Flying easy this summer
Cebu Pacific encourages every Juan to fly easy by signing up for a MyCebuPacific account and using other online tools such as Online Booking and Online Check-in to enjoy a seamless and rewarding passenger experience this peak summer season.
CEB will hold on-ground simulations to be conducted in SM Lanang Davao from April 29 to May 1 and in SM Seaside Cebu from May 5 to 7 to continuously educate passengers on the convenience of having a MyCebuPacific account and performing Online Booking and Online Check-in.
Guests can try these tools firsthand during these activations. Those who finish the activities and fun games can also receive a special surprise gift that will quite literally take them to places.
With a MyCebuPacific account, passengers will be able to book their flights conveniently from the comfort of their homes and have access to exclusive promos and perks such as seat sale alerts and member-only Travel Fund features which they can use to pay for flights and add-ons.
Booking flights online through the Cebu Pacific website and app also becomes easier as passengers can also avail of CEB Fare Bundles, where they can save up to 28 percent on their baggage, seat, and CEB Flexi fees.
Passengers can also check in for their flights as early as seven days before their departure, allowing them to go straight to the boarding gates if they are flying domestically or to the bag drop counters if they have checked baggage.
JAPAN helping enhance value chain of black garlic in Ilocos Norte
Last April 28, Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko hosted and witnessed the signing ceremony for the implementation of the “SDGs Business Verification Survey with the Private Sector for the Value Chain of Black Garlic” at his official residence. The agreement was signed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Takara Inc., and Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU).
In his speech at the ceremony, Ambassador Koshikawa expressed his confidence that this project will greatly benefit the local farmers of Ilocos Norte, as well as his hopeful wishes that this will contribute to the current administration’s priority agenda of agriculture.
To meet domestic demands, the Philippines has had to rely extensively on importing garlic, which also affects its farmers’ revenue. As a result, farmers resort to producing other crops instead, and this leads to the decline of garlic productivity in the country.
As the garlic capital of the Philippines, Ilocos Norte accounts for 60% of the domestic production of garlic. In 2019, JICA funded the conduct of a feasibility study to test the adaptability of Ilocos Norte to Japanese garlic production technologies. In the same year, Takara Inc. donated a black garlic processing machine to MMSU in its bid to become the first Philippine agency to commercialize the production of black garlic in the country.
JICA will fund the business verification survey for the value chain of black garlic in the Philippines. This project will be implemented by Takara Inc. and MMSU. A demonstration farm will be established inside the MMSU campus in Batac City and in three other municipalities in Ilocos Norte. Various activities will be held to continue the development of the existing black garlic production, including developing markets for the said commodity.
Marketing workshop
Mplify, one of the marketing industry’s most competitive companies, in partnership with Olern, an eLearning platform helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) become world-class, will conduct a 1-day food and restaurant marketing workshop in the new normal on May 11, Thursday at the Olern Training Hub, Unit 810 Citystate Centre, 709 Shaw Boulevard in Pasig City.
In this workshop, veteran in food marketing and Mplify’s own Miguel “Migs” De La Rosa, will teach the marketing basics and best practices in the food business. De La Rosa has over 20 years of experience in the industry as former Marketing of the food brands such as SumoSam, Blackbeard’s Seafood Island, Kitchen City, New Orleans, Akira, Manangs Chicken, Chowking, Mockamore and many others.
Interested participants may register through the link: Food and Restaurant Marketing Workshop (May 11) — In-Person or Livestream.
Potato seeds donation
More than 100 tons of potato seed tubers were distributed to 335 farmers, who are members of the United Potato Producers of Benguet and Mountain Province Inc.
Universal Robina Corp (URC) recently distributed some 135 tons of potato seed tubers to help hundreds of farmers in Benguet and Mountain Province grow their harvests and income.
Four container vans containing 108 tons of potatoes were distributed to 268 farmers, while another 27 tons were given to 67 farmers.
The seedlings are expected to yield 1,350 tons of potatoes in four months, and up to 12,000 tons in 12 months or four planting cycles, URC said.
All 335 farmers are members of the United Potato Producers of Benguet and Mountain Province Inc.
The organization has so far received over 333 tons, estimated to be worth around P20 million.
The latest distribution is the second phase of URC’s Sustainable Potato Program, which aims to help potato farmers increase their yields, stabilize prices of highland vegetables, and help the national potato industry.
Paying it forward
SM Investments Corp. through its socio-economic ventures created over 140,000 jobs across the group in 2022.
In 2022, SM’s partnership with suppliers, tenants, and brand affiliates grew. Around 68 percent of SM Supermalls tenants were MSMEs, and the group provided over P62.72 billion outstanding loans through its banking businesses, BDO Unibank and China Banking Corporation.
SM’s School and Classroom Building Program has turned over 342 school buildings and 1,110 classrooms built and refurbished to date. The Scholarship Program has supported a total of 11,750 scholars to date.
The Group’s efforts to empower community health have translated to the renovation and refurbishment of 317 health centers and medical facilities with 1,847 medical missions conducted to date.
To date, over 6.3 million patients have been served by SM’s medical missions and wellness center initiatives. This is in addition to over 10.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered across 77 participating mall vaccination sites by the end of 2022.
SM recently launched the Grow Trees Community through its social good arm, SM Foundation, in partnership with the Fast Retailing Foundation. The program focuses on developing long-term reforestation by involving an ecosystem of community partners to care for all seedlings planted.
SM’s tree planting initiatives have resulted in over 2.6 million trees planted and maintained through SM Foundation, Belle Corp. , Hamilo Coast and Carmen Copper Corp.
UnionDigital Bank taps into HUAWEI’s 7M customer Base
UnionDigital Bank recently partnered with HUAWEI, to bring innovative financial services to more people in the Philippines by tapping into the tech company’s ecosystem of services and 7 million customer base.
Through the strategic collaboration, the UnionDigital Bank app is now available on the HUAWEI AppGallery to allow easy access for users to the digital bank’s financial services and products. UnionDigital Bank will offer loan products to mobile users through Petal Ads, the mobile marketing platform tailored for HUAWEI devices.
Personal Collection recognized
Personal Collection Direct Selling, Inc. (PC) recently won the Silver Stevie Asia-Pacific Award for Innovation in Community Relations or Public Service Communications for its #GreenLifeGreatLife Movement.
Personal Collection is the only direct selling company in the Philippines to bring home the award out of the region’s 800 nominations.
The Silver Stevie Award is a great addition to the recognition Personal Collection has received in the last two years for its #GreenLifeGreatLife movement. Previously, the company clinched an Anvil Award for Specialized PR Program: Advocacy Campaign at the 58th Anvil Awards; Circle of Excellence Award for CSR Company of the Year at the 2022 Asia CEO Awards; and a special recognition for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility at Marketing Excellence Awards 2022.
Test drive a Honda
Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) is inviting car shoppers and enthusiasts to visit the Honda booth at this year’s Auto Focus Summer Test Drive Festival from May 4 to 7.
The outdoor event will take place at Block 16, SM Mall of Asia Grounds, Pasay City from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Admission is free and is open to the public.
Models present at the Honda booth are the bold and practical BR-V, the value-packed and spacious City, the fun and efficient Brio, the iconic Civic, and the stylish HR-V.
URC Indonesia gets top marks
Universal Robina Corp’s (URC) subsidiary in Indonesia has been handed the Top Quality Award for 2023 for its commitment to rolling out only the best, high-value products for one of its biggest markets in the region.
“This award is proof of the trust that URC enjoys across Southeast Asia’s largest economy,” said URC Indonesia country general anager Taufiq Basthami. “It shows that our company continues to satisfy its customers, meet the market’s expectations and build good relationships with all our stakeholders.”
The Top Quality Award was given by the Indonesia Award Magazine, a trusted and prestigious corporate guide in Indonesia.
Indonesia Award Magazine said it also recognized URC Indonesia for improving and maintaining important aspects of the production process and distribution chain to assure quality and safe products.
URC Indonesia has demonstrated outstanding performance by maintaining the food safety system as a way of taking responsibility for its customers, the public, the government, and other stakeholders, it said.
