As a kid, summer meant total freedom from the responsibilities of school, which for me meant climbing trees to pick and enjoy the fruits in season. To this day, bayabas, santol, aratilis and mangga are the comfort foods that I eagerly await each summer. I have always had a close kinship with the outdoors, whether…
Yes we want to change things fast, but in a slow way. And what inspires us to do so is our being part of Slow Food (www.slowfood.com), a grassroots movement to eat good, clean and fair food. How is going slow possible? In Palawan, a friend started what is inspired by Israel’s kibbutz—a commune type…
Filipinos are becoming increasingly comfortable with using so-called QR or “quick reaction” codes when paying for purchases or making money transfers from one person to another—a sign that the “cash heavy” local economy is well on its way to “cash light” one. In particular, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno pointed to the…
For over a year now, we’ve seen so many home-based food businesses start and flourish during the pandemic. Every sushi bake, ube-cheese pan de sal, sourdough bread, Basque burnt cheesecake and whatever else you have ordered and enjoyed come with untold stories—how these businesses started, the people behind them and what keeps them going. Here…
Accounting for the majority of the total businesses in the country and generating more than half of the country’s total employment before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March of last year, the health of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) is as much a concern for the Philippines as the physical well-being of its population.…
Across Southeast Asia, the Philippines saw the largest increase in online shopping since the pandemic hit. The sector is expected to be worth by 2023. For e-commerce businesses in the Philippines, this means that there is a greater need to revamp retail strategies to accommodate the change in consumer buying habits as well as an…
In January, the small but extremely active Taal Volcano had another “tantrum,” sending residents of nearby towns in Batangas and Cavite scampering to escape its fury. Ash fall reached Alfonso, where Varias lives and where his main shop is based. Then in March an even bigger crisis had to be faced. The deadly COVID-19 pandemic…
While life in lockdown isn’t ideal, it is made bearable by one key thing: the internet. For many businesses in the Philippines—big, small and everything in between—the internet has enabled them to stay productive sans the physical office, and bounce back amid the pandemic. However, just because you are connected does not mean you have…
Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, holds the inaugural Shopee University Summit with the theme, “Equipping MSMEs for E-Commerce,” to help budding entrepreneurs capture e-commerce opportunities. This May 27, industry leaders, successful online sellers and top brands will share their knowledge and expertise to help online business owners utilize evolving digital…
The global pandemic has jabbed a wrench into many organizations’ plans, making the future seem even more uncertain. But as new consumer trends begin to emerge and more leaders are now able to combine hard data with experience, ways have emerged for organizations to remain forward-looking in this crisis.Twelve market masters share here their insights…