BDO Bares Ways to Thwart Phishing

Wazzup Pilipinas! 

BDO Unibank said there are scams now circulating through email which attempt to lure bank clients into giving out their internet banking ID, password, bank account number, credit card account number, and other confidential information.

Known as "phishing", these email scams are designed to obtain sensitive banking information and other personal data from unsuspecting clients, with the objective of committing fraud or theft.

The email messages usually contain links that, when clicked, may lead clients to what appears to be their bank’s Internet banking login page/website. Some links may generate a pop-up window requesting clients to enter confidential personal and financial information.

BDO is taking extra measures to thwart if not minimize the impact of the said fraudulent activity such as monitoring the Internet for the phony messages and sites, and implementing additional authentication procedures.

Tomas Victor Mendoza, senior vice president of BDO transaction banking group, said the bank has already taken actions but would like to remind the clients to exercise caution in providing personal and financial information on suspicious sites and to check for signs of fraud.

"We urge our clients and the public to be vigilant when banking online to prevent their critical information or their funds from being compromised,” Mendoza said.

He added, "To protect the clients against these email scams, we advise them to be alert to any type of communication that solicits information about their account."

Following these reminders would be useful:

•        BDO will never contact clients by phone or emails to ask for confidential and sensitive information such as Internet banking Username, Password or One-Time Password.

•        Likewise, the Bank will never ask clients to change their password through an email request. The change of Internet banking passwords should be done only after they have successfully logged on to the secure BDO online banking sites. Please do not respond to emails requesting for the above information.

•        Watch out for URL redirects where the objective is to divert clients to a different website with identical design.

•        Do not click on any link provided by such emails. Make sure to personally type the website address (or URL) in the address bar of the browser to get the desired website.

•        If clients suspect that an email they have received is an attempt to phishing, please report immediately by forwarding the said email toReportPhishing@bdo.com.ph and if clients think they may have responded to a suspicious e-mail, change their password as soon as possible by logging in to BDO Personal Online Banking.

Mendoza underscored that the clients' best defense against fraud is to keep their personal and financial information confidential at all times.

Kygo to Perform in Manila

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The hottest electronic dance musician in the world will finally play on the Manila stage on October 25 as part of his Kids In Love World Tour. His latest song Born to Be Yours with Imagine Dragons has been a consistent No.1 on iTunes for over five consecutive weeks.

Kygo is a world-renowned Norwegian producer, songwriter, DJ and music marvel who has turned himself into an international sensation in a span of three short years. He was crowned Spotify’s Breakout Artist of 2015, as songs including “Firestone (feat. Conrad Sewell)” and “Stole The Show (feat. Parson James),” which was certified gold or platinum in sixteen countries, helped him become the fastest artist in history to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify. Kygo’s first album, Cloud Nine, debuted at #1 on iTunes Dance Albums Chart and at #1 on Nielsen Soundscan’s Electronic Albums chart. 

The album received tons of positive attention from critics, one of which was Rolling Stone who called it “unfailingly gorgeous.” Kygo made his U.S. television debut on The Late Late Show with James Corden where he performed an acoustic version of “Stole The Show (feat. Parson James).” He has since booked several high-profile gigs such as Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. 

Additionally, Kygo landed on the cover of Billboard Magazine last year surrounding his colossal success. His Selena Gomez collaboration “It Ain’t Me” remains his most successful single to date, reaching Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has amassed over 736 million Spotify streams as of writing with USA Today declaring the song one of 2017’s most potent contenders for the official song of summer, explaining that the tropical house-flavored beats “scream summer.” 

His single, “First Time” with Ellie Goulding charted at #1 on iTunes in 14 countries and debuted at #9 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, and the music video has garnered over 55 million views. 

On September 22nd, Kygo released his Stargazing EP which included new tracks ‘Stargazing,’ ‘This Town,’ and a collaboration with U2, ‘You’re The Best Thing About Me’ rounded out with ‘It Ain’t Me’ and ‘First Time.’ 

His latest album, “Kids in Love,” debuted at #1 on BIllboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. All eight tracks from his sophomore album hit Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, bringing Kygo’s total number of charted titles to 25.

Kygo’s Kids In Love Tour Manila is produced by Ovation Productions, the same promoters of Swedish House Mafia and the annual Road To Ultra Festival that has featured the best EDM artists in the world such as Skrillex, Zedd, Hardwell, Alesso, Fedde Legrand, Tiesto, among others.

#KYGOManila

https://www.kygomusic.com/

https://www.youtube.com/kygomusic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp6QsXHar9Y

Link to the Official Concert TVC FOR SHARING:https://www.facebook.com/ovationproductions/videos/1938345239519078/

Philippines Renews Regional Commitment to Sustainable Coastal Development

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Philippines remains fully committed to sustainable coastal development as it continues to support regional effort towards the sustainable use of coastal and marine ecosystems, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The DENR said the country is a committed partner of the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), an intergovernmental organization working to foster and sustain healthy and resilient oceans, coasts, communities and economies across the region.

DENR Undersecretary for Climate Change and Mining Concerns Analiza Rebuelta Teh, who is the PEMSEA national focal point, said the country’s affiliation with the regional organization has led to the successful adaption and implementation of the Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) program under Executive Order (EO) 533.

ICM helped government agencies, companies and other organizations to achieve social and economic development targets by addressing the governance of human activities affecting the sustainable use of coastal and marine ecosystems through a set of easily understood processes and supporting tools.

One of the most successful ICM projects in the Philippines was habitat protection, restoration and management in Batangas province. Through a province-wide ICM program, 14 coastal municipalities and various stakeholders established a network of marine protected areas to manage and protect fisheries resources, coral reefs, sea grass beds and mangrove forests.

“From these collaborative efforts, Batangas residents have benefited from increased fish catch and abundance, and the return of important fish species,” Teh said, citing a PEMSEA statement.

The PEMSEA had earlier reported that a catch monitoring study conducted by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature-Philippines confirmed the presence of larger and economically important fish species like skip jacks.

Other ICM project sites include the provinces of Bataan, Mindoro, Camarines Sur, Guimaras and Misamis Oriental. These projects highlight the country’s actions and initiatives that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Sustainable Development Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia, and the blue economy development in the region.

As part of their continuing strong partnership, Teh said that the DENR and PEMSEA are co-hosting this year’s East Asia Seas Congress on November 27-30 in Iloilo City.

The event will bring together environment ministers among PEMSEA partner nations to further strengthen regional cooperation in promoting sustainable coastal development.

“The Philippines fully recognizes the magnitude and importance of the Ministerial Forum as a milestone event that engages policy dialogue and facilitates greater regional commitment and cooperation among PEMSEA country and non-country partners,” Teh stressed.

Issued in June 2006, EO 533 adopted the ICM as a national strategy to ensure the sustainable development of the country’s coastal and marine environment and resources, and establish supporting mechanisms for its implementation.

The law recognizes ICM as “an effective approach to sustainable coastal and marine development with demonstrated benefits in enhancing economic growth, ecosystem protection, promotion of social equity, and the quality of life of the people.”


Ocean Leadership Roundtable Dialogue

East Asian Seas Futures Outlook: Healthy Oceans, People and Economies across the East Asian Seas

The 25th anniversary of Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) offers an opportunity to reflect on how much we have collectively achieved over the past two-and-a-half decades in securing healthy and resilient coasts and oceans. We celebrate our successes while learning from our missteps. Beyond this reflection and celebration, we must also prepare for the future.

As a collective partnership, we need to ask ourselves: What is PEMSEA’s future strategic direction? Where do we want PEMSEA to be in the next 25 years? What are the global/ regional trends that PEMSEA should be able to respond to? Should PEMSEA continue to focus on scaling up and replicating the Integrated Coastal Management approach? What types of future institutional and partnership arrangements should PEMSEA enter into?

To prepare for such discussions, a dynamic session will be conducted during the 10th East Asian Seas Partnership Council Meeting, featuring a panel of influential thought leaders in their respective fields (economics/finance, coastal and ocean governance, and science). Speakers will provide their views on the prospects and outlook for the coasts and oceans of the East Asian region beyond 2020.The session intends to set the scene and help shape ensuing discussions to develop ambitious and transformative actions to secure our shared vision of healthy and resilient oceans, coasts, communities and economies in the region.