LITE FERRIES LAUNCHES A PIONEERING GATEWAY TO LUZON

IN NORTHERN CEBU

BOGO CITY, Cebu - On its 30^th year, Lite Shipping Corporation, operating under the brand name “Lite Ferries” is establishing another milestone as it expands its connectivity to Luzon, particularly in Bicol from Cebu Island.

Labeled as “the most exciting pioneering gateway to the Province of Cebu” in recent years, Lite Ferries is at the forefront in connecting Bogo City, Cebu and Matnog, Sorsogon in Luzon. This new alternative route will provide a quicker connectivity from Luzon to Visayas and  Mindanao islands and vice versa.

The official launching and inauguration of the route will be on July 31, 2021, Saturday at Polambato Port in Bogo City. It is to note that Maya Port in Daanbantayan will be an alternate port for the route depending on weather conditions due to changing monsoon seasons. The BOGO/MAYA to MATNOG route was established after the successful entry of Lite ferries in servicing the MATNOG, SORSOGON to ALLEN, SAMAR route upon the request of MARINA/ DOTR.

The launching will be attended by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, Province of Cebu, as the Guest of Honor and her official entourage. In attendance also will be Mayor Carlo Jose Martinez of Bogo City, Mayor Sun Shimura of Daanbantayan and their respective LGU officials. Representatives from the Philippine Coast Guard and Marina will also be in attendance, together with the management and staff of Lite Shipping Corporation, headed by its President/CEO Lucio E. Lim, Jr.

The opening of the Bogo/Maya to Matnog route will be a big economic boost for both Cebu and Sorsogon Provinces, in terms of trade, commerce and tourism.

With a travel time of only 9 hours, you can now travel direct, avoiding the hassle of the island hopping trips and no more waiting time. The new route offers the following advantages: lesser road usage, fuel saving; lesser vehicle wear and tear maintenance and most importantly, safety for drivers and passengers.

 LITE FERRIES is a “hall of famer” for having been awarded as  “the cleanest ship of the year”  by the MARINA and the Bureau of Quarantine for many years. It has an economy, standard and tourist class accommodations with above MARINA standards on passage ways and bed bunks accommodation. All Lite Ferries vessels are fully compliant on COVID 19 safety protocols and guidelines.

With its fleet of 25 RORO passenger ships, Lite Ferries connects the Cebu island to the following provinces: Samar, Leyte, Bohol, Siquijor and Negros Island in the Visayas and in Northern Mindanao (Nasipit, Agusan del Norte, Cagayan de Oro City, Plaridel, Misamis Occidental, Dapitan /  Dipolog City). With the Bogo to Matnog route, Lite Ferries is now linking Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The MATNOG to BOGO/MAYA trip departs at 11:45 PM every Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; It departs from BOGO/MAYA to MATNOG at 11:45 PM every Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays  The MATNOG to ALLEN and vice versa route have three(3) round trips daily with on-time departures. Matnog to  Allen departs every 4AM / 10AM / 4PM while Allen to Matnog departs every 7AM / 1PM / 7PM.

mWell, PH’s First Fully Integrated Health & Wellness App launches today

Makati, Philippines, July 15, 2021 -  Today is a milestone as Metro Pacific Health Tech Corporation (MPHTC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (PSE: MPI), transforms the digital health care ecosystem with mWell, an all-in-one app meticulously created for the Filipino’s holistic well-being, providing professional consultations, wellness programs, products and delivery services.

MPIC Chairman, Manny V. Pangilinan is truly confident and excited with MPIC group’s newest foray in digital health care, “Filipinos will now have better access to healthcare with mWell making available online healthcare solutions through a wide and sustainable network of medical experts and services.  With just a few taps, users can do a virtual check up with doctors, select health and wellness programs, buy medicines, and do a lot more as we strengthen the mWell integrated digital health care ecosystem.”  

mWell is a high-performance mobile app backed by a powerhouse of top names in the healthcare, wellness and tech industries.  CareSpan's Clinic in the Cloud™ integrates digital care tools and data for mWell doctors and patients.  LotusFlare’s multi-awarded cloud-native, IT digital enablement platform ensures a seamless, end-to-end customer experience.  Ping An's healthcare technologies enables mWell to address Covid-19 concerns, diagnosis, care, and treatments.    

Complementing the technology partnerships, mWell teams up with award-winning fitness experts like Active8me, for personalized daily fitness, nutrition and wellness programs; and theAsianparent, for smart parenting solutions from pregnancy to family health management. Powered by PayMaya for fast, secure, and hassle-free transactions, over three thousand health and wellness product SKU’s are available for mWell app users at the online health shop by Adobomall.

Joey Lim, MPIC’s President and CEO also expresses confidence that this fully-integrated healthcare management is a game changer, “mWell empowers Filipinos to be in full control of their well-being even from the comfort of their own home through innovative healthcare solutions. We invite health practitioners, consumers, and businesses to be part of the mWell ecosystem.”

The mWell launch today signals the opening of this new digital health ecosystem.  Currently in partnership with CareSpan, Philcare and Keralty Clinic, a whole gamut of doctors and health practitioners have joined the mWell roster comprising of general practitioners and specialty doctors to enable much needed access to health professionals during this pandemic.  Doctors are able to easily manage digital appointments, keep patients’ confidential medical records and issue e-prescriptions. And with the partnership of Medicard, users can book COVID-19 testing services.

Doctors, clinics, and hospitals all over the country are welcome to be part of mWell. Doctors can set up their own mWell virtual clinic for free. There are no set-up or membership fees. Doctors will be given a quick and easy training to be able to access the mWell suite of services and can immediately digitize their practice, reaching more patients nationwide. Clinics and hospitals can set up virtual labs and accept booking via the mWell app. 

“At the heart of mWell lies our passion to bringing healthcare closer to every Filipino,” states Chaye Revilla, Chief Finance & Sustainability Officer of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. “mWell embodies the group’s efforts to put health at the core of its advocacies towards nation building and growth hinged on sustainability. “ Revilla added. 

Starting August, mWell will provide a more enriching journey as users can access the e-Pharmacy service that will allow them to buy South Star Drug OTC and Prescription medicines and have these delivered to their homes, or buy PhilCare health insurance products for dengue, accidents, and emergencies. Also in August, mWell will launch a nationwide medical mission, an unprecedented first telehealth virtual event in the Philippines highlighting partnerships and collaborations with clinics and doctors nationwide. 

For its initial offering, PLDT Home customers may avail of a free consultation with mWell doctors. There are more services waiting to be launched with each new feature adding concrete benefits to the health of every Filipino. Get started on your health today. You can download the mWell app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. For more information, visit https://www.mWell.com.ph. 

mWell, is the health technology platform developed by Metro Pacific Health Tech Corporation that offers telemedicine, e-Pharmacy, health and wellness programs, e-commerce, among others, in an integrated, tech-based healthcare digital ecosystem. Metro Pacific Health Tech Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, the leading infrastructure investment company in the Philippines with investments in various infrastructure assets including healthcare.

 Childlink Learning Center and Highschool to focus on achievements as it starts to  commemorate its 25^th anniversary in 2022

As Childlink Learning Center and Highschool is set to commemorate its 25^th anniversary next year, the school looks back on its achievements over the years.

The school has been able to make a mark not only on their students but also to their families and the community.

“We were able to serve families as well as communities. We also contributed to arts. We had 21 (art) presentations so far, not only to perform but to tell the community about the services and advocacies we also have as a school,” explains Childlink founder and school directress Maria Theresa Tio.

Ms. Tio also noted that the school has been able to give excellent education to students who schooled in Childlink for the past 24 years.

Aside from providing excellent education, the school has consciously focused on values formation for their students.

 “When we started the school, we really focused on values although we were not yet identified as School of Character,” recalls Childlink founder and school directress Maria Theresa Tio. “The academic formation comes secondary to the values formation of the students as values formation is the priority.”

Ms. Tio explained that developing the learner’s sense of responsibility and discipline promotes good study habits, making them good students.

VALUES FORMATION

“This is proven during the pandemic. We realized that because of the many values imparted to students before the pandemic, they became successful in online learning. Also, our alumni have shared  with us that the values they learned in Childlink  helped them cope with the growing responsibilities and challenges that they face in their mature years,” the Childlink founder pointed out.

“They learn to be caring individuals because every year our students are exposed to various school service and community service activities such reading with a child, serving food to children recipients, lecturing in front of children which allows the Linkers to broaden their understanding of their community and allow them to apply their knowledge outside the confines of the school,” she pointed out.

Before the pandemic, Childlink students have been involved in the school’s advocacies. These include gender equality, environmental preservation, anti-bullying, anti-cyberbullying, and anti-teenage pregnancy.

When Linkers leave the school to pursue higher education, they will be bringing with them the concept of family in a broader sense. For them, they get the support of a bigger family, which comprise of the school and the community.

“Students share that with their years of being a Linker, they are confident that there will be people who will support them, cheer for them and root for them in their undertakings. That is why when the students leave Childlink for college, they look back and treasure the friendship they have had with their schoolmates and other significant persons they have met in school” Ms. Tio said.

The friendship among Childlink students are developed as they get involved in the many advocacies of the school, when they learn the importance of helping those in need.

CHILDLINK ADVOCACIES

Even with the pandemic, Childlink continues to implement its advocacies.

For example, the school encourages the students to donate toys and other stuff for the less fortunate children.

The school also comes up with videos on their various advocacies made with inputs from the students and then urges their students to share these videos with their family and friends to promote awareness.

Among Childlink’s advocacies, the school sustained the Reading Advocacy through the years.

For many years, they tied up with the Cebu City Public Library to conduct reading sessions for children.

“We were working with public library to make our reading module for the reading project because the target beneficiaries do not have the same level of competency as our students. The goal is to let children beneficiaries read even three letter words,” Ms. Tio explained.

Another reading advocacy project was with a French non-government organization called Enfants du Mekong that are working with children living near the Inayawan dumpsite.

“We first taught the day care teachers the technique on how to teach reading to students. We gave them the module to assist them in the implementation. The project had some degree of success as children had learned how to read,” she said.

IMPORTANCE OF READING

Ms. Tio stressed the importance of promoting reading among children especially in the preschool aged children (4-5 years old).

She believes that if children in preschool age are exposed to reading early, they will improve in the area of communication, comprehension and self-expression. By learning English at an early age, children will have a good foundation on communication skills.

And as the school will soon start a year-long commemoration for its 25^th anniversary, Childlink’s founder expressed hope that the community will also recognize their achievements and put their trust in the school.

“It is not easy to prove yourself against the schools that have been there before us. We have been able to establish our brand as a School of Character and excellence in education. Because when you are a school of character, everything else will follow,” Ms. Tio said.

She added that the child will be molded to become a better person with the values taught at home strengthened by the school.

“The school  (Childlink) makes an effort to become the partner of the parents in molding their children through our modules for character development taught in every grade level,” Ms. Tio said.

YEARLONG ACTIVITIES

To celebrate its 25^th anniversary, Childlink has lined up several activities.

These include the Virtual Get-together of the First Linkers way back in 1997; Highlight achievements of Linkers through writeups and testimonies; partnership with an organization in the community for webinars and live sessions; and Virtual Awarding Ceremony for Childlink Partners and Service Award for Employees for  25 years.

The virtual awarding is tentatively scheduled in May 2022.

Meanwhile, parents are urged to enrol their children as soon as possible since classes for school year 2021-2022 will start on July 19.

To know more about Childlink, School of Character, please call the office of Guidance Services and look for Teacher Auda at 4152963 or 09176236767. Office hours is from 8AM until 4PM from Monday to Fiday and on Saturdays from 8AM until 12 noon.