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MANILA, Philippines —  ‘Tis is the season to be jolly with HONOR! Many of us are already looking for perfect gifts for our loved ones this coming Christmas season, we know it can be quite overwhelming. Luckily, we have our reliable tech products that really suit everyone’s lifestyle needs.

This coming holiday season, HONOR, the leading global provider of smart devices, answers our worries about what to perfectly give to our loved ones and friends!

If your loved one loves doing video content and wants to be a content creator someday, HONOR 70 5G is the most ideal present for them!

HONOR 70 5G is the first camera phone to use the latest camera sensor of Sony, the Sony IMX800 Super Sensing Dual Main Camera with Solo Cut Mode for vlogging.


Until December 31, you can get the #BestVloggingPhone at its retail price P26,990 with FREE Band 6 worth P1,999.

Freebies will only be given to the first 200 walk-in buyers on any HONOR kiosks nationwide.
Enhance your photography skills with magic.

If your loved one is a photo enthusiast or wanderer who loves capturing the best moments of their lives, HONOR Magic4 Pro is the perfect gift idea for them!

The HONOR Magic4 Pro introduces one of the most powerful and versatile camera systems on an HONOR smartphone to date. It has a 50MP wide camera with a customized 7P Lens, a 50MP ultra-Wide Camera, a 64MP Periscope Telephoto Camera, Flicker Sensor and an additional brand-new custom-made image processor.

Running the latest Magic UI 6.0 based on Android 12, the HONOR Magic4 Pro supports a range of HONOR signature smart life features. The device is also compatible to do multi-screen collaboration and seamless interconnectivity features with HONOR laptops and tablets.

Available in Black and Cyan colors, the HONOR Magic4 Pro is priced at P52,990.
Enjoy fitness and healthier lifestyle

To be fit is a lifetime commitment. It is a fact that when you live an active lifestyle, it radiates wonders to your everyday aura, productivity and overall well-being. If your loved one is into fitness and wellness, why not give them an HONOR Watch GS 3 or HONOR Band 6?

HONOR Watch GS3 supports more than 100 workout modes such as walking, swimming, cycling and more. It can automatically detect and show you what workout mode you are doing. It can also easily track your calorie count, heart rate, and blood oxygen level. The battery lasts around two weeks allowing users to enjoy the full benefits of a better lifestyle.

On the other hand, HONOR Band 6 has a large selection of 95 workout modes to track your physical exercises. Even if you want to exercise underwater, HONOR Band 6 will precisely record your performance for reference.

When we are doing a lot of tasks and we are always on the go, it is a must-have that our phone is powered fully to last the day long.

The X series boasts SuperCharge feature. HONOR X7 and X8 have 5,000mAh High-Capacity Battery with 22.5W HONOR SuperCharge for all-day connectivity and productivity.

Available in Midnight Black, Ocean Blue, and Titanium Silver, the HONOR X7 is priced at P9,990. Meanwhile, HONOR X8 is priced at P12,990 with free HONOR Band 6 to first 200 walk-in customers at HONOR kiosks nationwide, until supplies last.

Meanwhile, HONOR X9 boasts a 4,600 mAh battery with 66W Supercharge that charges 50% full in 15 minutes. HONOR X9 debuts at P14,990 in Midnight Black and Ocean Blue colors.

Lastly, HONOR X6 is priced at P7,490 available in Titanium Silver and Midnight Black.
Promoting productivity, upgrading learning efficiency

For those who prefer to keep things light, there’s also the HONOR Pad 8 priced at P17,990. If your loved one is fond of binge-watching series or movies on Netflix and Disney+, this is the perfect gift for them! HONOR Pad 8 comes with an eight-speaker stereo surround sound that gives you a better listening experience.

This tablet also supports multi-screen collaboration. It interacts with your mobile phone on the same screen, letting you seamlessly drag and drop photos and videos, making it easy to collaborate on the same files.

There are still several days until Christmas, yet the season is already very much alive everywhere in the country. While the last few years may have been a little less jolly, GCash, the country’s leading e-wallet app, is bringing back the magic to the holidays with a little help from Philippine entertainment’s new leading man.

Joshua Garcia has been heating up televisions across the country with his starring role as Brian Robles in “Mars Ravelo’s Darna” and an upcoming landmark deal for Dreamscape production’s “Unbreak My Heart”. Adding to his already impressive list of milestones is his new role as the face of GCash to celebrate a Merry G Christmas and uphold what truly warms his heart – traditions with his family and friends.


“The family tradition I look forward to every Christmas is our family reunion wherein my family spends Christmas together,” he said. “We take advantage of the time we can have our bonding during this season when we are not too busy with work with some games and a simple feast for the whole family.”

Christmas Magic Lives On

Just like many Filipinos, Christmas for Joshua becomes truly magical when spent with the right people.
“My most magical Christmas experience was when I was living in the province and I went caroling in our neighborhood with my friends. Afterwards, we attended the Simbang Gabi with our family. I’m really glad that I got to experience Christmas that way,” he said.



Of course, part of any Christmas celebration is hunting for the perfect gifts for your loved ones. But despite his high-profile stature, Joshua stays humble and opts for meaningful gifts and thoughtful spending.

“To find the most meaningful Christmas gifts for my loved ones, I always think about what they really need at that time so the gifts are useful and that, through those gifts, they will also remember me somehow,” Joshua said. “I don’t really give very expensive gifts. As long as they make them happy, then I am, too.”


Gift-giving, the Joshua way

With the long list of celebrations lined up for Joshua this Christmas, looking for these useful items will be a big task. His secret? He does his shopping with GCash.

According to the actor: “One of my favorite GCash services is GLife because there are lots of merchants to choose from. It is a one-stop shop for a quick purchase of my favorite products and services. It is very timely since Christmas season is almost here, I can definitely use it for my Christmas shopping to buy gifts for my loved ones.”


Thanks to GCash, Christmas shopping can be a magical experience in itself, especially when you get cashbacks and discounts from the GCash Online Bazaar from Nov. 28 to January 5, 2023. You can conveniently pay through your GCash wallet, pay later through GCredit, or pay in installment with GGives.

Though many Filipinos will celebrate with their families this year, there are still some who wouldn’t be able to enjoy family reunions like Joshua and might spend time apart during the holidays. Despite the distance, GCash makes sure that everyone can send Christmas cheer wherever your loved ones may be.

You can send pamasko to anyone anywhere through Send Money for other GCash users, Bank Transfer or GCash Padala for non-GCash users, or Send with a Clip to attach a special message to your Aguinaldo. If actual presents are your thing, you can also shop online with GLife and pay for your gifts on GCash.



And because GCash wants everyone’s Christmas to be truly magical, every gift given through GCash becomes a gift for yourself, too.



For every PHP 100 spent using GCash services or when using GLoan, GGives, and GCredit, users can earn parols and enter the Merry GCash raffle. Raffle draws will be done on December 5 and December 19 where GCash will be giving away five iPhone 14 phones, five Macbook Air M1 laptops and five Sony PS5 Playstations. Sixty-five lucky winners will also take home P10,000 worth of e-fuel cards from Petron, P10,000 worth of Mercury Drugstore gift certificates, P20,000 worth of IKEA gift cards and P30,000 worth of SM Appliances gift cards.



With so many ways to hunt and shop for gifts, Joshua leaves his fans with just one piece of advice: “To be honest, I think for me what’s more important is that every time I give my loved ones gifts, they are pleased with what they received, whether they may be simple or otherwise.”

 Whether you opt for grand gifts or small tokens, make every spend count when you use your GCash for every transaction. No GCash yet? Download the GCash App on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or Huawei App Gallery! Register and get verified today, and discover how you can have a Merry GCash celebration!

Ten outstanding local governance programs were recognized in the 2022 Galing Pook Awards held at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacanang Palace last Tuesday, November 22, 2022.

Galing Pook Foundation with its co-presenters SM Prime Holdings Inc., and the DILG-Local Government Academy, and sponsors Cebu Pacific and Airspeed named local government units from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao that promote innovation and excellence.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. commended the Galing Pook Foundation for recognizing and incentivizing top performing LGUs. He stressed how strong collaboration between the public and private sector can lead to more meaningful and successful programs that truly benefit the Filipino people.

“The recognition that you give to cities and municipalities inspires them to accelerate their drive towards improvement and it encourages LGUs to adopt practices that make us paragons of excellence in public service. It is necessary for us to underscore the importance of strengthening partnerships between the government and private organizations, such as the Galing Pook Foundation, especially as we bring about meaningful progress in the country.”

Galing Pook Chairperson Mel Sarmiento expressed his gratitude to all the local executives and LGU teams that participated this year: “It’s truly inspiring to see the impact of the work that you do, and I’m sure you’ve brought value to many Filipinos all over the country. Our collaborations bring us closer to realizing our shared vision, na ang bawat pamilyang Pilipino, may simple pero kumportableng buhay.”



The winners of the 2022 Galing Pook Awards were: The Green Wall of Alcala (Alcala, Cagayan);

Advancing and Sustaining Good Governance and Community Actions towards Resiliency and Empowerment (Basilan Province); Bataan Public-Private Partnership Programs (Bataan Province);

Balik-Biñan Project: Tourism Development through Heritage Conservation (Biñan City, Laguna); From Black to Green: Fishponds, Eco-Tourism and Full Employment (Brgy. Cayabu, Tanay, Rizal);


Trekking to Unlock Community Ailments and Difficulties (TUCAD) (Goa, Camarines Sur); “I-BIKE” A Program Promoting the Development of the Iloilo City Bike Culture (Iloilo City); Yaru: A Whole-of-Community Approach Towards Disaster Management (Itbayat, Batanes); Libertad Fish Forever Savings Club (Libertad, Antique); and

Basta Piddigueño, AgriHenyo: Consolidated Farm Production System (Piddig, Ilocos Norte).

The 10 winners were chosen from 18 finalists and a record field of 196 applications from different LGUs in the country.

Launched on October 21, 1993, the Galing Pook Awards has recognized 329 LGU programs from 200 LGUs in the country that have been promoted for replication to benefit more communities.

More than just an area where students gather to hold classes, a school environment plays a vital role in learners’ cognitive development. Research has shown that with an environment conducive to learning, students increase their attention and focus, and they are more motivated to practice higher-level critical thinking skills.

Adamant to provide students with venues where they can fully hone their skills and knowledge, SM Foundation (SMFI)—the corporate social responsibility arm of the SM group—cemented its partnership with the Department of Education (DepED) in 2002 through DepEd’s Adopt-A-School Program.

Through this, SMFI builds SM school buildings in grassroot communities, complete with basic furniture and equipment. More so, SMFI integrates specialized features to each SM school building to address the unique needs of their school recipients—some received rooms dedicated as a guidance office, a clinic, a mini-library, and some even got a water tank and a handwashing facility.

To date, SMFI has turned over more than 100 SM school buildings nationwide with the help of its partners, which share the same aspirations for the Filipino learners and teachers. One of which is the SM Prime Holdings (SMPH) – one of the largest integrated property developers in Southeast Asia. Since the project’s inception, over 90 SM school buildings out of the more than 100 were built through the social good collaboration with SM Prime.

​Green space which promotes environmental consciousness.

Infrastructure for calamity prone areas

SMFI and SMPH ensure that the SM school buildings incorporate a disaster resilient design to guarantee the safety of the students, teachers, and other school personnel. Emergency lights at both staircases, and fire and earthquake alarm bells are also installed.

Principal Joji Buelvo, school principal of Basud Elementary School (BES) in Sorsogon City, shared the state of their school community before they accepted the fully furnished SM school building from SMFI and SM Prime in 2021: “Ang aming paaralan ay saksi sa maraming kalamidad. Kaya karamihan ng mga classrooms ay may kalumaan na, ang mga kisame ay malapit na bumagsak—talagang hindi na conducive for learning.”

“But through your [SMFI and SM Prime] donation, our BES learners now have a haven where we can nurture their young minds to be academically-ready and well-rounded members of the community,” Buelvo further expressed.

Addressing classroom shortage

The continuous rapid growth of the country’s population is taking a toll on schools—leaving the students, even the teachers, with overcrowded classrooms which affect learners’ academic performance.

​SM School building in General Santos City

In 2012, the Banisil National High School (BNHS) in General Santos City received its first SM school building. But being the only secondary school in Barangay Tambler, BNHS records a significant increase in their enrollment per year. With this challenge, SM Foundation decided to provide another edifice of hope for the sub-urban Muslim community in 2021, addressing the growing needs of BNHS learners and teachers.

BNHS then principal Shiela Balbon said, “Yung patuloy na paglobo ng population every year ay talagang naging suliranin namin.”

“Pagpasok ng 2020, nagkaroon ng COVID. So naisip ko baka hindi na matuloy. Pero itong SM Foundation, walang pande-pandemya sa kanila. Talagang desidido silang matugunan yung pangangailangan sa classroom ng mga estudyante,” she added.

​

Every classroom in an SM school building is well-ventilated and spacious enough to allow the students to have a better learning experience.

“Our salute to our longtime partner, SM Foundation and SM Prime, for being so generous and proactive in providing us with school buildings that are conducive to learning. We are so grateful for your extended support to our school amidst the pandemic,” Balbon concluded.

SM Foundation, through its School Building Program, is an active partner of DepEd’s Adopt-a-School project. This social good initiative aims to promote quality public education by building classrooms nationwide.

The breakthrough act drops a banger about “bravely facing the world” and valuing self-worth

Sony Music Entertainment and ShowBT Philippines Corp., the entertainment company responsible for the breakthrough of award-winning boyband SB19, are set to launch another P-Pop star with immense global potential.

With more than 17 million followers on TikTok alone and an impressive portfolio of anime soundtracks that went viral, breakthrough artist Mona Gonzales ranks among the industry’s newest batch of megastar hopefuls.

The promising solo act marks her debut as a recording artist with “Always Remember,” an effervescent cut that champions the value of self-worth and preservation in an attempt to bravely face the world and conquer everything. Capturing the unabashedly colorful spirit of K-Pop and J-Pop with commanding confidence, Mona Gonzales aims to uplift listeners with her anthemic and captivating delivery—doing it like a seasoned pro.

“The way I personally describe it is something like a soft pop rock for me,” says the promising TikTok sensation turned P-Pop star. “The sound of electric guitar with a pop style beat is dominating through the whole song. The style is not really new, but the sound is unique in its own way. It’s a little different from the OPM that we’re used to. I think that makes it interesting.”

Produced by Oh Won Lee, an industry veteran who has helmed tracks by K-Pop icons Stray Kids, SHINee’s Taemin, and Wanna One, and the country’s very own SB19, “Always Remember” is an inspirational track that pushes the envelope of modern pop production with breezy, summer hooks and a minimalist instrumentation. The end product is a mesmerizing take on P-Pop, one that is creatively boundless and flows with so much effortlessness.

As Mona Gonzales puts it, “Pinoy Pop Music doesn’t really have a certain and specific style and sound. Most of us new artists want to be unique. That’s true for me, but I want to add a new flavor and variety along with the existing Pinoy pop music right now. And with every Pinoy music artists, we will prove that P-POP can expand. And then people will talk about how the Pinoy pop music has evolved, its potential and where it can go.”

The release of the song comes with a vibrant music video that metaphorically follows Mona Gonzales’ journey as an artist with so much to explore and grow on. Shot in multiple locations that showcase the beautiful scenery of the Philippines, Mona Gonzales dances, sings, hops, and walks with the excitement of someone ready to navigate the world on her own terms.

Mona Gonzales’ “Always Remember” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment and ShowBT Philippines Corp. Watch the music video here.

The World Cup, the largest and most influential football game in the world, kicked off in Qatar on November 21st. This World Cup is also the one with the highest investment in history. All hardware and software facilities are built with premium specifications. Especially, the Al Thumama Stadium, which introduced MSI FUNTORO Stadium & Arena Solution, is getting much attention. All fans can enjoy the service from their seats including live streaming, highlight replay, meal order, merchandise shopping, MVP voting, interactive events, advertising, etc., bringing them a thrilling game experience like never before.


Followed by its Category Award of Computex Best Choice 2018, MSI FUNTORO Stadium & Arena Solution was implemented in Besiktas – Vodafone Park, the stadium selected as the venue to host the 2019 UEFA Super Cup. Now, it is recognized by the FIFA World Cup 2022 at Al Thumama Stadium, indicating that the quality, design, and stability of the system fit in the highest professional sports event in the world.

With the precise allocation of the Portal/Content/Media Server and Fail Recovering mechanism, 100% designed by its own R&D teams, FUNTORO Stadium & Arena Solution can provide the best services in the most stable and efficient way. Besides, with the help of a smart Central Console & Cloud System, the venue management team can take full control of services even with only one staff.

FUNTORO Stadium & Arena Solution has received positive feedback by bringing new insight and business models into the daily operation of the sports club. It also helped them improve fans’ engagement, and brand image and create new sources of income including advertising platforms and sponsorship opportunities with the minimum human resource. MSI FUNTORO makes venues smarter and more profitable in the most effective way.

Enjoy a deep slumber with Uratex Foam Senso Memory Frost that keeps you cool all night


For 54 years, Filipino brand Uratex has stayed true to its mission of providing the best sleep experience through high quality mattresses, foams, pillows and other sleeping solutions.


As the company continuously flourished, Uratex ensured to deliver a commitment to reaching a goal, “We will not stop until we give every Filipino a comfortable and affordable mattress to lie on,” said Uratex Founder Robert G. Cheng.


The tropical Philippines is now enjoying the cool amihan season, and Uratex hopes to extend this perfect sleepy weather with the grand launch of the Senso Memory Frost Collection at the Matrix Creative Events in Quezon City last November 25.


Dubbed as Deep Slumber in a Dreamland of Ice, the visually compelling and immersive ice party featured a unique showroom experience where guests saw and felt firsthand the magic of Uratex’s latest innovation.






There was also an Aromatherapy Bed Linen Spray Workshop where attendees created and customized their own room and linen spray to get the best sleeping experience with a fresh pillow and mattress.


Have a Better Sleep, Better U


Consumers will feel cooler and have zero night sweats as the Senso Memory Frost is up to 5 degrees cooler than Uratex’s previous Memory Foam Mattress.


The collection is infused with DuoFrost Technology. It consists of Senso Memory foam coated with cooling technology which also adapts to the body’s contour and a cool-to-touch fabric for an instant cooling sensation.

Key Features


The Senso Memory Frost collection includes a Mattress, Mattress Topper and Pillow.


Each product highlights the DuoFrost Technology. It’s up to 5 degrees cooler than ordinary memory foam and prevents heat build-up for sustained coolness and thermal comfort.



The products are covered with Cool-to-Touch Fabric, a premium knit fabric for an instant cooling sensation.



It also consists of a Senso Memory Foam – coated with cooling technology, which also adapts to the body’s contour providing superior comfort and relieves pressure points.


The products are also sanitized to effectively prevent bacteria, odor, mildew, and dust mites, keeping the mattress clean and hypoallergenic.


Uratex stands out in terms of durability, and proving it is Senso Memory Frost Mattress’ Vital Foam, a durable foam that provides outstanding support to withstand a heavier load.


Both Senso Memory Frost Mattress and Topper are Quality-Guaranteed and offer 10 years of warranty.


Christmas Deals


As a Christmas gift to Filipinos, Uratex is offering discounts from November 25 to December 31, 2022, where buyers can get less 30% on Uratex Senso Memory Frost Mattress, less 15% on Senso Frost Mattress Topper, and less 20% on Senso Frost Traditional Pillow.

You can also get 1 Senso Frost Pillow with every purchase of Senso Frost Mattress from December 1 to 31.

For more information, follow @UratexPhilippines on Facebook or visit Uratex’s official website and official stores in Shopee and Lazada.