Election 2016: Everything You Need To Know (The vote M&M’S® 2016)

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Elections have a powerful influence on all of our daily lives. Candidates are in the fight of their lives as they strive to win the people's trust.

Learn about the candidates and where they stand on the issues that matter to you.

REMINDERS : This is not a Political Matter - M&M’S brought their own brand of spontaneous fun to the elections and launches the Vote M&M’S® 2016 Campaign.

This is for FUN :) with our favorite  M&Ms chocolate characters.

The Vote M&M’S® 2016 Campaign heated up at the exciting Miting de Avance, held at the Makati Coliseum last April 22, 2016. 

Who are the Candydates?

Guests cheered the arrival of Red, Yellow and Green as they made their grand entrance from the M&M’S® Motorcade and the three M&M’S® Characters went on to wow the crowd as they danced, debated and posed with fans. 

The event was a fun way to get to know the three M&M’S® candydates vying to win the M&M’S® Character of the Year Award. At the Q&A, the three characters revealed their fun personalities as they answered all-important questions like Why should I vote for you? and showcased their talent at a dance-off supported by their respective cheer squad. 

Guests were also able to play games like the ring toss, swim in the ball pit and win colorful M&M’S® merchandise. Of course, they all stopped by the ballot box to support their candydate and took home souvenir photos decked in the paraphernalia of their favorite M&M’S® character.

 Henry Azcarraga, Mars Chocolate, Philippines Country Director. 

“Last year, the M&M’S® Characters had a fantastic time visiting the Philippines’ most popular tourist sites. Red, Yellow and Green loved it here so much that they couldn’t resist coming back and bringing their own brand of spontaneous fun to the elections,” said Henry Azcarraga, Mars Chocolate, Philippines Country Director. 

Fans of the M&M’S® characters can still join the Vote M&M’S® 2016 campaign and get the chance to win a P5,000 in cash or M&M’S® merchandise at the weekly raffle.

Will you vote Matapang and Magaling Red? A powerful and a fearless leader, Red is the candydate who will see you through tough times.

Or will you support Kabarkada ng Bayan Yellow? The friendliest candydate, Yellow is always seeing the sunny side of things. If you’re looking for someone sweet and reliable, then he’s your choice. 

And last but definitely not least is Ang Confidently Smart Bae-yani Green. The epitome of Girl Power, Green is one magnetic candydate and with her charm and wit, voters are sure to find her irresistible.

How do I register to vote?

To vote, simply post a caption on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram on your chosen candidate with the corresponding hashtags: I vote Red! #mmsred, I vote Yellow! #mmsyellow or I vote Green! #mmsgreen, and get the chance to win prizes weekly!

Voting period is from 15th April till 15th May 2016. Then watch out as we announce the winner of the Vote M&M’S® 2016 Campaign on 20th May 2016 online.

So will it be “Mr Know-It-All” Red, optimist Yellow or confident Green? 

I vote for #mmsyellow

The race is on between these three colorful candy-dates at the Vote M&M’S® 2016 Campaign!

For more information on the campaign, visit the M&M’S® Philippines Facebook page.

facebook.com/mars, www.mars.com.  twitter.com/marsglobal, youtube.com/mars, linkedin.com/company/mars

Switch unveils another store in Antipolo, Rizal

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Switch, Apple’s Premium Reseller in the Philippines, celebrate its 8th Anniversary with the unveiling of its 20th retail store at the second level of the upscale Robinsons Antipolo.

The new Switch store provides valued clients with instant and convenient access to a wide range of premium Apple products and accessories, as well as unparalleled service and solutions that cater to the evolving digital lifestyle of Filipino.

Switch boasts of its several authorizations from Apple including Apple Premium Reseller, Apple Authorized Reseller, Apple Premium Service Provider, Apple Authorized Service Provider, and Apple Authorized Education Reseller.

Other Switch stores including their Service Centers are located in the following:

Ayala Malls Solenad
Aracadia in Paseo
Marquee Mall – Angeles Pampanga
UP Technohub
The District Mall-Imus
The District Mall-Dasmariñas
Alabang Town Center
Glorietta
UP Town Center
EVIA Lifestyle Center
Bluebay Wal
Robinsons Mall-Las Piñas

Four Tips to a Slimmer, Healthier Summer from Electrolux

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Whether you’re aiming for a beach-ready bod or simply want to shed a few pounds, summer is a great time to start a healthier diet. To help you get started, Electrolux has put together a few simple tips on healthier food substitutes and ways to prepare food that will help pave the way for that slimmer silhouette.

Microwave your veggies

Did you know that cooking veggies in your microwave is a great way to preserve its nutrients?

Any cooking method utilizing heat and water tends to destroy the nutrients that make vegetables so good for us - for example, powerhouse vegetable spinach loses about 77% of its folate when boiled on the stove, but retains nearly all of it when cooked in a microwave.

This is because microwave ovens cook by vibrating water molecules within food, thus producing heat. It does not change the chemical composition of food in any way. As an added bonus, fresh vegetables, with their high water content can be cooked more quickly than other foods in a microwave oven.

Microwave ovens like the Electrolux EMS2348X comes with auto-cooking features that optimizes the time required to cook varying amounts of vegetables with just a few easy turns of the control knob.

To cook vegetables in your microwave oven, simply place them in a microwave-safe dish and add a small amount of water depending on the vegetables being cooked. Cover the dish with a safe plastic wrap and poke several holes or leave a corner open to allow the steam to vent.

Add spice to your meals with chili

Chili peppers are not just beneficial for health, but also for your waistline. Thanks to an antioxidant called capsaicin, chillies and other spices have been found to diminish appetite and accelerate your metabolism, helping your body burn fat at higher rate.

Electrolux EOB5450AAX Inspiro Built-In Oven

Electrolux EOT38DXA Tabletop Convection Oven

Capsaicin also increases fat oxidation, which pushes the body to use more fat as fuel. For optimal weight loss, consume in tandem with a low fat diet and try baking or grilling dishes in ovens like the Electrolux EOB5450AAX Inspiro Built-In Oven or the Electrolux EOT38DXA Tabletop Convection Oven.

Puree your way to a healthier you

Purees can be a low calorie, low fat replacement in certain foods like soups, salad dressings and deserts.

Creamy soups are a much-loved comfort food, both for its creamy taste and texture. For a low-fact alternative, pureeing the soup with cooked potatoes or tofu will give it that thick texture. Tofu can also be used as a substitute for sour cream in salads.

Meanwhile fruit purees shine in baking and desserts. One quarter cup of pureed apples and pears will replace one egg in a cake recipe. They not only add moisture but a fruity flavour to the cake. If the pureed fruit makes the cake denser than you would like, add half to one teaspoon of baking powder to get a lighter result.

Electrolux EBR 5050 Powermix Silent Blender

Creating a puree is easy – all you need is a powerful blender like the Electrolux EBR 5050 Powermix Silent Blender, which even comes with a fruit filter to easily remove pulp and seeds.

Top up your salad the healthy way

A tablespoon of mayonnaise contains about 100 calories while olive oil has 120. Cheeses like feta and parmesan can add 20 to 50 calories to the total. If you are having salads with bacon or crispy (in other words, fried) chicken, that ratchet up the calorie and fat count. Top if off with dressings like Thousand Island and your salad can weigh in at over 600 calories.

To help make your salads healthier, choose toppings that provide protein instead of fat like tuna, chickpeas and eggs. If you want meat toppings, go for a healthier cooking method, like sautéing, braising or grilling.

For more tips on home care and healthy living, please visit electrolux.com.ph or our Facebook page at facebook.com/Electrolux.

‘Bayanihan’ as a model for BSM’s service learning

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The British School Manila is justifiably proud of its commitment to service learning. The idea of developing students as global citizens is central to our vision and mission. We are looking for our students to leave us with skills that allow them to make sense of a rapidly changing world whilst also being able to contribute to making their world more peaceful, fair and sustainable. 

The Creativity Activity Service (CAS) programme is an integral part of the International Baccalaureate core programme and is in many ways the perfect realisation of the work we do with our older students. Our International Baccalaureate team recently completed the end of course CAS interviews with the current Year 13 cohort and it was clear to us that it was the service learning experiences that had the most resonance and impact upon the students’: personal, social, emotional and even moral development. The Year 13 students spoke eloquently and thoughtfully about their work with local schools, orphanages and hospitals. They talked about the work they had done, the relationships they had formed and ethical implications of the work that they were undertaking. The depth of reflection in evidence was confirmed by how often the discussions centred on poverty, inequality and individual responsibility.

This year we have had the opportunity to remodel the CAS programme to create more of these moments of epiphany. Our new approach, led expertly by Mr. Owen, is called “Bayanihan” from the Filipino word ‘bayan,’ which captures the spirit of community we see in Filipino culture and which we seek to mirror. The students have been encouraged to develop projects in line with their own passions and interests within broad categories such as ‘Health’, ‘Environment’ and ‘Education’. 

The strategic developments this year were framed following a successful and insightful pilot last year led by Mr. Owen in Tagaytay. This venture presented a group of IB Business Management students with a problem - ‘How can they use their business acumen to help develop a sustainable income for a group of 16 mothers’? It was a privilege to observe how the students worked together to empower a group of local women with great ideas to become successful entrepreneurs.

The projects this year are incredibly diverse. We have groups preparing “baby boxes” for maternity hospitals, building chicken coops, certifying language skills for adult learners, developing hydroponics systems and fixing computers to improve education in a community. The projects have many layers, with strong educational themes and all the projects focus on sustainability and the fostering of partnerships which we hope will be nurtured and maintained beyond CAS week in May.

One distinctive feature of the Bayanihan projects this year is the emphasis on independence; the projects will have staff mentors available but our students will be encouraged to take ownership, make decisions, assess risks and manage uncertainty as groups. This takes us back to our BSM vision and mission; these experiences will equip our IB students with the ability to reflect, to be resilient in adversity and to thrive with challenge. We look forward to sharing the outcomes with you later in the year. Written by Chris Jones, Secondary Deputy Head

Short Film Festival propels students to great achievements

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True to its commitment of being the steward of young film-makers towards success in the local motion picture industry, Black Barong Film Festival (BBFF) showcased the best short films at The BBFF: Invitationals 2016.

In partnership with SineReel X slated last April 20, 21 and 22 at the Thomas Aquinas Research Center Auditorium of the University of Santo Tomas (UST), Manila, the event marked the festival’s first extended run since its inception in 2009.

“We received an overwhelming response from students in different colleges and universities, and because there were many excellent entries, this year’s three-day festival aimed to provide the avenue for young talents to celebrate their achievements and compel them towards future excellence,” said Executive Director Nico Hernandez.

More than creating a platform to exhibit student films, Hernandez added that BBFF believes that peer recognition is essential for the youth to gain confidence in their chosen craft. 

With a mission to support, promote and fuel the passion of the new breed of film-makers, the festival premiered works by students of San Sebastian College Recoletos-Manila, University of the East (UE), Far Eastern University (FEU) and the University of Santo Tomas (UST). 

“We started with less than 10 entries, and we’ve grown to about 60 short films on average each year. The selection of finalists is a critical process. We invited the schools in the University Belt which were able to produce excellent and winning films in the past.”

Sharing the vision of producing and presenting top quality Filipino movies, ABS-CBN Star Cinema rallied their industry veterans to take part as the festival’s 2016 judging panel. Esteemed jurors included Star Cinema’s Creative Manager John Paul Abellera, Head of Production Marizel Samson Martinez and Creative Supervisor and Screenwriter Roumella Nina Monge, internationally acclaimed writer-director Antoinette Jadaone, and award winning cinematographer for film and television Herman Claravall.

“To encourage the students to pursue a career in film making, this time around, the winners will have intership opportunities with Star Cinema. We are happy and grateful for this partnership because with their support, they will also hone and refine the skills of these fresh talents,” Hernandez stated.

Among the 41 finalists featured, the short films produced by FEU garnered the most awards.

Top rank was given to Keep Right, collecting awards for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Production Design and Best Musical Score. The film also earned Best Direction for neophyte director Yesh Burce, and Best Actress for Divine Aucina. The Special Jury Prize, considered as the closest contender for Best Picture, was awarded to the short film Pitik-Bulag. 

Other films of note are Kalabit for Best Sound Editing, Dulog for Best Trailer, and Buffering - with a moving performance by Paulo Alinario, received the Best Actor Award. Excellence in visual execution was given to UST’s Pag-Uwi, which collected Best Cinematography and Best Editting.

Inspiring the creativity of the aspiring youth, winners at The BBFF: Invitationals 2016 received a PHP 50,000.00 film grant from Open Reel Film Gears and, a chance at valuable mentorships and learning from the best professional film-makers in the country. 

“From this point on, we not only recognize the best short films, we also take part in shaping the future of these students. It is our genuine honor to recognize the achievements of the students and we’re very excited for a bigger and better Black Barong next year. ” 

For more information and updates, find the Black Barong Film Festival on Facebook or follow @Black Barong on Twitter.