Click image to enter flyroyalbrunei.com

 

Guess who’s in town? Scott Cassell who is wildly known as a an ocean environmentalist and Scott is also the Luminox brand ambassador. He’s currently in Brunei for the Luminox “Save the Seas” programme and his previous trip was in Singapore.

So why is he in Brunei? He dived yesterday at Abana Reef of Brunei waters and leading the diving experience was the guest of honour Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Yahya bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, Minister of Industry and Primary Resources.

Scott was impressed with the coral system at Abana Reef and according to the interview, the particular reef is almost pristine and the corals are very healthy and he even claimed that this is the nicest reef system left on the planet. Wow!! Coming from Scott himself is an honour and well done to Brunei in preserving the coral system which is also ideal for diving tourism.

Perhaps one thing that Scott was impressed is Brunei’s new law announced by Pehin Yahya on the banning of fishing of all shark species and sale of any of its parts and Scott labeled the move as an “heroic act”.

A bit about his background – Scott is a principal investigator of the Humboldt squid in the USA, he has-a very keen interest in studying ocean eco-systems and how human-based factors, such as global climate change, the fishing industry and tourism development, are shifting ecosystem dynamics.

I shall be interviewing later and see more of what he has discovered about the marine life in Brunei. It’s a privilege to know that a renowned diver such as Scott Cassell himself is in Brunei. Let’s hope his presence can help raise the awareness on our marine ecosystems and preserve it.

Images below are courtesy of Dean Kassim of Borneo Bulletin.

Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Yahya bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, Minister of Industry and Primary Resources leading Scott Cassell, Luminox brand ambassador, an ocean environmentalist

Pehin Yahya sharing a moment with Scott

Being interviewed by the media on their diving experience at Abana Reef

Group photo with the divers

Scott Cassell, Luminox brand ambassador

 

BIBD Charity Expedition is back!! Click image to enter website

BIBD last weekend launched the website and opened the online registration process for the 2013 edition of the BIBD Charity Expedition (CE) for its ALAF initiative at a press conference event held in the capital. Present at the launch was Hjh Nurul Akmar binti Hj Mohd Jaafar, Deputy Head of Consumer Banking cum Head of BIBD’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiative amongst other senior officers from BIBD. Also in attendance to witness the launch was Pg Hjh Sarah Pg Hj Kamaluddin, Director General at the Ministry of Education, on behalf of the ministry as the main partner of the ALAF Programme.

The website for the CE-ALAF, www.bibdcharityexpedition.com, was launched with its new look whilst incorporating BIBD’s new image that highlights uniquely Bruneian values while signifying the Bruneian and Islamic visual canvas. The new tagline, “Bruneian at Heart”, aligns well with BIBD’s CSR objectives as it highlights BIBD’s commitment to the Bruneian aspiration and values, as well as its roots in Bruneian and Islamic ideals and the social well-being of the public. .

The event also included the launch of the registration for CE-ALAF, which can be completed and paid for via the CE-ALAF website, entitling participants to receive a 5% discount off the registration fee when performing their registration online. This is part of the incentive to encourage participants to register online. The online registration of BIBD’s CE-ALAF can be performed at www.bibd.com.bn. Ahmad Nazmie Hj Omar, Project Manager for CE-ALAF presented the run-through of the event.

Downloadable forms will be provided to the public at a later date, which will allow for payment at any of BIBD’s channels such as the BIBD Online, BIBD Mobile or at all BIBD ATMs and CDMs. Forms can be then placed into BIBD Charity Expedition drop-off boxes, to be placed later on at respective branches. The closing date for all registrations, which includes fee payments and form submissions, will be on the 24th of October 2013. .

The event also included a presentation of this year’s BIBD CE-ALAF event, showcasing new routes, prizes and a new category along with a Charity Bazaar. This year’s CE- ALAF will be held on November 24th at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium. It will feature five different sporting events: a competitive 21 and 10 kilometer race along with non-competitive races of 5km and 2.5km along with a 40km Cycling Expedition and the newly introduced 42km, a full marathon run. BIBD would also like to inform the public that prayer tents will be provided for Subuh Prayers. .

The 42km run, dubbed the ‘BIBD Midnight Marathon,’ represents a unique addition to the event roster as it represents a more goal-oriented segment for contributions towards the ALAF Programme, whereby only a group of 25 participants will be selected from an open registration system to all interested locals. The registration for this category of the BIBD CE-ALAF is only available on the website for a period of two weeks, and selected participants will be chosen via an internal selection process, which requires the participants to answer a short question; “Why do you want to run the marathon for the BIBD CE-ALAF?”.

Selected participants will be notified and their details posted on the BIBD CE-ALAF website, where only then will they be charged the actual registration fee, whilst the remaining group will be prompted to join the other categories on offer. Furthermore, the selected participants will be trained by professional coaches to help them in their preparations to be mentally and physically fit for the 42km run, which includes controlling their diet, run clinics and others. .

The signing ceremony for BIBD CE-ALAF with the partners and sponsors

Another unique element to the marathon is where the selected participants will be allowed to run a sponsorship programme , whereby his own choice of sponsors from corporate organizations or individuals will sponsor his every kilometre, and their profiles will be posted on the BIBD CE-ALAF official website for potential sponsors to view. This creates a pledge by these sponsors to agree to donate a certain amount of funds according to each kilometer accomplished by their sponsored runner. .

On the other hand, the competitive races provide participants a chance to win cash prizes of up to BND 2,000 along with tickets and accommodation packages to Singapore. First, second and third prize winners will also receive an exclusive winners’ T-Shirt, together with winning medals. The public is urged to perform their registration quickly, as a finite number of participants will be allowed to collectively join this year’s CE-ALAF. .

Hjh Nurul Akmar commented during the launch, “Alhamdulilah, we are able to host another fund raising event for those who are in need along, especially with more partners helping to build on the capabilities of last year to deliver a better CE-ALAF for the public”. She continued to add, “InsyaAllah, this year we will all be able to raise more funds and awareness to ultimately help contribute to ALAF, to create more opportunities to underprivileged children to have access to better education opportunities”. .

There will also be official CE-ALAF merchandise for sale at the Charity Bazaar, to further boost donations for the ALAF fund. On the day of the event, BIBD CE-ALAF coupons will be available for purchase on the day at a rate of B$1 for every coupon, to be used at all the participating vendors at the Charity Bazaar as the official currency of the event. A part of the proceeds from bazaar fees and sales will be also channeled .

Kevin Lau, General Manager of Aewon Garment and Embroidery with Hjh Nurul Akmar binti Hj Mohd Jaafar, Deputy Head of Consumer Banking cum Head of BIBD’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Pg Hjh Mariam Pg Bendahara Pg Muda Hj Hashim from Superwater Marketing Sdn Bhd with Hjh Nurul Akmar binti Hj Mohd Jaafar

AdXpert Marketing Operation Manager Carmen Lee with Hjh Nurul Akmar binti Hj Mohd Jaafar

This year’s CE-ALAF will see BIBD partner with Brunei Press, Cityneon, Aewon, AdXpert, Superwater marketing, Dsignku and Ezy Printing & Services to ensure the success of this year’s BIBD CE-ALAF event, along with Singaporean companies Drummond Printing and Active Networks. The cooperation between these companies and BIBD for the event was sealed at a MoU signing ceremony, which followed after the BIBD CE-ALAF website and registration launch. .

On hand on behalf of their respective companies to sign the MoU were Cityneon Brunei Managing Director Dato’ Ting Jack Chai, Aewon Garment and Embroidery General Manager Kevin Lau, Adxpert Marketing Operation Manager Carmen Lee, Dsignku Enterprise Creative Director Md Nur Muizz’ Azmi and Superwater Marketing Sdn Bhd representative Pg Hjh Mariam Pg Bendahara Pg Muda Hj Hashim. Other organizations wishing to partner with BIBD for support of CE-ALAF are still welcomed to come join and participate. .

The CE is one of the fund-raising activities under the ALAF initiative. ALAF, short for “Advocating Life-Long Learning for an Aspiring Future”, is BIBD’s flagship CSR programme. The CE, held for the second year running, builds on last year’s success with roughly 6,000 participants, and raising a humbling B$ 330,000, an illustration of Bruneians as a caring society. This year, round 700 volunteers are also expected to join this event to ensure the overall management of the event will be InsyaAllah efficient and smooth. .

Group photo with the sponsors and supports with BIBD SCR team

Launched earlier in the year, the ALAF initiative is an extension of BIBD’s contribution towards its strong belief in the importance of early childhood education as the underlying core for everyone, in support of His Majesty’s 2035 vision of obtaining a 100% level of education to everyone. ALAF is an initiative that seeks to support the nation’s aspirations to building a well-educated and highly skilled human resource pool by providing opportunities of educational progression to underprivileged students. .

Insya’Allah, through this initiative towards for support of education, BIBD in partnership with Ministry of Education, is able to contribute towards providing a more substantial impact on the building of our nation, leading Brunei towards a more prosperous and peaceful future with a generation of highly educated and skillful and successful Bruneians. .

For further information regarding or any enquiries on becoming a partner of BIBD’s CE- ALAF, visit their homepage at www.bibdcharityexpedition.com, email the BIBD CE- ALAF team at info@bibdcharityexpedition.com or call the BIBD CE-ALAF hotline at +673 8222110 .