Philippine Post Office launches stamps to mark the 80th Anniversary of Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor)

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The Philippine Postal Corporation (Post Office) issues stamps and official first day covers in commemoration of the “80TH Anniversary of Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor)” on April 9, 2022.

The Philippine Veterans Affairs Office submitted the design of the stamps to promote, preserve, and memorialize the principles, ideas, and deeds of our war veterans, as a means to enhance patriotism and love of country, especially among the youth of the land.

The layout of the stamps was further enhanced by (Post Office) in-house graphic artist Ryman Dominic Albuladora. The Post Office has printed 40,000 copies of the Stamps to be sold at P12 each. Additional 5,400 Official First Day Covers were also printed to be sold to stamp collectors.

“Today, April 9, 2022, as we launch the 80th Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) commemorative stamps, it is our hope that we continue to ignite our sense of nationalism and cultivate unity in the country as we face the challenges of the future” Postmaster General Norman Fulgencio said.

Filipino and American forces together defended Bataan from the invasion of the Imperial Japanese Army from January 7, 1942 and for ninety-three days, our defenses encountered violent bombings, shelling, infection, and disease. On April 9, the resistance negotiated its surrender, and this day became known as the “Fall of Bataan”.

Every April 09, the Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) was made a legal holiday through Republic Act (R.A.) No. 3022. Bataan Day was renamed “Araw ng Kagitingan”, to honor both Bataan and Corregidor, through Executive Order No. 203, s. 1987 of President Corazon C. Aquino.

Aside from this national observance, national shrines have been erected to memorialize the bravery of Filipino and American forces during the four-month-long Battle of Bataan, such that the Dambana ng Kagitingan – or the “Shrine of Valor” at Mt. Samat, Pilar, Bataan which was depicted in the commemorative stamps.

Stamps and official first day covers are now available at THE Philatelic Counter, Manila Central Post Office in Liwasang Bonifacio. For inquiries on the stamps, please call (02)8527-0108 or (02)8527-0132 and follow and like Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/PilipinasPhilately/ for updates.

SM Supermalls will color you happy this summer!

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Bursting with color starting April, SM Supermalls is giving its shoppers of all ages a spectrum of hope, happiness, and fun with delightful and safe activities that everyone in the family can look forward to when they visit their favorite SM mall.

Snap-worthy rainbow play areas! Multifunctional play pods in all colors of the rainbow await you at the indoor and outdoor play pods that kids and kids-at-heart will love. From rainbow staircases to larger than life displays, you’ll have no trouble getting the best and most colorful #POTD entry!

Sizzling hot summer deals! What’s summer without a mall-wide sale? Go on a shopping spree and get all your summer essentials, including must-have toys, at the nearest SM mall. Delight your kids with sporty knick knacks, inflatables, and bikes to amp up their summer activities even while at home. Visit the pop-up stores in select SM malls for great finds and exclusive deals!

Sweet treats and Summer Eats! Sip, eat, repeat, and satisfy those cravings with a wide array of food and drink choices at SM Summer Eats!  A weekend al fresco market awaits you with delicious meals and refreshing drinks all in IG-worthy colorful dining spaces! Watch out for Summer Teas happening on April 16 to 30 where there will be lots of discounts on the best milk teas to quench your thirst too!

Summer fun under the sun! Time to flex that Tiktok talent! Be witty and wacky, colorful and bright, at the SM Summer Tiktok challenge which you can shoot at any of the the malls’ colorful outdoor and indoor displays. For pawrents, you can have a furry fun time with your pets when you join the pet olympics, go on a picnic with them, or treat them with a pampering session. For the fitness buff, there’s going to be a 7-day fitness blitz for adults and kids at select SM malls where you can blow off steam and sweat it out. Whatever your passion is, we have lots of summer fun activities lined up for you!

From safe dining to shopping and everything in between, make it a fun and colorful summer to remember at SM Supermalls! Make sure to visit www.smsupermalls.com or like and follow @smsupermalls on all social media platforms for the latest news, promos, and activities.

Lenten and Easter Activities at Sheraton Manila Bay

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It’s going to be a restful Holy Week capped by an activity-laden Easter Sunday at Sheraton Manila Bay.

Take time to recharge and unwind this Holy Week and Easter Sunday and be pampered at the comforting sanctuary of our accommodation. Avail of our Easter Room Package and treat the family to a staycation at our spacious Deluxe Room for two adults and two kids below 12 years old, inclusive of breakfast buffet, lunch or dinner at Pacific Lounge, Php 500 worth of food and beverage credit at the Pool Bar, special turndown amenity, and late check out up to 2PM. Stay period from April 9 to 17, 2022.

On Easter Sunday, April 17, Pacific Lounge will take you to an intergalactic space adventure with our Spacestastic Easter Party where families, friends, kids and kids-at-heart will enjoy a sumptuous Easter brunch buffet for only Php 1,200++ per adult and Php 600++ per child aged 6 to 11 years, arts and crafts activities, parlor games, goodies loot bags to take home, and access to our fun-filled Easter egg hunt where kids can get a chance to win exciting prizes and giveaways from our valued sponsors. The Spacestastic Easter Party at Sheraton Manila Bay is sponsored by Oishi Choco Chug, Bizikits Toasted Crackers, Oishi Chokulot Choco Curls, Tulip Jamonilla, Orion, Evian Natural Spring Water, Evian Brumisateur, Salonpas, ByeByeFever, and Jack ‘n Jill Cloud 9.

Meanwhile, for those who wish to celebrate at home, avail of our Easter Surprise Basket for only Php 750 and delight in delectably sweet chocolate surprises. To order, visit our Sheraton Kiosk located at Robinsons Place Manila, Padre Faura Wing, Mall Entrance or call our Culinary Courier for delivery at 0917 583 7294, 0917 583 7326 or email sh.mnlsb.fnb@sheraton.com.

Pacific Lounge is located at the 21st floor, Sheraton Manila Bay, M. Adriatico cor. Gen Malvar Sts. Malate, Manila. For reservation please call +632 5318 0788 or email reservations.manilabay@sheraton.com. Like us on Facebook and Instagram @sheratonmanilabay and Twitter at @sheratonmnlbay. For more information, please visit our website at www.sheratonmanilabay.com.

FEU features DepComm faculty’s docus on women

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The Far Eastern University Department of Communication (FEU DepComm) recently placed the spotlight on its faculty members and their documentaries about women as part of its advocacy initiative and departmental project in line with the celebration of National Women’s Month.

FEU Depcomm showed acclaimed films “DocWomentary: Women Behind the Lens” by Jayneca Reyes, “Lila” by Chrissy Cruz Ustaris, and “Maria Leonor” by Seymour Barros Sanchez in a two-part exhibition and post-screening roundtable discussion entitled “CineForum: Abante, Babae!”

In “DocWomentary,” Reyes explores why Filipino women are at the forefront of documentary filmmaking in the country and navigates the challenges they must confront in the film industry. Throughout the film, she discovers her own reflexivity as a filmmaker but most importantly, as a woman.

Meanwhile, Ustaris chronicles her 20-year journey with her son in “Lila,” a ten-minute film that presents shifts between glimpses of memories and reflections on the joys and challenges of being a mother to an individual with special needs.

Sanchez intends “Maria Leonor” as an open letter to presidential candidate and Vice President Leni Robredo after she filed her certificate of candidacy for the nation’s top post. The documentary delves into the Filipino voter’s psyche as it trains its sight on a government office’s pandemic response efforts.

FEU DepComm Chair Herwin Cabasal shared that CineForum, one of the department’s activities, focuses on films produced and/or directed by faculty members, students, and invited filmmakers and collectives.  

The screenings were followed by talks “aimed at sharing the filmmakers’ experiences and insights on their films while engaging the public in a meaningful exchange with these creators, that is hoped to shed light on social issues emerging from their films,” Cabasal added.

Reyes, Ustaris, and Sanchez are all part of the FEU DepComm faculty. Fellow faculty member Ma. Rosa Bragais moderated the first open forum with Reyes and Ustaris as speakers. Their colleagues, Camille Nadine Magsalin-Roquel and Kristine Camille Sulit, and FEU Film Society President Lily Gomes served as reactors in the second post-screening discussion with Sanchez as speaker and Ustaris as moderator.

CineForum falls under FEU SCREEN, which advances the relevance and role of Communication as a field, specifically Convergent Media and Digital Cinema tracks, as expressed in their intersectionality with and contribution to society, culture, research, education, entertainment, and nation or the acronym SCREEN.

“The project aims to promote media and information literacy that strengthens critical thinking in both production and consumption; foster active engagement between experts in the fields of Digital Cinema and Convergent Media (media practitioners, filmmakers, communication scholars, faculty members), students, and the general public through the activities it organizes; and create various platforms that encourage cultural and social dialogue and discourse on the pressing issues anchored in the Department of Communication’s mantra “may alam, may pakialam” (socially aware and involved),” Cabasal stressed.

Apart from CineForum, other activities or projects under FEU SCREEN include “Likhang Mulat,” “Beyond the Screen,” “Green Screen Exhibition,” “Comm Talk: Brown Bag Lectures,” “CommBack Home,” “Insights/Istorya,” “Project MILA” (Media and Information Literacy Advocacy), and special projects.

OTB brand BingoPlus partners with the PBA for Season 47

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Basketball fans are going to have fun when the Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) 47th Season begins.

Not only will the oldest professional basketball league in Asia have a guest foreign team to make the games more interesting, it will make fans enjoy the experience better with fun and leisure options on the side.

BingoPlus, the country’s first licensed Online Traditional Bingo (OTB) services, has partnered with the PBA for all the three conferences of its 47th season. The gaming company will have branded segments and content in the PBA coverage and will enable fans to participate in traditional bingo games played on their gadgets and cellphones.

“BingoPlus and the PBA share the same passion in bringing entertainment that adds value to their audience. This is why we see this as an ideal partnership. It’s long been in the works, and now that it is a reality, our common goal is to provide high-value entertainment and leisure opportunities for our combined target markets,” said Andy Tsui, Leisure and Resorts World Corporation president, the holding company that manages and operates amusement and recreation enterprises.

“This basketball loving country is always looking for what is new and exciting. Nowadays playing games online gives a new kind of thrill. Online Traditional Bingo, like basketball, requires focus, strategy and sportsmanlike conduct for one to stay the course. We want to teach these values to our audience too. We take pride in this partnership with the second oldest professional basketball league in the world because like them, we want to be recognized as the most reputable brand in our field, which is the gaming sector,” said Jasper Vicencio, AB Leisure Exponent, Inc. (ABLE), president. BingoPlus is ABLE’s newest gaming brand under the LRWC umbrella.

The PBA and BingoPlus signed a memorandum of agreement to jointly raise the level of entertainment and recreation of Filipinos through their combined undertaking, Wednesday, April 6.

BingoPlus plans to extend more support to the sports sector in the coming days, Vicencio said.

Charming Chapels of Negros

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Leading up Easter, the anchor fiesta in the Christian calendar, Negros Season of Culture reaches out to Negrenses and Filipinos the world over to stage yet another virtual “Visita Iglesia”, a tradition started by NSC in 2021.

This year, the event will be streamed live on Facebook, on Holy Thursday at 10p.m. Philippine Time, that’s 3p.m. in London, 10a.m. in New York, and 7a.m. in Los Angeles.

Adding local color and pastoral spirituality to the observance of Holy Week “panatas” or vows are video documentaries, this time on seven chapels in Negros Occidental, each with its distinct charm.

Three of them easily find significance in facing the health challenges of the time. Perhaps most representative of Negrense heritage is the Chapel of the Cartwheels in the town of Manapla. Standing in the middle of a sugarcane plantation and using discarded farm objects to create a bespoke architecture and interior design, the chapel is dedicated to Santa Rosalia of Palermo, Italy, the saint invoked in times of plagues and sickness.

Fresh air is a welcome breather to lockdowns. Up in the cool mountains of Don Salvador Benedicto, in a community that has become a choice escape for nature habitués, is the Manggapuri Chapel. Rising above the verdant landscape of Negros, it is at once magical and idyllic. And a spiritual tonic, being dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel who, among a few special roles, is sought for healing the sick.

Meanwhile, down by the shores of Talisay, the CICM Chapel, dedicated to Mary Mother of Christ, found new calling when social distancing became the order of the day. Here, members of the community enjoy the sea breeze while hearing mass practically on the beach. Mass by the beach is a concept whose time has come…what a blessing!

Comparatively new to the scene, and inspired by fallen trees that are common to typhoon ravaged Philippines, the quaint Patagoña Chapel of Silay City eventually took form and captured the hearts of many who visit.

Located in the highlands of Silay, the cool temperature lends to deeper reflection and prayer, helped along by design inspirations from a Benedictine Monastery, and then from among Trappist monks.

Artistry is embedded in the soul of the Negrense, and several chapels live up to that standard. The popularly known Chapel of the Angry Christ in Victorias, made famous by the significant works of Filipino-American abstract expressionist, Alfonso Ossorio, is actually dedicated to St. Joseph the Worker. The Santa Clara Chapel in Bacolod is highlighted by a larger-than-life image of the Virgen sang Barangay executed by Leticia Ledesma.

Tens of thousands of locally sourced shells were used. And leave it to Negrense national artist Leandro Locsin to re-imagine Greek classical architecture into clean, modern, minimalist lines, and so create the La Salle Chapel, far and away the most familiar to Negrenses, heirs to the great La Sallian education.