New SM City Roxas
SM Prime Holdings Inc. opened last Friday, April 8, its 79th and newest mall in the Philippines, SM City Roxas.
The two-level 41,000 square meter mall will serve customers in Capiz and nearby Panay provinces of Aklan and Antique.This newest development will bring new trends in shopping, dining and entertainment experiences in Roxas City and the whole province of Capiz.
Located on Arnaldo Boulevard in Barangay Baybay, SM City Roxas offers two levels of shopping, dining and entertainment experiences with almost a thousand parking slots and a transport hub that offers convenience to its customers. SM City Roxas also offers an atrium that features a large open-air, skylighted space design incorporating distinctive modern textures and fascinating colors, giving shoppers a fun shopping and leisure experience.
‘Buy Local’ fund
Using the loan received from Smart Communication Inc.’s Buy Local Sustainability Fund, vegetable grower Celeste Naguiat of Floridablanca, Pampanga, was able to buy seedlings, fertilizers and pesticides.
Smart’s ‘Buy Local’ program is part of the telco’s framework of Technology for Development that aims to narrow down the digital divide.
Naguiat credits the low-interest loans and spaced payment schedules received from the Sustainability Fund for her recovery.
The Sustainability Fund is tied to Smart’s ‘Buy Local’ campaign where PLDT and Smart employees, as well as employees of other Manuel V. Pangilinan-led companies, can buy directly from the farmers providing them a sure market for their crops. Part of the proceeds go to a sustainability fund that is lent to adopted farmers as low-interest loans for farm inputs through its social agri-enterprise partner Cropital.
The ‘Buy Local’ program resides under Smart’s framework of Technology for Development that aims to narrow down the digital divide.
Manila Water shortlisted for Water Company of the Year
Manila Water Co. (MWC) has been shortlisted for the Water Company of the Year prize by the 2022 Global Water Awards, the winner of which will be announced during the Global Water Summit scheduled on May 17, 2022 in Madrid, Spain.
This was disclosed during the 6th installment of the Upsilon Sigma Phi Climate Action Network (UpsilonCAN) webinar series entitled “The Manila Water Sustainability Story” held last April 4. The event took place in observance of World Water Day 2022, and was co-presented by Upsilon Sigma Phi North America, Inc. and the UP Circle of Entrepreneurs.
MWC is ranked among the best water operator in the world by Global Water Intelligence, and it received the Best Sustainability Award by Asset Asian Awards in 2020 for its $500 million sustainability bond issuance — the largest sustainability bond issued by a privately-led, publicly-listed water utility in Asia. MWC has also been recognized by the World Bank as a water utility of the future.
In the 25 years since MWC took over management and operations of its franchise area in 1997, water availability has increased from 26 to 100 percent in its Central Distribution System; it has reduced non-revenue water from 63 percent to 13 percent; and it now serves 7.3 million consumers, compared to only 3.1 million when it began.
MWC is also known to have pioneered sustainability practices in the Philippines: it was the first domestic company to publish sustainability reports in 2005; the first to communicate climate change policies in 2007; and the first to publish sustainability reports in accordance with GRI Standards in 2010.
ViVYD for hybrid
MullenLowe TREYNA Group has made available in the market ViVYD, a feature-rich, Filipino-built platform for hybrid.
Dubbed “Seamless, Borderless, Limitless,” ViVYD promises today’s hybrid experience creators and organizers advanced features to customize and stage distinctive events for any audience.
Organizers will appreciate the ability to choose between self-serve or managed services (including production team), the ease of use of the backend event management system, customizable login levels for different types of attendees, and flexible skinning and branding throughout. Audiences can view virtual watch rooms, manage their schedules with an interactive calendar that updates in real time, engage with one another through in-event community chats, and express their sentiments live through an applause and reaction bar.
ViVYD premiered in October 2021 at IMMAP Digicon.
GCash Digital Excellence Awards
The GCash Digital Excellence Awards was held last March 31 through an exclusive virtual event.
Three main awards were given this year to a total of 40 GCash partners.
The Industry Pioneer Award was given to Max’s Group Inc, Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. , Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc, ACADOPS (Academy of Operations Excellence and Services Inc), National Book Store Inc, Lalamove, Villarica Pawnshop, Inc., NCCC, Mega Q Mart, Farmers Market Araneta City, Puregold Price Club, Inc., Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. , REGCRIS GROUP OF COMPANIES, Tulay sa Pag-Unlad, Inc. and Paynamics Technologies, Inc.
The Innovation & Growth Award went to McDonald’s Philippines , DMCI Holdings, Inc., Robinsons Supermarket Corp., Nestlé, Philippines Inc., Chris Marr Corp. , Suyen Corp. , Angkas, Pay&Go , New Las Pinas Market, Ministop, Appboxo Pte Ltd, Concentrix Daksh Services Philippines Corp. , and BDO Unibank Inc.
The Transformative Ecosystem Award was given to Puregold Price Club, Inc., Classic Savory, Ayala Corp. , Unilever Philippines, Inc, Cebu, People’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative, The SM Store, foodpanda, Direct Agent 5, Inc., Star Market, Generika , Booky, and Electronic Commerce Payments.
A Taste of Diversity
TELUS International held a recipe competition for team members across the TELUS International Philippines, Chengdu (China), and India delivery centers. Winners were featured in the first-ever TELUS International diversity cookbook of winning recipes A Taste of Diversity.
Over 150 team members responded to the request for original Indian, Philippine and Chinese recipes, but only 60 emerged winners across five categories: soups, salads, appetizers, main course, and desserts.
Emerging winners in the Soups and Salads categories were Jomar Agregado, Cris Advincula, Diana Adorna, Rayzy Angeles Nufable, Neha Bhutani, Angel Tang, Karen Joy Belos, and Federico Guillergan. Winners in the Appetizer category included Ella Cecilia Edralin, Edrelynne Dela Pena, Carlo Planco, John Edmar Llasus, Darren Polante, Neneth Navarette, John Agustin Belicena, Anish Debnath, Juhi Zaidi, Pallavi Das, Huachen Xing, and Ernest James Perlas.
Winners in the Main Course category were Amy Zhang, Fiona Feng, Susie Su, Silvia Zeng, Tooy Wang, Mirei Magallona, Jayson Toledo, Joseph Ivan Gaffud, Karen Villegas, Maria Angelica Bustamante, Lance de los Angeles, Roderick Santos, Karen Tan, Justine Alano, Lindley Aurelio, Mark Esteve Pereda, Myca Santos, Ephraim Miguel Mercado, Anil Thapa, Gautam Piplani, Gourab Sarkar, Keshav Aggarwal, Amil Khan, Namrata Goel, Paras Saini, Rahul Bose, Sushant Khanka, and Vishu Luthra.
In the Desserts Category, the winners were Anmol Sarraf, Monika Jaiswal, Nawaz Nasar, Richa Sharma, Roxanne Moon, Sajal Gupta, Arian Corpuz, Aldrich Cu, Marry Jo Macorol, Michael Imbao, Joven Quitayen, and Rolly Harcia.
‘Rising Tiger’
Frederick Ong, president and chief executive officer of Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines, Inc. (PCPPI), was recently named among the Top 50 Rising Tigers in the Asia-Pacific by Asia Leaders Awards.
The awarding body recognized various industry leaders who propelled their companies forward and uplift the communities they serve, despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the leadership of Ong, PCPPI was able to ensure unhampered operations even during the peak of the global health crisis.
The awarding ceremony was held on March 22 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Bonifacio Global City,
First Shoshin, Bixie tie up
First Shoshin Solutions Inc. (FSSI) which has invested to develop a $5- million fintech hub in 2020, announced its partnership with Bixie.
Bixie is Asia’s leading female finance platform, providing an AI-powered finance app that encourages savings and wealth generation through knowledge, network, and tools.
Under the partnership, Bixie will leverage FSSI’s APIs and other integrations such as blockchain and banking partners as well its Operators of Payment Systems license with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
FSSI delivers digital innovation in the country through its financial technology JojoCare, J an online consultation platform where consumers and providers can safely access and deliver healthcare; and JoJoPay, a digital payment platform that allows users to move money instantly across borders and where transactions are powered by the Cloudchain blockchain, a first in the Philippines.
Food photography workshop
Araneta City’s Gateway Gallery will conduct its first onsite #ArtsyWorkshop for 2022 with the Delish Food Photography Workshop on April 30, 2 to 5 p.m.
Veteran photographer Louie Aguinaldo will teach the principles, techniques, tools, and tips on how to capture enticing photos of food.
The workshop will train participants on producing Instagram-worthy and ad-worthy food photos even with the use of a smartphone camera, whether for personal use or business purposes.
The workshop fee is P1,500 and includes handouts and a certificate.
