BDO Life clients can now access their insurance policies online
BDO Life clients can now access their life insurance policy using the BDO Life Customer Portal, where they can also securely pay for their premiums, update their beneficiaries and contact information, and file service requests.
For easier, faster, and more convenient access to one’s insurance portfolio, BDO Life, a fully-owned subsidiary of BDO Unibank, encourages all its individual policyholders to use the BDO Life Customer Portal.
Clients can login the customer portal at bdo.com.ph/bdo-life/customer-portal via their smartphones, tablets, or desktops anytime and anywhere, using their active BDO Online App login information.
BDO Life’s customer portal is a secure gateway for users to review their insurance coverage, note their next premium due dates, and update their beneficiaries and contact details. Users can check their policy values and view their policy’s transaction history, saving them the trouble of having to dial in to BDO Life’s customer call center. To top it all, users can also pay their premiums using BDO Online or their debit/credit cards.
Filling out service requests via the portal makes transacting with BDO Life simpler and easier. This includes scheduling premium payments through BDO Life’s auto charge/auto debit facilities or nominating a BDO account through which insurance benefits can directly be credited.
Pomelo announces $35M Series A, $75M warehouse
Pomelo, the first consumer fintech to enable international money movement with consumer credit, announced a Series A of $35 million in venture capital and a $75m expansion of its warehouse facility, led by Vy Capital, with full participation by Founders Fund and A* Capital. This brings total funds raised to date to $55 million in equity capital and $125m for its warehouse facility.
This round of funding follows Pomelo’s inclusion in GGV Capital’s Innovation 50 List for 2024, described as “highlighting the 50 most promising fintech companies in the eyes of investors.”
This accolade recognizes Pomelo for advancing a $650-billion global remittance industry by empowering customers to build credit with their remittance funds and obligations for the first time.
Keith Rabois, an early investor and board member, recognized that Pomelo’s novel product experience had the potential to deliver enhanced value to an underserved market.
“Pomelo stands out through a fundamentally different approach to remittance transfer by using credit as its foundation,” said Rabois. “The product unlocks value beyond facilitating cross border money movement; it’s ultimately a pathway to establishing better financial futures for customers and their families.”
Pomelo launched in 2022 with the Philippines as its first corridor, and has since added new payment options that enhance the product experience for its customers. Most notably, Pomelo recently launched the ability to send funds to Gcash, the most popular e-wallet in the Philippines.
GCash is the newest in a set of payout instruments that complement Pomelo’s eponymous card product that has positively impacted the lives of customers and their families. For example, given that many emerging markets do not have a robust healthcare system, being able to show proof of payment for treatment is critical.
Run vs Plastics
Around 800 people from the government and private sector took part in the “Run vs. Plastics” Fun Run held recently at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City.
Organized by West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), this project seeks to reinforce the agency’s nationwide campaign to reduce plastic pollution.
The Run vs. Plastics Fun Run was organized in collaboration with Metro Pacific Investments Corp., Meralco, MPIC Foundation, PLDT-Smart Foundation, and Alagang Kapatid Foundation.
Apex community dev’t
Apex Mining spent P82.2 million in community development projects in 2023 under its Social Development and Management Program (SDMP). This amount is 21 percent higher than the P67.8 million spent in 2022.
Apex Mining’s SDMP covers initiatives that are designed to contribute to the improvement and development of its host and neighboring barangays in the areas of education, health care, public infrastructure and livelihood.
Apex Mining’s tenement straddles the barangays of Masara, Teresa, Mainit, Tagbaros, New Barili, New Leyte, and, Elizalde in the Municipality of Maco and Golden Valley in Mabini, all in Davao de Oro. Its neighboring barangays are Panoraon, Gubatan, Panangan, Limbo, Calabcab, Malamodao, Panibasan, and, Kinuban, also in Maco.
Luis Sarmiento, Asean ENG, president and CEO of Apex Mining says “malasakit” has always been the cornerstone of the company’s corporate responsibility initiatives. Sarmiento credits the close collaboration between the company and its host LGUs in ensuring that Apex Mining’s SDMP activities are responsive to the needs of communities.
“Caring for the residents of our host communities means we practice mining the right way to ensure that we manage our impact to the environment. That way, we are able to mitigate possible negative occurrences.”
Hot deals from Toyota
Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) is offering hot deals and discounts under its April promo deals running until the end of the month.
Customers can get up to P143,000 worth of benefits when they purchase a new Vios XLE CVT, P85,000 for a new Yaris Cross S HEV CVT and up to P82,000 for Hilux 4×4 Conquest A/T.
TMP also offers as low as 15 percent All-in Cash out down payment, free 1 year insurance, and free 3-year LTO registration for a purchase new Vios XE CVT, Wigo G CVT, Yaris Cross G CVT or Hilux 4×2 E M/T.
Customers can enjoy low monthly plans, 50 percent down payment, 60 months to pay with the Pay Light deal. These low downpayment and low monthly plan deals are available for transactions under Toyota Financial Services (TFS).
TMP offers up to P70,000 outright cash discount for a new Vios XLE CVT. Same deal is available for Innova XE Dsl A/T purchase, with PHP 70,000 discount and P60,000 for Yaris Cross S HEV.
Free periodic maintenance services and rebate deals or free insurance are offered for select models.
For a climate-proof agri sector
Climate change is real and nowhere is its impact more perceptible than in agriculture. This puts the Philippines, primarily an agricultural country, among the countries most vulnerable to climate change.
To “outsmart climate change” and help make the Philippine agriculture sector and the agri-food system climate-resilient through technology, research, and innovation,
The Philippines Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture (PPSA) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), with the support of PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications, recently held a multi-stakeholder forum which highlighted digital apps and tools for climate action, as well as research initiatives on climate action in the Philippines.
Jointly organized by the Learning Alliance and Digital Agriculture working groups of the PPSA, the “Kapehan” session was held at the Smart Tower in Makati City, attended by representatives from local and global organizations, embassies, academe, and public and private institutions from the agriculture sector.
“A fundamental part of our drive to support local farmers and boost their livelihood is identifying technology-based solutions to the challenges they face, including climate change. We are pleased to work with the PPSA and its esteemed members, to advance tech-enabled agriculture solutions that will make our farmers climate-resilient,” said Stephanie Orlino, head of Stakeholder Management at PLDT and Smart.
PPSA is a multi-stakeholder platform engaging over 160 partner organizations through Communities of Practice or Working Groups, including PLDT and Smart, to harness the collective strength of agricultural value chain players to help transform food systems to become climate positive and inclusive, resilient and sustainable through market-driven solutions.
