Four years after it launched its first office in the Philippines, Google has finally unveiled its newest home to the public, and indeed it looks like a nice place to work.
Google offices all over the world are frequently visited by guests, and the company’s design team ensures that if ever you’re suddenly dropped off in one of these places, you’ll surely know that it’s a Google office, and which city or country you’re in.
The Philippine HQ reflects the culture and tradition of the Filipino people. From the design of the ceiling, the doors, the names of conference rooms, the material used for the furniture, even the food they serve will remind you how vast and colorful our heritage is.
The place also gives you a clear view of the Manila bay sunset, which is a joy to watch, especially after a long day at work.
Google Street View
Among other announcements that were made is that 188 new sites have been added to Google Street View which includes Batanes, Palawan, and Guimaras to name a few. This means that over 300 sites from the country are now available from the time it was launched in 2013.
In addition, you can now navigate the LRT-1 stations on Street View, from UN Avenue Station, to Central Station, and to the Baclaran Station, enabling you to plan your trips accordingly.
In cooperation with the Intramuros Administration, the historic collection of religious sculptures is now available online through the Google Arts & Culture platform, accompanied by VR tours of 17 locations which can be viewed on a VR device such as Google Cardboard.
Launchpad Accelerator
Google also focused on its Launchpad Accelerator program, which caters to startups and aspiring entrepreneurs by sending them to Mountain View to be trained and guided by some of the world’s leading experts in order to improve and strengthen their businesses.
DigiBayanihan
Google has also partnered with DigiBayanihan, an organization which aims to bring digital literacy to more Filipinos, especially in the farthest areas in the country. The program offers various course modules, from basic computer literacy, to Internet and Social Media navigation, as well as online safety.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
