The first ever BABY & FAMILY EXPO PHILIPPINES 2013 to be held in December 06-08, 2013 at the SMX Convention Center promises to be fun and exciting as the whole family can enjoy and participate in exciting activities like the Family Olympics, Family Fashion Weekend, and the Baby & Family Awards featuring the Golden Family Awards, ParentPreneur Awards and the crowning of the Bibong Baby of the Year. “Our vision was to come up with a fun and meaningful event where families can bond and learn together. With our tagline –Welcoming Life, Love and Care, we want to give a message that having a new baby in the family is not just the mom’s responsibility but the entire family’s – no one is left out. Together with our partners and sponsors we want to nurture family development and raise the awareness on responsible child care." said David Abrenilla, MediaCom Solutions, Inc. president and Baby & Family Expo Philippines 2013 organizer. The media launch, hosted by Bb. Pilip...

My first baby came in 1991 when I was ready and prepared emotionally and physically at age 29. (You see, I thought I would be single for life, and I was prepared for it!) Oh, what a joy this bubbly handsome boy we named Mark Anthony has brought us! We had given him all the attention he could probably ask for even when we, his parents, were working full time. Preparing for the new member of the family and childbirth was a breeze, and so I thought. I asked veterans moms, including my mother, their experiences and helpful tips. I consulted medical books… and so I thought I was prepared for everything. But I was wrong…I had to undergo ceasarian operation after 13 hours of labor. At the first sign of childbirth, which was droplets of blood in my undies, I went home from work to consult my gynecologist who said I have wait for my contractions. My husband and I already secured a hospital room when the doctor told us to go and rest at home. Once at home the contractions become regular un...

The Department of Tourism (DOT) is one with the whole nation in expressing its deepest sympathies to the families and victims of the Super Typhoon Yolanda (international code name “Haiyan”), one of the strongest typhoons that made landfall in recorded history. The towns that were severely affected are located in the provinces of Leyte and Eastern Samar, as well as a few places in the Southern Tagalog Region (particularly Coron in Palawan). The government remains on top of the ongoing search, rescue, retrieval, and relief operations for the victims of the Super Typhoon Yolanda. The DOT is focused on the safety and monitoring of tourist movement in all affected areas and has no reports so far of any endangerment. The DOT’s objective is to focus on quick recovery so that tourism income is restored at the soonest possible time. Bulletin announcements will be posted via the DOT website (www.tourism.gov.ph), while DOT overseas and regional offices are also on standby to assist potential ...

The right way to brush the teeth is in circular motion and it should not be less than 2 minutes. One should not rinse his or her mouth with water immediately after brushing to give enough time for fluoride to work and cause effect to the teeth. These are some “little things” I learned during the kick-off campaign of Pepsodent Brushing Adventure at the Rafael Palma Elementary School on Tuesday. Through its No. 1 toothpaste brand Pepsodent, Unilever strengthens its commitment to improve the brushing habits of Filipino children. This is part of Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan to build a billion better lives, the campaign which empowers moms to teach the healthy habit of twice daily brushing to their kids. Pepsodent and its partners FDI World Dental Federation, and the Philippine Dental Association (PDA) invited hundreds of young students – kinder and grade one --from this public school in Manila to encourage parents especially the moms to turn brushing, a potentially boring ac...

LOVE for family is one inherent value which is true among Filipinos. Each and every member of the family give importance to the family. By putting importance to family, a member puts a high regards and concerns over the family before anything else. This is also one of the reasons why a father or a mother in will seek employment abroad just to earn decent earnings for the family, to meet its basic needs and want. But Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Glenda Duque of the United Kingdom have done more than that – by caring for thier extended families, the migrant and OFws in London. In 2003, Michael established the Philippine Nurses Association of the United Kingdom (PNA-UK) to address the challenges Filipino nurses face in the UK. The organization worked with the Philippine Embassy and various health and government sectors, as well as nursing and trade union groups, to develop what is now known as the Overseas Nursing Program (ONP). Through the years, ONP provides Pinoy nurses with work...

Teen actress Lauren Young is happy with the projects given to her by the Kapuso Network. She signed contract with GMA-7 only last year and already, she has bagged back-to-back projects with the network namely the recently concluded soap “Mundo Mo’y Akin” and “Dormitoryo” which premiered last Sunday, Sept. 22. Dormitoryo is topbilled by Lauren Young together with GMA’s teen stars Joyce Ching, Wyn Marquez, Ruru Madrid, and Enzo Pineda. Completing the cast are Mayton Eugenio, Annicka Dolonius, Ash Nordstrom and Mel Kimura. The series focuses on the search of Hazel Mendoza (Lauren Young), an incoming freshman Mass Communication student at Branwood College, for answers on the death of Maika Benitez (Wyn Marquez) who died in the same dormitory she’s staying at—the Holy Spirit Manor. It may just be a mere accident for the police but the dormers have a different speculation on Maika’s death. Tickling Hazel’s curiosity more is her snappy roommate Weng Dimagiba (Mayton Eugenio) who be...

Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you If you're young at heart For it's hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind If you're young at heart You can go to extremes with impossible schemes You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams And life gets more exciting with each passing day And love is either in your heart or on it's way So goes the song of Young at Heart by no less than the legendary crooner Frank Sinatra. This song immediately comes to my mind as I watched the pilot episode of Prinsesa ng Buhay ko on a rainy Monday evening. After their memorable performances in Coffee Prince, Kris Bernal and Aljur Abrenica reignite their onscreen tandem in Prinsesa Ng Buhay Ko which is the first program shot in full HD using DLSR cameras. It replaced Binoy Henyo beginning September 23 before 24 Oras. Prinsesa Ng Buhay Ko’s storyline, as in fairy tales, aptly aims to inspire viewers to always have a positive outlook in life, and ...