Rianne Competing In Lebanon

Rianne Kalaw is representing the Philippines in Miss Tourism Universe 2015 this Sep 20 in Beirut, Lebanon. She is the current Miss Lipa Tourism and eventually won Miss Tourism Philippines last July 30 in Manila.

It was in 2002, when Lipa City had its last winner in a national and international beauty pageant through Kristine Alzar. Kristine representing the Philippines was Miss Tourism International 2002 which was held in Ukraine. In the 60s and 70s, Lipa had national winners such as Maria Kalaw Katigbak and Eva Reyes. Eva Reyes was a semi finalist in Miss World 1972.

photo from Miss Tourism Philippines FB page

Mayor Sabili's 2015 State of the City Address

Hon. Mayor Meynard Sabili laid out Lipa City's continuous growth and his Administration's accomplishment on his last Sate of the City Address [for his 2nd term] in jam packed Lipa City Youth and Cultural Center yesterday morning attended by LGU officials, students, teachers and invited guests.

Mayor Sabili affirms redevelopment and expansion of Lipa City Hall building, completion of Lipa Convention Center and Sports Academy, operation of the new 5-storey Lipa Public Market building by the end of 2015 among others. He also stressed the health assistance program under his administration and more valuable benefits given to senior citizens.

On the other hand, Mayor Sabili admitted that stopping prohibited drug users & pushers in Lipa is a big challenge and needs full attention. One Dream controversy was also discussed during his speech.

In the end of the ceremony, Mayor Sabili's 2015 SOCA was well applauded and everyone is hopeful for a better Lipa in terms of peace and order in the coming days.

photo from Mayor Sabili's FB account

Lipa City As Lone District Of Batangas Has Been Signed By Pres Aquino

House Bill 3750 was originally filed by Rep Raneo Abu to separate Batangas City as lone district of Batangas province last Feb 10 2014. The following month, Senator Recto proposed a move to amend the house bill in creating another separate legislative district for Lipa City.

Last Feb 12 2015, The Senate Committee on Local Government approved the creation of two new districts of Batangas and Lipa cities. Present in the affair were Sen Recto, Sen Marcos, Rep Mendoza, Vice Gov Leviste and Mayor Sabili. It was amended by the Senate on June 1 2015 and which amendment were concurred in by the House of Representatives on June 9 2015.

Finally last Aug 19 2015, Republic Act No. 10673 apportioning the province of Batangas into 6 legislative districts has been approved and signed by President Benigno Aquino III. Lipa City is now the sixth legislative district of Batangas separating from the 4th district composed of Ibaan, Padre Garcia, Rosario, San Jose, San Juan and Taysan.

Next thing to wait is who will be the first Representative of Lipa City in 2016. In the news, former Mayor of Lipa who served for 3 terms and current Governor of Batangas (third and last term), Vilma Santos-Recto, expressed her intention to run as Representative of Lipa City rather than Vice President or Senator. There is also a news but no confirmation that the wife of current Mayor of Lipa City, Bernadette Sabili, is also interested for the post. 

photo: edited from Ronnie Geron FB account

7 Shopping Tips for SM Lipa’s 3-day Sale

Twice a year, SM Lipa is staging its biggest promotional sale- the SM 3-day Sale. The second sale this year will actually be a 4-day sale to give way for a long weekend on August 28-31. Below is a list of shopping tips that will help a shopper get the best value for their money.

1. Take advantage of SM’s raffle promos – the 3-day sale is a highly budgeted event of the mall and thus they are preparing fabulous prizes for their raffle promos. Below are the two raffle promos that shoppers can join in.

The Mall Raffle
Prize at stake: 1 Unit of Suzuki Celerio
How To Join: For every, 1000-peso worth of purchase in any shop, store and restaurant inside SM Lipa, a shopper is entitled to have a raffle ticket. The raffle tickets can be redeemed at the redemption booths that will be located at SM Lipa’s Events Center and in between Café de Lipa and Pizza Hut. Last 3-day sale, the prizes at stake were 2 units of Suzuki Raider motorcycles and were won by Renelyn Endozo of Lemery, Batangas and Vanessa Cruzat of Balete, Batangas.

The SM Store Raffle
Prizes at stake: 24,000 pesos-worth of load from Globe.
How to Join: They are giving this to each of the nine lucky winners.
For every single receipt purchase of 2000 pesos at The SM Store, the shopper may redeem his/her raffle entry at the redemption booth located at the ground floor of The SM Store. Winners will be drawn on the following dates and time: AUGUST 28 (FRI) – 8:00 PM (3 WINERS)/ AUGUST 29 (SAT) – 8:00 PM (3 WINNERS) / AUGUST 30 (SUN) – 9:00 PM (3 WINNERS).

2. Get that additional 10% off on the first two hours on the first day of sale. First, you have to be an SM Advantage, SM Prestige or BDO rewards card holder to avail of the additional discount. To be precise, this is between 10:00am to 12:00noon on August 28, Friday. The stores that gives this additional discount are the following: The SM Store, Ace Hardware, Surplus Shop, Crocs, The Body Shop and Uniqlo. Yes, Crocs, The Body Shop and Uniqlo are already SM Affiliates. For the SM Appliance Center on the other hand, additional 5% off are given for their appliances on the first two hour sale.

3. Get that 200-peso worth of SM Gift Certificates. “May GC sa Resibo”. SM is giving away 200-peso worth of SM Gift Certificates for every 5000 pesos worth of single receipt purchase starting August 28 to August 30 from any shop inside SM Lipa. Take note, the 5000 peso purchase must be in one receipt or transaction only. Keep your receipts with you as the GC redemption is timed on August to 29 to 30, 10am to 6pm only. The redemption booth is also located at the Events Center and in the area between Pizza Hut and Café de Lipa.

4. Get one of those 1000 free pizzas, burgers and sundaes. Yes, you heard it right. Free food! Shop at least 1000 pesos worth of items from any store or restaurant on August 29 to 31 to get a free food promotional stub from our redemption booth.

• August 29, Saturday: Free 1000 pizza slices from Pizza Hut
• August 30, Sunday: Free 1000 burgers from Bigg’s Diner and Jollibee
• August 31, Monday: Free 1000 sundae cups from McDonald’s

Take note: Do not go directly to the participating restaurants, redeem your “free food stub” first at the redemption booths located at the Events Center and in the area between Pizza Hut and Café de Lipa.

5. Get additional rebates when you use your BDO credit cards, cash cards or debit cards at The SM Store. As credit cards make purchasing more convenient, it also gives us additional perks. Like if you use your BDO cards on the three day sale, the shopper will be getting additional rebates:

A. 10% rebate will be given on a minimum P25,000 purchase when you use your locally issued BDO Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Union Pay / American Express credit card.
B. 5% rebate will be given on a minimum P5,000 purchase when you use your locally issued BDO Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Union Pay / American Express credit card.
C. 3% rebate will be given on a minimum P3,000 purchase when you use your locally issued BDO Debit or Cash Card.

Take note: The rebates will be applicable on the net of all discounts (SMAC and Class Discounts).

6. Make a list and shop early. Take note that the 3-day sale particularly its first two hours is something that people really look forward to so expect many shoppers as eager as you to shop. This is particularly obvious at The SM Store and Ace Hardware. One helpful tip is to hunt for your “things to buy” the day before the sale. Try to fit the clothes and shoes, tests the appliances and inspect the items you are planning to buy. The sales associates at The SM Store and Ace Hardware are friendly enough to reserve those items for you. Have your items ready on one cart so when tomorrow comes, you will just be paying your items at the counters.

7. Take note of the mall hours. August 28, opening at 9am, closing at 10pm. August 29-31 opening at 10am and closing at 10pm.

Krispy Kreme Phils Opens 65th Branch In Lipa City

Krispy Kreme's store in SM Lipa is the 65th branch in the Philippines, 5th in CALABARZON and first in Batangas. It was opened this morning by invited guests led by Krispy Kreme officials and Batangas Vice Governor.

It was a fun and games filled morning where first 100 customers who lined up since yesterday got special treats from Krispy Kreme as part of their tradition in opening a branch. The first three customers (photo below) received 1 year, 6 months and 3 mos supply of doughnuts and signature coffee respectively while 4th to 100th received a month supply.

Krispy Kreme is an American based doughnuts which first branch in the Philippines was opened in Fort Bonifacio in 2006. Krispy Kreme's best seller is their Original Glazed Doughnut which will give you an ultimate experience if served warm and fresh. They have other variants of doughnuts like New York Cheesecake and Nutella doughnut and other treats like Honey Camembert. Krispy Kreme is a global brand present in more than 20 countries.

photo screenshot from krispykremeph twitter (winners of Gold, Silver and Bronze cards)

Win 1 Year Supply of Doughnuts & Coffee From Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme is finally here in Lipa and inviting doughnuts lovers on its opening day in SM City Lipa on Aug 14 2015. On top of it, you may win 1 year supply of doughnuts and coffee for free. Here's how:

Mechanics
-The first customer to line up at Krispy Kreme SM Lipa wins a one (1) year supply of Original Glazed Doughnuts and 8oz Signature Coffee prize certificate (Gold).
-The 2nd customer wins a 6-month supply of Original Glazed Doughnuts and 8oz Signature Coffee prize certificate (Silver).
-The 3rd customer wins a 3-month suppply of Original Glazed Doughnuts and 8oz Signature Coffee prize certificate (Bronze).
-The 4th to 100th customer wins a one-month supply of Original Glazed Doughnuts prize certificate (Blue).
-Guests number 101 and onwards gets a box of 6 Original Glazed Doughnuts for any dozen purchase through the Krispy Kreme Mobile App.

How To Win
-The customer must stay in line from the time they lined up until the store opening which is 10am of August 14 2015 at Krispy Kreme SM Lipa (one hour before the store opening, numbered pins will be issued by Krispy Kreme to ensure order and avoid confusion).
-Customer must present registered Krispy Kreme Mobile App and purchase at least a dozen doughnuts (P325.00 for Original Glazed doughnut or P425.00 for assorted doughnuts) at the store opening of Krispy Kreme store to qualify.
-Valid for dine-in or take-out.

Other Guidelines
-Proxy or reservation in line is not allowed.
-Bring valid ID.
-Leaving the line is allowed only during call of nature reasons only.
-Customer may only win once.
-Reward can be redeemed starting Aug 21 2015.

Per DTI-Batangas Permit No. 203, Series of 2015

LCP Poll for President

Lipa City Philippines or LCP is rooting for Rodrigo Duterte if today is election day for 2016 Philippine President. For a total of 61% votes, Duterte will be the runaway winner for the post. This could be the result of Duterte's popularity in elevating Davao to the top ten safest cities in the world.

Mar Roxas follows next with far 16% total votes. He has been endorsed recently by the current administration. On third spot is Miriam Defensor Santiago with 8% and followed closely on 4th by Bongbong Marcos with 6%. While more famous candidates at national level such as Binay and Poe where behind the survey.

LCP survey is far different from national surveys where Binay and Poe are battling neck to neck on top spot while Roxas, Duterte and Estrada are competing in 3rd to 5th spots.

If Duterte will not really run for President as he announced recently, who among the remaining candidates will the 61% be counted or distributed?

LCP Poll for President is a random & voluntary survey in Lipa City Philippines group page in Facebook from Aug 3 - 5 2015.

Tornado Peri Peri Chicken Lipa

Courtyard of Big Ben Complex is a cozy strip for Lipeño entrepreneurs. It is located at the back of Big Ben and beautifully designed with bells, lights in the tree and lamp posts. It is also where Tornado Peri Peri Chicken opened.

Tornado Peri Peri Chicken in Lipa is the first branch outside Metro Manila & the newest addition to the growing number of restaurant lists for the foodies of Lipa and Batangas in general. Branches in Manila is co-owned by Arianne Bautista who is also an artist of GMA 7. Ms Arianne was present in the opening of its Lipa branch together with the Franchisees from Lipa who were hands-on with their guests and customers.

In their menu, you can choose from their baby back ribs, steaks, hamburgers and of course their specialty peri peri chicken which Ms Arianne said to be the cheapest and flavorsome peri peri chicken in the market. For the main dish, price range is between 125 - 300 pesos. Other than the spices used in marinating the chicken, Tornado has 3 variants of spicy sauces to choose from such as Original, Tiger's Fury, and Dragon's Breath.

We tried their specialty peri peri chicken and porterhouse steak with corncob and grilled pumpkin for the side dish. I haven't tried other peri peri chicken but this one is a must try and different from the usual fried or grilled chicken in restaurants or fast food chains. Their sauce makes their juicy chicken more flavorful. I also love their grilled pumpkin which is delicious in every bite. We will definitely go back in Tornado to taste their other dishes.