Tag: Philippines

Manila, Philippines – Filipino-born live streaming platform Kumu sees a new wave of streamers on the platform, particularly artists and groups handled by ABS-CBN, one of the country’s largest media conglomerates.

The newly birthed partnership between the two parties entails greater visibility for ABS-CBN’s artists and talents outside of mainstream media, with Kumu providing an alternative channel for said artists to connect with their large fan bases locally.

With more than 100 artists and groups set to stream, some of the personalities include the top and former contestants of the reality show ‘Pinoy Big Brother’, Philippine pop groups MNL48, BINI, BGYO, and several artists from ABS-CBN’s noontime show ‘It’s Showtime’ and from talent houses Star Magic, Star Hunt, Polaris (It’s Showtime talents), Star Music, and RISE Artists Studio.

“Just like the other partnerships between ABS-CBN and Kumu, we are confident that we will be able to achieve our united goal of providing good content and meaningful experiences to our audiences,” said Jamie Lopez, head of digital at ABS-CBN.

In a statement, Kumu said that their partnership with the media conglomerate aligns with the company’s vision of “commitment to highlight Pinoy creativity and to uplift the voices of Filipino talent all around the world.”

“We are proud to be signing more talents to our platform with ABS-CBN and support the creation of positive online content — content that we need now more than ever. We foresee future opportunities to develop these talents’ careers via live streaming — opening doors for new, innovative projects in the streaming space and beyond,” Kumu said. 

The partnership was announced during the conclusion of ABS-CBN’s reality show ‘Pinoy Big Brother’, which was also co-produced by Kumu. Both companies have earlier maintained co-production partnerships, including the 2020 version of the game show ‘Game KNB’.

For Laurenti Dyogi, head of entertainment production at ABS-CBN and head at Star Magic, the parties believe that fans are the winners in this partnership as “they get more opportunity to see their favorite stars in a more casual and informal setting, and even bond with them whenever the artists stream on their official accounts on Kumu.”

“We believe in the unique experience offered by Kumu. It’s a great platform to nurture the connection between the artists and their fans. Many of our stars are actually streaming already on the platform but with this partnership, there will be even more artists coming in to bring light and joy to ‘Kumunizens’,” Dyogi stated.

Manila, Philippines – Ride-hailing platform Grab has partnered with Philippines’ agri-social enterprise Zagana to launch the ‘Salamat sa Ani’ initiative, a campaign that aims to provide more options for people to show gratitude to loved ones and frontliners, as well as to support local farmers through patronizing their products.

The ‘Salamat Sa Ani’ initative (Grateful for the Harvest) will see Grab leveraging its platform to encourage more Filipino app users to show their appreciation to friends and loved ones through the ‘Salamat Sa Ani’ gift sets, which are produce directly obtained from Zagana farmers in the province of Benguet, Pangasinan, and city of Cavite. 

Through the sale of the gift sets, which consists of fresh corn, bananas, and lime, Grab aims to provide support to the farming communities that Grab helped digitalize since the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) phase in the country. 

During the height of the pandemic, one of the key ‘GrabForGood’ initiatives led by Grab Philippines is GrabBayanihan, a program that provided much-needed support to driver-partners, frontliners, and displaced individuals, as well as farming communities, and local governments. 

Country Head of Grab Philippines, Grace Vera Cruz, shared that using Grab’s platform and technology to help improve the lives and livelihoods of many Filipinos is what differentiates the app as a community partner. 

“We are grateful to have made a difference in the lives of millions of Filipinos through our GrabForGood program and we will continue with our commitment of using technology and our platform to encourage meaningful collaboration within our communities and help our kababayans overcome their daily struggles,” added Vera Cruz.

Meanwhile, Joshua Aragon, the chief executive officer of Zagana, said, “The pandemic has truly impacted a lot of lives. Our partnership with Grab has allowed us to continuously serve our customers and support our local farmers, by leveraging Grab’s platform and technology to provide our kababayans access to fresh produce, delivered right at their doorsteps while providing a livelihood for both the delivery partners and local farmers during these uncertain times.”

The ‘Salamat Sa Ani’ gift sets are available at GrabMart for ₱299.

Manila, Philippines – Philippine Telco Globe has partnered anew with Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA), an association for the video industry in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, to launch a fresh #PlayItRight campaign, encouraging customers to fight against digital piracy.

The #PlayItRight campaign targets to benefit several industries, such as film, music, digital literacy, and education. It aims not only to safeguard original creative content through technology but also to protect copyright and enforcement through legislation as digital piracy keeps breaking the creative arts and video on demand industry. The campaign also seeks cooperation among stakeholders to defeat digital piracy.

The campaign was first launched in 2017 with three main pillars: to surface online dangers such as malware, illustrate the negative social impact brought about by piracy including loss of jobs, and instill that piracy is an illegal activity.

As part of the #PlayItRight campaign, Globe has been voluntarily blocking confirmed illegal piracy sites, making consumers aware that piracy websites can be hotbeds for illegal online activities, malware, and other cybersecurity threats. Globe notes that consumers themselves are also key stakeholders in the campaign, as consumers should no longer find a reason to consume pirated content.

Atty. Froilan Castelo, the corporate counsel of Globe, commented that the assertive voluntary agreements among stakeholders targeting digital piracy will make it much more difficult for online pirates to facilitate illegal content. 

“To complement this, we support legislation that will institutionalize the blocking of pirated sites such as the bill authorizing the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines to order ISPs to obstruct pirated websites,“ added Castelo.

Meanwhile, Neil Gane, general manager of AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy, shared, “It is impossible to understate the severity of digital piracy. It is the single largest business issue facing the content industry and putting Filipinos at risk of downloading dangerous malware. We fully support the IP Code Amendment Bills which allow for a fair, balanced, and effective process to block egregious piracy sites and protect the video industry and consumers.”

Manila, Philippines – To celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day, Procter & Gamble (P&G) has partnered with Southeast Asia’s (SEA) e-commerce platform Shopee to launch its latest campaign, #ChallengeTheChores.

The campaign aims to challenge gender stereotypes by promoting a sense of joint responsibility within the household and encouraging family members to team up and share the responsibility of doing household chores as the brunt of the work has fallen on women during the pandemic, with several extra responsibilities and commitments added to their already busy lives.

To further explain the significance of addressing this call for shared responsibility, a feature on how household chores can be equally divided and tackled together will also be released.

The campaign will be launched progressively across five SEA markets, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam, featuring a series of challenges that aim to motivate families to take on household chores together, such as doing the laundry and attending to a child’s needs.

During the campaign period, shoppers in each market can also look forward to live streams featuring key opinion leaders. The campaign also includes exclusive in-app activities to acquire special deals and win prizes, as well as the classic Shopee Catch game to collect many P&G products giveaway or vouchers.

According to Shopee, women are the most active shoppers on the platform in product categories such as household and other fast-moving consumer goods. As e-commerce becomes more prevalent, Shopee looks to leverage its platform to encourage conversations through interactive campaigns for its consumers.

Alexandra Vogler, senior director of P&G e-commerce for Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa, commented, “P&G is deeply committed to equality and inclusion. Through this campaign, we want to raise awareness of the imbalanced distribution of chores. Through an entertaining short film and an interactive, gamified experience, we hope to inspire people to #ChallengeTheChores and drive greater equality within households.”

Meanwhile, Martin Yu, director of Shopee Philippines, said that they are proud to partner with P&G on this meaningful initiative, saying that besides encouraging families to take on equal responsibilities of household chores, they also seek to provide our users with a wide assortment of products to make everyday household chores convenient and manageable. 

“We look forward to launching more of such engaging campaigns with P&G that would enrich the shopping experience for our users,” said Yu.

Manila, Philippines – Global communications network dentsu, has announced the appointment of two key business leaders for its operations in the Philippines.

Quad de la Paz joins dentsu Philippines as head of Digital, while Koji Akabane has been promoted and joins the group’s Philippines operations as head of its Media Service line.

De La Paz is a seasoned digital marketing practitioner with over 17 years of industry experience. Quad has been tasked to drive the agency’s digital growth across both the Media and Creative Service lines. Quad’s previous experience includes website development as well as project management with AsiaOnline, and digital services directorship roles in Dentsu Indio and MRM Worldwide. He has also held a digital media director position at Starcom Mediavest as well as taking the helm as regional performance operations director at Adglow. 

Meanwhile, Akabane brings with him 14 years of marketing and communication experience across the Asia Pacific region, with expertise in integrated digital marketing, commerce strategy, data solutions, and tech innovations. Akabane joined dentsu in 2017 and has been driving the digital business for the network in a regional capacity. Prior to joining the network, Akabane spent 10 years with WPP’s GroupM in Japan and Indonesia, where he led the regional client management team on accounts with Japanese-born brands across a wide industry spectrum, ranging from fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), fashion, retail, luxury to automotive, among others.

In his new role, Akabane will be tasked to lead dentsu’s integrated agency network dentsu X, and look after key Japanese client accounts in dentsu Philippines. He will also be responsible for driving business growth and digital transformation of the Media Service line, working closely with the Media leads, and ensure the line’s alignment with regional as well as global teams.

Commenting on De La Paz’s appointment, JC Catibog, CEO at dentsu Philippines, said, “Quad’s professional expertise has always been focused in the digital space, spanning different segments, such as production, customer relationship management (CRM), digital strategy, digital media, search as well as performance marketing. Quad’s approach to digital is dynamic, agile, and data-driven, but collaboration and synergy across all methods, disciplines, and channels have been the constant thread.”

“He is strongly inclined in the usage of data and tools and believes it is a key component for success. There is no one better Quad to take on this role. I have confidence he will do a stellar job in transitioning traditional ways of working, into one that is tandem with the digital era,” added Catibog.

Meanwhile, on Akabane’s appointment, Catibog commented, “We are delighted to have Koji-san join the team. He has a wealth of experience across not only the network but also the region. Koji-san’s sophisticated digital expertise supports our digital ambitions. Without a doubt, I am certain he will take our business from strength to strength.”

The appointments will commence with immediate effect.

Manila, Philippines – Philippine telco Globe, in a bid to add value and “peace of mind” to customers amid the ongoing pandemic, is now entitling its Globe at Home (GAH) Prepaid WiFi users to a ₱140.5K in free medical coverage services.

Through the offering, GAH aims to move beyond just providing connectivity and coverage to Filipino households but also to grant ‘extra care’ through GInsure. Powered by SingLife and GCash, GInsure provides free medical insurance for three months to prepaid subscribers against COVID-19 and dengue. 

GAH users can avail of the free medical coverage offering when they register to GAH promos HomeSURF99 and up, SURF4ALL99 or HomeWATCH199 and up.

With HomeSURF99, users get 10GB worth of data for five days at ₱99. With its free 1GB data per day refreshed and replenished daily for five days, users can send messages through Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Viber, stream YouTube videos, and shop online via Lazada and Shopee on top of the remaining 5GB open access data allocation. In addition, HomeSurf99 can support as many as four to six mobile devices or gadgets all at the same time. 

“Due to the pandemic, security, safety, health, and peace of mind are the top priorities of most Filipino families. People now are extra careful and concerned for the health and safety of their loved ones. With these in mind, Globe At Home is doing its part to help our prepaid customers have one less worry by giving them free health insurance for three months,” said Darius Delgado, Globe head for broadband business. 

He added, “We believe that the free insurance protection will go a long way in helping families during these times when their means of livelihood are particularly challenged.”

Manila, Philippines – Video-sharing app TikTok has recently launched a new fact-checking prompt for users’ content, and the feature is now available for Filipino users. 

The platform announced the new feature in February in an aim to counter inauthentic, misleading, or false content shared by users, which was first rolled out in Canada and the US, and to be integrated into TikTok platforms globally over the coming weeks. 

TikTok will now be checking if a certain content shared by a user is factual, and will be delivering necessary prompts and implementing appropriate actions to notify users accordingly. 

When a video has been reviewed but that its content cannot be conclusively validated, a prompt in form of a banner will appear in the video. If a viewer attempts to share the flagged video, they will see a prompt reminding them that the video has been flagged as unverified content.

Meanwhile, if it is finalized to be false content, the video will outrightly be removed from the platform. In the event that content is not able to be confirmed by the fact checks, the video will be ineligible for recommendation into the app users’ ‘For You’ feed, helping limit the spread of potentially misleading information. 

The platform said that the additional step requires for people to pause and consider their next move before choosing to ‘cancel’ or ‘share anyway,’ which is exactly what TikTok aims to do, to help users “be mindful about what they share.”

For the new feature, TikTok has partnered with fact-checkers at PolitiFact, Lead Stories, and SciVerify to help assess the accuracy of contents. It also shared that the feature has been initially tested with Irrational Labs, a behavioral science lab.

TikTok has previously launched a series of educational videos called ‘Be Informed’ which was created in partnership with the National Association of Media Literacy Education. TikTok said the new fact-checking feature is part of its ongoing work to advance media literacy.

SEA – In celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD), Twitter has announced its new #SheInspiresMe campaign across Southeast Asia, which aims to highlight women’s inspiring voices on the social media platform, featuring leaders in business to entrepreneurs, mothers, daughters, partners, and friends.

The #SheInspiresMe campaign has partnered with more than 40 creators from different countries in the SEA region, namely Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. 

The said creators will make a personal #SheInspiresMe video tweet in which they share about the women that inspire them, and why, and will be tagging three other people to spread the campaign across the platform. This series of videos will be tweeted from 8 to 19 March on Twitter. 

There will be 40 creators across the SEA region. Participants from Indonesia include Cheryl Tanzil (@CherylTanzil), Febriana Firdaus (@febrofirdaus), as well as Laily Fitry (@MahameruLee), among others. 

From the Philippines, Catriona Gray (@catrionaelisa), Dr. Gia Sison (@giasison), Inka Magnaye (@inkamagnaye), and Joyce Pring (@joycepring), and many more will also participate in the campaign.

Meanwhile, participants from Singapore include Cheryl Allison (@cherzinga), Preeti Nair (@plspreeti) as well as female communities and organizations like AWARE Singapore (@awarenews), among others.

And finally, joining the campaign from Thailand are Amanda Chalisa Obdam (@amanda_obdam), Danupha Kanateerakul (@millimdk), and 4EVE (@4eveOfficial), among others.

Users are also invited to join in Twitter’s #SheInspiresMe campaign by simply creating a video tweet of up to 2:20 minutes in length, sharing positive stories about inspiring women with the hashtag #SheInspiresMe. Participants should also tag three other app users and Twitter’s official accounts – @TwitterID, @TwitterPH, @TwitterSG, and @TwitterThailand.

Furthermore, Twitter has launched a special emoji to celebrate IWD, which will be available throughout the month of March. The emoji is actuated when people tweet with the hashtags #InternationalWomensDay, #WomensDay, #WeAreWomen, #ActForEqual, #IWD2021, #IWD, and #GenerationEquality.

Manila, Philippines – The Philippine Pro Gaming League (PPGL) is hosting a virtual match on March 8, where 15 registrants will have the chance to play against select members of the Philippine idol group MNL48 on the popular mobile game League of Legends: Wild Rift.

PPGL is the largest multi-title esports league in the country, having hosted a total of five seasons since its initial match-off in 2019.

Through the upcoming event, the registrants will have a chance to virtually meet and compete with MNL48 members namely Cole Somera, Abby Trinidad, Sheki Arzaga, Gabb Skribikin, and Coleen Trinidad.

MNL48 is a Filipino idol group, originally established in 2018. Known to be a part of the larger J-pop genre scene based on its mother group AKB48. They have since released a total of six singles, including ‘Pag-Ibig Fortune Cookie’, ‘High Tension’, and more recently ‘River’.

MNL48 fans took to Twitter to express excitement for the upcoming virtual match.

One fan said that it is noticeable that some of the more popular members were included in the lineup.

The virtual match also came days after MNL48 recently concluded its Third General Elections, in which voting power from the fans through buying merchandise determined the lineup of the group’s upcoming single.

The PPGL x MNL48 match is organized by the Philippine arm of esports organization Mineski and Philippine telco Globe, where the event will be also available on its newest service Globe Virtual Hangouts.

Manila, Philippines – Online search engine Google has released a new local Google Doodle in honor of the 142nd birthday of Rosa Sevilla de Alvero, a prominent figure and activist during the campaign in Philippines’ suffrage movement.

De Alvero is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in establishing suffrage rights to Filipinas during the American period. In her stance as an activist, she has led the ‘Liga Nacional de Damas Filipinas’ (National League of Filipino Women) founded in 1916 to support her rallying cause for equal voting rights to women in the country.

Her work and social movement has resonated and been ratified by the Commonwealth government in 1937, paving the way for equal rights for women against their male counterparts.

Furthermore, De Alvero is also a journalist and educator, as she also sparked a national movement in making Tagalog the national language through a presentation of the first ‘balagtasan’ or a debate held in poetic verse, alongside with well-known Filipino-Tagalog poets.

At age 21, she also founded the ‘Instituto de Mujeres’ (‘Women’s Institute’) of Manila, one of the first schools for women in Filipino history, which is now known as the Rosa Sevilla Memorial School.

Google Doodles’ local release cross paths with the upcoming International Women’s Day celebration on March 8, as well as the slated 2022 national elections in the Philippines.

Some notable Google Doodles’ that have been Philippine-centric include the commemoration of the country’s Independence Day every June 12, the 92nd birthday of Filipino comedian Dolphy, and commemoration of the country’s well-known tourist attractions like Tubbataha Reef.