by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jun 11, 2021 | Car care tips
Amid the ‘new normal,’ most car owners use their vehicles less frequently. Except for frontline workers, the public is encouraged to go out only when necessary to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Despite this, Prestone, a proven and trusted quality brand of Auto Care fluids since 1927, reminds motorists to religiously check their vehicles and go for annual preventive maintenance to avoid the hassle of a car breakdown when they return on the road.
According to Prestone Philippines, car owners need to focus on two frequently overlooked fluids—the Automatic Transmission and Power Steering Fluids.
Shifting With Ease
The Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) is an essential fluid that lubricates the bearings and metal parts inside a car’s automatic gearbox. It also keeps them from grinding down as they move.
Car owners need to regularly maintain their vehicle’s ATF since it not only lubricates the moving parts but also provides hydraulic pressure and friction to make the internal parts work. Transmission fluid in both manual and automatic transmissions also helps to keep the transmission cool. Since most cars today use AT transmissions, keeping tabs on them is vital since it is more expensive to repair than manual transmission cars.
Additionally, Prestone said that using auto transmission fluids provide the necessary power for the demands of the city or highway. Prestone’s Auto Transmission Fluid (ATF) helps delay and, at its best, eliminate the need for costly repairs with cracked and dry seals conditioning and its stop leak technology. In addition, its high and low-temperature friction characteristics provide smooth shifting under extreme conditions, meeting the needs of various cars.
Turning With Ease
Meanwhile, Power Steering Fluid (PSF) is a kind of hydraulic fluid transferring power in modern vehicles with power steering. As a vital part of your steering system, power steering fluid allows drivers to turn the steering wheel smoothly. The use of PSF varies depending on the car with some requiring ATF to come along with it.
Unfortunately, topping up PSF is typically not included in regular maintenance but it still needs to be maintained to prevent grit and sludge from accumulating and further getting into the car’s pinion seals and rack, consequently destroying it. Prestone highly recommends that car owners periodically change their car’s PSF, using high-quality fluids and consulting expert mechanics to maintain it.
The Prestone Power Steering Fluid protects pumps against pump breakdown caused by wear, oxidation, and foaming through its stop leak technology. As a result, it lessens pump squealing and aid in smooth power steering operation. It also pours at sub-zero temperatures to help assure cold weather steering performance.
As a final reminder, car owners must stay cautious against counterfeit products sold in the market today, especially Brake Fluid. Using fake products can cause malfunctions or permanently damage various parts of your vehicle, leading to a car breakdown, accidents, or engine replacement.
Watch out for sellers offering products that come from unknown sources and with suspicious prices and discounts. To know its authenticity, check the product’s details, look for imperfections, and ensure it has a PS mark or ICC stickers issued by the Philippine Bureau of Product Standards.
To know more about Prestone Philippines, visit their website at https://www.prestone.com.ph/ and follow their Facebook page, Prestone Philippines. You can also buy authentic Prestone products on their Lazada page, The Clorox Company Flagship Store.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jun 2, 2021 | Business
Are you excited to visit your favorite hotel restaurant again? Which food station will you be making a beeline for? Which favorite dish will you be asking for first? Well, we have good news for you!
The Manila Hotel’s famed Café Ilang-Ilang has once again opened its doors to valued clients. The hotel has been responding to queries about the outlet’s reopening. After reviewing the guidelines, as well as heightening health and hygiene protocols, the decision to open Café Ilang-Ilang is an answer to persistent inquiries from its loyal guests and those who have yet to experience it.
Cafe Ilang Ilang’s Atrium with dining dividers
The food stations will once again be teeming with exciting dishes, and the aroma of your favorites will surely call out to you as you approach them. As the world-class chefs are busy behind glass enclosures, diners can go around the restaurant in their face masks and face shields to check various food stations. Because of existing guidelines for dining establishments, Café Ilang-Ilang has implemented the Order & Eat-All-You-Can System, where guests can point to what they want from the spread, and it will be plated for them.
Café Ilang-Ilang serves international selections from Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Korean to everything in between; even Halal. You can get your grilled meats at the popular Churrasco station or the beloved Lechon at the Filipino station. You will surely be spoiled in this gourmand’s haven. See if you can resist the selection of desserts, or the local fave and Halo-Halo — the perfect treat to beat the heat!
A gastronomic feast also awaits guests with an amazing gift voucher deal, giving you more reasons to come and visit us. For just P3,000 net (lunch) and P3,500 net (dinner), diners can indulge in our vast array of culinary creations. These non-expiring dining vouchers for two are available for purchase until June 20, 2021. They can be redeemed anytime at Café Ilang-Ilang but prior reservation is recommended.
Café Ilang-Ilang still implements physical distancing and reduced capacity measures that are compliant with the IATF and DOT guidelines for restaurants, so you can be sure that #YouAreSafeHere when you come and visit.
The outlet opens for lunch at 11:30 am, and dinner at 5:30 pm with the last call for orders at 8 pm. For more information and reservations, please call 8527-0011 or 0998-9501912 or email re************@************el.com. You may also book via https://www.manila-hotel.com.ph/dining/cafe-ilang-ilang/.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | May 31, 2021 | Business
In a time of great difficulty and challenges not just for the education sector but for the whole country, many schools and educators rose to the task to continue providing holistic and enriching learning for students throughout the country. It’s time for these heroic efforts to take the spotlight and be acknowledged.
The Gawad Edukampyon Awards 2021 was created for this very purpose: to celebrate innovations and excellence by higher education institutions (HEIs) during the most challenging time in recent history, and bring together educators and institutions to create, refine, and implement innovative programs suited to create better and sustainable learning in the 21st century’s new normal of education.
Launched on January 30, 2021, by Rex Education and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), in partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), the Gawad Edukampyon Awards 2021 is driven by CHED’s #WeLearnAsOne Bayanihan efforts and Rex Education’s Edukampyon advocacy.
“I encourage all HEIs to join the Gawad Edukampyon and showcase your innovations. It is during these challenging times that we must empower and inspire each other, draw strength and learn from one another,” said CHED Chairperson Prospero “Popoy” De Vera.
Flexible learning is here to stay
Rex Education has always rallied behind the Edukampyon advocacy, which calls for the whole community’s involvement and all education duty-bearers to ensure all students are Filipino Whole Learners — healthy, safe, engaged, supported, challenged, challenged, and values-oriented inside and outside their learning environments. This has become especially important and relevant given the context and changes in education in the new normal, where flexible learning has become a more viable modality for the years to come.
CHED Chairperson Prospero “Popoy” De Vera
“[There is] no going back to the traditional, full-packed, face-to-face classrooms. The Commission has adopted a policy that flexible learning will continue in the school year 2021 and thereafter,” said De Vera. This statement comes after the release of CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 04, series 2020, “Guidelines on the Implementation of Flexible Learning,” which also presents flexible learning as a sustainable system that should be part of every school’s Learning Continuity Plan (LCP).
Given the new investments of many HEIs in technology, teacher training, and retrofitting of facilities to adapt with flexible learning, and with this modality already long-adapted by many universities across the globe, it only makes sense for institutions to embrace the new landscape that flexible learning brings.
This adaptability and learner-centered approach to education has always been at the core of Edukampyon, which — through the many studies and real-world applications it draws from — argues that learning should not just be delivered from the classroom curriculum, but from the whole community and through every possible learning moment.
“The Edukampyon agenda lobbies that as members of the community, everyone is part of this learner-centered solution, and are thus duty bearers morally obliged to support initiatives that will benefit our learners. We acknowledge that the efforts to realize the vision of Edukampyon are continuously growing. We may be at the very first steps of this years-long movement. But taking the first step is always the most crucial moment in every revolution. With the help of every HEI and of everyone, we hope that this first step leads to a march where we create more programs and campaigns that would allow us to be champions for the Whole Filipino Learner. And we hope Gawad Edukampyon Awards 2021 will lead that way,” said Don Timothy Buhain, CEO of Rex Education.
Award categories and prizes
There are four categories under the Gawad Edukampyon Awards. Each category will be awarded to the school that has implemented a project or initiative that best exemplifies excellence in the particular field and has been demonstrated during the pandemic.
The Gawad Edukampyon for Excellence in Flexible and Responsive Management
An award to be given to HEIs who created policies or specific projects and practices that ensured the continuity of education, as well as the health, safety, and well-being of students, faculty, staff, and school community during times of disruption. This includes efforts that set a clear framework and system for the transition and integration of flexible learning approaches, excellent and strategic leadership and management, and innovative management approaches that provided tangible support to the staff and students’ well-being especially during the pandemic.
The Gawad Edukampyon for Excellence in Flexible Teaching and Learning Innovation
An award to be given to HEIs with exemplary innovative and adaptive learning approaches and solutions, including innovative platforms, tools, pedagogies, and appropriate learning assessments; efforts to promote learner-centered teaching; technology-enhanced or arts-based learning; setting up mobile open online courses (MOOCs), or creating significant reforms in the curriculum to accommodate the changes in the delivery of learning.
The Gawad Edukampyon for Responsive Research and Development
An award to be given to HEIs with outstanding research and development of products that significantly contributed to the community through research and materials dissemination to other LGUs or other HEIs, as well as researches that have been used as an input to public policy or adopted into a local community project, and case assessments or action-research that can improve the government’s COVID-19 response.
The Gawad Edukampyon for Public Service and Community Engagement
An award to be given to HEIs with outstanding outreach projects that alleviated challenges experienced by their community because of COVID-19. This includes those that have increased community resilience or improved response to the pandemic and communication campaigns that have engaged the community or resulted in transformative decision-making.
Two winners will be awarded for each category — one from the public sector and another from the private sector. Each award category winner will receive a cash prize and an educational resources package worth P200,000. The narratives of all winners will be featured in the Rex Education-led publication, Padayon.
How to join
All HEIs who wish to participate in the Gawad Edukampyon Awards can now submit their letter of intent (LOI) signed by the HEI head or authorized representative to ed*******************@***il.com with the subject heading “The Screening Committee, Gawad Edukampyon 2021”. The deadline for submission of LOI is on June 4, 2021.
For the full mechanics on how to join and access the forms, application information, and other updates, you may visit Gawad Edukampyon on Facebook and head to the link bit.ly/GawadEdukampyon, or contact the Gawad Edukampyon secretariat at ed*******************@***il.com or 0956-812-3896.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | May 26, 2021 | Business
More than a thousand trucks carrying products of cement manufacturer Holcim Philippines, Inc. are out on the country’s roads every day. This makes logistics a key part of the company’s business, impacting its ability to provide a reliable supply to customers and manage costs.
Holcim Philippines has implemented several improvement initiatives for logistics operations. Among the most successful is a program designed to strengthen safety in logistics.
Edwin Villas, Holcim Philippines Senior Vice President for Logistics, said the company’s focus on road safety is part of an overall effort to have excellent logistics operations. “Improving safety in logistics also leads to better business results as we reduce the risk of delivery delays due to poorly maintained vehicles or accidents with our transportation partners,” Villas added.
The comprehensive program requires transporters to meet strict standards for roadworthiness and maintenance for trucks. Holcim Philippines also conducts route assessments to identify hazards and advises drivers on precautionary measures. A debriefing and coaching session is held after each trip. Safe drivers are rewarded, while unsafe ones are helped to improve. The company holds a monthly meeting with its transport partners to discuss safety performance.
In addition, Holcim Philippines, with the support of the LafargeHolcim Group, has introduced digitalization to drive improvements. The performance of fleets and drivers is tracked through In-Vehicle Monitoring System (IVMS), a device that measures driving behavior, such as speeding, harsh braking, and fatigue. Information from IVMS is fed into the company’s Transport Analytics Centre (TAC), which crunches the numbers to optimize routes for improvements in safety, customer service, and efficiency.
Another important component of Holcim Philippines’ logistics safety efforts is a driver training program launched five years ago when the company became the anchor client of the country’s first truck driver academy operated by TDC-Uyeno, a joint venture between logistics companies Transnational Diversified Group and Japan’s Uyeno Yuso Ltd.
Since then, 907 drivers of transporters working with Holcim Philippines have completed the four-day driving course. The company did not let the pandemic stop trainings, with 257 people completing the course virtually last year.
The company’s focus on driver training is meant to address the lack of formal training for most drivers in the country, where it is common for trucks to be operated by former helpers who shifted to driving to earn more.
Since 2015, 907 drivers of transporters working with the company have completed the safe driving course. Holcim Philippines continues to train drivers on road safety with instructions and assessments conducted virtually given the pandemic.
One such driver is Alex Villasfir, who learned about driving while working as a helper for his father. He has driven professionally for 14 years, but it was only in Holcim Philippines that he had formal training. “Malaki ang naitulong lalo na sa pagiging defensive at responsableng driver. Mas naintindihan ko yung mga sa safety rules sa kalsada. Yung mga maliliit na sasakyan na singit ng singit pinapabayaan ko na. Mas doble ingat na kasi malaki yung dala namin (The trainings have been a big help in becoming a defensive and responsible driver. I understood better the safety rules on the road. Now I give way to smaller vehicles that want to pass me. I have to be more careful because I’m driving a bigger vehicle),” he said.
The increased focus on logistical excellence has led to positive results. In 2020, road transport incidents decreased by 60% compared to 2017. During the same period, the company’s trucks covered nearly 18 million kilometers – the equivalent of traveling from the Philippines to the U.S. 1,369 times – without a single fatality. The company has also significantly reduced its logistics costs.
Richard Cruz, Holcim Philippines Vice President for Health, Safety, and Security said the LafargeHolcim Group has recognized the company’s progress in improving logistics safety. More importantly, it is helping make the country’s roads safer. “Road accidents remain one of the leading causes of death in the country. We are proud to help address this challenge by following the best practices for transporting our goods and improving the skills of Filipino truck drivers,” he said.
Cruz added that there are plans to further improve logistics safety through enhancements to the driver rewards program and a mobile app to monitor driving performance. “This is part of our overall commitment to health and safety in the company. We want to ensure that everyone involved in our business can go home safely after work. Logistics is a key part of our business, and it is only right that we ensure our partners are fully equipped to do their work safely,” he said.
Holcim Philippines, Inc. (Philippine Stock Exchange: HLCM) is one of the leading building solution companies in the country. The Company has a deep portfolio of innovative solutions fostered by a full range of products from structuring to finishing applications that can help local builders execute with high performance and efficiency a wide range of projects from massive infrastructure to simple home repairs.
With cement manufacturing facilities in La Union, Bulacan, Batangas, Misamis Oriental, and Davao, as well as aggregates and dry mix business and technical support facilities for building solutions, Holcim Philippines is a reliable partner of builders in the country.
Holcim Philippines is also committed to the highest standards of sustainable operations and manufacturing excellence with its plants certified under ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management System), ISO 9001:2008 (Quality Management System), and OHSAS 45001:2018 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System).
Holcim Philippines is a member of the LafargeHolcim Group, the world leader in the building materials industry present in 80 countries with over 75,000 employees.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | May 25, 2021 | Advocacy
Close to 500 houses for families displaced by the conflict in Marawi have been built as part of the partnership to support the city’s rehabilitation by leading building solutions provider Holcim Philippines, Inc., the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
By the end of April 2021,491 of the 1,057 housing units planned for the first phase of the project were either completed or under construction. Holcim Philippines has supplied close to 72,000 bags of general-purpose cement Holcim Excel to the project sites in Marawi through its plant in Lugait, Misamis Oriental. Additional 85,000 bags of Holcim Excel will be used for the rest of the houses.
The reconstruction is being led by Marawi residents, 116 of whom were trained and certified by TESDA under Holcim Philippines’ ‘galing Mason program. The masonry skills and certification from TESDA will enable beneficiaries to explore job opportunities in other areas after completing the construction projects in Marawi.
Holcim Philippines Vice President for Communications Cara Ramirez: “We are pleased that this partnership project with the UN-Habitat is progressing well and helping the City of Marawi rise again. This wonderful update is a welcome development as we join the nation for the celebration of Eid al-Fitr. The continued recovery of Marawi is a testament to the resilience of Filipinos, and shows how our products are making a difference in the lives of our countrymen and the progress of the nation.”
UN-Habitat Country Programme Manager Christopher Rollo: “Eid Mubarak to our Muslim brothers and sisters! The Rebuilding Marawi Project, funded by the People of Japan, is steadily moving forward towards its goal of providing permanent houses to 1,057 families affected by the 2017 Marawi Siege. The ongoing permanent shelter construction in four resettlement sites and the turnover of Hadiya Village to 109 families are project milestones made possible by various partnerships forged along the course of project implementation. UN-Habitat is grateful for the strong partnership it has built with Holcim Philippines – access to cement is one major aspect of the partnership that kept the construction of houses unhampered amidst the mobility restrictions posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The project is part of a multi-sector effort to rebuild Marawi after a devastating conflict there several years ago that displaced nearly 80,000 families. In addition to UN-Habitat and TESDA, the project is supported by the Government of Japan, the Task Force Bangon Marawi, and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.
Holcim Philippines, Inc. (Philippine Stock Exchange: HLCM) is one of the leading building solution companies in the country. The Company has a deep portfolio of innovative solutions fostered by a full range of products from structuring to finishing applications that can help local builders execute with high performance and efficiency a wide range of projects from massive infrastructure to simple home repairs.
With cement manufacturing facilities in La Union, Bulacan, Batangas, Misamis Oriental, and Davao, as well as aggregates and dry mix business and technical support facilities for building solutions, Holcim Philippines is a reliable partner of builders in the country.
Holcim Philippines is also committed to the highest standards of sustainable operations and manufacturing excellence with its plants certified under ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management System), ISO 9001:2008 (Quality Management System), and OHSAS 45001:2018 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System).
Holcim Philippines is a member of the LafargeHolcim Group, the world leader in the building materials industry present in 80 countries with over 75,000 employees.
The Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) is an essential fluid that lubricates the bearings and metal parts inside a car’s automatic gearbox. It also keeps them from grinding down as they move.
Meanwhile, Power Steering Fluid (PSF) is a kind of hydraulic fluid transferring power in modern vehicles with power steering. As a vital part of your steering system, power steering fluid allows drivers to turn the steering wheel smoothly. The use of PSF varies depending on the car with some requiring ATF to come along with it.
Launched on January 30, 2021, by 
Holcim Philippines is a member of the LafargeHolcim Group, the world leader in the building materials industry present in 80 countries with over 75,000 employees.
Holcim Philippines, Inc. (Philippine Stock Exchange: HLCM) is one of the leading building solution companies in the country. The Company has a deep portfolio of innovative solutions fostered by a full range of products from structuring to finishing applications that can help local builders execute with high performance and efficiency a wide range of projects from massive infrastructure to simple home repairs.
Holcim Philippines is also committed to the highest standards of sustainable operations and manufacturing excellence with its plants certified under ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management System), ISO 9001:2008 (Quality Management System), and OHSAS 45001:2018 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System).
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