Asia’s Got Talent Auditions Attract Philippines’ Top Acts

Hundreds of talented performers – from a cultural troupe of 22 to an umbrella-wielding dancing grandpa -brought their A-Game to the open auditions in Manila last Saturday for a chance to secure their shot at international fame on the third instalment of the record-breaking series.

“The Philippines has a proven track record of success on Asia’s Got Talent with El Gamma Penumbra winning the first season and DMX Comvalenoz as runner up in season 2.  We expected the best from the Philippines and the acts certainly exceeded our expectations at the open auditions with their high level of passion, talent and enthusiasm,” said Derek Wong, Vice President, Production, Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia. “Each act has a compelling story that’s waiting to be told and we are looking forward to discovering the next Pinoy star this season.”

For those who have missed their opportunity to showcase their talent, the regional Asia’s Got Talent audition tour will be making stops in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur this coming weekend. Online auditions are still ongoing at www.AXN-Asia.com/AsiasGotTalent until 9 July, 2018.

Asia’s Got Talent is supported by regional sponsor Princess Cruises, the official cruise line of Asia’s Got Talent.
The Got Talent franchise was created by Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and is co-produced and owned by Syco Entertainment and FremantleMedia. It is entered in the Guinness World Records as the Most Successful Reality Television Format in history with 70 local versions produced across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle-East, Africa and the Americas. Around the world, the Got Talent format airs in a total of 186 countries.

AXN is Asia’s leading general entertainment channel, featuring exclusive top-rated drama series, blockbuster features, reality programs and groundbreaking original productions. The channel appeals to a discerning audience seeking content that is smart, intriguing and unexpected, all delivered close to US telecasts. From The Blacklist and MacGyver to Asia’s Got Talent and The Amazing Race Asia, AXN is defined not by a genre, but by an attitude that truly redefines action.
Launched first in Asia in 1997, AXN is a global channel brand with a presence in Latin America, Africa and Europe. In Asia, the channel is enjoyed in 126 million households across 20 territories and is available in both SD and HD.
AXN Asia is wholly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and managed by Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia, which also operates leading channels including Animax, Sony Channel, ONE and GEM.

@AsiasGotTalent / #AXNAsia / #AsiasGotTalent / #AsiasGotTalentAudition
www.AXN-Asia.com/AsiasGotTalent

About Sony Pictures Television Networks

Sony Pictures Television Networks operates branded entertainment channels reaching nearly two billion households around the world. Based in Culver City, Amsterdam, Budapest, London, Madrid, Miami, Milan, Moscow, Mumbai, Munich, Singapore and Tokyo, Sony’s linear and digital networks offer high quality film and television content from Sony Pictures and third-parties, as well as original content commissioned globally and locally. Sony Pictures Television Networks is a division of Sony Pictures Television Inc., a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.

*This is Press Release

DTI Chief Pushes for Pragmatic Direction in RCEP Deal

Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez urged his fellow ministers to be more realistic to conclude the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership or RCEP.

Sec. Lopez represented the Philippines (PH) during the 5th RCEP Intercessional Meeting in Tokyo on June 30 to July 2, 2018, where he joined Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock-Hoi, and trade ministers from the 16 RCEP Participating Countries (RPC), namely the ASEAN 10 and ASEAN free trade partners: Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand. The group targets to finish negotiations this year to finalize the agreement by next year.

“It is about time that we shift gears and lean towards being more realistic than idealistic. While we attend to our own interests, we should also remember that a mutually-beneficial agreement requires trade-offs,” said Sec. Lopez.

“We should also keep in mind that this mega-regional trade pact should be inclusive and progressive and should cater not only to today's generation but also of the future,” he added.

The free trade agreement that began negotiations in 2013 covers trade in goods, trade in services, investment, economic and technical cooperation, intellectual property, competition, dispute settlement and other issues. On trade in goods, some countries' submissions were still below the targeted 92% for tariff elimination. RPCs committed to submit improved offers by the middle of July.

Meanwhile, Sec. Lopez commended the progress on e-commerce for closing several articles in the RCEP Key Elements Paper. He said that e-commerce significantly lowers the barriers to entry and operating costs for businesses, particularly Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which comprise 99.6% of all registered businesses in PH.

The RPCs will meet again in Singapore this August to assess the outcome of the 23rd round of negotiations in Bangkok, Thailand.

Once concluded, RCEP will be one of the biggest free trade agreements with the 16 participating countries accounting for almost half of the world population, 31.6% of global output, 28.5% of global trade, and a fifth of the global foreign direct investment inflows as of 2016.

VALORIZE LOCAL: TOP PH BRANDS LAUNCH BRAND PILIPINAS

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.