​Chooks-to-LOVE: Chooks! gives Valentine's Day treat to elderly, PWDs

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Chooks-to-Go's first dine-in restaurant, Chooks!, has given senior citizens and people with disabilities free premium meals at Robinsons Place Lipa

Serenaded by a violinist, senior citizens and people with disabilities had the ultimate Valentine's Day treat as they enjoyed a free meal from Chooks! at Robinsons Place Lipa today.

Chooks-to-Go's first dine-in restaurant treated them with free quarter-chicken meals with unlimited soup and rice as a way to honor them.

"We value our elderly and PWD customers," said Chooks-to-Go President Ronald Mascariñas. "This is our way of demonstrating inclusivity in our society. At Chooks!, we welcome everyone regardless of ability, age, and background. We recognize that everybody has dignity worthy of our respect and love.”

During the festive promo event, regular customers of Chooks! also received special giveaways, including the coveted Chooks-to-Go shirts.

Chooks! is the dine-in restaurant of the country's top chicken rotisserie Chooks-to-Go. It is located at Robinson's Place in Lipa, Batangas, with more branches opening this year.

DOH and Civil Society Urge Solons to Pass Bill Banning Industrial Trans Fat

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“It’s time to protect Filipinos’ heart health from the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) caused by trans fatty acids (TFA).”

This was the statement of the Department of Health (DOH), World Health Organization Philippines (WHO), and public interest law group ImagineLaw on Valentine’s Day as they called on legislators to pass a measure that will eliminate industrially added TFA in the country’s food supply, as a bid to promote heart health and reduce the risk of CVDs among Filipinos.

The Trans Fat Free Philippines Bills consisting of Senate Bills No. 1916 and 1954, and House Bills No. 7200, 7202, 7934, 8093, and 8128, will ban artificial TFA, most commonly found in food items with partially hydrogenated oils (PHO) such as prepackaged food, baked goods, and fried street and restaurant food.

According to the WHO, TFA is an artificial compound that clogs the arteries and increases the risks of CVDs like heart attacks. CVD is the leading cause of death in the Philippines, claiming around 50,000 Filipino lives every year, and a known comorbidity of COVID-19.

"Corporations and institutions play an important role in creating healthier options for Filipinos. Importante talaga na maka-push pa tayo ng mga policies that will protect Filipinos’ hearts, like for example the Trans Fat Free Philippines Bill that will remove toxic artificial fatty acids from food and in effect, from Filipinos’ households. Law and policies are our society's norms, so dapat healthy 'yung norm natin,” said Sen. Risa Hontiveros, co-sponsor of SB 1916, in her Valentine’s Day video greeting, played during the webinar hosted by DOH, WHO and ImagineLaw today, February 14, 2022.

Once enacted into law, it will completely eliminate the toxic fat from the nation’s food supply by prohibiting PHOs, oils, and fats with high TFA content. As such, it will make all types of food sources, including those from informal markets and food establishments, safe and TFA-free.

“In a 2018 study by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, it is found that children below six years of age are at most risk for high TFA consumption. With this, we see that TFA does not only have negative effects on adults but also on the youth. The DOH believes that these Bills, once enacted, would greatly contribute to our efforts in creating healthy food environments in our schools and communities,” said Dr. Beverly Ho, Director IV of the DOH Health Promotion Bureau.

Civil society groups such as the Nutrition Foundation of the Philippines (NFP), Nutritionist Dietitians Association of the Philippines (NDAP), Philippine Society of Nutritionist-Dietitians (PSND), and Nutrition Center of the Philippines (NCP) also supported the call for trans fat elimination in the country.

“As Filipinos grapple with the effects of the ongoing pandemic, legislators must act with urgency to promote citizens’ heart health and strengthen their resilience against COVID-19. This Valentine’s Day, we call on the legislators to promote Filipinos’ right to heart health and safe and nutritious food, starting with the urgent enactment of this Bill,” Atty. Sophia San Luis, ImagineLaw’s Executive Director emphasized.


VIDEO LINK (reporters are given permission to download and broadcast):

Watch the Valentine's Day webinar here: transfatfreephilippines.org/recordings

DepEd expresses support over pediatric vaccination of ages 5-11

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The Department of Education (DepEd), along with other government agencies and private organizations, expressed their proactive support to the pediatric vaccination during the RESBAKUNA KIDS: Vaccination Rollout for 5-11 years old on Tuesday at SM Megamall.

Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones emphasized that the vaccination drive for children is vital to the gradual reintroduction of face-to-face classes and the general welfare of Filipino learners.

"We are passionately committed to this program of vaccination, especially for the children, since we believe that the future our learners is related to well-being, mental health, and physical health. We cannot achieve and move to new forms and ways of teaching unless our children are healthy," Secretary Briones said.

Together with the other heads of agencies, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III administered the first dose of the vaccine during the said ceremonial rollout.

"This [Resbakuna Kids event] is another great leap towards our victory against COVID-19. With our children being vaccinated against the Coronavirus, we will have peace of mind that they will be safer and healthier under the new normal," President Rodrigo Roa Duterte said in his written message read by Sec. Duque.

The children who participated in the event received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration has issued before the emergency use approval for the lower dosage of the said brand.

In addition, the Department already issued the DepEd Task Force COVID-19 Memorandum No. 606, stating the agency's support to the Pediatric Vaccination of ages 5 to 11.

The said issuance noted that the said vaccination drive would be an essential component of the ongoing efforts to accelerate the safe nationwide expansion of face-to-face classes.

"Now, how is this all related to this morning's event? It is related because we want to include already the expanded face-to-face component of education in the country," Sec. Briones noted.

The DTFC Memo No. 606 also indicated that learners who will be vaccinated during school days should be excused from attending classes. They will need to present their vaccination cards to their teachers.

Furthermore, all DepEd personnel, especially concerned school health personnel and information officers, are encouraged to support the vaccination drive and disseminate information to increase the confidence in immunization among children.