The PR & Events Circuit

Globe ambassadors BLACKPINK have lent their voices to the call for climate action. During the recent UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, the Korean mega-group addressed global leaders and audiences to come together in taking action in the ongoing fight against climate change. In a video message presented during COP26, BLACKPINK’s members JISOO, JENNIE, ROSÉ, and LISA urged their fans and the younger generation to take a stand and act against the most critical issue affecting everyone.   “Climate change is an established fact. We have learned of the devastating changes to nature, to the global weather, and the air we breathe. And the changes that we feared are already beginning to transform our planet.  We have learned that we must act now. Urgently, to prevent much, much, worse,” the group said. They noted the possible severe impacts on people and nature, with a third of the population being regularly exposed to extreme heat, which may lead to drought, h...

For manpower agencies, which have thousands of employees deployed in different offices and locations, transitioning to a cashless payroll disbursement platform was critical during the pandemic. Aside from the complicated logistics and health risks of actual cash handling during the pandemic, manpower agencies also spent long hours to manually keep track of salaries, actual work hours, and promotion or position changes. When there are mistakes in computations, it also takes time to trace and fix them. With these inconvenient and time-consuming problems made worse by restrictions during the pandemic, manpower agencies needed a more agile solution to ensure that their employees get paid the correct salaries on time, wherever they are, in a safe and secure manner.  A cashless disbursement platform like GCash PowerPay, a fast and secure digital payroll solution for salaries, allowances, incentives and more, provided the answer.  GCash PowerPay Plus also enables companies to disburs...

Japanese lifestyle retailer Miniso creates a new way of unboxing surprises for a more fun and exciting shopping experience with its latest BLIND BOX Collection. The idea of Blind Box packaging is a trend wherein the unwrapping moment brings layered experiences such as happiness, excitement and fun. This is aligned with Miniso’s belief that “Life is for fun”, and both kids and adults will enjoy opening these limited Miniso Blind Boxes. What’s inside these boxes? Collections of princesses and villains from Disney, Cartoon Network’s We Bare Bears, Budding Pop, and Icarer Family that echo the youth’s passion and hobby for 2D pop culture, and model toy play that are in affordable prices.  Conveniently shop for this limited  Miniso Blind Box Collection in-store or online via shop.minisoph.com. For more updates, follow MinisoPhilippines in Facebook and Miniso PH in Instagram.

Globe’s corporate venture builder, 917Ventures, recently introduced a new portfolio company, iNQUiRO, to help businesses make data-driven decisions in their operations.  This start-up offers a suite of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered products that allows small, medium, and large enterprises to create exciting value for their customers. iNQUiRO aims to address the challenges encountered by businesses in their journey towards data-driven insights, especially during the pandemic. These include access to the right data, tools, and technology. With its unique and unparalleled access to rich omnichannel data, iNQUiRO has developed products that can extract quick and actionable insights. “By providing organizations of all sizes with access to otherwise unobtainable insights, we enable them to make exceptional and impactful data-driven decisions. This is what makes iNQUiRO truly a game-changer, “said Pancho Reyna, Chief Operating Officer at iNQUiRO. iNQUiRO’s products are designed to ...

Universal Robina Corp. (URC) has proven itself as a true multinational company, with consumer products that are now mainstays in millions of shelves across the globe. Among the company’s market leaders abroad are its Fun-O biscuits and Tivoli wafers in Thailand.  Its C2 ready-to-drink brewed tea also remains a top seller in Vietnam. Pinoy classics like Great Taste, C2 and Jack ‘n Jill snacks are some of the many products that URC exports to other countries.   “We have the passion for producing great products and great global brands,” said Irwin Lee, URC’s president and CEO. URC attributes its strong performance in markets abroad to distribution networks anchored on their strong ties with their retailers. In Thailand, for instance, its subsidiaries directly service 7-Eleven outlets, as well as supermarkets operated by Makro, Tesco Lotus and Big C, apart from having wholesalers and roving sales staff. All its products, meanwhile, meet the highest standards wherever they are sold...

SM City Iloilo turns over additional assistance of P72,547.44 to Cag-an Upland and Lowland Development Association(CULDA) represented by Ms.Ronita Apurillo(2nd from left), the people's organization incharge of taking care of the 12,000 trees planted by SM City Iloilo and its affiliates in Brgy Cag-an, Anilao, Iloilo back in 2018.  Representing SM in the turnover are SM City Iloilo Asst Mall Managers Darrel John Defensor and Marilee Joan Biboso and PR Manager Troy Camarista. The amount will be used by CULDA for the continuing efforts of cultivating the fruit bearing trees planted at the 24-hectares land area.  The activity is part of SM’s Grow A Million Trees project in support of the National Greening Program of the national government. 

As part of its environmental protection and sustainability advocacy, Globe encourages everyone to practice responsible e-waste management and join its E-Waste Zero program.  E-waste Zero focuses on responsible disposal and recycling of electronic waste, one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the Philippines today. Miguel Bermundo, Globe Senior Manager for Sustainability Integration, discussed the program during his talk at the latest Liveable Cities Lab session on “Circular Economy: Take, Make, Use, Repeat!” presented by the Liveable Cities Challenge Philippines and the League of Cities of the Philippines, in partnership with Globe.  It aims to equip cities with knowledge and insights for designing better solutions for their communities.   E-waste refers to any old, non-working, and end-of-life devices. These cover all electrical and electronic equipment and its components, such as electronic or battery-operated devices and IT accessories and peripherals that ar...

 The accelerated digital habits of Filipinos during the pandemic drove the sustained exceptional performance of Globe’s broadband business.  Home broadband revenues posted a record P22.4 billion as of end-September, a 15% increase from the same period a year ago. The hike is even more significant if compared to the same period before the COVID-19 outbreak, reaching 39%. Likewise, Globe At Home’s subscriber base rose to 3.7 million from 3.5 million in the first nine months, with the wired broadband customer base growing by 32%. Additionally, Home Prepaid WiFi data traffic jumped 79% to 628 petabytes from 352 petabytes in the same period of 2020. To keep up with the constantly increasing demand for connectivity at home, Globe worked double-time to put up Fiber To The Home (FTTH) lines.  It has already installed over one million FTTH lines, surpassing its full-year target. Continuing on this pace, it expects to roll out 1.4 million FTTH lines by year-end. Globe’s efforts hav...

Just a month after it announced its 28th township, the 85-hectare Northwin Global City in Marilao and Bocaue in Bulacan, Megaworld is developing around 16 hectares of land to become the township’s central business district (CBD), which will be aptly called the Northwin Main Street. The Northwin Main Street will be masterplanned like New York City’s Fifth Avenue where corporate buildings, shophouses, hotels, and commercial towers abound while keeping the walkability of the district.  It will offer 145 prime shophouse and commercial lots lined up in pedestrian-friendly streets surrounded with well-curated gardens and parks.   The 16-hectare Northwin Main Street will offer prime commercial and shophouse lots surrounded by parks and gardens for businesses, multinational companies Shophouse lot sizes range from 250 square meters to 550 square meters while commercial lot sizes range from 450 square meters to 750 square meters.  Due for turnover in 2026, the company’s proje...

Globe has partnered with the Maguindanao Electric Cooperative (MAGELCO) to accelerate the rollout of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) technology and provide more affordable electricity in Mindanao.  This is part of the company’s commitment to deliver a #1stWorldNetwork to Filipinos.   The partnership involves a joint pole agreement that allows Globe to leverage MAGELCO’s infrastructure in providing seamless internet connectivity through fiber technology in the province. MAGELCO will also assist Globe in its permanent power applications and in securing necessary permits. In return, Globe extended P28.9 million in financial support to MAGELCO to establish a power substation to lower electricity costs and provide a stable power supply.  Town residents within Maguindanao stand to benefit from this undertaking.   The partnership is a testament that organizations with a common goal of providing needed services can also achieve positive societal impact.  Parties can leve...

Globe adds 5G roaming services in more countries in Europe, making it the only Philippine telco with the widest 5G coverage in the continent. As COVID restrictions ease and global travel slowly picks up, Globe’s partnerships expand its global footprint and allow customers to enjoy new travel experiences in more countries at 5G speeds.   Globe has established 5G roaming partnerships in Greece with Cosmote, in Slovakia through O2, and in Ireland through Vodafone. Globe customers can also avail of high-speed roaming services in the United Kingdom through Vodafone.   These add to Globe’s already extensive list of European partner countries, which include Bulgaria through Vivacom, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden through Telia Company, Italy through Telecom Italia, Czech Republic through O2, Switzerland through Swisscom, Greece via Cosmote and Germany through Vodafone.   “As we continue to partner with more 5G-ready telcos around the world, our goal i...

To help Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) provide for their family’s needs in the Philippines, especially during the pandemic, GCash adds a new international remittance partner - Sendwave. In partnership with GCash, Sendwave users may send remittances directly to their beneficiary’s GCash wallet at Zero fee! To add to that, Sendwave is adding USD10, or approximately PHP500, to the OFW’s beneficiary’s GCash wallet when sending money to a GCash account for the first time,from October 1 to December 31, 2021. Sendwave is available in the US, Canada, and Europe, allowing Overseas Filipinos to send money back home to their families’ GCash wallet instantly. “We recognize that many families in the Philippines rely on the remittances OFWs send them, and that’s why, at GCash, we strive to continuously offer safe and convenient services that benefit everyone. With GCash, sending money to loved ones and managing finances is easier for everyone, anywhere in the world, using only their mobile phone...

PLDT Home launches the first-ever 10,000 Mbps fiber-optic service in the Philippines, in a history-making move towards the future of home connectivity. Pioneered by the Philippines’ fastest broadband internet service provider, the new service now puts the country next to first-world nations such as South Korea, Japan, Sweden, Norway, Italy, New Zealand, and the USA, in terms of having access to ultra-fast home internet speed. PLDT Home is confident its 10,000 Mbps service will set the bar for the future of internet speeds in the Philippines.  “We at PLDT continue to play an active role in shaping the future of our country and leading the way towards a connected nation. We are doing all these for our north star – our customers: business owners, professionals, tech mavericks with very large homes, multiple high-bandwidth users with multiple screens. And with all that life requires of them, they need the fastest home broadband powered by the fastest network. And we are more than ready...

  917Ventures, the country’s largest venture builder, is a key factor in Globe’s transformation into a digital solutions platform.  As Globe goes beyond telco, its wholly-owned subsidiary ensures that the everyday challenges of consumers and businesses are addressed through digital means.   917Ventures ideates, launches, accelerates, and scales new businesses that have the potential to grow fast.  It aims to create the next generation of companies in the Philippines and beyond. So far, 917Ventures is on track with its goal to future-proof its parent company.  It creates and customizes solutions specific to what Filipinos need and partners with other organizations, if necessary.      “Through the ventures that we have now and the new ones that we fund, build, and develop, we believe that we can help solve the pain points of our customers.  We are journeying our customers to digital not only to make their lives easier, but to align them wi...