SM group to build new school buildings in Laguna, Batangas

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Continuing its commitment to helping elevate the country's education system, SM Foundation, Inc. (SMFI), in partnership with SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SMPHI) and the Department of Education (DepEd), have recently collaborated to construct two new school buildings in Laguna and Batangas.

Upon the completion of the joint initiative, two two-story four-classroom school buildings will be donated to the Laguna Resettlement Community School in San Pedro City, Laguna and the San Antonio Elementary School in Sto. Tomas City, Batangas.

Each of the school buildings is set to be equipped with learning materials, armchairs, handwashing facilities, emergency equipment, and PWD-friendly facilities to ensure that students, especially from low-income communities, gain access to modern, safe, and conducive learning facilities.

 

Formalizing the partnership, representatives from the SMFI, DepEd, and the local government units of said provinces attended the memorandum of agreement signing last April 28, 2023, at the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) in Malvar, Batangas.

SM Foundation, through its School Building Program, is an active partner of DepEd in various educational programs. This social good initiative aims to promote quality public education by building classrooms nationwide. To date, it has turned over more than 100 school buildings to grassroots communities.

CONQuest 2023 is bringing the biggest local and international creators together for an unforgettable weekend in Manila

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CONQuest Festival 2023, AcadArena’s award-winning gaming and pop culture convention slated for June 2-4, is gearing up to be bigger and bolder than its previous iterations in all ways possible.

CONQuest 2023 presented by Globe expands on last year’s SMX Convention Center venue to include the adjacent Seashell Lane, Conrad Manila, Mall of Asia (MoA), and National University MoA (NU MoA). The multi-venue setup will host a variety of events such as the Alliance Games in partnership with NU Laguna and NU MoA. This weekend event will feature over 70 local and international guests celebrating gaming, tech, music, pop culture, and everything in between.

Headlining the CONQuest 2023 guest roster are Valkyrae, Pokimane, Sykkuno, South Korean rock indie band The Rose, and Filipino singer-actor James Reid. Other notable internet personalities include Fuslie, Michael Reeves and LilyPichu, and anime content creators JoeyTheAnimeMan and AkiDearest.

"We always joked about eventually growing CONQuest in Iloilo to the point we'd get to Manila and have international guests," said CONQuest founder and AcadArena Chief Growth Officer Justin Banusing. "We even had OfflineTV as an April Fools’ joke. But thanks to the community’s undying passion, our dreams are coming true."

CONQuest 2023 also brings musical acts into the fray for the first time with the introduction of Music Night. Joining The Rose and James Reid are local stars Carousel Casualties, Oh Flamingo!, and Autotelic, as well as international DJs James Landino and Hyper Potions.

A number of warmly-received guests from last year’s CONQuest are also set for a return. This includes Genshin Impact voice actresses Anne Yatco and Ratana, Vtuber Bao, and content creators Atsu and BTMC.

The allure of worldwide attention has also enticed some of the biggest brands to support CONQuest, who extends its gratitude to Presenting Partner Globe, as well as Platinum Partners Riot Games, Predator Gaming, and Blockchain Space. Joining the roster are Gold Sponsors composed of Lazada, Grab Philippines, Jollibee, Kumu, Coin98, coins.ph, SVGA, NU Laguna, UniPin, and Tier One Entertainment.





About AcadArena

AcadArena is a company guided by its mission of building communities and creating everyday heroes through the power of technology, gaming and storytelling. On top of running CONQuest, one of the largest pop culture conventions in Southeast Asia, AcadArena has supported over 250 student clubs and 1,100 scholars all over the Philippines and Brazil and brought the first academic esports laboratory to life.

SSS encourages informal sector workers in Bulacan to get social security coverage

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The Social Security System (SSS) recently urged informal sector workers in a community in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, to become self-employed members of the SSS.

The SSS promoted the value of social security coverage to the residents of Villa Española in the said city, a community that consists primarily of informal sector self-employed workers, after receiving a request from Villa Española Homeowners Association Inc. President Josephine Lusabia.


SSS Professional Sector Department Head Carlo C. Villacorta conducted a seminar on SSS programs for self-employed workers as well as the online and onsite services provided by SSS which was attended by more than 150 participants.


During the event, Villacorta discussed the importance of informal sector workers registering as self-employed members of SSS and paying their monthly contributions regularly. He also talked about the amount of benefits and loans that they may avail of from SSS. “Kaya para sa protekyon ng mga self-employed workers, mangyari po sana na kayo ay magparehistro sa SSS bilang self-employed members at magbayad ng karampatang kontribusyon. Kung sakali na kayo ay maaksidente o di kaya’y magkasakit at ito ay work related, mayroon kayong karagdagang benepisyo na maaaring makuha mula sa Employees’ Compensation (EC) Program,” he added. Moreover, Villacorta explained the importance of learning how to navigate the My.SSS Portal for a more convenient way of transacting with SSS. “Humihingi kami sa inyo ng kaunting puhunan sa oras, tiyaga, at pasensya upang unawain kung paano gamitin ang mga online platforms ng SSS para sa pinakamadaling pakikipagtransakyon sa SSS,” he continued.

He concluded the activity by urging members and officers of the homeowners association to share with their friends and relatives what they have learned about the programs offered by SSS to self-employed individuals.