Because prevention is better than cure, SM Malls in the province of Bulacan beef up its sanitation as preventive measure against the spread of Novel Coronavirus or better known as nCoV.

The management of SM Malls in San Jose Del Monte, Marilao, Baliwag and Pulilan placed alcohol dispensers in all entrances and rest rooms to encourage customers to sanitize their hands upon entering the mall, or after using the comfort rooms. Elevator, escalator handrails, and railings are also frequently disinfected.

Health Advisory detailing the common signs of nCoV as well as the preventive measures are also visible in all mall entrances to raise awareness and to give proper information to mall goers.

Apart from precautionary measures, front liners like guards and janitorial personnel are also directed to wear mask while tenants as well as mall employees undergone awareness seminar on the nature, prevention and symptoms of nCoV.

These preventive measures are strictly implemented for the safety of both SM’s customer and employees.

Mobile services provider Smart Communications has wrapped up the first of two legs of Smart Siklab Saya in the National Capital Region, with Team ‘Work’ besting 31 other teams in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang to take home P1 million grand prize.

More teams can get a chance to battle it out for victory and big prizes at the second NCR leg of Smart Siklab Saya happening this weekend, Feb 1 to 2, at the SM City North EDSA Sky Dome.

The most epic Mobile Legends event in the Philippines, Smart Siklab Saya is the biggest nationwide gathering and tournament for gamers and fans of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. The event reinforces Smart’s longstanding efforts to support Filipino gamers by providing the best gaming events and fan experiences, powered by the country’s fastest LTE network, as certified by internet testing leader Ookla.

Prior to the first NCR leg held at SM Megamall Megatrade Hall, Smart Siklab Saya has gathered gamers in key cities including Bacolod, Olongapo, and Tuguegarao.

Hundreds of gamers and fans trooped to the first Smart Siklab Saya to celebrate the game and root for the best players in the metro. Using good draft picks and a dominant early game showing, Team “Work” finally edged out Team ‘Mahal Kita,’ 2-0, and emerged as the victor of the much-anticipated leg. As second placer, Team ‘Mahal Kita’ took home P500,000, while third placer Team ‘Letmaku’ bagged P200,000.

Apart from the matches, Smart Siklab Saya gave fans opportunity to mingle with famous streamers and gamers such as Myrtle Sarrosa, Akosi Dogie, Chixmiss, Fhrea Jaimil, Inzaiplays, and Choox TV. The Mobile Legends Sibol team, the first Filipino gold medalists in SEA Games esports, also competed in an exhibition game. 

Smart Siklab Saya also featured  interactive booths and fun activities for fans, such as Virtual Reality games, a Cosplay competition, exciting challenges, and quizzes for a chance to win premium items.

Join in on the fun and bring your squad at this weekend’s Smart Siklab Saya at SM City North EDSA Skydome! For updates on Smart Siklab Saya and Smart’s Gigafied offers, follow Smart on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, visit www.smart.com.ph/siklabsaya. 

With the help of a strategic marketing campaign that highlighted the unparalleled three-in-one features of safety, reliability and convenience, Phoenix SUPER LPG was recognized at the 40th Agora Awards, affirming its role as the Filipino’s new trusted cooking partner. The product, particularly its innovative German-made SRG regulator-indicator, was part of the winning entry that earned Phoenix Petroleum the distinction of being the Marketing Company of the Year, which is considered to be the most prestigious honor given in the local marketing industry.

“In the last few years, we have aggressively endeavored to connect with our customers and build a solid relationship with our market. This is also part of our thrust to offer the best customer experience as we transform Phoenix into a multi-industry consumer brand,” said Phoenix chief operating officer Henry R. Fadullon. “From a little-known brand several years ago, Phoenix now ranks third in terms of patronage and loyalty, and it is largely because of our best-value offerings complemented by innovative marketing and communication campaigns,” he added.

Phoenix SUPER LPG boasts of a German-made SRG regulator with improved safety features including a safety valve that stops LPG flow in case of leakage, an easy snap-on mechanism and secure connecting system that guarantees easy installation and movement, and a reserve indicator that lets users know how much content is left, so the usual guesswork of when to re-order is avoided.

“Phoenix SUPER LPG, with its German-made SRG regulator-indicator, is a revolutionary product meant to spread the joys of cooking to Filipinos across the country. It offers the safe, sigurado and simple cooking experience, banking on its distinct features that prove to be of great value to every kitchen. We are proud of this recognition from Agora as it affirms our belief to put the customer in the heart of our business,” said Phoenix AVP for integrated marketing & strategies Celina Matias.

With its vision to be an indispensable partner in the lives of Filipinos, homegrown company Phoenix Petroleum has risen to the challenge of innovation in the otherwise mature market of liquified petroleum gas when it started its LPG business in 2018. Since then, the company has been aggressively pursuing the market.

Phoenix sought to highlight SUPER LPG as a new cooking partner in Filipino homes when it launched in 2019 the “Sarap Pala Magluto” campaign bannered by its exclusive brand ambassador, singer and actress Sarah Geronimo. Followed by a series of community-based activities and events such as cooking demos and product promotions, Phoenix SUPER LPG has effectively positioned itself as a valued new member of the Filipino household.

To make the products even more accessible to consumers, Phoenix unveiled its network of SUPER Hubs—standalone stores where customers can buy Phoenix SUPER LPG products and the new SRG regulator. Online delivery through Phoenix’s official website (www.phoenixfuels.ph/lpg) and the special delivery hotline #SUPER (#78737) have also been made available to cater to today’s tech-savvy generation of culinary enthusiasts.

Citations such as the Agora Award’s Marketing Company of the Year are a testament to Phoenix’s intimate and genuine knowledge of its customers and stakeholders, and its keen orientation and commitment toward marketing excellence is what it continues to uphold as its key strategy in disrupting an already tight and competitive market.

Since its launch, Phoenix SUPER LPG enjoyed a 15-percent increase compared to previous year’s LPG sales. Phoenix’s LPG network also saw 45 additional dealerships in the past year and continues to grow. ###

Free Canva platform designed to empower the education sector

in visual literacy

Popular online design platform, Canva, last week announced the global launch of Canva for Education, a free product for teachers and students all over the world, at the first educational technology industry show of the year, Bett, in London.

• Free Canva for Education platform to empower education sector; builds visual literacy in students and facilitates project-based learning

• Product includes Canva’s premium features, plus add-ons such as education-specific content and templates, an all-new collaboration space, a review workflow, version history plus much more

• Canva announces partnership with Google for Education

As highlighted in 2019’s Digital Internet Trends report, the global growth of visual content has been accelerated by image-based digital platforms, fueled by the adoption of social media. The ability to interpret, communicate and present ideas visually is critical for students to thrive in today’s world and tomorrow’s workforce.

With Canva’s intuitive drag-and-drop design tools, Canva for Education empowers students to create and communicate their learning visually through posters, worksheets and animated presentations. It also aids educators and school administration to create teaching material, event posters, infographics and reports – just to name a few.

Georgia Vidler, Director of Product at Canva, explained the new Canva for Education offering is tailored to the needs and requirements of schools worldwide, calling out Canva as a “one-stop-shop” for creating and collaborating in the classroom.

“Of the estimated 139,874 educational institutions across the US, over 10,000 are already using Canva. To make Canva for Education a real value-add tool we tailored the content, features and integrations to ensure it solved many pain points for teachers and students all around the world.”

Yani Hornilla-Donato, Philippines Country Manager at Canva, expressed her excitement for the product.

“With Canva for Education, teachers and students are provided a platform for project-based learning. The free access to the tool will also make creating classroom materials even more convenient for teachers. Utilizing our classroom-friendly templates relevant to specific learning goals also allows them to save time and effort.”

Canva for Education provides teachers and students with:

• Canva Pro – which includes access to millions of premium images, fonts, videos and templates

• access to an all-new collaboration space for the whole class to design and discuss in one place

• folders to manage content and to keep track of progress

• version history

• animations to help bring student creations to life

• more educational-specific content

• a review workflow for teachers to give students feedback

• peace of mind as Canva for Education is compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

• a whole new raft of add-ons perfectly aligned to everyday learning including Google Drive, Google Slides, YouTube, Giphy, Websites and PowerPoint presentations

• integrations with Google Classroom and Google sign-in methods for class setup

Canva has also provided an integration with Google for Education to further streamline access to all classrooms.“Through our research, teachers also told us a significant number of their students are bilingual. Because Canva for Education is available in over 100 languages – including five right-to-left languages like Arabic and Hebrew – teachers are now able to encourage digital, visual and design literacy while enhancing cultural diversity and inclusion in the classroom,” Vidler further highlighted.

Emma Fish from Google for Education stated the collaboration was a welcomed addition to the organization’s education suite.

“We are very excited to welcome Canva as a Google for Education Partner and include Canva in the Chromebook App Hub. Enabling the use of Canva for Education will provide a seamless, free experience and unleash the creative potential of students on Chromebooks. Canva has deeply integrated with Google across the platform including Google sign-in, integrations with Google Maps and Google Drive, and optimizing for touch Chrome devices.” 

“There are 40 million teachers and students actively using Google Classroom. Canva for Education enables teachers to import Classroom class lists to manage their classes globally and has also enhanced classroom collaboration through the development of a dedicated Google Classroom share button,” explained Fish.

With the number of Canva users around the world compounding daily, the development of this offering was not only in response to the needs of educators as a whole, but also aligned with the organization’s most important core value – to be a force for good in the world.

“It’s vital we invest in education – students are our future. We need to do whatever we can to give them the tools they need to stay ahead. Students today are born in image-saturated environments – the era of internet, digital technologies and touchscreens. Through Canva for Education we are doing our bit to help educators teach visual, digital and design literacy to ensure each and every student is well-equipped for their future,” concluded Vidler.

Schools are encouraged to get started and register their free Canva for Education account at: https://www.canva.com/education/

Attention, Shopee-holics! Shopee’s 2.2 Sale is here with shoes, bags, and accessories at 50% off on February 2. You can expect exclusive discounts from leading brands, 50% off flash deals, and cashback vouchers to be given away.

As part of Solane LPG’s commitment to supporting communities, its containers which were initially used for replacement of vapor cargo line were converted to trash cans and duly donated to the Rosario local government unit, along with used paint cans. 

A total of 30 fuel drums and 20 paint cans have been redesigned into trash receptacles that will benefit the people of Rosario. Enrique Estolas, Jr. (left), the official representative of Solane LPG officiated the turn over to Municipal Councilor Raul Flores (right).

Herbalife Nutrition Philippines Marketing Manager Marie Segismundo with Herbalife Nutrition Director for Sports Performance and Education Dr. Dana Ryan during a Facebook live chat.

Staying online for more than 10 hours, the average time that most Filipinos are connected to the internet, may lead to a number of health risks. This is according to leading sports nutritionist Dr. Dana Ryan, the director for Sports Performance and Education of Herbalife Nutrition.

Herbalife Nutrition Philippines Senior Director and Sub–region Head to the Philippines Sridhar Rajagopalan giving the opening remarks at the Herbalife Nutrition media conference that talked about How to Remain Healthy in the Age of Social Media.

“Unless you’re doing a physical activity while you’re online, it’s not healthy to stay inactive for long periods of time. In fact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), insufficient physical activity is one of the leading risk factors for death worldwide. It increases the chances of serious diseases, such as cancer and diabetes,” Dr. Ryan said.

According to the WHO, more than 80% of the world’s adolescent population is “insufficiently physically active” with 1 in 4 adults “not active enough.” “Not all of us may afford a gym membership, but that doesn’t excuse us from not being physically active on our own,” noted Dr. Ryan. “Take up some physical activity that you love. That way, you won’t see it as a chore, so can do it regularly.”

Leading sports nutritionist Dr. Dana Ryan is also the Director for Sports Performance and Education of Herbalife Nutrition. She was recently in the Philippines to discuss how people can remain healthy during the age of social media.

She added that having a workout buddy would also be helpful as you’ll get to motivate each other. “Find a class or program that you can attend together. It also helps to set a goal for yourself. This way, you’ll stay motivated,” she suggested.

Walking to work, setting reminders to stand up every 30 minutes, standing during breaks, getting up during TV commercials, and using the stairs instead of taking the elevator are also some of the ways one can have a physical activity in a day.A member of the Herbalife Nutrition Scientific Leadership, which is comprised of leading experts from around the world in nutrition, science, and health, Dr. Ryan likewise advised against cutting certain macronutrients from one’s diet.

Director for Sports Performance and Education of Herbalife Nutrition Dr. Dana Ryan talked about the importance of balanced nutrition as a way to remain healthy in the age of social media at a recent media conference held at Shangri-La Makati.

“For example, some people believe that they only need protein and cut out carbs from their diet. This is not true. When it comes to keeping healthy, just always remember balance, as the body needs a complex blend of nutrients to remain healthy,” she said.

“Indeed, Herbalife Nutrition Philosophy recommends that you get about 40% of your calories in the form of beneficial carbohydrates – whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruits; along with 30% from proteins, and no more than 30% from fats. At the same time, Dr. Ryan pointed out the importance of balancing what you eat and what you burn. “Balance the calories that you take in and what you burn, and your weight would remain stable,” she said.

Dr. Ryan added that staying online is not bad in itself; it’s just that people should remember to be active at times, rather than becoming too absorbed in the online world that they don’t move for hours.

“Also, try to look up helpful tips on how to remain fit from reliable organizations. Look at the celebrity or influencer you admire as an inspiration, but don’t stress yourself into achieving what he or she has. The important thing is to remain active and healthy,” Dr. Ryan concluded.

Legánde, Inc marked another milestone in their history by unveiling a brand new logo and tagline “Where infinite possibilities live” to usher a new year and decade with new products, compensation plan, and management team. Legánde, Inc is a fusion of two companies, Multipure Philippines and Pillars 5. Multipure Philippines is the authorized distributor of Multipure water systems of the United States of America while Pillars 5 is an all natural nutrition and wellness company.

The event was held at Luxent Hotel and it was graced by family, friends, brand partners, entrepreneurs, media, and supporters of Legánde, Inc. The ballroom was filled to the brim, with
everyone hanging off the edge of their seats, excited to witness and have first hand dibs on the newest products and income opportunity that Legánde, Inc. has to offer. Legánde, Inc. launched three new products that cater to health and wellness. They have the home essentials, health essentials, and beauty essentials. The home essentials include the Multipure Water Filtration Systems, the AquaDOME, AquaVERSA, and AquaMINI, that is backed by three certifications (ANSI 42 – Aesthetic effects; ANSI 53 – Health effects, and ANSI 401 – emerging compounds and incidental contaminants) from the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) which users can upgrade with a Legánde Pre-filter. Under the same category is the Multipure Aqua Shower that is marked by a Water Quality Seal. The health essentials include 100% pure essential oils, gourmet teas, and life enzyme. The beauty essentials consists of argan oil for the face, hair, and body.

Multipure is the premier manufacturer of high-quality drinking water systems in the United States of America and have been in business for 50 years. They are all about improving the
quality of life. Multipure is the original developer of solid carbon block technology. The gourmet teas being offered by Legánde is not just any tea. These teas are what purists call as the real thing. Legánde Inc. offers green tea, black tea, white tea, oolong tea, and a fusion of green tea and jasmine flowers tea. These are derived from the Camellia sinensis plant which is
a shrub native to China and India. This contains unique antioxidants called polyphenols. Essential oils are another addition to Legánde’s growing roster of products. This is an absolutely perfect addition because Legánde wants to provide its customers with a more positive lifestyle.

Legánde’s essential oils come in three types: Mood Lifter, Stress and Pain Buster, and last but not least the Energy Booster. Mood Lifter contains Lemongrass, Grapefruit, and Frankincense. Stress and Pain Buster includes Tea Tree, Lavender, and Lemon. Energy Booster includes Rosemary, Peppermint, and Orange. Legánde’s essential oils can be used both topically and aromatically. It also comes in asampler kit which comes with three 5ml bottles while the regular essential oils come in 15ml bottles. The Argan Oil is one of its most coveted beauty products so it makes sense that Legánde is offering this in 3 forms: Hair, Body, and Face. With it’s high Vitamin E and fatty acid content, argan oil is the ideal product to give skin a natural boost. It is easily absorbed because it is non-greasy and non-irritating, making it a natural moisturizer.

Lastly, they are also offering Life Enzyme which works better than most vitamins, herbal remedies, and supplements. Enzymes speed up blood circulation, digestion, detoxification, and
healing which are all necessary for the body. Legánde’s Life Enzyme contains 150 all natural whole fruits and vegetables as well as medicinal fungi and ancient Chinese herbs which
underwent 1 year fermentation process. This slows down ageing and aids in the relief of digestive disorders and boosts energy.

Legánde’s launch was led by Ramon F. Garcia, President and CEO of Legánde Inc. as well as Ramon Paolo Garcia Jr., Chief Operating Officer. With an impressive lineup of new products
from Legánde, it is safe to say that Legánde is kicking off the year 2020 with a bang! Ramon Garcia Sr. ended the night with this quote: “ We grow because we invest. We invest in
our members and staff development. We invest in new technology. We invest in new products. We invest in infrastructure to better our service. Now the result of caring, sharing, and investing
is that we grow, we grow together, we grow our business together, and we grow together to realize our members’ dream at a sustainable level.

” With Legánde, you can be healthy while being wealthy.

People best know Mang Inasal to be the home of the leading branded grilled chicken, but did you know that apart from its best-selling Chicken Inasal, they also have other flavorsome items in their menu at value-for-money prices?

For one, Mang Inasal has recently launched its Merienda Sarap Savers to cater to customers who want filling yet affordable meals best to enjoy during snack time.

Comprising the Mang Inasal Merienda Sarap Savers menu are the Palabok which sells at P59, Pinoy Halo-Halo at P55, Lumpiang Togue at P49, and Molo Soup at P45 — all of which are ala carte.

These food items also go well as add-ons to other Mang Inasal Paborito Meals like the best-selling Chicken Inasal, Spicy Paa, Pecho, Pork Sisig and Bangus Sisig.

For the convenience of Metro Manila customers, they may place their orders at #7-3333 or through Grab Food or Foodpanda.

Over the past few years, Taiwanese superstar Eric Chou has achieved mainstream success in major Mandopop markets in the region.

With a string of multi-platinum albums and hit singles that consistently topped streaming charts, the 24-year-old singer-songwriter has been anointed by the Taiwanese media as the “king of lovelorn people”—a title bestowed to the renowned balladeer for his masterful interpretation of emotionally affecting songs.

Despite his popularity as a ballad singer, Chou has recently experimented with EDM and urban music to diversify his catalog. Songs like “Nobody But Me,” “Shutter in Love,” and “Let It Go” showcase a more eclectic foray into pop, R&B and electronic music. These songs were written in English, aimed to capture a new audience outside of Mandopop.

Philippine breakthrough

His latest single “Room For You” has recently entered Spotify Philippines Viral 50 charts at #21. Seamlessly blending his knack for sentimental music with EDM elements and lush production, the Taiwanese pop star’s newest song is another glorious attempt to branch out into other genres and explore fresh contemporary sounds with international appeal.

The laid-back, soulful jam is part of his fourth full-length studio album, Freedom, which was released in December 24, 2019. The album, a mix of upbeat English tunes and mellow Mandopop ballads, contains songs such as “Old Days,” “Something About LA,” “Nobody But Me,” and more.

Chou’s newest song also ranks on top of the Chinese New Year Spotify playlist curated by Filtr Taiwan, joining the likes of Mandopop heavyweights such as G.E.M., Jolin Tsai, and Joanna Wang.

Eric Chou’s latest single “Room For You” is now available on Spotify and other music streaming/download platforms worldwide.