realme 7 retail price slashed, now at Php 11,990

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Coming at the heels of the well-received launch of digital lifestyle experience realme TechLife and the recent cutback on the realme 7 Pro selling price, the leading smart technology company reinforces its aim of making interconnectivity attainable for every Filipino with another price drop, this time on the realme 7. 

The midrange model is available for only P11,990 beginning March 5 via Lazada, Shopee, and official realme dealers and stores across the country.

realme follows TechLife launch with a Php3,000 price drop on one of its most powerful smartphones starting March 5

The realme 7 is the first smartphone in the world to be powered by the MediaTek Helio G95 Gaming Processor. Boasting industry-leading features and cutting-edge capabilities, the realme 7 is also the first to receive the TÜV Rheinland Smartphone Reliability Verification. This certification, which includes 22 major and 38 minor tests, vouches for the product’s durability and reliability for various daily-use scenarios. Introducing the model’s new cut-rate price tag is among realme’s steps to make Smart Living more accessible to all.

“With digital increasingly becoming the primary platform and norm for our modern communities, realme is working to make sure that a highly efficient and enjoyable Smart Living ecosystem is available in the market at a competitive rate,” Austine Huang, realme Philippines’ VP for Marketing said. “We want to bring the wonders of tech to the Filipinos’ fingertips. And that, of course, begins with the most-used device: the smartphone.”

Premium Specs for Premium Experience on a budget

The realme 7 packs value for money with its Octa-core CPU paired with a super Carbon Fiber Cooling System. This combo makes for a device with the power to host large apps and massive games, with zero lag. Users can finally say goodbye to AFKs and an overheating unit!

Capture a sharper and smoother reality

Users are also enabled to snap a carbon copy of reality with the help of realme 7’s Sony 64MP Quad Cam. This produces ultra-high resolution pictures with unparalleled clarity. The smartphone’s seamless 6.5” mirror-designed screen also lets you enjoy your photos, watch your favorite films, join video conferences, and view other displays in incredible detail.

Your favorite digital activity, for hours on end

realme 7’s massive 5,000mAh battery can support extended hours, giving users time to immerse in and maximize the phone’s capabilities, with a low turnover time for charging. On a single full-charge, digital natives can game for 9 hours, binge movies for 15 hours, or listen to their favorite music for 81 hours -- all uninterrupted.

The realme 7 series is fully integrated into the realme Smart Living ecosystem, with capabilities and applications that work with and complement both the recently launched realme Smart TV and the realme Watch S Pro.

To stay updated and know more about the realme events and promos, you may visit and follow realme’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.

 

Most affordable Air Fryer from XTREME is now available!

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The long wait is finally over! XTREME Appliances has launched their brand new kitchen appliance, the 3.5L XTREME Home Air Fryer. Using this appliance, Filipino consumers can now enjoy a healthier way of cooking their frozen and fresh food.

“We saw the demand for air fryers. We checked what specific features/settings buyers are looking for. From there, we decided to bring the air fryer to the Philippine market and sell it at a fair price”, shares VP for Marketing Mr. Stephen Cheng.

The main spotlight of this cooking appliance is its features: air-fry, roast, bake, broil, and de-hydrate. It carries a digital touchscreen display, a functional timer that lasts up to 1hr and 30 minutes with an automatic shut-off and temperature up to 200 Degrees Celsius. It also has a large capacity of 3.5L barrel that can provide enough food for the entire family and friends; you can even roast a whole chicken in it! Cleaning will never be a problem, you can skip worrying about the hard-to-remove burned food thanks to its non-stick coating barrel. This device promises to cook food faster, therefore, saving more energy and time; as well as space because of its compact design- compared to a regular deep frying machine or convection ovens. 

The 3.5L XTREME Home Air Fryer works by distributing a rapid air heat system around the food, making it cook evenly and creates better crispiness and flavor unlike the traditional way of cooking.

Is the XTREME Home Air Fryer worth it? With the price of ₱2,995, you can achieve your ideal level of crispness and flavorful dishes in just one device without getting into a mess. Bring out that cooking perfection now at a very budget-friendly price!

Keep updated on the latest news and happenings of XTREME Appliances: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok accounts. For the full list of products and exclusive discounts, please visit XTREME on Website, Lazada, and Shopee e-commerce.

 

COVID-19: Schools for more than 168 million children globally have been completely closed for almost a full year, says UNICEF

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UNICEF unveils ‘Pandemic Classroom’ at United Nations Headquarters in New York to call attention to the need for governments to prioritize the reopening of schools

NEW YORK, 3 March 2021 – Schools for more than 168 million children globally have been completely closed for almost an entire year due to COVID-19 lockdowns, according to new data released today by UNICEF. Furthermore, around 214 million children globally – or 1 in 7 – have missed more than three-quarters of their in-person learning.

The analysis of the school closure report notes that 14 countries worldwide have remained largely closed from March 2020 to February 2021. Two-thirds of those countries are in Latin America and the Caribbean, affecting nearly 98 million schoolchildren. Of the 14 countries, Panama has kept schools closed for the most days, followed by El Salvador, Bangladesh, and Bolivia.

“As we approach the one-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are again reminded of the catastrophic education emergency worldwide lockdowns have created. With every day that goes by, children unable to access in-person schooling fall further and further behind, with the most marginalized paying the heaviest price,” said Henrietta Fore UNICEF Executive Director. “We cannot afford to move into year two of limited or even no in-school learning for these children. No effort should be spared to keep schools open, or prioritize them in reopening plans.”

School closures have devastating consequences for children’s learning and wellbeing. The most vulnerable children and those unable to access remote learning are at an increased risk of never returning to the classroom, and even being forced into child marriage or child labor. According to latest data by UNESCO, more than 888 million children worldwide continue to face disruptions to their education due to full and partial school closures.

The majority of schoolchildren worldwide rely on their schools as a place where they can interact with their peers, seek support, access health and immunization services and a nutritious meal. The longer schools remain closed, the longer children are cut off from these critical elements of childhood.

To call attention to the education emergency and raise awareness about the need for governments to keep schools open, or prioritize them in reopening plans, UNICEF today unveiled ‘Pandemic Classroom,’ a model classroom made up of 168 empty desks, each desk representing the million children living in countries where schools have been almost entirely closed – a solemn reminder of the classrooms in every corner of the world that remain empty.

“This classroom represents the millions of centers of learning that have sat empty—many for almost the entire year. Behind each empty chair hangs an empty backpack—a placeholder for a child’s deferred potential,” said Fore. “We do not want shuttered doors and closed buildings to obscure the fact that our children’s futures are being put on indefinite pause. This installation is a message to governments: we must prioritize reopening schools, and we must prioritize reopening them better than they were before.”

As students return to their classrooms, they will need support to readjust and catch up on their learning. School reopening plans must incorporate efforts to recover children’s lost education. UNICEF urges governments to prioritize the unique needs of every student, with comprehensive services covering remedial learning, health and nutrition, and mental health and protection measures in schools to nurture children and adolescents’ development and wellbeing. UNICEF’s Framework for Reopening Schools, issued jointly with UNESCO, UNHCR, WFP, and the World Bank, offers practical advice for national and local authorities.

UnionBank’s Solid 2020 Results Highlight Robust Customer Acquisition together with Strong Cost Control

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Despite the global effects of COVID-19, particularly in the banking industry, UnionBank’s recently-disclosed 2020 Financial Results underscore the strategic importance of its digital transformation almost five years ago; as it is now harvesting its strategic rewards.

The Bank was able to achieve a net income of Php11.6 billion, despite credit reserves growing by nearly five-fold year-on-year or close to Php7.0 billion more than 2019. Earnings performance translated to a return on equity of 11.9%, way above the industry average of 6.6% in 2020.

The Bank recorded the highest growth rate in its CASA deposits of 24%, in the last twenty years. This was brought about by retail customers trusting the availability and security of the Bank’s digital channels, together with corporate accounts moving collections to the Bank, because of visibility over transactions and best-in-class, self-service cash management implementation.

From the original target of attracting a million new customers, UnionBank was able to attract twenty-four million new accounts in 2020 with a large portion coming from digital account opening. It is the only Top-10 universal bank in the country that was able to introduce, during the crisis period, an account that can be fully-opened, without going to any “physical branch, which resulted in large customer adoption.

The growth in customers and digital transactions resulted in strong operating income for the year. Revenues were at an all-time high of Php42.1 billion driven by the expansion of net interest income by 29% to Php28.7 billion.

Growth in operating expenses was kept at low single-digits despite robust business growth due to sustained efficiencies from digitization. Due to these efficiencies, 2020 OpEx grew by 4% despite the effects of the pandemic.

The Bank’s transformation to become “Digital to the Core” has indeed opened the proverbial “jaws-of-the-tiger”, where the upper-jaw representing revenue-and-new-customers growth dramatically “opened-up wide”, while the lower-jaw representing costs – particularly costs-per-transaction – correspondingly went significantly lower. This dual-impact from the “jaws-of-the-tiger” was clearly reflected in the Bank’s solid 2020 results.

UBX, the Bank’s technology and innovation firm, signed up more than 140,000 MSMEs across its platforms namely i2i, BUX, Sentro, and SeekCap.

CitySavings Bank also continued to deliver efficient services to teachers and motorcycle loan borrowers with the help of its mobile sales app. As of December 2020, CitySavings has an outstanding portfolio of P46.5 billion in teachers' loans, P4.3 billion in motorcycle loans, and P2.3 billion in MSME loans.

“I am pleased with the Bank’s 2020 performance despite a challenging year. This was a product of all UnionBankers who continued to push boundaries and whose heroic efforts during this crisis has propelled us to greater heights. As we line up new features in our digital channels and Tech Up especially more of our underbanked and unbanked countrymen, we aim to move full throttle in 2021 with the end in view of achieving a bank of enduring greatness,” said Edwin R. Bautista, President, and CEO.

Teleperformance launches Cloud Campus hubs at Fairview and Aura sites, revolutionizes work-at-home environment

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Manila, Philippines - Teleperformance, a global leader in digitally integrated business services, recently launched its newest Teleperformance Cloud Campus hubs through a global virtual event. Teleperformance Founder and Chief Executive Officer Daniel Julien led the activity and introduced to the audience the Cloud Campus facilities now operating at TP Aura and TP Fairview.

The Cloud Campus solution is a revolutionary and innovative new global operating model of Teleperformance. It is specifically designed to enable a socially enriched work-at-home environment, allowing companies to easily expand their business and deliver superior customer experiences through Teleperformance’s unique, cloud-centric solution.

The Cloud Campus hubs at Teleperformance Aura and Fairview sites serve as the operational command center of virtual teams. Home-based interaction experts can now work from anywhere while remaining connected to their Teleperformance team through the Cloud Campus hubs, which come with innovative features to help employees stay engaged and connected while maintaining operational efficiency. The highly functional design blends proprietary Teleperformance technology, analytics, and process excellence (T.A.P.) with best-of-breed technologies to form a uniquely efficient global solution.

The operating capabilities of Teleperformance Cloud Campus include virtual talent acquisition, training, development, coaching, team building, learning, client interaction, quality control, and data security management, as well as emotional well-being and rich social interaction for employees. Gamification is utilized for employee fun, socialization, and education as part of the new Teleperformance ‘campus life’.

The Cloud Campus hubs include Training Rooms that are technology optimized to recreate the experience of onsite training like video conference systems, digital whiteboards, and wallboards with performance dashboards. Virtual technology allows managers to see their team’s schedule and connect with them for huddles or one on one sessions, and space for support teams – such as Training, Supervisors and other Managers, IT Helpdesk Support, Quality, and Workforce Management – that will allow more efficient knowledge transfer and increased focus on the special needs of the remote employees.

To further support work-at-home employees, Teleperformance also employs the TP Digital Floorwalker, a digital assistant that uses machine learning to handle questions from agents that can result in improved first call resolutions and reduced average handle times for calls. The Cloud Campus hubs also utilize dashboards to monitor the internet speed of employees, allowing for the faster intervention of connectivity issues.

For Teleperformance, protecting sensitive information is key, which is why their Cloud Campus solution ensures that data remains secure within remote environments. Their Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) Architecture is PCI-certified, and other security measures include multi-factor authentication, device lockdown, and the usage of virtual sessions to ensure that no data is stored locally. The Teleperformance Cloud Campus hubs also employ TP Observer, a consolidated solution that provides real-time monitoring and system alerts for risk elements and suspicious patterns to detect a data breach and fraud attempts.

“In 2020 our R&D teams, helped by our Operations, had built an end-to-end digital platform to manage efficiently and safely work from remote all over the world. Today, thanks to Teleperformance Cloud Campus, we serve our clients from any place in the world with a remote workforce – whatever can be the external or internal constraints – through this wonderful, bulletproof digital platform. This platform is going to help you better manage your customer interaction and your customer experience,” said Daniel Julien.

“The Teleperformance Cloud Campus model was designed to help businesses who are looking at remote work as part of their growth plans in the new digital economy. It thoughtfully addresses the main concerns of companies for processes that are to be handled from a home environment, such as security, performance and control, and engagement of remote teams. Teleperformance Cloud Campus also allows companies to ensure the health and safety of their employees, which remains a priority now and most certainly in the future, without compromising business continuity,” noted Mike Lytle, Chief Executive Officer of Teleperformance USA, Canada, and the Philippines.

Teleperformance Cloud Campus is available to support all industries, geographies, and applications. This delivery model is currently deployed globally in a diverse set of industry sectors including e-commerce, utilities, telecom, and healthcare – several of which were implemented before the COVID-19 outbreak. Teleperformance now has more than 200,000 employees, or 80% of its active employees, working from home worldwide. An increasing number of clients and Teleperformance work-at-home employees will continue transitioning to the Cloud Campus delivery model this year.