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Gundam series, Ultraman film coming this year
Streaming platform Netflix had fans excited after teasing what anime content it has in store for 2024, including a new "Mobile Suit Gundam" series and an "Ultraman" movie......»»
Minglanilla ends 22-year title drought, wins Gullas Cup in dominating fashion vs. Talisay
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Abante Minglanilla hoisted the Rhea Gullas Cup 2024 First District of Cebu Inter-City/Municipality Basketball Tournament title after routing the visiting Talisay Aksyon Agad, 72-58, on Saturday evening, March 23, at the Minglanilla Sports Complex. Minglanilla, also known as the Archangels, beat Talisay in their do-or-die Game 3 of the finals, and.....»»
Man jailed for stealing items from school
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 26-year-old man landed in jail after being caught stealing from an elementary school in Barangay Langtad, Naga City, Cebu, early Wednesday morning, March 20, 2024. The suspect was identified as Angelito Cudias Apeliano, 26, an unemployed resident of Barangay Pasil, Santander, Cebu. In a phone interview with CDN Digital, Police.....»»
Future of banking unfolds with AI, blockchain
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is increasingly forcing traditional banks to become more digital for compelling reasons. Experiments with this technology show banks ways to speed up their product design, widen customer access to loans, and build an organized and secure record of financial transactions. “My perspective is that the future of banking is digital banks. With AI, traditional banks are saying, I’m going to provide a service through someone else, and you see suddenly that you have this almost Rubik’s cube of possibilities,” David Hardoon, group chief data officer of Union Bank of the Philippines and chief executive officer of Aboitiz Data Innovation, said. [caption id="attachment_161492" align="aligncenter" width="1440"] David Hardoon, group chief data officer of Union Bank of the Philippines and chief executive officer of Aboitiz Data Innovation.[/caption] Both operate under the Aboitiz Group, which aims to be the first tech conglomerate in the Philippines. AI helps humans analyze data by categorizing information, stitching related data, and automatically detecting unusual patterns or activities logged in computer devices. “It’s the capability to distill from complex information,” Hardoon said. For example, he said the Union Bank team could quickly gauge its performance by looking at the AI-processed analysis of customer feedback they sent through email or chatbots. “Just beyond calculating the number of happy and unhappy individuals, it helps us understand what is happening. When we listen to the customer, we can say if we need to create a new product or service that we weren’t aware of or adjust an existing product.” Hardoon said the products or services include the company website, which some customers might need help to navigate initially. “We realized that some issues are related to information on the website. The way we designed it isn’t the best. Okay, we change it. And that’s how we use that feedback continuously, across all channels.” Hardoon said all managers could be updated on any bank problems through AI as the technology pools information into a single system. “But there’s also been a few other emails that have come in with other offices, which I may not be aware of unless I’ve had an in-person conversation with the team. This tool runs continuously in the background and can identify my teammate and say, David, this may be coming up.” AI coupled with blockchain also allows the bank to reach more customers who lack traditional bank accounts but have incomes and can repay loans. Blockchain is an online data storage that links various data types and identifies their sources. In this way, individuals can build proof of financial capacity to avail of loans. Hardoon explained that this technology mix could provide loans to small business owners, such as sellers on Facebook, to ensure they have enough working capital or funds to expand their operations. “The blockchain layer can provide me with that authenticated aspect, saying it comes from Facebook, not some spoofed website. Or if you’re working with another vendor providing you with product ingredients. That now becomes another block in the chain.” With analysis and data traceability features of AI and blockchain, Hardoon said bank managers could also reduce losses from clients as the technologies guide them in adjusting their terms for new loans based on their credit and payment histories. “They can help calculate risks. For example, I will give you P10,000 and see how you respond. Respond. When I see it’s good, or the client paid, I can give P100,000 next time. We need to remember that it’s always this learning process because, fundamentally, the principle of risk is the same.” With these benefits, Hardoon said digital banks will likely become an easy option for Filipinos to fulfill their financial needs. “So it’s completely different to a certain extent from the traditional. Now you have AI and blockchain to incorporate as a new capability. The digital bank, in principle, can simply plug and play.” The post Future of banking unfolds with AI, blockchain appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Digitize, digitize, digitize
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the banking industry already had digitalization on top-of-mind discussion in board meetings. But the pandemic presented new circumstances that created an unstoppable trend that made digital banking more relevant than ever. UnionBank of the Philippines president Edwin R. Bautista said the pandemic disrupted the industry and that almost every bank, large and small, adopted digital technology and saw a spike in digital banking usage. "We are taking the digital banking approach," Bautista said in an interview with Daily Tribune. "Digitalization allows us to lower our operational costs. Now we are also leveraging the use of artificial intelligence to serve the traditionally underserved sectors because the technology now lowers the cost of servicing that sector." UnionBank's willingness to adopt digital tools and cutting-edge innovations, when needed, allowed it to expand its market reach. Its relentless pursuit to be at the forefront of digitalization, not only in the banking sector but in the Philippines, is extraordinary. The introduction of AI was a big leap for UnionBank. Bautista said, "Traditional banks will not touch the so-called unserved and underserved sectors because the cost of servicing them was too high. A big portion of the cost is the fact that it is very difficult to predict whether they will pay back or not. In the past, banks assessed credit by looking at financial statements, taxes, etc. It is more difficult for the underground economy because they have no written transaction documents." The lack of these essential documents does not mean a person cannot pay, but rather, the banks try to avoid them because of the risks. "AI helps us by putting together different information about that particular business or person, including the cash flows, sales, and other trends that are usually taken for granted by manual assessments. AI can give a prediction on the likelihood of whether they will pay you back or not, Bautista added. Indeed, UnionBank is one of the very first banks to witness the storm of digitalization. Unfortunately, many popular banks are very slow to catch up and are new to the list of digitalization. Low digital banking penetration Although the Philippines is one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia, the country has the lowest digital banking penetration of any Asian market, according to a study by McKinsey& Company. In a survey, McKinsey found that only 12 percent of Filipinos had tried Internet banking, compared with 28 percent in other developing countries of the region. “In the Philippines, 35 percent of digital consumers (defined as consumers who make purchases online) own a smartphone, but only nine percent of Filipino consumers said they had used a smartphone to bank, compared with 26 percent in developing Asia,” the study said. In addition, local banks allocate less than 10 percent of their revenues to IT, compared with nearly 15 percent among leading banks elsewhere in Asia–Pacific and digital channels account for just five to 15 percent of their income, well below the average of 25 percent for their peers in Asian emerging markets. But change is coming, Bautista said. 'No more baby steps "We have a problem if we continue taking baby steps because, by the time your development is ready, a new technology will emerge. You need to move faster and you need to take bolder actions if you want to ensure that you stay in the game," he added. In order to be competitive, Bautista said technological advances such as blockchain and AI would need to be integrated into the banking system, adding these technologies will play a critical role in the evolution of the industry. The need to modernize the banking industry's backbone, including its core banking systems, deposits and credits, will remain the most important services of a bank, he added. Bautista said that harnessing the powers of AIs, machine learning and blockchain would deliver a seamless customer experience on the front end by solving the growing intolerance of clients for glitchy apps or systems. “We don’t really know where the banking sector or technology is going to go because, to me, the AI that we see right now is not even stage one of its potential. Yet, we are already talking as if our lives will be destructed by the technology,” he said. “You can just imagine if we reach stage two or three,” Bautista added. According to Bautista, AI is going to disrupt our lives in all aspects. “We don’t know how big its impact will be, but we have to figure out how we can adapt,” he said. All told, no matter how banks utilize digital technologies or even AI, the focus on technology and constant investments in IT infrastructure across the industry is paramount to avoid the risk of being disrupted and be prepared for any disruption. The post Digitize, digitize, digitize appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DOH: Pertussis cases 20 times more than last year
DOH: Pertussis cases 20 times more than last year.....»»
Pentagon chief reaffirms support after latest China aggression in WPS
Austin emphasized US support for the Philippines in defending its sovereign rights and jurisdiction in a phone call with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Wednesday. .....»»
Philippines logs 40 pertussis deaths this year
MANILA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Forty children have died of whopping cough, a respiratory infection also called pertussis, since this year, the Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) has reported. The DOH said in a statement on Wednesday that cases have continued to increase since the start of this year, recording 568 cases from Jan. 1 to March 16. "The total number of cases for the same period in 2023 was.....»»
Property prices slow in Q4
The growth in property prices has been sustained for 10 straight quarters, albeit at a slower pace in the fourth quarter last year, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas......»»
Vehicle sales rev up by 23% in February
Vehicle sales accelerated by more than a fifth in February from a year ago, supported by automotive firms’ marketing efforts as well as stable interest rates......»»
S& P: Philippines may miss growth goal this year
S&P Global Ratings sees the Philippines again missing its growth targets this year as it kept its gross domestic product growth forecast at 5.9 percent. While the projection is better compared to other economies in the region, it is again below the government’s 6.5 to 7.5 percent growth target......»»
Cebu topnotcher shares secret to success: Strong support system of family, friends
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A good support system of family and friends is Elijah Cabase’s secret to his placing 5th in the March 2024 Medical Technologists Licensure Examinations (MTLE). This 23-year-old University of Cebu-Banilad alumnus said that he was not even expecting to pass because he described himself as a confessed procrastinator — or one.....»»
Pertussis or whooping cough: 40 child deaths so far this year – DOH
MANILA, Philippines — Assistant Health Secretary Albert Domingo reported on Wednesday that as of March 16 this year, some 40 children had died of whooping cough — a respiratory infection also called pertussis. An increase in new pertussis cases nationwide had been observed nationwide, with 28 cases reported from March 10 to 16. READ: What.....»»
88% of Pinoys oppose Cha-cha – Pulse Asia
Public opinion on Charter change, which last year was roughly divided among Filipinos, is now largely skewed toward those opposed to changing the country’s Constitution, a survey conducted by Pulse Asia showed......»»
Security Council warns of foreign interference in 2025 polls
There may be foreign interference in next year’s midterm elections and the Department of Information and Communications Technology should prepare to counter cyberattacks, the National Security Councilwarned yesterday......»»
DOH: Pertussis cases 20 times higher since January
The number of pertussis cases nationwide has increased 20-fold this year from 2023, according to the Department of Hea.....»»
Girl, 4, dies after being hit by SUV
A four-year-old girl died after she was hit by a sport utility vehicle in Quezon City on Tuesday afternoon......»»
Companies State it Takes More Than 6 Months to Fill Cybersecurity Positions
The latest Kaspersky survey found that 48% of companies require over half a year to find a qualified cybersecurity professional. A lack of proven experience was cited as one of the biggest challenges, along with the high cost of hiring and global competition in talent acquisition. With global labor markets continuing to clamor for InfoSec […].....»»
Tenorio aims to keep imparting basketball knowledge
At this point of his career, 39-year-old LA Tenorio said it is all about giving back......»»
Pacatiw tries to buck cage rust in ONE Championship return
More than a year since his last ONE Championship bout, Jeremy Pacatiw acknowledged that he has a lot to work on before his comeback fight......»»