Furries of Pawssion Project spends a howl-idate with Doggo, Nico Bolzico

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Here in the Philippines, Christmas festivities are not only for people — but for fur friends too. As home to approximately 109.6 million Filipinos and more than 12 million stray cats and dogs, local dog care brand Doggo is back with another initiative with Pawssion Project, a Philippine-based non-profit organization committed to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome stray animals, just in time for the holidays.

Kicking off the Christmas Drive, Doggo ambassador and fur dad Nico Bolzico joined Doggo CEO Kurt Cheng and Pawssion Project founder Malou Perez for a full day of fun activities with the dogs in the shelter.

Photo B: Doggo CEO Kurt Cheng and Doggo ambassador Nico Bolzico give Keisha and Charlie a bath using Doggo Madre De Cacao Organic Shampoo and Organic Conditioner.

Photo C: Doggo CEO Kurt Cheng and Doggo ambassador Nico Bolzico work hard to feed tasty treats to over 230 doggos in the shelter.

In the true spirit of Christmas as the season of giving, Doggo gifted several gallons of Doggo Shampoo, Doggo bowls in various sizes, and Doggo collars to Pawssion Project in hopes to continue providing the essentials to create a better environment for the animals.

Additionally, a percentage of Doggo’s sales from 1L Doggo Jasmine Shampoo, 500ml Doggo Jasmine Shampoo, and Doggo collars will be given to Pawssion Project by the end of the year.

“We started Pawssion Project as a means to save dogs on death row and it eventually grew into an organization that aims to find a new home for our fur friends. These gifts from Doggo will help make their stay in the local shelter more comfortable while waiting to be adopted,” says Perez.

Photo D: Doggo CEO Kurt Cheng, Doggo ambassador Nico Bolzico, and Pawssion Project founder Malou Perez with Doggo products.

“We are always ready to lend a hand and share quality dog food and products to make the world a kinder place for animals to live in,” says Cheng. “Working with an organization who shares the same values, passion, and commitment as Doggo makes it easier for us to carry out our mission to help animals in need. We are looking forward to more initiatives with Pawssion Project in the years to come.”

This is not their first project with the local shelter — and definitely won’t be the last. Bound by their promise to build a healthier environment and better well-being for all pets, Doggo remains committed to continue partnering with Pawssion Project for all their CSR efforts. And the fact that Doggo was established just a year after the birth of Pawssion Project in 2018 makes this partnership all the more meaningful. With the shared goal of helping strays and neglected animals, both Doggo and Pawssion Project work together to make the much-needed change for the pet community.

For donations to Pawssion Project, interested individuals can visit Pawssion’s official website link. Those who want to purchase the Doggo products whose proceeds will go to Pawssion Project may purchase from Doggo’s official Lazada store at https://www.lazada.com.ph/shop/doggo.


About Doggo

Doggo is a proudly Filipino-owned dog brand that carries a full range of excellent quality dog products including tasty treats, toys, accessories, and grooming essentials that are curated and sourced from abroad. With hopes to make life easier for both the Filipino dog owners and their fur babies, Doggo offers the best quality products at the best price points.


Doggo is available online on Shopee, Lazada, GrabMart, and Pet Express. Follow @doggo_ph on Instagram and @doggophilippines on Facebook for updates.

SDCA Comm majors make it two in a row in video contests

Wazzup Pilipinas!

 

A group of third year Communication students from St. Dominic College of Asia (SDCA) made it to the shortlist of the 5th Rotary Public Service Announcement (PSA) Festival, a 30-second video making competition co-hosted by the Rotary Club of Circuit Makati (RCCM) with 24 other Rotary organizations.

The PSA “WI-HA” by Jhody Sacramento, Kristzen Joy Mendoza, Lourdes Mae De Gala, and CK Dela Cruz, collectively known as JKLC Production, is among the 35 semifinalists chosen out of 355 submissions received by RCCM from 27 different high schools and colleges all over the Philippines.

Last month, the same group barged into the finals of the Three Shots Film (3SF) festival organized by Media Underground or MUD Studios with their short film “Laruan.”  

For the fifth straight year, RCCM is holding the Rotary PSA Festival for amateur and student filmmakers. Five semifinalists were chosen for each of the seven Areas of Focus of Rotary International, namely Basic Education and Literacy, Disease Prevention and Treatment, Economic and Community Development, Maternal and Child Health, Peace and Conflict Prevention and Resolution, Supporting Environment, and Water and Sanitation. “WI-HA” falls under the last category.

Cameraperson and editor Mendoza, who currently serves as the president of the Association of Dominican Communicators, a student organization made up of SDCA Communication majors, stressed that drinking unclean water can cause serious health problems. “With this PSA, we want to remind everyone that we must be careful and aware of everything that we drink. Also, we should take action for people who don't have permanent homes and don't have enough sources of clean water,” she shared.

“We would also like to emphasize that when talking about water, we should not only concern ourselves with what we are drinking but also with our surroundings. Children along the streets are likely the first ones to be the victims as it is normal for their innocent age to play outdoors,” director De Gala added.

SDCA student Lara Mae Tamio previously placed third in RCCM’s annual video competition for her entry “Pasa Pasa” during the awards night held two years ago at Spotlight Theater, Circuit Makati.

Aside from Tamio, SDCA’s Anne Camacho, Bien De Guzman, Jasmin Claire De Guzman, and Jereen Tagle of Rinoa Productions also made it to the shortlist in 2019 with their two entries, “Basura Mo Kayamanan Ko” and “Tubig Para sa Kalusugan Natin.”

“As for our group, we've seen that water is one of the easily accessible resources here on our planet, but this comes with a price. Especially for those people who live in the streets or a community that is festering with contaminated water sources that they struggle to keep their essential well-being in check,” scriptwriter Dela Cruz explained.

After making it to the 3SF cut last November, Mendoza’s co-editor, cameraperson, and assistant director Sacramento revealed that they were not planning to shoot an entry for another contest. “It started with a stray kid we saw in front of our school’s drinking water fountain. Upon experiencing this situation, the deadline for submission of entries in Rotary PSA happened to be extended. This gave us the reason to push through with this concept,” she concluded.

“WI-HA” can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/aXu8CMsUbqM

Animation prof inspired by quarantine blues in motions graphics art

Wazzup Pilipinas!

A motion graphics artist aims to show “the unseen experiences we faced during the online learning setup” in an immersive illustration showcased as part of an online digital art exhibition.

Yo Homecillo’s “Mga ‘Di Nakikita ng Mata” is fueled by his observations while in quarantine. “We met people through our screens, Zoom meetings, chats, and emails yet failed to empathize with them. With this piece, I was hoping to spark a little empathy in the hearts of the audience,” he explained.

“The more they immerse themselves and explore the virtual world I created, the more they will empathize with the characters and their experiences. I hope that this empathy will translate to the people they meet, talk to, and interact with online,” the artist added.

Homecillo, who teaches motion graphics, virtual reality, and thesis, among others, as a full-time faculty at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Animation Department, revealed that working on the project allowed him to release what he felt inside.

“The transition to online learning amidst the pandemic was challenging for everyone. It came as a surprise and gave us the teachers a short amount of time to absorb and learn how to teach in the online mode. Students were expected to possess a conducive online learning environment even though having a decent internet connection was already a challenge. Everyone was exhausted, frustrated, and hurt.”

“Because of this, the idea of empathizing with others was overlooked. I always checked the social media feeds of my students, peers, and co-teachers and tried to understand what they felt,” Homecillo shared.

“During the early months of the pandemic, I saw posts that were full of hate, teachers hating on their students and students hating on their teachers. Everyone forgot to empathize with one another. We failed to realize that we were in the same storm but not in the same boat,” he observed.

When the DLS-CSB Center for Campus Art and the New Media Cluster collaborated again for “To Differ, Digitally 2: Love and Dissent in the Time of Pandemic” (https://www.benildecampusart.com/exhibit/to-differ-digitally), another digital art exhibit, it became a medium with which he can share it with people.

The motion graphics artist worked on the project using Oculus Quill VR rendered through 3D software and uploaded on an online 3D Viewer. “I used Sketchfab online 3D viewer so that the audience can freely explore the different angles of the artwork. Since my message revolves around empathy, I’ve decided that the audience be the ones to start empathizing with the characters. By using a 3D viewer, they can choose how to immerse themselves in the artwork, with the characters, and seeing the bigger picture. Sometimes to understand a person, you need to look at their background,” he expounded.

Homecillo, who uses motion graphics to tell stories from life, wishes “with a hopeful heart” to open the minds of the people with his art. He believes that art and animation are great tools for disseminating information, telling stories, and sharing experiences with people.

“It made everything lighter and more bearable. I was able to look back on my experiences and remind myself to empathize with the people around me. I learned a lot from this experience, and I hope that the audience, as they immerse themselves in the illustration, learn a lot from it as well,” he stressed.

Homecillo graduated with a degree in Multimedia Arts at Benilde and finished his MA in Fine Arts and Design at Philippine Women's University.