Globe and Gawad Kalinga Inaugurate Tattoo Village in Ormoc, Leyte.

One love, one heart... let's get together and feel all right! 
So goes Bob Marley's epic song 'One Love'. I can't help but hum this song to myself each time I hear or read of stories about people coming together to help even more people in need.

Case in point, Globe Tattoo's partnership with Gawad Kalinga and their continuous efforts to rehabilitate the typhoon-stricken areas in the Visayas. Just recently, Globe and GK formally inaugurated the Tattoo Village in Barangay Tambulilid in Ormoc, Leyte. The unveiling of the new village was formally instituted through the actual building of the first five houses in the village, with Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu, Gawad Kalinga Executive Director Luis Oquinena, and Ormoc Mayor Edward Codilla spearheading the event.

Globe unveiled the marker for the Tattoo Village led by the Globe Senior Leadership Team, Gawad Kalinga and Ormoc’s local government unit. (From L-R) Globe Chief Finance Officer Albert de Larrazabal; Gawad Kalinga Executive Director Luis Oquinena, Tattoo brand ambassador Georgina Wilson; Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu; Ormoc Mayor Edward Codilla and City Council; Globe Head of Human Resources Ato Jiao; Tattoo Brand Ambassador Mars Miranda; (Seated L-R) Globe Chief Operating Advisor Peter Bithos; Tattoo Brand Ambassador Liz Uy; Globe Senior Vice President for Broadband Business Gilbert Simpao and Globe Vice President for Tattoo Nomadic Broadband Business Dong Ronquillo

Joining Cu, Oquinena and Codilla were Globe Chief Finance Officer Albert de Larrazabal, Globe Head of Human Resources Ato Jiao, Globe Chief Operating Advisor Peter Bithos and Globe Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications Yoly Crisanto. The Tattoo team also came in full force with Senior Vice President for Broadband Business Gilbert Simpao, Globe Vice President for Tattoo Nomadic Broadband Business Dong Ronquillo and brand ambassadors Georgina Wilson, Liz Uy and Mars Miranda.

Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu painting the wall in one of the houses.

The Tattoo Village is part the company’s rehabilitation initiatives coming from the aftermath of typhoon Yolanda. Now holistically referred to as Project Wonderful, the rehabilitation initiative is part of a unified platform for the company’s brand, culture, and nation-building efforts.

Globe Chief Operating Advisor Peter Bithos preparing the cement for hollow block laying.

As Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu said, “The official unveiling of the Tattoo Village testifies to our dedication to spark hope and progress for the country. Globe is going beyond providing relief assistance to affected communities and instead move towards initiating sustainable efforts like building homes and providing livelihood opportunities, so we can help create a wonderful world for our fellow Filipinos in need.” 

Globe Chief Finance Officer Albert de Larrazabal and Senior Vice President for Broadband Business Gilbert Simpao do the prep work for hollow block molding.

As a response, Tattoo pooled its resources resulting to a P15M grant to Gawad Kalinga to aid in rebuilding homes for 100 families. Together with the initial donation, another P1.2M was raised through a charity dinner hosted by Cu, his wife Arlene, and Ronquillo, attended by Tattoo’s brand ambassadors, business partners and friends from the media. The broadband brand also brought its brand ambassador Bamboo to Brgy. Tambulilid last December led by Globe Vice President for Tattoo Home Broadband Business Jurist Gamban, bringing with them truckloads of toys for children in time for the Christmas season.

Dong Ronquillo and Georgina Wilson help lay the hollow blocks in one of the houses

Project Wonderful ambassador and long-distance advocacy runner Mac Milan also played his part at the event by bringing with him the toys he collected from his fundraiser runs. Milan is gearing up to add a toy library that will benefit the children of the Tattoo Village. The Toy Library aptly called ‘Aralaruan’ consists of educational materials suited for kids of different ages.

Project Wonderful ambassador Mac Milan mingles with the children of Brgy. Tambulilid.

Divided into different groups, Globe executives led groups of employees and friends from the media on various activities throughout the Gawad Kalinga build. Each one had a chance to experience hardworking tasks that included house painting, hollow block laying, hollow block making and sand sifting.

The whole Globe Team joined by Gawad Kalinga and some friends from the press geared up to volunteer for the GK build that also stands as the inauguration of the Tattoo Village.

Georgina Wilson spent some of her time playing with the kids.

After all the hard work, Brgy. Tambulilid residents gave the Globe team a heartwarming thanks through the GK Unity dance. They were joined by Dong Ronquillo, Liz Uy, Georgina Wilson and Mars Miranda.

For over 10 years, Globe Telecom has fortified a successful partnership with Gawad Kalinga. Fundamentally anchored on a common calling to uplift the lives of marginalized Filipinos, Globe and Gawad Kalinga have supported each other and banked on their respective strengths to be able to build and support communities, especially in times of great need or rehabilitation.

Sinulog 2014 goes digital with Globe Telecom.

If you're in Cebu right now to join the festivities of the annual Sinulog Festival, I have some great news for you!

With the advent of digital technology, Globe Telecom makes its presence felt at the Sinulog Festival in Cebu from January 16-19, 2014 by harnessing social media to showcase the vibrant and lively celebration to the rest of the world.

This year, the leading telecommunications company turns to social networking sites Instagram and Twitter to engage locals and tourists participating in one of the country’s biggest and most attended festivals with a photo submission contest.

To join the contest, Sinulog attendees should capture and upload photos taken from the Globe Neon Carnival on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtags #Wonderful2014 and #GlobeSinulog2014. The photos must tell the story of “Globe creating a wonderful world of festivals and celebrations at the Sinulog 2014”. 

Five winners of Globe prepaid load cards plus 1 grand winner of P5,000 worth of prizes from Globe Telecom’s mass market brand TM will be awarded daily during the 4-day event.

Located at Block 11 Cebu IT Park, Apas in Cebu City, the Globe Neon Carnival is a village-like attraction that houses the Globe Mobility Store-on-the-Go, a one-stop shop showcasing the telco’s line-up of prepaid, postpaid and Tattoo broadband offers as well as exclusive Sinulog deals for subscribers to enjoy.

Follow me on Instagram! :)

Aside from the roving Globe Store, the Globe Neon Carnival also features food carts and drinks stations, interactive game booths, and exciting prizes for lucky locals and tourists. Entertainment acts from blacklight dancers, local bands, and local and international DJs are expected to provide the fanfare at the event.

One of the highlights of the Globe Neon Carnival is the “Kaloka-like” contest, a concept that originated from a noontime show open to the public. Participants are to showcase their looks and talents to convince the crowd and the judges that they deserve to win the title. Three (3) celebrities composed of an international singer, a primetime TV queen, and a men’s magazine model will form the panel of judges.

In addition, a daily raffle will be open to subscribers who will avail of Globe Prepaid, Postpaid and Tattoo offers, with exciting prizes such as tablets, handsets, and gift certificates from partner-establishments.

“We invite both the locals and tourists attending the Sinulog Festival to ready their smartphones and take photos from the Globe Neon Carnival to be part of this year’s biggest Sinulog social media craze courtesy of Globe as we experience a brand new Globe network in Cebu. With a quick snapshot of the energy-filled festival celebration in Cebu, you can win prizes by showing to the whole world, via social media, that it’s really more fun in the Philippines,” said Globe Retail Transformation and Management Head Joe Caliro.

Open daily from 4:00PM until the wee hours of the morning the next day, the four-day event is open to the public for free but Globe subscribers will be greeted with a slew of food treats and freebies upon entry.

To know more about #GlobeSinulog2014, follow @enjoyGLOBE on Twitter and like Globe Telecom on Facebook at www.facebook.com/globeph.

Unwrap Hope | Bamboo and Tattoo Home Broadband give smiles to children of Ormoc.

Ever wondered what your favorite stars and celebrities do during Christmas and the New Year? Here's a peek at how rock icon Bamboo celebrated the holidays.

Tattoo Home Broadband together with celebrated rock icon Bamboo gave the children of Brgy. Tambulilid Elementary School in Ormoc, Leyte plenty of reasons to smile with gifts of toys in time for Christmas.

A fitting finale to a successful run of Bamboo's Christmas concert Believe: Christmas at Home with Bamboo, the concert became the prime vehicle to be able to collect over 2000 toys for the benefit of the kids in the said barangay. After the onslaught of typhoon Yolanda, Tattoo, through Globe Telecom's Bangon Pinoy program, gave its commitment to restore and rebuild 100 homes in Ormoc, in partnership with Gawad Kalinga. And with the holiday season Tattoo chose to give importance to the children of the community who were left most vulnerable after the calamity.

Bamboo’s concert Believe: Christmas at Home with Bamboo held at the Music Museum is part of Tattoo’s #UnwrapHope project with an end goal to give over 2000 kids toys as gifts for Christmas

Everyone who wanted to watch the concert purchased toys in exchange for the tickets. On the other hand, those who simply wanted to share a simple Christmas message posted their video greetings on Instagram with the hashtag #UnwrapHope. Each video post was also equivalent to a toy that Tattoo donated on their behalf. And as a special treat, a creative selection of these videos were compiled and revealed during Bamboo’s concert.

Bamboo together with Tattoo Home Broadband's Jurist Gamban holding some of the stuffed toys that will be given to the children of Brgy. Tambulilid in Ormoc, Leyte.

Following the collection of toys was the gift wrapping activity held at the Globe Tower where employees, Tattoo customers and Bamboo's fans alike helped each other to wrap and put a bow on every single toy. The gifts were sealed with Christmas cards from the kids of Taguig Elementary school.

Bamboo, together with the whole Tattoo team, Tattoo subscribers and fans alike
worked together to wrap over 2000 gifts for the kids.

As Globe Senior Vice President for Broadband Business Gilbert Simpao said, "What better way to end a blessed year right than to give back. We feel very lucky to have this opportunity to make kids happy especially after what happened with typhoon Yolanda. And this is just the beginning as we commit to return in time to rebuild of their homes".

Brand new toys were shipped to Ormoc in time for the gift-giving celebration with Tattoo and Bamboo.

And just like Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, Bamboo and the whole Tattoo team and Globe employee volunteers arrived at the elementary school bearing gifts of joy in the form of truckloads of toys.

"We will forever be thankful that these children welcomed us and allowed us to be a part of their Christmas celebration. But we don't only want to be here just for the holidays. We are here for this community for the long haul and we look forward to making more children happier in the near future," continues Globe Vice President for Tattoo Home Broadband Business Jurist Gamban.

Joining Bamboo, Simpao and Gamban in the recent gift giving was Globe Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications Yoly Crisanto, and Globe Vice President for Nomadic Broadband Business Dong Ronquillo alongside Globe employee volunteers who gave their time and effort for this meaningful cause.

The children gave the Tattoo team a warm welcome and even had a chance to dance with them. Kids received toys from huggable stuffed dolls and building blocks to action figures.

The kids of Brgy. Tambulilid gave the Tattoo team a warm welcome and eagerly waited for their turn to receive a toy.

Tattoo together with Gawad Kalinga are now in the process of preparing in time for the building of the Tattoo-GK village in Brgy. Tambulilid this January. Apart from 100 houses, the village can also count on Tattoo's support with livelihood programs designed for sustainable living. Tattoo was able to raise funding for this project with their donation of 100% of their sales from their sticks and home broadband plans for November and December.

Bamboo and Jurst Gamban handing out the gifts to the children.

Bangon Pinoy is Globe Telecom’s enterprise-wide disaster response initiative that aims to have a unified system for donations, relief efforts, and corporate social responsibility programs across products and services. It is an integrated program that allows communities devastated by calamities to benefit from various efforts geared towards rebuilding and rehabilitation. It was first introduced by Globe in 2009 after typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng wreaked havoc in the country.

For more updates visit www.globe.com.ph/BangonPinoy. 

The Holiday’s Best Value Offers only from Tattoo!

Gadgets are a hot commodity these days, most especially now that Christmas is upon us. Who wouldn't want to receive a new gizmo for a Christmas present? I know I do. And so whether it is a well-deserved reward for a hardworking year that was or as a special gift for a loved one, Tattoo, the country’s most reliable mobile broadband, gives you the best prepaid value tablet bundle offers of the season!

You may just be able to check a wish off your list with Tattoo’s unbeaten prepaid tablet bundles! Save as much as P2845 with these new offers that carry a great selection of affordable tablets starting at P4995 for a CloudPad 705W or a SkyWorth S73 and P6995 for a SkyWorth S82. All these new bundles now come with a FREE Tattoo Mobile WiFi that allows you to connect up to 10 devices with speeds of up to 7.2mbps!

Cloudpad 705W.

“As Tattoo’s offers evolve with the needs of our customers, we continue to create different bundles that would satisfy the desire to always be on trend. And with the surge of quality and reasonably priced tablets, we saw the opportunity to provide these latest gadgets to our subscribers through some of the best value offers available in the market today,” said Globe Vice President for Tattoo Nomadic Broadband Business Dong Ronquillo.

Tattoo also gives you more reasons to enjoy the holidays with a wonderful freebie to kick start your mobile broadband connection by texting FREE1 to 8888 for 1 free surfing hour good for a day.

Try something new this season. Step up and join the Tattoo Tablet Revolution. Know more about Tattoo’s latest deals and visit Tattoo.globe.com.ph, call 730-1010 or visit a Globe store near you.

Globe cements leadership with highest industry growth in broadband business.

Sick of all the bad news that you see on TV, in the papers, and in social media? Here's a bit of good news for a change. :)

Globe Telecom, through its broadband brand Tattoo, maintained its leadership in the Philippine broadband industry with its flagship on-the-go and home broadband services after posting double-digit increases in both revenues and subscriber base as of end-September 2013.

Broadband revenues leapt 22% from P6.3 billion to P7.8 billion year-on-year, the highest in the industry, on the back of the market’s positive response to Tattoo’s wide portfolio of wireless and wired broadband products that were made more affordable and relevant to subscribers. Tattoo closed the first nine months of the year with 1.9 million broadband subscribers, up by 15% from last year’s 1.6 million, with both wired and wireless subscriber bases registering growths of 17% and 14% respectively.

“We are happy to sustain momentum of our broadband business with game-changing offers that provide fast internet connectivity, may it be mobile or at home broadband services,” said Gilbert Simpao, Head of Broadband Business at Globe. “As we’re starting to reap the benefits of our new modern network, we will remain focused on finding new ways to delight our customers and provide them with new broadband innovations.”

Robust growth in the broadband business resulted from aggressive acquisitions campaigns, attractive pricing offers and product bundles. This positive response and sustained growth was a product of the company’s continued push to expand its product portfolio and its awareness of the customers’ evolving and increasing demands for nomadic and home broadband services such as the more affordable Tattoo Prepaid 4G SuperStick at P1995 alongside Tattoo Postpaid’s more personalized and consumable plans with increased surfing speeds now up to 42 Mbps delivered by the telco’s growing and expanding Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

The Tattoo Prepaid LTE devices were also launched with the mobile Wi-Fi variant at the forefront as it doubles as a powerbank with 3000mAh capacity. LTE Postpaid plans are also offered starting at Plan 1299 which comes with a FREE LTE dongle or, for a one-time fee of P 2000, upgrade to a mobile Wi-Fi device. 

True to its customer-focused strategy, Tattoo introduced its first rewards program called Tattoo+ Rewards, where qualified subscribers earn rewards points and freebies by subscribing, loading and using Tattoo services. Tattoo also launched the revolutionary Tablet Revolution bannering the most affordable tablet bundles where subscribers get three free devices -- Skyworth S73 tablet or a Cloudpad 705W, a Blackberry Curve 9220 and the country’s fastest broadband Wi-Fi stick which can power up to 10 devices, all starting only at Plan 1298. Other Tattoo tablet bundles are also made available with varying numbers of free browsing hours starting at Plan 598.

Tattoo Home Broadband also offered its enhanced product bundles with high-speed internet, free landline, and free unlimited landline to mobile (Globe and TM) call services. Broadband bundles were unveiled such as Plan 1099 at 1 Mbps, Plan 1299 at 2 Mbps, Plan 1599 at 3 Mbps, Plan 2299 at 5 Mbps, Plan 3999 at 10 Mbps and Plan 4999 at 15 Mbps. Meanwhile, internet-only plans that connect at 3 and 5 Mbps were made available at Plan 999 and 1999 respectively, both with unlimited internet access.

To date, over 80% of the network is already on 4G HSPA+ providing faster mobile browsing experience for customers, complementing the pilot LTE deployments in key business districts. Nearly 900 Long Term Evolution (LTE) sites in key cities and holiday destinations are now operational. At the same time, Globe continues to enhance its Service Quality with the continuing optimization and capacity upgrade of its modern network.

To know more about Tattoo’s latest products and services, visit www.tattoo.globe.com.ph.

A Very Merry Christmas with Bamboo!

Heads up, music enthusiasts! Rock icon Bamboo will take the center stage at the Music Museum on December 20th for a special benefit concert.

Dubbed as BELIEVE: Christmas @ Home with Bamboo, this concert aims to raise more than a thousand toys, which will in turn be given to the children survivors of Typhoon Yolanda. Together with Tattoo Home Broadband, this event aims to provide assistance to our 'kababayans' who have been devastated by the super typhoon, and give our young survivors something to smile about this holiday season.

Bamboo!

You can make this event a smashing success through your simple donations. There are two ways to donate:

1. Purchase a pair of toys via TICKETWORLD and get tickets to Bamboo's benefit concert.

Ticket prices* are as follows:

Balcony - Php 400/pair of toys

Orchestra Side - Php 600/pair of toys

Orchestra Center - Php 700/pair of toys

*Service charges may apply.

2. Post an Instagram video message to donate a toy.

From December 17 onwards, you can post your video messages or Christmas song covers on Instagram and dedicate them to the kids affected by #YolandaPH. Remember to tag @ChooseTattoo and use the hashtag #UnwrapHope to make your entries valid. Globe will reply to your entries once validated, and for every valid entry, a toy donation will be made by Tattoo Home on your behalf.

Mark your calendars, friends, get ready to post some creative video messages, and see you at the concert! :)