Tambunting (Tiwala Sa Padala Co. Inc.) partners with UBX to embrace open finance technologies

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UBX, the leading open finance platform in the Philippines, has teamed up with Tambunting (Tiwala Sa Padala Co. Inc.) to transform the country’s leading Remittance Service company into a modern hub that offers a spectrum of digital financial services.

Under the partnership, i2i, the banking banking-as-a-service platform of UBX, will be empowering Tambunting counters to roll out its Open Finance Platform to its branch network, connecting it to platforms and agents in over 10,000 locations in the country.

With its ubiquity and reach bolstered by the reliable digital solutions of UBX, Tambunting is set to expand its financial services with ease and convenience, especially for those in the countryside.

“We believe in the spirit of collaboration to deliver financial services to our clients. As a mature organization with a storied history, we believe that actively embracing digitalization is not just an option, but a responsibility. Our alliance with UBX is a strategy and a testimony to our commitment to continuously deliver best-in-class services to our customers,” Tiwala sa Padala Director Ramon Tambunting said.

As the demand rises for more digital channels in everyday services, Tambunting brick and mortar branch, powered by i2i, can quickly deliver a wide range of financial services such as deposit taking, loan origination, remittance, e-wallet cash-in, bills payments, and other products and services to its clients with an added customer experience that is simple and reliable.

“UBX puts financial inclusion at the highest degree of importance. Powering Tambunting branches as it ventures into open finance is truly a great honor, as we both share a commitment to promoting accessibility of financial services and bringing these closer to the everyday Filipino,” UBX President John Januzczak said.

In a nutshell, i2i aggregates banking services and UBX’s ventures within one platform, allowing for a more democratized access to financial services for Filipinos through its network partners. Currently, i2i has three portals, a mobile application, a website, and a set of application programming interfaces (APIs).

A cloud-based platform, i2i is built on blockchain and open finance technologies, enabling fast, reliable, and secure financial transactions, including but not limited to wallet transfers, domestic transfers, bills payment, mobile scoring, mobile ATM, and offline and online loan processing, among others.

i2i has seen its transactions ballooning by 5.4x over the last three years, connecting customers to hundreds of financial institutions found in communities, such as rural banks and remittance centers with over 10,000 touchpoints, all over the country.

“UBX is in the business of including everyone in the country’s financial systems. Our partnership with Tambunting (Tiwala sa Padala Co. Inc.) brings us a step closer to our goal, encouraging us to continue to pursue more meaningful collaborations to promote financial inclusion and provide better services to the Filipino people,” Januzczak said.

To learn more about i2i and its services, please visit www.i2i.ph

UnionBank Techs Up with Globe Fleet Management Solutions

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Partnership to promote better efficiency, personnel productivity in company managed vehicles.

UnionBank is known for bringing digital banking innovations that have an immediate impact to clients. On the back-end of things operational and technical innovations that ultimately benefit the clients are also what the bank constantly works on. Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) has tapped Globe Business for a partnership that will help the Bank in making the operation of their vehicles more efficient. The partnership was made official through a contract signing ceremony that took place last November 16 at the UnionBank Plaza in Pasig City.

"With our drive to 'Tech Up Pilipinas' and be an enabler of the Philippines' push to be a G20 country by 2050, we partnered with Globe Business to co-create innovations that are crucial to the success of our Digital Transformation Plan," shares Vincent Paul M. Castillo, Vice President, Cash Services Group Head. "Together, we innovated technology derived from our internal and external customers’ unique experiences and perspectives."

As part of their partnership, UnionBank will utilize the wide range of fleet management solutions offered by Globe Business, which are powered by Globe's next-generation connectivity and expansive nationwide coverage enabled by its thousands of cell towers located in strategic areas nationwide.

Among the benefits provided by the partnership are improved correspondence between UnionBank's vehicles and their communication centers, top-notch internet connectivity for each vehicle for better use of relevant in-vehicle tools and apps, and stronger security measures to protect the vehicles and their operators especially while on the road.

Ultimately, the partnership will help UnionBank serve its customers across different segments better, while making it easier for its fleet personnel, as well as those who work in its bank branches being served by the vehicles, to perform their roles more effectively in line with UnionBank's goal of promoting inclusive prosperity in the country.

"We've always looked at UnionBank as very like-minded, and we've always been very proud about being able to provide solutions and partner constantly in being able to digitally transform and always be a step ahead of all digital banking initiatives in the Philippines," said Globe Business Vice President for Enterprise Sales Tanya Gil-Padilla.

"This solution will ensure productivity, save fuel costs, and offer fleet management efficiency," said UnionBank's Chief Security Officer and Head of Security Management Group, retired RAdm. Rommel Galang. "In line with the desire to deliver innovative solutions, we stand firm with the Bank's promises to power the future of banking through innovation."

Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao celebrates its 7th Foundation Anniversary

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On December 4 - 7 and 9, 2022, a new milestone was hit for Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao (Mapúa MCM) as it held the first-ever week-long celebration of its foundation anniversary after seven years since its establishment with various activities to be enjoyed and shared among the whole Mapúa MCM community. Said celebration is in observance of the institution’s achievements since its incorporation in 2015.

The week-long foundation celebration is open to all students, parents, as well as friends of the community and features exciting events such as the institution’s first fun run, the unveiling of its new rebranded logo at the school’s front gate, dancing and singing competitions, battle of the bands, a Mr. and Ms. MMCM student pageant, e-game tournament, tree-lighting ceremony, and a community-run bazaar among many other activities to enjoy.

During this time, Mapúa MCM commemorates its achievements since its establishment and how it has pioneered blended learning in Mindanao to provide quality education by creating a progressive learning environment for students to hone and use to their full potential. Being a subsidiary school of Mapúa University, the institution is poised to deliver the same academic and technological excellence to its community in Mindanao.

In further establishing its ties with Mapúa University, the institution also recently rebranded from Malayan Colleges Mindanao, a Mapúa School to Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao (Mapúa MCM) earlier this year. The rebranding signifies their continued commitment to delivering world-class excellence in education by providing modern facilities, training their faculty, and continued collaboration with local and international institutions to better cater to the learning needs and demands of every 21st-century student.

Aligned to their mission in striving towards educational excellence, Mapúa MCM, through Mapúa University and alongside Malayan Colleges Laguna, A Mapúa School, has joined in collaboration with Arizona State University to expand the access Filipino students will have to high-quality international education in both business and health sciences. This collaboration aims to provide students with highly differentiated instruction centered on three core pillars – international exposure, real-world experiential learning, and digital expertise.

“With what we have accomplished in the past seven years,” shared Mapúa MCM’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Engr. Alejandro H. Ballado Jr. “...we believe our institution is poised to make its mark in the global community through research, innovations, and ranking.

Throughout the years, Mapúa MCM has continued to consistently strive towards its mission of providing access to effective education and an efficient and innovative learning experience to its students.

Mapúa MCM is currently open for applications for SY 2023 - 2024. You may go to mcm.edu.ph to learn more or visit the campus at General Douglas MacArthur Highway, Matina, Davao City.

Design Center stages bamboo innovation in action at the Hybrid National Trade Fair

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The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through the Design Center of the Philippines, the Industry Cluster Enhancement Program, and the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Council (PBDIC) recently opened the Sustainability Pavilion in this year’s Hybrid National Trade Fair (HNTF) on 16-20 November at Megatrade Halls 1-3 in SM Megamall.

From L to R: When In Manila CEO Sky Gavin, DTI-BDTP director Marievic Bonoan, DTI Usec. Ireneo Vizmonte, Cong. Christian S. Unabia, DTI Usec. Blesila Lantayona, DTI-R2 regional director Leah Ocampo, and DTI-Design Center executive director Rhea Matute

Dubbed Bamboo Matters, the Sustainability Pavilion champions the grass species and spotlights its place in the country’s material culture and design language. Bamboo Matters creative directors Lukas and Sandra Gili Zollinger of OCCO Living drew from Design Center’s material innovation thrust and OCCO Living’s strength in fleshing out the beauty of humble natural materials for the creation of the pavilion. The structure takes inspiration from the tipi, which the Zollingers further described as “vernacular architecture.”

Bamboo Matters aims to nudge sustainable design solutions and livelihood opportunities through bamboo to a broader public and empower them to support local and eco-friendly wares as they commence their holiday shopping. From its common usage in manufacturing, food, biofuels, and musical instruments, bamboo is presented in a different light, specifically in industrial and commercial design applications to permeate the sectors of construction, homeware, fashion, and lifestyle.

The Sustainability Pavilion houses bamboo-made products from 20 participating local brands and businesses, representing 8 regions. Among the featured products is the Bambino by Bambike Revolution Cycles, a balance bike for 2-6-year-olds with a bolt-together design, adjustable seats, and handlebars that can be built with the family as the child grows older. Bambike Revolution Cycles is a recipient of Japan’s Good Design Award, which is a globally recognized accolade for exemplary design.

A sneak peek of industrial and commercial design applications of bamboo.

Another bamboo-based product in the pavilion is the Biscornu Pendant Lamp by Hacienda Crafts Co., Inc., inspired by a small, octagonal, stuffed ornamental pincushion that forms a unique convex polyhedron and hand-crafted by the artisans in rural communities creating livelihood opportunities.

Jellyfish pendant lamp

Design Center Executive Director Rhea Matute describes bamboo as “integral” to enrich the ongoing conversation on sustainability, as well as to realize the Philippine Green Economy. “As our new normal continues to take shape, we are seeing this shift in the priorities of consumers, and even of Filipinos at large. There is this heightened conscientiousness when it comes to taking care of our environment. In the market, this translates to them being more particular with what products they buy and services they avail,” she shares.

“With bamboo, we get to harness the abundance that is already in the country and create this ripple effect that ultimately nurtures both people and the planet and ensures that we are designing with purpose and for prosperity,” Matute notes.

As one of the world’s fastest-growing plants and most eco-friendly materials, the country now has 70,000 hectares planted with bamboo, more than half of which are in forestlands. Alongside its renewability, the non-timber plant is also known for its resilience, designed to survive typhoons that are frequent in the country; tensile strength, which earned it its “Green Steel of the 21st Century” tag; and overall environmental impact, as bamboo produces 35% more oxygen compared to an equivalent tree mass.

According to the Philippine Bamboo Industry Roadmap developed by the DTI Regional Operations Group (ROG), the Board of Investments (BOI), and the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Council (PBIDC), bamboo exports under a healthy economy can capture a significant share of the world market.

National Industry Cluster Coordinator for Bamboo and DTI-R2 Regional Director Leah Pulido Ocampo states that for the country to effectively push for bamboo as a green architectural and building material, there is also a need to boost supply.

Organized by the Department of Trade and Industry – Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion (DTI-BDTP) in partnership with the DTI Regional Operations Group, Design Center of the Philippines, and the National Bamboo Industry Cluster, the Sustainability Pavilion at the Hybrid National Trade Fair.

For inquiries, email r02@dti.gov.ph and/or rog@dti.gov.ph.

World Vision Philippines celebrates their 65th anniversary with “The Day My Life Changed” book

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Every Filipino will know someone who has been touched by the help of a World Vision Philippine’s supporters here and overseas. Today, in any given year, World Vision child sponsors and donors help 1.5 million of our most vulnerable children. They give these children the opportunity for a better future— their own, their communities’ and indeed all our country.

World Vision representatives and former sponsored children graced the book launch of “The Day My Life Changed”

That’s evidenced by the many amazing stories of current and former sponsor children. Ace, who is now a policeman looking after his community. Bishop Alconga, who was World Vision sponsor child No 7. Commodore Armand Balilo, our one star General and spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard. The many teachers, nurses, business owners, professionals, amazing parents and grandparents that have flourished through World Vision’s programs since 1957.

Commodore Armand Balilo went from selling rice cakes as a child to becoming one of our most prominent public servant. He says: “Years back, I was the one who needed to be saved and rescued. I grew up in a community where poverty and misery was a norm. I was selling rice cakes to put food on the table and there were times when I would attend Sunday School shirtless. One day, a World Vision project staff approached me and that day changed my life. My wonderful sponsors gave me the opportunity to create a better life for myself and my family.”

To mark its 65th anniversary, World Vision compiled a book entitled “The Day My Life Changed” with inspiring stories of sponsor children and how their sponsors helped them transform their lives.

Award-winning broadcast journalist and World Vision sponsor, Karen Davila, writes in the foreword on how her life changed ever since becoming a child sponsor and how she actively helped in transforming the organization to help more of our most vulnerable to get their opportunity.

Rommel Fuerte, World Vision Philippines’ National Director is tasked with taking the organization into the future. One that he says needs many more Filipinos to help one of our most vulnerable children. He says: ‘Thanks to our supporters so many of our children have been able to write their own life story. I am passionate to see many more stories of transformation being written by our sponsors and their sponsor children.’

Mr. Fuerte sure know what he is talking about. He has sponsored a child with World Vision for over 25 years, started with World Vision in their programs on the ground and now, as National Director, guides World Vision Philippines and has led strategies and emergency responses for World Vision for 16 countries and is a key member of some of World Vision International’s committees, driving among other topics the fight on climate change, that affects all children in the world, but ours extremely.

“We hope that through this book, we find reflected in these pages God’s wonderful plan for our lives, enclosed with a prayer for our hearts the will to make it so,” he added.

To know how you can avail the book, visit www.worldvision.org.ph or follow World Vision’s official social media pages /worldvisionph on Facebook, @worldvisionphl on Instagram, and @worldvisionph on Twitter.

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About World Vision

A faith based organization, World Vision is the world’s leading child aid organization and committed to helping our most vulnerable children and communities – even if they are in the most remote and dangerous places.. We help children and their communities on the ground in over 100 countries while driving change globally at UN and governments levels on child rights, poverty and climate change.

World Vision Philippines is the second oldest World Vision national office.