AllHome Opens its 19th Store in Cagayan de Oro

The fastest rising home depot center in the Philippines is now in Mindanao.

AllHome is the country’s only full-line home center. It eliminates the need to go to several locations just to get construction and furnishing materials, furniture, decor, and appliances as all of these are readily available in their store. The convenience AllHomes brings does not end with its complete line of household materials and needs it carries thousands of local and imported brands. Home builders and homeowners alike are sure to find what they need to build a complete and beautiful home.

 

AllHome is also the exclusive distributor of a roster of world-renowned and premium brands like leading Japanese sanitary ware INAX, premium Italian tile brand Iris Ceramica and Spanish tile brands Cicogres, Alaplana, and Platera. With more options now made available to the residents of Cagayan de Oro City, building your dream home is now much easier to achieve.

 

Inside AllHome is Coffee Project, a boutique cafe, dubbed “the most Instagrammable coffee shop” in the country, it brings to CDO signature coffee blends, premium pastries, and its work-friendly environment. Patrons can enjoy Wi-Fi and a multitude of sockets perfect for extended work hours. Long tables are also available for meetings while quiet corners meant for those who want to some alone time are also aplenty. The charm of Coffee Project does not end in its beautiful interiors but instead lies in its ability to give warm service to all kinds of coffee-lovers and cafe-goers.

Aside from Coffee Project, Bake My Day, AllSports, and AllToys unveiled inside the store building. AllHome is located at the Limketkai commercial complex.

Better Taxi is hirna!

Premier taxi-hailing app Hirna is now in CDO and Iligan.

Fresh from achieving its dominant leadership position in Davao, Hirna is now offering its innovative ride-hailing app to more key cities in Mindanao.  Passengers in Mindanao have long been clamoring for a reliable, safe and ‘zero-booking fee’ hailing service…and Hirna is finally addressing their request.

The country’s premier taxi-hailing app will have its CDO and Iligan launch on July 24. “We are really excited to improve the quality of lives of the commuters to more key cities in Mindanao.  Given these launches, our vision of uplifting the Pinoys’ taxi ride experience continues to be realized,” said Francisco ‘Coco’ Mauricio, Hirna President, and CEO.

The largest taxi operators associations in the region have partnered with Hirna for its operations:
Hirna is in partnership with Association of United Taxi Operators (AUTO) in Cagayan De Oro, while in Iligan City, they are in partnership with Bagong Iligan Transport Service Cooperative (BAGITSCO). In total, Hirna has almost 600 taxi units for both cities.

“We are happy to have Hirna in CDO.  Cagayan de Oro taxis have been known to be polite and disciplined and now with Hirna, we can further improve our service through better convenience and more safety”, says AUTO President Dodong Clemenia.  “Passengers in Iligan have been clamoring for a ride-hailing app as they heard the success of Hirna in Davao.  We are proud to be part of Hirna’s network in Mindanao!” said BAGITSCO President Jhun Lladora.

Hirna provides passengers with a lot of features to ensure safety and convenience.  These include Track My Ride function (send your location to your loved one), Driver and Vehicle Rating System, In-app Messaging, Push Banner Alerts and a whole lot more.  Hirna even has a live customer service support to ensure that anyone can book a ride, even those without smartphones.

“With our full launch this July, we will start our our promo and ad campaigns for maximum awareness.  We do hope the passengers in CDO and Iligan come to embrace and love us as they do in other cities.” added Mauricio.

“Watch out for more awesome updates really soon. Better Taxi is Hirna!”

The app can be downloaded from both iOS App Store and Google Playstore for Android phones. Contact the customer hotline numbers 09171114888 and 09992214888 for any inquiries.

S&R CDO Open House July 2018

Today, July 12th until the 15th is S&R CDO Open House! No membership card required to get in and buy an enormous variety of goods from all over the globe.

From appliances, ready to assemble gazebos, tool shed, office supplies, automotive supplies and imported food items that are hard to find in our local grocery stores are all inside S&R CDO ready to buy.

If you would also like to join the club and get in anytime you want, they are giving P200 worth of gift certificate when you apply for its membership of P700 per year, that would go down to only P500 to be a member of S&R. Included in your membership are lots of voucher worth around P65,000 of discounts.

So get ready now and head down to S&R CDO located at Zone 5, Kauswagan Highway (across the RTMI garage, right before you take that right going towards Bulua Bus Terminal).

Homegrown Businesses in CDO Go Cashless with GCash

Homegrown businesses in Cagayan de Oro started using the GCash Scan to Pay services to add more convenience to its customers and go cashless. GCash Scan to Pay will hasten user transactions without the use of money and without the need for change.

Three of the homegrown business that adopted the GCash payment option for their customers are Bigby’s Restaurant, Panagatan Seafoods Restaurant, and Odyssey Airport Express.

Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu shares, “as we aggressively expand to reach more customers, we are glad to be able to provide this service in the southern region of the Philippines. We expect that with more stores going cashless, more Filipinos will be able to experience the convenience of having everything on their device.”

For Bigby’s General Manager Sonjie Ang, the restaurant has always strived to innovate. “Partnering with GCash will offer to our customers as a payment option and the promos we will have with them will definitely be a big advantage.”

According to Shiela Baat of Panagatan Seafood Restaurant, “The convenience that GCash will offer to our customers as a payment option and the promos we will have with them will definitely be a big advantage.”

As part of their expansion to serve their customers better, Cielito Christine Almirante, corporate secretary for Odyssey Airport Express said, “Our customer base is people on-the-go. What they need and what we want to offer is the convenience of cashless transactions – practically a first in this line of business here in CDO. And I believe that partnering with GCash can make it happen.

Currently, 50% of the Philippines population is using a smartphone. Also, over 70% of the 60 million Globe customers are using a smartphone. With the massive share in users and customer base, GCash is poised to be the future of payment in the Philippines and is working on its mass adoption.

To use GCash Scan to Pay, a user only needs a smartphone and download the latest version of the GCash app. They would need to register an account and fill in their GCAsh wallet at over 12,000 GCash Partner Outlets nationwide. Once loaded with funds, a customer can now easily pay merchants by just tapping the Scan QR on the app, point the phone’s camera at the merchant’s QR code to scan and pay. Transactions are also listed on the app hence, transparency is not an issue. Users can also pay bills and send money via the app.

 

Endless Summer 2018 Now Happening

Endless Summer 2018 by Apple Tree Resort is now happening this weekend! Enjoy lots of activities from beach volleyball to skimboard competition.

Apple Tree Resort is one of the great resorts found in Opol beach, Misamis Oriental, just outside Cagayan de Oro City on the west side.

See you there this weekend and let’s enjoy the foam party happening tonight ’til the wee hours of the morning.

 

Get a Chance to Win a Toyota Wigo at Blu Energy

Blu Energy Gas Stations launched it newest promotion, WE GO TO BLU!

Gas up for as low as PHP 200 for a chance to WIN an ALL NEW TOYOTA WIGO and more exciting prizes!

Promo runs from April 6- July 6, 2018! Don’t miss this chance, FUEL UP TODAY!

Blu Energy Fuel is one of the newest and fastest growing gasoline stations in the Philippines started in 2012 and it started it all here in the City of Cagayan de Oro, so let’s support our homegrown businesses. For more information, visit its website at BluEnergyFuel.com.

Hirna Launch in Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan

Davao’s homegrown taxi hailing application, Hirna, is launching in Cagayan de Oro City as well as in Iligan City this April, helping break down a monopolistic environment in the ride-hailing industry with its zero-booking fee service that maximizes existing taxi fleets.

“Cagayan de Oro and Iligan are our first expansion areas outside of Davao, consolidating our market stronghold in Mindanao. Expect more cities joining the rapidly growing hirna family in the next few weeks,” said Francisco Coco Mauricio, hirna Mobility Solutions, Inc. Managing Partner.

Hirna will go live in the two cities within the first half of May after its April 26 Iligan launch and April 27 CDO launch. “With three key cities now on board, Hirna aims to give Pinoy commuters a viable option in ride-hailing that breaks free from the monopolistic status quo,” said Mauricio.

Hirna will partner with the recently established Cagayan de Oro Taxi Operators Associations (CDOTOA), which boasts the membership of 40 major operators representing over 50 percent of the city’s active taxi units. There are now 1,700 active Hirna taxis ready to service both CDO and Iligan. “We are honored to work with the taxi operators and drivers of CDO and Iligan as our partners in serving the public,” said Mauricio.

“What we bring to CDO and Iligan as we begin our expansion from Davao to the rest of the country is fair competition that provides more passenger options and results in a healthy and innovative transport industry for all stakeholders,” said Mauricio.

He explained that Hirna’s business model maximizes existing taxi fleets to avoid clogging streets with new cars and ensure less waiting time for commuters. Hirna does not charge drivers transaction fees to drivers which often eat up most of their income.

The app is also unique for offering a 24/7 customer service support to answer queries and even assist passengers with no smartphones book a ride. It includes LTFRB hotline numbers in the app to give passengers the ability to contact the agency for any queries or complaints.

The Hirna app can be downloaded from both iOS App Store and Google Playstore for Android phones. Contact the customer hotline numbers 09171114888 and 09992214888 for any inquiries.

Fastcat Opol to Camiguin and Bohol

Fastcat operated by Archipelago Philippine Ferries Corporation launched its Opol to Balbagon, Camiguin to Jagna, Bohol route.

APFC operates Philippine’s first and only catamaran Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) ferries in the Philippines.

The catamaran has arguably become the best design for ferries, because of their speed, stability and large capacity.

Fastcat ferries are brand new and were designed by Sea Transport Solutions of Australia, the leading designer of mid-speed catamaran vessels in the world. Fastcat was specifically designed to suit the weather and sea conditions here in the Philippines.

Passenger Rates

Rates for their passengers from Jagna, Bohol to Opol, Misamis Oriental: 

Passenger rates for Jagna, Bohol to Balbagon, Camiguin:

Passenger rates for Balbagon, Camiguin to Opol, Misamis Oriental:

Trip schedules are the following:

Leaves Jagna, Bohol at 12 pm and arrives in Balbagon, Camiguin at 2:45 pm then Balbagon to Opol, Misamis Oriental, arrives at 7:45 pm

From Opol it leaves at 9:30 pm and arrives in Balbagon at 1:15 am then leaves Balbagon at 3 am and arrives in Jagna at 5:45 am.

Freight Rate

Freight Rate for Jagna, Bohol to Opol, Misamis Oriental:

Freight Rate for Balbagon, Camiguin to Opol, Misamis Oriental:

Freight Rate for Jagna, Bohol to Balbagon, Camiguin:

Opol terminal is located at Opol Fishport, Zone1A Luyong Bon-bon, Opol, Misamis Oriental. Landmark to the entrance road is Petron Gas station on the right side if you are going to Iligan side. You can also contact them at  Mobile Nos.: 0998-5834733 or Email them at [email protected]

Big Bite 2018

Big Bite 2018 is the biggest food festival in Northern Mindanao, now in its 3rd year, organized by Ayala Centrio Mall every March where the season of summer starts and outdoor eating is fun!

I would like to showcase the fooderies we toured on day 1 of March 16, 2018. Watch out for another post for the day 2 of our food tour.

Choobi-Choobi
Starting with Choobi-Choobi, it is a family-oriented casual dining restaurant with over 20 plus branches and counting all over the country. Its menu courses are mostly Filipino comfort food with the freshest seafood at affordable prices. Their tagline is Lingaw Lingaw kaon sa Choobi Choobi. Try their mouth-watering Udang Lada Hitam, the Singaporean way of cooking shrimps and other kinds of seafood.

Thai Me Up
Thai Me Up opened its branch at the ground level of Centrio Mall on November 9, 2012. Its vision is to be an “Ultimate Food Destination in Cagayan de Oro City” with the mission of “Creating a Memorable Experience” for customers, giving them an Exemplary Ambiance, Exquisite Food, and Kingly Service. Try their newest affordable rice toppings.

Lola Gely’s Kitchen
It is a home baking business that is based on old family recipes. Their specialty is Sanrival and Caramel-Coated Yema, you should try it.

Tubo J Beverages
They serve 100% All Natural, Pure and Fresh Sugarcane juices and smoothies. Try their Tubomansi and Tubolemon.

Mercedes Bakery
A homegrown bakery in town proudly introduces the Chookies its newest bake creation. Chookies are bite-sized cookies that are bake on demand in less than 10 minutes and served warm from the oven. The classic chookie, is from their very own secret recipe and it’s their best-seller is arguably the best chocolate chip cooking in Cagayan de Oro.

Mai Crafts
It started its store in 1995 as a craft store and change it to a Cafe in 2015. Their specialty is Churros, a Spanish delicacy made with dough and fried till perfection then coated with sugar and cinnamon. You must also try their Tablea local chocolate cake.

 

Pili-an Cafe
They offer healthy food items like Pesto and Cheese Quesadilla, Choc-dipped Mookie, Pili-an’s Salad and many more. My favorite is their healthy chicharon made from soya, it’s very addicting.

 

Cantina Luchador
Cantina Luchador’s name is influenced by their love for Mexican food. Aside from the abundant supply of Mexican ingredients here in our city, they want to make a statement of bringing a tasty and unique menu. Originally known as Feugo-to-go when they started back in 2013. Must try is their Burrito Bowl.

The Happy Pig
Established in August 2013 The Happy Pig was originally known as Bubzies Grill. Through words of mouth and recommendation by family and friends, they were famous for their “Cheezy Baby Back Ribs”. The Happy Pig is a tasty twist on comfort food.

Doofies Grillers
They specialize in traditional Filipino favorite lutong bahay A la’Carte style with a modern twist.

Other food vendors we have tasted are Mesa which is a regular tenant inside Centrio Mall, Barkadahan Grill, BFoods and Nanay Choleng’s Muron.

Watch out for the 2nd part of this Big Bite 2018 Food Festival series for the day 2 of our food tour.

WOFEX CDO 2018

WOFEX or the World Food Expo is here again in Cagayan de Oro after 6 years ago. It will be at the Atrium of Limketkai Center from March 13 to 15, 2018.

Registration is free at the main entrance. Check out also their WOFEX University where you can learn about the food business industry and marketing them online.

Lots of exhibitors showcasing their products and services for your food business and for those interested to enter the food business. WOFEX is organized by PEPTARSUS, the trade show experts.