Collaboration for social good promotes health, education, jobs
SM has put corporate social responsibility alongside expansion and sustainability as one of the key drivers of its growth.
SM’s social good programs are anchored on making meaningful impact on critical areas that affect the most vulnerable communities, among them in the health, education and jobs sectors.
“SM Foundation integrates itself in communities to grasp the unique social challenges they face, enabling us to create localized, relevant, and sustainable programs. Engaging stakeholders in both planning and execution drives the success of our social good initiatives,” said Deborah Pe-Sy, executive director of SM Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the SM group.
SM Foundation recently refurbished the Polomolok East Community Clinic, a health center that caters to nearly 50,000 individuals, predominantly in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged areas in South Cotabato.
SM DigiKonsulta was also launched for teleconsultations and digitalization of patient records. The foundation also partnered with an NGO for a renovated pharmacy to provide the communities with reliable access to medicines.
SM Foundation’s partnership with the Department of Education’s Adopt-A-School Program has resulted in 366 classrooms built, benefiting 18,300 students.
The SM Store’s Shop & Share for Education meanwhile aims to distribute back-to-school kits to 12,000 grade school pupils in more than 70 public schools nationwide. This year’s initiative will have each SM Store adopt one school beneficiary.
In January, SM launched the Jobs Opportunities Building Skills (J.O.B.S.) which aims to help provide quality jobs through job fairs and upskilling courses. SM J.O.B.S. recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines to provide upskilling opportunities to thousands of employees within the AmCham network in SM Job Fairs across the country.
To date, JOBS has hosted 130 job fairs in key SM malls, accommodated over 70,000 job seekers, and hired almost 11,000 on the spot.
Top revenue contributor
TMP SVP Dennis Ben-Hur Escuro (center) receives the Top Importer recognition from BOC chief of staff Marlon Agaceta (second from left) and BOC – POB district collector Ma. Rhea Gregorio (4th from left).
Toyota Motor Philippines Corp.(TMP) solidifies its position as the number one revenue contributor to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) – Port of Batangas (POB), reporting a total of P18.7 billion in duties and taxes paid for the first semester of 2024.
The BOC-POB recognized TMP’s robust revenue contributions along with key locators and exporters during the celebration of the Port’s 67th founding year held last month in Lipa City.
In the same event, the agency recognized the members of the newly constituted POB Customs Industry Consultative and Advisory Council which (CICAC) as per Customs Memorandum Order No. 02-2024) will serve as a consultative body between the BOC and the business-industrial sector to address customs and industry issues and promote mutual understanding and cooperation.
As one of the top private companies at the collection district level, TMP gains two seats in the POB CICAC, allowing two TMP representatives to become part of the founding members.
The POB serves as a strategic gateway for importing a wide array of automotive products, including various Toyota and Lexus models, production parts, and service components from the Asia Pacific region.
TMP’s port operation is linked to its Batangas Vehicle Center (BVC) located at Barangay Balagtas in Batangas City, utilized as a processing hub and vital point for distribution of automotive products to Toyota dealerships across the Visayas and Mindanao regions.
As the leading mobility company, TMP works actively with the BOC towards efficient trade facilitation.
In February 2024, TMP became one of the first organizations to be certified as an Authorized Economic Operator Level 2 by the BOC.
Mobile Check Deposit
The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) is encouraging Filipinos to maximize the bank’s Mobile Check Deposit feature on the BPI app, which allows clients to deposit checks in five minutes.
“As part of BPI’s customer obsession culture, we have developed the Mobile Check deposit feature on the BPI app, allowing customers to conveniently transact anytime, anywhere.
While the channel to transact is new, the same rules on clearing remain the same, thus customer need not worry about any delays in crediting the deposits to their accounts,” said Fitzgerald Chee, head of Consumer Platforms.
The Mobile Check Deposit feature is currently accessible to BPI Preferred, BPI Gold, and BPI Private Wealth clients without any fees. Local checks below P500,000 can be deposited via the app and clients can monitor deposit status as an added feature.
Clients may also deposit any time.
McDonald’s brings back classic toys in new collectible glasses
McDonald’s Philippines releases new collectible glasses that are a timely tribute to these exciting and unforgettable of the 1990s and the 2000s.
The glasses feature toy designs from its most iconic collaborations with Coca-Cola, Mattel, and Universal and its very own releases from years past. They include Shrek/Minions, Barbie/Hot Wheels, McDonald’s/Nanoblock, and McDonald’s/Coca-Cola.
The McDonald’s Collector’s Meal can be availed for only P79 along with a choice of a medium or large extra value meal (any meal with fries and drink).
The new collectibles are available via the McDonald’s App until September 2. They can be purchased via front counter dine-in, take-out, drive-thru and McDelivery starting September 3. With multiple ways to purchase, it is easier to get your hands on these exclusive items.
Cement co-processing facility diverts 21.4B plastic sachets
ecoloop, the resource recovery group of Republic Cement, has successfully diverted 21.4 billion plastic sachets in 2023, equivalent to 110,000 metric tons of residual waste used as alternative fuel in the company’s co-processing operations for cement manufacturing.
“This achievement represents a significant amount of waste diverted from landfills and bodies of water, like oceans and urban waterways, and further underscores Republic Cement’s commitment to environmental stewardship and circular economy principles,” said ecoloop director Angela Edralin-Valencia.
For the year 2023, Republic Cement has utilized a total of over 670,000 tons of residual waste in their overall cement manufacturing process, including other alternative fuels such as biomass and refuse-derived fuel. This is the largest amount of residual waste that the company has diverted in a single year since pioneering the use of alternative fuels in the Philippines in the early 2000s.
Republic Cement’s use of alternative fuels in manufacturing has effectively led to a 30-percent reduction in CO2 emissions per ton of cement, compared to using traditional fuels such as coal.
PH-EITI visits Philip mine
Philex Mining Corp., one of the oldest and largest copper and gold producers in Southeast Asia, recently welcomed members of the Philippine Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative (PH-EITI) Multi Stakeholder Group, headed by Finance Undersecretary Bayani Agabin (kneeling, second from left), and Secretariat, headed by national coordinator Mary Ann Dizon-Rodolfo (standing, third from left), to their Padcal Mine in Tuba, Benguet, for a mine tour and community visit as part of the PH-EITI Regional Roadshow held in Baguio City. The group was welcomed to the mine by Philex VP for Padcal operations and resident manager Ricardo Dolipas II (kneeling, leftmost), Padcal safety and risk management manager Marie Aurora Dolipas (standing, fourth from right), and Philex Public and Regulatory Affairs head . Francis Joseph Ballesteros Jr. (standing, rightmost). The visitors included Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) Cordillera Autonomous Region regional director Ma. Florizelda Enriquez (standing, second from right) as well as representatives from the USAID RESPOND Project. They toured the facilities including the underground mine, mill plant, tailings storage facilities and bamboo plantation area.
Advertising industry summit
The country’s advertising industry embarks on a three-year series of events to mark 50 years of self-regulation kicking off in 2024 with Patas na Patalastas: National Summit on Fair and Progressive Advertising Self-regulation that happens September 4 to 5 at Makati Diamond Residences.
The event is headed by the Ad Standards Council (ASC), a coalition of 7 association members representing the stakeholders of the industry.
The summit features topics like The Impact on Business of Fair and Responsible Marketing Communications, as well as Government Partnerships with Private Sector on Self-regulation. Supporting topics include panel discussions on Artificial Intelligence, and another on Influencer Marketing, among others.
Promoting ethical AI use
(From left) GCash data privacy officer Rob Real, chief transformation officer Ron Testa, head of data enablement Marah Dimasupil, guest speaker Dr. Ben Teehankee, GCash analytics steward on AI ethics Jannelle Molina.
With responsible finance at its core, GCash launched its AI (artificial intelligence) Ethics roadshow as part of its GCash Good Data for Good initiative.
The initiative is aimed at effectively utilizing AI within its organization and across the fintech space to create a financial future that fosters an ethical climate along with inclusivity and security.
The roadshow consisted of a series of talks and online training sessions for GCash employees and its partners who play significant roles in achieving its financial inclusion pursuit. This program ensures workforce development, nurturing a culture of ethical excellence, adaptability, resilience, and innovation.
GCash is a member of the AI Verify Foundation, a global community that convenes AI owners, solution providers, users, and policymakers to build trustworthy AI systems.
The GCash Data for Good also reflects the organization’s commitment to promoting an ethical data-driven climate within the fintech community. This includes bolstering its credibility in data management and advancing the integration of AI into GCash’s AI-powered in-app features including its newest innovations such as GScore AI calculates users’ creditworthiness and loan eligibility based on their daily app usage, removing the need for forms or additional documents, Hyper-personalized ads, and GCoach AI which is an in-app guide that uses generative AI to educate users on spending, saving, and growing their money.
PHITEX 2024 set
The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines is bringing back the Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) to Metro Manila September 3 to 5 at the Conrad Manila.
The event features a two-day, in-person Travel Exchange (TRAVEX) that will bring together 89 international buyers and 116 Philippine seller companies. Beyond TRAVEX, PHITEX will also present the PHITEX Educational Program (PEP) Talk and a series of post-event tours.
PEP Talk is a comprehensive, full-day seminar designed for sellers, local government tourism officers, industry association representatives, and the academe.
PHITEX will offer exclusive post-event tours for international buyers, featuring nine destinations across four tour modules: Bohol-Cebu, Siargao-Bucas Grande, Iloilo-Guimaras, and CDO-Bukidnon-Davao. Additionally, a Metro Manila City Tour on September 6 will be offered, including visits to the Philippine Travel Mart and the Dive, Resort & Travel Philippines at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex.
PHITEX 2024 will also coincide with the World Travel Awards (WTA) Asia & Oceania Gala Ceremony, which the Philippines will host for the first time. This prestigious red-carpet event is set to take place on September 3 at City of Dreams Manila.
The WTA is a prestigious global organization established in 1993. Renowned as the “Oscars of the Tourism Industry,” WTA recognizes and rewards excellence in the travel and tourism sector.
