PLDT Global, Kwik.Insure team up for OFW insurance
PLDT Global Corp. on Thursday said it has partnered with online marketplace Kwik.insure to provide overseas Filipinos with access to insurance products.
Under the partnership, PLDT Global, through its mobile application Free Bee, is offering free two-minute calls to individuals who are customers of PLDT, Smart, and TNT in the Philippines.
“There is a need to bridge the gap and insure Filipinos, especially OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) and their families,” PLDT Global President and Chief Executive Officer Albert V. Villa-Real said in an e-mailed statement.
“Aside from giving them peace of mind, this can also be a way to educate them about investing on their health and the future,” he added.
According to the Insurance Commission’s latest data, insurance penetration, or the insurance industry’s contribution to the Philippine economy, was 2.3% in the first quarter of the year.
“This partnership with PLDT Global allows us to reach more Filipinos and provide them with convenient access to discover a wide variety of insurance products that are suited to their needs,” said Hamilton Angluben, founder and chief executive officer at Kwik.insure.
PLDT Global said Filipinos abroad can also subscribe to premium calls, which allow them to make affordable calls to individuals in the Philippines even if they are offline or do not use a smartphone.
“The upgraded Free Bee app also allows Filipinos in Canada, South Korea, United States, India, Singapore, Australia, and Japan to use a Virtual Philippine Number — a local Smart number that is assigned or paired to their Free Bee account — so that their families in the Philippines can freely call or text them and be charged only with local rates,” the company noted.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin