5 Reasons Why Switching to the Samsung Topload Washing Machine is a Smart Choice.

The average size of a Filipino family is four people per household. Since Filipinos are tight-knit, this small household can expand over time as they welcome other relatives, new spouses, and newborns.

As such, a standard washing machine won't be enough to cater to an expanding household’s laundry. Bigger families have more clothes to clean, which also translates to higher electricity bills when using standard washing machines.

Samsung, the leader in improving home lifestyle and electronics, launches the Topload Washing Machine to give big loads of laundry a thorough wash at big savings.

Here are five reasons why the Samsung Topload Washing Machine is the smart choice for your home:

Fights big stains

Wine stains during a party, damp workout clothes after the gym, and the various kinds of dirt that kids attract when they play are just some of the things that a homemaker has to deal with. The Samsung Topload Washing Machine’s Ecobubble™ with Digital Inverter Technology washes clothes more powerfully and more efficiently. BubbleStorm™ creates bubbles that allow detergent to penetrate clothes 2.5 times faster with up to 20% better fabric care. Dual Storm™ creates a vortex of water for more effective cleaning. These technologies clean stubborn stains using up to 60% less energy and 11% less water.

Deep cleans clothes

Sometimes just washing clothes isn’t enough. The Samsung Topload Washing Machine gives clothes a stronger clean with Hygiene Steam Cycle. This cycle releases steam from the bottom of the drum to attack germs and reduce up to 99.99% of common bacteria and allergens.

Washes more clothes in less time

Large piles of clothes may take the whole day to wash but SuperSpeed cuts the time so homemakers can spend more time with their family. SuperSpeed cuts laundry time by up to 40% and can wash a load in just 31 minutes without sacrificing powerful cleaning. This function also reduces water use by 20%.

Get bigger savings

Mountains of laundry usually mean higher electricity bills but the Samsung Topload Washing Machine can wash more clothes without breaking the bank. Its Digital Inverter Technology gives a quiet and powerful performance that’s also energy efficient. The washing machine is exceptionally durable and supported by 20 years of warranty, the industry’s longest to date.

Control the washing machine through a smartphone

Busy homemakers can still stay on top of heavy washing loads with the SmartThings app. The Samsung Topload Washing Machine has Wi-Fi connectivity so it’s possible to control it even from another room. Homemakers can select the cycle, temperature, and spin speed, and even get recommendations and notifications.

Upgrading to a newer and better washing machine is borne out of a greater laundry load. The Samsung Topload Washing Machine has the best capacity for bigger loads while offering savings with the power of inverter technology.

Find the Samsung Topload Washing Machine that fits your needs! Samsung offers 3 different models depending on its loading capacity. See table below for reference:

Capacity Model	Product Code
Samsung Topload Washing Machine 11 KG	WA11CG5745BDTC
Samsung Topload Washing Machine 13 KG	WA13CG5745BVTC
Samsung Topload Washing Machine 15 KG	WA15CG5745BVTC

Make the switch to the Samsung Topload Washing Machine. For more information, please visit samsung.com/ph.

When is the best time to start learning about money?

According to BSP’s 2021 Financial Inclusion Survey, the number of Filipino adults with savings dropped by 25 percent from 38.6 million in 2019 to 28.9 million in 2021—decimated mainly by the pandemic.

As families recover from the pandemic, experts believe that our children—given their recent experience of how emergencies can affect finances—should learn good money habits early on from their parents.

The pandemic has seen innovation in financial technology (fintech) like e-wallets and e-commerce entering wide adoption. Saving money is much easier than it used to be, but the same modern conveniences can also lead to impulse spending and mismanagement. How many times have kids spent money with just a few taps on the screen?

With technology making money more accessible to children, the basics of financial literacy and resource management have become even more critical for their generation.

Building a financially savvy future

As part of its advocacy for financial literacy, FWD Life Insurance partnered with Junior Achievement of the Philippines (JA Philippines) to launch the JA SparktheDream program, which aims to develop primary school students’ financial literacy at an early age to help them achieve their dreams in life.

“Through JA SparktheDream, FWD Philippines seeks to build a future where more people are in control of their finances, and eventually their lives,” says Roche Vandenberghe, FWD Philippines Chief Marketing and Digital Business Officer.

The JA SparktheDream program simplifies money management topics, making these topics easier to understand, especially for kids in elementary school. It also focuses on financial inclusion, so that they are inspired to become agents of change for others as well.

During the launch, event panelist Gracie Maulion—known online as Tipid Mommy—shared her most important tip for parents teaching their kids about essential life skills.

“Programs like these are a blessing for parents like me,” said Mommy Gracie. “But it takes a village to raise a kid. You also need to set a good example to your children at home.”

“Even if we try to teach them proper money management, they won’t learn the lesson if it doesn’t match the behavior we show at home,” warns Mommy Gracie. “After all, values are more caught than taught.”

Here are some tips on setting a good example, taken from the FWD website:

• Show that you’re not buying impulsively. When children see you overspending on things you don’t need, they will have a hard time realizing that things do cost money and those costs have consequences—like lack of funds when someone falls critically ill. When you’re shopping for clothes and shoes that you don’t need or use, food that spoils in the fridge and is thrown away, they will think that it’s all right for things to go to waste. At the supermarket or mall, buy only the essentials. Teach them how to make a list before leaving the house.

• Let them experience what it takes to make money. Teenagers are always asking for money—teach them instead how to earn it and let them realize the true value of money. During their summer and semestral breaks, don’t let them just hang out with their friends all the time, but help them find a job or figure out how to become an entrepreneur. Food being the top and easier business from home to set up, perhaps they can learn to cook, bake, or design packaging. Encourage them to create content online that can be monetized.

• Involve them in your investments. Children don’t have the money to buy real estate, but by the time they’re teenagers they might have enough to participate in the family’s investments. Create a fund where they contribute a percentage—an equal one coming from each child’s savings account—with the parents matching or doubling their contributions. Use this fund to invest, and let them see their money growing firsthand

These tips and more are just a part of the practical life lessons on money taught in JA SparkTheDream—one of the many financial literacy and inclusion advocacies from FWD Life Insurance. To learn more about JA SparktheDream and other programs, visit the website and follow FWD Philippines on Facebook and Instagram.

Schoology: The Breakthrough Classroom of the New Normal.

"Never stop learning" so goes the timeless adage. As such, learning must continue despite the difficulties and challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The education sector, in particular, needed guidance on how students would continue learning despite limitations at home. Many digital learning management systems (LMS) were explored, searching for the best alternative to physical classrooms. Among them, Rex Education's Schoology has grown in popularity and has become one of the most useful and impactful LMS.

Schoology is a cloud-based LMS that helps educators and academic institutions create engaging content, teach lessons, and evaluate students' performance, bringing learning and assessment together in one platform.

This digital tool enables users to utilize new and existing content, making it easy to create instructional materials. It contains rich shared resources, including user-generated lessons, assignments, and exams. Furthermore, its assessment tools aid teachers in more efficiently annotating and grading student responses. It also includes data and analytic functions for tracking student progress and identifying learning gaps.

LMS oversight is more complex than it appears. Apart from the country's challenges with Internet connectivity, some people may need more technical expertise to use this kind of system. However, this is manageable with Schoology because it is easy to navigate, user-friendly, and has a broader reach.

Moreover, Schoology is the only LMS with a built-in collaboration feature, connecting everyone to the same network to improve communication and sharing in the classroom, throughout the institution, and even globally. It makes linking apps, materials, and systems easier, allowing any institution's system or requirements to run and be monitored more seamlessly. Additionally, using its mobile application, any student or teacher can access resources, classes, assignments, and discussions no matter where they are.

Photo credit: Ivan Samkov on Pexels.

As witnessed, especially in the last three years, learning management systems are becoming increasingly crucial in helping teachers and learners manage, plan, deliver, and track the learning process. Therefore, selecting the best system, such as Schoology, is vital to meet everyone's needs and assist schools, teachers, and learners in achieving their goals.

The country has reopened schools recently and returned to a face-to-face learning modality. Despite this, it is safe to conclude that some pandemic breakthroughs, such as online learning, are here to stay. After all, Schoology is not a replacement for physical classrooms but rather a tool to aid learning strategies, provide flexibility to accommodate more students and strengthen the educational system.

Every day is National Fried Chicken Day!

Happy Fried Chicken Day!

Just in case you didn’t know, July 6 is National Fried Chicken Day! This is the one day solely dedicated to the crispy, golden, and delicious fried chicken that Filipinos dearly love. Although there is no curated historical information on how fried chicken really started in the Philippines, it is undeniable that fried chicken is one of Filipinos’ comfort food, loved by kids (case in point, my son, niece, and nephew) and the kids at heart (ehem, that would be me, my siblings, and my cousins).

Chicken is not only delicious but also nutritious because it is a good source of protein and has Vitamin B12 which supports bone health and red blood cell formation.

And what's the best way to cook friend chicken? Of course, it's with the Philippines' #1 fried chicken essential - Crispy Fry®! Crispy Fry® has a wide array of product offering specially made to deliver delicious fried dishes to perfection.

Spicy Fried Chicken with Gravy

Heat things up and add some spicy flare to your fried chicken. Try Crispy Fry® Breading Mix Spicy variant and enjoy fried chicken with perfect crispness and hotness.

To complement, you may pair it with the new Crispy Fry® Gravy Mix. So easy to prepare. Just mix water and Crispy Fry® Gravy Mix in a bowl, then pour the gravy sauce into a pot and simmer until thickened. And viola! Your homemade fried chicken and gravy are ready for your enjoyment.

Battered Fried Chicken 

If you’re the type who likes southern-style fried chicken, thicker and fuller with extra crunch, try Crispy Fry® Batter Mix.

So simple to prepare. In a bowl, combine the batter pack of the Crispy Fry® Batter Mix with water then mix well. On a separate plate, pour the contents of the breading mix. Coat each chicken with batter mix and then roll evenly one by one on the breading.

In a pot with heated oil, deep-fry the chicken pieces for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Drain excess oil using a strainer or colander and you’re all set to enjoy fuller fried chicken with extra crispiness!

Fried Chicken Burger

Who says fried chicken can only be enjoyed with rice? This recipe is so easy to prepare and perfect as quick lunch or merienda.

First, coat the chicken thigh fillet with Crispy Fry® Original Breading Mix evenly and fry for 10 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown. Next, prepare the sauce by combining mayonnaise and garlic in a bowl. Then assemble, on a burger bun, put lettuce, tomato, cucumber, fried chicken, and 2 teaspoons of mayo-garlic sauce.

For recipes, check-out Cookmunity by Ajinomoto Philippines, and like and follow their Facebook Page for updates and more cooking tips and ideas.

Complete your enrollment requirements with the help of PSA Helpline.

The school year 2022-2023 has officially ended for our family, and we have a little over a month to enjoy the school break and prepare for the next academic year. Yue is an incoming tenth-grader and will still be studying at the same school, so there really isn't much to prepare for enrolment. Just the usual report card, accomplished student registration form, tuition fee, and that's it. For my niece and nephew, it's a totally different story.

Maggie is an incoming junior high school student and will be transferring to a science high school. She passed the grueling entrance exams and admissions interview with flying colors, how awesome is that?! Morgan, on the other hand, will be moving up from day care to kindergarten. Since the kids will be shifting schools, they need to submit documentary requirements. Of course, number one on the list would be their birth certificates. 

PSA Helpline is kids-approved!

Requesting for birth certificates and other PSA documents is now very easy and convenient thanks to PSA Helpline. Accredited by the Philippine Statistics Authority, PSA Helpline accepts requests for copy issuance of PSA documents such as birth certificates and marriage certificates and offers door-to-door delivery nationwide. I discovered this website last year when I was in a rush to get a copy of Yue's birth certificate and have been recommending their services to family and friends ever since. 

My brother had the chance to try their service just recently, and he was impressed by their easy-to-navigate website and super fast delivery. He ordered the kids' birth certificates last Thursday, June 29 and received them earlier today, July 3. That only took 3 working days considering that we live outside Metro Manila, and my brother didn't even have to to leave home or line up for it. 

Delivered in as fast as 3 days!

Here's a quick look at how easy it is to request for documents at PSA Helpline.

1. Visit the PSA Helpline website and click the "Order Now" button. 

2. Choose the certificate type and check the boxes to continue.

3. Indicate whether you're requesting a birth certificate for yourself or someone else's. Take note that you can only request for birth certificates for your children or your parents.

4. The next page will be some sort of a guide, which lists down all the information that you need to provide.

5. Fill out the form accordingly, including the type of government ID that you must present upon delivery. PSA Helpline strictly follows a recipient-only delivery, meaning your parcel will only be released  to you and will not be given to anyone else even if an authorization letter is provided. 

6. Once you have completed the form and confirmed the delivery address and contact information, you will then be routed to the payment page. Payments can be done online, over-the-counter, or through Bancnet ATMs. Documents cost Php 365 each, which also covers the processing fee and delivery charge.

7. After confirming your payment, PSA Helpline will send you the reference number for your order via email and text message. You can use this reference number to track the status of your order but in our experience, we really didn't need to since PSA Helpline constantly updates us with emails and text messages. The next thing we knew, our documents were already out for delivery.

Delivery usually takes 3-4 working days within Metro Manila and 3-8 working days for provincial areas.

Requesting for PSA documents made easier with PSA Helpline.

Preparing for your child's school enrollment can be stressful at times, especially if both you and your spouse are busy working. PSA Helpline eases the burden of getting birth certificates and the like because you can request and pay for them online and have them delivered right to your doorstep. No more lining up at government offices and waiting for weeks to have them processed. Now, all it takes is just a few clicks of a button and a credit card or a virtual wallet, and that's it!