Stronger, Safer Communities: Pru Life UK and Prudence Foundation Champion Climate-Health Solutions

Pru Life UK, through the strategic support of Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential plc, has launched a community-based intervention program to build resilience against dengue and leptospirosis, two known climate-sensitive diseases, in the cities of Malabon and Caloocan. NGO CARE Philippines was tapped as the implementing partner for the year-long program named SHIELD Project (Sustainable Health Interventions for Eradicating Leptospirosis and Dengue). 

The project is backed by Prudence Foundation’s PHP10 million Climate and Health Resilience Fund (CHRF), a fund that supports local projects that build community resilience against health impacts of climate change. This year, as the recipient of CHRF in the Philippines, the SHIELD project seeks to enhance community-level preparedness and protection against dengue and leptospirosis health systems in the cities of Malabon and Caloocan.

This year, the SHIELD Project aims to reach 6,700 beneficiaries, including 200 barangay healthcare workers, 2,000 residents trained on disease prevention, 4,000 reached through health campaigns, and 500 community leaders trained to champion WASH practices.

Capacity-building training sessions were conducted for LGU (local government unit) personnel, including Barangay Health Workers and Barangay-level Health Education and Promotion Officers, as part of SHIELD’s key program activities. These sessions aimed to enhance their skills in effective disease prevention and control within their communities.

In 2024, dengue and leptospirosis cases in the Philippines increased by 33% and 16% respectively, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable and community-based responses.

The SHIELD Project covers targeted health interventions, including:

Education campaigns on disease prevention and the climate-health link

Training for local health workers and government partners to improve detection and response

Clean-up drives and distribution of mosquito nets and WASH kits

Development of early warning systems and community-led surveillance 

Inclusive health education to empower women and vulnerable groups

“As the impacts of climate change become more visible in our communities, we believe that building health resilience is not just necessary—it’s urgent,” said Maricel Estavillo, VP for Sustainability and Takaful Head at Pru Life UK. “Through the SHIELD Project, we aim to empower local communities with knowledge, tools, and systems that can save lives and protect livelihoods, especially in the most at-risk areas.”

The initiative supports the Department of Health’s climate and health adaptation strategy and reinforces Pru Life UK’s and Prudence Foundation’s commitment to building safer, more resilient communities. Designed for long-term impact, SHIELD will serve as a model for replication in other high-risk areas in the country.

Igloo Protects Southeast Asia's Multi-Billion Dollar Coffee Industry with Innovative Weather Insurance for Farmers

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Regional insurtech Igloo expands its blockchain-based parametric index insurance to coffee farmers in Southeast Asia, showing commitment to covering more underinsured communities and industries after successful product implementation with rice farmers.

Southeast Asia - a part of what is called the coffee belt - is one of the biggest coffee producers in the world. While Vietnam and Indonesia are responsible for the majority of global coffee output, the Philippines is also an important global producer with industry revenue expected to reach US$6.7 billion in 2023, according to statistics portal Statista. The local market is also expected to grow annually by 5.69% until 2025.

Coffee production is not only a long-term and labor-intensive investment, but it is also one that is constantly under threat of climate hazards which provide difficult growing conditions due to extreme climate–affecting farmers and disrupting supply chains.

“Weather Index Insurance is a product that we introduced in order to protect farmers and communities across Southeast Asia from unforeseen climate hazards. While initially introduced for rice farmers, we’ve seen from its success the product’s scalability to cover other sectors like coffee farms, which is one of the robustly growing segments in the region,” said Mario Berta, Igloo’s Country Manager for the Philippines.

Protecting the coffee industry and its farmers

There are currently several insurance products on the market for coffee farmers. However, they share a common problem of incompatibility with the real, frequent risks faced by coffee farming families. The damage assessment process is also complex and time-consuming, which creates the risk of additional financial hardship for farmers.

The Weather Index Insurance eliminates the need to individually verify claims thereby reducing transaction costs and enabling faster payouts to farmers. This is done by collecting and monitoring rainfall data to calculate claims using pre-assigned values for losses due to natural causes. The business rules governing claims payout being hosted on a public blockchain help leverage the attributes of transparency, consistency, and unbiasedness, thereby making the setup credible.

While Weather Index Insurance is currently available in Vietnam for rice and coffee farmers, Igloo expects to roll out Weather Index Insurance to more countries in Southeast Asia including the Philippines soon.

“The Philippines being an agricultural powerhouse and one that is at a higher risk of suffering from the impacts of climate change, is a country we believe will benefit from having Weather Index Insurance. We are currently working with our partners to make this product available in the country and other markets in the near future. In addition, we are also exploring expanding the product’s coverage to include other indices such as earthquakes,” Mario added.


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About Igloo:


Igloo is the first full-stack insurtech firm to emerge from Singapore. It has offices in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia and tech centers in China and India. With a mission of making insurance accessible for all, the firm leverages big data, real-time risk assessment, and end-to-end automated claims management to create B2B2C insurance solutions for platform companies and insurance companies. Igloo’s insurance solutions enable companies to eliminate their exposure to operational risk, create new revenue streams, and optimize and enhance existing products and services. Igloo has partnered with over 55 well-known brand names across the markets in various verticals, including insurance, telecommunications, e-commerce, hospitality, health tech and financial services.

For more information, please visit https://www.iglooinsure.com/.

Health and Fitness in Full Color

Top executives of AXA Philippines, one of the country’s leading insurance companies, took part in the fun-filled Color Manila Run at the SM Mall of Asia event grounds in early January.

AXA demonstrated its commitment to promoting the importance of health and wellness among families and young people through this event. AXA’s senior leaders also joined in on the fun.

“Our participation in an event such as the Color Manila Run is a fun way to underline the importance of health and fitness,” said AXA Philippines president and chief executive officer Rahul Hora. “And AXA has the superior products people need for total health protection.”

With comprehensive products such as Global Health Access and Health Max, all designed to protect people’s finances in times of medical emergencies, AXA’s participation in the Color Manila Run underscores its commitment to provide the best health coverage in the market, giving people peace of mind so they can focus on living the life they choose.

AXA Philippines also had the “I Bounce for Health” trampoline challenge as a fun way for people to start their health journey in 2019. Everyone who joined the challenge received a free AXA personal accident insurance card. The participant with the most number of jumps also took home a wearable fitness gadget.

Color Manila, the biggest color fun run in the country, brought almost 13,000 runners — splattered with vibrant rainbow colors — to safari-themed 200-meter, 3K, 5K, 10K and 21K routes.

AXA Continues Growth Trajectory with Record First-half 2018 Performance

AXA Philippines, one of the country’s top insurance companies, reported that its first-half performance for 2018 has continued on the upward trajectory—driven by higher annualized premium equivalent (APE) and robust growth in total premium income (TPI).

Compared to the same period in 2017, total net income grew 35% to P1.3 billion on the back of new business and renewals.

APE continued its rise with a significant increase of 27% amounting to P3.8 billion, up from P3 billion from the same period last year. This surge is due to the growth in all sales channels, which is also brought about by higher average active distributor count compared to the same period last year, leading to 24% growth in average case count.

TPI also showed a stellar performance of 141%, attributable mainly from growth in new business sales and better persistency of renewal collections, compared to the combined first and second quarters of 2017. Regular premium income increased 25% year-on-year, while single premium income rose 58%.

Charter Ping An Insurance Corporation, AXA’s general insurance subsidiary, also ranked high in terms of net premium written among non-life insurance companies based on data released by the Insurance Commission. For 2017, Charter Ping An posted P4.08 billion in net premiums written.

The first half of 2018 saw the launch of AXA Shared Services Centre Philippines, one of two Asian hubs offering support to various AXA entities around the world. AXA also expanded its reach and distribution network by opening new branches in Cabanatuan, Cagayan De Oro, and Pagadian.

Recently, AXA introduced its newest offering Asset Master, a single-pay investment-linked insurance product that allows customers to build a diversified investment portfolio of local and global investments. AXA Philippines also bagged a silver award from the prestigious Efma-Accenture Innovation in Insurance Awards for MyAXA Café, an online insight community that provides secure, ongoing, and real-time feedback from customers as a tool to aid in business decisión-making.

Get World-Class Medical Coverage with AXA Global Health Access

AXA, global leader in insurance and asset management, empowers you to take control of your health with Global Health Access (GHA), a health plan that provides world-class medical coverage—the kind you deserve—not only in the Philippines but in any country in the world.

With GHA, you can easily maintain optimal health and wellness because the plan gives you access to the best healthcare around the globe. Even if you’re diagnosed in the Philippines, you can opt to receive treatment anywhere in the world. With it, you are also always one step ahead in terms of protection, especially since illnesses can strike anytime, anywhere.

As a comprehensive worldwide health solution, GHA offers extensive international medical coverage of up to P150 million annual coverage for in-patient and out-patient treatments on select plans, inclusive of radiotherapy, chemotherapy, kidney dialysis, and many others. For select plans, coverage is also available for alternative treatments. The policyholder may consult his own specialist or even the hospital of his choice, even if both are outside the AXA network.

It’s easy to avail of GHA: all you have to do is answer yes or no to three questions—a medical exam result need not be presented. Even if you are a customer with pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, you still have the chance to get coverage under GHA.

Other benefits of GHA include 24/7 health advice and support through a telephone health information service staffed by professional healthcare practitioners; and global concierge services, such as flight and travel arrangements for scheduled treatments, including transfers to and from the hospital.

AXA Global Health Access is part of One AXA, a whole suite of superior products in Life Insurance, Savings and Investment, Educational Plans, and Health Coverage. To learn more about GHA, call the AXA customer service hotline at (02) 5815-AXA (292) or talk to an AXA Financial Coach at any AXA, Metrobank, or PSBank branch nationwide. You may also visit www.axa.com.ph/health-protection/global-health-access for more details.

AXA Promo Winner Announced

JC Nazareth (2nd from left) was declared the lucky winner in a recently concluded AXA promotion, which granted him a free trip to Shanghai, China, to catch the NBA China Games 2018 featuring the Dallas Mavericks and the Philadelphia 76ers. As part of the promo, contestants underwent AXA’s Financial Needs Analysis service or took the AXA Health Risk Score test on its website https://www.axa.com.ph/efna. Photo shows Nazareth with AXA Philippines president and CEO Rahul Hora (2nd from left), chief customer officer Amor Balagtas (rightmost), and chief distribution officer Marie Raymundo (leftmost).

AXA Philippines Partners with Rotary Club BGC

Leading global insurance provider AXA Philippines once again partnered with Rotary Club Bonifacio Global City (BGC) chapter for the Family Protection Program. Now on its second year, the aim of the program is to provide affordable insurance for families living within Rotary’s housing project, with half of the premium covered by Rotary Club BGC. The insurance protects the residents from accidents, fire, and natural catastrophes like earthquakes, typhoons, and floods. AXA Philippines also conducted a safety and first aid lecture for the residents during the event. Present were (L-R) BGC Rotary president Simon Gemayl, AXA Philippines emerging customers director Marc Gorospe, GIZ senior adviser Jimmy Lori, BGC Rotary vice president Dino Nilo, and AXA Philippines agency development officer Carlo Carillo.

AXA Helps Young Athlete Pursue Her Dream

If you ask Jam Lachica, 12, a young girl and an avid basketball player, how she ended up being selected among 800 players during the Jr. NBA Philippines presented by Alaska Regional Selection Camp, Jam will tell you right away that it was because of her coaches, including her dad Jaylord Lachica and school coach Joseph Rizos.

As a budding athlete, Jam was always influenced by her father’s interests, including basketball, which led to her love for the sport. Since the age of six, she would tag along with her father’s barangay leagues and closely observe the game. “Lagi akong sinasama ni Papa sa mga laro niya, kaya ginusto ko na rin matutunan yung basketball,” she said.
Fast forward to 2016 when Jam first joined the Jr. NBA Regional Selection Camp wherein she competed with several skilled female players her own age. However, she missed her chance to progress to the camp’s second day after she left to support her dad’s championship game in Quezon City.

But just like a true champion, Jam got back up and tried again in 2017. Knowing that she had been chosen on her first try, the shooting guard had a little more confidence, but unfortunately, she failed to make the cut. “Ginawa ko naman yung best ko para makuha ako ulit kaso madaming ibang magagaling,” she said.

Jam admits to feeling disappointment and in fact, did not consider joining this year’s camp. However, her dad didn’t lose faith and together with coach Rizos encouraged her to join again. Surprisingly, 2018 seemed to be Jam’s lucky year – with the help of AXA, the official insurance partner of the NBA in the Philippines, she had the support that she needed to succeed.

Jam was selected as one of the 16 girls that would represent Metro Manila and compete with peers from the provinces at the National Training Camp. All the hard work and long training hours were worth it. “Sobrang saya at thankful ako na may na-meet akong coach na nag-motivate sa akin to do my best. Buti nalang nandiyan si Papa para bigyan ako ng pag-asa,” she said. After all, third time’s the charm.

With AXA providing proper coaching and support, along with her father and coach’s help, she is now one step closer to reaching her dreams. “Si Papa ang best coach ko. Basta nandiyan siya, kaya kong abutin yung mga pangarap ko,” she said.

AXA Philippines, one of the country’s leading insurance companies, empowers people to live better lives by encouraging them to have a game plan, whether it’s in sports or in the hard court that is life. AXA believes that preparing for the future is important so that people can live the life they choose. For more information on AXA’s wide array of life and general insurance and investment products, visit www.axa.com.ph.

Entrepreneur Rebuilds Business From the Ashes with Help from AXA

In 2016, a fire in Benguet made headlines as it destroyed a warehouse—one that was owned by entrepreneur Kenneth So, and one that provided stable jobs for a lot of workers. So and his team, some of them very loyal employees that had been with him for a long time, could only watch as years of hard work went up in smoke in a matter of hours.

So was grateful that the insurance company he chose—AXA Philippines through its general insurance subsidiary Charter Ping An—swiftly came to his rescue and went the extra mile to process his claim promptly so he could get back on his feet as soon as possible.

So’s business, Granville Corporation Supply Holdings, is a strong player in the competitive supply chain industry. The company plays a key role in the logistics and distribution of fast moving consumer goods across key markets. So employs 400 people to ensure prompt servicing of customers

The fire destroyed Grandville’s four-storey warehouse in La Trinidad, Benguet, and millions of pesos in inventory. Fortunately, So had the foresight to get a comprehensive fire insurance coverage from leading global insurer AXA. His loyal staff also rallied together during a truly trying time. The company is now slowly but surely recovering.

The ease and speed with which So was able to receive his insurance claims and the attentive and dedicated service he received from AXA helped ease his burden. “Now, our warehouse is being rebuilt,” So says. “This is the start of a new beginning.”

So’s experience with AXA is proof of AXA’s unwavering commitment to its customers, backed by superior financial strength and worldwide reach, to be there when it is most needed. It assures clients like So, whose employees and their families count on for their livelihood, can live the life he chooses—free from uncertainty and anxiety, no matter what challenges he has to face.

AXA Strengthens Its Commitment to Fight Climate Change

AXA, the leading global insurer, reaffirms its commitment to sustainability as it joins the fight against climate change. Thomas Buberl, AXA CEO, announced several initiatives and decisions that are to be set in motion in the areas of investments, divestments, and insurance.

“As a global insurer and investor, we know that we have a key role to play and are proud to have taken these decisions and to have inspired others,” said Buberl. “In the spirit of the Paris Agreement, we want to accelerate our commitment and confirm our leadership in the fight against global warming.”

In the investments front, AXA aims to reach Euro 12 billion in green investments by 2020, which is four times the 2015 achieved target of Euro 3 billion. This accelerated target is twice as high as the recommendation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is to invest 1% of assets into green and clean technology by 2020.

In the area of Divestments, AXA decided two years ago to divest Euro 500 million from the coal industry, targeting companies, which derive over 50% of their revenues from coal. Today, AXA has decided to increase its divestment to a record fivefold or Euro 2.4 billion, this time targeting companies that derive more than 30% of their revenues from coal, have a coal-based energy mix that exceeds 30%, actively build new coal plants, or produce more than 20 million tons of coal per year. Similarly, AXA also announced the divestment of over Euro 700 billion from the main oil sand producers and associated pipelines, signaling the discontinuation of investments in these businesses.

In the field of Insurance, AXA said that as a group, it would no longer be insuring new coal construction projects as well as main oil sands and associated pipelines.

AXA has also partnered recently with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in spearheading an innovative USD 500 million fund to support climate related infrastructure projects in emerging countries.

AXA is currently the second largest life insurance company in the Philippines, based on Total
Premium Income. Since 1999, AXA has focused on life insurance and providing solutions for savings and investments, health, education, income protection, and retirement. It pioneered bancassurance operations in the Philippines, which is the distribution of insurance products through banks.