Catch the Lovin’ Vibe this February at SM Supermall

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Get all the things you love here at SM!

This February, as lower alert levels signal good days ahead, SM introduces new ways to catch the Lovin’ Vibe with a host of Valentine’s Day activities lined up for the month.

Starting February 2 to 28, you can catch these enhanced malling and romantic dining deals at your favorite SM Mall:

Lovin’ Eats. Enjoy 2 for 1 dining deals with your SO, your friend, or a family memberNo need to worry about your safety because SM Supermalls has al-fresco dining spaces to give you a fresh-air romantic vibe.

Got gifts? Check out the Lovin’ Gift Fair. Looking for a gift for your loved ones? From Vday classics like flowers and chocolates to unique novelty items, the Lovin’ Gift Fair pop-up stores got the best gifts that your special someone will surely love. Plus extra gifts when you purchase items from the season’s promos and deals!

Get into the lovey-dovey vibe with live entertainment. What’s Valentine’s Day without some fun and music? Catch a live harana in select SM malls’ Designated Dining Areas with your loved ones for that lovey-dovey vibe while enjoying your meal.

Plan a date that’s worth remembering at designated dining spots. SM malls’ safe and socially distant designated dining spots are getting a huge makeover! Just in time for the celebration, select SM will be installing Giant Flower Heart installations, Tunnels of Flowers, and big Sing-Along screens to make date a memory to remember!

Spend a #Pawsome date with your pets! Activities such as Pet Soiree, Costume Contest, and Pet Dates are in store in select SM malls to give you and your furbabies a pawsome Valentine’s treat!

Check out SM Deals for more information about the participating stores, deals, and promos you can cop for the whole month.

For updates, visit www.smsupermalls.com and its Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts: @smsupermalls.

CYAN, G-Watch to launch Multiply-Ed Philippines on Feb. 7

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The Center for Youth Advocacy and Networking and Government Watch will be launching their multi-level education accountability project, Multiply-Ed Philippines, on February 7 at the Discovery Suites, Pasig City, and virtually via Zoom, at 9:00 a.m.

Multiply-Ed, a first-of-its-kind project in the country, is a multi-level accountability approach that aims to help improve the Department of Education’s Learning Continuity Plan and make it resilient to the pandemic and other kinds of crises it may face in the future.

CYAN Executive Director Jeza Rodriguez said that it is important for education stakeholders, especially students, to monitor the education system and give suggestions on the things that they need and the policies that the government should take on for them to have a better learning environment during and after the pandemic.

The event will be highlighted by messages from Vice President Leni Robredo, Senator Risa Hontiveros, and Education Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio.

Statements of solidarity will also be given by Student Council Alliance of the Philippines Chairperson, Ken Paolo Gilo, Students’ Rights and Welfare Convenor Mark Diaz, Bukluran UP System Chairperson Dana Mica Torregosa, and Model SK Representative Kristine Cariman.

The event will present the objectives and the goals of the project and the discussion of the results of the special monitoring conducted by the project last year on the pilot implementation of the face-to-face classes of DepEd.

This project is funded by the Global Partnership for Education’s Education Out Loud (EOL), which supports civil society organizations worldwide to be active and influential in shaping education policy to better meet the needs of communities, especially the vulnerable and marginalized populations.

While the event falls on the day before the kick-off of the campaign for national elections, Rodriguez said that the event is also a reminder for the politicians who are running to create programs that aim to help the education sector which was drastically affected by the pandemic.

The event is also expected to be attended by various youth organizations, students, school leaders, and other civil society organizations from across the country virtually via Zoom. Interested participants can register here: https://bit.ly/MultiplyEdLaunch.



After the launching, Multiply-Ed will conduct its first Tool Development Workshop which will gather education stakeholders like teachers, DepEd officials, students, education-based NGOs, and community leaders to help create a tool that will be used to create the multi-level accountability approach for education./

Start and Finish: Regreening Negros the right way

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Start and Finish

If there was a time in recent memory that Negros Occidental was visited by floods with uncanny timing, it would have to be 2021. On New Year’s Day and then just around Christmas, from North to South, the province was besieged. On January 1 st residents in the northern part of the province were shocked by floods resulting from torrential rains. Shocked, because normally there would have been a typhoon warning, but since there was none, people suspected deforestation. A week later, more flooding, spurred by moderate-to-heavy rainfall, confirmed the fear.

December 16, however, was a different story. This time, there was a storm.

Typhoon Odette hit southern Negros with unforgiving might. Super Typhoon Rai, as Odette was internationally called, was a Category 5 hurricane. Aon PLC, a global risk manager and reinsurer, called Odette the deadliest cyclone of 2021. It would have helped if the mountain range that looms over the communities directly hit by Odette are forested to endemic trees, the kind that are native to the local landscape, possessing inherent strength to weather punishing wind and water known to the area.

This month, on “Seeing the forest for the trees in Negros Occidental, ”writer Vince Groyon gives readers valuable input on why a distinction must be made between endemic trees and exotic varieties. By doing so he puts emphasis on the value of every seedling planted to reforest space, rather than simply planting for show. Artist Erika Velasco then brightens the page with her botanical illustrations of endemic trees of Negros, among them the Garuga (Garuga floribunda). This is a truly insightful piece made even more awesome with a list of endemic tree seedlings available for sale to the public, so everyone can take active part in re-greening Negros the right way. Put on your gardening hat and visit www.negrosseasonofculture.com.