PCPPI directs business attention to benefit employee, customers, and communities amid COVID-19 pandemic
Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines, Inc. (PCPPI) continues to direct its business attention towards employee protection and delivering the company’s obligation in service to the Filipino people amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As medical experts deem that this global health crisis will not be over soon, our three guiding principles have helped us navigate the new normal with an urgent concern for our people and the nation. These are part of our efforts to manage the effects of the pandemic to our people and operations,” said PCPPI president and CEO Frederick D. Ong.
The guiding principles and actions taken by PCPPI targets at helping employees cope during varying stages of Community Quarantine, to take action to support the needs of community and partners across the country; and to remain responsible in delivering its products—which is considered by the government as basic goods—nationwide.
For its employees, PCPPI continues to implement Flexible Work Arrangement. Those who are reporting to work on given days are provided with assistance such as transportation support/carpooling, site lodging, and food allowance. All PCPPI employees are also given PPE kits that include alcohol supply, washable face masks, and face shields.
PCPPI also offered its people with additional leave benefits, such as five-day COVID Crisis Leave and VL/SL Leave Availments for all employees. The company, likewise, released early payments, specifically pro-rated 13th Month Pay, as well as interest-free Calamity Loan assistance. All these are on top of government support programs which the company also helped facilitate for their employees.
Sustained operations
Despite the shift to MECQ, PCPPI commits to unhampered operations to produce hydration products for the consumption of the Filipinos. The company also continues to replenish stocks and display in groceries, supermarkets, and in traditional sales channels.
Meanwhile, to help and reach out to those in need, PCPPI is sustaining its donations to frontliners. Over 165,000 drinks or about 9,000 cases of beverage products were already donated to checkpoint frontliners, major hospitals, Local Government Units, COVID-patient centers, and various donation sites across the country.
“These are indeed uncertain times and the least we can do to ease the hardships of our fellow countrymen is assure them that PCPPI remains committed to deliver our products and assist them during these trying times,” Ong added.
Momshies, just because you spend more time at home nowadays doesn’t mean you’re less stressed, right?
With all that juggling between working from home, and all the stuff you need to work on at home, it’s enough to make you get frazzled sometimes.
Fortunately, the folks over at Jampax can take stress out of preparing your family’s next meal.
A group of friends who used to work in food industry before the pandemic hit our shores banded together and put their skill sets to bear to whip up tasty yet affordable rice meals for online selling.
Here’s a sampling of what you can expect from Jampax:
Gyoza (Php45/5 pieces). Mini-versions of the popular Japanese potstickers made with ground meat and minced vegetables flavored by garlic and aromatics wrapped in thin dough wrappers. This is my daughter’s favorite dumpling and she considers no Japanese meal complete without it.
Katsudon (Php110). Tender piece of pork loin, breaded and deep-fried served with egg cooked in a sweet and savory sauce over steamed rice and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. My little boy can’t get enough of it!
Chicken Inasal (Php85 | Php100 with rice). A boneless quarter leg of chicken flavored in the traditional Ilonggo marinade of calamansi, pepper, coconut vinegar and annato then roasted until tender and flavorfully smokey.
Other dishes from Jampax’s home-cooked menu include:
Chicken Teriyaki (Php85 | Php100 with rice)
Karaage (Php85 | Php100 with rice)
Tonkatsu (Php85 | Php100 with rice)
Pork Siomai (Php40/5 pieces)
Japanese Siomai (Php55/5 pieces)
Lumpiang Shanghai (Php45/5 pieces)
These dishes are jam-packed with flavor and can be enjoyed in a variety of ways:
A single order can be a busy office worker’s hassle-free lunch
Several orders can be family’s quick and easy dinner
Large orders can be a crew meal for outdoor projects and or party fare for big celebrations
Want to stock up on food you can cook later? Jampax also offers marinated chicken wings and chicken breast fillets at Php200 per half-kilo pack (in flavors garlic parmesan, hickory barbecue and buffalo flavors), as well as frozen pork siomai, Japanese siomai, gyoza and lumpiang shanghai for Php70 per twelve-piece pack.
So momshies, kiss the stress away for your fam’s mealtime. Just order your food at Jampax by calling +63 915 5850297 or sending a message on Facebook or Instagram between 8am and 6pm daily with a two-day lead time (same day orders may be accommodated depending on stock availability). Cashless payments via BPI and GCash are accepted and encouraged. Delivery is free in selected areas in Cavite.
Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate an honest review.
Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:
Toronto-based artist Sabby Sousa taps into something nostalgic and exhilarating on her new single “Emerald”—out today on all digital platforms worldwide.
Despite its openness to tackle a romantic relationship gone astray, the smooth R&B song inhabits an optimistic headspace that values emotional maturity over impulsive demeanor.
With her syrupy vocals complementing the track’s atmospheric sonic backdrop, Sabby remembers her past relationship fondly, setting aside bitterness for a peace of mind. “I had gone through a breakup and didn’t want to write anything sad or angry,” the teen-pop sensation shares. “I wanted to remember what it felt like in those moments and hold them close. It reminded me that not all relationships are meant to last forever. What lasts forever is the memories you make. So live life to the fullest.”
Unlike her viral bop “Cream n’ Frosting,” which hit more than two million streams on all music platforms and landed on Spotify Viral 50 charts in the Philippines and Malaysia, Sabby’s smoky new track establishes her more introspective side as both a singer-songwriter and a vocalist.
This time, she mines a wistful narrative straight from a journal entry: confessional in form and function, but also hopeful in the way it was written and delivered.
“There’s a lot of electric guitar and synths that make the song so dreamy,” Sabby Sousa adds. “I would definitely say, it’s a lot different to previous songs as it marks the beginning of a new sound for me.”
“Emerald” is produced by House of Wolf, a rising French-Canadian electronic duo who has worked with the likes of Cheat Codes and Carlie Henson.
Recorded in August last year, the infectious jam sounds like a star turn from a young artist who is now ready to take the spotlight and make a lightning strike, one more time.
Image and details provided in a recent press release.
Did you know that the submarine sandwich, also known as the hoagie, hero or grinder, is said to have originated from the Italian-American communities in northeastern US in the early to mid-20th century?
It got its most famous moniker due to its shape: the cylindrical bread roll housing its hearty fillings resembles the shape of a submarine.
Its nickname, the hoagie, came about in Philadelphia in the 1950s when Italian-Americans working at the Hog Island shipyard started putting various meats, cheeses and lettuce between two slices of bread.
Subway, the largest restaurant chain in the world, specializes in subs.
From its beginnings in the Fresno, California in 1978, Subway has steadily conquered the rest of the globe, setting up shops in Asia and even appearing prominently in popular K-Dramas.
Maybe it was its high visibility in his favorite Korean dramas that drove my Hubby to start ordering sandwiches from Subway to be delivered via GrabFood whenever he gets peckish while working from home.
And why would I complain when he so generously orders subs for the rest of the fam so that everyone has something to tide us over until dinnertime.
6″ Italian (Php138). Hubby’s go-to sub is made of spicy pepperoni and salami with crisp veggies and peppers in a toasted bun.
6″ BLT (Php138). One of my mottos is “Bacon makes everything better.” Well, it surely does! Sandwich some bacon slices together with lettuce and tomato in freshly toasted buns and you’ve got a great sub!
6″ Steak and Cheese (Php184). Inspired by the classic Philly hoagie, this sub features lean and tender steak with crisp lettuce, sliced onions and tomatoes and topped with melted cheese in a freshly toasted bun.
6″ Roast Beef (Php184). Lean and tender slices of roast beef with sliced cucumbers, onions, tomatoes and peppers in a freshly toasted bun.
With these tasty and filling subs, the wait for dinner doesn’t seem so long, right?
And with Metro Manila back on moderate enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), we don’t have to leave the safety of our homes to have our subs. We can just have them delivered right to our doorsteps just by ordering from GrabFood, LalaFood or FoodPanda.
And, boy, we do all go crazy over these sweet little creations from Krispy Kreme!
Krispy Kreme has been around for over fifty years, with families in the southern United States making a trip to their local Krispy Kreme branch their weekly ritual. Then, in the 1990s, Krispy Kreme underwent a massive expansion by opening branches coast to coast.
The brand reached our shores back in 2006 when it opened its first Philippine branch in Bonifacio Global City.
Today, it is firmly entrenched in the hearts (and palates!) of Pinoy donut lovers.
To give my fam a taste of the various donut possibilities that Krispy Kreme can bring, I recently ordered a Mixed Dozen (Php470) to be delivered to our home.
This includes a box containing six pieces of Krispy Kreme’s original glazed (also know as “OG”) donuts and a box containing six pieces of assorted donut flavors.
The OG donuts are Krispy Kreme’s signature flavor, made from Krispy Kreme’s donut mix, water and yeast, which are mixed, fried and glazed in accordance to strict specifications to produce that light and fluffy donuts we so love.
As for the other six pieces, we got a variety of flavors for the fam to discover and enjoy: KitKat Chocolate, KitKat Matcha, Glazed Vanilla Cake, Double Chocolate Cake and Glazed Chocolate Cake.
So despite the still ongoing community quarantine, donut lovers can still get their donut cravings satisfied by having their Krispy Kreme donuts delivered just like we did!
Plus, here’s some good news for donut fans! From August 17 to 20, you can have six Original Glazed, three ring-filled Choco Iced Kreme Filled, a New York Cheesecake, a KitKat Chocolate and a Red Velvet delivered to your doorstep for just Php399 if you course your order online or through +63 2 88879000 (Metro Manila Hotline), thanks to Krispy Kreme’s Delivery Dozen Deal.
Do you know what else is available for delivery? A Krispy Kreme OG Card, that’s what! Get this card to start enjoying freebies such as a half-dozen OG donuts for every order of a dozen OGs, as well as a free box of three OGs on your birthday and more!
If you still haven’t thrown yourself into one of the quarantine’s most popular pastimes because you lack the time, ingredients or equipment, let me share with you some hacks that will have you donning on your apron, ready to bake.
Let’s start you off with simple treats that will surely win the hearts (and tummies!) of the youngsters and adults alike: cookies!
Cookies seem to have been originated in 7th century Persia, a little while after the use of sugar became common in the region. Through the Muslim conquest of Spain, this baked goodies spread throughout Europe. It was said to have come to America through the Dutch in New Amsterdam in the 1620s with the Dutch word koekje latet Anglicized to “cookie.”
Since then, exciting cookie variants have been introduced, giving cookie fans more reasons to love their favorite baked treat.
Bringing these bits of sweet happiness to your home even got a whole lot easier with these beloved cookie flavors in packaged mixes from Betty Crocker.
Betty Crocker got its start back in 1921 through a sales promotion ran by Gold Medal Flour targeting home cooks. Along with the entries, flour milling company Washburn Crosby Company (the predecessor of General Mills, Inc.), received a deluge of questions about baking. The name Betty Crocker was formulated to personalize responses to these queries.
Today, Betty Crocker is considered an icon of food expertise and reliable products, offering reliable and accessible recipes, sound cooking advice and dependable products. Its trademark red spoon and the Betty Crocker brand evokes that feeling of warmth and homeyness.
Among its products are the Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes. These mixes have no colors, no artificial flavors and no preservatives, just honest-to-goodness ingredients that will enable home cooks to have freshly baked treats from bowl to oven in minutes.
And really, these cookie mixes are so easy to use; I made three flavors of cookies using just my trusty mixing bowl, a fork, a 1 1/2-in diameter ice cream scoop, and, of course, my trusty oven (preheated to 375 deg F (190 deg C).
Each 17.5oz (496g) cookie mix bag produces twenty-four 3-inch cookies, enough to sate the cravings of any cookie fan.
Chocolate Chip Cookie
This beloved cookie was invented in 1938 by chefs Ruth Graves Wakefield for the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts, then a popular spot for home cooking. She chopped bits from a Nestle semi-sweet chocolate bar into a cookie dough made with flour, butter, brown and white sugar and vanilla, and a legendary cookie was born.
The Hack: Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
Mix together the cookie mix, one stick (1/2 cup) softened butter and egg until a soft dough forms.
Scoop the dough into round balls and drop them in an ungreased cookie sheet two inches apart.
Bake for nine to eleven minutes or until edges are light golden brown.
Each cookie is chewy and bursting with sweetness, a sure hit for kids and adults alike!
Oatmeal Cookie
A descendant of the traditional Scottish oatcakes which has been around since the middle ages, the recipe of the oatmeal cookie was first published in 1896 by Fannie Merritt Farmer author of the Boston Cooking School Cook Book. When it became popular in the US in the early 1900s, it was considered a health food due to the increased fiber content from the oatmeal.
The Hack: Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie Mix
Mix together the cookie mix, one stick (1/2 cup) softened butter, 1 tbsp water and egg until a slightly stiff dough forms.
Scoop the dough into round balls and drop them in an ungreased cookie sheet two inches apart.
Bake for ten to twelve minutes or until edges are light golden brown.
A bit heftier when compared to other cookies, this moist and chewy oatmeal cookie packs a lot of texture as well as flavor in each bite.
Peanut Butter Cookie
The peanut butter cookie was invented in the 1910s by George Washington Carver when he published a peanut cookbook to promote the crop. While his original recipes called for chopped nuts, these were substituted in later iterations with peanut butter, and a classic cookie fave came to be.
The Hack: Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie
Mix together the cookie mix, three tbsp vegetable oil, 1 tbsp water and egg until a soft dough forms.
Scoop the dough into round balls and drop them in an ungreased cookie sheet two inches apart.
Bake for nine to eleven minutes or until edges are light golden brown.
From the smell of peanut butter wafting to your nostrils to the satisfying bites into salty-sweet chewiness, this cookie is a feast for the senses.
(Traditionally, fork marks are associated to the peanut butter cookie. I just forgot to apply them before baking, my bad!)
Want some more cookie hacks?
Allow the cookies to cool for one minute on the cookie sheet before removing them.
Baked too many? Store leftovers in an airtight container and reheat in a 300 deg F (150 deg C) oven for four to six minutes or until warm
Want to save some cookie dough to be baked later? Place the dough balls in a container with lid and place in a freezer. You can pop these in the oven and bake for few minutes longer.
So stock up on these cookie mixes so you can easily treat the fam to bites of cookie happiness at home.
Rising Filipino-American artist Dominic Fike has just released his highly-anticipated debut album, What Could Possibly Go Wrong, via Columbia Records. The album includes the previously-released singles “Chicken Tenders,” and “Politics & Violence,” which Pigeons & Planes called “one of his best songs yet,” and arrives after his video FIGHT OR FLIGHT, where he jumped off a plane and previewed the album opener “Come Here.”
What Could Possibly Go Wrong was initially delayed in light of the protests that have spread across America, which Fike addressed in addition to detailing his own history with police brutality in a powerful essay he shared with fans. He also spoke with Brockhampton’s Kevin Abstract for a conversation that further contextualizes the forthcoming album, as well as appeared in Anderson .Paak’s “Lockdown” video that poignantly addresses the protests and current political climate.
The attention on Dominic Fike has steadily grown since the release of his EP Don’t Forget About Me, Demos, via Columbia Records in 2018. From that initial release, he’s continued to rise as one of his generation’s most enigmatic pop stars.
Last year, his hit single “3 Nights” reach #1 on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart in September. He also collaborated with Omar Apollo on “Hit Me Up” and “Phone Numbers,” the latter of which he performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with Kenny Beats and saw an Aidan Cullen-directed music video featuring Halsey.
Dom also appeared on the covers of BRICK and Notion Magazine in addition to marquee features in The FADER, Interview Magazine etc. in addition to touring the the world on his sold out Rain or Shine tour.
ADHD represents the vicious-affective cycle experienced by artist, jaye in his bygone days as a hustling DJ. The four symptoms that make the acronymed A-D-H-D cycle are: Attention, Depression, Hit, and Dip. These were the formulaic-four that spun the cycle led headfirst by intoxication and party highs. All jaye could yearn for at the end was escape from its cyclical gravity. The genre-fluid single was recently released on 31 July – but that was just the shallows. Today, jaye drafts audiences into a rip-tide of immersive experiences with a powerful interactive Music Video.
Inspired by Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” jaye starts off at the deep end experimenting with the deconstruction of song and video structure to come up with the time-space defying Music Video (MV). The free-form MV is fitted much like Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch which gives users an illusion of control. Audiences get to choose their own adventure from four options (Attention – Depression – Hit – Dip) whilst vicariously living through experiences adapted from jaye’s own memories. The first chapter ends in two options (Ascend and Descend) and from there the viewer controls the narrative, or at least that’s what they think.
The postmodern video is a hands-on representation of the true viciousness of the ADHD cycle. Viewers will feel the same burden that jaye did as he realized that partying did not empower him; rather, it proved a great hindrance to his mental health and life.
jaye’s MV is a psychedelic cyberpunk microcosm with nostalgic video game elements and hair-raising horror features. Parts of the MV are also interwoven with the MVs from his former future-past releases via meta space-time warps.
With command of the concept, “the game of life”, jaye will release an 8-bit 2D Instagram filter game called HIT which will allow users to continue to engage with his Super Mario-esque hellscape (as seen in the MV). Fans will have to blink to shoot oncoming enemies with lasers in a side-scrolling virtual landscape, soundtracked by the ‘Hit’ section of the ADHD track. Prizes will be given away to those with high scores.
This track comes after the stratospheric success of previous singles ‘TOMORROW’ and ‘DEJAVU’. Both Music Videos received over half a million Youtube views after just one month, no doubt owing to their conceptual depth and edge.
Image and details provided in a recent press release.
We Pinoys don’t have a dessert tradition that involves these three ingredients but in the US, no campfire is complete without them, combined to form S’mores.
A contraction of the phrase “some more,” this campfire treat was first known as the Graham Cracker Sandwich which was very popular among Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The marshmallows are normally placed on sticks to be toasted using the campfire until golden brown on the outside and gooey on the inside. It is then sandwiched between two graham cracker halves along with a piece of chocolate.
Well, we city denizens might not be able to gather around a campfire anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean we have to deprive ourselves of this campfire treat.
Charlie Baker is a new online business, currently specializing in S’mores. It is managed by thirty-one-year-old Charles Rosales, a recent culinary school graduate who decided to introduce the little-known dessert S’mores to Metro Manila foodies.
For just Php120, dessert lovers can enjoy a 14-piece tub of a handier version of the S’mores which consist of a crust of crushed Graham crackers, a thick layer of milk chocolate topped by toasted marshmallows. A 19″x12″ pan of these yummies – monikered as S’most – is also available at Php750.
You would have to keep this refrigerated before consuming but you can pop a piece or two in the microwave for a few seconds to have the marshmallow become a bit gooey and the chocolate a little melted.
Snack on it in during work or study breaks, or while binge-watching your fave series on TV. You can also serve it to the kiddos as a dessert to cap a meal.
Charlie Baker also offers Chocolate Crinkles at Php120/dozen as well as accepts orders for personalized cakes and pastries.
To order, message Charlie Baker on Facebook or Instagram. Payments via BPI, BDO and GCash are accepted. The S’mores can be delivered to anywhere in Metro Manila via Lalamove, Grab or Mr. Speedy (delivery fee c/o buyer).
Disclosure: Product sample was provided to facilitate an honest review.
Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:
Joji teams up with Diplo on a new collaboration called “Daylight,” the latest single from his highly anticipated new album Nectar, due out on September 25 through 88rising, distributed by 12Tone Music.
Just in time for the dog days of summer, this midtempo anthem sets Joji’s lulling vocals against Diplo’s crisp production to create a hazy, shapeshifting aural mirage.
The vibrant music video for “Daylight,” directed by Munachi Osegbu (Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hot Girl Summer” video), finds Joji and Diplo tasting the high life of a boy band: as struggling PAs on a 90s music video shoot.
The two daydreamers bumble around the set and ultimately derail the shoot of the young (at heart) pop divas.
“Daylight” is the fourth pre-release track from Nectar. It follows Gold-certified single “Sanctuary” and his first 2020 single “Run,” which earned Joji his highest-ever entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and his television debut on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon; and second single “Gimme Love” which Complex hailed as “a stickypop anthem with haunting vocals.” Last month, Joji also released a tingly and transformative remix of “Gimme Love” by Channel Tres.
On the song, Joji says, “It might be nice for people to hear a song about daylight, especially when we don’t get as much of it as we used to,” and on the collaboration, Diplo says “Joji is one of my favorite artists. I’m lucky he answered my text!”
Image and details provided by Sony Music Philippines in a recent press release.
Jellybeans in the City 