DigiCOOP partners with ADVANCE.AI to boost digital and financial inclusion in the Philippines

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DigiCOOP, the largest online platform for cooperatives and labour unions in the Philippines, today announced a partnership with Singapore-based tech startup ADVANCE.AI to power the provision of digital and financial services for its 1.3 million labour union workers and farmers on its platform.

Launched in 2020 during the Philippines’ Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), digiCOOP already has 12 federations and 100+ cooperatives using its digital platform. It has also integrated over 400 brick-and-mortar co-op branches into its web channel. Registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), digiCOOP’s aim is to unite and serve member cooperatives with an ecosystem of digital and financial products and services. Aggregated services offered on its platform include loan application, credit scoring, digital banking, insurance and investment, bill and online payment services as well as e-learning opportunities.

ADVANCE.AI specialises in digital identity verification to power smooth and seamless customer onboarding. In the Philippines for example, it can remotely onboard and verify a real user’s identity by scanning a range of national identity documents, such as the Philippines’ passport, UMID, SSS and TIN, and matching the image with a selfie taken with the phone’s camera. All this can be completed in under 60 seconds. Other services it provides include fraud and risk management, as well as alternative credit scoring services.

Ann Cuisia, CEO of TraXion Tech, the founder and creator of digiCOOP, said, “Our goal is to reduce systemic inefficiency and lack of financial inclusion by increasing the 20% banked Filipino families to at least 50% within five years. Our partnership with ADVANCE.AI and their expertise in digitally onboarding customers through seamless and secure digital identity verification supports our vision of enabling unbanked and underserved Filipino segments of society to build their own wealth, participate in a lively digital and financial ecosystem and pass on the coop legacy to the next tech-adept generation.”

​Michael Calma, Philippines Country Manager of ADVANCE.AI, said, “Economic advancement for the grassroots and union workers can only happen by increasing trust and confidence in the use of digital technology. As a Filipino, I’m very excited about this partnership and advancing digiCOOP’s mission of digital as well as financial accessibility and sustainability for the grassroots. Nowadays, the traditional customer onboarding process is simple, secure and can be completed entirely on their mobile phone. All they need to join the digiCOOP platform is a national identity document and an internet connection.”

WWF-Philippines’ Corporates for a Better Planet Initiative invites private entities to operate more sustainably amidst the climate crisis

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To address the threats of climate change, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines works with the private sector in adopting sustainability in corporate strategy through the Corporates for a Better Planet Initiative (CBPI).

A flagship program of WWF-Philippines, CBPI provides technical support to companies in developing or reviewing their sustainability strategy, using the latest science-backed frameworks aligned with Philippine regulations. The program of activities under CBPI is customized per company, as WWF recognizes different levels and starting points of climate and sustainability commitment that have implications on what a company would need to address and how quickly and intensely if they are to make any claims or sustainability or climate action.

With the Philippines being one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change, it is crucial for businesses to address environmental issues and adequately determine their risk and impacts. It is increasingly possible to identify how much of a company’s profits is ‘unsustainable’ after internalizing impacts and costs that were previously not included in company financial reports. Transformation to a green/blue economy needs to happen now, as our country’s peak growth years given our population make up will last for the next 2-3 decades. CBPI takes a holistic, progressive approach and aims to work with large and small companies alike to accelerate transformation in the private sector.

Real-estate development key player NEO is the first private entity to join CBPI, committing to integrate an actionable and more conscious functional framework to address climate-related risks. Through the partnership, WWF-PH provided extensive assistance in the production of the company's Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report to assess the organization’s current state regarding sustainability.

NEO’s Chief Executive Officer Raymond Rufino shared that their organization is eager to be a pioneer in building green, healthy, and resilient establishments.

“Through the program, WWF guided us with their bespoke approach to ESG reporting to draft and develop a report that would be relevant, concrete, and impactful while fully compliant with global standards and benchmarks and aligned with WWF best practices for sustainability,” said Rufino. “We are very grateful for the successful partnership with WWF and wholeheartedly encourage other organizations to join the CBPI program! Together we can #ChangeTheEnding.”

In developing a concrete action plan, NEO commits to several focus areas, including Climate Action, Resource Efficiency, and Infrastructure Resilience. These outline the necessary steps that still prioritize economic interests while fostering a greater positive purpose—something many local companies can certainly accomplish too.

NEO has successfully completed the first step of measuring its sustainability level and is currently in its second phase which involves creating a detailed roadmap to achieving its targets. On the other hand, WWF-Philippines is actively engaging other corporations to pave the way toward sustainable development.

By joining the CBPI, businesses, and organizations can make their impact through sustainable visions and roadmaps and contribute to the overall target of the Philippines on the path towards sustainability and resilience. Moreover, the corporate sector can develop and achieve sustainable approaches through the three main processes of the program: Measure, Manage, and Maintain.

Businesses and economies can never thrive on a dying planet—WWF-Philippines welcomes the contributions of technical cooperations in amplifying the efforts and highlighting the shared responsibility across all sectors in working towards a resilient future. Through CBPI, the organization trusts that more corporations will take on the challenge to #ChangeTheEnding for the next generation.

DBM, PIA-NCR link with MM info officers to boost rightsizing, Mandanas-Garcia ruling campaigns

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The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Philippine Information Agency - National Capital Region (PIA-NCR) is set to convene the members of the Association of Information Officers in Metro Manila (AIMM) on March 29, 2023 in Manila to tackle two critical issues facing the Philippine government - bureaucratic rightsizing and the Mandanas-Garcia Supreme Court ruling.

Composed by information officers from various government agencies and non-government organizations, AIMM is the biggest information and communication network in the National Capital Region.

DBM Undersecretary and AIMM President Goddes Hope Libiran highlighted the critical role of the communication sector in promoting understanding of the key issues to the public and generate support from the public.

"We recognize the importance of these critical issues and are committed to bring together professionals in this field to exchange ideas and learn from each other's experiences and this assembly provides an opportunity for information officers to share best practices and innovative strategies to help the government address these issues," Usec Libiran said.

The assembly will feature a series of discussions from experts, covering topics such as the impact of bureaucratic rightsizing on government operations, the implications of the Mandanas-Garcia ruling and level of readiness of both national and local government agencies, and effective communication strategies to address these issues.

The administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is keen on implementing a program of bureaucratic rightsizing, which aims to improve efficiency and reduce costs by streamlining government agencies and eliminating redundancies. However, this has raised concerns about job losses and disruptions in government services.

The Mandanas-Garcia ruling, on the other hand, granted local government units a bigger share of national taxes, which has significant implications for their fiscal autonomy and development.

"We understand that these issues are complex and have far-reaching consequences, and we hope that this assembly will help information officers gain a deeper understanding of these challenges and explore new strategies to address them," Usec. Libiran added.

About the AIMM:

The Association of Information Officers in Metro Manila (AIMM) is a professional organization of government information officers dedicated to promoting effective and ethical communication in the government. AIMM was established in 1997 to serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences among its members and to help improve the quality of government communication. The Philippine Information Agency-National Capital Region serves as its secretariat and adviser. (PIA-NCR)



cover photo: Philippine Information Agency Director-General Ramon Lee Cualoping III and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora grace the 4th quarter Association of Information Officers in Metro Manila (AIMM) conference and election of officers on December 2, 2022 in San Juan City. (PIA-NCR photo)



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