Brooke’s Point, Palawan leapfrogs on improved connectivity experience with PLDT

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Brooke’s Point Mayor Georjalyn Joy Quiachon highlighted the importance of a reliable internet connection to the municipality of Brooke’s Point, Palawan as a first-class and fast-growing town with a robust agri-tourism industry as PLDT, through its B2B arm PLDT Enterprise, deployed its BEYOND FIBER solution.

The initiative is testament to PLDT’s commitment to support local government units in adapting to the new normal for the delivery of public service, governance, and extending services to their respective constituents.

“Amid our rapidly changing environment, I couldn’t stress enough the importance of staying connected to manage the negative impacts of the pandemic effectively. We thank PLDT Enterprise for offering their assistance in our bid to cope in these trying times,” Quiachon said.

PLDT Enterprise Head for SMBiz Regional Luzon Euan Rex Toralballa said that the Municipality of Brooke’s Point is part of PLDT’s new fiber-optic expansion in the Southern Part of Palawan.

“With our ongoing fiber-optic expansion, PLDT seeks to provide strong and reliable connectivity to far-flung areas to support the day-to-day activities of residents in various communities. With the BEYOND FIBER solution, we could help them overcome the challenges in connectivity and enable a seamless digital experience,” said Toralballa.

He also added that PLDT Enterprise’s BEYOND FIBER is the best-suited service for Brooke’s Point local government. It is an all-in-one solution anchored on business-grade fiber, capable of sustaining the online operations of offices, branches, and small-scale businesses.

It features the 90-90 advantage which provides organizations a minimum bandwidth speed at 90 percent of the subscribed speed at 90 percent reliability—providing a more reliable online experience, while easing the fear of downtime during peak work hours.

“The Municipal Government of Brooke’s Point will now experience a fixed-fiber optic internet service. This is for the daily administrative activities and services for their constituents,” Toralballa added.

PLDT Enterprise Vice President for Small and MicroBiz Chito Franco said that PLDT is committed to extending solutions and services to local and municipal governments to efficiently deliver COVID-19 relief.

“As the country’s leading telecommunications provider, it is our mandate to assist local and municipal governments as they realize their vision and goals for their communities. We are dedicated to helping them through technologies which could fully equip them as they cope with this ongoing crisis,” said Franco.

As a primarily agro-industrial municipality with vast productive farmlands, the local government of Brooke’s Point is investing heavily in its potential to flourish in agri-tourism.

Its strategic location and development as an open port hopes to attract the influx of tourists from the Brunei-Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) region, aside from its potential to spur exportation of agricultural products from the area due to it being now part of the nautical highway.

The improved connectivity would not only benefit its citizens but also the local government to fast-track and upgrade services as they hope to close the gap for the people in far-flung areas.

“We welcome innovative ideas and adapt in the fast-changing environment as new technology is introduced… For us, there’s no way but up – always looking forward as we drive the municipality of Brooke’s Point to a better future with intelligent and healthy citizenry,” Mayor Quiachon said.

For more information, visit pldtenterprise.com.

Lowest loan interest rate for teachers

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Malayan Bank launches Teachers’ Aid, a loan product created for Teachers. The 7% interest rate per year applies to all loan terms and is the lowest in the market today. Teachers’ Aid is open to all teaching and non-teaching personnel, employed by the Department of Education. Loan applicants can expect Malayan Bank’s customer-centric service with vehicles to be deployed to conveniently bring teachers from their homes to Malayan Bank branches to apply.

Up to P1 million loan open to DepEd Teachers, employees with Malayan Bank Teachers’ Aid

Bank’s newest loan product offers lowest-in-market interest rate and VIP service for teachers

A new loan product for teachers launches with Malayan Bank’s Teachers’ Aid, which offers the lowest interest rate in the market today. With only a 7% interest rate per year, across all terms, educators in the country can now loan between P5,000 to P1 million pesos to support their financial needs.

Teachers’ Aid is available to all Department of Education (DepEd) public school teaching and non-teaching personnel under DepEd’s payroll. The loan is intended to provide a ready financial line for teachers together with a unique brand of service that makes the entire loaning process easy, quick, and convenient in support of teachers’ busy and demanding work and life schedules.

“Teachers are some of the most hardworking people, and we acknowledge just how hectic their work and home life can be. We developed this product not only to give them access to funds when they need it, but also to help them ease their financial burdens in the simplest way possible. We’re helping them borrow money while making sure that they feel like a ‘VIP’ in the process of doing so,” shares Jhody D. Generoso, MSB Teacher Loans Head.

To ensure that teachers receive the ‘VIP’ treatment, Malayan Bank will deploy dedicated service vehicles to bring teachers to Malayan Bank branches from their home or school when they apply for a loan. Loans will also be released through the teacher’s preferred branch to facilitate the most convenience.

The 7% lowest-in-market interest rate per year applies to all loans, regardless of loan terms. Available terms for Teachers’ Aid are 12, 24, or 36 months. Loans will be paid through automatic payroll deduction system from their DepEd payroll.

Application for the Teachers’ Aid can be done in any Malayan Bank branch through designated bank employees. To apply, teachers are required to submit the following: accomplished loan application form, one month latest original payslip, permanent appointment letter, two valid IDs, and loan summary from a government financial institution like GSIS. Other documents may be requested upon evaluation of the application.

Teachers’ Aid will be available in Malayan Bank branches in the National Capital Region by October 18 with continuous roll out across the country: October 29 for Davao City, Pangasinan, Cavite and Laguna; November 5 for Baguio; November 12 for Pampanga and Bulacan; November 19 for Iloilo City; and November 26 for Cebu City.

If teachers who’d like to know more about this new loan product, they can visit any Malayan Bank branch or call the following numbers: (02) 8841-7800 loc. 166 / 0999 885 9263 / 0998 847 0584 / 0947 849 4776. They can also email customercare@malayanbank.com.ph.

For list of branches, visit www.malayanbank.com/branches.

LTFRB issues show-cause order to EDSA busway consortiums

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Monday has issued show-cause orders against the two consortiums operating along the EDSA Busway for failing to deploy sufficient number of buses and amid “persistent reports” of non-payment of drivers’ and conductors’ salary despite having received payments for the Libreng Sakay Program.As a result, LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra said the two consortiums were ordered to explain why their special permits should not be cancelled, suspended or not penalized for the low turnout of bus units that led to long queues at EDSA Monumento.

“Minabuti nating mag-issue ng show-cause order, directing the two consortiums running the EDSA Busway why their franchise or special permit in running the EDSA Busway should not be cancelled, suspended or that they be not penalized for deploying so few units,” Delgra explained on Monday during the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) Road Sector media briefing.

Chairman Delgra explained that the agreed cap on the maximum allowable units of bus units are at 550 buses but the two consortiums on Monday only averaged as low as 120 units.

“Nakita natin kanina nag-average lang ng 150 units ‘yung dalawang consortium. At the lower end pa nga, umabot ng as low as 120 units if I’m not mistaken. We have to call their attention and direct the two consortiums to explain why the employment of these units,” Chairman Delgra said.

On the other hand, Chairman Delgra reiterated that the two consortiums were already paid under the Service Contracting Program yet there are still persistent reports of drivers and conducts complaining of their unpaid salary despite giving full service.

“Now that we have paid so much of this to operators already, particularly dito sa EDSA Busway Consortium or anyone for that matter, hindi na nila pwedeng gawing rason ang hindi pagbabayad sa kanilang drivers,” Chairman Delgra said.

He also reminded the two consortiums are responsible as there is a “employee-employer relationship” between parties and their contractual obligation as mandated by the Labor Code for the EDSA Busway Libreng Sakay Program.

“Mayroong kakulangan ang mga bus operators dito sa hindi pagbabayad ng mga sweldo ng kanilang mga tauhan. There is an employee-employer relationship doon sa mga bus operator and doon sa mga tsuper at konduktor that they hired,” he explained.

“I’d like to remind the bus operators, this is just not a contractual obligation but it is also an obligation that is mandated under the labor code. So, kailangan nilang bayaran ‘yang sweldo na ‘yan. Kikita man o sa palagay nilang malulugi sa palagay nila, kailangan paring bayaran ang sweldo,” he added.

Likewise, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Assistant Secretary Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Steven Pastor also reminded operators of their obligation to the public, explaining that “public transport is imbued with great public interest” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Alam natin na binaba dito sa NCR ang Alert Status to Level 3 kung kaya’t mas maraming pasahero ang sumakay. As Secretary Tugade always says— public health and public safety are at stake. Ipinapaalala natin sa mga kaibigang operators na itong ginagawa natin sa EDSA Busway or public transportation in general ay kinakailangan lagi tayong tumalima sa ating service level kung ilang units ang kinakailangang i-deploy at any given time,” Asec. Pastor said.