7 Ways to Make Mother’s Day So Much More Special Express your love for mom even while staying home!

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Celebrating Mother’s Day will be a little different this year. But it remains as meaningful as ever because we’re paying tribute to the most special woman in our lives—our moms.

As we celebrate this special day at home, we can still make Mama’s special day remarkable by adding a dash of creativity and resourcefulness to the mix. From serving up the ultimate breakfast in bed to turning your bathroom into a day spa for some much-deserved ‘me’ time for mom, here are seven ways to make Mother’s Day so much more unforgettable even while in quarantine.

Start her day with beakfast in bed

Show up in her bedroom carrying a tray full of her breakfast favorites. But before you do that, make sure you’ve got everything-- bread, eggs, coffee, and some flowers on the side! Luckily, SMDC residents are just an elevator away from supermarkets so whipping up some of her morning favorites is so easy.

She binge-watches, you clean

Let mom binge-watch the latest Netflix shows with her favorite snacks on the side while you clean the house. Make up for those times that she cleaned up after you. After all, helping do the chores is counted as a gift, right?

DIY a sundae bar

These past few days have been extremely hot so why not hold an ice cream party for your mom? Residents across SMDC residences don’t need to worry about their ice cream melting on their way home as convenience stores such as Alfamart are just a few minutes away from their units. So stock up on candies, toppings, and of course, mom’s favorite ice cream flavor, and create a sundae for her.

Do the laundry

Moms usually do the laundry for us. Give her time off from the washing machine by taking on the task! But you don’t know how to do the laundry, you say? Take it to the laundromat! For SMDC residents, doing the laundry is easy as they can bring their laundry to the laundromat downstairs and spend more time with mom!

Cook her favorite dish

Unleash your inner cooking diva as you create mom’s favorite dish for lunch. Get the freshest produce from the nearest supermarket, or, if you live in an SMDC property in the MOA complex, through The Good Guys Market. Check out SMDC’s Facebook page for easy-to-prepare dishes that you can whip up for your mom.

Have a cake delivered to her

Whether you are with your mom or not, you can have a cake delivered to her on her special day. With bakeshops open around SMDC residences, getting a box of Black Forest or Sansrival delivered to her is a piece of cake!

Pamper her in your home spa

Our moms are in desperate need of quality R&R so consider creating a DIY spa at home for her to relax after a long day. Draw her a detoxifying bath infused with sea salt, lavender, and chamomile and let her soak away the stress. After her relaxing bath, she can take care of her peepers with hydrating eye masks. Then you can cap it by touching up her nails and giving her a hand massage using a moisturizing hand cream. Fortunately for SMDC residents, they can get these materials in no time as personal care stores such as Watsons remain open in their vicinity.

Whatever you choose to do for your mom on Mother’s Day, she will surely be happy with it. Because at the end of the day, the most important thing is that you showed your appreciation, gratitude, and love to her.

Five Mother’s Day gifts you can easily get online even while you're staying at home

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It's Mother’s Day  and while we're all on stay-at-home quarantine mode, it’s still more than possible to make your mom feel special on the day of the year that’s just for her! 

With many businesses now opening online stores with delivery and cashless payments options, finding a good gift for your mom should be a breeze. 

Here are some hassle-free gift ideas: 

1. For the movie junkie mom 

If your mom loves movies, why not give her access to all her favorite films and series with a Netflix subscription? You can even set up a movie night for the entire family complete with your go-to snacks. 

Subscribing to Netflix with your PayMaya virtual or physical card is easy. Buying snacks online at supermarkets like Landers and Super8 is also convenient, now that you can pay by simply keying in the mobile number linked to your PayMaya account. You can even score up to 100% Balik Bayad for your purchases!

2. For the mom who’s the senti type 

If you’re feeling a little crafty, you can also create a scrapbook for your mom. Compile photos of your favorite moments together as well as little memorabilia like theme park tickets, and use materials that are readily available at home. Include heartfelt letters from the entire family and get ready for some happy tears from your senti mom. 

If you don’t have art materials available, you can easily order them via National Bookstore at Lazada and pay with your PayMaya account. 

3. For the foodie mom 

What better way to spend a Mother’s Day than with the people she loves most? Plan a nice and warm Sunday meal with the whole family at home, and take the pressure off her hands by having her favorite food delivered. What’s even better is you can order food online at a PayMaya partner restaurant like McDonald's, Goldilocks, Army Navy, Shakey's, Red Ribbon, Chowking, Burger King, Domino's Pizza, Sariwon Korean Barbecue, Soban K-Town Grill, and Sibyullee Unlimited Korean BBQ, and pay using your phone number for up to 100% Balik Bayad! 

4. For the mom who’s practical 

One great way to show your love for your mom who keeps the house together is by helping out with the household expenses. Take care of groceries by ordering online, and settle her bills for her, all with the help of your PayMaya. You can even get P100 Balik Bayad when you pay a PLDT bill worth at least P1,000 this month, as well as P50 Balik Bayad for Smart and Sun postpaid bills. 

5. For the extroverted mom 

Does your mom miss all her friends and relatives? How about setting up one big video call with the whole family to greet her and her fellow moms a happy Mother’s Day? You can make sure you stay connected by buying data packages for your and the rest of her friends at discounted rates through the PayMaya app! 

This Mother's Day, let PayMaya’s help you show just how much you love your mom at the safety and comfort of your own home. 

If you don’t have your own PayMaya account yet, it’s easy to sign up in time for Mother’s Day! Just download the PayMaya app for Android or iOS, register your own account, and start shopping with the fastest, safest, most rewarding, and hassle-free way to pay for anything both online and in-stores! 

Better yet, teach your mom how to set up her own PayMaya account by checking out paymaya.com/quick-guide. 

For more details on the awesome PayMaya promos you can enjoy, check out paymaya.com/deals. 

Don’t forget to follow @PayMayaOfficial on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more news and updates! 

PayMaya is the only end-to-end digital payments ecosystem enabler in the Philippines with platforms and services that cuts across consumers, merchants, and government. Aside from providing the payments acceptance for the largest e-Commerce, food, retail and gas merchants in the Philippines, PayMaya is enabling national and social services agencies as well as local government units with digital payments and disbursement services. 

Through its PayMaya app and wallet, it is providing millions of Filipinos with the fastest way to own a financial account with over 40,000 Add Money touchpoints nationwide, more than double the total number of traditional bank branches in the Philippines combined. 

She Didn’t Give Up on Mayor Isko

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Happy Mother’s Day!

As the old adage goes, “Behind every great man there’s a great woman.” Mayor Francisco Domagoso or simply YORME, shares his heartwarming Mother’s Day message to a great woman behind his great success and to all the Filipino MOMS – the Real VIPs!

Watch the full video at https://bit.ly/35O5F3S

As the elected City Mayor of Manila, endearingly called by most Filipinos as Yorme, he never wavered amidst adversities hurled at him for taking several steps in making a better version of the city he fondly calls his home and crowning glory. 

On this special occasion, Yorme encourages all Filipino moms to be stronger for their families while consciously maintaining a healthy work-life balance and to continue their selfless dedication amidst the uncertainties of this pandemic war - “Believe in yourself! You’ve got nothing to lose.” 

How about making your mom feel that she’s the real VIP today? Discover a natural female hair loss treatment at https://bit.ly/2SjZ9wc

Formulated with 19 of nature’s finest ingredients, NOVUHAIR® offers a natural hair loss solution that helps address the early warning signs especially for those in search of a natural alopecia treatment - nothing doubtful compared to home remedies for hair loss, nothing worrisome versus chemical-based treatments and nothing disadvantageous unlike most instant fiber hair loss solutions that provide temporary baldness cures. 

Find out more at www.novuhair.com

#NothingToLoseNovuhair #ChooseNatural #NovuhairCares #NovuhairVIPmoms

How to #COVID19-proof your finances

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As the enhanced community quarantine is scheduled to end on May 15, it is expected that there will be a limited return to normal activities. It means some people will be going back to work and public transportation will also be allowed--also in a limited manner. That said, hard to say that life will go back to the way things used to be in the immediate future.

One of the pressing concerns will be the country’s economic position. Since economic activities are not back to normal yet, it’s expected that the global and national economies will go through a slowdown, if not a recession. This will naturally affect everyone -- from businessmen to workers and consumers. The question in the minds of many is how should people cope with this situation?

According to Fitz Villafuerte, a registered financial planner, the first thing people need to do is have the proper mindset to help them see see the situation clearly, accept reality, and respond in the right way. 

“The best mindset in dealing with these uncertain times is that of a Stoic,” Villafuerte said. The Stoics are ancient Greek philosophers who taught people the proper way to think and live life. 

“One of the basic tenets of Stoicism is drawing a line between the things we can control and the things we cannot control. We don't have much control over the global and local economy. There are so many factors at play that affect it,” he said.

Since economic movement is beyond everyone’s control, Villafuerte said it’s better to focus on the things that people have control over.

“We have a lot of control over our personal economy -- our cash flow is most affected by our own decisions, actions, and habits. It’s important to be aware of what’s happening but at the end of the day, we should remain focused on our personal finance because that’s where we have control,” Villafuerte explained.

Villafuerte shared five tips to put personal finances in order during the pandemic:

List down your expenses. Live simply and spend wisely. Study how you are spending your money during these financially constrained times. Adjust your spending by living a simpler lifestyle and be strict on spending mostly on your needs. 

Spending on your needs is the priority, of course. However, that doesn’t mean you should give up on some of the wants that make you happy. Just be sure that when you buy certain wants, these are still within your set budget and will not compromise your needs. 

“As long as you are able to save, then just continue your habit. But if you're up for a challenge, then see how you can increase your monthly savings rate when things start to go back to normal. If you're not a saver before, then it's a good time to learn practical saving strategies such as the concept of paying yourself first, and applying it as soon as you can,” he said.

Explore and learn mobile and online banking, digital banking, and digital wallets. 

With public transportation either non-existent or few in number, and business operations still limited, it’s better to switch to online and digital transactions. Not only is this more convenient, it also achieves physical distancing to lessen exposure to the coronavirus. 

Clean your house. Use up the time at home to organize your house. Group your household items into four categories:

Keep, Sell, Donate, and Throw. Doing this helps practice your mind to be more organized, free of clutter, and able to prioritize what’s most important. Do this same checking and organizing with your financial and legal documents. 

Define, revisit, and reassess your financial goals. The COVID-19 pandemic is going to change our world in the short, medium, and long-term. This means that our financial goals will also have to be adjusted. It’s a good time to re-think them now and plan accordingly. 

Explore, learn, and make money online as a freelancer. While there isn’t any vaccine or cure for COVID-19, many of us will either work from home or need to find freelance work that can be done online. This provides us an opportunity to learn new skills as a freelancer, so we can make money online. 

Besides these five tips, Villafuerte also has some advice regarding investments. As the world economy struggles to recover from the financial shocks caused by the pandemic, Villafuerte says the best rule of thumb when choosing an investment is to look at your own financial goals. 

“Usually, we have short-term, medium-term, and long-term financial goals. You have to choose different types of investments based on the time you allot for attaining those goals. For example, if you have a long-term financial goal that you want to achieve in 10 years, then you can invest in the stock market or equity funds. 

“Since your time frame is long term, there’s enough time to ride through the ups and downs, the volatilities in the market, like what’s happening now with the pandemic. This allows your investment to make money many years in the future,” he said. 

However, for short-term goals, Villafuerte recommends investing in low-risk investments like time deposits or money-market funds. For medium-term goals, then medium-risk investments like bonds and balanced funds would be the better choice. 

“Moreover, it's important to understand that investing is not a one-time thing. It's not something you do only when you feel like it or when someone says it's a good time to invest. It should be a habit that you do regularly, month after month if possible, and continuously for many years.”

“Always invest according to your financial goals. Before investing, you need to ask first, when are you planning to use the money? What will it be used for? Once you know this, it will be easier to choose which investment to go into,” he said.

Finally, Villafuerte says times like a pandemic are a good time to buy insurance. “It’s one of the best tools for financial protection. As we cope with a lot of uncertainty, it’s good to have insurance that will protect the family in case something happens to the breadwinners. Insurance is a necessity for breadwinners,” he said.

BDO, the largest bank in the country, continues to operate select branches during the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon. This is in keeping with its commitment to address customers' financial needs and to help keep the economy running.

For inquiries on which branches are open and for online services go to www.bdo.com.ph. 

#BANKyanihan

Celebrate special Mom’s Day at home with The Manila Hotel

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Make Mother's Day special even in quarantine situation.

It's more important than ever to celebrate every moment and make Mother's Day extra special with an intimate party even at home, or deliver something to pamper Mom on this special day! 

Everybody is staying at home. You can make Mother’s Day special for you and your family when you celebrate by ordering food from a top-notch hotel in Manila. 

With The Manila Hotel, special women in our lives—mom, grandmas, and aunts, special treats on Mother’s Day they deserves.

The Manila Hotel pulls all the stops for you to still be able to give her a memorable Mother’s Day.

This home celebration will have a five-star hotel feel and The Manila Hotel will make sure it gets close to a real feast. 

Clockwise from bottom: Mango Cheesecake, Ohaina Chocolate Gateau,

 Opera Cake, Trio of Chocolate Mousse

The Manila Hotel’s Mother’s Day Surprise gives you discounts when you choose to order the food-and-cake bundle and pay online on or before May 8, 2020 (Friday). You may choose items from the A La Carte Menu or Home Buffet sets (Filipino, Italian, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese favotires, as well as Certified Halal items) and get a 20% discount on your food bill, and a 10% discount on the cake of your choice. 

Because mothers deserve the only the best, you can choose from our awesome selection: our decadent Opera Cake; Ohaina Chocolate Gateau, a Lifestyle Inquirer Best Dessert Winner; the mouthwatering Trio of Chocolate Mousse, and our amazing Mango Cheesecake. 

To order or for more information, please call 8527 0011 or message 0998-9501912.