Plan the Perfect Long Weekend Getaway with Traveloka

This August has a number of holidays and long weekends that adventure and vacation loving Filipinos can look forward to: Eid al-Adha on the third week of the month, Ninoy Aquino Day on August 21, and National Heroes Day on August 26. Make the most out of these extended breaks by satisfying your wanderlust and going on that much-desired getaway.

Here are some suggestions on where you can go and what you can do to achieve your #looongweekendgoals.

●        August 10 to 12: Singapore or Cebu

Singapore’s always been an accessible and ideal weekend destination for Filipinos. Its quaint old neighborhoods, eclectic dining scene, lively arts and culture, and other exciting attractions make it an even better destination.

The Island of Cebu, meanwhile, offers travelers the best of both worlds: a colorful urban lifestyle and the serenity of nature—the choice is yours!

●        August 9 to 12: Palawan or Hong Kong

You can never go wrong visiting Palawan. Coron, El Nido, and Puerto Princesa are just some of the most beautiful places on the island that offer unique experiences for every adventurer.

Hong Kong, on the other hand, has consistently been a top destination for Filipinos. Travelers can enjoy amazing shopping deals, delectable cuisine, and an unforgettable array of sights and attractions.

●        August 21, 2019: Staycation in Metro Manila

A staycation in Metro Manila on hump day may just be the quick break you need. Treat yourself to a comfortable bed, delicious hotel food, and cool amenities.

●        August 21 to August 26: Japan or Seoul

If you can afford to file a two-day leave, go all out and book a trip to Japan or Seoul, South Korea.

Spend the long weekend in Tokyo or Osaka and have a taste of amazing food while taking in fashion-forward trends, a rich history, and quirky pop-culture.

You can also enjoy the electric atmosphere in Seoul. Experience a whole range of activities, from sampling tasty local delicacies to soaking up K-pop and the rich culture and heritage. Shopaholics will also love the amazing retail finds here.

●        August 23 to 26: Bangkok or Taipei

For those who can only file a one-day leave, a four-day vacation in Bangkok, Thailand or Taipei, Taiwan is perfect.

Bangkok’s culture is best experienced by simply immersing yourself into the heart of things. Try the food and get lost in the sights and sounds of the bustling city.

A trip to Taipei will give you the chance to explore its rich cultural history, irresistible culinary treats, and a modern urban vibe.

●        August 24 to 26, 2019: Davao or Boracay

A quick escape to Davao can prove extremely refreshing, regardless if you stay in the city or head out to experience the beach or the great outdoors.

Boracay’s rebirth, on the other hand, has ensured that its white sand beaches are kept pristine and majestic.

Excited for the upcoming long weekends? Turn these dates into #LooongWeekendGoals with Traveloka, the ultimate one-stop online travel platform, for an experience like no other.

Traveloka provides a wide range of travel needs in one platform—including flights, hotels, transport, flight+hotel packages, attractions, activities, and more—helping customers to easily create moments together with their friends and loved ones.

Check out Traveloka’s #LooongWeekendGoals promotion and get amazing deals! Book your flight+hotel packages via https://www.traveloka.com/en-ph/packages. Download the app via Google Play or the App Store for more exclusive promos.

New Vivo S1 Available For Only RM36 A Month When You Sign Up With Digi Phone Freedom 365 Package

Kuala Lumpur, 2 August 2019 – The new Vivo S1 is now available for purchase exclusively with Digi’s Phone Freedom 365 package for only RM36 a month. The plan offers Unlimited Calls and up to 20GB internet for RM80 monthly.

The Vivo S1 comes with a range of excellent features such as Screen Touch ID, a 32MP AI Selfie Camera, a 4500mAh big battery with Dual-Engine Fast Charging, an AI Triple Rear Camera and a stylish design with a choice of  Diamond Black and Skyline Blue colours.

The Vivo S1 has 6GB of RAM and 128GB ROM which provides more memory space for storing videos, music and pictures.

Its combination of processors that save power and high battery capacity makes the Vivo S1 perfect to actively support a variety of consumer activities for a longer time such as the Ultra Game Mode with Multi-Turbo and Competition Mode, which helps the smartphone's performance become smoother when playing games whilst saving battery life.

The Vivo S1 runs on the latest Funtouch OS 9 operating system based on Android 9.0 Pie, with Smart Button and AI Jovi features. The Vivo S1 also comes with.

Digi Phone Freedom 365 package only applicable when you sign up for Digi Postpaid with Gboost. When you add on GBoost to Digi Postpaid 80, you will be automatically upgraded to Digi Postpaid 90, with a total 15GB All Day Internet quota, 15GB Weekend quota and 100GB YouTube quota.

For more information, head over to Digi’s website https://www.digi.com.my/shop/phones/phonefreedom365/others#smartphones and Vivo Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/VivoMalaysia.


ABOUT VIVO

Vivo is a leading global technology company committed to creating trendsetting smart mobile products and services. Vivo is devoted to forming a vibrant mobile internet ecosystem, and currently owns and operates an extensive network of research operations, with R&D centers in San Diego, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Beijing, Hangzhou and Taipei. These centers focus on the development of cutting-edge consumer technologies including 5G, AI, mobile photography and next-generation smartphone design. Vivo has also set up 5 production bases around the world across China, South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Vivo has over two hundred million users enjoying its mobile products and services around the world. Vivo is present in 18 markets globally and features offline retail stores in over 1,000 cities worldwide.

DTI: New Technologies Will Not Lead to Job Loss but Will Bring in New Types of Jobs, Better Productivity

Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez dispelled fears over possible job losses due to the emerging new technologies in various industries.

"Technology leads to innovation and new approach in doing things. It won’t always lead to loss of jobs but rather provide opportunities for the industry to increase productivity and introduce new high-paying jobs for Filipino workers. We should welcome it and be ready to adapt to this phase of industrialization. In fact, continuous innovation is needed if companies are to remain competitive," said Sec. Lopez.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) chief acknowledged technology is essential to improve efficiencies, and productivity.  He also noted that upskilling is an important adaptive strategy for Filipino workforce to remain in demand in any type of business.

"People will have to be upskilled and retrained to upgrade their current skills and acquire new ones to remain relevant.  There are current programs integrating new skillset requirements with schools and training centers to prepare the students and the current workforce. Many companies also provide upskilling and retraining programs as well as apprenticeship opportunities," shared Sec. Lopez.

The trade chief emphasized that technology change is not just happening now as there have been different periods of industrialization-- from the first to the fourth Industrial Revolution-- where forms of jobs changed but the human labor market remained relevant and needed. This started with manual labor to produce things, leading into the advent of mass production and concepts of having production lines where workers learned how to run and work with machines.

Sec. Lopez underscored that when people worked with machines, jobs were not lost as it opened other areas of employment such as manufacturing, servicing, and maintenance of machines.

He cited the entry of automated teller machines (ATMs) in banks as an example, noting that there was a fear back then that bank tellers would lose their jobs. As of today, bank tellers are still present and needed with more value added functions, focusing on account management and customer service. Jobs were not lost since the ATMs also serve the transaction needs of customers 24/7, beyond office hours and tellers were not performing these tasks anyway. Thus, the use of ATMs provided greater customer service and better productivity.  Sec. Lopez added that the loading of cash in each ATM as well as its maintenance still require human labor.

The coming of internet and connectivity brought a lot of new opportunities in e-commerce, more buyer-seller platforms such as Airbnb, eBay, Grab, and tons of opportunities such as Youtube-ing, in game development and gaming, digital advertising and networking.

"The case of ATMs is the same with the advent of robots and mechanization, which usually perform repetitive, dangerous or high-precision jobs.  Humans are still needed to design, manufacture, program or train the system software and maintain the robots" Sec. Lopez added.

In the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), chatbots and data analytics, the trade chief said that new skillsets are required. Many things are happening and bound to change. Some systems are now AI-enabled, making the jobs of people easier. But people are also the ones developing and maintaining the AI systems.

Upon consultation with AI industry experts, Dado Banatao and George Yang of AI-Pros, the DTI Secretary noted that the use of AI in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry is a win-win for both the industry and Filipino workforce. While AI is cost-effective for completing multiple tasks faster and with less error, it will also allow the human workforce to increase their competitiveness in performing tasks ranging from simple to complex within the same timeframe, which are high-value and high-paying tasks.

"By combining the sizeable Filipino workforce possessing the appropriate skills and talents with AI-powered technologies, the Philippines will be poised to be the AI-driven BPO capital of the world," said Sec. Lopez.

“We are now seeing people in the BPO industry operating AI-enabled systems, where previously rejected job seekers in BPOs are now finding themselves with more job opportunities to do simpler tasks in operating AI-enabled systems. We’ve seen BPO operations in Manila where AI and chatbots are the first line of contact of clients. However, these were managed by a human operator, who is also now capable of managing two or three simultaneous calls attended by the AI-enabled system,” shared the trade chief.

According to George Yang, AI also widens the reach of opportunities to the underprivileged, citing that even high school graduates, market workers, or street vendors can be trained to operate AI-enabled systems. The most vital requirement is just the ability to understand and speak English, which Filipinos are very good at.

"Such is an example where technology can even make the opportunities more inclusive.  Yes, there are challenges but there are more opportunities. Our education and training systems, including TESDA, are now offering training programs to enable our workforce to catch up on the new job trends and prepare them for the ever-changing technology. But we're confident that we can achieve this goal of creating job and employment opportunities that are more inclusive even in the future,” Sec. Lopez concluded.