For game developers of all stripes, the Tokyo Game Show (TGS) can be a stepping stone to greatness. As one of the largest games trade conferences in the world, having a presence there can be the start of something big, especially for developers in Southeast Asia hoping to make their games stand out. It can be a big gamble, as most of the time, you’re paying to hopefully spark the attention of gamers, executives, and fellow game developers alike. Rappler covered the presence of seven Philippine game developers at TGS 2016, and I myself have happy memories of playing some of the games presented ..read more

BACOLOD, Philippines – The provincial board of Antique declared the province under a state of calamity due to a drought affecting five provinces in Western Visayas. Raul Fernandez, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) director for Western Visayas, said on Friday, April 19, that Antique’s legislature made the declaration during an online session a day earlier based on the recommendation of the province’s disaster risk reduction team. The declaration would allow the provincial government to tap into its reserve funds to cushion the effects of the scorching heat and dry weather conditions exacerbated by ..read more

The following is a press release from the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines. The recruitment is now ongoing for the forthcoming batch of candidates for nurse and certified careworker under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA). The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) of the Philippines, in cooperation with the Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (JICWELS), is accepting applications to fill in the 50 Nurse (Kangoshi) and 300 Careworker (Kaigofukushishi) positions bound for Japan. Accepted candidates will undergo Japanese language training for six months ..read more

Early this week, the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. boasted of its achievement: seizure of P13.3-billion worth of suspected shabu (methamphetamine) in Batangas. The Philippine National Police (PNP) even called it “a historic milestone in Philippine law enforcement.” But in less than a week, authorities retracted their count of the seized drugs, raising questions about integrity. The police said that after their inventory with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) the actual weight of their seized drugs on April 15 was 1,424.253 kilos, and not 1.8 tons. This means tha ..read more

WASHINGTON, USA – Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran, ABC News reported late on Thursday, April 18, citing a US official, while Iranian state media reported an explosion in the center of the country, days after Iran launched a retaliatory drone strike on Israel. Reuters could not immediately confirm the reports. Iran’s Fars news agency said an explosion was heard at an airport in the central city of Isfahan but the cause was not immediately known. Iran suspended flights over the cities of Isfahan, Shiraz and Tehran, state media reported. Several Iranian nuclear sites are located in Isfah ..read more

CEBU, Philippines – SunStar Bacolod filed a complaint for qualified theft and estafa before the Bacolod City Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday, April 16, against two of its marketing and business executives for allegedly costing the news group some P2.3 million in unaccounted transactions. SunStar Bacolod lawyer Jasper Pelayo identified those being held liable by the media company as Leilanne Kho and Quinly Golez, former business manager and marketing assistant, respectively, of the newspaper.  Pelayo told Rappler on Thursday evening, April 18, that Kho conspired with Golez in allegedly tamp ..read more

MANILA, Philippines – The prospect of qualifying for the Paris Olympics remains promising for Emma Malabuyo, but her fate is now out of her hands. The Filipina-American bet can only hope for the best as she fell short of reaching the final of the women’s floor exercise in the Doha, Qatar leg of the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series on Thursday, April 18. She narrowly missed the top eight cutoff for the final, placing 10th in the qualification with 12.533 points. Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour emerged as the top qualifier with 13.5 points followed by Great Britain’s Ruby Evans (13.266) and Swed ..read more

MANILA, Philippines – Heads up, nanay and tatay! Light Rail Transit 2 (LRT2) and Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT3) are offering free rides to all solo parents on Saturday, April 20, in celebration of National Solo Parents’ Day. The free rides on both train lines can be availed during peak hours, from 7 to 9 am, and from 5 to 7 pm. To avail of the free rides, passengers need to present their solo parent’s ID or solo parent certificate of eligibility at the LRT2, or their solo parent’s ID at the MRT3. National Solo Parents’ Day is celebrated every third Saturday of April, as enacted through Republic ..read more

We continue to face the prospects of being left behind in the race to break free from our low level of financial literacy that has, in many ways, left us behind in economic standing among our Southeast Asian peers.   Having raised this concern to the national consciousness presently, a new front was created lately in the launching of yet another private initiative to bridge the financial literacy gap among the populace.   The new initiative, however, is a notch higher in terms of its strategic goal compared to the various educational paradigms already rolled out by the government and ..read more

Nowadays, a reliable internet connection is essential when traveling abroad, as it enables you to get a ride from the airport to your accommodation, use maps, communicate (plus bargain!) with locals using translation apps, and so much more. But with the several options out there, how do you choose the best way to be connected? While pocket Wi-Fis and international SIM cards are common options, savvy travelers are now beginning to opt for roaming services. Here are some reasons why roaming services are the better choice, especially Globe’s latest offering: Roam Surf4All, the first and only one ..read more