Save the Children sets up learning spaces, repairs classrooms for safe return of children in Odette-damaged schools in Bohol and Southern Leyte

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Over 4,000 learners in the provinces of Bohol and Southern Leyte will be able to utilize four Multipurpose Learning Spaces (MPLS) set up by Save the Children Philippines to support children’s safe return to school and continued learning amidst the ongoing pandemic and emergencies.

The humanitarian organization also repaired seven classrooms and provided back-to-school kits to over 2,300 learners and teaching kits to over 12,000 teachers.

Each back-to-school kit includes school supplies, a school bag, a bluetooth speaker, and mobile load cards. The teaching kits include office supplies, classroom supplies, mobile load cards, and reams of bond papers for the printing of modules.

“Through this multipurpose learning spaces, more learners will have access to basic education,” said Cantumogcad School Head, Nicasio Sosoter.

He adds that the repair of the only two classrooms of Cantumogcad Primary School in Buenavista, Bohol destroyed by Super Typhoon Odette, and the MPLS constructed will significantly help their students as they resume in-person classes.

Save the Children’s humanitarian response integrates the Education in Emergencies framework which provides uninterrupted, high-quality learning opportunities for children affected by humanitarian crises. It also focuses on children’s well-being and includes, among others, the conduct of return-to-learning (RtL) sessions and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services for children, teachers, and parents to address learning barriers. It also provides shelter repair assistance to families with damaged houses and child protection in emergencies.

“Education in Emergencies is an integral part of Save the Children’s holistic approach in responding to the needs of families affected by Typhoon Odette. We give utmost importance to every child’s right to access basic, inclusive and quality education which must not stop even in emergencies,” said Save the Children Philippines Humanitarian Manager, Jerome Balinton.

Funded by the European Union and in partnership with Humanity and Inclusion, the Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services (IDEALS), Sentro para sa Ikauunlad ng Katutubong Agham at Teknolohiya Inc. (SIKAT), and Oxfam Philippines, Save the Children’s humanitarian response is able to support the Department of Education’s thrust to ensure the safe return to schools of millions of students.





Super Typhoon Odette hit the Philippines in December 2021 and left devastating damages in various provinces in Visayas and Mindanao. It affected more than 12 million learners across 29,671 schools. In Bohol and Southern Leyte, many damaged classrooms are still left unrepaired.

Minamahal Kita: The Art of Filipino Love Songs (A Tribute to the 2022 National Artists) All set on September 15

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

A crossover artist generally refers to an artist who has had substantial success in multiple genres of music. It’s been used particularly to refer to a handful who have marketed themselves as performers of the classical and pop repertoire.

One can make the argument, however, that most of them are simply pop artists
who try to sing in a classically trained style.

Going by its definition, or at least by its generally agreed notion, a crossover artist must be someone who, let’s say, has professionally performed operatic roles or oratorio solos while concurrently rocking pop music establishments.

If we go by this definition, then Rogelio B. Peñaverde Jr. is a bonafide crossover artist
par excellence.

Peñaverde is a homegrown Filipino who moved to the US to pursue a scholarship at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City for a Master’s Degree in Voice.
After graduating, he carved a career in opera, sacred music and musical theater with critical acclaim.

The New York Times praised his “sweet sound” while Opera Magazine lauded him as an “incisive tenor”.

Some of his career highlights include the role of Ferrando from Cosi Fan Tutte (W. A. Mozart) with the Martina Arroyo Foundation, tenor solo in Missa Solemnis in C (L. Mozart) at the Saint Patrick’s Cathedral of New York,and the role of Basel in the Off-Broadway run of Figaro 90210 by Ragman Ventures.

He has also performed as a featured artist at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall, the Manhattan Center, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

When the pandemic hit in 2020 and wiped away all his engagements, Peñaverde rediscovered his passion and gift for songwriting.

While it began as an outlet for anxiety,
it became a serious creative endeavor as he churned one pop song after another.

By 2021 he was sitting on 12 compositions that he collectively called the
Pearl Drive Project. When Covid restrictions eased, he debuted selections at Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn, an institution in New York’s independent music scene.

It was so well-received that the show was picked up by the iconic Mercury Lounge in New York City, a hallowed ground of pop music that has featured the likes of Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran.

Performing as Ilustrado (his pop alter ego), Peñaverde became the first homegrown Filipino to play a full set of his compositions in this hall. He is scheduled for a repeat after the commercial release of 2 singles from the Pearl Drive Project this fall.

Catch the artistry of Rogelio B. Peñaverde Jr. as this consummate crossover musician visits home in a featured performance on
September 15 (Thursday), 5:00 p.m. cocktail reception 6:30 p.m. show proper, at the Main Theater Lobby of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Entitled MINAMAHAL KITA: THE ART OF FILIPINO LOVE SONGS (A TRIBUTE TO THE 2022 NATIONAL ARTISTS), the show was conceptualized by Peñaverde and produced by the Friends for Cultural Concerns
of the Philippines (FCCP) under the leadership of its current president, Martin Lopez.

It will also feature the following guest artists, most of whom are FCCP Scholars:
Athena Macatangay (Soprano), Giuseppe Diestro (Cello), Kris Gonzales (Baritone),
Lance Capitan (Guitar), Madeline Jane Banta (Piano), Myramae T. Meneses (Soprano) and
Nathan Gemina (Piano).

Directed by Manolet Garcia, the ensemble will be performing Filipino love songs from both the classical and contemporary repertoire.

The gala is part of Peñaverde’s advocacy to present quality performances of Philippine music here and abroad that educate as
much as they entertain.

Proceeds will go towards funding the tuition or travel expenses of the 26 FCCP scholars studying in local and foreign schools.

For more information, or to buy tickets, please visit the Facebook page of the
Friends for Cultural Concerns of the Philippines or call Angie Godoy at
+63927-2292128.

Hamilo Coast and WWF: partners in eco-tourism and sustainability

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



Hamilo Coast, the premier beach resort town in Nasugbu, Batangas, may be the weekend haven of the country’s affluent set, yet it is on track as a thriving model of sustainable eco-tourism practices.

Touting 5,800 hectares of prime seaside development, Hamilo Coast is a project of SM Prime’s Costa Del Hamilo, Inc. (CDHI), which carefully integrates residential, resort, leisure, commercial, and institutional land uses in the sprawling estate. But beyond its vast scope and stunning vistas, Hamilo Coast embraces sustainable tourism at the core of its philosophy and shows how beautiful beachfront homes can harmonize with nature and the environment.

2022 marks Hamilo Coast’s 15th year of productive partnership with the conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines (WWF). Hamilo Coast and WWF have been working together on key areas for sustainability—coastal resource management, ridge-to-reef management, solid waste management, mangrove reforestation, the use of renewable energy sources, and environmental awareness.

This long-standing collaboration with WWF signifies Hamilo Coast’s determination to pursue eco-tourism and sustainability while upholding international standards for leisure property development.

Ms. Imee G. Francisco, Vice President and Head of CDHI Projects and Operations, takes pride in the partnership’s objectives. “More than building and maintaining a beautiful community, we seek to create and sustain a world that future generations can enjoy. To help serve this end, CDHI continues to develop Hamilo Coast without compromising the quality of wildlife living around it.”

Santelmo Cove was among those declared as a Marine Protected Area (MPA) regarded as a coastal zone where human activities are strictly regulated to ensure their long-term conservation.

Hamilo Coast embraces sustainable tourism at the core of its philosophy and shows how beautiful beachfront homes can harmonize with nature and the environment.

This year, Hamilo Coast and WWF will focus on addressing the major components on waste management, which include assessment of solid waste, water and wastewater management practices, formulation of environmental management plan, and the promotion of food shed farming systems. Apart from these, Hamilo Coast and WWF will continuously work on programs that will help conserve, protect, and nurture the environment.

For one, Hamilo Coast and WWF’s Ridge to Reef program declared three of Hamilo Coast’s 13 coves–Pico de Loro, Etayo, and Santelmo–as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). These are coastal zones where human activities are strictly regulated to ensure their long-term conservation. Declaring more MPAs would also mean expanding Hamilo Coast’s scope in safeguarding more marine ecosystem and resources.

Hamilo Coast also continues to implement a mangrove reforestation program in its 24-hectare mangrove belt—one of the largest in Nasugbu. Here, Hamilo has planted 50,000 propagules hand-in-hand with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines.

Mangroves are the first line of defense for coastal communities, stabilizing shorelines by averting erosion and providing natural barriers to storm surges, flooding, and hurricanes. As an effective carbon storage, mangroves absorb six times more carbon than mature tropical forests, making it all the more vital in slowing down the effects of climate change.

Finally, Hamilo Coast and WWF will further push for environmental awareness by celebrating occasions that show respect for biodiversity. One is the annually held Earth Hour, during which time people are urged to shut down electricity to make a substantial difference in energy consumption. Individuals, organizations, and establishments also come together on Coral Triangle Day to shed light on ocean conservation and the ways we can protect and preserve the world’s epicenter of marine biodiversity.

Likewise, the development boasts the largest volunteer effort for the ocean’s health, made possible with the International Coastal Cleanup, where people gather on the Pico and Santelmo beaches to collect trash and record information on the collected debris.

For all these sustained efforts, WWF has awarded Hamilo Coast with the Longest Sustainability Partner Award, recognizing the development’s commitment to sustainable tourism and its positive impact on the Philippine tourism industry.

Francisco affirms, “CDHI is proud of how far we have come at Hamilo Coast with the help of WWF. This inspires us to do even more, in the hopes that our efforts will make it possible for future generations to witness the beauty of nature as we see it today.”

Hamilo Coast is a master-planned seaside residential community in Nasugbu, Batangas. Developed and managed by Costa del Hamilo, Inc., a subsidiary of SM Prime. It is approximately 90 minutes from Manila via Cavitex and the Ternate-Nasugbu Road. For inquiries, call (632) 7-945-8000 or visit www.hamilocoast.com.


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Hamilo Coast and WWF further push for environmental awareness by celebrating occasions that show respect for biodiversity such as the Coastal Clean Up.