Online entrepreneur and content creator Sharmane Coquilla creatively curating her paper making kits for her online shop So She Gathers (www.soshegathers.carrd.co and soshegathers on Instagram)

In early 2020, when the pandemic hit the nation, hundreds of thousands of internet retailers had trouble sending their goods. Digital entrepreneurs of all sizes were searching for simple and dependable alternatives to continue delivering their orders and running their businesses due to movement constraints and the associated health hazards that come with it.

“I had two main concerns when dispatching internationally while the pandemic was (still is) looming: price and delivery time. As ports threatened to shut down with little to no warning, courier prices rose and shipping time estimates doubled. My shipping fees when I started my shop were very unreasonable where the shipping rates cost more than the products I sell,” tells Sharmane Coquilla, Founder of So She Gathers, an online creative shop with customers in the US and Europe. “Although my handmade papers sold out and I received orders for my paper making kits regardless of the absurdity of the shipping rates, the business model I was building my shop upon was far from sustainable.”

The growing opportunity for underserved internet businesses was identified by total logistics company In-Line Forwarder. As one of Southeast Asia’s Internet economies that is currently experiencing the fastest growth, the Philippines, Inline began developing services specifically for them, including same-day Metro Manila delivery, international shipping, convenient pick-ups, no minimum weight requirements for small items, and even 24/7 customer service hotlines.

“As a leading brand in the logistics and shipping industry for the past 17 years, we deliver to over 200 locations around the world, whether express, postal, or by sea. We are growing fast and continuously innovating,” said Lindee Yu, the Founder of In-Line. “Our operating strategy is flexible and we are upgrading our e-commerce capabilities. It’s a really a concerted effort among all our employees as we take care of our customers.”

Inline Forwarder expands it operations to address the growing e-commerce market by operating multiple hubs across the Philippines: Caloocan, Malabon, Paranaque, Manila, San Fernando, and Cebu

Founded in 2005, In-Line Forwarder started with only one motorcycle and a humble office in Malabon. With exposure in the airline industry, the company was offering only international shipping service to individuals and small businesses back then.

Today, it has grown its fleet to include multiple trucks, 6 operating hubs across the archipelago, and manages a portfolio of big corporate accounts such as Aggreko and a well-known Philippine publisher. It also proudly caters to the thriving community of Amazon and eBay sellers in the country.

The business emphasizes that they are currently starting a project to fully digitize and automate many In-processes. Line’s It will open the In-Line Wholesale Online Store for social merchants in the fourth quarter of 2022, serving both domestic and international clients.

“In-Line was able to offer my customers better shipping rates with a more than acceptable delivery time. Since moving to them, I received more international orders because the product cost to shipping rate ratio became more reasonable. Thankfully, shipping concerns is one less thing that I worry about and it gave me time and energy to focus on other aspects of my online shop,” adds Coquilla.

In advance of the spike in e-commerce purchases during these gift-giving months, online businesses may now take advantage of In-holiday Line’s discounts at https://www.facebook.com/InlineForwarders.

MOA Complex night shot

Leading conservation organization World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines and SM Prime Holdings, Inc., one of Southeast Asia’s top integrated property developers, have teamed up to establish a more robust reporting structure to solve the climate problem. This significant collaboration between WWF and a Philippine business will help them create a customized decarbonization program. At SM Prime, sustainability is key to the company’s identity. In addition to breaking ground on groundbreaking programs to actively safeguard the environment and place a strong emphasis on resilience in its developments, SM Prime is at the forefront of promoting sustainable practices.

Under the partnership, SM Prime will adopt the Corporates for a Better Planet Initiative (CBPI), WWF-Philippines’ flagship program that provides an actionable framework for organizations to operate sustainably within the paradigm of the climate crisis.

“We are delighted to work with WWF Philippines on this sustainable journey. Focusing sustainability within the context of the Philippines ensures that our strategies and projects are highly material, efficient and more responsive in addressing local concerns surrounding resilience and adaptation. We need to be one with the worldwide community to achieve this and we need to work with global experts to get this right,” SM Prime President Jeffrey C. Lim said.

Climate change is one of the most pressing and defining global issues today. The Philippines currently ranks third globally when it comes to climate change vulnerability. In relation to its geographical location, it is more exposed to altering intensities of climate change manifested through erratic weather systems and natural calamities.

These risks are rife with complexity and uncertainty and organizations typically fail to properly assess their implications. The CBPI program takes a holistic approach towards this pivotal issue, addressing these risks from a custom-built, science-based perspective.

By partnering with the WWF, SM Prime will be able to enhance and determine climate change solutions that will be reflected through responsible and transparent reporting.

The first phase of CBPI involves gauging where SM Prime stands in its sustainability initiatives and setting a science-based target in line with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels. SM Prime published its first Integrated Report in 2021 under the Integrated Reporting Framework which provides an overview of our value creation model — how we seek to create value for our stakeholders by contributing to national progress through investments and interventions critical to the country’s socio-economic growth.

As a champion of climate action in the Philippines, our partnership with WWF adds another enhancement to transparent reporting by ensuring greenhouse gas (GHG) computations are accurate and use appropriate methodologies.

With the need to broaden efforts to protect the environment, this partnership forms part of group-wide efforts under the SM Green Movement that aims to improve the quality of life of communities through sustainable solutions to promote a green planet, green living and a green culture.

The relationship between SM Prime and WWF began in 2007 under the Hamilo Coast project, a recreational resort being built in Nasugbu, Batangas.

The Pico de Loro, Etayo, and Santelmo are three of the coves on the Hamilo Coast that have been classified as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and WWF closely monitors their health and viability.

Hamilo Coast was recognized by WWF-Philippines in 2020 as its longest-standing Sustainability Partner in appreciation of their conservation efforts.

Find out more about SM Prime and the SM Green Movement

School is finally back in session as the Department of Education has declared August 22 as the first day of classes. While blended learning is still the mandate, schools have kicked-off their preparations for face to face classes through Brigada Eskwela, inspiring community-wide effort and collaboration to prepare the schools in time for resumption of classes.

Brigada Eskwela 2022 held its national kick-off last August 1 at the Imus Pilot Elementary School, where Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte shared that “the collaboration between the parents, the teachers, local governments, and the entire community on Brigada Eskwela opens a deeper and meaningful collaboration even until after the school year closes”.

With the theme “Tugon sa Hamon ng Ligtas na Balik-Aral”, this year’s Brigada Eskwela focuses on the collective effort to create a safe learning environment for the students, teachers and school community while ensuring the delivery of quality education.

Answering this call to support our public schools and create a safe return to face to face classes, Unilever Philippines has partnered with the Department of Education to help provide access to clean school toilets and to promote proper hygiene in the community. Powering this effort from Unilever Philippines is Domex: a brand of disinfectants proven to kill 99.9% of germs while helping remove visible stains and eliminate odors (based on lab tests against representative germs).

For Brigada Eskwela 2022, Unilever Philippines successfully provided over Php 300,000 worth of Domex products to more than 40 schools nationwide, along with deploying cleaning tools and dedicated Domex clean-up teams to 7 partner schools across Metro Manila. The partner schools include Batasan Hills National High School, Quezon City Science High School, Comembo Elementary School, Palanan Elementary School, Santolan Elementary School, Santolan High School, and Gat Andres Bonifacio Elementary School.

Unilever employees volunteer to clean bathrooms inGat Andres Bonifacio Elementary School

Domex Brand Manager Regina Ocampo further explains, “As a brand, we believe access to clean and safe toilets should be a right, not a privilege, and that clean, safe toilets contribute to better learning and ultimately, better futures for our students. This commitment is why Brigada Eskwela is only the start of an exciting new partnership with DepEd.”

Ocampo shares that later this year, Domex and DepEd will be launching the Domex Eskwelang Unstoppable Awards, a program built with implementing partner Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) that empowers and distinguishes outstanding school division offices and schools in implementing DepEd’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Schools (WinS) program. She adds, “Essentially, it recognizes the commitment and effort of schools and school divisions in providing clean toilets for the students.”

And to further promote public health and environmental hygiene, Domex has also extended product provision to various local institutions. Philippine Red Cross vaccination hubs and laboratories, and local hospitals received their share of Domex disinfectants as part of the goal to curb rising cases of COVID-19.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/DomexPhilippines, to learn more about Domex’s advocacy of making clean comfort rooms accessible to all Filipinos