On Friday (August 8, 2025), Ambassador Kazuya Endo warmly welcomed the 12th batch of Nihongo Partners during a courtesy visit to the Embassy of Japan. The teachers, accompanied by Japan Foundation Manila (JFM) Director Ben Suzuki, are part of an ongoing initiative to promote Japanese culture and language in the country.

Ambassador Endo expressed his hope that the 12th batch’s contributions would not only enhance the teaching of the Japanese language but also foster a deeper mutual understanding of Filipino culture.

The Nihongo Partners Program, organized by the Japan Foundation, dispatches Japanese nationals to assist local teachers of Japanese language in secondary education institutions across Asia. These teachers act as language assistants and cultural ambassadors, while also learning about their host countries’ languages and customs. The program is designed to be a mutually enriching experience, with teachers spending between six months to a year in their host locations, gaining new insights and expanding their global perspectives.

The 12th batch of Nihongo Partners will be deployed across various municipalities and cities, including Benguet, Pangasinan, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Laguna, Batangas, Cebu, Bohol, and Davao. Their mission is to introduce not just the Japanese language but also elements of Japanese culture, contributing to a broader cultural dialogue.

For more information on the Nihongo Partners Program, visit the Japan Foundation’s official pages in both Japanese and English.

Traffic congestion has long been identified as a very serious social, political, and economic problem in Metro Manila and its surrounding areas, prompting President Marcos, Jr. to convene his first ever town hall meeting last April, as one of the top priority issues of the current administration. NCR traffic ranked the worst globally according to the Traffic Index TomTom in 2023. Moreover, according to a 2017 JICA survey, because of the traffic congestion, transport costs in Metro Manila alone was estimated to be PHP3.5 billion per day in 2017, and was projected to increase to PHP5.4 billion per day by 2035 if no intervention was done.

The dire situation of public transportation spurred the increase in the number of private vehicles on the road, exacerbating urban road congestion. To add, high transport costs have hindered the Philippines’ ability to attract more investments and create job opportunities, ranking the country 6^th out of 10 ASEAN countries in terms of foreign direct investment inflows from 2021-2022. Furthermore, the greater risks of road accidents, air pollution, and global warming are increasingly linked to traffic congestion.

In this context, JICA and DOTr share the goal of prompting a modal shift from private to public transportation. For this to be realized, the Project aims to improve the service quality of fixed-route PUVs such as buses, jeepneys, and Utility Van (UV) Express Services, among others. Technical assistance will be provided in effective route planning, development of intermodal transport hubs, and improving convenience of fixed-route PUVs.

JICA Chief Representative SAKAMOTO Takema reiterated JICA’s “full cooperation to realize modernized ‘Japan-quality’ public transportation systems in the Philippines.” With the signing of Record of Discussions for the Project, it is expected that this JICA-DOTr collaboration will be a milestone “not just to build better transport systems, but in paving the way for a brighter and more connected future for our country,” said DOTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista.

This new collaboration is part of JICA’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) strategic plan to transform public transportation in the Philippines through other hard infrastructure development projects, such as the Metro Manila Subway Project, North-South Commuter Railway Project, Capacity Enhancement of LRT Lines 1 and 2, and Rehabilitation and Maintenance of MRT3.

In parallel, JICA’s ODA support also includes soft-component development, such as the Establishment and Capacity Development of the Philippine Railway Institute, Formulation of 30-Year Railway Master Plan for Greater Capital Region (GCR), and Capacity Enhancement of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), which also promotes effective coordination between main railway lines and feeder transportation that link station area development with urban development to make the city more vibrant and livable.

Together with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Office for Transportation Cooperatives (OTC) under the DOTr, this Project will further advance the transformation of the public transportation system in the Philippines, in close coordination with the LGUs as well.

With the lowering of community quarantine of National Capital Region to Alert Level 2 that started the last February 01, the Department of Trade and Industry urged the establishments to follow the Minimum Public Health Standards to ensure the spread of the virus amidst lowering of cases.

Last February 3, 2022, DTI-Consumer Protection Group (DTI-CPG) Undersecretary Atty. Ruth B. Castelo and DTI Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB) Assistant Director Marimel Dancel Porciuncula led the surveillance and monitoring team in inspecting the health protocols compliance of establishments in Mandaluyong City that are allowed to operate under Alert Level 2. 

The DTI-FTEB team spot-checked a total of five (5) establishments covering personal care services, cinemas and movie houses, recreational venues, dine-in and take-out restaurants, and fitness and gym venues. 

In the course of the inspection, DTI served one (1) Request for Corrective Action (RCA) to a restaurant establishment for failure to strictly observe the conditions stated in the DTI-DOT Joint Memorandum Circular No. 21-02 on health and safety guidelines governing the operations of indoor and outdoor dine-in services.  

“DTI will expect the said establishment to submit its response to the RCA together with the proof of corrective measure within 48 hours from receipt of the RCA. Otherwise, DTI will recommend to the Local Government Unit (LGU) concerned the suspension of the Safety Seal issued in favor of said establishment or the suspension of the operation thereof if it continues to not observe the DTI-DOT MC No. 21-02”, Undersecretary Castelo underscored. 

DTI reminds the establishments and the public to always follow the MPHS set by the Government to ensure safety and health protection amidst the pandemic. 

As thousands of houses in the National Capital Region and nearby provinces of Rizal, Cavite, Bulacan and Pampanga were submerged in floodwaters brought about by heavy and sustained rainfalls that resulted in many families to be homeless and forced to seek refuge on the rooftops as they wait to be rescued by authorities.

The provinces of Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Aurora and Quezon province were hardly hit as typhoon Ulysses made landfall. It was a double whammy for people living in these areas as they were still trying to recover from the aftermath of super typhoon Rolly just days before this typhoon came.

Aware of the immediate concerns and help of the victims, RCBC and the AY Foundation, Inc. launched the “Kapit-bisig ScanTulong Sulong #Ulysses” fund drive.

This fund drive aims to provide relief and assistance to thousands of families devastated by typhoon Ulysses that swept several provinces of Luzon on November 12, 2020.

As of this writing, many roads and other infrastructures were heavily damaged by landslides and floods in the northern Luzon provinces of Ilocos Norte, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Viscaya, Quirino Kalinga, Apayao, Ifugao and Benguet.

The inevitable damage to the properties and infrastructures were estimated to be at Php 4.254 billion as estimated by the Department of Public Works and Highways as of Friday morning.

RCBC and AY Foundation, Inc. appeal to the Filipino “Bayanihan” spirit leveraging on RCBC’s digital platforms such as its mobile app and DiskarTech through the use of interoperable quick response (QR) PH code standard as mandated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). Through this initiative, account holders with mobile apps of other QRph-capable banks and mobile wallets can also donate by scanning the fund drive’s QRph. Aside from RCBC and DiskarTech mobile apps, they can use the mobile apps of  Asia United Bank, BDO, DCPay or Coins.ph, Chinabank, Landbank, PayMaya, PSBank and UnionBank.

“Once again the resilience of the Filipino is put to the test. RCBC is here to make sure that spirit of Bayanihan and camaraderie in helping each other while optimizing the benefits of this interoperable digital aid initiative”, said Lito Villanueva, RCBC executive vice president and chief innovation and inclusion officer. 

By Victoria “NIKE” De Dios

After almost 7 months of lockdown, the Department of Tourism has given the eight hotels in the National Capital Region to operate for staycation under the general community quarantine after they secured a certification.

Speaking to THEPHILBIZNEWS, Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said, for the time being, only hotels with 4-star or 5-star rating by the agency are allowed to accommodate guests for a staycation in GCQ areas. But she is hopeful that when the MGCQ is in place, many hotels will be opened up.

Currently, the following hotels are allowed to accept the leisure market:

In the statement sent to THEPHILBIZNEWS, the super apps which is proudly powered by Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), is the country’s first and only Taglish super app that has achieved this unprecedented feat what leaders in e-wallets and mobile banking took several years to accomplish.

“This milestone during this pandemic proves that more Filipinos are looking at digital alternatives that best understand their needs and address their pain points,” RCBC president and CEO Eugene S. Acevedo.

DiskarTech has been attracting the attention of young adults outside of Metro Manila. They made the download and the application easy to use. With accountholders demographic and sociographic profiles are from aged 21 to 30 comprise 60 percent, followed by those between 31 and 40 years old at 25 percent. Meanwhile, only 37 percent reside in the National Capital Region and the rest are distributed in all 16 other regions, including the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

Aside from the surge in downloads, DiskarTech also observed a high engagement rate among its social media channels, some posts reaching over 100%, but averaging at 22.5%, exceeding industry benchmark of 4%.  Its website,diskartech.ph, has also recorded an average of 100,000 visits per day.

The Enrollment to DiskarTech accelerated to as much as 1.3 downloads per second last week when it breached 100,000 daily downloads in late July. The Monthly Active User (MAU) rate was recorded at over 70%, way above the industry average of 10% to 20%. MAU is among the key performance indicators that measure unique customers doing at least one revenue-generating transaction in a 30-day period.

Account deposits through agent partners top the most frequent activity done in-app at 45%. A gamified savings feature called #BuhayGinhawa encourages this habit among its users. Airtime top-up or cellphone loading is a closed second among the highest recorded transactions.

Meanwhile, RCBC executive vice president and chief innovation and inclusion officer Lito Villanueva revealed this phenomenal success of DiskarTech, “Strategic and sustainable ecosystem building is key in driving speed and scale in terms of customer adoption, targeting millions of unbanked and underserved Filipinos.”

Aside from a competitive 3.25% annual interest on their savings, DiskarTech users are also treated to a suite of financial inclusion services available in the app, such as bills payment, fund transfers, telemedicine, airtime top-up, and purchase of gaming pins and microinsurance products, among others. Soon, loans and skills marketplace will be made available.

“The use of conversational Taglish was a winner to ensure a quick understanding of banking and financial concepts and processes. Our aim is to educate, engage, and empower each Filipino,” Acevedo stressed.

DiskarTech has also expanded its cash in and cash out the network to cater to its growing users with more than 30,000 aggregate touchpoints nationwide including Bayad Center and 7-Eleven. Those with existing bank accounts and mobile wallets can do fund transfer to their DiskarTech accounts through InstaPay.

“Both our volume and value projections by the end of 2021 have been accelerated and will be achieved before yearend given the current velocity. This phenomenal development could be attributed to DiskarTech’s unique and engaging proposition, relevance, and perfect timing,” Villanueva added.

DiskarTech’s virality was also made possible by netizens with thousands producing and curating their own video blogs or vlogs promoting and explaining the mobile app.

Ramping Up Inclusive Digital Finance

According to the Financial Inclusion Survey (FIS) released last month by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the share of Filipinos, who own accounts in banks, e-money issuers, and microfinance institutions, stood at only 29 percent. An estimated 51.2 million adult Filipinos remain unbanked.

Lack of enough money continues to be the topmost reason among the issues expressed by those surveyed.

Account ownership among the poorest is at 27 percent which shows a gap in penetration of 16 percentage points against the top income group which is at 43 percent.

In support of BSP’s three-year target to bring this number to 70 percent, DiskarTech super app has emerged to be the Filipinos’ all-in-one app with financial, social, and livelihood features and benefits. Filipinos who were previously unqualified can now be part of the formal financial system starting with a savings account that requires no opening deposit, maintaining balance, nor dormancy fees.

In the same FIS report of the BSP digital connectivity was called “an important factor to unlock the full potential of digital financial services for financial inclusion.”

Read related story:

https://thephilbiznews.com/super-app-diskartech-seizes-ph-top-finance-app-in-google-play/