Zone V Camera Club, PLDT Home bring digital learning to underprivileged students

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Zone V Camera Club and PLDT Home executives with ERDA-SaBaNa beneficiaries

A premier club of photographers, Zone V Camera Club and PLDT Home continue with their mission of building online learning hubs for underprivileged youth with students of ERDA SaBaNa (Educational Research and Development Assistance, Samahan ng mga Batang Nananambakan) in Tondo, Manila as the latest beneficiary.

To empower the students to do better in school and in life, Zone V Camera Club donated computers while PLDT Home provided a 400 Mbps broadband connection for the next two years. Jointly, Zone V Camera Club and PLDT Home have refurbished ERDA’s computer room to make it more conducive for learning, while the walls and tables have also been repainted. A mural on one wall was painted to depict the modern-day life of the students in Tondo, Manila, and how they cope with digital learning.

(L-R) Ms. Dolora Cardeno, ERDA Executive Director,  Ms. Angela Panlilio, Vice President Zone V Camera Club, Fr. Aristotle Dy, SJ, ERDA President, Ms. Bern Wong, Zone V Camera Club President, Mr. Ruben Castor Ranin, Zone V Camera Club Special Projects Head and Mr. John Henri Yanez, First Vice President, PLDT Home Marketing at the ERDA Foundation Inc. SaBaNa Learning Hub Turnover Ceremony

Beneficiary ERDA SaBaNa Foundation in Tondo has been providing educational assistance including school supplies, bags and uniforms, tutorials and workshops, and leadership and life skills training for disadvantaged children to experience holistic education. ERDA has so far assisted more than 800,000 children in their school and real-life education since 1974.

These kids belong to the generation of digital natives, but they don’t have access to computers at home or the physical space to concentrate on researching for their class assignments. PLDT Home’s connections mean they now have a wealth of information at their fingertips to aid them in their school education, so that they may satisfy their curious minds and their thirst for knowledge about the world around them. This will also give them access to educational videos without lag and download or upload faster.

Last year, Zone V Camera Club chose Assumption Development Foundation (ADF) in Sapang Palay, Bulacan as the first beneficiary of their flagship project, Images of H.O.P.E (Helping Others Prosper and Excel). Zone V sells printed photos taken by its members to raise funds and build more online learning hubs for underprivileged Filipino students while PLDT Home provides the broadband connection.

Zone V Camera Club was founded in 1978 through the help of the late professional photographer Vic Valenciano. Club members are composed of professional photographers and enthusiasts who won in various local and international photography competitions.

Bida moments: Why Redmi A1 is the ideal student phone

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From online classes to “barkada” hangouts, the Redmi A1 can be every student’s phone companion

From doing well at tests to performing at school events, young highschoolers love sharing their so-called Bida moments. This is why they need a reliable phone that can help them with academics, document memories, and also be able to entertain themselves on weekends.

Enter the Redmi A1, the newest entry-level phone from Xiaomi. It is a powerful and practical phone that is ideal for the daily tasks of high school students. With its handy specs and features, #KayangBumida in any situation. Here’s how high school students can use of them:

Online class ready

While many high school students are already going back to face-to-face classes, some are still taking online classes at home. So, it is important to have a phone that supports wi-fi and 4G LTE, and has a spacious screen to see class notes. The Redmi A1 has a 6.52” HD+ Dot Drop display, which is big enough to read slides during and after class. This also makes reviewing much easier to help students ace their quizzes and exams.

Adding flair to video projects

High school students need to show off their Bida side when creating creative video projects for school. Whether it’s performing a dance activity for PE class or doing a mini documentary for Hekasi class, the Redmi A1’s 8MP dual camera and 5MP front camera can help them shoot clear videos. They can also add flair to them with the phone’s time-lapse mode.

Capture memories worth keeping

Whether it’s hanging out at the mall or during special school events, highschoolers will always pull out their phones to take photos and even shoot TikTok videos with friends. They can capture all the best memories with the 8MP dual camera and 5MP front camera. They can also use Portrait Mode to make photos look clearer and sharper when uploaded on social media to rake in a lot of “heart” reactions.

Bida sa social media and gaming

Of course, when they’re not doing assignments, high school students are endlessly scrolling on social media and playing mobile games. Having a big HD+ display is key to see text clearly and play games without straining their eyes. It also helps to have a lightweight phone that is easy to hold and carry around. Luckily, the Redmi A1 only weighs 194 grams and can fit most pockets.

Students can get a lot of things done and more with the Redmi A1. Parents don’t need to worry about the price point as it only retails for P4,499.

Visit the nearest Xiaomi offline stores near you to buy the Redmi A1 now until November 13, and get it at a special promo price of P3,999. The price will go back to P4,499 by November 14 onwards, and it will come with a free bluetooth speaker until supplies last.

#KayangBumida ang Gen Zs in school and in life with Redmi A1. For more details, visit Xiaomi’s official website.

Start your holiday shopping early this 11.11 Lazada’s Biggest Sale with PLDT Home Rewards!

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November is finally here and that means you can score the best deals on 11.11 Lazada’s Biggest Sale! With the infinite selection of stuff that you can get from the leading ecommerce platform, there’s no shortage of gifts for your family and friends—and rewards for yourself, too. After all, getting into the Christmas spirit of giving and sharing is the best way to kick off the holiday season.

Luckily for PLDT Home Rewards members, five P100,000 Lazada gift cards are up for grabs in this month’s Grand Giveaway promo, and joining the raffle is fast and easy.

If you are a PLDT Home subscriber but not yet a member of the loyalty program, you can simply enroll your account to PLDT Home Rewards and start earning Crystals and raffle entries. If you are an existing member, just pay your PLDT bill in full and on time, upgrade your plan, apply for paperless and auto-charge payment, or pay via digital channels to start earning Crystals and raffle entries.

You can also exchange 10 Crystals for a Lazada voucher that gives you P100 off for a minimum spend of P1,000 during Lazada’s Biggest sale from today until November 13— for which you’ll also automatically get two raffle entries to the PLDT Home Rewards Grand Giveaway this month.

Here are some of the awesome finds that you can get with your P100,000 Lazada gift cards on the most awaited sale:

Fashion

Update your wardrobe or give your family and friends some stylish clothes that you can get at a discount this 11.11. From fashion essentials like jeans and shorts, stylish and colorful tops, to the most trending sneakers, you can express yourself creatively without breaking the bank.

For those looking for great deals on fashion essentials, a cute pair of Levi’s denim shorts or these elegant and chic ZANZEA khaki chinos look good in your OOTDs. You’ll also want to look good in stylish tops and dresses, which is why getting a dress like a pretty Crissa woven dress or a fashionable Plains and Prints vintage top gives you great style options for parties and reunions this holiday season. If you want something sporty, get a pair of the Fila Lite Matrix Run or the timeless Adidas Stan Smith.

Home essentials

Looking to level up your house? There’s a whole range of home improvement choices available online, such as furniture, accessories, decorations, and other unique pieces. If you saw it on social media like Facebook and TikTok, you’ll most likely find it on Lazada.

You can give your living room an upgrade by getting a piece like a new BAIERDI luxury sofa bed set perfect for a cozy holiday movie night with the family. Try something new for your dining room at home like the 16-piece Corelle dinnerware set that can add more flair to your Noche Buena. If you want a comfier holiday sleeping experience over the break, then getting a new Uratex foam mattress is definitely the perfect choice.

Games, consoles, and accessories

Holidays mean long breaks and more quality time to spend with family and loved ones. Bond over action-packed and fun video games.

Playing the hottest games of 2022 on a brand-new Sony PlayStation 5 will surely be the highlight of your family’s holiday season. Don’t forget to add one or more extra PS5 controllers to your cart for fun multiplayer sessions with more family members. For solo players, you can get a copy of Elden Ring, one of the best PS5 games right now. You can also buy other gaming accessories and peripherals during the 11.11 sale, like the HyperX Alloy Origins mechanical keyboard, which is a great gift idea for PC gamers who are also keyboard enthusiasts.

Work and study at home essentials

Grab productivity essentials like office and study tools, gadgets, electronics, and more at great deals in the 11.11 sale.

For the hardworking go-getter in your life, the Infinix INbook X1 is one of the best value-for-money laptops available right now. If they prefer to work or study on a device that’s more portable, another good option is a reliable tablet like the Huawei MatePad T10. Meanwhile, you can also upgrade your home workstation with the HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 2337 3 in 1 Printer, which gives you and the family an easier and more hassle-free time in printing important documents for school or work.

Beauty must-haves

Feel great, beautiful, and confident this holiday season without breaking the bank. Lazada also offers a wide variety of health and beauty products from makeup to skincare.

Score nice deals on effective skincare products like the Garnier Sakura All Star Kit, which can give you dazzling glass skin in one week. A set of RP Frozen Collagen Face Masks can also keep your face clean, cool, and healthy all the time. For gift ideas to give your friends or family, you can’t go wrong with something like the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser bundle.

There’s an infinite number of deals to score in this year’s Lazada 11.11 sale! So, don’t forget to register to PLDT Home Rewards, pay your PLDT bill in full and on time, upgrade your plan, apply for paperless and auto charge payment, or pay via digital channels to get a chance to win a Lazada gift card in PLDT Home Rewards’ Grand Giveaway Promo this month.

It doesn’t stop there—your raffle entries serve as your tickets to win the grand prize: a whopping P5 million pesos! Make the most of PLDT Home Rewards and join the Grand Giveaway Promo today. Visit https://pldthome.com/grandgiveaway to find out more.

Another first for digital finance in PH: You can now @UseYourName to send and receive money with Maya!

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A safer and more personal way to send and receive money has arrived, and that's with your very own Maya @username.

Maya, your all-in-one digital bank, rolls out a new, game-changing feature that lets you send and receive money with your very own username -- another first-of-its-kind feature from the leading digital bank and fintech in the country.

This gives you options for more personalized, convenient, and safer money transfer transactions. Much like how you tag your family/friends on social media, you can use your @username when requesting payments - no need to memorize and input 11-digit mobile numbers. If you're a small business owner, this feature can come in handy as you can easily set up your store name as your account username for an easier, hassle-free mode of payment!

With Maya's username feature, you can also choose to keep your personal data private, such as your account name and mobile number. This feature is available for upgraded Maya app users - ensuring a secure experience for the Maya community.

"We're excited to be the country's first digital bank to launch this feature as we continue to help Filipinos master their money and enable meaningful personalization. It's a game-changer for safety and making our experience with sending money more fun – especially when you attach a GIF to it!" said Pepe Torres, Chief Marketing Officer for Maya Philippines.

Maya has also partnered with Giphy to help you add a personal touch to your Send Money transactions. To make your send money transaction even cooler, you can even throw some GIF action in there! With over 10 billion GIFs, you're sure to find one that can perfectly complement how you feel.

Setting up your Maya @username is easy. You simply need to:

1. Tap the "Profile" icon on the upper-left corner and tap "Get Started."
2. Key in your preferred @username and hit "Confirm."
3. Finish off by keying in the One Time Password (OTP) sent via SMS.

Once you've registered your preferred @username, your friends can now use this to send money to your account with these easy steps:

1. Tap "Send Money" on the Maya app
2. Key in the recipient's @username, input the amount to send, and tap "Continue."
3. Review the "Send Money" transaction details and tap "Send."
4. Wait for Maya's confirmation via SMS.

A username is unique to each Maya account holder, so choose well! You can have the option to present your username or your mobile number registered to your Maya account whenever you want to receive money through Maya. In general, registration of usernames is on a first-come, first-served basis, and to ensure protection, Maya has provided guidelines for username registration here.

"Sending money via @username is just one of the innovative features which make money management with Maya more fun and rewarding. With up to 6% savings interest rate and free bitcoin or cashback offers, Maya is easily the most engaging and rewarding payments and banking platform for your money," Torres added.

Maya packs a feature-rich e-wallet, an inclusive digital bank, and everything else you need to save, spend, grow, and manage your money—right from your smartphone.

Want to flex your Maya @username to your friends and family? Register to Maya now and get a joining bonus of P20 plus an additional P40 when you upgrade and do your first transaction until November 30, 2022.

For more information and updates from the country's all-in-one money platform, visit maya.ph

UnionBank “Techs Up “ anew at the 2022 Singapore FinTech Festival

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Becoming a great retail bank is a journey and not a destination.

UnionBank stood-out on the global stage as the lone Filipino bank gold sponsor bannering the “Tech Up Pilipinas” advocacy that is the cornerstone of its digital strategy.

UnionBank has been part of the annual festival since 2018, working the room with the biggest banks in the region. This year, more than 60,000 participants, more than 850 speakers, and more than 500 exhibitors attended the event, a testament to its status as the “world’s most impactful fintech event.”

The UnionBank delegation, headed by Chairman Erramon I. Aboitiz and President and CEO Edwin R. Bautista, showcased key business units that are the pillars of its digital journey through a two-story exhibit booth at the priority sponsors area of the expo.

Trailblazing technologies developed by UnionBank for blockchain, data analytics and Artificial Intelligence, were featured on the booth’s Patent Wall, while the Bank’s digital journey was prominently displayed at the booth’s central area. Noteworthy was the video showing UnionBank’s game-changing acquisition of Citi’s ‘crown jewel’. The multiple screens on the booth highlighted how UnionBank’s technological innovations touched clients while top-level UnionBankers were on hand to tell the deeper stories behind these.

Aside from engaging with clients, entrepreneurs, investors, government, financial services, and technology leaders, UnionBank executives led discussion panels and speaking sessions in the various stages of the 2022 SFF. Corporate clients were also hosted to listen in to globally and locally relevant presentations affecting the financial industry at the festival.

Dignitaries from the Philippine government who visited the UnionBank booth include Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) officials Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan, Deputy Governor Chuchi Fonacier, Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, and Director Mhel Plabasan; Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Kelvin Lester K. Lee; and Department of Budget and Management Undersecretary Maria Francesca Montes-Del Rosario.

Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) has always been among the first to embrace client-centric technological innovations, as a result it has consistently been recognized as of one of Asia’s digital trailblazers, ranking among the country’s top universal banks in terms of profitability and efficiency. It has garnered a record-breaking number of awards and recognition, such as the Most Recommended Retail Bank in Asia Pacific by BankQuality.com; 5-time Digital Bank of the Year by The Asset Triple A; Asia Pacific’s Digital Trailblazer by IDC Asia Pacific, and the Top 1 of Most Helpful Banks in the Philippines during COVID-19 by BankQuality.com.

With what can almost be anticipated as an annual endeavor, UnionBank’s participation in the Singapore FinTech Festival is a testament to its promise to power the future of banking by “Teching Up Pilipinas” to best serve the growing needs of Filipinos everywhere, fulfilling its vision of building a Bank of enduring greatness while pioneering innovations for a better world.

UnionBank’s “Tech’d up” highlights at SFF2022

SEC Commissioner Kelvin Lester K. Lee (left) with UnionBank Chief Marketing Officer Albert Cuadrante, and UnionDigital PCEO Arvie De Vera

Day 1

· UnionDigital Co-Founder, President and CEO Arvie de Vera got the show on the road, joining as a panelist for the session titled "Wake Up With the Leaders," which focused on building a resilient business model in light of the current macro climate.

· UnionBank SVP and Head of Fintech Business Group, Open Finance and Digital Services Center of Excellence Erika Dizon-Go gave a presentation on Digital Finance before joining the session "The Antifragile Digital Economy of ASEAN - The Digital Pilipinas Case Study.”

· Capping off the Bank's Day 1 talks was the launch of the Philippine Open Finance Foundation led by Jaime Garchitorena, UBX Managing Director for Open Finance. The institution aims to make the adoption of open finance as a technology that empowers Filipino consumers with the right set of financial tools and solutions for their needs. The foundation will bring together relevant stakeholders, including other financial institutions, government agencies, non-government organizations, civic groups, and the academe to come up with meaningful initiatives that will support the development of Open Finance in the Philippines.

Day 2

· UnionBank SVP, SME and Micropreneurs Segment Head Jaypee Soliman gave a presentation on Embedded Banking and Alternative Credit Scoring

· UnionBank SVP and Head of Blockchain Center of Excellence and API Business Group Cathy Casas sat down for an interview with METACO, and IBM focused on "Leveraging Digital Assets to Build New Business Models for Financial Institutions."

· UnionBank's Chief Data and AI Officer Dr. David Hardoon joined a roundtable discussion entitled "Open Finance and Beyond," capping off the Bank's Day 2 talks.

Day 3

· Dr. Hardoon returned to join the roundtable discussion titled "Distributed Data Ecosystems in a Web3 World - Heterodox Approaches to Data Portability," followed by De Vera who joined the roundtable discussion titled "Asia Digital Banking CEO Strategic Roundtable."

From Left – UnionBank Chief Cross-Sell Officer Anton Corro, BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan and UnionBank Chairman Erramon I. Aboitiz

Gracing the UnionBank booth are BSP Deputy Governor Chuchi Fonacier and Director Mhel Plabasan (2nd and 3rd from right) welcomed by UnionBank President and CEO Edwin Bautista (3rd from left) together with (from left) Board Director Roberto Manabat, UnionDigital President and CEO Arvie De Vera, and UnionBank CTOO/CTO Henry Aguda.