AirAsia MOVE’s intra-Asean initiatives recognized at 35th ASEANTA Awards

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CEBU, PHILIPPINES, 27 January 2025 – AirAsia MOVE (MOVE), Asia’s Best Travel Booking App, has been awarded the Best ASEAN Marketing & Promotional Program award at the 35th ASEANTA Awards for Excellence, held in Cebu City, Philippines.

Presented by the ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA), the award recognizes MOVE’s ‘Travel More for Less’ campaign, a multi-market initiative across Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines designed to promote intra-Asean travel and discovery of hidden gems in the region.

Nadia Omer, CEO of AirAsia MOVE said, “Our 'Travel More for Less' campaign was built on the belief that Asean’s true beauty lies in its undiscovered corners. With nearly 80% of travellers currently concentrated in just 10% of global destinations, our mission at MOVE is to rebalance the scales of tourism. By shifting the focus to hidden gems, we are not just changing how people travel, we are supporting local communities and enabling more people to discover Asean on a deeper level.

It is a profound honour to be recognized by ASEANTA at our home base, as we continue to build a digital travel ecosystem that belongs to, and serves, the people of Asean and beyond.”

The campaign brought community storytelling to the forefront, uniting content creators from Asean countries in collaboration with tourism boards and hotel partners. Supported by key innovations and products such as the Asean Explorer Pass subscription, SNAP! Flight + Hotel bundles, in-app chat groups, and Discover ASEAN site to drive year round travel and build communities of travellers. 

 

Behind this campaign, a key strength of MOVE also lies in its strong on-the-ground presence across Asean, with dedicated teams based in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. These local teams collaborate closely across markets to weave meaningful Asean connectivity, ensuring campaigns are not only regionally cohesive, but also locally relevant, culturally grounded, and impactful for communities.

Photo caption: (Middle) Maria Lourdes Japson, Country Representative of MOVE Philippines, together with Yizhen Fung, Head of Strategic Partnerships of MOVE, proudly accepted the award at the ASEANTA Excellence Awards yesterday.

SMC removes over 330,000 tons of silt and wastes from Parañaque rivers

 

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NAIA flood mitigation, Oplan Kontra-Baha efforts:

 

San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is making good on its commitment to support government’s “Oplan Kontra-Baha” program, as its long-running Better Rivers PH river rehabilitation advocacy continued to expand its cleanup of the Paranaque river system — reporting the removal of over 330,000 metric tons of silt and waste from a total of 8 kilometers of river channels since September 2024.

SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang said that for the last 16 months, its river cleanup crews have been working non-stop to desilt, clean, and rehabilitate waterways around the airport and other critical areas of the river system.

The program, undertaken in coordination with the City Government under Mayor Edwin Olivarez, aims to improve the drainage of floodwaters from Parañaque out to Manila Bay. This is seen to mitigate flooding not just at the country’s primary international gateway, but also its neighboring communities. 

The initiative also aligns with, and supports government’s Oplan Kontra Baha, led by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), together with local government units, and other government agencies.

“We’re determined to continue delivering on our promise to our kababayans in southern Metro Manila — from all the way in Laguna to Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, and Parañaque — that we will improve the flow of water in their rivers to help address their long-standing flooding problems. From the launch of government’s Oplan Kontra-Baha program last November in Parañaque, I’m happy to report that we continue to make steady progress, and solid gains,” he said.

At the Balihatar-San Dionisio Creek, where the multi-agency, multi-stakeholder initiative was launched, Ang said the company has now removed over 21,918 tons of silt and waste from 1.57 kilometers of the waterway.

Work is progressing simultaneously downstream, toward Parañaque, and upstream, toward Las Piñas, Ang said.

Meanwhile, along the main channel of the Parañaque River, SMC’s river cleanup operations have already reached the Pasay area, removing a total of 152,365 tons of silt and wastes from a 3.65-kilometer stretch of the river.

SMC also continues to do cleanup operations at the critical junction of Don Galo River and the San Dionisio and Villanueva creeks — aimed at deepening the channel to increase carrying capacity and outflow to Manila Bay.

These efforts comprise but a small part of SMC’s wider Better Rivers PH initiative, which has been ongoing for six years now. Throughout this time, SMC has been quietly working to clean up major river systems in and around Metro Manila — at no cost to government and taxpayers.

Thus far, it has removed over 8.7 million tons of silt and wastes from the Pasig River, Tullahan River, San Juan River, rivers all over Bulacan province, the Pampanga River, and rivers in Alabang, Laguna, and Navotas.

The total river length it has covered to date is now 176.44 kilometers—making SMC’s efforts evidently the largest of its kind in the country, by far.

PHOTOS:

San Dionisio–Balihatar–Madulas Creek Highlights (Before and After Photo)

San Dionisio–Balihatar–Madulas Creek Dredging Operation

 

Hauling Operation at Parañaque River, Brgy. 190, Pasay area

Next decade of education reform begins as DepEd commits to EDCOM 2 roadmap

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PASAY CITY, 27 January 2026 — The Department of Education (DepEd) committed to lead the next decade of education reform following the launch of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) Final Report, “Turning Point: A Decade of Necessary Reforms (2026–2035),” as Education Secretary Sonny Angara moves to translate long-standing recommendations into concrete, time-bound actions for schools, teachers, and learners.



Angara said many of the EDCOM 2 recommendations are already reflected in ongoing initiatives under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration, particularly those focused on learning recovery, strengthening foundational skills, and advancing system-wide governance reforms.

“Many of the recommendations reflect reforms that DepEd has already started implementing. What we are doing now is moving faster, scaling up, and tightening accountability,” Angara said.

He added that the EDCOM 2 Final Report should be treated as a shared national agenda that requires sustained cooperation across government and society.


“Turning Point is ultimately a nation-building agenda, and its success will depend on collective action,” Angara said, calling on lawmakers, local governments, industry partners, parents, and civil society to sustain reforms beyond political cycles.


Reforms are being anchored earlier in a child’s learning journey through closer coordination among education, health, and nutrition agencies, alongside stronger participation by local governments.


Curriculum harmonization, workforce training, and unified data systems are being rolled out to strengthen early learning delivery. It will be supported by expanded feeding and parent engagement programs beginning School Year 2026–2027, particularly in high-need communities.


At the classroom level, the revised K to 10 curriculum is being rolled out nationwide, supported by large-scale teacher training and earlier alignment of learning materials. Learning recovery is being implemented at scale through diagnostic-driven interventions under the ARAL Program, while national and international assessment results are being opened to schools, local governments, and parents through Project BUKAS to support timely, school-level action.


By School Year 2026–2027, reforms in grading, assessment, and promotion are expected to reinforce mastery-based learning and ensure that learner progression reflects actual learning outcomes.


Teachers and school leaders remain central to the reform agenda. Administrative workload is being reduced through the deployment of non-teaching personnel and the digitization of school processes, while professional development and career progression systems are being aligned more closely with instructional competence.


Meanwhile, Senior High School programs are being strengthened through closer coordination with industry, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), while reforms in the Alternative Learning System (ALS) are improving learner tracking, literacy outcomes, and completion rates.


To support these reforms, school infrastructure delivery is being accelerated. Alongside collaborating with local government units, public-private partnerships were reactivated, enabling large-scale school infrastructure projects to move forward. Biddings are set to begin this year for PPP, with simultaneous construction expected by the first quarter of 2027, addressing the country’s 165,000-classroom shortage.


DepEd said it will continue working with Congress, local governments, and development partners to monitor progress under the National Education and Workforce Development Plan, emphasizing that the next decade of education reform will be judged by faster implementation and measurable improvements in learning outcomes.