ASEAN+3 Forum Tackles Energy Security

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Senior energy officials from member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as from China, Japan and Korea concluded the 14th Energy Security Forum (ESF) with a consensus to conduct regular sharing of relevant energy developments to ensure energy security, particularly on coal, oil and nuclear energy resources.

​The 14th ESF is part of the three-day ASEAN+3 (China Japan and Korea) Forum hosted by the Philippine Department of Energy held from 23-25 May 2017 at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City.

​The ESF focused on the latest energy trends in the region, including energy consumption, power generation and energy self-sufficiency.

​The meeting also reviewed the technical preparations of the energy outlook of the ASEAN+3 member-economies highlighting on the modeling framework and major assumptions for Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES), Final Energy Consumption (FEC) and Power Generation Mix, including Fossil Fuels Demand and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions.

​Each ASEAN Member-State shared their best practices on oil security and provided updates regarding their oil stockpiling status and directions.

​Japan Oil Gas and Metals National Corp. (JOGMEC) also gave a status report regarding its oil stockpiling capacity building program, while Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) expounded on their oil stockpiling outreach policy.

​In the discussion on coal energy resource security.

China, Japan & Korea briefed the participants on clean coal technology development, specifically focusing on the High Efficiency and Low Emission (HELE) coal power generation technology.

​The ASEAN Member-States furthermore discussed a plan for a possible engagement with the China General Nuclear Power Group (CGNPC) regarding the sharing of experiences in "Nuclear Front-end Planning”.

​The Institute of Energy Economics Japan (IEEJ) presented a paper, "Challenges of Nuclear Development: Safety Guidelines Procedure and Policy Updates" to address the looming scenarios in developing and utilizing nuclear energy.

DOE Undersecretary Jesus Cristino P. Posadas headed the Philippine delegation together with Energy Policy and Planning Bureau Asst. Director Carmencita Bariso.

Cover Photo Caption: 

SECURING ASEAN ENERGY: ASEAN Member-States together with China, Japan and Korea shared best practices to ensure energy security in the region during the 14th Energy Security Forum hosted by the Philippine Department of Energy on 25 May 2017 at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City. Photo shows Senior Energy Officials of the ASEAN+3 together with DOE Undersecretary Jesus Cristino P. Posadas (center) and DOE-Energy Policy and Planning Bureau Asst. Director Carmencita Bariso (6th from left).

Great Things Ahead with All Cool Treats and Best Deals Done the SM Men Way

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It’s an exciting month of June for SM Men as the brand gears up for promos and discounts to watch out for and enjoy.

June is a great time to shop in SM Men as the whole month celebrates its annual Men’s Sale, where prices will go up to 70% off from June 1 to 30. Enjoy a wide array of denim, basics, tees, and on-trend pieces with specially discounted prices from SM Men brands.

This Father’s Day, SM Men  is out to treat all dads for all their love and hardwork. Treat Pops to a day out shopping with a P300 SM Men Sodexo Gift Pass, when you spend a minimum of P3,000 at SM Men.

More are in store for dads and all guy shoppers: SM Supermalls will celebrate Dad’s Day with special activities and treats from June 13 - 25. In the Thursday Kings promo, male shoppers will enjoy 20% off from their minimum P2,000 purchase from The SM Store on all Thursdays of June.

Follow SM Men (@sm_men) on Instagram and Facebook for details on these exciting promos.

Smart is Asia’s Top Digital Services Provider

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‘Welcome Change’ also named Best Brand Campaign at Asia Communication Awards

For its efforts to boost its network and make relevant digital services accessible to Filipinos, PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications was named Digital Service Provider of the Year at the Asia Communication Awards (ACA) ceremony held recently in Singapore.

The ACA recognizes outstanding performance by Asian carriers, multimedia content providers, vendors, and other communication service providers. It is conducted annually by London-based industry publication Total Telecom.

Smart’s Welcome Change campaign – which communicated the company’s digital pivot and encouraged Filipinos to empower themselves through mobile innovations – won the Best Brand Campaign recognition.

Janet Watkin, head of the ACA panel of judges and CEO of a customer experience consultancy, said simply making it to the shortlist was already an achievement, given the challenges faced by the telecommunications industry.

“Doing business has become more digital, global, social, and mobile, and the marketplace is vaster and more crowded than it has ever been. Alongside changes in technology and competition are the changing expectations and behavior of customers. As such, making it onto the shortlist for the Asia Communication Awards is indeed a formidable achievement. To win requires that something extra special that is a cut above the rest,” she said.

Digital transformation

“We are honored to receive these awards from a prestigious institution that understands the rapid changes sweeping through the telco industry. This recognition further inspires us to intensify our pursuit for digital transformation and to bring the benefits of the digital life to more Filipinos,” said PLDT and Smart chairman and CEO Manny V. Pangilinan.

Smart has a multi-pronged approach in encouraging Filipinos to welcome the digital change – it continuously improves and expands its network while making available devices, relevant content, and value-packed service offers to its subscribers.

In 2016, Smart and PLDT launched a $1-billion digital transformation program to enable their fixed and mobile networks to support the rising demand for digital services. Smart has committed to progressively deploy LTE services to 95% of the country’s cities and municipalities by end-2018. To do this, the company is combining low-band frequencies for better indoor penetration and wider coverage, with high-band frequencies for additional capacity. These frequencies include those obtained through the acquisition of the telco businesses of San Miguel Corp.

Smart has finished its LTE deployment in Boracay and Metro Davao, while efforts are ongoing in Metro Cebu and Metro Manila. Internal tests show Smart’s LTE service consistently increasing in speeds and registering improved indoor data coverage. Third-party crowdsourced tests also show that Smart offers the fastest LTE service in the Philippines.

Because not many Filipinos can afford LTE handsets, Smart has partnered with various device manufacturers to introduce affordable LTE devices with network-compatible frequencies.