Bonifacio Day celebration heats up with big sale at Tutuban Center!

The tribute and celebration of the birth of one of the most recognizable heroes of our time, Gat Andres Bonifacio, the acknowledged "Father of the Katipunan," heats up at the popular bargain shopping destination Tutuban Center in Manila.

Gat Andres Bonifacio "Father of the Katipunan"

This November 30, 2013 is the 150th Bonifacio Day Celebration held at Tutuban Center with wonderful activities in observance of this historic day, starting with a sizzling hot sale of fantastic items courtesy of Tutuban Center tenants.

Giant Christmas Tree at Bonifacio Plaza

Tutuban Idol 2013

Tutuban Idol 2013

Customers will enjoy up to 50% discount on great selections from participating stores beginning November 29 to December 1, 2013. The first 30 shoppers who will present a valid single purchase official receipt worth P1,000 will received Robinsons GCs from Tutuban Center.

Customers & Audiences

Celebrities & VIPs

The biggest highlight of any Bonifacio Day celebration remains to be the lightning of the giant Christmas Tree located at Bonifacio Plaza which represents the people's beacon of hope despite all of life's challenges and difficuties.

Lighting of the Giant Christmas Tree located at Bonifacio Plaza

Lighting of the Giant Christmas Tree located at Bonifacio Plaza with VIPs, Celebrities & Guests

In addition, customers can win exciting gadgets and Robinsons Gift Certificates during the daily raffle promo. Simply present a P1,000 single purchase receipt and get the chance to win an Apple iPad Mini, an Asus Pad HD 7 Tablet PC or Robinsons Gift Certificates worth P5,000.

Visit Tutuban Center, located along C. M. Recto Avenue in the Tutuban district in Divisoria, Manila.

MANULIFE FlexiSure offers both life protection and investment solution for the Filipino family’s changing financial goals and objectives

In response to the changing financial protection needs of the modern Filipino family, Manulife Philippines recently launched Manulife FlexiSure, a first-of-its-kind whole life protection product with a built-in investment feature that provides not only a safety net against life’s unexpected events, but also the opportunity to optimize the policyowner’s money’s earning potential by taking advantage of changing market conditions within the investable variable unit-linked component of the product.

Manulife FlexiSure gives the policyholder a lot of financial flexibility by allowing him/her to access their variable unit-linked investment funds in times of need – something that whole life protection products were unable to do previously. In this product, the current value of the investment component is “withdrawable” at any time1 and can be used by the policyowner for either emergency or anticipated expense needs without having to sacrifice the guaranteed protection coverage provided for by the product. “This is why we refer to Manulife FlexiSure as a ‘hybrid’ insurance product,” according to Indren Naidoo, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Philippines.

Another aspect of the product’s flexibility is it allows policyholders to choose the proportion of guaranteed protection coverage component that the policy provides in relation to the investable portion, in response to the changing financial goals and objectives of the policyowner over time. To add, it also allows for “fund switching” wherein the investable funds can be reallocated to different investment funds like Peso Secure Fund, Peso Diversified Value Fund, Peso Dynamic Allocation Fund, Peso Growth Fund and Peso Cash Fund to take advantage of changing financial market conditions. “Top-ups” can also be provided at minimal amounts to build up the fund based on what’s convenient for the customer. “Manulife FlexiSure is a completely new generation whole life protection product in which the value of the investable portion component can be optimized for return potential in response to the evolving and specific needs of the policyholder,” added Mr. Naidoo.

Manulife FlexiSure offers life insurance protection up to age 100 for absolute peace of mind for the family and the policyholder and a maturity benefit equal to the life insurance coverage upon reaching age 100. Plus, there are supplementary benefits that allow the policyholder to customize coverage through added protection benefits or rider options.

The product’s flexible payment terms of 5, 10, 15 years or until age 100 for a whole life plan make it a true attraction.

To learn more about Manulife FlexiSure, call (02) 884-7000, email phcustomercare@manulife.com or contact a Manulife Philippines financial adviser at any of over 30 Manulife branch offices nationwide.

Online premium payments made easy and secure with Manulife Philippines’ myManulife customer website

To provide policyholders with more convenience in paying their insurance premiums, Manulife Philippines has introduced a new online payment facility via its myManulife customer website. Registered users of the myManulife customer website may now use their ATM cards to pay their premiums easily and securely anytime, anywhere.

myManulife is a secure, 24/7 online tool that allows policyholders to conveniently track and manage their life insurance policies. Manulife has now enhanced the tool with a new online payment facility. Regular policyholders1 can log onto www.myManulife.com.ph and pay their premium dues and loan interest payments online through BancNet.

“This enhancement of myManulife with a new online payment facility reflects our commitment to introducing more convenience for our customers,” said Margarita Lopez, Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Manulife Philippines. “myManulife’s safe and secure payment function will make it even easier and faster for our customers to manage their policies.”

The following are five easy steps to access myManulife’s online premium payment function:

1) Go to www.myManulife.com.ph and log in your username and password.

2) Click on the “myPayments” tab, choose the enrolled policy/ies due for premium payment/s, click “Pay Now”, then “Agree” to proceed to the Payment Details screen.

3) Encode payment details by entering bank account information and press “Submit” which will then direct the policyowner to the BancNet online website.

4) To pay using BancNet online, choose bank name, enter ATM card number, choose account type, enter amount and ATM pin and click “Submit.”

5) Upon submission of payment, another screen will open to confirm the successful transaction. You may check payment status at www.myManulife.com.ph within 3-5 business days.

Customers may register their policies with myManulife anytime, anywhere by logging on to www.myManulife.com.ph and enjoy other features like free premium alerts via SMS. To learn more, contact Customer Care at (02) 884-7000 for Metro Manila, the provincial tollfree hotline at 1-800-1-888-MANU (6268), e-mail phcustomercare@manulife.com or visit www.manulife.com.ph. On social media, like myManulife on Facebook, follow @ManulifePH on Twitter, follow @myManulife on Instagram and watch myManulifePH on YouTube.

About Manulife Philippines 

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company opened its doors for business in the Philippines in 1907. Since then, Manulife’s Philippine Branch and later The Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils.), Inc. (Manulife Philippines) has grown to become one of the leading life insurance companies in the country. Manulife Philippines is a wholly-owned domestic subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation.

About Manulife Financial 

Manulife Financial is a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Clients look to Manulife for strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. Our international network of employees, agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management products and services to millions of clients. We also provide asset management services to institutional customers. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were C$567 billion (US$539 billion) as at June 30, 2013. The Company operates as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. 

Manulife Financial Corporation trades as ‘MFC’ on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under ‘945’ on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.

Consumer satisfaction, certified

How do you satisfy consumers in a highly discriminating industry such as food?

Just ensure safety and quality, which also includes taste, at all times from the sourcing of raw materials to testing, processing, packaging and transport until it reaches consumers’ dining table.

And this is what Mekeni Food Corporation assures consumers through its popular line of Mekeni products—ham, bacon, corned beef, their top-quality cured meat products such as tapa, tocino, longganisa, and of course its flagship brand, the Mekeni Picnic Hotdog. This particular product is slowly gaining ground in terms of awareness and preference among households today because of its taste that is already comparable to premium-priced brands in the market.

For the safety aspect, Mekeni Food Corporation made sure that its food manufacturing processes adhere to the strictest and most stringent standards acceptable around the world when it comes to food processing. Food safety programs such as Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) are already in place for Mekeni to gain acceptance among local consumers.

Mekeni Food Corporation is also doubly proud of these standards because it shows that the company is doubly serious in its efforts to make safety a top priority and part of the mindset of the company’s production team at their 20-plus hectare meat processing plant in Balubad, Porac, Pampanga. This same plant is accredited by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) and boasts of a “AAA” rating conferred by the same agency.

And in a project of the NMIS together with other partner-agencies when it comes to choosing the best among AAA-grade meat processing plants in the country in terms of food safety, Mekeni showed them all how to make safety part of their manufacturing veins when it won as “Best Meat Processing Plant” in not just one but three years straight years, from 2004 to 2006. For this reason, Mekeni Food Corporation was bestowed with a “Grand Slam Award” back in 2007.

But Mekeni Food Corporation is still adamant in pushing their safety processing benchmark to even greater heights not just in the local scene but international as well. In 2006, after Mekeni Food Corporation won its third straight “Best Meat Processing Plant” award, the company even made history and made the country proud by becoming the first meat processing plant  in the Philippines, the first in asia  and  the 2^nd in the world to be presented with the prestigious ISO 22000 or Food Safety Management System certification.  The award cited Mekeni Food Corporation for its continued investments in modernizing its processing equipment and thorough and meticulous research and development efforts to make their products truly world class and safe.

And Mekeni Food Corporation pushed the envelope even further when 6 years after that groundbreaking award, the company was awarded as the first Food Safety System Certification (FSSC) 22000-certified hotdog processing plant in the country. This is no easy feat to achieve, especially for a company that started only as a backyard business. The FSSC requires that a company’s food safety standards should conform to the rigorous demands of global retailers or major branded food companies regarding food safety management in order for their product to gain entry into a specific market.

“Safety and quality is at the lifeblood of Mekeni Food Corporation, from the management down to the employees. Our consumers are our priority for the business so we make sure that safety and quality is always observed so as not to lose their trust and confidence, which is vital for us to survive. We thank God for giving us the wisdom and the courage to always be on our toes so that we can continue to give Filipinos safe and high-quality world-class products,” Prudencio “Pruds” Garcia, President of Mekeni Food Corporation, emphasizes.

The world-class quality Mekeni food products are available at all major groceries and supermarkets nationwide. To know more about Mekeni Food Corporation, contact (+63) 45-458-0000 or visit www.mekeni.com.

I-Foods, Inc.: Giving Filipinos the Best of World’s Finest Dining

For more than a decade now, I-Foods Inc. has been taking Filipinos on a gastronomic journey. Its portfolio of restaurants offers diners a taste of world cooking at reasonable prices. When I-Foods Inc. president Bryan Tiu opened his first concept restaurant in 2001, it was to be the first in a number of fast casual restaurants he was to develop in the coming years. These restaurants brought to a bigger market segment what were then considered to be expensive concepts.

From its first store in Greenhills, San Juan in 2001, Teriyaki Boy grew to have 10 branches in Metro Manila by 2005. Its menu of favorite Japanese fare, from sushi and sashimi to ramen, from donburi (rice toppings) to tempura, it proved that enjoying Japanese food not be expensive. Because of its rapid growth and popularity among diners, the Pancake House group entered into a partnership with I-Foods Inc., which rapidly enlarged the Japanese fast-foods exposure in the market to 50 stores.

His success with Teriyaki Boy led him to develop another Japanese-inspired concept, Tokyo Café. When the restaurant opened its first branch at SM Mall of Asia in 2006, it pioneered a concept that was popular throughout Japan: cafés that served Western dishes with a Japanese twist. It also served a menu of coffee beverages to rival those offered by other franchises.

With the guidance of Atsushi Yoshizawa, a Japanese professional with years of experience in the restaurant business, Tokyo Café proved to be a hit. Rather than scare diners away with its unusual menu, the restaurant had cheerful interiors with a modern Japanese ambience that attracted a young crowd. Add to this the five-star personalized service, and the restaurant proved to be another winner for I-Foods Inc.

From Japanese food, I-Foods Inc. went into the fast-food business developing a concept of affordable high-end burgers. Stackers Burger Café opened its first outlet in 2007 and offered a unique product to its regulars: premium burgers made with 100 percent imported beef from Australia, New Zealand and the United States. And no, these aren’t just plain burgers. Diners had a number of options, from a variety of sauces and toppings, to make their experience an original one.

Aside from burgers, Stackers also pioneered in the first and original Baked Fried Chicken. Using a special method of cooking, the chicken stay juicy and tender but with 80% less oil than regular fried chicken, for a truly healthier meal.

I-Foods Inc. next focused on chicken in its next venture. Apart from fast food, what do Filipinos love most? Barbecue, and that’s what Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken aimed to serve. This was no ordinary chicken barbecue. Peri-peri chicken uses a special spicy marinade that is popular in Portugal and Africa for a different tasting dish. And for the twist in the sauce,  Peri-Peri chicken uses imported African Bird’s Eye Chili. All the chicken is spit-roasted for a healthier meal. To complement most meals, diners have the option to avail of the soup and beverage bar where they can have as much as they want for a minimum add-on.

Eventually, I-Foods Inc. went back to Asia to develop its next concept. With the opening of Kogi Bulgogi in 2010, diners had a chance to enjoy Korean food at reasonable prices. The restaurant specializes in bulgogi, the popular barbecue that is the rage worldwide. And to suit Filipino palates, diners have the option of adjusting the level of spiciness of their orders.

I-Foods Inc.’s latest concept restaurant is Parmigiano Ristorante Pizzeria, a full-fledged Italian restaurant that offers pasta and pizza, especially its Napoletana Pizza. This pizza cooks in just 90 seconds for the quickest pizza service in the country Opened in 2010 at Resorts World Manila, the restaurant is fast becoming a must-stop for foodies in the area.

And enjoying these world-class dining becomes even more exciting with the soon to be launched IF Card- your guarantee to a great dining experience coupled with big savings.

Whether you have a craving for Tokyo Café’s hot or iced coffee beverages, Stackers customizable premium burgers, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken’s Peri-Peri Chicken, Kogi Bulgogi’s beef bulgogi and bibimbap, or Parmigiano Ristorante Pizzeria’s Napoletana-style pizzas, you will surely enjoy these treats at a bargain with your IF card.

In just a decade, I-Foods Inc. has become a leading purveyor of fast casual dining concepts in the country. The company assures Filipinos that they get to taste the best in the world at reasonable prices in a setting to rival those of high-priced exclusive restaurants, a win-win situation for all diners.

For updates and exciting promos, Like us on Facebook at tokyocafephilippines; stackersburgercafeph; peripericharcoalchicken; kogibulgogi; parmigianopizzeriaristorante