BPI Foundation provides fishing boats, houses, and immediate relief to victims of Typhoons Rolly and Ulysses

A local fishing community in Tabaco City receives motorized fiberglass boats from BPI Foundation.

BPI Foundation, the social development arm of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), together with BPI employee volunteers and clients, provided fishing boats, houses, and relief assistance to the victims of typhoons Rolly and Ulysses to help them rebuild their lives.

“The goal is to help out and provide immediate assistance to our fellow Filipinos badly affected by natural calamities. As much as possible, we work closely with the affected community to develop holistic and sustainable solutions to address their most pressing issues,” said BPI Foundation Executive Director Owen Cammayo. “The coming months will not be easier, but we will do all that we can to support their survival with the hope of seeing them thrive in the near future.”

Joining the fleet

The Foundation recently turned over 40 motorized fiberglass boats to fishermen in Tabaco City, Tiwi, and Bacacay in Albay through “Fleet of Hope”, an initiative by the Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management and the family behind Biggs Inc. and Que Rica PH, which aims to support the livelihood rehabilitation and economic recovery of local fishing communities in Bicol.

“I'd like to thank you for believing in us and our project, and for trusting us that we give the boats to the right beneficiaries,” said “Fleet of Hope” Co-founder Carlo Buenaflor.

Aside from giving livelihood assistance to around 120 fishermen, the fishing boats may also be used for the community’s rescue operations during calamities. 

Rebuilding homes

In April, BPI Foundation turned over P2 million to the St. Joseph the Worker Parish of Baggao in Cagayan for its “Project Salinong” initiative, a shelter assistance operation aimed at building low-cost housing for the victims of Typhoon Ulysses. Through the donation, the Foundation will help build a village consisting of 82 disaster-resilient duplex houses that will shelter over 160 families.

Reynaldo Adducul of Medical College of Northern Philippines and BPI BAYAN Cagayan Valley Cluster of ICV Area group leader Benalie Paguirigan spearhead the ceremonial groundbreaking for “Project Salinong.”

“I would like to extend our profound gratitude to the BPI Foundation for the substantial donation you have given to the families rendered homeless by Typhoon Ulysses. We will always remember your kindness and generosity for you have extended help to us in our hour of greatest need,” said Rev. Fr. Gerry Perez, a Parish Priest from St. Joseph the Worker Parish of Baggao.

A livelihood center will also be constructed so that the community will have an open space for their activities.

Providing immediate relief

With the help of 684 dedicated BPI employee volunteers, BPI Foundation was also able to extend immediate relief assistance to 6,600 families or 33,000 typhoon victims in Cagayan Valley, Catanduanes, and Marikina City last November. The relief packs included various canned goods, rice, coffee, and water.

Apart from those who helped in repacking and distribution, other employees also initiated various fundraising projects to help typhoon victims.


To know more about BPI Foundation and its programs, follow its Facebook and Instagram pages and visit www.bpifoundation.org.

Bennet Schwartz discusses the need for digital marketing knowledge in today's world

Digital marketing is essential for establishing a brand's identity and generating visitors to a company's website. A thorough digital marketing plan begins with the development of a search-engine-friendly website and extends to a robust social media presence.

Bennet Schwartz shares the major marketing trends and knowledge in this digital age.

Due to the increase in internet users globally, a digital presence in terms of marketing techniques is on the rise; people rely on the internet for information and knowledge on everything every second of the day. This is also the next major step in achieving the greatest possible results in a business manager's career and company growth. 

Furthermore, customers can easily and made-easy access internet information by using smartphones, computers, and other smart technology devices, thanks to the technology round-up of smart gadgets being created in the market. Consumers and businesses may communicate immediately and stay linked not only locally but globally.

The most essential aspect of digital marketing is that it is incredibly simple to adjust and engage with target audiences all around the world.

Social Media Presence

Social media is similar to an online store display; formerly, you had to visit a physical store to see what things were available, but now, social media is synonymous with the marketing industry in general. People can interact with products and compare them online. This provides the advertiser with additional client data as well as a chance to promote branding.

Different demographics are attracted to different social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok, agencies may easily choose who they want to target.

Another significant part of social media marketing is influencers. Influencers are willing to promote products by posting on their popular accounts. Influencers have a keen sense of who their target audience is.

Social Media Advertisements

Advertisements on social media can be displayed in a variety of ways, including banners, google ads, and information collection websites. 

The algorithm for developing social media ads has progressed significantly over time. Recognizing how to make an online advertisement work requires extensive experience, but today's ad firms are experts at ensuring that their ads are targeted to the appropriate demographics. The ability to create interactive commercials or advertisements is one of the most exciting technological advancements in the marketing industry.

Marketing Your Content

Content marketing is one of the best uses of technology in marketing. Content marketing entails the creation of videos, blog posts, and other forms of material that might assist a company in achieving its marketing objectives. Content marketing and SEO are combined to create a searchable item that will rank well on Google.

The know-how of SEO

The most useful method developed by today's marketing organizations is search engine optimization, sometimes known as SEO. A website's search engine optimization (SEO) can help it rank higher in Google and other search engines' results. SEO used to be simple, but it's become increasingly difficult to master in recent years. There are numerous resources available on the internet to help you understand SEO tactics and apply them to your company's website.

Strategic Email Correspondence 

In the realm of email marketing, it has made a big impact. Customers can be targeted with different messages based on where they are in the sales process with email marketing. They are frequently enticed to join an email list in exchange for product promotion. 

Bennet Schwartz advocates a deep grasp of digital marketing among businesses as a strong proponent of marketing technology. 

Combining these methods can be extremely beneficial when developing a marketing strategy. Companies will find that they have an advantage over their competitors if they utilize the correct mixture of strategies.

How Do I Find the Perfect Shoes for my Feet

Women's shoes are available in a variety of styles, shapes, and sizes. They also come in a variety of widths: tight, medium, and wide. 

Here are some tips I use to find the perfect shoes for me, which may be useful to you as well:

Shoe size

The size is, of course, the first thing you should look for. It is simple, but it can be complicated. When it comes to sizes, different shoe companies produce different results. It is a must to fit the shoes before buying them as the size of the shoes will depend on the fit on your feet. 

Shoe material and comfort

One of the basic things you look for for a pair of shoes is comfort. Comfortable shoes mean comfortable when walking. You wouldn't want your foot to get sore and blistered when walking outside. 

But, sometimes no matter how comfortable and snug the pair of shoes you bought there are times that a part of your foot will get blisters- or as they call it as shoe break-in. You need to allow your shoes to get to know your feet for 3-4 weeks or lesser depending on use. When you reached this stage, you can feel the best comfort as every corner of the shoe fits perfectly as they already expanded. You can also use a shoe stretcher if needed. Choosing the best and comfortable heel size depends on the occasion too.

You can also pick up a pair of shoes that is one size bigger than yours but be aware that as you wear your shoes regularly it will expand, you don't want a shoe that looks unflattering on you because it looks too big after some time, with the exceptions of boots like summer boots in which you can have one size bigger for a comfortable and easy walk. There is also this kind of summer boots that looks chic and sexy for dresses and jeans. 

Complimenting your shoes with the right outfit. 

Sometimes when you want to go classic with your shoes, one chooses the plain and neutral colors to go along with print and colorful outfit or wardrobe. Black, white, and nude shades go well perfectly for an overprinted ensembles. This goes hand-in-hand. 

Whether your kind and style your shoes are like sandals, strappy, clogs, or even the trendy designs for shoes you can go or tone down with the colors. Dresses, t-shirt, jeans paired with and sexy tops, or even office attire good comfortable shoe is necessary to go about your day perfectly. 

Shoe Brand and Pricing 

There are hundreds of hundreds of shoe brands in the market today. The choices are endless, sometimes, people go beyond more than their budget to get their desired shoes, some also hoards shoes and never uses them because of the designer brands which they wanted to keep and preserve.  

If you have that budget you can do so, but as a tip do not go beyond your means and go broke. 

Kabuhayan Loan ng BDONB, katulong sa pag-asenso ng MSMEs, OF’s at kanilang pamilya

Isinagawa ng BDO Network Bank (BDONB) ang kanilang Go Negosyo talk show na pinamagatang ““Kayang-kaya Kabayan” nitong Biyernes, June 4. Layunin ng talk show na magbahagi ng financial management tips at valuable insights pagdating sa mga sustainable at adaptable business opportunities hindi lamang para sa mga local Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), kundi pati na rin sa mga Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) at kanilang mga beneficiaries.

Pinangunahan ni SME Advocate Josie Conlu ang talakayan tungkol iba’t-ibang financial challenges na kinakaharap ng ating mga OFWs abroad. Nagbahagi rin siya ng mga opportunities na maari nilang subukan pagkatapos nitong pandemya.

Naroon din si Randell Tiongson, isang registered financial planner and advocate ng Life & Personal Finance, na nagbahagi ng preparedness at adaptability tips kung paano ba i-manage ang income at kung papaano mag-impok para sa emergency funds. Kabilang dito ang pag-shift sa mga essential business, paggamit ng online platforms, at pagdagdag ng stocks.

Napag-usapan din ang importansya ng MSMEs sa pagpapalago ng lokal at nasiyonal na ekonomiya.

 “Ang pag-unlad ng Pilipinas ay nakasalalay sa pagsulong ng mga MSMEs. Sa paglago ng mga MSMEs, gaganda ang kinabukasan nila at ng kanilang pamilya. Dahil dito, tinatawag na “growth engine” ng ekonomiya ang mga MSMEs,” ani BDONB Senior Vice President and MSME Group Head Karen Cua.

Dagdag pa niya, ang mga MSMEs ay ang nagpapatakbo ng ekonomiya ng ating mga komunidad dahil nakapagbibigay ito ng trabaho, mga produkto, at mga serbisyong kailangan sa pang araw-araw.

Ayon sa  data ng Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, ang MSMEs ay isang kritikal na sector ng ating bansa dahil they account for 99.5% ng business enterprises, 62.4% ng total employment, at 35.7% ng gross value added. Maliban dito, sila rin ay nagsisilbing valuable partners at suppliers ng mga malalaking enterprise.

Kaya’t patuloy na sinusuportahan ng BDONB ang mga MSMEs upang mapanatili at mapalago ang kanilang operasyon sa gitna ng pandemya.

Ang dating OF na si Ernesto Abad, isang electrician na nagtrabaho sa Saudi Arabia, ay nagbahagi ng kanyang kwento kung paano nakatulong ang BDONB at ang Kabuhayan Loan sa kanyang pamilya at sa kanilang negosyo lalo na ngayong pandemya.

“Dahil sa sitwasyon ng lockdown, ang buwanang padala ng asawa ko na nasa abroad ay natigil, kaya’t napakaganda ng pag-alok sa akin ng BDO [Network Bank] upang maipagpatuloy ko ‘yung aking negosyo kahit sa panahon ng pandemic,” ani Abad. 

Bilang isang trusted partner ng mga MSMEs sa business growth at sustainability, handog ng BDONB ang Kabuhayan Loan upang mabigyan ang mga MSMEs ng access sa additional capital at investment para sa kanilang stocks, sa pag-expand at pagpapalago ng kanilang negosyo.at sa pagbili ng mga business assets gaya ng delivery trucks at iba pang kailangang equipment.

Ang Kabuhayan Loan ay mayroong mabilis at simpleng application process para sa pagpapa-utang sa mga negosyante ng mula P30,000 hanggang P1,000,000 na hindi nangangailangan ng collateral. May installment options ito na 12 months hanggang 24 months, depende sa kakayahan ng isang borrower magbayad. Meron din itong kaakibat na Credit Life Insurance na nagsisilbing proteksyon ng pamilya laban sa financial burden.

Ang BDO Kabuhayan loan ay available sa lahat ng BDONB branches. Para ma-qualify sa loan, ang borrower ay dapat mayroon existing na negosyo for at least three years at nagge-generate ito ng weekly sales na di bababa sa P15,000. Magsubmit lamang ng isang valid ID, business permit, at proof of sales.  Maaari ring mag-apply online via  www.bdonetworkbank.com.ph. 

Mula May 17 hanggang July 16, 2021, 30 lucky applicants ang mananalo ng Kabuhayan Package na tig-P10,000 worth of grocery goods o SM appliances. Para sa mga inquiries tungkol sa promo, mag-send lamang ng private message sa BDO Network Bank PH Facebook page o bisitahin ang www.bdonetworkbank.com.ph/kabuhayan-loan.