Bank’s roster of products expected to empower the region’s small and medium enterprises

EMPOWERING MSMEs IN VISAYAS. Cebuana Lhuillier Bank opened its first branch in the Visayas region, setting another expansion milestone pioneering Cebu City. Present in the photo are (from left to right) Dennis Valdes, Cebuana Lhuillier Bank President; Mrs. Edna D. Lhuillier, wife of Ambassador Lhuillier; Amb. Philippe Jones Lhuillier, Chairman and Founder of PJ Lhuillier Inc.; Mrs. Camille Lhuillier-Albani, Mr. Andrea Albani, and Jimmy Ang, Cebuana Lhuillier Bank Vice President

Cebuana Lhuillier Bank (CLB), one of the country’s fastest growing rural banks, has set its sights for further expansion in the Visayas region, beginning with the opening of its first branch in Cebu City. 

The move is in line with the bank’s mission of providing financial inclusion to every Filipino, especially to clients from the countryside. CLB, in particular, is reaching out to mom-and-pop businesses and to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) whose operations definitely needed a boost following the challenges brought to the economy these past two years.  

“MSMEs have always been the backbone of our economy, with 99% of total businesses in the Philippines considered falling under this sector. They are also a major source of employment, and also a major contributor in our total export revenues. However, in spite their huge contributions to the economy, MSMEs often lack financial resources that will help in their growth and development,” Cebuana Lhuillier Bank president Dennis Valdes said. “True to the mission of becoming a partner for progress, CLB’s first-ever branch here in Central Visayas is open to all, especially to the more than 65,000 MSMEs looking to further grow their business.” 

Located within the business center of the city, CLB’s newest branch can be found in Acacia St., Brgy. Kamputhaw, Cebu City. The bank offers a wide variety of business loan products primarily aimed to provide financial assistance to MSME business owners for their working capital, business expansion, and investment. Depending on the business size and profile of the clients, CLB offers loan products such as Microfinance Loans, SME loans, and Corporate Business Loans.

Jean Henri Lhuillier, President & CEO of PJ Lhuillier Group of Companies, the parent company of Cebuana Lhuillier and Cebuana Lhuillier Bank, enthuses, “As a conglomerate, PJ Lhuillier has always been guided by its mission of financial inclusion. We make sure that this is reflected in all the products we offer in our companies, and a vital part of how we extend our services to the millions of Filipinos who rely on us for their micro financial needs. Our banking arm, Cebuana Lhuillier Bank is guided by this vision—from their ground-breaking micro savings product which empowered close to 6M Filipinos to start saving for their future, to their expansion plans to Visayas and Mindanao which will allow them to serve more of our kababayans and MSMEs in rural communities.”

CLB currently offers housing loans and business loans in the province. With low interest rates, fast application process, and flexible loan payments, CLB aims to empower MSMEs and business owners. Qualified CLB clients can get a maximum loan amount of PHP300,000 for business loan. 

Aside from business loans, CLB also offers housing loans, and soon to be available in its Cebu branch, the Teachers Loan and Motorcycle Loan products.

Amb. Lhuillier welcoming the expansion of Cebuana Lhuillier Bank in Cebu

To date, CLB already has five (5) branches nationwide and is expected to reach Mindanao region before the year ends. As the banking arm of micro financial services giant Cebuana Lhuillier, CLB recently tapped the industry leader to serve as its cash agent, utilizing Cebuana Lhuillier’s more than 3,000 branches nationwide for its Micro Savings product. The wide network presence provided the bank and its clients greater accessibility; while also enjoying wider connectivity thanks to the mobility provided by eCebuana app, which enables  clients to conveniently access micro financial services such as Micro Savings, Money Remittance, Bills Payment, and E-load services among others.

The Jollibee Group and Yoshinoya International hailed its partnership in a ceremony that culminated in a beef bowl toast led by Jollibee Group President & CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong (front row, 3rd from left), Asia Yoshinoya CEO Tetsuya Naruse (front row, 4th from left), Jollibee Group President for Philippine Business Joseph Tanbuntiong (front row, 2ndfrom left), and Jollibee Group Chief Real Estate and Design Officer William Tan Untiong (back row, 3rd from left).

 The Jollibee Group welcomed Yoshinoya International executives in a Partnership Ceremony on June 25 to celebrate their collaboration that will bring the authentic Yoshinoya Japan beef bowl experience to the Philippines.

Yoshinoya, Japan’s world-famous Beef Bowl Chain, is the first foray into Japanese food by the Jollibee Group. Jollibee Foods Corporation formed a joint venture with Yoshinoya International Philippines Inc. (“Yoshinoya International”) to operate the Yoshinoya stores in the country, with plans to expand to 50 stores in the long term.

The Yoshinoya International executives who attended the private ceremony were Tetsuya Naruse, CEO of Asia Yoshinoya International Sdn Bhd (“Asia Yoshinoya”); Shigekazu Miyata, President of Yoshinoya International; and Shigeo Kurokawa, Director of Yoshinoya International.

Asia Yoshinoya CEO Tetsuya Naruse hailed its partnership with the Jollibee Group during the partnership ceremony. “In the history of Yoshinoya, I can say that we have never encountered a company such as yours. I’ve met the best partners that we could work with and I’m really looking forward to this partnership.”

"We would like to thank Yoshinoya International for partnering with Jollibee Group. Together, under Yoshinoya Jollibee Foods Inc., we will grow and expand Yoshinoya in the Philippines, and we will work hard to make it the No. 1 Japanese restaurant in the country," said Joseph Tanbuntiong, President for Philippine Business of the Jollibee Group.

In a disclosure released in February 2021, the Jollibee Group said it aims to be the leading market developer of foreign restaurant brands in the country, as these foreign franchised brands are expected to contribute to the sustainable growth of its domestic business.  Jollibee Group continues to see the success of brands like Burger King, Panda Express, and PHO24 and will apply the same success drivers in expanding Yoshinoya.

Partnership for success

Like the humble beginnings of the Jollibee Group, Yoshinoya started as a family-run shop located at Nihonbashi Fish Market in Tokyo. Today, Yoshinoya has more than 2,000 global locations.

“Our dreams to make it big one day in our respective markets have driven Yoshinoya and the Jollibee Group to continuously work hard and always strive for excellence,” said Tanbuntiong. “With similar values and a true love for great tasting food, we see a strong foundation for success in this partnership.”

“I met Jollibee Group Founder and Chairman Tony Tan Caktiong, and after our conversation, I concluded that there is no other company that we would like to do this partnership with. And although some years have passed since then, we have reached this moment today and it’s all thanks to all your efforts,” added Naruse.

“Part of who we are in Yoshinoya Holdings is being ‘For the People,’ which means reaching as many people as possible with our tasty and value-for-money food—this is also what the Jollibee Group is all about. I look forward to working well together and I commit that we in Yoshinoya will give our full support to the Jollibee Group,” he added.

Now ready to serve the same superior tasting and authentic Japanese Beef Bowls, Yoshinoya is set for its grand opening slated this July.

FUJIFILM, one of the most trusted companies in the world, ushers in a new decade in the Philippines amid challenges in the continuing global pandemic. The Japanese brand continues to make significant contributions to society by offering products and services in a wide range of businesses utilizing unique technologies that have cultivated and evolved in the photographic business. The company offers a variety of products and services in to four segments of: Healthcare (products and services like medical equipment and producing pharmaceuticals); Materials (provides industry efficiency like graphic systems, inkjets, semiconductor materials and recording media); Business Innovation (digital color multifunction devices and printers for office use and services for business solutions); and Imaging (photo and electronic imaging such as mirrorless cameras and photo printing services).

Fujifilm Philippines was established in 2012 as a sales subsidiary of Fujifilm regional headquarters in the Asia Pacific. The company caters to quality products and services for the Philippine market in electronic, photo imaging, industrial products, graphic and medical systems. 

The company opened its first branch in Cebu in 2019 to respond to the growing demands and monitor the quality and consistency of its products and services in the Visayas and nearby Mindanao provinces. 

In its 10th year in the Philippines, Fujifilm has continuously served people’s needs through a diverse range of innovative consumer and business products, including solutions and services.  

Beyond Photography – Fujifilm Medical Systems

While Fujifilm has long been synonymous with superior-quality photographic films, Fujifilm Philippines as a company has evolved into so much more. Fujifilm leveraged on its expertise in pushing healthcare, and business innovation growth. Throughout the years, Fujifilm Philippines has created businesses providing total solution in multiple high-tech fields and has come to be known as a technology-oriented company. 

Fujifilm Philippines steadily penetrated and made significant contributions in enhancing the local healthcare industry. As a global pioneer in diagnostic imaging and information systems for healthcare facilities, Fujifilm’s Healthcare segment has helped address the country’s most pressing challenges. Its Healthcare technology and Medical Business Systems has contributed in the pursuit of operational efficiency of the local healthcare system. 

In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Fujifilm Philippines continued its support towards the local hospitals. The company installed FDR Go PLUS at various hospitals in the country. The FDR Go PLUS is a digital mobile x-ray that gives significant contribution to the Radiology Team frontliners in doing the chest x-ray needed for patients having signs and symptoms of COVID-19.

FUJIFILM Corporation expanded the product lineup through the acquisition of Diagnostic Imaging-related Business of Hitachi, Ltd in 2020, covering CT, MRI in addition to X-ray, ultrasound systems, endoscopy, in-vitro diagnostic systems and Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS). Fujifilm Philippines has also started offering these products in the local market, giving the much-needed service and medical equipment to the country.

Moreover, Fujifilm Philippines recently secured Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals for two of its key products that have aided healthcare workers in responding to COVID-19 cases. The FDR nano, a mobile digital X-ray system that allows medical professionals to diagnose COVID-19 signs and at the same time aid in reducing COVID-19 infection risks; and the FUJIFILM COVID-19 Ag Test Kit,      a testing kit that provides quick screening for COVID-19, got FDA’s nod. Both products are expected to help in the government’s heightened efforts to put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Fujifilm will continue to supply various products and services that meet the needs of the medical frontline to contribute to the advancement of medical care around the world, and the maintenance and promotion of human health.

Leading the Industry

Solidifying its position as a global leader in photographic imaging, Fujifilm Philippines has introduced and popularized a diverse range of game-changing products such as the X-series mirrorless digital cameras and instax or instant cameras.

In 2017, Fujifilm Philippines introduced the FUJIFILM GFX50S, the first medium format mirrorless camera. The GFX systems offers versatility to a wide audience from commercial to landscape photography. Currently, the company has been actively promoting the FUJIFILM GFX100S, the fourth large format mirrorless camera in Fujifilm’s GFX System.

Apart from introducing pioneering technologies, Fujifilm Philippines has closely reached out to its audience by creating various relevant and memorable touchpoints. These are workshops, shooting events, customer interviews, symposiums, and tradeshows.  Among the company’s significant milestones is the first-ever Fujifilm Photofest in 2016; and the Fujifilm Nationwide Photowalk in 2019. The Nationwide Photowalk was one of the country’s biggest photography related event, with over 4,000 registrants from all over the Philippines. Fujifilm’s photowalk continues to drive leading photographers, enthusiasts, and encourage the continuing passion for film photography.

Moreover, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and anticipation of the “new normal”, Fujifilm Philippines launched the Fujifilm Online Academy in 2020. This free online academy has provided knowledge about photography, videography, and vlogging.

Besides the company’s significant achievements in the mirrorless camera market, Fujifilm Philippines with its Graphic Business Division remains as one of the stronger players in the offset business in commercial and publishing segments. Fujifilm has never stopped to be one of the leading companies in digital printing market as well. Fujifilm invested in the digital printing technologies and started to sell digital printing machines in the 2000s, and a lot of Fujifilm digital printing machines are used and marketed around the world. In the country, the company sells wide-format inkjet printer and has plans to expand the digital machine line up.

In line with its Global Branding Campaign “NEVER STOP”, Fujifilm aims to realize a sustainable society and contribute to social issues by creating new value in a wide range of business domains through innovation in products, services, and technological development. The campaign also seeks to promote a better understanding of Fujifilm’s broad range of businesses and its entry to new fields. Fujifilm will continue to proactively engage in researching and developing new technologies. As a technology-oriented company, Fujifilm will never stop taking on the challenge of leveraging on its core technologies to create outstanding new products, build new businesses, and grow the company as a whole.

Fujifilm Philippines not only wants to keep up with the times but continues to reinvent itself to offer better products and services and contribute to the quality of life in Philippine society.

For more information about Fujifilm Philippines, visit www.fujifilm.com/ph. 

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https://www.facebook.com/fujifilmphilippines/ 

https://www.facebook.com/TeamInstaxPh/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ffphms/ 

https://www.youtube.com/c/FUJIFILMPHILIPPINESOFFICIAL  

• 44 girls and 56 boys from Philippines between 4 months and 15 years ,have undergone a liver transplant at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals
• These procedures mark an important milestone in strengthening relations between India and the Philippines

Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi has reached the landmark of performing 100 liver transplants in children from the Philippines. Aged between 4 months and 15 years, children suffering from various diseases that had resulted in liver failure necessitating a transplant have received a liver transplant.

Despite COVID posing several challenges in the last 2 years, Apollo made sure that children and their families were provided end-to-end assistance in terms of aligning travel permissions while also ascertaining patient safety by arranging special charter flights with a medical team on board to manage any emergencies.

Mr P Shivakumar, Managing Director – Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, asserted: “Apollo Hospitals leads the way in delivering cross-border care for children. Our approach is aligned with Apollo’s overarching objective of providing prompt delivery of healthcare services, notwithstanding myriad constraints. This becomes even more important when it comes to caring for children. We believe there is no greater joy than seeing the smiles of children who have been saved by our timely medical intervention.”

Group Medical Director and Senior Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Apollo Hospitals Group – Dr (Prof) Anupam Sibal, stated: “Apollo Hospitals has been receiving children with liver failure from Philippines for the last five years. Fortunately, we have been able to help many families from different parts of Philippines.

We would like to thank families for their trust as we mark the landmark of 100 liver transplants in babies and children from Philippines. Despite COVID restrictions, we have transplanted 53 children in the last 2 years. The youngest child to be operated on was 4 months. Significantly, babies weighing barely 3.5kgs have also had liver transplants at Apollo Hospitals. Our initiative has been facilitated by the immense support from the Embassies which helped in easing travel formalities for patients. The Apollo Liver Transplant Program, the first successful program in India which was established in 1998 has now performed more than 3950 liver transplants including 458 in children from 20 countries”.

Senior Liver Transplant Surgeon at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Dr. Neerav Goyal, said, "In liver transplant, surgery is performed when patients have a high risk of dying from their disease in the ensuing weeks to months. Since COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon, many of these patients were unlikely to survive the period of the pandemic without liver transplant, and the patients despite several challenges travelled to us. We are happy that we can help them in easing their pain and provided a new lease of life. In 65% of children, the donors were mothers, in 30 % fathers and 5 % other blood relatives.”

About Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals: Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, India’s first JCI accredited hospital, is a joint venture between the Government of Delhi and Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited. Commissioned in July 1996, it is the third super-specialty tertiary care hospital set up by the Apollo Hospitals Group. Spread over 15 acres, it houses 57 specialties with more than 300 specialists and more than 700 operational beds, 19 operation theatres, 138 ICU beds, round-the-clock pharmacy, NABL accredited laboratories, 24-hour emergency services and an active air ambulance service. Apollo Hospitals Delhi has the leading programmed in kidney and liver transplant in the country. The first successful pediatrics and adult liver transplants in India were performed at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals. The hospital is at the forefront of medical technology and expertise. It provides a complete range of latest diagnostic, medical and surgical facilities for the care of its patients. The Hospital has introduced the most sophisticated imaging technology to India with the introduction of 64 slice CT and 3 Tesla MRI, Novalis Tx and the integrated PET Suite. Indraprastha Apollo has also pioneered the concept of preventive health check

programmed and has created a satisfied customer base over decades. The Hospital has been consistently ranked amongst the best 10 hospitals in India by The Week survey for the past few years.

Hospital website - https://delhi.apollohospitals.com/

Twitter: @HospitalsApollo

Have your family hop with excitement and treat them to The Great Outdoors Big Easter Bash slated on Sunday April 17 at the Blue Bay Walk Garden in Pasay City. 

Organized by quant shopping retail strip Blue Bay Walk, the event is packed with eggs-citing activities for kids and parents, which will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be an Easter Bunny Photo Wall, Easter Egg Arts & Crafts, Easter Egg Hunt, Pet Show, and Easter Story Time. 

The event is open to the public and free of charge.

Interested? Register at the official Facebook page of Blue Bay Walk at www.facebook.com/BlueBayWalkOfficial

Join eggs-citing activities for kids and parents at Blue Bay Walk this Easter Sunday. Register at https://swiy.co/eastersundaycelebration

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the year 2021 was sort of a banner year for the Philippines regarding its participation in various electronic sports (Esports) events, either locally or internationally, where Pinoy players have dominated the majority of these competitions.

No wonder, with the lucrative money prizes and distinctions that await esports athletes, the esports market in the country grew further. And since smartphones continue to become the ubiquitous gadget for Filipinos, coupled with improving mobile internet connectivity, expect esports to continue to attract youngsters to the esports arena.

One such esports team is “Virgin Souls.”

“Our team was named ‘Virgin Souls’ because we have a business called ‘Virgin Soles,’ which is a sneaker cleaning product. We loved the name ‘Virgin Souls’ because we wanted to show the other teams our ‘clean and smooth moves,’” explains Ingrid, team manager of Virgin Souls, whose members include Jetson Ignacio, Kharl Tan, Kristofer Calderon, Joshua Albino, Steven Buenaventura, Mark Cabigting, and Coach, Laurence Ruiz.

Initially, recruitment requirements for team members were not really that high because it was what she called a “passion project.” However, after a few months, they started to become strict when they added Banting, one of the country’s top tanks, to the team, a child prodigy since he was only 16 years old. They made some changes to the requirements for inclusion to the team, such as high points, that recruits have to go through the process in choosing players. “What we did was we held tryouts and recruits were made to answer certain interview questions to gauge their attitude, and then we interviewed them. And we didn’t set any age requirement as long as they are dexterous enough to play the game.”

She explained the choice of Goyo, who is 22, as the team captain, who was chosen because of his maturity to lead the team, someone the other team members can refer to as their “kuya.”

Why esports?

It was her little brother’s dream, says Ingrid, to be part of a pro team, and it was hers and her partner’s passion since he is a co-owner of the TNC Pro Team so she decided to form an amateur one. “For a professional team, the pressure is much higher, same with the costs, but the prizes are bigger. With an amateur team, the risks are also high. It’s really about investing time, resources because the competition field is much bigger and the chances of winning are smaller.”

Challenges abound

The first challenge they faced, according to Ingrid, was the recruitment, which is more skills-based. On the first stage, she said, it’s all about skills, and then after that the interview for their attitude, though that can’t be gauged immediately. By the time they went to boot camp, that’s where they saw who they really were. “Because they’re young, we saw their immaturity, their difficulty in dealing with other people, and the pandemic somewhat affected their social skills. We had to adjust things while they were at boot camp, and taught them how to go along with other people,” she said.

But what she was glad about was that the majority of the players have supportive parents who wanted to support their child’s dream, although they had difficulty with some, like that of Haru, one of the players, who had a super strict guardian. “That was understandable so we had to explain that their children are safe with us, so we put in place protocols like regular Covid-19 testing every month.”

For one of the team members, he said it was difficult to be away from his family, his child, but he needs to do it to fulfill his dreams and to prove himself that he feels the need to be better. His sentiments were echoed by the other team members, who all shared that what they’re doing is for the fulfillment of their dreams, and of course the bonding time with teammates is necessary to fight homesickness.

Ingrid is also proud that their team members, mostly students, still managed to excel in school despite their busy schedule in training. It all boils down to time management, she said, because she doesn’t want the players to neglect their studies since education is still important. “They’re not different from traditional sports athletes where they have to maintain good grades because we don’t want people to think that esports is a hindrance to their studies.”

Legislative action

The idea of identifying esports players as “athletes” much like in traditional sports, was the reason why Ingrid joined the party list CLICK, or Computer Literacy, Innovation, Connectivity and Knowledge, since one of their major platforms is on esports, where they want to help the kids gain recognition as athletes, for esports to be respected. “We believe CLICK can help us and other teams achieve that level of respect, that they will help the esports scene. They’re the only partylist that devotes time to support esports, and have future projects related to its development. It’s nice to know that there’s a group such as CLICK as a partner of the esports community.”

The future of esports with CLICK’s help

With CLICK’s help, Ingrid believes that esports will become a viable option for kids who want to pursue an esports career. As of now, she said, those venturing into esports are still very few, and fewer parents believe in it. “With the help of CLICK, I think they will be able to help us shape the future generation who are more open to go into esports, especially parents. Once CLICK is elected into Congress, they can come up with laws for its further development and support during competitions, especially regarding travel requirements. With the help of CLICK, we hope they can make parents understand that esports is not just a game and it’s not just a waste of time. I think CLICK can help us change that perspective.”

It is all about making the right CLICK through technology. The esports community have chosen CLICK as their partylist of choice. So, be ready to choose CLICK, No. 40 on the ballot.

To know more about “CLICK,” visit https://www.clickpartylist.ph, of follow CLICK Party-list on Facebook (www.facebook.com/CLICKpartylist), Twitter (https://twitter.com/ClickPartylist), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/clickpartylist/), YouTube (https://bit.ly/CLICKPARTYLIST), Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/partylist-click-4b0016227/) or TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@clickpartylist).