Lifestyle

PHINMA Inc Director and Foundation President Mr. Roberto Laviña extended help and volunteered during the Brigada Eskwela activity in San Isidro National High School in Makati City.

PHINMA Corporation, a conglomerate with operations in education, building supplies, real estate development, and hospitality that is authentically Filipino, recently marked its 16th year of dedication and support to the Department of Education’s (DepEd) annual Brigada Eskwela. Before Brigada Eskwela was institutionalized in 2008, The PHINMA Group was encouraging its staff, scholars, and their families to take part in DepEd’s Adopt-A-School Program. Volunteers from all around the organization’s network have participated in a variety of projects, including restoring classrooms, constructing walkways and sheds, improving gardens, and providing school supplies. In the last ten years, PHINMA has supported at least 10,907 public school pupils, 247 teachers, and planted at least 280 native trees.

Each of PHINMA’s strategic business units (SBUs) individually launched its own yearly Brigada Eskwela activities. For instance, the education division of the PHINMA Group, PHINMA Education Holdings Inc., has been organizing all of its charitable activities under its Helping Hands program, including Brigada Eskwela, tree planting, and typhoon assistance. As part of the conglomerate’s “1PHINMA” initiative, PHINMA Hero, the organization’s employee engagement program, coordinated this year’s group-wide initiatives.

Roberto M. Laviña, PHINMA Foundation’s President and Director of PHINMA Inc., credits the PHINMA employees’ strong spirit and culture of volunteerism as reason for the group’s 16-year commitment to and noteworthy achievements during the annual Brigada Eskwela. “Brigada Eskwela is a hands-on experiential event that gives everyone a chance to be part of the solution. I have joined Brigada Eskwela many times and everyone I have worked with in this volunteer activity have confirmed that they are extremely satisfied with the experience. Volunteers will certainly get their hands dirty, literally, when they join Brigada Eskwela. But that’s okay, because you know that through this activity you’re making lives better for students and their families,” added Laviña.

PHINMA’s participation in the annual Brigada Eskwela encourages employees along with their families to volunteer. PHINMA Property Holdings Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer and President bonded with his daughter Martina as they helped repaint the halls of San Isidro National High School in Makati City.

This year alone, over 800 volunteers from the PHINMA Group participated in the Brigada Eskwela. The school improvement initiative this year involves repairing and cleaning 40 public schools across the country. PHINMA also donated masks, gloves, alcohol, cleaning materials and school supplies in preparation for the resumption of face-to-face classes.

“They say that it takes a village to raise a child. We are all here because we all believe that alone we can do so little, and together we can do so much. And with the theme ‘Tugon sa Hamon ng Ligtas na Balik-Aral,’ we are thankful that we have the PHINMA Group continuously supporting Brigada Eskwela. With our theme this year, we would like to highlight the country’s collective efforts from various partnership engagements in creating a conducive learning environment for the students, teachers, and non-teaching personnel,” said Dr. Medarlo De Leon, Principal of Dagupan City National High School, one of the Group’s Brigada Eskwela school beneficiaries this year.

PHINMA Property Holdings Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer Mr. Rafael Felix is joined by his daughter as they volunteer during the Brigada Eskwela activity in San Isidro National High School in Makati City.

We thank the employees, the volunteers, the scholars and their families, and the different communities who devoted their time wholeheartedly for our participation in the annual Brigada Eskwela. Peter Perfecto, PHINMA Corporation Vice President for Public Affairs and PHINMA Foundation Vice President, praised the volunteers across their different strategic business units. Their commitment to improving lives through our businesses and by collaborating with and working for the communities we serve is what drives the PHINMA family’s involvement. The same culture is what gave rise to “1PHINMA” and the generations of improvements it has brought about.

On Thursday, August 25, 2022, the first-ever Real Estate Salespersons Congress will take place in Cebu City with over 700 participants, the majority of whom are PRC-registered salespersons from across the nation. The Accredited Real Estate Salespersons in the Philippines (ACRES Philippines), which is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), will host the congress to bring together professionals in the real estate selling industry to formally introduce ACRES Philippines and its Vision and Mission, recognize its interim officers across the country, honor charter members, and raise awareness of and address current issues in real estate selling. The first and biggest association for accredited real estate salespeople in the nation is ACRES. It was established in 2021 to promote salespeople’s efforts to advance their knowledge, ethical standards, protection of their rights to free and fair practice, improvement of their well-being, and appropriate representation and inclusion on issues affecting their trade and success.

Founded in 2021, it supports the endeavors of salespersons in furthering their learnings, ethical standards, protection of their rights to free and fair practice, upliftment of their well-being, and due representation and inclusion on matters of their trade and prosperity. At present the association has already set up nationwide chapters with interim officers in Metro Manila, Makati, Mandaluyong, Camarines Sur, Cavite, Bicol, Sorsogon, Legaspi, Pampanga, Palawan, Tacloban, Ormoc, Bohol, Dumaguete, Bacolod, Kabankalan, Iloilo, Roxas, Aklan, Calbayog, Samar, Leyte, Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Northern Cebu, Southern Cebu, Talisay, Mandaue, Catbalogan, Davao, General Santos, Caraga, Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon, Surigao, Ozamis, Dipolog, Pagadian, Digos, Iligan and Gingoog.

These interim officers will take oath during the congress. Cebu was picked as the host for this year’s Congress to showcase the city’s progressive real estate industry whose vibrance could only be kept and achieved by proactive industry practitioners, including real estate salespersons. According to Anthony Gerard Leuterio, president of A Better Real Estate Philippines (ABREP), the advisory group of ACRES, the formation of ACRES came timely as the real estate sector experiences a rebound from the economic stresses brought about by Covid-19 pandemic.

He said unifying all the salespersons involved in real estate will further advance the country’s real estate sector and make it one of the strongest economic pillars amid the headwinds. “Since real estate is a selling business, we also need to get the salespersons onboard and actively involved them in advancing the sector alongside the brokers,” he said. Leuterio stressed that since real estate salespersons are significant contributors in the continued expansion of the sector, they must be well represented. “These practitioners need to have a voice too, especially when policies and laws are crafted. We need to include them so we could really a ‘Better Real Estate’,” he said.

Real estate salespersons comprise the biggest number of professionals in the real estate service. Moreover, ACRES seeks to work harmoniously and collaboratively with the professionals in the real estate service, regulatory agencies, real estate organizations, property companies, policy makers and advocacy groups.

In order to take part in campaigns against unauthorized developers and salespeople, Leuterio stated that the association is eager to collaborate with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD). The group also hopes to encourage accreditation for all salespeople engaged in real estate selling operations by collaborating with the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

From left to right – Mr. Bong Abela (Business Consultant), Mr. Ermelo Rañola (COO of eDRIS Inc.), Mr. Joshua Wahiman (Subway Marketing Manager), Dr. Annabelle S. Alob (Public Schools District Supervisor – Bantayan II), Mr. Victor S. Ungod (School Head of Patao National Highschool), Mr. Lorenzo Cañares

One school in Bantayan Island, Cebu, is a step closer to achieving Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte’s goal of modernizing the educational system by utilizing technology.

Patao National High School in Bantayan Island, Cebu received the School in a Box digital system from Subway® Philippines in collaboration with e-DRIS Inc. One of Bantayan, Cebu’s remote barangays is Patao. One of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) last mile schools, it takes four hours by land, an hour by ferry, and an additional hour by car to get to it from Bantayan’s main port.

The School in a Box system is a micro-cloud system that can provide for the creation, selection, curation and distribution of tens of thousands of updated relevant content to thousands of users at a time. For teachers and students alike, it is also embedded with the Foundation Learning Management System to make the e-learning process a productive and quantifiable process. Moreover, these e-learning content and modules are made accessible to students and teachers online or with intermittent connection or no internet connectivity at all. This innovative platform is definitely a game changer for the last mile schools and those located in internet – challenged areas.

EDRIS emphasize that the program will allow access to educational modules, interactive lessons, simulated videos, reference materials comprising of a vast array of knowledge for Grade 1 to Grade 12 students through online and offline connectivity.

From left tp right – Joana Gersale ( Project Coordinator – Estrat ), Mr. Bong Abela (Business Consultant), Mr. Ermelo Rañola (COO of eDRIS Inc.), Mr. Joshua Wahiman (Subway Marketing Manager), Dr. Annabelle S. Alob (Public Schools District Supervisor – Bantayan II), Mr. Victor S. Ungod (School Head of Patao National Highschool), Mr. Lorenzo Cañares, Ms. Elisa Sarabia (Teacher of Patao National Highschool)

 “Content in the form of texts and other resources can be centrally curated in the C3 Cloud Control portal by those responsible for curriculum and distributed to any authorized C3 Micro-Cloud, “ explained Ermelo Ranola COO of e-DRIS Inc.

During the turnover ceremony, Patao National High School Principal Victor S. Ungod said the arrival of the system was very timely and that it would help fill in the gaps for students who are behind in their lessons.

“The School in the Box program can enhance the learnings of the students and in fact we or the students have benefitted from this because we are in the process of exploring the contents of this device. We are very thankful for this because we are the very first recipient of this program,” Ungod said.

For his part, Subway® Philippines Marketing Manager Joshua Wahiman reaffirmed Subway’s promise of being the better choice for everyone, not just in serving fresh and healthy foods but also in amplifying the importance of education and how a healthier approach in learning can maximize the potential of students regardless of their location.

“We are delighted that we are able to empower the community and this last mile school with this School in a Box device. As we want to highlight all the better for your meals from Subway, we also want to highlight or bring about a healthier approach and, in terms of their studies, would be better in their field before they go out into the real world,” he said.

The following people should be contacted for more details about the project: Through [email protected], contact Mel Ranola, COO. [email protected]

SM Foundation and Maxeon Solar Technologies formally held the community launch of the Sinag Schools Program at Lemery Pilot Elementary School in Batangas.

Through the Sinag Schools initiative, the SM Foundation (SMFI), the SM group’s corporate social responsibility division, and Maxeon Solar Technologies recently powered up the Lemery Pilot Elementary School (LPES) in Batangas. This socially beneficial partnership between SMFI and Maxeon intends to install solar panels on an SM school building, especially to those that have low operating expenses, in order to deliver clean and renewable energy to schools in grassroots areas.

In addition to the solar panel installation which intends to power positive change in the way energy is consumed in public schools, the program also aims to enhance the understanding of students in terms of energy management and the need to transition to cleaner energy alternatives with lower environmental impacts.

Through the Sinag Schools program, SMFI and Maxeon installed 21 solar panels— estimated to produce 6510 watt-p—on an SM school building in Batangas.

“Through this program, we want to power up the learning and development of young people. We want to help teach young people about solar energy, about renewable energy. We want to power up the next generation to help save our planet,” Maxeon Fab4 General Manager Glenn Everett said.

The SM school building at the LPES, which was donated by SMFI in partnership with SM Prime Holdings (SMPH) in 2017, now boasts 21 solar panels—estimated to produce 6510 watt-p. With the savings on electricity, the school may realign their budget to more efforts and other innovations that will give the students an environment more conducive to learning.

It takes a village to raise a child

SMFI executive director Debbie Sy underscored the importance of collective efforts in advancing the learning experience of every student in the country: “We believe that collaboration can drive growth and become a force for good in addressing societal challenges. CSR partnerships can create solutions that improve society by fostering learning, promoting innovation and gaining access to new technologies, such as the Sinag schools program. CSR collaboration can pool resources, both financial and human resources – between multiple organizations which can amplify social good impact.”

“The establishment of an ever-evolving CSR strategy and partnerships will help companies and non-government organizations in developing and implementing crucial social good programs over decades while having procedures in place that integrate social and environmental priorities into CSR core strategy – all in close collaboration with stakeholders,” she further added.

Moreover, Everett mentioned how SMFI and Maxeon share the similar set of values and interest when it comes to helping Filipino learners: “We have this concept of powering positive change in the world. We are happy to be working together with SM Foundation to power up the Lemery Pilot Elementary School.”

“Individually, we can do so much. But together we can do actually more. For us to bring our solar technology and SMFI to bring in their schools, these things are much better together than they would be apart,” he concluded.

Spreading social good all the way

SM Supermalls employee volunteers led the distribution of donations from SM Foundation to the students of Lemery Pilot Elementary School.

SM Foundation made sure to truly touch the lives of the learners and teachers of LPES as it donated eight desktop computers, 200 bags with school supplies, and more than 160 pcs brand new kinder and elementary books to further promote the love for reading among the students. Clothing items for parents were also distributed.

For more information about this initiative, follow SM Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube: @SMFoundationInc.

The headquarters of Maxeon are in Singapore. Maxeon® and SunPower® brand solar panels are created, produced, and sold by the business. Maxeon operates sales activities in more than 100 nations, some of which operate under the SunPower brand outside of the United States. With products that cover the global rooftop and solar power plant markets, Maxeon is a leader in solar innovation. It does this through a network of more than 1,700 reliable partners and distributors. Maxeon, a leader in environmentally friendly solar manufacturing, benefits from a +35-year heritage in the sector and multiple accolades for its innovation.

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. It has handed over more than 100 school structures to local communities thus far.