Sari-sari stores in the Philippines see a refreshing future with Coca-Cola

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It has been two years since Carmencita Aspiras turned around her home-based business – a sari-sari store that she used to help augment her family’s daily finances, including the allowances and requirements of her children who were earning their college degrees.

The Coca-Cola Company Asia Pacific Group president, John Murphy, joined the graduates of the Coca-Cola STAR Program in a toast to celebrate the success of the program in enabling women entrepreneurs increase their profit. Murphy is joined by TESDA Deputy Director General Rebecca Calzado, Coca-Cola Philippines President Diego Granizo, and Coca-Cola Philippines Sustainability Manager Gilda Maquilan.

Like most sari-sari stores in the country, Aspiras ran it for the first two years based on her own perception of how the business ought to be managed. But joining and completing the Coca-Cola 5by20 Sari-sari Store Training and Access to Resources (STAR) program in 2014 changed the course of her business, and her life.

“From earning P2,500 to P3,000 daily, by implementing what I learned from the program, my store now earns an average of P5,000 daily.

More than doubling her store’s daily earnings, Aspiras said that what struck her most in the Coca-Cola STAR program was how it helped her become a better wife, mother, and person. “I am what I am today because of the (Coca-Cola STAR) program. I was able to let my children finish school, business is thriving, and if not for the program, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to be here in front of you,” Aspiras said during a roundtable meeting with John Murphy, the president of the Asia Pacific Group of The Coca-Cola Company.

Coca-Cola STAR Program graduate Carmencita Aspiras welcomed The Coca-Cola Company Asia Pacific Group President John Murphy to her Baby’s Store in Taguig City. More than doubling her income, the program helped Aspiras achieve the dreams she had for her family, particularly for her children to finish their school.

Coca-Cola, with its 19 manufacturing facilities in the Philippines, and over 10,000 strong labor force, is proactive in promoting women empowerment through 5by20, a global initiative that aims to empower 5 million women worldwide by the year 2020. Locally, the 5by20 initiative targets the empowerment of 200,000 women through the STAR Program.

“It’s an honor for us to be here with you today. When the program was started, people inside and outside the company were wondering if it was possible to empower five million women around the world. Sitting here with you today shows that vision is being fulfilled by people like you. And your stories will continue to inspire us at Coca-Cola to continue with these programs,” said Murphy who was in the country along with other top executives of Coca-Cola for a three-day visit.

Murphy visited the various sustainability programs of Coca-Cola Philippines, particularly the Coca-Cola STAR Program. Earlier in the day, he visited Aspiras’ store in Barangay Wawa, Taguig City.

In that meeting, Murphy was joined by 10 women micro-entrepreneurs who have completed the Coca-Cola STAR Program as well as officials from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), led by Deputy Director General Rebecca Calzado.

The Coca-Cola STAR Program is implemented in partnership with TESDA, where women around the country can enroll and undergo the Basic Entrepreneurship and Gender Sensitivity Training at the STAR Center for Excellence operated and managed at the TESDA Women’s Center in Taguig City and other STAR Program trainings conducted in the regions.

MAROON 5 PERFORMS THEIR HIT SINGLE “DON’T WANNA KNOW” FEATURING KENDRICK LAMAR AT “2016 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS” ON RTL CBS ENTERTAINMENT

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Gigi Hadid and Jay Pharoah Will Host The Live Broadcast

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST at 9:00am (8am JKT/BKK) on RTL CBS Entertainment

Pop music superstars Maroon 5 will be joined by platinum-selling artist Kendrick Lamar to perform their hit single, “Don’t Wanna Know” finale at the “2016 American Music Awards.” They join hosts Gigi Hadid and Jay Pharoah, as well as previously announced performers including James Bay, Fifth Harmony, Lady Gaga, Green Day, John Legend, Bruno Mars, Shawn Mendes, Twenty One Pilots, The Weeknd, special duets from The Chainsmokers and Halsey, and Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj, and “The American Music Award of Merit” honoree and performer Sting. The “2016 American Music Awards,” the world’s biggest fan-voted award show, will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Monday, November 21 at 9:00am (8am JKT/BKK), first and exclusive on RTL CBS Entertainment.

This will be Maroon 5’s fourth time performing at the American Music Awards. They first took the stage in 2004 to perform “Sunday Morning,” followed by “Won’t Go Home Without You” in 2007. At the 2011 AMAs, Maroon 5 took the stage with Christina Aguilera to perform “Moves Like Jagger.” They are 10-time AMA nominees and three-time winners: Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist in 2013 and Favorite Duo or Group - Pop/Rock in 2011 and 2012.

This year will mark Kendrick Lamar’s second American Music Award performance, first taking the stage in 2013 to perform a medley of “Swimming Pools (Drank)” and “Poetic Justice.” Kendrick Lamar is also a two-time American Music Award nominee.

Maroon 5 have solidified their position as one of pop music’s most enduring artists. The band captured their first of three Grammy Awards as “Best New Artist” in 2005 and have gone on to sell more than 17 million albums worldwide. Their releases have also gone gold and platinum in over 35 countries. Maroon 5 tallies its 12th Hot 100 top 10 with their newly released smash hit single “Don’t Wanna Know” featuring Kendrick Lamar, making them the most successful group on the charts history. The single also notably entered #1 on the Billboard Top Tracks, scoring the group’s third chart-topping start, and the single also rocketed to #9 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in its first week and reached #1 on iTunes.

Maroon 5 won over fans and critics alike with the hybrid rock/R&B sound they introduced on their debut album, Songs About Jane and their double platinum album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long. Their third studio album, Hands All Over, featured the anthemic “Moves Like Jagger,” which climbed to the #1 spot on the Top 40 and Hot AC charts, as well as claimed the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and has also gone on the become one of the best-selling singles of all time. Maroon 5’s fourth album Overexposed, quickly reinforced the group’s status as a powerhouse in popular music with all of the collection’s singles rising to the top of Billboard’s Adult Pop Songs chard. To date, the band holds the record for the most #1s – 11 – in the chart’s 20 year history. the charts. In support of the album, Maroon 5 also had one of the year’s highest grossing tours, with over 50 million dollars in ticket sales. The band’s current album, V, debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart and features the hit singles “Maps,” “Animals” and “Sugar,” all of which hit #1 on the Top 40 chart. The music video for the chart topping and GRAMMY- nominated single "Sugar" has logged over1.5 billion views to date. Maroon 5 is currently on their world tour which kicked off in February 2015. When the tour wraps at the end of 2017, the band will have played over 120 concerts in 30+ countries with more than 2,500,000 fans in attendance.

Platinum-selling, Grammy award winning artist Kendrick Lamar is one of the rare artists who has achieved critical and commercial success while earning the respect and support of those who inspired him. A native of Compton, California, Lamar caught the attention of CEO Anthony “TopDawg” Tiffith who immediately signed a young Lamar to his label, Top Dawg EntertainmenBeside fellow Top Dawg Entertainment artists Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and ScHoolboy Q—a group whose members, for the most part, appeared on one another’s mixtapes and t. albums. Overly Dedicated (2010) was the first Kendrick Lamar mixtape and fared well enough to enter Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart that October. His first official album, Section.80 (2011), was released as a digital download the following year and entered the Billboard 200 at number 113. By that point in his career, Lamar’s reputation had been strengthened through guest appearances on dozens of tracks, and he had the support of veteran West Coast stars as well. During a 2011 con- cert, Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg dubbed him “The New King of the West Coast,” a notion Dre endorsed more significantly by signing Lamar to the Aftermath label. Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city was released in October 2012 and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. Three of its singles—“Swimming Pools (Drank),” “Poetic Justice,” and “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe”—reached the Top Ten of Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart, with each one enjoying lengthy stays on playlists of urban U.S. radio stations. More significantly, the album showcased Lamar as an exceptional storyteller capable of making compelling concept albums. When the nominees for the 56th Annual Grammy Awards were announced, Lamar was listed in seven categories, including Best New Artist and Album of the Year. Lamar remained active during 2013-2014, with touring as well as being sought after for several guest appearances by industry heavy-weights worldwide. In early 2015, he announced that his third album, To Pimp a Butterfly, was due in March with tracks featuring Snoop Dogg, Bilal, Thundercat, and George Clinton. A technical accident caused the digital album to be released eight days early, but it immediately earned rave reviews and topped the Billboard 200 with sales of 325,000 copies within its first week and has since been certified platinum. Lamar went on to win five Grammys for Butterflyincluding Best Rap Album. In 2016 Lamar released untitled unmastered., an album that closed the chapter on the Butterfly sessions. The album went on to top the Billboard 200 album chart.

The nominations for the “2016 American Music Awards” were announced last month, revealing that Drake leads with 13 nominations, while Rihanna received seven and Adele and Justin Bieber received five nominations each. Beyoncé and The Chainsmokers each received four nominations. Additionally, Bryson Tiller, Twenty One Pilots, Carrie Underwood, Fetty Wap and The Weeknd earned three nominations each.

The Artist of the Year nominees are Adele, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Drake, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Rihanna, Twenty One Pilots, Carrie Underwood and The Weeknd. New Artist of the Year are Alessia Cara, The Chainsmokers, DNCE, Shawn Mendes and Zayn. 

At the American Music Awards, artists will be honored in multiple musical genres. Pop/Rock, Alternative Rock, Country, Rap/Hip-Hop, Soul/R&B, Adult Contemporary, Contemporary Inspirational, Latin, EDM and Soundtrack, are some of the genres alongside the awards for Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year Un-leashed by T-Mobile and Collaboration of the Year. This year, new categories include Tour of the Year and Video of the Year, while Favorite Song categories in the genres of Pop/Rock, Country, Rap/Hip-Hop and Soul/R&B have been added in lieu of the Song of the Year category. 

American Music Awards nominees are based on key fan interactions as reflected in Billboard Magazine and on Billboard.com, including album and digital song sales, radio airplay, streaming, social activity and touring. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound.

The American Music Awards winners are voted entirely by fans. Voting is now open in all categories.

The “2016 American Music Awards” is produced by dick clark productions. Allen Shapiro and Mike Mahan are Executive Producers. Larry Klein, Barry Adelman and Mark Bracco are Producers.

For the latest American Music Awards news, exclusive content and more, be sure to follow the AMAs on social and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #RTLCBSAMA.

Facebook: Facebook.com/RTLCBSEntertainment

Twitter: @RTLCBSEntertain

Uratex brings fun with sleep-themed Viber Stickers on the thread

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A relaxing and restful moment . . .  with comfortable softness of a mattress, everyone is assured of a good night’s sleep every time. A morning beautiful  when you wake up happy, you can say  "ang ganda ng gising nyo!"

Here's to share from the country’s leading manufacturer of quality foam and mattresses.

Uratex is at the lead of its “Ganda ng Gising” campaign which is geared towards expressing the benefits of good sleep and inspiring Filipinos to take its value as much as working hard through the day is important. Good quality sleep is beneficial not only to everyone’s health but also to one’s mood and disposition upon waking up to a brand new day.

Aside from a wide range of innovative sleep solutions offered by Uratex, the Sleep Specialist opted to reach its market through a creative and trendy way of picking up good mood and vibes with the use of Viber Stickers. With the use of comical drawn cartoons as a base for its excitingly fun phrases, Uratex’s 22 sleep-themed Viber Stickers are set to put fun in every conversation whether it is just a simple greeting in the morning or bidding someone a good night’s sleep come bedtime.

The stickers are using conversational phrases that are very much relatable to almost every Filipino netizen. Phrases like, “gising na, girl!”, “tulog na, bes!”, and “ang ganda ng gising mo!!” are just some of the few that are very likely to be used in everyday conversations. “Antokyo Japan” on the other hand could also pun its way through every thread, and the dreaded “zombie mode” is also a take in trying to poke fun at something that most hardworking Filipinos are getting into on a regular basis. 

More than putting some fun into daily conversations on Viber, Uratex also pushes bringing in some positivity in every thread. And this kind of disposition could be achieved every day, just by simply taking a good time off from daily stress then on to a good mattress where one could get all the good quality sleep he needs for the next day. 

Uratex’s Sticker Pack can be downloaded for free via the Sticker Market for Viber. 

To know more about the sleep solutions that Uratex can offer, visit their website at www.uratex.com.ph and make sure to like their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/UratexPhilippines.

About Uratex Philippines

For more than 48 years, Uratex remains to be the country’s industry leader in manufacturing quality foams and mattresses that help everyone sleep better. As a commitment to excellence, it continues to innovate itself by using the latest technologies to deliver exceptional comfort and support in each mattress. 

For more information, visit www.uratex.com.ph or call the Consumer Hotline, 888-6500. 

#CheckTheLabel Campaign as NIDO® 3+ introduces the new and improved NIDO® PROTECTUS® 3+

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MANILA, Philippines – Milk provides children with many of the nutrients - minerals, vitamins, and prebiotics to further support your child’s healthy growth, development, and immune system.

NIDO® 3+ introduces the new and improved NIDO® PROTECTUS® 3+, packed with higher levels of essential nutrients made especially for children in their crucial growing-up years. NIDO® 3+ was developed to meet the needs of children and as part of a mixed diet, it helps to provide the specific nutritional requirements that are important.

NIDO® 3+  makes it easier for moms to #CheckTheLabel and make sure their little ones get their age-specific nutritional needs with the new and improved NIDO® PROTECTUS® 3+. 

“We understand the ever-changing needs of mothers for their children, that’s why we continuously improve our products. And in line with our advocacy to make checking food labels a habit among moms so they make smarter and healthier choices for their kids, we simplified our pack and made it more informative,” said April Apsay, Consumer Marketing Lead for NIDO® PROTECTUS® 3+.

With just one look, moms can easily identify and learn about the unique combination of nutrients found in NIDO® PROTECTUS® 3+, which contains DHA, PREBIO® 3, Iron, Zinc, and other essential vitamins and minerals that help support his immunity, growth, and development. It also comes with Lactobacillus PROTECTUS®, now with Lactobacillus rhamnosus, a different strain of probiotics that helps support digestive defenses.

The release of NIDO® PROTECTUS® 3+ following the launch of the Check the Label campaign is a testimony to the commitment of the brand to support moms who aspire to raise kids who are happy, healthy, and capable of reaching their full potential through their love and support.

Last November 12, at the CheckTheLabel campaign launch, we enjoyed the fun activities at the NIDO® PROTECTUS® 3+  Mommy Carnival with mommies with kids and with the endorsers Sarah Lahbati and son, Zion.

To continuously remind moms to 

#CheckTheLabel, NIDO® PROTECTUS® 3+ 

also recently released a catchy jingle headlined by Sarah Lahbati and son, Zion. 

About NIDO® PROTECTUS® 3+

NIDO® PROTECTUS® 3+ is specially formulated with a unique combination of nutrients to help support growth and development during his pre-school years, above three years old. It has DHA, ALA, LA, Folic Acid and Taurine together with Vitamins A, B, C, D, Iron, Zinc and Selenium to help support immunity and brain and body development and is the only one with PREBIO® 3 and Lactobacillus PROTECTUS® to help support child’s digestive defenses.

Bossa Nova Queen Sitti celebrates 10th anniversary with ElectroSITTI on November 25 and 26

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The country’s premier bossa nova singing act Sitti will celebrate the 10th anniversary of her music scene breakthrough in electrifying fashion, an experiment! The two-night live concert dubbed ElectroSITTI  to be held at the Music Museum (1502 in Greenhills, San Juan) on November 25 and 26.

ElectroSITTI show will also Sitti’s birthday concert.  She will do it live by way of a big concert where she’s bound to ambitiously experiment with the electronic dance music (EDM) craze.

Collaborating with her friend and EDM master DJ Silverfilter. as she hopes to please more younger-generation music fans. 

“I’m having fun doing EDM and I am working on a new album that will showcase my experimentation with it. I like to introduce myself to the younger market,” explained Sitti who is visually glowing a year after tying the knot with the love of her life, businessman and music aficionado Joey Ramirez.

“It’s both exciting and challenging to do something you’re not known for. I became friends with artists from the EDM community and I thought of embracing the genre and tie it up with the 10th anniversary of the release of my first album Café Bossa,” as Sitti shared. 

Café Bossa was released in January 2006 and spawned hit singles including “Para Sa Akin” and her versions of “I Didn’t Know I Was Looking For Love” and “Tattooed On My Mind.” By September that year the album was certified Double Platinum, with over 60,000 units sold. 

ElectoSITTI, also serving as Sitti’s birthday concert as she turns 32 on November 29, will be a two-part show, the first one paying homage to her bossa nova roots, and the latter hour presenting her in a new light – bright and booming. And the loud and festive birthday party begins. 

The multi-talented charming woman, who is also into acting both on stage, having performed in “Katy The Musical” and “Spring Awakening,” and on TV, appearing on past ABS-CBN shows “Isabella” and “Your Song,” will have rapper Looney and balladeer Jason Dy as guests. The UST Percussion Ensemble will also be on stage to share spotlight with her. 

She is managed by Asian Artists Agency and is signed with MCA Music major record label which by coincidence asked her to employ electronic music for her new album. 

Fans have something more to feel excited about as Sitti already wrote a couple of songs called “Tangled” and “Bid Your Love” and will unleash both live and ground-shaking come ElectroSITTI nights.

Sitti had come a long way since performing in her first gig at a hotel in Roxas Boulevard that already changed its name today. 

She noted, “You got to pay your dues to make it. I did that for four years before getting my big break. There will be ups and downs in anybody’s career but the important thing is you are enjoying the gig and you always welcome change.”

(For ElectroSITTI Tickets, log on at ticketworld.com or call (02) 9260556 / (02) 9202643. 

Prices are as follows: P3,576 Orchestra Center, P2,384 Orchestra Side, P1,192 Balcony)