For many of Cebuana Lhuillier’s pawning clients, their jewelry is more than valued accessories. To many, these items were heirloom pieces, fruits of their hard work, or precious investments. During times of need, they also represent a quick solution, an opportunity for a better life, or a fresh restart.
For more than 35 years, Cebuana Lhuillier has known these stories from its clients as they go through its doors during their times of need. More than its high appraisal rates, they comfort its clients with the assistance of well-trained branch personnel and the assurance that its precious pieces are safely and securely taken care of. This eases the burden of parting with the jewelry for the clients, until the time that they come back to claim their pawned items.
Aware that the value of the items in their care goes beyond their weight in gold, Cebuana Lhuillier thought of a way to further give meaning to the Holiday Season for some of its most loyal clients.
Salamat, Ka-Cebuana
As part of its CSR initiatives, the company has made it its annual tradition to give back to those in need during the Holidays. Usually, these gift-giving activities were held every 6th of December in celebration of the Feast of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of pawnbrokers and the inspiration behind the legend of Santa Claus.
This year, Cebuana Lhuillier chose the best recipients—its valued clients, many of whom have stayed with the company for years, entrusting some of their most precious items in their times of need. The event, dubbed “Pasasalamat,” gathered more than 200 clients across eight regional locations nationwide in a simultaneous celebration of thanks and love from Cebuana Lhuillier. The gathering proved to be more than a celebration as attendees were feted to a day of fun and prizes, but the end of the program proved to be the most poignant of all when Cebuana Lhuillier, through its operations team, returned all the pawned items of its attendees as a special surprise.
Jean Henri Lhuillier, President and CEO, shared, “Pasasalamat 2022 is our way of giving thanks to our clients for the trust and partnership we have established in the last 35 years. We’ve known their stories—and were blessed to be with them as they chased their dreams and provided better lives for their loved ones. With “Pasasalamat,” we are returning this trust by gifting them the items they pawned with us. We hope that through this small gesture, Cebuana Lhuillier is able to give further meaning to this season.”
A Season of Joy, Hope, and Giving Thanks
For many of the attendees of the Pasasalamat celebration, the unexpected blessings were more than expressions of gratitude coming from a long-time ally—it brought hope and joy as precious pieces, family heirlooms, and cherished investments found their way back to them.
Pasasalamat gathered more than 200 of its most loyal clients in 8 events happening simultaneously in one day
For Grecilda Torres, a small business owner and client of Cebuana Lhuilier for 26 years, the unexpected return of her pawned items—all rings—brought to tears. “Nakaka-touch isipin na gumawa ng time si Cebuana Lhuillier na ipakita sa amin na importante kami. I am very much grateful and thankful na—yung 26 years naming magkasama, it keeps going lang. My business and the business of Cebuana Lhuillier, magkasama pa din kami. Nagka-doctor na akong anak, pero still, nandito pa din ako with Cebuana. And for that, I am very thankful,” she shares.
Meanwhile, Remigia Mejia, a 79-year-old cancer survivor and loyal client of Cebuana Lhuillier for 30 years, cannot believe that a pendant that her late husband gifted her before they were married has found its way back to her.
She shares, “Hindi ko akalain na babalik yung mga alahas ko since pinag-iipunan ko din na matubos sila. Karamihan sa kanila, matatagal na sa akin, including yung pendant na bigay ng asawa ko and yung singsing ng anak ko which I gave her nung nag-debut siya. As much as possible, ayaw ko silang maremata kasi they are very valuable and sentimental pieces para sa akin. Kaya nagpapasalamat ako sa Cebuana Lhuillier for this event and for the many years na hindi nya din ako pinabayaan. Nagtra-trabaho pa lang ako, kasama ko na ang Cebuana Lhuillier and even till now, kami pa din ang magkasama.”
Ana Marie Mendoza Rapido (center), a public school teacher was overcome with emotion while opening her special surprise gift from Cebuana Lhuillier
For Ana Marie Mendoza Rapido, a teacher from Cavite and a Ka-Cebuana since 2012, Cebuana Lhuillier has been a trusted ally during times of emergencies. Through their jewelry, Ana Marie and her siblings were able to sustain the hospitalization and medication of their mother who has been in and out of hospitals in the last ten years.
“Ang Cebuana po, trusted na namin at lagi naming taga-sagip sa oras ng kagipitan, lalo na nung panahon ng pandemic,” shared Ana Marie who was in tears when she opened the box and saw her pawned item inside.
Grecilda, Remigia, and Ana Marie were just three of the many loyal clients whose continued trust and loyalty to Cebuana Lhuillier proved to be instrumental in the company’s continued reign as the country’s number one pawnshop. With Pasasalamat, the decades-old financial institution was able to express and extend its thanks to the many whose continued patronage remains the reason for its longevity and its continuous desire to serve as an ally and a friend to millions of Filipinos and their journey towards a better future.
After months of grueling preparations, RP Blu Boys begin their quest for World Cup glory as they tackle powerhouse TEAM USA on November 26 at Rosedale Park, Auckland, New Zealand.
The Philippine Men’s National Softball, who qualified for the World via a strong runner-up finish in the Asia Qualifiers, is bracketed in Group A with very strong teams such as Argentina, the USA, Cuba, the Czech Republic, and host, New Zealand.
“Our RP Blu Boys’ confidence is on a high. They have been doing well in practice and in tune-up games and we hope to translate those into good performances in the upcoming games. It will be a tall order but we’re gunning for a win or 2 against the very strong teams in our bracket.”, said ASAPHIL President Jean Henri Lhuillier.”
“Our boys are ready. Preparations have gone well and we are all eager to compete. We don’t want to make any promises except for giving our best every game, every inning and hopefully, we should pull off some upsets.”, said RP Blu Boys Head Coach, Jasper Cabrera.
The WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup is slated on November 26-December 4 in Auckland, New Zealand. Other participating countries comprising Bracket B are equally strong Teams, Japan, Canada, Venezuela, and Denmark.
On the first post-pandemic World Savings Day, more Pinoys recognize the value of saving money. More than two years after the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Filipinos raring for a restart actually improved their mindset towards saving money, according to a recent survey by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
This is a welcome development, considering that 34% of the population lost their source of income during the pandemic years, based on a survey conducted by the United Nations Development Programme. As a result, many have relied entirely on their savings account in order to survive the last two years.
According to the BSP’s Consumer Expectations Survey for the first quarter of 2022, the percentage of households with savings increased marginally to 31.1 percent from 30.2 percent in Q4 of 2021. The majority of the respondents cited the need for emergencies, health and medical expenses, retirement, education, and business capital and investment as reasons to save their money.
A big help in this increase in mindset and enthusiasm is the availability of more options to save money, aside from traditional banking institutions.
Cebuana Lhuillier makes life easier and dreams come true with Micro Savings
One of the most innovative means to save is through Cebuana Lhuillier Micro Savings. Launched in 2019 by Cebuana Lhuillier and its banking arm Cebuana Lhuillier Bank, this product has been at the forefront of bringing easy, accessible, reliable banking to the majority of Filipinos, with close to seven million micro savings account holders today.
Jean Henri Lhuillier, Cebuana Lhuillier CEO
“Cebuana Lhuillier Micro Savings empowered millions of Filipinos to embark on their very own financial journeys by giving them a reliable, accessible, and efficient way to save their money, which they can easily withdraw during times of need. The quick adaptation of our kababayans to micro-savings proved that the healthy mindset towards saving has always been there, as long as they are equipped with the right tools,” says Jean Henri Lhuillier, president and CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier.
Cebuana Lhuillier Micro Savings—which allows customers to open an account in any of over 3,000 Cebuna Lhuillier branches nationwide for as low as only P50—was introduced as a means to address the barriers to saving, including lack of accessibility, high maintaining balance, and the need for numerous documentary requirements to open an account.
With businesses and the rest of the country slowly getting back to normal, Cebuana Lhuillier Micro Savings remained a go-to product for many of our kababayans ready to resume their lives and dreams following two years of uncertainty.
James Tan, 18 years old, a working student from Laguna, easily managed to save with Micro Savings to buy his own bike.
James Tan, an 18-year-old working student from Sta. Rosa, Laguna, saving meant enjoying the added mobility, safety, and convenience of having his own bike, a useful tool for his daily commute between work and school.
“Gusto ko kasi magka-bike kasi sapamasahe pa lang, malakinamatitipid ko papuntasa school at satrabaho. So, young paunti-unti kong pag-iipon sa Cebuana, ginamit ko yun para mabili young pangarap kong bike. Hindi an ako nata-trapik o nale-late sa trabaho ngayon,” he shares.
(“I want to own a bike because I can save so much on fares commuting to school and work. So that’s why I saved with Cebuana enough to buy my own bike. Now I don’t get stuck in traffic and come to work late.”)
As a working student helping to support his family, James decided to continue his savings after buying the bike to also help augment the expenses from home.
Royce Jason Velez, a 36-year-old construction worker who saves using a Cebuana Lhuillier Micro Savings account to provide a better future for his family.
The need to provide a better future for their family is also why Royce Jayson Velez, a 36-year-old construction worker, decided to open a Micro Savings account. Earning an average of P400 per day, Royce and his wife needed to be creative in order to stretch his salary to last until the next payday. His micro savings carried the family during difficult times, and are now being allocated for the schooling of his children.
“Sabi ko sasarili ko, ipagpapatuloy ko ang ipon ko para magamit ng mga anak ko sa pag-aaral at balang araw, magkaroon sila ng magandang trabaho,” Velez shares.
(“I said to myself that I would continue saving so that I can send my children to school for them have good jobs in the future.”)
A former kasambahay, Carie Labro, 38 years old, was able to put up her own sari-sari store using Cebuana Lhuillier Micro Savings.
For Carie Labro, a 38-year-old former housekeeper, her micro savings paved the way for her micro-entrepreneurship. When her kids started asking for more time to spend with her, Carie decided to take a leap of faith and resign from her post as a housekeeper so she could be more present for her growing kids.
With the PHP10,000 she initially saved in her Micro Savings account, Labroopened a small store which she now maintains as her main source of income. Like Velez, she has vigilantly kept up with her micro-savings. She now saves part of her earnings in her account as an emergency fund for her and her kids.
Taking advantage of the renewed interest in saving, Cebuana Lhuillier Bank continues to push for accessibility and convenience for their breakthrough product. The two-time Asian Banking & Finance Award winner for Rural Bank of the Year has adopted an innovative approach by adapting more tech features for micro-savings.
“The success of Cebuana Lhuillier Micro Savings encouraged us to further push the envelope in bringing convenience, accessibility, reliability, and efficient banking to our clients. The change in how people access financial services nowadays served as our push towards digitalization,” said Cebuana Lhuillier Bank President Dennis Valdes.
Aside from Cebuana Lhuillier branches, micro-savings account holders can also withdraw cash anytime, anywhere in over 21,000+ BancNet ATMs nationwide, purchase online thru UnionPay merchants worldwide, enjoy 24/7 unlimited banking access with the eCebuana app, and make cashless payments in over 350,000 UnionPay and BancNet accredited stores nationwide.
Cebuana Lhuillier and Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL) president, Jean Henri Lhuillier commended the phenomenal performance of the men’s national softball team, RP Blu Boys in the recently held 11th Men’s Softball Asia Cup in Japan.
“I would like to congratulate the whole RP Blu Boys team for their exemplary performance in the Asia Cup and we are very proud of them. We know that they have given their best in all of the matches. Thanks to them, we were able to showcase what Filipino softball players can do and that we can go head-to-head with other international players.”
The RP Blu Boys were able to secure a World Cup seat after placing second in the Asia Cup, following their loss against Japan (2-9).
“We are looking forward to the World Cup journey of our softball team in Auckland in November. We will surely continue our support to the team to make sure they are once again well prepared for the tournament,” Lhuillier added.
World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Men’s Softball World Cup will be held in Auckland, New Zealand on Nov. 26 to Dec. 4.
Following the series of matches in the Asian Cup qualifier held in Kochi, Japan, the Philippine softball team RP Blu Boys, supported by Cebuana Lhuillier, is now qualified for the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Men’s Softball World Cup to be held on November 26 to December 4 in Auckland, New Zealand.
Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL) president, RP Blu Boys’ benefactor, and Cebuana Lhuillier president and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier expressed his pride and praised the team for their phenomenal performance.
“I would like to extend my sincerest congratulations to the team for earning a World Cup berth and putting us on the international scene. It’s been a tough journey for our softball players, but it is without a doubt that they have the capacity to compete with other international players and rise above the challenges. We will continue to support them especially as they prepare for the World Cup. This will be a good experience for our players as they test their mettle against world-class teams.”
For RP Blu Boys’ Head Coach Apol Rosales, the fight is far from over and the team will continue to do its best to win the coveted title. “We are happy that we are bearing the Philippines in this journey and we are immensely thankful to Mr. Jean Henri Lhuillier for always believing in the team. We are determined to give our 100% in the upcoming matches and show the world what the Philippine team can do.”
Despite losing to Singapore (5-6) and Japan (0-7) during the Super round, the RP Blu Boys bagged a win against India (8-1) which brought them to a rematch against Japan for the Asian title.
Cebuana Lhuillier and Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL) president, Jean Henri Lhuillier commended the phenomenal performance of the men’s national softball team, RP Blu Boys in the recently held 11th Men’s Softball Asia Cup in Japan.
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