by Penny Angeles-Tan | Apr 22, 2020 | Advocacy
Our love and support to our courageous frontliners facing the battle against #COVID19. Let us protect our frontliners in the government and medical community and do our part in order to help them. #StayAtHomeForUs
To date, Hotel Sogo has already donated P60 million worth of room accommodations for health workers during the ECQ. The donation of 800+ rooms for the use of frontliners is in cooperation with eleven Hospital Directors and the Mayors of Alabang, Caloocan, Makati, Manila, Molino, Naga, Pasay, and Quezon City.
We are one with the country in fighting the battle against COVID-19.
#HotelSogo #SogoCares #DahilMahalKitaGustoKoSafeKa #SoCleanSoGood #WeFightAsOne #SalgadoPR
Here is a video of the accommodations provided to frontliners at the Hotel Sogo Banawe Branch.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Apr 20, 2020 | Bon Appetit
Bibingkang malagkit or kumot as my dad used to call it is a rice cake snack that my dad used to love. We would buy a small tray of 8 squares every week. My dad called it kumot because of the layer if coco-caramel on top.
Is it also called biko?
Bibingkang malagkit is also called Biko. The only difference that I can see is that Biko is brown and is often topped with latik instead of coco-caramel sauce. To achieve that brown color, replace the white sugar with brown sugar.
The search is over
one serving size served here as a dessert with a cup of coffee on the side
Our favorite kakanin seller has not been around since the quarantine and when I ordered from someone on Facebook who makes bibingkang malagkit Facebook I was very disappointed at what I received … it was 10×10, as promised but the rice part was barely a centimeter high and the coco-caramel topping was about as thick. It was so thin that the only way to enjoy it was to roll a slice into a log and THEN eating it. It was a waste of money. Therefore, I decided to try making it myself.
I looked at several recipes online and chose the one I thought I could work with and yet I still made changes because I wanted it to look just like the one dad liked.
It took quite some time to make and requires a lot of patience but if you keep at it, you will be quite happy with the end result.
Time to cook!
Below is my version of the bibingkang malagkit. I was surprised that it turned out pretty well … exactly the same as the one dad and I used to buy. Yey! Today I had it for dessert with my breakfast.
FYI, I love using a wok for most of my cooking so for this recipe I still used two woks … a big one for the kakanin and a small one for the sauce topping.
Biko or Bibingkang Malagkit
rice cake made of glutinous rice, sugar, salt, and coconut milk
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Filipino
Keyword: bibingka, biko, filipino, rice cake
Servings: 24
Author: Penny Angeles-Tan
big wok
small wok
baking dish
oven
- 1 tbsp. butter for coating the baking dish
Kakanin
- 4 cups malagkit rice also known as glutinous rice
- 1,000 ml. gata coconut milk
- 1.5 cups water
- 1.5 cups sugar white or brown
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
Topping
- 200 ml. gata coconut milk
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
Preparing the kakanin
Place the rice in a bowl then wash and drain it. Place enough water to cover and soak for a few hours ... one hour at the very least, overnight at most. Note, that the longer you soak it, the better the rice will cook later.
When you are ready to cook, drain the rice and set aside.
Place the coconut milk and water in a saucepot, set the heat to medium and simmer.
Add the drained rice and stir often to be sure the rice does not burn along the sides of the pot. Continue to cook over medium heat and mixing until the rice has soaked up most of the liquid. Using a large wok makes it easier to mix.
Reduce the heat and add the white sugar and salt to the rice mixture and mix. Make sure the sugar and salt are completely mixed into the rice. You will notice that the rice where the sugar gets mixed in becomes shinier so keep mixing gently. This will take around 10 to 15 minutes, more or less.
Taste the rice every now and then to make sure it is cooked all the way through. You know you are done when the rice mixture is sticky and clumps but separates from the pot easily.
Preparing the coco-caramel sauce topping
Place the remaining 200 ml. coconut milk and the dark brown sugar in a saucepan.
Turn on the stove and mix until completely mixed and the sugar is dissolved.
Turn off the stove and allow to cool for 2 to 5 minutes.
Putting the dish together
Time to bake
Heat your oven to 350F. Some say to preheat before you start cooking but, personally, I usually wait until I am actually going to bake because I cannot predict how long the preparation would take and it would be a waste of gas (or electricity).
Once it has reached 350F place the prepared tray in the oven and bake for 1 hour. The sauce topping will bubble and thicken.
Set aside and allow to cool before serving.
Once your dish has cooled it will look like this:
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Apr 16, 2020 | Health Tips
In the game of basketball, a good defense is the best offense against unexpected setbacks. In life, as the world fights against the COVID-19 virus, we realize that good health is something we should never take for granted.
AXA, one of the country’s leading insurance providers and the official insurance partner of the NBA in the Philippines, shares seven simple but effective defense tactics to help you with your game plan on staying physically and mentally strong, not just during the lockdown but also after the quarantine is over.
Eat healthily.
What you eat is closely linked to your health. Avoid getting sick by maintaining a balanced diet composed of protein, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. By making the right food choices, you are protecting yourself from possible health conditions such as diabetes, heart attack, cancer, or stroke.
Exercise regularly.
Even off the court, you can still follow an at-home workout routine. Jump rope, do squats and lunges, push-ups, and stretches. Exercising regularly boosts your energy, maintains a healthy weight, and defends you against diseases.
Take vitamin supplements.
There are occasions when people don’t get the right amount of nutrients from food alone.
To fill the nutritional gap, drink the proper dietary supplements tailored to your body’s needs, which include omega-3, zinc, folic acid, and more.
Check out health and life insurance options.
Every now and then, people still get seriously sick despite living a healthy lifestyle. One of the best ways to prepare for this is to get health and life insurance.
Take advantage of the lockdown time to research on various health and life insurance products according to your needs. Consider AXA Health Start, which provides coverage for the top three illnesses — cancer, heart attack, and stroke — and their select early-stage conditions at an affordable price.
Avoid vices.
Smoking and excessive alcohol drinking are harmful habits that may cause your health to quickly deteriorate, which may lead to death. Smoking can lead to emphysema or pulmonary diseases while too much drinking can damage your liver. The sooner you quit, the better.
Stay hydrated.
man drinking water
Drinking more than eight glasses of water is essential to one’s health. It can help control calorie intake, energize the muscles, keep skin hydrated and young, and flush toxins out of the body.
Take a breather.
Living healthy is more than just diet and exercise; one shouldn’t forget about mental health, too. One of the best exercises to stay mentally fit is meditation or even taking deep breaths.
For beginners, sit or lie comfortably, close your eyes, and focus your attention on your breathing and how the body moves with every inhale and exhale. If your mind wanders, work on bringing your focus back to your breathing.
Now more than ever, it is important to have a game plan to stay healthy. Be physically and mentally fit by following these simple tips from AXA Philippines. For more information on AXA, visit www.axa.com.ph.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Apr 3, 2020 | Health and Wellness
While the search continues for a cure for COVID-19, the best way anyone can do at the moment is to prevent it.
The Department of Health is one with the World Health Organization and the USA’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention in saying that the best way to prevent COVID-19 from spreading is to kill the novel coronavirus before it enters the body.
COVID-19 is contracted when the novel coronavirus enters the body. Respiratory viruses like the novel coronavirus, the flu, and the common cold can be spread via the hands. An infected person’s hands can touch some mucus, viral particles will stick to the hands and then transfer to whatever they touch. If someone is well, hands act like sticky traps for viruses and can pick up droplets that contain the novel coronavirus, which stay on the hands, and enter the body if the hands touch the face.
To ensure that this does not happen, experts recommend that everyone must wash their hands thoroughly. They say that handwashing with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds, is still the top method to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and other diseases.
Hygienix Germicidal Soap
Hygienix fully supports the fight against COVID-19. Its frontline weapon: the Hygienix Germicidal Soap which kills 99.99% of viruses, germs, and common disease-causing bacteria. Washing the hands with Hygienix Germicidal Soap and water destroys viruses by pulling them apart, disintegrating them and flushing them down the drain.
Another benefit of using Hygienix Germicidal Soap is that it has a non-drying formula and a refreshing scent. That means you can use it as frequently as possible, make it an essential, and an enjoyable part of your daily lifestyle!
By keeping sanitized with Hygienix Germicidal Soap – along with other measures like drinking vitamins, wearing face masks, staying home and observing social distancing, the war against COVID-19 could soon be won.
Splash, the makers of Hygienix, knows fully well the crucial role it plays, especially during this time of COVID-19. They assure the public that they are working round the clock to keep up with the higher demand so that their soap and alcohol products will be continuously available in the market.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Apr 2, 2020 | Entertainment
Kim Ji Young, Born 1982 is a movie adaptation of the controversial South Korean best-selling novel that tackles the inherent sexism in today’s society.
Kim Ji Young is a story about an ordinary housewife who toils over her child and husband day in and day out. When she falls into postpartum depression, her supportive husband encourages her to seek help.
In her conversations with her psychiatrist, they show the gender roles that are so rooted in our society. Kim Ji Young is the embodiment of every woman – daughter, wife, mother, friend, and colleague – who goes through the same hurdles as we do.
The movie’s director didn’t focus on a pessimistic approach to telling the story. “I wanted to send a hopeful message to all Kim Ji Youngs in 2019,” Kim Do Yeong said in an interview, “that they are living in a better world than Ji Young’s mother, and their children will be as well.”
The movie stars Jung Yu Mi and Gong Yoo who have worked together before in Silenced and Train to Busan.
You can watch “Kim Ji Young, Born 1982” on Viu, the go-to streaming platform for the latest Korean and Asian dramas and variety shows. The Viu app is available for FREE on the PlayStore and AppStore or you can access it on your browser at www.viu.com.
To get a preview of “Kim Ji Young, Born 1982”, watch the trailer below.
The South Korean feminist movie will be available to Viu Premium subscribers beginning April 3 at 11 PM.
You can get your Viu Premium subscription for as low as Php29 for 3 days. Upgrade to Premium through in-app purchases or credit card payment. If you prefer charging your subscription to your mobile load, you can upgrade via Globe. For online shoppers, subscriptions are also available on Lazada and Shopee.
To stay updated with the latest Korean dramas and movies, follow Viu Philippines on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About Viu
Viu is a leading pan-regional over-the-top (OTT) video streaming service operated by PCCW Media Group. It is available in 16 markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar in Asia, the Middle East countries of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the newly launched South Africa.
Operating with both an ad-supported tier and a premium subscription tier with more features, Viu delivers premium Asian content in different genres from top content providers with local language subtitles as well as original production series under the ‘Viu Original’ initiative.
Viu offers users express delivery of telecast content, streaming and download features, and localized user interfaces. With the patented Dynamic Adaptive Transcoding technology, Viu can provide the best viewing experience regardless of device or network conditions.
The service can be accessed via the Viu app (available for free on App Store and Google Play) on connected devices, e.g. smartphones and tablets, selected smart TVs, as well as on the web by logging into www.viu.com.
About PCCW Media
The Media Group of PCCW is a leading, fully integrated multimedia and entertainment group in Hong Kong.
The Media Group operates the leading pay-TV service in Hong Kong under the Now TV brand delivering both self-produced and licensed content to its customers using IPTV technology. Now TV offers more than 160 linear channels and an on-demand library of local, Asian and international programming. Its premium content can also be accessed via the Now Player app. It is also a leading producer of Chinese language news, financial news and sports programming in addition to Asian infotainment content which complements its wide portfolio of licensed movie and international television content. PCCW Media also offers the Now E entertainment OTT (over-the-top) platform with international and Asian dramas, movies and world-class sports events, which is designed to meet the needs of viewers with Millennial lifestyle.
The Media Group is also engaged in the provision of OTT video service under the Viu brand in Hong Kong and 16 markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, India, and South Africa. In addition, MOOV is a hugely popular music digital streaming service in Hong Kong.
About PCCW Limited
PCCW Limited (SEHK: 0008) is a global company headquartered in Hong Kong which holds interests in telecommunications, media, IT solutions, property development, and investment, and other businesses.
The Company holds a majority interest in the HKT Trust and HKT Limited, Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider and leading operator in fixed-line, broadband, and mobile communication services. HKT meets the needs of the Hong Kong public and local and international businesses with a wide range of services including local telephony, local data and broadband, international telecommunications, mobile, and other telecommunications businesses such as customer premises equipment sale, outsourcing, consulting, and contact centers.
PCCW also owns a fully integrated multimedia and entertainment group in Hong Kong, PCCW Media. PCCW Media operates the largest local pay-TV operation, Now TV, and is engaged in the provision of over-the-top (OTT) video service under the Viu brand in Hong Kong and other places in the region.
Through HK Television Entertainment Company Limited, PCCW also operates a domestic free television service in Hong Kong.
Also, wholly owned by the Group, PCCW Solutions is a leading information technology outsourcing and business process outsourcing provider in Hong Kong and mainland China.
In addition, PCCW holds a majority interest in Pacific Century Premium Developments Limited, and other overseas investments. To learn more about PCCW, please visit www.pccw.com.
What you eat is closely linked to your health. Avoid getting sick by maintaining a balanced diet composed of protein, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. By making the right food choices, you are protecting yourself from possible health conditions such as diabetes, heart attack, cancer, or stroke.
There are occasions when people don’t get the right amount of nutrients from food alone.
Smoking and excessive alcohol drinking are harmful habits that may cause your health to quickly deteriorate, which may lead to death. Smoking can lead to emphysema or pulmonary diseases while too much drinking can damage your liver. The sooner you quit, the better.
Living healthy is more than just diet and exercise; one shouldn’t forget about mental health, too. One of the best exercises to stay mentally fit is meditation or even taking deep breaths.
COVID-19 is contracted when the novel coronavirus enters the body. Respiratory viruses like the novel coronavirus, the flu, and the common cold can be spread via the hands. An infected person’s hands can touch some mucus, viral particles will stick to the hands and then transfer to whatever they touch. If someone is well, hands act like sticky traps for viruses and can pick up droplets that contain the novel coronavirus, which stay on the hands, and enter the body if the hands touch the face.
Hygienix fully supports the fight against COVID-19. Its frontline weapon: the Hygienix Germicidal Soap which kills 99.99% of viruses, germs, and common disease-causing bacteria. Washing the hands with Hygienix Germicidal Soap and water destroys viruses by pulling them apart, disintegrating them and flushing them down the drain.
Kim Ji Young, Born 1982 is a movie adaptation of the controversial South Korean best-selling novel that tackles the inherent sexism in today’s society.
In her conversations with her psychiatrist, they show the gender roles that are so rooted in our society. Kim Ji Young is the embodiment of every woman – daughter, wife, mother, friend, and colleague – who goes through the same hurdles as we do.
You can watch “Kim Ji Young, Born 1982” on Viu, the go-to streaming platform for the latest Korean and Asian dramas and variety shows. The Viu app is available for FREE on the PlayStore and AppStore or you can access it on your browser at 
Viu is a leading pan-regional over-the-top (OTT) video streaming service operated by PCCW Media Group. It is available in 16 markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar in Asia, the Middle East countries of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the newly launched South Africa.
The Media Group of PCCW is a leading, fully integrated multimedia and entertainment group in Hong Kong.
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