Smart partners with Acer for DepEd-compliant e-learning tools
Incoming students may now avail of a convenient and affordable gadget bundle to help them participate in their online classes this school year, through a new partnership between Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and Acer Philippines (Acer).
Under this partnership, parents can avail of the Smart School Bundle, which consists of an Acer Aspire 5 laptop, and a Smart Bro LTE Pocket WiFi.
The 14-inch Aspire 5 laptop comes with an Intel® Coreâ„¢ i3 -813OU 2.2 GHz Base Speed with Turbo Boost up to 3.4 GHz, am 8GB DDR4 memory, 128 SSD + 1TB HDD. The bundle also already includes a Windows 10 Home OS, and other features that can help students cope with their school requirements.
Meanwhile, the Smart Bro LTE Pocket WiFi can help students connect to Smart’s fastest Long Term Evolution (LTE) network across the country whenever they attend video conferences, or submit their homework online.
These gadgets are compliant with the Department of Education’s minimum specifications for devices for distance learning, as the country continues to face the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aside from students, this gadget bundle can also provide reliable tools and LTE connectivity to teachers, employees, and other professionals who are also working from home.
Smart LTE continues to provide the best mobile data experience, particularly for video, to customers across the country.
KTM PH to go live on Lazada
KTM fans and enthusiasts can now conveniently reserve a KTM motorcycLe anytime, anywhere via Lazada starting August 1.
As a celebration of this partnership, KTM sponsored a KTM 200 Duke motorcycle that was raffled off last 11.11 via Price Slash (which generated at least 100,000 slashes), promoting the brand inside and outside of Lazada.
Filipino Lazada shoppers have also begun to understand the concept of Reservation Vouchers and placed pre-orders online of the upcoming and much-anticipated models such as the 390 Adventure.
To date, KTM has successfully fulfilled motorcycle sales with the help of the platform. This convenient setup is also a timely business and customer solution to the pandemic.
Making meaningful change thru innovation
Ayala Corp. Chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala enjoined the youth to become nation builders at the Ramon V. del Rosario (RVR) Siklab Youth Nation- Builders Webinar, which was livestreamed on Facebook on July 25.
“We certainly live in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world that is made even more difficult by COVID-19. Despite this, I believe that there is always hope, and that you are all in a unique position to generate meaningful change. People-centric innovation and a strong commonality of purpose are the best tools to making this change happen,” Zobel said.
Zobel, who received the 2014 RVR Award for Nation Building, shared studies by McKinsey and Innosight that indicate how innovations developed during crises allow companies to thrive long after the disruptions have passed. However, he added, these innovations must fulfill a purpose.
Zobel shared some of the meaningful initiatives that the Ayala group has put in place during this time of COVID-19. Ayala’s healthcare unit, AC Health, has been providing insightful innovations by converting clinics into chemotheraphy infusion center (Healthway Medical Clinic), referral facility (Qualimed Sta. Rosa), and the upcoming HealthNow app.
Zobel further observed the tighter collaboration between the private sector and government, noting the renewed spirit of partnership in helping the country fight the global crisis, citing the Tsk Force T3 (Test, Trace, Treat) to expand national testing csapacity.
Ayala was the lead collaborator in Project Ugnayan, a consortium of 270 private companies that raised P1.7 billion in funds to bring food aid to the most economically vulnerable communities in Greater Metro Manila.
To the next generation of workers, Zobel said “I sincerely hope that you, our young leaders, will ignite the spark that will lead our country on an irreversible path towards equitable progress, ” Zobel said.
Logistics app expands to Quezon
Personal assistant provider app MyKuya said it has ventured into Quezon province’s Lucena City. This complements the company’s presence in the greater Manila area – Cainta and San Mateo, Rizal at the start of the pandemic.
Founded in 2017 by Machine Ventures and the team behind SMS-based personal concierge HeyKuya, MyKuya said it aims to “provide value to every Filipino–helping customers save time in completing their errands, enable manpower businesses to grow and digitize their operations, and provide unemployed and under-employed Filipinos full-time and part-time job opportunities.”
In venturing into Lucena City, the company noted that the city is gradually becoming “a breeding ground for higher level modernization,” which provides an “opportune time to make its services available.”
Some of the MyKuya services available to residents and businesses in the city are: Pickup and Drop, Assistant on Bike, Grocery Delivery, Bills Payment, Queueing Up, Pabili, MotoToday, and BizHelper. MyKuya is working on expanding this range of services to bring more value to civilians and business owners in the area and provide job opportunities to those who need it.
Dennis Bunye, MyKuya country head, said the company will also expand to other urban cities in Luzon.
“This new initiative is part of MyKuya’s franchise program, which aims to support organizations that need a tech platform to expand and grow their business and maximize the efficiency of their staff. Some groups that MyKuya intends to help through its franchise system are manpower agencies, small business owners, home service providers, non-profit organizations, and local government agencies,” Bunye said.
MVP leads School-in-a-Bag turnover
PLDT chairman and chief executive officer Manuel V Pangilinan, or MVP, recently marked his birthday through various activities that aim to help schools prepare to reopen classes.
MVP led the turnover of the School-in-a-bag (SIAB) donation to North Bay Boulevard North Elementary School in Navotas, Metro Manila. The SIAB donation forms part of the $50K grant from Huawei Technologies Philippines, Inc. to the PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF).
North Bay Boulevard North Elementary School, located in one of the poorest informal settler communities in Metro Manila, was personally chosen by MVP to be the first SIAB recipient from the Huawei grant.
Along with the SIAB donation, MVP through the PSF also turned over 66 tablets that will be given to Grade 6 students in Navotas Market Three.
SIAB, which contains 20 tablets, one laptop, and a Smart Pocket Wifi, is one of PLDT and Smart’s pioneering efforts to improve the digital tools and solutions for the education system in the country.
Meanwhile, MVP also donated food supplies to the Armed Forces of the Philippines for its soldiers and their families. The distribution of 1,000 packs of rice and vegetables was done through the PSF.
Through Tulong Kapatid, the CSR consortium of the MVP Group of Companies, 900 lunch meals were provided to locally stranded individuals (LSIs) staying at the Philippine Army Gym in Taguig. Members of the Tulong Kapatid who were part of the feeding initiative include the PSF, One Meralco Foundation, Metro Pacific Investments Foundation, Makati Medical Center Foundation, Alagang Kapatid Foundation Inc., Maynilad and Meralco MGen.
Toyota supports mobility of Santa Rosa community
Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP) recently donated three Vios units to the city government of Santa Rosa, Laguna. This donation forms part of the 30 total units it committed to various Department of Health hospitals and local government units.
The vehicles, which are assembled in TMP’s Santa Rosa manufacturing/assembly plant, will serve as service shuttles for Santa Rosa Community Hospital (SRCH) and two health offices of the city government.
On top of the donation of the Vios units, Toyota has been providing support to the City’s pandemic response through mobility and socio-civic activities.
At the start of community quarantine in May, TMP lent Toyota vehicles to assist in the transportation needs of the city’s healthcare workers. The company’s official humanitarian arm, Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation (TMPF), also donated various personal protective equipment (PPE) primarily needed by the frontliners of SRCH. TMPF also distributed sacks of rice to two barangays, as well as grocery packages to families in the Toyota—City of Santa Rosa—Gawad Kalinga Village.
Globe promotes digital learning with Cebu Technological University
Globe myBusiness has partnered with Cebu Technological University (CTU) by providing custom internet plans for remote learning.
The partnership enabled CTU to secure multiple direct internet for 15 sites and more than 26,000 Globe at Home Prepaid WiFi units for students and staff. The kits are inclusive of a WiFi modem and a LAN port, free data allocation, as well as access to applications that are valuable in the learning process.
Globe myBusiness is helping institutions integrate technology through mySchoolSURF, a lineup of internet promos designed to help students and instructors.
All plans come with 4GB daily data allocations for pre-defined apps useful for learning. These include video conferencing tools like Zoom, and research and productivity platforms such as Office 365, Canva, Blackboard, and Course Hero. Plans also come with access to instant messaging apps like Viber, Whatsapp, and Facebook Messenger. Institutions can allot data for other platforms for exams, special projects, or other learning needs.
Security Bank officers join The Asset list
The Asset Benchmark Research (ABR) recently announced the region’s best local currency bond individuals in research, sales, and trading for 2020. Security Bank officers were among the top ranks in the country, securing spots in all three categories.
Security Bank chief economist Robert Dan Roces ranked fourth for Research, unit head of Institutional Desk Angeline Sia-Uy and department head of Wholesale Treasury Carlyn Therese Dulay earned second and third place respectively for Sales, while inventory management officer Rainier Rubio was highly commended for Trading.
The Asian Local Currency Bond Benchmark review is conducted annually, surveying more than 300 institutional fixed investors who are active in 10 Asian currency bond markets including China (onshore and offshore), Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.
Security Bank has been commended by The Asset for several years. The Asset is a financial magazine in Asia that provides C-level insight and analysis.
Schools with Edusuite fully operate amid pandemic
A startup grantee of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), educational technology firm Edusuite offers a school management system that moves operations to the cloud so schools can manage student information and grading, scheduling, online enrollment, statement of accounts, faculty load, and clearances, among many others.
The company’s software analyzes data that schools from K-12 to colleges can use in their planning and operations. Utilizing smart algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI), the first in the country, the software helps administrators, faculty, and students optimize their school’s available resources.
This year, the company achieved its target to help over 25,000 students across 10 schools or more.
Edusuite recently signed up the Sacred Heart Academy in Pasig City, University of San Agustin in Iloilo City, and Joji Ilagan Bian Career Foundation Center in Davao City and General Santos City.
These schools join Edusuite’s partners Ateneo High School, CIIT College of Arts and Technology, Benedictine International School, International British Academy, King’s College of the Philippines, Sumulong College of Arts and Sciences, and Batangas Eastern Colleges.
Edusuite clients only pay based on the number of students enrolled for the year or semester, a major concern for schools that project much fewer enrollees this year for economic reasons, including students being unable to study remotely.
Sunshine Place art classes go online
The popular Sunshine Place popular art classes are now open online for seniors, as well as adults, teens and kids. Art Association of the Philippines President and acrylic instructor Fidel Sarmiento will mentor you all throughout the sessions with hands-on techniques, application of different brushes & basic strokes, and color rendering. You’ll get to explore different styles in creating still life, landscape and seascape subjects.
Sunshine Place also offer classes in porcelain plate painting and music including piano, voice and music therapy.
There are also special dance classes like chair dancing by Danny Vinculado, and pound fitness, under the instruction of Pound Pro Neru Salas, for both able and PWD bound clients.
Zumba Gold classes under Zin Emily Osorio, and Dekada, under former member Maneuvres and Hotlegs, Mark Soler ‘Heat Cruz, highlight popular dance craze and steps of yesterday and today.
Instructor Jose Antonio Anonas leads the way in the Sunshine Place’s Tai Chi Yang Style (24 movements) for beginners to find serenity and inner peace.
Sunshine Place has online classes with Life Care Fitness Management Inc. personal trainers Danica Bautista, Richard Olivas, Danica Duka and Philip Gutang; as well as online Physical Therapy consultations and workshops with Josh Manoharan.
The Sunshine Place is a senior recreation center under the Felicidad Tan Sy Foundation that helps adults to live actively and be entertained, to socialize and to reflect, a place of happiness and wellness for one’s mind, body and soul.
