Lifestyle

Leading on-demand delivery platform Lalamove Philippines introduces BiyahEdukasyon, which will grant a total of PHP 20,000 in provides for the upcoming second semester of the academic year 2023 to 2024 to 100 partner drivers’ children and/or siblings from Luzon, Metro Manila, and Cebu. They are given the opportunity to pursue their academic objectives and have access to a high-quality education.

The initiative, which falls under the Deliver Care brand, embodies Lalamove Philippines’ commitment to helping partner drivers and their families realize their dreams, particularly those related to education, in addition to providing them with employment opportunities and a means of subsistence.

“At the heart of BiyahEdukasyon is our desire to uplift the lives of our partner drivers and their loved ones. Nakikita namin ang dedikasyon ninyo sa araw-araw na makatulong sa mga deliveries ng libu-libong tao, kaya ngayon, hayaan niyo naman pong ihatid namin ang pasasalamat sa aming programa (We see your dedication every day to help move things that matter through deliveries for thousands of people, so this time, allow us to show our gratitude through our program). In every student, we see boundless potential, dreams that can transform lives. We want Lalamove to play a part in turning those dreams into reality,” Djon Nacario, Lalamove Philippines’ Managing Director emphasized.

How to apply?

Lalamove’s BiyahEdukasyon program is open to  Lalamove partner drivers – from the serviceable and covered areas of Lalamove in Luzon, Greater Metro Manila, and Cebu – for their children and/or siblings, currently enrolled in senior high school or college, and pursuing any field of study who exemplify a strong desire to continue higher education.

Partner driver applicants can choose one beneficiary – whether their kid or their sibling – then fill up the application form, submit the required documents, and tell their inspiring story. There are no grade requirements to qualify for this program.

Empowering dreams, transforming lives

Beyond providing financial support, Lalamove’s BiyahEdukasyon program unites partner drivers and their families as they work toward shared objectives.

According to Nacario, Lalamove Philippines thinks that partner drivers ought to allow their family members the freedom to follow their aspirations without being constrained by financial obligations. This is where Lalamove comes in.

“BiyahEdukasyon is only the beginning of our major steps toward the fulfillment of our long-term commitment to empowering our partner drivers and their families. It aims to underscore Lalamove’s steadfast, long-term commitment to enable the economic well-being of our partner drivers, ” Nacario said.

To apply and find out more about the program, visit www.lalamove.com/en-ph/biyahedukasyon.

Dr. Mary Sarah Padron and her husband John Kenneth Lumalang have joined ValuePlus Auto Service Philippines Inc.’s pioneering brand VPX Auto Service Franchising as its newest franchisees. The youthful pair, who reside in the busy city of Pasig, injects a new wave of vitality and innovation into the network.

Dr. Sarah is a practicing physician, and Kenneth has experience working in the food and beverage division of the cruise business. They are both overseas Filipino professionals. The couple balances the joys and difficulties of parenting a family while starting this new chapter with the challenging effort of creating their franchise.

“I’ve always been fascinated by cars and the complexities of auto maintenance.” Channeling this enthusiasm into a VPX franchise is a dream come true. “We strive to deliver exceptional service by combining medical precision with culinary flair,” adds Dr. Sarah.

Kenneth, her husband, adds, “We are thrilled to be a part of a brand that resonates with our values.” VPX is innovative and customer-focused, qualities we want to instill in our own franchise.”

“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Dr. Sarah and Kenneth into our VPX family,” says ValuePlus President Normann Chiu. Their particular skill set and enthusiasm for the business make them great franchisees.”

Mr. Mark Saberola, GM of ValuePlus, is equally upbeat, saying, “Dr. Sarah and Kenneth embody the spirit of what VPX aspires to be—versatile, committed, and focused on delivering top-notch service.” Their various backgrounds promise an intriguing dynamic that we can’t wait to experience.

Dr. Sarah and Kenneth defy the notion that a doctor and a F&B expert entering the vehicle care industry is a reach. Their wide-ranging skill set not only enhances the VPX brand but also disproves the widespread belief that technicians and engineers should only do auto servicing.

The location of the Pasig City branch in Brgy. With the impending opening of Ugong, VPX Auto Service Franchising will have reached another significant milestone in its mission to transform auto care in the Philippines. The inclusion of this brilliant duo on the VPX roster demonstrates the company’s inclusive and progressive philosophy.

Please get in touch with Mark at [email protected] or 0917-637-2085 for VPX Auto Service franchise queries.

The success of an organization depends on its workplace culture, which supports employee engagement, productivity, and performance. Everyone is inspired to work their hardest when there is a strong, supportive culture that upholds the company’s ideals.

Allianz PNB Life (AZPNBL) has been able to focus on giving its clients the finest financial journey experience possible, which supports its purpose to ensure the future of the Filipino people. This has contributed to its strong year-over-year success. The company’s great performance is visible in both its human resources and financial results.

Making Work-Life Balance Possible

As a testament to its commitment to promote an engaging and positive workplace culture, Allianz PNB Life was recently recognized in several categories of the HR Excellence Awards, which honors the best-in-class HR teams and individuals, for their ground-breaking and impactful work executed across the entire HR function to champion the way forward.

AZPNBL won two Gold Awards at the HR Excellence Awards – Excellence in Workforce Flexibility and Excellence in Workforce Mobility – a recognition of the company’s effective response to harness digital tools and offer streamlined and timely services to its clients and employees. As it is cognizant that work culture and attitude are ever-evolving and that workers’ attitudes and behaviour toward work must be taken into consideration to bring out the best in them, the company was able to match their passions with their responsibilities, to show respect to their right to dignity of work, while maintaining a proper balance of achieving organizational goals and targets through proper and responsible work.

As such, AZPNBL laid the groundwork for its employees to have the choice and be flexible in the manner in which they can do their work. With proper guidance in adhering to pre-pandemic principles from HR and their line managers, employees can choose when, where, and how they can do their work, while maintaining a high quality of output and a results-based measurement system that assures that goals are met.

Enabling empowerment through crisis management

As AZPNBL shifted to hybrid ways of working, it is also important to mitigate and handle risks both in real life and online. The company won a Bronze Award for Excellence in Crisis Management Planning through its Allianz PNB Life Protection and Resilience program, which focuses on building safety and protection of the company’s “software” and “peopleware”.

Communication materials promoted cyber-safety, with regular training and seminars on disaster preparedness for employees and Life Changers. These utilized creative and practical ways of building capacities of AZPNBL employees so that they will be up-to-date on cybersecurity issues, and be equipped with basic knowledge on handling emergency situations during natural disasters.

Building a CSR culture

As the company continues its robust growth in the industry, it also reaches out to communities to promote inclusivity and sustainability with several impactful campaigns through its Corporate Social Responsibility programs. The Ride Safe initiative, which promotes cycling as a mode of transportation in four major cities within Metro Manila, won a Silver recognition from the HR Excellence Awards and Most impactful CSR Initiative at the Insurance Asia Awards 2023.

Aside from helping clients achieve their financial goals, AZPNBL encourages them to build a better tomorrow and secure their future through various sustainability initiatives that are geared not just for its clients, but also its communities.

AZPNBL partnered with public and private organizations to promote biking as a healthy and sustainable form of transport, and to supply biking infrastructure and education. Aside from projects that included installing artful bike racks, a solar-powered cyclist pit stop, and a bike lane along a major thoroughfare, it has expanded to include a livelihood component by offering bike maintenance repair training for SOS Children’s Village Kaagapay program participants from Iloilo, Cebu, and Tacloban.

The Seeds of Tomorrow project, which also won an award at the Insurance Asia Awards 2023 for Most Creative Campaign focused on sustainability and food security. Through this project, Allianz Protect policyholders were given the opportunity to contribute a percentage to the World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines’ (WWF-PH) Food Shed Farming Enterprise Project.

Along with its strong performance in the industry, these CSR activities have helped create awareness and build credibility and trust for AZPNBL among Filipinos. Allianz PNB Life Chief Marketing Officer Gino Riola says, “Our vision is to Secure the Future of Filipinos not only through our innovative products and services that are designed to meet lifetime financial planning and wealth accumulation, but also through extending our support for Filipino communities through programs that will reach even future generations. This is in keeping with the Allianz Global initiatives to create positive social impact through the way we run our organization and by using our expertise as an insurer, investor, and asset manager.”

As a Great Place to Work from July 2023 to July 2024, the Global Authority on Workplace Culture also recognized AZPNBL. In addition, Insurance Asia News named AZPNBL Life Insurer of the Year among Asian Insurers, and International Business Magazine named AZPNBL Most Outstanding Life Insurance Company-Philippines in 2022.

The accolades, according to Allianz PNB Life President and CEO Joseph Gross, encourage the business to keep providing top-notch goods, services, and solutions as part of its dedication to helping Filipinos. “We are anticipating strengthening our market leadership with our ongoing, pertinent innovation, which includes the digitalization of our insurance policies, along with the know-how, commitment, and Filipino brand of caring from our Life Changers.”

Following comments made by Housing Minister Sean Fraser that capping the number of international student visas is “one of the options” they “ought to consider” in order to address the housing problem in Canada, the Canadian government recently made news.

Kaede Kikumoto, a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC), stated that he is aware of this persistent problem.

“I must admit na tumaas talaga significantly ang cost ng pagbili at pag-rent ng bahay sa lahat ng parts ng Canada. Madami na rin ang nagiging homeless; humihingi ng tulong sa government at mga non-profit organizations for housing; hindi maka-afford bumili ng bahay dahil sa tuluy-tuloy na pagtaas ng presyo kaya nananatiling nangungupahan,” he said.

Late last year, he had dinner with the consul general of Vancouver and the ambassador of the Philippines to Canada, and they talked about possible causes of the issue. Kaede drew attention to the flaws in the visa processing system by noting a twofold increase in the number of Filipino international students studying in Canada. “Dahil ‘pag nabibigyan ng mga false promises at na-experience na ang realidad sa Canada, sa Consul General at Filipino non-profit organizations na ang lapit, sila din nahihirapan. “Minsan, nasisisi pa if you’re planning to allow ghost consultants or unauthorized representatives in the Philippines,” he remarked.

As Kaede stated, these misleading promises include the ability to become a permanent resident of Canada in a short amount of time and to take their family with them when they move abroad.

Eventually, our kababayans will realize that these things don’t come easy. This is when things start to complicate. He said, “Dito na papasok ‘yung ayaw nilang umuwi kasi nakapangutang na sila o nagbenta o nagsanla para panggastos papunta sa Canada. Ang ending, mag-o-overstay ng walang legal status o mag-cash jobs, which is illegal. ‘Yung iba ay nakikitira sa mga kamag-anak o kaibigan, pero may mga ilan na nagiging homeless o nagkakabaon-baon sa utang.”

Committed to helping our kababayans experience a hassle-free trip, Kaede’s Kikumoto Immigration Firm offers free consultations to guide them on their journey and to avoid getting scammed.

“Tumutulong ang Kikumoto Immigration Firm sa mga kababayan natin na magbigay ng mga tamang impormasyon at walang false promises. Ine-educate namin silang mabuti sa kung anong pwede nilang kaharapin sa Canada,” he said.

Guiding their clients in every step of the way, Kaede also warned people of engaging with illegal representatives.

“Inaalalayan ng Kikumoto Immigration Firm ang mga clients bago sila mag-apply for a visa, bago umalis, pagdating sa Canada at maging sa kanilang pananatili doon. Hindi namin sila iiwan sa ere, hindi gaya ng mga unauthorized representatives na hindi naman talaga legally authorized to represent clients. Hindi nila inaral ang immigration laws ng Canada unlike Kikumoto Immigration Firm na ran and owned by an RCIC,” he added. 

“Sa Kikumoto Immigration Firm, may malasakit sa clients. Kaya naman tuwang tuwa ang mga clients namin dahil kami pa mismo ang nagreremind sa kanila kung pwede na mag-apply ng post graduate work permit, permanent residency o citizenship. Inaalagaan namin ng mabuti ang immigration status nila sa Canada para hindi sila maligaw ng landas,” Kaede concluded.

About Kaede Kikumoto

Kaede Kikumoto, RCIC, MBA, PMP is a regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant and BC Commissioner for Taking Affidavits. Hailing from the city of Vancouver, Canada, Kaede is the Chief Executive Officer of Kikumoto Immigration Firm that has successfully processed over a hundred clients in less than a year.

About Kikumoto Immigration Firm

Established in 2021, Kikumoto Immigration Firm is a Vancouver-based company run by licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kaede Kikumoto.

Kikumoto Immigration Firm commits to offer professional immigration, education, recruitment & employment, business, and legal services to help provide fellow Filipinos the best opportunities and a better life in Canada.

Website: https://www.kikumotoimmigrationfirm.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KikumotoImmigrationFirm/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kikumotoimmigrationfirm/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/kikumotoimmigrationfirm

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kikumoto.immigrationfirm

Every region of the world has been affected by the water problem. Around 1.1 billion people globally lack access to water, and a total of 2.7 billion experience water scarcity for at least one month of the year, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Worse, by 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population could experience water shortages, and ecosystems would suffer.

A number of nations have made considerable advancements toward securing a more sustainable future for the planet as the seriousness of these problems becomes more and more clear. Singapore’s water management strategy and the sophisticated conservation measures used in The Netherlands are two notable examples.

Inspiration for the Philippines

In the Philippines, a multifaceted approach has also been embraced by the public and private sectors in safeguarding and managing water resources. SM Supermalls are at the forefront of the conservation and management of water resources in its mall facilities. Its endeavors form the foundation of a more sustainable and water-secure future that the company has long been advocating.

SM’s Vision: Greening the Future

SM has been recycling water since the 1990s, treating an average of 1 billion gallons of water annually in recent years, equivalent to 1,600 Olympic-sized swimming pools. In line with the SM Green Movement, SM has been continuously working towards responsible consumption and water conservation in its properties.

To illustrate, the SM Supermalls’ comfort rooms have smart fixtures to manage water flow. There are also signages in the mall that advocate wise water use. Wastewater is channeled to the malls’ sewage treatment plants that recycle an estimated total of 4 million cubic meters of water, lessening their dependence on freshwater sources for non-potable uses. SM did this even before the measure was required by way of the Clean Water Act in 2004.

SM Mall of Asia has been involved in various sustainability and environmental initiatives, including water recycling among others.

SM Supermalls utilizes recycled wastewater from the mall for irrigating its gardens.

SM Malls have “Save Water” signages that typically aim to create awareness about water conservation and inspire people to take simple actions to reduce their water consumption

Recently, SM took a step further in resource management by launching the first-ever water filtration system at SM City Baguio. This facility can turn collected rainwater into potable water for mall tenant use such as washing and cooking as well as dishwashing and handwashing, allowing the mall to further lessen its dependence on the freshwater supply of the Baguio community.

SM took a step further in resource management by launching the first-ever water filtration system at SM City Baguio.

The commitment of SM is consistent with global environmental sustainability and climate action objectives. This dedication is further demonstrated by rainwater collecting basins in flood-prone areas and the rainwater filtration system at SM Baguio. These noteworthy initiatives highlight the continued requirement for sustainable practices and legislation.

A Future with More Hope

The path to sustainable water management is still being traveled. Through its activities, SM Supermalls paves the road for a more secure and environmentally friendly future.

Visit SM Cares for more information or follow SM Supermalls on social media.