Cavite LGU, consortium sign JV
A joint venture agreement has been formally signed by the Cavite provincial government and the SPIA Development Consortium to develop the Sangley Point International Airport.
The project is envisioned as a two-runway airport with a capacity for 75 million passengers per annum, expandable to four runways to handle up to 130 million passengers per annum.
The $11- billion project is also expected to create 50,000 jobs and be a catalyst project to bring in foreign direct investment that will promote trade and economic development in the country.
SM companies among the most awarded in Corporate Governance
SM companies were one of the most awarded in the recently held Golden Arrow Awards by the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) who recognized nine companies of the SM Group for excellence in performance in Corporate Governance.
Based on the recent Asean Corporate Governance Scorecard (ACGS) assessment results, China Banking Corp. received the 5-arrow recognition, the highest award during the ceremony while SM Investments Corp., SM Prime Holdings Inc., BDO Unibank Inc. and Belle Corp.garnered the 4-arrow recognition.
Gaining the 3-arrow recognition are 2GO Group, Inc., and APC Group, Inc. Other awardees are Premium Leisure Corp. and Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp.
“We are grateful for this recognition that reflects our strong corporate governance culture across our ecosystem of businesses,” said SM Investments president and chief executive officer Frederic C. DyBuncio.
The Golden Arrow is awarded to a Philippine publicly listed company that achieved a score of at least 80 points in their respective ACGS assessment.
Newest beneficiary
Thousands of Philippine Coast Guard officers and staff from the northernmost to the southernmost islands of the Philippines will now have access to #SaludoSaSerbisyo.
The PCG and Ayala recently signed a memorandum of understanding, defining both parties’ commitment to address the various needs of PCG personnel through Saludo sa Serbisyo, Ayala’s comprehensive and sustainable needs-based program for the country’s uniformed servicemen.
Through Saludo Sa Serbisyo, Ayala group offers convenient and expanded access to various products and services, such as home and car ownership assistance, financial education program, employment and livelihood program, and health & wellness program, to name a few.
Other beneficiaries of Saludo sa Serbisyo include the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, and the Bureau of Fire Protection.
Free telco services
Globe is extending free call, text and data services to customers in Turkey after a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the southern part of the country and northern Syria.
This will allow Globe customers to use its roaming services to connect with and update their loved ones on their status in the wake of the deadly quake.
Globe is extending 15 minutes of incoming and outgoing calls, 15 texts to all networks, and 1GB data (whichever service is currently available) good for 7 days at no extra cost. To avail of these free roaming services, customers only need to connect to Globe’s roaming partners Turk Telekom and Turkcell.
Registration is not needed as the goodwill offer will be automatically provided to Globe customers detected in Turkey. A confirmation message will be sent advising them that the free roaming offer is ready for use.
Safety as priority
The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) was awarded anew by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) with a Certificate of Compliance to Republic Act No. 7920 or the “New Electrical Engineering Law,” the only Philippine distribution utility to achieve the milestone.
With the recognition, Meralco’s 7.6 million customers can be assured that the power distributor’s facilities and buildings are fully maintained by an adequate number of highly qualified professional and registered electrical engineers, and registered master electricians for safe operations.
The Electrical Engineering Law aims to comprehensively regulate the practice, licensing, and registration of licensed electrical practitioners in the country.
Meralco in 2019 became the first distribution utility in the country to conform with the law and remains as the sole fully compliant energy distributor. Meralco has committed to support the PRC’s compliance advocacy and help promote and influence compliance of its other stakeholders, namely their subsidiaries, service contractors, suppliers and customers, in collaboration with the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines, Inc. (IIEE).
Meralco’s full compliance also earned the energy distributor a Plaque of Appreciation from Lyndon Bague, the national president of the IIEE–the only accredited professional organization of electrical practitioners by the PRC.
Buying bonds got easier
Retail treasury bonds are now easily purchased through the ATRAM Prime app, the latest offering from the Philippines’ standalone asset management company.
The ATRAM Prime app cuts through the difficulties of conventional investing and opens up access to retail treasury bonds through a mobile phone. One can skip the multiple lengthy forms, avoid lining up, and enjoy lower minimum amounts to invest.
Choosing to invest in bonds through the ATRAM Prime app means one can enjoy steady and guaranteed returns.
The purely-digital and mobile investing process enables one to pay for investments, receive returns, manage his portfolio, and track the performance of individual investments in one app.
JobStreet goes to Bacolod
Online job portal JobStreet will hold its caravan in Bacolod City to provide support and opportunities for local hirers and jobseekers.
The first-ever JobStreet Caravan, a week-long event from February 13 to 18, will be done in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment , Bacolod local government unit and Bacolod Public Employment Service Office.
Applicants can join the Bacolod Career Fair, happening at SM Bacolod on February 18. With hundreds of jobs up for grabs, the activity will be joined by a total of 30 employers such as BDO, Concentrix, Negros Longlife, Teleperformance, Bounty Fresh, and more.
Top roles available in the career fair are customer service representative, administrative assistant, accounting staff and sales representative, among others.
JobStreet will also tour various Bacolod schools and universities such as the University of St. La Salle Bacolod and La Consolacion College of Bacolod.
Atome grows merchant sales by 30X
Buy now, pay later brand Atome, said total gross merchandise value has grown by 30 times since its launch in the Philippines in late 2021.
Since its launch, Atome Philippines has grown its retail network by 8 times, to include over 1,500 online and offline retailers across fashion, beauty, travel, electronics and sports.
Atome’s total offline footprint covers almost 7,000 physical stores in the Philippines. The company soft-launched the Atome Card in the Philippines which gives consumers a pre-approved line of Atome credit of up to P200,000.
Atome also has an in-app loyalty rewards program, Atome+ which allows consumers to earn points when they check out using Atome, to offset future purchases, as well as redeem rewards and experiences.
Atome is also planning to move beyond pay-in-3 deferred payments, and will soon launch multi-tenures plans of 6 and 12 months respectively, in response to strong demand and interest from both retailers and consumers.
Options to address retirement woes
Sun Life Grepa Financial Inc. offers options and solutions to address Filipinos’ retirement woes.
Sun Grepa Power Builder 5 or Sun Grepa Power Builder 10 is a life insurance plan that provides protection up to age 88 and coverage that is at least double the policy’s face amount.
As an investment-linked insurance, it also comes with suitable investment options to potentially grow the fund over the long-term. It allows partial withdrawals to help pay for expenses during retirement. It also has manageable premium payments with the option to pay for 5 and 10 years for Sun Grepa Power Builder 5 and Sun Grepa Power Builder 10, respectively.
Another product is Sun Grepa ProSecure Plus, where one can get life insurance coverage that is double the face amount from Day 1 up until the age of 100. It provides regular guaranteed cash benefits amounting to 8 percent of the policy’s face amount starting from the 6th policy anniversary, and every other year afterwards.
