Congressman Mikee Romero is Man of the Year forPublic Service and Sports

It came as no surprise when Congressman Mikee Romero was declared Man of the Year for Public Service and Sports in the recently held Asia Leaders Awards (ALA) at the Embassy of Singapore in the Philippines last November 11, 2021.

Fresh from receiving a citation from the American Association of the Philippines as an Outstanding athlete, Entrepreneur, and Public Servant, Asia Leaders Awards re-affirm the honor.

ALA is an avenue where exceptional leaders are recognized for their efforts in making their companies and organization shine. It also gives recognition to outstanding public servant who always puts the welfare of their constituents, the Filipino people in general, first and foremost, just like Congressman Romero 

A sportsman by heart (he managed several Basketball teams in the past, and was once a captain of the Philippines Polo team), Congressman Mikee Romero made a name for himself first in Business. He owns several businesses, Holding companies, Ports, and a majority stockholder of Air Asia. He made history by landing 46th among the wealthiest Filipinos in 2020. He is the richest lawmaker we have in the Philippines right now based on his SALN declaration, but he does his work well. On his 4 years in Congress, he was able to file around 700 bills from which 60 of them are now RA’s.

A man of passion and action, for his efforts and countless initiatives to help the people, be it in Congress, in Sports supporting our PH athletes and as the Head of his several thousands of employees across all his businesses, he truly deserved the Man of the Year award.  

“Once I achieve something, I don’t look at it as a success. Life is a journey and it doesn’t stop. Whether it’s business, or anything in life, I just proceed and push myself to the limits.” – Congressman Mikee Romero

A true leader that inspires and uplifts the condition of many Filipinos from different walks of life, that’s Congressman Mikee Romero.

Asia Leaders Awards is the largest business awards event in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. It is only the recognition giving body whose awards committee is composed of respected leaders from different organizations and embassies. Its main objective is to promote the Philippines as a premier business hub and destination in Asia.

Game Changer— iAcademy Is Asia Leaders Awards 2021 Honouree

 

Information and Communications Technology Academy, globally distinguished as iAcademy, is Asia Leaders Awards 2021 Innovative Company of the Year honouree, attesting to its game-changing educational solutions to bridge the gap between academic training and industry needs.

Innovating Philippine Education

“Our sights are set on outperforming our efforts in delivering exceptional value to our students. Every year, we raise our game to match the ever-changing demands of the industries and we take it upon ourselves to make sure our students will continue to strive for excellence and contribute positive change,” shared iAcademy President and CEO Vanessa Tanco.

iAcademy’s game changing innovations include:

• Co-Create Program to give students opportunities for students to pitch advocacies and/or products and services to industry partners like Canva and the Department of Tourism,

• The Alibaba Global Digital Talent e-commerce training project with the Department of Trade and Industry, 

• The collaboration with Ontario College of Arts and Design; and, 

• The launching f the Music Production and Sound Design with AVID and Dolby ATMOS. 

Joining the World’s Best Schools 

iAcademy was recognized again as the Most Innovative Education Provider in the Philippines in addition to being the Most Innovative Design School and Best New School for Music Production and Technology in the Global Brands Awards in the United Kingdom.

This catapults iAcademy among the ranks of the world’s most prestigious schools alongside the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the National University of Singapore, and the University of Cambridge.

“With all of these recognitions, we make our mission to be game changers more pronounced to the world, providing students with game changing education to propel our nation forward and change the world for the better,” Tanco declared.

iAcademy was founded in 2002 to pioneer innovative, industry-relevant, and technology-based programs in Business, Computing, and Design.

For more information about Grab Philippines, visit their website https://iacademy.edu.ph/ or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/iACADEMY/. 

Joining the Best in Asia Leaders Awards 2021

iAcademy received their recognition last November 11 at the Embassy of Singapore in Manila alongside business luminaries from various industries in joint celebration of their outstanding achievements and contributions to the Philippines and to the Filipino people amidst the pandemic.

Other winners of Asia Leaders Awards 2021 were: 247 AI, 3D Container & Packaging Phils Corp, Airspeed International Corporation, Alfamart Trading Philippines, Asian Tigers Lane Moving & Storage, AsiaPrime Philippines Corporation, AstraZeneca, Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc, Brilliant Skin Essentials, Congressman Michael Romero, Dynaquest, ECLARO, Elizabeth Timbol, FICWSI, FILA Philippines, Fredley Group of Companies, Frontrow Cares, Frontrow Enterprise Philippines, Inc, Grab Philippines, Hanz Cua, JCI Makati, JC Premiere, Jollibee Food Corporation, KMV Asia Development Corporation, Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Mayor Randy Salamat, Mer-nels Place, PH Global Jet Express Inc, Renan Morales, Reyes Haircutters, Rising Dragon Beauty and Wellness Trading Corporation, Santos Knight Frank Inc., Siomai King by JC Worldwide, and The Millennial Concept Factory.

Asia Leaders Awards continues to be an avenue where business leaders are recognized for their outstanding efforts to make their companies shine while giving back to the community through their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs.

Asia Leaders Awards is the largest business awards event in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. It is only the recognition giving body whose awards committee is composed of respected leaders from different organizations and embassies. Its main objective is to promote the Philippines as a premier business hub and destination in Asia.

Check out https://www.facebook.com/AsiaLeadersAwards for more of the event details.

At Sogo Hotel your simply home away from home

Your simply at home and at ease when checking in with Hotel Sogo. They adhere to the health protocols implemented by the government to bounce back from this tumultuous time.

Hotel Sogo's New Normal campaign with the theme "We are fully vaccinated, Para kayo ay ProtekTODO" promotes that all Hotel Sogo staff have completed two jabs of vaccine to secure the safety of its guests as early as July 2021. 

 

"We have 41 branches nationwide and five more upcoming branches. There are thousands of employees working in all our hotels, and their safety is important to protect our guests. We are really grateful that our staff is fully vaccinated," said Sue Geminiano, Hotel Sogo Marketing Manager.

 

Hotel Sogo management is committed to their employees' welfare. They also believe that getting the vaccine is a simple way to bring us closer to life, feeling normal again and worry-free. Hotel Sogo takes care of their staff as a family as well as their guests. "I can say that the 11 anti-Covid innovations that we installed in our hotels with hotel staff that is fully vaccinated, we are sure that our family and friends are safe to stay at Hotel Sogo". She added

 

Indeed, Hotel Sogo is So Clean…So Good…So Safe.

Mayor Randy Salamat of Alfonso Cavite Man of the Year for Public Service

 

November 11, 2021, A mix of Business leaders and Public Servants were gathered together at the Embassy of Singapore in the Philippines for Asia Leaders Awards (ALA) 2021.  ALA is an avenue where exceptional leaders are recognized for their efforts in making their companies and organization shine. It also gives recognition to outstanding public servant who always puts the welfare of their constituents, the Filipino people in general, first and foremost. 

Asia Leaders Awards put on the spotlight for the second time to this millennial mayor, who despite his young age and experience has made his hometown, the “Hidden Gem of the South.”  ALA 2021’s  Man of the Year for Public Service is no other than, Mayor Randy Salamat.

“Sa pangalawang pagkakataon. Maraming Salamat pong muli sa Asia Leaders Awards sa pagbibigay ng gantimpala sa aking liderato sa ilalim ng #ResponsablengSerbisyo para sa ating bayan ng Alfonso. Maraming Salamat din po sa pagkilala bilang isang negosyante na patuloy na lumalaban sa gitna ng pandemya para sa patuloy na pag bangon ng ating ekonomiya sa pamamagitan po ng pagbibigay ng hanap-buhay sa ating mga dakilang empleyado. To God be the highest glory.” – Alfonso Mayor Randy Salamat

Mayor Salamat, the youngest Chief Executive Official in Cavite proved to his constituents and the entire Philippines that young blood may do better so long as armed with optimism, determination, and a clear vision to take on the lead. He has shown consistency on his kind of hands-on leadership

He has initiated many projects for his constituents, not only focusing on the development of infrastructure, policies, to help the seniors and constituents of his hometown, Alfonso, Cavite but also projects for the benefit of the children, in health care and education. Not forgetting the environment, he also took the forefront in combatting climate change by his green initiatives. 

On the side, Mayor Randy is also a successful entrepreneur. Just recently, he was also cited by the AMerican Association of the Philippines as recipient of the Outstanding International Hospitality Entrepreneur award, because of his innovation and grit in launching different restaurants even during pandemic, thus giving jobs to more people who are in need and displaced by this global health crisis. 

Get to know more of Mayor Randy’s projects and initiatives on his social media pages; Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayorrandysalamat; Instagram: www.instagram.com/randy_salamat and  Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC1_CTlV0k_dlEjWEX0jPjqw

Congressman Michael Romero received the same award from ALA and as a nation builder. Other Business leaders who won Man of the Year on different categories were: Mr. Ronald Mascarinas of BAVI, Mr. Jonathan So and Mr. Carlito Macadangdang. 

Asia Leaders Awards is the largest business awards event in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. It is only the recognition giving body whose awards committee is composed of respected leaders from different organizations and embassies. Its main objective is to promote the Philippines as a premier business hub and destination in Asia.

One-Eyed Women Art Exhibit Dec 4 to 18, 2021

One-Eyed Women Art Exhibit
World AIDS Day Exhibit 
December 4 to 18, 2021
Venue: Met Live Mall Atrium, 
Macapagal Avenue, Pasay City

The Artist

Oftentimes, hear a famous artist in the western world but rarely in the far-east in southeast Asia. There is one artist who stands out, his name is Rommel Rico aka Virrco. According to Virrco.net Virrco is a New York-based artist who transforms his artworks into wearable art. He has done two well-received solo exhibits in New York and is known for his "Fishwives" artworks and colorful Filipiniana artworks as a tribute to his Filipino roots. The Virrco Artshow is his 2nd solo exhibit in the Philippines.

Virrco works as a project manager in the US. He is also a Physical Therapist and a Registered Nurse in the US. A rare talent who comes from the Philippines with so much passion for artwork paintings. Who is Rommel Rico aka Virrco. A humble beginning in the province of Romblon.

Who is Rommel Rico as a person aka Virrco? Rommel Rico is a US registered nurse working currently as a project manager with a big US-based pharmaceutical company. He paints and helps the Duyan Project or Project Red Ribbon.

Virrco's Inspiration

Who inspired you to paint? None inspired me to paint. Can't attribute it to a person. But can attribute it to NY as a place. NY will surround you with different kinds/forms of art, it awakened the artist in me.

You are using Virrco, why that name? My subjects are women and guess it is influenced by the strong-willed, independent, and well-accomplished women in my family, my friends, and workplace. Always been fascinated by the trait and characters that they always manifest in my paintings. VIRRCO IS A COMBINation of the family names of my grandparents. It is a tribute to them. a combination and a product of all of them. Believe that if not for their genes and experiences, wouldn't be who I am. VI for VIctorio, Rs for Ruga, Repil and Royo, CO for Rico.

Past Projects

Some of your work was an exhibit in New York City. Yes, had two exhibits done in NYC. In the building gallery where I work in 2nd avenue and 42nd st. It's one of my first 2 abundance paintings, showcasing Filipino people with their harvest. It is a tribute to my roots as a Filipino. Also had two one-man exhibits in queens, one showcasing Filipiniana arts again showcasing Filipinos with baskets in Filipiniana attire, and the 2nd showcasing colorful watercolor art and acrylic which we converted as wearable art, like shirts, dresses, scarves, etc.

Advocacy 

Heard that you are helping the less fortunate with your paintings. My artwork helps the children with HIV and Aids under the care of Duyan project. These children are survived by their grandparents or aunts and uncle. These families have difficulty buying food to place on their table, so buying Medicine is not their priority. Can't fathom how difficult their situation is. Just really heartbreaking.

Tell us about your advocacy and upcoming projects. Really wanted to help more these children of Duyan. In my little way, hoping to shed light on them, not only through the income coming from art but as well as to encourage other people to share their blessings with these children.

Fun Facts

3 fun facts about you. One is that I'm afraid of heights, Two I love coffee, 4 to 6 cups q day, and three I wish to paint in Europe someday

Future Upcoming Projects

2022 will be à busy year. There is a line up of Exhibit in the US(LA, Las Vegas, New York) Canada and Australia. We will update you soon régarding this developments.

For more details visit 
Website: www.virrco.net

#WorldAidsDay2021  
#Virrco4Duyan

Frontrow PH Took Home Six Awards from ALA 2021

Asia Leaders Awards Honours Exceptional and Powerful Leaders

 

                  Engr. Grace Bondad Nicolas and Gerald Ho                                          of  Singapore

                          

Awards do not only acknowledge success, they recognize many other qualities like the skills, abilities, efforts, and even struggles. Most of the award giving bodies across the country particularly on the business side commonly focuses only on the front end, looking at the tangible measurement of achievements. But this is not how it goes with Asia Leaders Awards.

             Macao Imperial Milk Tea CEO Avin Ong

Asia Leaders Awards annually acknowledges industry leaders who are making significant changes not only in their respective fields, but also going beyond to help improve other people’s lives. ALA also take into consideration company efforts in promoting the Philippines as a premier business hub in Asia.

                  J&T Express Vice President Zoe Chi   

Founded by Engr. Grace Bondad Nicolas, the first Filipina and first Woman President of American Association of the Philippines after 74 years and founder of Tag Media Group, Asia Leaders Awards  piloted in 2018 and has given several awards to deserving individuals and companies from various fields since then, recognizing global excellence among its awardees. It honors businesses providing above standard services to the public by showcasing innovation at the same time embracing social awareness with their Corporate Social Responsibility programs.

        Grab Philippines Managing Director Grace Vera                                       Perez and team

ALA’s core group is meticulous in all ways, from preparations to the selection committee, up to the lineup of their judges.  They make sure all the nominees are deserving, all the judges are honorable and all preparations are at par with the excellence they are promoting. The awards committee is made up of Foreign Ambassadors, officers of esteemed organizations and accomplished individuals from different industries. 

       Frontrow President RS Francisco , 1Pacman           Partylist Congressman Mikee Romero and Frontrow   CEO Sam Verzosa

ALA awards venue is always grand, by the likes of Makati Shangrila and the Embassy of Singapore.  The Embassy of Singapore symbolises leadership, exclusivity and power, very appropriate to recognize few and exceptional individuals and companies. 

       Congressman Mikee Romero and Air Asia                                          Chairman Sheila Romero

As the years go by, Asia Leaders Awards only gets bigger and bolder, with each year surpassing the previous year’s level of success. ALA only competes with its own standard of excellence.

And by the way, each year, ALA takes on different themes, aptly fitted to the current year’s situation. This year, as we are all picking up from the degression caused about by the pandemic which started early part of 2020, the theme is about Hope and Optimism, coinciding with the colors of the year, yellow and gray. Two independent colors that highlight how different elements come together to support one another. Unity regardless of the differences. 

      American Association of the Philippines Chairman          Emeritus Rick Sobrevinas, Alfamart Trading COO            Harvey Ong and Federation of Filipino Chinese                Chamber Dr. Elton See Tan

Indeed, Asia Leaders Awards is the only award giving body that emanates excellence in all aspect of execution, celebrating leadership at its finest!