Holcim Philippines partners with Build Change for disaster-resilient construction

Holcim Philippines partners with Build Change for disaster-resilient construction

As part of its commitment to help advance progress in the country, leading building solutions provider Holcim Philippines, Inc. is proud to partner with Build Change Philippines, an organization focused on building disaster-resilient homes in developing nations, to strengthen local structures against natural calamities.

Holcim Philippines Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Zoe Sibala and Build Change Philippines Country Director Arnel Capili sealed the partnership on May 11 to work on disaster-resilient housing projects and advocate this approach among stakeholders. The parties agreed to work together to initially support areas impacted by super Typhoon Odette in 2021.

From right are Build Change Philippines Program Officer Marvin Daryl Riego, Country Director Arnel Capili, Holcim Philippines Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Zoe Sibala, and Vice President for Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility Cara Ramirez during the signing activity of the partnership for disaster-resilient construction on May 11.

The partners will collaborate on possible projects to build or retrofit houses, schools, and evacuation centers for disaster resilience and capacity-building through training and advocacy of policies or financing strategies to key stakeholders. Finally, both organizations are committed to developing a scalable affordable housing program in collaboration with other key stakeholders like microfinance institutions to increase access to affordable, disaster-resilient homes, particularly for the more vulnerable segments of society.

Capili highlighted the importance of making structures more resilient in the Philippines given its vulnerability to natural disasters such as earthquakes and storms since the country is within the Pacific Ring of Fire and the typhoon belt. He added that climate change further heightens these threats as it intensifies extreme weather around the world.

“The advocacy of Build Change is to build resilient houses and provide Filipinos a safe space when these disasters come. This partnership will help make that come true. This will be as solid as Holcim cement, durable as Build Change house, and as lasting as the friendship and camaraderie that we will forge with Holcim Philippines,” he said.

Sibala, meanwhile, noted the relevance of the partnership to the Company’s commitment to building inclusive progress in the country.

“Owning a home remains an elusive dream for many Filipinos. Build Change has been paving the way for increased access to affordable, decent, and resilient homes in the country so we are happy to complement this effort. This partnership also demonstrates that we can deliver business value while addressing social issues and the key to this is a credible partner with a strong track record. Through our innovative and sustainable building solutions, and with the right products for the right applications we look to help Build Change in its mission of building more resilient homes and realize our vision of building greener, smarter, and for all,” she said.

Holcim Philippines Vice President and Head of Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility Cara Ramirez, meanwhile, noted that the partnership strengthens the company’s support for communities to be more disaster resilient having done such projects for survivors of Typhoon Pablo in Compostella Valley and neighbors of its Davao Plant living in flood-prone areas.

“This supports our commitment to building progress in the Philippines by contributing to making homes more resilient against extreme weather and natural disasters caused by climate change Doing so allows us to contribute to sustainable development as the lives and property of our countrymen are better protected,” she added.

Build Change has worked in the Philippines since Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. During this period, it has supported both post-disaster reconstructions and works to prevent housing loss against future disasters. Among its accomplishments is the construction of over 2,000 safer buildings for 40,000 people, training of over 4,700 individuals in safe construction practices, creation of 560 jobs, and expansion of its network of partners in local government, the business sector for greater impact.

About Holcim Philippines

Holcim Philippines, Inc. (Philippine Stock Exchange: HLCM) is one of the leading building solution companies in the country. The Company has a deep portfolio of innovative solutions fostered by a full range of products from structuring to finishing applications that can help local builders execute with high performance and efficiency a wide range of projects from massive infrastructure to simple home repairs.

With cement manufacturing facilities in La Union, Bulacan, Batangas, Misamis Oriental, and Davao, as well as aggregates and dry mix business and technical support facilities for building solutions, Holcim Philippines is a reliable partner for builders in the country.

Holcim Philippines is also committed to the highest standards of sustainable operations and manufacturing excellence with its plants certified under ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management System), ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management System), and OHSAS 45001:2018 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System).

Holcim Philippines is a member of the Holcim Group, the world leader in the building materials industry present in 70 countries with over 70,000 employees.

About Holcim

Holcim builds progress for people and the planet. As a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions, Holcim is enabling greener cities, smarter infrastructure, and improving living standards around the world. With sustainability at the core of its strategy, Holcim is becoming a net-zero company, with its people and communities at the heart of its success. The company is driving circular construction as a world leader in recycling to build more with less. Holcim is the company behind some of the world’s most trusted brands in the building sector including ACC, Aggregate Industries, Ambuja Cement, Disensa, Firestone Building Products, Geocycle, Holcim, Lafarge, and Malarkey Roofing Products. Holcim is 70,000 people around the world who are passionate about building progress for people and the planet through four business segments: Cement, Ready-Mix Concrete, Aggregates, and Solutions & Products.

Learn more about Holcim at www.holcim.com, and by following us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Scan to tip: GCash QR for tipping at Bench Fix Salon

Scan to tip: GCash QR for tipping at Bench Fix Salon

Filipinos working in the personal care service industry were among the severely affected by the numerous lockdowns due to the pandemic.

To support and help personal care services workers bounce back as we move toward the new normal, GCash, the country’s leading mobile wallet has partnered with Bench Fix Salon to roll out tipping via GCash QR Code in all Bench Fix Salon branches nationwide.

Say thanks to your Bench Fix stylist by sending tips via GCash QR code

With this, customers can now show thanks by giving tips to stylists and other workers safely, quickly, and conveniently by simply scanning the GCash QR code at the back of the employees’ company IDs.

“We want to support our personal care services workers, many of whom were affected by the pandemic. As restrictions ease and the economy recovers, we’d like to provide them with innovative solutions such as this to make their lives easier and better every day,” said GCash President and CEO Martha Sazon.

Bryan Lim, VP for Business Development of Bench Fix Salon adds, “Personal care professionals were among those badly affected by the health crisis. We’re happy to have a partner in GCash which has made tipping so much easier for both our employees and customers. With the GCash QR code, our valued customers can now have a contactless way to reward good service.”

Don’t have GCash yet? You can download the GCash App for free on the Google Play Store for Android, the App Store for iPhone and iPad users, or Huawei Gallery. Funding a GCash account is easy and can be done through multiple cash-in kiosks in partner stores like Globe Stores, Ministop, 7-Eleven, Alfamart, and Villarica Pawnshop and supermarkets including Puregold, Robinsons Supermarkets, and SM Markets.

For more information, visit https://www.gcash.com/business.

About GCash

GCash (G-Xchange, Inc.) is the #1 Financial App in the Philippines. Through the GCash App, customers can easily purchase prepaid airtime; pay bills at over 1.3k partner billers; send and receive money anywhere in the Philippines, even to other bank accounts; purchase from over 4.5M partner merchants and social sellers; cash-in and cash-out at over 170k partner agents; and get access to savings, credit, insurance and invest money all at the convenience of their smartphones. GCash is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mynt (Globe Fintech Innovations, Inc.).

GCash was recognized by The Asian Banker (TAB) and by the IDC in 2021 for its outstanding digital financial inclusion programs impacting more than 55 million Filipinos in the country today.

My Boss is Clueless by Angela Lynn Carver

My Boss is Clueless by Angela Lynn Carver

Who doesn’t love a good office romance, right? I started My Boss is Clueless by Angela Lynn Carver on Goodnovel then when I discovered that it is on Amazon, I went ahead and bought the ebook for $4.99! It might sound pricey, but believe me, it is cheaper than reading it on the other app.

Ivan Adams is the CEO of Adams Corp. As usual, he is good-looking and brilliant. Ariel Young is his assistant. Ivan is a difficult boss to work for as he is quite demanding and calls on her any time of the day … but she needs this job so Ariel perseveres.

A funny encounter involving dry cleaning and a just-showered Ivan leads them both down a path neither anticipated but are helpless to resist!

Ariel is losing her mind! But she keeps her sanity when she starts writing a steamy novel on the sly with thoughts of self-publishing later. Meanwhile, there are suspicions of a corporate spy and she has become a suspect.

I love stories that make me laugh and make me eagerly want to turn to the next page. This story does have steamy scenes but most of them are not even between the main characters, but are excerpted in the novel the secretary, Ariel, is secretly writing!

Angela Lynn Carver is one of those authors that write good stories but need help with editing. Get past that and you are sure to enjoy yourself 100%. My Boss is Clueless by Angela Lynn Carver can be found on Amazon and Goodnovel.

The Alpha’s Saviour by Reece Barden

The Alpha’s Saviour by Reece Barden

The Alpha’s Saviour by Reece Barden is so well-written that I just couldn’t put it down! I started reading it at night and finished in the afternoon of the following day. If not for the need to sleep, I would most likely have read it straight and finished before noon.

I started reading this on Goodnovel because the premise intrigued me. I mean … how often do Alphas need to be saved? Anyone who has read a shifter/werewolf romance knows that the Alpha is the strongest werewolf there is and, often, if anyone needs saving, it is the heroine of the story. As an added twist, she is human and knows nothing about the world of shifters and fated mates.

Reading their romance unfold was such a page-turner. Cooper’s hesitation to let people know that Hayley is his mate to protect her caused her to doubt his feelings for her and the status of their relationship.

While stories between werewolves and humans are not unheard of, it is not that common. I found Reece’s take on it interesting and worth pursuing.

If you would like to read this story, you can find it on Goodnovel and on Amazon in Kindle and paperback versions.

Mashed Potatoes recipe

Mashed Potatoes recipe

Here at home, mashed potatoes are probably among the dishes my family enjoys the most. Here at home Wednesday is my assigned day to cook dinner.  I’ve been serving grilled steaks and mashed potatoes and waiting for my family to complain about the repetition but, it hasn’t happened.  As a matter of fact, they keep asking for it. 😁

Thankfully, mashed potatoes are straightforward to make.  I don’t understand why there is even such a thing as instant mashed potatoes because, honestly, preparing it is so simple, that it may as well be instant.  But I guess instant mashed potatoes are really geared more toward people who do not want to have to deal with peeling potatoes.

Over the years I have developed my own technique for making this yummy side dish.  It may not be original (I’m sure someone else is doing it this way) but through experimentation, I’ve found this to be the most efficient way to make it. Traditional recipes will tell you to wash the potatoes, boil them with the skin on, then when they are cooked, you peel the potatoes before mashing them.

That does not work for me.

  1. Hot potatoes are not easy to handle.
  2. If you wait until the potatoes are cool enough to handle and peel easily, it makes them more challenging to mash properly and infuse with flavor.

This is why I like to do things differently. I like to peel and slice the potatoes BEFORE cooking them.

Here is my version of mashed potatoes.  Enjoy! 🙂

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are a good side dish to anything fried or grilled.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Keyword: potatoes
Author: Penny Angeles-Tan

Ingredients

  • 1 kilo potatoes I prefer using the big ones, as it means less potatoes to peel but, really, the size does not affect the taste so use whatever is available.
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup milk If you want the mashed potatoes to be creamier, go ahead and add more!
  • 2 tbsps. salted butter A lot of recipes you will find online will tell you to use unsalted butter. I say, bring on the salt! It just means I have to add less (or not at all) at the final tasting.
  • salt, pepper, and other spices to taste

 

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