The Good Guys are making a difference

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has changed our lives. And as the disease has spread in many communities around the country, we have seen countless Filipinos stand up and help out amid the crisis. 

The spirit of bayanihan has been in full display during this crisis and SM Development Corporation (SMDC), its employees and the residents of its various developments have been helping out in various ways. 

Shortly after an Enhanced Community Quarantine was declared for Metro Manila, SMDC and its residents did not hesitate to help out their community’s frontliners. The tenants of each residential development started a donation drive for food packs, canned goods, care kits and face masks for the service personnel who could not go home to their families. The donations were coursed through each development’s property management office.

SMDC also launched The Good Guys Care Team, a group of volunteer SMDC employees who provide assistance to elderly and PWD residents living alone in purchasing everyday essentials and in attending to their other needs. Every day for two months now, motorcycle riders have been buying and delivering essentials to the homes of the elderly and PWD  in coordination with the Care Team.  Not only had the residents benefited from this initiative: the riders, who were displaced due to the lockdowns, have also been able to earn a living.

The Good Guys program puts a premium on the physical and mental well-being of SMDC residents. The Care Team is only one of the many projects the program has on elderlies and PWDs. Through the medical missions held in every SMDC development, the elderly and PWD residents have been able to get check-ups performed by the SM Foundation’s doctor and nurses. They also have been receiving vitamin supplements and reading glasses.

SMDC has started a mental wellness online session titled “Happy Mind, Happy Home Life’ in association with the Youth Mental Health Coalition (Y4MH). During the first session, over a hundred residents were taught mindfulness techniques intended to help them deal with the mental impact of the pandemic. 

The tight quarantine measures did not stop SMDC from extending assistance to vulnerable groups outside of its communities. Through The Good Guys Market, SMDC has connected residents directly with farmers and brought the latter’s produce to the doorsteps of SMDC residents. The Market has helped residents have direct access to fresh and nutritious produce while ensuring that farmers have had a reliable source of income. Over 26,000 small and medium-scale farmers affiliated with SM Foundation’s Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan (KSK) for Sustainable Agriculture are benefitting from this community grocer initiative, which is currently running in six SMDC properties, with intent to add more in the days ahead. 

These groundbreaking initiatives are part of SMDC’s The Good Guys campaign launched in 2019. The program, which includes community-building activities ranging from emergency preparedness trainings to health and wellness sessions, believes in the capacity of every SMDC resident to be a Good Guy who not only will work to improve his community but will also actively contribute to the stability of society during an emergency or a crisis. 

In line with its commitment to build a community of Good Guys, SMDC intends to ensure that these programs and initiatives remain sustainable. 

FREIA, an All-Inclusive Investment

The current "new environment" and recent enforced home quarantine has spurred people to re-think the purpose of their traditional living spaces and investment portfolio.

Now, one's "residence" goes beyond the confines and size of their direct home - it involves their immediate community as well. Over the past 3 months, residence investors have quickly realized just how cramped spaces often are in cities and how healthy living in a sustainable community plays a vital role more than ever.

Almost overnight, Real Estate as an alternative investment class has gone beyond value preservation and steady yields to now involve personal and familial longevity, safety, and security. In addition to asset diversification, Real Estate is now a major consideration as a logistical haven, should things sour with one's primary residence.

As an investment class, FREIA already stands out from the rest with its proposition of premium seaside living and direct West Philippine Sea views.

However, the added-value that FREIA offers goes beyond the four walls of the luxury condo spaces. These include benefits of healthy seaside living in a properly-maintained community; staying close to the city yet sheltered from the chaotic scenes that one endures on a daily metropolitan basis; and how an exclusive set of amenities reserved for Unit Owners means control over the amount of exposure to external elements by staying safely within the confines of FREIA’s gated enclave, among family and familiar faces.

A calculated environment for young to mature families and retirees, FREIA Building Property Management follows a similar format to the existing condominiums in Pico de Loro Cove, where healthy lifestyle and over-all experience are paramount. 

This kind of sentiment is strongly echoed in the words of Mr. Abrantes, a Pico de Loro Cove resident who stayed in the property throughout the entire quarantine period, “Taos puso kaming nagpapasalamat sa tulong ninyo sa aming mag-asawa during this 2.5 months of ECQ and GCQ, specially all those food supply runs and prescription refill runs that you afforded us. Words are not enough to express our sincerest gratitude toward the services you have given us. Thanks again for all your help.” Certainly, nothing warms the heart more than to hear compliments from Pico residents, such as Mr. Ed Ong, who opined, “Your efforts brought smiles to all of us!”

During the quarantine lockdown, the Hamilo Coast Estate, in cooperation with the Pico de Loro Cove Condominiums and Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club as locators, came together to ensure that one's investment in this seaside sanctuary is professionally maintained, beginning from thorough security and health checks at the Hamilo Coast Main Gate, to the daily upkeep of the landscaped grounds and 1.5 kilometer white-sand beach, to the welcoming reception of the staff. 

This is summed up well in the positive affirmation voiced by one of the condo unit owners, Ms. Dinah, “I was in Pico de Loro since March...and until today, June 2nd we are still here safe and sound. I am happy the way things were handled for the safety of everyone and at the same time still living healthy and have a normal life...We are very lucky to be quarantined in a very beautiful place, the staff are working with all their effort to cater to us and keep us safe. All in all, I am very happy and satisfied the way things were handled during these difficult times. Thank you to the whole team of Pico de Loro!”

Given today’s varied investment environment, FREIA at Pico de Loro Cove continues to prove that it is in a class of its own, implementing strategies that not only preserve asset value but more importantly, promotes an enhanced lifestyle and personal health benefits.

For more information, visit the official website www.hamilocoast.com or call (632) 7945-8000.

BDO issues USD 600 million Senior Notes

BDO Unibank, Inc. (BDO) announced its issuance of USD 600 million in Fixed Rate Senior Notes under the Bank’s Medium Term Note (“MTN”) Program last July 6. The transaction was oversubscribed, with orders reaching USD 2.9 billion, equivalent to almost 5 times the offered amount.

The issue has a coupon rate of 2.125 per cent per annum and a tenor of 5 & 1/2 years. The bonds were rated “Baa2” by Moody’s.  

The Senior Note issue is part of the Bank’s liability management initiatives to tap longer-term funding sources to support dollar-denominated projects. 

Standard Chartered Bank acted as sole global coordinator, while Standard Chartered Bank and Merrill Lynch (Singapore) Pte. Ltd acted as joint bookrunners and joint lead managers for the transaction. 

HUAWEI nova 7 SE 5G: 64MP Five AI Cameras Capture Incredible Social Media Photos and Videos

Today, many young Filipinos, especially the Gen Zers, spend a lot of time capturing photos and videos for social media. For them, having a high-performance device can not only address low image quality issues, but also offers more interesting shooting modes for more creative photo and video ideas.

Huawei has recently launched the highly anticipated HUAWEI nova 7 SE featuring a 64MP AI Quad Camera. Together with Kirin 820 5G SoC’s powerful graphics processing and AI capabilities, it can help you capture better photos and videos with ease.

64MP 5 AI Cameras for the best photography experience

HUAWEI nova 7 SE is equipped with a quad camera that includes a 64MP high resolution lens, 120-degree ultra-wide angle lens, Bokeh lens and Macro lens, which perfectly fulfill users’ needs in various scenarios such as capturing high resolution photos, super wide angle scenes, photos with blurry background and macro photography.

In everyday use, the 64MP high-res main camera on the back is used most regularly. It is fitted with a 1/1.7-inch sensor and a f/1.8 aperture, while offering a 78-degree field of view and a pixel size of 0.8μm, making it a powerful camera no matter for clarity, resolution or light sensitivity. More importantly, the rear main camera leverages Kirin 820 SoC’s advanced AI computing to optimise every photo shooting mode under different lighting conditions. Whether it is shooting under normal lighting or in a dimly lit environment, the camera strikes a good balance between brightness and clarity.

For instance, in the daytime when lighting is sufficient, the 64MP main camera on the rear uses AI Ultra Clarity Mode to snap crisp photos of the blue skies and floating clouds. With the help of multi-frame composition, it can directly output 64MP high resolution photos and improve clarity for brightly light scenes. In dimly lit environments such as evening time, the camera can intelligently detect the brightness level and uses Quadra 4-in-1 pixel binning algorithm to enhance low-light photography quality, balancing the clarity and brightness in the photos.

It also has an 8MP ultra wide-angle lens that is ideal to take photos of wide-angle landscapes, big group photos and more.

Its 2MP Bokeh lens works with the main camera to blur the background while making the subject stand out. It can create artful portraits even against a complex background which you would expect from a DSLR.

With the 2MP Macro lens, the smartphone lets you capture as close as 4cm from the lens to include more macro details in the photos.

On the front, the 16MP camera along with the Super Night Selfie 2.0 is great for snapping stunning selfies. Even at night, the subject still stands out from the background, yet the background remains sharp and crisp.

4K video and other video modes help you easily create high quality vlogs 

If you want to make creative short-form videos just like those going viral on TikTok and YouTube, HUAWEI nova 7 SE is the ideal tool.

HUAWEI nova 7 SE's impressive 64MP rear main camera supports 4K video shooting at 30fps. In addition, Kirin 820’s ISP 5.0 image signal processor can reduce noises for videos, improving clarity for videos filmed at night. HUAWEI nova 7 SE also provides a 960 fps super slow motion video mode that you can use to record the brief moments that you treasure. 

With the help of HUAWEI nova 7 SE's Dual-View Video mode, you can film videos using two lenses at the same time. This is a perfect tool for making creative Vlogs.

Best Photo-editing Apps on AppGallery

HUAWEI nova 7 SE 5G comes pre-installed with HUAWEI AppGallery, a reliable and top app distribution platform that offers variety of apps and rewards to satisfy Huawei users. The AppGallery can maximize your photography experience with nova 7 SE 5G with these best photo and video apps:

PicsArt Photo Editor: Pic, Video & Collage Maker

PicsArt is your go-to, all-in-one photo and face editor that you can enjoy using nova 7 SE. With this app, you can access impressive photo effects, image editor, collage maker, sticker maker, face editor with face swap, beauty tools and more. You can even unleash your creativity by taking a selfie and creating a sketch that looks hand drawn. It has features that allow you to draw with customizable brushes, layers and other professional drawing tools. Click here to download via AppGallery!

BeautyPlus

This ultimate self-portrait camera app will enhance your beauty in an instance. The app offers intelligent self-portrait that can maximize your nova 7 SE’s front camera. With BeautyPlus, you can enhance your beauty while still retaining your natural look of skin and hair and improving image quality. The app also has colourful stickers, funny and cute stickers that you can play with. Click here to download via AppGallery!

VivaVideo

Whether if it is filming or film production, VivaVideo can handle your projects with its powerful editing features. The app supports creative shooting or high-definition video recording with instant movie filter rendering, shifting, countdown, grid, light filler and intimate recording. It also has a music lens that allows you to follow the music or rhythm beat so you can achieve a high-quality video. Click here to download via AppGallery!

Camera 360

Camera 360 is one of the most popular photography apps you can find on AppGallery. Even celebrities recommend this app for selfie and image processing because of high quality and professional features that you can easily use to become smartly beautiful on your photo. In just one press, you can find more than 300 filters, cute stickers in GIF format and more. Click here to download Camera 360 via AppGallery!  

Canva

Canva makes design and video editing amazingly simple and fun. With this app, you can create greeting e-cards with your photos and videos captured using the nova 7 SE 5G. It has a free image editor that you can use to apply photo filters and add effects. This app is also a free graphic design app with full editor, Instagram story maker, video collage creator, mood board creator, poster maker and more. Click here to download 
Canva via AppGallery!

Pic Collage – Your Story & Photo Grid Editor

Pic Collage is one of the best free photo editors you can find on AppGallery

Pic Collage is one of the best free photo editors you can find on AppGallery. It allows you to make your own unique creations with your own pictures. It has free fonts and photo grids that you can use in creating greeting cards as well. It provides intuitive tools to make your photo edits more special. This app offers easiest way to complete any creative or visual project on your phone. Click here to download Pic Collage via AppGallery! 

There is always #MoreToExplore with AppGallery. So, choose #AppGallery to immerse yourself in the exceptional experience and download best photography tools now.

Buy Now and Get Freebies worth PHP 4187

HUAWEI nova 7 SE 5G comes in two trendy colours: Space Silver and Crush Green that are priced at only PHP 19990. There is also an on-going promotions where you can get freebies worth PHP 4187. Promo runs until June 30, 2020 only. 

With this smartphone, you can create outstanding photos and creative videos in a plethora of scenarios and easily upload them to your social media platforms with outstanding 5G connectivity.

Visit Huawei’s Facebook page and please stay tuned for more exciting nova 7 SE 5G events and other announcements.

Landers promotes safe shopping in all branches

With the easing of quarantine regulations, Landers Superstore is expecting an influx of excited members looking forward to enjoy its exclusive sales and promos, wide range of products, and different food and pastry shops. 

As part of its initiative to promote safe shopping, the country’s fastest growing membership shopping establishment reminds members to follow store policies for the safety of both its customers and employees.

At the entrance, alcohol dispensers are ready for use and shoppers are required to step on the disinfecting mats before proceeding to the store premises. The shopping carts are regularly disinfected, as well as the checkout counters after every transaction. 

Shoppers and employees are required to wear face masks all the time and to strictly observe social distancing. At the checkout counter, everyone is encouraged to stay behind the yellow lines when waiting for your turn.

Store management is also limiting the number of people inside the shopping area. In case the store is at full capacity, shoppers will have to patiently wait for their turn while maintaining a distance of at least one meter from other customers.

In case you get hungry and decide to grab a bite, food stores within Landers Superstore, including Landers Central with their delicious New York offerings, Dough and Co. with their tasty pastries, and Doppio with their fresh brews and ice cream, are open for takeout services only.

Visit Landers Superstore branches in Alabang, ArcoVia City, EDSA Balintawak, Otis, or Cebu to enjoy a safe and enjoyable grocery experience. For more information about Landers Superstore’s exclusive offerings, visit http://landers.ph/.

Kuya J kicks off July with promos on your favorite dishes

Kuya J is welcoming July with exciting promos and now is your chance to enjoy them.

Everyone’s favorite homegrown restaurant is offering 50% off its rich and hearty Beef Tadyang Sinigang and irresistible Fried Chicken!

You’ll definitely love both dishes. The Beef Tadyang Sinigang puts a spin on the classic Filipino favorite with flavorful short ribs stewed until tender, while the Fried Chicken is carefully fried to ensure that it’s crispy in the outside while still soft and juicy in the inside.

Customers can avail of this offer for dine-in and take-out at Kuya J restaurants where health protocols are in place to ensure the safety of diners. It’s also available for delivery via www.centraldelivery.ph during the promo period. Customers can avail of multiple orders in one transaction.

Whether you are planning on eating out or staying in, these two dishes will make your meal more satisfying and delightful.

Avail it now while you still can! The 50% discount runs until July 9 only. Both are available in the following branches: Kuya J Otis, Robinsons Place Manila, Eastwood, Waltermart North EDSA, SM Megamall, SM San Lazaro, SM Cubao, SM East Ortigas, SM Marikina, SM Sucat, SM Southmall, SM Legazpi, SM Novaliches, SM Valenzuela, SM Ormoc, Paseo de Magallanes, Venice Grand Canal Mall, Festival Mall, Robinsons Imus and Robinsons Naga.

For more updates and the latest promos, follow @kuyajresto on Facebook and Instagram.

Save & shoot with Sony’s new normal shoot essentials promo

Don’t let the new normal stop you from getting things done. Sony announced today their New Normal Shoot Essentials promo offering a wide range of special discounts for their top-of-the-line cameras and lenses.

Ready, Set, Stream

Creating content through streaming is quickly becoming the new normal. Be livestream ready with - Sony’s A7III and get a whopping Php 10,000 discount when get you the whole kit with free 64GB SD and a Php 8,000 off when you purchase the body only. It can also be paid for 12mos with 0% interest and installment! You can now cope and stream with quality video output only from Sony.

New normal, new beginnings 

Here is an affordable quality camera for beginners who are looking into shooting and creating content, or even just for merely taking shots of casual everyday moments. Only this July, you may now purchase the RX100M3 for Php 37,999 that comes with a free VCT-SGR1 grip worth Php 5,000! Take vlogging up a notch with a Sony’s RX series.

15k less for a Sony Mirrorless Camera

Living in the new normal means producing quality output with limited assets on hand. Studio owners, photographers and videographers need essential tools to make distant work efficiently. Sony's mirrorless camera, the A7RIV is now retailing for only Php184,999! That's Php 15,000 off its original price.

Take Portraits with Sony and save up to 15,000 Pesos!

Apart from the top-of-the-line cameras, Sony is offering up to Php 15,000 off on their select lenses. For those who are setting up home studios or would like to upgrade their current lenses that are ideal for portrait and indoor photography, the SEL35F18F is now less Php10,000. Now is the time to get your hands-on Sony’s SEL1635Z and get a discount of Php 15,000.                                   

 

Sony continues to provide solutions that would help consumers to continually innovate safely with quality especially in this new normal. Head over to https://www.sony.com.ph/microsite/julypromo/index.html  for full promo details.

Sony’s New Normal Shoot Essentials promo is valid until July 31, 2020.

Don’t miss any promos and discounts, follow Sony Philippines on Facebook and Instagram.

Per DTI Fair Trade Permit No. FTEB-101595 Series of 2020

Asian Television Awards to Hold 25th Awards Ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Now on its 25t​h year, the Asian Television Awards, known for valuing remarkable talents in Media and Entertainment in the region, will be celebrating its silver milestone with a three-day Awards Festival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from January 15 to 17 2021. It will be the first time The Awards will be hosted in the country. The venue will be announced at a later date.

Considered as Asia Pacific’s most celebrated and prestigious gathering of TV industry professionals, the Awards have recognized hundreds of actors, directors, producers, hosts and presenters, alongside Asian programs and TV networks since its founding in 1996.

The Awards Festival will kick-off with the Technical and Programming Categories (35 awards) on Day 1, appreciating talents behind the scenes and program categories covering news, documentaries, sports, general entertainment, animation and kids content. 
Day 2, the main event, will award Entertainment and Performance contributions (16 awards). It will be televised live to 500 million homes across a network of regional broadcasters along with the airing of the public concert on Day 3. 

“These are decision makers who can influence what to film, when to film and where to film. It is an opportunity for them to make content about or engage talents from the host country and therefore generate publicity about arts and culture, tourist destinations and even business opportunities”
Whilst preparations are ongoing to hold the Awards, we are conscious of the impact of Covid-19 and safety measures including social distancing have been taken into consideration. In the event that international travel has not resumed by Jan 2021, the Awards will be held virtually but still in the 3-day format and our regional audience of 500 million across Asia Pacific will be able to continue to watch and enjoy the proceedings through their favorite broadcast channels and Facebook as before.says Lee Keen Whye, Chairman of the Asian Television Awards.

The shows will be produced in partnership with Bayon TV. The Shows will also be available live on the official Facebook.

, ​“As the strategic partner of Asian Television Awards (ATA) during its 24th year held in Manila early this year, we saw the best talents of the region from film, tv, and production vie for the top awards. We are honoured to be part of this prestigious global event as ATA celebrates its 25th year in Cambodia. The pandemic has created very challenging situations for everyone, especially those in the Entertainment sector, and recognizing the hard working members of this community will be a great boost in their morale to keep the spirits of the industry. We are planning for digital pre-events for fans to enjoy in the comforts of their homes. Rest assured, we are confident that the quality of production will be at par with its on-ground activation in Phnom Penh. Whether you’re indoors or at the event itself, we’ll make sure that you, too, are able to celebrate the best of Asian talent along with the nominees, participants, and those behind the scenes.”says Peachy Vibal-Guioguio, Country Director, Wonder Paradise Philippines. 

The Awards receives numerous entries from more than 100 broadcasters across India, China, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Korea, Japan and Kazakstan. Each year, more than 300 international delegates — acclaimed filmmakers and TV program producers, actors and TV hosts and presenters, directors and other industry bigwigs — grace the three-day event.

Check these out:
Asians Television Awards
Facebook: ​https://www.facebook.com/AsianTVAwards/ Instagram: ​https://www.instagram.com/asiantvawards/
Wonder Paradise International
Facebook:​ ​https://www.facebook.com/wonderparadiseinternational/ Instagram: ​https://www.instagram.com/wonderparadiseofficial/

Garmin partners PhysioQ to support and accelerate COVID-19 research

 Garmin today announces an exclusive partnership with non-profit organization PhysioQ, connecting registered users’ health data from Garmin smartwatches to Neo, a connected self-monitoring system that allows users to proactively monitor their own and their family members’ vitals through the Neo mobile app. It is critical to track these vitals as these are indicators of health status – any abnormal vital readings would suggest possible health issues. 

PhysioQ aims to provide affordable and easy-to-learn research tools, allowing anyone, from academic researchers to everyday citizens, to conduct health (physiological) research and further their passion for health science. Data from PhysioQ has been used by researchers in top institutions including Harvard University, Berkeley University, Boston University, McGill University, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute to name a few. 

Medical professionals around the world are still trying to understand the implications and effects of COVID-19, everyone can do their part by regularly monitoring health vitals. Early recognition of symptoms will allow for timely medical treatment, and the data can easily be exported for medical professionals to refer to.

Available from 1 July, users can register their family members on Neo and keep track of each family member’s vitals including blood oxygen saturation¹ (SpO2), heart rate², respiration rate, sleep and body temperature and receive real-time updates of these important vital signs. This will help users keep track of their family members’ health, especially older family members where abnormal readings could indicate underlying health issues.

Blood oxygen saturation (SpO2)

The ideal blood oxygen saturation level should be between 95% to 100%. According to WHO’s Interim Guidance on COVID-19, patients suffering from COVID-19 have seen their SpO2 levels drop below 93%.

Respiration rate

Tracking respiration rate is valuable for monitoring overall health and well-being. A normal respiration rate for a resting adult ranges from 12 to 20 breaths per minute (brpm) and this will change depending on activity levels. The respiration rate for patients suffering from COVID-19 have been monitored to go up to 30 breaths per minute. 

Heart rate

Heart rate can vary from person to person, depending on age and fitness levels. Resting heart rate is used as a key indicator of heart health and ranges from 60bpm to 100bpm. It is recommended for users to wear a smartwatch to track their heart rate throughout the day and night for a more accurate understanding of their heart rate data. 

Users are encouraged to opt in to donate their health data to PhysioQ, the donated data will be anonymized and aggregated to aid medical researchers globally in the study to combat COVID-19 and other future pandemics.  

PhysioQ’s Neo app will be available on Android and iOS platforms for free and is compatible with Garmin’s range of smartwatches that tracks SpO2, including the latest Venu, vívoactive 4 series, vívosmart 4, vívomove 3 series, Forerunner 245 and 245 Music, Forerunner 945, fēnix 5X+, fēnix 6 series and Approach S62. 

Upon registration on PhysioQ, users will receive a promotion code that would entitle them to a 10% discount on any purchase of PhysioQ-compatible smartwatches on kinetic.com.ph/collections/garmin-x-physioq. An additional 5% of the sales from this campaign would also be donated to PhysioQ contribute to the research of COVID-19. 

For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at ph.garmin.com/news/pressroom or follow us at facebook.com/garminphilippines, instagram.com/garminphilippines, or youtube.com/GarminPhilippinesAsia.

¹See Garmin.com/ataccuracy

²This is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition; see Garmin.com/ataccuracy. Pulse Ox is not available in all countries