This Grade 12 artist can make awesome artworks with banana catsup

 

When hard times strike and traditional resources are out of reach, the most creative of us can find ingenious ways to make one-of-a-kind works of art.

This is especially true for Filipinos—and no one proves our resourcefulness and creativity more than this amazing Grade 12 artist, who didn’t need paint or pencils to create artwork. No, Vincent Dwight Paulo from Nueva Ecija uses banana catsup to draw portraits of famous personalities while staying at home during the community quarantine.

While he first started with a catsup portrait back in 2018, it was during the quarantine when he really started honing this unique art skill. “I really engaged myself in doing catsup art since school and art supplies shops were closed,” said Vincent. “I was running out of materials, so I used catsup instead.”

With creating catsup art being only a hobby for him, Vincent never thought it would become as popular as it did.

 

Working with catsup

Catsup was not the first medium he had used to create art, but it was the one within reach at home—which is how he ended up creating portraits of celebrities like Liza Soberano, Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla, Taylor Swift, and One Direction.

“I really loved catsup because it is readily available inside the house,” Vincent shared. “I really love exploring and trying other mediums just to try something new. I don’t like to stick to the conventional and typical artworks that we see.”

Vincent primarily uses UFC Banana Catsup as it is the family’s favorite catsup brand at home. “It’s always what’s in our kitchen, and we really like fried foods dipped in UFC Banana Catsup because of its tamis-anghang taste,” he said. “I don’t want to try other brands for my art because I’m already used to UFC.”

Artist Vincent Dwight Paulo received various NutriAsia products which the family can enjoy both for cooking and creating unique artwork

Vincent’s resourcefulness led him to their kitchen pantry, where he used a bottle of UFC Banana Catsup to create one-of-a-kind portraits that went viral on social media.

 

Inspiring creativity in Filipinos

While Vincent wows admirers online with his amazing catsup art, his plans are a little more different, as he dreams of taking up architecture in college. He realizes that such a course could be expensive, hindering others from pursuing their passion, but with his work he wants to inspire fellow artists and creatives to be resourceful.

“Being more creative and resourceful really is my objective. Painting does not stop if you don’t have art materials,” he continued. “Alternative materials are everywhere; you just have to explore. If you could think of some other materials than those usually used in making art, that would be great.”

As a token of recognition for Vincent’s astounding creativity and resourcefulness, NutriAsia sent him and his family more of their products for their use—whether it’s for their food or for more of Vincent’s art.

PLDT ramps up its Infoteach Outreach Program with a webinar series

 

Empowering teachers and students for blended learning

To enable various sectors in the new normal of online teaching and learning, leading telco PLDT, through its Infoteach Outreach Program, is conducting a webinar series called "Gearing up for the New Normal in Teaching and Learning.”  

The webinar series recently kicked off with the topic “Preparing your course for online delivery,” and was attended by almost 15,000 registered participants. These include teachers and students who were selected by PLDT in coordination with the Department of Education (DepED) Schools Division Superintendents, while the program’s long-time partner UP Open University (UPOU) provided the learning modules. The session was also extended to the public through the UPOU Networks’ Facebook Live and YouTube streams, with peak views reaching over 8,000 individuals.  

"We echo our Chairman's commitment that there should be no learner left behind. Amid the pandemic, we continue to empower our teachers and students by providing them with digital capabilities. Our webinar series aims to equip them for a smoother transition to a blended learning set-up,” said PLDT Public Affairs Head Ramon Isberto.    

"Through the webinar series, we advocate the culture of sharing. We become architects as we design our own modules. Through this, we enable our fellow teachers to learn from our best teaching and learning practices,” said UPOU Chancellor Dr. Melinda Bandelaria during the first session.  

There are several topics educators can watch out for, including engaging learners online (August 3), assessment of online engagement tools (August 7) and supporting online learners (August 10). Students will be given an online course on preparing to be an online learner (August 5), while parents will be offered a special webinar on how to support their children as online learners (August 18). There will also be a webinar session on cyber security open to the general public (August 14), led by PLDT Chief Information and Security Officer Angel Redoble. 

“This webinar series in partnership with the UPOU is a milestone that aims to uplift our country’s new digital education system. We continue to take strides in ensuring that we utilize our resources in helping the teaching and learning community," he said. 

Recognizing the vital role that the local government units (LGUs) play in supporting the education sector’s transition to digital learning, PLDT will also hold a special webinar session for them on August 12. 

For more details on how to participate, visit the UPOU Network’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/UPOpenUniversityNetworks/ 

Through the shared goal of enriching the country’s education sector, PLDT and UPOU are dedicating this webinar series not only to the teachers, but also to the whole ecosystem of the teaching and learning process: the students, their parents, and their communities. [END] 

 

About the Infoteach Outreach Program 

Now on its 16th year, the PLDT Infoteach Outreach Program started in 2004 as a barangay-based initiative on digital literacy training, and was later transformed into a school-based program. As the company’s flagship educational program, it champions digital literacy by empowering public school teachers and students nationwide. Its partnership with UPOU started in 2012 and has already produced over 30,000 graduates from different public schools all over the country. 

 

For more details on PLDT’s efforts for the education sector, please visit http://pldt.com/about-us/corporate-citizenship 

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About PLDT

PLDT is the leading telecommunications and digital services provider in the Philippines. Through its principal business groups – fixed line, wireless and others – PLDT offers a wide range of telecommunications and digital services across the Philippines’ most extensive fiber optic backbone, and fixed line and cellular networks.

PLDT is listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE:TEL) and its American Depositary Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:PHI). PLDT has one of the largest market capitalizations among Philippine­listed companies.

Maxicare gives free COVID-19 testing for thousands of members

To provide continuity of care and to ensure their members’ safety and well-being, Maxicare successfully recently hosted a 4-day free SARS COV2 Antibody Testing activities for 4,061 Maxicare members. 

With a simple and convenient process, members simply had to register and fill out a risk assessment form online. This was a quick and easy screening process that determined their risk category. Instructions were then given based on their respective categories. 

The initiative was met with much appreciation and gratitude from members and their families, both during the event and after.  “Maxicare was very efficient. You will get a 1-hour window to show up and take the test in a large, events-purposed building in Bridgetowne, Quezon City. There were testing stations with proper queuing, social-distancing etc. The whole process took only about 30 mins,” Attorney Butch Dado narrated of his experience.  

Benjunar Barcoma, a sales engineer from Rohde & Shwarz (Philippines) Inc., was grateful for the peace of mind it afforded him.  Another member, Dr. Kenneth Y. Hartigan-Go, an Associate Professor and Head of the Stephen Zuellig School of Development Management at the Asian Institute of Management, commended Maxicare’s integration of science and heart in this time of uncertainty. “It was  a well-organized COVID-19 testing one Sunday morning, offering myself peace of mind.” 

Aside from the free tests, Maxicare continues to cover members infected with COVID-19. A total of 631 cases were confirmed, and 592 already recovered as of July 11, 2020. Amidst the lockdown, Maxicare clinics remained open, while strictly adhering to appropriate health protocols. Maxicare members who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and other health concerns are encouraged to call in through the 24/7 TeleConsult service to verify with licensed physicians whether or not they need to head to the hospital to avoid unnecessary exposure.     

During these uncertain times, a sense of shared responsibility has seen the country coming together, while staying apart.  The free test is “consistent with Maxicare’s mission of helping people achieve peace of mind through quality healthcare so they may live their best lives,” added Christian Argos, Maxicare President & CEO.