Actress Gillian Vicencio joins This isKwela Study With Me

FB live stream on October 26

Catch up-and-coming actress Gillian Vicencio as she shares practical tips and solutions to strike a healthy school-life balance at Globe This isKwela’s third "Study With Me” livestream event.

The much-anticipated study session will be aired on the online education community’s Facebook Page on October 26 at 7 pm.  

This isKwela is part of Globe’s commitment to equipping Filipinos with different ways to enable them to study better and smarter. It seeks to help the young and old discover learning opportunities, acquire affordable, accessible, and safe learning solutions, and connect to industry experts and celebrities.

"Globe aims to add value to its customers by helping them improve their time management skills for a healthy work-life or school-life balance. Introducing them to the necessary tools would help them achieve their personal and professional goals," said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer.

The young actress will be joined by This isKwela's resident expert Teacher Imman. Together they will give tips on effective time management and striking a healthy balance between professional or academic goals and being with loved ones, or even by oneself. 

As an actress and student, Gillian knows a thing or two about handling her career and school life without sacrificing any or both. She is part of the first batch of Rise Artist Studio talent agency under ABS-CBN and played the role of the beloved character Tox in the hit series “2 Good 2 Be True.” She is also known for her role as Erika Sayco in the 2018 horror movie "Eerie.”

 

The first two parts of This isKwela “Study With Me” featured GMA talent Arianne Bautista, who helped teach about “Product Pricing for Entrepreneurs,” and ABS-CBN Star Magic talent JC Alcantara, who spoke on the theme “Turning your Passion into a Career."

To learn more about Globe, visit www.globe.com.ph. 

Gen. Sinas “party” uncalled for-DILG

The birthday celebration of Metro Manila police chief Major General Debold Sinas is “uncalled for” specially during the quarantine period in view of COVID-19.

This statement was made by Interior Secretary Eduardo Año in an interview aired lived via Teleradyo today. 

Año, however, said the event was not really a birthday party but a “Mañanita” which is a tradition in the military and police service. The birthday surprise was conducted in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig, Metro Manila which is under Enhanced Community Quarantine or ECQ.

The government has prohibited mass gatherings during these times,

Las Mañanitas is a traditional birthday song originally sung in Mexico and other Latin countries, to serenade the birthday celebrator usually early in the morning.

“But during this time it is uncalled for, i said there is a delicadeza so dapat stop muna yan,” Año said.

Año has directed all bureaus and offices under the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to refrain from such gatherings. 

“I leave it to PNP to conduct investigation if there are violations of the quarantine guideiines,” he added.

Early today,, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Archie Francisco Gamboa said he does not see any violation since there was no party but only a mañanita.

SM Group sets P100M to help fund efforts vs COVID-19

The SM Group has allocated up to P100 million to help the Philippine government’s efforts to fight the health scare caused by the corona virus (COVID-19) outbreak.

SM indicated that the funds will be used specifically for the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) which is a health research facility based in Muntinlupa and other government hospitals.

SM, a Philippine company with diverse business interests in retail, banking and property, with blue-chip listed assets such as SM Prime Holdings, China Banking Corporation and BDO Unibank.

“To ensure the safety of medical frontliners, SM is bringing in personal protective equipment (PPE) - face masks, gowns, visors, hoods, gloves, and shoe covers, as well as urgent medical supplies to help government hospitals who badly need them,” SM Prime Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans Sy said.

Sy said assistance has also been extended to PGH and the RITM for their urgent needs and for improving their laboratory testing capacity. SM has also allocated PPEs and medical supplies to the UP Medical Foundation Inc. to reach a wider network of hospitals.

“To improve availability of tests, SM has reached out to Manila Healthtek Inc. to distribute 20,000 tests for free to government hospitals, once approved for use,” the statement read.

While the city has been placed under a “community quarantine” which means Dabawenyos are strongly urged to stay inside their homes except when they need to work, buy food or medicine, go to the hospital or take out garbage, SM stores in the city have remained open.

However,  both SM Ecoland and SM Lanang Premier have adjusted mall hours to 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. from the previous 10 a.m. to 9 p.m..

“SM Cinema, bingo, and playrooms have temporarily stopped their operations following the directive of the City Government of Davao,” the mall advisory read.

On the other hand, the Ayala Malls Abreeza also issued an advisory which adjusted its operating hours effective March 16, in line with the management’s thrust of prioritizing the health and safety of  everyone.

Abreeza Mall has also adjusted its hours effective March 18: Monday to Sunday 11AM to 7PM.

Buy one, Get one beverage at Starbucks today

Planning to have  coffee with a friend?  Today is the best time to bond over a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Whether you want iced coffee or frap or any of their handcrafted beverages, you get another one for free. Here's how:

1. Promo period is October 14 (MONDAY)
2. Pay using the Starbucks PH phone app
3. Order a Grande handcrafted beverage
4. The buy one get one promo is available from 11am-6pm
5. Maximum of two purchased beverages per customer

Brain Touch

Brain Touch guru Dr. Lee Dong Sul calls the treatment as "miraculous" but is it?  Full story soon ...

Davao mayor bans pigs, pork products

Mayor Sara Duterte yesterday ordered, through an executive order, the entry of all live pigs and pork products in the city to ensure that it remains free from the African  Swine Fever (ASF).

The order came amidst the continued spread of ASF in many countries causing massive economic losses and social dislocation.

“The temporary ban applies to all live pigs, pork and pork-related products and by-products, whether fresh, frozen, processed or cooked, including but not limited to frozen boar semen, from the entire island of Luzon and the other ASF-affected areas,” the mayor said.

The order also included the prohibition of feeding of raw swill or food wastes, also known as “lamaw” in the dialect, to pigs in Davao City.

The Department of Agriculture Crisis Management Task Force on Swine has already officially declared the presence of ASF in the country early this month.

“There is a possibility that the African Swine Fever may reach the city in such proportions that would affect the food safety and food security of the city,” Sara said, There is a need to protect the city’s hog industry from the potential threat of ASF and from any possible economic loss, she added.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) already warned all food business operators against importation, distribution and sale of the banned products from affected countries about the ASF as early as May this year.

Sara urged the swine industry stakeholders to be vigilant in their areas of responsibilities. 

“All are hereby alerted and directed to prepare protective measures to prevent the spread of the swine disease into our city,” she said.

Among the measures recommended by the EO are the following:

-strict biosecurity and good animal husbandry practices in the farms for swine raisers; 

-prohibition on the feeding of raw swill/food wastes ("Lamaw") to pigs;

-use of commercially available feeds or self formulated feeds using conventional or non-conventional feed ingredients sourced from areas that are not affected with ASF;

-reporting of any suspicious incidence of mortality in pigs to the City Veterinarian's Office. 

-warning to hotel and restaurant operators and other food establishments and food wastes collectors on the proper disposal of table left-overs or food wastes/swill;

-non-distribution of food wastes to hog raisers; 

-for livestock dealers, ensure that all animals for transport and slaughter are accompanied by necessary documents such as Veterinary Health Certificate or Animal inspection Certificate and Shipping Permits; and

-meat vendors/suppliers and meat processors are also strictly discouraged from selling meat and processed meat that are clandestinely or illegally slaughtered, undocumented or sourced from illegal markets. (with reports from the City Information Office)

Sara hails opening of DFA's authentication center in Davao

AUTHENTICATION SERVICE. Mayor Sara Duterte led the ribbon cutting ceremony together with DFA officials (L-R) Eric Valenzuela, Acting Director, Authentication Division, Maria Theresa Lazaro, Executive Director, Atty. Brigildo DJ Dulay, OIC, Office of the Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns, Nick Santos, SM Regional Operations Manager, Uriel Noman Garibay, DFA Mindanao Assistant Secretary and Duke Villanueva, Director, Consular Office Coordinating Division.PHOTO: PRIX BANZON

Mindanaoans need not go to Manila to get their documents authenticated with the opening Friday of the first Authentication Services Center of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) located at SM City Ecoland. 

Mayor Sara Duterte hailed the opening of the first Authentication Services Center of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday here, making services accessible not only for Dabawenyos but also Mindanaoans.

She said this would be more beneficial to the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), OFW aspirants and their families coming from Mindanao.

The new center, she said, is a promising breakthrough as the country continues to benefit from the increased remittances from OFWs given the Duterte administration's thrust to speed up the processing of various government-issued documents.

Lawyer Brigido DJ Dulay, officer-in-charge of the Office of the Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns, said the opening of the center in Davao City will do away with inconvenience and expense of authenticating documents in Metro Manila.

He said President Rodrigo Duterte on April 3 signed The Philippine Instrument of Accession to the Apostille Convention, effectively reducing the authentication process cycle by half.

"Filipinos who wish to have their documents authenticated no longer need to go to the Embassy or Consulate of the country where they intend to present or use such document," he said.

The authentication of Philippine-issued documents alone will be accepted in 113 Apostille Convention member-countries around the world like the United States, Japan, and Australia, he said.

He said the Apostille replaces the Authentication Certificate, and this is what DFA Authentication-Davao would affix to Philippine-issued documents to be presented and used abroad.

"The roll-out of authentication services here, and the implementation of the Apostille Convention in the Philippines are a testament of the Duterte administration's commitment to bring efficient, effective and responsive frontline services to the public," he said.

Dulay added that streamlining the authentication of Philippine public documents, the Apostille Convention establishes conditions more conducive to foreign investment as well as raising the country's competitiveness.

Eric Valenzuela, acting director for Authentication Division of the DFA's Office of Consular Affairs, said DFA processes 770,000 documents for authentication here in the Philippines yearly while another 770,000 documents from overseas Filipinos abroad or about 1.4 million documents coming from here and abroad every year.

He said DFA expects the number to increase with the opening of services outside Luzon.

Authentication fee is P100 per document regardless of the number of pages, he said.

"Once the documents are authenticated at the center it can now be used to any country that will be presented unlike before where the authenticated documents must first pass through the embassy or consulate of that particular country before it can be used," Valenzuela said.

Valenzuela said most of those seeking authentication of documents are OFWs and most documents are unclaimed. "We hope that with the opening of centers in the regions there will no longer be unclaimed documents," he said.Prix Banzon