SOCIAL MEDIA

Insular Foundation Supports 26 Young Filipinos in STEM

Sunday, April 13, 2025


Insular Foundation, InLife’s corporate social responsibility arm, recently awarded college scholarship grants to 26 first-year students taking up Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses.


The Foundation awarded Gold Eagle College Scholarship Grants to 11 students from the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD); and 15 students from other partner schools, namely, Aurora State College of Science and Technology, Benguet State University, Bohol Island State University, Central Mindanao University, and Davao Oriental State University. The scholarship benefits include stipend, transportation and book allowance.

During the scholars’ orientation program, Insular Foundation Executive Director Ana Soriano expressed optimism that the scholarship grant will help the students achieve their dreams and live better lives.

“The reason why we continue the Insular Foundation Gold Eagle College Scholarship Grant every year is to be able to help students like you reach your personal dreams, with the hope that you will use your acquired knowledge and skills to make life better. When you graduate, you will be able to help your family enjoy a more comfortable life. When you become serious professionals like a Civil Engineer, Chemical Engineer, Mathematicians, Statisticians, and other fields in the sciences, your impact will expand in the bigger community,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of the scholars, UPD student Blessilyn Ramos thanked the Foundation for easing their financial burden and empowering them with the gift of education. “As Gold Eagle Scholars, we are immensely grateful for the privilege of accessing quality education, opportunities for professional growth, and a supportive community. Your kindness and trust in our potential give profound meaning to our academic journey—it motivates us to instill discipline in ourselves, persevere despite countless challenges, and become more conscious of the impact we can create,” she said.

Bohol Island State University student Charity Joy Roma said the scholarship grant motivates her to study harder and inspires her to give back to others someday. “The scholarship has provided me the means to focus on my studies and strive toward my dreams. More importantly, it has reminded me of the power of community and generosity in transforming lives. To the Insular Foundation, thank you for your unwavering dedication to education and empowerment,” she said.

Since the Gold Eagle College Scholarship Program’s relaunch in 2008, Insular Foundation has helped 134 students finish their college education.

To learn more about Insular Foundation, visit https://www.insularfoundation.com.ph/.
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Netbank and JuanHand Sign Partnership for a Financially Inclusive Future


Netbank Inc., a leader in rural banking, has partnered with JuanHand, the country's leading pure fintech lending app, to broaden its reach to the unbanked and underserved communities across the nation.

The partnership between the fintech companies will assist Filipinos of all ages in achieving their dreams and financing businesses by offering innovative lending solutions tailored to their specific needs. Attendees at the event include representatives from both organizations, such as Netbank’s Co-founder and CEO David Paulo Dela Paz and Head of Lender Amiel De Sotto. Key figures from FinVolution and WeFund Lending Corp. are also present, including FinVolution Global CEO Tiezheng “Tim” Li and President and CEO of WeFund Lending Corp., Francisco "Coco" Mauricio.

“Through embedded finance, we’re enabling JuanHand to better serve more underserved Filipinos,” said Amiel de Sotto, Head of Lenders at Netbank. “Our goal is to empower partners like JuanHand to scale faster and deliver financial services directly to those who need them the most.”

JuanHand, operated by WeFund Lending Corp., has disbursed over ₱40 billion in loans and over 12 million users. The app is famous for its fast approval, minimal requirements, and easy-to-use interface. JuanHand’s innovation, compliance, and accessibility to customer service earned it the title of the leading loan app in the country.

“We are delighted that Netbank chose JuanHand to be its lending partner,” said Francisco “Coco” Mauricio, President and CEO of WeFund Lending Corp. “This partnership will benefit millions of Filipinos and provide financial assistance anytime and anywhere they need it. With Netbank, we will continue to break through boundaries and serve every Juan without limits.”

Download the JuanHand app from Google Playstore or iOS Appstore. For more information, visit www.juanhand.com.
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Empowered Women, Empowering Generations: ‘Ladies for a Cause’ Launches to Champion Maternal and Child Health


A powerful movement dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of mothers and children took center stage at The Manila Hotel with the official launch of Ladies for a Cause. Composed of strong, passionate, and driven women from various sectors, the initiative aims to make a lasting impact on maternal and child health, particularly during the critical first 1,000 days of life—from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday. 


Dr. Gwen Pang, Convenor of Ladies for a Cause, who is also the Secretary General of the Philippine Red Cross, emphasized the significance of collective action, stating: 

“When women come together, we don’t just spark change—we build movements that transform lives. ‘Ladies for a Cause’ is more than just a group; it is a force for good, ensuring that no mother or child is left behind in the fight for health, dignity, and a better future.” 

Why Women? Why This Movement? 

Women are the heart of every home and the backbone of every community. They are natural caregivers, nurturers, and decision-makers who intimately understand the needs of families. Their ability to empathize, multitask, and find solutions uniquely positions them to address the challenges of maternal and child health. 

“Women don’t just witness the struggles of mothers and children—they live them, understand them, and know how to solve them. When women take action, they don’t work alone; they mobilize, they inspire, and they create lasting change. This is why ‘Ladies for a Cause’ is a movement led by women—because when women lead with purpose, entire generations benefit,” Dr. Pang added. 


The launch was further strengthened by the support of Attorney Joey Lina, President of The Manila Hotel and Convenor of the Children’s First 1,000 Days Coalition, who underscored the importance of this advocacy: 

“A nation’s future is shaped in the womb. By prioritizing maternal and child health, we are investing in stronger families, healthier communities, and a more resilient Philippines. This movement is a beacon of hope, proving that when women lead with purpose, the impact is boundless.” 

The event gathered influential women leaders from government, business, media, and civil society, all committed to driving change and championing the health and well-being of mothers and children. The initiative will focus on advocacy, education, and direct community interventions to ensure that every child gets the healthiest possible start in life. 

As Ladies for a Cause takes its first step, it calls on more women to stand together, take action, and be part of a movement that will leave an indelible mark on future generations. 
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DoubleVerify Extends Gaming Measurement Suite Through Strategic Partnership with Roblox

Saturday, April 12, 2025

In the last decade, the gaming industry has exploded. With at least one-third of the global population playing digital games at least once per month, gaming provides advertisers with a highly engaged audience. Because of this, popular gaming platforms, like Roblox, are rapidly gaining advertiser attention due to their large user base and ability to reach them when they’re paying attention, helping drive campaign effectiveness.

However, a crucial component of achieving campaign effectiveness is ensuring advertisers are buying high-quality media and tracking performance across a variety of metrics. That’s why DV has offered coverage on gaming inventory for years. To further this mission, DV is partnering with Roblox to extend our trusted media quality and performance solutions across their inventory.

Advertising on Roblox

Roblox is an immersive gaming and creation platform. Attracting over 85 million active users daily, the platform offers a suite of advertising solutions that allow advertisers to reach their highly engaged Gen Z audiences across devices. Roblox offers a variety of immersive ad formats to help advertisers reach Roblox gamers wherever they are within the platform.

DV Coverage on Roblox

This partnership offers advertisers coverage across all of Roblox’s advertising inventory globally. This inventory includes Billboard image ads — otherwise known as display — and video ads, which serve in in-game environments. It also includes Rewarded Videos, which will soon appear in high-traffic environments such as menus and stores. DV’s coverage also spans across device types such as mobile, desktop, and console.

In-game Billboard Image and Video Inventory Coverage

DV has extended coverage of our trusted fraud/IVT and viewability measurement solutions via a custom integration on Roblox’s direct-sold inventory. These solutions can help ensure that these ad formats are seen by real people.

Rewarded Video Coverage

Advertisers will be able to leverage DV’s measurement solutions, which include media quality and performance. Specifically, this coverage allows advertisers to measure fraud, brand safety and suitability, viewability, geo-relevance, and attention with DV Authentic Attention® leveraging DV’s tags. Advertisers will also be able to protect their campaigns leveraging DV’s fraud, viewability, and brand suitability pre-bid solutions.

Brands can leverage DV’s offerings to better align their campaigns with their unique media quality and performance standards across Roblox campaigns and beyond to make more informed media investment and optimization decisions.
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Visa and USSC announce strategic issuing and Money Movement partnership to transform payment solutions


Visa (NYSE: V), a global leader in digital payments, has partnered with USSC Money Services Inc. (UMSI), on a strategic issuing and Money Movement partnership to launch Visa Direct in the Philippines. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in enhancing digital payment and remittance solutions in the region.

While often cited as one of the largest remittance-receiving countries in the world, the Philippines remains strong in the outbound money movement market, particularly for business-to-business (B2B) payments. Visa’s "Money Travels: 2024 Digital Remittances Adoption" report reveals that there is a $151-billion outbound market opportunity, the majority of which cover business-related flows. These include supplier payments, export/import, merchant settlement, and overseas procurement for goods and services for many small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Digital methods are driving cross-border payment growth too. The same report found that 58% of Filipinos prefer digital money movement methods, with many citing high fees, lengthy processing, and the need to visit a physical location as common pain points in making cross-border payments and remittances.

To foster the growth of outbound cross-border business payments in the Philippines, Visa Direct facilitates the transfer of funds directly to eligible Visa Direct cards, bank accounts, and wallets in many jurisdictions around the world. Launched over a decade ago, Visa Direct revolutionizes fund disbursements with its fast, secure, and convenient platform, reaching over 11 billion endpoints across more than 195 countries and territories and 150 currencies.

With Visa Direct, UMSI now enables many of its business clients to make faster and more efficient cross-border outbound payments to support their various business needs.

In addition to this recent partnership with UMSI to launch Visa Direct, Visa and UMSI previously collaborated on an exclusive deal to issue the U Visa Prepaid Card. Geared towards new-to-bank customers from segments such as business process outsourcing (BPO) employees and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), the U Visa Prepaid Card underscored Visa’s and UMSI’s shared commitment to boost financial inclusion.

"We are pleased to partner with UMSI to enhance digital remittance and payments services in the Philippines. Visa Direct aims to be Asia Pacific's premier real-time payment platform by focusing on continuous innovation and expanding collaborations with banks, fintechs, and digital wallets. The increasing use of digital apps for sending business payments abroad highlights the need for secure, fast, and convenient money movement solutions. Visa is dedicated to ensuring safe and efficient money transfers, enhancing the financial resilience of Filipino households, and contributing to economic growth,” said Jeffrey Navarro, Visa Country Manager for the Philippines.

"Cross-border payments and remittances have steadily converged across settlement systems, and USSC is proud to be at the forefront of this evolution in partnership with Visa. This collaboration reaffirms USSC’s commitment to serving its core markets —OFWs and underbanked Filipinos—by delivering convenient and cost-effective solutions that facilitate money movement across borders,” said UMSI President and Chief Executive Officer Jose Xavier Gonzales. “Combining its physical store infrastructure and U Mobile app with a Visa card-based wallet overlay, USSC continues to drive financial inclusion for Filipinos worldwide, helping them shift from cash to digital seamlessly," he added.
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From Homemaker to Changemaker: Vaneza Soriano and the Transformative Power of Beauty


L’Oreal Philippines with Beauty for a Better Life (BFBL) beneficiaries.

For Vaneza Soriano, a devoted housewife, life once centered entirely on her family’s needs—until she discovered the power of beauty to transform her future. Today, she proudly stands as one of the outstanding graduates of L'Oréal Philippines’ Beauty for a Better Life (BFBL) professional hairdressing training program, proving that with determination, support, and the right skills, new beginnings are always possible. 

Vaneza’s story mirrors the journey of many women whose lives have been changed by the program. Since its launch in 2017, BFBL has empowered over 524 Filipino women with professional hairdressing training providing not just education, but the means to build livelihood to better lives for themselves and their families. This year, the program expanded its reach to Mandaluyong City, marking a milestone as the first time the city partnered with L’Oréal for this transformative initiative. 

The latest batch of 47 was honored in graduation ceremony held at the Mandaluyong City Hall, culminating their 2-months hands-on training and internship in L’Oreal’s salons in Metro Manila. More than just the culmination of training, the event served as a powerful reminder that beauty can be a bridge to empowerment, hope, and personal transformation. 

"Beauty is a force for good and a catalyst for change—and at L'Oréal, we believe it has the power to transform lives. Through Beauty for a Better Life, we equip women with the skills to build sustainable careers in hairdressing, fostering personal empowerment and economic integration. Today’s graduates are living proof of this mission, and their success is our success. Seeing them take this step forward is truly inspiring.,” said Yassine Bakkari, Country Managing Director at L’Oréal Philippines. 

For Vaneza and many others, the training went beyond teaching hairdressing techniques—it rebuilt their confidence and reignited their dreams. "Before this program, I thought my role as a homemaker meant putting my dreams on hold," she shared. "But through BFBL, I learned that my passion could become my profession. I now have the courage and skills to create a better life, not only for myself but for my family." 
The BFBL program is committed to equipping determined and aspiring women from diverse backgrounds with professional beauty skills, financial literacy, and personal development training. Through this initiative, L’Oréal reinforces its global mission to champion inclusivity and uplift communities, transforming the lives of thousands of women across more than 30 countries. 

For more information about L'Oréal's Beauty for a Better Life program, please visit L'Oréal's official website.
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Eastern Communications Holds Transcend Summit 2025, Launches New Loyalty Program Perks

Friday, April 11, 2025

Transcend Summit 2025

Top industry experts explore innovation and CX strategies for business growth

Eastern Communications successfully hosted its Transcend Summit 2025 at Makati Shangri-La, on April 8, 2025, bringing together over 200 industry leaders, decision-makers, and technology experts to discuss how innovation fuels business growth, transforms challenges into opportunities, and enhances customer experience. The event spotlights Eastern Communications' mission to exceed customer expectations by delivering the latest technological insights, and reliable, high-tech, and high-touch connectivity and ICT solutions that drive digital transformation and business resilience.

The Transcend Summit features the theme, “Powering the Future Through Innovation and Customer Focus,” and is made possible through Eastern’s global tech partners Cato Networks, Fortinet, Huawei, Sophos, Cisco, CloudSigma, Nexusguard, Pax8, and official media partner The Manila Times and Malaya Business Insight.

"Transcend Summit 2025 highlighted the importance of innovative solutions, leadership, AI and customer-centric strategies in today’s dynamic business environment," stated Jaeson Evangelista, Co-Coordinator of Eastern Communications. “We are very grateful for our global technology partners for enabling us to share insights, emerging trends, and collaborate on future innovations as we continue to enhance our services and customer programs.”

Hosted by TEDx Host Vanessa Caro and panel discussions moderated by ABS-CBN Business News Correspondent Mimi Ong, Transcend Summit 2025 featured keynote speakers and industry panelists sharing insights on the evolving digital landscape and the role of innovation in achieving sustainable growth.

Exploring the power of innovation

Greg Banzon, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Century Pacific Foods, Inc., delivered a keynote speech on “Harnessing Innovation to Transform Challenges into Opportunities.” Drawing from his experience and citing instances from Century Pacific’s humble beginnings in the ‘70s, he emphasized how businesses can turn obstacles into strategic advantages through technology and forward-thinking solutions, like how Century Pacific transformed to one of the country's leading manufacturers.

Meanwhile, Maulik Parekh, founder of aiVolution Asia, shared his insights on “How to Lead and Innovate with AI.” He explored AI’s disruptive impact on customer engagement, business optimization, and the essential leadership skills for success in the AI era.

Following Banzon and Parekh’s presentations was the Transcend Summit’s panel discussion with key industry experts: Pierre Curay, Vice President of the Supply Chain Management Association of the Philippines (SCMAP); Edsel Paglinawan, Chief Revenue and Innovation Officer of Eastern Communications; and Tonichi Parekh, Vice President of Concentrix.

The panelists explored the topic, “How Innovation and Customer Experience Is Critical for Business Success,” setting companies apart in an increasingly competitive digital economy. Discussions centered on how businesses can leverage emerging technologies to remain agile and competitive.

A trusted partner in digital transformation

Eastern Communications elevated customer engagement with the relaunch of The Link VIP Club, unveiling its highest membership tier, Titanium, at the MET Museum in BGC on April 3, 2025. Eastern collaborated with artists Erika Mayo, Studiokashu, and Vico Cham Artism Gallery, for an exclusive, art-inspired showcase of the program’s premiere perks to complete the customer’s VIP experience.

The newest Titanium tier provides personalized business support, premium benefits, and tailored ICT solutions, further strengthening relationships and enhancing customer experiences of Eastern’s elite partners.

"We recognize that businesses need more than just reliable solutions—they need a trusted partner who understands their unique challenges and growth ambitions. Through the Link VIP Club and the new Titanium Membership tier, we are enhancing the way we support our clients by providing an even higher level of focused support, unmatched customer experiences, and utmost level of service," said Atty. Aileen Regio, Co-Coordinator of Eastern Communications.

As a trusted partner in driving business growth, Eastern Communications equips companies with the tools to navigate digital transformation with confidence. The Transcend Summit 2025 allows Eastern to share its expertise on advancing innovation, collaboration, and cutting-edge solutions that keep businesses ahead in an evolving digital landscape.

To know more about Eastern Communications’ products and services, visit the website at https://eastern.com.ph/.
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