Sakto at Abot-Kaya: Stay Cool this Summer with Home Credit’s Swakto Summer Deals

With temperatures soaring and electricity costs rising, staying cool and comfortable this summer has become both a necessity and a challenge for many Filipino households. According to PAGASA, the northeast monsoon (amihan) is coming to an end, bringing even hotter days ahead. In fact, as early as March 3, some areas have already recorded heat indexes reaching 49 degrees Celsius, prompting local governments to suspend face-to-face classes due to the extreme heat.

As temperatures are expected to continue to climb, so does the demand for energy-efficient cooling appliances. However, the rising cost of electricity and the high upfront prices of essential home upgrades remain major concerns. More and more consumers are searching for budget-friendly, practical solutions that will help them stay cool without overspending—making affordability and flexible payment options more important than ever this season.

Summer of Swakto deals

Recognizing these challenges, Home Credit Philippines (HCPH), the country's leading consumer finance company, provides a solution by offering installment plans that allow consumers to purchase the appliances they need without the burden of hefty upfront costs. This summer, Home Credit launches its Swakto Summer Deals, offering flexible installment plans with as low as 0% interest and zero downpayment on select essential cooling appliances, gadgets, and many more.

From air conditioners, air coolers, refrigerators, and water dispensers to washing machines, mobile phones, computers, TVs and electronics, and furniture, Home Credit makes it easier and more accessible for Filipinos to upgrade their homes with these summer essentials. With flexible payment options available from March 15 until May 14, 2025, families can stay comfortable while managing their household budgets effectively.

“Home Credit’s Swakto Summer Deals is designed to ensure that every Filipino can enjoy a cool and comfortable summer by making essential cooling appliances accessible and affordable through as low as zero downpayment and 0% interest installment plans. With budget-friendly payment terms, we offer flexibility to fit different household needs while maintaining our reputation as a trusted financial partner that provides transparent and secure financing options. Ultimately, our goal is to empower families to create a comfortable and enjoyable home environment for their loved ones,” said Sheila Paul, Chief Marketing Officer of HCPH. 

This incredible offer is available at over 15,000 Home Credit partner stores across more than 75 provinces nationwide.

Don’t sweat–Shop smart with Swakto Summer Deals

Summer shouldn’t be a struggle—make the season enjoyable, comfortable, and stress-free with Home Credit’s Swakto Summer Deals. Getting your cooling appliances and summer essentials is now easier than ever. Apply for a product installment with just one valid ID, and if eligible, receive approval in as fast as one minute.

For added convenience, download the Home Credit App today from Google Play or the App Store to get quick and easy pre-approval on product installments. Need assistance? Our friendly Home Credit sales representatives are ready to help at any partner store.

To discover the latest deals and find your desired appliances, gadgets, and furniture at nearby partner stores, you can also visit Shoppingmall.ph. This platform provides a comprehensive overview of Home Credit's Swakto offers, ensuring you find the perfect appliances or gadgets.

To learn more about the latest updates from Home Credit Philippines, visit its official website, www.homecredit.ph. You may also follow its official Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounts.  

  

Home Credit Philippines is a financing company duly licensed and supervised by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Collective Action in Motion: Championing Sustainability through the First-Ever GCash Eco Run in Manila

GCash, the leading financial super app and largest cashless ecosystem in the Philippines, is mounting its first-ever Eco Run on March 23, 2025, along Ayala Avenue, Makati City.

 

The GCash Eco Run is a fully eco-conscious and sustainability-centered event that brings the GForest digital eco-movement to the streets, to further the positive environmental impact established by Silliman University in the Negros region. Stakeholders, advocacy groups, eco-products merchants, and running enthusiasts will be gathering to showcase sustainable practices in action.

 

Each successful registration to the GCash Eco Run will enable the planting of one grey mangrove tree in Negros Occidental, a province gravely affected by climate change. To underscore its commitment to climate action and helping local communities.

 

“GForest is a platform that transforms digital trees into actual plants. With GCash Eco Run, we are expanding the digital eco-movement established by GForest and giving our Green Heroes more opportunities to come together,” says CJ Alegre, head of sustainability for GCash. “It is testament to the powerful community we have created at GCash, that we can go beyond digital platforms and collectively take significant, real-world steps forward to help local communities and protect essential ecosystems in Negros Occidental.”

 

Scaling the eco-movement, one tree at a time

 

Growing in coastal areas in Negros Occidental, the grey mangrove (Avicennia marina) plays a vital role in environmental conservation, as it protects shorelines from erosion, mitigates the impacts of extreme weather, and sequesters carbon, all while providing habitats for marine life. Mangrove forests are crucial assets in the fight against climate change and preserving marine biodiversity.

 

In the Negros Island Region, GCash has a long-running collaboration with Dumaguete-based higher education institution Silliman University (SU), and its Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences (IEMS), which focuses on mangrove restoration, protecting coastal environments, and providing livelihood opportunities to local farmers and fisherfolk.

 

The planting of the grey mangrove trees, made possible by GCash Eco Run participants and sponsors, will take place on the site managed by SU and maintained by local communities. This is part of the SU-GCash Reforestation in South Negros Project, whose overall goal to plant a total of 1M across critical areas in the region by 2029.

 

Sustainability-focused organizations partnering for the environment

 

GCash makes it easy for companies to create a meaningful environmental impact. By connecting businesses with GForest’s trusted planting partners, GCash enables them to support science-based, proven-effective sustainability programs seamlessly.

 

IKEA Philippines—the local arm of the global furniture brand headquartered in Sweden, and whose Pasay store holds the record as the largest IKEA store in the world—is supporting the event by pledging 30,000 trees under the South Negros conservation initiative. Sustainability has always been part of IKEA’s commitment to its customers, as it offers home furnishing products, food, services, and solutions that inspire and enable people to lead healthier and more eco-conscious everyday lives.

 

“IKEA’s sustainability direction goes hand in hand with this activity, [focusing] on three pillars: Healthy and sustainable living, being circular and climate-positive, and being fair and caring. Today, sustainability is neither a choice nor an option. It’s a must, which is why IKEA is deeply focused on this priority,” shares Ricardo Pinheiro, country retail manager of IKEA Philippines.

 

This partnership with SU-GCash Reforestation underscores IKEA Philippines' central goal to create a positive social impact within communities, as it hopes to inspire other businesses to join the collective effort to make more sustainable choices every day.

 

“Our partnership with GCash and IKEA is a testament to the power of collective action for sustainability. Through this collaboration, we aim to restore vital ecosystems and engage local communities in long-term conservation efforts,” said Dr. Hilconida P. Calumpong, project coordinator and professor emeritus, Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences (IEMS), Silliman University.

 

A fully eco-conscious, sustainability-centered event

 

The GCash Eco Run has been deliberately designed to promote sustainable practices in every aspect. From adapting sustainable and mindful eco-friendly practices in the event production, to booth structures being built out of recycled and non-single-use plastic materials, all the way to race kits being made out of recycled PET bottles—GCash Eco Run ensures a 100% sustainable, eco-conscious experience for all.

 

GCash will also introduce its new 100% recycled plastic GCash VISA cards at the sidelines of the Eco Run at a special retail price, kickstarting the initiative with the Filipino running community.

 

Merchants offering eco-products or eco-friendly advocacies like Bukid ni Bogs, Human Nature, The Eco Shift Store, Wonderhome Naturals, Cut the Craft Clothing and Apparel will also have booths at the event.

 

The GCash Eco Run will also amplify the efforts of eight advocacy partners. Berdeng Kalabaw, Aling Tindera, and ZOLO are encouraging runners to bring recyclable waste, to be collected for proper waste management. Caritas Manila will be accepting donations of old clothes, WWF Philippines will call for donations for habitat conservation and animal welfare, and Hound Haven will encourage the adoption of retired working dogs to rally behind charity programs.

 

To promote farm-to-table practices, Commune Café + Bar will showcase locally sourced coffee, from Atok, Benguet, while the Philippine Coffee Board, Inc. will be offering Itogon coffee; Seven Days of Greens will retail organic fruits and vegetables from smallholder farmers.

 

The GCash Eco Run is supported by IKEA Philippines, Globe Fiber, Pay & Go, eTap Solutions, BPI-MS, GOMO, Standard Insurance, BYD, Century Tuna, ECPay, Gringo, Park Access, Singlife, and ST Telemedia. These sponsors have also pledged to plant trees and support Silliman University’s mangrove conservation efforts. The event is organized by RUNRIO, a leading organizer of race events in the Philippines.

 

“At GCash, community drives our broader sustainability agenda of harnessing tech and innovation for good,” shares Alegre. “The support of our sponsors is testament to how partnerships built on shared goals can transform commitments into action, and GCash aims to engage more like-minded organizations to scale and grow this eco-movement.”

 

For more information about the GCash Eco Run and how to register, visit the official event page.

“KORONA AT PAKO” EXHIBIT MARKS LENTEN SEASON AT SM CENTER PULILAN

In time for the forthcoming Holy Week, the “Hermandad de la Ascension del Señor of Parokya ng Pag-akyat sa Langit ni Hesukristo” Sto. Cristo, Pulilan, in partnership with SM Center Pulilan, signals Lent in Bulacan through the annual “Korona at Pako” exhibit.

Showcased at the SM Center Pulilan Mall Atrium, the “Korona at Pako” Lenten Exhibit, reflects faith and tradition showcasing artistry and symbolism through spiritual awakening. The exhibit features at least 61 Catholic images coming from different towns in Bulacan and is expected to draw in devotees from inside and outside the province.

“Korona at Pako” Lenten Exhibit invites mallgoers to a spiritual journey while promoting catechism among patrons. It recalls the significant scenes leading to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as well as Mary, the Holy Mother of God, his disciples, apostles, and some remarkable saints.

The exhibit will run until March 23.