Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and WeChat, China’s biggest mobile app, have sealed a groundbreaking partnership for the launch of Smart WeChat Go Philippines, which lets Chinese tourists experience the Philippines with greater ease and convenience.

WeChat, operated by Tencent, is China’s most widely-used one-stop app with over 1 billion users relying on it for functions such as online messaging, mobile payment, transportation and travel, hotel reservations, and more.

WeChat Go is a program that serves millions of Chinese tourists around the world. With vast tie ups in Europe, Malaysia, and Singapore, WeChat Go lets travelers use the app around the world not only for online messaging, but also for features such as mobile payment, coupons, tourist information, hotel, restaurant, and airline reservations, as well as travel insurance, and many more.

WeChat Go makes its much-anticipated expansion in the Philippines by introducing the Smart WeChat Go SIM which aims to serve the growing number of Chinese travelers. That means the half a million Chinese visitors touring the country can now enjoy worry-free connectivity and seamless, convenient online transactions as they explore the country’s most popular tourist spots with free WeChat access, up to 4GB of mobile data, and up to 30 minutes of international calls to mainland China, depending on the SIM package availed. Smart WeChat Go SIM users can also conveniently top-up exclusive data packages through the Smart Mini Program within WeChat.

“With over 450,000 Chinese tourists coming to the Philippines this year alone and over 1 billion Chinese using WeChat as their primary app for everything they need online, this customized Smart WeChat Go SIM makes the travel experience of Chinese tourists in our country more convenient, fun, and memorable. With our special SIM, they can connect online for travel information, and enjoy all their favorite apps and services while enjoying the beauty of our country the best way possible,” said Mary Alice R. Ramos, VP and Smart International Roaming and Consumer Business Head.

Stay connected in the Philippines

Smart WeChat Go SIM comes in two variants: Package A, daily access to WeChat, 15 minutes of international calls to mainland China, and 2 GB of open access data valid for 5 days available for Php225.00 SRP; and Package B, also with daily WeChat access, 30 minutes of international calls to mainland China, and 4 GB of open access data valid for 8 days available for Php345.00 SRP.

Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. has been quite successful in the poultry for providing Filipinos with quality dressed chicken products in markets nationwide.

If there is one roasted dish that Filipinos have grown to love for its unique taste and flavor, it would be the litson manok. Over the years, the roasted chicken has gained widespread acceptance and popularity—from being a special meal to becoming an everyday lunch or dinner treat for the family—because of the way it is prepared, flavored, cooked, and made available to consumers.

One company that owes its success to the Filipinos’ love for chicken, especially litson manok, is Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. (BAVI). In the last 22 years, it has grown into a P16-billion business not only through distributing tens of thousands of Bounty Fresh dressed chicken products in the market every day, but also from serving some of the best-tasting litson manok products.

Having successfully ventured into the roasted chicken take-out business, Bounty Agro Ventures now introduces the new Chooks-to-Go Harissa Roast chicken.

As the country’s second largest poultry integrator, together with sister company Bounty Fresh Foods, BAVI’s success is borne out of not only establishing several world-class hatchery farms, a nationwide network of 389 broiler contract growers, and more than a dozen processing plants, but also of growing antibiotic-free healthy chickens.

In the last 11 years, the company has also ventured into the food retail industry via the rotisserie chicken business, to effectively become the only poultry integrator in the country to truly provide farm-to-table roasted chickens through its Chooks-to-Go, Uling Roasters, and Reyal litson manok brands.

To date, BAVI is the number one rotisserie chicken company in the Philippines, selling an estimated more than 100,000 roasted chickens everyday through 1,600 retail stores, including 1,200 Chooks-to-Go outlets nationwide.

Further building on the momentum generated by its successful roasted chicken take-out business, the company has recently introduced the new Chooks-to-Go Harissa Roast chicken which is a welcome addition to the popular Chooks-to-Go Sweet Roast and Pepper Roast flavor variants.

The spicy flavor variant is influenced by the North African hot chili pepper paste that combines roasted red or serrano peppers with various spices and herbs.

Anticipating a huge demand for high-quality dressed chickens in its fast-growing market in Negros island, BAVI has also invested in a state-of-the-art processing plant in Bago City, Negros Occidental. The 1,700-square-meter facility boasts of world-class equipment that can produce up to 3,000 dressed chickens per hour.

With advanced processing plants, such as this one in Padre Garcia, Batangas, Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. hopes to meet the demand for dressed chicken in fast-growing markets.

With all the developments it has introduced as a poultry integrator and roasted chicken outlet operator, BAVI is well on its way to further growing love for chicken and litson manok, now among a younger generation of Filipinos.

"Hellcome Home" the newest offering of ABS-CBN films-Star Cinema This Halloween, topbills Dennis Trillio, Raymond Bagatsing, Alyssa Muhlach, and Beauty Gonzales.
Helmed by young director Bobby Bonifacio Jr. (of last year's Cinema One Originals' top grosser, "Hospicio",) the film tells the story of two families: The Domingos-husband and wife Nandy (Raymond) and Cynthia (Beauty) with kids Fred, Mia and Pia, portrayed by Teejay Marquez, Gillian Vicencio, and Miel Espinosa, restectively - and the Villareals- husband and wife Peter (Dennis) and Marcy (Alyssa) with kids Sky (Nhikzy Calma) and Baby Starr.



The Domingos and the Villareals both want the same thing: to have a peaceful home away from all the outside noise. However, it seems they cannot escape their inner chaos.

Upon settling in, their dream home becomes a nightmare from hell as things happen--sounds and whispers too uncanny to ignore, strange shadows lurking at every corner, and trespassers bearing offerings. Both families experience horrifying phenomena that are eeriely parallel.

Perhaps the house is evil itself, hungry for souls and wants to feed, once every few years. Who can save them from the house? Or is there no escape when hell has come home?

"(Basically), it's a story of two families na tumira sa iisang bahay. Pagdating nila roon they are being haunted, ginugulo sila ng kung anu-amung klaseng evil spirits," says Bonifacio Jr.
"Helcome Home" marks the first time the cast worked together, except for Beauty and Raymond, who teamed up in ABS-CBN's afternoon series "Pusong Ligaw" back in 2017.

This film also marks Dennis comeback to Star Cinema after doing the romance movie "You're Still The One' with Maja Salvador and Richard Yap in 2015.

Alyssa and Gillian both come from blockbuster horror films this year, 'Clarita' and 'Eerie,' respectively.
'Hellcome Home' premiere October 30 in cinemas across the Philippines.

Showbiz royalty and Kapuso Leading Lady, Janine Gutierrez is once again set to enamor the audience with her acting skill and have moviegoers on the edge of their seats.
Apart from being a fashion muse, an international endorser, and a sought-after cover girl, Janine is undeniably one of the most regal actresses today. The GMA Artist Center Star is known to take on strong and fierce female roles that she embodies.





This year, she has played so many roles in the entertainment industry that made an undeniably great impact on many viewers. Some of her roles were Celestina, a young lady who is born with dragon-like features which were shown on GMA's Afternoon Prime Series Dragon Lady. She also took on the titular role of the tough and free-spirited Elise. She was also part of the 2016 Cinemalaya Film Dagsin, which has been shortlisted as a possible Philippine entry to the International Film Feature Category to the Oscars. So, basically, she had managed to fit herself into different roles just for this year and since 2019 hasn't ended yet, a new character made her one actress to watch.
This time around, she will showcase a different side of her as she proves her versatility in acting via the psychological thriller "Babae at Baril", where she plays a regular saleslady in a local department store. She lives a normal life until she finds a peculiar-looking gun right on her doorstep - a gun that gives her the power to do anything she wants, talk back to whoever she wants and even hurt anyone she wants.

Directed by Rae Red, Babae at Baril is an entry to this year's QCinema International Film Festival's Asian Next Wave Competition, It is one of the three Filipino titles that received a P1.5M production grant. Catch it in cinemas from October 13 to 22!

GMA Artist Center would like to thank M&M's, Hobe Noodles, and Belo Sun Expert for making this event possible.

It's Ber months already and here in the Philippines we have too many occasions to celebrate. One of which is the longest celebration of the Christmas Season. Yes, once the Ber months started Pinoys are very much excited to celebrate Christmas. Of course, there are also other occasions that will really bond everyone together like the reunions, get together and I think almost anything under the sun or moon, as long as just everyone is enjoying the gatherings and making a memorable bonding moment with each other. I can say that the last quarter of the year is the busiest quarter for all the Filipinos.

One of the celebrations that really matters to all Filipinos during Ber months is the Wedding, I myself also spent My Wedding on the month of December. My husband and I really love the month that we chose for our marriage because most of our loved ones were there, available and ready, specially those who are in abroad. They can really spent their precious time with us during December.
With this gatherings, venue is one of the very important part of every occasions, where to spend those precious moment. Fortunately, I got the chance to have tour in one of the oldest properties and one of the rising event venue for all occasions, the Villa Milagros. Villa Milagros, a restored ancestral home in Rodriguez, Rizal, has now become a preferred location for weddings, pictorials and events. So much so that celebs Aljur Abrenica and Kylie Padilla, Mike Tan and his non-showbiz wife, Bangs Garcia, as well as fashion designer Francis Libiran and shoe designer Jefferson Si have made Villa Milagros their venue of choice.


Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre, Villa Milagros’ breathtaking view, over-all magnificent design, lush gardens, and majestic mansion take the guests into a wonderful, nostalgic world. Behind the Villa’s beauty is an equally awe-inspiring romantic story.

On September 3, 1969, businessman Isidro Liamzon and his wife Milagros celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. After a renewal of vows at Aranzazu church in San Mateo, Rizal —witnessed by their 11 children and other relatives—Isidro presented to his wife the completed mansion named in her honor. It took Isidro five years to have this house built, and the event marked the first time Villa Milagros was used as celebration grounds.

For several years, Villa Milagros served as the Liamzon’s vacation home. In 2015, the family decided to restore the villa and open it to the public. Since then, it has hosted numerous weddings, birthdays, baptisms, corporate events, launches, pictorials, even shoots, and other significant occasions.

 
“We are proud of the fact that we have kept this place alive for so long,” says Andrea Liamzon-Cote, Villa Milagros Managing Director and granddaughter of Isidro and Milagros. She is also very happy that by painstakingly reviving and maintaining the splendid structure and surroundings, they are able to share the spirit of love, which was the reason why Villa Milagros was built.

To further honor the memory of its founders and also look forward to Villa Milagros’ next chapter, Andrea and her dedicated team are constantly working hard to give their clients the best experience. Andrea says, “We look at the Villa Milagros experience from all angles. It is not only the visual aspect that we take care of. We look at the texture, taste, sound and smell.”


As such, Villa Milagros keeps strong ties with partners such as Banquets by VS&F and Project Events MNL who are as passionate about creating unforgettable memories and magical moments.



Headed by Chef Joyce Abesamis—who obtained her Culinary Arts degree at Enderun Colleges and trained in Paris, France—Banquets by VS&F is a full-scale contemporary catering service that provides delectable food, timeless banquet set-up and professional hospitality services. The company is rooted in VS&F Catering, a family corporation that has been in the industry for more than 25 years, and is a Wedding Expo Philippines Hall of Fame awardee. Project Events MNL, meanwhile, specializes in clean, classy and contemporary event styling. Weddings comprise a bulk of their portfolio, but the company also styles debuts, launches, and other celebrations.

An offshoot of the Villa Milagros’ revival is the opening of new opportunities for related businesses and endeavors. Andrea says, “We essentially placed Rodriguez on the map for destination weddings, paving the way for many microbusinesses and individuals to take part in our brand.”

As Villa Milagros journeys into its 51st year and beyond, Andrea, her partners and their teams continue to reinvent, expand and innovate to meet the changing times.
For more information, visit the Villa Milagros website villamilagroseventsplace.com, and the social media accounts of Villa Milagros, Banquests by VS&F and Project Events MNL on Facebook and Instagram.

Filipinos love to cook and eat ⁠— and Tiktok has become one of the most accessible platforms to share one’s love for cooking within 15 seconds that’s nothing short of entertaining. Who says you can only sing, dance, or act in TikTok? ⁠In fact, this popular mobile video application opens it doors to anyone who has something to share to the world — like your next gastronomic adventure or meokbang of your weekend comfort food.

Be a Master Foodie with these five TikTok ideas that will surely make its way to every man’s heart:

Street Food Lover

This is the ultimate comfort food whenever we feel gloomy, hungry, or just plain broke. Invite your friends in a street food hopping and create a short video showing your exquisite dining experience. 👌

Burger Party
 
Watching someone preparing sandwiches and burgers can be mouthwatering. Let your viewers imagine the smell the aroma of beef and listen to crisp freshness of veggies through your ‘food vlog’ type content. After all, you can never go wrong with appetizing subject.

Pasta, Per Favore
Raise your hands, pasta lovers!

Italian food is one of the best and it seems everyone loves anything pasta. Who can say no to a bowl of creamy penne with appetite boosting music in the background? I bet no one. Pasta videos are good to pass around.

Who’s Buffet Royalty?
 
Pinoy great appetite can only be satiated by buffet restaurants. Let your viewers be your food buddy through your videos. Give them a view of golden liempo in its glistening glory, with all-thick-and-orange kare-kareng gulay on the side and the perfectly grilled pusit dripping with the juice of its stuffing. Drooling now? It’s just words. Imagine what videos can do.

Sweet Tooth Temptations
 
Indulge in your favorite desserts and try out new varieties. A little sugar can improve your mood and give you the energy you’ll need for an action-packed day! It’s not yet too late to celebrate Dessert Day (October 14) or too early to enjoy some treats days before Halloween. You need some sweetness in your life!

Coffee Craving
 
If you’re in for a caffeine boost or you just want to appreciate some great coffee art, take a break, watch the video below, learn, and create your own latte masterpiece. You know what’s even better? Share what you’ve learned and make someone’s day with that cup of coffee. ☕

World Food Day

But before you get too excited, let us remind you to avoid food wastage in the process of creating your video. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for calls for action to make healthy and sustainable diets affordable and accessible to everyone. Today is the best day for us to start thinking about what we eat.

Everybody’s feeling the joy of the catchy jingle—and enjoying the world of benefits brought by going cashless with PayMaya.

There are many things that make for a really catchy tune, and one of them is the power of nostalgia. PayMaya draws from that rich 90's music pool as it unleashed its new campaign, "Don't Pay Cash. PayMaya!" set to the iconic tunes of the classic Eraserheads song entitled "Ligaya."

With the unforgettable melody that heralded one of the most memorable periods in '90's Pinoy rock music enmeshed in lyrics that narrate the "joys"–or Ligaya–of paying without having to use cash, the song has definitely become an earworm, capturing the ears and hearts of netizens as it amassed a combined 25 million views on the video streaming platform YouTube and social networking site Facebook. It's a stunning feat, considering it's only been over a week since the campaign launched.

The song takes the addictive and influential original song and cleverly rewrites its lyrics to talk about all the joy, the hassle-free convenience, and the various possibilities PayMaya has to offer to everyone–from earning cashbacks when you scan-to-pay with QR for groceries, sending allowance to your loved ones without delays, and buying the most affordable prepaid load for you and your barkada, among many others.

"Most Filipinos are fans of the Eraserheads, and who hasn't heard their iconic song, ‘Ligaya’? We made a fresh and relevant take on this timeless classic for our new campaign because we truly believe that PayMaya offers a fresh and relevant way to pay, particularly for Filipinos at this day and age. The time for cashless payments has truly arrived," said Raymund Villanueva, Director and Head of Growth and Brand Marketing at PayMaya.

If you haven’t seen or heard “Don’t Pay Cash. PayMaya!” video yet, you’re definitely missing out—check out the song on YouTube and see what everyone’s been jamming to.

And if you don’t have PayMaya account yet—what are you waiting for? Now is the best time to have a PayMaya account, because you can get as muchas P200 instantly on your account just by signing up, upgrading your account, and using your friend's invite code when you join.

Download the PayMaya app for iOS or Android and sign up today to feel the joy of paying for anything you want in the fastest, most secure, and most rewarding way! To know more about how you can maximize your account, visit www.paymaya.com/deals.

PayMaya, the digital financial services arm of Voyager Innovations, is the only financial technology company in the Philippines offering integrated consumer and merchant payment solutions with the widest on-ground branch network. It is the first to give millions of Filipinos an e-wallet that allows them to pay cashless transactions at any time of the day, anywhere in the world, and from any device. It is the financial technology arm of Voyager Innovations, the leading technology company in the country backed by PLDT, KKR, Tencent, World Bank’s IFC and the IFC Emerging Asia Fund.

PLDT mobile subsidiary Smart Communications today announced it will offer the latest products from Apple, including iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, a new pro line for iPhone, as well as the new dual camera iPhone 11. Customers will be able to pre-order iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 ProMax beginning today, Oct. 18, at Smart Stores nationwide. The new iPhones will be available at Smart Stores starting Oct. 25. For complete pricing details, please visit www.smart.com.ph/Postpaid/iPhone11.

Make the most of the new iPhones with Smart Signature

Make the most of the new iPhones with Smart Signature, the reimagined postpaid experience that prioritizes you on Smart's award-winning network, provides you with worry-free connections, and puts you in control of your digital lifestyle.

The new iPhones are best experienced with Smart Signature Device Plan L, which comes with monthly 15GB data, Unli AnyNet Texts, Unli On-Net Calls and 150 min AnyNet Calls.

Under Smart Signature Device Plan L, Smart offers the iPhone 11 (64GB) for Php2,499 per month for 24 months with a one-time cash-out of Php7,000. With the same plan, Smart also offers the iPhone 11 Pro (64GB) for Php3,099 per month for 24 months with a one-time cash-out of Php11,500 and the iPhone 11 Pro Max (64GB) for Php3,299 per month for 24 months with a one-time cash-out of Php12,910.

Smart also makes it a lot easier to get hold of the new iPhones with affordable cash amortization options under Smart Signature Plan M, which comes with monthly 10GB data, Unli AnyNet Texts, Unli On-Net Calls and 150 min AnyNet Calls.

As great news to existing Smart Postpaid subscribers, those who are availing of iPhone via Retention can simply charge their device cash-out to their monthly bill – so there’s no need to shell out cash upfront.

Packed with new powerful and innovative capabilities

iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max feature a new triple-camera system that provides a pro-level camera experience with an Ultra Wide, Wide and Telephoto camera, delivering huge improvements to low-light photography with Night mode and the highest quality video in a smartphone. The powerful Apple-designed A13 Bionic chip provides unparalleled performance for every task while enabling an unprecedented leap in battery life, with iPhone 11 Pro offering up to four more hours of battery life in a day than iPhone Xs, and iPhone 11 Pro Max offering up to five hours more than iPhone Xs Max.

The new Super Retina XDR in the 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro and 6.5-inch iPhone 11 Pro Max is the brightest and most advanced display ever in an iPhone. iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max come in four gorgeous finishes including a beautiful new midnight green.

iPhone 11 is packed with new powerful and innovative capabilities seamlessly integrated with iOS 13, bringing an unparalleled user experience. iPhone 11 introduces a powerful dual-camera system with all-new Ultra Wide and Wide angle cameras, producing the highest quality video in a smartphone, offering major improvements in low-light photography with Night mode, and Portrait mode of people, pets, things and more. iPhone 11 is powered by the A13 Bionic chip to perform the most demanding tasks, while getting through an entire day on a single charge, and is designed to withstand the elements with improved water resistance and the toughest glass ever in a smartphone. iPhone 11 comes in six new gorgeous colors including purple, green, yellow, black, white and Product (Red).

Power the new iPhones with the country’s fastest mobile network

Enjoy the new iPhones powered by Smart, the country’s fastest mobile network as certified by third-party studies of world-renowned network analytics firms including Opensignal, Ookla, Tutela, and P3.

Smart is also the only mobile services provider in the Philippines that offers Carrier Billing for App Store and Apple Music, among others. This is a safe, secure, and convenient payment method that enables Smart Postpaid subscribers to easily charge all Apple purchases to their mobile phone bill – eliminating the need for a credit card. To know more, visit https://smart.com.ph/Pages/apple-direct-billing.

For more details on Smart pricing and data plans, please visit www.smart.com.ph/Postpaid/iPhone11. For more details on Apple products, please visit www.apple.com.