Lifestyle

Hands on training of SM tech-voc scholars

The scholarship program is one of the cornerstone programs of the SM Foundation, the SM group’s Corporate Social Responsibility arm. Aside from college education, the program also gives opportunities for individuals interested in working in the skilled labor field. The progressive reopening of the economy, not just in the Philippines but around the world, gives optimism to Filipinos who have lost their employment due to the health crisis. Individuals aspiring to work in the professional business want assistance now more than ever.

In this context, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime), in collaboration with the SM Foundation (SMFI), launched Don Bosco One TVET Phils. Inc. and the city administration of Pasay collaborated to provide educational support to 20 deserving Pasay kids. SMFI has already graduated over 4,500 tech-voc graduates, all of whom are now employed.

A dream to be fulfilled

SM-Pasay tech-voc scholar Stephen Parina

One of the current SM tech-voc scholars from Pasay is Stephen Parina. His dream is to put up his own automotive shop since aside from his interest in cars and motorcycles, he intends to uplift the economic status of his family. Both of his parents are temporary employees at the Pasay City Hall.

“Nakita ko sa Facebook post ng SM Foundation na nandun ang aking gustong course kaya dali-dali akong pumunta sa city hall ng Pasay para alamin ang mga detalye nito at kinabukasan ay nagpasa na ako agad ng mga requirements,” said Stephen, who is now studying Automotive Mechanic course at the Don Bosco Makati.

“Gusto kong matuto kung paano mag ayos ng mga sasakyan at makatapos ng pag-aaral dahil hirap kami sa aming pamumuhay. Alam ko na makakatulong ang edukasyon, kagaya ng techvoc upang matupad ang aking pangarap na makapagpatayo ng sarili kong automotive shop. Magiging susi ito upang mai-angat ko ang antas ng pamumuhay ng aking pamilya” he added.

“Taos pusong pasasalamat sa SM at sa Sy family dahil nabigyan nyo ako ng pagkakataon na makabalik muli sa pag aaral. Hinding hindi ko ito malilimutan. Dadalhin ko ito hanggang sa aking pag tanda,” Stephen said.

Ticket to success

SM-Pasay tech-voc scholar Jeorge Angelo Madrid

Another current tech-voc scholar is Jeorge Angelo Madrid. He is also studying Automotive Mechanic course at the Don Bosco Makati. His father works as a painter of houses and buildings while his mother works at the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Jeorge is the youngest and most of his five siblings already have their own families.

According to Jeorge, he sees this opportunity of going back to school as his ticket towards achieving his dreams: “Nag-apply ako sa SM Foundation kasi wla po akong kakayahan na makapag aral at makapagtapos. Wala po akong pagkukuhanan ng pang tuition para maipang bayad sa eskwelahan.”

Jeorge is adamant to find a gainful employment right after he finish his studies. “Salamat po sa SM Foundation. Kung hindi dahil sa inyo, hindi madaragdagan ang kaalaman ko tungkol sa automotive. Magagamit ko ito sa aking paghahanap ng trabaho at kinalaunan, masuportahan ang aking sarili, mga pamangkin at ang aking mga magulang,” Jeorge further shared.

Reaping the fruits of his efforts

SM tech-voc scholar alumnus Anthony Andales

Anthony Andales, an SM tech-voc scholar alumnus, also took the time to share his inspiring story. He graduated from the Dualtech Training Center in 2019 and is now employed as a staff technician in a known company which manufactures various electronic products for home and office use.

“Bago ako mag-training sa Dualtech, nagtrabaho muna ako bilang isang helper sa isang refilling station. Ang aking arawang sweldo ay P220 lamang. Akala ko dati, wala na akong mararating sa buhay at hindi na makapagtatapos ng pag-aaral,” Anthony recalled.

“But God gave me the privilege to be chosen as one of the SM Foundation scholars para makapag-aral ako nang walang binayaran kahit piso. Ang tanging puhunan ko lang ay ang aking lakas ng loob at ang aking mga pangarap sa buhay na balang araw, makatutulong ako sa aking pamilya upang kahit papano ay makaahon sa buhay,” he further added.

Right after his on-the-job training, he was absorbed by the program’s OJT- partner company and was given a job as a staff technician because of his skills and work ethics.

“Napagawa na namin ang bahay kahit papaano, hindi man bato pero at least maayos at safe kapag may bagyo. Hindi po kagaya dati na pag umuulan ay may pa-shower kami kasi butas-butas na ang bubong at tagpi-tagpi ang dingding ng aming tahanan. Walang imposible kapag ikaw ay may pangarap at determinasyon upang maabot ito sapagkat maraming tao at institusyon na handang tumulong. Kaya sobrang thankful po talaga ako sa mga taong tumulong sa akin para magkaroon ng maliwanag na kinabukasan.” Anthony concluded.

Since 1993, the SM Foundation has provided worthy and eligible students with access to college education and technical-vocational training through its Scholarship program.

The Global Women Empowerment Summit (GWES) 2021’s Manila leg is set to take place on June 5 to 6, 2022 at the Manila Marriott Hotel in Pasay City, with the goal of empowering women from all over the world to discuss and solve women’s issues in a non-political manner, as well as to honor women champions, showcase women’s skills, and motivate more women of any race and color to win all challenges in life and become an inspiration to mankind.

The event is set to showcase “The Best of the Philippines” through a series of forum and activities including immersive pocket events highlighted by the presence of Her Royal Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Khalifa Al Khalifa of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, who will be the Royal Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker.

Honorable Pasay City Mayor Ms. Imelda “Emi” Calixto-Rubiano will open the event joined by Marriott Hotel Manila’s General Manager Mr. Bruce Winton, and GWES Overall Chairperson and CEO Ms. Love Charmaine Uychoco.

Afro Asian World Events, the MICE Division of Afro Asian Travel and Tours, Inc., a major DMC in the Philippines, has been officially appointed to host the Global Women Empowerment Summit 2021. For the 2021 edition of the Global Women Empowerment Summit, they will serve as the Philippine Ground Handler and Business Event Management Company. The Department of Tourism, Philippine Airlines, Informatics, Ralphs Wine, Le Charm Suites, and Distelleria Limtuaco are all sponsors of this event.

Global Women Empowerment Summit’s official Facebook Page may be found at https://www.facebook.com/globalwomenempowermentsummit for the latest news, updates, and other information.

It’s crucial to remember these three suggestions from Popstar Royalty Sarah Geronimo and Hanabishi Appliances when it comes to getting the best discounts during Lazada and Shopee’s monthly promotions.

“Simple, practical tips na madaling tandaan (Simple, practical tips that are easy to remember),” explained Hanabishi’s brand spokesperson.

From June 6 to 8, the leading appliance maker will offer significant discounts during the 6.6 sales of online shopping giants Lazada and Shopee.

1. Add items to your cart before the sale starts.

“Days before the sale period, make a list of the items that you need and search for them. Add the products you plan to buy to your cart, so that you can easily check them out once the sale starts,” Sarah said.

At both Lazada and Shopee, Hanabishi will be offering up to 18 percent discount on some of its popular products.

2. Allot a budget.

As you add items to your cart, you can already gauge how much you will be spending. If you go over your allotted budget, search for similar items that are much more affordable.

“Mas maganda na meron kang alternatives just in case ma-sold out agad ‘yung gusto mo (It’s better to have alternatives just in case the items you want gets sold out),” Sarah advised.

3. Watch for special deals.

On top of discounted prices, stores usually offer additional deals like free shipping and further discounts.

Hanabishi products, for example, can be bought at further discounts using Lazada vouchers. The appliance manufacturer will also be offering items at 25 percent discount during its flash sales. Its flexicombo deal, meanwhile, gives you the chance to enjoy PhP50 off when you buy two products.

It will also be having the same flexicombo deal in its Shopee store and give away PhP50 and free shipping vouchers.

4. Check out early.

“Make sure you complete your transactions as early as possible. May mga tao na nagche-checkout pagdating ng 12 midnight kasi ayaw nilang maubusan nang gusto nilang bilhin (There are people who check out as early 12 midnight to make sure that they don’t run out of the products they want),” Sarah said.

Online stores also sometimes offer further discounts during the first hours of the sale.

“Sales are good opportunities for you to buy the products that you have been coveting for a long while. At Hanabishi’s official stores on LazMall, you can find a wide variety of more affordable home and kitchen appliances during the 6.6 sale,” said Cherish Ong-Chua, VP for Finance and Marketing of Hanabishi Appliances.

Follow Hanabishi’s official Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts to stay up to date on the latest items and promotions. For more information about the company’s products, go to www.myhanabishi.com.

About Hanabishi:

Sa Bahay at sa Business Mo, Hanabishi! Hanabishi is a Filipino household name for appliances for over 35 years. It is a brand engineered to fit the lifestyle of the Filipino both for homes and businesses. Hardworking, durable and resilient, are the attributes that personify Hanabishi making it the brand of choice of every Filipino mom and businessman when it comes to value and practicality. Hanabishi is the mark of quality that grows with you through the years. Built with passion and an impeccable desire to uphold the quality of life in every Filipino home, Hanabishi will remain to be the PRACTICAL choice and KAPARTNER, today and for the many years to come.

For more information about Hanabishi, please visit www.myhanabishi.com/shop/ and like them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MyHanabishiAppliances/

L-R: Flash Express Marketing Director Dave Khodr; Flash Express Finance Director Carolyn Cao; Flash Express Brand Ambassador Robi Domingo; Flash Express Head of Legal & Compliance Atty. Sherry Lou Bernabe; Flash Express Reyjim Timoteo and Flash Express PR & Media Relations Manager Reginald Rex Pumihic

Flash Express, the Philippines’ fastest-growing logistics and courier services company, just established its first three (3) Flash Shop locations in Divisoria Mall, 999 Mall, and Manila Textile, as well as the country’s first batch of branded vehicles.

Flash Express has remained at the forefront of the logistics market after only eight ( months in business. Flash Express has also been the most favored business logistics partner to date, owing to the fact that it has successfully completed all of its business plans from its inception in the Philippines. It successfully launched its business offerings, including Flash Express, Flash Home, and Flash Shop, using its world-class logistics and business model ecosystem.

Customers can mail and pick up their packages at actual locations within malls and businesses using Flash Shop. Within the next year, Flash Express plans to open 112 Flash Shop locations around the Philippines.

Flash Home is a business offering that aims to help Filipinos to jumpstart their business by partnering with Flash Express or those entrepreneurs who want to utilize their commercial spaces as Flash Express’ delivery drop-off points which will only involve minimal investment and requirements.

Just recently, Flash Express inaugurated the first batch of branded trucks to be deployed nationwide to cater for the growing customer base of Flash Express.

Flash Express’ customers are expected to experience worry-free delivery transactions given that Flash Express offers free door-to-door pick up, low COD rates, 365 days operations (including holidays and weekends), and 24/7 customer service.

Flash Express Marketing Director said that Flash Shop will complete the host of delivery services for Flash Express’ customers as they can do walk-ins in nearby Flash Shops to send and receive their parcels.

“We are very positive that Flash Shop will further speed up the business logistics experience of all our customers, especially those who are looking for physical branches of Flash Express inside business establishments such as malls and retail stores near them”, Khodr said.

Flash Express’ Head of Legal & Compliance, Atty. Sherry Lou Bernabe, said that the company is faring very well in terms of the fulfillment of all its business plans and promises to its customers. In fact, Flash Express continues to double down its efforts in order to be the most trusted business delivery partner and to be a household name in the logistics industry.

“With the combined efforts by our leaders, business partners, and employees, we are delighted to say that Flash Express continues to permeate the logistics industry and to enhance the experience of its customers. Our Filipino customers deserve a world-class courier and logistics services partner and that is what Flash Express is doing since day one”, Bernabe said.

Flash Express is still dubbed as the fastest-growing courier and logistics services company in the Philippines to date especially considering the surge in its distribution centers (Flash Express has 368 distribution centers as of this writing), as well as its continuous roll-out of Flash Shops and increasing number of Flash Home partners nationwide.

Visit www.flashexpress.ph for more information about Flash Express, or contact their customer care at [email protected] or (02) 8539 4002.

File photo: Flooding brought about by Typhoon Ondoy 2009

The disaster preparation of a community determines a person’s safety during a disaster. No matter how well prepared they are for all possible disasters, all of their efforts will be for naught if their community is unable to respond effectively.

This is why a CDRRMP (community-based disaster risk reduction and management plan) is so important. It assigns the responsibility of disaster preparedness to the entire community, ensuring that organizations, homes, and individuals may work together to make their community more resilient in the case of disaster.

CBDRRMP is critical, especially for countries like the Philippines that are very vulnerable to catastrophes. The Philippines is prone to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and typhoons due to its location within the Pacific Ring of Fire and typhoon belt. In the 2020 World Risk Index, the country was placed 9th in the world in terms of disaster vulnerability.

One of the most common events experienced by the Philippines is flooding, which underscores the importance of effective floodwater management. There are many ways that local government units are doing this. Efforts range from structural measures such as sizeable underground drainage systems, floodways, pumping stations, flood warning systems, and urban greening to non-structural measures such as minimizing plastic waste, a primary culprit in urban flooding.

With the country situated on five active fault lines, Filipinos must also prepare for earthquakes. It is why many buildings are equipped with earthquake-resistance features. Taking earthquake resilience in the country further are the periodic earthquake drills implemented at the national and organizational levels.

These are good examples of effective CBDRR, where both the authorities and the citizens work together to ensure the safety of life and property in their communities.

SM City Masinag has a rainwater collection tank that can store 17,681 cubic meters of water.

As a trusted and responsible developer of integrated properties, SM has always been committed to promoting Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) in its communities, which is evident in many of its malls that employ infrastructure design centered on disaster resilience. SM allocates 10% of its capital expenditures to incorporate disaster-resilient features, of which installing water management design features is one of them.

Artist’s illustration of SM’s rainwater collection facility in 22 SM Malls nationwide.

A few examples of these are SM City Marikina, elevated by several rows of concrete stilts to protect tenants and mall-goers during extreme floods. SM Mall of Asia was built with a storm surge barrier for added protection during storm surges, and several malls employ catchment tanks for recycling rainwater.

Across the country, there are 22 SM Malls that have rainwater collection tanks under the mall. All these malls combined can catch and store 79,880 cubic meters of rainwater, equivalent to 32 Olympic-sized swimming pools. 

“Wherever SM is, we try to help our communities become resilient to changing weather patterns,” explains Arch. Fides Garcia-Hsu, Vice President of SM Engineering, Design and Development.  “Nationwide, we have 22 malls equipped with rainwater catchment facilities that help rain water management to avoid flash floods for surrounding communities.”

SM City Olongapo Central’s rainwater collection tank can hold up to 14,580 cubic meters of water.

Supporting these are several initiatives focused capacity-building for its stakeholders. It includes workshops & learning sessions on Disaster Risk Resilience Management and regular participation in the quarterly national simultaneous earthquake drills for its employees, and the annual Emergency Preparedness Forum for persons with disabilities and the elderly, two of the most vulnerable sectors of society during disasters.

SM Prime has also created long-term ties with organizations that push for a disaster-resilient Philippines, in keeping with its multi-stakeholder strategy. Collaborations include, among others, ARISE-Philippines, the National Resilience Council, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the Office of Civil Defense, and the Bureau of Fire Protection.

SM City San Mateo’s rainwater collection tank can collect 10,800 cubic meters of potential floodwater.

Visit their website at www.smprime.com for more information on SM Prime Holdings and its other programs towards disaster preparedness

ABOUT SM PRIME HOLDINGS

SM Prime, one of the leading integrated property developers in Southeast Asia, remains committed to its role as a catalyst for economic growth, delivering innovative and sustainable lifestyle cities, thereby enriching the quality of life of millions of people. Sustainability and Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience form part of SM Prime’s core business strategies. It ensures that its risk-informed investments catalyze sustainable development and positive change in the communities where it operates.