Hontiveros to Push for Package of Health and Women Bills in Senate’s 2nd Regular Session

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To build on the success of the passage of her three maiden bills, upon the opening of Congress, Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros vowed to push for a new set of legislative measures aimed at addressing key health and women’s concerns.


“Strengthened Anti-Hospital Detention Law"

As a follow up to the successful passage of her strengthened Anti-Hospital Deposit Bill, Hontiveros is set to file a bill to enhance Republic Act 9439 otherwise known as the Anti-Hospital Detention Law. The current law prohibits health facilities from detaining patients who have fully or partially recovered due to non-payment in full or in part of hospital bills. However, Hontiveros said that there is a need to strengthen its implementation as there are numerous documented violations of the said measure.

"Ang hospital ay lugar ng gamutan, hindi kulungan," Hontiveros asserted.

“Bibong BHW Bill”

The Senator, who is the Vice-Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, will also push for the passage of Senate Bill 214 or the Bibong BHW Act of 2016. The measure aims to create a training program for all Barangay Health Workers (BHW) to ensure that their skills in primary health care remain up to date. The Bill also proposes that all BHW’s be entitled to a monthly allowance with additional incentives covered under the Magna Carta for Health Workers, including such benefits as PAG-IBIG, GSIS and PhilHealth coverage.

To improve government support for the nutrition of infants in their first 1000 days of life, Hontiveros will also push for the passage of Senate Bill No. 1145 or the Healthy Bulilit Act. She said that various health experts have identified a child’s first 1,000 days as a “golden window” for development, with effects ranging from the potential to prevent stunted growth and the opportunity to improve cognitive development.



Bills on women’s rights and equality

Meanwhile, Hontiveros emphasized two proposed bills in the area of women’s rights and gender equality.

The Safe Streets and Public Spaces Act, or Senate Bill No. 1326, penalizes gender-based harassment in public spaces. This pertains specifically to wolf-whistling, cat-calling leering, homophobic and transphobic slurs, and persistent requests for a woman’s name and contact details. On the other hand, the Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB) criminalizes discrimination against members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Trans-Gender (LGBT) community, specifically the restriction of access to public health services, employment and education on the basis of ones gender and Sexual Orientation and Gender Orientation or SOGIE.

"Despite the challenges presented by the political conjuncture, we will sustain the momentum of pursuing reforms in the health, women and gender struggles," Hontiveros ended.

In the Senate’s First Regular Session, Hontiveros successfully pushed for the passage of the Strengthened Anti-Hospital Deposit Law, 120-day Expanded Maternity Leave Bill and the Mental Health Act.

Beko PH Urges Filipinos to Go Green When Doing Their Laundry

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The call to conserve water and energy has never been more imperative than today. With the effects of global warming and climate change now more pronounced than ever before, there is a need to be mindful of the way we spend our resources. This not only extends to the way we use our water resources but also the way we consume electricity.


Be wise energy users.

As part of Beko’s green initiatives, Beko Philippines encourages Filipinos to become wise energy users by contemplating on their laundry routine. Beko understands that doing the laundry also requires a significant amount of electricity.

According to the Department of Energy (DOE), the household sector is the second major user of electricity. In fact,laundry accounts 29 percent of other household electricity usage based on the latest available Household Energy Consumption Survey (HECS) by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

“Beko believes that we must take into account how much energy is consumed even on our laundry. As we envision a greener laundry routine, the company has been initiating outstanding contributions toward the protection of the environment through energy efficiency and innovating eco-friendly washing machines,” said Dyeun Zapanta, Beko Philippines Sales and Marketing Head.

Beko suggests that households follow regular laundry days and avoid running the washing machine for only a few pieces of items.



Invest on energy-efficient washing machines.

Beko Philippines underlines that by taking steps to reduce energy consumption, one could contribute to a cleaner and greener world. For instance, investing on energy-efficient washers and dryers significantly cuts your electric bills.

Recently, the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) tested the energy efficiency of certain Beko washing machines in line with its Orange Tags campaign. The Meralco Orange Tags are easy-to-understand labels that indicate estimated energy consumption in kilowatt-hours (kWh) and estimated cost per hour to inform consumers on how much electricity a household product consumes.

Meralco tested some Beko’s washing machines in three trials. Items tested ranged from front loaders, top loaders and dryers in different sizes and capacities. The said survey revealed that the washing machines are all energy efficient. The results of the test are as follows:

Beko Top Load Fully Automatic Washing Machine – Meralco estimated that the average cost per wash of Beko’s three top-loads amounts to only a peso per hour of washing cycle.

Specifically, for a 7-kg capacity washing machine, every wash amounts to only PhP0.96 per hour of washing with 0.09 energy consumption and 94 watts for power usage.

Meanwhile, for 9-kg capacity top load, Meralco calculated that the cost per wash cycle amounts to PhP1.14 for almost an hour of washing with 0.11 energy consumption and 97 watts. On the other hand, for 12kg top load, they assessed that the cost per wash amounts to PhP1.37 again for almost an hour with 0.13 energy consumption and 109 watts.

Beko Frontload Fully Automatic Washing Machine – For a 7-kg and 9-kg capacity, the estimated cost per wash both costs 9 pesos per almost four hours of washing with 0.88 and 0.84 energy consumption, respectively.

On the other hand, for 10.5-kg frontload, they measured that every wash costs 15 pesos for a full load, full cycle with duration of nearly four hours with 1.47 energy consumption and 380 watts for power usage.

Beko Dryers – For Beko’s 7-kg dryer, the estimated cost per drying cycle amounts to six pesos per half an hour with 0.63 energy consumption and 1,217 watts.

“Our products are meant to not only improve how people live but also improve how we impact our environment. “Choosing an energy efficient washing machine can do more for the environment and at the same time, reduce the cost of their water and electricity bills. That is why we are bringing the efficiency of our washing machines as the Official Partner of the Everyday to help Filipino consumer save energy,” added Zapanta.


Beko Ph on its second year

Beko Philippines continues to innovate products that can make a difference in the lives of Filipinos. With their strong emphasis and commitment toward raising awareness on energy consumption and innovating energy-efficient washing machines, they encourage Filipinos to take part towards preserving their environment by taking into consideration their energy consumption.

Strengthening its local presence as it approaches its third year in the Philippines, leading European home appliance brand Beko further penetrates the Filipino market. Since 2015, Beko Philippines already doubled its distribution in the country. The company has also tripled its sales through its enhanced and domineering product line that continuously meets the need of the Filipino market.

To know more about Beko and Beko Philippines, like the Beko Philippines fan page (@BekoPH) or visit their website atwww.beko.ph

APAC IT Leaders Should Cultivate Situational Awareness to Thwart Cyber Threats

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Fortinet, a global leader in high-performance cyber security solutions, today advised IT leaders in Asia Pacific to hone their situational awareness skills in order to better defend their organizations against cyber threats.

Human beings are continually looking for knowledge or information to improve the situations they are in. If we live in a crowded city, for example, we want to know which routes are best to avoid getting stuck in traffic. When we enter a restaurant or cinema, we look for the exits. And when a suspicious looking person enters the room, part of our mind automatically keeps track of him. This behavior is known as situational awareness, and it is second nature to most of us.

“When people use IT, however, this behaviour surprisingly doesn’t carry over. They click on dubious links without a second thought, open files they don’t recognize, and connect to wireless networks they are unfamiliar with,” said Jeff Castillo, Fortinet Assistant Regional Director for Southeast Asia & Hong Kong, Country Manager Philippines. “If people could become more situationally aware in their handling of computing devices, they − and the organizations they work for − would be victimized by cyber threats much less often.”

Situation awareness in enterprise IT environments start with understanding the organization’s business priorities, risks and threats. IT leaders must be able to frame the issues they are dealing with within short and long-term business objectives, have clear line-of-sight across the organization and technologies, and be able to establish policy and governance for everyone who touches the firm’s data. 

Sony Channel Joins the Dance Craze with the Latest Dance Competition on Television “Dirty Dancing: Living the Dream”

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New reality show premieres August 9, Weeknights at 7pm

Join a bevy of dance hopefuls as they try to strut their way to stardom in the newest dance sensation Dirty Dancing: Living the Dream, which debuts on Sony Channel this August.

Thirty young women experience the time of their lives as they team up with professional dance instructors and taught various dance routines. Each episode features the couples performing their specific routines with the weakest performers being eliminated.

The women - coming from various backgrounds ranging from housewives to secretaries to bartenders – vie for 18 spots in the competition with the hope of being chosen to dance with their guy in the finale and win the opportunity of a lifetime – being crowned the first ever Dirty Dancing Champions!

The series is hosted by star choreographer Cris Judd.

Dirty Dancing: Living the Dream premieres August 9 and airs weeknights at 7pm, first and exclusive on Sony Channel.

Sony Channel is available on SKYCable Channel 35, Destiny Cable Channel 62, Cignal Channel 120, G Sat Channel 48, and Cablelink Channel 39.

NBA 3X Philippines 2017 Presented by Axa Attracts Provincial Participants, Hails New Champs

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NBA 3X Philippines 2017 presented by AXA reached an all-time high in popularity this year with increased participation from Metro Manila and provincial teams joining the various age group categories of the seven-year old 3-on-3 basketball tournament.

Fifty-six out of 176 participating teams survived the qualifiers held at Don Bosco Makati on July 15-16. The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals matches of the Boys Under-13, Under-16, and Under-18, Girls Under-18, Men’s Open and Women’s Open were staged at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall on July 22-23.

New champions were hailed in the avidly watched Men’s Open division that was won by Team Rocan from Valenzuela, Bulacan. Christian Chua, Mark Fernandez, Elmer de la Cruz, and Philip Torres outhustled Team 459 Legaspi from Colegio San Juan de Letran in a closely fought game. EGS Elite, four-peat champions of the NBA 3X Philippines Men’s Open division since 2013, was unable to follow through with their plans for a fifth championship after failing to show up in the quarterfinals.

The Women’s Open Division was won by National University (NU)-A with Trixie Antiquiera, Ria Joy Nabalan, Samantha Harada, and Rhena Itesi, besting their teammates on the opposing NU-B squad. Both teams play for the NU women’s basketball team that has dominated UAAP women’s basketball for three consecutive seasons. “It was a challenge to have to face our teammates who are familiar with our style of play, but we are proud to earn this victory,” said Antiquiera.

Bachour in Manila: World Renowned Pastry Chef, Antonio Bachour, to Hold Master Classes in the Philippines

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The Gastronomie Group, Events & Culinary Co. is bringing Chef Bachour to Manila for a comprehensive Master Class Series from September 4 to 10, 2017 at the Greenfield District Showroom, the official event venue for Bachour in Manila 2017.

From Miami, Chef Antonio Bachour is taking his modern French patisserie expertise to Manila! Chef Bachour is a world renowned, multi-awarded pastry chef whose passion and skillfulness in his craft has garnered a large following all across the globe. In a 7-day Master Class Series, Chef Bachour will be instructing hands-on classes and a demo class for professional chefs, culinary students, seasoned bakers, and other members of the food industry. The famous chef has also authored three successful pastry books: Bachour, Bachour Simply Beautiful, and Bachour Chocolate. A Book Signing will be held for keen readers and fans on September 10 from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. An online registration for the Book Signing will be launched at The Gastronomie Group website. His latest book, Bachour Chocolate is also available for sale at the Atelier (online shop) of The Gastronomie Group. 

Bachour in Manila 2017 will commence with a three-day Hands-On Master Class on Buffet Style Petits Gâteaux, Tarts, Verrines, and more on September 4-6, 2017 (Monday-Wednesday) from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Followed by another three-day Hands-On Master Class on Plated Desserts on September 7-9, 2017 (Thursday-Saturday) from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Lastly, Chef Bachour will share an eight-hour Demo Class on Entremets, Tarts, Chocolates, and more on September 10, 2017 (Sunday) from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm. All events are to be held at Bachour in Manila 2017 official event venue — Greenfield District Showroom, Shaw Blvd. cor. Mayflower Street, Greenfield District, Mandaluyong City (across Edsa Shangri-La Hotel). 

Stanley Launches New Power Tools That Help Get the Job Done

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For over a century, Stanley Black & Decker has built a legacy by producing some of the most well-known hand tools and storage products in the world. It is this rich history of innovation that made Stanley a trusted brand across industries.

As it launches a new line of power tools, Stanley—a world-leading provider of tools and storage, commercial electronic security and engineered fastening systems—traces back to its ergonomically designed yellow power tools which were first launched in 2014. These tools target tradesman users, exceeding their expectations through quality that outstands performance.

Gamma Partners POKKT to Drive Integrated Brand Experience for Marketers and Intelligent Ads for Gamers

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Gamma, a fast-growing Southeast Asia-based ad selling platform, today announced a partnership with POKKT that will bring high quality rewarded video advertisements and spur increased revenue for mobile game developersand publishers in Asia Pacific.

The collaboration augments Gamma’s inventory with 90% of the top games in the region, both local and global game developers.Gamma’s supply-side platform also connects advertisers to over 5,000 regional publishers, offering premium ad inventory inSoutheast Asia. Using a single platform, advertisers can run integrated regional campaigns across online publications, mobilegames, social and other digital channels.

According to Newzoo, the Southeast Asia games market is poised to double its revenue to US$2.2 billion in 2017, with keymarkets such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam accounting for 99% of the total revenuegenerated. Conversely, Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) predicts that advertising spend in these key markets will hit double-digit growth in 2017 as the consumer demand for mobile, video and social drives up spend.

Game publishers are facing an uphill challenge with in-app purchasing, with the most popular games in app purchases accountingfor approximately only 1%-2% of daily active users. Through POKKT’s rewarded video ads solution, gamers will only need towatch a video ad to progress to the next level, benefiting publishers, brands and advertisers at the same time.

Dirk Jacobs, Managing Director, Gamma said: “Southeast Asia’s mobile gaming and advertising industry is seeing massivegrowth. Our trusted partnership with POKKT will allow us to increase our audience targeting capabilities and accurately connectwith gamers. We remain committed to optimising revenue for developers through programmatic targeting and increasing in-appinventory supply to brands, and ensuring that their monetisation goals are achieved.”

Purwa Jain, Senior Vice President, POKKT, said: “We chose Gamma as our partner here in Southeast Asia based on theirregional expertise, ability to scale and solid partnerships. Through this collaboration, we are able to grow exposure for ourpublishers and help marketers and brands in Southeast Asia better target and manage their campaigns efficiently with premium

DOTr Starts Transfer to Clark on July 28; Supports Vision of Creation of National Government Center in Clark

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As the lead agency tasked to manage transportation systems and traffic decongestion plans in the country, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) will take the lead in transferring its Central Office to Clark, Pampanga, a move that is in line with the creation of the country’s National Government Center.

The transfer is seen to help decongest traffic in Metro Manila, reduce travel time and improve the travel of motorists, and boost the development in the peripheries of NCR.

A series of dialogues were conducted with DOTr employees wherein arrangements such as provision of free shuttle services to ferry employees to and from Clark, implementing flexible time and four-day work week schedule, and availability of affordable food, were formulated and agreed upon. Discussions on subsidized accommodations are also ongoing.

DOTr employees were also given the option to transfer or be detailed in any DOTr attached agency. Likewise, employees from DOTr attached agencies who wish to be based in Clark were also given the option to transfer or be detailed to the Department.

The transfer, which will start on 28 July 2017, will be rolled out by batches, in order to ensure a systematized and efficient transition. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.

Based on computations, the transfer will increase the savings of the DOTr, owing to less rental and overhead costs as well as gaining potential income from opening its owned units in Columbia Tower for lease. The DOTr is estimated to earn an additional PHP9.3M per year from the transfer.

Further, DOTr Secretary Arthur P. Tugade expressed his support on the creation of the National Government Center to be built in Clark to house central offices of government agencies in one location for more convenient transactions. As envisioned in the BUILD BUILD BUILD Program of the Duterte Administration, the National Government Center to be built in Clark shall serve as a common location that will facilitate the smooth-sailing convergence of government agencies in terms of coordinating and implementing its respective programs and services.

Run, Bike, and Party with Trikini

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Megaworld Lifestyle Malls shall be presenting a unique active lifestyle event this July 29th, 2017 in McKinley West Park.

Trikini is an urban fitness party that will feature three basic elements- run, bike, and party- in a safe and exclusive venue where attendees can enjoy the outdoors right in the heart of the city. With a dress code of sports, active or beach wear, guests can participate in their activities of choice quite comfortably.

The event will have two zones: Active and Fest. The Active Zone allows festival goers to get their fitness fix with a friendly 5K run and 15k bike race. For attendees looking for a more relaxed experience, the Fest Zone offers dance workshops, oversized inflatables, and a main stage that will feature performances by high-profile acts such as SinoSiKat, Extrapolation, DJ Khai Lim, and Sanya Smith!

“Trikini highlights enjoying the urban outdoors and being comfortable in your own skin,” says Sam Okal of GEO Events Management. “Since all the fitness activities are optional, you can decide on your level of participation. Competition is also kept light and friendly with cash prizes going as donations to beneficiary SOS Children’s Villages Philippines.”

For fifty years, the organization has provided healthcare, housing, and education to underprivileged children and families in the Philippines. Attendees may learn more about SOS and how they may contribute to its initiatives during the event.

“Essentially, it’s Trikini’s overall vibe that sets it apart from other events in the category,” continues Okal. “The ultimate goal is to encourage more city dwellers to live active lifestyles and enjoy the outdoors, no matter what the season.”

Don’t let the rainy season stop you from being active and enjoying the outdoors! Ticket prices are PHP 5,000.00 and can be purchased online at trikini.pouchnation.com, bank deposit and credit card payments accepted. Promo codes are available through Megaworld Lifestyle Malls (Eastwood, Uptown Bonifacio, and Venice Grand Canal), Colnago Manila, Secondwind, and Athleema Makati.