Monitor Your Health in Real-Time with the Helo Smart Wristband

Wazzup Pilipinas!

We cannot deny that we worry a lot about our health because of so many possible sickness that we may encounter during our lifetime. With every advancement in technology for just about anything, there seems to be a new virus or bacteria that evolves or mutates to produce a new disease.

Thus, we are not really sure nowadays if we are still in tough shape because at any time we may succumb to poor health if we take our bodies for granted. 

We even hear of athletes going down while performing their regular routines. There are runners who get into a heart attack in the middle of a run, there are swimmers who drown because of sudden fatigue, and many other horror stories even for the seemingly physically fit.

This is why there are people who also design cures or remedy for situations like these in order to prevent their occurrences.

Say HELO Philippines! The latest innovation in the health monitoring gadget, HELO is a smart wristband that you can wear 24/7 to monitor your vital signs real-time, providing data that can be used to improve your lifestyle choices leading to a healthier well-being and physical condition, and better life. Helo is equipped to monitor your blood pressure, breath rate, heart rate, and ECG. It has fitness functionality to record your number of steps, distance and calories burned. It monitors your mood and levels of fatigue. For emergencies, simply press the *Panic Button located on the side. Change the way you live.

The product is already available online.... and the people responsible are in the process of bringing the product here in the Philippines.

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The Gift that Keeps on Giving: Globe Partners with Kiva for a Globe of Good

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Unemployment continues to be one of the Philippines’ biggest challenges to date. Millions of Filipinos either remain on the loose for a job opportunity to earn their keep or are employed but are dissatisfied with their current pay, role or job fit, categorizing them in the “underemployed” segment.

In the year 2000, unemployment rate was at a record high of 13.9. While unemployment rate steadily decreased over the years at a record low of 5.4 in the third quarter of 2016, it remains a major roadblock in seeing the country’s full potential.

Micro-, small- and medium- enterprises (MSMEs) have contributed largely to this increase in employment. In ASEAN countries, majority of enterprises are MSMEs, reaching up to 99% in some. In the Philippines, there are currently close to a million MSMEs. From 1995 to 2011, the number of people employed by MSMEs has increased from 2.7 million to 3.9 million, and the number only continues to grow, allowing people to slowly rise over the poverty line.

MSMEs encounter difficulty when it comes to funding due to having mostly personal assets. Without acceptable collateral such as real property and with a limited track record, MSMEs, especially the smallest ones, are put at a disadvantage in loaning capital as they cannot meet bank requirements.

With its renewed purpose of seeing a country where businesses flourish, Globe Telecom constantly looks at forging partnerships to grow employment opportunities. In partnership with global crowd-funding source Kiva, the company has revolutionized an avenue to help Filipinos, empower local businesses, and promote economic growth. Globe customers can now help Filipino start-up entrepreneurs realize their dreams by donating or lending funds.

Leveraging on its online facility and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva provides loans to people without access to traditional banking systems. The micro-finance institutions, which are called Field Partners, administer the loans in the field, giving people in need a safe and affordable access to fresh capital to further their lives and that of their families. Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF), Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI), Center for Community Transformation Credit Cooperative, Gata Daku Multi-purpose Cooperative, Paglaum Multi-purpose Cooperative, Community Economic Ventures, Inc., MILAMDEC Foundation, SEED Center Philippines, Inc. and Bagosphere Ph. Inc. are Kiva’s partner Microfinance Institutions (MFI) in the Philippines. To-date, Kiva has over 1.5 million individual lenders from every country in the world. These lenders have funded loans amounting to over US$890 million to 2.1 million beneficiaries.

As part of its month-long celebration for its loyal and tenured customers in September, Globe enabled its prepaid and postpaid customers to support 917 micro-enterprises through a Kiva gift card worth US$25. The beneficiaries in the agriculture, farming, retail and food industries can, in turn, use the amount to scale their businesses.

To welcome the month-long Yuletide season, Globe customers can still continue making a difference in the lives of others by making a donation via Kiva. There are 3 ways: (1) converting Globe Reward Points into Kiva donations, (2) donating via GCash, or (3) by texting Kiva to 2158-Kiva to avail a Kiva Card, a gift card that can be used to choose a beneficiary.

“The best gift that anyone can give this Christmas is a gift that keeps on giving, and we at Globe are encouraging our customers to create a Globe of good by harnessing our partnership with Kiva. Through their donations, they can empower and boost livelihood and employment opportunities which can have a positive impact to many today and in the future,” says Yoly Crisanto, Chief Sustainability Officer at Globe.

The company’s partnership with Kiva follows its commitment to 9 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 17: Partnership for the Goals—knowing that sustainability is possible only through collaboration with relevant organizations. Ultimately, this allows Globe to enable Filipino entrepreneurship and instigate job creation, contributing towards SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.

Paris Agreement Passes First Stress Test at COP22

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In response to the close of COP22, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, leader of WWF International’s Climate & Energy Practice, issued the following statement:

“The UN climate talks continue to be filled with twists and turns, but they have delivered what they needed to this week – putting substance behind the promise of the Paris Agreement so it can be fully implemented. The Marrakech work has not been the most glamorous, but it’s a key step in the chain reaction needed to roll out the agreement.

“Countries’ commitment to the Paris Agreement also passed its first stress test this week with the US election results. Unequivocally, they restated that they are in this for the long haul.

“The reality is that the world is moving ahead on this issue. This irreversible momentum will only build as market signals and commitments across all sectors of society continue pouring in.

“Already, 111 countries have ratified the Agreement – underscoring its historic importance. Nations also began submitting their long-term roadmaps for decarbonisation.

“But there’s still work to do. The emissions gap continues to grow between what science tells us is needed to protect the planet from the worst impacts of climate change and the goals governments set in Paris. Urgently reducing emissions and preparing for the climate change impacts that are already affecting us is essential for the world’s future prosperity, safety and security.

“In Marrakech, countries agreed to take stock of progress in two years and make every effort to come back with more ambitious targets and plans before 2020 to ensure we work quickly to close the widening emissions gap. This is a critical outcome this week that further solidified progress on the Paris Agreement.

“While parties work to finalize the Paris Agreement “fine print” by the next major political moment in 2018, more needs to be done in the next few years to clarify consistency of national targets. In addition, there are still gaps in finance and adaptation, despite some announcements here on financing for adaptation and capacity building. We expect to see developed countries up their game significantly on finance and other support beyond current projections, and are very encouraged to see China and other countries stepping up their south-south cooperation.

“This work was bolstered by the Climate Vulnerable Forum, a group of around 50 countries that committed to reviewing and improving their current emissions-cutting goals in 2018 and shifting to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050 or before.

“Here in Marrakech the negotiations kick-started a critical discussion about the rules for implementing the agreement and accelerating climate action. It set the path for the next set of negotiations to complete those rules and raise ambition, paving the way to tighten national commitments, improve preparedness at home and provide financial support in line with science and equity.

“Over the coming years, we expect to see the trends of falling costs for renewables and scaled action by all actors – private sector, cities, investors, and by governments all over the world – continue to accelerate the inevitable shift to low carbon, climate-resilient development.”