It was a busy Saturday at Camp Aguinaldo last January 26 as roughly 250 Star Magic artists gathered to participate in Sun Vs. Stars, the final chapter of the three-part charity-sporting event dubbed SunPIOLOgy TRIO led by Sun Life Financial Philippines in collaboration with its brand ambassador, seasoned actor and wellness advocate Piolo Pascual.
Sun Vs. Stars had celebrities engaging in friendly games of basketball, volleyball, and badminton. This, according to Piolo, was a perfect way for them to get together and bond outside of work.
“We’re all busy with work so it’s important that we’re able to balance our lives so that we’ll be more agile, we’ll be more active, and we’ll be more efficient. Health is wealth,” he said. “It’s also a good time to interact with your fellow stars who are always on the set, and not be worried about how you’re going to look because it’s time to get sweaty and just get competitive.”
Sun Life Brand Ambassador Piolo Pascual is celebrating 10 years of giving back in partnership with Sun Life through SunPIOLOgy
Star Magic artists warming up to an impromptu Zumba session during the Sun Vs. Stars opening ceremony
Walking the talk, Piolo competed in the badminton match, paired with his equally athletic son, all-around performer Inigo Pascual.
“I’ve been training with my dad. We’re going to be teammates for badminton so we’ve been playing a lot,” Inigo shared. “I’m running as well later. [I wasn’t able to prepare for that], though we were able to join the Sun Life Resolution Run in Jakarta last week,” he said.
Dynamic Duo: Inigo Pascual joins forces with his dad Piolo for a doubles badminton game
On the subject of fitness resolutions for 2019, Inigo said that he’s eager to explore further with his workout routine this time around. “[I want to be] more healthy and to be able to do more workouts. Hopefully, find a different sport to focus on,” he said.
Apart from Piolo and Inigo, Erich Gonzales, Aaron Villaflor, and Dominique Roque participated in badminton, even winning medals for their impressive performance.
Meanwhile, actor Gerald Anderson lit up the basketball court with his scoring prowess as part of the Star Magic Dream Team, which played against Team Sun Life PH in an exciting playoff, paving way for him to snag the Most Valuable Player award.
Sun Vs. Star’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) for basketball Gerald Anderson all-smiles after just having scored a 3-point shot for the Star Magic Dream Team
“It was fun because I saw everyone having a good time, from the audience to the players. It was very competitive but at the same time the sportsmanship was there. Us in the Star Magic team weren’t able to train, actually, but we’re already familiar with each other so the chemistry was definitely there,” he said, citing that his goal for 2019 in terms of fitness is to simply stay active. “That, and to improve yourself every day.”
Fresh from winning the game, the Star Magic Dream Team pose for a photo with their coach
Other stars who showcased their basketball prowess were Ejay Falcon, Ronnie Alonte, Elmo Magalona, Donny Pangilinan, RK Bagatsing, and McCoy de Leon, to name a few.
Over at the volleyball court, the likes of Julia Barretto, Loisa Andalio, Nikki Valdez, Bugoy Drilon, and Chokoleit demonstrated their skills as they served and spiked.
Team Blue is anything but blue after winning against Team Black
The fierce roster of Team Red after setting the court ablaz
Team Green takes over the game with their dynamic lineup of players
Team Black still looking fresh after roughing it out in court
Also present during the event were actresses Kisses Delavin, Maris Racal, Ylona Garcia, Chienna Filomeno, Ritz Azul, Vivoree Esclito, and Isabela Quinzon. Talking about their fit lifestyle, most agreed on the benefits of staying active despite their hectic schedules as celebrities.
The gorgeous sirens of Sun Vs. Stars during the opening ceremony
Led by Most Valuable Player (MVP) for volleyball Julia Barretto, Team Green for volleyball shows how it’s done after slaying in court
“It motivates me to go the gym if I declare it on social media [to hold myself accountable]. But, of course, that’s only a part of it. I do it for my health. Working out makes me happy,” said Maris, whose fitness resolution this year is to stay disciplined with her diet. “Avoid unhealthy food, which is a very, very hard thing to do, but I try to stay healthy all the time.”
Following a star-studded sports fest and a successful cycling race in November 2018, the SunPIOLOgy Trio ended with a Sun Life Resolution Run later in the day, still fronted, of course, by the father-and-son duo, Piolo and Inigo.
“You have to realize that you only live once, so your body is your own investment. [In order to be able to do] what it is you want to do, you have to take care of what you’ve got,” said Piolo. “So, with your body, you have to do something about it. You have to keep on practicing what you want to do and what you want to be. That’s how you become the best version that you can be.”
In an Instagram post, Piolo congratulated his son Inigo for besting his 10k record time. A week prior, Piolo and Inigo also joined Sun Life’s Resolution Run in Jakarta, Indonesia together with fellow Sun Life ambassador Enchong Dee.
During the opening ceremony, Sun Life Philippines’ CEO and Country Head Benedict Sison emphasized their mission to help many Filipinos achieve lifetime financial security and healthier lives.
“So that tells you that we’re not only aiming to help Filipinos achieve their financial goals, but also their health goals. They go together because you can only enjoy your wealth if you’re in the best of health, and you can only protect your health if you’re financially secure,” he said.
The event also served to honor the charity-sporting event’s beneficiaries. One of them is the Institute for Study on Diabetes Foundation, Inc., an organization that promotes diabetes awareness to the public and latest medical trends to practitioners. Represented by ISDFI President Dr. Marcelo Lim, the foundation was awarded a check donation worth CAD 120,000 to further help them in their research and studies.
Gerald Anderson with Sun Life’s official mascot Sunson, Chief Human Resources Officer Yahmin Mattison, and CEO and Country Head Benedict Sison.
WORK-LIFE BALANCE: The Yellow Team was composed of Sun Life’s own employees. The Sun vs Stars sports fest is a way for Sun Life employees to take a break from work and enjoy sports while keeping themselves healthy and active.
Sun Life Financial Philippines CEO and Country Head Benedict Sison together with Sun Life Asia Chief Finance Officer Karim Gilani award the check worth CAD 120,000 to President Dr. Marcelo Lim of Institute for Studies in Diabetes Foundation, Inc., one of the beneficiaries of SunPIOLOgy TRIO.