A Gathering of the Philippines’ Brightest:TOFIL Laureates Summit set for January 2023

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Sci. Dpl. Glenn Banaguas (center) is flanked by TOFIL Chairman Atty. Rogelio Garcia (left) and PACU Pres. Anthony Tamayo (right) at the signing of Memorandum of Collaboration for “THE LAUREATES: The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Summit,” to be held on January 17, 2022. Looking on are officials from partner agencies, the CI Senate Philippines, the ECCRI, ANSA Foundation, and the PACU.

The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Foundation has just entered into an agreement with the Environmental and Climate Change Research Institute (ECCRI) and the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU) to bring together some of the Philippines’ brightest minds from across multiple business sectors and academic disciplines to address hurdles in the way of the country’s sustainable development.

Dubbed “THE LAUREATES: The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Summit,” the event will be held on January 17, 2023, and will be attended by thought and industry leaders, academics, and other prime stakeholders. Under the theme, “Today’s Act, Tomorrow’s Impact,” the Summit aims to build a collective response to pandemic concerns; help communities distinguish fact from fiction in the new information ecosystem; recommend resilient and sustainable solutions to issues of interest to PACU and its stakeholders; and create a multidisciplinary network to address pressing concerns and threats to the country through innovative approaches and solutions.

The Terms of Reference for the Summit were formally signed recently by TOFIL Chairman Atty. Rogelio Garcia, PACU President Dr. Anthony Jose M. Tamayo, and ECCRI President and Science Diplomat Glenn S. Banaguas.

For over 30 years, The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Award has been given out by the JCI Senate of the Philippines and the ANSA Foundation in recognition of the exemplary achievements of men and women aged 41 and older. The TOFIL Award is touted as “the Nobel Prize of the Philippines.”

Awardees are selected as much for their accomplishments as for the “strength of their character and integrity; and the impact of their achievements on their field of work, public welfare, and national development.”

Himself a TOFIL Laureate, Sci. Dpl. Banaguas founded the ECCRI in 2010 and spearheaded the institute's flagship program, Climate Smart Philippines: Science for Service, to bring scientific experts and stakeholders together in addressing disasters and preventing losses from climate change and other hazards. For these initiatives, Banaguas received the prestigious global UN Sasakawa Award in 2022.

SSS announces release dates for the 13th month and December 2022 pensions

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The Social Security System (SSS) announced on Thursday that its pensioners will be receiving their 13th month and December 2022 pensions as early as the first week of December 2022.

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Michael G. Regino said the pension fund is set to release around P29.74 billion covering 3.36 million pensioners.

“This year, we have also pushed for the early crediting of the 13th month and December 2022 pensions so that our pensioners can withdraw them ahead of the holiday rush,” Regino said.

Today, December 1, 2022, the SSS will release the first batch of the said pensions covering pensioners with dates of contingency within the first to the 15th day of the month.

The second batch, on the other hand, is set to be released on December 4, 2022, covering pensioners with dates of contingency within the 16th up to the last day of the month.

Since December 4, 2022, falls on a Sunday, pensioners who are set to receive their pensions on the said date can expect that these will be credited to their account starting on the last working day before it, which is December 2, 2022.

Meanwhile, the SSS requested its accredited non-PESONet participating banks to release the said pensions to their SSS-pensioner clients no later than December 4, 2022. It has also requested the Philippine Postal Corporation to expedite the delivery of the checks of its pensioners who are receiving their pensions in this manner.

“Since December 1988, we have been granting our pensioners the 13th month pension, which is equivalent to their respective monthly pensions. This additional financial assistance or Christmas gift is our way of thanking them for their support to the SSS during their working years,” Regino said.

Pensioners who are qualified to receive the 13th month pension are SS retirement pensioners, and SS and Employees’ Compensation (EC) survivor, and total disability pensioners, including partial disability pensioners with pension duration of not less than 12 months.

#WorldAIDSDay: Pia & Catriona Champion Health Equity to End HIV

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December 1 marks the 34th commemorative celebration of World AIDS Day.

 

Miss Universe titleholders Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray join forces in championing health equity to end HIV.

 

In a video entitled: “We Stand With You,” posted on LoveYourselfTV, the Youtube channel of LoveYourself, Inc., Wurtzbach and Gray are shown side by side to amplify the community’s voice against misinformation, social stigma, and discrimination, and all other issues that come with it.

 

Gray said, “Forty years have passed, and the HIV epidemic still lingers with us, and the more it stays, the more it affects us all.” She also mentioned that solutions to fight HIV infection are already available but with limited reach.

 

 Wurtzbach explained, “The advances in science offer us protection against HIV, no matter our status.” She highlighted the available HIV prevention methods, such as condoms with water-based lube, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP).

 

The beauty queen ambassadors stressed that HIV treatment works and there is a need to enable a safer society for people living with HIV (PLHIV) to access treatment and achieve an undetectable viral load status.

 

“Undetectable is equal to Untransmittable. U equals U,” the ambassadors simultaneously said, which is a global tagline demonstrating that with adherence to treatment, PLHIV cannot pass on the virus to their sexual partners.

 

Besides Wurtzbach and Gray, other LoveYourself ambassadors like Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi, Miss International Philippines 2022 Hannah Arnold, Mister Gay World 2021 Joel Rey Carcasona, Miss Universe 2019 Gazini Ganados, and many more community advocates all over the Philippines stand with the community to raise awareness about the advocacy.

 

Watch the entire video message here: bit.ly/WeStandPiaCatriona.

 

This Thursday, LoveYourself will also mount the World AIDS Day: The Advocates Day event at Eastwood Mall Central Plaza at 6 PM, recognizing and honoring advocates from all over the Philippines.

Wurtzbach and Gray are staunch advocates of HIV awareness and prevention globally and have been volunteering for LoveYourself, Inc. for years now.

 

Moreover, Wurtzbach will also headline the World AIDS Day Rainbow Run Festival and Concert in Cebu City on December 3. To register, visit the LoveYourself Cebu Facebook page.