Foodpanda partners with local restaurants in the City of Love

ILOILO, PHILIPPINES -- Grounded on its advocacy of helping local restaurants nationwide, foodpanda, an on-demand food delivery service in the Philippines, partnered with three restaurants in Iloilo City so that Ilonggos could have a taste of specially made food and drinks at a reasonable price.

foodpanda definitely has got your love for food covered by sharing the great stories of three of their restaurant partners and how the platform helped their business:

Akamon Ramen Bar started out in 2018 as a small ramen shop in a food park located in Iloilo City. Back then, it was still called Ramen Raku until they decided to take a big leap and opened a stand-alone ramen restaurant in SM Strata this year. The new name, Akamon, means a red gate (door) in Japanese.

Mr. Bryan Te, owner of Akamon Ramen Bar, started the business, wanting to serve authentic Japanese food to its customers in hopes of becoming one of the leading ramen chains in Iloilo City. “Always dream big and put quality first before anything else. There will be struggles along the way but you have to keep up and think of innovative ideas'', shared Mr. Te.

Kai Royal Tea started out only last year but they are already bringing lots of smiles to people living in Iloilo City because of their milk teas and refreshing drinks. The owner of the milk tea shop, Mr. Keano Lev Eslabon, has plans of branching out soon and his team is also working on franchising the business in order to open more branches in the city.

"Always study the market first to understand it and focus on your customers without forgetting about your employees. Make sure you have enough knowledge of the industry you’ll be involved in. Lastly, there will always be risks but you can manage risk by planning ahead", said Mr. Eslabon.

Another homegrown brand, Monkey Grounds Coffee, which started in 2016, serves healthy meatless food. It has always been Ms. Glaiza Wong-Nava and Ms. Goldline Wong's dream to have a coffee shop and as business owners, they discussed how there's a lot of challenges along the way but they always try to improve and do their best as receiving good feedback from their valued customers is very rewarding.

"No one is going to take care of your business but you. You need to put your heart and soul into it and to stay motivated when problems arise. It’s also important that your family understands your long hours spent in the business but at the same time you also need to balance business, and family, and personal life", said Ms. Nava.

The three business owners shared how foodpanda was instrumental during the difficult times of community quarantines, with its convenient ordering and delivery process. foodpanda truly has got its partner restaurants and customers covered.

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Weekend Sidetrips: South Korea

SM distributes PPEs and medical supplies to over 50 hospitals nationwide

Through SM Foundation, SM is donating over PhP 170 million towards the fight against COVID-19, surpassing its initial allocation of PhP 100 million.

The initiative is to help ensure that Healthcare workers in hospitals nationwide are armored with personal protective equipment (PPEs) – full protective suits (including for ICU use), face shields, gloves, N95 masks, surgical masks, goggles, and including raincoats as requested by some hospitals as back-up alternatives. 

Testing is made more widely available, by supporting and donating the local Manila Healthtek test kits developed by the UP-NIH team (upon DOH approval), providing the testing needs of RITM, and donating FDA-approved PCR kits sourced from Korea, and by providing ICU-grade ventilators to help hospitals manage patients with severe cases. 

PPEs and medical equipment arrive for SM Foundation on chartered aircraft via Airspeed Logistics.

Among the hospitals that received PPE donations as of March 27, 2020 are University of the Philippines PGH, Lung Center of the Philippines, Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and major Government hospitals like Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), National Kidney and Transplant Institute, San Lazaro Hospital, East Avenue Medical Center, Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Philippine Heart Center, National Children’s Hospital and Rizal Medical Center.

Medical frontliners from Medical City Manila ready to fight COVID-19 in their PPE outfits from SM Foundation

Other hospitals include, Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, Chinese General Hospital, University of the East Ramon Magsaysay (UERM) Memorial Medical Center, Manila Doctors Hospital, University of Sto. Tomas Hospital, Makati Medical Center, The Medical City, Ospital mg Muntinlupa, and more. 

Several shipments of PPEs are also on their way to provincial hospitals nationwide, including Rizal, Pampanga, Bataan, Quezon, Pangasinan, Catanduanes,  Cebu, Iloilo, Samar, Tacloban, Surigao del Sur, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Marawi, Zamboanga, and more.

Dr. Gam Legaspi, Exec Director of PGH, receiving the first batch of ICU-grade ventilators .

SM has committed to be of service to the Filipino public, its hospitals, and its government, in ensuring that we all contain and overcome the COVID-19 crisis together.

2019 Shenanigans- Welcoming 2020

While I’m in the process of writing this, there is a continuous playback of happy New Year by the Abba in my head. A big throwback for a moving forward thought.

I am in my desk on the 2^nd day of the year yet my heart seems to be drifting somewhere in the Panay archipelago. Right then and there I realized that I need to let this steam of emotions out. You see, I started 2020 with quite some uninteresting events. A series of parties, get together and drinking sessions does not totally sum up happiness. At times, it will drag you even further down. Now this may sound depressing, but I am not in no way disheartened or sad. God has blessed me with enormous mercy that there is no room for ungratefulness. This is what they normally call New Year’s blues. The feeling of hope bundled with fear of the unknown.  What will happen to my future now?

In the framework of management, one of the essential factors to plan out the future is looking into the planning tools such as SWOT analysis and Project management. In real life scenarios, we tend to check the historical data before having any conclusions at hand. So how about we try to review and assess our 2019 performance.

Quarter 1:

Such a pain having to undergo Dinagyang festivities and the entrance of the first quarter. The energy is high as we are still battling the holiday hangovers. Everybody is hopeful. The future seems bright. 

Quarter 2:

Feeling high in the sun. I have somewhat made a big decision to shift the line of business I am currently in. I tried to shake my own status quo. Reviewed my options, analyzed my situation and carefully laid out my goals. I have taken the necessary actions to change the playing field. At some point, my comfort zone was lost. This will be a great adventure.

Quarter 3:

Partly challenging, but very much exciting. New work environment. New set of challenges. Everything seems new. My skills were put into test. I doubted myself a couple of times. And at some point, I knew I have to pull myself together. I am here now. Either I sink downward or step up and this opportunity of learning to become better, efficient and effective. I knew I was never born to sit in the corner and watch people. I felt like I was born to stand out. And that I have to work hard to achieve.

Quarter 4:

Finally, three months to go before getting another clean slate of experience. This is probably the sweetest months I have ever been with experiencing the highlights of school, meeting new and wonderful friends. Finally, opening myself to the world and seeing new perspective. I wanted more of this quarter. I wonder what’s next.

2020 is scary. Can this year top the abundance of 2019? With high spirits I’d like to welcome this year with a positive heart. I may be self-sufficient (the word of the year for me. Lol) in most ways, the constant anxiety and distress of wonder and awe will always be my never-ending battle. But hey, just as the Beatles would phrase it, I’ll get by with the little help from our friends. Friends who became family.

So to cap it all off, cheers to this another decade of survival and adventure!

DUNKIN’ DONUTS AGUINALDO IN EVERY CUP

As children, the joy and excitement we feel during the Christmas season can be encapsulated in one word: aguinaldo. The term refers to gifts received, specifically, during the holidays.  As grown-ups, we find ourselves on the other side of giving with younger relatives now expecting their presents from us. However, no matter how old we are, there is always a child within us who is giddy with happiness when we receive an aguinaldo. 

This holiday season, you can have that “just got a gift” feeling every day with the Dunkin’ Donuts Aguinaldo In Every Cup promo.  Every time you purchase one 12-ounce cup of hot or iced Dunkin’ Coffee, you have a chance to instantly win a Free Classic Donut or cash  — P500, P1,000, P5,000, and for the lucky ones who will surely have a Merry Christmas, P20,000.

To get your Aguinaldo, peel the perforated coupon found on the side of your Dunkin’ Coffee cup that says “Open your Holiday Surprise!” and “Peel Here.”  It’s best to do this after finishing your drink because the excitement might make you spill it.

Your Aguinaldo is waiting for you in any of your Dunkin’ Coffee favorites like Dunkin’ Brewed Coffee, Dunkin’ Black Iced Coffee, or Dunkin’ Iced Coffee. So, are you ready for some Christmas feels?  Then get your Dunkin’ Donuts Aguinaldo In Every Cup from now until December 15, 2019.

Open letter to myself

Dear little grown up boy,

How fast time flies and you are now on the end of your teenage dreams. Hanging in between three (3) and Zero (0). So how would you label this young new feeling you are heading to? The freedom of having your own wings, no longer frightened of what the future holds. Indeed, there is strength in numbers. 

Welcome to another bold new chapter of your future. Furtive, dark and a little bit twisty. But you were always a little bit of crazy. And I am sure your friends can truly validate that. Now that you are growing up, please lessen the recalcitrant nature. You can’t skip the process all the time. And stop going back and forth to your glory days, the days you regret the most, the itchy heartaches, and the stupid you. Breathe and move forward little guy. You deserve so much happiness if you just learn how to warm up a little. Thaw that ice inside your heart that keeps you from moving forward. Unfreeze your spirit, maybe then you’d grow. 

Stop worrying about the what if’s and what will be. It is such a waste of energy. You have to start believing that you have a beautiful soul. 

Please little boy, start writing those stories you have made up in your head. Pick up that pen and write. Fill up that page and never bother about that comical grammar choice you always had. You cannot start something up by just wondering if it’s in the right framework or verb agreement. 

Remember the 5 things you told me before? Let me tell them again to you:

1. Never delay lunch. It will make you counterproductive. And less energetic. There is always a reason why you need that middle of the day break. 

2. A little patience will save you. Yup, you know how erratic your moods are. Remember the time you just smiled on that rude lady? It was a miracle. Give yourself some more practice and you’d be the best grown up boy there is.

3. At the beginning of each day, set a mini achievable goal. Like the one you did earlier. Pick up a random trash and dispose it properly. Motivate three people today. Smile at five random strangers. Those simple acts of randomness can save lives. 

4. Embrace individuality. You can never be everybody. Start appreciating your hair. Give comfort to your color. You too have traits that others do not possess. And that makes you stand out against anyone. 

5. Never stop learning. Get to know new things like renaissance art, Russian literature, African mythology, research, Economics. Because life will always be a bore. And through learning we spice and shake it up a little bit.

Little boy, you are on your own for the longest time and that has made you who you are today. It’s time to let the bad things go now. Good things are everywhere and you are surrounded by such crazy family and friends who loves you unconditionally. So go ahead and conquer the world. Never doubt yourself. See things differently and love your life even more. Happiest birthday. 

P.s.
Don’t forget to thank your friends and everyone who gave you well wishes and love. They make life better. 

P.PS.
I am not done writing to you yet. 

Love, 

Jan Rae

iQor Iloilo, Rotary Club team up for Cervical Cancer Screening Drive in Pototan

POTOTAN, ILOILO – Consistent with its core values of giving back to the community, iQor Iloilo partners with the Rotary Club of Iloilo and the Panay Marian Rose Foundation in the recently-concluded Cervical Cancer Screening in Brgy. Purog, Pototan, Iloilo on September 2, 2019. 

The initiative, which aims to spread the #IHadMine advocacy, successfully provided free testing to the women of the said local community. According to the Rotary Club of Iloilo’s Official Facebook Page, the initiative was an active response to the threat of Cervical Cancer being the second leading type of cancer among women, with over 7,000 cases and 3,000 deaths each year, according to the Department of Health.  This partnership is only the first of many social activities that iQor Iloilo plans to take part of this 2019. 

Going all-in on corporate social responsibility 

iQor is a managed services provider of customer engagement and technology-enabled BPO solutions in Iloilo Business Park. The company has mushroomed its population to more than triple its size since its launch in 2016. Now, with 4 operational sites, 6 accounts and more than 3,000 local employees, the company is now on a steadfast commitment to amplify its responsiveness to social obligations. 

“Our organization has been fortunate to bring in the best talent that Iloilo has to offer, and that’s why we’re continuing to acquire additional businesses and expanding our workforce,” says Roselle Lao, Director for Recruitment at iQor.   

“We owe our success to the Ilonggo community, and now is the time to give back. We want to continue working side by side with other humanitarian organizations, such as the Rotary Club of Iloilo, to make sure we’re doing our part in providing social service to our fellow Ilonggos,” she added. 

Opening doors to more jobs for Ilonggos 

iQor has been actively spreading brand awareness across all channels in order to bring in a more diverse workforce including students and college graduates looking to enter the call center industry for the first time. It offers flexible job arrangements that allows young professionals to gain experience and eventually work their way up the career ladder. 

The company is currently in ramp mode as it gears up for a major expansion, eyeing 1,000 more jobs to be opened in the last stretch of this year. Apart from conducting job fairs, iQor is partnering with universities and local barangays to bring career opportunities closer to jobseekers. 

In another form of giving back to the community, iQor Iloilo is also set to launch its New Hire Training program in the coming weeks. The project aims to provide free, competent training to call center neophytes and equip them with the proper skill set to boost their chances at getting hired and becoming successful in the industry.  

Find out more about iQor Iloilo recruiting events on their Official Facebook Page, facebook.com/iqoriloilo.