TESDA Releases Over 2,000 Scholarship Vouchers to Students in Davao

Earlier this year, a study conducted by the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) released data that out of our total GDP, 5% of that has been earned by the IT – BPO (Information Technology – Business Process Outsourcing) industry. Despite the market’s newness, this percentage is equivalent to a whopping P 9 billion pesos.  That said, it is no wonder that IT – BPO is really one of the most promising emerging markets in the Philippines.

As a response to this data, the Office of the President, through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), has granted the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) scholarship subsidies for the IT-BPO industry in the form of scholarship vouchers under the Industry-Based Training for Work Scholarship Program (I- TWSP).

In Davao city, the highlights of this program are the following career lines: Contact/ Call center training, Software development, Animation and Medical transcription. TESDA will be giving away more than 2,000 scholarship vouchers for our young Davaoenyos. Creative communication anddesign school JoBS Academy will be handling the applications for scholarships in Animation and Software Development. The Contact Center (CC) training will be handled by select technical-vocational institutions with accredited Contact Center programs that are under the ICT – Davao umbrella. Also, leading transcription training ground MTC Academy will handle the applications for the Medical transcription training.

What is different with the I-TWSP is that each industry association must ensure that at least 70% of all graduate from their allocation of the I-TWSP vouchers are employed within six months after the completion of the training.

“Our confidence for this project is very high. We know that the IT- BPO industry is one of the most promising emerging technologies not just in the Philippines, but in the whole world. It’s true that we’re a leading player in this market but we must not take this time to sit on our laurels and instead, focus on training and development. We might be #1 now, but other countries are also keeping up. That is why we are thankful for this opportunity. After all, it’s easy: Innovate or stagnate.” This is the meaningful message of Belinda Laya-Torres, President of JoBS Academy, newest member of the ICT-Davao (Information and Communications Technology).

The I-TWSP Davao leg is spearheaded by the ICT Council, under the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines.

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Your New PR Girl is the organizer of the ICT Davao press con for this amazing news. :) Free education. Who isn't happy about that?

For more information, you may visit the JoBS Academy's website: www.jobsacademy.edu.ph. Or call them up at 282 1470.

Are You Addicted to Achievement?

(published @ Mindanao Times, Late 2010)

Whenever people ask me what I do, I tell them that I teach Marketing at the Ateneo de Davao University, and that I write online and in print. But really, that’s not even half of the real story.

The truth is, I organize weddings, debuts and corporate events, run an online gift shop, do marketing and PR consultancy, run a small food processing business, teach Marketing, write for a newspaper, write for magazines, write for websites and write for art’s sake.

Usually, when people really have this full list of all the stuff I do and do on the side, they usually say “What a workaholic!” Every time I hear it, I usually laugh because for me, they might sound a lot, but that’s already a summarized list. I don’t even take up a full time office work because usually I get bored and I felt a little unproductive if I physically stagnate in the office.

I recently came across an online quiz which was entitled “Are you addicted to achievement?” The title struck me but I didn’t dare take the quiz because I knew what it’s going to tell me. That I am a sucker for achievement. For quite sometime, I always felt the need to achieve something, to do something that I think I can do just to prove that I really can do it. However, whenever I ask myself about the fulfillment I feel everytime I finish a task well, deliver great results or simply a Facebook message from a class saying they missed me for the day, I knew all those hard work finally paid off.

But not all women think like me.

There are a lot of women who admit to being workaholics and then losing the “meaning” that they used to see in their professions. What used to be careers simply became jobs, and these situations kept women from self actualizing. I even have close friends who admit to being so burned out in their jobs but then they couldn’t let it go because these jobs were paying the bills. (Mostly, credit card bills. Bah.)

There was a recent study in the USA that showed some positive life fulfillment stats during the recession. It said that there were a lot of women who lost their jobs because of the economic downturn and it made them reconnect with their family again.

“I was always busy, I didn’t have time to think things over. The demands of my job kept me distracted.” This was a quote from Dominique Browning, a once-career woman who lost her job and then realized that she found a different form of fulfillment with spending time with her children. Before, she just used to spend extra time with her office mates because she needed to keep up with their office gossip and other worthless things like celebrity chitchat and fashion updates.

My tip for a lot of career women out there—don’t forget to nurture a great personal life. Go date, party, spend time with your family, read a good book, take vacations once in a while, maintain a healthy lifestyle and most of all, don’t be too dependent on your phones and laptops. Also, remember that the more time you spend with work, the higher your expectations will go. And if you’ve got a sky high expectation but then the reality just fares a little above your head, you’ll only end up frustrated.

It’s also best to take some time alone and just enjoy the company of yourself. Get a massage, curl up with your favorite magazine, watch a much-awaited romantic comedy movie or sci fi documentary…whatever floats your boat. Don’t be like those other women who burn themselves out at work and then when their paychecks arrive, they appease themselves with material things that are oftentimes useless. Be a smart spender—of time and money. Invest in the right things. Great investments also make you feel fulfilled.

So if you ever find yourself getting addicted to achievement again, simply reassess your goals. See if it’s worth all the pressure. Put your happiness and fulfillment at the top of the list.

How do you feel about achievements and achieving? Hope you're not burning yourself out there, woman. 

My First Marketing and PR Consultancy Project: The Royale House Travel Inn and Suites

Last year, October 2010, I was hired by The Royale House Travel Inn and Suites as a writer. They wanted someone to write brand new content for their website (not constructed yet) and they also wanted a facelift for all their print collaterals. My good friend and oh-so-talented multimedia artist Kenth O’bajo brought me to this client. After a couple of meetings, my boss, Sir Bobby, found out that I am a Marketing Graduate and had a knack for advertising, public relations, internet presence management, and all that jazz. And voila, I became the hotel’s marketing consultant.

I had many output-based marketing projects with Cube Pixels Design Studio but my affiliation with The Royale House was my first regular marketing consultancy gig. It was a tough ride at first. We wanted to do so many things in so little time.

Our first goal was to build a website and use our magic to catch and sustain high traffic. We picked the domain name www.theroyalehouse.com so that it’s short and, therefore, easy to remember.

In less than a month, we finished the website’s design, content and the coding. Our website was good to go. Of course our internet efforts didn’t stop there; that was just the beginning. We also created a Facebook account for the hotel and we started adding up our friends to gain a little presence on Facebook. We linked our FB updates to our website and with some articles scattered all over the web, we got checked out by many local and international tourists who are planning to visit Davao city.

When I shifted my focus on Events Management, I also planned a few events for Royale House. I planned some gigs, a Speed Dating event and other little campaigns on the side. What is important is that we were consistent on our marketing efforts.

Earlier this year, The Royale House opened Dormitoryana, a ladies Dormitory located beside the hotel. It promised the same comfort and security at a much lower price. I jumped to that project too; and with Sir Bobby’s innovative ideas and Kenth’s amazing graphic designs, the dorm was already overflowing with inquiries and reservations. In less than half a year (a.k.a. a semester), we decided to build a second batch of rooms for Dormitoryana.

Today, The Royale House boasts of 70-100% occupancy ALL THE TIME. And here’s the thing: we were able to hold that percentage through the (supposedly) lean months of June and July.

Future plans and projects with The Royale House:

*Renovation (still ongoing but the front office looks nicer already!)

*Rebranding of the Restaurant (a new name and a new menu)

*More events and promotions for One10FM, undoubtedly one of the best mid-range bars in the city

Davao Marketing Jobs, Open!

As a Marketing Consultant, I will need minions. Just kidding.

Anyway, here are some of the best Marketing jobs in Davao that you can land on:


Marketing Officer
The Royale House Travel Inn and Suites
CM Recto st. Davao city
*The Royale House Travel Inn and Suites boasts of decades of experience in highly satisfactory food and accommodation in prices that won't break your heart...or bank.

Marketing Assistant
Market Researcher
JoBS Academy
Bangoy st. Davao city (across BDO Acacia)
*JoBS Academy is the leading graphic design and multimedia school in Davao city. They're also the first in Davao to offer a diploma in Events Management.

Marketing Staff
Monster Ads
Jacinto st. Davao city
*Monster Ads is an up-and-coming outdoor advertising outfit in Davao city.

Marketing Assistant/ Account Manager
Cube Pixels Design Studio
Wheels N More Compound, JP Laurel Avenue, Bajada, Davao city
*Cube Pixels Design Studio is a top-of-mind company when it comes to logo making and design in Davao. They also cover cross-media projects and outdoor advertising with their sister company, Ad Effects.


All of these companies allow walk-in applicants. Please bring your resume with you. Good luck! :-)