Blind Children ‘Walk with Dignity’ at Farmers Plaza

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Farmers Plaza on Saturday, August 4, hosted the White Cane Safety Day event, showing its commitment to welcome persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the mall and other properties of Araneta Center.

The Farmers Plaza on Saturday, August 4, hosted the White Cane Safety Day event, showing its commitment to welcome persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the mall and other properties of Araneta Center. The White Cane Safety Day is a law-mandated celebration every August that aims to promote the well-being of the visually-impaired and raise awareness on their plight and rights. The event was attended by 150 visually-impaired children and their families. “We celebrate White Cane Day because we want to create awareness especially for people who are using white canes, because most of the population do not know what a white cane is. Akala nila laruan. It is a tool used by the visually-impaired for mobility so that they can walk with dignity,” said Leo Lee, president of the Parent Advocates for Visually-Impaired Children (PAVIC), which spearheaded the activity. Araneta Center officials also distributed white canes to select visually-impaired children and stressed the importance of helping PWD visitors around the Center. “Our security is briefed every day to assist the PWDs, the blind especially. When our guards see them, they immediately assist them,” Ivy Naldeza, assistant property manager of the Farmers Plaza, said. “It’s very important to raise awareness kasi ‘yung iba hindi nila talaga naiintindihan. We have to know the plight of these people, and when you know how they feel, you become eager to help them,” she added. Araneta Center’s support for the White Cane cause is just one way of pushing for its corporate social responsibility projects. Last April, the iconic Smart Araneta Coliseum was decked with blue lights in support of the World Autism Awareness Day. Its frontliners are also undergoing regular disability sensitivity trainings. Grab Philippines country head Brian Cu, himself a parent of a child with a hearing impairment, revealed the transport service’s special discount for PWDs. All they have to do is send Grab Philippines an email with their PWD IDs and they will receive a special code that they can use to automatically receive discounts on their rides. He said the transport sharing service has earmarked at least P10 million monthly for this program. The event featured speeches from advocates of the blind, which highlighted the success of the visually-impaired despite their conditions. Annette Nelmida, mother of blind twins Joshua and Jerome Nelmida, beamed with pride as her children are set to compete in the Asian Paratriathlon Championship in Legazpi City, Alaby this week. “We hope to make the Philippines proud,” Annette said, before the crowd at the Farmers Plaza greeted her twins a happy birthday as they turned 18. After the speeches, the visually-impaired children, their parents and some blindfolded guests were given a tour of the Farmers Plaza in a visual representation of what it is like to walk with dignity despite their condition. For more updates, visit www.aranetacenter.net. Follow our social media pages: @aranetacenter on Facebook and Twitter and @thearanetacenter on Instagram. Caption: Farmers Plaza officials, headed by Property Manager Ceasar Valencia (second from right), distribute white canes to visually-impaired children who attended the White Cane Safety Day celebration in Araneta Center.

Late Registration Now Open for ASEAN Youth Summit 2018

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ASEAN Youth Summit 2018 will accept late applicants from August 1 to 8, 2018.

The qualifications for applicants are as follows:
Must be a citizen from the ASEAN Member-States or ASEAN +3 Member-States (Delegates)
Must be a citizen from non-ASEAN Member-States or non-ASEAN +3 Member-States (Observers)
Must be 15-30 years of age
Must be mentally and physically fit to travel

AYS 2018 aims to connect the ASEAN youth to opportunities in achieving and accomplishing greater goals. Centered on ASEAN’s three pillars – the Economic Community, the Socio-Cultural Community, and the Political-Security Community – this year’s summit holds a case study competition that challenges the youth to critically analyze different issues that persist in ASEAN Member-States. The case study competition encourages its participants to create solutions to these issues from different angles. 

Interested participants may apply as a delegate or an observer. The delegates are entitled to the full package which includes the talks, meals, field trip, and other activities. Delegates will also be able to take part in the case study competition wherein they will analyze the different issues that exist in their represented country and propose long term solutions in line with the goals of the three ASEAN pillars to solve these problems. The observers will not participate in the case study competition. However, they will be able to listen to the same speakers and participate in the same program of the delegates. They are more than welcome to join the delegates’ plenary sessions to give insight and listen to their case study presentations.

All accepted late applicants are expected to pay the registration fee of USD 180 which is inclusive of the conference fee, field trip fee, delegate kit, AYS shirt, meals during the program, and the transportation fee from DLSU to other program venues.

Register now at www.ays2018.com or email us at info@ays2018.com for more inquiries.

The Value of Landscape Design

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Property values have been plummeting as the market flounders under the widespread financial crisis. Of course, property owners are anxious about this. Real estate professionals have, however, identified one of the ways by which the value of a property can be raised. This is by providing aesthetically pleasing lawn landscaping with excellent landscape design.

Of course, not every property owner is qualified to achieve this alone. It is still best to hire the services of a professional who has the required expertise in landscape design and lawn landscaping. Such expertise should, however, be balanced by cost effective services and environmental responsibility. It is not impossible to find such professional landscape management, design and lawn landscaping services in Wadhurst, UK.

Of course lawn landscaping services should include regular maintenance. 

Of course lawn landscaping services should include regular maintenance. One of the main components of regular maintenance services is pest control Wolverhampton. Common pests such as white grubs, mole crickets and fungus should be completely eliminated and prevented from returning. For health and ecological considerations, it is crucial that inexpensive but environmentally safe solutions are used in pest control. The property owner should demand this from the chosen lawn landscaping maintenance service provider in Wadhurst, UK.

Environmental and health safety issues should also be taken into consideration on the issue of fertilizers. It is recognized that lawn fertilization is a necessary part of lawn landscaping maintenance. If the lawn is not properly fertilized it could develop unsightly brown discoloration of the grass.

Fertilization could also incorporate weed prevention. Once again, the property owner should require the lawn landscaping maintenance service provider in Wadhurst, UK to use only environmentally safe and preferably organic fertilizers and weed prevention solutions.

To be consistent in the area of environmental responsibility, the property owner should also choose a lawn landscaping maintenance service provider in Wadhurst, UK that uses a lawn watering system which supports water conservation.

It is inevitable, however, to incur some lawn damage due to various factors. Lawn landscaping maintenance services therefore include lawn repair as well.

Although grass seed is less expensive than grass sod for covering entire lawns, sodding can be cheaper and more convenient in repairing small areas. A small patch of grass sod can cost less than a bag of grass seed in Wadhurst, UK.

Skillful landscape design consultant 
nt the development of lawn problems. For example, lawn landscaping should not include low areas that tend to pool and retain water while not receiving proper air circulation.

Such faulty designing cause some landscapes in Wadhurst, UK to harbour a variety of lawn diseases.

Heavy foot traffic across lawns likewise causes damage to the grass, particularly for the more fragile species. Instead of putting the lawn off limits to human traffic, foot paths that traverse through it could be incorporated into the landscape design. This will allow better enjoyment of the landscape design and lawn landscaping by both the property owner and welcome visitors in Wadhurst, UK.

Indeed, aesthetics must also serve a practical purpose. Landscape design should therefore also strive to use low maintenance landscaping elements such as gravel, shrubs and small trees to enhance lawns in Wadhurst, UK.

Since it has been proven that having an unkempt lawn is counterproductive in terms of preserving a property's market value while having beautiful lawn landscaping and landscape design can make it much more valuable, it is logically wise to invest in professional landscape design and lawn landscaping as well as regular maintenance services. Not only will the property owner in Wadhurst, UK have peace of mind with regard to financial matters but the enjoyment of the beautiful view will likewise bring a feeling of well being each and every day.