How many times have I mentioned that I plan to buy a house? Well, I think I have been telling that for the nth times already. Since I started a family, I have been dreaming and planning of owning our so-called home sweet home. No matter how small it is, as long as we are protected, we can somehow adjust.

Ironically I have been attending events and talks about real estate conducted by Lamudi.com and Envision Expo. And I even visited some of the model units of rising real estate developers like Lancaster in Cavite. In the end, I still don't have my own house.

Now, the kids are growing fast, and it seems that the cute house that we are living in right now is not enough to accommodate us. We can't even have more than two visitors because it would be a bit crowded, especially now that we are experiencing the pandemic, we need to have social distancing. How can we implement this so-called social distancing if we can't move around freely in the house? It is like a small puzzle that every time you walk, you'll bump with each other.

If only I could bring back the time when we found a good price deal of lot somewhere in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. During that time, the place was all bare, and it's only starting its development stage. Now, look at the changes in this City of San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, there are constructions from left and right. It was affordable at that time, and the only problem we had was we don't know much about real estate. And perhaps we can also add that both of us are busy working, we don't have time to make an appointment in different agencies to verify the lot. I think that time there is no available mortgage calculator online that can help us estimate the expenses we may incur. Note that it was more than fifteen years ago.

Today, the areas near Metro Manila are developing and starting to be part of the Greater Manila Area. It is one move of the government to decongest the population in the capital city of the Philippines. I remember it was last year, right before the pandemic, I happened to accept freelance research work about the landscape of the construction and real estate development in the Philippines. It's not thorough research, but I was able to give the client what they wanted. It is a piece of information about the progress of constructions in the country.

Part of the research I did led me to the Philippine Statistic Authority (PSA) website, which shows data about the number of approved construction permits for infrastructures of the government. Some of the constructions are railways, bridges, schools, water sources, and highways, which happens to be the requirement of developing real estate. These constructions are from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. So, basically, the population is growing, and the Pinoy family like ours requires new houses.

In all of the property developers I know, probably for me, the best land developer is Ayala. Why? Well, I somehow have witnessed how they progress in developing their lands. They usually start their developing stage by conducting outdoor events on the estate. The main reason is to attract investors and potential clients. And I happen to be in these events like the Bike Night Carnival in Vermosa located in Cavite and the Sandbox Outdoor activities in Alviera located in Porac, Pampanga.

For now, it is probably easier to find your dream house, but the only problem would be how to finance it since most of the industries today are down and striving. Like me, I want a home for my family, but I couldn't afford it right now. Working freelance is not stable to finance that dream house.

What I can do right now is make a plan and probably check some mortgage calculators online to estimate the expenses. As my usual practice from the previous works, I always get three different sources to verify and compare the results. I got these three online calculators, one local (I think) - Security Bank Calculator, one is known locally and abroad - Bank of the Philippine Islands Calculator, and the last one is from abroad - Mortgage Calculator from the UK. You can also do this kind of process whether you're checking up the mortgage or even the prices of the pens you buy for your kids.

So, overall I will still have to plan everything first. How about you? Will you buy a new house at this time of pandemic?

 

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, various countries have been striving to find ways on how to deal with this global crisis that continues to affect the world today.

One year after the first declaration of a lock down in the Philippines, Filipinos remain determined and resilient in their fight against this pandemic, including other social and economic issues caused by it.

It’s remarkable how various sectors are coming together in ensuring that Filipinos are healthy, safe, and protected, most especially the marginalized and vulnerable.

Businesses are coming up with ways to extend assistance to those who are in great need. Companies’ CSR programs aim to improve health facilities, support the frontliners, and provide food and financial assistance to affected communities.

As a follow-up to last year’s successful virtual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Summit of World Vision in the Philippines, distinguished business leaders from Cebu are coming together to share their experiences and learnings during the pandemic at World Vision’s virtual CSR Summit in Cebu this March 23, 2021 at 2:00 pm, streamed live on World Vision Philippines’ Facebook page.

It was May of last year when Cebu City was recorded as having the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country. But in only six months, data scientists from the University of the Philippines’ OCTA research group and the Department of Health said Cebu City had flattened its curve. The Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) applauded both the public and private sectors for helping Visayas fight the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in Cebu, Negros Occidental, and the rest of Western Visayas.

Through this CSR Summit, World Vision aims to discuss the significant role and relevance of a company’s CSR during critical times, and to inspire businesses and other organizations in the private sector to develop and implement CSR campaigns to be able to reach and improve more lives.

"World Vision is privileged to once again hold the Corporate Social Responsibility Summit in Cebu. God’s work is truly amazing as we witness how our partner organizations implement their CSR initiatives,” shared World Vision National Director Rommel Fuerte. “Let’s continue working together to improve the lives of the most vulnerable children, their families and communities."

Business industry leaders joining World Vision’s virtual CSR Summit in Cebu are Cebu Chamber of Commerce, Inc., Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Golden Prince Hotel & Suites, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc., Rotary Club of Cebu, and the Singapore School Cebu.

World Vision would like to thank the following event partners—Cebu Chamber of Commerce, Inc., JCI Cebu, JCI Plaridel del Pilar, Public Relations Society of the Philippines, and Rotary Club of Cebu. To know more about World Vision and its other initiatives, you may visit www.worldvision.org.ph or follow World Vision’s official social media pages /worldvisionph on Facebook, @worldvisionphl on Instagram, and @worldvisionph on Twitter.

Furthering its commitment to leveraging its technology and platform to create a positive social impact on the lives of many Filipinos, Grab Philippines, together with Zagana - the Philippines’ leading agri-social enterprise is launching its Salamat Sa Ani initiative on 17 March 2021.

Through the Salamat Sa Ani initiative, Grab is leveraging its technology and platform to encourage more Filipinos to show care and gratitude to their loved ones and frontliners who have been helping them to cope with the challenging times. At the same time, the initiative will also provide support to the farming communities that Grab helped digitalize since the Enhanced Community Quarantine phase, as contents of the Salamat Sa Ani gift sets are sourced directly from Zagana farmers in Benguet, Pangasinan, and Cavite. Each Salamat Sa Ani gift set - which includes fresh corn, bananas, and lime, is exclusively available on GrabMart for only PHP 299.00.

Salamat Sa Ani is one of the latest GrabForGood initiatives led by Grab Philippines where Grab’s technology and platform are leveraged to support the needs of the Filipino communities and help improve their lives and livelihoods. During the height of the pandemic, one of the key GrabForGood initiatives led by Grab Philippines is GrabBayanihan - a program that leveraged Grab’s technology and platform to provide much-needed support to driver-partners, frontliners, displaced individuals, farming communities, and local governments.

Leveraging Grab’s technology and platform to help local farmers overcome supply chain challenges

As highlighted in the June 2020 Report of the World Bank, the supply chain of fresh produce and agricultural products in many parts of the Philippines was greatly impacted since the implementation of the lockdowns. With limited logistics options for transporting the produce from the farms to the public markets and groceries and the sharp decline in customer foot traffic in physical marketplaces, the livelihoods of Filipino farming communities - as well as the food security across many households, were at risk to certain points that farmers were forced to throw away their produce.



Through Grab’s technology, platform, and its partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Zagana, fresh produce from farming communities were given wider market access through the Grab app through the Department of Agriculture’s 2020 Program Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita. Now, with a few taps on the app, Grab consumers get to enjoy fresh produce from local farmers, delivered straight into their doorsteps in as quick as less than an hour and at the same time supporting the local farming communities.

For Benguet-based farmer Ardan Copes, the partnership between Grab and Zagana provided new technology to farmers like himself who are used to traditional models for distributing and selling their produce. His main challenge when the pandemic hit was that there were too many vegetables wasted due to the absence of buyers brought by the quarantine. Copes shares that “through Grab’s technology and platform, Zagana farmers like himself were able to better reach and serve new consumers.” The partnership also gave farmers like Copes “a good market price for their produce which is why they did not hesitate to join the platform.” Copes adds that they “were able to continue with their livelihood despite the challenges of ECQ, which gave them a huge relief.”

Co-creating positive social impact within and beyond the Grab platform

Committed to contributing towards the Philippines’ longer-term socio-economic recovery and development, the Grab platform not only provides its consumers with the everyday value and convenience, but it also allows its users to co-create a positive social impact - within and beyond the Grab platform, with every transaction made on the Grab app.

With every order of fresh produce made on the Grab app, users are able to support the livelihoods of tens of thousands of driver-partners, MSMEs, and local farming communities who are also facing the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic has truly impacted a lot of lives. Our partnership with Grab has allowed us to continuously serve our customers and support our local farmers, by leveraging Grab’s platform and technology to provide our kababayans access to fresh produce, delivered right at their doorsteps while providing livelihood for both the delivery partners and local farmers during these uncertain times,” said Zagana Chief Executive Officer Joshua Aragon.

“Using our platform and technology to help improve the lives and livelihoods of many Filipinos is what differentiates Grab as a community partner. We are grateful to have made a difference in the lives of millions of Filipinos through our GrabForGood program and we will continue with our commitment of using technology and our platform to encourage meaningful collaboration within our communities and help our kababayans overcome their daily struggles,” says Grab Philippines Country Head Grace Vera Cruz.

To know more about Grab and Zagana’s Salamat sa Ani initiative, visit: http://grb.to/salamatsaani

Hear from the two live streamers on how they are maximizing Shopee Live for this 3.3 - 4.4 Mega Shopping Sale:

Miccolo Solis, Shopee seller and influencer, shared that he uses the poll feature the most. “It helps me engage with viewers. I can check their opinion on certain topics, especially about the products,” said Solis. Polls also allow him to inquire about his customers’ specific requests, budget range, and preferred styles. In addition, Solis also hosts games on Shopee Live to keep his viewers interested.

For fellow influencer Quinito Villarosa, it’s the latest ‘Mine’ feature that gives him feedback on what content customers want to see next, or what items they want to see featured or reviewed. To maintain a strong relationship with viewers, Villarosa connects with them even after the live stream ends. “I do a lot of ‘OffLive’ engagement. I still interact with them after the live streams, usually inside the many group chats we have on Facebook Messenger and even Instagram,” said Villarosa.

Solis is excited to utilize the new Shopee Live Co-streaming feature as it gives him the opportunity to interact directly with viewers, making the live stream session more fun, enjoyable, and engaging. Villarosa, on the other hand, is already prepping for his next live stream. “I’m already asking my viewers what they want to see during my live stream so I can order it ahead of time. Being able to hold the items personally makes for a more interactive live stream experience,” he said.

With in-app features like Shopee Live, Shopee continues to improve the platform to make e-commerce more accessible and engaging for everyone. Solis and Villarosa encouraged other influencers to take advantage of Shopee Live and its many features as well. “Just do it, it always starts with one step. Make it a habit and always enjoy the live videos. Watch other live streamers, observe what they are doing, and apply best practices to your own live stream,” said Solis.

Villarosa added that doing live streams is an opportunity to widen their networks. “Every day I wake up feeling blessed with this opportunity. I literally meet new people each time I open the Shopee app and prepare for another run of live streaming.”

Shopee 3.3 - 4.4 Mega Shopping Sale

The Shopee 3.3 - 4.4 Mega Shopping Sale, which runs until April 4, 2021, will feature up to 70% off on authentic brands such as Havaianas Philippines, Huggies Philippines, Realme, P&G Beauty, Pampers, Nestlé, Garnier, Enfagrow, Unilever Beauty, Vivo, and Xiaomi, on Shopee Mall.

For more information on the best deals during the 3.3 - 4.4 Mega Sale, visit https://shopee.ph/m/3-3.

Don't forget to shop, buy load, and pay bills with ShopeePay to enjoy discounts and rewards. Top up at least ₱300 on March 2 for a chance to win ₱20,000! Check out https://shopee.ph/m/shopeepay-3-3-top-up-promo for more details.

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

The hype is really up, DC fans and enthusiasts are expecting to watch this "Zack Snyder’s Justice League" on March 18. Accordingly, it has more to offer to fans in this superhero-stacked film featuring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, and Cyborg. I know if you're also a fan or an enthusiast you'll for sure watch this. 

Pinoy Big Brother Connect just concluded this year's season with Liofer Pinatacan from Zamboanga Del Sur hailed as the PBB Connect Big Winner, the "Dong Diskarte fo Zamboanga Del Sur."  

We all love online shopping! Admit it or not we're like it very much! One of the best things about online shopping—aside from the thrill of adding to a cart and the joy of finally receiving your package, of course—is how it enables you to make the most of your hard-earned sweldo. You can choose from a wide variety of products, negotiate with sellers, and enjoy plenty of sales. Shopee offers all these and more, including exclusive discounts, coins cashback, and even big prizes, to create rewarding shopping experiences for all its users.

Planning a shopping spree this payday? Make the most out of your sweldo at Shopee’s Payday Sale this March 15 with these helpful tips below:

Always check for free shipping

Who doesn’t love free shipping? Before checking out, double-check if free shipping vouchers are available. Your favorite shops also often offer free shipping vouchers on select items. This Payday Sale, get your carts ready—you can enjoy all-day free shipping with no minimum spend from thousands of participating shops.

Avail of cashback rewards

Shopee coins are cashback rewards you can use to get discounts on your next purchases. Every peso counts, so try to earn as many coins as you can while shopping. To earn more, click on the "Daily Check-In" button on the Coins Rewards page, rate and review your purchases, play Shopee Games, and watch live streams. Want more coins? Shop during the Payday Sale to enjoy all-day 15% cashback, capped at 200 coins, with no minimum spend!

Go cashless with ShopeePay for more perks

Shop, buy load and pay bills with ShopeePay, Shopee’s built-in mobile wallet, to enjoy safe transactions and rewards. Use ShopeePay during the Payday Sale to enjoy all-day sitewide free shipping and 15% coins cashback. You can also enjoy ₱1 deals from Jollibee, Dunkin’ Donuts, and McDonald’s with ShopeePay. Buy ₱10 mobile load for only ₱6 all day, and enjoy bigger discounts at 12 AM-1 AM, 12 NN-1 PM, and 5 PM-6 PM. You also get 20% cashback when you pay your bills using ShopeePay for the first time.

Get exclusive discounts on Shopee Mall

Check out the Payday Sale to enjoy up to 90% off on top Shopee Mall brands such as Penshoppe, L'Oréal Paris, Logitech, Unilever Homecare, Unilever Foods, Omega Houseware, Xtreme Appliances, and Huggies. Use the code MALLPAYDAY15 on all Shopee Mall items to enjoy 15% cashback, capped at 200 coins, for ₱500 minimum spend. For more discounts, you can also apply multiple shop vouchers per order.

Bonus: join Shopee Prizes to win exciting rewards

Get a chance to score big prizes by playing fun Shopee Prizes! Play Shopee Hourly Prizes to win a gadgets bundle worth ₱15,000, Shopee Farm for a Nintendo Switch, Shopee Candy for a pair of Galaxy Buds, and Shopee Bubble for a Huawei Matebook Bundle.

With these tips, you can indulge this coming payday without hurting your wallet! For more information on the Shopee 3.15 Payday Sale, visit https://shopee.ph/m/payday-sale.

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

One more sleep and LOVE LA UNION DIGITAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM EXPO will start, so get ready and be the first to check it out!

Besides the most-awaited announcement on who will emerge as this season’s Big Winner, a lineup of big surprises and hot performances await viewers for the highly-anticipated Big Night of “Pinoy Big Brother: Connect” this Sunday (Marso 14), 9 pm that can be seen live on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, iWantTFC, TFC, A2Z, TV5, and on the official “PBB” accounts on Facebook and Kumu.

Based on the latest Google Search Trends and the Entrepreneur.com survey done at the end of 2020, 76% of CEOs reported that their company’s productivity was either maintained or even increased as a result of working remotely. The survey also sighted that 70% of CEOs prefer that a portion of their employees continue to work remotely even after their offices reopen. Given this stark new normal, Samsung introduces their latest technological breakthrough, designed for both young professionals and students alike, the new Samsung Smart Monitor.

The world’s first “Do-It-All” screen, the Samsung Smart Monitor is highly adept in meeting all types of demands for work, entertainment, learning, gaming, and just about anything in between, without the need for a PC.

The Samsung Smart Monitor is loaded with productivity features such as Remote Access, Office 365, and Samsung DeX. Remote Access allows users to have full access to their office PC or laptop via the Internet. With Office 365, documents and presentations can be viewed, edited, and saved in the cloud, while with Samsung DeX, Samsung Galaxy phone users will be able to easily connect with the Smart Monitor and open a desktop workspace.

La Union to launch DIGITAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM EXPO

The wave beckons and the mountain calls as La Union sets its gates to once again be unlocked for tourism. As we steadfastly wait for the reopening of our beloved La Union, let us get ourselves prepared as the Provincial Government of La Union (PGLU) through the La Union Provincial Tourism Office (LUPTO) stage the Love La Union Digital Travel and Tourism Expo on March 15 to April 15, 2021. The Love La Union Digital Travel and Tourism Expo is an online and mobile app platform featuring tourism and travel destinations in the province. It also features limited offers of travel and tour packages which are available for sale and are made especially affordable for the Digital Event. Various accommodation sales are also up for grabs. It also contains information of various tourism destinations that would make one fall in love with La Union.

To be able to join the Digital Expo, one must download the EXPO PH Mobile App on their mobile phones. The App is available through Google Playstore for Android phones and Appstore for IOS. After downloading the App, one can search for the Love La Union Digital Travel and Tourism Expo and browse through the wide array of offers.

The Digital Event is PGLU’s way of assisting its local tourism stakeholders to help them economically bounce back being one of the most affected sectors of the community due to the CoViD 19 Pandemic. It is expected that the event shall help the revival of the tourism industry in the province where tourists from all over the world can once again create fond memories.

For more information, visit Love La Union official Facebook page or call (242) 5550 to 53 local 286 or telefax number (072) 607 9692.

Digital Event Venue and Media Platform: Expo Ph Mobile App, ACES multimedia ph and ATFC

Virtual streaming partner: KUMU App

Official media partners:

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Girl power! This might be a bit cliche but this Women's Month, there is always good news to share when it comes to women empowerment. For me, I think I can compare women to Shiva, a Hindu God with more than two hands. Why? Well, women today are handling more than just one task with them. From taking care of the family up to taking care of their jobs or businesses. Imagine handling the needs of the family from cooking to kids' assignments, then top it up with the needs of their works, or part-time jobs. All of this is to augment the financial needs of the family. It's a tough job!


There are quite a few already who have been recognized because of their hard work and perseverance, most especially the women of the society. They are more to be called empowered ladies.

Recently, I was able to get a chance to interview one of these women in power, as we celebrate Women's Month, let me take you virtually to Japan where our featured lady lives and does her entrepreneurship. The woman behind the name LV Queen, Ms. Fe Mendoza Yamaguchi of YamaBear Collection, who resides now in Japan but formerly in Baguio City, the Philippine's Summer Capital, is one of the empowered ladies who strive to get on top for her family. She's dubbed as LV Queen because she buys and sells pre-loved high-end products and one of them is the LV or Louis Vuitton.

Released on March 9 via Sony Music Philippines, SB19 with its contagiously massive sound that’s larger and louder than life. Veering away from the glossy, dance-pop tunes and anthemic ballads of Get In The Zone, SB19 are pushing the envelope production and songwriting-wise on their latest track, as they command supremacy of P-Pop’s explosion in the global market without resorting to formulaic tricks and pandering to trends.

This time, the acclaimed boy band are transcending the genre that positioned them to become the formidable stars that they are now: comfortable with the convergence of personalities, styles, and influences — while embracing a musicality that is hard to pin down, and refuses to be categorized. “The song ‘What?’ is really different from what we have done before,” main rapper and lead vocalist Pablo shares in a statement. “This one has a more aggressive take to it compared to our previous songs, so I really had to force out the ‘oomph’ in the voices of the members. I was really meticulous with the recordings, but so were they. That's why we would record 'til morning and until everyone was satisfied with their parts. The feeling had to be there.”

SB19’s very own Pablo, who is also credited as one of the songwriters and producers of SB19’s latest song, reveals that “What?” proves that they’re “not just here to play games or act cool.” He admits, “A lot of people still doubt us, denouncing everything that we do and everything that we're trying to achieve. We love what we do, that's why we do it respectfully. ‘What?’ is about self-love and empowerment. Each of us has our own flag. We should be proud of it and raise it as much as we can. As SB19 and as individuals, we know that we're not the best at everything, but that shouldn't stop us from what we want to achieve.”

The release of the song comes with a visual accompaniment that marks a triumphant return to the band’s groundbreaking aesthetic and empowering message. The music video of “What?” shows SB19 in battle mode as they claim freedom in a fictional, post-apocalyptic war zone, and exude an aura of power and longevity to go along with its cinematic appeal.

SB19’s “What?” is the first single off the award-winning group’s yet-to-be-revealed but highly anticipated follow-up to their debut album, Get In The Zone. The song will be available on all digital platforms worldwide this March 9, 2021 (7:00pm Manila time) via Sony Music Philippines.

Stay tuned for SB19’s live launch performance, which airs on the band’s Facebook and YouTube pages at 7:30pm, Manila time — on the same day.

Fascinating stories are mostly moving because of certain aspects of life, stories that touch the hearts and emotions. It fills the void of what the viewers are expecting from a movie or film. This upcoming movie, "Dito at Doon" by Director JP Habac, shows a unique plot, a relatable and timely event in our lives. Yes, the story of "Dito at Doon," based on its synopsis, revels in the extraordinary love story that perhaps will only happen every 100 years.