Home Credit, Citi ink social financing facility to expand Filipinos’ access to mobile services, to support women

Tweet

Leading global consumer finance company Home Credit has inked a P420 million (8.2 million USD) social financing facility with the country’s largest foreign bank Citi to further promote greater financial inclusion in the Philippines.

This loan agreement of Home Credit Philippines (HC Consumer Finance Philippines, Inc.) with Citi (Citibank N.A. – Philippine Branch) is expected to support purchases of mobile devices in the Philippines, about half of it would be for women. This also enables them to access features of a digital device such as online banking, tracking financial progress, installing productivity apps for their business, among others.

Borrowers can apply for a loan at Home Credit Philippines’ thousands of partners. They can also apply for a loan through Home Credit’s App.

Standing L-R: Kel Fabian, Citibank Relationship Associate; Carmela Ongsiapco, HCPH Senior Corporate Lawyer; Henry Segovia, HCPH Business Development and Funding Manager; Victoria Tupaz, HCPH Head of Funding; Vincent Lopez, Citibank Senior Relationship Manager

Seated L-R: Fernando Fleury, Citibank Corporate Banking Head; Zdenek Jankovsky, HCPH Corporate Treasurer and Chief Business Development Officer; Ajay Paul, Citibank Global Subsidiaries Group Head

“This loan facility is a continuation of a deliberate strategy at Home Credit to pursue innovative and sustainable funding options for our business. Empowering our customers to live better lives is a core part of our approach. This loan is another example of how we are working to deliver sustainable, responsible financial services and products in developing markets,” said Jean Lafontaine, Head of Funding, M&A and Investor Relations, Home Credit Group

Borrowing at the “point-of-sale” as offered by Home Credit is the first experience many Filipinos have of any kind of credit. This inclusive loan is especially targeted at women, who comprise around 50% of Home Credit’s total borrowers.

“Today’s announcement marks an exciting new chapter in Home Credit’s story in the Philippines. I am proud that the measured KPIs of the loan will be particularly beneficial to our female customers. The combination of safe access to responsible financial services and digital technology has the potential to have a transformative effect for Filipinos across the country,” said David Minol, President and Chief Executive Officer of Home Credit Philippines.

The facility is a social loan which qualifies under the “S” of both company’s approach to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). It will be monitored every quarter through a certification detailing the “mobile-point of sale” portfolio for key performance indicators (KPIs) including the number of new digital devices (including smartphones) financed and percentage of female borrowers.

“Supporting basic digital infrastructure is a tenet of Citi’s approach to social financing in emerging economies. Through Citi’s first social finance facility we would like to give more Filipinos safe access to affordable financial services to grow their business, and in this way affirm our commitment to the country as we celebrate our 120th year in the Philippines,” said Citi Philippines CEO Aftab Ahmed.

This transaction contributes to Citi’s $1 trillion commitment to sustainable finance by 2030, specifically supporting the social finance criteria of economic inclusion, which is to improve access to credit and financial services in vulnerable or underserved communities, including micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) financing. It will also generate employment opportunities as well as improve public spaces and community resources.

My baking journey to the world of breads : ETON Global Institute Culinary and Hospitality Management

Tweet

Cooking and baking breads, cakes and pastries give you personal achievement, appreciation on your self and from others who eat your own cooked food. It can also be tough, it can be stressful, but it's a beautiful, fulfilling passion that fuels creativity and experimentation. 

Baking is an entirely new world with simple but important techniques and methods.

The ETON expert Chefs held the Bread Making Workshop at the Eton Global Institute, Center for Culinary & Hospitality Management, Saturday, October 7, 2017

I enjoyed learning how to make and bake bread at ETON Global Institute Culinary and Hospitality Management. 

The expert chefs teach us what kinds of flour and other ingredients on what particular kind of bread to bake. Simple ingredients you need to produce a seemingly endless variety of products from breads are flour, sugar, eggs, milk, butter, and flavorings. 

The baking journey begins with the first step - know and mix the ingredients - dry and wet ingredients.

I enjoyed the mix, mash and roll dough…fun giving all the effort and strength of my arms and hands. Kneading develops the gluten (a protein) in the dough, which provides the bread's structure.

To knead, place dough on a clean counter lightly sprinkled with flour. Then sprinkle a bit more flour on the dough and your hands to prevent sticking.

Doing the fold, push, turn and repeat. Fold means flatten the dough and fold it towards you. Push, using the heels of your hands, push the dough away with a rolling motion. Turn, or rotate dough a quarter turn. 

Doing the fold, push, turn and repeat.

Keep kneading dough until it is smooth and springs back when lightly pressed with the fingers. Kneading takes 6 to 10 minutes, and use a little more flour if dough is still too sticky.

We really have fun doing it. Most enjoyable was when we got to taste the food that we prepared! Really yummy, warm and fresh breads from the ETON’s oven… the breads our group bake!

We baked Caramel Cinnamon Roll and Italian Focaccia.

Italian Focaccia

Thank you ETON Global Institute and dedicated ETON master chefs for sharing your passion for baking and helping everyone of us to learn how to bake. Thinking for the next schedule of baking lessons and hopefully we will continue and pursue our passion to become a better baker. 

At ETON Culinary Institute, they will not just teach you how to cook but will also inspire you to learn and "eat only healthy food.”

ETON Global Institute Culinary 

and Hospitality Management

ETON Global Institute Culinary and Hospitality Management reach out more to local families and serve the community Lifelong Learning & Living Programs launched in 2017 with the opening of Eton Global Institute.

ETON provides international trainings and life-skills programs for Culinary and Hospitality Management. With its mission of helping and moulding the students and young professionals to become professionally competent with leadership and entrepreneurial skills. Opening doors for them to interact and compete with the best and brightest in the country and around the world.

ETON Global Institute Culinary and Hospitality Management Courses : 

JUNIOR CULINARY CLUB: 

A fun-filled culinary program to gather little chefs to an interactive cooking class. We encourage their creativity in the making of nutritious food for healthy eating and living. Every Saturday morning, they are invited to discover a new cuisine, taste new food and learn how to make it in an entertaining way.

LIFESTYLE COURSE: 

This program was designed for adults who are curious to discover several cuisine and recipes. We offer a new class every week, with an average of 5 recipes for each theme. Our goal is to teach our students the secrets of several kinds of cuisine, with hands-on practice and theory. Our goal is for our students to obtain life-lasting skills and help them become self-reliant.

DIPLOMA COURSE: 

We offer 3 to 6 months professional programs in Culinary and Pastry Arts, Food & Beverage Operations, Bar Management and Hospitality Services. These programs were specially conceived by our best chefs in order to provide our students quality training and all the knowledge they will need to start their career and make their professional dreams come true.

SPECIAL REQUESTS:

- Beginners Class : 1 Day Session.

- Masters Class : 2-3 Days Session.

- Special occasions : Individual classes, Private parties, Family celebrations, Professional parties, Events catering.

Where to find ETON: 

Eton Global Institute is situated in the heart of Sampaloc, Manila, a lively neighborhood where the sense of family is sensed at every corner of each street.

R.V. Marzan Building 1633 corner Makiling Street and Dimasalang Road, Dimasalang Sampaloc, Manila City 1008 Philippines Tel: (02) 954 0662

Visit WWW.ETONGLOBALINSTITUTE.COM for more informations and updates.

URC Flour launches nationwide search for the next Filipino bake masters : Flourish Pilipinas: Bake It Happen! Nationwide Baking Competition 2016

Tweet

Calling all culinary arts students who want to become one of the country’s future bake masters! You can Bake It Happen now! 

Universal Robina Corporation (URC) Flour, one of the country’s top flour millers, is challenging culinary arts students to showcase their bread- and cake-making skills in the Flourish Pilipinas: Bake It Happen! Nationwide Baking Competition 2016.

Sponsored by Yummy Magazine, Masflex Kitchenpro, Masflex Cookware and Kitchenware, Coco Natura, RM Boxes, KitchenAid, Actron Industries, Inc., and Sonlie International, Inc., Flourish Pilipinas: Bake It Happen! is a bake-off that celebrates unique and proudly Pinoy flour-based breads and pastries.

Make it happen at the Flourish Pilipinas: Bake it Happen! Nationwide baking competition, where students become future baking masters.

To join the competition, Culinary Arts or Hotel and Management course students are encouraged to submit original recipes in the Breads or Cakes categories.

Baked creations should incorporate a non-functional ingredient and make use of any of the URC Flour brands such as Blend 100 Flour, Continental All-Purpose Flour, Daisy Cake Flour, FibrA+ Whole Wheat Flour, Globe First-Class Flour, My Rose Soft Flour, and Sampaguita Soft Flour.

Shortlisted teams will vie in the Flourish Pilipinas: Bake It Happen! Visayas/Mindanao and GMA/Luzon regional competitions. These will be held at the University of Mindanao in Davao City and Center for Culinary Arts in Manila, respectively. All finalists will be given a challenge and a surprise ingredient to use during the bake-off.

“We are very excited to once again seek out the most talented student bakers through the Flourish Pilipinas baking competition. With URC Flour brands that cater to every baking need, these future master bakers would surely be able to whip up some of the most fascinating creations to showcase their baking prowess,” said Ellison Lee, URC Flour VP and general manager.

Trophies, certificates, and more than P300,000 worth of prizes await the winners while regional grand champions will also receive internships with one of the country’s prestigious hotels, the Crowne Plaza Hotel and a feature in Yummy Magazine.

So hurry, join the country’s most prestigious baking competition. The complete contest details and mechanics as well as downloadable entry forms can be found on the Flourish Pilipinas 3 Facebook page. 

Deadline for submission of entries is on September 30, 2016.

Flourish Pilipinas: Bake It Happen! Nationwide Baking Competition 2016 Media Edition

Last June 29, the media announcement of the Flourish Pilipinas: Bake It Happen! Nationwide Baking Competition 2016,  a fun and unique 'Media Edition' competition was held at the Galastars Culinary School at the Pasig City. 

A simple task was to bake Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipping Cream, recipe by Chef Ernest Reynoso Gala.

Ten teams with two members, provided with complete ingredients and essential kitchen and baking equipment, and a secret ingredient to make it. All teams bake it happen! 

The Board of Judges reviewed the cupcakes based on taste, appearance, creativity.

Team 8 was declared as the winner of Universal Robina Corporation "Flourish Pilipinas Bake It Happen" Baking Competition 2016 Media Edition with Pehpot Pineda of Mommy Pephot and Myrns Roman of Enjoying Wonderful World and Arts & Travel Magazine.

To all culinary arts students, Make it happen at the Flourish Pilipinas: Bake it Happen! Nationwide baking competition, where students become future baking masters.

Submit your entries, deadline is on September 30, 2016. Bake it happen and Goodluck! 

Designing cake at The Cookery Place

Tweet

Enjoying the wonderful world of recreational cake designing held at The Cookery Place last September 25. Thanks to Bake Essence for introducing and providing Fondarific, LorAnn oils, Make and Mold candy melts and we tried them in designing cake and cupcake. 

Here, we created something amazing, in this cake decoration lessons.  As the start with the design we want - think of an exciting design for cake for any party, celebration and as gift, and follow step-by-step instructions and tips, gave by Chef of The Cookery Place. 

First, we prepare cake, as we put and cover the cake with thin butter cream, roll out fondant and cover cake. Smooth fondant over details on cake and trim at bottom border.

Then, think of what to design and add details in our cake. Position molded fondant pieces on cake

It’s as much fun to make as it is to serve and eat.

Here are some pictures during the fun, cake designing and recreational journey we had.

The Cookery Place 

Unit 2GH, Kensington Place 1st Avenue corner 29th St.

Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City 1634