BLOGGED PHILIPPINES

Malacanang Palace officially confirms that June 24, 2014 is a special non-working holiday throughout the city of Manila. This is in celebration of the 443rd Foundation Day anniversary of the City of Manila. Manila was founded by the Spanish conqueror Miguel Lopez de Legaspi in 1571. Malacañang Palace, the residence of the Philippine president, from the other side of the Pasig River in Manila (Photo credit:  Wikipedia ) The announcement was made by executive secretary via Proclamation No. 766, s. 2014 . For employees who are required to work tomorrow, corresponding additional compensation based on Labor rules shall be given.

Finally, IHOP Philippines is here! International House of Pancake (IHOP) is now in the Philippines. The first day of its operation happened last February 14, 2013. And this is not just the first in the country, it is the first in Asia. Local company Global Restaurant Concepts Inc got the first franchise of the popular restaurant and brought it to the Philippine market. IHOP specializes in breakfast foods such as pancakes and omelets. It originated in the United States and recently started their global expansion, opening franchises in Dubai and  Metro Manila, Philippines. IHOP Philippines vs Other Fast Foods IHOP Philippines will compete against other fast food companies in the country led by Jollibee and McDonald's. Both companies offers breakfast value meals at a decent price. But IHOP it is more directed to competing against Pancake House whose business focuses on selling pancakes and waffles. But together, both companies will serve an alternative to Filipinos w...

The National Basketball Association (NBA) will be having their first ever preseason game in the Philippines this coming October 10, 2013. The game will be held in SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena, Pasay, Metro Manila. Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets will be playing in the preseason game. For the millions of NBA fans in the country, this would be a great news. The Pacers will be led by NBA All-Stars Paul George, Roy Hibbert, and David West. On the other hand, we will see Jeremy Lin and Paul George live in action for the Houston Rockets. Prior to the actual game, SM and NBA Philippines will also be hosting several events to build up the preseason game. That includes appearances of NBA talents and other community events. See the full press release from NBA website: [ Read: NBA Live in Manila ] This is the first NBA preseason game to be held in Southeast Asia as the league tries to expand globally. Basketball is the number one sports in the country. The Ph...

I don't really understand the reason behind the Filipino craze about donuts but, yes, most of us love donuts. And speaking of that toroid cake, there's a new craze in the country, J.CO Donuts Philippines. The company J.CO Donuts & Coffee originated from Indonesia in 2005 and is the fastest growing donut chain in South East Asia. It entered the Philippine market just this year. J.CO Donuts Dethrones Krispy Kreme as Favorite "Pasalubong" Well, it didn't dethroned Krispy Kreme in sales or revenues but it dethroned it as one of the top "pasalubong" of people from Manila going to the provinces and other cities, at least for the meantime. It used to be the green-red-white box of Krispy Kreme Donuts that you usually see in the airports. Now, it's the mocha-orange box of J.CO donuts. Of course, time will come that the "hype" will subside just like what happened to Go Nuts Donuts and Krispy Kreme when they opened their respective stores in the c...

Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross in Bourne Legacy (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) A couple of days ago, I watched one of the most awaited movie in the country, the Bourne Legacy , the fourth installment of the Bourne movie series, all of which are based on Robert Ludlum;'s novel series bearing the same title. The film stars Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker) playing the role of Aaron Cross, a state assassin, Rachel Weisz (Constant Gardener) as Dr. Martha Shearing, a medical scientist and Edward Norton as Eric Byer, the primary antagonist. Here's some of the things I want to say to those who haven't watched it yet and especially to those who are planning to watch it. Warning: Before Watching Bourne Legacy, Watch Bourne 1, 2 & 3 Well, as mentioned, this is the fourth movie in the series. And although it tells the story of a new character Aaron Cross (Jason Bourne is the lead character in the previous three Bourne movies), the story is strongly c...

A new trailer of the upcoming movie Bourne Legacy , the fourth installment of Bourne series of movies based on Robert Ludlum's novels, has been released. Unlike the first teaser trailer though, the latest one already features scenes shot in Manila including the car/motor chase. Please see the video below: It's fun to see the wires lines, narrow alleys, and heavy traffic that is common in Manila towns. Bourne Legacy will be released on August 3, 2012.