ILOILO: HEART of the PHILIPPINES

In celebration of the Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, The Medical City (TMC) Iloilo launches the “Pink Solidarity”, an awareness advocacy campaign that promotes early detection and prevention of breast cancer.  The Medical City Iloilo CEO Dr. Felix Ray Villa and Festive Walk Iloilo Marketing Manager Karmela Jesena lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony of TMC Iloilo Pink Solidarity Booth. According to the 2018 Globocan Philippines report, breast cancer remains to be the top cancer type in the Philippines comprising 17.6% of the total number of new cancer cases recorded in the country. The report furthered that though breast cancer is most common among women, there are also reported cases that it can also happen among men.   “The Medical City Iloilo as a trailblazer in heathcare in Western Visayas remains to be steadfast in its thrust to promote health awareness and education specifically on breast cancer,” said TMC Iloilo Chief Executive Officer Dr. Felix Ray Villa.  T

Moviegoers can once again experience the thrill of watching movies on the big screen as Festive Walk Cinemas at Festive Walk Iloilo reopens this October 28. Featured on this movietime comeback are the much anticipated screening of Korean blockbuster Train to Busan: Peninsula (Extended Version) and psycho-thriller Unhinged .  With movie-goers’ safety and sanitation as the top priority, Festive Walk Cinemas is implementing the following measures:  ● One-seat apart policy  ● Limited number of seats for sale per screening  ● Online ticket purchase is highly encouraged  ● Contactless payment options are available  ●Frequent cleaning throughout the cinema facilities  ● Mandatory check-in procedure: temperature check, health declaration & foot bath  ● All entrances are equipped with hand sanitizers  For a contactless and hassle-free experience, film buffs can purchase their movie tickets and snacks through www.blockbusterseats.com or buy cashless using GCash, PayMaya, We

SM Foundation (SMFI) announced the start of the online application period for the SM College Scholarship program for School Year 2021-2022 which will open on January 1 and end on February 28, 2021. The SM College Scholarship Program started from the vision of the late SM patriarch, Henry “Tatang” Sy, Sr. He believed that if you send one child from an economically challenged family to college, that child would have more opportunities to have gainful employment and later on uplift the economic status of his/her family. The SM scholarship program is open to the following: •  Grade 12 public high school graduates from schools in the areas covered; or • Grade 12 graduates from private schools in the areas covered (given that they have Department of Education (DepEd) voucher and finished Junior High from a public school) - General Weighted Average grade of at least 88% or its equivalent for Grade 12 – 1st semester - Total household income of at most P150,000 per year. The program

" As a candidate, I know I'm not just a face of Iloilo City. But I am here carrying hope as a symbol of light in the darkest times."  Rabiya Mateo's answer to the question "This pandemic has made clear our priorities, essential or non-essential... Where do pageants stand in this crisis?" sealed her fate to the Miss Universe Philippines 2020 crown in a taped as live grand coronation ceremony held at Baguio Country Club in Baguio City. Completing her answer to the applause of the viewsers " As of the moment, I want to help my community. I want to use my strength to make an impact. "And that is the essence of beauty pageants—it gives us the power to make a difference." A consistent crowd favorite, Rabiya aced not the just the Q&A portion but also gave a total performance during the show. She was adjudged Best in Swimsuit in the preliminaries. The Top 5 candidates were given two consecutive questions for the Q&A round. When

A proposal a for government center in Brgy. Bolong Oeste, Santa Barbara, Iloilo is "in the works" as engineering plans for this complex made rounds on social media.  To be located on the lot owned by the Iloilo Province, the complex will house a multi storey main government center building with multi level parking complemented by commercial areas which includes BPOs, hotels or travelers inn and other shops. The proposed government center will also complement the regional offices of several national agencies such as the Department of Health DOH, Department of Interior and Local Government DILG, Office of Civil Defense OCD and PhilHealth among others. The DOH and DILG buildings are already halfway in their construction phase and others will follow suit. DOH 6 Regional Office under construction Also, adjacent to the area is an existing government building shared by DPWH and TESDA.  The lot is along the multi-lane Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr highway which connects

In a bid to promote health and safety and economic recovery, The Medical City (TMC) Iloilo is hosting a free webinar series via Zoom tailored to different industries starting this October until December.  Entitled “Creating a Safe Wakanda”, the said webinar series will tackle topics on infection prevention and control measures that could be beneficial to different businesses in Iloilo.  The webinar will feature infection control experts who will be providing important and critical inputs specifically tailored to the needs of each industry and business.  The following schedules are already set for those companies who want to pre-register:  October 22, 2020 • BPO Companies  October 29, 2020 • Hotels and Restaurants  November 12, 2020 • Malls, Banks, and Restaurants  November 26, 2020 • Gyms, Spas, Salons and Wellness Centers  December 10, 2020  • Utility Companies, Factories, and Fieldwork  This is open to all employees especially to management personnel, Human Resource prac

Global tech care company Asurion recently announced it is opening a new tech support customer service center in Iloilo, Philippines as the company expands its presence in the country and continues to fill the growing consumer demand for round-the-clock tech support for phones and smart home devices. Asurion’s new home in Iloilo City is at the 76,000 square feet new office space at Two Fintech Place in the Iloilo Business Park in the Mandurriao district of Iloilo.  The location also provides additional office space to accommodate future growth. “We are excited to expand our Philippines operations to Iloilo City, which will help us attract additional talent as the global demand for tech help continues to grow. We look forward to becoming a part of the Iloilo community,” said Gareth Boulton, Asurion Director of Care Operations in the Philippines. Asurion's Gareth Boulton Asurion is expected to create more than 1,200 local full-time jobs within 2021 for technical support custo

Shopping for your favorite cruelty-free essentials is just a few clicks away as the Body Shop goes on-line at www.thebodyshop.com.ph . Add to your cart The Body Shop’s new products your skin will absolutely thank you for.  🧡Autumn is coming, and The Body Shop has brewed up the cosiest scent with Special Edition Vanilla Pumpkin collection. Like sugar, spice and everything nice, these body care treats are sure to keep you feeling toasty warmed with notes of pumpkin, hazelnut caramel, maple syrup and almond milk. 💚 Refresh your body care and bath time routine with The Body Shop’s instantly cooling new collections. The Special Edition Cool Cucumber range feels instantly cooling on skin and smells unbelievably refreshing; while the zingy Special Edition Zesty Lemon range keeps things fresh and is the perfect way to kickstart your morning.  💜Inspired by superfood ingredients from around the world, the new The Body Shop Hair & Body Mist collection are cute and colorful feel-go

The pandemic had severe effects on families and communities in the country not only because of the fear over COVID-19 but also because of how it disrupted their livelihoods. Many businesses shut down, causing widespread loss of jobs. For those who still had some income left, they could not so easily access their cash at banks and ATMs because public transportation was shutdown during the lockdown and quarantine periods.  Still, some residents were fortunate that there were Cash Agad partner agents in their communities who were ready to provide banking services even amid the pandemic. Cash Agad is the solution provided by BDO Unibank to unbanked and financially underserved communities, especially those places where setting up a building or bank branch or even an ATM machine would prove to be impractical and unfeasible.  While Cash Agad partner agents were also affected by the restrictions of the community quarantine, they were still able to help their respective barangays and are no

One of the most attractive yet very elusive ancestral houses in Iloilo is the  Sanson y Montinola   Mansion  also known as the  Antillan House . Located in the so-called Millionaire's Row in the district of Jaro beside Colegio de San Jose, this mansion patterned after the homes in the Antilles in the Caribbean is a sight to behold inside out. The family used to own vast tracts of land surrounding the mansion - the land where Colegio de San Jose is a donation, the land at the back where SM Hypermarket stands (and further than that) and up front it extends up to SM City Iloilo. If one could only imagine, the mansion was like an "island in the middle of the sea of greeneries".   It was through Iloilo's heritage advocates that the elusiveness of this ancestral house, from me, has finally stopped. I was privileged to have accessed the house together with fellow blogger and photographer Estan Cabigas of Langyaw blog. As the skies darke