Globe Business donates to the Hapag Movement via food rescue NGO SOS PH

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With the problem of involuntary hunger plaguing many Filipinos, leading digital solutions platform Globe and international food rescue organization Scholars of Sustenance Philippines Food Rescue (SOS PH) took up the challenge of addressing this issue in a recent partnership under the former’s Hapag Movement banner program.

In collaboration with Filipino-Chinese restaurant community group Fil-Chi Ho Tsia Ho Dim, Globe Business was able to donate food that supplemented the evening feeding program of the Most Holy Trinity Parish for 100 beneficiaries within the community in Sampaloc, Manila.

Fil-Chi Ho Tsia Ho Dim members shared a variety of food items from their menus. Papel na Liempo - Aurora Cubao contributed Salo packs of their pork chips. Muyoo Philippines, Inc. shared their white bread loaves. Tasty Snacks gave tubs of their pork siomai.

SOS PH, through its food rescue operations, utilizes safe surplus food by redistributing them to vulnerable communities in need. Recently launched in the Philippines, they aim to bring to the country its goal of reducing hunger and food waste.

"In starting our operations in the Philippines, we are sincerely grateful for the assistance we are receiving from various sectors. We are one with Globe in their vision for the Hapag Movement. Through our combined efforts in fundraising through digital channels and supporting communities through food rescue programs, we hope to truly make a difference and alleviate the hunger situation in the country," said James Leyson, Managing Director of SOS PH.

The Hapag Movement is Globe’s platform that connects multi-sectoral partners who can contribute in addressing hunger and joblessness to achieve social impact at scale. It provides supplemental feeding while building the capacity of beneficiary families through livelihood training.

"At Globe, we believe that through collective action and the use of technology, we can bridge the gap towards a world free from hunger. We are thankful to SOS PH for this initiative and we are looking forward to shaping a #GlobeOfGood with them,” said Apple Evangelista, Head of Sustainability & Social Responsibility at the Globe Group.

The food rescue program is a symbolic start to a meaningful partnership between Globe and SOS PH. It is one of the major projects the two are working on under the Hapag Movement.

Since their launch in October 2022, SOS PH has rescued and distributed a total of 10,000 kilograms of food, equating to more than 42,000 meals served, and 13,000 kilograms of equivalent CO2 emissions reduction. These efforts are all in alignment with their mission of serving the people, saving the land, and feeding the mind.

Those who would like to send support to the Hapag Movement may donate via the GlobeOne app using Globe Rewards points. Just follow these steps:

Donations may also be made using GCash.

Donations may also be sent via credit card on the Globe of Good website.

Learn more about Globe’s Hapag Movement via https://www.globe.com.ph/about-us/sustainability/globe-of-good.html#gref.

Pinoys love their Nanays: GrabAds insights show how busy Filipinos get around Mother’s Day

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The GrabAds SEA Mother’s Day Insights Report 2023 showcases how the leading superapp helps its users create special moments with their moms during the beloved holiday

Having close family ties is one of the hallmarks of Filipino culture. Hence, it comes as no surprise that holidays celebrating the family unit are much beloved in the Philippines. Among the most anticipated is Mother’s Day – and insights from GrabAds, the advertising arm of the leading superapp, show that Pinoys do get busy creating special moments for their nanays every second Sunday of May.

The GrabAds SEA Mother’s Day Insights Report 2023 gives brands and consumers a clear picture of how Grab – with its portfolio of convenient, reliable services like GrabFood, GrabMart and GrabExpress – enables and empowers users to create extra-special Mother’s Day celebrations for their moms.

Here are some interesting insights from the report!

1. Filipinos plan for Mother’s Day

Filipinos take Mother’s Day celebrations seriously. In fact, 88 percent of Grab users in the Philippines have already come up with plans specific to Mother’s Day 2023^[1]. The respondents look forward most to gathering their families, ordering food online, and going out for a meal together with their loved ones and, of course, their inays.

2. Filipinos order food and ship out items a lot more on Mother’s Day

GrabAds insights also show that Filipinos are happy to create special dining experiences at home as they tend to order more on the second Sunday of May. In 2022, GrabFood orders rose by 25 percent on Mother’s Day versus the average number of food orders across all Sundays of April^[2]. The most expensive GrabFood order on Mother’s Day last year was a Php 7,000 steak set^[3] –  a much-deserved treat for the family!

Padala items also tend to be on the road more during Mother’s Day. For instance, last 08 May 2022, there were 37 percent more GrabExpress Deliveries versus the average Express Orders on the Sundays of the month prior^[4]. Indeed, no distance is wide enough to stop the simple thank yous and love yous Filipinos wish to express to their moms.

3. Filipinos enjoy ordering on-demand gifts on Mother’s Day

Gifts overflow during Mother’s Day, too! 8 out of 10 Grab users in the Philippines plan on buying their moms a gift, and 82 percent of these are keen on buying a gift from Grab^[5]. Among the most popular choices on GrabFood and GrabMart during Mother’s Day last year were cakes and pastries, flower bouquets, and home and kitchen appliances. Chocolate, ube, and fresh fruit reigned supreme as the top preferred cake flavors^[6].

Truly, with reliable and convenient on-demand delivery services like GrabFood and GrabMart, gifts no longer come with the usual long queues, heavy traffic, and aisle-to-aisle exploration in-store. 

“Mother’s Day remains to be one of the most important gifting occasions in Southeast Asia. Our GrabAds report shows a surge in user activity one week before the day itself, across the region, as people start looking for ways to make this day extra special for their loved ones," said Jennie Johnson, Head of Regional Marketing, GrabAds. “This Mother’s Day, merchants and brands across the region have the opportunity to connect with consumers looking for the perfect gift for their mom via superapps like Grab”

Creating a special Mother’s Day celebration should be easy and hassle-free –  and Grab makes sure of this. With the wide merchant selection and reliable on-demand delivery services of both GrabFood and GrabMart, you can easily pick and order mom’s faves for an intimate family dinner; or even include special add-ons just to express how much you treasure her. Tip: Check out the promo code MAMAMART on GrabMart and ILYMOM on GrabFood on May 14, 2023!

 

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ABOUT GRABADS

Established in 2018, GrabAds has evolved to become an integrated advertising solutions provider which provides advertisers with multiple channels, such as in-app advertising, branding and product sampling via the Grab ecosystem, for building awareness, engaging audiences and triggering action across the Grab platform. Through its advertising and technology capabilities, GrabAds aims to help people discover, engage, and connect with the best businesses in Southeast Asia. For more information, visit GrabAds For Business

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^[1] In-app survey data from 1,798 active Grab users in the Philippines in 2023.

^[2] Grab Internal Data; comparing Mother’s Day GrabFood orders to the average food orders of four Sundays in April 2022.

^[3] Grab Food & Grocery Trends Report 2022

^[4] Grab Internal Data; comparing Mother’s Day GrabExpress orders to the average Express orders and order value of four Sundays in April

^[5] In-app survey data from 1,798 active Grab users in the Philippines in 2023

^[6] Grab Food & Grocery Trends Report 2022

Waste Wanted: CitySavings Turns Donated Plastic into School Chairs

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City Savings Bank (CitySavings), the thrift bank subsidiary of the Aboitiz-led Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank), makes supporting public schools more sustainable through its initiative, Turning Plastic into School Chairs.

Spearheaded by the Bank’s Branch Operations and Human Resources teams, the goal was to collect as much plastic waste from the employees in a month. The recycling drive gathered almost 2,000 kilograms of waste plastic from CitySavings branches and corporate offices nationwide. These were then turned over to Envirotech Waste Recycling Inc, a company based in Davao City, which produced the school chairs, each made out of 30 kilograms of plastic waste, at a discounted rate.

CitySavings Human Resources Head Hannah Contreras shared, "We are proud of our CitySavings Bankers for their all-out support as sustainability stewards. The success of this initiative clearly showed how the spirit of Ubuntu moved us to connect and partner with our stakeholders and communities to minimize our impact on the environment for a better and more sustainable future. This is employee engagement and sustainability in action.”

PITCHING IN PLASTICS: CitySavings Bankers donate their plastic waste to produce sustainable school chairs. The recycling drive gathered almost 2,000 kilograms across branches and corporate offices.

A total of 50 chairs were produced and donated to the beneficiaries, Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Central Elementary School in Davao City and Tunasan National High School in Muntinlupa City in support of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Matatag agenda to supplement basic education facilities and services.

During the turnover ceremony, Principal Dr. Ador Querubin mentioned, “Our school population has grown from 6,000 to 9,000 students in the past few years. With this, there is a need to increase the number of facilities to be used by our learners at Tunasan National High School. These sustainably produced chairs donated by CitySavings will not just help 25 students, but generations of students to come.” Principal Querubin also highlighted how sustainable practices can make the learning environment more conducive and comfortable for students.

SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED CHAIRS: Students from Tunasan National High School try out the chairs made from recycled plastics donated by City Savings Bank.

In Davao City, Principal Riza Lobitos of Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Central Elementary School was grateful for the donation. “We are very excited to use these unique and sustainably produced chairs given to us by our partners from CitySavings. We will have them in our Reading Village and Reading Kiosk to help encourage our students to read more.” The school pledged to support the continuation of this initiative by collecting more empty plastic bottles so CitySavings and its partner can produce more chairs.

CONDUCIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: The warm smiles from teachers of Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Central Elementary School in Davao City as they receive 25 sustainably produced chairs from City Savings Bank for the school’s reading kiosk.

As CitySavings incorporates sustainability practices into its operations, the Bank commits to #BEESustainable by continuing its sustainability-driven initiatives that further support our educators and learners while significantly helping the environment. Principal Lobitos summed it all up as she closed her thanksgiving message during the turnover, “Alam niyo na kung saan kayo lalapit kung nangangailangan kayo. Nandiyan lagi ang CitySavings para tumulong (You know who to turn to when you’re in need. CitySavings is always ready to help.)”.

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About City Savings Bank:

City Savings Bank, Inc. (CitySavings) is the thrift bank subsidiary of Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) and a member of the Aboitiz Group. It is one of the largest thrift banks in the country, providing a wide range of mass market financial products and services, such as salary loans to public and private school teachers, pension loans to GSIS and SSS pensioners, motorcycle loans, company employee loans, government salary loans, and traditional deposit products.

Today, CitySavings has more than 140 branches nationwide. It is well on its way to becoming the leading digital mass market bank in the Philippines, paving the way for inclusive and sustainable prosperity across the country.

‘The Final Pitch’ invites entrepreneurs across all industries with the launch of its 9th edition

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The ‘Open Edition’ aims to promote inclusivity and democratize access to opportunities for entrepreneurs beyond tech startups

The Final Pitch,  the Philippines' premier business reality TV show, is back for its ninth season on CNN Philippines, with the theme "Open Edition." The new season provides opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs, innovators, and startups from all industries to present their innovative business solutions catering to a diverse panel of investor-judges looking to fund and back their initiatives. 

The show's creator and host, John Aguilar, stated that the Open Edition is poised to be a breakout season for the series as it emphasizes the significance of inclusivity and diversity in the business world, particularly for non-technology startups seeking investment and partnership opportunities and aiming to take their businesses to the next level.

"We have decided to make this an 'Open Edition' to be able to give a chance to entrepreneurs of different sizes, industries, and verticals to be able to participate in both the fundraising, mentoring and market reach that The Final Pitch has been able to give the entrepreneurs who have pitched their enterprises on the show. This is also a way for us to democratize access to everything that show stands for, to go beyond tech startups, which have traditionally been the majority," said Aguilar.

This season's roster of judges also hail from different industries, bringing diverse perspectives and valuable insights to aspiring entrepreneurs. The panel of investor-judges includes Rico Bautista, President and CEO of Etiqa Life & General Assurance Philippines; Brian Poe-Llamanzares, President of Pantheon Holdings; Henry Aguda, President and CEO of UnionDigital Bank and Member-convenor of GoDigital Pilipinas; and Robert Scott, Vice President-Hotel Operations of Okada Manila. For the first time, the show will involve judges from the diplomatic corps with the participation of the Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines His Excellency Ilan Fluss, and the British Ambassador to the Philippines Her Excellency Laure Beaufils. According to Aguilar, the judges will serve as not just potential investors, but as strategic partners to the future contestants.

 

In a virtual press launch on May 9th, Rico Bautista expressed his desire to collaborate with entrepreneurs who have strategic, feasible, and technological ideas with clear business opportunities.

Bautista stated, "I am personally looking for startups who can help expand our business in Etiqa, especially when it relates to insurance, customer service, and distribution. I am also looking for an entrepreneurial and passionate leader and a strong business team with the ability to combine art with technology. Their passion in starting up and innovating, to come up with something so simple and yet very relevant, both to the market they're playing in and to the company that they will be helping. Lastly, future potential and clear commercial teams resulting in early Return of Investment (ROI).”

According to Brian Poe-Llamanzares, he is seeking business solutions that directly address significant problems in the country and are both usable and accessible to the public.

"As an investor and entrepreneur, I am always on the lookout for innovative solutions that address real problems and benefit the general public. Simultaneously, I am also keen on identifying opportunities that align with our family business at Pantheon Holdings. However, my ultimate belief is investing in the entrepreneurs themselves. In the Philippines, entrepreneurship is the driving force behind many successful companies, particularly at the startup level, and the person behind the venture is what ultimately makes it successful. I am thrilled to engage with entrepreneurs who possess a clear vision of what their company requires to grow and thrive, whether it be a technological solution, marketing assistance, or networking opportunities," expressed Llamanzares.

Expressing his enthusiasm for finding the next big thing in the Philippine startup scene, Henry Aguda said, "Our main focus in UnionDigital Bank is to provide banking service to the under-banked, unbanked and SMEs, that is why we have an open mind coming into this show to find the ‘diamond in the rough’, an SME that will become a unicorn one of these days. My excitement is here also looking for solutions that we can take to the government and be the ones to scale up. Maybe an entrepreneur or a startup can solve a problem that the government is trying to solve and the government becomes the accelerator to make them a unicorn." Aguda is looking for game-changing ideas that can transform the industry and provide solutions to the government's problems.

Aguilar also announced that this season's mentoring sessions, previously exclusive to the contestants of the show, will be open for the first time to participants outside of the program. The Final Pitch will invite the show’s contestants, students, startups, and other organizations to come together for a one-day learning experience during the filming of the Open House Mentoring Day episode on May 23 at Thames International Business School.

The mentorship program will involve a diversified group of business mentors who will guide the participants. These mentors include Dean Bernales, Founder & CEO of Uniquecorn Strategies; Chris Peralta, Founder of Silicon Valley HQ; Vince Golangco, CEO & Founder of When in Manila; Atty. Marlon Valderama, founder and CEO of LexMeet; Joel Santos, President of Thames International Business School; and Paolo Rentero, Co-Founder of TechShake. Aguilar will likewise give a pitching masterclass based on his best-selling book The Art and Science of the Pitch. 

"We are excited to offer opportunities to a varied range of entrepreneurs and startups to take advantage of the fundraising, mentoring, and market reach that The Final Pitch Open Edition can provide. This is our way of promoting inclusivity and diversity on the show, and we're eagerly anticipating the incredible concepts and companies that will emerge from this season," Aguilar added.

To join The Final Pitch, interested applicants will be required to fill out and submit an online entry form through the link: TheFinalPitch.ph/application via its official website TheFinalPitch.ph. The deadline for submission of applications is until May 13, 2023. Participants who wish to join the May 23 Open House Mentoring Day can register through https://TheFinalPitchOpenMentorship.eventbrite.co.uk or visit the The Final Pitch Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

 

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ABOUT THE FINAL PITCH

The Final Pitch is a reality TV show where viewers see the coming together of the best and brightest startup entrepreneurs, and investors and business leaders searching to back and support their enterprises. The idea was spawned to create a platform to not just serve as a guide and inspiration to those who will trek the long and winding road of entrepreneurship, but for investors to find and invest in the ones they are willing to back. The Final Pitch is produced by independent television production company Streetpark Productions Inc.

For more information, visit www.thefinalpitch.ph.

Exciting deals are coming your way this HONOR Payday Sale!

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Get your dream HONOR smartphones for up to Php 750 discount, with exclusive bundles and free shipping nationwide on Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok!

The country’s leading smart devices provider, HONOR, is throwing away exclusive deals and free shipping discounts nationwide this payday sale! Up to Php 750 worth of discounts on HONOR devices, including the viral X series, will be available via Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok Shop!

“HONOR prides itself on its wide range of smartphones and devices that cater to every Filipino lifestyle. We have the DSLR-like phone, HONOR X8a for photography enthusiasts, the HONOR X7a for those who are continuously using their mobile devices and need a long-lasting battery, and the indestructible HONOR X9a 5G for those who are worried of continuously dropping their phones and cracking their screens. We also have the HONOR MagicBook X laptops and HONOR Pad 8 for digital people who are always on the go,” said Stephen Cheng, HONOR Philippines Vice President.

Enjoy amazing deals and free shipping discounts from May 13 to 17 with Lazada Sulit Sweldo Sale (https://bit.ly/3VGu3OV), TikTok Budol Sale from May 14 to 16 (https://bit.ly/3IMaizo), and Shopee Payday Sale on May 15 (https://bit.ly/3J1Zv5n). Early birds can also get exclusive freebies on selected HONOR gadgets! Get a FREE Magic Keyboard with Php 5,990 when you purchase an HONOR Pad8, and a FREE Premium HONOR bag worth Php 2,000 for every purchase of HONOR MagicBook X 14 or MagicBook X 15.

For more information and announcements, you may visit HONOR’s website www.hihonor.com or social media platforms: Facebook (Facebook.com/HonorPhilippines), Instagram (Instagram.com/honorphilippines/) and TikTok: (Tiktok.com/@honorphilippines). To check out HONOR’s complete list of retail stores, go to https://www.hihonor.com/ph/retailers/.