TikTok Superstar Zendee and the #TalaChallenge Parody That Started It All

First discovered as a random girl singing videoke in the mall in 2012, Zendee has recorded albums, sung in concerts, and even performed on the Ellen Degeneres Show. But true stardom for Zendee started on TikTok. It was on this platform where she was able to shine as a unique creator, and where she has been loved and accepted by her audience as her authentic self.

https://www.tiktok.com/@zendeeofficial/video/6851916304794832129

Zendee first went viral on TikTok because of her parody of the popular #TalaChallenge. She posted her version, Gala, at the height of the enhanced community quarantine in the Philippines. The post gained thousands of likes and comments, and even local celebrities shared their own takes on the #galachallenge.

https://www.tiktok.com/@zendeeofficial/video/6814618436321185026?lang=en

Since then, Zendee’s following has grown at an amazing rate - 4.9M in only 6 months. This opened up the opportunity for her to start her musical journey on the app, lip syncing at first, and eventually sharing her own content as a singer. She believes that TikTok is a great place for all musicians and songwriters to showcase their talents and reach the right audience. She also shares that the app’s awesome filters and clear audio are helpful tools that she is able to use as a singer.  

Not afraid to express herself, Zendee uses music to voice her opinions. She also shares practical life advice on her feed, reaching out to her audience with her saucy but bubbly personality. The TikTok community, for her, is like a family that supports anything that you want to do, just like her music. And, because she has felt the love from the community, she makes sure to show her appreciation, and make her followers feel that she loves them right back.

To anyone who wants to start on their own journey as a content creator on TikTok, Zendee imparts five tips that have worked for her - Be yourself, share what you know, inspire others, stay positive, and most of all, have fun. 

You, too, can share your video creations as part of the #itstartsonTikTok hashtag challenge, or even take it a step further by creating a hashtag of your own. Download TikTok today on your iOS and Android devices to get started.

Silver Swan’s first foray into Tiktok proved to be a success as it raked in millions of views

At the height of the quarantine, two home activities became huge trends among Filipinos on social media--cooking/baking and dancing on Tiktok. From must-try bread recipes to bopping to the latest dance hits, people proudly and happily posted about their newfound hobbies as a way of coping with the pandemic.

Somehow, these two worlds collided in a new Tiktok dance craze that recently went viral. The #SwanderfulMoves Dance Challenge by Silver Swan became the latest hit on the short-form video app. 

It features an easy-to-follow dance, with a signature moves called “Adobo Bounce, Pakswing and Sinangag Shuffle”, everything was set to a catchy and upbeat tune. The jingle, titled”Oh, so Swanderful,” highlights the Filipino family tradition of passing down recipes to the next generation as the lyrics sing, “Ang sabi ni Nanay, basta lutong bahay, masaya ang buhay.”

Tiktok enthusiasts immediately picked up the trend after celebrities like TV host Amy Perez, comedienne K Brosas, and teen actress Heaven Peralejo were spotted doing the Swanderful dance.

As of early August, #SwanderfulMoves has already raked in over 22 Million views and at least 18,000 posts taggd under #SwanderfulMoves. Meanwhile Silver Swan’s Tiktok account, now has 112,400 followers and about 323,000 engagements have been recorded on the “Oh so Swanderful” official music page. 

To check out the latest on the #SwanderfulMoves Dance Challenge, download the Tiktok app and search for #SwanderfulMoves to watch the videos uploaded by Tiktok users or create your own. Also follow @silverswanph to see the original #SwanderfulMoves videos.

Cebu Pacific, AXA Philippines partner to offer value-for-money insurance plans for everyJuan

The global pandemic has caused people to be more concerned over securing their future and protecting their health. With this in mind, Cebu Pacific announces its partnership with one of the country’s leading insurance companies, AXA Philippines, to launch a lineup of non-travel insurance products for everyJuan. 

For the first time in the Philippine aviation industry, the country’s leading carrier introduces a suite of lifestyle insurance packages that Filipinos can easily avail of, for safety and security of various personal assets.

“Our passengers have always been at the heart of our business and now more than ever, we strive to always give them peace of mind when flying with us. Our commitment to ensuring they have a safe and seamless journey with us does not only cover their actual flight, but even beyond. We recognize that there is greater need to take care of everyJuan’s health and assets during this time, and that is why we are very excited to introduce CEB Health Protect,” said Candice Iyog, CEB vice-president for marketing and customer experience.   

Starting September 8, Cebu Pacific is launching the CEB Health Protect which provides coverage for top three critical conditions, namely cancer, stroke, and heart attack. It also provides insurance benefits of up to P1 million, allowing families to receive up to 20% coverage for nine (9) minor critical conditions. Families and individuals can tailor fit the insurance coverage according to their personal needs and budget, with coverage available for as low as P535 monthly, along with flexible payment terms of up to 20 years. 

“We are very excited over this partnership because now we are able to reach out to more Filipinos who will have access to insurance and financial services,” said AXA Philippines Chief Customer Officer Amor Balagtas. “This enables us to fulfill our mission to help secure the future of every Filipino—or in this case—everyJuan.”

Selecting and purchasing your very own CEB Health Protect can conveniently be done online, as easy as booking and managing your Cebu Pacific flights.  This will be readily available on the CEB website – once clicked, customers will be redirected to AXA’s website for easier fulfillment of their selected insurance package. 

CEB Health Protect is the first of a number of products under this suite of lifestyle insurance packages. The rest of the offerings will be launched in the coming months. 

For more information on the insurance plans and their coverages, visit http://bit.ly/CEBhealthprotect

McDonald’s strengthens safety protocols in stores, to activate StaySafe App for contact tracing

Reinforcing its commitment towards safety, McDonald’s Philippines will be adapting a more innovative means for contact tracing through the use of the StaySafe.PH app in its stores. This is in support of the platform launched and spearheaded by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) and the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19.

StaySafe.PH aims to contain the spread of COVID-19 by encouraging users to actively report their health conditions and symptoms as well as that of their family members. McDonald’s stores will be utilizing the locally-developed app as a safer, more convenient and comprehensive contract tracing tool not just for customers but for its employees, too.

“In these challenging times, McDonald’s Philippines supports government initiatives that allow us to continue serving our customers in our restaurants and in other channels like delivery and drive-thru, safely. For us, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our people and our customers” said McDonald’s Philippines President and CEO Kenneth Yang.

Since the announcement of the enhanced community quarantine, McDonald’s Philippines has been reinforcing its commitment towards safety of people. Under its M Safe program, the company believes that by keeping its employees safe, they keep their customers safe, too. Each store has a dedicated safety manager to ensure all protocols are followed by employees such as wearing of masks and/or face shields, use of gloves, daily submission of health check forms, temperature checks before and after every shift, and increased hand washing frequency to every 30 minutes, among others. The safety managers also ensure that customers are properly guided on the protocols in the store. McDonald’s also started to offer new convenient ordering modes for customers such as Facebook Messenger to be able to enjoy their favorite meals.

Who will win Century Tuna Superbods 2020?

You've seen the candidates and their dedication to a healthy lifestyle. Now, it all boils down to who among the Century Tuna Superbods 2020 finalists will reign supreme! Happening on September 19, 2020, the event will show the new faces of fitness in the country as Century Tuna holds Everybod Superbod 2020: The Finals.

The Finals will take place after a series of digital competitions that allowed the Superbods to show what it truly means to #StayStrong amid the pandemic. They showed off their diet and fitness regimen, as well as empower others to pursue their own journeys towards a healthy lifestyle. Of course, they also became a source of hope, motivation, and inspiration as they opened up about their advocacies and encouraged their fans to take care of their physical and mental wellbeing in the new normal.

Following the challenges, the finalists will face each other one last time during The Finals where one male and one female grand winner will receive Php 500,000 each, as well as other amazing prizes.

During The Finals, Century Tuna will be also naming the winners of the special awards namely Superbods Ageless Awards, the Superbods Advocacy Awards, and the Superbods Social Impact Awards.

Other awards to be given in The Finals include Mr. and Ms. Dermaworld, Mr. and Ms. Congeniality, and Mr. and Ms. Photogenic.

There will also be eight winners of the digital challenges. Four winners will be selected for the Kraver's Canteen #FishEveryDay Challenges, two for the Fitness Challenge, and another two for the Stay Strong Challenge.

To help determine the winners, Century Pacific Food, Inc. executive vice president and chief operating officer Greg Banzon, Century Tuna marketing director Carlo Endaya, triathlete and SEA Games gold medalist Nikko Huelgas, GMA Network senior assistant vice president for alternative productions Gigi Santiago-Lara, actress, mom and fitness advocate Isabelle Daza, and actress and the ultimate Ageless fitspiration Alice Dixson will be part of the esteemed panel of judges.

Of course, The Finals would not be complete without this year’s Century Tuna Superbods ambassadors Alden Richards and Nadine Lustre. The two stars will be joining top celebrity Marc Nelson as hosts of the highly anticipated event.

You may catch Everybod Superbod 2020: The Finals on September 19 at 5:00PM on Century Tuna's official Facebook page. It will also be televised on GMA on September 27 at 10:05AM. For more information, make sure to like and follow @centurytuna on Facebook and @centurytunasuperbods on Instagram.

UBX: Changing the Face of Banking

For UBX, the technology innovation and investment arm of UnionBank, the future of banking is invisible; embedded into the activities and experiences that matter to businesses and consumers. “BigTech” and emerging non-banking technology platforms are achieving scale and client reach that exceeds that of traditional banks. Digital platforms have become the Main Street of today. UBX is building platforms for digitally and financially underserved communities, while aggregating and virtualizing financial services to embed in the platforms of others. 

Embedded into the experiences that matter - An example is SeekCap, an online credit marketplace for MSMEs, companies that drive over 60% of the economy yet have historically received less than 10% of credit provided by banks. Powering SeekCap is an embeddable lending platform: a digital end to end lending experience that connects multiple lenders to SMEs through platforms they use every day such as Lazada and accounting systems. 

Build, Buy & Bridge: besides developing technology, UBX actively invests in the innovation of others through its venture capital fund: ventures such as XLog, a digital logistics platform and AI technology that leverages the vast amounts of data digital platforms are generating. UBX bridges gaps in digital capabilities through its technology services team to help businesses integrate embeddable financial services directly into their systems.

MSME Shift. COVID has drastically changed consumer behaviour and how businesses operate. Trying times have led to a golden age for Ecommerce in all sectors including MSMEs who depend on social platforms for marketing their products and communicating with their customers. BUX, with over 80,000 sellers signed-up, is an embeddable payments platform that accepts all methods of payment and integrates into platforms used by MSMEs for selling online: Facebook, Viber, and more comprehensive ecommerce platforms like Prestashop, Woocommerce, and soon Shopify. UBX even provides its own free ecommerce platform: Sentro. Everyone from casual sellers to mid-tier businesses can create an online web store with built-in inventory management, order tracking, shopping cart, BUX for payments, and courier services such as Mr. Speedy. MSMEs can start selling online in a matter of minutes!

UBX platforms have a positive and material impact on financial inclusion. i2i is a real time payments network connecting community based financial institutions to each other and the national retail payments system. The DSWD is currently leveraging the reach of i2i to distribute SAP relief. i2i helps institutions go digital with services such as i2i mobile ATM, agency banking, digital credit scoring, and more. While i2i is a blockchain enabled, real time payments network leveraging the first BSP approved stablecoin - it’s really about connecting the nation: whether it be distributing relief, sending funds to loved ones, or making it easier to do business in trying times.

UBX continues to invest in the future such as democratizing real estate through asset tokenization using our Biddit platform. UBX is helping to bring innovation from companies in the UBX venture fund to market: PDAX, a UBX investment, recently launched Bonds.ph, a blockchain enabled app that allows Filipinos unrestricted access to buy treasury bills directly through a mobile app. Now and in the future, UBX is changing the face of banking!

Check Out These Amazing Filipino-made Protective Gears on Shopee

With the ongoing global pandemic, it's essential to stay safe and protected. Support our homegrown businesses with Filipino-made PPEs and represent different regions of the Philippines available on Shopee. Here are some local brands providing protective gears that will keep you safe and protected:

Bambuhay

Bambuhay’s local farmers from Cotabato City and Nueva Ecija Province are hand-crafting eco-friendly face shields made from bamboo. Their hand-made face shields are lightweight and easy to disinfect, making it ideal for mobility during a lockdown. Also, Bambuhay sells eco-friendly products such as bamboo straws, rice, and wheat straw mugs, and bamboo toothbrushes, all made using natural ingredients.

Bambuhay provides eco-friendly products to heal Mother Earth from plastic pollution, deforestation, and climate change - all while empowering marginalized communities of farmers. Support them by going to their Shopee page here: https://shopee.ph/Bamboo-Faceshield-(B1)-by-Bambuhay-i.266750192.3347230546

Amianph 

Amian PH sells face masks made of hand-woven Inabel textiles in Pinilian weave sourced from the Ilocos Region. These face masks have a filter pocket for an added layer of protection with a comfier fit. Most importantly, it is washable, reusable, and breathable. 

Supporting these hand-woven masks also means supporting the livelihood of the local female weavers of Ilocos while preserving their centuries-old tradition. Find their woven face masks on their Shopee page: https://shopee.ph/Amianph-Inabel-Face-Masks-in-Pinilian-Weave-i.136584285.6144444000

At My Home 

These personal protective equipment lab gowns are Quezon City made and are available in free size S up to 3XL. It has a water-resistant microfiber fabric material, making it suitable for those who are always outside but want to stay protected. It’s also washable and comes with a head and shoe cover. Visit their Shopee page here: https://shopee.ph/Locally-made-Lab-Gown-PPE-i.16133072.6334993277

Nature’s Rain 500 ml

With germs and viruses everywhere, disinfecting and sanitizing your hands (and homes) are strongly recommended. Nature’s Rain alcohol comes in two formulations: organic-based ethyl alcohol used for hand sanitation and antiseptic isopropyl alcohol. It comes in a 1 gallon or 500 ml size, and they also accept bulk orders. Check their Shopee page here: https://shopee.ph/Nature's-Rain-Alcohol-70-Ethyl-Scented-1-Gallon-i.221846102.6042860420

Local Katutubo Masks

This shop sells face masks from Ilocos made of fully handwoven, Inabel cloth that comes in different designs. The face mask has the same shape as the N-95 mask, giving users full coverage from the nose down to their chin. Visit their Shopee page here: https://shopee.ph/Local-Made-Katutubo-Hand-Made-Inabel-Face-Mask-i.4113243.7539839064

Protecting yourself is essential, and you can do it while supporting small businesses. When you purchase from these stores, you are also sustaining the livelihood of marginalized individuals and micros, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and directly helping them grow their businesses online.

Download the Shopee app for free on Apple App Store or Google Play Store. 

PHITEX chooses Panglao Bohol as its first official venue for tourism market stakeholders

The last time I went to Bohol was 2 years ago. We stayed in one of the best resorts in Panglao. 

Panglao is the most popular spot in Bohol. It remains a beautiful beach getaway, with lots of exploring to do. You can snorkel,  cliff dive in Alexis Cliff Dive Resort if you are that adventurous, or simply watch the sunset together with your loved ones. I am itching to go and book a flight for a next year summer adventure with the kids. I am praying for a vaccine soon.

I'm glad that PHITEX chooses Panglao Bohol to be its first official venue for the virtual networking with international buyers.

With the theme “PHITEX Pivots: Business UNusual”, what makes this year’s
PHITEX even more exciting is the hybrid aspect in which Philippine sellers will get a first-hand experience of travel in the new normal as the island of Panglao in Bohol will be its official venue, where strict safety protocols are implemented to ensure participants’ well-being.

The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines invites foreign buyers and
Philippine sellers to the virtual edition of the Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) on 22 to 24 September 2020 via www.phitex.ph.

PHITEX, the country’s biggest government-organized travel trade event, hosts
qualified buyers from all over the world to participate in an online tabletop business appointment with Philippine sellers and experience Philippine tourism destinations through virtual tours with an end-goal of increasing tourist arrivals in the country.

Over the years, PHITEX has become a major annual marketing event that further strengthens the country’s brand image and encourages participants to promote affordable and competitive tourism packages.

“We are taking this opportunity to harness the digital platform to explore newopportunities and markets for PHITEX,” states TPB Chief Operating Officer Maria Anthonette C. Velasco-Allones. “We are confident that as we reach out to tourism market stakeholders from all over the world with the latest Philippine tourism offerings, we will be able to gradually reopen our country for visitors and spur the recovery of the industry.”

Here are the key features of this year’s virtual PHITEX:

1. Set up B2B appointments. PHITEX features a virtualization of TRAVEX,
which allows Philippine sellers and foreign buyers to set or attend pre-
arrange appointments. Network effectively and close the deal, without
leaving your home office!

2. Tourism in the New Normal. Keep abreast of the latest on travel trade in
the context of the global new normal through a series of webinars, interview
sessions and roundtable discussions with key industry players.

3. Take a virtual tour of Manila. Experience the Philippines’ Capital City in a
specially curated virtual tour showcasing the unique fusion of old world and
new culture.

4. Test your mettle. Win prizes in Philippines 360, a series of online games and
quizzes that deal with Philippine culture and the arts, as well as topics discussed
in PHITEX sessions.

5. Press play. Review event highlights or enrich the experience with the Videos on Demand, an online gallery of content such as tourism marketing videos, highlights of past TPB events, links to film tourism with English subtitles, cooking videos, travel videos and more.

6. Revisit Bohol. On 25-27 September, PHITEX sellers get a memorable immersion as they experience Bohol in the new normal through post-tour of heritage and ecotourism sites across its countryside.

7. Experience the Philippines. Approved foreign buyers get a first-hand taste of
Philippine sights, food, culture and heritage with PHITEX post-tours in hand-
picked destinations across the country. Lined up among the options are: Baguio,
Bicol, Boracay, El Nido, Coron, Bohol, and Banaue/ Sagada.

Registration is free of charge. Interested buyers and sellers may register via
www.phitex.ph where qualified participants will receive an access code to the event.

DOT-accredited suppliers of Philippine tourism products and services as well as TPB members are given registration priority.

Protect yourself from top critical illnesses such as cancer, stroke and heart attack that one can catch at any age

When we are young, we feel invincible and insusceptible to getting sick. Often, it is during our youth when we pick up most of our bad habits on health—the poor diet, the lack of exercise—turning a blind eye on the fact that these habits will come back in the future to haunt us in the form of diseases. Medical expenses are the last things in our minds, too. We put off getting health insurance, thinking it is expensive and such a hassle to buy.

But today, we are faced with many health risks. Aside from the ongoing global pandemic, the risk of other deadly diseases such as cancer and heart attack is still very much prevalent. According to the Department of Health, 16 people are diagnosed with cancer every hour and 236 die of cancer every day, while 276 die of heart disease and 240 die of stroke every day. These are diseases that one can also catch at any age—even in youth!

To help Filipinos protect themselves against serious illnesses and diseases in an affordable and convenient way, AXA Philippines, one of the country’s leading insurance providers, introduces a new health insurance product providing value-for-money coverage for the top three critical illnesses which are cancer, heart attack, and stroke, and is fully available online to boot: Health Start Lite.

Health Start Lite can be easily and conveniently purchased online at home, from application to payment and policy issuance via www.axa.com.ph/healthstartlite. To guide customers through the application, AXA will also provide a live chat function for immediate inquiries soon.

"Everyone's focus is understandably fighting COVID-19, but we should not forget about protecting ourselves against the top critical illnesses,” says Rahul Hora, AXA Philippines president and chief executive officer.” By making Health Start Lite fully available online, we are able to reach out to many Filipinos, giving them access to critical illness protection without the need for a face-to-face interaction or the need to leave the house.”

This new product is an affordable solution to help Filipinos get coverage against these health risks—at a price that’s cheaper than their daily dose of designer coffee. Health Start Lite is available for a minimum monthly payment of as low as P535 and with up to one million pesos coverage for the top three critical illnesses. Moreover, it also provides a benefit for nine minor conditions and is renewable up to age 75.

What’s more, Health Start Lite comes with life insurance coverage to benefit the customer’s loved ones. Payments can be done via credit card and can be charged monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, and annually. 

With AXA’s Health Start Lite, you can easily prioritize your health from home at an affordable price. To know more about the product or to get a quote, visit www.axa.com.ph/healthstartlite. 

Canva for Education announces an exclusive Care Bears collection to empower teachers with resources to nurture students

Global online design platform Canva, in partnership with The Care Bears brand owner Cloudco Entertainment, announces the immediate release of a collection of Care Bears templates exclusively for its Canva for Education community; a collection which further encourages and inspires creativity and connection in the classroom - in both a virtual and physical environment.

Online classes will be the major learning delivery method for the majority of academic institutions across the Philippines. With the traditional face-to-face setup pinned to the side, Filipino educators are adapting to new ways of teaching, rethinking how to provide students with meaningful social-emotional learning tools, as well as ways to keep students engaged.

The Care Bears collection, exclusive to the Canva for Education community, includes:

●      Educational worksheets to enhance engagement in the classroom and reach key learning goals;

●      Creative and fun ice-breaker activities;

●      Wellness activities focusing on social-emotional development; plus

●      Care Bears Classroom kits, providing teachers with a touch of magic to bring any classroom to life.

Carly Daff, Canva for Education’s Director of Product, said collaborating with such a global and nostalgic brand was a coup for the organization’s core education audience, because the Care Bear characters and what they stand for perfectly aligns with Canva’s values.

“So far, 2020 is fast becoming one of the most unsettling years for humanity. Now more than ever, we need to take a proactive stance to ensure our kids are being taught how to recognize and express their emotions, manage stress, as well as learn how to care for themselves and have compassion for others,” explained Daff.

“The loveable Care Bears characters empower teachers to help students address their social and emotional development with characters we all know and love. This all-new collection contains vital resources that can be used in a physical or virtual setting, perfect for encouraging connection and creativity in the classroom,”she further stated.

Dr. Vanessa Lapointe, a registered psychologist with a focus in working with children and families, as well as an ambassador for the Care Bears and Canva for Education partnership, explains the importance of social-emotional learning in schools today.

“Social-emotional learning provides educators with an “open portal” to the heart and mind of a child,” said Dr. Lapointe. “This in turn, gives us the ability to shape the growing brain from within in a more meaningful and effective way; it’s an approach that goes a long way towards helping kids become more available to learning. The Care Bears templates are a fun and engaging way to kick off a meaningful conversation with students - it helps break the ice and can be used again and again to check in with them and gain a better understanding of their current state of mind,” furthered Dr. Lapointe.

“As we continue to prepare for this year’s balik eskwela, we at Canva are excited to share the Care Bear collection to Filipino educators who use Canva for Education in their classes. We hope to spread positivity to young learners, and instill the importance of being in-touch with their emotions and feelings, while also understanding the value of caring for others through a fun learning experience,” said Yani Hornilla-Donato, Canva Philippines Country Head.

Kristeen Tibbits, Care Bears’ Head of Marketing, added, “Our desire for positivity fuels today’s focus on personal growth and evolution. We’re craving sunshine and rainbows - even when we’re feeling blue. That’s what the The Care Bears offer. We couldn’t be more excited to bring these messages to children and their education just when they need it most,” concluded Tibbits.

All of these are available for free for the Canva for Education community - https://canva.me/carebear. Register for your free account at: www.canva.com/education.