Bicol Isarog and Globe myBusiness team up to give holiday travellers a wonderful Christmas surprise

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December 17 was a wonderful day of presents and surprises for travelers journeying from Naga to Manila for the holidays as Bicol Isarog and Globe myBusiness collaborated to give passengers a Christmas they would never forget. 

Passengers of a Bicol Isarog bus from Naga were gifted with items they wished for such as flat-screen television, laptop computer, mobile phone, camera, and Christmas basket, among others, as soon as they alighted from their 12-hour journey to Manila.

Jose Marco del Pilar, Executive Vice President and owner of Bicol Isarog, said they wanted to give back to their passengers, thanking them for their consistent support which helped the company grow and flourish. Bicol Isarog is focused on giving great experience to their riders who often spend a lot of hours on the road traveling.

“A wonderful Christmas for us is bringing something new. Our passengers are the lifeblood of the company so we surveyed and surprised them with gifts and presents that they want for Christmas. We have so many blessings and we want to share these with them,” said del Pilar as he promised that Bicol Isarog will continue to give passengers first class service and comfortable travels to and from the Bicol region.

He also noted that working with Globe myBusiness was important in making the surprise possible. “Globe myBusiness is very engaged and I am happy to say that they have really helped us in more ways than one.” Globe myBusiness assisted Bicol Isarog in meeting their business objectives, both in operations and marketing their services to the customers for better travel experience.

According to del Pilar, Globe myBusiness’ team is proactive in approaching Bicol Isarog to formulate strategies to better serve their customers. “They really gave us very innovative business solutions so our bus company can connect to a computerized system and link ticketing systems nationwide. We have ticketing systems in Manila, Bicol, Masbate, Catanduanes, and the Visayas connected through our WiFi, our Internet, and phone lines.”

“Most of our air conditioned buses also have Globe WiFi. By providing that connectivity to passengers, we give them first-class service. We also have AdBlast service from Globe myBusiness when we need to send out information to our customers,” he added.

Meanwhile, Derrick Heng, Senior Adviser for Globe myBusiness, said that their work with Bicol Isarog was in line with the company’s mission to help businesses flourish by helping entrepreneurs provide great customer experience to their clients.

“Bicol Isarog always wanted to give superior service to their customers so we provide them with connectivity and solutions that will help their passengers enjoy the trip better,” he said.

Heng also noted that the plan to welcome Bicol Isarog’s passengers with presents as they arrive at the terminal is a wonderful opportunity to show how both companies care. “Christmas is the time to rejoice. To create a wonderful experience, simple gestures matter. A simple gesture of giving a present is a way to thank customers for their loyalty that will definitely put a smile on their face,” he said.

Christmas is a special time for Filipinos to spend memorable moments with their loved ones. Globe myBusiness helps make this happen through their partnerships with businesses like Bicol Isarog which have, time and again, given friends and families an opportunity to be together especially during the Yuletide Season. 

Discover more about Globe myBusiness and how it can help your business deliver a wonderful experience for your customers and their families at http://mybusiness.globe.com.ph .

When farmers comes first: A choice of giving back to the farmers of Bicol

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For every one farmer in the world, there are 19 in the developing world. In a survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2012, 12.09 million people work in agriculture. This amount figures to about 1/3 of the country’s total employment. However, even with all the people in that sector, the contribution of agriculture to the economy only makes up a mere 11%.

In Bicol, agriculture makes up 30% of the region’s GDRP and about 44% of the total population are employed in this sector. According to the Bicol Regional Development Plan of 2011-2016, most of the families in agriculture belong to poor and vulnerable sectors, most of whom are unable to complete their schooling due to lack of funds or access to quality education.

In 2001, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations released a position paper on the role of agriculture in developing countries. They emphasized that agricultural productivity is key to poverty alleviation. More than just food security, agriculture can also contribute to economic development through increased export earnings. In light of this, national focus has shifted to the margins—policy makers, government, and non-government agencies alike have begun pumping support for our local farmers through irrigation programs, modernization projects, and supporting local entrepreneurs and cooperatives.

Cooperatives for socio-economic development

The Philippine Agricultural setting is mostly small farm holders after the land reform. So it is very important to organize the farmers to cooperatives and association for economy of scale in production and pricing.

Cooperatives play a crucial role in reducing poverty as well as pave the way for rural development. Through cooperatives, farmers who previously lacked access to the necessary resources are now able to access new technologies through government support from Dept. of Agriculture , Dept. of Trade & Industry and Dept. of Science & Technology.

Pili farmers of Bicol—once the poorest of the poor—are now able to augment their income through their cooperative with farmers from different provinces, harvesting and processing what we know now as Pili oil.

Pili oil is extracted from the pili fruit. it is only in the Philippines that the pili is commercially grown and processed. The nuts themselves have been found to contain 70% oil—akin to the Macadamia. The oil from other parts of the fruit itself is rich in Vitamin A and Tocopherol (Vitamin E), otherwise known as natural anti-aging components.

A beautiful partnership

Some farmers group from Sorsogon & Camarines Sur are already partners with PILI Beauty—an all-natural line of personal care products enhanced with pili and elemi oil. Through their harvest of pili oil, the farmers now receive a new source of income and through this, they can send their children to school & upgrade their standard of living.

The farmers are also taught zero waste management consciousness, making use of every part of the pili nut and pulp. This means less stress on the environment as well as reduced pollution in production.

PILI Beauty does not just want to provide short term livelihood solutions for these farmers, but to ultimately uplift the quality of life for those who belong to this sector. 

“Our goal is a long term relationship with these farmers that will help upgrade their standards of living,” said PILI Beauty’s visionary Founder Rose Tan.

At par if not better than Argan and Olive oil, PILI Beauty after extraneous research & creative innovation envision our very own Pili oil comparable to world class beauty product both local and international market. More than the beauty benefits the pili oil can provide championing a local product ,we are pumping life into the backbones of our society & leaving it better than we started it.

K to 12 Program scores support from Bicolanos

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LEGAZPI CITY – Approval and support among the Bicolanos for the implementation of the K to 12 Program is continually gaining further strength in numbers with the increasing signatories to the manifesto of support generated during the recent information and services caravan conducted by the Regional Information and Advocacy Committee Technical Working Group (RIAC-TWG) of the Regional Development Council (RDC) in Presentacion, Camarines Sur.

Presentacion Mayor Jimmy Villete Deleña led his constituents in signing the K to 12 Manifesto of Support and the signature wall set up at the Department of Education (DepEd) booth located at the municipal covered court during the three-day activity.

“I am strongly pushing for the implementation of the Senior High School (SHS) for this will bring progress and development,” Deleña said. He also cited local government’s involvement in the Municipal Education Summit conducted on May 29 in the same venue.

“The municipal education summit is an off-shoot of the recently conducted Provincial Education Summit held last May 11 at the Capitol Convention Center in Pili, Camarines Sur,” Parubcan Public Schools District Supervisor (PSDS) Dr. Jennylyn Cedron revealed.

More than 4,000 participants joined the said event composed of public and private school teachers, parents, students, government officials, government agencies and other stakeholders, Cedron said.

Meanwhile, the municipal education summit gathered close to 300 participants in Presentacion. “All teachers, Parents Teachers Association (PTA) members, barangay captains, municipal councilors, committee on education council members participated in the event,” Cedron explained.

Cedron confirmed that Presentacion is ready for the implementation of SHS with six high schools already certified to offer SHS tracks.

These schools are Bantugan National High School which will offer General Academic Strand (GAS), Bitaogan National High School to offer GAS, Buenavista National High School to offer Technical, Vocational, and Livelihood (TVL) track, Federico P. Condat National High School (formerly Maangas High School) to offer GAS and TVL, Lidong High School to offer GAS, and Presentacion National High School to offer GAS and TVL. (JJJPerez/DepEd-Bicol)

deped.gov.ph

XPLORE NAGA 2013 !

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XPLORE NAGA 2013 is offer you one of the largest photography activity this coming Peñafrancia. In tradition in providing you hip and in style events, Xplore Naga 2013 is here to bring to the upcoming festivities to the forefront of festivals in the country and the world. Participants would be treated to a plethora of festivities and experience that aims to capture what makes the Peñafrancia Festival unique in the world. 

The Photography Academy-Manila in partnership with the City Government of Naga and Avenue Square we now give you this event that would surely give you a different take on the usual festivities this September.

Xplore Naga 2013 is an advocacy event for boosting local tourism by The Academy. It is part of the series of PhotoQuests for our Traveller Project, where we will visit local towns and cities with global festivals. 

With this event, first to be held in Naga to showcase to the world the beauty of Naga and its people by creating a gallery of inspirations, dreams, and hopes and using the power of social media to communicate this message. Photos will all be taken in Naga City during the Peñafrancia Festivities by local and professional photographers and students from Manila and Naga City. This would be a month long celebration for all. 

Awards to be given to the winners and an exhibit would follow for the photographs you took for the event at the Plaza Rizal.

Here's the following schedule of activities. 

September 9 

Time: (8AM-12NN)

Venue: TBA

Photojournalism Workshop with Francis Malasig

“Basics of Photojournalism and An Inspection of Photojournalism in the Country”. Francis Malasig of European Press Agency a renowned photojournalist who won the 1994 Freedom Forum Awards

September 13

Time: (2PM-7PM)

Venue: Avenue Square

Join your fellow photographers both hobbyists and professionals in witnessing the Translacion procession. The Formal Opening of the Xplore Naga PhotoQuest on September 13, 2013 at 2PM to 4PM at the Avenue Square and the awarding ceremonies would soon follow at the Avenue Square by 7PM.

September 17-21

Time: 10AM

Xplore Naga Gallery at the Plaza Rizal on September 17- 21 2013 at 10AM

See your best photos come to life as we exhibit them in life-size prints at the Plaza Rizal.

Your photos would have the chance to be published and exhibit at the Food and Art Gallerie at the 12th Floor of GT tower, Ayala Avenue, Makati City for 2 months and a coffee-table book will be published by the Academy entitled “Xplore Naga 2013 Book”

Explore and Enjoy the wonderful world of Naga City as it showcase the flavour and color to the country and the world!

For more info, send email at : info@thephotographyacademymanila.com

and visit : www.Thephotographyacademymanila.com

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