Sunlife is now in its 124 years of serving the Filipino people, helping us achieve real financial security. And when I attended the Sunlife “Kaakbay” event last week, we were asked who our best lifetime partner and how did they change our lives, I quickly recounted the happenings in my life and it led me to this answer:

…most definitely my mom and dad!

I grew up in a political family in Ilocos Norte with my dad, Badoc ex-mayor Angel Bautista, Sr.,  but unlike the scenes we see on TV where politician parents tend to lose time for their kids, my dad was different. In fact, I grew up to be a daddy’s girl.

But more than the pampering and spoiling I got from him, there are 2 special lessons he taught me before he joined our creator and this made me respect him even more.

One is to be kind to our kapwa Pinoy who are in need. Although I did not follow his footsteps and become a lawyer and politician too, I am inspiring others to do well in life through other means and that is by sharing powerful messages through the newspaper company I worked for in the past decades.

Second is to save for the future. My mom Lolita was the more futuristic one, though. She was basically the driving force for all of us to get investments and one of these is insurance policies. And I admire my mom for insuring all of her kids.

This led me to getting mutual funds from Sunlife in 2016.

So when I was sitting with the audiences during the event, I really felt that I belong.

It was also amazing to hear the stories of prominent personalities, who by the way are ambassadors of Sunlife too, like Charo Santos-Concio, Father and son duo Piolo and Iñigo Pascual, Enchong Dee and MatteoGuidicelli. Among them, I felt for Enchong whose lifetime partner is his swimming coach Caloy and Matteo whose inspiration in life is his grandfather. Both confessed to feeling emotional upon seeing their videos with Matteo saying “this is as real as it gets.”

Indeed, Sunlife has been the partner of many Pinoys in their life tribulations and darkest moments. Health problems and deaths, Sunlife never left its members lying down on the ground. Instead, it served as the rock that Pinoys can lean on. It served as a trampoline that helped its policy holders jump back up.

President of Sun Life Asset Management Company, Inc. (SLAMCI) Valerie Pama said about being true to their promises to their clients:

“For others, it’s not so easy to promise a lifetime. There’s so many factors to consider. We feel the same way. 10, 20 years from now, are you ready to fulfill all the promises you made in the beginning of a relationship? We stick around even in times of struggles. Are you ready to adapt when times change? To all these questions, Sunlinfe’s answer has always been Yes.“

Meanwhile, President and Chief Agency Distribution Officer of Sun Life Canada (Philippines)ALEXANDER S. NARCISO delivered a touching message, saying:

“All the stories carry the same message…that life is simply better when we have someone who believes in us, supports us, inspires us and makes our lives brighter. These stories exemplify what kind of partner Sunlife aims to be for every Filipino in its pursuit of lifetime security and a healthier life. Nais naming maging kaakbay nila sa buhay habangbuhay.”

Finally, Chief Managing Manager Philippines Mylene Lopa recalled the beginnings of Sunlife in the Philippines and shared their vision:

“124 years ago nung tumaya ang Sunlife sa Pillipinas. Since then we’ve been partnering with their clients in the pursuit of brighter future. We survived 2 World Wars and countless economic crises. And through it all, we have remained committed to the Filipinos. Ngayon tataya kaming muli. Gusto naming mangarap ng mas malakiang mga Pilipino at handa kaming tulungan sila na tuparin ang mga pangarap nila.”

Kids, students, adults, working Pinoys, freelancers, single parents, parents…Sunlife has products fit for every Juan.

The problem is Pinoys still keep on avoiding insurance despite concerns over future.

But Sunlife is not backing out and says it will continue to expand to provide assistance to more Filipinos, and if possible, all Filipinos.

Despite these discouraging figures, President Alex Narciso said the company will expand this year its consumer base and tap more financial consumers to invest in insurance products. He said:

“We have quite a number of market research because we really want to find out what is really top of mind for our potential clients so we are able to address them.”

Among their strategies, Narciso said, is to continue expanding the number of their financial advisors, as well as their productivity. He also said Sun Life is launching digital tools for their advisers for easier access to their materials. The company is also keen on offering this year more products that will “respond to and address the needs of Filipinos.”

Among their latest projects was their team-up with the social navigation application Waze in their “Brighter Drive, Brighter Life” initiative to promote road-safety awareness among motorists. The initiative is expected to alert Waze users to accident-prone areas and remind them to secure a digital life insurance via Lazada, an online market place.

The company also announced the renewal of its tie-up with Fitness First, a fitness brand in Asia, to give additional club benefits and preferential rates for Sun Life clients, advisors and employees.

The champions of the 19U category, Annie’s Way AMA 1, with the Paras brothers and Mr. Clement Chen

AMA University swept the 2019 Taiwan Excellence 3-on-3 Hoop Challenge by grabbing 2 championship titles for the Seniors and Juniors Divisions last Sunday at the SM Megamall. The final matches saw an all-AMA battle where schoolmates battled against their own schoolmates for the first place.

The Seniors Division saw Annie’s Way-AMA defeating Feca-AMA at a score of 18-14. They winners took home trophies and gift items from the sponsors of the events which are all Taiwan tech companies.

Feca was enjoying a 14-13 lead with a minute left when Annie’s Way guard JayRdela Rosa made four points to take the lead. And by the eight-second mark, with a score of 17-14, Christian Germino punctuated the victory with a buzzer-beater.

It was a remarkable game. It was a thrilling moment to see a team from behind finally rising to nab the title. And what’s more fascinating is that Annie’s Way played with only three players – dela Rosa, Germino and Alec Catorce – since their fourth man Joshua Sabile got injured in a previous game.

Coach Mark Herrera who was reduced to a spectator since 3X3 rules prohibit coaching during games said in an interview about the win:

“Before the finals, I told all the players not to hold back just because they are playing against their teammates and show the audience what AMA basketball is all about and they responded very well.

The boys took this tournament seriously – they did extra work before and after our regular practices.”

Meanwhile at the Juniors division, Annie’s Way once again beat Feca-AMA at 13-12.  Earl Bryan Ceniza was the hero of the game, making a basket at only 38 seconds left at the clock. His teammates were Zheanriz Romero, Joshua Villamor and Josh Reymond Colina.

The competition was expanded into two age-based divisions namely the 16 – 18-year-old bracket and 19-year-old and up bracket. This year’s tournament boasted a whopping total of 192 teams amounting to 768 players altogether. The elimination rounds commenced last month and too only 8 players per division to battle for the championship title at the SM Megamall Event Center last June 29 – 30.

This year’s tournament also featured ‘Band of Brothers’ Kobe Paras of UP Fighting Maroons and Andre Paras of Imus Bandera as the new tournament ambassadors.

Also at the event was the director of the Strategic Marketing Department of Taiwan External Trade Development Council Chun Tse Wu. He said in a speech:

“We want this to be an avenue to inspire young Filipinos to always strive to reach their very best, in the same way Taiwan Excellence pushes its brands to always innovate and upgrade.”

Taiwan Excellence, an award-giving body that recognizes only the best Taiwanese brands and products, mounted the tournament anew to find the newest batch of Filipino talents.

To catch more of Taiwan Excellence,they have several events lined up that will surely excite more Filipinos.  For e-gamers, the Taiwan Excellence E-sports Cup will be held in Manila on October 4-6. They will also join the Internet-of-Things Business Platform at Marriott Manila taking place July 24-25, as well as the Taiwan Expo in Davao happening this November 8-9.

June is the celebration of LGBT Pride Month and it is the perfect time to launch the first Filipino pop literature imprint focused on championing LGBTQ+ narratives. Pride Lit stands proud as a great source of entertainment and inspiration to readers of all kinds.

We’ve seen how majority of the LGBTQ community are very talented and creative. You can see them mostly in entertainment world like the renowned and darling to everyone, Vice Ganda. So with Pride Lit putting these talents on center stage, we can expect some exciting offerings that are nothing else but amazing.

Along with its goal to spark awareness on appreciation and acceptance, the brand is continuously creating a safe space for underrepresented voices to flourish and share their stories. Whether it’s about finding love in many forms and shapes or discovering one’s sexual awakening with fleeting moments of kilig, Pride Lit publishes them all.

Photo shows (L-F) Leonna, Nina Satomi, Alex Rosas, Lush Ericson, John Jack G. Wigley, and Segundo Matias Jr.

At a press launch of the project last week, Pride Lit they introduced their writers that are members of the LGBTQ community. Some of the authors who graced the event were Nina Satomi, Albert Lang, Alex Rosas, John Jack G. Wigley, Leona and Lush Ericson.

Everyone read portion of their own written books and I was amazed with the story that Leona wrote. Being a gay, he delved into another world, taking about the life of a Lesbian instead. And this is how you’d see how the LGBTQ stands as one for each of its members. They have an understanding of what the others in their community feel and this is such a solid example of its theme of acceptance and appreciation.

The Pride Lit wants to show that all genders are equal. Each of the authors also told us their inspiration in writing their books.

Pride Lit is also celebrating its third year stint in the publishing industry.So this year, it is releasing five unique titles from its roster of seasoned and respected writers and contributors. From Alex Rosas’ gender-swap romance “Gay’s Anatomy” to Soju’s campy fantasy “AngAsul Na Buntot Ni Aquano,” the new releases represent diverse genres that speak of uniquely queer experiences and imaginative premises.

Other upcoming titles that will be released this month include John Jack G. Wigley’s ensemble drama“KadenangBahaghari,” Lush Ericson’s instant pleaser “Agustin and Ariston’s Version of the Universe,” and Angelica Sorreda’s romantic offering “Over Time.”

Pride Lit Brand Manager AikoClarizzaBuduan-Salazar points out:

“Each book actually talks about different emotions, experiences and were written differently.

The upcoming new titles will open readers’ minds on the fresh possibilities of storytelling.”

True to its vision, Pride Lit steps up its game by ensuring LGBTQ+ characters and its allies could be prominent figures in pop culture narratives, and serve as inspiration to the LGBTQ+ community whose vibrant lives are worth telling, and are now everyone’s stories.

Salazar continued:

“We plan to release more books and become a staple in the community.

Aside from providing feel good stories and erotic stories too, we plan to become more reachable to our target market and community.”

Honestly, I’m not a bookworm but for the titles sparked curiosity in me so I will give these novels a try and who knows, it might be the start of my romance with books.

Let’s all support the LGBTQ talents in our country and buy one or two of these newly released books.