Give Life to Dreams, Merck continues advocacy on fertility awareness

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For some Filipino couples, dreams of having and raising a baby together are dashed by fertility issues, which, unknown to many, is actually a disease recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). The organization describes infertility as “a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.”

Merck Philippines, the local arm of the world’s oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company, joined forces with St. Luke’s Medical Center – Global City for a public information project that promotes awareness on infertility, as well as the different medical solutions that can give life to the dreams of Filipino couples. This project coincides with the fifth year of St. Luke’s flagship Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine and Infertility (CARMI).

“As of a Synovate survey we conducted in 2011, one out of ten Filipinos are suffering from infertility.  This condition is related to our socio-cultural practices, including the marrying age, educational status, and professional goals,” said CARMI head Dr. Virgilio M. Novero, Jr.

Aside from socio-cultural factors mentioned by Dr. Novero, a couple’s fertility can also be affected by issues in the female and male reproductive systems, as well as various medical conditions that can affect the quality of the egg and sperm cells. 

“Instead of just giving up their dreams of having a child, there are modern and effective ways to address infertility,” explained Dr. Novero. “A couple can come in for a series of basic and ancillary tests to determine the root cause of their fertility issues, and we can help develop a treatment plan that will deliver their desired result: pregnancy.”

The science of ART

One of the medical solutions that childless Filipino couples can explore is Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), which is an umbrella term that refers to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and its variants. This special fertility treatment procedure stimulates multiple ovarian follicles and facilitates egg cell retrieval. During the course of treatment, embryos will be formed outside of the female patient’s body—and once the “cultures” have formed successfully, they will be transferred to the patient’s uterus.

ART is recommended for patients suffering from blocked fallopian tubes, severe sperm deficits, unexplained infertility, mild endometriosis, and ovulation disorders, among others.

Though not unheard of for Filipinos, IVF is often seen as risky, needlessly expensive, exclusive to those who can get the procedure done abroad, and worse, ineffective. Dr. Novero explained that ART has made significant improvement in efficiency over the years.

“In the past, doctors can only recommend IVF to a select few,” said D, r. Novero. “But in the recent years, technological advances, including new knowledge in hormonal treatment, improvement in video technology and other medical equipment, has boosted IVF’s efficiency.”

Dr. Novero mentioned that the success rate of the procedure has also recently seen a significant rise—today, over six million children are born all over the world after their parents have undergone an IVF procedure.

“Our success rates are now at 35 to 50 percent for pregnancy, and 20 to 25 percent for live births,” Dr. Novero said proudly. “The success rates depend on the patient’s profile, the competence of the medical staff, the quality and standards of the IVF lab, and of course the use of cutting-edge technology. At CARMI, our patients can be assured that we have a team of highly trained and experienced medical staff, a state-of-the-art IVF lab, and modern technology that can increase the success rate of pregnancy and live birth.”

“With the help of Filipino doctors and specialty groups, Merck has been able to propagate more information on infertility,” said Dess Cartaño, Senior Product Manager for Fertility, Merck Philippines. “At this point, we want to provide fertility-challenged couples with actual, effective, and efficient solutions that will give life to their dreams of a family once more.”

To know more about infertility and IVF in the Philippines, Merck Philippines will be holding a seminar on the science and possibilities of IVF on September 24 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ortigas.

MACPOWER Gadget Sale 2016 !

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Get your wallets ready! Macpower Marketing Corporation, the top distributor of high-end gadgets accessories here in the Philippines will have its first Mega Gadget Sale at Alphaland Makati Place on September 28-30, 2016 from 10am up to 6pm. 

MMC will give you special deals and discounts up to 80% OFF on your favorite products like Boompods, MB Quart, Lumee, Runtastic, Homido, Moktak, Rhinoshield, etc. Entrance is FREE but you have to register online. Those who will register will get a chance to win some premium items on their major raffle so what are you waiting for? Register now! 

REGISTER HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mega-gadget-sale-2016-tickets-…

Hey foodies! Street food in a mall? Why not!

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Here in the Philippines, we think of the sidewalk when we say “street food”. However, those who have been to Singapore know of this kind of food as “hawker food”. It is as flavorful as it is mysterious.

Now, you don’t have to go to Singapore to get a taste of this highly popular cooked food concept. Because just when you thought we already have the world’s cuisine within our midst, here comes SM with another first as it opened its doors to Filipino foodies and non-foodies alike – welcome Makansutra.

Makan is the Bahasa word for “food”, and Sutra means “guide” according to Buddhist scriptures. Makansutra Chief Executive and Makan Guru KF Seetoh put the two words together to fittingly describe what the company aims to achieve: to serve as food and dining guide through recipes that have been inherited from the forefathers of the Asian region.

Makansutra in SM Megamall A is the company's first fully-owned restaurant in the Philippines, and the first of its kind in the country. It showcases hawker restaurants that are popular in Singapore, offering various recipes with Asian origins such as China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Gathering a total of 70 to 80 Filipino chefs, the owners of the restaurants themselves came all the way from Singapore to teach the art of cooking authentic heritage street food that customers will find unique and delectable.

“These foods became iconic and famous, became big business in many countries. The Philippines deserves this kind of food variety and I hope they enjoy this because Filipinos love and appreciate good, authentic food,” Seetoh observed. “In Singapore, we have difficulty getting people to learn how to cook as a profession. Here in the Philippines, it only took the Filipino chefs and cooks a week to learn the authentic heritage street food recipes that Makansutra offers.”

Asked why he chose to open first in SM, Seetoh remarked, “Why not SM? You can’t find any other better location, except maybe SM MOA. It took one breakfast with Hans Sy and I was fortunate enough for being given the opportunity to have a space here. No other mall in Singapore compares to the size and the kind of crowd that Megamall has.”

One of Seetoh’s Filipino partners, Chef JJ Yulo, believes that this innovative concept in dining will be warmly accepted by the Filipinos. “Street food in general is not hard to sell. To me, it means fast, casual, delicious, humble, affordable. We want to expand the vocabulary of Pinoys beyond tapsilog,” Yulo said.

Not only is it good for expanding the adventurous tastebuds of Pinoys, but it will also bode well for the food industry. 

“If we all succeed, then this is good for the industry and the country,” Yulo said.  

“It’s good to have it in a mall like SM because of its foot traffic, which is good for business. Turnout is great even if it’s a weekday. The best thing about this is that it’s convenient for you to keep coming back, and you will not run out of choices because there is something for everyone with different taste preferences. None of these foods are adopted for the Pinoy tastebud. These are all authentic heritage food from various regions. It’s our entry point to Singapore’s popular foods.”

Two of the restaurant owners, Ah You of Hong Kong Street Old Chun Kee and Sam Hussin of Alhambra Padang Satay, are both positive about the reception of Filipinos to these unique Asian heritage cuisine. This being their first time to operate in the Philippines, they were amazed at the first-day turnout of customers considering it was a weekday. They expect that more customers will come in during weekends.

For us Pinoys, eating knows no time. With SM’s latest pioneering offer through Makansutra, dining will be more than just a habit and a necessity – it’s definitely going to be a relishing adventure.

One-of-a-kind venue experience at Globe ICONIC entertainment zone

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Wireless audio streaming through Globe Soundplay app and Interactive LED Omega Claw game

The ICONIC store, Globe Telecom’s premiere lifestyle destination, is revolutionizing the Philippine retail and entertainment industry. With the 1st phase of the entertainment facility completed last June, the venue was able to hold successful large scale events such as Green Day’s: American Idiot play, NBA Fit and HOOQ Hangouts. 

Aside from being the ideal entertainment venue for events, the two massive Times Square-like LED walls provide live video feed and on-ground entertainment. Informative and engaging videos such as short clips by Globe Studios and lifestyle ambient visuals are showed daily. Every 7:30 P.M., people are also treated to a lights and sounds show.

From 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., the ICONIC store transforms into a carnival wonderland with the Omega Claw game which uses augmented reality and face detection technology to capture the faces of anyone near the venue through live feed cameras. The pictures are then posted in the country’s largest interactive outdoor LED billboard with the tagline “You’ve been clawed.” People are encouraged to pose for the camera as they are seen by spectators around. This fun, unique and interactive technology will be refreshed regularly to give BGC Central Amphitheatre visitors something to look forward to.

Anyone who is within the area of the Globe ICONIC Store can, likewise, connect to the Globe ICONIC WiFi service to experience ultra-fast Internet connection speeds of up to 100 Mbps. They can also listen to the audio of the videos being played on the outdoor LED screens through Globe Soundplay App, an audio streaming app that lets you listen to the videos playing in the ICONIC store through your own smartphone. When connected to the Globe ICONIC WiFi, just open the app to stream high-quality real-time audio right from your smartphone. This innovation lets you avoid unnecessary noise pollution within the area, allowing you to privately listen to the Globe Iconic outdoor LED screens’ video contents.

“The ICONIC store is set to be a premiere venue that will once again change the retail experience with multi-faceted store built to house the latest trends and live entertainment. Customers can experience our latest products interactively, explore new content with our upcoming chroma studio and museum. And outdoors, we continue interaction with our customers through features and activities like Globe SoundPlay and Omega Claw, truly making the ICONIC store a one-of-a-kind venue in the Philippines.” says Globe Stores and Retail Transformation Head, Joe Caliro.

Phase 2 will feature the complete Globe ICONIC Store with a glass bridge that connects two stores on both ends. Also within the store, is a chroma studio for recording and shooting videos that partners and customers can use, view and enjoy. The ICONIC store is set to open by the end of the year. 

Visit the Globe ICONIC store at BGC Central to experience the Globe Soundplay App and Omega Claw game.

Crime thriller "The Blacklist" Season 4 set to premiere on AXN with more shocking twists

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AXN turns up the drama this month with the gripping return of the critically acclaimed thriller, The Blacklist. 

In season four, premiering on September 27 at 9:45pm, former U.S. Naval Intelligence Officer turned criminal mastermind Raymond “Red” Reddington (James Spader) has become the FBI’s Most Wanted Fugitive. For decades, he evaded capture until he voluntarily surrenders to FBI Assistant Director Harold Cooper.

He claims he has in his possession a “blacklist” of the world’s most dangerous criminals he has been associated with during his nefarious career and is willing to cooperate with the FBI to bring them down under two conditions: immunity from prosecution, and that he insists on working exclusively with Elizabeth “Liz” Keen (Megan Boone), a newly assigned rookie profiler with the FBI.

Teaming up with special agents Donald Ressler,  Diego Klattenhoff Aram Motjabai, Amir Arison), and Samar Navabi, Mozhan Marnò, Reddington and Liz join ranks, use all available resources and technology of the FBI, and will never stop at nothing until all names on his list are crossed out – either arrested or eliminated.

Along the way, Cooper, Keen, and the other agents become suspicious of the real motives of Reddington. They are not aware of the behind-the-scenes maneuverings perpetrated by Reddington as he manipulates to his end the trust of his former allies. Little did they know that for every case they work on, for every criminal they track down and apprehend, Reddington always has a hidden agenda for his own personal gain. Moreover, Keen starts to question Reddington’s interest in her, not content in hearing him say that she is “very special” to him. 

For years, Reddington has sacrificed everything, even to the point of risking his life to protect Keen. But his efforts seem to be for nothing. Feeling betrayed, Keen loses focus, gets involved with the shooting of a high-ranking government official, and lands in the FBI’s Most Wanted list. In the end, she is determined to get away from what she perceives to be the controlling and overprotective Reddington. She devises a clever way and successfully does, but her plan backfires. Keen ends up in the hands of Reddington’s longtime nemesis, Alexander Kirk (Ulrich Thomsen), who claims to be her real father.

Everything becomes even more personal in the latest installment of the highly anticipated series. Reddington rescues Keen from Kirk, but their reunion casts a cloud of doubt on their relationship. The rivalry between Reddington and Kirk takes a dark turn. As Keen confronts her past, Ressler suddenly figures in her life. Is Kirk really Keen’s father? If not, who is? And the burning question will finally be answered: How is Reddington related to Keen that he cares so much about her? 

The critically acclaimed crime thriller has received positive reviews for showing an ingenious and compelling crime procedural. Television critics have praised James Spader’s riveting performance as criminal-turned-informant Raymond Reddington, earning him a nomination for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in the Golden Globe Awards for two consecutive years, 2014 and 2015. He was also nominated for Best Actor in a Television Series in the Saturn Awards in 2014. 

The Blacklist Season 4 premieres the same week as the U.S. telecast on September 27, every Tuesday at 9:45 pm. First & Exclusive on AXN

AXN is seen on Cable Link Channel 38, Cignal Digital TV Channel 61, Global Destiny Cable Channel 61, Dream Channel 20, GSat Channel 51, and SKYCable Channel 49.

www.AXN-Asia.com