Villar sets 10th OFW and Family Summit on Nov. 19

AS a sign of their continuing gratitude to our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), Senator Cynthia Villar announced the holding of the 10th OFW and Family Summit on November 19, 2021 (Friday), which will be done virtually for the first time due to the pandemic. “This is our way of saying ‘Thank You’ to our OFWs, our modern-day heroes. An OFW was the first customer of my husband, former Senator Manny Villar, when he first started his housing business,” related Villar. She said the event is an annual offering of the Villar Family together with the Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance (Villar SIPAG), where the senator serves as its director, to our OFWs who have been sacrificing their lives to give their families a decent and comfortable life. “Through the dollar remittances they sent back home, our OFWs also help keep the country’s economy afloat amid the pandemic,” also said Villar. Unlike before when thousands of OFWs and their families trooped to the World Trade Center in Pasay City to join the summit, Villar noted that the November event will be done virtually. “We are doing this to keep everybody safe and protected since the coronavirus is still around us although our health officials and health experts have been reporting a downtrend trend of cases of Covid-19,” stressed Villar. “We invite our OFWs and their family to participate virtually in the 10th OFW & Family Summit 2021,on November 19,2021. You can visit my facebook page Cynthia A.Villar and the Villar SIPAG fb page for further details. Registration is now open, just visit https://ofwsummit2021.villarsipag.org/registration,” said the Senator. Villar related the theme for this year’s event is “Masiglang Buhay Sa Makabagong Panahon” which she believes is timely because we are all struggling to live a normal and happy life amid the coronavirus pandemic that crippled the world economy. She expects thousands of OFWs and their beneficiaries to participate in this virtual event wherein they can interact anew with private and government institutions for concerns ranging from access to financial services, social benefits, legal assistance, among others. The summit hopes to teach our OFWs financial literacy, which they can use as a tool to grow their money in their homeland. “Aside from teaching our OFWs how to wisely invest their savings and grow their income, it is equally important to educate them how to protect their hard-earned money and how not to fall victims of human trafficking, illegal recruitment and investment scams,” Villar said. Participants will also have a chance to take home a house, pangkabuhayan package and other prizes.

9th Globe Media Excellence Awards launched to honor VisMin journalists, content creators

lobe continues to celebrate and promote press freedom through the 9th Globe Media Excellence Awards (GMEA). GMEA recognizes media practitioners and content creators from Visayas and Mindanao who excelled in their field of work amid the challenges posed by the global health crisis. The theme for this year is Padayon Digital—a play on the Visayan word, padayon, which means to continue. It is a tribute to the media’s diligence in moving forward to digital spaces and a symbol of Globe's consistent support to the Visayas and Mindanao press. Support is crucial in the new normal and GMEA brings that message across by spotlighting stories that uplift lives and communities. “We’re proud to host the Globe Media Excellence Awards, now in our ninth year, to recognize the outstanding work of the VisMin press. Amid the ongoing pandemic, the roles of media, bloggers and social media influencers have been most crucial in keeping the public credibly informed and have played a part in helping people see through the health crisis,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior VP for Corporate Communications. There will be nine awards for digital and print, two for broadcast, and three special awards. All entries must be anchored on at least one of four Globe sustainability pillars: Care for Environment, Positive Societal Impact, Care for People, and Digital Nation, in line with Globe's commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Categories for digital and print are Explanatory / Investigative Story of the Year, News Report of the Year, Column of the Year, Explanatory / Investigative Video Story of the Year for Digital, Photo of the Year for Digital, Breaking News of the Year for Digital, Social Media Advocacy of the Year for Digital, and Digital Storytelling (Best Blog Post and Best Social Media Video). For broadcast, the categories are News Report of the Year for Radio and News Report of the Year for TV. The special awards are Newsmaker of the Year, Editor of the Year, and #KwentoNgTagumpay: Uplifting Lives Through Digital Technology. This last award recognizes inspiring stories of triumph amid adversities of communities and individuals. Globe first launched its Media Excellence Awards in 2012 to encourage excellence among traditional media organizations and, later on, digital media practitioners to create positive societal changes. GMEA 2021 covers Bacolod, Cebu, Tacloban, Bohol, Dumaguete, and Iloilo in Visayas and Cagayan de Oro, Davao, General Santos, Iligan, Bukidnon, and Zamboanga in Mindanao. Cash prizes await winners of each category. Entries may be in English, Bisaya, Hiligaynon, or Chavacano. The deadline for submission is December 31, 2021. To know more about the Globe Media Excellence Awards, visit https://www.globe.com.ph/globe-media-excellence-awards

Globe increases overall 4G download speeds nationwide by up to 25 percent

Globe announced significant improvements to its network quality nationwide to deliver a better user experience to its customers. By using Facebook’s Connectivity Analytics tools to identify network performance issues and prioritize network investments, Globe has enabled its customers to see marked improvements and lower latency in their overall experience on the Globe network. Overall 4G download speeds across Globe’s nationwide network increased by 25 percent compared to the third quarter of 2020. Davao and Central Visayas also recorded a 25 percent increase in download speeds, while the Caraga Administrative Region consisting of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Dinagat Islands registered a 6 percent hike. Overall download speed in Mindanao went up by 5 percent. Globe aims to replicate the efforts in other parts of the country where the company is expanding and upgrading its network. “Our collaboration with Facebook Connectivity has been instrumental in driving significant network improvements for our customers’ experience. We have seen that our customer experience has improved and is on par with global top tier telcos. We will continue to work together to identify opportunities to improve connectivity, especially as Globe rolls out 5G technology in the different regions of the Philippines,” said Joel Agustin, Globe Senior Vice President for Program Delivery, Network Technical Group. As part of its commitment to deliver fast, reliable and high-quality internet connectivity in the country, Globe has earmarked an unprecedented P76 billion in capital expenditures this year. Bulk of the total budget will be for data network builds. Globe has already begun delivering on its commitment to improve connectivity in the region with its outdoor 5G services covering 95 percent of NCR as of end-August 2021. More and more cities in Metro Manila and around the country are experiencing the benefits of Globe’s 5G technology. The company strongly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly UN SDG No. 9, which highlights the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development. Globe is committed to upholding the United Nations Global Compact principles and 10 UN SDGs. To learn more about Globe, visit www.globe.com.ph.