Shopee ranked Most Valuable Retail Brand in PH — Kantar study
Shopee ranked as the Most Valuable Retail Brand in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, garnering the highest Demand Power score among retailers, according to the 2023 Kantar BrandZ study on Top Performing Brands. Shopee also placed 8th on the list of Most Valuable Southeast Asian Brands, the only e-commerce platform in the top ten.
The Kantar BrandZ 2023 Most Valuable Southeast Asian Brands rankings considered opinions on 1,700 brands across 78 categories and six markets. The methodology evaluated brands through a valuation tool that meticulously synthesizes financial analysis and consumer outlooks on categories such as Meaning, Difference, and Salience.
According to the Kantar BrandZ report on Top Performing Brands in the Philippines, Filipino shoppers find that Shopee has become essential to their everyday lives. They enjoy the seamless online shopping journey on Shopee, which provides the best value, a wide variety of products and services, as well as daily entertainment via Shopee Live and Shopee Prizes.
The Mapúa edge in health sciences in Mindanao
Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao (Mapúa MCM) is establishing its mastery in health through its College of Health Sciences. Its programs include BS Biology, BS Psychology, BS Pharmacy, and BS Physical Therapy. Harmonizing its knowledge in healthcare and its strong reputation in tech and engineering, MAPíšA MCM provides various opportunities to students through global learning, advanced research, and digital technology.
Mapúa MCM’s College of Health Sciences has collaborated with Arizona State University (ASU) to prime the quality of education it offers. Through this collaboration, Mapúa MCM pre-med students are honed to be globally ready, proficient with advanced and immersive facilities and digital mastery.
Arizona State University (ASU) is ranked #1 in the U.S. innovation ahead of MIT and Stanford for 8 consecutive years by U.S.News and World Report. ASU is also among the top 1% of universities worldwide, ranked by the Center for World University Ranking 2022-2023, and among the top 150 universities worldwide by the Shanghai Ranking, 2022. The collaboration between Mapúa schools and Arizona State University focused on Business and Health Sciences programs.
Max’s Restaurant named Official Fried Chicken of Gilas Pilipinas
Gilas Pilipinas, the country’s national basketball team, has welcomed Max’s Restaurant as a key partner during the much-anticipated global sporting event FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
The national team and the iconic Filipino restaurant formalized their renewed tie-up in a contract signing event on Tuesday, August 15, making Max’s the Gilas Pilipinas’ official fried chicken.
Max’s will introduce the “Gilas Pilipinas Best Plate” featuring the restaurant’s all-time favorites, including its famous Sarap-to-the-Bones Fried Chicken plus a glass of Pepsi. Customers have a chance to see Gilas games live and secure premium Gilas items for every purchase of the plate.
Max’s Restaurant will also offer one set meal: the “Mythical Five Set Meal” and the Home Court Bundle. Both bundles will be available from August 15 until September 30.
The Philippine squad is set to make its World Cup debut against the Dominican Republic next month, August 25, in Bulacan.
Japan donates 300MT of rice to families affected by Mt. Mayon Eruption
On August 17, 2023, Japan turned over 300 metric tons of rice from Japan to the families affected by Mt. Mayon Eruption under the framework of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR).
Minister for Economic Affairs NIHEI Daisuke of the Embassy attended the turnover ceremony of rice donation for the province of Albay. Also present were Department of Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban and APTERR Secretariat General Manager Choomjet Karnjanakesorn.
Albay Provincial Governor Edcel Greco Lagman received the rice donation for distribution to the displaced families.
Japan, as the biggest contributor of APTERR rice in the Philippines, has always been ready to lend a helping hand during trying times. Mr. Nihei said that the donated rice from Japan will be immediately delivered to the affected families in need of sustenance and hopefully serve as a source of revitalization.
APTERR is a regional cooperation started in 2012, which aims to strengthen food security, poverty alleviation and malnourishment eradication among its member countries.
Okada Foundation donates 3-storey Academic Building worth P50M to State University
Students, teachers, and parents alike welcomed the newest addition to the facilities of Don Honorio Ventura State University (DHVSU), with the recent turnover of the new academic building donated by the Okada Foundation, Inc (OFI).
The Php 50 million-donation was used to construct a new building that stands three-storeys high, houses 12 full-sized classrooms, and includes a spacious courtyard for students. “It is said that the generational building block of any community are its well-educated children. The Okada Foundation is fully aligned with this belief, and our goal is to undertake community development projects that have a wide and lasting ripple effect,” noted OFI President James Lorenzana. This marks the first school facility built and donated by OFI in support of their educational advocacy.
Senator Lito Lapid, Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda, Apalit Mayor Oscar Tetangco Jr., Vice Mayor Peter Nucom, Pampanga 4th District Rep. Anna York Bondoc, DHVSU Admin Council Pres. Enrique G. Baking, and PAGCOR vice president Ramon Stephen R. Villaflor were also present at the inauguration.
Malayan Insurance discusses the value of reinsurance
In a press briefing last August 9, Malayan Insurance Co. Inc. weighed in on the impact of reinsurance and other key factors on the non-life insurance industry.
The country’s leading non-life insurance company clarified that although reinsurance drove up the cost of premiums, it has enabled insurers like Malayan to continue to offer products, such as those that cover natural disasters, which they will not be able to sustain on their own.
Reinsurance coverage, the insurance of insurers, keeps companies solvent and operational despite paying for large losses.
The Philippines’ No. 1 spot on The World Risk Index 2022 in terms of risk from natural calamities and conflict also has a negative impact on how global reinsurers price Philippine risks. Not to mention the burden of coping with various national and local government taxes and fees such as the documentary stamp tax (DST).
Shopwise opens at Gateway Mall
The well-loved Shopwise found in the heart of Metro Manila unveils its new home at Shopwise Gateway Mall 2 Araneta City on July 28. Your favorite international brands and selections can be found in one a one-stop-shop store with its brand-new faí§ade and sleek interiors, providing a unique international grocery shopping experience without the membership fee.
SM Store Launched “Shop & Share to Bridge Access to Education”
SM Store, with the continuous support of its loyal shoppers, aims to foster the value of giving back to the community through an act of kindness, that is donating notebooks.
SM Store launched an initiative to help underprivileged students who have little to no capacity to procure basic school materials — such as notebooks.
“Shop & Share to Bridge Access to Education” is a donation drive wherein customers can sponsor a kid’s school kit with any valid transaction including any item from the SM Stationery section. In order to guarantee that the donated school kits will be utilized by students who need it most, SM Store is collaborating with SM Foundation for the proper identification of the school beneficiaries. With sixty-nine (69) participating SM Stores nationwide, this initiative presents an extensive outlet for shoppers to donate and for SM to ensure that its coverage can benefit rural areas and underserved communities.
This initiative reinforces SM Store’s commitment to advocate for community development while involving its customers. By donating notebooks, customers will have a special platform to give a student an opportunity to have a better learning experience. A gesture of generosity, however small, will surely leave a lasting impact in the lives of these children and their families.
PLDT advances transparency on ESG metrics
Demonstrating its commitment to aligning business with sustainability strategies, PLDT Inc participated anew in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA). The integrated telco’s completion of its 2023 Sustainability Report underscores strategic efforts to evaluate and boost environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance.
The S&P Global CSA is an annual evaluation of ESG practices covering over 10,000 companies worldwide, with criteria that are both industry-specific and financially material. Results provide significant guidance for companies to benchmark and align with metrics of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI).
PLDT reported on key ESG metrics aligned with its four pillars: Connection, Concern, Conservation, and Commitment.
In the 2022 S&P Global CSA ratings report, PLDT attained an overall score of 59 — highest among Philippine telcos and a significant gain from the prior years’ scores of 51 and 47. This measures company performance in terms of governance, social, and environmental indicators, providing relevant sustainability-oriented insights and benchmarks among shareholders and investors.
BDO fosters sustainability in the workplace
The collective efforts of 300 BDO Unibank employees who participated in two coastal clean-up activities resulted in the collection of more than 2,200 kilos of waste from the Las Piñas-Paranaque Critical Habitat and Eco-tourism Area (LPPCHEA), a protected area that is home to 41 species of migratory birds and one of the few remaining mangrove forests in Metro Manila. This is the bank’s first ever coastal clean-up activity under its Employee Volunteer Program. The activity hopes to raise awareness on proper waste management with the hope of saving and preserving critical areas like LPPCHEA.
BDO’s commitment to protect the environment is further echoed by pilot-testing Waste Busterrr, its waste management program that cultivates the workplace practice to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste through proper waste segregation.
