NEWS
95 Clark locators participate in 2022 IEC seminar

July 25, 2022 7:18 p.m.
CLARK FREEPORT— A total of 95 representatives from various locators in this Freeport participated in the 2022 Information and Education Campaign (IEC) seminar spearheaded by Clark Development Corporation (CDC).
According to CDC’s External Affairs Division (EAD), this is the first time that the IEC has been conducted in a Face-to-Face setup since 2018. The previous years were held virtually due to restrictions caused by the pandemic.
With its theme “Benepisyo ng Gobyerno, Mahalaga sa Empleyado”, the activity aims to inform and update the attendees regarding the programs undertaken by partner government agencies.
Some of the representatives from government agencies include those from Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Social Security System (SSS), Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund), and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), among others.
For his part, CDC President and CEO Manuel R. Gaerlan shared his special message to the participants who were present during the activity held at Clark Marriott Hotel.
“It has been more than two years since the pandemic and we saw a lot of challenges, we have to make a lot of adjustments especially in the government including of course CDC, our systems and procedures,” he said.
“Restricted or not, we pursued our mandate of providing vital information, updates on latest advisories, policies, and guidelines implemented by our partner agencies that provide benefits to our employees particularly the SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-Ibig Fund, and DOLE, making it easier not only to our partner agencies but most importantly, to our locators and their employees”, Gaerlan added.
He also mentioned that the state-owned firm hopes to provide convenience and bring the necessary services to all the workers and stakeholders of Clark Freeport Zone and Clark Special Economic Zone.
Meanwhile, CDC Vice President for Admin and Finance Engr. Mariza O. Mandocdoc assured the locators of providing better services with simplified requirements for their companies and workers in Clark.
“We really believe that together, here in Clark, we should collaborate so that we will be able to comply with the regulations of the government so that we can take care of the best assets of the organization – which is our people,” she said.
“CDC and these various government agencies have been collaborating to provide you better services. One of them would be that we have simplified the requirements for companies to individually get clearances from DOLE, SSS, Pag-Ibig, and PhilHealth,” she added.
Some of the locator companies who joined the said event are Aderans Philippines Inc., Baynant Inc., BB International Leisure and Resort Development Corp., Clark International Airport Corp., Donggwang Clark Corp., Hann Philippines Inc., L&T International Group Phils., Inc., La Forge Lighting and Furniture Inc., Philexcel Business Park Inc., SFI Multimix Corp., SIA Engineering Phils., Corp., SMK Electronics Phils., Corp.,Yokohama Tire Phils., Inc., and Yokoisada Phils., Inc., among others.
In 2020, the IEC was held in a virtual setup under the new normal wherein a total of 80 participants joined the two-day webinar. The said activity is being facilitated annually by CDC’s EAD headed by CDC Assistant Vice President Rommel C. Narciso.

NEWS
SM Prime explores potential partnership with Japanese firm for waste-to-fuel solutions

September 25, 2023 12:39 p.m.

Shown here are (from left) SM Supermalls Vice President Liza Silerio, SM Prime Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans T. Sy, GUUN Chief Executive Officer Shinji Fujieda, GUUN Philippine Branch Senior Managing Director and General Manager Takeshi Konishi
Leading real estate developer in Southeast Asia, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan’s GUUN Co. Ltd. to explore a potential partnership to implement waste management solutions by recycling waste paper and plastics as an alternative source of energy called ‘fluff fuel’.
Fluff Fuels are one type of RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) which are produced from shredded and compressed plastics, papers, and fibers. These are used as fuels in cement manufacturing, paper mill companies, or power companies in Japan.
SM Prime Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans T. Sy is positive that a partnership with GUUN will contribute to the waste reduction goals of the country. “Today, Japan’s waste management and recycling technology is among the most advanced in the world,” he said. “There is no better partner for SM because we do not just talk about being big, we make sure we do it; we do not talk about being environment friendly but we do take bold steps to save the environment. I am looking forward to growing with GUUN as among leaders in solving environmental issues in the Philippines.”
GUUN Co., Ltd., founded in March 2001 and headquartered in Yokohama City, Japan, piloted the production of fluff fuel from plastic waste in Inayawan, Cebu in 2014 and recently inaugurated its P200-million, 2,400-square meter waste recycling plant in Tayud, Consolacion, Cebu.
Since then, Japan’s Ministry of the Environment has adopted GUUN’s waste-to-fuel technology as a model for advanced low-carbon technology innovation for further deployment in developing countries.
“This will be a milestone partnership for us,” GUNN Chief Executive Officer Shinji Fujieda said after the signing ceremony. “I understand very much how important waste management is for SM and for the Philippines and we look forward to more projects we can do with the properties of SM Prime.”
SM Prime’s initiatives for waste management include waste reduction and effective waste collection and segregation. Over the years, it has implemented programs such as Trash to Cash, Plastic Waste Collection, and E-Waste Collection that have contributed to reducing the total solid waste generation across its real estate portfolio.
Through its pioneering Trash to Cash recycling market, SM Prime has collected and recycled 1.4M kg of plastics, paper, metals, and others in 2022. “We have saved 16,766 trees from the 986,222 kg of paper recycled,” SM Prime disclosed in its 2022 Integrated Report to shareholders.
Meanwhile, SM’s Plastic Waste Collection program, a partnership with the Plastic Credit Exchange that was launched in February 2021, has accumulated 42,541kg of plastic waste from 14 mall sites. Also present in all its 83 SM Supermalls is the E-Waste Collection program for the responsible disposal of WEEE (Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment). This drive has helped process close to 7,000 kilograms of e-waste. (ENDS)
NEWS
Satisfy your cravings with these best-selling Nanyang drinks

September 15, 2023 3:30 p.m.
Nanyang isn’t only known for its Laksa Prawn, Cheesy Chicken Chop Noodles and Singapore’s best selling Hainanese Chicken Rice and Kopi.
It also has several best-selling drinks to whet your appetite and satisfy your sweet tooth, such as Iced Teh Melaka, Kopi Jelly Milk Tea, Milo Dinosaur and Kopi O.
Head over to your nearest Nanyang branches nationwide.

NEWS
USA back on top; Germany takes Top 3 spot in FIBA World Ranking

September 15, 2023 1:28 p.m.
MIES (Switzerland) – The recent completion of the prestigious FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 has produced some eye-catching positive climbs in the latest FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike.
USA reclaim pole position with 786.6 points after benefiting from their consistency at major tournaments over the last three summers. Finishing in fourth place at the FIBA Basketball World Cup where they outperformed former number one nation Spain, their run to the Semi-Finals came off the back of winning an Olympic title at Tokyo in 2021 and also taking bronze at the FIBA AmeriCup 2022.
Recently crowned FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 champions Germany have another slice of history to enjoy as they step into the top three of the rankings for the very first time after moving up a massive eight places and onto 759.7 points. Their stunning success made all the more incredible because of the fact they made the journey to the top step of the podium without tasting defeat.
Canada also have another reason to celebrate too, with their maiden FIBA Basketball World Cup medal fueling an even bigger rise of nine spots. They now occupy sixth position with 745.5 points.
Serbia performed in outstanding fashion to make the title game and their second-placed finish gave their fans something to be proud of. Those supporters can also now enjoy and reflect on their country being a top five nation again as they move up a place and into fifth position on 755.6 points.
Meanwhile, when it comes to the scale and impact of climbing the rankings in the upper echelon, nobody can match Latvia. They have rocketed up a staggering 22 places and into the top 10 after their heroic underdog displays which ensured they took fifth place at the FIBA Basketball World Cup. They now sit in 8th position on 743.7 points.
There were many other teams who impressed at the flagship event, including Brazil who recorded three wins in five games and moves up a place into 12th in the rankings on 660.5 points. The Americas region can also boast a nice move upwards of five places into 16th for Puerto Rico on 611.1 points, while Dominican Republic rise six spots into 18th place on 561.9 points.
There were also notable improvements for Georgia who move up 10 positions and into 23rd on 465.9 points, Japan jump 11 spots to 26th on 432.2 points and Lebanon claim an uplift of 16 places into 28th on 423.3.
One nation that truly made everyone sit up and take notice at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 were first-timers South Sudan. They made history by beating China to claim a first win at the event, then pushing on to beat the Philippines and Angola. This has resulted in a sensational climb of 32 spots in the rankings. They now find themselves in 31st place with 375.5 points.
For more information about the method used in the calculation of the FIBA World Ranking Men, please refer to the “How It Works” section.
Click here to view the full FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike.