Nickel Asia employees’ ‘yero’ gifts to Dinagat sitio
A few years back, employees of Nickel Asia Corporation (NAC) initiated a program called PSR — Personal Social Responsibility — with “Lapis at Papel, Kapalit ay Ngiti” where employees would donate writing papers and pencils to poor students in far-flung areas before the pandemic suspended face-to-face classes.
With the recent devastation in the wake of Typhoon Odette, the NAC employees have again pulled together personal funds to bring more than 200 sheets of corrugated sheets (yero) for residents of sitio Cagais in the island Province of Dinagat, among the worst-hit provinces.
Ricardo Piquero, Purok chairman of Barangay Legaspi, where sitio Cagais is located, received the donations in behalf of this small community of 22 households.
Engr. Arnilo C. Milaor, Resident Mine Manager of Cagdianao Mining Corp. (CMC), a NAC subsidiary based in Dinagat Islands, explains that the PSR program is when employees contribute from their own personal funds to give to the communities.
“NAC’s PSR programs respond to immediate needs of a community, the idea of corrugated sheets was decided after reports of houses in Dinagat Islands destroyed by the typhoon,” Milaor adds.
Aside from PSR however, CMC as a corporate citizen in Dinagat Islands has since downloaded P13.2M of the company’s social development and management program (SDMP) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to help the communities survive and recover from Odette.
Collectively, subsidiaries of NAC in areas hit by Odette — Cagdianao Mining (CMC), Hinatuan Mining (HMC), Rio Tuba Mining (RTN), and Taganito Mining (TMC) — have so far downloaded a total of P44.M of its SDMP and CSR funds to respond to the social challenges caused by Odette.
NAC is a diversified natural resources development company and the Philippine’s largest producer of lateritic nickel ore.
Novotel Manila showcases with new spin on dining flavors
While many hotel guests are relying on delivery services such as Novotel Manila’s very own Take Me Out, others are going above and beyond to welcome customers back to their dining outlets and provide a pleasant dining experience. Araneta City’s Novotel Manila is now ready to showcase an ALLSafe dining hospitality.
A HEALTHY FUTURE BEGINS WITH A SINGLE BITE AT GOURMET BAR BY NOVOTEL. Choose healthy yet fulfilling cuisines for a day as Gourmet Bar by Novotel brings you all new and revamped menu selections to stay true to our mission of serving you only the healthiest and freshest dishes featuring fresh harvest from the hotel’s very own organic farm in Rizal, the El Dorado, starting March 1. Gourmet Bar highlights dedicated Healthy Choice and Vegan Selections alongside your favorite healthy pizzas, gourmet bowls, and Filipino specialty.
FOOD EXCHANGE MANILA PRESENTS CULTURAL PALATES EVERY SUNDAY BRUNC. Beginning March, enjoy your favorite buffet items once more, but this time, in an even safer setting! The all-day dining restaurant of the Food Exchange Manila opens its doors with all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch dining concept that includes live cooking stations and platters. Enjoy delicious carvings such as crispy pork belly and the finest seafood selections from mud crab to prawns, cheese and charcuterie, and celebrated cuisines from across the region cooked by the culinary experts of Novotel Manila.
New July dates for ASEAN Gaming Summit 2022
Asia Gaming Brief has announced that the ASEAN Gaming Summit will now be taking place at the Shangri-La At The Fort in Manila on 25-27 July.
Originally scheduled at the Shangri-La At The Fort in Manila on March 21-23, the in-person conference has been pushed back given the disruptions caused by the Omicron variant in Asia.
The new July dates take into consideration the expected continued reopening of the region’s travel borders and rising vaccination rates in the Philippines.
“The most important aspect of our ASEAN Gaming Summit conference is being able to offer our delegates and sponsors a complete package of networking opportunities and educational content. We believe our new July dates will be able to achieve this whilst providing safety and security for our attendees,” said Felix Ng, conference director of the ASEAN Gaming Summit.
“Our conference has always been about fostering new and old business connections within the Asian gaming industry… and after two years of not being able to run an in-person gathering of gaming executives, we’re really excited to be able to work on it again this year.”
Registration for the ASEAN Gaming Summit is now live on aseangaming.com. Conference passes are charged at a flat rate of $2,395 per attendee (though group discounts are available). Asia Gaming Brief will continue to provide a Covid-19 ticket refund guarantee.
Pru Life UK, MMDA tie up
Pru Life UK and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) remain as staunch allies to make the roads safer and better for Filipinos as they recently renewed the SAFE STEPS Road Safety partnership for the fifth straight year.
Under the agreement, Pru Life UK will continue providing free Group Personal Accident (PA) insurance coverage with accidental death and disablement benefit and burial assistance to about 8,000 MMDA employees. From 2017 to 2021, there have been 66 beneficiaries of the government agency’s insured employees who received assistance from Pru Life UK under this partnership.
The tie-up which started in 2017 aims to promote the well-being of MMDA employees as well as Filipino motorists and pedestrians by promoting the SAFE STEPS Road Safety program.
The educational and awareness materials geared towards responsible driving and road usage was created by Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential in Asia and Africa. These are deployed through MMDA’s communication platforms including its LED gantries along EDSA, steep pylons in all key Metro Manila roads, including their website and social media channels.
Prosperna partners with Omnirio
Prosperna announced a strategic partnership with Omnirio to enable Philippine retailers to accelerate digitization.
Partnering with Omnirio will enable their customers to automate their inventory operations to avoid out-of-stock situations and miss out on any sales opportunities.
With Omnirio, retailers are now able to easily manage ecommerce operations and grow their online businesses across Lazada, Shopee, Prosperna, Zalora and other online platforms through powerful integrations and real time data.
Omnirio helps drive over $10 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) through their platform by working with some of the largest brands in the world that operate in the Philippines like Jockey, Giordano, Marks and Spencer, Lacoste and New Era.
Prosperna is also making it extremely easy and very affordable for micro small and medium sized businesses to accept online orders from their own online store, Facebook, Viber and WhatsApp, offer digital payments and automatically book shipping. Merchants of any size can set up their own online store in minutes directly from their mobile phone or from a browser without any coding experience. With Omnirio, customers can deliver their products faster and cheaper with better inventory visibility across multiple locations.
Study now, pay later
Refocus, a leading global edtech startup that provides up-to-date practical skills for adults, and local fintech startup BillEase, which offers flexible and transparent alternatives to credit cards and e-wallets, have partnered to offer study now, pay later in the Philippines.
Refocus is offering students and young professionals online programs to help them acquire skills and jumpstart their careers in the marketing and information yechnology industry. plan
BillEase will enable students to enroll in the said programs through zero interest installment payment plans. Students who apply can select 3, 6, 9, 12 months installment , no interest and no down payment required.
Customers only need to download the BillEase app, sign up with just one valid government ID, and a credit decision is made within five minutes.
AIC joins PBCWE
Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC), the infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz Group, is the newest member company to join the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE).
Established in 2017, PBCWE is the inaugural project of the Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PhilWEN) in partnership with Investing in Women, an initiative of the Australian Government. AIC joins the 19 member companies in leading efforts towards building a business case for gender equality, creating knowledge on best practices in the workplace, communicating the benefits of empowering women in the workforce, and institutionalising policies based on best practices.
As the newest member of PBCWE, AIC commits to increase the participation of women, institutionalise gender-neutral policies, close the gender pay gap, if any, and influence their peers in the infrastructure development industry and their network. Part of AIC’s membership package is to undergo the Gender Equality Assessment, Results and Strategies (GEARS), a tool developed in partnership with Investing in Women. GEARS provides companies with the information and resources necessary to start the change process towards gender equality.
Colliers reaffirms commitment to D&I
Colliers has reaffirmed its commitment to elevating diversity and inclusiveness (D&I) by taking action on gender equity.
In 2021, female promotions in key markets in Asia Pacific exceeded male promotions, including New Zealand (72.6 percent), Hong Kong (63.4 percent), Singapore (54.2 percent), Japan (100 percent), and the Philippines (66.7 percent).
Diversity is one of Colliers’ strategic areas of focus, said John Kenny, chief executive officer, Asia Pacific.
“The increasing number of women who have joined Colliers and have been promoted is not only a testament to the calibre of professionals that we hire, but is also a reflection of our culture. Diversity and inclusion make us better and strengthen our business by enriching our culture, helping us deepen relationships among our people, and accelerating success for our clients.”
