PCPPI donation
Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines, Inc. (PCPPI) recently donated Php150,000-worth of bottled drinks to Surigao City’s Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
PCPPI provided more than 4,500 bottles of water and other Pepsi products to families and communities hardest hit by Super Typhoon Odette, since food and water are among the essentials badly needed in the area to date.
PCPPI employees in Mindanao also donated food packs and drinks to members of their distribution network and their families who were likewise devastated by the Typhoon.
First Metro bags awards
First Metro Investment Corp. , the investment banking arm of the Metrobank Group, won four awards in the 15th Annual Deal & Solution Awards organized by leading regional capital markets magazine Alpha Southeast Asia.
The Bureau of the Treasury’s $1.59 billion Retail Dollar Bonds bagged the Best Retail Dollar Bond Deal of the Year and Best Sovereign Bond Deal of the Year awards. First Metro was one of the joint issue managers of the first-ever onshore retail dollar bond issuance.
Meanwhile, the P55.89 billion initial public offering (IPO) of Monde Nissin Corp., the country’s largest IPO, was awarded the Best IPO Deal of the Year in the Philippines. First Metro acted as local lead underwriter and joint bookrunner of the offering.
First Metro also participated in the P15.29 billion IPO of MREIT, Inc., which was chosen as the Best Equity Deal in the Philippines. MREIT, Inc. is a company designated by Megaworld Corporation to operate as a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT).
The transactions were cited not only for their size but also because they were executed and closed in the middle of the pandemic, with a challenging operating environment for many investment banks and financial institutions. Planning, coordination, selling and distribution were done largely via virtual meetings and formats, including regulatory approvals and prIrma,
BEI elects board
Bachelor Express Inc. (BEI), a public transport firm plying routes in Mindanao, held its annual stockholders’ meeting on January 16 with family matriarch Olivia V. Yanson heading the board election.
BEI is owned by the Yanson Group.
During the meeting, Olivia V. Yanson, Leo Rey V. Yanson, Ginnette Y. Dumancas, Charles M. Dumancas, Rey C. Ardo, Arvin John V. Villaruel, Anita G. Chua, Daniel Nicolas P. Golez, Hernan B. Omecillo, Danny O. Lorenton, and Alfredo O. Ligo, Jr. were re-elected as members of BEI’s Board of Directors.
Following the election of the directors, the Board held an organizational meeting wherein Leo Rey V. Yanson was re-appointed as chairman of the board and president of BEI, while Olivia V. Yanson was re-appointed as BEI’s corporate secretary and treasurer.
Olivia was appointed last year by a Bacolod court to be the special administrator of the estate of her late husband Ricardo B. Yanson.
Chairman and president Leo Rey V. Yanson said despite the challenges faced in 2021, BEI remains strong and resilient and committed to providing the riding public with the most reliable means of public transportation for all.
Viber strengthens presence in PH
Viber has expanded its growth in the Philippines in 2021, as it has pursued strategic and effective local partnerships that respond to the shifting needs of the users and allow to explore how the app can be an integral part of their day-to-day life beyond calls and messages.
These partnerships have been Viber’s key driver for success, as the messaging app has recorded 57.37 percent growth in calls in 2021, with 31 percent increase in the use of messages. Group chats grew 17 percent while group chat messages saw a growth of 19 percent.
Viber has noted that over half of its users in the Philippines are part of the younger demographic with 40 percent belonging to the 25 to 34 age group, followed by the 35 to 50 at 30 percent. Filipinos below 24-years-old have also started using the app more, making up 17 percent of its users, while the remaining 13 percent are 52-years-old and up.
“Partnering with local brands and businesses has allowed Viber to strengthen its presence in the Philippines while improving our connection with them, responding to their needs, and presenting them with new features that help them enhance how they communicate and make their lives more efficient,” said David Tse, Rakuten Viber senior director for APAC.
