Our body needs vitamins and minerals to stay in tip-top condition. Although needed in minute quantities on a daily basis, or in larger doses in certain instances, these essential substances keep our system’s inner workings in perfect balance.

Iron, for instance, is a necessary element for optimum health. It is needed to supplant blood loss during menstrual cycles, cure bouts of dizziness caused by anemia, correct weariness and fatigue, help one gain more focus and concentration and aid in periods of gestation, lactation, pregnancy and periods surrounding childbirth.
Some sources of iron in our daily diet include red meat, eggs, liver, oatmeal, nuts, as well as food supplements and formulations like Sangobion.
The number-one iron supplement in Indonesia and a fast-rising second in the Philippines, “each chocolate-scented pill aids in preventing iron deficiency, most especially in women. Sangobion came from the words sangre, which means blood, and bio, which means life. It is also available in Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia. Sangovion is a German brand, being formulated by the Deutsch pharmaceutical Merck Serono, the oldest drug company in the world,” informed Fidji Miranda, marketing manager for Merck Consumer Health.
Iron is an essential component in hemoglobin, the iron-containing substance in red blood cells that gives their characteristic color; and which, with the aid of folic acid, is responsible for clotting.  As blood is the fluid that carries all the nutrients around the body, as well as the much-needed oxygen into our vital organs, we must, therefore, not take it for granted. To give us a better insight on how iron does wonders to our bodies, comedienne Giselle Sanchez unfolds a one-woman show entitled Salaminkera on June 9th, 5 p.m., at the Events Center, Lower Ground Floor, Building A of SM Megamall.
Coined from salamangkera, a Filipino word for magician or wizard, Salaminkera is like the best friend next door whom you love for not mincing words and always saying the truth.
As the “woman in the mirror,” Giselle will extol the virtues of iron — and how it is packaged as Ferrous Gluconate, a carbon-based organic iron that has more health benefits when compared to the inorganic ferrous sulfate formulations.
The “mirror show” will tackle issues very relevant to womanhood in general; and tell women if they have the three signs of iron deficiency, in particular.
More than health concerns, she will also talk about career, family life and love life. “These days, women play multiple roles. These overlapping tasks as wife, mother and career woman can take its toll on your health, making you haggard and tired, especially if you’re breast-feeding. Women need balance doing all these juggling acts. Drained energy will leave women feeling empty and tired. Luckily, iron supplement Sangobion is there to help us,” shared the talented comedienne, who also dabbles as columnist for The Manila Bulletin and the on-line journal Pep.ph.
Giselle hopes to inspire women everywhere through her show so that they can always remain beautiful and successful as mom and wife, and still enjoy a career of their choice.
Expect an enjoyable magic mirror ride as Salaminkera and Sangobion take everyone to an inside look at the world of Filipino women. With insights coming from Giselle’s personal experiences, expect jokes and laughter that will tickle both the funny bone and the mind.

Sangobion is available in all major and leading drugstores nationwide. For more information, visit www.sangobion.com.ph.

The word volcano would conjure images of an eruption spewing forth lava and ash, or a tranquil and majestic cone-shaped mountain like Mt. Fuji or Mt. Mayon. But in military parlance, the word refers to “the regiment” composed of valorous Filipino men and foreign nationals who fought against the occupying forces during World War II.

And that’s how our national rugby team got its name.
The Philippine National Rugby Union Team, nicknamed the Volcanoes, is the country’s official representation to the international rugby union. With countless gold medals to their name, besting prominent countries in international tournaments, the Volcanoes have now become headlines in Philippine sports news.
Today, the Volcanoes are the most successful team in the Asian Five Nations Tournaments, next to Japan. In the past five years, the Herculean squad has lost only one match, losing to South Korea in Division One in 2011. In 2012, the Volcanoes stormed into the top five with an unbeaten run, besting Chinese Taipei, Singapore and Sri Lanka in a round-robin series.
“These guys are doing their very best to win the World Cup in Moscow. It’s been a long while since a Filipino national team won in the international arena. The last time was in 1954 when the Philippine basketball team won the bronze. You can’t simply wear the medals too without the finance behind it.
“It’s an extremely physical game, but great to watch. Training in this heat is not easy and neither is it easy playing in extreme wet and cold conditions,” said William Bailey, emissary from the British Chamber of Commerce Philippines.
This year marks a new era for the Philippine Volcanoes as they bring the Philippine flag to the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Russia this coming June. This athletic feat is a big first for the country and even deeper for Fila Philippines, who will accompany the Volcanoes to the prestigious competition as their official sponsor.
One of the largest sportswear manufacturing companies worldwide, Fila’s proud and long-standing history dates back to 1911, when the Fila brothers opened a clothing business in Biella, Piedmont, Italy. Fila became popular in the world of sports, particularly lawn tennis, through the endorsement of legends Bjorn Borg and Boris Becker. Today, Fila is a global mega-brand for sportswear, with specialized lines for running, basketball, racquet sports and golf.
In the Philippines, Fila opened in 1983, launching with an apparel line and later specializing in footwear under the company name Fila Philippines. Since then, it has become one of the country’s premier footwear brands, under the leadership of visionary couple Butch and Christine Albert.
“As a nation ready to rise, our battlecry is ‘Fila-Pinas.’ Like the Volcanoes, we are ready to erupt into the international scene. I believe in what the team is doing, just as our 17-year-old son is very much into it.
“To date, Fila Philippines has 350 stores nationwide carrying our five lifestyle brands — Everest, TIVA, Outdoors, Freestyle and Fila. We are the market frontrunner in basketball, badminton, cross-training, running and sports casual. The company is poised to dominate, especially with our exciting new innovations,” declared Fila Philippines CEO Christine Albert.
Energized with originality, boldness, color and design and guided by a rich and storied history, Fila Philippines is charging head-on towards the future, and unto a new era of sports. Let the cheer thunder on and grow even more as the Philippine Volcanoes heave on to the showground of the champions. Finally in league with the big boys, the country’s own are pumped more than ever. And with Fila standing behind it in full support, there will be no backing down.
Pinoy pride truly burns deep. Stand strong and proud behind our Philippine Volcanoes jocks as they charge for victory in the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow. With team captain Michael Letts, the nine other team members — Alex Aronson, Justine Coveney, Ben Saunders, Harry Morris, Matt Saunders, Patrice Olivier, Gareth Holgate, Jake Letts and Andrew Wolff —will compete against arch-nemesis South Korea this Saturday, May 11, as part of the World Cup qualifying rounds.
When not competing, the Volcanoes train continually; and even invite aficionados to try-outs every Mondays and Wednesdays through their Rugby 101 sessions at the Ultra Stadium in Pasig City.

Highlights Studios International (HSI), in cooperation with World Wildlife and Eco-Registry Foundation, presents the search for Mr. and Miss Ecotourism Philippines. The screening process will play out through one-hour episodes for 16 weeks on a TV program that will highlight the beautiful people, beautiful places and beautiful islands of the Philippines.
Called Manila 2013: Crossing the Green Line, the show will journey across the archipelago, through our cultural heritage, sampling regional cuisines, as well as searching for the finest male and female faces in a national pageant to vie for the honor to be named ambassadors of the nation's environmental platforms.
"I see pageants as a forum for promoting the environmental consciousness campaign. By the third weekend of April, we have assembled our first batch of qualifiers and continue the screening until the end of May or June. We start shooting the episodes when the newly-elected local government officials start their term in office," declared Emil Esparrago, managing director of HSI.
The reality TV travelogue and adventure program will cover the nation's vast cultural landscape while advocating for the preservation and conservation of the country's diverse habitat. It will also promote health, wellness and the love for Mother Nature by integrating environmental initiatives and pushing for local governments' development programs.
"This pageant started out as the Mossimo Bikini Summit before it took on the more relevant environmental theme. The swimwear competition will still be part of the search. The pageant will choose the ambassadors who'll be the spokespersons for the foundation's continuing advocacy for Mother Nature," continued Emil, who was a professional wrestler from 1995 to 2005. He is the current coach of the Philippine Wrestling Team.
The pageant seeks to uplift the present status of domestic tourism as well as entice other markets to visit, explore and invest in the various tourism-related projects in the country. The undertaking also seeks to enlighten the Filipino youth on the importance of patriotism and to actively participate in making the Philippines an important ecotourism haven in the world.
"We'd like to encourage televiewers to get involved in environmental protection in their own ways. Our stock corporation, Environmental Protection and Conservation Production Inc., visits schools periodically to spearhead reforestation and tree planting activities, and do lectures on waste management and pollution control," he added.
The Mr. and Miss Ecotourism 2013 will feature the finalists' places of origin in a delightful and fun-filled reality/documentary format. Each participating local government unit will showcase different places to see, affording viewers a peek into its cuisines and letting spectators experience vicariously the festivities and other important events happening there.
"All of the 16 regions of the Philippines as well as the 17 component cities and municipalities of Metro Manila will be represented. Except for the final episode that will cover the proclamation and coronation night, all the other episodes will showcase our many ecotourism destinations, highlighting people, places and the environment," Emil concluded.
The TV travelogue will have a complete season of 16 episodes through a weekly nationwide telecast running every Sunday afternoon (4 to 5 p.m.) from mid-April until September 15 over TV5, featuring two major provinces and two minor locales each episode and highlighting the official candidates in their respective towns and home provinces.
The entire event will culminate with the coronation and proclamation ceremonies, which will be held in November. The male and female title holders, their runners-up and special award recipients will each receive cash and valuable prizes packages from the pageant's sponsors: P150,000 each for the grand winners; P50,000 each for the first runners-up; P20,000 for the second runners-up; and P5,000 each for the three minor award winners.
The online screening is going-on. If you are a Filipino citizen, single, between 18 to 23 years old, good-looking and physically-fit, at least five-foot-and-five-inch tall for girls and five-foot-and-seven-inch tall for males and a high school graduate with pleasing personality, then forward your application letter and photos (face close-up and a body shot in swimwear) to ms2013ecotourism@yahoo.com. For more details, get in touch with HSI through tel. nos. 415-2972 and 448-5762.