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Three Philippine Teams Named as Finalists to the Alibaba GET Global Challenge 2020

Alibaba Business School, in partnership with The Royal Beijing Language and Culture Center, names the Top 3 Finalists for Global E-commerce Talent (GET) Programme in the Philippines. The Makati-based language center also recently teamed up with iAcademy, the first Philippine educational institution that will be implementing the Alibaba GET Program. The competition simultaneously takes place in over a dozen other countries such as the African Region, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Philippines, Colombia, France, Serbia, Russia, and Mexico. This year’s Alibaba GET Global Challenge 2020 theme is “Digital Solutions During and Beyond COVID-19.” The “GET Global Challenge 2020” event aims to discover solutions that can be used during this pandemic and even after. The challenge wants to identify those innovative digital solutions that pass criteria and will be of help to many people, businesses, and institutions as everyone needs to adapt to the new

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Poly Says Hybrid Working is the New Collaboration Imperative

Plantronics, Inc. (“Poly” – formerly Plantronics and Polycom) (NYSE: PLT), a global communications company that powers meaningful human connection and collaboration, today issued a new report that highlights a granular shift in focus from “place” to “purpose” of work as businesses respond to the COVID-19 crisis, redesign their operations and reinvent the way they work. Out of city co-working spaces, ergonomic at-home work setups, and virtual water cooler moments – the effects of this pandemic will epitomize a new age of hybrid working. Drawing on experts in the future of work, workspace design, and psychology, the Poly report, Hybrid Working: Creating the “next to normal” in work practices, spaces, and culture, set out the path to the “next to normal,” where employees enjoy flexibility and choice, and businesses thrive through motivated, collaborative and productive teams. “The ongoing pandemic has upended the way businesses operate in the region, with organizations forced to either

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ABS-CBN STUDIO TOURS, STORE, AND STUDIO EXPERIENCE CEASE OPERATIONS

Pinoy fans now have limited ways to revel in the Kapamilya spirit beyond their screens as ABS-CBN’s experience and retail businesses are shutting down their operations permanently by August 31, including the Studio Tours, ABS-CBN Store, Hado Pilipinas, Heroes Burger, and ABS-CBN Studio Experience. These ventures are part of ABS-CBN’s services to Filipino families affected by the denial of its broadcasting franchise by the House of Representatives last July 10. An in-demand service inside the ABS-CBN compound since 1997, Studio Tours is permanently shutting down its operations that welcomed local and foreign audiences and conducted educational tours inside the network studios where visitors got to see behind-the-scenes exclusives in the production of various programs.    The ABS-CBN Store, which has delighted fans through the years with its huge assortment of program, celebrity, and network merchandise, including the widely popular Christmas SID Shirts, will also no longer operate.

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Staying Ahead of the Curve

Since the General Community Quarantine started in Metro Manila, different infrastructure projects were resumed after months of delay. However, this does not mean that the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic are gone. The number of COVID-19 cases in the country is not slowing down anytime soon. According to the Department of Health, there are more than 170,000 cases, while more than 60,000 of them are still active. With infrastructure projects continuing and infection rates increasing each day, blue-collar workers are most at risk particularly those who work in the construction sector. To help these workers, the Philippines Domestic Construction Board organized a Technical Working Group to draft the “Construction Guidelines for Project Implementation during the period of Public Health Emergency.” These guidelines will ensure the feasibility and continuity of the projects as well as the safety of the workforce in those projects. The plan also further emphasizes the importance of

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Holcim partners with digital platform for construction sector to reach industry professionals

Holcim Philippines has partnered with the construction sector webpage Pinoy Builders to better communicate with building industry professionals who are increasingly using digital platforms for industry news and learning and development. Leading cement manufacturer Holcim Philippines, Inc. has partnered with an emerging digital platform for the construction sector to better reach industry professionals on how the company’s various solutions and offerings can support them in their projects. Holcim Philippines has tied up with Pinoy Builders, a website focused on providing relevant and helpful content for construction professionals in the Philippines including industry trends, project management tips, and building material use updates. Specialists and experts from Holcim Philippines serve as resource persons on topics such as cement, concrete, and health and safety. Holcim Philippines Senior Vice President for Marketing and Innovation Ram Maganti said the partnership is helpful in the

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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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