VeMoBro, a homegrown e-commerce platform that specifically caters to “new normal” essentials, is launching in the country soon!

Christmas is still every Filipino’s favorite time of the year despite – or perhaps because of – the challenging past months. Even without reunions, Christmas parties and some of the usual holiday activities, Christmas brings cheer and the holiday spirit a sense of optimism for better things ahead. 

 

Planning and getting those Christmas presents, although a bit different this year, remains exciting and fun. After all, giving and sharing is what this season is all about. 

 

How far along are you with your Christmas list? Or are you still scrambling for some last-minute shopping? Don’t worry, we got you! Here are some gift ideas for all the special ones on your list this new normal.

 

For the new hobbyists

Baking, cooking, caring for a new pet. These are just some of the new hobbies picked up during quarantine. Give the gift of support to friends and family with items related to their new hobbies and interests.

 

Baking ingredients for the new baker: A fresh pack of cake mix, whipping cream and different flavored emulsions such as red velvet and orange will not only remind your baker friend of your continued support but will also encourage them to experiment with new recipes. Plus, a baking gift basket sitting next to their baking equipment will look lovely in their kitchen!

Baking needs from HICAPS Marketing Corporation

 

A selection of premium meats for the home cook in the making: Yes, it can certainly be a learning experience buying fresh beef from the local butcher, but if you have to travel to go to the meat shop, isn’t it more convenient to have super-fresh meat delivered right at your door step? If you’re lucky, the latest home cook in your family or barkada might even invite you to share that juicy steak with them.

AUS Beef Shanks, AUS Rib Eye and Brazilian Rib Eye from Meat My Veggies

 

Pet shampoo for the first-time fur parent: Whether their heart belongs to a gentle giant of a dog or a tiny fluffball kitten, your friends will surely appreciate a lavender-scent shampoo that will not only pamper their fur babies in the bath but will also work wonders on their coats.

Lil Petie Lavender Pet Shampoo with Madre De Cacao and Aloe Vera

 

For the pandemic hustlers

Working or studying at home is not all joy. Show your loved ones how much you appreciate all their hard work and make their Christmas a little merrier.

 

Hair dryer for the friend on the go: Think bad hair days are no longer a problem with everyone just staying indoors and working from home? Think again. This gift of tech will come handy when your reliable officemate wants to achieve that just-left-the-salon hair for special virtual meetings or when they just feel like having a good hair day. Friends can also use this to glam up for the numerous virtual Christmas parties they’ll be attending this month. 

HTC Professional Hair Dryer

 

Tire cream for the biker:  Show the two-wheel enthusiast among your friends or family how much you care for their safety with a motorcycle care essential that can keep their tires in optimal driving condition for a better and safer drive. Choose one with a non-greasy and natural shine formula that provides protective coating from sunlight and rain.

Kazuki Tire Cream Lotion Semi-Gloss

 

For the stay-at-home survivors

The not-so-young have been staying indoors since mid-March. That’s nine months of alternating between a daily routine and thinking of new things to do. Why not gift them with something that will help make another month at home bearable?

 

Pantry essentials for grandparents: Shopping for Gramps and Granny can sometimes be daunting as we might get them items they’re not supposed to eat anymore or they simply do not want. But you can never go wrong with food as a gift, especially fresh vegetables or fruits or a wide variety of condiments. Not only would this remind them that you care about their health but it would also save them a week’s – or maybe month’s! – worth of grocery run.

Selection of fresh fruits, vegetables and condiments from Meat My Veggies

 

Complete that gift list with your new essential shopping partner!

Gift giving this holiday season will carry on as in previous years even amid the quarantine. Thanks to online shopping, you can skip crammed aisles and long lines and shop in the comfort of your own home, even while lounging on the couch in your pajamas and munching on your favorite treats. But sometimes, huge traffic on online shopping sites, delays in delivery and mistakes on orders could put a damper on the holiday spirit.

 

Fret not. Santa’s elves have an exciting news for you! VeMoBro, a homegrown e-commerce platform that specifically caters to “new normal” essentials, is launching in the country soon to help make sure you get your Christmas shopping – and other shopping needs – done hassle-free. VeMoBro promises a more satisfying and convenient shopping experience – one that surely tops the wish list of many online shopaholics.

 

As an additional treat, VeMoBro is offering special promos before their official launch. From December 16, 2020 until January 2, 2021, grab HTC Products from Transpacific at 20 percent off and condiments at Meat My Veggies at 20 percent less. Get fresh vegetables and fruits and premium meats at Php150 less for a minimum cart value of Php2,000.

 

Ready for your new shopping partner? Visit https://vemobro.com.ph/ for more exclusive deals. Stay updated on other promos and announcements by following VeMoBro on its official social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. 

 

Have a Merry Christmas with your family by preparing a delicious Noche Buena feast using El Real

Kids and adults look forward to celebrating the holidays with gifts and good food. While Christmas might be different this year, you can still make it special by dining with your loved ones on some home-cooked family favorites. 

If you’re looking for ideas for your Noche Buena feast, here are some easy-to-cook and delicious recipes that you can try. Level it up even further by using El Real. 

1.    Pineapple Bacon Macaroni

If the smell of home-cooked ham or bacon coupled with that sweet aroma of glazed pineapple is a combination of scents that can easily get you and your family into the Christmas spirit, try out this Pineapple Bacon Macaroni recipe: 

 

What you’ll need:

·       400g El Real Elbow Macaroni

·       1 cup bacon

·       150g pineapple Juice

·       1 can pineapple slices

·       2 tbsp brown sugar

·       ½ cup sour cream

·       Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1.    Cook El Real Elbow Macaroni in lightly salted boiled water for 8 minutes. Set aside.

2.    Fry the bacon until crispy. Set aside.

3.    Drain pineapple slices from can then coat with brown sugar. Fry brown sugar-coated pineapple slices until browned. Set aside.

4.    In a mixing bowl, combine sour cream and pineapple juice.

5.    Mix in cooked El Real Elbow Macaroni to sour cream-pineapple juice mixture and toss in crispy bacon and brown sugar-coated pineapple slices.

6.    Serve and enjoy!

 

2.    Pineapple Party Pasta

For a creamier version, try this pineapple party recipe:

 

What you’ll need:

·       400g El Real Party Pasta

·       1 cup mayonnaise

·       1 cup all-purpose cream

·       250g bacon, chopped

·       2 cans pineapple tidbits

·       2 tbsp oil

·       Salt and pepper to taste

 

Procedure:

1.    Cook El Real Party Pasta in lightly salted boiling water for 8 minutes. Drain and let cool.

2.    Heat oil in a frying pan. 

3.    Fry bacon until crispy. Cut into smaller pieces and set aside.

4.    Once pasta is cold, mix in all-purpose cream and mayonnaise.

5.    Top with crispy bacon bits.

6.    Serve and enjoy!

Made with durum wheat, this pasta can absorb and blend well with your sauces. It’s also a good source of iron, fiber and protein so you can be sure that you’re serving something nutritious for the family.  

This season, have a Merry Christmas with your family by preparing a delicious Noche Buena feast using El Real. Grab this Sarap, Sustansya and Sulit El Real Pasta in groceries and supermarkets nationwide.

For more recipes, follow El Real on Facebook. El Real is a pasta brand from Universal Robina Corporation, makers of well-loved goodies such as C2, Chippy, Cloud 9, Magic Crackers and Maxx.

Your grocery run for Noche Buena just got more rewarding!

Whether you are planning to shop for your groceries at your go-to supermarket or from the safety of your home, PayMaya is making your Noche Buena shopping experience even more rewarding with the best sulit deals at the biggest supermarkets in the Philippines whenever you pay with the #BetterQR this holiday season.

 

Whenever you shop for your groceries and pay using PayMaya QR at Mercury Drugstore, WalterMart, Robinsons Supermarket, The Marketplace, AllDay Supermarkets, Super8 Grocery Warehouse, Shopwise, Amesco Drug, LCC Supermarket, Metro Retail Supermarket, Gaisano Brothers Supermarket, Gaisano Grand, Gaisano Capital, and other partner supermarkets, you can easily get up to P250 cashback for your purchases the entire month of December. 

 

All you have to do is #ScanToPay a minimum purchase of P1,000 via PayMaya QR to get an instant P50 cashback. You can enjoy this offer up to five times this month to get a total of P250 as savings!

 

But that’s not all—by paying via PayMaya QR you can also enjoy 1%, 10%, or 100% cashback of up to P500 plus a chance to win up to P1,000,000 at the PayMayaguinaldo promo. With these stacked promos, PayMaya QR is truly the #BetterQR for shopping for your holiday feast. 

 

If you are planning to do your grocery shopping from the safety of your home, you can also enjoy exclusive deals when you pay with PayMaya. PayMaya has partnered with WalterMart to offer you free delivery on your groceries-- just spend a minimum of P3,000 on WalterMart’s delivery app and website (http://waltermartdelivery.com.ph), pay with your physical or virtual PayMaya card, and use the code WMPAYMAYA on checkout until December 31!

 

“With Christmas just around the corner, we are offering our customers the best value for their money when they shop for their Noche Buena staples this December. We hope these sulit deals help make their shopping experience more enjoyable, and their family celebrations more meaningful,” said Mark Dee, Head of Growth and Marketing for PayMaya Philippines.

 

Getting PayMaya and paying for your purchases using the app is very easy. Just download the PayMaya app at https://official.paymaya.com/CAK1/425eb133  and register an account, to find out what it’s like to go cashless with the fastest, safest, and most rewarding way to pay for anything online and in stores!

 

PayMaya is the only end-to-end digital payments ecosystem enabler in the Philippines with platforms and services that cut across consumers, merchants, communities, and government. Through its enterprise business, it is the largest digital payments processor for key industries in the country including "everyday" merchants such as the largest retail, food, gas, and eCommerce merchants as well as government agencies and units.

 

Through its app and wallet, PayMaya provides over 27 million Filipinos with access to financial services. Customers can conveniently pay, add money, cash out or remit through its over 150,000 digital touchpoints nationwide.

 

Its Smart Padala by PayMaya network of over 33,000 partner agent touchpoints nationwide serves as last mile digital financial hubs in communities, providing the unbanked and underserved with access to digital services. To know more about PayMaya's products and services, visit www.PayMaya.com or follow @PayMayaOfficial on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Cebuana Lhuillier Micro Savings steps into the future by enabling QR Technology within the eCebuana app

This is good news to all iponaryos, like me. You can now have a full-service savings account via your Cebuana Lhuillier Micro Savings. You can download the ecebuana app for more accessible banking. 

As a champion for financial inclusion, Cebuana Lhuillier recently launched additional features to their existing Micro Savings Account, a product of Cebuana Lhuillier Rural Bank, to help more Filipinos become financially mobile, especially during the onset of the new normal. When the Micro Savings was introduced last year, in 2019, to be exact, it provided unbanked and underbanked Filipinos with easy access to basic savings, regardless of who and where they are. It further empowered the vast majority to jumpstart their savings and directly steer their lives towards a better future. But when the pandemic hit, the progress of the program, along with everything else, was literally brought to a standstill. 

 

Cebuana Lhuillier Rural Bank (CLRB) saw this as an opportunity to make sure that account holders or “Iponaryos” as they’re called, continue to still have full access to their hard-earned money, at their convenience. CLRB president Dennis Valdes said that, “The many challenges and limitations in access, presented by the pandemic to our clients and countless Filipinos, made us look even harder for more opportunities in bringing Cebuana Lhuillier Micro Savings to the next level; pushing our myriad of services farther ahead to immediately answer the needs of our clients.”

 

And the challenge has been met successfully. The Micro Savings Account now has four (4) new features: Partnerships with two giant financial institutions; BancNet and UnionPay, a link to the eCebuana App, as well as, the addition of QR Technology, for added security.

 

‘Iponaryos’ now have access to the latest functions transforming their Micro Savings account from just a basic cash deposit account to an even more powerful and reliable, full-service savings account.  By partnering with BancNet, they now have unrivalled easy access to their finances beyond CLRB's cash agent, Cebuana Lhuillier’s more than 2,500 branches nationwide, using BancNet's roster of 21,000 ATMs, and 114 member banks. 

A tie-up with UnionPay further allows account holders to make debit payments through over 350,000 POS terminals, as well as partner merchants nationwide. ‘Iponaryos’ can now get the benefit of an enhanced payment security with UnionPay chip cards’ quick payment process with just a tap, using UnionPay Contactless technology, plus the convenience of not having to carry cash and coins.

 

Full online access is likewise afforded to Ka-Cebuanas with the more efficient and more powerful eCebuana app allowing money transfers via Instapay, bills and utility payments, eLoad feature, insurance purchase, and coming soon are pawning ticket renewal and jewelry purchases. All these are made even more convenient since the adoption of online sign ups, now being allowed in the eCebuana app.

 

Lastly, Cebuana Lhuillier Micro Savings steps into the future by enabling QR Technology within the eCebuana app. This feature will be able to make money transfers and retail payments seamless and secure. Money transfers and retail payments via QR code will be available by March 2021.

 

Jean Henri Lhuillier, Cebuana Lhuillier president and CEO announced, “We are now shifting into a tech-brick company, where our network of branches will take advantage of our proprietary technology to step into new grounds by adapting to the new normal using our enhanced digital business transformation.  This will provide unprecedented financial access to millions more of Filipinos wherever they may be, anytime.”   

 

Lhuillier further talks about how they plan to take Filipinos to the next step of their ipon journeys. “Our dream is to digitally and financially include Filipinos by implementing world-class and innovative digital financial solutions for them. This, we believe, is what the future of financial inclusion should be – a future where there is financial mobility for every Filipino, a future where we provide them the capability to manage their finances whenever and wherever they may be, at any time.”

 

Try Jollibee’s Beefy-Saucy Burger Steak, now in a Family Pan!

The holidays are drawing near and that means one thing: everyone’s going to have more and more feasts at home! Even with the challenges and difficulties of our current situation, Filipinos are always looking for and finding ways to enjoy good food with their loved ones.

For those looking for large family-sized platters to share this Christmas, here’s one thing to try—Jollibee’s Beefy-Saucy Burger Steak, now in a Family Pan! The new Burger Steak Family Pan comes in six or eight pieces, perfect for friends and family. 

Everyone in your group of friends or family can now enjoy that 100% pure beef patty and that flavorful mushroom gravy, together!

“We know Filipinos absolutely love our Burger Steak, which is why we’re happy to help them share their favorite with their friends and family, with our new Burger Steak Family Pan,” said Mari Aldecoa, Jollibee Marketing Director for Core and Complementary category.“The Burger Steak Family Pan is sure to be a wonderful addition to the dinner table this Christmas.”

You can now get the Jollibee Burger Steak Family Pan for only PHP280 for the 6-pc. Pan or PHP360 for the 8-pc. Pan via safe delivery through the Jollibee Delivery App, JollibeeDelivery.com, #87000, as well as drive-thru and take-out. You may also order through your favorite delivery provider GrabFood, foodpanda, and LalaFood. For Luzon customers, enjoy a free Coke 1.5L bottle for every order of a 6-pc or 8-pc Jollibee Burger Steak Family Pan starting December 18 until December 25, 2020.

For more info and updates on Jollibee products, like Jollibee Philippines on Facebook, subscribe to Jollibee Studios on YouTube, and follow @jollibee on Twitter and Instagram.

PLDT Home Super Speed Deal: Its now time to upgrade

It’s a fact that no one was truly prepared for the changes that the pandemic has brought. What was supposed to be a promising and exciting start of a new decade turned out to be a year where families spent more time at home, than they ever have before. 

 

Like anyone who was suddenly forced to stay safe at home, life for Binibining Pilipinas Grand International 2016 Nicole Cordoves also slowed down. As a busy working woman and go-getter, she admits that she was not used to being at home all the time. However, similar to how everyone found something new about themselves as they adjusted to the lockdown, Nicole also discovered new passions, new learnings, and likewise realized that there is so much still, to be grateful for.

For the past nine months since the quarantine started, Nicole shared that despite being cooped up at home, the pandemic actually also forced her to upskill herself. In fact, she shared that there were a lot of things that she never thought she could do well, including cooking and gardening, and because of the power of the internet, she was able to do just that. 

 

“All that I’ve been doing since March is to learn as much as I can from a lot of rich sources online, particularly on YouTube. I never thought I would learn so much in such a short amount of time. I used to just stay on my phone or binge on Netflix when I’m not doing anything, but one thing good that came out of this pandemic is I learned to utilize the power of the internet more and increase my knowledge on things that interest me. I’ll say I’ve become more dependent on the internet, and I am just so glad that I was able to upgrade my home internet plan easily with the PLDT Home Super Speed Deal. It’s fast, reliable, and very affordable,” shared Nicole.     

 

New life in lockdown 

When the community quarantine was announced, Nicole confessed that she wasn’t as surprised because it was necessary to keep everyone safe and protected. She said, “There were already warning signs prior to the lockdown and I had a number of events getting cancelled due to health protocols. I was actually more surprised by how the lockdown dragged on, I didn’t think we’d lose an entire year because of it.”   

So to keep herself busy indoors, Nicole has been putting her cooking skills to the test and trying new recipes. She also shares that she’s thankful to have a reliable partner in PLDT Home Fibr so she can watch more of her favorite YouTube content and remain productive at home - from learning how to better clean and organize her home to editing her own videos for her channel.

Upgrading technology and upskilling oneself is important and necessary

When it comes to her realizations during the lockdown, Nicole shares that “Though the pandemic is something that really brought so much suffering and heartache to millions around the world, it did however make all of us become closer together at home. And with everyone being forced to stay at home for their own protection, having the right internet connection speed is a necessary tool. I was able to keep up with balancing work from home and doing interviews online in the past nine months because of my reliable connection.” 

Nicole admits that upgrading your internet connection at home is a must, especially for households with multiple-device requirements. She explains that her increased internet bandwidth usage at home especially for video calls for online classes, live hosting or off-site taping at work, or streaming her favorite Netflix shows, she knew that she needed an internet connectivity with reliable and higher speeds that would cater to her daily digital needs. 

“I need to be online all the time, so I upgraded my PLDT Home Fibr internet with their Super Speed Promo,” she quipped. PLDT Home’s Super Speed Deal promo gives subscribers a convenient and same-day upgrade of up to 2x their internet speeds for as low as Php 99 additional on their monthly plan. 

A newfound love for plants  

Since the pandemic, she also became a certified plantita. Or in her case, she likes to call herself as a halamom. She shares that she now has a corner in her room that’s filled with indoor plants that also serves as her go-to background for her Zoom calls and meetings. 

 

“It all started with indoor plants that progressed to actually growing my own food on my balcony. Today, I harvest my own sili, sitaw, and kamatis,” said Nicole. In fact, she even made a series on her IGTV dedicated to her halamom journey to update her fans and fellow plant enthusiasts. 

 

The return to Bb. Pilipinas as a mentor 

Nicole also kept herself busy and productive at home by mentoring the Bb. Pilipinas 2020 hopefuls with Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray. But due to the pandemic, adjustments to their training also had to be done where workshops were held online via Zoom calls instead. 

“It was challenging since online workshops can leave out a lot of things that are essential to public speaking like non-verbal communication, gesture, body language. So, we dedicated our modules to focus on content instead, and the girls blew us away,” she recounts. “In true Binibining Pilipinas fashion, they came and they conquered.”  

A life-changing experience 
As she talks about coaching this year’s Bb. Pilipinas candidates, she recounts her own experience and how being part of the competition changed her life. Nicole says, “I wasn’t expecting Bb. Pilipinas to change my life in such a big way, especially since I didn’t really get the top crown. But I do owe where I am now to the organization for giving me the opportunity to host the pageant that gave birth to my career.” 

Nicole further shared that it is such an honor for her to be mentoring this year’s forty candidates by sharing and imparting on them everything that she has learned from her own Binibining Pilipinas journey.

“Since my time in Binibining Pilipinas and even before that, I made it a point in my life to continue to further my knowledge by continuously improving myself.  Being a mentor now to these ladies, all of them beautiful and deserving queens in their own right, feels so validating and empowering. I only hope that imparting my experience and knowledge to them helps equip them with what they need to achieve their dreams and live their best lives,” continued Nicole.         

High hopes and well-wishes for the new Miss Universe hopeful
Nicole admits that she sees a queen in Rabiya Mateo, this year’s Miss Universe 2020. “When I saw her preliminary interview, she immediately became my bet! She spoke so naturally while courageously sharing her own opinion. She’s already an amazing queen who can really connect with people on a real level,” she shares. 

And knowing that the journey to get the crown is heavy and burdensome, Nicole aptly gives Rabiya a piece of advice, from one queen to another: “When it gets dark, I hope she remembers that she is the light. Your destiny is in your hands, make it a beautiful and memorable one.”

Know more about how you too can upgrade your digital lifestyle at home just like Nicole. With the Super Speed Deals promo, PLDT Home gives subscribers the added convenience of upgrading their internet speeds by simply dialing 170 for PLDT, Smart and Sun or (02) 80000170 for other network (toll charges apply). Visit www.pldthome.com/superspeed and find the best internet speed for your home.

Bayad Center, Inc., welcomes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as part of its growing biller network

CIS Bayad Center, Inc., the country’s biggest and widest multi-channel payment platform, welcomes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as part of its growing biller network, fast-tracking the application and renewal of license-to-operate permits, as well as product registration for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). 

With the new partnership, SME owners can now pay their application fee and accomplish their license-to-operate application and product registration in over 40,000 Bayad Center touchpoints nationwide. With SMEs comprising 99% of all registered businesses in the country, this payment solution from Bayad Center and FDA provides greater accessibility, convenience, and security for thousands of Filipino entrepreneurs. The collaborative effort is likewise a response as the country grapples with the coronavirus quarantine restrictions, actively discouraging people to travel far and minimize human contact.

The recently held virtual signing ceremony was led by Bayad Center President and CEO Lawrence Y. Ferrer, COO and Senior Vice President Francispito P. Quevedo, together with several officials from the FDA headed by Dr. Rolando Enrique D. Domingo, the agency’s Director General, and Atty. Ronaldo R. De Veyra, MBA CESO II, Deputy Director General for Internal Management. 

“As the vanguards of health mandated by the government to ensure the safety of food products, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, household urban hazardous substances (HUHS), household urban pesticides (HUP), toys and child care articles (TCCA), and medical devices in the market, we are very happy to partner with Bayad Center and offer a new venue for our clients to complete their application and post their payments,” Domingo shared. “We are certain that this effort will streamline the current process and will translate to better services to the public and better availability of FDA-approved health products,” he added. 

Currently, there are approximately half a billion items registered and 80,000 establishments with licenses to operate in the FDA.  The agency said the numbers of new registrations and renewals are likely to continue increasing with payment transactions made easier and even during the pandemic. 

“Bayad Center believes that this partnership underscores our longstanding commitment to bring efficient and reliable payment financial solutions, not only for household and personal bills, but now for business applications and licenses that will help empower Filipino entrepreneurs operate more efficiently especially in this new environment we are adapting to. By providing additional payment channels for FDA, individuals who aim to start or grow their businesses can save time and energy since payments are now more accessible and convenient through our Bayad Centers and Authorized Partners.” said Ferrer. 

As the most trusted payment authority in the country,  Bayad Center continues to grow its portfolio of services, which now goes beyond payments, including domestic and international remittance, insurance sales, medical reimbursement, airline ticketing, ATM cash withdrawal, loan disbursement, airtime loading, and more.

 

For partnership inquiries, kindly email us at billeronboarding@bayadcenter.com. 

 

Smile Train to raise awareness for children born with a cleft through the launch of Visual artist Riz Cabrera online art auction

Smile Train, the world’s leading cleft charity, invites everyone to share the gift of smiles this holiday season. Visual artist, Riz Cabrera, has partnered with Smile Train to raise awareness for children born with a cleft through the launch of her online art auction which she hopes can contribute to sustaining Smile Train’s goal to provide children the urgent support and care needed.

Every day, 540 babies are born around the world with this serious health condition – preventing them not only from smiling, but also posing difficulties in eating, breathing, and speaking. Through the auction, Riz hopes to help fund the surgeries and therapies that could transform the lives of Filipino cleft patients.

Visual artist, Riz Cabrera

 

“When I came across the Smile Train website, I was deeply moved by their advocacy. While I initially wanted to just be a channel of blessings for the patients, my goal was to raise awareness for this generation, specifically to those dealing with mental health issues just like myself,” shared Cabrera. “Although we all have our own personal problems and trials, if we would just look beyond ourselves, we can still be a message of hope to somebody. I believe that focusing on helping other people is therapy itself and partnering with Smile Train rekindles hope within me,” she shared.

 

For Riz, her passion for painting was ignited by hardships and these hardships have taught her to focus on helping others. This is why she is using her craft to help charities such as Smile Train. “ART ignites HEART. Nowadays, especially with the ongoing pandemic, we spend most of our time browsing or surfing the internet. I believe that the eyes are the windows of the soul. As an Artist, I have this obligation to penetrate souls with Love, Faith, and Hope through my art. Helping charities like Smile Train through arts can definitely move people to reach out.”

 

“Smile Train continues to advocate for individuals born with cleft and to providing free surgery and comprehensive cleft care to them and we look forward to partnering with various individuals who believe in our shared goal,” said Smile Train South East Asia Director Kimmy Flaviano. “We are grateful for the work Riz has done and continues to do for the benefit of Smile Train and we look forward to this generation to join our cause and act on behalf   of children born with a cleft lip and/palate.” 

 

This Christmas, you can bring a smile to the lives of people by supporting the auction. Check outhttps://www.32auctions.com/smile2020 to view the artworks. The auction runs until 24 December. Donations are also accepted in the site.  You may also follow Riz through her Facebook and Instagram accounts @carizzze. For more information about Smile Train Philippines’ local efforts and to refer a patient in need, visit smiletrain.ph/get-help, follow Smile Train Philippines on Twitter and Instagram @SmileTrainPh, and like them on Facebook at @SmileTrainPhilippines.