by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 28, 2017 | Advocacy
Essilor Vision Foundation (EVF)’s Eye Can Succeed campaign had another successful run at the Higher School ng University of Makati (HSU). During the event, EVF staff examined the eyesight of more than 6,000 HSU students in grades 11 and 12. Prescription glasses were also distributed to those in need.
The event was also made possible with the help of volunteer optometrists and HSU students led by Dean Engr. Estrella Chan (third from left). The advocacy is set to visit other public high schools in Metro Manila and targets to provide free eye check up and prescription glasses to 10,000 Filipino senior high school students so they can pursue higher education and achieve success through better vision.
Also in photo are (L-R) Essilor Philippines optometrists and lens consultants Dr. Donna Acibar, Dr. Jennifer Parmerola and Dr. Jane Radovan; marketing executive JV Velasco; and marketing specialist Renze Sevilla.
For more information, visit Essilor’s website at www.essilor.com.ph/eyecansucceed, and follow @EssilorPH on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Sep 27, 2017 | Advocacy
Armed with its mission of improving lives through better careers and the advocacy of a job for every Filipino, JobStreet.com, the country’s number 1 job site, takes part in Project Inclusion.
A program of Unilab Foundation, Project Inclusion champions the employment of persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Joining the JobStreet.com contingent headed by Country Manager Philip Gioca (far left) are representatives of Unilab Foundation headed by Grant Javier (middle, in white), Project Inclusion’s Program Manager.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jul 23, 2017 | Advocacy
Healthy eyesight is essential to learning and achieving success. It allows us to pick up skills and also enables us to achieve our tasks. Unfortunately, at least ten in every 100 Filipino students suffer from poor eyesight.
This concern has led Essilor Vision Foundation (EVF) to team up with leading actor and brand ambassador Piolo Pascual to launch Eye Can Succeed, a program geared at providing free eye check-ups and free prescription eyeglasses to help 10,000 senior high school students pursue higher education and achieve success.
EVF kicked off the advocacy campaign at Rizal High School, which has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest secondary school in the world, by having licensed eye health professionals discuss the importance of healthy vision, proper eye care, and optometry as a career option for Grades 11 and 12 students in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) academic strand.
With the assistance of volunteer optometrists, EVF examined the school’s 4,000-strong Grades 11 and 12 students and distributed free prescription glasses to students who are in need.
The campaign is focused on senior high school students who are vulnerable to vision problems due to long hours of reading and exposure to blue light from digital devices like laptops and computers. They are also at a critical stage in their lives, where the pressure of choosing a career path looms before them.
EVF aims to ease some of their concerns by giving them free eye examinations and eyeglasses when needed, so they can have clear vision which is critical to pursuing their studies and achieving their dreams.
Jinky Navo, Essilor Philippines Marketing Manager
“Poor eyesight is a rampant issue among young Filipinos simply because very few are aware on the importance of having a regular eye check-up,” noted Essilor Philippines marketing manager Jinky Navo.
“Through Eye Can Succeed, which we have initiated with our brand ambassador Piolo Pascual, we aim to highlight the importance of good vision in achieving one’s dreams and success.”
As Essilor’s brand ambassador, Piolo is a strong advocate of healthy eyesight for Filipinos. He believes that the campaign will not only help students succeed in the near future, it will also help them perform well in their daily tasks and see life clearly.
He said, “Education plays a huge role in the future of these young Filipinos, and poor eyesight will only hinder their progress in learning. By giving them thorough eye check-ups and access to free prescription eyeglasses, they will no longer struggle with vision problems in their lessons, allowing their natural intelligence to shine through.”
This perspective is shared by Lauren Wyper, Essilor Vision Foundation (EVF) associate director of communications. She said, “It is alarming to learn that many of our target public school students have never had their eyes checked up at all. Launching the Eye Can Succeed campaign here in the Philippines not only helps fulfill the foundation’s mission of enabling Filipinos to have better lives through better sight, but also enables us to spread awareness on the importance of proper eye care through an expanded network consisting of academic institutions, the media, and local campaign ambassador Piolo Pascual.”
Virginia Mambrebe, Rizal High School Principal
Virginia Membrebe, Rizal High School principal, remarked, “We are very grateful and honored for being the first to benefit from EVF’S Eye Can Succeed school tour. Through the free eye check-ups and prescription glasses of the campaign, our students are given a great opportunity to have better vision which is vital for their education.”
The Essilor Vision Foundation is committed to eliminating poor vision and its lifelong consequences, and to providing underprivileged people the opportunity to live a better life through better sight.
For more information about EVF and the Eye Can Succeed advocacy campaign, please visit Essilor’s website at www.essilor.com.ph, and follow @EssilorPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | May 27, 2017 | Advocacy
Hope in a Shirt – a unique concept that marries fashion, comfort, and social awareness.
That there is a severe shortage of classrooms in the country is a sad reality that needs to be addressed. And the government simply cannot do it alone.
It was towards this end that GenerationHOPE, a social enterprise aimed towards the building of public school classrooms, was formed by Founder and President, Nanette Medved-Po, who graduated with degrees in Finance and Entrepreneurship from Babson College in Boston.
Hope in a Bottle
From the initial success of Hope in a Bottle Purified Drinking Water — the full profits of which go towards the advocacy, wherein 37 classrooms have already been built — the team realized the growing interest among Filipinos in buying socially and environmentally responsible brands.
Hope in a Shirt
Thus, as an offshoot, Hope in a Shirt was born. But these aren’t just any ordinary shirts: they are unbelievably soft custom printed shirts made from 100% recycled plastic bottles! These shirts became an instant hit among Nanette’s friends and soon word spread.
So taking this concept further, Nanette has turned to Solenn Heussaf with the idea of creating custom designs for an exclusive Hope in a Shirt collection.
Now, with the help from the good guys at Globis, Inc., every one of Solenn’s brush and pencil strokes were transformed into high quality textile prints – resulting in shirts that are unique, artsy, and stylish!
And for yet another first, the collection will be launched in a special Hope-branded vending machine — an idea inspired by New York fashion week.
The result is a disruptive and desirable product that celebrates art, innovative sustainability, and a worthwhile cause.
The Hope vendo will pop up in 3 surprise locations, for only 2 to 3 days each.
Just 200 shirts will be produced and sold, so excited shoppers can keep tabs on Hope’s Facebook and Instagram pages to find out where they’ll pop up. Thereafter, the shirts will be available exclusively through Zalora.
How exclusive are these shirts? There are only three designs and each shirt has a serial number on the sleeve. This means that all purchased shirts are only one of 67 or 68 copies. Get your own Hope in a Shirt while you can.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | May 27, 2017 | Advocacy
We believe that every Filipino has the power to vote with their peso about the things they value most. We’ve put building public school classrooms at the top of our list, and invite everyone to build more, one HOPE product at a time.
Hope in a Bottle
As a social enterprise, we continue to devote 100% of the profits from our flagship product, Hope in a Bottle to our cause. From the sales of our bottled water alone, we have built 37 classrooms.
That’s no small feat, but at HOPE we dream big.
We are in the midst of transforming HOPE into a movement that — fueled by the power of cobranding and collaboration — makes it easier for Filipinos to give back.
By leveraging the creative forces of companies both big and small, we can contribute more profits from HOPE-branded products and services to building many more classrooms. And that’s what we call Business for Good.
Hope in a Shirt
There is a growing propensity among Filipinos to buy socially and environmentally responsible brands, and as a pioneering social enterprise in the Philippines, we at HOPE continue to rise to the occasion. Our latest classroom-building initiative? Hope in a Shirt.
Last Christmas, our founder and President Nanette gifted her good friends with no ordinary shirts— they were unbelievably soft custom printed shirts made from 100% recycled plastic bottles.
The gift was a hit among her friends, who in turn told their friends about it. When Nanette approached Solenn with the idea of creating designs for an exclusive Hope in a Shirt collection, she loved it: not only would she be supporting a sustainable lifestyle; she’d also beinvesting her talents in the future of Filipino kids, by whom her art is inspired in the first place.
Hope in a Shirt #solennart
After receiving a shirt of her own, Solenn brought it with her on trips and tapings, styling it for events on some days, and lounging around in it on others. She was wearing what was to be the next canvas for her art, or #SolennArt, as she aptly calls it.
With help from our good friends at Globis, Inc., every one of Solenn’s brush and pencil strokes were transformed into high quality textile prints.
We’re not exaggerating when we say Solenn may as well have painted directly on the shirts, because that’s sure what it looks like.
A first in Philippine fashion, each of the shirts on this line is made from 11 recycled plastic bottles. Solenn, in her first foray into fashion, has artfully designed each shirt with our advocacy in mind.
Yet another first, we are launching this collection is a special HOPE-branded vending machine — an idea inspired by New York fashion week. The result is a disruptive and desirable product that celebrates art, innovative sustainability, and a worthwhile cause.
Our HOPE vendo will pop up in 3 surprise locations, for only 2 to 3 days each. We’re producing them in extremely limited quantities — just 200 — so excited shoppers can keep tabs on our Facebook and Instagram pages to find out where we pop up.
Those who miss their chance to shop at vendo caravan can rest easy knowing our shirts will soon after be available exclusively through Zalora.
With Hope in a Shirt we kick-off HOPE as a movement that celebrates and empowers consumers to positively impact thousands of Filipinos, one HOPE-branded product at a time.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Feb 4, 2017 | Advocacy
Philippine Veterans Bank Lauds WWII Heroes, Sets Bataan Freedom Run on Bataan Death March Trail
In time for the 75th Year Anniversary of the Bataan Death March, the Philippine Veterans Bank, together with its partners, once again revisits history by organizing a couple of events to be held in honor of the country’s World War II heroes – the 4th installment of the marathon Bataan Freedom Run, and a new event for running and biking enthusiasts dubbed the Mariveles-San Fernando-Capas Freedom Trail.
Bataan Freedom Run on April 2
Slated on April 2, the Bataan Freedom Run will feature a 42-kilometer full marathon, a 21-kilometer half-marathon as well as 10-kilometers, 5-kilometers, and 1-kilometer courses for running aficionados, kids, and pets. As in previous years, the BFR follows the route of the Bataan Death March and will start at Kilometer Zero in Mariveles, Bataan.
Mariveles-San Fernando-Capas Freedom Trail for teams on April 10 and 11
image taken from https://cdn-az.allevents.in
This event is for bikers and runners. The Freedom Trail will feature a punishing 160-kilometer run with individual and team relay categories for marathoners as well as similar-distanced bike run. The new event will be held from April 10 – 11 and will cover the Death March route from Mariveles, Bataan to Capas, Tarlac.
Roberto F. de Ocampo – President, Philippine Veterans Bank
“Once again, Philippine Veterans Bank, together with our partners, is putting a segment of our nation’s history into the forefront of our national consciousness with the Bataan Freedom Run and the Freedom Trail,” said PVB Chairman Dr. Roberto F. de Ocampo, OBE.
“These events are not only challenging physically but also mentally to the runners and bikers but they are doing this to honor the World War II veterans who endured and made the ultimate sacrifice during the Death March seventy-five years ago.”
The 75th Anniversary of the Bataan Death March will be celebrated worldwide and the twin events are PVB’s contribution to the worldwide remembrance of this infamous chapter in WWII history.
Since 2014, the Philippine Veterans Bank, its partners, and the Provincial Government of Bataan as well as the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) have held the Bataan Freedom Run in honor of WWII veterans who endured the death march in 1942. With the new Freedom Trail event this year, organizers expect to bring together an estimated 5,000 participants apart from local spectators, mostly from Bataan, Pampanga and Tarlac, and in Manila, as well as descendants of the Death March survivors here and abroad.
The Bataan Freedom Run, organized by Without Limits, is presented by the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) in partnership with the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), Provincial Government of Bataan, Freeport Area of Bataan Investor Locator Association (FABILA), History Channel Asia, ANC News Channel, and WhenInManila.Com. Proceeds from the Bataan Freedom Run will be used for the maintenance of Death March markers located in Bataan province.
On the other hand, the Mariveles-San Fernando-Capas Freedom Trail, also presented by PVB and organized by Without Limits, is also in partnership with PVAO, Capas Freedom March, Automobile Association Philippines (AAP Travel), and the local governments of Mariveles, Bataan; San Fernando, Pampanga; and Capas, Tarlac.
To register and find out more about the Bataan Freedom Run and the Mariveles-San Fernando-Capas Freedom Trail, visit http://www.withoutlimits.ph/component/k2/item/66-bfr2017.html.
EVF kicked off the advocacy campaign at Rizal High School, which has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest secondary school in the world, by having licensed eye health professionals discuss the importance of healthy vision, proper eye care, and optometry as a career option for Grades 11 and 12 students in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) academic strand.
As Essilor’s brand ambassador, Piolo is a strong advocate of healthy eyesight for Filipinos. He believes that the campaign will not only help students succeed in the near future, it will also help them perform well in their daily tasks and see life clearly.
For more information about EVF and the Eye Can Succeed advocacy campaign, please visit Essilor’s website at 
It was towards this end that 
In time for the 75th Year Anniversary of the Bataan Death March, the Philippine Veterans Bank, together with its partners, once again revisits history by organizing a couple of events to be held in honor of the country’s World War II heroes – the 4th installment of the marathon Bataan Freedom Run, and a new event for running and biking enthusiasts dubbed the Mariveles-San Fernando-Capas Freedom Trail.
Since 2014, the Philippine Veterans Bank, its partners, and the Provincial Government of Bataan as well as the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) have held the Bataan Freedom Run in honor of WWII veterans who endured the death march in 1942. With the new Freedom Trail event this year, organizers expect to bring together an estimated 5,000 participants apart from local spectators, mostly from Bataan, Pampanga and Tarlac, and in Manila, as well as descendants of the Death March survivors here and abroad.
The Bataan Freedom Run, organized by Without Limits, is presented by the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) in partnership with the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), Provincial Government of Bataan, Freeport Area of Bataan Investor Locator Association (FABILA), History Channel Asia, ANC News Channel, and 
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