Brave the world with MediCard Philippines

MediCard, a leading health maintenance organization (HMO) provider in the country, celebrates its 30th anniversary with a stronger commitment to provide more Filipinos access to quality health and medical care, amidst the fast-paced, technology-driven lifestyles of this generation.

To make the celebration more meaningful, the country’s top HMO put forward the theme, “Brave the World,” to emphasize the company’s commitment to encourage each and every Filipino to capitalize on his health so that he can seize more opportunities, dare to make a difference and successfully pursue a better future.

“The world has indeed become smaller, providing Filipinos more opportunities to excel and grow. However, many pass up these great opportunities as health issues sometimes stand in their way. As we celebrate our anniversary with this in mind, MediCard will continue to strive to provide more Filipinos access to quality health care through innovative products, and  services and free-standing clinics in key locations that will make staying healthy possible for every Filipinos thus, allowing them to brave the world,” says MediCard president Dr. Nicky Montoya.

Innovative and responsive products

Along with its corporate packages, MediCard also highlights its new products as it celebrates 30 years of providing quality and accessible healthcare to Filipinos: MediCard Select, a breakthrough product that takes care of healthcare needs for minimal access fee, service fee and fixed fund and allows returns of unused fund.

On top of these innovative health maintenance products, MediCard offers various health plans to fit each individual’s budget. For individuals and families who want coverage for hospitalization, outpatient procedures and preventive healthcare, among others, MediCard has the Family/Individual plans. For a more comprehensive healthcare coverage, MediCard also offers VIP plans; and Kabayan, created for overseas sponsors to provide quality healthcare for their loved ones in the Philippines;

Other healthcare pre-paid plans offered by MediCard are: The RXER plan, which offers a specialized healthcare maintenance service that covers emergencies for trauma cases and preventive and outpatient care in MediCard free-standing clinics; Healthplus plan, where members can avail themselves of preventive and outpatient coverage in MediCard free-standing clinics for one year for only P1,100; and the MediCard Health Check Card, which gives your loved ones unlimited check-ups at MediCard free-standing clinics for only P500.

Clinics across Metro Manila, Luzon and Cebu

In addition to its 12 well-equipped clinics, MediCard also brings its top-notch medical services to more Filipinos by opening more free standing clinics outside Metro Manila. It recently opened clinics in Lipa City, Batangas and Cainta, Rizal, making their quality healthcare services accessible to everyone.

Chief among them is the MediCard Lifestyle Center, a first of its kind wellness center in Makati, which has a breast clinic – an outpatient facility that offers breast exam, mammography and consultation with breast specialists before undergoing any diagnostic and therapeutic procedure.


Giving back to the community

Furthermore, in 2012, MediCard maintained the lead on the realization of  its founding chairman’s vision and created another symbolic milestone with the birth of MediCard Foundation, the  first charitable institution in the Philippine HMO setting. It develops and implements health-related programs and conducts outreach activities through funded CSR projects, fund-raising activities and donations from generous corporations, philanthropic individuals and other foundations.

With all these developments, new product offerings and network of clinics, MediCard is truly the health partner to help members and patients achieve optimum health and be on their way to brave the world.

For more information, visit www.medicardphils.com and https://www.facebook.com/MEDICard.Philippines/.

Join Kris Aquino and Fucidin® in the Fight Against Wound Infection

Kris Aquino goes full force against wound infection with Fucidin®. Kris is well known as a celebrity mother who cares for her sons’ health and wellbeing. “I have two boys and when they get a cut or a wound, I clean it with soap and water for 15 seconds. Then, I apply Fucidin® agad,” she says. “Fucidin® is part of our wound care kit!”

Children are exposed to different types of wounds and scrapes because of their daily activities. Even in the most harmless-looking places, no matter how hard parents try to protect them, they can still get hurt.

Moms need to make sure the wound doesn’t get infected. Infection occurs when bacteria enters the wound through a break on one’s skin. Bacteria may spread and lead to more serious diseases. Usually, the immediate response is to wash a wound well with soap and water. But cleaning may not be enough. It is also essential to apply a topical antibiotic like Fucidin® at the first sign of wound infection.

Fusidic acid/sodium fusidate Fucidin® is a powerful antibiotic that is clinically proven against wound infection. It is fast-acting, working on the infection 2 minutes upon application and deep-penetrating, reaching the skin’s deepest layer 30 minutes after application. It also helps prevent bacteria from spreading.

Fucidin® comes in two variants. Fucidin® cream is ideal for exposed parts of the body like the face and hands, while Fucidin® ointment is ideal for dry, scaly or cracked lesions.

Like Kris, stock up on Fucidin® and don’t take chances. Join the fight against wound infection! Fucidin® is available in leading drugstores nationwide.

Fucidin® is from LEO Pharma, a Danish pharmaceutical company with a mission to help people achieve healthy skin. LEO Pharma is the pioneer in the development of fusidic acid. It has a wide range of products that are marketed in over 100 countries. LEO Pharma has more than 100 years of trusted heritage worldwide.

Fusidic acid/sodium fusidate is the generic name of Fucidin®. Fucidin® is available in leading drugstores nationwide.

If symptoms persist, please consult your doctor.

PSBank’s “Win the Dream (57 Treats)” Raffle Promo

Get a chance to win and live your dream of owning a one-bedroom condominium at Park West in Bonifacio Global City or drive home a brand new 2017 Toyota Innova J DSL M/T in PSBank’s “Win the Dream (57 Treats)” raffle promo.

In celebration of our 57th anniversary, we are also giving away five (5) Samsung 43” UHD TVs, 10 Samsung Tab A with S. Pen, 20 Samsung GLX J5 Prime mobile phones, and 20 Gift Vouchers.

The “Win the Dream” raffle is open to all new and existing individual or joint deposit clients of PSBank. To earn a raffle entry, simply maintain at least a Month-to-Date (MTD) Average Daily Balance (ADB) of PhP50,000 in your PSBank Peso Checking or Peso Savings account or USD1,000 in your PSBank Dollar Savings account from June 1 to November 30, 2017. You will earn more e-raffle entries for every PhP50,000 or USD1,000 additional deposit in your account. The higher the ADB, the more chances of winning.

All raffle winners will be drawn electronically on December 14, 2017; 5:00pm; at the PSBank Head Office in Makati City.

To know more about this promotion, visit: www.psbank.com.ph and click on the Best Deals>Promos Tab.

A Multi-Cultural Afternoon Tea Experience at Le Petit Soufflé

A charming escape nestled in two of Metro Manila’s busiest malls is Le Petit Soufflé, a French-Japanese inspired restaurant that puts a twist on comfort food classics. Drawing inspiration from the kitsch and class of French cafés in Japan, Le Petit Soufflé attempts to marry the best of both cuisines into a unique and memorable dining experience… one that customers are compelled to return to, time and again. In fact, their latest offering is a multi-cultural adaptation of Afternoon Tea, re-introducing this European pastime to the Manila scene.

Having recently launched the Workshop, a bespoke bakery concept within the Le Petit Soufflé branch in the Mega Fashion Hall, it comes as no surprise that a decadent set of pastries will soon be offered alongside a selection of carefully curated teas. Pastry chefs Miko Aspiras and Kristine Lotilla will be using their years of experience in the hotel industry to treat customers with a one-of-a-kind Afternoon Tea experience for only Php 795.

The Le Petit Soufflé French Afternoon Tea experience includes lavender lemon tea, orange and almond scones served with homemade clotted cream and orange jam, a camembert and apple tartine, cheese profiteroles, a croissant served with butter and jam, foie gras and raspberry L’opera, a salted caramel and Valrhona Guanaja cone, and fairy floss. 

The British Afternoon Tea experience includes earl grey and orange tea, macadamia and Valrhona dark chocolate scones served with homemade clotted cream and raspberry jam, a meat and pea pie, mushroom and cheese gougères, croissants with butter and jam, sticky date pudding, a strawberry truffle cone, and fairy floss.

The Japanese Afternoon Tea experience includes a matcha genmai cha, a matcha scone served with adzuki red bean paste and homemade clotted cream, furikake, chasyu and mayo tartine, a matcha and black sesame cheese puff, a croissant with butter and jam, a matcha l’opera, a red bean and cream cone, and fairy floss.

Le Petit Soufflé’s quaint twinkling lights and al fresco inspired interiors make the perfect setting for a relaxed afternoon delight. It would truly not be difficult for a customer to imagine oneself in an enchanted garden in Europe sipping on a warm cup of tea, while munching on the pastries that might as well have been flown in from France, England, or Japan.

For more information on the Le Petit Soufflé High Tea experience, LIKE Le Petit Soufflé and Workshop_ph on Facebook and FOLLOW @lepetitsouffleph and @workshop_ph on Instagram.

Kushikatsu Daruma Serves Perfection on a Skewer Stick

The way to a man’s heart is truly through his belly. And so what happens when a man falls passionately in love with a restaurant located all the way in Osaka, Japan? He brings this restaurant to Manila.

“Each time I visit Osaka, Kushikatsu Daruma is one of my first stops,” confides tech and food entrepreneur Charles Paw. During one of his many visits, he noticed that a number of restaurant’s guests were Japanese businessmen who would come hungry after a long day’s work. They would take off their ties and hang up their coats in order to unwind and enjoy a hearty meal at the end of the day. As a businessman himself, the entire concept of this restaurant resonated with him. Sometimes, all a weary and tired soul wants is a simple and delicious meal. No frills, just some honest to goodness gastronomic goodness. “What I like about it is that it serves simple food that also happens to be highly addictive. One or two sticks is never enough,” he enthuses.

A kushikatsu is a Japanese delicacy that comprises of deep-fried skewered meat and vegetables. Kushikatsu Daruma is an iconic restaurant in the famous Dotonburi area of Osaka that serves the best kushikatsu in Japan. Tourists from all over the world roam the busy streets of Osaka looking out for a larger than life statue of an intense looking Japanese man wearing a black hat, a yellow tie, and a white jacket, and red pants. His eyes are crossed and his arms folded over his chest, while he carries a skewer stick on each hand. The intensity of the expression his face is promising, because one may surmise that if the restaurant’s chefs put this much intensity into their cooking, then the food must really be exceptional.

While the concept of a kushikatsu sounds straight forward, to learn how cook a proper Japanese skewer requires at least one month of intensive training in Japan. In fact, 5 Filipino chefs were sent there to train and learn the exact techniques of mixing batter, breading, frying. Japanese standards demand that the bread must be perfectly crisp, while guaranteeing that the meat or vegetable inside the breading is cooked as well.

“The different meats and vegetables require specific temperatures and frying styles…and each one needs to be learned and mastered,” Paw explained. “Moreover, the manner by which the batter is mixed, along with its thickness, determines the quality of the kushikatsu as well. It is definitely more complicated than it looks because every kind of kushikatsu requires a specific amount of time for frying. For the chefs, the real challenge is getting the consistency just right.

But the desire for perfection does not end there. These skewer sticks are served with a sweet yet tart mystery umami sauce, even the franchisers don’t know the ingredients of. This special sauce is regularly flown in from Osaka to Manila in order to guarantee a truly authentic Kushikatsu experience.

On its launch date, Kushikatsu Daruma will be serving 36 different skewers, ranging from pork, to beef, to chicken…and will include slightly more exotic menu items such as the chicken intestines, and the chicken heart. The skewers can enjoyed on their own or with rice,. Kushikatsu Daruma will also be serving Chahan (Japanese fried rice), and plain Japanese rice.

Those who are unsure of where to start have the option to try their sets, for kushikatsu beginners and experienced eaters alike. Their Beginner Level set includes 9 sticks: the classic kushikatsu, prawns, chicken with garlic, chikuwa, tsukane (chicken meatballs), tonkatsu (porkloin), leeks, potato, and camambert cheese. The Advanced Level includes 11 sticks: the classic kushikatsu, chicken heart, chicken intestine, pork intestine, chicken gizzard, garlic, lady finger, gyoza, white onion, leeks, and tonkatsu.

Already thinking about when you intend to visit this restaurant? A word of warning. “No double dipping!” In Japan where meals are shared among strangers, hygiene is of prime importance. So bear in mind that each time you dip your skewer into the sauce, you only get one shot at coating the entire piece. Again, perfection is the goal….but we promise that the experience is well worth it.