PLDT Enterprise highlights combatting faculty, student burnout in the next normal

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

PLDT Enterprise, the B2B arm of the largest fully integrated telecommunications company in the Philippines, called for innovative solutions that would address the threats to the well-being of students and teachers as they continue eLearning in the next normal.

During PLDT Enterprise’s recently held eBossing Online Class—dedicated for the members of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU) and their 3,000 university and colleges heads, faculty members, and admin officers—Dick Perez, PLDT Enterprise Assistant Vice President and Corporate Relationship Management Head for Academe & FMCG, said that the toll of increased workload on teachers and other associated effects of the pandemic should not be underestimated.

A study from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) found that more than 28 million students, educators, and parents are grappling with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which also affects their health and well-being.

Perez highlighted that a good way of lessening stress in online learning is to make a pedagogy based on fun, interaction, and collaboration.

“The inclusion of collaborative activities in an online course leads to positive performance outcomes. Collaborative group interaction facilitates active learning, shared knowledge and promotes social interaction and a supportive e-learning community,” Perez said.

“Moreover, the value of teaching through games is compelling. Games draw students into the learning process, foster a healthy sense of competition, and encourage them to refrain from failures as stepping stone to greater success.”

However, when using a game-based learning approach, Perez advised educators to “avoid games that offer arbitrary rewards but rather those that challenge students to make difficult choices that lead to interesting and meaningful outcomes.”

Meanwhile, PLDT Enterprise Assistant VP and Head for Education, FMCG, SMBiz Enterprise Strategic Solution Group John Combalicer added that higher education institutions need to prioritize making online academic counseling and medical services accessible to students.

“We need to address the educational well-being for the next normal. PLDT is your partner in helping your educational institution in your role to creating more e-learning experience that will help educators, students, and parents cope up in this pandemic,” Combalicer noted.

During the program, CHED Commissioner Dr. Aldrin Darilag, CHRP, RHT, RN enumerated the different programs and goals of the institution for the sector and talked about institutionalizing online learning and other relevant policies that aim “to retrofit the educational system in the new normal and empower both educators and learners.”

Darilag shared about PHL CHED Connect, a platform launched by CHED that contains more than 1.6K educational content and has engaged more than 60K unique users already.

PLDT Enterprise has been a partner of PACU in providing connectivity plans and e-Learning services to its member schools. The group has also been working with global technology companies in creating more meaningful connections and immersive eLearning experiences for students and teachers.

For more information, visit pldtenterprise.com

Philippine Post Office Speeds Up Delivery

 

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

 

The Philippine Post Office has removed notification cards as part of its “Hatid Malasakit” program to speed up delivery of mails and parcels to give much-deserved convenience to the people.

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The public including their families abroad can now expect faster, safe and convenient door-to-door delivery of mails and parcels.  The Philippine Postal Corporation (Post Office) headed by Postmaster General Norman “Mr. Postman” Fulgencio terminated the 75-year-old practice of sending notification which causes delays in parcel delivery.

 

“This time, our clients can now expect safe and convenient door-to-door delivery of their parcels minus the Notification Cards”, Fulgencio said in a statement.

 

In previous practice, the addressee or recipient has to receive a Notification Card before a parcel can be picked up at the post office. Sometimes, a notification card can be received in 2 or 3 months which causes delays on the part of the recipient in claiming the parcel.

 

“We immediately stopped this practice in order to provide safety and convenience to the mailing public who patronizes our post office services”.

 

The public can now expect faster movement and delivery of mails and parcels. Upon his assumption to office as Postmaster General Fulgencio last March 15, he immediately initiated reforms in the postal system in compliance with the administration of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s Philippine Development Plan ensuring our people receive the quality of services they deserve.

 

“Our heartfelt gratitude for the public’s kind understanding and patience. The postal service is far from being perfect, but we are continuously improving. Again, our apologies”, the Postmaster General said.

 

Hungry Project Food Concepts Inc. faces pandemic the ‘smarter way’ with PLDT Enterprise

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted industries to rethink how they operate their businesses. Most of them were forced to rely heavily on technology given the mobility restrictions and strict implementation of health protocols.

To survive the economic crisis, Hungry Project Food Concepts Inc. is among those businesses which modified their approach to the challenges of the pandemic to manage their operations the ‘smarter way’. Despite the declining foot traffic in their dine-in stores, shorter operating hours, and declining sales, realizing how to effectively take on this crisis has been the biggest feat for the retailer.

“In terms of operations, we’ve become smarter in a way. We need less people to staff the stores for dine-in. In terms of operations, I think we learned from that. We don’t order a lot of ingredients for the time being,” said Zerline Chan Ortiz-Luis, General Manager of Hungry Project Food Concepts Inc.

Ortiz-Luis shared that they needed to be more discerning in terms of ordering inventory, reducing staff in branches, and negotiating rental rates.

She also noted that up to 80 percent of their sales were generated from online transactions and food delivery services. Given this, she stressed the importance of reliable internet connectivity which allowed them to receive orders from food delivery applications and customer service call centers.

The said food retailer has been subscribed to PLDT's fast and secure Enterprise broadband to optimize the receiving and delivery of orders to customers via a reliable connectivity. As the B2B arm of the largest fully integrated telecommunications company in the Philippines, PLDT Enterprise has been supporting small to medium businesses such as Hungry Project Food Concepts Inc. through innovative digital solutions suited for their changing needs.

“We at PLDT Enterprise are continuously strengthening our connectivity and communication services to support the changing requirements of our valued MSME customers like Hungry Project Food Concepts, especially as they strive to operate their businesses in these challenging times,” said Chito Franco, PLDT Enterprise Vice President for Small and MicroBiz. “Our aim is to make a positive impact on every single business and we seek to do that by providing them with tailor fit digital solutions.”

PLDT Enterprise recently formed an exclusive Customer Advisory Board (CAB), in which Hungry Project Food Concepts is a part of, where customers from different sectors engage in a meaningful discussion of topics that would impact businesses and industries as a whole.

Furthermore, vaccine rollout was said to help regain confidence in dine-in safety but the timing when this will happen is still early to tell.

Retail is among the industries hoping that the completion of vaccine rollout would help improve sales by increasing the people’s confidence in going out of their homes which is essential for better business operations and stable financial gains.

For more information, visit pldtenterprise.com