Aboitiz InfraCapital’s LIMA Estate honored at ESGBusiness Awards
Aboitiz InfraCapital’s LIMA Estate, the leading smart and sustainable industrial-anchored estate in Asia, has clinched the Smart City Award at the inaugural ESGBusiness Awards, held at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.
Through strategic partnerships with global urban infrastructure experts and Aboitiz Data Innovation, LIMA Estate has successfully implemented a comprehensive suite of smart city features focusing on enhancing the liveability, resilience, and sustainability of its community.
The Central Estate Command Center, a facility equipped with technology for real-time monitoring and management of estate functions, ensures swift and efficient response during emergencies while optimizing traffic management, energy use, and security.
The LIMA Central Business District boasts an impressive 63% off-site renewable energy utilization. The Outlets at Lipa achieves a commendable 43% on-site energy utilization and its 1.5-megawatt peak rooftop solar panel system offsets 31,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually, equivalent to planting 1.4 million trees. Furthermore, the estate has laid out plans to transition all future buildings within the LIMA Office Park to rely on 100% renewable energy sources.
The estate’s dedication to sustainability extends to waste disposal systems and the Smart Water Network operated by LIMA Water, using interconnected and intelligent water network solutions.
The estate proactively enhances employee mobility by implementing an electric intra-estate transportation system and building of dormitories to provide housing options for its locator employees.
Another initiative in the pipeline is repurposing plastic waste into eco bricks, endeavoring to decrease the entire estate’s ecological footprint. For its Compost to Fertilizer program LIMA Estate has partnered with Green Antz to process solid food waste from mall concessionaires and food tenants.
With over 170 businesses, more than 4,000 households, a four-star hotel, and 167 retail outlets, LIMA Estate has driven economic development in the CALABARZON region, attracting investments totaling US$1.87 million and generating jobs for over 66,000 Filipinos.
Japan Foreign Minister’s Commendation awarded
On November 10th, 2023, Japanese Ambassador KOSHIKAWA Kazuhiko held a ceremony at his residence to celebrate the awarding of the Foreign Minister’s Commendation to Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP) President Vice-Admiral Eduardo Ma R. Santos for his contribution to Japan-Philippines economic relations, especially to the maritime industry.
More than 30,000 Filipino seafarers work in Japanese overseas merchant fleets, making up 70% of all workers on these ships. During the ceremony, Ambassador Koshikawa expressed appreciation for VAdm Santos’ role in educating seafarers and said that the commendation is in recognition of his significant contribution not only to Japan’s maritime industry but also to Japan’s economic activities as a whole.
VAdm Santos has worked for MAAP for more than 20 years and educated more than two thousand Filipino seafarers who work in Japan’s merchant vessels under his watch. In 2008, he made possible the construction of a new school building of the Academy in cooperation with the Japan Seafarers’ Union (JSU) and the International Mariners Management Association of Japan (IMMAJ).
BCDA wins prestigious Gold Stevie award for innovative annual reports
The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) bagged its fourth major international communication awards this year, the prestigious Gold Stevie Award for its innovative annual report publications from 2019 to 2021.
By conveying human stories behind financial data and technical reports as well as pushing innovation in the creative design to make traditional annual reports more appealing to the public, the “One Nation, One Legacy” BCDA annual report series from 2019 to 2021 met the high standards of the International Business Awards (IBA), taking home the highest accolade, the Gold Stevie status, for the category Best Annual Report – Government Agencies.
The BCDA was celebrated during a gala banquet event at the Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Rome, Italy in October, which was attended by BCDA director Atty. Larry Paredes, vice president for public affairs Leilani Barlongay-Macasaet, head executive assistant Atty. Elvira Estanislao, and vice president for engineering and social support Engr. Mark Torres. The globally attended event hosted more than 350 guests, including many of the world’s top companies and Stevie winners.
The BCDA’s “One Nation, One Legacy” series includes human interest stories and eye-catching infographics and visuals anchored on corporate governance, business development, project management, and corporate social responsibility efforts to communicate BCDA’s role as a catalyst of national growth and provider of economic opportunities for Filipinos.
World’s Number 1 rum Tanduay now in Canada
Leading Philippine rum brand Tanduay has partnered with distributor Christopher Stewart Wine & Spirits to make its award-winning products available in the Canadian market.
Marc Ngo, Tanduay International business development manager and senior brand manager, said they have partnered with Christopher Stewart Wine & Spirits for Tanduay’s Canadian expansion because they provided the best strategies to move Tanduay in Canada adding that the company has sales teams for almost every province in Canada.
For its Canadian launch, Tanduay presented a Sam Miller Guest Shift at the H Tasting Lounge last October 5. Miller is one of the leading names in bar-tending whose passion is the world of rum.
Tanduay makes its rums in the Philippines using quality sugarcane sourced from the country’s leading sugarcane-producing regions. Extracted Grade A molasses from these crops then undergo a refining process. They are then fermented and turned into liquid ready for distillation.
The brand owns an arsenal of oak barrels, which it uses to age its rums. Aging alcohol in these barrels transforms their flavor and complexity. The Philippines’ tropical climate further enhances them.
Tyler MacKenzie, brand manager of Christopher Stewart Wine & Spirits, noted that each Tanduay rum has great balance, structure, and character, so the portfolio easily appeals to a wide variety of tastes, citing that the Philippines has a long history of rum production and has an ideal climate for excellent rums.
Tanduay rums that are available in Canada are the Tanduay Asian Rum Gold, Tanduay Asian Rum Silver, Tanduay Double Rum, Boracay Rum Coconut, and Boracay Rum Cappuccino.
Ngo said that they hope to bring their full line which includes Especia Spiced Rum, Tanduay Rum Amber, and Tanduay Rum White to the country by 2024,” said.
Ramos-Horta visits GMA Network Center
GMA Network, Inc. chairman and CEO Atty. Felipe L. Gozon personally welcomed the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste President, His Excellency José Ramos-Horta, during the latter’s visit to GMA Network Center on November 9.
Atty. Gozon commended President Ramos-Horta’s leadership and dedication to upholding democracy. Ramos-Horta, a former journalist and a freedom fighter, has been awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996, together with Bishop Carlos Belo, in recognition of their long-lasting efforts for the peaceful separation of then East Timor from Indonesia.
President Ramos-Horta, in turn, thanked GMA Network Inc. for the warm welcome and recognition, saying that Timor-Leste and the Philippines shared many similarities.
Atty. Gozon further said that GMA Network will help deliver factual information on Timor-Leste and its campaign to introduce Asia’s youngest democracy.
Joining Atty. Gozon in meeting President Ramos-Horta were GMA Network Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Felipe S. Yalong; Senior Vice President for Talent Management, Program Management, Worldwide, and Support Group, Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes; Senior Vice President and Head of GMA Integrated News, Regional TV, and Synergy Oliver Victor B. Amoroso; Senior Vice President and Head of GMA Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. Rasonable; and Vice President and Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications Angela Javier Cruz.
Ajinomoto leads industry talk on Delicious Salt Reduction
Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (APC) shared its expertise on delicious salt reduction at the Philippine Food Summit 2023 of the Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturers Inc. (PCFMI) held last November 9 and 10 at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria.
Themed “Pathways to Nutritious, Safe, Accessible, and Sustainable Food Supply”, this year’s food summit aimed to drive change and create tangible solutions for one of humanity’s most vital necessities which is food.
As a platinum sponsor of the event, APC led an industry talk about “Healthy Longevity Without Compromising Taste, The Smart Application of Umami Seasonings” shared by Dr. Andrea Wakita, R.D, Ph.D. from Ajinomoto Co Inc. Global Communications Department.
During her presentation, Dr. Wakita shared about the need to reduce sodium consumption to prevent certain medical conditions such as hypertension which is one of the leading causes of death among Filipinos. She then shared salt alternatives such as Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) which helps reduce the sodium content of food without compromising its delicious taste.
APC launched the BawAsin® campaign to encourage Filipinos to reduce their salt intake without sacrificing deliciousness. This is a testament to the company’s continuous efforts to utilize its expertise in nutrition to provide practical means to consumers to help live a healthier life.
Toki targets $5B collectibles market
Toki the first-ever social commerce platform in the Philippines exclusively dedicated to collectibles, has officially launched in the country.
According to a study conducted by Toki and GMO Research, the Philippine market is currently valued at $5 billion. Despite this sizable number, buyers and sellers still find themselves navigating an unsecured and convoluted trading journey, without a dedicated marketplace to seamlessly facilitate transactions. To date, collectors traverse the buying process – from discovery to purchase – in a fragmented manner.
For its launch, Toki will feature the first four categories – Sneakers, LEGO, NBA Cards, and Funko Pops! – some of the most popular collectibles on the market.
As a platform built to support the entire community, Toki is dedicated to not only making the journey safer but also more exhilarating for both buyers and sellers. Aside from proposing a digital marketplace, Toki is also a livestream auction platform, harnessing the power of real-time engagement to enhance the collectibles trading experience.
Toki enhances the quality of the transactional process for sellers, many of whom operate through social media – limiting them when it comes to setting up an inventory system and storefront management. This leaves sellers dealing with unsecured payment systems, manual logistics management, and customer support, among others.
