BRIA Homes ensures the safety and well being of its homeowners amidst COVID-19

Even as they grapple with feelings of fear and uncertainty, Filipinos are joining hands in the effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, an infectious disease of the coronavirus family that originated in China’s Hubei province and caused many countries across the globe to go into lockdown. 

The virus, which is mainly transmitted through contact with respiratory droplets of the infected, manifests through high fever, fatigue, and dry cough, with some patients experiencing aches and pains, runny nose, sore throat and, in serious cases, difficulty in breathing. 

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), about 80 percent of those afflicted with Covid-19 recover from the disease, while 1 out of every 6 people may become gravely ill and develop pneumonia. 

With the spike in Covid-19 cases in Luzon, the entire region has been placed on ‘enhanced community quarantine’, which entails the following:

a) stricter home quarantine to be enforced in all households, b) a ban on travel to and from the region, c) regulated provision of food and essential health services, d) suspension of public transportation, and e) a heightened presence of police and military personnel to implement quarantine procedures. 

Given the situation and the guidelines released by the government, BRIA Homes, one of the leading housing developer in the Philippines, assures its residents and homeowners that aligned with its vision of providing comfortable lives for Filipinos, it is strengthening its efforts in ensuring their safety, security, and well-being. 

For instance, common areas in all BRIA communities are routinely cleaned and disinfected to protect homeowners from all risks of exposure to the virus. 

Because BRIA communities have guarded entrance and exit gates, compliance with the enhanced community quarantine is ensured. Only BRIA residents can enter and exit the developments, following the mandated quarantine guidelines. 

To aid in this effort, all BRIA projects also feature 24/7 security and CCTV coverage. 

BRIA’s eco-friendly green spaces likewise allow residents to enjoy fresher and cleaner air—a healthier environment for all BRIA homeowners.

BRIA remains in operation, however limiting face-to-face interactions with their employees and customers to avoid the possibility of virus transmission. BRIA is keeping their communication lines open to continue providing service to their customers. Online payments and reservations are made available for everyone’s safety and convenience. 

With these safety measures in place, BRIA reminds its residents to follow quarantine protocol and observe healthy practices such as frequent hand-washing, using alcohol-based hand rubs, and social distancing.

BRIA Homes is a subsidiary of GOLDEN BRIA Holdings, Inc., considered the third largest real estate company in terms of market capitalization valued at more than P250B. One of the leading housing developers in the Philippines, BRIA Homes is primed to bring quality and affordable house-and-lot packages and condominium units closer to ordinary Filipino families. This is the goal that drives every single employee in the company, for which the ultimate fulfillment is seeing a client happily moving into Bria’s homes.

To know more about BRIA Homes, call (0966) 277 5944, like “Bria Official” on Facebook, and follow “@TheBriaOfficial” on Twitter and Instagram.  

Smart teams up with top OPM acts to raise funds for COVID-19 frontliners

PLDT mobile subsidiary Smart Communications has teamed up with some of the country’s biggest musicians and artists for Smart Music Live Online Sessions, a series of live online shows on FB Live meant to raise donations for COVID-19 frontliners.

Smart Music Live Online Sessions kicked off with Soupstar Velvet Live! Sessions presented by Smart, an eight-week music jamming session headlined by OPM bands including Moonstar88, 6cyclemind, Pedicab, Gracenote, Banda ni Kleggy, Imago, and Ultra Combo composed of Pinoy rock icons Raymund Marasigan and Buddy Zabala. Velvet Live! will also feature new breed artists like Kurei, Better Days, The Vowels They Orbit, and WeGot. 

Smart is also teaming up with top radio FM stations Magic 89.9, Wave 89.1, Jam 88.3 and 99.5 Play FM for #GoodTimesRadio, an online fundraising concert for the Philippine Red Cross featuring Kean Cipriano, Janine Teñoso, Rice Lucido, This Band, and Brisom on March 25, Wednesday.

Smart Music Live Online Sessions is also set to unveil more performances to pay tribute especially to our dedicated public healthcare workers and emergency response teams.

Donate your MVP Rewards Stars

PLDT, Smart, TNT, and Sun subscribers are encouraged to donate their MVP Rewards Stars via the MVP Rewards App.  

These MVP Rewards Stars – which are earned and accumulated by customers every time they register to a prepaid promo, or pay their postpaid bill on time – can all add up and go a long way to support the people leading the fight against the pandemic. Donations gathered via MVP Rewards will go to various Public Hospitals through the PLDT-Smart Foundation.

Tune into Smart Music Live Online Sessions

Don’t miss the Smart Music Live Online Sessions and get inspired by the performances of top OPM artists by tuning into Smart’s’ official Facebook account at www.fb.com/SmartCommunications.

Share your stories and messages of support with GIGA Stories, which now comes with Free Stories For All – an extra 1GB data every day for Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. 

Smart Music Live Online Sessions is powered by Smart LTE, the country’s undisputed fasted network as certified by independent network analytics firm, including Ookla and Opensignal. 

SEAOIL announces fuel discounts for medical frontliners

For frontliners with their own vehicles, SEAOIL has announced that a P5.00 gasoline and P3.00 diesel discount in selected stations across the country has been made available. These frontliners include medical professionals and technicians, hospital and clinic staff, uniformed personnel of the AFP, PNP and Coast Guards, and LGU officials, health workers, and quarantine enforcers.

Selected stations now continue to stay open where possible, allowing customers to still get their fuel and lube requirements without hassle. Service crew are equipped with proper safety gear, hygiene kits and protocols to ensure their health and safety while on duty.

To avail of the discount or fuel assistance, the driver of the vehicle must present an ID that verifies their profession. Vehicles that are properly marked such as ambulances, military and police vehicles used for COVID mobilization efforts also qualify even with the absence of a frontliner.

“SEAOIL is committed to helping our frontliners #ConquerCOVID19. We have utilized our resources to help our employees and the community. Keeping our stations open where possible, is one way to ensure our frontliners get to where they are needed,” said Glenn Yu, CEO.  He added that SEAOIL is actively working with partners to extend their free and discounted fuel supply where it is most needed.

To further help, SEAOIL is also providing free fuel assistance to partner hospitals nationwide, logistics groups including GrabBayanihan, and Ube Express, the free shuttle service of Kaya Natin, among others.

SEAOIL, the leading independent fuel company in the country, is one with the nation in combating the COVID-19 virus to minimize its impact on people’s lives. The company has allocated P10 million in free fuel and discounts to support the frontliners from hospitals, LGUs and transport groups.

For those who may require fuel assistance or would like to contribute to these efforts, you may send your contact details to cares@seaoil.com.ph.

Century Pacific Food Inc. donates 1M packs of assorted canned goods and milk

Century Pacific Food, Inc., the country’s biggest canned food maker, has announced it will be providing aid and one million food packs to Filipinos amid the

COVID-19 outbreak. 

CPFI, as part of its “Food, Health, and Hope” program, is pledging to donate one million assorted packs of ulam and fortified milk through the National Government and partner local government units. The food packs will be distributed nationwide, targeting communities severely impacted by COVID-19 cases, to bring nourishment to those who need it most. 

As the virus continues to affect even more lives, CPFI is also providing its employees   care packages and financial aid, especially to its workers who continuously ensure that CPFI’s products are always available.   

“At this time when COVID-19 threatens our health and our lives, we will make every effort to help those greatly affected by this pandemic, to make sure our consumers have enough CPFI products to see them through this crisis, and give security to our employees who work hard to make all of these happen. Together we can beat COVID-19.”, says CPFI executive vice president and chief operating officer Greg Banzon.

CPFI products include Century Tuna, Argentina, 555, Swift, Birch Tree, Angel, Blue Bay, Wow, Fresca Tuna, Lucky 7, Shanghai Luncheon Meat, Home Pride, Hunt’s, and Coco Mama.  

THE TRADE DESK AND TIKTOK LAUNCH NEW ADVERTISING PARTNERSHIP IN ASIA PACIFIC

The Trade Desk (Nasdaq: TTD) and TikTok, the leading destination for short-form mobile video, have announced a new advertising partnership covering key Asia Pacific markets. The partnership will allow advertisers to directly access premium TikTok inventory across Asia-Pacific via The Trade Desk platform. TikTok is the first short-form video platform to integrate its ad offerings with The Trade Desk, making this a unique industry-leading development for brands in the region.

TikTok is a destination for creating and discovering real, interesting, and fun short-form mobile videos and brands are excited with the opportunity to connect with millions of users on the platform. The integration with The Trade Desk, a leading global advertising technology platform, will make it easier for advertisers to incorporate TikTok into their campaigns. PepsiCo is the first client to access TikTok inventory via The Trade Desk, running a campaign for the Lays portfolio in the Thailand, with the Mindshare media agency. 

"As our advertising solutions scale, we're always looking to partner with industry leaders like The Trade Desk to bring quality and high-performing advertising options to brands in Asia Pacific, including India. The key objective of this is to enable more brands to tap into TikTok's short-form mobile video as part of their omni-channel campaigns," said Sam Singh, Vice President of Monetization, India, TikTok.

“We are delighted to launch this partnership with TikTok across Asia Pacific,” said Mitch Waters, Senior Vice President South Asia, The Trade Desk. “Everyone in this region understands the scope of TikTok’s reach, particularly with smartphone native users in India and Indonesia. Brands will be able to scale their campaigns to include short videos, simply and safely.”

“The smartphone-first demographic across Asia is absolutely critical for PepsiCo,” stated Arun Mehra, Sr. Director – Marketing Services, PepsiCo. “The partnership between TikTok and The Trade Desk makes reaching this audience easier and more precise. Having piloted in the Thailand, we are looking to extend our work through the partnership across the region.”

Manivannan Ramasamy, Regional Managing Director, Mindshare added, “Brands have been tracking the rise of short-form mobile videos worldwide, but particularly in Asia. The partnership between TikTok and The Trade Desk provides a measurable pathway to engage via this trend, while ensuring brand safety.”

Campaigns that run on The Trade Desk Platform are pseudonymous, which means that they do not directly identify people. Clients and partners are prohibited from providing personal data into The Trade Desk platform, emphasizing TikTok’s commitment to privacy. The partnership will also combine expertise in marketplace quality, blocking non-human impressions before they are purchased, thus ensuring brand safety. Currently, the partnership between The Trade Desk and TikTok covers 11 Asia-Pacific markets (including Southeast Asia, India, Australia and Japan) as well as Russia.

Airspeed Underlines Value of Women in the Logistics Industry During Women’s Month

This National Women’s Month, Airspeed, one of the most trusted and fastest growing logistics companies in the Philippines, supports the stance of Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) as it exults every woman and proclaims: “Babae, Pambihira ka!”

Airspeed is one with the PCW in its belief that women are extraordinary in strength, passion, wisdom, vigor, and heart. They dare to break stereotypes and confront challenges only to emerge stronger. Women, from different backgrounds and places, strive to show that this is a world for everyone.

 Some of the women working under the wings of Rosemarie P. Rafael are General Manager and Senior Vice President Mariz Regis who takes care of the International team and E-Commerce Pick-Up and Delivery department; Assistant General Manager (for International) Maritoni Rey; Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Eliza Nieveras who heads the Finance and Administration; Chief Commercial Officer Grace Pascual who handles and trains the Corporate Sales team, Chief Information Technology Officer Liza Marquez who heads the Management Information System department; Chief Human Resources Officer Emilee Alfonso, and Chief Marketing Officer Therese Ezra Castrojas- Galang, Vice President for Seafreight Thelma Manila, and Vice President for Pick-up and Delivery Josefa Susbilla.

Airspeed, an end-to-end logistics solutions and express courier company, was built from the ground up in 1985 by its Chairman and President, Rosemarie P. Rafael, a visionary with a mission to provide Filipinos and their businesses with the highest quality logistics services. Aiming to bring forth rewarding opportunities and enable growth for their clients, Mrs. Rafael is one of a handful of women who hold top positions in successful logistics companies in the country. She is also the first woman to be elected President of the Air Cargo Forwarders Association, a testament to her standing in the logistics industry.

Airspeed is a company that reflects Mrs. Rafael’s values and beliefs as a woman, a mother, and a leader. The organization treats clients like partners, making sure customers feel cared for; regards employees as members of the family; and handles each parcel or package with utmost consideration. Airspeed recognizes that striving to provide the best services that help others grow and prosper benefits everyone. Rosemarie P. Rafael believes women are naturally nurturing and she knows that when people are supported and enabled; they make things happen. At present, 80% of Airspeed’s top executives and 45% of Airspeed’s middle-tier managers, the people responsible for Airspeed’s continued success and growth, are women. 

In a predominantly masculine business of logistics, Airspeed would not have existed without the vision and persistence of a courageous woman. It would not have achieved success and growth throughout the years without the hard work, creativity, nurture, care and leadership of its female executives, managers and employees.  In the Philippines, it is rare to find a company in the logistics business that entrusts a large part of its values, perspectives, and decisions to women. Judging by the company’s evolution and accomplishments -- throughout its 35 years of existence; depending on the skills of women has proven to be a good thing.

Maynilad Tour: Angat, Ipo and La Mesa Dam

I had a privilege of touring Angat, Ipo and La Mesa Dam, through Maynilad last month. 

Our first stop was the Maynilad office where we received a quick briefing and some reminders about the tour. There was supposed to be a boat ride, which excited me a lot (until I saw the mini boat) but more on that later.

We then drove 2 hours to Angat Dam which was located in Norzagaray, Bulacan, and we had a great view of the Angat Dam from the Angat Rainforest Eco Park viewdeck. 

There we met up with Maynilad’s Water Source Head Rodel Tumandao who explained the intricacies of our water distribution system.

Angat Dam is owned and operated by the Angat Hydropower Corporation (AHC). It was constructed in 1965 and commissioned in 1968. About 91% of Maynilad’s raw water supply comes from Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan. The rest comes from Laguna Lake.

The Angat Dam is a multi-purpose dam. It is used for power generation, for irrigation through the National Irrigation Authority (NIA), and for domestic water supply through the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).

He also adds that Angat River has “Class A” water meaning it is the best and easiest type of water to treat because it has the least impurities.

From Angat Dam, raw water flows downward to the much-smaller Ipo Dam and, eventually, to the Novaliches Portal where the water is divided between the two private water concessionaires of the MWSS--i.e., Manila Water for the East Zone concession, and Maynilad for the West Zone concession. Maynilad gets 60% share because of its bigger customer base. While the two concessionaires share the raw water supply coming from Angat and Ipo Dams, only Manila Water gets raw water from La Mesa Dam.

The entire Angat Watershed area is about 62,000 hectares, while IPO watershed is at 6,600 hectares.

He then explained why Maynilad had to implement this rotational water service interruption schedule.

Maynilad’s Water Source Head Rodel Tumandao

According to him, the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) is the government agency responsible for determining the allocation of raw water supply from Angat Dam for MWSS and NIAThe normal allocation for MWSS is 48 cubic meters per second (cms). This supply is shared among residents of Metro Manila and the nearby provinces of Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan.

Last June 2019, the NWRB reduced raw water allocation for the MWSS in an effort to preserve the remaining water in Angat Dam, which plunged to below-critical levels due to scant rainfall.

So while at present, the water level in Angat Dam is above its minimum operating level, the NWRB still decided to retain the reduced allocation for MWSS (currently at 42 cms). This is because the water level is still lower than ideal, and NWRB wants to ensure that there will still be enough water by the time the summer months arrive.

When Maynilad is given less than its usual raw water allocation, it is constrained to maximize the limited supply by rotating it to the different areas within its concession. This is to ensure that all customers will have an opportunity to store water, even within only a few hours daily.

The duration of service interruptions per area is dependent on the hydraulic configuration of the pipelines. This means that some areas will experience longer or shorter service interruptions owing to their location (i.e., areas that are low in elevation, are near Maynilad’s reservoirs and pumping stations, and are conduits to reach fringe areas will naturally have shorter service interruptions).  

Certain factors cause the delay of supply resumption following a service interruption. These include the volume of withdrawal from the pipelines as customers start getting water, the topography of an area (low-lying areas feel the supply resumption earlier than those in highly elevated areas), and the actual raw water supply that enters Maynilad’s treatment plants for the day (lower volume received means less water for distribution).

The implementation of daily rotational service interruptions will be in effect for as long as the raw water allocation given to Maynilad from Angat Dam is below its requirement. Per NWRB, reduced allocations will remain in effect until June 2020. Continuous monitoring of Angat and lpo Dams are being done to check if the water levels improve enough to raise the allocation.

Our 2nd stop was the Ipo Dam, which diverts water from Angat Dam to the Novaliches Portal. Maynilad’s share of the raw water thereafter flows to its La Mesa Water Treatment Plants in Quezon City. The air there is fresh  plus the  place is instagramable and it has the cleanest dam that I have seen up close.

PREPARING FOR SUMMER 2020

With summer fast approaching Maynilad is encouraging its customers to do their part in conserving water as historically, consumer demand for water increases during the hot season. This, coupled with scant rainfall over the Angat and Ipo Dams, might force the NWRB to further reduce raw water allocation for the MWSS. Such reduction would mean longer daily rotational water service interruptions for customers of the concessionaires.

Water Supply Operations Head of Maynilad, Engr. Ronald Padua

Back at the Maynilad office, we met with the Water Supply Operations Head of Maynilad, Engr. Ronald Padua. I learned during the tour that Maynilad operates and maintains 4 water treatment plants, 22 wastewater plants, 36 pumping stations. 32 reservoirs, 28 in-Iine boosters. and has laid 3.137 kilometers of water pipelines since 2007, bringing the total of water pipelines laid to 7,713 kilometers. Whew!

To alleviate the impact of the reduced allocation during summer 2020, Maynilad has been implementing mitigating measures since last year--measures that would essentially add water supply for distribution to its 9.7 million customers despite the shortage from Angat and Ipo dams. These include optimizing its Putatan Water Treatment Plant 1 and commissioning its Putatan Water Treatment Plant 2 to get water from Laguna Lake and produce 300 million liters per day of additional water supply, reactivating deep wells (during the summer months only, as long-term use of deep wells may cause land subsidence), purchasing modular treatment plants that will tap rivers in Cavite, and deploying 69 mobile tankers and 32 stationary water tanks.

In addition to these, the company is also coordinating with the different government agencies, including MWSS, Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), and Philippine Air Force (PAF) regarding the cloud-seeding operations.

I learned during the tour that cloud-seeding operation is not simple, and for it to work, rain must exactly be in Angat Dam.While Maynilad's mitigating measures will help to ease the impact of the water shortage this coming summer 2020, the ultimate solution is to develop an additional raw water source-- one of the same scale as Angat Dam. 

The government through the MWSS, has lined up several prospective sources, and is working to fast-track their development to ensure long-term water security and reliability for water consumers in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. 

Smart rolls out bonus data for postpaid subscribers

PLDT mobile subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. has started roll​ing out bonus data for all Smart postpaid subscribers as part of its efforts to provide customers with means to stay connected and productive amid the COVID-19 situation.

Depending on their plan, active Smart postpaid customers will be automatically credited with a one-time bonus data ranging from 2.5GB to as much as 60GB, valid for 30 days.

Smart’s one-time bonus data for postpaid customers builds on many other efforts by the PLDT Group to provide connectivity and convenience to customers during these difficult times. Earlier, PLDT and Smart announced a 30-day payment extension period for all postpaid customers.

On the other hand, to serve prepaid customers, Smart also announced a special 30-day eLoad discount via the Smart Online Store at www.store.smart.com.ph/eload. Discounts ranging from 5% for P200 and P300 eLoads to 10% discount for P1000 eLoad are available from March 17 until April 14.

Smart continues to deliver fast and reliable connectivity powered by the country’s fastest mobile network as certified by third-party network analytics firms such as Ookla and Opensignal.

For Smart Postpaid offers, visit www.store.smart.com.ph/plans/postpaid/. Also follow Smart’s official accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates on promos and services.

 One-Time Bonus Data 

for Existing Smart Postpaid customers

	Plan	Bonus Data
Smart Signature SIM-Only Plan	Lite	2.5 GB
	S	10 GB
	M	20 GB
	L	30 GB
	XL	60 GB
Smart Signature Device Plan	S	5 GB
	M	10 GB
	L	15 GB
	XL	30 GB
Other Smart Postpaid Plans	Below Plan 999	2.5 GB
	Plan 999 to 1999	5 GB
	Plan 2000 and up	10 GB

One-Time Welcome Bonus Data 

for New Smart Signature customers

	Plan	Bonus Data
Smart Signature SIM-Only Plan	S	5 GB
	M	10 GB
	L	15 GB
	XL	30 GB
Smart Signature Device Plan	S	2.5 GB
	M	5 GB
	L	7.5GB
	XL	15 GB