L’Oréal Philippines’ Beauty For a Better Life Celebrates One Year of Changing Lives

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(Metro Manila, 2018) -  Empowering Women to Transform Communities - L’Oréal Philippines’ Beauty For a Better Life celebrates one year of changing lives held the grand awarding ceremony this Tuesday afternoon (April 3) at the Renaissance Conventional Center, Marikina City, with the  beneficiaries after they undergo classroom sessions and salon internships.

L’Oréal’s Beauty For a Better Life completed one full year of training for three batches of beneficiaries. Placing beauty at the heart of re-building identities and lives, and created to ignite long-term social impact, many of those who benefit from L’Oréal’s Beauty For a Better Life are women in vulnerable social or economic situations. Since its launch last April 2017, 62 beneficiaries from the Philippines has been given an opportunity to go into jobs and even own businesses in the field of hairdressing.

Carmel Valencia, L’Oréal Philippines Corporate Communication Manager

"We believe in the power of beauty to change lives, and Beauty For a Better Life expands the definition of beauty by using it a way to provide skills and livelihood opportunities to those most in need. A renewed sense of self-confidence, dignity and motivation are fundamental changes that we see in our graduates and it is our hope and vision that Beauty For a Better Life empowers these women to gain a better quality of life through increased access to livelihood opportunities, and thereby becoming socially and economically empowered to also serve as beacons of hope for their own families and communities”, shares Carmel Valencia, L’Oréal Philippines Corporate Communication Manager.

Reynaldo Laguda,  Executive Director, Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP)

Led by the L’Oréal Foundation, Beauty For a Better Life is deployed in 27 countries globally and is one of the Foundation’s key programs to empower women in situations of social and economic instability by training them for careers in the beauty sector. For its first run, L’Oréal Philippines, along with its partner organization Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), decided to focus on training women within one barangay to allow for growth within the community and co-empowerment among themselves.

The program was first brought to Brgy. Sto. Niño in Marikina as one of the priority areas for unemployment.

To date, 62 individuals have completed the program, 22 of which come from the third batch graduating this April 2018. Each batch of beneficiaries underwent daily classroom sessions in the Barangay Hall for three months wherein they were taught different hairdressing skills such as blowdrying, hair coloring, hair cutting, and application of hair treatments – under the tutelage of L’Oréal Philippines trainers. They were also exposed to a one-week internship in L’Oréal’s partner salons across Metro Manila to expose them to actual hairdressing jobs and potentially further their career options.

Beauty For a Better Life beneficiaries as they undergo classroom sessions and salon internships

April 3 signals a new chapter for the program as it celebrates all the beneficiaries from Brgy. Sto. Niño including the latest set of graduates and also gives way for the turning over of the program to a new barangay in Marikina.

“It is truly heartwarming to see the hope that the program has brought about to the lives of the women (and men) of Brgy. Sto. Niño. For the next cycle of Beauty For a Better Life, we are hoping that we will also open opportunities to individuals from Brgy. Dela Peña and continue our advocacy of changing lives through beauty,” concludes Ms. Valencia. 

The first batch of beneficiaries from Brgy. Dela Peña will begin training under the program on April 

4.

Citibank Cash Deposit Machines now accepting USD cash deposits

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Deposit US dollar notes to your Citibank Philippines USD account real-time without standing in line and rushing to beat the bank’s cut-off time. Effective March, Citi offers a new dollar deposit functionality in its Cash Deposit machines with the service now available 24/7.

For the first time in the Philippines, Citi clients may now deposit dollar bills to their Citibank Philippines USD account in all three branches, Makati, Greenhills and Cebu; and ATM Centers in Binondo, Alabang and Libis. Citibank cash deposit machines will accept denominations from $1 to $100 and up to $9,000/day.

Commenting on the new service, Citi Philippines Retail Banking head Rene Aguirre said, “USD cash deposit via Citibank Cash Deposit machine is fast and is a more convenient option for our customers to make deposits to their Citibank Philippines accounts. This improved service reflects our commitment to stay relevant to our customers changing needs”.

Apart from cash deposit to credit or savings accounts and cash payment to credit card, ready credit, loans or bills, this machine can also accommodate other functionalities such as cash withdrawal, funds transfer, statement request or checkbook order to security pin change and viewing of account details.

By making it possible to make cash dollar deposits through its cash deposit machines, Citi has made basic banking transactions even easier and more convenient.

For more information, log on to www.citibank.com.ph. 

Vivo’s New FullView™ Flagship V9 Creates Perfect Shots and an Enhanced AI-Powered Experience

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MANILA, Philippines - Vivo recently unveiled the V9, an all-new FullView™ Display smartphone, with a 90% screen-to-body ratio that packs AI-powered features in a sleek and stylish design. From photography to enhanced mobile performance, the V9 adapts to specific users’ needs to create the perfect shot while providing a fun and optimized mobile experience.

FullView™ Display for Unlimited Fun

The V9 is as compact in design as a traditional 5.5-inch phone but offers an incredible 6.3-inch display, while still feeling comfortable in your hand. The Vivo V9 adopts a 19:9 aspect ratio to increase screen size by 5.2% compared to the previous generation’s V7+, and the side bezels have been reduced by 19% to a mere 1.75mm. Taking phone design to the extraordinary, every arc and curve on the ergonomically optimized 3D curved cover is carefully polished to ensure absolute comfort in the palm of your hand.

Creating the Perfect Shot with AI Photography

New AI-powered camera functions continue Vivo’s ambitions to provide smart mobile photography with the V9’s crystal-clear 24MP front camera and 16MP+5MP dual rear camera. Based on in-depth research, powerful software and machine learning, Vivo uses AI to help consumers pursue a great photo that truly represents their beauty.

AI Face Beauty identifies users’ age, sex, skin tone and texture, as well as the surrounding lighting environment. A comprehensive database of almost one million facial images from around the world has been used to train the AI algorithm. This allows AI Face Beauty to adapt and apply the ideal algorithm for optimized photos. As usage increases, the AI will also learn your customized setting preferences, automatically creating the ideal photo every time and exactly the way you want. 

The new AI Selfie Lighting feature also allows users create artistic photo masterpieces anytime anywhere without an elaborate equipment setup. The V9’s AI algorithm transforms the facial profile in the original 2D photo into a 3D model to process the light accents authentically. Users can choose from a range of effects like Natural Light, Studio Light, Stereo Light and Monochrome Background. When coupled with AR Stickers that provides numerous effects to decorate your selfie, the V9 helps users to take selfies that reflect their unique style with just a few clicks.

The rear facing 16MP+5MP dual camera of V9 creates amazing bokeh shots that rival those taken on a DSLR camera using its AI Bokeh algorithm, which has been optimized based on machine learning, so it can achieve high-level precision in identifying the key subject to ensure optimal focus in the photo.

AI-Optimized Mobile Experience

The V9’s AI also ensures the best mobile performance and endurance with Vivo’s AI Smart Engine. By learning your usage habits and preferences, the AI Smart Engine prioritizes processing and storage resources for an optimized experience. Not only does it ensure smooth operation and save power, as the AI picks up on your usage habits, Smart Engine can accurately predict your next move and have your favorite apps launch 20% faster.

With its updated AI Face Access technology, the V9 can detect the reflection of natural skin and the subtle movements of the face to further reduce the possibility of accidently unlocking when shown photos or videos. AI Face Access for App-Lock even helps secure your data and privacy for individual applications.

The V9’s AI Attention Sensing also recognizes when you’re looking at the phone to keep disruption to a minimum by automatically reducing the volume of message alerts, incoming calls and alarms, since you’re already looking at the screen.

Entertainment and Power

Updated Game Mode delivers the hyper-focused environment required for the most dedicated gamers with the ability to block all messages, calls and alerts while gaming. Alternately, you can set it up to display phone calls from designated contacts only. The new picture-in-picture for games feature means you won’t even have to exit the game to reply to critical messages.

The V9 comes equipped with the latest Android 8.1 OS and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 octa-core processor, 4GB RAM and 64 ROM.

Pricing and Availability

The V9 will be available in Pearl Black and Gold. Prices and availability vary in markets. It will be retailed at Php17990 in the Philippines.

About Vivo

A global smartphone brand focused on introducing perfect sound quality and ultimate photography with cutting-edge technology, Vivo develops innovative and stylish products for young people. We now have over two hundred million users and are one of the preferred brands of young people around the world. As an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup™, Vivo believes in the importance of encouraging young people to embrace self-expression and an energetic lifestyle. In the Philippines, Vivo is the top 3 smartphone brand in terms of market share with 1.5 million users nationwide.

More information about our innovative smartphones can be found at www.vivo.com.

For inquiries about Vivo, visit the Vivo websites at www.vivo.com/ph 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/VivoPhil, 

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/vivophil/ 

Twitter https://twitter.com/vivo_phil 

SM Skating MOA to host Ice Hockey Challenge Cup of Asia, April 3-8

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The Philippines will host the 2018 Challenge Cup of Asia from April 3-8, 2018 at the SM Skating Mall of Asia in Pasay City. This is the first time that the country will sponsor the annual international ice hockey tournament that is sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

“We are very proud and excited to host, for the first time, the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia which has been held in different countries since it was founded in 2008,” said Chris Sy, Federation of Ice Hockey Philippines president.

The 2018 Challenge Cup also marks the first time that the Philippines will compete in the men’s top division of the annual tournament among some of the best ice hockey teams in the region.

Riding on the momentum of its gold medal victory in the first-ever ice hockey event of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games, the Philippine Ice Hockey Team, backed by the SM Group, hopes to make a podium finish in the 5-nation Challenge Cup of Asia as it plays against Thailand on April 3, Kuwait on April 5, Mongolia on April 6, and Singapore on April 8. All games of the Philippine team are scheduled at 7PM.

Other Challenge Cup of Asia games will feature Singapore vs Mongolia on April 3 (3:30PM), Mongolia vs Kuwait on April 4 (7PM), Thailand vs Singapore on April 5 (3:3PM), Mongolia vs Thailand on April 7 (3:30PM), Kuwait vs Singapore on April 7 (7PM), and Kuwait vs Thailand on Aril 8 (3:30PM).

During the Challenge Cup, the Olympic-size ice skating rink at the SM Skating Mall of Asia will be the battleground of the competing ice hockey teams. It is equipped with complete facilities such as a digital scoreboard, players’ boxes, scorekeeper and penalty boxes, locker rooms, and a 200-seater stands located around the rink.

“We are honored to be a part of this wonderful opportunity to host the first official IIHF event in the country. This shows how the Philippines can truly be at par with its Asian neighbors not only in terms of the quality of its sports programs and athletes, but also in the quality of its sports facilities,” said Herman Medina-Cue, COO of SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc., the only company in the Philippines to carry Olympic size ice rinks.

The Philippine Ice Hockey Team hopes to make the country proud as it competes against Thailand, Kuwait, Mongolia, and Singapore in the 2018 IHHF Challenge Cup of Asia at the SM Skating Mall of Asia. All Philippine team games are scheduled for 7PM.

GCash Scan to Pay Now Accepted at Daiso Japan Outlets Nationwide

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Daiso Japan, the authorized retailer of Daiso Industries Co. Ltd, is the latest partner of Mynt, operator of GCash, the electronic mobile wallet that can be used to pay for goods and services in the Philippines by using QR codes.

Anyone who loves to shop at Daiso Japan can now use the GCash Scan to Pay at the Japanese retailer’s outlets all over the Philippines.

“GCash is here to ensure that Daiso Japan customers are given the convenience and security they deserve when paying for their purchases. With the GCash scan to pay feature, customers with a GCash account and smartphone can easily pay the exact amount using their phone.  There is no longer any need to wait for loose change or pay in smaller denominations, or even stand in line for a long time,” said Albert Tinio, President and CEO of GCash.

A unit of Robinsons Retail Holdings, Daiso Japan offers a wide range of unique products - from home and kitchen ornaments, office knick-knacks, and beauty essentials to novelty items that are both practical and collectible. It makes sure that the merchandise in store are grounded by three pillars, mainly, variety, quality and uniqueness and strives to offer these at affordable prices starting at Php88.

Using the Scan to Pay feature of GCash is simple. A customer with an iPhone or an Android smartphone only needs to download or update to the latest version of the GCash App, register an account, and fund the GCash wallet at any of over 12,000 GCash Partner Outlets nationwide which includes Robinsons Business Centers. Once done, the customer just has to tap on Scan QR, point a phone’s camera at the partner’s QR code, and pay.