Takeda Healthcare Philippines receives double recognition at the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards

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Takeda Philippines Healthcare, Inc. (“Takeda”), a leading pharmaceutical company committed to create better health for people and a brighter future for the world, has been recognized with two prestigious awards at the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA) ceremony held in Cambodia.

 Takeda Philippines Country Leadership Team (Seated from L to R) Sheryll Anne Corpuz, Estela del Rosario, Loreann Villanueva, Arabella Benito, Armi Grace Gonzales

(Standing From L to R) John Raymond Gulinao, Fatima Mangalindan, Rommel Velasco, Joy Althea Pabellon, Freddie Deinla

The first award was given to Takeda's Access To Medicines: Patient Assistance Program (AtM Program) in the Health Promotion category. Rooted in the vision of broadening access to life-changing medicines and vaccines in underserved communities, the AtM Program utilizes an integrated and sustainable approach that mobilizes the collective efforts of all involved stakeholders.

Focusing on diseases with the highest unmet need such as cancer and rare diseases, Takeda strives to bring its innovative and high-quality medicines to patients in the Philippines who have limited access to healthcare services. Through this program, the company has successfully provided financial assistance to over 600 patients nationwide, ensuring they receive crucial treatments regardless of their capacity to pay.

The AtM Program involves multi-stakeholder collaboration to address the pain points in the patient’s journey in the areas of disease awareness, accurate diagnosis, and appropriate treatment, support, and care. Based on Takeda’s insights on Filipino patients, it takes them about 5 to 10 visits to different doctors before they are properly diagnosed. Thus, the “Spot Lymphoma, Stop Lymphoma” campaign was launched together with 5 major medical societies and 2 non-government organizations to educate patients. Takeda in partnership with Philippine Cancer Society (PCS) provided CD30 screening through 24 hospitals majority of which are located outside of the capital of Metro Manila so patients would have access to CD30 screening.

Aside from screening, a series of workshops with Philippine Pathologists in partnership with medical societies were done to increase the skills and confidence of pathologists in utilizing immunohistochemistry and ensure early and proper diagnosis. The cornerstone of Takeda’s access program in the country is the Patient Assistance Program (PAP). This unique and innovative affordability-based program enabled more than 600 patients regardless of their socio-economic class to access their treatment with Takeda’s target therapy at a price that is based on the patient’s financial capacity to pay.

Takeda also partnered with an NGO to provide a series of training to oncology nurses to enrich their capability in educating patients. They also provided a grant to the Cancer Care Registry and Research Philippines Foundation (CARE PH) to expand its cancer registry and research.

Finally, as a culmination of Takeda’s holistic initiatives in 2022, the Access to Medicines (ATM) Summit gathered 137 multi-sectoral stakeholders from 42 organizations for a 2-day meeting, and discussed how each can support healthcare strengthening in the Philippines. Takeda’s framework is to build sustainable capacity at every stage from diagnosis to ongoing patient support. To date, more than 1,700 pathologists, 6,997 oncology and 5,683 endoscopy nurses, 4 medical societies, and 7 NGOs and patient organizations have partnered with Takeda in these endeavors.

The second award recognized Takeda for its unwavering dedication to employee well-being and engagement in the Investment in People category. These programs aim to foster a healthy and collaborative working environment, enabling employees to thrive personally and professionally.

From L-R: Joanna Noor, Sheryll Corpuz, Dr. Felycette Gay Lapus, Dr. Arielle  Severino, and Caroline Ramira during the 2022 Philippine Society of Medical Oncology (PSMO) Annual Convention.

Takeda's employee well-being and engagement programs encompass diverse wellness initiatives and engagement activities that encourage a robust and motivated workforce. From the Partnerships for Growth (PFG) mentoring program, Lunch and Learn sessions, to career development and energy management workshops, Takeda invests in its employees' growth and development. These engagement efforts cultivate open communication, collaborative relationships, and contribute to the company's talent development and retention strategies, resulting in sustained high engagement levels with an average of 92% in the last two years of the company’s annual engagement survey.

Takeda's dedication to its employees has also led to the prestigious Great Place to Work® certification for two consecutive years, as well as one of 2023 Philippines Best Workplaces. The company remains steadfast in ensuring its programs cater to the needs of its workforce, empowering them to flourish and reach their full potential.

"We are honored to receive these recognitions as it cements Takeda’s enduring commitment to serve communities as well as our employees," Loreann Villanueva, Country Manager of Takeda Healthcare Philippines Inc. said. "These awards inspire us to push the boundaries further, making a lasting difference to the Filipino community through an empowered and highly dedicated workforce."

AREA recognizes and honors deserving Asian businesses for championing sustainable and responsible business practices in the following categories: Green Leadership, Social Empowerment, Health Promotion, Investment in People, Corporate Governance, Circular Economy Leadership, Corporate Sustainability Reporting and Responsible Business Leadership.

Takeda Healthcare Philippines Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, a global R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company. Its headquarters in Makati City are home to Takeda Philippines’ employees who all share the same passion, drive, and commitment towards delivering life-transforming treatments, and sustainable patient access programs.

To learn more about Takeda and its initiatives, please visit www.takeda.com.

 

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About Takeda

Takeda is focused on creating better health for people and a brighter future for the world. We aim to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments in our core therapeutic and business areas, including gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. Together with our partners, we aim to improve the patient experience and advance a new frontier of treatment options through our dynamic and diverse pipeline. As a leading values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, we are guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Our employees in approximately 80 countries and regions are driven by our purpose and are grounded in the values that have defined us for more than two centuries.

Takeda Healthcare Philippines, Inc. (THPI) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. Founded in 1968, THPI aims to broaden patient access to treatment across the country through sustainable access programs enabling affordable and integrated access solutions for disease areas such as oncology, gastroenterology, rare diseases & vaccines and by strengthening the healthcare system guided by our commitment to Patients, our People and the Planet.

For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com.

 

Representing the Philippines on the Global Dance Floor: National Winner, JXYB Heads to Red Bull Dance Your Style World Championship

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In a collision of genres, cultures, and personal flair, the Red Bull Dance Your Style National Finals concluded last September 2 at 5th Ave. Bonifacio High Street, where the 8 finalists from the Cebu and Manila qualifiers competed against 8 wildcards in an electrifying mix featuring unique styles and techniques.

Red Bull Dance Your Style is a unique competition showcasing creativity, individuality, and exploration of the different dance genres. Unlike traditional competitions, Red Bull Dance Your Style stands out as a unique 1v1 showdown with the only judge being the crowd itself. The crowd decides who gets to move further in each round, and ultimately determines the champion. This, coupled with unpredictable music, mastery, and dance prowess, makes Red Bull Dance Your Style competition a unique experience, with every performance consistently keeping both the audience and dancers captivated and engaged.

Half of the Top 16 hailed from the Cebu and Manila qualifiers, which took place last July 15 and July 22, respectively. The other half were wildcard entries with different backgrounds, performance styles, and accolades. Together, they battled it out on the stage for a chance to represent the Philippines on the world stage.

Each finalist gave it their all throughout the National Finals, but in the end, Louries Dhztine 'JXYB' Bernardino secured the title of champion. Having bested the competition with their signature Krumping technique and personality, JXYB is now on track to represent the Philippines in the World Finals.

“Red Bull Dance Your Style is really challenging. In a normal battle, you only have to please three judges but in Red Bull Dance Your Style you have hundreds, even thousands of people to please. So what I do is I just try to show my skills and at the same time enjoy it, and hope that I get to reach the crowd with that and they see my soul with my performance” said Louries Dhztine 'JXYB' Bernardino.

JXYB battled it out against the first-ever Red Bull Dance Your Style Philippines Champion, Mickey Paolo Yatar in the semi-finals. The showdown elicited loud cheers for the then title holder and JXYB, shining the spotlight on the individual prowess of both dancers.

“Mickey has so much crowd control. He knows how to please an audience, and that’s something I look up at him for. Something I also want to develop for my future performances,” said JXYB.

JXYB also went against wildcards “Heidra” and “O-shady” who brought out a range of hip-hop and pop grooves, but the finale performance against fellow krumper Juan “BLVCKZIK” Carlo De Leon brought out the largest cheers in an adrenaline-pumping 1 on 1 where JXYB ran off stage and through the center crowd, catching every beat and transforming the energy and applause into a routine made to remember.

With the winner of the National Finals now secured, the spotlight shines even brighter on their journey as they prepare to represent the country on the global stage. The highly-anticipated Red Bull Dance Your Style World Finals is set to take place in Frankfurt, Germany, in November 2023. Dancers representing different countries will come together to showcase their unique flair and celebrate different styles of dance.

Red Bull dance consultant Lema Diaz says Red Bull has partnered with the best of the Philippine dance community and is more than ready to train JXYB with the best local dancers in preparation for the World Finals.

“We work with the best of mainstream and underground dancers and we have the full support of Red Bull and of our partners for this journey. We also know that there are so many skilled dancers in the Philippines that can compete globally. We are local going global, and these people are not new to the world stage. They have been competing and carrying our flag around the world. There is no need to train abroad when the best is already here with us. Red Bull has given us a platform and I’m so thankful for them to have given wings to the Philippine dance community,” said Diaz.

For JXYB, the World Finals would not only mean endless training, but also collaboration with the Philippine dance community, and finding inspiration in his personal experience in the local dance battle and freestyle scene in the country.

“For the finals in Germany, I’ll look to the many inspiring people from the Philippine dance community. We are so advanced here in dancing that even as I have won Red Bull Dance Your Style, I know that I may still lose in other, maybe even smaller, battles locally. That’s how good our dancers are. That’s how advanced the Philippine dance community is when it comes to freestyle battling but that’s a big advantage for me - I come from a good community of dancers and I’ll be taking that experience to Germany,” JXYB said. “I plan to maintain my style and enjoy my dance more but I’ll for sure train every day and begin inserting new techniques I can use,” he added.

JXYB is set to represent the Philippines on the global stage this November in Germany. For updates and news regarding JXYB, Red Bull Dance Your Style, and upcoming Red Bull events, visit https://redbulldanceyourstyle.com/ and the following social media pages:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redbulldance | Instagram and TikTok: @redbullph @redbulldance

Taiwan’s Outlet Drift and Joanna Wang, South Korea’s ADG7, Japan’s Hitoto Yo and more to headline 2023 World Music Festival @ Taiwan

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The 2023 World Music Festival @ Taiwan expands its portfolio with bigger programming and a more diverse lineup featuring Taiwanese and international music acts.

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The four-day event is touted as Taiwan’s biggest outdoor festival dedicated to world music, and will feature a variety of music shows, cross-artform performances, international showcase events, exotic bazaars and more!

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This year, the music-focused, multi-format event will take place on October 12-15, 2023, at the Taipei Music Center. The festival is divided into two major parts, one is Going Global Trade Fair on October 12-13, and the other one is the Our World Music Festival on October 14-15.

Taiwan’s very own Outlet Drift and Joanna Wang lead the roster of performers, alongside global superstars ADG7 from South Korea, Hitoto Yo from Japan, and Balaklava Blues from Ukraine and Canada.

A total of 24 Taiwanese music artists and international groups are set to perform through various music formats, consisting of four immersive parties with music and scents. The highly acclaimed world music festival will also put a spotlight on two co-productions highlighting global collaborations and cross-cultural exchanges: Ohelen (SK) and Leaf Yeh (TW) will team up together live, and Hitoto Yo (JP) will also step up their game with a special performance featuring Taiwan’s Sangpuy and Tzu-lung Hung.

For the first time ever, the multicultural festival held an open call for international musicians to participate in its global showcase. The result yielded submissions from more than a hundred artists from 31 different countries expressing interest in participating in the festival, including six from America, fourteen from Asia, seven from Europe, three from Africa, and one from Oceania.

From the entries collated, the largest global music festival in Taiwan is set to announce the 13 finalists who will be performing live on October 11-12 and will be watched by 11 international delegates.

As an exclusive international music festival brand showcasing Taiwan's cultural uniqueness, the World Music Festival @ Taiwan “is dedicated to promoting Taiwan's multicultural and multilingual music, as well as fostering a cross-cultural feast of folk traditions with international music, bridging Taiwan and the world through the power of music.”

Beyond the exceptional performances, the World Music Festival @ Taiwan will feature a range of peripheral activities, such as interactive drumming shows, music and dance workshops, and nearly 100 exotic stalls showcasing crafts and cuisines from around the world.

The festival ambiance will be reminiscent of a grand carnival, featuring an assortment of world-class music and parties.

At World Music Festival @ Taiwan, cultures unite and take center stage. It’s a splendid celebration of music, where categories cease to exist and where people from all nations come together in shared joy.

Coca-Cola Philippines continues efforts to meet World Without Waste goals

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Coca-Cola Philippines continues to make progress on its ambitious sustainable packaging program, World Without Waste, with significant milestones.

Since the company’s global launch of World Without Waste in 2018, Coca-Cola Philippines has rolled out a series of innovations and partnerships in the Philippines to achieve its goals by introducing packaging innovations; collaborating with different sectors to create and support existing collection hubs across the country to bring collection and recycling closer to communities; and forging strategic alliances with the government, non-government organizations, and civil society to help establish a circular economy for plastic packaging in the country.

For 2023, Coca-Cola Philippines pledges to continue serving Filipino consumers with their favorite brands of beverages while supporting communities and growing a sustainable business in the Philippines for the future. Among the company’s immediate targets is to make recycling easier and more engaging for consumers by expanding its over 2,800 waste collection hubs across the country through increased partnerships with like-minded organizations and institutions. This also includes enabling the participation of microentrepreneurs, particularly sari-sari stores, through the Tapon to Ipon and Tindahan Extra Mile Balik PET Bottle programs, to help create a community-backed circular economy of plastic packaging while promoting economic empowerment among micro-retailers.

At present, Coca-Cola Philippines has launched more than 600 Tapon to Ipon store hubs across the country. The company has also partnered with the provincial governments of Iloilo and Davao del Sur for large-scale collection of recyclable plastic bottles.

In addition, Coca-Cola Philippines helps improve the welfare of informal waste sector workers by supporting the work of social entrepreneur, Plastic Bank Philippines. The partnership has activated 38 waste collection locations and 651 collection community members in the South Luzon area and has resulted in the collection of 546,000 kilograms of post-consumer bottles for recycling since 2021.

In the Philippines and around the world, The Coca-Cola Company continues to work to create a more accessible way of recycling and working toward a more sustainable future for packaging. The global World Without Waste program is anchored on three interrelated goals: Design, Collect, and Partner.

● Design: Make 100% of its packaging recyclable globally by 2025 and use at least 50% recycled material in its packaging by 2030

● Collect: Collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle and can it sells by 2030

● Partner: Bring people together to support a healthy, debris-free environment

For more information on the sustainability initiatives of Coca-Cola Philippines, follow the company’s social media channel: @CocaColaPhilippines on Facebook and @cocacolaph on Twitter and Instagram — or visit www.coca-cola.com.ph.

Lalamove, MMDA join forces in solidifying road safety support through donation of driver training equipment

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Lalamove, the leading on-demand delivery platform, aligned with their goal of prioritizing partner drivers’ safety, recently teamed up with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and turned over driving equipment, including a brand-new Honda Click motorcycle from Lalamove’s Panalomove Partner Agribank, an insulated Lalabag, a Lalamove helmet, and a Lalajacket, alongside a first-aid kit.

(from left) MMDA Director III for Enforcement Atty. Victor Nunez, MMDA Manager for Operation Mr. Gelo Vargas, MMDA Undersecretary Frisco San Juan, MMDA Director Ma. Carolina Salgado, MMDA Chairman Romando Artes, Lalamove Philippines Managing Director Djon Nacario, and MMDA General Manager Procopio Lipana

Lalamove Philippines Managing Director Djon Nacario gladly shared, “This is just the first of the many initiatives we will have in partnership with MMDA. This effort is geared toward MMDA’s goal of stronger enforcement of driver safety education and regulations for all riders, especially for our Lalamove Partner Drivers.”

MMDA Undersecretary Frisco San Juan takes the brand-new Honda Click motorcycle donated by Lalamove out for a spin, proudly donning the new helmet, Lalabag, and Lalajacket from the on-demand delivery app.

According to Nacario, Lalamove Philippines looks forward to the MMDA Motorcycle Riding Academy, which is set to launch this quarter, aimed to mold disciplined motorists across the metro. “We are confident that MMDA’s driver training academy will make us a few steps closer to keeping roads fully safe for all Lalamove Partner Drivers, motorists, and pedestrians,” Nacario noted.

Once ready, the MMDA Motorcycle Riding Academy will have the capacity to house 100 participants per batch, equipped with a clinic, comfort and shower rooms, as well as dining areas for potential students.