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Grab supports local merchants through #GrabNakakaLOKAL Festival

Rappler.com

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The festival will run until the end of August

GO LOCAL. #GrabNAKAKALOKAL Festival champions proudly Filipino-made products. All photos by Alecs Ongcal

MANILA, Philippines – To celebrate Buwan ng Wika, Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading super app, and a proud supporter and enabler of Filipino small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), has launched #GrabNakakaLOKAL Festival, a celebration that brings together local businesses and its super app services, GrabFood, GrabExpress and GrabPay. 

“We want to do more. We want to take more responsibilities and see how we can use our platform and technology to create Grab for good for all Filipinos. And we’re starting with the SMEs,” said Brian Cu, Grab Philippines president. “SMEs are considered the backbone of Asian economies, making up 99.6% of businesses in the country. Yet, they contribute only a fraction of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP).”

 TECHNOLOGY FOR GOOD. Brian Cu, Grab Philippines President and RJ Cabaluna, Country Marketing Head, said Grab's mission is to use technology to empower Filipinos.

Cu also shared that Grab aims to put at least 1000 more SMEs on the map to allow businesses to be discoverable in-app.

Some of the enterprises featured at the fair were Aysees Sisig, Nathaniel’s buko pandan, Ate Rica’s bacsilog, La Paz Batchoy of Liezl’s, Empanada Nation, Bulalugaw, Uncle Moe’s Shawarma, and Cow Wow’s sausages.

“We wanted to bring Ilocano dishes in Manila because there’s a lot of Ilocanos here and we saw its potential. People no longer have to travel to Ilocos. Their empanada now is just one Grab away,” said Ellice Chew, owner of Empanada Nation.

REWARDING BUSINESSES. In 2018, Empanada Nation was awarded Grab Eater's Choice Award.

Asked how Grab has helped them build their business, Chew said that they were able to reach more people through GrabFood.

Meanwhile, Ate Rica’s bacsilog franchisee, Gregory Chen, shared how he decided to promote Filipino classic silog dishes.

HELPING LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS. Gregory Chen, Ate Rica's Bacsilog franchisee, signed up for GrabFood to help boost their sales.

Lagi ko siya kinakain noong college. Nag stick siya even until graduation. So, nung nalaman ko na nag-fa-franchise na siya, I grabbed the chance (I have been a fan of Ate Rica’s bacsilog since college. It stuck with me even until graduation so when I heard that she opened it up for franchise, I grabbed the chance),” he said. 

Grab helped Chan’s business bounce back when he took the chance and signed up for GrabFood. 

Aside from food enterprises, #GrabNakakaLOKAL Festival also featured Filipino craftsmen and businesses in partnership with Karton, an alternative online shopping platform dedicated to local businesses like Auro Chocolate, Natural Balance, The Green Tummy,Bebebalm, Lick Iced Tea, and Foodsource.

The GoLokal team of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) was also present to highlight Filipino crafted, designed, and produced products that span from different regions across the country.

The #GrabNakakaLOKAL Festival will run until the end of August, every Friday and Saturday at  Central Square, Bonifacio Global City and The Market by Sugbo in Mandaue City, Cebu. 

“We have always been inspired by the power of technology when used for good, and we at Grab, would like to harness that asset to empower more Filipinos to live better lives every day,” said Cu. – Rappler.com  

Go to #GrabNakakaLOKAL Festival and pay using GrabPay to get 15% discount on all food and Karton concessionaires and participate in NakakaLOKAL MVP, Grab’s in-app challenge where you can win tours, flight tickets, and more. Tap the Challenges tab for the mechanics.

 

 

 

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