As COVID-19 continues to affect the return of students and teachers to classrooms, the corporate social responsibility arm of BDO Unibank has been finding ways to develop innovative learning materials that can be easily accessed online and shared offline.

BDO Foundation partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd) and Huawei Philippines for the development of supplemental learning materials that integrate key concepts into the teaching of Science and Mathematics in schools across the country.

The partnership was officially launched in a virtual event witnessed by BDO Unibank and BDO Foundation chairperson Teresita Sy-Coson, BDO Foundation president Mario A. Deriquito, and BDO Foundation trustee Lucy Co Dy. Also in attendance were DepEd secretary Leonor Magtolis-Briones, DepEd undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio, DepEd undersecretary Tonisito Umali and Huawei Philippines vice president Daniel Guo.

The launch was highlighted by the ceremonial signing of the memorandum of agreement for the implementation of the program dubbed the Search for the Best Supplemental Learning Materials in the Teaching of Defined Key Concepts in Science and Mathematics.

The nationwide competition will invite participants composed of public elementary and high school teachers to develop learning modules that integrate financial literacy into the teaching of Science and Math. The most outstanding entries will receive recognition and will be uploaded on the DepEd online learning portal, where they can be readily downloaded by teachers and students all over the country.

According to DepEd secretary Briones, “This is very significant for us. We cannot take for granted the importance of Math and Science in basic education. Our educators and learners are fortunate because new materials will be launched to make Math and Science interesting, exciting and full of discoveries and challenges. I would like to thank BDO Foundation and Huawei Philippines for supporting this project.”

The initiative is in line with the shared advocacy of the foundation, DepEd and Huawei—touted as the global leader in information and communications technology infrastructure and smart devices—to promote financial inclusion among educators and learners. The contest supports the partners’ goal to institutionalize financial education in DepEd’s K to 12 curriculum.

Global leading information and communications technology (ICT) provider Huawei International has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National University of Singapore Business Analytics Centre (NUS BAC) as part of its commitment to nurture talent and upskill students to help fill the talent gap in the technology sector.

Huawei and NUS BAC seek to deepen the understanding of big data, cloud computing, and business analytics technologies, and their applications to the digital transformation of enterprises. This collaboration aims to empower students and researchers, giving them the opportunity to tap into Huawei’s expertise in ICT technology, software development and resources.

Jointly formed by the NUS School of Computing and NUS Business School, NUS BAC offers the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) programme.

Huawei will be providing cloud and analytics training workshops for, as well as capstone internship opportunities with its partners, allowing students to gain deep insight and embark on highly sought-after hands-on experiences with industry leaders. The MSBA students will also benefit from cloud computing resources provided by Huawei.

In addition, NUS BAC will organise a Huawei-NUS analytics innovation challenge for students and researchers in the developer community to create innovative solutions for problem statements based on realistic business challenges from Huawei and its partners.

Associate Professor James Pang Yan, Co-Director of the NUS BAC, said, “Big data, AI and cloud computing will be crucial for business analytics as we move into a highly connected, digital-first future. Our collaboration with Huawei is designed to provide NUS students and researchers with an immersive experience and the requisite skills which will pave the way for an exciting career in the field of ICT.”

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), in partnership with Huawei Philippines, successfully hosted six Emerging Technologies Workshops for government employees this year.

More than 700 government employees from the DICT and various agencies participated in the webinars. The six workshops on emerging technologies were held from June to November, covering topics like 5G, Digital Economy, AI & Big Data, Cloud Computing, and Cybersecurity.

Assistant Secretary Alvin Navarro expressed gratitude to the DICT team and Huawei Philippines for making these workshops possible. The last Emerging Technology Workshop for this year discussed the “Global Cyber Security Challenges and Governance Standards Introduction”. According to Mr. Alvin Navarro, “Cybersecurity breaches affect us directly as individuals, as organizations, as a nation, and as a global community. Our personal accounts are hacked, and we can lose our identity and privacy. More than ever, understanding cyber threats and risks should be one of our priorities. And necessarily, the imperatives of cybersecurity should lead us to adopt and adhere to government standards. ” At the end of the speech, Mr. Alvin Navarro mentioned that he is confident that the participants will leave the workshops with a better understanding of what needs to be done towards a digitally secure world.

Daniel Guo, Vice President of Huawei Philippines, congratulated and expressed gratitude to DICT for mounting a very successful training series. He emphasized that Huawei aspires to deliver digital to every person, home, and organization for a fully connected and intelligent world, and is contributing to the local ICT talent development in the Philippines.

As part of the culminating activity, DICT presented a certificate of appreciation to Huawei Philippines and commended the Huawei team for successfully hosting the event and sharing their technical knowledge and use cases in Asia and around the world. The certificate was presented by Atty. Emily Manuel on behalf of DICT. 

Huawei Trust In Tech Summit 2021 was held online on Thursday, with the theme of “Global Collaboration for Shared Value.”

Leaders from across the globe attended the event, including Neil Bush, Chairman of the George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, Pascal Lamy, Former Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), William Nordhaus, Winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Economics, H.E. Satvinder Singh, Deputy Secretary-General of the ASEAN Economic Community, Derrick Pitts, NASA Solar System Ambassador, and Hou Jinlong, Senior Vice President of Huawei and President of Huawei Digital Power.

Attendees discussed challenges we are facing in the global economy, environmental protection, livelihoods, technology innovation, and many other key areas, and called for concerted efforts from countries and industries to address these challenges.

Humanity has entered an era in which interests, fates, and futures are all closely intertwined. A whole-of-society approach is necessary to address the common threats and challenges facing the global community. Pascal Lamy pointed out that “We need to mitigate de-globalization, in order to avoid making this world a worse place.”

Satvinder Singh, in his speech, spoke highly of the important role of the private sector like Huawei in advancing inclusive and sustainable economic recovery in ASEAN and beyond. He also shared ASEAN’s development achievements and expressed willingness to cooperate across numerous areas, including economy and trade, transportation and materials, digital transformation, high-performance computing, and climate change.

Satvinder Singh called upon all sides to take action. “We should seize this opportunity to make our societal and economic recovery truly transformative by investing in solutions to the crisis that address social, environmental, and economic transitions needed by our society and the planet,” said the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Economic Community.

Seeking common ground while setting aside differences and building trust is the way forward. Industry digitalization, particularly regarding technological innovation in areas like green power, will present new opportunities to all sectors worldwide and make the world a better place. Today, fighting climate change is a mission that is shared worldwide, with many countries having announced low-carbon pledges.

William Nordhaus said that governments should increase investment in low-carbon technologies and research. Hou Jinlong remarked, “Over the next 30 to 40 years, we will continue to see intelligence and low carbon gain traction. Going intelligent requires digital technologies, while decreasing our carbon footprint requires power electronics technologies. As these trends progress, the global energy industry will change from resource-dependent to technology-driven.”

Hou also expressed Huawei Digital Power’s commitment to integrating digital and power electronics technologies, developing clean power, and enabling energy digitalization. “By pursuing innovations in clean power generation, energy digitalization, transportation electrification, green ICT infrastructure, and integrated smart energy, we are working with global customers and partners to build low-carbon homes, factories, campuses, villages, and cities. This will support the shift from a low-carbon world to a zero-carbon world,” he said.

As of September 30, 2021, Huawei Digital Power has helped customers generate 443.5 billion kWh of green power and save 13.6 billion kWh of electricity. This is equivalent to reducing carbon emissions by 210 million tons and planting 290 million trees. In the Philippines, Huawei has worked together with big developers and local partners to build utility, Commercial &Industrial and residential Solar Power plants in the country.

Huawei Philippines also participanted the CEPSI 2021, which organized by the Association of Electricity Supply Industry of East Asia and the Western Pacific (AESIEAP) – the largest organization of power and industry companies in the region, shared thoughts and actions to promote sustainability and social inclusiveness in the region’s electricity industry.