THE BISTRO GROUP BRINGS HUKAD TO VENICE GRAND CANAL MALL, MCKINLEY HILL, TAGUIG CITY

Explore the tastes of Cebu with the recently opened franchise by the Bistro Group! In its mission to bring more quality dining experiences to Filipinos, the company expands its extensive portfolio of over 70 restaurants of 17 global and local concepts with Hukad, a Cebu homegrown restaurant.

Hukad, which was established in 1982, has had Filipinos feasting on best sellers such as Lechon Belly, Baked Scallops, Crispy Pata, and Baby Prawns Sinigang, served with unlimited plain or garlic rice. “We like the success of it being a local, homegrown brand in Cebu. It has crossed borders and has succeeded even in Manila," says Lisa Ronquillo, VP for Marketing of The Bistro Group.

With all these enticing dishes available at affordable prices, there is no doubt as to why brand ambassador Gerald Anderson has started calling it his “new love”, inviting people to enjoy the Hukad feasts with the Visayan phrase, “Mangaon Ta!”

The Bistro Group is set to open another Hukad branch at Southwoods Mall in Binan, Laguna this year.

The Book every PR practitioner should be reading right now "Winning the Anvils"

One of the challenges of starting a blog is finding PR contacts who know how to appreciate your work and look at you not just as a warm body but a valuable media partner.

Believe me there are a lot of PR's out there who only remember you when all their favorites decline their invitation and treat your blog as a dumping ground for their press releases.

Its one of the lessons my partner Ed Uy taught me when I began to get more invitations from PR agencies. He told me to attend events not just for the loot bags and giveaways but because you are interested in the kind of stories you could write about. Each event, he says takes weeks, sometimes months of preparations, so its rude to just "drop by"  eat and take the giveaway because you have to hop off to another event like some bloggers do.

As they say kindness begets kindness so I guess Im fortunate to have met a lot of nice PR people  who have even become more than just colleagues but friends--even outside Facebook.

Ed Uy and Sir Charlie Agatep

One of those are the people from Grupo Agatep. Who often leave their desks and their work just to welcome me whenever I visit their office. But besides their pretty smiling faces the other thing that  always gets my attention are the trophies and the wooden plaques on display at their office.

But it was only during my last visit that I got to look closer at  their trophies--almost all of which are Anvil Awards--considered the "Oscars" in the Philippines PR industry, I would later learn after we got to sit and chat with Sir Charlie Agatep. The President/CEO of Grupo Agatep

Sir Charlie,  Ed told me was one of the first PRs he met when he was still writing about Cybergames. He also told me that Sir Charlie is almost a legend in  the PR industry and is respected by everybody in media.

He was launching his first book that day and we were among the first to get a copy of  "Winning the Anvils. A guide for Professionals in the Trade and Students of Public Relations." 

He told us that he wrote the book for students,  to let them take a grasp of what makes a good PR.  He is not after the profit but for students to study and eventually learn from the book and apply it in the future, and make them better PR practttioners.

He was launching his first book that day and we were among the first to get a copy of  "Winning the Anvils. A guide for Professionals in the Trade and Students of Public Relations."



THE ANVILS

Presented annually by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP), the ANVIL is the symbol of Excellence in Public Relations. It is awarded to outstanding public relations programs, tools and, now, practitioners after careful screening by select PR professionals and judging by a distinguished multi-sectoral jury. It is one way to monitor the continuous progress and maturity of the country’s PR industry and ensure that it shapes the society for the better.

The Anvil Award whether it is gold or silver is not just a trophy it is a tribute of distinction, an accolade bestowed by the PRSP for exceptional PR programs and tactics. Each anvil entry is painstakingly screened, weighed and debated by some 30 to 40 jurors who are chosen for their competence and integrity.

 “In the lottery of life, you need a ticket to win. But to win an Anvil Award from the PRSP, you need to present a well-documented public relations program or tool that has solved some of the country’s most critical issues including public safety, economy, education, health, environmental protection, or the preservation of our cultural and historical heritage,” Mr. Agatep writes.

Most winners of the Anvil Awards, whether they are in community relations or public service categories, are programs that help people in some way. The winning programs are usually successful case studies in the areas of community relations, institutional programs, special events, public service, public affairs, marketing communications for new services, established services, new products or established products, crisis communications, internal communications and investor relations.

The book gathers 60 of the 137 Anvil awards won by Grupo Agatep with each case containing the specific objectives of every project, the intended target publics to reach, the strategies and methods undertaken to achieve the objectives, and the overall results.

 “This book is directed to the men and women in many organizations who are involved in their company’s reputation management and persons who are given management responsibility for reputation issues but who lack expertise in the area. If you belong to any of these entities, this book will help you understand the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects and the planning, strategies and skills required to implement them,” he writes in the introduction of the book.

In the book’s foreword, Dr. Ricardo Suarez Soler director of Philippine PEN says: “Charlie Agatep defiantly takes a different view: He asserts that public relations is an honest, truthful, professional, calculated, and intentional exchange among PR organizations, their clients, and their audiences to create reciprocally valuable benefits with the emphasis on honest and truthful.” With this work, Carlos has fortified himself as a living pillar of the industry. He’s considered to be one of the best practitioners in the country, and, currently working on his second book My Journey to Saturn, Carlos Agatep shows no signs of slowing down.



“He is one hell of a practitioner who has put his hammer full force on the anvil of fame and recognition.”



 “In a way, Winning the Anvils is a book about socially responsible companies and what they have been doing to give back to the community. By winning the Anvils, these companies are bringing humanity to their organizations. “They believe they have a responsibility to ‘give back’ to society, to provide environmentally friendly products and services, to innovate company procedures for the good of all their clients, and to improve the lives of marginalized individuals, especially in the countryside. They undertake projects which are ‘infrastructures of goodwill to help others,’ yet in the end they enhance their good name and protect themselves during bad times.”

As Dr. Ricardo Suarez Soler, writes in the foreword;  "But perhaps the most visible mark of Grupo Agatep's success is how it has done in the prestigious annual Anvil Awards presented by the Public Relations Society of the Philppines , the primary and principal aggregation of firms and individuals involved in the industry. The society itself dubs the Anvil Awards as the Oscar of Ph Republic Relations and states that " to receive such a trophy or trophies ...is the summit of a long year PR journey". It compels that winning entries must have broad geographical reach, generate the greatest degree of change overcome considerable levels of difficulty and solve a significant and  imminent business need or societal ill. Thus, winning programs must be trailblazing and game-changing."

DOUBLE DUTY LUNCH BREAKS AT TGIFRIDAYS

 You could definitely use more Fridays, especially during lunch on weekdays!

TGIFridays has recently launched the Double Duty Lunch Breaks’ “3+1” Weekday Lunch promo. Order three items from the “Let’s Do Lunch” menu and get one dish for free weekdays from 11:00am to 4:00pm until March 9! 

If you and your colleagues are a bunch of carnivores, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and grab the Grilled Blackened Chops. Nothing flimsy, these thick and perfectly-seasoned chops are served hot off the grill with its signature sauce and charred onions for only P325.

Does your team prefer something fried? TGIFridays’ Country Chicken Cutlet (P295) is just right for your taste.  It’s crispy on the outside but moist with every mouthful. This comes served with Fridays gravy and refreshing Asian slaw.
Now if you’re using your limited lunch break period to catch up with friends and you prefer something filling but light, look no further. TGIFridays offers Fish Queso (P295), a fresh-tasting fish chunk cooked in a special Fridays cheese sauce. The mild taste of fish, perfectly balances with the tangy, savory cheese base.

All three lunch specials are served with garlic rice.

(TGIFriday’s “3+1 Lunch promo” is ongoing until March 4, 2018, from 11AM-4PM in all TGIFridays branches nationwide. Free items (or the “+1|” dishes) covered in the promo should be equal or lesser value of the purchased item. Promo is for dine in only and cannot be combined with other promos and discounts.)

#FWDCulinaryBucketListMoment with Chef Laudico and aspiring chefs

We all know that preparing meals at home is good for our health and wallet. Laging pasok sa budget dapat. 

If there's a dish that I could cook easily with minimal free time,   it is sopas paspas (chicken macaroni soup) as my children called it. When they are sick and would like to have a sip of hot and creamy soup, they will request for my sopas and a yang chow (fried rice with bits of bacon or tira tira left over food, my version). Its their comfort food. 

Every parents has their specialty food that their children love. You know you are good at what you cooked when your family asks for it every now and then.

Just like Chef Lau, I never used any MSG or broth cubes until this day. 

I am after the health of my family. A pinch of salt and a dash of pepper is all I need to wake up the taste of any dish that I am cooking. I am also for organic food, if given the budget.

When I got an invite to Chef Laudico Guevarra's Restaurant. I said yes right away. Chef Lau is an inspiration to each and everyone when it comes to whipping up dishes.  FWD partners with Chef Lau with The Culinary Bucket List winners of the FWD Life Philippines’ (FWD) Bucket List campaign last January 31 at Chef Laudico Guevarra's. 

The bucket list winners were asked to bring their signature dish, to be heated, finished, and presented to Chef Lau at the restaurant a la MasterChef.

Chef Lau also prepared his Tausug dish called Chicken Pyanggang , a chicken delicacy marinated in burnt coconut and tossed with vegetables.

What do celebrity chefs Ina Garten, Mario Batali, Claude Tayag, and Gaita Fores have in common? (Well, aside from their obvious success in the food and restaurant business.) All of them didn’t get their start in culinary school and are all self-taught savants and mavens in the kitchen. This only proves that, sometimes, you don’t necessarily need a degree from the finest, most expensive culinary school to make it in the food business.

Chef Rolando Laudico, for one, albeit graduating from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA), believes that anyone with the burning passion, business savvy, endurance, and, most important, creativity has what it takes to take their humble dishes from their kitchen counters to the tables of their very own restaurant—if they work hard enough for it.

In fact, the Philippines’ rock star chef and former host and judge of MasterChef Pinoy Edition, started his career in the food business washing dishes and chopping ingredients before saving enough money to get into the CIA in New York. “We all have to start somewhere,” says Chef Lau, as close friends in the industry like to call him.

And from there, Chef Lau went from dreaming of starting his own restaurant to opening dining concepts that had made him, quite literally, a household name in the local culinary scene—Guevarra’s by Chef Laudico in San Juan and Chef Laudico OK Café in Pasig.   

As for the winners of the FWD Life Philippines’ (FWD) Bucket List Contest, they all started in their own kitchens—attracted by the lure of slowly melting shallots and caramelized pork belly or perfectly fluffy cheese omelets—cooking their much-loved specialty dish for friends and family. On their bucket list: Learn to create dishes that will someday wow the world. And FWD Life Philippines and Chef Lau himself are helping to make that happen for them.

In August 2017, FWD launched the Lifetime of Possibilities social media campaign to challenge the public to live life to the fullest, say yes to every possibility, and start working on their bucket lists. The pan-Asian insurance company—with offices in Hong Kong and Macau, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, and the Philippines—partnered with experts in different fields: Coach Jim and Coach Toni Saret for Fitness, Doms Lim and Perci Intalan for Filmmaking, Casa Escondida Anilao Resort & Dive Center for Scuba Diving, and Chef Laudico for Culinary to help them take their first step to achieving their bucket list goals.

Thousands heeded the call, posting pictures of their own #FWDBucketListMoment on Instagram and joining the contest on Facebook. Prizes are actual experiences of taking that first step to fulfilling their bucket lists, whether it’s a one-on-one with a chef, a filmmaking workshop, a fitness session, or a trip of a lifetime. This is because FWD wants people to really experience life and celebrate living. They can live the life they’ve always wanted and treat every day as a new adventure because FWD has their backs, covering them for a lifetime of possibilities.

The Culinary Bucket List event was held at Guevarra’s by Chef Laudico in San Juan, the bucket list winners were asked to bring their signature dish, to be heated, finished, and presented to Chef Lau at the restaurant a la MasterChef. After the presentation, the winners had a chance to pick the brains of the rockstar chef and get valuable tips about home cooking, as well as starting their own brand as “chefs,” over a hearty Guevarra’s breakfast.

The exclusive mentoring with winners was then followed by a media event, where Chef Lau presented the new and improved signature dishes of the winners, before presenting his very own FWD Dish, a brighter and more vibrant twist to Chicken Pyanggang, a Tausug chicken delicacy marinated in burnt coconut and tossed with vegetables.

“When I was asked to create a dish that’s surprising, innovative, and different like FWD, I immediately thought of Chicken Pyanggang, which I tried recently during a trip in Mindanao,” Chef Lau says. “Cooking chicken in burnt coconut in itself is very surprising and very unique to how Filipinos are used to eating poultry. To take that Tausug dish and make it more vibrant is even more interesting and refreshing. It’s pushing the boundaries of flavors and spices, the way FWD is encouraging people, like our bucket list winners, to push their boundaries and go out of their comfort zones.”

Culinary bucket list achieved—and on to more! When will you?

To know more about FWD’s bucket list adventures, visit www.fwd.com.ph, Like Facebook/fwdlife.ph, and follow @fwdlife_ph on Instagram. #FWDLifetimeOfPossibilities #FWDBucketListMoment #GetReadyToLive

#EverythingsHereAtSM on Valentine's Day!

Did you know that 3 out of 5 Filipinos plan to give a gift for their special someone on Valentine’s Day? While Filipinos ranked fourth most romantic in the Asia-Pacific region according to a recent study, another survey tells us that, if you cannot give flowers or jewelry, you can consider chocolate since 94% of people celebrating this season would like to receive chocolate and candy.

There are so many ways how people show love, and these expressions are much more special from gifting couple shirts and jewelry to setting up a romantic date on Valentine’s Day! Celebrating all kinds of love and relationships, SM Supermalls invites everyone to create unforgettable Valentine’s celebrations with the people they love through new, fun, and romance-filled activities in 67 SM malls nationwide.

Planning a romantic date or cherishing singlehood with friends and family, Date Deals run aplenty with couple dining offers, buy 1 take 1 promos, and freebies from January 28 till February 14. Couple shirts, his and hers novelties, and two for one offers are also up for grabs at The Red Bazaar. While lovers can take out the whole gang for a good time at the Love Beats color-coded Valentine’s parties on February 3 to 4, 10 to 11, and 14, everyone can also enjoy heartfelt love songs with the By Request Serenades acoustic in-mall performances which playlist can be requested online!

Since love is all about making memories, you can capture sweet #SMoments at lG-worthy All Heart photo stations, or you can join the #LoveSM Stories digital promo! From January 22 to February 11, mall goers just need to share their unforgettable love stories that happened in an SM mail for a chance to win PhP10,000 worth of shopping-date certificates! For more details about the promo, visit https://www.smsupermalls.com.

For exclusive news about SM Supermalls, visit www.smsupermalls.com or follow SM’s official social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; and get an insider access to all the fun happenings at SM Supermalls nationwide through SM’s Viber Public Chat. Tweet your thoughts, upload and share your photos about your memorable moments at SM, then use its official hashtag #EverythingsHereAtSM.

AXN kicks it up a notch with the premiere of its latest original series, Adventure Your Way, hosted by Atom Araullo

"Between the great things we cannot do and the small things we will not do, the danger is that we shall do nothing". Adolph Monod

Upon learning that Atom Araullo will host a travel show, I was excited at the thought of seeing him doing what he loves most. Just like him, I would love to explore our country first. So far, I have been to Boracay 5x already, Coron Palawan 2x, Iloilo Guimaras, Tagaytay, CDO, Mindanao,  Baguio and Bicol. I love to explore Cebu for I have never been to that place. Kawawa naman ako. Guess what, Cebu preems in Atom's Adventure Your Way. I would love to do Cebu this year and visit Bantayan Island!

Brand new original series hosted by award-winning TV personality Atom Araullo premieres February 8, Thursday, 8:30pm

This February, AXN kicks it up a notch with the premiere of its latest original series, Adventure Your Way, a weekly 30-minute crowd-sourced travel show that explores thrilling experiences in the Philippines.

For the first time, AXN has invited its passionate social media fans to help shape the itinerary of popular TV host Atom Araullo as he traverses the country with only his phone as a guide.

Atom starts his journey with a blank bucket list which rapidly becomes populated with a variety of suggestions and tips including skydiving, bungee jumping and camping on a cliff ledge under the stars.

“Viewers today want to be an active participant in their content consumption so we’ve bridged the gap between TV and social media by putting AXN fans in direct control of Atom’s adventures. The fantastic response to Adventure Your Way indicates that there is a real appetite for viewers to get involved, have a voice and then sit back and enjoy watching their ideas come to fruition on AXN,” said Armi Malaluan, Director & Business Head, AXN Networks Philippines. “We’re thrilled with the guidance Atom has received for Adventure Your Way and hope that his journey inspires the AXN attitude of being bold, brave and living fearlessly amongst our viewers.”

AXN fans are encouraged to share their bucket lists by commenting on Adventure Your Way’s social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using #AdventureGoals, where they can also help Atom decide which road to take by watching out for his #TakeMeAnywhere posts.

In the premiere episode, Atom experiences his first adventure in Cebu and must decide whether to go river trekking or interbuilding ziplining.

Find out how AXN fans decided for him by tuning in when Adventure Your Way premieres on February 8, 2018, Thursday at 8:30pm, first and exclusively on AXN. Adventure Your Way is co-presented by Vivo Smart Phone, BDO, and Cherifer; and co-sponsored by Petron, Chevrolet, and Cebu Pacific.

Follow and immerse yourselves in Atom’s latest adventures on Facebook and Instagram: @adventureyourwayph, and Twitter: @axnaywph. Let yourselves be heard and leave us a shoutout using the hashtag #AXNAdventureYourWay.
For digital exclusives, follow AXN on Facebook: @AXNPhilippines; Instagram: @axnph, and Twitter: @AXNPH.

AXN is available on Cablelink Channel 38, Cignal Channel 121, Destiny Cable Channel 49, Dream Satellite TV Channel 20, G Sat Channel 51, and SKYCable Channel 49. AXN HD is available on SKYCable Channel 247.

AirAsia Launches World’s First Freedom Flyer Programme

SEPANG - AirAsia, the world’s best low-cost airline, unveiled the world’s first Freedom Flyer Programme aimed at making it easier, faster and better for loyal guests to earn AirAsia BIG Points.

The overhauled loyalty programme, powered by AirAsia BIG Loyalty, is based on a unique membership status system determined by how often guests fly - the more guests fly with AirAsia, the faster they will earn BIG Points, regardless of how much they spend on fares.

The four-status system starts with Red status for guests who fly 13 or fewer one-way short-haul flights in the preceding 12 months, through to Gold and Platinum, and all the way up to Black for those who fly 50 or more times with AirAsia.

For every RM10 spent, Red Members can earn up to 20 BIG Points, Gold up to 40, Platinum up to 70 and Black up to 120.

Long-haul and Fly-Thru flights count as two one-way short-haul flights for status calculation purposes, making it doubly rewarding to travel with AirAsia X.

The Freedom Flyer Programme was launched by AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, AirAsia X Group CEO Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and AirAsia BIG Loyalty CEO Dato’ Eddy Leong earlier today at AirAsia’s RedQ in Sepang, Malaysia.

Also present were AirAsia Malaysia CEO Aireen Omar, AirAsia X Malaysia CEO Benyamin Ismail, AirAsia Philippines CEO Captain Dexter Comendador, AirAsia India CEO Amar Abrol, AirAsia President of China Kathleen Tan and AirAsia Group Chief Commercial Officer Siegtraund Teh

AirAsia Co-Founder and AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said, “I am pleased to introduce the world’s first Freedom Flyer Programme. AirAsia is about freedom. When my partner Datuk Kamarudin and I started AirAsia, we dreamed of democratising air travel so flying would no longer be a luxury only a few could enjoy. We wanted to give everyone the freedom to fly. This new and improved loyalty programme is the latest in our continuing quest to give our guests the freedom to live the rewarding life they’ve always dreamed of.”

AirAsia Co-Founder and AirAsia X Group CEO Datuk Kamarudin Meranun said, “This is our way of saying thank you to our loyal guests for flying with us. By making AirAsia X the airline of choice for longhaul travel, our guests can achieve top status in the Freedom Flyer Programme twice as fast and enjoy abundant rewards and privileges while exploring our network, which stretches from Japan to Australia and the Middle East, all the way to Hawaii.”


AirAsia BIG Loyalty CEO Dato’ Eddy Leong said, “Our Freedom Flyer Programme is the first of its kind in the world that is designed specifically for everyone. No matter who you are and what you do, our Freedom Flyer Programme is our way of saying thank you for making AirAsia great. This is for you.”

To learn more about the Freedom Flyer Programme or to register, visit the upgraded AirAsia BIG Loyalty website at airasiabig.com or download the AirAsia BIG Loyalty mobile app, where existing members can also check their new membership status.

Leadership Guru Peter Senge to Head Manila Conference

On February 21 to 23, the Rizal Academy of Innovation and Leadership (TRAIL) will be holding a symposium entitled “Dance of Change in the Age of Complexity” at Shangri-La Hotel at the Fort. The three-day symposium will tackle topics such as the success stories of Filipino practitioners from business, government, and civil society, as well as the tools and strategies of Systems Thinking and Learning Organizations.

On the last day of the seminar, internationally acclaimed author, lecturer, and global consultant Dr. Peter Senge will hold a “deep dive” mentorship session as a culmination of all the topics discussed in the conference. Attendees will therefore have a chance to receive personal coaching and guidance from a world-renowned expert, who was named by the Financial Times as “one of the world’s top management gurus” and by the Journal of Business Strategy as the “Strategist of the Century.”

“We often spend so much time coping with problems along our path, that we forget why we are on that path in the first place. The result is that we only have a dim, or even inaccurate, view of what is important to us,” Dr. Senge noted. “What I wish to share with Filipinos is the discipline of seeing the whole – what we call systems thinking – and realize that leadership exists when we are no longer victims of circumstances, but participate in creating new circumstances,” he added.

For more information about the upcoming conference, please visit the Facebook page “Dance of Change in the Age of Complexity”, or log on to http://rizalacademy.com. For inquiries and reservations, please email Chenny Galano at chenny@rizalacademy.com or Janine Bacsa at janine@rizalacademy.com, or call landline 7278300 or mobile 0917-8086881.