BRIA Homes promotes renewable energy through solar-powered street lights in its communities nationwide

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Solar lights provide adequate illumination around BRIA’s amenities and offices, ensuring the security of properties and aiding BRIA’s roving guards as they make their rounds on the premises.

With climate change producing anomalous weather patterns all over the world, many countries are now hit by catastrophic storms and typhoons that claim multiple lives and, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, leave “billions of people injured, homeless, and in need of emergency assistance.”

Unfortunately, Asia has experienced the worst weather disturbances in recent years, with the Philippines ranking just behind China and India i terms of loss of human lives and livelihoods.

Apart from providing enhanced security to BRIA residents, solar-powered streetlights promote renewable energy and significantly lessen the carbon footprint of BRIA communities. 

BRIA Homes, the Philippines’ leading developer of superior quality affordable homes, is only too aware of such serious consequences of climate change. As a major stakeholder in the real estate industry, BRIA believes that well-built and aesthetically designed homes that Filipinos can afford must come with a deep regard for environmentally sustainable communities. Thus, the real estate brand ensures that steps are consistently being taken towards building and maintaining eco-friendly developments such as its more than 50 projects all over the country.

These days, even as the world’s focus remains on the coronavirus pandemic, BRIA Homes encourages its homeowners and residents to adopt easy ways they can help the environment. These include keeping their garden or green space chemical-free; banishing single-use plastics from their homes; buying locally made products; shopping organically; re-using and recycling; opting for pollinator-friendly plants; and reducing their carbon footprint by judicious use of power and water resources.

BRIA Homes’ solar-powered streetlights make it easier for residents to safely navigate its main roads, streets, and walking paths. 

On their part, BRIA Homes has initiated their eco-friendly schemes by installing solar-powered streetlights in all of their residential enclaves. Solar-powered streetlights make use of photovoltaic (PV) panels, built-in lithium-ion batteries and power management system, LED lights, and smart night and motion sensors. These devices enable them to source energy from the sun, storing as much of it throughout the day to effectively light the streets from dusk to dawn.

An ideal option for the Philippines, which has an abundance of sunlight, solar-powered streetlights work even during power interruptions or grid failures, making sure that BRIA communities are lit up at night.

Red Rosales, President of BRIA Homes, says that “apart from providing enhanced security to BRIA residents, and contributing to better architectural landscaping in our developments, solar-powered streetlights promote renewable energy and significantly lessen the carbon footprint of our communities.”

Rosales likewise points out that because of its many benefits, solar power has been deemed the most environmentally sound way to light up the streets, perimeter roads, gardens, parks, and recreational facilities of BRIA communities. “Solar-powered streetlights reduce our dependence on conventional energy,” he explains. “They are widely known for being long-lasting and economical to use, requiring almost zero maintenance. The absence of external wires also lessens the potential for accidents such as electrocution and overheating.”

An ideal option for the Philippines, which has an abundance of sunlight, solar-powered streetlights work even during power interruptions or grid failures. BRIA Homes’ modern solar streetlights are also water-resistant, weather-proof, and with low insect attraction.

According to Rosales, solar-powered streetlights likewise reduce the costs of traditional grid-powered lighting—and provide bright illumination with no need for cables and replacements. And as the home-of-choice for millennials, BRIA Homes shares how its solar-powered streetlights make it easier for young and active residents to safely navigate its main roads, streets, and walking paths.

Rosales adds that solar lights provide parking spaces around amenities and offices with adequate amount of light, ensuring the security of vehicles in the vicinity. These lights aid BRIA’s roving guards, as well, as they secure the premises from incidences of theft and accidents.

Solar-powered streetlights reduce BRIA Homes’ dependence on conventional energy. They are widely known for being long-lasting and economical to use, requiring almost zero maintenance.

BRIA Homes also touts other sustainable facilities such as Sentro, the amenity hub of BRIA developments—a wide, open space that enables residents to connect and socialize. Sentro houses the multi-function hall, parks, playgrounds, and sub-centers that cater to homeowners’ various concerns: Health Center, Day Care Center, Senior Citizen Center, and Barangay Center.

Consistent with its vision of making contemporary, budget-friendly, and sustainable homes accessible to all Filipinos, BRIA Homes follows a tried-and-tested formula, Affordability (Mura) + Quality (Dekalidad) = A Beautiful BRIA Home for Every Filipino.

Prospective residents who aim to live eco-friendlier lives can easily purchase a BRIA unit through various flexible schemes and digital payment methods available both locally and internationally through BRIA’s partner banks and e-wallets like GCash, AllEasy, and PayMaya.

Red Rosales says in conclusion: “Solar-powered streetlights are just one of the many ways that BRIA Homes promotes the use of renewable energy. We believe that it is vital for us to continue finding different ways to live sustainable and environmental-friendly lives, as this is the only way to truly build progressive and livable communities.”

Property buyers can check out BRIA’s website for 360 virtual tours, or inquire online through the BRIA Facebook page. Future homeowners who wish to reserve a property online can visit BRIA’s online reservation page.

BRIA Homes is a subsidiary of GOLDEN MV Holdings, Inc., .one of the largest real estate companies in the country. BRIA Homes is primed to bring quality and affordable house and lot packages and condominium units closer to ordinary Filipino families. This is the goal that drives every single employee in the company, for which the ultimate fulfillment is seeing a client happily moving into BRIA’s homes.

To know more, visit their website at www.bria.com.ph, like and follow “Bria Homes, Inc.” on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Spotify, Viber Community, Telegram Channel, Kakao Talk, LINE and WhatsApp, or call 0939-887-9637.

Mi 360° Home Security Camera and Xiaomi Home app gain BSI Kitemark™ certification

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Global technology leader Xiaomi recently announced that Mi 360° Home Security Camera obtained the Kitemark™ Certification for Residential IoT Devices while the Xiaomi Home App obtained the Kitemark™ Certification for Secure Digital Applications from the British Standard Institution (BSI), the business improvement and standards company and the UK’s National Standards body.

Obtaining the Kitemark™ certifications means that Xiaomi products are in compliance with the best security practices, including the EN303645 standard issued by European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). It marks another milestone for Xiaomi’s relentless effort in protecting information security and privacy of its consumers.

Frank Zhang, Managing Director at BSI Greater China, commented, "We are glad to see that Xiaomi has achieved the Kitemark™ certifications for its Mi 360° Home Security Camera and Xiaomi Home app. Xiaomi has put great efforts to embed international security standard into its products and build trust with consumers. BSI is looking forward to work with Xiaomi in the future and enhance the IoT ecosystem development by instilling more trust elements between brands and consumers."

The Kitemark™ is a product and service quality trademark which is owned and operated by BSI. It conducts technical testing and security audits for IoT systems based on the ETSI/EN303645 standard, providing consumers with a fast and simple way to identify secure and trust-worthy IoT devices.

The Mi 360° Home Security Camera (PHP 1,990) is an upgraded 3MP home security camera with 2K high definition resolution for more natural images. It has a 360-degree full angle vision with a dual motor design, multiple-layer home security and support enhanced infrared night vision with a built-in 940nm infrared fill light. Its F1.4 large aperture greatly increases the light input volume to capture most of image details and it also has AI human motion detection and AI face recognition to easily identify family and friends. The Mi 360° Home Security Camera is available in Authorized Xiaomi Stores nationwide for only P1,990.

Meanwhile, the Xiaomi Home app helps homeowners manage their intelligent devices. The app allows users to add new devices with a few easy steps, set up and perform intelligent tasks wherever they are, and get the status of devices in real time. The app is available at (add where we can download here).

Xiaomi owns the world’s leading consumer AIoT platform with more than 351 million connected devices and 49 million users*. Seeing user data security and privacy as its top priority, Xiaomi has established a comprehensive management and technology framework protecting data security. Xiaomi's Mi AIoT platform has been certified with both the ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security Management Standard and the ISO/IEC 27701 Privacy Information Management System by BSI. At the same time, Xiaomi published the Cyber Security Baseline for Consumer Internet of Things Devices and Xiaomi IoT Privacy White Paper**, introducing security and privacy policies and practices of the company in a comprehensive way.

Cui Baoqiu, Xiaomi Vice President and Chairman of Xiaomi Security and Privacy Committee, said, "Mi 360° Home Security Camera and Xiaomi Home app are good examples of how we have been implementing the security and privacy framework in practice. Based on the advanced security testing by BSI Lab as well as security audits, the Institution has verified that the tested products are developed in accordance with the strictest security and privacy principles. We reaffirm that the protection of users’ data and privacy has always been our priority, and the commitment applies to all the markets where we operate."

* As of 31 March, 2021, excluding smartphones and laptops.

** Xiaomi Cyber Security Baseline for Consumer Internet of Things and Xiaomi IoT Privacy White Paper can be downloaded at https://trust.mi.com/.

About Xiaomi Corporation

Xiaomi Corporation was founded in April 2010 and listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on July 9, 2018 (1810.HK). Xiaomi is a consumer electronics and smart manufacturing company with smartphones, smart hardware and Internet of Things (IoT) platform at its core.

With an equal emphasis on innovation and quality, Xiaomi continuously pursues high-quality user experience and operational efficiency. The company relentlessly builds amazing products with honest prices to let everyone in the world enjoy a better life through innovative technology.

As of the second quarter of 2021, Xiaomi is the No.2 smartphone brand in the global smartphone market. The company has also established the world’s leading consumer AIoT (AI+IoT) platform, with over 351.1 million smart devices connected to its platform, excluding smartphones and laptops. Xiaomi products are present in more than 100 countries and regions around the world. In August 2021, the company made the Fortune Global 500 list for the third time, ranking 338th, up 84 places compared to 2020.

Xiaomi is a constituent of the Hang Seng Index, Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, Hang Seng TECH Index and Hang Seng China 50 Index.

For more information about Xiaomi as a company, please visit https://blog.mi.com/en/

Teleperformance Bacolod earns Certificate of Safety Seal

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Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia presents the Certificate of Safety Seal to Teleperformance Bacolod leadership team

Bacolod, Philippines – Teleperformance, the global leader in outsourced omnichannel customer experience management, recently received its Certificate of Safety Seal for its business site located in Bacolod City. Mayor Evelio Leonardia presented the certification to Teleperformance Bacolod for its compliance to health and safety protocols against Covid-19.   

Now on its 15th year of operations in Bacolod, Teleperformance is the first Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company in the city to receive a Certificate of Safety Seal from the city government. This certification is part of the Bacolod Safety Seal Committee initiatives to ensure that health and safety protocols are implemented in the conduct of business and trade in the city.  

Receiving the Safety Seal badge was Teleperformance Bacolod Site Director Andrea Resurreccion, together with Vice President for Operations Mark Andrada, Human Resources Director Claire Bedia, Human Resources Supervisor Marili Lim, and Facilities Manager Malvar Gualdrapa. Joining Mayor Leonardia in the ceremony was Bacolod City Economic Development Chair George Zulueta.  

Teleperformance Philippines Chief Operations Officer Joey Marquez lauded the efforts of the Teleperformance Bacolod team. “We are honored to receive the Certificate of Safety Seal from Mayor Leonardia and the Bacolod City government. This indeed is a recognition of our unwavering focus to uphold the health and safety of our people and the communities where we operate. This certification also highlights our strong compliance with the government’s campaign against the spread of Covid-19.”

Stela Rose Rayos, Chair of the Bacolod Safety Seal Committee congratulated Teleperformance on the certification. She added that, under this program, establishments awarded with a Safety Seal certificate wil be allowed an additional 10% onsite capacity beyond the prescribed standard, as per IATF Resolution no. 127-A series of 2021.  

The Safety Seal Certification is an inter-agency effort among the Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Tourism, and Department of Labor and Employment. The program affirms that an establishment has been inspected by the government and was found compliant with Minimum Public Health Standards, uses or integrates its contact tracing with the StaySafe.ph app, and possesses the requisite business permits or franchise.

In addition to the Safety Seal Certification, Teleperformance Philippines recently earned its re-certification as Great Place to Work® for the fourth year in a row. It is the first and only company in the country to have accomplished this feat. Moreover, Teleperformance celebrates its 25^th anniversary in the Philippines this year and looks forward to helping re-energize the industry and country’s growth, being able to advance the position of the country as a safe, secure place for customers, as well as ensuring a safe place for people to work. 

USAID and DepEd Partnership Celebrates Joint Successes in Improving Early Grade Learning in the Philippines

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Manila, August 13, 2021 – Education stakeholders gathered on August 13 for a virtual event to celebrate the collective accomplishments of the Department of Education (DepEd) and USAID Philippines in improving early grade reading and literacy in the country this past year, amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and RTI International held the USAID ABC+: Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines Project’s Virtual Event and Media Q&A Session on “A Year of K-3 Distance Learning with ABC+: Celebrating Lessons Learned, Achievements, Opportunities & Partnerships”
August 13, 2021.

Through its ABC+: Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines Project, USAID worked with DepEd to improve reading and literacy, math, and social and emotional skills for early grade children (K-3) in Regions V (Bicol) and Region VI (Western Visayas). USAID also worked in coordination with the Bangsamoro Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education for activities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“By working together, we have supported DepEd in implementing innovative strategies to improve early grade literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional learning. Through ABC+ we will work together to reach up to two million students in Regions V, VI and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” said Sean Callahan, Acting Mission Director of USAID Philippines.

USAID’s support includes interventions to improve early grade instruction and delivery systems, access to quality materials, and education system capacity. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, USAID has supported the implementation of DepEd’s Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan at the early grade level.

To date, the USAID-DepEd partnership has produced and distributed nearly four million supplementary reading materials to more than 250,000 students; trained over 10,000 teachers, supervisors and school administrators; developed and adapted nearly 500 leveled readers in several mother tongue languages and in English; and produced 64 television-based and radio-based instructional materials.

DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones, in her remarks, said that “ABC+ is an example of the many initiatives that made schoolyear 2020 and 2021 possible. A collaboration with USAID, this partnership covering Regions V and VI and a division of Maguindanao focuses on improving reading and literacy of math and social and emotional skills for early grade children.... today we will witness a glimpse of the success of this partnership that has helped us achieve what we were able to do during the past year."

"The efforts and innovative practices brought to us by this partnership will be taken forward in this incoming school year. We need to embrace innovation, we need to engage with partners and USAID is a shining example, and stakeholders to collectively develop innovative solutions that will help us overcome challenges."

USAID and DepEd are also assisting teachers in project sites to develop appropriate remedial measures to address gaps in reading skills. As a result, children gain the ability to progress towards their actual grade level or become “reading ready” during the school year.

To streamline the training and professional development of teachers, the partnership also developed the NEAP Professional Development Information System that enables teachers to participate in training programs, take pre- and post-tests, complete evaluations and receive their certificates online.

The ABC+ project will continue for three more years and aims to benefit two million early grade learners in its focus areas. The project is a partnership of USAID and DepEd, implemented by RTI International, in collaboration with The Asia Foundation, SIL Lead and Florida State University.

Shopee and Taguig LGU Provide Care Packages to Support Vaccination Efforts

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Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, teams up with the local government unit (LGU) of Taguig City to provide care packages that can encourage more people to get vaccinated and to express gratitude towards frontliners diligently working at the center. Last July 28-30, Shopee rolled out its vaccination center support initiative in Western Bicutan National High School by giving food, water, and health kits from Shopee and its partner brands under Shopee Mall to 1,500 frontliners, staff, and the people getting vaccinated. These included snacks from Del Monte, Perfetti Van Melle, Dutchmill Soy, Monde Nissin, and Rebisco; water from Hope in a Bottle; health kits from Mighty Clean and Colgate; and industrial fans from Symphony.

Martin Yu, Director at Shopee Philippines, said, “Shopee is committed to contributing and positively impacting the community. We are proud to partner with the Taguig LGU in their efforts to inoculate their citizens and are grateful to our brand partners who generously lend us their support in serving the Filipinos. We want to play a part in meaningful initiatives such as this especially when the country is still battling the pandemic. We will continue to support the Filipinos and offer them the help that they need.”