John Lloyd Cruz is Western Union’s Global Ambassador for Overseas Filipinos

One of the most acclaimed actors in the Philippines today. Recognized as the Philippine Box Office King for his effective portrayals in many award winning Filipino movies, John Lloyd Cruz managed to stay relevant to his audience and accepted the role of becoming the new face of Western Union, making him the ambassador for all overseas Filipinos around the world who are sending money for better. 

Last Thursday March 31, 2016 at Marriott Hotel's Diplomatic Hall at the Grand Ballroom,

 Western Union launched their campaign with the media as John Lloyd Cruz officially signed the contract on becoming their Global Ambassador for Overseas Filipinos.

Aside from portraying yet another remarkable character in his upcoming Star Cinema movie Just the 3 Of Us, John Lloyd Cruz will also introduce a new wave of Western Union® services as the company takes the lead in reinventing ways to transfer money in a very digital era.

Western Union is working its way to becoming the market leader in the digital money transfer market, considering that the Filipino society is slowly evolving into a digital age.  Globally, Western Union has launched WU Connect, a platform that embeds Western Union’s robust global money transfer through third-party platforms. By tying up with leading chat applications WeChat and Viber, consumers can now send money virtually anywhere in the world. With this new feature, Western Union aims to provide solutions and services that will flawlessly integrate into the consumer’s digital habits and lifestyle.

The global brand campaign will roll out this year in the Philippines and in overseas countries including the United States, Canada, and other countries in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia where many Filipinos live and work.

“John Lloyd Cruz mirrors Western Union’s strengths of having a long and successful track record. He also relates to Filipinos’ aspirations of having an improved family life. As Western Union’s global ambassador for every overseas Filipino, his new role is to advocate moving money for better to every overseas Filipino,” says Patricia Riingen, Senior Vice President, South East Asia and Oceania.

“I am very honored and excited to take on this new role, this time not on reel but in the real lives of my fellow Filipinos around the world. I am one with Western Union’s purpose and goals as I admire how Filipinos sacrifice every day to build better lives for their loved ones. In representing Western Union, a company that has grown with Filipinos here and abroad, I am challenged to get to know my

kababayans more so that I can effectively do my part in motivating and helping them to uplift their lives, and that of their families.” says John Lloyd Cruz. 

At the launch, John Lloyd Cruz reaches out to overseas Filipinos with his first Facebook Live engagement. 

Megaworld and Lamudi Philippines Partners Up for the San Antonio Residence's Online Campaign

Nowadays, Philippines' internet landscape has and still continues to grow. We can get almost anything done online, alongside is the way that brands and consumers do business. For the real estate industry, easy and real-time viewing of the property is the fast-emerging trend.

 

Realizing the importance of the digital evolution, real estate giant Megaworld has partnered with online property portal Lamudi Philippines to strengthen its online campaign for San Antonio Residence, a new Makati project that eyes tech-savvy millennials as primary market.

San Antonio Residence is Megaworld's 20th residential masterwork in the Makati Central business district designed as the ideal home for millennials. According to Eugene Em Lozano, Vice President for Sales and marketing for Makati CBD, Megaworld;

 "Its location and amenities complement fast-paced lifestyle of the millennials enabling them to make the most of their time, whether it's moving up the career ladder or being with their loved ones"

Megaworld will up the game in real estate online advertising and takes advantage of Lamudi's premier listings, recently upgraded mobile app and expert market data. Now that digital is the way to go in real estate, Megaworld believe that Lamudi's online expertise can help them reach their target market. 

Lamudi Philippines's, together with MyProperty.ph (which the former acquired in 2015) , is now the dominant real estate listing portals in the Philippines. and in effort to make itself the go to place for everything related to real estate, the company also released its Real Estate Market Reporr for 2015. 

Lamudi Philippines website's large amount of page-views and visits are indicative of how much more potential buyers and renters look online to explore their increased real estate options.

"With this in mind, we tailored our products and services to the needs of our clients. For Megaworld Makati, our online marketing campaigns fir their carefully designed project meant to cater the modern lifestyle of young Pinoys"- says Jacqueline van den Ende, Managing Director of both Lamudi Philippines and MyProperty.ph.

San Antonio Residence is scheduled to be completed in 2020, equipped with exciting amenities such as the very first B.O.N.D. (Begin, Open, Nurture, Discover) area, a Street Fitness Park and a two-story mall. This residential condo project is also conveniently located along Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., a stone's throe away from all landmarks of the Makati CBD. 

 

Unli Talk and Text or PhilCare’s UnliConsult Prepaid Health Cards?

Let’s be honest, we often purchase prepaid load for our mobile phones or even go as far as getting a plan to stay in touch with important people, but how often are you able to keep in touch with how your health is doing? Wouldn’t it be assuring to know that we can communicate with our Doctors as much as we want and for once give importance to our health?

Well, why is it exactly important to consult a Doctor? All they do is prescribe the right medications if you’re sick, observes your symptoms and gives accurate diagnosis and most of all they make sure that you are healthy enough not just for yourself but for your love ones. Now if that’s not important enough then I don’t know what is.

In our family, we have this 2 to 3-day rule. Let’s say one of my kids had a fever and didn’t get better even after resting, taking the usual medications for fever and some TLC then we do rush him/her to the hospital for some professional advice. In times of trouble with breathing, chest pain, vomiting, allergies, coughing for weeks and many more is enough reason to go and pay a visit to your Doctor. There’s surprisingly a lot of reason to make you wish you have a health insurance.

I used to work in a company that provides Health Cards for me and my Family and we visit accredited hospitals to see our Doctors almost every month! It’s not just when we’re sick but when we want to monitor our health or simply maintain it. I felt safe and free from fears of sickness which made me see how important it is to have a health insurance as a part of our investment.

Doctors at private hospitals normally charge Php500 and above for their professional fee not to mention that there’s sometimes a need for follow up checkups. It’s no wonder why we think twice before going to our Doctors and do self-medications but at some point we still end up going there for the right diagnosis, prescriptions and advice.

I’m guilty of not really allotting or saving up a budget for medical consultations. I just deduct the expenses from our savings whenever needed which is quite a sum especially with three kids. Filipino’s are known to be reactive instead of preventive because of the cost of health care.

We always say that family comes first which is why for me it’s always important to be ready for unexpected sickness whether it’s through having savings or preparing to have a health insurance. 

I do think that Filipinos should be preventive instead of being reactive in dealing with sickness because in a year, we can reduce the expenses for consultations as well as keep our body as healthy as possible. Don’t just do it for yourself, do it for your family.

It was last year, October 2015, when I attended the launch of PhilCare’s UnliConsult Cards and to be honest I’m very impressed at how they came up with a prepaid card for health insurance. I love everything from Unlimited Medical Consultations to Unlimited Consultations to Dental Clinics! It’s very helpful in my family in times when sudden sickness strikes especially to my little ones. I’d love to also maintain their pearly white teeth which can prevent low self-esteem when they grow up.

I strongly recommend the PhilCare UnliConsult cards most especially to those who don’t have one yet from work. It’s a good investment and as they say, health is wealth. It’s time to stop being unprepared and stop fearing the surprises that life throws us most especially sickness that can be prevented by getting the right health card, going to the right people and doing the right thing! Get yourself a PhilCare’sUnliConsult card and be free to live the life you deserve.

PhilCare understands that each age range has specific health concern, that’s why they developed three variants of the Unlimited Medical and Dental Consultation Cards according to the age of its users. Which are as follows:

UNLICONSULT Kids: 1 – 17 years old

Price: 3,700 pesos per year.

UNLICONSULT adults: 18 – 64 years old

Price: 3,600 pesos per year.

UNLICONSULT 65 years old and above

Price: 5,000 pesos per year.

All cards mentioned above allows you to avail unlimited consultation services from its national network of medical specialist and dentists in any of PhilCare’s accredited hospital or clinics for one year.

Includes:

One year unlimited medical consultations with 5,500+ PhilCare accredited pediatricians for kids and over 9,500+ PhilCare accredited family medicine specialists, internal medicine specialists, cardiologists, endocrinologists, nephrologists, pulmonologists, and gastroentrologists for adults and 65+ 

One year unlimited dental consultations with Dental Network dentists with the following:

• Annual Dental Examination/Annual Oral Examination 
• Unlimited Orthodontic or Aesthetic Consultation 
• Gum Treatment for Lesions, Wounds and Burns Only except Alveolectomy and Gingivectomy 
• Relief and/or Prescription for Acute Dental Pain 
• Diagnosis of Oral Disease, Restorative and Prosthodonctic Treatment Planning 
• Dental Nutrition and Dietary Counseling 
• Dental Health Education through Chairside Instruction 
• First Aid Treatment/Emergency Treatment 
• Unlimited temporary Fillings 
• Re-cementation of Loose Crowns, Inlays, Onlays and Fixed Bridges 
• Simple Repair and Adjustment of Denture 
• Simple Tooth Extraction/Unlimited Simple Extraction of an Unsavable Tooth 
• Desensitization of Hypersensitivity Teeth 
• Annual prophylaxis (light cases only) 

VALIDITY: 

Valid for one (1) year upon date of activation. Pre-existing conditions are covered. The only exceptions are maternity-related cases and cases related to all forms of behavioral disorders, developmental or psychiatric disorder and psychosomatic illness whether acquired or congenital.

HOW TO USE

1. Activate: Register your card through SMS indicating the person to be covered’s name, birth date, gender, and birthplace. The card can be used after 3 days from successful registration.

2. Avail:

Medical consultations: 

• Create a self-issued Letter of Authorization (LoA) and personalized consultation card at www.philcare.com.ph/consultationcards. 
• Present LOA, personalized card and 1 valid ID with picture to chosen medical specialist. 

Dental consultations: 

• Download and print the personalized membership card at www.philcare.com.ph/consultationcards and present this with one (1) valid ID of the cardholder on the day of availment. 

The unlimited consult cards make consultations easy, affordable and available for everyone! As what the PhilCare slogan says “PhilCare Makes Health Happen” and this is a testament to that commitment.

For more information you can visit their website.

Century Tuna Pre-Finals Weekend with Jessy Mendiola and Elmo Magalona

Heya there! This coming first weekend of April you get a chance to meet and greet the finalists of the Century Tuna Superbods Nation 2016 on it's Pre-Finals Weekend which is happening on April 2 and 3, 2016 at the BGC Ampitheater in Bonifacio Global City. The 26 Superbods finalists will be joined by  two of the country’s hottest young stars, Superbods Jessy Mendiola and Elmo Magalona.

The event, which is staged in the run up to the Century Tuna Superbods Nation 2016 finals night, aims to reach out and engage with consumers to encourage them to be fab and fit men and women—just like the Superbods! 

Watch out as Jessy Mendiola joins Chef Nadine Tengco in a delicious cook-out session on April 2, 2016, while Elmo Magalona joins the team of Coach Jim Saret in an intense yet fun Fitness Session also on the same day.

Other activities to look forward to is the Circuit Training Session, the Yoga session with Bubbles Paraiso, a Hip Hop dance class with the G-Force, and the meet & greet with 26 Superbods finalists.

See you all at the Century Tuna Superbods Nation 2016 Pre-Finals Weekend!

Abby Asistio Meets Mark Zuckerburg during Facebook's 12th Friends Day Celebration

Facebook celebrated it's 12th Anniversary Friends Day last January 31, 2016 in San Francisco. Our fellow Filipino Abby Asistio was one of the eighteen invited together with the California-based Alopecia awarenss advocate, Rachel Regal.

Alopecia is an autoimmune condition which results in partial or total head and body hair loss. Abby Asistio have had it since she was four while Rachel just developed it sometime in 2012, the same year she discovered that her 10-year-old daughter, Eliana, had it, too. Six inspiring stories were picked by Facebook among its 1.64 billion users and Abby’s friends were all amazed when they’ve found out that Abby’s Alopecia story was one of them. 

Imagine that!

Abby and Rachel met each other through the double A hand sign campaign that Aby started in 2012, and They've been "connected" since then. Last year, Facebook Stories featured how these two were able to build a friendship, as well as campaign for disease awareness through Facebook! And last February 1st, Abby and Rachel had the chance to tour FB headquarters in Menlo Park, San Francisco, meet and chat with the people behind Facebook (Founder & CEO Mark Zuckerberg, COO Sheryl Sandberg, CPO Chris Cox, and a whole lot of awesome people), got crazy cool gadgets and have one of the best experiences of their lives.

Abby recounted that it was such a surreal feeling to be in the same room as the creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. Mark Z was wearing his trademark look (jeans, sneakers, shirt and a big smile on his face), and had such a friendly, approachable aura and demeanor about him. Not at all intimidating! He shared stories about how the company started, its mission-vision, the ups and downs that come along, and their future plans. Those invited also had the chance to ask him questions. When Mark Z was asked about achieving success and life’s “impossibilities”. He said,

 “There’s a difference between impossible and things taking a really long time. Even if you’re not going to be able to do something in a short time period, if you care about something, you want to see the world to move into that direction… So the best thing to do is just get started and not be discouraged. It’s tough because this stuff is hard, or else people would’ve already done it.”

Abby Asistio got the chance to ask a question to one of the world’s 50 most powerful, successful women in business, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Aside from Alopecia awareness, Abby is also an active Real Beauty advocate with girls and women struggling with various insecurities, being so consumed by the world’s unrealistic and sometimes superficial standards of beauty. So Abby asked Sheryl about her perception of it. She answered,

 "Beauty is just like success and that no one could really define it for you. We are all unique. We have different stories, dreams and desires. We should explore our own inner and outer beauty, believe and embrace that we are beautiful, and never allow anyone to tell us otherwise."

Mark capped off his talk by sharing their company philosophy with everyone present. Though already having over 1 billion subscribers, there are still 7 billion people all over the world without access to all the meaningful connections and information that Facebook brings. One thing that the company stands by is that “things are always 1% completed”. It keeps them grounded, reminding them that there is always so much work, growth and progress to be done, and so many people to reach out to and help.

Everything about the Facebook trip was overwhelming and inspiring according to Abby. More than anything, it reminded her about “responsibility”. We are all given our own platforms, in this case “accounts and connections”, to make a dent in this world. It is up to us to become complacent and take these vehicles for granted, or maximize the opportunities and use them to make a positive impact in this generation. Abby is grateful that Facebook has become a medium for her to communicate disease awareness and touch people beyond the confines of her tiny room and her country. Abby is also glad that she and Rachel are two out of millions of people choosing to recognize the importance of social media in contributing to making this world a better place, and actually doing something about it.

Truly, God plans the best adventures and creates the most beautiful surprises. Abby knows that she wouldn't have been handpicked for this if it weren't for Him, as well as the countless individuals who have cared and showed support for her advocacy.

"I would like to leave a positive thought to everyone that we should really take the time to search for and identify our “purpose” – that one unique, very specific calling that is the result of our talents, dreams, desires, passions and experiences. Once you find it, be faithful to it no matter how long or difficult the journey towards its fulfillment may be. You’ll never know where it could lead to, how far it could go and how large it could grow." - Abby Assistio

Abby is also thankful that her campaign continues to spread and reach new heights and she is particularly grateful to Facebook for giving her this opportunity and to Novuhair, Nature's Answer to Hair Loss (www.novuhair.com), for always being so supportive of her advocacy and endeavors. Abby is proud and honored to have represented the Philippines and the Alopecia community in this once-in-a-lifetime, international event.

My Mom-derful Fashion Finds at SM Manila

I don't know about you but no matter how tired or not in a good mood I am, shopping always make me feel better. 

As a matter of fact a study published in the Journal of Psychology and Marketing in the U.S., concluded that: ‘Retail therapy purchases were overwhelmingly beneficial, leading to mood boosts and no regrets or guilt.’ 

Now that's another reason for us, ladies to shop more, haha! 

If I have all the money in the world I'd definitely shop everyday of my life, but that kind of luxe just ain't for me and as a mom I have to be very practical when it comes to spending. I still get to go shopping every once in a while and this time I have to follow a budget that's why I find it very practical to shop during SALE! 

Speaking of SALE, early this month SM Manila held another 3-day sale and of course I did not let that opportunity pass. I was able to score a brand new kicks for a reasonable price.

Barbie pink shoes for my daughter and Fila running shoes for me.

This pair of shoes is my current favorite. I use it whenever I work out or go jogging, it's super lite and very comfortable.

Let me share with you some more of my favorite mom-derful fashion finds at SM Manila.

  

A few months ago, my family and I went shopping at SM Manila and among these items my most favorite is the denim slip on Kicks, which is perfect for casual use or a day out with family.

Me wearing my Denim Slip on Kicks perfect for on the go mom like me

On the photo I was also using the Giovanni bag which I also bought on SM Manila during a 3-day sale few months ago.

Here's another one of my mom-derful find at SM Manila, my elegant Frigiliana bag with crystal studs.

I wore it during my son's Graduation day, and paired it with my Figlia high heels also with studded crystals. What I love most about the bag is that it's flexible,  I can use it not just on formal occasions as it also goes well with casual clothes like pants and shorts.

There you have it, some of my favorite fashion finds at SM Manila. I actually have a lot but as of the moment these items are my most favorite among them all. Seeing them all in my closet makes me happy. I believe this items are also available in all SM stores nationwide.

And, because I love to shop, I mean my family and I goes shopping every once in a while for our stuff my husband decided to avail the SM Advantage Card. It was a pretty good decision since every time we shop we earn and redeem points, we also get exclusive access to sale events, discounts, special offers, and freebies. Sounds good right?

So how about you, what's your favorite beauty or fashion product from SM? 

Immunotherapy: Hope From Within For Filipino Cancer Patients

Every now and then, we hear stories about people battling cancer. Some of us have friends or relatives with cancer and we all know how much of a burden this disease is. 

Cancer is one of the most challenging diseases and annual cases are expected to rise to 22 million within the next two decades. In 2012 alone, there were 14 million new cases reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) with 8.2 million cancer-related deaths. A significant contributor to this statistic is lung cancer, which is the top cause of cancer mortality for both sexes worldwide.

Sadly, incidence from the Philippines is not far off from the global data. According to Globocan 2012, Iung cancer is the second most common cancer in incidence and mortality among Filipino men and women. Melanoma on the other hand affects around 300 Filipinos annually. Though melanoma is not one of the most common cancers in the country, early diagnosis remains a challenge for most patients. 

The good news is that for many cancers there have been significant breakthroughs – from prevention to treatment options – however, the unmet needs remain high. 

Last March 17, 2016 in Diamond Hotel, I was very eager to learn about this spark of hope made even brighter for Filipino patients with advanced stages of lung cancer and melanoma as MSD in the Philippines, a leader in oncology research and development just introduced Immunotherapy, one of the most innovative cancer treatment methods to date.

Dr. Gerry Cornelio discussing about the different types of Immunotherapy

Immune checkpoint inhibitors is a form of cancer treatment that prevents the interaction between the immune system’s T-cells and the tumors. When tumors and T-cells interact, a protein found in the tumor called the Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) deactivates T-cells so they become incapable of recognizing and destroying cancer cells. Through immunotherapy, this interaction is blocked so that T-cells can detect and ward off the cancer cells.

In the Philippines, the anti PD-L1 immunotherapy drug Pembrolizumab received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of advanced or metastatic lung cancer and melanoma after failing first-line treatment. In a media round table symposium held March 17 in Manila, Dr Gerardo Cornelio, Cancer Institute Head of St. Luke’s Medical Center Global City shared that "Pembrolizumab has the potential to become an integral part of cancer treatment. It has and will be tested across a broad spectrum of cancers." said Dr. Cornelio.

Clinical trials have shown immunotherapy’s efficacy in the treatment of advanced lung cancer and melanoma. According to a study published in LANCET, Pembrolizumab showed superior overall survival with less high-grade toxicity for previously treated, PD-L1-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Results of the trials showed that the most common side effects for lung cancer patients receiving Pembrolizumab were decreased appetite, fatigue, nausea, and rash.

Clinical trials also showed that Pembrolizumab has superior anticancer activity in patients with advanced melanoma who failed previous therapies. In terms of safety profile, Pembrolizumab showed a lower incidence of treatment-related adverse events compared to chemotherapy. 

Biomarkers play a key role in patient response. The expression of a certain biomarker in patients’ tumors played an important role in their response to Pembrolizumab. Biomarkers are proteins found in a patient’s tissue, blood or fluids that can help determine the outcome of a patient’s disease or response to medication. Clinical trials have shown that if a patients’ tumors express the biomarker Programmed Death Ligand-1 (PD-L1), patients are more likely to have a better response to the drug.

Addressing the rising incidence of cancer is indeed a tough road to embark on and MSD has been dedicating its resources to developing innovative oncology medicines.  

Writing my message for all cancer patients. Finally, cancer is hopeless case no more!

With this Immunotherapy finally available in the Philippines, cancer patients need not equate being diagnosed with advanced or metastatic lung cancer or melanomas a death sentence. Thanks to this breakthrough in cancer medication, patients in the Philippines and abroad have a ray of hope and confidence in what used to be a hopeless case.