John L. Gokongwei, Jr., 93

We mourn the peaceful passing of our Founder and Chairman Emeritus John L. Gokongwei Jr., on November 9, 2019. He was 93. We, the 75,000-strong employees of JG Summit Holdings and Robinsons Retail Holdings, join the nation in paying tribute to the founder of the first Philippine multinational conglomerate, a philanthropist with a passion for education. 

Mr. John, as we fondly called him, was a visionary. He was an inspiration to entrepreneurs and businessmen around the nation, with his pioneering ideas, his strong work ethic, his passion, and perseverance. Today, the Gokongwei Group is one of the country’s largest and most diversified conglomerates with interests in air transportation, telecommunications, banking, food, power, property, hospitality, retail, and petrochemicals. 

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Elizabeth, and his children Robina, Lance, Lisa, Faith, Hope and Marcia; his in-laws and grandchildren; brothers Eddie and James Go, sister Lily; and his nieces and nephews. The wake will take place from Monday, November 11 to Thursday, November 14 at Heritage Park, Taguig, from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Daily masses will be celebrated at 7 p.m. Funeral mass will be on Friday, November 15 at 8 a.m. at Heritage Park.In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to your favorite charity.

Southstar Drug remains committed to providing you with your health and wellness needs.

Our stores will remain open in Metro Manila and other areas under community quarantine. However, operating hours will vary to comply with government directives. We shall update you on our store hours after.

Rest assured that your health and safety are our utmost concern. We continue to implement the necessary measures prescribed by the Department of Health to keep our customers and the whole community safe.

We request your cooperation and understanding. Let’s work together to overcome this global health crisis.

The novel coronavirus is shutting the world down. Businesses are closing, roads are empty, hospitals are getting crowded, and people are panicking.

The question in everybody’s mind now is, when will all of this end? What can we do to end this outbreak?

There is currently no vaccine or treatment available to prevent coronavirus from spreading, but we are taking all the precautionary measures that we can to at least help flatten the curve and contain the people infected with it. 

As resources become more limited, we’ve come up with a list of ways that can help you protect yourself and your family amid the pandemic.

PROTECT YOURSELF

•     Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

•     Put hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol all around the house.

•     Avoid touching your face especially your eyes, nose, and mouth.

DISTANCE YOURSELF

•     Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

•     If your community has a Covid-19 case, distance yourself from other people especially those who are showing symptoms.

PROTECT THE COMMUNITY

•     Isolate yourself if you are sick, and seek medical care immediately by calling the DOH COVID-19 HOTLINE - 894-COVID, or dial 1555 for PLDT, Smart, Sun, and TNT subscribers.

•     Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or the inside of your elbow when coughing.

•     Throw used tissues right away.

•     Wear a facemask only if you are sick.

•     Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

As scary as it is, the outbreak isn’t ending anytime soon. So, it is best that we do everything that we can, even in isolation, to help stop spreading it for everyone to finally be able to get back on track.

To know more about the COVID-19, visit www.who.int.

In this age of technology, smartphones, gadgets, and computers are the ones to be blamed for vision problems. Though partly true, still the choice is up to us. Remember that everything taken into moderation wouldn’t harm, but if you do the other way ‘round then problems may and will arise. Same principle applies with using your gadgets. If you work 8-12 hours a day in front of your laptop without your ophthamologist's prescribed eye glasses then sure you’re doing your eyes harm than good.  
 
Just like when you opt to achieve overall fitness, you give attention on both healthy diet and exercise. Same goes with your eyes, apart from eating the right food such as:

• Green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, and collards.
• Salmon, tuna, and other oily fish.
• Eggs, nuts, beans, and other non-meat protein sources.
• Oranges and other citrus fruits or juices.
• Oysters and pork.

You should also do eye exercise such as:

• Zooming
• resting the eyes
• rolling the eyes
• beads on a string
• eye squeeze

Did you know that taking care of our eyes is as vital as taking care of your overall body health? Yes, that’s right. Ailments of the body have a direct and indirect implications to your visual abilities. “​For example, if we maintain a healthy body weight, the chances of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol level all are significantly reduced. All of these conditions can lead to vision loss, and in particular diabetes.”

It’s no surprise that smoking can harm your eyes, just like how it harms your overall health. Smoking makes individuals more likely to get cataracts, optic nerve damage, and macular degeneration. Second-hand-smoke may also cause eye issues like dry eyes and contact lens discomfort.  If you are a smoker, be sure to have an annual eye examinations with your ophthalmologist to address eye issues that you probably haven’t realized yet.

Of course, drinking sufficient water never gets old. Drink your way to a healthier eye. It may sound absurd but sure it will keep overall body hydrated and subsequently your eyes, too.  

And finally, something beneficial that roots from the involuntary. Scientists have shown that the average person blinks 15-20 times per minute. That's up to 1,200 times per hour and a whopping 28,800 times in a day—much more often than we need to keep our eyeballs lubricated.  

The greatest way to take care of things is to love them. So love your eyes. Love them even more. Life in the dark may be interesting sometimes, but nothing compares to the ability of seeing wonderful things clearly, in the light. So then again, LOVE. YOUR. EYES.

You may hear the advice “do not go nuts” but would you still mind going nuts when you realize that good things come in small to fun packages? I think you’ll go for going nuts then! After all, nuts are filled with unsaturated fat that is good for your heart, high in healthy calories, proteins, fiber, vitamins and minerals! So then again, go nuts!

Look at these heart-friendly composition of nuts from Mayo Clinic:

• Unsaturated fats.​ ​Unsaturated fats are considered the 'healthy' fats and are encouraged as part of a healthy diet. These fats help reduce heart disease, lower cholesterol levels and have other health benefits when they replace saturated fats in the diet.
• Omega-3 fatty acids.​ Omega-3 fatty acids are found in many kinds of fish, but many nuts are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are a healthy form of fatty acids that seem to help ​ help reduce risk factors for heart disease, including high cholesterol and high blood pressure ​preventing dangerous heart rhythms that can lead to heart attacks
• Fiber.​ All nuts contain fiber, ​this type of fiber promotes the movement of material through your digestive system and increases stool bulk, so it can be of benefit to those who struggle with constipation or irregular stools.
• Vitamin E.​ Vitamin E may help stop the development of plaques in your arteries, which can narrow them. ​It also serves as an ​antioxidant​ that provide protection against toxins such as air pollution, premenstrual syndrome, eye disorders such as cataracts.
• Plant sterols.​ Some nuts contain plant sterols, a substance that can help lower your cholesterol. Plant sterols are often added to products like
  margarine and orange juice for additional health benefits, but sterols occur naturally in nuts.
• L-arginine.​ Nuts are also a source of l-arginine, which is a substance that may help improve​ blood vessels relax and also improves circulation. Some evidence shows that arginine may help improve blood flow in the arteries of the heart.

Remember to eat nuts in moderation. Treat nuts as as a substitute for saturated fats, such as those found in meats, eggs and dairy products.
The American Heart Association recommends eating about four servings of unsalted nuts a week. Select raw or dry-roasted nuts rather than those cooked in oil.

Here’s your guide to nuts consumption from Mayo clinic:

The holiday season is right around the corner. Festive decorations, holiday shopping, holiday break, and holiday food are some of the most awaited things during this season. And let’s admit it, food this season is oozing and really tempting. During this season, we expect to see lots of holiday food being sold on the streets, at the mall, or even made at home. Noche buena and media noche celebrations make us spend a fortune just to prepare tons of food at the table. Truly it is that time of the year wherein most of us will willingly sneak in a little bit of cheat day every now and then. But with all these food comes along those most dreaded calories!  
 
So it is very important to stay fit during the holiday to avoid putting your health at risk.  
 
Here are some ways to burn calories. . . while having fun!

Play with Children
This holiday season we expect to have tons of visit from our relatives raging from our grandparents, titos and titas, cousin, nephew, and niece. Use this opportunity to spend time playing with your younger brother, sister, or relative! Not only do you burn calories from chasing these energetic children, but you also enjoy yourself while bonding with them.

Indoor workout
Gyms are either filled or close because of the holiday rush, so instead of lazing around the house and doing nothing, why not work out from home? A simple sit up and push up daily will surely help you burn calories. Or if you're too lazy to do those workout, you can try going up and down the stairs for several time. Stair climbing = instant indoor workout!
 
Run for a cause
During this season many company and organization organize different events such as run or walk for a cause. Sign up for these kinds of event not only do you lose a couple of calories, you also contribute and help others. Since you are already signed up for this event, why not drag your whole family to make it more enjoyable?
 
Go Shopping
Shopping might be a dreaded thing to do especially for this season because of the bustlin’ and hustlin’ city  traffic, last minute shopping, and window shopping. During this season we have tons of shopping to do, ranging from buying gifts for our loved ones, buying groceries needed to make those festive and holiday food that we all crave
and love, buying new clothes and accessories, and many more. This could be a tiring activity but despite that, going out and buying all sort of things, make us engage in some sort of exercise. By walking around and looking for those gifts, we sweat and burn down some calories.
 
Do Yoga
Holidays or not, yoga is a perfect way to burn the calories!. This particular exercise can be done by anyone, anytime, and anywhere. Yoga helps in giving peace of mind, lower blood sugar, and many more. Surely this exercise will boost both your mental and physical state this season.

Even in the most slightest activity such as walking, running, and playing around, we can burn those calories. We just need to stay motivated and keep on moving forward and onward. Burning calories don’t have to be very tiring and expensive after all. Have a happy and healthy holidays!

Poignant and empathic in its portrayal of customers, Southstar Drug's "We Care A Little More" Campaign was selected as one of the finalists for best Branded Digital Ads during the 40th Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA). Held last November 14, 2018 at the Star Theater in Pasay City, the CMMA is held annually to give recognition to media products that enhance total human development and share positive messages to the Filipino public. 

The campaign was executed by multi-awarded and internationally acclaimed director Brillante Mendoza and advertising company Estima. The concept captures the reality that visits to drugstores are not often a welcome experience for customers; those visits are associated with illness or poor health, usually of a loved one. Southstar Drug understands this so it strives to create a kind, sensitive, and accommodating environment for customers.

 Click the link to see the full video: https://web.facebook.com/southstardrugph/videos/10157024537179848/?hc_location=ufi  

On its 10th year, Southstar Drug held its annual health run last September 15, 2019 in Naga City. Close to 3,000 runners participated and the event held in time with the city's Penafrancia Festival, one of the country's most celebrated tourist attractions. Entitled Run For Wellness 10: CobblesFest, the theme was coined from the colored powders and bubbles that the runners were immersed in for a novel experience beyond the usual run. As part of its initiatives for inclusivity, Southstar Drug also donated P50,000 to this year's chosen beneficiary, the Naga Persons with Disability Affairs Office.

We’ve seen viral videos about Persons with Disability working in places you didn’t expect them to. We’ve seen memes about how we’re supposed to treat them like they’re no different from us. But while it’s of course important that we share them on social media, and even talk about them with our loved ones, what is more crucial is that understanding and empathy is paired with action, helping provide opportunities for Persons with Disability to lead productive lives.

Southstar Drug (SSD) and Project Inclusion Network (PIN) have been working together in creating opportunities for Persons with Disability, and for the next few months, they’re adding another aspect to this partnership: harnessing the power of art. 

For the past three years, SSD has been working with PIN in placing Persons with Disability in several of their branches. Most of them are now regular employees. To date, they have already employed 23 Persons with Disability within the company. According to Christine Tueres, the General Manager of South Star Drug, Inc, this is very much aligned with their company’s advocacy and over-all philosophy. “We care a little more” is a tagline that they have used and it further strengthens their decision to extend assistance to people who need a little more special care and attention, not to mention inclusion.

While society has been a little more open and inclusive to Persons with Disability, there is still that perception that Persons with Disability cannot be fully functioning members of society. It is this stigma that has driven PIN to raise awareness and engage more companies like Southstar Drug to build a more inclusive and barrier-free Philippines. Grant Javier, PIN’s Executive Director, explains that helping improve access to work opportunities for Persons with Disability is part of our responsibility as citizens - to ensure that all members of society are included, and are provided with equal opportunities.

It is with this mindset that SSD and PIN explored more opportunities to engage with the Person with Disability community and to get SSD consumers involved as well. This year, they are launching the campaign, Drop the Prefix, to not just raise awareness about Persons with Disabilities but more importantly, to raise more funds to sponsor the training and development of Persons with Disability who have shown potential in arts.

For the coming Christmas season, Southstar Drug branches will be selling bags that have been designed by selected artists with disability that are part of Project Inclusion Network’s pool. The artworks will also be produced as desk and wall calendars as giveaways this Christmas.  These uniquely designed bags are produced by Persons with Disability through Goodwill Industries of the Philippines, a civic organization whose main purpose is to provide “skill empowerment” to Persons with Disability so they will be able to reach their full potential as individuals and as contributing members of society. This is also in line with SSD’s mission, and so Goodwill is the perfect partner for this campaign.

It’s also important to know the stories of the artists with disability who designed these bags. These individuals have a common bond in their love for art and desire to create something that will be useful for people who would want to own their creations.

We have individuals like Maribeth, who is Deaf and extremely talented in painting. She started out just watching YouTube videos and copying the art she saw there. But now, after undergoing training and tutelage, she started painting her own original ideas and has even become her family’s breadwinner through her craft. For her bag design, she wanted to highlight the fight for equal rights of Filipino children with disabilities. This is her own way of helping out her community and she believes that if people like her continue to train and practice their art, they too will be able to have a fulfilling career in the arts.

You also have someone like Joaqui, a Person with Autism waho uses painting not just as part of his therapy but  also  to explore and hone his creativity. His mother Lala shares that because of his newly discovered love for art, he has become more patient and comfortable with his surroundings and at the same time, he has been creating art that tackles things like the environment and health and wellness. She emphasizes that through the support of family and community, people like her son can discover the talents that they want to share to the world. 

Southstar Drug, Inc. held its 3rd Pharmacists National Summit with the theme CARE A Little More: South Star Drug towards Competency Advancement for Realization of Excellence in Pharmaceutical Care. The two-day summit was held at the Bayanihan Center in Pasig City last August 25 and 26, 2019.

Overall, the objective of the summit was improve services and enhance the skills of the drugstore’s professional pool of pharmacists across its store network, as well as keep them up to date with the latest developments in the Pharmacy Law. Industry experts served as speakers for curated talks on advancing competencies, empowerment and leadership, product accessibility, and collaboration.

Southstar Drug’s Awardee Pharmacists with Southstar Executives Thaddeus Sanchez, AVP for Operations; David Goh, Managing Director (far left) and Christine Tueres, General Manager with celebrity host and singer, Kakai Bautista (far right).

Southstar Drug’s Awardee Pharmacists with Southstar Executives Thaddeus Sanchez, AVP for Operations; David Goh, Managing Director (far left) and Christine Tueres, General Manager with celebrity host and singer, Kakai Bautista (far right).