Ginebra San Miguel Celebrates 190 Years with Archangel Reserve

Everyone was in a celebratory mood when we arrived at the ballroom of Novotel Araneta City. To mark Ginebra San Miguel's 190th Anniversary, they had us experience heritage, culture and the good things they whip up at their plants all these years.

Outside was a plethora of memorabilia, including age old bottles they use to contain their products, and how it evolved all through the years. While undoubtedly knowing its Filipino roots, the technology and corporate beginnings have all started in Manila in 1834. It was family owned, then spread throughout the country via major cities. It started a tradition, and products became high quality yet remained affordable. From their Ginebra San Miguel, GSM line, Premium Distilled, Antonov, Anejo Gold, Primera Light, Vino Kulafu, it became the most diverse subsidiary for products through San Miguel Corporation.

The event had a theatrical performance all throughout the night explaining the reason why the company has remained productive, through innovation and continue to become an integral part of Filipino celebrations for almost 2 centuries. The event was also graced by Ginebra San Miguel executives, celebrity endorsers like Boss Toyo, Mikee Quintos from Sparkle, and Attorney Oliver Moeller. Later in the evening, Nik Makino went up on stage and performed for everybody to celebrate #WorldGinDay. He's also a part of the endorsers tapped for this year, and he's mighty proud how his music and the countless Filipinos that made it viral on TikTok. He said he owes much of his success to the people who believed in him, and gives advice to only do it in legal age + and moderately.

Here's a glimpse of the event, please enjoy!

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Here's Nik Makino's performance on video: 

@kumagcow Talented rapper NIK MAKINO Performs at #GINEBRA WordGinDay Celebration #NikMakino #tiktoktainment #tiktokshowbizreporter #tiktoktainmentph @nikmakinobxtch ♬ MOON - Nik Makino

Add to that the new Archangel Reserve Premium 1 Liter bottle (not yet available to the market, maybe soon!) that's in Emerald Green. This is to celebrate 190 years of the brand. Congratulations to the men and women behind Ginebra San Miguel as you celebrate more years in the industry!

KPMG Innovation Summit 2023

Audit, tax and advisory firm KPMG R.G. Manabat & Co. is holding the 3rd INNOVATION SUMMIT this coming July 20 through zoom sessions. In it, they're going to discuss topics about building and maintaining Smart Cities, ESG Technology (Environmental, Social and Governance) plus more about the Next Wave of Automation and Industry Disruptors. Invited speakers include technology, business and government leaders who have experience in implementing these plans and policies and will be available for stakeholders for FREE.

This would certainly be beneficial for industry stakeholders to learn from their years of experience, plus real life strategies that you can implement in your own side of the woods. This would also be best for those who are in startups, or those who plan to be game changers in their own industries.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte will be the key note speaker, to perhaps tell more of her city's success stories. Several panel discussions on Smart Cities, ESG Tech, Automation, Experienced Leaders in Tech, plus the Global Tech Innovator Competition PH Finals. Look at the roster of speakers here!

 

 

If you wish to be part of this movement or join in to learn, you may register here through QR code:

KPMG PH Vice Chairman and COO and Head of Advisory Emmanuel Bonoan will also be there to lead the event. Also in the sessions will be government leaders DICT Undersecretary David Almirol, DBM Undersecretary Maria Francesca Del Rosario, Mr. Ernesto Herrera of City Infrastructures, League of Cities Ma. Veronica Jose and Aboitiz's COO for Smart Cities Alvin Ng. It's going to be a huge learning experience for those attending, make sure you're part of it!

Legarda Reiterates Need for Innovation to Induce Growth and Development

It's been three years since the Philippine Innovation Act has been enacted and its author Senator Loren Legarda reiterates the importance of innovation in order to spur growth in the country.

She has previously spent three terms in the Senate and has placed these as key strategies in order to see economic development in the Philippines. The Republic Act No. 11293 will intensify the capabilities of micro, small and medium enterprises to compete with other businesses by utilizing advancements in science and technology and source needed change in these sectors.

Ms. Loren pushed adequate response from the National Economic and Development Authority, the Depart of Trade and Industry, plus the Department of Science and Technology in order to fund these projects and benefit various sectors including MSME's who are in need of expertise in the fields of finance, design, technology, marketing, quality assurance, promotion and intellectual property rights so they too can protect themselves. She sets the DOST and the Universiyty of Antique partnerships which bore fruit to great value in existing programs that produced needed support in the region that utilized agricultural produce and resources from the same province. It generated employment and opportunities for individuals and entrepreneurs in their respective municipalities. This resolved problems in malnutrition as people got work and pay, to put food on the table.

She also has seen the cooperation of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University in Bacnotan, La Union, funded by her office in 2018 which gives access to capital, skills training and assistance. This benefited fisherfolk, traditional weavers and farmers who work on fabrics like abaca, pineapple and banana that are naturally grown and sought after by international designers.

Ms. Loren says "We need to see effective implementation and proper funding for programs under the Philippine Innovation Act so we can help MSME's to sustain and promote their trade. This is done not just locally, but for the global market. This will surely benefit a lot of Filipinos." and I agree with that.

UnionBank Launches UPAY

 

Union Bank of the Philippines just recently held its 12th E-Media TalkTales to talk about how UnionBank SME Business Banking can help MSMEs start their business through UPAY, an all in one fully digital payment acceptance hub.

James Ileto the Head of Corporate Media for Unionbank says "We're in the golden age of E-Commerce in the Philippines and a lot of businesses have registered their businesses online. The enterprising nature of Filipinos is seen to continue in the next few months. It's growth, and higher demand for digital payments happens as economic recovery trails in the country. Unionbank is empowering Filipino entrepreneurs which is why we're launching an MSME solution today."


Jaypee Soliman the VP for Customer Segment Management Head for Unionbank says "More than a million of MSME's have registered in the recent year, it's an area of huge opportunities especially because of factors that have forced us to transform digitally. The MSME segment is vast, but customer interaction should be common. Digital channels should be taken advantage to reach more clients. 34.5 percent now have bank accounts and digital payments to stay connected with customers. Shopee, Lazada, social media platforms, even Viber are putting up seller platforms. Storefronts should have digital payments. The need to digitize payment collection should be easy to understand, properly be accounted for. We at Unionbank went straight to customers, businesses don't need fancy solutions, but relevant ones. It's not about the business alone, but the community. It's about customer experience, who is there to help them? Platforms for MSME's have been in Unionbank that are specially designed for MSME entrepreneurs. From opening bank accounts, business loans, local and international bank transfers, bill payments, mobile check payments and more. This is UPAY for MSME's. It's got fully digital entrollment and instant activation, showcases multi channel collection capabilities, usability in multiple types of transactions, low cost entry."

Gerry Austria the Merchant Acquiring Payment Gateway Head for Unionbank says "The numbers are promising especially to our existing MSME clients. Clients have access to the app, in a month or two, they will be more aware and getting UPAY for MSME's out there. This app will level the playingfield than bigger merchants. Previously only bigger corporations have access to it, we're making it easier. Around 1 Million businesses is our target, ambitious, but perhaps more. When we designed UPAY we wanted to do away with the hassles to set up payments. We made it accessible, not much forms, just download the app. You don't need to be in the actual store for someone to pay you, you just create payment links and send it to the customer. Convenient to all parties."

This is convenient and knowing that it's all digital is reassuring. I can't wait to try it out myself soon!

Meralco Launches 1st MTECH 2015

We're in the Meralco Technology and Innovation Summit today at the Meralco grounds in Ortigas. This is a 3 day summit designed to push Meralco's goal for innovative solutions and customer service advancement in the power industry. They call it Visioneering, a combination of forming a vision and engineering innovative solutions that would in turn increase customer interaction, empower them, integrate environmentally apt and distributed resources, plus sustainable and reliable energy. This is the first MTECH forum and they were led by Meralco Chairman Manny V. Pangilinan, President and CEO Oscar Reyes, Meralco SVP Alfred Panlilio and their Chief Technology Adviser Gavin Barfield in simple ceremonies. 

Meralco's VP and CIO Marthyn Cuan says "Tech is a powerful tool to differentiate Meralco Business from the others as we continue to engage and empower our customers. It will shape a brighter future for the company and our customers."

Confirmed to speak in the conference is IBM Scaleable Solutions Architect and master inventor Kerrie Holley who will talk about his topic "Rethink Disruption". Also, they had IBM Analytics Chief Data Scientist Dr. Olav Laudy talking about big data and analytics and how to use it in utility companies. Siemens Asean Chief Technology Officer and Engineering Head Anand Gopal Menon and Sajin Rejan the Managing Director from Opower APAC on the other hand discussed smart technologies and customer based applications. All of these of which is to make Meralco 2021 a reality today.

MTECH2015 has also partnered with Cisco (hello! I know you're reading this LOL), Cotrix, Cloudera, Dell, Indra, Landis + Gyr, Microsoft, GMS, Hitatchi, Huawei, IBM, Pay Maya, Safezone, Salesforce (oh hello there too!), Samsung Business, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Toshiba and a lot more so they could showcase their products, software and services at the venue.

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IBM: 75Years of Innovation in the Philippines!

IBM Philippines just celebrated their 75th Anniversary in this country. As much as it looks so overwhelmingly stamped its ground in the Philippines, they still probably think its still in its infancy. I was reminded more of what huge contributions they have made in the last few years despite of the hardships they also as a corporation have encountered. They have evolved from being a hardware vendor to a full circle serviced corporation able to integrate processes here and around the globe. They now are one of the stalwarts of off shore operations for IBM and one of the few recognized countries that would be essential for the growth of this multinational corporation. President and Country General Manager Mariels Almeda-Winhoffer said that this has been the challenge for her, she wants IBM Philippines to become ESSENTIAL. That word alone entails a lot of things and responsibilities and a private corporation like IBM Philippines wants to take this challenge. In undertaking this humongous task, I'd gladly laud them for even thinking of it.

IBM Philippines portfolio has grown tremendously. With 50 accounts and more to come in bpo, supply and shared services, it was not surprising seeing their numbers grow. Their goal was to always follow their dreams of building more smarter cities, gain ideal geo expansions, utilize cloud and its convenient advantages, plus utilize analytics to predict/gain reliable data.The first female IBM President and Country General Manager Mariels Almeda-Winhoffer says her arrival to the Philippines made her have a different purpose; to become an essential part of the country/the community/ and their customers. Actually she said the whole business model was made to support this goal. Aside from that, they did not forget their duty to society. Their Kidsmart project alone benefited almost 800,000 kids, institutions, students and professors. They have also put importance in integrated health services in the Philippines as this has also been the center of attention of IBM globally. IBM Philippines is now a proud services and software company that's going to have sustainable growth in the next few years. They will continue providing solutions via integration. That is actually their next step, and they are adding more for their long term goals.

It was a treat visiting them on their turf, let alone on a day where they celebrate their 75th year. They even had a small part of the intros explaining the Filipino work ethics and customs. It was nice to see it in that perspective. I hardly ask questions but while everyone was at the heat of the moment, I remembered the part about IBM and the problems they had with GSIS. I was worried that they painted a pretty picture here but still had that issue with the records of that government agency. As soon as I asked, everyone jumped in and said that it has been resolved. They released a statement here years ago. I was wondering what happened to that because I personally saw my Mom go through hell in GSIS. Saw an article here saying there were settlements being done during the new administration. In any case, they assured me they've got that settled already. Mom should be happy.

Today they've got a few projects with local cities like Davao. Their Public Safety and Security Command Center is being scaled up on a one of a kind initiative to make this one of their Smart Cities. The IBM Intelligent Operations Center solutions will create advanced technological solutions to existing infrastructure to improve the overall city management which will further lower crime rates in Davao. They will also be using analytics on parts of this very promising projects. Pretty soon they'll be using the same technique to other ones but this is a definite first in the world! I'm sure this wouldn't be the last of it!

This has always been IBM Philippines thrust; which is transformation through innovation. They've already made a great head start in more cities in the Philippines; and this will surely be something to be shared to the rest of the world. The Philippines is indeed essential to IBM's growth today and for years to come. Congratulations on continuing to grow together; with the people and communities you've helped along the way. Thank you for being a part of a bigger, better Philippines!

INNOVATION WHITE: BigFish Manila's Annual White Party

I party a lot. But OH BOY did BigFish Manila change what my concept of parties is! I was able to attend this year's INNOVATION WHITE: BigFish Manila's Annual White Party with European superstar DJ's on the list. I loved it so much that it deserves some photos on my site so you guys can envy me a bit! Haha!

It rained white confetti and blue lights last night. It was so nice I felt nostalgic after the event. It was pure House and Trance that night which TOTALLY made me close my eyes a couple of times. I enjoy music when I do that. Best of all, I got to also ask some questions to these gorgeous people here!

The First Lady of Trance Ms. Emma Hewitt was so stunning and so beautiful! I even smiled when she came in. Only a few people can do that to me honestly. I switched #fanboy mode on. I love her and her music! She was so nice and said she was looking forward to work with the other DJ's there that evening. Her vocal prowess, her presence just light up the room and command the audience. She's got that quality and the guys just affirmed that. I was at awe staring at her from my seat. :)

Myon and Shane54. The powerful Hungarian super humans who make trance music like butter on toast. This duo of DJ/Producers can turn up the crowd whip up a tune and get them wild! I was able to witness part of their set and by my standards it was mind blowing. If I really had some place to be in Europe I'd probably frequent these guys gigs for sure!

Cosmic Gate gave me goosebumps. Imagine the venue shutting down some of their lights. Countdown ensues and then suddenly a whole storyboard, plus fireworks and tons of lights come streaming throughout the World Trade Center. It was so awesome! They played their previous hits and made some new mixes that evening. I lost my voice the next day because I was screaming along with thousands of people who LOVE their music! I will surely go and look them up when they are in the country. 

They were really a nice bunch of people. Thank you so much BigFish Manila for bringing these awesome talents to Philippine shores. I will surely go to the next Innovation White party. I heard the Black Party is next, now that's gonna be something to look forward to!

Here are some shots off the actual party. The crazy, talented BOBINA spinned first. It was like RUSSIA took over the Philippines in one go!

This was the part where I was telling you about Cosmic Gate a few paragraphs ago. Just look how awesome those lights are, it shone on us while clad all white!

Thank you so much to the gorgeous people behind Innovation White and BigFish Manila. You are THE one and only authority in throwing parties. Awesome world renowned DJ's in one place... a party that we surely could never forget! See you on the next one!

For more information


please visit www.bigfishmanila.com