PH-UK railway, maritime education partnerships to plant seeds of transport continuity and growth

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The Philippines and the United Kingdom are expected to plant the seeds of transport continuity and growth by investing in people through education, training, and skills development partnerships in the railway and maritime fields, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Art Tugade said yesterday, 16 February 2022.

Secretary Tugade made the statement during the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for PH-UK Education Partnerships in Transportation in Makati City.

The partnerships will be carried out by the DOTr’s Philippine Railway Institute (PRI) and Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and by the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) and Solent University of the United Kingdom.

The signing of the MOU is a vital component of the PH-UK partnerships, formalizing the cooperation and collaboration between the two countries in terms of education and training of Filipinos in the rail and maritime sectors.

Secretary Tugade said that education and skills training is important for the continuity of growth in the transportation sector in the Philippines.

“It is sweet indeed that today we gather here in order to plant the seeds for education. Why education? Because we want to have a continuity,” Secretary Tugade said.

The partnership between the PRI and the UK-NSAR aims to develop a highly skilled, competent, and world class rail workforce. It is also geared towards efforts to further improve the country’s railway sector which is trailing behind its Asian neighbors for almost three decades.

Programs included in the MOU are railway safety, accreditation framework for the railway sector’s training providers in the Philippines, worldwide recognition, as well as the offering of rail courses and apprenticeships, among others.

Being an archipelagic country and a primary source of 30% of skilled seafarers in the world, Secretary Tugade stressed that the partnership will also help Filipino seafarers.

“You want this to continue? You have to put technical people there. You want the advantage of seafarers to continue? You need to have education,” he said, adding that the partnership between the MARINA and the Solent University will be a boost to the Philippine maritime sector, benefitting the Filipino seafarers.

Under the MARINA-Solent University MOU, Maritime Education and Training (MET) programs will be developed to support human resource requirements of the maritime education sector in the Philippines.

Both Secretary Tugade and Richard Graham, a member of the UK Parliament for Gloucester and the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to the Philippines, cited the benefits of skills training in the railway and maritime sectors.

“You are giving us the seeds so that the growth which we like to achieve in the maritime sector and the development that we like to achieve in the railway sector can continue, continue, and continue steadily so that the Philippines can grow,” Secretary Tugade pointed out.

“These twin events on both railway and maritime reflect that partnership between the UK and the Philippines across many sectors. The skills, whether in maritime or rail, all these things are in transition into a new world of innovation and technology,” Graham said.

SSS: ACOP compliance deadline is on March 31, 2022; regular schedule resumes April 1, 2022

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The Social Security System (SSS) reiterates that the deadline for compliance to the Annual Confirmation of Pensioners' Program or ACOP is on March 31, 2022.

The ACOP, implemented in 2004, is a measure used by the SSS to ensure the continuous payment of benefits to the rightful pensioners in accordance with the Social Security Law.   All pensioners who have not yet complied with the ACOP for the calendar year 2021 are required to do so on or before March 31, 2022.   Retirement pensioners residing in the Philippines, on the other hand, are no longer required to do the ACOP effective October 30, 2017, but they are subject to other verification processes, if applicable.   The ACOP was suspended from March 2020 until September 2021 in view of the pandemic situation in the country.   “For over one and a half years, we have continuously granted our pensioners their respective pensions without the corresponding reporting under the ACOP since they are high-risk individuals to the virus. We have then resumed the implementation of this program last October 1, 2021, and to make up for the suspension period, we have given all covered pensioners, except those who already complied for CY 2021, a period of six (6) months or until March 31, 2022, to submit their compliance through online and alternative methods that are designed for their safety and convenience,” SSS President and CEO Aurora C. Ignacio said.   If the said pensioners fail to comply, the SSS will temporarily suspend their pensions starting with their May 2022 pensions.   “Starting April 1, 2022, we will follow the usual schedule of compliance for the program, wherein retirement pensioners residing abroad, and total disability pensioners must comply on their birth month; survivor pensioners must comply within the birth month of the deceased member; while dependents and guardians must comply on the birth month of the member or deceased member, whichever is applicable. Non-compliance to this will also lead to the temporary suspension of their pensions,” Ignacio explained.   Covered pensioners may also submit their compliance within six (6) months before their schedule, which will be considered as early compliance.   Currently, covered pensioners can course their ACOP compliance through the following methods: By sending required documents to the corporate email of the nearest SSS branch (if residing in the Philippines) or foreign office (if residing abroad) using “ACOP Compliance” followed by their name as email subject – for survivor pensioners, retirement pensioners residing abroad, total disability pensioners residing abroad, dependents, and guardians. By sending required documents through mail or courier to the nearest SSS branch (if residing in the Philippines), or foreign office or OFW-Contact Services Section (if residing abroad) – for survivor pensioners, retirement pensioners residing abroad, dependents, and guardians. By submitting the required documents through drop box at the nearest SSS branch – for survivor pensioners and total disability pensioners residing in the Philippines. By sending a written request for home visit to the SSS through the email, drop box, or mail of the Medical Services Section of the nearest SSS branch – for total disability pensioners residing in the Philippines. By requesting for an appointment with the SSS for video conference using MS Teams through email at ofw.relations@sss.gov.ph – for pensioners, dependents, and guardians residing abroad except for total disability pensioners. The establishment of the said methods is part of the SSS' continuing compliance with the Inter-Agency Task Force Resolution No. 100, which mandates the adoption of alternative modes of validation for senior citizen pensioners in lieu of personal appearances or submission of documents that require personal appearances before a notary public.   The list of documentary requirements and other information about the said methods of compliance with the ACOP is available at https://bit.ly/SSSCI2021-010, sample photos can also be found at https://bit.ly/ACOPCompliance.   The e-mail and location of SSS branches including its foreign offices can be accessed in the directory on the SSS website at https://bit.ly/SSSDirectory.   For more information, visit the uSSSap Tayo Portal at https://crms.sss.gov.ph, follow “Philippine Social Security System – SSS” on Facebook, “mysssph” on Instagram or YouTube, “PHLSSS” on Twitter, or join the SSS’ Viber Community at “MYSSSPH Updates.”

ePLDT ushers in 2022 with two Microsoft awards

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ePLDT Inc, the ICT arm of PLDT Enterprise, is starting the new year strong after winning two awards during the Microsoft Philippine Partner Awards 2021—further cementing its place as the industry-leading enabler when it comes to digital business solutions in the Philippines.

The awards acknowledge Microsoft partners that have demonstrated and developed innovative solutions in the past year.

ePLDT received the Tech Intensity Award, the same award it won in 2020, for excellence in driving tech intensity within the organization and its customers.

ePLDT was also awarded the Azure Customer Recruit Award that recognizes excellence in delivering outstanding business value to Microsoft by landing new cloud customers in line with Microsoft Azure.

ePLDT Inc. continues to lead the industry in the development of end-to-end technologies for enterprises across the country and well beyond in the Asia Pacific region. Specific to Microsoft technologies, ePLDT is constantly deploying its cloud experts for the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) Program to further enhance their technical expertise in terms of delivering cloud solutions to customers. To date, the group holds close to 100 Microsoft Certified Professionals for M365 and Azure technologies.

“These wins validate ePLDT’s commitment to providing our customers with the best digital business solutions that are up to par with global standards,” says Jojo Gendrano, FVP & Head for PLDT and Smart Enterprise Business Groups. “We are grateful for our long-standing partnership with Microsoft Philippines that allows us to create such a positive impact into the lives of our community, our customers and their businesses.”

ePLDT drives Microsoft Azure capabilities by demonstrating Azure migration, innovation and educating customers on Microsoft Azure showing a higher closure rate. Likewise, the group accelerates its Azure Stack co-sell motion in Microsoft marketplace for wider market reach. With these activities, ePLDT delivered the greatest number of net Azure Customer Adds in most of the industry segments.

Fay September Ocampo, AVP & Head of Enterprise Strategic Partnerships and Alliances, was virtually present to accept and acknowledge these accolades from Microsoft for Azure Customer Recruitment Award, Tech Intensity Award and Customer Centricity (finalist) during the Go for Gold, Microsoft Partner Awards and Thanksgiving.

Last year, ePLDT also won the Para Sa Bayan special distinction award during the Microsoft Philippines Partner Awards and Appreciation Day for its efforts to enable remote learning for school and students nationwide.

For more information, visit epldt.com #