Siena College of Taytay in Rizal is taking steps to build a more welcoming campus for students with disabilities. To help make that happen, the school teamed up with PLDT, Smart, and ATRIEV to run a practical disability sensitivity workshop for its teachers and support staff.
Instead of a typical lecture, the session was led by ATRIEV facilitators who live with disabilities themselves. They walked the staff through the everyday realities of different disabilities, tackled hidden biases, and shared simple ways to adjust classroom settings. Through role-playing exercises, teachers got a firsthand feel for what their students navigate daily, learning practical approaches to support neurodivergent learners when stress hits.
For the educators and staff who attended, the experience brought a clear shift in perspective:
-
College President Sr. Rosalea Busilac, O.P. pointed out that the training helps teachers build a deeper connection with their students while helping the school pinpoint physical campus upgrades.
-
Ann Dolores, secretary to the Service Education Dean, noted that the main realization was that staff need to adapt to the students' needs instead of forcing students to do all the adjusting.
-
Jerome Mauricio, a lecturer and formation officer, said hearing real-life stories from the facilitators encouraged faculty to rethink how they teach and look into redesigning coursework to be more inclusive.
The workshop was organized through PLDT and Smart’s #KonektedforInclusion initiative. Siena College of Taytay has been a long-term partner of the telecommunications group, continuing its participation in the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP).
Century Tuna is marking 20 years of its Superbods health and fitness campaign with the reveal of this year’s Superbods Top 40 finalists.
At the launch event, longtime ambassador Anne Curtis joined the contenders as they stepped into the spotlight—not just to show off their conditioning, but to talk about the personal journeys and health advocacies that brought them there.
Singapore Airlines, Mastercard, and Grand Hyatt Manila Launch Culinary Connections
►Philippines August 10, 2026
Singapore Airlines, Mastercard, and Grand Hyatt Manila have teamed up for Culinary Connections, a limited-time dining pop-up featuring destination-inspired dishes from across the airline’s global network.
The special menu runs at The Grand Kitchen inside Grand Hyatt Manila in BGC until October 5, 2026.
➤ SEE: WHAT TO DO IN BGC
ON THE MENU
Grand Hyatt's culinary team created three featured dishes for the showcase:
Otak-Otak: Spiced fish paste and coconut milk wrapped in banana leaves, finished with a touch of curry paste.
Mee Pok: Flat yellow egg noodles tossed in a tangy, spicy sauce, served with mushrooms, bean sprouts, ground beef, and squid balls.
Octopus Adobo: Tender octopus tossed in a classic garlicky soy-vinegar adobo sauce, elevated with Indonesian sambal for extra heat.
EXCLUSIVE DINING PERKS
Guests can book a table by calling +63 2 8838 1234 or emailing manila.grand@hyatt.com:
2-for-1 Dining: Show a Singapore Airlines e-ticket bought with a Mastercard to get a "Dine for 2, Pay for 1" rate—PHP 2,288 for lunch or PHP 2,988 for dinner and Sunday lunch.
Miles Redemption: KrisFlyer members can book lunch for 4,500 miles or dinner/Sunday lunch for 5,500 miles via KrisFlyerExperiences.com. Paying with a Mastercard unlocks drink upgrades to custom cocktails or mocktails.
STAYCATION & FLIGHT RAFFLE
Everyone who dines from the Culinary Connections menu gets entered into an electronic raffle on October 9, 2026.
Five winners will get a one-night stay at Grand Hyatt Manila, while one grand prize winner will score two Singapore Airlines Business Class round-trip tickets to Singapore (from Manila or Cebu) paired with a two-night stay at Grand Hyatt Singapore.
Emirates has expanded its Travel Rehearsal program to Clark International Airport, offering neurodiverse children and their families a step-by-step walkthrough of the airport experience. This marks the airline's second rehearsal in the Philippines, following an initial session in Cebu.
SIMULATING THE AIRPORT JOURNEY
The three-hour program hosted 22 students, their parents, and eight teachers from the Hand Prints School of Progressive Education and the Beyond Play Learning Center.
To help reduce the anxiety and sensory overload often triggered by unfamiliar airport environments, participants practiced every major step of departure:
-
Checking in and clearing immigration
-
Passing through security screening
-
Navigating the departure concourse
-
Simulating the gate boarding process
Emirates staff and airport teams guided the families through each station, explaining the procedures and answering questions to help parents gauge what to expect during future travel.
CROSS-AGENCY COLLABORATION
The initiative was supported by a coordinated effort between Clark International Airport staff, customer service teams, border control, the Office for Transportation Security, and Emirates' ground handling partner.
"Making travel more inclusive starts long before a customer boards a flight. It means recognizing that every traveler experiences the airport differently and working with our partners to make travel more accessible."
— Khalid Al Zarooni, Emirates' Country Manager for the Philippines
A BROADER INITIATIVE
Emirates achieved its Autism-Certified Airline status after training over 35,000 cabin crew and ground staff in sensory sensitivity and autism awareness. Since launching the rehearsals, the airline's Airport Services teams have conducted more than 40 sessions globally, spanning hubs like Dubai, Barcelona, Sydney, Hong Kong, and Toronto.
