Boracay at 50% off

Thanks to Cebu Pacific’s 50% promo fare, I have booked my husband and I roundtrip tickets to Boracay in June 2010 to attend a friend’s wedding.

Regular fare for Manila-Kalibo-Manila is PhP4,600 for two persons (if booked at least six months in advance). Happily, I was able to get P2,980+ for two persons. A great deal, huh?

Press Release: BPI, Globe to boost microfinance

BPI and Globe Telecom move to further fulfill the needs of microfinance industry in the Philippines. Its new venture, BPI Globe BanKO, is a mobile savings bank with microfinance as its main thrust.

Back in 1989, BPI was the first commercial bank to grant loans to microfinance institutions (MFIs) for funding through the BPI Foundation. In 2006, the BPI Microfinance Unit was formally incorporated into the bank’s business.

BPI Globe BanKO will absorb and expand the wholesale microfinance portfolio of BPI. With BPI Globe BanKO, the three companies aim to reach out to the untapped microfinance market in the country by providing microfinance institutions (MFIs) much needed funding and development programs.

“The gap between demand and supply for microfinance funding is immense. Based on the figures released by Asian Development Bank for 2007, only eight percent of the demand was met. BPI Globe BanKO will work hand-in-hand with MFIs to service the entrepreneurial poor even at the base of the economic pyramid,” says Teresita B. Tan, BPI Globe BanKO’s President. The bank is a synergy of the three companies, harnessing Ayala’s thrust for sustainable development, BPI’s expertise in financial services, and Globe Telecom’s innovative technology.

“Our strategy is to provide innovative products and services, establish a market-oriented ecosystem, and utilize of alternative low-cost channels of delivery,” adds Tan.  

The new BPI Globe BanKO features strong service for wholesale microfinance, providing MFIs with four major services: wholesale microfinance loans, capacity-building loans, electronic banking, and partnerships with international guarantors.

Capacity-building programs are also made available to MFIs through BPI Globe BanKO’s partnership with Ateneo de Manila University’s Institute of Social Sciences. The program brings trainers to MFIs located in various areas of the Philippines, conducting courses on various areas ranging from governance and portfolio management to product development and MIS.

BPI Globe BanKO is set to open its main office at Greenhills in 23 February 2010.

Press Release: Get started on fitness at Unilab Run United for Wellness

Starting a healthy lifestyle is made easy with Unilab Run United for Wellness at the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig on March 7.

Unilab Run United for Wellness is a health and wellness event for the family with running as a core activity. Besides the 3 km, 5 km, 10 km, and 21 km categories for adults, there is also a 500 meter dash for kids to help parents get their children started on a fitness lifestyle.

Family members can also consult for free with running coaches and fitness experts at the Unilab Wellness Village. It is divided into health zones such as Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Children’s Health, Seniors’ Health, and General Adults’ Health to cater to the specific needs of each family member. Aside from free consultations, the health zones also have interactive games and challenges that family members can enjoy.

Runners and their families can register online at www.unilabwellnessevents.com.ph until Feb. 15 or through in-store registration at Runnr store at The Fort and Planetsports outlets in Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Rockwell, Glorietta, Alabang Town Center, SM Mall of Asia, SM North EDSA, and Marquee Mall Pampanga starting Jan. 30 until Feb. 28.

Unilab Run United for Wellness is the first corporate-initiated wellness event of Unilab, the country’s largest and leading pharmaceutical and healthcare company that’s behind trusted brands like Alaxan, Ceelin, Enervon, Myra E, Skelan, and Solmux, among many others.

Organized by Finishline for the run and AdStaunch for the wellness village, the event is also made possible by partners like New Balance, Timex, Fitness First, Summit Water, 100Plus, Nature Valley, Photovendo, Bullrunner, and Run Radio.

P&M’s Take on Bogus Buyers

I’m a member of a few Multiply groups and everyday, I get email notices of blog entries. Aside from “For Sale” posts, I often see “Bogus Buyers/Sellers” posts.

As an online seller  and buyer, I can relate to a lot online buyers who get scammed by sellers. We work hard to earn money and we end up losing it because of crooks who want to earn quick bucks.

But buyers are partly to blame. Buyers must exercise common sense and prudence when buying online. The old cliche still works. If it’s too good to be true, it must be.

But my beef is really those blog entries ranting against bogus buyers.

If it’s in eBay, fine. When you bid on an item on eBay, it is considered a contract and, just like in any contract, you must honor what’s stated there. Because eBay takes pride in its feedback mechanism, eBay requires that winning bidders pay the sellers. And eBay has a resolution center for sellers with buyers who didn’t pay for the items.

But whether you have a non-paying buyer in eBay, Multiply or any other online store, why rant publicly about them? Why bother posting all the private information of the buyer? Why raise hell against those who didn’t push through with the transaction? Why waste a lot of time and effort against that one person.

Sellers, when you rant about your customers, it tells the world what kind of seller you are. It says a lot of what kind of customer service you bring. And as a buyer myself, I wouldn’t buy anything from you. I wouldn’t even inquire lest I be accused of being a bogus buyer.

Here’s the thing. I find it disrespectful of sellers to post the names of their “bogus buyers.” Personally, if a buyer chooses not to buy your item, it’s her choice and all you should do is move on. Even if she promised to buy, it’s not a sale until you get the payment.

If the idea of a “bogus buyer” does exist (except in eBay), then I guess it would also be okay for brick-and-mortar store owners to also shout from the top of their lungs if someone enters their stores, try out their wares, and then leave.

Please, sellers, grow up! There are other buyers out there who may be interested in your items. If you rant against a “bogus buyer” for not buying your wares, maybe she was right for not paying you. With an attitude like that, who wants to be your customer?

“Do you have smaller bills?”

“Ma’am/sir, do you have smaller bills?”

How many of us have encountered this? This is an all-too familiar scenario. You go to a high-traffic grocery, buy something, give a PhP500 or PhP1,000 bill and the cashier asks, “Ma’am, do you have smaller bills?” or “Sir, do you have PhP3?”

It’s quite annoying and disconcerting at times when you hear cashiers ask this. I find it odd that establishments that have a high volume of people (like groceries, fast food) often ran out of loose change. Isn’t it the store manager’s responsibility to ensure that the cash registers always have enough change?

I know that individuals buy small items from groceries to get smaller bills. When you have a PhP1,000 bill and you have no small bills to ride the bus, you go to a fast food store or grocery, buy the cheapest thing possible, and hope that the cashier would give you loose change. But once you reach the counter, you get asked with “Ma’am, do you have smaller bills?”

I myself do this. At times, it’s okay. At times, when I’m not in the mood, I just want to snap and say, “Obviously, I don’t!” But I just keep quiet.

How about you? Have you encountered this? And what do you do?

Takbo na sa Run United for Wellness

For all running enthusiasts and aspiring runners, registration for Unilab’s Run United for Wellness is now open. To register, just visit the Run United for Wellness website.

Here’s the Run United poster for other details:

Join Unilab’s Run UNITED for Wellness

More details to follow…