DTI, CARD RENEW P3 PARTNERSHIP WITH ADDITIONAL PHP100M FOR MSME MICROFINANCING

MAKATI -- The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) renewed its partnership with the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD), Inc., an NGO that provides microfinancing loans.

Through a Memorandum of Understanding signed last 16 December, CARD committed an additional PHP 100 million of its funds for Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso (P3) program. This brings CARD's total revolving fund for the P3 program since the partnership began in 2017 to PHP 300 million pesos, which it will lend out to other beneficiaries to widen the reach of the P3 program to more micro borrowers.

P3 is DTI's program that provides low-interest, no collateral loans for existing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The program, managed by Small Business Corporation (SB Corp), is a response to President Rodrigo Duterte's directive to combat 5-6 loans. Through P3, entrepreneurs can borrow amounts from PHP 5,000 to PHP 200,000 from CARD and other accredited credit delivery partners.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said that DTI benefits from the partnership since CARD supplements the PHP 3.5 billion P3 allocation from the government with their own funds. CARD is also one of the biggest microfinance institutions in the Philippines, with 7 million borrowers nationwide.

Founder and Chairman Emeritus Dr. Jaime Aristotle Alip reported that CARD disbursed PHP 600 million in P3 loans to around 56,000 borrowers since 2017. He also said that CARD targets to increase its P3 allocation to PHP 100 million every year to reach 100,000 entrepreneurs.

Signing the agreement are (from L to R: ) SB Corp President Luna Cacanando, DTI Undersecretary Blesila Lantayona, DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez, CARD Founder Dr. Jaime Aristotle Alip, CARD Inc President Flordeliza Sarmiento and Executive Director Jocelyn Dequito. 

iQor Continues to Bring Jobs Closer to Home as it Expands its Call Centers in Davao, Philippines

iQor Continues to Bring Jobs Closer to Home as it Expands its Call Centers in Davao, Philippines

Tech-Enabled BPO company is rapidly recruiting across Davao to meet growing client demand

iQor, a managed services provider of customer engagement and technology-enabled BPO solutions, announced today the expansion of its Davao call center, as well as the launch of a new center in the Davao Park District.

“iQor is looking forward to growing in the City of Davao,” said Senior Vice President Operations for iQor Philippines, Rod Hoddinott. “The City is an ideal region thanks to its highly proficient workforce and educated talent pool. It will remain one of our fastest growing regions as we work with clients to solve complex problems across a variety of channels.”

The new expansions in Davao are part of iQor’s 2019 growth trajectory that will bring in over 5,000 new jobs across the Philippines by the end of the year. Expanding by 70,000 square feet across the two locations, iQor has modernized its current center with a new recruiting space and expanded breakroom and game area. The newly-built center houses 1,200 call center seats and another state-of-the-art recruiting center. iQor considers Davao’s local government and community exceptional partners and has plans for further expansion in 2020.

To meet client demand, iQor has been actively recruiting over 2,000 new employees across Davao and will continue to recruit through the end of the year.

“We’re on a mission to bring jobs close to home across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,” said Senior Vice President Operations for iQor Philippines, Saurabh Bhaskar. “Our Davao employees enjoy effortless commutes and access to a variety of amenities within walking distance of our contact centers.”

iQor was recently nominated at the 2019 Asia CEO Awards for Diversity Company of the Year and was recognized for its commitment to the Philippines business community and job creation through its first place award for Best Company of the Year Outside National Capital Region at the 2018 International ICT Awards.

iQor operates in multiple locations throughout Dasmariñas, Davao, Iloilo, Talisay, Bacolod, Santa Rosa, Fairview, Metro Manila, and Clark.

To learn more about growing your career at iQor, please visit: www.iqor.com/careers.

About iQor

iQor is a managed services provider of customer engagement and technology-enabled BPO solutions. With 45,000 employees in 9 countries, we partner with many of the world's best-known brands to deliver aftermarket product and customer support solutions that span the consumer value chain, from customer care and receivables management to product diagnostics and repair services. Our award-winning technology, logistics, and analytics platforms enable us to measure, monitor, and analyze brand interactions, improve business processes, and find operational efficiencies that lead to superior outcomes for our partners across the customer and product life cycles. For more information, please visit us at www.iqor.com or follow us at www.twitter.com/iqor.

Cebuana Lhuillier, LBC Ink Partnership Deal for Money Remittance

Customers of LBC Express Inc. and Cebuana Lhuillier will now have easy access to the combined network of the two market leaders in the Philippines.

LBC Express Inc. (LBC), the market leader in retail and corporate courier and cargo, money remittance, and logistics services, and Cebuana Lhuillier (Cebuana), the Philippines’ largest micro-financial services provider, recently inked a partnership with the aim of broadening networks to serve their customers’ domestic financial needs.

Customers can rest assured that their financial transactions are safer and more secured given the track record of the two companies. Just go to any LBC or Cebuana Lhuillier branch to send money to your loved ones and encash it — whichever is more convenient or nearer to you.

"This partnership gives us the opportunity to serve more people with our combined networks and branches," said LBC Express Inc. president Miguel Angel A. Camahort. "LBC is constantly looking for ways to make remittance — as well as other services — accessible to more Filipinos."

The collaboration between the two brands is a practical step to boost both companies' remittance business nationwide.

“Our partnership with LBC Express will make money remittance easier and more accessible to Filipinos. This is in line with our company's decades-long commitment to provide unbanked and underbanked Filipinos better access to financial services," said Cebuana Lhuillier president and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier.

LBC has been the country's most trusted delivery and cargo shipping and 24-hour door-to-door delivery. It expanded its products and services in tune with the changing market needs. At present, it operates a combined network of 6,400 locations, partners, and agents in over 30 countries, offering not only courier services but also remittance products.

Cebuana Lhuillier, for its part, is a one-stop shop offering microfinancial services to over 30 million customers through its more than 2,500 branches with 6,500 domestic partners nationwide and over 1.5 million physical and virtual touch points worldwide. Acting as a cash agent of Cebuana Lhuillier Rural Bank, the company has provided financial access to about 2.5 million previously unbanked Filipinos through Cebuana Lhuillier Micro Savings since its launch early this year.

ABOUT LBC

LBC is the Philippines’ market leader in retail and corporate courier & cargo, money remittance, and logistics services. With a growing network of over 6,400 branches, hubs & warehouses, partners, and agents in over 30 countries, LBC is committed to moving lives, businesses, and communities and delivering smiles around the world. Listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange through LBC Express Holdings, Inc., LBC aims to deliver value to all of its stakeholders, as it has for over 60 years. Founded in 1945 as a brokerage and air cargo agent, LBC pioneered time-sensitive cargo delivery and 24-hour door-to-door delivery in the Philippines. Today, it is the most trusted logistics brand of the Global Filipino. LBC can move it for you: visit www.LBCexpress.com, or call telephone +632 8585 999 (Metro Manila), 1 800 10 8585 999 (Provincial), +632 9086 522 (Solutions) and follow LBCExpress (Facebook and Twitter).

ABOUT CEBUANA LHUILLIER

P.J. Lhuillier, Inc. (PJLI) is the proud parent company of Cebuana Lhuillier, the Philippines’ largest microfinancial services provider that offers pawning, remittance, micro savings, microinsurance, bills payment, e-load, and business-to-business micro loan solutions services. For over 30 years, Cebuana Lhuillier continuously provides fast, easy, secure, and convenient microfinancial products and services to more than 30 million customers through over 2,500 branches nationwide, an overseas branch in Hong Kong, and a marketing office in Dubai, UAE.