PLDT-Smart Foundation donates over 50,000 face masks and various PPE for frontline health workers

Health workers at the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 in Metro Manila have received fresh support in the form of face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPEs).

The PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) has turned over 50,000 face masks and other PPEs to various hospitals in the Metro.  

The Philippine General Hospital, which is one of the COVID referral hospitals in the country, received 20,000 surgical masks for their frontline health workers from PLDT and PSF.   

Several hospitals and government response teams also received 50 hazmat suits each from PSF with the assistance of the Makati Medical Center Foundation. This includes the Rizal Medical Center, Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, East Avenue Medical Center, Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Globe assures continuous AMAX services, call cards supply for prepaid Globe, TM customers during extended ECQ

Globe assures continuous AMAX services, call cards supply for prepaid Globe, TM customers during extended ECQ

Among the many things people normally take for granted is the ability of almost anyone to “load” their mobile phones with data. A short trip to the nearest sari-sari store or Autoload Max (AMAX) retailer will easily solve this need. You can also ask a friend or a family member for “share a load” in case a sari-sari store or loading station is not available.

This is the dilemma now being experienced by Mabel Aquino who is based in Sta. Cruz, Laguna. Since the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was extended all over Luzon, the once accessible and abundant loading venues have all but disappeared.

DOST & SMART expands RapidPass project to cover entire Metro Manila

Smart provides 540 cell phones for police manning 180 checkpoints

Going through quarantine checkpoints in the entire Metro Manila area is about to become easier for frontline personnel and other people authorized to travel under the COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions.

To achieve this, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-MEID) are expanding the RapidPass Project, an online registration service for frontliners, to cover the whole of Metro Manila.

Athletes share three important sports values to apply to life during lockdown

Almost all sports leagues all over the world have been put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it could be a while before we get to enjoy watching our athletes on the court again.

We spoke to some athletes about what they think are the sports values we can apply in this time of crisis.

Teamwork

For Smart-sponsored Gilas Pilipinas and former Ateneo Blue Eagles athletes Matt and Mike Nieto, teamwork is very important in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. 

CNCO’s “Honey Boo” is summer’s latest hit

Award-winning and best-selling Latin American group, CNCO has officially dropped their highly anticipated new single called “Honey Boo,” featuring Natti Natasha.

The reggaeton-infused banger is the first song off the teen group’s upcoming third album, and was written by all members, alongside Patrick Ingunza and co-producers Daniel Rondon and Rafael Rodru. “We originally recorded it that long ago too,” CNCO’s Joel Pimentel shares in a statement. “However, the time was never right to release it. Then this January we had the idea to re-record the song and put it out as our next official single. The idea to add Natti Natasha came from a Q&A she did on Twitter where fans asked if she would like to collaborate with us, and she said yes!” 

Globe extends bill payment due dates up to May 15

Globe Telecom is extending the bill payment due dates for its mobile and broadband postpaid customers, including all business and enterprise clients nationwide, up to May 15.

This in effect, gives Globe customers up to 60 days of bills payment extension equivalent to two months of unpaid bills. Globe initially provided a 30-day bill payments extension which expired on April 15. 

Mediatech startup Kumu raises US$5m Series A funding round from Openspace Ventures & PH Conglomerates

Investors include Kickstart Ventures, ABS-CBN, Gobi-Core Philippine Fund, Summit Media, and Foxmont Capital Partners.

Kumu Holdings Pte. Ltd., the firm that owns the technology behind Philippine live streaming app Kumu, has announced that it has raised approximately US$5m in a Series A funding round to roll out new features and scale up its operations. 

Joining Forces Alliance On The Elimination Of Violence Against Children

A global alliance of child-focused international non-government organizations calls on the national and local governments to intensify efforts against online sexual exploitation against children (OSEC).

Taking advantage of the quarantine situation, perpetrators could easily groom children online and coerce them to send and receive sexually explicit messages, images, and videos.  

“With the indefinite suspension of classes due to COVID-19, children are spending more time on the internet, exposed to the dangers of OSEC,” said Euan Crawshaw, Philippine Country Manager of Terre des Hommes - Netherlands. 

Ben&Ben to launch international single “Doors” via YouTube Live event

Award-winning, nine-piece collective Ben&Ben is set to release their stunning new single “Doors” on Thursday, April 16 through Sony Music. 

To celebrate the release, the dynamic young act will host a special YouTube Live event on Saturday, April 18 on the band’s YouTube channel to raise funds for the COVID-19 response in the Philippines. 

Fans across the world can tune in from 7:00pm GMT + 8 (9:00pm AEST/7:00am EST/12:00pm BST) to see the acclaimed nine-piece perform “Doors” alongside other tracks from their certified Platinum and best-selling 2019 debut album, LIMASAWA STREET, including recently released “Fall” (watch the video HERE). Each member of the band will connect from their respective homes to stream the performance in their unique signature 3 x 3 format.  After the event, the live stream will continue to be available on YouTube as a video on demand. 

Gloc-9 tops YouTube trending chart with “Halik” and 24 bars rap challenge

After deciding to go the independent route with Asintada, a management and production team headed by his wife Thea Gomez Pollisco, Gloc-9 sets the table for music projects that strike a balance between uncompromised vision and crossover appeal. 

The acclaimed hip-hop figure has released new singles that create uplifting artistic statements through socially relevant songs. “Sampaguita,” his latest collaboration with accomplished young singer-songwriter Juan Karlos Labajo, proved to be as successful as his previous classic hits, smashing out of the gate with more than a million views in less than a month.  

“When Gloc-9 decided to become independent, he made it clear to work on projects that matter to him on a personal level, and at the same time, promote awareness on the plight of the underprivileged Filipinos through his musical platform,” Thea reveals in a statement.