34 Cities, Municipalities Recognized for Outstanding Education Efforts

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Recipients of Seal of Good Education Governance

get incentives from PLDT, Smart

Thirty-four cities and municipalities from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao were recognized yesterday for their outstanding efforts in improving the quality of basic education in their communities. Seventeen of them will be conferred the Seal of Good Education Governance, while the rest will receive the Jesse Robredo Award in Education Governance, named after the late interior secretary and longtime mayor of Naga City.

Recipients of the Seal of Good Education Governance plus an Incentive Package from PLDT and Smart:

1. Bacnotan, La Union
2. Diadi, Nueva Vizcaya
3. Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya
4. Solano, Nueva Vizcaya
5. Villaverde, Nueva Vizcaya
6. Diffun, Quirino
7. Navotas City, Metro Manila
8. Valenzuela City, Metro Manila
9. Maribojoc, Bohol
10. Mambusao, Capiz
11. Concepcion, Iloilo
12. Lambunao, Iloilo
13. Leon, Iloilo
14. Mina, Iloilo
15. Cagayan de Oro
16. Datu Paglas, Maguindanao
17. Bongao, Tawi Tawi

Recipients of the Jesse Robredo Award in Education Governance:

1.    Vigan, Ilocos Sur

2.    Agoo, La Union

3.    San Fernando, La Union

4.    San Gabriel, La Union

5.    Santol, La Union

6.    Dao, Capiz

7.    Ivisan, Capiz

8.    Argao, Cebu

9.    Ajuy, Iloilo

10. Alimodian, Iloilo

11. Cabatuan, Iloilo

12. Lemery, Iloilo

13. Maasin, Iloilo

14. Miagao, Iloilo

15. General Santos City

16. Parang, Maguindanao

17. Upi, Maguindanao

All the 34 local government units (LGUs) met the Synergeia Foundation’s criteria for good education governance. To qualify, they must have reinvented their local school boards and organized functional school governing councils. The cities and municipalities must have also reduced the number of non-readers and frustrated readers in their locality by at least 20 percent.

Moreover, their cohort survival rate (the percentage of first graders who went on to sixth grade) must be higher than the national average of 80% or must have increased by at least two percentage points. The LGUs must have devoted an increasing amount of their budget to education.

Synergeia – a coalition of individuals and organizations working closely with LGUs – started giving the Seal of Good Education Governance last year to promote transparency, accountability, and excellence in the delivery of basic education by local governments. It received 350 LGU nominations this year, which is higher than last year’s 250 submissions.

This year’s results were deliberated upon by Synergeia trustees and representatives from PLDT, Smart Communications, and SGV Foundation.

As an incentive to the Seal holders, PLDT and Smart will provide technology packages suited to the LGUs’ respective circumstances and needs. Among the possible incentives are:

• Installation and maintenance of Smart Wifi in the LGU’s nominated university
• Provision of InfoCast, a web-based solution that will allow the LGU to broadcast announcements and receive feedback via text message
• Smart School-in-a-Bag, which contains a solar panel to serve schools without electricity, mobile devices, curriculum-based educational content, teacher training, monitoring, and evaluation

All recipients of the Seal of Good Education Governance will get smartphones and a cash prize from PLDT and Smart. On top of these, thousands of individuals from each of the 17 Seal recipients who will sign up for KasamaKA will get a free three-month micro-insurance coverage from FINTQ, the financial technology arm of PLDT-Smart digital unit Voyager Innovations. KasamaKA is a community-based, self-help, income-generating, and inclusive ecosystem-building movement.

“We at PLDT and Smart hope that these technology tools would help the country’s outstanding LGUs deliver quality education to their constituents. We recognize that tech solutions to challenges in education work only when major stakeholders pursue innovative learning programs,” said PLDT and Smart Public Affairs Head Ramon R. Isberto.

ShopFest Set to Become the Philippines’ First Stop for Year-end Shopping

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Resolving information asymmetry for shoppers by helping them locate lifestyle purchases and best buys tailored to their needs.

Starting your year-end shopping has never been better with ShopFest, a four-month long shopping festival organised by ShopBack, your one-stop lifestyle e-commerce portal empowering smarter online purchases. With over 300 Stores participating online, ShopFest, which will be held from 1 September to 2018 to 3 January 2019, will introduce you to a new world of online shopping where you will not just get the best value for your money but also amazing cashback!

ShopFest is catered to bring together online marketplaces in the Philippines to provide you an effortless shopping experience while empowering sales in the digital economy. ShopBack is committed to its mission to help its Filipino customers get the best savings and convenience out of their online shopping, making shopping more affordable for Filipino customers with all the must-have vouchers, promotions and cashbacks at their fingertips.

“Christmas countdown starts in September for all Filipinos and that’s the main driving force for us to spend during the year-end period,” said Mr. Prashant Kala, Country Head of ShopBack Philippines. “With this consumer insight in mind, we set out to construct a meaningful platform that efficiently connects both retailers and shoppers  for the year-end period when shoppers are prepared to spend in preparation for the most important festive season of the year.”

ShopFest is set to become the first stop for year-end hassle-free shopping by onboarding over 300 participating retailers to satisfy all your shopping needs. ShopFest with its partners will impact the 6 major sales event (9.9 Rewards Day, 10.10 Perfect Ten, 11.11 Singles’ day, Black Friday/Cyber Monday, 12.12 Online Revolution and Christmas & New Year sale) as shoppers explore the endless number of deals with ShopBack’s platform, contributed directly by the participating retailers.

From grocery shopping, health and beauty, to travel needs and dining, ShopFest’s partner retailers such as Booking.com, Lazada, Traveloka, Foodpanda, and more are gearing up to give the best deals to customers when it comes to lifestyle shopping.


Gamifying shopping journeys to deliver the ultimate experience for shoppers

To further elevate the joy of year-end shopping, ShopBack created the ShopFest Ultimate Experience together with other participating online retailers. Shoppers get to earn points by performing the following actions:
Making purchases via ShopBack during ShopFest and/or
Searching for special keys to unlock Treasure Chest via the ShopBack app

“Booking.com is delighted to partner with ShopBack for ShopFest Ultimate Experience. With over 28.9 million accommodation listings available on Booking.com across the globe including everything from homes, villas and apartments to world-class hotels and resorts, we provide accommodation options for every kind of customer throughout the region. That’s why we are providing the ShopFest Ultimate Experience Grand Prize, so Shoppers can go out and stay in some of the amazing places we have on offer. Connecting travellers with unique places to stay anywhere in the world is the reason Booking.com exists.” Said Stewart Jones, Regional Director of Strategic Partnerships, APAC, Booking.com.



ShopFest, by ShopBack

Since ShopBack’s launch in the Philippines in 2015, the company is now a dominant player in the Southeast Asia e-commerce cashback market. Having established its presence in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan and most recently, Australia, ShopBack is well on its way to becoming every online shopper’s top pick for a cashback site.

For more information about ShopBack, visit www.shopback.ph or download the ShopBack app for free on the App Store or Google Play Store. Follow Shopback on Facebook www.facebook.com/ShopBackPhilippines/ and Instagram @shopbackph. Also, do not forget to check out the biggest year-end shopping sales at www.shopfest.ph.

Five OFW Jobs in Japan You Didn't Know About

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Filipinos value their families above all else. They will do whatever it takes to make sure their loved ones are well cared for, even if it means traveling to different countries and taking on challenging jobs to earn a living. Japan has long been a popular choice for OFWs because of the high pay and quality of life. As of 2017, Filipinos are the third largest group of foreign workers in Japan. 

With Japan’s aging population, the country is looking to hire even more foreign workers. But aside from hiring caregivers, domestic helpers, and other common jobs you might see online, here are a few unique jobs that might catch your interest.

1. Tokoshu Seiso: The Lonely Death Cleaner
Many OFWs work as housekeepers and domestic helpers, but there is another kind of cleaner needed in Japan. With an aging population, Japan has an increasing number of kodokushi or “lonely deaths.” Thus, there is also a high demand for tokoshu seiso—people who are hired to clean up the deceased person’s belongings. It is not a simple task, knowing that the owner of the house has passed on, so the cleaner usually says a prayer for the deceased person before entering the place. 

Watch this video to see a Pinoy tokoshu seiso in action. 

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/759278184241078/posts/1055207234648170/

Youtube: http://bit.ly/BDOKabayanJAPAN

2. Ninjutsu: Part-time Ninja Trainers
Filipinos are known for their talents in singing and dancing, which is why a lot of entertainers get hired to work on theme parks and cruise ships. In Japan, some establishments are also looking for “ninja trainers” to help promote tourism and teach kids all about ninja etiquette. So if you’ve always dreamed of being a ninja and have a few stunts up your sleeve, then this job is for you.

3. Sakura: The Decoys
Also known as a “hospitality supporter,” the decoys are hired as fake guests in weddings, meetings, or other events. One company also offers fake lovers and funeral guests. Since Pinoys are naturally friendly and sociable, this is a good option to consider.

4. Narabiya: The Professional Queuer
Imagine you’re standing in line, waiting for your turn to get your driver’s license renewed, when you suddenly remember that you left the stove on at home. What do you do? Call someone to stand in line for you! In Japan, it’s totally possible. And if you’re willing to do this for a few hours, you could earn as much as JPY 15,000 (PHP 7,000).

5. Kensetsu Sagyo-in: Construction worker for the 2020 Olympics
Preparations for the upcoming Olympic games in Tokyo are in full swing! Huge stadiums and other structures are being built and Japan needs to hire more people to get them done on time. Whether you're a carpenter, engineer, or architect, you'll most likely find an opening to suit your skill set. Not only will you be able to work in Japan, you'll also be able to say that you're a part of this historical event.

If you're an OFW, you work hard to earn money, grow your savings, and prepare for your family’s future. No matter what the job entails, you're willing to make sacrifices and do the work to be able to send money for your loved ones.

While they find ways to earn for their families back home, BDO finds ways to safeguard their keep and provide innovative options to send this money to their loved ones.   With 5000+ Cash Agad partners, 4000+ BDO ATMs, and 1000+ branches nationwide; BDO makes it easy and convenient for beneficiaries to withdraw the remittances. 

For more information, you may visit this link (https://www.bdo.com.ph/kabayan-remittance-services).