Tag: Philippines

Manila, Philippines – E-commerce platform Shopee in the Philippines is in hot water following the announcement of its newest brand ambassador, Filipina singer-actress Toni Gonzaga, with local netizens criticising the brand for their ambassador choice.

Shopee Philippines previously teased the new brand ambassador in a snippet video posted on Twitter on September 28.

Toni Gonzaga has been involved in controversy over the past few months after showing her staunch support to now-elected President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr., the son of former dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos. It should be noted that Gonzaga has appeared in numerous presidential campaign rallies for Marcos towards the May 9 national elections.

Progressive-minded netizens have called out Shopee Philippines for their new ambassador, with many saying that they would not support a brand that enables political lies.

Netizen @majiksparky stated that with the new announcement, they will switch to rival e-commerce platform Lazada.

Meanwhile, a Twitter user named @ArenoEllen, who is also an online seller, has encouraged netizens to switch to Lazada, claiming that Shopee takes a 15% cut from their payouts, while Lazada takes around 5% of payout.

Many Twitter users have also pointed out that the new brand ambassador comes after Shopee Philippines have recently laid off employees, the latest string of Shopee employee layoffs in Asia-Pacific, including China, as well as in Latin America.

Despite the criticism, Shopee Philippines pushed through with the announcement of Toni Gonzaga’s brand ambassador stint, with her thanking fans for the ‘mentions and engagement’.

A Shopee representative said that Gonzaga was chosen not for her ‘political views’ but rather her mass appeal.

“Together with our newest brand ambassador, Toni, we are working to deliver entertaining content to drive anticipation leading up to the upcoming 10.10 Brands Festival,” they said.

This was not the first time Shopee drew flak with its brand ambassador. When Shopee got international superstar Jackie Chan to be its brand ambassador for its 11.11 Regional Sale in 2021, marketing leaders and creatives criticised the ad for its ‘lukewarm’ and ‘confusing’ direction.

Manila, Philippines – Top industry players in the Philippines including, Globe, GMA Network, Cignal TV, KROMA Entertainment, and Smart Communications have joined hands with the Asia Video Industry Association’s (AVIA) Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) to announce the formation of the Video Coalition of the Philippines (VCP).

The VCP aims to push for stronger intellectual property protection in the country that will protect both original content and users, as well as promote the Philippines’ creative and media industries, not only in the Philippines but around the world.

VCP convenors will also be building on the momentum of the presentation of the proposed Revised Intellectual Property Code in the Philippines’ 19th Congress in July and the recent Protection of Online Content Summit held on September 2 in Manila. House Bill No. 0799, filed by Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda, aims to update the Philippines’ patent application system and make it ‘more attuned to the digital age’. It also ‘provides for technologies and media that were not anticipated’ at the time the intellectual property code was enacted.

Moreover, proposed revisions give regulators greater authority to combat IP violations, including the power to issue ‘permanent blocking orders, takedown orders, cease-and-desist, or disable access orders’ against websites, service providers, and online platforms, including social media. The current IP code does not cover electronic or online content in its definition of pirated goods and lacks clear provisions that would allow for efficient and effective site blocking, and other interventions against online IP violations.

Matt Cheetham, CAP’s general manager, said, “With the presentation of Bill No. 0799, ‘An Act Establishing for the Revised Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines’ to the House, the Philippines has a golden opportunity to not only update and future proof its intellectual property regime, but to act as a launching pad for intellectual property to protect consumers and advance the overall Philippine economy.” 

Cheetham further noted CAP’s recent YouGov survey showed Philippine consumers believe a government regulation for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block pirated content would be the most effective measure to reduce piracy in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Anton Bonifacio, Globe’s chief information security officer, said, “Revising the Intellectual Property Code will go a long way in protecting Filipino consumers from the dangers that lurk in pirate sites and improving cybersecurity in the country, especially as Filipinos now rely heavily on digital platforms.”

Jil Go, KROMA’s head of broadcast and publishing, noted, “Upholding intellectual property rights in the Philippines enables the creative industry to grow and thrive. KROMA, through the Video Coalition of the Philippines, is committed to collaborating with stakeholders to ensure that this is observed, for the industry’s success and sustainability.”

Joseph T. Francia, GMA International’s first vice president and head of operations, said, “GMA’s participation in the Video Coalition of the Philippines presents an opportunity to further strengthen our existing anti-piracy initiatives by working with other players in the industry to push for the implementation of site blocking mechanisms and help protect our viewers and GMA content against unauthorised uploaders.”

Pointing to the impact of site blocking in Indonesia, where traffic to pirate sites has dropped by more than 75% since the government implemented their rolling site blocking procedures in 2019, Cheetham further noted, “The effectiveness of site blocking is backed up by CAP’s most recent YouGov consumer surveys in which more than 50% of Indonesian consumers say that they have stopped or rarely access pirate services as a result of the highly efficient and effective blocking measures in place there.”

“Perhaps, more importantly, 76% of Indonesian consumers say they are accessing more legal content and pirating less, and 26% have subscribed to legitimate sources as a result of illegal streaming sites being blocked. Blocking as an educational tool may also be evident in 95% of Indonesian consumers agreeing that online piracy does have negative consequences – the highest in the region,” said Cheetham.

Manila, Philippines – Tech giant Google has announced that it will provide 39,000 Google Career Certificate scholarships to equip Filipino students and job seekers from underserved communities with job-ready skills. This aims to help them land career opportunities in high-demand industries such as IT.

The Google Career Certificates provide a suite of flexible online training programs available on Coursera.org. These certificates, built and taught by Google, are designed to provide learners from all backgrounds with digital skills within an estimated time of three to six months. The four certificate options that Google provides are IT Support, UX Design, Data Analytics, and Project Management, which are available for everyone aged 18 and above and require no previous degree or experience. 

“Google is committed to supporting the Philippines’ economic growth through the opportunities created by the country’s growing digital economy. With the unemployment rate at 5.2% and rapidly growing job postings in tech, Google hopes to address the digital skills gap and improve the lives of thousands of Filipinos for themselves and their families by providing free Google Career Certificates,” said Bernadette Nacario, country director of Google Philippines.

Moreover, Google will be working closely with local partners such as the Globe Group and government stakeholders, including the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Information and Communications Technology, to distribute the scholarships. These distribution partners will nominate qualified recipients and track the progress of the scholars.

Yoly Crisanto, Globe’s group chief sustainability and corporate communications officer, noted, “Empowering today’s workforce with digital and job-ready skills is important to lead the country towards economic development. The Globe Group is honoured to play a vital role in the Google Career Certificates program in the Philippines that will help 39,000 young Filipinos with advanced IT courses.”

Meanwhile, Alfredo Pascual, secretary at the Department of Trade and Industry, said, “As we continue to move towards inclusive growth and employment generation, programs like the Google Career Certificate scholarships are invaluable to our mission of creating globally competitive industries. We laud Google for launching this initiative that will bridge 39,000 students and jobseekers to in-demand career opportunities in tech and IT.” 

Atty. Ivan John Enrile Uy, secretary at the Department of Information and Communications Technology, commented, “We thank Google for launching this high-impact program in the country that will not just create career pathways for thousands of Filipinos but will help the Department champion the economic benefits of a digital Philippines.”

Manila, Philippines – In times of distress and disaster aftermath, a large majority of Filipinos are purchasing more hygiene-related products, alluding to associating beauty and hygiene with dignity and self-respect even in times of hardships. This is according to the latest data from data analytics platform Packworks.

According to the data, 18% of the average total sales volume of sari-sari stores were hair care products. Laundry supplies and tools saw the second highest portion of average sales with 16%.

Other top priority purchase types of items purchased include breakfast items such as tea, coffee and creamer, and oats and cereals covered 14% and 13% of the total average sales, respectively.

The data also notes that spending on shampoo and hair conditioner grew amid the occurrence of three natural disasters such as Typhoon Odette in December 2021 (Leyte), Taal volcanic eruption in March 2022 (Batangas/Cavite), and Abra earthquake (Abra) in June 2022.

The remaining total average sales of other sari-sari store items were evenly spread out to other fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) such as ready-to-eat beverages, snacks, instant noodles, canned goods, cooking essentials, and body and oral care items.

There were also specific purchasing trends on several events, including more than 50% uplift in the hair care category during the period of the Taal Volcano unrest around last week of March, and a 50% to 60% increase in food spending, specifically noodles and cooking essentials, after Typhoon Odette hit Leyte.

Andres Montiel, head of data at Packworks, said, “The Philippines is a regular target of natural disasters because of its location at the Pacific Ring of Fire. Residents at the epicenter opt to buy their immediate necessities from a nearby ‘sari-sari’ store rather than go to big supermarkets.”

He added, “The analysis on the sari-sari stores becomes more valuable to track what items are deemed to be essential upon the occurrence of such natural disasters. This can be helpful in demand planning and product seasonality on the brand principal’s end.”

Manila, Philippines – Iconic local bookstore National Book Store has recently faced backlash from netizens after it suggested in a recent tweet a short name change called ‘Nash’, an allude to the rising popularity of ‘conyo’ lingo in the country, or the use of shortened mix of Tagalog and English words in daily conversations.

On September 19, the official Twitter account of NBS posted a tweet saying ‘Call me National, Nash for short’.

Following the tweet, a large majority of local netizens have criticised the proposed name change, with many saying they hope they don’t push said name change.

In addition, the tweet sparked complaints from various netizens complaining about NBS’ services, with some complaining about the store’s lack of school supply amenities, high price mark-up on books sold in physical stores, as well as the poor ventilation and display of several of the bookstore’s branches.

In a response given to Philstar Life, a spokesperson for National Book Store said that the brand’s commitment to providing customers with quality products and service remains unchanged no matter what they name the store.

“Regardless of how they call us – NBS, Natio, or Nash – we remain committed to providing an ideal shopping experience in all of our branches nationwide. We also wish to express our gratitude to all of our customers who returned to their back-to-school shopping at National Book Store, especially after 2 long years without face-to-face classes,” the spokesperson said.

The National Book Store was formally established in 1942 by Socorro Cancio-Ramos and José Ramos. It has 230 branches nationwide, and is the largest bookstore chain in the country.

Manila, Philippines – Inter-regional integrated communications agency COMCO Southeast Asia has recently announced the promotion and appointment of homegrown managers and talents to key deputy positions in the company.

AC Recio, who began his career as a digital and multimedia arts associate at COMCO SEA, has been elevated to becoming the agency’s partner / digital, social and content administrator pro tempore, and senior digital and multimedia arts manager. Meanwhile, Queenie Resmundo, who was former production and administration associate is now promoted to public relations and communications administrator pro tempore and brand communications manager. She will also become a lead in stakeholder relationship management through COMCO SEA’s MEXINAC (Media, Experts, Influencers, Activators and Communities) program. 

Another homegrown talent given a strategic role in the organization is Harvey Llamosa who has been with COMCO SEA since the Agency launched in 2016. He started at COMCO SEA as an executive projects associate and has been working closely with the company’s Regional Integration and Chief Executive Director Ferdinand Bondoy on various landmark executive and strategic initiatives. Today, Llamosa is not only the senior executive initiatives and communications manager at the agency but is also a partner and the chief of staff to the group chief executive director. 

Finally, Patricia Raña, one of the agency’s most trusted Corporate Services Unit members, has been promoted to special assistant to the comptroller and senior corporate services officer. Raña joined COMCO SEA in 2018 as a finance and administration associate. 

All four had been products of the Camp COMCO Mentorship Program – the intensive, and comprehensive talent incubation, industry linkage, and apprenticeship program of the Agency. The agency said each promotion is “nothing short of special” because the said members have been with COMCO SEA from the beginning. 

Chief Executive Director Ferdinand Bondoy said, “As a hands-on leader of COMCO Southeast Asia, I have had the great pleasure of training and working with our most valued apprentices and witnessing them turn into rock stars of the industry! And for them to obtain the positions and recognitions they have now as well as grow in their craft and in their life as a whole, is my greatest honor, the best award I have ever received.”

Manila, Philippines – The term ‘cancel culture’ or the term for boycotting public figures that are found to be problematic–is becoming more prevalent within the younger generations in the Philippines. Cancel culture remains linked to the call for accountability, and Milieu Insight has conducted a recent survey to learn more about the factors and perspectives that shape cancel culture locally.

According to the data, around 1 in 5 Filipinos have joined in a ‘cancel’ movement, with 66% saying they joined because they did not agree with the actions/opinions of the person or group, and 54% said they joined because he person or group is or was involved in a controversy.

Locally, cancel culture skews towards cancelling public figures due to cultural issues such as cultural appropriation (50%) and political stance (48%). Within the Southeast Asian region, respondents’ withdrawal of support tended to be racism (54%), sexual assault (50%) and physical violence (48%).

Meanwhile, around 31% of Southeast Asians said a person/group that was ‘cancelled’ can always or often be forgiven or given the opportunity to make a public appearance. This sentiment is shared by more Filipinos, with 41% being more agreeable to giving a cancelled entity a second chance – the highest rate among the different Southeast Asian countries.

Most local respondents describe cancel culture to be cruel (45%) and aggressive (35%) but those who have been part of a cancel movement tended to view it as normal (30% vs 17% overall), helpful (22% vs 8% overall), and progressive (16% vs 11% overall). This reflects their belief that cancelling is a useful tool to demand responsibility from public figures. In addition, the majority of Filipinos agreed that cancel movements are a fair punishment (76%) for wrongdoers to be held responsible, and 78% see them as effective in doing so.

Around 51% of Filipinos also say that cancel culture happens too often, significantly higher than those who say it happens just as often as it should (42%).

In the recent Philippines’ national elections, people cancelled not only public figures but also their friends and family due to different political beliefs. It is no surprise then that the majority of Filipinos act cautiously both online (92%) and offline (91%) because they are worried about being cancelled themselves.

Manila, Philippines – Technology organisation True Digital in the Philippines has announced the launch of its ‘True Creators Studio’, a new studio services, influencer, and multi-channel network (MCN) business, during an event at Yes Please in BGC with Influencer Council of the Philippines (CICP), which aims to bring together industry professionals and talents.

‘True Creators Studio’ offers to become the content creators’ ultimate playground for producing quality and engaging content. It also announced the launch of its website www.truecreators.studio where both brands and creators alike can book services easily. 

Moreover, through the True Creators Studio, brands can also conceptualise and create customised videos for their marketing campaigns, website, or social media content, internal communications, and virtual events, amongst others. 

“The launch of True Creators bolsters True Digital Philippines’ presence in the country, adding to the already existing digital solutions business for enterprise clients,” said True Digital.

Manila, Philippines – BillEase, a consumer finance app in the Philippines, has closed an up to US$ 20m debt facility arranged by Helicap Securities, a Singapore-based financial technology company providing private debt investment opportunities for accredited and institutional investors, bringing the total raised by the lending platform to US$55m in debt and equity.

BillEase said that it is well positioned to further expand the reach of its financial services in a market where low-cost credit is not accessible enough for many consumers. The Philippines is amongst the emerging markets with low credit card penetration but has a tech-savvy and digitally-forward population, creating more growth opportunities and capturing a largely underserved market for the company.

Earlier this year, BillEase raised US$11m in a Series B round led by BurdaPrincipal Investments, the growth capital arm of German media and tech company Hubert Burda Media. Centauri – a joint investment vehicle of MDI Ventures and KB Investment, 33 Capital, and Raisin DS CEO Tamaz Georgadze also joined the round. While in March, BillEase also raised US$20m in secured debt from the UK-based Lendable, an emerging market credit provider, to further accelerate the growth of its lending products.

Georg Steiger, CEO and co-founder of BillEase, commented that they are delighted to have secured a new facility which will further grow and expand their loan portfolio, demonstrating the confidence private investors have in their sustained growth trajectory and profitability.

“Being able to collateralise our loan book allows us to access funding to continue serving our fast-growing, underserved customer base. Our new funding comes at the right time as we develop and launch new products and continue to see strong growth. At the same time maintaining profitability means we can be a sustainable and long-term partner for consumers and merchants,” Steiger said.

Meanwhile, Zhiwei Tan, executive director of Helicap Securities, said that they are excited to support BillEase’s growth with this debt facility, and they are impressed by the company’s growth over the past 3 years and its mission to further financial inclusion in the Philippines. 

“The rising acceptance of digital payments is changing the landscape of consumer lending and we are seeing BillEase as one of the few companies that can leverage and scale with the use of their AI-driven credit engine which allows them to offer consumer-centric, responsible financial products and highly personalized digital experience,” added Tan.

This year, BillEase has also launched its in-store QR payment to tap into payment transactions that usually happen offline as well as payment links which are now highly used in social commerce, allowing the company to offer an omnichannel shopping and payment experience for both customers and its merchants.

Manila, Philippines – Prominent Filipino businessman Fernando Zobel de Ayala has resigned from all business positions under the publicly-listed holding company Ayala Group. The companies that he will be resigning from include Ayala Corporation, Ayala Land, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), and Globe Telecom.

In multiple filings made by all aforementioned companies at the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), all stated that Zobel rendered his resignation over medical concerns, and said he will be focusing on his recovery.

Zobel held the following positions at these companies namely the vice-chairman of the board of directors, president and CEO at Ayala Corporation; chairman of the board of directors at Ayala Land and BPI; as well as co-vice chairman of the board of directors at Globe Telecom.

As part of the announcement, Ayala Corporation has appointed Cezar P. Consing as their acting president and CEO for the meantime.

Fernando Zobel de Ayala overtook the president and CEO role from Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala in April 2021.

Established in 1834, Ayala Corporation is one of the largest corporations in the Philippines and with a massive portfolio of diverse business interests, including investments in retail, education, real estate, and banking, as well as telecommunications, water infrastructure, renewable energy, and electronics.