BLOGGED PHILIPPINES

I was opening the Unionbank website today to pay my bills when I was greeted by an announcement saying that they are introducing the Unionbank Online, their new online and mobile banking tool. And yes this is different from their eBanking and uMobile services. The two are still existing though to serve you, at least for now. My hunch is that sooner or later, those two services will be shutdown to make way for this all-new service.



So let me pass on the news about this new tool. Here's 3 things you need to know.

1. Available in Mobile and Web The new service is available to three platforms: Android, iOS, and Web
The apps can be downloaded from Google Play and App Store and the web version can be accessed via https://online.unionbankph.com/

2. You need to register again.  Yes you do. The uMobile and eBanking username and password will not work. But don't worry, the sign up process is extremely easy and user friendly. Just follow the intuitive procedure.



3. The User Interface is …

Maybe it's late but I would like to inform everyone of this one-day Piso Fare promo from Philippine Airlines (PAL).The flag carrier is offering 1-peso base fare to Cagayan de Oro from Manila, Cebu or Davao. Cagaryan de Oro is one of the closest gateway to the war-torn city of Marawi.


The booking period is only until today, October 28, 2017 and the travel period is  from today until December 14, 2017. This promo presents an opportunity for those displaced by the war to return to their homeland albeit a bitter-sweet one.

Tickets can be booked online at www.philippineairlines.com ONLY. There's only 1000 seats available for this promo so please book quickly before it runs out.



Battle for Marawi Marawi City, once a shining jewel of Mindanao is down to ruins. Last May 23, 2017 a conflict erupted between the government forces and the Maute militant group leading to a five-month long battle in the city. The conflict was so big that President Rodrigo Duterte has to declare Martial Law i…

It's a huge restaurant! Me and my friends arrived around 630PM one Saturday early October this year. I was really worried that we won't find a seat. To my surprise though, the area is so big that it can accommodate a weekend evening crowd. We easily found a place for our group. I'm taking about Buffet101 International Cuisine, a buffet restaurant located in City Time Square Mall, Mandaue City.

So here's a quick review for those deciding whether to eat there or not. Oh by the way, the review is relative to other buffet restaurants I have tried in the past 10 years that I have been here in Cebu City. I have tried Marco Polo Hotel Dinner and Breakfast, Radisson Blu Dinner, Harolds Hotel Dinner, Yakimix Lunch, and Tokyo Table Lunch to name a few.
I would review the restaurant in these criteria: Food Quality, Food Choices, Ambience, Service, Location and Parking and Value for Money. Five stars is perfect, one star is poor, while 3 star is average (mediocre)


Food Quality (4 …

Proclamation No. 332 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte declares November 13-15, 2017 as a special non-working holiday in the National Capital Region (a.k.a Metro Manila), Bulacan and Pampanga. The purpose of the holiday is to pave the way to the activities in connection with the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) Summit which the country will host this year. Most of the events will be held mostly in Clark, Pampanga and the National Capital Region (NCR).

There will be no class and work on the said dates but for those who will be required to work by their employers shall receive a premium of 30% on top of their daily rate. This is in accordance with the  rules set forth by the Labor Code of the Philippines.



Opportunity for a Long Weekend Vacation This holiday falls on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday which means a long weekend. This is a perfect opportunity to take a vacation in another place. Please consider the following promo with travel periods covering the mentioned …

Grab announces the arrival of Grab Car 6-Seater service in Cebu! Previously only available in Metro Manila, today, the service expands its coverage to Cebu. And as indicated by its name, this service is good for up to a maximum of six passengers.  Of course, this would be a little bit more expensive than the regular Grab Car service. Please see the table below to see how does it compare with other grab services.



Grab Taxi
Grab Car Grab Car 6-Seater Booking Fee 10


Flag Down Rate 30 Base Fare 45 60 Waiting time (Per 90 sec) 3.5 Per Minute 2 2

It's official! President Rodrigo Duterte declares Thursday, October 26, 2017 as a special non-working holiday in the province of Cebu including Cebu City, Mandaue City and Lapu-lapu City. The announcement was made via Proclamation No. 333. The purpose of the holiday according to the document is "to give people of the province of Cebu the opportunity to remember, honor and show respect, and join the interment of the late Archbishop Vidal".


The popular Roman Catholic religious leader died last October 18 due to complications from pneumonia. He was 86.

Since this is a special non-working holiday, those who will be required to work by their employers will receive a premium of 30% on top of their daily rate.

666 might be a bad number for some but definitely not for this promo from AirAsia. The largest low-cost airline in Asia offers as low as 666 Pesos base fare on some of their domestic routes. The travel period is from May 1 to November 21, 2018.  The booking period is from October 23 to 29, 2017.

Tickets can be booked online at www.airasia.com or at any AirAsia ticketing office.


Why Travel from May 1 to November 21, 2018? One reason to travel is on that period, there are several non-working holidays you can take advantage of as an opportunity to rest and spend time with family or friends. Here are some of them. Regular Holidays  May 1 (Tuesday) - Labor Day
June 12 (Tuesday) - Independence Day
August 27 (Last Monday of August) - National Heroes Day
November 30 (Friday) - Bonifacio Day
December 25 (Tuessday) -  Christmas Day
December 30 (Monday) - Rizal Day



Special Non-working Holidays August 21 (Tuesday) - Ninoy Aquino Day
November 1 (Thursday) - All Saints Day
November 2 (Friday) - All…

The purpose of this article is to inform the public about this policy of the Social Security System (SSS), the government-owned insurance company for those employed in the private sector.

I just learned about this a few months ago when my company announced a workforce reduction program. Among the sad discussions is about this policy of SSS regarding loans in cases of resignation or retrenchment. Section G-2 of the SSS Loan Terms and Conditions (at the back of the loan application form) explicitly says the following:
"The employer shall deduct the total balance of the loan from any benefit/s due to the employee and shall remit the same in full to SSS, in case the member-borrower is separated voluntarily (e.g., retirement or resignation) or involuntarily (e.g., termination of employment or cessation of operations of the company)."


In other words, you will be required to pay the rest of your loan (including the interest) when you change employer or employment status. If your las…

Good news to all! Taiwan will now be visa free to Filipinos visiting the island state for the purpose of tourism, visiting friends, attending conferences, or business and the like. This visa-free policy will start November 1, 2017 and will be on trial until July 31, 2018. Filipino travellers under this policy can stay up to 14 days.

Citibank and Philippine Airlines (PAL) teamed up to give Citibank Philippines card holders a massive discount on their flight fares early next year. The discount is up to 40% of the round trip fare to some of PAL's international destinations including Japan, London, Los Angeles and New York.

[Updated: Oct. 17, 2017, 12:50AM] Reversing its earlier announcement that classes and work will resume tomorrow, Malacanang Palace just announced that school classes on all levels as well as all government offices under the executive branch of the government are still suspended tomorrow, October 17, 2017. The reason for the cancellation is the continued nationwide protest lead by transport groups opposing the government's plan of "Jeepney modernisation"

Memorandum Circular 28 released by Malacanang Palace suspended all classes throughout the country in both public and private schools tomorrow, October 16, 2017 in response to a planned two-day transport strike by Jeepney Operators and drivers. They are protesting the Jeepney modernization program of the government that will phase out  jeepneys aged 15 years and older.

Just received a message from my friend saying Globe is giving out free 10GB data to selected subscribers. All you need to do is send this keyword FREE10GB to 8080. You'll immediately receive a response.

A few months ago, Grab released the feature enabling passengers to add extra stops to their Grab Car rides. This feature worked so great I had to use it several times, mostly to drop friends to their houses before going home.

As you may have know, to use the feature, you just tap the "+" button in the destination box to add the an extra stop. Recently though, I haven't been using that feature and at the same time, the Grab app has been updated several times. Early this week though, I need to use it but to my surprise, I can't find it.

This year 2017 is coming to it's end very soon. Time flies indeed especially if we are busy with so many things competing to get our attention. So, maybe we may need to stop and for once, enjoy a time with our family without worrying about work. That's the other purpose of national holidays and here in the Philippines, we are fortunate to have many.

Since we're almost at the year's end, here's an updated list of the remaining national holidays of the year. I hope this information can help you plan ahead your vacation for the rest of the year.
Regular HolidaysJanuary 1, 2017 (Sunday) – New Year's Day April 9, 2017 (Sunday) – Araw ng Kagitingan  April 13, 2017 – Maundy Thursday  April 14, 2017 – Good Friday May 1, 2017 (Monday) – Labor Day  June 12, 2017 (Monday) – Independence Day June 26, 2017 (Monday) – Eid'l Fitr  August 28, 2017 (last Monday of August )– National Heroes' Day  September 1, 2017 (Friday) – Eid'l Adha November 30, 2017 (Thursday) – Bonifacio…