Philippine basketball legend Marc Pingris wasn’t an overnight sensation. In fact, it took years of hard work and dedication for him to achieve his status as one of the 40 Greatest Players in PBA history. From his humble beginnings in Pangasinan to PBA superstardom, Marc credits his success to his mother and her much-loved home-cooked meals.
Taking inspiration from his difficult experiences growing up, Marc worked his way up to become the third overall pick in the 2004 PBA draft. On being drafted, Marc shared in an interview: “We really had a difficult life growing up. So after I got drafted, the first person I really looked for was my mother. I hugged her and thanked her for helping us get through such incredibly difficult times in Pangasinan. No matter what happened, she always managed to put food on the table and never allowed my siblings and I to miss even a single meal.”
Knowing the importance of having healthy meals for a better future, Marc instills the same values to his children, sharing in an interview: “lahat binibigay ko sa pamilya ko, especially sa pagkain, ‘yun ang number one sa akin hindi ko talaga sila ginugutom.”
Marc, like a lot of Filipino dreamers, was able to pursue his passion and rise above life’s challenges thanks to a solid foundation of nutritious and delicious meals. Studies show that nutrition is a major factor that profoundly affects a child’s ability to learn, as well as their overall health. This is a fact that global food brand, Knorr, knows all too well. And one that the brand considers very seriously in all its movements, and one that they’re championing through the Nutri-Sarap Nutrition Program.
“We’ve always been active in promoting proper nutrition, but there’s never been a more important time to focus on it than today,” shares Kristine Go, Vice President for Foods & Refreshments of Unilever Philippines. “With the Covid-19 pandemic, aside from basic safety practices, parents should make sure that their kids’ immune systems are strong and able to fight viruses. Proper nutrition can help do this. But more than that, if we look forward, nutrition has been proven to be an effective tool in improving the lives of citizens. Properly nourished kids have a better chance at experiencing success later on in life, and that is what we, with the help of our partners, are trying to provide everyone with our Nutri-Sarap Nutrition Program.”
The Nutri-Sarap Nutrition Program is Knorr’s enhanced efforts to counter malnutrition in the country. It does this mainly through education of parents on how to prepare nutritious, delicious, and abot-kayang home-cooked meals. To ensure nationwide reach, the brand has aligned with various government agencies and NGOs such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education (DepEd), Scaling Up Nutrition Business Network, Nutritionist Dietitians Association of the Philippines (NDAP) as well as Pilipinas Kontra Gutom and various LGUs to further create awareness on the Nutri-Sarap Nutrition Program.
Part of Knorr’s continuous commitment in providing nutritious and delicious meals to Filipino families is the recent improvement on their products. The popular Knorr Sinigang sa Sampaloc Mix Original is now a source of Vitamin C, while the kitchen staple Knorr Broth Cubes is made more nutritious with iron. With these developments, accompanied by the Nutri-Sarap Nutrition Program, Knorr further solidifies its position as a leading force for good nutrition among Filipino families.
Marc’s journey is just one of the many success stories that proper nutrition helped produce. Other similar stories that received media attention in the past include Teacher Fe, a multi-awarded educator who selflessly taught underprivileged kids from under a bridge in Parañaque City, and Doc Otit, the first Tigwahanon Manobo medicine graduate.
The Knorr Nutri-Sarap Nutrition Program serves as another chapter in Knorr’s mission to help eradicate malnutrition and involuntary hunger in the Philippines. For more information, visit www.knorr.com/ph and follow Knorr Philippines on Facebook and @knorrph on Instagram.