The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) bagged two out of four major awards in the recently-concluded 2022 Privacy Awareness Week organized by the National Privacy Commission (NPC). (From left, standing) Data Protection Officer Atty. Maria Concepcion Gloria Rubio, Information Technology Department (ITD) Assistant VP Hector Melencio, ITD Senior Manager Ross Sherwin De Claro and Monitoring and Enforcement Group Vice …

Despite the decrease in COVID-19 cases in the country, the unemployment rate continues to inch up to 6.6 percent and still lags behind pre-pandemic jobs figures. More than three million Filipinos are unemployed as of December 2021 according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. And though this is significantly lower than the previous years, community builders like SM Development Corporation (SMDC) …

SM Prime, through the leadership of Disaster Resilience Champion Mr. Hans Sy, has officially launched their EV Charging Stations at SM Aura, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, and SM North EDSA.As part of the SM Green Movement initiative, the SM Group continues its commitment to helping make the planet greener through projects such as this. SM’s E-vehicle Charging Stations …

Asiamoney recognizes Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank) as the 2022 Best Domestic Private Bank in the Philippines. According to Asiamoney, performance indicators noted for consideration include relative performance versus competitors, successes in achieving market share, coping with difficult or changing market conditions, among others. The Bank’s Private Wealth team was established in 2016. Since then, the business has rapidly …

The Asset, a financial publishing and research institution, has awarded Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank) the Best Multi-product Financing Deal and the Best Syndicated Loan Deal at its recent Triple-A Awards. Metrobank was given the Best Multi-product Financing Deal in the Philippines as an Arranger for Cebu Air, Inc.’s USD 840 million capital raising and liabilities re-profiling. The deal …

The act of giving kindness in any way possible to those who are in need, especially those in vulnerable and grassroot communities, has always been imprinted in the whole system of the SM group. Staying true to its commitment of spreading social good, SM Foundation and The SM Store worked together to distribute shoes and sanitizers for children across the …

Philippine Airlines (PAL) hopes to restore its domestic operations to full capacity by the fourth quarter when passenger volume traditionally surges during the holidays.  PAL President Capt. Stanley Ng said the flag carrier’s domestic capacity had reached 80% of its pre-pandemic level after suffering from debilitating travel restrictions at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.  PAL VP for sales Bud …

Boracay and El Nido were the top choice post-event destinations of delegates to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit in Manila held April 20 to 22.  Tours to the two Philippine destinations were fully booked by WTTC delegates, consistent to the recognition received by Boracay and El Nido from many international travel publications and online tourism sites.  …

The recovery of Puerto Princesa as a top tourist destination will depend on the strong collaboration and cooperation between government and the private sector.  Last year, Puerto Princesa’s recovery started when it reopened its doors to travelers. Then, disaster struck – Typhoon Odette ravaged the city, stalling tourism recovery efforts.  The pandemic erased approximately P10 billion in potential tourism revenues …

Air travel posted a strong rebound in February 2022 as the impact of the Covid-19 variant Omicron moderated outside of Asia, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced recently.  On the other hand, the war in Ukraine did not have any major effect on traffic levels.  The recovery in air travel is gathering steam as governments in many parts of …