Discovering the World of Women at SM Supermalls

The diversity of feminine beauty and brains – from fair to morena, athletic to plus size, entrepreneurs to philanthropists, and many more – was the subject of an exhibit organized recently by SM Supermalls at SM Mega Fashion Hall.

The SM World of Women Exhibit, in partnership with celebrity photographer Niccolo Cosme of Project Headshot Clinic, recognized empowered women who achieve their dreams and aspirations.

“We honor women’s power, strength, and countless achievements. Women are the doers and dreamers. They are strong, accomplished, and wise beyond years,” said Jonjon San Agustin, SM Supermalls Senior Vice President for Marketing.

The project featured 31 inspiring and beautiful ladies who have made a difference in the lives of Filipinos through their chosen advocacies. Among the group were Miss World 2013 Megan Young; HIV awareness and safe sex education advocate Angel Jones; Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines’ 2017 Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Rissa Mananquil-Trillo; ‘warrior princess for peace’ Honey Sumndad-Usman; and mother-daughter celebrity beauty experts Vicki Belo and Cristalle.

Cristalle Belo

Rissa Mananquil-Trillo

Angel Jones

Ma.Corazon Lacambacal

Five women, whose portraits were also part of the exhibit, were recognized as the winners of the #WorldofWomenAtSM digital promo. They gave the best answers on what it means to be an empowered and independent woman. Maria Corazon Lacambacal, full-time mother and cancer survivor, emphasizes the importance of living a fuller life with confidence, while Mica Flor Catanghal, a pharmacist, believes empowered women exude strength of character. Stephanie Justine Espallardo, a medical doctor, Carla Cabral, a social media strategist, and April Joyce Zaide, an engineer, also won prizes for their answers.

“I am very fortunate to have been able to photograph these empowered women with stories that speak of resilience, joy, and endless dreams. We can always learn a thing or two from women. Mabuhay ang kababaihan,” said Cosme.

Pinky Yee

Bea Ledesma

Other SM World of Women participants included Abbygale Arenas-de Leon, Maria Lourdes Bernadette Zaragosa-Banson, Kassy Pajarillo, Jing Castañeda, Katrina Gumabao, Dinah Salonga, Bambina Olivares, Sheena Vera Cruz, Lyn Pinugu, Kai Lim, Jessica Kienle, Gang Badoy Capati, Roxanne Ang-Farillas, Angel Guerrero, Pinky Yee,  Bea Ledesma, Milka and Shiella Romero, Raizelle So, and Gelli Victor.

Follow SM’s official social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@smsupermalls); and get insider access to all the fun happenings at SM Supermalls nationwide through SM’s Viber Public Chat. Post your thoughts, upload and share your photos about your memorable moments at SM, and use its official hashtag, #EverythingsHereAtSM.


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Rich and healthy dark chocolates

Discover the intense, rich and healthy goodness of dark chocolates with Villa del Conte’s decadent dark chocolate bar with crunchy toffee and sea salt. Dark chocolate is not only irresistibly delicious but is also loaded with bioactive compounds that can protect your skin from the sun and flavonols that can improve heart health by lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow to the heart and brain.

Villa del Conte’s 100g dark bar is handcrafted from Padova, Italy and lets you indulge your chocolate craving without the guilt.  Villa Del Conte stores are located in Greenbelt 5, Century City Mall, Shangri-la Mall, SM Megamall, and Robinsons Magnolia. For bulk orders and to know more about Villa Del Conte’s indulgent creations, contact 893-2575, visit www.villadelcontecioccolato.com, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram: @VillaDelContePh and on Twitter: @villadelconte.

Clear and Healthy eyes at 40

Let’s give our eyes extra loving care so that we can enjoy clear vision even as we grow old.

People ages 40 years old and above often suffer from age-related health problems like near vision blurriness. Our eyes work long hours and we should nourish them properly. Having clear vision allows us to have happy moments with the people we love.

Eat healthy food for healthy vision. Aside from Vitamin A which sharpens eyesight, nutrients such as Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin C and E can help ward off age-related vision problems for adults like cataracts. Eating a well-balanced diet can also help prevent other health problems such as Diabetes, which is the number one cause of blindness among adults.

Avoid excessive exposure to unhealthy blue lights. At this age of technology, we are being exposed to harmful blue lights from gadgets, laptops and monitors. Too much exposure can cause vision problems such as Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Limit your time in front of the screen and break every now and then.

Get a regular eye check-up. Regular vision consultation is essential to prevent or detect signs of vision problems.

Choose the right eyewear. The right kind of prescription glasses will not only help us see better but will also make your life easier and more convenient, especially as we age. Trusted by eye experts worldwide, Varilux®, world leader in progressive lens technology, corrects one of the natural eye problems caused by aging: presbyopia or near vision blurriness. This leading progressive lens provides sharp, clear vision and smooth transition between distances: near, far and in-between.

Developed by the world’s leading ophthalmic optics company, Essilor, all Varilux® lenses are tested to ensure customer satisfaction, including fast and easy adaptation. They are also perfect for those with active lifestyles.

To protect your eyes from harmful lights, Varilux® is also available in Crizal™ Transitions® which shields the eyes from harmful ultra-violet rays. Its multi-coat technology can also provide complete protection against dust, smudge, glare, scratch and water.

For more information, visit Essilor’s website at www.essilor.com.ph, and follow @EssilorPH on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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About Essilor

The world’s leading ophthalmic optics company, Essilor designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of lenses to improve and protect eyesight. Its corporate mission is to enable everyone around the world to access lenses that meet his or her unique visual requirements. To support this vision, the Company allocates over €160 million to research and development every year, in a commitment to continuously bring new, more effective products to market. Essilor’s flagship brands are Varilux®, Crizal®, Xperio® and OptifogTM.

It also develops and markets equipment, instruments and services for eyecare professionals.

Essilor reported consolidated revenue of €4.9 billion in 2012 and employs around 50,700 people in some 100 countries. It operates 19 plants, a total of 390 prescription laboratories and edging facilities, as well as several research and development centers around the world.

Essilor was classified by Forbes magazine as being among the world’s 30 most innovative companies.
For more information, please visit www.essilor.com.ph.

Three Philippine Team finalists to join Youth Co:Lab Regional Summit in Bangkok

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Citi Foundation are staging the Youth Co:Lab Regional Summit in Bangkok from March 26 to 28, 2018.

Launched in 2017 by UNDP with support from Citi Foundation, Youth Co:Lab is a regional program that aims to tackle social and unemployment challenges by harnessing youth leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation. Youth Co:Lab is Citi Foundation’s flagship Pathways to Progress program in the region.

Data released by the International Labor Organization states that the global youth unemployment rate is currently over 13 percent, translating to about 71 million young people, aged 15 to 24, worldwide. About half or 33 million of these people live in Asia Pacific.

By engaging young people with policy makers and private sector partners, Youth Co:Lab serves as a platform for networking, idea-sharing, mentorship and collaboration through local National Dialogues and Social Innovation Challenges.

The inaugural Summit in Bangkok will comprise a Regional Dialogue on March 26 and a Regional Social Innovation on March 28. A total of 21 teams, including three from the Philippines, will pitch their social enterprise models at the Challenge for a chance at additional capacity-building opportunities.

Alex Austria and Keisha Mayuga of LawKo

Proudly representing the Philippines are Alex Austria of LawKo, a legal literacy initiative that aims to bridge the knowledge gap between a complicated legal system and the Filipino public; Pamela Nicole Mejia of Phinix, which upcycles old clothes and fabric scraps into footwear and accessories; and Samantha Sanchez of Arooga Health, which provides convenient access to emotional and wellness care providers.

“We feel quite lucky to be a part of the Summit,” says Alex. “Since we just got into the start-up scene less than 6 months ago, we're overwhelmed and grateful because we didn't even expect to end up here in the first place,” she added.

From its initial incarnation as a chatbot, LawKo has evolved into a legal literacy initiative thanks to the guidance of mentors from Rappler, QBO Philippines, and UNDP. It harnesses the power of technology and social media to help educate the public about government and legal processes.

For her part, Mejia feels just as honored to represent the country in the Youth Co:Lab Summit and is pleased with what Phinix has achieved thus far. “We intend to employ economically vulnerable women such as out-of-school girls, single mothers, and unemployed women in our textile recycling facility,” Mejia says, adding that “we have partnered as well with a community of PWD weavers for our textile upcycling and weaving production.”

Pamela Nicole Mejia of Phinix

Phinix is a textile recycling center that collects textile wastes and transforms them into higher valued products such as footwear and accessories. It is packaged as a fashion social enterprise that aims for the triple bottom line – for the planet, for the people, and for profit.

Meanwhile, Samantha says that the positive response to Arooga Health “is an inspiring validation that mental health matters and seeking help for mental wellness is not a sign of weakness.”

Samantha Sanchez of Arooga Health

Arooga Health is a platform that provides employees and companies convenient access to trusted care providers for their emotional and mental wellness and needs. Arooga Health matches a user with trusted care providers based on their objectives, preferred schedule, and mode of interaction.