Medical services are very expensive in these areas. Hospitals and health centers are often too far from these towns that almost fade into obscurity and most times, people suffer alone, said John Bermudo,PCPPI's Head of Human Resources for Visayas and Mindanao. This initiative is our way of bridging the gap by bringing the medical services closer to them.

With the purpose of providing healthcare to the underserved communities of Batad Iloilo, post-graduate interns of the Department of Health Philippine Centers for Specialized Health Care internship program partnered with Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. (PCPPI) to host a two-day medical mission in the municipality.

The project, G sa Iloilo: Reach the Unreachable, was run by the 16-member, Team G of the DOH special internship program. Along with volunteers from the municipal health office and PCPPI employees, they reached hundreds of locals in the small and medically underserved communities of Bulak Norte, Binon-an, and Cabagohan with comprehensive, holistic medical service.The internship program has a long history of providing free medical assistance to depressed areas all over the country, said team leader Melissa Caparros. Free consultation and medication were given to the locals who also enjoyed complimentary Pepsi products like Aquafina and Premier mineral water, Tropicana juice, and Gatorade.

Batad is a far-flung, rural municipality in Iloilo consisting of 24 barangays whose communities thrive off of agriculture, fishery, and manual labor. With the average daily income ranging from 200 to 300 pesos a day for a family of four to five members, locals often delay consultations and decide against seeking medical assistance from the far and expensive hospitals in the city.Though each barangay has a health center, services are usually for basic medical cases,said Batad municipal health officer, Dr. Maria dela Rosa. Being the only doctor serving all the barangays in the municipality, Dr. Dela Rosa said it can be difficult for the locals to be able to schedule check-ups or get medicine for their ailments and immediate medical needs.

They are also too scared to visit the doctors in the city because they feel they won't have enough when the prescriptions for their medicines come, said Roy Alleno, Barangay Chairman of Bulak Norte. Teodora dela Cruz, Barangay Chairman of Cabagohan agreed, Medical missions are quite rare here, this is only the fifth one in the six years I am incumbent. The residents truly appreciate it because they don't have to travel far nor pay for the medicine and the services they need. With the success of the project, Team G expressed their thanks to their partners in helping them reach out to the community.


We're very thankful for the municipal office of Batad as well as for PCPPI and its volunteer employees, said Caparros. It was very difficult for us to find big companies who were willing to sponsor this project perhaps because the area is too far. We're grateful that Pepsi Philippines believed in what we wanted to achieve. Partnering with them was beneficial to our goal because of their already strong presence in the community.

PCPPI is optimistic in planning to replicate the initiative across the region.Recently, our initiatives with the government focused on environmental projects like estero clean-ups in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural resources to prepare for the rainy season, or road side tree- planting with the Department of Public Works and Highways said Bermudo.


With today's turnout we will add and continue this program in our own list of initiatives. We are continually planning more outreaches and programs targeted to help better serve the communities who have given us their full support through the years and those that helped build us into the company we are today, like Iloilo.

Most transactions are seen as nothing more than a simple and casual exchange of services among people who need to fulfill a deal to further their respective businesses. But there are those whose transactions run deeper- like those which alter the lives of customers and clients whose ties are made stronger by a trusted and reliable logistics provider like LBC.

Vincent Rasalan, a General Surgeon by profession, has another passion: he also vends food in jars- like taba ng talangka, atchara, vinegar and the like- a business inspired by his mother who was able to support his education- from high school to medical school by selling such delicious treats.

But unlike before when his mother sold the delicacies house to house or by taking orders through phone, Vincent found a bigger market through social selling. Via his small online venture called #OnlineTalipapa, Rasalan is able to continue his mom’s legacy and reach a wider market.


Enabling Vincent with his side business is LBC, whom he has long relied on to complete his customers’ orders, whether by retail or bulk. In having a trusted partner like LBC, Vincent and many others like him, are able to free themselves from the problem of transporting products so they can, instead, focus on growing their enterprise. Vincent narrates:

“A small business such as ours needs partners we can depend on to carry out tasks which will be extremely difficult for us. We are thankful to LBC, because they have helped us deliver our goods from across cities, provinces and even, regions. They make our work easier- and have made our products more accessible to both loyal and new customers”.

LBC, for their part, is only too happy to provide a reliable platform for both traditional and online sellers and buyers so they can exchange goods and services as seamless as possible. And seeing content customers like Vincent gives LBC a fulfillment like no other knowing that they have moved lives and businesses yet again.

Famous celebrities often leave me with a bad impression. Once their popularity subsides, they tend to run out of funds to support their extravagant lifestyle as well. It's all about bad investments or just irresponsible purchases. After attending a press conference last weekend, I realized there are exceptions. Some would rather invest their hard-earned money the right way.

A press conference I attended with Piolo Pascual made me realize that everyone needs someone to look up to, whether it's a famous personality, a bigger brother, a trusted friend, or a parent.
As a son, sibling, and father, Piolo makes sure he keeps his promise to secure, protect and to provide. Financially, it is easier to keep his loved ones secured through the help of Sun Life.





“Like any other person, I want to give my family the best life possible. I am a man of my word, that’s why I work hard and seize every opportunity that comes my way,” Piolo said. “But more than just earning money, it’s how you manage your finances that makes a difference. Fortunately, I have the guidance and help of one very special lady: my very own sister, Chiqui Pascual-Gonzales, who also happens to be my Sun Life Advisor.”


Piolo states that her sister has helped him keep his promises to his family all through the years. Because of her guidance, he can still pursue his passions and advocacies without any worries. Their story is one of the many Sun Life Financial's partnerships that has developed and nurtured through the years . A new campaign has been launched, a television commercial that tells a story of Sun life's client and how Sun Life has been a part of it through her different life stages which represents Sun Life's fulfilled promises to Filipinos for the past 123 years in our country.


“As the longest-standing life insurance company in the Philippines, we have witnessed many promises being fulfilled throughout the years and have served generations of clients. It is an honor for us to serve all our clients and help them secure their future and those of their loved ones” Sun Life Chief Marketing Officer Mylene Lopa said.

“The promises we make to our loved ones are sacred, and Sun Life knows this. That’s why it’s committed to helping its clients achieve their goals, no matter what happens,” Piolo said. “You can’t ask for a better lifetime partner than that!”

Jason Drilon

As the marketing landscape continues to change in the face of new trends and technologies, digital transformation emerges as an essential response to this change. The biggest companies in the country are shaping their acquisitions and strategies to fit a digital, fully integrated future.

Havas Ortega has stepped up to the plate by setting up its own Build & Innovation team, headed by creative technologist Jason Drilon, whose career spans over a decade and a half in providing innovative and creative solutions for some of the

Havas Ortega responds to the call of digital transformation and the innovation mindset – Jason Drilon to lead Build & Innovation team

largest brands in the world. Drilon’s body of work includes years in BBDO Guerrero, JimenezBasic Advertising, Ogilvy and Mather, and Bates 141.

Drilon previously worked at Havas Ortega between 2011 and 2015 as their Head of User Experience + Technology and Creative Collaborator. He worked in an internal unit, Collab, which integrated several disciplines, including design and technology, to provide innovative and creative ideas for Havas’ brands. During this time, he was instrumental in developing Havas Media APAC’s HEARTbot (Havas Engagement-Activated Response Technology Robot), a platform that can connect social media behavior such as likes and hashtags to electronic switches that can turn on lights or activate machines. The project sought to help brands achieve more meaningful connections with their consumers, through engagement and participation.

He was then given the opportunity to work at The LEGO Group in Billund, Denmark, where he stayed for two years as the Lead Content Strategist for LEGO City, LEGO Minifigures, LEGO BOOST and LEGO House. He was in charge of UX design for desktop and mobile, digital content strategies, ideation and production, and digital project management on these brands, cementing his multi-disciplinary expertise in technology, strategy, and creative solutions.

Drilon’s homecoming to Havas Ortega marks the beginning of the agency’s next leap into digital transformation. Heading the Build & Innovation team, he will help provide innovative solutions that leverage the latest technologies and trends in design, and build apps, platforms, and user experiences for Havas Ortega’s clients.

“Innovation is an oft-misused term in the industry that just wants to grasp at anything new. My goal is to provide solutions and strategies that are truly innovative in meaningful ways, which engage with consumers and their needs. I’m happy to be working once more with Havas Ortega and seeing what I can contribute in this digital era. My experience outside the country has certainly given me brand-new perspectives, and I’d like to take this opportunity to give back,” Drilon said of his appointment.

Havas Ortega responds to the call of digital transformation and the innovation mindset – Jason Drilon to lead Build & Innovation team

CEO Jos Ortega looks forward to the work of the Build & Innovation team, advancing his vision of the agency providing a truly integrated marketing and communications solution for their clients. “Digital isn’t the future – it’s the present. Through our Build & Innovation team, Havas Ortega will help more brands achieve their business objectives with creative solutions tailored to the digital era.”

Organizations around the world are undergoing transformation fueled by cloud, artificial intelligence, mixed reality and the Internet of Things. These technologies are helping businesses and society reach new heights – retail is becoming more personal, banking is becoming more seamless, and healthcare is becoming more predictive and preventive.

At the heart of these incredible stories of transformation – and more – are Microsoft partners. The Microsoft partner ecosystem is a group of hundreds of thousands of organizations driving positive, global impact. Building everything from line-of-business apps to industry-specific solutions on Dynamics 365 to gaming experiences, these companies are a natural extension of the team at Microsoft, delivering cutting-edge technology to millions of customers.

Microsoft sees its partner’s success as its own and is squarely focused on delivering a true, two-way partnership with its partner network. In this year’s Inspire 2018, Microsoft announced new programs, tools and resources to help partners innovate, grow and differentiate their businesses.

Delivering innovation through apps and services

Whether they’re building apps or services, Microsoft partners need access to the latest technology from Microsoft and guidance on how to extend that technology to build tailor-made solutions.

Microsoft recently announced exciting new innovations in Microsoft 365, including a free version of Teams, new intelligent events capabilities, the Workplace Analytics teamwork solution and more. The tech company also announced new cloud, apps and data technologies including Azure Data Box Disk, Azure Virtual WAN, Azure Firewall and more.

Microsoft partners will be able to leverage these new offerings to help customers embrace and innovate in the modern workplace and continue to help customers in their journey to the cloud.


In addition to new technologies, Microsoft released new Digital Transformation eBooks, and practice-building playbooks, expanding on the popular resources already leveraged by tens of thousands of partners looking to build and enhance their practices.



Enabling greater customer reach

In Microsoft’s third quarter, Azure revenue grew by 93 percent, with partners driving a considerable portion of that growth. To build on this great momentum, Microsoft is doing two new things to fuel partner growth – leaning on its marketplaces and enhancing AppSource as the entry point for selling with Microsoft, as well as improving go-to-market benefits for partners to help them grow their businesses.

The new marketplace capabilities include integrated partner-to-partner solutions, private offers, and expanded consulting services. Each of these new capabilities provides partners new ways to get solutions in front of a bigger base of customers and to provide them with a better buying experience. It is Microsoft’s focus to connect partners with customers.

Microsoft is also providing greater flexibility and more opportunities to unlock new benefits that help partners go to market. Starting later this year, partners with competencies will have a choice of benefits packages based on their business focus. Microsoft is expanding core benefits to include access to services that support generating leads, improving lead velocity and increasing close rates for app or service offerings.

Showcasing partner specialization

For Microsoft partners, specialization is key to growth. Microsoft seeks to do more to help customers find the right partners with the right solutions. At Inspire 2018, the tech company announced new ways for partners to demonstrate their proven expertise to customers with the introduction of new advanced specializations and the new Microsoft Azure Expert MSP initiative. Partners can now demonstrate that they have the right capabilities to help with specific customer business challenges.

At last year’s Inspire, Microsoft initiated a new journey with its partners, with a commitment to their success. In the world of Digital Transformation, everyone needs an ecosystem, and a partnership with Microsoft is a partnership with its ecosystem. Together, Microsoft and its partners are in a position to take advantage of the unprecedented $4.5 trillion opportunity and unleash the power of true partnership to unlock incredible growth and success – for each other, and for their customers.