BDO Trust and Investments Group (BDO Trust) bags the Best Online and Mobile Platform Award for the 3rd straight year since first earning the prestigious win in 2019 at Alpha Southeast Asia’s 13th Annual Fund Management Awards.  

Investors can easily utilize BDO Trust’s Invest Online facility, an internationally recognized online platform that allows clients to access and invest in Unit Investment Trust Funds (UITFs) at the convenience and safety of their own homes.  With its fully straight-through digital process, customers can quickly open an investment account and invest in UITFs immediately so not to miss any opportunities. Furthermore, only BDO Invest Online has the capability to show clients their entire portfolio in one portal. They can view their segregated portfolio, UITF, BDO Easy Investment Plan (EIP) and Personal Equity and Retirement Account (PERA) accounts in one page, providing them with a full comprehensive view of their investment portfolio.

Alpha Southeast Asia is a Hong Kong-based institutional investment publication which recognizes the solid performance of multi-asset fund management companies, their robust liquidity and capital positions given the dramatic changes in the industry for the past two years.

“This award signifies that we are committed to improve our clients’ overall customer experience as we deliver reliable and flexible investment products and services through our enhanced online infrastructure and mobile platform,” said Rafael G. Ayuste Jr., Senior Vice President and Head of BDO Trust.

Apart from Alpha Southeast Asia Awards, BDO Trust has received multiple recognitions internationally from various prestigious publications such as The Asset, Reader’s Digest Asia, World Finance and Asian Banking & Finance.

After 2 years of no events during Higalaay Festival because of the Pandemic, CDO celebrated this year's Festival with full face-to-face events such as Miss Cagayan de Oro 2022 Pageant as one of the highlights core event.

13 Candidates were vying to get the 2 titles of this year's Miss Cagayan de Oro. One title is for Miss Cagayan de Oro 2022 Pilipinas, who will represent CDO for the Binibining Pilipinas, the 2nd title is for Miss Cagayan de Oro 2022 Universe, who will represent CDO for the Miss Universe Philippines.

During the announcement of winners, the Miss CDO Organizers announced that the 1st-runner up will represent CDO for the Mutya ng Pilipinas. Making it to have CDO crowning 3 Queens this year with 3 different titles.

WINNERS of the Miss Cagayan de Oro 2022 beauty pageant are: 

4th runner-up: Luisa Merry Bingtan

3rd runner-up: Lensyl Patricio

2nd runner-up: Blanche Nicole Villaluz

1st runner-up: Cris Antonette Teaño

Miss Cagayan de Oro-Pilipinas: April Angelu Barro

Miss Cagayan de Oro-Universe: Arianne Galenzoga

BDO Unibank affirms its commitment to sustainability by providing financial support to critical water infrastructure projects of San Miguel Corporation’s Luzon Clean Water Development Corporation (LCWDC) and Razon Group’s Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project.  

Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project’s Tayabasan Weir.

LCWDC, an MWSS concessionaire, has been tasked to provide water services to the whole province of Bulacan through the Bulacan Bulk Water Supply Project (BBWSP), a Public Private Partnership (PPP) project of the national government. LCWDC helps address the issues encountered by the water districts of Bulacan such as inadequate source of water supply, low water pressure due to limited distribution systems, and saline water intrusion into the groundwater. It helps improve the quality of life of Bulacan residents by supplying steady and clean water, and continuously expanding its service area coverage.

BBWSP is a water treatment plant and pipeline conveyance facility with three stages aimed to address the growing demand for environmentally sustainable and equitably priced potable water in Bulacan. It is aligned with San Miguel Corporation’s mission and vision to drive positive change, guided by a strong sense of social and environmental responsibility to provide goods and vital services that are accessible to every Filipino. 

BDO Unibank funded the bulk of BBWSP and helped extend the long-term loan facility that was used to finance the construction of stages 1 and 2 of the project, which covered the treatment and delivery of bulk water to 13 local government units in Bulacan.

Luzon Clean Water Development Corporation (LCWDC), an MWSS concessionaire, has been tasked to provide water services in the whole province of Bulacan through the Bulacan Bulk Water Supply Project (BBWSP).

“BDO has been very supportive to us in LCWDC especially in the financing requirements of the BBWSP. Our business relationship with BDO has blossomed since we started banking with them 2016 and today, it lends support to other projects pursued by the San Miguel group. Living up to its promise to clients of finding ways, BDO is truly our reliable partner as we continue to build a better world for the Filipinos,” said Raoul C. Romulo, Director of Luzon Clean Water Development Corporation.

In line with BDO Unibank’s thrust in shaping a more sustainable future, the Bank also provided the required financing to another noteworthy undertaking, the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project of Wawa JVCo which is a subsidiary of Prime Infra, Razon Group’s infrastructure arm. 

Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project is one of the important measures of the Philippine government to help solve the water crisis in Metro Manila and the province of Rizal.  It is also designed to address flooding problems in downstream communities caused by typhoons and protect the eastern part of Metro Manila and lower areas in Rizal, Marikina and Pasig.

The creation of Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project is attuned to the purpose for Prime Infra which is to uplift the lives of Filipinos through vital infrastructure while creating positive social and economic impact to the communities where it operates.  With the scale of Wawa project, Prime Infra through Wawa JVCo ensures that sustainability and innovative practices are integrated such as environmental conservation and preservation of the reservoir where it draws water.  

“The Razon Group has long-time dealings with BDO.  We highly value our relationship with BDO and continue to accord the bank a significant portion of our business,” said Guillaume Lucci, President and CEO of Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc.

BDO Unibank is committed to promoting a more sustainable environment and water use efficiency, and will continue to fund infrastructure projects to provide livelihood, create opportunities and contribute to the nation’s progress.  The Bank’s unwavering support to these initiatives complement the government’s push in accelerating economic growth. 

Why does life insurance matter? Renato Vergel De Dios, President and CEO of BDO Life, offers an insight that quite interestingly, people don’t hear every day: “Life insurance is a lasting and selfless expression of love.”

“I have always questioned this part of our wedding vows, ‘to love and to cherish ‘til death do us part.’ Why must one’s love and responsibility to each other terminate upon death? In this day and age, death provides no excuse for fleeing one’s family responsibilities,” said Vergel De Dios.

“But then again, the origin of these vows dates back to 1549 when life insurance was hardly a well-established instrument for looking after our loved ones beyond our earthly existence,” he added.

Love means protecting your loved ones

True love and self-sacrifice. Life insurance is one of the most selfless expressions of true love. Learn how you can create a Plan B with BDO Life to protect your loved ones here: www.bdo.com.ph/bdolife/we-protect.

This ongoing pandemic has demonstrated that despite advances in medical science and technology, there is still no absolute security against diseases, suffering, and death.

“The pandemic has been a wake-up call, a reminder that we are not invincible. We can get really sick, including the fittest among us. Some of us can get laid off as businesses are forced to shut down. We wake up realizing that our lives are fraught with insecurity and risk. The question is: How do we protect ourselves from the unavoidable uncertainties of life?”

The pandemic underscored a powerful lesson on the uncertainties of life. “The best we can do is to ensure that we prepare for the worst. Life is indeed one real world risk management exercise,” he said.

Life insurance protects families from financial ruin when their actively working providers suffer a premature death. It acts as a financial “first responder” for one’s family in their moment of greatest need.  

The most unselfish purchase one can make 

Life insurance exists to help breadwinners provide a cash estate or income replacement to enable their loved ones to minimize the disruption in their lives when they get sick or pass away.

Most heads of families underestimate how much their loved ones are impacted by their passing—it will be the greatest pain in their lives. But on top of their emotional devastation, family members left behind will have to address final expenses, hospital bills, and outstanding debts—and most of all, the daily expenses to keep the family together: providing food on the table, house rentals, utility bills, school expenses, etc. 

The emotional impact will be felt for a time. But the financial impact will linger on until the family manages to readjust and recover its financial bearings.

Small acts of love forge lasting relationships

Everyone is capable of performing a grand gesture to one’s family despite a lack of immense wealth.

How? Through life insurance. Anyone can create a cash estate the size of which is to be determined in exchange for a relatively small token payment each year. Life insurance is the most efficient way to create an estate that one can leave behind. Each token premium payment is, by itself, a small act of love that is reinforced each year.

Protecting the “family ATM”  

Every breadwinner is analogous to an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) from where the family draws its cash requirements for its daily sustenance and aspirations in life. Eventually, however, all income-earners will get sick, age, and pass away. This is why life insurance is important.

“Life insurance acts like a safety net for family members who are left behind by a breadwinner who passes away. It helps tide them over financially for a span of time. And so the lesson is this: it is not the income itself that is important. Rather, it is the continuing capacity to earn income,” Vergel De Dios said.

That said, finding the right life insurance is crucial. There’s no one-size-fits-all plan because every family’s needs are different. That’s where your Financial Advisor (FA) comes in. He/she can help you discover which plan will work best for you based on your age and how much you can set aside to pay the premium, among other factors. 

If you’d like to learn more about BDO Life’s solutions, you can visit their website at www.bdo.com.ph/bdolife. Here you can browse through their plans and do your own research. When you’re ready to talk to an FA, the site lets you conveniently book an appointment to help you get started. 

BDO Life is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BDO Unibank.

Portion of Gusa-Lapasan Coastal Road of Cagayan de Oro City now finally has Street Lights

Let's take a look at the lighted small portion of the Lapasan-Gusa Diversion Road where few light posts has been lighted up for the first time since it was inaugurated in 2017.

Pinay champion weightlifter, mas mahaba na ang oras sa training dahil sa Cash Agad MARAMING mga batang atleta ang sumusunod sa yapak ni Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo sa larangan ng weightlifting. Isa na dito si Rosegie Ramos, isang 18-anyos na grade 10 student ng Mampang National High School, na tulad ni Hidilyn ay tubong Mampang, Zamboanga rin.

Kamakailan lang ay humakot ng tatlong gintong medalya si Rosegie sa Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships na ginanap sa Tashkent City, Uzbekistan. Nagrehistro siya ng best score sa snatch (71kg.), clean and jerk (90kg.), at total (161kg.) para mamayagpag sa Junior division category ng nasabing paligsahan. Bago rito, nag-uwi rin si Rosegie, ng bronze medal sa women’s 49kg. category ng weightlifting mula sa Southeast Asian Games na ginanap sa Vietnam noong Mayo.

Isang pagsubok para kay Rosegie ang pag-balanse ng kanyang pag-eensayo bilang atleta at ang kanyang pag-aaral bilang estudyante. Kaya’t malaki ang pasasalamat niya sa pagkakaroon ng BDO Cash Agad sa kanilang lugar dahil nakakatulong ito para mapabilis at mapadali ang pag-withdraw nya ng kinakailangang cash.

Champion weightlifter Rosegie Ramos

"Nung wala pa po ang BDO Cash Agad dito, bumibiyahe pa po ako nang 30 minutes para lang makapunta sa town para makapag-withdraw. Minsan ginagabi pa po ako. Ngayon andito na ang BDO Cash Agad, nagpapasalamat po ako kay ate Hidilyn na hindi ko na kailangan bumiyahe ng 30 minutes, menos gastos po." kwento ni Rosegie.

Ngayon, kailangan lamang pumunta ni Rosegie sa Hidilyn Diaz Gym na malapit sa kaniyang bahay sa Mampang para makapag-withdraw ng cash dahil isa na itong ganap na Cash Agad partner-agent. Pinatayo ni Hidilyn ang gym para magsilbing training facility sa mga nangangarap na maging champion weightlifter tulad niya at ni Rosegie, at para sa iba pang health and sports enthusiasts sa lugar nila.

"Nabanggit nga ng coach ko na nagkaroon ng Cash Agad dito sa gym ni Ate Hidi. Napaka convenient po sa akin saka hindi delikado, five minutes away lang po sa amin pag naka motor ako," dagdag ni Rosegie.

Nagbukas na rin ng savings account si Rosegie sa BDO Network Bank bilang paghahanda sa kanyang kinabukasan.

"Thirteen years old pa lang ako, sumasabak na 'ko sa mga weighlifting competition. Noong nagsimula na akong manalo, nakakapag-ipon na rin ako mula sa winnings ko. May ATM ako dahil National Team member ako. Nag-open na rin ako ng savings account sa BDO Network Bank. Gusto kong makapag-ipon para na rin sa future ko." ani Rosegie.

Gamit ang ATM cards ng BDO Unibank, BDO Kabayan Savings, BDO Network Bank, at iba pang local banks, maaaring mag-withdraw sa Cash Agad point-of-sale (POS) terminal sa gym ni Hidilyn Diaz at iba pang mga negosyo na Cash Agad partner-agent tulad ng sari-sari store, water refilling stations, mini-groceries.

Dahil sa Cash Agad, hindi na kailangan pang bumiyahe ng mga ATM cardholders nang sobrang layo at gumastos pa para sa pamasahe papunta sa bangko o ATM sa siyudad para lamang makapag-withdraw ng cash.

Ever tried spending time walking at the lush vineyard here in CDO?

A new IG-worthy experience just opened today The Vineyard at Amaya View CDO. It's the first here in CDO and finally, you can now experience walking and exploring the Lush Vineyard with awesome overlooking view of Cagayan de Oro City.

Experience first-hand the vineyard tour here at Amaya View for only P150 for adult and P100 for kids 4-12 years old. So, no need to go somewhere far, since we already have a Vineyard Grape Farm here in CDO. They started the vineyard a year ago and with proper planting and care, it grows lavishly with abundant fruits, and it is now ready for the public viewing and picking.

Watch out for the grand opening on August 18-21, 2022 as they have a Limited Offer for P900 per head where you can experience the following:

• Vineyard Tour Experience
• Food (Pica-pica)
• Grape Picking
• 500 grams of Grapes

For ticket reservations, please contact 0917-149-0641

Fiesta sa Kaumahan an AGRO-FAIR & GARDEN SHOW has been officially opened at Gaston Park, Cagayan de Oro City yesterday, August 8, 2022.

This is part of the core event of the Higalaay Festival. The opening was headed by our newly elected City Mayor Rolando "Klarex" Uy, with City Councilor Jay Roa Pascual - Chairman of Agriculture, Fisheries and Cultural Communities.

During his speech at the event, Mayor Klarex Uy promised that he will add more budget fund for the Agricultural Productivity Operations Office to help improve the economy of the farmers in the City.