Smart PayITFwd Iloilo launch at Bavaria German Restaurant

Over the German specialties of Bavaria, the launching of Smart Communications PayITFwd in Iloilo was a night of inspirational stories and a delicious gastronomical specialties. The speisen und getranke (food and drinks) consisted of sausages, pasta, pizza, sandwiches, cookies and German beer!

PayITfwd is a social development initiative that aims to enable nation building by increasing access to technology (device + connectivity).The goal is to support, promote, expand, enhance, reward and enable social good efforts that foster LEARNING through technology.These social good acts done by ordinary individuals or groups -- dubbed 'Smart Acts' -- are made 'smarter' with technology.

Technology not only increases access to learning but enables these smart acts to spread its benefits to more communities thus keeping the 'good' going.PayITfwd is the new program of Smart Communications, Inc. that aims to enable the spread of social good acts or 'smart acts' using technology (or Information Technology).

“The goal is to support, promote, expand, enhance, reward and enable social good efforts that foster learning through technology. With payITfwd, social good advocates can scale up and even encourage the public to support their cause,” said Ramon Isberto, head of Smart Public Affairs Group.

It was well attended by the members of the media who heard a lot of inspiring stories from the invited guest speakers who in their own right can be considered winners.

Like Mrs. Herminia Pineda who is as a former scavenger at the Calajunan dumpsite in Mandurriao. Through the SMART assisted Sooc Social Ventures, she is now the Tarp Head for Livelihood which recycles used tarpaulins into bags and other usable things.

Maybelle Miraflores (above) talks about a women creating arts and crafts from recyclable materials like juice packs and paperbeads. Marilyn Platon (below) of Sooc Social Ventures of PLDT Smart Amazing GK Village Kapitbahayan Association Inc.All these three above projects are part of Project Zero which recently won the 2013 Asian Communication Award for THE SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION CATEGORY.

Under the project, the mothers in GK-Sooc create bags from recycled tarpaulins designed by PJ Arañador. The designer handbags are sold both locally and abroad, and helps provide steady income for the GK-Sooc mothers while at the same time, promoting green initiatives because it promotes zero waste. The initiative dubbed Sooc Social Ventures has garnered several awards since it was launched April 18, 2012 in Boracay, Malay town in Aklan, including the Award of Excellence in the 2012 Quill awards and 2013 Anvil Award of Excellence. The 66 families of the village used to be waste pickers before they were relocated and chosen as beneficiaries of a partnership between GK and Smart last 2005. (The Daily Guardian)

Maugri Laluma of UPV explains how her group Kabataang Katipuneros alleviated the lives of the people of brgy Lapaz in Guimaras through health campaign and empowerment. She and her felllow Public Health students from UP Visayas organized the Team Kabataang Katipuneros and implemented their Kalinisan at Kalusugan para sa Kaunlaran (KKK) project in June 2012 with a daunting task of reducing the number 1 rank of underweight 0-10 years old (for five consecutive years) of Barangay La Paz through a multi-pronged approach of health education, community participation, immersion, and organization, supplemental feeding and use of malunggay powder, and grassroots training on sanitation, meal budgeting, and proper nutrition. After nine months of implementation, as of March 2013, Barangay La Paz is now ranked number 20 with the original number of 210 undernourished children now reduced to four (originally severely undernourished and now mildly undernourished) with a mean weight gain of 7 kgs. (Read more)

Meanwhile Roger Esmaña recycles old tires into garden set of tables and chairs (below). Despite the lack of support, he says, it still inspires him to see people appreciating this novel furniture and orders keep pouring in.

Photo by Totan Clavel of Discover Panay Island

All these stories are what Smart is looking for as these extraordinary deeds by ordinary people can make a positive difference in this world. As the the wireless leader, Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) is giving these acts of kindness a further boost by way of payITfwd, a social development initiative that aims to enable the spread of social good acts or ‘smart acts’ using technology. “The goal is to support, promote, expand, enhance, reward and enable social good efforts that foster learning through technology. With payITfwd, social good advocates can scale up and even encourage the public to support their cause,” said Ramon Isberto, head of Smart Public Affairs Group.

Read more about the mechanics of the competition.

It was indeed a night of inspirational stories that keep the cycle of doing good continuous throughout pour lives. And with Smart's payITFwd campaign, these efforts will not only be greatly rewarded but also gain public awareness for a better and bigger things to come.

Cheers!

Fruits from the grocery

These packs of cut up fruits were bought from SM Delgado's grocery. Got enticed by their color and luckily, they were as good as they looked, especially the papaya. Each was just less than Php 22, really a bargain!

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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