REVITALIZED FIRST UNITED BUILDING WINS MALASAKIT GRAN PRIX AWARD AT 2024 GOOD DESIGN AWARD PH

 

QC’s Right to Care Card and Philippine Textile Table Swatchbook win Gold Awards

MANILA, Philippines — On 29 June, the Department of Trade and Industry-Design Center of the Philippines (DTI-Design Center) awarded outstanding designs during the 2024 Good Design Award Philippines, held at The Globe Tower, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. 

The Malasakit Gran Prix Award winner was the First United Building in Escolta, Manila. This project embodies the power of restoration and "adaptive reuse" in driving urban regeneration. Originally the Perez-Samanillo Building, this Art Deco landmark, designed by Andres P. Luna, son of the renowned painter Juan Luna, was Manila's tallest building upon its 1928 completion. 

The project's vision transformed the historic structure into a vibrant hub for creative communities. By breathing new life into the building, it serves as a model for sustainable preservation, highlighting how historical significance can thrive alongside contemporary use. The First United Building Community Museum, a component of the larger revitalization efforts for the historic Art Deco landmark,  further enriches the experience, offering a glimpse into Escolta's golden era as Manila's premier business district.

"The historic building's transformation shows the power of placemaking, where it's not just the walls and posts that make a place but the communities that flourish in it. The restored First United Building in Escolta revitalized the district, attracting creative tenants and drawing a new demographic of visitors and regular audiences that come to Escolta to escape the cookie cutter spaces that proliferate in many urban areas. Despite challenges, the building's revival showcases the power of design and preservation, not only in restoring its past but also in fostering Escolta's economic resurgence that caters to the next generation of the creative class," said Good Design Award Philippines 2024 Jury Chair Mylene Abiva and the Co-Chair of Design Center’s Design Advisory Council 2024-2027.

Golds for Philippine Design

The Right to Care Card, a healthcare proxy document from Quezon City, won the Gold Award. This innovative initiative allows same-sex couples to make medical decisions for each other during emergencies, demonstrating how design can enhance inclusivity and government services.

The Philippine Textile Table Swatchbook of ANTHILL Fabric Factory also received the Gold Award by showing indigenous Philippine fabrics through “storytelling narratives and interactive features.”

"This year's awardees are indeed a reflection of the transformative journey of Philippine design as a strategic problem-solving process that drives innovation, builds business success, and leads to a better quality of life through innovative products, systems, services, and experiences,” declared Rhea Matute, Executive Director of the Design Center of the Philippines. "Our designers are storytellers, changemakers, and agents of malasakit (compassion) who exhibit the resilience and creativity of the Filipino spirit.”

“The Good Design Award Philippines connects this year’s winners to the world. We are excited to see and support our country’s designers in introducing Philippine design to the global market,” said Crisela Magpayo Cervantes, Vice President of Marketing Communications for Globe Telecom.  

The success of the Good Design Award Philippines rests on a foundation of collaboration. This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without the strong partnership and collaboration among the Design Center of the Philippines (DCP), the Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP) and the ASEAN-Japan Center (AJC). 

Furthermore, other key partners played crucial roles in the program's success:

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) aligned entries with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), ensuring design innovations addressed critical global challenges. 

The Department of Science and Technology's Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI) served as technical consultants for the Material Innovation and Object Making categories, providing guidance and expertise on new technologies and product innovations.

Globe Telecom spearheaded the digitization of the award system process and provided the venue for the evaluations. 

The Good Design Award Philippines, a biennial program, recognizes outstanding design across various categories. This year saw a significant increase in entries, with 204 submissions and 84 shortlisted finalists. Awardees received a commemorative trophy, a miniature replica of an Arturo Luz sculpture, the Good Design Award Philippines seal, and the opportunity to compete for Japan's prestigious G Mark. This international recognition opens doors for Philippine design to reach the global market, fostering trade ties with Japan. 

The 2024 Good Design Award Philippines echoes the spirit of World Industrial Design Day (WIDD), a global event organized by the World Design Organization every 29th of June. By holding its ceremony on 29 June, the Good Design Award Philippines joins the global celebration of World Industrial Design Day.  Both events emphasize the power of design to go beyond aesthetics and functionality and highlight the importance of emotions and “design with malasakit”.  The Good Design Award Philippines' message, "It starts with malasakit (compassion)," aligns with WIDD's global theme, "Let's Get Emotional," underscoring the role of design in addressing social, economic, and environmental challenges as reflected in the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

By putting compassion (malasakit) at the forefront, the Good Design Award Philippines aligns with the call to evoke positive change and inspire a brighter future through design.

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About the Design Center of the Philippines

The Design Center of the Philippines is an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) mandated to promote design as a problem-solving tool and catalyst for positive change.

In 2013, the Design Center of the Philippines further enhanced its role in the development of the design industry and the creative economy through the Philippine Design Competitiveness Act of 2013 (also known as Republic Act 10557), expanding the agency’s mandate in promoting design to improve the creative branding.

FORBIDDEN TOXICs, IMPLEMENT through a Cleaner, Secure , Sustainable Waste Management

JTR reports 061024-MHE

By: Perfecto Raymundo Jr 

  

Forbidden toxics, by the Philippine Healthcare and Mercury Wastes Management Project (PHAMWMP), is implementing to a cleaner, secure, and sustainable wastes management.

The PHAMWMP goal is  to protect human health and the environment by minimizing  unexpected produced ,seamless organic pollutants (uPOPs) and mercury in the healthcare waste sector by providing environmentally-sound way to healthcare waste management.

During the NCR (National Capital Region) Inception Meeting and Validation Workshop on Monday (June 10) at the Ardenhills Suites, Rey San Juan, executive director of PHAMWMP, said “It’s the third leg of the inception meeting, the first of which, was held in Tuguegarao City, and now in the NCR.”

Gerry Saniel, of the DENR-EMB, this validation workshop and inception meeting is now the last and third leg for the NCR.

“It’s the crucial stage of managing the Philippine healthcare and mercury wastes management,” Sanel said.

“The support and cooperation of the project partners are significant and imperative,” he added.

The project partners are the Ban Toxics, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB). 

The partner hospital is the Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC), the Foreign-Assisted Projects (FAPs), Metro Clark Waste Management Corp., and Department of Health (DOH). 

“The project was started during the Covid-19 pandemic, which devastated the Philippines from March 15, 2020 until the end of 2022,” Saniel said.

“The workshop is the third and last leg of the three regions and this workshop will validate our workshops. Our activities are not the final activity because this activity will be implemented in the next five years,” he added.

“We will intensify education and community participation,” Saniel said.

“We will also validate our work grant as this is a five-year project,” he added.

Saniel stressed that whatever recommendations or suggestions towards the outcome of the workshop will be welcome.

He pointed out that the commitments and the undertakings of the project partners are the “backbone” of the project.

“Today is DENR Day, but this is priority,” Saniel said.

Jan Lorenzo, project manager of Ban Toxics, said Ban Toxics is an independent, non-profit, environmental organization that strongly supports the protection of the environment and advocates for an environmentally sustainable future through the promotion of sound chemicals and waste management practices.

San Juan said that the project is funded not locally, but internationally, specifically the GEF in the amount of US$4.8 million, excluding co-funding, and it will be supervised by project manager Jan Lorenzo.

He added that they started with the use of mercury in the “gold ore” wherein they were even “red tagged”, and they were able to establish the national coalition of the small-scale miners of the Philippines.

The components of the project are reducing uPOPs in the healthcare sector, managing mercury and mercury-added products and wastes, capacity-building and awareness raising, and monitoring and evaluating the project’s progress.

The hazardous waste in the healthcare sector are sharps, infectious, pathological, anatomical, pharmaceutical, genotoxic, chemical, radioactive and pressurized containers.

JTR reports 061024-MHE

By: Perfecto Raymundo Jr 

Dates announced: SiGMA Asia will return to Manila in 2025

 

SiGMA Asia has announced that it will hold next year’s event in Manila between the 1st and 4th of June, 2025. The agenda will include a pre-event party on the 1st, followed by the prestigious SiGMA Asia Awards ceremony on the 2nd. The conference and expo runs across the 3rd and 4th – taking place once more at the SMX Convention Centre in Pasay, Manila.

This will be the third event to be held in the Philippines, following SiGMA Asia’s inaugural launch back in July 2023, and will see a 40% increase in footprint, with a number of new areas included in the floorplan.

The second day of the SiGMA Asia summit is currently underway at the SMX Convention Centre – Manila’s largest expo venue, where over 350 speakers are discussing the challenges and innovations shaping the future of Asia’s gaming and emerging tech markets, and 250+ exhibitors make up a bustling, 

Tonight: The SiGMA Official Party 

SiGMA’s official party is back, and we’re pulling out all the stops to make this a night like no other. Our musical lineup for the night is off the charts, featuring musical duo Savage & SHē join DJ JJoy and Oshien Zuky. For entrance, please present your badge, wristband, or ticket at the door. Open to all ticket holders.

SiGMA Asia to hold a retreat in South Korea

SiGMA Asia has announced that it will hold an iGathering retreat in Incheon, South Korea, this August. The VIP guest experience, which is supported by K36, will include two nights at Inspire Entertainment Resorts’ beautiful new integrated resort, as well as a full agenda of networking and conference activities.

This exclusive invitation includes airfare and two nights accommodation at the luxury Inspire resort. 

Stay in the know

Don’t miss last minute changes – stay up-to-date with all the latest updates through SiGMA’s official social media channels and the official SiGMA Podcast. Join the official SiGMA Telegram Channel by clicking here. 

DENR Secretary Loyzaga asked to resign

 

QUEZON CITY -- Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia "Toni" Yulo-Loyzaga was asked to resign from her government post due to alleged corruption. 

The resignation call was made by the residents and fishermen from Lemery, Batangas on Wednesday (June 5) as they called for an end to hunger and lower price of rice, water and electricity rates. They were joined by the United Filipino Consumers and Commuters (UFCC) led by water and power advocate Rodolfo RJ Javellana.

Javellana told members of the media that the UFCC wrote a letter to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr. on June 4, 2024 informing him about the allegations of corruption against his cousin Jose Manuel Romualdez in connection with his involvement in Claver Minerals Development Corp. (CMDC).

He said that they were concerned about the actuations of the DENR which has approved a five-year restoration of the lost years of CMDC's previous Minerals Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA). 

Javellana added that the original MPSA was originally filed by CMDC Chief Executive Officer Rizal Balbin. 

The UFCC national president stressed that apparently, the same MPSA has been cancellled since 2017 due to CMDC's many violations which were officially on record. 

The noted good gvernnent advocate pointed out that because of the appeals on the said cancelation, the CMDC now claims "force majeur" and asked the DENR to approve the return of the five years lost in the interim of the appeals. 

The anti-corruptipn crusader further said that there is a reason why the cancellation was done, and that justice demands that the DENR should not have approved the return of five years to the original MPSA.