Opinion

Last December 23, 2019, ride-hailing motorcycle taxi service JoyRide opened its service to the public. Prior to this, we’ve had a lot of things at hand when it comes to the motor taxi industry: Angkas has voiced its strong disapproval as only 10,000 of their rider-partners will only be able to continue their service - if I calculated it right, 62% of their 27,000 rider-partner base, part-time or full, will be out of Angkas’ service; The statements made by Angkas’ George Royeca to the media perhaps drew the ire of the transport board, which led to a rebuttal statement by the Department of Transportation and the transport board on Facebook. The board points out that Angkas has overstepped their boundaries by having their service out of designated areas for the pilot period; In the end, the technical working group assigned for motor taxis decided that there shall be no more motor taxis by March 23, saying that “it sees no reason to extend the pilot for a third time.” By this time, we’ve seen the JoyRide reps tell the media that they’re not owned by any politician, though they admit sending a letter to the leader of the dominant political party to get in the pilot period. There were no replies, but they still did get in. Again, we are in this so-called pilot period, where all motor taxis which move people and things are allowed. More on this in the later parts of the post. ...

It’s been two years since I started podcasting again. Honestly, there are a lots of hits and misses, but I am getting the hang of the basics. I had my podcast start around 2009, a decade ago, when I decided to make good use of the MP3 player I got as a gift from my mom, whipped up Audacity, and upload audio on the Internet Archive under the name JP Angeles (which I consider a good name at that time). Be aware that I got some good ol’ cringy stuff here. ...

World Cosplay Summit 2019 Team Philippines, performing a skit from Sengoku Night Blood. [Screencap from WCS YouTube] It has been a long time since I wrote my opinion regarding the World Cosplay Summit. All the time, I was jumping to places where I have never been before — and before I knew it, I have spent a lot of time, money and resources to share the news to you. ...

MNL48 and the Marketing Mix MNL48, AKB48’s Pinoy sister, will be announcing its top 200 participants in a few hours — and here I am, thinking of what has gone through this gruesome yet exciting journey. Never mind me not being able to oshi (push) more applicants, or even verify my own account so I can do so — being in sales and marketing company for almos two years made me understand this journey a bit different. ...

On the rebranding of the Philippines’ largest drugstore chain I didn’t know TGP was actually established in the 1940s, but I know that whenever I go, there’s a branch nearby. I mean, look: 1,900+ branches nationwide selling generic medicines for cheap. TGP The Generics Pharmacy has spawned a lot of competitors, but I still rely on it to give me the medicines I need. After partnering with Robinsons Retail (with the group as the majority stakeholder), I saw a few noticeable results — aside from the inclusion of the Robinsons Retail brand in print ads, TGP has ditched its mortar-and-pestle logo and got a new typeface for its branding. ...

Some places don’t allow it, some says it’s risky, but it’s a desperate measure that can help us get away from the hell that is traffic Alright, people, settle down. Setting aside the risks of riding in motorcycles, it’s still indisputable that they help us getaway from the living, breathing hell that is the metro traffic. I rarely ride habal-habal due to the risks but when I need to, it means I’m running out of time and I don’t want to disappoint myself with the time that I have promised to others. ...

https://www.facebook.com/onegaioniichan/posts/1450127508365635:0 Onegai Onii-chan, as far as I can see, will be the most memorable hobby shop in today’s otaku community in the Philippines. Here’s why — they know what the market is like, and they act like the way most of the market does: no-holds barred, likes memes, and shitposts. Never in my life so far I’ve seen this kind of marketing where they mix in shitposting in probably every post about a new product, like the one I shared above. ...

My thoughts on my childhood as I see how some creatives use advertising on print I’ve had my own share of embarrassing stories, but there’s one thing that one of my aunties like to tell me: When I was a tot, I used to read Manila Bulletin (and I think I remember that). Fast forward to when I was a young boy living in a cool subdivision in Antipolo, there was this ad for Disney’s “The Incredibles” by Globe. It’s a full-page ad, placed in the back of the newspaper’s A section. The ad has a mockup of a newspaper’s page A3, but then The Incredibles pop out, “tearing” though the middle of the page. The bottom part states that mobile content for the said movie is available for download. ...

The awards that Yuri!!! on Ice won at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards — Best Boy, Best Animation, Most Heartwarming Scene, Best Couple, Best Opening and Best Ending. [Full results on this Crunchyroll Forums post — Photos from Crunchyroll] What I (and hopefully others) think is wrong over this Crunchyroll Anime Awards brouhaha? So is the issue that people are discovering the Anime Awards is a popularity contest, not an objective measure of goodness, so they're mad? ...

At the moment, I watch intros of news programs being broadcast in Europe, East Asia, the US, so on and so forth, and here’s what I’ve learned so far: ...