𝐀𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐨𝐥 𝐬𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐧𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭, 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐚 𝐀𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐧𝐢 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝𝐚

Wazzup Pilipinas! 



Inilunsad ng KWF ang aklat na Ubbóg Ti Asin: Kuwento at Kuwenta ng mga Babaeng Manunurat ng Nueva Vizcaya sa Gawad Julian Cruz Balmaseda na ginanap sa awditoryum ng PIA noong 28 Enero 2026.

Ang aklat na isinulat ni Dr. Lovella Gamponia-Velasco ay tungkol sa danas ng mga babaeng manunulat sa Nueva Vizcaya na madalas naisasantabi o hindi nabibigyang-pagkilala ang malikhaing talino sa larangan ng panitikan.



Ayon sa awtor, ang ubbóg ti asin ay Ilokanong termino na literal na nangangahulugang “salt spring” sa Ingles at ipinahahayag bilang metapora ng kababaihang manunulat na hindi kilala.



Sa konteksto, mayroong ubbóg ti asin na dating dinarayo sa Nueva Vizcaya na tumigil sa pagluwal ng tubig at asin noong dekada 90 dahil sa isang lindol. Pagkatapos ng maraming taon, nagkaroon ng bagong ubbóg ti asin na patuloy pang lumalaki at pinangangalagaan sa lalawigan.



Inuugnay ito ni Gamponia-Velasco sa kaniyang akda sa pagbawi, pagkilala, at pagbibigay-boses sa mga babaeng manunulat mula sa Nueva Vizcaya.



Mula ang aklat na ito sa nagwaging disertasyon sa Gawad Julian Cruz Balmaseda noong 2017. Ang Gawad Balmaseda ay pagkilala sa pinakamahusay na tesis at disertasyon na nakasulat sa Filipino bilang ambag sa intelektuwalisasyon ng wikang pambansa.



Si Gamponia-Velasco ay kasalukuyang nanunungkulan bilang Professor 6 sa Research and Development Office at Campus Coordinator ng Nueva Vizcaya State University.

Disaster relief led San Miguel Foundation’s nationwide initiatives in 2025

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

 

San Miguel Foundation (SMF), the social development arm of San Miguel Corporation, said disaster relief accounted for the largest share of its activities in 2025 following a series of major calamities, even as it sustained community programs in health, nutrition, education and food security nationwide.

 

The foundation reported reaching about 192,000 marginalized and displaced Filipinos during the year, with disaster response generating the highest number of beneficiaries due to the scale of its relief operations.

 

SMF’s nationwide Team Malasakit employee-volunteer network distributed food, water and other essential supplies to at least 156,760 people affected by multiple typhoons, earthquakes in Cebu and Bacolod, and a major fire in Tondo, Manila.

“We deployed as much assistance and volunteers as we could to respond to our countrymen in times of need, while continuing to strengthen programs designed to provide longer-term support,” said SMC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ramon S. Ang.

 

Participation increased across SMF’s Better World Centers, which anchor its community programs in some of the country’s most underserved areas.

 

At Better World Tondo and Better World Smokey Mountain, SMF delivered food assistance alongside education, livelihood and health interventions for families in urban poor communities, including learning support for children and skills training for parents.

 

At Better World Cubao, the foundation ran year-long programs for women, including learning sessions, mental health discussions and digital literacy classes, supported by volunteer engagement. The center also hosted medical and laboratory services for women through the government’s Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Services (BUCAS) Center, operated in partnership with Quirino Memorial Medical Center.

 

“This helps close gaps in access to healthcare for underserved communities,” Ang said, noting that a fully operational BUCAS Center is now serving patients at Better World Smokey Mountain.

 

Healthcare services expanded nationwide, with SMF’s Better World Clinics growing to nine sites in 2025 and serving active patients through consultations, diagnostics and medicine distribution.

 

Nutrition programs were sustained through the First 1,000 Days initiative for mothers and infants, implemented with local governments, while food security efforts continued through the Backyard Bukid program, which supports community-based food production.

 

SMF also continued feeding and education programs in institutional settings, including at the New Bilibid Prison, where meals and learning support were provided during the year.

 

Volunteer engagement across SMC’s business units totaled about 57,000 hours in 2025, supporting hundreds of outreach activities nationwide.

 

 

PHOTOS:

SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang visited Cebu, where Team Malasakit employee-volunteers distributed food packs for earthquake victims.

   

Team Malasakit prepared hot meals for typhoon Uwan victims in Quezon City, under Better World Diliman’s food rescue initiative.

 

 

Better World Bilibid funded a fully-equipped computer room and upgraded other facilities at the school operating at the Medium Security Compound of the New Bilibid Prison.

 

Valentine Symphony of Flavors: Summit Hotel Greenhills Debuts an Artistic 7-Course Culinary Journey

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

February 2026, Manila - This Valentine season, Café Summit at Summit Hotel Greenhills invites couples and food enthusiasts to experience "Valentine Symphony of Flavors," an exclusive 7-course tasting menu available for dinner on February 13 and 14, 2026. This unique celebration features coffee as a "secret ingredient" to transform the ordinary into savory and sweet masterpieces.

“We want to showcase how elevated the Filipino culinary craft can be,” says Chef Ace Barsaga, Head Chef of Café Summit Greenhills. “By using coffee as a spice and a source of depth, we’ve created a symphony of flavors that feels both playful and deeply romantic. It’s a celebration of love through the lens of art and flavor.”

As a teaser, the chef reveals a few dishes comprising the curated collection: Ember-roasted Cabbage, Red Pepper and Coffee Emulsion; Mocha-Rubbed Filet Mignon, and to finish, an indulgent Espresso and Mascarpone Mousse.

Mocha-Rubbed Filet Mignon at Café Summit Greenhills

The special Valentine menu is available by reservation only at PhP 1,800 nett per person. For those seeking hands-on experience, an exclusive Coffee Art Workshop will be held for diners on February 13 only, 6:00 PM, during which participants will learn the techniques of coffee painting from Coffee Artists PH (CAPH). The session will transition directly into the 7-course dinner at 7:00 PM.

For table reservations, contact numbers are 8898 5200 and (0919) 078 0790. Summit Hotel Greenhills is located at 13 Annapolis Street, Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila. It is one of the hotels under the Summit Hotels and Resorts brand of Robinsons Hotels and Resorts, the hospitality arm of Robinsons Land Corporation.  

Valentine Symphony of Flavors is a direct extension of Summit Hotel Greenhills’ commitment to the local creative community--a culinary tribute to the coffee art exhibition on public display at the Red Gallery of the hotel until March 14, 2026

Cover Photo caption:

Espresso and Mascarpone Mousse at Café Summit Greenhills

For more information or images, please contact:

MS. GENNY PUNO

Director of Marketing

Genny.Puno@robinsonsland.com