SM CITY BALIWAG WELCOMES UPDATED STORE AND MUST TRY DESSERTS

A sweet yet healthy frozen delight awaits at Fairy Yogurt now open at the ground level of SM City Baliwag. (Photo by Facebook.com /Fairy Yogurt)

With just a few months before the much-awaited Yuletide season, SM City Baliwag gives shoppers many reasons to create moments at the mall- one of these is the exciting food concepts, updated store for an elevated dining experience.

Bulakenyos will look forward to a better pizza experience as Greenwich opens its revamped store at the ground level of SM City Baliwag. Known to bring only the real and fresh dining experience, Wendy’s welcome everyone into their store’s modern look perfect for group of family and friends. More so, the contemporary interiors creates an enticing ambience that adds joy to the much-anticipated menus the store has to offer.

Look forward to a best pizza feast as Greenwich opens its fresh and updated look at the ground level of SM City Baliwag. 

Lovers of all things sweet may rejoice as SM City Baliwag welcomes dessert treats Yumto Float and Fairy Yogurt.

Satisfy your mango dreams with Yumto Float. Compliment your meal with overly delightful taste of this new store’s sweet flavors- Mango and Graham, Mango and Fruit Salad, Mango and Cheese, Mango and Leche Flan, and Mango Slush. All of these are served with fresh carabao’s milk for a taste you cannot afford to miss.

The mango craze never stops at SM City Baliwag’s Yumto Float. Indulge at this new store’s sweet flavors- Mango and Graham, Mango and Fruit Salad, Mango and Cheese, Mango and Leche Flan, and Mango Slush.

Fancy foodies are up to a sweet and Instagram worthy dessert with Fairy Yogurt. A healthy alternative to the classic frozen favorites, Fairy Yogurt is served with high quality yogurt with the right amount of taste everyone will love. Create your own magical Fairy Yogurt dessert that comes in different sizes- as little as pixie, medium or dwarf, and large called as fairy queen. There also comes titania size yogurt that lets you play with your imagination by letting you add three toppings of your choice. Add-ons include fruits, cereals and syrup.

Explore and dig in at these new and exciting flavors at SM City Baliwag’s ground level. For more updates, follow SM City Baliwag at Facebook and Instagram.

Jollibee welcomes multi-talented Maja Salvador as the newest face of Super Meals

Multi-faceted TV star joins the Jollibee family

Jollibee proudly introduces the latest member of its ever-growing family of endorsers—actress, dancer, and singer Maja Salvador as the newest face of Jollibee Super Meals.

Maja Salvador, a self-professed loyal Jollibee fan since childhood, was a natural choice for the Philippines’ leading fast food company to endorse Jollibee Super Meals thanks to her many talents that made her an enduring icon of Philippine showbiz for 16 years. The all-star offering puts together Jollibee’s iconic and best-tasting favorites—Chickenjoy, Burger Steak, and Jolly Spaghetti—in one meal!

“We’re really happy to welcome Maja to our Jollibee family,” says Joseph Aruta, Jollibee Senior Marketing Manager for Value Platforms Category. “With her multiple talents of exceptional acting, singing, and dancing and her long, enduring, and award-winning career in entertainment, we couldn’t find anyone else who’s a better fit for Jollibee Super Meals. We’re so excited about the stories we could tell with Maja.”

Salvador reveals that she and her family have been huge Jollibee fans since her childhood to the present, always having her favorite Jollibee meals during both special occasions and regular cravings. She loves combining different Jollibee favorites whenever she eats, especially when she’s super hungry. This is where the Super Meals, with all the iconic items already combined, come in really handy.

“With Super Meals, nandoon lahat. They’re such a crowd favorite! Jollibee really understood the needs of the practical Pinoys!” she says. “When they want to treat themselves to some good food, they still want something sulit and complete with all their favorites.”

The Super Meals are also a great stress reliever for Salvador in her work. “Pag sobrang hirap ng scenes ko sa mga teleserye, sasabihin ko talaga, ‘I deserve to eat my favorite meals!’ Lahat kakainin ko, may combinations, Chickenjoy and Spaghetti, or Burger Steak and Spaghetti,” she shares.

Jollibee also released their first Super Meals commercial with Maja Salvador, showcasing her showbiz prowess and talents. The TVC shines a deserving spotlight on her super amazing talents in acting, singing, and dancing, showing how having all these skills and pulling them off exceptionally made her a true Filipino crowd favorite for so many years, much like people’s all-time favorites Chickenjoy, Burger Steak, and Jolly Spaghetti being put together in one Super Meal for them to easily enjoy.

Get the Chickenjoy with Burger Steak and Half Jolly Spaghetti Super Meal for only PHP 150, Chickenjoy with 3-pcs. Shanghai and Half Jolly Spaghetti Super Meal for PHP 132, or the Yumburger with Half Jolly Spaghetti and Regular Fries Super Meal for PHP 102. All products come with rice and drink to complete the meal! These are available for dine-in, take-out, drive-thru, and delivery, in all Jollibee stores nationwide.

For more updates and info on Jollibee products, like Jollibee Philippines on Facebook, subscribe to Jollibee Studios on YouTube, and follow @jollibee on Twitter and Instagram.

*Prices may vary.

Journey into a one-of-a-kind play course with Jolly Treetop Adventure

Jolly Kids who seek thrilling adventures are in for an exciting playtime this October with the latest set of Jolly Kiddie Meal toys, the Jolly Treetop Adventure!




With the newest set of connectible toys from the country’s #1 fast-food chain, kids can discover different ways of having a treetop adventure with Jollibee and Friends as they swing, spin, slide, and glide around the tree.




Little explorers can join Jollibee in his tree-top swing by pushing down the bug on the trunk. They can also help Hetty collect fresh water by rotating the knob of her wheel, or play with Popo by rotating the tree branch nestled around him.

Jolly Kids can also let Twirlie slide from the sky by moving the lever upward when she reaches the ground and watch Yum fly around the tree in his cable-suspended ride when they spin his wheel counter-clockwise.




Collect and connect all five Jolly Kiddie Meal toys 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 coming with its own Jolly Joy Box.




Let your kids marvel through trees as they go on an exhilarating outdoor adventure with Jollibee and Friends. Help them build their own Jolly Treetop Adventure site, available until October 31, 2019 only. Hurry and start collecting all five Jolly Kiddie Meal toys today by visiting the Jollibee branch nearest you!

RCBC, Liga ng mga Barangay work towards financial inclusion

DISKARTECH AS A NATIONAL FINANCIAL INCLUSION ACCELERATOR PROGRAM. The Liga ng mga Barangay, led by its National President Eden Pineda, recently presented its National Executive Board Resolution to RCBC Chairperson Helen Yuchengco Dee. Also in photo are (from left) RCBC Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation and Inclusion Officer Lito Villanueva and RCBC President and CEO Eugene S. Acevedo, Chairman James Marty Lim, and Executive Director Jel R. Jiongco. The strategic collaboration will focus on accelerating financial literacy, promoting inclusive digital economy, and empowering local communities. This supports the government digitalization efforts aligned with President Duterte’s 10-point economic agenda on investing on human capital development, and promoting technology and innovation for self-sustaining and inclusive development towards poverty alleviation. This will cover all 42,000 barangays nationwide.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) has taken the first steps to bringing its digital financial inclusion initiative to grassroots communities as it gets the support and commitment of Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas (LNB).

The LNB led by National President Eden Pineda, presented its national executive board resolution stating that the organization is adopting DiskarTech: Kasosyo sa Asenso as a growth enabler and capacity-building measure for microenterprises in every barangay and its constituents. DiskarTech is a financial inclusion accelerator platform by RCBC that aims to stimulate economic activity to help uplift the unbanked and underserved Filipinos.

The strategic collaboration will focus on accelerating financial literacy, promoting inclusive digital economy, and empowering local communities. This supports the government digitalization efforts aligned with President Duterte’s 10-point economic agenda on investing on human capital development, and promoting technology and innovation for self-sustaining and inclusive development towards poverty alleviation.

LNB is the official organization of over 42,000 barangays throughout the country. It is committed to providing avenues and assistance to promote welfare and ensure success of the national government’s National Strategy for Financial Inclusion and National Retail Payments System.

“This financial inclusion accelerator will be pervasive throughout the country as it would address the huge gaps in financial services while reducing the number of unbanked and underserved communities,” said RCBC Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation and Inclusion Officer Lito Villanueva.

By adopting DiskarTech, LNB will be taking an active role in leading workshops and programs on financial education and literacy with the assistance of the DiskarTech National Coordinating Team. They will also be engaging its member municipalities to appoint their own DiskarTech Community Leader (DCL) who will facilitate participation of residents and entrepreneurs in the program.

“DiskarTech will pave the way for the real transformation of our communities nationwide as it would provide opportunities to our constituents, giving them the chance to be part of the formal financial system through technology,” said Liga ng mga Barangay National President Eden Pineda.

In an effort to encourage economic activity, partner sari-sari stores or microenterprises will also be identified as Barangay Digital Community Centers (BDCCs) to serve as the go-to hub of every resident for their financial needs - whether it’s paying bills, depositing savings to their accounts, buying micro insurance or sending money to their loved ones.

With this, RCBC hopes to turbocharge the growth of digital financial transactions in the country from the current one percent to a minimum of twenty percent by next year. Through DiskarTech, this initiaitve hopes to bring to realization the vision of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas of creating a cash-lite and digital economy for greater efficiency, security, interoperability, and affordability.

Joining LNB and 20 other existing partners, a number of private organizations have also signed up recently to join the DiskarTech financial inclusion ecosystem to benefit their respective constituents. These partners include Ka-Entrep Micro and Small Entrepreneurs Organization of the Philippines, Bangko Pangasinan, and Rizal Microbank, among others.

Rural bank Bangko Pangasinan and thrift bank Rizal Microbank also share how DiskarTech would empower the agriculture sector with access to basic financial needs and microfinance loans.




“DiskarTech is an open platform and the way it works is that banks like us can communicate with other banks. Similar to an open banking system, there will be no barriers and it will become interoperable to make it easier to reach and assist the underserved market,” said Gregory De Guzman, Bangko Pangasinan president and COO.




Joseph Lumain, Strategic Partnerships and Special Initiatives head at Rizal Microbank, agrees that DiskarTech will be an effective way to reach numerous individuals at the same time. “Basically, what DiskarTech is offering are the basic services of a bank through digital means. And in an era where almost everyone is tech-savvy, DiskarTech can be the perfect solution to present financial services in an understandable way, and eventually helping answer the issue of financial inclusion.”

FUNKY MONKEY ARRIVES AT SM CITY SAN JOSE DEL MONTE!

FUNKY Monkey have customized chairs that look like racing cars for the kids to enjoy while having their haircuts done.

A new concept of salon that offers services for the whole family, FUNKY Monkey Family Hair and Nails Salon, opens its first branch in SM City San Jose del Monte!

FUNKY Monkey prides itself for getting the restless little kids a nice haircut, yet extends their services to the whole family. Its mission is to provide haircutting services that create fun and memorable family day for the children and their parents.

There are two spaces at the salon. First is the kid’s space called ‘Monkey Park’ where little ones can have their haircuts and hairstyling complete with adorable accessories and entertainment. The second is the ‘Gorilla Cave’ where adults can enjoy services like nails spa, eyelash extension, waxing, and threading.

Well-trained stylists know how hard it is keep the little ones stay still, but their secret is to keep things fun. FUNKY Monkey decked out with things that the kids would love. They have customized chairs that look like racing cars, mini iPads stocked with games and entertainment for kids, and pretty fairytale-inspired decorations to make the little boys and girls sit happily and fearlessly still. So no matter how your child wants to have their haircut done, may it be watching, riding mini racecars, or playing board games with dad, their kid-friendly stylists can patiently adjust.

A well-behave baby Aiden Charles is having his haircut while playing a toy car and sitting on the mini racecar.

Truly that visiting a spa can be a great way for mom to have their “me-time”, but it can also be a fun way to spend a ”mom-and-baby” time as FUNKY Monkey offers special packages for mom and kids to enjoy like the ‘Mom & Me Classic Combo’. Daddies will never be out of place as they could also avail a combination haircut style with his little one called, ‘Father and Son Haircut Combo.’

Furthermore, FUNKY Monkey also hosts spa parties for group occasions such as birthdays, bridal showers, anniversaries, and even just a simple girl’s night out-kind of bonding.

Make it a family affair and visit FUNKY Monkey Family Hair and Nails Salon. Their first and only branch yet is located at the second level of SM City San Jose del Monte.

Korea’s billion-dollar travel group Yanolja doubles down on ZEN Rooms to create future of hospitality in Southeast Asia

Highlights:

• Yanolja, Korea’s billion dollar travel group, double down on ZEN Rooms one year after investing US$15M in 2018. Through this transaction, Yanolja is investing additional funds in the Company, purchasing stakes from early investors and announcing a wide strategic alliance between the two groups
• ZEN joins forces with one of the most technologically innovative travel groups and its backers Booking Holdings to create the first full service budget & mid-range hospitality group in SEA
• ZEN will heavily deploy technology to continue to improve Southeast Asia’s hospitality sector, enhance customer experience and lower hotels’ operating costs
• ZEN has achieved market leading customer satisfaction ratings in its franchise business, quadrupled revenue in the past year and became in Q4 2018 the largest hotel chain in the Philippines

Singapore, October 16th 2019 -- ZEN Rooms (“ZEN”, “Company”), one of the leading economy and mid-range hotel franchises in Southeast Asia, today announced it had signed a definitive agreement with travel group Yanolja regarding additional investment, acquisition of early investors’ stakes and the signing of a wide strategic alliance. Yanolja is the leading travel group in South Korea, backed by Booking Holdings and GIC, among others. Yanolja was the lead strategic investor in the company’s US$15M funding round in 2018, with rights to invest further. Early investor Asia Internet Holdings (Joint Venture of Rocket Internet and Ooredoo Telecom) has agreed to exit its stake to Yanolja. RedBadge Pacific and SBI Korea remain investors, and Access Ventures join as co-investors.

The alliance of ZEN and Yanolja creates the leading economy & mid-range hospitality group in Southeast Asia. It combines ZEN’s top-rated budget hotel franchise business with Yanolja’s scale, hospitality technologies and the backing by the global leader in Online Travel, Booking Holdings (behind Booking.com, Agoda, Priceline.com, Kayak etc), thus granting ZEN unique competitive advantages in both hotel technology and sales distribution. The groups will work to heavily deploy automation technology to enhance customer experience, further reduce budget hotels’ operating costs and reinvent budget hospitality across Southeast Asia.

ZEN Rooms is today one of the largest hotel franchises in Southeast Asia, with 13,000 rooms under franchise. Since Yanolja’s investment in mid 2018, ZEN has grown revenues 400% and has become in Q2 2019 the largest hotel chain in fast-emerging Philippines, with 5,500 rooms under franchise.

Southeast Asia is today the world’s fastest growing travel market, fueled by exponential domestic and regional demand of young travelers and millennials (e.g. the number of Chinese visitors has quadrupled in the past decade^[1]). Yet, the value-for-money proposition of its budget hotel sector has historically been defective, plagued by several issues: fragmentation, poor hygiene & safety standards, lack of training and low technology use.

ZEN was founded in 2015 to improve the state of budget hospitality and bring much needed operational and technological efficiency to the estimated 2 million independent economy rooms in the region. Thousands of hotel owners have since joined ZEN’s franchises to improve their revenue, optimize their cost base and increase the long-term value of their property. These efficiency gains ultimately benefit travelers who can enjoy safer and better value-for-money stays.

With a deep emphasis on customer satisfaction, ZEN franchisees have enjoyed the best average guest ratings on Booking.com for two years in a row.

Nathan Boublil, co-founder & CEO of ZEN, comments: “We started ZEN exactly 4 years ago to make budget accommodation in Southeast Asia more affordable and safer. We have proudly built ZEN into the top-rated budget hotel franchise in the region and were honored to be Yanolja’s 1st international investment. With this strategic alliance, we are joining forces with one of the most technologically innovative travel groups and its unique backers Booking Holdings to create the first full service budget & mid-range hospitality group in SEA, able to deploy world-class technology infrastructure in IoT R&D, automation, hardware and software to all hotels in Southeast Asia. This alliance will greatly benefit our ability to serve our hotel clients and ultimately the travelers of the entire region”. 

Jongyoon Kim, CEO of Online Business at Yanolja, adds: “Since first investing in ZEN, we have shared the same vision of operational excellence and customer centricity to radically improve the SE Asian hospitality market. In the last 12 months, the ZEN team has taken major steps to fulfill this vision and has grown exponentially while displaying top inventory quality. With this exciting agreement, Yanolja plans to fully support ZEN to solidify its status as the market leading full-stack hospitality company in the region".   

For enquiries, contact: Nathan Boublil, co-Founder & CEO - nathan@zenrooms.com ; Nika Plana, PR - nika.plana@zenrooms.com

Shopee Launches Manny Pacquiao as its Newest Brand Ambassador for Shopee 11.11 - 12.12 Big Christmas Sale

From October 15 to November 11, users can look forward to free shipping with ₱0 minimum spend promotions

MANILA, 14 OCTOBER 2019 - Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, announces world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao as its newest brand ambassador for Shopee 11.11 - 12.12 Big Christmas Sale.




Martin Yu, Associate Director, Shopee Philippines, said, “We are very happy to welcome the holiday season with the Philippines’ People’s Champ, Manny Pacquiao. He is a globally recognized household name and his commitment to achieving excellence in boxing mirrors Shopee’s commitment to giving Filipinos the best online shopping experience. We are thrilled to partner with him for Shopee 11.11 - 12.12 Big Christmas Sale.”




Manny Pacquiao said, “I am honored to be working with Shopee as their newest brand ambassador. My partnership with them will allow me to connect to my Filipino fans in a more exciting way and I am very happy to be working with a company that shares the same commitment to being the best.”




Manny Pacquiao joins Shopee 11.11 - 12.12 Big Christmas Sale




Manny Pacquiao will be featured in a series of initiatives with Shopee to bring fans closer to him:

• Watch Manny Pacquiao star in Shopee’s latest TVC: stay tuned for Shopee’s latest television commercial starring Manny Pacquiao, which will air on all major TV networks starting October 15.
• Win signed Manny Pacquiao boxing gloves: Shopee will be hosting a nationwide social media contest where fans stand a chance to win ₱200,000 cash prize and signed boxing gloves.
• Play Shopee exclusive Manny Pacquiao games: Fan-favorite games, Shopee Catch and Shopee Slice, will sport a new look and feature boxing elements to give users a chance to win Shopee coins and vouchers.

Key Highlights for Shopee 11.11 Big Christmas Sale

From October 15 to November 11, the first wave of Shopee 11.11 - 12.12 Big Christmas Sale promises four weeks of exciting promotions. Key highlights include:

• Free shipping with ₱0 minimum spend: Users can avail of free shipping with ₱0 minimum spend promotions common.
• 50% off deals daily: Consumers can score deals up to 50% off on their favorite products.
• Category fairs: Shopee will be hosting specially-curated category fairs including Mobiles & Gadgets Sale from October 15 to 17 and Beauty Fair from October 21 to 24.
• Cashback vouchers: There will be daily cashback vouchers up for grabs.
• Shopee Catch: Users can play Shopee Catch every day at 8PM for a chance to win from a coin pool worth 100,000.
• Shopee Shake: There will be 11 million Shopee coins to be given away in the iconic Shopee Shake game.
• Win an iPhone 11 from Shopee Live: Viewers of Shopee Live can stay tuned every Friday at 6PM as Shopee will be giving away one iPhone 11.
• Exclusive deals from leading brands: Pampers, Silverworks, Bosch, Unilever, Maybelline, Olay, Pantene, Globe, Anker, Safeguard, Watsons, and Huawei will be participating to giving amazing discounts.

Find out more about Shopee 11.11 Big Christmas Sale at https://www.shopee.ph/1111.

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