Ayala Foundation donation
Ayala Foundation recently secured over 800 Chromebook laptops from JPMorgan Chase — Philippine Global Service Center.
The donation will be used to improve learning outcomes and the competitiveness of micro and small enterprises in underserved communities.
This donation underscores JPMorgan Chase and Ayala Foundation’s joint commitment to economic inclusion by fostering digital literacy and providing access to technology to public school students and small business owners. The turnover ceremonies were held simultaneously last April 4 at JPMorgan Chase offices in Manila and Cebu.
“The Chromebooks helped our employees remain productive and stay connected during the pandemic. We’re happy to see that these will do the same for Ayala Foundation beneficiaries nationwide,” said Bettina Salmo, head of the Corporate Centers in the Philippines.
Ayala Foundation will distribute the 800 Chromebooks across its various programs and communities to support its education and livelihood projects.
Most of the laptops will be used by students and teachers in underserved areas via digital education platforms, while others will be assigned to U-Go college scholars. Several units will be donated to support community enterprises under Project Lio in Palawan, where the Chromebooks will be used to digitalize and streamline their operations.
As Ayala Foundation works toward building thriving communities, it will continue to forge strategic partnerships to better serve its beneficiaries.
Jollibee Group awarded Global Good Governance nod
The Jollibee Group was recently honored with the “3G Championship Award for Community Development and Philanthropy 2024” at the 9th Global Good Governance Awards or 3G Awards held in Taguig City.
Cambridge International Finance Advisory (Cambridge IFA), a global financial services intelligence house, conferred the award on Jollibee Group for spearheading programs that have made a positive impact on the community through its social development arm, Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF). The award also recognized Jollibee Group’s efforts in strengthening their business practice to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
“We are honored to receive such a prestigious award from Cambridge IFA. This recognizes the hard work that the Jollibee Group Foundation has done through decades — inculcating our knowledge on food to uplift the livelihood of farmers, feeding schoolchildren so they can graduate, and providing thousands of meals in disaster-stricken areas. We share this recognition with our partners in the government, NGOs, and our employee volunteers for getting together to help achieve a wider impact on more communities,” said Ernesto Tanmantiong, president and CEO of Jollibee Group. “We will remain committed to improving our business practices and empowering our employees as we continue to serve great-tasting food and bring the joy of eating to everyone.”
JGF promotes improved access to food by implementing programs on agro-entrepreneurship through its Farmer Entrepreneurship Program and on education through the Busog Lusog Talino Feeding Program and the Access, Curriculum, and Employability (ACE) Scholarship Program. The Foundation also spearheads disaster response efforts through the FoodAID program while working with partner organizations and national government agencies in the Philippines and other countries.
PETValue recycles 1B PET bottles
PETValue Philippines, the country’s first bottle-to-bottle, food-grade recycling facility, achieved a landmark 1 billion PET bottles recycled.
A joint venture between Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI) and Indorama Ventures, a global sustainable chemical company, PETValue gives limitless life to clear PET plastic bottles. The facility turns used post-consumer clear PET bottles–fully recyclable packaging–into new food-grade recycled PET (rPET) bottles, thus closing the “make-use-recycle” loop for plastic packaging.
“We are immensely proud of PETValue’s journey in the country, because it plays a valuable part in a much bigger system that enables a ripple of collective action and sustainable solutions against plastic pollution. PETValue’s recycling milestone is a collective accomplishment that proves that there are billions of reasons we should all work together,” says CCBPI President and CEO Gareth McGeown.
“We at CCBPI share this achievement with all our current and future partners. This would not have been possible without all of you, and we are truly grateful for your unwavering support,” McGeown added, emphasizing the value of strong collaboration to fulfill shared goals. “We are only getting started, because we know there is much more to be done.”
Established in General Trias, Cavite, the 2.28-billion-peso multi-phased joint venture investment uses the most advanced bottle-to-bottle PET recycling technology in the country and has generated about 200 direct jobs for Filipinos.
In reaching the milestone of the 1 billionth PET bottle recycled, PETValue Philippines stands as a testament to the strength of partnerships between communities and like-minded organizations in the campaign for sustainability and a greener future.
The program continues to grow, even after reaching 170 cities and municipalities nationwide. CCBPI has also partnered with more LGUs–including Davao del Sur, Iloilo, and Camiguin–to haul plastic bottle stockpiles to PETValue. The Province of Davao del Sur has even officially integrated Tapon to Ipon into their solid waste management plans.
UnaCash, ComWorks partnership
UnaCash, an in-app and in-store financial solutions provider, forged a strategic partnership with ComWorks Inc., a prominent mobile solutions provider, to introduce point-of-sale loans aimed at enhancing smartphone accessibility for Filipinos.
UnaCash’s point-of-sale loans will be available across all 53 ComWorks branches in the Philippines, offering flexible installment options of up to 12 months at rates as low as zero interest to empower every Filipino to upgrade their lifestyle with ease.
This partnership underscores a shared vision to revolutionize credit accessibility and elevate the smartphone purchasing experience for consumers across the Philippines, supported by UnaCash’s recent introduction of installment loans, further promoting responsible borrowing among its customer base.
“With 28 years in the industry, ComWorks Inc. has facilitated wholesaler telecommunications services and mobile network equipment to cater to the needs of the local market. UnaCash is thrilled to advance this partnership as we are confident that we can bring in innovative point-of-sale solutions to address their customers’ needs, and support them in expanding credit accessibility within the Philippines,” said Erwin Ocampo, head of product at UnaCash.
FEU research
Far Eastern University (FEU) is spearheading the first Philippines research on stillbirth and neonatal deaths.
The research initiative “COntinuing care in COVID-19 Outbreak: A global survey of New expectant and bereaved parent experiences (COCOON)” is led by FEU, as the Philippines is one of its contributing countries.
The project is one of the first projects in the university wherein two disciplines collaborate: nursing and psychology. It is also the first study in the Philippines that aims to look at the social determinants of stillbirth and neonatal deaths to parents.
“COCOON Philippines is a collaborative project between FEU and the University of Queensland. It is a global project conducted in different countries. We are also collaborating with Mater Research Institute, King’s College London, and International Stillbirth Alliance.,” said Dr. Joemer Maravilla, supervising coordinator of COCOON and adjunct faculty of the FEU Nursing Department.
FEU is primarily funding COCOON Philippines through its University Research Assistance Grant, a university-wide research time and financial assistance to FEU academic researchers. The project is currently funded until 2026 and is headed by the principal investigator Asst. Prof. Joycelyn Abiog Filoteo of the Nursing Department, with Dr. Ana Nelia Lopez Jumamil of the Psychology Department as co-leads.
COCOON Philippines aims to include 1,100 participants, composed of pregnant women, women who experienced stillbirth and neonatal death, and their partners. The data collection involves a mixed self-administered online survey and face-to-face survey in Metro Manila and Region IV-A (CALABARZON). Research participants will receive P250 as compensation for their time taking the survey.
