Share the Light this Holiday Season with McDonald’s Exciting Christmas Offers and Merry Antics!

Manila, Philippines, November 29, 2021 – With festive decorations up and holiday playlists on repeat, it’s no doubt that the most wonderful time of the year is here and the holiday season in the Philippines is on full blast. 

During the season of merriment, McDonald’s Philippines believes that happiness multiplies when shared with loved ones. With the advocacy of sharing the light to each and every one, McDo launches a slew of offerings and experiences to ignite the holiday spirit and give Filipinos a holiday celebration to remember. 

Witness a light spectacle at McDonald’s Ride-Thru

As the country emerges from one of the longest quarantines in the world, McDonald’s welcomes customers back to their stores with an experience like no other with the Ride-Thru Christmas Light Show! 

From November 29 to January 02, 2022, both the young and young at heart will be transported to a festive and vibrant wonderland in 3 of McDonald’s Drive-Thru stores. Witness the beauty of a winter wonderland when going through the Icy Wonderland Ride-Thru at McDonald’s McKinley West in Taguig, drive thru a factory of dreams at the Happyland Ride-Thru in McDonald’s Alabang West in Las Piñas, and celebrate a traditional Filipino holiday with the Parol Holiday Ride-Thru located at McDonald’s Savano Park in Bulacan. Customers will be able to grab a bite of their McDonald’s favorites while enjoying this unique light spectacle from the safety and convenience of their own rides. This new go-to destination will surely be an unforgettable bonding activity for family and friends alike!

Parol Holiday at McDo Savano Park,  Icy Wonderland at McDo McKinley West, and Happyland at McDo Alabang West                                                   

McDonald’s favorites and holiday cheer delivered to your doorstep

For customers who prefer to celebrate the holiday festivities from home, McDonald’s brings the light to them with the help of McDelivery Santa Riders. Make sure to keep a lookout for them this December as Santa Riders deliver happiness onto the streets and into one’s home with every McDelivery. To see how a McDelivery Santa Rider adds to the magic of Christmas, watch McDonald’s latest online video here.

Share the light to our fellow Filipino in need

Christmas isn’t complete if happiness is not shared with others, especially those who need it most. Through the McDonald’s Kindness Kitchen, McDonald’s commits to sharing a festive meal with nearly 7,000 chosen beneficiaries, while all its stores combined will donate 1 million Happy Meal books and toys to school beneficiaries.

But that’s not all – 12 days before Christmas, McDonald’s will also launch its Share-A-Meal program, giving its customers a chance to give back with the opportunity to send McDonald’s meals to their charity of choice with no purchase requirement! All a customer needs to do is to visit a McDonald’s store and fill out a Share-A-Meal card as McDonald’s will grant over 1,000 wishes and share over 18,000 meals come December 25! So, if you want to share your light and help give back to those in need, simply head on over to a McDonald’s store nearest you and give your chosen community a chance to enjoy these McDonald’s meals with the Share-A-Meal program!

McDonald’s Shares the Kindness with the Share-A-Meal card.

“The holiday season is undoubtedly the biggest celebration in the Philippines, which is why our efforts revolve around making it easier, brighter, and happier for Filipinos to enjoy! Through these experiences, McDonald’s hopes to be a part of an experience that’s worth remembering,” said Oliver Rabatan, McDonald’s Philippines Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Channels.

Because there’s no better way to celebrate the happiness of the holidays than to share it, McDonald’s invites Filipinos to create feel-good moments and share the light this holiday season by visiting their stores or ordering via the McDelivery PH App or website. 

Follow McDonald’s Philippines Facebook page for more information and share your McDonald’s holiday experience using the hashtag #McDoShareTheLight!

McDonald’s Brings Color to the Holiday Season through New Limited Edition Coca-Cola Cups

Manila, Philippines - November 15, 2021 – McDonald’s Philippines adds color and spreads happiness to the holidays with the return of its Coca-Cola collectibles – aluminum cups in 6 festive colors! 

The Coca-Cola Aluminum Cup Collection is the first aluminum line of non-breakable, sleek, and on-trend cups in the Philippines. It’s the perfect addition to decorate one’s holiday feast as it comes in 6 metallic-like colors – Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, and Pink! There’s no better way to enjoy a cold and refreshing glass of Coca-Cola this Christmas than in these stylish cups available at McDonald’s stores for a limited time only!

You can own one of the 6 designs by simply adding Php 49 to any of the participating McDonald’s meals – which is most of your favorite meals with Coca-Cola! Available in McDonald’s starting today, customers can start collecting their cups to complete the collection just in time for the holiday festivities! A Media Noche or Noche Buena table setup is sure to look much more abundant and vibrant with the bright hues of the Coca-Cola Aluminum Cups.

Brighten up the holiday season and get your hands on the first-ever Coca-Cola Aluminum Cup Collection! Easily within reach, these collectibles will be available in McDonald's stores nationwide via Dine In, Take Out, Drive-Thru, and McDelivery.

It’s all treats, no tricks in McDonald’s month-long Monsters and Mysteries Halloween celebration

Manila, Philippines - October 15, 2021 – Ghostly Greetings from McDonald’s! It’s the spookiest time of the year again, and McDonald’s is here to celebrate Halloween, all month long! Starting October 8 until October 28, get a FREE surprise treat with every purchase of a McDonald’s Happy Meal via Dine-in, Drive-Thru, Take-out, or Delivery. Every Happy Meal can elicit nervous giggles or fits of laughter!

If the little ones have a knack for thrilling mysteries, the Mystery Monster Boxes will surely pique their curiosity. Experience the excitement of the Mystery Monster Box in person when you stop in for a spell and drop by on your brooms via Dine-in and Ride-Thru!

The Halloween surprises won’t end there — a spooktacular Halloween is incomplete without trick-or-treating. McDonald’s is here to help kids get into the Halloween spirit while staying safe through the Monsters and Mysteries Ride-Thru! Let the kids have a fang-tastic celebration by giving them a chance to go trick-or-treating safely. 

Drive-Thru at McDonald’s from October 29-31 to get an exciting Halloween item from the Mystery Monster Box for a minimum purchase of Php 250. To remember the ghoul old times, feel free to capture and immortalize the special family moment by taking a picture with the Monsters and Mysteries Photo Frame. 

Want to feel the Halloween hype even more? Enjoy the Halloween decorations in select branches that will be “dressing-up” their Drive-Thru lanes!

No tricks—only treats await this Halloween season at McDonald’s! Delve into the unknown and claim surprise treats to fully experience the spooktacular Halloween spirit. 

For more information and updates on this offering, visit McDonald’s Philippines Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages.

Freebies Await Vaccinated Customers when they Dine-In at McDonald’s

October 8, 2021 - Manila, Philippines — Head to any McDonald’s restaurant and get a free Apple Pie if you are vaccinated! 

Part of the private sector-led campaign ‘Ingat Angat Bakuna Lahat’ that aims to restart the Philippine economy by promoting and educating about the COVID-19 vaccine, McDonald’s invites fully vaccinated customers to experience the happiness of dining-in and sharing meals with loved ones. For every minimum purchase worth Php 150, fully vaccinated customers can enjoy a FREE Apple Pie, valid until November 30, 2021. The iconic McDonald's snack is the perfect sweet treat to go with your McDonald’s favorites— whether you’re in the mood for the Crispy Chicken Fillet or the tender and juicy Chicken McDo paired with rice or McSpaghetti.

Aside from the sweet treat from McDonald’s, customers can continue to expect a safe dine-in experience all throughout. As McDonald’s believes that keeping its customers safe starts with protecting their own, the company’s M Safe protocols remain in place, with its crew, managers, and customers all required to follow the set of stringent health and safety guidelines.

“The future may be uncertain because of the ever-evolving pandemic, but one thing is for sure: we at McDonald’s will continue to do our part in working towards a safer normal. Vaccination has an integral role in the country’s comeback, so by taking part in the Smart Bakuna Benefits program, we hope to encourage more Filipinos to get vaccinated— not only for their own safety, but for the country’s as well,” said Kenneth S. Yang, McDonald’s Philippines President & CEO.

To know more about M Safe and the protocols in place to ensure your safety, visit https://bit.ly/SarapPagMSafe. For more details about how McDonald’s, the private sector, and you can take part in the #IngatAngatBakunaLahat movement, visit the Ingat Angat website or Ingat Angat Smart Bakuna Benefits promo page, and follow McDonald’s Philippines on Facebook.

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McDonald’s Philippines master franchise holder, Dr. George T. Yang, opened the first McDonald’s store in Morayta, Manila in 1981. Since then, McDonald’s in the Philippines has been a strong and relevant player in the country’s quick service restaurant industry, having grown a store network of over 655 across the country. McDonald’s Philippines continues to aspire to make a difference in communities where it operates through its charity of Choice, Ronald McDonald House Charities Philippines.

51Talk Celebrates Teachers’ Day with the Biggest Virtual Gathering of Online Teachers

Manila, Philippines - Leading online English education platform 51Talk held its annual Teachers’ Day gathering via a virtual event attended by over 10,000 of its online English teachers from all corners of the Philippines. The event, called “51TalkFlix: Your Future At Home,” was streamed live via their website and YouTube and it aims to honor and celebrate the teaching profession this teachers’ month. Over 2 million pesos worth of prizes were raffled off during the event including exclusive 51Talk merchandise, gift certificates, gadgets, appliances, and laptops.

“We always have an annual gathering for our teachers and this pandemic won’t stop us from doing it again this year. We consider the teachers’ month as the most wonderful time of the 51Talk year. More than 10,000 of our online English teachers participated and we were overwhelmed by the turnout,” said 51Talk Country Head Jennifer Que.

“Because all our teachers are home-based, it made sense to mount the grand event virtually. It’s exciting to hold a seamless online experience and connect with everyone. There are no boundaries anymore so we were able to reach more of our teachers to participate,” Ms. Que added.

51Talk Founder and CEO Jack Huang was also virtually present straight from 51Talk’s headquarters in Beijing, China. “I’m so happy to see everyone enjoying themselves as we celebrate and honor our teachers at 51Talk. I want everyone to know how grateful 51Talk is for your dedication and hard work, and for brightening our students’ day one lesson at a time,” said Mr. Huang.

“2020 is another special year for 51Talk. It marks 51Talk’s 9th year as a platform & 4th year of being listed in the NYSE. I salute all of the teachers who have been with us for many years now and I thank you for the trust and for believing in the 51Talk platform. As we move forward to the next year, expect greater and better things from 51Talk,” he added.

As COVID-19 forced the shutdown of physical schools in China earlier this year, Chinese parents used the extra time their children had to book additional English lessons on the online education platform. The surge of additional lessons was delivered by 51Talk’s more than 25,000 home-based teachers in the Philippines. This prompted 51Talk to attract 30,000 Filipino teachers this year to fulfil the increasing demand of online English education in China, an industry that enjoys explosive growth annually.

The 51TalkFlix event also showcased the awe-inspiring talents of the teachers in its annual competition, Talent to the Max. 51Talk’s outstanding teachers and clubs were also recognized. A special segment of Chinese students giving their teachers a heart-warming tribute on this special day was also part of the program.

The event also featured performances from today’s hottest stars such as legendary OPM singer/songwriter Ebe Dancel who serenaded the teachers, and Asia’s Phoenix, Morissette, who wowed the crowd with her rendition of pop songs and original singles.

Rounding out the list of personalities during the event was 51Talk’s Philippine Brand Ambassador Pia Wurtzbach, who delivered an inspirational message. Pia was chosen to represent 51Talk because of her long-time advocacy of empowering Filipinos through livelihood opportunities. Because the pandemic affected and displaced millions of Filipino workers, Pia used her voice and platform to talk about 51Talk and the earning opportunities of being an online English teacher.

“When I joined the 51Talk family, I was thrilled to help spread the word about the 30,000 livelihood opportunities on the platform. I love to empower my fellow Pinoys and I believe in our skills, dedication, and our capability to succeed and flourish when faced with opportunities,” said Pia. “To all of the 51Talk teachers, Happy Teacher’s Day!”

Before the event wrapped up, Ms. Que thanked the thousands of teachers who participated in the teachers’ day celebration while promising to deliver an even bigger and better event next year.

“51Talk is the best place to be right now. To all 51Talk teachers, thank you for enabling our students to speak up, stand out and succeed. Keep up the good work and Happy Teachers’ day to all of you!” Ms. Que exclaimed.

For those who are interested to become a home-based online English teacher at 51Talk and to be part of its amazing and passionate community, visit 51Talk.ph and sign-up now.

Over 200 McDonald’s Party Areas Transform into Teachers’ Work-Friendly McClassroom

PHILIPPINES - October 2020 - In celebration of National Teachers’ Month and in time for the schools opening for SY 2020-2021, McDonald’s transformed 221 of its stores’ party areas into a work-friendly McClassroom from October 9-23, 2020 for teachers to use for free - a fitting and innovative way to help teachers as they shift to distance learning.

Supporting teachers with a work-friendly McClassroom

As teachers adjust to distance learning, McDonald’s recognizes that not all teachers have easy access to spaces that are conducive for conducting online classes. In response to this need, McDonald’s has converted its party spaces into McClassrooms to provide teachers with clean, safe, and work-friendly learning spaces for FREE, so they can focus on delivering lessons to their students with ease. McDonald’s goal is to be able to show support to teachers, as the brand thanks and salutes them for their contribution to nation building through educating one student at a time.

Aside from having a work-friendly environment with the McDonald’s store’s enclosed party area, registered teachers can also enjoy a complimentary McCafe Premium Roast Coffee to perk them up for the school day. Virtual backgrounds would also be provided to them to use for their online classes or meetings, and Wi-Fi access for free.

To ensure that the teachers are M Safe, a McClassroom may be reserved by a maximum of two (2) teachers per time slot for social distancing and sound level management. There will be 2 batches: a morning batch from 8:00AM-12:00NN and the afternoon batch from 1:00PM-5:00PM schedule to allow for a disinfection period from 12:00NN-1:00PM. Registrants were required to wear a face mask and face shield as well, to ensure sanitary protocols are set in place.

Smart powers e-learning at McClassrooms

The successful first leg of the project from October 5-9, 2020 was met warmly with close to 300 registered teachers enjoying McClassroom, inspiring McDonald’s to extend the project. For the second leg, McDonald’s has officially partnered with Smart Communications, Inc, which turned over 200 units of Smart Bro Pocket Wi-Fi units, ensuring more educators of continued reliable access to the internet through McClassroom. The next batch of pre-registration will be open from October 12-16, for the second leg’s time slots that will run from October 19-23.

McClassroom is McDonald’s way of thanking teachers for their invaluable contribution to the lives of young Filipinos especially during this pandemic, and Smart is more than happy to work alongside McDonald's to provide more teachers with the conducive learning spaces that they very well deserve.

“Telecommunications technology is the crucial backbone which supports public services, businesses, and people. Smart has been put in a unique position to address the evolving needs of our customers as a result of the current situation,” said Jane J. Basas, Smart Senior Vice President and Head of Consumer Wireless Business. “We are doing our best to connect as many as we could, so we have continued to provide free phones, load, and pocket Wi-Fis to students and teachers who are most in need. This initiative with McDonald’s is just the latest in these efforts to equip our teachers with the connectivity they need to be able to transition into the new normal.”

According to McDonald’s Philippines President and CEO Mr. Kenneth Yang, “We would like to thank SMART Communications, Inc. for their support to our McClassroom initiative, because it is through their generosity that we will be able to better serve and equip our teachers as they transition to distance learning. In the true spirit of bayanihan, we are grateful for the opportunity to create partnerships that allow us to expand our shared efforts in giving back to our teachers.”

McDonald’s continues to say “thank you” to teachers in more ways than one

Beyond McClassroom, McDonald’s Philippines has always supported education through its various initiatives through the years and through the programs of Ronald McDonald House Charities Philippines. The Ronald McDonald Read-to-Learn program has over 10,000 partner schools nationwide - training more than 28,000 educators and improving the literacy of grades 1 and 2 public school students. The brand also supports Brigada Eskwela. This year, McDonald’s

Brigada Eskwela T-shirts were sold to raise funds, and all proceeds were used for the procurement of care kits and disinfection materials for the select 40 school beneficiaries and 1,200 teachers, nationwide.

By closely collaborating with stakeholders, McDonald’s is able to co-create and strengthen innovative solutions to foster a safer and conducive learning space for both teachers and students alike. Through McClassroom, McDonald’s moves to make a difference in the lives of Filipinos by supporting the teachers that build the nation, one student at a time.

Distance Learning? Don’t take Power Availability for Granted

Mandaluyong, Manila [September 24, 2020] – Amid the pandemic, there has been a push among educational institutions worldwide to explore the online and digital approach to ensure that learning among students remains unhampered.

In the Philippines, education officials have recently moved the opening of classes from August 24 to October 5, to provide more time for schools and universities, which only used to conduct face-to-face classes, to prepare for distance learning—an approach that includes no in-person interaction between the learners and their teachers.

Some educational institutions, however, especially colleges and universities, have already started conducting classes following the distance learning approach.

Classes are done either through the distribution of printed copies of modules (online or offline) or by conducting them using virtual classrooms where teachers and students can communicate, interact, and collaborate even if they are remote from each other, mostly through an online learning environment.

In many ways, virtual classrooms are just like the traditional ones, where students must be able to see, hear, and interact with the teacher and their classmates, all while having a good view of their learning modules and other materials.

For educational institutions and educators alike, conducting virtual or online classes mean they will have to rely on technology to thrive even amid the pandemic. Teachers and students must also have the right digital tools for their 'classroom setup' at home to get by until schools reopen, and regular face-to-face classes resume.

UPS for Distance Learning

In a virtual classroom setup, educators and students would need essential e-learning tools that need continuous power to keep them running and avoid problems that may impede the students' learning experience.

Aside from a stable internet connection, they must have personal computers, smartphones, tablets, and scanning and printing devices, among others, for their online classes. Some software applications are also important to enable virtual classes. It includes video and audio conferencing, so teachers and students can see and hear each other, as well as real-time text chat apps, which come handy in providing instructions.

Lastly, a library (or an online platform) of learning materials must also be available to provide more structured lessons. This platform will allow teachers to prepare for a class in less time. Most importantly, it allows both the teacher and students to always be on the same page.

But with the start of the classes scheduled in October, coinciding with the typhoon season in the Philippines, power outages or interruptions are among the foreseeable scenarios that teachers and their students may experience amid distance learning.

If there is a power outage, even for a moment, the loss of power can be detrimental. Several files could become inaccessible, or worse, deleted permanently. Some devices might even be damaged due to sudden shutdown. There is also the risk of having additional cost implications for their repair or replacement.

Helping ensure unhampered learning

To help avoid these problems, educators, and even students, need an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) for their virtual classroom set up at home.

According to Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, a UPS device is incredibly important for schools, teachers, and students that rely on personal computers, servers, and other electronic devices being on, at least 12 hours (or more) a day, seven days a week.

“A UPS can protect these critical devices from main supply problems, including spikes, voltage dips, fluctuations, and complete power failures, using a dedicated battery. Having a UPS at home can also help in “bridging the gap” as it seamlessly switches the source to battery mode so devices can continue working until they are safely shut down, or the main power is restored,” said Jason Lim, country manager of Vertiv Philippines.

To support schools, teachers, and students who need an uninterruptible power supply for distance learning, Vertiv innovated a full-range of Liebert UPS, which are future-proof, eco-friendly, and highly efficient.

Filipino Teachers Share How Canva for Education Helped them Prepare for Distance Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we operate across the globe, which is especially evident in the educational sector. Pre-COVID-19e, most of the schools in the Philippines followed a traditional face-to-face classroom arrangement, however, nowadays, educators around the country have had to find opportunities and urgent solutions to teach their students remotely. With the new school year, classes have commenced digitally, and Filipino educators have worked double time to upskill and equip themselves with the digital tools needed to offer their students a seamless and innovative learning environment. Despite the limited time and resources, many are still 110% committed to their vocation and are excited to prepare the next generation for the future, through good education.

Canva for Education is a free product offering for educational institutions catering to K-12. It offers thousands of templates and a library of “premium” royalty-free images, as well as features intended to facilitate simultaneous collaboration between students and teachers in the classroom or remotely.

Yani Hornilla-Donato, Canva Philippines’ Country Manager, explained empowering Filipino educators was core to the organization’s goal for 2020.

“Our mission is to bring Canva for Education to every K-12 teacher and student in the country, becoming their creativity and productivity partner of choice during this unprecedented time. We will continue to reach out to schools and teachers across the country as we roll out Canva for Education, providing as much support as we possibly can to make their experience easy,” said Hornilla-Donato.

Canva Philippines partnered with the Office of the Vice President (OVP) as it rolled out Bayanihan e-Skwela, an online educational platform empowering teachers and parents as children shifted to distance learning. Canva curated templates for some episodes, created posters, and provided the OVP access to the Canva library. In its effort to expand its reach, Canva Philippines also partnered with the Knowledge Channel Foundation and trained teachers in selected schools across the South Cotabato region on how to best use the platform for all their virtual classroom needs.

With its intuitive user-friendly features and a wide variety of classroom templates relevant to specific learning goals, Canva for Education serves as every teacher’s ‘one-stop-shop’ for creating learning materials for their classes and collaborating in the classroom.
Sarah Mae Columnas, a teacher from Mansasa National High School in Bohol explained even though the current environment still provides a level of uncertainty, Canva for Education supports, enables and empowers teachers to be more creative and innovative, whether they’re in the classroom, or teaching remotely.

“Being equipped with the right tools to teach 21st century learners is the responsibility of every teacher across the country, as this is our sworn obligation to uphold our nation’s goals and create a better future for our next generations.

“I encouraged one of my colleagues to use Canva for Education as well and walked her through the process. We have come to realize that it is truly a gift to Filipino teachers,” furthered Ms Columnas.

One of the biggest changes educators face today is the need to migrate everything they use in their classroom to a digital setting. In addition to that, teachers also acknowledge the challenge of adding variety to their teaching repertoire and curriculum, to ensure their lessons remain just as engaging as a physical setting.

Michelle Brabante, School Director of Minido Preschool in Marinduque said she uses Canva for Education to create video lessons for her students, by using the platform’s talking presentations feature.

“The students really respond well to our talking presentations; it makes them happy, they feel more connected to us as educators and they’re certainly more engaged with the content we go through,” said Ms Brabante.

In an effort to further empower teachers with the resources needed to heighten engagement with students in a virtual world, Canva for Education has developed a range of Classroom Kits, inspired by real-life physical classroom set-ups. These themed kits come with templates, illustrations, and photos collection that will inspire Filipino teachers to bring more life and energy to their learning materials as classes resume remotely.

Canva for Education also includes an all-new collaboration space, a review workflow, access to content from Google Drive, Dropbox, Folders, version history and SSO with Clever and Google.
“Canva for Education has helped our team enormously in terms of collaboration. We like working together, and we love that Canva for Education allows us to do our tasks as a team,” added Brabante.

Canva for Education also includes add-ons such as education-specific content, the ability to create captivating videos, plus every ingredient to bring designs to life with Giphys, over 2 million images, 800k icons and illustrations, 700+ fonts, YouTube integrations and QR codes.
Ryan Alvin Torrejos, teacher from German European School Manila explained how Canva for Education has helped him now and will continue to be an invaluable tool for the future.
“I know I will still be using Canva for Education for many years to come, even when students are allowed back into their physical classrooms.“I cannot rate Canva for Education highly enough, and am always recommending it to all my co-teachers, and all the other teachers I know,” said Mr Torrejos.

Recognizing the dedication of the educators in the Philippines, Canva Philippines in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd), has also held webinars for Filipino teachers to share with them the gift of Canva for Education. The webinars were so well received, Canva launched a Facebook Community for Filipino Teachers that serves as a space for professional support and training for teachers to learn and adapt to the modalities of virtual teaching. With the request and feedback of Filipino teachers in the group, Canva for Education also released localized illustrations, assets, templates, and photos in August in line with the celebration of Buwan ng Wika.

If you are a K-12 teacher in the Philippines, you may visit https://www.canva.com/education/ to sign-up for your free Canva for Education account.


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.