Lipa City gov’t facilities break ground
The Lipa City Hall and Lipa City Trading Center broke ground at their new location in Ayala Land’s 30th estate, Areza, a 92-hectare property that is accessible through the STAR toll way via Balete exit. The mixed use development will also have a church, fresh market and commercial lots. (From left) Lipa City Mayor Eric Africa; Senate Pro Tempore Ralph Recto; Ayala Land Estates Inc. vice president Cris Zuluaga, Ayala Land assistant vice president; Jay Teodoro, Ayala Land senior vice president and Ayala Land Estates head Meean Dy and; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Vilma Santos- Recto
MPIC joins HRH The Prince of Wales’s Exclusive A4S Roundtable
Metro Pacific Investments Corp. attended an exclusive Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) Roundtable on sustainability reporting, hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales.
Represented by its chief finance, risk and sustainability officer Chaye Cabal-Revilla, MPIC joined various finance leaders from around the world, including other members of the A4S CFO Leadership Network, to shape the convergence and adoption of common goal sustainability metrics and standards.
Held at St. James’ Palace last March 1, the roundtable served as an avenue for the network to talk about the next steps for the essential “plumbing” needed to enable sustainable decision-making.
Though a significant milestone was reached in 2021 with the establishment of the International Sustainability Standards Board, the group believes there is further progress required to shape resulting standards and support global alignment.
“We at MPIC have taken significant strides towards reinforcing our sustainability thrust and our inclusion in networks such as A4S elevate our knowledge of how best to integrate it into our corporate DNA,” said Cabal-Revilla. “Being part of this network under someone as passionate for the cause as HRH The Prince of Wales has further strengthened our purpose to put sustainability at the heart of what we do.”
NGCP secures ISO re-certifications
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) secured ISO re-certifications for management practices related to quality, environment, safety and business continuity.
NGCP said it received the re-certifications under the Integrated Management System (IMS) that combines all processes of an organization into a unified system that also serves as confirmation of the company’s strict observance of international criteria covering management and speed of processes, cost effectiveness and streamlined services.
The company has been certified for IMS processes since 2012.
NGCP noted its certification for quality management focuses on the organization’s activities to meet stakeholder requirements and ability to continuously improve its effectivity and efficiency while the environmental management gauges the organization’s efforts to reduce its environmental impact.
NGCP explained that safety management certification identifies and manages all safety and risk factors within an organization as business continuity management measures the organization’s capability to implement strategies and contingency measures to prevent loss and disruptions to its operations especially during disasters.
Shopee launches first #TatakPinoy virtual trade fair
Shopee partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry DTI for the #TatakPinoy Virtual Trade Fair ongoing until March 24 in support of local micro, small and medium enterprises.
Shopee users will be able to discover and purchase Filipino-made essentials from a variety of shops ranging from snack food, health and beauty, groceries and pet stores, fashion, and more, at discounted rates.
The virtual trade fair will also feature products from beloved Filipino brands such as Splash Personal Care, Zenutrients, Go Natural, Ever Bilena, San Miguel Foods, EQ, Lifeline Clothing, Sweetbaby, and Tala by Kyla.
Users will also be also enjoy ShopeePay vouchers for 20 percent off with a minimum purchase of P300.
Kia Sto. Tomas opens
Kia Philippines officially reopened its newly renovated dealership located in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, now the second showroom in the country to implement the new design language and motto of Kia: Movement That Inspires.
Kia Sto. Tomas features an eye-catching and modern faí§ade bearing the new corporate logo which was first unveiled to the public late last year.
Under the management of MG Gateway Mantrade Corp., Kia Sto. Tomas bears a refreshed store identity and offers a new customer experience.
Kia Sto. Tomas is located on President Laurel Highway, Barangay San Roque.
RCBC rewards
The Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) is offering more rewards and perks for users of its DiskarTech financial inclusion super app.
RCBC launched its DiskarTech Score (DT Score) program where transactions are rewarded with corresponding points.
DT Score is a user rating system. As the users increase their score, more rewards and privileges will be available exclusively for them.
Offers available include pre-qualified loans, waived fees for loan transactions, rewards, and many more.
“Creating the DT Score program is one of the ways we democratize financial services through the use of alternative data, making access to loan services available to everyone,” said Lito Villanueva, executive vice president and, chief innovation and inclusion officer of RCBC.
Users can increase their DT Scores with the following transactions: deposit to any partner merchants, fund transfer to DiskarTech from any bank or e-wallet, bills payment, and by saving using your DiskarTech account.
DHL Express wins award for highest growth rate
DHL Express Philippines has received the Special Award for achieving the highest growth rate in Loyalty Card transactions at the Pag-IBIG Fund Chairman’s Report 2021 event.
The award recognizes the 115 percent increase in exclusive benefits provided by DHL to Pag-IBIG Loyalty Card and Loyalty Card Plus holders.
The event was attended by country manager Nigel Lockett and commercial head Roderick Queppet.
Phoenix holds Digital NatCon
Phoenix Petroleum recently held its second Digital National Convention to map out business thrusts and strategies for 2022. Titled ‘Phoenix: Unstoppable! Di papaawat, Di na mapipigilan!’, the two-day event brought together business strategy experts to share their experiences during the pandemic to help Phoenix members stay ahead of evolving technologies and trends.
The convention also recognized the achievements of its employees, partners, suppliers, distributors and franchisees.
Phoenix president Bong Fadullon said for 2022, safety and sound business operations remain priorities for the company.
Reiterating one of his many takeaways during the breakout sessions, Fadullon highlighted the importance of supporting and protecting the welfare of the Phoenix team who have selflessly put their lives on the line to serve customers.
‘Empowering Pinays to drive economic growth’
During the Women and Tech: Inclusion and Empowerment Webinar hosted by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), women leaders of open finance champion UBX, AI-powered finance platform Bixie, and humanitarian agency Catholic Relief Services (CRS) urged both the public and private sectors to empower women by including them in the country’s financial systems, as they are key to unlocking the growth potential of the economy.
UBX, Bixie, and CRS have joined hands to further democratize access to financial services for the roughly 54.5 million Pinays in the country.
UBX, a champion for financial inclusion, since day one has been pursuing the empowerment of women entrepreneurs and individuals by providing them with digital tools and services that give them access to financial ecosystems.
As the leading open finance platform in the Philippines, UBX equips women with financial tools such as: loans to build or grow their businesses through SeekCap; access to cryptocurrencies through the Cardano staking pool; and the power to offer banking services through i2i, among others.
CREBA president at NAR
Noel Cariño, national president of the Chamber of Real Estate & Builders’ Associations Inc. (CREBA) will represent the Philippines this year at the Chicago-based National Association of Realtors (NAR) as international director. of for 2022.
CREBA announced the appointment at its recent monthly membership forum where the chamber affirmed its bilateral partnership with North America’s largest trade association and one of the US’ most powerful industry groups. NAR has at least 1.3 million realtor-members across the globe with key alliances in about 70 countries, including the Philippines.
The Realtor trademark is exclusive to active card-carrying members of the NAR. Filipino real estate professionals holding licenses under the Professional Regulation Commission may avail of this privilege by applying and maintaining their active international Realtor membership status through CREBA.
UPS , GCash simplify payment experience
UPS announced it is providing Filipino businesses and consumers with a new streamlined, cashless payment experience by partnering with electronic wallet, GCash.
Any shipper or recipient in the Philippines can now instantly and securely pay for UPS’s logistics services, and settle any outstanding shipment-related charges, at any time, using GCash’s digital payment app on their mobile phones, instead of having to transact in-person with cash or credit cards.
“Being able to leverage GCash’s leading mobile payments technology enhances how our customers do business with us in several ways, including improved customer experience, payment convenience, and even minimizing package delays in the event shipments are held at customs due to outstanding duties and taxes,” said UPS Philippines’ finance manager Grace Gavilan.
GCash, which has over 55 million registered users to date, sees UPS as a valuable addition to its robust portfolio of top Filipino corporate and consumer-oriented partners.
“Our company’s fintech service is built on the premise of enabling a digital ecosystem to help every Filipino. We are delighted to team up with UPS as this moves us closer to our goal of accelerating financial inclusion in our society — across government, businesses and consumers — via our financial services platform”, said Luigi Reyes, GCash vice president for Enterprise.
