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Healthy ways to control your diabetes

In 2020, deaths due to Type 2 diabetes mellitus or adult diabetes ranked fourth at 37,265 after heart disease (99,680), cancer (62,289), and cerebrovascular diseases (59,736), as revealed by Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data.

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Diabetes has been a bitter pill to swallow, particularly for countries affected by the rising number of cases every year. In 2019, approximately 463 million adults (20-79 years) were living with this chronic metabolic disease, characterized by an increase in blood sugar levels; by 2045, this will rise to 700 million, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). 

A similar trend is also happening in the Philippines. In 2020, deaths due to Type 2 diabetes mellitus or adult diabetes ranked fourth at 37,265 after heart disease (99,680), cancer (62,289), and cerebrovascular diseases (59,736), as revealed by Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data. 

However, having diabetes does not mean you can never have a healthy, everyday life.  

Working closely with your doctor can help you manage diabetes, and you can also start focusing on some critical changes in your daily life. Here are some ways to manage your blood sugar levels, as listed by the Department of Health (DOH).  

Keep yourself active. Despite being inside your home most of the time due to existing lockdowns and community quarantines, staying active is crucial to help control your blood sugar levels. A little cardio can be a big help, no need to push yourself to do hardcore workouts. 

Workout at least three times a week for at least 30 minutes each session. Not only can it help you bring down your blood sugar levels, but it can also help you lose some extra pounds, increase your endorphins (happy hormones) and ease stress.  

Manage your stress. Getting stressed when you have diabetes will do you no good. When you’re stressed, your blood sugar levels go up. That is why it pays to relieve your stress by doing hobbies that relax you and doing some breathing exercises or yoga. 

Quit Smoking. Smoking is harmful to your health, especially if you have diabetes. In addition, it may trigger other health problems, such as heart disease, eye disease, stroke, and kidney disease. Smoking also can make it harder to exercise. If you’re a smoker, consult with your doctor about the ways to quit. 

Maintain normal blood pressure. Since hypertension puts a person at high risk of cardiovascular disease, primarily associated with diabetes, reliable blood pressure monitoring and control is highly advised. Seek your doctor’s advice on proper management. 

Eat healthy. Eating healthy food is crucial when you have diabetes. Do not skip or delay meals since it causes fluctuations in blood sugar levels. It also pays to eat more fiber-rich foods like vegetables and cut down on salt. Drinking alcohol, on the other hand, must be avoided. Dietary guidelines recommend no more than two drinks for men and not more than one drink per day for women. 

‘Eating Sweets? Still Possible’ 

When it comes to eating sweets, it is advised to avoid simple sugars like cakes and chocolates. But it does not mean that you can’t let anything sweet pass your lips again. Instead, have complex carbohydrates like rice, pasta, cereals, and fresh fruits.  

You can use some alternative sweeteners now available in nearby drugstores nationwide. For instance, Santé, a premier natural and organic health and wellness product and services provider,  offers Sweet Via, a sweetener from a natural source with amazing health benefits. 

Sweet Via is made with stevia, a natural substitute for sugar, derived from the leaves of a small perennial green shrub. Anyone who suffers from blood sugar disorders or who needs to limit their caloric intake should know about the remarkable properties of stevia. It is an accepted sugar substitute that can contribute to weight management and improved caloric control.[1] 

Aside from stevia, Sweet Via contains Inulin, a natural soluble dietary fiber from a chicory plant that promotes digestive health. It acts as food for good bacteria in the colon. Studies also suggest that Inulin aids in keeping blood sugar levels low.[2] 

Free from artificial additives, Sweet Via turns sweets into a treat without the guilt. It is also a perfect sweetener for not only for people with diabetes but also perfect for weight watchers and those who want to cut down on their sugar or calorie intake.  

Sweet Via is now available in leading drugstores nationwide and online shopping platforms, such as Shopee and Lazada. This product comes in a box containing 10 sachets. Each sachet contains 1g of the sweetener, equivalent to 2 teaspoons of sugar. It instantly sweetens any beverage and food recipe minus the guilt and harmful effects of too much sugar. 

This product is just one of the many other organic health and wellness products offered by Santé, known for developing a comprehensive selection of everyday barley-based products. They are designed to improve people’s quality of life so they can live more and do more. 

To learn more about Santé, visit its website at santebarley.com.   

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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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