Jollibee Group, Pasig LGU to Provide Jobs to Senior Citizens and PWDs

Inclusive Employment Program. The Jollibee Group and the Pasig City Government inked a partnership for the implementation of the company’s inclusive employment program that will provide qualified senior citizens and persons with disability in Pasig with jobs at select stores of Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, and Burger King in the city.

The Jollibee Group has recently signed a memorandum of agreement with the city government of Pasig, represented by its Mayor Vico Sotto, as part of the company’s inclusive employment program that provides gainful employment to qualified senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWD) in select stores in Pasig of Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, and Burger King.  

It’s Time for Pasig. Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto personally welcomed the delegation from the Jollibee Group during the MOA Signing ceremonies held at the Pasig City Hall.

According to Ruth Angeles, Jollibee Group Vice President and Head, Global Organization Leadership and Culture and Head, Human Resources Philippines, the partnership with city government of Pasig is consistent with Jollibee Group’s commitment to providing equal employment opportunities to different sectors of society, while promoting inclusivity and diversity in the workplace. 

“We are happy to support the local government unit of Pasig in advancing the interests of our elderly and the differently abled. Through this partnership, we recognize their invaluable role, capacity, and desire to work by giving them the opportunity to become productive members of the community. We aim to form partnerships with other LGUs in the future so we can help uplift more lives and find qualified and reliable staff who can join us in our mission of spreading the joy of eating to everyone.” ~Ruth Angeles, Jollibee Group Vice President and Head, Global Organization Leadership and Culture and Head, Human Resources Philippines

Partners for Promoting the Well-Being of Senior Citizens and PWDs. Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto is joined by the Jollibee Group delegation that includes operations team from the participating brands Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, and Burger King.

Under the agreement, Pasig City’s Public Employment Services Office (PESO) will assist in conducting initial interviews and profiling of the applicants, while the People with Disability Affairs Office and the Office of the Senior Citizen’s Affairs will provide trainers to assist and instruct qualified applicants prior to deployment. 

Meanwhile, the City Health Office will serve as the official medical institution to conduct the health examinations and issue certificates as ‘fit to work’ for qualified applicants. Successful applicants will be given “front of house” duties, including work as customer relations staff. 

Besides Pasig City, Jollibee Group has also partnered with the local government units of Manila, Antipolo, and Muntinlupa, and the provincial government of Rizal so more senior citizens and PWDs can benefit from the program. 

About Jollibee Group 

Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC, also known as Jollibee Group) is one of the fastest-growing restaurant companies in the world. Its mission is to serve great-tasting food and bring the joy of eating to everyone through its 18 brands with over 6,800 stores across 33 countries including the Philippines, United States, Canada, the People's Republic of China, United Kingdom, Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, and Australia. 

The Jollibee Group has eight wholly owned brands (Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Smashburger); four franchised brands (Burger King, Panda Express, and Yoshinoya in the Philippines, and Tim Ho Wan in certain territories in China); 80% ownership of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf; 60% ownership in the SuperFoods Group that owns Highlands Coffee; and 51% ownership of Milksha, a popular Taiwanese bubble tea brand. JFC also has a business venture with award-winning Chef Rick Bayless for Tortazo, a Mexican fast-casual restaurant business in the United States.

The Jollibee Group, through its subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd. (JWPL) owns 92% participating interest in Titan Dining LP, a private equity fund that owns the Tim Ho Wan brand. The Jollibee Group has a joint venture with the THW Group to open and operate THW restaurants in Mainland China. Recently, the Jollibee Group has signed an agreement to establish a joint venture company that will own and operate Tiong Bahru Bakery and Common Man Coffee Roasters in the Philippines. 

The Jollibee Group has launched its global sustainability agenda dubbed Joy for Tomorrow, which aims to strengthen the company’s commitment to sustainable business practices. The agenda centers on the key pillars of Food, People, and Planet, and consists of 10 focus areas namely: food safety, food quality, nutrition & transparency, employee welfare, farmers livelihood, community support, good governance, packaging & recycling, waste reduction, and energy & water efficiency. Each focus area sets goals and initiatives that contribute and align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

The Jollibee Group was named the Philippines' most admired company by the Asian Wall Street Journal for ten years. It was also honored as one of Asia's Fab 50 Companies and among the World's Best Employers and World’s Top Female-Friendly Companies by Forbes. The company is also a two-time recipient of Gallup’s Exceptional Workplace Award, making it the only Philippine-based company to receive the distinction. 

To learn more about Jollibee Group, visit www.jollibeegroup.com

Diabetes Philippines and AstraZeneca Philippines Partner with Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig to Fight Chronic Kidney Disease

The City Government of Mandaluyong, led by Mayor Benjamin Abalos Sr. (seventh from right, standing) is acting now to address CKD in the country. This partnership also includes the Philippine Association of Diabetes Educators, Association of Diabetes Nurse Educators of the Philippines, Philippine Diabetes Support Group, Dialysis Philippines, and Kidney Transplant Association of the Philippines.

One Filipino develops chronic kidney disease (CKD) every 40 minutes, and one Filipino CKD patient progresses to dialysis every hour.1 Impaired kidney function remains one of the highest causes of death and disability in the Philippines, according to recent data. CKD has been identified as a leading cause of premature death among Filipinos.2

Addressing this escalating health concern, Diabetes Philippines Inc. (DP), AstraZeneca Philippines, with patient and educator groups, have recently joined forces with the local governments of Mandaluyong and Pasig to expand ACT NOW Program (Addressing Complications Today through Network of Warriors) against the cardio-renal complications of Diabetes and Hypertension, which aims to create awareness of CKD risk factors and promote early screening to save lives.  

Dr. Francis Pasaporte, Immediate Past President of Diabetes Philippines (DP) and proponent of this advocacy, said this initiative aims to further the awareness on CKD through risk factor identification and early screening, education of healthcare professionals on recommended disease treatment, and empowering patients to become part of the solution.  

“We, in DP, advocate the implementation of the ACT NOW Program through our network of warriors with the help of local government units (LGUs) that are at the forefront in delivering healthcare. We are happy to partner with them and we are strongly supportive of the programs of the LGU here in Mandaluyong and Pasig. So hopefully, we will put this program at the forefront in screening all high-risk individuals to prevent kidney and cardiovascular diseases.” ~Dr. Francis Pasaporte, Immediate Past President of Diabetes Philippines (DP) and Proponent of this Advocacy

Since the program’s launch in 2021, Ramin said they have screened over 500,000 Filipino patients across the country.

“AstraZeneca is highly committed to forge partnerships with the public sector to address the needs of patients across the full continuum of CKD care. We are one with LGUs and the national government in targeting better health outcomes for Filipino CKD patients. We are not stopping there. We are targeting to screen one million Filipino patients by year end. Indeed, it is an ambitious endeavor, one that cannot be solved by a single organization. Alongside Diabetes Philippines and patient advocacy groups, we are extremely excited to share this goal and partner with the Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of Filipino patients.” ~Lotis Ramin, AstraZeneca Philippines Country President

With this collaboration, LGUs will open more sites where Filipinos can access free risk assessment, micral test (an immunospecific dipstick for detection of low concentrations of albumin in urine), and uACR (urine albumin-creatinine ratio) testing for monitoring of kidney health and prevention of disease progression. These tests usually cost P2,500 to P3,000 pesos and are not easily accessible in the country. 

"Mandaluyong prioritizes the health and well-being of our people. For CKD cases, we want this disease not to progress to dialysis. This is the reason we are partnering with the DP, the private sector and patient groups to roll out ACT NOW CKD program in our city. Early detection and screening are important. And we remain thankful to all our partners for helping us save more lives." ~Mayor Benjamin Abalos Sr., Mandaluyong City

Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto (sixth from left) is joined by Dr. Francis Pasaporte (fifth from left), president of Diabetes Philippines; and Lotis Ramin, AstraZeneca Philippines country president (fourth from right), as well as members of patient groups, as they partner to expand the ACT NOW Program (Addressing Complications Today through Network of Warriors).

“As the country and communities develop, cases of CKD among Filipino patients are also on the rise. And we are proud to say that Pasig has one of the biggest dialysis centers in the country. But we feel downhearted every time we see Filipino dialysis patients struggling. That is why we are doing a holistic approach. For patients, they can go to our social welfare assistance centers and they will receive the maximum assistance that the city blanket can provide. And we continue to partner with government agencies and the private sector to help us provide patients with the care they need. So, we are trying to look at everything from a holistic perspective.” ~Mayor Vico Sotto, Pasig City

Diabetes Philippines and AstraZeneca Philippines plan to seal more partnerships with LGUs this year, in collaboration with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). The multi-sectoral partnership envisions to alleviate disease burden, mortality, and healthcare expenditure in the Philippines through a resilient end-to-end healthcare solution starting with prevention and proper management of CKD.