#TatakSigurado : Empower Your Neighborhood Business by Becoming a Bayad Center Partner

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Paying for household electricity, water, cable, and telephone bills is every homemaker's dilemma. The worsening traffic, higher fares, and longer queues from one payment office to another, all contribute to the hassle and stress of every paying consumers has to withstand every month. 

Every Filipino are acquainted to paying their bills at the last minute for various reasons, most can be attributed to cash flow --either they want to stretch their budget or they simply do not have the money yet. This Pinoy behavior often results to scrambling to beat the clock in order to avoid disconnection. Wouldn't it be nice if your neighborhood store can be turned into a one-stop shop for all your bills payment and loading needs? 

Fret not. Bayad Center just made our lives a lot easier. Understanding every bill payor's tiring journey, they introduced the Bayad Center Retail Machine. This will enable any small neighborhood establishment to transform into a multi-payment channel. Talk about accessibility and convenience. 

Bayad Center Retail Machine carries Meralco's seal of service and integrity to the equation, enabling you to solve all your bills payment woes. You can be assured of #TatakSigurado.

Applying for the Retail Machine franchise is just as easy. With a minimal investment of P60,000, Small and Medium businesses such as your ever reliable sari-sari stores, neighborhood carwash centers, and even PUV terminals into more than just a loading center. 

This gives you a much higher earning potential if that's what you're looking for. 

The Retail Machine franchise carries with it the use of the Bayad Center brand and system, which is already a household name for bills payment in the Philippines. 

Aside from bills payment, the Retail Machine also offers e-loading service, and soon, airline ticketing and remittance services. 

For more information about the franchise, contact at 09257146961 or email at franchising@bayadcenter.com. www.bayadcenter.com.

Health News: Unmasking Melasma: Dark-skinned women more at risk

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Women of color are more prone to dark patches on the face called melasma.

Also called the “mask of pregnancy,” melasma was considered a pregnancy- and contraceptive-related disorder. But new research showed that even men may suffer from the chronic disorder,possibly for decades, Dr. Claudia Aguirre, neuroscientist and skincare expert, wrote in an article on the International Dermal Institute (IDI).

From the Greek word “melas” meaning black, melasma is prevalent among people with brown or darker skin. It is estimated to affect 8.8 percent of Hispanic females in the United States and about 40 percent of Southeast Asian women, Aguirre added in the same article.

In tropical countries like the Philippines, melasma is common as constant sun exposure stimulates the melanocytes to produce more melanin.

Aging and hormonal fluctuations

Melasma was among the top ten reasons for seeking consultation at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and among the top ten diseases at the Dermatology Outpatient Department of the Opsital ng Manila Medical Center (OMMC), the 2004-2008 census in the respective hospitals showed.

It recurs throughout middle age and menopause as hormonal fluctuations trigger the disease but picosecond laser treatment can help reduce the unwanted pigmentation. 

In the “Cynosure Asia Pacific (APAC) Forum” last month, Dr. Carl Cheng, a certified dermatologist in Taiwan, introduced “picotuning” to “fine tune” the picosecond treatment protocol to the needs of patients with melasma.

While conventional laser devices rely on heat energy, picosecond laser technology induces collagen and elastin to rejuvenate skin, and works on targeted areas within trillionths of a second. 

Safer than conventional laser machines

Over a dozen peer-reviewed clinical studies on PicoSure, the world’s first picosecond laser, showed that its side effects were milder compared to older laser machines that caused burning, scarring and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved PicoSure® for treating unwanted tattoos and benign pigmented lesions in 2012, and then acne scars, and wrinkles in 2014.

Cynosure, the leading manufacturer in aesthetic laser devices, spent 13 years to develop PicoSure®.

As the American company celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, it vowed to “continue to build everything on science” and “to expand the variety of products” to address the “rising demand for aesthetic lasers in Asia.”

Haier’s inverter tech brings energy savings beyond standards

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Inverter technology has revolutionized home appliances, bringing greater energy efficiencies that translate to more savings.

How much can you really save on an inverter ref?

In particular, refrigerators—which traditionally consume almost 1,800kwh/year—are now being designed with digital inverter compressors that cut down electricity consumption from about 500 to 380kwh/year.

Digital inverters are fast becoming the standard for modern home refrigerators. However, innovations are pushing the limits of what inverters can do to help households enjoy real savings from their appliances.

Greater efficiency, less power

Inverter compressors adapt to the cooling needs of refrigerators. Unlike conventional counterparts that consume the same amount of energy whether the fridge is frequently used or not, inverter compressors “slow down” when they don’t need to actively decrease the temperature, such as at night. This lessens energy consumption while reducing wear and tear on the compressor.

Haier takes the technology a step further with its FICA Ref Series.

“Our FICA Ref Series is equipped with an FD-Plus inverter compressor, which is integrated into a single conversion chip for better reliability compared with other inverter compressors,” said Haier's Senior Product Manager for Refrigerators and Air Conditioners, Jennifer Samson.

Previous compressors from the brand had frequency plates that consumed 0.6W on standby power. The newer FD-Plus inverter compressor cuts this down further to less than 0.1W when idle—the lowest in the refrigerator industry.

“The chip also runs on a 32-bit operating system, unlike typical digital inverters that run on a 16-bit OS. This greatly enhances cooling performance for better food storage and cost efficiency," Samson added.

All in all, the FD-Plus inverter consumes power from 245 to 310kwh/year.

“The cost of electricity is often a major setback when it comes to modern conveniences like refrigerators,” Samson said. “This is a challenge that Haier wants to address to help families enjoy life at home without the high cost.”

These benefits come on top of other features such as a 360-degree duct that allows pervasive cooling air flow, a brighter LED lamp that saves more energy, tempered glass shelving that can load up to 120kg of food, and anti-odor and anti-bacterial deodorizer that helps preserve food quality.

Haier’s two-door top-mount FICA refrigerators are available in three different sizes: 8.5, 9.3, and 11.1 cubic feet. The suggested retail price for each is P20,998, P23,598, and P26,598 respectively.

All FICA refrigerators come with a two-year warranty on parts and labor, as well as a ten-year warranty for the compressor.

“Home appliances should be designed to enhance the lifestyle of the consumer. That’s why for the Filipino market, Haier combines good quality, affordable cost, and excellent after-sales service to provide every family with the comfort they deserve,” Samson said.

For more details, visit www.haier.com/ph.

Protecting the Future: A Parent's Guide to Getting an Education Plan

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One of the most important things a parent should do is to ensure that their children receive the best education that money can buy. As parents, we must make sure that we are financially stable enough to put our children through school. And we must also acknowledge that our children's dream university or college might be more expensive than we’d expect, especially since education costs have been rising every year. Hence, planning ahead and making investments for our children's education, through an education plan, is very crucial.

As such, getting your children (or your future children) an education plan should be one of the first things parents should aim for, aside from being able to provide for the family. However, before getting one, parents must know and understand the features and benefits of an education plan, as well as the expenses that go along with it.

Every education plan, offered by many different companies, has a different set of benefits. This means that you have many things to consider while shopping for an education plan that fits your budget and your future goals. Do you get the pay-out benefits as soon as your child enters high school? Or is it for a college fund? How much do you need, and how much can the education plan give you? 

Here are some helpful tips on getting the right education plan for your kid: 

• Always make sure that the benefits of the plan you are looking at are aligned with your needs. Better if there are additional features included like life or accident insurance so your children are still guaranteed to receive the education plan benefits in case something happens to you. 

• Research on the companies offering education plans. You’ll want to make sure that the company you are getting an education plan from is financially strong, trustworthy, reliable, and capable of keeping its promises. You want to be assured that you will receive the benefits on-time and in full, without having to worry about the company going bankrupt. 

• Save early: Start saving as early as possible so that you can be sure that you are financially stable enough to pay for your child’s education plan. 

• Find other sources to fund your child's education savings by exploring other resources of growing your money, such as investments, having passive income, and so forth. 

• Divide financial tasks between the two parents. Having mutual spending decisions, and constant communication about money is very important. 

Education plans are something everyone should have for their children. Sometimes, the education we want for our children will cost more than an arm and a leg. A plan helps make that education more affordable. 

Now that you know what kind of education plan you are looking for, you are ready to send your child to their dream university-- even before they've graduated high school.

To know more on how to plan for your child’s education, visit www.philamlife.com

About Philam Life 

The Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company (Philam Life) is the country’s premier life insurance company. Established on 21 June 1947, Philam Life has earned the trust of customers for its financial strength, strong brand name, and ability to deliver on its promises. 

Philam Life has PHP236.4 billion in total assets as of 31 December 2015 and has delivered timely payouts of over PHP10 billion in education benefits (2004-2015) and over PHP131 billion in insurance benefits (1950-2015), while serving close to 600,000 individual policyholders and over 2 million insured group members. 

Philam Life understands the real life needs of its customers and provides the right plans and the right solutions including life protection, health insurance, savings, education, retirement, investment, group and credit life insurance. It also offers bancassurance and fund management products and services through its subsidiaries  – BPI Philam Life Assurance Company (BPI-Philam) and Philam Asset Management Inc. (PAMI). 

Philam Life is a member of AIA Group Limited, the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group.

About AIA 

AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively “AIA” or the “Group”) comprise the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. It has a presence in 18 markets in Asia-Pacific – wholly-owned branches and subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, New Zealand, Macau, Brunei, a 97 per cent subsidiary in Sri Lanka, a 49 per cent joint venture in India and representative offices in Myanmar and Cambodia.

The business that is now AIA was first established in Shanghai almost a century ago. It is a market leader in the Asia-Pacific region (ex-Japan) based on life insurance premiums and holds leading positions across the majority of its markets. It had total assets of US$181 billion as of 31 May 2016. 

AIA meets the long-term savings and protection needs of individuals by offering a range of products and services including life insurance, accident and health insurance and savings plans. The Group also provides employee benefits, credit life and pension services to corporate clients. Through an extensive network of agents, partners and employees across Asia-Pacific, AIA serves the holders of more than 29 million individual policies and over 16 million participating members of group insurance schemes.

AIA Group Limited is listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the stock code “1299” with American Depositary Receipts (Level 1) traded on the over-the-counter market (ticker symbol: “AAGIY”).

Elementary School Students Use Moverio Smart Glasses as Class Communication Tool

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“Let’s make healthy forests!” and used Epson’s Moverio* smart glasses as a communication tool to make school work even more engaging. 

(Japan) - Takashima Elementary School in Nagano, Japan, has introduced a unique extracurricular activity in which each class decides what to study every year. 

Epson engineers began their activities with the children a year ago (Stargazing using Moverio) with the aim of making learning fun. 

Using the help of the same engineers, the children, who had been studying forests, wanted to communicate using leading-edge information products to ensure that people could understand the importance of nature.

On July 7, the children were divided into nine groups. Based on themes decided through discussions with the engineers, they uploaded to the Moverio photos and videos that they had taken themselves of the forest alongside materials they prepared on a PC.

Using an application on a tablet device, the same images were displayed on multiple Moverio units. With this feature, each group could share their thoughts about the forest among the entire group. The presenting group had created a quiz, and the children wearing Moverio all cheered when the slide appeared before their eyes, as if it were floating on a big screen in front of them.

By participating in the activity, the children clearly identified who they wanted to communicate to, with comments like, “I want my grandparents to enjoy these images of the forest since they can’t go themselves.” They plan to make some changes to the content, and improve the quality of their presentation using the ‘magic glasses.’

*Worn like glasses, Moverio smart glasses offer users the ability to enjoy crystal clear video entertainment, games, music, and web content, anytime and anywhere. It displays what appears as large semi-transparent images floating against the surrounding background. 

The Moverio BT-200 is intended for ages from junior high school and older, but for these extracurricular lessons, our engineers were present to ensure safety, and time limits were set for use of the glasses.