Now you can use your digital wallets at SM mall events

Enjoy more convenient, faster and easier shopping experience in SM events by using digital wallets. SM Supermalls has partnered with PayMaya Philippines of the PLDT Group and GCash of Globe Telecom, two of the country’s leading digital wallet service providers, for cashless digital payments in their mall events.

This innovation is in line with SM's vision to provide its customers enhanced shopping experiences. Through the scan-to-pay QR technology of GCash and PayMaya, SM customers enjoy convenience and exclusive discounts and deals at fun SM mall events.

“At SM, we highly value our customers’ shopping experience and as we introduce cashless payments in partnership with PayMaya and GCash, we hope to provide them a much easier means to shop at SM,” said Jonjon San Agustin, SM Supermalls senior vice president for marketing

Creating an account with PayMaya or GCash is easy. Simply download the app through Google Play or the App store. Register by providing your name, e-mail address and mobile number.

Verify your account with the verification code sent through SMS. Make sure to load your account through cash-in centers that are located across the country.

After you register, you can use your PayMaya or GCash accounts to pay for purchases by simply scanning QR codes at Mobile Pay lanes. Receipts and SMS notification of payment will be sent after every transaction.

SM Supermalls is the ultimate shopping destination for Filipinos, averaging 3.5 million customers across its malls daily. A trailblazer of innovation in the industry, SM provides family fun experiences that will surely make each visit more memorable than the last.

For more information, check out www.smsupermalls.com, or its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @smsupermalls.

AXA Academy: Elevating the training of insurance professionals

AXA Philippines, one of the leading insurance companies in the country, raises the training of insurance professionals to an unmatched level of excellence in the industry, with the inauguration of their newest state-of-the-art facility: the AXA Academy.

Housed at the Bank of Makati Building on Ayala Avenue extension (cor. Metropolitan Ave.) in Makati City, the AXA Academy will serve as the main training facility for AXA agents and employees.

“This training facility has been thoughtfully developed and designed to provide the most conducive environment for learning and growth,” said Rahul Hora, AXA president and CEO. “This in turn will help us nurture and train insurance professionals who are better equipped to provide outstanding service to our clients.”

The design and lay-out of the AXA Academy are meant to be flexible and technologically driven, in an advanced learning environment that’s safe, healthy, comfortable, and aesthetically-pleasing. Incorporated are available support spaces that are geared towards specific needs, such as a business station that allows agents and employees to carry out business functions seamlessly, even during training sessions.

At almost 1000 square meters, the AXA Academy can handle up to eight (8) simultaneous running sessions with a maximum capacity of over 300 participants in total. There are six (6) training rooms of various sizes which can be reconfigured to theater or classroom style; two (2) meeting rooms that can be combined to accommodate larger groups; a reception and focus area, a trainer area, a pantry, and a hallway lounge, among other amenities. The versatile facility can also be used not only for more effective training sessions but also for events and other special functions.

For more information, visit www.axa.com.ph.

Statement of the Federation of Philippine Industries on non-discriminatory labelling on products with sugar

Mr. Jesus Lim Arranza  Head of FPI/ BROADCASTER

We at the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI)—composed of one hundred and thirty-two (132) corporation-members and thirty-eight (38) industry associations from across the country—find it unfortunate to learn of a new proposed labelling measure against sugar, which is a consumer good that has weathered, and continues to bear, its fair share of challenges, at the expense of a several concerned industries.

We cannot help but observe that the government is singling out sugar yet again with this planned move. Sugar is an important ingredient in food and beverages, with many in the manufacturing (food and beverage) sectors relying on it, and it does not deserve to be put in a bad light by measures such as this.

We renew our suggestion to the government to instead adopt a content-based taxation scheme versus a volumetric approach, which is the current nature of the SSB tax, instead of making new measures about labelling.  Again, the volumetric tax is essentially a tax on water, rather than sugar. If we really want to address health concerns, a content-based taxation scheme is what the government should consider instead of new regulatory measures. Content-based taxation levies a higher tax rates on beverages that have higher sugar content versus those that have lower sugar content. It will encourage companies to produce and/or reformulate drinks with less sugar—thus fulfilling the law’s supposed mandate as a health measure.

Moreover, the government should also reconsider the tax imposed on non-caloric sweeteners. If the tax on sweetened beverages is indeed a health measure, then the government should remove the taxes on non-calorics as they pose an added burden to seniors and to those watching their sugar intake. It is ironic that although seniors are provided a senior citizen discount, the more senior-friendly non-caloric refreshments are imposed with an excise tax making them too expensive for seniors to enjoy.  

FPI and its member-companies have always been committed to transparency, and this extends to providing clear nutrition information in the packaging of our products for our consumers. As such, we at FPI support labelling on goods that adheres to high standards of transparency and factuality. Rest assured that we comply with all of the government’s existing regulatory requirements on nutrition and content labelling. Companies follow a thorough and rigorous approval process, which involves governmental oversight. All labels are submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval, who also review substantiation for claims, nutrition information, ingredients, and so on. The FPI takes seriously all government regulations—we pride ourselves as a collective of transparent, accountable, and law-abiding companies that strive for the betterment of our industries.

If this planned labelling measure succeeds in moving forward, then the Department of Trade and Industry will have failed in its mandate of promoting equitable trade environment and the welfare of industries—something that we as an organization and as concerned industry players wish to avoid. As such, the FPI is eager to work with the government in coming up with fair and equitable solutions to this proposed problematic measure.

Hana Shampoo Livecon 2018 launch

Last Thursday June 28, 2018  Hana Shampoo launched their product at  BGC with theiir new variants Livecon with their Celebrity endorser Marian Rivera.

Hana Shampoo, one of the fastest growing hair care brands in the country, recently held its very own #HanaShampooLiveCon – a digitally-led press conference that catered not only to attendees of the event held at Manila House in BGC, but moreso for the thousands of fans of both Hana and its beautiful endorser Ms. Marian Rivera, who were able to watch and participate real-time with live feeds aired via Hana’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

This increased accessibility, very much aligned to the brand’s main objective of bringing more and more Filipinas closer to achieving beautiful hair that’s “parang bagong shampoo hanggang gabi”. This is in fact Hana Shampoo’s tagline in its latest TV commercial, which encapsulates the benefit of long-lasting softness and fragrance of hair that Hana is able to provide. It was this TV campaign and tagline that also served as inspiration to the two other highlights of the “Live Con” – the Hana x Flora Vida by Marian collaboration and the #HANAEndOfDayChallenge.

Hana x Flora Vida by Marian

Flora Vida by Marian, Marian Rivera’s very own floral shop uniquely offers beautifully preserved flowers that maintain their beauty and fragrance well beyond their usual lifespan. The collaboration therefore between Hana Shampoo and Marian’s passion for flowers thru Flora Vida, was therefore a perfect match, as both offer long-lasting beauty and fragrance benefits to hair and flowers respectively.

During the #HanaShampooLiveCon, three special Hana x Flora Vida floral arrangements were presented, showcasing their beauty and fragrance for everyone to see – Twilight Roses, Nightfall Flowers, and Midnight Blooms. Their names inspired by the “’til evening” promise of Hana Shampoo for Filipina hair, and their fragrances matching the three Hana shampoo variants: Pink Roses and Berries, Spring Flowers and Apples, and Garden Blooms and Lychees.

#HANAEndOfDayChallenge

An online campaign called #HANAEndOfDayChallenge was also launched during the event. Marian Rivera personally invited everyone to try the #HANAEndOfDayChallenge for themselves and chronicle a day in their life with hair cared for by Hana Shampoo. The objective of the campaign meant for everyone to gain first-hand experience of the all-day lasting benefits of Hana and how it’s able to keep up with each one’s lifestyle despite the hair’s exposure to various elements such as the erratic weather and arduous traffic. By participating in this challenge, more and more Filipinas will finally achieve not only soft, smooth hair but also that “Amoy Marian” fragranced hair throughout the day until the evening.

Guests in attendance were given specially-made Hana End-Of-Day-Challenge Kits, which included sample bottles of Hana Shampoo and bathing products for them to easily try and post their results online.

Hana Shampoo is setting the new standards for well cared-for hair – and that’s soft and fragrant hair you can feel and smell even until the evening where it matters the most. With this benefit becoming more accessible to millions of Filipinas with the help of Hana and its products, this brand is surely poised to be the go-to hair care brand in the years to come.