Elite Filipino athletes headline PRURide PH 2019 Criterium

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Last year’s PRURide PH champions Jan Paul Morales and Jermyn Prado once again
dominated and defended their crown in PRURide PH 2019 Criterium held on April 7, Sunday at
Filinvest, Alabang. Hundreds of cyclists participated in the action-packed races categorized by
bicycle types such as fixed gear, mountain bike, and road bike

After the adrenaline-pumping course where participants raced in a number of 1-2km laps, 43
cyclists won grand prizes up to PhP 50,000.

Morales and Prado snagged gold medals in this year’s Criterium Road Bike (RB) Open Male
and Female categories. Prado topped returning athletes Avegail Rombaon and Marella
Salamat of Corratec who came in second and third in RB Open Female, while Morales easily
outperformed his teammates Ronald Oranza and George Oconer.

Returning athlete Ismael Grospe of Go for Gold ruled the first wave of RB -25 and below
followed by Daniel Ven of Navy-Standard Insurance and Jonel Carcueva of Go for Gold.
PRURide PH 2019 ambassadors Gretchen Ho, Kim Atienza, and Zoren Legaspi also took
the challenge of the Criterium races. Legaspi tested his speed at the road bike age group
category together with Atienza, a triathlon enthusiast but a first-timer in competitive Criterium.
Ho, on the other hand, joined the road bike open female category, also her first-ever bike
racing experience.

“We are proud of the success of our first run this year. This leg sets the tone of the whole
festival and shows what cyclists from across Asia can experience in PRURide PH 2019,” said Pru
Life UK Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Marketing Officer Allan Tumbaga.
Criterium is just the first of PRURide PH 2019’s two legs and will be followed by the PRUride
UCI 2.2 Stage Race at the Subic Freeport Zone from May 24 to 26. Here, 20 continental
teams from across the globe—including Uzbekistan, Brunei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia,
South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Ethiopia, and of course the Philippines—can collect UCI points
and earn their tickets to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan.

Meanwhile, aspiring racers can also join the PRURide Masters Race to experience the thrill
professionals go through. Enthusiasts can cycle with the ambassadors in the non-competitive
PRURide Gran Fondo in 30-, 60-, and 100-kilometer options. Both events will be held on May
26.

The Virtual Ride is also set to reach the finals in Subic, wherein 10 qualifiers with the best time
in the preliminaries will compete for a carbon fiber road bike worth P150,000. Hopefuls can still
join the remaining preliminary rounds at Harbor Point in Subic on April 26-28 and May 17-19.
The whole family and barkada can likewise enjoy fun activities for free, such as Zumba
sessions, an inflatable playground, massage and health check stations, face paint booths, and
special performances from Callalily with Gracenote as front act.
Join the fun and register at pruride.ph!

About Pru Life UK

Established in 1996, Pru Life UK is the country's pioneer of insuravest or investment-linked life insurance products, and is one of the first life insurance companies approved to market US dollar-denominated investment-linked life insurance policies in the country. Since its establishment, Pru Life UK has expandedits reach to over 130 branches in the Philippines, with the biggest life agency force of more than 20,000 licensed agents, and has emerged as one of the top five life insurers. Pru Life UK holds headquarters in Uptown Bonifacio, Taguig City.

Pru Life UK is a subsidiary of British financial services giant Prudential plc. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, Prudential plc has an extensive network of life insurance and mutual funds operations around the world covering Europe, the United States (US), Africa, and 14 markets in Asia. Its regional office, Prudential Corporation Asia, is based in Hong Kong. Prudential plc has over 26 million customers worldwide and manages £657 billion of assets as of 31 December 2018.

Pru Life UK and Prudential plc are not affiliated with Prudential Financial, Inc. (a US-registered company), Philippine Prudential Life Insurance Company, Prudentialife Plans, Inc. or Prudential Guarantee and Assurance, Inc. (all Philippine-registered companies). Pru Life UK is a life insurance company and is not engaged in the business of selling pre-need plans.

For more information: www.prulifeuk.com.ph

Fun Follows Function: Introducing the all-new Converge Freedom

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Now you can choose how you want to enjoy your favorite shows with Converge FREEDOM, Converge ICT Solution’s newest offering. The company intends to revolutionize the way you watch and access content. Powered by their pure fiber internet, Converge FREEDOM is a streaming service designed to access your content at your own pace and convenience.

“We’re very excited to launch Converge FREEDOM today as we give our valued subscribers the full power over what they watch, when they watch it, and where they watch it,” says Jesus Romero, Converge ICT Chief Operating Officer. “This is the first of the many new offerings we’re introducing this year and we’re starting off with what Filipinos enjoy the most: access to entertainment. You will no longer be limited to watching your favorite programs on your TV. With Converge FREEDOM, you can watch anytime, anywhere in your home with its on-demand functionalities.”

Enjoy maximized convenience with Converge FREEDOM. You can access it from your smartphone and tablet via the FREEDOM app, available for download on App Store and Google Play. Or enjoy it on your TV via the Set-Top Box (STB) which you can purchase with your Converge FREEDOM Subscription plan.

Entertainment at your own pace, at your own place

Converge FREEDOM gives you access to premium channels perfect for whatever passion or interest you may have.

Whether it is movie, music, sports, food, news, or events, you won’t have to worry about missing out on your favorite show. Converge FREEDOM comes with four main features that allow you to enjoy content as you please: Time shift, Playback, Multiview, and Movability.

With Converge FREEDOM’s Time Shift functionality, you can pause, rewind, or fast-forward your content for up to four hours. You’ll never have to wonder what happened on your favorite show too because you can watch previous episodes up to seven days before via Playback.

For subscribers with family members with different interests, Converge FREEDOM’s Multiview feature lets you watch shows simultaneously through different devices. For those without a Set-Top Box, Converge FREEDOM can still be enjoyed in your devices via the FREEDOM app. This allows you to access content wherever you may be within your house.

As a leading provider of fiber internet in the country, Converge FREEDOM runs on pure end-to-end fiber internet. It has a minimal bandwidth consumption of 2 to 2.5Mbps for Smartphones and Tablets and 4.5Mbps for TV Set-Top Box for high-definition content

Get it for as low as P299 monthly

To start enjoying your own Converge FREEDOM, existing Converge subscribers and businesses may visit https://freedom.convergeict.com/ to subscribe. Non-Converge customers can access Converge FREEDOM by switching to Converge fiber internet first.

As a treat, Converge ICT is giving its existing subscribers a FREEDOM App 30-day trial period from March 29, 2019 to April 30, 2019.

Converge Freedom Plans are initially available in these areas: Metro Manila (Navotas, Parañaque, Quezon City, Taguig Pateros, Valenzuela, Marikina, Caloocan, Muntinlupa) and North Luzon (Angeles, Mabalacat, Tarlac).

Converge FREEDOM can be enjoyed by Converge FiberX subscribers with Plans 1500, 2500, and 3500; Converge Fiber Xtreme subscribers with Plans 4500 and 7000; Converge Microbiz subscribers with Plans 2000 and 3000; and Converge iBiz subscribers with Plans 9000, 12000, and 15000.

“We hope to upgrade our subscribers’ entertainment experience by maximizing convenience while providing premium content. We’re planning to extend this service to everyone in the country as Converge continues to revolutionize the way Filipinos experience internet and access content,” adds Romero.

Now with Converge FREEDOM, you can enjoy what you want, when you want, where you want.

For more information on Converge FREEDOM, visit freedom.convergeict.com.

Young culinary talents shine anew in Jolly University Year 5 Grand Cook-Off finale

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Immense culinary prowess and kitchen showmanship by the most promising campus bets in the country shone the brightest at the successful finale of Jolly University (JU) Year 5 Grand Cook Off held at the St. Scholastica’s College in Manila last March 15.

The culinary competition among the top 20 elite finalists focused on elevating one’s culinary passion and recreating everyday dishes with this year’s theme “Innovate. Create. Share.” JU Year 5 is aimed at testing the kitchen skills and creativity of challengers in coming up with their best dish creations under the modern Filipino and fusion categories. The Grand Cook-Off attracted hundreds of culinary and HRM college students from campuses all over the metro and nearby locations.

The top 20 finalists are: Richmond Suntay (University of Sto.Tomas), Jericho Pareja (Lyceum of the Philippines University-Manila), Jenald Pascual (NCBA Fairview), Phoebe Punzalan (CEU-Makati), Zire Oliver Romero (Lyceum of the Philippines University-Manila), Andrea Marie Saclao (Lyceum of the Philippines-Manila), John Phillip Brocoy (Emilio Aguinaldo College), Moeko Shinshi (San Juan de Dios Educational Foundation Inc. College), Jesch Bodano (Far Eastern University-Manila), Tyrone Lemuel Ty (University of Sto. Tomas), Rafael Imalay (NCBA Fairview), Camille Dizon (Metropolitan Medical Center College of Arts, Sciences, & Technology), Ma. Trixia Joyce Sevilla (St. Scholastica’s College-Manila), Patricia Ong (Chiang Kai Shek College), Dustin Ryan Agoncillo (Metropolitan Medical Center College of Arts, Sciences, & Technology), Ria Daniel Arugay (San Sebastian College Recoletos), Daryanne Chanel Yongco (University of Sto. Tomas), Eduard Vargas (Earist), Pauline Galang (Manila Tytana Colleges) and Janzel Dayag (St. Joseph College Quezon City).

This year’s sole grand champion took home fifty thousand pesos (P50,000) worth of cash and prizes.

“A successful program takes time to build. While we envisioned JU’s success, we are still overwhelmed by how it sparked the flames of curiosity, creativity, and the cooking abilities of so many students in the past five years. JU indeed has grown to become a long-running program that is greatly supported by the academic communities as well as partners from various industries. By doing so, everyone took part in making the program thrive dynamically throughout the years,” Lucio Cochanco, Jr., President of Fly Ace Corporation, commented.

“We are really excited for Year 5 of Jolly University. It’s great to see a new batch of talented and very promising campus culinary talents going all out as they presented to us their innovative modern renditions of Filipino classics and fusion recipes,” said Abigail Ng-Reyes, AVP for Marketing of Fly Ace Corporation.

As to how the JU program is different from other culinary competitions hosted by food brands or organizations, Ramon Daez, General Manager of Fly Ace Corporation, said that “Jolly University has grown to become a prestigious campus-wide cooking competition that’s deeply committed in harnessing young students’ talents in cooking, pushing their creative boundaries as they come up with a prize-winning dish entry. It also promoted out-of-the-classroom learning experiences, the sharing of industry-ready culinary skills and techniques while also teaching the values of leadership, cooperation, professionalism, and creative showmanship.”

“Besides the prize and fame, another unique aspect of JU is that it creates and supports youth role models. Past JU grand winners become influential role models to fellow students, and as ambassadors of a homegrown food brand that is proud to help empower the youth through cooking. For participants, the program acts as a learning platform and vital stepping stone to their career paths as future food industry entrepreneurs and culinary professionals,” Geetan Raghani, Associate Product Manager for Jolly Food Line added.

For Year 5, greater social media engagement was achieved via the Golden Ticket mechanics wherein two of the chosen top 20 JU finalists can advance immediately to the final round during the cook-off. The two contestants who automatically earned the final slots are Richmond Suntay of UST for whose dish photo garnered the Most Likes and Shares on FB and Ria Arugay of San Sebastian Recoletos for the Most Jolly Canned Vegetable Product Labels Collected.

A program that began in 2013, JU encourages diversity as well as collaboration across and beyond academic borders while effectively transferring key skills to talented young students. Serving as a springboard to prepare aspirants in their future careers, the highly successful campus-wide competition nurtures cooperative relationships among students and institutions in promoting culinary excellence and food business innovation in the Philippines.

Here are the winners of the Jolly University Year 5 Grand Cook Off.

• Grand prize winner: Tyrone Lemuel Ty of University of Santo Tomas.
Winning entry: Hainanese Chicken Binakol Noodle Soup (mushroom & young corn stuffed chicken roulade with egg noodles, vegetables and coconut shreds in creamy coconut broth)

• 1st runner up: Richmond Joseph Suntay of University of Santo Tomas
Winning entry: Shepherd’s Rendang

• 2nd runner up: Patricia Ong of Chiang Kai Shek College
Winning entry: Thai Pork Mushroom Longganisa, Suman with Crispy Shallot-Garlic Latik and Coconut Cream Foam served with Fried Egg and Green Mango Salad

Jolly University Year 5 Grand Cook-Off is made possible with the support of event sponsors: St. Scholastica’s College, Masflex, Fujidenzo, Whirlpool, Tecnogas, UCPB, Jolly Cow, Lotus Biscoff, Doña Elena, May Sparkling Grape Juice, and Good Life.

***

About Fly Ace Corporation. Fly Ace Corporation is one of the leading food and beverage consumer goods companies in the country today. Propelling limitless multiple-category growth by bringing the best of the world closer to Filipino consumers, Fly Ace Corporation’s portfolio of food and beverage products includes house brands and exclusively distributed brands. To learn more about Fly Ace, visit http://www.flyacecorp.com.

About JOLLY. JOLLY is a canned fruits and vegetable line marketed and exclusively distributed by Fly Ace Corp. For more updates, visit jolly.com.ph or like its official Facebook fanpage or follow via Twitter and Instagram (@jollyeatsph).

Launching of a new Power Tools in the Philippine Market

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With over 50 years of experience in the power tools industry that is guaranteed to be the
best of its kind, Kress finally sets foot on the Philippine market.

The launch of the German brand, Kress, is set to happen on March 6, 2019, at the
Grand Hyatt Manila. This event will incorporate power and style, making it an
establishing image of Kress power tools in the Philippine market. Equipped with 90 years
of experience in the field of electric motors R&D and production, Kress has continued to
provide the best quality power tools in the market. Their designs have continuously
become the standard for power tools. With its innovative, powerful and high quality
products, Kress has gained a notable worldwide reputation as a brand.

Kress started in 1928, the year that the brand was founded and started its production in
a Swabian town located at Tübingen-Lustnau, Germany. Their focus on the earlier years
of their brand has been set on motor R&D manufacturing. In the year 1964, they have
successfully produced their first power drill which became a hit in the German power
tools market. Due to the success of their first creation, they professionally started their
power tool career.

Their latest product is the innovative change up of a traditional mower into a robotic
lawnmower. This latest robotics design exactly knows its way and optimizes its own
route while effortlessly controlled using the special app on a smartphone. This is a huge
leap forward from the traditional lawnmower where one wastes a lot of time and effort in
mowing the lawn, especially the edges. This robotics lawnmower also promotes the
health of your lawn. The temperature, precipitation, and sunlight are important factors
that keep the growth of the lawn. With this kind of advance technology, Kress’ robotic
lawnmower keeps mowing of your lawn easy and effortless.

Kress Powertools have won awards acknowledging their innovative products. The most
recent achievement they have received in 2018 was from the Red Dot Design Award
which is an international product design and communication design award given at
Essen, Germany.

With the launch of Kress power tools in the country, the Philippine market will welcome a
brand that upholds to their slogan: Powered by Tradition. The worldwide reputation of
the brand’s products is an unquestionable proof of its durability, power, and quality. This
further provides their clients and even future clients the validation that Kress power tools
will be a brand of the future, not only in Power tools but a “ONE STOP SHOP” for
professional range of Handtools, Welding Machines, Garden Tools and Accessories

Cebuana Lhuillier launches easier, more convenient way to save through micro savings product.

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The launching coincides with the introduction of “#KayaNa: Unbamked Filipinos No more Movement”

In fact, only 33% or 551 cities in the Philippines have access to banking institutions. The numerous documentary requirements is a major turn off for many, along with the high cost of initial deposit, high maintaining balance, as well as, high dormancy charges.

The product is in line with the Cebuana Lhuillier’s mission of financial inclusion, which has been the thrust of the company for the past 30 years.

“With BSP’s basic deposit framework, Cebuana Lhuillier Micro Savings completes the full roster of our services, all designed and developed with financial inclusion in mind. We’ve come full circle—from offering collateralized loans or pawning, remittance service, micro insurance and now, micro savings—all of these products were designed with Filipinos from all walks of life in mind especially the unbanked and underserved, who would not have access to these financial services given their circumstances in life,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, president & CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier.

This will provide Filipinos with a more convenient and affordable means to save their hard-earned money.

Their wide network of branches comprised of 2,500 retail infrastructures, account holders can deposit and withdraw anywhere at their most convenient hours.

Acting as a cash agent of the Cebuana Lhuillier Rural Bank (CLRB), micro savings is Cebuana Lhuillier’s platform for Filipinos to overcome the barriers to saving. While Filipinos like to save, they opt to keep it at home according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)

The lukewarm attitude of the masses towards opening a savings account is attributed to the barriers to saving in banks. The lack of access to banks among the country’s many cities and municipalities remains as the top deterrent, according to a BSP study.

The app is just the first step in a long line of innovations connected to the micro savings product – on top of which is its migration to an EMV-enabled card which can be accessed through ATMs (automated teller machines).

It will also carry a debit and credit facility for online and cashless shopping, provide access to auxiliary services and help corporate and MSME (micro, small, and medium enterprises) clients manage their business through payroll cash management solutions.

Furthermore, it will progress to provide more value with features like remit-to-and-from savings account; pay and deposit from savings account; and an international remit-to-account feature which will provide convenience to Filipinos abroad in sending money to their families in the Philippines.

This innovation will also allow clients to have safe and convenient access to their accounts in all Cebuana Lhuillier branches, Cebuana CARES, agent partners, and all online and mobile channels, as well as, access to all CLRB branches set to establish presence nationwide. For easier access, self-service kiosks in Cebuana Lhuillier branches will also be put in place.

All these efforts to make savings accessible to every Filipino are part of Cebuana Lhuillier President & CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier’s vision on financial wellness.

“Cebuana Lhuillier is also adapting a new philosophy, which is financial wellness. Our goal is not just to provide quick cash to the underbanked and unbanked for their short-term financial needs but to become an enabler for a better future for them. Allowing more and more Filipinos to steer their own direction and be captains of their own ship. We want to help them graduate from being dependent through bridge financing options for them to experience financial freedom,” Lhuillier said.

Focusing on the progress of Aklan

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There is nothing Aklan Rep. Teodorico Haresco Jr. wants more than to see his fellow Aklanons achieve a certain level of success in life. And why not, Nonong Haresco as he is lovingly called in the lone district of Aklan, is living proof of what hard work can do to change a person’s life.

Finishing with honors in Economics and in Accounting, his determination developed his little startup turned into a 50-hectare prawn-farming venture in his hometown of Ibajay, Aklan and he would find himself catering to big name restaurants in the metro.

After completing his M.A. in International Economics at the McGill University in Canada, Haresco participated in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development-International Trade Center in Switzerland where his business acumen led to the formation Haresco Trade Specialists Co. and Silver Thread Inc., which exported local capiz shells to the European country.

Clearly, his life is set with all he has accomplished outside of the Philippines. And yet, Haresco decided to return to Aklan with the hope that he can help uplift the lives there.

To say that he has a heart for the less privileged would be a huge understatement. But instead of simply giving them food, he would rather encourage them to set up their own small business ventures—as he once did when he was younger—to make them self-sustaining. Such is the love of Haresco for Aklan and its residents and perhaps it is the proud Ilonggo in him that makes him a firm believer that the microenterprise industry has the ability to uplift individuals as long as they put in the commitment and dedication.

To eventually be able to provide jobs for others in their communities and help in the development of its socio-economic sector is a vision Haresco continues to aspire for Aklan.

Happily married and a loving father of four, his contributions to the development of Aklan and the Philippines are well documented. As of date, Congressman Nonong Haresco has authored and co-authored more than 60 house measures including HB00111, an act establishing a mechanism for the sustainable development and use of the island of Boracay; HB00115, an act increasing the bed capacity of Ibajay District Hospital from 25 to 100; HB02239, an act granting P1,000 monthly stipend by way of financial assistance to centenarians; HB02240, an act exempting users of electronic vehicles from the payment of road user’s tax; HB02241, an act to prescribe nutrition labeling for food products; HB02323, an act granting P500 monthly allowance to barangay tanods; HB02414, an act amending section 5 of Republic Act No. 10121, otherwise known as an act strengthening the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System; HB02415, an act to combat abuse and increase penalties for crimes against senior citizens; HB03192, an act providing for the establishment of barangay drugstores, otherwise known as “Botika sa Barangay”; HB03366, an act penalizing anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominant position, and anti-competitive mergers, establishing the Philippine Fair Competition Commission; HB03776, an act empowering the micro, small, and medium enterprises; and HB04335, an act requiring mandatory installation of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras on major roads included in routes of public utility vehicles among others.

Aside from these, some of his milestone accomplishments include being the only Visayan and Aklanon to receive the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Businessman of the Year Award (2007) and the Deutsche Bank Banker of the Year Award (2005). He was People Asia’s Person of the Year and graced the cover in 2008 and is one of the Modern Day Filipino Heroes (2008), as well as one of 23 Filipinos cited in the book celebrating 347 years of Philippine-British Relations. His company WINSOURCE Solutions Inc. has been a five-time recipient of the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.

Haresco likewise conceptualized the President’s Bridge Programme (PBP) as a parallel intervention to regular government infrastructure programmes. This very successful reengineering model in the Philippines is being duplicated in Sri Lanka, Papa New Guinea, Cambodia, Siberia, and in other parts of Asia.

Haresco is also the principal developer of a nationwide scholarship fund for the children of slain journalists and has put 34 young scholars through school since 2007

Get first dibs on the Honor 10 Lite exclusively on Shopee

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Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, once again partners Honor to launch its latest premium smartphone, the Honor 10 Lite. Starting January 25, over 21 million Shopee users in the Philippines can enjoy an exclusive 15% off the new Honor 10 Lite, a refreshed variant of the hit Honor 10, available at just ₱8,491 instead of the usual ₱9,999. In addition, a limited special bundle featuring an Honor Band 4 Running, Honor Gift Box, and an Honor foldable luggage worth ₱3,000 in total will be up for grabs for the earliest buyers of the Honor 10 Lite on Shopee.

Martin Yu, Associate Director, Shopee Philippines, said, “Honor was consistently among the best-selling brands on Shopee throughout 2018, highlighted by the immense success of the Honor 10 flash sale on Shopee in June. Our ongoing Super Gadget Zone Sale, which ends on January 25, has also done very well and we are excited to build on this momentum with the exclusive launch of the Honor 10 Lite. As the demand for premium tech products continues to grow in the Philippines, Shopee will bring even more unbeatable deals on leading brands to our Filipino users in 2019.”

Wang Yang, Country Director of Honor Philippines, said, “We are very proud of the new Honor 10 Lite, and we are very excited to partner Shopee for its debut. Honor has grown our online presence rapidly since joining Shopee in 2018, with our orders increasing by over 350%, and we believe this partnership can reach even greater heights in 2019. Honor is always focused on providing consumers with top quality and innovative mobile devices, and we are confident the Honor 10 Lite will be a big hit on Shopee Philippines.”

The Honor 10 Lite comes in three colors: Sapphire Blue, Midnight Black, Sky Blue. Boasting a stylish gradient finish on the rear and a minimalist dewdrop display notch, the phone continues Honor’s streak of inspired designs that has been a huge hit in the country. From January 25, Filipinos can be the first to get their hands on the Honor 10 Lite exclusively on Shopee.

For more information, visit http://bit.do/shopeeph.
Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

Shopee and Jose Mari Chan Donate ₱1 Million to San Juan Nepomuceno School for Shopee 12.12 Big Christmas Sale

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Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, celebrates the success of Shopee 12.12 Big Christmas Sale by giving back this festive season. Shopee, together with its Christmas Ambassador, Jose Mari Chan, ran a donation drive where all proceeds from the sale of Jose Mari Chan’s Going Home to Christmas album via the JMC Music Official Store on Shopee would go towards the funding of the San Juan Nepomuceno School’s educational and renovation programs. With the help of users, Shopee raised a total of ₱500,000 from the sale of the album. This amount was matched dollar for dollar by Jose Mari Chan, amounting to a total of ₱1 Million donated to the school.

Terence Pang, Chief Operating Officer, Shopee, said, “Shopee would like to thank our users for joining us in this meaningful cause. We are heartened by the response received and by Jose Mari Chan’s heart-warming generosity. This quarter has been extremely fulfilling for Shopee as we not only clocked in major milestones with the success of our of Shopee 11.11 – 12.12 Big Christmas Sale, but also continued to do our part for the local community.”

“I am so pleased to be helping a school that we’ve been supporting for a long time. I am grateful to be part of the Shopee family. This has been a very fulfilling experience and I would like to thank everyone for their warm support,” said Jose Mari Chan.

The final wave of the Shopee 11.11 – 12.12 Big Christmas Sale concluded on a high note with the Shopee 12.12 Big Christmas Sale. On 12 December, Shopee saw over 12 million orders across the region, surpassing all past records including the recent Shopee 11.11 Big Sale. In the Philippines, Mobile and Accessories, Health and Personal Care, and Women’s Apparel were the top three most popular categories. Leading brands, including Maybelline, the SM Store, Xiaomi, and Pampers emerged as favourites amongst users.

For more information, https://shopee.ph/.
Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

NO MORE “FOMO” WITH RCBC BANKARD FLEX

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“FOMO” the Fear of Missing Out – is an expression usually linked to the Millennials. The generation between 1981 to 1996 want to rack up on experiences and live their life to the fullest. While they have numerous #goals, they also value and give importance to being responsible. Taking the millennials aspirations and ideals in mind, RCBC Bankard has come up with the card perfect for this generation.

Launched December 6 at the SMX Aura, RCBC Bankard and Visa, unveiled the RCBC Bankard Flex and the RCBC Bankard Flex Gold. Both cards are designed to complement the lifestyles of the first jobbers, young professionals, and those just starting a family.

The RCBC Bankard Flex and Flex Gold are packed with flexible benefits including the flexibility of earning double rewards points on categories relevant to the segment. For RCBC Bankard Flex, which was developed with the first jobbers and young professionals in mind, cardholders can choose two categories from any of the following: Clothing, Dining, Travel, and Transportation. On the other hand, RCBC Bankard Flex Gold, which has been designed primarily for millennials who are just starting a family, cardholders can choose three from any of these categories: Grocery, Gas, Department Store, Household Appliances, and Travel. The card benefits are so flexible that cardholders can change their preferred categories every billing cycle by simply sending a direct message to RCBC Bankard’s official Facebook page.

Further, cardholders will also enjoy the flexibility of choosing what they want to redeem using their earned rewards points. They can choose to redeem shopping vouchers, cash rebates, use the points to pay their card, or even better, they can choose their rewards points to build their savings since the cash equivalent can be directly deposited to their RCBC Checking or Savings account. They can also choose to enrol in the airmiles program and redeem airmiles so they can fly for free to their dream destination. For those who want to create more impact to society, rewards points can also be used as donation to their preferred charitable or non-profit organization.

RCBC Bankard Services Corporation President & CEO, Simon Calasanz says, “We are here to support the millennials in achieving their life goals. Aside from providing a card that doubly rewards them on categories that are important to them, we will also help them manage their finances better with RCBC Bankard’s award-winning features including: Spend Monitor, an alert that is sent to them once they reach 80% of their set budget, Spend Analyzer, which summarizes their spending on a per category basis, and Unli 0%, which allows them to pay for their straight purchases made anywhere to three (3) months 0% instalment.”

Dan Wolbert, Visa Country Manager for the Philippines & Guam highlighted, “Together with our valued partner, RCBC Bankard, we are glad to launch these two products that are targeted at millennials in the Philippines. The benefits offered through these products are tailored accordingly to this segment of our cardholders, so they can earn fantastic rewards while making payments for their everyday spend. The features of the card also enable them to develop good discipline in money management as they can see analysis of their spend and set their budgets accordingly using features provided by the bank.”

With all these power-packed benefits, RCBC Bankard Flex and Flex Gold Visa are must-haves and totally on point! To get one, log on to www.RCBCBankard.com.

Meet and Greet with Aklan Rep. Teodorico Haresco Jr.

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We had a chance to meet Nonong Haresco last week over a lunch at Dad’s West Avenue, Quezon City together with other media friends. He greeted each and everyone of us with a greeting Merry Christmas while shaking our hands. He is very simple and approachable. But at a back of my mind, I asked my self “Who is Nonong Haresco?”. Honestly speaking, it was my first time to heard of him. I have no any idea who he is but as the question and answer is happening, I started to learn something about him and what he does.

Aklan Rep. Teodorico Haresco Jr. or also known as Nonong Harescoof is from the lone district of Aklan and a proud Ilonggo,

He has a soft spot in his heart for the less privileged. But instead of giving them fish, he encourages them to learn how to set up their own small business ventures as a means to make their lives better which I think is really good.

He is a firm believer in the microenterprise industry and its ability to uplift hardworking individuals who in turn would eventually be able to provide jobs for others in their communities while at the same time help in the development of its socio-economic sector.

Haresco learned at a young age. As a student at De La Salle University, he turned a two thousand-peso loan from a relative into a buy-and-sell business by purchasing shrimps in Aklan, which he would then sell in Manila. Finishing with honors in Economics and in Accounting, his determination developed his little startup turned into a 50-hectare prawn-farming venture in his hometown of Ibajay, Aklan and he would find himself catering to big name restaurants in the metro.

After completing his M.A. in International Economics at the McGill University in Canada, Haresco participated in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development-International Trade Center in Switzerland where his business acumen led to the formation Haresco Trade Specialists Co. and Silver Thread Inc., which exported local capiz shells to the European country.

As of date, Congressman NonongHaresco has authored and co-authored more than 60 house measures including:

HB00111, an act establishing a mechanism for the sustainable development and use of the island of Boracay;
HB00115, an act increasing the bed capacity of Ibajay District Hospital from 25 to 100;
HB02239, an act granting P1,000 monthly stipend by way of financial assistance to centenarians;
HB02240, an act exempting users of electronic vehicles from the payment of road user’s tax;
HB02241, an act to prescribe nutrition labeling for food products;
HB02323, an act granting P500 monthly allowance to barangay tanods;
HB02414, an act amending section 5 of Republic Act No. 10121, otherwise known as an act strengthening the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System;
HB02415, an act to combat abuse and increase penalties for crimes against senior citizens;
HB03192, an act providing for the establishment of barangay drugstores, otherwise known as “Botikasa Barangay”; HB03366, an act penalizing anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominant position, and anti-competitive mergers, establishing the Philippine Fair Competition Commission;
HB03776, an act empowering the micro, small, and medium enterprises; and
HB04335, an act requiring mandatory installation of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras on major roads included in routes of public utility vehicles among others.
Aside from these, some of his milestone accomplishments include being the only Visayan and Aklanon to receive the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Businessman of the Year Award (2007) and the Deutsche Bank Banker of the Year Award (2005). He was People Asia’s Person of the Year and graced the cover in 2008 and is one of the Modern Day Filipino Heroes (2008), as well as one of 23 Filipinos cited in the book celebrating 347 years of Philippine-British Relations.

His company WINSOURCE Solutions Inc. has been a five-time recipient of the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise. Haresco likewise conceptualized the President’s Bridge Programme (PBP) as a parallel intervention to regular government infrastructure programmes. This very successful reengineering model in the Philippines is being duplicated in Sri Lanka, Papa New Guinea, Cambodia, Siberia, and in other parts of Asia.

Haresco is also the principal developer of a nationwide scholarship fund for the children of slain journalists and has put 34 young scholars through school since 2007. But while his exemplary performance in Congress is well documented, nothing gives Aklan Rep. Nonong Haresco more fulfillment than his family. Happily married and a father to four, his contributions to development of Aklan and to the Philippines cannot be denied.