Maynilad plugs 22K pipe leaks in 2020;
continues personnel deployment amid pandemic
West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. plugged 22,500 pipe leaks in 2020, bringing total leaks repaired to almost 300,000 since its re-privatization in 2007 when it inherited one of the oldest pipe networks in Asia.
The company spent around P189 million in 2020 alone to repair pipe leaks, most of which were found on secondary and primary lines in Quezon City, Parañaque and Muntinlupa.
Some of these leaks were not visible aboveground, requiring the use of state-of-the-art technology–such as the Sahara mobile leak detection system–to isolate and detect before repairs could be implemented. The system accurately detects leaks, pockets of trapped gas, and structural defects in water lines. Maynilad is reportedly the first Asian water utility company to use such technology.
Active leakage control is a vital component of Maynilad’s Non-Revenue Water (NRW) Management Program, which seeks to bring down physical and commercial water losses. Other initiatives under this program include the replacement of old pipe segments and meters, conduct of anti-water pilferage activities, installation of pressure-regulating valves, and establishment of districted meter areas.
PLDT and Smart sweep major awards
PLDT Inc. and its wireless arm Smart Communications Inc. bagged a total of 19 citations at the 56th Anvil Awards, including the coveted Company of the Year distinction. This honor is awarded to an organization for garnering the greatest number of accumulated points based on the value of each Anvil trophy received.
PLDT and Smart’s citations include a Platinum Anvil for “#CyberSmart Caravans: Promoting Cyber Security and Safety among Teachers and Students”. The Platinum Anvil Award is given to the most outstanding public relations tool that stands out among all Gold Award winning PR tools.
Under the Programs Division, PLDT and Smart’s awards haul included the following: #LearnSmart eLearning Sessions campaign; PLDT Home’s #StayHome and #StayHomeSeries; LearnSmart’s omnibus education campaign: Helping create a #NoLearnerLeftBehind Nation through digital technology; Love comes in all shapes, sizes, and paws with PLDT’s #ComeHomeToLove Valentine’s Day campaign; PLDT and Smart Cyber Security Awareness Campaign : Empowering employees through online safety; School-in-a-Bag: Leveraging Partnerships for Education; Smart Communities and the UNSDGs omnibus campaign; and value brand TNT’s Big Bente and Giga Stories campaigns.
The companies were also recognized for public relations tools such as PLDT Enterprise’s HOT JOE Online: Pasasalamat Issue; PLDT Home’s No Learner Left Behind Virtual Benefit Concert; PLDT Home brings the Holideals to Filipinos; #LearnSmart eLearning Sessions: Ensuring continued learning even while in quarantine; and Kalye Mabunga: Building food-secure communities one ‘kalye’ at a time.
PAGEONE wins 5th Agency of the Year Award
Beating all agencies that submitted entries in the 56th Anvil Awards, PAGEONE won Agency of the Year (AOY) Award from the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP). This is the 5th consecutive AOY of the agency and the recognition coincides with the celebration of its 6th anniversary in April.
All its clients, which sought the help of the agency in designing and implementing the campaigns and in packaging their entries in the Anvil Awards, also won in their respective categories. Two of the agency’s entries were even declared finalists for the Grand Anvil Award.
Since it was established in 2015, PAGEONE and its clients have already won four Grand Anvil Awards and three Platinum Awards from PRSP. The agency has received multiple awards from the Philippine Quill Awards of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), the APAC IABC Silver Quill Awards and the Global Gold Quill Awards.
Shopee launches online league
Shopee announced the return of Shopee Code League, the largest online code league in Southeast Asia and Taiwan.
Launched in 2020, Shopee Code League is part of Shopee’s efforts to nurture tech talents, empower communities, and upskill workforces for the future economy.
Shopee Code League features three virtual competitions: data science, data analytics, and programming. Registrations for Shopee Code League 2021 are ongoing till March 5. The competitions will kick off on March 6.
ADM helps prevent spread of ASF
ADM , one of the world’s leading human and animal nutrition providers, has joined with the Philippine College of Swine Practitioners (PCSP) and its partners from the private and public sectors to form an interdisciplinary program that will assist local hog raisers in Mindanao.
The Bantay ASF sa Barangay program (BABay ASF) aims to control African swine fever (ASF) and revive the livelihoods of both backyard and commercial swine farmers through biosecurity, surveillance, and monitoring, as well as restocking of swine farms affected by the disease. It seeks to control the spread of ASF and assist in the repopulation of farms affected by the disease.
ADM, through its CSR arm ADM Cares, donated P5-million assistance for the program to protect the “green zones,” or areas which remain free of ASF, in Mindanao. This funding will cover training sessions for volunteers, farmer seminars and procurement of more than 700 Nanogold ASF Test Kits and cPCR test kits.
Four barangays in Iligan City will serve as the program’s pilot areas: Tipanoy, Abono, Dahlipuga, San Roque, and Digkilaan in District 1 and other parts of Misamis Oriental, namely Tagoloan and Manticao. All activities will be supported by the Northern Mindanao Hog Raisers Association, and volunteers from ADM. The program will also be extended, eventually, in areas in Batangas province.
Rakuten Viber appointment
Rakuten Viber announced the appointment of Lana Macapagal, public relations lead for Asia Pacific (APAC).
Previously the PR manager for APAC, Macapagal now spearheads not only all public relations activities in APAC but also the social media and influencer marketing efforts in the region.
With more than 10 years of experience in marketing, brand management, business development and public relations, Macapagal has proven to be a valuable and insightful leader as Viber continues to dominate the regional market. She joined Rakuten Viber in May 2018, managing business development partnerships and activities in the Philippines.
Macapagal graduated from De La Salle University with a Masters in Marketing Communication.
Bigger Isuzu Pasig dealership opens
Isuzu Philippines Corp. and Isuzu Automotive Dealership Inc (IADI) on February 17 inaugurated a bigger and more enhanced Isuzu Pasig dealership and Isuzu Pasig Truck Center (IPTC) .
Isuzu Pasig was the dealer with the highest network share for five consecutive years, starting in 2016. It also brought home the 2019 Dealer of the Year Award (DOYA) and Excellence in DOYA Sales Operations for two successive years, in 2018 and 2019.
The Isuzu Pasig dealership and IPTC are located on E. Rodriguez Jr avenue (formerly C5) at the corner of Calle Industria in Barangay Bagumbayan in Quezon City.
With a total combined floor area of approximately 5,000 square meters, Isuzu Pasig and IPTC have a five-vehicle display capacity. For general repairs, the Isuzu Pasig dealership has three Periodic Maintenance Service bays with lifters to accommodate light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and light duty trucks, while IPTC has 8 bays with lifters (for LCVs), 2 bays for trucks, and a wheel alignment bay for LCVs for general repairs, apart from 11 tinsmith/prep bays and 2 paint booths for body repairs.
GBP reaches 28M safe man-hours
Global Business Power Corp. (GBP) recently achieved a total of 28 million safe man-hours without lost time incident through the consolidated milestones of its subsidiaries Cebu Energy Development Corp., Toledo Power Co., Panay Energy Development Corp.(PEDC) and Panay Power Corp.
GBP’s Cebu Site attained 15 million safe man-hours while its Panay Site accomplished thirteen million safe man-hours.
The independent power producer’s safety management program encourages everyone in upholding safety and health consciousness in their day-to-day tasks without sacrificing the quality of workmanship. GBP’s Cebu and Panay sites are all ISO 45001:2018 certified, the first and only international standard for occupational health and safety management.
PEDC was recognized for its exemplary health and wellness program during the 3rd Asean Red Ribbon for Outstanding Workplace Awards last November 2020. PEDC was among the national nominees selected by the Occupational Safety and Health Center of the Department of Labor and Employment for the prestigious distinction.
Epson ranks No.1 in textile printers
Epson leads the Asean market as the No. 1 brand in the textile dye sublimation printer category since 2015, according to global market intelligence provider, IDC.
This demonstrates how Epson is the ideal partner for customers who require versatile textile dye-sublimation solutions for a variety of applications and production levels.
Epson’s SureColor dye sublimation series allow businesses to save time and money producing high-quality sportswear, apparel, soft signage, and home furnishings such as sofa covers, table runners or curtains. All of the products in the range are entirely designed and manufactured by Epson to ensure its reliability, effortless performance, and low running costs. The SureColor dye-sublimation printer range showcases Epson’s industry-leading PrecisionCore printhead technology and UltraChrome DS Inks to ensure vibrant output and high productivity with minimal downtime.
