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Oxfam, Microsoft partner to provide cash aid to COVID-19 patients

To scale up government efforts to curb the impact of the pandemic, international development, and humanitarian organization Oxfam and Microsoft partnered to provide cash assistance to low-income families of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients in Quezon City. Oxfam Pilipinas country director Lot Felizco said the cash assistance would be initially provided to 90 families in areas identified to have high cases of COVID-19, such as in barangays Batasan Hills and Culiat in Quezon City, which are under strict community quarantine. “We shall use digital cash transfer through an electronic prepaid card to reduce the risk of virus transmission and to manage a safe, quick, and transparent cash transfer. This also provides the affected communities more access to financial services, and ultimately, enhances their dignity,” Felizco said.    The cash assistance amounting to Php 5,000, which is based on the government’s Social Amelioration Program, will support families to buy food and medic

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Scaffolding 101: Five key things to ensure safe scaffolding installation

Scaffoldings are one of the most important elements in a construction site. This temporary structure helps workers execute their tasks, such as repairing and lifting materials efficiently on elevated areas.  Despite being vital in most construction sites, scaffoldings remain a root cause of some safety issues. That is why authorities mandate builders to keep scaffolds in good condition, observe all protocols for every stage of the scaffoldings’ set-up, and conduct training for workers building the structure regularly.   For JP Marzan Project Ventures Inc., one of the leading logistics providers in the country, a complete approach to building safe scaffoldings consider both the internal and external threats in its surrounding area. Afterall, scaffoldings are meant to ensure everyone’s safety.  To ensure a safe and secure scaffolding for the site, JP Marzan Project Ventures Inc. shares some of its best practices, as listed below:   Provide PPE. Construction sites have always been pro

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KonsultaMD gives LGUs opportunity to bring doctors to remote brgys

When the government implemented quarantine protocols all over the country, one of the consequences that have impacted local government units (LGUs) is the travel restriction imposed on their constituents, making access to healthcare and medical facilities more challenging especially for those coming from remote barangays all over the country. In the Liveable Cities Challenge (LCC) Liveable Cities Labs Webinar Series dubbed, “Digital Transformation in a Post GCQ World: Building Healthy Cities and Municipalities,” KonsultaMD is giving LGUs the option of extending telemedicine to their constituents who live in far-out or remote barangays. KonsultaMD is a subscription-based telehealth service that’s available 24/7, allowing access to skilled and licensed Filipino doctors who can provide safe medical assessment and advice on basic healthcare and proper medication. It is operated by Global Telehealth, Inc., a joint venture of 917Ventures, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Globe Telecom, and Mexi

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SYKES' OneHOME courses upskill employees to enhance remote work capabilities

Amid the rapid shift to remote working, call center pioneer SYKES Philippines has set the bar high with one home, a one-stop-shop online portal where employees can learn how to easily transition to the work-from-home arrangement. SYKES Global developed OneHOME in response to the social distancing restrictions and to guide employees during the transition period. The training platform was then deployed across regions affected by the health crisis, including all its sites in Manila and Cebu. SYKES Global has long recognized the potential of remote working as the business model of the future and thus made the work-at-home setup a global practice even before the pandemic. The one home portal leverages the insights and experience of established SYKES work-at-home organizations in its North America and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) markets. Accessible and free to use for all SYKESers, OneHOME offers master classes on how to effectively teach, work, and learn at home, how to manage a

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Twitter supports disaster preparedness in Philippines with launch of dedicated search prompt

People come to Twitter to learn about news and events unfolding in real-time. Whether it’s breaking news, a traffic tailback in the city, or the latest score in a football match, Twitter is the go-to place to find out #WhatsHappening real-time. In support of this mission to provide real-time information, Twitter today launches a dedicated search prompt to help people stay updated with the latest information from authoritative sources around disaster relief and preparedness efforts in the Philippines. For a country subject to the annual and seasonal influences of monsoons and tropical hurricanes; natural disasters such as floods, volcanic eruption, and more; are highly prevalent in the Philippines. In an expansion of Twitter’s Search Prompt; which was specifically put in place for the public to find clear, credible information focusing on disaster preparedness and emergencies; Twitter has partnered with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council or NDRRMC (@NDRRMC_OpCe

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Holcim waste management unit gets ISO certifications anew

Holcim Philippines’ waste management unit Geocycle was recently recertified for following high standards for the environment, safety, and quality in its operations. The unit is growing its operations in support of the company’s efforts to improve Holcim’s environmental and business performance. Leading building materials provider Holcim Philippines, Inc.’s waste management unit Geocycle was recently recertified for following high standards in quality, environment, and safety management systems in its operations. The Geocycle team received certificates for ISO 9001 (Quality Management System), ISO 14001 (Environment Management System) and OHSAS 18001 (Safety) from third-party certification body Certification International Philippines on July 27. The audits for the certification were conducted prior to the quarantines, while the documents showing the corrections and corrective actions were shared virtually. The ISO certificates are valid for three years with annual surveillance audits

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XDE Logistics modernizes operations with Globe Business ICT Solutions

As the country’s economy slowly reopens, most businesses are still required to comply with safety standards, observe social distancing, and conduct rapid testing for employees to keep facilities COVID-free. Around the world, the majority of companies are diversifying their business models to accommodate shifts in consumer behavior and the increase in online transactions. To help meet the growing demand for localized sourcing and distribution services, Globe Business teamed up with XDE Logistics—formerly known as Ximex Delivery Express Inc., to support its digital transformation through various ICT solutions. The enterprise arm of Globe provided the business with postpaid lines and G Suite licenses to streamline communications and enable real-time coordination among XDE Logistics employees. Aside from these, Globe supplied XDE Logistics with SMS credits to complement its application programming interface platform, so they can send text updates to customers. “Logistics companies play

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ePLDT strengthens Cyber Security portfolio with Endpoint Advanced Security

ePLDT, the ICT arm of PLDT Enterprise, continues to strengthen its cybersecurity capabilities with the addition of its newest service called Endpoint Advanced Security. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home has become the new normal for many businesses and employees. While technologies are available to support remote work, the specter of data security and privacy issues hover over businesses. Many cybercriminals are exploiting the crisis to create digital havoc – from fake COVID information websites and maps that are conduits of malware, to tailored phishing attacks masked as COVID warnings. Because employees are out of the office which traditionally offers a more secure network connection, they are often left vulnerable and on their own should an attack happen. The IT teams will not be able to immediately respond, and the employees themselves may not have the skill or expertise to implement the required mitigation. Recognizing the need for stronger protection in

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PLDT Enterprise Launches Zero-Trust Cloud Networking Solution with NetFoundry Tie-up

PLDT Enterprise has announced its partnership with NetFoundry, as it continues efforts to strengthen its foothold in the information and communications technology (ICT) space. The two companies endeavored to bring PLDT ZAP or Zero-Trust Acceleration Platform solution into the corporate market, enabling businesses to easily spin up and create software-defined networks in the cloud, without the need to build or manage any underlying infrastructure. It enables secure and optimized connectivity between users and applications across any set of clouds and networks. PLDT ZAP  is expected to complement PLDT Enterprise’s broad range of data connectivity solutions and further fortifies its thrust to foster adoption towards software-defined networking. “We at PLDT Enterprise are always looking for ways to bolster the value of our cloud and connectivity solutions to our customers.  This technology and partnership with Netfoundry enable us to better cater and support emerging market needs and us

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Globe urges LGUs to explore e-commerce, cashless payments

With the need to pivot to the new normal, Globe encourages Local Government Units (LGUs) to boost their e-commerce for convenience and safety of their constituents and to help SMEs in their online business. In the recent Liveable Cities Challenge (LCC) Webinar Series: E-Commerce in the New Normal,  Frances Caluya, Globe Industry Marketing Manager for Hotels, Restaurants and Cafes, Globe MyBusiness,  said the pandemic has spurred consumers to rely more heavily on online purchases and services. Recent statistics show that due to COVID-19, 23% of the Philippine population is spending more time shopping online. Caluya says it's about time the LGUs maximize e-commerce, to help their constituents, and to support SMEs by ensuring that connectivity and access to the internet are present. “Now is the right time to invest in electronic commerce (e-commerce) in the Philippines. We should harness the power of the internet because selling online now means reaching more people. And reaching more

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