Riding home with friends just got easier and much more affordable. Grab Philippines has upgraded GrabCar Group Ride so the fare can now be split automatically among passengers, with each rider saving up to 50 percent compared with booking a solo ride.

GrabCar Group Ride lets the ride host and up to two friends share one GrabCar, with up to three drop-off points along the way. The more people join, the more affordable the ride becomes for everyone, and the app shows each person’s share upfront. No more awkward “magkano share ko?” after the trip.

Regular ride buddies can also be saved as a group, together with frequent pickup and drop-off pins, so repeat bookings take just a few taps. It’s ideal for officemates heading the same way after work or friends coming home from a night out.

A throwback to the shampoo sachet jingle era

To spotlight the upgrade, Grab released an online video that taps into Filipinos’ nostalgia for the catchy shampoo jingles of the 2000s, while educating commuters on how easy it is to book a GrabCar Group Ride. The campaign repackages mobility feature as the “GrabCar 3-in-1”: three passengers, one booking – the same promise that made the 3-in-1 sachet a household staple. 

The idea is simple. Just like the sachet, sharing a ride with your barkada gives you more for less, both in savings and in the company on the way home.

“Filipino commuters are resourceful. They’re always finding smarter ways to make every trip with friends or colleagues more efficient and more affordable. As a committed partner to every commuter, Grab makes sure our platform keeps up with these everyday habits. ‘Hati-hati’ has always been part of how we move together, and it’s about more than splitting costs. It’s about looking out for one another. With GrabCar Group Ride, we’re building on that spirit so that getting around together becomes the easier, more attainable choice for more Filipinos,” said Grab Philippines Country Marketing Head Bea Bravo. 

How to book a Group Ride

• Open the Grab app, tap GrabCar, then select Group Ride.
• Enter your pickup point and drop-off.
• Share the invite link with up to two friends.
• Your friends add their own drop-off points.
• Confirm the booking. The fare is split automatically, with each rider saving up to 50 percent.

The Group Ride feature is now available in all GrabCar cities nationwide.

LAC Philippines brought together its media partners, KOLs, and friends for its third annual Thanksgiving celebration, “Wellness Artventure: Scent & Story with LAC,” held at Fifty-Nine Flower Cafe in Makati. Set during National Mental Health Month in the Philippines, the intimate afternoon made guests step away from their usual routines and make time for creativity and meaningful connection.

More than a year-end gathering, the event served as LAC’s way of recognizing the people who have continued to support the brand through stories, collaborations, and conversations throughout the year. Now on its third edition, the Thanksgiving celebration has become an opportunity for LAC to reconnect with the media and KOL community in a more personal setting.

“It’s hard to believe this is already our third Thanksgiving together. What makes this gathering special for us is being able to spend time with the people who have become such an important part of the LAC community, outside of our usual work conversations,” said Evelyn Teo, Chief Marketing Officer of LAC Global. “This year, with October being National Mental Health Month in the Philippines, we wanted to create an afternoon where everyone could step away from the usual pace, enjoy themselves, and give a little time to their own well-being.”

The afternoon featured two activities designed around different ways of reconnecting with oneself. Guests began with an aromatherapy session, exploring different scents and creating their own personalized blends. The sensory experience offered a simple opportunity to unwind and be present in the moment.

Guests then moved into leather journal making, building and personalizing their own journals with charms, trinkets, ropes, and notebook inserts. A live engraving booth allowed attendees to add another personal touch, while a gratitude prompt encouraged them to begin their journals by writing down one thing they were grateful for that day.

Together, the activities reflected LAC’s approach to well-being as something that can also be supported through everyday moments of relaxation, creativity, and reflection.

The celebration also featured a special appreciation video dedicated to LAC’s KOL community, highlighting the stories, content, and collaborations shared throughout the year. The gesture recognized the continued support of the creators and media partners who help bring LAC’s wellness conversations to wider audiences.

Guests were also introduced to three of LAC’s top-selling, scientifically based formulas.  LAC MASQUELIER’s® French Pine Bark Extract provides antioxidant support and helps support circulatory, immune, eye, respiratory, joint, and skin health. LAC BrainSpeed® PS combines phosphatidylserine, Ginkgo biloba, and DHA, ingredients associated with brain health, memory, and alertness. Meanwhile, LAC ACTIVATED® Liver Protector™, features a blend of traditional herbs, including turmeric, ginseng, and hawthorn, to support overall health and well-being. Together, the products reflect LAC’s approach to supporting different aspects of everyday health through targeted nutritional supplementation.

“Every year, we look forward to this opportunity to simply be together. We’re grateful for the relationships we’ve built with our media partners and KOLs, and for all the conversations, stories, and collaborations we’ve shared over the years,” Evelyn Teo added. “We hope everyone leaves today with good memories, a little more time for themselves, and something personal to take home with them.”

Through its annual Thanksgiving gathering, LAC Philippines continues to create opportunities for its community to connect beyond the usual work setting, while encouraging a more intentional approach to everyday well-being. With its 2026 celebration, LAC reminded guests that caring for oneself can take many forms, from engaging the senses and creating something by hand to simply making time to connect and enjoy the company of others.

PRecious Communications, an award-winning multi-market integrated communications consultancy, today released the regional findings of its flagship research study, the PRecious AI Authority Index: Southeast Asia Banking 2026. 

The research establishes why corporate communications and marketing leaders cannot rely on a single AI platform, dashboard score, or generic brand search to assess digital reputation. Powered by PRecious Pulse, the agency’s proprietary measurement and research platform, the study tested Philippine AI answers to reveal a sharp divergence between total brand visibility and first-mention prominence. BPI secured the broadest answer reach across consumer, business, and trust queries, reaching 96% in business banking, while BDO claimed the highest first-mention share across all four tested question categories.

In business banking, BPI appeared in 96% of answers, but BDO was named first in 75% of responses. Similarly, in consumer banking, BPI led reach at 73%, while BDO led first mentions at 31%.

"The Philippine result makes the distinction very clear: visibility and prominence are different jobs," said Paolo Alba, Regional Vice President and Philippines Country Lead at PRecious Communications. "Communications teams need to know not only whether the bank appears, but what is said, why it is placed there and whether the supporting story reflects the experience customers actually have."

"First mention in an AI answer is not an endorsement or a measure of customer preference," cautioned Lars Voedisch, Founder and Group CEO. "It indicates narrative order. Philippine communicators must examine what AI says about their institution, not just how often the name appears."

Southeast Asia Is Not One Information Environment

The regional study covers Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. It found consistent leaders in some markets and divided or question-dependent patterns in others. Different languages, banking structures and customer needs already make Southeast Asia diverse. AI can amplify that diversity by changing the brands, evidence, and answer order shown to different audiences.

The study is diagnostic. It does not rank bank quality, trust, safety, customer preference or financial performance. First mention records answer order only. Results are a point-in-time August 2026 snapshot and can change as services, search, and public evidence change.

The report is available online: https://pulse.preciouscomms.com/ai-authority-index

Jollibee is offering Burger Steak Saucy-Sarap Savers, featuring meal bundles starting at just ₱99 nationwide from October 12 to December 31, giving customers more ways to enjoy Burger Steak at an affordable price.

Home to more than 47 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including six in the Philippines, Southeast Asia is rich in cultural and natural attractions. Beyond attracting visitors, community-based tourism is gaining attention as a way to support local livelihoods while preserving cultural heritage and protecting the environment.

In the Philippines, the Department of Tourism is advancing community-based tourism through its 2026 Cordillera tourism village initiative, which aims to make tourism more inclusive and sustainable by empowering local communities to take an active role in tourism development. The initiative promotes preserving Indigenous traditions and natural resources while providing technical guidance to strengthen local tourism offerings and livelihood opportunities. This reflects a broader regional trend with more than 80% of travelers in Asia Pacific reportedly preferring sustainable tourism.

A similar approach is taking shape in Siak Regency, Riau, Indonesia, where rivers, cultural traditions, and local livelihoods are closely connected, much like the Philippines’ coastal and riverside communities. Building on this shared connection, Siak Eco Wonders, an initiative developed by Skelas and local stakeholders, combines Siak River experiences, Malay heritage and local cuisine to create livelihood opportunities for local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) while preserving Siak’s cultural and natural heritage.

From River Potential to Empowering Tourism Experiences

Siak Eco Wonders began by transforming the Siak River, traditionally used for transportation and community activities, into a cultural tourism attraction. In collaboration with Benteng Berdaulat and local Tourism Awareness Groups (Pokdarwis), traditional sampans now let visitors explore Siak’s history and heritage. 

Taufiq Nurrohim, Business Development of Skelas, explains that the initiative aims to develop Siak’s tourism sustainably. “We saw great potential in Siak, but the management was not yet maximized. It was not because it was wrong, but because things were not yet connected and packaged well,” he said.

Siak Eco Wonders offers meeting, dining, and tour packages that connect visitors with local communities. Meeting packages typically accommodate 30 to 40 guests, averaging two bookings monthly from corporate CSR programs and government agencies, while dining experiences can host up to 100 visitors. Tourists can explore heritage sites such as Siak Palace, Syahabuddin Mosque, and Balai Kerapatan on wooden bicycles, and hear the rare komet music box, one of only two remaining worldwide and the only playable one. Other activities include nastar cookie-making at the Pinaloka pineapple processing center, learning about cork fish processing and peatland conservation at Alam Siak Lestari, and joining local fishermen to set nets in the afternoon and collect fish the following morning.

Dining experiences further support local livelihoods by engaging Benteng Hulu Village residents to prepare traditional Malay dishes such as asam pedas patin, salais fish, tapah fish and juara tumbuk instead of relying on large catering services. Visitors can also experience makan beranyut, a traditional fishing practice of dining aboard a sampan while drifting along the Siak River.

Skelas Incubation and Low Impact Tourism Practices

Siak Eco Wonders did not develop in isolation. Siak Eco Wonders builds on Skelas’ mentoring experience, including its management of Siak River Land, and partnerships with local MSMEs, Tourism Awareness Groups (Pokdarwis) in Mempura and Benteng Hulu Districts, and Bank Indonesia. Sustainability is integrated into its operations, with meeting and dining packages eliminating single-use plastics and encouraging reusable tumblers or paper cups. Food waste is also processed using maggots in partnership with the Village-Owned Enterprise (Bumkam) Sejahtera in Mempura District.

“We want this tourism to provide a simple example that tourism activities can run without adding a burden to the environment,” said Nurrohim.

The initiative also creates opportunities for local youth, engaging eight vocational tourism students as dinner servers and around 20 rotating volunteers in tour activities since its launch in July. To promote its offerings, Siak Eco Wonders has partnered with seven local influencers who experienced and shared its tours. The initiative has also begun attracting international visitors, including student groups from Japan and Malaysia and travelers from Singapore.

Local Economic Impact and the Direction of Restorative Tourism

Since its launch in July, Siak Eco Wonders has generated around IDR 21 million (approx. PHP 73,500) in revenue, with an average of 15 to 20 tourists monthly and 20 to 30 bicycle renters weekly. Beyond revenue, the initiative supports around 10 local MSMEs across food, processing, and transportation services. Visitors also leave with positive impressions and greater awareness of the importance of keeping Siak and its river canals clean.

Challenges remain in pricing and accessibility, with lodging averaging IDR 300,000 (approx. PHP 1,051.51) per night and travel from Pekanbaru taking two to three hours by road. Visitors from Malaysia and Singapore also require combined sea and land transport, making value-added tour packages essential. To strengthen its offerings, Skelas plans to establish a business entity, expand partnerships, and develop environmentally friendly homestays using traditional Malay houses.

“The hope is that tourism in Siak does not just sell views, but also revives culture, protects nature, and creates jobs,” said Nurrohim.

Siak Eco Wonders shows how tourism can function as a restorative economy. It not only generates income but also restores the relationship between humans and nature, culture, and the local community.