Hamilo Coast & WWF: Nurturing a Sustainable Partnership

Leave a comment

The Philippines ranks third in plastic pollution in terms of dumping plastic into our oceans. This is largely caused by inefficient waste disposal in the country and poor awareness of the problem. Because of this, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines, has been closely involved in coastal cleanups and other initiatives around the country to instill the importance of tackling this issue.

On its 11th landmark year, Hamilo Coast and WWF-Philippines’ partnership now stands firmly on environmental programs aimed at not just ending plastic pollution but also at preserving its surrounding nature. Hamilo Coast, with the help of WWF-Philippines, has gone way beyond annual coastal cleanups and has carefully planted sustainability within its day to day operations.

42694340_482041455639673_4917711870015569920_n

Warriors of the Waters

Acknowledging that everything that happens on the ridge has a direct effect on the reef, WWF-Philippines and Hamilo Coast continue to implement programs for its Ridge to Reef Management. This includes the declaration of Hamilo Coast’s three coves into Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) – Pico de Loro and Etayo coves, and Hamilo Coast’s main marine sanctuary, Santelmo Cove, where giant clams are being cultivated and a vibrant marine life thrive. Ongoing projects to protect coastal and terrestrial resources include mangrove reforestation, pawikan conservation, marine mammal rescue, and reef monitoring.

From Solid Waste to Zero Waste

With efforts to keep the property and surroundings clean and green, WWF-Philippines developed a solid waste management plan for Pico de Loro Cove at Hamilo Coast, including a vermicomposting site aimed at attaining zero green wastes to be sent to landfill.

Early this 2018, Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club and Pico Sands Hotel shifted a few of its operations to become more environmental friendly. The use of plastics have been replaced with paper straws and cups, good grade stirrers, and takeaway packs, which will eradicate the dumping of non-biodegradable waste of 180,000 plastic straws and 27,000 plastic stirrers annually.

42629597_155683742044590_1558760794131267584_n

The Club and Hotel also partnered with WWF-Philippines in implementing a food waste management system, an initiative aimed at urging staff, members, and guests to be more conscious about food resources and waste. With leftover rice noted as one of the highest food waste contributor in the property, the restaurants’ menus now offer rice separately, also considering diners who are non-rice eaters. A campaign to encourage guests to only get the food they can consume in a buffet was also launched in the middle of the year.

Keeping a resort development clean involves maximum effort. Water quality is regularly tested and monitored while waste water from the different locators within Pico de Loro Cove at Hamilo Coast are processed and recycled to keep the lush landscapes clean and green.

Living in Harmony with Nature

Green building strategies were carefully considered in Pico de Loro Cove’s latest luxury beach condominium development, Freia. This mid-rise contemporary tropical condominium building, which offers a spectacular panorama of the sea and verdant mountains, takes pride in its features that allow sustainable green living and consider cost-efficient operations. For instance, natural lighting and ventilation was considered in the building design and solar energy will be used for certain common areas. An efficient waste management system will also ensure reduced carbon footprints on the part of the residential community, thus promising a lifestyle that is not just close to nature but is one with its surrounding environmental bounties.

Through the years, Hamilo Coast continues to champion sustainable practices through luxury seaside living at par with environmental awareness. Achievements and recognitions, such as its Bronze Benchmark Status from Earth Check in 2015 and 2017, and its exemplary practice on solid waste management given by the Department of Natural Resource’s Annual Environmental Summit in 2017, proves Hamilo Coast is not just a destination, but is also becoming a premier sustainable beach resort community.

42644105_925155037675594_7405101918470537216_n

Hamilo Coast is the SM Group’s premier beach resort town in Nasugbu, Batangas, approximately 90 minutes from Manila via Cavitex and the new Ternate-Nasugbu Road. Its maiden development, Pico de Loro Cove is home to the Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club, an exclusive membership club with a plethora of land- and sea-based recreational facilities, and the Pico Sands Hotel, a seven storey, 154-room hotel offering spacious rooms with modern amenities and captivating views of the lush mountains and tranquil lagoon. For inquiries, call (632) 945-8000, or visit www.hamilocoast.com.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines has been successfully implementing various conservation projects since 1997 to help protect some of the most biologically-significant ecosystems in Asia. For more information, visit wwf.org.ph.

Pico de Loro Cove is one of several marine protected areas in Hamilo Coast where marine life is preserved and enhanced in partnership with WWF-Philippines since 2007

Together We Ride Stronger: Shell Solidifies Support for Local Biking Community

Leave a comment

Kicking off at Baguio City last July, Shell Bike Fair wraps up this year’s festivities with a bang this Saturday, September 22 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Pasay City.

The biker community in the Philippines has grown exponentially as more and more riders consider two-wheeled vehicles as a more practical and convenient mode of transport. Based on the latest statistics from LTO, the number of registered motor vehicles in the Philippines has grown to 10.5 million as of 2017.

Pilipinas Shell, a reliable partner of the biker community, in making their rides better celebrates the courage and resilience of bikers as they take their daily journeys despite the difficulties that they face in weaving through obstacles on the road.

“This day is really to express how grateful we are for the support that we received from the Filipino biking community,” said Shell V-Power Brand Manager, Mark Malabanan. “As our theme says, together we ride stronger. We are honored to be chosen as their partner on the road, being there with them through the years. And, as we have for more than a hundred years, Pilipinas Shell continues to strive to make life’s journeys better for all motorists.”

Participants were treated to special offers from Shell and event sponsors as well as exciting games and booth activities. Performances by Rico Blanco, Rocksteddy, and other local acts also rocked the event alongside celebrity guests Daiana Menezes, Yam Concepcion, and Phoebe Walker.

Five winners each brought home scooters or motorcycles that were raffled off as major prizes: Honda CBR150, Yamaha Mio i125, and Suzuki Raider J115. The biker community was also given the chance to express their creativity through the Modified Bike and Helmet Design contests.

The highlight of the day was the announcement of the big winner of Shell Outriders: the nationwide search for the best bike club.

A total of 17 finalists representing Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao were picked out through careful screening of hundreds of entries received over the past two months. The chosen clubs set up creative displays at the convention hall to showcase their love for riding and how they exhibit personal and social courage. The champions received a cash prize of PHP 100,000.00 and fuel vouchers worth PHP 50,000.00.

“We put up this search because we want to recognize bike clubs who exemplify the brand values and ideals of Shell. We were amazed to see how passionate they are for what they do and how they push to continue to outride anything.” said Shell Advance Brand Manager, Lorrie Ramirez.

This year’s Shell Bike Fair was made possible by Shell Advance and Shell V-Power, led by their passion to be the most reliable partners on the road. As a global leader in power and energy, Shell continually works to deliver smarter products and cleaner energy solutions.

Shell Advance motorcycle & scooter oils and Shell V-Power premium fuels work together in providing complete engine protection and world-class performance and efficiency on the road. With these, riders are empowered to outride the challenges that they encounter on the road.

For more information, visit www.shell.com.ph.

Rise Against Hunger Shows the World That it is Possible to End Hunger

Leave a comment

The country’s beacons of joy come together to launch Rise Against Hunger’s ‘This is possible.’ Campaign in the Philippines

Rise Against Hunger is an international hunger relief non-profit organization that distributes food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable. In line with the celebration of their 20th year, the organization has launched “This is possible,” a global movement to end world hunger by 2030 — a vision aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #2.

On August 31, Rise Against Hunger Philippines officially launches this campaign with “Beacons of Joy,” a gathering held at the Conrad Hotel Manila to shine the light on those who have made extraordinary efforts in rising against hunger and bringing joy and relief to communities across the country.

The event included messages from Rise Against Hunger’s various partners and stakeholders—government representatives, corporate partners, impact partners, and beneficiaries—the beacons of joy to the Filipinos in need. Outside the event, hundreds of passersby witnessed the campaign’s launch with a video display at the Mall of Asia Globe on Friday evening.

“Our mission is to end hunger in our lifetime, and the first real step is to activate a worldwide movement,” said Tom Barbitta, Chief Marketing Officer of Rise Against Hunger. “It will take the help and support from the global community to accomplish this goal, but with participation, financial contribution, volunteerism and heart, each person can change the life of another and put an end to suffering from starvation.”

Around the world, just over 815 million people lack adequate food. One in nine people go to bed hungry each night. Rise Against Hunger works to meet immediate nutritional needs today and empower the ability to build strong, resilient communities tomorrow.

Rise Against Hunger Philippines is the latest in the organization’s twenty-five U.S. and five international locations to take part in the “This is possible.” campaign. In 2014, Rise Against Hunger opened a dedicated location in the Philippines, led by Executive Director Jomar Fleras, following the devastating aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda. Since its inception, Rise Against Hunger Philippines has packaged over 252 million meals. In 2018, the organization established the Good Food Grocer, the country’s first food bank sells nutritious food at discount prices, as well as distributes food to informal settlers and children in daycare centers.

“Rise Against Hunger, its donors, volunteers and beneficiaries join the global community in ending hunger by 2030. With the ‘Power of We,’ 2030 is possible,” said Fleras.

The “This is possible.” campaign was first launched in February 2018 in New York City, where thousands of people joined together in Times Square to sign pledges to end hunger. The campaign was created to build awareness and drive a global movement to end hunger by the year 2030. So far, the initiative has also been launched in Italy, Malaysia, India and South Africa.

is Possible to End Hunger

The country’s beacons of joy come together to launch Rise Against Hunger’s ‘This is possible.’ Campaign in the Philippines

Rise Against Hunger is an international hunger relief non-profit organization that distributes food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable. In line with the celebration of their 20th year, the organization has launched “This is possible,” a global movement to end world hunger by 2030 — a vision aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #2.

On August 31, Rise Against Hunger Philippines officially launches this campaign with “Beacons of Joy,” a gathering held at the Conrad Hotel Manila to shine the light on those who have made extraordinary efforts in rising against hunger and bringing joy and relief to communities across the country.

The event included messages from Rise Against Hunger’s various partners and stakeholders—government representatives, corporate partners, impact partners, and beneficiaries—the beacons of joy to the Filipinos in need. Outside the event, hundreds of passersby witnessed the campaign’s launch with a video display at the Mall of Asia Globe on Friday evening.

“Our mission is to end hunger in our lifetime, and the first real step is to activate a worldwide movement,” said Tom Barbitta, Chief Marketing Officer of Rise Against Hunger. “It will take the help and support from the global community to accomplish this goal, but with participation, financial contribution, volunteerism and heart, each person can change the life of another and put an end to suffering from starvation.”

Around the world, just over 815 million people lack adequate food. One in nine people go to bed hungry each night. Rise Against Hunger works to meet immediate nutritional needs today and empower the ability to build strong, resilient communities tomorrow.

Rise Against Hunger Philippines is the latest in the organization’s twenty-five U.S. and five international locations to take part in the “This is possible.” campaign. In 2014, Rise Against Hunger opened a dedicated location in the Philippines, led by Executive Director Jomar Fleras, following the devastating aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda. Since its inception, Rise Against Hunger Philippines has packaged over 252 million meals. In 2018, the organization established the Good Food Grocer, the country’s first food bank sells nutritious food at discount prices, as well as distributes food to informal settlers and children in daycare centers.

“Rise Against Hunger, its donors, volunteers and beneficiaries join the global community in ending hunger by 2030. With the ‘Power of We,’ 2030 is possible,” said Fleras.

The “This is possible.” campaign was first launched in February 2018 in New York City, where thousands of people joined together in Times Square to sign pledges to end hunger. The campaign was created to build awareness and drive a global movement to end hunger by the year 2030. So far, the initiative has also been launched in Italy, Malaysia, India and South Africa.

Mental Health Matters

Leave a comment

With successive incidents of suicide among notable celebrities here and abroad, there is now a strong call to promote good mental health among people suffering from various mental health disorders. Now, it is not just enough to provide emotional support, belongingness, understanding and compassion. There is also a strong need to spread enough information, how to know if one is suffering from mental issues, especially those undergoing various amounts of physical and emotional stress that can be too hard to handle, much more ignore.

To stress further the need to spread more information about mental health issues, Mental Health Matters (MHM) recently celebrated its 1st anniversary through its “Mental Health Matters Fair.” The event, which was held at the Crown Spaces in Makati City and opened to the public, was organized by the group and Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa, herself an advocate of good mental health and who once underwent bouts with depression.

The fair featured several inspirational talks from guest speakers from the medical profession and the legislative sector, free psychiatric consultations, art exhibits, live performances, and interactive and imaginative booths and was open to the public. Priority access, however, was provided to the MHM Support Group and the Anxiety and Disorder Support Philippines (ADSP).

The whole-day affair started with psychiatrists from the Philippine Psychiatric Association (PPS) and Talang Dalisay, a nongovernmental organization, who jointly provided professional psychiatric advice for free to select attendees. Both are partners of MHM.

The afternoon started with a talk by Senator Risa Hontiveros, author and principal sponsor of the bill that became Republic Act 11036 or the Philippine Mental Health Law, which was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte recently. She said mental health struggles among Filipinos are very complex. “Today and every day, you are not alone,” she assures those present.

She said the law’s Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) is now being developed under the Department of Health, particularly on seeking increase in access to services up to the community level, a progressive “referral” system, on-campus anti-discrimination and anti-stigma program, and inclusion of non-medical interventions to health and healing.

Verzosa, a strong advocate of mental health since her reign, said she organized the event for the benefit of everyone who has been struggling and who has survived. She also called on people undergoing depression to not be afraid to seek help. “Get help by talking to someone. Let’s speak up about mental health before it’s too late.” Dr. Gia Sison, a breast cancer survivor and a Youth for Mental Health Coalition national adviser, meanwhile, provided invaluable advice, particularly on developing mental strength to help overcome failures.

There were also other speakers who shared their mental health advocacies. UST student Reymark Simbulan, a member of the LGBTQ community who also suffered from depression, shared many important things about finding one’s anchors, not giving up because it will get better, and knowing that God will make us stronger. He also noted that “members of the LGBTQ community are almost three times likely to experience mental health problems like depression,” he said.

Diet coach Nadine Tengco, meanwhile, said food has a profound effect in addressing one’s mental health while Mariella Tung, a pastry chef, shared her story of resilience and recovery. “I finally came out to people about depression and became strong because of my son, my anchor. Every day, I remind myself of that one person.” Kates Ante, head of operations at ADSP, explained how “laughter yoga” works, and said the art pieces in the exhibit were masterpieces of people with mental health problems. Rachelle Jardin, a former media researcher, filmmaker and poet, meanwhile, said her team is working on an idea of a social enterprise for mental health.

Mental Health Matters is an online support group established for people experiencing various forms of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety disorders. The group also offers seminars to spread awareness about mental health in many universities nationwide. For more information about the group, go to www.Facebook.com/mentalhealthmattersbykylieverzosa.

Pfizer Philippines Foundation Inc. continues to save lives

Leave a comment

Pfizer’s non-profit arm, Pfizer Philippines Foundation Inc., (PPFI) together with the Philippine Blood Center, recently conducted an intercompany blood drive as one of the organization’s volunteerism projects. Over 100 volunteers took part in the initiative, exceeding the foundation’s target number of blood bags for the day.

41515117_2082137585154483_3648680322607874048_n

“For over 20 years, PPFI has been working with different organizations to execute programs that help improve healthcare access for Filipinos,” Geoffrey Garcia, PPFI Manager, says.

41520187_1157712991043743_1136904824235753472_n

“Blood is a precious gift that we can give to patients suffering from life-threatening conditions. Through the blood donation of our generous volunteers, we are able to play a part in helping save lives,” he added.

41509738_262221391090061_9074134387313868800_n

Pasig City Named Philippine Winner of WWF’s One Planet City Challenge 2018

Leave a comment

Leading experts within the field of urban sustainability around the world have proclaimed Pasig City as the Philippine National Capital of the 2017-2017 edition of World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) One Planet City Challenge (OPCC), a biennial global challenge that recognizes cities for developing infrastructure, housing, transport and mobility solutions to power the global transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future. This edition saw 133 cities representing 23 countries accepting the Challenge.

Pasig’s concrete and comprehensive actions to reduce its carbon emissions, particularly its plan to reduce traffic emissions and congestions as well as its targeted actions around renewable energy and energy efficiency, truly reflected the “sustainable transport and mobility” theme of this run of the OPCC and have made the city eligible for the Global OPCC Prize, which will be awarded in September. The jury also particularly appreciated the city’s strong community engagement and its adaptation actions, such as the cleaning of the Pasig River and its strong alignment of actions to emissions reduction and execution of said actions.

Seven other Philippine cities, namely Batangas, Catbalogan, Makati, Parañaque, San Carlos, Tagum, and Zamboanga have successfully qualified to join the 2017-2018 OPCC based on the criteria announced early in 2017. The cities of Makati, Pasig, and San Carlos went on to become national finalists and participated in the “We Love Cities” global campaign from May 7 until the end of June 2018.

The City of Jakarta bagged the top plum in the campaign, which is a social media contest that is aimed at inspiring and engaging the respective citizens of the national finalists across the globe for support, votes, and ideas for improvement while Pasig came in second.

Launched in 2011 as the Earth Hour City Challenge, the OPCC highlights the crucial role that cities play in the transition toward a low-carbon and sustainable future. Since then, over 400 countries from 5 continents have heeded the call to sustainably address fast and large transformations in population, consumption patterns, resource use, and waste management. The Philippines joined the Challenge in its 2015-2016 run.

The awarding ceremony for the OPCC national winner, finalists, and qualifiers of the Philippines was held at Marco Polo Ortigas as part of WWF-Philippines’ two-day workshop entitled One Planet Cities: Raising Climate Ambitions and Sustainability Actions for 1.5°C.

Said workshop brought together cities from all over the country to further discuss ways in which they can work together towards the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping global warming to 1.5°C. Updates on the progress of the Philippine government on its commitment to the Paris Agreement, as well as other framework plans addressing climate change and sustainable urban development.

Insights from panelists coming from various sectors steered the tackling of the status of the Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP) compliance of local government units, especially in the urban setting. Challenges being faced by both the national government and the cities in the implementation of their respective LCCAPs were also mapped out with the help of workshop facilitators from WWF-Philippines.

Visit www.panda.org/opcc and http://www.welovecities.org/ for further details on the One Planet City Challenge and We Love Cities.

Pairs run towards a healthy lifestyle

Leave a comment

The 11th Fit & Fun Wellness Buddy Run kicked off at the parade grounds of Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City with different types of running pairs—parents and kids, siblings, lolos and their apos, loved ones, officemates, best friends, even neighbors—competing in the 5K and 10K races.

“We are happy to provide an opportunity for people to start their wellness journey in a fun and one-of-a-kind event with their partners. After all, getting fit and choosing the healthier lifestyle is more worthwhile when shared with a buddy,” said Jody Gadia, Robinsons Supermarket general manager.

Presented by Robinsons Supermarket, the 11th Fit & Fun Wellness Buddy Run 5K race offered a top prize of a trip for 2 to Siargao with 3 days/2 nights hotel accommodation while 2nd and 3rd placers get Php8,000 worth of Robinsons gift certificates. For 10K race podium finishers, the top prize includes a trip for 2 to Hong Kong with 3 days/2 nights hotel accommodation while 2nd and 3rd placers get Php15,000 worth of Robinsons gift certificates.

After crossing the finish line with their buddies and celebrating fitness in a fun and exciting way, most of the participants also enjoyed exciting activity booths and took home big grocery loot bags that have been the trademark of the Fit & Fun Wellness Buddy Run through the years.

The loot bags contained lots of freebies from Nestle, Johnson & Johnson, Wyeth Nutrition, Abbott Nutrition, Fonterra and Unilab.

The fun run is in line with Robinsons Supermarket’s wellness commitment to continuously encourage more people to choose and live healthier lifestyles. Find out more about the wellness commitment and other activities at their official website at www.robinsonssupermarket.com.ph or like their official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RobinsonsSupermarketofficial.

Cebuana Lhuillier reinforces disaster resilience advocacy on its third year

Leave a comment

This year’s theme is an iteration of the past two fora, focusing on the need for everyne including the first resonders: communities and families, and individual Filipinos to be ready and be fully equipped to take on an active role is disaster.

They started the Disaster Resiience Forum two years ago, their vision was to build a nation of resilent Filipinos – armed with the information and know how to protect and help others during times of disasters and natural calamities, said Cebuna Lhuillier President and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier.

He added, This year, we like to encourage each and every Filipino to take on a more proactive role in building disaster resilient communities by highlighting personal readiness and security to alleviate massive losses and damages during disasters.

37060433_1906155709404829_6412328255294013440_n

In partnership with the Regulatory Framework Promotion of Pro-poor Insurance Markets in Asia (RFPI Asia) and the Mutual Exchange Forum on Inclusive Insurance Network (MEFIN), the event was organized to serve as a platform to discuss measures on the disaster resilience of first respondrs such as members of the army and local policemen against any type of disaster.

The forum is alo a venue for various local government and civil societies to share learnings and best practices to strenghten and improve other communities disaster resilience capabilities. The multi sector panel discussion seeks to increase awareness on the role of microinsurance as a disaster risk finance tool to make every Filipino resilient against the impacts of disasters and calamities, as well as, promote conversations about each Filipino’s role in every phrase of disaster rish rduction and management.

Broken down in these panel sessions, the forum opened with First Things First : How Resilient are Our First Responders? The panel featured Restituto F. Padilla, Jr., Deputy Chief of Staff or Plans, J5 of the Armed Forces of the Philippnes; Rene Butch S. Meily, president of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, Inc.; and Manuel Nong C. Rangasa, chairman and executive director of Local Climate Change Adaptation for Development, Inc.

Kicking off the second discussion, Moving Forward: How o we Strenghten our Communities Resilience? were Maribeth L. Marasigan, first vice president and chief operating officer of Weather Philippines Foundation; Jorge S. Ebay, associate professor in Community Development at the University of the Philippines-Visayas; and Dr. June Caridad Pagaduan-Lopez, convenor of Citizen’s Network for Psychosocial Response.

The third and final panel session, On ot the Next Step: How can Every Filipino be Ready and Help? were presented by Stcy de Jesus, head of Community and Digital Communications of Rappler, Inc. and Pebbles Badillo Sanchez-Ogang, executive director of YESPinoy Foundation, Inc.

The Forum Aslo features Commisioner Dennis B. Funa of the Insurance Commission and JonathanD. Batangan, first vice president and group head of Cebuana Lhuillier Insurance Solutions, Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation, Inc., and Cebuana Lhuillier Business Solutions; and news anchor and program host, Tony Velasquez of the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) as forum moderator.

To further reinforce its disaster resilience advocacy, Cebuana Lhuillier launched OurHelp, a donation site where domors can ensure individuals or communities who do not have access to or means to get insurance coverage for as low as one dollar or 53 pesos. OurHelp is an offshoot of the company’s National Pilipino Protektado Day, a monthlong campaign that helped insure one million Filipino in 2016.

VALORIZE LOCAL: TOP PH BRANDS LAUNCH BRAND PILIPINAS

Leave a comment

Top Filipino brands and organizations have come together to launch a movement that hopes to propel the single most important brand for all Filipinos—Brand Pilipinas.

The launch, held yesterday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati City, gathered more than a hundred top local brands who signed up to be partners in the Brand Pilipinas advocacy which aims to valorize local brands, locally made products and our homegrown artisans.

The full day event featured inspiring talks on Why Local B2B Brands are Slaying It, The Search for Origins – The Quest for Relevance in Food, Emerging Social Enterprises, Local is the New Premium Brand Pilipinas- The Arts, and finally, Why the Philippines is Poised to be the Next Tech Hub.

“The challenge for most Filipino brands is how to conquer that long-standing perception among that products made in the Philippines are sub-par. It’s time we had a paradigm-shift because this kind of mentality not only hurts local businesses, but the economic reputation of the Philippines as a whole,” Brad Geiser, co-convenor of the Brand Pilipinas movement said.

Apart from local brands, the movement also saw the participation of individuals and private businesses from various industries.

David Lim, Founder of Brown & Proud Movement stressed that it is high time for Filipino brands to take center stage. “Be brown and proud! Let’s show our love for local products by supporting local enterprises,” he said.

United Neon Advertising COO Freddie Arlantico also points out: “We are a country that’s richly blessed with the best resources — our people. Put together the Filipinos’ creativity, skills, innovative ideas with the new technologies that are easily accessible by everyone and you have a formula for global excellence.”

Brand Pililpinas Movement Co-Convenor actor and Founder of Liwanag ng Kapayapaan Foundation Robin Padilla said: “Ngayon ang oras para ipakita natin sa buong mundo ang ating dangal bilang Pilipino. Matapang, magaling, malikhain, mapagmahal sa bayan. Yan ang tatak ng tunay na Pilipino na kinakatawan ng Brand Pilipinas.”

Brand Pilipinas hopes the movement will influence Filipinos to adopt a “Filipino-first” mentality by choosing homegrown brands over the more popular and highly-commercial international brands.

“We want Brand Pilipinas to be the brand we wear, the brand we eat, the brand we use, the brand of which we could all be proud of,” Group of Five Creative Concepts Founder and CEO George Royeca, saying the movement hopes to see this vision become a reality very soon.

Guests were also treated to local performances from Dulaang UP and Pilipinas Got Talent star Jade Riccio. The event also featured a fashion show by noted Filipino weave designer Joseph Aloysius Montelibano, a perfect tribute to our Filipino artists.

The Brand Pilipinas Conference is organized and supported by the following partners: Brown & Proud Movement, GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications, Group of Five Creative Concepts, IPG Mediabrands, Liwanag ng Kapayaan Foundation, Robin Padilla, United Neon Advertising, and Vidanes Celebrity Management.

The Medical City Launches its Center for Behavioral Health

Leave a comment

Mental Health has previously been in the background of overall health. Through the years, the World Health Organization (WHO) included mental health in its definition of health to emphasize its importance. The magnitude of the consequences of undetected and untreated mental illness has been evident in the number of suicide cases and increasing health costs.

According to the most recent data gathered by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, “Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, the 3rd leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 14 and the second leading cause of death for people aged 15-24.” According to the data, “the United States has lost $193.2 billion of earnings per year from serious mental illness.”

As a response, the Department of Health (DOH) has improved and increased its mental health programs which include a Suicide Prevention Program in partnership with a non-government organization. The Philippine Psychiatric Association has also sponsored the Philippine Mental Health Act to help make mental health services more accessible in the country.

The Medical City (TMC) Department of Psychiatry, being the only private institution in the country that offers complete psychiatry subspecialties, also takes a more active role in addressing the growing mental health needs of the country. Hence, the Center for Behavioral Health (CBH) was established.

The CBH is the first in the country to offer services that cover the entire continuum of mental health care – from wellness to illness; from assessment to early recognition, to therapeutic intervention to home care; from care that necessitates one therapist to care that necessitates shared responsibility among several team members; from individual therapy to group therapy, and from promotive to preventive care. The CBH is headed by Dr. Mary Daryl Joyce Lindo-Calleja.

Aside from General and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry services, the CBH offers services to address addiction, and children and teens’ behavioral health challenges.

The CBH’s Addiction Psychiatry Services include an Outpatient Detoxification Program, Motivational Enhancement Therapy, and Relapse Prevention I and II. The outpatient detoxification program is designed for patients with a history of substance abuse who wish to undergo detoxification to get rid of the substance and its ill effects.

The Motivational Enhancement Therapy or MET is a five-session module designed for patients with a history of substance abuse who wish to live a life of sobriety, but are also undecided about abstaining and how to initiate change. There are two programs under Relapse Prevention, namely Group Therapy and Distress Tolerance and Emotion Regulation Skills Training.

The following services are being offered to address children and adolescents’ mental health concerns − Group Therapy for Teens, The Parenting Toolkit, and School Mental Health Consult. The Group Therapy for Teens is a group therapy module for adolescents with depression and anxiety designed to enhance self-esteem, utilizing arts-based activities and sharing of experiences to foster a sense of group cohesion and individual empowerment.

The Parenting Toolkit is a half-day workshop designed to teach parents effective skills to raise emotionally and behaviorally healthy children. It combines lectures, role playing, and case-based group discussions. Separate workshops are designed for pre-school and school-age children as well as adolescents.

The School Mental Health Consult is a consultation service designed to continuously provide school counselors and administrators expert assistance on how to address the myriad mental health challenges schools face today.

For more information, please call the Center for Behavioral Health at 9881000 ext. 6135 or 6282.