Real-time Meralco payments at 7-Eleven CLiQQ Kiosks, now made possible by Bayad

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Busy lifestyles have led a lot of Filipinos to rely on doing one-stop-shop errands at convenience stores like 7-Eleven. Apart from buying goods, ready-to-eat cooked meals, and beverages, Meralco bills can also be paid at 7-Eleven CLiQQ Kiosks, available in over 4,100 branches nationwide.

Apart from enabling 24/7 payments at the ease of your own neighborhood, 7-Eleven has partnered with Bayad, accelerating Meralco payments from 24 hours to real-time or instantaneous posting. This will greatly benefit more Filipinos as it allows them to pay on time, and avoid overdue bills or disconnection notices.

Bayad, formerly Bayad Center and the pioneer brand in the outsourced bills payment collection service in the Philippines, is now a full-service fintech subsidiary of Meralco.

Apart from Meralco, Bayad has also activated Red Fiber, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and National Housing Authority (NHA) in the CLiQQ Kiosk’s biller network.

On top of these, Bayad is also expected to bring in more electric and water utility brands, government fees and contributions, tollway RFID, insurance, loans, tuition fees, and many others.

Ultimately, Bayad’s partnership with 7-Eleven underscores modern convenience and digital innovation, fulfilling its shared mission of making daily lives easier for Filipinos.

Bayad President and CEO Lawrence Ferrer underscored, “Our world moved faster than we could have imagined. We at Bayad had to swiftly up our game in expanding our payment channels as we cater to the demand of providing more accessible and secured bills payment services for our kababayans who are noticeably always on the go and are becoming more and more tech-savvy. Our partnership with 7-Eleven allowed us this opportunity, highlighting our shared vision for financial consumer empowerment and driving economic growth in the country.”

7-Eleven Managing Director for Digital, Jose C. Ang, shared, “As we celebrate our 40^th year in the industry, this partnership with Bayad allows us to continue to stay true to 7-Eleven's thrust to continuously innovate modern convenience and enhance customer experience. We are excited to keep serving our communities and uphold our mission of being ‘the neighbor you can count on.”

For fintech and retail institutions like 7-Eleven that are interested in being a part of Bayad’s extensive payment channel network, you may send an email to partnerships@bayad.com. Bayad enables partners to attain nationwide presence and provides end-to-end support services for efficient payment and collection processing.

 

'Merry vivo Christmas' Raffle Brings Joy to the Lucky Winners

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What a way to wrap up the holiday season! vivo capped off the festivities with the grand draw of the Merry vivo Christmas Raffle last Friday, January 17, 2025.

Four lucky winners were selected, each receiving fantastic prizes. One of them was drawn as the grand prize recipient, taking home the highly coveted NEW vivo X200 Pro, vivo's latest flagship smartphone!

The winners were filled with excitement over their fantastic prizes, while the grand prize winner reveled in a moment of victory—perfectly ending a season filled with joy!

The luckiest of them all

Merry vivo Christmas grand prize winner, Mrs. Leslie Marchan from San Juan City, couldn’t believe her luck when she won the raffle for vivo X200 Pro smartphone.

“I couldn't believe it. In my mind 'Legit kaya ito?'” Leslie laughed. “I feel excited to receive this news and I can't believe I won the raffle!", she said with a wide smile.

A long-time vivo fan, Leslie had purchased numerous vivo smartphones for her colleagues in the past, impressed by the brand's proven reliability and superior quality. “They also trust the brand because of its reliability and durability, which is widely known in the smartphone industry.”

Her husband was no exception. Leslie added, "My husband is also a vivo user, and I see that he is very happy with the brand's quality and reliability for his daily use.”

Leslie expressed her enthusiasm for the new X200 Pro, especially looking forward to testing out its powerful 200MP ZEISS APO Telephoto Camera's capabilities!

 

More smiles with Merry vivo Christmas prizes

A season ender made even merrier as the winners are set to receive their much-anticipated prizes!

•   Christian Jay Antonio from Cebu will be turning up the volume this year with a brand-new Bluetooth speaker.

•    Lady Lee Barillos from Quezon City is the proud winner of a vivo Watch 3, bringing style and smart convenience to his everyday life.

•    Rey Salahit from Davao can now enjoy seamless music experiences with his new TWS 3e earbuds. 

The winners have been notified through registered mail, email, and SMS, with their names proudly shared on vivo Philippines’ official social media pages.

Stay excited for a Merry Year!

Thank you for joining the fun with #MerryvivoChristmas! It made this holiday season extra special for many Filipinos and vivo fans. Whether it’s unwrapping a new vivo device or sharing the joy with loved ones, vivo continues to deliver smiles and meaningful moments.

As 2025 unfolds, vivo fans can look forward to even more exciting promotions and events. Make sure to follow vivo Philippines on Facebook, Instagram , YouTube, X, and TikTok to stay updated!

Baguio Flower Festival - Panagbenga 2025

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With its theme “Blossoms Beyond Boundaries,” the 29th Baguio Flower Festival promises a celebration of creativity, culture, and community that stretches beyond tradition.

This year’s Panagbenga, with the theme “Blossoms Beyond Boundaries”, will formally start on February 1 with the grand opening parade and street dancing.

Activities that are slated to open on Feb. 1 include the Panagbengascapes: Landscaping Competition and Exhibition and the Baguio Bloom, and Market Encounter in Burnham Park.

The most awaited highlights of the festival are the Grand Street Dancing and Grand Floral Float parades scheduled for Feb. 22 and 23, respectively.

The City of Pines in the Philippines, Baguio City celebrates the beauty, abundance, and importance of flowers annually, every February. The festivity is dubbed as the Panagbenga Festival.

A Kankanaey term for “a season for blooming,” Panagbenga festival is the Baguio’s grandest Flower Festival – the home of beautiful flowers – which contributed popularity to the place. Together with this is a celebration of the city’s re – establishment from the 1990 earthquake. The celebrations usually last for a month and peak periods are the weekends. It showcases various floral floats and native dances along with the fragrant smells of the flowers teasing everyone’s senses all over the city.

History of Panagbenga: The Story Behind Baguio’s Grand Festival

The Baguio Flower Festival was first celebrated in 1995, introduced as a way to uplift Baguio City after the devastation caused by the 1990 Luzon earthquake. The festival was envisioned to revitalize the city’s tourism industry and highlight the unique beauty of Baguio’s flora. Over the years, Panagbenga has evolved into a world-class event, attracting thousands of visitors from different parts of the country and beyond.

One of the most iconic parts of Panagbenga is the Grand Float Parade, where artistically designed floral floats take over the streets, displaying the incredible craftsmanship of local florists. Another crowd favorite is the Grand Street Dance Parade, where performers in colorful costumes showcase the culture of the Cordilleras through synchronized movements and tribal-inspired dances.

Key dates to remember:

February 1: Grand Opening Day Parade

February 22-23: Grand Street Dance Parade and Grand Floral Float Parade

February 24-March 2: Session Road in Bloom

March 2: Grand Aerial Fireworks Display and Closing Ceremony

For more details on schedules and activities, contact the Panagbenga Secretariat at 074-442-4315 or visit their website.

Prep for Lunar New Year with the CHERRY Smart Movasweep Robotic Vacuum

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Filipinos celebrate the Lunar New Year in many ways. One of which includes cleaning of the home. One might even say it’s to ward off bad spirits. However, no matter what the reason is, people must make sure the thorough cleanliness of the house since it’s a time for members of the family to come together with foods to be served. And, to make sure the cleanliness of the surroundings, you can use the CHERRY Smart Movasweep Robotic Vacuum to make your life easier!

For effective housekeeping, the CHERRY Smart Movasweep Robotic Vacuum has great capabilities. It has a remarkable 2600Pa suction force and can be controlled via CHERRY App for easy administration. The vacuum has four cleaning modes: box, wave, zigzag, and cyclone. It also uses clever mapping technology to find the best cleaning routes. It combines the capabilities of sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping, and its anti-falling, anti-collision, and anti-tangling features guarantee safety. It also makes very low noise, making cleaning peaceful and efficient.

For only PHP 8,999, you can save energy and time since they are easy to use! Plus, it is highly effective. You can also save the energy of physical exertion when vacuuming. Using the CHERRY Smart Movasweep Robotic Vacuum will not make you sweep or mop the floor yourself since it will make the job easier. Get yours now so you can prep for Lunar New Year!

For more information, visit:

CHERRY Shop: www.cherryshop.com.ph

Shopee: https://bit.ly/CherryPhShopee

Lazada: https://bit.ly/CherryPhLazada

Home Credit Philippines promotes a healthier lifestyle with Takbo #ParaSaLife

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Home Credit Philippines (HCPH), the country’s leading consumer finance company, is taking a significant stride toward promoting wellness and community engagement with its first-ever fun run, Takbo #ParaSaLife. Set to happen on Feb 16 at Parqal in Aseana City, this event invites Filipinos to kickstart the year on a healthy and active note.

HCPH champions overall wellness with the upcoming Takbo #ParaSaLife fun run happening on Feb 16. HCPH hosts regular community runs in Bonifacio Global City, to gear up for this event, encouraging everyone to join in the fun and fitness.

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Country’s leading consumer finance company encourages Filipinos

to start the year with good health and wellness to live more rewarding lives

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Organized in partnership with WeKenRun, a local running group established by well-known marathon coach Ken Mendiola, Takbo #ParaSaLife caters to all levels of runners with race categories of 1K, 3K, 5K, and 10K.

With this initiative, HCPH strengthens its commitment to empowering Filipinos to live more rewarding lives. Beyond offering financial solutions, the company seeks to promote holistic well-being—encompassing physical, mental, and emotional health—by creating opportunities for communities to come together and embrace a healthier lifestyle.

“Home Credit is committed to empowering Filipinos to live the life they deserve, and this extends beyond financial well-being. Beyond providing financial services, with this run we are encouraging Filipinos to improve their overall well-being, enabling them to do more #ParaSaLife,” Sheila Paul, Chief Marketing Officer of HCPH said.

Takbo #ParaSaLife is open to all participants, from HCPH employees, family, friends, and customers to fitness enthusiasts and those beginning their wellness journey. Registration fees vary by race distance: PhP500 for the 1K, PhP900 for the 3K, PhP1,000 for the 5K, and PhP1,200 for the 10K. Each category includes exciting perks such as an event shirt, finisher’s medal, loot bag, and bib holder, depending on the selected distance.

“This initiative is about more than just running. It is about building a community that supports one another in achieving better health and wellness. We hope this event will inspire individuals to build lasting, healthy habits that empower them to achieve more life goals,” Paul added.

Freebies await all participants, and podium finishers in the 10K, 5K, and 3K race categories can look forward to exciting cash prizes. Winners in the 10K category will each receive PhP10,000, with PhP8,000 awarded to second place and PhP6,000 to third. In the 5K category, the first-place winners will take home PhP6,000, followed by PhP3,000 for second place and PhP2,000 for third. For the 3K category, the champion will earn PhP3,000, while second and third place will receive PhP1,500 and PhP1,000, respectively.

Events like the Takbo #ParaSaLife are more crucial than ever, especially in light of recent data from the World Health Organization (WHO) that highlighted the global rise in physical inactivity, a major risk factor for chronic diseases. The Philippines is among the countries with the highest rates, with 39.7 percent of the population affected by the lack of physical activity.

Sign up for Takbo #ParaSaLife today and take a step toward a healthier, more rewarding life! Visit this link to register and learn more about this exciting event.

To know more about the latest updates from HCPH, check out its official website, www.homecredit.ph. You may also follow its official Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounts.

Home Credit Philippines is a financing company duly licensed and supervised by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).