NEWS
PLDT High Speed Hitters whip depleted Crossovers
July 12, 2022 6:43 p.m.
PLDT Home Fibr got untracked with a superb blend of power, blocking and setting, easing past a hapless Chery Tiggo side, 25-18, 25-19, 25-14, in a rousing start to a Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference campaign at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan yesterday.
Chin Chin Basas, Julianne Samonte and Fiola Ceballos crisp hits, Mika Reyes’ striking running play, Dell Palomata’s quick attacks and the High Speed Hitters imposing control of the net proved too much for the undermanned Crossovers to overcome, leading to PLDT’s lopsided one-hour, 24-minute victory in the second elims playdate of the mid-season tournament.
Sure, Chery Tiggo continued to sorely miss the services of injured Dindin Manabat and EJ Laure, Buding Duremdes, Alina Bicar and Justine Dorog due to health and safety protocols, but the High Speed Hitters, who went into deep training during the break, came into the match exuding confidence and with a kind of resolve missing in their fifth place effort in the Open Conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.
“We’ve been training hard, pushing ourselves. Winning our first game is so important but we need to practice more and polish everything,” said Reyes, who topscored for PLDT with 15 hits, mostly on running attacks.
She added three blocks to likewise help anchor the team’s net defense with Palomata, who added two blocks and finished with seven points.
“We’re getting the kind of chemistry missing in the past. We wanted to start strong and our goal was to win our first game and hope to sustain the momentum,” said PLDT coach George Pascua, whose wards will be sternly tested when it faces Creamline on Saturday.
PLDT finished with 48 hits, doubling Chery Tiggo’s output and had six blocks and six aces against their rivals’ five and two, respectively, to underscore their domination of the first Open Conference champions in pro setting.
Basas went 13-of 37 on attacks and finished with 14 points while Samonte and Ceballos produced 11 and 10 hits, respectively, as the PLDT hitters scored almost at will on both sides behind playmaker Rhea Dimaculangan’s superb ball distribution.
The former UST stalwart delivered 21 excellent sets, 11 more than her counterpart Jasmine Nabor.Mylene Paat struggled for nine hits in a futile bid to rally the Crossovers, who had their shining moment when they surged ahead at 11-10 in the second frame, capped by Nabor’s service ace, the point of which the former National U mainstay yielded in her ensuing service turn.
Two hits from Basas coupled with Maika Ortiz’s attack error put PLDT back up by three, a lead the High Speed Hitters stretched to six, 22-16, on back-to-back Heather Guino-o aces.
PLDT never let up in the third, taking five of the first six points and pulling away at 14-6 and 24-12, Chery Tiggo took the next two points but yielded the next and the match on a service error.
With Manabat’s uncertain, Laure, Duremdes, Bicar and Dorog hope to suit up against Cignal HD on Saturday in an attempt to check on their skid after going 0-2 following its straight-set loss to Choco Mucho in last Saturday’s inaugurals.
NEWS
Paolo and Miguel from Ben&Ben join Toyota Motor Asia’s ‘Move Your World Beat’ Campaign, bringing Filipino Music to a regional stage
9:46 p.m. September 13, 2026
Twin brothers Paolo Benjamin and Miguel Benjamin from Filipino indie folk-pop band Ben&Ben are bringing Filipino creativity to the regional spotlight as part of Toyota Motor Asia’s Move Your World Beat, a new culture initiative developed with creative partner VIRTUE Asia.
Through the campaign, the duo joins artists from across Asia in transforming everyday Toyota vehicle sounds into original musical compositions that celebrate creativity, collaboration, and cultural expression.
The campaign brings together established and emerging artists from across Asia to collaborate, experiment, and inspire the next generation to express their cultures through contemporary sound. The initiative also serves as an ongoing platform where Toyota empowers Asia’s creators to tell stories through music while celebrating both cultural heritage and innovation.
“At its heart, Move Your World is about Toyota’s commitment to the communities in Asia – the freedom to move, and the thrill and joy of moving forward together. With Move Your World Beat, we bring that same spirit to music, a universal language that unites our communities and moves us all a little closer,” shared Jaja Ishibashi, General Manager of Toyota Motor Asia. “By supporting creators and bringing different voices together, we hope to inspire new forms of expression and show that when we move together, we can create something greater than any one of us could achieve alone.”
As the Philippine representatives, Paolo and Miguel join a regional lineup of creators which includes Malaysia’s Belle Sisoski, Pakistan’s Natasha Noorani, Singapore’s Shye, Thailand’s Valentina Ploy, and Vietnam’s 2pillz. Launched through a TikTok-led creator programme, each artist will produce an original track using the sounds of a Toyota such as subtle clicks and ambient hums to engineered tones and reimagine them through their own distinct musical style.
By transforming the functional sounds of a vehicle into creative expression, the campaign highlights the idea that movement is not only physical, but also cultural and emotional. Each composition reflects the artist’s unique musical identity while contributing to a broader body of work that celebrates Asia’s diversity through a shared creative language.
The campaign will culminate later this year with the release of a regional collective beat, bringing together the musical contributions of artists from six countries into a single collaborative work that resonates across Asia.
Beyond this year’s rollout, Move Your World Beat is intended to continue as an ongoing platform, with each participating artist’s content contributing to future collaborations that celebrate creativity, community, and cultural exchange across the region.
For more information, follow Toyota Motor Philippines on Facebook, Instagram and X, and join the ToyotaPH community on Viber.
NEWS
Grab boosts ride safety for teens with ‘Grab for Family’ Feature
12:22 p.m. September 8, 2026
Grab Philippines is giving Filipino teens greater independence while helping parents stay connected to their journeys with the introduction of Grab for Family.
The feature enables teenagers aged 13–17 to book rides independently, while giving parents and guardians real-time visibility into their journeys and added safety controls throughout the trip.
The growing use of Grab Family Accounts among Filipino households points to the increasing role of shared mobility in everyday family life, with sign-ups more than doubling over the past year. Once onboarded, family members take about 70% more rides in their first month – underscoring the importance of shared access in making everyday mobility more convenient and more efficient for everyone under one roof.
With Grab for Family, parents no longer have to choose between giving their teenagers greater freedom and staying informed about their journeys. Once a teen is linked to a Family Account, parents can receive real-time trip updates, follow rides on a live map, communicate with the teen and driver, and access additional safety tools throughout the trip.
“Safety and peace of mind have always been important to how we serve families on Grab. We’re continuing to build on that by making it easier for parents to stay informed about their teens’ journeys, while giving teenagers the support and confidence to move around more independently,” said Grab Philippines Head of Mobility CJ Lacsican.
Keeping parents connected without getting in the way
At the core of Grab for Family is real-time visibility. Through Live Ride Tracking, Trip Monitoring and automated trip notifications, parents can stay informed without having to repeatedly call or message their teens during a ride.
Parents receive updates at key points of the journey, including when a driver is assigned, vehicle details are available, the passenger is picked up, the destination is reached and the trip is completed. A live map also allows parents to follow the ride as it happens.
The monitoring experience is designed to provide added visibility when a journey does not go as expected. Parents can be alerted about unexpected stops or route deviations, while the platform can also check in with the passenger through in-app prompts to help confirm that they are safe.
Built-in safeguards from pickup to drop-off![]()
“As a Grab driver-partner and a mother myself, I understand how important it is for parents to feel assured that their children are safe whenever they use ride-hailing services,” said Lisza Buscaino-Redulla, President of the United Transportation Coalition Philippines, Inc. “Many families rely on platforms like Grab for the daily commutes of their teenage children, which is why we welcome the introduction of the Family Account as an important step toward giving parents assurance that their children get to wherever they need to be safely.”
More information on Grab for Family is available through the Grab app and official website.
NEWS
DigiPlus earns 3 honors at 22nd Philippine Quill Awards
11:10 a.m. September 6, 2026
DigiPlus Interactive Corp., the country’s leading digital entertainment provider behind BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and GameZone, earned three Awards of Excellence at the recently concluded 22nd Philippine Quill Awards for communication initiatives spanning business growth storytelling, integrated financial and sustainability reporting, and responsible gaming advocacy.
Organized by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines, the Philippine Quill Awards is one of the country’s most prestigious recognition programs for business communication, honoring organizations and professionals whose work demonstrates strategic thinking, creativity, and impact.
DigiPlus received Awards of Excellence across three categories, namely Audio/Visual, Publications, and Social Media, reflecting the company’s continued commitment to purposeful and engaging communication with its stakeholders.
In the Audio/Visual category, DigiPlus’ Dating Gawi: A Celebration of Trusted and Timeless Digital Entertainment for Filipinos earned an Award of Excellence. Developed amid significant changes in the Philippine online gaming industry, the emotionally resonant short film drew on nostalgia, trust, and continuity to reassure audiences that safe, seamless, and regulated entertainment remained accessible through DigiPlus’ official platforms. Centered on the familiar invitation, “Oh ano, dating gawi?”, the campaign generated nearly 7.9 million views.
The DigiPlus 2024 Integrated Report: “Reimagining Fun, the Filipino Way,” received an Award of Excellence in the Publications category. Anchored on global reporting frameworks, the report brought together DigiPlus’ record performance, sustainability priorities, responsible gaming leadership, and climate risk assessment into a clear and engaging stakeholder narrative. Inspired by Filipino carnival classics, the report transformed corporate disclosure into a distinctly DigiPlus publication that reflects the company’s drive for innovation, Filipino identity, and commitment to responsible growth.
Another Award of Excellence recipient is DigiPlus’ entry in the Social Media category, “Ang Gaming, Dapat Fun-Fun Lang!” Responsible Gaming Campaign. The year-long social media campaign used entertaining and relatable content, including scenario skits, ambassador videos, reminders, instructional materials, and creator partnerships, to educate players and the broader public about responsible gaming and the importance of choosing regulated platforms. The campaign generated 7.3 million combined views across DigiPlus-owned and creator channels, reinforcing the company’s commitment to advancing responsible gaming in the industry.
“These recognitions affirm the important role of communication in building trust and strengthening our relationships with our stakeholders,” said DigiPlus President Ping Chen. “As DigiPlus continues to grow and evolve, we remain committed to communicating with transparency and purpose while using our platforms to promote responsible and meaningful entertainment.”
DigiPlus’ three Awards of Excellence at the 22nd Philippine Quill Awards underscore the company’s continuing efforts to use strategic communication to strengthen stakeholder engagement, champion responsible entertainment, and tell the story of its growth and transformation.

