Shopee Starts 2020 with Cashback Sale

Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, jumpstarts 2020 with great saving options at the Shopee New Year Cashback Sale. Shoppers can enjoy up to 20% cashback from their purchases and free shipping with ₱0 minimum spend today, January 15.

Ruoshan Tao, Head of Marketing, Shopee Philippines, said, “Shopee had a successful year last 2019 and we are very thrilled to kickstart the decade with a smarter way to shop. We invite all our users to join in the Shopee New Year Cashback Sale to enjoy up to 20% cashback on their purchased items.”

Highlights of the Shopee New Year Cashback sale on January 15

20% Cashback Daily

Users can earn Shopee coins up to 20% of their spend across different categories by using upsized cashback vouchers. In addition, Shopee offers thousands of sitewide cashback vouchers including category cashback, and limited quantity 50% and 100% cashback vouchers.

Free Shipping 

There will also be sitewide free shipping with ₱0 minimum spend

Find out more about Shopee New Year Cashback Sale at https://shopee.ph/new-year-sale. 

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

Jollitown Castle Promises Royal Adventure

Jollibee is starting 2020 with an exciting royal offering for kids! Its Jollitown Castle, the newest set of Jolly Kiddie Meal toys, is set to make every kid's fairytale dreams come true and enjoy hours of playtime building a wondrous Jollitown fortress with five new and exciting connectible pieces.

Jolly Kids can let a caped Jollibee rule the Jollitown Castle by moving a knob to let him raise his scepter for everyone in the kingdom to see. Little queens can let Hetty shine as they place her inside the castle’s turret and watch her gown light up in changing colors with a push of a button. Junior knights can also embark on an adventure with Yum, as they move his arm and shield with a push of a lever behind his back.

Little princesses can prepare Twirlie for a magical royal ball by illuminating her gown, while princes-in-training can join Popo in guarding the castle as they make him wield his sword by moving a knob.

Collect and connect all the Jollitown Castle toys to build your royal fortress with every purchase of a Yumburger (P80), Yumburger Meal with Drink (P100), Jolly Spaghetti (P95), Jolly Spaghetti Meal with Drink (P105), 1-piece Burger Steak (P95), 1-piece Burger Steak Meal with Drink (P105), 1-piece Chickenjoy with rice (P122), or 1-piece Chickenjoy Meal with Drink (P137), each with its own Jolly Joy Box. 

The Jollitown Castle is available until January 31 only in all Jollibee stores. Visit your nearest Jollibee branch to collect all five toys!

Expiring beep™ cards can now be extended for only P10

AF Payments, Inc., the operator of the beep™ card tap-and-go payment system, on Friday announced that cardholders whose beep™ cards are due to expire this year can now extend the validity of their cards by one year through the company’s Expiry Date Extension Program for only ten pesos. Beep cardholders do not have to buy a new card or worry about losing their card load when their current card expires.

This offer is valid for standard beep™ cards with a minimum balance of ten pesos and will run until December 2020.Concessionary beep™cards (for Senior Citizens and PWDs) will be extended free of charge.

Cards can be extended sixty (60) days prior and sixty days after the expiry date printed on the card (for example, passengers with cards that expire at the end of December 2019 may extend their card at one of the extension terminals between 01 November 2019 and2 9February 2020). The new expiry date will be based on the same month as the original expiry date with one year added (for example, the new expiry date for a card valid until end December 2019 will be the end of December 2020).

beep™ cards with less than P10 load balance (excluding Concessionary Cards) and blacklisted cards are not eligible for the one-year extension, alongside cards with expiry dates that do not fall within the period specified for the extension (60 days prior and 60 days after the printed expiry date).

Extension terminals are available in six stations of LRT1 and in the Cubao station of MRT3. AF Payments is working with the rail lines to add more extension terminals in the coming months.

As mandated by the Concession Agreement, beep™ cards have a four-year expiry period.The expiry period has been set to ensure the cards remain functional and secure. Upon further assessment, however, AFPI deemed it safe to extend the expiry period by one year. In addition, the company will assess if further extensions can be made.

According to AFPI Marketing Head Agnes Padilla, the extension program is helpful especially for those who want to save money. “With our one-year expiry date extension program, cardholders no longer need to buy a new card or spendP150 to transfer any remaining balance from the old to a new card.”

For the full terms and conditions of the beep™ card expiry date extension program and the full list of stations with card extension devices, visit beep’s website at https://www.beeptopay.com/home.html and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Sykes Ends 2019 with Memorable Year-End Celebration

With millions in cash prizes and giveaways, one of the country’s biggest rock bands in attendance, and fan-favorite video characters come to life, it was indeed another memorable grand Year-End Celebration (YEC) for employees of the top BPO company in the country - SYKES. Around 5,000 SYKES employees, also referred to as SYKESers, flocked the halls of the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City last Dec. 15 to take a well-deserved break and party with their peers.

The annual YEC and holiday party is SYKES’ way of recognizing the hard work and dedication of its employees and celebrating the company’s achievements for the year.

“This year was nothing short of amazing for SYKES which honestly wouldn’t be possible without the employees who made and continue to make our 2019 as great as it is. We wanted to reward their loyalty and celebrate their genuine contributions, so we hold this annual Year-End Celebration where they take the spotlight, showcase their talents and skills outside work, and simply have fun with their work family─no holds barred. We really went all-out this year,” said Lia Lynn Marcos, Sr. Director for Regional Human Resources (APAC) at Sykes Asia Inc.

Dubbed “Level Up,” #SYKESYEC2019 had popular video games throughout the years as its main theme. Employees arrived in jaw-dropping and elaborate costumes inspired by their favorite video game characters, while others flaunted their gaming chops on the classic arcade machines that decked the SMX halls. Popular video game content creator and cosplayer Alodia Gosiengfiao graced the event as host, alongside actor and commercial model Will Devaughn, who both arrived as famous game characters.

SYKES Recognizes its Game Changers and Innovators

The annual year-end celebration is also an avenue for SYKES to recognize the best among the best of its employees. SYKES Services Awardees who have exemplified loyalty and commitment to the company for the past 10, 15, and 20 years were celebrated onstage, while the SYKES Outdoor Club was recognized as the SYKES Choices Club of the Year for their many projects that help promote work-life balance and care for the community. One of their most recent projects include the “Food for Every Juan” program. They traveled to the far-flung community of Lubo, Kalinga to spend time with the children affected by Typhoon Rosita and provide food and multivitamins.

At SYKES, employees take great pride in representing their respective teams in the highly anticipated talent showcase. This year’s Employee Competition featured four groups from the main SYKES business units in Manila. The teams performed their video game-inspired dance numbers for a chance at the whopping PHP100,000 prize, which in the end went to the TNT (Tech n’ Telco) Squad for their blazing performance.

Two cosplaying employees were also awarded PHP10,000 each for taking the time to put together their wonderful costume. Throughout the night, SYKES was also giving away raffle prizes like TVs, smartphones, and on-trend game consoles.

SYKESers Work Hard, but Party Harder

Well-known personalities also joined in on the festivities. Legit Status, the official Philippine representative to the annual World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Las Vegas, opened the event to the delight of the audience. Meanwhile, Legit Status Coach Japheth Reyes, The Manoeuvers founding member Joshua Zamora, and dancer/choreographer Mickey Perz judged the Employee Competition.

Bringing the house down was iconic Filipino rock band Kamikazee whose rousing musical set pumped up the crowd. SYKESers danced, sang, and rocked as one as they filled the venue.

To cap off the night, SYKES raffled off more than Php1.5 Million in prizes, with one SYKESer going home with a check of PHP 100,000.

Few companies can claim that they successfully provide the work-life balance that employees today demand. With employee-driven initiatives such as the annual Year-End Celebration, multinational business process outsourcer and industry pioneer SYKES proved that it’s one of them. Truly, these efforts make SYKES one of the country’s leading BPO employers in the country and throughout the world.

How to Successfully Grow Your Brand?

The Entrepreneurs & Freelancers Forum 2020

Every year, millions of people make New Year's resolutions. Such a gesture comes hope to spark positive change. And for most industrious individuals, they aspire to strive for success and be happy in all aspects of their lives.

Thus, very timely is The Entrepreneurs and Freelancers Forum 2020. The event gathers aspiring and successful business owners and freelance professionals under one roof to share knowledge, experiences, and aspirations. This helps individuals hasten the growth of their businesses and their professions.  Both aspiring and successful entrepreneurs will all the more gain the needed confidence and inspiration to strive for success and the right mindset to either start, manage, or grow a business. 

More than the inspiration, though, the forum aims to give guests and spectators a deeper understanding of an entrepreneur’s and freelancer’s life. They will also get to know firsthand a businessman's personal experiences through the lined up powerful talks. Attendees also get the chance to mingle with each industry's game-changers. And lastly, they can get to showcase their products and services to increase awareness for their brand.

All these and definitely more are what to expect on January 11, 2020, Saturday. The forum is set from 8 am to 5 pm at the Bayanihan Center in Pioneer Street, Pasig.

If you want to jumpstart 2020 pretty accurately, The Entrepreneurs and Freelance Forum 2020 is a good start.  Don't miss it. Bonus are sponsor booths and chance to win fabulous raffle prizes.

Updates and further information are available at www.EFF2020.com

What You Need to Know Before Thinking of Moving Out

Are you in your 20s, got a decent paying job and excited to live on your own? Before you decide to pack the bags,  pause for a while to read through this and check if you are ready for the big move.

Hardwork. Living on your own means doing everything by yourself. So if you’re the type who just slept, ate, and studied at home, with minimal to no contribution to household chores, then you’re in for a big surprise. You’ll have to go to the supermarket, do the laundry, clean the house, cook your food, etc. Do not fret! There are a lot of available services to help you get through these, week in and week out. Supermarket shopping is now available online. There are a lot of laundry shops which deliver clothes folded and even pressed. You can hire hourly house cleaners for any cleaning requirement. And food delivery is available everywhere. But of course, these would cost you more than doing the chores yourself.

Discipline. Living on your own means your own pace, your own rules. You get to enjoy a lot of freedom but this can also be easily abused. Like eating too much junk food, staying up late, drinking too much alcohol, shopping like crazy. You have to learn to strike a balance especially in managing your finances. Remember, you now have monthly bills to pay – rent or amortization, electricity, water, internet, association dues, credit card, etc. For these, you can go to eonbankph.com or EON Bank PH app to pay. It’s a 24/7, one-stop shop for more than a thousand billers. You won’t have to go to different sites or physical branches to settle your bills. Just sign-up for an EON account and fund it to gain access to all their services. You can select all your bills payment transactions, enter the required details for each and then check out in one go. It’s so convenient! No need to scramble for bills or coins. You can pay the exact amount up to the last centavo! Best of all, you’re sure not to lose your proof of payment since the receipt is emailed to you.

Maturity. Living on your own means living alone, independent of other people. You’ll learn to eat and sleep alone, care for yourself when you’re sick, face problems and challenges by yourself, deal with your own fears like ghosts, thieves, black outs, and even the feeling of missing home. Be assured that through all of these, you will grow into a responsible and mature individual ready to face anything that may come your way. 

Still considering moving out? Well go for it! It may be a difficult journey but for sure it’s something you will be proud of.

Christmas Gift Ideas on a Budget

Christmas is right around the corner and you are probably knee-deep in holiday festivities. With the hustle and bustle of work and Christmas parties, do you really have time to shop for gifts at the mall? 

Don’t worry, Shopee’s got you covered! Shop millions of products with the click of a button and have them delivered straight to your home. 

Here are 10 last-minute Christmas gift ideas you can get on Shopee for under ₱500:

Animated Socks starting at ₱40 

Everybody knows someone who loves to express themselves. Give those friends and loved ones cute and quirky socks - the best way to low-key represent what they love. 

Cartoon Animals Cotton Low Socks on Shopee is one shop you may opt to visit.

Scented Candles starting at ₱99

Candles are perfect for setting the mood for a cozy night indoors and also add a touch of elegance to any home. With a variety of scents to choose from, you’ll definitely find the right one for that special someone. 

Shopee recommends the Candle-Lite Company 3-Wick Candle CREAMY VANILLA SWIRL.

Tumblers starting at ₱100 

Keep beverages hot or cold for hours with a sturdy tumbler. This is a great gift that will not only lessen single-use plastics, but will remind your friends to drink more every day. 

Several Stainless steel Tumblers are available on Shopee.

Reusable Straws starting at ₱109 

Switching to reusable straws has become an easy first step to becoming more sustainable. Save the turtles by giving someone a reusable straw that comes in different materials like bamboo, silicone, glass, or stainless steel. 

How about checking out the Eco Strawz Reusable Stainless Steel Drinking Straw Set on Shopee?

Portable speakers starting at ₱140 

At the beach with friends and need something to liven up the mood? Blast your favorite tunes wherever you are with portable speakers. This is not only a useful gift, but is definitely a party staple that everyone should have. 

You can find the Original Charge G2 Portable Mini Bluetooth Speaker on Shopee

Electric Lunch Box starting at ₱249 

They say food is the way to a person’s heart. So why not be a little extra and give someone a self-heating lunch box to bring to work or school? 

We recommend the Electric Heating Lunch Box on Shopee.

Diffuser starting at ₱250

Let your friends live their best tita or tito life with a diffuser. Get them hooked on this therapeutic device that can help ease illnesses and stress when paired with the perfect essential oils. 

One recommendation you may consider is the 500ml 7 LED Color Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser on Shopee

Board Games or Card Games starting at ₱299 

Need a new way to spend time with your family or barkada? Board games are enjoyable for both kids and adults! Gather your whole family or group of friends together and have some healthy competition with these games. 

The Exploding Kittens on Shopee is one shop we highly recommend visiting. 

Barbecue Grill starting at ₱340 

Want to satisfy your samgyupsal cravings, but don’t want to leave the comforts of home? A barbeque grill or pan is ideal to have Korean barbeque wherever you are, even at your Noche Buena. 

The Portable Stainless Steel Barbecue Grill on Shopee is one option you may want to consider. 

Coffee Maker starting at ₱399 

We all know someone who can’t function without coffee, so you can never go wrong with giving your loved ones a coffee maker to help start their mornings right. 

We recommend the French Press Coffee Maker on Shopee.

Have a stress-free shopping experience with these 10 great Christmas gift ideas. We understand the struggle to think of the perfect gift for someone, but Shopee Philippines has millions of products to choose from, across various categories. Let Shopee make your Christmas shopping easier by helping you avoid long lines at the mall, while availing of discounts, promos, and free shipping. Merry Christmas and enjoy your last-minute shopping! 

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play. 

Shopee 12.12 breaks all records

Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, breaks all records with over 80 million visits and items sold.  This record-breaking performance happens its Shopee 12.12 Big Christmas Sale. 

 Associate Director at Shopee Philippines Martin Yu says that the strong results show that people from all walks of life trust Shopee to deliver the best online shopping experience. Yu confirms, too, that year after year, they continue to see more users from both big and small cities buying and selling a wide variety of items. Shopee has become the go-to, everyday shopping app for everyone in the region.  Given this, Shopee commits to make e-commerce even simpler and more accessible for all.

E-commerce is fast becoming a daily norm in users’ lives

Shopee is fast becoming the go-to online shopping platform for users in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. According to iPrice’s Q3 2019 e-commerce report, Shopee is the most visited e-commerce website on desktop and mobile web across the region. It is also the top-ranking app in the Shopping category by average monthly active users across Southeast Asia. 

Users are also increasingly relying on Shopee to purchase their everyday products. Daily essentials such as power banks, wet wipes, and makeup foundation emerged as some of the top-selling products in the Philippines on December 12. 

In addition, users are becoming more resourceful in obtaining information before making a purchase. A total of 180,000 hours were clocked across Shopee Live streams over the entire event period, as users engaged with their favorite brands and sellers in real-time to get information on the latest hot-selling products. 

Across the region on December 12:

● The total number of diapers sold on December 12 can last a baby for 12,002 years

● The total number of smartphones sold can cover 3 football fields

The success of Shopee 12.12 Big Christmas Sale signals growing trust and participation in online shopping

The success of the Shopee 12.12 Big Christmas Sale also showcases increasing confidence in online shopping in the region. Users outside capital cities are also increasingly going online to sell or buy products they previously never had access to. In the Philippines, areas such as South Luzon and North Luzon experienced the highest shopping activity. Some of the top-selling local products include makeup pouches, iPhone cases, and stainless metal straw sets. 

Yu closed, “The Shopee 12.12 Big Christmas Sale marks the end of an outstanding 2019. We have achieved so much in the past year but what stands out the most is the unwavering support we’ve received from our users, sellers, brands, and partners. As we look ahead to 2020, we will continuously elevate the Shopee experience and unlock the full potential of e-commerce for all.” 

Royce Welcomes Christmas 2019!

Royce Hotel and Casino officially recently welcomed the Christmas Season with the lighting of its 35-foot tall outdoor Christmas tree. The enormous tree lights up the night skies of the Clark Freeport Zone. 

The celebration kicked-off with Royce Casino General Manager Mr. William Avendaño and Hotel Resident Manager Mr. Orlan Castillo leading guests and visitors. RCC Chorale, the two-time champion at the Awit Paskuhan Choir Competition, set the mood for a merrier Christmas. The Royce Chorale followed giving a heartwarming rendition of classic Christmas songs. Traditional Christmas food booths of puto bumbong, tsokolate, suman, and bibingka were on the grounds for all the guests to enjoy.

Coinciding with the lighting ceremony is Royce Hotel and Casino’s Appreciation Night, wherein top-performing clients and suppliers received recognition.

MakatiMed bags international Gold Status for stroke practice

Makati Medical Center, one of the top hospitals in the Philippines, has qualified for the 2019 Q2 Gold Category Award and was recognized during the Asia Pacific Stroke Conference-WSO Regional Meeting held at SMX Convention Center. 

The WSO ANGELS Award, an initiative by the World Stroke Organization (WSO) and Acute Network Striving for Excellence in Stroke (ANGELS), is given to hospitals that provide excellent delivery of care and treatment to patients suffering from an acute stroke. The award is also a platform for WSO to acknowledge quality stroke care and honor the teams and organizations which go above and beyond in the care for their patients. 

WSO’s mission is to provide access to stroke care and to promote research and teaching in this area that will improve the care of stroke victims throughout the world. 

The award makes MakatiMed the first private hospital in the country to bag such recognition, a testament to the institution’s best practice in stroke management. Other organizations that qualified were from Argentina, Columbia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand. 

For more information, please contact MakatiMed On-Call at +632.88888 999, email mmc@makatimed.net.ph, or visit www.makatimed.net.ph.