Celebrating Women's Month with Mary Rose Marbil: A Story of Love, Compassion, Family and Service

She was all smiles when she went in. Donned in a white crisp top, hair tucked back and a presence I couldn't put to words. She has this presence signifying power, poise, posture that make known strictness. But once she uttered words, it felt like we were welcomed home, like no strangers... getting a warm hug. 

She's the beautiful Ms. Mary Rose Marbil, loving wife to PNP Chief Rommel Francisco Marbil and caring mother to recently engaged Robyn Marie Marbil. She's also the PNP OLC Foundation, Inc. (previously Officer's Ladies Club) Adviser, an honor she doesn't treat as an obligation, but an opportunity to help through charitable causes, now geared to help PNP Personnel and their families. This is also something that she is passionate about. 

Photo from the PNP OLC Foundation, Inc. Facebook Page

 

This strong disposition must have come from somewhere, so I asked about who she gets the inspiration from. She immediately answered her Mom. She says "The woman who made a big impact is my Mom. Not just because she is my Mom, but because of how she is, and how she handled things. She's always objective about things. When we got married, we stayed with her for 3 years. She didn't want me to stay in PSG quarters because there would be a lot of chismis there. It might have been difficult to have 2 queens in one castle, but it wasn't with her. If there are conflicts, she never asked why, but just be present and be there for me. Even with the siblings, she's the most level headed. That's my Mom."

With the PNP OLC Foundation, Inc., she was involved in spearheading their ongoing project called LAB Virus (which they coined from Love and Blessings). She usually goes with the PNP Chief in various locations in the country but didn't participate much in efforts. With the project, she was able to start helping PNP personnel and their beneficiaries. With the foundation, she didn't have to wait for a regional visit to help people. It also rarely happens, and this was able to put them in a more pro-active state. 

The foundation sought help from health services to identify over 500 individuals that are critically ill. This was a huge number, even the Chief PNP was surprised. Much of them were suffering from Chronic Kidney Disease and needs lengthy dialysis treatments in their respective regions. They provided them needed financial assistance that would help for medical bills and for their daily spend. 

While it was a huge help, they wanted their actions to also be more sustainable. One of the regional leaders in Cebu was teaching life skills in making soap. It's a business they could easily teach PNP personnel and their beneficiaries, so they could fend for themselves, and put food on the table after getting help from the PNP OLC Foundation, Inc. Very soon, they will also be teaching and giving away business kits to street sweepers in Camp Crame. They are excited to do this in Manila/Laguna too.

 Here's our interview with Ms. Mary Rose a few days ago:

Spreading love with every touch, the PNP OLC Foundation, Inc. is continuously going around regions including BARMM. With help from private individuals who signified support through their organization, they would be able to lend a hand to more people especially PNP personnel and their families.

Recently, they also had a concert with singing PNP personnel to raise funds for the foundation. They also get help from individuals, other foundations (and the public) so they could come to the aid of more people in times of need. Her experience in the corporate world has helped her organize a structured operation to cater the underprivileged. They now have officers that will be able to continue efforts and ensure it would be addressed after her term. This is such a selfless and noble task, but she finds insurmountable fulfillment doing this.  

Her message to women out there, "There's always something you can do. You're not just a wife, let's not limit ourselves to what people think you can do. We are limitless, especially as women. It shouldn't be a hindrance, I even think there's more power in that. We have our charm, use it to move and make things happen. With our talents, we can use it for the welfare of the people around us. Do what you need to do!" Her story of love, compassion, her family and the service the foundation does for others is so inspiring.

Thank you for sharing your time Ms. Rose, it was certainly a pleasure getting to know you!

AKTOR.PH and 24 Other Groups File National Artist Nomination for VILMA SANTOS

Aktor.ph the League of Filipino Actors and several groups just set a nomination for the Star for All Seasons Ms. Vilma Santos Recto, for the order of National Artist for Film and Broadcasting. In the event, educational groups, celebrities and Aktor.ph were at the event signifying their support for this move. 

Dingdong Dantes says "You are seeing 20+ groups calling for this nomination that we are talking about, our Star for All Seasons Ms. Vilma Santos. Motion picture in the Philippines is the oldest in Asia. It serves as representations and aspirations. Being our nation's storyteller at AktorPH, we imagine being in the persona of a proud Actor. We envision them to be a nation builder and we wholeheartedly share one of our members Ms. Vilma Santos Recto. We celebrate her, her versatility, and unparalleled passion of Philippine cinema. Her immense talent breathed life to different roles, as the most awarded actress, she leaves an indelible mark in every Filipino. She inspires, starting from Trudis Liit as a young star, then to Darna and Dyesebel. Her chameleon like ability on how she tells the truth, her numerous projects and challenging roles tells how much she deserves this. Her range is unparalleled, captivating audiences in different generations. Her contributions go beyond showbiz, as a public servant, she stands as a symbol of empowerment and resilience. 6 decades of movies, television and public service, we would like to honor her as a cultural champion. In behalf of our officers, advisers, we fully support this nomination as National Artist!"

Here's our video coverage of the event this morning:

They filed all supporting documents yesterday at NCAA and believe it would take at least 1 and a half years to verify the information and decision to have the President approve of it. Dingdong and the rest of the organization pushing for the recognition is hopeful that if all falls into place, the honor would be bestowed upon Ms. Vilma Santos Recto soon. 

Whoscall Launched in the Philippines

Have you been scammed online or through calls? Well, you're not alone. There are thousands of people who fall victim to these unscrupulous individuals every day. Yes, you can block numbers one by one, but it isn't a permanent solution. They can call you using a different number, or use a link to trick you into thinking it's a legitimate website.

Popular app "WhosCall" is now in the Philippines and is pushing for a Scam Free Pilipinas, a movement to put a stop to these scams. Their app is free to download (on Google Play and the App Store) and use database comparison for those unknown calls, with the aim to trustworthy communication wherever you are in the world. Aside from that, those unnecessary telemarketing and non business related calls could be identified, to of course, have less anxiety if someone calls you out of the blue. Scammers are also being so creative, but with Whoscall AI features, you can up your security.

At the New World Hotel in Makati, broadcaster Karen Davila, tech blogger Gian Viterbo, and youth leader Aileen Montalbo shared their real life experiences about being scammed. Albeit a bit on the techie side, they still fall prey, and this threat is real for a lot of Filipinos. For a safer mobile space, Whoscall was developed by Gogolook.

Jeff Kuo the CEO of Gogolook says "Our company was built by 3 college friends 3 years ago. We tried to raised funds to see our vision. We tried to explain the differences between communication types, and whoscall reveals the names of people behind numbers, to empower everyone on the internet. This is a community and partnership, with this, we can assure a scam free Pilipinas!"

COO of Gogolook Manwoo Joo says "We are happy to introduce Whoscall in Taiwan, HK, Thailand and other areas, we are excited to introduce it to the Philippine market. It's getting more high tech lately even after the pandemic. This will be one of the options to keep people from scams, our first campaign is about Scam Free Pilipinas, where our database will team up with telecom and government agencies, not only for metro areas but provinces too. Hope the things we did in other countries would be implemented well in the Philippines."

 

Gian also adds "You need to enable to block spam, Whoscall is a layer of security. I also advice to not to connect to public networks unless it's an emergency. I have installed it on iOS and my Android devices, it checks numbers, tells me when it's a scam and add new ones if needed."

Col. Joey Fontiveros of the Philippine Army says "The internet has been a source of vulnerability, complexity and criminals have been stealing information and do scams, frauds. It's a major concern for the military, by experience, you can often know how scams work. Even charities, trouble with the government, your family, a virus on your computer, could be something that scammers would say to get your account compromised. They want you to pay through crypto currency, electronic payment systems, and hackers can see what you do. We need to limit sharing of data, and this innovation is useful for all consumers whether you are connected to the internet or not."

With over 2.6 Billion numbers in their database, they can show you who's calling or sending the sms. You can also search for it, and see if there's a url or fraud links which you can do for free. They have collaborated with law enforcement and government agencies. Go download the app today and get yourself protected.

Shaina Magdayao’s Organized Chicas Does More COLORS!

During the pandemic, Shaina Magdayao launched lifestyle brand Organized Chicas who's products mostly was white canvas Totes, Bags and organizers. It did really good and she was so happy how her clients, and fans were able to enjoy the wide range of products that they have despite the threats of the pandemic.

Summer will soon be here and people are clamoring for more variety, so what better way to do it buy by launching a new collection called Colore (that's got more ruffles, ribbons and bows).  

Shaina says "I didn't know how long I was in the industry, but 25 years is really a long time. It's so nice to celebrate it with people you love in the industry. It's a different kind of fulfillment especially this year, and it's like a birthday wish come true. Going back in ASAP also was just perfect timing, it was an extension of my celebration, it's been 25 years that people are supporting me and I wouldn't be here without Star Magic. I am thankful for the people who really took care of us. I feel it was just perfect to go back in ASAP, they saw me lost weight, I needed to do something about my hypothyroidism and focused on being an actress. I didn't feel the loss, I feel what I lost when I got on stage and danced again. I was wondering if I could do things again, I asked myself a couple of times. I'm aging, when I was younger I could juggle things, but I'm 33, being fit enough was something I worry about. It was a leap of faith. I sometimes doubt myself but I get a lot of support from people around me. I didn't train in dance, but experience was my teacher. I've been trying to run away from it in the past, but this is my life."

 

She now has accessories, jewelry (Perola Collection) and slip ons

 

 

She adds "Yes I'm wearing our accessories, it's been a goal to support local businesses. The people I work with are mostly women, I put this up with my childhood friend, who's now pro makeup artist. I asked her if she wanted to look for a gig, so we started with bags made in Bulacan. I didn't expect how it grew overnight. Now people are asking for more, so we made clothes from Pampanga, also Footwear made in Marikina. Those little things we do have grown because I believe we have good intentions. Here we are, we've got a brand that not just weathered the pandemic, but a brand that is good commercially now. We do quality control, durability tests, doesn't have to be expensive. My partner is also OC, so she does a lot in quality control. We are helping a lot of people and made this a business too. I don't know if our clientele wants it personalized, but I think it gives more value to it."

They also now have a more feminine looking bag styles with their Frill Collection. This was done to match the different personalities of their clientele. She thinks about naming the products, the design, and her business partner is someone she trusts, who knows her and takes care of quality control. They really align business wise. She has work, she has acting jobs, and this business has really grown over the years.

The business is also helping communities from Marikina, Pampanga, Bulacan so if you are buying from them, you are also helping women from these provinces and cities. If you want to get one, visit their official IG account @organizedchicas, their Facebook page facebook.com/organizedchicas. You can also purchase them on Shopee at https://shopee.ph/theorganizedchicas.

Prices range from 350 to 1250, so very affordable! Go get them now!

What Does It Take to Have a #WorldWithoutWaste?

A couple years ago, Coca Cola launched a global campaign with a very bold and ambitious goal. The aim was to collect and recycle a bottle or can of what the company sells by 2030. Year after year, they stepped up, become successful, and that also included the Philippines. Their movement in the country has spawned different models including this NGO called Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation, Inc. (AIDFI). A component of what they did in 2019 called Blastik made use of recycling centers that is funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation. In it, they learned to spread awareness about environmental efforts, earn and provide for themselves, and recycle a lot of plastic. As you may know, a lot of companies make products with packaging and these efforts would hopefully make a dent on that challenge. Coca-Cola currently is recycling over 93% of their waste in bottling plants and now utilize plant based renewable material called PlantBottle.

Blastik's success as a pilot project continued in a partnership wtih PeacePond Farmers Organization based in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental. Farmers from this organization have empowered their community and provided environmental education so they would learn waste segregation, recycling and putting up livelihood projects via workshops, webinars which they host in a regular basis. The Blastik Project taught them how collecting, recycling used and clean plastic bottles would be beneficial and create opportunities for townsfolk so they could earn from re-using plastics in projects, so they could feed their families. Beneficiary Jo Guanco (who's a 53yo farmer from the same place) says "The Blastic Project showed us how important it is to teach our neighbors about segregation and recycling. We are also working with other communities these days so they too can coordinate and schedule collection of plastic bottles in towns, nearby areas and offices, of which some personally call us so we could collect it for them. We continue to be Blastic Eco Rangers til now."

The movement has gone to other communities like Bakyas Community in Oringao, Kabankalan Negros Occidental, Elite Ads Corp in Paranaque City, and Elite Ads Corporation in Carmona Cavite. They also have active partnerships with Seda Hotel in Bacolod City plus Southland College in Kabankalan also. During the pandemic, they continue to process almost 17 tons worth more or less of mixed bottles, bottle caps, plastic sachets and labels too. As of now, Coca-Cola Foundation is supporting over 40 zero waste communities around the countries, and are continuing to grow more in the next few months. Ms. Cecile Alcantara puts this as Blastik's initial success, and says "we are really happy and excited about it."

If you want to know more about their initiatives, just head on to coca-colacompany.com/reports/business-environmental-scoal-governance-report-2020 or their social channels and be part of that change, make the #WorldWithoutWaste possible today! 

Miss World Philippines Forges Partnership with Artopian Internationale

 

 

Miss World Philippines is happening soon and the amount of excitement was seen in the recent press conference they held in Quezon City. The organization just inked their partnership with ARTOPIAN which is an MLM/Direct Selling company for beauty and wellness products. It includes Stem Cell Serums, Glutathione Capsules, nutrition boosting juices, coffee and food supplements. 

Welcoming them to the occasion was Mr. Arnold Vegafria, the current National director of Miss World Philippines Organization. He says “I am happy that this is happening even though we have a pandemic, the ladies are all beautiful, smart and intelligent. May this partnership open more opportunities for us and the organization. This is the perfect platform to grow, we believe we have the same vision and goal of always, have beauty with a purpose.”

 

I'm rooting for Ganiel Krishnan <3

 

Artopia will also be looking for two ambassadors which will get awards and cash prizes aside from being the face of the company. Also present during the occasion were 10 candidates from Miss World Philippines who showed why the Philippines is such a force to reckon with in the pageant world. 

Here's some of the highlights on video:

Miss World Philippines Grand Coronation Night is scheduled to happen on July 11, 2021. 45 smart, intelligent and beautiful women will vie for the Miss World crown and about 7 other international titles so we can send these lovely Filipinas to these pageants.

Send Help to PGH Today

I couldn't sleep last night as fire broke in the Philippine General Hospital in Manila. When the fire was put out, patients were out of the upper floors and some of the babies were temporarily sheltered in the hospital's chapel away from the smoke and debris that could put them in harms way. 

Ms Rina Navarro, the CEO of Unfiltered Skin Essentials and co-founders of I AM HOPE, an NGO, with Bea Alonzo and Ms. Vina Morales responded as they saw the pedia and new born sections have been greatly affected. They hurried onsite, brought diapers, milk, snacks, drinking water, juices and electric fans so they could help and sent it directly to PGH Pedia resident Dr. TJ Ablaza. Some of her friends are also chipping in and anonymously donating 20 more fans, 100 blankets, 50 more diapers and more boxes of potable water. 

If you would want to help, you can course it through I AM HOPE and their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/iamhopeph/ or through contact details here. The kids and patients of PGH need our help and they hope to see more people doing the same til they all get back on their feet and resume normal operations in the public hospital. Bless their hearts for doing this!

PMPC Set to Hold Star Studded Benefit Concert

A very entertaining Sunday will be coming up as some of your favorite stars and singers converge in a benefit concert set for some Senior and ailing members of the Philippine Movie Press Club Inc., the premiere press organization in the country. They aptly call it "AWIT SA PANDEMYA... A PMPC BENEFIT CONCERT" which will be held this April 18, 2021, Sunday at 8PM (5AM PDT). They will also have proceeds be given for members who are in dire straights and need their daily maintenance medicine.

Performers include Asia's Multimedia Star Alden Richards, Asia's crooner Christian Bautista, World Champ Jed Madela, the iconic Ms. Kuh Ledesma, and superstar singers Gerald Santos, Ima Castro,  Luke Mejares and hunky Jeric Gonzales. Aside from these stars, performers include JV Decena , Gari Escobar , Christi Fider, Joaquin Garcia, Jos Garcia , Sarah Javier, Charo Laude, Diane De Mesa, Renz Robosa , Lil Vinceyy and the Zcentido Ska Band. 

For those who wish to help, tickets will be sold at ticket2me.net and the show will be done on the same platform. Make sure you support your favorite stars so that the organization would be able to provide help for their members who need it. You also get to have an entertaining evening of songs world class Filipino talent!

Go Vote Movement Launch

Do you still vote? I do, I deem it one of my rights as a citizen of the Philippines to choose who I see fit as a leader. I exercise that right every time there is an election, because I feel we wouldn’t have rights to complain from government services because we didn’t do it. That is the principle I live by hence I never miss one. It’s sad though that there are tons of Filipinos who do not go out and vote, they have their excuses, but this shouldn’t be the case. The government sets this as a non working holiday, you have the whole day to do it, if you choose not to, that’s not a good thing.

This morning I was at the launch of the GO VOTE MOVEMENT. It’s a non partisan, non governmental organization made up of volunteers who would encourage registered Filipino voters to go out and vote on May 13, 2019. They also are doing it through free voters education all throughout the country. The low turnout of voters always has been a very evident problem and this is the solution they’ve come up with on talks done by MLQU President Jerry Acuzar, former DOJ Undersecretary Erickso Balmes and GVM President and Convenor Atty. Erickson Balmes.

Atty. Irene Chiu says “One of our basic human rights is to partake in elections, we do this by voting. This is our way to tell others who we want to represent us. This is a non partisan, non governmental organization, we are all volunteers here. We invite you to join us in this advocacy, we encourage you to vote, this is not about us, this is about your right, your responsibility for your future.”


Attu. Erickson Balmes says “An educated voter can make a good decision. They will be more participatory in elections, we are lecturing now all over the country to various stakeholders. We advocating transparent elections, hopefully to break records of voter turnout this 2019. We now have been around the country to encourage people to do their duty as citizens, go vote on 2019!”

They have already started these seminars in MLQU last March 14, and continue to do so til now. With their efforts, they wish to see greater participation this year. If you would like to be part of this movement, call 0945 3483784 or email them via govotemovement@gmail.com.

Dingdong Dantes, Celebrities for #NowPH

When I first interviewed Dingdong Dantes, I didn't see how much he looked like even if I was about 3-4 feet away. With the lights they used during the PaGMAmahalan Blogcon yesterday, you could see why women fall in love with him with his light brown eyes and complexion that would shame even some women I know. He was sexier though because when he talked, he was really talking with passion. I wasn't really understanding what he was trying to imply at first but once we sat down for the details, I immediately understood what he wanted to happen with #nowph. He is calling for One Million Filipino Youth Voices for Climate Action. 

You see, we've been struck by countless storms, typhoons that we've usually been able to be resilient with. Although these past few years, don't you just notice they've become really dangerous and stronger all of a sudden? From the likes of Ondoy, Haiyan, when we couldn't even fathom why it could suddenly destroy cities, kill people and wipe out generations, it's because of Climate Change. Dingdong Dantes, together with other celebrities, Renee Karunungan of Dakila, Ben Muni of Green Peace Philippines stand together with this campaign called #NowPH initially to get 1 Million signatures and support so they could use it as material when they submit their stand in COP 21. It's the 2015 Paris Climate Conference where world leaders, climate experts converge together to form policies and stands in UN negotiations. It's a tall order but the Philippines in particular is going for 15 simple things so they could easily help in achieving this goal. This is the campaign also of the Climate Change Commission and National Youth Commission which Dingdong heads. This will be our position in international dialogues and they're advancing this cause.

Dingdong Dantes and NYC for  Climate Change
Posted by Kumagcow on Monday, November 16, 2015

#NowPH Ambassadors Call For Climate ActionAre you ready to join the #NowPH ambassadors in taking on the challenge of preventing another #Yolanda?Sign up today at www.nowph.org.via Move.PH
Posted by Not On Our Watch - #nowph on Sunday, November 8, 2015

NOW basically means Not on Our Watch. It aims to actually have everything done now, so we could live a lifestyle promoting 15 ways to Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS). A million pledges seem to be impossible but it can be done with your help.  To know more about the campaign, visit their official website www.nowph.org, promote one of the 15 simple ways there, volunteer your resources and groups for the campaign, and tell everyone about it. Let's help the Philippines achieve this goal, sign up and help the cause today.

Here's more photos from the event with Dingdong Dantes!

For more information about their cause:

NOWPH

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Visit their official website

http://www.nowph.org/