Hundreds of mothers gather to celebrate National Breastfeeding Awareness Month

Yesterday August 18, 2019, at SMX Manila hundreds of  Moms with their child attended the 6th year of commemorating worldwide and here in the Philippinrs  as National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, which saves life, protects children from diseases, and provides a child the best start in life.

Breastfeeding Pinays (BFP), Department of Health (DOH), SM Cares, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) with funding from Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and World Vision celebrate National Breastfeeding Awareness Month with Hakab Na! 2019, an annual breastfeeding event that gathers hundreds of mothers who will latch their babies at the same time for at least a minute. 

Optimal breastfeeding has the potential to significantly reduce child mortality more than any other preventive intervention. Scaling up breastfeeding to a near-universal level could prevent 823,000 child deaths per year globally, according to the scientific journal The Lancet.

By supporting mothers to practice proper breastfeeding, nearly 50% of diarrhea episodes and a third of respiratory infections would be avoided. Breastfeeding has also been found to reduce the risk of childhood obesity and diabetes in children. 

Breastfeeding is also associated with a lower risk of breast and ovarian cancers for nursing mothers later in life. The Lancet estimates that 20,000 deaths from breast cancer death could be prevented annually through optimal breastfeeding.

279k+ mothers simultaneously breastfeed their babies 

Hakab Na! 2019 brings together families, breastfeeding support groups, advocates, government, and nongovernment organizations.  This year’s theme “Lakas ng Magulang, Sigla ng Pagpapasuso – Kalusugan, Nutrisyon ng Kabataan para sa Kinabukasan” has been localized by the DOH for the Philippines based on the global theme “Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding” from the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action.  The gathering serves to encourage a dynamic exchange of ideas on providing proper information and support to Filipino mothers and their families to enable them to breastfeed, and practice good infant and young child feeding. 

“Breastfeeding Pinays believes that a successful breastfeeding campaign requires a concerted effort among the government, non-government organizations and communities. Together, we can empower breastfeeding moms by assuring them that what they are doing is very valuable as it gives their children the best start in life,” shared Abie Co-Floreza, President of BFP.

The early years of a child are critical for brain development and physical growth. Studies have shown that nonbreastfed children’s brain development can be negatively impacted.

The first two to three years of life have a life-long effect
We should consistently provide mothers the right information about the benefits of breastfeeding as well as provide supportive environment to breastfeed her baby anywhere, especially at home and in the workplace.

SM Cares Marie Bernadette D. Velasco, Program Director of SM Cares Program on Women and Breastfeeding Mothers, shares, “We envision our community of mothers to consider SM as their second home.

SM strives to be a mall for all and continues to support the mothers and women in communities where our malls are present.” Rommel V. Fuerte, Executive Director of World Vision Development added, “There is a need to sustain the efforts that we have collaboratively implemented to make #BreastmilkForTheBest realized and that laws that protect, promote and support optimal breastfeeding are strengthened. We need to include every member or the community to join us in in helping the government monitor the implementation of these laws and that violation are reported.”

“Investment in public health policies and programs that protect, promote, and support exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of a child’s life and continuing breastfeeding with safe and appropriate infant and young child feeding practices is grounded on the education and empowerment of parents, communities, and even workplaces” notes Health Secretary Dr. Francisco T. Duque, III. “It is part of the few most cost-efficient and high-impact multi-sectoral interventions our country can count on in combating stunting and malnutrition, along with the care for the health and nutrition of our women of all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.”

There are a number of actions that the government, civil society organizations and communities can take to protect, promote and support every Filipino child’s rights to survive and thrive. Strong foundation on the practice of exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, coupled with support given at the right time, can ensure children’s proper health and development, and allow them to achieve their full potential. 
When parents and supporters have the correct information and support, they are empowered to exclusively breastfeed and continue breastfeeding to give sufficient nutrition to their children. This benefits the children, and the society as a whole. 


About Hakab Na! 2019

Hakab Na! 2019 will showcase stories from several mothers and supporters on their struggles and triumphs in breastfeeding and infant feeding. Story-telling will help mothers validate and find solutions to their concerns and build a stronger community with one another. The event will also engage mothers in a discussion with panelists from BFP, DOH, UNICEF and World Vision on the Expanded Promotion of Breastfeeding Act (RA No. 10028, amending RA No. 7600), Milk Code violations, gains in breastfeeding rates, and relevant family-friendly policies that they should know and benefit from.

SM Cares hosted Global Youth Summit for young Filipinos

Yesterday  August 17, 2019 SM Cares hosted Global Youth Summit reached 13,000 students jam packed in Moa Arena which primary motive is to teach and make Filipinos specially the youth to be an enabler of hope and success in every field of endeavors they may want to be.

To engage and inspire the world’s future experts, SM Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Prime Holdings Inc., together with the Global Peace Foundation (GPF), will hold the Global Youth Summit 2019to provide a space where the youth can share ideas and utilize their diverse skill-sets, knowledge, and network to effectively address problems that the world faces today.

“I truly believe that the youth is an agent of change. Each and every one of you is filled with great ideas and ambitions that can change the world for the better. That is why today is a very momentous day because you are given the opportunity to utilize your talent to help solve the world’s problems today to bring about a brighter tomorrow,” said Global Youth Summit head Leonard Faustino.

 

To inspire the youth, esteemed local and international speakers along with influencers, will talk about their advocacies and the role of youth in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The veritable line-up guest speakers includes Tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat; National Goodwill ambassador of UNICEF Anne Curtis; United Nations development programmeam bassador Antoinette Taus; G Talks Host and HealthXPh co-founder Dr. GiaSison; Education assistant secretary G.H. Ambat; Consuelo Foundation CEO and president Greg Auberry; and Asian Institute of Management’s Dado Banatao Incubator executive director Prim Paypon.

The Global Youth Summit awards five innovative youth ideas, namely BoluntirMISMO, ToReal Peace, Project 97, Cafesidad: Good Food Crafted by Good Hearts, and Mindify (Mental Intuitive Device for Filipino Youth). These can be implemented in Filipino communities to advance this year’s topics: inclusive education; youth-responsive health services; creating youth-enabling employment and self-employment; ecosystems in sustainable tourism; civic awareness and participation; and creating safe spaces and reducing all forms of violence against children. These targets are aligned with the priority areas of the UN Youth Strategy for Sustainable Development launched in September 2018.

“The Global Youth Summit is a celebration for the youth to develop skills through leadership seminars and workshops on sustainable development goals. Through this event, we are able to create an impact, help spark positive change in the world, and prove that young people can,” said SM Cares Children and Youth program director Royston Cabunag.

As one of the biggest platforms for youth collaboration, participation, and action towards sustainable development and peace, the Global Youth Summit will continue to highlight efforts to make education more inclusive and accessible for all youth, including efforts by the youth themselves. To reach more young minds, there will also be a scheduled Cebu leg on August 24 at Cebu Trade Hall.

The Global Peace Foundation is an international non-sectarian, non-partisan, nonprofit organization which promotes an innovative, values-based approach to peace building. GPF engages and organizes a global network of public and private sector partners who develop community, national, and regional peace building models as the foundation for ethical and cohesive societies. To know more about Global Peace Foundation, please contact +63-2-3846908 or email info@globalpeacephilippines.org.

SM Cares is the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. Its advocacies include Programs on Persons with Disabilities, Children and Youth, Women and Breastfeeding Mothers, Environment Sustainability, Senior Citizens, and Overseas Filipino Workers (SM Global Pinoy).

As a responsible integrated property developer, SM ensures that its CSR programs serve as a catalyst for positive change in the communities that it supports. To know more about SM Cares, you may visit www.smcares.com.ph, www.facebook.com/OfficialSMCares or email smcares@smsupermalls.com.

Advocates of AgriBusiness and Education Technology win World Vision Philippines’ first-ever Social Innovation Challenge

The agribusiness Plantsville and the education-focused organization Edukasyon.ph emerged as winners in Social Innovation Challenge (S.I.C.), World Vision’s competition for innovators creating sustainable solutions to challenges identified in real communities.

Plantsville, represented by November "Tina" Canieso-Yeo, is a joint effort with local government units (LGUs), eco-tourism organic bee and cinnamon groups that seek to flourish organic farming among youth by planting more “Food is Medicine” products, comprised of “healing foods” such as cinnamon and honey.

Caniseo-Yeo won the agriculture-focused first challenge of S.I.C. and will have the opportunity to have her idea implemented for the residents of Sogod, Cebu, who are currently experiencing the effects of climate change on soil, which is eventually affecting the livelihood of almost 1,000 farming households in the town.

Her co-winner, Edukasyon.ph, was granted to fund the project’s second challenge centered on the 500 out-of-school youth (OSY) in Brgy. Bucana, Davao City due to lack of sustainable livelihood in the area.

Represented by Patricia Matias, Ria Tagle, Jose Soberano, Pam Suanco, and Cristina Batalla, Edukasyon.ph aims to create an online portal tailored for OSY, thus creating a more convenient and accessible way to provide job and skills training opportunities fitting to each user.

The winning teams, who will have their ideas co-implemented by World Vision and its partners, for the communities of Sogod, Cebu and Brgy. Bucana, Davao, were chosen among the six (6) competing finalists through “The Final Pitch,” a culminating pitch session held at the Novotel Manila Araneta Center.

They were evaluated by a multi-sectoral panel of judges comprised of World Vision Ambassador for the Social Innovation Challenge Gretchen Ho, Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Evelyn Lavina, Department of Education (DepEd) Undersecretary Tonisito Umali, CNN Philippines’ The Final Pitch Host and Executive Producer John Aguilar, Hub of Innovation for Inclusion Director Abigail Mapua-Cabanilla, J Amado Araneta Foundation Executive Director Christine Diane Romero, and Treasurer of the Board of Trustees for Community Economic Ventures, Inc. Rolly Solidum.

“We couldn’t be prouder of our finalists, especially our two winners. We saw the grit and passion in all of them to make a meaningful contribution to our communities at Sogod and Bucana, but we came to a decision to choose Plantsville and Edukasyon.ph because their ideas will harvest the best for the residents. The goal of this project is to be able to empower our communities, most especially the parents, so they would be able to provide for their children a healthy, safe, and sustainable life,” said Mr. Rommel Fuerte, Executive Director of World Vision Philippines.

A first for World Vision Philippines, the Social Innovation Challenge (S.I.C.) originated in World Vision Canada as an open platform for people to share creative ideas that can make a difference to people, especially in overlooked communities.

“There is untapped potential among every Filipino. Our participants for the first run of S.I.C. were diverse, from university students to small-to-medium-scale entrepreneurs. To sum it all up, everyone can ignite that hope,” Mr. Fuerte added. 

“It’s a delight to listen to every idea pitched to us. We’re thrilled to listen to even more for the future edition of this project.”

SM Cinema culminates the Full Throttle Hobbs and Shaw car displays with car meet

Last August 12, 2019, a bunch of racing cars paraded on the NU car park at SM MOA. The Fast and Furious franchise featured many memorable scenes and super cars were definitely an important of the action! With the release of the first standalone Fast & Furious movie, Hobbs & Shaw, SM Cinema gathered car enthusiasts and brought the Fast and Furious movies from reel to real life with the Hobbs & Shaw Full Throttle Car Meet.

The Car Meet held at the NU Carpark at the Mall of Asia complex is inspired by the Fast and Furious films and is reminiscent of the third movie in the franchise, Tokyo Drift. In partnership with Stance Pilipinas and Car Porn Racing, members of the group founded by car enthusiast, Angie King, got to showcase their beloved cars around the complex for everyone to admire.

The event was also the culmination of SM Cinema’s Hobbs & Shaw Full Throttle Car Displays as it brought together the different cars displayed in various SM Malls. The Car Displays featured cars right out of the movies for a real life encounter for fans of the franchise such as the  iconic 1968 Dodge Charger Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) drove in the memorable parting ways scene with Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) in Fast and Furious 7 to the 1999 NIssan Skyline used by Brian in his first car races in the earlier days of the franchise. 

Other cars featured included the Porsche 996 GT3 RS, 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback, and the latest supercar that is highlighted in the movie franchise – the McLaren 720S --all customized by car enthusiast Angie King while taking Fast and Furious as inspiration.

SM Cinema also treated fans to an exciting deal at SM Cinema’s Full Throttle Hobbs and Shaw car display with exclusive Fast and Furious Hobbs and Shaw movie posters and Lazer Arena passes for free if they purchased tickets at the event.

Book your tickets through the website, www.smcinema.com or download the SM Cinema mobile app.  You may also follow /SMCinema on Facebook and @SM_Cinema on Instagram for updates. Satisfy your cravings at Snack Time, the official food concessionaire of SM Cinema, which offers a wide array of snacks like popcorn, hotdogs and burgers to complement your movie watching experience. Follow /SnackTimeOfficial on Facebook for more information.

Champion Supra Power Media Launch

After more than four decades of providing quality detergents to Filipino moms, Champion ups its game this 2019 with its most powerful whitening formula to date in the form of the new Champion Supra Power, offering superior cleaning with its promise of absolute clean or “puting walang bakas”. 

At a launch event last August 5, 2ug019 at Makati Diamond Residences, aside from announcing the release of the new Champion Supra Power range, most of the afternoon was spent paying tribute to Supra Nanays – the moms who, despite whatever limitations abound, still manage to care for and provide for their families through their tireless work, sacrifices, and love, day-in and day-out.

The program hosted by Cerah Hernandez-Co started off with an interview of Champion’s very own endorser and Supra Nanay, Ms. Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, where she shared her thoughts on Champion Detergent being the only brand for her that’s able to provide her with the high level of cleaning that she and many other Filipino moms need. She also excitedly talked about new Champion Supra Power and her upcoming TV campaign, before providing media guests and partners an exclusive look at her much-awaited TV Commercial. This was also followed with a surprise mini-digital-film featuring stories of three Supra Nanays that touched and warmed the hearts of the audience members watching.

The next portion of the program saw Ms. Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo co-hosting with Cerah, as they interviewed three celebrity teens namely Ylona Garcia, Heaven Peralejo and Grae Fernandez to talk about their Supra Nanays. Their stories, serving as examples of the types of content Champion hopes to gather for the next phase of their campaign -- #SupraPowerNiNanay – where they’ll be asking consumers to submit stories of their Supra Nanays. Chosen stories could then be eventually featured in a mini-docu digital film featuring those real Supra Nanays.

With Champion’s new and improved formulation, new packaging for the entire Supra Power range, a new TV campaign with no other than Ms. Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, and the #SupraPowerNiNanay campaign to gather stories of real Supra Nanays, Champion has quite a lot in store for its consumers for the rest of 2019. 

Champion Supra Power available in four fragrance variants – Original Supra Clean, Citrus Fresh, Sunny Fresh, and With Fabric Conditioner – now available in stores, ready to deliver the high level of cleaning for “puting walang bakas” for Supra Nanays nationwide.

AXA Philippines champions self-belief in new campaign

AXA Philippines, one of the country’s leading insurance providers, shares stories of triumph and self-belief as it launches its newest brand campaign, Know You Can.

“Our latest brand message ‘Know You Can’ aims to empower people to live better lives by encouraging self-belief,” explains AXA Philippines president and CEO Rahul Hora. “We, at AXA Philippines, are here to inspire our customers to go further in life, whatever their game plan may be.”

The campaign features tennis champion and world-renowned athlete Serena Williams, who shares her own story of her journey towards self-belief. From learning tennis on the public courts as a kid to struggling with a life-threatening ailment and coming back to competing after childbirth, Williams showed that she knows she can go further and be better simply by believing in herself.

Last July 31, 2019 ,Together with the NBA, AXA Philippines holds a series of activities that are aligned with this new brand message. This includes an intimate meet-and-greet with NBA Denver Nuggets point guard Monte Morris and NBA legend Muggsy Bogues who will share their own journey towards self-belief and impart their knowledge on achieving their game plan on and off the court.

Additionally, both players will attend NBA 3X Philippines presented by AXA, which will feature a 3-on-3 tournament for men’s and women’s teams with interactive fan activities from Aug. 3-4 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall and the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) Forum Tent.

Indeed, whether in the basketball court of the game of life, self-belief and having a strong support system are vital to help you achieve your game plan and ultimately, a better life.

Partner with AXA Philippines for all your life insurance and general insurance needs. Check out www.axa.com.ph for more information.

ONE Championship's biggest stars face off at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES Official Pre-event Press Conference in Manila

ONE Championship's biggest stars face off at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES Official Kick-Off Press Conference in Manila

ONE Championship’s biggest stars took center stage for the official ONE: DAWN OF HEROES kick-off press conference held Tuesday afternoon at the City of Dreams Manila in Pasay City, Philippines.

With ONE: DAWN OF HEROES on Friday, 2 August being the biggest martial arts event in Philippine history, it was only fitting that Tuesday’s press conference was also the biggest ever hosted by ONE.

Hundreds of fans, athletes, and members of the media flocked to the City of Dreams Grand Ballroom to witness the athletes face off one last time before Friday’s massive event at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Opening the festivities was ONE Championship CEO and Chairman Chatri Sityodtong, who was nothing short of pumped for what could be one of the biggest ONE cards of the year.

“This is without a doubt the greatest event in Philippine martial arts history. If you are a Filipino anywhere in the world, you do not want to miss Friday night,” he said.

Sityodtong also highlighted the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix semi-final bout between Filipino mixed martial arts icon and two-time ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang and multiple-time lightweight world champion Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez as a must-see matchup for the Filipino fans.

“On a personal note, I am so excited for Eduard Folayang versus Eddie Alvarez, genuinely two of the greatest martial artists on the planet, two incredible legends with storied careers, and such incredible human beings,” Sityodtong said.

“I respect Eduard. I respect everything he’s done not just as a fighter, but also as a human being for his community,” said Alvarez, who is looking to bounce back after coming up short in his ONE debut back in March. “This is what this sport is all about. It’s beyond what goes on in the Circle.”

“In the movies, heroes always prevail. The nemesis loses, he goes home and everybody’s happy. Unfortunately, that’s not the story here. You picked the wrong guy at the wrong time. I love you Manila. I respect you Eduard. Let’s have some fun,” Alvarez added.

“He’s one of those athletes that I spent a lot of time watching before,” said Folayang, who is also looking to get back on track. “He says this isn’t the right time, but I believe it’s God’s time. It’s a huge honor for me to be able to test my skills against him.”

“My preparations have gone well. I lost my bell last March, that chapter of my career has closed. It’s time to write another chapter of my journey,” Folayang continued.

Headlining the card will be a ONE Featherweight World Championship bout between reigning and defending titleholder Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Australia and Japanese challenger Koyomi “Moushigo” Matsushima.

In the hard-hitting co-main event for the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship, England’s Jonathan “The General” Haggerty puts his title on the line against Thailand’s Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon.

Also on the card will be one of the best flyweight competitors in the world in 12-time flyweight world champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, who faces Japan’s Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada in a ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix semi-final bout.

“I’m very much looking forward to taking on Tatsumitsu Wada. It’s the second round of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix,” said Johnson. “I’m sure I’m going to battle a little adversity against Tatsumitsu Wada. I’ve been down on the scorecards before, but I keep on pushing through. I look forward to entertaining you all on Friday night.”