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Addressing water pollution among Asia Pacific countries’ priorities

With the theme “Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World”, the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit held in Manila, not only gathered 21 heads of state of member countries to formulate policy initiatives and recommendations towards improving economic conditions, but also to discuss environmental issues such as water pollution that threaten and hinder inclusive growth and development.

Under the APEC Summit’s key priority of “building sustainable and resilient communities”, addressing water pollution issues will help ensure improved access to clean water.

In a public-private dialogue on water, one of the activities leading up to the APEC Summit, government and private sector representatives, and experts from eight member economies presented their solutions to challenges such as water shortage and water pollution, securing drinking water, and mitigating water pollution, especially in urban areas.

Among the good practices shared during the dialogue were a septic tank with solar‐heated water for efficient wastewater treatment proposed by Thailand’s Thammasat University, a novel financial evaluation called “Life Cycle Cost” for building efficient wastewater management system proposed by Japan, and legal and technological solutions for domestic wastewater in Ha Noi, Viet Nam.

Open defecation, toilet sanitation and water safety

As part of its own effort to address water sanitation problems, consumer goods manufacturer Unilever Philippines, through its leading germ-kill expert brand Domex, has partnered with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to stop open defecation which threatens drinking water sources and public health in far-flung villages in Masbate and North Cotabato.

Open defecation refers to the practice whereby people go out in fields, bushes, forests, open bodies of water, or other open spaces to defecate as they do not have access to toilets.

To date, there are 157,997 people in Masbate and North Cotabato that have been positively impacted by the improvements in sanitation practices through the partnership of Unilever and UNICEF.

One million clean toilets movement

Domex also leads the movement for 1 Million Clean Toilets which aims to educate a million Filipinos every year on proper toilet hygiene towards fighting diseases caused by unsanitary toilets. This year, the movement has partnered with health institutions and hospitals through the Philippine Public Health Association. These institutions include the Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center, East Avenue Medical Center, and Rizal Medical Center.

The program includes training of hospital housekeeping staff on proper toilet hygiene and distributing educational materials to patients. Unilever also partnered with Maxicare to enable its network of doctors to encourage more than one million people to adopt proper hygiene practices.

Unilever’s efforts on toilet sanitation are in line with their long-term commitment to the global Unilever Sustainable Living Plan which aims to improve the health and well-being of two billion people worldwide by 2020.

Ensuring access to water and sanitation among new UN goals

During the 70th anniversary of the United Nations in New York, UN member states adopted a 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development highlighting 17 global sustainable development goals that can end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity. One of the goals includes ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

The global agenda states that poor water quality and inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood choices and educational opportunities for poor families across the world; and at least 1.8 billion people globally use a source of drinking water that is contaminated with fecal matter.

By 2030, the new UN sustainable development goal targets to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all, and achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all as well as end open defecation.

Habits for a Healthier 2016

With every New Year comes the common resolution to be healthy. But while this resolution involves diet and exercise for most people, being healthy is much more than just that. Beyond a balanced diet and frequent exercise, a commitment to health also means ensuring you and your family are free from sickness this 2016. This year, make your health your wealth. Transforming unhealthy habits may not be easy, but you can begin by setting small, achievable milestones along the way.

Here are a few simple yet impactful tips to jumpstart a healthier 2016:

1. Break down your fitness goal into weekly goals.

People race to the gym at the start of the year, but, as the months go by, attendance at the gym dwindles and progress toward that fitness goal stalls. Instead of making your fitness goal to lose 15 pounds over the course of the year, resolve to work out three times a week. This will make your progress more measurable in the short-term, and will help to keep you motivated.

As you visit the gym more frequently, it is important to understand the increased need for better personal hygiene. Since so many people go to the gym, you also need to ensure they are protected from germs. According to Microbiologist Philip Tierno, “80% of infections are transmitted by contact. The large number of people, exposed skin, and sweat are perfect ingredients for spreading infections.” Based on the research conducted by Tierno, Staphylococcus and E.coli were found on exercise bikes, dumbbells, lateral pull down machines and shower floors. These germs can cause skin infections and diarrhea.

safeguard

To protect yourself from germs while working out, here are some tips:

  • Avoid touching your face while working out by using a towel to wipe off your sweat.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water immediately after working out.
  • Wear slippers in the locker room and in the shower. Use an anti-bacterial soap in the shower to remove germs.

2. Set an alarm for changing your sheets and towels.

Many do not realize how everyday items like bed sheets and towels can impact a family’s health, and how often these items need to be changed.

According to a study by Professor Sally Bloomfield of London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, “Not washing your sheets regularly increases the risk of spreading bacteria.” If you feel that your sheets still look clean, you are wrong. With everyday use, sheets accumulate dust and germs that you cannot as easily see. Change sheets every two weeks to avoid allergies and the spread of diseases.

You need to change your towels even more frequently because these are exposed to water every day. An unpleasant or musty smell from these items may indicate the presence of germs. Experts recommend changing bath towels after three uses and hand towels every one to two days. The more frequently you use them, the more often you have to change them.

3. Clean your mobile phones.

Your mobile phone is your intimate possession: You keep it beside you when you sleep, and sometimes take it with you to the bathroom. What you may not know that your phone may have ten times more germs than a toilet seat.

In a study conducted by microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba, mobile phones are ideal breeding grounds for germs. These germs, which thrive on the warm screens of mobile phones, may cause everything from skin problems like acne, to diseases like diarrhea and the flu. Another cause of concern is that mobile phones and other gadgets are often shared devices – particularly in families. This means that you are not only exposing yourself to germs, but you may get others sick as well.

Health experts recommend disinfecting your gadgets with an anti-bacterial wipe frequently. More importantly, make it a habit to wash hands with anti-bacterial soap and water frequently. This way, germs that may have been transferred from your mobile phone will not make you or your loved ones sick.

Remember that a healthier year begins with better personal hygiene among all members of the family. Health experts recommend Safeguard for superior germ protection for your family. Its patented anti-bacterial ingredient not only provides protection against more types of germs, but also reduces the regrowth of these germs in between washes.

Make 2016 your healthiest year yet! Keep yourself and your family protected from disease-causing germs by making frequent hand washing with Safeguard your healthy habit.

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About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, AmbiPur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®,Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands.

The Saga Continues: Globe Telecom Inc x The Mind Museum For Star Wars

The Star Wars fever isn’t over yet. Globe Telecom Inc partnered with The Mind Museum, BGC to create added appreciation and understanding among youth, of science and technology, during continued screening and ongoing craze of Star Wars in Metro Manila.

Star Wars artifacts and toys, and those of many other sci-fi characters will be made available for viewing at The Mind Museum. Artifacts will include interesting info on the science behind the exhibit pieces.

Check out the poster for details of the promo.

The Mind Museum is a longtime partner of Globe Telecom, which is committed to creating 21st Century Learning  in the public schools nationwide.  As Globe has enabled TMM to develop and launch the Mind Museum App (an app that brings the TMM learning experience of science, nationwide via mobile phones), the “High on Sci Fi” Exhibit helps promote 21st Century Learning by creatively integrating  content on real science.

Customers who wish to know if there will be a big group during their visit, or would like to clarify further regarding the promo can contact The Mind Museum at 02-909-6463, or email inquiry@themindmuseum.org.

The SOPA 2016 Awards for Editorial Excellence Announces Call For Entries

HONG KONG, CHINA – Media OutReach – Jan 6, 2016 – The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA), an organization dedicated to best practices in professional publishing, is pleased to announce the call for entries for the “SOPA 2016 Awards for Editorial Excellence”. Entering its 18th year, the premier publishing awards represent the most outstanding journalistic accolade in Asia Pacific. Deadline for entries is February 25, 2016.

The 2015 SOPA Awards received a record number of entries from across Asia Pacific competing in 18 categories among English and Chinese regional, local print or digital publications and wire services. To encourage wider participation, SOPA members who submit entries are eligible for a discount in the submission fee. Other publications are encouraged to join and to support SOPA, a not for profit organization.

The judging criteria for the award category “Journalist of the Year” will remain the same as last year, in which entries from Group A, B and C will be combined for judging resulting in only one winner. Journalist of the Year is designed to honor the journalist who has best demonstrated excellence in editorial achievement.

For the purposes of the awards, Asia-Pacific is defined to include the region of Afghanistan and the Central Asia republics, in addition to the Indian subcontinent, North and East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands.

With the dramatic changes taking place in the media landscape, the news industry is heading towards a dynamic digital world with many traditional media firms shifting their core business on to the Internet and developing an extensive network around smart phones and digital devices.

Meanwhile, the core value of freedom of the press is facing an unprecedented challenge. “Entering SOPA’s 18th year, we are witnessing the challenges traditional media are facing with the transformation towards the digital world. While the quantity of information is expanding infinitely, defending freedom of the press remains to be one of the main concerns of the industry. SOPA is a guardian of free press in Asia Pacific, where fine journalism often fights against powerful forces that seek to suppress its voice. The SOPA Awards is the best forum to celebrate best reporting, writing, photographic and graphic design in publishing in Asia Pacific to gain deserved attention” said Mr. Tom Leander, Chairman of the SOPA Editorial Awards Committee.

The SOPA Awards highlight editorial excellence in both traditional and new media as well as emphasize the importance of freedom of the press. The awards are designed to honor and encourage editorial vitality and innovation throughout the region, and welcome entries from English and Chinese-language publications for Asian journalism.

The awards cover a broad range of categories reflecting Asia Pacific’s diverse geo-political environment and vibrant editorial scene.

The SOPA Awards’ judging panel includes journalists, designers and photo editors from the region’s leading newspapers, consumer and trade magazines, as well as notable academics from the journalism and media departments of prestigious universities.

Judging for the 2016 Awards will be conducted by a team of more than 100 international judges stationed across the globe. The Journalism & Media Studies Centre at The University of Hong Kong has been the Awards Administrator since 2011.

SOPA has started accepting entries. To encourage various entries from both large and small publications, entries are classified by circulation size and language type – either English or Chinese.

Entries can be submitted from now until 4pm February 25, 2016 at www.sopawards.com .

Thousands flocked to Circuit Makati for the first-ever Pop-up Night Cinema

Circuit Makati held a successful 5-day run of the Pop-up Night Cinema held at the Globe Circuit Events Ground last December 26-30, 2015.


As early as 6:00 pm, people started gathering to experience a unique movie experience under the stars as they watch a series of films all night long.


Thousands (head count reached 11,600!) enjoyed the night as they watched movies, munched on snacks and simply bonded with their loved ones making this event a one of a kind holiday experience for everyone.