Keeping up with Mr. Pure Energy - Gary V on his diabetes journey and living freely

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Gary Valenciano, an icon, well known as Mr. Pure Energy, shared how he manages his journey while battling diabetes for more than four decades now.

A roundtable webinar conversation was held with the Mr. Pure Energy, Gary Valenciano, regarding his new diabetes journey, shares his ways of managing the disease and he also revealed his secret weapon in fighting it.

Gary has been battling type 1 diabetes since he was 14 years old. “I was diagnosed with it. I was fourteen years old. My sugar level hit 700-something plus. At least during my time, from what I know, the normal level goes from 80 to 120. I don’t know if that has changed because a lot has changed. But, when I’m within that level, I’m fine.”

The biggest challenge for him when it comes to diabetes is “self-monitoring.” Ogie Alcasid's daughter adviced him to have of the CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) to monitor his sugar level. And that helped Gary to monitor his sugar level. Doing old methods like finger pricking and it was a relief to have continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).

"Actually, I felt like a chemist because there is no such thing as finger pricking of blood. It was actually done with a test tube, a tablet, and urine. And I would have to gather a few drops into a dropper and drop it in and I would determine how high or low my sugar was, depending on how the tablet responded," said Gary.

“Traditional glucose monitoring uses finger pricking which can be quite painful for some patients. But now, glucose monitoring devices have been revolutionized and innovative technologies have come in, resulting in the development of CGMSs,” Dr. Michael Villa, immediate past president of the Philippine College of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism shared. 

“Then, years went by. I started finger pricking. And, I did that for a long time. In fact, my skin in my fingertips would start getting thick. When I would actually need to use my fingers for the touchscreen later on, sometimes, it would not recognize that. So, I had to use another set of fingers in order to do that,” as Gary continued his story.

Gary V on living freely with FreeStyle Libre

“The technology started advancing and I’m so thankful for that. All the more, it spurred me on to carry the advocacy and helping Filipinos living with diabetes,” Gary said.

FreeStyle Libre comes along and helped him finally live freely with his diabetes journey.

The FreeStyle Libre system is a new revolutionary way of glucose monitoring. It replaces the conventional way of measuring glucose using finger pricks.

Through strict monitoring, proper diet, and a healthy lifestyle, he has been living a full and active life since. Gary said that the Freestyle Libre CGM by Abbott makes it easy for him to ensure that his blood sugar is at healthy levels during the day.

The Freestyle Libre uses a discreet sensor that is attached to the back of the arm. This is then paired to a portable device. The sensor is easy to apply and lasts for up to 14 days. It is also water resistant so it can be worn even while bathing, swimming, and exercising.

Meanwhile, the reader can scan through clothing. Once paired with the device, the Freestyle Libre reader provides up to 8 hours of glucose monitoring per day with a trend arrow and graphs showing glucose levels throughout the monitoring period. It can also hold up to 90 days of glucose data which can be shown to doctors during the scheduled checkups.

“Diabetes is a condition that requires an almost 24-hour maintenance system. I’m just thankful for Abbott’s Freestyle Libre for allowing me to face life with a smile. The device has really helped me and my family in addressing diabetes and living life to the fullest,” Gary shared.

To know more details about FreeStyle Libre and learn how to manage your diabetes easily, visit their website.

OneRepublic Live in Concert coming to Manila on February 23

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GRAMMY® nominated, multi-platinum selling band OneRepublic announces their much-awaited return to Asia in February 2023. The ‘Live in Concert’ tour will be coming to MANILA on February 23 at the Araneta Coliseum. Presented by Wilbros Live. Tickets will go on-sale on September 30, 10AM via TicketNet.com.ph and TicketNet outlets nationwide.

OneRepublic, fronted by the enigmatic Ryan Tedder, have provided some of the most memorable and successful pop hits of their generation, including chart and streaming smashes “Apologize”, “Stop and Stare”, “Rescue Me” and “Counting Stars”. On the 27th of August 2020, the band released their new single, “Someday”, in which the group also debuted the video for their new song. The album includes previously released tracks which combined have over 2.5 billion global streams, “Run”, “Somebody To Love”, “Wanted”, “Better Days” and “Rescue Me”, which has been certified RIAA Gold.

The band has blasted back into global charts with their smash hit “I Ain’t Worried” which is featured in the blockbuster movie, Top Gun: Maverick. The video, directed by Isaac Rentz, includes stunning footage from the film. OneRepublic has amassed more than 5 billion streams on Spotify to date with all their smash hits.

Beebly, Globe treat readers with discounts on premium Books

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To make reading more accessible to everyone across the Philippines, Beebly, the first mobile e-library and e-bookstore for Fiipinos, is excited to announce a new partnership with Globe, the Philippines' leading digital solutions platform and top telecommunications company. The two companies are bringing exclusive discounts for all Globe Rewards customers who love to read.

Without using any rewards points, all Globe customers with an active New GlobeOne account may avail of a discount of up to 40% on premium titles available for purchase inside the app.

Beebly began with a dream of making learning more accessible to Filipinos. As the nation’s first digital library and bookstore, it hopes to encourage learning in a convenient and easy-to-use platform. Now, anyone with a smartphone can choose from a wide selection of educational and creative materials and learn on the go.

Once subscribed to Beebly, users will have immediate access to online study resources and popular eBooks, among others. The digital membership also grants access to other creative content and learning resources to develop various skills.

The platform is a game-changer, encouraging both the young and more senior to learn together at home.

“Our company harnessed our expertise in technology to create a platform where Filipinos, particularly young students, can easily access both educational and recreational reading materials. We have also developed a proprietary device that will soon allow students to read, review, and study their lessons via Beebly even without wifi or data,” shared Jackeline Chua, COO of Beebly.

“We hope through our app, we can significantly contribute to students’ learning and overall, encourage more young Filipinos to embrace the habit of reading,” added Jyotirmoy Saha, Beebly CEO.

Globe Chief Commercial Officer Issa Guevarra-Cabreira cited how Globe’s partnership with Beebly helps the company move forward in its goal of enabling inclusive education in the Philippines.

“We at Globe constantly think of ways to innovate to help improve the quality of education in the Philippines. We are proud to partner with Beebly in this initiative to provide a digital resource that makes books and other reading materials accessible to Filipino learners right in the palm of their hands, backed by reliable connectivity through our #1stWorldNetwork,” she said.

To date, Beebly has over 6,000 educational and recreational reading materials and has partnered with big publishing groups such as ABS-CBN Publishing, Precious Pages, and Summit Media.

Beebly is now available for download in the Philippines on all Android and iOS devices. 

World Vision joins Globe’s Hapag Movement to help alleviate hunger

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Christian humanitarian organization World Vision Development Foundation has become the newest member of the Globe of Good ecosystem of partners, as it has joined Globe’s hunger alleviation program, the Hapag Movement.

World Vision’s participation will contribute significantly to the larger goal of feeding and empowering 100,000 families or half a million individuals within four years.

The Hapag Movement is Globe’s united fight against hunger through technology. It helps address the problem of involuntary hunger and joblessness affecting millions of low-income Filipinos by connecting multi-sectoral partners and mobilizing local and international donations from multiple sources.

As a global group devoted to improving the lives of children and their communities, World Vision joins other Globe partners– the Ayala Foundation, Caritas Philippines, and the Tzu Chi Foundation– in a holistic intervention to benefit vulnerable families in the country.

Hapag’s community support includes food distribution programs in the most disadvantaged communities, capacity-building sessions for upskilling and micro-entrepreneurship, provision of seed capital through microlending to jumpstart livelihood activities, and access to employment opportunities via partner companies.

Specifically, World Vision’s livelihood programs under the Hapag Movement center on financial literacy, capacity-building for the Antique CoMSCA Credit and Cooperative (AnCCC), with plans to put up a mini grocery and meat processing business.

It also includes swine dispersal and basket weaving training, as well as the Himaya 2 Fishing Boat Project, which aims to increase the daily income of fishing families in the program area.

“Our goal is to bring nation-builders together to achieve sustainable and inclusive development by leveraging the power of technology. Beyond supplemental feeding, our collaboration with mobilization partners like World Vision will also provide our beneficiaries with livelihood opportunities to help sustain them long after the program’s roll-out,” said Yoly Crisanto, Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer at Globe.

The Hapag Movement is anchored on Globe’s Alagang Globe campaign, focusing on the company’s ecosystem of relevant services and products which enable Filipinos to uplift their lives.

This is part of Globe’s commitment to leverage technology to make meaningful change in society, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which highlight the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development under SDG No. 9.

World Vision Resource Development Director Jun Godornes shares, “Tackling the issue of hunger involves more than just the usual supplemental feeding and one-time activities. Interventions should also involve providing livelihood opportunities and capacity-building programs that can help sustain families even after initial interventions.”

He continued, “World Vision believes in nurturing, not just the immediate beneficiary, but also creating a sustainable and holistic program for the whole community. As the famous saying goes: ‘If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.’”

Hunger has been a major challenge for Filipinos since the onset of the pandemic. According to the 1st Quarter 2022 Social Weather Stations Survey, 12.2% or 3.1 million families, or an estimated 15.5 million individuals, regularly experience involuntary hunger.

This is primarily caused by loss of livelihood, which has affected low-income families’ capability to support their daily needs. The Philippine Statistics Authority’s Labor Force Survey placed the unemployment rate at 5.8% or 2.87 million individuals as of March 2022.

Globe invites its customers and partners to help put food on the table for every family in need. They may donate via GCash or use their Rewards points to support the movement through the New GlobeOne app.

To support, simply download the New GlobeOne app and donate your Rewards points for as low as P1. 

Just follow these steps:

QR ng AUB, GCash, Metrobank, and Unionbank? I-Maya na yan!

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You can now use your Maya app to scan to pay AUB, GCash, Metrobank, and Unionbank QR codes at your favorite stores – making your payments easy and hassle-free. Similarly, the Maya QR is ready to be scanned by these different financial apps as soon as these apps make the feature available.

To start paying with Maya using the QR codes of these e-wallets and banks, just look for the QR Ph logo featuring the blue, red, and yellow design in the middle. QR Ph is the national standard for QR payments, launched by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Spotting this design in a QR code means it is QR Ph-enabled, and you can conveniently scan it using your Maya app to pay for your purchases. Maya users will be delighted to know that they can quickly scan to pay for their purchases in more merchants nationwide wherever they see the QR Ph symbol. In the same way, users of any financial app that is QR Ph-compliant can also scan Maya QR codes to pay for their purchases.

Maya is the first fintech in the Philippines to adopt the QR Ph national standard for person-to-person payments in November 2019 and for person-to-merchant payments in April 2021. As the leader in QR Ph adoption, Maya fully supports the BSP thrust for interoperable payments, including QR Ph, making convenient cashless payments more accessible to Filipinos.

Maya is the all-in-one money app bringing Filipinos bolder ways to master their money. On top of enabling users to pay via QR, it empowers users to manage all their finances in one app. Completely free to download and register, it packs a feature-rich e-wallet, an inclusive digital bank, and everything else you need to save, spend, grow, and manage your money—right from your smartphone.

Maya is powered by the country's only end-to-end digital payments company, PayMaya Philippines, and Maya Bank for digital banking services. To know more about Maya, visit maya.ph or follow @mayaiseverything on Facebook, IG, Tiktok, and YouTube and @mayaofficialph on Twitter. Join our Telegram community at https://t.me/TeamMayaPH for Maya exclusives.