Smart Supports Disaster Resilience Forum for Business

Wazzup Pilipinas!

PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications recently supported the 2nd Business and the Big One forum, which was organized by the Corporate Network for Disaster Response (CNDR) and American Chamber (AmCham) Foundation Philippines.

From left, CNDR president and Smart public affairs head Ramon Isberto, Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines former president Adam Abinales, DOST Undersecretary Renato Solidum, and MMDA Crisis Monitoring and Management Center head Ramon Santiago

Following the recent spate of earthquakes in the country, the forum aimed to address calls by the government to prepare for the possibility of a magnitude 7.2 earthquake coming from the West Valley Fault and/or the Manila Trench. It also identified structural risk reduction and continuity measures for businesses, as well as the four quadrants or areas that may be subdivided by the Big One, and the likely damage in each location.

In his opening remarks, AmCham Foundation vice president Chris Nelson urged the forum participants, composed of corporate executives and management teams, to be prepared for disasters, saying no reliable technology to predict earthquakes had been invented yet.

For his part, Renato Solidum, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) undersecretary, said, “Extreme preparedness is needed for extreme hazards.” He also encouraged the participants to have a “disaster imagination” by imagining scenarios and creating solutions.

Ramon R. Isberto, PLDT/Smart public affairs head and CNDR president, moderated the open forum, which was joined by Solidum, Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines former president Adam Abinales, and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Crisis Monitoring and Management Center head Ramon Santiago.

“As a telecommunications provider, Smart needs to keep the service running, especially in times of disasters. We have provided continuous services and offered free calls and charging, and even satellite solutions, to areas affected by typhoons, earthquakes and other calamities,” said Isberto.

The forum also emphasized the need for families of employees to have their own preparedness plans. “This is a practical step to alleviate the situation. It may help us simplify things to make room for bigger things,” Isberto added.

Smart has been at the forefront of emergency preparedness and response in the Philippines, employing technology and communications as aid. The company has pioneered programs and mobile solutions to promote disaster resilience under its #SafePH advocacy, among them Smart Infocast, a short message service (SMS) advisory platform that enables local government units and agencies to send free text message alerts; the Batingaw emergency mobile app; the TNT Tropang Ready series of youth disaster preparedness caravans; and the Emergency Cell Broadcast System, which can send out location- and hazard-specific warnings through a dedicated channel, ensuring faster delivery of information.

IFEX Philippines Draws More Southeast Asian Buyers as PH leads 30th ASEAN Summit

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More Southeast Asian trade buyers are expected to source the best of Philippine and Asian food products in the 11th edition of IFEX Philippines on May 19-21 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM) and Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC).

“As one of the official trade events in the 30th ASEAN Summit, IFEX Philippines will further our aspirations toward a more inclusive, innovation-led growth in ASEAN bloc by matching global food buyers and food suppliers within the region,” said DTI-CITEM Executive Director Clayton Tugonon.

Based on DTI-CITEM’s latest tally on May 8, 23% of the confirmed trade buyers in IFEX Philippines are coming from ASEAN and South Asia; while 25% from the Middle East and Africa, 18% from Americas, 14% from East Asia, 11% from Europe, 4% from China and its special administrative regions (SARS), and 5% from Oceania.

This is a significant increase compared to the previous 2015 edition, wherein only 18% of the total international buyers came from ASEAN countries and South Asia.

“We are also proud to announce that more than half of our confirmed Very Important Buyers (VIBs) are first timers. Their presence is significant in streamlining new trade deals and partnerships,” said Tugonon. “We were able to convince them through our aggressive buyer campaign, complemented with the renewed global interest towards Filipino food fusions, as well as the diplomatic efforts of President Rodrigo Duterte to deepen the economic ties of the Philippines with other states.”

Based on the same tally, 64% of the confirmed VIBs are visiting IFEX Philippines for the first time. VIBs are representatives of established and reputable retail giants and supermarkets across the world.

Among retail giants participating from Southeast Asia is “The Mall Group,” which is one of the largest supermarket operators in Thailand, recording about 6 billion US dollar revenue in 2016.

Retail chains and supermarkets hailing from different regions also include the Hurxley Corporation from East Asia; Integral Foodservices from the Middle East and Africa; Bianca International Organic, Inc. from Americas; Migros, Albert Heijn B.V., Veld Co. and Decare from Europe; and Nanjing Grand Group from China.

Through DTI-CITEM’s partnership with the different embassies, the three-day event is also expected to host delegations of international buyers from Syria, Japan, Korea and Turkey.

To maximize sourcing opportunities, buyers in IFEX Philippines can join the IFEX Philippines Connect, an integrated business platform that matches buyers with potential food suppliers and other business partners.

Those engaged in the private label industry will also have the privilege to participate in the Grocers Exchange (GMART Program) to connect with private label suppliers.

To get a more comprehensive outlook on the Philippine market, international buyers have the option to join the guided tours on local big retail chains and supermarkets under the Store Visit Program, coordinated with the Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association, Inc. (PAGASA).

They will also have a chance to win premier vacation in Pearl Farm Beach Resort, a five-star beach resort in Davao del Norte under the Luxe Escape Dream Destination Raffle Promo.

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IFEX Philippines, Asia’s ethnic food & ingredients show, is the country’s biggest international trade exhibition on the Philippines’ and Asia's specialty food, with around 700 exhibitor companies, attracting wholesale buyers, importers and food distributors from all over the world.

IFEX Philippines is organized by the Department of Trade and Industry, through its Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (DTI-CITEM), in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, through its Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (DA-AMAS), and the ASEAN Committee on Business and Investment Promotion (CBIP), which is chaired by DTI.

YouTube FanFest Creator Camp Highlights

Wazzup Pilipinas!

We are proud to have been a part of the YouTube FanFest Creator Camp held on May 11 at the World Trade Center. There were just a very few of us there since the seats are probably less than a hundred and since everyone was allowed to bring a plus one, then that could only mean only around 50 got the chance to be face-to-face with some of the leading local and foreign YouTubers or Content Creators led by Alex Wassabi, Mikey Bustos, Wil Dasovich, Lloyd Cafe Cadena, Erwan Heussaff and a lot more who joined the several panel discussions composed of three YouTube sensations per panel.

Bear in mind that only content creators with a minimum of 1K subscribers were allowed to be part of the YouTube FanFest Creator Camp so everyone there are naturally active in content creation to be able to garner such a number of followers. However, I would be on the modest side since I am only a minuscule of what the others have achieved on YouTube.

I got to meet a few more content creators that nearer my age, and a lot from the younger generations that are still at the start of the Millennials group. I am way beyond 35 so that makes me a little bit out of place among the majority there composed of the youth somewhere around their college levels.

I was surprised that some of them do know me or they probably just heard me ask a question during the Q&A portion of the first panel where I asked the panelist of their thoughts of being more globally competitive if you can fluently speak in English.