Smart Rolls Out Free Public WiFi for Cagayan de Oro Barangays

 

PLDT’s wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has powered barangays Tablon, Gusa, Lapasan, and Bulua in Cagayan de Oro City with public WIFi to boost the local government’s services. Through Smart’s Barangay Connect Project, users in the area can avail of fast and reliable wifi for free. A retail partnership between the barangays and Smart also provides additional sources of livelihood for these communities. 

“We thank Smart for choosing our barangay as a beneficiary of the Smart WiFi project and for offering us livelihood programs to help our community,” said Lapasan Barangay Chairman Julito Ogsimer. 

For Barangay Tablon Chairman Billy Kid Auza, the public WiFi service helps barangay workers and residents with their online transactions and students with distance learning. Jericho Balbuena, Tablon’s Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation Program Manager said, “Smart WiFi helps expedite our work. We can easily conduct research and quickly send out reports to our stakeholders.” 

In Barangay Gusa, the free WiFi service supports the barangay’s COVID-19 programs. Jose Victor Espiritu, Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT) focal person, said, “The free Smart WiFi has helped us with contact tracing, as we monitor incoming travelers and guests at the office.” 

Barangay Bulua uses the Smart WiFi facility in tandem with Smart Infocast, an SMS-based service. “We have been able to use Smart's services in sending out announcements, like the schedules of National ID registration, to our residents,” said Antonio Glema, Bulua Barangay Secretary. 

Aside from empowering barangays, Smart WiFi services will also be extended to public terminals and markets, as well as key government offices of the city. 

The deployment of Smart WiFi in LGUs, educational institutions, health centers, public markets, and tourist attractions, is pursuant to RA 10929 or the ‘Free Internet Access in Public Places Act’, which recognizes the vital role of Internet connectivity to nation-building. 

These key initiatives of Smart and PLDT demonstrate the application of ICT for development, in support of the group-wide advocacy to promote digital inclusion and help the Philippines attain the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG No. 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure and SDG No. 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

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Lacson Stands by His Record and Experience

 

Sen.  Ping Lacson: The most qualified, the most competent, the most experienced candidate.

Senator Panfilo “Ping” has once again proven he is truly the corruption-buster “Mr. Clean” he is touted to be. In recent articles, the presidential candidate known for his strong anti-corruption stance was recently vindicated for previous crimes he was unjustly accused of during the Arroyo administration. No less than former President Sen. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, in her recently launched memoir entitled “Deus Ex Machina,” admitted that the accusations against Sen Lacson were fake.

 “The information that was made public could not be substantiated,” GMA wrote in her memoir. 

 Years later, Marquez recanted accusations against Sen Lacson and apologized. Corpus also issued a publicly televised apology to Lacson for falsely accusing the senator. 

 True to form, the magnanimous Lacson did not hurl vindictive comments against his accusers. Instead, he tweeted a forgiving message to his former detractor. “Late is always better than never. To ex-PGMA’s credit, she has the decency and courage to admit that she publicly and unjustly accused me of various crimes based of false information. Whatever, I have already forgiven her a long time ago.” 

 Even in the thick of the present presidential election, Lacson maintains his nonbelligerent stance, preferring not to say anything about the other candidates wanting to be President of the Philippines because he is also running for the position. 

 In his recent interview session with Boy Abunda for the television personality’s series 2022 Presidential One-on-One Interviews, Lacson, one of five presidential candidates who were invited to the show, chose to talk instead about what made him best suited for the highest position in the Philippines. 

 “I am the most qualified, the most competent, the most experienced (candidate),” he told Abunda matter-of-factly without mentioning any of his rivals. 

 The candidate said it was time for voters to be discerning, to realize that politics was not entertainment and they should not be influenced by dole-outs. 

 In his campaign sorties, a singing and dancing Lacson would certainly not be on the program. “I won’t sacrifice authenticity,” he said, and would not do anything that had nothing to do with the country’s problems. 

 “The number one problem is the government, so the solution is the government- good, honest governance,” he said. 

 Lacson stressed, “Tough problems need tough solutions from the country’s top leaders.” His goal, if elected president, was to leave the country better off than when he started and see a greater respect for government officials. 

 Although he acknowledged that the qualifications for presidential candidates were so much simpler than those required of job applicants, the senator also pointed out that college degrees do not guarantee outstanding public service. 

 “Maraming may PhD na mas magaling magnakaw kaysa magsilbi sa bayan (there are many people with doctoral degrees who are very skilled in stealing public funds than in serving the country),” he said. 

 He would not oppose though some changes in the qualifications, although it would require a constitutional amendment. The job was demanding, he pointed out, and it called for skills in handling crises like the still ongoing corona virus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. 

 Lacson said he would lead by example if he were elected president. He recalled that he was able to minimize graft and corruption in the Philippine National Police when he was its chief by consistently showing he could not be bribed. It was his leadership by example, he said, that drastically reduced, if not totally eliminated, corruption in the police establishment. 

As a senator, he did not collect the pork barrel, or extra funds allocated to legislators ostensibly to finance pet projects. He was able to save the country millions of pesos by carefully and thoroughly reviewing every proposed annual budget of the government, he said. 

Lacson would push for digitization and automation in government as president so there would be no human intervention. He said, “Human intervention always resulted in corruption.” Lacson supported the resumption of mining in the country, “a major industry” of the Philippines, but it should be sustainable and responsible. “It must be data-driven and science-based.” 

However, he also expressed concern that corruption would create the same problems as before. “Corruption lets violators get away (with their crimes). Palakasan (pull or influence) allowed people with the right connections to do as they please.” 

Lacson’s vice presidential candidate is Senate President Vicente “Tito” C. Sotto III. 

For more info on Ping Lacson, follow https://www.facebook.com/PingLacsonOfficial. 

Sen Lacson being interviewed by host Boy Abunda

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Globe reaps two golds and a silver at the 2021 Stevie Awards for Great Employers

Globe received a Gold Stevie for Employer of the Year, in the Telecommunications division, at the 2021 Stevie Awards for Great Employers. A company known for treating its people right, Globe truly stepped up during the pandemic, ensuring its employees safety and extending invaluable support amidst a difficult time.

Among some of Globe's award-winning programs were the Globe Labs, its own PCR testing facility, Thursdays By The Desk, which discouraged meetings every Thursday to give way to productive, uninterrupted work, and HopeChat, which connects employees to mental health experts via Messenger.

“Ultimately, by caring for our employees, we can achieve great business results and create products that connect families, help businesses flourish, and make the nation admired — not only during this difficult time but for many years to come,” said Ato Jiao, Globe Chief Human Resource Officer.

Meanwhile, in recognition of its best practices in employee engagement, Globe also received a Gold Stevie for Achievement in Employee Engagement. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Globe’s engagement score in the 2020 iSpeak Employee Engagement Survey from Willis Towers Watson was at 93% - the highest in five years. A true feat, at a time when most organizations are struggling to sustain employee engagement and business continuity. Globe is also the only Filipino Company to be part of the WTW High Performing Organizations.

To honor the numerous initiatives to provide employee care during the pandemic, Globe also won a Silver Stevie for Most Valuable HR Team.

Globe aligns its actions with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals No. 3 on good health and well-being, UN SDG No. 8 on decent work and economic growth and UN SDG No. 9 on industry, innovation, and infrastructure. 

To know more about Globe, visit www.globe.com.ph.

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Turn PayDay Sales into PayDay Save with PayMaya

There’s truly nothing like treating yourself after all your hard work every PayDay - from splurging on a good meal at your favorite restaurant, to finally buying that air fryer you’ve been eyeing for a while. 

While these PayDay sales and 10.10 budols are enticing, it's also important to ensure that you're spending your sweldo smartly, and not simply giving in to impulse buys that you'll soon regret. 

Digital payments leader, PayMaya, lets you do just that with its #PayMayaPayDaySave offers - giving you massive savings of up to P1,500 when paying for the things you need like your Meralco bill, or the things that elevate your day like a Spotify Premium Subscription for your daily soundtrack needs, from October 10 to 17, 2021. 

Now you can indulge in spending your hard-earned sweldo on yourself and on your loved ones without feeling guilty – because you know you’re spending smartly with PayMaya. Your go-to e-wallet has also partnered with your favorite brands to ensure that you get to shop with only legit items - no more worrying about getting scammed or not getting your money's worth. Say goodbye to 10.10 budols, and hello to saving while you spend with these offers! 

Save up to P500 on your Meralco bill when you settle it via the PayMaya app for the first time – with a minimum spend of P1,500. Within a few taps on your smartphone, you can already complete your transaction and enjoy the 33% savings (max of P500) as a cashback that you can use to treat yourself later! 

You can also enjoy up to P150 in savings when you settle other bills on the PayMaya app. When you pay a minimum of P1,000 for any of the 600 billers featured on the app, you’ll get 10% savings if you’re a new user or 5% savings, if you’re a returning user, max of P150 as a cashback. 

When shopping for your groceries and other essentials, be sure to scan-to-pay via PayMaya QR to enjoy safer transactions and save up to P200 at your go-to supermarket or retail store for a minimum spend of P500. First time PayMaya users will get to enjoy a 20% cashback on the transaction while returning PayMaya users will get 10% cashback as savings at establishments like Robinsons Supermarket, Shopwise, Super8, AllDay, Waltermart, Mercury Drug, Watsons, The SM Store, Abenson and many more! 

First-time Spotify users can now purchase Spotify Premium subscription plans and enjoy savings of up to P194. Get up to 100% cashback off your first month when you use your registered PayMaya mobile number to pay, to access more than 70 million music tracks and 2.2 million podcasts. This offer is applicable for the following Spotify Premium Plans: 

 

• Student (P65) Monthly Subscription Plan 
•  Individual (P149) Monthly Subscription Plan 
•  Duo (P169) Monthly Subscription Plan 
•  Family (194) Monthly Subscription Plan

You can also rack up savings when shopping or ordering online – be it for a nice meal for your family, or a new kitchen must-have. Simply pay with your PayMaya mobile number at your go-to website or at the in-app MayaMall to save up to P200. Just be sure to spend a minimum of P500, to get a 20% cashback for first-time PayMaya users, and 10% cashback for returning PayMaya users. You can enjoy this deal with brands including Jollibee, McDonald’s, Bonchon, Frankie’s, Army Navy, 8cuts, Ooma, Landers Pick.a.roo, AllDay, and many more! 

Save up to P100 when you purchase digital vouchers, prepaid airtime load, and gaming pins at the PayMaya in-app Shop. When you spend a minimum of P200, you’ll get a 10% cashback if you’re a first-time PayMaya user or a 5% cashback if you’re a returning user. Enjoy these extra savings when buying gaming pins like Steam, Xbox, Mobile Legends, PUBG, and Valorant; transportation credits from beep, and Grab; and lifestyle subscriptions like Viu and even Tinder for yourself or for a friend!

On top of these savings for your wants and needs, you can also get an additional reward of P200 when you complete these Smart Spending Goals with PayMaya: 

•  Cash-in worth at least P5,000 to your PayMaya Account 
•  Send Money worth a minimum of P1,000 to a verified PayMaya user using the PayMaya Send Money Feature 
•  Purchase a min. of P200 from the In-App Shop

With PayMaya, it’s easy to stretch your sweldo to cover both your wants and needs – and even save a little extra so you can have a payday with no regrets. 

To check out all available offers, simply go to the Missions tab on your PayMaya app. From the app homepage, just click the profile button at the upper right side of your app, choose Missions, and see the full list of ongoing offers from merchant and biller partners. 

Download the PayMaya app from Android Playstore or iOS App Store, and register to enjoy the safety, convenience, and additional savings when paying for your wants and needs! 

PayMaya is the only end-to-end digital payments ecosystem enabler in the Philippines, with platforms and services that cut across consumers, enterprises, communities, and government. Through its enterprise business, it is one of the leading payments processors for "everyday" merchants in key industries such as retail, food, transportation, utilities, and e-commerce. 

It provides more than 38 million registered users access to financial services through its consumer platforms. Customers can conveniently cash in, pay, cash out, and remit through its over 300,000 digital touchpoints nationwide. Its Smart Padala by PayMaya network of 55,000 partner agent touchpoints nationwide serves as last-mile financial hubs in communities, providing the unbanked and underserved access to digital services. For more information, visit www.PayMaya.com.

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Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam to receive a House and Lot from Cebu Landmasters in CDO property

 Leading developer in VisMin Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI) announced it is gifting Olympic Silver Medalist boxer Carlo Paalam a 3.6M house and lot (townhouse) in its subdivision project Velmiro Uptown CDO, located in the prime Upper Canitoan Cagayan de Oro area. 

The listed company joins the rest of the country in the celebration of Paalam’s extraordinary achievement at the Tokyo Olympics bringing honor to every Filipino especially the Mindanaoans. Cagayan de Oro’s adopted son from Talakag, Bukidnon, a scavenger turned Olympic silver medalist boxer is an inspiration to millions of Filipinos all over the world. Since the age of 12, Carlo has been part of CDO’s grassroots boxing program under the support and leadership of Mayor Oca Moreno. 

“We are very proud of Carlo’s achievement and want to take part in uplifting his quality of life especially when it comes to housing. He deserves to live well, and we hope his family will enjoy their new home in our Velmiro Heights community in CDO. We look forward to welcoming him home.” says Jose Soberano III, Chairman and CEO of Cebu Landmasters Inc. 

Velmiro Uptown CDO is a beautiful community located at a prime spot in Upper Canitoan in Cagayan de Oro City , and CLI’s third residential project in CDO . The community offers impressive views, efficiently designed homes with generous space and premier amenities for a serene family life. 

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