DBP backs NG’s logistics action plan
State-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) is prepared to extend the needed technical and financial assistance to strategic initiatives that would ensure the successful implementation of the Marcos Administration’s three-year logistics master plan to reduce the cost of commodities, particularly food, a top official said.
DBP President and Chief Executive Officer Michael O. de Jesus said the Bank would work closely with the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture and other government agencies and key stakeholders to modernize the food distribution system and storage and to address prevailing supply chain gaps.
DBP, the eighth largest bank in the country in terms of assets, provides strategic financing support to critical economic sectors such as infrastructure and logistics, micro, small and medium enterprises, social services, and the environment.
In August this year, President Marcos, Jr. approved the country’s three-year food logistics action agenda aimed at promoting food availability, accessibility, and affordability through strategies that would modernize the country’s food distribution system, increase investments in logistics infrastructure, and address other supply chain gaps.
De Jesus said that as of end of the first half of 2023, DBP has allocated P281.6 billion for projects under the infrastructure and logistics sector, representing 55.5% of its total loan to borrowers amounting to P506.9-billion.
He said total loan releases to the sector have reached P45.5 billion while deals in the pipeline are around P18.5 billion for the period covering January to June this year
“As of July this year, DBP has approved a total of P25.55-billion in loans for 189 borrowers nationwide under the auspices of the Bank’s Connecting Rural Urban Intermodal Systems Efficiently (CRUISE) program, which serve as our flagship facility for transport infrastructure and logistics sector,” de Jesus said.
Cebu Pacific, UNICEF Take Flight for Better Future
Cebu Pacific, the Philippines’ leading airline, underscored its commitment to shaping a brighter future for Filipino children and communities during the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Forum with Private Sector Partners, held on September 26, 2023, at Marco Polo, Ortigas.
Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific’s chief marketing and customer experience officer, highlighted the airline’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies at the forum. These strategies are grounded on promoting sustainable tourism, fostering responsible citizenship, and providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to communities in need.”‹
“For Cebu Pacific, our purpose has always been to move people, create opportunities, and broaden perspectives by enabling every Juan to lead richer and fuller lives. This commitment is grounded in our belief that a business thrives when it uplifts the communities it serves,” said Iyog.
A significant part of CEB’s CSR initiatives is its seven-year partnership with UNICEF through the “Change for Good” program. This initiative, which started in 2016, collects spare change from passengers to support vulnerable children in the Philippines. To date, CEB has successfully raised over $ 1.6 million, significantly improving access to education, healthcare, and humanitarian aid for communities in need.
Looking ahead, CEB will continue to build strong partnerships with government agencies, private institutions, and civil society to secure a brighter future for children and communities in the country. Through these initiatives, CEB aims to make a significant impact on the lives of every Juan.
Security Bank employees, SBFI participate in Brigada Eskwela in Lapu-Lapu, Cebu
Security Bank employees radiated the spirit of ‘bayanihan’ (cooperative endeavor) at Security Bank Foundation, Inc.’s (SBFI) latest school painting employee volunteer activity in Cebu on August 19, 2023. Fifty employees from Security Bank’s Visayas Areas 30 and 31 participated in painting the two-story, six-classroom building donated to Pusok Elementary School, situated along the way to Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Lapu-Lapu City.
The volunteer drive was SBFI’s way of supporting the Department of Education’s (DepEd) 2023 Brigada Eskwela which called for volunteers nationwide to ensure a safe and child-friendly environment for learners. Other initiatives included school painting activities in Iligan City and Cabanatuan City, the turnover of 36 new classrooms in Naga City, Santiago City and Digos City from June to August, the ongoing construction of 68 new classrooms for turnover by 2023 year-end, and the launch and conduct of three-year training programs for teachers and school leaders.
Besides school painting, SBFI also provides other opportunities for employees to participate in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through fundraising activities for scholarships and tree planting initiatives.
Philippine Ambassador to Spain assumes chairmanship of ASEAN Committee in Madrid
On September 7, 2023, the Philippine Ambassador to Spain, Philippe J. Lhuillier, officially assumed the Chairmanship of the ASEAN Committee in Madrid (ACM) during a formal turnover ceremony hosted at the Official Residence of the Philippine Ambassador in Madrid.
During his Acceptance Remarks, Ambassador Lhuillier emphasized the enduring importance of diplomacy, cooperation, and mutual understanding as the foundational principles guiding the collaborative endeavors of the ACM. He called upon his fellow Ambassadors to lend their unwavering support to the establishment of robust bilateral relationships between each member state of ASEAN and Spain. He underscored Spain’s substantial role as a crucial partner for ASEAN, both economically and culturally.
The ACM comprises the embassies of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam in Madrid.
Budget-friendly insurance for every Filipino
In partnership with trusted insurance companies, GCash hopes to provide affordable and credible financial protection for different needs such as health, income protection, travel, lifestyle, business, vehicle, and lifestyle, through GInsure, a one-stop shop for all insurance needs inside the GCash app.
Health And Personal Protection. GCash offers health protection in partnership with Singlife Philippines. For as low as PHP 79 per month and in under three steps, insured users can get PHP 250,000 worth of coverage in cases of COVID-19, dengue, and accidents.
In partnership with Cebuana Lhuillier, Sun Life, Singlife, Pru Life, Pioneer Insurance and Generali, GInsure also offers personal insurance that will ensure regular monthly income for beneficiaries in case of disability or death. Personal insurance on GInsure costs as low as P10.
Worry-Free Travels. Powered by Standard Insurance and Malayan Insurance, travel protection premiums on GInsure start at PHP 103 pesos and can be accomplished in under three minutes.
Peace Of Mind For Business. GCash has partnered with Malayan Insurance and Igloo to offer Negosyo Insure, designed to protect small business owners with physical stores.
Protection On The Road. GCash has collaborated with trusted partners to provide car owners with affordable vehicle insurance they can purchase within minutes.
Smart rolls out prepaid and postpaid eSIM offers via digital delivery
Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) continues to set the pace for the wider adoption of eSIM in the country by making both prepaid and postpaid eSIM offers conveniently available via digital delivery.
This means mobile users may now simply order their Smart Prepaid eSIM or Smart Postpaid eSIM at the Smart online store, and have it conveniently delivered to their email instantly.
Upon receiving their prepaid or postpaid eSIM, users only need to scan the unique QR code and then register it after activation to start enjoying data, call, and text services on Smart’s award-winning mobile network.
Meanwhile, Smart will continue to cater to customers who prefer their Prepaid eSIM on printed cards by making this version available in strategic areas. Postpaid customers may also sign up for and get their eSIMs personally at Smart Stores nationwide.
The eSIM enables users to enjoy multiple lines even if they only have one physical SIM slot in their handset, such as Apple devices. With the eSIM, they may now conveniently switch between two or more accounts or SIM profiles on their iPhone.
Inbound foreign tourists and returning Overseas Filipino Workers and Balikbayans can order their Smart Prepaid eSIM ahead of their trip and simply activate it upon their arrival and use Smart services at costs significantly lower than roaming rates.
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 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). Invited as main speaker was Amrei Dizon, founder and chief creative officer of Vitalstrats Creative Solutions, who 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 provided an in-depth discussion of the various tools available to brands interested in venturing into digital marketing, and delved into one of the most significant topics in today’s marketing landscape–artificial intelligence or AI.
Dizon has a simple advice for brands especially now that more consumers are giving more value to user-generated feedback–be authentic and deliver on your promise
Aside from the informative discussion, Araneta City’s Marketing team walked the lessees through the upcoming events and activities that they can take advantage of at the City of Firsts.
More rewards for Lalamove partner drivers
True to its commitment to empowering its partner driver community, Lalamove, the leading on-demand delivery platform, together with Pag-IBIG, recently set up a booth in the Lalamove Partner Driver Center at the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) where Lalamove partner drivers can get their Pag-IBIG Loyalty Card.
This is part of Lalamove and Pag-IBIG’s partnership to help improve the partner driver community’s access to decent and affordable housing through high-interest savings and emergency loans.
Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Marilene C. Acosta shared the same sentiments, saying, thatPag-IBIG Fund remains committed to its mandates of providing its members with affordable home loans and secure savings.
