Wine, Dine and Save the Planet at WWF’s Sustainable Food Sustainable Future Dinner

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THE changing climate and the uncontrolled and wasteful consumption have resulted to concerns on how to continue feeding the planet today and in the future. 

This is why WWF-Philippines, with the mission of Transforming Lives, is calling all food connoisseurs and environmental advocates to support Sustainable Food Sustainable Future, a benefit dinner created to educate Filipinos on the importance of sustainable consumption and supporting our local farmers and fishermen by eating local. 

Proceeds of the Sustainable food, Sustainable Future dinner will go to WWF-Philippines’ campaigns and efforts to secure food sources of the future, aid the livelihood of local farmers and fishermen, and promote eco-friendly means of food production and consumption.

Sustainable food consumption and production involves looking at how resources are used in growing food and taking into account their impact on the environment and the community. This not only results in environmental benefits but also social and economic support such as increased competitiveness of local products, increased employment, and consequently reduced poverty. For consumers, it can mean fresher food with less chemicals and improved health. 

WWF’s Hand Line Yellowfin Tuna initiatives in Occidental Mindoro, Camarines Sur and Albay are examples of WWF’s work in this area. Hand line fishing initiatives provide an avenue to supply selectively-caught yellow fin tuna to market actors, environmentally conscious consumers and give local fisher folk a source of livelihood.

WWF President and CEO Joel Palma shared about how food consumption affects not only the environment but the welfare and livelihood of the people and communities who work on food production, like farmers and fisher folk.

“We would like to emphasize that the footprint of the produce not only contributes to climate change and threaten our planet's future but can also negatively affect the future of those who grow or produce our food. We want to make sure resources are protected and sustained so that they can continue to be the source of livelihood for generations to come.”

Meanwhile, Chef Nicco Santos of Hey, Handsome restaurant talked about how he partnered up with local fishermen and farmers who inspired his restaurant’s menu. “One of the biggest reasons why I shifted my cooking style is because of sustainability. For me, personally, I find it more meaningful and more fulfilling if I know who’s growing the ingredients. Aside from it tasting better because it’s direct from the source, it’s fresher,” Santos shared. 

“Aside from us feeling better about ourselves, it’s more fulfilling that it’s not about us. It’s always about someone else’s lives that we’re helping out. It’s fulfilling when you find that your truest purpose is to really help someone else to make a difference.”

As Chefs are the primary influencers of food cultures and diets, their participation in developing sustainable food habits and produce consumption is a huge help on promoting food security.

(from left to right: Angelo Comsti, Quenee Vilar, WWF President and CEO Joel Palma, Chef Nicco Santos, Chef Gaita Fores, Chef Patrick Go, Chef Josh Boutwood, WWF Board Chairman Gigi Montinola, and Chef Miko Aspiras)

“I think apart from just cooking for people as a profession, chefs of today really need to advocate the science of sustainability and using ingredients that help keep the planet sustainable and the environment clean because in the end, whatever we do is dependent on the produce,” said Chef Gaita Fores emphasizing on the role of chefs and restaurateurs in the campaign to help the environment.

Happening at the Rizal Ballroom C at Makati Shangri La, 6pm on September 6, 2017, the benefit dinner will feature delicious dishes from eight of the country’s top chefs. Chef Eric Weidmann (Sage), Chef Nicco Santos (Hey, Handsome), Chef Chele Gonzalez (Vask), Chef Patrick Go (Black Sheep), Chef Sunshine Puey (Gourmandise), Chef Miko Aspiras (The Workshop), Chef Josh Boutwood (The Test Kitchen) and, Asia’s Best Female Chef of 2016 Gaita Fores (Grace Park), are all coming together to show diners how local produce can result in flavorful creations that can help communities and the environment. 

Support WWF and their campaigns for food sustainability and security. Enjoy a mouth-watering dinner prepared with organically produced ingredients and cooked by seasoned chefs at Sustainable Food, Sustainable Future. 

 For more information contact Jasmine Lim at +639178265161 or jlim@wwf.org.ph

Epson Philippines partners with award-winning fashion designer John Herrera on his latest digitally printed Spring/Summer 2018 collection ‘Armada’

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Epson Philippines once again partners with fashion visionary and award-winning designer John Herrera in creating “Armada” - a 30-piece apparel for women for his Spring/Summer 2018 collection. 

The newest John Herrera creations will be globally presented during Fashion Scout in September 2017, the international showcase for fashion pioneers and UK's largest independent showcase for emerging and established design talent during the 2017 London Fashion Week.

 

Fresh off his win as Britain’s Top Designer 2017 (BTD) at the 5th season of fashion’s finest event for emerging talent in British fashion for his Aguila collection, his first collaboration with Epson, Herrera delves back into history and Philippine pride in creating these new digitally-printed masterpieces.

Before heading to London for Fashion Scout, John Herrera  officially be sent off courtesy of Epson Philippines at the TWG Tea Salon & Boutique in the East Wing of EDSA Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City, August 29, 2017.

Special guests and close friends of John Herrera, as well as invitees from the Philippine lifestyle media were able to show their support and send their well wishes as he showcases his newest collection, Armada.

“The inspiration for the Armada collection came from the very first map in history that included the Philippine islands. This map by Diogo Ribeiro shows the world circa 1529. With the help of Epson’s digital textile printing technology, I was able to render parts of this medieval map and present designs on opaque and translucent fabrics. The combination of sheer and stiff materials with soft fabrics create new silhouettes will remind us of sailing to new worlds,” explains John Herrera.

In a nod to the Spanish colonial heritage, Herrera also enhanced the collection by integrating in the design elements of costume and fashion from the era of King Phillip of Spain, the monarch whom the country was named after. Hues of sepia and brown were combined in the digitally printed fabrics to infuse the feel and look of this historic time. 

“This is the second time that John Herrera has tapped Epson’s digital textile printing technologies to create a totally different concept in fashion and design, and we are very happy to collaborate with him once again.  As the brand ambassador of Epson Philippines’ Professional Printers Group, he has truly given us the world’s attention with his ingenious marriage of art and technology. This latest collection called “Armada” is John’s avant-garde take on our history and roots; a creation that we are confident will put the Philippines on the map once again,” said Ed Bonoan, Senior General Manager and Marketing Head, Epson Philippines.

Epson’s digital textile printing technology enables designers to achieve their artistic vision with advanced technology that understands the intricacies of fabric and design. With this innovation, world-class designers like John Herrera, have successfully translated their vision onto high quality digital textile prints driven by Epson’s PrecisionCore printhead technology, one of the fastest inkjet delivery technologies in the world. Its print nozzles deliver ultra-precise control of ink droplets for superior image sharpness across a wide range of ink and media, producing outstandingly vivid and unique prints.

The complete John Herrera Spring/Summer Collection will be globally showcased in London’s Fashion Scout in September 2017.

Classic and timeless love story, “Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag, The Musical” , a musical theater event not to be missed!

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In restless times like the one we are living through, “Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag, The Musical” resonates even more. “It shows that in the midst of the squalor, despair, and violence, pure love still exists like the one shared by Julio Madiaga and Ligaya Paraiso,” says award-winning auteur Joel Lamangan,  helming the stage musical version of the Edgardo Reyes novel which spawned the Lino Brocka classic film version that starred Bembol Roco and Hilda Koronel.

With timeless love story, great voices, resonant songs, fabulous dances and world class Filipino performers. Grand Leisure Corporation is set to make local musical theater history with the staging of the much-awaited “Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag, The Musical.”

Among his contemporaries, Lamangan is widely-regarded as the most adept social chronicler with films like “The Flor Contemplacion Story,” “Hubog,” “Bulaklak Ng Maynila” and others to his credit. All these films mirror some of society’s most chronic ills. Lamangan has vast experience as filmmaker and actor in film, television, and theater.

In 2013, Lamangan was named artistic director of Gantimpala Theater Foundation under which he directed the musical “Katipunan: Mga Anak ng Bayan.”

Presenting Full Cast and production heads of  “Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag, The Musical” during the media conference held at the Kia Theater, Cubao, Quezon City, August 29, 2017.

“Maynila… The Musical” was a brainchild of Lamangan and Gantimpala Theater Foundation. The 40-year old theater company founded by the late Philippine theater icon Tony Espejo, has the National Artists Production Series which aims to bring closer to theater aficionados the works of National Artists like Severino Montano, Nick Joaquin, Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero, and F. Sionil Jose. “’Maynila…’ was supposed to be the first movie by a National Artists for Film (Lino Brocka) to be part of the National Artists Production series.”

Based on the Edgardo Reyes novel and inspired by the Brocka film adaptation, the initial challenge for Lamangan and his artistic staff was to synthesize the prose into a two-act, two-hour play featuring soaring music and brilliantly choreographed dance routines. 

“Dapat ‘yung mga tauhan ay lumabas na mga tunay na taong may puso, kaluluwa, at damdamin na kumakanta at sumasayaw,” shares Lamangan. “Dapat na maramdaman ng mga manonood na nagkukuwento sila ng ukol sa kanilang mga agam-agam, hinaing, siphayo, at pangarap.”

Rita Daniela and Aicelle Santos as Perla

To realize his vision of a realistic depiction of the great, if doomed love story of Julio Madiaga and his inamorata Ligaya Paraiso, Lamangan gathered an artistic staff composed of people that he trusts can deliver the goods: Von De Guzman (Composer and Musical Director), Jose Victor Torres and Em Mendez (Libretto), Joey Nombres (Lights Designer), Douglas Nierras (Choreographer), and Jun Flavier Pablo (Production Design). Fullhouse Asia Production Studios, Inc. acts as line producer.

Composer and Musical Director Von De Guzman has collaborated with Lamangan in many of the latter’s film projects. He has done musicals meant for school productions but “Maynila…” will be his first mainstream musical of this scope. “Direk Joel wanted memorable melodies for the play,” relates De Guzman, “so the ballads will have the feel of a George Canseco and/or Willy Cruz composition, the fast numbers we have incorporated very Filipino elements of singkil, ati-atihan chants, mostly percussion-driven kind of music. And then we have the strains of kundiman in the other numbers.”

De Guzman adds, was to merge OPM romanticism with the orchestral power of a Stravinsky. De Guzman also utilized Filipino instruments that we seldom hear like the banduria.

The next step was to find powerful singers from the leads to the chorus. “They have to have lungs of steel,” notes De Guzman.

Actors Arman Ferrer, Sheila Valderrama-Martinez, and Lara Maigue easily fill the bill. Ferrer plays Julio Madiaga and sees the role as “a good learning experience, especially the parts where I have to dance.”

Valderrama-Martinez and Maigue are alternating as Ligaya Paraiso. “I was excited to join this production because I wanted to work with Joel Lamangan whom I’ve never worked with before,” says Valderrama-Martinez. Maigue is burning the midnight candles, so to speak, to bring justice to her interpretation of Ligaya Paraiso, a victim of circumstance. “I’ve been watching Hilda Koronel in the Brocka movie over and again and I’ve been talking to friends from UP where they worship before the shrine of ‘Maynila Sa Mga Kuko Ng Liwanag."

“Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag, The Musical” is a musical theater event that shouldn’t be missed and worth saving the ticket price for. “It’s a musical told from the point of view of the novelist,” says Lamangan. “It features wonderful composition from Von De Guzman, topnotch dance from Douglas Nierras, three-dimensional characters, heartfelt moments, stirring scenes meant to enthrall and entertain.”

Giving life to the other important characters in the musical are Floyd Tena (Pol), Noel Rayos (Atong), Rafa Seguion-Reyna and Joseph Puducay (Imo), Aicelle Santos and Rita Daniela (Perla), Jim Pebanco/ Joseph Billezar (Mr. Balajadia), Khalil Kaimo (Gido), Jeffrey Camanag (Omeng), Romcel Binquis (Benny), Randy Rey (Frank), and Dulce and Ima Castro alternating as Mrs. Cruz.

“Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag, The Musical” is made possible through the generous support of KIA Theater, Cibo, Epson, Erase Placenta, SvelT’I Health & Beauty Centre, and Mr. Swabergers.

Performances are set for September 30, 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. (gala), October 1, 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., October 4, 8:00 p.m., October 5, 8:00 p.m., October 6, 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., at the KIA Theatre -Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City.

For tickets (P1,590-P3,710), contact Bards Lapid at mobile number - 63917 8466704, landlines 632 897 7142, 890 0853, 890 6067 or visit TicketNet.com.ph - 9115555.

Get ready for Shopee 9.9 Mobile Shopping Day! The Biggest Mobile Shopping Day in Southeast Asia

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Shopee Kicks Off “Shopee 9.9 Mobile Shopping Day”, the biggest mobile shopping extravaganza will start on September 9.

Shopee, the leading eCommerce platform in Southeast Asia, today announced the start of its annual shopping event - Shopee 9.9 Mobile Shopping Day. 

Shopee will offer a wide range of promotions, including discounts of up to 99% off, top picks under P99, and flash sales. Shopee partners with more than 1,000 sellers, including leading brands such as Johnson & Johnson, Oppo, Lysol, Sandisk, Mustela, and Makeup World, to make 9.9 Mobile Shopping Day the biggest online shopping event of the year.

“Last year, our 9.9 Mobile Shopping Day successfully achieved a five-fold increase in orders and three-fold increase in traffic within 24 hours. This year, with over ₱50 million worth of marketing activities, we aim to increase traffic by five times and triple our sales. We look forward to having all users across the Philippines join us in the biggest sale of the year,” said Macy Castillo, Head of Commercial Business at Shopee.

Since its launch in 2015, Shopee has experienced significant growth across the region. To date, Shopee has surpassed USD 3 billion annualized GMV with over 50 million downloads and more than 100 active million listings. In the Philippines, Shopee has garnered more than 4 million downloads.

Based on a 2017 study by Google and Temasek, the Philippines’ e-commerce market is projected to reach $9.7 billion (₱498 billion) in 2025 and 34% annual growth rate, which is said to be above the global average growth rate.

Macy Castillo with Ina Raymundo at the Media Conference as Shopee Kicks Off “Shopee 9.9 Mobile Shopping Day” held at Manila House Private Club, Bonifacio Global City, August 23, 2017

“The Philippines is an important market for us given its immense potential. As we scale up our product selection to cater to a wider audience, we are pleased to have leading brands such as Johnson & Johnson and Lysol joining our 9.9 Mobile Shopping Day this year. This is a major milestone for us in establishing Shopee as a one-stop shopping destination for users to enjoy a wide variety of products. Together with our 9.9 Mobile Shopping Day partners, including PLDT and Coke, we are confident that this will be a record-breaking year for Shopee in the Philippines,” added Castillo.

Luigi Casas, AVP and Head of Corporate Relationship Management at PLDT Alpha Enterprise, said, “We are very excited and proud to partner Shopee Philippines. Their business platform contributes enormously to the retail industry, as well as the overall digital transformation of the country and our economy. Together, we aim to increase awareness on the benefits of eCommerce adoption and how it drives the country’s economic growth as we redefine the retail industry.“

Starting from 1 September, Shopee 9.9 Mobile Shopping Day will begin with daily deals up to 99% off across multiple categories, including fashion, health and beauty, gadgets and electronics, and home and baby products. Users can also enjoy daily giveaways on Shopee’s social media accounts.

“Looking ahead, the future of the Philippines’ e-commerce market is very promising. We are highly confident that 9.9 Mobile Shopping Day will continue to be celebrated as an iconic day that appeals to the needs of the increasing number of online shoppers in the country,” Castillo ended.

Join Shopee in celebrating 9.9 Mobile Shopping Day. 

Visit http://shopee.ph/99 and download the Shopee app via the App Store or Google Play.

Parents See Brighter Future For Their Kids With S.A.M.

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Parents are known to be a child’s first educators. Hence, it is only natural for them to only want the best for their kids. With the holistic development and character building promise of Seriously Addictive Math (S.A.M.), it is no doubt that it is fast becoming a parent’s preference in supplementing their kids’ capability in math. 

Through S.A.M.’s passion in inculcating the right attitudes like love for learning and discovery, discipline, and solving complex word problems, moms Sophia Ann Casipit and Virgilia Cañete narrated how S.A.M. satisfied their meticulous standards when it comes to choosing a learning center that will help their child overcome their math problems.

Before enrolling her 6 year old son in S.A.M., Casipit explained that her child feared mathematics and found it boring. “Seth didn’t want to think and analyse the questions whenever he had assignments and exams in school. But when I enrolled him in S.A.M., I was so happy because he told me that math was fun to learn. He also got so excited every time he would go to S.A.M.” She stressed that her son’s critical thinking and word problem analysis improved. Her son can now add and subtract faster. What’s more, he now loves multiplication, a topic which he totally hated in his third term in school.”

But S.A.M.’s efficiency is not just targeted towards honing a child’s mathematical capabilities. It is also adept in improving a child’s holistic development and character. This fact is also evident in Canete’s 10 year old son Gab who used to struggle in math.

Canete who enrolled her son in other tutorial centers before recounted: “Before S.A.M., I sent my son to a basic tutorial center which also taught Singapore math. But my son’s grade in math got worse so I stopped him from attending the sessions altogether. But when I transferred Gab to S.A.M., I saw a very big improvement with his math subject. I can now see that he is not struggling so much in answering his lessons especially in problem solving”. 

On S.A.M.’s learning methods, Casipit said “I love the worksheets on how colorful and illustrated it is. I also like the way it teaches Seth on how to analyze and comprehend the questions rather than just learning math thru repetition”.

On the other hand, Canete also observed that Gab also improved on his reading and problem analysis skills. She proudly added that Gab is now focusing on his lessons more. 

With the benefits her son is reaping under S.A.M., Canete said she would recommend S.A.M. to other parents whose kids are also encountering problems with math and their schoolwork, in general. Casipit, meanwhile, thanked S.A.M. for teaching her son, not just math, but also critical thinking and love for independence learning. 

She exclaimed: “I am thankful to S.A.M. for being my partner in teaching my son to look at math being my in a different perspective”.

With S.A.M.’s well-polished and well-researched educational framework plus well-trained tutors, parents who put their trust in S.A.M. can be assured that their children are not just being trained to be masterful in math but also to be achievers, in whatever path they take in the future.

To know more about S.A.M., you may visit their website at http://www.seriouslyaddictivemaths.com.ph 

www.seriouslyaddictivemaths.com.ph and https://www.facebook.com/SAM.SingaporeMath.Philippines

 or call 0977-8239910 | (02) 964 9759.

ABOUT S.A.M.:

Seriously Addictive Mathematics is an authentic Singapore math enrichment program, created and originated from Singapore. S.A.M’s award winning curriculum is modelled after the world-renowned Singapore Mathematics syllabus and pedagogy. Beyond traditional rote learning, drill and practice, we develop thinking and problem-solving skills such as Critical Thinking, Heuristics, Logical Reasoning, Metacognition, Concept Understanding, Modelling Techniques and Situational Word Problems. We have designed a Comprehensive Worksheets Program with over 30,000 pages of daily worksheets to compliment the Classroom experience. Our worksheets are designed to be self-learning and are ‘stepped up’ in terms of difficulty. These features make S.A.M worksheets very encouraging to students and hone their ability for self-learning.