by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 5, 2022 | Business
Maxicare, the biggest health maintenance organization, has inked a partnership with Pin-An Holdings and the Gokongwei Group’s JE Holdings to launch Maxilife, the newest member of the Philippines’ dynamic life insurance industry.
According to Insurance Commissioner Atty. Dennis B. Funa, MaxiLife is notable for being the first domestic insurer to be founded as a new domestic life insurance company under Section 194 of the Insurance Code of the Philippines as amended by Republic Act 10607.
The newly-formed company will offer various life insurance products that will complement the existing HMO services of Maxicare.
MaxiLife is a comprehensive life insurance company that will offer new innovations in customer experience, affordability, and availability, as it leverages the technological advantages of the Pin-An Group as well as the ecosystems and leadership experiences of Maxicare and the Gokongwei Group.
According to Maxicare President and CEO Sean Argos, “MaxiLife provides us with an opportunity to reach beyond what traditional HMOs offer and to give Filipinos next-level benefits that they have not seen before. It fulfills our mission of helping Filipinos live their best lives.”
The country’s newest insurance player MaxiLife has a 2 billion peso capitalization, the fourth-highest paid-up capital in the insurance industry this year. This is 100 percent more than the 1 billion pesos requirement for capitalization set by the Insurance Commission for new insurers.
“This new investment in the insurance industry marks a growing confidence in the manner by which the industry has been regulated over the past six years,” said IC Commissioner Funa.
The capitalization is built on the resources of Maxicare, the Gokongwei Group’s JE Holdings, and Pin-An Holdings Corporation — the parent company of Maxicare.
Appointment of New President and CEO
Mr. Jose Pastor Puno will assume the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of MaxiLife. He was formerly the President and CEO of Maxicare, a position he held for ten years.
“This is an opportunity and honor that I cannot pass up: heading a new venture that will revolutionize both the healthcare and insurance industries in the Philippines,” Puno said. He added that combining both MaxiLife and Maxicare will allow them to offer life insurance and HMO coverage within one ecosystem.
MaxiLife aims to offer insurance coverage to the current Maxicare members who are afforded treatment, prevention, and wellness benefits through their HMO agreements with the company. As such, it will be embedded into the Maxicare group plans. This will make it convenient for members since they will only need to deal with one ecosystem and ensures that they are given the best possible care.
“In the traditional health or life insurance model, risk has to materialize first before the consumer becomes entitled to any sum. For us, the value is not in waiting for a health risk to materialize but rather in reducing that risk. No other insurance company right now can claim this,” Puno explained.
Mr. Lance Gokongwei, chairman of JE Holdings and MaxiLife Chairman, expressed that the new venture will have a huge impact on the country.
“We have always been proud of the way our group has revolutionized and transformed industries to make lives better and provide better choices. MaxiLife provides us with an excellent platform to create meaningful breakthroughs in the delivery of healthcare services to Filipinos who wish to invest in their physical well-being.”
Puno mentioned that they will be offering Filipinos competitive pricing to provide them with more access to insurance products.
“Aside from more accessible price points, we will also leverage modern technology so that we can offer better customer experience, given that we will be packaging insurance and HMO together as symbiotic products.”
MaxiLife will be offering Basic Group Life Insurance, Group Critical Illness, and Group Critical Illness Accelerated Life as its initial products.
When asked about his vision for MaxiLife in the immediate future, Puno said, “While Maxicare will continue being the dominant HMO in the country, MaxiLife will certainly soon become a significant player in the life insurance industry.”
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 5, 2022 | Book Reviews
Never Say Werewolf Again by Violet Vaughn was such an enjoyable story to read! From the beginning an important fact is established … Brindle and Katie love each other. They were high school sweethearts. They loved each other so much that they felt that it would last forever.
Brindle is a werewolf. For once, a story about a regular werewolf … not an Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, etc. He discovers that the girl he has loved for a long time is his true mate.
Katie is human and when she discovers that Brindle is a werewolf she was ok with it and even asked him to turn her into one, too, so that they could be together forever. But somehow, after her first shift, she got scared and changed her mind, and ran away.
Brindle finds her again at university a year later because she is in heat. No matter how many men she goes through no one would be able to satiate her except for her mate. While things between them are still unresolved he is still there to help her.
Something to look forward to in this story … not a lot of angst but a good narrative. It is a quick read and entertaining. 🙂 Never Say Werewolf Again by Violet Vaughn is on Amazon and is the first book of the Winter Valley Wolves series. Best of all, it is absolutely FREE! The succeeding books are 2.99 a pop. If you enjoy this one you may end up getting the next books (like I did, lol!)
Enjoy this freebie!
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 4, 2022 | Business
Quality assurance and food safety are at the core of Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines, Inc.’s (PCPPI) operations. The organization recently reinforced its commitment to uphold excellence in line with PCPPI and PepsiCo’s observance of World Quality Month this November.
“Customer satisfaction drives our commitment to excellence at PCPPI. We encourage employees to perform beyond expectations in line with our vision to be the country’s leading beverage company,” said PCCPI president and CEO Frederick D. Ong.
Compliance with stringent safety regulations ensures quality at PCPPI. All facilities received the Safety Seal Certification from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), certifying all plants and offices practice public health standards and occupational safety and health standards set by the government. PCPPI was also recognized for its compliance and enforcement efforts of COVID-19 health standards.
Accreditation and Certification
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is among the various organizations conducting regular audits of PCPPI’s facilities. Aside from ensuring compliance with food safety regulations, the FDA reviews PCPPI’s implementation of Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) and compliance with the provisions of the facilities’ Licenses to Operate.
Currently, six PCPPI plants have retained their Food Safety System Certification (FSSC) V5.1 through a comprehensive audit by reputable testing, inspection, and certification authority SGS in early 2022. PCPPI’s plant in San Fernando, Pampanga also completed the first McDonald’s Social Welfare Accountability (SWA) and Supplier Quality Management System Audit (SQMS).
Quality and Food Safety Training
At PCPPI, development programs are in place to support ongoing learning for employees and business partners. Since 2015, over 1,800 employees and partners have enrolled in Level 1 Capability Building Program courses to broaden their understanding of quality assurance and food safety. Courses include Food Fraud Mitigation, Vulnerability Risk Assessment, and Statistical Process Control.
PCPPI’s pool of PepsiCo-certified site expert trainers has also conducted nearly 5,000 training hours. Certified training leaders have also completed courses focused on improving product quality and productivity.
Fostering Values through Engagement
Among PCPPI’s initiatives to further enhance the company-wide commitment to excellence are regular communication on policy updates, as well as best practice sharing across teams. Employees also undergo refresher courses on managing customer feedback in compliance with national regulations.
The organization’s focus on ensuring product and service quality goes beyond mere process. PCPPI upholds excellence as one of its core values. “Excellence is a shared responsibility. By holding ourselves accountable to our standards, we aim to continuously inspire our employees to remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering the best value to all our stakeholders,” added Ong.
PCPPI is the exclusive manufacturer of PepsiCo beverages in the country. It sells well-known brands such as Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, 7-Up, Mirinda, Mug, Gatorade, Tropicana, Lipton, Milkis, Aquafina, and Premier.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 4, 2022 | Book Reviews
Billionaire’s Fake Fiancée by Tara Brent is supposed to be an age gap romance but as I was reading I did not really feel the age gap. If there is a gap, it does not seem significant. Either that or Kelci is just really mature for her age. I don’t recall it being mentioned but I would probably put her at about 24. Nolan’s age was never mentioned either, only that he was in a relationship years ago and has not been in one since. If I had to guess I would probably place him in his early 30s tops.
Falling in love was not something either Kelci or Nolan planned. Trust does not come easy for Kelci … not after the disaster of her last relationship. For Nolan, it was all about work, work, work. But interest is piqued from the moment the two of them meet. Nolan was very proactive and actively “courted” her but with her mindset, Kelci couldn’t trust his intentions.
As the story progresses Nolan finds himself in a pickle when a business deal he wanted to close required him to be a family man and he got it into his head to ask Kelci to pretend to be his fiancee so that he could close the deal.
To be honest, there was no reason for them to fake anything because it is obvious from the start that their feelings for each other are real. That and the fact that when they are behind closed doors they can’t seem to keep their hands off each other, lol!
Billionaire’s Fake Fiancée by Tara Brent is an easy story to read. There isn’t a lot of drama and there is a lot of love. You can find it on Amazon for 3.99 but if you have KU then it’s free!
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 3, 2022 | Awards and Competitions
Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines, Inc. (PCPPI) wins at APEA 2022. The photo shows PCPPI president and chief executive officer Frederick D. Ong proudly showing the company’s Corporate Excellence Award and his Master Entrepreneur Award from the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards 2022. The annual recognition program honors the region’s best in business performance towards sustainable growth.
Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines, Inc. (PCPPI), the exclusive manufacturer of PepsiCo beverages in the country, was presented the Corporate Excellence Award at the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards (APEA) 2022 for achieving operational and entrepreneurial excellence. Held last October 20, 2022, in Penang, Malaysia, the APEA ceremony also honored PCPPI President and Chief Executive Officer Frederick D. Ong with the Master Entrepreneur Award. This honor highlights industry trailblazers whose strong entrepreneurial characters inspire up-and-coming leaders.
Since joining PCPPI in 2020, Ong has led the organization in embracing digitization and organizational transformation. He was instrumental in driving the renewal of PCPPI’s go-to-market strategy and the strengthening of its distribution network and the expansion of PCPPI’s product portfolio.
PCPPI has also demonstrated its resilience and agility in the face of adversity. Even at the height of the global pandemic, PCPPI remained true to its sustainability commitment with a clear focus on developing talent, ensuring profitability, and being responsible stewards of the environment. The organization continued to drive operational efficiencies while ensuring employee well-being. PCPPI also supports health and safety initiatives in the local communities where it operates.
Ong attributed PCPPI’s success to the organization’s initiatives to uphold the ICARE (Integrity and Innovation, Care and Respect, and Excellence and Empowerment) values in how it conducts business and the manner in which employees interact and collaborate.
“Despite recent challenges, PCPPI‘s commitment to our values and our vision remains strong,” said Ong. “We extend our appreciation to the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards for recognizing our contributions to the country’s sustainable growth. These awards motivate us at PCPPI to continue driving business growth without compromising our commitments to our stakeholders,” he added.
APEA is a regional recognition program spearheaded by the non-government organization Enterprise Asia. The annual awards honor organizations and leaders that demonstrate remarkable performance and leadership while remaining true to their social responsibilities.
Aside from the most recent accolades from APEA, Ong was recently named among the Top 50 Rising Tigers in the Asia Pacific by the Asia Leaders Awards. PCPPI has also received the 2022 Golden Globe Tigers Awards for Best Change Management Initiative (for Project SWIFT) and Excellence in the Production of Learning Content (for the GREAT Playbook, PCPPI’s guide to the new normal).
PCPPI is the exclusive manufacturer of well-known beverage brands in the Philippines: Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, 7-Up, Mirinda, Mug, Gatorade, Tropicana, Lipton, Sting, Premier, Milkis, and Aquafina.
Quality assurance and food safety are at the core of Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines, Inc.’s (PCPPI) operations. The organization recently reinforced its commitment to uphold excellence in line with PCPPI and PepsiCo’s observance of World Quality Month this November.
Billionaire’s Fake Fiancée by Tara Brent is supposed to be an age gap romance but as I was reading I did not really feel the age gap. If there is a gap, it does not seem significant. Either that or Kelci is just really mature for her age. I don’t recall it being mentioned but I would probably put her at about 24. Nolan’s age was never mentioned either, only that he was in a relationship years ago and has not been in one since. If I had to guess I would probably place him in his early 30s tops.
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