Responsible investing is a strategy and practice of incorporating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors in one’s investment decisions. It can yield better results in the long run, not just for the investor, but also for the community at large. One of the companies that believe this is AXA, a leading global insurance brand. In recent years, the insurance company has developed a philosophy of ‘responsible investing is also good investing’ as part of its efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The benefits of responsible investing were covered in “From All into All Clean,” a recent webinar organized by AXA in partnership with the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP). The webinar featured the Chief Investment Officers of AXA’s global asset managers, AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) and Architas, who shared their experience in transitioning to a responsible investment approach and the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors they consider in their manager and fund selection process.
Chris Iggo, Chief Investment Officer of AXA IM, said: “We want to invest in companies and in all kinds of different assets that not only deliver a good financial return but also, through their operations, are beneficial to society and to the environment. To us, responsible investing is also good investing. It’s not an additional service but at the core of what we do.”
Responsible investing is part of AXA’s global sustainability strategy that is built around climate action and inclusive protection. AXA assesses the impact of its sustainability strategy in three key areas: as an insurer, as an organization, and as an investor.
As an investor, AXA has committed to reaching €25 billion of assets in green investments by 2023 and to decrease the carbon footprint of its general account assets by 20% by 2025. Its asset managers practice an exclusions-based approach, where certain companies or sectors cannot be held in portfolios, and integrate ESG considerations in their investment processes. AXA has also developed a proprietary ESG research and scoring methodology, which has been applied to over 9,000 partner companies in its database.
“For us, ESG is a criterion that we believe enhances returns,” explained Jaime Arguelles, Architas’ Chief Investment Officer. “We believe that it is essential for us managers to have this integration right now to influence good behavior, and work towards climate change and other criteria of ESG areas.”
Webinar 2
“From All into All Clean: How your investments can support sustainable development and climate action” is the second of a three-part webinar series that will run until October. Through the webinars, AXA and the ECCP hope to provide an informative responsible investment platform where local investors can equip themselves with the knowledge needed to become more responsible in their investment decisions and for fund managers to effectively guide them through the whole process.
Webinar 3
The third webinar, “The Road to Net Zero: A look inside China’s quest to champion climate action” will be held on October 25 at 4 pm. For the full schedule and to register for the responsible investing webinars, visit the ECCP website at https://www.eccp.com. More information can also be found on the AXA Philippines Facebook page or by visiting the AXA Philippines website at https://bit.ly/AXAECCP_Oct.
The on-going global pandemic did not stop Filinvest City from making the Christmas season more joyous and meaningful as it recently held its “Be the Light” virtual event, making the community still feel the wonderful holiday vibe even in the comforts of their own homes.
Kicking off the celebration by paying tribute to frontliners and modern-day heroes, Filinvest City’s Be the Light show highlights the true meaning of Christmas — giving thanks, sparking hope, and continuing to inspire possibilities as we all look back at the last few months of community quarantines and unprecedented changes.
Don Ubaldo, Filinvest City vice president for townships
“The year 2020 has made us focus on what is important—the people who matter to us and those who make a difference in the community,” noted Don Ubaldo, Filinvest City vice president for townships. “That is why, this year, we dedicate our Christmas celebration to the people in the frontlines. They are the people who made this celebration possible. With this gathering, we want to inspire everyone that all of us can be the light this Christmas season.”
Filinvest City further encouraged the community to be the light and always look at the brighter side as it hosted a Christmas video-making online contest dedicated to community frontliners. People from the community, who want to showcase their talents in video-making, storytelling, and production, joined the contest and shared stories of inspiring workers in Filinvest City.
Contest winners
During the event hosted by Sam YG, contest winners were announced … Angela Pangilinan, a Muntinlupa resident and professional digital marketer, won the top prize with her video which told the story of the determined, long-time security guard, Arnel Pastor. Her entry was also dubbed the People’s Choice Award for having the greatest number of shares on Facebook. Pangilinan took home a total of ₱25,000 in cash.
Meanwhile, finalist Justine Sarmiento, an HR Manager from Sucat, received ₱15,000 in cash with the inspiring quarantine story of John Christian Bantug, housekeeping personnel in a condo in Filinvest City. Lastly, receiving ₱10,000, Precious Joy Matorre, a frontliner herself from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), dedicated her entry to Queency Reyes, a medical technologist in RITM. The frontliners featured in the winning entries also received a ₱5,000 worth of Noche Buena package from Filinvest City.
Musical performances
The show also featured musical performances from some of the country’s biggest OPM bands. Fans were able to sing along from their own homes as Silent Sanctuary, Gracenote, and Sandwich performed Christmas songs and some of their respective hits including “Ikaw Lamang,” “It’s Okay to Not be Okay,” and “Betamax.”
Filinvest City is known to be the go-to Christmas destination in the metro south and it continues to light up the garden city this year amid the pandemic. Viewers of the show were able to catch glimpses of the holiday decorations all over the township, including the dazzling lights and the 30-foot Christmas tree at the Spectrum Linear Park. And in light of honoring today’s heroes for their courage and sacrifice to serve and protect the community, Filinvest City unveiled its official tribute video to frontliners featuring the song “Kaleidoscope World” by Francis Magalona.
Through the Be the Light virtual event, Filinvest City aims to not only spread even more joy and inspiration this season, but also to initiate a movement that will leave a significant impact on the community as the world navigates through these trying times.
The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) is bringing its one-stop-shop via a multi-product virtual event called BPI Lifestyle: A Virtual Experience slated on November 20 and 21, which caters to all its clients from Southern Metro Manila.
The event will feature BPI’s product partners from Auto and Housing Loan, Credit Card, and Personal Loans, Business Banking Loans BPI M/S, and BPI-Philam, with special offers and discounts. There will also be a series of webinars with the topics on owning your dream home, responsible borrowing, the next normal for MSMEs, sustainable fitness, and more.
The Zoom event will allow clients to speak with a BPI representative during the webinars. There are also one-on-one private conversations via breakout rooms where clients can ask for advice regarding loans and other services. To ensure the safety and protection of both clients and employees in this pandemic, all applications and transactions will be done digitally.
Some of the promo and special offerings include credit card deals, such as:
conversion of credit card line to cash for a rate of up to 0.59% for 36 months,
waived fees for three years for preferred clients, and
waived AMF (annual minimum spend conditions apply) for personal cards.
BPI Loans
BPI clients may also apply for a BPI Personal Loan and get a rate for as low as 0.98% for 36 months; as for auto loans, they may avail of the Step-up Pay Plan, which guarantees the lowest monthly amortization on the client’s first years in the loan, plus event-exclusive low rates and discounts.
For the Housing Loan, there will be a 5.88% fixed rate for the first one to three years and a 6.88% fixed for the first four to five years. For Business Banking Loan, there will be a waived process fee amounting to Php3,500.00.
BPI Insurance
For BPI MS Insurance, they will offer exclusive rates for all private vehicles* during the event; fire Insurance from Home Care Advantage, Condo Care Advantage, to Business Care Advantage; Family Personal Accident Insurance for only Php 999; and Hospital Confinement Income Protect (HCIP).
Clients may also avail of free Covid-19 Insurance Coverage amounting to Php 200,000 (for Breakout room or live conversations with a BSE) care of BPI-Philam.
MANILA, Philippines — Last October 2-4, 2020, Filipino developers, engineers, technologists, designers, scientists, coders, storytellers, makers, builders, innovators, and entrepreneurs from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao came together to address real-world problems on Earth and space by engaging with the United States space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) free and open data, together with partner agencies like Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) of France, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the European Space Agency (ESA) in a virtual hackathon. Some of the projects developed include road hazard detection, data visualization tools, and machine learning for satellite image monitoring, and a lot more.
This year’s edition of NASA’s International Space Apps Challenge was held online due to the coronavirus pandemic situation worldwide. The theme of this year “Take Action” — is a critical reminder that anyone can make a difference, even from the comfort and safety of home. In this unprecedented time, the Space Apps community exists as a reminder that there the tools and talents to tackle challenges facing the planet, as well as the ability to unite across boundaries and borders of all kinds.
VP Leni Robredo
Vice President Leni Robredo lauded this event as “our ability to gather ourselves, organize, and come together has opened the doors to technology and progress. We have done great things, cure diseases, find ways to connect with each another across the oceans, and even walked on the Moon… all thanks to mutual cooperation.”
The first Director-General of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) Dr. Joel Joseph S. Marciano Jr. stressed the importance of space science in helping society.
Dr. Joel Joseph S. Marciano, Jr., the Director-General of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA)
“Space infrastructure, space data, and space-enabled services, therefore, help inform policies and decision-support systems that can lead us to better plan and decongest our cities, improve our transportation systems, monitor the state of infrastructure, enable better connectivity, enhance our agricultural and fisheries production, and protect our natural environment,” he said.
Since the start of Space Apps in the Philippines in 2016, the country witnessed how the community grew from a group of volunteers to forging partnerships with collaborators and stakeholders. For many years, Filipinos collaborate and work with one another in developing projects to solve problems using space technologies.
NASA and partner agencies recognized the hard work done by Filipinos, and thus being recognized and awarded globally as winners and finalists consecutively in the past three years. Software developer Michael Lance M. Domagas is optimistic that in these momentous and trying times, the country would still choose to prioritize and give value to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), especially in emerging fields like space science where innovators can contribute and solve the most pressing problems prevailing in the society and environment today.
Technology and developer community leaders and STAMINA4Space engineers as mentors helping participants during the hackathon
Michael Lance Domagas
“How could someone imagine that Earth-observation data coming from space could give us valuable and unique insights about the socio-economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic in various countries, and to pinpoint possible mosquito habitats which cause another epidemic called dengue?
Why can’t we support our own modern-day heroes specializing in new and emerging technologies to address issues and help others in our country? NASA and partner agencies from other countries have already recognized the ingenuity of Filipinos for the past three years. Now is the proper time for our own country to recognize their achievements too,” Michael Lance said.
Together with technology and developer community leader Tzar C. Umang from Pangasinan and U.S. cultural affairs officer Matt T. Keener, Michael Lance looks forward to having more Filipino winners and finalists being recognized, and to a more meaningful and impactful Space Apps challenge in the future years to come.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary for competitiveness and innovation Dr. Rafaelita “Fita” M. Aldaba, Analytics Association of the Philippines (AAP) president Colin Christie, former Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) undersecretary and University of the Philippines System Information Technology Foundation president Monchito B. Ibrahim, assistant professor and assistant chairman for administration, Department of Geodetic Engineering at the University of the Philippines and Sustained Support for Local Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement (STAMINA4Space) GRASPED project staff Dr. Czar Jakiri S. Sarmiento, part-time lecturer and technopreneurship/program manager at the Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) Nitro Erwin A. Lizarondo, senior consultant for data analytics for social impact at CirroLytix, Data Ethics PH, and COVID-19 challenge winner for the best use of data Nick Tobia, and Africa University chair educational technologies and United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Space4Women mentor Ms. Basuti Gerty Bolo from Zimbabwe served as local judges in Manila.
“The Global Organizing Team is inspired by the journey the Philippines has with the Space Apps program. In particular, we appreciate the development of STEM in the Philippines and elsewhere, because one goal of Space Apps is to foster interest and learning in these fields worldwide,” said Matt Scott, the Global Community Director and Storyteller.
Now in its 9th year, Space Apps is an international hackathon for coders, scientists, designers, storytellers, makers, builders, technologists, and others around the world, where teams engage with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s free and open data to address real-world problems on Earth and in space. Space Apps 2019 included over 29,000 participants in 71 countries.
As of September, more than 1,700 COVID-19 cases were reported in the Bicol region, according to the Department of Health–Center for Health and Development (DOH–CHD) Bicol Regional Director Dr. Ernie D. Vera. The lack of proper equipment and facilities has affected the province’s efforts to control the spread of the virus.
With that, Lopez-led Energy Development Corporation (EDC) refocused its COVID-19 resiliency efforts in its host communities in Bicol to initiatives that will enhance local mass testing capabilities. Through a partnership with the DOH–CHD Bicol, EDC donated P4.2 million to fund the expansion and refurbishment of the health center’s building and COVID-19 testing laboratory, which is one of only two in the Bicol region accredited by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
The partnership between EDC and DOH–CHD Bicol was formalized with a virtual signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Agreement and Deed of Donation between DOH–CHD Bicol led by Dr. Vera, Assistant Regional Director Ferchito Avelino, Chief of the Management Support Division Norberto Balane Jr., and Cluster Head for Infectious and Communicable Disease Dr. Jannish Alcala Arellano; and EDC led by Senior Vice President and OIC of Facilities, Operations and Maintenance Group Engr. Liberato S. Virata, Assistant Vice President and Corporate Support Functions Head Regina Victoria J. Pascua, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Public Relations Head Atty. Allan V. Barcena, Bacon–Manito (BacMan) Geothermal Facility Head Engr. Marcel Rosario, and BacMan CSR Head Eduardo Jimenez.
“EDC puts a great premium on community development and resiliency. I have seen what we can accomplish by working hand in hand with the local government and I look forward to the beginning of a more dynamic partnership with DOH and other key agencies in ensuring that the people are healthy and safe,” said Virata.
“We believe this partnership will be the best practice for us in government. We are the first regional agency that partnered with a private organization, a power company. It is an honor for us to have EDC as a partner,” said Dr. Vera.
The expansion and refurbishment of the DOH laboratories will ramp up the region’s testing capabilities and help them gather the necessary information to find ways to further flatten the curve and manage the pandemic in the area.
EDC operates the 140MW BacMan Geothermal Project that supplies clean and reliable power to the Luzon grid. It is a global pioneer in the geothermal energy industry and the country’s largest vertically integrated geothermal developer, supplying 1,457.8MW of clean and renewable energy to the Philippines.
Great food and great company are two of life’s simplest pleasures. So mark your calendars and get ready to feast on scrumptious food as The Manila Hotel’s famed Café Ilang-Ilang participates in Manila Restaurant Week happening from September 20 to 27, 2020.
Cafe Ilang-Ilang chefs led by Executive Chef Konrad Walter (left) preparing the dishes showcased at the Manila Restaurant Week launch held in Roma Salon at The Manila Hotel
Indulge in a choice of starters like the savory Spinach-Ricotta Ravioli in light Parmesan Cream Sauce or Pomelo-Prawns Lumpia in Calamansi Honey Dressing; a main course of sumptuous Beef Tenderloin in Balsamic glaze with marble potato and market vegetables or Pampano cooked in Tandoori Oven with Peas Pilaf rice and stir-fried Asian vegetables; and dessert of Fresh Fruits Salad with Ube ice cream or Mango panna cotta as dessert. The starter-main-dessert set is offered at only P980 net per person, but cannot be availed of in conjunction with other promos or discounts.
Manila Restaurant Week is an event under the “Manila, Support Local” Campaign, launched by the Bureau of Permits and City Government of Manila. The city-wide project aims to promote local food establishments in Manila that have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. About 80 restaurants will be offering prix fixe menus at affordable prices during Manila Restaurant Week.
Launched on September 15, The Manila Hotel played one of the hosts of the multi-venue simultaneous kick-off, which was livestreamed on social media platforms. The other hosts were Bayleaf Hotel, Lucky China Town Mall, and Robinsons Place Ermita. The virtual launch was marked by an online performance of Lea Salonga who sang her new single, “Dream Again,” the official theme song of the campaign.
Atty. Joey Lina, The Manila Hotel President
“I believe we can do a lot in restoring the City of Manila back to its former glory under the leadership of Mayor Isko Moreno. We in the private sectors will always support you in this very worthwhile undertaking. Soon, Manila will be great again,” said Atty. Joey Lina, The Manila Hotel President, in his opening remarks during the launch.
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuña gave their respective speeches before checking the 11 restaurants that showcased their dishes at The Manila Hotel’s Roma Salon—namely Café Ilang-Ilang, Century Park Hotel, Scorched, Golden Fortune, Luneta Park Hotel, Ilustrado, Tanabe, Jus & Jerrys, Patio de Conchita, Pares Kimchi, and Harbor View—and visiting the other venues, which was watched by thousands via livestream.
The Manila Hotel and all its outlets operate in strict compliance with health protocols, so our guests are assured of the highest standards of food safety and sanitation measures in accordance with the government guidelines.
For more information, you may check us out on Facebook or Instagram (@TheManilaHotel), or call 85270011 or 09989501912. For reservations, email re***@th************.com.
“EDC puts a great premium on community development and resiliency. I have seen what we can accomplish by working hand in hand with the local government and I look forward to the beginning of a more dynamic partnership with DOH and other key agencies in ensuring that the people are healthy and safe,” said Virata.
“We believe this partnership will be the best practice for us in government. We are the first regional agency that partnered with a private organization, a power company. It is an honor for us to have EDC as a partner,” said Dr. Vera.
Launched on September 15, The Manila Hotel played one of the hosts of the multi-venue simultaneous kick-off, which was livestreamed on social media platforms. The other hosts were Bayleaf Hotel, Lucky China Town Mall, and Robinsons Place Ermita. The virtual launch was marked by an online performance of Lea Salonga who sang her new single, “Dream Again,” the official theme song of the campaign.
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