Nelson Mandela International Day

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Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize winner

(Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Today we celebrate Nelson Mandela International Day, a global movement to honour the great man’s public service and diplomacy, a day of service celebrated on July 18, Mandela's birthday.

During his long life, Mandela inspired countless individuals. In 2009, the United Nations declared July 18th, his birthday, Nelson Mandela International Day. The day was unanimously approved in 2009 by the U.N. General Assembly. It was created to honor Mandela and inspire others to carry on his efforts to "take responsibility for making the world a better place, one small step at a time," according to a statement from the Nelson Mandela Foundation Initiative.

An Interactive Google Doodle pays tribute to Mandela who has been called both '"The World's Most Famous Political Prisoner" and "South Africa's Great Black Hope"

No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion.

People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.

What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.

Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and 

enhances the freedom of others.

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall.

During his time in prison, Mandela was restricted to a 2m x 2.5m cell, with nothing but a bedroll on the floor and a bucket for sanitation in it. He was consigned to hard labour and was, at first, only allowed one visitor and one letter every six months.

Nelson Mandela received honorary degrees from more than 50 international universities.

Mandela, the former president of South Africa and Nobel Peace Price recipient, died at the age of 95 on Dec. 5, 2013. This is the first time the day has been celebrated since his death.

Let us honour his memory by doing our part in making a positive change and to work towards making this world a better place.

Happy #MandelaDay 

DepEd turns over school building in Batangas

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Under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for School Infrastructure Project Phase I, the Department of Education (DepEd) handed over an eight-classroom, two-story building with provisions for Persons with Disability at Julian D. Luna Elementary School.

“Sinigurado natin na may toilet para sa Persons with Disability. Ito ay may mas malaking ramp para magamit ng mga mag-aaral na PWD,” Education Secretary Br. Armin Luistro said adding that as a learner-centered public institution, DepEd establishes child-friendly, safe, and motivating learning environments, where differently-abled learners would be able to achieve their full potential.

Luistro said that DepEd ensured that the classroom building was complete -- from electric fans to toilets -- before the turnover. PSIP involves the design, construction, financing, and maintenance of the said classrooms equipped with school furniture, fixtures, and toilets.

Classrooms built under PSIP have a design life of 25 years, as part of the Department’s technical requirements. Under the PSIP I contract, the contractor covers major maintenance such as structural assessment, termite control, and repainting of the school-building within 10 years. 

Continued commitment to basic education

The Aquino administration remains committed in addressing the growing needs in basic education. Even in the "last two minutes" -- as President Benigno S. Aquino III likes to call the remaining years of his administration -- DepEd will continue to provide basic inputs to address incremental enrolment, regular wear and tear, and senior high school (SHS) requirements.

“Ang atin pong itatayo sa ating “last two minutes” ay ang senior high school,” Luistro said. He added that DepEd shall construct more classrooms in this year to prepare for the full implementation of SHS (grades 11 and 12) in 2016.

DepEd begins rapid damage assessments in Glenda-affected areas

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The Department of Education reported that there were 115 school divisions in 12 Regions affected by Typhoon Glenda. Over 50 school divisions have resumed classes and operations as of today, July 17.

To date, a total of 187 schools have been used as temporary evacuation centers since the preparations for the typhoon began. 

DepEd division offices are in constant coordination with their respective local government units (LGUs) for clearing operations and class resumption. The Department is also initiating rapid damage assessments in affected areas.

DepEd urges the public to participate actively in reporting school damage by sending photos and other relevant information to DepEd’s official Twitter Account (@DepEd_PH) and/or via email at communications@deped.gov.ph. Together the LGUs and other national government agencies, the Department remains committed to ensuring the delivery of basic education services.

All DepEd personnel are requested to report on their status to their respective superiors, if they have not yet done so.

For disaster-related queries or concerns, the public may contact DepEd-Disaster Reduction Management Office (DRRMO) at (02) 635-3764, (02) 637-4933, 0908-2630-378, and DRRMOdeped@gmail.com.

“’Dyesebel’ taught me to be stronger .." - Anne Curtis

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“’Dyesebel’ taught me to be stronger and made me realize how committed I can be. We continued to work, rain or shine, because that’s how much we love what we’re doing,” said Anne Curtis.

Anne Curtis admits that all the trials she faced in ABS-CBN’s primetime fantasy series “Dyesebel” made her value her craft as an actress even more.

The “Dyesebel” star said that all the sacrifices were rewarded with the warm support of the viewers every night.

“It is a great honor to hear people call me Dyesebel. It just means the character made a mark on their hearts and minds,” she said.

Anne Curtis admits that all the trials she faced in ABS-CBN’s primetime fantasy series “Dyesebel” made her value her craft as an actress even more.

Since “Dyesebel” started airing last March, it has won over TV viewers and dominated its timeslot because of Dyesebel’s exciting journey with Fredo (Gerald), Liro (Sam), and Betty (Andi), and its focus on protecting the environment.

The “Dyesebel" series where she starred with Sam Milby, Andi Eigenmann, and Gerald Anderson, will air its finale this Friday (July 18). In the last week of the latest TV adaptation of the Mars Ravelo classic, the war between humans and mermaids will reach its climax as Dyesebel fights for her kingdom against Dyangga (Eula Valdez). 

How will Dyesebel protect the world she is destined to reign now that she is married to Fredo? Will their love unite and promote peace between mermaids and human beings?

The powerhouse cast of “Dyesebel” is completed by Dawn Zulueta, Gabby Concepcion, ZsaZsa Padilla, Gina Pareño, and AiAi delas Alas. It is directed by Don Cuaresma and Francis Pasion, and is under the production of Dreamscape Entertainment Television.

Don’t miss “Ang Huling Kabanata ni Dyesebel” on Friday after “TV Patrol” on ABS-CBN Primetime Bida. 

For more information about “Dyesebel,” visit the show’s official social media accounts at Facebook.com/Dyesebel.TV and Twitter.com/Dyesebel_TV.

The 100 smartest marketing campaigns in the world : "It's More Fun in Philippines" bags international marketing campaign award

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“It’s More Fun in the Philippines” promo landed third among the world’s best marketing campaigns, according to the Warc 100, a global annual ranking of marketing campaigns based on performance, effectiveness and strategy.

Warc  announced the rankings in the inaugural Warc 100 recognising the 100 smartest marketing campaigns of the past year.

In giving its ranking, Warc 100 specifically took note of the Department of Tourism (DOT)’s "It’s More Fun in the Philippines" marketing campaign’s tremendous success despite minimal budget allocation.

Warc 100 noted that “how a low-budget strategy tackled an image problem that prevented potential tourists from visiting the Philippines.” 

The It’s More Fun campaign was launched in 2012 by the DOT with BBDO Guerrero, one of the country’s most awarded advertising firms.

Since 1985 Warc has been providing ideas and evidence to the marketing and advertising community. It is the home of the world's most effective advertising ideas, research and practice, all in one place. 

Warc is designed to help agencies, brands, media owners, market researchers and universities improve marketing effectiveness, inspire communications planning and support proposals with credible evidence. It is the one stop resource for marketing professionals in over 100 countries to get smarter, faster and sharpen competitive edge. 

Warc 100’s ranking is mainly focused on marketing that makes a difference, driving business performance or changing consumer behavior.

It also considers if the marketing campaign was able to become a benchmark for commercial creativity, allowing brands and agencies to compare their performance with their peers.

Also, it takes into account if the marketing campaign was able to showcase the world’s smartest strategies, and the people and organizations behind them.

The rankings are compiled based on the winners of 75 effectiveness and strategy awards from around the world.

Warc.com is an online service offering advertising best practice, evidence and insights from the world’s leading brands. Warc helps clients grow their businesses by using proven approaches to maximize advertising effectiveness.

Warc’s clients include the world’s largest advertising and media agencies, research companies, universities and advertisers.

Warc also publishes leading journals including Admap, Market Leader, the Journal of Advertising Research and the International Journal of Market Research.

Aside from the It’s More Fun in the Philippines campaign, at the top of this year’s Warc 100 rankings is an Egyptian campaign for Vodafone.

The number two spot was taken by “Small Business Saturday,” a US campaign for American Express by Digitas and Crispin Porter & Bogusky.

Fourth is “Thank You, Mom,” a US campaign for Procter & Gamble by Wieden + Kennedy, while fifth place went to “Overstay Checkout” for Art Series Hotels in Australia by Naked Communications.

The Warc 100 is designed to be a benchmark for commercial creativity. It assigned points based on the awards won (for example, gold, silver or bronze), then weighed those points based on the competition’s rigor and prestige in the global industry.

The Warc 100 has been developed to reflect the growing importance of strategic thinking and measurement rigor in marketing. It will showcase the best work from around the world, and will help raise awareness of the leading cases.

“The growing number of effectiveness and strategy awards around the world shows how important it is to prove marketing can make a difference,” Warc CEO Louise Ainsworth said in a statement.

Warc offers unrivalled breadth of insight into every aspect of marketing, including branding, strategy, digital, shopper marketing, market research, gamification, segmentation, programmatic, behavioural economics, social media, innovation, multichannel and much more. 

At the heart of Warc is our premium online marketing intelligence service. Warc.com provides subscribers with unlimited access to advertising effectiveness case studies, marketing best practice, trend analysis, research papers, industry insights, brand updates, news, data, forecasts and event reports, to drive marketing effectiveness. 

Warc publishes two highly respected magazines, including Admap, and three leading academic journals as well as organising a range of premium conferences and webinars covering key issues in the world of marketing and advertising.

The rankings were topped by 'Vodafone Fakka', a campaign from JWT Cairo. The case study describes a campaign in Egypt by Vodafone, the mobile telecommunications company, to promote micro credit recharge cards in a way that built on local culture. 

Warc is headquartered in London with overseas offices in Washington, D.C. and Singapore. 

To find out more, visit www.warc.com.