PLDT-Smart Foundation tops up educational grant for PNP dependents

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Dependents of Filipino police officers killed or injured in service receive a P1-million educational grant from PLDT-Smart Foundation, now on its 12^th year, with the aim of providing college educational opportunities. The PSF has so far produced 639 scholars through the Educational Assistance Program. 

  

"Education is an integral part of our efforts in the PLDT-Smart Foundation. We continue to do our part in the community to ensure that we provide adequate resources to support today's youth as they become our next generation of leaders,” said PLDT Chairman and CEO Manuel V Pangilinan who is also the Chairman of the PLDT-Smart Foundation.  

  

In line with the Philippine National Police (PNP) Integrated Transformation Program, the PSF Educational Assistance Program aims to provide college educational opportunities to the dependents of PNP uniformed personnel, with highest priority to those who are sons/daughters of personnel who were killed in actual performance of duty (KIA), complete disability discharged (CDD) wounded or incapacitated in line of duty and those dependents who graduated with honors.  

  

"In PLDT and Smart, we appreciate and we are extremely grateful for the heroic efforts that our police force has done through the years. Even now, amid the pandemic, they serve our country and the Filipino people by ensuring our safety and protection,” said Smart President & CEO and PLDT Chief Revenue Officer Al Panlilio.   

  

Every year, a total of 50 dependents are selected by the PNP to benefit from this scholarship assistance. The annual grant of the PSF to the PNP is P500,000. Last year, the MVP Golf Cup led by PLDT Enterprise partnered with the PSF as its beneficiary for the mulligan donation. PLDT Enterprise matched the annual grant of the PSF, amounting to a total of P1-million educational grant for 2020.   

  

“Some of the most heartwarming stories I have ever heard are from the children of our PNP heroes. These are stories of loss, grief, hope and healing. We want to continue the legacy of these brave men and women by empowering their sons and daughters to have the best opportunities. In the PLDT-Smart Foundation, we become enablers of dreams and countless possibilities,” said PLDT-Smart Foundation President Esther Santos. 

  

Empowering the youth 

  

20-year-old Jhosan Michelle Roy is one of this year’s beneficiaries of the educational grant. She is currently a third year college student, taking up BS Psychology in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Main Campus. Roy dreams to be a clinical psychologist someday while running her own business.  

  

“Malaking bagay po ang tulong na ibinigay sa akin ng PLDT-Smart Foundation. I’m sure na ‘yung papa ko po ay masaya ngayon dahil patuloy kong inaabot ang mga pangarap ko. Thank you, PLDT-Smart Foundation. Mabuhay po kayo,” said Roy.  

  

Over the last twelve years, the PSF has honored the sacrifices of our nation’s public servants – the brave women and men of the Philippine National Police. Through the years, the grant was able to make a big difference in the lives of beneficiaries and uplifted the morale of the entire police force. 

GCredit users may now transact with over 17,500 billers and merchants nationwide

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GCash, the undisputed leader and preferred mobile wallet in the Philippines, has empowered its over 20 million users to transact with over 17,500 establishments via GCredit, the pioneering mobile-first digital credit facility powered by Fuse Lending, Inc. that helps extend the budgets of GCash users.

As the demand for more digital services continuously rises amid the pandemic, GCash has partnered with over 17,500 merchants to accept GCredit as a mode of payment. This allows GCash users to use a revolving credit facility to purchase goods and services, especially during emergencies.

“GCredit is broadening the possibilities for all of us. GCash through GCredit is offering a revolutionary way to still keep our lifestyle, provide for our needs  and achieve our goals when we have less resources compared to the pre-pandemic period,” GCash President Martha Sazon said.

GCredit is one of the many innovative features of GCash where users are enabled to borrow amounts within a certain credit limit from GCash to pay for goods, services and bills to partner merchants and billers. It serves as a preferred easy-access and hassle-free option to borrowing compared to traditional bank loans or credit cards.

GCredit is a revolving credit facility that can be tapped when a GCash user has a healthy GScore, the first trust score in the country. GCash users earn points in their GScore whenever they use GCash to settle any payment or even when simply cashing in.

Any GCash user with an eligible GScore is entitled to use GCredit. The higher the GScore is, the higher the credit limit that a user can tap. A GCash user may have access to up to P10,000 in credit line with a low prorated daily interest rate.

While it is similar to a credit card, GCredit does not require users to submit extensive documentary requirements and wait in long lines to gain access to the revolving credit facility.

“We at GCash are cognizant that many Filipinos are struggling to make both ends meet.  GCredit seeks to provide a modest relief for Filipinos to still be able to pull through during these challenging times, while also contributing to the rally of financial inclusion in the country,” Sazon added.

The in-app borrowing facility is an essential tool for Filipinos in surviving the COVID-19 pandemic as evidenced by the surge in GCredit availments during the Petsa de Peligro week or the days leading to the pay day when employees struggle with their remaining cash at hand.

GCash account holders use GCredit to do QR code payments for grocery runs and pharmacy purchases, as well as settling home bills such as electricity, telephone and internet lines.

“We have seen strong growth of GCredit usage throughout the country. We at GCash continue to complement the country’s ability to still persist and be resilient in the face of challenges. We continue to expand our current offerings like GCredit and create key services for the wise and flexible Filipino,” Sazon added.

Globe Fintech Innovations Inc. (Mynt), which operates GCash, is part of the portfolio companies of 917Ventures, the largest corporate incubator in the Philippines wholly-owned by Globe Telecom Inc.

GCash is available for download on the App Store and Google Play. For more information, kindly visit https://www.gcash.com/.

A flair for the finest fare only at Tagaytay Highlands

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If there’s any food for thought that the ongoing quarantine has brought us, it’s having a deeper appreciation for neighborhood restaurants whose take-out and home delivery services have enhanced their value in terms of customer convenience anywhere one goes in the world.

Still, amid today’s health situation, every day leaves people pining for their cozy neighborhood restaurants as places where both locals and visitors can relax, have a taste of home, and experience new and familiar cuisines. In most cases, people already miss spending time in quaint dining spots to simply enjoy each other’s company as they savor the food offerings and the homey ambiance. Small wonder why the restaurant and the culinary experience it provides have always been at the center of a community. 

In Tagaytay Highlands, a premier residential development and leisure destination in the Philippines, restaurants present an outstanding gastronomic experience to homeowners and their visitors, while retaining that familiar feeling of home. Featuring the finest dining outlets and specialty restaurants, Tagaytay Highlands makes sure that every place is worth the visit.

To start with, members and their guests have an impressive choice of local and international cuisines. Touting the best steak right off the grill, plus wines from the finest vineyards, the Highlander Steakhouse is the Club’s premier restaurant. Located along Belle View Drive, this restaurant features a log cabin design that enhances its rustic ambiance as diners enjoy US and Australian Wagyu steaks complemented by one of the most impressive collections of single malt in the country. 

For homeowners who prefer genuine Chinese cuisine, Highlands China Palace, set along Palace Drive near the Sports Center, is Tagaytay Highlands’ authentic Cantonese restaurant, which serves the best dishes all-year-round. Its Winter Garden on the ground floor serves Cantonese a la carte specialties. 

The Great Room is situated on one of the highest points of Tagaytay Highlands. Here, guests of The Spa and Lodge enjoy fine, healthy meals close to home amid an authentic log cabin ambience as one gets a whiff of the aromatic scent of its western red cedar logs.

Of course, Tagaytay Highlands serves classic and well-loved Filipino dishes at Concha’s Garden Café, situated at the Highlands Golfers’ Lounge and Midlands Golfers’ Lounge. Delectable heirloom dishes such as caldereta, crispy pata, laoya, and lechon kawali will surely satisfy diners’ cravings for Filipino food. 

Meanwhile, homeowners and guests who like Japanese dishes can head to Aozora Japanese Restaurant, which features a mouthwatering selection of Japanese a la carte set fare. Aozora’s authentic Japanese meals earned for it the Trip Advisor’s Certificate of Excellence Award for 2018 and 2019. 

Finally, Italian restaurant Amare La Cucina, located along Gourmet Avenue, is Tagaytay Highlands’ go-to place for the biggest line-up of pizza and pasta selections. 

Having the best gastronomic experiences at this impressive array of dining places is just one of the exclusive benefits that Tagaytay Highlands offers its members and their guests. 

Tagaytay Highlands assures its homeowners and guests that it strictly adheres to stringent sanitation procedures in all of its establishments and facilities. Choice dishes from their menus are available for take-out and home delivery. For orders, homeowners may call 0917 563 4781. 

Shopee Powers the New Normal with 9.9 Super Shopping Day, with Over 12 Million Items Sold in the First Hour on September 9! Brands and sellers enjoyed strong sales growth, with 700,000 items sold in a single minute at its peak

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Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, concludes its most successful 9.9 Super Shopping Day. Powered by Shopee’s robust ecosystem, 9.9 Super Shopping Day delivered super entertainment and shopping deals for users and a supercharged economic recovery for sellers and brand partners, with over 12 million items sold in the first hour on September 9.

Terence Pang, Chief Operating Officer at Shopee, said, “The strong support that consumers, sellers, and brands have shown towards 9.9 Super Shopping Day heartens us. We had a simple goal for 9.9 Super Shopping Day this year, and that was to help our communities emerge stronger from the effects of a global pandemic. It includes supercharging recovery for our sellers and brand partners while creating a super shopping experience for users. I am delighted by another year of record-breaking performance, which reflects our commitment to grow together with the people and businesses we serve.”

Shopee delivers on its three commitments for 9.9 Super Shopping Day

9.9 Super Shopping Day acted as a springboard for economic recovery as sellers and brand partners in the region maximized their visibility and sales on Shopee. Participating brands and sellers enjoyed strong sales growth, with 700,000 items sold in a single minute at the peak of September 9.

Shopee’s robust ecosystem ensured buying and selling remained seamless even as shopping activity peaked during 9.9 Super Shopping Day. Sellers and brand partners leveraged Shopee’s integrated logistics network to fulfill their orders. Simultaneously, users enjoyed seamless transactions with a wide array of payment options on Shopee, including its mobile wallet ShopeePay.

Shopee also offered a super collection of entertainment throughout 9.9 Super Shopping Day. Users enjoyed all-day fun and earned special rewards with Shopee’s supersized range of in-app games, with 250 million water requests on the crowd-favorite game, Shopee Farm.

Users actively tuned in to Shopee Live to connect with celebrities, sellers, and brands during the 9.9 Super Shopping Day period. The number of hours spent watching Shopee Live streams increased 3 times from an average day, highlighted by countdown and marathon streams on September 9 that celebrated 9.9 Super Shopping Day with users across the region. Shopee Live also gave users new ways to discover and shop the latest trends, with 2.5 times more items purchased during live streams in this period compared to an average day.

Highlights of 9.9 Super Shopping Day in the Philippines

9.9 Super Shopping Day was also a major success in the Philippines. Home & Living was the most popular product category on September 9 as Filipinos turned to Shopee to spruce up their household.

Filipinos from all walks of life made the most of 9.9 Super Shopping Day to meet their shopping needs, in line with the increasing importance of online shopping during the new normal. In particular, men actively shop for smartphones, while face masks were hot favorites among women. Home decors were very popular among users aged 18 to 34, while users aged 35 to 50 mainly shopped for eyeglasses.

Pang closed, “9.9 Super Shopping Day kickstarts the year-end shopping season in our home region and this year, and it also marks the start of our efforts to pave the future of e-commerce in the new normal. We will work even harder to delight users while propelling sellers and brand partners to new heights in the months ahead, including our upcoming 10.10 Brands Festival.”

Shop the 9.9 Salamat Shopee Sale at https://shopee.ph/m/99-thank-you-sale

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

Filipino Teachers Share How Canva for Education Helped them Prepare for Distance Learning

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Teachers can simply add their own texts and images on virtual classroom slides

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we operate across the globe, which is especially evident in the educational sector. Pre-COVID-19, most of the schools in the Philippines followed a traditional face-to-face classroom arrangement, however, nowadays, educators around the country have had to find opportunities and urgent solutions to teach their students remotely. With the new school year, classes have commenced digitally, and Filipino educators have worked double time to upskill and equip themselves with the digital tools needed to offer their students a seamless and innovative learning environment. Despite the limited time and resources, many are still 110% committed to their vocation and are excited to prepare the next generation for the future, through good education. 

Canva for Education is a free product offering for educational institutions catering to K-12. It offers thousands of templates and a library of “premium” royalty-free images, as well as features intended to facilitate simultaneous collaboration between students and teachers in the classroom or remotely.

Yani Hornilla-Donato, Canva Philippines’ Country Manager, explained empowering Filipino educators was core to the organization’s goal for 2020.

“Our mission is to bring Canva for Education to every K-12 teacher and student in the country, becoming their creativity and productivity partner of choice during this unprecedented time. We will continue to reach out to schools and teachers across the country as we roll out Canva for Education, providing as much support as we possibly can to make their experience easy,” said Hornilla-Donato. 

Canva Philippines partnered with the Office of the Vice President (OVP) as it rolled out Bayanihan e-Skwela, an online educational platform empowering teachers and parents as children shifted to distance learning. Canva curated templates for some episodes, created posters, and provided the OVP access to the Canva library. In its effort to expand its reach, Canva Philippines also partnered with the Knowledge Channel Foundation and trained teachers in selected schools across the South Cotabato region on how to best use the platform for all their virtual classroom needs.

With its intuitive user-friendly features and a wide variety of classroom templates relevant to specific learning goals, Canva for Education serves as every teacher’s ‘one-stop-shop’ for creating learning materials for their classes and collaborating in the classroom.

Sarah Mae Columnas, a teacher from Mansasa National High School in Bohol explained even though the current environment still provides a level of uncertainty, Canva for Education supports, enables and empowers teachers to be more creative and innovative, whether they’re in the classroom, or teaching remotely.

“Being equipped with the right tools to teach 21st century learners is the responsibility of every teacher across the country, as this is our sworn obligation to uphold our nation’s goals and create a better future for our next generations.

“I encouraged one of my colleagues to use Canva for Education as well and walked her through the process. We have come to realize that it is truly a gift to Filipino teachers,” furthered Ms Columnas. 

One of the biggest changes educators face today is the need to migrate everything they use in their classroom to a digital setting. In addition to that, teachers also acknowledge the challenge of adding variety to their teaching repertoire and curriculum, to ensure their lessons remain just as engaging as a physical setting.

Michelle Brabante, School Director of Minido Preschool in Marinduque said she uses Canva for Education to create video lessons for her students, by using the platform’s talking presentations feature. 

“The students really respond well to our talking presentations; it makes them happy, they feel more connected to us as educators and they’re certainly more engaged with the content we go through,” said Ms Brabante. 

In an effort to further empower teachers with the resources needed to heighten engagement with students in a virtual world, Canva for Education has developed a range of Classroom Kits, inspired by real-life physical classroom set-ups. These themed kits come with templates, illustrations, and photos collection that will inspire Filipino teachers to bring more life and energy to their learning materials as classes resume remotely.

Canva for Education also includes an all-new collaboration space, a review workflow, access to content from Google Drive, Dropbox, Folders, version history and SSO with Clever and Google.

“Canva for Education has helped our team enormously in terms of collaboration. We like working together, and we love that Canva for Education allows us to do our tasks as a team,” added Brabante.

Canva for Education also includes add-ons such as education-specific content, the ability to create captivating videos, plus every ingredient to bring designs to life with Giphys, over 2 million images, 800k icons and illustrations, 700+ fonts, YouTube integrations and QR codes.

Ryan Alvin Torrejos, teacher from German European School Manila explained how Canva for Education has helped him now and will continue to be an invaluable tool for the future.

“I know I will still be using Canva for Education for many years to come, even when students are allowed back into their physical classrooms.“I cannot rate Canva for Education highly enough, and am always recommending it to all my co-teachers, and all the other teachers I know,” said Mr Torrejos.

Recognizing the dedication of the educators in the Philippines, Canva Philippines in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd), has also held webinars for Filipino teachers to share with them the gift of Canva for Education. The webinars were so well received, Canva launched a Facebook Community for Filipino Teachers that serves as a space for professional support and training for teachers to learn and adapt to the modalities of virtual teaching. With the request and feedback of Filipino teachers in the group, Canva for Education also released localized illustrations, assets, templates, and photos in August in line with the celebration of Buwan ng Wika. 

If you are a K-12 teacher in the Philippines, you may visit https://www.canva.com/education/ to sign-up for your free Canva for Education account.

ABOUT CANVA

Launched in 2013, Canva is an intuitive online design and publishing platform with a mission to empower everyone in the world to design anything and publish anywhere. Featuring a simple drag-and-drop user interface and a vast library of templates ranging from presentations, social media posts, posters, invitations to resumes, a huge collection of stock photography, illustrations and fonts, anyone can take an idea and create something beautiful. Canva is available on web, iOS and Android.