Be a Smart Shopper! 5 Shop from Home Tips For Every Filipino

In the middle of the COVID-19 outbreak, we must stay healthy and safe. Shopping at home is the most convenient way to get your daily essential needs, and there’s no better way to get your shopping done from home than with Shopee! Here are some tips to make your #ShopeeAtHome experience easier and help you decide better:

1. Plan ahead and ready your list

Make a list and check it twice. This will give you an overview of what items you really need to buy and help you manage your budget. It will also ensure that you don't forget essential personal care items like antibacterial soaps and shampoos before hitting the checkout button. Take a look at Shopee’s collection and sale pages to see the variety of great deals that are available. Shopee’s collections also make it easier for you to find the items on your list, and get great deals to boot!

2. Choose healthy

A healthy lifestyle starts with smart choices when buying food. Make sure to fill your pantry with nutrient-packed meals and drinks. Shopee offers a variety of food products packed with essential vitamins and minerals. You can use its search filter function for easy access to its wide range of food and beverage items, health supplements, and more.

3. Order in bulk

Save more money and get additional discounts when you buy in bulk. Find shop vouchers and bundle deals that give you an extra discount when you purchase more items from the same shop. Items marked as Wholesale can also help you save--if you buy the specified number of items, you can get them at a discounted price.

4. Invest in your family's protection

During this Enhanced Community Quarantine, it may be difficult to find disinfectants and protective gear in local grocery stores. Luckily, Shopee provides a wide range of health products on their Flash Deals and branded collections including face masks, hand sanitizers, alcohol, and anti-bacterial cleaners. Not only is there a lot of variety to choose from, but you’ll also get great discounts.

5. Look for best deals and bargains

Don’t fret! Shopee offers the best deals on all your essential needs with 5.5 Shopee Mart Sale. Starting from April 22 - May 5, you can now #ShopeeFromHome and get deals as low as ₱5 and a Free Shipping with P0 minimum spend on your favorite essential goods. Score even better deals when you use discount vouchers, cashback vouchers, and Shopee coins. Even more vouchers await you when you shop using ShopeePay. In addition, top brands like P&G, Wyeth, Nestle, Unilever, Enfagrow, and Abbot will be giving discounts at up to 50% off.

Visit https://shopee.ph/5-5 for more information.

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

About Shopee

Shopee is the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. It is a platform tailored for the region, providing customers with an easy, secure and fast online shopping experience through strong payment and logistical support. Shopee aims to continually enhance its platform and become the region’s e-commerce destination of choice.

Shopee has a wide selection of product categories ranging from consumer electronics to home & living, health & beauty, baby & toys, fashion and fitness equipment.

Shopee, a Sea company, was first launched in Singapore in 2015, and has since expanded its reach to Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Sea is a leader in digital entertainment, e-commerce and digital financial services across Southeast Asia. Sea's mission is to better the lives of consumers and small businesses with technology, and is listed on the NYSE under the symbol SE.

Strong Faith, Great Teammates, Man’s Best Friend are Joshua Pacio’s Lockdown Essentials

On many occasions, ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong has stated that he would never sign an athlete like Conor McGregor because he doesn’t embody the values of the company. In many respects, ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua Pacio is the polar opposite. 

Pacio is a shining embodiment of the traditional martial arts values.

Nicknamed “The Passion,” Pacio is a man who relies firmly on his faith. In these times of uncertainty it’s something that he has turned to for reassurance.

“The important thing for me in this kind of situation is praying to God. He is the only one who knows what's going to happen, trusting in God in this kind of situation is important and of course we should trust Him not only in these situations but in good times or bad,” says Pacio.

Pacio is part of a unique band of brothers at the famed Team Lakay of Baguio City, Philippines. Remarkably, he is one of five athletes who have realized their dreams of becoming World Champions at ONE Championship.

“My teammates inspire me every day, they are the reason why I'm a champion, they helped me get to where I am today, they motivate me in downtimes and help me realize what my mistakes are,” Pacio says.

Under the watchful eye of legendary coach Mark Sangiao, Pacio and his team combine a strong work ethic with deep-rooted values to achieve unprecedented success. They didn’t start out with any fancy equipment, but the strength of their collective mindset gave them everything they needed to succeed.

While the current COVID-19 situation is far from ideal for an elite martial arts world champion, Pacio’s experience as a member of Team Lakay has put him in good stead.

“The hardest part is that we can't go to the gym to train, that's why we find ways to train inside our homes. In the past years, we were lacking training equipment in the gym. This is not new to us, so we find ways to stay sharp. Luckily, I have punching mitts and manong (older brother) Kevin [Belingon] and I are in the same barangay (village) so we hold pads for each other,” says Pacio.

Having a teammate nearby is certainly helping Pacio stay sharp during the pandemic, but as fans have seen in his recent social media posts – one companion in particular, has become a mainstay of his daily routine.

“Actually, this pandemic taught me more on how to bond with my dog. And my dog is getting fat so I need to go run or jog with her,” Pacio says.

While Pacio’s dog may have put on the pounds, he doesn’t intend to follow suit.

“When I get older, I think we need to talk about getting up in a higher weight division. But for now, I have no intention of going up in weight classes because my teammates are in those weight classes,” says Pacio.

Pacio’s reservations about a jump to flyweight are understandable. ONE’s flyweight division really is packed with his brothers from Team Lakay. Geje Eustaquio is a former ONE Flyweight World Champion, and Danny Kingad was a finalist in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix. Meanwhile, competing at his current weight seems to suit Pacio just fine, with his second reign as king of the strawweights producing some impressive results.

After winning the belt back from Yosuke Saruta in Manila in April 2019, the young star returned to his nation’s capital twice more to carve out a statement victory over veteran wushu world champion and fellow Filipino Rene Catalan in November, before going on to clinch a decision win over former strawweight titleholder Alex Silva in January.

Despite not having a bout booked for the first time in a long-time, the 24-year-old Pacio’s mindset seems sharper than ever as he looks to carve out an enduring legacy in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

“Honestly I’m not the guy who has a dream opponent. I just focus on improving every day and every bout. I am a champion and I need to prove that every time I step inside the Circle,” says Pacio.

ONE Championship’s martial arts values are integrity, humility, honor, respect, courage, discipline, and compassion. In difficult times, it’s inspiring to see an individual who has such a strong grasp of what it means to incorporate them into daily life, whether it’s in or out of competition, or indeed, in the midst of a global pandemic.

But, judging by his work ethic, as well as the strength he draws from his faith, his teammates and indeed, his furry companion, Pacio has all the ingredients to flourish under any circumstance.

DTI in Sydney offers Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan Webinar Series to Overseas Filipinos Affected by COVID-19

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA—The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in Sydney, the overseas office of the DTI in Australia, organized the first webinar of the Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan (TNK) webinar series held on 20 April 2020.

The TNK is an initiative of the DTI in partnership with other government agencies, private sector, academe and civil society organizations, to increase incomes by generating more jobs and promoting entrepreneurship. The program aims to popularize entrepreneurship as an alternative to unemployment, job-seeking or migration.

Alma Argayoso, the Philippine commercial consul to Australia said that PTIC-Sydney had conducted TNK seminars in the past and has lined-up several seminars this year. However, due to coronavirus restrictions, the physical events have been cancelled but they have decided to offer virtual seminars.

“We realized that the webinars would be very useful particularly for those who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, or for returning Filipinos who would like to start their own business. The webinars might also be of interest to Overseas Filipino Investors (OFIs) or even Australians who would like to help the Philippines recover from the pandemic by investing in viable economic activities in the country as soon as lockdown restrictions are lifted or helping finance the livelihood activities or rehabilitation efforts of their relatives or friends back home,” Argayoso said.

The first webinar of the series covered Franchising 101 and discussed key topics such as how to start and select a franchise business, benefits and pitfalls of franchising, franchising regulations, and franchising opportunities in Australia and the Philippines.

The speaker, Mr. Rudolf Kotik, founder of RK Franchise Consultancy Incorporated, discussed the basics of franchising for those looking for franchise opportunities in the Philippines or Australia, as well as opportunities for business owners who wish to develop their business into a franchise. An option to participate in a co-franchise agreement was also discussed where an opportunity to co-own a franchise together with other franchisees is available for those who wish to start a franchising business as a passive investor.

Mr. Kotik highlighted that the future of franchising is assured even after COVID-19 and is one of the most enduring industries one can think of. He said that aside from food businesses, the services sector such as beauty salons, spa services and laundry shops would bounce back immediately after lockdown restrictions are lifted.

“Franchising is an industry with a proven business system and the best way to invest your money and I highly recommend it to our overseas Filipino workers looking for alternative ways of employment or those who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19,” Kotik added.

Argayoso, during her presentation, highlighted that aside from the webinar initiated by her office, the DTI in the Philippines offers various services, tools and information to help Filipinos succeed as entrepreneurs. Through DTI’s Negosyo Centers located all over the country, the agency provides business advisory, business registration facilitation, product catalogue preparation, packaging and labelling design development, mentorship, education and training, exposure to online platforms and trade fairs, as well as funding for MSMEs.

More recently, DTI’s financing arm, SB Corporation announced a P1B loan facility for MSMEs affected by COVID-19 which will be rolled out by partnering with Negosyo Centers in accepting loan applications for small enterprises.

Argayoso said the TNK webinar series will discuss various business opportunities and feature a sector or industry per session. It will also include other topics of interest related to starting a business