Caritas Manila taps Mayani, GrabPay to foster online giving
To help soften the economic downturn’s impact on the poor and the vulnerable in the ongoing pandemic, Caritas Manila — the lead social service ministry of the Catholic Church in the Philippines — is co-launching the Tuloy Aral Project to support the food needs of over 5,000 youth scholars from the poorest communities in the country, while supporting the livelihood of rural smallholder farmers through technology.
Also spearheading the project is GrabPay, the leading e-wallet of super-app Grab, and Mayani, an impact-driven ag-ecommerce platform with over 28,000 smallholder farmers, including the Pililia farmers of the Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc (PSFI).
The Youth Servant Leadership & Education Program (YSLEP), which covers the children of the displaced workers due to the pandemic, aims to put them through college and technical vocation education, while giving them necessary means and basic support like food as they complete their schooling.
Mayani, which now powers the fresh produce value chain of the likes of Shell, Robinsons, and Waltermart, among others, is a long-standing partner of GrabPay. Their existing collaborations include the ongoing Online National Food Fair for Cordillera farmers with the backing of the Department of Trade and Industry.
The fresh produce in each box will then be harvested by farmers in Pililia, Rizal under PSFI’s Integrated Farming Bio-Systems program, consolidated by Mayani, and then delivered to Caritas Manila for eventual distribution.
***
Maynilad installs over 3,100 kms. of new pipes
West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. has installed over 3,100 kilometers of new water pipelines across its concession area since its re-privatization in 2007. Combined, this pipe length translates to the distance between Manila and Tokyo, Japan.
This after Maynilad managed to install 17 kilometers of new pipelines in 2020 despite restrictions imposed by the community quarantine. The water company invested P185 million in 2020 to lay new primary and secondary pipes in portions of Valenzuela, Muntinlupa, and Bacoor in Cavite, allowing more people to receive potable water straight from their taps.
In 2021, Maynilad is spending more than P101 million to lay 13 kilometers of new pipes that will connect around 18,000 residents in Valenzuela and in Rosario and Bacoor, Cavite province to its water network.
***
Globe’s 8,000 workforce benefit from digital learning
Globe has invested more than P63 million for the learning and development of its over 8,000 employees through Globe University. Of the total Learning & Development budget, the company invested approximately P8.3 million in Newton, an online learning platform that provides employees access to a wide range of eCourses which they may take at their own pace and time to support their professional development.
Newton 2.0 is available through LinkedIn Learning which includes 8,000 courses, more than doubling the previous version which earlier offered 3,800. The newly upgraded Newton is now available to all employees starting June 2021.
Globe University, the company’s training arm, focuses on creating and providing collaborative and diverse learning experiences to enhance the capabilities of all Ka-Globe.
Globe’s learning and development has also facilitated the completion of courses in the areas of Business Operations, Customer Service, Data and Digital Transformation, Leadership, Management, Sales & Marketing and Productivity Tools by 5,906 employees or 75% of Globe’s employee base.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Globe’s training approach shifted to 100% digital learning. Digital Learning allowed Globe to train 97% of its employees in 2020 versus 71% in 2019 when the mode of training delivery was largely face-to-face and in-person classroom training. 2020 also saw a great leap in digital learning takeup at 89% versus 19% in 2019.
***
Google provides additional COVID-19 aid to PH
Following the recent USD7.5 million grant for Asian countries including the Philippines, Google and its employees will provide additional aid for the country as part of its ongoing commitment to pandemic response.
Google employees have set up an internal giving campaign where Googlers from the Philippines and other offices can donate and these donations will be matched by the company. Once final, the funds will go to iVolunteer, an NGO that distributes donations to other nonprofits and matches volunteering opportunities between individuals and organizations.
Unless specified by the donor, iVolunteer will split the donations equally across the following organizations: Citizens Disaster Response Center, Silid Aralan, Solar Hope, and Kids Who Farm to address challenges in disaster preparedness, education, and food security which have been aggravated by the pandemic.
Google has previously enabled similar employee-led donations campaigns for the Philippines, among which was a matching initiative launched in November 2020 for households from vulnerable barangays and municipalities affected by severe flooding caused by Typhoons Rolly and Ulysses. The campaign was able to raise a total of $100,000 used for cash transfer programming, livelihood interventions prioritizing farming and fishery activities, enhanced health and hygiene support and awareness for COVID-19 protection.
***
Orient Euro Pharma helps PH’s fight against COVID-19
Orient EuroPharma Philippines (OEPP)through its Project #Hope or Helping Our Patients Everyday recently donated the much-needed Erdosteine to key government COVID-19 medical facilities.
Erdosteine is a mucolytic indicated for the treatment of acute and chronic bronchitis. It has been the subject of numerous clinical trials, showing to be effective as an add-on treatment to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients for as long as 12 months.
As part of their corporate responsibility program, OEPP’s #HOPE aims to support around 600 post-covid patients from hospitals, such as the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, the Philippine General Hospital Section of Pulmonology, and Quirino Memorial Medical Center.
“As we create more plans to help the people amid the global health crisis, we hope that this small donation initiative we did can have a huge impact on the patients’ lives. This initiative is also our way of giving back to the community and supporting the Filipino patients afflicted with this deadly disease,” said Sharon Ibay, product manager.
***
Makati, Muntinlupa to deliver digital ayuda via GCash
The City Government of Makati will use GCash to distribute digital ayuda to its citizens in thecoming days for the two-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila. Mayor Abby Binay said in news reports that they are taking these steps to ensure the effectiveness of ECQ and encourage Makati residents to stay home.
The Muntinlupa City government likewise announced on its Facebook page, that the ayuda for affected Muntinlupa residents under ECQ will be distributed through GCash. Other cities in the National Capital Region that will use GCash in their distribution are Caloocan, Mandaluyong, Pasay and Navotas.
At the height of the pandemic in 2020, GCash also partnered with the Department of Social Welfare Development to implement a safer and cashless Social Amelioration Program. GCash was able to distribute more than P16 billion to at least two million Filipinos, saving the government about 952 days and around P52 million.
GCash was also recognized by the BangkoSentral ng Pilipinas(BSP)as an“Outstanding Partner”at this year’s Stakeholders Appreciation Ceremony.
To help mobilize the economy, GCash partnered with businesses and rolled out GCash QR on Demand. GCash also has ongoing programs to support the country’s micro, small and medium enterprises, the backbone of the Philippine economy.
***
EastWest continues nationwide vaccination program
After the successful opening of the initial leg of the FilVax nationwide vaccination program at the Festival Mall, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, EastWest continues its drive to get all of its employees and third-party hires protected from COVID-19 with the Central Luzon leg of the program in Clark, Pampanga.
The second leg was held over the weekend at the CRK Vaccination Center in Clark International Airport, and was done in partnership with the Luzon International Premier Airport Development Corporation.
EastWest employees from Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, and Zambales as well as third-party hires like janitorial services, drivers, messengers, security guards, and other partners all received AstraZeneca vaccine.
This was part of the 100,000 doses purchased by Filinvest Development Corporationfor the whole conglomerate, which includes EastWest, EastWest Rural Bank, Troo, and other affiliates and subsidiaries.
The Central Luzon leg will run alongside the ongoing NCR leg of the FilVax vaccination program.
***
Mastercard accelerates digitization of small businesses
Mastercard is empowering small businesses to thrive in the digital marketplace with Simplify Commerce, a simple and secure platform that makes it easier for businesses to accept electronic payments, regardless of payment network.
In the Philippines, Simplify Commerce is made available to small and medium-sized merchants through The Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., the first acquirer of the platform in the country and in Southeast Asia.
Simplify Commerce allows business owners, with minimal technical skills, to set up the platform within minutes, easily create their own web store and sell products on e-commerce and social media channels. Merchants will be able to accept electronic payments online, in-app, and in person using the Simplify virtual terminal.
Simplify also has a mobile app for iOS and Android that allows merchants to manage payment activities and add products to the storefront in real time and on the go.
