Monthly Archives

May 2020

Lifestyle, News

Facing the New Normal for Mobility needs

We should now adopt the “new normal” that requires maintaining physical distancing and safe hygienic practices has been established by the government. This is the effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic not only the people’s lives but also the global economy. It was started last March 17 when Philippines was placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine. Then the government recently announced new guidelines to gradually ease the lockdown and slowly open up the economy starting May 16, moving the NCR to a Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ).  With the shift in status, still, mobility will remain limited,  particularly public transportation, due to government measures to limit the virus from further spreading.

According to an article by Moovit, the world experienced a decline in public transportation from about 70 percent to 90 percent among commuters from January to April this year.

Another study also said that the greatest risk for a person to get ill is exposure to mass gatherings, particularly public transportation, because of exposure to crowds or contact with surfaces touched by people such as handrails and door handles.

This reinforces the importance of not only physical distancing but minimized travel aside from staying at home. So when you can finally go out, it will be important to consider more clever ways of commuting. One such way will be investing in motorcycles as a means of solo transportation.

Motorcycles can become a reliable and convenient mode of transportation, especially during these trying times that commuters need to remain safe from crowds along with the added protection of full-face helmets and face masks.

Honda Philippines, Inc. (HPI), the No. 1 Motorcycle Manufacturer in the Philippines joins the country as it works to meet the challenges posed by the global health crisis through promoting physical distancing and providing a safe and convenient mode of mobility.

“This pandemic is expected to remain with us throughout the year. So, we must ensure the safety of Filipinos by providing the possible transportation solutions that will allow mobility at a reasonable price, yet keep them safe. It brings us great fulfillment that our motorcycles are of great importance especially during these days, bringing safety for people against the dangerous virus,”  said Susumu Mitsuishi, President of of HPI.

The array of cutting-edge motorcycles busy on the streets, such as the Honda BeAT, Genio, CLICK, and the PCX150 is an indication that Honda’s AT bikes are becoming predominant.

This signifies that the company has been true to its “ONE DREAM” campaign, which is helping fulfill people’s dreams while experiencing the joy of mobility. And in today’s reality, provide a safer way for people staying home to still access badly needed necessities and return to work for their living.

There is a lot more to explore from Honda’s wide array of motorcycles. For more details about Honda products and promos, visit us at our website www.hondaph.com and follow our Facebook page, Honda Philippines, Inc. and Instagram, @hondaph_mc

Entertainment

Back to Back singles of Itchyworms under Sony Music

Itchyworms

This is the result of the health crisis that we experiencing now. A lot of changes like the live shows on a temporary standstill and the global music landscape currently at odds with the challenges that come with the complete shift to the digital realm, more artists are surprisingly making records that represent the specificity of the times. What’s important is that they’re channeling their personal experiences during forced and self-imposed quarantine through songs that function like the pep talk the world needs right now—most of the time, comforting and hopeful, but sometimes a complete validation of our collective rage, loneliness, and frustration inside.

Now returning with two new singles that capture the universal sentiments of grappling with an invisible peril, The Itchyworms drops back to back releases under Sony Music Philippines—their first under a major label since 2008’s Self-Titled.

Here are the two new songs of Itchyworms that inspired in the respose to the ongoing social mental, and emotional crisis that people from around the globe are facing in the midst of a pandemic:

1)Amageddon Blues – in particular, is an update of an old demo recorded by Jazz Nicolas (lead vocals, drums, piano, keyboards, keytar) and Chino Singson (lead guitarist and backing vocals). With crunching guitar riffs, Beatlesque pop melodies, and raw but in-your-face production, the latest track from the band exhibits both ends of the emotional spectrum, as filtered through the lens of happy-sappy music geeks. As Chino recalls. “I remember it being a fun song to record. If you listen to the lyrics, you’ll see it’s very tongue-in-cheek, but very heartfelt.”

Written in 2005, the song was supposed to be included on the quartet’s critically acclaimed album, Noontime Show and the follow-up record, Self-Titled, but The Itchyworms felt that it was thematically different and completely ahead of its time. “Time jump to more than 15 years later, I was the only one who had a copy of the demo,” Jugs Jugueta (co-lead vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion, keyboards) narrates. “Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) happened, and I sent them the demo of ‘Armageddon Blues,’ telling The Itchyworms to release the song, because it captures the somewhat end-of-the-world vibe of our present situation. A couple of weeks into the ECQ, we realized that we’re in this for the long haul, and that we had to do something creative. We decided to write and record a few songs inspired by our experiences during COVID-19.”

Armageddon Blues” is now out on various digital and streaming platforms worldwide

2)The Silence – The songwriting sessions birthed another single, which already made its rounds on Facebook a week earlier. Following the official release of “Armageddon Blues” on all streaming and digital platforms worldwide a day late, “The Silence” was written by Jugs Jugueta and Jazz Nicolas, and recorded and produced by The Itchyworms entirely during the Enhanced Community Quarantine imposed over Metro Manila due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.“It’s what we think everyone is going through right now. Nobody could’ve foreseen 2020 to be like this,” Jugs shares the underlying theme behind the song. Musically, it’s a mish-mash of influences that put Depeche Mode, Radiohead, The Beatles, and The Walking Dead in a blender: The production seethes with soaring builds and nuanced sonic details, but ends abruptly in faded noise—as if the transmission is suddenly lost in the background, its silence “killing us” infinitely and metaphorically.

Watch out for the official release of “The Silence” midnight of May 22, 2020.

A “Quarantine” Album

Both songs are part of their upcoming album, Waiting For The End To Start, which was conceptualized and recorded while the members of The Itchyworms were confined in their homes, connected digitally by their resounding “shared” experiences. “Expect it to be unpolished and imperfect,” Jazz describes the new album. “Maybe a little lo-fi. It’s not necessarily all about COVID-19, but this is the result of what we feel during this time. So there’s restlessness, loneliness, boredom, delirium, fear, uncertainty, and all that jazz.”

Chino puts into perspective the concept behind the 8-track release, which will most likely drop sometime in July 2020. “Like any collection of music, it is a record of its time: A snapshot of the artist’s reaction to his or her circumstances. But it’s a concept album in that our aim was to create art in the midst of a pandemic, to capture our emotions in the music we record, even with the limited recording gear we have at home. So you’ll hear amp buzz and imperfect vocals, but for me that’s part of the spirit of true rock.”

Reunion with Sony Music PH

Waiting For The End To Start is their second album to be released under Sony Music Philippines. After their groundbreaking major label opus,Self-Titled, whichmade an impact in the local music scene at the tail end of 2008, the band was forced to go indie after the label’s short-lived hiatus handling domestic releases.

Speaking of their reignited ties with the international record label, Jugs tells in a statement: “Aside from the fact that we felt a sense of familiarity with Roslyn Pineda of Sony Music PH, as we’ve known her since our college days, we believed that Sony, being an International record company, could help us reach a wider audience. We want to reach new and foreign audiences, because our music is universal and capable of touching several hearts here and abroad.”

Chino adds, “I feel that Sony is a good place to be for an artist. Their team is small but they work hard and have their artists’ interests at heart.”

 

News

Honda donate to help mobility to Philippine Red Cross during this pandemic

During this global pandemic recently Honda Foundation donated to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), a total of 104 motorcycle units (52 red units each of TMX125 alpha and Wave 110 alpha) with insulated top box to be used by all of its 104 Chapters throughout the Philippines. The endowment provides the Philippine Red Cross with a fast and high-quality mode of transportation to allow them to quickly deliver humanitarian and life-saving services to communities to respond rapidly during crisis situations . This donation project is in line with Honda’s ONE DREAM campaign.

“We at Honda, are committed to supporting institutions that save Filipino lives like the Philippine Red Cross, in their duties and advocacies. We also see this as a way of giving back to the society where Honda operates” Mr. Susumu Mitsuishi, HFI Member of the Board of Trustees, said.

Honda Foundation, Inc. (HFI) is the arm of the Honda group of companies in the Philippines overseeing and managing its corporate social responsibility programs and activities such as promoting road safety, protecting the environment, supporting the youth, and addressing local community needs.

“This is also the Honda Group’s  way of taking a pro-active approach in addressing local community needs during calamities and national emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic that we are currently grappling with” Mr. Mitsuishi said.

For more details about Honda products and promos, visit us at our website www.hondaph.com and follow our Facebook page, Honda Philippines, Inc. and Instagram, @hondaph_mc

 

Lifestyle, News

Ortigas Malls Reopens with Implements of Stringent Sanitation Measures

Outlook

During Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) Metro Manila goers are eager to once again visit their favorite restaurants and shop in their favorite stores. However, with the strong concern regarding everyone’s health and safety, Ortigas Malls wants to reassure each and every mall-goer that their well-being is always the top priority as the company rolls out new measures and guidelines that are effective starting May 16, 2020.

Before going to Greenhills, Tiendesitas, Estancia, and Industria, here are the three things to take note:

  1. Re-opening our doors for you

Ortigas Malls hours from 11AM to 7PM and their happy to welcome back their guests with their favorite retail stores and restaurants. Their also focused on ensuring everyone’s safety and those vulnerable will not be allowed entry. Those who appear sickly, or with a body temperature above 37.5 and those without a mask will also not be able to enter the malls.

  1. Sanitation and 2M Rule on Social Distancing

As you enter the mall, you would have stepped on the sanitized foot mat then your temperature will be checked. All guests must disinfect with alcohol and wear their mask at all times. Ortigas Malls also keeps the highest standard of cleanliness applied throughout every mall, with elevators, escalators, restrooms and other key areas sanitized every 30 minutes. Handwashing guidelines are also placed in all restrooms.

In order to maintain minimal physical contact among mall customers, each store has their own signages reflecting how many customers they can accommodate at any given time. Elevators will also strictly allow only 50% of the normal capacity while for escalator use, a 3-step gap is encouraged.

Escalator and elevators guidelines will also be on signages before entering to limit the number of passengers. Roving mall guards will also be present to help remind customers of the social distancing protocols.

Most importantly, everyone is advised to maintain a social distancing of 2 meters.

  1. Click & Collect (C&C) Service

Ortigas Malls is still continuing its Click & Collect (C&C) Service that provides a designated pick-up area for customers who make purchases online from mall tenants. There will also be  designated parking areas for online delivery platforms.

Ortigas Malls would like everyone to feel safe and comfortable within their premises. With all these measures in place, Ortigas Malls is confident that it can safely welcome back its loyal clients and assure them of a secure and efficient visit. For more information you may check their official Facebook pages – Estancia, Tiendesitas, Industria.

 

 

 

 

Lifestyle, News

Securing the New Norm in Distance Learning

Over the past few months, educational institutions around the world – from elementary schools to colleges and universities – have been forced to embrace distance learning. It’s now estimated that 70% of students are currently doing some form of online education.

For many of these institutions, this digital transformation to distance learning was thrust upon them—regardless of whether they were ready or not. Schools are scrambling to not only build the content for their courses but also to build the distance learning infrastructure needed to ensure all of their faculty and students have remote access to this content. The challenge they face is how to do this at scale and do it securely?

Unfortunately, malicious actors and cybercriminals are fully aware that for many organizations, these are uncharted waters. Educational institutions have long been a target by adversaries. According to the 2019 Verizon Data Breach Report, education continues to be plagued by human errors, social engineering, and denial of service attacks. And these changes only compound these challenges.

The movement to distance learning has created additional risk for institutions and created potential opportunities for the adversary. These criminals are more motivated than ever to steal financial information, intellectual property, or simply be disruptive.

Securing the Learning Environment

There are several simple steps every educational institution needs to consider implementing if they desire to set up and maintain an effective distance learning environment while keeping their cyber adversaries at bay. These include:

  • Provide Strong AuthenticationWith advancements in hardware processing power, cracking passwords can be done in a matter of seconds. Which is part of the reason why there is a ton of stolen credentials for sale on the dark web, with more being added every day. It is essential, therefore, to enforce strong password policies (i.e., complexity, length, and expiration), enforce account lockout after failed attempts to prevent password guessing, and leverage multi-factor authentication where possible to prevent the misuse of stolen passwords.
  • Protect Web ApplicationsNext to stealing credentials, exploiting vulnerabilities in applications is the easiest way for an attacker to breach your network. You must scan external sites for security flaws such as cross-site scripting errors and SQL injections. And it’s equally important to encrypt the traffic between your learning systems and your users, whether faculty, students, or administrators, so information can’t be stolen in transit. In addition, deploying a web application firewall (WAF) can protect web application servers and the infrastructure from attacks and breaches originating from the Internet and external networks.
  • Leverage Network SegmentationAnother way to secure your environment is to segment your internet-facing teaching applications from your other internal applications, such as your HR system. This way, if a breach or malware outbreak were to occur, the scope of impact will be limited.
  • Manage 3rd Party Risk: The third-party technologies that you use in your online learning environments can pose additional vulnerabilities and risk to your enterprise network. Whether it’s your learning management system or teleconferencing tools, regardless of whether they are hosted in the cloud or on-premise, you need to ensure you perform a thorough security assessment of the vendor and their products before introducing them into your network environment.
  • Monitor for Malicious or Unusual Activities: Organizations new to implementing distant learning will see a significant increase in devices and external network traffic connecting to their networks. The security staff needs to be aware of any unusual login attempts, unexplainable large data transfers, or other behaviors that seem out of the norm.

Knowledge is Power in Protecting against Adversaries

Similar to how we teach our kids to learn and memorize basic math facts to tackle more complicated math problems, we need to ensure that faculty, students, and staff understand the cybersecurity basics to ensure they remain safe. No online course is complete without having some form of cybersecurity education on the syllabus.

At a minimum, faculty, students, and staff should know how to:

  • Protect Their Passwords: Ensure individuals use strong passwords that are not obvious, like your birthday, or default passwords provided with devices. Never use the same password on multiple accounts and devices. And never share a password with anyone – even individuals claiming to be on the IT team.
  • Keep Their Devices Up To Date: Make sure devices and applications are updated with patches, and that any antivirus/malware software is current and operational.
  • Spot Social Engineering Attempts: Everyone should be taught how to spot attempts to steal personal and proprietary information vial email (phishing), texting (smishing), and phone (vishing).
  • Be Wary of Public Networks: Many public places, such as cafes, hotels, and airports, offer free internet connections to jump online easily. However, while they are convenient, they may not be secured. In addition, cybercriminals will often spoof these sorts of networks. So it’s essential to check with the establishment to ensure the network is legitimate, and when possible, use a VPN connection to access or transmit data. To that end, it is essential that any distance learning tools – both the front end used by students and the back end used by teachers – support SSL VPN and strong authentication.

As we engage in distance learning, we need to ensure that we practice cyber distancing to protect ourselves from the adversary. Taking control by following these standard security practices is one of the best ways to effectively move us securely into this new distance learning norm.

 

 

Lifestyle, News

Araneta City ensures safety measures, rules as malls reopen on May 20

To ensure the health of customers and employees, the Araneta City management will continue the regular sanitation and disinfection of all interior and exterior establishments within its premises, as shown in this photo.

Several malls in Metro Manila like the management of Araneta City has announced the reopening of its  three malls- Gateway Mall, Ali Mall and Farmers Plaza-  starting Wednesday, May 20. The customers/shoppers will experience differently as the malls implement rules to ensure their safety and in accordance with the resumption under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) regulations set up by the Covid-19 Inter Agency Task Force (IATF).

Here are their rules and regulations for the safety measures of customers and employees that established Covid-19 such as:

  1. “no face mask, no entry”
  2. the requirement of presenting a quarantine pass or authorized company ID upon entry
  3. temperature checks at entrances
  4. minimum one meter social distancing
  5. two steps between persons on escalators
  6. limited elevator capacity
  7. for pregnant women, the elderly, and PWDs, they may be accompanied by one person when visiting any of the malls of Araneta City

Other measures that have already been in place at Araneta City since the declaration of enhanced community quarantine will continue to be implemented such as the placement of disinfectant-soaked foot baths and alcohol dispensers at entrances, hand sanitizers and alcohol dispensers located in concierge, booths, and restrooms, and floor markings for social distancing. Regular sanitation and disinfection of interiors and exteriors of Araneta City establishments will also be maintained.

In the photo, floor marks indicating where elevator riders should stand are seen as a worker disinfects the elevator’s surfaces. The Araneta City management urges customers and employees to follow social distancing protocols to ensure a safe and healthy environment for everyone.

Food and other service establishments are mandated to follow workplace safety guidelines promulgated by the Department of Health and the Department of Labor and Employment to ensure the safety of customers and service providers.

“We welcome back our customers and employees to Araneta City. Your safety and well-being is always our top priority, which is why we will continue to implement social distancing and enhanced personal hygiene protocols,” said Antonio Mardo, Senior Vice President for Operations of Araneta City.

Sanitation is essential in combating COVID-19. Knowing this, the Araneta City management will continue to sanitize and disinfect all of its spaces, especially those that are frequented by customers such as washrooms.

For the information of the general public, safety guidelines such as advisories and infographics will be posted in prominent areas in the malls, especially at entrances, parking and smoking areas, escalators, elevators, and restrooms.

Mall hours will be from 11 AM to 7PM and only non-leisure stores and establishments will open as per the guidance set by the IATF. A complete list of open stores and establishments is available on facebook.com/AranetaCity.

 

Health and Wellness, Lifestyle

NOVUHAIR PARTNERED WITH THE FIT FILIPINO VIA FREE WORKOUT & BOOST OPTIMISM

NovuhairxFitFil FB Live Workout

During this global pandemic we need to boost our immune system. Good news NOVUHAIR®, the leading natural hair loss treatment in the Philippines, partnered with The Fit Filipino (FITFIL) Movement lead by Jim & Toni Saret, the brand’s VIP Fitness Coaches,to a FREE 20-day Facebook Live workout aimed at improving your wellness quotient goals through a “Bulletproof Immune System Activity Booster”.

Centurion FitFil exercise

This workout program is designed to help beginners and complement the workout of those with active exercise routines. Starting May 18 until May 29, 2020 , you can still join the program since this workout is everyday from Monday to Friday at 4pm  on Facebook live: https://www.facebook.com/fitfilmovement

To learn more at https://bit.ly/3fT3zEm

Novuhair Frontliner Relief

Optimism Adds Resilience

Optimism is a crucial factor on how we choose to navigate our journey to success. Businesses, institutions and various groups have a significant role to play in fostering this especially in times of crisis.

Thank you frontliners

From the start of this pandemic, profuse optimism, coupled with genuine concern among key stakeholders in weathering the storm, is evident in the support and proactive measures of Pascual Total Health Incorporated, the holding company of Bionutra Innovations Inc., the company subsidiary marketing the leading natural hair loss treatment in the Philippines, NOVUHAIR® – nature’s answer to hair loss.

Discover more at https://bit.ly/3bCtLzS

 

News

PH hospitals strengthen cybersecurity during COVID-19

In the middle of the health crisis or global pandemic, Philippine hospitals engaged in COVID-19 response now also face cybersecurity threats with cyber criminals exploiting the pandemic to contrive their cyberattacks and take advantage of vulnerable systems during this time. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) recently raised alerts on cybersecurity threats, specific to targeting hospitals. In a COVID-19 Czech Republic hospital which is a testing center for COVID 19, for instance, a cyberattack forced the facility to shut down their systems, causing delayed surgeries and forcing them to move some patients to other hospitals.

To prevent disruption in local hospitals, the Cybersecurity Bureau of the DICT then urged hospitals and healthcare facilities nationwide to employ emergency backup systems for operational continuity for both databases and infrastructure in case of outages caused by malware or cyberattacks. PLDT Enterprise, through its ICT arm ePLDT Inc., has announced a free three-month cyber threat monitoring and response solution, powered by the ePLDT Security Operations Center to healthcare centers and hospitals in the country, starting with Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings, Inc. (MPHHI) hospitals.

“There is an urgency in strengthening the medical facilities’ cyber security especially as they combat COVID-19. Our partnership with MPHHI Hospitals by equipping them with these services for three months ensures unhampered operations during this critical time,” says Jovy Hernandez, ePLDT President & CEO and SVP & Head for PLDT and Smart Enterprise Business Groups.

Hospitals availing of cybersecurity services offered for free by PLDT Enterprise and ePLDT are as follows:

  1. West Metro Medical
  2. Cardinal Santos Medical Center
  3. St. Elizabeth Hospital
  4. Davao Doctors Hospital
  5. Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital

According to Angel Redoble, First Vice President & Chief Information Security Officer of ePLDT Group, PLDT Group & SMART, there are many benefits offered by this service to MPPHI Hospitals. “The solution helps identify and verify attacks that are not detected by traditional firewalls. It quickly remediates attacks before they cause damage or disruption. It also assists their internal IT in supporting uptime and resiliency of critical systems in the face of cyber threats. This system is enrolled remotely to comply with the quarantine.”

With COVID-19 being a priority for all hospitals domestically and globally, PLDT Enterprise and ePLDT offered the SOCaaS service free for 3 months so they can be worry-free when it comes to cyber security threats during this critical time. The free service has also been extended to other industries such as government and manufacturing, to name a few.

Entertainment

Rico Blanco’s “This Too Shall Pass” is now out on YouTube

Rico Blanco

 

Watch Rico Blanco’s inspiring music video for “This Too Shall Pass” for his new solo single in four years. With various footage taken here and abroad, the visuals for “This Too Shall Pass” take a closer look at how the pandemic has brought the entire world to a standstill.

Given the unprecedented uncertainty and challenges that COVID-19 poses, the video doubles as a tribute to the unsung heroes and frontliners leading the fight against an invisible enemy, showing us the true meaning of bayanihan in times of crisis.

Intercut with scenes of the “new normal” from around the globe, it also depicts the alt-rock icon performing the song at the confines of his home: devoid of flashy production designs and envelope-pushing concepts, but framed with an underlying message of resilience and hope.

Positive Reception

Two weeks earlier, “This Too Shall Pass” was released on all digital and streaming platforms worldwide under Sony Music.

The massive anthem has received critical acclaim from various publications in the country. MYX Philippines praised his work for giving listeners “a sense of reassurance, something we all need given the current situation.” Bandwagon Asia called the song an “ode to the light of the human spirit in dark times,” while GMA News described it as “a perfect source of inspiration.”

An Initiative for COVID-19 Response and Relief

Rico Blanco

To help fund the collective COVID-19 response in the Philippines, Rico Blanco is waiving his artist royalties for the music video of “This Too Shall Pass,” and Sony Music Philippines will be donating 100% of the global proceeds to www.puhon.ph for the first 6 months of release.

Puhon means “hopefully” in Visayan. The site contains inspiring stories and messages of encouragement to people at the frontline of fighting the pandemic.

Using the tagline #MakeHopeViral, to date, the site has raised P4.6M for personal protective equipment (PPEs) & nutrition support for frontline healthcare workers, COVID-19 testing kits, and relief goods for daily wage workers. Other SME Philippines artists with messages of support & encouragement on the site are SB19, Zelijah, Dionela, Nathan & Mercury, Alex Bruce, Ace Banzuelo&sydhartha.

 

 

 

 

 

News

Rice Farmer from Bicol commended by Department of Agriculture for record harvest

Genaro Tamon from Magarao, Camarines Sur

Good news from our rice farming sector despite the ongoing national quarantine due to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to them, “Yes, we can!” The overwhelming harvest affirms the country’s capability to meet national rice sustainability goals. Just like the farmer from Bicol has recently proven that the country could still possibly meet its food sustainability target.

Last May 12, 2020, Genaro Tamon from Magarao, Camarines Sur harvested 15.73 metric tons of rice (286 sacks with about 55 kilos each) from his one-hectare farm. That is more than thrice higher than the national yield per hectare average of 4.07 metric tons (based on latest quarterly data from the Philippine Statistics Authority in January 2020). This is also probably the first time for a single farmer from the Bicol Region to produce such a high yield per hectare, more than three times higher than national average.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Field Office in Region 5 immediately commended Tamon for his record harvest and encouraged other farmers to follow his example. It emphasized the role of proper farm management, good agricultural practices, favorable climatic conditions, and use of high-quality seeds for producing a bountiful harvest.

Tamon is thankful that he chose the right variety of rice, which he cited for his overwhelming harvest. “Wow talaga ang US88 variety! (The US88 variety is amazing!),” he exclaimed. “Isa itong patunay na maganda ang ani basta alagaan at bigyan ng sapat na kailangan ang palay (This is a proof that proper techniques and nourishment of rice plants can lead to a bountiful harvest).”

Agricultural potential

US88 is one of the flagship hybrid rice varieties of agricultural research firm SeedWorks Philippines. It is an ideal rice variety for the country’s prevailing climate and is proven tolerant of the typical crop diseases that affect rice plants. Moreover, US88 is well-noted for its long-grain rice with a premium, soft-eating quality.

“This great achievement of Mr. Tamon affirms our confidence that the Filipino farmer can competitively produce rice if we provide them the support they need,” said SeedWorks PH President Carlos Saplala. “This is a testament to the potential of agriculture in the country. We have realized during this global crisis that it is still our fellow Filipino farmers whom we can rely on for supplying our daily food requirement.”

The country’s capability to sufficiently supply its rice requirement is again being underlined these days.In March, Vietnam, the third largest rice importer in the world, implemented a rice export ban to ensure their own local supply, affecting inventory in the Philippines. Although Vietnam reopened its exports this month, global rough rice traded may still remain below the usual level due to the drought experienced in Thailand.

Continuous support

As an added reward, SeedWorks PH has announced an incentive to Tamon in hopes that this achievement would also motivate other farmers across the country to adopt effective farming techniques. “We will give P200,000 to Mr. Tamon as recognition for his great achievement. To Mr. Tamon and the rest of the Filipino farmers, our heartfelt gratitude for producing food for our families,” Saplala said.

Tamon is among the many farmer-partners for a SeedWorks PH program that guides and assists local farmers. He was also a recipient of the DA Region 5’s Rice Achievers’ Award for three years and was once recognized in DA’s Regional Gawad Saka.

SeedWorks PH has always been supportive of the DA’s life-long goal of meeting national food sufficiency. In April, the company also donated high-quality sweet corn seeds worth P750,000 to the agency’s ‘Plant, Plant, Plant’ program as part of the government’s long-term Covid-19 response efforts.