Friday, January 30, 2015

FREE Life Insurance for Expectant Parents from Manulife

Ryan Charland, President & CEO Manulife Philippines with kids during the launch of Bundle of Joy Advocacy

Here's a good news for expectant moms and dads and parents of children under one year of age!

You are entitled to a FREE one-year term life insurance coverage worth PhP 100,000. Furthermore, everyone who registers online can also access good reads and helpful tips from experts, join various promotions and win exciting prizes and freebies.

Being a new parent means having your littlest loved one depend on you for everything. To help expectant parents or parents of newborns journey into their new life stage, Manulife Philippines has now made life insurance more accessible through its “Bundle of Joy” advocacy. Anyone who wants to build a more secure future for themselves and their family is invited to be a part of Manulife’s Bundle of Joy community by signing up to www.manulifebundleofjoy.com.ph.

“Manulife’s Bundle of Joy is part of our continued advocacy to reach, secure and protect as many Filipino families as possible,” said Ryan Charland, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Philippines.

“Financial protection should be in every new or expectant parent’s checklist as the first step towards securing their family’s future. Through Manulife’s Bundle of Joy, we want to make it easy for parents to access life insurance coverage by having them register online and become part of a community that can support their responsibility as parents.”

Indeed, the arrival of a newborn is an important milestone for parents – a joyous occasion for every Filipino family. This is the time when parents receive baby gifts, child care tips from family and friends, and more importantly, the privilege of helping nurture new life into the world.

To know more about Manulife’s Bundle of Joy, visit www.manulifebundleofjoy.com.ph or like Manulife Philippines’ Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/ManulifePH.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Fish Be With You

After a sinful season of merry eating, it's back to the drawing board again on how to get fit and healthy. To those who are looking for a healthy and yummy food, I say to you, "Fish be with you!"

Last holiday season, I discover Fisher Farms’ Gourmet Baked Rellenong Bangus. I found out that it was specially concocted by renowned celebrity chef Reggie Aspiras, assuring homemakers of a choice product that is fit to be served in any fine dining establishment.

It comes in three sizes to suit your needs: 800 grams, 1.1 kilos, and 1.3 kilos. A whole fish could easily feed a party of 12 diners, depending on the size of relleno you choose. The whole bangus is stuffed with a savory filling of fish, sweet potato, bangus belly and shrimp. Of course, I choose to get the biggest one and oh boy, it was the instant center of attraction on our dinning table.




Other delicious products from Fisher Farms, which I personally tried are Bangus Lemon Butter; Fish Hungarian Sausage; Garlic Fish Longaniza; Fish Nuggets; Gourmet Selections Roasted Garlic; and my husband's favorite Smoked Deboned Milkfish.






Just to show you that healthy food can still look good, I challenged my husband to prepare our dinner last night and he did impressed me. He could have cooked it via oven or microwave but he choose to fry it so he can make it a little crispier.




Fisher Farms grows its milkfish in the pristine seawaters of Pangasinan in fish cages for a sweeter, more flavorful, firmer and cleaner fish. Only high protein feeds are given to farmed fish to produce high-quality fish meat. Fisher Farms’ Gourmet Baked Rellenong Bangus,  Smoked Deboned Milkfish and other tasty products are available in leading supermarkets in Metro Manila and around the country.  

For more details about Fisher Farms, go to fisherfarms.ph and visit their Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Fisherfarmsinc) and Twitter accounts for updates.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

GetMed: Revolutionizing healthcare in the Philippines

In the photo (from left): Arthur John Abarquez, Paolo Castaño and Chris Hatton
We have all experienced the difficulties of finding a doctor and quickly get an appointment. More importantly, on emergency situations, we might not even have an idea where the nearest hospital is or which doctor to call.

For Arthur John Abarquez, one of the founders of UNA I.T. SOLUTIONS, it was on a Maundy Thursday a few years ago when his wife suffered a serious fall, which resulted to shattered bones in her left forearm and hand that compelled him to recognize this need. “We rushed my wife to the hospital but the ER Doctors couldn’t do anything to relieve her pain. They needed a specialist who, at that time, since it was a holiday, was not available. It took them several hours to locate a doctor who had to travel from Calatagan, Batangas to Manila. It was grueling hours of waiting for my wife and myself. I wanted so much to help her but I was helpless, we were at the mercy of the capabilities and the reaction time of the hospital where we brought her,” he shared.

“Had a medical directory, at the very least, been available then, it would have helped us locate the nearest available doctor, not necessarily from the hospital we brought her to but still within immediate reach,” Arthur added.

UNA I.T. SOLUTIONS, the company behind the Health Lifestyle app called GetMed, envisions the product to revolutionize healthcare in the Philippines. The company was built in collaboration with some of the country’s profile experts in pharma, information technology, and consumer marketing - all coming together for one direction – to develop a product that would give everybody an upperhand in managing their healthcare, emergency or otherwise.

GetMed simplifies patient experience in just one touch of a button.  Just as how we use online tools to book a restaurant or request for a cab service, patients will certainly demand the same experience in self-booking a doctor’s appointment.

 “You would not even want to entertain the idea of waiting,” says Paolo Castaño, a reputable pharma and marketing expert, “so GetMed capitalizes on convenience.  With the app, you can conveniently book appointments with MDs, find out nearest hospitals or clinics. The app can immediately give you a directory of doctors grouped geographically and according to specialization.” It is also linked to Waze so you get to manage traffic as you proceed with your respective appointments.

Unlike the many medical apps which are limited to information base, GetMed is highly interactive. “The app is not just an information base, but engages the doctors, patients, and helps build a better lifestyle on day-to-day basis,” shares Chris Hatton, an I.T. expert who had professional stints with a leading global software company in Europe & the Middle East and specialized in Government contracts.

A free download, GetMed Version 1 is available in Android and IOS version. Initially, Version 1 has over 17,000 registered doctors on the database, covering the majority of the country. It also has over 3,000 Hospitals, Clinics & Barangay Health Centres located in Luzon, Visayas & Mindanao. All listings for both doctors and hospitals are 95% accurate.

 “A lot of things are coming for the app,” says Chris, “but we do not want to rush things. Importance of the app right now, with Version 1, is the simplicity and usefulness. We just want to make sure we are doing it the correct manner.”

 GetMed is aimed at making the Philippines a major player in the app-business, a product that is made in the Philippines that will make us proud. Its mission is to bring healthcare at the touch of a button, manage your healthcare more efficiently, conveniently and more precise.

“We believe in the project. And Philippines is the right place to launch this kind of product and that’s important.  We have such great faith in the Philippines. Great technology skills. We’re very Filipino. We have Filipino staff. We use Filipino developers. We are proud that this is a Filipino-made product. It’s the first time that we are consolidating the data of doctors and patients into one big picture. We’re bringing quality life.”

Hawk Bag: The brand We Trust






Being a mom, I only want the best things for my child. I also see to it that every cent my family spent is worth it. Sometimes, buying the cheapest  is not the best way to save money. Quality and durability should be the top priority in buying stuff that we will use every day.

Thank the case of Hawk bag. My trusted brand when it comes to bags. We own at least three hawks bags that we acquire a few years ago and we still use them as if they're new.

Since 1978, Hawk bags have been the embodiment of quality and durability. Building on this legacy, the brand’s business has steadily grown through the years. The brand believes in having a passion for excellence, which is reflected in every single bag. 

“Our present generation is a thinking market. With the growing demand of our patrons, who are very specific with what they want and need, we cannot compromise not to step up and better our game play. We cultivated from offering a durable brand to giving close attention to the bag’s functionality, stylish design with superior features. By persistently adapting to changes, Hawk is increasingly growing in the market,” assures Chester Ching, VKC Incorporated Marketing Director.

At present, VKC Incorporated is the distributor of Hawk products at major malls and department stores all over the Philippines. The bags are available at The SM Store, Landmark, Robinsons Department Store, Metro Gaisano, KCC Mall, Sta. Lucia Mall, Fishermall, Olympic Village and Wellworth.

“Even with the success that Hawk is achieving, we will not be complacent. For 2015, we are targeting to expand more stores nationwide and remain as the prominent provider of quality, innovative and reliable bags in the industry,” Chester Ching says with conviction.

To further adapt to market demands, Hawk is making its digital presence more pronounced. Everyone can buy its wide array of designs with just a click of the mouse at www.hawkbag.com.