The multi-awarded chorale was also chosen as the Best Regional Entry from the National Capital Region. Its musical director, Mr. Anthony Villanueva, also received the special award for Best Conductor.

The Pag-IBIG Fund Chorale had its beginnings in the early 1990s to initially sing at Fund Coordinators’ Club meetings and other corporate occasions. It was then formally organized in September 2005. The group has become Pag-IBIG’s ambassador, performing in events of other companies, both public and private. It has joined and won in various singing competitions within and outside the country.

The Chorale supported Pag-IBIG Fund’s quest for excellence, proving that Pag-IBIG Fund employees are not only capable of providing exceptional service to the members, but also dazzle in arts and culture, particularly music.

Other winners were Tagum City Chamber Choral (Grand Champion), Bayugan City Educators Chorale (2nd), and Pangasinan Provincial Chorale (4th).

At the 8th Grand Prix Pattaya International Choir Festival in Thailand last year, the Pag-IBIG Fund Chorale won Gold Medals in Folklore A Capella, and in Spiritual, Gospel, and Jazz; and a Silver Medal in the Adult Mixed Category. It was also the 2014 Grand Champion at the Civil Service Commission’s Government Choral Competition.

The group made its public debut at the “Liwliwa: Konsierto ng mga Bayani” held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. It also participated in various music festivals including the Madz Et Al Choral Festival from 2007 to 2011 and in Maestro Ryan Cayabyab’s Thousand-Voice Choir Project. It has also guested in several TV shows and has spearheaded several outreach activities.

This is a news release from the Pag-IBIG Fund.

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See Pag-IBIG Fund at the 2016 Customer Love Fest, which will be held at the New World Makati Hotel this October 20-21, 2016. Reserve your seats by calling 633-0153, 643-3887, 0920-981-4376 or email info@exlinkevents.com.

Business owners, imagine this: You or your employees are using Grab for your work tasks (some of you might even ask them to use it), like going to a specific place for meetings, delivery of goods, so on and so forth. Chances are, your employees are required to submit their proof of their ride to be submitted to your company's HR department.

With this in mind, Grab wanted to remove the hassle of documenting every trip your employees take, and thus they offer their Grab for Work service.

• Save time by reducing paperwork - Grab for Work integrates to your HR so your employees won't think of sending receipts to HR; instead, it will be automatically sent to HR itself. Less hassle, less worries!
• Full flexibility with multiple payment options - Credit cards, debit cards, cash or even through a monthly direct billing plan, Grab for Work works with these payment options.
• Increase savings with affordable rides - Grab's competitive prices with their transparent fixed fare guarantee, will maximize your company's cost savings.
• Stay in control for better cost management - You can set your company's transportation fare limits

Considering these benefits that we mentioned, you know you want to get a grasp of Grab for Work. For more information, go to https://www.grab.com/ph/work/.

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Grab for Work is among the sponsors of the 2016 Customer Love Fest happening at the New World Makati Hotel this October 20-21, Thursday and Friday. Learn from local and international speakers how to step up your loyalty, brand and marketing approaches for the customers of now.

The Customer Love Fest is produced and organized by Ex-Link Events. For more information, call 633-0153 or 633-0088, SMS 0920-981-4376, 0920-924-2532 or email info@exlinkevents.com. 

Pag-IBIG Fund's successful partnerships with collection agencies and a tele-collection firm generated to date an additional collection of P16.5 Billion for the Fund since it tapped their services in 2013.

In a statement, Ms. Marilene C. Acosta, Pag-IBIG Fund Senior Vice President for Home Lending Operations Sector, said that the collection agencies collected P11.26 Billion while the tele-collection firm collected another P5.23 Billion, both from housing loan accounts.

"From January to August this year alone, we have already collected housing loan payments worth P5.11 Billion because of these partnerships, or P2.21 Billion from collection agencies and P2.90 from our tele-collection service partner," Ms. Acosta said.

Pag-IBIG records showed that the collection agencies started its services for the Fund in 2013 while it was just in 2015 that the tele-collection outsourcing began.

Pag-IBIG reaped several benefits from the partnerships according to Ms. Acosta.

"On top of the additional collections, Pag-IBIG also saved on administrative cost, including salaries and logistics, by about P50 Million a year. We also put at P1.57 Billion yearly our savings on loan loss provisioning," said Ms. Acosta.

"These partnerships also contributed to the increase of the Fund's performing loans ratio, which now stands at 91%, net of impairment allowance. This means that out of 10 housing loan borrowers, 9 are paying," explained Mr. Benjamin R. Felix, Jr., Pag-IBIG Vice President for Loans Remediation Group. He added that Pag-IBIG tapped the expertise of these collection firms to help them collect from housing loans accounts that are already past due.

Mr. Felix also emphasized that the objective of the partnerships is not merely for the benefit of the Fund but to help delinquent Pag-IBIG members as well.

"Since we tapped the services of the collection agencies, we have helped 210,650 housing loan borrowers save their properties by offering them settlement options acceptable both to the Fund and the borrower," Mr. Felix said.

This is a news release from the Pag-IBIG Fund.

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See Pag-IBIG Fund at the 2016 Customer Love Fest, which will be held at the New World Makati Hotel this October 20-21, 2016. Reserve your seats by calling 633-0153, 643-3887, 0920-981-4376 or email info@exlinkevents.com.

The first Business Development Forum was successfully held at the PSE Auditorium of the Tektite Tower in Ortigas Center last Friday, September 30. Delegates from the entrepreneur and the academe sectors spared a few hours to listen to the event's resource speakers.


The Forum kicked off with ActionCoach Philippines General Manager Mr. Roberto Dimayuga sharing the benefits of Business Coaching, followed by RBG Philippines CEO Mr. Raymond Lim sharing proven approaches in improving the human capital while sharing bits and pieces of how marketing works.


Guests of the Forum were in for a surprise as the brand healer Mr. Willy Arcilla did not only shared his findings on the ASEAN Economic Integration, but also his thoughts on Marketing, Leadership, Education and even the meaning of names!


Rotary Club of Mutya ng Pasig All-Star President and Ex-Link Events CEO Ms. Michelle Ballesteros mentioned that there are plans to being the Business Development Forum to different places around the metro.


The Business Development Forum is organized by the Rotary Club of Mutya ng Pasig, and will not be possible without the support of Ex-Link Events, People Management Association of the Philippines, Pasig City Business Center, Rotary Club of Pasig, Ka-Entrep Micro and Small Entrepreneurs' Organization of the Philippines, Landbank of the Philippines, Citibank, RBG Philippines, Avanza, Passkit, Island Cove, Golden Phoenix Hotel Manila, Jade Pacific Residences, Caliraya Resort Club, Malaya Business Insight and The Manila Times.

For more information on Rotary Club of Mutya ng Pasig, contact 0920 924 2532 or email info.rotarymutya@gmail.com. For more information on Ex-Link Events, call 633-0153, 543-3887 or email info@exlinkevents.com.

The Pag-IBIG Fund took one extra step to help its members in the Batanes area, which was recently hit by typhoon Ferdie.  In coordination with the local government of Batanes, a roving team from the Pag-IBIG Tuguegarao Office was deployed to the province to accept applications for Calamity Loan from qualified members and to facilitate their processing. The team also assisted the members with housing loans in the documentation and filing of claims for Allied Peril Insurance.

“We know that it would be difficult for them to come to Tuguegarao to file their Calamity Loan applications and claim for Allied peril insurance. So we went to them instead,” says Ophelia dela Cerna, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Member Services Cluster.

“We hope that the proceeds of their Calamity loans can help them in repairing their homes destroyed by typhoon Ferdie, even provide them with a start-up capital for a small business, or for their medical needs,” Ms. dela Cerna continues.

To date, the roving team has already received  some  165 applications for Calamity Loan. Still they continue  to go around the different Local Government Units in the province to collect more Calamity Loan applications earlier distributed to members.  There are 1,984 active Pag-IBIG members in Batanes.

Meanwhile, appraisers from  Pag-IBIG Tuguegarao have inspected all 38 units covered by Pag-IBIG housing loans finding no major damages. The appraiser’s inspection report is required in filing claims for Allied Perils Insurance. Affected members can also apply for the End-User Home Financing Program for major home repairs.

The Pag-IBIG Calamity Loan is offered to active members who are residing in areas placed under a state of calamity. They can borrow up to 80% of their total savings with Pag-IBIG, payable in two years through salary deduction, with a grace period of three months. Interest rate is a low 5.95% per annum.  Members can still apply for the Calamity Loan even if he has an outstanding Multi-Purpose Loan or Calamity Loan. In no case, however, will the aggregate loans exceed 80% of the borrower’s Total Accumulated Value (TAV).

From January to August 2016, Pag-IBIG Fund has approved  96,051 calamity loan applications and has disbursed more than PhP 1.26  Billion.  (JRS/Faye/JRS/mtv/JRS)

This is a news release from the Pag-IBIG Fund.

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See Pag-IBIG Fund at the 2016 Customer Love Fest, which will be held at the New World Makati Hotel this October 20-21, 2016. Reserve your seats by calling 633-0153, 643-3887, 0920-981-4376 or email info@exlinkevents.com.

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Pasig City Mayor Bobby Eusebio and his wife Maribel are welcomed by the officers and members of the Rotary Club of Mutya ng Pasig (Rotary International District 3800) as the club held its first Great Roots, Greater Fruits Parenting Summit at the Pasig City Sports Complex last Saturday, September 24.

Also in the photo are [5th from left] are speakers Pastor Jun Aguilar of Victory Pioneer and Mrs. Zenaida Concepcion from the Anti-Drug Abuse Council of Pasig (ADCOP). Pasig City 2nd District Councilor Dr. Corie Raymundo, Ph.D., and award-winning authors Mr. Vic & Avelynn Garcia of Unleash International were also present in the Summit as speakers.


Almost 4,000 parents from Pasig City including members of the Pasig City Parent-Teachers Association Federation and Mayor Bobby C. Eusebio (BCE) Scholars attended the Summit amid the turbulent weather to listen to inspiring talks provided by its speakers, notable Victory Pioneer's Pastor Jun Aguilar, Pasig City 2nd District Councilor Dr. Corazon "Corie" Raymundo, PhD., Mrs. Zenaida Concepcion of the Anti-Drug Abuse Council of Pasig (ADCOP) and Mr. Vic & Ms. Avelynn Garcia of Unleash International Corporation.

Among the lessons that the parents learned from the first Parenting Summit is the value of communicating to your children and the importance of keeping it. The program ended with closing remarks from the Club's President-Elect Ms. Maryann Santiago.

The Great Roots, Greater Fruits Parenting Summit is organized by the Rotary Club of Mutya ng Pasig and is supported by the Pasig City Government, CDO, Landbank of the Philippines, Citibank NA, Unleash International Corporation and Ex-Link Events.

The 7th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo (7th PBEX) was held August 26 to 28 at the Megatrade Hall 1 inside SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

If you missed the event, don't worry, we have the highlights here!

In all aspects of life, one must be fulfilled and satisfied, lest he or she will feel miserable. In this post, we will talk about this approach that can also be applied in your personal branding to serve customers more.

Let's take for example booming industries such as call centers, where dozens of customer service professionals are catering to their clients, most working opposite the normal 9-to-5 time. Most often, these professionals experience burnout - after all, they are the bridge between the client companies and their clients.

The companies' Human Resource Departments get this well, and so they formulate proactive work environments that doesn't only mind work, but also includes socializing and outdoor activities. The objective is to make the professional feel fulfilled, which will lead to increased performance.

For a different perspective, let's take a look this time to the typical 9-to-5 worker. Commute times, targets, deadlines, client calls, meetings, so on and so forth stresses him or her, resulting to dullness of the performance and the persons themselves. If you can hear them talk about having a facial or buffing up at the gym or eat at the nearby food park, it's for their personal satisfaction. Taking a break sometimes is helpful.

As a professional, if you can't derive a sense of meaning in your work, you won't be able to stay long. A Deloitte research shows that most people determine a company's success by how its people are satisfied.

If you have hobbies, you can cling in to them to provide you with some stress relief. Also take note as an employee that if you bring your work at home more than often, it might be a sign that your work is hampering your satisfaction. Another tip to check your happiness is to examine how you see your environment - if you think and feel that your environment is crap, it will reflect on you.

Many things do revolve in yourself, and if you don't take care of your happiness and satisfaction, it can be depressing in the end. Don't be a sad bum, be happy and see the good in everything. This will reflect on your personal branding, and thus you can give a better experience to the people you talk to.

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Speaking better experiences, talk to your boss if you can attend the Customer Love Fest this October in Makati, where local and international speakers will talk about Customer Loyalty and Rewards, Customer Relationship Management, and Customer Experience for two days. Many professionals have attested positively to the event, and we look forward to see you there.

The Customer Experience Management Conference is part of the 2016 Customer Love Fest happening at the New World Makati Hotel on October 20 to 21. For reservations and other inquiries, contact 633-0153, SMS 0920 981 4376 or 0920 924 2532, or email info@exlinkevents.com. Our staff are on stand-by to take your reservation, so get in touch now!

Ex-Link Events is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Recently, we heard that TV5's going to reintegrate itself, focusing on sports and home shopping. This comes after the news that its news division chief Luchi Cruz-Valdes mulls to leave the network to pursue a new start. Of course, let's not talk about people here - we'll talk about one of the network's plans under its new leadership - home shopping.

Records say that RJTV introduced this concept in the 90's, and in 2016, there are five or so brands running in the country, selling products from East Asia or the U.S. They buy airtime from local networks to promote their products and how they can avail of these - these fall in a segment called "infomercials."

The usual pattern for these infomercials is to promote the product, demonstrate how tough/versatile/efficient it is, share testimonials, show the price and keep the viewer wanting the product through special offers. If you have seen infomercials before, you might have known icons such as Chef Tony, Billy Mays and Vince Offer. Notice how they pitch the products.







What does these infomercials show? These show the how effective home shopping is in getting your potential customers to call and buy right in a matter of minutes. This is why some say that home shopping is a temptation for impulse buying.

Positioning the brand, the products and the setting the right time gets you customers; add some iconic pitch makers and you now have brand loyalty that can also translate to viral topics (and in most cases, memes), which is a good thing entirely.

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"We're still not done yet," they say - read on for the next few seconds and we'll tell you more about the Customer Experience Management Conference. Imagine customer experience professionals gathering in one place to share ideas and network with their fellows, that's what it is.

The Customer Experience Management Conference is part of the Customer Love Fest 2016, happening at the New World Makati Hotel on October 20 to 21. For reservations and other inquiries, contact 633-0153, SMS 0920 981 4376 or 0920 924 2532, or email info@exlinkevents.com. Our staff are on stand-by to take your reservation, so get in touch now!

Ex-Link Events is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.