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One of the 21 contenders for this year’s The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) awards is an entrepreneur who advocates for giving the Philippine Deaf Community equal opportunities and opportunities for professional progress.

The TOYM recipients were revealed at a gala event in Pasay City that was organized by the TOYM Foundation and Junior Chamber of Commerce (JCI) Philippines, the award’s sponsors. The TOYM recognized 21 contenders for this year before announcing the 10 recipients, in contrast to other iterations.

One of the finalists in the business, economics and entrepreneurship category was Francis Carl G. Reyes, founder of the Caravan Food Group Inc. (CFGI), a food and beverage company that aims to introduce new food concepts for the Philippine market as he believes that good is only as good as one’s overall experience.

Caravan Food Group carries three brands: Overdoughs, a homegrown pastry shop that offers the best selling OD Mini Chonky Cookies and other pastries like Crinkles and donuts, among others; Elait!, which offers artisanal rolled ice cream and the first rolled yogurt; and RAW Natural Juice Bar, an all natural juice that offers nutritionally designed cold-pressed juices.

Reyes’ advocacy was inspired by his experience when he was young. A deaf person assisted him while he was in a clothing store, and he was amazed by his sincere customer service. From then on, Reyes wanted to incorporate this in his food business.

This deaf inclusive advocacy is made possible through the partnership with orgnizations like De La Salle College of San Benilde – School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies and Hand & Heart.

To date, Reyes has employed 30 deaf partners and counting. The comprise more than 50 percent of the overall employee count. He always believed in their capabilities to help the company improve its service, products and food concepts.

Reyes believes in continually developing his people. Thus CFGI provides skills enhancement and leadership training programs for its employees. Soon he plans to promote his exemplary deaf partners to Team Leaders and Supervisors.

“It was one deaf guy who really showed me the epitome of customer service. I wanted to recreate the experience in this concept so I decided to hire deaf people. I wanted everyone to feel the warmth and realize how capable these deaf people are,” Reyes said.

Health Undersecretary Beverly Lorraine Ho and comics artist Manuel Luis “Manix” Abrera were among the 10 TOYM awardees.

Ho was was named TOYM in the health and medicine category along with fellow physicians Ronnie Baticulon, a pediatric neurosurgeon and Ramon Lorenzo Luis Guinto, a public health advocate.

One of the three TOYM award winners for literature, culture, and the arts was Abrera. Victor Mari Baguilat Jr., a social entrepreneur from the Cordillera, and Kristian Cordero, a writer and filmmaker from Bicol, received further awards.

Joanne Ascension Valdez, a councilor for Candon City, and Shawntel Nicole Nieto, the creator of Sustainability PH, were awarded TOYMs in the area of humanitarian civil society member volunteer leadership. Paul Gideon Lasco, a physician and medical anthropologist, and Rico Ancog, dean of the School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of the Philippines-Los Banos, completed the list of honors for education and academia.

BENEFITS OF GETTING A LOAN

For many people, getting financing or a loan is mostly perceived as a burden. To us Filipinos, getting a loan is perceived to be “nakakahiya”, keeping it a secret to others.

But in developed nations, obtaining a personal loan is not only for meeting immediate needs; it also helps people build their credit worthiness (that they are able to pay their monthly installments completely and on-time). They build up their “payment history” and reputation as responsible loan borrowers in order to get more funding from more lending institutions.

Also, financing should be perceived as a “resource booster” for your business. With more cash inflow through a loan, you don’t have to dip into your savings for the cash. This enables you to manage your cash outflows through your monthly payments. If you need cash to buy for inventory or a new delivery van, you either get the money from your pocket or, get it through a loan from a financing institution and only pay monthly payments. The second option is better as it will not drastically change your cash position.

Thus, getting a loan for additional cash, working capital, or assets (e.g. vehicle) for personal or business use is not supposed to be “nakakahiya” or a burden. It should be a budget booster so you can provide a better life for your family or grow your business faster and provide better products or services to your clients.

However, you should not get a loan on a whim. Getting a loan just to acquire the latest cellphone or more cellphones, or the latest car model just to satisfy your wants will eventually become a burden if you cannot afford it. Thus, we have some tips for you to become a RESPONSIBLE BORROWER

KNOW WHAT YOUR LOAN IS FOR  

Be sure on your decision to get a loan or financing and stick to it. You need to get a loan to repair or renovate your home to make it safer for your family. You get car financing because your family is getting larger, it is safer or reliable, or is more fuel efficient. You get a loan to buy for a new delivery van because you want to expand your delivery services and save on maintenance costs. Thus, before getting a loan, you have to know why.

Do research on financing institutions. Look into their social media or website and find out how long they have been in the business. You can go to the BSP or SEC websites and find out if these financing institutions are registered. You can go to their branch or offices to inquire more. With all the scams happening now, it is always wise to know more about these institutions and if they are accredited by our government institutions.

Get organized and budget your loan payments. When you get a loan, the monthly payments will eat into your budget. Thus, you have to determine if you can still afford the loan without sacrificing much on the budget for your family’s basic needs. For your business, will this loan help generate more revenues and income for me, making that additional revenue cover for the cost of the monthly payments.

When applying for a loan, financing institutions will often ask for a CO-MAKER (a person who will also share responsibility for the loan payments). A person willing to be your CO-MAKER vouches for your character, that he/she knows you to be a responsible and trustworthy person capable of paying your loan obligations on time. You do not want to disappoint your CO-MAKER by not paying your loans as they will assume that responsibility.

Therefore, do not borrow more than what you need. You may be approved for a higher loan amount than you expected, always stick to the loan amount that you need. Also, do not apply for loan amount that you know is impossible for you to pay. Financing institutions have their credit assessment processes and will know your payment capacity.

Now that you have been approved for a loan, always pay completely and on time. By paying completely and on time, you are building you credibility or “credit-worthiness” in the financing industry. Having a good payment record enables you to gain access to more financing institutions, higher loan amounts, cheaper rates, longer loan terms, and gets you approved faster. Failing to pay for your loan will deny you these advantages and most financing institutions will know through their credit investigation process. Thus, your reputation as good borrower is on the line.

Last but not least, if at all possible, make additional payments. It will help you relieve future payments (lower amount on succeeding monthly payments) or close your loan account ahead of the time (financing institutions may give you discounts for early payments) (financing institutions may give you discounts for early payments). This will not only further improve your reputation as borrower but will also ease your financial responsibility.

To discover more about finance, visit the Radiowealth Finance Company Website, https://rfc.com.ph/ Connect with Len Rodrigo, Regional Sales Manager at [email protected] 09985903274.

At the 2022 Marketing Excellence Awards ceremony held on December 1st at the New Coast Hotel in Manila, LeapOut proudly accepted three prizes.

The prizes are given for outstanding work in data-driven and consumer insights, B2B marketing, and e-commerce marketing (Bronze). Together with their clients, Malayan Insurance, Integrated Computer Systems, and Kultura, LeapOut was able to accomplish these goals (SM Retail).

A David-vs.-Goliath Win                                                                                                                                                                    The digital marketing agency has undoubtedly made a strong enough impression for the knowledgeable panel of judges to recognize its outstanding and promising work in the marketing industry, despite being small compared to the industry’s largest agencies and brands and being a relative newcomer to the advertising and marketing contest scene.

“Great win, team! I couldn’t be more proud. We may not have the most significant budget in our campaigns, but I’m glad you have driven far better results for our clients,” Mr. Marvin Ortiz, LeapOut’s Founder and Managing Partner, shared when asked about his comment on his agency’s first-ever win.

Mr. Ortiz also mentioned his overwhelming appreciation to the agency’s clients throughout the years. “To our clients, you rock and thank you so much for trusting us.”

The Marketing Excellence Awards celebrates, recognizes, and rewards the Philippines’ outstanding marketing campaigns. It is the premier platform for marketers to showcase their creative excellence, successful strategies, and effective delivery.

The champions for 2022 were chosen by an independent judging panel of high-caliber, senior industry experts from reputable brands.

Check out the complete list of winners here.

For more information about LeapOut’s latest win, click here.

This is a very impressive and huge jump for the organization and a testimony to the team’s abilities. We are all excited to see what else LeapOut can accomplish in the future.

“Cheers to the judges and organizers of this year’s event. Congratulations to all the winners, and see you next year!” Mr. Ortiz ended.

Since 2011, clients from a variety of industries have been receiving successful digital marketing solutions from LeapOut, a tested digital marketing business. Its staff is made up of highly qualified professionals who can quickly adjust to the rapidly evolving market trends to ensure that their clients succeed every time.

In the Philippines, e-commerce has increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the economy benefited from this strong expansion, it also brought up a new issue: more plastic garbage as a result of delivery packages.

With their efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle trash in their business ecosystems, companies like Procter & Gamble (P&G) Philippines, whose portfolio has been trusted over the years for its premium health care, home care, beauty, and grooming products, contribute to a more sustainable world.

The company’s “Project LESS” sustainability program includes waste reduction strategies for both in-store and online sales.

Here are three ways that P&G promotes more thoughtful consumption:

1. Many of P&G’s products are reducing or replacing packaging. P&G bottles of Herbal Essences’ bio:renew shampoo are made with 25% post-consumer resin (recycled plastic). P&G also eliminated plastic overwrap on Safeguard soap multipacks, replacing them with recycled paper cartons. This reduced 8,500 km of potential plastic waste or one thousand times the length of the Boracay coastline.

P&G Philippines also customized its product bundles packaging by converting laminate-based bellybands and stickers to 100% FSC-certified papers, resulting in reduced bundling material usage and a 380,000 kg reduction in plastic waste.

2. P&G created ready-to-ship bundle containers. Olay produced a “Ship-In-Own-Container” packaging for online purchases. This eliminates the need for additional customization and last-mile packaging materials such as bubble wrap, fillers, and tape.

3. P&G partnered with an eCommerce company to recycle and reuse its cartons for last-mile packaging. Sellers usually protect their products during delivery with excessive amounts of plastic wrap. To address this, P&G launched a regional sustainability partnership with an eCommerce company to recycle and reuse cartons from their Cabuyao plant for last-mile packaging in e-commerce deliveries. Cartons are converted into a honeycomb-like protective wrap which also provides quality delivery insulation, resulting in avoidance and reduction of plastic bubble wrap usage which could have potentially ended up as waste. As of August, P&G has supplied its eCommerce partner with over 4,000 kilograms of cartons for recycling and reuse.

P&G is dedicated to developing superior and long-lasting substitutes that are beneficial to the economy, customers, and the environment. P&G Philippines was recently presented with the Sustainability Company of The Year Circle of Excellence Award at the 2022 Asia CEO Awards. The prize honors persons who have made significant environmental advancements and shown leadership and dedication to sustainability.

Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands.

For some people, it might be difficult to find the ideal holiday presents for loved ones. Giving gifts does, however, come with some pressure because we simply want to do what is best for our loved ones.

Filipino singer-songwriter Moira dela Torre shares her Christmas gift suggestions that are excellent for all ages and for every important person in your life whether you’re still searching for the right presents or simply need some inspiration.

Home Credit recently introduced The Great 0% Interest Festival, allowing shoppers to browse products from approximately 10,000 partner retailers nationwide, making it a happier holiday season. Customers have access to more than 50,000 products through Home Credit, all of which are available at 0% interest through January 31, 2023.

Are you ready? Check out what’s in Moira’s shopping list this holiday season!

Gifts for learning and entertainment

Now is the time to reward hard-working children and inaanaks the gadgets they deserve. Gifting them the latest devices can help them not only study hard, but also enjoy little play time in between to maintain that school-life balance. Not to mention, in the new normal way of learning, smartphones, laptops and tablets, and accessories such as noise-canceling headphones have proven to optimize students’ educational experience, whether for physical classes and especially in hybrid learning.

New NBA season just began last month and this means you may find your dads and brothers with their eyes glued on screens. Investing in a high-quality smart TV at home can be an amazing present for sports fans in the household, as the whole family spends their time at home in the spirit of togetherness during the holidays. To top this off, gifting ate or bunso superb-quality Bluetooth speakers lets everyone party or just chill, anytime and anywhere.

Top tech brands to name a few – OPPO, realme, vivo, Samsung, Xiaomi, Acer, Apple, Huawei, and Asus all offer these gadgets that make the perfect study and play buddy. Not to worry, these brands and other Home Credit’s partner stores nationwide are part of the 0% interest festival for the best deal that you can get this season.

Presents for convenience and healthy living

Inverter technology has been quite an innovation that parents fancy for household appliances. Choosing inverter items over traditional appliances helps one save on energy and cost at home. This season of giving, gifting parents the latest appliances that would guarantee convenient living at home will surely have them enjoying the holidays and beyond.

Inverter refrigerator and air-conditioner are top choices for you to consider! As moms love spending time in the kitchen and making snacks for their families, with a cool and cost-efficient refrigerator in place they can keep their grocery foods in a safe storage to ensure the quality of each item.

While you’re at it, why not get an inverter air conditioner for the family so they can enjoy the cool room temperature during family reunions? An air conditioner will definitely be appreciated in a tropical weather country like the Philippines plus it is also environment-friendly and has lower power consumption.

Another important household appliance is owning a good quality washing machine. Give your titas a washing machine to help them save time by just simply putting their clothes on it, turning on the power and choosing their preferred cycle. It is more ideal than doing their laundry manually, a good way to show how you value their convenience.

Home workouts saw an increase in demand during the pandemic. Surprise your fitness enthusiast sibling or significant other by gifting them a punching bag, dumbbells, yoga mat or go big and fulfill their home gym dream by gifting them with an indoor cycling bike or treadmillas a present this Christmas. Having these fitness equipment at home can let them maximize their workouts at home, to keep them fit and healthy.

Get these home appliances and fitness equipment from Home Credit’s retail partners such as SM Appliances, Robinsons Appliances, Abenson, FC Home, Home Along, AllHome, Emcor, and Automatic Centre.

Curated holiday presents for a more personal touch

Looking for a more creative option for holiday gifting? Try creating your very own holiday gift package! For your coworkers who just had a baby, put in some nice items for infants, toys and clothing in a ribbon-tied box for the complete Christmasy feel. And for the BFFs, you can collect some new shades of lipstick, tag along some trendy accessories and perfume in a cute tote bag or basket for a well-thought out present.

Through Home Credit’s Shopping Basket, customers can visit its partner stores and shop for these varieties of goodies that they can curate in bundles for Php 3,000 minimum worth of items. Shoppers can get them through a monthly installment plan now with 0% interest.

More than ever, the Christmas spirit is alive and well. In order to help you celebrate, Home Credit is providing 0% interest on the greatest gifts of your choosing that will make the whole family feel treasured and appreciated.

Hurry! To download the My Home Credit app and take advantage of the finest Christmas discounts and offers, click here. Visit www.homecredit.ph to learn more about the most recent news from Home Credit Philippines. You may also follow the company’s official profiles on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

A student’s cognitive growth depends greatly on the school environment, which is more than just a place where students congregate for classes. According to research, when learning environments are supportive, kids are more attentive and motivated to use higher-order critical thinking skills.

The SM Foundation (SMFI), the corporate social responsibility arm of the SM group, established its cooperation with the Department of Education (DepED) in 2002 through DepEd’s Adopt-A-School Program in an effort to give kids places where they can fully perfect their talents and knowledge.

Through this, SMFI constructs basic furniture and equipment-equipped SM school facilities in local communities. Additionally, SMFI incorporates specialized elements into each SM school structure to cater to the particular needs of the recipients of its funding; some of these amenities include rooms designated as guidance offices, clinics, mini-libraries, and even water tanks and handwashing stations.

To date, SMFI has turned over more than 100 SM school buildings nationwide with the help of its partners, which share the same aspirations for the Filipino learners and teachers. One of which is the SM Prime Holdings (SMPH) – one of the largest integrated property developers in Southeast Asia. Since the project’s inception, over 90 SM school buildings out of the more than 100 were built through the social good collaboration with SM Prime.

Infrastructure for calamity prone areas

SMFI and SMPH ensure that the SM school buildings incorporate a disaster resilient design to guarantee the safety of the students, teachers, and other school personnel. Emergency lights at both staircases, and fire and earthquake alarm bells are also installed.

Principal Joji Buelvo, school principal of Basud Elementary School (BES) in Sorsogon City, shared the state of their school community before they accepted the fully furnished SM school building from SMFI and SM Prime in 2021: “Ang aming paaralan ay saksi sa maraming kalamidad. Kaya karamihan ng mga classrooms ay may kalumaan na, ang mga kisame ay malapit na bumagsak—talagang hindi na conducive for learning.”

“But through your [SMFI and SM Prime] donation, our BES learners now have a haven where we can nurture their young minds to be academically-ready and well-rounded members of the community,” Buelvo further expressed.

Addressing classroom shortage

The continuous rapid growth of the country’s population is taking a toll on schools—leaving the students, even the teachers, with overcrowded classrooms which affect learners’ academic performance.

In 2012, the Banisil National High School (BNHS) in General Santos City received its first SM school building. But being the only secondary school in Barangay Tambler, BNHS records a significant increase in their enrollment per year. With this challenge, SM Foundation decided to provide another edifice of hope for the sub-urban Muslim community in 2021, addressing the growing needs of BNHS learners and teachers.

BNHS then principal Shiela Balbon said, “Yung patuloy na paglobo ng population every year ay talagang naging suliranin namin.”

“Pagpasok ng 2020, nagkaroon ng COVID. So naisip ko baka hindi na matuloy. Pero itong SM Foundation, walang pande-pandemya sa kanila. Talagang desidido silang matugunan yung pangangailangan sa classroom ng mga estudyante,” she added.

“Our salute to our longtime partner, SM Foundation and SM Prime, for being so generous and proactive in providing us with school buildings that are conducive to learning. We are so grateful for your extended support to our school amidst the pandemic,” Balbon concluded.

Through its School Building Program, the SM Foundation actively participates in DepEd’s Adopt-a-School initiative. By constructing classrooms across the country, this social good program seeks to promote high-quality public education.

Motivated to accomplish more and venture beyond funding for schooling

Four years after beginning its mission to close the education gap in the nation, Bukas achieves a historic first by paying more than P500 million in tuition for Filipino students in the pursuit of a better future.

Funding The Future

The idea of ErudiFi’s parent firm Bukas, a tech-enabled school finance platform, was to give Filipino youth a better tomorrow by starting with accessible student loans. The student-first brand has assisted more than 15,000 students across 90 partner schools throughout its time of operation, demonstrating its constant year-over-year growth.

Having onboarded more partners this year including expansions in Bacolod and Zamboanga, Bukas broadens its reach to help more Filipino students. Partners in Metro Manila include De La Salle University, Centro Escolar University, Technological Institute of the Philippines, Adamson University, Mapua University, National Teachers College, Our Lady of Fatima University, Far Eastern University and FEU Tech among others. In line with the vision of delivering inclusive and accessible education, Bukas is also partnered with schools outside the metro including Saint Louis University, Cebu Institute of Technology-University, PHINMA Education, and University of the Visayas, and is looking forward to growing this list soon.

The company’s growth also attests to the real demand for accessible education financing in the country. “Despite the pandemic the past 2 years, we’ve managed to continuously grow our portfolio. We’re confident that we can scale the business to help even more students continue their studies for a better tomorrow,” says Jon Robert Emlano, President of Bukas.

Angel Aquino, a nursing graduate of Universidad de Dagupan, expresses her thanks for Bukas’ help, “My school recommended Bukas to me. Thank you very much, Bukas, for the opportunity na binigay niyo sa isang tulad kong estudyanteng ina para po makapagtapos o mairaos ko ang aking pag-aaral. Dahil po sa inyo ay naipagpatuloy ko po nang maayos yung pag-aaral ko.”

Kasama Ka Bukas

A student’s journey can be quite a rollercoaster ride– gruelling projects, suspenseful grade reveals, nerve wracking presentations, and on top of it all is the pressure to do well. Surviving the student life requires a strong support system, and Bukas is determined to be part of that for many young Filipinos.

Going beyond providing tuition loans, Bukas launched its “Kasama Ka Bukas” campaign (bukas.ph/kasama-ka-bukas) where students may expect help for their studies in more ways than one.

● Content. The Bukas Blog(bukas.ph/blog) offers a wide array of content from course, career, and financial literacy that can help students navigate through their journey.

● Advice. Tomaximize each student’s learning, Bukas works together with partner schools to mount online and offline events that will help students discover more about their passions, seek advice to guide them on their path, and discover new opportunities to help enrich their lives.

● Community. Joined by the same vision of achieving a brighter tomorrow through education, Bukas reinforces the importance of one’s support system. Uplifted by inspiring stories and shared experiences, students, through an exclusive community, can come together to create valuable connections.

With Bukas showing no signs of slowing down, the team is committed to improving the quality of education in the nation through education financing and other means while also making a bigger difference in the lives of its students and partner schools.

“Our goal next year is to be aggressive in covering more schools outside Metro Manila, providing better access to affordable financing across the country. We are also working on expanding our products and services to cater to more students and improve the user experience for the school admin and the students,” shares Emlano.