CEB restarts direct Cebu-Seoul flights
Cebu Pacific (CEB), flew its first direct international flight from Cebu to Seoul on July 3, 2022, marking the restart of its international operations outside Manila.
The airline will be operating said route twice weekly, every Thursday and Sunday. Flight 5J 128 departs Mactan Cebu International Airport at 12:25 p.m., and arrives at Incheon International Airport at 6:10 p.m. Its return flight, 5J 129, is scheduled to leave Seoul at 6:55 p.m., and will arrive in Cebu at 10:50 p.m.
This direct flight enables passengers from 21 other domestic destinations to fly to Seoul, South Korea via Cebu. This extensive list includes Clark, Davao, Dumaguete, Puerto Princesa, and Zamboanga, among others.
To celebrate the resumption of its first Cebu-Seoul flight, Cebu Pacific awarded the first passenger to check-in online with a free roundtrip flight from Cebu to Seoul, valid for one year.
Globe launches first-ever Pokémon Unite Tournament in PH
Globe and The Pokémon Company are working together to bring a gaming tournament that will surely excite Filipino fans of the much-loved Japanese franchise.
The partnership between Globe and The Pokémon Company has made it possible for Pokémon UNITE Philippines Open 2022, the first Pokémon UNITE tournament officially supported in the Philippines, where five-member teams will compete in the tournament and battle it out for a chance to be named the most legendary Pokémon trainers. Teams also stand to win cash out of a P1-million prize pool.
“We’re beyond thrilled about this partnership with The Pokémon Company as we get to bring new adventures to fans and gamers in the Philippines. Globe Prepaid has always been one with Filipinos in pursuing their passion. And what better way to enjoy and maximize playtime to prepare for the tournament than by using Globe’s network where you can get access to Pokémon UNITE for free! said Givielle Florida, Globe Prepaid Brand Head.
What’s more, gamers and Pokémon fans may also download and get FREE access to Pokémon UNITE through Globe Prepaid’s Go+99 with GoPLAY. With Go+99 and GoPLAY, players can enjoy 8GB worth of surfing, plus an additional 8GB more for GoPLAY apps such as Pokémon Unite. Aside from these data perks, the promo also includes unlimited allnet texts for 7 days, which will be useful for gamers when discussing game strategy with teammates.
Red Ribbon in Illinois
Jollibee Foods Corp. said it has opened a second Red Ribbon in Illinois, the pastry brand’s 37th store in the US.
“The new store is located at 753 East Boughton Road, Bolingbrook, which is directly across The Promenade, a popular shopping complex in the area,” the company said.
“Red Ribbon offers delicious baked goods inspired by authentic Filipino flavors and ingredients. While it is known for its selection of beautifully crafted cakes, Red Ribbon also features an irresistible line-up of both sweet and savory pastries that are meant to be enjoyed every day. These include Butter Mamons, Cheesy Ensaimada, Chicken Empanada, Mango Supreme, Ube Overload Cake, and Yema Caramel Cake, among others,” it added.
PDAX unveils new ‘Donate’ service
PDAX, the leading homegrown digital asset exchange in the Philippines, unveiled its ‘Donate’ service, a new offering that enables non-profit organizations, charities, and foundations to start accepting donations in the form of cryptocurrencies through a dedicated donation website.
For the service, PDAX creates a dedicated donation website for each of its partner organizations, where they can accept crypto donations from anyone in the world.
Using PDAX Donate, non-profit organizations will be able to avail of a faster and cheaper channel for receiving crypto donations from anywhere in the world.
The Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation (Yellow Boat) and the Jesuit Communication Foundation are the first two non-profit organizations that partnered with PDAX for the Donate service
PDAX Donate allows donors to send crypto donations using any of the 25 tokens currently offered by the platform.
Security Bank officers recognized
Security Bank officers were again recognized by The Asset as among the country’s best local currency bond individuals in sales for 2022 at the latest Asian Local Currency Bond Benchmark Review.
In its latest announcement, Security Bank vice president and head of sales for its Institutional desk, Angeline Sia-Uy, together with FISD sales officers Jyka Aicitel Balista and Leikeesha Dungan, were highly commended in the sales category. Sia-Uy was consistently ranked in the review for over 10 years.
The Asian Local Currency Bond Benchmark Review provides data on investors’ product needs and the market penetration of banks active in local currency bonds.
FUSO stands out at vehicle show
To meet the growing demand and expand its market in Metro Manila, the FUSO light-duty trucks and modern public utility vehicles (PUVs) promise world-class performance, reliability, durability, and maximum business returns, suited for logistics, supply chains, and transport cooperatives.
FUSO vehicles were exhibited at the three-day Manila Commercial Vehicle Show
FUSO has a wide presence across the Philippines to assist transport cooperatives with their modern PUV requirements.
Hiring assessment tool launched
To help business process outsourcing companies make data-backed hiring decisions quickly and reliably, Mercer | Mettl, a global leader in talent assessment and remote proctoring solutions, launched SpeechX — a new communication assessment tool powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
The introduction of SpeechX in the Philippines plugs a critical gap for evaluators to swiftly assess the quality and clarity of a candidate’s speech to map the entire evaluation journey, using insights from seasoned BPO practitioners, voice and accent trainers and the industry’s subject matter experts. The tool also uses AI-based remote proctoring to calculate an integrity score for each candidate which ensures control against cheating and misconduct during the evaluation process.
Mekeni promotes local heritage
Mekeni Food Corp. recently partnered with Hiraya Foundation, a New York-based non-profit organization established by Filipino and Filipino-American professionals, for the first-ever Gawad Alab ng Lahi.
Gawad Alab ng Lahi is a program by Hiraya Foundation that aims to recognize individuals, enterprises, and communities that contribute to uplifting the lives of Filipinos and promoting progress in the Philippines.
In the recently concluded awarding ceremony last July 11, at Whitby Hotel in New York, the following were the winners of the Gawad Alab ng Lahi award: Dr. Leo Felix Jurado for his unrelenting advocacy for Filipino nurses in the US; Concentrix Philippines for opening doors nationwide for Filipinos to provide for their families and thrive in unprecedented times; Philippine Nurses Association of America Inc. for being at the forefront of advancing the interests and welfare of nurses in the US by providing professional and legal assistance; and Carnival Cruise Line for recognizing and rewarding Filipino talents through employment and ensuring their health and safety during the height of the pandemic.
Mekeni representatives led by president Prudencio Garcia also met with Filipino overseas workers in New York in a tribute event where they imparted their experiences and learnings in overcoming challenges.
ChatGenie receives grant
Filipino company ChatGenie was announced as one of eight global recipients of the inaugural round of grants from the Strive Community Innovation Fund.
The mini-app development company will receive a share of $1 million in total grant funding towards their work supporting small businesses creating online store presences inside Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Viber, GCash and other super apps.
The funding from the Innovation Fund will enable ChatGenie to expand their platform making it more inclusive to non-retail e-commerce businesses and online retail brands that undertake manual order processing.
ChatGenie, alongside the seven other awardees, is transforming how small businesses operate and are supported in a world that is rapidly digitizing.
Strive Community is a global philanthropic initiative launched by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth in partnership with Caribou Digital.
Globe Business salutes MSMEs
In celebration of International MSME (micro, small and medium enterprise) Day, Globe Business is launching a series of initiatives that aim to motivate, inspire, and guide MSMEs to reach breakthroughs in their business through digital adoption.
Until July 22, MSME owners are invited to inspire their fellow entrepreneurs and to share their Breakthrough Story online. The top five winners will win a Saludo SME Package that comes with an iPad Pro 256GB with 12 months subscription of Unli Fiber Biz and M360 license. Five other inspiring participants will win P10,000 GCash credits.
Until July 31, MSMEs purchasing five lines of GPlan Biz 999 can get freebies including P3,000 worth of load, unlimited call and text promo, unlimited landline, mobile data, and more while those who avail the Unli Fiber Biz Plan 2499 can receive a free Prepaid Internet Kit that comes with 30GB worth of data. Globe Business in partnership with the DTI Ecommerce Office is holding a Webinar Series on July 19, 26, August 2 and 9.
Entravision MediaDonuts inks partnership with Carousell
Entravision MediaDonuts, a leading digital marketing performance and branding solutions platform in Asia-Pacific has signed a partnership agreement with Carousell Media Group for Carousell in the Philippines and Cho Tot in Vietnam, as their official reseller.
Through this partnership, brands can advertise on premium real estate in Carousell’s e-commerce space while leveraging its advanced contextual and audience targeting capabilities. Advertisers can leverage on Connect, Carousell Media Group’s off-platform solution, to engage consumers across the open internet through millions of other publishers across mobile and web app inventories.
