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Saturday, June 1, 2019

Food Start-up Leogano Carves World-class Breads to Suit Filipino Taste


Wazzup Pilipinas!

I could never end the week without eating bread. Whether it's in the morning for breakfast, or during snacktime in the morning or afternoon. Sometimes, I find myself eating a whole pack even after dinner, or even in replacement of dinner. With sandwich spread or not, bread remains another staple food, aside from rice, for our family, yesteryears and present days.

This is why I was thrilled to be a part of a media coverage opportunity as a brand recently held their grand opening in conjunction with a baking seminar/workshop featuring a Japanese Master Baker. You could see the expertise clearly showcased as he swiftly creates different kinds of bread offerings during the day. The only setback was he needed to have an interpreter to translate his Japanese instructions to English and/or Tagalog. There was surely a lost in translation somewhere during the presentation.


















What was uplifting was the chance to taste and bring home some bread creations that were available for our scrutiny. They all looked so good it was like we feel it woukd be a waste to eat the artistry away. So I only consumed two kinds of breads, and just brought home most of every kind so I coukd share it with my loved ones. It is always more pleasant and heartwarming to share the blessings especially when they are fine food from Leogano.



Below is the official press release from the event:

Leogano Food Corporation is building in the Philippines communities of healthy and picky eaters through breads. From ovens, flour and bakers, the company crafts no less than quality breads: crispy to the touch, fluffy-soft upon bite and hearty and guilt-free meal.

“We define what a delicious bread is by our customized process. Our flour is made in France, our ovens are hand-built and designed from Germany, our bakers are trained by a Taiwan-based master baker. That’s how we ensure quality control on our dough and baked goods,” Leogano CEO Nelson Ong says.

Taiwan-based Japanese Chef Tomohiro Nogami, who has also served breads fresh off the ovens of culinary haven of France in his 34 years of baking, personally demonstrates the art of basic bread making to Filipinos.

“I carefully observe their hands and feel, toss their dough to tell if it was properly knead and rolled. One can also tell if the dough is ready for baking by simply feeling the temperature of the dough. After the basics, I prepare a development plan to gauge and upgrade their skills,” Nogami says with the help of an interpreter.

With only a few customers on the list for now, Leogano in every step strives to offer world-class quality in its three product lines: French flour, bread and equipment.

Staying true to the company’s conscious production, cardiologist and Leogano President Susana Ong certifies its flour as organic or chemical free for all its breads, including loaf, dinner rolls, Kaiser rolls, croissant, baguette, ciabatta and ensaymada.

“As a doctor, I’ve seen many patients getting ill from cancer, stroke and diabetes because of lifestyle habits like eating pesticide-laden foods. With my visit to France and the popularity of bread in Taiwan, I realized Filipinos can also eat handy, palatable and healthy breads. We are now consuming more Western foods, but that shouldn’t mean we must stop being healthy,” Dr. Susana says.

Leogano makes this easier for their customers in households, hotels and restaurants with their frozen dough and par-baked bread which is 90-percent cooked.

“We created these products because we want to make quality breads available to all Filipinos. This is the reason why we also focus on delivering goods instead of putting up shops where only people nearby will be reached,” Nelson says.

To promote Leogano breads, the company is also distributing freezers and ovens that its electrical engineer CEO helped build. Unlike commercial ovens, Chef Nogami says Leogano ovens- the artisans’ modern stone ovens keep its temperature even when opened.

Despite proven tools and recipes for delectable breads, Leogano under the guidance of Chef Nogami finds more ways to stand out. The company believes the Filipino market, as in Taiwan, may soon crave bread in place of rice.

“We continue to innovate according to the taste of the Filipino market. In Europe, they prefer tougher bread, but Filipinos like it soft. We are investing in research with France and Taiwan to develop more palatable, but less chemicals and affordable breads---from ingredients to processes,” Dr. Susana says.

Leogano plans to share these discoveries through e-commerce so they can have their products delivered directly to Filipino homes. The company says it is eyeing delivery services from mobile-based applications.

The company is also keen on partnering with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to train more students in baking as a foundation to whip up breads out of the ordinary.

“To ensure freshness and distinct taste, we incorporate the dough recipe from Chef Nogami, teach techniques to Filipino bakers, allow customers to share in our baking experience with our frozen dough and par-baked bread. These are the combinations that put the soul into our food,” Nelson says.


Leogano Foods Corporation (LFC) is a Philippine-based company that specializes in the production, distribution of quality bread and pastry products.

For more details, visit http://leoganofoods.com

Know The Process And The Risks Of Debt Settlement Beforehand


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Debt collectors and attorneys for debt collections may still continue to hound you for asking to make your payments that you have stopped.

If you want to make your debt settlement process a success, you will need to know the risks that you may face apart from the working process of it. In simple terms, debt settlement is one of the most popular strategies of finance industry wherein a negotiation is initiated between the creditor and the borrower finding it difficult to pay off the debt to that particular creditor.

As a result of this negotiation, an agreement is arrived in which the creditor accepts a lower amount than the actual debt balance as full payment and the debt is cancelled. Simple! Well, it is not that simple at all.

Why? Because:

A debt settlement negotiation may or may not be initiated by the creditor especially when there is a third party negotiator involved

The amount that you or your debt settlement company offer to the creditor may not be accepted

When you stop making payments to your creditor in this process it will damage your credit score which is why most people having a good credit avoids this process

Debt collectors may still continue to hound you for asking to make your payments that you have stopped

The creditors may still sue you for not paying and if they win they may even garnish your wage to recover their money for unsecured loans and confiscate the collateral for secured loans

The escrow account created by the debt settlement company needs to be managed well and the company will charge you a monthly fee for that matter along with their original service fees making the debt settlement process costly

There is a fair enough chance of being duped by scam debt settlement companies if you are not careful with your selection and do not compare the debt settlement ratings for that matter

It can take a long time, anything between two to four years to reach to a settlement and accomplish it and

It can take years after a successful debt settlement just to discover that you owe some tax on your forgiven debt as per the Internal Revenue Service clause.

Therefore, with all such risks involved, debt settlement should be your last resort, in spite of its benefits.

Limits of debt settlement

There is no way in which you can opt for debt settlement right away. There are a few limitations for this process to come into play.

Typically, debt settlement process is not possible unless there are not any skipped or late payments and unless it is a potential collection account. However, deliberate failures will not facilitate debt settlement.

The creditor has to believe that you really are in a state of financial crisis and it is better to accept what you can afford and offer rather than lose the entire sum if you file for bankruptcy down the road. If they believe that you can pay the full amount that you agreed to originally, they will not settle your account.

Debt settlement is the most suitable option for unsecured debt such as credit cards. You will not be able to settle a few specific types of debts such as federal student loans or a secured loan on a house that can be foreclosed on or even a car loan as it can be repossessed.

Add to that, debt settlement offers will only work when you open a separate savings account and stop making payments to your creditor and instead pay a monthly sum in to this specific savings account to build a substantial amount of money which the debt settlement company can offer to your creditor as a lump sum offer for a reduced debt amount.

This means, when debt settlement does not work you will need to look for other available options to repay your debt. These options includes taking on a debt management plan as an income based repayment plan or taking on a debt consolidation loan.

No guarantees for success

When you opt for debt settlement you take on a lot of risks because there is no guarantee for the success of this process. Moreover, even if the creditor allows settling your debt for a lower amount, there is no clear cut process for its success. Often scam companies will advertise that they will reduce your debts by as much as 50% and make you debt free within three years but the fact can be far from it.

Considering the facts and statements of two of the largest debt settlement companies namely, National Debt Relief and Freedom Debt Relief it is found that no more than $8 billion in debt has been settled by the for about 450,000 clients since 2002. This figure may be substantial but they still do not guarantee success for debt settlement considering the fact that a few of the creditors do not even negotiate with them.

Another research conducted by a nonprofit research and policy group The Center for Responsible Lending it is found that at least four of the loan accounts of most the consumers needed to be settled to gain the net benefit. In addition to that there is always the risk of the debt total rising due to fees accrued and therefore aggressive collection attempts still continued in most of the cases even after the loans were under consideration for settlement.

If you are already a delinquent customer you will be badly hit if you opt for debt settlement. This is because the reports of delinquent accounts stay on the credit reports for several years when the lenders report that the debt has been charged off.

Therefore, you must consult a reputed credit counselor before you take on debt settlement as your option to prevent the risks. However, every debt relief option may come with its significant amount of risk. It is for this reason you are advised to take on as much debt as you can afford to repay back on time and not fall behind. Following a proper household budget is the most prudent way to manage your finance, debt and your mental peace.

DOST-SEI Urges Sci, Math Teachers to Join Innovation Contest


Wazzup Pilipinas!

A student from the Philippine Science High School-Central Visayas Campus flies drone to collect data on different environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure and gas concentration.

To catch up with a rapidly changing educational landscape, teachers are embracing new roles as innovators and designers of learning environment.

This is the idea behind “InnoBox” or Innovation in a Box, a nationwide search for the most innovative teaching and learning resources (TLR) which can be used in teaching both science and mathematics.

The competition, organized by the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI), is open to all public and private elementary and secondary school teachers who are currently teaching science and/or mathematics. It aims to encourage teachers to be innovative, creative, and practical in teaching science and math concepts to improve students’ performance in the subjects.

“We’re always on the lookout for teachers who are keen on improving science and math education in the country,” says DOST-SEI Director Dr. Josette Biyo. DOST-SEI, known for implementing various DOST scholarship programs, recognizes the crucial role of educators in strengthening science and technology in the country. 



DOST Undersecretary for S&T Services, Dr. Carol Yorobe (rightmost), and DOST-SEI Director, Dr. Josette Biyo (leftmost) with one of the winners of the 1st InnoBox competition, Marc Vener Del Carmen of Congressional Integrated High School, Dasmariñas, Cavite.


Now on its second run, InnoBox continues to challenge science and math teachers to come up with ideas for more engaging learning experience in the classroom. Nine teachers/group of teachers (three per category) will be given P50,000 each to develop their project prototype, while top three winners (one per category) will receive a plaque of recognition and P100,000 each.

DOST-SEI invites all qualified teachers to submit proposals in any of the following search categories: Grades 3-6; Grades 7-10; and Grades 11-12. The deadline for submission of proposals is on July 12, 2019. For details, interested parties may go to www.sei.dost.gov.ph or email the InnoBox Secretariat at innobox.seidost@gmail.com.
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