Circus Vargas brings “MagiKaria!” to Manila

The magic of Christmas will be even more captivating – and jaw-dropping – with the arrival in Manila of the internationally acclaimed Circus Vargas troupe, one of the world’s biggest traveling circuses.

Showcasing gravity-defying flights, flashy costumes, fun dance routines, and other deliriously delightful antics, Circus Vargas will be bringing to the country its most exciting production dubbed as “MagiKaria, A Fantastical Magical Experience.”  

This amazing production will feature the astonishing athleticism, physical beauty and acrobatic prowess of the men, women and children of the circus, promising to deliver the same immense joy and excitement already experienced by millions of people worldwide.

Circus Vargas promises to bring back the old school circus entertainment mixed with modern twists. There’s the fabulous fluidity of the aerial ballet that uses streams of chiffon material hanging from the ceiling. There’s also Zorro Low Wire who leaps and flips over various obstacles in his way, and other acrobats doing some fun trampoline style tricks.

Equally mesmerizing is the upbeat juggling styles of Michael Ferreri, a 4th generation performer who started at 13 years old, together with the death-defying cannon jumper Leo Garcia.  Then there’s the thrilling trio of motorcycle riders doing their dangerous stunts inside the round metal cage called the Thunder Globe.

Charismatic illusionist Patrick Gable will also perform his mystifying illusions that are guaranteed to impress, astound, and make everyone in the whole family a believer of MagiKaria.

This extravaganza of magical proportions will be held at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City from December 25 to January 1, 2014.

Tickets are now available at SM Tickets, SM Cinema, and Snack Time outlets.
For inquiries, call Tropical Productions, Inc. at 519-8984, email info@tpiguam.com, or visit www.circusvargas.com.

The Mind Museum's Cafe Scientifique Talks About Why Should Pinoys Bother with Science

I am fond of listening to talks about things that involve science and the community, especially when it's led by prominent people in the field of science and those who are experts on their respective fields so when I got an invite to attend a forum about it without a doubt I reserved a slot.

The forum is called Cafe Scientifique. According to the curator of The Mind Museum at Taguig, this has been ongoing since the start of the exhibit. This is happening monthly and they are inviting guest experts to talk about a certain topic and audience are encouraged to ask questions or give their insights. They also encourage everyone, especially those who are interested about the topic to sign up and attend the said monthly event.

Yesterday, I was one of the lucky bloggers who get to experience this forum. In line of their celebration of Andres Bonifacio's 150th anniversary, the topic is about the recently concluded disaster caused by Super Typhoon Yolanda or internationally known as Haiyan, what went wrong, and what can be done about it.

The Mind Museum Curator, Maria Isabel Garcia, Dr. Gemma Narisma, Dr. Gerry Bagtasa, PhiVolcs' Dr. Renato Solidum and a representative for Project NOAH

It was really a very informative discussion and I am impressed on how the audience participated and how well they are listening to the guest speakers infront. I got so many insights and was able to incorporate it to my own. I also learned more about Project NOAH, PhiVolcs and the movement and detection of typhoons and rains in the Philippines. They also confirmed that the theory of microwave pulses that moved the typhoon to our country is a hoax. I also get to know the social experiments being conducted by The Mind Movers of The Mind Museum.

From how I understand it, there is no concrete way of predicting how exact a certain earthquake or typhoon in terms of time or intensity of damage it can bring, but what can be done is a closest prediction. There is also a problem with information dissemination especially from the government sector since most people did not know what a "Storm Surge" is about, and what it can do. Filipinos in general lack "disaster imagination" making us unaware of how intense is the calamity that will strike us. Moreover, I believe that its about disaster preparedness, this should be intensified so we won't have another catastrophes like this. As I quote from Dr. Solidum of PhiVolcs, "In disasters, its better if we learn from other's mistakes than our own.".

If you want to be a part of the next The Mind Museum's Cafe Scientifique, just send and email to inquiry@themindmuseum.org to reserve a slot for. You can also reserve a slot for a friend because this is free and open to the public.

Good Vibes everyone and Sweet Running! ^_^

Enjoy Philippines Gives 100% of Sales for YolandaPH Relief Efforts

Enjoy Philippines, the county's premiere loyalty and privilege marketing program, connecting affluent and upwardly mobile Filipino consumers to the country's best dining, nightlife, shopping and lifestyle services is giving back by supporting the call for support to our fellowmen who were survivors of the recent Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

From now until November 30, Enjoy donates 100% of the membership sales to An Waray Party List's Relief Operations in Tacloban, Leyte.

Your donation of Php 1,995 provides the following help to our brothers and sisters in need:

• Meal packs for 15 families for 3 days
• 7-day antibiotics treatment for 20 patients
• 500 pain reliever pills for medical missions
• Bottled water for 200 people

What's In addition to saving over Php 350,000 at the top brands in the Philippines, your purchase of a membership for yourself or a loved one also comes with the following extras:

• Free nationwide delivery
• Free gift wrapping and personal note
• 30 day money back guarantee

To avail of this offer, please click on this link: http://enjoythebest.ph/order/yolandaph

On behalf of An Waray and the Enjoy Team, we thank you for your generous support!

For complete details of this fund raising campaign, please visit enjoythebest.ph. You can also reach us via our hotline (02) 4788888 or email marketing@enjoythebest.com.ph.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/enjoyphil
Twitter: @enjoyphil
Instagram: @enjoyphil

My First Cycling Race Experience

BGC Cycle Philippines, this is where I had my first Cycling Race experience and right away I am on the 40K Challenge Ride. I first saw this race being promoted on IronMan Cebu Race Expo last August. My Teammates encouraged me to join in. I am not comfortable with this idea because I'm just a newbie but since They already signed me up, I'll do it anyway.

Cycling Pack. So worth it!

I love biking. I enjoy leisure rides and sightseeing while doing so but after seeing accidents happen on videos I suddenly realized that it's too risky. Saw some athlete friends in Facebook posting photos of them with broken bones, ravaged faces and some are even serious they end up undergoing operations in hospitals, and even death.

My husband is a bike commuter. When there is time we go riding together on the road, riding side by side with motorcycles, jeepneys, cars and even trucks and buses; from small streets, to busy streets, to main roads and even on EDSA! I always get that little heart attack everytime they pass by me on whooping speeds. He taught me bike commuting skills and how to handle situations on the road so I could gain confidence.

Steve with Maxx

Taking a break at Heritage Park

Cycling side by side along EDSA!

A few days before the race I got so jittery. I am so nervous because I don't know how this cycling race will turn out. I have experienced supporting a competitive cycling race but it's really different when it's your turn to ride.

    Before the ride starts. So nervous 

I expect that the challenge would be the time to finish but I learned that the true challenge is keeping yourself alert with those sudden pedestrians who will cross the street, those motorcycle who sometimes show up without notice, fellow riders who overtakes you from the wrong side & keeping your balance while getting out of the traffic once you get stuck. Don't get me wrong, the Marshals did an excellent job in keeping the traffic but some things are just inevitable. I saw around 5 bikers who caught minor accidents just infront of me.

Photo credits to Joanne Raquel

While riding, I hear the voices of my hubby in my head while he's instructing me on road confidence, Attorney Jocas on shifting gears, Sally on advises about hypos, Sir Poch giving motivation and support. These made me finish my race without stopping, even on the steep uphills. I am proud I never unmounted Steve despite the pain.

The road is mostly rough, and if you're not careful you'll get caught in an accident because some broken asphalts are really hard to see, especially the manholes that are installed lower than the road.

I finished the race in 2 hours 15 minutes. Very lame time. I am craving I want to ride more! Me and Steve are scratchless. No injuries whatsoever, just very hungry!

Photo credits to Joanne Raquel

I saw those nice expensive bikes on the race that stopped because of mechanical problems as I pass by them. Happy that I have a very good personal mechanic who takes good care of Steve. Happy also to have a sturdy bike from Scott. He may be one of the cheapest. But he never lets me down!

Overall, it was a great start of cycling for me. I think I have become a better cyclist after this.

Photo credits to Joanne Raquel

Photo credits to Joanne Raquel

Thanks so much to my Teammates, Team Triabetics for the motivation and support, especially to Kuya Rej, Sir Eric, Sally, Attorney Jocas and Sir Poch. To the photographers, Joanne, Justin & the one who took 3 of these photos, Lestsky. To fellow bikers who took time to greet for me along the road. To Ms. Princess Galura for always cheerfully assisting me on my queries. To Unison Bike Shop's Ms. Cecille Ty for the support & generosity to my team. To our sponsors, Abbott Diabetes Care, Ampalaya Plus, Gold's Gym and Scott Bikes for supporting our advocacy. To my personal mechanic, who's always there to support my craziness, my husband Rico, I love you forever! To my family and mostly, to God Almighty who's guidance made me finish the race safe and happy.

Would I be doing this again next year? HELL YEAH!

To all finishers and organizers of BGC Cycle Philippines, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Good Vibes everyone and Sweet CYCLING! ^_^

Sweet Blogapalooza 2013

Blogging is my way of expression; I let all my thoughts, sentiments and ideas come out through writing. I love sharing them with others as well. I even keep a diary before and it has become my must trusted friend where I can share my secrets and won't tell a single soul about it. I started building a blog just to share my experiences as a diabetic athlete in the hope to inspire other people to take on a healthy lifestyle like a did, but I never thought that Blogging has a potential to influence other people and even benefit from it.

Through blogging, I got connected to Social Media people and even corporations who got interested in me and the nature of what I am writing. I have broaden my connections since, and got more readers and followers than what I expected. To be honest, I never thought someone is actually reading my blog, and I never thought that I would get this far by just sharing my thoughts in the whole wide web.

I am aware that some bloggers have become income generators because they get hired by companies to review stuff or other things. I know some who earns much from blogging they get to live without their day jobs. Amazing huh? Well. I'm not that good sad to say. Haha!

Just a few months ago, I got an invite again to join BLOGAPALOOZA (I joined the first one before). It's more like a Lovapalooza thing but it's not about dating. According to the organizers, "Blogapalooza is a community. It’s a link between big and small businesses who have something cool to share and the online community of people who love to share. Blogapalooza is a blogger event on crack! Lots of giveaways for the bloggers and online community and a chance for big and small businesses to present their product / brand / thingamajig to hundreds of influential bloggers and online social media influencers." More details here: http://blogapalooza.wheninmanila.com/what-is-blogapalooza/

The event took place last November 16, 2013 at SMX Convention Center in SM Aura Premier, Taguig. I am actually hesitant to come because of the jitters I have from the thought of my first cycling race happening the day after, but I decided to come anyway.

I came in at around 1pm. I did not avail of the free GrabTaxi service since I just live near the area and I think it's not right to hire a cab going to the event if you're just 1-2 kilometers away. No sweat in the registration area and in just minutes, I'm in!

I am amazed on what I saw inside, booths from different business waiting for us to drop by and check them out, so I didn't waste any time and visited them one by one.

BOOTH 1: GrabTaxi App

GrabTaxi is the first and largest taxi app in the Philippines that help passengers book a cab with safety, speed, certainty and convenience. Just download them on your Android or iPhone and hire a cab with just P70 booking fee on top of your metered fare. No need to wait for hour just to get a taxi, you'll also feel secured since the Taxi Drivers name and Plate Number is registered you can share them on your Facebook page or to your family and friends to let them know.

While I did not avail of the free ride going to the venue, I availed the waived booking fee from the venue. It was fast, easy and hassle free! Got to my destination and paid lesser than the estimate from the app. Worth the shot!

Check out their facebook page to find out more: https://www.facebook.com/grabtaxi.ph


BOOTH 2: MegaWorld Lifestyle Mall App

From the owners of the elite malls in Metro Manila like Eastwood Mall, Resorts World Newport Mall, Lucky Chinatown Mall, Venice Piazza Mall and Burgos Circle at Forbes Town Center comes an App that can help visitors navigate their way in for convenience and information. Not only that, they also feature freebies and promos for the users of their App.

You can download the App in Android or iPhone and get a chance to win exciting freebies from them!

By the way, I won a limited edition Line Doll from them. I super love it! Thanks so much!

Visit their website for more information: http://megaworldlifestylemalls.com


BOOTH 3: Lulu Nails & Dry Bar

If you happen to be my friend on Facebook, you'll notice that I often post photos of my DIY manicure. I have this fascination in nail arts but I do not avail of services since I can do it on my own. But some challenging nail arts cannot be done on my own, this is where Nail Spa services come in handy.

This is the first time I tried Gel Nail Polish and I so love it! The texture and the shine is just so perfect! I would opt for some hard nail art to challenge their Nail Artist but it'll take too much time so I availed of the simple one.

Lulu Nails & Dry Bar doesn't only offer services for the pedi and mani, they also have massage and spa services that will keep up your well deserved pampering and relaxation.

For more information, just visit their Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/Ilovelulunails


BOOTH 4: NY Theraspine

I got interested in this because this is about Physical Therapy. According to their Clinical Profile, Started September 2011, New York Theraspine – a new and advanced rehabilitation and chiropractic facility, providing western society healthcare and rehabilitation was founded in the country. Located in Dr. Scout Lazcano, Tomas Morato Q.C., the facility is thoroughly prepared and ready to assist you and your company with any and all physical ailments, work related injuries affecting daily work routine and active lifestyle. Our healthcare team is composed of Doctors and Physical Therapists highly trained, licensed and board certified from New York, Missouri, USA and here in the Philippines.

I get to experience their Gyminator. According to the Therapist, this is just a part of their procedure packages for therapy. I tried to hold a squats position for about a minute and it felt like I did 20 x 3 reps of squats with 20lbs weight on my shoulders! Amazing how it targets the legs and glutenous muscles. Also tried the core position and it hits the spot just right. I just hope Gyms would have this kind of machine I swear I'm gonna abuse it!

You can visit their website for more information: https//www.nytheraspine.com


BOOTH 5: Gavino's Japanese Donuts

I am not a fan of donuts because I watch my blood sugar but my hubby and my son loves them so much. When I visited their booth and as I browse on their donut flavors I got so curious. They got Floss, Parmesan, Green Tea, Cheesecake and many others that you won't see on regular donut flavors. These are not just donuts, they are Mochi Donuts. I had a few bites and I must say that it's so chewy, soft and not so sweet. Perfect for cheat days!

I got a box sampler and when I got home and Ethan grabbed it right away. I just love watching him munching and enjoying the donuts for himself. He even keep the box and doesn't want to share. I just told him that we'll buy another box and that's the time he shared it with the people at home. Haha!

Thank you Gavino's Japanes Donuts! My Ethan's new favorite food!

For more information about them, please visit their website: http://www.gavinosdonuts.com/


BOOTH 6: Chooks To Go

While visiting other booths my attention shifted because of the noise I heard from the middle of the venue. People were shouting like cheering for a basketball game so I decided to check it out, then I found that there is a game going on courtesy of Chooks To Go.

Who doesn't know this famous chicken store and their famous tagline "Masarap kahit walang sauce!" which I believe is true. I prefer them over the leading brand because they spice their chicken just right, not too salty, and they are more affordable too!

They have this game called "Kwelavan" which features 3 part challenges that will put you to the test. It is powered by a camera which will detect your movement and pair it to the screen, it's like the technology used on Xbox 360. I took on their challenge and got a perfect score so I got to bring home 1 whole chicken for free! Moreover, I had so much fun playing!

Thanks Chooks To Go for sponsoring my family's dinner for the night!

For more information, please visit their Official website: http://www.chookstogo.com.ph


BOOTH 7: Plato Wraps

Before I went on Paleo Diet (low carb, high protein, high fiber, high fat), this is my favorite snack at work because of its delicious taste and variations of fillings to chose from, especially when they came out with their wheaten bread option. Their wraps are freshly made by them so they guarantee it's new everytime.

I find it very tasty and affordable, it just takes a few minutes to make so I have more time to savor its taste.

This sandwich meal delight costs around 30-50+ pesos per piece and the serving is enough to make a tummy happy. Their store is located on almost every mall I went from.

For more information, please visit their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/PlatoWrapsOfficial


BOOTH 8: Enjoy Philippines

Who doesn't like freebies, discounts and promos? Well, this red card will give you what you want.

Enjoy Philippines is a premier loyalty and privilege card for people who wants to save on purchases like dining, shopping, travel, automotive, live & learn and nightlife. It comes with a card that you can flash on their partner establishments to avail of discounts and it also has a voucher that will give you bigger promos that is so irresistible you'll try and redeem them!

Thank you Enjoy Philippines for my complimentary card and voucher! I can't wait to try them out!

For more information, please visit their website: http://enjoythebest.ph


BOOTH 9: View Park Hotel

I am fond of checking out hotels in Tagaytay because I always plan a getaway for me and my husband but it's the first time I heard of this hotel.

As what they have told me, this hotel has been operating for 5 years now. It's not very famous because it is located from the opposite side from which the famous hotels are.

There is an ongoing promo of 3999 pesos for couples who wants a memorable stay in their hotel. Includes Premier Room with breakfast + Romantic set up + Signature Massage. Besides this, for every stay in their hotel, they give a portion of their earnings for the Special Children school in Tagaytay City and because of that kind gesture, I recommend this hotel. More than enjoying your stay, the feeling of being able to take part on a special child's smile is just priceless!

Kindly visit their website to know more: https://www.viewparkhotel.com


BOOTH 10: Nice Day! Coffee

I love Coffee but I seldom drink because it affects my sleep. I also gain weight when I do because once I start drinking, I can't stop. It's like my caffeine tolerance is getting higher and higher.

I tried many coffees but I prefer those that have healthy benefits. Nice Day! Coffee is packed with ingredients that is beneficial for the body.

They have 3 variants, Cleanse - 10 in 1 Coffee Mix, White - 5 in 1 Coffee Mix and Slim - 6 in 1 Coffee Mix that you\ll surely love. The taste is strong but smooth. The White variant is my favorite because it's sugar free, perfect for sugar and calorie watchers.

These perk me up'er are available in major grocery stores nationwide.

For more information, please visit their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nice-Day-Coffee/494111207272061


BOOTH 11: Easy Pha-Max Wheatgrass

This is not the first time I have tried this product. I have used this before and I love it. Besides the delicious taste, it is a good product to cleanse the body from impurities. I have also taken the blood test from their booth and amazed how this product can purify the blood in just a few servings.

They use organically grown wheatgrass so you can be sure of purity and potency.

It comes in sachets, box and also in ready to drink cans available in grocery and convenience stores.

For more information, please visit their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/easyphamaxwheatgrass


Overall, I enjoyed this event. It exceeded my expectations from the first one. I just hope there will be more companies that is in line with health and fitness that will join the event and be it more interactive so other bloggers will get to meet one another, especially those who blog with the same theme or interests.

Thank you When In Manila, Our Awesome Planet and Go Negosyo for letting me be a part of this historical event, to all the booths I have visited, for those bloggers whom I exchanged conversations with, especially to Teacher Cheryl and DJ Vince Golangco for considering me even if I do not consider myself as influential as other bloggers that was invited at the event. The event is a huge success! Congratulations!

I am so looking forward to the next Blogapalooza event!

Good Vibes everyone and Sweet Running! ^_^

My 14 Years with Diabetes

It’s been a while since I blogged about my activities. Yesterday, my husband talked to me about it. He is wondering why I haven't posted anything for quite some time now. It’s not really because I was losing the interest to write, it’s just that I want to write more sensible and contentious topics that would be beneficial to all that follows and read my blog. I want it to be more of quality over quantity. Anyway, November is a good month to start writing again in commemoration of World Diabetes Month.

After my reconciliation with insulin four months ago, things has become more complicated, at first it was indeed a struggle to adjust the dosage and those super frequent blood sugar testing that made my fingers numb was I guess one of the remarkable dark ages in my life with diabetes. I experience a lot of frustrations because no matter how many times my Doctor adjusts my insulin dosage; it seems that it doesn't give a significant difference over my high blood sugar. The truth is, I feel defeated, but I am still keeping my hopes up. Yes, I am the kind of person that wants to see results fast that I almost gave up the thought that one day, things will soon change. Sometimes, no matter how effective the medicine is, the body reacts differently. I can say that on my 14th year with diabetes, I am now in the advanced stage of it.

My diabetes control partners!

From my basal insulin doses of 16iu in the morning and 14iu in the evening, we adjust it weekly by 2iu until it reached 26iu both in the morning and evening, then an additional Metformin tablet at night and yet, only a minimal change was recorded on my blood sugar readings. I am so disappointed.

I said to myself, I cannot be defeated without fighting because I believe I am a natural born warrior. I've been into similar situations like this and get out of it alive still. By fighting I mean exploring things that might work in my case. I already gave up on food supplements as they don’t really work as much for me this time, until I discovered something that will change my perspective about controlling my blood sugar for good.

I started to note everything that happens to me that will do impact on my blood sugar: What I eat, what time, how much, what activities I did and then how it impacts my blood sugar. What I noticed was I get crazy elevated blood sugar whenever I eat RICE, BREAD, PASTA and any form of CARBS (It’s a substance that turns into sugar when digested by the body).

Sample daily journal I made when I was starting out with Insulin again.

My tool for research is mainly the internet, this is where I get most of my information but ofcourse I also consult friends with the same condition and my doctor as well.  I looked mainly about diet since I want to know if there’s some innovation that I can incorporate in mine and that’s when I came to know PALEO DIET.

In just 3 months on Paleo Diet brought me from HbA1c result of 9 to now 5.4. Amazing!

Small reward for getting a passing HbA1c score!

I will blog about my Paleo Diet journey on my next post. Wait for it!

Good Vibes everyone and Sweet Running! ^_^

Tri United 3 Triathletes exceed themselves by beating their Personal Best

It was a win-win triathlon for the organizers Bike King and Unilab Active Health (ULAH) as well as many of the participating triathletes at the just concluded Tri United 3 Elite-Age Group Championship at Dungaree Beach of Subic Freeport recently. A number of participants leveled up and posted new personal records, which they attribute to the event being well-organized, from the safe and challenging routes to the pre- and post-race support.

More than four hundred traithletes took part in the third leg of Tri United Elite-Age Group Championship at Dungaree Beach of Subic Freeport and conquered 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike and 10 km run race.

The weather was near perfect when the gun rang off for the 470 participants at the starting line. The participants are generally in good spirits before, during and after the race. They particularly liked the nice personal touches such as the customized name plate and transition mat provided for them. And some more extras such as the cymbals that they crash to make noise about exceeding themselves and champagne to cap off a great race.

“All the elements, from the weather to the road conditions, played out nicely for all the participants. Our very own triathlon team came out strong and pulled off a clean sweep— a first for our team,” said Alex Panlilio, Head of Unilab Active Health, who improved his own personal record at TU3.

Coach Ani De Leon-Brown showed unbelievably great stamina and form as she overpowered most traithletes during the Tri United 3 in Freeport Subic. Brown bagged the women’s Elite title with 2:33:05.  

Team Unilab Active Health’s triumvirate of Benjamin Rana, Jr. Mark Anthony Husana and Philip Atento dominated the 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike and 10 km elite race. Rana placed first as he clocked in two hours, five minutes and 37 seconds. Followed by Husana (2:11:00) and Atento (2:13:58) for second and third, respectively. Their teammate and coach, Ani de Leon-Brown, champed it out at the women’s Elite race with a time of 2:33:05. Brown was followed by Kristina Beckendorf who clocked in 2:34:33.

The other members of Team Unilab Active Health also had podium finishes in their respective age groups. These include Drew Arellano and Ramon Rodriguez who placed first and second respectively in the male 30-34 age group, Javy Olives who placed third in 35-39 age group, and teen Samuel Ranque who placed third in the 15-16 age group.

Tri United 3 triathletes pedalled their way to the transition area to finish the 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike and 10 km run race.

The shorter race course of 750m swim-20K bike-5K run for the teen participants was dominated by La Union lad Juan Carlos Abad who clocked in 1:10:40 to place first in the 15-16 age group and Joshua Ranque (1:15:28) in the 17-19 age group. Christianne de Vera who clocked in 1:37:13 to lead the teen girls’ 17-19 age group, while Sophia Ysabelle Jamila was the sole winner in the 15-16 age group with a time of 1:40:28

The other Elite Age Group winners were Mervin Rencel De Los Santos Santiago and Kriska Rose Marzan Sto. Domingo (20-24), Don Berba Velasco and Angelica Pascual Limjoco (25-29), Andrew Estrella Arellano and Nathalia Marie Tan Benipayo (30-34), Edison Salawad Morales(35-39), Rayzon Galdonez and  Roque Endaya (40-44), Joevic Gallo Pajarillo and Mariela Janet Martinez Powell (45-49), Jaime Corea  Lopez (male 50-54) and Josef Gueta (male 55-above).

Benjamin Rana, Jr.  of the Team Unilab Active Health dominated the male elite category of this year’s Tri United 3. Rana finished strong with 02:05:37. 

Team Sante Barley bested four other tri teams (Endure Multisport, PLDT-Bike King, Smart Triathlon Team, TriMac and Unilab Active Health) and bagged the team championship with an accumulated time of 27 hours and 15 minutes.
Organized by Bike King, the event was supported by Unilab Active Health, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Tourism Department, Enervon Active, Enervon HP, I-ON Energy Drink, Hydrite, AboitizPower, Pocari Sweat, Timex, Crystal Clear Purified Water, Corima and Orbea.

Tri United 3 champion teams from left to right: PLDT-BikeKing (second place), Sante Barley (first place), Trimac (third place). With them are Coach Raul Cuevas of BikeKing (leftmost, 2^nd row), Lester Castillo, Sports and PR Executive of Unilab Active Health (leftmost, 1^st row) and Alex Panlilio, Head of ULAH (rightmost, 1^st row).

As this develops, Tri United 4 in Clark is scheduled on November 24 with a friendly distance of 900m swim, 30km bike, and 5km run. For results and more details about Tri United and other races, please visit www.unilabactivehealth.com  or its social media pages.

DOH Insulin Access Program - Get The Cheapest Insulin In The Philippines!

I have been recently reunited to Insulin after breaking up my almost a year of relationship with oral medicines because it is not working well with me anymore. As a Type 1 diabetic, I should not even consider going on oral medications but cost of Insulin is a major concern for me, I'm just glad there is no serious complications that arises while I was under Glucophage (Metformin HCl).

This is my life support. Insulin Basal and Bolus, for life..

Even if I have work, it's really a burden for me to buy Insulin because it is indeed very costly. Imagine Lantus Solostar 3mL Pen costs around 850+ pesos and I consume it for only 6 days, Humalog 3mL cartridge I consume for about 10 days that costs 800+ pesos. If I'm going to sum all my expenses on medicines and syringes alone it will cost me around 6,000 pesos a month, that's roughly half of what I am getting from my job, and I still need to pay for the house rent, water, electric and telephone bills and ofcourse my son's therapy and food. I haven't included the cost of blood glucose strips yet, that's gonna be around 5,000 pesos if you test pre and post meals in a month. For an average earner like me, it's gonna be a challenge on how to budget my monthly salary with everything that's coming my way. No wonder some people give up and die from diabetes complications, especially the poor that can't afford to pay for Insulin to live.

Because of the need, I tried my best to look for other ways to earn money to fund my medications and this lead me to go on research as to where I can get Insulin at the cheapest rate here in the Philippines. After some time of asking Doctors and fellow diabetics as to where I can get a cheaper stash, an answer came to me from a click of the mouse on the google search engine. I stumble upon Department Of Health (DOH) Website and found Insulin Access Program.

What is Insulin Access Program

The National Center for Pharmaceutical Access and Management (NCPAM), DOH in partnership with Eli Lilly Philippines and Sanofi-Adventis Phils., by virtue of Memoranda of Agreement (MOA), a Deparment Order No. 2010-0077 dated April 3, 2010 Subject: Implementing Guidelines of the DOH insulin Access Program for the DOH Hospitals was issued.

The said companies voluntarily offered their products at much reduced affordable prices to the DOH retained hospitals, and with the primary objective to improve diabetic patient's access to affordable quality drugs considering their availability only to the public sector, under a unified pricing scheme and rational drug use. This result in bigger saving on the part of the patients.

What is DOH Insulin Access Program?

The DOH Insulin Access Program is a program under the Medicine Access Program (MAP) of the Department of Health (DOH) through the National Center for Pharmaceutical Access and Management (NCPAM) provides access to medicines for diabetic patients and is in line with Millenium Development Goal No. 8 aims to develop global partnership for development, where partner pharmaceutical companies participate by providing access to affordable Insulin products through the consignment system, implementation of which was started in 2009.

What are the access sites?

Access Sites

• Amang Rodriguez Medical Center
• Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center
• Quirino Memorial Medical Center
• Mayor Hilarion A. Ramiro Sr. Regional Training & Teaching Hospital
• Veterans Regional Hospital
• Davao Regional Hospital
• Bicol Medical Center
• Bicol Regional Training & Teaching Hospital
• Las Pinas General Hospital
• National Center for Mental Health
• Cagayan Valley Medical Center
• Batangas Regional Hospital
• Tondo Medical Center
• National Kidney & Transplant Institute
• Eastern Visayas Medical Center
• Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital
• Region I Medical Center
• Baguio General Hospital
• Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center
• Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital
• Lung Center of the Phils.
• Southern Philippines Medical Center

What are the offered prices?

Unified Cost and Selling Prices of Insulin Products to DOH-Retained Hospitals

Product	DOH
Biphasic Isophane Human Insulin 70/30 (70% Isophane Suspension +30% Soluble Insulin) 100 IU/ml, 10ml vial	500.00
Regular Insulin 100IU/mL, 10mL Vial 10mL	500.00
Isophane Insulin Human 100 IU/mL, 10mL Vial	500.00

After reading everything I was so delighted and I can't believe that there is a program like this provided by the Government. Since I have work I asked my mom to visit National Center for Mental Health since this is the nearest to us and ask for more information about this and how I can avail.

The Pharmacist is very accommodating over the phone since I called my mom so I can talk to them personally. She answers all my questions clearly and precisely and the next day, I was already able to avail of the Insulin.

Here are the questions I asked her:

Who are eligible to for Insulin Access Program?

• Anyone is eligible as long as they are diabetic and will use the product solely for personal use.

What do we need to bring?

• All you need is a prescription from the doctor and the amount for payment.

What if I cannot buy my medicine, can I send someone to buy for me?

• Yes, no need for authorization. Prescription alone will do.

Is there a limit of how many we can buy?

• No, but we make sure that we won't be selling too many to just one person, just enough for what they need. We keep the prescription after you buy for regulation purposes.

What are the products and how much is the price for each?

• Humulin N, Humulin R and Humulin 70/30 only costs 413.40 pesos, it was lowered recently.

What is the expiration date of the drugs?

• We sell Insulin that is still good for 2 years after you buy them.

Do you honor Senior Citizen Discount on top of that price?

• Yes, provided that the prescription is named after the Senior Citizen, together with the booklet and ID. If a representative will buy on the Senior's behalf, they need to secure a signed authorization letter and their valid ID.

 Do you issue receipts?

• Yes we do. But we use Government issued receipts and not the machine printed ones.

Asked Mom to buy me 2 boxes! I saved a huge lot!

Humulin N is 1,345 pesos in Drugstores and I got it for 413.40 pesos only because of the Insulin Access Program of DOH. That's only a fraction of the price! Very affordable! I'm glad my doctor agreed that I switch to this Insulin. Actually, this is the first insulin I used 15 years ago. It's nice to come back to it, at a good price!

Not only that, Department Of Health also has other Medicine Access Programs that may benefit you or your family. For more information, please visit their website at http://uhmis2.doh.gov.ph/doh_ncpam/.

My new diabetes control partners!

I believe that our government has many programs to help us get a quality life, it's just that we are not aware of what we should be getting or what we should avail of. I believe that information dissemination about these kinds of programs is not well crafted at the moment. I hope that they can work on this so that many people, especially the needy can feel the presence of the government doing action for it's citizens welfare and avail of the programs for those benefit that they truly deserve.

I would like to thank the Department Of Health, especially the authors of this program for acknowledging the need of diabetics for Insulin to live and subsidizing the cost for us. It's a huge help!

I am appealing to you to kindly spread the information to everyone, especially those diabetics who will greatly gain from this. Let us be a tool for this program to be utilized by those who deserve it.

Good Vibes everyone and Sweet Running!