Over 5,800 public schools set to offer Senior HS in 2016

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After years of rigorous planning and consultations with education stakeholders, the Department of Education (DepEd) has identified and mapped more than 5,800 public schools set to offer Senior High School (SHS) in 2016 nationwide as part of its continued preparations for the full implementation of the K to 12 program.

Over the last several years, division personnel field office personnel and school heads have been continuously collaborating with their respective communities, local chief executives, legislators, industry partners, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders for SHS preparations.

Factors such as the availability of buildable space and school sites, community realities, local development plans, parents’ and students’ preferences, and the current and future needs of local industries were taken into consideration in the identification and preparations to establish SHSs.

DepEd Secretary Br. Armin Luistro FSC said that one of the key objectives during the SHS planning at the local levels is each and every one who completes Junior High School (Grade 10) must have access to a Senior High School. “Wala pong munisipyo, kahit gaano kaliit, ang mawawalan ng Senior High School,” Luistro added.

Luistro cited Tiwi, Albay as one of the examples. The said municipality has three DepEd schools that will offer SHS. The second one was Daraga, Albay, where eight (8) DepEd SHS and five (5) possible private schools will offer SHS. The Cotabato division will also have as many as 59 DepEd SHS. There are also 22 private schools and two state universities and colleges (SUCs) that showed interest and capacity to offer SHS in the Cotabato division. 

The education chief said, “This has been mapped all the way to the program offerings until the maximum number of students that can be accommodated—not only in the DepEd schools but also in the private schools, HEIs, and SUCs.”

Designed to ensure that basic education graduates are equipped and ready for employment, entrepreneurship, or higher learning further education and training in universities, colleges, and other institutions, the SHS program has attracted partnership interests from various industry and business groups nationwide.

Globe myBusiness, Google collaborate on “DigPH”, 1st digital marketing convention in the Philippines for SMEs

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Globe myBusiness and Google have teamed up to help small and medium-sized Filipino enterprises grow via the first Philippine digital marketing convention for SMEs. The event, dubbed “DigPH”, brings together over 350 entrepreneurs on April 22 at Makati Shangri-La Hotel.

Martha Sazon, Globe Senior Vice President for myBusiness, said: “Globe believes that SMEs are the country’s economic driving force. That’s why we continuously develop products and services crucial to their growth and sustainability. Through DigPH, we’re giving business owners another innovative way to do business more easily. We’re providing insights into effective digital marketing strategies that will allow them to reach to new customers. We are also sharing affordable techniques to understand customer behavior and build their brand online.”

Google and Globe myBusiness together with Globe Digital Advertising (AdSpark), came up with DigPH in response to recent research showing the overwhelming desire of SMEs to adopt smarter and more affordable marketing strategies to increase sales and customer engagement.

However, for a typical Filipino SME owner, marketing remains a challenge due to tight budgets and a lack of information. While digital marketing is a compelling channel to engage customers, many business owners do not know where to start and how to maximize the returns on their investment.

On the other hand, Filipino consumers love using the web for both work and play. On any given day they turn to the web to shop, watch movies, listen to music, do research, or catch up with friends on a whole host of devices.

DigPH aims to bridge the gap between consumers and SME brands by equipping businesses with the know-how to reach their target market through digital marketing. Participants will learn from industry experts and SME owners in the country who are successfully using digital marketing techniques to expand their business as well live product demos and practical tips for success on digital.

Among the speakers lined up for the full-day event are: Google Philippines Country Manager Ken Lingan, GroupM Digital Head Laurent Goirand, Globe myBusiness Marketing VP Barbara Dawn Dapul, Adobo Connection Founder and Director Jerome Uy, FourEyes Co-Founder and CEO Pavan Challa, DirectWithHotels CEO Emiliano Zulberti, Diamond Rent-a-car Operations VP Quincy Buenaflor, and AdSpark Strategic Accounts Sr. Manager Mark Siggaoat. 

In addition, there will be a panel discussion with Google Southeast Asia Channel Sales Head Matthew Heller and Gopher Group COO Talei Wood, to be moderated by AdSpark Director Bela Gupta D'Souza. To learn more about DigPH, visit www.dig.ph.

TV5 spreads happiness at Bahay Aruga

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TV5 recently organized an outreach program in celebration of UN's International Day of Happiness where Kapatid artists and employees spent a fun-filled afternoon with the kids of Bahay Aruga. 

Led by TV5’s President and CEO Emmanuel C. Loranzana, the Happy Network's officers, employees, and talents interacted with the Bahay Aruga pediatric cancer patients. Tuesday Vargas made the children laugh out loud with her funny antics while TV5 artists Ritz Azul, Chanel Morales, Marvelous Alejo, Malak So and Chris Leonardo entertained the children by dancing and singing with them. 

Shown in photo giving the "Hi-5" happy gesture for kids are (L-R) TV5 President and CEO Emmanuel Lorenzana, Sports5 Head Coach Chot Reyes, and Vice President for Business Development Ian Monsod.

SM Marks Earth Day with Trash to Cash - “Earth Day Every Day, Everywhere for Everyone”

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It's the Trash to Cash Day! 

“Earth Day Every Day, Everywhere for Everyone”

Highlighting this year’s Earth Day celebration, the Trash to Cash recycling was set up across all 51 SM Supermalls nationwide.

Trash to Cash at SM City Manila (https://instagram.com/msmyrnz/)

Everyone is invited to go to any of the 51 SM Supermalls nationwide, to exchange their trash for cash on Wednesday, April 22, 2015 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at assigned parking areas in the malls.

Trash that are acceptable are plastic and PET bottles, tin and aluminum cans, books, newspapers and scratch papers, furniture made of wood, metal cookware and kitchen items, and similar items. (Not accepted due to their hazardous content however are batteries (Penlight, Double A) ink cartridge, computer, television and other electronic wastes.

The Trash to Cash Recycling Market is one of SM’s institutional environmental programs as it aims to engage the community in recycling efforts and hopes to teach them to minimize and manage solid waste.

According to Liza Silerio, Program Director for SM Cares Environment and Sustainability Committee: “Sustainability has been at the core of SM operations and developments and solid waste management is one of the pillars of our sustainability efforts. We also have initiatives in water recycling, air quality and energy efficiency.”

SM Supermalls is taking its Trash to Cash initiative a notch further as it moves to involve not just its mall tenants and customers but the communities and local government as well.

SM’s Earth Day celebration is in partnership with Earth Day Network Philippines (EDNP) and the Department of Natural Resources (DENR).

But more than the celebrations, Silerio said, Earth Day should be a conscious effort in our everyday lives. “The theme for the 2015 Earth Day is ‘Earth Day Every day, Everywhere, for Everyone.’ What could be a more fitting message than that? Observing Earth Day should be every day and by all of us wherever we may be. And we hope to get this consciousness across through these activities.”

SM will also support the 2015 PRO (Protect, Respect, Oversee) Earth Run on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at the SM Mall of Asia grounds in Pasay City. The event is presented by Earth Day Network Philippines. The event starts at 4:30 A.M. Interested participants are encouraged to register online at www.earthdayphilippines.org

For more details, the public may call (+632) 876-1111 (Standard charges apply), visit www.smcares.com.ph, www.facebook.com/OfficialSMCares or email smcares@smsupermalls.com.

Don't forget to bring your recyclables at any SM Supermall, from 10AM to 4PM at the mall's open parking area.

Happy Recycling!

Mi Philippines to hold the 16,000 mAh Mi Powerbank on flash sale via Lazada.com.ph this April 24

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Mi Philippines together with the Philippines’ Online Shopping Destination – Lazada.com.ph will be holding another exclusive flash sale for the 16,000 mAh Mi Powerbank this April 24, 12NN via www.lazada.com.ph/mi with a pricetag of PhP 1,299.

Don’t have time to shop via your desktop this April 24?

Simply download the Lazada Mobile App available for FREE via Google Playstore (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lazada.android&hl=en) and on iOS Appstore (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lazada-shopping-deals-for/id785385147?mt=8).

Redmi 2 coming to the Philippines, to debut on Lazada.com.ph on April 28

Xiaomi introduces an affordable Mi phone that is thinner, lighter, and faster

Xiaomi has announced that its eagerly-awaited Redmi 2 smartphone will soon be available in the Philippines.  Priced at ₱5,999, the Redmi 2 will first go on sale on April 28 via www.lazada.com.ph/mi.

Feature-packed but still affordable, the Redmi 2 brings a powerful smartphone experience closer to more people.

Here are some of the amazing features Mi Fans can expect from the Redmi 2:

• 4.7” display similar to the Redmi 1S, but thinner at 9.4mm and lighter at 133g
• 4G dual SIM and dual standby capability

• Fast and fluid performance even under heavy use, with a Quad-core 64-bit Snapdragon 410 processor, Adreno 306 GPU, 1GB RAM and 8GB Flash (expandable to 32GB)
• Gorgeous 4.7” 1280 x 720 HD screen (312 PPI), protected by AGC Dragontrail glass
• Sharp and clear 8MP BSI f/2.2 rear camera and a 2MP BSI front camera with 720p video recording
• Long battery life made possible by a 2200mAh battery
• OTG support to transfer files quickly and connect peripherals
• A soft-touch matte back cover that is fingerprint and grease-resistant
• MIUI 6 that enables new functions, shortcuts, customizations and animations

How to order:

To purchase the device, users should visit Mi.com/ph, where they can find a direct link to the Redmi 2 product page of its selling partner Lazada.com.ph, and choose from among 4 modes of payment: cash on delivery, credit card (Visa/Mastercard), MegaLink and Paypal. Their devices will be delivered for free within 1-5 working days for Metro Manila and 5-10 working days for orders outside Metro Manila. In addition, users can also enjoy Xiaomi’s world-class after-sales service and support, so they can always get the best experience from their Mi smartphones.