by admin | Sep 10, 2016 | Tech Talk
With the recently improved internet services it is now an option to produce new and exciting tech from places once considered backwaters. Examples of this in action are the nascent mobile game development scenes outside the cities. There 2.4 billion Android and iOS devices worldwide and local developers now have the chance to reach them.
‘Crashy Asia’ is a newly released mobile game made in Bohol by a team of two; a fine arts student and a programmer going by the name of Two Reelers.
The 3D game lets you, a cute Panda character, tour around South East Asian countries. You can see the national monuments and get a taste of each country.
However there is danger in the form of dangerous drivers. As many overseas workers will comment, the traffic in places like Ho Chi Minh City would scare even the most hardened Manila jeepney driver.
The game attempts to be humorous through satirical fake news stories and local flavour, for instance President Duterte and a Popemobile can be spotted when you visit the Philippines.
It began its life when the author noticed that his 8 year old found it hilarious to watch cartoon cars colliding, flipping and doing donuts. That, in combination with the regional pastime of complaining about traffic was enough to get started.
To download the Game for free go to play.google.com and search ‘Crashy Asia’.
The local story of indie game creation does not end there for Bohol. Here are two other companies actively releasing new titles:
Samotech recently released ‘Stephen Curry vs Lebron James’. It offers the chance to avenge Curry by shooting hoops against Lebron James.
Amivarius Games is offering ‘Veggy Smash 3’, billed as the healthiest match 3 casual game.
The opportunity exists to break into the competitive game industry, even when based in a small town. It may be a long wait for success due to the need for a big hit in order to make reasonable income. Nevertheless the next famous indie title like Monument Valley or Crossy Road may come from the Central Visayas.
by admin | Sep 10, 2016 | Opinion
By: Jerome Auza
President Rodrigo Duterte’s trip to the ASEAN Summit in Laos had Philippine and international media buzzing with controversial reports. The president held a press conference just before leaving for Laos and uttered inappropriate words that were interpreted as directed towards US President Barack Obama. While the cursing really happened, the interpretations as to whom it was directed to seemed to be deliberately reported in a way that will pin down President Duterte.
The good thing nowadays is that we can easily verify news reports online by looking at unedited video footage released by the presidential communications office and other sources. There are really glaring inaccuracies with many reports in the past several weeks when I have been following various topics in the news.
Just during the week of the ASEAN summit, we saw the following headlines:
From ABS-CBN: “Duterte calls Obama a ‘son of a w****'”. But if you review the video, the Tagalog cursing context was not interpreted correctly, even if the writers were obviously Filipinos. It was a theoretical scenario because the question is what if he is lectured about extra judicial killings. This could be a long winded argument between supporters of Duterte and his detractors. At any rate, saying curse words is inappropriate. But writing a headline to turn a hypothetical scenario into a fact is misleading. The headline should have been “Duterte threatens to curse Obama if lectured on EJK”, because that was his statement was “mumurahin kita diyan sa forum” which was a threat but it hasn’t occured yet. But the writers took the curse word (PI) before that phrase as the actual curse and made it appear as a fact.
As the ASEAN summit was on-going, another obviously incorrect headline by Inquirer “Metro Manila traffic just a ‘state of mind'” was attributed to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade. However, if you read the content of the news, what he said was “the prevailing Filipino psyche of using traffic as an excuse must be changed. That kind of state of mind that automatically uses traffic as an excuse, unnecessarily adds to the problem of traffic.”
My recent favorite is this headline from ABS-CBN: ‘No Duterte-Obama handshake at East Asia Summit’. The headlines from Reuters said “Duterte, Obama shake hands and chat after rift over insult”. The Washinton Post also said “Obama: ‘I did shake hands with President Duterte'” with a video showing Obama really saying that statement. What’s going on here?
Add to this situation the proliferation of satirical and false news websites and you get a confused and often misled readers.
How can we rely on media to be the source of truth with this habit of inaccuracies? Are these deliberate efforts to bring down some people? Honest mistakes? Plain incompetence? Or are these just techniques to entice people to click on the headlines to read the articles and gain advertising mileage?
Fortunately, social media can provide some verification and it is actually easy to spot inaccurate news by reading multiple sources about that topic. However, if you have to read multiple sources about a news report to get an accurate picture, that wastes a lot of your time. Currently, I keep a skeptic attitude about any news, especially on the national level. Maybe you should too.
by admin | Sep 8, 2016 | Tech Talk
Starting immediately, postpaid and prepaid mobile customers of Globe Telecom may use 8080, instead of 8888, in sending promo registrations through text or SMS. The changeover follows the company’s compliance with a government request to use 8888 as the government’s complaint hotline, which became operational last August 1 as well. The substitution is also in support of nation-building.
As a transitory procedure, customers sending promo registrations to 8888 will receive response from 8080 effective immediately until November 30, when 8888 will no longer be available for Globe transactions. This means that promo registrations sent to 8888 from November 30 onwards will no longer be processed.
“As a telecommunications provider, we recognize the importance of communication for the government to effectively address loopholes in government service for the benefit of the country as a whole, thus our decision to give way to the government’s request to use 8888 as its complaint hotline,” Globe General Counsel Atty. Froilan Castelo said.
Aside from texting 8080 for promo registrations, Globe customers may also use *143# to generate a USSD code and register to a call, text or surfing promo of their choice.
In addition to giving way for the government’s request to utilize 8888 as a government complaint hotline, Globe is also providing access to both 911, the government’s emergency hotline and 8888 beginning last August 1. Globe is also providing inbound and outbound SMS accessibility for 2286 (Bato), a SMS hotline for the public to directly report incidents to the Philippine National Police.
# # #
For more information, please contact:
Yoly C. Crisanto
Head, Corporate Communications
Globe Telecom, Inc.
Email Address: gtcorpcomm@globe.com.ph
Globe Press Room: www.globe.com.ph/press-room
Twitter: @talk2GLOBE │ Facebook: www.facebook.com/globeph
This e-mail message (including attachments, if any) is intended for the use of the individual or the entity to whom it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, proprietary, confidential and exempt from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender and delete this E-mail message immediately.
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by admin | Sep 3, 2016 | Local News / Bohol Balita, Tech Talk
By: Jerome Auza
I was fortunate to be in a meeting on August 27, 2016 with Bohol Gov. Edgar M. Chatto, representatives of the Bohol Chamber of Commerce, Bohol ICT Council and some private consultants where we discussed the need to have a system to communicate on our mobile phones even when Internet connection is not available. We discussed the concept of getting the Boholanos ready for such situations because being able to send messages during emergencies or disaster situations is very important.
The loss of cellular service can happen during a typhoon and other disasters when the communication towers get disabled by loss of power or damage. This happened a few years ago in Bohol during the 2013 earthquake when cell sites did not operate for several hours. In the areas hit by typhoon Yolanda in the same year, mobile service providers were completely down for several weeks.
Fortunately the technology to do this is already available in a mobile app called Firechat which uses a system called MeshKit developed by Open Garden. Firechat is a messaging app which can use peer-to-peer connections to send messages. When there are several Firechat users, the app creates a peer-to-peer mesh network which is used to deliver messages to the users. The more users using Firechat, the better the mesh network becomes in terms of capacity and speed of transmission.
Firechat behaves just like any other messaging app but it can use WiFi and Bluetooth to deliver the message through other mobile phones when cellular service is down. Messages are encrypted and received only by the intended recipient. Broadcast messages are also possible.
To be effectively used during disaster situations, the community must already be familiar with the app. If possible, the people should use it on a daily basis so that they are proficient and ready to use it when cellular service bogs down. The plan is to have advisories on extreme weather, power failures, emergencies and other important announcements through Firechat.
Firechat was effectively used during the MMDA organized earthquake drill in Manila in June 2016.
In the next several weeks, expect hear about Firechat parties where people are invited to an event where Firechat is downloaded to mobile phones and used. This will help encourage the user of Firechat. If we are successful in organizing this throughout the province, this app will certainly help get messages across the community when cellular service is down.
The best time to install the Firechat app is now when Internet service is available for downloading the app on your mobile devices. To be ready for disaster situations, we should also have a way to charge the phones so extra batteries and battery packs would be ideal. Solar chargers should also be available.
by admin | Sep 3, 2016 | Local News / Bohol Balita
By: Reden M. Miranda
DTI – Public Relations Unit, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and National Competitiveness Council (NCC) Co-Chair Ramon M. Lopez, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ismael Sueno, and Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) Secretary Rodolfo Salalima signed a joint memorandum circular to streamline the country’s business permits and licensing systems (BPLS).
“DTI’s work is geared towards establishing efficient regulatory procedures by cutting red tape and addressing bottlenecks in government frontline services. This is an effective strategy that allows our local enterprises to easily comply with requirements in starting a business,” said Lopez.
In the new JMC, LGUs are enjoined to align their business permits licensing system with the Revised Standards on Processing Business Permits and Licenses in All Cities and Municipalities in which (1) a unified form should be used, both in print and electronic format; (2) the processing time should only take two days for new registrations and one day for renewal; (3) registration procedures should only involve three steps; and (4) should only require two signatories, which is the Mayor and the Treasurer or Business permits and Licensing Office Head with alternate approving signatures.
Other streamlining measures outlined in the circular are: setting up of Business One-Stop Shop (BOSS) facility for business registration, conduct of joint inspection teams, computerization and automation of business permit process, and use of online and electronic method for more efficient business processing.
Lopez said that the target is to have all 1,516 cities and municipalities in the Philippines adopt the memorandum circular within 30 days and implement an online processing system within the year.
At present, ninety-three percent (93%) or 1,419 out of 1,516 local government units (ARMM LGUs excluded) have already streamlined their business permits and licensing systems into 5 days and 5 steps. This is in compliance with a memorandum circular issued by DTI and DILG to streamline business process in 2010.
According to Lopez, cutting the time and costs involved in starting a business will significantly improve the services provided by DTI’s Go Negosyo Centers, which bring government programs and initiatives closer to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Go Negosyo Centers are one-stop shops that facilitate MSMEs’ access to services such as business advisory, business information and advocacy, business registration assistance through the Philippine Business Registry (PBR) System which integrates all agencies involved in business registration. To date, 296 Go Negosyo Centers has been established nationwide.
by admin | Aug 27, 2016 | Local News / Bohol Balita, Tech Talk
Bohol will soon enjoy a digital transformation as talks of “Digital Bohol” were initiated on August 27, 2016 at the Governor’s Mansion with Gov. Edgar M. Chatto, representatives of the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bohol ICT Council, tourism players and some advisers. During the meeting, the group discussed the high level steps that will be taken for the Digital Bohol project.
Among the components of the Digital Bohol project is a co-working space and shared facility for multimedia arts and a recording studio for developing audio and video content, connectivity for communications during disaster situations as well as for broadcasting announcements for government, business and academe, digital economy participation for MSMEs and more.
The first action is to organize the self forming and organizing communications network that can be used for broadcasting important information during non-disaster scenarios. The same network can be used during disaster situations when cell sites are disabled. The idea is to setup the channels and organize Boholanos to use it on a daily basis for broadcasting important information so that everybody is ready to use the system during disaster scenarios. Users only need to use their smart phones using WiFi and Bluetooth connections.
Another meeting was held with the technology enthusiasts and young entrepreneurs was held at Just Sizzling restaurant at 8PM on August 27. In this meeting the group talked about the possible contributions they can make as a group. It was agreed that the group form a small group of volunteers to lead the community building effort.
Technology enthusiasts and the young entrepreneurs are excited about their role as community builders in the Digital Bohol initiative.
by admin | Aug 14, 2016 | Local News / Bohol Balita, Opinion
By: Jerome Auza
When I first came back to Bohol in 2005 after an exciting career in the semiconductor industry in Cavite, one of the things I had in mind was the concept of a “digital Bohol” where information about the places, events, business entities, tourist and historical sites, etc are put together in an easy to use portal. Products and services of businesses in Bohol would be available for purchase online. Supplier-buyer matching can be done on the same portal also.
It was an idea though, that was too advanced at that time.
In 2013, I started to conceptualize a mobile app called Bohol.Info which built on the idea of digital Bohol and bringing the information on mobile devices. We managed to complete a prototype of the app in 2014 and even put it for download on the iOS and Android devices. It was soft launched during the Sandugo Trade Fair in 2014.
Again, it was an idea that was not yet ready at that time.
So it was a happy moment for me when during one of the meetings I attended as a board of trustee of the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as the Vice Chairperson of the Bohol ICT council, the idea of a digital Bohol was brought up. I had a big smile on my face and told myself, “Maybe the old ideas are now ready for prime time.”
Watch out for more updates about Digital Bohol in the coming weeks as the idea will be discussed with the various stakeholders in ICT, tourism and business sector as well as the academe and government agencies. Auza.Net will play a big role in this idea.
by admin | Aug 13, 2016 | Opinion, Tech Talk
By: Jerome Auza
Bohol will be in the international limelight this year because it will be hosting two technology conferences later this month and another one in October. On August 25-26, the tech startup, technology and design conference called Geeks on a Beach or GOAB will be held at the Bellevue Resort in Panglao, Bohol. A few days before the GOAB, another technology conference called TechStars will also be held at the same venue on August 22-23. TechStars, though, is a private event and is by invitation only.
Then in October, the OCEAN16 (Open Collaboration with East Asia New Champions) Summit, a bi-annual gathering in the Philippines that brings together leaders across sectors to connect, discover new ideas, and shape the Philippine future together. OCEAN16 will be held at the Be Grand Resort in Panglao, Bohol on October 21-23.
Indeed, Bohol is on the radar screens of the international technology and startup community and this is a great opportunity for all stakeholders in Bohol. These conferences will not only bring tourism related revenue but also open up various possibilities in the ICT/BPO sector, real estate investments and other business initiatives. Venture capitalists, investors, CEOs, government officials, business leaders, innovators and designers are coming together in the province so both the private and public sectors should be on the lookout for business opportunities.
Representatives from the various sectors in business, government, academe and private sector should be sent by their respective offices to these conferences. The conference fees are pricier than the usual seminars held in the province but because there is no need to travel and get hotel accommodations for the local attendees, this is an opportunity to spend much lesser compared to when the representatives have to travel to another city to attend similar conferences.
As a province, let us all be ready to network with the international startup and technology community and spot opportunities to generate business activity and jobs in Bohol. Who knows, the next big success story might be made in Bohol.
by admin | Aug 6, 2016 | Local News / Bohol Balita
A Bohol based entrepreneur is looking for salespersons for full time or part time work to distribute and retail health, nutrition and wellness products, including beauty and anti-aging treatment products. Any sales experience will be a plus but is not required. Applicants must be at least college level. All qualified applicants will under go interview, 1 week training and continuing education throughout the contract.
Please send your resume to jobs@auza.net.
by admin | Aug 6, 2016 | Tech Talk
It will be easy for geeks, people who are understood to be connoisseurs of tech, design and startups, to find Panglao Island to be a fun-filled and exciting place to visit. Gone are the days when the term geek used to refer to a circus performer whose act includes the eating of live animals. But today’s tech-dependent geek are not only certified tech-savvy millennials but also fun-loving, playful, witty, encyclopedic, and inquisitive party-enthusiasts. Of course, not all geeks are created equal so some may prefer quiet and relaxed atmosphere with nature. All of which can be found in Bohol.
Panglao Island has been the favored watering hole of tourists, diving enthusiasts, and nature lovers alike with its pristine waters, palm trees, white sand beaches, and coral reefs. A small town of over 68,000 people, Panglao is a mere half-hour away drive from the provincial capital Tagbilaran in the southwestern coast of Bohol in the Philippines. Its proximity to civilization while retaining its charms as an almost untouched tropical paradise should make it the perfect place for adventure-seeking yet tech-dependent geeks.
This is the place to be for geeks looking for an all-in-one escapade with resorts, bars and souvenir shops in an 80.5 square kilometer island considered to be one of the leading marine biodiversity hotspots in the world. Geeks can go island-hopping, dolphin watching, or take a dip in an underground lake inside a coral cave. Panglao is also the site of Hinagdanan Cave that hides within its naturally lighted depths a lagoon. It is also very near Loboc River which is world-famous for its river-cruise and floating restaurants.
Interestingly, Alona Beach is Panglao’s most famous beach. One intriguing detail about Alona Beach, where many of Panglao’s resorts and shops are located, is its name. This one and a half kilometer stretch was named so by locals after sexy star Alona Alegre filmed a television advertisement for an alcoholic drink in the beach wearing revealing bikini attire on horseback.
Panglao has been named by the prestigious Travel+Leisure magazine as one of the 15 best secret beaches on earth in 2012 which are said to be “understated, unexpected, and —at least for now—under the radar.” Geeks looking for a haven that is not as crowded as Boracay can choose this destination which has been favourably compared with Todos Santos in Mexico, Puako in Hawaii, Ibo Island in Mozambique, Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam, Salema in Portugal, Palm Beach in Barbuda, Cirali Beach in Turkey, Koh Lanta in Thailand, and Alagoas in Brazil.
Geeks will be happy to know that all these will become closer to more people as the Philippine government has begun the construction of a new world-class eco-friendly airport in the area. Expected to be completed by the year 2018, the eco-airport will feature state-of-the-art environmentally sustainable technologies including the use of LED lights, natural lights, and ventilation for public areas and the use of solar energy to power airconditioning.
Come the month of August, Panglao Island in Bohol will be the host of the country’s biggest tech event, the fourth edition of the annual global tech and startup event Geeks on a Beach (GOAB). Geeks who want to experience all the great stuff in Panglao should attend GOAB. It will be held on August 25-26 at the Bellevue Hotel in Panglao.
GOAB is open to all whether you have a tech background or not. If you are interested in the topics of tech, business and design then you will find like-minded people at this event. Startups are defined as high growth, high risk tech-enabled businesses. Facebook, instagram and viber used to be startups but are now billion dollar companies.
This event will feature industry leaders from the Asian region as well as Silicon Valley. It is suitable for anyone already in or interested in the tech or startup business; those who are interested in doing businesses in Asia; those who want to know how tech/online tools can help their businesses. No need to go abroad to find these world renowned speakers as they are coming to the Philippines.
GOAB is held in partnership with HappyGaraje, Sym.ph, PR Works, Zalora, Mynimo, Teradoor, Pouch Nation, A Space, USAID-STRIDE, Yoyo Holdings, Eurekloud, Payoneer and Startechup Inc. GOAB4 organizational partners are Philippines Software Industry Association (PSIA), National ICT Confederation of the Philippines., UP CebuInit.org, CedFIT.org, Game Developers Association of the Philippines., Digital Commerce Association of the Philippines., Developers Connect, STAC Silicon Valley and GoNegosyo. This year’s GOAB media partners are Newsdesk Asia, Auza.Net, Tech in Asia, Geeks in Cambodia, Mytechisland.com, Hubnob.tv, InnoPub Media, Zerothreetwo.com, Jumpstart Magazine and Mobile Ecosystem Forum.
Panglao, Bohol
For more information, to sponsor or purchase tickets, visit, www.GeeksOnABeach.com; or contact Hello@GeeksOnABeach.com. Facebook: Geeks On A Beach and Twitter @GeeksOnABeach.
by admin | Aug 6, 2016 | Local News / Bohol Balita, Tech Talk
OCEAN (Open Collaboration with East Asia New Champions) is a bi-annual gathering in the Philippines that brings together leaders across sectors to connect, discover new ideas, and shape the Philippine future together. This year’s event will be held at the Be Grand Resort in Panglao, Bohol on October 21-23. The theme for OCEAN16 is “The Fourth Industrial Revolution”.
The organizing committee of OCEAN16 has tapped the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry as the local partner for the event. BCCI will play a vital role in organizing the event. Officers of the BCCI and OCEAN16 representatives held a meeting on August 6, 2016 at the Belian Hotel to discuss the details of the partnership. Earlier in July 2016, Micaela Beltran, member of the organizing committee of OCEAN16 presented the concept of the event during the regular board meeting of the BCCI.
The OCEAN16 objective is to make the Philippines and the ASEAN as leaders in the digital age through public-private initiatives. Among the speakers are Senator Paolo Benigno Aguirre Aquino IV and Winston Damarillo, an
Entrepreneur, CSO at PLDT.
Representatives of OCEAN16 organizing committee and the officers of the BCCI during the meeting at Belian Hotel on August 6, 2016.
