Missing Smiles: The Silent Crisis in the Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!?




Cover photo: Missing Smile billboard along EDSA Orense.

While the Philippines is finally recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, there is still an on-going silent health crisis looming over the country. This silent epidemic has been present for years affecting the young population yet there is an unusual scarcity of information and discussion about its prevention has remained limited.

The Department of Health reported that 73% of Filipinos have been battling this silent health crisis where 83% ages 5-12 years old are affected.[1] Prevalence of cavities among children has resulted in countless missing smiles in school. It was identified as the primary cause of school absenteeism and imposed detrimental effects on the performance of children both in academic and social activities.

Colgate, the leading oral health brand in the country and ally in protecting Filipinos against cavities, is helping raise awareness on the impact of poor oral health to school absenteeism among children.

To amplify this cause, commuters can spot along major thoroughfares in Metro Manila disconcerting images of Filipino children missing one of their greatest assets, smile. How can we help these children get their smiles back?

The images are located along C5 Bagong Ilog Southbound, C5 Bagong Ilog Northbound, EDSA Guadalupe Bridge, and EDSA Orense. Several murals and images can also be seen across the Mall of Asia Complex and at the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).

Check this link or scan the QR code to learn more about this silent health crisis and how proper oral hygiene can lead to bright smiles and brighter future among Filipino children.

Pictured: Missing Smile poster along SM by the Bay

These initiatives hope to call the attention of the public to help address the crisis and protect children’s smiles while encouraging a healthier and enabling learning environment.

Are your children missing their smiles too?




About Colgate

Colgate Philippines has been dedicated to ensuring Filipino families have a bright future they can smile about for more than nine decades. As the undisputed leader in oral care, Colgate’s commitment goes beyond just products. Driven by an unwavering dedication to sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and innovation, Colgate continually strives to elevate the lives of their consumers.

Picture: Missing Smile billboard along EDSA Guadalupe Bridge


[1] National Survey on Oral Health (NSOH) in the Philippines 2018, Department of Health (DOH), Disease Prevention and Control Bureau

FullFill’s game-changing operations ecosystem empowers Filipino MSMEs, supports holistic growth for emerging entrepreneurs

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Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are the new drivers of the economy – making up 99.58% of the total enterprises that operate in the country, and employing 63% of the country’s workforce. FullFill (We Empower Ecommerce Solutions, Inc.) recognizes their role in driving holistic nationwide growth as the company delivers end-to-end operations solutions for emerging entrepreneurs nationwide.


FullFill is a 100% Filipino-owned business operations and fulfillment support startup fostering a roster of tenant partners (enterprises needing an operations solutions partner) and collaborator partners (startups who offer services related to running and scaling a business). The company curates a two-way support system where these two sets of industry contributors can benefit from each other through the unique services and products that each offers.


“We recognize that there is an intensive gap that needs to be addressed in setting up a business, especially for startups,” shares FullFill CEO and Co-Founder Joy Chua, “With the comprehensive services that we offer through FullFill and our collaborator partners, we want them to feel empowered that they can manage their operations and scale their ventures,” Chua added.


Currently, tenant partners within the FullFill HQ are supported by its community of collaborators offering 360° support in business registration, accounting, marketing and advertising, social media management, crowd-funding and more. By cultivating an ecosystem of MSMEs that uplifts other MSMEs, FullFill works toward a shared vision of helping businesses scale and expand their horizon to more opportunities in their network.


Champion for local talent and MSME empowerment

Within their headquarters in Pasig are brands carrying newfound success with FullFill. Through its strategic location, tenant partners, particularly those in need of assistance in scaling and those from provincial areas, are able to efficiently carry out their operations while being more accessible to their customers. The company supports the full-time operations of province-based startups like Nature’s Apothecary, a producer and distributor of locally-sourced loose leaf tea from Agusan Del Norte.


Expanding its reach in B2B industries, FullFill has been the partner of the manufacturer for non-toxic and sustainable household cleaners, Messy Bessy, for its end-to-end warehousing and fulfillment operations for both B2B and B2C channels. Aklan-based bag distributor, 210 Trading, has also tapped the company for nationwide department store distribution. FullFill handles its cargo reception from abroad, quality checks, sorting, tagging, repackaging, and logistics coordination.


Bringing forth the company’s mission to help MSMEs scale and reach wider audiences, FullFill is trusted by home-based entrepreneurs like Playdate Collection (kids supply distributor) and Aleros (award-winning makers of fruity chili sauces). Both share a common journey from being home-based startups to requiring larger storage and a more efficient operations partner for scaling and meeting market demands.


The company’s 360° support also helped brands grow even as their owners pursued life goals abroad. Travel Clothing, owned by a seafarer based in Canada, entrusts FullFill with its operations while he travels the world and pursues other passions.


“Listening to our tenants, we really found that the day-to-day operations and not knowing how to do things efficiently, took up majority of their time – making them lose focus on their passion of growing and rebuilding their businesses,” shares FullFill COO and Co-Founder Che Secillano, “Given these pain points, we try to find solutions that would ease their worries and help them regain that spark and drive to further their ventures,”


This comes as an opportune time to provide more options for Filipino business owners as the growing demand for local businesses continues to grow. The company believes that not only is it important to enhance and expand the MSME industry, but to ensure that along with its growth, Filipino business owners are given the right support to help them cater to the unique needs of their market.


“With the evolving consumer behavior, we have to be creative and strategic in making sure that we address the needs of local businesses – no matter where they are in the country. FullFill stays committed to continuously improving our services and cultivating an ecosystem where every aspiring entrepreneur has the opportunity to thrive,” concludes Chua.


For more information on FullFill’s vision, business ecosystem, and partner collaborators, you may visit their website at https://www.fullfill.com.ph/.

Celebrating the Nation’s Builders: The National Civil Engineering Summit 2023

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After more than 3 years of the pandemic, the annual National Civil Engineering

Summit (NCES) reverts to the face-to-face setup in full force as it makes its most-awaited comeback this September 27-30 at the University of the Philippines Diliman.


Being the largest student-held civil engineering summit in the country, this week-long event organised by the UP Association of Civil Engineering Students (UP ACES) aims to gather the civil engineering community—students, professionals, and anyone else with the passion for civil engineering—to celebrate its feats and provide its members with skills and ethics for nation-building.


This year, NCES 2023 presents its bigtime events with the theme of “Foundations Reinforced: Diversifying the Horizons of Engineering”. Through various talks, exhibitions and competitions, NCES 2023 highlights the role of civil engineering in strengthening relationships of different sectors in society while continuously pushing beyond its boundaries.


The summit starts off with Jumpstart, the official opening ceremony of NCES. It includes a ribbon-cutting ceremony, summit blessing, and a pakain open to the faculty and staff of the UP Institute of Civil Engineering (UP ICE). This event aims to honour the efforts and work of the people behind UP ICE.


Open throughout the entirety of NCES, the Civil Engineering Exhibit features interactive and artistic displays that highlight accomplishments and innovations under the different fields of civil engineering. It aims to foster greater appreciation towards the field through displays that delve into civil engineering continuously widening its horizons to achieve a progressive society and its connections between people, structures and the natural environment. The exhibit also showcases UP ICE and the achievements of UP ACES.


The first contest of the summit is the Bridge Building Competition (BBC), which is open to high school students nationwide. With the objective of inspiring young minds in pursuing civil engineering related paths, participants’ engineering skills and knowledge are tested as they collaborate to construct the strongest, most cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing truss bridges through the use of barbeque sticks while being under time pressure. Teams have the chance of winning from a prize pool of PHP 30 000 worth of cash prizes.


NCES 2023 also provides opportunities for civil engineering job-seekers to connect with different companies through the Civil Engineering Career Fair. The event consists of a physical job fair, company talks, career talks, and an online video series that would widen participants’ knowledge of possible civil engineering related professions and help them prepare for their future as nation-builders.


The Civil Engineering Lab Tour is a 2-hour tour for high school and college students around UP ICE grounds showcasing the laboratories and equipment used in different civil engineering fields. The tour contains a total of 6 stations, one for each field (Construction, Structural, Geomechanics & Water, Environment & Transportation, Geodetic) and one for games. The high school lab tour includes introduCE, a short talk with a civil engineer so as to provide an introduction into civil engineering and insights from the profession as well. On the other hand, the college lab tour will include a career talk.


One of the most-awaited events of the summit is the National Civil Engineering Symposium. With over 4000 participants each year, it remains one of the largest gatherings of civil engineering students, professionals and enthusiasts in the country. This one-day event includes talks from credible speakers that work in the engineering industry so as to discuss the relevance of different aspects of civil engineering and its contributions to society. Aside from being able to hold discussions and spread knowledge, the essence of the symposium is to inspire more people to take action through civil engineering with the betterment of the Philippines and the Filipino people at its heart.


The most highly-anticipated and largest civil engineering quiz bee in the Philippines makes its comeback this year as the brightest undergraduate civil engineering students nationwide will compete in the National Civil Engineering Quiz. On the last day of the summit, teams of 2 will go through 4 stages of questions all related to civil engineering. Its goal is to promote scholastic excellence among students and enhance computational and critical-thinking skills. Additionally, all teams will receive vouchers from Review Innovations, the main partner of NCES 2023, and will have the chance to win from a prize pool of PHP 70 000 worth of cash prizes.


As much as NCES celebrates the growth and innovation of engineering up to today, it is also an avenue for pushing the limits of civil engineering and what good it can be. Having “civil” in the name, it is with great hope that through this summit, it is realised that civil engineering is and will always be in service to the people. So join us this September as we reinforce our foundations, diversify our horizons, and pave the way towards endless possibilities.


To not miss any update, follow the official Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ncesummit) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/NCESummit) pages of NCES.


Written by By Akki Tiggangay