Editor’s note: This press release is sponsored by Grab Philippines and was handled by BrandRap, the sales and marketing arm of Rappler. No member of the news and editorial team participated in the publishing of this piece.

As it becomes the first-ever bell ringing ceremony in NASDAQ for Southeast Asia, Grab makes its debut after the company agreed to go public in a record-breaking SPAC merger with Altimeter Growth. With Grab known for providing the community with their everyday needs, its merchant-partners and driver- and delivery-partners reciprocate their support to the company during this huge milestone.

Known for its best-selling Spinach Dip pizza, Angel’s Pizza owner Justin Liu is one of the thousands of Grab merchant-partners who are looking forward to Grab’s listing in the US. Understanding what this will mean for the entire community of MSMEs and driver- and delivery-partners on the Grab platform, he shares how this milestone will benefit more aspiring entrepreneurs out there.

Through Grab, his business was able to achieve the highest standard of food safety through a partnership with FoodSHAP, as they are guided by key food safety and food handling standards, as well as overall hygiene protocols. Apart from this crucial recognition from the industry, he also highlighted how they are given learning opportunities to further succeed and grow their businesses. 

“It’s going to have a rippling effect. [It makes me happy to think that businesses like ours can grow] through Grab, and because of that, we will also be able to serve more customers, given the additional perks and benefits that we will receive from them. I am very happy to see how all the support Grab has been giving us, is and will continue to reciprocate three-fold.” Liu shared.

Meanwhile, the suspension of mass transport on the onset of the pandemic has thrown challenges for the ride hailing services industry but GrabCar driver-partner Carlo Mamaril did not think twice about looking for other sources of income as Grab continues to support his everyday needs and prepare him for long-term growth.

More than just a platform that gets drivers- and delivery-partners onboard and provides livelihood opportunities, Grab always finds ways to support its partners in their everyday needs and allow them to succeed in their roles within and beyond the platform.

These, along with livelihood support such as financial aid, training, and incentives, help all drivers- and delivery-partners cushion the challenges they are faced today and prepare for greater opportunities ahead.

“Nakakatulong po ang Grab sa aming pamumuhay sapagkat bukod sa mga kinikita namin sa ibinabayad ng passengers na fare at incentives sa Grab, ay hawak pa namin ang aming oras at mas may oras kami sa pamilya at sa pag-abot ng aking mga pangarap balang araw. (Grab has helped us truly in our livelihood because apart from the income we get from passengers’ fares and the incentives we receive from the platform, we are also flexible with our time and gives us the time to be with our family and work towards achieving our dreams someday.)” he said.

These testimonials from Liu and Mamaril are just two from the thousands of merchants and driver- and delivery partners who share the same sentiments. The whole Grab community is empowered with the news of Grab’s listing because they have witnessed how the company has already given them the support they need for their everyday needs and to thrive even beyond the platform. 

With its goal of providing the everyday needs of the Filipino people through its services, Grab Philippines Country Head Grace Vera Cruz highlighted on LinkedIn the importance of this event, not just for the company, but how it will affect their stakeholders. “Grab’s debut at NASDAQ will enable the company to accelerate its efforts to help support more Filipinos. Through this, we are hopeful that we will be able to reach more small business owners and driver- and delivery- partners like Kim and Roberto in more parts of the country,” the country head said. – Rappler.com