DepEd ensures safe and learner-centered Palarong Pambansa

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For Education Secretary Br Armin Luistro FSC, the Palarong Pambansa is more than just an annual sports meet. “It is the culmination of all sports and physical development programs of DepEd from Kinder to Grade 12. Nakapaloob ito sa K to 12 curriculum,” he explains prior to meeting Department of Education (DepEd) regional directors. 

Reminding everyone to exercise the “same level of care we give our students in our schools” Luistro says that the Department’s strength is in developing the curriculum, which is why they have crafted a senior high school (SHS) track focused on sports. “This is not just a program for developing star athletes,” he says. “Our goal is to create a curriculum that will allow athletically-inclined learners to develop skills and knowledge that will allow them to be productive in the field even beyond their peak years.”

“We want them to be able to make a living out of what they know and love.”

While competitors in the games focus on ‘the moment,’ Luistro and his team are looking to the future. DepEd’s Management Committee (MANCOM) chooses from among different bidders (cities or provinces) the next Palaro hosts.

“One of our criteria is what they will do after the games are done. The host invests in facilities and equipment and we want to know if they will be able to maximize these when their Palaro is over.”

“We envision each province to specialize in particular sports,” Luistro says, adding that like the academic and tech-voc tracks, senior high schools cannot offer specializations in all sports. 

DepEd’s vision puts the learner first when crafting policy, and this is what anchors the reforms DepEd instituted in recent games. Luistro and Palaro Secretary General and DepEd Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali ensured insurance coverage participants and worked towards better screening for athletes. 

“We have special awards for the most organized delegations and a ‘clean and green’ policy that ensures that we leave the host the way we found it. Or even better.”

As billeting areas for athletes and delegation officials, public schools undergo a “makeover” months before the games – toilets are upgraded, shower areas installed, and classrooms spruced up to serve as sleeping quarters. “Serving as quarters for delegations means an early ‘Brigada Eskwela’ for these schools,” Luistro adds, referring to DepEd’s yearly school maintenance activity.

DepEd and the local government unit have ensured a safe and learner-centered Palarong Pambansa. With the installation of mobile clinics and medical first-aids in every game venue, DepEd and the LGU are able to provide medical assistance to those who need it. 

“The Department is working towards improving the safety of our athletes,” Umali said. He added that this starts with the teachers and school administrators who make sure that the schools are safe for the students.

DTC Introduces Pioneer Brand Ambassadors in Contract Signing Event

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DTC Mobile, a top-selling manufacturer of high-quality and low-cost mobile devices introduce pioneer brand Ambassadors during the Contract Signing  yesterday, May 6, 2014 held in an exclusive media event at the Diamond Hotel, Roxas Blvd. Manila.

The market-leading economy mobile device innovator DTC further solidifies its position in the local mobile industry as it unveils five key local professional basketball athletes as its first brand ambassadors.

All renowned icons of their own league, DTC chose the quintet for their dedication, revolutionary style and powerful performance – similar traits shared by DTC. Today officially marks the beginning of an exciting partnership between DTC and the five ballers as they formally enter an exclusive ambassadorship contract with the mobile device giant. 

The all-star ambassador roster showcases one player each from five outstanding teams, including Rain or Shine shooting guard Ryan Araña, Air 21 point guard Simon Atkins, Talk ‘N Text power forward Rommel Niño “KG” Canaleta, 3-time PBA All-Star Meralco Bolts shooting guard Gary David, and 11-time PBA All-Star Redbull point guard Willie Miller. 

This is the first time that DTC has launched its own ambassadors since the company’s founding in 2011, making the said athletes the company’s pioneer advocates. Their addition is expected to bring the brand closer to its consumers. As five of the most exceptional players in the league, they symbolize active but practical living, which DTC consumers also exemplify. 

“DTC is a brand that capitalizes on a strong commitment to customer satisfaction through the power of innovative technology and human ingenuity. We consider our people as one of our best assets,” Ferdinand Buensalida Jr., General Manager for DTC, elaborates on the partnership.

“Picking our pioneer ambassadors came as a no-brainer. They are all the crème de la crème of their field and we are honoured to welcome more people into our team who share our mission of putting dedication, skills, performance, style and creativity at the heart of everything. These fine gentlemen are an epitome of what DTC is all about, and we’re glad that more than affiliates, they are now friends of the brand,” he adds.

Only a few months shy of its third anniversary in the industry, DTC anticipates a more power-packed year with the addition of their first brand ambassadors, plus new smart gadgets in the pipeline, which are expected for release before the third quarter of 2014 ends. 

About DTC 

Established in 2011 in Manila, DTC Mobile is a top-selling manufacturer of high-quality and low-cost mobile devices including classic bar phones, Android-based smartphones and phablets. Operations are Manila-based and much of the trade is conducted locally but product distribution also extends to the Southeast Asia. 

With its dedication to innovative technology and ever-evolving customer needs, DTC became an honoree of the Best Innovative Brand of Mobile Phones National Awards in 2011 and the National Product Quality Excellence Awards in 2013. Today, it continues to be the leading mobile device provider of choice for discerning users across the Philippines. 

To learn more about DTC, visit their official website at www.dtcmobile.com.ph.

Be Iconic. #WranglerSunChaser's 4th week challenge

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The thrill of seeing something for the first time – it’s in our DNA and in the spirit of any adventurer. This week, rise to the morning sun and venture somewhere you’ve never been before, make a “first time” memory.

Simply post a photo on your Instagram account that best fit this week’s theme – “Be Iconic.” In the caption, don’t forget to include these two hashtags to qualify: #WranglerSunChaser and #Philippines. This is important! Using one hashtag may disqualify your entry so keep in mind to use both hashtags. And the more entries you post, it’s safe to say that your chance of winning becomes big!

Show us what you found and tell us what you felt for a chance to win big!

By posting your summer adventure on Instagram with the hashtags #WranglerSunChaser and #Philippines, you could win P8,000.00 worth of gift certificates and the ultimate prize: round trip ticket and accommodations to the country of your choice!

See what’s up for grabs here:www.WranglerSunChaser.com

The #WranglerSunChaser Challenge for this week has the theme: BE ICONIC.

Fore more details, visit www.WranglerSunChaser.com and like their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/WranglerPH.

#WranglerSunchaser #Philippines

Ideal Vision is all about options, it lets you see the ideal you

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Ideal Vision lets you see the ideal you. Ideal Vision offers a wide variety of eyewear options to help you find the best one for your needs.

It’s all about options. This catchphrase holds true to a lot of aspects, from the most mundane of things like where to go for dinner on a Friday night to the big ones like a career change and this also very much applies on one’s style.

 Dr. Joy Go, Ideal Vision Center AVP for Marketing says “Ideal Vision is all about options.”

“Your eyewear is pretty much like a haircut. There are styles that look good on you and there are those that don’t. So we want to offer a wide range of options until you find the best one that’s right for you.”

Ideal Vision has always been dedicated to providing unparalleled superior service to its consumers. Included in this thrust is to offer expertise that can guide people in choosing the best eyewear for them whether it be for fashion or functional purposes. 

From high end names to practical brands, the brand has it all to make sure that anyone can find the eyewear that is perfect for their needs. This can only be delivered through the wide variety of options that Ideal Vision has.

“It’s like giving yourself a new perspective. Your ideal perspective. We have eyewear experts that are specially trained to help you choose the one that best suits your face shape, skin colour, hairstyle, and even your personality,” continues Dr. Go.

Gone are the days when you have to buy shades that are too big for your face or getting a frame that makes you look like a different person. Now you can look that way you really want, only much better.

Ideal Vision exclusively carries some of the most glamorous fashionable sunwear from top designer brands like Chopard, Fendi, Dior, and Marc Jacobs that can let your inner elegance shine. Or if you need something functional yet still stylish, the brand offers a wide range of frames, lenses, contact lenses and solutions that are of equal top caliber quality.

More than these goals, Ideal Vision aims to let you see and project “the Ideal You.” Its range of products, their expertise, and dedication is the perfect mix to help anyone find their ideal self if they haven’t discovered it yet or make it shine through if they already did.

“We all have this image of how we see ourselves. Ideal Vision wants you to see and improve that image through our eyewear options,” finishes Dr. Go.

After all, it is all just a matter of perspective right? Make it all better by seeing the ideal you.

DOH, MSD all set for 7th Cervical Cancer Awareness month

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May is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. The Department of Health, global pharmaceutical company MSD, along with medical societies all over the country are all-set for the 7th year of the Cervical Cancer Awareness Month celebration this May.

The celebration highlight will be the free cervical cancer screening which will be offered to women 21 years old and above in 58 DOH-retained hospitals nationwide for the whole month of May. 

Screenings will be offered to the public every Wednesday in Metro Manila, every Friday in Luzon, every Tuesday in Visayas and every Thursday in Mindanao.

The partnership first established the month of May as cervical cancer awareness month. Over the years, policies and programs have been established such as the national guidelines for cervical cancer prevention and control, conduct of lay forums on disease education and prevention and awareness campaigns.

In 2009, a national screening program was piloted in 13 government hospitals. The following year, all 58 government hospitals offered a 1-day free cervical screening during the month of May to women 25 to 45 years old.

In 2011, regional celebrations of cervical cancer awareness month were done along with free weekly screening.

In 2013, 56 local government units (LGUs) were also allowed to do the screening. This year, the screening program will be expanded to select LGUs which have been trained for VIA namely Valenzuela, Paranaque, Makati, Marikina, Albay and Surigao Del Sur.

According to DOH, screening, either through Pap smear or visual inspection using acetic acid (VIA), should be done on women who are sexually active or had a history of sexual contact. 

Studies showed that cervical cancer is the second most common cancer afflicting women worldwide with about 500,000 new cases and approximately 250,000 deaths each year.

In the Philippines, an estimated 12 Filipino women die due to cervical cancer each day.

This makes cervical cancer control as one of the major priorities of the DOH thru the National Cancer Prevention and Control Program. Several strategies are being done by the program geared towards the prevention of women from developing cervical cancer.

According to the Filipino Cancer Registry 2005 annual report, the incidence of cervical cancer remained stable from 1980 to 2005. In 2005, there were 7,277 new cases of cervical cancer with 3,807 reported deaths. This brings mortality rate at 1 per 10,000 women.

Cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus or HPV which is the most common sexually transmitted infection in both men and women. HPV is highly transmissible and may lead not only to cervical cancer but also cancer of the vulva, vagina, anus, and head and neck cancers as well as genital warts.

In fact, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that HPV is so common that nearly all sexually-active men and women get it at some point in their lives.

Easily transmitted through intimate skin-to-skin contact, HPV infection can be prevented through maintaining a healthy lifestyle and regular cervical cancer screening.

But having a HPV vaccination is the means of primary prevention, according to DOH. Vaccination can help protect against cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases in both men and women. Secondary prevention through regular screening which is every one to three years can help detect cervical cancer in its early stage and increases the chances of survival.

For a complete list of participating hospitals, visit http://www2.doh.gov.ph/doh_retained_hospital.htm.

To learn more about cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases, go to www.mahalagaka.com