Alfamart opens first Bataan store
Alfamart, the first and only super minimart chain in the Philippines, recently opened its first store in the province of Bataan, specifically in Santa Rosa, Pilar.
This new location plays a pivotal role in Alfamart’s strategic expansion, in light of the company’s goal to reach 1200 stores by the end of 2021. “Having a presence in Bataan gives us access to more markets in the western part of Central Luzon,” explained Alfamart Philippines COO Harvey Ong. “As with our other branches, we hope to serve the residents of Santa Rosa, Pilar and the province of Bataan–to become part of the local community and to help in its development,” he further noted. Two more stores in Bataan are scheduled to be opened in the near future.
Consistent with its mission to provide ripple effects of opportunity to the communities that it serves, Alfamart creates local employment opportunities, provides rental income for local lessors, consigns local products, and partners with local small businesses who seek retail space. “Mutual and inclusive growth has always been part of our strategy. We give opportunities to local entrepreneurs, while they give us insights about the local market.
And we use those lessons to find out how we can better integrate ourselves into the community,” he concluded.
Currently, Alfamart has over 1,100 stores across Metro Manila and Luzon.
Globe, Curvalux bag WBA award for bridging connectivity gap in hard-to-reach areas
Globe and Curvalux won the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) Best Wi-Fi for Social Impact award for helping bring high-speed internet connectivity in hard-to-reach areas, especially in communities where electricity is unreliable or non-existent.
The award recognizes and celebrates innovative Wi-Fi network-based services that have been deployed on a trial or commercial basis in at least one country or market. Globe’s win was based on its scores in technical and business innovations, user-experience enhancement, and scale of market impact.
To address the problem of households being unable to access the internet, Globe turned to Curvalux to trial a disruptive fixed wireless broadband technology two years ago. The goal is to provide more capacity, enable higher data rates at a longer range, reduce power consumption and ensure that customer premise equipment (CPE) is more affordable and easier to install.
Curvalux uses an innovative ‘phased array multibeam broadband system’ that requires 10 times less power than traditional telecoms infrastructure and can run solely on solar energy and batteries. It is more practical than power-hungry terrestrial antennas, which are difficult to deploy in rural areas, especially where power is limited or non-existent.
The product employs an off-the-shelf Wi-Fi cpe. The Curvalux system provided speeds of up to 150Mbps for both download and upload throughput in line-of-sight at a range of 2km from the site.
Globe ensures increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies as part of its commitment to the Race To Zero global campaign of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The initiative rallies global players to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest.
Cebu Pacific offers priority boarding
Cebu Pacific will launch on October 28 another customer-first initiative through its newest offering, Go Ahead, which will give passengers priority boarding for as low as P350.
Passengers flying to and from anywhere in the Philippines can now purchase a premium seat on any of CEB’s flights, and experience priority boarding, along with extra legroom.
“With Go Ahead, passengers will also be able to secure space at the overhead bins for their hand-carried bags ahead of everyone else,” said Candice Iyog, vice president for Marketing & Customer Experience.
Purchasing seats ahead of time will also provide assurance that everyJuan may sit together with their companions, wherever they prefer.
Eased travel
Local government units of five destinations in the 2GO Travel network have relaxed travel restrictions and have simplified entry requirements. The cities of Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, and the province of Cebu, are now granting entry to fully vaccinated travelers without the need for RT-PCR tests.
Fully vaccinated passengers bound for Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, and Iloilo can easily apply for their travel coordination permit via S-PaSS. All passengers are welcome to Cebu province by simply presenting a medical certificate issued within 24 hours before arrival.
2GO Travel launched the ₱99 promo inclusive of 50kg baggage allowance and free unlimited rebooking. Passengers can avail of the promo until Oct. 26 for sailing on Nov. 15 to Dec. 31, 2021. Fully vaccinated passengers will enjoy a 10 percent discount on non-promo tickets purchased from 2GO stores.
Partnership for affordable healthcare
Metro Pacific Investments Corp. ’s mWell PH has partnered with PhilCare that will allow users to consult doctors 24/7 or book an appointment at a convenient time, access fitness and nutrition programs developed by experts and even shop for health items on the e-shop–all in a few taps, without having to leave home.
Primary care and specialized doctors are now available for video consultations on the mWell PH app. Further strengthening this partnership, mWell now offers PhilCare health plans at discounted prices as part of its Gift of mWellness campaign for Christmas.
mWell users can avail of up to 10 percent off on various PhilCare health plans on the mWell PH app e-shop until November 15.
mWell’s constantly growing ecosystem gives patients easy access to doctors from top hospitals including Makati Medical Center, Cardinal Santos, Asian Hospital and Medical Center De Los Santos Medical Center, Manila Doctors Hospital and Marikina Valley Medical Center.
foodpanda riders get perks
foodpanda Philippines has expanded its partnerships and business relations to offer extensive rewards programs, incentives, and partnership discounts for its partner riders’ hard work and efforts.
In total, foodpanda has partnered with 28 establishments including gasoline stations Caltex and UniOil which offer discounts on gas per liter and lubricants; and motorcycle shops Ropali and Rusi for loan and discounts on cash installment payments.
foodpanda riders who purchase a Rusi or Ropali motorcycle are entitled to a straight discount of P5,000 for cash payments, and a P400 monthly rebate for those who opt to pay in installments.
Through Panda Quest, a program that provides attractive incentives to top-performing riders, riders were rewarded last June with Rusi motorcycle.
Apart from the grand prizes that riders can win every month, daily incentives are also provided under a program called “Pandawards” to motivate them to do their best. They can claim daily rewards by simply accumulating points called “Bamboos” for good performance during a delivery. Among the items that can be claimed through the Kapanda app are jackets, helmets, rice, and more.
foodpanda also offers incentives to riders who get vaccinated. The company is giving P300 cash to the first 10,000 riders to show proof of vaccination, as well as the chance to win a TVS Dazz.
Riders can also engage in a rider-community-centric friendly esports competition under the Panda Legends event. Winners of this competition receive grand prizes.
Developers online convention
The Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA) Inc., in partnership with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), will conduct its annual National Developers Convention online with plenary sessions on October 28 to 29, and November 4 to 5.
With the theme “Beyond The Pandemic: The Future of Housing,” National Developers Convention 2021 will focus on providing an avenue for housing and property developers, key practitioners in the housing industry from the national and local government, and key stakeholders in the housing sector to tackle how they can collaborate in redesigning the housing industry through innovation and green initiatives with the ultimate goal to create smart subdivisions.
The virtual convention will be delivered via a customized microsite containing offerings and elements that will be educational for all delegates and participants. SHDA invites all the people involved in the housing development sector to join them in the event.
Cloud4C named a visionary
Cloud4C, a leading cloud managed services provider, has been named a Visionary in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Public Cloud IT Transformation Services for its Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute.
According to the report, “the adoption of public cloud services has accelerated as demonstrated by a five-year compound annual growth rate of 20.7 percent. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations have realized the business benefits of cloud-based solutions.”
“We believe our recognition in the Magic Quadrant report is a testament to the unparalleled value Cloud4C’s cloud-native automation-driven agile solutions such as SHOP or Self-healing Operations Platform add,” said Sridhar Pinnapureddy, founder and CEO of Cloud4C.
“Across industries, a greater need is felt for new skills, tools, strategies, and processes to materialize the transformation towards a cloud-native future. Cloud4C’s unfaltering commitment to be instrumental in accelerating the journey and driving business outcomes has reaffirmed our position as a trusted public cloud IT transformation partner in the global arena. This recognition strengthens our belief that our approach is finding resonance among the leading analysts, clients as well as the wider market.”
