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
SM Prime explores potential partnership with Japanese firm for waste-to-fuel solutions

September 25, 2023 12:39 p.m.

Shown here are (from left) SM Supermalls Vice President Liza Silerio, SM Prime Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans T. Sy, GUUN Chief Executive Officer Shinji Fujieda, GUUN Philippine Branch Senior Managing Director and General Manager Takeshi Konishi
Leading real estate developer in Southeast Asia, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan’s GUUN Co. Ltd. to explore a potential partnership to implement waste management solutions by recycling waste paper and plastics as an alternative source of energy called ‘fluff fuel’.
Fluff Fuels are one type of RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) which are produced from shredded and compressed plastics, papers, and fibers. These are used as fuels in cement manufacturing, paper mill companies, or power companies in Japan.
SM Prime Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans T. Sy is positive that a partnership with GUUN will contribute to the waste reduction goals of the country. “Today, Japan’s waste management and recycling technology is among the most advanced in the world,” he said. “There is no better partner for SM because we do not just talk about being big, we make sure we do it; we do not talk about being environment friendly but we do take bold steps to save the environment. I am looking forward to growing with GUUN as among leaders in solving environmental issues in the Philippines.”
GUUN Co., Ltd., founded in March 2001 and headquartered in Yokohama City, Japan, piloted the production of fluff fuel from plastic waste in Inayawan, Cebu in 2014 and recently inaugurated its P200-million, 2,400-square meter waste recycling plant in Tayud, Consolacion, Cebu.
Since then, Japan’s Ministry of the Environment has adopted GUUN’s waste-to-fuel technology as a model for advanced low-carbon technology innovation for further deployment in developing countries.
“This will be a milestone partnership for us,” GUNN Chief Executive Officer Shinji Fujieda said after the signing ceremony. “I understand very much how important waste management is for SM and for the Philippines and we look forward to more projects we can do with the properties of SM Prime.”
SM Prime’s initiatives for waste management include waste reduction and effective waste collection and segregation. Over the years, it has implemented programs such as Trash to Cash, Plastic Waste Collection, and E-Waste Collection that have contributed to reducing the total solid waste generation across its real estate portfolio.
Through its pioneering Trash to Cash recycling market, SM Prime has collected and recycled 1.4M kg of plastics, paper, metals, and others in 2022. “We have saved 16,766 trees from the 986,222 kg of paper recycled,” SM Prime disclosed in its 2022 Integrated Report to shareholders.
Meanwhile, SM’s Plastic Waste Collection program, a partnership with the Plastic Credit Exchange that was launched in February 2021, has accumulated 42,541kg of plastic waste from 14 mall sites. Also present in all its 83 SM Supermalls is the E-Waste Collection program for the responsible disposal of WEEE (Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment). This drive has helped process close to 7,000 kilograms of e-waste. (ENDS)
NEWS
Satisfy your cravings with these best-selling Nanyang drinks

September 15, 2023 3:30 p.m.
Nanyang isn’t only known for its Laksa Prawn, Cheesy Chicken Chop Noodles and Singapore’s best selling Hainanese Chicken Rice and Kopi.
It also has several best-selling drinks to whet your appetite and satisfy your sweet tooth, such as Iced Teh Melaka, Kopi Jelly Milk Tea, Milo Dinosaur and Kopi O.
Head over to your nearest Nanyang branches nationwide.

NEWS
USA back on top; Germany takes Top 3 spot in FIBA World Ranking

September 15, 2023 1:28 p.m.
MIES (Switzerland) – The recent completion of the prestigious FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 has produced some eye-catching positive climbs in the latest FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike.
USA reclaim pole position with 786.6 points after benefiting from their consistency at major tournaments over the last three summers. Finishing in fourth place at the FIBA Basketball World Cup where they outperformed former number one nation Spain, their run to the Semi-Finals came off the back of winning an Olympic title at Tokyo in 2021 and also taking bronze at the FIBA AmeriCup 2022.
Recently crowned FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 champions Germany have another slice of history to enjoy as they step into the top three of the rankings for the very first time after moving up a massive eight places and onto 759.7 points. Their stunning success made all the more incredible because of the fact they made the journey to the top step of the podium without tasting defeat.
Canada also have another reason to celebrate too, with their maiden FIBA Basketball World Cup medal fueling an even bigger rise of nine spots. They now occupy sixth position with 745.5 points.
Serbia performed in outstanding fashion to make the title game and their second-placed finish gave their fans something to be proud of. Those supporters can also now enjoy and reflect on their country being a top five nation again as they move up a place and into fifth position on 755.6 points.
Meanwhile, when it comes to the scale and impact of climbing the rankings in the upper echelon, nobody can match Latvia. They have rocketed up a staggering 22 places and into the top 10 after their heroic underdog displays which ensured they took fifth place at the FIBA Basketball World Cup. They now sit in 8th position on 743.7 points.
There were many other teams who impressed at the flagship event, including Brazil who recorded three wins in five games and moves up a place into 12th in the rankings on 660.5 points. The Americas region can also boast a nice move upwards of five places into 16th for Puerto Rico on 611.1 points, while Dominican Republic rise six spots into 18th place on 561.9 points.
There were also notable improvements for Georgia who move up 10 positions and into 23rd on 465.9 points, Japan jump 11 spots to 26th on 432.2 points and Lebanon claim an uplift of 16 places into 28th on 423.3.
One nation that truly made everyone sit up and take notice at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 were first-timers South Sudan. They made history by beating China to claim a first win at the event, then pushing on to beat the Philippines and Angola. This has resulted in a sensational climb of 32 spots in the rankings. They now find themselves in 31st place with 375.5 points.
For more information about the method used in the calculation of the FIBA World Ranking Men, please refer to the “How It Works” section.
Click here to view the full FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike.