Alice Reyes Dance Philippines Unveils "Mga Kuwento ni Juan Tamad": A New Dance Adventure for Young Audiences

MGA KUWENTO NI JUAN TAMAD is the latest addition to Alice Reyes Dance Philippines' expansive repertoire of Filipino works, this time designed specifically for Children's Dance Theater.

This new offering marks a significant milestone for one of ARDP’s talented choreographers, Erl Sorilla, who has crafted both the book and his first full-length choreography.

The production is brought to life with a captivating musical score by award-winning singer-songwriter Toto Sorioso, and magical sets and costumes designed by the renowned Filipino Director and Broadway Designer, Loy Arcenas.

Under the mentorship of National Artist for Dance, Alice Reyes, and ARDP Artistic Director, Ronelson Yadao, this production promises to be a magical experience for young audiences.

The story follows the adventures of Juan Tamad, the misunderstood boy in town, and his loyal monkey companion, Matsing. Aided by Juan’s unique ability to converse with animals and his innate love for nature, they set out to find the village’s most prized treasure, the fruit of all their hard-work and labor stolen by the greedy ‘Buwaya,’ the ‘Gintong Niyog.’ A challenge he must complete to win the hand of Maria Masipag.

Along his journey, Juan encounters a variety of animals, including those from the stories of ‘Pagong at Kuneho,’ ‘Ang Gamu-gamu at ang Lampara,’ and ‘Buwaya at ang Paboreal.’ Through these encounters, Juan learns valuable moral lessons that guide him on his path. With the help of the animals, Juan grows in character, and ultimately finds the ‘Gintong Niyog.’ Inspired by the classic Filipino children’s stories of ‘Juan Tamad,’ this production brings a new twist to the beloved tales.

The new work will feature ARDP company dancers Renzen Arboleda as the titular Juan Tamad, with Karla Santos as Maria Masipag. Dan Dayo will take on the role of Juan’s trusted sidekick, Matsing, with John Ababon as Pagong, Monica Gana as Kuneho, Earl John Arisola as Buwaya, Krislynne Buri as Paboreal, and Francia Alejandro as Lampara,. Also featured are ARDP trainees Gianna Hervas and Crizza Urmeneta as the Gamu–gamu.

This production is specifically created for students, as it aligns with Grade 1-10 and High School subjects, including Filipino, Arts, Music, Humanities, Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao, Personal Development, Araling Panlipunan, Physical Education. Through dance and storytelling, MGA KUWENTO NI JUAN TAMAD offers an enriching, multidisciplinary educational experience.

MGA KUWENTO NI JUAN TAMAD premieres on November 10, 2024, at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater as part of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Children’s Biennale. Admission is on a Pay-What-You-Can basis. Please stay tuned on Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Social Media Pages for registration links.

J&T Express Expands Cash-on-Delivery (COD) Service to More Customers Nationwide

J&T Express, one of the leading delivery service providers in the Philippines, is expanding its Cash-on-Delivery (COD) offering, now available to walk-in customers and door-to-door pickup clients starting this quarter. The expansion aims to provide more convenient payment options for customers, particularly micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that rely on flexible logistics solutions.

With the new COD feature accessible via the J&T Express mobile app and its official website, businesses can easily register for a COD account and offer this popular payment method to their customers. COD transactions allow customers to pay for their purchases only upon delivery, without the need to depend solely on card or cashless payments.

"COD remains one of the preferred modes of payment in the Philippines, and we want our customers to fully benefit from the services we provide. The COD option helps foster trust between sellers and buyers while enabling more inclusive payment solutions", said Zoe Chi, Vice President of J&T Express Philippines.

Click the link for the tutorial: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1614774065772527

The expanded service also emphasizes its potential to reach customers in remote areas with limited access to digital payment methods. "We aim to provide a secure payment experience for buyers purchasing from online sellers and help our partner sellers attract a broader customer base", she added.

Since its inception, J&T Express has been offering the Cash-on-Delivery (COD) service exclusively to e-commerce platforms and VIP clients, who enjoy special discounts, fast remittance, and a dedicated VIP dashboard. The expansion of this service to walk-in and door-to-door pickup clients marks a significant step in making COD available to a wider range of customers and clientele.

For more information about the latest services and promotions from J&T Express, visit www.jtexpress.ph or follow J&T Express Philippines on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube. Customers can also download the J&T Express mobile app for free on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Huawei App Gallery.

vivo V40 Lite’s 5000mAh battery proves endurance at 63% after 11 hours of use

vivo gave Filipinos an exciting opportunity to experience the enduring power of the vivo V40 Lite at the Lite Up Your Life event held at SM North Edsa Annex Atrium, October 26, 2024.

From 10 am to 9 pm, visitors got hands-on with the fully charged vivo V40 Lite, engaging in everything from taking photos and playing videos to enjoying their favorite music. Despite continuous use for 11 hours, the vivo V40 Lite’s battery maintained an impressive 63% charge at exactly 9:11 pm, showcasing its exceptional battery performance.

Did you know that the vivo V40 Lite is equipped with a 5000mAh battery, built to maintain its health for four years? With vivo’s commitment to durability, users are assured that the battery health will not drop below 80% within this time.

To accomplish this, the vivo V40 Lite integrates innovative battery protection features, even with its powerful 80W FlashCharge, which allows the phone to reach an 80% charge in just around 30 minutes.

The vivo V40 Lite uses “Optimized Battery Charging” technology that intuitively adjusts to each user’s charging patterns to preserve battery health. Whether you’re actively using the phone or have the screen off, this system assesses your usage to apply the ideal charging strategy for long-lasting battery life.

Taking it further, it adapts to your sleep cycle by temporarily pausing charging at 80% during the night and resuming before you wake up, preventing battery aging and optimizing overnight charging.

This level of battery care extends even further, with the V40 Lite supporting up to 1,600 charging cycles - meaning it can easily last four and a half years if charged daily.

Even Marian Rivera is impressed with vivo V40 Lite’s 5000mAh battery and 80W fast charging capability.

https://www.facebook.com/vivo.philippines/videos/940769504537520 

https://www.tiktok.com/@vivo_philippines/video/7431537973893647634?lang=en]

In addition, vivo offered a 50-month battery warranty to those who pre-ordered the V40 Lite, promising a free one-time replacement if battery health falls below 80% within four years of purchase.

With up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage (expandable up to 2TB), the vivo V40 Lite combines all-day power and high-performance features for just Php 13,999. Grab yours now at vivo concept stores, kiosks, and dealer stores nationwide, or shop online on the vivo website and Shopee.

GoTyme Bank, foodpanda launch loan program for MSMEs

GoTyme Bank and foodpanda have joined forces to empower micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) within foodpanda’s online food and grocery delivery platform. This collaboration offers partner vendors flexible financing for working capital, providing them the financial boost they need to sustain their businesses.

The loan program directly addresses the financing challenges faced by MSMEs in today's economic climate, characterized by rising operational costs and lack of access to funding.

It gives online food delivery entrepreneurs easy access to capital at competitive interest rates with a simple application and repayment process. The program also complements foodpanda’s existing “Negosyo Like a Panda” initiative, which offers business loans to partner vendors to fuel their business growth.

Standing: Shern Teo, GoTyme Bank Head of Strategy and Lending, John Kane, GoTyme Capital Asia Head, Jan Mikee Regalario, foodpanda Philippines Fintech Lead, Valerie Alivia, foodpanda Philippines Fintech Manager

Sitting: Albert Tinio, GoTyme Bank Co-CEO, Nate Clarke, GoTyme Bank President and CEO, Leopoldo De Castro Jr., foodpanda Philippines Finance Director, Shaun Princess Opulencia-Malalad, foodpanda Philippines Head of Fintech

Championing Filipino MSMEs

GoTyme Bank, a collaboration of Tyme, a multi-country digital banking group, with members of the Gokongwei Group, is the country’s fastest-growing bank, with 4.5 million customers, having operated for less than two years.

foodpanda is a subsidiary of global food delivery leader Delivery Hero, an on-demand food and grocery platform headquartered in Singapore. It is committed to delivering customers their favorite meals quickly. Today it is the largest food and grocery delivery platform in Asia, operating in 11 Asian markets comprising thousands of restaurants across 400 cities. It was launched in the Philippines in 2014, and today delivers meals from curated local restaurants to food lovers nationwide. Currently operating in 150 cities and municipalities, the platform continues its expansion across the country.

This partnership aligns with GoTyme Bank’s mission to support Filipino entrepreneurs by bridging the credit gap for MSMEs, which form a growing portion of its customer base.

GoTyme Bank, together with foodpanda, empowers MSMEs to thrive by streamlining the loan application process and offering flexible repayment options. Through this partnership, foodpanda partner merchants can focus on their core operations while enjoying the convenience of paying more during peak seasons and less during lean times. This tailored approach helps MSMEs optimize their cash flow and achieve their financial goals.

Nate Clarke, GoTyme Bank President and CEO and Leopoldo De Castro Jr., 

foodpanda Philippines Finance Director

“We are committed to leveraging GoTyme’s expertise in digital banking and MSME lending,” says Lhecks De Castro, foodpanda Philippines finance director. “Since majority of our partner vendors come from the MSME sector, our goal is to offer innovative and accessible loan products specifically designed for them. This partnership goes beyond digital inclusion for our MSME partners; it prioritizes their financial empowerment.”

GoTyme Bank President and CEO Nate Clarke says he appreciates foodpanda’s recognition of GoTyme’s dedication to supporting MSMEs. “Through this exciting partnership, we look forward to providing entrepreneurs with the crucial financial support they need to achieve their dream business,” he says.

Legarda calls for comprehensive legislative oversight and budget integration of women, peace, and security initiatives

Senator Loren Legarda championed the call for integrating Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) initiatives into national policies and budget frameworks at the International Conference on Women, Peace, and Security (ICWPS), held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Pasay City from October 28 to 30, 2024.

The event marks the upcoming 25th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 next year, which highlights women’s roles in peacebuilding and security. The Senator recalled that during last year’s Department of Foreign Affairs budget deliberations, she noticed that the request for initial seed capital for the ICWPS was listed merely as a side note and was not prioritized.

“Understanding its importance, I made it my own amendment to the national budget to ensure these remarkable women could come together,” Legarda shared.

This initiative by the four-term laid the groundwork for a whole-of-government commitment to host the conference in the Philippines.

“That is the mark of a woman when the woman looks into the details and sees the import of things which are essential. Don’t they say that what is essential is often invisible to the eye? Well, I saw it amidst their pile of unrequested requests, unasked for because there was no remaining budget,” Legarda said.

During the roundtable discussion with other parliamentarians, Legarda addressed a critical question: “How can parliamentarians better advocate for the adoption, review, and implementation of National Action Plans on WPS?”

Legarda identified two key responsibilities of the Philippine Senate. First, she emphasized the oversight role of Congress in ensuring laws are effectively funded and implemented, recognizing that many well-intentioned policies fall short in execution.

“Our role is not just policy-making but ensuring oversight on policies already enacted,” Legarda explained.

“While we have enacted so many laws in many decades, some of these laws are unfunded or underfunded or perhaps even not effectively and efficiently implemented. The oversight function of Congress, and in this respect, the Philippine Senate, is very important. The oversight function, the relevance of laws already enacted, the nuances of revising or amending it based on societal changes and global challenges, that's important.”

“Since 1998, I have seen laws with good intentions and funding, but why are people still poor, deprived, vulnerable and impoverished? Because the implementation is lacking. And this is not to cast aspersion on any administration or in any executive branch of government. It is just that we need to see the bigger and the minutest detail of the picture—in how we must pre-position goods, establish gender-responsive evacuation centers, ensure safe hospitals and schools, and in how women, peace, and security must be understood by every grade school child.”

Second, Legarda highlighted the power of legislative and budgetary influence, advocating for WPS to be mainstreamed across the national budget and emphasizing that WPS initiatives should extend beyond the traditional 5% Gender and Development (GAD) allocation.

“For two, three decades ago, we have had the GAD, where 5% must be spent. I think that needs to be updated. Why only 5%? WPS must be mainstreamed in the 5 trillion national budget, just as climate change, adaptation, mitigation and resilience, and disaster risk reduction must be mainstreamed in the whole national budget. So must Women, peace, and security are all cogs in a whole wheel that you cannot take out,” Legarda stressed.

“Yes, we need the policy. Yes, we perform oversight. Yes, we have the financing. But we must ensure that those who are implementing all the policies we do will implement it efficiently and effectively. We must have the tools to measure the impact if lives have improved well and by how many percent. It should not just be quantitative, but focused on the quality of life of Filipinos,” Legarda concluded.

Legarda’s support and participation in the ICWPS is a powerful reminder of the potential for policy-driven change in the lives of women and girls in communities. Her commitment to integrating WPS into national and legislative processes reflects her broader advocacy for peace, security, and inclusive governance, further establishing the Philippines as a global leader in advancing the WPS agenda.