TEAM ENERGY school facilities, BPI SME award, TAIWAN NGO helps community, ABOITIZ Power lights up community, PHINMA-Bukas tie-up, Football on VIBER, Promo at SHANG, Inclusivity at MARS WRIGLEY, ARANETA CITY’s Christmas on display, CRIMSON BORACAY award, CSMC platinum award

TeaM Energy builds school facilities in Quezon, Pangasinan

To help boost the country’s education sector, TeaM Energy, through its corporate social responsibility arm TeaM Energy Foundation, Inc. (TEFI) recently completed the construction of a fully equipped school building in Pangasinan, and a 320 square meter multi-purpose hall in Quezon.

The brand-new school building in Siaosio Integrated School in Sual, Pangasinan include two fully furnished classrooms with armchairs, blackboards, teacher’s desks, electric fans, and lighting fixtures. The classrooms also have their own restroom.

The multi-purpose facility donated by TEFI to Lipata Elementary School in Barangay Lipata, Padre Burgos, Quezoncomes with a stage, floodlights, and 100 chairs.

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Over the years, TEFI’s Project SiKAP (SilidAralantungosaKatauparang ng mgaPangarap), has successfully constructed high quality classrooms and school-buildings to aid the continuous development of the country’s education sector.

TEFI is the social development arm of TeaM Energy, which operates two coal-fired power plants: the1,200 MWSual Power Station in Pangasinan, and the 735 MW Pagbilao Power Station in Quezon Province. It also has a 50% stake in the 420 MW Pagbilao Unit 3 Power Project in Quezon.

BPI named Best SME Bank

For championing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and responding to their specialized needs with its range of products and services, market standing, and innovation, the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) was recently proclaimed as the Best SME Bank in the Philippines by prestigious international publication Global Finance.

Headquartered in New York, with offices in London and Milan and with readers in 163 countries, Global Finance selected BPI and other World’s Best Bank winners for 2022 based on their performance throughout 2021 and other criteria, including their reputation, management excellence, leadership in digital transformation, and corporate citizenship.

BPI recently launched SME-friendly loans such as the Ka-Negosyo Credit Line (KCL) for flexible financing of recurring expenses, the Ka-Negosyo Ready Loan (KRL) for short-term and seasonal working capital requirements, and the Ka-Negosyo SME Loan (KSL) for making bigger capital expenses more affordable and lighter on the pocket as paying the loan can be over a long period of time.

Taiwan NGO runs  community resilience practice in Mandaluyong

Taiwan Fund for Children and Families with support from the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hosted an advocacy campaign for community resilience – fire safety last November 19.

Local volunteer leaders conducted activities and games relevant to their advocacy and presented testimonies from the families who benefited from their programs, such as the Housing Support Program, Community Environment Improvement, and Community Patrol.

Through these programs, the organization works with families to replace their houses with fire-resistant materials. Local community volunteer leaders underwent a series of training, simulation activities, and fire drills to strengthen their leadership skills. The programs also include making community maps and fire safety equipment on the streets, which are accessible to the residents.

AboitizPower, ZANECO set to light up 40 households

AboitizPower and Zamboanga del Norte Electric Cooperative Inc. (ZANECO) recently sealed a partnership that will electrify 40 households in Barangay Compra, Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte in time for the Christmas season.

Dubbed as the “Light-a-Home,” the project will further electrification efforts in the province, especially in far-flung areas where residents continue to have little to no access to power. AboitizPower and ZANECO agreed to provide and install electrical wiring materials to the community which is within the cooperative’s franchise area.

The collaboration was forged to support the national government’s Sitio Electrification Program (SEP)which intends to connect rural communities in the Philippines to the power grid.

According to AboitizPower vice president for Wholesale Sales Catherine Del Villar-Pasilaban, they intend to pursue more partnerships that help address various social challenges.

Flexible payment options for students

PHINMA Education has partnered with Bukas, an education financing platform, to intensify flexible options for students to pursue their studies through tuition installment plans available to both Flex Learning and Remote and Distance (RaD) Learning students.

“Our two models, Flex and RaD Learning, both relied on printed activity sheets combined with strong teacher and peer support through a mobile data allocation that renewed every month,” said Francis Larios, chief learning officer of PHINMA Education. “FlexLearning students will have in-person classes once regulations allow, while RaDLearning students will continue to be home-based.”

Bukas’ tuition installment plan allows students to pay for their tuition in monthly installments for 12 months (or less) instead of making a one-time lump sum payment. A Bukas tuition plan is also a safe and secure alternative for parents and students instead of turning to informal lenders with high interest rates.

Football on Viber

Viber celebrates football by getting its users into the competitive spirit with fun and interactive features, including a game prediction and leaderboard chatbot, gamified football AR Lenses, and stickers

Rakuten Viber announced the launch of interactive and gamified football-related features, including a chatbot, AR Lenses, a sticker pack, and international and  national sports media Channels to follow the latest news in international football competitions. The new features will kick off in November and be available for two months.

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Viber’s 2022 global football campaign will help its millions of app users celebrate the sport with match predictions chatbot to inspire friendly competitions within private or group chats. To follow alongside their favorite team, users’ predictions can be posted on the global leaderboard for a chance to win exciting prizes.

Shang promo

Shoppers  at Shang get  a chance to bring home a brand-new Suzuki Jimny this Christmas with the Drive Home a 4WD this Christmas Holidaze Raffle Promo which runs from Nov. 10, 1922 to Jan. 31, 2023.

A single receipt of P2,500 entitles  one to a  digital raffle coupon. Shang is giving away three Suzuki Jimny GLX 1.5L A/Ts, one in trendy Solid Kinetic Yellow and two in classic Metallic Chiffon Ivory.

The promo is open to mall guests of at least 18 years of age with a Philippine address.

#HereToBeHeard

Talent pipeline is regularly reviewed through its hiring panels and development programs. Increased workplace flexibility is implemented to help relieve some of the stressors of balancing work and family especially among women.

Mars’ commitment to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace reflects on its Antipolo factory. With more than a hundred associates, the factory management team has already achieved a 50:50 gender balance ratio in leadership and are now working on achieving the same results across the rest of the business.

“Mars Wrigley has been intentional in hiring female associates in production. There is also a good mix of tenured and relatively new associates and we continue to have a high level of engagement with all of them,” said Rosalie Dizon, manager at Mars Wrigley Quality & Food Safety.

Araneta City revives iconic Christmas on display

As part of the “Christmas Like No Other” holiday celebration this year, Araneta City revives the iconic Christmas On Display attraction.

Opened to the public on November 11, the renowned holiday display  is mounted inside Araneta City’s mini Festival Carnival — which features the City of First’s giant Christmas tree, grand Christmas stage and lights, food park, merry-go-round, and other kiddie attractions. It is displayed on a 30-meter wide and 10-meter high platform.

The display’s life-sized moving mannequins will narrate the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. It will run daily until January 8, with two shows per hour every night starting at 6 p.m.

Crimson Boracay Best for Families awardee

Crimson Resort and Spa Boracay added another feather to its proverbial cap as it was recently hailed as the winner in the Best for Families category of the 2023 Condé Nast Johansens Awards for Excellence.

Crimson Boracay came away as the resort facility favored by families with children due to the excellence of its amenities, as well as its culture of caring for both the oldest and youngest of its visitors in the best manner possible.

Selected through an online poll by independent critics, as well as former and current guests, the Condé Nast Johansens Awards for Excellence are considered among the most democratic and even transparent travel awards as these are chosen by those who have had the opportunity to experience the nominated facilities first-hand.

 CSMC receives platinum award

Cardinal Santos Medical Center (CSMC) was awarded for its platinum accreditation by Investors in People (IiP) at the recently concluded concourse and awarding ceremony “The Keys to Culture-building: More than Just a Nice Place to Work!”

CSMC VP and head of Human Resources Maria Louzel Diaz-Tiozon, discussed the various implementations done by the hospital in order to enhance and maintain the well-being, morale and performance of its employees, medical staff and patient community. This included the hospital’s Nursing Career Development Program which aims to transform nurses into globally competitive professionals through circular migration; the Psychosocial Wellness Program which was the institution’s response to the growing burnout faced by frontliners during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic; the WebiCon series that sought to educate and inform the public on various medical ailments, treatments and prevention measures and many others.