Kathy Purr

Smart subscribers are going to have more travel unique experiences than ever as it teams up with Airbnb, a community-driven hospitality company. Airbnb is changing the way people travel by opening up millions of unique accommodations in more than 34,000 cities in over 190 countries – be it an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month.


Airbnb’s award-winning app, downloadable for free on the App Store and Google Play Store, makes searching, communicating with hosts and booking safe, seamless and fun and brings the world at the fingertips of Filipino travelers who are in search of a home away from home.
All Smart Prepaid, Smart Postpaid and Smart Bro subscribers enjoy a P2500 discount for a minimum of P8,000 booking, here or abroad, on Airbnb.
Meaningful mobile innovation Ariel Fermin, EVP and Head of Consumer Business at Smart said, “Airbnb has revolutionized the way travelers search and book a suitable place to spend their getaways wherever they are headed around…

Southeast Asia’s leading wedding marketplace earning trust of vendors

A Southeast Asian company is taking the wedding industry by storm. Using technology to their advantage, Bridestory connects wedding professionals to couples across the globe in the most convenient way possible. It is the leading wedding marketplace in the region.

“Wedding vendors are very good at what they do, however, not all of them can market their brands in an appropriate way, which is an important factor for success. Bridestory is here to solve that problem,” said Kevin Mintaraga, Chief Executive Officer of Bridestory.

The platform works both as an inspiration site and a directory of wedding professionals. Through Bridestory, couples can get inspirations from a catalogue of works accomplished by professionals. Bridestory also enables wedding professionals to expand their reach by providing an avenue for couples around the world to contact them easily.

After launching in January 2014, Bridestory has garnered the tru…

Cebu Pacific (CEB), in a press advisory, revealed that  it has intercepted passengers who attempted to use tickets booked in the name of other persons. These passengers presented fake identification cards that were allegedly provided by unauthorized travel agencies who sold them confirmed Cebu Pacific itineraries with bookings under different names.


Cebu Pacific warns the travel agencies involved to cease and desist from engaging in these unlawful acts as soon as possible. CEB has also reported to the Philippine National Police (PNP) passengers who presented fake IDs in an attempt to use tickets booked in the name of other guests.
CEB reminds the travelling public that passengers and travel agencies who engage in these fraudulent transactions may be charged with civil and criminal actions under existing laws, and may face imprisonment of up to 20 years.
Guests are encouraged to book flights only via the official Cebu Pacificwebsite, Cebu Pacific Mobile App, reservation hotlines, and to t…

The Philippine Eagle is considered as one of the most remarkable bird species in the world, for its ferocity, grace, and unparalleled beauty.It is a vertebrate of the highest class, with the size and wing span that provide the lethal mobility of an extraordinary winged predator.
This raptor adapts well in dense, lush flora, making it the perfect fit for the Philippines’ tropical climate. But as it is endemic to the rainforests of the Philippines, its existence is gravely affected by natural habitat loss and hunting.
Sadly, only 400 pairs remain, making it one of the most endangered species in the world today.
One such eagle is “Mindanao,” the Philippine Eagle ambassador for education. From the day he was hatched, he, along with 17 other Philippine eagles, has been under the care of the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) through a captive breeding program—a system that breeds and re-introduces raptors to their natural habitat in the efforts to augment the dwindling wild population.

Over the…

Travel discounts, hotel discounts, fun and surprises were enjoyed by Bacolodnons during the three-day 9th TravelXchange held in SM Bacolod last October 23-25, 2015.
The travel show kicked-off with a remarkable Opening Program graced by important government and tourism officials, as well as officers from the private sectors last Friday. It was formally opened by Mayor MonicoPuentevella alongside Department of Tourism Western Visayas Regional Director Atty. Helen Catalbas. Also present in the opening ceremony were Charles Lim, TravelXchange Founder, Roxanne Gochuico, Cebu Pacific Air Promotions Specialist, Arthur Malatag, Pagcor Bacolod Branch Manager, Merlinda Adante, Enchanted Kingdom Head of Sales Division and Miguel Nacionales, L’Fisher Hotel Events and Marketing Coordinator.



According to its Charter, Pagcor is given a three-pronged mandate wherein one of which is to help promote the Philippine tourism industry. Thus, it’s all-out support for the 9th TravelXchange in Western Visayas.

P…

We have received spam messages in our mobile phones time and again. Some ignored them, some replied with rude messages and some get duped! Anyway, this news from Globe Telecom is timely. As follows:
Globe Telecom has disconnected from service close to 30,000 prepaid numbers found to be consistent source of spam and scam text messages as the leading mobile operator continues to intensify efforts to eliminate such unsolicited and annoying messages.




The numbers blocked from the Globe network were subject of complaints reported through the http://www.globe.com.ph/stopspam where customers are simply required to provide all the details of spam and scam messages they received on their mobile devices. Numbers that are reported to be a constant source of spam messages are then disconnected from service.
The numbers were also identified via an automated filtering system implemented by Globe to keep its customers from receiving scam and spam messages. The telecommunications provider recently expand…

Sonny Sanchez has always dreamt of giving his family a decent home and providing for his children’s education. But as a helper-mechanic for a telecommunications company in Roxas City, he can barely make ends meet despite putting in the hard work.


Now, the 33-year-old father of two is simply ecstatic to make his dreams for his family a reality after winning the P200,000 cash prize in the Visayas regional draw of the Great Taste White Choose Great, Win Great Raffle Promo.
Sonny admits that he joined the raffle promo hoping that he’ll win the major cash prizes so he can take care of his family’s needs. “Gusto ko po talagang manalo sa Great Taste White raffle para makabili ng maliit na lote at matayuan ng bahay dahil nakikitira lang kami dito.”

Sonny was surprised when the Great Taste White team dropped by their house to present his cash prize after his entry was picked in the third Visayas regional draw held at The Shops at Amigo.
Just like Sonny, millions of Filipinos have joined the raffle…

Financial freedom. Everybody wants it. To be free from debt, free to do whatever you want to do without asking money from others, freedom to be able to secure your children’s future and freedom from financial worries during old age, among others.

“Financial freedom is different for every one of us. It depends on your age, like the young who wants to travel and does not want to ask money from others or parents who want to prepare for their children’s future,” said actor and singer Piolo Pascual.
“For me, financial freedom is being able to do what I want to do – work, advocacy, sports and to be able to support my son Inigo,” added Pascual, who happens to be the ambassador of Sun Life Financial.
Pascual was in Iloilo City recently to help Sun Life Financial rally Filipinos to define and pursue their financial freedom in a nationwide campaign dubbed as #LiveFreePH Movement.
#LiveFreePH Movement aims to inspire Filipinos to believe that a brighter future is possible, provoke them to think abou…

Spa Riviera, the pioneer spa and wellness center in Iloilo is celebrating 15 years of continued success and innovation this October, which is timely because October is also Wellness Month.
Gugma Card As a token of Spa Riviera’s love (gugma) for its clientele, it has launched its “Gugma Card” which comes with free add-ons and special price discounts. “Gugma Card will be given to the first 200 who will avail of our two signature Ilonggo services - Gayuma Package and Gayuma Experience in any of our 3 branches. Every month, we will have special free add-ons. The card is valid for one year,” said Anna Marie Rivera-Wharton, chief executive officer of Spa Riviera.


Gayuma Package is a two-hour luxurious pampering that includes a hot stone massage and a choice between an organic facial and a body scrub. Meanwhile, Gayuma Experience is a three-hour uniquely relaxing experience that includes sauna, foot massage, hot stone massage and Barako Body Scrub.  A hot stone massage promotes deep relaxation,…

SM started out with shoes. And today, it continues to expand its footwear legacy by reaching out to communities with the Simply Shoes outlets.  Simply Shoes, an affiliate of SM Retail, opened its 10th  branch at Citymall Jaro, Iloilo last October 10, 2015.


Simply Shoes is a one-stop shoe store offering a wide assortment of shoes selections for women, men and children. The store carries an assortment of brands, both for everyday and special occasions including SM’s iconic Parisian brand, which offers trendy yet affordable footwear for the ladies. Solemate has a wide array of fab flats.

Simply Shoes also Milanos trendy designs for men; as well as Vans, World Balance, Kicks, Sprint, Treads, Easy Soft, Duralite, Summit, Sling Beachwalk, Toeberries and Islander for the active and casual lifestyle. Kids, on the other hand, will make stylish steps with Sugar Kids, Tough Kids, Barbie, Avengers, Marvel, Ben 10, Spiderman, Tom & Jerry, Max Steel, Justice League and Frozen. Brands like Salvat…