“Kung Pag-ibig Mo’y Ulan” wins as ASOP Music Festival Song of the Year 4

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Kung Pag-ibig Mo’y Ulan,” composed by Christian Malinias of Benguet province, swept the top prizes of the UNTV Life-produced songwriting tilt, A Song of Praise (ASOP) Music Festival Year 4 on Tuesday night (Oct. 13) at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City.

The song was awarded the “Song of the Year” by ASOP Music Festival juries headed by “The Maestro” Ryan Cayabyab or “Mr. C.” This award comes with Php 500,000 cash prize. The Voice Season 2 Finalist Leah Patricio bagged the Best Interpreter award for the same, taking home Php50,000 in cash.

Twelve monthly finalists vied for the “Song of the Year” honors and some special prizes. A record P1.3 Million total cash prizes was given this year, ASOP Music Festival’s 4th Year. 

Other runners-up include the grand finalist “Pakamamahalin Din Kita,” composed by Dennis Avenido (1st runner-up), crowd-favorite “Jesus, I Love You” (2nd runner-up), and “Pahintulutan Mo” penned by Leonardo De Jesus II (3rd runner-up. Niño Alejandro, RJ Buena and Philippe Go, interpreted the first, second, and third runner up winning masterpieces, respectively.

The other members of the judging board include ASOP resident judge and arranger Mr. Mon del Rosario, singer/songwriter Mr. Jett Pangan, Gospel songwriter Mr. Jungee Marcelo, record company executive Ms. Lachmi Baviera and Filipino singer and actress Ms. Celeste Legaspi.

BMPI Chairman and CEO Daniel Razon acknowledged the original proponent of ASOP Music Festival – Bro. Eli Soriano, the Overall Servant of the Members Church of God International (MCGI).

Kuya Daniel, as he is also known by the public, bared that ASOP the songwriting tilt has been around in MCGI for 11 years already until Bro. Eli suggested to put the show on mainstream television.

He added that the winning songs of ASOP will debut on mainstream radio beginning Sunday (October 18, 2015), at 5-6 a.m., through Wish FM 107.5 kHz.

The people’s favorite was “Dakila Ka Ama” by Ella Mae Septimo and interpreted by Ruth Regine Reyno. Selected as Best Music Video was the work for “Sabik Sa ‘Yo” by Joseph Bolinas and interpreted by Ney Dimaculangan.

Handwashing rates lowest in low-income countries; Lack of access to hygiene could endanger new Development Agenda

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Handwashing with soap is dangerously low in many countries, UNICEF reports, despite its proven benefits to child health.

The eighth Global Handwashing Day comes less than a month after the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, including hygiene for the first time in the global agenda. One of the SDG targets is to achieve ‘access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene’ by 2030. 

UNICEF says improvements in hygiene must supplement access to water and sanitation, or children will continue to fall victim to easily preventable diseases like diarrhoea. 

“Along with drinking water and access to toilets, hygiene – particularly handwashing with soap – is the essential third leg of the stool holding up the Goal on water and sanitation,” said Sanjay Wijesekera, global head of UNICEF’s water, sanitation and hygiene programmes. “From birth – when unwashed hands of birth attendants can transmit dangerous pathogens – right through babyhood, school and beyond, handwashing is crucial for a child’s health. It is one of the cheapest, simplest, most effective health interventions we have.”

Sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the highest child mortality rates globally, also has particularly low levels of handwashing. The latest report from UNICEF and WHO says that in 38 countries in the region with available data, levels are at best 50 per cent. Health care facilities often lack handwashing places;some 42 per cent of them in WHO’s Africa Region have no water source available within 500 metres.

Meanwhile, according to the UN’s latest estimates, over 800 of the approximately 1,400 child deaths from diarrhoea each day can be attributed to inadequate water, sanitation or hygiene. 

“Infants are especially vulnerable during their first 1,000 days of life, which is why handwashing with soap before breastfeeding, before preparing and eating food, and before feeding young children is so critical,” explains Lotta Sylwander, UNICEF Representative in the Philippines. 

A survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute found that only 25 percent of mothers with children aged zero to 35 months wash their hands with soap after using a latrine;and as few as 14 percent of mothers wash their hands with soap before feeding their children. These factors put Filipino children at increased risk of diarrhoea, intestinal worms, and malnutrition. 

In the Philippines,the Department of Education encourages all division districts nationwide to organise school-based activities to celebrate Global Handwashing Day. City governments, schools and day care centres around the country will participate in parades, poster making competitions, poetry and song writing contests;andhandwashing demonstrations.

The Department of Health, with support from UNICEF and CHSI, launched the initial rollout of a new communications campaign (Goodbye Dumi, Hello Healthy) to strengthen the use of improved sanitation and hygiene practices, in selected regions. 

About Global Handwashing Day:

Global Handwashing Day is celebrated on October 15. The Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap initiated Global Handwashing Day in 2008, and it is endorsed by governments, international institutions, civil society organisations, NGOs, private companies and individuals around the globe. Visit www.globalhandwashingday.org

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

Please visit UNICEF Philippines at http://www.unicef.ph or follow us on Facebook at /unicefphilippines and on Twitter at /unicefphils.

Online platform Carmudi partners with SafeZone to boost online presence

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Online car classified Carmudi recently announced its partnership with Voyager Innovations, the digital arm of PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), through its SafeZone platform that will enable enterprise to open their website and mobile applications for FREE of data charges.

“SafeZone allows consumers to access partner mobile sites and apps for free, making internet browsing more enjoyable. For enterprise this means relationships with customers are extended 24/7,” said Benjie Fernandez, Chief Operations Officer of Voyager Innovations.

“Services are delivered by enterprise through its difital assets in an effective and cost efficient manner. With our latest partnership with Carmudi, Filipinos can now search for a brand new or used car worry-free,” adds Fernandez.

Carmudi offers listings of over 25,000 vehicles on its website and mobile app, which can be searched using different parameters such as make, model, price, and condition to suit every vehicle hunter.

SafeZone was launched last February, 2015, and is now the number1 community site in the Philippines according to Effective Measure, with more than 17 million page views last August. SafeZone also has a base of more than 2 million registered users.

SafeZone aims to connect businesses to consumers by offering free internet access to partner mobile sites and apps. 

Subir Lohani, managing director of Carmudi Philippines said “Partnering with the biggest digital innovator in the country is a privileged for us. With this SafeZone partnership, we will able to connect with customers and expand our online reach.”

“Users of Carmudi no longer have to worry about having load or an active data subscription to search for a car,” explained Lohani. 

Carmudi is backed by Rocket Internet, a German startup company based in Berlin.

SafeZone is currently available for free to subscribers of Smart, Sun, and Talk ‘N Text. For more information, please visit http://www.safezone.ph/free-services/#carmudi

The Veronica Chronicles presents “Pagkagat ng Dilim” this Oct 20

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The Veronica Chronicles with the episode “Pagkagat ng Dilim” will explore the mystery of the supernatural world that is beyond scientific understanding, this October 20, 2015 at PTV 4.

According to Fr. Jocis Syquia, Director of the Office of Exorcism of the Archdiocese of Manila, the numbers are increasing but there are only very few priests in the Philippines who are trained to do exorcisms. There are over 5,000 reported cases of demonic possession in the Philippines today. 

He says more Filipino priests are now being trained to help handle the fast growing number of demonic possessions, evil infestations of homes, offices, and buildings in the country. Fr. Syquia reveals that many of the demonic possession cases stem from the dabbling in the occult of the victims including witchcraft, fortune telling, and other new age practices.

The Veronica Chronicles tackles these diabolical encounters for its Halloween Special as veteran broadcaster Veronica Baluyut-Jimenez interviews Fr. Syquia and several victims of demonic possessions. She also features a reported faith healer or “Albularyo” who demonstrates his power against witchcraft and voodoo. 

Don’t miss it on Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at 8pm on PTV-4, Chan. 6 on SkyCable, Chan. 3 on Destiny Cable and on live streaming via ptv.ph. The episode will replay on Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 10 pm.

James Hardie opens doors of opportunities for Yolanda survivors

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Every carpentry workshop conducted by James Hardie was in-depth and hands-on providing a learning platform for carpenters to further their skills. 

When typhoon Yolanda hit Eastern Visayas, particularly the provinces of Samar and Leyte, the world saw a super typhoon could easily wipe out towns and cities from the map and leave behind scores of casualties.

Almost two years after the catastrophic event, a lot of residents from the typhoon stricken provinces are now almost back on their feet especially those who were eager to kick-start their lives by learning new things during the rehabilitation efforts from different organizations.

James Hardie, the world leader in fiber cement building products, partnered with De La Salle Philippines (DLSP) to create a lasting and effective change on some of the most-badly hit communities.

During the workshop, carpenters did not only learn basic carpentry but also went home confident of their newly acquired skill

In rebuilding the communities, James Hardie organized a successful basic carpentry workshop earlier this year wherein survivors were taught how to install HardieFlex® building products and eventually make a living out of their newly acquired skills.

“We wanted to extend help that will have lasting effects for the survivors—something that will be beneficial to them for the rest of their lives,” said James Hardie Country Manager Mark Sergio. “By holding carpentry workshops, we are teaching them how to be self-sufficient in rebuilding their communities.”

Few months after the workshop, James Hardie and DLSP went back to the community and asked how the carpenters are doing. 

“The workshops were really a big help for all of us, especially for people who did not know where to start after their traumatic experiences,” said Danilo Galos, a Yolanda survivor from one of the partner communities. “The workshops and all the assistance gave us a fresh start. After the training, I landed a job within a week, which was a great help for my family. Learning how to install HardieFlex is also an advantage because a lot of customers would prefer to use it.”

Arturo Moramion shared the same sentiments, saying that learning the right way of installing HardieFlex® on timber and metal furring did him some good after it made him a better carpenter. “The training was a big help on my work and I was able to share this new knowledge to my co-carpenters. I also learned how to install and handle HardieFlex products, which are all durable, resistant to fire and termites and does not contain asbestos.”

Meanwhile, for Cesar Moralida and Ricardo Cabiao, the workshop opened doors of opportunities for them after they both landed new jobs, which helped them rebuild what was destroyed during the typhoon. “I landed a new job in just a week which helped me provide for my family,” Cabiao said.

“I’m not a full-time carpenter. However, because of the training given by James Hardie, I am now confident that I have the skills to work as a full time carpenter.” Moralida said. 

Almost two years after the devastation, the communities that benefited from James Hardie and DLSP’s efforts have shown dramatic change. With the participants showing that they are now on the right track, the two institutions are successful in inspiring people to rise above their situation. Indeed, through collective effort, nothing is impossible, as what James Hardie and DLSP have shown.