Product Showcase
Garmin’s Venu 2 Plus puts calls, texts, access to phone’s voice assistant right on your wrist
Garmin’s latest offering lets users take calls, access their compatible smartphone’s voice assistant to send texts, control compatible smart home devices and more.
Garmin Philippines announced the arrival of Venu 2 Plus GPS smartwatch in the country. Garmin’s latest offering lets users take calls, access their compatible smartphone’s voice assistant to send texts, control compatible smart home devices and more. These voice-controlled functionalities join the robust suite of health, wellness and fitness features of Garmin’s Venu 2 Series. With a bright AMOLED display and battery life of up to nine days, the Venu 2 Plus is a direct line to wellbeing for active Filipinos.
“To support Filipinos’ drive to have a more active lifestyle where multi-tasking is crucial, Garmin presents a smartwatch that can give users the ability to answer calls or send texts without digging through their pocket or bag,” said Garmin Asia Director Scoppen Lin. “Garmin lets its user focus on their workout with the Venu 2 Plus’ on-device voice capabilities, on top of the signature features that the popular Venu 2 series is known for.”
Here’s what’s new for the Venu 2 Plus:
· Phone calls from the wrist: Users can make and take phone calls with the press of a button.
· Voice assistant control: Compatible with Siri, Google Assistant or Bixby, users can utilize their smartphone’s voice assistant to send texts, ask questions, control compatible smart home devices and more.
All-day health monitoring
The Venu 2 Plus dials into wellbeing with the broadest range of 24/7 health monitoring features available, including: heart rate (with user-configurable alerts for high or low readings2), advanced sleep with sleep score and insights by Firstbeat AnalyticsTM, breathwork activities, fitness age, respiration, Pulse Ox, all-day stress, hydration, and women’s health (menstrual cycle tracking and pregnancy tracking). Body BatteryTM energy monitoring shows users how “charged” their body is, as well as the draining effects of stress and exercise. Health SnapshotTM logs a two-minute window of key health stats and generates a report users can share with a health care provider; a great tool for capturing physiological data anytime you’re feeling off your baseline.
Customized fitness
The Venu 2 Plus pulls in all of the latest fitness features recently introduced on the Venu 2 series including over 25 built-in indoor and GPS sports apps with favorites that include walking, running, HIIT, cycling, pool swimming, Pilates, yoga, indoor climbing, hiking, advanced strength training with muscle map graphics and more.
Preloaded workouts can also be found on the watch and preset workouts are available for download from Garmin ConnectTM app on user’s smartphone. Customizable workouts may be created by choosing from over 1,400 exercises. The Venu 2 Plus has more than 75 preset animated workouts that demonstrate proper form and technique in Garmin Connect and on the wrist. Whether training for a 5K or longer, the device is compatible with Garmin Coach free adaptive training plans.
Safety and tracking
The Venu 2 Plus also includes Garmin’s safety and tracking features such as automatic incident detection (during outdoor walks, runs or rides)3 and manually triggered assistance alerts, both of which send a message with the user’s location to their emergency contacts. LiveTrack lets friends and family track the user’s outdoor activity3. Users can also assign a designated emergency contact that the Venu 2 Plus can call, such as local emergency services.
Smart features on the wrist
The Venu 2 Plus keeps the essentials on the wrist with built-in music (download up to 650 songs including playlists from Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer4), and smart notifications for calls, texts, calendar reminders, social media updates, breaking news stories and more3. Users may personalize the Venu 2 Plus with apps, watch faces and more available to download from the Connect IQTM store. Unlike many other smartwatches, the Venu 2 Plus can be used with either Android or Apple smartphones.
Designed for all-day wear
· The Venu 2 Plus has a 43mm watch case, stainless steel bezel and hardware, and a comfortable, 20mm industry-standard quick release silicone band. Mix and match bands and bezels.
· It boasts a durable Corning Gorilla Glass 3 touchscreen AMOLED display with optional, always-on mode.
· The Venu 2 Plus is powered by an impressive battery life that lasts up to 9 days in smartwatch mode and up to 8 hours in GPS + Music mode.
· It is capable of rapid battery recharge with 10 minutes of charging which adds up to one day of smartwatch mode battery life or one hour of GPS + music battery life. Users may extend the time further with battery saver mode.
Don’t miss out on Garmin’s special promotion! First 75 customers can get a free Garmin Tote Bag for every purchase of Garmin Venu 2 Plus watch for only PHP 25,695. The device is available in Black, Ivory and Powder Gray at Garmin Brand Stores, kinetic.com.ph, Lazada, Shopee and Garmin PH Viber Community.
The Venu 2 Plus was recognized at the recently concluded CES 2022 global tech-event as an Innovation Awards honoree.
Engineered on the inside for life on the outside, Garmin products have revolutionized the wellness industry. Committed to developing wearables and health measurement tools that help people of all activity levels lead healthier lives, Garmin believes every day is an opportunity to innovate and a chance to beat yesterday.
Product Showcase
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.
Product Showcase
Manulife continues legacy of service in PH with Impact Week 2026
All five Manulife organizations in the Philippines—Manulife Philippines, Manulife China Bank Life Assurance Corporation (MCBL), Manulife Investment Management and Trust Corporation (MIMTC), Manulife Business Processing Services (MBPS), and Manulife IT Delivery Center (MITDC)—held activities that advanced environmental, educational, and social causes.
Manulife hosted its inaugural Impact Week, a global volunteer initiative designed to strengthen well-being, build social connection and unite teams through purpose-driven community action.
All five Manulife organizations in the Philippines—Manulife Philippines, Manulife China Bank Life Assurance Corporation (MCBL), Manulife Investment Management and Trust Corporation (MIMTC), Manulife Business Processing Services (MBPS), and Manulife IT Delivery Center (MITDC)—held activities that advanced environmental, educational, and social causes.
“Manulife’s Longevity ambition is about helping people live longer, healthier, and more financially secure lives—and we believe that starts with strong, resilient communities,” said Rahul Hora, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Philippines. “Impact Week brings this to life by mobilizing colleagues across our Philippine entities to volunteer at scale, working side by side with our community partners and reinforcing the shared purpose that strengthens long-term well-being. Through these collective actions, we are creating immediate impact and helping build a more sustainable and inclusive future for the communities we serve.”
Results and Highlights from Impact Week 2026
During Impact Week, more than 1,200 colleagues participated in volunteering activities, logging more than 4,700 volunteering hours.
Beyond the numbers, Impact Week strengthened connection across teams, bringing colleagues together around shared purpose and reinforcing a culture of inclusion.
- Ongoing tripartite impact: As part of a tripartite collaboration with the Corazon Sanchez Atayde Memorial Foundation (CSAMF) and Haribon Foundation—combining Manulife’s community investment commitments, CSAMF’s financial literacy program, and Haribon’s biodiversity and environmental work—Manulife Philippines, Manulife China Bank Life (MCBL), and Manulife Investment Management and Trust Corporation (MIMTC) led the on-ground activities in Infanta, Quezon Province.
- Supporting financial resilience through Peso Smart: Volunteers supported Peso Smart Pinoy (PSP) through challenge-based activities in Brgy. Alitas, Infanta, culminating in a graduation ceremony recognizing PSP participants and their progress toward greater financial confidence. Peso Smart is a financial literacy program that has reached more than 4,000 learners across 18 schools nationwide since 2017,
- Contributing to a healthier planet: Volunteers, together with Haribon Foundation and the Alitas Farmers Folks Association (AFFA), planted 2,500 mangrove seedlings, advancing the Ridge-to-Reef Reforestation Initiative and adding to Manulife and Haribon’s total of more than 31,000 trees planted since 2023.
- Prioritizing health and well-being: Volunteers partnered with Rise Against Hunger Philippines and Waves for Water Philippines to support food security and water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives. Together, they packed 17,700+ rice meals, rescued 1,200+ kg of surplus food, distributed 500 hot meals, produced 3,300 mushroom bags for livelihoods, assembled 150 water filtration kits, and developed 100+ concepts for food bank and mobile kitchen initiatives.
- Supporting community education: MITDC delivered its Code4Future program to 28 young learners from St. Martin de Porres Kid’s Home—using coding and creativity to build problem-solving skills and digital confidence.
Extending Impact Together
In addition to the company organized activities, individual colleague teams across the Manulife organizations were supported in leading their own volunteer initiatives with local non-profit partners. For each eligible team-led initiative, Manulife provided a $1,000 donation to the partner organization, extending the reach of Impact Week.
“The most meaningful work is often personal. At Manulife, volunteerism grows when people are trusted to lead on the causes they care about,” said Ardhi Siregar, Chief People Officer, Manulife Philippines. “That’s why we empowered our teams to identify a community impact need, choose a local non-profit partner to collaborate with, and lead the effort themselves—with team grants helping extend that impact through added support where it matters most. That sense of ownership and purpose is what fuels deeper engagement and inspires our colleagues to drive impact that endures.”
With more than 13,000 volunteering hours logged across all Philippine entities in 2025, Impact Week 2026 reflects Manulife’s growing culture of service in the communities where it operates and stands to make a difference.
Volunteering: A Longevity Driver Impact Week aligns closely with the work of the Manulife Longevity Institute, a global research, thought leadership, innovation, advocacy, and community investment platform that will help people thrive at every age. The Institute’s work will support Manulife’s Impact Agenda strategy as our always-on commitment to drive better outcomes for our customers, our communities, and the world we share. We believe collective action can accelerate change and, by collaborating with like-minded partners, we can make a meaningful impact.
Product Showcase
Manulife launches GoalReady health solutions
GoalReady for Health combines investment-linked savings with critical illness and life protection—helping customers build their funds while protecting their goals if a serious illness strikes.
Manulife Philippines and Manulife China Bank Life (MCBL) today announced the launch of Manulife GoalReady for Health, an investment-linked savings plan with comprehensive critical illness and life insurance coverage.
GoalReady for Health combines investment-linked savings with critical illness and life protection—helping customers build their funds while protecting their goals if a serious illness strikes. Designed for Filipinos who want to stay on track with their long-term goals, it helps manage the potential financial disruption caused by health setbacks.
As more Filipinos plan for longer lives, staying on track with their life goals increasingly means being prepared for rising healthcare costs, prolonged illness, and the financial strain health setbacks can place on families. The plan addresses the growing gap in financial preparedness for health emergencies among Filipinos. The recent Manulife Asia Care Study revealed that about four in five Filipinos believe their financial wellbeing has great impact on their health span (both physical and mental) and lifespan.
The financial stakes are steep: A study on the economic impact of cancer in the Philippines found that Filipino patients spend an average of ₱181,789 out-of-pocket within the first year of diagnosis, highlighting the significant financial burden of treatment. Yet Filipinos remain financially underprepared for these possibilities. According to latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Filipinos’ household out-of-pocket for medical expenses stood at 42.7%, while a recent Manulife study found that 33% of Filipinos feel they have insufficient insurance coverage.
GoalReady for Health enables customers to build a dedicated pool of savings for future health needs through professionally managed, investment-linked fund options designed to support long-term goals. At the same time, it provides built-in critical illness protection, helping customers stay on track with their plans even when a serious health event occurs.
“Many Filipinos work hard to build toward their goals, but a serious illness can quickly turn years of progress into an unexpected financial burden. Manulife GoalReady for Health brings together critical illness protection and investment-linked savings for future health needs, helping customers stay financially prepared while protecting what they’ve worked hard to build,” said Rahul Hora, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Philippines.
“With Manulife GoalReady for Health, we want Filipinos to move forward with confidence, knowing that a health shock need not become a financial setback—so they can focus on recovery while keeping their savings and life goals on track, and live better for longer,” Hora added.
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