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Pamper your favorite woman this Mother’s Day

Hanabishi offers a range of gift ideas for any mother.

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Hanabishi offers a range of gift ideas for any mother.

Hanabishi

For her viewing pleasure

Give your mom the gift of entertainment with a Hanabishi LED TV. Up the ante in your mom’s afternoon or nighttime telenovela viewing with Hanabishi’s range of high-definition 1366×768-pixel and full-HD 1920×1080-pixel TVs with enhanced color imaging, which will surely bring her favorite TV characters to life.

These slim TV’s come in 20 to 50-inch models and feature audio equalizer for a wonderful home entertainment experience. They have HDMI and USB ports so you can also play a movie or two for that perfect Mother’s Day bonding moment.

Food for thought

Is your mom a kitchen diva? Upgrade her kitchen gadgetry and make her cooking more efficient with a new Hanabishi electric oven. Choose from a selection of 23-liter to 55-liter models, most of which feature pure stainless steel housing and heating elements. In addition to temperature control, double walling and multi-level power setting, some units have rotisserie and convection functions and can defrost, roast, and broil. All these will definitely raise your mom’s cooking to the next level.

How about a sleek induction cooker? Designed to deliver 80 percent more cooking efficiency, the new Hanabishi induction cookers will be a great addition to your mom’s kitchen. These have at least five cooking functions for soup, braise, boil, fry and hot pot. More advanced units also feature deep fry and slow and fierce fire. The Hanabishi induction cookers feature a high-quality ceramic plate and an LED display. These slim cookers have auto overheat cutoff, adjustable power level and timer control.

If your mom likes to spend her afternoons baking pastry delights, liven up her baking with the trendy Hanabishi professional stand mixers, which come in different colors of violet, red, blue, yellow, and black. The mixers support up to eight speed levels with automatic shutoff. Their soft start function helps minimize splatters for easy cleanup after. They come with 3 or 4.2-liter plastic or stainless steel bowl, whisk, dough hooks, and beater guard.

These vibrantly colored mixers will not only add a splash of hues to your mom’s day but will also make baking time more fun.

Chill out the summer heat

Let your favorite lady beat the summer heat with a new Hanabishi air cooler. The different models available have a water capacity of 5.5 to 10 liters, so you can choose the model that best suits the room or space to be cooled. The wind speed ranges from 10.5m/s to 12m/s.

The air coolers are equipped with a honeycomb filter and 24-hour timer. They come with a remote control so your mom can just relax on her favorite couch while reading her favorite book or drinking a refreshing glass of juice without having to worry about the room’s coolness level. Some units even have ionizing functions for purifying the air.

The air coolers come in different colors. You can pick your mom’s favorite shade for that added thoughtfulness.

Healthful options

For those with health buff moms, a nice blender or juicer reflects your support for her lifestyle and concern for her health.

Hanabishi’s blenders come in different colors, perfect for brightening up your mom’s morning. They have a 1.5-liter glass jar and detachable parts for easy operation and cleaning. The products also feature an overheating protector motor with safety lock, an IDM control panel with LED and turbo vertical speed control. Some units can double as miller and grinder.

Treat your mom to an even healthier present with Hanabishi’s juicers. Perfect for juicing carrots, apples, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, watermelons and other fruits, these juicers use stainless steel housing and have two speed controls. They have a 500mL to 800mL cup and up to 1.2-liter pulp container.

Celebrate the occasion with Hanabishi’s special Mother’s Day online sale. You may avail of up to 15% discount on selected appliances when you purchase through their website, www.myhanabishi.com. Promo runs until May 14.

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Sun Life appoints Bianca Ilibasic as Managing Director, Sun Life Global Solutions

She will lead SLGS across India and the Philippines, providing strategic direction to multi-functional teams spanning Technology, Operations, Analytics, Actuarial, HR, Finance, and Risk & Compliance.

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Sun Life has appointed Bianca Ilibasic as the Managing Director for its global capability centre, Sun Life Global Solutions (SLGS). She previously served as Vice President & Chief Operations Officer, Sun Life Asia.

In her new role, Bianca will lead SLGS across India and the Philippines, providing strategic direction to multi-functional teams spanning Technology, Operations, Analytics, Actuarial, HR, Finance, and Risk & Compliance. Her mandate is to further scale SLGS as a high-impact, enterprise capability supporting Sun Life across 28 markets.

During her time in Asia, Bianca advanced straight-through processing, accelerated digital adoption, and shaped a forward-looking AI roadmap to drive business growth — strengthening shared platforms and enabling scalable outcomes.

Commenting on the appointment, Laura Money, EVP and Chief Information and Technology Innovation Officer, Sun Life, said, “Over the past four years, Bianca has been a driving force behind operational excellence and digital transformation, leading with clarity, courage, and a deep commitment to our Purpose. Advancing our AI roadmap and scaling impact across common platforms, Bianca has been consistently delivering results while building strong, empowered teams. She is a visionary, insights driven leader who brings energy, heart, and ambition to everything she does, and I could not be more thrilled to see her step into this role.”

Reflecting on the opportunity, Bianca added: “I am excited to begin this new chapter. Sun Life Global Solutions is more than a capability centre — excellence, innovation, and dedication are consistently demonstrated via brilliant, passionate teams across India and the Philippines who support our Purpose and our Clients every single day. What excites me most is the opportunity to build on our foundation and deepen partnerships, accelerate transformation, and relentlessly focus on outcomes that truly matter to our Clients.”

Bianca’s appointment marks a defining moment for SLGS, strengthening its role as both a strategic engine for enterprise value and a platform where empowered teams can shape what’s next for Sun Life. We look forward to everything Bianca and the SLGS team will achieve together.

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Manulife continues legacy of service in PH with Impact Week 2026

All five Manulife organizations in the Philippines—Manulife Philippines, Manulife China Bank Life Assurance Corporation (MCBL), Manulife Investment Management and Trust Corporation (MIMTC), Manulife Business Processing Services (MBPS), and Manulife IT Delivery Center (MITDC)—held activities that advanced environmental, educational, and social causes.

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Manulife hosted its inaugural Impact Week, a global volunteer initiative designed to strengthen well-being, build social connection and unite teams through purpose-driven community action.

All five Manulife organizations in the Philippines—Manulife Philippines, Manulife China Bank Life Assurance Corporation (MCBL), Manulife Investment Management and Trust Corporation (MIMTC), Manulife Business Processing Services (MBPS), and Manulife IT Delivery Center (MITDC)—held activities that advanced environmental, educational, and social causes.

“Manulife’s Longevity ambition is about helping people live longer, healthier, and more financially secure lives—and we believe that starts with strong, resilient communities,” said Rahul Hora, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Philippines. “Impact Week brings this to life by mobilizing colleagues across our Philippine entities to volunteer at scale, working side by side with our community partners and reinforcing the shared purpose that strengthens long-term well-being. Through these collective actions, we are creating immediate impact and helping build a more sustainable and inclusive future for the communities we serve.”

Results and Highlights from Impact Week 2026

During Impact Week, more than 1,200 colleagues participated in volunteering activities, logging more than 4,700 volunteering hours. 

Beyond the numbers, Impact Week strengthened connection across teams, bringing colleagues together around shared purpose and reinforcing a culture of inclusion.

  • Ongoing tripartite impact: As part of a tripartite collaboration with the Corazon Sanchez Atayde Memorial Foundation (CSAMF) and Haribon Foundation—combining Manulife’s community investment commitments, CSAMF’s financial literacy program, and Haribon’s biodiversity and environmental work—Manulife Philippines, Manulife China Bank Life (MCBL), and Manulife Investment Management and Trust Corporation (MIMTC) led the on-ground activities in Infanta, Quezon Province.
  • Supporting financial resilience through Peso Smart: Volunteers supported Peso Smart Pinoy (PSP) through challenge-based activities in Brgy. Alitas, Infanta, culminating in a graduation ceremony recognizing PSP participants and their progress toward greater financial confidence. Peso Smart is a financial literacy program that has reached more than 4,000 learners across 18 schools nationwide since 2017,
  • Contributing to a healthier planet: Volunteers, together with Haribon Foundation and the Alitas Farmers Folks Association (AFFA), planted 2,500 mangrove seedlings, advancing the Ridge-to-Reef Reforestation Initiative and adding to Manulife and Haribon’s total of more than 31,000 trees planted since 2023.
  • Prioritizing health and well-being: Volunteers partnered with Rise Against Hunger Philippines and Waves for Water Philippines to support food security and water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives. Together, they packed 17,700+ rice meals, rescued 1,200+ kg of surplus food, distributed 500 hot meals, produced 3,300 mushroom bags for livelihoods, assembled 150 water filtration kits, and developed 100+ concepts for food bank and mobile kitchen initiatives.
  • Supporting community education: MITDC delivered its Code4Future program to 28 young learners from St. Martin de Porres Kid’s Home—using coding and creativity to build problem-solving skills and digital confidence.

Extending Impact Together

In addition to the company organized activities, individual colleague teams across the Manulife organizations were supported in leading their own volunteer initiatives with local non-profit partners. For each eligible team-led initiative, Manulife provided a $1,000 donation to the partner organization, extending the reach of Impact Week.

“The most meaningful work is often personal. At Manulife, volunteerism grows when people are trusted to lead on the causes they care about,” said Ardhi Siregar, Chief People Officer, Manulife Philippines. “That’s why we empowered our teams to identify a community impact need, choose a local non-profit partner to collaborate with, and lead the effort themselves—with team grants helping extend that impact through added support where it matters most. That sense of ownership and purpose is what fuels deeper engagement and inspires our colleagues to drive impact that endures.”

With more than 13,000 volunteering hours logged across all Philippine entities in 2025, Impact Week 2026 reflects Manulife’s growing culture of service in the communities where it operates and stands to make a difference.

Volunteering: A Longevity Driver Impact Week aligns closely with the work of the Manulife Longevity Institute, a global research, thought leadership, innovation, advocacy, and community investment platform that will help people thrive at every age. The Institute’s work will support Manulife’s Impact Agenda strategy as our always-on commitment to drive better outcomes for our customers, our communities, and the world we share. We believe collective action can accelerate change and, by collaborating with like-minded partners, we can make a meaningful impact.

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Manulife launches GoalReady health solutions

GoalReady for Health combines investment-linked savings with critical illness and life protection—helping customers build their funds while protecting their goals if a serious illness strikes.

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Manulife Philippines and Manulife China Bank Life (MCBL) today announced the launch of Manulife GoalReady for Health, an investment-linked savings plan with comprehensive critical illness and life insurance coverage.

GoalReady for Health combines investment-linked savings with critical illness and life protection—helping customers build their funds while protecting their goals if a serious illness strikes. Designed for Filipinos who want to stay on track with their long-term goals, it helps manage the potential financial disruption caused by health setbacks.

As more Filipinos plan for longer lives, staying on track with their life goals increasingly means being prepared for rising healthcare costs, prolonged illness, and the financial strain health setbacks can place on families. The plan addresses the growing gap in financial preparedness for health emergencies among Filipinos. The recent Manulife Asia Care Study revealed that about four in five Filipinos believe their financial wellbeing has great impact on their health span (both physical and mental) and lifespan.

The financial stakes are steep: A study on the economic impact of cancer in the Philippines found that Filipino patients spend an average of ₱181,789 out-of-pocket within the first year of diagnosis, highlighting the significant financial burden of treatment. Yet Filipinos remain financially underprepared for these possibilities. According to latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Filipinos’ household out-of-pocket for medical expenses stood at 42.7%, while a recent Manulife study found that 33% of Filipinos feel they have insufficient insurance coverage.

GoalReady for Health enables customers to build a dedicated pool of savings for future health needs through professionally managed, investment-linked fund options designed to support long-term goals. At the same time, it provides built-in critical illness protection, helping customers stay on track with their plans even when a serious health event occurs.

“Many Filipinos work hard to build toward their goals, but a serious illness can quickly turn years of progress into an unexpected financial burden. Manulife GoalReady for Health brings together critical illness protection and investment-linked savings for future health needs, helping customers stay financially prepared while protecting what they’ve worked hard to build,” said Rahul Hora, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Philippines.

“With Manulife GoalReady for Health, we want Filipinos to move forward with confidence, knowing that a health shock need not become a financial setback—so they can focus on recovery while keeping their savings and life goals on track, and live better for longer,” Hora added.

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