ILOILO: HEART of the PHILIPPINES

SM Group is donating over PhP 170 million towards the fight against COVID-19, surpassing its initial allocation of PhP 100 million, through the SM Foundation. Medical frontlines from Medical City Manila ready to fight COVID-19 in their PPE outfits from SM Foundation The initiative is to help ensure that Healthcare workers in hospitals nationwide are armored with personal protective equipment (PPEs) – full protective suits (including for ICU use), face shields, gloves, N95 masks, surgical masks, goggles, and including raincoats as requested by some hospitals as back-up alternatives.  Testing is made more widely available, by supporting and donating the local Manila Healthtek test kits developed by the UP-NIH team (upon DOH approval), providing the testing needs of RITM, and donating FDA-approved PCR kits sourced from Korea, and by providing ICU-grade ventilators to help hospitals manage patients with severe cases.  Dr. Gam Legaspi, Exec Director of PG...

You've probably seen those pictures of Metro Manila with the Sierra Madre mountains visible in the horizon. Or that of the megalopolis with clear blue skies and without that blanket of smog. How about that of Manila Bay with its waters comparable to the turqouise waters of Boracay? But my favorite is the of the iconic Manila sunset framing the gigantic cross atop Mt. Samat in Bataan. LOCKDOWN.  With less people on the move means less pollution on and above the ground (no planes either) revealing clear blue skies and Mother Nature reminding us what we haven't seen.  But Iloilo is no stranger to blue skies as it is less polluted compared to the big city. But that didn't hinder the wild imagination and creative editing skills of JM Acuña (Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/jmikz ) to create an imaginary scenario of what's "hidden in and around Iloilo City under the clearer blue skies..." EIFEL TOWER . The iconic Parisian landmark is ...

SM Foundation and Uniqlo extends assistance to the families of the SM Cares Village in Brgy. Bacjawan Sur in Concepcion, Iloilo. The SM Cares Village is a permanent relocation village for 200 families displaced during Typhoon Yolanda built and funded by SM group of companies in a lot donated by Mrs. Ruth Tirol-Jarantilla. The beneficiaries received food packs and distribution was facilitated by the Barangay and Village Association officials led by Punong Barangay Nonny Navarro Villarias, while observing protocols of Social Distancing and wearing of masks. The assistance comes as a relief for the families, whose livelihood were affected brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photos from Concepcion Mayor Raul Banias fb page)

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) through its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has launched the DOTr COVID-19 hotlines in partnership with Globe Telecom to help motorists, commuters, and the general public with their road, aviation, and maritime concerns during the virus outbreak. All calls to the hotline are free of charge for all Globe and TM customers whether they are using Globe landline or mobile phone service. Health workers in Metro Manila may call (02) 7980-2387, (02) 7980-2390, (0917) 876-8635, and (0917) 876-8523) for their transportation questions while inquiries about the aviation sector, particularly, the airports, may be directed to (02) 7980-2391, (02) 7980-2392, (0917) 876-8573, and (0917) 802-2224.  The public may contact (02) 7980-2394 and (0917) 876-8594 for any concern related to the operations of ports, cargo, and sea vessels. "The DOTr is always ready to listen and help the public especially now that the country is facing a hu...

Studying or working from home, or mostly known as “telecommuting,” can be beneficial for families as it enables flexibility of work schedule, eliminates daily commute, increases productivity and promotes work-life balance. Technology and the internet now make it easier than ever to work and study from home, as there’s an app or website that can help. For parents working at home, there are also many ways to support your kids and enable them to have fun in their home-schooling.  Here’s what you’ll need to successfully work from or study at home: Free apps for virtual meetings You don’t need to be together in one place to have meetings! If you’re working from home, you would need a reliable online tool for your scheduled virtual meetings. Software like Google Hangouts, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and even Facebook Messenger allow you to hold meetings over the internet, with options to enable video, virtual presentation, and convenient file-sharing as ...

Globe successfully raised and turned over P14M to the PGH Medical Foundation, Inc. (PGH-MFI). The amount was gathered through the joint efforts of loyal Globe customers who donated over P9M via their Rewards points, and the company’s initial pledge of P5M in cash donation. This is part of the telco’s comprehensive efforts in providing immediate aid to medical frontliners at PGH, which is now a designated exclusive COVID-19 hospital by the Department of Health (DOH). The funds were utilized by PGH-MFI to purchase much-needed test kits, alcohol, and complete sets of personal protective equipment (PPEs) such as surgical masks, face shields, and surgical gowns. Globe also turned over 50 mobile phones preloaded with unlimited calls and texts to all networks valid for 30 days to serve the communication needs of healthcare workers and frontliners at PGH. “We are overwhelmed with gratitude to all customers who stand together with us in our ongoing fight against...

Property giant Megaworld is donating 1,000 liters of disinfectant alcohol to the Iloilo City Government for the use of its healthcare and medical personnel in various hospitals and public health centers, as the city is placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).  Morever, the Andrew Tan-led company will also distribute 3,000 grocery packs to the various barangays affected by the quarantine.  This also includes the families of construction workers in Iloilo Business Park that have been affected by the work stoppage due to the ECQ declaration in the city.  "We are extending our helping hand to the people of Iloilo during this challenging time. We hope that our donation will be able to help the various communities in Iloilo City, most especially our healthcare workers and frontliners" says Kevin Andrew L. Tan, chief strategy officer, Megaworld.  Aside from this, Megaworld will also distribute food packs to bord...

QUARANTINE. LOCKDOWN. PANDEMIC. CORONAVIRUS. COVID-19 These words could easily qualify  as top contenders for Merriam Webster's annual Word of the Year recognition. And there's no need to explain further as they are almost anywhere and everywhere during this trying times. As the whole of humanity battles this pandemic, the citizens of the world actually literally feel these two words - LOCKDOWN and QUARANTINE which are the common practice worldwide in the fight againts CoViD-19. I got these simple, direct to the point and easy to understand (if you know the Filipino language) pointers online and it easily explains why we all need to #StayAtHome if we have nothing important to do outside our houses -  It first describes the two types of CoViD-19 infections - Asymptomatic and Symptomatic, giving examples and easy to understand explanations. Asymptomatic are those showing no symptoms at all and are still healthy looking while those ...

GMA Regional TV reaffirms its commitment to deliver news and other relevant updates to all Kapuso in the regions across the Philippines via its award-winning regional newscasts—GMA Regional TV Balitang Amianan, GMA Regional TV Balitang Bisdak, GMA Regional TV One Western Visayas, and GMA Regional TV One Mindanao. Pioneering unified Hiligaynon newscast GMA Regional TV One Western Visayas delivers the freshest news and information in Western Visayas. The Kapuso newscast is anchored by Atty. Sedfrey Cabaluna with Bacolod co-anchor and correspondent Adrian Prietos, and Iloilo co-anchor Kaitlene Rivilla. Together with them are the newscasts’ award-winning correspondents Zen Quilantang, Darylle Marie Sarmiento, and John Sala along with the network of stringers across Western Visayas. GMA Regional TV One Western Visayas is available via GMA TV 6 Iloilo, GMA TV 6 Guimaras, GMA TV 13 Bacolod, GMA TV 30 Kanlandog, GMA TV 10 Sipalay, GMA TV 5 R...

Sec. Michael Lloyd L. Dino,  Presidential Assistant for the Visayas issued a memorandum this afternoon ordering the imposition of a 24-hour curfew among persons aged 65 and up, including all students amid the COVID-19 pandemic. All Visayas LGUs are advised to issue the corresponding ordinances implementing the said guidelines not later than 3pm of March 22, 2020. The AFP and PNP are directed to render full assistance to LGUs in the implementation of their respective ordinances. Read the full advisory below.

Iloilo City is under Enhanced Community Quarantine due to the global pandemic CoVid-19. And starting March 21, 2020, Mayor Treñas announced that the public utility transportation operations will be suspended as coordinated with the LTFRB.  However upon request by the city mayor, yhe  LTFRB organized 10 buses and approved the 8 routes starting at March 21, 2020 from 5AM until 8pm. With the assurance of the LTFTB if there is a great need, additional buses can be mafe available in the following days. Here's a summary of this Lockdown Bus Routes 10 Ceres Buses with option to add more 8 Routes within the city FREE to health workers upon ID presentation PhP 10 regular fare Social Distacing must be observed. In addition to this memo, tricycles will be allowed for local roads.

With the unprecedented global health crisis, companies under SM today stand in solidarity with the nation and the citizenry in the battle against COVID-19. SM today assured all of its employees their regular compensation as well as the extension of an Emergency Financial Assistance to its front liners, security guards and janitorial staff during the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) period from March 16 to April 14, 2020. The extent of this assistance includes the following: All employees will receive their regularly scheduled salaries during the ECQ period without deductions made against their Vacation and Sick Leaves; The company’s front liners, who comprise the skeletal workforce, will, in addition, be provided with premium pay; All Security Guards and Janitorial staff will receive financial assistance of PHP5,000 for the period. It is focused on helping these key resources so that they in turn can be of service to others. ...

The Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) announced on March 17, 2020, the establishment of a P100 million fund to help fight the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The fund earmarked by GBF is over and above the ongoing initiatives that the various companies under the Gokongwei Group, one of the largest and highly diversified conglomerates in the country, are spearheading on their own. In announcing its initiative, the philanthropic arm of the Gokongwei Group said that the P100 million fund will be used to support two key beneficiaries: national and local frontline health providers currently serving in various hospitals to combat the dreaded disease and the local communities where the conglomerate’s various businesses operate. As an immediate step, GBF will provide urgently needed personal protective equipment (PPE) such as surgical masks for healthcare frontliners, as well as rapid test kits. The U.P. Medical Foundation and PGH Medical Foundation ar...

In support to Philippine General Hospital (PGH), Research Instutute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), and other government hospitals for their urgent needs and for improving their laboratory testing capacity, SM allots PhP 100M to help medical front liners to combat CoVid-19. SM has also allocated PPEs and medical supplies to the UP Medical Foundation Inc. to reach a wider network of hospitals. To improve availability of tests, SM has reached out to Manila Healthtek Inc. to distribute 20,000 tests for free to government hospitals, once approved for use. “To ensure the safety of medical frontliners, SM is bringing in personal protective equipment (PPE) - face masks, gowns, visors, hoods, gloves, and shoe covers, as well as urgent medical supplies to help government hospitals who badly need them,” said SM Prime’s Hans Sy.

■ ILOILO to MANILA as low as PhP 899 ■ 50 kilograms baggage allowance ■ Includes Meals and Travel Insurance ■ Booking period : March 12 to 16, 2020 ■ Travel period : March 18 to Nov. 30, 2020 2GO Travel, one of the largest sea travel providers in the Philippines is further expanding its network and increasing its frequency amongst ports to further make sea travel accessible and affordable. The added frequency from Bacolod and Iloilo to Cagayan De Oro will allow passengers to easily traverse the Visayas-Mindanao nautical highway all while enjoying onboard amenities and services.  2GO is offering a special promo fare of P899 with inclusions of meals, 50 kg baggage allowance, and travel insurance. Booking and travel period is ongoing until March 31, 2020.  As a special treat to Ilonggos and Bacolodnons, 2GO is also offering Bacolod and Iloilo to Manila trips for as low as P899 with all the similar inclusions of meals, baggag...