Shopee bags Overall Brand Champion at the 2022 Marketing-Interactive PR Awards

Shopee’s impactful community and consumer initiatives utilize technology to help better the lives of consumers and small businesses  

MANILA, MAY 26, 2022 - As the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, Shopee continues to connect buyers and sellers within one community through impactful campaigns and initiatives. The recent Marketing-Interactive PR Awards in Singapore recognized Shopee’s efforts to create a lasting positive impact on both sellers and consumers across the region, with a total of 10 awards, including Overall Brand Champion and PR Team of the Year. In the Philippines, Shopee’s Consumer Protection Campaign was awarded silver under the Best Crisis Management category.

The Marketing-Interactive PR awards recognizes the top-performing campaigns and companies in the public relations and communications industry across 42 different categories. Entries are sought from across Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the ANZ regions. Each entry is meticulously judged by well-seasoned public relations and communications professionals from all over the region. 

Created to combat the rising number of fraudulent cases by helping consumers recognize online scammers, Shopee PH’s Consumer Protection Campaign utilized Shopee’s wide-reaching social media platforms, as well as in-app features, to inform consumers on what to watch out for to keep their shopping experience safe. Shopee Philippines also partnered with third party logistics providers to educate users on the best practices to enjoy a secure online shopping experience. 

Other regional initiatives that garnered recognition include the Shopee Supports Local initiative which bagged a gold award for championing local businesses, and Shopee Vietnam’s Kindness Care Package, which was awarded a bronze award under the best CSR Communications Category. The Marketing-Interactive PR Awards also recognized Shopee’s 11.11 Big Sale Campaign, which snagged one gold and two bronze, as well as The Connecting Businesses with Technology Campaign, which was subsequently awarded a silver for Best PR by an In-House Communications Team.

Martin Yu, Director of Shopee Philippines, shared “Everything we do always goes back to our main mission: to better the lives of the underserved through technology – whether they’re consumers, sellers, or communities. We are incredibly humbled that our efforts have been recognized and we will continue to utilize our platform in positively impacting those around us.”

Shopee is always on the lookout for young tech talent driven to do impactful work. Join our growing team today by visiting https://careers.shopee.ph/.

PT-41 Comes Home

Veterans kin donate PT-41 scale model for MacArthur Memorial

By Mike Baños

The commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of General Douglas MacArthur’s Breakout from Corregidor on March 13, 2022 was constrained by the latest surge of the coronavirus pandemic, but this did not stop some private citizens from making a token gesture to acknowledge its importance in our local and world histories.

A 1/24 scale model of PT-41, the PT Boat which brought MacArthur and his family from Corregidor to Cagayan has been crowd-funded by a group of private citizens and institutions led by the Philippine Veterans Bank and the heirs and families of the following patriots:

Col. Leonardo V. Hernando O-2462 (Ret.); Col. Fidencio M. Laplap  O-37530 (Ret.); Lt. Col. Angeles L. Limena O-2141 (Ret.) ; Commander Albert Parker Ross  2015690 (Ret) USN; Major Blas Chaves Velez O-37540 (Res); Maj. Rosauro P. Dongallo, Sr., O-37833 (Inact); Capt. Andres D. Bacal O-37523 (Inact); Capt. Ramon R. Buhay ASN Unk (Inact); Capt. Luciano S. Firmacion ASN Unk (Inact); 1st Lt. Jose D. Docdocil O-37829 (Inact); 2nd Lt. Baltazar A. Cabrera O-33265 (Inact); 2nd Lt. Rodolfo A. Moreno O-37659 (Inact); Master Sgt. Mauricio E. Malabed 0-738461 (Inact); Cpl. Jesus B. Ilogon 0-33105 (Inact); Cpl. Jose G. Gorra 0-136215 (Inact); and, Pvt. Emiliano Macanas A. 0-179700 (Inact). MacArthur’s successful Breakout to Australia enabled him to reorganize the Allied Forces in the Pacific and eventually keep his promise to the Filipinos of “I Shall Return.” Meantime, the unsurrendered USAFFE soldiers and guerrillas kept the enemy disrupted with timely raids on their garrisons and intelligence reports that enabled the sinking of enemy ships by Allied submarines which also supplied them with weapons and ammunition to continue the struggle for freedom. In memory of the valor and sacrifice of our guerrillas and soldiers this memento will be dedicated and unveiled at the Ayala Centrio Activity center during the 77th Anniversary of the Liberation of Cagayan on May 12, 2022.  The formal turnover to the Cagayan de Oro City Government through the City Tourism & Cultural Office will be scheduled later. The organizers acknowledged with grateful thanks and appreciation the financial assistance of the following persons and entities who assisted in the successful conclusion of this 80th anniversary project: The Philippine Veterans Bank through First Vice President Miguel Angelo C. Villa-Real; Congressman Rufus B. Rodriguez, 2nd Congressional District of Cagayan de Oro City; Engineer Elpidio M. Paras, UC-1 Corporation; Philippines World War II Memorial Foundation through Vice President for Research and Education Desiree Ann Cua Benipayo; and former Norfolk Sister City Association- Cagayan de Oro Committee Chair Chief Hospital Corpsman Harry Acuña, US Navy (Ret), with Senior Chief Machinist Mate Angelo Acuña, Jr., US  Navy (Ret), and Mr. Angelo Acuña, Sr. And not the least, the heirs and relatives of the veterans honored with this 80th anniversary memento who helped crowd-fund the completion of the scale model and its accessories: Mrs. Alice Limena Lacson and Family, Dolly and Raul Ilogon and Family, Leonardo  Jr., Eduardo and Adrian Fidel Hernando and Family;  Fr Antonio Moreno, SJ; Dr Ramon Moreno and Family; Gerlou and Rosie Docdocil and Family; Joy & Gil Blas Velez & Family; Lito, Olet & Bobby Cabrera and Family; Brig. Gen. Johnny Macanas & Family; Annie Gorra Rago and Family; William, Faye Bacal & Family; Rosauro Dongallo, Jr. & Family; Penny Dharamdas, Debra Fortich, Rowena Laplap & Family, Dorothy Jean Buhay Pabayo & family, and Franciso B. Sarraga & Family. This project was initiated and sustained by the  Volunteer Project Committee with  Engr. Elpidio M. Paras, Congressman Rufus  B. Rodriguez,  Mr. Miguel Angelo C. Villareal, Miniature and Scale model builder Desi R. Reyes, Photographer and Modeler Albert Labrador, Mr. Albert Parker Ross II (who provided the drawings and advised Mr. Reyes during the entirety of the PT-41 build); Artist Nicolas Aca, Jr., Graphic Artist and Designer Christopher Gomez, Donna C. Ocampo and Asst. Prof. Philip Molina Garcia of the University of Utah Asia Campus, Inchon, South Korea, without whom this project would not have been made possible.

Rex Education and PPCRV call for voters to discern well, vote according to our values, and be Maka-Pilipinas

With the National Elections just within reach, Rex Education and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) are working together to help educate voters about the values we should be looking for in the leaders we will elect.

“How the Philippines will come out of this pandemic and handle the impending global economic recession will rely on the next 6 years. This is why it is crucial that the leaders we will elect in the upcoming May 9 elections share the heart of the Filipino people and possess the values to stand for and serve our country. We have to choose well and vote for someone who is truly Maka-Pilipinas,” said Rex Education CEO, Don Timothy Buhain.

The leader we deserve is Maka-Pilipinas Varying standards, opinions, and principles come into play in the bid for national and local positions. What matters in the end when electing a leader is that it’s not enough to choose someone wise and experienced; we must also choose a leader who embodies the virtues of a true Filipino citizen and champion. PPCRV launched the voter education program that highlights what it takes to be Maka-Pilipinas to emphasize the values that make a true Filipino leader,

To be Maka-Pilipinas is to be maka-Diyos(faithful to God), maka-tao (respects life and people), maka-bayan(patriotic), at maka-kalikasan (environmentally concerned). These are the four good citizenship core values embedded in the 1987 Constitution, which highlights these core values’ roots and importance in our culture and history.

To help Filipinos better understand what makes a leader truly Maka-Pilipinas, PPCRV broke down the four core values—maka-Diyos, maka-tao, maka-bayan, at maka-kalikasan—into 16 good citizenship values. Does your candidate tick all the boxesof this checklist?

“We believe that through the living and the sharing of these basic values—not only by ourselves, but especially by our candidates—can our national vision of improving moral standards in government and in society be achieved,” PPCRV Chair Myla Villanueva said during the launch of the Maka-Pilipinas voter education program.

A champion of the people is a champion of education

Everyone is part of the solution. As champions of education—as Edukampyons—it is every Filipino’s duty to embody the 16 good citizenship values that we wish to see in our leaders. It is also up to each of us to encourage our fellow Edukampyons to live these values, so they may also know what it means to elect a leader who is truly Maka-Pilipinas.

“Voter’s education starts at home, where values are introduced and cultivated in our families. Under REX’s Edukampyon campaign, we want to give every Filipino learner an opportunity to have a good education, stable well-being, and a future where they can be their best selves. To do that, we must have the support of government leaders who value the same things, after our own heart, and cares just as much for the development of our learners,” Buhain shared further.

To serve as a reminder to choose with discernment and vote responsibly this coming election, PPCRV created a Maka-Pilipinas comics that promote the 16 good citizenship values. A line from the comics read: “Your vote is your hope. Your vote is your prayer. Vote wisely.”

The Maka-Pilipinas comics in English can be read through the PPCRV Facebook page here. Printed copies of the comics were also sponsored by Rex Education and distributed to various schools and communities.

It is also available in various Filipino dialects: Bikolano, Bisaya, Ilokano, Ilonggo, Tagalog, and Taglish.