Women in Urban Land Institute

The magic of new beginnings was evident on the stage and in the audience floor as the first hybrid webinar event of the ULI Philippines Women’s Leadership Initiative took place on March 24, 2022 entitled “Fast Forward: New Communities and Developments”. It was an all-female team from production to all the speakers and moderators.  Charged by the energy of a post-pandemic economic recovery and bolstered by the mood of the International Women’s Month, three speakers marched on.  Sharing knowledge that complemented each one’s topics, these women spoke of meaningful progress in their respective real estate worlds, aligned towards empowerment of communities in low-cost housing, vertical corporate properties and asset re-purposing and building use conversion.

Mardi Mapa-Suplido, CEO at Habitat for Humanity Philippines discussed about public housing and the backlog on inventory.  Tackling resilient, inclusive, sustainable and empowered programs, Mardi stressed on the integration of housing with community development and the basic needs for water, sanitation and hygiene; disaster response capabilities plus youth and volunteer engagement. She spoke about actual and live projects in the rural areas, and how their organization is working through targets and various financial models. Their aim on legacy building imprinted a message on everyone as indeed, sustainability and inclusiveness in real estate must provide for the needs of these communities hardly featured in prime real property news. We are proud of Mardi in her stewardship of this company.

Christine Li of Knight Frank in Singapore spoke about Repurposing Assets and the unique opportunities as the global rebirth of real estate takes place this year 2022 with investor considerations, the renewed confidence in a healthier world and interest in finding uses for old buildings.  Exciting possibilities accompany creative destruction as some examples of projects were shared, specifically a hotel which could be primed for a repurposed function in a co-living, residential or office set up. More case studies were shown, from data centers to logistics warehouses, multi-family BTR to hi-specs industrial real estate.  In the world of new possibilities, a strong woman leader has taken the helm.

Tina Samson, a lawyer and property management specialist, Chair of the Women’s Leadership Initiative and currently COO of Menarco Properties, walked the audience through the multi-awarded Menarco Tower, the first Well-certified corporate building in Southeast Asia that is also LEED-Gold Certified.  She was the speaker physically present onstage and narrated the processes as well as the benefits of planning a vertical community that focused on the health and wellbeing of its occupants.  The Menarco Tower’s comprehensive approach to well-being in design and approach in providing for basic water, air and light, were highlighted.  Tina stressed as well on the visual elements within the building that encourages the end users to achieve higher concentration, clarity of thinking, better creative output and increased collaboration

The two moderators were also decidedly female. Arch. Cathy Saldana, Managing Director of PDP Architects, also a Trustee of ULI Philippines and Ms. Monica Gonzalez of Santos Knight Frank who leads her real estate team on Data Centers in the country, delightfully engaged the live audience and the virtual attendees as they both summarized the keynotes and fielded the questions from the participants. It was indeed a great highlight for Women’s Month.  

Concepcion: Booster Extend Economic Activity, Strengthen wall of Immunity

Hastening booster vaccinations among Filipinos will not slow business activity but will instead benefit the country in the long term and in many ways, said Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion. 

“Hastening booster vaccinations will prolong the time that we will enjoy more mobility. Boosters strengthen our wall of immunity, making it possible for us to withstand future surges in cases,” he said. He added that increased booster vaccinations will prevent the country from losing millions of dollars from the expiry by July this year of the 27 million vaccines in has in stock. 

This comes as concerns were raised about the possible effects on business of replacing current vaccination cards with booster cards as requirement for entry into spaces and activities that put people at risk of being infected with Covid. The booster card proposal has received support from the country’s leading business organizations as well as medical experts. 

“We are the last people to want business activity to slow down. What we don’t want is for business to stop completely because we failed to act,” Concepcion said. “This is why we are proposing that people be given enough time to get their booster shots. It will not happen all at the same time because people completed their primary vaccinations at different times,” he said. 

“What booster vaccinations will do is quite the opposite: it will allow us to sustain our gains and extend our mobility because those with waning immunity will be updating their vaccinations as we wait for the provinces to catch up with their primary vaccinations.” 

The Go Negosyo founder had earlier sounded the alarm on waning antibodies as booster takeup remains low. As of March 30, only a little over 12 million Filipinos have received their booster shots despite 65.8 million having been fully vaccinated. Waning antibodies might also increase cases and send the country back into lockdowns.  

Concepcion had put forward specific measures to increase booster vaccinations, including: the redefinition of “fully vaccinated” status to include a booster dose; booster card requirements for travel, work, and overall movement in lieu of the vaccination card; a 60-day deadline, or around until June this year, to get booster shots; and the proposed use of booster cards in VAXCERTPH as proof of vaccination to address current backlogs and prevent proliferation of fake documents and vaccination cards. 

“We might not even need a mandate to implement this if we do it in phases,” said Concepcion. He said that it will become similar with IATF restrictions in which only those with booster cards or vaccination cards that are up to date will be allowed to enter enclosed spaces or engage in high-risk activity.  

“We are doing the long game here. We need to have enough people who are immune to the virus while we wait for everyone to catch up. We don’t want to leave people out or leave anyone behind,” he said.

ASEAN SME Academy 2.0 Launching Event “Adapt, Upskill, Excel: Building ASEAN SMEs’ Resilience with ASEAN SME Academy 2.0”

ASEAN SME Academy 2.0 is an upgraded version from the existing online learning platform which already been operated since 2016. It is an online learning platform intended for the ASEAN SMEs with the objective to leverage their capability especially for digital skills. The upgrade aims of improving a learning experience through more centralized, user-friendly, and inclusive resources for SMEs. The upgrade will feature content in multiple regional languages, new visual designs, mobile accessibility, self-certifications, and various resources for SMEs to access.

The ASEAN SME Academy (the Academy) is an online learning platform which was built in 2016 as a joint initiative between US-ABC, USAID, and the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (ACCMSME). It is an official ASEAN platform, co- administered by US-ABC, the Philippines Department of Trade and Industry under Bureau of  Small and Medium Enterprise Development (BSMED - DTI) and the Philippine Trade and Training Centre (PTTC). The platform provides online learning courses and resources to help ASEAN Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in developing their business.

Since its establishment, the Academy has grown significantly, and now offers more than 90 courses and 375 additional online resources for SMEs. The Academy has also reached over 460,000 unique visitors and more than 9,600 active users regularly accessing new knowledge and skills training resources. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to the world’s economies, especially affecting small businesses. Seeing massive changes brought by the world’s pandemic, there is a necessity in synergizing ongoing efforts and platforms to support SMEs adapt to the constantly evolving ways of doing business brought by digitalisation, leading to the revamp of the Academy initiated in 2021 and led by US-ABC and U.S. Government under the USAID in consultation with the BSMED – DTI as the ACCMSME Country Lead. 

The ASEAN SME Academy 2.0 aims to serve as a world-class, attractive, user-friendly, and inclusive MSME learning platform. It would feature localized courses on a variety of topics of interest to MSMEs and would include multilanguage support, new visual, mobile-friendly interface, top online resource for MSMEs, and self-certification. 

In line with Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2022’s key theme of “Addressing Challenge Together” by building a harmonious ASEAN Community that is peaceful, stable, and prosperous, the US-ABC and the U.S. Government aim to strengthen the capacity of SMEs as one of ASEAN’s economic pillars, thus empower ASEAN SMEs to become more competitive in domestic markets and better integrate into both regional and global value chains.

The ASEAN SME Academy 2.0 was launched April 8 at PTTC Manila

This launch event aims to generating public awareness and publicity among the target users and stakeholders of the ASEAN SME Academy 2.0, which includes ACCMSME members, related ASEAN Sectoral Bodies and ASEAN member states institutions, as well as ASEAN MSMEs and other businesses, business associations in ASEAN and ASEAN member states.

The launch will be accessible via three channels:

1. The main launch to be organized physically in PTTC Office, Manila, the Philippines;

2. The rest of AMS to participate through Zoom Webinar platform, accessible by members of the ACCMSME, related ASEAN Sectoral Bodies, MSMEs and business 

associations in AMS, and the U.S. Government stakeholders.

3. Live stream for the wider stakeholders via the following social media channels:

     a. ASEAN Secretariat (youtube) 

     b. ASEAN SME Academy 

     c. US-ASEAN Business Council 

Mentor Me on Wheels is back

Confidence is contagious. If we show confidence, we, in turn, inspire confidence in others. As we move forward from this pandemic, it is important to encourage the hesitant to take the first steps to normalcy. Our entrepreneurs must believe it is now okay to venture out and reopen their businesses. Along with entrepreneurs, we must also build the confidence of banks and assure them that the money they lend out will be repaid, that businesses will stay open and earn enough to pay back their loans. Our foreign creditors must also see that the Philippines will return to normal and be able to repay its national debt, enough to maintain its good credit rating and borrow again when needed.

It is with this thought that we at Go Negosyo decided to resume our one-on-one mentoring program, Mentor Me on Wheels, not anymore via online conferencing platforms, but this time, in person. The return of Mentor Me on Wheels will be this Saturday, April 9, at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Pasay City. We are thankful to the more than a thousand small entrepreneurs and the 130-plus mentors who have decided to join us in this activity.

The return of Mentor Me on Wheels signals our confidence that the Philippines is now in recovery mode, and that vaccines, coupled with continued distancing, masking, and ventilation, will help us ease back into normal life. Go Negosyo is an advocate of increased mobility, with people having the confidence to return to their normal activities as we move the economy forward.

In-person mentorship, in particular, needs to return. Our entrepreneurs need a lot of help right now as they will play a key role in the recovery and growth of our economy. MSMEs bore the brunt of the economic impact of the pandemic and the effect of the lockdowns on them was felt almost immediately. Many MSMEs belong to the hardest-hit sector – retail, manufacturing, transport, construction, accommodations, food services, personal services. And as is the nature of small businesses, they had very little elbow room when it came to capital. Whatever they earned was put back almost right away into the business. When you have sudden mobility restrictions like the one in 2020, MSMEs will not only have zero sales and no money to pour back into their business, but also no money to pay back the loans that they need for capital in the first place.

Mentorship is an essential component in helping entrepreneurs not just recover and rebuild, but also achieve success. Along with money and markets, mentorship is a pillar of our advocacy at Go Negosyo. Mentors can share their experience, offer insights, and give the encouragement every small business owner needs, even when times are good. That is why even throughout the mobility restrictions imposed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our mentoring programs continued. They became an opportunity for us to improve the reach of our existing mentoring programs for entrepreneurs.

Since we first launched them in 2016, our programs relied on face-to-face interactions between the mentors and the entrepreneurs. It was a stroke of luck that at some point, we decided to bring the mentoring to the provinces and came up with a mentoring roadshow called Mentor Me on Wheels. When the pandemic broke out, the mentoring went online as a Facebook Live show called Go Nego Show.

With the success of Go Nego Show, we decided to continue our original mentoring programs, Kapatid Mentor Micro Enterprises–Money and Market Encounter (KMME-MME) and Kapatid Agri Mentor Me Program (KAMMP) as they were originally intended, but this time through online conferencing platforms and social media. This proved to be the correct decision and paid off quite well in terms of helping entrepreneurs throughout the pandemic.

Even with the restrictions, our mentoring programs were able to produce thousands of graduates and from all the regions across the Philippines. Dedicated coaching became a crucial pivot in our programs, and it enabled us to integrate the three crucial components of entrepreneurship– money, market and mentorship – in a single program.

In 2021, the KMME-MME program saw an increase in the numbers of both mentors and mentees across the regions. By October 2021, 1,634 mentees had taken part in the KMME online program for the year, bringing the total of KMME-MME’s online mentees to 3,084. In all, the KMME program, in its original and its online form, has benefited 11,871 mentees since its inception. KAMMP, which has produced 3,032 mentees since 2017, added 755 mentees thanks to online mentoring and even during the restrictions in 2020 and 2021.

These numbers make us hopeful that the drive for entrepreneurship remains alive and well in the Philippines. However, how successfully our entrepreneurs will help the Philippines recover from the ravages of the pandemic will depend on how well we, as citizens, can maintain the integrity of our wall of immunity. Right now, we are managing quite well, but it can easily go the other way if we become complacent. That is why I have been relentless in pushing for boosters. We have seen how waning immunity and lax compliance with health protocols easily reversed the situation in countries that were once considered success stories early on in the pandemic. With hope, the Philippines will be able to sustain its momentum. With the return of Mentor Me on Wheels, we express our confidence that the country will not only bounce back from the pandemic, but that it will thrive and prosper through entrepreneurship.

MMOWAyalaManilaBay
#MentorMeOnWheels
#GoNegosyo

The 3rd IT Security ASIA 2022 in Manila

Trust is fragile and essential in Business Organizations. With rising high-profile cyber threats and attacks in the Philippines before and during the pandemic crisis, how can Organizations both Private and Public sectors become cyber-secure in this evolving digital era? Where are we now in the current IT Security Landscape and what are current challenges need to be addressed?

OpenGov Asia reported that a UK-based cybersecurity firm found that Philippine organizations have spent an average of $820,000 (approximately P40 million) to recover from these attacks – costs that cover the ransom paid, and the costs incurred by the downtime. According to the latest study conducted by a reputable technology company based in the USA, 35 percent of the companies in the Philippines are using outdated cybersecurity platforms and need to be replaced to realign with the trends of cybersecurity Infrastructure globally. The prioritization of DICT for the National Cybersecurity Plan is an indication that Philippine IT Infrastructure is strengthening its approaches and measures against Cybercriminals.

This year how will the current cybersecurity infrastructure mitigate the cyber attacks and what are the advanced CyberSecurity Technologies and Solutions to be expected? Is it time for your organization to shift from Traditional Platform to Zero-Trust Security? Is your organization doing enough to adhere to better Data Governance? What are the cost-effective Security solutions for your Organization? Are you choosing the best Cloud Security Solutions for your organization? How will your organization recover after a disruption caused by a data breach and leak? These are some essential questions that need a precise answer.

Join us as we proactively discuss and tackle the evolving landscape of Cybersecurity with the notable IT Industry Thought Leaders in the Philippines for sharing insightful thoughts and strategies that may help shape the future of CyberSecurity. Rockbird Media is pleased to host this Premium event and pave the way to network with the best IT Service Providers in the ICT Sector whom you can rely upon your organization’s CyberSecurity resilience and readiness.

1st ever Craft Beer Night Launched, A Success!

The launch of the 1st ever CRAFT BEER NIGHT at LIPA CITY, BATANGAS last weekend of April 1 & 2  at 3 Peaks Resort & Boutique Hotel marked the rise of awareness of the Local Lipenos to support Locally brewed Craft Beers.

Not the usual nightlife, but an extraordinary gathering of invited guests by the organizers of the event coming from different towns of Batangas province and even from Metro Manila. As early as 5pm last Friday, laid-back golfers of Cinderella Golf Club from the Malarayat Golf and Country Club came for their usual “after game” socialization, common among golfers to get a few rounds before they go on separate ways.

One by one, special guests from Santo Tomas Batangas & Lucena City were noticeably early for the 7pm program. Upon each arrival, they are led to their respective seats with a Craft Beer Flight glass set up on the tables. This is where curiosity among guests began to rise. There are quite a few informative materials you can see at the table, like the breweries & beer styles for tasting & the food that is paired along with it.

MNL Beer Fest Event Director, Ms. Cherry Genato hosted the program with Philippine Craft Kings (PCK) Marketing Head, Jazel Paraiso, for 1st timers to a BEER 101 format, learning & drinking at the same time is probably not what one guest normally experience when they think of going out, but this was done gracefully by these two ladies who were very well versed when it comes to Craft Beer Information. Guests started their Beer Tasting journey by consuming 4 glasses in total of each beer kind, such as : Pilsner (by Crazy Carabao Brewery), Ale (by Katipunan Craft), Strong Ale (by Boondocks Brewing ) and Stout (by Black white Brewery). All these distinctly different beer styles were paired with pulutan prepared by Chef Auster Perez of 3 Peaks Resort & Boutique Hotel 

Placing together in one venue both the crowd of 1st timers for a Craft Beer Tasting evening and enthusiasts craft beer drinkers is quite an interesting audience. Majority of empty glasses may mean that Lipenos love to drink! Craft Beers are priced x2 or even x3 more than the usual commercial beer, it being the gourmet of beers, you may say that drinkers who appreciate this type of alcohol have a preference on taste.  For a Craft Beer drinker, it was never about the volume of alcohol that one can consume, but the Flavors one can explore.

The event was made more interesting by the Live DJ Music of lady DJ Michicko and special guest Eistiene of MouseHole CheeseBar. Another interesting crowd who came were riders from the Vespa Club of Marikina (VCM) who drove five long hours through the backroads from Manila to Batangas just to witness the event. The venue looked like a Bike night, with aligned Ducati motorbikes from the members of Samahang Batangeno Karibok (SBK) and the unique 3-wheels motorcycle from the Can-am Moto Club PH

An event aimed to bring the awareness on what locally made Craft Beers are all about,  took the City of Lipa, Batangas to the Map of the Craft Beer Community with the support of GV 99.9 FM and Event Partner Mr. Aris Luancing with the honorable Vice Mayor MakMak Luancing gracing the event with their presence who all respectively shared the advocacy of supporting Local produced products of the Philippines.

Read more about the 1st ever CRAFT BEER NIGHT in Lipa Batangas on the MNL Beerfest and 3 Peaks Resort & Boutique Hotel.

An event organized by the MNL Beer Fest team and Mr. Jun Flores of Philippine Craft Beer Community.  Let’s Drink Fresh Beers! Support Local Craft Beers!

#MNLBeerFest #MNLCraftBeerFestival #CraftBeerNight #CraftBeer #CraftBeerBatangas #CraftBeerLipa #PhilippineCraftBeer #3PeaksResortandBotiqueHotel #ManilaPreneurCorp #MouseHoleCheeseBar
@3peaksresort   
@mnlbeerfest 

DOST Launches I-CRADLE Program to Boost MSME Performance in the Country

April 5, 2022 - The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) held the official launch of Industry-level Collaborative R&D to Leverage Philippine Economy (I-CRADLE) Program, expanding the role of government in supporting industry-academe collaborations in solving problems of Filipino companies, most specially Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). 

I-CRADLE upgrades the Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippine Economy (CRADLE) Program that supports industry-academe innovation activities, from individual firms to specific industry sector with at least 5  collaborating firms, and increasing the maximum amount of the grant from Five Million Pesos (P5,000,000.00) to Twenty Five Million Pesos (P25,000,000.00) per project.  

The launch was held during the first CRADLE Conference entitled "The CRADLE Journey: Witnessing innovative breakthroughs through collaborative R&D".  The event featured success stories of DOST-CRADLE beneficiaries and highlighted successful projects involving women scientists leading innovation projects. 

During the CRADLE Symposium, DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña said: “DOST’s support to industry-academe partnerships through the CRADLE program has been very evident in our ranking in the annual Global Innovation Index on university-industry research collaboration.  In 2014, the Philippines reached the 56th place among 130 countries.  Our 2020 rank improved to 27th place, proving that the Philippines, even with the budget of a developing nation, can compete in the innovation race with every country in the world.”

The Global Innovation Index is an annual ranking of countries by their capacity for, and success in, innovation. It is published by the World Intellectual Property Organization, in partnership with Cornell University, INSEAD, and other organizations and institutions. 

“In just five years, the DOST CRADLE program successfully engaged 76 industry partners with 36 academic institutions in 10 regions in the country,” said DOST Undersecretary for R&D Rowena Cristina L. Guevara.  “There was a clear need for innovation and CRADLE answered the needs of industry through R&D. And this program reached every corner of our archipelago to support the growth and competitiveness of Filipino companies.  It is high time that government support should also change and evolve to the growing needs of industry.” 

Under the I-CRADLE program, industry-wide needs and problems shall be identified and the partner university shall undertake R&D.  This program will also target each level of the technology transfer process – from the pursuit of industry-driven basic research, academe-industry joint research, and product development stage to technology promotion/transfer and adoption.  

Both I-CRADLE and CRADLE programs fall under the DOST-Science for Change Program (S4CP),  created to accelerate STI in the country in order to keep up with the developments in our time wherein technology and innovation are game changers.  Other sub-programs of S4CP include the Niche Centers in the Regions for R&D (NICER) program where qualified Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the regions are provided with grants so they can undertake quality research directed at promoting regional development with their existing capabilities and resources.  Another capacity-building program is the RDLead Program which aims to help develop and strengthen further the research capabilities of the academe, RDIs, and other government line agencies nationwide. RDLeaders who are local S&T experts with strong leadership and innovative policy proficiencies are engaged to train, and direct and support the R&D goals of their host institute. The Business Innovation through S&T (BIST) for Industry Program aims to provide financial assistance to Filipino private companies for the acquisition of strategic and relevant technologies so that they can undertake  R&D. The financial assistance, which may only be used to purchase R&D equipment or to secure technology licensing and/or patent rights, will be refunded to DOST at zero percent interest.

For companies who wish to avail of the I-CRADLE program, you may contact the DOST-Science for Change Project Management Office at 2/F ADMATEL Bldg., DOST Compound, Gen. Santos Ave., Bicutan, Taguig City, with telephone numbers (02) 8837-2943/ 8837-2930.  You may also send an email to s4c.ousecrd@dost.gov.ph.