11 ANTI-COVID INNOVATIONS BY HOTEL SOGO

1. UVC Disinfection of Rooms, Utensils, Key Cards & Cash
-Sogo was the first hotel, as early as March 2020, to use UVC (254nm) to fight Covid-19. Taking the cue from hospitals abroad, remote-controlled carts have been deployed for room disinfection. Compartments for utensils, key cards and cash were also fitted with UVC LEDs but kept away from personnel since 254 nm UVCs, while great for killing viruses may harm the skin and eyes.

2. FAR UVC Disinfection at Elevator Lobbies
-After extensive research, Sogo has acquired and tested the FAR UVC 222 nm lamps that effectively kill viruses while being harmless to humans. Just recently (2020 Q4) produced commercially, it is quite expensive and is sold by only a few manufacturers abroad. Sogo is the first hotel to install these revolutionary excimer lamps in all its elevator lobbies.

3. UVC Disinfection for Room Aircons
-All room aircons are to be fitted with specially manufactured UVC LEDs. Through germicidal irradiation, the UVC light attacks the DNA/DNR of micro-organisms, killing bacteria and viruses, and preventing their spread. As it is turned on with the aircon, room air is always sterilized each time it passes through the unit, ensuring the best possible room air quality for our guests.

4. Ventilation ACR is Doubled in Lobbies & Hallways
-The ACR (Air Change Rate) or the number of times the air is replaced for all general spaces is set at ≥ 4 per hour by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air-Conditioning Engineers). Sogo is doubling its current ACRs for intensified inflow of covid-free fresh air to accelerate indoor air replacement.

5. Covid Sniffer Dogs for Screening of Employees
-Dubai and Helsinki Airports have deployed Covid sniffer dogs to screen passengers and report a > 94% accuracy rate with dogs detecting the virus days before symptoms even start. Sogo has tied up with a leading K9 company, to have specially-trained Belgian Malinois dogs regularly screen its personnel for Covid.

6. Thermal Scan Controlled Doors
-For most branches, guests on their own, can get scanned before entry and if within the safe temperature limit, main doors will open automatically without need of any contact.

7. Microbial ATP Fluorescence Testing of Surfaces
-ATP (Adenosine TriPhosphate) Testing measures ATP content to indicate the presence and amount of microorganisms. Each branch has an Anti-Covid Team that regularly swabs high touch point surfaces that pass through ATP Fluorescence Detectors to verify microbial presence and effectivity of the new protocols.

8. Anti-Microbial Coatings on Furnishings, Fixtures & Touch Points
-Widely used in hospitals and mass transports in China, Hong Kong and Japan, these Polymer coatings are formed after spraying millions of nano-capsules with contact killing and anti-adhesion features that lasts for weeks. It effectively kills bacteria and viruses, including H1N1 and Covid. Sogo applies this over all furnishings and touch points.

9. Reduced Touch Points with No-Contact Fixtures (with photos of no-contact fixtures)
-A Sogo study shows that pre-pandemic, guests had a minimum of 59 Touch Points (TPs) during a typical hotel stay. Due to new protocols that include contact-less fixtures, TPs have been reduced by 40.7% with the goal to achieve a reduction of 66.1% with more advanced technology centered on cellphone use.

10. Multi-Stage Air Purifying Equipment in Lobbies
-To further sanitize indoor air, Sogo installed air-purifying equipment having several levels of filters: Pre-filter, Activated Carbon, HEPA (H11), with built-in Cold Catalysts, Ion Generators and UVC lights that eliminate allergens and pollutants such as dust, pollen, odor, bacteria, viruses, and even reduces carbon dioxide levels.

11. No-Contact Key
-Specially designed key (keychain) to avoid touching. This is one of our giveaways included in some of our promos.

Ang SOGO nag-iingat, parang Pag-iingat mo!

❤️ Mama Farrah

Eurotel grants scholarship to Pamantasang Lungsod ng Maynila Scholars Foundation, Inc. (PLMSFI) students

We all know that Pandemic hardly hit our lives, businesses slowly went down and worst leads to closure. All people suffers financially — employed from being unemployed, contract workers to non-income at all. Our youth is the most affected individuals from this chaos.

If there’s another lesson that the pandemic has brought us, it is the importance of education. While schools are reopening in some corners of the world after pandemic induced closures, the Philippines remain its classes shutdown due to COVID-19 crisis. With this, education is no exception, this catastrophe has exposed the numbers of insuffeciencies and partiality in our education system.

We’re thankful and grateful that some private companies are willing to help and prioritize helping children and youth in their education, like Eurotel Hotel. Through the initiative of Mr. Edmundo G. Las, Director of Eurotel Hotel, they are sponsoring 10 students from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila Scholars Foundation, Inc. (PLMSFI) for the year 2020-2021.

“As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility program, we at Eurotel Hotel are glad to helpout by granting these students the opportunity to learn and grow despite the pandemic. We believe that educationon is a vital part of growing not only as a person, but a responsible Filipino as well. I hope that they will not forget our simple gesture thus, learn to share with people whenever they can.” Mr. Ed Las shared.

Eurotel Hotel continues to take further its cause in extending help to the community, by helping PLMSFI scholars who are in need, despite the current pandemic situation.

“We are aware that in these trying times; education is not something to be overlooked. As we extend our assistance to these gifted individuals just as we hope for a better future. Like PLMSFI vision, we believe that no student must be deprived of a good college education. There is an old Chinese proverb that goes, “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody, and true happiness are found in helping others.” Mr. Edmundo added. The PLMSFI was established on August 1998 by a group of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) baccalaureate graduates it aims to preserve and promote the mark of PLM model university for the less privileged, intellectually deserving students of Manila. As of today, PLMSFI has fifty (50) scholar beneficiaries. Their goal for the next five years is to double the number of scholars or more and that would become possible if they can get more sustainable donations.

Dr. Edmundo G. Las, Director of Eurotel

“Even before the pandemic, there were major holes for many poor or low income families in the country who struggle to pay tuition fee for schools and lack of resources to cover emergency expenses. In this time of pandemic, all we need is care. We need more sensitivity. We need more people to care about one another; we should not let this pandemic, driven down the will and eagerness of the children and the youth to brighten up their education. Actions can really create hope,” the Director of Eurotel said.

True enough that the most generous heart remains humanity. We salute with great honor the persons behind Eurotel Hotel for being a ray of sunlight amidst chaos.

PH’s 1st Stevia grower-manufacturer bullish on financial outlook despite the pandemic

Glorious, popularly known as the country’s first Stevia company, is positive on its outlook despite almost 2-years in the pandemic as more and more people turn to healthier alternatives, sales of stevia products continue to grow.

According to agribusiness finance giant Rabobank, Stevia’s sales are expected to hit $700 million worldwide in the next few years.

Consumers in the Philippines can now get their calorie-free sugar needs from natural alternatives. Before, stevia was restricted to the health food market without any FDA approval. Recently, it is now widely used as a natural substitute for artificial sweeteners in many products.

“Stevia has been touted as a safe and healthy sugar substitute with proven health benefits. It can sweeten foods, and it has several health benefits, including decreased calorie intake, lower blood sugar levels, and less risk of cavities,” said Maura De Leon, the woman behind Glorious, the country’s first stevia grower and manufacturer.

While it has zero calories, stevia is 200 times sweeter than refined sugar and does not affect blood sugar. It is a popular option for people looking to lose weight but who want to reduce their sugar intake.

Stevia is an herb that has been grown in tropical climates for centuries. It is a small bushy plant that belongs to the sunflower family and grows in Paraguay and Brazil, but it can be quickly grown elsewhere. For centuries, the people of Paraguay add them to their foods as sweeteners, and countries like Korea, Brazil, China, Japan, and South America, have long used stevia.

Stevia products such as teas, juices, healthy coffees, chocolate beverages and natural sweeteners, manufactured by Glorious, are approved safe by the Food and Drug Association (FDA) even for people who have diabetes.

“Stevia is much sweeter than sugar, so you don’t have to add much. It’s good to note that the Philippines is also catching up on the use of this natural sweetener in various food preparations,” added De Leon.

Stevia is a natural sweetener taken from the leaves of a bushy shrub. The Stevia plant or (Stevia rebaudiana) has 150 species known to have originated from North and South America. Currently, it is produced by lots of countries, with China as the number one exporter of stevia products, and can be purchased at garden centers for home growing.

People who have diabetes can benefit from stevia. Choosing pure stevia extract can help maintain normal blood sugar levels and should be used in moderation. Stevia can also help cut down added sugar consumption, which can be beneficial for children. High sugar intake in children could lead to heart disease due to reconstructing triglyceride and cholesterol levels, contributing to children’s weight gain. Substituting added sugar for stevia can minimize these risks. At the same time, moderate consumption of foods with stevia and other sweeteners can prevent adverse side effects and promote overall health.

What’s even better is that you can add Stevia to make healthy desserts which are diabetic and keto friendly. This is great for people who have a sweet tooth but can’t indulge because of health restrictions.

Incidentally, all Glorious Blend beverages— from the 3-in-1, 5-in-1, 7-in-1 mixes, use Stevia which has no calories, no carbohydrates, and zero glycemic index. All of their instant drinks will keep you alert and energized throughout the day.

For more information about Glorious, the Stevia Company, check out https://gidc.com.ph/.

Simplify your Life and Spend Less

One of the best things with living in the Philippines is the relatively low cost of living. As compared to other countries, we get to enjoy a lot of necessities and even luxuries at a lower price. Sadly, however, electricity is not one of them. The Philippines currently has the 2nd highest electricity rate in the whole of Asia. Given this fact, it’s only natural to look for all opportunities one can have in saving and being energy and cost efficient.

Global leader and technology innovator LG Electronics has been at the forefront of designing with the consumer in mind. Nowadays, it isn’t enough for home appliances and electronics to be just state-of-the-art. It has to be at the same time, cleanly designed, simple, minimalist, multifunctional, and above everything, energy and cost efficient.  

LG’s advances in Inverter technology has always been about innovating towards one goal – less energy consumption, more savings for the end user. Through efficient design, consumers can live a lifestyle they’ve always dreamed of without having to worry about the electric bill every second. Each product has been designed in such a way that it goes above and beyond what’s expected.

The LG Smart Inverter Washing Machine, for example, is so energy efficient that it can use only 67wh (watt hours) of energy to do a cycle – less than what it takes to iron a shirt or 4 minutes of using a blow-dryer. For refrigerators, LG’s Inverter Linear Compressor keeps your food fresh longer by maintaining temperature fluctuation within ±0.5℃. This allows you to cook with fresh ingredients every day for your family, and minimizes spoilage. With air-conditioners, staying cool is made more efficient with the LG DUAL Inverter Compressor which reduces energy use up to 50％. Given our tropical climate and humidity, your family can enjoy a cool breeze whenever they want while using less electricity.

LG is designed to make life better. Whether it’s energy and cost efficiency, connectivity across multiple devices, or even artificial intelligence, every facet of LG’s design is conceptualized with efficiency and simplicity, giving you and your family more time and more savings.

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About LG Electronics

Life’s about more than having the latest technology, rather, it’s about the experiences technology creates that impact our lives. LG Electronics Philippines delivers consumer electronics through top-of-the-line home entertainment, home appliances, and air solution products, that prepare Filipinos for their greatest moments. LG promises to bring “Innovation for a Better Life” nationwide – from Luzon, to Visayas, and Mindanao.

For more details, log on to lg.com/ph, like @LGPhilippines on Facebook and follow @LGPhilippines on Instagram.

LG Shares the Good Life with Shelter of Hope

During the holidays late last year, LG, together with Netflix, held an intimate launch event for their Christmas animated feature film Klaus. True to the holiday spirit and the lessons ingrained in the movie, LG pledged to donate over 1 Million pesos worth of Home Appliances to Shelter of Hope/Silungan ng Pag-Asa, a temporary home of cancer-stricken kids from provinces.

The donations, which included a wide range of home appliances that will vastly improve the quality of life and enjoyment in the children’s home, was recently formally turned over into a small gathering to celebrate the month of love, as well as World Cancer Day which fell on Feb 4th. LG Managing Director Inkwun Heo, together with #TeamLG, gave the donations to Pastor Junior Antiñero of Shelter of Hope.

LG Managing Director Inkwun Heo and Pastor Junior Antiñero

“It is our privilege to be partners with Shelter of Hope. The bravery and strength of these children is something we can all look up to. To be able to give them happiness, no matter how small, is a goal that we constantly work towards for.” Mr. Heo said.

Pastor Junior gamely accepted LG’s gift. “We are deeply grateful of LG’s unwavering support for our cause. I, and more importantly the children, really appreciate it.”

After the donations were given away, the children from Shelter of Hope gave the audience a heartwarming treat with a moving performance.

The donations came in part of the #ShareTheGoodLifewithLG campaign during the holidays, where as a way of giving back to the community, LG dedicated a portion of each sale of each product to go towards furnishing the home of the Shelter of Hope.

The overwhelming feeling of Director Heo during Kids performances

God Bless you more LG for being generous and thank you for being the BIGGEST BLESSING of these Childrens life.

I feel so blessed and happy all at the same time watching these kids and can’t stop thinking how parents cope up with these feelings. How they accept the fact and reality that their children aren’t sure with their own lives.

Thanks Miss Millet for inviting me. Nice to meet you.

And yours truly on her #OOTD for LG EVENT!

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About LG Electronics

Life’s about more than having the latest technology, rather, it’s about the experiences technology creates that impact our lives. LG Electronics Philippines delivers consumer electronics through top-of-the-line home entertainment, home appliances, and air solution products, that prepare Filipinos for their greatest moments. LG promises to bring “Innovation for a Better Life” nationwide – from Luzon, to Visayas, and Mindanao.

For more details, log on to lg.com/Ph, like @LGPhilippines on Facebook and follow @LGPhilippines on Instagram.

❤️❤️❤️ Mama Farrah

Salceda proposes Universal Free Schools Meals Act to boost academic performance, guarantees nutritious meals to children in kindergarten and grade school

As part of his Comprehensive Education Reform Agenda, and in an effort to eliminate child hunger and malnutrition, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda (Albay, 2nd District) has filed a bill guaranteeing access to nutritious school meals for all kindergarten and grade school students.

“The most critical part of cognitive development is childhood, and when children are hungry, we cannot expect them to develop their full intellectual potential,” Salceda said. “That’s why we must consider child nutrition as part of our investment in education. Pointless kasing papasukin sa eskwela, damihan ang subject, tapos yung bata, gutom pala.”

Under Salceda’s bill, the Department of Education will implement a school-based feeding program for a minimum of one hundred twenty feeding days per school year to be done five days a week with one feeding activity per school day.

“Under my bill, children will at least be able to receive one nutritious meal while in school. The bill will also provide vitamin and mineral supplements, and milk products,” Salceda added.

The bill also encourages food production in schools, and the sourcing of food stuff for feeding programs from local farmers.

“In a sense, my bill also ensures a sure market for farmer produce. Nakakapanghinayang kapag nakikita mong nag-oovershoot ang production ng ilang gulay, kung pwede naming gamitin sa feeding program.” Salceda said.

Salceda’s proposal also encourages the DepEd to tap persons trained by the Technical Education and Skills Development Academy (TESDA) on food preparation, handling, and storage.

“In that way, one of its positive consequences is job creation and training on child nutrition.” Salceda said.

“The 2018 Expanded National Nutrition Survey of the United Nations Children’s Fund shows alarming undernutrition rates among Filipino children. Stunting is declining slowly, but the decline is marginal, from 34 percent in 2003 to 30 percent in 2018. This affects some 3.5 million children under 5 years of age,” Salceda’s explanatory note for the bill says.

“While just over 5 per cent of children were wasted, the numerical equivalent of this rate is around 650,000 children. Among them, some 300,000 are with the severest form of malnutrition and require treatment. The Philippines also has the highest rate of low birthweight – 1 in 5 children – in ASEAN.”

“These results correlate with the country’s performance in the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), which covered 79 countries, where Filipino students fared worst in reading comprehension and second lowest in both mathematical and scientific literacy. Underdevelopment of the brain and the body tend to result in poor performance in reading, math, science and all other education metrics.”

“As I said, we will move towards the Finnish model of education, where workloads are light, teachers teach well, students are job-ready, and school meals are guaranteed absolutely free,” Salceda said.

Earlier, Salceda has filed the Teacher Empowerment Act to lighten teachers’ administrative load and improve the quality of teaching, the K to 12 Reform Act to make students more job-ready, and the Meister Schools Act to close the country’s highly-technical skills gap. 

❤️Mama Farrah

A Mommy Forum for a Mother-Baby Friendly Philippines

Mommies unite for an afternoon to support and promote breastfeeding

Breastfeeding may be considered a challenging phase of motherhood but the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and babies truly make the journey worthwhile. While more and more mothers recognize that breastmilk will always be superior compared to formula milk, there is still a need to spread awareness on its benefits and to encourage people to support breastfeeding.

in response to the global campaign of protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding, World Vision Development Foundation, in partnership with the Department of Health, launched Mother-Baby Friendly Philippines. This two-year project aims to:

1. Support and strengthen the implementation of Executive Order 51 (The Philippine Milk Code of 1986), Republic Act 7600 (The Rooming-ln and Breastfeeding Act of 1992), and Republic Act 10028 (The Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009)

2. Increase awareness and educate health professionals and the public regarding these laws

3. Encourage people to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding by involving them in monitoring the implementation of breastfeeding laws in the country

Carleneth F. San Valentin, Health and Nutrition Technical Programme Manager of World Vision Development Foundation, beIieves that encouraging mothers to nurture their child is a way to empower a mother’s ability to breastfeed and care for their child. ”We are here to educate mothers so that they are empowered to make the right choice in nurturing and caring for their child. We want them to realize that if these laws are not implemented, we are impinging on their rights and of their child‘s,” she shared.

According to Dr. Anthony P. Calibo of the Department of Health, this responsibility to uphold the breastfeeding rights of mothers is not just the responsibility of concerned organizations and government sectors; it is a responsibility of the general public. ”If a mother is investing herself for the betterment of the future of her child, then she is also investing in the betterment of the future of this country,” he emphasized.

Anthony P. Calibo, BSPH, MD, DPPS

To stay true to their mission and vision for this project, the team conducted Mommy Forum: Mother~Baby Friendly Philippines last October 2, 2018 at Little Owl in New Manila. #MBFPH was graced by mom celebrities like Camille Prats Yambao, Jennica Garcia Uytingco and Erika Padilla.

Camille Prats-Yambao

Jennica Garcia-Uytingco

Erika Padilla, World Vision Breastfeeding Ambassador

Erika Padilla, World Vision Breastfeeding Ambassador, shared her breastfeeding journey. “It is a huge sacrifice. it is difficult, painful, and a lot of work. But definitely worth every single drop because I see my son getting stronger and healthier every day,” she recalled. Her story encouraged more moms to share and ask for more tips from Erika as well.

Rommel Fuerte, Executive Director of World Vision Development Foundation, reminds long-time moms and new moms the reason behind this gathering: the breastfeeding normalization is still a work in progress and it’s a must to constantly promote and protect breastfeeding to empower moms and to ensure a healthy start for their children.

Question and Answer Portion with the guest

To know how you can support Mother-Baby Friendly Phllipplnes, log on to http://mbfps.doh.gov.ph/ or dowload MBF PH via Google Play or Apple Store.

And here’s my #MamaFarrah goodness #OOTD and #MOTD.

♥️Mama Farrah

DepEd and URC Flour aid aspiring pastry chefs to reach their goals

From the creation of one-of-a-kind recipes to application of advanced technology in bread and pastry production, the country’s baking industry has gone a long way in terms of adapting to the changing times.

And to help support Philippine’s flourishing baking industry, URC flour and Pasta Division partnered with Department of Education (DepEd) to co-create a toolkit that will guide teachers as they help aspiring bakers and pastry chefs be a step closer to their dreams.

Senior high students enrolled to K-12’s Bread and Pastry production course, under the Technological Vocational Livelihood Track, are set to learn industry standards and practices through multimedia materials about the basics of baking.

 

 

The toolkit features instructional videos, presentation materials, lesson guides, and rubrics about baking bread, pastries, cakes and other flour based treats. These were collated by experts and culinary professors to ensure relevance and alignment to DepEd’s curriculum.

”Nowadays, we are seeing a thriving baking industry in the country. More students are becoming interested in the art of creating breads and pastries and we are happy to support them in their journey”. said Ellison Dean Lee, URC Flour VP and Business Unit General Manager. “As part of our Flourish Pilipinas campaign and with the vision to help develop young bakers, we are distributing these media toolkits to select schools nationwide to help teachers shape their students to become future world class bakers.”

URC Flour brands include Blend 100 Flour, Continental All Purpose-Flour, Daisy Cake Flour, Fibr A+ Whole Wheat Flour, Globe First-Class Flour, My Rose Soft Flour, and Sampaguita Soft Flour.

 

Under efforts to support senior high students enrolled to K-12’s Bread and Pastry Production course, Universal Robina Corporation (URC) Flour and Pasta Division partners with Department of Education (DepEd) to produce a multimedia toolkit teaching the basics of baking 

Universal Robina Corporation (URC) Flour and Pasta Division Partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd) to create baking multimedia toolkits to selected schools from Makati, Pasig and Quezon City

 

Thank you to Mommy Lariza and Sir Jerome for inviting me to witness the event launch. Selfie with Blogger friends.

And yours truly gracing the event! One for #OOTD 😍

♥️ Mama Farrah