Leveraging on APIs to make real-world impact

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Open banking, which uses application programming interface or APIs for shared data, has democratized the delivery of financial services in recent years. With this, traditional financial institutions are faced with the challenge brought about by many fintechs which rapidly reshape the industry.

“At the end of the day, finance is about people and enabling people. It is not people living for finance.” This is from Dr. David Hardoon, Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) Senior Advisor for Data and Artificial Intelligence, on how the Bank welcomed the rapid development of open banking.

Dr. Hardoon shared the Bank’s digital transformation approach when it comes to application programming interface or APIs and open banking in the Planet of the APIs discussion at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2020.

“Rather than treating it as a threat, we have to do two fundamental things. One, is to accept that this is going to be a reality... and the approach that we’re doing is to focus on the end goal which is financial inclusion, especially in the Philippines. It’s about making a difference and how to get to the 60-65% of the population which is not banked or underserved,” added Dr. Hardoon.

He also shared that UnionBank is focusing on how to leverage on data, the APIs and the evolving ecosystem. True to this mission, UnionBank was the first local bank to expose its APIs externally in 2016 during its first ‘Hackathon.’ The Bank’s developer portal now contains UnionBank’s set of APIs available for developers especially fintechs who want to create new technology to extend financial services to the public.

Because of this early adoption, UnionBank was able to use its innovations even during the pandemic. One of which is to help the government disburse social amelioration funds which provided financial support to those who were in need during the start of the pandemic. This was made possible by the Bank’s i2i network which connected rural banks and enabled distribution of the funds.

“This is about how we fundamentally leverage all these technology and capabilities. But at the end of the day, putting it together, not as not a theoretical concept or proof of concept that never leaves the lab, but an actuality. Putting aside our competitive nature in order to result in an impact and making a difference,” shared by Dr. Hardoon.


For the latest news, updates, and future features on UnionBank and its leaders, visit www.unionbankph.com and https://www.facebook.com/theunionbankerph.

Microsoft Philippines Recognized Among HR Asia’s ‘Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2020’

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Microsoft Philippines was recently named one of the ‘Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2020’ by HR Asia. The organization was recognized for its performance in workplace excellence, human capital development, and outstanding employee engagement.

"This award means everything to us as an organization both globally, and here in the Philippines. We exist to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more—a mission that only comes to life through our people," said Jan Philippe Tanchi, Human Resources Director of Microsoft Philippines. “We’re proud to receive this great distinction and are committed to continue providing our people with an inclusive workplace and community that lives up to our values, and empowers them to be their best, most authentic selves every day.”

HR Asia is one of the most recognizable and authoritative HR publications in the world. Their ‘Best Companies to Work for in Asia’ awards is the largest program of its kind in Asia and is held annually across 11 markets throughout the region, including Cambodia, China, Hong-Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

This year, the awarding ceremonies were conducted virtually for the first time on December 31, 2020 due to the pandemic. The event highlighted the extraordinary efforts of organizations that exemplified dedication to their employees, especially in what has been a year of uncertainty and unprecedented challenges.

"We must never forget the sacrifices by our own employees to keep the economy going. Since 2013 we have recognized companies that placed their employees front and center in everything they do. This year is no different. The recipients of this year's awards have shown not only are you the best companies to work for in Asia but more importantly, you are able to show empathy and care for your employees during the darkest moments of fear and uncertainty," said Datuk William Ng, Group Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Business Media International, the publisher of HR Asia.

The awards were judged by the affirmative answers of employees based on HR Asia's proprietary Total Engagement Assessment Model (TEAM), which surveys 1.5 million employees across Asia. TEAM uses a 5-point scoring scale from employee feedback based on the three areas of employee engagement:

Collective Organization for Real Engagement (CORE) – culture and ethics, leadership and organization, and active initiative
Self: Heart, Mind and Soul – emotional engagement (heart), intention & motivation (mind), and behavior & advocacy (soul)
Group: Think, Feel and Do – collective consciousness (think), workplace sentiment (mind), and team dynamics (do)

Microsoft Philippines quickly shifted to a remote workforce in light of COVID-19, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of its employees early on. Throughout the pandemic, employees and their families were given free access to health & wellness resources to care for their mental well-being. In addition, they’ve continuously introduced engagement and enrichment programs and initiatives to maintain employee morale.

Microsoft was recognized alongside 20 other companies in the Philippines. See full list of winners here.

Why is the government favoring Sinovac over other Covid-19 vaccine brands

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque says deal sealed for 25M doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine.

SORRY PERO, NO DEAL. 

I WILL NEVER RISK MY LIFE FOR A SMUGGLED ,50% EFFICACY RATE VACCINE AND WITH 73 ADVERSE EFFECTS! 

I REFUSE. 

Tignan mo tong kabobohan ni Duque. Nagsecure ng 25 million doses ng Sinovac vaccine knowing it has 70+ side effects? Good lord, this is why a lot fo Filipino scientists opt to pursue a career abroad. Kasi in other countries, their opinion matters. I ain't getting that shit in me.

And hello???? Ang mahal kaya ng dose ng Sinovac? Lahat talaga ng mga ganap sa gobyerno puro hindi maka-masa

Eh mas mahal nga Sinovac kaysa sa Pfizer pero mas effective Pfizer kaysa sa Sinovac.

See, palakpakan si Duque! Mas mahal na nga ang napili nya kaysa Pfizer eh 50% efficacy pa. Nakakagalit.

China pa rin talaga kahit mababa ang efficacy rate at maraming side effect. May findings na ba kung effective sa 2nd strain nang Coronavirus ang Sinovac?

Sinovac has no EUA approval from established markets eg. US FDA , EU ; efficacy and safety data not well documented. 

Given low acceptability rate on vaccination in surveys, will the government procurement of Sinovac boost vaccine trust among Filipinos?

Sen. Pangulo Lacson is also mystified over the seeming preference for Sinovac vaccine.

Likewise, I’m quite disturbed too with the government ‘s preference for Sinovac given its high cost and low efficacy rate vs Pfizer and Astra. I don’t think it would help in boosting  up low vaccine trust among Filipinos as shown in surveys.  

There is a pattern favoring Sinovac instead of others without justification or empirical proof... Yun ang parang mali. Also... Expensive.

I hope they would somehow explain bakit Sinovac ang pinagpipilitan kahit less effective.  I deserve to know as I am a tax payer.  It's expensive and less effective.  Bakit po ito?  Bakit po? Bakettttt!!!

Para mabaon tayo lalo sa utang at para maging kabayaran yung mga teritoryo natin. Ganun lang yun.

I realized this government prefers Sinovac despite all the misgivings attached to the vaccine probably because it wants the Covid crisis to go on in this country until 2022 so that it has a reason to postpone the election until charter change is done.

Sinovac will be the season 2 of Dengvaxia. Padaliin kasi may elections pa parating.

Something about LGUs doing everything they can to secure doses from AstraZeneca and Pfizer and there's the national government settling for the Sinovac despite its low efficacy rate isn't sitting right with me.

Navotas conducted among 6,128 respondents about their preferred brand: most preferred is Pfizer/BioNTech at 84.2%. Whereas, Moderna at 6.1%: AstraZeneca at 3.8%, Russia’s Sputnik V at 3.5%...

And Chinese' vaccines Sinovac and Sinopharm got 1.2% percent and 0.4% respectively. 

Makati is looking at procuring vaccines from Pfizer, Janssen, or AstraZeneca for its local inoculation program against COVID-19.

Mayor Binay that the choices of the vaccines were considered upon consultation with residents of the city.

In a tweet, Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso explained that the city has reached out to US drug makers Pfizer and Moderna for vaccine supply and that they have an established vaccination process on standby.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas has signed a deal with UK drugmaker AstraZeneca for 600,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines for his constituents.

Not even the mayor of Davao, Sara Duterte, would give preference to the Chinese vaccine...said she met online with the United Kingdom (UK) manufacturer AstraZeneca on Friday morning, January 8, and both parties look forward to their agreement.

Pasig city Mayor Vico Sotto did not mention the brand but emphasized he wants "high efficacy."

"Basta may FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval okay naman po sa'min 'yun. The higher the efficacy mas gusto natin 'yun, kahit sino naman po siguro."

Many of us LGUs signed a tripartite agreement with AstraZeneca and the national government.

Pasig ordered 400K doses (200M pesos). Actual quantity and date of delivery will depend on several factors.

We'll buy from others as well as opportunities arise.

More cities added, announced that they have signed deals for the advance purchase of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

San Juan City, Valenzuela City, Caloocan City...All confirmed their separate agreements with the pharmaceutical company on Sunday.

The list would also include over 30 private companies, has partnered with the Philippine government and British drug maker AstraZeneca.

What is the national government's criteria in choosing which vaccine to procure?! What's in the Sinovac vaccine (compared to others) made our Health Department choose it among others?! Was this brand from China responsible for the "token" vaccines given to the Presidential Security Group and other high ranking officials for free?

It is so fishy why this government is still pushing for Sinovac despite lack of data, lower efficiency, higher price, etc., compared to other vaccine brands i.e. AstraZeneca. Makes me think that there is under the table negotiation going on to get kickback. Salute to LGUs for filling the gap better than Duque.

The national government secured Sinovac doses then lgus bought Astra Seneca instead. It shows there's really something wrong with the former, and the latter shows more concern for the people. This administration is obviously rotten to the core.