Giving back the smile to street children thru Virlanie Foundation

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Virlanie Foundation strives to build a better future for these children by “giving back their smiles. and empowereing the children for a brighter future. This is a child-caring institution reaching out to street children and street families in the Philippines.

This foundation that cares for children in need of special protection -  those who are abandoned, neglected, abused, exploited, orphaned and poorest of the poor. The Foundation gives them love, takes care of them and supports them with many programs.

Virlanie’s residential program cares for children in need of special protection where they are provided with love and security in a unique set-up of a home and a family atmosphere and reintegration to normal community life.

Virlanie cares for children in 13 Homes that are designed for specific age groups according to the needs of the children.

Cluster 1 - Homes for babies and young children

Some Homes care for toddlers, children below 12 years old while others are temporary Homes which welcome the children into Virlanie.They aim to provide a safe place for young children who come from difficult situations and later achieve a higher rate of successful placement to either family reunification, adoption, or foster care.

Cluster 2 - Homes for young adults

These Homes care for young adults, children in conflict with the law, young unwed mothers and their babies and abused girls. They better prepare the young adults for sustainable life through the dynamism of support programs such as the Young Adults Program and LIFE (Living Independently for Full Empowerment) program.

Cluster 3 - Homes for children with special needs

Children and young adults with physical and/or mental handicaps are welcomed to these Homes. They establish collaborative efforts with various disciplines, external partners, and organization to provide the best possible care and alternative programs to help them reach their full potential to care for themselves and live productively.       

Virlanie reaches out to children and families living in the streets. There are also programs for poor communities in Metro Manila and the provinces. These programs provide health, educational, and other basic services.

Vilanie Foundation’s Founder/ President Dominique Lemay, a French, came 25 years ago for the first time in the Philippines. Touched by the situation of poverty, he decided to establish Virlanie to help the poorest of the poor like the street children.  In keeping with the times, Virlanie’s programs and homes have also changed to answer to growing needs of the street children

Virlanie Foundation answers the call to action to improve the situation of poor Filipino children and families. Virlanie provides homes to children in need of special protection. In addition, Virlanie reaches out to street families and poor communities.

Apart from the basic needs, Virlanie provides children with opportunities to go to school, attend to their medical and psychological needs and find ways to reunify them with their families when possible.

Hope you can give back the smile to the children thru Virlanie Foundation ,  located at 4055 Yague Street, Barangay Singkamas, Makati City 1204, Philippines. 

Phone: + 63 (2) 895 5260 / 896 2289 / 895 3460 •

Fax: + 63 (2) 895 5232

 Email: info@virlanie.org

• www.virlanie.org

500 Delegates Expected in Manila at Global Conference

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Manila is poised to welcome almost 500 delegates from 78 countries across the globe as it hosts one of the largest and most significant events in the worldwide movement against corruption.

 

The 5th Global Conference of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) will be held in the Philippine International Convention Center from January 30 to February 2, 2013. The Philippine Senate and GOPAC’s regional arm, the Southeast Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption (SEAPAC), are co-hosting the event.

 

To date, a total of 492 members of parliament and non-governmental organizations have registered for the said conference, including members of Philippine Congress.

 

“The fact that GOPAC chose Manila as the venue for the upcoming Global Conference is a strong vote of confidence for the anti-corruption efforts of the country and the current administration,” said Senator Edgardo J. Angara, Chairperson of SEAPAC and of the Manila Steering Committee.

 

“This is an opportunity for us to showcase to the rest of the world that we are intent on cleaning up our government. It will also allow us to learn from each other’s best practices in the fight against corruption.”

           

Delegates will be coming from near and far to attend the much-anticipated event in Manila, 65 of whom are from other SEAPAC member-countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. The rest will be coming from as far as the United States, the Middle East, Latin America, Africa and Europe.

 

“The Philippine government is ready and able to match the commitment of these lawmakers who are travelling thousands of miles just to attend this important gathering. The Manila Conference is the product of the collective effort of several government agencies who share the GOPAC vision of a progressive, corruption-free world.” said Angara.

 

The Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Tourism, Department of Health, Department of Public Works and Highways, Philippine National Police and the Metro Manila Development Authority are some of the agencies of government involved in GOPAC Manila 2013. President Benigno S. Aquino III will be the Keynote Speaker at the event.

Opo Pinoy Style by Mikey Bustos Video

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Fil-Canadian comedian Mikey Bustos has made a parody out of the dance craze Gangnam Style, inserting Filipino culture into the tune of Korean song by PSY.

‘Opo Pinoy Style‘ celebrates Pinoy quirkiness in a humorous manner, features the combination of the original horse-dancing moves with the Philippines’ folk dance Tinikling. This video shows calesa,  jeepneys, balut, Luneta (Rizal Park) , Quirino Grandstand, and surprise appearance of Paula Salvosa known more as the girl in the viral Amalayer video. I'm glad seeing walkdance of my friend, celebrity photographer Allan Sancon. 

The new Opo Pinoy Style  have 847,704 hits in 6 days. 

Opo Pinoy Style (Filipino Oppa Gangnam Style Parody)

Opo Pinoy Style Lyrics

(written by Mikey Bustos)

Opo Pinoy style, Pinoy style

When I come around you know it’s gunna be a party,

Cuz I come from a land that’s more fun than the other countries,

Where we ace our exam with flying colours cuz we studied,

and there’s nobody else that can cook better than our mommies

Yeah it’s hotter here,

And that is why my skin is brown

and you’ll find water here

to wash my bum after I’m done raiding my

fridgidaire,

Cuz' I proud that I’m pinoy I shout it everywhere, and tattooed it here

A baby duck still, inside the egg shell,

It tastes good

It’s called balut

I eat my ulam, rice and sawsawan

with my hands, i close open,

you have two godparents I have ten…

Weeh…

Opo Pinoy style! Pinoy style. Op-op-op-op-op opo Pinoy Style…. Pinoy style. Op-op-op-op-op opo Pinoy Style….

A pinay lady

stays where it’s shadey!

My name is Mikey Bustos, your one and only Pinoyboy,

I’m pointing with my lips, cuz hands are busy eating penoy,

Blessing to the elderly I mano po to Lola,

but now my forehead smells like ginger cuz she cooked tinola

During summer yeah it is super scortching hot,

and the rest of the year, yes it is still so scortching hot,

but really I don’t care,

Cuz I just use my split type air con, I can peepee here

almost anywhere

Cuz I do OK in videoke, magaling in tinikling,

Yes I am gwapo, haba ng hair mo, as I court you

That’s how we do, Beautiful eyes will get to you!

Amalayer?!

Opo Pinoy style! Pinoy style. Op-op-op-op-op opo Pinoy Style…. Pinoy style. Op-op-op-op-op opo Pinoy Style….

Eh Tita Baby op-op-op-op-op Opo Pinoy style

Eh we’re related op-op-op-op-op Opo Pinoy style

I wear barong, while eating chicharron

Just watch us take over the world with a plastic balloon

And I’m on my cell phone, texting in jejemon,

And I am BV during brown out cuz there’s no aircon, bat ganun, Opo Pinoystyle

Long live Filipinos op-op-op-op-op Opo Pinoy style

Mabuhay ang pilipino op-op-op-op-op Opo Pinoy style

I’m just returning the favour!

Celebrities Face Their Biggest and Dirtiest Challenge This 2013 New Ariel Complete Sets-Off the Giant Stain Ball Challenge

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When it comes to the most daring, most extreme, and toughest challenges, Extra Challenge will surely satisfy your appetite for the ultimate adrenaline rush. 

But when it comes to the dirtiest and toughest of stains, trust that the new Ariel Complete, with its unbelievable stain removal power, will ultimately take the center stage.

At a recent exhilarating media event in Quezon City Memorial Circle, Ariel, in partnership with Extra Challenge, introduced the new Ariel Complete and revealed its utimate total cleaning action.   

New Ariel Complete is formulated with multiple cleaning system and has built-in combined power of bar + brush + bleach that effectively removes tough stains like ink, chocolate milk, used cooking oil and chocolate ice cream and leaves clothes clean like new! With its unbeatable stain removal power, Ariel Complete is more effective versus leading ordinary detergent powder in removing tough stains on clothes. Each granule of Ariel Complete has the power to deliver superior stain-removing action. You don’t have to wait for the last granule to achieve the best results.

To celebrate this breakthrough, Ariel and Extra Challenge hosted a thrilling display of atheleticism as Kapuso stars raced to push giant balls of stains across the field to his opponent’s goal while passing through marked areas with enormous stains laid out on the ground. Challengers to reach his opponent’s goal first wins the round. 4,000 liters of stains were used to make sure that the giant balls, 90 feet in diameters each  & made out of layers of white cloths, is completely covered with stains. At the finish line, media, celebrities, and the general public witnessed Ariel Complete’s superior stain-removing action as the cloth filled with enormous concentration of stains was washed and cleaned like new using Ariel Complete right before their eyes. “Ariel Complete seeks to make laundry easier and less time consuming with its multiple cleaning system, the combined power of bar + brush + bleach, and built in additives for a Complete™ wash,” says Jenina Santos, Brand Manager for Ariel.

With the new Ariel Complete, women are assured that even tough and big stains have no match with its superior stain-removing formula.

Revisiting Aguinaldo Shrine

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As the Philippines National Shrine, the Aguinaldo Shrine is the ancestral house of General Emilio Aguinaldo, the president of the 1st Philippine Republic. This became the place where the proclamation of the Republic of the Philippines was made, where the independence of the Philippines from Spain was declared on June 12, 1898.

To commemorate the event, now known as Araw ng Kalayaan or Independence Day, a national holiday, the Philippine flag is raised here by top government officials on June 12th each year.

This grand mansion in Kawit Cavite is a unique reflection of a period in the country's history. It was Emilio Aguinaldo's birthplace and residence until his death at the age of 94.

It was first built in 1845 from wood and thatch. Its design, which features secret passages and hiding places for documents and weapons.

The Aguinaldo Shrine is adjacent to the Liwasang Aguinaldo park which was constructed in 1998 for the Philippine Centennial celebration.

A bronze figure of General Emilio Aguinaldo riding a horse proudly stands in front of the ancestral house.

His remains lie in a tomb found at the back of Aguinaldo Shrine.

On display outside the house is Aguinaldo's personal car, a 1924 Packard limousine restored in November 2009.

The ground floor of Aguinaldo Shrine was transformed into a museum shows exhibits of memorabilia of Emilio Aguinaldo. A hologram depicting Aguinaldo can be seen.

There is the two-lane Duckpin Bowling alley.

The second floor is crowded with fine antique furniture, photos and paintings of Emilio Aguinaldo and his family.

This is where the peaceful Aguinaldo's bedrooms, the grand hall, dining room, kitchen, a conference room and azotea.

The house is decorated throughout with motifs of flags and national symbols.

Revisiting to this National Shrine last January 3 is really a worth tour. We were invited by Melo Villareal of  Out of Town Blog and by Tourism movers of Kawit Cavite to showcase their Lights and Sound Show  to witness it and feel the Holiday spirit around the famous shrine.

I enjoyed the wonderful world of the National Shrine in Kawit Cavite - the grandious Aguinaldo Shrine  and having met Mr. Pao Aguinaldo Abaya, one of the great grand children of General Emilio Aguinaldo. He shared us some interesting and nostalgic stories of the old house and of patriotic Gen. Aguinaldo.

We have read history during our schooldays and I admire heroes who played in shaping our country. We must honor Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo and his role in the history of our nation, for his efforts to organize the institutions that follow a revolution.  It was he who put together the formal elements of nationhood for the Philippines from writing a proclamation of independence to the making of a flag.

I really enjoyed the wonderful tour, in fact, this is my first travel for new year 2013. And specially, I been nostalgic, remembering  my visit here many years ago. The first was when I accompany my daughter during an educational trip with her classmates, schoolmates and teachers. And my second time was I am still a registrar in a community school, coordinated and assisted the exciting educational trip of little children.

This historical place is where a movie "EL PRESIDENTE : General Emilio Aguinaldo Story and the First Philippine Republic" shoot. This is one of 8 official entries to the 38^th Metro Manila Film.

These are some of videos of Aguinaldo Shrine Lights and Sounds Show during our visit last January 3.  Enjoy holidays everyone! 

The Aguinaldo Shrine museum on the ground floor is maintained by the National Historical Institute of the Philippines. The house and museum are open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Check out more photos on Facebook.