Ilocos Sur Coffee wins BEST in Nationwide Competition

Bigger market opportunities await the coffee industry of Region 1 as the locally produced Robusta coffee from the province of Ilocos Sur dominated the top five (5) spots in the 2021 Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC). The entries for the Robusta Category submitted by coffee farmers from the province were hailed as best coffee during the PCQC virtual awarding ceremony held on May 26, 2021.

The robusta coffee entry of Mr. Mabini C. Ubuan from the municipality of Sigay bagged the 1st place award. Coffee farmers who landed the other top spots were: Ms. Marielle Gannad, Gregorio Del Pilar- 2nd place; Ms. Erlinda Dao-ayan, Gregorio Del Pilar- 3rd place; Mr. Rodolfo Aciong, Quirino- 4th place; and Ms. Juana Bitongan, 5th place.

Now on its 4th year, the event which was co-organized by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agriculture (DA), Barista and Coffee Academy of Asia, Inc. (BACAA) and the Agricultural Cooperative Development International and Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (ACDI/VOCA), aims to aims to unite, empower and nurture the Philippine coffee community through friendly competitions.

National Industry Cluster for Coffee Coordinator and DTI CAR Regional Director Myrna Pablo called for the institutionalization of the PCQC. “Our coffee industry has gone a long way. More stakeholders are joining. Let us support the inclusive growth of the Philippine coffee industry.” she added.

The new normal situation brought about by the pandemic COVID19, had brought challenges in the industry. However, with the strong support and united efforts from the public and private stakeholders, Ms. Cherry Cruz, Chairperson of PCQC, believes that no pandemic could stop the celebration of the growing and improving Philippine Coffee Industry.

The competition was opened to coffee of Philippine origin, submitted by farmers and entities engaged in coffee farming nationwide. The entries were judged from grading, roasting and cupping. The competition was categorized into different types of coffee; robusta, arabica, liberica and excelsa and the mixed category. 103 entries nationwide were assessed for the competition, 13 of which came from Region 1, particularly in Ilocos Sur.

Primarily aiming to strengthen the coffee industry in the country, the competition paves way for Philippine Specialty Coffee to be recognized in the Global coffee industry by performing evaluations aligned with globally accepted grading and profiling protocols and standards of the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI). Moreover, to make the locally produced coffee known in the global market thereby opening more marketing and better pricing opportunities to Philippine coffee farmers.

In Region 1, coffee is one of the priority industries being developed by DTI. It grows in the upland municipalities of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and La Union. Fifty-four (54) percent of coffee produced is Robusta while thirty-nine (39) percent is Arabica. Excelsa and Liberica varieties, accounts for about six (6) percent and one (1) percent respectively of production in the region. The crop was basically grown by the residents for home consumption. However, through the years, areas planted for coffee significantly increased due to the distribution of coffee seedlings by various government agencies and appreciation of its market potential by coffee farmers and stakeholders.

Canva for Education Launches to Schools Worldwide

Popular online design platform, Canva, last week announced the global launch of Canva for Education, a free product for teachers and students all over the world, at the first educational technology industry show of the year, Bett, in London.

• Free Canva for Education platform to empower education sector; builds visual literacy in students and facilitates project-based learning
• Product includes Canva’s premium features, plus add-ons such as education-specific content and templates, an all-new collaboration space, a review workflow, version history plus much more
• Canva announces partnership with Google for Education

As highlighted in 2019’s Digital Internet Trends report, the global growth of visual content has been accelerated by image-based digital platforms, fueled by the adoption of social media. The ability to interpret, communicate and present ideas visually is critical for students to thrive in today’s world and tomorrow’s workforce.

With Canva’s intuitive drag-and-drop design tools, Canva for Education empowers students to create and communicate their learning visually through posters, worksheets and animated presentations. It also aids educators and school administration to create teaching material, event posters, infographics and reports - just to name a few.
Georgia Vidler, Director of Product at Canva, explained the new Canva for Education offering is tailored to the needs and requirements of schools worldwide, calling out Canva as a “one-stop-shop” for creating and collaborating in the classroom.

“Of the estimated 139,874 educational institutions across the US, over 10,000 are already using Canva. To make Canva for Education a real value-add tool we tailored the content, features and integrations to ensure it solved many pain points for teachers and students all around the world.”
Yani Hornilla-Donato, Philippines Country Manager at Canva, expressed her excitement for the product.

“With Canva for Education, teachers and students are provided a platform for project-based learning. The free access to the tool will also make creating classroom materials even more convenient for teachers. Utilizing our classroom-friendly templates relevant to specific learning goals also allows them to save time and effort.”

Canva for Education provides teachers and students with:

• Canva Pro - which includes access to millions of premium images, fonts, videos and templates
• access to an all-new collaboration space for the whole class to design and discuss in one place
• folders to manage content and to keep track of progress
• version history
• animations to help bring student creations to life
• more educational-specific content
• a review workflow for teachers to give students feedback
• peace of mind as Canva for Education is compliant with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) 
• a whole new raft of add-ons perfectly aligned to everyday learning including Google Drive, Google Slides, YouTube, Giphy, Websites and PowerPoint presentations
• integrations with Google Classroom and Google sign-in methods for class setup

Photo 2: Canva for Education empowers students to create and communicate their learning visually.

“Through our research, teachers also told us a significant number of their students are bilingual. Because Canva for Education is available in over 100 languages – including five right-to-left languages like Arabic and Hebrew – teachers are now able to encourage digital, visual and design literacy while enhancing cultural diversity and inclusion in the classroom,” Vidler further highlighted.

Canva has also provided an integration with Google for Education to further streamline access to all classrooms.

Emma Fish from Google for Education stated the collaboration was a welcomed addition to the organization’s education suite.

“We are very excited to welcome Canva as a Google for Education Partner and include Canva in the Chromebook App Hub. Enabling the use of Canva for Education will provide a seamless, free experience and unleash the creative potential of students on Chromebooks. Canva has deeply integrated with Google across the platform including Google sign-in, integrations with Google Maps and Google Drive, and optimizing for touch Chrome devices.”

“There are 40 million teachers and students actively using Google Classroom. Canva for Education enables teachers to import Classroom class lists to manage their classes globally and has also enhanced classroom collaboration through the development of a dedicated Google Classroom share button,” explained Fish.

With the number of Canva users around the world compounding daily, the development of this offering was not only in response to the needs of educators as a whole, but also aligned with the organization’s most important core value - to be a force for good in the world.

“It’s vital we invest in education - students are our future. We need to do whatever we can to give them the tools they need to stay ahead. Students today are born in image-saturated environments - the era of internet, digital technologies and touchscreens. Through Canva for Education we are doing our bit to help educators teach visual, digital and design literacy to ensure each and every student is well-equipped for their future,” concluded Vidler.

Schools are encouraged to get started and register their free Canva for Education account at: https://www.canva.com/education/

ABOUT CANVA

Launched in 2013, Canva is an intuitive online design and publishing platform with a mission to empower everyone in the world to design anything and publish anywhere. Featuring a simple drag-and-drop user interface and a vast library of templates ranging from presentations, social media posts, posters, invitations to resumes, a huge collection of stock photography, illustrations and fonts, anyone can take an idea and create something beautiful. Canva is available on web, iOS and Android.

Canva launches #CanvaPasko Designed By You Contest

To help Filipinos celebrate Christmas, Canva is launching #CanvaPasko Designed By You, an online contest where for the first time ever – lucky winners will see their Canva Christmas cards live on a huge billboard in EDSA!

“Christmas is a very special occasion for many Filipinos. It’s a time when we come together to express our love for family, officemates, barkada, and our special someone. For times when words aren’t enough, we’re encouraging every Filipino in the Philippines and worldwide to mark the occasion with a very special tribute - design a beautiful Christmas card on Canva for free for a chance to see it displayed on a huge billboard in EDSA. Sitting in traffic has never been so meaningful.” shares Yani Hornilla-Donato, Country Manager of Canva Philippines.
“With our festive Christmas-themed Canva templates, Filipinos will be able to easily share their stories and messages of pagmamahal and pasasalamat to the people dearest to them and get a chance to show that love to the whole city.” Yani added.

How to join:

• Visit the contest homepage, https://www.canva.com/canvapasko/.
• Register for a free Canva account to design your own entry. During the registration process, you must key in your name and email address.
• Use any of the pre-made Instagram Portrait templates, 1080x1350 px to design a greeting.
• Each entry must be limited to a one-page design.
• Submit your entry on the website and register your contact details through the link provided on the download page.

For those using Facebook, you may post your entry as a comment on Canva’s pinned Facebook #CanvaPasko post and include a caption telling us who you’re sending love to and why you want to show them love this Christmas. Include the hashtag #CanvaPasko in your comment.
For those with Instagram, you may post your entry directly on your personal, public account, tag @canva_ph and add the hashtag #CanvaPasko and include a caption telling us who you’re sending love to and why you want to show them some big love this Christmas.

The contest is open to all Filipino citizens and residents of the Philippines, 13 years old and above and will run until December 18, 2019.

Five designs will be chosen each week between December 2 to December 8; December 9 to December 15; December 16 to December 22; and December 23 to December 29. If your design is one of the lucky 20 winners, Canva will contact you for details on when you can expect to see your design live.

For more information, visit https://www.canva.com/canvapasko/ or follow Canva Philippines on Facebook.
*Per DTI Fair Trade Permit No. FTEB-21509 Series of 2019. Contest runs from November 11 to December 18, 2019.

COUNTRY’S BIGGEST INTER-SCHOOL SINGING COMPETITION GIVES ASPIRING STUDENT SINGERS THE SPOTLIGHT

There’s a huge buzz among aspiring local young singers these days as the country’s biggest inter-school singing competition—CAMPUS GOLDEN VOICE—gets ready to give the grand spotlight to campus-based voice talents.  A staggering P100,000 in prize money awaits the Grand Winner, along with a music recording contract that will pave the way for the lucky young talent’s dreams to become reality.

CAMPUS GOLDEN VOICE is an upgraded reincarnation of the hit singing competition Voice of the Philippines (VOP) which ran from 1997 to 2002, an ambitious undertaking conceptualized by VOP’s original founders Benjie Pe Benito and Dennis Dela Cruz, in partnership with Traverse Entertainment. 

Dozens of aspiring student singers will face-off in the September 21 Elimination Leg for their shot at superstardom, and you better believe that they will sing their hearts out as limited slots are available to advance to the Semi-Finals which will happen on November 9.  From there, the field of competitors will be further narrowed down to the best of the best for one last showdown in the Grand Finals on December 1.  All three events will take place at Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall’s Activity Center.

An excited Benjie declares, “The tremendous success that we had with Voice of the Philippines gave a lot of student singers an avenue to display their talents and pursue their passion, and we hope to give this new generation the same kind of opportunity with CAMPUS GOLDEN VOICE. Few things in life are more gratifying than to be able to give young talents the opportunity to get their big break and launch successful careers centered on their passion.”

Local celebrities have likewise shared their excitement regarding CAMPUS GOLDEN VOICE.    Showbiz stars Kiko Matos, Don Umali, Lance Serrano, and Phoebe Walker, among others, also took time to invite people to this highly-anticipated event. VOP’s 2001 Grand Champion Loverine Fermino says, “If you’ve got the gift, then this is your chance to shine!”  Then there’s VOP’s most popular alumna Rachelle Ann Go, who posted a video all the way from London inviting everyone to the event. The ecstatic Rachelle says, “Dreams do come true!  Make sure you don’t miss out on the Philippines’ biggest inter-school singing competition, Campus Golden Voice!”

And it’s precisely this great advocacy of giving young singers the chance to make their dreams come true that served as motivation for Platinum Karaoke, the country’s premier karaoke system provider, to generously support CAMPUS GOLDEN VOICE as a Co-Presentor.  “Filipinos are very passionate singers, and there are so many talented young dreamers out there that can be developed into world-class performers, much the same way VOP served before as a springboard for Rachelle Ann Go’s career.  So when the chance to support VOP’s upgraded version in CAMPUS GOLDEN VOICE came up, we just knew that it was a perfect way to further our advocacy of turning these youngsters’ dreams into reality”, shares an enthusiastic John Russell Yao, Platinum Karaoke’s Head of Marketing.  “The best way to realize a talented singer’s full potential is to start them young. Platinum Karaoke proudly wishes to do its part in developing the talents of superstar singing sensations of tomorrow”, he adds.

Traverse Entertainment, which is producing the event, has huge plans for the winner. On top of the cash prize and the music recording contract, concerts and even the possibility of entering the glamorous world of showbiz are also on the table. “We’re looking for the next big singing superstar, and CAMPUS GOLDEN VOICE is the perfect grassroots avenue to find that talent”, says Traverse Managing Director Johnny Tana.  “One of the biggest reasons why Traverse Outdoor branched out with Traverse Entertainment is to provide avenues for us to further explore opportunities to work with schools that have been the backbone of our stellar growth.  And the prospect of helping launch a future superstar’s career is so exciting, as much as it is humbling and fulfilling. With everyone’s support, we hope to make CAMPUS GOLDEN VOICE an annual event”, he adds.

For talented student singers out there who wish to be part of this highly anticipated competition, you may contact Traverse Entertainment at 09279056113 or 09279234686.  Traverse Entertainment is an affiliate company of Traverse Outdoor—the country’s most renowned outdoor training and outdoor teambuilding, and outdoor educational trip provider.

Swimjunkie Challenge Series Grows Philippine Open Water Swimming

Swimjunkie Challenge is the only open-water swimming series that offers long distance destination swims in the Philippines. Racers travel to swim anywhere from 2.5Km to 10Km in exotic, but challenging swim locations. For the first race of the season, 280 swimmers made their way to Lobo, Batangas on May 6, to swim 2.5km and 5km along the Verde Island Passage. On June 10, a new set of swimmers from the U.S., Spain, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the Philippines are registered and training to complete either 4Km or 8Km at Lio Beach, at the Lio Tourism Estate in El Nido.

“I cannot tell you how excited my husband Justin and I are to be given the opportunity to swim in paradise. This has been on our bucket list for a long time now!”, says 15-time Ironman race winner, Belinda Granger, of Australia. Belinda is a well loved pro-triathlete in the Asia Pacific circuit and the Swimjunkie Challenge: El Nido will be her first 8Km open water swim.

Swimjunkie Challenge El Nido is on its second year and will be held at Lio Beach on June 10, 2018. The race is co-presented by Lio Tourism Estate, supported by the LGU and its Mayor, Nieves Rosento, and sponsored by Seafood Island and Wilkins pure water.

The Swimjunkie Challenges were created by Betsy Medalla, a former Philippine national swim team member and the first Asian to make the iconic cold water swim crossing from Robben Island to Bloubergstrand in Cape Town, South Africa.

“If we can get people active, swimming and enjoying the outdoors, and at the same time supporting the incredible marine environments we have here in the Philippines, then we’re all winning.”, says Betsy Medalla. There is one more leg to the series, Swimjunkie Challenge Caramoan 10K on August 19, 2018. Early registration is ongoing until May 15 at http:// regonline.activeglob­al.com/­swimjunkiechallengeca­ramoan10k2018. For more information, please contact Swimjunkie at swimjunkieph@icloud.­com, Instagram: @swimjchallenge and Twitter: @swimjchallenge