The Philippine Beat

Miss Universe Philippines to Release World’s First Beauty Pageant NFTs

Posted on September 21, 2021September 21, 2021 by jane

Have you heard of NFTs ? NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are digital assets that can represent a wide variety of real-world concepts such as ownership over one-of-a-kind art, videos, in-game items, and other collectibles. NFTs can be used to represent items such as photos, videos, audio, and other types of digital files. These are bought and sold online, usually using cryptocurrency, and they are generally coded with the same software as cryptocurrencies.

The NFT trend has come to Miss Universe Philippines. RedFOX Labs, a Southeast Asian venture builder, has joined forces with Miss Universe Philippines in making history as the world’s first-ever beauty pageant to drop an NFT collection.

The Miss Universe-Philippines NFT collection will be released on September 24, 2021, and will be available for purchase using the RFOX token via MetaMask or Uniswap.

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Heart Evangelista joins XTREME Appliances as its newest face

Posted on September 12, 2021October 25, 2021 by jane

A new face has joined the ranks of XTREME Appliances ambassadors. Actress and fashion icon Heart Evangelista is the newest face, joining Senator Manny Pacquiao and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso.

With her 24 years of experience in the entertainment scene and one of this generation’s most prized stars, Heart has done it all. She has starred in multiple TV series and movies, attended the biggest international fashion weeks, graced international and local magazines, won various awards, and created a huge impact on social media. This year, she is ready to be the ambassadress of a local appliance brand that has been providing affordable yet high-quality products for every Filipino household.

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Defensil’s PPE and alcohol donation to certain vaccination sites are keeping people safe

Posted on August 23, 2021August 23, 2021 by jane

Alcohol is a common site at all vaccination site as healthcare workers, volunteer staff, and vaccinees need a lot of these to keep everyone safe. Recently, vaccination sites in three cities (Muntinlupa, Pasig, and San Juan) received reusable personal protective equipment (PPEs) and Defensil 70% Isopropyl Alcohol that keep the healthcare workers and people in priority groups, going for their vaccination, safe.

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World Vision and ComCo SEA’s Cause Marketing for Good virtual conference helps MSMEs help themselves and others

Posted on August 9, 2021 by jane

More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic and many businesses have closed down, leaving millions jobless. In the Philippines, with over 99% of businesses being micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), entrepreneurs have been hit especially hard. Many owners have tried to stay afloat to help their employees but the economic downturn has been too much for so many MSMEs. In spite of these, MSMEs recently came together for a greater cause – to help vulnerable communities, including themselves.

As part of their initiative to support MSMEs, global development and advocacy organization World Vision and regional integrated communications agency ComCo Southeast Asia held the Cause Marketing for Good Virtual Conference to give MSMEs the chance to do good for themselves and for others. Different experts from renowned brands and agencies around the country joined the event and shared information, experiences, and learnings about cause-related marketing or CRM to help equip MSMEs on how to champion social issues through their marketing efforts.

World Vision and ComCo Southeast Asia’s Cause Marketing for Good campaign aims to support and teach MSMEs how to make their businesses relevant through effective and sustainable cause-related marketing campaigns that can rally support from the public.

(From top left) Robinsons Supermarket Marketing Manager Angela Totanes, AirAsia Head of Branding and Creatives David Viray, Lazada Strategic Partnerships Senior Associate Yshana Wong, ComCo Southeast Asia Regional Integration & Chief Executive Director Ferdinand Bondoy, World Vision Ambassador Gelli Victor, World Vision Resource Development Director Jun Godornes, IdeasXMachina Group Of Hakuhodo CEO Third Domingo, World Vision National Director Rommel Fuerte and David and Golyat President and Co- Founder Miko David

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Pru Life UK partners with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas for a webinar on online financial security

Posted on July 25, 2021 by jane

With the significant shift to online financial transactions ever since the pandemic started, one major concern has been online financial security. Thankfully, a recent PRUWise webinar, part of an ongoing series by Pru Life UK, tackled the subject.

Partnering with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Pru Life UK hosted a two-hour-long webinar, entitled “Marked Safe: Protecting You and Your Money from Online Scams” which provided very useful insights on online transactions as well as tips on financial portfolio safety.

The webinar featured BSP Director for Technology Risk and Innovation Supervision Department Melchor Plabasan, Deputy Director for Economic and Financial Learning Office – Strategic Communication and Advocacy Rochelle Tomas, along with Financial Journalist Salve Duplito, and covered online safety measures, incident reporting procedures, as well as best cyber hygiene practices that people can follow to ensure their financial transactions and investment portfolios are secure.

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Meet Beko’s eco-friendly appliances!

Posted on July 17, 2021 by jane

Beko, a leading European appliance brand, recently unveiled its eco-friendly appliances. As a global company, Beko realizes its responsibility in terms of environmental protection and sustainability. Beko also shared a Europe-wide survey on people’s attitudes and concerns about sustainability. The study discovered that human environmental damage is perceived as the most critical threat to a sustainable planet by all respondents, followed by the plastic issue, then infectious diseases. Extreme weather comes next, followed by natural disasters, natural resource crisis, biodiversity loss, food waste, and lastly, water stress. The survey was conducted among 1,800 people in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain.

The virtual showcase during the event was attended by Arçelik’s CEO Hakan Bulgurlu, CMO Zeynep Yalım Uzun and CCO Ragıp Balcıoğlu, and a special guest from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Brendan Edgerton, Circular Economy Director.

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MSMEs have another credit source through a partnership between UBX Seekcap and Radiowealth Finance

Posted on June 21, 2021June 21, 2021 by jane

The pandemic has taken its greatest toll on micro- to small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) which comprise 99.5% of all business in the Philippines, according to the Department of Trade and Industry. Their businesses suffered and yet they still have a lot of overhead to cover. As we all know, seeking a credit source from the big financial institutions can be a huge challenge for MSMEs.

A recent partnership between UBX Seekcap, the Philippines’s first same-day approval lending marketplace, and Radiowealth Finance, a leading financial services provider, aims to address this difficulty by offering business loans for working capital, franchising, machinery and heavy equipment, and business expansion.

Through its partnership with SeekCap, Filipino businesses can easily apply for a Radiowealth business loan online, with loan amounts ranging from PhP 50,000 to as high as PhP 5,000,000 payable up to 12 months. A sari-sari store would find it so much easier to make a loan since a loan application only requires a valid government ID, proof of business registration (barangay or mayor’s permit), and proof of income (sales receipts or sales logbook).

About SEEKCAP – SeekCap, the nation’s first online lending marketplace, is one of the ventures of UBX. UBX is the financial technology venture studio and fund of Union Bank of the Philippines. UBX is predicated on a future where financial services are invisible: seamlessly embedded into the experiences and activities that truly matter to businesses and people. SeekCap is short for “seeking capital” and also a play on the Filipino word sikap, which means diligent, disciplined, and hardworking, a trait that has always characterized successful small business owners.

Visit https://bit.ly/SeekCaplendingmarketplace for more information or please contact support@seekcap.ph.

Unionbank virtually breaks ground for its Innovation Campus in Laguna

Posted on June 8, 2021June 21, 2021 by jane

It won’t be long before a school for creative innovators and developers will rise in San Pedro, Laguna. Recently, Unionbank held a virtual groundbreaking ceremony for its Innovation Campus, a real estate property development that will support its innovation initiatives.

Unionbank began its digital journey 5 years ago. That digitalization proved especially advantageous during this pandemic as consumers and depositors shifted their transactions heavily to online. Unionbank President and CEO, Edwin Bautista, said the Innovation Campus is “a dream come true and a testament to the commitment of Management and the Board to innovation as a major strategic thrust”.

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Meet Starbucks’ summer 2021 offerings – beverages, food, coffee, cards, merchandise

Posted on May 18, 2021May 18, 2021 by jane

This is the second summer that we are all still on lockdown. It may not be that easy to go around but Starbucks has not forgotten us. They have still come up with a cool (pun intended) Starbucks summer line-up. When the heat is on, literally and figuratively, Starbucks has our back. Let’s look at what they have for us.

Beverages

Starbucks is introducing two new iced Teavana beverages – made with premium full-leaf teas. Two fruity blends are paired with Teavana Zen Clouds Oolong tea.

The Sunshine Pineapple Oolong has real golden pineapple chunks, pineapple sauce, and a honey cold foam for a really refreshing drink.

The Sunshine Peach Oolong, on the other hand, has peach juice and white peach jelly chunks and topped with honey cold foam.

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Pulse of Asia study: Filipinos are optimistic about their health but there are still challenges that digital technology can address

Posted on March 16, 2021June 21, 2021 by jane

How do Asians view their health outlook especially in the time of COVID-19? This pandemic definitely affected public health and has changed how people deal with their health concerns. Very apparent in the past year was the turn to technology. Teleconsulting became a necessity for many who, for various reasons, could not physically see their doctors or go to hospitals.

It was in this environment that the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), was commissioned by Prudential Corporation Asia, Pru Life UK’s regional headquarters, to conduct a survey of 5,000 people across 13 countries and territories in Southeast Asia during the second half of 2020.

From top (L-R): Host Dr. Freddie Gomez, National Telehealth Center Director Dr. Raymond Sarmiento, Prudential Corporation Asia Chief Health Officer Andrew Wong, and Pru Life UK Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Marketing Officer Allan Tumbaga share their insights on the Pulse of Asia report.

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