The Department of Energy — Luzon Field Office (DoE-LFO), in partnership with the DoE’s Gender and Development (GAD) program, and in coordination with the Community Affairs Department of the City Government of Laoag and the Bureau of Fire Protection, led an information, education and communication (IEC) campaign on energy safety practices and efficiency measures (ESPEM) and the Safe Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Project recently at the Laoag City Auditorium.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said, “We want everyone to get involved in strengthening our coordination with consumers and industry stakeholders in order to provide them with valuable information to prevent untoward incidents that may result in mishandling and improperly storing petroleum products. Thus, this IEC is one of our ways to raise public awareness and uphold the welfare of our consumers.”

The ESPEM IEC was the first of its kind undertaken in Laoag City, while the Safe LPG Project serving as part of the continuing advocacy of the DoE in ensuring safety within the LPG industry.

An open forum concluded the event, with the participants raising clarificatory points on LPG safety tips, liquid fuels and other petroleum-based information, as well as purported claims of energy saving devices, which were properly addressed by the resource speakers.

In photo are participants of the Energy Efficiency and Safe LPG Use Forum, which includes barangay officials, various petroleum and LPG business owners, NGO, Laoag City Council of Women Officers, Laoag City Employees Association Officers, Federated Tricycle Association of Laoag City, Barangay Health Workers and other public and private entities in the region.

International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has been named the Philippines’ Most Outstanding Company in the transportation sector by Asiamoney.

ICTSI joins11 other companies in the Philippines, and 153 companies in the region recognized at the yearly Asia Outstanding Companies Poll for excellence in financial performance, management team excellence, investor relations and corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Christian Gonzalez, ICTSI Global Corporate Head, thanked Asiamoney and investors who polled. At the same time, he reiterated ICTSI’s commitment to providing efficient port services, a key element in the seamless transport of cargo, while ensuring sustainable operations.

In the Philippines, ICTSI operates 10 ports, including flagship Manila International Container Terminal, that serves as the company’s benchmark in implementing improvements in its ports worldwide. Connectivity and synergies are being implemented in these ports to provide a more seamless and integrated mode of cargo transport.

He adds: “Amid global headwinds, the diversity of the ICTSI Group’s portfolio and our strategy to make all our ports drivers of positive and sustainable growth have been key to delivering strong performance.

Known for its strategy of investing in emerging markets, ICTSI has helped governments worldwide modernize port assets with investments in infrastructure, equipment and technology. With 32 ports in 18 countries across the globe, ICTSI ensures the unimpeded mobility of cargo by ensuring that gateway ports, a key conduit in economic growth, provide the best service.

Revolut chooses Visa as lead issue partner

Visa and Revolut, the leading fintech in Europe, on Tuesday announced a new agreement that will help Revolut expand its business globally.

Leveraging Visa’s brand, scale and global acceptance footprint, Revolut will bring its product offerings to five new regions, reaching 24 new markets, for a total of 56 markets globally. Under the terms of the agreement, Revolut will primarily issue Visa-branded cards in the global expansion.

Revolut offers consumers a range of digital financial services via a mobile application, including currency exchange, budgeting and person-to-person (P2P) payments, all linked to a Visa card.

Building on the success of its existing agreement in Europe, Visa will enable Revolut to launch initially in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore and the United States, followed by Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine and Vietnam.

“We are excited to build upon our existing collaboration with Visa, the world’s leader in digital payments, which will bring to life our shared vision for seamless, innovative payment experiences,” said Nikolay Storonsky, founder and chief executive officer, Revolut. “The new global agreement with Visa is timely for Revolut as we move into a number of new markets to offer even more consumers the control, flexibility and innovative features that our European customers have been benefiting from for years.”

“We are excited to extend Visa’s partnership with Revolut to Asia Pacific,” said Chris Clark, Regional President, Asia Pacific, Visa. “Working together, we will bring new financial services experiences to consumers across the region. Payments is evolving rapidly in our region and it’s great to have an innovative fintech partner like Revolut expanding here. We are looking forward to leveraging the power of Visa’s global network to support Revolut as they grow their business in Asia Pacific.”