BIZ BUZZ: #FightBudol

Amid the rise in fraud cases due to the growing acceptance of various digital payment platforms, the Credit Card Association of the Philippines (CCAP) is doubling down on its efforts to educate consumers.

On “Pilipinas Fraud Awareness” week from July 1 to July 5, the 16-member CCAP will launch its #FightBudol campaign in response to the increasing cases of fraudulent credit card activities via remote and other digital payment channels in the country since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

READ: Fight cybercrime with tech education

The CCAP also flagged how scammers are finding ways to create smarter, more genuine-looking spam emails, SMS, and other means to deceive credit cardholders amid the growing popularity of artificial intelligence tools.

That said, the upcoming CCAP event will feature a lineup of activities focused on consumer protections and regulations, tips and reminders to avoid credit card fraud, and consumer rights and mechanisms for reporting fraud.

“As scammers come up with new, smarter methods of tricking people, credit cardholders must become even more vigilant and proactive in protecting their credit card information,” said CCAP executive director Alex Ilagan. —Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral

Jetstar resumes Clark operations

Low-cost carrier Jetstar has relaunched flights to Singapore from Clark International Airport.

From four times a week, this will increase to five by Oct. 18, around the time when travel usually picks up due to holiday spending.

“Clark serves as an important hub for both business and leisure travelers, and we are excited to offer more travel options for our customers,” Jetstar Asia chief operating officer Geoffrey Lui said.

“With so many reasons to visit Clark, our crew and our passengers have been looking forward to our return to this popular destination so it’s great to add Clark back to our network,” Lui added.

Prior to this, the Pampanga gateway also welcomed Aero-K, Sunlight Air, Air Busan, Hong Kong Express, Starlux, and EVA Air.

It currently services 10 international and seven domestic routes.

Bases Conversion and Development Authority President and CEO Joshua Bingcang recently said the airport was keen on building a second runway, costing P7 billion to P10 billion, to ramp up capacity.

The terminal operator is also set to spend about P2 billion for the expansion of taxiways and aprons for new locators, including logistics companies. —Tyrone Jasper C. Piad INQ

Read more...