What started out as a military origin style of eating food is now popular not only in the Philippines but also in New York, UAE, New Zealand and other parts of the world. Boodle fight fosters camaraderie, brotherhood, and equality. Naaaah... maybe to the military but for us regular Juans, we simply love to eat with other people and eat faster than others. It's like competitive eating with the prize of getting full and satisfied first. Why eat normally when you can fight for it,eh? Sounds crazy..Yes! But typically this is served to grumbling stomachs so there's no room for slowpokes or you'll miss out on the good stuff.



Filipinos' love for food is evident in our cravings. Food parks has the country going berserk over a variety of food in one place and it went successful for a while. It's about time a new contender arise to the need for a new trend. Food Tent PH is an oasis for the bored, the food adventure seekers, the happy eaters.

One night after visiting Ayala malls the 30th, I stumbled upon this place in Robins Design Center which is right across it. In a tent at the parking lot (hence the name Food Tent), only a few stalls are setup at the moment since they have started out just recently. 



So my friends and I ordered their Boodle style meal good for 4 composed of Rice, Pork bbq, choice of Daing na bangus or Calamares, Adidas (chicken feet) or Longganisa, Laing or Tapa, Eggplant, Atchara, Ensaldang mangga, and Alamang Guisado. 



The mere mention of these things gets me salivating. We also asked for some grilled hotdogs, betamax (yep, those boxed chicken blood), chicken gizzards, lechon kawali, pig ears, and Dalandan with Cucumber drinks plus an Apple green tea bowl. If that wasn't enough, we could order pizza, pasta, and liempo too. 

An option to heat the food by flame astonished me since I never had my food prepared that way. It was like a mini flame thrower I see in movies and the food got hot instantly.





Our food was set up on banana leaves on a long table and like a regular Boodle fight, rice is in the center lined horizontally surrounded by the viands, no spoons and forks, and an option to eat with bare hands or plastic gloves.  



I couldn't help but feel competitive because everybody around me feels the same way. I had to make sure I take my favored viands before them. I couldn't remember the last time I ate this way but it sure was enjoyable that I forgot to drink to take it all in. 



Downing my cup in one take was a relief and a loud burp was necessary. I wasn't alone, though. I do not usually eat with my bare hands except if there's an occasion and this definitely was one of those.  Will I be back? Hell,yeah! I wouldn't go there alone if I were you coz you'll be taking out the fun in boodle fight. With this style of eating, the more people involved, the merrier it will be. Food tent PH is open Wednesdays to Saturdays @ 4pm to 11pm. 

Top Filipino brands and organizations have come together to launch a movement that hopes to propel the single most important brand for all Filipinos—Brand Pilipinas.



The launch, held yesterday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati City, gathered more than a hundred top local brands who signed up to be partners in the Brand Pilipinas advocacy which aims to valorize local brands, locally made products and our homegrown artisans.

The full day event featured inspiring talks on Why Local B2B Brands are Slaying It, The Search for Origins - The Quest for Relevance in Food, Emerging Social Enterprises, Local is the New Premium Brand Pilipinas- The Arts, and finally, Why the Philippines is Poised to be the Next Tech Hub.

“The challenge for most Filipino brands is how to conquer that long-standing perception among that products made in the Philippines are sub-par. It’s time we had a paradigm-shift because this kind of mentality not only hurts local businesses, but the economic reputation of the Philippines as a whole,” Brad Geiser, co-convenor of the Brand Pilipinas movement said.

Apart from local brands, the movement also saw the participation of individuals and private businesses from various industries.

David Lim, Founder of Brown & Proud Movement stressed that it is high time for Filipino brands to take center stage. “Be brown and proud! Let’s show our love for local products by supporting local enterprises,” he said.

United Neon Advertising COO Freddie Arlantico also points out: “We are a country that's richly blessed with the best resources -- our people. Put together the Filipinos' creativity, skills, innovative ideas with the new technologies that are easily accessible by everyone and you have a formula for global excellence.”
Brand Pililpinas Movement Co-Convenor actor  and Founder of Liwanag ng Kapayapaan Foundation Robin Padilla said: “Ngayon ang oras para ipakita natin sa buong mundo ang ating dangal bilang Pilipino. Matapang, magaling, malikhain, mapagmahal sa bayan. Yan ang tatak ng tunay na Pilipino na kinakatawan ng Brand Pilipinas.”

Brand Pilipinas hopes the movement will influence Filipinos to adopt a “Filipino-first” mentality by choosing homegrown brands over the more popular and highly-commercial international brands.

“We want Brand Pilipinas to be the brand we wear, the brand we eat, the brand we use, the brand of which we could all be proud of,” Group of Five Creative Concepts Founder and CEO George Royeca, saying the movement hopes to see this vision become a reality very soon.


Guests were also treated to local performances from Dulaang UP and Pilipinas Got Talent star Jade Riccio. The event also featured a fashion show by noted Filipino weave designer Joseph Aloysius Montelibano, a perfect tribute to our Filipino artists.

The Brand Pilipinas Conference is organized and supported by the following partners: Brown & Proud Movement, GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications, Group of Five Creative Concepts, IPG Mediabrands, Liwanag ng Kapayaan Foundation, Robin Padilla, United Neon Advertising, and Vidanes Celebrity Management.

Know how to build and secure a life of ease

Recently, the government has been inviting OFWs to visit over 800 Negosyo Centers in the country to receive free business advisory services and business registration assistance among others. This, along with other government initiatives to educate them on financial literacy is to encourage them to begin saving some of their earnings so they can start their own business and have a source of income closer to their loved ones.

But according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, OFWs are keen on spending their hard-earned money on buying vehicles or paying off a house, leaving little for needs that might arise in the future. With saved money splurged every time they come home, OFWs continue to depart from their families to keep earning their pay outside of the country.

Aside from that, OFWs also face threats to their health. Two years ago, Philippine health institution, The Medical City said the common health problems most OFWs face are lifestyle-related ones like cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high uric acid and respiratory illness. These are usually caused by lack of physical activity and poor dietary habits if not hereditary.
Despite the comprehensive pay OFWs receive from their jobs abroad, working far away from their relatives won’t always be a sustainable solution to needs back at home—children long for parents to bring them up and parents miss out on the key moments in life their children undergo and pass. But with the lack of job opportunities at home, OFWs tend to delay their return to save more for their families repeating the cycle of expenditure.

For BPI-Philam CEO Surendra Menon, OFWs coming back home can be assured simply with the right financial tool.

To Menon, a good way to maximize the potential of their assets as they prepare to come back for good is to get a unit-linked insurance plan.

With a unit-linked product, securing the financial future of OFWs and their families will be an easier and more worry-free process. Their insurance protects them from financial burdens in the event of an accident or need for medical service with riders. Meanwhile, their investment makes it possible for them to sustain the lifestyle they live now until the years to come right next to their loved-ones. Another benefit of insurance is the protection of assets and building wealth so that by the time OFWs decide to retire, their policies will have already matured and can provide them funds to start a business or benefit them and their families.

Menon also recommends OFWs become more mindful of their health, and enrolling in a wellness program can add value to the security their insurance provides them and their families. This allows the insured to take preventive health measures against ailments and infirmities.

Build Estate Plus provides a comprehensive insurance package that provides optimal benefits like life insurance coverage for as long as they need it. Future-proofing dreams and planning for tomorrow is effortless as wealth in the local currency is grown through expertly managed funds. It also comes integrated with Philam Vitality, BPI-Philam’s wellness program that encourages the insured to take active steps to live healthier, longer, and better.

With this insurance, Menon believes OFWs don't just have the opportunity to save their way home, they will also be able to preserve their legacy by protecting their body and money so they have nothing to worry about.

Getting an insurance policy also isn’t as complicated as one might think. Though the Insurance Commission requires OFWs to be in the country to be able to get insurance, their spouses can get the policy for them so they can get the protection and coverage they need should they not be able to return home yet.

To know more about Build Estate Plus and all the other products in the Wellness series, visit www.bpi-philam.com. Receive valuable expert advice from BPI-Philam by visiting them in any BPI or BPI Family Savings Bank, or visit their Facebook page www.facebook.com/BPIPhilamOfficial .

Asia’s craziest food contest returns to the Philippines as One Night Food Trip – International Edition enters its second season on tvN Asia. This time, K-pop heartthrobs Nichkhun of boy band 2PM and actor-host Alexander “Xander” Lee face off against celebrity cousins Danica Sotto-Pingris and Ciara Sotto in a culinary frenzy around the country. One Night Food Trip – International Edition will fly exclusively with Cebu Pacific for the entire second season.



Based on popular Korean food competition show One Night Food Trip, the international edition adds a twist by having K-pop celebrities travel to various Asian destination including the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, and Malaysia where they eat, play, and compete against local celebrities. Each team must complete missions involving exotic flavors and cultural attractions to earn stamps. The team that collects the most stamps within 48 hours takes home the Golden Passport.

In the Philippine segment of the show, Nichkhun and Xander jet-set together from Cebu to Pampanga, while celebrity chef Danica and singer-actress Ciara take a separate route from Coron to Legazpi for a unique experience of the country’s sights and delicacies. One of their stops is at luxury integrated resort City of Dreams Manila where they explore the Forbes five-star hotel, NÜWA, try out decadent dishes at the award-winning Crystal Dragon restaurant, and immerse in the DreamWorks-inspired interactive play space called DreamPlay.



The four-episode Philippine segment on Season 2 airs on 30 July (Monday) at 18:30 (GMT+8). It is in partnership with the Tourism Promotions Board, an attached agency of the Department of Tourism, that markets and promotes the Philippines domestically and internationally as a world-class tourism destination.



Aside from 2PM, Nichkhun is also a songwriter, actor and model, with television and film projects in South Korea and China. On the other hand, Xander Lee is a former member of the South Korean boy band U-KISS. His most recent projects include the lead role in a Philippine TV series “My Korean Jagiya,” opposite Heart Evangelista.

From the Philippines, Danica Sotto-Pingris is a television host and celebrity chef, with a degree in Culinary Arts and Technology Management from the Center for Culinary Arts Manila. Her cousin, Ciara Sotto, is a television host, singer, actress and expert pole dancer. She regularly teaches pole dancing classes in Manila.



Cebu Pacific, the official carrier of One Night Food Trip – International Edition 2, has the widest network within the Philippines with 37 domestic destinations, which made traveling and shooting from one island to another easier with seamless inter-island connections, sparing the hosts and crew from flying to bigger airport hubs just to move across the Philippines. Aside from a direct flight between Manila and Incheon, Cebu Pacific also flies directly from Incheon to Cebu, making it easier to get to popular beach destinations like Mactan Island or Bohol, or connect to 26 international destinations that span the Middle East, Asia, Australia and the United States (Guam).



One Night Food Trip – International Edition debuted in 2017 on tvN in Asia with sister-and-brother K-pop idols, Sandara “Dara” Park and Thunder pairing against TV host Grace Lee and radio DJ Sam YG for the Philippine segment.



One Night Food Trip – International Edition will premiere exclusively on tvN on 30 July (Monday) at 18:30 (GMT+8). tvN is available in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, with subtitles in English, Chinese, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia and Thai.



Follow One Night Food Trip – International Edition Season 2 on social media with hashtags #OneNightFoodTripIntl2, #ONFTIntl2, #CEBTravels and #tvNAsia.



Learn more about tvN on Facebook @Ch.tvNAsia, Instagram @tvNAsia, and Twitter @tvN_Asia. tvN, where fun takes off!



#Official Airline Partner: Cebu Pacific
The show is supported by:
Tourism Promotions Board Philippines
City of Dreams, Manila

Less Hassle, More Hustle

Before, getting Certified True Copies (CTCs) of land titles is seen as a challenge by landowners. One of their main concerns is the complicated process that takes a lot of back and forth, often leaving them with no choice but to dedicate a set number of hours or days just to secure a copy of their title. It’s especially more disadvantageous to those whose lands are situated in far-flung areas due to the time and money that they have to spend to acquire the document.
The Land Registration Authority (LRA), thankfully, gracefully rose to the challenge of providing a solution to this dilemma with the launch of its Anywhere-to-Anywhere (A2A) Program back in 2012.
The project’s main aim is to provide convenience to landowners by enabling them to request for their CTC titles wherever they are in the Philippines, and claim them at LRA’s Registration of Deeds offices nationwide.

The effort has made a significant improvement in the overall efficiency of the Agency, as well as the experience of property holders. Now, landowners no longer need to make space on their daily routines just to apply for a CTC of property title because the request and collection for one can already be made on a Registry of Deeds office near them.

Before, some landowners even had to visit provinces where the title of their properties are kept just to obtain a CTC. With the launch of the A2A service, however, they can now wisely spend the time visiting and reconnecting with their family there instead. Moreover, the program takes out the factors of wasted time and money off the equation. With the help of the program, individuals can now use their time and budget to enjoy the north and south of a vacation break and not waste their leaves taking care of the official document. There’s also no need to leave family members for a trip since the LRA has brought the service closer to its stakeholders.
The A2A service is a good example of simplifying a process while providing more to its stakeholders. It organizes land deeds into a computerized registry, making the system more centralized and accessible to both the agency and landowners. The digital move minimizes the hassle of application, enabling landowners to have more time doing other important activities.

At present, the LRA has 164 Registry of Deeds offices nationwide, 159 of which are ready to accommodate A2A requests. Other digital projects that are in the pipeline of the agency include the Title Trace Back Service, Geo-Spatial Services, and Parcel Verification Service. Property holders can get more information about the A2A service by visiting LRA’s website here. For a list of Registry of Deeds offices nationwide, head to this link here.