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SMC power unit eyes $100-M securities offering for projects

BATTERY Energy Storage System of the Masinloc Power Plant — SMCGLOBALPOWER.COM.PH

SAN MIGUEL Global Power Holdings Corp. (SMGP), the power arm of conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC), is eyeing to offer up to $100 million in senior perpetual capital securities.

The company’s board of directors has approved the offer and issuance of additional senior perpetual capital securities worth at least $100 million, SMGP told the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. (PDEx) on Tuesday.

The energy company said the amount of the new securities is subject to “prevailing market conditions and as may be advantageous to the corporation.”

“The net proceeds of the additional securities shall be applied primarily for pre-development costs of solar energy projects and capital expenditures related to battery energy storage projects,” SMGP added.

The proposed securities issuance will be listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) for trading.

SMGP appointed Standard Chartered Bank as sole lead manager, DB Trustees (Hong Kong) Limited as trustee, Deutsche Bank AG (Hong Kong Branch) for multiple agent roles, and Latham & Watkins as listing agent.

Last month, the company told PDEx that its board had approved the offer and issuance of up to $300 million in senior perpetual capital securities to finance solar power projects.

It issued $492.11 million in senior perpetual capital securities in November 2019, and another $723.9 million in October 2020.

As of end-June, SMGP and its affiliates have a combined capacity of 5,207 megawatts, including natural gas, coal, hydroelectric power, and battery energy storage systems. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

How mWell fosters women in leadership for innovation

Chaye Cabal-Revilla

BY FOSTERING women in leadership roles and ensuring equal opportunities in the workplace, a company can drive inclusive growth and innovation, according to Chaye Cabal-Revilla, chief executive officer of mWell, the digital healthcare arm of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC).

“Nothing beats hard work. We women have to just show what we’ve got and show them that we are equal, or sometimes even better, in the responsibilities that we are given,” Ms. Cabal-Revilla, who also serves as MPIC’s chief finance, risk, and sustainability officer, told Editor-in-Chief Cathy Rose A. Garcia during an episode of BusinessWorld One-on-One online interview series themed “The Reinvention of Business.”

Despite ongoing gender parity issues, Ms. Cabal-Revilla noted that more women are joining the board, particularly at mWell, which is a women-dominated space.

“I am actually blessed to be part of the MVP group, which provides equal opportunities for men and women,” she said, adding that being in a male-dominated industry helps shape her approach in leadership.

“Still, it is about being able to know the business intimately, the ins and outs. I think given the mWell leadership, equal opportunities should be there and just picking the good people to be given the chance to lead teams and to foster innovation,” she said.

According to a report by McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org, women’s representation in the C-suite has reached its highest level ever, showing encouraging gains at the top levels of organizations.

The Philippines ranked 19th out of 146 countries in the 2022 Global Gender Gap Index by the World Economic Forum, making it the top gender-equal nation in Southeast Asia. The Gender Gap Index measures gender equality in economic participation, education, health, and political empowerment.
mWell also aims to expand its platform to address the healthcare needs of Filipinos, particularly in underserved communities, Ms. Cabal-Revilla said.

“Our mWell platform has been developed and designed on a scalable basis. It’s like Lego blocks. It can expand at any point in time. We are not just catering to consumers or individuals, we want to be like Grab or Uber for everything and anything that is healthcare,” she said.

The company is working to expand its digital healthcare offerings by integrating self-care tools and counseling services into its product suite.

“We have started this push for Filipinos to do preventive health, we have launched this campaign, and it is very fitting for the Filipinos… We’re building more platforms that will support our Metro Pacific hospitals in the country,” Ms. Cabal-Revilla said.

The mWell app provides online consultations, daily health tracking, financial wellness tools, laboratory services, pharmacy options, home care, and emergency response. It also includes the Mind Health Score feature, which tracks users’ emotional well-being.

MPIC is one of the three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT Inc.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority share in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Ashley Erika O. Jose

Airbus plans facility expansion in Philippines

AIRBUS.COM

EUROPEAN aircraft manufacturer Airbus SE plans to expand its operations in the Philippines, seeing the country as a promising market, a company official said.

“Very much so, [the Philippines is an attractive market] for Airbus. We see, on the commercial aviation side, the massive growth in passenger numbers,” Airbus Chief Representative for the Philippines Jussi Hoikka said during a briefing on Tuesday.

“We see that with the activity of the airlines and on the defense and security side,” he added.

Airbus is expected to help bolster the Philippines’ air defense and is in talks with the Philippine Air Force to expand its fleets, Mr. Hoikka said.

“We are always in close discussions with the Air Force, we are in collaboration to meet their requirements,” he said.

Mr. Hoikka said Airbus is “well-placed” to support the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ military modernization initiative, which has a budget of about P2 trillion.

“Airbus relationship extends across commercial aircraft, defense, space, and helicopters. As the geopolitical landscape in the Asia-Pacific region becomes more complex, it is vital that nations like the Philippines are equipped with the tool to protect their sovereignty,” he said.

He noted that Airbus completed the Philippine Air Force’s order of seven C295 aircraft in 2021, originally placed in 2014.

‘’Airbus is confident of meeting the Philippines’ future military needs with our cutting-edge technologies and aircraft to help the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) fulfill their missions to protect [the Philippine] sovereignty and ensure the safety of its citizens,” he said.

Airbus is also considering expanding its facility at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

“If the market demands it and obviously for an archipelagic nation like the Philippines, you can imagine that there are many places around the country that would need such services,” he said.

Airbus dominates the fleets of Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific.

In July, Cebu Pacific announced that it had agreed to buy up to 152 A321 new engine option (NEO) aircraft from Airbus, valued at P1.4 trillion or $24 billion, marking the largest aircraft order in the Philippines. — Ashley Erika O. Jose

Gov’t port repurposing boosts BuhaWind’s offshore wind plans

BUHAWIND.COM.PH

OFFSHORE wind energy developer BuhaWind Energy Philippines will advance its four-gigawatt (GW) projects after the government announced plans to repurpose three strategic ports as logistics hubs, a company official said.

“Repurposing these ports is a game-changer for the Philippine offshore wind industry,” PetroGreen Energy Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer Francisco G. Delfin, Jr. said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The Currimao Port’s involvement in the BuhaWind project is crucial for establishing the Philippines as a significant player in the regional and global offshore wind market,” he added.

BuhaWind is a joint venture between Denmark’s Copenhagen Energy and PetroGreen, the renewable energy arm of the Yuchengco group.

The company is developing the 2,000-megawatt (MW) BuhaWind offshore wind farm in Northern Luzon.

The Currimao Port will play an important role in the construction and operation of the wind project, it said.

BuhaWind is developing two additional 1,000-MW offshore wind projects in Northern Mindoro and East Panay, set for completion by 2031 and 2033.

The Sta. Clara port in Batangas will support the Northern Mindoro project.

The Department of Energy (DoE) has announced that the Philippines Ports Authority is crafting detailed engineering designs and repurposing three priority ports: Currimao in Ilocos Norte, Batangas in Sta. Clara, and Jose Panganiban in Camarines Norte, due to their proximity to high-potential offshore wind energy sites.

The DoE plans a green energy auction for offshore wind in mid-2025. So far, it has awarded 92 contracts to 38 developers, totaling 66.101 gigawatts of potential capacity. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

Major exhibit marks MADE art tilt’s 40th year

POW MARIN’S 2016 work You Are What You Eat comes to life through augmented reality.

Winning works through the years get 2D and 3D treatment for show

FOR THE 40th edition of Metrobank Foundation, Inc.’s (MBFI)Metrobank Art & Design Excellence (MADE) program, the theme of “Sibol,” meaning growth, highlights the evolution of its winning artists and the overall Filipino art landscape over the four decades of the competition’s existence.

“With a vision to provide hope and encouragement to Filipinos amid the challenges experienced in the 1980s, our late founder, Dr. George S.K. Ty, launched an annual painting competition which eventually evolved into a visual arts and design competition now known as MADE,” MBFI President Aniceto M. Sobrepeña said at the exhibit’s launch on Sept. 19.

Art is “a mirror that reflects the soul of a nation, allowing Filipinos to express their minds and hearts,” he added.

“Looking back to the launch poster we released in 1984 with the tagline, ‘Artists of Today, Art Masters of Tomorrow,’ we’re thrilled to see how many of our MADE artists have flourished and become respected figures in contemporary art,” he said.

Thus, instead of the usual competition this year, MBFI opened a month-long retrospective exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila (The M), to showcase “the growth of Philippine art and culture.”

INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE
The collection, curated by Sandra Palomar of the Foundation University in Dumaguete, presents winning artworks elevated by 2D and 3D experiences that engage the different senses. These are on the second-floor gallery.

Ms. Palomar said that art has the power to augment one’s faith and strength, especially because Filipinos are tactile by nature.

“I am glad that this exhibition will allow people to use other senses than just our sight to engage with the works in creative ways,” she told BusinessWorld. Arranged by decade, the interactive experiences are spread out among the winning works, which makes viewing the exhibit pleasantly surprising.

The first of these is Roberto Feleo’s August 6, which was among the top three works in MADE’s inaugural edition in 1984. Painted on polychromed wood, it’s title card is infused with the scent of old wood to give viewers a sense of the material used by the artist.

Meanwhile, Last Trip by Mark Justiniani, which won first prize in the Oil on Canvas category in 1990, is accompanied by a cassette tape and player. It allows visitors to play urban sounds as background music to the painting depicting fatigued jeepney passengers at night, brought to life with a distinct curvilinear perspective.

Mr. Justiniani was at the launch of the exhibit, where he echoed the importance of nurturing artists in a competition such as MADE. “I remember [that] with the prize money I bought my first easel,” he said.

Another memorable work is Jowee Aguinaldo’s Puro Kahig, Walang Matuka, which portrays farmers who labor yet are unable to provide for themselves. The surreal 2023 Oil on Canvas grand prize-winning piece shows a bare dinner table as families helplessly look on. Its interactive element is a tablet that allows one to digitally draw food on the table.

Augmented reality, holograms, virtual reality, and digital canvas experiences allow many of the artworks to come to life and even move, thanks to technology provided by Samsung Philippines.

MADE EVOLUTION
On the museum’s 3rd floor gallery are artworks of awardees whose practices have developed beyond their usual craft.

Some of the artists showcased here are 2001 painting grand prize winner Maria Taniguchi, whose work Untitled (Celestial Motors) now represents her growth using video; and 2010 painting grand prize winner Yeo Kaa, whose work ys003 shows how she has delved into sculpture using fiberglass resin.

An awe-inspiring work is the 2022 installation piece MANAnahi, put together by 2008 painting grand prize winner Raffy Napay. There are also rare woodblock prints by Elmer Borlongan, who isn’t immediately associated with that particular medium, and a 2017 mixed-media piece by Leeroy New, whose works have become increasingly resourceful and elaborate over time.

“By taking a break from our usual competition to revisit and reaffirm the mission of MADE, we’ve realized that our commitment to nurturing young Filipino artists and promoting Philippine culture has truly borne fruit,” added Mr. Sobrepeña during the tour of the works.

He also announced that MBFI is future-proofing next year’s competition with a streamlined submission portal, which was briefly shown at the event. In the meantime, MADE’s 40th anniversary exhibition aims to inspire young artists as they prepare for the 2025 program.

Sibol runs until Oct. 19 at The M in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. It is open and free to the public. — Brontë H. Lacsamana

CTA partially grants P29-M tax credit to Global Energy Supply Corp.

CTA.JUDICIARY.GOV.PH

THE COURT of Tax Appeals (CTA) has granted Global Energy Supply Corp. a P29-million tax credit for unutilized creditable withholding taxes (CWT) in 2019, partially approving the company’s request.

In a Sept. 20 decision, the CTA Third Division ruled that the company, a licensed retail electricity supplier, is entitled to a P29-million tax return out of the P32 million petitioned, due to insufficient documentation of its 2019 taxable income.

“The petitioner has sufficiently proven that it is entitled to the issuance of tax credit certificate in the amount of P29,074,538 representing its unutilized CWTs for 2019, pursuant to Section 76 in relation to Sections 204 and 229 of the Tax Code,” a part of the 22-page ruling of Associate Justice Henry S. Angeles read.

“Only the amount of P29,074,538 CWT must be granted, considering that this is the amount which corresponds to the income payments which were verified to have been included in petitioner’s taxable gross income per its annual ITR (income tax return) for TY (Taxable Year) 2019,” it added.

The decision noted that upon reviewing the petitioner’s 2019 general ledger, which showed total revenues of P1,596,114,046, it was found that these figures matched the revenues reported in the petitioner’s 2019 audited financial statements and annual income tax return. However, the income associated with the claimed CWT was only P1,588,350,922. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Justin Nuyda tribute exhibit celebrates his origins

PORTRAIT SKETCHES of Justin Nuyda by various Saturday Group artists.

IN 1968, Filipino artist Justin “Tiny” Nuyda, along with Alfredo Roces and other masters, founded the Saturday Group, an elite group of artists which included the likes of Cesar Legazpi, H.R. Ocampo, Vicente Manansala, and Jose Joya, who met every Saturday for discussions that centered on intellectual and artistic exchange.

Today at Hapag in Rockwell, Makati, guests can glimpse how this era of Philippine modern art played a key role in Mr. Nuyda’s early journey as an artist.

The exhibit Justin Nuyda: Origin Story, launched at Hapag early last week, will run until the end of September. The opening was marked by a 10-course dinner prepared by the restaurant’s creative culinary team, using the flavors of Bicol as an homage to the artist’s home province.

Search Mindscape Foundation, founded by Mr. Nuyda’s daughter Ayni Nuyda, orchestrated the engaging experience that paid tribute to the late master. Known for interactive art events, the foundation is channeling its efforts into celebrating his life and passions for what would have been his 80th birthday.

“This is deeply personal for me. I wanted to pay tribute to his origins, highlighting what made him the person he was — both as an artist and as an individual. His personal experiences shaped his art, and that personal side of his journey is often overlooked,” Ms. Nuyda said at the Sept. 17 launch.

Since the exhibit is about her father’s origin story, it includes his early works from 1969 to 1971 as well as portrait sketches of him made at Saturday Group Sessions by his peers Alfredo Roces, Mars Galang, Benedicto “Bencab” Cabrera, Romulo Olazo, Solomon Saprid, Romulo Galicano, and Ang Kiukok, among others.

Curated by Stephanie Frondoso, the collection aims to “highlight the more personal nature of Justin Nuyda’s life and work.”

Part of his identity as an artist, albeit unknown to most, was his dedication to the scientific field. As a lepidopterist, Mr. Nuyda contributed to the study of butterflies by identifying and illustrating over 100 species.

“His butterfly paintings provide us a glimpse into his impassioned parallel practice as a lepidopterist,” Ms. Frondoso said.

THE ART OF DINING
Hapag chefs Thirdy Dolarte and Kevin Navo instilled Mr. Nuyda’s passions in the splashes of color and texture in the Bicolano dishes at the launch dinner.

The kinilaw comprised of blue marlin tossed in mango vinegar and spring onion oil along with fresh, in-season fruits, evoking the colorful landscapes of his paintings. Meanwhile, the sweet putok bread with pili nut butter and lacto-fermented jackfruit had a distinctly butterfly-shaped floral topping.

Another standout was the pinangat, a mix of shrimp, tinapa-stuffed kale, and laing (coconut-braised taro leaves).

“Growing up, we looked forward to his home-cooked meals,” Ms. Nuyda explained. “Cooking was something that he took great pride in. His friends remember him for his Bicolano dishes.”

Because Hapag prominently features Mr. Nuyda’s works on its walls, it was easy for guests to appreciate the inspiration behind the exclusive 10-course meal.

Unbeknownst to many, Mr. Nuyda’s culinary pursuits also birthed iconic concoctions, like the potent Weng-Weng cocktail, which cognac house Martell also prepared that night.

Ms. Nuyda said she found it vital that the tribute to her father was a sensorial experience, presented outside of the usual gallery setting.

“Throughout my father’s career, he had a willingness to explore different platforms for showcasing his work. I wanted this exhibit to be different, to challenge the way people engage with art by stimulating the five senses. At a time when art consumption has become increasingly transactional, I believe it’s important to offer something more experiential,” she said.

Other projects and initiatives honoring her father are in the pipeline for Search Mindscape Foundation, including a museum retrospective, the publication of a monograph chronicling his works, and a donation of his butterfly specimens to the Smithsonian Institute in the US.

Ms. Nuyda added: “By celebrating my father’s legacy, we hope to inspire a new generation of artists to explore their own creative freedom, to push boundaries, and to engage with others in meaningful ways.” — Brontë H. Lacsamana

AboitizPower: Renewables need baseload for reliability

RENEWABLE ENERGY should be integrated with reliable baseload power to address its intermittency and ensure the country’s power needs are met during the energy transition, according to an official from Aboitiz Power Corp. (AboitizPower).

“We need reliable and reasonably priced baseload power to address the inherent intermittency of renewable energy and the geographical challenges of injecting these intermittent capacities to our present grid,” Ronaldo Ramos, AboitizPower’s chief operating officer for thermal operated assets, said during the Coaltrans Asia 2024 in Bali, Indonesia.

Citing data from the Philippine Energy Plan, the company said that the country needs around $550.2 billion to reach the goal of increasing the share of renewable energy in the power mix to 50% by 2040.

“We all want a future that is powered by abundant renewable energy. The costs of solar panels and battery storage technologies going down are encouraging,” Mr. Ramos said. “But we must be mindful of the present realities of the Philippines.”

AboitizPower said that “a careful and phased approach” is needed for a just energy transition that accounts for “the current realities of the socio-economic needs” of the country.

The company said that coal, as a baseload energy source, can “fill in the gaps of more intermittent renewable energy,” stabilizing the power grid.

AboitizPower is a leading player in the Philippine power industry, involved in electricity generation and distribution, with a diverse portfolio of renewable and non-renewable power plants. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

Far Eastern University, Inc. to hold Annual Stockholders’ Meeting on Oct. 19

 

 

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Auction house Christie’s opens at the Henderson in Hong Kong

PRESS.CHRISTIES.COM

CHRISTIE’S opened its new headquarters in Hong Kong, capping off a series of real estate expansions by auction houses in the financial hub.

The company occupies the 6th to 9th floors of The Henderson — a skyscraper in the Central district developed by Henderson Land Development Co. and designed by Zaha Hadid Architects — for a total of 50,000 square feet (4,645 square meters).

“We have always been very ambitious with Hong Kong,” Christie’s Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Cerutti said in an interview. The new space would allow the firm to have control over the timing of its auctions, unlike before when sales were held at the Convention and Exhibition Center. For instance, its November sales often clashed with the Thanksgiving holiday period, he said.

Hong Kong remains Asia’s art hub, even as a Chinese economic downturn means that collectors have become more selective in their spending. Christie’s global auction sales for the first half of this year declined 22% from 2023.

“Even in this moment where there are some challenges in the macro environments, politically and economically in the world, we’ve seen the Asian market keeping its share of 20, 25 or more percent of our turnover,” said Mr. Cerutti. While these collectors previously bought Asian art, they are now “crucial” to sales in other categories such as impressionist works, modern art, and watches, he said.

Christie’s expansion comes after Sotheby’s opened a new 24,000-square-foot space located at Central’s Landmark Chater, while Phillips opened an office at the West Kowloon Cultural District last year.

The expansion by auction houses brings some relief to Hong Kong’s troubled real estate market. Commercial vacancies are at a record high, and retail and office rents have plunged. Leasing rates at The Henderson, whose other tenants include financial firms Carlyle Group, Inc. and Coller Capital Ltd., have been highly watched as a proxy for the property market.

At Christie’s, some of the pieces that will be auctioned at its inaugural sales at the new location have set the art world buzzing. These includes Vincent Van Gogh’s Les canots amarrés, which is expected to sell for between $30 million and $50 million, and Claude Monet’s Nymphéas, estimated at between $25 million and $35 million. — Bloomberg

PFA honors the best in Philippine franchising in FEA 2024

Winners of this year’s Franchise Excellence Awards gather for a group photo.

The Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) recently hosted the prestigious Franchise Excellence Awards (FEA) 2024 Awards Night at the SMX Convention Center-Manila, gathering the country’s leading franchise brands to honor their exceptional contributions to the Philippine franchising industry. The event was graced by Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ma. Cristina Aldeguer-Roque, who served as the guest of honor.

Now on its 25th year, FEA is the only awards for the franchising sector in the country. Its winners have become benchmarks for success in the industry many of which have conquered international markets. Through these awards, PFA aims to strengthen a culture of excellence, showcasing businesses that have demonstrated innovation, resilience, and adaptability while maintaining good ethical business practices.

DTI Secretary Ma. Cristina Aldeguer-Roque was guest of honor in the FEA 2024 Awards Night.

This year’s theme, “Ensuring Success Through Excellence and Sustainability,” underscores the importance of pursuing industry leadership while embracing a sustainability mindset. The awards emphasize the role of franchises in creating sustainable business models that drive long-term success for both franchisors and franchisees.

“FEA serves as a reminder that excellence is the driving force that propels the franchising industry forward,” said PFA President Joseph C. Tanbuntiong in his speech. “And in this crucial time in our history when environmental and social upheavals are becoming more frequent, excellence can only be impactful if it is driven by a sustainability mindset.”

Winners of the FEA 2024 were selected for their outstanding achievements in growth, operational excellence, and positive impact on community. Their success stories reflect the dynamic nature of franchising in the Philippines and its role in driving inclusive economic growth.

Aside from the franchisor and franchisee winners, FEA 2024 also bestowed the Chairman’s Award to two individuals who have contributed to the growth and development of the Philippine franchising sector. These were Go Negosyo Founder Jose Ma. “Joey” A. Concepcion III and international franchising guru Greg Nathan who have facilitated several Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) programs for PFA.

The franchisor award categories up for grabs were: Outstanding Filipino Franchise Award, International Master Franchise Award, Most Promising Filipino Franchise Award, Best Marketing Campaign Award, Innovative Excellence Award, and Sustainability Award.

The Outstanding Filipino Franchise Award honors Filipino franchises that have become benchmarks in national market penetration through excellent franchise operations and good corporate governance. The International Master Franchise Award, meanwhile, recognizes international franchises, which have become benchmarks in franchise operations, particularly in the sustained growth in sales, expansion and employment.

The Most Promising Filipino Franchise Award is granted to a homegrown franchise under the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) category that are seen with the potential to become a major player in the Philippine franchising sector.

The Best Marketing Campaign Award franchise celebrates companies with a successful and effective marketing program that contributed significantly to the growth of their companies and, overall, to the advancement of the franchising sector.

The Innovative Excellence Award recognizes franchise brands that have exhibited remarkable agility, successfully pivoting or implementing innovative strategies. The award also acknowledges the resilience of franchisors that have navigated challenges effectively to sustain their business.

Lastly, the Sustainability Award highlights outstanding sustainable developmental programs and initiatives instituted by PFA member companies that impact positively on their primary and secondary stakeholders.

The FEA franchisor awardees for this year were 7-Eleven; But First, Coffee; Chatime; Chowking; Dr. Carl Balita Review Center; Famous Belgian Waffles; Grainsmart; Greenwich; Health Screen Laboratory and Diagnostic Center; Mang Inasal; Master Siomai; Potato Corner; Shakey’s; and Toby’s Sports.

FEA 2024 also recognized franchisees who were exceptional in the way they managed their stores towards growth and profitability. The lone international franchisee award went to William Xu, Potato Corner franchisee in Myanmar. The regional franchisee awardees were: Enrico “Cholo” Francisco of Max’s Restaurant (NCR); Cecilia Pua Phee of Max’s Restaurant (North Luzon); Pablo Olivarez II of Yellow Cab (South Luzon); and Anniebeth Gapido of Dr. Carl Balita Review Center (South Luzon) and Abdullah Guinda, Dr. Carl Balita Review Center Cotabato (Mindanao). Among the regional awardees, Mr. Francisco was voted National Franchisee Awardee.

Those who have won a category award a second time were inducted into the Hall of Fame. These awardees are Famous Belgian Waffles, Mang Inasal, Potato Corner and Shakey’s. For the franchisees, the Hall of Fame welcomed Ms. Phee of Max’s Restaurant and Ms. Gapido of Dr. Carl Balita Review Center.

FEA 2024 was made possible with the support of PWC-Philippines.

Max’s Group franchisees triumph at the Franchise Excellence Awards

Enrico D. Francisco, franchisee of Max’s Shell Don Antonio, was recognized with the National Franchisee Award.

Franchisees of Max’s Group, Inc. (MGI), the largest casual dining restaurant chain in the Philippines, recently celebrated their success at the Franchise Excellence Awards on Sept. 2, 2024, held at the SMX Convention Center. Organized by the Philippine Franchise Association, the event honors franchise brands that exemplify excellence in business growth and contribute significantly to the franchising sector.

Enrico D. Francisco, franchisee of Max’s Shell Don Antonio, won the Regional Franchisee Award for the National Capital Region in the Food — Large Store Category and was also recognized with the National Franchisee Award. Ma. Cecilia Pua Phee, franchisee of Max’s La Union, received the Regional Franchisee Award for North Luzon and was inducted into the 2024 Hall of Fame, having previously won in 2009.

Ma. Cecilia Pua Phee, franchisee of Max’s La Union, received the Regional Franchisee Award for North Luzon and was inducted into the 2024 Hall of Fame.

Additionally, Pablo Olivarez II, franchisee of Yellow Cab — Olivarez Plaza Los Baños, also secured a Regional Franchisee Award for South Luzon. These accolades highlight the franchisees’ commitment to service and operational excellence. “We take pride in our consistent efforts and dedication, which lead to achieving our strategic goals,” stated Mr. Olivarez.

Pablo Olivarez II, franchisee of Yellow Cab — Olivarez Plaza Los Baños, secured a Regional Franchisee Award for South Luzon.

The awards reflect years of collaboration and mutual progress. “As business partners of MGI, we are united in meeting our customers’ needs, and we are grateful for the support that fuels our continuous growth,” Ms. Pua Phee remarked. Mr. Francisco added, “Our partnership is built on trust and confidence, which are key to our achievements.”

MGI remains dedicated to understanding the evolving needs of its franchisees, providing support and guidance to foster growth and success in franchise operations.

 

Spotlight is BusinessWorld’s sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with BusinessWorld’s audience by publishing their stories on the BusinessWorld Web site. For more information, send an email to online@bworldonline.com.

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