DOH recognizes 'unsung' heroes of Typhoon Yolanda

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The Department of Health (DOH) recently gave tribute to the “Unsung Heroes” of typhoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) for their contributions in helping the victims and families affected by the strongest cyclone to hit the Visayas region last year.

Here's from the Department of Health:

The Department of Health (DOH) today recognized the efforts of all the brave souls who have dedicated their time, services, expertise and resources to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda (internationally named Haiyan).

“While we acknowledge that our help and support to Yolanda-affected areas is far from ceasing, at the moment there is some breathing space for us to pause and reflect, and to modestly acknowledge those who have been our partners in relief assistance,” Secretary Health Enrique Ona said.

It is appropriate that recognition is given to local government units, local health teams and volunteers, DOH regional hospitals and offices, and, especially, to foreign partners who went out of their way to extend every help they can.

On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Yolanda was recorded as the strongest in Philippine history. It was accompanied by monstrous winds and storm surges (10-15 feet) which smashed into coastal communities before leaving the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on November 9.

Initial report on November 8, revealed that a total of 26,675 families or 125,604 persons were affected in 33 cities and 73 municipalities in 22 provinces. A total of 109 evacuation centers were initially established. The cyclone caused catastrophic destruction in the Visayas, particularly Samar and Leyte, to which, according to UN officials, about 11 million people have been affected and left homeless.

However, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), revealed that there were 6,201 deaths and 27,665 injured. Most of the fatalities came from the three towns of Tacloban, Palo, and Tanauan, Leyte. Most of the injured suffered from cuts, wounds and fractures during the disaster while others were injured in flooding that followed the typhoon. Furthermore, 1,785 persons were reported missing. Extreme damage to infrastructure greatly affected the transportation of relief goods and the communication lines.

After the immediate provision of food aid, clean water, temporary shelters, and basic medical care, the original concerns over basic needs shifted to those on infectious disease, malnutrition, childbirth problems, mental health issues, and the needs of those with chronic diseases.

Stories were told. The team from Albay, one of the first to arrive, came in total darkness of Sunday, November 10, after traveling by ferry from Matnog and by land to Tacloban. The team from NCR was deployed and their goods supply was left behind in Cebu. This team had trouble eating for 2 days, living on cookies and dole outs from other groups.

“To the almost 9,000 medical/health responders from about 222 institutions and agencies, including the 351 medical teams both local and foreign, thanking you is an understatement. The DOH is indebted to all of you,” Ona concluded.

doh.gov.ph

Paseo Verde with a lifestyle centered on wellness

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Paseo Verde offers a lifestyle centered on wellness in a truly green environment.

“It is nice to live in a place where you can see trees and green grasses outside your window and gives you the feeling that you’re away from the city.”

“South is the place that are being heavily developed, soon it will or might become the new business hub, since most of the place in Metro Manila is already full. The opportunity could be right here. And this is not a loss it could also be a gain for me, because I see this as my first investment.”

These are from the two students, Doreen Joy Rosell and Maria Jessica Bello both students from FEU.

Education is the most important inheritance a parent can give to their children, with proper guidance and right up bringing, a child can never go wrong with his or her decisions. This holds true in the case of these two students. At a very young age they persuaded their parents to buy them a condominium unit at Paseo Verde in Las Piñas City.

Paseo Verdé is a transit-oriented, eco-friendly and cost-efficient mid-rise residential condominium project located in the heart of Metro Manila. 

A mid rise condominium located South of Metro Manila interest the two students, Doreen Joy Rosell and Maria Jessica Bello both students from FEU, because of its unique features that Paseo Verde offers to its unit owners. The bike facilities and electronic bike charging is just one feature that the condominium offers, it also has park and play ground of its own located in its premises.

Plus the certified accreditation by the Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE) and a member of the Philippine Green Building Council for its steps toward promoting a sustainable community.

Presently, the awareness in promoting and living in an eco friendly place is the current fad among young people today. They want to give their contribution in protecting the environment and helping it in their own way.

In the end, they are positively sure that after they graduated and find the right job, they know that it’s their turn to pay the rest of the monthly payment.

Power toothbrush from Philips

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A person’s smile conveys happiness, pleasure and amusement. And the power of this smile has plenty to do with how clean one’s teeth are. That’s why people go to great lengths to ensure their oral hygiene with daily brushing and regular visits to the dentist.

Power toothbrush from Philips promises advanced plaque removal.

“Oral health is something that people should not overlook. Clean teeth and gums not only look good, but also help us to avoid oral infections and even diseases,” comments Ms. Me-Ann Achacoso, Philips Business Development Manager for Health and Wellness.

To promote good oral habits, Philips is introducing its new Sonicare EasyClean toothbrush. Equipped with its very own patented sonic technology and ProResults brush head, the Sonicare EasyClean promises to whiten teeth by removing and reducing stains, with up to two times more plaque removal than a manual toothbrush.

According to Ms. Achacoso, the Sonicare EasyClean toothbrush produces 31,000 brush strokes per minute which results into a dynamic cleaning action that drives fluids between the teeth and along the gumline to remove harmful plaque.

It features a Smartimer that helps ensure the recommended dental time for brushing, and a Quadpacer that encourages thorough brushing in all quadrants of the mouth.

In addition, the SoniCare EasyClean features an angled brush head neck to help access the back teeth and otherhard to reach areas of the mouth. The EasyClean toothbrush is proven safe on orthodontics, dental work, veneers, implant material and sensitive teeth.

“Poor oral health can lead to expensive and painful dental procedures. We at Philips have developed meaningful innovations for taking care of your overall health, so you can enjoy and put a smile on things that matter most,” concludes Ms. Achacoso.

Epson Philippines Honors Regional Trade Partners

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Epson Philippines Corporation (EPC) recently honored the company’s top trade regional partners as celebrating its “People’s Choice” status after securing the No.1 position in value share in the inkjet market, 13th consecutive year of global leadership position in projectors, and its continuing dominance in the dot matrix printer category, held at the Makati Shangri-La hotel.

Epson Philippines Corporation (EPC) awarded MDR Microware Sales, Inc. as the Top Epson Regional Corporate Partner (ERCP) under its Fiscal Year 2013. Shown are (L-R) Toshimitsu Tanaka, EPC Country Manager, Amanda Dy, Product Manager of MDR Microware Sales, Inc., and Renato M. Serrano, Jr., EPC Regional Sales Department Head.

Epson Philippines Corporation (EPC) awarded Thinking Tools, Inc. as the Top Epson Regional Partner in Visayas under its Fiscal Year 2013. Shown are (L-R) Toshimitsu Tanaka, EPC Country Manager, Virgin Tan, General Manager of Thinking Tools, Inc., and and Renato M. Serrano, Jr., EPC Regional Sales Department Head.

Epson Philippines Corporation (EPC) awarded Denver’s Computer Shoppe, Inc. as the Top Epson Regional Partner in Luzon under its Fiscal Year 2013. Shown are (L-R) Toshimitsu Tanaka, EPC Country Manager, Nancy Calleja, General Manager of Denver’s Compute Shoppe, Inc., and Renato M. Serrano, Jr., EPC Regional Sales Department Head.

EPC’s President/Country Manager, Toshimitsu Tanaka, said that the company will continue to capitalize on the overwhelming support of Filipinos on the Epson L-Series.

Epson Philippines Corporation (EPC) awarded Gaisano Interpace Computer Systems as the Top Epson Regional Partner in Mindanao under its Fiscal Year 2013. Shown are (L-R) Toshimitsu Tanaka, EPC Country Manager, Mike Sia, General Manager of Gaisano Interpace Computer Systems, and Renato M. Serrano, Jr., EPC Regional Sales Department Head.

“Without a doubt, we are still the company that provides the best value in printers with our unbeatable 4,000 pages per one bottle offering,” said Tanaka.

“Our recent wins in our market share in projectors and unassailable position in dot matrix also reflects how Filipinos trust Epson products,” added Tanaka.

Teacher Georcelle: Dancer, Mentor, Mother

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The geat dancer, choreographer, and mentor - Georcelle Dapat-Sy.

Georcelle is first and foremost a dancer – mention “dance” and her name is bound to crop up in the entertainment circle of the local industry.

Her dedication and commitment to her craft has earned her a niche in a saturated industry that will make room for someone who has worked hard to distinguish her talent. However, Georcelle’s talent in grace in motion is not confined to the stage or the studio alone; it spills over into her personal life, in her mothering, and ultimately in her mentoring of the next generation at large.

Teacher Georcelle Dapat-Sy talks about unlocking latent talent in young kids.

Once again, Georcelle gets involved in Promil’s Pre-School i-Shine Talent Camp, which aims to tap the inert talents of the very young and to help them wield the potency that they hold inside.

“The Promil Pre-school program is about recognizing talent. When the potential is seen in a young person, it is categorized,” Georcelle says. Whether innate intelligence or a natural inclination for arts, the mother of three is keen on picking out kids who are naturals in dancing. And this is when the fun starts.

Georcelle knows the benefits of early intervention or starting the mentoring while they’re soft and pliant. She herself started out that way.

A strong sense of determination despite limitations

Contrary to popular notion, being well off is not necessarily a prerequisite to the proper developing of talent. Though many families are blessed to be able to send their children to the most expensive dance schools and hire top of the line instructors, Georcelle didn’t have that kind of privilege to start with. However, she was blessed with parents who were musically inclined.

Her parents quickly recognized her abilities and brought her to the dance program at the Metropolitan Theatre. She took up different styles like tap, jazz, ballet, folk, contemporary and Hawaiian. And because she didn’t come from a wealthy family, her mother was always looking to get her a scholarship while bringing her to auditions at the same time.

In the midst of diligent quests, divine intervention took place. Once, on a trip to UP Diliman to get into the dance program of Tony Fabella and Eddie Elejar, Georcelle and her mom made a mistake and ended up in Felicita Radaic’s class instead. “When we met her, akala niya (she thought) I was an aspiring ballerina, because I had the build. She then wrote a letter to Metropolitan Dance Theatre’s director to put me in the dance scholarship.” This was a heady lesson for the young dancer:

Georcelle learned that where funds were lacking, a strong sense of determination would more than make up for it. And fate did the rest.

But the whole process was tedious, testing the young Georcelle’s patience. Nevertheless, Georcelle looks back now and realizes that not everyone gets a chance to study with the best. “My teachers were the best in the country (Agnes Locsin, Noordin Jumalon). They guided me. And true enough, once I started dancing, tuloy tuloy na from there.”

Georcelle was all of 10 years old when she began. At the age of 14, she had become a professional.

Nurturing her children through her passion for dance

Georcelle feels that dancing as a passion promotes closeness and love. As dancing is likewise a part of her, she used it to nurture her children, and not exclude them from an area that dominates her life.

Eventually she exposed her children to the best. “I show them performances, either in concert or ‘You Think You Can Dance’ or ‘America’s Best Dance Crew.’ Then I tell them that the performers trained hard before they reached the level of their performance. My point is that you have to train if you want to be the best. It’s achievable as long as you know the ABC’s and basics. And from there you take it to the next level.”

For Georcelle, the foundation of mentoring kids is love. “We do a lot of hugging, especially when the dancing mood strikes them. Outside of dance, it’s 24/7 parenting. I take my kids to school in the mornings. When I get home from a busy day, I hug them and kiss them even when they’re asleep.”

Does she see herself in them? “Teachers say my kids show qualities in leadership. They have a sense of command. That’s what they got from me.”

The top dance choreographer pays it forward

Not content with just being the top dance choreographer in the land, Georcelle has also had a hand in building G-Force as the leading dance company in the showbusiness today. This has been instrumental in her mentoring the next generation of dancers. Dance classes called ‘Me and My Little Force,’ are designed for the parent and child.

“I started dancing na wala akong pambili ng sapatos (when I had no money to buy shoes). I had a dream to give a chance to those who didn’t have the means.”

For Georcelle, it was all about expressing her gratitude for having all those great teachers when she was young. “So now this is my way of paying it forward.”

Today, the G-Force Project is becoming more and more of a family event. It started out as morning classes for kids, until she eventually decided to put in the moms who were requesting for zumba classes with the kids.

“Me and my 4-year old son dance together, so that’s where I got the inspiration. In class the little ones would mimic their mommies and that’s a great way to develop motor skills and photographic memory. When they grow up they’ll remember the fun, the exercise and the bonding.”

It’s clear that being a mother has made Georcelle not just a better person, but a better mentor as well.