Category Archives: Press

Bringing its advocacy of health and fitness closer to more Filipinos, Golden Fiesta, the Philippines’ leading cooking oil brand, is holding the first leg of the Golden Fiesta Heart Healthy Camp at Solenad 1 in Nuvali, Laguna, on Saturday, November 11.

The free-admission fitness camp is expected to gather fitness enthusiasts and anyone and everyone who want to be heart-healthy by jump-starting a fitness regimen.

Participants can choose from an assortment of fitness activities categorized into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. You can also listen to “Heart Talks,” a talk led by licensed Nutritionist-Dietician and fitness specialist Fia Batua. (more…)

Congratulations to Mary Joy Tabal who proved that hard work and determination can propel oneself to success! Tabal secured her slot for the Rio Olympics when she finished the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon on Sunday, May 29 (May 30, Philippine time). After falling short in her stint at the Boston Marathon last April, the reigning MILO Marathon Queen was able to make an impressive comeback at Ottawa Marathon’s flat and fast race course.

Tabal clocked in with an impressive time of 2:43:29, beating the 2:45:00 Olympic qualifying time for the women’s marathon. She ranked 5th in the female age group, 8th in the overall elite female category and 38th in the overall elite male and female category, out of a total of 4,416 elite participants.

The unusually hot and humid weather prompted the organizers to implement route and time changes before the event but Tabal was able to deliver a strong performance at the start of the race. As she neared the finish line, she was troubled by intense leg pains which caused her to slow down. Despite this, the Filipina frontrunner still willed herself to overcome the challenge.

“My body felt heavier when I reached the 35km mark and my pacing got slower and slower as I went farther,” Tabal shared. “When I checked, I was only 7km shy to the end of the race. I decided to carry on forcefully and ignore the pain. It was very difficult to preserve my stride especially in the last 200 meters. I kept on telling myself that if I stop now, I won’t be able to make it here again so I ran like it was the last my race of my life. I was so happy to be able to hit my goal I broke down in tears as I ran past the finish line.”

After the disappointment of not qualifying through the Boston Marathon, Tabal never gave up and immediately returned to her training ground to pursue her Olympic dream. Now with another feather on her cap, Tabal, with the help of her coach Philip Duenas, will be embarking on a new journey to prepare for the Rio Olympics. “I couldn’t believe this is happening! I often ask myself if this is real or not. To play in the Olympics was once a dream but now it’s finally in my hands,” she said. “I hope this will inspire more Filipino athletes who dreamt like I did. It may seem impossible at first, but all it really takes is a lot of effort and willpower in overcoming trials to be able to achieve your goals.”

To celebrate International Women’s Month this March, Under Armour invited women for a day of workouts and massage at EDSA Shangri-La’s Chi Spa last March 21. (more…)

In celebration of Women’s Month, Manila Bulletin’s Style Weekend featured 7 Women Who Wow on its anniversary issue last March 14, 2014.  The Women Who Wow were Sarah Geronimo, Marina Benipayo, Bianca Gonzalez, Amina Aranaz, Kate Torralba, Gaita Fores, and yours truly!  It was definitely an honor to be recognized along with these accomplished women.

– The Cover –

– Photo shoot with Eddie Boy Escudero whose son, coincidentally, ran TBR ULAH Dream Marathon just a few days before our shoot –

Last March 19, I slipped out of my running shoes and stepped into heels (Yeoouch! This is tough when you’ve got sore feet) for the Women Who Wow party at 71 Gramercy.  It was great to meet and chat with all the other Women Who Wow.

– Invite to Style Weekend’s Women Who Wow –

– with Marina Benipayo, Liza Ilarde, Gaita Fores, and Bianca Gonzales –

The best part of the evening was when Liza Ilarde, editor of Style Weekend, presented each one of us with checks to be donated to our chosen beneficiaries!  How cool is that?  I chose Hero Foundation, our beneficiary for all our TBR events, as our beneficiary.

Thank you to Liza Ilarde, Style Weekend, and Manila Bulletin for the recognition and the support for Hero!

Wow. What a pleasant surprise!

Thank you to Female Network for including me in their list of 100 Amazing Filipinas! It’s an honor! Congratulations as well to all the other 99 amazing women on the list. Girls rock!

Click HERE to visit the link.