by Ferry Bayu | Aug 31, 2023 | Business
Jollibee Group, San Miguel Foods in long-term cooperation to nourish Filipinos with delicious quality food
For 45 years, home-grown Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) strived to only work with reputable suppliers that share the same passion for food quality, food safety, and go beyond these to extend themselves towards driving sustainable operations.
It is no surprise then that San Miguel Foods Incorporated (SMFI) has been a partner to JFC across decades with SMFI supplying fresh, quality poultry products for Jollibee Chickenjoy, and providing other products such as pizza toppings, hams, bacon, butter, cheese and flour for the different restaurant brands of JFC .
As Filipino-owned companies deeply rooted in the value of malasakit or concern for others, both SMFI and JFC work hard every day to nourish and nurture Filipinos by providing food that is fresh, delicious, safe, high in quality, and offer value for money. Both companies are proud in being Filipino-born companies competing in the global arena, being professionally managed, customer-centered, strategic and yet, flexible.
Beyond common values, the longstanding cooperation of JFC and SMFI is attributable to strategically aligned goals further strengthened by mutual respect, transparency of business directions and challenges, and commitment to find solutions to address ever-changing consumer demands.
Sustainability
Both JFC and SMFI’s commitment towards improving its impact towards society and environment has been manifested in each company’s sustainability architecture. For Jollibee Group, it has made significant strides over its 45-year history in various community and energy saving projects, and is now consolidating all its sustainability efforts into “Joy for Tomorrow,” the company’s Global Sustainability Agenda.
The “Joy for Tomorrow” centers on three pillars—food, people, and the planet. This is a more cohesive framework that unites the Jollibee Group community, including employees, business partners, suppliers, vendors, and other stakeholders, toward a set of shared sustainability goals.
On SMFI’s end, its sustainability agenda focuses on four overarching goals which are to establish a circular economy approach by 2040, to achieve Net Zero by 2050, to uplift the lives of at least 15 million people by 2030 and have a fully sustainable and ethical supply chain by 2040.
To achieve these targets, it has implemented key initiatives that help reduce its impact on the environment and improve the quality of life of Filipinos. These include repurposing some by-products from its production as raw materials for feeds, installing rainwater harvest systems in its facilities to conserve water, and tapping renewable energy sources such as solar energy and biomass.
Outlook
As the two companies further extend its collaboration, both remain focused on being customer-centric, from the area of product innovations to market reach expansion.
SMFI lauds JFC for prioritizing listening to its consumers and knowing them well, enabling it to develop the most innovative products that directly meet the customer’s wants and needs. Hence, it sees JFC not only retaining its market leadership in the Philippines but also continuing its successful expansion to other parts of the world.
JFC recognizes the depth and breadth of SMFI’s initiatives to instill high standards of quality in its food offerings and new product development and to deliver these with minimal impact to the planet while maximizing its positive effect to communities. It applauds SMFI for exhibiting characteristics of a world-class food producer and counts on it as one of its top suppliers that helps the Jollibee Group fulfill its mission to serve great tasting food that brings joy to everyone.
by Ferry Bayu | Aug 31, 2023 | Business
Asiamoney affirms RCBC’s digital dominance with 4-Peat win
MANILA, Philippines – For a fourth consecutive year, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) was named once again the Philippines’ Best Bank for Digital Solutions by Asiamoney for 2023, solidifying its position as the undisputed digital banking trailblazer in the country.
RCBC is recognized for its roster of Innovations with Empathy, an array of digital solutions which champions massive digital transformation and supports the financial inclusion efforts of the government, all whilst cultivating a culture of customer service excellence.
“RCBC isn’t just building sustainable, impactful, and inclusive digital finance solutions, it is also working hard to expand digital access for every Filipino by positioning itself as a strong ally of government efforts to increase financial inclusion; catalyzing digital payment transformations; bringing financial services to unbanked and underserved communities; and reinvigorating innovation,” Asiamoney said in a statement.
“Anytime RCBC reports earnings these days, analysts immediately turn to its digital transaction growth. Indeed, its digital focus is a key reason why RCBC is one of the fastest-growing banks in the Philippines,” Asiamoney added.
Asiamoney hailed RCBC as The Best Bank for Digital Solutions in the Philippines for delivering digital financial services based on a contextual banking strategy that aims to understand the Philippine landscape. Through this, RCBC has effectively implemented pioneering, high-impact, human-centric and demand driven digital financial innovations through RCBC Digital, RCBC DiskarTech, RCBC ATMGo and RCBC Moneybela Barangayan Banking, successfully marked with speed and scale.
“We are delighted with the recognition, and it further inspires us to serve more of our countrymen with our innovative digital solutions. And with our intensified use of data science and artificial intelligence, we continue to be committed to make a difference in the lives of our customers,” RCBC President and CEO Eugene S. Acevedo said.
RCBC’s series of wins come from the success of RCBC Moneybela Barangayan Banking, the country’s first physical-digital or phygital blended banking service. Fusing the warmth of physical banking with the ease of digital, RCBC’s banking experience support agents delivered vital financial services to thousands of rural barangays nationwide. Through MoneyBela, RCBC was able to introduce RCBC DiskarTech to low-income, geographically-disadvantaged communities. This was regarded as the world’s first multi-lingual financial inclusion super app in the vernacular catering to the mass market. The Philippines’ mass market is comprised of approximately 98 percent of the socio-economic class in the country. Financial services such as savings, fund transfers, mobile loads, telemedicine, insurance, and loans are made accessible and convenient to the Filipino mass market.
RCBC also launched ATMGo, the country’s first grassroots-based, bank agnostic, and last mile automated teller machine. ATMGo utilizes mobile point-of-sale devices to dispense financial services in remote and disadvantaged communities at village hotspots like the public markets, sari-sari stores, and public transportation hubs. RCBC is the only private universal bank to have the most extensive reach covering all provinces in the Philippines even covering the entire Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, boasting over 1,400 terminals deployed at the end of 2022 and poised to grow to 10,000 units or a projected year-on-year growth of 614%.
ATM Go has been the Philippine government’s trusted digital payment disbursement partner even before and at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues until present for the withdrawals of social welfare benefits for Conditional Cash Transfer household recipients under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the national government. Close to 70% of its transactions are cash withdrawals of Pantawid CCT household beneficiaries done in rural areas. Even conflict-prone communities such as Lake Sebu in South Cotabato are able to enjoy convenient and real-time banking within the comforts of their community.
Through RCBC’s phygital services, it was able to boost bank onboarding in underserved areas by 210%. ATMGo has reached a total of 13,116 barangays or approximately 31% of the 42,000 total barangays nationwide, only six months since the program was launched last November 2022.
“We are incredibly grateful to be recognized once again by Asiamoney for our dedication towards scaling inclusive digital finance, and our determination to make digital banking more accessible and convenient for every Filipino, especially empowering our micro, small and medium enterprises,” said Lito Villanueva, RCBC Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation and Inclusion Officer.
“Prestigious awards such as this validate our constant hard work and efforts in bringing banking to the people. This solidifies our unwavering commitment to providing innovative, socially-sensitive, and tailor-fit digital products and services that are not only cutting-edge, but most importantly, created with our clients’ needs in mind,” Villanueva added.
Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic impacts of the global health crisis, RCBC emerged as one of the fastest growing banks in the Philippines after it leaped from its 8th position in 2018 to 5th position in 2022 in the list of the country’s biggest banks in terms of assets.
RCBC is one of the country’s fastest-growing banks, and the most awarded for its banking innovations. It is now the Philippines’ 5th largest privately-owned universal bank that breached the P1-Trillion asset mark by the end of June 2022 despite the COVID-19 pandemic. RCBC’s continuing digital and business transformation further enhanced its value and reach. With this, RCBC has become the most awarded bank in the Philippines. Among its global and local recognitions include a four-peat award as the Philippines’ Best Bank for Digital by Asiamoney, back-to-back wins for Best Financial Inclusion App by The Asian Banker’s Financial Technology Innovations Awards, and the YouTube challenger award for its viral and out-of-the-box digital ad campaigns generating combined views of over 17 million. Just recently, RCBC was also hailed as Grand Champion for Digital Payments and Financial Inclusion by the Bankers Institute of the Philippines.
Bianca Therese Libinting
bj*********@**bc.com
+63 927 130 5976
by Ferry Bayu | Aug 31, 2023 | Business
Worried about losing or damaging your valuables on your next overseas trip? The KoverNow app has you covered!
Travel is added to popular mobile phone insurance app
A trip overseas can quickly turn from an
opportunity to a disaster, not only due to flight interruptions or medical
needs but if the traveller loses or damages their valuable belongings like a laptop,
camera or watch. To go overseas with peace of mind, travel insurance may not
provide sufficient cover for more valuable items due to its low limits. That´s
why KoverNow now offers a combination of both travel insurance and dedicated
items insurance in just one app.
KoverNow is well known for providing items
insurance to protect against theft, loss and damage. With the addition of the
travel insurance option, customers will not only be covered for incidents such
as flight delays, medical treatment or the loss of their passport, but if they
plan to travel with higher value items, such as luxury watches, jewellery or
designer handbags, they can simply use the item insurance module to purchase
cover. Because of the flexible policy term of 30 days for items cover, customers
do not need to commit to a long-term contract to get their valuables covered
for a single trip.
Purchasing travel and items insurance using
KoverNow is easy. After downloading the app, all the customer needs to do is to
click on the travel tab adding the travelling dates and destination. This takes
less than a minute and can be done just before leaving home.
Adding cover for valuables is also easy. After
the customer has added the valuables to the KoverNow vault, they need only switch
on coverage for the items they want to travel with, accept the quote and it´s
done. After the trip, the customer can either switch coverage for the items off,
or – if coverage is also needed at home because most home insurance policies carry
a cap for high value items – leave it as it is, and coverage will be automatically
renewed every 30 days. At renewal KoverNow checks if the value of the items has
changed. This ensures that the customer is never over- or underinsured.
Another distinctive feature of the KoverNow
app is its integrated Singpass capabilities. Once the customer’s personal
details have been securely ported from Singpass during sign-up, they do not
need to be re-entered, which reinforces data accuracy and enhances convenience.
Underwritten by renowned insurer, QBE
Singapore, the KoverNow travel and items insurance app provides peace of mind
to travellers, whatever their destination. And if they are travelling with
family, these family members can be included in the travel cover easily.
“We always intended to provide a variety of
insurance policy types through the easy-to-use KoverNow app, and this new
addition makes it ideal for travellers,” said Stephan Kaiser, CEO at KoverNow. “They
can even secure cover quickly in the app as they make their way to the airport
without the need for time-consuming paperwork or third parties being involved.
Why take the risk when securing travel insurance is so easy to get?”
Users who download or update the KoverNow app,
can learn more about the available insurance policies.
KoverNow is headquartered in Singapore, centred within its core markets in Asia Pacific. The company’s digitally enabled insurance platform dramatically improves the customer journey for purchasing and managing different types of personal insurance by streamlining processes and speeding up renewals, approvals and claims. The KoverNow platform can achieve these efficiency gains whilst providing transparency, speed and value to existing ecosystems, channel partners and policy holders. KoverNow’s insurance platform provides features and functionality that reflect changing consumer behaviours, such as greater control, flexibility and convenience in a truly mobile format. https://kovernow.com/
Julie Kirby
Ascendant Communications
jk****@*********ms.net or co***@******ow.com
by Ferry Bayu | Aug 31, 2023 | Business
AirAsia Philippines, stakeholders, join hands vs. human trafficking
AirAsia Philippines’ PAA-TALK session – internal talk series shared and highlighted the best practices from BI, NBI, and MIAA in profiling, identifying, and handling possible victims of human trafficking. The World’s Best Low-Cost Airline deemed the topic necessary despite the fact that the Philippines remained as among the top countries recognized by the U.S. State Department for meeting its standard in eliminating human trafficking.
“AirAsia Philippines is one with the government in safeguarding our fellow Filipinos against human trafficking. There will be no room for complacency. To ensure the safety of our guests, we have 20,000 Allstars across ASEAN trained to identify signs of human trafficking during check-in procedures and onboard flights,” AirAsia Philippines Communications and Public Affairs Country Head First Officer Steve Dailisan said.
Data from the Bureau of Immigration revealed that 6,000 Filipinos were suspected to have fallen victim to human trafficking for the first two months of 2023 alone. Of the said figure, only 0.6% were offloaded while the rest continued with their journey ending in other ASEAN countries and the Middle East.
MIAA Assistant General Manager for Security and Emergency Services Manuel Gonzales said international airport terminals, NAIA Terminals 1 and 3 are the usual gateway used by human traffickers victimizing mostly women and children.
For this reason, Airport Police are being trained to implement thorough inspection and surveillance. “We know that handling fraudulent travel documents happens before the victim enters the airport and even inside the terminal. We will intensify our monitoring and policing to save more Filipinos against human trafficking,” he said.
Immigration Spokesperson Dana Sandoval commended AirAsia’s efforts to combat human trafficking,saying the face of human trafficking has changed throughout the years.
Sandoval added that the bureau has also stepped up in its efforts to save human trafficking victims.
“We value our airline partners’ work in screening victims posing as legit travelers. For this reason, we also seek the understanding of travelers, especially those undergoing stringent verification by our Immigration Officials (IO). They should present themselves and allow them to be processed by our IOs,” she said.
National Bureau of Investigation International Airport Investigation Division Acting Chief Jimmy De Leon stressed the important role of airline personnel as the first line of defense against human trafficking. He added that being proactive is the key in saving lives.
“Forty individuals were saved for the month of August alone. Imagine the number of lives we will save if the airlines and the Inter-Agency Task Force will strongly work together,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, AirAsia Philippines showed support for the new travel guidelines, requiring guests to present more travel documents.
“We fully support the government’s intensified drive against human trafficking and understand the wisdom of our partners in its implementation to create a safer travel landscape for all. In fact, we too are strengthening awareness and training measures among our Allstars (employees) as part of our robust efforts to prevent and clampdown on trafficking across air travel,” Dailisan said.
“AirAsia has always been dedicated to enabling safe, seamless, and accessible travel experiences together with our partners in government. As a key airline bridging connectivity across the Philippines, ASEAN, and beyond, AirAsia Philippines remains dedicated to continually engaging all our stakeholders as we collectively work towards improving the travel and tourism industry and serving the best interests of every Filipino”, he added.
Dailisan said “Preventing Human Trafficking” is AirAsia’s third PAA-TALK internal talk series which is also part of the airline’s Corporate Sustainability and Social Responsibility that also addresses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
by Ferry Bayu | Aug 30, 2023 | Business
Elon Musk lifts political ad ban at rebranded Twitter
Elon Musk on Tuesday lifted a ban on political ads put in place at Twitter to thwart misinformation before the billionaire bought the platform now called X.
Welcoming back potentially misleading political messages at X came less than a week after former president Donald Trump posted there for the first time since January 2021.
Trump posted his police mugshot after his arrest in Georgia, signaling his return to a platform that was his favorite bullhorn during his years in the White House.
It was his first post since several days after the insurrection at the US Capitol that saw an enraged mob of his supporters attempt to block Joe Biden’s certification as president.
The then-Twitter permanently suspended Trump after the January 6 riot, ruling he had violated the platform’s policy on glorifying violence as he pressed his false claims that the election was stolen from him.
Musk, who bought the platform last year, reinstated the former president in November 2022, but Trump stayed away, choosing to reach his followers on his own platform, Truth Social, albeit with a much smaller audience.
X said in a blog post that allowing political ads, starting in the United States, was “building on our commitment to free expression.”
X policies prohibit promotion of false or misleading information, including bogus claims intended to undermine confidence in an election, the blog contended.
Trump’s recent mug shot post came with a caption reading “Election interference.”
A judge on Monday set March 4, 2024, for Trump’s election subversion conspiracy trial — placing one of the biggest criminal cases in American history at the height of the next White House race.
X said it is expanding its safety and elections teams to focus on combating manipulation of the platform and will provide an online center where political ads can be reviewed.
Musk slashed staffing after buying Twitter, raising concerns about its ability to moderate content and reliably function.
X said it is updating its Civic Integrity Policy for safeguarding elections to tackle content meant to intimidate or deceive voters while aligning with a Musk’s philosophy of letting people say what they want.
“X shouldn’t determine the truthfulness of disputed information,” the platform said in the blog post.
“Rather, we should empower our users to express their opinions and openly debate during elections, in line with our commitment to protecting freedom of expression.”
by Ferry Bayu | Aug 30, 2023 | Business
Cebu Pacific in talks with Boeing for 737 fleet
MANILA -Budget carrier Cebu Pacific— the Philippines’ largest airline by market share and fleet size—is in talks for the possible acquisition of narrow body airliners from US planemaker Boeing to augment its jet aircraft fleet that has been the exclusive domain of Airbus for the better part of two decades.
More importantly, the Inquirer learned that the Gokongwei family-controlled firm is eyeing to establish an operations hub in the New Manila International Airport currently being built by conglomerate San Miguel Corp. in Bulacan as part of the airline’s expansion plans.
“Following disappointments regarding Airbus’ delays and (jet engine manufacturer) Pratt & Whitney’s (supply chain issue) issues, Cebu Pacific’s executive leadership team met with Boeing in Seattle to explore the B737 fleet,” an airline executive told the Inquirer, referring to the popular 737 aircraft line that competes directly with the A320 line of its European rival.
The high-ranking executives of the Gokongwei family-controlled airline who visited Boeing’s manufacturing facility in Washington were its president Xander Lao, chief executive Michael Szucs, chief financial officer Mark Cezar, chief marketing officer Candice Iyog and vice president for customer service operations Lei Apostol.
On Tuesday, a ranking Cebu Pacific official told the Inquirer that the company plans to take advantage of the upcoming Bulacan airport—whose first phase may be operating by 2026, according to San Miguel —as its next operating hub.
“We are looking at a process for our narrowbody refleeting based on building another large base in Bulacan,” the official said. “So it will be a big enough base for us to operate Airbus from Naia (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) and either Boeing or Airbus for Bulacan depending on who gives us best deal.”
The airline’s shift in stance from being an exclusive operator of Airbus jets (augmented by twin-engined turboprops from French-Italian platemaker ATR) to starting exploratory talks with Boeing marks a significant shift in strategy for the airline that started operations in 1996 with second hand DC-9 aircraft.
Cebu Pacific operated three Boeing 757 narrowbody airliners for its international flights from 2001, but retired them in 2006. Since then, it has operated exclusively Airbus aircraft, saying that it realizes significant savings by using planes made only by one manufacturer.
ompany insiders said, however, that recent frustrations with Airbus and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney — which the airline blamed for flight cancellations and aircraft groundings as a result of these firms’ supply chain issues — made it rethink this strategy.
At a certain point, the cost of being tied to single manufacturers starts to outweigh the savings, one executive explained.
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