NEWS

Vegetable farmer reaps rewards of low-interest loan from Smart ‘Buy Local’ fund

April 1, 2022 9:25 p.m.

Farming, they say, is a huge gamble. With farmers saddled with debt even before they till the soil, they can only hope to literally reap everything they’ve sown. Crop damage is not an option.

But this is exactly what befell 40-year-old vegetable grower Celeste Naguiat of Floridablanca, Pampanga. Using the loan received from Smart Communication, Inc.’s (Smart) Buy Local Sustainability Fund, she spent part of it on seedlings, fertilizers and pesticides.

Smart’s ‘Buy Local’ program is part of the telco’s framework of Technology for Development that aims to narrow down the digital divide.

“I choose eggplants because they’re easy to sell. Once they mature, you can pick the fruits every two to three days for the next seven months providing a steady source of income,” explained Naguiat.

The ‘Buy Local’ program resides under Smart’s framework of Technology for Development that aims to narrow down the digital divide.

While she was able to harvest a sizable bounty in the first four months, everything fell apart when her crops were infected with a type of fungus that decimated the entire plantation.

“I was devastated. But since I’m also a vegetable dealer, I poured the rest of the capital into buying and selling other types of vegetables and shifted to planting corn,” she said.

Naguiat credits the low-interest loan received from the Sustainability Fund for her recovery. She’s also grateful for the evenly spaced payment schedules. With enough wiggle room, what could have been a misfortune was averted. Naguiat was able to recoup her expenses and pay her dues without missing a schedule.

“In traditional ‘5-6’ lending scheme, you’re slapped with a 20-percent interest rate. Plus, you are required to pay every day. You can hardly save up,” she shared.

The Sustainability Fund is tied to Smart’s ‘Buy Local’ campaign where PLDT and Smart employees, as well as employees of other Manuel V. Pangilinan-led companies, can buy directly from the farmers providing them a sure market for their crops. Part of the proceeds go to a sustainability fund that is lent to adopted farmers as low-interest loans for farm inputs through its social agri-enterprise partner Cropital. The initiative aims to promote corporate RICEponsibility among the private sector to help increase the income of smallholder farmers.

The program is also aligned with the commitment of PLDT and Smart to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly No Poverty (SDG 1), and Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8).##

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.