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Huawei donates $200,000 for PLDT’s CSR

Chinese tech giant Huawei has donated $200,000, or about P10.11 million, to PLDT Smart Foundation (PSF) to help fund the corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs of PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications Inc.

The CSR initiatives for funding to be determined by both PSF and Huawei will include disaster response, rehabilitation and recovery, promotion and enhancement of education in the country, environmental conservation, and the use of technology in health services.

“I would like to thank Huawei for the $200,000 donation to PSF, which will go a long way in supporting our CSR programs like education, disaster relief, environment, telehealth, and many more,” PSF chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said.

PLDT and Smart have been longtime partners with Huawei.

PSF and Huawei’s partnership started years ago when Chinese tech giant donated disaster relief equipment, such as tents, rechargeable lights, and other tools, for PSF’s disaster response program.

It has also contributed 13 sets of school-in-a-bag with Huawei laptops for Smart’s education program, and the recent telehealth equipment for Makati Medical Center and Cardinal Santos hospitals.

Huawei vice president Daniel Guo said the company intends to contribute more to the country through its support of the programs and initiatives of PSF.

Huawei is a leading global provider of ICT infrastructure and smart devices.

It operates in over 170 countries and regions, serving more than three billion people around the world.

“The initiatives were chosen to align with the program sectors of PSF, as well as to highlight the technology solutions of Huawei. These programs are also aligned with Huawei’s overall CSR strategy,” PSF president Ma. Esther Santos said.

“Moving forward, PSF projects will try to inject technology solutions enabled by technology companies Huawei and PLDT-Smart. This is also aligned with PSF’s vision-mission of a connected, empowered, progressive Philippines,” she said.

PSF, which serves as the social outreach arm of PLDT and Smart, has created programs focused on education, livelihood and social enterprise, disaster response and recovery, youth, arts, and sports development.

Featured logos courtesy of Huawei and PSF FB pages

#Huawei #PLDTSmartFoundation #CSR #donation #partnership #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph

 

 

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Huawei Holds Developer Day 2021 this August 20

Global tech leader Huawei is set to present its most recent feats in the Philippine market across its many verticals on August 20 at the HUAWEI Developer Day. The tech giant is also expected to provide updates on how it is building and growing its ecosystem in the Philippines vis-a-vis the local rollout of the recently launched HarmonyOS; and how it is projected to further the smart lifestyle of Filipino Huawei fans.

Other highlights of the upcoming e-conference are the showcase of the Petal Search Nearby — the latest update to the Petal Search which optimizes its suggestions and searches related to location. On the enterprise front, Huawei will be sharing how the Huawei Cloud is accelerating the digital transformation of Philippine enterprises.

This is Huawei Philippines’ third installment of its annual developer’s day to reaffirm its commitment to making the lives of Filipinos through technology. “We at Huawei have always had the best interest of our customers as the bedrock of every product and experience design and development. We remain committed to offering the best tech experience to consumers made possible by industry-leading innovations across all verticals — from products and software to services. Through this, we are able to create a fully connected and intelligent world for our Filipino customers where they enjoy the efficiency and comfort brought by a seamless AI life. We are glad that we, together with our millions of fans from all over the world, get to embrace the future, today,” shares George Li, Country Manager of HUAWEI Consumer Business Group for the Philippines.

The tech giant has not only been aggressive in launching tech innovations but also in forging partnerships with key industry players in the country to reinforce its efforts in fulfilling the needs and interests of Filipinos.

In line with this, the Huawei Developer Day will also be graced by guest speakers from some of Huawei’s top strategic partners, which includes GCash (Mynt – Globe Fintech Innovations, Inc.) President and CEO Martha Sazon, KonsultaMD CEO Cholo Tagaysay, and WISH 107.5 VP for Marketing Jay Eusebio. They will be sharing the key milestones of their respective companies and how their partnership with Huawei has enabled them to achieve business goals and attain success. The much-awaited online event is also supported by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

Filipino Huawei fans, local business leaders, and tech enthusiasts are encouraged to join the Huawei Developer Day on August 20 by registering at www.huaweideveloperday2021.ph. This e-conference will also be streamed live on Huawei AppGallery Facebook Page. Huawei will be giving away exciting prizes to lucky attendees. For more information on Huawei Developer Day, fans may visit the AppGallery official Facebook Page.

#HUAWEIDeveloperDay #Huawei #conference #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph

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Huawei to invest US$100 million in Asia Pacific startup ecosystem over 3 years

[Singapore/Hong Kong, August 3, 2021] Huawei announced its plan to invest US$100 million in startup support at the inaugural HUAWEI CLOUD Spark Founders Summit, which took place simultaneously in Singapore and Hong Kong. Huawei said the investment would go towards its Spark Program in the Asia Pacific region including the Philippines, which aims to build a sustainable startup ecosystem over the next three years.

Huawei has been helping Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Thailand build their startup hubs. At the summit, Huawei also announced the Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, as four additional startup hubs – in with the overarching aim of recruiting a total of 1,000 startups into the Spark accelerator program and shaping 100 of them into scaleups.

Huawei also launched its Cloud-plus-Cloud Collaboration and Joint Innovation Program, to further ramp up its support for startups around the world. Huawei will devote ongoing efforts and leverage its complete business portfolio in the cloud-plus-cloud collaboration space to foster technological innovation, global and local services, and business ecosystems, accelerating the growth of startups.

Three additional initiatives under the Asia Pacific Spark Program were launched: The Spark Developer Program, which aims to nurture a developer ecosystem powered by HUAWEI CLOUD in the Asia Pacific region; the Spark Pitstop Program, designed to onboard and support startups on HUAWEI CLOUD to accelerate product development; and the Spark Innovation Program (SIP), focused on facilitating enterprise innovation through the Spark startup ecosystem.

Huawei Senior Vice President and Board Member Catherine Chen opened the summit by emphasizing how important startups are to social advancement and what Huawei is doing to support startups: “Startups and SMEs are the innovators, disruptors, and pioneers of our times. 34 years ago, Huawei was a startup with just 5,000 dollars of registered capital. Recently, we have been thinking: How can we leverage our experience and resources to help more startups address their challenges? Doing so would allow them to seize the opportunities posed by digital transformation, achieve business success, and develop more innovative products and solutions for the world.”

Zhang Ping’an, CEO of Huawei’s Cloud Business Unit, noted, “Since its launch in 2017, HUAWEI CLOUD has been the world’s fastest-growing cloud, and has driven the growth of countless startups. Last year, we launched the Spark Program in Asia Pacific. Through this program, we are working with local governments, leading incubators, well-known VC firms, and top universities to build support platforms for startups in many regions. Now 40 startups are participating in our program.”

Zhang continued, “Starting today, we are stepping up our support for startups through four new initiatives, aimed at cloud-plus-cloud collaboration, continuous tech innovation, global and local services, and high-quality business ecosystems. Today, we launched our Cloud-plus-Cloud Collaboration and Joint Innovation Program, through which we will support startups with US$40 million worth of resources. Half of that investment is coming from HUAWEI CLOUD, half from Huawei Mobile Services (HMS). In 2021, our plan is to support 200 startups in the HMS ecosystem, and share our network of channel resources with developers worldwide who together serve 1 billion Huawei device users. In addition, we will open an HMS Developer Innovation Center to support 100,000 HMS cloud-native developers.”

Also present was Dr. Lim Jui, CEO of SGInnovate, who said, “The true impact of the Deep Tech Economy is realized when we’re able to come together to catalyze new opportunities. Working alongside partners like Huawei enables us to accomplish our mission of supporting promising talent and emerging tech startups in Singapore.”

More and more startups are pursuing end-to-end digitalization as they move towards a fully connected, intelligent world. HUAWEI CLOUD infrastructure works in conjunction with Huawei Mobile Services to support startups from all industries. Huawei’s cloud offerings help developers and partners to unify accounts, development platforms, and app distribution and operation. HMS is now the world’s third-largest mobile app ecosystem and is helping many startups expand their global influence. Currently, 4.5 million developers from over 170 countries and regions rely on HMS.

Huawei recognizes startups as key partners. At the HUAWEI CLOUD Spark Founders Summit, Huawei unveiled the latest data on its innovation research programs with startups. The data shows solid relationships between Huawei and more than 2,000 partners from across the Asia Pacific region, with ongoing initiatives to build support platforms in close partnerships with governments, top VC firms.

Huawei rounded off the series of announcements with a plan to build an HMS Developer Innovation Center. Through this center, Huawei aims to cultivate future talent in cooperation with 210 leading universities across the Asia Pacific region.

Jeffery Liu, President for Asia Pacific Region of Huawei, added that “For the past two decades, we have remained committed to being ‘In Asia Pacific, For Asia Pacific’. Leveraging Huawei’s global customer base and full-stack technologies, the Spark Program will invest more than US$100 million over the next three years, and provide comprehensive support to the establishment of a sustainable startup ecosystem that creates new value for this dynamic region.”

This summit was attended by representatives from many prominent Asian startups, academia, various industries and governments, and the media, as well as more than 50 regional top venture capitalists and over 300 startup founders. Speeches and panels at the event focused on the social value of this startup ecosystem and how startups can promote technological and ecosystem innovation, to contribute to local communities and drive socioeconomic development.

#HUAWEICLOUDSparkFoundersSummit #sustainablestartupecosystem #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph

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FDA-cleared air purifying technology to eliminate >99.9% of airborne COVID-19 in vehicles and confined spaces

Aurabeat announces new partnerships with Scania, Volkswagen, Mercedes Benz, Audi, and Jaguar, incorporating its patented AG+™ Antiviral Air Filtration Technology for the driving environment.

Hong Kong – As the world-first, FDA-cleared air purifier provider, eliminating >99.9% airborne COVID-19, Aurabeat is now introducing its patented AG+™ Antiviral Air Filtration Technology to new confined spaces by unveiling partnerships with Scania, Volkswagen, Mercedes Benz, Audi, and Jaguar. Having been confirmed that COVID-19 is an airborne disease, Aurabeat, in collaboration with private and public organizations worldwide, will begin preventing aerosol transmission of the virus and other bacteria in additional enclosed environments, including vehicles.

Dr. Roger Szeto, Founder and Chief Scientist of Aurabeat said: “In the context of COVID-19, short-range airborne transmission can occur under certain circumstances and settings, particularly crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces. While the markets are exploring ways to improve air circulation of indoor premises, our R&D experts have achieved a breakthrough solution to apply our patented AG+™ Antiviral Air Filtration Technology to eliminate COVID-19 in vehicles, ambulances, elevators, cruise, minibuses, taxis, buses, and other smaller confined areas.”

A driving space free from COVID-19  

Aurabeat has partnered closely with renowned global car manufacturers in the Hong Kong market including Scania, Volkswagen, Mercedes Benz, Audi, and Jaguar, to create safe, worry-free driving environments for drivers. Introduced in May this year, Scania, Volkswagen, Mercedes Benz, Audi, and Jaguar now offer AG+™ Antiviral Air Filtration Technology-enabled cabin filters in their select vehicles, effectively trapping and eliminating particles as small as 0.1 micrometers. Relying on the patented AG+™ Antiviral Air Filtration Technology, Aurabeat gives drivers and passengers complete peace of mind by providing thorough protection from Covid-19.

“We hope to ease the concerns for thousands of goods vehicle drivers in Hong Kong. Under our partnership with Aurabeat, we are able to create a safer and cleaner environment daily, for drivers and their passengers,” said Martin Law, Quality and Safety Manager of Scania and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

The front line defense for all kinds of indoor environments

After launching the world’s first FDA-cleared air purifier in 2019, Aurabeat remains an essential community actor in combating COVID-19. With a 10-fold increase in sales since the introduction of its technology solutions, revenue numbers in the coming year are projected to grow even further. Being not only the first line of defense for mission-critical government and public facilities but the brand has also been deemed as a trusted partner for the installation of anti-COVID-19 air filters for businesses and consumers across over 800 cities.

Notable local partners include the Hong Kong Fire Services Department, St. John Ambulance, Engineering and Mechanical Services Department, Legislative Council of Hong Kong, over half of Hong Kong’s public hospitals, Hysan Development, New World Development, Sun Hung Kai Properties, Miramar Group, JW Marriott, Discovery Bay Golf Club, Discovery Bay Recreation Club, Lantau Yacht Club, Fancl, Pure Fitness, GO24 Fitness, Outback, Jollibee, Häagen-Dazs, National Parliament of Papua New Guinea, National Police Office in the Philippines, SM Appliances in the Philippines, Changi Airport in Singapore, Rakuten in Japan.

Aurabeat continues to explore opportunities to work with brands and organizations to create safer and cleaner indoor environments, be it hospitals, homes, offices, shopping malls, hotels, schools, as well as transport, cruises, ambulances, and elevators. Learn more at Aurabeat’s website.

#Aurabeat #airpurifyingtechnology #covid19 #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph

 

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Globe continues service support to customers as NCR placed under ECQ

Globe assures its customers that it will continuously deliver service support and #ExtraCareAtHome despite the new lockdown. The IATF announced Metro Manila will be placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) starting 06 August 2021 to 20 August 2021 to curb the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant.

Easier service-related transactions using digital channels 

Globe keeps its digital channels operational 24/7 including GCash, GlobeOne, and Globe At Home apps so customers have access to their needs from buying load, tracking of data and promos, quick troubleshooting of issues, and reporting customer service concerns while remaining safe at home. Download the apps through Google Play Store for Android devices or Apple Store for iOS devices. The use of these apps is free of charge.

Globe hotlines 211 and 808 for TM customers are also open for reporting of concerns and self-service transactions through a digital assistant. Our customer support team is available to respond to issues reported through our digital channels.

Globe continues to provide access to select government sites with no data charges.  These include:

  • Department of Health (DOH) – https://doh.gov.ph/
  • Philippine Information Agency (PIA) – https://pia.gov.ph/
  • National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) – https://ndrrmc.gov.ph/

Free calls to government hotlines are also available to Globe Prepaid, Globe Postpaid, TM, and Globe landline customers:

  • National Emergency Hotline – 911
  • PH Red Cross Hotline – 143
  • DOH Hotline – 87111001-02
  • NDRRMC Trunk Lines – 89115061-65
  • NDRRMC Operations Center – 89111406, 89122665, 89125668, 89111873
  • PH Red Cross Emergency Response Unit – 87902300
  • DOH COVID Hotline – 86517800, 89426843, 1555

Meanwhile, through HealthNow, Globe and TM subscribers may call the NGF HOPELINE for FREE anytime to promote mental health. HOPELINE can be found under the Urgent Help button on the welcome page of the HealthNow app.

Safe Options to Load Up

Globe encourages its customers to load safely from home and maximize GCash for their loading needs or any of its partner apps including Shopee, Lazada, Grab, Coins.PH, Puregold Mobile App, Telepreneur, as well as BPI and BDO.

Globe also has offline partners from supermarkets, remittance centers, and convenience stores that customers can check out, provided they observe social distancing and wear face masks and face shields.

On the go service technicians to support Globe At Home Customers

For broadband service repairs requiring onsite visits and assistance, Globe at Home’s customer field service personnel is on standby to support and assist customers.  Customers may request for onsite visit or service assistance using the Globe at Home app, also readily available for download and FREE to use.

Globe technicians are trained to follow strict health protocols, before, during, and after their deployment. To know more about the Globe broadband services readily available during the pandemic, visit this link: https://www.globe.com.ph/broadband/faq.html

Globe is one with Filipinos in fighting the spread of the virus.  The company is committed to providing its customers with reliable connectivity while extending extra protection at home.

Twitter: @talk2GLOBE │ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/globeph

Photo courtesy of John Alvin Merin on Unsplash

#ExtraCareAtHome #Globe #ECQ #connectivity #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph

 

 

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Accelerating digital economy key for inclusive integration in APAC

[Shenzhen, China] Participants in the webinar entitled “Accelerate Digital Economy for Inclusive Integration in the Asia Pacific – Connecting Digital Industries in Pandemic” called for leveraging digital opportunities to build an inclusive ecosystem and promoting regional integration, which is particularly important while still combating the pandemic.

A digital economy is increasingly perceived as the way to overcome disruptions caused by COVID-19. Representatives and thought leaders from governmental, industrial, and academic sectors across the Asia Pacific joined a virtual conversation organized by Huawei to explore the multiple facets of the digital economy, from a market, technology, inclusiveness, and sustainability perspective.

Based on digital knowledge and infrastructure, the digital economy has powered a growing proportion of regional GDP and boosted resilience amid the pandemic. ASEAN predicts the digital economy will contribute 1 trillion US dollars to regional GDP by year.

Countries from the region have released future-oriented roadmaps on removing trade barriers, improving digital coverage, and ensuring ubiquitous access to digital services to facilitate the implementation of the digital economy.

Being part of the ecosystem, Huawei is committed to enabling ASEAN’s Digital Masterplan 2025 in three key areas, namely ICT connectivity, talent empowerment, and ecosystem incubation, according to Jay Chen, Vice President at Huawei Asia Pacific. The digital economy unfolding in the region addresses inclusive access to digital service, a landscape facilitating startup scale-up, and a circular, sustainable economy.

Dr. Alvin P. Ang from Ateneo de Manila University agreed with the openly accessible approach to upskilling the public with digital knowledge. “The education system must put in context the foundational elements of digitalization. Whether it’s in the basic education level or in the middle ages or those who are working already, trying to learn and upgrade themselves. We have to invest in them and give our rural areas an opportunity to catch up by at least providing them with the basic skills to get through the technology highway,” he said.

Huawei has long recognized the critical importance of providing everyone digital skills and leaves no one behind as economies digitalize. Over the years, Huawei has launched multiple programs to train over 100,000 people with ICT empowerments in the region in cooperation with governments, universities, and NGOs. In the Philippines, during the past 4 years, more than 50 Philippine universities joined Huawei ICT Academy, over 6000 students benefited from the ICT training offered by Huawei.

Conveying the business perspective, Professor Jose Decolongon, COO & Managing Director of Corporate Foresight, Embiggen Consulting Philippines said “Micro, small, medium enterprises need to have an understanding on digitalization to perceive the opportunities when it comes to exploring the digital side of the business. Challenges are faced by these enterprises but also the large organizations. It’s related to the coverage and speed of digital infrastructure. This is where telecom players such as Huawei and our local players can play an important role.”

For a sustainable digital economic ecosystem, new technologies such as 5G, Internet of Things, and Cloud provide great promise in terms of enhancing de-carbonization and the circular economy. In the Philippines, Huawei has increased investment in sustainable green solutions, leveraging clean power generation, electric transportation, and smart energy storage.

“The next five years could see the ASEAN region make giant strides towards becoming a digital society, and the transformation will enable member states to recover faster from the pandemic. Huawei, together with ASEAN partners, is committed to enabling the ASEAN Digital Master Plan 2025 and create new value for the leading digital community and economic bloc,” said Jay.

Event website: https://www.huawei.com/en/events/accelerate-digital-economy-integrated-asia-pacific

About Huawei

Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. We have more than 197,000 employees, and we operate in more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than three billion people around the world.

Our vision and mission are to bring digital to every person, home, and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. To this end, we will drive ubiquitous connectivity and promote equal access to networks; bring cloud and artificial intelligence to all four corners of the earth to provide superior computing power where you need it when you need it; build digital platforms to help all industries and organizations become more agile, efficient, and dynamic; redefine user experience with AI, making it more personalized for people in all aspects of their life, whether they’re at home, in the office, or on the go.

#Huawei #digitaleconomy #ICT #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph

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ABB Technology Can Help Address E-mobility Infra Challenges in PH

Manila, Philippines – Global technology leader ABB has the infrastructure to help the Philippines achieve its target of having electronic vehicles (EVs) account for 10 percent of road transport vehicles by 2040.

Department of Energy (DOE) Director for Energy Utilization and Management Bureau Patrick Aquino said support infrastructure is one of the challenges that they need to hurdle to realize this goal.

“Under the 2018-2040 Philippine Energy Plan, EVs are expected to account for 10 percent of road transport vehicles by 2040 in the clean energy scenario,” he said during the forum, “The Future of E-mobility Is Now”, which was held on the second day of the ABB Digital Summit.

Aquino was one of the resource speakers during the forum, along with Electronic Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) president Edmund Araga and ABB Product Marketing Specialist Engr. Ace Bisnar. ABB Asia Pacific Manager for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Kumail Rashid also joined the event during its question and answer segment.

ABB has been leading the way to a zero-emission mobility future. It has developed electrification solutions from EV chargers for the home to fast-charging roadside stations.

ABB Philippines facility

The company also offers electrical distribution solutions and battery energy storage systems — infrastructure that is essential to enabling an e-mobility future.

Bisnar added that ABB can provide remote support to monitor EV chargers in different areas.

“It’s not just putting the EV charger on the area, but also making sure that it is working 100 percent,” he said.

ABB EV Charger

The latest available data shows that the transition to EVs from conventional vehicles has been slow so far. Aquino shared that from 2010 to 2019, only 11,950 EVs were registered, accounting for a mere 0.09 percent of registered vehicles.

This is why organizations such as the EVAP are closely working with the government and other sectors to further e-mobility in the country.

“We never stop promoting, and continue sustaining its ground,” Araga said during the Summit.

This is the first time that ABB Philippines has staged the ABB Digital Summit, a four-day online event that features global speakers from ABB, with special guest resource persons from different organizations and associations

The event, which runs from July 26-29, is being held by ABB in partnership with the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP), Energy Managers Professionals Association in the Philippines (EMPAP), Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines (IIEE), Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance (PE2) and Philippine Green Building Council (PGBC).

About ABB

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation, and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com

ABB’s Electrification Business Area is a global leader in electrical products and solutions, operating in more than 100 countries, with over 200 manufacturing sites. Our 50,000+ employees are dedicated to transforming how people live, connect and work by delivering safe, smart, and sustainable electrification solutions. We are shaping the future trends of electrification, differentiating through technological and digital innovation while delivering an outstanding experience through operational excellence for our customers across utilities, industry, buildings, infrastructure, and mobility. For more information visit https://go.abb/electrification

#ABB #globaltechnologyleader #electricalproductsandsolutions #zeroemissionmobilityfuture #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph

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Huawei ICT Academy expands in Philippines with 15 new partner schools

[Manila July 26, 2021] Huawei Philippines continues to develop, build and strengthen the local ICT talent ecosystem as it welcomes 15 new partner universities and colleges to Huawei ICT Academy.

In a virtual onboarding ceremony, Huawei ICT Academy introduced its new partner schools from different parts of the Philippines. In Luzon, the Academy onboarded the University of the East, STI College Alabang, Southville International School and Colleges, Colegio de Muntinlupa, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa, Southern Luzon Technological College Foundation, Angeles University Foundation, and the University of the Assumption.

The Academy also reached the Visayas region with partnerships with the University of the Visayas, Marinduque State College from Luzon, and Cebu Institute of Technology University. Further, Huawei brought its ICT Academy initiative to Mindanao through collaborations with Xavier-Ateneo de Cagayan University, Holy Cross of Davao College, and Jose Maria College.

In his speech during the ceremony, Mr. Ken Bijianjun, Director for Channel Department of Huawei Philippines Enterprise Business Group, warmly welcomed Huawei’s partner schools for the ICT Academy. He said that Huawei ICT Academy is a corporate social responsibility program that deals with opportunities and challenges in the ICT industry. It provides high-quality resources and certification courses in AI, big data, cloud computing, storage, 5G, security, and so on for the benefit of both teachers and students. “Huawei cultivates talents for the ICT industry in the whole world. We also hope to build a strong and meaningful talent ecosystem in the Philippines for Filipinos,” he added.

Huawei ICT Academy was launched in the Philippines in 2018, with the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) as one of its pioneering partner universities. Dr. Randy S. Gamboa, Dean of USeP’s College of Information and Computing, recalled USeP’s journey with Huawei ICT Academy since joining in 2018.

“From the designing of the memorandum of understanding to the hosting of the national ICT competition, Huawei and our university have been working together to advance the use of information and computing technologies in education. Sharing this information, generating opportunities, and improving the ICT talent ecosystem are our important goals,” Dr. Gamboa said. He noted that seven USeP faculty members obtained Huawei Certified Network Associate certification, and three of them are now Huawei Certified Academy Instructor.

#HuaweiICTAcademy #ICTtalent ecosystem #15partnerschools #Philippines #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph

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Unique hand-woven face masks help indigenous communities rise above the pandemic

Through unique face masks made from hand-woven fabric scraps, Abra Indigo Manila was able to provide new livelihood opportunities to indigenous communities in far-flung areas despite the pandemic.

Abra Indigo is a social enterprise founded by Ysabelle Sarayba to give consumers access to indigenous products by showcasing and connecting local communities, workers, and socially conscious consumers.

Although Abra Indigo experienced some setbacks at the height of the global health crisis, Ysabelle remained unfazed in her goal to assist other people, especially those who did not have any sources of income.

Abra Indigo Ysabelle Sarayba

 

Through the help of a pervasive telecommunications network like Globe’s 4G LTE, Ysabelle was able to talk with the Itnegs of Abra and share ideas regularly during the lockdowns. Together, they came out with timely products attuned to the trying times.

The Itneg tribe is known for its beautiful hand-woven and embroidered fabrics.  Since they use weaving to tell their stories, every pattern, design, and symbol has a story and history behind it.

Using indigenous fabric scraps, the Itnegs repurposed and refashioned them into face masks that have become a big hit with consumers. Each mask design is distinct, with various embroideries that reflect the rich culture of the Itnegs and comes with a pocket to insert an additional filter.

The high demand for face masks allowed Ysabelle to help even more people. Fabrics were sourced from another indigenous community in Ilocos and woven by seamstresses in Novaliches.  Despite the challenges, Abra Indigo increased its production and gave economic opportunities to more people.

Ysabelle remains hopeful that Abra Indigo’s “Kwento ng Tagumpay” will carry on for the sake of the communities that it is supporting. “Today, Abra Indigo is continuously growing, so that means more income sa mga indigenous communities, and then soon we hope na mas marami pa kaming indigenous communities na matulungan i-market yung mga products nila,” she said.

Inspiration for Abra Indigo came when Ysabelle, then a graduating student at the University of the Philippines,  joined a school bazaar where she met an Itneg couple.  Ysabelle immediately fell in love with the couple’s indigenous products and asked if she could partner with them.

“I didn’t have any capital to buy their (Itneg) products, so I had to loan P20,000.  It was a rough start since the products were costly at hindi ko sila tinawaran since I wanted to help. I really believed in the products, so I started by posting online and to my surprise, nabenta namin lahat,” she recalled.

Ysabelle’s tech and marketing savvy combined with unique apparel, accessories, and home essentials made from the Itneg woven fabric, saw the business growing rapidly in just a couple of months. Abra Indigo expanded from a one-woman operation to a six-person company.

For Globe, success stories such as Ysabelle’s further fuel its passion to meet, even exceed, the growing demand for first-world connectivity and provide better customer experiences.

“We are ramping up our efforts to give stronger, reliable, and high-speed coverage to more provinces, even in far-flung areas of the Philippines. The 4G LTE migration and the upgrading of broadband subscribers to Globe fiber lines are crucial to our efforts to elevate our customers’ satisfaction and mobile experience, given the increasing demand for data. This also lays the groundwork for 5G, a more advanced and faster technology,” said Ernest L. Cu, Globe President, and CEO.

The company strongly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 9 which highlights the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development. Globe is committed to upholding the 10 United Nations Global Compact principles.

To learn more, please visit https://www.globe.com.ph/.

Featured photo courtesy of Abra Indigo Manila

#KwentoNgTagumpay #Globe #AbraIndigoManila #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph

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Banking giant BDO and Huawei collaborate to provide Inclusive Financial Services for Filipinos

More than 50 million citizens — over half the population — do not use any form of online banking.

The average person in the Philippines spends more time on the Internet than any other country in the world. Filipinos are online over 11 hours each day, compared to a global average of just six hours. Indeed, with a total population of more than 100 million, 71% of Filipinos are active Internet users, creating the perfect environment to develop the country’s digital economy through Financial Technology (also known as FinTech).

Despite being the most active online, more than 50 million Filipinos — over half the population — do not use any form of online banking. According to an official government report published in 2019, only 8% of Filipino adults have an active online account. This, combined with the 97% of Filipinos who still trade in cash, has created increased risks during the global pandemic when in-person interactions are limited.

In recent years, Huawei has been collaborating closely with the largest bank in the Philippines, Banco De Oro Unibank (BDO), to realize the bank’s strategic ambition: to continue improving business efficiency and customer services through digital transformation, in order to bring inclusive finance to more Filipinos.

In April 2021, BDO rolled out BDO Pay, a mobile wallet and contactless payment solution that provides users with convenient and instant access to digital banking services. On the path toward inclusive digital banking, BDO is actively embracing technological innovation to upgrade its legacy infrastructure, improve its competitive edge, and develop more innovative services across the entire business.

BDO’s digital banking expansion is powered by Huawei’s OceanStor Dorado All-Flash Storage Solution, which implements a reliable, secure, and future-proofed data-sharing platform that is virtual and in the cloud. The Huawei Data Management Engine (DME) and OceanStor Dorado Storage make up the foundation of the solution, intelligently safeguarding the data of the bank’s growing customer assets and transaction history.

Overcoming the limitations of a legacy system

BDO’s refresh of its IT infrastructure was largely driven by the increasing capacity requirements that arose as the business grew. The legacy system was limited in its capacity to fully process and make use of the data resources that could create new value; therefore an upgrade was required. In addition, the bank was experiencing the effects of siloed IT suites, resulting in storage utilization of less than 40% and much lower throughout.

To remove this obstacle, Huawei OceanStor Dorado provides a high Solid-State Drive (SSD) configuration ratio with SmartTier, enabling a 1.3 GB/s bandwidth and significantly improving the performance of the data-sharing platform. Moreover, OceanStor Dorado features HyperReplication and a Storage Area Network (SAN) + Network-Attached Storage (NAS) unified storage system to meet BDO’s file-sharing and backup requirements. This helps achieve an active-passive system to protect all business data, from images and voice notes to scanned documents and more. Huawei OceanStor Dorado also supports flexible service expansion, slashes service rollout times, and accelerates data monetization in storage resource pools. In fact, during a Proof of Concept (PoC) performance test for BDO, the entire backup service time was slashed from two days to just six hours.

In addition to performance requirements, Operations and Maintenance (O&M) was also in need of an upgrade, as the legacy infrastructure lacked an automation orchestration platform. Over-reliance on manual O&M also made system fault diagnosis complex — not to mention inaccurate — resulting in the maintenance department being flooded with complaints. Digitizing O&M improved diagnosis, accuracy, and problem-solving efficiency, as well as bringing down related management costs.

Now, using Huawei’s DME, BDO’s storage utilization has been boosted from 40% to 70%. And the intelligent fault diagnosis capability of the system has seen efficiency soar to 90%. The DME also manages data resource pools, which are created and configured based on service levels to manage hot, warm, and cold data by layer, using algorithms to automatically convert hot data into warm or even cold data. Such nonessential data is then stored on lower-cost media to reduce resource waste and improve service efficiency. Put simply, Huawei DME effectively ensures the full lifecycle management of the storage system, with backup and recovery solutions available to unleash the full value of data.

“During the Proof of Concept test, I was impressed with the high performance and reliability of Huawei’s product. We trust Huawei for its service-centric value, fast response to our demands, and its commitment to continuing to innovate future technologies for the Financial Services Industry. This is why we hope to build long-term cooperation with Huawei,” said Dennis Tangonan, Infrastructure Operation Head, BDO.

BDO’s recent IT infrastructure upgrade and refresh of the Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is another step in the bank’s digital transformation journey. Meeting the constantly changing demands for capacity and services is at the heart of BDO’s business operations as industries enter the intelligent era. BDO will continue to innovate its storage system in order to provide the best products and services for its customers. Alongside BDO, Huawei will continue to support the bank on its digital transformation journey by providing leading-edge services and technology so BDO can maintain its position as the largest bank in the Philippines.

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