Iloilo Lifestyle

SM Foundation Inc.(SMFI) launched the 95th batch of Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan farmers training program last July 28, 2015 at Ephratah Farms in Brgy. Sariri, Badiangan, Iloilo with the aim of helping Iloilo farmers improve and increase their productivity and income through the application of modern  technology.
Over 150 farmers from this province of Iloilo have enlisted to participate in the season-long (3 months)  training on  high value commercial vegetables production using the modern technology  under the  Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Program, a collaboration with  HARBEST Agribusiness Corporation, the Department of Agriculture, Department of Social Welfare and Development the local government units.

The training includes lectures and hands-on training using the Farmers Field School concept, which is a group-based learning process  that  incorporates concepts  and methods  from agro-ecology, experiential education and community development.  This includes the use of the plastic green house an…

Cebu Pacific Air (PSE:CEB) will be bringing bloggers from across the region on a fantastic tour of the Philippines, with the launch of the #CEBjuanderer Challenge.
Eight bloggers, now dubbed as ‘Juanderers’ as the locals like to say, from Australia, China, Japan and Korea will go on an all-expense paid adventure across five Philippine destinations, namely Boracay, Cebu, Davao, Manila, and Palawan from 31 July to 7 August 2015. This is in partnership with the Philippine Tourism Promotions Board.
Two lucky Juanderers will represent each country, and compete in unique cultural experiences over the course of a week. They will take part in surprise challenges, and earn points as they play against the other teams. Each member of the winning team at the end of the trip will each receive an all-expense paid holiday to any destination in the Philippines for two people, inclusive of flights, two nights hotel accommodation with breakfast, and USD300 travel allowance.
“We look forward to welcoming o…

Senator Franklin Drilon urged the modernization of the Port of Iloilo which will play a critical role in the economic development of the whole Panay Island, amid the completion of major projects in the region.
Drilon said there is an urgent need for the upgrading of the port to enhance its shipping and cargo-capabilities, particularly due to the heightened economic activities to be generated by initiatives like the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project and the Iloilo Convention Center.

“It has been said that ‘a port makes a city.’ Indeed, ports are crucial to achieving growth and development, which is most especially true to regions such as the Panay Island whose people rely on ports for their livelihood,” said Drilon.
However, Drilon said he was worried that the lack of modern and efficient port facilities in Iloilo could hamper the growth of the province, and of the entire Panay Island.
“With the major development happening in the region, we can expect traffic surge at our ports in the com…

Globe Labs, the developer community of Globe Telecom, is stepping up its drive to combat fraud by offering solutions to help address the connectivity gaps and security challenges in the Philippine banking industry.
This is in response to the growing threat of fraudulent activities such as phishing attacks which often target bank customers who have online accounts.  While usernames and passwords are supposed to be confidential, such sensitive information sometimes fall into the wrong hands, thus, making it imperative for customers to use another form of authentication to thwart unauthorized access to their accounts.

Armando L. Encarnacion, Jr., Business Development Manager for Globe Labs said that through Globe Labs Telco APIs, banks will be able to leverage on additional security layer for customers’ online transactions.  Globe Labs, for instance, can provide one-time passwords (OTPs) that will be sent to the registered mobile phone number to complete the login process.  The OTP is uniq…

Global-Estate Resorts, Inc. (GERI), a subsidiary of property giant Megaworld, is gearing up for another integrated urban township development in Western Visayas – Sta. Barbara Heights, which is seen to spur economic activities in the town of Sta. Barbara, Iloilo.
The 173-hectare Sta. Barbara Heights is set to become the 18th township of Megaworld, which will lend its expertise to GERI to develop the vast property into a mixed-use urban community.


“We are allocating P10-billion to develop Sta. Barbara Heights for 10 years. Part of which has already been spent for land development and construction of the village, which started four years ago. We have seen the potential of Sta. Barbara Heights of becoming a full-blown township because of its strategic location near the Iloilo International Airport. In the next five to 10 years, this masterplanned community will help spur economic activities in this town, and we will be able to provide transient passengers and tourists with facilities that …

DAVAO CITY—Electronics Engineering student, Ket Villasencio, 21, believes that real-world problems can be solved through the innovative use of technology.
With his smarts and background in engineering, Ket wants to help his father—who is a banana grower in his hometown Compostela Valley—deal with common agricultural problems.
Because of his passion for learning, he attended the Davao leg of the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP) roadshow at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) last July 10.


The SWEEP roadshow was organized by wireless leader Smart Communications to promote the culture of innovation among IT and engineering students all over the country.  SWEEP is the country’s biggest industry-academe linkage program that seeks to enhance engineering and IT education.
“Smart has embraced technology for development.  We have harnessed web and mobile technologies for social good in education, disaster preparedness, environment sustainability, livelihood, and a…

Great Taste White is making everyday wins even greater with the Choose Great Win Great raffle, its biggest promo to date. More than P27 million worth of prizes is at stake. 


The promo will have four regional draws in five areas: Greater Manila Area, North Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. For every regional draw, there will be one winner of P200,000 and one winner of P100,000 in each area. Two winners will also get their very own white MacBook Air, four winners will take home a white iPhone 6, and six winners will receive a white iPad Mini. 
The Great Taste White: Choose Great, Win Great Promo will culminate in the Grand Draw where one lucky winner will take home P3 million pesos in cash and eight others will get to own a white Toyota Vios 1.3 E M/T.
To make his winning moment an even greater experience, the grand prize winner will get an exclusive sneak peek into the Pinoy Big Brother experience. Apart from the P3 million cash prize, he will also receive VIP tickets to the PB…

Husin Ludsuman Abduhalim, Principal I of Maluso Central Elementary School, couldn’t wait to show the mobile digital laboratory to his kindergarten pupils when he gets back to Basilan.
Teacher Sin, as he is called by students and co-teachers, thinks that this latest initiative from Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) will help make learning more engaging for the young learners in his school.


“Our kinder kids, who are mostly five-year-olds, are excited about using the gadgets. I’m pretty sure they will be motivated to learn with the help of technology,” he assured.
Teacher Sin said even the students’ parents were amazed when they learned that their children will get to use tablets in kindergarten school.  More often than not, only students in higher grade levels or in high school get to use gadgets.
Just like Teacher Sin’s students, kindergarten learners from 14 other public schools across the country will soon experience digital learning through the Smart TechnoCart, an innovative mobile di…

Globe Telecom continues to enrich the customer experience as it now offers its GoSURF consumable data plan with free access to Facebook, allowing its mobile customers to access the social networking site without data charges.
“Globe is the only telco in the country to offer free access to Facebook with a complete browsing experience by registering to any GoSURF data plan. The full experience includes viewing of photos, streaming of videos uploaded on Facebook, as well as posting, liking, sharing and making comments on the social networking site. Access to the Messenger app, excluding calls, is also free,” Globe said in its press release.
Available to Globe Prepaid and TM customers with a GoSURF subscription and to Globe Postpaid customers who will opt-in to the free Facebook promo, free access to Facebook works on any mobile platform, including the Facebook Android and iOS app and browsers (via m.facebook.com), without any maintaining balance.
Postpaid customers can access Facebook for …

By May Grecia-Rago DSWD Regional Information Officer
He wore a loose grey shirt and a tranquil face while sitting on a wooden stage set for the formal turn-over of houses that was about to happen in Brgy. Pawa, Panay, Capiz.
When I asked him where his house is, he pointed me to the rightmost shelter, beside the stage. It had a label placed adjacent to the door knob which showed his name boldly printed “Ramir Barrera.”

Thirty-nine-year-old Ramir happily showed to me his new home where he, his wife Emilyn and their two children will be staying for good.
“We are really grateful for the house given to us,” he said.
Just a few meters from Ramir was a young mother cuddling her baby.She told me that her name is May Deleona and said, “We are very thankful because now we already have a house. Our house before was totally washed out by typhoon Yolanda.”

May, 23 years old, has a child, six-month-old Nathan Lance, with her common-law husband Frances Archivo. The young couple has not been married yet …

Sun Cellular, in its press statement, announced that you can now enjoy free access to Facebook anytime and anywhere on your mobile phone without worrying about data charges or having to scan free WiFi hotspots around your neighborhood.


“Sun offers free access to Facebook to prepaid and postpaid subscribers, allowing you to enjoy Facebook all-day, the practical way. Available to all subscribers nationwide, Sun’s free Facebook offer allows you to stay in touch with family and friends wherever you are, so you don’t need to wait to come across the next Free WiFi hotspot before you could connect with your friends or stay abreast with the latest updates on Facebook,” Sun Cellular announced.
Sun’s latest offer comes on the heels of its insightful ‘Choose Better' campaign, which encourages mobile phone users to examine their choices and make sure they are getting the most value out of their hard-earned money. 
“Sun gives you the best-value for money options with its wide range of feature-pa…

We dreamt of having free access to information online and now it has become a reality, thanks to Internet.org by Facebook through Talk ‘N Text (TNT), the value brand of the wireless services leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart).
“Because of Internet.org which I can access through my phone, I no longer need to go to the computer shop and spend money in order to be connected to the Internet. I use the app to interact with my friends through Facebook, research for school assignments and read the news. My classmates also use Internet.org,” Caren Mae Tabugon, 16, said during the Iloilo leg of the Panalo ang May Alam Party, organized by Talk ‘N Text .

Tabugon is one of the residents of Brgy. Sooc in Arevalo District, Iloilo City who attended an interactive gathering where they were treated to enjoyable activities and experiential learning games on using Internet.org, which provides communities in Asia, Africa and Latin America with free access to basic internet services so they can impro…