The PR & Events Circuit

The importance and value of breast milk for newborn or sick babies can never be understated. Stories have been written numerous times as to how babies’ lives have depended much on the availability of breast milk while its scarcity brought dire consequences. As a research project undergraduate, Kevin Facun and his team were tasked to create innovative solutions to answer basic problems in his community in Malolos, Bulacan. One of these concerns involved health care, particularly in hospitals in his home town where he noticed a peculiar need for breast milk. From L-R:  Kickstart Ventures President Minette Navarrete,  Ashoka Philippines Chairman Rico Gonzalez, MilkTrack Founder Kevin Facun  with teammates Mark Sampayan and Richie Ryan Tan, and Globe Telecom Head of Innovation Mikey Garrovillo Facun said they visited neonatal units and saw how breast milk is considered a basic necessity for babies for them to survive. “We heard lots of stories on the need for bre...

Snapcart, the real-time offline shopper and consumer insights startup, late last month closed a USD10 million series A funding from several investors, which include Kickstart Ventures, the wholly-owned venture capital company of Globe Telecom.  The amount, which is significant for a data B2B startup, would be used to advance  further Snapcart’s AI-based OCR technology, as well as expand its operations and teams in the Philippines and Indonesia, where it currently operates. Snapcart is pushing  to widen its market to include other Southeast Asian countries.  Photo (L-R): Laith Abu Rakty, Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer; Teresa Condicion, Co-Founder & Chief Data & Operations Officer; Araya Hutasuwan, Co-Founder & Chief Financial Officer; Reynazran Royono, Founder & Chief Executive Officer "A sizable amount of the fund will be used to further enhance our product's proposition. Given our unique organization structure, where our Data S...

A homegrown taxi-hailing app from Davao that is the first-ever government-endorsed service connecting most taxis in Davao City is eyeing nationwide expansion, said AVIS Philippines President and CEO Francisco Mauricio during its December 19 launch in Davao City Hall that was graced by the presence of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte. Playing with the phrase “here now” to symbolize speed and convenience, Hirna launched as the latest taxi-hailing app in Davao but with an eye for expanding later on to other major urban centers in the country. “We believe being a homegrown service that embodies and champions unique Dabawenyo values guarantees strong support from local partners and patronage by the local passengers. We hope to replicate this model for other parts of the country,” said Mr. Mauricio.

Globe Telecom's International Business Group, together with Philippine Airlines, Puregold, and the Manila International Airport Authority, pulled another Christmas surprise for arriving Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), balikbayans, and tourists this time from Hong Kong and Singapore.   Upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Terminal 2, all passengers of flight PR502 and PR319 from Singapore and Hong Kong, respectively, were welcomed with holiday greetings and Noche Buena gift packs by representatives of the four organizations.   A returning kababayan from Singapore and her kids cannot contain their happiness over the Christmas surprise which greeted them upon arrival at NAIA Terminal 2.  The kids received plush toys while their mom got a Noche Buena package, a free Mabuhay Traveler SIM, and P100 transport discount voucher.

Leading telecommunications firm Globe Telecom reaped another major accolade for its Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) initiatives, winning the award 6 times for the past 9 years.  Globe again won the Platinum award given by The Asset Corporate Awards, the longest-running ESG award-giving body in Asia. The company received the prestigious award in recognition of its exceptional work in the Environment, Social and Corporate Governance space.  This year also marks the sixth time that Globe Telecom won the Platinum award, having won last year and previously in 2014, 2013, 2010 and 2009. The award further highlights the company’s consistent performance when it comes to its Environment, Social and Corporate Governance efforts. The award is bestowed annually by leading research firm Asset Benchmark Research (ABR).  “We are grateful for this recognition as we strive to manage our business impact while contributing to positive social change. ...

Globe is seeking to change the landscape of entertainment by promoting the digital lifestyle and at the same time protecting the industry through its advocacy #PlayItRight. It pursues its mission to bring more original content to Filipinos as it brings Globe first ever co-produced film, “All Of You”. The beautifully crafted romantic comedy is among the movies participating in the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). “Producing original content also comes with the responsibility of educating our customers to consume the right and legitimate way through the advocacy #PlayItRight,” says Quark Henares, head of Globe Studios.  The #PlayItRight campaign champions the entertainment industry by producing or releasing quality online or offline content and making more accessible to audiences.  It encourages Globe customers to consume their entertainment in the right way, by avoiding piracy. Piracy undervalues and takes away the creative efforts that each member of a production ...

By now, everyone is aware that internet speeds vary per country for various reasons.  Arguably, netizens in the Philippines have a love-hate relationship with their ISPs.  While this may be so, one thing is true across nations around the world: people love to be entertained.   With the Philippines tracking a regular speed of 5.5 Mbps on wired and 12.33 Mbps on mobile, Globe Telecom’s data traffic from major video streaming services including YouTube and Netflix accounted for 27% of total data traffic in mobile and broadband LTE at the end of September this year.     The significant contribution of video-streaming services in mobile and broadband LTE traffic reflects the company’s aggressive deployment of infrastructure and technologies to increase network capacities and address customers’ growing bandwidth requirement amid increasing popularity of on-demand video content.  

AirAsia has celebrated its inaugural flight from Kuala Lumpur to Davao, Philippines. The new route will operate with four times weekly flights between Davao and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.   Passengers happily waiting at KLIA 2 A receiving ceremony was held at Francisco Bangoy International Airport to celebrate the maiden flight AK590 at  2.25PM  with a 100% load factor. All guests on board the flight were presented with souvenirs. Celebratory all-in-fares from PHP1599* one-way are available for booking online at  airasia.com  from now until  31 December 2017  with travel period from now until  30 June 2018 . The promotional fares are also available on AirAsia’s mobile app on iPhone and Android devices, as well as mobile site at  mobile.airasia.com . Water Canon salute upon arrival at Francisco Bangoy International Airport, Davao City, Philippines The new route signifies the fourth direct route from the Philippines to Mala...

GCash dominated the Philippine retail e-payment landscape in 2017 with over 4,000 QRs deployed nationwide, a testament to the growing number of merchants who believe in the capability of GCash to usher in cashless payments in the country. A mobile wallet service offered by Mynt, a financial technology company owned by Globe Telecom, Ant Financial and Ayala Corp, GCash has been relentless in helping Filipinos get used to a cashless lifestyle and has been bullish in its vision to create an inclusive cashless environment in the Philippines. E-payments provide safety and convenience when shopping for goods and services as people need not carry around loads of cash anymore.   In August this year,  GCash introduced the scan to pay feature in the GCash App  that allowed customers to pay by simply scanning QR (quick response) codes of merchants.  

Having problems with your home Wi-Fi connection? To ensure that you make the most out of your Wi-Fi connection, Globe At Home introduces the Globe Tech Squad, our special tech customer service team that will provide end-to-end support for Wi-Fi connectivity and home-related needs. With a one-time fee of P1,200, Globe At Home customers can avail of the Globe Tech Squad service. The Globe Tech Squad will diagnose the different spaces of your home to identify potential signal interferences, improve the Wi-Fi signal by recommending the best router placement to increase signal strength & coverage, and resolve connectivity issues with the necessary Wi-Fi mesh extenders and configuration. They can also connect all existing devices in the home to the Wi-Fi such as TVs, laptops, security cameras, printers, speakers etc.