Canadian Dignitaries Get a Taste of Home in Manila at Triple O’s

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A TASTE OF CANADA IN MANILA. Filipino-Canadian Senator Tobias Enverga, Jr. (left) and Canada’s Minister for International Trade, Ed Fast (right), are all set to enjoy Canada’s best burgers and milkshakes at Triple O’s SM Megamall.

For any Filipino who has ever spent some time in Canada, Triple O’s by White Spot will surely be a familiar name. The good news is that Triple O’s claim of having the “sauciest, juiciest, tastiest, bestest burgers around” has already been validated in the Philippines as well, courtesy of jam-packed branches in SM Megamall, SM Aura, and the UP Town Center Mall.

For those who have a hankering for something other than a fantastic burger, Triple O’s also provides a selection of other mains, such as chicken, pasta, and fish dishes. Another staple that has achieved a cult-like following are the hand-scooped Triple O’s milkshakes made with 100% premium ice cream.

Recently, the Triple O’s branch in SM Megamall welcomed some very special guests for a surprise lunch. Canada’s Minister for International Trade, the Hon. Ed Fast, joined the first Filipino-Canadian Senator, Tobias Enverga, Jr., and Canadian Ambassador Neil Reeder for a taste of home in Manila. The dignitaries made time in their busy schedules to enjoy Canada’s best-loved burgers and milkshakes, while delighting both the staff and walk-in diners with trivia and other tidbits about the brand.

To find out what the hype is about, visit your nearest Triple-O’s outlet, log on to www.tripleos.com.ph, or join the conversation via @tripleosPH on Twitter and Facebook.

GrabCar First and Only Transport Network Company legalized by LTFRB

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The first and only Transport Network Company legalized by the Philippine government, GrabCar, the private hire vehicle booking service available through the GrabTaxi app.

GrabCar is the first and only service of its kind in the Philippines to be fully accredited as a Transportation Network Company (TNC) by the Land Transportation Franchising & Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Natasha Bautista, Head of GrabCar Philippines, said this GrabCar accreditation validates the company’s efforts in providing the safest and most convenient rides for passengers in the Philippines.

“With full accreditation, more Filipino commuters will be able to use GrabCar and be confident that we offer a legitimate and safe private hire service. We will now focus on rapidly expanding our GrabCar service to serve more passengers across the Philippines,” said Bautista.

“Our GrabCar accreditation by LTFRB is a historical occasion. We commend the Philippine government for collaborating with our team to revolutionize transport in the Philippines through the development of game-changing regulations that champion innovation and public safety for society,” she added.

First and only legal service

When GrabCar first entered the market, the service operated on par with the current industry standards. In May 2015, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) announced that it would create a new classification to accommodate mobile app-based booking services. On July 3rd, GrabCar became the first company to complete all the requirements and receive full accreditation as a TNC.

The requirements for TNC accreditation include: business permit, certificate of registration duly issued by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), business model proposal with proposed fare rates and service charges, and complaint mechanism against vehicle owners and drivers.

Safety remains top priority

“The stringent safety and training process we’ve implemented since day one has ensured that GrabCar complies with the new TNC regulations seamlessly and can be the first to be fully accredited by LTFRB. We are committed to screening and training our GrabPeer drivers for GrabCar in full compliance with the TNVS accreditation requirements set by LTFRB. In fact, we’re working with our Regional Head of Safety and the LTFRB to consistently ensure that our screening and safety measures are of the highest standard possible,” said Bautista.

“GrabCar has been very collaborative. Since day one of operations, they have been working closely with us to ensure that the policy on TNCs prioritizes passenger safety. We are happy to announce that GrabCar has already been accredited upon meeting all government requirements, and we are positive that this will revolutionize the Philippine transportation industry,” said Roberto Cabrera, LTFRB Executive Director.

GrabCar aims to complement the current transportation options in the country and provide passengers with another safe and affordable ride option. GrabCar believes that with full accreditation by the Philippine government, TNCs will be able to provide a fast, safe and convenient transport option for passengers.

Celebrate GrabCar’s Accreditation

To celebrate its full accreditation by the Philippine government, GrabCar is giving away an unlimited P100 discount on all GrabCar and GrabCar+ rides! 

Just use the promo code LEGALLYGRAB on every booking from July 7 to July 21, 2015.

Happy Anniversary GrabCar ! 

SM, Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands Survey

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SM Supermalls was recently awarded at the annual Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands Survey, garnering recognition in the shopping center category. The award solidifies SM’s reputation as a top-notch valued brand in the region. Receiving the award for the mall giant are Grace Magno, Vice-President of Advertising for SM Supermalls, Annie Garcia, President of SM Supermalls, and Ian Mathay, Assistant Vice-President for Operations of SM Supermalls. Presenting them with the award is Sheron White of Reader’s Digest (second from left).

Elance-oDesk Relaunches as Upwork, Debuts New Freelance Talent Platform

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Upwork ushers in a new chapter of online work, making it easier for businesses to find talent quickly — aims at real-time hiring and collaboration

Elance-oDesk, the world’s largest freelance talent marketplace, today relaunched with a new name, Upwork, and a new freelance talent platform, also called Upwork. Talent, like software before it, is shifting online. As the online work market leader, Upwork is the driving force behind the reimagination of work and represents a new chapter of innovation. As part of the new Upwork platform, the company also debuted new features aimed at connecting businesses with great talent faster than ever (within minutes).

There is a global talent pool for businesses to tap into

In the U.S. alone, 53 million professionals freelanced last year1. Globally, independent professionals are earning more than $1 trillion per year2. “There is literally an earth-sized talent pool of freelance professionals out there, and yet most businesses still limit their thinking to rigid local hiring models,” said Stephane Kasriel, CEO at Upwork. “Upwork’s launch signals a new chapter of work in which people are able to hire quality talent — regardless of where the professional happens to be — in minutes. Freelancers were already earning $1 billion annually via Elance-oDesk — I predict they will earn $10 billion annually via Upwork within six years.”

New Upwork freelance talent platform makes finding quality talent online easier

“Hiring is one of the most important things a business does, and yet it’s also the hardest and most time-consuming. Upwork’s new platform will radically disrupt hiring norms, making it much easier to hire a proven, high-quality freelancer quickly as well as to collaborate with them after the hire,” said Hayden Brown, VP of Product Management at Upwork.

Highlights of the new Upwork platform’s innovation include:

Faster hiring – Traditionally it took around three weeks to hire. Upwork’s innovations will make it possible to hire in minutes or less by factoring in availability and immediacy of response (i.e., is the freelancer available to engage in a chat-like interview instantly?) when finding freelancers. To do this the platform utilizes:

Enhanced matching algorithms developed by Upwork’s team of Stanford PhDs.

A new work status feature allowing freelancers to set their availability (“Right away,” “Later” or “Not looking”).

Upwork’s new mobile app, from which it’s possible to post jobs, submit proposals, review applicants and contract on the fly – enabling hires to be made from devices in minutes.

Real-time group collaboration – Upwork also includes a new real-time group collaboration tool that is similar to Slack but completely free and available to anyone on the web with no limitations (users don’t have to be an Upwork customer otherwise). These new features enable immediate collaboration after a hire, allowing clients to file share and communicate with their new workers instantaneously. Support for video and integrations with popular tools such as GitHub, Google Drive and Jira are also expected later in 2015.

Upwork launch disrupts hiring norms and represents a new chapter of online work

The launch of Upwork comes two weeks after announcing the promotion of Stephane Kasriel, previously the company’s top tech executive, to chief executive officer. Kasriel led a global team of 300+ engineers, designers and programmers — many of whom are freelancers hired from the company’s own marketplace — to create the new Upwork platform.

Businesses are already posting more than 3 million freelance jobs and conducting 100 million searches annually on the Elance and oDesk platforms.

“Though we are already the largest freelance talent marketplace — with $1B in freelancer earnings annually and the first online marketplace large enough to qualify for a ranking of top U.S. staffing and talent engagement firms — enormous market opportunity remains, and we decided it’s time to up the ante. This new platform will make hiring near-instant, which is a radical reimagination of work,” said Kasriel.

“This has implications not only for the way people work, but for the job market itself. Reduce the friction in a job market and you open up more opportunity,” said John Horton, Assistant Professor of Information, Operations and Management Sciences at NYU Stern School of Business and former Staff Economist at oDesk.

There have been three chapters of work’s shift online:

Chapter 1 (2000). Resumes and job classifieds move online

Sites moved job-related content online. Job boards (such as Monster.com and Craigslist) and professional profile sites (such as LinkedIn) made information more readily available, but didn’t provide clear indication of whether professionals were currently motivated to find work. They also focused on traditional hiring of full time, on-premise employees.

Chapter 2 (2005 – 2015). Online workplaces launch

Sites such as Elance.com and oDesk.com launched and — in addition to providing job listings, profiles and other context needed for hiring — enabled the actual work to happen online, thereby reducing dependencies on physical location and opening up a broader talent pool. These sites disrupted traditional hiring models and empowered flexible work by enabling clients to connect with motivated independent professionals actively looking for freelance work.

Chapter 3 (2015 – future). Online work goes real-time 

Upwork represents a new chapter in which real-time hiring will be realistic for businesses. Traditionally it took around three weeks to hire; now, Upwork is at an average of three days to hire, and within the year it will be possible to hire in minutes or less. With a clear indication of the best professional actively available across a global talent pool, the biggest barriers to hiring — bandwidth and availability of specific skills — will disappear.

“This chapter will deliver the increased opportunity that comes with less job market friction to both clients and independent professionals. We are a company that will be around in 100 years. Upwork’s launch up-levels our innovation as we lead the online work industry into a new chapter,” said Kasriel.

About Upwork

Upwork is the world’s largest freelance talent marketplace. As an increasingly connected and independent workforce goes online, knowledge work —like software, shopping and content before it— is shifting online as well. This shift is making it faster and easier for clients to connect and work with talent in near real-time and is freeing professionals everywhere from having to work at a set time and place.

Freelancers are earning more than $1 billion annually via Upwork. Upwork is headquartered in Mountain View, California, with offices in San Francisco, California, and Oslo, Norway.

For more information, visit our website at www.upwork.com, join us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Cotton Council International (CCI) launches new brand identity

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Cotton Council International (CCI), the marketing and promotions arm of the United States cotton industry, has formally re-launched its 26-year old flagship brand, COTTON USA, in the Philippines. 

Since 1989, over 50,000 product lines and three billion products have proudly carried the name COTTON USA. This translates into about 100 million bales of cotton spun, woven, cut, sewn, and enjoyed by people all over the world.

Cotton Council International ASEAN Representative Kraipob Pangsapa recently flew to Manila to officially launch the new COTTON USA Mark here. With him is Dr. Ana Palabyab-Rufino who discussed the importance of using natural fibers such as cotton in our everyday wear, especially for babies, during the event. Cotton being non-irritant, breathable, and safe, she added, may help prevent skin conditions such as contact dermatitis.

“Our brand has been highly successful,” CCI President Dahlen Hancock said.

“However, the global marketplace has changed dramatically and has become more competitive because petroleum-based fibers are often cheaper. The new generation of consumers needs to hear why cotton is such a wonderful product and why U.S. cotton is the premier cotton for textile and garment manufacturers and consumers, especially families.”

In the Philippines, the COTTON USA Mark was introduced to garment manufacturers and consumers in 1994. The Mark, often displayed on garments and merchandizing shelves, has been a symbol that assured Filipinos that the items being purchased were 100 percent cotton, 50 percent of which was cotton sourced from the United States of America.

To date, CCI has 19 licensees divided into six categories – women’s wear, men’s wear, men’s innerwear, children’s wear, home textiles and personal care – in the country.

The benefits of cotton on skin

Cotton is a common fabric that makes up our everyday wear and clothing needs from innerwear, shirts, jeans, towels, and bed sheets. It is a natural fiber preferred especially for babies because it rarely causes allergic reactions to the skin, preventing irritation and excessive sweating.

Dermatologist Dr. Anna Palabyab-Rufino echoed the importance of using natural fibers like cotton to help prevent more complex skin conditions like textile contact dermatitis. 

“When choosing clothes, one should not just consider the aesthetic aspect. You should feel comfortable and pleasant when the fabric touches your skin,” she said.

Dr. Rufino added that choosing non-irritant, absorbent, breathable, easy-to-wash, and natural fabrics is one way of preventing or treating these skin manifestations. In comparison, synthetic fabrics may contain formaldehyde finishing resins, dyes, glues, chemical additives and tanning agents that can be harmful to the skin. 

U.S. Cotton – purity, quality and responsibility 

In addition to a new logo, the re-launch includes a revitalized brand vision emphasizing three key attributes that set U.S. cotton apart from others – purity, quality and responsibility. Further, new promotional and merchandising tools will be rolled out in stages globally over the next year. 

Purity 

U.S. cotton is shipped pure from the field. It’s clean, non-irritating, and safe. It is the standard by which all other fibers are measured.

Quality

U.S. cotton producers take meticulous care to produce high quality U.S. cotton. Cotton grown with care is soft and white, but it takes hard work, sophisticated technology, and true craftsmanship to bring out the very best in nature. COTTON USA licensees use U.S. cotton to manufacture high quality apparels and home textiles.

Responsibility

From U.S. cotton producers to manufacturers, they are dedicated to creating a better world. Since 1980 to 2011, as result of continuous improvement, U.S. cotton producers significantly reduced five resources to produce cotton fiber. Land use has been reduced by 30 percent, soil erosion by 68 percent, irrigation water applied by 75 percent, energy use by 31 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by 22 percent. And, at the end of its journey, U.S. cotton is biodegradable and can be safely returned to earth.

In conjunction with the National Cotton Council, CCI works to promote U.S. cotton exports through COTTON USA in more than 50 countries globally, including the Philippines. With offices in Washington, Memphis, London, Hong Kong, Seoul, and Shanghai and dedicated representatives in numerous other countries, CCI plays the lead role in educating and strengthening the market for U.S. cotton and U.S. cotton products around the world. 

For more information on CCI, please visit www.cottonusa.org.