Women leaders honored
Christine Clark, Australian Ambassador for Women and Girls, presents Dr. Homolata Borah of India the Women’s International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) Leadership Awards – Rising Star 2022
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), with the support of Australian Government and SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPHI), recently presented the 2022 Women’s International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) Leadership Awards to Dr. Esline Garaebiti of Vanuatu and Dr. Homolata Borah of India.
Dr. Esline Garaebiti, the Director General of the Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards, Environment, Energy and Disaster Management in Vanuatu was conferred the 2022 WIN- DRR Leadership Excellence Award.
Dr. Garaebiti was instrumental in the design and rollout of the Oceania Regional Seismic Network (ORSNET) across Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Samoa, which improved tsunami detection system in the region. She is also the advocator for the Melanesia volcano network between PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
Dr. Homolata Borah was this year’s recipient of the WIN DRR Leadership Awards – Rising Star Award. Over the last six years, Dr. Borah has been working towards reducing disaster risk for some of the most vulnerable (and diverse) communities living in the world’s largest inhabited river island of Majuli in the state of Assam in India. The island has lost more than 30% of its landmass to river erosion over the last nine decades.
The winners were selected from the 420 nominations that were received from 24 countries across the Asia-Pacific region. UNDRR, Australian Government and SM Prime, presented the awards on 21 September 2022 at the Plaza Gallery, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre during the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR).
At the event, SM Prime’s Ms. Jessica Sy stated that SM Prime is “privileged to be a partner of UNDRR, WINDRR and the Australian Government in honoring women leaders who are in the forefront of DRR. It is heartwarming to be part of a body that recognizes how women across the Asia- Pacific Region are helping all of us to better understand and reduce the risk of disasters – when they happen.”
The WIN DRR Leadership Awards, part of UNDRR’s flagship women’s leadership initiative and supported by Australian Aid, recognize women’s achievements in disaster risk reduction across the Asia-Pacific region.
There are two award categories — the Excellence Award, proudly sponsored by SM Prime Holdings, Inc., worth US$10,000 and the Rising Star Award worth US$7,500.
Petron supports 2022 Highway Run
Oil industry leader Petron Corporation helped big bikers commemorate 15 years of access to the expressways with the 2022 Highway Run held last September 24.
Initiated by the Mad Dog Motorcycle Club, the event celebrates the successful advocacy to open Philippine toll roads to large displacement motorcycles with engines 400cc and over.
The Toll Regulatory Board under the Department of Transportation granted the petition on September 28, 2007.
For this year’s special commemoration, participating motorcycle clubs received tokens at Petron San Pedro SLEX and at Petron Pura Tarlac along the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX). Over 500 riders dropped by the designated Petron stations.
According to Mad Dog’s president, Dustin Andaya, “The two-wheel community appreciates the special focus of Petron, particularly in the products and services that are customized for our needs. For example, bikers can enjoy the exclusive motorcycle lane at Petron stations that makes fueling up safe and hassle-free. Also, they have developed products formulated for motorcycles. And, of course, the convenience stores, food establishments, and clean facilities at Petron stations are good stopovers during our rides. Plus, with Blaze 100, we really enjoy our rides more because it brings out the best from our bikes”.
Top awards
“Dear Survivor: The COMCO Southeast Asia Write to Ignite Blogging Project Season 2,” the flagship initiative of communications agency COMCO Southeast Asia, recently bagged the Top Awards for the Communication Management and COVID Communications categories of the 19th IABC (International Association of Business Communicators) Philippine Quill Awards, besting over 800 entries nationwide.
The campaign also received the Excellence Awards for Communication Management — Media Relations, Communication Management — Corporate Social Responsibility, and Communication Skills — Digital Communication / Communication for the Web.
The initiative also won the much-coveted Purpose Award in the PRCA APAC (Public Relations and Communications Asia-Pacific) Awards 2022, besting other campaigns in the Asia-Pacific region.
COMCO Southeast Asia’s “Write to Ignite Project Season 2” also received finalist citations in the following awards and categories: Best Use of Micro/Niche Influencers at Marketing Interactives’ PR Awards Asia-Pacific 2022, Best Use of Digital (COVID-19) at the Campaign Asia-Pacific’s PR Awards Asia 2022 in Hong Kong, and Best Comm Use of Social Media and Best PR Campaign in Asean at the Asean PR Excellence Awards.
CEB ramps up VisMin flight network
Cebu Pacific (CEB) will strengthen its footprint in the Visayas and Mindanao as it adds more flights from its Davao and Cebu hubs effective November.
On October 30 and 31 respectively, CEB will be resuming its direct flights from Davao to Cagayan de Oro and Bacolod. Davao-Bacolod will be operating three times weekly, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday; while Davao-Cagayan de Oro will be at four times weekly, every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.
These additional flights bring the total number of domestic connections from Davao to seven which includes direct flights to Bohol, Cebu, Iloilo, Manila, and Zamboanga, a 35 percent increase in the airline’s non-Manila flight network.
The airline will also be restarting its first international flight from Davao on October 30, flying direct to Singapore. CEB is the first local airline to bring back direct international operations in Davao.
CEB also continues to boost its connections from its Cebu hub as it expects to add more flights to key domestic destinations in November. This includes flights to Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, General Santos, and Puerto Princesa, among others.
Protection vs. fake bookings
foodpanda is doubling down on its commitment to protect their customers and “Ka-Panda” delivery partner riders alike from fake bookings and other scams.
Daniel Marogy, managing director of foodpanda Philippines, at a recent corporate social responsibility event, said the platform foodpanda has put measures in place to make sure that “we are ahead of the curve in battling these fraudsters.”
“Our delivery partners do not shell out any of their own money to pay vendors upfront, prior to delivery. We have made this ‘no abono’ policy as our standard procedure, even during the early days of our operations.” For fraudulent or even for canceled or incorrect orders, their “Ka-Panda” delivery partners are advised to simply return the said order back to the vendor. foodpanda will be the one to coordinate with the vendors on the payment for the items, while the delivery partner riders will still earn for the back-and-forth trip.
foodpanda is also equipped with advanced security features to make customers’ payments and other transactions are secure.
Mental health, volunteerism tackled
Nonprofit organization I am M.A.D. (Making A Difference) is reviving its Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards-recognized MAD Talks event.
Dubbed as “MAD Talks presents: Sa Ngayon, Padayon. (Kwentuhan. Kantahan.
Kabayanihan.)” and created in collaboration with digital creator and witty shirts brand Linya-Linya, this gathering on volunteerism on October 22 at the RCBC Plaza, Makati will highlight the spirit of resilience and positivity that comes from purpose. Taking center stage at MAD Talks Padayon event is mental health, in time for the celebration of the World Mental Health Month in October. With the pandemic having a considerable impact on people’s mental health, I am M.A.D. hopes to raise awareness on this prevailing issue, especially among the Filipino youth and young adults. It will also open a discussion on the positive impact of volunteerism on mental health, especially on how it can bring meaning and purpose to one’s life while improving self-esteem and well-being.
Headlining the event to share their personal experiences are: H.E.L.P. Pilipinas founder Dra. Mildred Vitangcol; Capt. AJ Ramos Celestial of the Philippine Army; I am M.A.D. chief of volunteer operations Ruth Butad; Asean Youth Advocates Network founder Mirus Ponon; I am M.A.D.’s co-founder and chief executive volunteer Maco Ravanzo; and mental health advocate Ymari Kristia Pascua.
DKSH, LEO Pharma partnership
DKSH Business Unit Healthcare has partnered with LEO Pharma to bring high-quality therapeutic products for dermatology and thrombosis to patients across Asia.
Partnering in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines, the two companies seek to solidify brand presence, grow market share, and ultimately improve patient health outcomes in the region.
DKSH will support LEO Pharma by building dedicated sales and marketing teams on the ground in Asia and managing logistics and product distribution in these markets. LEO Pharma is a global company dedicated to advancing the standard of care for the benefit of people with skin conditions, their families and society. With decades of research and development to advance the science of dermatology, LEO Pharma now offers a wide range of innovative treatments and therapies for all skin disease severities as well as thrombosis.
