Gerry's Restaurant: Gearing up on its 20th year anniversary

From its modest beginnings as the go to bar of barkadas, and yuppies looking for a place to drink and unwind, Gerrys has slowly evolved to become a family restaurant that has become part of almost every Pinoy family celebration. Whether its a birthday celebration or a reunion of families who've lived a broad for quite a while, Gerrys dishes are a constant reminder of the real taste of home, and the mere mention of crispy pata, kare kare and their sisig is enough to make any OFW scramble for the next tickets back home.


Gerry's Restaurant is gearing up on its 20th anniversary this coming February 2017.  In preparation for its 20th anniversary on Feb 2017, Gerry's presented their  new dishes and desserts.

Gerrys, currently has a 80-branch network and is set to open five branches during the first quarter of 2017 at  SM San Pablo, SM Iloilo, Festival Mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Bacolod City, and Mactan, Cebu.

The event was attended by media and guests from PH Volcanoes Rugby team and College of Saint Benilde Lady Blazers. 

Gerry's presented their new dishes  Salt & Pepper Squid, Chicharon Liempo, Kalderetang Kambing and Spanish Style Bangus. New Desserts: Sweet Suman, Crunchy Camote Chips, Turon con Yema, Sweet Potato Ala Mode. Along with their Christmas Packages menu.

Formerly known as “Gerry’s Grill”, it has metamorphosed into a family restaurant, which serves more than just beer and ‘pulutan’.

Gerry’s Restaurant and Bar, the beloved homegrown restaurant, will celebrate its 20th anniversary on February 2017.

Fantastic food for everyone

Customers who grew up munching on Gerry’s bestsellers now enjoy going to the restaurant with their children and their children’s friends.

Over the years Gerry’s, which originated in Tomas Morato in Quezon City, has developed a wide variety of menu items care of its resident chefs who whip up magic in the kitchen.

Recently, Gerry’s held a cook-off among their chefs whose winning entries became part of the restaurant’s current menu lineup, among them Salt & Pepper Squid, Chicharon Liempo, Kalderetang Kambing and Spanish Style Bangus. New Desserts: Sweet Suman, Crunchy Camote Chips, Turon con Yema, Sweet Potato Ala Mode.

Pancit Canton

Salt & Pepper Squid

Chicharon Liempo

Kalderetang Kambing

Spanish style bangus

Food items go thru a series of checks to ensure that they are served hot and fresh to guests. To maintain consistency, Gerry’s has a team of quality assurance officers who visit all the branches regularly.

Gerry’s hard work has paid off with numerous recognitions for its excellent dishes, among them: Spot.ph - Best Bangus Sisig Award for 2012, The Choice - People's Favorite Restaurant for Office Party Award for 2015 and People's Favorite Sisig Award for 2015 & 2016.

No customer left behind
         
Gerry’s has embraced a more casual, family-oriented ‘feel’ compared to its former ‘tambayan’ vibe.

From 80’s music, more hip and current hits not only from pop artists but also You Tube stars could be seen and heard from flat screen TVs and audio system, which decked its walls.

Back then Gerry’s was only open at nighttime to accommodate drinkers. With its growing popularity, it eventually acceded to requests from guests to extend its operations to early lunch to enjoy their favorite dishes.

More to come

Moving towards its 20th year Gerry’s, which currently has a 80-branch network in the country, is set to open five branches during the first quarter of 2017 - SM San Pablo, SM Iloilo, Festival Mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Bacolod City, and Mactan, Cebu.

By end of 2016, Gerry’s will have 82 local branches with the opening of Robinson’s Place in Calasiao, Pangasinan; Matalino Street in Quezon City and Southpark in Alabang, Muntinlupa City soon.

(Now that’s a lot of branches for Korean sensation Sandara Park to visit!

Sandara has become a staple at Gerry’s, which is thankful for her generosity in posting photos of her visits to their branches on her Instagram account.)

Overseas Gerry’s has two branches each in Singapore, Qatar and the U.S.

It is set to open in Hawaii early next year.

Payback time

For years now, Gerry’s has been a staunch supporter of athletes.

Among those they have provided support were UST Growling Tigers, UP Fighting Maroons, Perpetual Help College and Arellano University in NCAA.

Currently, Gerry’s provides NCAA 91 Women’s Volleyball Champion the College of Saint Benilde Lady Blazers meals support under the strict supervision of a nutritionist.

Gerry’s is also a benefactor of The Philippine Volcanoes.

My OA Farm Tour 2: La Granja de Reyna Farm, the only certified organic farm in Leyte

After exploring the premises and talking  a bit more with the farmers at the Mike Pedroso Farms, we headed to our next destination—the La Granja de Reyna farm in Leyte. We left Calbayog City right after lunch and rode nearly 4 hours to reach Mrs Martina Reyna's farm.

We were scheduled to tour the farm that day but since it was raining quite a bit hard, Mrs. Martina suggested to postpone it just do it the next morning. So we were brought to their dormitory lodge where we had a chance to freshen up a bit, change our clothes and prepare for dinner.

We were met by Mrs Reyna for dinner time where she told us that Tacloban Mayor Cristina Gonzales Romualdez and some of the public officials will grace their program, the following morning in time for her birthday and Typhoon Yolanda anniversary.  She also said she’s try to arrange an interview for us with the Mayor.  We finished our dinner at around 8pm leaving plenty of time for a videoke session which was set up so we could have a bit of fun with the OMRO farmers. Unfortunately I was too exhausted from the long trip and decided to call it a night and went straight to our designated dormitory.

Engr. Martina Reyna

The next morning we were met by Mrs. Martina Reyna who shared their story. She is married to Atty. Antonio F. Reyna and they have three children, Peter Fermin, Jose Antonio, and Maria Teresa, all of whom are professionals so she alone runs and manages the operations of the entire farm.

Mrs. Reyna graduated with a degree in Agricultural Engineering from University of the Philippines, Los Banos in 1977 and her farm, La Granja,  is the only certified organic farm in Leyte and Samar. Most of the restaurants from Leyte outsourced their organic vegetables from La Granja.

La Granja encompasses  51 hectares of land and they grow organic vegetables, fruit trees, lettuce for salads and root crops. They also raise pigs and free range native chickens. The farm  supplies organic lettuce to Chowking restaurants in the city. She gets by within a week from paid trainings at her farm by ATI.  She told us that she needs to earn php5000 a week for her helper's salary and maintenance in the farm.

She then led us around the farm and showed us some of their crops. We stopped by the Cherry tomato tree, and picked some cute red cherry tomatoes and snacked on it along the way.  It was one of the the sweetest and crunchiest Cherry tomatoes I have tasted. I think I ate six, and wondered if I could grow those trees into our house.

After the farm tour, we were taken to the receiving hall while Mrs Martina prepared herself for the upcoming program. The program and recognition was for the ATI-RTC 8 and  (Organikong Magsasaka ng Rehiyon Otso) OMRO officers. The program was attended by some public officials from the Dept of Agriculture.

One of the highlights of the program was the launch of the “Value for Money: Investment for Health” campaign by the OMRO officers.  They bonded together to market their organic farm produce to possible consumers and investors.

We had a hearty lunch right after the program  which we later learned coincided with Mrs. Martina Reyna's birthday. Present during the whole program was her immediate family,  the public officials, farmers, restaurateurs, and some investors.

OMRO members then showed us their organic delicacies/pasalubong which they also sold to the public. There was a table set outside the hall.

I bought 2 small bottles of langka jam, luya tea, and honey as pasalubong.  I really wanted to buy the red and black rice for me and my partner to try out at home, unfortunately my bag was full and it would be hard to hand carry it home so I decided against it.

We left La Granja at 1230pm  and prepare our luggage for the last stop which is Canaan Hill Farms in Biliran City.

Go Hotels Manila Airport Road caters to smart travelers

Travelers can experience quality service accommodation and enjoy amenities such as transportation service to- and from- any airport terminal, high-speed internet access, laundry, spa, for as low as PHP388.00 per room with the opening of Go Hotel Manila Airport Road. Manila Airport Road is the first of five projects that Roxaco-Vanguard Hotel Corporation.

Roxaco-Vanguard Hotel Corporation (RVHC), in association with Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC), officially opens its first Go Hotels branch, Manila Airport Road last Nov 29, to cater to a new and growing market of smart travelers.

Situated along Quirino Avenue in close proximity to the airport terminals 1,2,3 and 4.  Go Hotels North Edsa - Quezon City, Cubao - Quezon City, Ermita - Manila and Timog - Quezon City will be opening between now and the first quarter of 2017.

Go Hotels Manila Airport Road offers a total of 199 rooms of varying bed types such as twin, queen or a connecting room. All rooms are equipped with safety and security features, bathrooms with super shower, high quality beds; 100% cotton sheets and duvet covers complete with non-allergenic pillows, 32 inch LED TV with cable, and individually controlled air conditioning units.

For more information and updates, visit www.gohotels.ph or Go Hotels’ Facebook page. 

The Goldilocks 50th Anniversary Edition Bakebook is now available at National Bookstore

Goldilocks has been a part of our family's tradition. From birthdays to graduation to having a new job to  holiday season.  Goldilocks has always been there to witness each occasion and their cakes has become a food staple to our family table for two decades now.  Upon learning that Goldilocks has come up with Goldilocks Bakebook in celebration for its 50th Golden Years. Everyone wants to have a share of the bakebook to give it as a gift to their loved ones this Holiday season.

Goldilocks Bakeshop partners with National Bookstore and launches The Goldilocks 50th Anniversary Edition Bakebook to the public and media last November 29. The launch was attended by Goldilocks executives at the National Bookstore Glorietta.

In time for the Christmas Holiday, this updated volume contains new insights about Goldilocks Bakeshop, its history, and what it means to the Filipino. Likewise, more than 50 recipes are included, to create sweet and delightful moments in your own kitchen.

Goldilocks has been celebrating its 50 Golden Years with numerous activities. Thus far, these activities have included charity events with their endorsers Liza Soberano and Judy Ann Santos, a Birthday Caravan that travelled across the nation, highly successful promotions that bridged the gap between online and offline engagement, and the recently concluded National Cake Day. As the proverbial icing on the cake, Goldilocks has now released an updated 50th Anniversary Edition of its best-selling Goldilocks Bakebook.

Indeed, for an iconic Filipino brand that exemplifies Pinoy entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, and the adaptability to fulfill changing needs, a lot can happen in five years.Since the first volume of the Goldilocks Bakebook was launched last 2011, consumer trends and customer engagement have changed dramatically. Even so, Goldilocks has strenghtened its position as the Philippines’ best-loved bakeshop, by seamlessly integrating timeless products and services with emerging tastes and preferences.

In time for the Christmas Holiday, this updated volume contains new insights about Goldilocks Bakeshop, its history, and what it means to the Filipino. Likewise, more than 50 recipes are included, to create sweet and delightful moments in your own kitchen.

*photo images c/o Martin of MartinJohnAndrade.com

The Goldilocks 50th Anniversary Edition Bakebook is now available in National Bookstores nationwide. Grab a personal copy, or as a gift for family and friends for only P895. For more information about Goldilocks and the Goldilocks Bakebook, visit their Nebsite at www.goldilocks.com.ph

Be a Philam Life Financial Advisor and let dreams come true

Success is no accident. It entails hard work, perseverance, learning, sacrifice and most of all, love for what you do. Oftentimes, those who are unsuccessful often feel trapped, whether in a dead-end career or otherwise. Sometimes, a 180-degree turn or turning to a different direction, can do wonders.

Nina with husband in Milan

Nina Solomon, a Senior Executive Advisor and a Unit Manager in Philam Life, did one such transition. She dared to reinvent herself and found a place where she can excel.

Before joining the corporate world, she manned and managed the fruit wholesale business of her mother in Divisoria for 10 years.  Her good handling of the business made it profitable, but she yearned for something else. She wanted to have a career where she can feel fulfilled. Then a friend told her about the Philam Life insurance business, and she was drawn to it.

The Starbright Financial Advisors Management Team (left to right) Judd Sta Maria, Anna Blanco, Rogel Morales, Dhelle Datinguinoo, Nina Solomon, Jen Sta. Maria, Kat Lacdan and Red Pasetes


It all started-off as a way to reinvent herself, patterning herself mostly after fashionable colleagues on how to look professional, smart and elegant. But it eventually turned into a passion to share the importance of financial literacy. As she began attending trainings, she realized the value of the protection coverage and the benefits that financial products can offer to clients.

Nina in Morocco

“I remember one client of mine who showed me a picture of his family and made me promise that if something happens to him, I will take care of his family – that struck me the most. I felt that I am responsible for my clients and that I should take this career seriously,” said Solomon.

Nina’s respect for the need for financial literacy and planning went beyond training. She experienced firsthand how proper financial planning for life’s uncertainties helped out when a great tragedy struck her: Her beloved husband passed away unexpectedly.

“It was 2006, a day after his birthday. He was brought to the hospital for extreme headache. His blood tests were abnormally high and the doctor suspected either Dengue, Leukemia or a blood infection. I remember how he, in great pain, leaned on me as we waited for test results. Later, it was confirmed he had acute Leukemia,” said Solomon.

Being married for 23 years, Nina did not find it easy to regain her strength and face life’s journey single-handedly. But she found strength to go on with the love and support from her Philam Life family and her drive to fulfill her mission to her clients, whom she treated as family. To date, she has around 800 clients.

“My clients hang on to me. I can’t give up on them,” she said.

A new challenge was given to her by her managers - “What if you duplicate yourself?” She leads 25 Financial Advisors on her first year as unit manager, with ages ranging from the millennials to what they jokingly refer to as “may linya” (with facial lines).  “They are the kids I never had,” she enthused.

Surprise birthday party for Nina Solomon last Nov 15, 2016 by the Starbright Financial Advisors management and advisors team.   

Nina Solomon (right) with Philam Life CEO Aibee Cantos (2nd from right) and Agency Manager Anna Blanco (2nd from left) at the AIA President’s Club in Monaco last 2012.

Nina Solomon has been a Philam Life Financial Advisor for 20 years now. More than ever, she feels excited to fulfill her mission to her clients and to her new mentees. She teaches the value of excellence and passion as key to success.

She has been a member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), a prestigious global organization of high-performing financial advisors, for 19 years; Court of the Table for six years; and Top of the Table for one year. She has also attended the President’s Club in New York, just one of her many all-expenses-paid travels around the world given by Philam Life.

Aside from her mission to spread the good news of financial literacy, Nina also serves as president of Foundation for Professional Training, Inc. This is an organization that sends indigent female students to a two-year course in Hotel and Restaurant Management, where 100% of students get employed after graduation.

Nina Solomon (center) was awarded as Top Associate of the Year 2013 (Top of the Table) during the AIA President’s Club held in Hawaii.


Philam Life is the country’s premier life insurance company. It is a member of the AIA Group, the second largest life insurer in the world, and the top MDRT Company worldwide for two consecutive years.

Like Nina, anyone can make a turnaround in their life by choosing to take action, to try-out opportunities, or to find their passion and purpose in life. And when they do, success comes without them realizing it.

To know more about this career option, visit www.philamlife.com

Philamlife helps address "The ABCs of Parenting" with "Future Scholar"

One of the measures of parenting success is the achievements of the children upon entering adulthood. Raising a child is a very challenging role but seeing them grow into a good and responsible individuals makes parenting very rewarding.

Parenting and Relationship Consultant Maribel Dionisio with Atty. Tabayoyong, a parent participant in one of “The ABCs of Parenting” school talk

“Raising a family is not as easy as ABC, especially at the child’s formative years from ages 1 to 12. You have to focus on forming your child’s character while balancing work and family life,” said parenting and relationship consultant Maribel Dionisio.

Another challenge to address is starting a family. Most couples may feel confident that they are emotionally and mentally prepared for family life, but many would be doubtful about their financial capability to do so.

     The parents of preschool up to Grade 4 students at Marist School in Marikina

 “A well-planned financial goal is also crucial in the early stages of starting a family,” said Dionisio. “For parents, especially those who are planning to have 2 or more kids, it is important that they start planning for their kids’ college education as early as when their child starts to walk,” Dionisio continues.

There is no exact science on how to be a good parent, but getting some advice would be very helpful in parenting.  With this goal in mind, Dionisio created The ABCs of Parenting.



The ABCs of Parenting aims to impart important parenting knowledge to new and even experienced couples. The lectures will discuss the following tips: A for attention-giving; B for building self-worth; C for communicating; D for disciplining with love; E for enhancing the relationship; and F for financial planning.

Planning your family’s activities well and knowing your financial responsibility can contribute a lot to a healthy and rewarding family life. As you raise your children, building a sustainable financial fund will become a challenge especially when it comes to preparing for their future education.

With the extended years in basic education and the rising cost of tuition fees, there is no better way to prepare for our children’s college education than getting a good education plan from a trustworthy partner.

Good thing there are insurance companies with education products to help address the education needs of Filipino families, like Philam Life, who recently introduced a new education product called Future Scholar.

Future Scholar is an investment and life insurance plan that provides long-term growth potential and guaranteed education benefits and access to expertly-managed funds which gives long-term growth potential.  Should the payor pass away or suffer total and permanent disability, the plan will still continue as future premiums will be waived. With the optional term insurance for the payor, an additional lump-sum amount will be given to the family to help increase the education fund. Customers can choose to pay in as short as 5 years or pay regularly until the child reaches age 17.

Philam Life remains a trusted partner of parents in ensuring the continued education of their children. It has delivered timely payouts of over PHP10 billion in education benefits for the past 10 years, and over PHP131 billion in insurance benefits for the past six decades.  For school year 2016-2017 alone, over 100,000 young scholars received their education payouts. This is a testament to the company’s ability to fulfill its promise to help parents give their children a good education year after year.
The ABCs of Parenting School Tour is a partnership between Philam Life and Maribel Dionisio.

To learn more about Future Scholar, please visit www.philamlife.com
# # #