The 10th World Innovation Series Philippines

To enable financial inclusion in the region and provide a common platform for the burgeoning FSI community, Tradepass is hosting 10th World Innovation Series (WFIS) for the first time in the Philippines on 16 – 17 August 2022. The event will attract over 600 (in-person & virtual) technology and business heads from the leading Banks, Insurance & Micro-Finance institutions across the country.

Do not miss out on the largest fintech summit in Philippines at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila. 

More than 400 technology and business leaders from 150+ leading Philippine banks, insurance companies, and microfinance institutions will attend #WFISPhilippines for two days of special networking opportunities.

Register here:   https://philippines.worldfis.com/delegates/register.html

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Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit Makes an Exciting Return on October 20 and 21

The Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP), together with the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) and in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE) and Nissan Philippines Inc., is hosting the 10th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit (PEVS) set on October 20 and 21, 2022 at the SMX Convention Center Manila.

The country’s biggest annual EV conference and exhibition will mark its first physical staging after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event will be staged through a combined in-person and virtual format focusing on promoting electric vehicles in the country as it brings together stakeholders across the EV value chain including policymakers, regulators, academe, consultants, transport companies, power utilities and end-users to engage in policy dialogue as well as long-term collaboration to drive adoption of electric vehicles and deployment of the EV charging infrastructure.

To kick off the 10th PEVS, the EV Owners Society (EVOS) will be holding a motorcade in the morning of October 20, 2022 showcasing the latest means of electric mobility around the Mall of Asia (MOA) Complex.

Mr. Edmund Araga, president of EVAP said: “The event aims to showcase the EV industry’s solidarity in fulfilling the policy objectives of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) or Republic Act No. 11697 which aims to incentivize the rapid adoption of electric vehicles and charging stations in the country.”

“In keeping with our President’s message for Filipinos to unite, our theme for the PEVS is aptly titled: “United in Driving Electromobility in Support of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) or Republic Act No. 11697”. We believe that generating demand on electric vehicles and encouraging investments in charging stations can help reduce the country's economic vulnerability due to our heavy dependence on oil imports especially during these very challenging times”, Mr. Araga said.

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has been invited as the guest of honor and keynote speaker.

The Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act - Implementing Rules and Regulations (EVIDA-IRRs) and the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry (CREVI), which is the much-anticipated national development plan for the EV industry to accelerate the development, commercialization and utilization of EVs, will be presented by the Department of Energy (DOE) during the event.

Mr. Araga said that EVAP will be unveiling a new logo during the event. “This is the right time for us to rebrand to reflect EVAP’s vision of a modern and electrified road transport in the Philippines. We also wanted to reaffirm our commitment to advance the country's transition to EVs by advocating and supporting enabling policies, rules and regulations to accelerate their deployment in the public and private sectors.”

The 10th PEVS will also recognize personalities and institutions advocating and promoting the adoption of electromobility in the Philippine transportation sector through the conferment of the E-mobility Awards.

Mr. Araga also discussed the line-up of topics for the 10th PEVS which include:

• Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry

• Encouraging More Players in the EV Charging Space

•  Global Trends and Current Issues Faced by the EV Industry

• ASEAN Federation of Electric Vehicle Association (AFEVA) Policy Dialogue

• Spurring EV Manufacturing Through the Strategic Investment Promotion Plan (SIPP) and the EV Incentive Strategy (EVIS)

• Public and Private E-mobility Programs

•  EV Technology Presentations

Visit www.evap.com.ph to register for the two-day 10th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit.

2021 Philippine Water Challenge winners invite new innovatorsto solicit solutions addressing water scarcity

Pasig City, August 3, 2022 — The second round of the Philippine Water Challenge (PhlWC) starts in August 31, 2022.  It is an ideal platform to generate promising innovations, support improvements and promote scale-up of applications.  This year’s theme for the Challenge is on water demand management to help address  water scarcity issues in many parts of the country.

“The PhlWC provides a good opportunity for water utilities – that have innovations – to share these practical, novel and low-cost solutions that address challenges in the water sector,” shared Libmanan Water District General Manager (GM) Rodolfo Jimenez, whose innovation, the low-cost digitization and automation solution in management of water distribution system, won grand prize last year. 

GM Jimenez joined the four other PhlWC 2021 winners in a panel discussion to share their stories of successes and challenges in scaling application of their solutions in utilities, in unserved or underserved communities, as well as in responding to disasters, such as Typhoon Odette.  The winners are in various stages of preparations for commercialization. At the end of the panel, the winners also invited new innovators to submit their solutions to the second round of the challenge.

Co-organized by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Safe Water Project, the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), Manila Water, and Maynilad, the PhlWC is an annual competition that aims to identify innovative solutions that benefit both water services providers and users, identify community demonstration projects, and promote cross-sectoral collaboration to address water challenges.

“It is projected that the increased demand from domestic commercial and industrial activities will exert a significant pressure on our country’s water supply system. Because of this quandary, we recognize the glaring reality that we will continue to face challenges in our goal to achieve universal access to safe water. Notwithstanding, this should be seen as an opportunity for us to creatively address such challenges with new ideas,” NEDA Undersecretary Joseph Capuno shared in his message.

The 2nd PhlWC’s theme is  “Smarter for Water: Innovations and Solutions to Water Scarcity”. The organizers will accept entries and solutions that (1) reduce water consumption, (2) recycle used water for other purposes, and (3) capture wastewater, storm water, salt water or greywater for reuse.

Registration for applicants starts on August 31, 2022 at pdrf.org/2nd-philippine-water-challenge/. A partnership fund in cash, incubation support, and networking package await the winning innovators by March 2023.

National Resilience Core Group renews support for MSME recovery beyond pandemic

AUGUST 2, 2022, MANILA— The National MSME Resilience Core Group (RCG), a public-private sector consortium established in 2016, reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the disaster resilience of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to support their recovery beyond pandemic during the very first hybrid forum held last July 27.

The National MSME RCG is composed of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Philippine Exporters Confederation (PHILEXPORT), Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management-Philippines (APAD-PH), and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC).

Representatives from the MSME sector, national and local government, academe, and the general public attended the annual MSME Resilience Forum with this year’s theme “Negosyong Handa, Negosyong May Bukas.” Cebuana Lhuillier, Landbank, the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), and OCD also participated as exhibitors. The event showcased the RCG’s accomplishments and recent developments to support MSMEs in preparing for and recovering from disasters. The past two forums had been conducted virtually due to pandemic restrictions.

During the event, all core group members signed the new Memorandum of Understanding to reaffirm their commitment to designing and implementing programs for MSME resilience against crises.

DTI Assistant Secretary Domingo R. Tolentino Jr. emphasized in his keynote address that the government must further strengthen the country’s disaster preparedness, ensure the consolidation of the central portal of disaster communication, and implement innovation-driven programs to help MSMEs operate more efficiently.

“Kailangan isaisip natin na ang mga bayan at rehiyon ay kailangang maging handa upang tayo ay makabangon sa hamon ng pagbabago, sa hamon ng kalamidad, at sa hamon ng kahirapan,” said Asec. Tolentino. [“We must keep in mind that our towns and regions must be prepared so that we can recover from the challenge of change, the challenge of disaster, and the challenge of poverty.” ]

The forum also featured two panel discussions tackling policies and success stories and the Resilience Roadmap 2022-2028. Other topics included the establishment of the Department of Disaster Resilience, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Plan 2020-2030, Public Service Continuity Planning, public investment and bottom-up approach to DRRM, microinsurance, and climate resilient programs.

PCCI President George Barcelon reiterated that DRRM is a huge task that must be undertaken by both the government and the private sector and that climate resilience must always be a priority when formulating and implementing programs.

“We should continue to push for the welfare of our countrymen and our businesses, especially the MSMES, for them to thrive and rebound in the coming months and years,” said Barcelon, “We underscore the need to collaborate among our stakeholders and to create the impact that would be beneficial to all of us.”

PDRF Executive Director Veronica Gabaldon also discussed mentorship as an effective approach to training MSMEs in business continuity. She highlighted PDRF’s capacity building activities for MSMEs and the innovative approaches taken to ensure training continued in spite of the quarantine restrictions.

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In his closing message, ADPC Country Program Manager Edwin Salonga summarized the session in three points: (1) Resilience can be strengthened through innovation, capacity building, and backed up by scientific data; (2) The need for a whole of society approach in terms of DRRM and climate change adaptation; and (3) Respecting the principle of leaving no one behind, especially the marginalized and vulnerable sectors of society, including MSMEs.

“May we continue working together in terms of achieving safer, disaster-resilient, climate change-adaptive Filipino communities towards sustainable development,” said Salonga.

The recording is available HERE.

PDRF has been a staunch supporter of MSME resilience since before the pandemic. For more information on the other tools and programs developed to support MSMEs, visit here: https://covid19.pdrf.org/msme-resilience/ 

ETP GROUP IS PLATINUM SPONSOR AT NRCE 2022, PHILIPPINES

The Philippines Retailers Association (PRA) is hosting its flagship event – the 28th National Retail Conference and Stores Asia Expo (NRCE) 2022 – the largest gathering of retail leaders, shopping centre developers, and retail service providers on 11 and 12 August 2022. The event is the go-to platform that brings top industry professionals, experts, and service providers in the Philippines together to discuss the latest trends and technological innovations needed to reset and grow the retail business in the post-pandemic era. This is the first time since 2019 that NRCE will provide large-scale networking, learning, and collaboration in a live physical manner.

#ETPatNRCE2022 – ETP is the Platinum Sponsor at NRCE 2022.

ETP Group, Asia’s leading enterprise-class retail technology company, is enabling both brick and mortar as well as online retailers to embrace unified commerce and drive their brands and customer relationships in a seamless manner. ETP brings you two outstanding products – ETP V5 and Ordazzle, with localisation in 24 countries across the Asia Pacific. ETP V5 includes omni-channel modules like POS, CRM, Promotions, and Analytics so you can drive more traffic to stores, have a higher fulfilment percentage, and gain customer loyalty. ORDAZZLE is an e-commerce management platform that elevates the entire e-commerce journey so you can process millions of orders/day, meet delivery SLAs, and improve margins with marketplace reconciliations. And so much more!

At #NRCE2022, Mr. Naresh Ahuja, Chairman & CEO, ETP Group will be speaking about ‘The Journey to Amazing Customer Moments’. Catch this stimulating presentation at 10:10 am on Day 2 of the event at Main Stage 1.

This year, the event will also feature a new project – Showroom: Stores of the New Normal – inside the exhibit hall to highlight the latest store designs, equipment, featured digital apps, new technology solutions, and much more that retailers and entrepreneurs need to future-proof their stores in the new retail arena. ETP will be part of this exciting concept and will showcase its mobility solutions for both online and physical retail.

Do visit us at the ETP Booth No. 49 & 56 at NRCE 2022 to know more about how ETP can help you elevate your retail performance and e-commerce business. You could also find us at the Store of the New Normal, where you can connect with the ETP team to gain insights on how to kick off your journey to creating amazing customer experiences.

PH Digicon 2022 to harness the ‘Boundless’ Spirit of Businesses!

PLDT Enterprise sets the stage for the most prestigious digital thought leadership conference, the Philippine Digital Convention (PH Digicon). Its 2022 run marks the return of an onsite PH Digicon for delegates, with its last face-to-face conference held in 2019.

“We are thrilled for the return of PH Digicon as an in-person event where we could physically connect and interact with delegates,” said Jojo G. Gendrano, FVP and Head of PLDT and Smart Enterprise. He highlighted that this year’s edition will carry the theme Boundless, aligned with how enterprises of all sizes have been resilient and capable of reaching new heights amid crisis.

“The recent years presented businesses with restrictions that challenged their pursuit for growth, yet they persevered. For this year’s PH Digicon, we aim to capitalize on lessons learned from the pandemic for them to fully grasp their ability to be Boundless,” Gendrano explained.

Thought leaders will share the latest digital trends and innovations that can empower businesses to reinvent their operations and accelerate growth. Participants can also engage with multi-industry global leaders to learn about the latest business models and technologies that thrive in today’s dynamic business landscape.

PLDT Group President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio hopes that the relevant insights to be presented at the PH Digicon 2022 will help enterprises maximize opportunities and prosper in the digital age. “We enjoin enterprises to push past boundaries, pursue endless possibilities, and reach greater heights in the new world of business, re-shaped over the past two years,” Panlilio said.

Now on its 9th year, PH Digicon 2022 will feature distinguished speakers in its plenary sessions, while fellowship nights will allow delegates to network with global leaders, sponsors, and fellow participants from across all industries. “This event offers an excellent platform for all industry stakeholders to explore the possibilities gained from digital transformation. We are all excited to discover what the future holds for different enterprises,” Gendrano said.

PH Digicon 2022 will happen on October 27 and 28, 2022 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City, with a hybrid setup designed for virtual attendees to watch via a live broadcast. "Though restrictions have eased for in-person engagements, we will implement the necessary health protocols to ensure that our attendees will have a safe physical event experience," Gendrano shared. The two-day convention is expected to attract a total of 10,000 delegates from around the world.

The convention’s previous run, titled Revolution, attracted over 7,000 local and international delegates from across the globe, including 1,200 C-level executives, entrepreneurs, and key officers. Over 3,000 participating companies joined 70 online activities over 30 hours of live stream sessions throughout the three-day, fully-virtual event. Top executives such as PLDT Inc. and Metro Pacific Investments Corporation Chairman Manuel V Pangilinan, Nokia Senior Vice President and Head of Asia Pacific and Japan John Harrington, Huawei Asia Pacific Enterprise Business Group President Nicholas Ma, NTT Global Data Center President Yasuo Suzuki, Cisco Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China President Dave West headlined the 2021 leg along with over 100 thought leaders and industry experts from various regions.

PLDT Enterprise launched PH Digicon in 2014 as an avenue where global industry mavens, thought leaders, and pioneers in technology come together to drive technological empowerment among enterprises across the country.

Registration details for PH Digicon 2022 will be available soon. For more information, visit www.pldtenterprise.com/phdigicon2022

The ASEAN Gaming Summit is back this July 25-27!

Asia Gaming Brief is pleased to announce that the ASEAN Gaming Summit will be taking place at the Shangri-La At The Fort in Manila on 25-27 July 2022. 

The in-person conference was originally due to take place on March 21-23, 2022, but a unanimous decision was made to push back the event given the disruptions caused by the Omicron variant in Asia.

The new July dates take into consideration the expected continued reopening of the region’s travel borders and rising vaccination rates in the Philippines.

“The most important aspect of our ASEAN Gaming Summit conference is being able to offer our delegates and sponsors a complete package of networking opportunities and educational content. We believe our new July dates will be able to achieve this whilst providing safety and security for our attendees,” said Felix Ng, conference director at Asia Gaming Brief.

“Our conference has always been about fostering new and old business connections within the Asian gaming industry… and after two years of not being able to run an in-person gathering of gaming executives, we’re really excited to be able to work on it again this year.”

Register here: ASEAN Gaming Conference