One in three young people in 30 countries said they have been a victim of online bullying, with one in five saying they skipped school due to cyber bullying and violence, according to a new poll released today by UNICEF, the United Nations organization working for children’s rights.

In the Philippines, latest national data show that cyber violence affects almost half of children aged 13-17.[1] The prevalence of cyber violence for males (44 per cent) is almost the same for females (43 per cent).

One-third of cyber violence experienced by Filipino children are in the form of verbal abuse over the internet or cellphone, while a fourth are through sexual messages. More females received messages of sexual nature or content than males. However, twice as many males than females reported having their nude body or sexual activities, whether real or falsified, shown on the internet or cellphone.

Violence against children, in all forms including online bullying or cyber bullying, has devastating effects on the physical and emotional well-being of young people. This can create lasting emotional and psychological scars, even physical harm. It is particularly challenging to address since children are vulnerable and have easy access to the internet, making them easy targets of online violence.

In the UNICEF U-Report poll conducted in June 2019, almost three-quarters of young people from 30 countries said that social networks including Facebook, Instagram, Snap chat and Twitter are the most common platforms for online bullying. Being connected online means that school no longer ends once a student leaves class, and neither does bullying.

The U-Report further revealed that 32 per cent believe that the government is mainly responsible in addressing online bullying, 31 per cent said that young people are responsible, while 29 per cent said internet companies. These show that opinions are equally divided on who should be responsible for ending online bullying – highlighting the need to involve children and young people in the shared responsibility.

UNICEF is calling for urgent action to implement policies that will protect children and young people from bullying – both online and offline. Addressing the problem requires action from all of us.

Establishing and equipping national helplines to support children and young people in reporting violence is a concrete step. Training teachers and parents to respond to and prevent bullying will ensure the safety of children and young people, particularly the most vulnerable ones.

Gathering better data about the online behavior of children and young people, and how criminals are using the internet, will guide policies and action plans.

UNICEF is also urging social media and social networking service companies to improve ethical standards and practices in collecting and managing information of children.

[1] National Baseline Survey on Violence Against Children (NBS-VAC), 2016

#SaferKidsPH consortium members at the ceremonial signing: L-R: Atty Albert Muyot, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Philippines; Ambassador Steven Robinson AO, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines; Julia Rees, UNICEF Representative, a.i.; and Sam Chittick, Country Representative of The Asia Foundation

Online child abuse is the leading cybercrime in the Philippines. New technologies, such as live streaming, are putting more Filipino children at risk of sexual abuse.

Australia is committed to advancing the rights of children and protecting them from exploitation, abuse, and violence. That is why the Australian Embassy in the Philippines has initiated the SaferKidsPH Program, a six year, AUD 8 million (PhP 298 million) commitment.

“Addressing online sexual exploitation and abuse of children is a global concern. SaferKidsPH reinforces our commitment to support the Philippine government’s efforts to address this complex form of human trafficking. SaferKidsPH will also work with the private sector and the community to develop the best solutions for a safer online environment for every Filipino child,” says Ambassador Steven Robinson AO, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines.

The program will provide grants to the Australian Federal Police, and the UNICEF-led consortium, which includes The Asia Foundation and Save the Children Philippines.

Julia Rees, UNICEF Representative, a.i., emphasizes the right of every Filipino child to be protected, at the ceremonial signing of #SaferKidsPH, a project that will address online safety of children.

“Filipino children have a massive presence online. One in three Internet users is a child. While the Government has been trying to respond to the demand, breadth, scope, and agility of the technology — not to mention the extreme accessibility of digital platforms — there must be more that we can do together to protect our children,” says Julia Rees, UNICEF Representative, a.i.

The National Baseline Survey on Violence Against Children shows that nearly one in two children aged 13-17 experienced cyber violence. Atty Albert Muyot, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Philippines said the involvement of local government units, and community members, both adults and children, are key to protecting children from online sexual exploitation. “Children especially those in deprived situations are at risk of falling prey to online sexual exploitation. We need to increase public vigilance to prevent and reduce incidents of OSEC by strengthening child protection systems at the local level,” says Muyot.

The Consortium will support the Philippine government’s national plans, including the National Response Plan to Address Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children led by the DSWD Inter-Agency Council Against Child Pornography, and the Philippine Plan of Action to End Violence Against Children led by the Council for the Welfare of Children.

Sam Chittick, Country Representative of The Asia Foundation said this consortium combines the networks and expertise of UNICEF, Save the Children and the Asia Foundation together with the Australian Embassy to ensure that the voice of Filipino children navigating the justice system in the Philippines is heard, and together we can help break down barriers to access to justice.”

Aligned with the government’s goal to end violence against children by 2025, SaferKidsPH will involve children, parents, schools, local groups, businesses, and media to promote online safety. It will strengthen investigation, prosecution and adjudication of cybercrime cases. It will also improve services to protect children in target hotspots.

Singing loveteam Maris Racal and Inigo Pascual, also known as MarNigo, have graced the Christmas charity event of global smartphone brand Vivo at the God’s Grace Home Care Center (GGHCC) in Quezon City.

Aptly named as Vivo Treasured Moments, the event was meant to bring happiness to the elderly living at GGHCC as the smartphone maker’s employees led in donating cash and goods for the benefit of the home care center.

GGHCC is an institution that accept clients who are the elderly, the disabled, and other patients who need palliative care. Owned by Grace Fe T. Capital and Rufino M. Capita, the institution strives to provide the highest quality care for their clients and perform as the substitute of family care.

Aside from helping in distributing gifts, Maris and Inigo also entertained the elderly and performed their hit songs and covers.

Despite his busy schedule, Inigo spent time with the GGHCC elderly and staff.

Inigo performed first and sang his most famous single, “Dahil Sa’yo,” to the enjoyment of the GGHCC residents.

Inigo made sure the elderly had fun during Vivo’s outreach.

Aside from singing, he also played the “Hephep hooray!” game with the elderly, home care center staff, and Vivo employees. Inigo may have lost the game, but he remained energetic throughout the game and encouraged the remaining players.

This lolo almost upstaged Inigo with his singing voice.

For his second performance, he sang “Sana Ngayong Pasko” while interacting with the lolos and the lolas. He even approached some of them and made them sing a few lines.

Maris is a ray of sunshine to the GGHCC elderly.

Maris, meanwhile, rocked the house a bit with her rendition of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”

Like any doting apo, Maris assisted the lolas during the game.

She also played “Siomai, Siopao, Suman” game with the elderly. It was a more challenging version of “Hephep hooray!” Maris was a great sport as she eagerly helped the elderly understand the game and interacted with them every chance she had.

Maris made one of the lolos at GGHCC cry as she performed her original song, “Ikaw Lang Sapat Na.”

The young star also shared her original composition, “Ikaw Lang Sapat Na,” with the elderly and reached out to them during her performance.

The visit to GGHCC is Vivo’s fourth outreach program in the Philippines. The smartphone brand previously aided Cottoleng Filipino, Habitat for Humanity, and the AFP Medical Center (V. Luna General Hospital).

Through their presence and talent, MarNigo was able to make an impact in the lives of both GGHCC staff and residents. Like these rising stars, Vivo aims to impart compassion, kindness, and happiness as part of the company’s responsibility to society. Aside from developing high-grade smartphones, Vivo also has a heart for humanity.

For inquiries about Vivo, visit the Vivo website at vivoglobal.ph or check out their Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/vivophil), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/vivo_philippines/), and Twitter (https://twitter.com/vivo_phil) accounts.

On November 25, the country marks the National Consciousness Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children (Republic Act 10398), and begins an 18-day campaign to raise awareness on the protection of human rights of women and children (Proclamation 1172 s. 2006).

In support of these advocacies, the Rotary Club of Parañaque Lakan-Bini (Rotary International District 3830) and Erasto Films are holding a screening of Boses, an acclaimed film about the friendship of an abused boy and a grieving violinist who find hope in the transformative power of music. The event is on November 24, 2018, Saturday, at 9 am at SM Bicutan.

Boses, starring young violin prodigy Julian Duque and celebrated international concert violinist Coke Bolipata, premiered at the 2008 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival and continues to be screened locally and abroad. Among the highlights of its 10-year journey so far include winning Best Film at the 2008 Gawad Tanglaw and Golden Screen Awards, a theatrical run in 2013 wherein it became one of the most successful indies of that year, and its selection as opening film of the 2017 ASEAN Film Festival held in Geneva, Switzerland to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN.

For Ms. Isabelle Gonzalez, past president/ project proponent and chair of the Rotary Club of Parañaque’s campaign to end violence towards women and children, the film is very meaningful to their cause. “Our club, headed by our president Perlita Catap, purposely chose Boses because it tackles themes that are synonymous to our mission, namely, maternal and child care; and, peace and conflict resolution in families.”

In the film, Onyok, a seven-year old boy who has become mute due to an abusive father, is brought to a children’s shelter where he is given violin lessons by Ariel who is grieving over the loss of a loved one. Ariel and his sister (played by actress Cherry Pie Picache) shields Onyok from his father (played by Ricky Davao) who attempts to remove the boy from the shelter.

Thanks to the support from various concerned groups and individuals, Boses persists as an educational material to champion the rights of women and children. Various government agencies from the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, to the Philippine Commission on Women have endorsed this film. Among its other supporters include Manila Archbishop Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle and psychologists Dr. Margie Holmes and Dr. Honey Carandang.
Producer-director Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil hopes that with the ongoing screenings of Boses as their small contribution, people will realize that violence is a cultural issue that must be addressed. “It is not enough to have laws and know the laws. It is a cultural mindset that is reinforced by media and other institutions as early as childhood. To have VAW (Violence Against Women)-free Philippines, we must address how we raise our children,” she said.

Tickets to the November 24 screening of Boses are now being sold through advanced booking, contact 0918-9363802 and 0915-1765123 (care of Belle), and 0921-8037833 (care of Olive).

In time for National Teacher’s Month, PLDT-Smart Foundation’s education advocacy and flagship program Gabay Guro is celebrating its 11th anniversary by bringing together thousands of teachers from all over the country for the much-awaited Grand Gathering 2018 on September 23, Sunday, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Organized as the biggest tribute for Filipino teachers, the star-studded event features celebrity performances led by Megastar Sharon Cuneta, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Ogie Alcasid, Martin Nievera, Jaya, Gabby Concepcion, Randy Santiago, and Christian Bautista, among others.

 
As a grand treat to teachers, Gabay Guro is also raffling off exciting prizes, including gift certificates, smartphones and gadgets, home appliances, livelihood packages, vehicles, and a brand new house and lot.
“Gabay Guro's annual Grand Gathering is our big 'Thank You' to all our beloved teachers who dedicate their life to the invaluable role of educating our children," said Gabay Guro Chairperson Chaye Cabal-Revilla. "They are our partners in nation-building through education, and we look forward to continuing our mission to support and uplift them as we mark our 11th year.”

The event is exclusive to teachers, and admission is FREE. For a chance to secure tickets, teachers may visit Gabay Guro's official Facebook account at www.facebook.com/gabayguro and follow its official accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @PLDTGabayGuro for updates.

Empowering teachers across the country

Established in 2007, Gabay Guro aims to honor and empower teachers across the country through seven pillars: housing and educational facilities; scholarships; trainings; livelihood programs; broadbanding and computerization; innovations; and the Teachers’ Tribute.
Since its founding, Gabay Guro has built and donated over 40 classrooms nationwide and provided over 1,300 scholarship grants through its 47 partner schools. Of its scholars, 800 have graduated, with 234 finishing with honors. Over 500 graduates have also passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers.
Over the years, more than 40,000 educators have also benefited from Gabay Guro's regular training programs, which include personality development, emotional intelligence, English proficiency, information technology, leadership, and creativity, among others. To promote an innovative mindset and unlock opportunities for teachers, school leaders, staff, Gabay Guro also links schools to communities and industries through workshops and interactive seminars.

Award-winning advocacy program

Over the years, Gabay Guro has teamed up with various organizations, including companies within the PLDT Group, to improve the quality of life of teachers and their families by launching livelihood programs for teachers.

The organization has also partnered with local government units to bring the "Grand Gathering" experience to the provinces through the "Teacherfest" celebration, which was recently held in Bataan, Butuan, and Bulacan, and will soon be staged in Ilocos, Cebu, and Davao.

Gabay Guro’s efforts have been recognized by various award-giving bodies including Gawad Tanglaw, Anvil Awards, Philippine Quill Awards, and the Philippine Association of National Advertisers Awards.

Gabay Guro Grand Gathering 2018 is made possible by the support of Colgate-Palmolive; Devant; Enchanted Kingdom; FINTQ; Foton; Gen Korean BBQ House; HBC; Honda; Kettle Foods Corp.; Landco; Manila Doctors Hospital; Motorlandia; MPTC; MVP Rewards; MyPhone; PECCI; Penshoppe; PLDT Home; Red Planet Hotels; Reyes Haircutters; SGV Foundation; Smart; Standard Insurance; Stanford University Batch 2018; Sun; Sunsilk; Suzuki; Telescoop; TNT; and Yamaha.

For more information, please visit the Gabay Guro’s official website at www.gabayguro.com and follow the organization's official Twitter and Instagram accounts at @PLDTGabayGuro.

With the purpose of providing healthcare to the underserved communities of Batad Iloilo, post-graduate interns of the Department of Health Philippine Centers for Specialized Health Care internship program partnered with Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. (PCPPI) to host a two-day medical mission in the municipality.

The project, "G sa Iloilo: Reach the Unreachable," was run by the 16-member, Team G of the DOH's special internship program. Along with volunteers from the municipal health office and PCPPI employees, they reached hundreds of locals in the small and medically underserved communities of Bulak Norte, Binon-an, and Cabagohan with comprehensive, holistic medical service.

"The internship program has a long history of providing free medical assistance to depressed areas all over the country," said team leader Melissa Caparros.

Free consultation and medication were given to the locals who also enjoyed complimentary Pepsi products like Aquafina and Premier mineral water, Tropicana juice, and Gatorade.

"Medical services are very expensive in these areas. Hospitals and health centers are often too far from these towns that almost fade into obscurity and most times, people suffer alone," said John Bermudo, PCPPI's Head of Human Resources for Visayas and Mindanao. "This initiative is our way of bridging the gap by bringing the medical services closer to them."

Reaching the unreachable

Batad is a far-flung, rural municipality in Iloilo consisting of 24 barangays whose communities thrive off of agriculture, fishery, and manual labor. With the average daily income ranging from 200 to 300 pesos a day for a family of four to five members, locals often delay consultations and decide against seeking medical assistance from the far and expensive hospitals in the city.

"Though each barangay has a health center, services are usually for basic medical cases," said Batad municipal health officer, Dr. Maria dela Rosa. Being the only doctor serving all the barangays in the municipality, Dr. Dela Rosa said it can be difficult for the locals to be able to schedule check-ups or get medicine for their ailments and immediate medical needs.

"They are also too scared to visit the doctors in the city because they feel they won't have enough when the prescriptions for their medicines come," said Roy Alleno, Barangay Chairman of Bulak Norte.

Teodora dela Cruz, Barangay Chairman of Cabagohan agreed, "Medical missions are quite rare here, this is only the fifth one in the six years I am incumbent. The residents truly appreciate it because they don't have to travel far nor pay for the medicine and the services they need."

With the success of the project, Team G expressed their thanks to their partners in helping them reach out to the community.

"We're very thankful for the municipal office of Batad as well as for PCPPI and its volunteer employees," said Caparros. "It was very difficult for us to find big companies who were willing to sponsor this project perhaps because the area is too far. We're grateful that Pepsi Philippines believed in what we wanted to achieve. Partnering with them was beneficial to our goal because of their already strong presence in the community."

PCPPI is optimistic in planning to replicate the initiative across the region. "Recently, our initiatives with the government focused on environmental projects like estero clean-ups in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural resources to prepare for the rainy season, or road side tree-planting with the Department of Public Works and Highways," said Bermudo.

"With today's turnout we will add and continue this program in our own list of initiatives. We are continually planning more outreaches and programs targeted to help better serve the communities who have given us their full support through the years and those that helped build us into the company we are today, like Iloilo."

Thyroid disorder is not new to me because most of my relatives have this condition (goiter or bosyo). In fact, I am very particular with the symptoms of this because I personally took a lab test to know if I have hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.
Last May 27, I attended The International Thyroid Awareness Week 2017 (#ITAW2017) Culminating Activity held at Robinsons Novaliches Trade Hall. There were lots of participants present to know more about thyroid and how it affects our lives.
The #ITAW2017 gave a very informative yet fun activity for the attendees. It begun with the passport which is used for the activities inside the trade hall. It is informative because each passport holder is encouraged to watch the video that provide facts about Thyroid. See the video below and learn for yourself too.
The next of the activity is the testing, this is to know if you have any thyroid disorder. With this, I'm very curious about the result. I  like to know it immediately and to consult about it. Finally at the third station, it was a Doctor's Consultation. According to Dr. Antonio, I should not be worry because I do not have any thyroid disorder even though there are relatives who have. One of the symptoms of having disorder is always feeling cold but Dr. Antonio explained that not all coldness should relate to thyroid disorder. I am so thankful Dr. Antonio enlightened me about it and it relieved me that I don't have to worry.

Passport

And because of that great news that I oblige myself to finish up to the last station where I get a chance for a photo, of which I and together with the other Blogger like Ms. Edel and Ms. Dems smiled at the photo because we're free of thyroid disorder.

But the learning does not just stop on each stations, the program itself invited some doctors to give more information about it.


Dr. Teofilo San Luis, National Coordinator of the Philippines, Iodine Global Network tackled about "The Thyroid Masquerade". He explained some of the symptoms for us to be aware of. He added that thyroid disorders affect different parts of the body such as heart, lungs, stomach, ovaries, throat and skin.

Dr. Wesley Llauderes, President of The Philippines Society of Nuclear Medicine tackled about the myths surrounding thyroid disorders. We, Filipinos are very fond of that. We always take on the "haka haka" about the said disorders that sometimes it affects our daily lives. According to him the enlargement of the thyroid is not because of drinking of cold beverages and shouting or screaming but because of lack or too much of iodine. He added also that hypothyroidism should eat iodine rich foods while the hyperthyroidism should limit the said kind of food.
Thank you so much for this kind of activity because most of us learned a lot that we can apply to ourselves plus we can share it to our friends and relatives. Hope that you'll continue this kind of advocacy so that all Filipino will be aware about the thyroid disorder.

The International Thyroid Awareness Week 2017 or #ITAW2017 was made possible by MERCK  in partnership with The Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Thyroid Association (PTA), Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism (PSEDM, and The Iodine Global Network (IGN).

Health is very important in every family. We, mommies, make sure that our families are not prone to any diseases. There are lots of ways for us to have a healthy family, one is that we need to eat healthy foods and practice a healthy lifestyle. And of course there's this called prevention. 

I am so glad that most of the event that I've attended lately were about health awareness. It really helps me learn more things to know about certain health problem and knowing it will help me and my family knows it. So what I am talking about? Well this March aside from the Women and Children's Month and Fire Prevention Month, it is also the Colon Cancer Awareness Month. So topic that was discussed during the event I've attended is the media briefing for the Colon Cancer Advocacy.  The discussion made by the expert doctors were really informative and did made its impact in me. They really made jargon medical terms to be explain in a simple manner. Though it was vulgar they made it sound like prim and proper.
The event was held at Diamond Hotel and it was sponsored by Wesmont, a division of UNILAB. The event was pushed through by the Philippine Society of Gastroenterologist. The media briefing is regarding Colon Cancer Awareness.
The main thrust of the organization is to make a noise regarding Colon Cancer, the myths people believed about it, and the initiative in calling the attention of the government to have every Filipino citizens above 50 years old to be screened. According to DR. FREDERICK DY, Gastronintestinal oncologist and a leading expert in endoscopy, "Colorectal cancer has certainly become a real concern in the Philippines. The growing number of incidence and mortality worldwide have put the disease as the third most common type of cancer for both men and women, after lung and breast cancers."
According to the recent statistics of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) foremost cancer research and statistics project, GLOBOCAN, there were 4,901 deaths of the 8,553 incidences of colorectal cancer in the Philippines in 2012, which means that more than half of those diagnosed have died from the disease.

It is unfortunate that the level of awareness about colorectal cancer here in the Philippines is much lower than that for other types of cancer such as breasts or lungs. Doctors also find difficulty in urging patients to adopt lifestyle changes for the prevention if colorectal cancer. The earlier the better it is prevented.

“Colorectal cancer us influenced by both modifiable and non-modifiable risks, one of which is lifestyle and diet. But as a lifestyle illness, it is also asymptomatic (displaying no symptoms) is the initial stage,” Dr. Dy says.



As what Dr. Dy mentioned, modifiable risk factors are those that can be changed like obesity, cigarette smoking, alcoholic beverage intake, physical inactivity and increased consumption of red meat. A diet rich in animal fat generally increases risk, while eating food rich in fiber and calcium may possible reduce the risk.

Aside from the modifiable risk factors there are also the non-modifiable risks factor in colorectal cancer. Some of these non-modifiable are the gender, age, and family history. According to Dr. Dy these are factors that cannot be altered. These factors are inherent in a person like the family history of the disease and gender.

With the increase in incidences, colon cancer is now among the deadliest, and recent data show that it's not slowing down either.





"Colon cancer doesn't begin as cancer immediately; it starts with pre-malignant precursors called polyps. If left attended, these polyps grow over time, eventually becoming cancer. For young people, the risk is low, but they are not immune to it. We have young adults developing colorectal cancer. The occurrence is generally uncommon, but if someone has symptoms referable to colorectal cancer, no matter the age, they need to see their doctor or better if they consult a gastroenterologist. Most of colorectal cancer occurs sporadically but some have a strong genetic background. There are also genetic syndromes that also develop a significant number of polyps at a younger age," said Dy.
As to what is always said "prevention is the best medicine" and for the Philippine Society of Gastroenterology, they are aiming to inform every Filipino about colon cancer and encourages everyone to have themselves be screened, most especially and a must are those people ages 50 and up. It is preventable all is needed is the cooperation of every Filipino and of course through the help of the government and every individual.

So, Mommies be well informed about things like this matter, specially to those who have Parents ages 50 and above like me. I will definitely talk to my parents and let them know about Colon Cancer. It was really a big help attending this kind of advocacy. It gives enlightenment about the Colorectal Cancer.

In helping others you don't have to have a huge amount of money, all it takes is small amount to keep the cause going. As for the HEROES PROJECT 10 Pesos is enough to support the cause of bringing kids to school for education. In my part, as a Mom and as previous benefactor of the same cause, it is a great honor to know that there are still groups raising awareness and helping educate the kids in need. 
This project is called the HEROES PROJECT, spearheaded by musician Mike Chan, along with his OPM friends brought together an advocacy that brings their passion and the mission to provide education to deserving students.
Joining the cause is very easy by just texting HEROES to 3456. The proceeds go directly to the partner schools of Heroes Project and will be divided equally among all the scholars of Heroes.
The project started with granting 20 scholarships to deserving students, then 40 in 2015, hopefully with everybody's help, they can send 80 kids to school by 2016, 160 scholars in 2017 and so on. According to them "Eventually, when we have enough Filipinos donating 10 pesos yearly, we will be able to send to school every Filipino that wants an education".

The people behind the project believes that "Education should be a right of every Filipino child and should not be denied just because their families lack funds and the government cannot yet effectively find a permanent solution to this problem. We do not need to wait for other countries or our government to help our youth. We can all do ourselves and all it takes is just P10 from each of us a year. Remember, if only 2% of the Filipino people will donate, we will already have succeeded for this year and can look forward to sending more and more kids to school every year!"
To raise the awareness of the cause, a free concert was conducted first in SM North Annex and later on in various locations which brings the best OPM artists to the stage to show support for Heroes Project. Bands like Hale, Mayonaise, Mojofly, Paraluman, MYMP, Mike Chan and the Anthems are some of the growing list of artists performing for Heroes Project.

Here are the Videos during Heroes Unite: Benefit Concert and Media Launch