Firefighter appreciation day
In time for the National Fire Prevention Month, Ayala Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bureau of Fire Protection to strengthen partnership and bolster support to the country’s firefighters through the Saludo sa Serbisyo program.
The MOU signing on Thursday was led by DILG Secretary Eduardo Año and Ayala Corp.
president and CEO Fernando Zobel de Ayala.
“Aside from the Saludo sa Serbisyo program, the corporation has been providing educational assistance to children of soldiers killed in action or totally incapacitated while in the line of duty,” Año said.
Ayala Corporation and Ayala Land each give a donation of P2.5 million yearly. The educational stipend from the foundation helps orphaned students pay for school-related expenses. With the help of the private sector, Hero Foundation has supported and served a total of 2,702 orphan scholars since 1988.
Meanwhile, through the Saludo sa Serbisyo program, the country’s uniformed personnel receive expanded access to the group’s products and services,
Saludo sa Serbisyo provides offers on housing and vehicles, and it hosts a venue for financial education and livelihood training as well as health and wellness caravans. It also hopes to provide employment opportunities in various business units across the Ayala Group to BFP retirees and their qualified dependents.
Globe, UnionBank fight online banking fraud
Globe and UnionBank recently inked an agreement to provide mutual support on investigations involving online banking fraud.
The alliance, the first of its kind in the country, covers information sharing among others.
Under the agreement signed on March 24, Globe will provide UnionBank information about mobile numbers potentially used by fraudsters to help in online banking fraud investigations. This will help Globe detect illicit activity within its network. UnionBank for its part, will likewise trigger and share relevant information necessary to pursue investigations in accordance with the Data Privacy Act and the aforementioned Data Sharing Agreement.
“Currently, when it comes to gathering information in relation to fraud investigations, banks and telcos have to go through a tedious process of court orders first. This partnership will make that process a lot faster, and is a step forward in working with the BSP to ensure a safe and secure digital economy for all,” said Joey Rufo, UnionBank chief information security officer (CISO).
Globe CISO Anton Bonifacio said at present, banks report phishing campaigns to Globe, which Globe investigates and blocks accordingly. Globe has also implemented free whitelisting of official aggregators of the banks to prevent spoofing of their official SMS sender names. This sets an example on how private sector initiatives for cooperation could reinforce efforts against cybercrime.
The partnership will help facilitate faster data gathering in fraud investigations linked to the use of mobile numbers, as the agreement does away with the need for court orders for such information exchange.
Send money for free, buy cheap loads
Shopee has opened on March 27 the 4.4 ShopeePay Sale wherein its mobile wallet grants access to numerous perks such as sending money for free, buying the cheapest load up to 5GB data for P10, and claiming Free Shipping vouchers on your purchases.
As an additional treat, those sending money for the first time through ShopeePay from March 27 to April 4 can get P100 and qualify them to the “Send, Scratch & Win” raffle promo.
Up to 100 percent cashback on bills can be availed of through participating billers such as Meralco, Maynilad, Globe, Smart, PLDT, Cignal, RCBC, and Metrobank starting March 27.
Paying via ShopeePay grants 30percent cashback on all your hotel bookings on select accommodation facilities
Shopee also set the Global Deals Fair on March 28, Fashion Fair on March 29, Payday Sale on March 30, Summer Beauty Fair on March 31, Kid’s Wear & Toys Fair on April 1, Pet Care Fair on April 2, and Sports & Motors Fair on April 3.
Fly Easy
With the rise in passenger traffic, Cebu Pacific (CEB) and Cebgo are reminding passengers to go early to the airport so they can fly easy with CEB.
CEB has the following travel reminders: Passengers must be at the airport at least three hours before departure for domestic flights, and four (4) hours for international flights; Check in via the official CEB mobile app or via the Manage Booking section of the CEB website; self-tag luggage for select domestic destinations prior to proceeding to counters for bag drops; and to bring only one carry-on bag for a more convenient flight experience.
CEB also advises travelers to check for updates with the authority of their destination.
Manobo tribe Princess Sibug-Las named NCIP Central Mindanao head
President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed familiar names as the ethnographic commissioner of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples or NCIP. Manobo tribe Princess Jennifer Limpayen Sibug-Las was once again appointed as the NCIP’s commissioner for Central Mindanao since taking over the same position in 2019. Sibug-Las lead the oplan bayanihan first stranded IPs during the surge of covid-19 pandemic in the country. Secretary Allen Capuyan NCIP chairperson will also lead the IPs and indigenous cultural communities in Southern and Eastern Mindanao and Eastern Mindanao Atty. Pinky Grace Pareja Pabelic for Northern and Western Mindanao, Mr. Jeorge Medez Largado for the islands of Calabarzon and Visayas and Ms. Simplicia Pulupul Hagada in Cagayan Valley. The appointment ceremony was held at the DSWD office and confirmed by Secretary Rolando Bautista.
On a separate occasion just recently, Commissioner Jennifer Limpayen Sibug-Las, hosted a dinner party “Media Appreciation Night” to personally recognize all those who gave their tireless effort and constant support for the advocacies of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples. The said dinner party was well attended by executives from the media industry, family members, and friends. It was a memorable night full of fun and laughter.
AcadArena scholarships
AcadArena, the home of campus esports and gaming, relaunched their gaming scholarships under the AcadArena Scholarships & Aid (ASA). All categories are open to all student gamers from G11 to college.
ASA will retain categories for leaders, athletes, women, families and now, senior high schoolers. Anew ASA category was launched in support of freshies.
The relaunch is joined by brands like Rumble Royale, Twitch Student and MetaGoons who have their own listings for student creators whether in Facebook or in Twitch and student gamers in the metaverse, respectively.
The Goons Full Ride Scholarship is the first scholarship of its kind in the Philippines wherein accepted student gamers will get a full scholarship for an entire year in USDC. USDC is a type of cryptocurrency called stablecoin. 1 USDC is always 1 USD.
PropertyGuru awards
The 10th PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards is now open to entries from eligible developers and projects as well as nominations from the public.
The annual black-tie gala dinner and awards ceremony is set on October 7 at the Fairmont Makati main ballroom. The exclusive event will also be livestreamed on digital platforms, including AsiaPropertyAwards.com, extending the programme’s reach to consumers and agents throughout Asia Pacific.
Entries will be accepted until August 5. Nominations and entries are being accepted at asiapropertyawards.com/en/nominations/
This year’s Awards are introducing new categories: Best Luxury Developer, in addition to many never-before-presented Development categories: Best Completed Condo Development, Best Completed Housing Development, Best Connectivity Condo Development, Best Connectivity Housing Development, Best Waterfront Condo Development, Best Waterfront Housing Development, Best Branded Residential Development, Best Integrated WFH (Work From Home) Development, Best Pet-Friendly Residential Development, Best Health and Wellness Development, Best Eco-Friendly Condo Development, Best Eco-Friendly Housing Development, Best Eco-Friendly Commercial Development, and Best Smart Building Development.
NAPOLCOM lauded for resolving 100% of client concerns
For its timely resolution of clients’ concerns in CY 2021, the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) received a commendation from the Office of the President – 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Center (8888 CCC).
In a letter signed by Director Bernadette B. Casinabe, head of the 8888 CCC, the NAPOLCOM was lauded for acting in a timely manner all the 153 tickets of clients’ concerns received from January 1 to December 31, 2021.
Majority of the tickets are related to pension/claims of police retirees and their beneficiaries with a total of 93 tickets or 60.78%; 35 concerns or 22.88% are integrity-related concerns; 14 or 9.15% concerns are related to police cases; 8 or 5.23% are commendations on efficient delivery of services; and 3 or 1.96% are employee-related concerns.
Established in 2016, the 8888 CCC serves as a mechanism for citizens to report their complaints and grievances on acts of red tape as defined under Republic Act No. 9485, as amended by RA No. 11032, and/or corruption activities of any national government agency and other government corporation, financial institution, or instrumentalities.
Pursuant to the minimum operating standards of the 8888 CCC, the citizen’s concern shall immediately be referred to the concerned government agency for appropriate action, which shall have a concrete and specific action within 72 hours from receipt of the concern. Failure of the government agency to respond in a timely manner will be considered grounds for administrative sanctions.
