FILIPINA SINGER MARIA LAROCO LOCKS IN A SEAT ON THE SIX CHAIR ROUND OF THE X FACTOR UK

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It was like an X Factor UK version of musical chairs before Judge Simon Cowell identified his final six for the girls category on the fifth week of the reality singing competition.

The X Factor UK is now on the six chair challenge round where contestants are narrowed down to six acts for every category to move forward on the competition. This round started with the Girls category under the mentoring of judge Simon Cowell.

The 15 girls who passed the judges deliberation were called one by one to perform again for Simon to decide who gets a chair.

Maria Laroco was the fifth performer to be called, before she sang Whitney Houston’s Queen of the Night, Simon asked if she can cope with the pressure despite being only 17 years old.

“Well, I’m really nervous but I can do this!” Maria responded.

During her performance, Maria clearly impressed Simon Cowell when she sang the high notes of the song with no hesitation, the camera caught the judge’s reaction where his lips said “wow!”

After her song number, Maria got praised by judge Robbie “You’ve got a huge personality, a huge voice, you’re incredible, baby!” He said.

Simon then made her take the next available seat however it was not guaranteed until everyone has finished performing.

After a couple of performances, Simon then asked the 23-year-old Jennifer Owens to take the young singer’s seat, supposedly eliminating her from this round. The audience were clearly not pleased and have started booing Simon, demanding to bring Maria back.

Judge Robbie Williams also expressed his disapproval by telling Simon “I don’t understand.” Simon then asked Maria to come back on stage and traded another contestant’s seat.

When the rest of the girls started performing, it got more difficult for the Girls category mentor to decide. Down to the last act, Simon opted to give contestant Scarlet Lee a seat which prompted him to ask for a sing-off between Maria and another competitor Georgia Burgess. Belting out their audition pieces, Simon decided to keep them both and let go of Jennifer Owens who initially took Maria’s chair.

Maria Laroco now moves on to the next round of The X Factor UK.

The X Factor UK airs first and exclusive, same day as the UK on Blue Ant Entertainment every Sunday and Monday at 7:55 PM. Blue Ant Entertainment is available on SKYcable channels 53(SD) and 196(HD), SKYdirect channel 35, Destiny Cable channel 53, and Cablelink channels 37(SD) and 313(HD).

Miranda powers way to double podium finish at Asian Formula Renault finale

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Eurasia Motorsport driver Daniel Miranda capped off a stellar debut season in Asian Formula Renault (AFR) by scoring two podium finishes from two starts at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) last September 28-30.

“It wasn't an easy journey for me moving from the Vios Cup into single seaters,” said Miranda. “But every race and every time I was on track, I got quicker and quicker. I'm really happy I ended 2018 with a double podium which made my team and family really happy as well. I would like to thank God for keeping me safe this whole season. Thank you to my family, my sponsor Cebuana Lhuillier, my team and mechanics at Eurasia, and everyone involved for making this possible.”

“I would like to congratulate Daniel for giving glory to the country.  It’s a very impressive accomplishment given that he’s a rookie. I expect him to do even better in his next races and Cebuana Lhuillier and I will be here to support him, said long-time Philippine sports patron and Cebuana Lhillier president and CEO, Jean Henri Lhuillier.” 

Daniel Miranda scores back-to-back podium finish in Sepang to cap off a stellar rookie season in Asia Formula Renault

Miranda qualified P4 and had a great start to shoot up to P2 on the run to the first corner. Unfortunately, he couldn't hold onto the position and slid back to P3. He spent the next 15 laps to defend his spot and took the chequered flag in 3^rd place.

Miranda carried this momentum into Race 2 to once again finish 3^rd.

“I'm very proud of his accomplishments this year. We started the year thinking that a top eight finish would be fine, but Daniel surprised us with podiums in Shanghai and Sepang, which are some of the most difficult tracks in the calendar. With a season under his belt, I expect him to contend in every race next year, said driver coach and manager Roland Hermoso.”

Your child’s home away from home

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Nowadays, parents understand that one of the keys to their children’s success is finding the best institution where their kids can receive high-quality education and the perfect environment where they can thrive to become the best that they can be. In Quezon City, they can enjoy the best of everything for their children – from exciting lifestyle hubs and premier universities, to a safe and convenient community for them to live in.

Families interested in sending their kids to prestigious academic institutions in Quezon City can come home to the flagship project of Primehomes, LAROSSA. Located in Capitol Hills Drive, LAROSSA is the ideal residential enclave that offers urban botanical living that is conducive to learning.

Primehomes brings Larossa, the perfect student-friendly environment at the heart of Capitol Hills

Living in LAROSSA

The Garden Row, Larossa’s Phase 1, features three 10-storey medium-rise buildings – named as Camia, Magnolia, and Sampaguita. Camia Tower is now completed and ready for occupancy (RFO) while Magnolia and Sampaguita Towers are soon to be completed.

Each building provides spacious rooms where occupants can arrange their own sanctuaries. In Camia and Sampaguita, they can choose from one-bedroom, studio, and studio premiere units; while in Magnolia, families have the option to join units for a bigger space to suit their needs. The rooms are also designed with low density floors which make for a less cramped living area.

Families residing in LAROSSA are assured of their kids’ safety as the entire property is securely gated and guarded 24 hours a day. There is an accessible clubhouse which doubles as a study area with its quiet and well-lit surroundings. The inviting atmosphere also promotes a healthy lifestyle where students can maintain their fitness by jogging or biking around the wide community grounds.

Center for the best lifestyle activities

LAROSSA also makes sure that busy and hardworking students can live a balanced life as it is conveniently located at the center of everything that they need. Those who are studying in Ateneo de Manila University, University of the Philippines, Miriam College, and other nearby schools can find a relaxing escape in the property’s welcoming and peaceful environment.

Shopping malls, weekend markets, recreational parks, fitness centers, restaurants and cafes are also abundant in the city and students living in LAROSSA are just a stone’s throw away from these popular lifestyle destinations. It also provides access to other dining and commercial districts in the city – such as Maginhawa Street, Congressional Street, and Katipunan Avenue – so residents can have everything within their reach.

Investing in a LAROSSA property will be the best decision any parent can make. From getting the best education to leading a comfortable lifestyle, LAROSSA is the ideal neighborhood to live in.

PRIMEHOMES is a comprehensive real estate development enterprise, dedicated to building quality homes in harmony with nature and today's fast-paced lifestyle. The company utilizes progressive design, concepts and approaches to create not just homes, but communities that nurture nature, cultivate vision, and inspire innovation.   

Max's Group's Edgardo S. Trota Foundation Champions Education For The Youth

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“Education is not just about making people literate. It is about helping the youth find out the reason behind everything through the knowledge they gain,” shares Althea Silvestre, one of the many graduates who benefitted from a scholarship grant by Max’s Group’s Edgardo S. Trota Memorial Foundation, Inc. (ESTMFI).

Driven by the values of Edgardo S. Trota, former President of Max’s Restaurant, who believed in the importance of the youth finishing school, the ESTMFI scholarship is MGI’s way of making sure that every child gets a chance to graduate and succeed—as seen through Althea’s stories and of other numerous beneficiaries who, with the help of the foundation, are now working in different industries.

IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH EDUCATION

Althea now puts her Accountancy degree to good use in Max’s Group. With her dad being a waiter of Max’s Luisita Tarlac, Althea can’t thank the foundation and the group enough for all its help in securing the kind of opportunity she and her family dreamed of.

“All I have is a grateful heart for Max's Group,” she remarks. “The scholarship was a great blessing to me and to my whole family. I can’t thank them enough for bringing me to where I am today. I pray that this foundation continues to touch more lives and be an instrument to help more young individuals achieve their dreams.”

ESTMFI was established in 2000 to support and provide opportunities to improve the standard of living of indigent school children, and urban and rural poor communities through various projects and programs. Inspired by Max’s Restaurant’s founder Maximo Gimenez who himself was a scholar at Stanford, the foundation decided to make education a part of its Corporate Sustainability, Synergies, and Relationships (CSSR) initiatives.

UNDERSTANDING THE VALUE OF LEARNING

Having recently celebrated her first anniversary working as a Credit and Collection Associate in the Accounting Department of MGI, Althea remains hopeful that her career will flourish thanks to the guidance and support given by the scholarship.

“Max's has been so generous for extending my opportunity to work in their company. My career is proof that the foundation creates a huge impact in the lives of young individuals by helping them attain education, which I believe, is essential to achieving one's goal,” Althea explains.

When asked about what advice she has for her fellow scholars, Althea has this to say: “Take advantage of every opportunity to achieve your dream. Realize that success requires hard work, dedication and sacrifice. Do not stop to learn. Because through learning, you will know how to really value life and the people that will help you make it to the top.”

GIVING MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO THE YOUTH

In pursuit of providing opportunities to the young, deserving Filipino youth, ESTMFI recently awarded scholarships to 80 exemplary students across elementary, high school, and college levels for the school year 2019-2020.

From numerous submissions received from different parts of the this year, 22 from elementary, 37 from junior high school, 12 from senior high school, and 9 from college were awarded scholarships and will each receive tuition fee assistance and monthly allowance for one school year.

“ESTMFI’s biggest achievement is to see our scholars graduate and succeed,” Carolyn Trota-Salud, President of ESTMFI and Director of Max’s Group, Inc. said. “We strive to be a company that not only builds loved brands, but also an institution that helps build a bright future for hardworking, deserving Filipino youth.”

Why Clean Water is Necessary for Postnatal Care

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A woman who has just given birth needs to drink more water than her regular intake to safeguard her and her newborn’s health. More importantly, she must make sure that the water she drinks is absolutely clean and potable for proper hydration. 

Dr. Mary Anne Ilao, chairman of the Department of Newborn Medicine of Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, emphasized the importance of hydration during pregnancy and after delivery to avoid health implications and difficulties. The need for clean drinking water is more necessary for postnatal care as mothers undergo physiological recovery while taking care of their newborn babies at the same time. 

Dr. Ilao, who is also the coordinator of the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) ward at Fabella Hospital, says that the lack of water, or drinking contaminated water, may cause illnesses like diarrhea and UTI. These are the types of illnesses that will force the mother to take in medicine. Chemicals from the medicine, she says, may be transferred to the baby through the mother’s breastmilk. 

Aside from hydration, it is also important for mothers to know the right amount of water to drink to help in the production of breastmilk. Water intake must be increased during humid days when the body naturally demands for better hydration. 

To help promote proper hydration and overall health for mothers and their babies during postnatal care, Absolute Distilled Drinking Water provided wellness bags to mothers in the Fabella Hospital’s maternity wards. The hospital is only one of more than 40 hospitals in GMA, Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, Pampanga, and Cebu who are beneficiaries of the same advocacy in celebration of Absolute’s 4th Mommy Welfare Month. 

The Absolute Mommy Welfare Month is a program of Absolute Distilled Drinking Water that focuses on supporting first-time mothers and their newborns as they go through postnatal care and wellness. Through this advocacy, mother and child are given access to safe, pure, and 100% distilled water. 

“The brand Absolute advocates pure love between a mother and her child. Absolute wants mothers to know how much they are valued and how their well-being is just as important as caring for their little ones. When mothers are well taken care of, they develop a bigger capacity to love and to nurture, which are the strong foundations of a beautiful and enriching motherhood.” 

says Alveen Ramos, Absolute Brand Manager

Absolute Distilled Drinking Water goes through a high-quality distillation process certified by the National Sanitation Foundation International; and, a member of the International Bottled Water Association that ensures compliance among bottled water makers around the world. With this, it sure will give new mothers the peace of mind that they made the best choice to guarantee their newborns’ right nutrition. 

The Absolute Mommy Welfare Month focuses on the wellness of first-time mothers by addressing key issues on infant development, after-birth physical recovery, and postpartum conditions. Photo shows Absolute Brand Manager handing over a wellness bag to one of the new mothers in Fabella Hospital. 

For these mothers, taking care of the baby should never be compromised. Absolute visited them as a show of support, providing wellness bags in celebration of the Absolute Mommy Wellness Month.