Filipino Innovations Take Center Stage at the 2026 Alfredo M. Yao Innovation Awards

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) has recognized outstanding Filipino ingenuity at the 2026 Alfredo M. Yao (AMY) Innovation Awards, celebrating two groundbreaking inventions focused on healthcare, sanitation, and sustainable development.

Held at the Manila Hotel alongside the 52nd Philippine Business Conference and Expo, the ceremony highlighted innovations with the potential to address pressing societal challenges and contribute to the country’s economic growth.

Named after Filipino businessman Alfredo M. Yao, whose company received the first ASEAN Business Award in Innovation, the awards recognize socially relevant, Filipino-developed inventions with the potential to create meaningful economic and community impact.

Agapita: Improving Communication for Stroke Survivors

The collegiate category award went to Jose Gian Tubera of Angeles University Foundation for Agapita: An Offline Sketch-to-Speech Communication System for Stroke Survivors with Broca’s Aphasia.

The system transforms patients’ rough sketches into clear, spoken clinical requests without requiring an internet connection. Designed for individuals who experience difficulties expressing themselves following a stroke, Agapita offers a practical communication solution that could help improve interactions between patients and healthcare professionals.

Its offline functionality is particularly valuable in settings where connectivity and access to speech-language pathologists are limited. By making communication more accessible and affordable, the innovation could support more responsive and inclusive healthcare services.

HOCLOMAC: Affordable and Sustainable Disinfection

In the professional category, Dr. Francis Aldrine Uy of USHER Technologies Inc. received recognition for HOCLOMAC, a portable, low-cost hypochlorous acid generator.

Using electrolysis, the device produces disinfectant on demand from readily available materials. Its design aims to reduce recurring sanitation expenses while minimizing plastic waste associated with conventional disinfectant packaging.

HOCLOMAC has potential applications in healthcare facilities, schools, and agriculture, offering a scalable approach to decentralized sanitation. By enabling users to produce disinfectant locally, the technology demonstrates how practical engineering can support safer environments and more sustainable operations.

Championing Filipino Innovation

AMY Awards Chairman Antonio Sayo praised both recipients, emphasizing how Filipino creativity can translate into real-world solutions. The awards were presented by government and industry leaders, including Vice President Sara Duterte, PCCI President Ferdinand A. Ferrer, and other representatives from the business and intellectual property sectors.

Through the AMY Innovation Awards, PCCI continues to promote research, entrepreneurship, and technology development among Filipinos.

The recognition of Agapita and HOCLOMAC underscores the importance of homegrown innovation in addressing healthcare challenges, improving sanitation, and advancing sustainable development. More importantly, these achievements demonstrate how Filipino inventors can create solutions that benefit communities while strengthening the country’s innovation ecosystem and economic competitiveness.

Globe Makes History with First-Ever Golden Arrow Hall of Fame Award

Globe has once again demonstrated its unwavering commitment to the highest standards of corporate governance, earning Five Golden Arrows from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) and the ICD’s first-ever Hall of Fame Award, having consistently received the Five Golden Arrow Award for the fifth consecutive year. This remarkable milestone highlights Globe’s outstanding and sustained leadership in upholding transparency, accountability, shareholder protection, and responsible business leadership.

“It is truly an honor to be recognized for our commitment to corporate governance and its principles and best practices. And to be recognized consistently for it for 5 consecutive years is such a profound privilege. It is a testament to our relentless determination to embed a governance culture in the organization alongside our business,” said Marisalve Ciocson-Co, Globe’s Chief Compliance Officer and Senior Vice President for Legal and Compliance.

The distinction recognizes Globe's performance as a publicly listed company under the ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard (ACGS), which evaluates shareholder rights, sustainability and resilience, transparency, and board accountability. Five Golden Arrows is reserved strictly for publicly listed companies with a score of 115 points or higher.

To achieve this top-tier rating consistently for five straight years underscores Globe’s ability to maintain high governance standards under an updated ACGS framework aligned with the G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance, which demands, among others, elevated transparency on sustainability, digital governance, and ESG integration.

Globe’s half-decade track record as a Five Golden Arrow Awardee is preceded by earlier recognitions dating back to 2012, when it became the only telecommunications company recognized at the Philippine Stock Exchange Bell Awards for Excellence in Corporate Governance. Over the years, it continued to receive distinctions for corporate governance, including Top 20 Publicly Listed Companies in the ASEAN Corporate Governance Awards, Top Performing Publicly Listed Company in the Philippines.

“At Globe, our purpose anchors everything we do: we treat people right to create a Globe of Good. That means protecting shareholders’ rights, being transparent and accountable in our decisions, and taking responsibility for the service our customers depend on. The same purpose guides how we govern and how we serve,” said Carl Cruz, Globe President and CEO.

The recognition also reflects the strong governance culture across the Ayala Group, with Ayala Corporation and Bank of the Philippine Islands likewise earning Five Golden Arrows this year. For Globe, maintaining the highest distinction for five consecutive years reinforces the importance of sound governance in supporting responsible innovation, sustainable growth, and long-term business success.

Need a Secure Crypto App? GCash Offers Seamless Transfers and Quick Registration via GCrypto

Finance super app GCash has made exploring and managing digital assets more secure and accessible through GCrypto, powered by Philippine Digital Asset Exchange (PDAX). Found in GCash, the platform allows Filipinos to set up a crypto account in as fast as 30 seconds, seamlessly receive and transfer crypto holdings from other wallets and exchanges, securely trade digital assets on the market, and fund their portfolio with zero cash-in fees directly through their mobile phones.

By streamlining the onboarding process, supporting crypto transfers, and providing direct fiat-to-crypto conversion, GCrypto simplifies traditional barriers associated with digital asset platforms. Users can participate in global market movements without relying on complex peer-to-peer (P2P) workarounds or encountering funding delays, all on a platform they use every day to manage their finances.

Across the country, digital platforms like GCrypto continue to democratize access to diverse asset classes, providing Filipinos with convenient, mobile-first ways to diversify their portfolios.

Simplified Onboarding and Convenient Transfers

Getting started on GCrypto is convenient. Users can complete verification, top up instantly from their GCash wallet, and trade 24/7 through their mobile phones without tedious paperwork submission.

In addition to in-app trading, GCrypto supports seamless send-and-receive functionality, helping users easily move digital assets to and from external crypto wallets and exchanges, without needing to sell or liquidate their holdings. For example, transferring Bitcoin from another wallet to GCrypto is straightforward:

1. Tap Bitcoin on your GCrypto dashboard and select Receive.

2. Copy your receiving address or display the QR code.

3. Paste the address into your external wallet, confirm the transaction details match, and hit send.

Once confirmed on-chain, the funds appear in your GCrypto wallet, ready to hold or trade.

To register on GCrypto, fully verified eligible GCash users 18 years old and above need to open the app, select GCrypto in the Invest tab, and complete the application process to receive instant approval. After registration, users can top up their trading wallet with no transfer fees and in real time from their GCash balance.

By integrating digital asset trading into a digital financial ecosystem already familiar to millions of Filipinos, GCash continues to fulfill its commitment to making financial tools safer, more accessible, and more inclusive for all. For more information, visit www.gcash.com.

New Sites Serving GIDAs in Visayas and Mindanao: PLDT, Smart Ramp up Bayanihan SIM Momentum via Network Expansion, Community Activation

PLDT Inc. and its wireless arm, Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), are ramping up their support for the government-led Bayanihan SIM program through network expansion, community engagement, and sustained SIM activation initiatives, helping deliver the benefits of connectivity to more underserved and unserved communities across the country.

Recently, Smart has successfully fired up sites serving geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) in Argao, Cebu; Matalam, Cotabato Province; Talakag, Bukidnon; Silago, Southern Leyte; and San Vicente, Palawan, supporting education, agriculture, and local businesses, as well as helping local governments enhance the delivery of government services to their constituents through stronger network coverage.

Smart is also deploying interim connectivity solutions such as femtocell and satellite connectivity to identified unserved areas to enable meaningful digital participation among Bayanihan SIM beneficiaries while long-term new site rollouts are still underway.

"Connectivity is only meaningful when it is actively used. As we continue to roll out our network, we must also help more Filipinos make the most of the digital opportunities that connectivity makes possible," said PLDT Chief Operating Officer and Network Head Menardo G. Jimenez, Jr., who is also PLDT’s representative to the Presidential Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC).

Accompanying these network efforts, Smart has also intensified local activation campaigns to urge Bayanihan SIM beneficiaries to maximize their SIM cards. These include registration support activities, on-ground assistance, and handset and device raffle promos, among others, which are intended to encourage the activation of distributed SIMs.

Through the Bayanihan SIM program, Smart has already distributed more than 422,000 SIMs across 152 underserved and unserved sites nationwide. The company continues to collaborate with government partners to drive adoption and expand access in more locations.

These efforts are supported by an ongoing network modernization and expansion program that includes both interim and permanent connectivity solutions. While temporary technologies help accelerate service availability in remote areas, Smart is also fast-tracking the rollout of new sites to ensure reliable and long-term connectivity.

The Bayanihan SIM program is a key initiative supporting the government’s push for nationwide digital connectivity, underpinned by Smart's mobile network and PLDT's fiber infrastructure, the country's most extensive. The PLDT Group's continued investment in enhancing its integrated fixed and wireless network is part of the Group’s broader commitment to deliver leveled-up customer experience across the country.

Smart's continued support for the Bayanihan SIM program aligns with the broader goal of expanding access to digital services for underserved Filipinos, reinforcing the company's mission of enabling connectivity that empowers communities, supports education, and creates opportunities for inclusive growth.

Vivo V80 Pre-Orders Offer Fans a Chance to Meet ENHYPEN Members in Manila

MANILA, Philippines — Vivo Philippines is giving fans of K-pop group ENHYPEN an exclusive opportunity to meet JUNGWON, JAKE, and SUNGHOON in person through its upcoming Vivo V80 Lights Up Christmas event on November 12, 2026, at SM Mall of Asia Hall.

The first 100 customers who successfully pre-order the Vivo V80 through the official Vivo Philippines e-store will receive a VVIP ticket to the event. Pre-orders will run from October 26 to November 8, 2026, or until all 100 slots have been filled.

To qualify, customers must place their orders exclusively through shop.vivo.com and pay a non-refundable PHP 1,000 down payment. Each eligible pre-order is entitled to one VVIP ticket, subject to the promotion's terms and conditions.

Qualified customers must settle the remaining balance in full by November 9, 2026. Those who fail to complete payment by 11:59 p.m. on the deadline will forfeit their reserved tickets, while their initial down payments will remain non-refundable.

After full payment, Vivo Philippines will contact eligible customers to coordinate ticket arrangements and verify their identities. Attendees must present a valid ID during verification and bring the same identification document, along with their complete online order number, to the event. Tickets are strictly non-transferable and are tied to the original purchaser's registered ID and order number.

Vivo V80 Launch Set for October 30

Ahead of the November gathering, Vivo Philippines will officially launch the Vivo V80 on October 30, 2026, at 6 p.m. The launch will be livestreamed on the brand's official Facebook page, allowing fans to discover the new smartphone online.

Interested viewers can click “Going” on the event page to receive updates and reminders about the livestream.

ENHYPEN Members Join Vivo, Friends

JUNGWON, JAKE, and SUNGHOON are among the newest Vivo Friends, strengthening the smartphone brand's connection with Filipino fans through an exclusive in-person experience.

“ENHYPEN’s fans will have a limited opportunity to see ENHYPEN JUNGWON, JAKE, and SUNGHOON in person through this event,” said Liu Lu, Vivo Philippines Brand Marketing Director. The executive encouraged interested customers to pre-order through the official e-store and carefully review the payment deadlines and ticket requirements.

With limited VVIP tickets available, fans are encouraged to complete their pre-orders early. For the full promotional mechanics and the latest launch announcements, customers can visit Vivo Philippines' official social media channels and e-store.

The promotion combines the arrival of the Vivo V80 with a special fan experience, giving eligible customers an opportunity to celebrate the holiday season alongside three members of ENHYPEN.