SSS resumes updating of member’s contact information via My.SSS

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The Social Security System (SSS) announced today that member may update their contact information online starting May 16, 2022 after the state-run pension fund resumed the said online updating of record on the My.SSS portal.

In a statement, SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Regino said members using their My.SSS account can update or change their contact details, such as telephone number, mobile number, mailing address, foreign address, and e-mail address, without visiting any SSS branch to file their member data change request.   Those with no existing contact information except their mobile number may also update their contact details. On the other hand, members without registered mobile numbers with SSS need to visit any branch office to submit their mobile number using the Member Data Change Request Form, and set a branch appointment through their My.SSS account or they can do walk-in transactions following the schedule based on the last digit of their SSS number.   “We exerted all our efforts to expedite the completion of all the necessary IT enhancements for the My.SSS and provide our members a more convenient way of updating their contact information at the comfort of their homes or offices, 24/7. Moreover, it has always been our goal to give a better service to our members and help them facilitate their SSS transactions,” Regino said.   The state-run pension fund has suspended the online updating of contact details on the My.SSS starting on August 3, 2021 to enhance the online portal and boost its security features to protect the confidential information of its members.   The online updating of members’ contact details has now been reverted to give its members a more convenient and safer way of updating their SSS records.   Members can update their contact information by logging in to their respective My.SSS account and access the “Update Contact Info” which they can find in the “Member Info” menu.  They can also update or change their contact numbers, e-mail addresses, and mailing addresses, except their home address, and submit them online.   SSS will send a notification message to their existing or new e-mail address and mobile number. They just need to confirm their request to update their contact details by clicking the link sent to them.   SSS members only have three days to confirm their request because the link will immediately expire after that period, and they will have to repeat the process once again. After confirming their request, the updated contact information will take effect after two days and SSS will notify them that their contact details have been updated. Regino urged all members to ensure that they provide their up-to-date contact information since communication about updates on their SSS transactions are based on these details.

Angono, Calbayog art schools beef up teaching, learning with more support from Rebisco

Wazzup Pilipinas?!

 

Students of music, visual arts, performing arts, literary arts and media arts in Angono, Rizal and Calbayog, Samar received precious gifts from Rebisco, this summer.

 

The snacks and biscuits company made good on its promise to support the two schools’ mission of raising the next generation of artists and performers by providing a variety of tools, equipment, instruments and hardware to the Regional Lead School for the Arts in Angono (RLSAA) and the Calbayog Arts and Design School of Eastern Visayas (CADSEV).

As pandemic restrictions eased, Rebisco wasted no time in turning over its donations in person so gifted students of the two primary art and design schools in the land can better pursue their dreams of excelling in their chosen art forms.

RLSAA teachers and students were ecstatic last March when Rebisco representatives delivered brand new violins, angklung ensemble instruments, keyboards, microphones, high-end professional cameras, sound systems, LED lights and a new round of oil paints and pastels, brushes, pencils and other art materials to the school.

In April, CADSEV school head Dr. Rinalyn Beso welcomed Rebisco representatives who handed over equipment and hardware for their performing arts studios, musical instruments and video equipment.

Both the RLSAA and CADSEV schools feted their benefactors with rousing musical performances, with RSLAA students playing the classics and Filipino tunes and CADSEV students presenting Rebisco with a painting and a tinapa (smoked fish) sculpture made out of recycled Rebisco packs as thank you gifts. Tinapa is said to be a celebrated food product and industry in Calbayog.

“Our art students will make good use of your gifts, especially now that we have returned to a face-to-face set-up. They will help to develop our young artists’ skills because they now have the means to practice and enrich their innate talents with the very best materials. Rest assured they will use them well and they will give back by being recognized, not just in Samar but in the whole country, and hopefully the world,” said Dr. Beso.

 

Leo Cabacungan, Rebisco Assistant Brand Manager, said Rebisco wants to enable more artistically-inclined students to excel in their chosen art forms. “As one of the favorite Filipino snacks that has been a part of Filipino culture for generations, Rebisco wants to give back by nurturing Filipino artists and celebrating the wealth of Filipino talent that make our culture so rich and expressive.”

 

Rebisco has been and continues to be a passionate champion of art education. It had previously provided the RLSAA with an on-site art gallery cum classroom right in the school premises plus a wide variety of art equipment that its students lacked. It featured the works of outstanding art talents in its Special Designer Cans and vowed to make continued contributions to inspire more students to express their artistic capabilities. More recently, it added CADSEV as a beneficiary school.

The upgraded materials and equipment for the art students will improve the quality of the face-to-face learning experience, said the leaders of both schools. The timing of the donations could not have come at a better time.

Philippine National Parks Slowly Coming to Life

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

On the island of Camiguin in Mindanao, a volcano is coming back to life.

Though she hasn’t erupted in 70 years, Mt. Hibok-Hibok has been especially quiet lately. From March 2020 to November 2021, the Timpoong Hibok-Hibok Natural Monument hosted exactly zero visitors.

“Mt. Hibok-Hibok was once a popular hiking destination, especially after Pinoy Mountaineer featured it in 2007. Climbers came daily because our volcano offers elements of other famous Mindanao mountains: Mt. Apo’s crater lake, the roped ascents of Mt. Kitanglad, even Mt. Dulang-Dulang’s mossy forest. Visitors often dive straight to the sea after climbing, for Camiguin is surrounded by famed beaches like white island,” explains mountain guide Ronald Rabiles as we trek up a fern-filled trail.

Ecotourism is a vital lifeline of Philippine protected areas. Zero visitors mean no employment for guides and porters, plus less funds for park upkeep. Here in Mt. Hibok-Hibok, guides earn around PHP1500 (USD30) daily, while porters make PHP800 (USD16) for hauling 20 or so kilos of supplies.

“I come from three generations of mountain guides. This is a way of life for my father, myself and my son,” adds Ronald. “The two-year COVID lockdown hit us hard. Losing our main means of income was like sweeping the rug from under us. I had to look for other ways to support my five kids. Good thing I found temporary employment as a welder and day laborer. I’m one of the lucky ones: other guides tilled land just to feed their families.”



Visitors Trickling In

After two years, the country’s national parks are finally seeing an influx of visitors. Apo Reef in Occidental Mindoro hosted just 35 tourists from March 2020 to March 2022. Since reopening in April 2022, 212 people have visited the park, generating nearly PHP250,000 from fees. Mt. Pulag, the highest peak in Luzon, saw visitor numbers drop from over 43,000 in 2019 to just over a thousand in 2021. Numbers are rebounding with over 2700 visitors since January 2022, generating nearly PHP500,000 in revenues.

With easing travel restrictions, officials from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) hope to see more people visiting Mt. Hibok-Hibok and other Philippine national parks.

“We started accepting clients in December 2021. Since then, over 130 people have visited the mountain, generating about PHP31,000 in park fees and employing dozens of guides and porters. Clients are the lifeblood of the mountain,” says Camiguin-based DENR forester Lito Babaison.

We’re this month’s latest batch of visitors. Our mixed team from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Department of Tourism (DOT) and DENR employed over 20 guides, rangers and porters. We’re here to shoot a video for YoPA or the Year of the Protected Areas, slated to launch this 23 May.

A collaboration between the DENR, DOT and DILG, YoPA aims to bring visitors back to the country’s national parks – renowned biodiversity bastions like Mt. Hamiguitan in Davao Oriental, Bongsanglay Natural Park in Masbate and the Balinsasayao Twin Lakes in Negros Oriental.

“The Philippines hosts 246 protected areas and all of them need funding. With the challenges brought about by the COVID pandemic, government resources are thinly stretched, so part of upkeep funds must come from the public via ecotourism. A good way to sustain our protected areas is to ensure they’re regularly visited by tourists,” says DENR Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) director Natividad Bernardino.

Climbing the Volcano

It’s tough going up Yumbing Trail, one of two paths up Mt. Hibok-Hibok. I’d just climbed a mountain in Africa and this trail is no walk in the park, bristling with thorny rattan palms which love to latch onto on clothing. Mountaineers call these teka-teka vines for “teka-teka” or “Wait a minute while I extricate myself from these damned vines!”

The two-day trek starts among a swaying sea of coconut palms. Soon the trail transforms into a Jurassic Park set, walls of green obscured by wet, rolling mist. Near the top, the trail opens up into a grassy crater several football fields wide. There’s a small lake where swiftlets and other birds play.

“Don’t talk or laugh too loudly,” cautions Ronald. “The old ones swear this mountain hosts an enchanted spirit guardian who lives in the lake.” I silently cancel my original plan of going swimming. That night Ronald swore he saw the spirit walking through our campsite, protecting us.

As we descend the next day, Ronald turns to me. “Climbers keep mountains alive, but some aren’t so disciplined. We guides aren’t just here to take you to the peak and back, but to ensure no one leaves garbage or lights a fire which can burn down the park. We also have plantitas who love to pluck orchids and other plants illegally. Like the guardian in the lake, we protect this mountain too. A beautiful mountain will attract visitors, which means we’ll always have jobs.”

Mt. Hibok-Hibok hasn’t erupted since 1953, but the fire of Ronald and its other protectors are definitely keeping this volcano stoked and alive.