Nestlé PH mounts fund drive for typhoon relief
In solidarity with residents in the Visayas and Mindanao who have been hit hard by Typhoon Odette, Nestlé Philippines is mounting a drive to distribute P22 million worth of its food and beverage products in affected areas.
Under Nestlé Cares, an employee volunteering program which helps serve the needs of communities, Nestlé PH employees have raised relief funds internally out of their own pockets. With the company matching employees’ contributions peso for peso, the amount totals over P2 million, to be turned over to the Philippine Red Cross for recovery and rehabilitation efforts.
Nestlé PH has identified specific locations in Eastern and Western Visayas as well as Mindanao for which aid will be provided, as well as local government units to partner with for the prompt distribution of various MILO, BEAR BRAND and NESCAFí‰ products.
Nestlé distributors and logistics partners are actively and fully committed to participating in the initiative. They are shouldering the logistics of transferring the goods to their destinations.
Donate A Book
The SM Store, in partnership with DepEd Division of Lanao Del Sur-1 and Arkat Lawanen, shared the joy of learning with students from far-flung Bangsamoro schools.
The SM Store’s annual Donate a Book drive pooled around 150,000 books in 2021, bringing the joy of learning to 130 schools and communities across the country and indeed going a long way–as far as the last-mile communities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) province of Lanao del Norte.
The reading and learning materials donated via SM City Cagayan De Oro were gifted to the school children from three of the farthest communities in BARMM: Pindolonan Elementary School in Tugaya, Gacap Primary School in Kapai, and Udalo Elementary School in Piagapo.
In partnership with the Department of Education’s Division of Lanao Del Sur-1 and Arkat Lawanen, the turnover ceremonies with storytelling sessions were led by Supervisor Sahaya M. Sarangani and OIC-SDS Dr. Sahanee M. Sumagayan, PhD.
The SM Store’s Donate A Book program started in 2015 and has collected almost one million reading and learnings materials for the benefit of public schools, youth organizations, and communities around the country.
MVP Group sends aid to Odette victims
The Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP) Group of Companies sent immediate financial and material assistance to the victims in Visayas and Mindanao, having raised more than P50 million total for relief and rehabilitation support.
MPIC and MPIF, through the Philippine Armed Forces, mobilized the distribution of 200 blankets and towels to families in its coastal community partner in Del Carmen, Siargao last Sunday. The municipality houses one of MPIF’s three mangrove centers and has been an integral partner in ensuring the protection and conservation of the local biosystems.
MPIC and MPIF are also donating P1 million total for Alagang Kapatid Foundation Inc.’s Feeding Program and Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation Inc. (PDRF), as financial support for their own Typhoon Odette initiatives. 500 ready-to-cook lugaw packs, 200 portable water filters, 100 sacks of rice, and 200 solar lamps will be sent to Surigao del Norte, Cordova in Cebu, and the province of Bohol. Additional 400 food packs with canned goods and vegetables will also make their way to these sites through MPIF.
The rest of MPIC’s subsidiaries are also carrying out their own efforts to ensure that the basic utilities and needs of the typhoon victims are immediately provided.
Beyond the raised funds in excess of P50 million, the companies have also provided over P24 million to date in additional support, P8 million of which was raised in the group’s 18-hour telethon. The entire group continues its efforts to raise funds to extend help to far flung areas affected by the typhoon.
Colgate-Palmolive, Shopee tie up
Shopee and Colgate-Palmolive have signed their first memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly drive e-commerce penetration of Oral Care, Home Care and Personal Care products and category on Shopee, across seven markets in the region.
This effort reflects Colgate’s commitment to the market and a deepening collaboration with Shopee to help grow its digital commerce business across Southeast Asia and Taiwan, more than 20 times by 2025.
Starting 2022, Colgate-Palmolive will become a strategic partner under Shopee’s Regional Champion Brands Program, which will help to strengthen Colgate-Palmolive’s online presence and deliver more of their innovative and high-quality products to millions of households through Shopee’s extensive reach.
Since launching their official store on Shopee Mall in 2019, Colgate-Palmolive has achieved steady growth year-on-year, and has consecutively ranked among the Top 5 Personal Care brands during Shopee’s year-end mega shopping campaigns. In the recent 11.11 Big Christmas Sale, Colgate achieved a record highest sales in a single day and grew more than 100 percent vs 9.9 Super Shopping Day.
RCBC dominates bank marketing awards
Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) continues to set the standard for the bank marketing industry as it won big in the recently concluded 4th Bank Marketing Awards.
RCBC’s DiskarTech financial inclusion app was named as the Best Financial Inclusion Program, besting several competitors in the category. RCBC also bagged the award for the Best COVID Response Initiative, utilizing the DiskarTech App.
DiskarTech is the first and only financial inclusion app that uses Filipino-English vernacular or Taglish and Cebuano languages in its interface, removing the language barrier and empowering its users to maximize the app’s features.
RCBC also won in several other categories, including Best Customer-centric Product or Service for RCBC Hexagon Club, the other new category for this year’s line-up, Best Product Program for RCBC One Account, and Best Program in Social Media for RCBC Christmas In Your Card–taking home five of the seven awards.
L.E.A.D. expanded
Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) has expanded its graduate program, L.E.A.D. (Leader Executive Accelerated Development) by introducing TechLEAD — a program focused on developing technical talent .
The bank’s initial LEAD Program, established in 2009, is a fast-track and accelerated curriculum designed to provide its management trainees or LEADs with a 6 to 7-year training and job experiences. The aim is to prepare and enable the individuals to contribute to UnionBank’s and their respective career goals. The course also equips the LEADs for the next significant step-up in the organization.
The LEADs undergo a 24-month rotation within a specialization area to immerse them to end-to-end processes, i.e., front, middle, and back office to hone the trainees’ people-leading and people-managing skills.
Maynilad CBA signed
Maynilad management and the company’s rank-and-file union–the Maynilad Water and Sewerage Union—Philippine Transportation and General Workers Organization –recently signed a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) covering more than 1,100 rank-and-file employees of the water company.
The memorandum of agreement (MOA) on the CBA was signed last November 29. Under the new CBA, Maynilad’s rank-and-file employees will be entitled to annual salary increases for two years, a signing bonus, and an increase in the health subsidy of their dependents.
This is another peaceful conclusion of a CBA with the rank-and-file union after only four negotiation meetings.
The two-year CBA will be effective from Jan. 1, 2022 to Jan. 1, 2023.
Ceres Liner elects board
Ceres Liner Travel and Tours Inc. (CLTTI) on January 3 elected its board members at the company’s stockholders meeting.
Relected as members were Olivia Yanson, Leo Rey V. Yanson, Ginnette Y. Dumancas, Charles M. Dumancas, Anita G. Chua, Arvin John V. Villaruel and Daniel Nicolas Golez.
The board, thereafter, held an organizational meeting and re-appointed Leo Rey as chairman of the board and president of CLTTI and Olivia as corporate secretary and treasurer.
Leo Rey, the re-elected chairman and president of CLTTI, said despite the challenges faced in 2021, the Yanson Group remains committed to providing the riding public with the most reliable means of public transportation.
Globe supports SaferKidsPH
Globe is giving its customers free access to UNICEF’s SaferKidsPH platform, in line with efforts to democratize information on proper data protection and reporting cases, when witnessed, as well as curb online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).
When visiting the SaferKidsPH online platform, Globe and TM customers will not incur any data charges. The website offers plenty of information about OSAEC — what it is, ways to fight it, and the different channels to report such cases.
“As a strong advocate of child online safety, we want to keep Filipino children safe even as they are constantly exposed to the internet. Our partnership with UNICEF for SaferKidsPH is not only a commitment, but also a call for our customers to join us in fighting OSAEC together,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe chief sustainability officer and SVP for Corporate Communications.
Globe and UNICEF, through SaferKidsPH have been working hand-in-hand to promote online safety and security among children since 2019. SaferKidsPH is an Australian Government initiative delivered through the consortium of Save the Children Philippines, The Asia Foundation and UNICEF to reduce the online sexual abuse and exploitation of children in the Philippines.
Holcim Ph CBA signing
Holcim Philippines Inc. and the rank-and-file union of its largest plant signed a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on December 6 with employees pledging to support the company’s efforts to drive performance.
The labor agreement will cover the Holcim Philippines Employees Association (HPEA), which has 112 members in its plant in Norzagaray, Bulacan.
The CBA is effective until 2026 with the economic provisions in the third and fourth year of the deal open to renegotiation by 2024.
Holcim President and CEO Horia Adrian and HPEA President Richard Cruz led the signing activity.
