Search for the Happiest Pinoy down to 10 finalists

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The Search for the Happiest Pinoy nears its grand finale as the top 10 finalists are revealed. Celebrating the values of optimism, resilience and hope among Filipinos, the competition aims to find a Filipino who has a positive outlook in life, was able to rise above life’s challenges and had a positive impact in the lives of others. 

Of the more than 280,000 entries reviewed through judging sessions and deliberations, ten were identified to be the most compelling. From these finalists, one will emerge as the grand winner of the Search which will be announced during the awards night on September 10, 2015 at the Solaire Resorts and Casino. A P1 million cash prize, tax-free, awaits the Search for the Happiest Pinoy 2014 grand winner which can be anyone of these:

The Search for the Happiest Pinoy grand finals will decide who among (standing, from left) Randy Halasan, Richardson Navor, Cyprian Jade Basa, Rodolfo Mendoza, Eduardo Hernal, Jr., Julia Marquez, Johnny Medrano, Rustie Quintana, (seated, from left) Don De Vera and Naprey Almario will take home the P1 million cash prize.

Johnny Medrano of Batangas has been deprived of walking since he was young but this did not stop him from learning basket weaving, embroidery, and drawing. Through hard work and determination, he was able to send his siblings to school. With the help of DepEd’s Alternative Learning System, Johnny was able to finish a vocational course in electronics and now runs his own watch and cellphone repair shop. He has also become a prominent resource speaker for different seminars.

Rustie Quintana was once a street kid in Plaza Divisoria, Cagayan de Oro City. Eager to learn, he was admitted to the DepEd’s Alternative Learning System program for free. He soon discovered his talent for the arts and started selling his artworks to send his siblings to school. In 2005, Rustie received an award from the British Council’s I am a Changemaker program while his organization received the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations Award in 2012. He recently earned a degree in Development Communication from Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan.

Rodolfo Mendoza of Nueva Ecija was born handicapped but he did not let his condition get in the way of his education. Studying in a normal school, he excelled in academics, became a dean’s lister and earned an accounting degree. In 2008, Rodolfo received the Apolinario Mabini award as the Disabled Filipino of the year. Today, he serves as a PWD (person with disability) advocate, being the president of the Central Luzon Federation of PWDs and Region III’s National Anti-Poverty Commission Representative for PWDs.

Without prior teaching experience, Randy Halasan took a teaching job in Sitio Pegalongan, a remote area in Davao’s Marilog District. After years of teaching and immersing in the community, Randy was able to appreciate his job and is now the school’s teacher-in-charge. Through his efforts, a cultural-minority high school was established, bridges were built over two rivers he used to cross, and the tribe in Pegalongan are informed about their rights. In 2014, Randy was the only Filipino to win the Ramon Magsaysay Award.

Eduardo Hernal, Jr. of Taguig City comes from an underprivileged family. In 1992, he finished BS Criminology while serving as a soldier at the Philippine Navy Headquarters in Manila. During an Abu Sayyaf encounter in 2003, Eduardo was shot in the head and back. He miraculously survived the traumatic brain injury but was left paralyzed. Instead of dwelling on his situation, he studied Theology and became a pastor. Nowadays, he renders church services for free, sends scholars to school, and helps farmers earn a living.

Julia “Juling” Marquez, a 78-year-old retired teacher from Batangas, started working for her education at age 11, following the death of her mother. She worked as a helper, a vendor, and a store keeper to sustain herself through elementary and high school where she both graduated with honors. She married at age 19 but continued to work in the morning and study at night to graduate from the Philippine Normal College. Nowadays, Juling helps her community as an active church member and by sponsoring various medical missions.

Don De Vera is an “architect on wheels” from Las Pinas City. When he was just five months old, an accident caused complications to his spine which left him unable to walk. Determined to fulfill his dream of building houses and skyscrapers, he studied hard and finished a master’s degree in architecture. He also earned a master’s degree in International Affairs in Comparative and International Disability Policy which he uses to help his fellow PWDs. He also designed a permanent homes for Yolanda victims in coordination with the NHA and DPWH.

Richardson Navor was born with Cerebral Palsy. Rather than letting other people’s judgments get the better of him, he used his physical limitations to inspire people. Back in college, he was student council president and graduated magna cum laude with multiple leadership and academic awards. Currently a financial analyst, Richard has formed an organization called People Uplifting the Student and the Handicapped (PUSH) to show his advocacy for youth empowerment and his support to PWDs.

In 2003, Cyprian Jade Basa, a 19-year-old student from Capiz, lost his home during a super typhoon. Guided by optimism, he was able to help his family and neighbors to recover from the disaster and even volunteered to help his community. He put up ‘Sama-sama Tayong Lahat Organization’ which conducts feeding programs, clean-up drives, and tutorial services. At a young age, Cyprian has already received various awards including the Ten Outstanding Boy Scouts in the Country in 2012 and the Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Bayaning Kabataang Pilipino award in 2014.

Suffering from polio since he was a kid, Naprey Almario did not let his disability stop him from finishing his education and taking up a master’s degree. The former teacher and businessman from Davao City later formed a volunteer group called Behind the Rolling Chair, which reaches out to communities through different projects that help the poor and vulnerable children, especially those with disability.

The Real Life Passions of Generation-Y

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Having the right balance between career and lifestyle can be challenging for many people, but for Philam Life Financial Advisors, it is possible to work at their own pace, and enjoy the perks of the career, which allows them to get as much out of the job as they put into it.

In a power-packed launch party event, dubbed as, “Ignite! The Real Party Never Stops,” Philam Life launched its new Next Generation campaign that celebrates the successes of young Financial Advisors, who take pride in having chosen a career that supports and complements their individual passions. They officially unveiled its Next Generation video, its maiden issue of Ignite! Magazine, and an exclusive first look at an up and coming new and exciting online community.

Here, Philam Life featured 13 young, passionate Next Generation Champions who have discovered how it is to take charge of a successful career while doing the things they love. Among them was Aileen Palmes, who felt fulfilled in ruling her world. Her love for ballet taught her what it truly means to love what she does and she applies it now with her passion for her career. Another featured Champion was Timothie Sy, who developed a winning mindset, attitude and discipline from his training as a Financial Advisor. He takes this with him wherever he may be in the world and in whatever situation he may find himself in. Aileen and Timothie, together with the rest of the Champions, walked down the catwalk as styled by celebrity stylist Carla Villanueva and presented by the very talented host Joyce Pring.

When Timothie Sy and Aileen Palmes were asked what they loved most about being a part of Philam Life, Timothie said “Philam Life enables me to beat my best and do what I love most. I’ve traveled the world to not only sharpen my skills, but to also have amazing unforgettable adventures.”

“I personally love how I get to rule my own world, be the boss of my own time. When I do work, I enjoy connecting with my clients on a more personal level. Knowing that I make an impact on their lives is absolutely fulfilling for me,” Aileen added.

Speaking at the party event was Philam Life CEO Axel Bromley who recognized the amazing power of the Next Generation and reaffirmed that being a Philam Life Financial Advisor fits the lifestyle of this young and driven generation. “I admire how millennials are finding their place in Philam Life as Financial Advisors. Philam Life provides them an opportunity to ‘work to live’ rather than ‘live to work,’ while enabling them to pursue their real life passions,” he enthused. 

Bromley explained that being a Philam Life Financial Advisor means more than just a career. “It’s a way of life that allows members of the Next Generation to ignite their passion and achieve their dreams while changing lives and making real life plans happen.”

“Ignite!” was held at Valkyrie, one of the most popular clubs in the metro, where the crowd danced to the music of Club Master DJ Euric, and enjoyed unforgettable moments captured by hotshot photographer Inez Moro. 

To discover exciting opportunities in Philam Life, please call (02) 526-9456.

“Cigarettes Are Eating You Alive!" Campaign by DOH, New Vois and World Lung Foundation

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DOH: BE SMART AND DON’T START SMOKING

Department of Health (DOH) together with New Vois Association of the Philippines (NVAP) and World Lung Foundation (WLF) launched the “Cigarettes Are Eating You Alive!" campaign held at the Diamond Hotel, Roxas Blvd. Manila last August 6, 2015. 

Designed to encourage Filipinos to quit smoking, and support for the Philippines' existing smoke-free laws, the powerful national anti-tobacco campaign highlights the dangers of smoking to adults and the health harms caused to children and non-smokers through exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS).

The campaign “Cigarettes Are Eating You Alive!” will air in national television channels and is designed to encourage quitting from smoking and support for the Philippines’ smoke-free laws, and to support the timely implementation of graphic health warnings on tobacco packs by March 2016.

The campaign features two public service announcements (PSAs). One called “Cigarettes Are Eating You Alive” graphically shows that smoking causes damage to nearly every vital organ and tissue of the body, and the other, called “Cigarettes Are Eating Your Baby Alive,” shows the harms of SHS to children and non-smokers. Both announcements incorporate graphic health warning images to be implemented on tobacco packs showing stroke, oral cancer, neck cancer, and throat cancer in smokers and laryngeal cancer, stroke, and low birth weight in babies resulting from SHS exposure.

"We congratulate the Department of Health and the New Vois Association of the Philippines on the launch of this new campaign. Research has shown that national mass media communication campaign is one of the most effective means of raising awareness of the real health harms of tobacco and second-hand smoke, deterring youth from initiating tobacco use, urging smokers to comply with smoke-free laws and encouraging smokers to stop smoking. We are delighted to have supported the design and implementation of this campaign in the knowledge that it will benefit the health of Filipinos and help the Philippines achieve health-related development goals in the future,” Sandra Mullin, Senior Vice President, Policy and Communications, World Lung Foundation commented.

According to Health Secretary Janette P. Loreto-Garin, Filipinos need to be more aware of the harms caused by second-hand smoke, as well as the many respiratory and chronic diseases caused by smoking. In addition, tobacco has been identified as the primary risk factor in the Philippines for a range of non-communicable diseases. These lead to massive health care costs and productivity losses for our nation - smoking cost our economy more than Php188 billion pesos (Dans et al., 2012). To reduce tobacco use, we must implement and support a wide range of tobacco control policies, including graphic warnings on tobacco packs and increased tobacco prices that encourage more Filipinos to cut down and quit. 

“Tobacco continues to cause too much premature death and disease among adults and children in the Philippines. Ten people die every hour due to smoking related diseases in the Philippines. Mass media campaign can help to raise awareness of the harms of tobacco and effect behavior change at population level. This increases the effectiveness of the Graphic Warnings on tobacco packs soon to be introduced in the country,” said NVAP Founder and President, Engr. Emer Rojas.

Here are the facts:

- The Tobacco Atlas notes that 40 percent of men and 8.2 percent of women in the Philippines smoke tobacco. 

- Tobacco is the cause of 19.6 percent of adult male deaths and 9.4 percent of adult female deaths – higher than the average in other middle-income countries.  

- More than 71,850 Filipinos are killed by tobacco-related diseases every year.  

- The Philippines 2011 Global Youth Tobacco Survey found that more than two in five 13-15 year olds are exposed to SHS at home and nearly three in five are exposed to SHS outside the home.  

- According to The Tobacco Atlas, SHS increases the risks of contracting lung cancer by 30 percent (small cell lung cancer by 300 percent) and coronary heart disease by 25 percent.  

- Exposure to SHS killed more than 600,000 non-smokers globally in 2010.  

- The causes of death include chemic heart disease, lower respiratory infections, asthma, and lung cancers.  

- The Philippine Cancer Society estimates that around 3,000 non-smoking adult Filipinos die of lung cancer as a result of breathing SHS each year.

“With these facts, it is estimated that 10 Filipinos are dying every hour due to diseases from tobacco consumption. Students should know the harmful effects of smoking and there are no benefits in starting the habit. They should BE SMART and NEVER START smoking,” Garin concluded.

In photo are (from left to right) Mego Lien, Associate Director for Southeast Asia Programs, Policy and Communicatio of, WLF; Sandra Mullin, SVP for Policy, Advocacy and Communications of WLF; Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, Director III of the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control; Dr. Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial, Assistant Secretary of the DOH; Dr. Benjamin Lane, Acting Country Representative of WHO-Philippines; Corazon T. Jimenez, General Manager of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA); and Emer Rojas, President of NVAP.

Public service announcements (PSA's) will air on national television starting August 15, 2015. It is a call to action saying, "Tobacco harms children and adults alike. Quit smoking today!" including a hash tag #Smoke free PH

For more information, visit doh.gov.ph worldlungfoundation.org ewvois.org

Google calls on Pinoys for lyrics for new OFW song

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Google Philippines is set to launch a special song with five well-known local bands and musicians for the Filipino modern-day heroes, the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). The song is meant to recognize and celebrate close to 12 million OFWs and aims to reconnect them with the things they miss back home through music. And every Filipino can be part of this special project because the lyrics will be crowdsourced from millions of Filipinos here and abroad.

Google is working with Sponge Cola, ItchyWorms and Kjwan, band vocalist Ebe Dancel and YouTube star Mikey Bustos, who will be putting melody to the lyrics and will be recording the song together. The song will be released on September 1 exclusively on YouTube, just in time for the National Heroes’ Day.

“Wherever we go, we see how the Filipino spirit comes to life whenever there’s music. The song and the lyrics will hopefully touch their hearts and remind them that wherever they are, we remember them,” shares Ebe, popular singer and songwriter who rose to fame as frontman of pop rock band Sugar Free. 

“In our effort to make the lives of Filipinos easier, we strive to provide Filipino families ways to stay connected wherever in the world they may be,” says Ryan Morales, Google Philippines country marketing manager. “This is why we thought of creating this song to deliver the fond memories of our overseas Filipinos across the miles through music and technology. We are inviting every Filipino to join in the fun by contributing lyrics to the song.” 

This initiative is part of Google Philippines’ “Balikbayan” campaign which aims to reconnect overseas Filipinos with their families and friends and help them sustain and enrich their relationships despite physical barriers.

Aside from being dedicated to OFWs, every submission to the song will also amount to a Php1 donation made on behalf of the collaborators to the Blas Ople Policy Center & Training Institute. These donations will be used to build halfway houses for victims of human trafficking.

To submit lyrics, simply go to https://goo.gl/vRkjUK or post using #GoogleMissKoNa on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. 

Those living abroad can share what they miss most about the Philippines while those living in the country can share what they miss most about their distant loved ones.

On The Wings Of Love with James Reid and Nadine Lustre on ABS-CBN Primetime Bida

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ABS-CBN’s newest drama and love series "On the Wings of Love" is set to bring romantic and feel-good vibes on Primetime Bida. 

James Reid and Nadine Lustre 

This year’s most romantic drama series is about dreams, love, and family, “On The wings Of Love” presents one of the most romantic young love-team, James Reid and Nadine Lustre and directed by Antoinette Jadaone and Avel Sunpongco. 

On the Wings of Love is a 2015 Philippine romantic comedy television premiered on ABS-CBN and worldwide on The Filipino Channel on August 10, 2015, replacing Bridges of Love.

The romantic - comedy centers around the two different people — Leah, a simple girl with an American dream; and Clark, a boy living his American life. James Reid plays Oscar Jones and Nadine Lustre as Rhea Olivar-Jones.

On the Wings of Love also features some of the most talented actors in the country including Joel Torre, Bianca Manalo, Albie Casino, Nanette Inventor, Nico Antonio, Jason Francisco, Nhikzy Calma, Andrei Garcia, Laiza Comia, and Cherry Pie Picache. Also in the series are Isay Alvarez and Katya Santos in special roles.

The series is the latest offering of ABS-CBN’s Dreamscape Entertainment Television, the group that created top-rating drama series such as Nathaniel and Inday Bote.

Don’t miss the beginning of Clark and Lea’s love story in On the Wings of Love on Monday on ABS-CBN Primetime Bida.