Visa Launches interactive play “Lukot-lukot, Bilog-bilog” and uses National Heroes to provide Financial Education to young Filipinos

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International digital payment provider Visa launched Lukot-lukot, Bilog-bilog (Crumpled, Round), an interactive play featuring national heroes, developed with Tanghalang Pilipino (TP), the resident drama company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) designed to educate and empower the Filipino youth to make informed financial decisions. 

This is the first program of its kind launched by Visa in the Philippines in support of the government’s National Strategy for Financial Inclusion spearheaded by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Lukot-lukot, Bilog-bilog will showcase common scenarios faced by a Filipina senior high school student protagonist named Gwyneth who is challenged to make decisions between her needs and wants. Native Filipino heroes such as Jose Rizal and Apolinario Mabini will also ‘come alive’ from the crumpled bills and rounded coins to help the main character make wise decisions.

Starting October, the show will be performed in close to 10 different schools to make financial literacy education more accessible to the students. This program is aligned with the government’s National Strategy for Financial Inclusion, in particular, the pillar on financial education and consumer protection. 

The launch also included a panel discussion on the importance of financial literacy in the Philippines, including panelists such as Dan Wolbert, Visa Philippines Head of Sales, Pia Roman-Tayug, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Head of Inclusive Finance Advocacy, Nanding Josef, Tanghalang Pilipino Artistic Director, and Patricia Feria-Lim, Teach for the Philippines Chief Strategy Officer.

“At Visa, we strongly believe in the importance of financial literacy and it is a key area of focus as part of our corporate social responsibility efforts. Hence, with the support of BSP, we created this financial literacy program and interactive play through Lukot-lukot, Bilog-bilog where the Filipino youth can relate to various scenarios on making money management decisions. With millennials forming a large population in the Philippines, we believe it is crucial to spread the knowledge of how to manage their money at a young age, and to highlight the importance of making smart monetary decisions,” said Stuart Tomlinson, Visa Country Manager for the Philippines and Guam. 

“We believe that financial education should be introduced to learners early on, especially key concepts including budgeting, investing, and setting financial goals. Innovative approach such as blending education and art are most welcome and can help the existing programs of the government. This is a tangible support from the private sector of the objectives of the NSFI, particularly the pillars on financial education and consumer protection,” says Pia. 

Nanding Josef, Tanghalang Pilipino Artistic Director

“The informative and interactive performances will stimulate creativity and challenge its audience on their perception of money,” says Nanding Josef, Tanghalang Pilipino Artistic Director. 

With the creative direction of TP, the play will spark critical thinking in these youths on the value of money. “By presenting economic concepts in realistic and entertaining situations, we hope that audiences will find it easier to apply their learnings in their daily lives,” added Nanding. 

Visa’s financial literacy initiative also aims to reach out to students under Teach for the Philippines, a program Visa has been actively involved with previously. 

"Experiential learning has been proven to be an effective method for encouraging mastery and understanding. At Teach for the Philippines, we believe that programs which incorporate financial literacy and theater arts in academics develop the critical life skills of our learners. We look forward to a continued partnership with Visa Philippines, BSP, and Tanghalang Pilipino to bring our learners closer to their full potential and enable them to contribute meaningfully to nation building," said Patricia. 

“We want to secure the future of the Filipino youth and are committed to forging the path to financial literacy and inclusion. We envision the program to reach more students throughout the country in the coming years,” added Stu.

For more updates and information, visit www.visa.com.ph , http://visaapnews.asia/ and @VisaNews

World Vision and DOH partner to strengthen implementation of Philippine Milk Code

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Carleneth San Valentin, World Vision Health and Nutrition Technical Manager 

The international humanitarian organization World Vision and the Department of Health signed a memorandum of agreement that formalized their partnership in the Mother-Baby Friendly Philippines (MBFP) project. The Ceremonial Contract Signing, World Vision aims to strengthen the monitoring and compliance to Executive Order 51 (Philippine Milk Code of 1986) by officially launching reporting channels in partnership with Department of Health.

This October 6, 2017 held at Luxent Hotel, Quezon City,  the simple ceremony were attended by DOH Sec. Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial, DOH undersecretaries and assistant secretaries, World Vision National Director Rommel Fuertes and World Vision Health and Nutrition Technical Manager Carleneth San Valentin. The local chief executives of the project’s pilot sites – Malabon, Manila, and Quezon City – also graced the event with their presence.

World Vision launched the Crowd-Based Monitoring of Milk Code Compliance (CMMCC) project, otherwise known as Mother-Baby Friendly Philippines last November 2016. 

The project aims to improve the implementation of Executive Order (EO) 51, also known as the Philippine Milk Code of 1986, and its revised Implementing Rules and Regulations and Republic Act (RA) No. 10028, by encouraging crowd-sourced monitoring and by developing reporting channels where the public can report non-compliance to the mentioned laws.

EO 51 seeks to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding, and to regulate the marketing of breast milk substitutes, breast milk supplements, and other related products. RA No. 10028 or the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009, on the other hand, aims to uphold breastfeeding in the workplace by requiring companies and establishments to put up lactation stations and to provide breastfeeding breaks to lactating moms.

The MBFP project committee, recognizing accessibility as a necessity in achieving its goal, officially launched three new reporting channels for the public: 

• Mother-Baby Friendly Philippines website
• Mother-Baby Friendly Philippines mobile application
• Mother-Baby Friendly Philippines SMS or texting mechanism

As a breastfeeding advocate, World Vision supports and promotes exclusive breastfeeding (a steady diet of breast milk only) for the first six months of an infant’s life, and then continued breastfeeding with complementary food until the child reaches at least two years of age, to ensure healthy growth and development.

Turn On as Star World Rebrands to FOX life

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FOX Networks Group Asia’s (FNGA) popular StarWorld rebrands as FOX life, becoming a truly global brand. The new look – unveiled on October 1 2017, incorporates a new name, identity, brand tagline and logo designed to deliver an innovative, entertaining and commercial channel brand, with a programming mix designed to appeal to a broad cross section of females and to provide co-viewing opportunities.

Since launching StarWorld in 1995, FNGA has been committed to its mission of providing the very best of entertainment in the region and providing audiences with exclusive access to premium dramas, comedy, reality TV shows, global award shows and exciting original productions. 

As a sub brand of our bigger FOX entertainment brand, FOX life will deliver audiences a slate of watch-together content that includes an eclectic mix of US dramas and comedies including Empire, New Girl and Grey’s Anatomy and locally produced series, including Asia’s Next Top Model and Bolt of Talent as well as US awards shows such as The Emmy Awards among many other popular shows such as Masterchef US. The name change will be supported with fresh, new graphics, an exciting on air and digital look and the catchy new tagline: Turn On, delivering a premium channel and natural evolution from the StarWorld consumers know to FOX Life, a brand with global scale.

In celebration of the rebrand and amplifying the new Turn On tagline, Fox life will launch an exciting regional social media campaign, incorporating digital ads and a competition aimed at engaging with Fox life fans.

On the rebrand, Dean Dezius, Vice President, Entertainment Channels, Content and Communication said – 

“We are operating in a very competitive market and it is important that our channel along with every part of our entertainment output evolves and innovates to keep pace with our audience. The change to FOX Life bolsters the FNGA portfolio and matures the brand, allowing for future growth in the rapidly changing media landscape. 

We have incredibly strong content coming through over the next year, and our mission will be to ensure the content is linked to FOX Life and the global FNGA brand encouraging a re-appraisal of the brand. The new brand will promote our desired state of high quality entertainment across various genres across the region.”

Christmas Comes Early Sale at Digital Walker

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Hey tech crazy fans, tech junkies and techie-at-heart ! Get ready to shop till you drop with up to 70% off on premium gadgets and accessories.

Now on its second year, the much-anticipated sale happening at SM Megamall Megatrade Hall 3 from October 6-8, 2017 brings holiday cheer by providing awesome steals for its customers ahead of the yuletide season – with discounts up to 70% off!

The Digital Walker Christmas Comes Early Sale has everything in store for the techie at heart — from car accessories and headphones, to speakers and power banks.

Here are the 12 deals to look forward to this year:

Car accessories

A phone accessory like the MagicMount from Scosche is a godsend for every city driver, whether they need to navigate traffic, take a hands-free phone call, or even enjoy the roadside selfie. MagicMount is an award-winning magnetic mounting system for smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices on different surfaces, with a 360-degree design.

For cameras, RoadEyes recSMART offers more than the usual dash camera. With a built-in GPS, Wi-Fi and wide angle camera, RoadEyes recSMART seamlessly connects to smartphones and records driving journeys in full high 2K definition, as soon as the engine is turned on. It has a 140 ̊ viewing angle for maximum visibility, capturing a wide view of roads, events and landscapes, and takes both photos and videos simultaneously and saves them in the micro-SD card.

Headphones

This year, headphone fans will get a kick out of Digital Walker’s offerings, with deals on headphones suited to each lifestyle and preference.

If you’re looking for a sleek, compact and inexpensive headphone, Urbanears Plattan lets you listen to music fashionably. It comes in a vast array of color options and will work with music phones thanks to an integrated mic and call answer button.

Motorola Verve Loop+ redefines wireless listening, with a Bluetooth range of about 150 feet. These wireless stereo earbuds are super light, perfect for high impact activities, and are IP57 water and sweat proof to hold strong during your most intense workouts – indoors or outside.

This year, Coloud provides great steals for two of their headphones: Knock and Pop. For those who don’t like the discomfort earbuds provide will enjoy Knock, an ultra-lightweight headphone that’s ergonomically designed to provide non-stop comfort while listening to your favorite tunes.

Meanwhile, those concerned with uninterrupted listening ought to check Pop, a highly durable headphone that you can bring with you wherever to go. Its direct sound and powerful bass cancels noise around you, allowing you to focus on your music. The angled ear buds are ergonomically designed to give you a better in-ear fit, and comes with S, M and L replacement caps.

Those serious about their music, concerned with with every speck of detail and precision will love Audiofly, headphones perfected for musicians by musicians. The Audiofly earphones are designed to fit the true audiophile’s lifestyle with a deep love for music, and go beyond just “looking cool”, with crystal clear, rich sound enclosed in vintage-inspired designs.

Speakers

Portable speakers just won’t do these days. The speakers at Digital Walker offer exceptional portability, along with a host of other features.

Scosche’s BoomBottle is a rugged waterproof wireless speaker that lets you bring it just about wherever. It incudes two 50mm high quality speakers, dual pairing for a robust sound, switchable indoor-outdoor equalization and an internal power bank that lets you recharge your mobile devices.

Those looking for versatility ought to look at Coloud’s The Bang, a portable mini speaker designed to let you listen to your music out loud wherever you are, with a daisy chain jack that creates the multiple speaker sound effect.

Outdoorsy, athletic types who insist on bringing their soundtracks on their adventures better check out the Braven BRV-Pro, a quality portable Bluetooth speaker that is waterproof and compatible with multiple accessories such as GoPro mounts.

Power banks

Ye!! offers great deals for power banks. Those looking for versatility might like the Bubble, a power bank and portable bluetooth speaker in one. Play music through pairing with Bluetooth, or by connecting line-in, with up to 20 hours of continuous playback time. It also has a built-in 2,800 mAh external power bank with a LED indicator.

The Energy Pack power bank comes in a stylish design with a lightning-quick charging speed, smart power detection, and multiple safety protection. Shake it to check the battery status!

For more information, follow Digital Walker on Facebook or on Instagram and Twitter @digitalwalkerph

Talk2 launches Balik-Bayan, Balik-Saya Promo, aims to give a grand homecoming to OFWs this Christmas season

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Christmas is the longest holiday in the Philippines - beginning in September and stretching until January of the next year. But the Filipinos’ fascination with Christmas does not start and end on the delicious smell of puto bungbong on simbang gabi, or the piles of gifts sitting under the Christmas tree. To many Filipino families, this season signifies the homecoming of their loved ones working in other parts of the world.

The promise of a grand homecoming this Christmas awaits our hardworking kababayans abroad as Talk2, a communication app developed by Voyager Innovations, launches its Balik-Bayan, Balik-Saya promo.

From September to December 14, 2017, OFWs and their loved ones back home can get a chance to win the ultimate pamasko from Talk2 - a BalikBayan travel package within the country, or a flashy, new iPhone 7 unit.

To join the promo, the OFW must download the Talk2 app, register by texting JOIN <space>Complete Name/Gender/Age/Complete Address to 82552 using the Talk2 app, and wait for the raffle confirmation from the said mobile number.

“We are delighted to offer this Christmas gift to our users all over the world. This is, of course, Talk2’s way of showing appreciation for the hard work and contributions of our modern day heroes to their families, and the entire country. With this, we hope more family members and friends would encourage their OFW loved ones to join this promo and get a chance to win these exciting prizes.” Heidi Garayblas, Head of Integrated Marketing and Communications at hatch, the digital customer engagement arm of Voyager.

Talk2 is one of the many digital and mobile platforms being offered by hatch to millions of Filipino users nationwide. It is an app that allows Filipinos to communicate with their loved ones working abroad at local rates.

By downloading the app and purchasing at least one Talk2 call/text package, the user residing abroad automatically gets a Philippine mobile number so that their friends and family back home can call and text them as if they never left. This means that their loved ones in the Philippines do not need to own a smartphone or connect to the internet in order to reach them, and OFWs can easily contact them at the most affordable rates.

More than just providing an affordable, reliable, and convenient means of communication to its users, Talk2 is all about bridging the distance between our hardworking kababayans abroad and their loved ones in the Philippines - giving them the “Kwentuhang Parang Nasa Pinas Lang” experience.

In fact, Talk2 has enabled closer connections and digital experiences among over a million families in the Philippines and their loved ones abroad.

Android users can easily download Talk2 from the Google Play Store, while iOS users can download the app from the App store. Upon downloading the app, all users need to do is sign-up using their mobile number to use Talk2.

Talk2 is one of the many digital products fuelled by Voyager Innovations. Voyager seeks to develop the products that will accelerate the digital transformation of Filipino consumers and enterprises. Key to this transformation is the communication space, which Talk2 is seeking to redefine.

Download the Talk2 app now at http://htch.ph/talk2android for Android and http://htch.ph/talk2ios for iOS.