My husband and I believe in supporting advocacies that benefit children because they are our nation's future generations of leaders who need good foundations to become upright citizens in the years to come.

On its fifth year, the annual charity event continues to promote a healthy lifestyle through running, while also raising funds to help secure a better future for thousands of Filipino children. This year's World Vision Run, co-presented by Run Rio Inc., not only called for support for children's education but also for their health and nutrition.

Did you know? Malnutrition is still the leading health problem among Filipino children. In fact, according to the National Nutrition Survey, 2 out of 10 kids under the age of five are malnourished and that, each year, 10 million children die before they reach their 5th birthday due to preventable diseases. 

One of the things that keep customers coming back to certain stores are loyalty rewards. I should know because I've redeemed rebates and gifts from establishments I've frequented over the years. I have to admit though that carrying various loyalty cards in my wallet can become very burdensome so I leave some at home to let my wallet breathe and then regret not having them when I suddenly happen to find myself inside a particular store.

According to Ed Limjoco, President and CEO of Jabez Infinity Group, Inc., merchants have already seen the need to keep their customers many years back thus the birth of loyalty programs. However, loyalty cards in the Philippines are still usually specific to individual stores.

During Unboxed, the Zing Rewards launch last August 1, Limjoco explained that many merchants have their own loyalty cards but consumers do not really get emotionally attached to a certain card and that many cards have limited use. Conversely, Zing Rewards, Jabez's universal loyalty card, can be used for multiple stores and aims to revolutionize how businesses rewards their customers.

The rewards card has partnered with insurance company AIG to further give customers purchase and wallet protection. That means, a cardholder's purchase is insured for 30 days after the sale, for up to P20,000 in case his/her wallet gets lost.

"We believe that Zing is an amazing product that will delight a lot of consumers. In the past, there's not much excitement about having a loyalty card," shared Limjoco. "We would want to step up a bit more by creating experiences that will delight cardholders to encourage them to go back and use their card even more."

To earn points, cardholders only need to swipe their card at any merchant partner terminal when paying for items. Points can be used for exclusive deals, fun freebies at partner stores, or can be converted to cash that could be transferred to an existing bank account. One point equals one peso. Cardholders can also increase points by sharing Zing Rewards with friends.

What got my attention most on the info card given to me though is the advocacy component. It says, "Be part of the meaningful consumption movement through Zing. Your purchases from Zing merchant stores will help fund the World Vision foundation." Since I've been a WV sponsor for more than 10 years now, I give two thumbs up to that!

Present during the launch to entertain guests were singer Julieanne and magician Erik Mana who showed us some really cool and amaZing tricks! As of the launch date, Zing Rewards already has around 100 merchant partners with the goal to expand to 500 merchant partners by the end of 2014.

For more information, like Zing Rewards on Facebook, follow @zingrewardsph on Twitter, and @zingrewards on Instagram. Register now for an account at zingrewards.com and kindly put "writermom" on the referral space. Thanks! 

I've been blogging about World Vision for years because I believe in its commitment to uplift the lives of poor children through education. As a mother and a WV child sponsor, I believe in how important it is to raise children with proper education as well as values that can help them be good citizens and responsible adults in the future.  

This year, before another school year starts, World Vision Philippines launched a new fundraising campaign called Celebrities for Children: The Race for Hope. Four well-known Filipino personalities, who are already sponsoring children through World Vision have pledged that they will find more sponsors for at least 1,000 poor children in the country by encouraging their family, friends, and fans to also send at least one child to school.

During a press con held the other day, two of the four participants who responded to the call and accepted the challenge joined WV staff and members of the media to affirm their desire to help. TV host Christine Bersola-Babao and beauty queen Miriam Quaimbao were there to answer questions while entrepreneur Cristalle Belo Henares and movie/TV actress Ann Curtis sent messages through video clips.

World Vision Associate Director for Public Engagement Jun Godornes shared, "Through this project, World Vision celebrities will have the opportunity to experience deeper and meaningful engagements, making them ambassadors for children and fundraisers-in-action."

He added that all four may use any fundraising strategy as long as it abides with World Vision's ethical guidelines and child protection policies. "They may tap as many channels as they wish: social media, conduct of special events, media guestings, etc. But the celebrities themselves shall initiate these engagements," clarified Godornes.

The campaign is considered a race because the first celebrity to gather 300 sponsors before July 23, 2013 will get to visit a World Vision-assisted community in Africa. Now that's a nice prize! The ladies assured everyone though that it would still remain a friendly competition

It was likewise great to hear the story of Cherry Marcelo, a former sponsored child, first hand. Because of what she went through, she developed a heart for helping children and is now a staff of World Vision. She, and others like her, such as the Philippine Coast Guard's Commander Armand Balilo and Kariton Classroom's Efren Penaflorida (who has also been hailed CNN Hero), are actually making a difference in our country today.

Support your favorite celebrity and help World Vision in this campaign by visiting this link to know more: http://worldvision.org.ph/campaigns/celebrity-for-children/index.html

Someday, the Philippines may have more leaders that were former WV sponsored children. Wouldn't it be great to know that they were not only educated well but were also raised with Godly principles? This is made possible because a World Vision child sponsorship assures the overall well-being of children. It provides children access to basic healthcare, education, values-formation activities, and sustainable livelihood for their families.

By sponsoring, you will help secure the future of not only your sponsored child but also his/her family and their entire community as well. Moreover, you will know where your money is going because you will receive regular reports and updates about your sponsored child.

Be part of the solution. Donate for this worthwhile cause and sponsor a child in need!

* To see more photos taken during the press con, please click here.

We often hear the phrase "Children are our future" and I personally believe that to be true. It is up to us, parents and teachers, to help shape and mold them into good human beings so that, one day, they could fill our shoes and, perhaps, do things better than we did. 

Everyone needs education to advance in life. Unfortunately, not all adults are equipped to raise kids well. In the Philippines, it is common to see children selling stuff or begging on the streets. Poverty is a reality in our country and it continues to be a hindrance for many parents who dream of sending their children to school.

This is where World Vision and its supporters come in through the child sponsorship program, a channel for people to help send underprivileged children to school. For P20 a day or P600 a month, one child will already be able to acquire the knowledge he/she needs to slowly, but surely, reach her dreams. In addition, the community where the child lives would also benefit from the sponsorship because World Vision also helps create livelihood programs that encourage parents to work harder for their families and empower the community as a whole.

I have been a World Vision child sponsor since 2003 and it has been a wonderful journey. Every year, I receive an annual report about how my sponsored child is doing. It's heartwarming to see her grow bigger through the photos World Vision sends me. She writes me short notes once in a while as well as a homemade greeting card every Christmas. Those things show me, and other child sponsors I know, where our small contributions have been going. It is also a continuous source of wonder that those children, whom we haven't even met yet, are being given a chance to have a good future because there are people in other parts of the country who care.

If you are compelled to help this advocacy of providing education for poor Filipino children, be a World Vision sponsor today. Together, we can make a difference, one child at a time. 

This is MY World Vision ... What's yours? :)

Many of us take our clean drinking water for granted when we have plenty of supply and our sources are very accessible. Many of you who are reading this can probably just buy bottled water from the nearest store or have several gallons delivered by a trusted water station whenever needed. 

Still, there are many parts of the world where it's still hard to acquire clean water for drinking. Thankfully, Procter & Gamble (P&G) Philippines’ hair care brand Pantene joins the cause to give children safe drinking water with the launch of its “Healthy Hair for Healthy Water” Campaign.

The initiative supports the P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program, a long-term global advocacy program that focuses on reducing sickness and death that result from water-borne illnesses caused by drinking contaminated water.

This 2012, Pantene, with P&G’s CSDW program, will provide water purification packets in the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. Filipinos are encouraged to donate one day of clean drinking water through online pledges at the Pantene facebook page (www.facebook.com/PantenePhilippines).

Dr. Greg Allgood, Director of the P&G CSDW Program is excited to have Pantene strengthen the campaign in the Philippines. After a recent visit to Siargo, he affirmed that the program will provide more than 17 million days (equivalent to 34 million liters) of clean drinking water during the next year for more than 25,000 of the most vulnerable people living in remote areas that only have contaminated water sources. 

According to P&G’s External Relations Leader, Clint Navales, their goal is to be able to get 10,000,000 pledges all over Asia, "So we would like to invite Filipinos to support our campaign by visiting the Pantene Facebook page and giving their pledge. We’ve seen through recent calamities how difficult it is to have access to something as basic as clean drinking water, and also how important clean water is to prevent disease in these situations. With the Pantene Healthy Hair Healthy Water campaign, you now not only get healthy hair, but you help give a child good health through clean drinking water”.

The P&G CSDW Program started in 2004 using a powdered water-purification technology developed in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Imagine, one small packet can quickly turn 10 liters of dirty, potentially deadly water into clean, drinkable water!

The program collaborates with more than 120 partners worldwide to respond to the greatest needs for clean water. To date, clean drinking water has already been provided in over 65 developing countries.

Recently, P&G’s CSDW was able to donate clean water to communities hit by Sendong through a partnership with World Vision Philippines. They were able to distribute 600,000 water purification packets to the survivors, including more than 500 families in Mandulog and nearby communities, which was one of the areas hardest hit by the typhoon in Iligan.

Through the Pantene Healthy Hair for Healthy Water program, P&G is hopeful that the campaign will touch and improve the lives of the people who need it the most. “I’m very grateful to P&G and World Vision Philippines for the work they’re doing to reach the most vulnerable people in very remote places where clean drinking water will make a big difference in improving and likely saving lives." emphasized Dr. Allgood.

I just made a pledge at Pantene's Facebook page. It's easy and there's no purchase required. You just choose one of three pledges about things you'll do to keep your hair healthy then click the submit button. Join this worthwhile cause now!