Eat Well. Travel Often

An advocacy for teachers was created over coffee from a small group of like-minded PLDT executives nine years ago. With a common dream of being a catalyst of change in the lives of teachers, Gabay Guro was born and became the CSR arm under the PLDT-Smart Foundation.

What transpired after that fateful day revolutionized education-based advocacy efforts in so many levels giving birth to a holistic approach that was anchored on the now famous Gabay Guro pillars - Scholarships, Trainings, Housing and Educational Facilities, Livelihood Programs, Broadbanding and Computerization, and Teachers’ Tribute.

Gabay Guro managed to write off mediocrity since then, championing excellence and paying tribute to teachers all over the country (and nearby countries) by bringing attention to their heroic deeds and at the same time, providing them with the necessary tools to contribute to the change in the lives of their students and their families.

To this day, Gabay Guro managed to thrive on volunteerism – mostly among the ranks of the executives from PLDT and Smart.

Nine years after, Gabay Guro has over 1,100 scholars in various state colleges and universities nationwide. There are over 300 LET passers, 496 active scholars as of August, 2016 and a projected 167 graduates in 2017. Gabay Guro also celebrates the fact that 137 scholars graduated with honors – 112 cum laudes and 25 magna cum laudes. Gabay Guro has also partnered with local government units to further teacher education.

The foundation has conducted trainings for over 16,000 teachers in the course of its nine years. Today, it runs eight training programs for teachers around the country namely: Teacher’s Treasure Chest; English Proficiency Training; Computer Literacy; Emotional Intelligence; Teacher’s Armor; Leadership Training; IT Sustainability and Literacy; and Unleashing Creativity in Teaching. At the same time, Gabay Guro answers to the needs of the times by doing grassroots anti-drugs trainings in schools.

Gabay Guro’s initiative on Broadband and Computerization has had great impact nationwide. All partner-schools were recipients of either computers/laptop or internet connections from PLDT or Smart.

Knowing that shortage of educational facilities is a major disaster area in the Philippine education system, Gabay Guro has taken the cudgels in the construction of classrooms in the provinces, mostly those that have been hit by debilitating calamities. There is over 40 classrooms constructed and donated already in the ff. provinces: Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Capiz.

Gabay Guro has grown to be the force that it is today. Whereas in the beginning, there were only a couple of thousand member-teachers under its stable, 2016 sees 20,000-strong membership (and growing!) at its helm and has easily taken over the leadership, the one that sets the bar of service, in all education-related NGOs around the nation.

Ms. Chaye Revilla and the Gabay Guro team of visionaries with her in the foundation, were propelled by this belief: “our nation’s children depend on our nation’s teachers to lead them to the future. And this teachers’ month, Gabay Guro gives tribute to those who teach the next generation of nation-builders.”

The pinnacle of Gabay Guro’s celebration is embodied in the tribute event held every year at the MOA Arena. Year after year, the organizers leave no stone unturned ensuring that it is in Gabay Guro where teachers get to be treated like royalty. Generosity at its finest, raffle prizes have grown to be the staggering house and lot and vehicle showcases and livelihood opportunities that they are today in every Gabay Guro tribute event.

The Gabay Guro’s 9th Teacher’s Tribute this year, the biggest gathering of the country’s celebrities, will not disappoint on Sept. 25 at the MOA Arena. Stellar names set to give the teachers the time of their lives on this day are Regine Velasquez, Ogie Alcasid, Gary Valenciano, Pops Fernandez, James Reid, Nadine Lustre, Ms. Lea Salonga and Mega star Ms. Sharon Cuneta and more surprise guests on the big day.

This is the day where our teachers get to let their hair loose, meet the biggest celebrities, be treated to a whole day of entertainment and huge raffle prizes beginning with house and lot and vehicles., anything to remind them of their invaluable presence in our lives.

This year’s event is made possible through the help of the ff. sponsors: Perry’s Group of Companies (for the house and lot), Foton for the (Gratour Van), Intel, Devant, Motorlandia (for the Honda and Suzuki motorcyles), Ropali, Penshoppe, National Bookstore, Enchanted Kingdom, Splash, Tempra, Flanax, Bonamine, Vivalyte, Mundipharma, Gardenia, Bic, Art Attack, Microsoft, Smart Bro, Ultera, Talk N Text and 51 Talk.

The PLDT Gabay Guro grand tribute event is exclusive for teachers only. Admission is free. Follow Gabay Guro on Facebook, twitter and Instagram at @PLDTGabayGuro or visit the Gabay Guro official website gabayguro.com for more details.

Thanks for dropping by and have a great day! - Jexx

__________________
Press Release from PLDT Home

Starbucks is inviting us to take a sip of their newest handcrafted beverages. They just launched Starbucks® Teavana™ Handcrafted Beverages and Full Leaf Tea Sachets in Asia. This is their modern take on the tea experience for people who are looking for new and different tastes and experiences. It will give customers the opportunity to enjoy a range of unique iced and hot tea beverages with bold, layered flavors, handcrafted the way only Starbucks can, for the first time.

“The launch of Starbucks® Teavana™ brings an entirely new tea occasion specifically developed for our customers in Asia, who increasingly want new and different tastes and experiences,” said John Culver, group president, Starbucks Global Retail. ”With Starbucks® Teavana™, we see a tremendous opportunity to leverage the company’s expertise in creating best-in-class retail experiences, handcrafting customized beverages, and sourcing the finest ingredients, to create a new, premium tea experience. Just as we’ve done for coffee, this is tea reimagined at Starbucks.”

Beginning today, Starbucks Philippines is offering three new Starbucks® Teavana™ Handcrafted Beverages:

Iced Shaken Hibiscus Tea with Pomegranate Pearls

This refreshing beverage combines Starbucks® Teavana™ hibiscus tea and bursting pearls of real pomegranate juice for a tart kick of flavor.

Iced Shaken Black Tea with Ruby Grapefruit and Honey

Combines a traditional western black tea experience with a creative twist that is delicious iced with bites of pomelo fruit, grapefruit and honey for a touch of added sweetness.

Matcha and Espresso Fusion

Our fine Matcha powder layered with milk and Starbucks signature Espresso Roast creates a beautiful layered beverage and is an inventive combination of coffee and tea, to be enjoyed hot or iced.

In addition to handcrafted beverages, Starbucks is also introducing Starbucks® Teavana™ Full Leaf Tea Sachets. Through a curated selection of packaged full-leaf tea sachets, customers can now enjoy a new tea experience in our stores or in the comfort of their own home.

Black Tea

English Breakfast – A handcrafted blend of Indian Assam, Sri Lankan Ceylon, and Chinese black tea. This tastes great with or without milk.

White Tea

Youthberry™ – Inspired by super fruits, acai fruit is blended with tropical pineapple and mango flavors with high-quality white tea, balanced by rosehips and tart green apple.

Green Tea

Emperor’s Clouds and Mist™ – Exclusively harvested during the month of April and grown on the steep, windy slopes of Huangshan Mountain at 3,500 feet above sea level, this tea has a rich body and a naturally sweet flavor.

Caffeine-Free Herbal Teas

Hibiscus – Bright, juicy papaya and mango combined with citrus lemongrass for a naturally caffeine-free blend. Hibiscus flowers lend the tea a slight tartness and extraordinary deep fuchsia color.

Mint Blend – This tea’s spearmint base is rounded out with cool peppermint notes and undertones of spicy-sweet lemon verbena. The mint leaves come from the highly sought after and prized Pacific Northwest mint known for its high amount of mint oil.

Chamomile – The Chamomile used for this tea is sourced from Croatia. It provides the overarching flavor for this soft, soothing floral blend.

I can't wait to try their newest offerings. I think I will love the Matcha and Espresso Fusion. Visit any Starbucks nearest you and let me know which one is your favorite.

Check out the Starbucks Philippines’ Facebook page for more details

https://www.facebook.com/StarbucksPhilippines

Thanks for visiting and have a great day! - Jexx

The Off Price Show is the biggest Roving sale event in the country. They started last September 2 at the Davao Convention Center along F. Torres St. They brought the different brand of products for a very discounted price. They have clothes for men and women from premium brands like Adidas, Puma, GAP, Terranova, Jockey, Bershka, and Pull and Bear. They also have footwear like Melissa, CLN, Accel, and Palladium. We were so lucky to be invited to shop at an earlier time. Along with my Davao Blogger friends, we were so thrilled to check out items with discounts of up to 80%.

Since I don't shop a lot because I spend too much sometimes, I challenged myself to control this time and just spend P1,000. In my mind, it's going to be easy since P1,000 is a big amount already. But I saw a lot of good stuff inside I cringed while checking the prices of the items.

After roaming around and fitting a lot of clothes, I decided to buy these tops from Ben Sherman, Hurley, and GAP. And yes, I only spent P1,000 for these! I am so happy!

Gray Hurley Top P350 - For me, this is best worn if you are going out for a sporty or an active event.

Ben Sherman Tshirt P300 - A plain blue shirt is all I need for a stroll at the mall or a walk in the park. I can see myself wearing this when I go out with friends and family. The fabric is cool and soft. I'm thinking of wearing this under a nice jacket or hoodie.

GAP Stripes Button Down Shirt P350 - I'll be wearing this at work especially on Wednesdays where we wear semi formal attire.

I am amazed with all of things I shopped at The Off Price Show. I can really say it is SULIT to shop here! I'll post photos of me wearing these soon. Please follow me on Instagram and let me know your thoughts if I bought the good stuff! :)

Davao Bloggers with the owner of The Off Price Show Mr. Jonas Ang

The Off Price Show Davao will be open from 11AM - 10PM until September 4. The admission is free so tag along your friends and family today! Win Gift Certificates by posting photos from the event.

For more details, please follow them online!

The Off Price Show

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheOFFPRICEShow

Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheOffPriceShow

Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_offprice_show

Thank you for dropping by and have a great day!