by Penny Angeles-Tan | May 28, 2020 | Business
Are you obsessed with TikTok? Have you been following all the viral hashtags and trends on social media? If you answered “yes” to these questions, then you may be just what Shopee is looking for!
In this role, you get the chance to create and produce engaging social media content from beginning to end. The best part? Not only will you get paid to do something you really enjoy doing, but you’ll also proudly represent the brand as one of the Faces of Shopee on TikTok!
Shopee wants bold and imaginative people to join their creative think tank. If you love being on camera and have the confidence to back it up, then this job is for you!
Interested candidates can paste a link of their most creative 30-second TikTok video on the comments section of the Shopee Career page. The clip should include why the candidates are the best person for this exciting role. Head over to Shopee Careers for more details.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | May 27, 2020 | Business
Celebrating life continues during lockdown – this optimistic proposition is what helped this cake business thrive in the tough COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the quarantine, people went on to celebrate special occasions with family, becoming an accidental opportunity for Cardinal Cakes, the offshoot of an events catering company known as Cardinal Cuisine.
“Our business provides catering services for birthdays, weddings, baptisms, and other parties. But with the abrupt ban on mass gatherings, we had to pivot to survive. Truly, necessity is the mother of innovation. We came up with a line of cakes and marketed them to friends and family via social media,” said Eric Bandola, co-owner of Cardinal Cakes.
Prior to ECQ, Cardinal Cuisine made cakes as ordered, and only as part of their catering events. But in the early stage of the lockdown, the big cake companies were closed, creating a void. Cardinal Cuisine was quick to take on this sudden opportunity, quickly mobilizing production and accepting orders for delivery. And that’s when Cardinal Cakes began.
After gaining traction on social media, Cardinal Cakes saw sales jump, and it continues to serve up whole cakes for delivery across Metro Manila. “Last Mother’s Day, we turned over more than 60 cakes for delivery,” shared Bandola. “Around 90% of our customers are from Metro Manila, but we also have regular patrons from the Southern Tagalog Region,” Bandola said.
Made with joy and passion, Cardinal Cakes bestsellers: Dark Chocolate Cake, Naked Red Velvet Cake, Walnut Carrot Cake, and Caramel Cake
Currently, Cardinal Cakes has four regular offerings – the moist and decadent Dark Chocolate Cake; the sublimely luxurious Naked Red Velvet Cake; the satisfyingly delightful Walnut Carrot Cake; and the light and fluffy Caramel Cake – with prices ranging from Php 450 to Php 1,000. The freshly baked cakes are sold immediately, thus turnover is quick, with rarely any inventory staying too long on the cake display. It’s best to order at least 12 hours in advance to make for enough lead time.
Bandola explained that all their cakes are ordered as gifts to celebrate life and rightly so because the cakes are baked with joy and passion. “We make our cakes like how mom makes them: full of love, sprinkled with joy, and carefully baked with tenderness. Good teams make good cakes, and our highly engaged and passionate team bake each cake as a product of that passion, and the desire to be part of our clients’ momentous occasions,” he said.
With a clear path towards business progression, Cardinal Cakes has plans for expansion and digital integration to deliver both happiness and excitement to more households across the country. “We love how our cakes are part of our customers’ celebrations. Celebrations are happy occasions and no lockdown can keep us from celebrating life with our families and loved ones,” Bandola said.
For more information, visit facebook.com/CardinalCuisine. To order, you may contact 0905-420-4030 or 8821-0057. You can also reach Cardinal Cakes via Facebook Messenger at m.me/CardinalCuisine.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | May 17, 2020 | Business
The times have changed and the new normal calls for more than your average clean as experts say it will take longer before the world completely heals from the effect of COVID19. As the country prepares to ease up after the almost three months of Enhance Community Quarantine, Hotel Sogo steps up for its version of the hotel industry’s ‘new normal’.
Hotel Sogo is doing various ways to ensure the safety and security of its guests and employees against the spread of Covid19 virus, once they go back to regular operations. Top on its list will be the use of ultraviolet (UV) lights in disinfecting around its facilities and intensified the process from checking-in to ordering food to make sure their facilities as So Clean. The ultraviolet (UV) lights are highly effective at disinfection, as its rays are capable of killing bacteria, germs, and viruses.
To prepare its employees in servicing its guests, Hotel Sogo makes sure to protect its employees from the virus by giving them vitamins to boost their immunity and provided personalized PPEs. Hotel Sogo employees have their medical check-ups and Covid19 testing to make sure that their personnel is free from the virus to make sure that the employees and not just the facilities are So Good and ready for their regular operations.
Guests need not worry during their stay Hotel Sogo ensures that operations and preparations are So Safe, as mandatory temperature checks, passage through disinfecting tent, and use of disinfecting foot tray are in place. The availability of hand sanitizers in common areas is strictly observed, as well as social distancing from the receiving process to elevator use going to their rooms. Facilities are also redesigned and modified to protect the guests and employees, like placing the glass panel divider on top of the front desk.
All of this information can be found in Hotel Sogo’s ‘new normal’ video playbook. The video is shared with relevant government agencies like the Department of Health (DOH), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and the Department of Tourism (DOT), in the hope that the video could serve as a benchmark of other similar establishments prior to their reopening.
Watch Hotel Sogo’s ‘new normal’ playbook video below to know more.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Mar 23, 2020 | Business
Sheila Lobien
Sheila Lobien, founder and CEO of Lobien Realty Group (LRG), was presented with the Woman Super Achiever award by the World Women Leadership Congress (WWLC) during the 7th WWLC awards held at Taj Lands End Band Stand, Bandra (West), Mumbai, India last February 17, 2020.
WWLC is a worldwide organization that seeks to promote and encourage the empowerment of women. The WWLC honors the strategic and influential role of various women leaders in the development of the modern economy, technology, and administrative methodologies that promotes the advancement of government and business organizations to global competitiveness standards. The WWLC hosts its annual Women Leadership Awards to identify and celebrate the outstanding body of work and achievements of women leaders that are reflected by the distinct innovations and initiatives they bring to the public and private sectors. By highlighting the triumphs and successes of these women, the WWLC hopes to inspire, encourage, and urge young women to aspire for and, eventually, assume leadership positions in society.
The Women Leadership Award recognizes and appreciates the profound role played by women as leaders, executioners, and decision-makers, in shaping the future of regions and nations, and who embody the qualities of leadership in displaying active, creative, and integrative efforts in getting the best possible results towards achieving national and regional development.
Sheila Lobien is tremendously honored to have won The WWLC Woman Super Achiever Award and is extremely proud to receive an award that has been won by great Filipina women business leaders including Florencia Tarriela, Chairperson, PNB, Chaye Cabal-Revilla, PLDT SVP & Group Controller, Smart Chief Financial Officer, Rayla Melchor Santos, CEO, Pro-active Resources Inc., Co-Founder, I AM S.A.M. Foundation, and Educator Environmentalist, Bing Sibal-Limjoco, President, PCCI, and Sherill Quintana, President Director, Philippine Franchise Association, President, Oryspa.
Women’s empowerment in the Philippines has long been an advocacy of Sheila Lobien. She is currently the chairperson of the Women in Business Committee of the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP). Having received a prestigious WWLC Woman Super Achiever Award in recognition of her accomplishments has definitely encouraged Lobien to work harder in advancing the status of women and developing them to become remarkable leaders.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Mar 23, 2020 | Business
The Asset Magazine and Alpha Southeast Asia, two of the leading finance publications in Asia, have recognized the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) as one of the most sustainable financial institutions in the region that champions market and environment sustainability through its banking activities.
In the Asset ESG Corporate Awards 2019 of the Asset Magazine, BPI was given an award for being the Highly Commended Bank in Environmental Responsibility, citing BPI’s Sustainable Energy Finance (SEF) Program, now called Sustainable Development Finance (SDF), which helps finance green projects for the private sector.
For its part, the Marquee Awards of Alpha Southeast Asia Deal & Solution Awards measured BPI’s contributions to its clients and markets that made 2019 a standout year for the Bank, making it the Best Sustainable Finance House in the country.
Jo Ann Eala, Head of BPI Sustainable Development Finance, said BPI’s programs have integrated sustainability in its clients’ business models for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and climate resilience projects, harnessing its experience as the pioneer and one of the leading banks in sustainability in the Philippines since 2008.
Jo Ann Eala, Head of BPI Sustainable Development Finance
“We are happy that our sustainable banking efforts have been recognized by industry leaders and influencers. What makes the BPI SEF Program sustainable is our clear business model and mantra to ‘turn business green to gold.’ By ensuring that sustainability projects of clients comply with IFC standards to achieve energy, water, and materials savings, as well as lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, our clients are able to achieve overall project success and profitability,” said Ms. Eala.
In partnership with IFC of the World Bank Group, BPI introduced sustainable energy and climate finance in the Philippines in 2008. The bank has continued to lead in both the number of projects funded and portfolio size, with 333 sustainable energy projects funded and loans reaching over Php 133 Billion as of June 2019.
BPI has recognized the fact that shifting to sustainable business practices may be perceived as costly for SMEs. It has therefore provided technical consultations and advisory services free of charge to SMEs who cannot afford to set up their own engineering teams.
“It is not enough to comply with laws and corporate social responsibility targets. It is imperative that sustainability projects actually make money. In short, it is not enough that the project is green, it needs to yield gold. It needs to be successful and profitable to be sustainable,” Eala said.
As a result of these efforts, BPI’s program has been showcased in several Green Finance, Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and other Responsible Finance conferences in the Philippines and abroad. BPI belongs to the Ayala Group of Companies who has adopted sustainability in the conduct of its business—a commitment that started in the 1980s and has continued to the present.
BPI’s new Sustainable Development Finance (SDF) program expands the bank’s green finance initiatives and bolsters the bank’s commitment to enable sustainable businesses in the country and contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). With SDF, BPI has consolidated its financing activities beyond renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate resilience and included sustainable agriculture, in response to the increasing need to adopt more efficient and climate-ready food production processes that will help the country achieve lower cost of food production as well as food security.
About BPI
The 168-year-old Bank of the Philippine Islands is the first bank in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. We are a universal bank with an expanded banking license. We provide diverse financial services that include deposits, cash management, asset management, securities brokerage, foreign exchange, and capital markets investments, bancassurance, corporate lending, leasing, and investment banking. BPI has the significant financial strength, with strong Tier 1 capital adequacy ratios and profitability, underpinned by a strong risk management regime. BPI is rated investment-grade by international credit rating agencies.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Mar 11, 2020 | Business
AXA Philippines, one of the leading insurance providers in the Philippines, provides more accessible and convenient healthcare services for its health customers through a partnership with MyPocketDoctor (MPD), the country’s first telemedicine application.
MPD offers 24/7 consultation with a doctor via phone that may be accessed anywhere. It can also help a person save time as prescriptions may be issued via email and medicine delivery nationwide may be arranged. AXA health insurance customers may now avail of this service for free.
In the photo are (L-R) AXA Philippines segment director for protection and health Grace Mallabo and chief of retail propositions Alok Rungta, MyPocketDoctor chief executive officer Mads Kjaer Larsen, and AXA Philippines chief customer officer Amor Balagtas.
Are you obsessed with TikTok? Have you been following all the viral hashtags and trends on social media? If you answered “yes” to these questions, then you may be just what Shopee is looking for!
Shopee wants bold and imaginative people to join their creative think tank. If you love being on camera and have the confidence to back it up, then this job is for you!
The times have changed and the new normal calls for more than your average clean as experts say it will take longer before the world completely heals from the effect of COVID19. As the country prepares to ease up after the almost three months of Enhance Community Quarantine, Hotel Sogo steps up for its version of the hotel industry’s ‘new normal’.
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