Maynilad water treatment plant
West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. is facilitating the construction of its third treatment plant in Muntinlupa that will tap Laguna Lake as raw water source.
Targeted for completion in 2023, the P10-billion Poblacion Water Treatment Plant will produce 150 million liters per day (MLD) of potable water, which is enough to serve around one million customers in the south.
This facility is being constructed to increase available supply for distribution, given the higher demand for water because of a growing population and developing economy.
Maynilad currently serves some 9.9. million customers and operates four water treatment plants–two at La Mesa Compound in Quezon City that gets raw water from Angat Dam, and two at Brgy. Putatan in Muntinlupa that gets raw water from150th
Jollibee in Vietnam
Jollibee Foods Corp. said it has opened its 150th store in Vietnam.
The new branch is located at 254 Dong Da street Thuan Phuoc Ward, Hai Chau District, in Da Nang City – one of the largest cities and a major tourism hub in Vietnam.
Vietnam is one of the first international markets Jollibee entered in the earlier years of the chain.
Jollibee has successfully captured the local market in Vietnam over the years, with 100 percent of its customers being Vietnamese.
Peri-Peri opens 55th store
Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. has opened its 55th outlet of Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar, in Vermosa in Cavite. The new location will have a drive-thru outlet.
The group has doubled Peri-Peri’s locations two years since Shakey’s acquired the company.
Peri-Peri is the company’s second largest chain of restaurants. At acquisition, the chain had 23 stores in the metro.
GMA Network CEO receives honorary doctorate degree
GMA Network Chairman and CEO Felipe Gozon received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) from the Wesleyan University Philippines (WUP).
The conferment rites held at the academic convocation on March 18 at the Central United Methodist Church in Manila were led by WUP president Judge Benjamin D. Turgano along with OIC-vice president for Academic Affairs Dr. John Mark Bondoc, Board of Trustees secretary Gideon Salatan, Legal Education Board chairperson Marie Melanie Trinidad, and Board of Trustees member Renato Simbulan.
A noted legal scholar, Gozon graduated in the top 10 of UP Law Class of 1962 and placed 13th in the 1962 Bar Examinations. He pursued graduate studies at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA and finished the degree of Master of Laws in 1965.
Gozon’s visionary leadership provided the framework for the rise of GMA Network to become the Number 1 TV network in the country.
LWUA hails water districts for Odette-relief efforts
The Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) has named three water districts as recipients of this year’s Huwarang Lingkod-Tubig Awards in recognition of the assistance extended to severely-hit areas after the onslaught of Typhoon Odette last December.
LWUA officer-in charge Eileen L. Dela Vega said Puerto Princesa City Water District representing Luzon area, Bayawan Water District (Negros Oriental) in Visayas and San Francisco Water District (Agusan del Sur) in Mindanao demonstrated exemplary efforts and went beyond the call of duty when they extended assistance to hard-to- reach barangays in order to distribute relief goods and potable water immediately after the powerful cyclone’s landfall.
The Philippine Water Awarding ceremonies was done online on March 22, in time for the celebration of World Water Day (WWD), to honor and recognize individuals or institutions who play a leadership role in championing water and promoting water and sustainable development. The event will be made possible in cooperation with Maynilad, the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) and the Department of Natural Resources (DENR) River Basin Control Office (RBCO).
As part of WWD activities, LWUA also opened an exhibit last March 15 at its head office in Balara, Quezon City with this year’s theme, “Groundwater: Making the invisible, visible.”
This will be followed by an online water information and education program called “Buhay-KYUT (Kalusugang Yaman Ugnay sa Tubig) on March 25 in partnership with the Puerto Princesa City Water District (PPCWD), Department of Health (DOH), Maynilad, Maynilad Water Academy and Philippine Water Partnership (PWP).
Cebgo flights moved to T4
Cebu Pacific (CEB) announced that beginning March 28, all Cebgo (DG) flights to and from Manila will be operating from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 4 (NAIA T4).
In anticipation of increased passenger volume this summer season, Cebgo passengers are advised to be at the terminal at least three hours before their scheduled time of departure, to complete all pre-departure requirements.
Passengers are advised to update their contact details via http://bit.ly/CEBUpdateInfo to receive email notifications on flight reminders and updates.
Before going to the airport, passengers are urged to check the travel requirements, safety protocols, and frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the CEB website: http://bit.ly/CEBFaqs
GIGIL agency honored
Independent ad agency GIGIL Philippines has received multiple nods for its work from two venerable creative award shows in APAC: The One Asia Creative Awards and Spikes Asia.
Six of GIGIL’s campaigns made it to the shortlist of The One Asia Creative Awards 2021. This is the Asia-Pacific edition of The One Show—the world’s most prestigious award program in advertising, design, and digital marketing. GIGIL was the only Philippine agency to make it to the esteemed awards show this year.
The independent ad agency got nods in four categories, namely: Film & Video, Branded Entertainment, Print & Out of Home, and Creative Effectiveness.
These campaigns include RC Cola ‘Band’, Netflix ‘Cupids’ , Netflix ‘Trese Broadcast Network Takeover’, RC Cola ‘Family’ , Unioil ‘Bart’ and Netflix ‘Ghost Concert’ .
GIGIL has made it also to Spikes Asia, Asia-Pacific’s top award for excellence in creative communications and marketing effectiveness, celebrating the very best in creativity across the region, this time, through Filipino homegrown brands—Jollibee and Cheers.
All-New Honda HR-V launched April 10
Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) will launch the new generation Honda HR-V on April 19 with 37 dealerships nationwide ready to accept reservations starting April 1.
The All-New Honda HR-V is engineered to “Heighten your Senses” with its stunning looks, quality-built cabin, state-of-the-art safety technology among others.
The All-New Honda HR-V will be available in two variants, namely, the S CVT and Turbo CVT. Prices range from P1.3 million to P1.6 million
Vigilance vs illegal use of cell broadcasters
Globe is calling on the public to be wary of messages coming from illegal use of cell broadcasters – devices that target mobile numbers to send out unauthorized SMS to multiple users, amid reports of illegal use of these cell broadcasters, which spoof or mimic cell towers and obstruct communications. These devices have also been used to spread disinformation.
Globe also cautioned online retail establishments or e-commerce sites that sell these cell broadcasters. The use, sale, and purchase of these equipment are regulated by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
Globe also reiterated its warning against the use of illegal repeaters, cellular signal blockers and jammers, which also interfere with mobile phone signal.
Illegal use of repeaters, such as antennas and wireless adapters found indoors or outdoors, boosts reception in one particular area only, thereby hogging bandwidth at the expense of other users.
Cell signal jammers block cellular signals to prevent use of mobile services at a given time in a particular area.
UnionBank updates MSME banking app
Union Bank of the Philippines has rolled out the latest update for its MSME Business Banking app, introducing new features that will give business owners more flexibility when it comes to collecting payments from customers and managing their account.
First is an added payment option in the app’s “Request Payment” feature, which allows business owners to collect payments through a link that they can send to customers. Users can now collect payments via VISA and MasterCard Debit and Credit cards, on top of Instapay, GrabPay, Gcash, Palawan Express, Cebuana Lhuillier, and ECPay Partner Outlets.
The app now has a dashboard — designed to improve user experience by making navigation easier, as well as improve the app’s overall performance. The app also features access to the UnionBank GlobalLinker (UBGL) platform. Customers are now able to sign up to UBGL right inside their banking app, providing them the ability to reach 500,000 MSMEs locally and globally, to grow their business network.
Accelerating workplace gender equality
The Aboitiz Group remains steadfast in its commitment to accelerate workplace gender equality in the Philippines, emphasizing its importance in the Group’s #OneAboitiz Sustainability Framework. The Aboitiz Group sits on the board of trustees of the Global Compact Network Philippines (GCNP), and two of its companies–Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. (AEV) and Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC)–are members of the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE).
Established in 2017, PBCWE is the inaugural project of the Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PhilWEN) in partnership with Investing in Women, an initiative of the Australian Government. Meanwhile, the GCNP is the local entity of the United Nations Global Compact tasked with aligning and championing Philippine sustainability initiatives on an international level through policy proposals, sustainability advocacies, and accessible initiatives.
In a recently-concluded forum and joint report launch held by Philippine business groups and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) titled “Accelerating the sustainability momentum and workplace gender equality advantage,” Ana Margarita “Ginggay” Hontiveros-Malvar, vice president for Reputation Management of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, represented the Aboitiz Group and served as the moderator of the forum.
