Papal Coverage in Smart Araneta Coliseum

Tweet

The much-awaited event in the Christendom is set to happen this January, as Pope Francis conducts his first-ever apostolic visit to the country.

It is a chance to keep abreast of Pope Francis’ Papal visit to the country, LIVE on big screen.

To celebrate this global event, The Araneta Center, together with official media partner TV5, invites everyone to an exclusive coverage of the papal visit at The Smart Araneta Coliseum from January 16 to January 18, 2015. The event starts at 9 am until 1 pm, but gates will open as early as 7 in the morning. 

The papal streaming gives viewers the opportunity to vicariously share in Pope Francis’ meaningful journey through the Philippines, which will become the 3rd Asian country the Pope visits this year as head of the Catholic Church, after Sri Lanka and South Korea.

Also featured in the event is the “Tu Es Petrus Tour of Papal Relics”. Petrus is a Latin derivation of the name Peter that refers to all the Pope successors in the Catholic Church.

These relics include not only the mortal remains of the Popes who previously visited the country, bearing the title of “Saint” or “Blessed”, but also some of the things they touched or used. These were all authenticated and recognized by the Church, thus highly esteemed and valued for their sacredness.

Present in the exhibit are first and second class relics, from major to minor kinds, including blood stains, hair strands, and skull cap of Pope John Paul II, as well as the sacred zucchetto of Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI.

This once-in-a-lifetime experience is in line with The Araneta Center’s public service efforts and genuine desire to fulfill its corporate social responsibility.

Admission is absolutely free! Tickets are now available in Gateway, Ali Mall and Farmers Plaza concierge. T-shirts will also be given away to participants for free to serve as memento of the said event.

The relics are also available for viewing at the Gateway Activity Center from January 19 to January 31, 2015.

For more information on the Papal coverage at The Big Dome, visit www.aranetacenter.netand www.dearpopefrancis.ph

Visit Bohol 2015 : Visit Bohol Tourism Campaign for 2015 Launched

Tweet

Bohol, the friendly heart of the Visayas and one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the Philippines.

Bohol is known for its awe-inspiring “Chocolate Hills,” rustic and centuries-old churches in Baclayon and Loboc, the ever-lovable “tarsier,” and of course, the never-ending smiles and hospitable culture of its people. Aside from that, Bohol boasts of having some of the best white-sand beaches in the world like those in Panglao and Anda, and is fast gaining ground as a top eco-cultural tourism spot because of its numerous mystical cave sites, serene rivers, enchanting waterfalls and mangroves, spellbinding marine sanctuaries and diving sites, and adventure-oriented attractions.

The province of Bohol shows how it defiantly rose from the rubble as it introduces “Visit Bohol 2015,” a year-round tourism campaign that aims to revitalize its image and entice more visitors to come to Bohol. 

“Visit Bohol 2015”, launched under the leadership of Gov. Edgar Chatto, seeks to position the province as a top-notch tourist destination with its amazing natural attractions and its friendly and honest people.

The tourism campaign kicked off via a three-day Bohol Travel Fair at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City, starting today until January 11, 2015. Organized by the Bohol Provincial Tourism Council Inc. under Atty. Lucas Nunag, the travel fair gathered together all major players in the Bohol tourism sector with a single-minded objective of providing a strong boost to Bohol’s tourism industry.

“For years, Bohol has always been in the hearts of every Filipino, not only as an eco-cultural tourism landmark but as a home to a number of our country’s pride. As we felt how our kababayans share our grief during the devastating catastrophe that hit our province, we now feel the surge of support as we pave the road to recovery and come back in the tourism map.

With Visit Bohol 2015, expect a much better and bolder Bohol – ready to welcome all of you to our beautiful province. We invite you to visit and be awed not just by the wonderful sites Bohol has to offer, but also by the endearing graciousness, hospitality and trustworthiness of Boholanos,” says Governor Chatto during the opening ceremonies of the Bohol Travel Fair.

DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr.

The launch event, which was supposed to be held on December 8 to 10, 2014, was rescheduled due to super typhoon Ruby that slammed parts of the country. Now the campaign is going full blast and ready to entice residents and tourists to visit Bohol.

“Our dream is to make Bohol a tourism superpower and top holiday destination. With the help of our partners and other significant stakeholders from the public and private sectors, we believe this is

achievable,” adds Governor Chatto. 

Other partners for “Visit Bohol 2015” include the United States Agency for International Development through its Advancing Philippine Competitiveness Project (USAID-COMPETE), the Department of Tourism (DOT), the United Nations-World Tourism Organization (UN-WTO) and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), plus local tourism businesses, Ms. Gloria Steele, USAID Mission Director for the Philippines, and DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., who is also one of the keynote speakers, are among the many dignitaries at the event.

For the Bohol Travel Fair, Bohol also partnered with AirAsia, the leading budget airline in the region, as its exclusive airline partner. AirAsia, awarded by Skytrax, the world’s most prestigious airline and airport review and ranking site, as the world’s Best Low-Cost Carrier for six consecutive years, offers unbelievable, year-round low fares for its Manila-Tagbilaran and Manila-Cebu flights

to attract more visitors to the province.

Aside from the low seat prices, also up for grabs at the “Visit Bohol 2015” travel fair are at least 60 percent discount in accommodations, tour packages and other travel essentials, plus various indigenous Boholano products. 

To provide entertainment, travel fair visitors will be serenaded by the heavenly voices of the world-famous Loboc Children’s Choir, who will sing popular and classic music via a mini concert every night for the duration of the three-day event.

More photos here.

“10 Kumainments” pushed in 17 regions to combat unhealthy diet, lifestyle

Tweet

After its successful launch in Metro Manila, the National Nutrition Council (NNC) pushes its“"10 Kumainments” campaign to all 17 regions of the country, through the local government units (LGUs) as its drivers.

The campaign, which provides “the recommended guide” for Filipinos to obtain a healthy diet by following simple guidelines, has been translated into local dialects, including Cebuano and Ivatan. The NNC-ARMM(Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) has even made a transliteration of the nutritional guidelines in Arabic and called it the Nutritional Guidelines for Muslim Filipinos, which cites teachings in the Qur’an, showing support for each of the guidelines.

The 10 Kumainments was launched last 23 October 2014 by the National Nutrition Council and has been widely publicized through well-placed TV and radio commercials in leading radio and television networks and local radio stations nationwide. Regional launch events were led by the NNC regional offices in key cities nationwide.

The program was launched to address the growing concern for the nutritional status of Filipinos, which has been compromised by either a lack or excess of food, unhealthy eating habits and the trend towards a sedentary lifestyle. These have, in turn, led to the rise of non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, respiratory diseases and diabetes.

“Filipinos love to eat, especially during the holiday season. That is why it is very important to remind Filipinos that they should not compromise their health while celebrating in countless office parties, family reunions and dining out opportunities this season,” said Assistant Secretary of Health Maria-Bernardita T. Flores, Executive Director of the NNC.

The NNC’s “10 Kumainments” were derived from the 10 Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos (NGF)developed by aninter-agency Technical Working Group through the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology, and have been popularized this year with an easy-to-remember format and a more relatable approach. These are the primary recommendations for nutrition and healthy lifestyle in order to attain good health,” she continued.

The 10 Kumainments are simple, easy to follow and easy to remember. For example:

 Kumainment No. 1 states: “Kumain ng iba’t ibang pagkain” while Kumainment No. 3 states: “Kumain ng gulay at prutas araw-araw”.

The 10 Kumainments are like the Biblical 10 Commandments. Thus, a character was developed in the person of Moises Dalisay or “Mang Moi” who was molded after the Biblical Moses—who now promotes the 10 Kumainments in media and in communities.

The NNC plans to further push its nutritional awareness campaign by working together with various government agencies in 2015 for issuance of department circulars and memos to encourage the use of the nutritional guidelines. Restaurants, groceries, supermarkets, dining places and other public places will be included in the campaign since this is where people need to be reminded of pursuing healthy eating and an active lifestyle. Since a lot of Filipinos also live abroad, a more aggressive and extensive dissemination of the 10 “Kumainments” will be done through Philippine embassies and consulates and the Internet for wider reach.

“We encourage all Filipinos to follow the 10 Kumainments so that they can influence proper nutrition behaviours and to also be able to help reduce the risk to malnutrition and non-communicable diseases,” Flores said.

For more information, write or call the NATIONAL NUTRITION COUNCIL,
Address: 2332 Chino Roces Ave. Extension, Taguig City.
Tel. Nos. 843.0142; 843.1337; 843.5824; Fax No. 843.5818;
Email: info@nnc.gov.ph or
Visit http://www.nnc.gov.ph
www.facebook.com/nncofficial.
Twitter @NNC_official.

People’s Champ’ Manny Pacquiao renews commitment with Habitat for Humanity

Tweet

Sarangani representative and ‘People’s Champ’ Manny Pacquiao renewed his commitment to be an Ambassador and spokesperson for Habitat for Humanity Philippines.

Pacquiao signed a new memorandum of agreement on January 5, 2015 indicating his commitment to support Habitat for Humanity’s “WeBuild Campaign”, which is kicking off early this year. The agreement also outlines the congressman’s P5-million donation, which will be used to partially fund 195 houses for families in Glan, Sarangani.

The families — mostly composed of fisherfolk and sari-sari store vendors — will be living in “Pacman-Tata Yap Ville” in Barangay Tango in Glan, a housing project of the congressman. 

Each duplex unit is 32 square metres on an 80-square metre lot area. The 2.8-hectare site includes a multipurpose centre, a community park and a concrete stage that can be used for community’s special events.

Pacquiao also announced plans to purchase more land for permanent houses, much to the delight of his constituents.

RICOH set to introduce five-color production printer - RICOH Pro C7100X series in PH market

Tweet

RICOH is one of the world’s leading suppliers of office automation equipment, including copiers, facsimile machines, data processing systems, and related supplies. 

Ricoh also renowned for its state-of-the-art electronic devices and photographic equipment, provides an array of image processing equipment and other products and services in keeping with its customer-centric focus on creating value. 

Local printing businesses will soon have new revenue streams with the RICOH Pro C7100X series, the latest digital color cut sheet device family under global imaging and electronics firm The RICOH Company, Ltd.

The newest line of printing devices comes with a revolutionary fifth-color station that enables customers to grow their businesses. Available in white or clear ink, the added station provides printing speed of up to 90 pages per minute (ppm), enabling printing business owners to expand their application portfolio and deliver outstanding outputs to their customers.

One device under the series, the RICOH Pro C7110X, impressed visitors at the recent GRAPH EXPO 2014 in Chicago. The event featured the latest technologies, unique new applications, and products in the graphic communications industry.

“There are a lot of small and mid-sized printing businesses here in the Philippines and all them are always looking to expand their application portfolio to enter new markets and expand their business,” said Irene G. Santos, General Manager and Sales & Marketing Division Head, RICOH Philippines. 

“This is definitely what we had in mind when we created the RICOH Pro C7100X series, especially when we added the fifth-station solution to the devices.”

Printing businesses that are looking to offer banners, POP displays, signs, and marketing collaterals can leverage these models to create better outputs, as the Pro C7100X line delivers capabilities at a lower price point than what is available today in its class.

“One of our long-time commitments as a company is to improve the productivity of our customers with the products and services we develop. With this whole new addition to the RICOH family, businesses can now deliver more quickly but still maintain the high quality of outputs their end customers are expecting — and all at a very much affordable price,” said RICOH Philippines President and CEO Manuel S. Peralta.

The Pro C7100X series will be available in the Philippines in early 2015.

 For more details, please visit http://www.ricoh.com.ph.