Crime-buster and corruption fighter

Wazzup Pilipinas!?


Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson is relying on his record as crime-buster and corruption fighter to win him the presidency.

This is evident in his video advertisement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv_HZnGnsow) that highlights some of his major accomplishments as a senator and former head of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Lacson plans to expand these initiatives as president and bring the government closer to the people. His main advocacy is to give more power to local government units that are closest to the citizens and understand the people’s needs best and are in a better position to respond to their problems more effectively.

The senator’s campaign underscores his efforts to prevent public money from being lost through corruption. His careful and detailed scrutiny of the national budget has saved the country P300 billion. Lacson proved his strong opposition to the pork barrel that had become for legislators a major perk of their jobs, by refusing to have any part of it.

Among other accomplishments Lacson has listed as proof of his qualification for the highest post in the country are the investigations of the P728 million fertilizer scam, the anomalous $329 million contract between the Philippines and China’s ZTE Company, and Payola or bribery in the Bureau of Customs by exposing the TARA list.

He also brought to the public’s attention the “Hello Garci” tapes, an attempt at cheating during the 2004 elections.

The former military officer and PNP chief exposed the chopper scam where the government paid brand-new prices for second-hand helicopters.

Lacson’s initiatives as PNP chief earned him a trust rating of 78+ percent from the public, the highest rating ever recorded for the position.

Philippines' Mynt marks successful funding round

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Touted as the Philippines’ first unicorn after securing millions in a funding round, Mynt has cemented itself as one of the country’s leading fintech companies.

What is Mynt?

According to its official website, Mynt is a fintech startup partnership between Globe Telecom, the Ayala Corporation and Ant Financial. Its five main services are payments, remittance, loans, business solutions and platforms. Upon its introduction, Mynt affirmed its intention to aggressively and strategically grow the micro-lending business in the Philippines, whilst also launching additional products. To provide context on the financial services industry in the Philippines in 2018, it was reported that only approximately 3% of the population had a credit card, while only 34.5% had a bank account. This was the case from a population of approximately 100 million. Therefore, it is evident that when Mynt came onto the scene, there was a gap that it could fill with minimal competition, as well as financial services that needed to be provided to citizens. 

Fintech innovations and funding

Understanding the direction in which the world is moving, given the role and impact of technology in all aspects of our lives, the growing investor interest in fintech companies is expected. 

Moreover, people all around the word prioritised fintech and digital solutions in 2020, mostly due to the unprecedented global conditions. This is also partially why forex trading is said to be on the rise, as people are looking for convenience and alternatives to conduct financial transactions on their smart devices. 

When it comes to forex trading, however, the good thing is that one need not be a finance guru in order to succeed, nor does one need buckets of money to get started. Knowing which currencies to trade to improve your chances of succeeding on the markets is important. Compared to USD and JPY trading, which are two of the most stable currencies and form part of the so-called gopher currency pair, other currencies may not necessarily be as lucrative; nonetheless, there are many that are equally promising on the forex market. 

Whenn it comes to Mynt and its offering, it appears to have tapped into the market at the right time and it seems to have proved that it has more to offer in fintech. The company has been hailed as the Philippines’ first unicorn after securing $300 million in its recent funding round from various investors, such as US-based Warburg Pincus and Insight Partners. Speaking on the success of the recent funding round and its new investors, Martha Sazon, President and CEO of Mynt, was quoted as saying, "We have been able to continuously expand by introducing game-changing innovations while improving our profitability profile." Sazon added, "We are excited about our new partnership with Warburg, Insight, Itai Tsiddon and Amplo, as they each bring strategic value to our team in the pursuit of our vision towards finance for all." The recent funding round is said to have boosted Mynt’s valuation to $2 billion, and is a significant indication of the growth of and demand for financial services and digital banking in the Philippines. Warburg Pincus’ Saurabh Agarwal highlighted Mynt’s dominance and market share in the country as one of the main reasons for the investment, in addition to its innovative technology and superior products.

Pamamahagi ng ayuda at programang pang-transportasyon at pangkabuhayan na makatutulong sa paghahanapbuhay ng mga Ilonggo

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Pinangunahan nina Transportation Secretary Art Tugade at Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III ngayong araw, ika-8 Nobyembere 2021, ang pamamahagi ng ayuda at programang pang-transportasyon at pangkabuhayan na makatutulong sa paghahanapbuhay ng mga Ilonggo at paglago ng probinsya ng Iloilo sa kabila ng pandemya.

Benepisyaryo ng mga programa ang mga transport workers sa probinsya at mga bumalik sa bansa na mga Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

Ayon kay Secretary Tugade, ang pagpunta nila ni Secretary Bello sa Iloilo ay upang tuparin ang pangako ni Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte na bigyan ng komportableng pamumuhay ang mga Pilipino at ipakita ang “package of love” ng Pangulo sa mga Ilonggo.

“Naniniwala ako na kung anuman ang Iloilo ngayon, konti lang ‘yan sa kanyang mararating sa kinabukasan. Lalaki at lalago ang pamahalaang Iloilo. Kaya nga ‘ho ang pamahalaang Duterte ay nandidito ngayon upang sa kaniyang modest na paraan ay makatulong sa paglaki at paglago ng Iloilo,” ani Secretary Tugade sa paglunsad ng kabuhayan projects ng Department of Transportation (DOTr) at Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) sa lalawigan.

Kabilang sa mga pinamahagi ng DOTr ang 25 electronic tricyles o E-Trikes sa Provincial Government ng Iloilo matapos pumirma si Secretary Tugade ng Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) kasama si Iloilo Lone District Representative Julienne "Jam" Baronda.

Paliwanag ni Secretary Tugade, layon ng pamimigay ng E-Trikes na mas maraming tao ang makabiyahe at makapunta sa kanilang trabaho, hindi lamang sa pamamagitan ng mga pampublikong transportasyon. Dagdag pa niya, makatutulong din ang mga ito sa pagtitiyak ng kalusugan at kaligtasan ng mga road users, gaya ng mga siklista at riders, para sa kanilang biyahe at paghahanapbuhay.

“Maganda ang pagkakumpuni, maganda ang pagkaayos. Ito ‘ho ay magagamit ninyo sa pagnenegosyo. Ito ay isang handog ng pagmamahal ng Kagawaran ng Transportasyon sa siyudad ng Iloilo, nang sa ganoon makatulong kami sa kagustuhan ng mga taong maghanap-buhay at umangat ang kanilang buhay,” dagdag ni Secretary Tugade.

Magsisimula na rin sa Iloilo ang operasyon ng kauna-unahang cashless payment transaction sa mga pampublikong sasakyan. Ang mga cashless bus ay bibiyahe sa rutang Iloilo-Caticlan, Roxas at Kalibo area.

Samantala, 38 na benepisyaryo ang binigyan ng DOLE ng kabuhayan project na “Bikecination,” at libreng cellphones at load, habang 75 indibidwal naman ang makikinabang sa “Trisikad” Project. Namahagi naman ang Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) ng mga tseke para 40 benepisyaryo ng livelihood projects, habang 17 ang benepisyaryo ng programang “TABANG OFW.”

“Alam niyo po kaya kami nandito ni Secretary Tugade, isa lang ang aming pakay, ang iparating sa inyong mga kababayan namin sa Region 6 ang ayuda ng gobyerno ni Presidente Duterte. Sabi ni Presidente, pera niyo ‘yan kaya basta meron ay ipamigay sa inyo,” ayon kay Secretary Bello.

Nagpasalamat naman ang pamahalaan ng Iloilo kina Secretary Tugade at Secretary Bello sa mga hatid nilang tulong at programa para sa probinsya at sa mga Ilonggo.

Partikular na pinasalamatan ni Iloilo Governor Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. si Secretary Tugade para sa mga airport at port projects ng Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) at Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) sa lalawigan.

“Let me extend the thanks of the people of Iloilo. Salamat sa mga oras na ibinibigay ninyo at sa pag-asikaso sa mga port sa Iloilo. Salamat sa ating pagtutulungan at trabaho kasama ang CAAP at PPA. Pasalamatan din natin si President Rodrigo Duterte sa mga proyekto na dumaan sa mga opisina nina Secretary Tugade at Secretary Bello,” ani Governor Defensor.

“We witness these Ilonggo beneficiaries to be given a chance to start over again and to see hope amidst these trying times. All these will not become possible without the love and concern of Secretary Bello and Secretary Tugade,” ayon naman kay Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas.