Beko Offers Sustainable Holiday Gift Ideas

Filipinos love to share their blessings during the holidays and shopping for gifts—whether it is for family members and friends, the office exchange gift, or raffles—is always part of everyone’s Christmas preparations.

For holiday gifts, appliances that are environment-friendly, energy-efficient, and, most importantly, give us energy savings, are good choices.

Beko uses innovation to develop environment-friendly and energy-efficient products because the brand is guided by the belief that healthy living is possible on a healthy planet.

This holiday season, Beko is also giving away promos and discounts with their appliances.So if you’re still looking for gifts for the holiday season, worry no more as Beko has rounded up a list of ideas for you and your loved ones to enjoy a more sustainable and healthier lifestyle this Christmas!

Want To Get Into Healthy Living This Holiday Season? Check Out Beko’s Air Fryer!

You can relax while waiting for your food to be done, as the Beko FRL2942 (Beko Sends Love Promo Price: Php 3,321) has a fryer timer so whatever you’re cooking doesn’t get soggy. It also has an oil measurement spoon that enables you to measure how much oil to use, so your meat, chicken, and vegetables come out deliciously crisp and healthy.

Go For Beko’s Steam Irons When You’re In A Rush To Get A Gift For Your Christmas Party’s Exchange Gift

Consuming only 2200 - 2400 W, Beko SIM3122T and SIM3124D steam irons offer automatic shut-off, self-cleaning, and anti-drip features.

Get Beko SIM3122T for only Php1,431 (Beko Sends Love Promo Price) and the Beko SIM3124D for only Php1,791 (Beko Sends Love Price).

The Perfect Gift For Your Family Member Who Has Just Moved Houses

In need of a perfect Christmas and moving-in gift? Check out Beko’s cordless vacuum cleaners!

Enjoy up to an hour of intensive cleaning with the Beko VRT82821BV and VRT94929VI. Beko’s cordless vacuum cleaners have an ActiFlex function that lets the nozzle glide under furniture and hard-to-reach spots for thorough cleaning with minimal effort.

Enjoy cleaning with Beko VRT94929VI for only Php 16,791 (Beko Sends Love Promo Price) and with Beko VRT82821BV for only Php 13,491 (Beko Sends Love Promo Price).

The Perfect Christmas Raffle Gift Is A Coffee Maker

Need something for your Christmas raffle? Check out Beko’s espresso machines and coffee makers!

Coffee lovers will surely enjoy the Beko CEG5331X: Espresso Machine (19 Bar) as it also has an integrated milk frother that gives you the perfect cappuccino or cafe latte cup.

With the machine’s adjustable nozzle height, you can enjoy your espresso in different cup sizes, from small (40 mL) to medium (120 mL) to large (190 mL). It also has anti-sleep feet that secures the machine from falling.

You can also enjoy the aroma and richness of your coffee with the Beko CFM6401I: Filter Coffee Machine. You can increase the brewing intensity and extract more flavor from your coffee with a button.

The coffee machine also has the drip stop function, which allows you to drink the first drip of your coffee even when it’s still brewing.

Make your Christmas raffle more energetic and alive with the Beko CFM6401I for only Php2,061 (Beko Sends Love Promo Price) and the Beko CEG5331X for only Php21,591 (Beko Sends Love Promo Price).

Choosing Christmas gifts may take time and effort, but with Beko, you can make your holidays and a new year filled with steps towards a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

For more information about Beko in the Philippines, go to http://beko.ph or visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/bekoph and their Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/bekoph/.

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ABOUT BEKO

Beko is the international home appliance brand of Arçelik, which is a multinational household appliances manufacturer that operates with 12 brands and employs over 40,000 people worldwide. It is one of the top three large home appliances brands in Europe* in the white goods sector.

Beko has been focusing on healthy living for years, raising awareness and developing products that make healthy living possible and convenient. Beko’s brand mission is ‘healthy living is only possible on a healthy planet’. Beko is committed to protecting the planet by designing and manufacturing energy-efficient products and investing in resource efficiency in production.

The brand has been in the Philippine Market for seven years and is currently available in select All Home, Anson’s, Appliance Cetrum, Asian Home Appliance, Automatic Center, Fair N Square, Goldtech (S&R), Great World, HAT, Lazada, Manila Imperial, Robinsons Appliance (Landers), Savers, Shopee, SM Appliance and Western Appliance. This year, Beko will be made available soon in other appliance stores nationwide as it continues to expand its distribution to other retail channels.

Beko is committed to protecting the planet by designing and manufacturing energy-efficient products and investing in resource efficiency in production.

For information, follow @bekoph on Facebook and Instagram or go to http://www.beko.ph.

Beko, Beko Pilipinas, Beko Pilipinas Corporation, Live Like A Pro, Home Appliances, European Appliances, Beko Sends Love This Christmas, Christmas Gift Ideas, Holidays

Home Credit brings home the power of gaming in Iloilo at UNICON 2022

• Gaming essentials such as smartphones, laptops, and computers offered 0% interest at Home Credit’s 0% Interest Festival this holiday season

• Home Credit continues its commitment to empowering Filipino gamers and bringing the power closer to Ilonggos

Iloilo City, Philippines. November, 2022 – Home Credit Philippines (HCPH), the country’s leading consumer finance company, partnered with ILO Esports, the only government-backed esports organization in the Philippines, for the United Iloilo Convention (UNICON 2022) – a gathering of e-games, toys, and cosplay enthusiasts in Western Visayas from October 29 to 30, 2022 at the SM City Iloilo Cyberzone.

UNICON 2022 featured a wide range of activities, including a toy convention, cosplay showcase, and e-games competition. Home Credit also set up an immersive and experiential where Ilonggos got to test top-of-the-line gadgets, played e-games with a live feed of the games on a massive LED screen, and tried out an augmented reality filter on Instagram.

Anchored on its #PlayLikeAPro campaign, Home Credit was able to showcase the best gaming smartphones, computers, and laptops, which can be purchased through its partner merchants in Iloilo City, such as Gadget Headz and Concept Computer Store.

“We at Home Credit wanted to bring home the power to Ilonggos for UNICON 2022 as part of our thrust to grow and nurture our communities across the Philippines. Esports has become a big community, and a big chunk of our customers get their smartphones and laptops through Home Credit, not only for online schooling or work but likewise for gaming,” shared Home Credit Philippines’ PR Manager, Russel Patina.

The UNICON 2022 was a weekend-long event that brought together the esports fever, with activities such as art and magic exhibits and video game duels like Tekken. A Yu-Gi-Oh! event, a cosplay parade, and a tournament took place during the second day of the event.

Display of gaming products that can be purchased through Home Credit at 0% Interest

“I would like to thank Home Credit for helping us organize this year’s UNICON. We wish and we aim that through this event, we’re able to unite the Ilonggos through games, cosplay, and collections,” shared ILO Esports’ Found and CEO, Jamar Montehermoso.

With its growing popularity, esports has become one of the most talked-about topics in the country. What was once a niche hobby has now evolved into a major sporting event, with pro teams being organized and sent out to represent the country in international competitions.

SEA Games athlete and digital content creator, Angel Danica Lozada, joined the fun in UNICON and hoped to fuel the esports victory amongst the Ilonggo youth

Angel Danica Lozada, aka Angelailaila, a League of Legends: Wild Rift player and former SEA Games representative, expressed her appreciation to Home Credit for holding the event and paving the way for gaming athletes and enthusiasts, as well as for promoting esports to the Ilonggo community.

“Through Home Credit and ILO Esports, I hope that more and more Filipino youth and Ilonggos will be encouraged to play and build an empowering esports community with us here in the Philippines. Like Home Credit, let’s bring the power and play like a pro,” shared Lozada.

Your gaming essentials at 0% Interest this holiday season!

As a holiday treat for Filipino customers, Home Credit launches The Great 0% Interest Festival with over 50,000 products offered at 0% interest rates at almost 10,000 partner stores nationwide.

Grab the latest gaming computers, laptops, and mobile phones at 0% installments and bring home the power with Home Credit Philippines #HCGreatZeroFestival this holiday season!

What are you waiting for? Shop now via the My Home Credit app and visit its partner brands and retail stores near you. Shoppers can now experience The Great 0% Interest Festival and make the most affordable purchases until January 31!

Home Credit Philippines is a financing company duly licensed and supervised by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). To learn more about the latest updates from Home Credit Philippines, visit its official website www.homecredit.ph. You may also follow its official Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounts. Customers are encouraged to download the My Home Credit app on Google Play to know more about the latest promos and see what is new in the Marketplace.

How Philippines businesses can tighten up software supply chain against cyber attacks

by Dean Vaughan, Vice President of Asia Pacific, Azul

In September 2022, Philippines Airlines lost the personal data of frequent flyers when its IT provider was hacked, adding yet another example of supply chain attacks that have bedeviled businesses globally in the past year.

The cyberattack on a third-party IT provider for the airline caused the names, birth dates, nationality, gender and points balance, among other details to be stolen.

Although it is unclear how the malicious actors managed to get into the victim’s systems, the incident once again reinforces the need to tighten up security against supply chain attacks.

For many of today’s IT systems, using third-party software in one form or another is inevitable, such is the interconnectedness of the Internet and the complexity of digital infrastructure.

An estimated 40% to 80% of the lines of code in software come from third parties such as libraries, components and software development kits. Unfortunately, they are one reason for the increased vulnerability of third-party production code that goes into digital services.

By 2025, 45% of organizations worldwide will have experienced attacks on their software supply chains, a three-fold increase from 2021, according to research firm Gartner.

Dean Vaughan, Vice President of Asia Pacific, Azul

A lack of visibility hampers defense

This is a problem facing any digital economy and the Philippines is no different as it delivers more services over digital channels in the years ahead. The way forward has to involve better detection of such vulnerabilities without impacting performance.

To begin, you can only defend against something if you know what you are up against. Since many organizations do not peer into the nuts and bolts of the many third-party programs they use, they often are working on the hope that the code is free from vulnerabilities.

Even with a vulnerability detection tool in place, many organizations fail to act on a threat, because alerts are often too general or unable to differentiate between production and non-production code. This means the work required to clean up an infected or vulnerable system is too broad to be undertaken by already beleaguered security and application teams.

Today, organizations continue to grapple with Log4Shell, a critical vulnerability found in a widely used Java-based logging component (Log4j). This loophole enables threat actors to run code on a victim’s system and take control. It has impacted countless servers and applications that used Java software because Java software is used widely in today’s modern IT infrastructure.

Yet, when the threat first emerged last year, few organizations had the ability to quickly find the exact location of the vulnerability in their IT systems because Java was used so extensively. The challenge was knowing where to look even when the dashboard lit up with a warning.

More precision needed

What is needed is greater precision, which can only be possible with improved visibility over existing solutions. Application scans in CI/CD, application agents, or application inventories (SBOMs) are valuable approaches as part of a comprehensive security strategy. However, these approaches also have drawbacks, including false positives which waste time via alert fatigue as well as a performance impact which adds burden to Java teams and their applications.

Take Azul Vulnerability Detection, a new Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product that continuously detects known security vulnerabilities that exist in Java applications. By eliminating false positives and with no performance impact, it is ideal for in-production use and addresses the rapidly increasing enterprise risk around software supply chain attacks.

Azul Vulnerability Detection uniquely identifies code run using sophisticated, highly granular techniques inside Azul JVMs (Java virtual machines) and maps against a curated Java-specific database of common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs). This produces more accurate results, even for custom code and shaded components, so IT teams can get to a vulnerability and remediate the issue quickly and efficiently.

Gaining agility while beefing up security

To be sure, vulnerability detection tools are not new. Unfortunately, some end up providing the added security at the expense of performance. This means business agility suffers, because one’s security tool is slowing down transactions and requiring more computing resources and cost to run.

Organizations need to find a way to overcome the software supply chain problem. They need smarter tools that can beef up the security without adding overheads and dragging back performance.

When it comes to security in Java applications, what’s different with Azul Vulnerability Detection is its use of Azul Java virtual machines (JVM), which provide highly accurate runtime-level visibility into what code is actually running and whether it is vulnerable. This enables faster remediation of vulnerabilities with significantly less operational overhead.

Additionally, because the tool is agentless, it avoids the performance penalty commonly associated with other security tools that require teams to install and maintain a separate piece of software. Taken together, Azul Vulnerability Detection makes security a byproduct of simply running Java software.

Fighting a winnable battle

Security has to be baked in from the start instead of an add-on feature in a connected world. In other words, it has to be built into a piece of software or part of a technology stack that is then used to build other digital services. Unfortunately, supply chain attacks against trusted vendors and third-party code pose substantial enterprise risk.

The key to winning battles against increasingly sophisticated threats is to be armed with the right tools that deliver a solid defense while retaining the agility that organizations need today. Even as cyber threats evolve, they have to believe they can keep out the bad guys over time and continue delivering the trusted digital services and experiences to their users.

#GSafeTayo: GCash to roll out ‘double authentication’ to arrest unauthorized transactions

Signs agreement with PNP-ACG to strengthen fight vs cybercrimes

GCash is set to roll out a new security feature that aims to prevent unauthorized transactions brought about by phishing and other types of scams.

GCash and PNP ACG strengthens collaboration through a revitalized security campaign, #SafewithGCash that aims  to mitigate scam incidents by employing a combination of user education and continuously upgrading its internal security platform to serve its 71 M users.

From L-R: GCash Head of Enterprise Risk Management Bea De Ocampo, GCash Chief Legal Officer, Atty. Maricor Alvarez-Adriano, GCash Chief Customer Officer Winsley Royce Bangit, PBGEN Joel Doria, Director PNP ACG; Police Colonel Bernard Yang

With #GSafeTayo the Philippines’ number one financial app introduced the “double authentication” feature which can ensure that only the account owner has the ability to link his GCash account to a specific device.

“This feature removes customers’ dependence on SMS OTPs which has been exploited by some fraudsters to scam users. It will provide a unique identifier that can’t be phished by scammers. It also provides an additional layer of security to the current SMS OTP,” said Winsley Bangit, Chief Customer Officer of GCash. “We never stop innovating to make sure our 71 million users have the safest and most convenient experience when they use the app.”

GCash has also introduced a new product under its GInsure platform, "Online Shopping Protect". For just P34 per month, get up to Php20,000 in insurance coverage for incomplete deliveries, defective items, accidentally-damaged, or stolen products.

The new offering, which will launch soon on GInsure, is powered by global insurance company, Chubb.

Aside from continuing to beef up its security measures, GCash has also been ramping up its partnership with authorities and regulators to help ensure the whole e-wallet ecosystem is safe for all.

During the #GSafeTayo media launch, GCash also signed a memorandum of agreement with the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) to strengthen collaboration in going after perpetrators involved in phishing, smishing, online fraud, e-scams, vishing, and other cybercrimes that take advantage of GCash users.

“I would like to express my confidence that through our stronger partnership with the PNP-ACG, we will be able to achieve more in the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of cybercrimes. GCash also assures the PNP-ACG that we will do whatever we can in order to successfully implement our agreement,” said GCash Chief Legal Officer Atty. Maricor Alvarez-Adriano.

Through its intensified security campaign under #GSafeTayo, GCash has also been constantly reminding its users to never share their MPIN or OTP, as well as to never click links outside of the GCash app, especially from websites or senders which you have not verified to be legitimate.

In fact, GCash has already removed all clickable links in its official SMS and emails to users to help them determine that when they receive messages with links, then these are scams.

The e-wallet has also migrated transaction notification messages to the in-app inbox and masked the names of send money recipients to further protect the users’ funds and personal data.

Through its revitalized security campaign, GCash is aiming to mitigate scam incidents by employing a combination of user education, increased cooperation with law enforcement agencies, as well as continuously upgrading its internal security platform.

Jesus Reigns Celebration All Set on Nov. 30

Come and celebrate the biggest Christian worship festival in the Philippines this November 30, 2022 as Jesus Reigns Philippines Celebration gathers all Christian believers in all 82 provinces across the Philippines.

This is an annual festival held to honor Jesus Christ alone and to proclaim that HE REIGNS over our beloved Philippines and all nations. In this celebration, JESUS is the center highlight. No church names, no personalities are acknowledged except JESUS alone. 

After two years of virtual celebration due to the pandemic, Jesus Reigns as a movement is now ready to go out on the streets and worship as a united Body of Christ. On its 11th year, over a million people all across the Philippines will come and declare that JESUS REIGNS over every home, city, province and the whole Philippines.

One Voice. One Lord. One Nation. 2022 is the Year of No Compromise.

We are taking it from 2 Kings 18: 5-7 which states: “Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. He remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses. So the LORD was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did.”

We believe if we publicly come together as a nation and declare that Jesus Reigns in our hearts and live it out without compromising, the Lord will bless and prosper our nation.

Join the celebration as NCR kicks it off at 6am with a grand parade in Greenhills, EDSA to People’s Power Monument with people marching, dancing, singing and making a joyful sound pronouncing that JESUS REIGNS. Then celebrate the festival at Amoranto Stadium at 3pm.

Be amazed by the creative movements of worship of art, dance and music. As a finale, a spectacular grand fireworks display and feasting from every city takes place.

Be a part of this celebration in your province. Visit websites for more information: https://jesusreigns.ph and https://www.facebook.com/jrpcncr/

Could blockchain-based insurance solve agricultural pains in the Philippines?

The Philippines is one of the most typhoon-prone countries in the world, dealing with an average of 20 occurrences per year. According to the Philippine Climate Change and Food Security Analysis (CCFSA) study commissioned by the World Food Programme, typhoons and other extreme weather events have cost the country approximately Php 290 million in agricultural damages in the last decade. The recent typhoon Paeng alone caused Php 3.16 billion in damages to the sector.

Agriculture is a major industry in the Philippine economy, representing about ten percent of its gross domestic product. At the groundwork of the industry are small-scale farmers, usually holding less than three hectares of farmland, leading agricultural production. Despite being the major contributors to the industry, most of these farmers live in poverty. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) states that most rice farmers got a net return per hectare of Php 16,832 in 2020, which is a little more than 20% of the average Php 70,000 per hectare capital required for rice farming.

With limited financial means, farmers heavily rely on loans to raise capital for their work. This situation makes them vulnerable when they lose income when crops are destroyed by floods and droughts. With their initial mortgage unpaid, farmers often raise capital through fresh loans, exposing them to a high risk of debt accumulation.

“Farmer productivity has declined over the years due to insufficient support. Often, families of farmers decide to sell land for more immediate income amid pressing needs and what would have been the next generation of farmers are seen to pursue better-paying jobs,” shared Mario Berta, Country Manager for the Philippines at Igloo. “On top of these challenges, there are recurring natural disasters that significantly hurt the livelihoods of farmers. This calls for a strengthened initiative that will mitigate the impact of catastrophes.”

While extreme weather conditions may not be prevented, preparations can be made to ensure the fastest recovery for the agriculture sector. The provision of crop insurance can help and will enable farmers to begin farming anew after a calamity. However, the current process of insurance claims settlement takes a lot of time and requires tedious backend processing. In addition to this, agents have to brave the difficult journey of visiting farms in the wake of typhoons and manually assess the damage to the insured’s assets. This extended processing time adds to further loss of income for the farmers.

“Crop insurance needs to be automated so the farmers can receive their payouts sooner and get back on their feet quicker,” said Berta.

Igloo is a regional insurtech firm with a mission to make insurance accessible and affordable for all through technology. It facilitates digital insurance underwritten by partner insurance companies and offered in partner distribution channels such as e-commerce platforms and mobile wallets. Recently, Igloo introduced Weather Index Insurance, its first blockchain-based parametric insurance that automates claims through a smart contract on the blockchain.

Weather Index Insurance is an innovative approach to insurance provision that pays out benefits on the basis of a rainfall level, the predetermined index, for loss of assets and investments resulting from weather and catastrophic events. The claim is automatically paid when the rain index hits the flood or drought threshold. This eliminates the need to individually verify claims thereby reducing transaction costs, and allowing for a quicker claims settlement process. The business rules governing claims payout being hosted on a public blockchain help leverage the attributes of transparency, consistency, and unbiasedness thereby making the setup credible.

“We believe that Weather Index Insurance is a potential product that will reduce the vulnerability of farmers to adverse weather conditions. The expected increase in the speed of claims processing will enable farmers to have a better chance of recovery from catastrophes and increase productivity and competitiveness,” added Berta.

However, he also recognized that there are enormous challenges needed to be addressed to make blockchain-based insurance palatable to farmers. These hurdles include the country’s low insurance penetration rate, financial inclusion, and access to digital services in rural areas, among others.

“When we bring Weather Index Insurance to the Philippines, Igloo will work with organizations such as rural banks, farmer’s cooperatives, and relevant government agencies to address these pain points and ensure that the insurance solution becomes a viable option that farmers can rely on for faster recovery,” said Berta.

“The unprecedented pace of climate change coupled with COVID-19 induced supply chain shocks have made it absolutely necessary to scale up agri-insurance solutions for the smallholder farming community. Igloo is trying to bring forth an integrated approach with the wider ecosystem to strengthen farm-level resilience by focusing on product and distribution innovation,” shared Raunak Mehta, Co-founder and CEO at Igloo.

The Weather Index Insurance is available in Vietnam but is set to roll out in more agriculture-driven SEA countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand. Igloo is currently speaking to potential partners that can underwrite and distribute the product to underserved farmers in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Committed to delivering Insurance for All, Igloo welcomes more collaboration with the public and private sector to guarantee the highest level of national protection.

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About Igloo:

Igloo is the first full-stack insurtech firm to emerge from Singapore. It has offices in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia and tech centres in India and China. With a mission of making insurance accessible for all, the firm leverages big data, real-time risk assessment, and end-to-end automated claims management to create B2B2C insurance solutions for platform companies and insurance companies. Igloo’s insurance solutions enable companies to eliminate their exposure to operational risk, create new revenue streams, optimise and enhance existing products and services. Igloo has partnered with over 55 well-known brand names across the markets in various verticals, including insurance, telecommunications, e-commerce, hospitality, health tech and financial services.

For more information, please visit https://www.iglooinsure.com/.

Children and young people want a society that leaves no one behind

World Children’s Day celebrates stories of vulnerable children

Landmarks around the Philippines turned blue last Sunday, November 20, today to celebrate World Children’s Day—a day by children, for children. The Rizal Monument, the SM MOA Globe, the Office of the Bangsamoro Chief Minister, the Provincial Capitol of Dinagat Island and major expressways under the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation were awash in blue to impart an important message: that every child everywhere has a story to tell, regardless of their gender, race, status, and capabilities.

In September-October 2022, nearly half a million young people around the world who took part in a UNICEF U-Report poll said that discrimination is common in their environments such as school, community or workplace, and almost half of them felt that discrimination had impacted their lives or that of someone they know in a significant manner. In the Philippines, the most vulnerable children include children with disabilities, children who belong to indigenous groups, children living in poverty, and those in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

To celebrate children and their voices, young people, and adults who support them came together in “Sigaw ng Kabataan, Walang Iwanan,” a World Children’s Day event that rallied the public to listen and amplify their views. This included a children’s event with SM Mall of Asia and a three-day Children’s Congress in cooperation with the Cotabato City Government.

“Regardless of age, gender, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or other status, every child deserves to be included and celebrated, as well as protected against all forms of discrimination. Children must have a say in decisions that affect them. Listening to their voices is crucial for inclusive development,” UNICEF Philippines Representative Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov said.

As a way to support children’s participation, UNICEF undertakes capacity building activities that enable children and youth groups to advocate for their own rights. For this year’s WCD celebrations, children from Southern Leyte, CARAGA, Cotabato and Valenzuela teamed up with creatives using dance, film and photography to allow others to view the world through their eyes.

Maya accelerates 'digi-palengke' thrust in Mindanao

BSP-DILG’s Paleng-QR Ph launched in Davao City today

Maya, the country's only all-in-one money app, is transforming Davao City's biggest Bankerohan Public Market with the launch of the Paleng-QR PH initiative in Mindanao today.

Spearheading the "digi-palengke" program is Davao City Government with the support of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). Also supporting the launch are PLDT and Smart Communications.

BSP Governor Felipe Medalla and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte led the ceremonies held today at the city's Bankerohan Public Market.

"By promoting the interoperable QR PH national standard codes, Paleng-QR PH creates a simple but more powerful digital finance experience at the local community level. At Maya, we fully support Davao City's vision to build a stronger digital ecosystem," said Orlando Vea, Maya CEO and Founder and Maya Bank Co-Founder.

“Basta QR PH, pwede kami sa Maya,” Vea added.

The Paleng-QR Ph program aims to digitalize transactions starting with public markets and local transportation. The program enables vendors and tricycle drivers to accept digital payments from customers regardless of their e-wallet or bank accounts via QR Ph, the national standard for QR payment. Maya's QR codes are QR Ph-compliant, and its app can scan any QR Ph-powered transaction.

Creating digi-palengkes is part of Maya’s own LGUs Embracing and Accelerating Digitalization (L.E.A.D). Through this program, Maya equips local governments like Davao City with business-in-a-box payment acceptance solutions and disbursement tools to enable faster public service delivery.

Maya is the first digital financial services platform to adopt QR Ph. More than 52 million users can enjoy a seamless experience using Maya's consumer platforms that can send and accept P2P payments from other QR Ph-participating financial institutions.

Meanwhile, non-Maya users can pay at over 800,000 QR Ph-enabled Maya merchants, which are present in 96% of the total cities and municipalities.

The BSP's OR Ph initiative is part of the overall financial services transformation roadmap of the Philippines. It aims to raise Filipinos' trust in digital financial services, as consumers and enterprises will get used to sending and receiving cashless payments for everyday transactions.

Maya's full support to QR PH is in line with the BSP's thrust to increase the share of Filipino adults with a financial account from 56% in 2021 to 70% in 2023 and grow the volume of digital payments from 20% in 2021 to 50% by next year.

"Digital payment is the entry point of Filipinos to the financial system. As they build their financial footprint, consumers and MSMEs can access more progressive digital banking services offered by Maya," said Vea.

Maya has made it easier for consumers to spend, save, get credit, and invest in crypto just by using its top-rated all-in-one money app. Its merchant partners, meanwhile, can open a business deposit account and access revolving credit lines leveraging their payment transactions.

To know more about Maya, visit maya.ph or follow @mayaiseverything on Facebook, IG, TikTok, and YouTube and @mayaofficialph on Twitter. Join the Maya Telegram community at https://t.me/TeamMayaPH

ANIMA, A+E Networks™ Asia Bring South Korea’s Most Watched YouTube Reality Show to PH

PH version of ‘Nego King’ to stream on ANIMA’s YouTube Channel for FREE!

South Korea's most watched reality show, “Nego King,” will finally reach the Philippines as KROMA's ANIMA Studios partners with one of the leading global entertainment content companies, A+E Networks™ Asia.

A Philippine version of the reality show is coming soon and will be made accessible to viewers in the Philippines for FREE on ANIMA Studios’ YouTube Channel. Hosted by popular Filipino radio and TV personality Sam YG, the show will be produced in Taglish (Tagalog-English). With a following of 453K on Instagram, 21K on Facebook, and 1.6M followers on Twitter, the new Nego King PH host is sure to keep the viewers engaged, laughing and haggling through every episode.

Since the original South Korean “Nego King” premiered two years ago on YouTube, it has steadily gained fame. Now, the show, which has aired 60 episodes across 4 seasons, has amassed a total 135 million views, and the eyeballs keep coming.

In this popular web show, the host is “the king of negotiation,” interacting with ordinary customers through street interviews. The goal is to get to know the pulse of the people by asking for their opinion, critique, and wishes, especially on discounts and/or freebies on various “goods,” which may be an item or service such as beauty or cosmetic products, food, appliances or home items, and electronic gadgets, to name a few.

Later, the Nego King faces CEOs of the brands mentioned in each episode to leverage customer sentiment to get the best deals or discounts. This makes for highly relatable content in an era of belt-tightening due to inflation, especially among Filipinos who love a good bargain.

Now, with ANIMA’s newest partnership with A+E Networks™ Asia, the best Nego Show (Negosyo) of South Korea will soon be entertaining Filipinos with a local version in Taglish, bringing excitement and better deals for the Philippine audience, from clothes to food and various accessories and services.

Watch out because the Nego King may just pop in your neighborhood for ambush interviews.

Tara nang tumawa at tumawad sa Nego King PH!

To learn more about the Philippine’s Nego Show and other works of ANIMA, visit its official website at www.anima.ph

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About KROMA Entertainment

Kroma Entertainment is a TraDigital Entertainment company that brings together passionate content creators, the best talent, and innovative technology to produce fresh and engaging entertainment for the Filipino audience. KROMA offers entertainment across screens and formats, be it films, series, podcasts, TV shows, music, digital content, or events. Its brands ANIMA, Secret Menu, LIVE MNL, Paradise Rising, NYMA, Kroma PubCo and PIE form a unique ecosystem to create trailblazing experiences for its clients and audiences.

About ANIMA

Anima is a Philippine-based entertainment studio under Kroma Entertainment, composed of dedicated storytellers with expertise in film, series and podcasts.. Whichever story that moves you, makes you laugh, makes you cry, inspires, informs, or empowers you – count on ANIMA to represent and be present in every facet of Filipino life.

About A+E Networks™ Asia

A+E Networks™ is a global media and entertainment brand portfolio that creates, develops, and illuminates entertaining, purpose-driven content that is accessible and captivating to the most expansive, worldwide audience possible. A+E Networks™ Asia is comprised of HISTORY™, Lifetime™ and Crime + Investigation™. Globally, A+E Networks™’ channels and branded programming reach more than 410 million households in over 200 territories.

How Puregold's success led to Filipinos’ “panalo" stories in the past 25 years

Over the last 25 years, Puregold has constantly affirmed its presence in the retail industry, crediting its endurance to the patronage and trust of everyday customers that walk through their storefront doors, as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that extend Puregold’s reach to different communities.

As it celebrates its 25th anniversary, Puregold wants to put the focus on the Panalo Stories of every Puregold patron.

Still, the retailer believes that even as it thrives in the unstinting support of its patrons, its legacy is one that involves enabling Filipinos to succeed.

It is this core value in the heart of Puregold that has inspired infinite “panalo” stories. The supermarket chain’s operations have paved the way to thousands of job opportunities, and have continuously served sari-sari store owners and SMEs that need a reliable, cost-effective, and high-quality goods supplier.

Vincent Co, President of Puregold Priceclub Inc., believes that Puregold’s biggest accomplishment has been giving back to the community and helping local businesses blossom.

That Puregold helps Filipinos achieve their everyday wins is something the company takes a lot of pride in, says Vincent Co, President of Puregold Price Club, Inc. “You have to celebrate the wins,” Vincent asserts, “and for us, there is no greater win than giving back to our customers who have helped us get to where we have been these last 25 years.”

Vincent hopes that with over 440 branches nationwide, and more than 700,000 sari-sari store members behind them, Puregold will continue to generate more panalo stories for the Filipino people.

Puregold is the retailer of choice for many small and medium enterprises, all of whom have built their own individual Panalo Stories.

“As we look back on the last 25 years, and look forward to the next 25 years, we want Puregold to be a permanent symbol of support for the Philippines,” Vincent states. “We will strive to keep expanding and continue helping local communities and SMEs.”

ASUS puts incredible in innovation, launches award-winning Zenbook 17 Fold OLED

OLED laptop global leader rolls out the world's first 17.3" Foldable OLED Intel Evo-certified laptop with multiple modes for a unique user experience.

ASUS announced its groundbreaking Zenbook 17 Fold OLED (UX9702), the world's first[i] 17.3-inch foldable OLED[ii] laptop. This ultra-compact and light 12.5-inch Foldable OLED laptop unfolds into a versatile 17.3-inch device with six modes, pushing the boundaries of innovation today. Redefining work and entertainment user experiences, this futuristic device packs a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16 GB RAM, and a 1 TB PCIe SSD. Breaking many technological glass ceilings, Zenbook 17 Fold OLED has received multiple accolades, including the prestigious iF Design, Red Dot Design Awards, and TIME Magazine's Best Inventions of 2022.

Unfold the incredible

This groundbreaking foldable laptop offers users two sizes of OLED display in one device: a large 4:3 17.3-inch 2.5K NanoEdge touchscreen that folds in the middle to create two seamless 3:2 12.5-inch 1920 by 1280 displays[iii]. When folded fully closed along the precision-engineered 180-degree hinge, it's an ultra-compact and portable 12.5-inch device. Users can choose from Zenbook 17 Fold OLED's multiple versatile usage modes, namely the Desktop, Laptop (with Bluetooth keyboard), Laptop (with virtual keyboard), Tablet, Reader, and Extended.

Desktop mode

In Desktop mode, the unfolded 17.3-inch screen — propped up in landscape orientation using the built-in faux leather kickstand — can be used with the ASUS ErgoSense Bluetooth keyboard and touchpad attached wirelessly to create a powerful large-screen PC. This allows for all-day, non-stop productivity in the office or at home.

Laptop mode with Bluetooth keyboard

For Laptop mode (with Bluetooth keyboard), the keyboard attaches magnetically when placed on the lower half of the folded display. Alternatively, in Laptop mode (with virtual keyboard), the lower display can be turned into a virtual on-screen keyboard. These modes are perfect for on-the-go users who want a device they can easily clutch from one meeting to the next.

Tablet mode allows users to exploit the full touch capabilities of the fully opened 17.3-inch touchscreen, ideal for team collaboration and presenting big ideas. Reader mode — with the hinge aligned vertically — turns Zenbook 17 Fold OLED into the perfect reading device for that much-needed alone time studying or reading e-books.

Extended mode

Finally, in Extended mode, propped up in portrait orientation, the folded two 12.5-inch screens are perfect for users to scroll seamlessly on the upper and lower displays. Thus, Zenbook 17 Fold OLED can be connected to an external monitor via one of the two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports.

In each mode, the easy-to-use window management tools — such as Mode Switcher — in the ScreenXpert 3 app allow multiple split-display configurations and flexible app layouts for enhanced productivity. Users can seamlessly transition to each mode as its innovative hinge is engineered with ultimate durability. It is tested to withstand over 30,000 open-and-close cycles for total peace of mind.

Zenbook 17 Fold OLED also comes with a full-size ASUS ErgoSense Bluetooth keyboard and touchpad to support multiple user modes, providing a brand-new typing experience. The Bluetooth keyboard has a desktop-grade 19.05 mm key pitch and a long 1.4 mm travel on the dished mechanical keys, ensuring comfortable and accurate typing. The ErgoSense touchpad has a new silky-smooth surface for easy navigation, protected by a durable anti-fingerprint coating.

Despite its versatility and large screen size, the device weighs just 1.5 kg without the keyboard or 1.8 kg with it.

Performance that matters

The Intel Evo-certified Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is powered for effortless multitasking by high-performance components, including a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16 GB RAM, and a 1 TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. The long-lasting 75-watt-hour battery features USB-C Easy Charge[iv], so it can be charged quickly with most USB-C chargers, power banks, or any Power Delivery-certified charger, including the bundled 65 W fast-charge adapter.

It's easy to connect Zenbook 17 Fold OLED to peripherals too. There are two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, which are up to eight times faster than USB 3.2 Gen 1, and feature support for fast charging or connecting external displays. A USB-C to USB Type-A adapter is also supplied.

Entertainment like no other

Experience immersive entertainment like no other with the foldable OLED touchscreen in Zenbook 17 Fold OLED. It has a stunning Dolby Vision-certified display with 100% DCI-P3 and PANTONE validated for color accuracy. It is TÜV Rheinland-certified for reducing harmful blue light and is accompanied by a powerful quad-speaker Harman Kardon-certified Dolby Atmos sound system.

Zenbook 17 Fold OLED includes several smart AI-powered features for added privacy and security and a superb online video calling experience. These include user-presence detection using an HD IR camera, which locks the laptop when the user is away, and unlocks it upon return, an integrated color sensor for automatic adjustment of screen brightness and color temperature, and a 5 MP AI webcam with ASUS 3D Noise Reduction (3DNR) technology.

ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED (UX9702) comes in a premium Tech Black color with a free lifetime license to Office Home & Student 2021. With a limited quantity of only 100 pieces in the Philippines, get it today for only PHP 219,995.00. 

Check out this laptop in ASUS Concept Stores and authorized resellers today. Here is the complete list of where to buy https://ph.asus.click/PRWTB. Users can also score Zenbook 17 Fold OLED with up to 12 months of 0% installment via Home Credit.

ASUS PH Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@asusphilippines

Specifications

Variant	Color	Specs	SRP
UX9702AA-MD007WS	Tech Black	17" 2560x1920 4:3 500 nits touch FOLED / i7-1250U / 16GB LPDDR5 / 1TB PCIE4 SSD	PHP 219,995

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[i] As of April, 2022 based on internal ASUS market analysis comparing Zenbook 17 Fold OLED to competing convertible laptops with an OLED screen measuring 17.3 inches from vendors including Acer, Apple, HP, Huawei, Dell, Lenovo, Microsoft and Samsung.

[ii] The visual appearance of OLED displays may change over the product’s lifetime. This is expected behavior that can include image persistence or burn-in, where the display shows a faint remnant of an image even after a new image appears on the screen. This tends to occur only in extreme use cases, such as when a static, high-contrast image is continuously displayed for prolonged periods of time. ASUS laptops with an OLED display minimize this risk by setting Windows’s Dark mode as default, as well as shortening the idle time before the screen is turned off — both on mains (AC) and battery (DC) power. This dual approach minimizes the potential for burn-in to maximize the lifespan of your OLED display lifespan, and also reduces unnecessary power draw for optimal battery life. We also recommended adjust the brightness of your OLED display to complement the ambient lighting in your environment, rather than keeping the screen at maximum brightness at all times. You should also ensure that you have an animated, dark-background screensaver enabled in the Windows Settings tool.

[iii] In 12.5” scenarios (Laptop mode) panel resolution is always 1920 x 1280.

[iv] USB-C Easy Charge ensures 4.5-watt charging when connecting to a non-Power Delivery chargers, including portable chargers or USB Type-A to USB-C chargers. When using a Power Delivery charger, the charging speed will match the connected adapter's power output, up to a maximum of 65 watts.