A double celebration for Baskin Robbins

Baskin-Robbins (BR), the world’s most beloved ice cream brand, marks two significant milestones as it celebrates its first year in the Philippines and simultaneously 70 years since its birth in California in 1945. These major events inspired the launch of the BR 31 Smiles Project – a CSR campaign providing free cleft lip reconstructive surgery to 31 children in partnership with the renowned charitable foundation, Operation Smile.

“This is a very special celebration of 2 important anniversaries. We’d like to express our deepest thanks to our loyal customers for supporting the brand throughout its first year in the Philippines,” says Michael Dargani, president IceDream Inc., the company that exclusively operates Baskin Robbins in the Philippines. “In line with our commitment to serving fun and smiles for seven decades, Baskin-Robbins is truly proud to welcome the 31 beneficiaries of our BR 31 Smiles Project” added Dargani.

BR 31 Smiles Project is a campaign intended to bring back the smiles of children with cleft lip and cleft palate through free reconstructive surgery, funded by Baskin-Robbins Philippines. The number 31 is symbolic of the brand’s heritage as it is known for carrying 31 flavors of ice cream at any given time – one for every day of the month. The amount needed for the 31 surgeries was raised through various promotions at the store level as well as at special selling events.

One of the beneficiaries of the cleft lip surgery is Wivina ‘Vina’ Marie Maninang, age 5. Due to her cleft lip condition, Vina was unaccepted by other children in her community and was often bullied. Under the BR 31 Smiles Project, Vina was selected by Operation Smile to undergo free reconstructive surgery at Sta. Ana Hospital. Many have witnessed Vina’s touching story in the You tube video created by Baskin Robbins at the start of their campaign in June this year.


“Kitang-kita ko po ang malaking pagbabago sa aking anak na si Vina pagkatapos ng maoperahan sya,” shares Maritess Maninang, Vina’s mom. “Kung dati po na madalas syang umiyak sa akin kapag natutukso ng mga kalaro nya, ngayon po ay mas lumakas ang loob nya na harapin ang mga ito,” she adds.



Vina dreams of becoming a professional dancer someday. And now that she has been given a brand new smile, there is no stopping her from making this dream a reality.

“On behalf of Operation Smile, I would like to thank Baskin-Robbins for this wonderful project. Your ‘BR 31 Smiles Project’ has not only brought back the smiles of 31 children

Vina Marie Maninang

but also helped their families and restored the enthusiasm and happiness of these wonderful kids,” shares Anne Gonzales, vice chairman of Operation Smile Philippines.

Eliza Mendoza

Princess Zarina 

Prince Ravien Berden 

Jherome Sabio.

The BR 31 Smiles Project is a campaign that helped bring back the smiles of 31 children with cleft lip and cleft palate through free reconstructive surgery, funded by Baskin-Robbins Philippines.  Above are some of the beneficiaries of the project: Vina Marie Maninang, Eliza Mendoza, Princess Zarina Prince Ravien Berden and Jherome Sabio. 

And the happiness doesn’t stop there. Baskin-Robbins has just introduced a delicious new lineup of indulgent Cookie Sundaes, premium Baskin-Robbins ice cream paired with warm, chewy cookies and topped with sundae toppings. Starting October, guests can create indulgent sundaes customized to their liking by choosing from a selection of warm and chewy White Chunk Macadamia, Dark Chocolate Chunk and Double Fudge Cookies to serve with up to two of their favorite Baskin-Robbins ice cream flavors. The Warm Cookie Ice Cream Sundae can be topped with hot fudge, praline caramel sauce, candy pieces, cookie pieces, whipped cream and cherries.


Over the past 70 years, Baskin-Robbins has brought its famous 31 ice cream flavors to the world. While the brand started as a neighborhood ice cream shop in California in 1945, it now has more than 7,500 locations in nearly 50 countries worldwide.

Baskin-Robbins was founded by two ice cream enthusiasts and brothers-in-law who shared a dream to create an innovative ice cream shop that would be a neighborhood gathering place for families. Over 300 million people visit Baskin-Robbins each year to sample from more than 1,200 flavor creations available in its ice cream library. Baskin-Robbins offers guests around the world a wide range of hard scoop ice cream flavors, along with custom ice cream cakes, delicious frozen beverages, ice cream sundaes and take-home frozen treats.

For more information about Baskin-Robbins, log on to www.baskinrobbins.ph or check out their Facebook (facebook.com/baskinrobbinsph), Twitter and Instagram (baskinrobbinsph) accounts. Or visit Baskin-Robbins shops at the Central Square, Bonifacio Global City; Greenbelt 5 and Glorietta 5 in Makati; Fairview Terraces and Trinoma Mall in Quezon City.

Praiaz: Style and Comfort Redefined

STEP INTO SUMMER (AND ALL SEASONS) IN STYLE!

Morning runs with the ocean breeze uplifting the soul, strolls on the beach under the warmth of the sun, a cocktail or two at your favorite bistro and night time walks together with the twinkling stars—don’t you just wish you could do all these and more without worrying about the steps you will take? A journey as colorful and as vibrant as this deserves a fitting partner, a partner that will take you through it all.

In comes Praiaz, an ingenious new lifestyle brand brought to the Philippines by Terry S. A. (TSA), a concept born out of the desire to marry the elements of Rio de Janeiro’s laid-back and chill living with Paris’ superiority in style. Extreme lightness and comfort come with these pairs of covetable soles while promising compatibility with all kinds of terrains. Whether it is the rocks, the sand or the streets you want to hit, Praiaz takes away the hassle of having to match your footwear with your activity. As if begging you to take it anywhere, owning a pair of these beauties guarantee you an expression of your personal style taken to a whole new level of cool.

Made from the same material as that of the soles of running shoes, cushioned comfort is on the top of the list of the pros of this footwear. It is also dirt proof as it is easy to rinse off or clean, beach-scented (coconut and vanilla infused shoes, anyone?), waterproof and buoyant, and of course, absolutely breathable. It comes in an array of styles fit for every personality that make it the best go-to shoe for all your day-to-day needs.

In its arrival in Manila’s market, which was made possible by Praiaz's principal owner Vincent Lelard and TSA's very own Anne Gonzalez, Praiaz seeks to encourage it’s philosophy of living the beach life—one that is filled with an easy-spirited nature and knows no boundaries nor limitations. With the market growing bigger and bigger for dynamic fashion which takes the consumer from day to night and everywhere else, Praiaz fits the gap in providing Filipinos with this footwear option. The brand is available in 14 doors this year, including some of the freshest online stores in the country and with even more in the horizon.

Since summer is just around the corner and Filipinos, especially those who are in the peak of their careers, are slowly emerging into adventure seekers who are always on the prowl to quench their wanderlust thirst, Praiaz could be the perfect travel buddy. So why not take your feet from the beach to the bar and beyond with your very own pair? Take home a Bonito, Bonita, and Sarado (Php 1,995) in the following stores and outlets nationwide: Aloha Boardsports in Rockwell, ATC, SM Megamall, SM MOA and Trinoma, Oceanfront in Festival Mall, Common Thread in Greenbelt 5, Rustan’s Department Store in EDSA Shangri-La and ATC, The Flatshop in Eastwood, Shangri-La Boracay.