PGPC empowers women of Tiwi through livelihood
Philippine Geothermal Production Company, Inc. (PGPC), a part of SM’s portfolio investments, has been empowering Tiwi women weavers who are known for their skills in crafting abaca products and ceramics.
PGPC in cooperation with the Tiwi local government unit, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department ofLabor and Employment, NGO ASCODE Foundation and PGPC has supported United Stakeholders Working to Achieve Growth (USWAG), a women’s group in 2006 composed of elderly, housewives, and mothers, through trainings on how to improve their product. They were also even able to create new designs with the help of the DTI.
Today, the additional income generating activity done in the confines of Tiwi’s scenic border has now reached a wider audience through various trade fairs such as those hosted by premiere malls in Metro Manila. Aside from abaca fibers, the group is now producing other crafts such as table runners, organizers, festive decorations, placemats and shoals.
USWAG continues to ensure that all their products are generating zero waste. For instance, shreds of abaca fibers from other products are made into sinamay bags.
“PGPC is very supportive of community initiatives that aim to equip local community members with skills and resources toward building their livelihood,” said Mr. Napoleon “Nap” Saporsantos, Jr., President of PGPC.
Women shine brighter at SLGSP
Sun Life Global Solutions (SLGS) Philippines is celebrating this year’s International Women’s Month by further championing Women in Tech through a more comprehensive Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI&B) career plan.
SLGS’s DEI&B programs are mapped across the complete employee life cycle of Attract, Develop, Engage and Retain
While gender diversity across SLGS is currently at 55 percent, the company is still looking to grow their gender diversity in tech positions.
For current employees, the women’s network “SunStree” serves as a platform for women to help them maximize their potential, is creating mentorship programs for women and would-be women leaders.
SLGS also runs a reverse mentorship program with Millennials and Gen Zs as mentors, and their leaders as mentees.
This will be done through the SLGS inclusion networks, which are groups for gender empowerment called Bright Women, Pride (LGBTQ+) and DiverseAbility (Persons with Disability) clubs. These are all aligned with the Global Sun Life DEI&B Inclusion Networks. Two more were established locally: DEKADA (Inter-generation) and Working Families.
Some of the DEU&B activities are: the annual celebration of the International Women’s Day, observed during the entire month of March, the implementation of DEI&B Awards under Rewards and Recognition, furthering Inclusion Network Activities and Events including collaboration initiatives with Sustainability and CSR teams, and driving Awareness and visibility campaign on the inclusion networks to boost membership sign-ups.
AI on Viber
Rakuten Viber has partnered with AI studio Inflection to bring its cutting-edge conversational AI expertise to Viber’s users in the Philippines.
Filipino users will have direct access to Pi, enhancing their messaging experience through advanced conversational capabilities.
Pi brings an exceptionally empathetic and supportive personality to conversations with users. It is powered by Inflection’s in-house-built Inflection-2.5 large language model which is competitive with the world’s best foundation models on key industry benchmarks.
Pi combines world-beating EQ with smart IQ to help users with all their questions. Viber users can ask for advice, up-to-date information, or just chat. Pi will help them organize their thoughts, make clear plans, and act on them whether they’re changing jobs, trying to get healthier, learning a new skill, wanting to know the latest news, or just in the mood for a chat. Now, Pi is available to Viber users around the clock, so they always have a friend to turn to.
Alongside their new personal AI, Pi-inspired stickers are available to all users on the platform for the next three months to use in both personal conversations with friends and chats with Pi. Users can bring positive messages to their chats with friends through the stickers, featuring expressive, supportive, and friendly lines, like “I can help”, “Let’s talk”, “Hi friend” and even “Love you.”
Gcash via Alipay among popular e-wallets in Japan
GCash is one of the most popular e-wallets used by travelers to Japan, according to Ant International which operates cross-border mobile payment solution Alipay+.
Alipay+ has connected two million merchants across Japan, with 16 e-wallets and bank apps accepted across the country via Alipay+, a suite of cross-border digital payment and digitalization technology solutions,
Alipay, AlipayHK, Kakao Pay, Touch ‘n Go eWallet, GCash and TrueMoney are among the most popular e-wallets used by travelers to Japan, while MPay, Naver Pay and Toss are seeing rapid growth in transactions.
The other Philippine e-wallet within the Alipay network is HelloMoney.
Powered by Alipay+, transaction volume made by e-wallets and bank apps in Japan jumpedover 200 percent in the first three weeks of March, compared with the same period in 2023.Transaction value is estimated to account for about 10 percent of total spending among users during their stay in the country.
“Our long-standing partnership with Alipay+ has allowed us to bean indispensable companion for Filipino travelers in now 47 countries and territories aroundthe world. We are glad to continue strengthening our collaboration with Alipay+ to ensureevery Filipino has a seamless and secure cashless payment option when they travel abroad,” Ren-Ren Reyes, president and CEO of GXI (G-Xchange, Inc.), the mobile wallet operator of GCash.
Maynilad donates fire trailers to LGUs
Maynilad Corporate Affairs and Communication head Marie Antonette De Ocampo, MWSS Administrator Leonor Cleofas, Maynilad president and CEO Ramoncito S. Fernandez, and Estrellado.
West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. is donating fire trailers to several local government units (LGUs) within its service area this year to help enhance their firefighting capabilities and bolster emergency response efforts, particularly during Fire Prevention Month.
Maynilad has started distributing an initial five units of 1,000-liter capacity fire trailers, one each to the cities of Caloocan, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Navotas, and Muntinlupa. Fire trailers are particularly designed for overcrowded areas with narrow streets and alleys that fire trucks cannot reach, thus allowing for rapid response to fire incidents in densely populated communities.
These fire trailers are equipped with a 20-meter fire hose with adjustable nozzle, solar lights, and five-horse power pump that can boost water up to at least 70 feet, which can reach the seventh floor of a building. It is also lightweight and can easily be pushed by three to four persons.
“We had these fire trailers built specifically for densely populated areas that are difficult to reach via ordinary fire trucks and where fire can easily spread. Arming the LGUs with these fire trailers is a proactive step towards ensuring the well-being of residents and safeguarding against potential fire incidents,” said Maynilad COO Randolph Estrellado.
Malayan, Atradius collab for trade credit insurance product
Malayan Insurance Co Inc. has unveiled its partnership with Atradius, one of the largest, reputable international firms in trade credit insurance, during a press briefing at the Hexagon Lounge of RCBC Plaza in Makati.
The announcement made by Paolo Abaya, president and CEO of Malayan Insurance highlighted how the powerhouse collaboration between the two firms will significantly benefit thousands of local and international commercial businesses.
Representatives of Atradius, Eric den Boogert, managing director of Atradius in Asia; Michael Frigo, director of Atradius in Southeast Asia; and Jetse van Hee, head of Channel Development of Atradius in Asia, explained their global expertise in the trade credit insurance sector, and the range of benefits it offers to customers.
Trade credit insurance (TCI), also known as accounts receivable insurance or debtor insurance, is an insurance solution that safeguards businesses from the risk of their clients’ failure to pay for the goods or services they acquired. TCI covers the sales contract between the insured seller or company and its corresponding buyer. It helps policyholders recoup their losses or unpaid debts as long as they are within the agreed TCI plan’s limits.
TCI has been widely used by companies in overseas markets like Europe and the United States to help them manage and mitigate their risks. The International Credit Insurance & Surety Association (ICISA) stated in a report that the global trade credit insurance market reached a premium volume of USD 13.89 billion in 2022 alone.
In the Philippines, Malayan Insurance and Atradius hope to increase TCI utilization by leveraging and maximizing both insurance giants’ expertise in identifying, managing, and alleviating risks.
The collaboration is expected to reshape and expand the landscape of the local insurance industry since it will provide an invaluable safety net to a wide range of medium and large-scale enterprises.
Aside from the guaranteed protection from non-payments, prospective Malayan-Atradius clients will also have better opportunities for growth since they can now offer credit terms to customers, avail better financing terms from lenders with credit insurance policies, maximize credit management tools, gain quick access to relevant business information, and receive assistance in managing client portfolios.
Lalamove expands in CAR
Lalamove has expanded operations in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) where it will provide simple and affordable same-day delivery services within and outside the region.
According to Lalamove Philippines managing director Djon Nacario, the presence of Lalamove in the region, particularly for Baguio City and the whole of Benguet, will open doors for enabling the growth of the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and offering flexible livelihood opportunities to aspiring Lalamove partner drivers.
With the recently launched Lalamove Partner Driver Center at the heart of Baguio City, residents looking to earn more extra income using their vehicles will be assisted to kick start their journey as partner drivers of the platform.
Nacario emphasized that not only is Lalamove connecting partner drivers to the MSME community, they also have access to the array of Panalomove benefits, giving them more than earnings from orders.
Nacario saidt the convenience and access to affordable same-day and long-distance delivery services from CAR to anywhere in Luzon is what Lalamove aims to deliver to the communities in the region, especially to the residents of Baguio City and the entirety of Benguet.
Aboitiz Land, Aboitiz Foundation receive recognition
The Philippine Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog (CGDSTL) honored Aboitiz Land and Aboitiz Foundation during its 41st founding anniversary celebration at Headquarters Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog in Barangay Santa Clara, Batangas recently.
The recognition was for their dedicated efforts towards community development and environmental sustainability.
The Certificate of Recognition praised these Aboitiz-owned companies for their invaluable support to CGDSTL. It emphasized their crucial roles in strengthening initiatives for environmental conservation, livelihood programs, and disaster response.
This recognition came after a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on February 19, 2024, among the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA), Aboitiz Land, and Aboitiz Foundation. The partnership signifies a groundbreaking collaboration dedicated to community development.
Teleperformance celebrates outstanding TP Women
Teleperformance in the Philippines, celebrated outstanding TP women as part of its International Women’s Month Summit, the highlight of the company’s month-long Women’s Month celebration.
Affirming its dedication to gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, TP marked the event with a ceremonial signing of Teleperformance’s commitment to the Women’s Empowerment Principles (UN Women and UN Global Compact). Chief Executive Officer Rahul Jolly was joined by senior leaders, TP Women leaders, and all summit participants in this public pledge of support.
“[We value] support instead of criticism, respect instead of judgment, and encouragement instead of devaluation. Teleperformance Philippines has made significant milestones crucial in these efforts in leading the change to empower women,” said TP Women Chair and Executive Vice President of Operations Toni Tompar. “We are here today because of the women at TP and the real allies who made this community a place where women are respected, empowered, and made to succeed. Let us all inspire inclusion,” she added.
CEO Rahul Jolly also doubled down on the organization’s support, stating, “Teleperformance Philippines’ commitment to gender equality and women empowerment is not just a promise for Women’s Month, but a lifelong commitment of our team at TP. We pledge to maintain a diverse and inclusive workplace where every employee is supported in reaching their fullest potential in their respective careers.”
The celebration brought together women and allies from various sites and subsidiaries. Special recognition was also given to Teleperformance employees who are champions of workplace gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.
Members of TP Women take center stage on the International Women’s Day celebration of Teleperformance in March 2024.
Among the event’s highlights was a thought-provoking panel discussion, entitled, “#InspireInclusion,” spearheaded by Site Director Gaye Velasco and Monica Maralit, a pioneer in the industry and author of the book “Becoming Sheroes: Tales of Filipinas Uplifting Others.”
Orica Ph helps empower education
Orica Philippines, a leading mining and infrastructure solutions provider, supports its local partner communities through programs on education empowerment.
One such initiative was a new free method of teaching mathematics for early childhood educators called ‘Let’s Count’ – an early mathematics program to help develop the math skills of children ages three to five. Headed by The Smith Family, Australia’s leading education charity, the program was able to reach and support 25 educators from 14 local kindergartens.
Since 2009, Orica Philippines’ Science and Technology Education Leveraging Relevance (STELR) initiative has been helping students be more engaged in STEM. Additionally, the STELR workshops featuring hands-on renewable models have helped engage the interest of learners as the program reaches over 35,000 students annually across Asia Pacific.
More recently, Orica Philippines signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the University of the Philippines’s Mining, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering Department. The partnership marks Orica Philippines’ efforts to encourage the future leaders in the mining industry to innovate more sustainable solutions and create positive impact for the planet.
