Which caused some confusion and long lines during the morning .  Before leaving the polling station , I saw 2 to 4 people looking at the list and went inside the precinct.

COMELEC reminder

After i voted,  took some time for a quick chat with our neighbors and poll watchers about what happened to the PCOS machine in our polling station,  a nun over heard our conversation and told that that they will surely guard those PCOS machines which had some glitches ( relief on my part )  .

fiesta -like mood outside of the polling precinct

I think the 2013 election is more orderly compared with the 2010 election . I do not have to wait for long lines and wait for more than 2 hours just  for me to vote, Perhaps in the next election ( barangay ) I might  change my voting habits !

people along the G. Tolentino street

 There should be a special voting precinct  place for the senior citizens , people with  disabilities or even those with high blood pressure who cannot endure climbing up the stairs ,  the extreme humidity and hot weather due to cramped classrooms. I must say ‘congratulations ‘ to all Filipino voters for braving the heat and pressure. Same with the teachers who served as board of election inspectors , volunteers , poll watchers and PPCRV!

First Laguna Blogging Summit: My Top 10 Learning Experience!Part 1

Cultural Center of Laguna , Capitol Grounds, Santa Cruz , Laguna province -Philippines

Governor Jeorge ” ER ” Ejercito Estregan Jr.

Laguna province is known as “Resort Capital ” , ” Silicone Valley ”  and ” Detriot ” of the Philippines “ as promoted in their tourism slogan. In fact , Laguna province is one of the most visited provinces south of Manila. The province was regarded by the Department of Tourism as one of the country’s Top Tourist Destinations of Choice .

Province of Laguna: www.laguna.gov.ph/

 Lucky students , professors and early birds were given breakfast meals and lunch  courtesy of the Laguna provincial government thru the office of Governor Jeorge “ER” Ejercito .  The governor aside from being known as a multi-awarded  film actor and producer. He is the only Laguna governor which was awarded  the ” Presidential Lingkod Bayan ” in 2011.

Gardenia’s mangoes creme filled rolls balloon  delighted visitors and guests to the blogging summit

The province is accessible to commuters in Metro Manila.   When I saw an advertisement about the blogging summit to be held in the province last July 2012, I quickly took the opportunity to register  at the on-line site. I also filed a leave in order just to attend the two-day summit.

old- provincial capitol building done during the American colonial regime under going restoration process

The 2-day summit is sponsored by the province of Laguna thru the office of Governor Jeorge ” ER ” Ejercito Estregan and the provincial council led by District II board member – Hon. Neil Andrew Nocon and other municipalities like Angeles City by Mayor Ed Pamintuan.

 replica of the carriedo fountain  and  the  pyramidal  shaped – Cultural Center of Laguna within  the capitol grounds.

1.) Learning is never ending process !  learning new  ‘things’ can always be never ending and often cyclical process !!! . When we arrived at the summit, we were greeted by the friendly staffs of the summit , vips , organizers and students from various colleges and universities from different parts of Laguna.  Some of the students took time taking notes on whatever inputs we can share to them, from personal experiences in school,  work experiences  , our advocacies and even blogging know how. We also learn something new from them  and same with the rest of the group. Just like sponge , We would tend to absorb water or in our case,  knowledge  into our system . Hoping not to squeeze it out .

students , faculties , media practitioners , bloggers, vips in the  jam- packed venue.

There were at least 600 attendees  from STI Laguna, AMA Computer College- Sta. Cruz branch , University of the Philippines – Los Baños, Laguna State Polytechnic University ( LSPU )  of Siniloan campus and Santa Cruz ,  Laguna State Polytechnic College , writers, bloggers,  media practitioners , industry experts and among others.  Some of the early birds  were given exclusive seats , hand-outs , goodie bags, historical poster map of the province  together with those who registered in the summit . In fact , this is our chance to mingle with them and learn some of their stories.  These students will soon become the future bloggers , social media influencer ,  policy makers  ,  advocates themselves, and would eventually become the future leaders of the country, so it’s just appropriate that we should take care of their “social” and intellectual development. The professors and students told us that they are very fortunate to be invited by the organizers to the summit.  The topics are very informative and are also relevant to the syllabus in their courses.

Laguna State Polytechnic University : http://lspu.edu.ph/

Gardenia booth

Gardenia : http://www.gardenia.com.ph/

Since  most of the students came early and  from far flung places, the organizers  and Gardenia gave away great tasting muffins, creme rolls and sandwiches  .  The venue can accommodate  more than 1,200 people in any given event.  This is the cultural hub of the province,  According to the caretaker of the center , There are between 6 to 8 events that are being held at the  cultural center every month.  Events like Miss World -Philippines 2012 ,  Miss and Mr. Laguna 2012 , First Laguna Blogging  Summit  were  among the top crowd drawers at the convention center.  In fact,   just before lunchtime, the summit became one of the top trending topics  in Twitter , Facebook  and other social networking sites  ! This shows that even those people in far away provinces  like Davao , Zamboanga , Ilocos regions, Cagayan province  and even abroad are connected to the summit thru their social media accounts and are showing support to the summit.

Some lucky ones also got interesting freebies from Tiny Buds , one of the sponsors of the event. The company is known for their baby item materials such as cotton buds , hypo- allergenic hand sanitizer, baby powder and  many other items, which is very good for daily use and as  Chistmas gifts . I have personally bought several hand sanitizer and immediately use them, unlike the commercially available  brands , Tiny Buds hand sanitizer leaves no sticky residue on hands.

Tiny Buds at Face Book : http://www.facebook.com/tinybuds

participants name  tag sponsored by COMELEC

2. Learning with the aid of celebrity– Celebrity can help promote one advocates, role model and in education .  Before the Honorable Mayor Of Pagsanjan was presented to the public, a video presentation about Laguna and its wonderful tourist destination was shown to the public.   Honorable  Girlie Maita Javier Ejercito, was exceptionally stunning in her  white outfit that morning when she welcomed the summit participants . One of the participant, told me that she looked like Ms. Kuh Ledesma .  I say what? , then  I told the participant that i think she used to play some  roles in movies and even commercials.

Honorable Mayor Girlie Maita Javier -Ejercito of Pagsanjan

Everyone was mesmerized with her short but very powerful welcome remarks , Then suddenly almost everyone shouted ” Sample, Sample ” ng kanta  .  It was then followed by an impromptu but surprisingly very energetic song number – complete with a backdrop music video entitled Bangkero, Lahat ay Masaya, and a few hints of dance steps. The promotional video highlighted the beauty of Laguna,with the focal point is the majestic Pagsanjan falls. She granted  few photo opportunity as the hectic schedule allowed her to stay at the summit for just a few minutes. She is to accept an award from the DEPED .

 3rd from the right top row -Engineer Grace Bondad- Nicolas, Mayor Girlie Maita Javier -Ejercito ( Pagsanjan ) Honorable Niel Andrew Nocon -councilor second district of Laguna , bloggers, media practitioners.

The honorable mayor  formerly  known as  Maita Sanchez,  the  wife of the Mr.  Jeorge  E.R. Ejercito Jr.  She recalled how she was part of the movie in the late 1980’s  and ”  Hindi ko na pinakawalan si Jeorge ”  referring to his husband and now with 4 kids.  She is like a walking promotional billboard , when she speaks , everyone stops and  listens .

Mr. Tony Ahn – an event organizer , blogger and website developer

Mr. Tony Ahn unique blend of education and experience makes him one of the most highly sought after social media evangelists in Asia.  His  degree focused on ethnography, a branch of anthropology that studies and describes contemporary human cultures. Ethnographers capture and communicate “webs of meaning,” defining the inter-working of cultures from an inside perspective.

Mr. Tony Ahn holding ” BLOG Like a Star ” Six Tips for Digital Fame booklet

Tony holds a master’s degree in counseling from Pennsylvania State University, giving him rich insights into human motivation and behavior. Simply put, Tony knows what consumers want and why. He has used this knowledge to reshape online customer service practices on two continents. While heading the digital team there, he designed a line of signature social media marketing products that has been used by Ayala Land Corporation, Krispy Kreme, Alaxan, and PSBank, among others.

Mr. Tony Ahn being interviewed by a television news reporter from TV channel 5 – Kapatid Network

Tony’s first entrepreneurial venture came in 2005 when he co-founded a publishing company. As CEO, He innovated new uses of social media for crowdsourced content creation. In May of this year he opened Tony Ahn & Co., as part of a new emerging class of agencies: hybrid traditional/digital marketing/PR firms. He’ll be drawing back the curtain and giving an insider view of the business of blogger relations, from an agency perspective.

                Business Address : 18th Floor PhilamLife Tower, 8767 Paseo de   Roxas Street  , Makati City , National Capital Region , Philippines

Land line : (632) 814-95-77

Website : Tony Ahn and Company : http://tonyahn.com/

 Mr Sonnie Santos wrote “W.A.V.E. Your Way To The Top!” a guidebook to keep a growth conducive work attitude, values and ethics, in the midst of corporate politics, misconduct and other issues.

 Mr. Santos had been tapped as a resource person in various corporations, academe-giving lectures on technology matters such as (1) Responsible use of social media and crafting of online policy (2) Cyber wellness and (3) Cyber Bullying. On people development, Sonnie gave seminars on (1) Leadership Development, (2) Work Attitude, Values and Ethics with Spiritual Intelligence as framework (3) Digital HR or HR 2.0 (4) Organizational and Personal Branding (5) HR for Non HR among many others.

Ms. Elizabeth Angsiaco

Ms. Elizabeth Angsiaco is a columnist – Manila Standard ,  RH bill advocate , mother and award winning blogger.  Ms. Angsioco is also the national chairperson of the Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines. She spoke to the audience about the role of social media and how to help those people from the depress communities . She also cited some examples on how bloggers can use in helping those in dire need  ” What we should have is social media ++  plus, plus ” I  must totally agree with her statement .

Honorable  Niel Andrew Nocon– board member 2nd district of Laguna

Mr. Niel Andrew Nocon is a councilor / bukal of the 2nd district of Laguna . He is a University of the Philippines, Los Baños graduate and handling the Tourism, History, Culture and Arts, Education and Public Works of the province. The current President under the Turismo Los Baños , Red Cross Volunteers, member of Board of Trustees HUMEIN Philippines and member of the Board of Regents-Laguna University.

Ms. Jasmine Cruz and Ms. Camille Abadicio

Before the noon time break , Ms. Camille Abadicio – a junior news correspondence of  TV channel 5 ( Kapatid Network ) interviewed some promising bloggers which includes Ms. Jasmine Cruz and her mom Mrs. Merceditas Cruz  , Tony Ahn and the organizers of the event . The interview was to be shown on September 29, 2012 on TV channel 5.

lunch sponsored  by the  Laguna government

3.) Learning with the Professionals – As they say , Nothing beats the pro,  technique on how to increase traffic on your blogsite,  advocacy bloggers, health bloggers, educational bloggers  and those people with the expertise  within the industry  .   Nothing beats getting first hand information from the blogging  practitioners ,  they are imparting valuable information which can aid newbies and aspiring future social media practitioners.

Nurse Alvin Cloyd Dakis

 Nurse Alvin Dakis is one of the few health bloggers in the country. He is the National President & Chief Executive Officer Alliance of Young Nurse Leaders & Advocates International Inc., Health Committee Chairperson National Anti-Poverty Commission, Youth & Students Sector, Office of the President and NCR Health Council Chairperson of the EDSA People Power Commission under the Office of the President.

Nurse Alvin Cloyd Dakis received a certificate of appreciation from Engineer Grace Nicolas, representatives from Gardenia and  Mer- Nels Pastries

Ms. Wenchie Flores Sabban together with the organizers of the First Laguna Blogging Summit

Ms. Wenchie Flores- Sabban is a congressional chief of staff and worked at the Senate of the Philippines for 12 years,  She is a Communication Arts graduate of University of Santo Tomas  and  served 3- terms as Kabataang Barangay Chairperson in Manila during her teens. She also worked in the Philippine Senate as Executive Assistant to the late Former Chief Justice and Senate President Marcelo Fernan, legislative staff to the late Senator Raul Roco , Now she is the  chief of Staff in Congress and consultants to some legislators.

Engineer  Fritz Gerard Villafuerte

Mr. Fritz Gerald – Villafuerte is an engineer,  blogger , entrepreneur  and a financial analyst expert, He is also good in drawing as shown in his power point presentation ” Bloggers Horror Stories ” tell stories on top bloggers who would go bankrupt overnight . financial planning and allocation is also very important .  He also conducts free seminars and lecture about financial planning – this is one of his advocates ( Financial Freedom )

Website link : http://fitzvillafuerte.com/

COMELEC- Director Mr. James Jimenez

 Mr. James Jimenez is a graduate of University of Santo Tomas with two degrees , received four awards, and learned zero skills that would have made him employable in a call-center.  With 52,000,000 estimated registered voters in 2013,  Using  traditional tools in voters education can take approximately  10, 400 sessions in 28 years !!! HUH such a long time !.

Mr. James Jimenez received a token of appreciation from the organizers of the event. 

That is where the need of Social Media on Voters Education comes along ,   He emphasized that there is an urgent need to  properly educate the voting public, and social media can help a great deal because of its increasing reach and usage .  The role of the social media in election campaigns of politicians. Mr. Jimenez  cited some examples of  election related – advocacy groups  formed thru the power of social media like the #Epalwatch and Anti-Epal movement where the COMELEC had recently formed an alliance with to become their arm in helping them identify the “Epals in the City.” and their campaign .

Website link : http://www.comelec.gov.ph/

4.) Learning from Fun,  Games and Trivias ! – The exciting part of  the summit is the fun and antics by ” comic ” speakers . While  contest giveaways,  question and answer portion , trivia  and gifts courtesy of the many sponsors like  Krispy Kreme, Tiny Buds, Chowking ,  Walk This Way Tours, Mary Pauline Salon, Star Salon, Microsoft Philippines, Mer-Nels Cake, Andrew Grace Home Builders among many others.   This part of the summit makes everyone’s adrenaline rush , mad dash to the microphone,  squeaky voices and a hell lot of  trivias about the host province. I do not know that some students somehow even forgot their basic history lessons ! Basta Bawal ang Pikon ! Puro laugh trip !!!

Mr. Pocholo de Leon Gonzales – Art of  Personal Branding ( Pochology 101)

Mr. ” Choy ” Gonzales , specializing in original character voice for animation and dubbing, voice impersonation, radio drama, radio and television ads, id’s, and children shows . His voice was already used in a thousand characters in anime, hundreds of local commercials in radio and television, and various children’s programs, films, foreign telenovelas, drama, and other TV shows,  earned him  various title like  ” The Voice Master ” , ” Man with a Thousand  Voice ” , ” Master Dubber ” , ” Comic Voices” among others . He was featured in more than 100 television shows from different television stations.

Bubu Chacha – a a story of a dog who became a car – a popular anime in the Philippines in the late 1999 – Choy is one of the dubber of the main character

Bubuchacha.com : bubuchacha.com

Choy is best known for his young, fresh, funny, different and friendly sound. He finished BA Speech Communication and MA Broadcast Communications at the University of the Philippines– Diliman. Choy’s  talk on personal branding was a tough act to follow (complete with sound effects and various voices reminiscent of the radio dramas during the old days.) He is one of the best motivational speakers in the summit  which  brought the entire convention area down !

Mr. Pocholo ” Choy ” Gonzales received a token of appreciation from the organizers of the event and representatives from Gardenia , Tiny Buds and Mer – Nels Bakeshop

Choy also helped in founding Voice of the Youth (VOTY) one of his advocacies. This radio program aired for two hours each Sunday for more than four years. Voice of the Youth opened opportunities for young people to voice their ideas and opinions on an array of issues affecting their lives.

I could say it was like going to a comedy bar, stage play and at the same time learning thru being funny. I learned three ” things ” from Choy,  1.) Who are You ?  2.) What do you do ? 3.) What makes you unique ?  I guess everyone is unique.

 Pocholo Gonzales : http://www.pochologonzales.com/

5.) Learning thru Perspiration and Inspiration

Mr. “John ” Lloyd Luna

Few proverbial sayings can be attributed to a named individual. In this case, we can name the coiner of the expression – the American inventor Thomas Alva Edison. Edison is first reported as saying “Genius is one per cent inspiration, ninety-nine per cent perspiration” sometime around 1902, in the September 1932 edition of Harper’s Monthly Magazine.

But somehow, I must agree with this . However not all success in life in purely inspiration but also perspiration.

Mr. Lloyd Luna together with the student from the computer college, The student initially mistaken the speaker as the ” photographer ” of the summit , the student  was taken into a surprise of his life  when he was called unto the stage  becoming an instant celebrity .

Before the next  inspirational speaker was formally introduced to the crowd, a short video presentation from Balitang ” K” hosted by Ms. Korina Sanchez narrating the lives of  young millionaires .  Mr. Lloyd Luna was one of the 4 young millionaires that was featured in the story .  Mr.  Luna, the motivational speaker , book author , entrepreneur ,  blogger knows  how to catch  the attention  of the participants .  Wearing ordinary white-t shirt , jeans and unassuming ways .His non-formal attire and looks ,  He was able to bring  the entire convention center  down by just  his  funny antics and artista way of  delivery.  Just like having a short skit imitating the famous actor  ” John Lloyd ” Cruz . My great impression about the speaker  is that he was able to use his unusual encounters  to his advantage . He cited an example of once being seated in front of a summit when he tried asking for bottled water , the organizer at first glance refuses to gave him a bottled water, When he was called on to the stage  as ” speaker ” it was the only time that the lady gave her the bottled water.  Looks can be very deceiving.  This time around ,  a group of students  mistaken him as a  “photographer” before he was introduced as the speaker . The  scenario with the students became a comic relief  for everyone. He indeed caught everyone’s attention when he got the last laugh after he showed the students he was more than just an ordinary guy, By , now everyone is calling him ” John ” Lloyd Luna  a guy who despite of modest upbringing and initial hardship in life became of the most sought after motivational speakers in blogging conventions and lifestyle summits not only in the Philippines by also throughout the World !!!

Engineer Grace -Nicolas  together with representatives from Chowking , Gardenia, Mer-Nels Bakery  and Mr. Florencio Jusay Jr.  presented a token gifts to the speaker

His company speaks to more than half a million people on career, business, and personal development every year . From a simple publishing outfit, his company has grown to a full-service people development firm that helps entrepreneurs, business leaders, and political figures in the areas of human resource development, personal achievement, career improvement, internet marketing, sales, corporate imaging, and personal branding, and political strategy.

Thumbs -Up for the two speakers ! Mr. Pocholo ” Choy ” Gonzales and Mr. ” John ”  Lloyd Luna  together with the author

He also sponsor the printing of several school papers which helps students voice their opinion and other important matters.

Lloyd Luna : http://www.lloydluna.com/

Mr. Benjamin Vergel de Dios of Knowledge Community talks about  the GTS program of De La Salle University and CHED

The Graduate Tracer Study or GTS 2012 is a nationwide survey sampling graduates from 837 out of 1,691 higher education institutions. It seeks to investigate the employ-ability of higher education graduates and assess the relevance of higher education programs vis-à-vis expectations of employers.

Mr. Benjamin Vergel de Dios gave Engineer Grace -Nicolas a certificate of appreciation

The study will focus on graduates of 20 disciplines from academic years 2005/06 until 2009/10. The target number of respondents of the survey is 58,000.  Please try to take time to answer their survey in their website.

Commission on Higher Education :www.ched.gov.ph/

Knowledge Community : knowledgecommunity.ph/

group picture  after the first day of the summit

 Please visit the the Laguna Blogging Summit : My Top 10 Learning Experience Part 2 : https://renz15.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/first-laguna-blogging-summit-my-top-10-learning-experience-part-2/

Website Links:

 1 LaBS : http://www.lagunabloggingsummit.com/

Andrew Grace Builders : http://www.aghomebuilders.com/

8th I-Blog Philippine Summit

Malcolm Building – College of Law , University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City- Philippines

entrance to the Malcolm Building

I always wanted to join the I-Blog summit ever since , However due to conflict of schedule and work load,  i had to shove -off my plans.  Last April 15, 2012 a postal heritage tour participant Ms. Bebang Siy and a couple of travel bloggers told me that there was an upcoming 8th I-Blog summit .

early registrants during first day of the summit

The author just took their reminder in passing , It would take several more weeks when i surf the internet and  saw the advertisement of the event . After checking my work schedule on May 22  , I quickly signed-up for the summit. This is it , But there were already 400 plus registered participants  and i was not able to see my name in the roster of registered participants  .

8th i-Blog stand-up poster

How can i come to the summit unregistered  ? I do not want to barge into the summit .  I tried asking around and was advice  by some  blogger friends that i should come to the I-blog summit . According to them , not everyone can come and attend despite the pre-registration efforts.

TV channel 5  Kapatid Network  and Unilab booth

    I woke -up early morning on May 25, 2012 and quickly took a jeepney ride going to the University of the Philippines .  I arrived past 6:30 am and was the first participant to arrive at the Malcolm building . About half an hour passes -by ,  Saw some personnel and event organizers  and quickly signed-up as the first participant of the summit Yeyhey ! Finally after several years , This is my first time to attend the summit .

Kasperksy Philippines booth

    There are several sponsors and donors of the event. Mc Donald -Philippines gave  pack meals during the first and second day of the summit, while Unilab gave away pack meals , snacks items ,  writing pads, raffled -off some slots in their Marathon and Multivitamin packs during the event.  Kaspersky Philippines  gave interesting ballers .TV channel 5,  the Kapatid network also raffled off  I-pod and gave away 2012 London Olympics ID strap  ( a commemorative item) TV channel 5 and AKSYON channel 41  is the country’s official free to air television channel of  the 30th Olympic Games .

The Villar Foundation booth showcasing their water hyacinth handicraft projects, OFWs , environmental projects, livelihood programs among others.

 The Villar Foundation also raffled off organic fertilizers , COMELEC also gave away voter’s registration pins and the commission was in charge of the i- BLOG registration process.

Summit – May 25 ( Day 1)

Before the opening of the summit, we were given time by the organizers to promote our blog sites, advocates , products and services .  Knowing that there are still a lot of  art, travel , lifestyle , hobby , culture and even paranormal bloggers which had not been part of the postal heritage guided tour . I quickly took the opportunity and promote the event.  After all,  the main post office building in Manila will soon be converted into a six star hotel and lease to the HK group which controls the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore .

Mr. Carlo Ople the first speaker of the summit

Mr. Carlo Ople is currently serves as the Senior  Manager for Social Media Marketing of the TV channel 5,  Kapatid network . He is  the founder and former Principal Consultant of Catalyst Interactive Marketing Inc., a digital marketing agency based in the Philippines. Prior to Catalyst, he was the Digital Marketing Manager of Friendster and Marketing Head for the Casual Games Division of Level Up Philippines.

increase online advertisement from 2008 to 2011 in the Philippines data from Nielsen

Mr. Ople showed the participants the income potential of having a blog site . companies and advertising agencies have been increasing their on-line advertising during the past 4 or 5 years.

He personally drew this visual representation on “why do people blog ” concept.

relentless passion

I must agree with the speaker that most bloggers are driven to write blogs not for monetary consideration but by sheer passion and determination.

Mr. Mark Joseph Delgado  –  his blog got nominated at the Emerging Influential Bloggers 2011, a worldwide writing project for blogs one year old and below. He  had also been invited to write reviews and cover events by different brands locally and internationally. Currently, the second speaker is  taking -up Blog and Social Media Entrepreneurship classes under the instruction of Ms. Janette Toral, a leading online marketing practitioner in the Philippines.

He compared Brand Activation to the famous and ‘best selling’ book, Hunger Games, for the Best marketing tools.  To sum his lecture  1.)  START with a Purpose 2. ) Connect with Identity 3. ) Choose Your Weapon 4.) Create Alliances  5. ) Make Sure They Remember You

                                                      

Third speaker is Mr. Jason Acidre

He is the founder and Strategist at Xight Interactive , He started playing counterstrike professionally before  he  ended up as a research writer,  blogger and then eventually became an SEO Specialist.

                                              

Fourth speaker is Mr.  Sean Patrick Si

( photo is from the website of http:// seo-hacker.org)

He studied Information and communications Technology management in DLSU. He is a blogger and writer at my blog “God and you”.  He is a  SEO Specialist, Web Developer and blogging coach/consultant. He is  a Business-minded, Chinese-blooded Filipino and a God-fearing, Bible-believing, Born-again Christian.

Website: http://seo-hacker.com/services/

I remembered three important ” things” that are needed in his   On Site Optimization 101 lecture  :  1.) Title Tag  2.) Key Density 3. )Keyword Prominence and Proximity

Mr. Kim Tyrone Agapito

Mr. Kim Tyrone Agapito is a  SEO Professional and Lecturer; Internet Marketer; Content Strategist and Search Specialist; Creative Writer;  TV Writer and Producer. He is also an occasional hardcore Gamer, Pet Lover and Movie fanatic from University of the Philippines. He also had the opportunity of working in both ABS-CBN channel 2 and GMA channel 7 ,  Two of the largest Philippine television .

Website: http://www.kimoftheworld.com/

He ask the participants on  what is really important in blogging QUALITY or QUANTITY?  I like the way he presented  Iron man character aspects . Joining a bloging network  , social networking sites, forums and groups.

        L-R  Mr. Kim Tyrone Agapito, Mr. Jason Acidre and Mr. Sean Patrick Si

The three speakers entertained questions  from the crowd after their presentation .

                                                  

representative from Unilab

A representative from the company talks about the brief history of Unilab, The social networking community mutal role in the promotion of their lifestyle events. ULAH (Unilab Active Health) stands as Unilab’s advocacy for the Filipino’s health and wellness. ULAH manifests itself concretely in its year-long program of activities highlighted by TRI UNITED, the triathlon, BIKE UNITED, the cycling event, and RUN UNITED, the running event.

He also presented the calendar of marathon in which Unilab will initiate  and organize.

To learn more about the company events and other projects : http://www.unilabactivehealth.com/aboutulah.html

The author took some time in asking the company representative  who are their beneficiaries of their fund raising activities .  He was quick to cite some communities and NGO groups.

 a lovely promotional girl  from Kopiko Philippines, the company had a sampling of free coffee , candies and warm smiles to all

The participants were given lunch packs courtesy of  Unilab , one of the major sponsor of the event.  By that time,  the first day crowd reached over 600 people !

Mr. Danilo A. Arao

Professor Danilo A. Arao is an assistant professor of the Department of Journalism at the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication(UP CMC) .

Personal blog : http://risingsun.dannyarao.com/

Professor Danny Arao

Blogging, social media and journalism: The use, misuse and abuse of freedom of expression . He also told the crowd that he was a victim of character assassination  and cyber bullying .

We Don’t Want Anarchy Right ? Showing the recent NAIA scuffle between Mon Tulfo , Claudine and Raymart Santigao

Here are some simple lessons he shared with the participants : 1. ) be level -headed to engage in a healthy debate 2. ) Be mature enough to ignore personal attacks 3.) Don’t stoop to the level of the individuals whose concept of debate is maximizing logical fallacies .

He also shared Blogger’s Code of Ethics :  1. ) Be Honest and Fair 2. ) Minimized harm 3. ) Be Accountable

                                                                   

Mr. Tonyo Cruz

                       ( Photo from http://www.formspring.me/tonyocruz/picture )

Mr. Tonyo Cruz is a blogger and social media practitioner based in Manila. He wears many hats online and offline. He is a former reporter for Philippine English-language newspaper Malaya (Free), and served as press officer for a number of cause-oriented groups and party-list Members of Congress. He studied sociology at the University of the Philippines at Los Banos. He is a graduate of the Manila Science High School.

Personal site: http://tonyocruz.com/

Asian Correspondence : http://asiancorrespondent.com/author/tonyocruz/

Social media, especially blogging, play a role in propelling advocacies and causes, whether by individuals or organizations. What the trends and tools in the arsenal of social media that have been and could be used for social change.  Recent calamities like Bagyong  Ondoy ( International name Typhoon Ketsana ) in September 2009 and  Bagyong Sendong ( International name Typhoon Washi ) last December 2011.

Help in the mobilization of much need assistance from government, private sectors and the international community .

                                                      

Ms. Gellie Anne Abogado

a blogger ,  digital artist , inline skater and a video gamer

Important details of her lecture: Unwritten Blogging Etiquette

• I shall do my research well on the subject matter before I put up my blog post online.
• I shall not commit any act of plagiarism.
• I shall show respect to fellow bloggers, blog readers, companies, PRs or any individual who wishes to connect with my blog.
• I shall blog about an event I have attended if I’m invited and came as a blogger.
• I shall give my honest thoughts on products,issues and topics I would be blogging about.
• I shall be accountable for all the things I put up and write about in my blog.

Mr. Lloyd Salac

Fresh perspectives about the youth and their impact on the blogging community and social media. What’s next for the blogging community and social media with youth bloggers.

He cited several youth bloggers that are active in Tumbler and in other Social Networking sites  like  Mr. Melvin Tordecillas,  Mr. Alexis Lim, Ms. Regina Belmonte,  Mr. Augustine Paredes, Ms. Lissa Kahayon ,  Mr. Kimpoy Feliciano, Mr. Lance de Ocampo . A lot of them have celebrity status and have been chosen as product endorser for the youth.

Mr. James Jimenez of COMELEC

After the short break , the next speaker was Mr. James Jimenez of COMELEC, He cited the role of bloggers and social networking groups in the proper dissemination of vital information needed by the general public like the voters registration .

Since the elections of last 2004, There are some bloggers that were accredited by COMELEC to cover such election event.

Mr. Boris Joaquin

Mr. Boris F. Joaquin is a social media marketing consultant, coming alongside a handful of NGOs, foundations and corporate clients. He is also a budding social entrepreneur, finding joy in bringing together people and groups through networking and partnerships.

Website : http://borisjoaquin.com/#

Mr. Gary Zaldy De Castro

Bloggers can also help spread financial literacy, I actually like the topic of the last speaker of the day, having been a graduate of a business course.

” Money is the Root of Evil ” , not true ! It is how people use  money for good or for worst . He also lamented how some bloggers once earning a lot of money soon became bankrupt .

He also made a citation of a Lotto winner- Mr.Dionie Reyes (DR)  For 3 months, winner of P14,125,032 in a Lotto 6/42 pull on Apr 22, 2008 – lived a life of a millionaire, something he had been yearning to experience.

He lived in a P4-million residence in a posh subdivision, gathering around in a sports application automobile (SUV), and gave goodwill money, trimming P1,000 to P 850,000, to kin and friends. He also gambled daily, womanized, and went on unchanging celebration sprees.

Link : http://mb.com.ph/node/354133/lotto-winner-

After the lecture, the organizers raffled -off  items like 8th i-Blog t-shirts , Pro-Active packs among others.

L-R Mr. John Paul Suba , Mr. Lawrence Chan,  Mr. John Mamaril, Mr.Raymond  John  Naguit , Mr. Ian Albert Austria and Mr. Fritz Carpio

group picture after the first day of the event

Please visit the 8th I-Blog Summit Day 2:

https://renz15.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/8th-i-blog-philippine-summit-day-2/

Sources :

I-BLOG .Org : http://iblogph.org/

COMELEC : www.comelec.gov.ph/

Kaspersky Philippines : http://www.kaspersky.com.ph/

Kaspersky PH Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/KasperskyLabPH

The Villar Foundation : http://www.villarfoundation.org/

MC Donald- Philippines : http://www.mcdonalds.com.ph/

TV channel 5  :http://www.tv5.com.ph/

InterAksyon :http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/

Unilab : http://www.unilab.com.ph/consumers/

Campaign on the high gear

The recently concluded Campaign 2010 trade exposition last October 21 to 22, 2009 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City was a glimpse of a unique trade fair that focuses on the needs of every aspiring politician who would seek public office.

Infomercials, posters, streamers, radio and television hosting are just a reminder that election season had already begun.

Huge banners and colorful balloons greeted every visitor to the expo site. With over 150 stalls of different companies vying to catch the attention. Every stall had their own gimmick from giving free candies, ball pens, stickers, key chains, memo pad, mugs, calendar, button pins to colorful leaflets. These are the traditional giveaways during campaign sorties.

COMELEC booth

The daily paid seminar series sponsored by COMELEC were jam-packed with people. There were different topics from elections rules and regulations to basic election protocols in which if properly observed and enforced by the election officers would mean that a lot of politicians would surely be disqualified in the upcoming election.

People who trooped to the expo site wear political colors, Some wear blazing red color reminiscent of Marcos regime, Some wear yellow color with Ninoy and Cory embroidered on their t-shirt, some wear collared shirts with the map of tricolors of Philippine flag while a handful of students wore orange colored t-shirts.

According to Mr. Reynaldo Reyes the event manager of ICE, Inc..“ What makes this event unique, is that is the first automated election to be conducted in the country’s electoral history ”. People are fascinated to know and learn on the rudiments on the upcoming elections.  Unlike before, people are left out of the limelight.   COMELEC exhibit booth with their representatives was there to explain the queries of the public.  A sample of a counting machine was also displayed by SMARTMATIC Company in order for the public to see and even scrutinized.

COMELEC gave away pamphlets on basic election rules and guidelines to the visitors.

Samahang Kartunista ng Pilipinas gallery exhibit

Galleries of political figures drawn by some of the country’s top cartoonist were on display. Their display adds humor to the political satire and climate of the country.

Philippine Free Press with their gallery of political personalities which included late Presidents Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon Cojuangco Aquino , Manuel Quezon among other famous personalities.  Serious magazine collectors consider some of the covers as collectibles.

The exhibit booth were a memorabilia corner where supporters from different age and ethnic groups converge and served as a photo opportunities for their die-hard supporters.

Other media partners included Manila Bulletin and Studio 23 “ Y Speak” sponsored a forum in which youth representatives from different political parties were given a chance to debate on which aspiring candidates

Aside from traditional campaign paraphernalia’s, there were also companies that provides high tech campaign services like sms, software, websites, on-line surveys, data management, geographical information system (election bulwarks) and even mock election results. With election going high tech, selling these kinds of services is keeping up phase with the trend.

Today, about 60 million Filipinos subscribe to a mobile-phone service. Software allowing communication with cell-phone users are also now available, Tan points out, making the ubiquitous mobile the closest one could get to a killer campaign tool.

Still, it’s not the only high-tech device being employed in the current campaign. The decidedly younger voters are making sure the new technologies of their generation are spicing it up, and that means going beyond a popular hand-held gizmo. Indeed, in recent years, the benefits of technology have managed to turn the political exercise less of a throwback from the first-ever held local polls in the country more than a century ago, resulting in campaigns that have become more and more wired.

The Internet age has even encouraged online campaigning not just by candidates but also by individuals and organizations wishing to contribute to voter awareness and education. Bloggers, forumers , networking sites among others….

But innovative ways does not come cheap. Some software packages runs from hundred of thousands of pesos to even millions of pesos!!!

Campaigns 2010

This event will showcase forum, daily seminars, book launching, seminars, Political cartoon,voters education

October 21 to 22, 2009

Venue: World Trade Center, Pasay City

There will be over 120 trade booths  these compromise publishing and printing house, political paraphernalia , political freebies , a COMELEC sponsored forum , and popular television show of Studio 23 (Y-Speak) will have a debate .

Guest of Honor during the opening will be Mr. Jose A.R.  Melo of COMELEC

This is also the time to ask people from COMELEC on how will they conduct the automated election , counting of the votes, etc….