From Setback to Second Chance: Cebuana Lhuillier Authorized Agent Turns Adversity into Opportunity
Naprey Almario (right), one of Cebuana Lhuillier’s top-performing Authorized Agents in Mindanao, turned a pandemic setback into a thriving business, bringing financial services closer to his community.
Across the Philippines, more than 30,000 Cebuana Lhuillier Authorized Agents are strengthening local communities by transforming neighborhood businesses into trusted financial hubs that provide convenient access to essential financial services. Through remittances, bills payment, bank transfers, insurance, e-load, and other financial services, these community-based businesses are meeting everyday financial needs while unlocking new revenue streams.
“Our Authorized Agents show how entrepreneurship can make a real difference in people’s lives,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, President and CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier. “When local businesses grow, they create opportunities for their communities and help bring essential financial services closer to more Filipinos.”
One of the many Filipinos whose livelihood was transformed is Naprey Almario, a teacher, business owner, and advocate for persons with disabilities (PWDs) from Davao City. When the pandemic forced his travel agency to suspend operations, he suddenly lost his primary source of livelihood and began searching for a new way to support his family.
“During the pandemic, travel was restricted, so my main source of income completely stopped,” Naprey recalled. “I had to pivot and find ways to survive. That’s when I decided to become a Cebuana Lhuillier Authorized Agent.”
Instead of simply recovering financially, Naprey built his business around what his community needed most.
“I noticed there was only one bill payment center in our area,” he said. “When you start a business, you should first look at what your community needs. That’s the service you should provide.”
Starting with bills payment, Naprey steadily expanded his offerings as Cebuana Lhuillier entrusted him with more products and services. Today, his outlet provides domestic and international remittances, insurance, e-load, and other everyday financial solutions, making it a trusted one-stop financial hub for the community.
As his business continued to grow, he was recognized as one of the top PeraLink Retail Agents in Mindanao in terms of sales and transactions. His inspiring journey also made him a finalist in Cebuana Lhuillier’s Happiest Pinoy 2025, the company’s flagship search that honors Filipinos whose stories exemplify resilience, purpose, and compassion.
For Naprey, the partnership meant more than business growth. “When I applied for Happiest Pinoy, I shared how becoming a Cebuana Lhuillier Authorized Agent saved me during the pandemic,” he said. “While travel was on hold, it became my source of income. It literally saved me. It wasn’t just about the financial aspect. Even my mental health improved. From being stuck at home with nothing to do, I had something to focus on again. It helped me move forward.”
For Philippe Andre Lhuillier, Senior Executive Vice President of Cebuana Lhuillier, Naprey’s story highlights the strength of the company’s Authorized Agent network. “We are committed to helping our partners grow by continuously expanding our ecosystem of financial services and providing reliable support. Their success reflects the strength of a partnership built for long-term growth.”
Today, Naprey continues to grow Almario Ticketing Office and Laundry Shop while also balancing his roles as a teacher, entrepreneur, and an advocate. Through his journey, he hopes to inspire fellow entrepreneurs to build businesses around the needs of their communities, showing that even a modest investment can create sustainable opportunities while making essential financial services more accessible to all.
Miranalla Farm to Host Hands-On Earthbag Building Workshop in Bohol This November
Miranalla Farm will host a hands-on Earthbag Building Workshop in Guindulman, Bohol, from November 23–29, 2026, led by architect and natural builder Rebecca Whan of Auwa Earth.
preview
What if one of the most useful materials for building was already beneath our feet?
That question is at the heart of Miranalla Farm’s upcoming Earthbag Building Workshop, a seven-day hands-on natural building program taking place from November 23–29, 2026, at the working permaculture farm in Guindulman, Bohol.
Discover how earth offers a natural, durable, and beautiful way to build.
Discover how earth offers a natural, durable, and beautiful way to build.
Earthbag building is a construction method in which sturdy woven bags are filled with damp local subsoil, stacked in courses, tamped until solid, and secured between layers with barbed wire. The completed walls are then protected with natural earth or lime plaster.
The method is relatively simple, but its relationship with the land is what makes it especially relevant to Miranalla Farm.
As a working permaculture farm, Miranalla is built around observing natural systems, using resources thoughtfully, and finding ways for people, food production, structures, and the surrounding environment to work together. Hosting an earthbag workshop extends those same principles from growing and caring for the land into the way spaces can be built upon it.
Much of an earthbag wall can be made using subsoil sourced directly from the building site, reducing the amount of material that needs to be transported in. Its thick earthen walls provide thermal mass, while the construction process itself uses simple tools and repeatable techniques that allow many hands to participate in building.
The workshop therefore goes beyond demonstrating an alternative construction technique. It gives participants an opportunity to explore a larger question central to permaculture: how can we build in a way that responds to the resources, climate, and conditions already present in a place?
Leading the program is Rebecca Whan, an Australian architect, natural-building educator, and founder and principal of Auwa Earth. Whan’s work spans earth building, eco-design, and sustainable construction, with training in bio-architecture, bamboo construction, agroforestry, and specialized earth construction.
Over seven days, participants will follow the process from soil to wall, beginning with soil testing and earth-mix preparation before moving into foundation and circular layout, earthbag filling, laying and tamping, door and window construction, natural plastering and finishing, and principles of sustainable building.
Get hands-on with natural building at Miranalla Farm’s earthbag workshop.
Get hands-on with natural building at Miranalla Farm’s earthbag workshop.
The hands-on format is intentional. Instead of only discussing natural building, participants will experience how earth is prepared, shaped, compacted, protected, and ultimately transformed into a built structure.
For Miranalla Farm, bringing the workshop to a working permaculture setting creates an opportunity to connect how we cultivate land with how we inhabit it—treating buildings not as something separate from their environment, but as another part of how people live and work within a landscape.
The Earthbag Building Workshop will be held at Miranalla Farm in Guindulman, Bohol, from November 23–29, 2026. Participation is limited, with 10 slots remaining.
About Miranalla Farm
Miranalla Farm is a working permaculture farm in Guindulman, Bohol that creates space for hands-on learning, regenerative practices, and a closer relationship with the land. Through workshops and immersive experiences, the farm brings together agriculture, sustainability, intentional living, and practical skills that encourage people to engage more directly with the environments they inhabit.
Korea and ASEAN Forge Cultural Cooperation Through ‘Cultural IP’ at 2026 Manila Forum
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea (MCST), in collaboration with the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE), will host the 2026 ASEAN-Korea Innovative Culture Forum on November 7 at the Ayala Museum in Manila, bringing together 11 ASEAN Member States and Korea to explore the future of cultural IP and multilateral cooperation. The forum, themed “On Human Creative Sovereignty: Shaping the Future of Imagination and Cultural IP,” features a keynote address from Chang-seop Kim, General Director of Nexon Korea’s MapleStory Division, followed by four thematic sessions. A concurrent contemporary art exhibition runs at the same venue from November 7–13, and an ASEAN-Korea Working Group for Innovative Culture convenes November 8 at the New World Makati Hotel.
Korea and ASEAN Forge Sustainable Cultural Cooperation Through ‘Cultural IP’
• 2026 ASEAN-Korea Innovative Culture Forum to convene on November 7 in Manila, Philippines, bringing together 11 ASEAN Member States and the Republic of Korea
• Concurrent contemporary art exhibition and working group meeting to explore the expansion of cultural IP and multilateral cooperation frameworks
MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea (MCST; Minister Choe Hwi-young), in collaboration with the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE; President Chang-sik Park), will host the “2026 ASEAN-Korea Innovative Culture Forum” on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at the Ayala Museum in Makati City, Metro Manila. The forum is organized as a flagship initiative under the ‘ASEAN-Korea Partnership Project for Innovative Culture (PIC).’
In conjunction with the forum, a contemporary art exhibition will run at the same venue from Saturday, November 7 to Friday, November 13, 2026. Furthermore, on Sunday, November 8, the ‘ASEAN-Korea Working Group for Innovative Culture’ will convene at the New World Makati Hotel to advance institutional cooperation.
■ Charting the Future of Cultural IP Rooted in Human Imagination
The forum on November 7 focuses on the central theme: “On Human Creative Sovereignty: Shaping the Future of Imagination and Cultural IP,” examining critical challenges and emerging opportunities surrounding cultural intellectual property (IP). Experts, policymakers, industry leaders, and youth innovators from Korea and 11 ASEAN countries will gather to engage in comprehensive discussions spanning regulatory environments, commercial case studies, multilateral partnerships, and future-generation perspectives.
Following the opening ceremony and keynote address, the forum will proceed with four dedicated thematic sessions:
• Keynote Address: Chang-seop Kim, General Director of Nexon Korea’s MapleStory Division, will deliver the keynote presentation, sharing insights and practical perspectives on creative world-building and the strategic expansion of digital IP.
• Session 1 (Policy): Focusing on policy frameworks and institutional measures for building a sustainable cultural IP ecosystem. Moderated by Jonathan Tan, Head of the Culture and Information Division at the ASEAN Secretariat, the panel features Ari Juliano Gema (IP attorney, Indonesia), Josephine Rima-Santiago (former Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, IPOPHL), and Dr. Ji Hoon Yang (Associate Research Fellow, Korea Culture & Tourism Institute) to share national policy experiences and strategic directions.
• Session 2 (Industry): Examining real-world cases where cultural ideas evolve into scalable content and industrial value. Moderated by Panu Aree, Content Director from Thailand, the session convenes Le Quoc Vinh (Chairman of Le Group, Vietnam), Yeo Lay Kuan (Founder of Ochre Pictures, Singapore), and Peter Yap (Filmmaker and Executive Director, Myanmar) to discuss frontline creative industry experiences and cross-border IP scalability.
• Session 3 (Cooperation): Exploring multilateral Korea-ASEAN collaboration models that transcend individual national experiences through cultural IP. Moderated by Tara Gujadhur, Co-founder of the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC) in Laos, the panel features Zainol Haqim (Group CEO of MyCreative Ventures, Malaysia), Dirce Mendes (Representative of the Traditional Weaving Association, Timor-Leste), and Prof. Young Kyung Ko (Research Professor, Yonsei University) to discuss the valorization of cultural resources and sustainable cooperation pathways.
• Session 4 (Youth): Featuring acclaimed Philippine actor and rapper Elijah Canlas alongside a joint ASEAN-Korea youth delegation comprising innovators from Korea, Brunei, Indonesia, and Cambodia. Mr. Canlas will share his perspective and journey as a rising creative professional developing IP within the content industry, while the youth delegation will present actionable ideas on the responsible stewardship of cultural IP and regional collaboration developed through prior mentorship.
■ Expanding Dialogue Through Contemporary Art and Institutional Partnerships
Running alongside the forum, the contemporary art exhibition “Gathering Point” will welcome visitors from November 7 to 13 at the Ayala Museum. Translating the forum’s core inquiry into visual artistic expressions, the exhibition demonstrates how everyday ideas and indigenous cultural narratives evolve into fresh creative value. Eight prominent artists from six nations—Mark Justiniani (Philippines), Leslie de Chavez (Philippines), Christina Quisumbing Ramilo (Philippines), Ari Bayuaji (Indonesia), Adam Phong (Malaysia), Latthapon Korkiatarkul (Thailand), Imhathai Suwatthanasilp (Thailand), and Kim Joon (Republic of Korea)—present diverse contemporary interpretations of “Gathering.”
On the day following the forum, November 8 (Sunday), the ‘ASEAN-Korea Working Group for Innovative Culture’ will assemble representatives from 13 leading cultural and creative institutions across Korea and 11 ASEAN nations at the New World Makati Hotel. Launched as an inaugural institutional consultative body this year, the working group will map organizational priorities and cooperation demands, outlining key multilateral agenda items for 2027 and developing a long-term network platform connecting cultural institutions across the region.
About Island Resort Club Tour Services, Inc.
Established in the Philippines in 2002, Island Resort Club Tour Services, Inc. (IRC) is a premier MICE and destination management specialist with a proven track record in orchestrating high-level, bilateral governmental and corporate events adhering to rigorous state-level protocol standards. Notably, IRC spearheaded local operational management for the Korea-Philippines Business Forum, held on the occasion of the South Korean President’s state visit to the Philippines to commemorate the 77th anniversary of diplomatic relations. IRC is a fully accredited travel agency licensed in the Philippines, South Korea, and Cuba, and is officially designated by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Korea to process Korean electronic visas (e-visas). Through its flagship platform, “Join Enjoy,” IRC continues to lead bilateral cultural exchange, tourism, and business connectivity between the Philippines and South Korea.
This press release has also been published on VRITIMES.
PAL Invites Filipinos to Experience “Full Fun” in Singapore
What if the best part of your next getaway is saying yes to something you didn’t have to plan? Taking a detour, trying an unfamiliar activity, or discovering a place that wasn’t on your original itinerary? In Singapore, there’s always a reason to go for it.
Inspired by the Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) global campaign platform, “We Don’t Wait for Fun,” and its localized expression, “SG Sige G!,” Philippine Airlines (PAL) is inviting Filipino travelers to embrace spontaneity and discover the many ways to experience full fun in Singapore.
Because whether you’re traveling with the family or exploring on your own, the next memorable experience might be the one you didn’t see coming.
With up to 20% OFF flights to Singapore with PAL, available for booking from October 26 to November 1, 2026, there’s even more reason to turn that spontaneous travel idea into an actual getaway.
Don’t Wait for Someone to Say Go
Sometimes, all it takes is one yes to turn an ordinary day into an adventure.
For families, that might mean stepping into new worlds at Mandai’s Exploria, where the mysteries of our planet come to life. Or it could mean letting the kids take the lead at KidZania, where they can explore different roles through interactive experiences. These are the kinds of stops that turn a family itinerary into something more than a series of planned activities.
For independent travelers, saying yes might look a little different. It could mean taking a scenic walk across Henderson Waves, trying the high-speed racing experience at Hyperdrive, or taking in a different view of the city with Skyslides by Klook. Each offers a reason to step outside the usual routine and try something new.
And when the day winds down, there’s still room for one more discovery. A nightcap at Native Bar offers a chance to explore Singapore’s cocktail scene through its distinctive approach to local ingredients and flavors.
Different travel styles, different kinds of fun — but the same spirit of saying yes to what comes next.
The Best Experiences Don’t Always Follow a Plan
A great getaway isn’t always about sticking to the itinerary. Sometimes, it’s about leaving room for the unexpected: choosing the activity that catches your attention, exploring a new part of the city, or deciding that the day isn’t quite over yet.
That’s the spirit behind “SG Sige G!” — an invitation to go beyond simply thinking about what you could do and start experiencing it for yourself.
For families, it might be saying yes to one more attraction or letting the kids choose the next stop. For independent travelers, it might mean taking the longer route, trying a new activity, or discovering a new bar that becomes the highlight of the evening.
Singapore makes room for both. Its mix of attractions, outdoor experiences, dining destinations, and unexpected discoveries all within close proximity gives travelers the freedom to make the trip their own.
One Destination, Countless Ways to Say Yes
The beauty of Singapore is that fun doesn’t have to look the same for everyone. A family can spend the day discovering attractions together, while an independent traveler can build an itinerary around outdoor adventures, new experiences, and personal discoveries. Both can find something that makes the trip memorable.
This is what it means to experience full fun in Singapore: not simply seeing more places, but finding more opportunities to do what excites you, try something different, and make the most of every moment.
Through their partnership, PAL and STB encourage Filipino travelers to embrace the destination’s many possibilities through “We Don’t Wait for Fun” and “SG Sige G!” — a shared invitation to explore, discover, and say yes to the next adventure.
Let the Journey Begin with PAL
With “Experience Full Fun in Singapore,” PAL brings the campaign promise closer to Filipino travelers, connecting them to a destination filled with experiences worth saying yes to. Its full-service journey, complemented by comfortable seats, inflight services, and signature Filipino hospitality, helps make getting to Singapore part of the overall travel experience. Specific amenities and services depend on the selected flight.
So don’t wait for the perfect itinerary or the perfect moment to explore. Whether your next adventure takes you to a family attraction, a scenic trail, a thrilling activity, or a new favorite spot, say yes to experiencing more of Singapore with PAL.
Get up to 20% OFF flights to Singapore when you book from October 26 to November 1, 2026, for travel from November 1, 2026 onwards.
Book your next Singapore getaway with Philippine Airlines at philippineairlines.com.
About Backpack Solutions, Inc.
UNA by Backpack Solutions is a Philippine-based content studio and “un_agency” specializing in storytelling, creative strategy, and brand execution.
This press release has also been published on VRITIMES
You must be logged in to post a comment.