Enterprise

Marvin Agustin shares secrets to business survival during the pandemic

The digital entrepreneur highlights the value of listening to people and health investments

Published

October 1, 2021

MJ Jucutan

“Healthcare is expensive.”

A one-liner quote from Captain Raymond Holt from the comically epic Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which struck a chord to Gina Linetti as she decides to part with the precinct in season six.

In this era, healthcare is indeed expensive — passing off as an indispensable investment. For serial entrepreneurs, healthcare plans seemed like an extra expense. That’s what celebrity chef and digital entrepreneur Marvin Agustin thought of, like any other entrepreneur. Especially when your business doesn’t make enough profit during the pandemic.

But a dawning realization struck Agustin similar to how Gina Linetti had a light bulb moment the instance she realized that healthcare is indeed expensive. Agustin knows that well.

Having to follow safety protocols and being overly cautious about the threat of COVID are points that gave him an idea to provide healthcare plans to all his employees.

A people-first mindset

“We won’t be able to operate if people, your employees, and your staff would get sick, and also not safe for the customers,” said the celebrity chef.

People. Employees. Marvin Agustin understands that businesses won’t thrive without their people. Despite being an “extra cost,” health plans were a surefire investment to keep his people safe, functional, and happy. In the end, the cost won’t be as high as compared to when your employees get hospitalized.

What bugs entrepreneurs are the availability of quality healthcare at a reasonable price. Agustin had believed that only big companies get to provide health plans, not until he chanced upon Maxicare. Surprisingly, the celebrity chef found a credible company offering affordable and convenient health plans for both him and his employees.

Not all quality healthcare is unreachable as many people perceived

Maxicare’s reputation has put off Agustin like many other entrepreneurs. The company seemed expensive and an extra expense — being 33 years in the business with over 1.6 million members, and widely accepted over 1,000 hospitals and clinics around the country.

But Maxicare has an array of healthcare plans, particularly tailored to small-to-medium enterprises. There are plans that are a lot less than PhP 21,000 — which is the average of healthcare expenses that SMEs spend on employees per year — and even as low as PhP 4,600 to PhP 6,000 per employee per year.

The computation can wrack a nerve as your expenses pile up which pushed most enterprises to shy away from healthcare plans. But in return, employees don’t get access to quality healthcare and businesses don’t get protection from unplanned expenses caused by unforeseen circumstances — diseases, pandemics, accidents, and so on.

The best investment for a growing business

Marvin Agustin understood this well: healthcare plans are an investment for employees and the business itself. The digital entrepreneur realized that when his employees are in tiptop shape, his businesses are more profitable.

Jennifer Haw, Operations Manager of Yummyverse Group and one of Agustin’s employees, revealed how relieved and happy she feels knowing she’s taken care of. She has highlighted the importance of having peace of mind brought by Maxicare through their affordable plans.

“We won’t be able to operate if people, your employees, and your staff would get sick.”

Haw advises not to be frugal to people since they’re the foundation of businesses. Haw even applauded Agustin, touting the healthcare plans as the celebrity chef’s best investment for his business so far.

And it has been paying off, especially in this pandemic where the food business has been disrupted and has taken on too many challenges that the industry is still trying to overcome. From the threat of contracting the virus in numerous transactions to the struggles of making a profit, to taking a toll on our mental health.

Surviving entrepreneurship

Despite the struggles Agustin has faced, he was glowing with optimism; seemingly ready to brave the future and whatever it holds. At least during the roundtable. I was giddy looking at his ostensibly never-aging face until a question sparked in my head: What would be his advice to entrepreneurs struggling in this pandemic, too?

Agustin brazenly responded to my question, hinting about the uncertainty of the future. “We don’t know what works. What we thought are our advantages? We’re all back to square one.”

“What is important now is we listen to the new challenges, to the people that we work with, to our audience — old and new. So that we will be able to navigate this pandemic and get out of it alive,” he added.

The celebrity chef highlighted the importance of patience and even asked people to meet him at the finish line, encouraging people to be strong so everyone can attain their goals.

He further added, “We have to listen. This is the perfect time to step back and really figure out anong importante sa inyo.” (We have to listen. This is the perfect time to step back and really figure out what’s important to you.)

Finding the right plan

Maxicare offers a variety of healthcare plans. There’s Maxicare Plus, a comprehensive HMO program for small businesses with 10-99 employees. For micro-businesses, there’s a Maxicare Starter Plan apt for 3-9 employees.

For a different kind of premium, Maxicare BusinessEssential is Maxicare SME’s most affordable offer. The plan has options to have an Outpatient Care Program or an Outpatient Care + Confinement Care HMO program for companies with 3-99 employees.

Maxicare understands that businesses are wary of its piling expenses, which is why they put it into consideration when they offered affordable premiums.

Micro-businesses can get a plan for as low as PhP 4,651 per employee per year. Meanwhile, small businesses can go as low as PhP 6,260 if they have 10-19 employees or PhP 5,301 for those with 20-99 employees.

Enterprise

New US-China ban might affect 75% of phones, laptops

Companies can no longer use Chinese labs to test their products.

Published

May 5, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

The United States is continuing its crusade against Chinese technology today. However, the target now isn’t a company from China but a method important to a lot of non-Chinese brands.

Today, via Reuters, the Federal Communications Commission (or FCC) has unanimously voted to prohibit companies from using Chinese labs to test their electronic devices if they are to be sold for use in the United States. Naturally, this includes smartphones and computers.

Notably, the prohibition doesn’t directly target Chinese brands. However, it will still affect a huge swath of the industry. The FCC estimates that around 75 percent of the entire market are devices tested in labs based in China.

This means that companies who wish to sell future products in the country must move their testing to labs in the United States or other countries that it deems secure. At its current iteration, the prohibition will not affect devices that already earned their certification prior. However, it might prevent them from getting recertified once their current one expires.

Now, the prohibition isn’t an absolute lock just yet. The FCC will allow the industry to submit comments about the proposal. But, with a unanimous vote from the FCC, companies might have to start looking for alternative testing sites if they want to stay operation in the United States.

Enterprise

OnePlus has reportedly merged with realme

Both brands were previously rumored for restructuring early this year.

Published

April 30, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

OnePlus has a problem. For a while now, rumors have swirled about the company’s dissolution. For their part, the company has continued to deny the reports, citing business as usual. Likely to their dismay, the reports just keep coming. Today, sources have hinted that OnePlus has merged with realme.

Back in January, it was rumored that OnePlus would be closing up shop this year. Since the company very quickly denied the rumors, the report hardly made waves. However, a suspected merger with realme is more difficult to debunk.

For one, realme is itself in a very interesting position. Also back in January, realme was reportedly moving back into being a sub-brand of OPPO. Coupled together with the OnePlus debacle, all this internal restructuring seems par for the course.

According to Digital Chat Station on Weibo, OnePlus and realme have already concluded the merger. The two brands have reportedly united their Chinese and international operations under one roof. Likewise, their marketing will be the same. Pete Lau will still be the main head for this new division.

As with anything of this nature, take this with a grain of salt. OPPO, OnePlus, and realme have not issued any official statements concerning a merger or a shutdown for any brand.

Enterprise

AGIBOT is turning robots into companions for our everyday routines

The era of robots performing cool tricks is over!

Published

April 17, 2026

GadgetMatch

The era of robots performing “cool tricks” is over.

At its 2026 Partner Conference, AGIBOT moved embodied AI out of the lab and into the real world.

y using a “One Robotic Body, Three Intelligences” architecture, the company launched five new robot platforms and eight AI models to make physical AI a normal part of how we live and work.

Engineering for human environments

AGIBOT believes that for a robot to be a good partner, it first needs a body you can actually rely on.

Take the AGIBOT A3, for example. This 173 cm tall humanoid weighs 55 kg, about the same as a teenager. It uses a magnesium and titanium build to stay strong yet light.

It moves smoothly for 10 hours straight, and if the battery runs low, you can swap it out in just 10 seconds to keep the momentum of your day going.

In the workplace, the AGIBOT G2 Air acts as a single-arm helper that works right alongside people. It navigates narrow doorways and tight office spaces with ease.

This robot actually learns while it works; it records its environment and actions in real-time to help its AI get smarter every single day.

Then there is the D2 Max, the world’s first Level 3 autonomous four-legged robot. It isn’t a toy you control with a remote; it is a partner that explores tough terrain and handles security patrols entirely on its own.

Finally, the OmniHand 3 series brings a human-like touch to these machines. The flagship Ultra-T model mimics almost any hand movement, while the OmniPicker 3 and OmniHand 3 Lite handle the heavy-duty, high-impact jobs that require extra muscle.

8 models driving autonomy

The “brain” of these machines is a closed-loop system that helps them move, think, and talk.

To master movement, the Behavioral Foundation Model (BFM) allows a robot to copy human actions just by watching a short video.

Another model, the GCFM, lets the robot react to your voice or actions in real-time, which makes its movements feel natural instead of stiff.

To tackle complex tasks, AGIBOT uses a massive dataset called AGIBOT WORLD 2026, a library of real-life situations from homes and factories.

This library helps robots plan out long lists of chores without getting confused. They even use a “digital twin” system called Genie Sim 3.0, where robots practice new skills in a virtual world before trying them in the real one.

On top of that, the WITA Omni model helps the robot understand your feelings, allowing it to talk and move like it’s having a true conversation

Scalable deployment

The robots are becoming a part of our daily lives. By using the MEgo system to collect data easily, AGIBOT is making it simpler for these machines to learn how to help us in shops, warehouses, and our own homes.

As these robots start showing up in our lives, the technology feels less like a complicated machine and more like a companion that helps us grow.