Blurring the Mundane and Monstrous: by: THEATER produces their first ever live production “MATAKOT KA SA…”

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Matakot ka sa… Saan nga ba?

by: THEATER (byTE) is a production house composed of student-artists under the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s Theater Arts Program and Production Design Program. The company serves to reinforce existing Filipino societal issues and strengthen its artistry, heritage, and culture.

"MATAKOT KA SA..." is a metaphor for the Philippine's political climate. It is a statement of chaos and a wake up call for the characters and audience on who we should fear literally and figuratively. The play tackles how each character wears and faces their fears. As the title presents, it evokes a test of morals and beliefs.

As Filipino folklore is known, in the play, these creatures tell their struggles mirroring mundane "human” lives. As Numputul disrupts the peace in the barrio because of hunger, Tikbalang and Nuno will unravel the reasons for their silence and power, beyond what their identity is known for, particularly in voicing their issues.

"MATAKOT KA SA..." premieres live on December 7, 2022 & December 13, 2022 at 6/F Blackbox Theater, Design and Arts Campus, Benilde School of Arts, Culture, and Performance and will be streaming via Ticket2Me.net starting December 14 until December 21, 2022.

In a world where mythical creatures are humanized, how do we distinguish the good and the evil?

Maybe humans are not so different from these creatures after all.

SSS inks agreement with banks to upgrade Regular UMID Cards to UMID ATM Pay Cards

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The Social Security System (SSS) announced that it has entered into agreement with banks for the issuance of UMID ATM Pay Cards.

With the UMID ATM Pay Cards, SSS members will enjoy the advantages of having a disbursement account for their benefits, loans, and refunds, and access to the participating banks’ available ATMs and online & mobile platforms to make their banking transactions apart from having a valid government-issued ID.

“The UMID ATM Pay Card Program aims to promote the accurate and timely payment of SSS benefits and loans to rightful recipients. It is a step towards the national government, the SSS, and its partners’ shared goals of greater financial inclusion and payments digitalization,” SSS President and CEO Michael G. Regino said.

“Currently, SSS is offering UMID ATM Pay Cards that are linked to a regular savings account, with the Union Bank of the Philippines (UBP) as the first participating bank,” he added.

UBP has made ready an initial one million UMID ATM Cards for those who have not been issued the UMID cards.

“The UBP will also allow those with pending generic UMID cards for production to avail of this upgrade for free. To do so, they must give their Data Sharing Consent through the Services Tab of their My.SSS Web Portal account and undergo the electronic Know-Your-Customer (eKYC) process through the online or mobile platform of the UBP,” Regino said.

Members who will avail of said card this year will also receive a ₱200 Jollibee e-Gift Certificate and the chance to win a Mitsubishi Xpander from the UBP upon the activation of their account and funding it with ₱1,000. This UBP promo runs up to February 28, 2023, only.

By the first quarter of 2023, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) will also be ready to issue UMID ATM Pay Cards to SSS members.

“In the coming months, we will continue to pursue partnerships with other financial institutions to provide our members with more options for this program,” Regino said.

“As soon as a substantial percentage of the UMID ATM Pay Cards are issued, SSS would start re-carding the rest of the issued 13 million generic UMID cards,” he added.

The SSS encourages all members to register to the My.SSS Portal at www.sss.gov.ph, and enroll their updated contact information, including mobile numbers and email addresses, in their account for them to receive important announcements and updates regarding the UMID ATM Pay Card and other SSS information.

Reasons the Holidays are Basically Food Fests

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Holidays are mostly about remembering loved ones, exchanging gifts with them, and bringing more than the usual amount of food on the table–not just any ordinary food, but the best ones, if not the trendiest ones on the internet. They’re just some reasons that make the meal enjoyable and worthwhile to share. Aside from these things, one of the reasons why Filipino food is so tasty is because of shared concepts and techniques that get passed from one generation to another. Below are some reasons we listed down that make us think that celebrations are basically food fests–and great ones at that.

 
You can expect a lot of flavor served in one large table.

Appetizers? We have at least two. Desserts? Three will do. How about the main dishes? Well, good luck counting as there will surely be a lot to go around. Heck, there will even be a lot of those to give to your friends and neighbors, so going hungry during the holiday season is next to impossible. But if you think something’s missing on the table, you can easily whip up something to complement the other dishes that are already there. Just make sure to prepare yourself for the possibility that it may be gone once you set it on the table.

 
The holidays are where you get to share some secret recipes and techniques.

Aside from food, a gathering of this kind usually calls for a lot of conversations if you’re up to those. If you’ve been cooking for and with the family for quite some time now, chances are you already developed a recipe you can call your own. Depending on your comfort level, you may swap recipes with the other folks at the party or try to determine the ingredients and the techniques used by tasting the dishes on the table. Somehow, the latter can be a fun activity if you’re enjoying the entire process of cooking and preparing food.

 
Everyone gets seconds, no matter the type of food brought out.

Because there are a lot of food options laid out on the table, it’s not a big deal if you go for second or third servings if you think the food is to your liking. It’s not like you’re paying for each instance you go to the buffet section to try out a new dish, so make sure to have your fill and feed your soul in the process.

 
Each celebration requires a large group of people to organize the entire menu.

You’re in for a big surprise if you think it only takes two to three people to get a large feast going in no time. At least that’s the norm in large family gatherings for the holidays. Aside from the ones doing the actual cooking, there are also those who are in charge of organizing the list of ingredients, going to the market to buy the ingredients (and some additionals), and doing the food preps (think about slicing, lining up the ingredients, and peeling the veggies, among others). If you think about it, this phase is like a part of the family activities for the festivities, but not quite.

 
You get to participate in the process of preparing and serving the food.

It doesn't even matter if you're a part of the family or not. If you're willing to extend the much-needed help to help get the holiday table together, you're more than welcome to take part in the beauty of chaos that is preparing all the food for the upcoming meals.

This is where the magic of working together enters the picture. Some will wrap up the lumpia for deep frying, some will prepare the marinade for the chicken lollipops, and some others will run random errands to make sure that the rest of the members of the house can play their roles during this season well.

 
Because of the hustle and bustle of preparation, you get some throwbacks here and there.

Who says the process of preparing the food should be a quiet one? If anything, it’s a phase with a lot of noise and talking. And there’s no shame in that because it’s the essence of the season: to make lasting connections that will go beyond the feasts and the seasons after those. So go ahead, make the most out of the tasks at hand, talk to the person you’re working with, and make sure to let everyone else join in on the conversation. You don’t always have to endure the uncomfortable and invasive questions but just go with the lighter topics that everyone will enjoy.

 
You can even have some take-home food with you if you love the taste and the texture.

This is one great thing about the holidays. If you don’t have your trusty microwavable containers to keep you company, the host most likely has some plastic bags to give out so you can get the food that your tastebuds fancy after all the meals have been served. As the festivities usually call for an excess of food to serve, they will most likely have a hard time eating the leftovers by themselves. So with you and the other guests taking home some of the food, you’re doing them a favor by significantly decreasing the amount of work they need to do when it comes to cleanup.
You may also bring in your specialty if you want to share it with the people you’ll visit.

There’s no written or unwritten rule that says you can’t bring some food along, unless the party host calls for a potluck. Whatever the case may be, they will most likely graciously receive the food you’ll be bringing, especially if the person you’re visiting is someone close to you. Aside from the usual cakes and pastries, bringing along something for the main course is a good idea to have more to go around. Somehow, it’s a way to create stronger and more lasting connections with them.

 
The traditional dishes won’t go missing–at least in the beginning of the party.

You know the drill: everything will be laid out on the table, so all of you will get a chance to take some photos and post on social media. After that, all hell breaks loose and everyone is free to dig in. At this point, make sure to get some from each of the prepared dishes to try them out. If you have a particular traditional favorite, prioritize those as it will surely be gone before you even have a chance to get second helpings.
It’s a gathering not just for the food but for the new memories and the stories.

If there’s anything notable about the food on the holiday celebrations, it’s the amount of laughter and witty banters you get to hear on the table while you’re having a bite of the classic chocolate cake or the crunchy fried chicken that your grandma made for everyone. More than the yummy food that’s sure to last all of you more than a couple of days is the amount of fun and new memories to take with you for the next holiday seasons to come. So take all that you can get and give out as much love as you can because it’s the season of giving, after all.