Vicks’ #TouchOfCare campaign creates awareness for children infected with HIV

Manila, Philippines: A strong follow up from its 2018 #TouchOfCare video, Vicks once again releases another true-to-life story on the transformative power of care, to celebrate the extraordinary stories of the people who have lived it by their actions. This time, it centers on a child infected with HIV and a woman whose love and care paved way for the transformation of both their lives. This is a powerful story that aims to challenge current beliefs, social norms, definitions, and stereotypes; a bold move aimed to address issues on discrimination.

Vicks, a brand synonymous with Generations of Care globally, continues its mission on transforming people’s lives with the power of care with the belief that it is Care that makes a family, and not the other way around. The brand’s #TouchOfCare campaign brings to the surface societal taboos and sheds light on them to inspire change in perspectives and preconceived biases. It reveals how anybody with a loving touch of care has the capability to transform another person’s life.

"The purpose of the Vicks brand is rooted in care. With our #TouchOfCare campaign, we aim to share stories where people have transformed lives of others through their extraordinary acts of care. The story of “Agnes” was one such story which just needed to be told. We hope the campaign inspires more people to transform lives and transcend social norms, definitions and stereotypes through their own acts of care." - Akhilesh Negi, P&G Brand Director Healthcare APAC

The 4-minute video heroes a child who was born with HIV infection. When his mom died from the disease, the 4-month old was handed by his immediate family to Agnes, his mom’s friend. Captured in the story is how Agnes later on found out about the child’s condition, and instead of turning away from the unexpectedly difficult situation, she committed to raise him and showered him with love and care. It was the start of a beautiful life transformation for the two; revealing how Agnes fought for child’s life against all ridicule and discrimination from the people around them. Today, with Agnes’ unfaltering love and care, the child is 4 years old and his HIV infection lays dormant in his body.

To watch the video visit: https://www.facebook.com/VicksPhilippines/videos/316478069224916/

"With the Touch of Care campaign, we are passionate about telling powerful stories of love. The story of Agnes just grabbed us from the start and we felt this moving tale of mother and son, amidst their challenges, was something we want to share with the world. This is the power of care that Vicks celebrates, for when you choose it, you have a hand in transforming another person’s life and make it better." - Lester Estrada, P&G Philippines Marketing Director

Vicks believes that sharing Agnes’ story will create a ripple effect that inspires people to look past the current beliefs, social norms, definitions, and stereotypes placed on people, and ultimately creates a transformative power of care. The brand also wants to create societal awareness for children born with HIV in order to change society’s beliefs and perspectives towards them. Vicks is committed to amplifying inspiring stories that show the transformation of human lives when people give a touch of care.

"While brands have the power to lead conversations and influence culture, it is ordinary people in their everyday lives who actually inspire these brands to reflect relevant realities in our advertising. This extraordinary ability of a person to transcend every imaginable boundary to feel and care for another life, another human being, continues to be the inspiration for Vicks’ "Touch of Care" campaign across multiple geographies. To celebrate the lives, amplify the stories and support our everyday heroines and heroes is a privilege for our brand." - Ajay Vikram, Publicis Singapore Chief Creative Officer, Global Clients

Vicks has partnered with Project Red Ribbon (a partner of Department of Health - National AIDS/STI Prevention and Control Program and is associated with the World Health Organization and UNAIDS). This partnership aims to give the same love and care seen in the film to the children under the “Duyan Project”. “Duyan”, a Filipino noun which means “cradle”, aims to provide care and support to children with HIV in the Philippines. Through the said program, they will be given care, love and attention, to improve their quality of life until they are once again healthy and can go back to school.

To know more about HIV, Project Red Ribbon, and the “Duyan Program” visit https://www.hivphilippines.com/duyan-program
https://www.hivphilippines.com/definitions
http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/philippines
https://www.doh.gov.ph/aids-hiv

Celebrate Philippines’ Rich Culture And Traditions With Festival Run

It’s More Fun in the Philippines!

We don’t just offer world-class travel destinations, but festivals like no other. In fact, traditionally, we are known to be Capital of the World’s Festivities! Now, you don’t have to book a trip to enjoy what’s proudly Pinoy. Come and join us this upcoming Festival Run on March 10, 2019 at Liwasang Ulalim, CCP Complex. This is a fundraising event of St. Jude Catholic School (SJCS) Batch 1994 in partnership with RED Sports by RED Entertainment.

All Here And More

This unique gathering will feature various colorful celebrations across the country. You name it! Every pit stop will showcase a famous festival: Aklan’s Ati-Atihan, Bacolod’s MassKara, and Cebu’s Sinulog. Now there’s an absolute fun in your run! Additionally, about 5,000 runners will be wearing costumes with show-stopping performances.

Meanwhile, if you’re not into running, we still got you covered. Dance to the beat with our zumba that feels more like a party than a workout. 

In fact, other exciting activities are in store for the participants like a kid’s activity Viva Sto. Nino Drawing Contest, Masskara Making Contest, and the Ati-Atihan Dance Craze.

Be on the lookout for the finale show to end things worthy of a bang!

See you there, tons of prizes await you!

On the other hand, Judenites Festival Run is open to everyone who wants to experience the beauty of the Philippines. Not to mention, different categories are available to suit your taste. This includes 1k, 3k, 5k, and 10k with the following inclusions respectively:

Through this event, we want to promote camaraderie, brotherhood, and unity wherever and whoever we are. More importantly, we want you to enjoy!

Are you ready? For in-store registration, you can visit any Ideal Vision Branches in Festival Mall, SM Mall of Asia, SM Manila, SM North EDSA, SM Makati, and SM Megamall.

Likewise, you can register online at https://events.redsportsph.com

In the meantime, for more updates, follow the official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/festivalrunph

Cebuana Lhuillier Alternative Learning System : ALS like no other

Since the renaming of PJ Lhuillier Foundation into the Cebuana Lhuillier foundation, it has since made education accessible to those who need it through donation of classrooms, learning centers, conference rooms, and buildings to be utilized for furthering learning for those who need and want it. 

Jean Henri Lhuillier, Cebuana Lhuillier’s President and CEO stands in the hallway of the newly constructed Northern Tacloban City National High School Sports building in 2016.

For many years now, Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation Inc. (CLFI) has consistently administered poverty-alleviation measures to the underserved and disadvantaged individuals and sectors nationwide. Following the personal philosophy of its President and CEO, Jean Henri Lhuillier which is to “Always Love Schooling”, part of CLFI’s major thrust in education is the  implementation of the Alternative Learning System or ALS along with three other initiatives that emphasize further the value of education; Nationwide Scholarship Program, Spiritual and Social Enhancement Program, and Special Projects on Education. 
“The foundation has always espoused the company’s and my personal advocacy of continuing the pursuit of learning, I am more than elated to see this advocacy into fruition through the foundation’s many extensive efforts on education.” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, President and CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier. 

The ALS program was established in 2013 in cooperation with the Department of Education, the program aims to provide out-of-school youth and adults with Academic, Livelihood, Spiritual and Social Education in the elementary and secondary levels. Cebuana Lhuillier’s ALS program differs from the usual ALS offered because it incorporates the five functional fields of knowledge or FILDS which stand for Financial Literacy, ICT Competitiveness, Livelihood, Disaster Resilience, and Sports Development and as of the last quarter of 2018, CLFI has already opened 79 ALS centers.

Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation Inc., puts prime on equipping ALS students with the financial literacy as it is a company that puts forward the advocacy of financial inclusion for all Filipinos. The ALS program also conducts livelihood trainings in the field of hospitality management for students who need training in the said field. 

More so, CLFI ensures that its ALS centers are up-to-date with the latest equipment. Through the years, CLFI has given its centers with laptops, projectors with screens, printers, USBs, and has cared for the reproduction of modules and reviewers used by the students. 

CLFI also provides buildings in support for its ALS programs among the classrooms, centers and halls donated by Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation is the Ambassador PJ Lhuillier Lecture Room at the University of the Philippines Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business which serves as a classroom for the degree program’s students. Another is the Ambassador Philippe Jones Lhuillier Conference Room at the De La Salle University in Manila where workshops, meetings, community engagement get-togethers, and symposiums are being held regularly. Also made available to students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines is the PUP-CLFI E-learning center worth 2 million pesos which houses 21 desktop computers and contains 400 select e-book titles all free for use of the students. 

Added to the centers and classrooms sponsored by the foundation is the Northern Tacloban City National High School Sports Building which is a two-storey building with six classrooms two of which are dedicated to classes for the Alternative Learning System. Lastly, among the many donations of CLFI as support for education for all, the Edna Lhuillier Multi-Purpose Hall in Bais City, Negros Oriental serves as a library where most of the scholars of CLFI and ALS learners come to conduct research among the numerous book titles available. It is also being used for seminars and workshops involving reformed drug addicts in the city of Bais, as well as a hub for Bais’ senior citizens. 

CLFI, in partnership with DepEd aims to unveil 20 more centers so that more out of school youth have access to learning.

Because of the commitment of CLFI, ALS learners from CLFI-backed classrooms have posted multiple milestones through the years. These include beating the national average of the Accreditation and Equivalency test for two straight years and producing a learner which scored 100% on the 2014 Accreditation and Equivalency test. By end of 2019, the CLFI-backed ALS program has produced close to 10,000 learners nationwide. While in the 2017 Accreditation and Equivalency test, despite the changes in the passing score for ALS A&E test takers, which saw a low turnout of 15.6%, the A&E test takers from Cebuana Lhuillier ALS centers were able to have a turnout of 49% - higher than the national average of 15.6%.

With the rising demands of today, the Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation Inc., with its bold mission of empowering the disadvantaged through giving access to education via its ALS program will surely combat the challenges of a nation gripped by poverty. 

Get Your Green on at SM Southmall's “Weekend Market”

It's the time of the year again as SM Southmall launches its second year of the "Weekend Market" – with more than 20 exhibitors joining at the Food Street Area!

As part of SM Southmall’s sustainability effort, they are bringing exhibitors like Pinkie’s Farm and Berde, to name a few. Bring your old Pinkie’s Farm’s bottle and get as much as P10 rebate on your purchase or bring the following items for upcycling by Berde: glass jars, tin cans, or old/broken mugs.

You can also shop for quality and affordable items for you and your loved ones from practically across-the-board stalls including a wide array of eco-friendly items from food to beauty and home essentials.

SM Southmall’s Weekend Market has got it all for you! Hop in starting March 1st from 10am to 9pm. #SeeYouDownSouth #ILoveSMSouthmall