SM: Creating shared value through tech-voc education

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One of the flagship programs of SM Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of the SM group, is its scholarship program. Aside from the college education offerings, the program also provides venues for students who would like to pursue a career in the skilled labor industry.

The gradual reopening of economy not just in the country, but around the world, brings hope to more job opportunities for Filipinos who lost their jobs because of the health crisis. Indeed, the support for individuals eyeing to be part of the skilled industry is needed now more than ever.

It was in this light when SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime), together with SM Foundation (SMFI), Don Bosco One TVET Phils. Inc., and the city government of Pasay partnered to give educational support to 20 deserving youth coming from Pasay. To date, SMFI has already produced more than 4,500 tech-voc graduates who are now gainfully employed.

A dream to be fulfilled

One of the current SM tech-voc scholars from Pasay is Stephen Parina. His dream is to put up his own automotive shop since aside from his interest in cars and motorcycles, he intends to uplift the economic status of his family. Both of his parents are temporary employees at the Pasay City Hall.

“Nakita ko sa Facebook post ng SM Foundation na nandun ang aking gustong course kaya dali-dali akong pumunta sa city hall ng Pasay para alamin ang mga detalye nito at kinabukasan ay nagpasa na ako agad ng mga requirements,” said Stephen, who is now studying Automotive Mechanic course at the Don Bosco Makati.

“Gusto kong matuto kung paano mag ayos ng mga sasakyan at makatapos ng pag-aaral dahil hirap kami sa aming pamumuhay. Alam ko na makakatulong ang edukasyon, kagaya ng techvoc upang matupad ang aking pangarap na makapagpatayo ng sarili kong automotive shop. Magiging susi ito upang mai-angat ko ang antas ng pamumuhay ng aking pamilya” he added.

“Taos pusong pasasalamat sa SM at sa Sy family dahil nabigyan nyo ako ng pagkakataon na makabalik muli sa pag aaral. Hinding hindi ko ito malilimutan. Dadalhin ko ito hanggang sa aking pag tanda,” Stephen said.



Ticket to success

Another current tech-voc scholar is Jeorge Angelo Madrid. He is also studying Automotive Mechanic course at the Don Bosco Makati. His father works as a painter of houses and buildings while his mother works at the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Jeorge is the youngest and most of his five siblings already have their own families.

According to Jeorge, he sees this opportunity of going back to school as his ticket towards achieving his dreams: “Nag-apply ako sa SM Foundation kasi wla po akong kakayahan na makapag aral at makapagtapos. Wala po akong pagkukuhanan ng pang tuition para maipang bayad sa eskwelahan.”

Jeorge is adamant to find a gainful employment right after he finish his studies. “Salamat po sa SM Foundation. Kung hindi dahil sa inyo, hindi madaragdagan ang kaalaman ko tungkol sa automotive. Magagamit ko ito sa aking paghahanap ng trabaho at kinalaunan, masuportahan ang aking sarili, mga pamangkin at ang aking mga magulang,” Jeorge further shared.



Reaping the fruits of his efforts

Anthony Andales, an SM tech-voc scholar alumnus, also took the time to share his inspiring story. He graduated from the Dualtech Training Center in 2019 and is now employed as a staff technician in a known company which manufactures various electronic products for home and office use.

“Bago ako mag-training sa Dualtech, nagtrabaho muna ako bilang isang helper sa isang refilling station. Ang aking arawang sweldo ay P220 lamang. Akala ko dati, wala na akong mararating sa buhay at hindi na makapagtatapos ng pag-aaral,” Anthony recalled.

“But God gave me the privilege to be chosen as one of the SM Foundation scholars para makapag-aral ako nang walang binayaran kahit piso. Ang tanging puhunan ko lang ay ang aking lakas ng loob at ang aking mga pangarap sa buhay na balang araw, makatutulong ako sa aking pamilya upang kahit papano ay makaahon sa buhay,” he further added.

Right after his on-the-job training, he was absorbed by the program’s OJT- partner company and was given a job as a staff technician because of his skills and work ethics.

“Napagawa na namin ang bahay kahit papaano, hindi man bato pero at least maayos at safe kapag may bagyo. Hindi po kagaya dati na pag umuulan ay may pa-shower kami kasi butas-butas na ang bubong at tagpi-tagpi ang dingding ng aming tahanan. Walang imposible kapag ikaw ay may pangarap at determinasyon upang maabot ito sapagkat maraming tao at institusyon na handang tumulong. Kaya sobrang thankful po talaga ako sa mga taong tumulong sa akin para magkaroon ng maliwanag na kinabukasan.” Anthony concluded.

SM Foundation, through its Scholarship program, provides deserving and qualified students with access to college education and technical-vocational studies since 1993.

Microsoft introduces Microsoft Entra to help customers secure access for a connected world

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Microsoft Entra encompasses all of Microsoft’s identity and access capabilities, and includes Azure AD as well as two new product categories, Microsoft Entra Permissions Management and Microsoft Entra Verified ID

Microsoft Entra is part of Microsoft’s expanded vision for identity and access; to make identity as a trust fabric for the entire digital ecosystem


Microsoft announced a new product family, Microsoft Entra, which encompasses all of Microsoft’s identity and access capabilities. Microsoft Entra includes Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) as well as two new product categories: a Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM) solution called Microsoft Entra Permissions Management, and a decentralized identity product offering, Microsoft Entra Verified ID.

Joy Chik Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Identity, said, “We are seeing an increasing need for trust in a hyperconnected world. Through Microsoft Entra, we’re expanding our identity and access solutions so that they can serve as a trust fabric for the entire digital ecosystem—now and long into the future.”

Vasu Jakkal ,Corporate Vice President, Security, Compliance, Identity, and Management at Microsoft, added, “Microsoft Entra embodies our vision for what modern secure access should be. Identity should be an entryway into a world of new possibilities, not a blockade restricting access, creating friction, and holding back innovation. We want people to explore, to collaborate, to experiment—not because they are reckless, but because they are fearless.”

The digital estates of organizations are growing, changing, and becoming boundaryless. Security challenges have become much broader, and there is a need for broader solutions. Organizations need access decisions to be as granular as possible, and to automatically adapt based on real-time assessment of risk. Microsoft Entra is part of Microsoft’s expanded vision for identity and access. It will verify all types of identities and secure, manage, and govern their access to any resource, by: Protecting access to any app or resource for any user;
Securing and verifying every identity across hybrid and multicloud environments;
Discovering and governing permissions in multicloud environments; and
Simplifying the user experience with real-time intelligent access decisions.



Reducing access risk across clouds

The adoption of multicloud has led to a massive increase in identities, permissions, and resources across public cloud platforms. Without visibility across cloud providers, or tools that provide a consistent experience, it is become incredibly challenging for identity and security teams to manage permissions and enforce the principle of least privilege across their entire digital estate.

Following the acquisition of CloudKnox Security last year, Microsoft is now the first major cloud provider to offer a CIEM solution—Microsoft Entra Permissions Management. It provides comprehensive visibility into permission for all identities (both user and workload), actions, and resources across multicloud infrastructures. Permissions Management helps detect, right-size, and monitor unused and excessive permissions, and mitigates the risk of data breaches by enforcing the principle of least privilege in Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud Platform.

Microsoft Entra Permissions Management will be a standalone offering generally available worldwide in July 2022 and will be integrated within the Defender for Cloud dashboard, extending Microsoft Defender for Cloud’s protection into CIEM.

In addition, the preview of workload identity management in Microsoft Entra will allow Microsoft customers to assign and secure identities for any app or service hosted in Azure, by extending the reach of access control and risk detection capabilities.



Enabling secure digital interactions that respect privacy

Microsoft Entra Verified ID is a new product offering based on decentralized identity standards that implements the industry standards, making portable, self-owned identity possible.

Verified ID represents Microsoft’s commitment to an open, trustworthy, interoperable, and standards-based decentralized identity future for individuals and organizations. Instead of granting broad consent to countless apps and services and spreading identity data across numerous providers, Verified ID allows individuals and organizations to decide what information they share, when they share it, with whom they share it, and—when necessary—take it back.

Microsoft Entra Verified ID will be generally available in early August 2022.



Automating critical Identity Governance scenarios

IT and security teams are facing enormous challenges to provision new users and guest accounts and manage their access rights manually. Using Identity Governance in Azure AD, Microsoft’s existing cloud‑based identity and access management service, businesses can address these challenges with identity lifecycle management, which simplifies the processes for onboarding and offboarding users. Lifecycle workflows automate assigning and managing access rights, and monitoring and tracking access, as user attributes change.
Lifecycle workflows in Identity Governance will enter public preview in July 2022.



Visit the Microsoft Entra website to learn more about how Azure AD, Microsoft Entra Permissions Management, and Microsoft Entra Verified ID deliver secure access for our connected world.

What’s New at &More by Sheraton this June 2022?

Wazzup Pilipinas!?


Mornings to Evenings. Work to Fun. Sheraton Manila Bay’s newest F&B outlet, &More by Sheraton and Unspoken Bar promises not just new interiors but dining concepts with unique and bespoke all-day delectable savories, freshly baked sweets, cakes, artisan coffee experiences, cocktail concoctions, and more.

For those on the look-out for something tasty to pair with their hot breakfast coffee or savor over tea as an afternoon snack or dessert, &More by Sheraton serves Ensaimada Mallorquina, the original ensaymada or traditional bread of the Spanish island of Mallorca famed for its soft, sweet spiral bread dusted with confectioners' sugar. It is available for only Php 80 net per piece and Php 220 net for bread and brewed coffee.

In the evening, indulge in our Happy Hour every Friday from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm for only Php 550++ and enjoy any two (2) of our best-selling cocktails (Gin Basil Smash, Malvar Mule, Old Manila, Aperol Spritz, Sangria de Malate, and Gin & Tonic) complemented with your choice of pica-pica platter. Pica-pica selection includes Ham and Cheese Croquette, Chicken Bruschetta, or Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta. We spice up the evening with great live entertainment and acoustic performances from duo Sonny and Sunshine and Franco and Catherine.

&More by Sheraton is open from 6:30 am to 10:00 pm. Unspoken Bar is open from 3:00 pm to 12:00mn. &More by Sheraton and Unspoken is located at the Main Lobby, Sheraton Manila Bay, M. Adriatico cor. Gen Malvar Sts. Malate, Manila.

For reservations please call +632 5318 0788 or email reservations.manilabay@sheraton.com. Like us on Facebook and Instagram @sheratonmanilabay and Twitter at @sheratonmnlbay. For more information, please visit our website at www.sheratonmanilabay.com.

Pitogo HS secures TagRobo four-peat win

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Pitogo High School picked up where it left off as it secures the championship title in the Tagisang Robotics: Design. Build. Play as the competition returns this 2022 using a hybrid format.

After winning The Best Team Award in 2019, the Best Rookie Team and Best Team in 2013, and again as Best Team in 2014, Pitogo High School once more showed that they are still the team-to-beat in the returning robotics competition held last May 27.

Pitogo HS scored a total of 3,000 points and recorded the shortest time to complete the final task, which is to sense, lift and deliver colored pallets to their designated places on the playing field.

Pitogo HS Team, composed of students Allen Reilan Bustamante, Nathan Enzo Saludo, Rose Nelyn Andalajao, and Gaudy Lhuan Macato, will receive P120,000 cash grant and a trophy. Their coach, Florante Ferrer, one of the veteran coaches of the competition, will receive P30,000 cash award.

Meanwhile, Caloocan National Science and Technology High School (CalNatSci) was hailed as first runner-up with 2,800 points, while Taguig City Science High School finished as second runner up with 2,600 points.

Students of CalNatSci Angelo Paolo Atip, Gabriel Peter Pacoma, Danielle Faye Alba, Anjae Maria Bejerano bagged a trophy and P80,000 cash grant. Taguig City Science HS students Jaisa Julene Mataac, Julyenne Alexander Borais, Steven Andrei Fontiveros and Anastacia Freyja Cabugon will receive Php 40,000 cash and a trophy. The coaches of the first runner-up and second runner-up will be receiving P20,000 and P10,000 cash prize, respectively.

Rizal National Science High School, meanwhile, bagged The Most Valuable Team title after garnering the highest combined scores from the qualifying heat matches held in series before the final match. Through these matches, the Top 8 finalists were selected and allowed to compete in the hybrid championship game.

The Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) has been conducting the Tagisang Robotics since 2011 to ignite the interest of high school students in robotics for them to discover their potentials in the fields of engineering and information technology.

“Potential is something that is always there especially when talking about the Filipino youth. The only challenge is on how we can hone and harness it, and make sure that effective programs are implemented for it to be realized, “ said DOST-SEI’s Chief of the Science and Technology Manpower Education Research and Promotions Division, Dr. Ruby R. Cristobal.

With the new format of the Tagisang Robotics competition, participating teams were allowed to upload their previously tested codes remotely, to autonomously run the robot onsite and fulfill the task of efficiently delivering the colored pallets to the designated positions on the playing field in the shortest possible time. This new game format heralds an innovative way of delivering technology-based competitions amid prevailing restrictions due to the pandemic. Likewise, it offers a creative solution to future challenges of running highly engaging competitions despite having participants who are remotely located.