OBRA
Vibal Foundation to launch Púgot: Head taking, ritual cannibalism, human sacrifice in PH

Vibal Foundation, Inc. (VFI) will be launching Narciso C. Tan’s Púgot: Head Taking, Ritual Cannibalism, and Human Sacrifice in the Philippines at VFI’s monthly virtual tertulia this October. Encyclopedic and analytical in its approach, this scholarly book dissects the ritualized forms of violence such as human sacrifice, ritual cannibalism, and head taking in the prehistoric Philippines.
Púgot: Head Taking, Ritual Cannibalism, and Human Sacrifice in the Philippines
Púgot weaves together historical data and archaeological studies with traditional myths, legends, and songs to create a seamless narrative of some of the most misunderstood aspects of Philippine culture and to shed light on deeply rooted cultures of violence.
Preceding the emergence of Islam and Christianity, deeply held religious beliefs led various Philippine communities to sanction ritualized forms of violence: human sacrifice, cannibalism, and head taking. Today, many Filipinos see these practices as “primitive,” “barbaric,” or pertaining only to so-called “tribes” and therefore not related to the national dynamic. Púgot forces Filipino readers to contemplate and confront the not-so-ancient past, when their ancestors sported loincloths, battle gear, and talismans, and participated in violent community-wide celebrations and rituals.
The book also reveals these practices not in isolation, but as part of the wider Southeast Asian and Austronesian milieu. The multilingual primary and secondary texts used for this work are sourced from across centuries and disciplines, including thirteenth to eighteenth-century Chinese records, Spanish-period missionary chronicles, and European and American ethnographies from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, as well as folkloric accounts and epics.
This book is the latest addition to VFI’s Academica Filipina+, which is an interdisciplinary series that pushes the boundaries of scholarly publishing with smart, literate, and thought-provoking works exploring the Philippine past, present, and future.
For interested readers, copies of Púgot: Head Taking, Ritual Cannibalism, and Human Sacrifice in the Philippines will be available for online purchase at the Vibal Online Shop at https://shop.vibalgroup.com/, Lazada https://www.lazada.com.ph/shop/vibal-books/, and Shopee https://shopee.ph/vibalgroup. For bulk orders or if you have queries, you may reach us through customercare@vibalgroup.com and marketing@vibalgroup.com or call us at +63 (2) 8580.7400 or 1-800-1000-VIBAL (84225).
OBRA
Be a glow-getter, glow better with Mestiza

August 24, 2022 3:21 p.m.
It’s not every day that we feel beautiful and sometimes It’s difficult to feel attractive without the “glow”, that radiance from healthy glowing skin.
When you have good skin, your confidence also improves since you feel in charge of everything – your image, health, and body.
Time to start lighting that spark of confidence and take charge of your glow, through skincare!
Proper skin care can go a long way in improving your overall beauty, it can also affect your self-confidence.
Don’t worry because we know the secret to boosting that confidence to its highest level by making your skin healthy and glowing, say hello to Mestiza!
This wonder soap has long understood the connection between healthy glowing skin and self-confidence and since the skin is connected to self-confidence, having beautiful skin can make one live a more lively, colorful, and confident life!
Mestiza uses the natural benefits of carrots, calamansi, banana, papaya, and extra premium virgin coconut oil to improve the health of your skin and leave it moisturized, clean and healthy.
Each ingredient nourishes and replenishes your skin, improving the look and feel of your skin. The same nutrients you get from fruits and vegetables can also nourish your skin when applied topically and it is important to nourish our skin with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to constantly make it look more vibrant and healthy.
Knowing you are doing the best for your skin will help with your self-confidence, and help create your glow so you can face every challenge in this world!
Know your skin type and use this healthy soap and you can finally say —— Gandang mestiza, Kutis Mestiza!
For inquiries and orders, visit www.mestiza.com.ph or call hotline 0917-3156192 / 0922-8887884. Available in all leading drugstores and supermarkets nationwide.
OBRA
Get a chance to own a Joya or an Imao through NFTs

July 14, 2022 8:00 p.m.
Scarletbox.io, the first blue-chip fine arts NFT (Non-Fungible Token) launchpad in Asia, has released its Soft Public Sale featuring National Artists for Visual Arts Jose Joya and Abdulmari Imao, together with their second generation of artists Andre Baldovino and Toym Imao, respectively.
Scarletbox.io aims to bridge the generations of arts and culture into the NFT space with their 2 Legends x 2 Generations drop. This drop features the artworks from the National Artists merged with the art style of their second generation with added animation and music.
What makes this drop special is that these national artists have been sold in auction houses locally and worldwide like Sotheby’s or Christines and are highly respected for their craft. Jose Joya’s record sale for a painting is US $2.2 million.
All artworks dropped are One-of-Ones with historical value and story. Each artwork is different from each other, with beautiful animation.

It’s a collaboration of two generations of artists in one work, all of whom have decades of respected reputation.
It’s the first memento of these four artists to enter the metaverse with their first NFT, truly a special once-in-a-lifetime moment. There is a lot of value in one’s first entry.
Each Founder’s NFT comes with a Limited Edition Collectible Box. It has a live Digital Frame, a vial with a token from the artist, and a certificate of Authenticity. One can now shout out and display his/her animated NFT at home or at work. It’s perfect as a gift to someone special.
This is the only time a Founder’s NFT will be released by Scarletbox. It allows whitelist access to all future drops at a discount. A whitelist is a special privilege to mint ahead of others at a special price.
Now is that chance to own a piece of history.
After a successful over-subscribed Private Sale, Scarletbox now opens its Founder’s NFT sale to everyone in a Soft Public Sale. One just needs to create an account at www.scarletbox.io to be able to purchase. Scarletbox accepts both fiat (peso/USD) and eth. For first timers, Scarletbox is the right place to start learning about NFTs. Its team has helped onboard many first-time happy NFT collectors.
For details, visit www.Scarletbox.io or email marketing@scarletbox.io for any queries or through soc-med: (Twitter) twitter.com/scarletbox_io; (Instagram) instagram.com/scarletbox.io; (Facebook) facebook.com/scarletbox.io; or (Discord) discord.gg/scarletbox.
OBRA
Glow with VCO!

April 21, 2022 4:59 p.m.
Mestiza has been in the business of making the skin of every woman, in different walks of life glow with confidence. The secret lies in the formula of their healthy skin soap, with varieties for all skin types.
We know that everything we put on our skin quickly absorbs into our bodies, so Mestiza sourced the finest raw natural ingredients the Philippines has to offer, with ingredients ranging from calamansi, papaya, banana, carrots, and VCO.
The soap contains the combined essential vitamins and health benefits of the said components to restore the skin’ optimum health making it look glowing, making you feel confident.
Among these ingredients, VCO is considered the star.
The lauric acid found in coconut oil has antimicrobial properties, which can help kill bacteria on the skin and reduce inflammation.
Additionally, VCO contains high levels of linoleic acid, an unsaturated omega-6 fatty acid that can be used as an emollient and skin soother.
Mestiza contains the highest level of VCO in the market with 33% on their original soap while 40% on the prime variants which cater to different skin types.
Here are the benefits of VCO on the skin:
Antibacterial
Exfoliates
Reduces the appearance of lines
It moisturizes and smoothes the skin
Eases inflammation
Mestiza wanted to share these truly amazing natural ingredients in soap form for your skin to look healthy and glowing. For you to feel best, you need to feel confident.
For inquiries and orders, visit www.mestiza.com.ph or call hotline 0917-3156192 / 0922-8887884. Available in all leading drugstores and supermarkets nationwide.