PHILFOODEX

Philippine Food Processors and Exporters Organization, Inc. (Philfoodex), organizer of the annual Philipine Food Expo, recently partnered with Union Bank of the Philippines to help facilitate cashless payments at the 15th Philippine Food Expo which was held last April 28 to 30 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

Participating micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) were able to experience convenient, secure, and seamless transactions with customers via QRPH. This was done with the help of UnionBank's integrated payments gateway UPAY, which brings together a wide selection of payment collection options in one platform, allowing quick and easy cashless payments for customers.

Customers o were able to enjoy cashless payments with ease through various payment channels, as UPAY accepts payments from an expansive list of partner banks, e-wallets, and other e-payment service providers.

"With UPAY, accepting payments from customers is now easier and more convenient for the MSMEs of the 15th Philippine Food Expo. More importantly, this is an important step in their digital transformation, providing numerous long-term benefits to their business," said UnionBank SVP, SME and Micropreneurs Segment head Jaypee Soliman.

SM Supermalls received a Silver Award at the prestigious International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) MAXI Awards 2023 for its multi-mall COVID-19 vaccination efforts under the Marketing Excellence Community category. The award was conferred at the recently concluded awarding ceremony held at the Wynn Las Vegas, Nevada last May 21, 2023.

"Winning another award from the ICSC reaffirms our commitment to creating fun, safe, and convenient malling experiences for our shoppers. This award recognizes the hard work of our government partners, local government units, even the healthcare workers, and of course, the Filipinos who got themselves vaccinated in our malls," said Steven T. Tan, president of SM Supermalls.

Aside from the Silver award, SM China was also one of the finalists for the Community Category for SM Xiamen 1864 Panda Tour Exhibition, and the Experiential Category for SM Chengdu Bamboo Wish.

This is not the first time the company received recognition from the prestigious international group. SM is a three-time Albert Sussman International Community Support awardee and has also earned two Gold and one Silver awards since 2011. Meanwhile, SM China has also received two Gold and six Silver awards since 2016.

ICSC is an association of the global shopping- center industry, with over 70,000 members from more 100 countries worldwide. Its members comprise shopping center owners, retailers, developers, investors, managers, brokers, public officials, and academics. Through the ICSC Global Awards, the organization promotes professional excellence in the shopping center industry, including the MAXI Awards which recognizes innovative events, programs, and technology that add value to the marketplaces industry.

SM Supermalls’ award was accepted by Ms. Liza Silerio, Vice President of the SM Corporate Compliance Group.

In a ceremony held in Barangay Puntod, Cagayan de Oro City on May 26, 2023, Mr. KINOSHITA Akito, Second Secretary of the Embassy of Japan, attended the inauguration led by Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan for the Contract Package 2 of the Flood Risk Management Project for Cagayan de Oro River (FRIMP-CDOR). The project is supported by the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Congressman Rufus B. Rodriguez, Congressman Lordan G. Suan, and Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando "Klarex" A. Uy were present at the event.

In his message during the ceremony, Second Secretary Kinoshita thanked the strong leadership of Sec. Bonoan and reaffirmed Japan's commitment to work closely with the Philippines towards sustainable development and a disaster-resilient society.

Signed on March 7, 2019, between the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Toyo Construction Co. Ltd., Contract Package 2 is one of the project's three (3) contract packages designed to mitigate flooding along the Cagayan de Oro River in Misamis Oriental. This includes the construction of a 2.3 km floodwall with boulevard along the Cagayan de Oro River, and the use of Japanese technology for underground soil improvement using "non-vibratory sand compaction piles method" to minimize building site disruption.

The project's flood control structures will protect the people and economy of Cagayan de Oro City from future floods. In addition, the new dike road will improve the city's road network and help reduce traffic congestion.

At the culminating activity of the National Intellectual Property Month (NIPM), banking trailblazer UnionBank of the Philippines was recently recognized by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) for its support for intellectual property (IP) awareness and protection.

The 2023 Gawad Yamang Isip Awards and Fashion Night, themed "Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity", was held at The Manila Hotel last April 26, 2023. It highlighted the IP protection of Filipino textiles and fabrics through a fashion showcase. UnionBank was presented with a plaque of recognition for its partnership with (IPOPHL) in championing the protection of digital innovation technology intellectual properties.

"One thing we always talk about at the UnionBank Innovation Camp is that, for us, IP patents aren't just legalities or papers on the wall…it represents the creative ideas of our employees and the values that we have established as a bank when we decided not just to digitize, but innovate," said Catherine Anne Bautista-Casas, UnionBank SVP and head of Blockchain and API Business Group, Metaverse Center of Excellence and Government Projects, who accepted the citation for the bank.

The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has joined the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in its nationwide campaign against illegal drugs.

Meralco entered into a memorandum of undertaking (MOU) to formalize its participation in the government's Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan (BIDA) program, which advocates for the reduction of illicit drug supply and demand.

Under the MOU, Meralco pledged to continuously implement a drug-free workplace, conduct regular and random drug testing among its employees, and hold orientations and seminars for employees about narcotics and its physical, social, and psychological effects. Meralco will also help promote the BIDA campaign to raise awareness on the harmful effects of illegal drugs.

BIDA is the six-year anti-illegal drugs advocacy program of the DILG that aims to employ a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach in combating the proliferation of narcotics in the country.

"We, at Meralco, consider our stakeholders as invaluable partners and we are committed to continuously provide a safe and healthy work environment for our employees. That is why we have policies and programs in place that ensure a drug-free workplace," Meralco VP and head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga said.

Security Bank Foundation Inc. (SBFI) successfully turned over three new classroom buildings, equivalent to 14 classrooms, in the cities of Kabankalan, Silay, and Victorias in Negros Occidental.

The donated classrooms consisted of two-story buildings with a four or six classroom configuration and can house up to 50 students per classroom. These buildings were built during the pandemic and turned over to Gov. Emilio Gaston Memorial Elementary School in Silay, Negros Occidental (4 classrooms); Kabankalan National High School in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental (4 classrooms); and the Victorias National High School in Victorias, Negros Occidental (6 classrooms) before the return of face-to-face classes.

"Through our Build a School, Build a Nation: The Classrooms Project program, we continue to uplift the quality of education received by Filipinos by reducing the classroom to student ratio significantly, giving Filipinos a chance of lifting their lives out of poverty and ensuring a better tomorrow," said Rafael Simpao, SBFI chairman.

Since 2023, 113 schools in 65 cities and municipalities nationwide have been prepared for the face-to-face classes. Apart from the donation, SBFI has also committed to regularly conduct maintenance checks and repairs on all its donated school buildings to ensure that it can be used by future generations.

Pueblo de Oro Development Corp. (PDO), the residential development arm of the ICCP Group, turned over e-trikes to beneficiary pedicab drivers in Barangay Babag, in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu under the company's ‘Rent-to-Own an E-Trike" program.

The beneficiaries pay the cost of their e-trikes through interest-free weekly payments for up to eight months. Their average daily income doubled or tripled compared to when using a pedicab.

The Rent-to-Own an E-Trike program is an upscaled version of Pueblo de Oro's Rent-to-Own a Pedicab project and is among the developer's social welfare initiatives aimed at providing livelihood opportunities to its adopted communities in their project sites in Cagayan de Oro, Batangas, Pampanga, and Cebu.

QIAGEN, a leader in sample and assay technologies, announced the renaming of its Philippine-based business services entity from QIAGEN Business Services (Manila), Inc. to QIAGEN Manila.

The renaming event took place on May 22 at the QIAGEN Manila office, Cyber Sigma Building, Taguig City, and marked a significant milestone in QIAGEN's journey towards becoming a unified, global entity.

Since 2017, QIAGEN Manila has been an integral part of the company, providing essential services that support its core business. With over 350 employees representing different nationalities and working across various functions and roles, QIAGEN Manila has consistently proven to be a reliable, highly responsive team that has improved the customer experience both within and outside QIAGEN, propelling the company's growth.

QIAGEN Manila provides services related to supply chain management, customer care and accounting as well as technical services and other sales support activities to QIAGEN's global operations and complements QIAGEN's existing Shared Service Center in Wroclaw, Poland.

Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed) was recently certified as an Acute Stroke Ready Hospital (ASRH) by the Stroke Society of the Philippines (SSP). The certification recognizes hospitals that can provide immediate and time-critical care to stroke patients.

MakatiMed was awarded the highest certification of Tier 3, which is valid for five years from May 1, 2023 to April 30, 2028. As an ASRH-certified hospital, it will receive priority in training and guidance from the SSP committee, and recognition as an institution that delivers quality healthcare to stroke patients. Additionally, MakatiMed is in turn expected to commit to providing immediate and time-critical care to stroke patients by further improving its staff's knowledge and skills.

With this certification, MakatiMed is better equipped to serve its patients in need and to address the growing incidence of stroke in the Philippines. This also demonstrates the hospital's commitment to continuous advancement and ongoing education to enhance its stroke services.