THE Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Cinemalaya Foundation, Inc. announced that the online screenings of the 2022 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival will not push through. The decision came upon consultation with the filmmakers who have been preparing and looking forward to competing in various international film festivals.
Initially, the 18th edition of the country’s largest film festival would have its online release this October.
According to the Cinemalaya organizing committee, filmmakers will lose their chance to compete in international festivals when films are shown online outside of the Cinemalaya festival proper.
Diarrhea remains to be one of the leading causes of death among children under five years old both worldwide and in the Philippines, according to the Department of Health. Unfortunately, proper food, nutrition, and sanitation are not high priorities as most Filipino families live below the poverty line, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Erceflora Kiddie hopes to address this deeply rooted problem through their “Batang Matatag” (Resilient Child) campaign.
“Access to basic health services, clean water and hygiene facilities, as well as nutritious food, remains to be a public concern to children, especially to those who reside in far-flung areas of the country,” said J Ann Mirasol, Head of Marketing of Sanofi Consumer Health Care.
“That is why Erceflora Kiddie is committed to helping build a campaign that boosts children’s resilience and gut health. Erceflora Kiddie is a great product to help address gut imbalance, but we realized we needed to take more concrete action and address the misconceptions about hygiene through education on food, gut resilience, and proper hygiene and create community kitchens that
can provide regular access to clean water and nutritious food in the area,” she said. “This is how ‘Batang Matatag’ came about.” World Bank Group’s Undernutrition report states that one in three children younger than five years old suffer from stunting or being too small for their age. This issue is linked to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene and could often lead to repeated cases of diarrhea. Unfortunately, the report also states that several regions in the country have levels of stunting that exceed 40% of the population. Among these regions, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) stands out with 45% of children under five stunted.
“A big challenge in BARMM is the lack of access to clean, nutritious food, and so we’re looking at communities in the region where our efforts through the ‘Batang Matatag’ campaign can really make a difference,” Mirasol said. “Illnesses like diarrhea leads to stunting of the development of Filipino youth which could also incite detrimental effects on their productivity and learning as they grow older.”
According to UNICEF Philippines, poor nutrition at such an early period can have irreversible effects on the mental and physical development of children, affecting their performance in school, later, their ability to earn as an adult, and ultimately, their quality of life as a person.
“Despite decades of economic growth, these irreversible effects could cause the country a significant loss in human and economic potential, which is the biggest driver as to why we created the campaign,” Mirasol underscored.
Erceflora Kiddie believes that good nutrition is critical in building a foundation for economic prosperity. Filipino children who receive optimal nutrition will experience proper cognitive development and a greater chance to succeed. Through the “Batang Matatag” campaign, the company wants to give the children in BARMM a chance to grow and live life as a productive Filipino who can contribute to the growth of the country.
“We hope that this partnership between Erceflora Kiddie and Save the Children could potentially lead BARMM and the country one step closer to improving the health and nutrition status of the Filipino youth,” said Vanee Gosengfiao, General Manager of Sanofi Consumer Health Care.
A new fantasy open-world RPG is heading to PC and mobile this August!
Titled Tower of Fantasy (ToF), this new game is pretty similar to Genshin Impact, the RPG game that took the world by storm. Aside from the similar aesthetics of anime characters and lush world, the new game also adds a futuristic spin to its alien world of Aida. You can also play with friends in its shared open world.
Here’s the official synopsis for the game:
In Tower of Fantasy, dwindling resources and a lack of energy have forced mankind to leave earth and migrate to Aida, a lush and habitable alien world. There, they observed the comet Mara and discovered an unknown but powerful energy called “Omnium” contained in it. They built the Omnium Tower to capture Mara, but due to the influence of Omnium radiation, a catastrophic disaster occurred on their new homeworld.
ToF also promises an interesting roster of characters, each with unique weapons and backstories you can explore. Some of these characters have already been revealed on their website, including Zeke, Shirli, Nemesis, and Frigg.
So when can you play Tower of Fantasy here in the Philippines? You can now pre-load the game for free on PC, Android, and iOS, but the global servers will officially open tomorrow, August 11. For more information, visit the official Tower of Fantasy website.
In celebration of the National Children’s Book Day (NCBD), the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), in partnership with the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) is holding a series of book activities for children this month.
Themed “Tahanan ng Katotohanan: Aklatan!” the celebration aims to promote the significance of truth/truth-telling.
The CCP, together with The Independent Publishers Collab Philippines, a community of small press, launched the ‘Tahanan ng Katotohanan: Aklatan Online Children’s Book Fair’ featuring children’s books and other literary works from independent publishers. It will run until the end of July 2022 and can be accessed through the official Facebook pages of the CCP, CCP Intertextual Division, and TIPCPH.
On July 19, at 10 a.m., the PBBY will recognize this year’s Alcala and Salanga Prize winners through a virtual ceremony that will be streamed on the official Facebook pages of CCP and PBBY.
NCBD is celebrated every third Tuesday of July, not only to commemorate the date of the publication of Jose Rizal’s “The Monkey and the Turtle” in Trubner’s Oriental Record in London, but also to highlight the importance of nurturing young readers’ curiosity and imagination.
For details, visit the following Facebook pages: Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Philippine Board on Books for Young People. For inquiries, contact the CCP Intertextual Division at 8551-5959, 0919-3175708 or send an email to ccpintertextualdivision@gmail.com.
The young man with chainsaws for limbs has returned! The hit gory manga series Chainsaw Man is finally back to begin its Part 2 after having a 2-year hiatus.
This manga created by Tatsuki Fujimoto was quick to become a rising title in the world of manga, thanks to the chaotic fun it delivers to readers. The fandom was further fueled by the announcement that the manga was being adapted into an anime series by Studio Mappa, the same studio behind Attack on Titan season 4 and Jujutsu Kaisen.
While there’s no release date yet for the anime, the Chainsaw Man manga series will release new chapters every Tuesday. You can now read the first chapter of Chainsaw Man part 2 for free on the Shonen Jump website.
Chainsaw Man follows the young man Denji, who uses his Devil dog Pochita as a weapon to kill Devils for the Yakuza. When the Yakuza betrays him and he was left to die in the hands of the Zombie Devil, Denji is saved by his Devil dog who fuses with him, turning him into the Chainsaw Man– a human-devil hybrid with chainsaws protruding out of his arms and on top of his head.
Zatanna is bringing her magic to the Victorian era where she must track down the notorious Jack The Ripper in the new digital comic from Webtoon and DC, Zatanna and The Ripper.
Webtoon has just revealed the trailer for this new title they’ve created with DC. Watch the video below:
Some mysteries can only be solved backwards. Zatanna & the Ripper only on WEBTOON.
Popular DC heroine Zatanna Zatara is attacked by a mysterious sorceress on her 21st birthday. Her father saves her at the last second, sending Zatanna back to 1888 at Whitechapel, London. Zatanna soon discovers that the serial killer Jack The Ripper is lurking on the streets and so she sets out to capture him with the help of the denizens of Whitechapel and the assistance of John Constantine while trying to find her way home.
Created by writer Sarah Dealy and illustrator Syro, Zatanna and The Ripper is the latest title under DC and Webtoon’s partnership, joining Batman: Wayne Family Adventuresand Vixen: NYC. You can now read the first three episodes of Zatanna and The Ripper for free on the Webtoon website.
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In celebration of its 10th year anniversary, Grab Philippines recently held GrabNEXT – an annual merchant conference offering best-in-class learning and networking opportunities to tens of thousands of brands and MSMEs on the Grab platform.
Aptly themed Dare. Dream. Deliver, this year’s GrabNEXT Conference focused on helping more entrepreneurs on the Grab platform scale, succeed, and become Biga10s with the help of various tools, programs, and initiatives – all made accessible to them through the Grab superapp and platform.
The GrabNEXT Conference featured insightful talks with GrabNEXT host Raphael Resus, Let’s Eat Pare’s Mark Del Rosario, media personality Christine Bersola-Babao, culinary artist and TV host Chef Jeremy Favia (left), and Grab Philippines Head for Deliveries Enterprise Martin Luchangco (right)
Ready, get set, dare to take the next step with Grab!
Grab Philippines Head for Deliveries Enterprise Martin Luchangco unveiled several key programs and features to better support the continued growth of Grab merchant-partners.
● Scan to Order – Grab’s latest feature allowing consumers to easily view and place their dine-in orders through the Grab app, help improve operational-efficiency while enhancing consumer dining experience.
● GrabMerchant Community – an exclusive online community where best-practices, tips, and feedback are shared among Grab merchant-partners, encouraging local businesses to empower and support each other.
● Mastercard Business Tool Kit – Grab has teamed up with Mastercard to produce 20 educational videos on financial literacy, digital marketing and business expansion, and will be available to all Grab merchant-partners through the GrabMerchant app this July 2022.
● GrabMerchant Masterclass – exclusive learning opportunitiescarefully designed and tailored to meet the needs of merchant-partners covering courses on business management such as Cashflow and Budgeting, Digital Marketing, and Customer Service, as well as food safety certification courses in partnership with the Food Safety and Hygiene Academy of the Philippines (FoodSHAP)
MSMEs need the right online visibility to help scale their businesses, and critical to this is finding the right mix of advertising and marketing solutions. GrabAds Philippines Client Partner Manager Rina Laurel shared how merchants can better maximize their online presence through several GrabAds solutions that can cater to any goal whether it’s highlighting a specific product with the Banner Ads or gaining insights on brand visibility through Self-Serve Reporting.
Miruku Milk Tea Cafe and Rodolfo Pizzeria are two Biga10 merchant partners who were able to successfully grow their businesses through GrabAds solutions. For Miruku Milk Tea Cafe, GrabAds’ Ad Manager helped grow the sales of their Japan-inspired beverages and light snacks – especially when walk-in sales severely dropped during the lockdowns. Rodolfo Pizzeria improved the online visibility and doubled their sales for their Italian pizzas and pastas with the help of GrabAd’s merchant-friendly Search Ads feature.
Grab Financial Philippines Head of Lending Erwin Yamsuan reinforced Grab’s commitment to the success of merchant partners through Quick Cash – a financial lending program exclusive to Grab Merchant partners. Through Quick Cash, Grab Merchant Partners can access pools of financial support from Grab to help with their daily business needs, and support their long-term growth prospects.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Assistant Secretary Mary Jean Pacheco (left) gave insights on the growing e-commerce landscape while Country Head of Grab Philippines Grace Vera Cruz (right) assured merchant-partners of Grab’s commitment to being their partner in growth for many more years to come.
Turning businesses’ food business dream into reality
GrabNEXT also showcased several thought leaders and industry experts such as culinary artist and TV host Chef Jeremy Favia, Let’s Eat Pare founder Mark del Rosario, and media personality Christine Bersola-Babao – where they shared various insights and best practices on encouraging culinary creativity, and the value of building a community in empowering small and local food businesses.
Grab’s government partners such as the DOST and DTI also shared valuable insights to the merchant partners – from trends in food packaging and processing; as well as the latest tools in the growing e-commerce landscape in the Philippines.
Delivering your products the best way possible
To equip its merchant-partners with fresh and actionable insights, Grab also released its 2022 Food and Mart Trends which includes the shift in consumer trends from 2021 to 2022, analyses of Grab’s most frequent consumers, and the top categories consumers crave for on GrabFood.
“Our merchant-partners play a key role in Grab’s mission and journey in the Philippines, and we are truly grateful for the unwavering trust, support, and loyalty that they have given to Grab throughout these years. Grab has been a growth enabler to many MSMEs during the height of the pandemic, and as we continue to invest our technology, expertise, and platform to help more businesses scale and succeed in the new normal, we are poised that Grab will continue to be every MSMEs partner for growth in the many years to come,” says Grace Vera Cruz, Country Head of Grab Philippines.
Dare, dream, deliver with Grab today! Kickstart your BIGA10 journey by signing up to be a GrabFood merchant and going to https://www.grab.com/ph/merchant/food/, and keep updated on all current activities of Grab Philippines by following their Facebook and Instagram.
After introducing numerous versions of the friendly neighborhood hero Spider-Man through the multiverse, Marvel has now revealed its latest iteration of the web-slinger: Web-Weaver, the first gay Spider-Man who will debut at Edge ofSpider-Verse #5 this September.
According to Comicbook.com, the new character created by Steve Foxe and Kris Anka is a “not-so-mild fashion designer at Van Dyne” who will show us a very different kind of “Spider-Slayer”. While the character’s civilian identity is yet to be revealed, Foxe teased on Twitter that Web-Weaver’s fearlessly femme identity will be a unique step in terms of LGBTQ+ representation.
“Something I realized immediately when conceiving Web-Weaver is that he can’t–and shouldn’t–represent ALL gay men,” tweeted Foxe. “No single character can. His fearlessly femme identity is central to who he is, but it’s not the STORY…which you can experience for yourself in September!”
Anka also shared on Twitter her design and inspiration for Web-Weaver:
Web-Weaver my design for the brand new Spider, debuting in Edge of Spider-verse 5 pic.twitter.com/vl2qVUtGVq
Written by Dan Slott, Mark Bagley, and more, the new Edge of Spider-Verse limited series is set to begin publishing its first issue this August 3. The series will bring back classic Spider-Man variants such as Spider-Man Noir and Spider-Gwen, as well as introduce a slew of new Spidey variants from the Spider-Verse. The limited series will also set the stage for the new epic, The End of Spider-Verse slated for release later this year. For more details, visit the Marvel website.
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Through their participation in and sponsorship of multiple Pride Month parades and in-person and virtual events and activities to foster an inclusive workplace culture, TIP has demonstrated its long standing support for the LGBTQIA+ community since the company’s inception in 2005. This year, one of TIP’s Pride events was dedicated to self-expression, enabling the community to celebrate their authentic selves through a Design Your Own Pride Jacket activity and fashion show.
Celebrating Pride Month in 2022 through Fashion and Personal Expression
“Coming together to celebrate Pride Month has become an annual tradition for TELUS International Philippines. This year, one of the ways we wanted to share our fun and diverse culture is through a highly engaging event that’s focused on expressing oneself through fashion and finding pride in one’s style,” said Warren Tait, Global Vice President of Brand, Marketing, Culture and Facilities at TELUS International.
With the Design Your Own Pride Jacket activity, attendees had an opportunity to express their most authentic selves freely by creating art out of a jacket. Each was provided with a denim jacket along with design materials, such as Pride-themed clothing patches, pins, and buttons.
In collaboration with SoFA Design Institute, a proud partner of TIP in providing opportunities for further education via the TELUS International University, design instructor and respected fashion designer, Fred Telarma, led the activity and shared his insights on self-expression and fashion design. He also delivered a live demo for designing your own Pride denim jacket, allowing attendees to learn design techniques.
“Pride Month to me is about expressing and celebrating your authentic self in any way you want. And I believe that fashion can be a powerful tool for self-expression. Fashion is performance art, which allows us to produce clothing that speaks and walks with a message—conveying a story at every turn,” shared Fred Telarma, Design Instructor at SoFA Design Institute.
As part of sharing TIP’s fun culture, attendees showcased their personalized jackets in a fashion show as if they were walking down the runway.
Empowering LGBTQIA+ Members in the Workplace
“At TELUS International Philippines, we are committed to building a caring company culture that champions diversity, inclusion, and belonging, ensuring all our team members feel supported and valued. Since 2014, our team member resource group, Spectrum Philippines, has provided our team members from the LGBTQIA+ community a platform for making the workplace culture more accepting, and the benefits and facilities more inclusive,” said Tait.
Spectrum Philippines has become a venue for a healthy exchange of ideas and open conversations that enables TIP team members to share their experiences in a safe and comfortable environment.It continues to embrace diversity programs and guarantees that the unique needs of the LGBTQIA+ community are considered and represented in workplace programs.
Aside from being an active member of organizations like the Philippine Financial & Inter-Industry Pride (PFIP) and participating industry activities that support the LGBTQIA+ community, TELUS International Philippines and Spectrum have celebrated Pride Month in the past by hosting a series of learning sessions and developing initiatives with a focus on SOGIE, HIV awareness, and the struggles of being an LGBTQIA+ individual in the Philippines.
“During the height of the pandemic, TIP and Spectrum were able to organize transition our activities to a virtual setup – hosting everything from virtual binge-watching parties of movies, TV shows, and concerts that celebrate Pride, to having a soju and SOGIE 101 virtual activity,” shared Bogs Orial, Spectrum Philippines Officer and TIP team member. “With the lifting of pandemic restrictions, our team members are now trying to rediscover and reassert their identity and personal styles.”
“TIP and Spectrum have always strived to encourage members of the LGBTQIA+ community to feel confident in themselves. We create safe spaces which amplify the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community members in society, ensuring all their concerns and unique needs are addressed. We also support them by providing a multitude of opportunities for expressing their true selves and pursuing their passions, including our year long diversity and inclusion programs,” explained Shey Cruz, TELUS International Philippines team member and Spectrum co-chair.
Spectrum has been a prominent influence of positive change in the workplace, championing team member support systems like, the extension of HMO coverage to dependents, domestic partners, and same-sex partners of team members, the availability of gender-neutral, self-identified male and female washrooms across all sites, the use of preferred first names and pronouns in company communication and events, and non-binary clothing policies.
“As a proud trans woman, I really appreciate how I can freely express my identity at work. Whether it’s respecting my preferred name and pronouns, not limiting our fashion choices to the traditional clothing for those born male or female, and providing education about respect, diversity and inclusion for leaders and team members alike, I know I can come to work as my genuine self at TELUS International Philippines”, shared Cruz.
“TELUS International Philippines team members’ day-to-day experiences have vastly improved because of the small but consistent changes and the current initiatives focused on diversity and inclusion—enabling a safe, open and accepting work environment. We are also very proud of the large ally community in our office, who continually support and espouse equal rights together with our LGBTQIA+ team members,” said Tait.
At TELUS International Philippines, the celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community continues beyond the month of June and is lived in the company’s culture. The company is hosting multiple activities to celebrate Pride including the second run of their Ready, Set, Drag intersite contest, a fundraising activity to support the Love Yourself Foundation, and Ted Talks style sessions about LGBTQIA+ excellence and leadership.
In the third edition of the annual Pride Conversations event, Google powered a live social media discussion on how tech is making a difference in the lives of the LGBTQ+ community by celebrating their inspiring stories, promoting allyship, and building safe spaces.
Tech as a catalyst for cultural change
Among the panelists is Cebuana trans pinay beauty queen and model Maki Gingoyon, co-founder of MyTransgenderDate.com, a dating site for transgender women. According to Maki, creating a safe dating space for trans women is what inspired her to bring the dating site to life.
(L-R, from first row) Google’s Jolly Estaris, First Circle’s Cristina del Rosario, PageUp’s Mark Lacsamana, Ticket2Me’s Darwin Mariano, MyTransgenderDate.com’s Maki Gingoyon, XSplit’s Samantha Rose Cruz, and Miss Trans Global 2020 Mela Habijan gather and share inspiring stories for the third installment of Google’s Pride Conversations.
“Trans women venture on online dating sites hoping to find a partner who could accept us for who we are, who could love us for who we are. However, the sad reality of transgender dating sites back then was very, very discouraging–transwomen were presented as merely sexual objects,” she said.
Maki also believes that through this platform, she and her co-founder can stop the stigma on transgender relationships and promote accepting love in all its forms.
In the same light, telling stories with hopeful endings is what Darwin Mariano brings to the table as a producer and founder of ticket solutions platform Ticket2Me. Together with director Jade Castro and writer Danice Mae Sison, they created the popular Boys Love series, Boys Lockdown(2020), a story about two boys who connect while living under strict lockdowns due to the pandemic.
“Many of the LGBTQ+ stories told during my time were dark–they died of AIDS, heartbroken, or abused. That’s why we created Boys Lockdown–we want to make stories where young [LGBTQ+] people can see that they can have their own kilig love stories,” Darwin said.
Darwin also saw how platforms like YouTube are invaluable in telling those stories to the world.
“As producers, we really want to tell these stories but the challenge is monetizing and supporting these content with a business model that keeps you producing. This is where a platform like Google’s YouTube is important–it allows us to extend the life of the content when we upload it to our YouTube channel,” he added.
Building safe spaces in tech
There may be safe spaces in tech but the reality is that it took–and takes–a lot of effort to get there.
For Jolly Estaris, Video and Media Sales Lead at Google Philippines, creating safe spaces within their companies is important to give more visibility to the LGBTQ+ community in tech–this is why in 2018 he set up a group called Pride@Tech that includes Pride members & allies from the local tech community. He is also proud of how Google celebrates LGBTQ+ at the workplace through its long-term programs, policies, and benefits.
“Within Google, there are a number of helpful resources and SOGIE101 training that help educate Googlers about the LGBTQ+ community and allyship,” shared Jolly. “We are also empowered to set our preferred pronouns in our work profiles which is important to foster respect among each other. Small things like that really help in creating a more inclusive work environment.”
Similarly, Samantha Rose Cruz agrees that It’s in simple things like respecting one’s preferred pronouns and gender identity that we can move towards LGBTQ+ equality, and this is something that she is working on as a product designer for live streaming platform XSplit.
“Being part of the community has helped me develop empathy and see my work through other people’s eyes and address the diverse needs of our users and build a product for everyone,” she said.
Some of the ways she is doing that is by designing forms that do away with referring to other gender orientations as “others”. Instead, she consciously puts a text box where people can write their gender identity.
Being people who have often been discriminated against, this has led the community to be more emphatic and understanding not only in addressing the needs of their members but also people from all walks of life.
“For the LGBTQ+ people who are working in tech, we are actually the ones sitting there and understanding what can be dangerous for people because that’s the reality we have to face: which of the things we make can create great things and which ones can cause harm. We’re searchlights, we can see in the dark, that’s our superpower,” Mark Lacsamana, UI Design Lead at PageUp, an enterprise talent management platform.
The same is true for Cristina del Rosario, Head of Design at the fintech company First Circle, who ensures that all of her designs are universal and usable for other communities often overlooked in tech and design.
“How can I design a product that works wonderfully? For everybody, including people who might be colorblind or people with low literacy or people who have never used a smartphone before? And so being part of the LGBTQ+ community, helps me understand other communities and pushes me to design better products,” she explained.
Miss Mela Habijan, the first ever Miss Trans Global 2020 and now a beacon of light for LGBTQ+, also shared how tech has helped find her space and voice when the world once told her that she is “not enough” just because she was born biologically male.
“Sabi ng mundo, kapag LGBTQIA+ ka, wala kang karapatan mangarap. Kaya akala ko, wala akong puwang sa mundo para lumago, maging buo, lalong higit maging ako. Little did I know, I would meet three fairy godmothers along the way: social media, digital world, and tech,” shared Mela.
“Ninang tech became my space of freedom and empowerment, while Ninang digital world was an open-minded platform which did not judge me as different. Instead, Ninang digital world saw my being trans and my being LGBTQIA+ as a leverage of potential. And finally, Ninang social media–she is a democratic arena that allowed me to seize opportunities for me to believe in myself: that I can be my best, that I can be talented.”
To know more about their stories, watch the full live stream of the event on Google Philippines’ YouTube and Facebook pages.
