NEWS
Get updates on Pokémon Scarlet, Pokémon Violet; hop on Legendary Pokémon Koraidon or Miraidon, and race across Paldea Region

August 5, 2022 3:45 p.m.
The Pokémon Company is pleased to share the latest news about the Nintendo Switch software titles Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet.
You can watch the latest trailers for Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet by simply clicking on these links: https://youtu.be/3TgxKhyk3bk (Welcome to the Paldea region! | Pokémon Scarlet & Pokémon Violet), https://youtu.be/eBFh6Ze3n_w (World Overview | Pokémon Scarlet & Pokémon Violet).
The Sprawling Landscapes and Vibrant Towns Woven into the Paldea Region
Your adventure takes place in the Paldea region, a land of vast open spaces dotted with lakes, towering peaks, wastelands, and perilous mountain ranges. Along the way, trainers continue with their adventures and hone their skills with Pokémon battles. You can find lots of people and Pokémon live together in a variety of locations, ranging from a farming village with bountiful harvests to a port town with a bustling marketplace. There are also Pokémon living in treetops, rivers, and all sorts of other locations in the wilderness—and they’re all just waiting to meet you
New Forms Discovered for the Legendary Pokémon Koraidon and Miraidon
During your adventure, you will meet a Legendary Pokémon—either Koraidon or Miraidon—and it will join you on your journey. Koraidon and Miraidon are full of mysteries and said to have powers that far surpass that of other Pokémon.
It seems Koraidon and Miraidon have even more forms than those we’ve already discovered. These Pokémon are capable of changing their forms to better suit what they’re doing or what terrain they’re traveling over.
■Ride these Legendary Pokémon and embark on an unrestricted adventure
Ride your Legendary Pokémon to traverse the expansive Paldea region and explore every nook and cranny together. Sprint through plains and deserts, move across water, scale cliffs, cross hills, and glide off peaks. Enjoy a fresh and liberating adventure that only an open world can provide.
Meet a variety of people and Pokémon alongside your Legendary Pokémon, and seek out the mysteries that await you in Paldea.
■Sprinting Build / Drive Mode
Traveling through Paldea on foot can be quite a hassle. If you learn how to ride a Sprinting Build Koraidon or Drive Mode Miraidon, you’ll be able to traverse the expansive Paldea region more freely and at full speed.
■Swimming Build / Aquatic Mode
On your adventure, you’ll be able to jump into rivers, lakes, and vibrant oceans as you approach the Pokémon that live there, or cross perilous waters in a snap by riding a Swimming Build Koraidon, or Aquatic Mode Miraidon.
■Gliding Build / Glide Mode
You can jump from mountains, towering cliffs, or tall buildings and glide toward your destination.
Not only does this offer you more options when choosing what to do, but you can also freely glide around and enjoy a view that you can see only from the Paldean skies.
Pokémon Shine and Glimmer like Gems, thanks to the Terastal Phenomenon
■What is the Terastal phenomenon?
This phenomenon is found only in the Paldea region and makes Pokémon shine and glimmer like gems.
When a Pokémon terastallizes, a Tera Jewel appears above the Pokémon’s head like a crown, and the Pokémon’s body glistens like a cut gemstone. It’s said that the terastal energy that seeps from the ground of the Paldea region is involved in the phenomenon. Many details remain unclear, but Professor Sada and Professor Turo are researching this mystery.
■Master Terastallizing and dominate Pokémon battles!
Terastallizing holds the key to victory or defeat in battles in the Paldea region. All Pokémon in Paldea can terastallize to gain a special power.
Each Pokémon has a Tera Type and there are 18 types, meaning there are countless combinations of Pokémon and Tera Types. For example, some Eevee will have a Normal Tera Type, but some other Eevee has a Water Tera Type. A Pokémon’s Tera Type is inactive until the Pokémon terastallizes, at which time the Pokémon’s type will change to its Tera Type.
Terastallizing a Pokémon allows you to enhance your battle strategies by increasing the power of any moves that have the same type as your Pokémon’s Tera Type, or by changing your Pokémon’s weaknesses. When to activate this special transformation and the combination of Pokémon and Tera Types you choose to use are all up to you. Find what works best for you to gain the upper hand in battle!
The Story Unfolds the Way You Want It To
Weave three grand stories into your adventure as you meet the Pokémon you’ve never seen and unique characters.
These titles have the hallmark Pokémon story of going to Gyms and aiming to become a Champion, but there is no set path, so you can go to whichever Gym you want to challenge in the order you desire. There are two other grand stories besides your pursuit of becoming a Champion, and many trials and tribulations await you in those stories as well. Please look forward to finding out what kinds of stories they are.
In addition, you can freely go back and forth between all three stories, allowing your adventure to develop in the order you want it to. Some may want to reach the rank of Champion and rush through the Gyms, while others might want to go an adventure at their leisure—at times searching for Pokémon or meeting all sorts of people. Everybody can experience the game the way they want to.
Being able to make your very own story is one of the hallmarks of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet.
New Pokémon and People you can encounter
■ In the Paldea region, you can meet Pokémon for the first time.
In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, there are many never-before-seen Pokémon waiting for you to discover.
Fidough
This Pokémon Has a Moist, Smooth Feeling to It
Fidough’s moist, smooth skin has elastic qualities and is both firm and soft at the same time. When this Pokémon is excited, they intimidate their opponents by puffing up their bodies to appear bigger.
Their Breath Contains Useful Yeast
Fidough ferments things in its vicinity using the yeast in its breath. Said yeast is useful for cooking, so this Pokémon has been protected by people since long ago.
Pokémon with Paldean Forms
Paldean Wooper
They Live on the Land and Cover Their Bodies with a Poisonous Film
In ancient times, Wooper lived underwater in the Paldea region. But it seems after losing in a struggle for territory, they began living in bogs on land. While living on land, they began to cover their bodies with a poisonous film to keep them from drying out.
Powerful Poisonous Liquid Emits from Their Tough Gills
The Wooper’s gills have hardened thanks to living on the land for so long. Their bodies are heavy and they move slowly, but they can protect themselves by shooting powerful poisonous liquid from their gills. You may see poisoned Pokémon in areas where these Woopers live.
Cetitan
The Horn on the Upper Jaw Freezes the Surroundings
A Cetitan has five hard horns. Among them, the horn on the upper jaw is able to gather ice energy, making the surrounding temperature extremely low and freezing the area around the Pokémon.
Strong Muscles and Thick Blubber
Cetitan needs to have tough muscles to be able to support their immense bodies. They also use their bodies and their incredible power to fend off physical attacks. They can migrate around the snowy regions because they are protected by a thick layer of subcutaneous fat.
■People at the academy
In the center of Paldea sits the largest city in the region: Mesagoza. It is here that you’ll find a school boasting a history that few other schools do, where people from all sorts of regions come to hone their skills against each other, be it through academics or Pokémon battles.
Clavell
He acts as the director of the academy, and since you’re a new student, he will teach you many things about your school. He can be strict, but he can also be kind. He seems to be a friend of Professor Sada and Professor Turo.
Jacq
Mr. Jacq is your homeroom teacher, and he teaches biology. He is very knowledgeable about Pokémon biology and is the developer of the Pokédex app for the Rotom Phone. He has a slightly airheaded side to him, and he sometimes loses himself in his research.
Arven
Arven is an upperclassman at the academy. He’s good at cooking and researching healthy recipes that can help Pokémon feel better. He will be asking you to help him out, since he isn’t good at Pokémon battles.
Penny
Penny is in the same grade as you. She has a bit of a shy personality, and for some reason, she doesn’t seem to come to the academy very often. She is especially fond of her fluffy Eevee bag and always has it on her back.
■Aim for the Champion Rank!
The Paldea region has a Pokémon League and a special class of pro-rank Pokémon Trainers who have achieved the Champion Rank. These Trainers have grown with their Pokémon to be able to dazzle audiences with their skills in battle.
There are facilities called Pokémon Gyms in many towns, and the leaders of these Gyms are waiting to challenge Trainers like you and your friends.
There is no set path to the Gyms. You can purposefully seek out a stronger Gym Leader, or you can simply stop by a Gym that happens to be located in a town you came across on your journey. This time, you get to plot your very own path along Victory Road.
Gym Leader of the Glaseado Gym, Grusha
Grusha used to be a professional snowboarder, but he is now the Gym Leader of the Glaseado Gym full-time. He is an ice-type specialist who has Cetitan as his partner. He is usually coolheaded, but when battles get heated, he starts showing the emotions he usually keeps pushed down.
For more information, please go to their official Webpage athttps://scarletviolet.pokemon.com/en-us/
For more information, please go to their official Webpage athttps://scarletviolet.pokemon.com/en-us/
NEWS
Atayde bats for moratorium on student loan payments during emergencies, calamities

March 17, 2023 9:00 p.m.
STUDENTS won’t have to worry paying their loans during times of calamities and emergencies, as Quezon City first district Congressman Juan Carlos “Arjo” Atayde has introduced a moratorium on the payment of student loans administered by higher educational institutions (HEIs).
The House Bill 7279, which Atayde filed last Feb. 21, headed into its first reading six days later in the Committee on Higher and Technical Education, chaired by Baguio City Rep. Mark O. Go.
He said the bill — once it turns to a law — will halt the payment of all the fees, charges, and costs relating to student loans and technical-vocational training institutions (TVIs) or by the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UNIFAST) during emergencies.
It will cover all students residing in areas declared to be under a state of calamity or emergency — those who are enrolled in state universities and colleges (SUCs), local universities and colleges (LUCs), private HEIs, and public and private TVIs.
“We have to find a way to help our students and their families, when natural or even these man-made calamities hit them hard. We just have to make everything easy for them including a moratorium on the payment of student loans,” Atayde said. “It is a burden on a student and their family especially in difficult times like aftermath of typhoon, fire and earthquakes, among other disasters.”
“In the order of spending, student loans will be their least priority since spending will go mostly to basic necessities for survival,” Atayde added.
The moratorium shall be effective for the duration of the state of calamity or emergency and for 30 days after its lifting. No penalties shall be collected on the deferred payments.
“To provide adequate relief and protection to our students in times of calamities and emergencies, this measure shall allow the deferral of student loan collections for a reasonable period during and after the onset of disasters.”
The Quezon City lawmaker cited also the availability of the moratorium, which shall not adversely affect the status of the students concerned with regard to their eligibility for re-enrollment on the succeeding semesters or terms, or their eligibility for graduation.
“The proposed legislation doesn’t prevent public and private HEIs from implementing more favorable forms of payment relief or assistance to students affected by disasters, prohibiting students from voluntarily waiving the moratorium on student loan payments, or availing subsidies and assistance from the government,” Atayde concluded.
NEWS
ShopeePay now available as a payment method for App Store, other Apple services in PH

March 16, 2023 1:59 p.m.
Beginning today, ShopeePay, Shopee’s integrated mobile wallet, is now available as a payment method for Apple services in the Philippines. Customers can use their ShopeePay account to pay for App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV app, and iTunes Store purchases, iCloud storage and more.
The addition of ShopeePay as an Apple ID payment method offers a new way to pay for Apple services without needing a credit card and still allows for easy, secure one-tap purchasing from Apple products including iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Customers can manage their Apple ID payment information in Settings on iPhone and iPad, or on their Mac or PC.
Agatha Soh, Director at ShopeePay commented, “ShopeePay is committed to meeting the needs of users who are increasingly expecting seamless payments across all platforms. We are excited to offer ShopeePay as a convenient payment option for our customers, and expand access to digital payments, benefitting more users.”
For more information on how to add ShopeePay as a payment method, please visit https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201266 or https://shopee.ph/m/ShopeePay-Apple-ID-PH.
NEWS
Be bolder, braver, more confident at SM Supermalls’ Women’s Month celebration!

March 8, 2023, 8:30 p.m.
Ladies, take center stage as SM celebrates Women Power throughout the month of March. Lots of activities both online and on-ground are in store to empower women and girls all over the country.
Join the Future of Women Global Summit
SM Supermalls will be joining UN Women in kicking off the IWD 2023 celebration through a women’s summit on March 8, at the SM Aura Premier Samsung Hall. Focusing on the future of women in ICT, the two-part event will gather young women, country leaders, policy makers, and advocates together to share perspectives and affirm their commitment to supporting digital equality for women and girls.
Photo courtesy of SM City Lucena
Photo courtesy of SM City San Jose del Monte
Support your local Womenpreneurs
Great finds for ladies are on sale at the SM Womenpreneur Market! This pop-up of small and medium businesses owned by women for women will give you everything you need from food and beauty to wellness and fashion!
Wednesdays are for women!
Shopping on Wednesdays has become even more tempting because the Women’s Wednesday Sale is back! Achieve the glow-up you deserve with special discounts, deals, and promos on fashion, beauty, and fitness exclusively for women every Wednesday of March. So don’t hold back on your shopping; you deserve all these and more!
A beautiful treat of wellness all for you
Forda glow-up and pampering sesh tayo this month because lots of self-care deals are available at the Women’s Wellness Sale. Avail of great deals from wellness salons on facials, hair and body treatments, nail care, and massage from March 1 to March 31.
And more deals online!
Special deals are up for women via the SM Malls Online app. Get the best brand offerings every Wednesday from shoes and beauty and wellness to home and hobbies. Use the code WOMEN and get an extra 10% off, capped at 250. What’s great is that there’s no minimum purchase required!
Also, a collection of brand vouchers will be sent to all women SM Malls Online shoppers valid all month. Wait for your Beauty Pass and give yourself the retail therapy you deserve with tons of discounts, GWP deals, samplers, in-store pick up bonuses, and mystery boxes!
Plus, the SM Malls Online app will be hosting self-care sessions online. Follow SM Supermalls on social media to get a dose of starter packages, Get-Ready-With-Me routines, and beauty products that your favorite beauty experts swear by.
Photo courtesy of SM City East Ortigas
Photo courtesy of SM City Manila
Celebrate Women Power on IG!
Capture the beauty and power of women at the beautiful spots and installations all over SM. Be free to express your own uniqueness and creativity in the specially-designed selfie spaces in partnership with Selfie Studio. Don’t forget to tag us on IG!
We don’t know about you but exciting days await every SM woman. So be bolder, braver, and more confident! With these activities, you can confidently step forward in fashion, beauty, wellness, and express yourselves to make a positive impact.
Stay updated on all things women this IWD 2023 by visiting www.smsupermalls.com and following @smsupermalls on social media.