VXI opens flagship facility in Pasay, eyes one or two more by yearend

Pasay City, Philippines, 15 June 2016—Contact center solutions provider VXI Global Solutions recently opened its flagship facility in Pasay—its seventh in the Philippines—and is looking at opening one or two more by end of this year.

Speaking to the local media during the facility’s grand opening at the Five E-Com Center located at the Mall of Asia Complex in this city, Jared Morrison, Senior Vice President and Country Manager for the Philippines of VXI Global Holdings B.V. Philippines, Inc., said they are already in the market scouting for two more additional locations.
 
Morrison said among those locations are one at the National Capital Region (NCR) and another provincial site. He mentioned that they’ve already looked at the Next Wave Cities list of the Department of Science and Technology-Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO) and the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) for possible locations.

“We’ve seen the list and we’ve already sat down with our real estate consultants. Right now, we’re developing strategies on where to locate next,” explains Morrison.
He added that VXI will make the announcement on the new expansion location, whether in the NCR or in the province, by the end of this year and the next one by early next year.
Davao City was mentioned as a possible provincial site again since VXI already has an existing facility there. “Of course Davao is also still possible but we don’t want to compete with ourselves. However, if there’s room for one more there, then we’d love to go to Davao,” he said.
The Pasay site, costing around an estimated Php 185 million to build and will house more than 1,000 employees, is already filled to about 80% of its total capacity and Morrison said they expect to be fully loaded by the end of this year as well.

But what’s even more exciting is the fact that the new facility will provide additional jobs for those interested to work in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry. Last year, Morrison said VXI paid a total of close to Php 3 billion in salaries and this facility will definitely add up to that total.
“VXI has an excellent service track record with our clients and they are demanding more of our services so we have to develop an excellent talent pool, which we compensate with above-industry standard pay, including other exceptional benefits. People work for us and stay long with us because they see opportunities for career advancement and growth, the chance to lead people. That’s the value that VXI offers in terms of jobs for those who want a career in the BPO industry,” Morrison added.
VXI has more than 21,000 people working around the world with office in the US, China and of course the Philippines. More than 40% of its global employee footprint is based in the Philippines. The company started with only 590 employees in 2003 and grew at an average of 30% per annum, and now has more than 10,000 employees as of June this year working in its facilities in Makati, Ortigas and Quezon City . Last year, VXI grew its headcount in the Philippines by 16% from 2014.
VXI provides call center and ITO services in more than 25 languages for leading global Fortune 500 companies. Its partners rely on a complete range of contact center and technology solutions to retain and grow their customer base while maintaining the highest level of quality and operational excellence.

 

For more about VXI, visit www.vxi.com.

Datu Puti Adobo Movement taken to the next level Adobo’s best awarded at Mercato Centrale

How much do you love your Adobo? 

Last Saturday  June 11, 2016 Adobo Challenge through Nutri Asia was held in Mercatto BGC, though it was raining outside people can't resist not to go and taste their favorite viand which is Adobo,  Almost 14 of the known Brands and Chefs joined and show their unique recipes that was truly amazing and has its own kind of touch.

In celebration of the cultural gastronomic heritage that is the Adobo, NutriAsia’s Datu Puti

put Pinoys to task in finding and feting the best adobo recipes at the recent Datu Puti Adobo Challenge held last Saturday, June 11, at the Mercato Centrale food market in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Co-presented with Mercato Central and Our Awesome Planet, The Datu Puti Adobo Challenge was part of the thrust to take the Datu Puti Adobo Movement a step further this 2016. Launched in 2015, the Datu Puti Adobo Movement was created to push for Adobo to be our pambansang ulam. It is a movement that hits close to home because Adobo is a dish that is as personal, as it is national. Each household has its own signature Adobo, and the shared flavor defines families, identifies us as Filipinos, and boosts us as a nation.  This event is also supported by partners Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement (PCHM) and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).

The push for Adobo has reached much acclaim and has even been echoed by efforts in Congress. In fact, Bohol First District Representative Rene Relampagos filed House Bill 3926 in 2014, which sought to formally declare it as the national dish. The Datu Puti Adobo Movement has drawn support for the bill through a petition since the launching of the advocacy in June 2015.

The Winning Adobo, Atbp.
Hosted by a familiar foodie himself, Tonipet Gaba, the feast was made even more festive with musical performances by homegrown talents UpDharma Down and Ebe Dancel. It was truly a treat to see both culinary and entertainment talents back up the Adobo initiative. As guests were treated to aromatic flavors and local OPM, Pinoy pride was truly in the air.

Among the participants, the Top 3 among the entries wowed the crowd with their inspired versions of the dish. Based on criteria that took into account taste, presentation, story, and heart, three Mercato vendors were named as the winners of the Datu Puti Adobo Challenge. And based on on-the-spot voting by the Mercato foodies, one was hailed as the People’s Choice.

The big winners of the night are:

First place: The Oinkery

DISH NAME: Pugon-smoked Pork Adobo

DESCRIPTION: Pork shoulder pugon-smoked for 8 hours, glazed with a rich Cebu-style adobo sauce and garnished with fresh manggang hilaw

Inspired by Cebu’s method of cooking lechon, The Oinkery roasts their pork meat inside a traditional pugon giving it that distinct smoky taste.  Matthew combines the finished product with his sister’s Cebu-style adobo sauce and garnishes it with fresh green mangoes on the side. Having been slow-cooked for a total of eight hours, the meat is guaranteed to be soft and juicy with every bite.

Second place: Dayrit's

DISH NAME: Pork Adobong Laing Pinangat

DESCRIPTION: Two Filipino favorites, Adobo and Laing, in one unique and flavorful dish.

Pork Adobong Laing Pinangat – that’s two of the famous Filipino favorites, adobo and laing, combined in one extraordinary dish. Dayrit’s 40 years of experience in creating sumptuous heritage home-cooked meals is very evident with their entry for The Adobo Challenge 2016.   According to Chef Miguel Dayrit, their version of the classic adobo recipe is different from the rest because it combines the strong flavors of two Pinoy viands to create an outstanding dish. This Bicolandia inspired concoction is a fusion of the creamy, hot and spicy and the sour and salty trademarks of laing and adobo respectively. 

Third place: Bakmi Nyonya

DISH NAME: Babi Kekap Adobo Nyonya

DESCRIPTION: Classic Filipino adobo infused with Indonesian spices. Served with Sambal.

Lucy of Bakmi Nyonya, one of the well-known food vendors in Mercato Centrale, reinvents the Pinoy classic adobo and incorporates her Indonesian-style of cooking to come up with a unique entry to the Adobo Challenge 2016.  This delicate pork adobo treat is mixed with secret Indonesian spices, cooked in soy sauce and vinegar and served with the classic sambal.

People’s Choice Award: Lariza's

DISH NAME: Seafood Adobo

DESCRIPTION: A mix of crab, shrimp and mussels cooked adobo style and topped with cheese.

Lariza’s, another well-known food vendor in Mercato Centrale shares their expertise in creating a unique dish for the Adobo Challenge 2016.  Their very own “Seafood Adobo” is a mixture of mussels, prawns and crabs stirred in a mixture of vinegar and soy sauce, garlic, onion, pepper and finished off with cheese on top to add a creamy, tangy taste. Tess Gonzales, the proud owner of Lariza’s knew that her opponents would stick to the usual pork or chicken adobo, so she decided to come up with something edgy. With her “Seafood Adobo”, she hopes to motivate Filipinos to be more daring and “adobofy” fresh catch from the sea as an alternative to the usual adobo recipes.

All Adobo winners were awarded start-up funds in cash, so they could include their winning dishes in the regular Mercato menu. The People’s Choice awardee also received P3,000 worth of Datu Puti goods.

With these latest initiatives and the warm response of urban foodies, the Datu Puti Adobo Movement has definitely made strides in rallying more people behind the nation’s ulam of choice.

Interested parties may still support the Datu Puti Adobo Movement by signing the petition at www.adobomovement.com.

AMPR Digicon Tech & Lifestyle Bloggers Edition

Last Wednesday, June 8, 2016 AMPR celebrates its Digital Media Appreciation Night held at Cuore Bistro & Social Lounge. Back to Back AMPR celebrates its 10 years in the industry which is almost a Century old  , while Cuore Bistro Launch its new lounge with a very mouth watering food which is Italian and some International cuisines that they would like to serve for a special kind of people here in Makati City.

 ·         CUORE BISTRO & SOCIAL LOUNGE is the first restaurant venture of Col Cuore Corporation. We serve happy-hearty comfort food influenced by international cuisines.

·         CUORE is Italian for “HEART”. Heart is the center of everything at Cuore. It’s the love of life, love of career, love for meaningful relationships and memorable moments that are the driving forces behind Cuore, its founders and its staff.

·         COL CUORE is an Italian phrase that means “WITH THE HEART”. We do everything at Cuore “with the heart” and we like sharing that to our guests.

·         Armed with remarkable service, it is a complete dining experience. PASSION DINING is all about the love for food and a good time fueled by a great desire to passionately live life.

·         PASSIONATE SERVICE is the driving force of our Rockstar staff. They know the importance of giving optimal service and making our guests feel that they are well taken care of – familiar yet professional. The guests always come first. Our Rockstars are the soul of Cuore.

·         HOME is where the heart is, as they say. We want our guests to feel at home with our staff and us whenever they’re here. We want them to feel like they’re at a dinner party hosted by a friend or family. Our guests are part of the Cuore family after all.

BRIEF PROFILE

·         COL CUORE CORPORATION is a duly registered Corporation in the Philippines. We aim to bring more culinary experiences to the people by opening more restaurants serving different cuisines in the future.

·         As a Corporation, we want to provide fair employment opportunities to promising and talented Filipinos who are hard working and skillful. Supporting our local workforce and nourishing their talents is one of the major advocacies of Col Cuore Corporation.

·         CUORE BISTRO & SOCIAL LOUNGE is the first restaurant of Col Cuore Corporation, a Corporation established in 2016. Mau Aguasin and Rudolph Leonor, friends for years, founded Cuore. The idea started as a small café business that eventually grew to a full service restaurant after receiving much interest from investors and partners. Their long-time friends, Kate So and Jeff Mariano, joined them later on. Together, the team opened Cuore Bistro & Social Lounge to the public on February 2016 after a year of preparations. This is their first business venture in the F&B industry.

·         Cuore Bistro & Social Lounge serves happy-hearty comfort food influenced by international cuisines, travels and the founders’ personal favorites. It serves salads, pastas, calzones and brick-oven pizzas to name a few. A full bar completes the dining destination.

·         The ambiance is a mix of elegant and industrial, with cool color tones of mainly blue and gray to give that cozy vibe. The furniture is mostly wood to give a warm body to the space.  It is the perfect space for any kind of bonding time and social events.

·         The Kitchen and Front of House staffs are passionate individuals with a great commitment to reach a well-defined goal - customer’s delight.

·         Overall, Cuore is a passion dining experience. It is a place where guests come in hungry and leave happy. It is a neighborhood bistro where guests can feel welcome, come back and be served with a good dining experience by our Rockstar staff. It is a place where they can love and be loved back. After all, we do everything with love at Cuore.

A BISTRO AND A LOUNGE IN ONE

Cuore is a Bistro and a Social Lounge in one. The feel of Cuore is homey, familiar yet personal, and undoubtedly welcoming. It’s perfect for intimate dinners, chill night outs, group dinners or some alone time. Our Rockstar servers add warmth and personal connection to the place by being sociable, friendly yet reliable as professionals.

THE BISTRO

We serve International cuisines and put in our own personal touches to give it a twist and memorable-factor. Beautifully plated and curated with refreshing flavors, the dishes are definitely made to make one feel oh-so good.

·         SALADS Our salads are made with fresh salad greens and other ingredients. Our dressings are homemade and infused with a variety of flavors.

·         SOUPS Our soups are creamy and full flavored, using only the best ingredients. Every bowl of soup is crafted with love and care by our skilled kitchen staff. It’ll definitely remind you of the comfort that hot soups bring on chilly nights.

·         BRUNCH Our brunch selections are full-plated, energy boosting dishes comprising of crowd favorites such as bacon, eggs, and the Filipino favorite beef tapa to name a few! Perfect day-starters!

·         DIRTY CALZONES Cuore’s take on the traditional Italian dish from Naples! Our Calzones are made with the idea that it’s okay to get your hands dirty when enjoying a folded pizza loaded with stuffed goodness inside. Vegetarian option for this dish is available.

·         PASTAS Our pasta choices vary from light to heavy, with both oil-based and cream-based sauces available. We offer classic favorites such as pesto, carbonara and aglio olio, as well as unique flavors that cater to the more adventurous palate such as our stroganoff pasta and chorizo pasta.

·         BRICK-OVEN PIZZAS At Cuore, we love pizzas! Especially when it’s brick-oven pizza. Our pizzas are carefully made with ingredients that have the right amount of flavors that go well with the smoky taste that you get from cooking with a brick-oven. Cheesy, flavorful and satisfying.

·         BAR CHOWS We offer bar chows that are always delicious whether you pair with an alcoholic beverage or as a stand-alone meal. Aside from this, we also offer platters of various cured hams and cheeses for those perfect wine nights.

·         DESSERTS We offer in-house dessert choices made with love. Our cinnamon drizzled churros with salted caramel and ice cream is a must-try!

·         COFFEE At Cuore, we serve Americano, Caffe Latte, Cappuccino and Espresso using Danesi coffee beans. Perfect for brunches, meetings and afternoon breaks. Only the best for our Cuore family! 

THE SOCIAL LOUNGE

Cuore is a Social Lounge that welcomes and encourages conversations, food appreciation, social gatherings and social events. Our bar serves a curated list of alcoholic beverages. Beers, wine, cocktails, ciders and premium liquors- there’s something for everyone, for any kind of day and for any type of moment in your life.

Our main idea behind the Social Lounge is to give our guests a place where like-minded people, professionals, freelancers, young and not-so-young, can come together a