in Southeast Asia on both platforms

Xiaomi, global technology leader, ranked as the number one best-selling smartphone brand in the Philippines during the 11.11 online campaign on leading e-commerce platforms: Lazada and Shopee. 

The 11.11 campaign has set new records for Xiaomi smartphones. Besides being the no.1 best-selling smartphone brand, the recently launched Mi 10T Pro by Xiaomi has continued to gain its popularity and over 1,700 units were sold within 1 day while POCO X3 NFC smartphones were sold out within 10 minutes. 

Xiaomi aims to help power users’ creativity with the ultimate flagship smartphone Mi 10T Pro sporting a 108MP high-resolution camera, AdaptiveSync display, powerful Snapdragon 865 ™ processor, and 5,000 mAh (typ) long battery life. As part of its vision, Xiaomi is determined to bring innovation to everyone at an honest price.

Following the 9.9. campaign this year, Xiaomi has continued to top the list as the best-selling smartphone brand in Southeast Asia on Lazada and Shopee during the 11.11 online campaign.

Reyman Bantad is a simple 31-year-old man from Negros Occidental. He lives with his partner of ten years and their eight-year-old child. Reyman wants the best things in life for his small family but lost his job as a sugarcane (tubo) farmer two years ago. He has been unemployed ever since.

The Bantad family survives on Reyman’s partner’s meager earnings as a hacienda worker planting tubo. But work opportunities don’t come by often, and money is tight.

Reyman and his partner do what they can to keep their child from going hungry, even borrowing money so they can buy rice. Though he occasionally asks for help from his siblings, they can’t always help out since they also have mouths to feed.

He copes with these struggles by tuning in to Wowowin every day so he could live vicariously through the winners on the show. He dreams of winning himself and securing a better future for his family.

Those dreams became a reality when he won P1M in Shopee Milyonaryo last November 9.

Reyman learned about Shopee Milyonaryo on Wowowin, and though he fantasized about the possibilities, the thought of winning had never seriously crossed his mind. When he learned that he had won the opportunity to be on the show, he invited his family to watch it with him.

Reyman’s family was so overwhelmed when he won the P1M jackpot that one of his siblings even ended up fainting. “Nung nalaman namin na nanalo ako, lahat kami naiyak. Kasi kailangan na kailangan namin ‘yung pera,” he shared.

As for his cash prize, Reyman has practical ideas in mind. He plans to invest the money by
starting a business so that his family can finally enjoy a better future.

He also plans to give part of his winnings to his loved ones, especially now that the holidays are approaching. “Kasi binigay ‘yan sakin, dapat mamigay rin ako,” he said.

Want to be the next millionaire?
Shopee Milyonaryo is an interactive lucky draw contest on GMA’s Wowowin, where users can win up to ₱1,000,000 in cash every weekday until November 11. Users can participate by logging on to the Shopee app and claiming the raffle code. Winners will be announced every
weekday during Wowowin. During the show, the winners will pick one out of six boxes, one of which contains ₱1,000,000 in cash.

For more information about Shopee Milyonaryo, visit https://shopee.ph/m/shopee-milyonaryo.

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

Exciting one-day sales usually keep many people on the lookout for things that may add value to their everyday living. Parents, of course, are no strangers to this, as they grab the perfect opportunity to stock up on those precious child necessities.

For the much-awaited 11.11 Mega Sale, Enfagrow A+ Four joins in by offering exciting online promos on e-commerce sites, Shopee and Lazada.

Parents can get their money’s worth with Enfagrow A+ Four, their powerful ally as they raise healthy, smart kids who share a heart for a better world. It contains the powerful combination of Beta Glucan, DHA, and prebiotics, that all work together to help raise a child’s defense against respiratory infections.

Enfagrow A+ Four also supports a child’s 8 signs of brain development — from memory, attention, to regulated behavior, among other advancements. It is the only milk brand thatcontains MFGM Pro (Milk Fat Globule Membrane) and has the highest levels of DHA that help boost a child’s brain development. Apart from setting a child prepared to take on life’s challenges, this allows parents to also lay a strong foundation and help raise them to be healthy, and smart with a heart.

This 11.11 Mega Sale, parents can save up to 35% on Enfagrow A+ Four 7.2 kg and get a chance to win a MacBook Air with every P2,500 spend. For some Enfagrow A+ Four purchases, parents can also get an 80-gram pack for free.

Raise healthy, smart kids with a heart by supporting their overall nutrition. Get more of your kid’s daily essentials for less with Enfagrow A+ Four in your Shopee and Lazada carts this 11.11 Mega Sale.

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Stock up on kid essentials this 11.11 Mega Sale with Enfagrow A+ Four in your Shopee and Lazada carts!

[9 November 2020] – The companies and foundations under the leadership of Manuel V Pangilinan recently reached out to communities and survivors of Typhoon Rolly (international name: Goni) by providing immediate relief assistance.  

“We have mobilized the Group’s Foundations to do relief and medical work in the wake of Typhoon Rolly. Our restoration teams are in place and have started doing remediation work already. We will fix this,” Pangilinan said.    

“Our Alagang Kapatid (TV5) teams are in Quezon and Camarines already. Teams will also be sent to Albay and Marinduque. Immediate relief assistance on behalf of our Group Foundations is given to areas severely affected by the typhoon,” Pangilinan added.  

Communication as aid  

PLDT and Smart engineers have been working round the clock to ensure that telco services are being restored in typhoon-stricken areas. PLDT and Smart were the first companies to restore telco services in Catanduanes.  

The companies also continue to bring communication as aid in provinces hit hard by Typhoon Rolly. These include the deployment of satellite phones with sim card, libreng tawag and libreng charging stations in Albay, Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte.  

Other areas where communication as aid were provided include Aurora, Bataan Batangas, Bulacan, Marinduque, Pampanga, Sorsogon, Tarlac, Zambales.  

The Alagang Kapatid Foundation, Inc. (AKFI) also provided libreng charging to residents who have been without electricity/have limited cellphone access using Meralco’s generator set.  

To allow affected residents to keep their mobile devices powered and contact their loved ones, One Meralco Foundation (OMF), the corporate foundation of Meralco, deployed its solar-powered mobile charging station in areas that are experiencing power interruptions.  

Immediate relief response  

The PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) and Smart Sales Team provided over 5,000 relief packs to families and communities in the Bicol region and Marinduque. Through the regional sales team, relief assistance was immediately mobilized to areas severely affected by the typhoon.  

“Ang buong Pamahalaang Panlalawigan ng Marinduque ay lubos na nagpapasalamat sa PLDT at Smart sa kanilang hatid na tulong. Ang inyo pong donasyon ay malaking karagdagan sa ating kasalukuyan na alokasyon ng pagkain na pinamamahagi na sa mga bayan. Muli po, maraming salamat sa inyong tulong (The Provincial Government of Marinduque is extremely grateful to PLDT and Smart for the help that they provided. Your donation is a big contribution to our current allocation of food and resources, which we are distributing to the different areas in Marinduque. Once again, thank you for all your help),” said Governor Presby Velasco from the Province of Marinduque.  

Meralco also donated 1,000 cavans of rice in Marinduque to be distributed to at least 10,000 families, and OMF turned over care packages to a thousand more.   

Braving the storms, the AKFI and TV5 News Team, provided 1,000 relief packs from the PSF in the typhoon-hit Bicol region in Lopez and Guinayangan, Quezon; Libmanan and Baao, Camarines Sur; and Guinobatan, Libon and Camalig, Albay.  

PLDT provided relief packs to 280 families in Albay and Quezon. PLDT also turned over 300 blankets, 500 boxes of facemasks and 500 faceshields to affected areas in Albay and Marinduque. The distributions were done through AKFI. 

PLDT, in partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), also prepared 551 relief packs to be distributed to families in other areas in Albay and Camarines Sur.   

OMF provided care packages to 200 families in Camalig, Albay and Guinayangan, Quezon, who were severely affected by the typhoon.   

Meanwhile, Maynilad turned over 4,000 bottles of water to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for typhoon Rolly survivors in Catanduanes. [END]  

[October 26, 2020] Mobile services provider Smart Communications, Inc. has launched the new Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, which the Korean tech giant designed to enable fans of all kinds to do more of what they love – from taking photos, playing mobile games, to creating digital content for all the world to see.

The new Galaxy S20 FE is available with Smart Signature, which is powered by Smart LTE, the country’s fastest mobile data network according to independent mobile analytics firms such as Opensignal and Ookla. Smart Signature simplifies the postpaid experience with a prioritized, worry-free, and elevated lifestyle as embodied by its endorser Korean superstar Son Ye Jin.

The Galaxy S20 FE is best experienced with Smart Signature Device Plan M, which comes with monthly 10 GB data, Unli On-Net calls, 100 Min AnyNet calls, and Unli AnyNet texts. On Smart Signature Plan M, the Galaxy S20 FE is available at P1,899 per month, with a one-time cash-out of P5,820.

New and renewing subscribers can order the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE at http://smrt.ph/s20FE and Smart Stores nationwide. Smart Signature is also offering special discounted rates to postpaid subscribers who are renewing their plan.

As a special treat, subscribers who will upgrade to Smart Signature and the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE via the Smart Online Store from October 23 to 27 will also get a Free UV Sterilizer with Wireless Charging worth P2,199.

Tailor-made for fans of all kinds

Officially unveiled globally last Sept. 23, the Galaxy S20 FE combines the features of Galaxy S20 that users love at an affordable price.

Those who love taking photos to share with family and friends can make the most of the Galaxy S20 FE’s advanced camera features, including its High-Resolution Multi-Camera with a 32MP Pro-grade Selfie Camera, 12MP Ultra Wide Camera, 12MP Wide-Angle Camera, and 8MP Telephoto Camera.

Those who love streaming videos, playing mobile games, and updating their social media feeds will enjoy the phone’s realistic and crisp visuals on its 6.5-inch Infinity-O Super AMOLED screen with a Super Smooth 120Hz refresh rate. It’s also water and dust resistant with IP68 protection to keep up with the fast-paced lifestyle of today’s mobile users. The smartphone also has a 4,500 mAh All Day Battery and Super Fast Charging, as well as Fast Wireless Charging, so users can do more of what they love throughout the day.

The Galaxy S20 FE also comes in many different shades to suit every attitude, style, and personality. The fresh Cloud Mint variant is exclusively available with Smart Signature. Subscribers can also get the Cloud Navy and Cloud Red variants from Smart.

Country’s fastest mobile data network

Smart Signature subscribers can make the most of the Galaxy S20 FE powered by Smart LTE.

A recent report by Opensignal¹, an independent mobile analytics firm, shows that Smart has been consistently offering a much better Video Experience for subscribers compared to the competition for the past seven quarters starting in Q3 2018. Moreover, Smart’s Video Experience score has increased from 42.4 points to 53.5 points, a rise of 11.1 points (26.3%) between Q3 2018 and Q1 2020.

In its April 2020 Mobile Network Experience Report for the Philippines², Opensignal also noted that Smart remained ahead of the competition in terms of Video Experience, Upload and Download Speed Experience, Voice App Experience, Games Experience, and 4G Availability.

On the other hand, Ookla, the global leader in internet testing and analysis, recently named Smart as the country’s fastest mobile data network in the first half of 2020 after it achieved a Speed Score™ of 18.33, with average speeds of 15.94 Mbps for download, and 7.57 Mbps for upload, based on 2,810,963 user-initiated tests taken with Speedtest®.

Sign up for the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE with Smart Signature now at http://smrt.ph/s20FE and Smart Stores nationwide. For updates on Smart’s latest promos and services, visit its official social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

¹ Analysis in Opensignal blog post “Video Experience in the Philippines has improved by nearly 30% since Q3 2018”, published September 30, 2020. © 2020 OpenSignal Limited

² Opensignal Awards – Philippines: Mobile Network Experience Report April 2020, based on independent analysis of mobile measurements recorded during the period November 1, 2019 – January 29, 2020 © 2020 Opensignal Limited.

Selected smartphones and ecosystem products offer price drops of up to 58% on 11.11 campaign and Xiaomi hosts first-ever TikTok Live with exclusive giveaways and flash sale

Manila, Philippines, November 10, 2020 — Xiaomi today announced its 11.11 campaign with offers of up to 58% on selected Xiaomi smartphones and smart ecosystem products.

Available on Lazada and Shopee, the 11.11 campaign gives Mi Fans and consumers in the Philippines a chance to purchase fan-favourite Xiaomi smartphones including Mi 10T Pro, Mi 10T, POCO X3 NFC, Redmi Note series, Redmi series, and ecosystem products including Mi True Wireless Earbuds, Mi Smart Band 4C, and many more.

Below is the list of selected Xiaomi products during the 11.11 campaign on Lazada:

For more information on more amazing deals, please visit the Official Xiaomi Lazada Store here and Official Xiaomi Shopee Store here.

First-ever 11.11 TikTok Live with Xiaomi

On November 10 at 10PM, Xiaomi Philippines will organize its first-ever TikTok live stream alongside celebrity superhost Rayver Cruz. During the event, Mi Fans and TikTokers will stand a chance to win exclusive giveaways such as Mi 10T Pro, vouchers, and many more.

In addition, special deals on selected products as below will be offered through TikTok channel.

To keep up-to-date with Xiaomi’s 11.11 campaign, please visit Xiaomi official website and information portal at https://www.mi.com/ph/, or drop by their official social media pages at https://www.facebook.com/XiaomiPhilippines (Facebook) and https://www.instagram.com/mi_philippines/ (Instagram) for other exciting updates.

While many Filipinos have taken up biking during the pandemic, rider education and awareness are still needed to position it as a viable alternative transport solution.

During the weekly Tapatan sa Aristocrat, representatives from both the government and private sector came together to discuss how biking can be a safer and more sustainable transport means. It was attended by Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary, Engr. Bert Suansing; Dr. Antonio Dans of the Philippine General Hospital and the Health Professionals Alliance Against COVID-19 (HPAAC); Allianz PNB Life Chief Marketing Officer Gino Riola; Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Traffic Discipline Office Director Noemi Recio; and Mia Bunao of Kalyetista.

According to Dr. Dans, biking meets the recommendations on transportation safety of the HPAAC, which includes adequate ventilation, physical distancing, shortened interaction, and personal protection.

“Bikes can satisfy all four criteria,” Dr. Dans said.

He added that bicycles were being promoted during the 1918 pandemic as an alternative to trains, buses, and other forms of public transportation.

“In fact, some of the oldest companies making bikes in the United States began in 1918 and continued to make bikes today because it really helped people travel safely,” he said. The difference between the past and present is that we now know that “biking is really protective.”

Dr. Dans underlined the importance of future-proofing the country’s bike lanes as it could help lower the risk of future pandemics; reduce traffic and traffic accidents; reduce pollution and cancer; increase physical activity; control obesity; and diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and heart attack.

“At MMDA, we fully support biking. In fact, kahit wala pang pandemic, nagkaroon na ng protected bike lanes ang MMDA. Lahat na ginawa naming bike lanes are all protected (In fact, even when there was no pandemic, the MMDA already put up protected bike lanes. All the bike lanes we put up are protected),” Dir. Recio shared.

She added that the MMDA currently has bike repair stations along EDSA that are mostly located underneath flyovers.

Allianz PNB Life, meanwhile, recently launched a Ride Safe campaign, which seeks to promote biking as a healthy and sustainable means of transport. Last week, it signed a partnership with San Juan, which made it the Official Life Insurance Partner of the city’s own Bike Safety campaign.

“Sa Allianz, nais naming palawakin ang pagbibisikleta. Doon nagsimula ‘yung insipirasyon na makisali kami sa mga local government units na ayun din ang pakay. Kaya nagsimula ang partnership kasama ng San Juan at ninanais namin na magpatuloy ito (At Allianz, we want to promote biking. That’s how the inspiration started to work with local government units that have the same goal. This is also how our partnership with San Juan started, and we hope that we could continue this),” Riola said.

In line with this partnership, Allianz has provided safety bollards and other infrastructure for San Juan’s bike lanes. It is also putting up a solar-powered bike pit stop, a first in the Philippines, which will have a parking area, bikers’ resting area, and a small footprint bike repair station.

Bunao of the bikers’ group, Kalyetista, pointed out that the pandemic ushered in something that they have been asking and fighting for.

“We have to do it the right way the first time,” she said about the biking policies and infrastructure. “Anything infrastructure is really expensive, and if you don’t do it the right way, sayang po siya (Anything infrastructure is really expensive, and if you don’t do it the right way, it would just be a waste).”

Buano recommended that government agencies come up with bicycle commuting programs and set up bicycle parking systems.

For people who don’t have bikes but would like to take up biking, the government has rolled out a Bike-Sharing Program, where people could borrow bikes equipped with GPS for a certain fee.

“Para sa mga taong gustong magbisikleta, under the Bayanihan 2, actually isang bilyon ang nilaan natin diyan, ‘yung bike lanes at bike-sharing. Hindi lang ‘yan sa Metro Manila. Tatlong lugar. Meron din sa Cebu at sa Davao. Isang parte niyan tungkol sa bike-sharing na station to station ‘yan, pwede mong hiramin yung bisikleta. Of course, may bayad yan. We still have to compute the absolute figure, pero siguradong mas mura yan kesa magko-commute ka using the bus or jeepney per kilometer (For those who would like to bike, under the Bayanihan 2, we have allotted PhP1 billion for bike lanes and bike-sharing. It’s not only in Metro Manila, but in Cebu and Davao as well. A part of that is for bike-sharing. You can borrow bikes from station to station. It has a payment. We still have to compute the absolute figure, but it would be much cheaper than jeepney or bus fares per kilometer),” Asec. Suansing said.

Concluding, Riola said that in order to further promote biking as an alternative means of transport, awareness, education, and partnership are needed.

“Madalas nakikita natin sa ating lipunan, hindi nangyayari kasi nagiisa ang isang grupo. Pero pag sama-sama nangyayari. (Oftentimes, we see that ideas don’t materialize because there is only one group working. If we work together, we can make things happen,” he said.

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