Meralco tops pandemic response communications in 18th Quill Awards
Meralco, the Philippines’ largest electricity distribution utility, was once again among the most decorated companies in the recent Philippine Quill Awards.
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines awarded Meralco the Top Communication Award for COVID Communications for the entry “Meralco Digital Press Conferences: Keeping Close with Media and Public Despite Social Distancing,” along with 31 Excellence and Merit Awards for various programs. Meralco was also honored as the Company of the Year 2nd Runner Up at the virtual 18th Philippine Quill Awards.
The Quill Award is bestowed on companies, organizations and institutions for the use of
excellent communication programs, research, learning and development and skills to achieve business goals and make a difference in society.
“The COVID-19 pandemic, challenging as it is, has pushed us to transcend the boundaries of traditional communications. It made us utilize a more innovative approach as we adjusted to the limitations brought by the times,” said Meralco VP and Head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga.
Meralco Advisory, the company’s monthly information campaign, was also recognized as a Finalist for Top Award in the Communications Management Category.
Organized by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines, the Philippine Quill Awards is considered the country’s most prestigious awards program in the field of business communication — emphasizing the excellent use of communication in achieving goals and in making a difference in society.
BPI Direct BanKo to launch Project CASTER for MSMEs
BPI Foundation and BanKo have partnered with RestartME for a study on how MSMEs are coping with the pandemic and their needs to further help them. The study is called Project CASTER which stands for Collective Action Secretariat to Enhance Resilience among microfinance institutions (MFIs) and MSMEs.
In his pre-launch presentation of the scoping study report for CASTER, Rodolfo Mabiasen Jr., head of Microfinance Loans at BPI Direct Banko said that to help address MSMEs challenges during the pandemic, in collaboration with local NGO RestartME and BPI Foundation, Project CASTER or the CASTER Scoping Study, will help the company achieve its vision of helping MSMEs recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CASTER Scoping Study will provide assistance to BanKo’s clients in the wholesale, retail trade, and food service sector.
Mabiasen said BanKo clients will be able to benefit from digital adoption as this could help expand their market penetration and learn about digital payment to facilitate fund transfer without having to travel.
Media Wise wins for the business community
Media Wise opens 2021 with yet another triumph, this time at the 18th Philippine Quill Awards last March 25 for FINEX 50: Leading on to Wider Frontiers, a coffee-table book for the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, the country’s premier organization for top-tier finance executives. The book won a Philippine Quill Excellence Award in the communication skills division (publications category).
On the way to last year’s platinum Anvil, Media Wise won the 2020 Anvil Gold Award, the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gold Quill Award of Merit, and the Philippine Quill Awards, all for the coffee-table book The Manila Jockey Club: The Front Runner. The rare feat was a repeat of the harvest of awards that Media Wise reaped in 2019 for another coffee-table book, On the March: The Jesuits in the Philippines Since the Restoration.
The Front Runner celebrates 150 years of local horse-racing history, nostalgia, and excitement as told through the story of the Manila Jockey Club. On the March recounts the Jesuits’ long apostolate in the country, including their daunting forays into the remotest corners of the archipelago to bring the Catholic faith to the masses.
SM Hypermarket wins Quill for Street Food Festival
SM Hypermarket received the prestigious Philippine Quill Award from the International Association of Business Communicators for its Street Food Festival 2019 during the recent 18th Philippine Quill Awards. The SM Hypermarket Street Food Festival is a grand showcase that combines the Philippines’ biggest food brands and the most popular Filipino street food in one delicious event roadshow. The event is rolled out in select high traffic SM Supermalls every year since 2016 serving event goers with good food, exclusive promos, and live entertainment.
Photo shows, from left, Bulacan Lugaw Kitchen owner Joey Leonardo, Nestle Philippines customer manager Rafael Lagdameo, San Miguel Purefoods sales manager Niquee Guadalupe, Unilever Philippines customer business manager Sherwin Ang, Creator of the giant SM Turon chef Boy Logro, SM Hypermarket SVP for merchandising Josie Tamayo, San Miguel Purefoods brand ambassador Alvin Patrimonio, SM Hypermarket president Arnold Daluz, SM Supermarket president Joey Mendoza, Gloria’s Goto owner Rosemarie Marin, and SM Markets mascot Cassie at the ceremonial slicing of the 8-foot SM Turon to kick-off the 2019 SM Hypermarket Streetfood Festival in SM Mall of Asia
SMC food aid during ECQ to benefit 184,000 families
San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) food donation program will put food on the tables of 184,000 poor families in and around Metro Manila who are facing difficulties amid heightened quarantine restrictions.
According to SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang, the donations, made together with different local government units, consist of over 19,500 packs of ready-to-eat meals and about 86,400 pieces of canned goods, all produced by its food business San Miguel Foods.
Initial donations were sent to Metro Manila’s cities and municipalities–Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan, Las Pinas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Paranaque, Pasay, San Juan, Taguig, Valenzuela and Pateros, as well as cities in the neighboring provinces of Cavite and Laguna. The rest will be distributed next week.
Apart from the ready-to-eat meals and canned goods, SMC has donated over 148,000 packs of nutribun bread, with six buns per pack, to Pasig City, to be distributed to soup kitchens, medical front liners, and various communities.
Supporting a skills-based economy
LinkedIn and Microsoft are offering free LinkedIn Learning and Microsoft Learn courses and low-cost certifications that align with 10 of the most in-demand jobs this year through Dec. 31, 2021.
They will also provide new resources from LinkedIn, GitHub, and Microsoft to help students, jobseekers, members and employers move to a skills-based future.
For young learners, there is Career Coach, a Microsoft Teams app powered by LinkedIn, which provides personalized guidance for higher education students to navigate their career journey.
For job seekers, there is Microsoft Career Connector which intends to place 50,000 job seekers in tech-enabled jobs over the next three years.
LinkedIn will be releasing new expressive, inclusive, and personalized profile features such as Video Cover Story enables job seekers to demonstrate their soft skills to recruiters and hiring managers. Freelancers meanwhile can create a dedicated Service Page right from their profile while those who love sharing unique insights can on the New Creator Mode in their Profile dashboard where they can build their following by adding the “Follow” button to their profile.
Calcium Cee ambassador Jessy Mendiola shares secret
to stronger immunity
Jessy Mendiola, the newest ambassador of Calcium Cee, shares her secrets to being fit and healthy in this time of pandemic. “Firstly, I try to combat the worries and the fears with a more positive mindset…And I try to keep myself fit and strong with the right exercise, proper nutrition, and, of course, my daily dose of Calcium Cee.”
Aside from working out, her secret, Jessy says, to staying fit while in lockdown is complementing her healthy eating with supplements. “Calcium Cee is my choice of vitamin C because it offers double C protection. It has both vitamin C and calcium, which helps fortify my immune system and protects my body from diseases. It helps keep me healthy, energetic, and protected throughout the day!”
Calcium Cee, ascorbic acid is vitamin C in calcium ascorbate form. It is non acidic and non sodium , can be taken in an empty stomach.
PHIDEX 2021 makes a splash in int’l dive market
The first-ever all-digital Philippine International Dive Expo (PHIDEX) organized by the Department of Tourism (DOT) was heldfrom March 19 to 21 via virtual conferencing.
Over 2,000 diving enthusiasts from around the world attended this year’s iteration of the Philippines’ largest platform for the diving community, which was established in 2019. This year’s event, themed “Our Sea, Our Story,” brought everyone together to raise awareness and discuss solutions for the local diving industry’s recovery.
Various international leaders and experts in their respective fields spoke in 17 different panel discussions and talk sessions at the three-day expo, with around a hundred attendees watching each session. These include California Academy of Sciences Curator Dr. Terry Gosliner, French-British underwater photographer Henley Spiers, Emmy Award-winning husband-and-wife documentary team Howard and Michele Hall, Professional Association of Diving Instructors Ambassador and Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving Commissioner Bo Mancao, University of the Philippines marine economist and community scientist Tara Abrina, and German underwater photographer Tobias Friedrich, to name a few.
