Brandon Vera Shares Enlightening Experience on ‘The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition’

“It was very educational and refreshing not to have any pressure on me in front of the camera. I got to learn a lot from the candidates. I look forward to seeing ‘The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition. It was an honor, an absolute privilege to be standing next to greatness both in the martial arts and business worlds. I think the physical challenges for the candidates were something very unexpected. They were definitely not prepared even though they thought they were. It was very cool seeing some of them push beyond their limits, while some just fell apart. It was a combination of being nervous, because I didn’t want to miss anything, and being nervous to discover some of my thought processes to be incorrect. It was definitely a learning curve all the time, and I’m very blessed to have this opportunity over and over with ONE Championship. [You need to be] someone who won’t break. Someone who knows how to take lead and set the example by doing. Someone who lives up to all of the values that ONE Championship stands for. That is what it will take to win ‘The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.” ~Brandon “The Truth” Vera, Reigning ONE Heavyweight World Champion

Brandon “The Truth” Vera, Reigning ONE Heavyweight World Champion

ONE World Heavyweight World Champion Brandon Vera shares exciting moments he got from The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition. Vera is one of the world-class martial arts superstars who will guest on The Apprentice and test the candidates' mettle with physical and mental challenges.

Reigning ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera is among a handful of martial arts superstars to guest on the upcoming reality television show, “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.”

The 43-year-old Filipino-American mixed martial arts veteran joined legendary fighters Georges St-Pierre, Renzo Gracie, and former ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren, as well as high-profile CEOs from some of the world’s largest companies.

Vera, who is currently in Florida training alongside fellow athletes Aung La N Sang and Martin Nguyen at Sanford MMA, recalled his experience on ONE Championship’s version of the iconic TV franchise.

The show, based on the popular non-scripted television franchise, is a complete departure from the classic American version and offers viewers an entirely new experience.

“The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” invites 16 candidates hand-picked from around the world to participate in a series of business and physical challenges, as they compete for a US $250,000 job offer to work directly for ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong as his protege.

Vera, who was front and center to witness the candidates scrap and battle to reach the finale and ultimately win the competition, says viewers will be in awe of just how tough this version of “The Apprentice” truly was.

Apart from being one of the most dominant world champions in ONE Championship, Vera is also an entrepreneur himself, owning several businesses including the Asian branch of renowned gym Alliance MMA. He, in particular, learned a lot from his time on “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.”

Vera described his experience working with guest CEOs such as Zoom’s Eric Yuan, Grab’s Anthony Tan, and Catcha Group’s Patrick Grove, among others.

“The Apprentice” is one of the biggest non-scripted reality television programs in history, judging the business skills of candidates who are competing for a job offer under a high-profile CEO. It has aired in more than 120 countries.

The first season of “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” consists of 13 episodes. It’s scheduled to premiere across Asia on Thursday, 18 March, on AXN, the show’s official Asian broadcast partner, followed by a global launch in June across broadcast and streaming platforms.

Having been witness to the candidates’ struggles, Vera learned exactly what it takes to be a contestant on the show, and has some advice for those wanting to join the show if it’s ordered for future seasons.

Vera is slated to make his return to the ONE Circle later this year to defend his ONE Heavyweight World Title, with a potential opponent being UFC veteran Arjan “Singh” Bhullar, although details of the bout have yet to be finalized or announced.

Ready, Set, Shop at Ortigas Malls this March

 

Ready, Set, Shop at Ortigas Malls this March

Ready, Set, Shop at Ortigas Malls this March. Ortigas Malls is welcoming the month of March with Fantastic offers for everyone!  Shop 'til you drop and enjoy up to 70% off Every Fantastic Wednesday when you shop at Greenhills, Tiendesitas, and Estancia this month. It’s going to be an exciting month as Ortigas Malls welcomes March with a bang!

March — a perfect way to enjoy every day and to welcome the summer season. Whether you’re out to get yourself some clothes, fashion accessories, stuff for the home, or anything else that your heart desires, you’re bound to find bargains galore from all the participating stores.  

Treat yourself and your loved ones as you feel good and enjoy every Wednesday at Ortigas Malls. What are you waiting for? Head over to Greenhills, Tiendesitas, and Estancia Mall every Wednesday and shop and dine to your heart's content.

For more information, you may check their official Facebook pages - Greenhills, Tiendesitas, Estancia, and Industria.

Ortigas Malls' Feel Good Today, Enjoy Everyday campaign aims to promote enjoying the now and bringing positivity to its customers. Ortigas Malls is behind the retail favorites Greenhills, San Juan City, Tiendesitas & Estancia, Pasig City, and Industria, Quezon City, enhancing the shopping, dining, and entertainment experiences of the community.

 

Palacio de Memoria welcomes Tourism Secretary

"Palacio de Memoria and DOT share the mission to promote the significance of our historied past of our culture and national identity. We aim to spark an interest among the younger generations for them to realize how truly rich and beautiful our country is. When travelling is back to normal, we look forward to working with them to further boost local tourism and advocate for Philippine arts and culture." ~Camille Lhuillier-Albani, Palacio de Memoria General Manager

(L-R): DOT Sec. Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Daphne Oseña Paez, Palacio de Memoria general manager Camille Lhuillier-Albani, and director Angelique Lhuillier-Miranda

Palacio de Memoria recently welcomed Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat for a special tour of the resplendent heritage home and its unrivaled collection of art and historical pieces.

During the tour, Lhuillier-Albani showed Sec. Romulo-Puyat and other DOT officials, along with Daphne Oseña Paez, around one of the historical tourist attractions in Metro Manila and explored its rich history, beautiful art, religious artifacts, and luxurious event amenities.

Celebrity Daphne Oseña Paez andDepartment of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat during the special tour at Palacio de Memoria

Sec. Romulo-Puyat and her team visited Palacio de Memoria's religious heritage museum where they saw a collection of ecclesiastical art and church artifacts that date back to the 14th century and spans across time until the 20th century. Among these items are unique portraits showing religious figures in interesting and considerable variations from the conventional figurations, particularly those of Christ, the Virgin Mary, different saints, and other iconographies.

They even spent some time at the Mosphil Lounge, a passenger plane that was retrofitted to be a lounge for special occasions. They also walked along The Loggia and Palacio de Memoria's vast gardens where the restaurant by the renowned Chef Margarita Forés is scheduled to be serving its specialties this March. Forés, who was named Asia's Best Female Chef in 2016, also launched the successful restaurants Cibo, Lusso, and Grace Park.  

To help ensure the health and safety of Sec. Romulo-Puyat and the rest of the DOT team, Palacio de Memoria strictly observed safety measures during the tour, which they also implement all-year-round.

Palacio de Memoria is open for cultural tours and intimate events. For more information, visit https://www.palaciodememoria.com or follow The Palacio de Memoria on Facebook and on Instagram.

Araneta City extends free AutoSweep RFID installation until March 15

Still no Autosweep Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sticker? Araneta City is extending until March 15, 2021, its free Autosweep RFID sticker installation at the Gateway Mall.

Due to public demand, Araneta City is giving more opportunities for travelers to acquire their own Autosweep Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sticker until March 15!

Interested car owners now have additional days to get their Autosweep RFID stickers quickly and conveniently at the City of First. Just head to the Gateway Mall for registration from 10 am to 6 pm (or until stocks last). Riders are advised to park at any level of the Gateway Mall parking. No RFID sticker installation and testing shall be done outside the Gateway Mall parking. 

The registration area at the Gateway Mall is located on the ground floor (in front of Rustan’s) from March 1 to 11, and at level 3 (in front of Picture City and People are People) from March 12 to 15. 

AutoSweep RFID is exclusively used at Skyway, South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway (NAIAX), Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) Tollway, Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway (MCX), and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX). 

PROCEDURES:   

STEP 1. Bring your vehicle to Araneta City and park at the Gateway Mall (any level). 

STEP 2. Proceed at the AutoSweep booth located on the ground floor (near Taco Bell and Breadtalk). 

STEP 3. Fill out the form (or submit an accomplished form, if downloaded online) at the booth. 

STEP 4. After presenting your form, the Autosweep representative will conduct a short interview to assess your vehicle. Pay the P200 initial load (strictly cash only). 

STEP 5. After paying, accompany the Autosweep representative to your vehicle for the installation and testing of RFID sticker. 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: 

• Promo is on a first-come, first-served basis. Only 250 RFID stickers will be issued per day. 
• No online or phone-in reservations will be allowed. 
• No vehicle onsite, no RFID sticker issuance policy. 
• Payment of the P200 load shall be made in cash only. 
• No RFID sticker installation and testing shall be done outside the Gateway Mall parking. 

Only 250 RFID stickers will be issued per day. The “no vehicle, no installation” and “first come, first serve” policies will be observed. Be sure to come to the Gateway Mall early to avoid the cut-off. 

Prepare P200.00 cash as an initial load for your Autosweep card. Once the RFID sticker is installed onsite, you are ready to go! Remember to be a responsible driver: stay safe, and don’t drink and drive. 

Farm Fresh Produce from Local Benguet Farmers at BGC

With a goal of helping displaced farmers earn a living, Bonifacio Global City brings good quality Benguet staples at Bonifacio High Street through it’s My Street High Street initiative, which will run every weekend for the whole month of March 2021.

BGCitizens can now enjoy a wide selection of fruits and vegetables straight from producers from the North. All-time favorites like the Ube jam from Good Shepherd, brewed coffee, mixed greens, and fresh strawberries are also up for grabs. What’s even greater about it is that there’s no middle man costs involved, which means you can enjoy farm to table goods for a much cheaper price.

Complete farm fresh produce price

Order in advance thru Jhona Bitan at 0961-294-3083 and pick up your items at the My Street High Street booth. Any amount of support will be greatly appreciated!

For more information and updates, you can check out the attached price list and photos below. You can also visit Bonifacio Global City’s official facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/bonifacioglobalcityph!

Watsons and SM Cares partner for Trash to Cash recycling market

“Watsons is committed to creating a healthy planet through our pledge to advocate recycle + reuse initiatives and clean beauty product ranges. We are grateful to partner with SM Cares in providing opportunity for our customers to participate in the Trash to Cash program. Together, we can create a beautiful, and sustainable future for everyone” ~Viki Encarnacion, Customer Director of Watsons Philippines

Watsons and SM Cares partner for Trash to Cash recycling market. Trade your empty plastic packaging of health & beauty products for exclusive discounts.

Watsons, in partnership with SM Cares, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of SM Supermalls, will give their customers access to exclusive discounts in exchange for their empty packaging of health and beauty products through SM’s Trash to Cash recycling market.

Watsons customers can enjoy a 10-percent discount for a minimum single-receipt purchase worth P500 at Watsons, or a 20-percent discount for a minimum single-receipt purchase worth P300 of Naturals by Watsons and Nutrabliss products. Terms and conditions apply.

Customers may bring their empty plastic packaging of health and beauty products at designated drop-off areas in select SM malls during the “Trash to Cash” schedule on March 5 and 6, 2021, from 10AM to 2PM. Participating SM malls are SM Aura Premier, SM City Bacolod, SM City Bacoor, SM City Cebu, SM City Davao, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, SM City Naga, SM City North EDSA, and SM Southmall.

Watsons is the flagship health and beauty arm of international retailer A.S. Watson Group, and will be celebrating its 180^th anniversary this year, with the message of “180 years of love for our people, customers, community and the planet”. In line with this, the group has also launched the “Sustainable Choices” campaign with the aim of promoting sustainable business practices through the brands being sold in all of its stores, in turn, ensuring that the planet will “Look Good and Feel Great for future generations.”

A highlight of the campaign is providing customers with a wide selection of Clean Beauty products, better ingredients, and better packaging. In addition, the campaign will also encourage refills and recycling of products in an eco-friendly way.

“We are delighted to partner with Watsons, as they celebrate 180 years of service to the public, made more special through our Trash to Cash recycling program. This will be a good opportunity for our community, especially Watsons shoppers, to care for the environment in a fun way!” ~Engr. Liza B. Silerio, Vice President for Corporate Compliance and SM Cares Program Director for Environment and Sustainability

The Trash to Cash recycling market supports the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals:

• “Sustainable Cities and Communities,”
• “Responsible Consumption and Production, ”
• “Life Below Water.”

SM Cares’ other initiatives for the Environment include the Plastic Waste Collection program, in partnership with Plastic Credit Exchange; Electronic Waste Collection program; water recycling across all of its malls; the use of solar energy; the annual Green Film Festival; and the AweSMSeas campaign on marine plastic pollution, in partnership with USAID and PRRCFI, to name a few.

SM Cares is the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of SM Supermalls, with programs to support communities and promote social inclusion and care for the environment. Its CSR advocacies include Programs for the Environment, Persons with Disabilities, Women & Breastfeeding Mothers, Children & Youth, Senior Citizens, and the creation of bike-friendly SM Malls across the country.

To know more about SM Cares, you may visit https://www.smsupermalls.com/smcares/ and https://www.facebook.com/OfficialSMCares/.

AirAsia ’s Teleport partners with food giant McDonald’s for timely and fast-moving deliveries

“We have seen the tremendous growth of our delivery business last year, which, enabled by digital technology, allowed us to serve more customers conveniently and safely from the comfort of their homes. Through partnerships like this with AirAsia and Teleport, we will be able to cater to the growing demand while maintaining the high standards of quality, commitment to convenience and accessibility, that McDonald’s is known for here in the Philippines and all over the world“. ~Mr. Kenneth Yang, McDonald’s Philippines CEO

While COVID-19 continues to endanger many different sectors of the economy, the airline industry is among the hardest hit. As we demonstrate our core value of malasakit at McDonald’s Philippines, we aim to use our omni channel presence in order to help the airline industry bounce back such as Air Asia Philippines.

McDonald’s launches a partnership with Air Asia that aims to help the company thrive as they enter a new venture into the delivery business and support displaced employees.

“our partnership with AirAsia is part of the company’s on-going digital transformation journey which started in 2009 with the launch of our McDelivery website, followed by the launch of our McDelivery App in 2014, use of 3POs in 2018 and cashless payment for McDelivery in 2020. It was through these strategic investments that enabled the company to survive the pandemic, and in our continuous pursuit of this [digital transformation], will allow us to future proof our business.” ~Ms. Margot Torres, McDonald’s Philippines Managing Director

The Memorandum of Agreement signing took place at the McDonald’s NXTGEN, Le Grand Avenue, McKinley West, Taguig City.

AirAsia’s logistics arm Teleport inked a partnership with one of the country’s largest fast-food chains - Golden Arches Development Corporation (McDonald’s Philippines), to support and ensure a fast-moving delivery of orders within the National Capital Region (NCR).

To kick off the partnership, AirAsia’s Teleport and McDonald’s executives initiated the send off with around 10 members of the airasia delivery team , some of whom are AirAsia cabin crew, pilots and ground staff at McDonald’s McKinley West, who will start delivering orders of customers within Metro Manila starting in Paranaque and Pasay City. 

“This partnership with McDonald's forms part of AirAsia’s pivot to digital transformation and opening of other lines of businesses that will provide job opportunities to everyone who have been severely impacted by the ongoing pandemic. At AirAsia, we will continue to be agile and welcoming to meaningful and positive changes that inspire growth and economic development.” ~Ricky Isla, AirAsia CEO

Teleport is an end-to-end logistics experience built for modern businesses. Aside from the last-mile delivery service of transferring items fast and safely to doorsteps performed by the airasia delivery team, Teleport also runs air cargo operations using AirAsia’s fleet and wide network of flights, utilizing existing space on passenger planes to reduce transport costs while accessing over 125 cities across Southeast Asia.

And now, the same level of efficiency can be experienced by McDonald’s customers when they order their favorite meals through the McDonald’s PH App.

“Aside from the NCR, Teleport is now present in key cities in the country such as Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, General Santos, Iloilo, Kalibo, Puerto Princesa, Tacloban, Tagbilaran, Clark, Cagayan de Oro, and Zamboanga.We hope to partner with McDonald’s in these key cities to service more McDonald’s stores in the country. AirAsia-Teleport is looking forward to the growth of our partnership with Golden Arches Development Corp. (GADC) to expand our services nationwide, as well as Southeast Asia through AirAsia’s expansive network across cities and countries. McDonald’s in the Philippines is one of the largest markets in the region with close to 660 outlets nationwide to date, with more slated to open this 2021. The company’s continued expansion and growing demand of Filipinos for McDonald’s globally iconic products like Big Mac and Fries and well-loved local favorites like Chicken McDo and McSpaghetti, has challenged AirAsia-Teleport to also strive to ‘deliver’.” ~Mr. Bernal, Teleport CountryErnest Head

Ordering, payment, and delivery tracking will be through McDonald’s channels, while AirAsia’s Teleport will ensure the safe, hot and fresh and on-time deliveries of meals from McDonald's stores right to the doorsteps of customers.

About Teleport

Founded in 2018, Teleport is a venture under airasia Digital, building out the cargo and logistics ambitions for AirAsia. Teleport is on a mission to enable everyone - from single merchants to the largest companies - to move goods and e-commerce anywhere in Southeast Asia and beyond. It should simply work, like magic.  For more information, please visit teleport.asia or our social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

About AirAsia

​AirAsia is a leading travel and financial platform company in Asia Pacific, providing air transport, travel and lifestyle services, as well as financial services. AirAsia started as a low-cost carrier with operations in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and India, and has carried more than 600 million guests to over 150 destinations in its network across Asia, Australia, the Middle East and the US. Recognised for its world-class service, the airline has been named Skytrax World’s Best Low-Cost Airline 11 years in a row from 2009 to 2019 and World Travel Awards World's Leading Low-Cost Airline for seven consecutive years from 2013 to 2019. AirAsia has since embarked on a transformation journey to become more than just an airline, with the inclusion of hotels, holidays, activities and online shopping on its travel and lifestyle platform airasia.com, integrated logistics through Teleport and digital financial services via its money app, BigPay. Follow AirAsia on Facebook (AirAsia), Twitter (@AirAsia), Instagram (@airasia), YouTube (AirAsia), Weibo (@亚航之家) and WeChat (亚洲航空).

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s Philippines is a 100% Filipino owned company. It’s master franchise holder, Dr. George T. Yang, opened the first McDonald’s store in Morayta, Manila in 1981. Since then, McDonald’s in the Philippines has been a strong and relevant player in the country’s quick service restaurant industry, having grown a store network of close to 660 across the country with multiple customer touch points such as McDelivery, Drive Thru and kiosks. McDonald’s Philippines also continues to elevate its community relevance through its charity of choice, Ronald McDonald House Charities.