Jollibee in Edmonton

Popular Filipino fast food chain Jollibee opens in Edmonton to huge fanfare

Slav Kornik | Global News Canada

16 August 2019

The popular Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee opened its first restaurant in Edmonton to massive fanfare on Friday morning — the excitement was so great, a record was set.

Jollibee opening in Edmonton, Canada

Hundreds of people lined up for hours and even days just off Calgary Trail and 38 Avenue in south Edmonton to get the first taste of the restaurant’s food.

The crowd cheered, sang and danced shortly before the restaurant opened.

Jordan Haworth was the first in line after arriving at the restaurant at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, meaning he waited in line for nearly three days —which set a record for the longest wait at a Jollibee opening.

Jollibee store openings have been known to draw large crowds as fans and newcomers alike line up for a chance to try the unique food.

“I’m very very excited. People have been repping it all week,” Haworth, who hadn’t tried the company’s food before, said.

“We have never seen this kind of opening at any of our locations before, probably the [previous] record we had was a 20 hour wait,” JFC North America Philippine branch president Maribeth Delacruz said.

“It was in Manhattan in New York, but somebody waiting in line for three days for the opening is just really phenomenal.”

Others drove several hours to get a taste of Jollibee’s food. The Filipino people who lined up said Jollibee is more than a fast-food restaurant, it’s a part of their native country.

“When you go to a mall with your family, you would eat at Jollibee. You would always eat there.”

The fast-food giant has been in the Philippines for 40 years, with around 1,000 restaurants world-wide.

The menu contains items that may be new to some Canadian palates: known as “the McDonald’s of the Philippines,” the restaurant has diverse offerings such as fried chicken, sweet-style spaghetti sauce and noodles, and peach mango pie.

“I just came from inside and somebody who waited for three days in line, and when she finally got to the counter she was literally crying,” Delacruz said.

The Edmonton restaurant is the fifth in Canada for the company. There are also two in Toronto and two in Winnipeg.

Those in line believe the new restaurant will be a huge hit in Alberta’s capital.

“Especially that it’s just one in Edmonton,” Angel Haddac said.

“And there’s a lot of Filipinos and other people that would like it,” Reyes added.

The company has aggressive expansion plans, with the goal of opening 100 restaurants in Canada over the next five years.

Asia's Top Entrepreneur

Father of Philippine cosmetics named top
entrepreneur 

Manila Standard| Business
08 December 2018

Ever Bilena president and chief executive Dioceldo Sy was named Regus Entepreneur of the Year during the 2018 Asia CEO Awards.

The award was given to Sy for successfully building Ever Bilena as the leading cosmetics company in the country. 

Ever Bilena chief operating officer Siliman Sy accepts the trophy on behalf of Dioceldo.

The 2018 Asia CEO Awards, held at Marriot Hotel in Pasay City, is the largest business awards event in the Philippines and Southeast Asia that recognizes extraordinary leaders who have made outstanding achievements for their organizations and contributions to others.

Ever Bilena CEO Dioceldo Sy

The Regus Entrepreneur of the Year award is given to individuals who achieved business growth and expansion across the Association of Southeast Asian Nation region, as well as those who have successfully demonstrated a commitment to introduce innovation and boost economic capabilities and competitiveness within the region.

“I am really honored to accept such a prestigious award. Ever Bilena is a team, and we are very proud of everything we have accomplished for the past 35 years. This is a huge win, not only for us, but for our loyal customers as well,” said Sy.

Hailed as the ‘Father of Philippine Cosmetics, Dioceldo sits at the helm of Ever Bilena, which now has over 1,000 affordable quality products. Multiple brands such as EB Advance, EB Naturals, Careline and Blackwater were also launched for diversity.

Following Ever Bilena’s success in the Philippines, Sy is setting his sights on neighboring Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, one of Asia’s fastest growing beauty markets.

Sy is also a major supporter of basketball and is a former chair of the Philippine Basketball League. He has bankrolled several championship teams. He also supports several charitable causes.

The Entrepreneur of the Year Circle of Excellence Awardees include Dr. Carl Balita of Carl Balita Review Center, Jean Henri Lhuillier of PJ Lhuillier, Joel Cruz of Aficionado Perfumes-Central Affirmative, Karla Stefan Singson of PREP-KSS Events and Promotions, Mario Berta of Fly Spaces, Paul Rivera of Kalibrr Technology Ventures and Robbie Antonio of Revolution Precrafted.

Asia's Super Mechanics

Filipino team tagged regional champs in Asia Pacific mechanic competition 

GMA News

21 November 2018

The Philippines has gained another recognition in the international arena—this time, for showcasing technical skills.

Team Philippines bags the Castrol Asia Pacific Bikes Super Mechanic Contest 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand last November 16, 2018. PHOTO COURTESY OF CASTROL PHILIPPINES

Team Philippines has beat five other countries to bag the Regional Champion title of the Castrol Asia Pacific Bikes Super Mechanic Contest 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand last November 16. Composed of mechanics Julius Maranga, Georekey Cantabaco, and Gabriel Hidalgo Jr. of Cebu-based Drake’s Motorcycle Parts, the Filipino team bested the groups representing India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam after displaying their theoretical knowledge and practical skills about two-wheelers, from maintaining to fixing engine parts and lubricants.

“It is our great honor to be the eventual winners and name the Philippines on the first stage,” Team Philippines shares. “Thank you, Castrol, for the Castrol Asia Pacific Bikes Super Mechanic Contest, through, which not only [the] three of us, but all the mechanics participating had a chance to be updated [on] practical knowledge and also [be] recognized.”

More than 120,000 two-wheeler mechanics from the participating countries joined this year’s Castrol Asia Pacific Bikes Super Mechanic Contest, marking its biggest regional event since 2016.

One of the world’s leading lubricant brands, Castrol takes pride in spearheading events such as this, with the company’s Asia & Pacific Regional Marketing Director Shyam Balasubramanian saying, “Through the Castrol Asia Pacific Bikes Super Mechanic Contest, Castrol is proud to be able to be a trusted companion of the mechanic community on the journey of continuous improvement of their service to their customers and their business growth.”

Team Philippines’s win comes ahead of Castrol’s biggest event in the Philippines—the culminating activity of its Partner for Life (PFL) advocacy program, which aims to hail the next batch of mechanics that will represent the country in next year’s Castrol Asia Pacific Mechanic Contest.

Happening this November 24 at Trinoma Activity Center in Quezon City, the PFL event is special this year, as it is now open to all mechanics from across the country. Technical competitions that highlight one’s quick maintenance and troubleshooting skills are just some of the activities participants can join.

“Our Partner for Life program has continually given us the opportunity to enable our fellow Filipino mechanics with the proper skillset and knowledge to be the best that they can be for their customers,” says Castrol Philippines Country Sales Director Maria Tanada.

Now on its fifth year, the Partner for Life program has been engaging Filipino motorbike mechanics to develop their skills, knowledge, and expertise around two-wheeler mechanics through various courses. It is Castrol’s way to improve the skills of partner mechanics by providing regular training and giving recognition to the mechanics through a competition in the culminating activity.

PAL 4-Star Apex Award

Philippine Airlines wins 4-star Apex award for passenger experience

Star2.com
10 November 2018

Philippine Airlines (PAL) has won another international award – a four-star major regional airline 2019 rating by the New York-based Airline Passenger Experience Association (Apex), a global non-profit airline customer association.




With the award, the national flag carrier of the Philippines gets affirmation from passengers for the tremendous job of improving its products and services through new airplanes, new destinations, and enhanced in-flight and on ground amenities.

Passengers have been giving PAL high marks on its flights through a network that spans two-thirds of the globe. The new four-star honour bestowed in a special ceremony in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sept 24 is the latest in a string of international victories notched by the Filipino flag carrier.

These include the four-star global airline certification from London-based Skytrax in February 2018 and a Second Most Improved Airline In The World ranking from the annual Skytrax passenger survey released in June 2018.

The Apex award is the result of a fully “certified, validated, verified” rating programme based on passenger feedback on PAL’s overall flight experience in five sub-categories: seat comfort, cabin service, food and beverage, entertainment and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Philippine Airlines president and COO Jaime J Bautista (with award) with (from left) Apex CEO Dr Joe Leader, PAL VP for marketing Ria C. Domingo, The Points Guy founder and CEO Brian Kelly, and PAL AVP for product research and development Debbie C. Cuyegkeng at the Apex awards ceremony in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sept 24.

PAL president and COO Jaime J. Bautista dedicated the honour to the Filipino people and to PAL’s loyal customers.

“We are humbled by this latest vote of confidence from our valued customers,” said Bautista. “This new four-star Apex award is another victory for the Philippine Airlines team of dedicated professionals, coming after the four-star global rating certified by Skytrax earlier this year.”

Overall ratings were certified by an external audit firmed hired by Apex.  The association processed verified itineraries that were validated by geo-location from over 50 million verified airline generated itineraries.

More than 500,000 flights by passengers from around the world were rated throughout the year ending July 31, 2018.

“We are extremely proud of the results of our passenger driven official airline ratings programme with TripIt,” said Apex CEO Dr Joe Leader. “Of nearly 500 airlines rated worldwide, less than 9% were rated by their passengers at the highest five-star airline level and only the next 14% reached the prestigious four-star airline tier.”

The award will spur the airline to step up its service enhancement programme as PAL introduces new aircraft, routes and product innovations. PAL has begun deploying the sophisticated Airbus A350-900 and Airbus A321neo aircraft on key international routes.

The A350 now operates the non-stop Manila-London route while its inaugural Manila-New York non-stop flights commenced on Oct 29 – marking another milestone (the longest commercial flight ever operated by a Philippine carrier).

The A321neo now serves Brisbane, Sydney and Port Moresby, and will also fly the much-awaited Manila-Sapporo (Japan) route in December.

“This new accolade comes with a fresh challenge: We should never rest on our laurels but must always remain focused on our primary role to provide a pleasant and comfortable travel experience for all our passengers, in the air and on the ground,” said Bautista.

“Thus, this latest award as four-star major regional airline will inspire us to keep getting better and achieve more until we attain the coveted five-star status as a prime player in global aviation.”
The national flag carrier of the Philippines also flies daily from Kuala Lumpur to Manila. Passengers are given the flexibility to choose from any of the daily frequencies of the route:

• PR526 departs Kuala Lumpur every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 12.10pm and arrives in Manila at 16.05pm local time. Its return flight PR525 leaves Manila on the same days at 07.35am local time and touches down in Kuala Lumpur at 11.20am.

• PR528 leaves Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 3.40pm and arrives in Manila at 7.40pm local time. Its return service PR527 departs Manila on the same days at 11.05am local time and touches down in Kuala Lumpur at 2.50pm.

The non-stop service will enable travellers from Kuala Lumpur to enjoy Manila for several days and hop on to the Philippine’s top travel destinations.

Philippine Airlines is Asia’s first airline, having established the standards in airline service for the past 77 years while showcasing the best of the Philippines to the world. PAL currently flies to 43 international and 34 domestic destinations.

Manila is Uniqlo's biggest in SE Asia

Uniqlo Manila is biggest flagship store in SE Asia

October 8, 2018 

BusinessWorld

A GUEST gets overwhelmed by the perfectly folded shirts on display. It takes five minutes to decide which to buy among the six available colors of the round neck shirt. The chosen color is tossed into a shopping bag (along with five other staple pieces in neutral colors). The possibility of sharing the same outfit with everyone else is no problem thanks to its design versatility and function.

In 1949, a textile manufacturer opened in Yamaguchi, Japan. Then Tadashi Yanai took over his father’s business in 1984 and named the brand “Unique Clothing Warehouse” with the goal on establishing his own casual clothing store. The name was contracted to “Uniqlo” in 1988. Today, Uniqlo has over 1,000 stores worldwide.

On the sixth anniversary since its arrival in the Philippines, the Japanese casual retailer opened its flagship store at Glorietta 5, Ayala Ave. in Makati city — the biggest in Southeast Asia.

“Our global flagship stores are designed as showcases to the world, displaying the very best that Uniqlo has to offer. Uniqlo Manila is an important example of our commitment to Southeast Asia. It is one of the largest Uniqlo stores in the world and is a big step forward in continued Uniqlo growth in the region and globally,” Satoshi Hatase, CEO of Uniqlo Southeast Asia and Oceania, was quoted as saying in a press release.

The atrium area of the 4,100-sq.m. flagship store, like those abroad, has a 360 LED screen and rotating mannequins, this time wearing outfits from the Our Future is Here collection. The store’s pillars sport artworks by the Plus63 Design Group.

The ground floor of the store offers the complete lineup of men’s and ladies’ LifeWear, has a large kids and baby section, a tech wear section featuring the brand’s AIRism and HEATTEACH clothes, and seasonal collections. The second floor houses the Uniqlo UT Jump 50^th, MAGIC FOR ALL (a collaboration with The Walt Disney company), and the Smart Travel collection.

A display featuring the collaborative design project of Japanese stylist Shun Watanabe and Filipino visual artist Leeroy New showcases former’s on-trend styling and the latter’s creative headpieces.

“It’s not about the clothes. It’s about the people wearing them, their lifestyle, and how the clothes can make their life better,” Georgette Barrera-Jalasco, marketing director of Uniqlo Philippines, told BusinessWorld at the store’s launch on Oct. 4.

Also at the second floor is a video game area where visitors can try out the soon-to-be-released Jump Force video game by BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment.

After long hours of shopping, visitors can rest their weary feet at the Uniqlo terrace at the second floor, overlooking Glorietta 4, which features furniture by designer Kenneth Cobonpue.

The flagship store in Manila is the 15^th global flagship store in Uniqlo’s 11 global markets. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

Filipino Global Brands

12 Filipino brands win at 2018 World Branding Awards


Associated Press
Business Mirror
02 November 2018

LONDON—The prestigious World Branding Awards, the ultimate global brand-recognition accolade, saw 270 brands from 33 countries named “Brand of the Year” in a glittering ceremony held at the State Apartments of Kensington Palace on October 31.

Beijing Tong Ren Tang, BMW, Cartier, Club Med, JinkoSolar, Johnnie Walker, Lego, L’Oréal, Louis Vuitton, Nescafé, Rolex, Samsung, Schwarzkopf and Yakult were announced as global winners of this edition of the awards.

Regional winners included Ajinomoto, Uniqlo (Japan); Giordano, Optical 88, Sasa, Shangri–La (Hong Kong); Indomie (Indonesia); LuLu; RAK Ceramics (United Arab Emirates); MTN (South Africa); and Zara (Spain).

National tier winners from the Philippines were Ayala Land (Property Developer), BENCH (Fashion Brand), Condura (Electrical Appliances–Refrigerators), Globe (Telecommunications–Mobile), Jollibee (Quick Service Restaurants), Lucky Me! (Noodles), Meralco (Power/Energy), National Book Store (Retailer–Bookstores), Petron (Petrol/Gas Stations), San Miguel (Beer), SM Cinemas (Entertainment– Cinemas), and Tanduay (Alcoholic Beverages–Spirits).

Winners are uniquely judged through three streams: brand valuation, consumer market research, and public online voting. Seventy percent of the scoring process comes from consumer votes. There can only be one winner in each category per country.

“The awards celebrates the achievements of some of the greatest brands around the globe. With an average of just six winners per country, it is truly a great achievement to be a winner of these awards,” said Richard Rowles, chairman of the World Branding Forum.

This year the awards were split into two award ceremonies, with brands from the Americas and the Caribbean awarded in a separate New York event earlier in July. Over 230,000 consumers from around the world participated in the voting process.

“More than 4,500 brands from 57 countries were nominated this year, with 351 brands from 49 countries declared as winners—81 brands from 16 countries were awarded in New York; and 270 winners from 33 countries awarded in London. Not every country was awarded, as a few did not receive enough votes to qualify,” said Peter Pek, chief executive of the Forum.

Now in its fifth year, the awards is organized by the World Branding Forum, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing branding standards. It organizes and sponsors a range of educational programs. The Forum also publishes branding news on its web site that reaches a global audience of over 23.69 million.

The event was hosted by David Croft from Sky Sports.