• De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s highest academic award now was given to a security guard’s son.
• His family cannot afford to pay for high tuition, scholarship program helped him to achieve his dream.
• All his hard work paid off as he managed to ace the course and graduate with flying colors.

First, in 6 years, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde had a summa cum laude graduate. The highest academic award now belongs to a son of a security guard who recently went viral for his inspiring journey in achieving such honor.

Out of 1,170 graduates, Janrey D. Nevado got the highest general average of 3.802, proving that poverty is never a hindrance to success.

His dream is to be pilot and Benilde was not his first choice of school. Since, his family cannot afford to pay for high tuition, in order to continue his studies, he needed a scholarship that could accommodate him to study.

“Benilde was not my first choice of campus. I passed the UST exam for Accountancy but no scholarship was being offered. I also passed De La Salle University, also for Accountancy, but I was told I needed one-year residency before I could apply for a scholarship,” the young man admitted.

His father Dante who works as a security guard at Benilde’s School of Design and Arts Campus on P. Ocampo St. in Malate had heard that the school offer scholarship programs and encourage his son to apply. Luckily, he became one of the recipients of the Pierre Romanco Grant and pays for his full tuition and miscellaneous fees.

Janrey doesn’t need a lot of money to attend his class because he lives nearby and his place is just a walking distance from to his school. His parent would always make sure that he goes to school with a full stomach and his father would give him an allowance of a hundred pesos daily.

“I never went to school on an empty stomach. My parents always made sure that I get to eat first before going to school,” Janrey shared.

Janrey’s mother used to have a sari-sari store but last year her mother suffered from stroke as they were forced to close it.

Without Internet connection at home, Janrey had to spend long hours to use free WiFi in school because of his course that requires computer-related stuff. As part of his study habits, when he gets home, he rewrites the lecture notes to help him remember his lesson.

All his hard work were paid off as he managed to ace the course and graduate from BS Business Administration major in Computer Application degree with flying colors. Being a summa cum laude graduate is already inspiring, but the reality of it–poverty was never a stumbling block for him. As a son of a security guard, all of them were inspired by his story.

Days before graduation, everyone was so happy to learn that Janrey was able to find a job as a data science trainee at Globe Telecom in BGC starting March 1.

“I currently work in Globe Telecom as a data science trainee under the training period but will have the job title of an ‘expert’ upon regularization. I got hired through Globe’s data science program where I am one of the 39 candidates who qualified. I started on March 1 this year. As of now, I am undergoing a training program that aims to equip employees with data science skill set,” the young man happily shared.

He promised to work harder to give his parents a better life and upon receiving his first paycheck he gave it to his them as a sign of gratitude for the sacrifices they made.

• PLDT and Smart tops Ookla Speedtest Awards (Q3-Q4 2018) in PH
• In terms of mobile internet, Smart speeds-ahead over its notorious rival Globe
• PLDT and Smart senior VP for network planning and engineering Mario Tamayo says their efforts to improve internet experience in PH are paying off by the award given to them

Independent internet speed-testing firm Ookla announced that PLDT, Inc. and its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. kept the top spot as the fastest fixed and mobile network in the country.

According to Ookla, the global leader in internet testing and analysis, in their third to fourth quarter 2018 ranking of fixed-line internet service providers, PLDT came out on top with download speeds of up to 52.28 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of up to 55.95 Mbps.

Other fixed line providers also recorded higher speed scores compared to the first two quarters of last year. Just behind PLDT was Sky with a speed score of 11.23 from 10.89, followed by SmartBro with 10.99 from 9.79, and Globe Telecom, Inc. with 9.36 from 6.58.

Ookla also runs Speedtest, a service that allows users to test the speed of their internet connection.

In terms of mobile internet, Smart toppled its known rival Globe with an average download speed of 13.85 Mbps and upload speed of 6.35 Mbps while Globe, on the other hand, had an average download speed of 11.36 Mbps and upload speed of 4.94 Mbps.

PLDT and Smart also had the lowest latency or lag according to the report by the said internet speed surveyor.

Mario Tamayo, PLDT and Smart senior vice president for network planning and engineering proudly said, “This award is proof that our continued investments in our network to improve the mobile internet experience of our customers across the country are paying off.”

“This recognition is testament to (PLDT’s and Smart’s) exceptional performance in Q3-Q4 based on Ookla’s rigorous analysis of consumer-initiated tests taken with Speedtest,” said Ookla executive vice-president Jamie Steven, which was quoted in a statement by PLDT over the weekend.

PLDT is said to be spending an estimated $5 billion from 2016 to 2020 to enhance and expand its fixed and wireless networks. In 2018, its capital expenditure reached P58 billion and this year, the company is allocating at P70 billion for capital expenditure.

• Smart users were able to access basic connections by 91 percent
• Smart had a consistent quality of 48.8 percent as a qualified category of excellence
• Tutela used a metric called “consistent quality score” in conducting their study

According to “Tutela,” a Canadian crowd source mobile data company, the PLDT wireless arm Smart Communications Inc. overthrew their competitor Globe Telecom in terms of providing consistent quality connections.

Based on basic consistency quality, Tutela showed that Smart scored 91 percent ahead; compared to Globe‘s 89.3 percent in “Southeast Asia State of Mobile Networks” reports.

It only means that Smart users were able to access basic connection which includes simple web browsing, emails, and simple applications like Facebook and WhatsApp by 91 percent. As it showed on the reports, the difference between the rivals belong to the excellent category.

Smart had a consistent quality of 48.8 percent as a qualified category of excellence. For more demanding mobile usage like HD video calling or 1080p video streaming, an excellent category is required.

Unlike Globe’s score of 23.3 percent which is more than a double of difference from its rival.

READ: 5 Things We Love About SMART online series ‘FindHer’

https://www.instagram.com/p/Btk7Z7cn1HO/

In a study comparing communication operators, Smart ranked sixth out of the total 15 operators which include Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines and included 85 billion mobile network measurements collected between Dec 1 and Jan. 9, 2019.

“Smart has a small lead over Globe when it comes to basic quality, but excellent quality is where it really differentiates its network,” Tutela said in its report.

The PLDT-Smart senior vice president for network planning and engineering Mario Tamayo said that they are continuing their network upgrades across the country, as their aim to address the customers ever-growing need for high-quality mobile internet services.

“Our continuing network upgrades across the country are aimed to address our customers’ ever-growing need for high quality mobile internet services. Today, our customers are increasingly using high-bandwidth services such as video streaming aside from social media, online shopping, and mobile banking,” PLDT-Smart senior vice president for network planning and engineering Mario Tamayo said.

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Meet Aika, one of the characters of the upcoming #FindHerSeries from #StoriesByPLDTSmart. Watch it once it drops this midnight on our YouTube channel with #VideoEveryDay 😉

A post shared by SMART (@livesmart) on Feb 8, 2019 at 3:52am PST

To track the experience percentage of time users, either excellent or basic quality connections in a country or in a specific network, Tutela used a metric called “consistent quality score” in conducting their study.

“If a connection hits the excellent standard, it’s sufficient for the most demanding mobile use-cases, like HD video calling or 1080p video streaming. A basic connection is good enough for simple web browsing, emails, and VOIP calling, but users will experience delays or buffering when trying to use more demanding apps,” Tutela said.

Among the four Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines ranked third with basic consistent quality score of 90 percent based on their study.
Thailand led the highest score of 92.5 percent, followed by Malaysia with 92.3 percent, while Indonesia had 88.1 percent.

In the fast-moving modern world, excellent connection standard is in demand, especially in communication services where people connect to any part of the world.

• Forbes announces the 10 richest people in the Philippines.
• Get to know who they are and the companies they lead.

Forbes’ list of the richest people in the Philippines for 2018 is finally out!

Most of the names from last year return for another bout while a number of new titans grab some of the top spots.

1. Henry Sy ($18.3 Billion)

Henry Sy Sr. is the founder of SM Group of Companies and has been the country’s richest tycoon for 11 years now.

His net worth climbed from $18 billion to $18.3 billion. The SM Group of Companies include Banco de Oro (BDO), SM Development Corporation (SMDC), Conrad Manila, and the SM malls all over the country.

2. Manuel “Manny” Villar ($5 Billion)

Villar is the chairman of Starmalls, one of the country’s top mall operators, and Vista & Landscapes, the Philippines’ largest homebuilder.

The tycoon tripled his net worth with strength on Golden Bria, his memorial park business.

3. John Gokongwei Jr. ($4.4 Billion)

Universal Robina Corporation, JG Summit Holdings, and Cebu Pacific are all under Gokongwei’s wing.

He also controls Robinsons Land Corporation, which is the parent company of Robinsons Bank and Robinsons Retail Holdings.

4. Jaime Zobel de Ayala ($4 Billion)

He was the chairman of the family business, Ayala Group, until he retired in 2006.

His son, Jaime II, is now the new chairman of the business and his seven children control more than one-third of the $3.9 billion. They own Ayala Land, Inc., Bank of the Philippine Islands, Globe Telecom, Inc., and Manila Water Company Inc.

5. Enrique Razon Jr. ($3.9 Billion)

Razon is the chairman and CEO of  International Container Terminal Services, Inc.. He is also the chairman of five-star hotel Solaire Resort & Casino.

The International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) is the country’s leading terminal operator with $1.1 billion in sales.

6. Tony Tan Caktiong ($3.85 Billion)

He is the founder and chairman of Jollibee Foods Corporation and the co-chairman of DoubleDragon Properties.

Jollibee Foods Corporation now manages Jollibee, Red Ribbon, Chowking, Greenwich, Manong Pepe’s and Mang Inasal.

7. Lucio Tan ($3.8 Billion)

Lucio Tan is the founder and chairman of LT Group.

It holds interests in Asia Brewery, Inc., Tanduay Distillers, Inc., Fortune Tobacco Corporation, Philippine National Bank, and Philippine Airlines, among others.

8. Ramon Ang ($2.85 Billion)

He is the President and CEO of Top Frontier Investment Holdings, Inc., San Miguel Corporation‘s largest shareholder.

Ang also owns Diamond Hotel.

9. George Ty ($2.75 Billion)

Ty founded the Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company.

He also has stakes in Federal Land, Inc., the Bank of the Philippine Islands and Philippine Savings Bank.

10. Andrew Tan ($2.6 Billion)

Tan runs the Alliance Global Group Inc. (AGI) which is composed of several companies.

Those are Megaworld Corporation, Emperador Distillers, Inc., which is known for Emperador Brandy, and Golden Arches Development Corporation, which operates the Mcdonald’s franchises in the country.

Amid the growing calls for better Internet services in the country, telecommunications giants Philippine Long Distance Telecommunications (PLDT) and Globe Telecom will jointly purchase the telecommunications assets of San Miguel Corporation (SMC).

The landmark deal among the telcos aims to bring faster internet speeds to mobile phone users in the coming months.

SMC sold its telco assets to PLDT and Globe for about P70 billion on Monday, May 30.

During a briefing in Makati City, PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan told the media: “SMC wanted to divest from telco business while we were keen on acquiring it. It was just mutual. Plan is to divest our entire stake in Beacon, we’re talking to certain private equity funds for remaining 25%.”

The acquisition deal, which will give the two telco giants access to more radio frequencies particularly the 700MHz, comes after the collapse of talks between SMC and Australian telecom Telstra Corporation last March. A return of certain frequencies to the government, which is also part of the deal, will also allow a third competitor to join the market.

SMC believes that the deal will be most beneficial for consumers since PLDT and Globe would be able to maximize the assets much faster.

In a statement, SMC President and COO Ramon Ang said: “This is a sacrifice we have to make to finally unlock the full potential of our high-quality, mobile broadband spectrum faster and allow consumers access to its benefits through the combined resources, network and expertise of the two carriers.”

PLDT, which would increase its capital expenditure by $100 million in 2016 and 2017, will invest in the 700-MHz spectrum frequency by building more cell sites in rural areas. This particular frequency has wider coverage, reaches indoor areas better, and is more cost-efficient to operate.