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The latest business news in the Philippines.

LinkedIn published the 15 fastest-growing job titles in the Philippines

January 19, 2023

LinkedIn, the social media network for professionals and businesses just reveal the 15 fastest-growing job titles in the Philippines. The list is a good reference for those who are planning to switch jobs or gauge if there’s long term opportunity in the industry where you’re at.

LinkedIn explained that the list was published by “LinkedIn Economic Graph researchers examined millions of jobs started by LinkedIn members from January 1, 2018 to July 31, 2022 to calculate a growth rate for each job title.” and added “To be ranked, a job title needed to see consistent growth across our membership base, as well as have grown to a meaningful size by 2022.”

Here’s the full list of LinkedIn’s 15 fastest-growing job titles in the Philippines;

  1. Clinical Research Associate

    • What they do: Clinical research associates are responsible for the setup, conduct, and supervision of clinical trials and studies designed to determine the effectiveness and safety of drugs, products, and procedures.
    • Most common skills: Good Clinical Practice (GCP), Clinical Monitoring, Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS)
    • Most common industries: Manufacturing, Professional Services, Hospitals and Health Care

  2. Business Development Representative

    • What they do: Business development representatives help both the marketing and sales departments of a company by identifying, connecting, and nurturing new clients in order to generate new revenue.
    • Most common skills: Lead Generation, Business Development, Cold Calling.
    • Most common industries: Technology and Media, Professional Services, Entertainment Providers.

  3. Insights Analyst

    • What they do: Insights analysts are responsible for translating a company’s financial, customer, and market data into insights that can help the business make informed decisions.
    • Most common skills: Microsoft Power BI, Business Insights, Data Visualization
    • Most common industries: Professional Services, Manufacturing, Technology and Media

  4. Delivery Specialist

    • What they do: Delivery specialists manage projects on behalf of clients, making sure that projects are completed within deadlines and budgets and that projects meet every client specification.
    • Most common skills: Service Delivery, Alteryx, Business Process Improvement
    • Most common industries: Professional Services, Technology and Media, Administrative and Support Services

  5. Anti-Money Laundering Analyst

    • What they do: Anti-money laundering analysts help organizations comply with anti-money laundering regulations by monitoring financial transactions and investigating any suspicious activity.
    • Most common skills: KYC Verification, Anti-Money Laundering, Due Diligence
    • Most common industries: Financial Services, Professional Services, Technology and Media

  6. Media Analyst

    • What they do: Media analysts measure the success of advertising campaigns and other marketing activities through the monitoring of media channels and analysis of media data.
    • Most common skills: Media Analysis, Media Monitoring, Data Analysis
    • Most common industries: Professional Services, Technology and Media, Financial Services

  7. Customer Success Specialist

    • What they do: Customer success specialists help businesses retain existing customers by responding to inquiries, resolving issues, and providing other support that ensure customer satisfaction.
    • Most common skills: Account Management, Customer Success, Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
    • Most common industries: Professional Services, Financial Services, Technology and Media

  8. Virtual Medical Assistant

    • What they do: Virtual medical assistants take care of many administrative and clerical duties for clinics or hospitals, including the maintenance of medical databases, appointment scheduling, patient billing, and insurance coverage processing.
    • Most common skills: Virtual Assistance, Medical Assisting, Appointment Scheduling
    • Most common industries: Professional Services, Hospitals and Health Care, Administrative and Support Services

  9. Salesforce Consultant

    • What they do: Salesforce consultants help companies use the Salesforce CRM software, providing expert guidance during the setup, implementation, and optimisation of the tool to suit the company’s needs.
    • Most common skills: Salesforce.com Administration, Apex Programming, Salesforce Sales Cloud
    • Most common industries: Professional Services, Technology and Media, Manufacturing

  10. Data Engineer

    • What they do: Data engineers work with raw data and transform it into a format that’s more accessible and usable for further analysis by data scientists.
    • Most common skills: Data Engineering, Load (ETL), Python (Programming Language)
    • Most common industries: Professional Services, Financial Services, Oil, Gas, and Mining

  11. Security Operations Center Analyst

    • What they do: Security operations center analysts protect a company’s computer network by monitoring system activity, identifying and responding to threats, and patching any system security flaw.
    • Most common skills: Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Security Operations Center, Cybersecurity
    • Most common industries: Professional Services, Financial Services, Technology and Media

  12. DevOps Engineer

    • What they do: DevOps engineers sit between software development and software operation teams to improve end user experience, balancing the rollout of new features with maintaining the stability and security of the software.
    • Most common skills: DevOps, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Kubernetes
    • Most common industries: Professional Services, Financial Services, Technology and Media

  13. Product Owner

    • What they do: Product owners take the lead in all aspects of new product development and are responsible for setting the vision for the product, deciding what features the product should have, and managing the whole process from start to finish.
    • Most common skills: Agile Methodologies, Scrum, Product Management
    • Most common industries: Financial Services, Professional Services, Technology and Media

  14. Cloud Engineer

    • What they do: Cloud engineers manage a company’s cloud-based systems and are responsible for setting it up, ensuring its stability, implementing updates, and customizing its features to suit end users’ needs.
    • Most common skills: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Cloud Computing
    • Most common industries: Professional Services, Technology and Media, Manufacturing

  15. Tax Associate

    • What they do: Tax associates help organizations file their taxes correctly, find opportunities for tax deductions, and provide guidance on tax-related matters.
    • Most common skills: Tax Preparation, Tax Compliance, Accounting
    • Most common industries: Professional Services, Financial Services, Real Estate and Equipment Rental Services

Source: TechJobs, LinkedIn

Carousell to layoff 10% of it’s global staff

December 5, 2022

Singapore-based Carousell just announced that it will layoff 10% of its staff or around 110 employees. The company made the announcement to all its staff via email and an official blogpost on their website. The company operates in 10 markets; Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Quek Siu Rui, Carousell’s Co-founder and CEO said in the post “I am deeply sorry for this outcome, and I take responsibility for the decisions that have led us here. Parting with teammates, whom we are grateful to for joining us on this mission, is a very difficult decision. We will be sure to treat everyone impacted with compassion and to lend as much support as we can to them.”

The company’s goal for the “impacted” employees is to help them in their job search by allowing them to keep their office laptop and continue their LinkedIn Learning membership until June 30, 2023; provide at least 3 months of compensation and, extend medical benefits and insurance coverage for employees and their dependents up to June 30, 2023, subject to approval by local insurers and medical service providers.

Carousell was founded in 2012, backed by Sequoia Capital India, Naver, 500 Global and Rakuten Capital, has raised a total of $372.6 million and acquired another of companies including OLX Philippines, after receiving an investment from Naspers.

Facebook renames its corporate brand to Meta

October 29, 2021

In a video posted on his official Facebook account, Mark Zuckerberg officially announced that the Facebook will change its corporate name to Meta. Meta will now be the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus. Zuckerberg’s announcement was made on the first day of the company’s annual Connect conference.

Here’s a video where Mark Zuckerberg introduce the company’s new name.

The new name will not affect any of Meta’s products or services, since this is more of a corporate restructuring similar to what Google made in 2015 when they changed its corporate name from Google to Alphabet, even though we still associate all of its company and subsidiary to “Google.”

Mark further explained what their vision for metaverse in a 1 hour video;

The change in Facebook’s corporate name was first reported by Alex Heath of The Verge. You can already read Meta’s official statement here.

You can now switch mobile carrier and use the same phone number as Mobile Number Portability takes effect

October 1, 2021

The Mobile Number Portability Act or RA 11202 officially takes effect, last Sept. 30th. In a nutshell, the Mobile Number Portability Act allows mobile users to keep the same mobile number when switching carrier or their subscription from postpaid to prepaid and vice versa, free of charge.

Smart, Globe and even DITO telecom are now accepting “switchers” for those who wants to change network providers and keep their mobile numbers.

According to Telecommunications Connectivity Inc. (TCI), a joint venture company formed by DITO, Globe and Smart, and the implementing arm of Mobile Number Portability Act, the basic requirements at conditions ng MNP o Mobile Number Portability below;

  1. Government issued ID
  2. Unique Subscriber Code (USC)
    • This is a 9-digit code issued by your current network provider to start the porting process
    • This serves as a clearance that your account is free from unpaid fees and balances.
    • This is valid for fifteen (15) days upon date of issue.<\li>
  3. Proof of mobile number ownership.

You can visit the respective FAQ page of the different telecoms below;

DICT to launch the sixth Philippine Startup Challenge 2021 this September

September 5, 2021

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is set to launch the sixth (6th) Philippine Startup Challenge 2021 (PSC 2021) this September.

The event is an annual startup competition started in 2016 which aims to encourage and support Filipinos to create innovative and relevant ICT products and services that may develop into viable business ventures and potentially solve social problems.

“Through this initiative, we hope to promote the entrepreneurial spirit among Filipinos that will surely help our country advance in the global digital economy,” DICT Secretary Gregorio “Gringo” B. Honasan II said.
As part of the Republic Act No. 11337 or the “Innovative Startup Act” which was enacted last 26 April 2019, the Philippine Startup Challenge seeks to aid in strengthening, promoting, and developing the Philippine Startup Ecosystem.

The event also aims to bring together experts in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) from across the country to help establish a network of innovators, foster a culture of entrepreneurship in ICT, and discover the endless opportunities catering to vigorously advance science, technology, and innovation.

This year, the competition will be open for submission of entries that cover software and internet-based innovations and will cater to all startups in the ideation to minimum viable product stage.

Ms. Emmy Lou V. Delfin, Director IV of the ICT Industry Development Bureau (IIDB), encourages Filipino professionals and students to participate in the startup competition.

“We are taking the Philippine Startup Challenge 2021 to the next level as we include another category for Filipino professionals in the competition. Hopefully, with our Bureau’s initiatives, we can support Filipino professionals and students further so they can continue to improve their startup ideas,” Director Delfin said.

The Philippine Startup Challenge will be divided into two (2) categories for professionals and students, with a maximum of four (4) members per team. For the entire duration of the competition, the DICT together with its partner organizations and ICT councils, will be guiding and mentoring the winners in preparation for the next rounds.

This nationwide competition will start from regional pitching competitions where three (3) regional winners will be assessed and chosen by the Regional Selection Committee. Regional winners will then advance to the Semifinal Round, where the top ten (10) teams shall move on to the national competition. The Finals for the professional category is set on the third week of November, with the five (5) winners to receive funding proposals.
The PSC 2021 is to be held in partnership with Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA), Ignite, QBO, StartUp Village, Spring Valley, Huawei, and Microsoft, among others.

For more information on the sixth (6th) Philippine Startup Challenge 2021, please visit https://dict.gov.ph/philippine-startup-challenge-2021.

Source: @DICTgovph

LG to close its Smartphone Business Unit, promises OS updates for 3 years

April 8, 2021

LG just announced the South Korean tech giant will close its mobile business unit, which was approved by its boar of directors (BoD).

In their official announcement, LG made the decision to exit the smartphone business because it’s been an “incredibly competitive mobile phone sector” and that it “will enable the company to focus resources in growth areas such as electric vehicle components, connected devices, smart homes, robotics, artificial intelligence and business-to-business solutions, as well as platforms and services.”

LG is expected to complete its “exit” the smartphone business by July 31st.

In a follow-up announcement, LG will support “all premium LG smartphones currently in use will receive up to three iterations of Android operating system updates from the year of purchase.” which means that all LG premium phones released in 2019 and later (G series, V series, VELVET, Wing) while certain 2020 models such as LG Stylo and K series will receive two OS updates.

The company will still manufacture smartphone phones through the second quarter to meet contractual obligations to carriers and partners.

Salesforce to acquire Slack for $27.7 billion

December 2, 2020
Salesforce to acquire Slack for $27.7 billion

Salesforce, provider of cloud-based CRM, is acquiring Slack for $27.7 billion. The combined company of Salesforce and Slack will be able to better compete with Microsoft, Oracle and other companies in the cloud enterprise space.

In a press release, “Under the terms of the agreement, Slack shareholders will receive $26.79 in cash and 0.0776 shares of Salesforce common stock for each Slack share, representing an enterprise value of approximately $27.7 billion based on the closing price of Salesforce’s common stock on November 30, 2020.”

“Stewart and his team have built one of the most beloved platforms in enterprise software history, with an incredible ecosystem around it,” said Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO, Salesforce. “This is a match made in heaven. Together, Salesforce and Slack will shape the future of enterprise software and transform the way everyone works in the all-digital, work-from-anywhere world. I’m thrilled to welcome Slack to the Salesforce Ohana once the transaction closes.”

“Salesforce started the cloud revolution, and two decades later, we are still tapping into all the possibilities it offers to transform the way we work. The opportunity we see together is massive,” said Stewart Butterfield, Slack CEO and Co-Founder. “As software plays a more and more critical role in the performance of every organization, we share a vision of reduced complexity, increased power and flexibility, and ultimately a greater degree of alignment and organizational agility. Personally, I believe this is the most strategic combination in the history of software, and I can’t wait to get going.”

You can read the full text of Salesforce press release here.

Sony finalizing deal to acquire Crunchyroll for $957 million

November 2, 2020

Sony is in the final stage of negotiation to acquire anime-streaming service Crunchyroll for more than 100 billion yen ($957 million). The deal once approve will combine Funimation and Crunchyroll properties to offer animes around the world.

Here’s the full report from Nikkei Asia;

TOKYO — Sony has entered into final negotiations to acquire U.S. anime-streaming service Crunchyroll, Nikkei learned on Friday, a deal that could catapult the Japanese icon into a global battle with the likes of Netflix.

Sony could end up spending more than 100 billion yen ($957 million) on the U.S. streamer, gaining its 70 million members around the world.

Sony has its own popular anime like “Kimetsu no Yaiba” (“Demon Slayer”), but has been licensing it to streaming services. Sony’s Aniplex, the studio behind “Kimetsu no Yaiba,” has a variety of content, including movies and music, that is mainly distributed by overseas companies.

If the acquisition is realized, global competition for content among companies like Netflix and Hulu will intensify.

Crunchyroll was founded in 2006 and has its headquarters in San Francisco. In 2018, AT&T, the U.S. telecommunications giant, became its parent company.

Sony recently obtained the exclusive right to negotiate for Crunchyroll.

After acquiring Funimation, an anime distributor, in 2017, Sony gained 1 million paying subscribers, mainly in the U.S., but came up against obstacles expanding this customer base.

Crunchyroll has 70 million free members and 3 million paying subscribers in more than 200 countries and regions, including the U.S. and Europe.

Crunchyroll would also give Sony more than 1,000 titles that it can use to vary its offerings.

Sony’s total operating income from games, music and movies is forecast to reach $4.79 billion for the fiscal year ending March, accounting for 60% of the group total.

The company once known for Trinitron TVs and Walkman personal stereos has grown into an entertainment colossus that plans to strengthen this side of its business by building on Crunchyroll’s membership base.

With the coronavirus convincing people around the world to entertain themselves at home, demand for video distribution services is swelling and competition for popular content is intensifying. Netflix, the largest streamer, is forming alliances with animation studios, while Disney last year took its popular library and began its own streaming service.

According to The Association of Japanese Animations, the global anime market in 2018 was worth about $21 billion, 1.5 times that of five years earlier. The overseas market accounts for nearly half of total demand.

Grab partners with Marriott International to offer “Premium” Hospitality service in Southeast Asia

October 29, 2020

Grab announces its partnership with Marriott International that will allow both parties to offer what they’re calling “Premium” hospitality service in six Southeast Asian countries; Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand.

The hospitality services will include multiple verticals including food delivery, advertising, loyalty and rewards, payment and transport services.

Here’s a full text of the announcement;

SINGAPORE, 29 October 2020 – Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading super app and Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR), today announced a wide-ranging strategic partnership that will see both companies integrating their offerings to bring the premium hospitality experience into the hands of millions of consumers in Southeast Asia. This is Marriott International’s first extensive integration with a super app platform in Southeast Asia, and Grab’s most comprehensive agreement with a hospitality group to date.

Under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Marriott International will integrate into Grab’s platform in phases across food delivery, payment, transport, loyalty and rewards, as well as advertising. Marriott International will have access to Grab’s sizable customer base via GrabFood, GrabPay, and GrabAds, enabling them to serve a growing pool of customers who are increasingly transacting online.

GrabFood will feature approximately 600 restaurants and bars from Marriott International’s portfolio in six different Southeast Asian markets. In addition, customers will be able to conveniently pay for their dining experiences through GrabPay at selected Marriott International hotels. Customers will earn GrabRewards points for all transactions on the Grab platform, which can be converted to Marriott Bonvoy points (and vice versa). Marriott Bonvoy is the award-winning travel program of Marriott International that encompasses the company’s global portfolio of 30 hotel brands and premium home rental offering, Homes and Villas by Marriott International. Once in place, Grab customers will be able to redeem their converted points for exclusive member benefits at over 7,400 hotels and resorts in 135 countries and territories.

Through this partnership, Marriott International and Grab seek to digitally enhance the premium hospitality experience by making it more accessible, relevant and rewarding for their customers in the new normal.

“Marriott International is constantly looking for ways to innovate and bring value to travelers and Marriott Bonvoy members as part of our partnership strategy,” said Rajeev Menon, President, Asia Pacific (excluding China), Marriott International. “Our collaboration with Grab is one way we are designing a more seamless travel experience by leveraging the expertise of a super app in the region.”

Russell Cohen, Group Managing Director – Operations, Grab said: “We are excited to partner with a world-renowned hospitality group like Marriott International that is at the forefront of delivering customer-first hospitality experiences. The breadth of our collaboration reflects our value as a platform of choice in supporting global brands on their digitalisation journey in the new normal, and in particular represents a milestone for our fast-growing GrabAds business.”

Grab and Marriott International’s initiatives to bring customer experiences to a new level include:

  • GrabFood: Starting from November, customers will progressively be able to enjoy food delivery from approximately 600 different Food and Beverage (F&B) outlets across Marriott International hotels in six of Grab’s operating markets, which will be made available on the GrabFood platform in phases. This offers Grab customers access to a wide variety of premium dining options that they can enjoy from the comfort of their homes.
  • GrabPay: Piloting in Q1 2021 first in Singapore, travellers will be able to make cashless payments through GrabPay at participating Marriott International hotels. F&B outlets that accept GrabPay can soon also access Grab’s Merchant Discovery feature to notify guests in the vicinity of participating hotels about ongoing promotions and events. This will help businesses increase sales, grow customer loyalty and drive more foot traffic to physical outlets.
  • GrabAds: Grab and Marriott International will jointly create impactful marketing campaigns that are relevant and personalised to customers. With GrabAds’ solutions, Marriott International can connect with customers in a targeted way through audience data, integrate marketing communications across touchpoints, and track campaign performance in real-time.
  • GrabRewards: Grab and Marriott will link their respective loyalty programmes to offer expanded benefits to Marriott Bonvoy and GrabRewards members. Starting in Q1 2021, Grab customers and Marriott Bonvoy members will be able to enjoy two-way points transfer. This will allow consumers to convert GrabRewards points to Marriott Bonvoy points and vice versa, enjoying flexibility and benefits on GrabRewards, Southeast Asia’s largest rewards platform by users, with nearly 800 merchants.

Both companies will also launch more loyalty initiatives in the coming months, including dining rewards at Marriott’s F&B outlets. 

The strategic partnership will begin in Singapore in November 2020, with Marriott International and Grab to roll out more products and services across Southeast Asia in multiple phases.

Microsoft’s Project Natick

September 15, 2020

An interesting experiment by Microsoft, wherein they drop an entire data center (864 servers) to the bottom (117 feet deep) of the Scottish sea, aways from human’s physical interaction and away from the daily elements.

Earlier this summer, marine specialists reeled up a shipping container-size datacenter coated in algae, barnacles, and sea anemones from the seafloor off Scotland’s Orkney Islands. The retrieval of the Northern Isles datacenter launched the final phase of Project Natick, a years-long research effort that proved the concept of underwater datacenters is feasible as well as logistically, environmentally, and economically practical.

Souq is now Amazon.Sa

June 20, 2020

If you’re a user of Souq, you probably received an email from Amazon that “Souq is now Amazon.sa,” which of course have been a long time coming, since Amazon completed its acquisition of Souq in March 2017 for $580 million in cash.

Angkas introduces Angkas Food, a food delivery service to help their riders

March 25, 2020

Angkas, the ride-sharing motorcycle company, just introduced Angkas Food, a food delivery service wherein the riders will keep 100% of the delivery fees. Angkas said that this is their way of helping their drivers earn a living in this time of COVID-19.

The delivery fee will be Php60 on the first KM and Php10 in the succeeding kilometer up to 5 km.

The service will initially be available in Metro Manila area and will deliver from 10:00 in the morning until 5:30 in the afternoon. You can go here to checkout the list of restaurants and menus.

Honda to close its Sta. Rosa Manufacturing Plant

February 24, 2020

Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) just announced that they will close its Sta. Rosa Manufacturing Plant, effective March 2020. In their official announcement, Honda said “To meet Honda’s customer needs in the Philippines for reasonably priced and good quality products, Honda considered efficient allocation and distribution of resources. As such, after consideration of optimization efforts in the production operations in Asia and Oceania region, Honda decided to close the manufacturing operations of HCPI.”

HCPI will still continue its automobile sales and after-sales service operation in the Philippines, through the utilization of Honda’s Asia and Oceania regional network. To date, Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) employs 650 associates.

The Honda Sta. Rosa plant was established in November 1990 wit a capital investment of Php 1.9 billion and began its its operations in 1992.

Summit Media will now be a “digital-first”, stops print edition of its magazine

April 17, 2018

Here’s the full text of Summit Media Press release;

With over 20 million unique monthly users visiting its 15 websites and 33 million more fans following its brands on social media platforms, Summit Media is now the Philippines’ leading digital lifestyle network, and one of the top two local digital media companies in the country. Its expertise in creating data-informed quality content has allowed it to reach digital audiences comprising more than 25% of the country’s Internet population.

This month, Summit Media completes its full digital transformation. The 450-strong company can now be called “digital-first” as it bids farewell to its magazine past, closing the six remaining print editions of Cosmopolitan, Preview, YES!. Top Gear, FHM, and Town & Country. These brands are already thriving online as Cosmo.ph, Preview.ph, Pep.ph (for YES!), Topgear.com.ph, FHM.com.ph, and Townandcountry.ph.

Summit Media president Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng said in an official statement: “As we embark on our new journey towards a wholly digital future, we look back at the values that made us successful, and one thing that stands out is our respect for our audiences. Our brands, each with its own strong voice and well-defined identity, have resonated with our audiences because they stand for something, which is why for 23 years, Summit published the most successful and well-loved magazines in the country’s history.

Today, we embrace the way our highly connected audiences now prefer to consume content. As we follow them from print to digital, we will continue our relentless pursuit and delivery of quality, up-to-the minute content and a dynamic and engaging editorial experience—this time, aided by data, which now pervades and informs many of our editorial decisions.

Being highly data-informed arms us with an even better understanding of our audiences, enabling us to create more stories that appeal to their minds and passions, and empowering us to help our advertisers craft effective messages relevant to their audiences. In the past three years, Summit Media has become the leading creator of digital native advertising content in the country, generating more volume than all our competitors combined. On top of this transformation, the company’s other pillars, Outside of Home (OOH) media, book publishing, and content marketing remain robust.

Summit Media was born auspiciously in an era of pulp and ink. We will always owe a debt of gratitude to the medium, to the brilliant teams whose dedication and efforts created magazines that excelled in that landscape, to the generations of loyal readers who not only supported their favorite brands but even imbibed their tenets and values, and to our advertisers, without whose partnership with and belief in us we would not have succeeded. Moving forward and into the future, we are excited as we continue to reinvent ourselves to become an even more compelling destination in a digital era where opportunities abound.”

SEC suspends Rappler’s license to operate

January 16, 2018

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) cancelled the registration of online news organization Rappler for allegedly violating the Foreign Equity Restriction of the Philippine Constitution.

According to Foreign Equity Restriction of the Philippine Constitution, “(t)he ownership and management of mass media shall be limited to citizens of the Philippines, or to corporations, cooperatives or associations, wholly-owned and managed by such citizens.”

SEC cites the funding that it received from Omidyar Network and from Marcus Brauchli’s North Base Media.

You can read SEC’s full decision here.

Since the cancellation of Rappler Incorporated’s license is not yet ‘final and executory’ online news organization will continue to operate.

Disney acquires 21st Century Fox for $52.4 Billion in stock

December 15, 2017

Disney just acquired 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion in stocks, the reported actual value the deal is approximately $66.1 billion. Once the transaction is close, shareholders of 21st Century Fox will receive 0.2745 Disney shares for each 21st Century Fox share they hold, this will give the Murdoch family trading control of 21st Century Fox for a 4.25% stake in Disney.

The deal is expected to complete in 12 to 18 months, once closed, Disney will acquire entertainment properties like the Twentieth Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox 2000, it also include movies like Avatar, X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool, as well as The Grand Budapest Hotel, Hidden Figures, Gone Girl, The Shape of Water and The Martian, and its television creative units, Twentieth Century Fox Television, FX Productions and Fox21, which is the home of popular tv series The Americans, This Is Us, Modern Family, The Simpsons. Disney will also acquire FX Networks, National Geographic Partners, Fox Sports Regional Networks, Fox Networks Group International, Star India and Fox’s interests in Hulu, Sky plc, Tata Sky and Endemol Shine Group.

Not included in the deal are Fox Broadcasting network and stations, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, FS1, FS2 and Big Ten Network, these will spun off into a new company called “New Fox”. Disney will also inherit an approximately $13.7 billion of net debt of 21st Century Fox.

Once completed, the deal will bring X-men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool back into the fold of Marvel, also owned by Disney, and possibilities of Avengers, X-men, Fantastic Four and even Deadpool doing a movie together is very high.

Lazada to open official Apple ‘Shop-in-Shop’ for Southeast Asia customers

December 9, 2017
Lazada to open official Apple ‘Shop-in-Shop’ for Southeast Asia customers
Apple Official Online Store on Lazada Philippines

Fans of Apple can now buy their favourite Apple products on Lazada, Southeast Asia’s leading eCommerce company.

As an authorised online reseller, Lazada’s customers can choose from a wide range of Apple products including iPhone, MacBook, MacBook Pro, iPad, iPad Pro, Apple TV, Beats by Dr. Dre, and other accessories.

Start shopping this holiday season
Consumers can start browsing this holiday season when the Apple ‘Shop-in-Shop’ on Lazada officially launches today (8th December) in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. This will be followed by Malaysia on 11th December, and then in Vietnam.

By shopping on Lazada, customers can choose to pay for their Apple devices through Lazada’s 0% financing instalment plans. Exciting surprises also await Lazada customers looking to score savings from deals offered during the finale of Lazada’s Online Revolution shopping event, the 12.12 Final Sale. More details will be announced later.

The “preferred choice” for global brands
Lazada Group Chief Executive Officer Max Bittner said the Apple ‘Shop-in-Shop’ concept is a testament to Lazada’s reputation as the undisputed and trusted online shopping and selling platform in Southeast Asia. “Lazada is the preferred choice for global brands who, like us, want to drive the explosive growth of eCommerce in Southeast Asia,” said Mr. Bittner, adding: “It also underscores our commitment to give consumers better and convenient access to the world’s best brands and products, especially those from Apple.”