Overseas Filipinos shine in global spotlight
True stories of successful overseas Filipinos are making the rounds globally, in time for Independence Day in the Philippines.
Videos featuring Charmaine “Charm” Espinoza, a Filipina caregiver in the United Kingdom and Dan Johnson “DJ” Noblesa, a Filipino barista in Italy, can be viewed in Times Square in New York, and LA billboards in Inglewood, Los Angeles, California from June 12 to June 13.
The videos are part of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Creative Communications’ new country branding campaign ‘We Give the World Our Best — The Philippines, featuring the true stories of Overseas Filipinos giving their best, wherever they are in the world.
Charm and DJ’s videos had also earlier appeared in New York Times Square and Dubai’s La Mer City Walk, two of the most prominent and modern cities in the world.
The new videos demonstrate how OFWs portray that they are not mere peons in the country that hosts them, but true ambassadors of the country they call home.
Divina Bar Review Series launched
Legal luminary Atty. Nilo T. Divina recently launched his newest literary opus–the “Divina Bar Review Series”–in a short ceremony organized by publisher CentralBooks.
The series is unlike any books previously authored by Atty. Divina. This time, he is sharing co-authorship with 54 other lawyers from his law firm DivinaLaw.
“This work is a culmination, not just of the individual wisdom of the authors, but of each of their shared desire to assist a generation in building their dreams and creating their own path,” said Atty. Divina.
“With each author contributing his own unique expertise, the resultant work has both depth and accuracy. While I have written books in the past, witnessing the Compendious Reviewer turn from an idea to a masterpiece is an entirely new experience.”
Divina Bar Review Series is a collection of reviewers on the seven subjects covered by the Bar, namely: Civil Law, Criminal Law, Labor Law, Legal Ethics, Political Law, Remedial Law, and Taxation Law. It is a compilation of questions and answers based on past Bar examinations, statutory and regulatory requirements, recent Supreme Court decisions, and extra cases written by Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando, the 2023 Bar chairperson.
Atty. Divina, dean of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Faculty of Civil Law, gave free copies of the books to graduating law students of UST.
The books may be purchased individually or as a set through the CentralBooks website.
Social media influencers: ‘Pinoys deserve excellent products’
What do social media influencers Kiray Celis, Stephan Estopia, and Pash Pacia have in common?
They all have a passion for excellence in whatever they do, the food they eat, the places they go, and the products they wear or use in their everyday lives.
Each one desires nothing less than reliable quality, going out of their way to discover excellence, and found it in Taiwan.
Actress, host, and influencer Kiray Celis loves to travel and use products that can give her the best of what she wants. She discovered the Tatung rice cooker from Taiwan, and just recently experienced the best places in Taiwan that she could only dream before.
Versatile actor Arron Villaflor needs to be always stylishly camera ready. He appreciates the excellent standard Taiwan has modeled globally. For Arron, style goes the best with practicality. Arron looks forward to frequent Taiwan and discover more of its amazing products.
For avid gamer and certified digital junkie Stephan Estopia, Taiwan Excellence products such as noise-cancelling wireless gaming earphones from ROG, and gaming mouse from Asus, are among the best digital products and accessories that can withstand intense gameplay.
Pash Pacia, who inspires many forms of beauty, loves O’Right, which she discovered when she went to Taiwan. With O’Right, Pash is not only assured of pearly white teeth, she also knows Mother Nature approves of her choice.
Each of these influencers loved their discoveries in Taiwan, products recognized by Taiwan Excellence, an initiative of the Bureau of Foreign Trade in Taiwan for products that offer innovative value.
To learn more about Taiwan Excellence brands in the Philippines, visit taiwanexcellence.org
Democratizing market intelligence
Hustle PH is revolutionizing the market research landscape by making insights accessible to businesses of all sizes.
With a combination of speed, hyper-targeting, and efficient pricing, they cater to Fortune 500 companies, MSMEs, and start-ups. Hustle PH taps into a vast network of hustlers across the country to provide real-time data for agile and timely decision-making. From trade checks and brand health tracking to answering specific market queries, Hustle PH offers a flexible, scalable, and cost-effective solution for gathering essential market insights.
Some of their high-level clients include Unilever, Smart Communications, Globe, PayMaya, Allianz PNB Life Insurance, Japan Tobacco International, Fonterra, and Unilab.
Smile Train-Lifebox partnership
Smile Train and Lifebox are distributing 40 pulse oximeters to 24 healthcare facilities in the Philippines, ultimately contributing to 52,000 safer surgeries in the country over the next year.
“Smile Train has worked with Lifebox for over a decade to equip hospitals with essential monitoring tools that are not only necessary for cleft surgery but can be used for other medical procedures and in treating COVID-19. While Smile Train is working toward expanding our reach in more communities, we are also looking for more ways to support and invest in our local healthcare partners,” said Kimmy Coseteng-Flaviano, Smile Train VP Southeast Asia.
In 2020, Smile Train and Lifebox launched the global Smile Train-Lifebox Safe Surgery and Anesthesia Initiative and together provided 8,800 pulse oximeters to support healthcare providers worldwide in responding to COVID-19. In 2022, the two organizations launched the Lifebox-Smile Train Pulse Oximeter to scale up access to anesthesia monitoring – to make 14 million surgeries safer. Pulse oximeters are needed to measure the blood’s oxygen level and are essential for patient monitoring during anesthesia and in intensive care.
Lifebox-Smile Train Pulse Oximeters have been distributed to Marikina St. Vincent General Hospital, San Fernando Hospital in Pampanga, Allegiant Regional Care Hospital in Lapu-Lapu City, and Tebow CURE Hospital in Davao City. More partner hospitals and organizations are expected to receive the pulse oximeters in the coming months. This work is part of 1,000 pulse oximeters currently being distributed to Smile Train partner hospitals worldwide for safer anesthesia care as part of the global Smile Train-Lifebox Safe Surgery and Anesthesia Initiative.
Elevating brands through digital strategies
Digital is the way of the future–especially for brands. This was the essence of a free and exclusive seminar for Araneta City’s lessees held last May 25 at the Gateway Gallery.
The learning event was organized by the City of Firsts in partnership with the J. Amado Araneta Foundation (JAAF) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Main speaker Amrei Dizon, founder and chief creative officer of Vitalstrats Creative Solutions, delivered a comprehensive course into the basic concepts of marketing and how digital tools can help propel their brands to new heights.
Dizon gave the participants an overview of marketing and explained that more than anything, the discipline focuses on creating and delivering value to its intended target audience. She explained that digital marketing is supercharging traditional marketing strategies and tactics and enabling it to reach an audience that would find immense value in the products and services delivered by a brand.
She also discussed the goals of digital marketing. Mainly, digital marketing aims to reach and engage a target market identified by the brand, increase awareness of said audience about the brand, generate leads, drive sales, and build loyalty.
BTI Payments intensifies expansion
BTI Payments, owner and deployer of the Pay&Go network of payment kiosks, is keen on widening its nationwide coverage through planned regional expansion to serve more customers. Already available in many leading malls, supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores, BTI is concentrating its efforts to expand in Visayas and Mindanao to further broaden its network.
Plans to establish satellite offices in key urban areas nationwide are currently being put into action, to provide better services that achieve a more targeted reach while enhancing relationships with their key partners across many regions.
BTI Payments is giving its full support to the PalengQR program, which advocates for cashless transactions in public markets by having vendors accept QR payments from customers.
BTI Payments is actively deploying Pay&Go kiosks in marketplaces, terminals, and other establishments that serve the general public. These Pay&Go kiosks serve as cash in points and allows users to top-up their e-wallets for cashless convenience when buying goods at the market or paying for their fare when riding public transport.
New brand identity
Brokenshire Medical Center (BMC), a trusted and well-respected healthcare institution that has been serving communities in the Davao region for over a century, unveiled its new brand identity and showcased its new developments and plans for the future on June 7.
The new identity reflects BMC’s unwavering commitment to delivering innovative medical care with a patient-centric approach. It encompasses a fresh visual identity, a refined mission statement, and a strengthened organizational culture, all aimed at enhancing the patient experience and driving positive healthcare outcomes.
Under the innovative management led by AppleOne Medical Group (AMG), the healthcare arm of AppleOne, a property developer and operator with over a decade of expertise under its belt, BMC is changing to better represent its dedication to health and wellness.
AMG endeavors to further enhance BMC’s trademark of being the gateway for advanced healthcare in the region by upgrading its infrastructure, utilizing technology to the fullest, acquiring cutting-edge medical facilities, and hiring competent and compassionate personnel.
Among the newest developments is the BMC Heart Institute which will provide world-class cardiovascular care to patients across the region.
Ceremonial signing
On June 5, the ceremonial signing of the sale and leaseback agreement entered into recently by Globe Telecom and Unity Digital Infrastructure, a joint venture between Aboitiz InfraCapital and Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm, was held at the Globe Tower in BGC, Taguig City.
Under the agreement, Unity will acquire 447 Globe telecom towers in Luzon.
