Redefining the Future with AI @t Aboitiz Innovation AI Summit 2023

Aboitiz Data Innovation (ADI), the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAI) arm of the Aboitiz Group, reveals more details of its inaugural AI Summit Philippines (AI Summit PH 2023), happening at the Marriott Grand Ballroom from May 10 to 11, 2023. The two-day summit promises to provide insights from industry leaders and trailblazers as they share actionable use cases of how AI can and has revolutionized the financial services industry while addressing new fraud challenges in this increasingly digital world.

Featuring talks, panel discussions, and networking opportunities, the AI Summit PH 2023 cuts across three streams: Data Science and Transformation in Financial Services, Powering Smart Cities through Data, and Operationalizing Data Science and AI.

For the first stream, embracing and learning about DSAI technology is key for sustainable growth in the financial services sector to foster economic stability, promote financial inclusion of underserved populations, drive innovation, and redefine value in the industry.

One of the highlights of the stream is a C-Suite Roundtable that brings together the heads of half of the digital banks in the Philippines: UnionDigital Bank (UnionDigital) President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Henry Aguda, GoTyme Bank President and CEO Nathaniel Clarke, and Maya President Angelo Madrid. Digital banks are set to revolutionize the financial services industry by leveraging technology such as AI to increase efficiency and champion financial inclusion. The digital bank roundtable will be moderated by ADI CEO Dr. David R. Hardoon.

Under his leadership, ADI empowers the Aboitiz Group as it undergoes its Great Transformation to become the Philippines’ first Techglomerate by operationalizing DSAI to transform data into business and sustainability outcomes. The Group’s banking and financial services arm, Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) and its thrift bank subsidiary City Savings Bank (CitySavings), are at the forefront of innovation in the local financial services industry with their successful integration of DSAI solutions.

Another C-Suite Roundtable in the Summit will underscore the importance of enabling a transformative culture as leaders drive enterprises toward becoming data-driven companies. The panelists include Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) Chief Transformation Officer Emilie Sydney-Smith and UnionBank President and CEO Edwin R. Bautista, who represents the award-winning and innovative bank. Along with other corporate leaders and trailblazers such as Maria Noemi Azura of Insular Health Care and Victor Paterno of Philippine Seven Corporation, the roundtable will provide valuable insights into how organizations can embrace data-driven strategies to drive innovation and achieve transformation. This roundtable will be moderated by UnionBank’s Chief Customer Experience Officer and Chief Digital Channel Officer Ana A. Delgado.

“We are thrilled to convene industry leaders and experts to explore the revolutionary impact of AI on the finance sector,” said ADI Chief Operating Officer for Financial Services Guy Sheppard. “This summit offers a unique opportunity for attendees to gain valuable insights into how AI can transform financial inclusion, redefine value creation, and address emerging challenges in data science and digital transformation. From automating routine tasks to enhancing risk management and fraud detection, AI has the potential to revolutionize the finance industry by enabling more efficient and personalized services, improving decision-making, and unlocking new opportunities for growth and innovation.”

Sheppard will be moderating “The Changing Face of Fraud,” a panel that delves into the flip side of modern technologies. New and dynamic threats necessitate new rules and approaches to mitigate risks. The panel features experts and professionals in the field of fraud prevention from leading financial services firms Bank of the Philippines (BPI), Maybank Philippines, UnionBank, and UnionDigital.

The summit also covers sustainability in a panel discussion on creating inclusive financial systems through technology. The panelists include CitySavings Vice Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Ocampo, UBX President and CEO John Januszcak, PayMongo CEO Jojo Malolos, and Robin Newnham of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion.

This is just a small glimpse into what lies in store for those who attend the highly anticipated event. ADI invites those interested in hearing from and networking with industry leaders and like-minded individuals and organizations, exchanging ideas on how to use AI to transform the financial services industry for inclusive growth and sustainability.

Register your attendance at www.aiphsummit.ph/registration/ to get a complimentary pass to the event.

About Aboitiz Data Innovation

Aboitiz Data Innovation (ADI) is the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAI) arm of the Aboitiz Group. ADI consolidates DSAI operating models across the Group and promotes a data-driven culture across the organization. Its chief responsibility is to transform data into business outcomes, use information to make better decisions, reinvent business models, and develop high-value solutions to create new processes, products, and services. By operationalizing DSAI across the Aboitiz Group’s business units, ADI is advancing an over-a-century-old company’s Great Transformation journey into becoming the Philippines’ first techglomerate. For more information, visit aboitizdatainnovation.com.

About Aboitiz Equity Ventures

Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV) is the public holding company of the Aboitiz Group with major investments in power, banking and financial services, food, infrastructure, land, and data science and artificial intelligence. Today, AEV is recognized as one of the best-managed companies in the Philippines and the region, consistently cited for its commitment to good corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. With five generations of Aboitiz Group business success behind it, AEV continues to drive change for a better world by advancing business and communities.

The Aboitiz Group is a member of the Global Compact Network Philippines Board of Trustees and helps champion the Philippines’ sustainability initiatives on an international level through policies, advocacies, and initiatives that align with the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). The company has also launched its #OneAboitizSustainability Framework which aims to transform its life-essential businesses into having improved sustainable practices and a positive impact on the environment and society.

To know more about the #OneAboitizSustainability programs, please visit https://sustainability.aboitiz.com/.

BIG-BROTHER AGRI COMPANIES, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES MEET WITH PRESIDENT MARCOS ABOUT KAPATID ANGAT LAHAT AGRI PROGRAM (KALAP)

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion at the Malacañang Palace, as Concepcion led the group of big-brother agriculture companies and relevant government agencies last April 25 to deliver an update on KALAP, or Kapatid Angat Lahat Agri Program. This is the second KALAP meeting with the President after the program’s ceremonial signing with government agencies last March 6.

Among the issues brought up during the meeting was the need for interventions in ensuring that farmers get access to credit – an issue that was the result of earlier consultations with banks and financial institutions on agriculture lending. 

During the meeting, Concepcion emphasized the importance of achieving scale. “KALAP needs scale. The five hectares that the small farmers have now is not competitive. At the same time, banks can’t lend to them because the lands cannot be collateralized per agrarian reform law. While right now, there are workarounds by the big-brother companies as they work with groups of small farmers, we need to think about longer term solutions,” he said later in an interview.

The President, for his part, assured the group during the meeting that he will look into each industry concern in detail separately, adding that Landbank and the Development Bank of the Philippines are expanding their credit program coverages to agriculture. He further said he will look into the use of digitalization in farm management as started by Universal Leaf Philippines (ULPI) in the tobacco industry. ULPI’s Winston Uy shared during the meeting the technology they use in tobacco farming, and his intention to share it with other big-brother companies as one of the tools they can use under KALAP.

Other big-brother companies also presented to the President their models that can be used for KALAP. In addition to Uy, there was James Amparo, who shared Yovel East’s model for rice farming, Christian Moeller for coconut, Simon Bakker for cacao, Kais Marzouki for coffee, and Nando Cojuangco for sugar 

Since its signing last March, KALAP has enticed more big agriculture companies to join the program. Banks and financial institutions similarly expressed support for KALAP’s push for easier access to credit for small farmers. The Go Negosyo program aims to transform Philippine agriculture and create jobs by focusing on major agricultural commodities, adopting inclusive business models, and creating an enabling business environment.

“There has been a lot of interest, especially among the big companies on how they can participate in KALAP. There is still plenty of room for solutions and we are open to seeing how we can work with more big-brother companies,” said Concepcion.

KALAP aims to give farmers access to money, markets and mentorship, the three M’s that make for successful enterprises. “With KALAP, we aim to see transformed agricultural commodities, food security, job opportunities, and an industry that is able to meet the requirements of the market, both in quality and quantity,” said Concepcion.

The private meeting at the Palace included the heads of the agri companies who, under the KALAP model, will share their inclusive business models that integrate small farmers into the value chain of large corporations. Key government agencies, meanwhile, will help facilitate the environment to create a productive, profitable, sustainable and competitive agriculture industry

Nissan and PDRF join Forces in Disaster Response

April 28, 2023, PAMPANGA—Nissan Philippines Inc. recently signed a partnership agreement with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) that will allow the Foundation to use Nissan's full electric vehicle (EV), the LEAF, for its disaster response and recovery activities.

In a ceremonial signing held at the PDRF Emergency Operations Center in Clark, Pampanga, Nissan Philippines partnered with PDRF as part of their Blue Switch initiative that aims to build an ecosystem with various organizations to use EV technologies in addressing social concerns such as disaster response, climate change, responsible travel, and energy management.

Present at the ceremonial signing were Nissan Philippines Inc. President Juan Manuel Hoyos and General Manager for Communications Dax Avenido, PDRF President Rene Meily, PDRF Chief Resilience Officer Guillermo Luz, and PDRF Executive Director Veronica Gabaldon.

“PDRF is grateful to Nissan for this innovative partnership. Their LEAF electric vehicle will be an important asset when we confront challenges going forward,” said PDRF President Rene Meily.

Through this partnership, Nissan Philippines will lend LEAF EVs to PDRF to be used as emergency response vehicles. The Nissan LEAF has vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology which allows bi-directional charging and use the EV's battery to transfer power to other sources. Its reliable power source can supply electricity to affected communities and emergency responses during disasters.

Nissan representatives also demonstrated the capabilities of the LEAF and allowed the PDRF executives to test drive the vehicle.

“Nissan is proud to be part of the roster of private companies which partnered with PDRF. We are very excited to see how the Nissan LEAF can assist PDRF in providing innovative and sustainable solutions to minimize the impacts and recover from disasters. This partnership is the next step in our strategy towards a more sustainable and resilient future for the country,” Juan Hoyos, Nissan Philippines President said.

The partnership will also enable the two organizations to explore efficient and sustainable ways to respond to disasters and mitigate the impact of climate change. The partnership is aligned with PDRF’s commitment to more green and sustainable approaches to disaster response

Copernicus - Philippines and EU join forces for better response to natural disasters and climate change

Manila - Officials from the Philippine Space Agency, the Department of Science and Technology and the European Union launched today (24 April 2023)  the Copernicus Capacity Support Action Programme for the Philippines (CopPhil) worth approximately Php 610 million or €10 million. 

The first space cooperation programme in the region, this new initiative will help Philippine authorities develop national systems to make use of EU’s earth observation’s satellites data in the country’s disaster mitigation and climate change adaptation and food security strategies.

The EU's earth observation flagship programme, Copernicus provides free environment and climate data derived from a constellation of satellites –the Sentinels- which monitor the earth and its many ecosystems 24-hours daily. This free information aims to help public authorities, businesses, and international organisations mitigate climate change impacts and build a sustainable future for all.  

In the Philippines, Copernicus’ satellite images have already helped authorities monitor the situation of remote communities in the aftermath of typhoons such as Odette or accidents like an oil spill to help authorities plan their disaster preparedness plans and mitigation programmes.  

The launch of CopPhil featured a line-up of high level national and international speakers from the Philippine Government, academia, industry, and space agencies, as well as representatives from the European public sector and space agencies from Austria, Italy, Greece, Spain, Germany, France and Romania, and from the European Space Agency.

During the launch, Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum welcomed Copernicus and the Copernicus programme in the Philippines as “a long-awaited cooperation on an innovative system that will provide the Philippines new opportunities to develop earth observation applications for disaster risk reduction and management, environmental protection, and climate change adaptation". (Please check quote with the DOST)

Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) Director General Joel Marciano Jr. said that “the Agency welcomes this partnership with the European Union as it strengthens the domestic space value chain, particularly the ability to process and use satellite images and spaceborne data to better manage, and protect our environment and natural resources, and be better prepared in the face of disasters and climate change”. 

 

H. E. Luc Véron, European Union Ambassador to the Philippines, said that “the Copernicus programme for the Philippines is a pioneer initiative in Asia and Asia Pacific and a starting point for a larger programme on Digital Connectivity. The programme will enhance capacities for a stronger and more shock-resilient Filipino economy and society”. 

“In the long term the European Union is exploring the possibility to create a network of Copernicus partners in the ASEAN region aside from other parts of the world. The uptake of innovative technologies such as Copernicus will trigger growth, jobs and modernisation of digital infrastructures that can be used in many sectors in the Philippines”, Ambassador Véron said. 

Background

The launch of CopPH was supported by the European Commission's Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument (TAIEX). The Instrument promotes peer-to-peer interactions and technical exchanges between EU Member States’ public administrations and those in partner countries.  

Copernicus is a European Union Programme aimed at developing European information services based on satellite Earth Observation and in-situ (non-space) data. 

The Programme is coordinated and is managed by the European Commission. It is implemented in partnership with the European Union Member States, the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), EU Agencies and Mercator Océan.

The Copernicus Services deliver near-real-time data on a global level which can also be used for local and regional needs, to help us better understand our planet and sustainably manage the environment we live in. Copernicus data support countries worldwide in their efforts to comply with the targets set in the Paris Agreement’s Nationally Determined Contributions. For more information, visit https://www.copernicus.eu/en.

For information or questions on Copernicus technologies and the EU-funded National Copernicus Capacity Support Action Programme please contact:

Giovanni Serritella

Programme Manager Environment & Climate Change

EU Delegation to the Philippines 

Giovanni.SERRITELLA@eeas.europa.eu 

Mobile: +63 945 2477927

Luc Verelst

Team Leader - Copernicus Bridging Phase

Luc.Verelst@gmail.com 

Mobile : +63 918 369 8769

Olaf Neussner

Disaster Risk Managem

Massive data breach leaked from NBI, PNP, other agencies

MANILA, Philippines —A staggering 1,279,437 records belonging to law enforcement agencies, including sensitive police employee information, have been compromised in an unprecedented data breach, as revealed by a report from the leading cybersecurity research company VPNMentor on Tuesday.

The massive data hack, which exposed 817.54 gigabytes of both applicant and employee records under multiple state agencies, including the Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and Special Action Force (SAF), has put the personal information of millions of Filipinos at risk.

Exposed records encompass highly sensitive data such as fingerprint scans, birth certificates, tax identification numbers (TIN), tax filing records, academic transcripts, and even passport copies.

DILG chief to Azurin: CCTV video speaks for itself; bolsters cover-up plan on drug case

A total of 1,279,437 records from law enforcement agencies, including police employee records, were left exposed in a massive data breach, according to a report published by cybersecurity research firm VPNMentor on Tuesday.

Sample of a criminologist accreditation, police clearance form, and BIR identification card, all available on the exposed database.

Sample of a criminologist accreditation, police clearance form, and BIR identification card, all available on the exposed database.

Internal directives addressing law enforcement officers were also exposed in the data breach.

“As an example, these would be orders from the top leadership of how to enforce what laws and what gets priority or additional training that is needed etc… I cannot further confirm or verify the accuracy or authenticity of these documents contained within this database. As such, I cannot guarantee that the contents of the documents are accurate or reliable,” writes cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler, who authored the report.

Fowler reported that these government documents were stored in an unsecured, non-password-protected database “readily accessible to individuals with an internet connection” and vulnerable to cyberattacks or ransomware. Fowler noted that law enforcement officers are at risk when their personal documents are exposed, but no such attacks have occurred.

“Any data breach that exposes personal information belonging to police and members of law enforcement or other officials can be dangerous. Individuals whose data is exposed could be potential victims of identity theft, phishing attacks, and a range of other malicious activities,” stressed Fowler.

“The availability of government records in an unsecured database raises concerns about potential national security issues. The exposed records could also potentially allow criminals to target members of law enforcement for blackmail or other schemes,” he added.

This database was left exposed for a minimum of six weeks, according to the report. However, Fowler recommended that a full forensic audit be conducted to “fully understand the extent and impact of the breach.”

PNP Public Information Office Chief Rederico Maranan relayed to INQUIRER.net a message from Anti-Cybercrime Group Director Police Brig. Gen. Sidney Hernia, stating that the cybercrime unit is still conducting vulnerability assessment and penetration testing.

“We cannot categorically say at this time that there was leaked applicants’ data… We also requested complete access logs from the PNP Recruitment and Selection Service (PRSS) to evaluate those logs,” he stated. 

Q1 2023 Philippines Property Market Briefing

The Philippine economy grew 7.6% in 2022, its fastest pace of growth in more than 40 years, exceeding the government’s target of between 6.5% and 7.5%. Colliers experts say that this is a positive signal for the property market, which, over the past decades, mirrored the boom–bust cycle of the country’s economic output.

As we close one quarter and welcome a new one, let’s revisit the performance of the property sector to see whether improving economic growth prospects indeed translate to an industry recovering steadily. Join us on April 27 as our experts discuss the performance of the Office, Residential, and Retail sectors for the first quarter of 2023, and what better way to signal such promising outlook than to hold this meaningful discussion in the Makati Commerce Tower – an impressive new office tower along Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue in Makati and Colliers’ official partner for this event.

The highlights will be discussed by Joey Roi Bondoc (Director, Research) and Kevin Jara (Associate Director, Office Services – Tenant Representation) and joining them as panelists in the Q&A are Paul Chua (Director, Capital Markets & Investment Services), Paul Ramirez (Senior Director, Valuation Services), Theresa Teodoro (Senior Director, Advisory Services), Dom Fredrick Andaya (Senior Director, Office Services – Tenant Representation), and Richard Raymundo (Managing Director, Colliers). The discussion with be moderated by Maricris Sarino-Joson (Director, Office Services – Landlord Representation).

This event is also made possible by the following partners:

- Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (https://www.facebook.com/DHSUDgovph)

- Organization of Socialized Housing Developers of the Philippines (https://www.facebook.com/oshdpnational)

- Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (https://www.facebook.com/shdaph)

- Australian–New Zealand Chamber of Commerce Philippines (https://www.facebook.com/ANZCHAMPhilippines)

- British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (https://www.facebook.com/BritishChamberPhilippines)

- Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (https://www.facebook.com/pcciofficial)

- Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines (https://www.facebook.com/himap.ph)

- ULI Philippines (https://www.facebook.com/ULIPH)

- ABS-CBN News Channel (https://www.facebook.com/ANCalerts)

- Philippine Daily Inquirer (https://www.facebook.com/INQ.Property)

- Philstar.com (https://www.facebook.com/philstarnews)

- Business World (https://www.facebook.com/BWorldPH)

- Manila Times (https://www.facebook.com/themanilatimesonline)

- Business Mirror (https://www.facebook.com/BusinessMirror)

- Malaya Business Insight (https://www.facebook.com/malayanews)

To attend this event at the newly opened Makati Commerce Tower, click this link to save your seat: http://bit.ly/3MFiXqD.

Should you prefer to attend via Zoom, click this link to register: https://bit.ly/3GOdUk4.

#ColliersPH #BeExperts #AcceleratingSuccess #ColliersInsights #PropertyMarketBriefing #PhilippinePropertyMarket #PhilippineRealEstate #OfficeSector #ResidentialSector #RetailSector

A MEETING OF MINDS

Shortly after Ferdinand Marcos Jr. became the clear winner in last year’s presidential elections, I sat down with him at his campaign headquarters in Mandaluyong. Prior to this meeting, he and I had never really sat down for a chat. We would see each other in fleeting social encounters, but had mainly only heard of each other, be it through common friends, in our own respective advocacies and profession, through our children and, of course, by reputation.

Clearly, I was not the only one who was curious about him back then. When he appeared as our featured presidential candidate on our Go Negosyo show “Kandidatalks,” that episode reached more than one million people and attracted 379,000 total views when it streamed live over Go Negosyo’s Facebook page in December 2021.

Almost a year on, as I got to know the President through our meetings and on official trips abroad, I realized how similar our vision is for the country’s MSMEs.

Foremost is his giving MSMEs their due place as champions of our economy, especially in job creation. MSMEs are 99 percent of the enterprises in the Philippines, contributing almost 65 percent of jobs here in the country and accounting for more than a third of its GDP. Growing our MSME sector will widen our economy’s base so that it can no longer be affected by the performance of its large companies or a pause in government spending.

We are also aligned in seeing how digitalization can help our MSMEs.

The President has vowed to continue former president Rodrigo Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” program and build more roads and ports so that the flow of goods and people can become more efficient. But to this he added the importance of building not just physical infrastructure, but also digital infrastructure.

The pandemic pushed Filipinos to acquire e-wallets and this was key to taking digitalization to the next level: a cashless society that has long been promoted by our financial managers. We saw so many MSMEs thrive and new ones being born during the pandemic, driven and aided by the rapid rise of digital payments. With digitalization, these small enterprises enjoyed an even playing field with the big players, able to push their products to their communities and equipped to receive payments and overcome roadblocks that used to stand between them and payments. We saw how digital money and market platforms created more access for entrepreneurs to sell their products and services.

Since many Filipinos remain unbanked – about 44 percent of adult Filipinos as of 2021, according to the BSP – and therefore have no access to credit cards, the e-wallets like GCash and Maya, and the many joining their ranks, have their place in helping spur digitalization and financial inclusion in our country.

The President early on also saw how local government units play a major role in helping MSMEs. He proposed allocating a portion of the Internal Revenue Allotments of LGUs to fund projects for MSMEs. This is prescient as when we started putting together the framework for the Kapatid Angat Lahat Agri Program, LGU cooperation emerged as a key component in helping our small farmers become agripreneurs.

Agriculture is where we truly had a meeting of minds. The agriculture sector accounts for a quarter of the total number of jobs here in the Philippines. Couple that with the number of jobs contributed by MSMEs, then it stands to reason that helping the small agripreneurs will redound to so many benefits not just in food security and sustainability, but also in job generation.

The President also said he wants to help farmers get access to credit. Agriculture is a risky venture, and our farmers are poorly equipped to mitigate their own risks and convince the banks to lend to them. It also doesn’t help that those who need credit the most have the least access to it – literally and figuratively, as our far-flung provinces have yet to even have ATMs in their communities, least of all an actual physical branch where farmers can easily apply for and pay off their loans.

From our meetings with the banks as part of our KALAP initiative, there is clearly much that needs to be done to improve farmers’ access to credit. We are willing to meet them halfway through KALAP. With hope, and with the big brothers in agriculture on their side, small farmers will have the confidence of the banks and lending institutions enough to ease access to credit. This will enable farmers to scale and increase productivity and, over time, build their credit rating.

The President also saw the need to rationalize the tax system to protect the MSMEs. From my conversations at Go Negosyo with the active and aspiring small entrepreneurs during our mall-based entrepreneurship mentoring roadshow 3M on Wheels, I could tell that the MSEs want to be part of the formal economy.

They have very little reason not to, because they understand that in order to grow their businesses, they need the documentary requirements that will allow them to get the capital they need to increase production, or even open a bank account to enable them to make bigger transactions. Clearly, facilitating the ease of doing business for MSEs will help make them part of the taxable economy, further increasing their contribution to our country. It is something that I believe the President and I both saw as an obvious truth.

The President went on to say that MSMEs must be encouraged to grow, to set their goals to go beyond just making money and realize their role in social transformation. Our role in the private sector is to help ease the way for them.