Light and shade: Covergirl TRUBlend Collection lets your true colors shine through. The product: Covergirl TRUBlend Collection What’s new: Covergirl TRUBlend Collection now comes in a sleek, modern new look — and in new blendable textures. Even out your skintone with TRUBlend Liquid Makeup, which comes out in 21 shades and blends flawlessly with skin instead of sitting on top, thanks to its water-based formula. TRUBlend FixStick Concealer hides imperfections with six expertly designed shades to blend with TRUBlend Foundation. TRUBlend Pressed comes in a silky, smooth formula that adapts to skin tone for a natural, no-makeup look. It also comes in six shades. The TRUMagic Skin Perfector is a revolutionary skin-perfecting balm that can be used over makeup alone as a mattifier, under makeup as a primer or as a skin refreshener throughout the day. Where to get it: Covergirl is exclusively distributed by Rustan Marketing Corporation and is available in department stores. Lifestyle Feature ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: * * * How to wake up with younger-looking skin The product: L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Laser X3 Night Cream Mask What makes it unique: Backed up by the highly-acclaimed Revitalift Laser X3 technology, which has sold millions of jars and has won as many women over with its roster of beauty innovations, L’Oréal Paris Dermo-Expertise introduces to Filipinas an innovative night cream-mask designed to enhance the skin’s capacity to repair and nourish itself at night. The cream mask is infused with 3% highly concentrated Pro-Xylane, a Read More …
Two weeks ago, I wrote a column about traffic here and in other parts of the world that I had the good fortune (misfortune?) to experience. I wrote that other cities—even those with smaller populations and much less corruption (perceived or otherwise) from government or from its traffic enforcers—had as much or even worse traffic levels as we do. Some, like LA, didn’t have a subway or a mass transport system like our MRT; but they had better and more disciplined drivers and much better law enforcement. Paris had few buses but had a highly efficient underground metro system. Still, those two megacities experienced gridlocked traffic just as heavily and regularly as we Manilans do. But I delve into this topic once again because I have just come from India. It was my first trip to India, and for those who have been there (particularly in New Delhi or Mumbai, the latter of which I have just returned from), you probably know what I will be talking about. Those Indians know traffic. A 20-minute 5-kilometer drive can turn into an hour-long snooze fest if you hit the road at the wrong time. But more than just seething collectively in stationary agony, they put the pedal to the metal practically every chance they get—once the lights turn green. Then it’s cutting from one lane to another (oftentimes without warning), tailgating so closely that one car seems like it’s towing another at high speed, and overtaking like there’s no tomorrow. And lots Read More …
Clarins yesterday, today and tomorrow: Virginie Courtin-Clarins, Serge Rosinoer, Jacques Courtin-Clarins’ right-hand man; Christian Courtin-Clarins, Prisca Courtin-Clarins, Claire Courtin-Clarins, Olivier Courtin-Clarins, Jenna Courtin-Clarins SHANGHAI — Clarins turned 60 with a big bang brand celebration last September. The brand is named after a childhood character the founder, Jacques Courtin-Clarins, played in a school stage production. He invented himself by inventing Clarins. On Clarins’s signature colors — red, white and gold — recognized worldwide, Jacques said: “From my office on rue Tronchet, I could see a ‘No Entry’ sign. Red catches the eye. If I wanted to get noticed, red was my color. Okay, let’s go with red. Then there’s white, simply because everyone associates it with the medical world, with rigor, purity and efficacy…and a touch of gold for luxury.” Sixty years on, Clarins continues to be ever-present and relevant. Whatever Clarins does, it does with a pioneering spirit, armed with its curiosity, its approach to science and its respect for others. That is why Clarins is unique. CLARINS LOVES WOMEN “Women were my inspiration. I created Clarins out of love and respect for women’s beauty,” founder Jacques Courtin-Clarins declared. Lifestyle Feature ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: He would devote his life to them. Now, his two sons, Christian and Olivier, have taken over the realm with the same passion and devotion. “My passion for women’s beauty has marked my life. This passion shared with a whole team is the secret to Clarins’ success,” he said. Last Sept. 18, Read More …
THE setting up of the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-Eaga) Submarine Terrestrial (Best) Cable System is expected to boost Mindanao’s position as an information communication technology (ICT) hub. “This (Best Cable System) will (provide support) to the only connection we are currently tapping, which is from Taiwan to Luzon to Mindanao,” Romeo Montenegro, Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) director of investment promotions and public affairs, said during Monday’s edition of Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao. The Best Cable System, initiated by the Best Cable Consortium, is a high bandwidth cable system of over 5,092 kilometers that will link the sub-region (Brunei Darussalam, Sabah, Southern Philippines, and Kalimantan, Indonesia) with extension to Guam and will connect with United States and the rest of the Asean. The cable system has an initial equipped capacity of 2.4 terabytes per second. Montenegro said the target completion of the Best Cable System will be in 2018. He said with the current single connection, the Philippines is having a speed of 3.5 megabytes per second, which is among the slowest in Asia.Montenegro said if we are looking at the future in using the internet as a platform for businesses, “with the kind of internet situation the country is in now, our neighbors will outperform us.” He said laying down of the Best Cable System will increase the internet speed in the country and will ready the Philippines for the growing industry of e-commerce, e-trading, and electronic transactions. He said they will Read More …
No sunshine? No problem! With the heavy rains, Pinoys can get their healthy dose of the sunshine vitamin with Forti-D, which contains 800 IU of vitamin D3. MANILA, Philippines – With more typhoons expected to hit the country, Filipinos will have less sun exposure, which is not always a good thing, contrary to what most people think. The lack of sun exposure inhibits the body’s production of vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, which is vital to one’s overall health and well-being. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to a number of serious health conditions common among Pinoys such as bone degradation, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of cancer. Health experts even declared vitamin D deficiency as a silent epidemic that is now affecting three out of every five Filipinos. What makes vitamin D unique is the fact that it is the only vitamin the body is capable of generating. However, the body cannot produce it without regular exposure to sunlight. Unlike vitamin C, which Filipinos can easily get from a variety of fruits and vegetables, vitamin D can be found only in small amounts in very few foods such as salmon, tuna, cod liver, and egg yolks. With the pervasiveness of heavy rains that keeps Filipinos from getting enough sunlight, they can turn to Forti-D to help meet their body’s daily sunshine vitamin requirements. A single dose of Forti-D contains 800 IU of colecalciferol or vitamin D3, which is responsible for absorbing calcium and phosphate as Read More …
Several birds, including exotic ones, in an aviary inside the sprawling estate in Batangas allegedly owned by Vice President Jejomar Binay are registered under the name of her daughter, Makati Rep. Abigail Binay. This was according to a report on “24 Oras” on Monday, citing the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Calabarzon, which said the aviary is the biggest in the region. The report said according to the DENR, the 57 birds were part of Rep. Binay’s private collection. The aviary is just an addition to the London-inspired maze garden, man-made lagoon, and mansion inside Sunchamp Agri-Tourism Park, which is allegedly part of the Binay family’s hidden wealth.Ownership of the 350-hectare estate has been claimed by businessman Antonio Tiu, an alleged Binay dummy. Among the 17 species in the aviary are Indian peafowl, mallard, Alexandrine parakeet, and silver pheasant, the report said. It added Rep. Binay also has vulnerable species, or those nearing extinction, in the aviary such as the Victoria crowned pegion and Luzon bleeding-heart. Rare species Elmer Bascos, officer-in-charge of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office in Batangas, said that the birds are priced from P1,500 to P10,000 each. He also noted that having an aviary of exotic birds is normal in farms and eco-tourism parks. According to the certificate of wildlife registration released in December 2004 and signed by Rep. Binay, the address of the aviary is in Barangay Maligaya in Rosario, Batangas, where Sunchamp is located. However, if the Binay family Read More …
MANILA, Philippines — What Twitter war? The spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday downplayed his “Twitter war” with some netizens over his supposedly insensitive remarks about Marc Sueselbeck, the German fiance of slain transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude. “Sumasagot lang tao hindi mangibabaw ang opinyon na sa palagay amin ay hindi naman tama. Kagaya nang pauwiin na lang si Sueselbeck. Naniniwala kami sa rule of law, batas dapat ipairal sa lahat….Kung nanawagan na parusahan si Pemberton na naniniwala na may kasalanan siya, manawagan din tayo na parusahan si Sueselbeck kasi may kasalanan din siya at kita sa videos at may ginawa ring kabalastugan,” AFP Public Affairs Office chief Lieutenant Harold Cabunoc told reporters on Monday. (I was just answering to prevent the prevalence of public opinion which we think is not correct. Just like what happened when Sueselbeck was about to go home. We believe in the rule of law which should be implemented to everyone. If there are people calling for the punishment of Pemberton because they believe he is guilty, then we should also call for the punishment of Sueselbeck because he was also at fault, and it was captured on the videos that he did something wrong.) On Sunday night, Cabunoc’s Twitter posts sparked angry comments from some netizens. Last week Sueselbeck tried to enter the detention center of Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton, the suspected killer of Laude, at Camp Aguinaldo. The German climbed the fence and shoved a soldier manning Read More …
Militant transport groups in parts of Metro Manila and Cebu started early Monday their protest actions against a joint admimistrative order imposing heavier penalties on colorums and other traffic violations. In Quezon City, members of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) held their protests at Aurora Boulevard in Cubao, radio dzBB’s Glen Juego reported. The PISTON members urged other drivers to take part in their protest caravan scheduled later in the morning. Photos tweeted by Juego showed PISTON members carrying placards and using a public address system mounted on their vehicle to protest the Joint Administrative Order of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and Land Transportation Office. The JAO, which went into effect last June, had imposed heavier penalties on colorums and other traffic violations. PISTON members also held similar activities early Monday along the Alabang-Zapote Road in southern Metro Manila, dzBB’s Roland Bola reported. Meanwhile, in Cebu, state-run Philippine Information Agency reported PISTON members joining the nationwide protest gathered in the Ibabao-Estancia area. —Joel Locsin/KG, GMA News
Contract Signing. From left to right: Koichi Saito, Director, IMJ Investment Partners (JAPAN); Farouk Meralli, CEO & Founder, mClinica; Dave McClure, Founding Partner, 500 Startups; and Minette Navarrete, President, Kickstart Ventures. Behind them are (L-R) Christian Besler, Vice-President, Kickstart; Kaspar Zhou, Principal, 500 Startups; and Khailee Ng, Managing Partner, 500 Startups. MANILA, Philippines – Mobile health technology company mClinica announced a recently-closed round of funding from Kickstart Ventures, Inc., and foreign venture capitalists 500 Startups from Silicon Valley and IMJ Investment partners from Japan. The amount of investment remains undisclosed, but founder Farouk Meralli said the capital will be used to fuel mClinica’s SEA expansion, starting with Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. The company currently has a growing network of over 1400 pharmacies nationwide on its platform and access to over 20 million customers. One in every two independent pharmacies in the Philippines is now part of mClinica, making it the largest pharmacy network in the country. “We have been waiting for a solution like this. With mClinica, we now have new ways to access the pharmacy channel more and gather data in the process. This was non-existent before,” Lito Ardeta, Philippines Country Manager, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International. mClinica creates a digital infrastructure connecting pharmaceutical companies directly to pharmacies to make healthcare better for the patient. The Philippines was selected as its pilot market in view of the high prices of medicines, a highly-fragmented status of independent pharmacies, and data scarcity. Farouk Meralli, a 28-year old Harvard School of Public Health Read More …

Philippine Daily Inquirer 7:48 am | Friday, October 24th, 2014 Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Gregorio Catapang. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines’ highest military officials gathered at Camp Aguinaldo on Thursday for the third-quarter command conference to assess the country’s security campaigns. Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Catapang presided over the conference that was attended by the commanders of the major services, unified commands, AFP-wide service support units and other major ground units of the Army, Air Force and Navy. The ground commanders briefed Catapang on the internal peace and security plan they called IPSP Bayanihan, which has been fine-tuned to focus military operations on armed threat groups. “IPSP Bayanihan has not only remained on track but has brought significant gains the past year, particularly in addressing the communist insurgency,” said an AFP statement released after the conference. “Through successful internal peace and security operations, more (communist) New People’s Army rebels are now surrendering to the government fold and their influence and mass base support continue to wane,” it said. Only two complaints of human rights violations against soldiers have been brought out since the start of the year, the statement said. Catapang pushed for the enactment of a “peace dividends” law that would allow the AFP to ask the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for land on which its people could plant high-yield crops like coffee, cocoa and bamboo. Cynthia D. Balana Follow Us Other Stories: Amalilio still on Interpol Read More …