Celebrating Holy Week Online

From drive-through confessions, where a priest - seated a meter away - hears a parishioner confess his sins while inside his car, to receiving holy communion in front yards, the Catholic Church has found innovative ways to engage its flock in prayer and participate in church activities amid the worldwide spread of the novel corona virus (Covid-19) which necessitates everybody to practice physical distancing, among other things.

Filipinos, as well as most people of the world, will still be staying at home under enhanced community quarantine as we observe the Holy Week, starting Palm Sunday, April 5 until Easter Sunday, April 12. But everybody will be blessed, Pope Francis said. And Holy Week will be celebrated online, with masses to be livestreamed on Facebook and Youtube by various dioceses across the country.

At the Vatican City, the Pope celebrates daily masses at 2pm at Vatican News English on YouTube.

Following is the schedule of masses in various Philippine churches:

Manila Cathedral

Time: Sunday - 8am,10am, 6pm; Monday to Friday - 7:30am, 12:10pm; Saturday - 7:30am

Where: Manila Cathedral's Facebook page

Quiapo Church

Time: Daily - 5am, 6am, 12:15pm, 3pm, 4pm

Where: Quiapo Church's Facebook page

Diocese of Kalookan

Time: Sunday - 6:30am, 7:45am, 9am, 10:15am, 3pm, 4:15pm, 5:30pm, 6:45pm, 8pm; Monday to Friday - 6am, 12nn, 6pm

Where: Diocese of Kalookan's Facebook page

Diocese of Cubao

Time: Sunday - 8am, 11am, 6pm; Monday to Saturday - 8am

Where: Diocese of Cubao's Facebook page

Diocese of Pasig

Time: Sunday - 6am, 7:30am, 9am, 4pm, 6pm; Monday to Saturday - 6am, 8am, 12nn, 6pm

Where: Pasig Cathedral's Facebook page

Philippine Jesuits

Time: Daily - 8am, 1pm

Where: Radyo Katipunan Facebook page and Radyo Katipunan YouTube channel

Radio Veritas

Time: Daily - 6am, 12nn, 6pm

Where: Radio Veritas' Facebook page

Sambuhay TV Mass

Time: Saturday (anticipated mass) - 5pm; Monday to Friday - 6:15am

Where: Sambuhay's Facebook page

Online masses led by Singapore Archbishop William Goh

Time: Sunday - 10am; Monday to Saturday - 1pm

Where: Archdiocese of Singapore's YouTube channel

PLDT's free speedboost for Fibr subscribers will provide a unique holy week experience in the time of COVID-19. Staying at home as we pray with people online can be our most meaningful contribution in stopping the spread of the dreaded coronavirus.

Laundry 101: Here’s How to Clean Your Clothes Thoroughly

One of the top priorities at home is to keep ourselves and everything else as sanitized as possible. Staying clean is important; especially as different kinds of microbes survive in clothes. When going out, it’s almost impossible to be certain of the people or surfaces we come into contact with.

With this, taking preventative measures is highly advised. Here are a few ways on how to properly wash your clothes:

1.     Familiarize yourself with the washing machine’s features

Nowadays, washing machines do more than just simply washing and drying clothes. It’s important to know a machine’s extra features as it might help in sanitizing and disinfecting clothes and other fabrics much better.

 For example, Samsung Digital Appliances’ Front Load Washer has an Air Wash System that deodorizes and sanitizes clothes and bedding. With the help of hot air reaching up to 80°C blown onto the clothes, 99.9% of bacteria and allergens, along with unpleasant odors, are removed without chemical use.

2.     Handle laundry with special care

To be on the safer side, use gloves when doing the laundry and follow each of the item's washing instructions. Also, be sure to wash newly purchased clothes before using since in-store clothes have gone through many hands and might have even been tried on by a complete stranger. 

Wash clothes effectively, old and new alike, with Samsung Digital Appliances’ Eco Bubble™ technology that cleans powerfully even at low temperatures. This feature turns detergent into bubbles to quickly penetrate fabric and remove dirt easily while protecting the fabric and saving energy. 

3.     Do not overload the washer

It is better to leave ample space inside the washer as the detergent needs room to circulate through the clothes. Overloading a washer can result in clothes that aren’t thoroughly washed and sanitized.

Also, segregating clothes by color, fabric, and overall weight is key to a good wash cycle. Mixing a heavy knitted cardigan along with a thin cotton t-shirt isn’t ideal as these two need different times in the washer. 

4.     Disinfect washer, baskets, and other surfaces

Just as clothes should be cleaned after before and after use, also make sure to sanitize where the clothes, both dirty and clean, are being stored. If possible, opt to use a mat or liner that is either disposable or can be laundered to limit the exposure of clothes to different surfaces.

Samsung’ Digital Appliances’ washing machines also have EcoDrumClean+ which ensures 95% removal of the unit’s drum contamination. Through a combination of powerful water jet streams and high-speed spinning, it keeps the buildup of mold, lint, dirt and detergent residues at bay. 

Being more aware and careful is always a good extra measure to take, especially with everyday essentials such as clothing. Make use of innovative home appliances to keep safe and sanitized.

To know more about premium Samsung products and its ongoing promos, visit samsung.com/ph

Blackwater soaps for Caloocan LGUs to fight COVID-19

Blackwater, Ever Bilena Cosmetics Inc.’s personal grooming line, has donated 36,000 pieces of its Deo soaps and anti-bacterial Deo Splash to the local government of Caloocan as response to the threats of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The products will be distributed to different communities and health facilities in the city. Donating the Deo soaps and anti-bacterial Deo Splash is only one of the efforts of Blackwater and EBCI to stop the spread of the virus. For more updates, visit http://blackwater.com.ph/ or  https://web.facebook.com/blackwaterphofficial/.

SEAOIL provides free fuel assistance for hospitals

SEAOIL continues to grant aid to the country’s healthcare institutions in the fight against COVID-19, this time by providing free fuel to hospitals. 

The free fuel subsidy is for the ambulances and hospital frontliners handling COVID-19 cases. SEAOIL is currently supplying free fuel to over 20 hospitals nationwide, including the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), San Lazaro Hospital, East Avenue Medical Center, Philippine Children’s Medical Center and the Philippine Heart Center (PHC), among others. 

The free fuel e-vouchers are given directly by SEAOIL to hospitals. The fuel e-vouchers are honored in all open SEAOIL stations nationwide. 

“SEAOIL continues to do its part in helping our frontliners #ConquerCOVID19. We are maximizing resources to keep assistance and aid for our employees and the community.” said Glenn Yu, CEO. He noted that SEAOIL is in touch with partners to extend free fuel where it is urgently needed. 

SEAOIL previously announced that a P5.00 gasoline and P3.00 diesel discount in selected stations across the country has been made available for those directly involved in maintaining health and security. The campaign benefits medical professionals and technicians, hospital and clinic staff, uniformed personnel of the AFP, PNP and Coast Guards, and LGU officials, health workers, and quarantine enforcers.

Solane’s Kitchen Heroes cook food for the frontliners

Even after the cooking competition is long over, Solane Kitchen Hero Chef’s Edition 2019 winners and ambassador continue the battle, but this time, to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. SKH winner’s chef Roseller “Soy” Fiel and chef Coke Semblante, along with SKH ambassador chef Sau Del Rosario spearheaded food drives for the frontliners, with the support of Solane, the country’s leading LPG solutions provider.

Solane Kitchen Hero Chef’s Edition is a cooking competition held last May to September 2019 to showcase talented Filipino professional chefs hailing from different regions.

Chef Soy from Lanao Del Norte has initiated a food provision distribution for frontliners in his province, including those assigned at the Kapatagan Provincial Hospital and Kapatagan Isolation Facility for the persons under investigation, PNP, BFP and other personnel at the Quarantine Control Points in the Municipality of Lala, Salvado, and Kapatagan.

Meanwhile, in Cebu, Chef Coke partnered with Cocina Collective to provide nutritional snacks for frontliners. Together, they produce and distribute 350 to 700 burgers daily. “We have reached out to frontliners in a total of seven hospitals -- both private and public -- as well as in four barangays, Cebu City police offices, and to checkpoint and public sanitation personnel. We aim to do more until this crisis is controlled.”

SKH ambassador Chef Sau from Pampanga has been working, preparing meal packs twice a week for delivery to different hospitals in the province. He called on his colleagues and friends to join his cause, and they are able to procure 500 healthy meal packs per delivery run. “Those working in the hospitals are working 12 to 16 hours a day. And we’re here to cheer them on and nourish them,” he said.

Supporting them in their daily cooking battle against COVID-19 is Solane, which provides the cooking fuel for free. “As these frontliners are working hard to make sure we are safe and healthy, Solane is here to help make sure they are taken care of,” says Solane CEO Ruben Domingo.

From health workers and security guards to restaurant workers and now chefs, heroes can be found everywhere amid these difficult times.

Free Highlands Coffee for Health Workers

During a crisis, there are those who step up and take on the burden of saving lives, usually at the cost of their own safety. These are the frontliners: medical practitioners, service professionals, and members of law enforcement who ensure that peace, order, safety, and health standards are upheld in these trying times. 

As dedicated as our frontliners are to ensuring the safety of the general public, sometimes they miss out on the little things that can help provide mental respite in the face of challenges. In order to make sure that they are taken care of, Highlands Coffee has pledged to supply their product free of charge to frontliners.

After a successful run of providing free Vietnamese Iced Coffee to VRP Medical Center and the Medical City in Ortigas, Highlands Coffee will be providing the same service to other key hospitals around the city. They have partnered with the delivery channel, Happy Move, in order to facilitate delivery of the products to the frontliners who have been working tirelessly for the good of all. Furthermore, thanks to efforts on social media, Highlands Coffee has started to provide coffee to fronliners based on recommendations from users and customers. This is an ongoing social media program, open to all via their social media pages www.facebook.com/highlandscoffeeph  and www.instagram.com/highlandscoffeeph. 

Highlands Coffee urges the public to use social media to nominate frontliners to receive a batch of Vietnamese Iced Coffee while on duty at the hospital.  

“We’re committing to supplying coffee to our frontliners until the end of the lockdown,” said Francis San Gabriel, Group Head of Highlands Coffee. “When it comes to fighting the spread of COVID-19, we trust the experts. When it comes to coffee, we are happy that our expertise can assist them in our own small way,” he concluded. 

Craving for Dalgona coffee? Alfamart has all the ingredients

If you are feeling bored with nothing else to do at home, this lockdown may be the best time to try out new things.

Ever heard of Dalgona coffee? Its become one of the most popular challenges recently and everybody has been sharing their own versions on YouTube, Instagram and Tiktok.  

The good thing is you can buy all the ingredients in convenience stores like Alfamart. This DIY coffee drink is a mixture of coffee, sugar and hot water served on top of cold milk. 

In case you want to whip one now, here are the ingredients and how you can whip up your own Dalgona coffee. 

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp instant coffee or espresso powder
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp very hot water
• 400 ml/ 14fl oz milk 

Directions: 

1. Add the instant cofee, sugar and hot water to a medium mixing bowl. 
2. Using an electric hand-held mixer, whip the coffee mixture until its light brown and smooth and holds stiff peaks when the whisk is removed.
3. Heat the milk, if desired, and divide between 2 heatproof glasses. 
4. Spoon dollops of the frothed coffee mixture on top and smooth out with a spoon. 
5. Serve with gloves while observing social distancing. (better to be sure!) 

While medical personnel are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, it is also worth commending those serving in groceries, convenience stores, and super minimarts.

We are just thankful that Alfamart remains open during this COVID19 pandemic with their frontliners ready to serve us during  these challenging times.  Besides their store staff, we also have to applaud the distribution center personnel and truck drivers that keep the supply chain going, ensuring that all groceries, convenience stores, and super minimarts are well-stocked.

Netizens all around Luzon, wherein the government's enhanced community quarantine is in full effect, praised the efforts of the other frontliners for giving them a sense of "normalcy". Like  @Oh Jet's tweet.

  

Other areas also have free shuttle service for the employees. A netizen snapped this photo of the shuttle van parked outside the employee entrance waiting to pick up passengers.

Alfamart management said that part of its mandate is to keep the working environment safe and comfortable, so it also works hard to supply disinfectant, sanitizers, and PPEs to their staff.

In this time of crisis, anyone who is still reporting to work, whether it be medical or any other service, deserves support from everyone. So don’t forget to thank the ones that serve to meet our day-to-day needs despite the looming threat of disease. Let us make sure that all our frontliners know that their service is greatly appreciated.

Palacio de Memoria offers virtual tour

Art and history enthusiasts can now go on a virtual tour of Palacio de Memoria, the resplendent Colonial Revival mansion, and marvel at its luxurious facilities and hundreds of Euro-Filipino paintings, sculptures, art displays, and historical pieces online. 

The virtual tour offers a highly detailed and interactive presentation of the heritage house. If you haven’t visited Palacio de Memoria yet and are looking for a more "enriching" activity during the COVID-19 lockdown, now is the perfect time to explore and “walkaround” the place through 360-degree videos as if you are there in real life.

“Many Filipinos are ordered to stay home at the moment to protect themselves from the coronavirus pandemic. With most of us being isolated from the outside world, we hope that Palacio de Memoria’s virtual tour will not only give them respite during these uncertain times but also keep them productive as they learn and get a glimpse of a significant time in our history that was once Manila’s prime,” said Palacio de Memoria general manager Camille Lhuillier.

The tour will begin with an aerial and outdoor view of the estate which shows the restored pre-war mansion. It then leads to the first floor which shows the Los Tamaraos Ballroom and its Murano chandelier, as well as the terrazzo floor by National Artist for Architecture Juan Nakpil.

It also shows the showroom of Palacio de Memoria’s auction house, Casa de Memoria or the Casa, which houses the Lhuilliers’ unrivalled collection of antiques. Other highlights include the Mosphil Lounge, a passenger plane that that was refitted to be a lounge for special occasions; the bridal suite which is perfect for weddings; and the recently opened museum which also serves as a chapel for intimate weddings and religious gatherings.

To view the complete Palacio de Memoria’s virtual tour, visit https://www.palaciodememoria.com/tours. For more updates, follow @thepalaciodememoria on Facebook and @palacio.de

Araneta City enforces social distancing in Farmers Market

Farmers Market in Araneta City is arguably the best wet market  in Metro Manila for those who want the freshest meat, seafood and other food products for their  cooking needs. 

With the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) directive  to arrest  the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Araneta City has rolled out strict measures to ensure a safe environment for both the customers and lessees  at Farmers Market.

The Araneta City management has installed “X” floor markings, both at the McArthur and Center Avenue entrances, which customers have to stand on to keep a three feet distance from the other customers when falling in line before entering the market.  This procedure will be enforced until the pandemic is over. 

In addition, guards at both entrances are equipped with face masks and face shields to protect themselves from potential exposure to the virus. The security personnel are also provided with temperature scanners  to check if a person is sick, as well as spray bottles of alcohol for disinfecting customers.

For increased protection of everyone, individuals who have body temperatures of 37.6 °C and above are prohibited from entering the market. Customers are advised to wear face masks not only for their safety but for the safety of others.

Inside the market, the management has dispatched roving security personnel with megaphones to remind customers to remain at a safe distance from each other as much as possible while doing their shopping. The proprietors have also been briefed as to how they can minimize their physical interaction with customers.

Farmers Market  in Araneta City is open daily from 5 AM to 6 PM,  making available the freshest products sourced from the best farms all over the country. To get updates regarding business hours during the ECQ, visit the Araneta City Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AranetaCity