30 April 2015 - The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles hosted a presentation on “The Future of the Philippines” featuring innovators behind the startups of e-Jeepney and Social Products such as black and red rice cultivated in Cotabato on April 23.

Mr. Justin Garrido of Social Project.PH, a non-profit organization pushing social entrepreneurship as a sustainable means to alleviate poverty, jumpstarted the event with the introduction of Mindanao Black Rice, reckoned to be one of the new super foods that have been introduced into the US organic food market.  The Mindanao Black Rice from Cotabato is one of the best colored grains and delivers delicious flavor as well as tremendous health benefits.

For his part, Mr. Tony Olaes, businessman and philanthropist, introduced the City Optimized Managed Electric Transport (COMET) E-Jeepney with its exclusive distributor Global Electric Transportation (GET).

The COMET harnesses cutting-edge technology to address the transport and pollution challenges of Metro Manila. The dimensions, functionalities and safety features of the COMET took into consideration road conditions and weather in the city.  It also brought in an innovative fleet management system, payment technology and the capacity to generate a generous revenue streams for drivers. END