Light The World Giving Machines Are Back to Bring Christmas Joy to Manila and Cebu

by Info @Brand Zone | November 10, 2023

This Christmas season, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites all to celebrate the birth and life of Jesus Christ by extending a loving hand to those in need by bringing back Light The World Giving Machines in the Philippines.

These “giving-focused” vending machines offer a fun yet spiritual aspect to the shopping

and gift-giving season in the Philippines. Unlike regular vending machines, the Giving Machines allow the public to participate in instant and affordable acts of service for fellow Filipinos in need.

With the generosity of our location partners, a Giving Machine will be hosted by Ayala Malls TriNoma in Quezon City and launched on November 9, 2023, at 11:00 AM on Level 4, near Cinema 1. In Cebu, another Giving Machine will be hosted by Ayala Center Cebu, and its launch will be held on November 16, 2023, at 11:00 AM, on Level 3 (between Casa Verde and Dessert Factory). All Giving Machines will be available during mall hours until January 1, 2024.

Items that are available through the Giving Machines this year include food packs, hygiene kits, educational materials, student financial aid, emergency and repair kits,

multivitamins, eyeglasses and eye-care packages, medical kits, water kits, crutches, wheelchairs, immunization packages, and psychosocial support, among others.

In the past, donations made through Giving Machines in the Philippines have only been

made using cash. This year, donors will be given the option to donate via cash or e-payment alternatives, including GCash and AliPay, making it easier to make cashless donations.

The Church covers all operational costs for every donated item made through the Giving

Machines, ensuring that 100 percent of every donation goes to the recipients identified by our participating nonprofit organizations, including Caritas Manila, Caritas Cebu, Feed The Children, Inc., HERO Foundation, Inc., Mabuhay Deseret Foundation and UNICEF.

As a special gift for select donors this year, some product cards inside the Manila Giving

Machines will contain unique Tabernacle Choir stickers. Donors can trade these stickers for special tickets for the upcoming February 2024 concert of the Choir in the Philippines.

The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, established in 1847, is a world-renowned choir

that has performed at many prestigious events, including US Presidential inaugurations.

Currently, the Choir is on its first-ever world tour, with the Philippines as its second stop after Mexico.

2 Since 2018, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has hosted Giving Machines

in the Philippines, one of just six countries worldwide to do so every Christmas season. To date, the Giving Machines have collected over US$22 million in donations for many beneficiaries across the globe.

Each Christmas season, the Church’s #LightTheWorld initiative invites all people to

follow the loving example of the Savior Jesus Christ, the Light of The World, by caring for

individuals one by one.

The Church hopes people may be inspired to find unique ways to love, share and invite

one another to light the world. As people worldwide inspire and help each other know how to let their light shine through Christ's teachings, His light and love will better reach those seeking healing, hope and true joy.

AHRF 2023, pinaigting ang layunin nito sa paglagda ng kasunduan

by Info @Brand Zone | November 6, 2023

Idiniin ng mga speaker at advocate ang kahalagahan ng "harm reduction" sa ginanap na media conference ng Asia Harm Reduction Forum (AHRF) 2023 sa Manila Prinde Hotel, kamakailan.

Layunin ng AHRF na palawakin ang kaalaman ng mga indibidwal, komunidad at gobyerno hinggil sa pagdedesisyon sa usaping kalusugan sa pamamagitan ng

accessible information at malayang diskusyon para mas maunawaan ang mga

benepisyo ng 'harm reduction.'

Ang “harm reduction” ay tumutukoy sa mga patakaran, programa, at kasanayan na nagpapaliit sa hindi magandang epekto sa kalusugan, panlipunan, at legal na paggamit, mga patakaran at mga batas sa droga. Nakatuon ito sa positibong pagbabago at sa pakikipagtulungan sa mga indibidwal.

Ilan sa mga keynote speaker sa nasabing forum ay sina Suely Castro, isang propesyonal na may higit sa dalawang dekada ng karanasan sa pakikipag-ugnayan para sa pagbabago sa pananaw ng publiko tungkol sa harm reduction, at Jeffrey Zamora, isang social media at marketing expert na isa ring harm reduction advocate.

“When we go and do events, we collaborate with people there, and we start at the very beginning, explaining what harm reduction is and building a foundation,” pahayag ni Castro.

Dagdag pa ni Castro, iniimbitahan raw nila ang mga industry expert at stakeholder para pag-usapan sa mga bansang may advance ng kaalaman tungkol sa 'harm reduction.' Nakikipag-ugnayan sila sa mga local partner para mas maintindihan nila ang usapin ukol dito sa bansa na kanilang pinupuntahan.

“We always have local partners because we want to understand the local issues and what is important for people,” sabi ni Castro.

Samantala, binigyang halaga naman ni Zamora ang mahalagang papel ng media para sa pagpapalaganap ng tamang impormasyon tungkol sa harm reduction.

“We’re trying to educate the media, legislators, and regulators about the sciences. When it comes to consumer organization, we show the science is available so they can learn slowly and get into that discussion,” wika ni Zamora.

Bago ang presscon, una nang idinaos ang mismong forum sa Manila Hotel noong October 19. Sentro sa talakayan ang wastong pagpapaalam sa publiko, pagtataas ng mga talakayan, at pagiging bukas para sa debate ay ilan lamang sa mga pamamaraan na makakatulong sa mas maraming tao na maunawaan ang pagbabawas ng pinsala sa personal na antas upang makatulong na hikayatin ang iba na humanap ng mas ligtas na mga alternatibo o huminto sa paggamit ng droga.

Ilan pa sa mga keynote speaker sa nasabing forum ay sina Professor Jay Jazul ng University of Santo Tomas, Martin Culliip, a former company director and International Fellow of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance Consumer Center, Dr. Rohan Sequeira, a consultant cardio-metabolic physician, at Dr. Pacifico Calderon, a Bayanihan Awardee at the Australian Alumni Excellence Awards 2022 for his leadership and contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlight din sa ginanap na presscon ang pagpirma ng mga speaker at advocate sa kasunduan na paigtingin ang layunin ng AHRF na ipahayag ang mga benepisyo ng nito. At para mas maraming masagip na buhay sa pamamagitan ng tamang impormasyon hinggil sa 'harm reduction.'

Over 13K delivery riders now have Pag-IBIG

by Info @Brand Zone | October 7, 2023

In a span of only three months after Pag-IBIG Fund entered partnerships with the country’s top transport networks to provide better access to its membership, 13,128 delivery drivers and riders have registered as Pag-IBIG members and now enjoy the agency’s benefits.

“We are very happy that a growing number of delivery riders are now part of the more than 15.6 million active members of Pag-IBIG Fund. As members of Pag-IBIG Fund, they now have secure savings and shall gain access to our affordable home loans. This is in line with our efforts to provide inclusive housing to all Filipino workers under the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Housing or 4PH Program of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.,” said Secretary Jose Rizalino L. Acuzar, who leads the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the 11-member Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees.

Earlier this year, Pag-IBIG Fund partnered with transport network & app-based courier companies Angkas, foodpanda, Grab, Lalamove and Pick-A-Roo. With the partnerships, delivery riders are provided better access to Pag-IBIG Fund membership to allow them to enjoy the agency’s benefits that include its Regular and MP2 Savings, short-term cash loans, affordable home loans and the Pag-IBIG Loyalty Card Plus.

Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Marilene C. Acosta, meanwhile, expects that the number of delivery riders who shall become Pag-IBIG Fund members will continue to rise, especially with the agency’s ongoing Pag-IBIG Asenso Rider Raffle Promo, a special raffle promo for delivery riders.

“We remain committed to our mandate of bringing the benefits of Pag-IBIG Fund membership to more Filipino workers. This includes our delivery riders, whose service have become vital in our daily lives. That is why in addition to bringing them better access to Pag-IBIG Fund membership, we are also providing our delivery riders the opportunity to win special prizes to help them with their livelihood with the Pag-IBIG Asenso Rider Raffle Promo. All these are among the many ways how we bring our Lingkod Pag-IBIG Brand of Service – Tapat na Serbisyo, Mula sa Puso - to our members,” Acosta added.