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Allianz PNB Life expands ride safe campaign to support Filipino families
With this growing biking community, Allianz PNB Life launched the Ride Safe initiative in 2020 to help create safer, more bike-friendly cities in Metro Manila.
Bike commuting has become more mainstream in the Philippines because of the pandemic, as Filipinos sought safer and more cost-effective means of transportation during the height of the quarantine restrictions. In April 2022, data from survey company SWS showed that 7.3 million Filipino households owned a bike, one million more than its May 2021 survey result of 6.2 million.
With this growing biking community, Allianz PNB Life launched the Ride Safe initiative in 2020 to help create safer, more bike-friendly cities in Metro Manila. Through the program, Allianz PNB Life partnered with local government units (LGUs) and organizations to promote road safety and road sharing through cyclist education and by advocating for bike-friendly infrastructures.
Sustainable futures
Though Covid restrictions have been eased, many Filipinos still choose to ride their bikes to work and for leisure as an efficient, low-cost, and sustainable form of transport. This led Allianz PNB Life to expand its CSR campaign and evolve Ride Safe into a new program. The program now incorporates a livelihood intervention component in partnership with global non-profit organization SOS Children’s Villages Philippines (SOS Philippines) and bike advocacy group Tambay Cycling Hub (Tambike), an independent bike repair shop in Pasig City that aims to help all bikers, whether recreational bikers or those who use bikes for transportation or livelihood. The program will provide participants with livelihood skills that will help them support their families, as it has been found that poverty is one of the challenges in keeping a family together.
Through this
entrepreneurship and bike-skills program, Allianz Ride Safe selected 9 SOS
Children’s Village Family Strengthening program participants from Iloilo, Cebu,
and Tacloban. The participants underwent one week of training on bike
maintenance and repair from instructors at Tambay Cycling Hub. The participants
were also equipped with entrepreneurship and financial literacy mentoring to
help them start their own small businesses. During training, the participants
drafted a business plan and received a grant of P150,000 to set up a bike shop.
Kevin Skinker, president of Tambay Cycling Hub, lauds the Ride Safe initiative as a vital support to the biking community. “With more Filipinos taking to the road on their bikes, there is a need for more skilled bike mechanics and bike stores. This program will help to grow the bike community and make the world a better, safer, more environment-friendly place.”
According to Andrea Celica Santos of SOS Children’s Village, the program was
met with much enthusiasm by the participants who were eager to learn new skills.
“The primary reason for the breakup of families is poverty and the lack of
livelihood opportunities. With this program, families can stay together and
have stronger foundations because they have a source of income. Our
participants are motivated by the future of their families.”
Program participants Renato Gadot and Ricky Natalyo from Iloilo agree, adding that this will help greatly in supporting their families. Both of them are excitedly planning to start a business as soon as they return home from training. Maria Filipinas Ansale, a mother from Tacloban, is also proud to be a participant. “Learning is hard, but it shows that women can also do bike repairs.” She previously availed of an SOS Children’s Village training program in cooking and is glad to have learned a new skill that can help her raise her children.
Creating green jobs
The new Allianz Ride Safe program not only promotes biking as an environment-friendly form of transport, but it also enables the creation of sustainable green jobs to support families and communities. This will not only help secure the financial future of more Filipinos, but will also help preserve nature for future generations.
Allianz PNB Life Chief Marketing Officer Gino Riola says, “With the brilliant revolution in terms of cycling, we wanted to turn this into livelihood opportunities for Filipinos. The ability to make this happen is dependent on our partners, with Tambay Bike Hub extending training to our program participants and SOS Children’s Village providing the platform to reach out to those in need. We are happy that we extended our advocacy out of Metro Manila, with Ride Safe now in the provinces. The success of this program is also dependent on our participants who will work with bikes in their respective communities.”
Allianz Ride Safe is an initiative under the Allianz PNB Life Kaagapay program that aims to teach financial literacy and aid families through microinsurance. In 2021, the Ride Safe campaign won the CSR Initiative of the Year at the Insurance Asia Awards.
More information about Ride Safe and AZPNB is available at allianzpnblife.ph or @allianzpnblifeofficial on Facebook.
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Omega Healthcare recognized
Omega Healthcare is the only RCM service provider to earn both the Leader and Star Performer distinctions
Omega Healthcare, an AI-driven healthcare solutions company, has been recognized as a “Leader” and “Star Performer” in the Everest Group Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Operations PEAK Matrix Assessment, 2026, maintaining its position as a “Leader” in the evaluation since 2017.
Omega Healthcare is the only RCM service provider to earn both the Leader and Star Performer distinctions in the report, which assessed 34 RCM operations service providers. The Star Performer designation is given to companies that demonstrate the most improvement over time on the PEAK Matrix. Everest Group’s team of analysts led a comprehensive analysis of the RCM services market, including client reference checks and interactions with the service providers evaluated.
“Against a backdrop of persistent margin pressures, rising denial rates, and evolving reimbursement dynamics, healthcare providers are making revenue cycle performance a strategic priority, driving demand for more intelligent, technology-enabled operating models that enhance efficiency and financial resilience,” said Aastha Malik, Practice Director, Everest Group.
“Omega Healthcare is well-positioned in this evolving landscape, integrating its large coding talent pool with digital platforms and analytics-led solutions to deliver scalable and performance-driven RCM operations. Its investments in gen AI and agentic AI across RCM processes, supported by a strong partner ecosystem, reflect a shift toward more intelligent and automated workflows. These capabilities underpin its recognition as a Leader and Star Performer in Everest Group’s Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Intelligent Operations PEAK Matrix Assessment 2026.”
Omega Healthcare was honored as a Star Performer due to double-digit revenue growth, expansion into larger provider segments, with increased deal scale, and strong buyer feedback across cost savings, domain expertise, innovation, value addition, and AI/technology expertise.
According to Everest Group, leaders have demonstrated comprehensive support of healthcare providers by operationalizing gen AI, automation, and advanced analytics across key RCM workflows.
Everest Group cited Omega Healthcare for several key strengths, including:
- Integrated delivery model: Clients benefit from a fully integrated delivery model that combines Omega Healthcare’s global workforce with the Omega Digital Platform and WhiteSpace Health analytics to deliver scalable, technology-enabled RCM operations. This seamless integration helps healthcare organizations drive workflow automation and data-driven performance management across the entire revenue cycle.
- Advanced technology enablement: Omega Healthcare’s use of gen AI and agentic AI in workflows such as denials, appeals, coding, and A/R follow-up helps clients resolve claims faster, reduce manual errors, and enhance process consistency. Its strategic technology partnerships help clients scale AI beyond pilots, delivering more reliable and impactful outcomes across enterprise operations.
- Enterprise growth and domain expertise: Clients highlighted Omega Healthcare’s deep domain expertise, strong understanding of clinical workflows, and ability to flex resources to meet evolving operational needs. The company has continued to expand its presence among large health systems, strengthening its position to support end-to-end engagements and deliver sustained results for complex provider organizations.
“We are honored and proud to be the only RCM provider recognized in the report as both a Leader and Star Performer by Everest Group,” said Omega Healthcare CEO and Co-Founder Anurag Mehta. “This achievement is a direct reflection of the relationships and strategic partnerships we’ve built with our customers and the broader ecosystem. As healthcare organizations navigate persistent financial pressures, regulatory change and the proliferation of AI, we remain fully committed to leveraging the strength of our purpose-built AI-powered solutions to bring intelligence into action for our customers. We are constantly co-creating novel solutions with our customers across different parts of the RCM continuum. This relationship helps ensure Omega Healthcare owns outcomes and consistently delivers breakthrough results.”
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For every parent who wants to be present: AXA reinforces importance of early health preparedness
Even the most loving preparation can leave one crucial question unanswered: What happens when the parent who protects the family suddenly needs protection too?
Preparing for a child often begins long before birth. Parents plan for the crib, the diapers, the milk, the clothes, every necessity mapped out before the baby even arrives.
Yet even the most loving preparation can leave one crucial question unanswered: What happens when the parent who protects the family suddenly needs protection too?
For many Filipino families, that reality is closer than most realize. About one in five Filipinos may develop cancer before the age of 75. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that neoplasms, which include various types of cancer, ranked as the country’s second leading cause of death. The toll is made heavier by late diagnosis, with many cases discovered only when the window for early intervention has passed.
This June, as the country observes National Cancer Survivor Day, AXA Philippines unveils the third short film of its Everyday Protectors campaign, one that reflects what many Filipino families quietly carry – the weight of serious illness, and the love that refuses to let it win.
AXA’s health film portrays the story of Lina, a mother whose world shifts on the same day it expands. As her daughter takes her first breath, Lina also receives a cancer diagnosis, turning the happiest moment of her life into one filled with fear and uncertainty. Yet despite the difficult road ahead, Lina finds strength in the moments she hopes to witness like first steps, birthdays, and the everyday memories that make parenthood meaningful.
The film reveals how Lina shows up for every milestone despite her illness, a quiet testament to what Filipino parents do every day: protect the people they love, no matter the cost to themselves. But Lina’s story also carries another truth which is that everyday protectors should not have to face their hardest battles alone.
AXA Philippines, one of the largest and fastest-growing insurance companies in the country, understands that a serious illness is as much a financial challenge as it is a personal one. From preventive healthcare benefits to comprehensive critical illness coverage, AXA offers a wide range of health insurance plans so families get the care they need: Global Health Access (GHA) delivers access to worldwide premium medical services; Health Care Access provides comprehensive medical insurance with cashless access to doctors and hospitals nationwide; while AXA’s superior critical illness plan, Health Max Elite, provides the most extensive coverage that spans the full care journey, from pre-early to late stage protection, covering over 150 critical illnesses, including select mental health conditions and non-listed cases requiring ICU confinement and life-saving surgery.
By helping reduce the financial strain that too often forces families to choose between care and everything else, AXA gives everyday protectors the room they need to focus on healing and being present.
AXA’s Emma app, where you can easily access and manage your insurance policy anytime, anywhere, just got a refreshed look with enhanced features designed to take charge of your health with ease. From accessing mental wellness support through Mind You to filing reimbursements and tracking claims in real time, Emma by AXA helps you maximize your health benefits with greater convenience. Log in today and make the most of the tools designed to support your health and well-being every step of the way.
One name to cover all your insurance needs, discover how AXA can provide complete protection for health, car, travel, and SMEs here.
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Sun Life appoints Bianca Ilibasic as Managing Director, Sun Life Global Solutions
She will lead SLGS across India and the Philippines, providing strategic direction to multi-functional teams spanning Technology, Operations, Analytics, Actuarial, HR, Finance, and Risk & Compliance.
Sun Life has appointed Bianca Ilibasic as the Managing Director for its global capability centre, Sun Life Global Solutions (SLGS). She previously served as Vice President & Chief Operations Officer, Sun Life Asia.
In her new role, Bianca will lead SLGS across India and the Philippines, providing strategic direction to multi-functional teams spanning Technology, Operations, Analytics, Actuarial, HR, Finance, and Risk & Compliance. Her mandate is to further scale SLGS as a high-impact, enterprise capability supporting Sun Life across 28 markets.
During her time in Asia, Bianca advanced straight-through processing, accelerated digital adoption, and shaped a forward-looking AI roadmap to drive business growth — strengthening shared platforms and enabling scalable outcomes.
Commenting on the appointment, Laura Money, EVP and Chief Information and Technology Innovation Officer, Sun Life, said, “Over the past four years, Bianca has been a driving force behind operational excellence and digital transformation, leading with clarity, courage, and a deep commitment to our Purpose. Advancing our AI roadmap and scaling impact across common platforms, Bianca has been consistently delivering results while building strong, empowered teams. She is a visionary, insights driven leader who brings energy, heart, and ambition to everything she does, and I could not be more thrilled to see her step into this role.”
Reflecting on the opportunity, Bianca added: “I am excited to begin this new chapter. Sun Life Global Solutions is more than a capability centre — excellence, innovation, and dedication are consistently demonstrated via brilliant, passionate teams across India and the Philippines who support our Purpose and our Clients every single day. What excites me most is the opportunity to build on our foundation and deepen partnerships, accelerate transformation, and relentlessly focus on outcomes that truly matter to our Clients.”
Bianca’s appointment marks a defining moment for SLGS, strengthening its role as both a strategic engine for enterprise value and a platform where empowered teams can shape what’s next for Sun Life. We look forward to everything Bianca and the SLGS team will achieve together.
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