Aid for Typhoon Odette survivors
Araneta Group and its social responsibility arm, the J. Amado Araneta Foundation (JAAF), have turned over donations for typhoon Odette survivors to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).
In a turnover ceremony on January 19 at the Gateway Tower, representatives of Araneta City and JAAF handed cash and essentials like sacks of rice, bottles of mineral water, noodles, canned goods, boxes of face masks, medicines, hygiene items, footwear, and undergarments to PRC officials.
The donations were gathered through Operation R.E.A.C.H. (Relief Efforts of Araneta City-zens to Help). Through this program, the public were invited to put their donations in drop boxes located at the Gateway Mall, Ali Mall, Farmers Plaza, and Gateway Tower.
RCBC’s issuance named Deal of the Year
The Asian Legal Business (ALB) awarded the AT1 securities offering of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) as the Debt Market Deal of the Year (Midsize).
This recognition was given during the ALB’s 6th Annual Philippine Law Awards last November 19, 2021.
In August 2020, RCBC successfully issued a Reg S US Dollar-denominated Additional Tier 1 (AT1) securities with an aggregate principal amount of $300 million. The transaction is the first AT1 securities issuance of RCBC and also the very first offering of its kind in the Philippines.
The successful AT1 securities offering reopened the US Dollar AT1 bond market of Southeast Asia, following an issuance by another company that took place seven months prior to RCBC’s issuance.
RCBC senior executive vice president and head of Strategic Initiatives Jomi Deveras said the deal raised funds to support and finance the bank’s medium to long-term expansion plans and other general corporate purposes.
RCBC successfully priced the AT1 securities at 6.5 percent, or 25 basis points tighter than the initial price guidance.
Accenture updates
Accenture launched its Accessibility Center on Wheels project. according to the company it is in line with their continuing Inclusion & Diversity commitment and steadfast ambition to be the most inclusive and diverse employer in the information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry in the Philippines,
The project is a compact, mobile accessibility solutions suite whereby Accenture Philippines’ employees with vision, hearing, speech or mobility impairment will be able to access an array of personalized assistive technologies such as headsets, talk-to-text keyboards, glasses, among other equipment, in the comfort of their homes. The program is the latest development within the Accessibility Center initiative, which was pioneered in Accenture’s facilities in the Philippines in 2019.
Accenture also expanded its support for its LGBTQ+ community by introducing new health benefits for our transgender people in the country.
Accenture has been recognized as a Great Place to Work®, following a certification process and completion of Great Place to Work Trust Index Survey among employees.
Best domestic private bank
Union Bank of the Philippines’ Private Banking Group was recently named Best Domestic Private Bank in the Philippines at the Asian Private Banker Awards for Distinction.
For over 10 years now, the awards have set the benchmark for excellence in private wealth management in the Asia Pacific region.
UnionBank Private Banking was recognized for pairing a global network of capabilities and expertise, with a localized relationship and experience. Through its strategic alliance with one of the oldest and most trusted private banks in the world–Lombard Odier, UnionBank Private Banking sought to fill the gaps in Philippine wealth management solutions by offering a well-rounded, bespoke, open architecture wealth management servicing and advisory. Clients are given a local touchpoint without sacrificing access to global investment management solutions, including an emphasis on sustainable investments.
OCP distributes relief goods
To extend immediate assistance to families affected by Typhoon Odette, Operation Compassion Philippines (OCP) mobilized deployment of relief goods in Southern Leyte on January 10 to 13.
On January 7, OCP volunteers together with several Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel helped unload and pack relief goods at the Immaculate Concepcion Covered Court in Sogod town.
During the first day of relief operations, OCP held a distribution in the Pacific Area in coordination with the Office of the Vice President Angat Buhay volunteers. The relief efforts were continued in Panaon Island and Sogod Bay, which were among the hardest-hit areas by Typhoon Odette.
A total of 5000 relief packs were distributed to families which included family food packs and nonfood items and hygiene necessities such as face masks and sanitary pads. Each food pack contains 4 pieces of canned goods and 1 1-liter bottled water. The relief items were donated by Mobile Legends developer Moonton Phils Technology.
The initiative is part of the OCP’s i-Rebuild program, a community development effort that provides emergency relief to communities devastated by natural disasters like typhoons, floods, and earthquakes.
Fighting agains illegally-refilled LPG
Leading LPG brand Solane closes the year with the last leg of bust operations conducted in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Rizal, Quirino, and Camarines Sur. From the second half of October until the last week of December, more than 15 raids in the said areas confiscated 145 illegally-refilled Solane LPG tanks worth nearly P300,000, along with marked moneys, transaction receipts and other items.
Some of the raids from Solane’s last leg of bust operations for 2021; series of raids conducted in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Rizal, Quirino, and Camarines Sur,
Nineteen of which were reportedly seized from Antipolo, Rizal along with Php 1,000 bill and other items used in unauthorized LPG transactions. Fifty-six illegal LPGs were busted from the raids held in Penarrubia, Bangued, and North Bucay in Abra; 18 from Vigan Ilocos Sur and Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Norte; 40 from Pili, and San Jose in Camarines Sur; and 12 from Cabarroguis and Saguday in Quirino. All captured items were brought to the CIDG of each local government unit for documentation and proper disposition for filing of appropriate case in court.
With the most recent operations, Solane’s raids for the second half of the year all in all confiscated 585 tanks worth nearly P1 million pesos. On top of the seized items from more than fifty areas in the country during the first half of the year, Solane already captured a total of 1024 illegal LPGs in 2021, amounting to P2.6 million.
Mastercard appointment
Mastercard announced that Safdar Khan has been named division president for Southeast Asia. This appointment is an expansion of his former role as division president, Southeast Asia Emerging Markets.
A 15-year veteran of Mastercard, Khan’s previous role saw him building business momentum with an assertive distribution strategy and expanding revenue by growing the company’s Services offerings. He will now be responsible for implementing Mastercard’s multi-rail digital payments agenda in 10 Southeast Asian markets, including Philippines, and delivering increased value to the company’s stakeholders.
Homecoming Deals, Honda Helps
Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) launched its “Service Homecoming Deals” for valued customers who have not visited their Honda Dealer last year for preventive maintenance.
Service Homecoming Deals will provide customer discounts on periodic maintenance packages until January 31. There will also be special prices for over-the-counter items:
20 percent discount on select periodic maintenance parts and lubricants, general repair parts and fluids, and cabin disinfection service for complete periodic maintenance package; 10 percent discount on select periodic maintenance parts and lubricants, and general repair parts and fluids; up to 50 percent discount on select genuine accessories; buy one, take one promo on select BR-V tires and; 30 percent discount on Honda-approved air purifier.
Honda is also extending a helping hand to customers affected by Typhoon Odette through the Honda Helps program. Those who purchased their vehicles from the authorized dealerships may avail of a 30 percent discount on spare parts from Honda Cars Dealers in Visayas and Mindanao until Feb. 28, 2022.
COMCO appointment
Communications agency COMCO Southeast Asia announced the appointment of Joyce Yu as the agency’s newest deputy account operations director for marketing PR.
Yu is a public relations and communications expert with more than a decade of experience working in the field. A graduate of AB Journalism from the University of Sto. Tomas, she specializes in media relations, copywriting, social media management, event management, and journalism.
The agency also welcomed its newest staff members Louise Macaraeg and Cherry Gajito as brand communications associates, Bea Cabrera as digital and integrated communications associate, and Narah Faigal as digital and multimedia arts associate.
Eastern pledge
Eastern Communications pledged over half a million-peso worth of support for those affected by the recent Typhoon Odette through the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Operation Blessing.
Committed to its call to bring back the human connection in everything they do, Eastern Communications started a pledge project among its employees. This allowed them to collect more than P 572,000 monetary support, which they donated to the said organizations in order to buy goods in kind for affected families in Typhoon Odette-devasted areas.
The recent virtual donation turnover was held between representatives of Eastern Communications, Cebu Chamber and Operation Blessing. The pledged amount will be distributed by the groups in Cebu and other areas affected by the typhoon.
Moreover, Eastern Communications has extended support to its affected employees by allocating part of the pledge to them, on top of the company’s calamity grant to ensure that they have the means to quickly recover.
