TO easily convert their inventories into cash, around 70 Cebu exporters of fashion accessories, furniture, gift items and marine food products will gather together in a four-day Exporters’ Expo this week.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 7 Director Aster Caberte said the event is meant to give exporters an opportunity to move their current stocks in a venue where they can tap the domestic market. Aside from individual consumers, the domestic market is composed of multi-branch institutional buyers like hotels, resorts, real estate developers and interior designers.
“This is meant to stop the bleeding (caused by the global financial crisis in the export sector),” said Caberte in a press conference Monday.
The DTI has allocated around P1.3 million for the Exporters’ Expo that will open on Aug. 27 at the Atrium of SM City Cebu Northwing.
Organized by the DTI-Bureau of Export Trade Promotion, Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions, Export Development Council, and DTI Central Visayas, the expo is designed to be the “biggest retail and wholesale selling event of export products that are not commercially available locally and produced by Cebu’s direct and indirect exporters.”
Caberte observed that the export sector did not consider domestic buyers as potential market before.
“But now, domestic spending is very robust,” she said.
She assured the domestic market that the prices of products during the expo will be at bargain levels or lower than their regular export prices.
A support component under the Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program, the Exporters’ Expo aims to support the export sector—recognized as an important contributor to Cebu’s economy—as exporters deal with the effects of the global financial crisis.
Caberte said the expo is like a government subsidy to the exporters since they will only be paying P500 to P1,000 a day, depending on the size of their exhibit area.
Source: The Sunstar Daily Cebu
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Ng: Netbooks from cell phone manufacturers
NETBOOKS, those small and inexpensive notebooks with small keyboards and screens, have been a hit since it was introduced barely three years ago and now selling millions per month.
So, I think it is only expected that the world’s largest cell phone company, Nokia, will be introducing their own netbook.
After all, the line between a cell phone and a notebook in terms of functionality has started to become blurred. Cell phones with full QWERTY keyboards are coming out with regularity.
Nokia names its netbooks Booklet 3G. It is reported to have 3G connectivity, of course, and long battery life. It is also supposed to run Windows, something surprising because Nokia uses its own operating system Symbian in most of its products.
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As more and more cell phone companies are now bundling 3G data services and also netbooks, it only stands to reason that Nokia, which probably has one of the deepest relationships with telcos all over the world, would get into the game. Most probably, its netbooks will sold mainly through cell phone company subscriptions.
COURT EVIDENCE. On another note, it is interesting that SMS or text messages are now acceptable as evidence in France, particularly in divorce cases. France is known as having very difficult divorce laws, and people have to wait for years to get out of marriages, unless they can prove that their spouses have been misbehaving and/or mistreating them. Now, text messages that point to that will be acceptable as proof.
SMS messages are also starting to become acceptable as evidence of fraud and other crimes, such as defamation suits. So next time, think twice before sending that SMS. In Cebu, a person was accused of murder based on the messages in his cell phone.
Aside from exercising care in composing text messages, cell phone users should also make sure to delete messages or data that they do not want others to see. Most cell phone companies have text messages stored in their computers for a couple of days, but they will not retrieve or produce it unless there is a court order. But one cannot stop anyone from snooping around.
People should also be careful about using their cell phones while they have other tasks at hand. Many road accidents have been blamed on motorists who use their cell phones—composing text messages, for instance—while driving. I read with amusement a report about a person who fell into a canal because he was texting while walking.
One of the most effective message against driving while using ones cell phone is a video produced by the British Government of a teenage girl who was involved in a fatal accident.
The video, a graphic reenactment of that bloody accident, was posted on YouTube to warn people of the dangers of driving while using one’s cell phone.
Source: The Sunstar Cebu
So, I think it is only expected that the world’s largest cell phone company, Nokia, will be introducing their own netbook.
After all, the line between a cell phone and a notebook in terms of functionality has started to become blurred. Cell phones with full QWERTY keyboards are coming out with regularity.
Nokia names its netbooks Booklet 3G. It is reported to have 3G connectivity, of course, and long battery life. It is also supposed to run Windows, something surprising because Nokia uses its own operating system Symbian in most of its products.
Post your prayers and condolences for Cory Aquino's family
As more and more cell phone companies are now bundling 3G data services and also netbooks, it only stands to reason that Nokia, which probably has one of the deepest relationships with telcos all over the world, would get into the game. Most probably, its netbooks will sold mainly through cell phone company subscriptions.
COURT EVIDENCE. On another note, it is interesting that SMS or text messages are now acceptable as evidence in France, particularly in divorce cases. France is known as having very difficult divorce laws, and people have to wait for years to get out of marriages, unless they can prove that their spouses have been misbehaving and/or mistreating them. Now, text messages that point to that will be acceptable as proof.
SMS messages are also starting to become acceptable as evidence of fraud and other crimes, such as defamation suits. So next time, think twice before sending that SMS. In Cebu, a person was accused of murder based on the messages in his cell phone.
Aside from exercising care in composing text messages, cell phone users should also make sure to delete messages or data that they do not want others to see. Most cell phone companies have text messages stored in their computers for a couple of days, but they will not retrieve or produce it unless there is a court order. But one cannot stop anyone from snooping around.
People should also be careful about using their cell phones while they have other tasks at hand. Many road accidents have been blamed on motorists who use their cell phones—composing text messages, for instance—while driving. I read with amusement a report about a person who fell into a canal because he was texting while walking.
One of the most effective message against driving while using ones cell phone is a video produced by the British Government of a teenage girl who was involved in a fatal accident.
The video, a graphic reenactment of that bloody accident, was posted on YouTube to warn people of the dangers of driving while using one’s cell phone.
Source: The Sunstar Cebu
Good infra supports SMEs
LOCAL governments play an important role in the development of the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector.
“Local governments have the power to (provide) the requirements of the SMEs, produce an environment where SMEs can thrive and make it on their own,” said Siegfried Herzog, resident representative of Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty in the Philippines.
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To enable SMEs to establish themselves and grow, good basics—strong institutions, good infrastructure, vocational training and higher education—must be in place, he said.
“Good basics are more important to SMEs than government subsidies,” he said.
Herzog was a speaker at the Sun.Star Economic Forum 2009 held yesterday at the Casino Espanol de Cebu, Cebu City. In his talk, Herzog discussed factors that made Germany a nation of SMEs.
In Germany, he said, SMEs are active in foreign trade as they produce more than 20 percent of exports.
Clean bureaucracy
As of 2003, there were 3.38 million SMEs with about 20 million employees.
The sector is being supported by key institutions, characterized by efficient property rights, clean bureaucracy and a strong tradition of spatial planning. He added that strong institutions—which takes care of land development, business permits and other SME needs—limit political patronage.
Strong local governments, he said, work to the advantage of SME.
Infrastructure is also “crucially important” to the development of SMEs, allowing them to grow and operate efficiently even in areas that are far from capital cities.
Herzog said that if the road networks of a country are bad, companies would likely cluster near seaport and airports.
He said good infrastructure leads the development of cheap and plentiful commercial land, and lowers transaction costs dramatically, which benefits SMEs.
“(SMEs do not) need to be close to the state government because the needed services and infrastructure are being provided by the local governments, especially by the municipalities,” he said.
Another basic factor affecting SME growth is the combination of entrepreneurial spirit and technical knowledge on how to produce goods and services. In Germany, where public and private sector partnership is practiced early, vocational training is supported and partly funded by the government but run and managed by the chambers of commerce.
“The real action is private sector for the private sector.
Bureaucrats have no idea about the needs of the private sector.
They can support and fund programs to meet (SME) needs,” said Herzog.
He pointed out that vocational training becomes a source of cheap labor, especially for SMEs. He added that since the companies’ needs dictate the training curriculum, trainees end up with the right set of skills for industry.
Through higher education, Herzog added, science and technology continues to be key factors in Germany’s development.
SMEs in Germany are also assisted by the country’s strong anti-monopoly laws, business cluster development, support of the chambers of commerce, and promotion of competition to breed competitiveness.
Source: The Sunstar Daily Cebu
“Local governments have the power to (provide) the requirements of the SMEs, produce an environment where SMEs can thrive and make it on their own,” said Siegfried Herzog, resident representative of Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty in the Philippines.
Post your prayers and condolences for Cory Aquino's family
To enable SMEs to establish themselves and grow, good basics—strong institutions, good infrastructure, vocational training and higher education—must be in place, he said.
“Good basics are more important to SMEs than government subsidies,” he said.
Herzog was a speaker at the Sun.Star Economic Forum 2009 held yesterday at the Casino Espanol de Cebu, Cebu City. In his talk, Herzog discussed factors that made Germany a nation of SMEs.
In Germany, he said, SMEs are active in foreign trade as they produce more than 20 percent of exports.
Clean bureaucracy
As of 2003, there were 3.38 million SMEs with about 20 million employees.
The sector is being supported by key institutions, characterized by efficient property rights, clean bureaucracy and a strong tradition of spatial planning. He added that strong institutions—which takes care of land development, business permits and other SME needs—limit political patronage.
Strong local governments, he said, work to the advantage of SME.
Infrastructure is also “crucially important” to the development of SMEs, allowing them to grow and operate efficiently even in areas that are far from capital cities.
Herzog said that if the road networks of a country are bad, companies would likely cluster near seaport and airports.
He said good infrastructure leads the development of cheap and plentiful commercial land, and lowers transaction costs dramatically, which benefits SMEs.
“(SMEs do not) need to be close to the state government because the needed services and infrastructure are being provided by the local governments, especially by the municipalities,” he said.
Another basic factor affecting SME growth is the combination of entrepreneurial spirit and technical knowledge on how to produce goods and services. In Germany, where public and private sector partnership is practiced early, vocational training is supported and partly funded by the government but run and managed by the chambers of commerce.
“The real action is private sector for the private sector.
Bureaucrats have no idea about the needs of the private sector.
They can support and fund programs to meet (SME) needs,” said Herzog.
He pointed out that vocational training becomes a source of cheap labor, especially for SMEs. He added that since the companies’ needs dictate the training curriculum, trainees end up with the right set of skills for industry.
Through higher education, Herzog added, science and technology continues to be key factors in Germany’s development.
SMEs in Germany are also assisted by the country’s strong anti-monopoly laws, business cluster development, support of the chambers of commerce, and promotion of competition to breed competitiveness.
Source: The Sunstar Daily Cebu
Gov’t looks for site for Cebu showroom
THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 7 and the Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC) are looking for a strategic location in Cebu for the planned permanent display center of Cebu furniture and house ware.
DTI 7 Director Asteria Caberte said the ideal spot for the center—a permanent display showroom—should be along the road going to the airport since its target market would include tourists.
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She said P15 million will be allotted for the display showroom that will make Cebuano furniture exports easily and immediately available to domestic and international buyers.
To house a wide array of products and services, the showroom’s ideal area size should be about 1,000 square meters, she said. However, she admitted that while the budget is obligated for 2009, the center may not be completed this year.
In an earlier interview, PITC president Jorge Mendoza Judan said the DTI and PITC want to create a product depot for export companies, as well as service providers within the small and medium enterprise (SME) category in Cebu after the launching of a similar trade house in Manila this month.
This permanent display showroom and trade house, he said, will save manufacturers of furniture, house ware, and house decors from incurring freight and warehousing costs for orders going to foreign markets, like Russia, since the PITC will assist them in the logistics.
Caberte stressed that the permanent display center will not only be limited to Russians but also to other tourists and to the domestic market.
She said one of the export-related sectors will manage the center. She pointed out that management is the core competence of the private sector.
The products that will be displayed at the center, she said, will depend on the business judgment of the export companies.
Source: The Sunstar Daily Cebu
DTI 7 Director Asteria Caberte said the ideal spot for the center—a permanent display showroom—should be along the road going to the airport since its target market would include tourists.
Post your prayers and condolences for Cory Aquino's family
She said P15 million will be allotted for the display showroom that will make Cebuano furniture exports easily and immediately available to domestic and international buyers.
To house a wide array of products and services, the showroom’s ideal area size should be about 1,000 square meters, she said. However, she admitted that while the budget is obligated for 2009, the center may not be completed this year.
In an earlier interview, PITC president Jorge Mendoza Judan said the DTI and PITC want to create a product depot for export companies, as well as service providers within the small and medium enterprise (SME) category in Cebu after the launching of a similar trade house in Manila this month.
This permanent display showroom and trade house, he said, will save manufacturers of furniture, house ware, and house decors from incurring freight and warehousing costs for orders going to foreign markets, like Russia, since the PITC will assist them in the logistics.
Caberte stressed that the permanent display center will not only be limited to Russians but also to other tourists and to the domestic market.
She said one of the export-related sectors will manage the center. She pointed out that management is the core competence of the private sector.
The products that will be displayed at the center, she said, will depend on the business judgment of the export companies.
Source: The Sunstar Daily Cebu
RP’s BPO industry creates demand for human resource practitioners
THE Commission on Information and Communication Technology (CICT) is seeing a demand for new service skills in the country’s business process outsourcing (BPO) industry with the onset of the global economic crisis, where more multinational industries are outsourcing functions to cut costs.
CICT Commissioner Mon-chito Ibrahim, in an interview with reporters following the opening ceremonies of the commission’s roadshow last Tuesday, said there is a “sudden” need for human resource practitioners who can handle a company’s back office functions, ranging from salary administration to compensation and benefits.
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At present, he said, there are over 2,000 vacant positions for human resource (HR) practitioners nationwide.
In a separate interview, Dr. Gregg Gabison, who represented the Cebu Education Development Foundation for Information Technology (Cedf-it), said that in the province there is also a demand for application developers of systematic and specialized needs of foreign companies.
He said the demand for workers with information technology (IT) skills, on the other hand, can be answered by the 3,000 annual graduates in Cebu, 40 percent of whom get hired as software developers.
However, Ibrahim said BPO companies are experiencing difficulties in filling out vacancies for HR positions since there are only a few HR professionals in the country.
He said there are only six universities in the Philippines that offer human resource as an academic program and most industry practitioners have degrees in psychology.
“With this, our HR practitioners are good in the organizational side but weak in HR work,” he added.
Ibrahim also said that students should start looking at human resource courses since the demand is expected to increase.
Although the biggest sub-sector in the BPO industry remains to be the call center group, Ibrahim said that it is not longer considered the fastest growing.
Aside from back office services—that include HR functions, accounting and financial service—the next top emerging sub-sectors are engineering services and software development.
Ibrahim said that last year the software development sub-sector was able to generate more than $600 million in revenues. The software development group is targeting to raise its revenue contribution to $1 billion in 2010.
Source: The Sunstar Daily Cebu
CICT Commissioner Mon-chito Ibrahim, in an interview with reporters following the opening ceremonies of the commission’s roadshow last Tuesday, said there is a “sudden” need for human resource practitioners who can handle a company’s back office functions, ranging from salary administration to compensation and benefits.
Post your prayers and condolences for Cory Aquino's family
At present, he said, there are over 2,000 vacant positions for human resource (HR) practitioners nationwide.
In a separate interview, Dr. Gregg Gabison, who represented the Cebu Education Development Foundation for Information Technology (Cedf-it), said that in the province there is also a demand for application developers of systematic and specialized needs of foreign companies.
He said the demand for workers with information technology (IT) skills, on the other hand, can be answered by the 3,000 annual graduates in Cebu, 40 percent of whom get hired as software developers.
However, Ibrahim said BPO companies are experiencing difficulties in filling out vacancies for HR positions since there are only a few HR professionals in the country.
He said there are only six universities in the Philippines that offer human resource as an academic program and most industry practitioners have degrees in psychology.
“With this, our HR practitioners are good in the organizational side but weak in HR work,” he added.
Ibrahim also said that students should start looking at human resource courses since the demand is expected to increase.
Although the biggest sub-sector in the BPO industry remains to be the call center group, Ibrahim said that it is not longer considered the fastest growing.
Aside from back office services—that include HR functions, accounting and financial service—the next top emerging sub-sectors are engineering services and software development.
Ibrahim said that last year the software development sub-sector was able to generate more than $600 million in revenues. The software development group is targeting to raise its revenue contribution to $1 billion in 2010.
Source: The Sunstar Daily Cebu
Real estate ‘doing well’
THE real estate industry in Cebu has been doing well despite the economic slowdown, said brokers during the opening of a housing project in Lapu-Lapu City last.
“People are cautious now. We all have learned lessons from the Asian crisis. We did our homework and that was to correct the wrong things done in the past. That’s why we (industry) are not that much affected by the crisis,” said Guy Teves of Teves Realty.
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He said the industry has implemented stringent policies in granting loans. “We don’t just allow people to get a loan unless they are qualified borrowers,” added.
The real estate industry experienced a slowdown during the Asian financial crisis in 1997, when real estate projects were temporarily put off.
Despite the present economic crisis, brokers consider real estate to be a worthwhile investment and Cebu City as a strategic location.
“In times like this, instead of putting your money in banks, we find practical ways to secure our money and putting up houses or residences is a more practical way because there will always be end-users who need homes,” said Gladys Ceniza, of Market Works Asia Inc., the marketing arm of property developer Simon Enterprises Group.
Teves said Cebu is practically next to Manila in terms of market potential. People from neighboring provinces seek employment in industrial companies in Cebu and they would need homes, he added.
Source: The Sunstar Daily Cebu
“People are cautious now. We all have learned lessons from the Asian crisis. We did our homework and that was to correct the wrong things done in the past. That’s why we (industry) are not that much affected by the crisis,” said Guy Teves of Teves Realty.
Post your prayers and condolences for Cory Aquino's family
He said the industry has implemented stringent policies in granting loans. “We don’t just allow people to get a loan unless they are qualified borrowers,” added.
The real estate industry experienced a slowdown during the Asian financial crisis in 1997, when real estate projects were temporarily put off.
Despite the present economic crisis, brokers consider real estate to be a worthwhile investment and Cebu City as a strategic location.
“In times like this, instead of putting your money in banks, we find practical ways to secure our money and putting up houses or residences is a more practical way because there will always be end-users who need homes,” said Gladys Ceniza, of Market Works Asia Inc., the marketing arm of property developer Simon Enterprises Group.
Teves said Cebu is practically next to Manila in terms of market potential. People from neighboring provinces seek employment in industrial companies in Cebu and they would need homes, he added.
Source: The Sunstar Daily Cebu
Sustainable and healthy grocery shopping
CEBU, Philippines - One time I decided to buy a shoe polish from one of the supermarkets in uptown Cebu. What was supposed to be a less than a hundred quick-drop-by-the-supermarket became a shopping spree that brought my total to P4,000!
For someone like me, who technically has no hullabaloo when it comes to lifestyle or who simply depends on the neighborhood carenderia for my meals, this was a bit on the too much side.
Reflecting on the experience, I came to realize that many single guys admittedly don’t know how to shop on a budget. We conveniently put on the cart anything and everything that would attract us as we go along the aisle. Well, at least those that we could put on the cart (pun intended).
Some don’t even stop to look at the labels, which, by the way I’ve learned and come to enjoy when I attempted to become a vegetarian. Which leads me to another dilemma: Just how many of the items we put on our cart are considered to be healthy? And with the health issue, comes the climate change issue, which would delve on sustainability.
Got you confused? Well, why don’t I just walk you through the grocery aisle and let us shop sustainably and healthily. Here are five tips that you may find helpful the next time you decide to drop by the supermarket:
1.Make a grocery list and stick to it.
You’d probably have heard of this from countless of get-your-finances-straight gurus. But this somewhat simple tip always slips out of everybody’s mind the moment they decide to drop by the supermarket. Sometimes, going grocery shopping is done out of convenience – you’re already in the mall, so why not drop by the supermarket? But the thing is, simply deciding on a day to do your groceries would help you from overspending on things that you do not actually need. And yes, don’t go grocery shopping when your hungry, because the tendency is, you tend to buy more than what you actually need.
2.Take advantage of promos and discounts.
Buying in bulk is a good advice if you can afford to buy the biggest size. If not, then go to the promo aisle where you can check out the bundles that carry free promotional items. Of course, you would need to check the expiration date, and make sure you have enough time to consume all of it before it spoils. Some stores have ads in newspapers or brochures that scream of deals. Check them out before making your grocery list.
3.How about a healthy grocery list?
Decide on a healthy grocery list. This would include fresh fruits and vegetables; whole grain bread, pasta or cereals (as opposed to those made of white flour); vegetable-based protein sources like tofu, nuts and legumes; and less on the processed products which contain lots of sodium. When it comes to dairy products, well, you can try out the vegetable-based ones like soya milk or soya butter. Or you can choose to go light. According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), milk, especially those sourced from dairy farms, contain pus and pasteurization is not an assurance that pus will be removed. PETA further argues that cow’s milk is a major mucus producer, citing the opinion of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and other experts.
4.And a sustainable grocery list?
The issue of climate change is real and it is already being felt closer to our doors, with Baguio City’s hailstorms, large waves that wiped out houses along the coast of Talisay City, or floods that are increasingly becoming a frequent occurrence in the city and in neighboring towns and islands. So, reality is, its time for us to go sustainable and this means preferring locally grown and processed products over the imported ones. This decreases our carbon footprint, as transporting local goods would not entail a thousand kilometers worth of fossil fuel. Plus, we are not only assured of their freshness, we would also be helping our local entrepreneurs to grow. So, come on, let’s do our share for the community.
b
The reason why most of us don’t bother to look at the label is because we don’t really know how to read them. Labels are actually very easy to read. First you can check out the nutritional value, where you would see if what you are getting is good for your health or is simply junk laced with vitamins and minerals. The nutrition label would also tell you the serving size of the product, the number of servings that each container would have, the calories per serving, and the essential vitamins and minerals that the product actually has. Usually, it’s based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
And then you can also check out the ingredients. For vegetarians, this is a must, as you would need to know if the product you are buying has animal derivatives. Did you know that Cheez Whiz has anchovies? After that you can check other labels like if it is Fair Trade certified, organic certified or if it has the green mark.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
For someone like me, who technically has no hullabaloo when it comes to lifestyle or who simply depends on the neighborhood carenderia for my meals, this was a bit on the too much side.
Reflecting on the experience, I came to realize that many single guys admittedly don’t know how to shop on a budget. We conveniently put on the cart anything and everything that would attract us as we go along the aisle. Well, at least those that we could put on the cart (pun intended).
Some don’t even stop to look at the labels, which, by the way I’ve learned and come to enjoy when I attempted to become a vegetarian. Which leads me to another dilemma: Just how many of the items we put on our cart are considered to be healthy? And with the health issue, comes the climate change issue, which would delve on sustainability.
Got you confused? Well, why don’t I just walk you through the grocery aisle and let us shop sustainably and healthily. Here are five tips that you may find helpful the next time you decide to drop by the supermarket:
1.Make a grocery list and stick to it.
You’d probably have heard of this from countless of get-your-finances-straight gurus. But this somewhat simple tip always slips out of everybody’s mind the moment they decide to drop by the supermarket. Sometimes, going grocery shopping is done out of convenience – you’re already in the mall, so why not drop by the supermarket? But the thing is, simply deciding on a day to do your groceries would help you from overspending on things that you do not actually need. And yes, don’t go grocery shopping when your hungry, because the tendency is, you tend to buy more than what you actually need.
2.Take advantage of promos and discounts.
Buying in bulk is a good advice if you can afford to buy the biggest size. If not, then go to the promo aisle where you can check out the bundles that carry free promotional items. Of course, you would need to check the expiration date, and make sure you have enough time to consume all of it before it spoils. Some stores have ads in newspapers or brochures that scream of deals. Check them out before making your grocery list.
3.How about a healthy grocery list?
Decide on a healthy grocery list. This would include fresh fruits and vegetables; whole grain bread, pasta or cereals (as opposed to those made of white flour); vegetable-based protein sources like tofu, nuts and legumes; and less on the processed products which contain lots of sodium. When it comes to dairy products, well, you can try out the vegetable-based ones like soya milk or soya butter. Or you can choose to go light. According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), milk, especially those sourced from dairy farms, contain pus and pasteurization is not an assurance that pus will be removed. PETA further argues that cow’s milk is a major mucus producer, citing the opinion of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and other experts.
4.And a sustainable grocery list?
The issue of climate change is real and it is already being felt closer to our doors, with Baguio City’s hailstorms, large waves that wiped out houses along the coast of Talisay City, or floods that are increasingly becoming a frequent occurrence in the city and in neighboring towns and islands. So, reality is, its time for us to go sustainable and this means preferring locally grown and processed products over the imported ones. This decreases our carbon footprint, as transporting local goods would not entail a thousand kilometers worth of fossil fuel. Plus, we are not only assured of their freshness, we would also be helping our local entrepreneurs to grow. So, come on, let’s do our share for the community.
b
The reason why most of us don’t bother to look at the label is because we don’t really know how to read them. Labels are actually very easy to read. First you can check out the nutritional value, where you would see if what you are getting is good for your health or is simply junk laced with vitamins and minerals. The nutrition label would also tell you the serving size of the product, the number of servings that each container would have, the calories per serving, and the essential vitamins and minerals that the product actually has. Usually, it’s based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
And then you can also check out the ingredients. For vegetarians, this is a must, as you would need to know if the product you are buying has animal derivatives. Did you know that Cheez Whiz has anchovies? After that you can check other labels like if it is Fair Trade certified, organic certified or if it has the green mark.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
An Update on the Rotary Club of Cebu
CEBU, Philippines - The Rotary Club of Cebu, the second oldest club in the Philippines recently held its 77th Induction Ceremonies at the Grand Ballroom of the Cebu City Marriott Hotel.
Justice Isaac Dicdican inducted the new set of officers with Bonifacio Belen as president, Jose Soberano III as president elect and vice president, Jerico Sungahid as secretary and Serge Romero as treasurer.
Board of Directors, Shigejiro Onda, Jensen Chow, Oscar Jereza Jr., George Chan, Joe Gapas and Edward Onglatco complete the line up.
Also inducted as new members of the club by President Bonifacio Belen were Jess Alcordo and Oran John Peck. Past President Ibarra Panopia performed the traditional charging of the new members.
Antonio Jose Torralba, Ph.D member, Board of Trustees of the University of Asia and the Pacific was guest of honor and keynote speaker.
Outgoing president Teodoro Gonzales Jr. in his valedictory address thanked the Rotarians for their support and team effort which resulted in significant accomplishments in the club’s many laudable projects.
Gonzalez likewise reminisced on his mentor the late Dodong Chan who aptly stated when he was charged into the club years ago “No man has ever put into Rotary more than what he can get out of it. But your dividends will be the joy of having served and the satisfaction of a job well done”. Gonzalez expressed his gratitude for the dividends of joy and satisfaction he received during his presidency.
President Belen in his acceptance speech assured the members that he would endeavor to sustain and further ennoble the standard of service during his term. The RI Presidential Theme for the year “The Future of Rotary is in Your Hands”, shall be a guiding spirit behind the goals he has set for himself and the club.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
Justice Isaac Dicdican inducted the new set of officers with Bonifacio Belen as president, Jose Soberano III as president elect and vice president, Jerico Sungahid as secretary and Serge Romero as treasurer.
Board of Directors, Shigejiro Onda, Jensen Chow, Oscar Jereza Jr., George Chan, Joe Gapas and Edward Onglatco complete the line up.
Also inducted as new members of the club by President Bonifacio Belen were Jess Alcordo and Oran John Peck. Past President Ibarra Panopia performed the traditional charging of the new members.
Antonio Jose Torralba, Ph.D member, Board of Trustees of the University of Asia and the Pacific was guest of honor and keynote speaker.
Outgoing president Teodoro Gonzales Jr. in his valedictory address thanked the Rotarians for their support and team effort which resulted in significant accomplishments in the club’s many laudable projects.
Gonzalez likewise reminisced on his mentor the late Dodong Chan who aptly stated when he was charged into the club years ago “No man has ever put into Rotary more than what he can get out of it. But your dividends will be the joy of having served and the satisfaction of a job well done”. Gonzalez expressed his gratitude for the dividends of joy and satisfaction he received during his presidency.
President Belen in his acceptance speech assured the members that he would endeavor to sustain and further ennoble the standard of service during his term. The RI Presidential Theme for the year “The Future of Rotary is in Your Hands”, shall be a guiding spirit behind the goals he has set for himself and the club.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
Management assures stable power supply
CEBU, Philippines - Majority of the members of the SPC Independent Union are in favor of the plan to stage a strike, as revealed by the results of the union’s strike voting yesterday.
But the top officials of Salcon Power Corporation and the National Power Corporation continue to assure the electricity consumers that there will be no power supply shortage in Cebu.
“Reliable supply of electricity is our mandate. The SPC Power Corp. and the National Power Corporation (NPC) are going the extra mile to ensure continued operations,” assured SPC Corporation president Dennis Villareal and National Power Corporation president Froilan A. Tampinco.
SPIU union president Gaudioso Iso said that during their strike voting yesterday, 91 of their 109 union members voted yes to strike, five voted no and one ballot was declared spoiled.
Iso said the results show that the workers are now ready to go on a strike. The results of the strike voting will be submitted to the National Conciliation and Mediation Board, where the management and the union will have another round of mediation on August 28.
After the submission of the strike vote, the union has still to wait for a seven-day cooling-off period before they will be allowed to go on strike.
“But there is a possibility that we will not pursue with the strike if we can have a win-win solution,” Iso said.
Villareal and Tampinco added that “we need to keep the five power plants inside the Naga complex up and running. This is our commitment to the people of Cebu and the Visayas.” They asked union officials to be reasonable and refrain from plunging the whole Visayas into darkness.
The personnel from the NPC will augment SPC employees who are expected to be true to their commitment to serve first and foremost along with members of the SPC supervisors’ union.
Meanwhile, Alfredo S. Ballesteros, Senior VP for administration and finance and chief of the management-negotiating panel, assured that the rights and welfare even of protesting employees shall be respected.
“While management laments the current stand of our rank and file union leadership in pushing for a strike to achieve their demands, we still consider them our employees who continue to enjoy rights and privileges as long as they do not violate the law,” he said.
Ballesteros added that the longer the rank-and-file union refuses to go back to the negotiating table for their demands, the shorter the period that members would enjoy the benefits that management is willing to grant considering that their contract with the NPC is only until March 2012.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
But the top officials of Salcon Power Corporation and the National Power Corporation continue to assure the electricity consumers that there will be no power supply shortage in Cebu.
“Reliable supply of electricity is our mandate. The SPC Power Corp. and the National Power Corporation (NPC) are going the extra mile to ensure continued operations,” assured SPC Corporation president Dennis Villareal and National Power Corporation president Froilan A. Tampinco.
SPIU union president Gaudioso Iso said that during their strike voting yesterday, 91 of their 109 union members voted yes to strike, five voted no and one ballot was declared spoiled.
Iso said the results show that the workers are now ready to go on a strike. The results of the strike voting will be submitted to the National Conciliation and Mediation Board, where the management and the union will have another round of mediation on August 28.
After the submission of the strike vote, the union has still to wait for a seven-day cooling-off period before they will be allowed to go on strike.
“But there is a possibility that we will not pursue with the strike if we can have a win-win solution,” Iso said.
Villareal and Tampinco added that “we need to keep the five power plants inside the Naga complex up and running. This is our commitment to the people of Cebu and the Visayas.” They asked union officials to be reasonable and refrain from plunging the whole Visayas into darkness.
The personnel from the NPC will augment SPC employees who are expected to be true to their commitment to serve first and foremost along with members of the SPC supervisors’ union.
Meanwhile, Alfredo S. Ballesteros, Senior VP for administration and finance and chief of the management-negotiating panel, assured that the rights and welfare even of protesting employees shall be respected.
“While management laments the current stand of our rank and file union leadership in pushing for a strike to achieve their demands, we still consider them our employees who continue to enjoy rights and privileges as long as they do not violate the law,” he said.
Ballesteros added that the longer the rank-and-file union refuses to go back to the negotiating table for their demands, the shorter the period that members would enjoy the benefits that management is willing to grant considering that their contract with the NPC is only until March 2012.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
PB needs to go to court to recover money paid
CEBU, Philippines - Provincial Board Member Victor Maambong is trying to motivate his colleagues in the provincial government to go “inside court proceedings” to ensure the recovery of the millions of pesos it paid for the purchase of a 25-hectare property in Naga in which a portion was found to be a public domain for being submerged in seawater and planted with mangroves.
Maambong, who co-authored the provincial board resolution granting authority to Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to purchase the property in 2008, said the provincial government can ask for a freeze order from the court where the estate proceeding of the property is pending.
According to Maambong, they can file the necessary pleadings to the Regional Trial Court Branch 6 where the estate proceeding is pending asking that the amount paid by the Capitol for the 25-hectares lot in Barangay Tinaan, Naga be frozen until the controversy is resolved.
The provincial government is asking for a refund of the P37.8 million it paid for the 9.4 hectares that was found to be submerged based on their survey.
The court-appointed executor of the Balili estate, lawyer Romeo Balili, who appeared before the provincial board last Monday said, the widow, Amparo Balili, who owns majority of the sold property is willing to refund the amount.
However, Maambong said they have to be assured that the money is still there for them to be able to recover it. The Capitol payment which was made thru a check was deposited by Balili to his personal bank account.
The first check amounting to P49.8 million issued on April 28, 2008 as partial payment for the property was deposited in account number 6100047569 while the second check of the same amount was also deposited in the account number 6100048050 all in the BDO accounts of Luis Balili.
Balili during the session assured the members of the board that the amount is still intact except that they have already paid P7 million for taxes to the Bureau of Internal revenue, P5 million court bond, P4 million as broker’s fee and P1 million for transfer tax and miscellaneous expenses.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
Maambong, who co-authored the provincial board resolution granting authority to Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to purchase the property in 2008, said the provincial government can ask for a freeze order from the court where the estate proceeding of the property is pending.
According to Maambong, they can file the necessary pleadings to the Regional Trial Court Branch 6 where the estate proceeding is pending asking that the amount paid by the Capitol for the 25-hectares lot in Barangay Tinaan, Naga be frozen until the controversy is resolved.
The provincial government is asking for a refund of the P37.8 million it paid for the 9.4 hectares that was found to be submerged based on their survey.
The court-appointed executor of the Balili estate, lawyer Romeo Balili, who appeared before the provincial board last Monday said, the widow, Amparo Balili, who owns majority of the sold property is willing to refund the amount.
However, Maambong said they have to be assured that the money is still there for them to be able to recover it. The Capitol payment which was made thru a check was deposited by Balili to his personal bank account.
The first check amounting to P49.8 million issued on April 28, 2008 as partial payment for the property was deposited in account number 6100047569 while the second check of the same amount was also deposited in the account number 6100048050 all in the BDO accounts of Luis Balili.
Balili during the session assured the members of the board that the amount is still intact except that they have already paid P7 million for taxes to the Bureau of Internal revenue, P5 million court bond, P4 million as broker’s fee and P1 million for transfer tax and miscellaneous expenses.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
Arroyo seeks signing of air pact with Russia
CEBU, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has reiterated the government’s commitment to pursue the pending air services agreement with Russia to help accelerate the country’s business climate.
Speaking at the 2009 Philippine-Russia Business Forum at the Cebu International Convention Center Friday night, President Arroyo appealed to the Russian Embassy and the Russian business community to make a follow up with the Russian Ministry of Transport on the agreement so it would be eventually signed.
The forum was attended by government officials and business leaders of the two countries.
The Arroyo administration has been pushing for Russia’s approval of the air pact as a vital component of its tourism program. The agreement is expected to boost Cebu’s tourism.
President Arroyo said she had asked Russian Embassy Charge d’ Affaires Sergei Shepilov, who was seated beside her during the forum, the reasons for the delay of the signing of the agreement.
“I will send my transportation minister anywhere, anytime so that the two ministers can sign the agreement together. I can just visualize how much tourism will grow then when we have that air agreement,” the President said in her 12-minute speech.
President Arroyo also noted the renewed ties between the Philippines and Russia through the staging of the economic forum in Cebu. She said the country is “privileged” to have such a relationship with one of the world’s largest economic powerhouses of the 21st century.
She said that the Philippines and Russia should work together to build a future based on “mutual trust, respect and understanding.”
The Russian government is seeking to invest in the country’s business process outsourcing (BPO) and mining sectors.
In June this year, President Arroyo made a three-day official visit to Russia which coincided with the 13th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
The country has already established 22 agreements with Russia on various matters since diplomatic relations were established with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1976.
Meanwhile, President Arroyo declared that the Philippines is now ready for an economic rebound, citing the resilience of the country’s financial system.
She said the Philippines had weathered the global crisis, stressing that it managed to counter the effects of the financial meltdown
“I would like to conclude that our economy is stable and strong. Inflation now is at the lowest in 22 years. And we are ready for the economic rebound especially with a new market, renewed ties and new ways of working together with Russia,” she said.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
Speaking at the 2009 Philippine-Russia Business Forum at the Cebu International Convention Center Friday night, President Arroyo appealed to the Russian Embassy and the Russian business community to make a follow up with the Russian Ministry of Transport on the agreement so it would be eventually signed.
The forum was attended by government officials and business leaders of the two countries.
The Arroyo administration has been pushing for Russia’s approval of the air pact as a vital component of its tourism program. The agreement is expected to boost Cebu’s tourism.
President Arroyo said she had asked Russian Embassy Charge d’ Affaires Sergei Shepilov, who was seated beside her during the forum, the reasons for the delay of the signing of the agreement.
“I will send my transportation minister anywhere, anytime so that the two ministers can sign the agreement together. I can just visualize how much tourism will grow then when we have that air agreement,” the President said in her 12-minute speech.
President Arroyo also noted the renewed ties between the Philippines and Russia through the staging of the economic forum in Cebu. She said the country is “privileged” to have such a relationship with one of the world’s largest economic powerhouses of the 21st century.
She said that the Philippines and Russia should work together to build a future based on “mutual trust, respect and understanding.”
The Russian government is seeking to invest in the country’s business process outsourcing (BPO) and mining sectors.
In June this year, President Arroyo made a three-day official visit to Russia which coincided with the 13th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
The country has already established 22 agreements with Russia on various matters since diplomatic relations were established with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1976.
Meanwhile, President Arroyo declared that the Philippines is now ready for an economic rebound, citing the resilience of the country’s financial system.
She said the Philippines had weathered the global crisis, stressing that it managed to counter the effects of the financial meltdown
“I would like to conclude that our economy is stable and strong. Inflation now is at the lowest in 22 years. And we are ready for the economic rebound especially with a new market, renewed ties and new ways of working together with Russia,” she said.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
New CARP law set for signing on Aug. 8
CEBU, Philippines - The reconciliation of House Bill 4077 and Senate Bill 2666 which both push for the extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program brought to existence a modified program now they called CARP with reforms, or CARPeR.
Scheduled to be signed into law on August 8, CARPeR provides for the extension of CARP into five more years with appropriate budget of P150 billion of which 60 percent is allotted for land distribution while the rest is for delivery of support services.
Under the CARPeR, the Land Acquisition and Distribution component of CARP will be implemented in five phases and has already started this month.
Phase 1 began last July 1, which involves all the remaining land above 50 hectares and all private agriculture land in excess of 50 hectares that are issued with notice of coverage on or before December 10, 2008 and also all Voluntary Land Transfer schemes submitted on or before June 30 this year.
“After June 30, there will be no more VLT. Only Compulsory Acquisition and Voluntary Offer to Sell will be recognized as modes for land acquisition. Phase 1 will be implemented from July 1 to December 30, 2010,” said Department of Agrarian Reform-7 regional director Rodolfo Inson.
Phase 2 will have two parts: the first part shall involve land holdings in excess of 24 to 50 hectares with NOC issued on or before December 10 last year.
The second part of phase 2 covers all remaining private agricultural lands in excess of 24 hectares whether or not with Notice of Coverage.
Phase 2 will begin one year from the effectivity date of CARPeR to be completed on December 31 next year.
Parcels of land in excess of 10 hectares will be covered under the first part of Phase 3. Its implementation will begin on January 2011 until December of 2012.
The second part of Phase 3 will cover those agricultural lands in excess of retention areas up to 10 hectares which will operate on January 2013 and must be completed on June 30, 2014.
In preparation of all of these, DAR-7 regional management has already scheduled a review and planning session and Municipal Agrarian Reform Officers assessments in the four provinces of the region.
The planning sessions and MARO assessment in Bohol were held last July 8 to 10, Cebu’s is set for July 26 to 28, Siquijor’s is for July 23 to 24 and August 25 to 27 in Negros Oriental.
The aim is to come up with a five-year plan and a redeployment plan for its personnel to cope up with the implementation phases.
DAR-7 still has a total Land Acquisition and Distribution balance of 56,711 hectares to be distributed until 2014.
For Phase 1, DAR-7will distribute the balance of 33,760 hectares which comprises of 3,621 hectares in Bohol, 11,121 hectares in Cebu, 18, 660 hectares in Negros Oriental and 359 hectares in Siquijor.
DAR-7 Information Officer Angelina Manubag assured the public, especially their clients, that the department is working out the plans and strategies to successfully implement the program as provided for under the new CARPeR.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
Scheduled to be signed into law on August 8, CARPeR provides for the extension of CARP into five more years with appropriate budget of P150 billion of which 60 percent is allotted for land distribution while the rest is for delivery of support services.
Under the CARPeR, the Land Acquisition and Distribution component of CARP will be implemented in five phases and has already started this month.
Phase 1 began last July 1, which involves all the remaining land above 50 hectares and all private agriculture land in excess of 50 hectares that are issued with notice of coverage on or before December 10, 2008 and also all Voluntary Land Transfer schemes submitted on or before June 30 this year.
“After June 30, there will be no more VLT. Only Compulsory Acquisition and Voluntary Offer to Sell will be recognized as modes for land acquisition. Phase 1 will be implemented from July 1 to December 30, 2010,” said Department of Agrarian Reform-7 regional director Rodolfo Inson.
Phase 2 will have two parts: the first part shall involve land holdings in excess of 24 to 50 hectares with NOC issued on or before December 10 last year.
The second part of phase 2 covers all remaining private agricultural lands in excess of 24 hectares whether or not with Notice of Coverage.
Phase 2 will begin one year from the effectivity date of CARPeR to be completed on December 31 next year.
Parcels of land in excess of 10 hectares will be covered under the first part of Phase 3. Its implementation will begin on January 2011 until December of 2012.
The second part of Phase 3 will cover those agricultural lands in excess of retention areas up to 10 hectares which will operate on January 2013 and must be completed on June 30, 2014.
In preparation of all of these, DAR-7 regional management has already scheduled a review and planning session and Municipal Agrarian Reform Officers assessments in the four provinces of the region.
The planning sessions and MARO assessment in Bohol were held last July 8 to 10, Cebu’s is set for July 26 to 28, Siquijor’s is for July 23 to 24 and August 25 to 27 in Negros Oriental.
The aim is to come up with a five-year plan and a redeployment plan for its personnel to cope up with the implementation phases.
DAR-7 still has a total Land Acquisition and Distribution balance of 56,711 hectares to be distributed until 2014.
For Phase 1, DAR-7will distribute the balance of 33,760 hectares which comprises of 3,621 hectares in Bohol, 11,121 hectares in Cebu, 18, 660 hectares in Negros Oriental and 359 hectares in Siquijor.
DAR-7 Information Officer Angelina Manubag assured the public, especially their clients, that the department is working out the plans and strategies to successfully implement the program as provided for under the new CARPeR.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
Was law violated in MOA signing?
CEBU, Philippines - Did Governor Gwendolyn Garcia commit a violation of law for making it appear that she signed the memorandum of agreement with the representatives of the Balili estate for the purchase of the controversial property when on the date that she supposedly signed and swore in the document before a notary public she was out of the country?
This question was raised after Garcia admitted that she was in Guam together with some of the board members for a sisterhood agreement on April 21, 2008.
This was the date she supposedly signed the MOA with Balili estate executor Romeo Balili and Amparo Balili, the widow of the late Engineer Luis Balili, for the purchase of the 25-hectare property in Tinaan, Naga.
Some of the lawyers are of the opinion that Garcia could be held liable for “making untruthful statements” in violation of the Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code otherwise known as falsification of public documents.
Other lawyers however believe that the violation is committed more by the notary public than the governor.
Lawyer Gloria Estenzo-Ramos, one of the two environmental activists who opened the Balili controversy, said that she believes that Garcia did not commit any violation for supposedly signing the MOA on the date she was actually out of the country.
Ramos explained that the legality of the document was not questioned and Garcia herself did not contest her signature.
But, Villa who notarized the MOA is at risk of facing an administrative case before the Supreme Court for violation of the notarial law.
According to Ramos, the notarial officer should have made sure that the signatory of the document sought to be notarized is present.
Lawyer Fritz Quiñanola also shared Ramos’ opinion saying that the governor enjoys the presumption of regularity.
Quiñanola also explained that it is usually the notary public that put the date of the document.
He added that the lawyer who notarized the MOA is in danger of facing an investigation from the Supreme Court. Quiñanola said there were already similar cases that the high tribunal suspended the lawyer.
Other lawyers who requested anonymity however said that Garcia signed the document under oath, which means that all her statements and declarations therein, including the date, should be true.
One of these lawyers used to handle a similar case wherein an employee of the Bureau of Internal Revenue was penalized by the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas.
The BIR employee was dismissed from service because of dishonesty and falsification of public document.
Returning the favor?
The Cebu City Council yesterday decided to ask the House of Representatives to conduct a congressional inquiry into the Balili lot purchase controversy.
North district Councilor Edgardo Labella convinced his fellow legislators during their session yesterday on why there should be a congressional inquiry to be conducted into the controversy, which he described as “talk of the town.”
Labella, former director of the Ombudsman-Visayas before he joined politics, explained that the law provides that even if the public officials responsible for the questionable purchase did not receive profits out of it, but they are still liable for violating the provisions of the anti-graft and corrupt practices act.
The graft investigators of the Visayas Ombudsman are already investigating the controversial purchase of the Balili lots.
Mayor Tomas R. Osmeña supports the move of the council.
“I will go along with it. I don’t mind being the rubberstamp of the City Council, but let me caution them that (3rd district Congressman) Pablo John Garcia will file a bill to amend the Constitution and make it constitutional to buy land under the sea,” the mayor said. —
Source: The Freeman Cebu
This question was raised after Garcia admitted that she was in Guam together with some of the board members for a sisterhood agreement on April 21, 2008.
This was the date she supposedly signed the MOA with Balili estate executor Romeo Balili and Amparo Balili, the widow of the late Engineer Luis Balili, for the purchase of the 25-hectare property in Tinaan, Naga.
Some of the lawyers are of the opinion that Garcia could be held liable for “making untruthful statements” in violation of the Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code otherwise known as falsification of public documents.
Other lawyers however believe that the violation is committed more by the notary public than the governor.
Lawyer Gloria Estenzo-Ramos, one of the two environmental activists who opened the Balili controversy, said that she believes that Garcia did not commit any violation for supposedly signing the MOA on the date she was actually out of the country.
Ramos explained that the legality of the document was not questioned and Garcia herself did not contest her signature.
But, Villa who notarized the MOA is at risk of facing an administrative case before the Supreme Court for violation of the notarial law.
According to Ramos, the notarial officer should have made sure that the signatory of the document sought to be notarized is present.
Lawyer Fritz Quiñanola also shared Ramos’ opinion saying that the governor enjoys the presumption of regularity.
Quiñanola also explained that it is usually the notary public that put the date of the document.
He added that the lawyer who notarized the MOA is in danger of facing an investigation from the Supreme Court. Quiñanola said there were already similar cases that the high tribunal suspended the lawyer.
Other lawyers who requested anonymity however said that Garcia signed the document under oath, which means that all her statements and declarations therein, including the date, should be true.
One of these lawyers used to handle a similar case wherein an employee of the Bureau of Internal Revenue was penalized by the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas.
The BIR employee was dismissed from service because of dishonesty and falsification of public document.
Returning the favor?
The Cebu City Council yesterday decided to ask the House of Representatives to conduct a congressional inquiry into the Balili lot purchase controversy.
North district Councilor Edgardo Labella convinced his fellow legislators during their session yesterday on why there should be a congressional inquiry to be conducted into the controversy, which he described as “talk of the town.”
Labella, former director of the Ombudsman-Visayas before he joined politics, explained that the law provides that even if the public officials responsible for the questionable purchase did not receive profits out of it, but they are still liable for violating the provisions of the anti-graft and corrupt practices act.
The graft investigators of the Visayas Ombudsman are already investigating the controversial purchase of the Balili lots.
Mayor Tomas R. Osmeña supports the move of the council.
“I will go along with it. I don’t mind being the rubberstamp of the City Council, but let me caution them that (3rd district Congressman) Pablo John Garcia will file a bill to amend the Constitution and make it constitutional to buy land under the sea,” the mayor said. —
Source: The Freeman Cebu
F&B service provider expects upbeat growth
CEBU, Philippines – Food and beverage service provider Cebu Hotel and Restaurant Solutions (CHRS) expects a positive growth this year as Cebu’s tourism industry continues to thrive amid the gloomy backdrop of a global financial meltdown.
CHRS is in the business of providing food and beverage products and services to the city’s consumer market specifically the food and hospitality sectors and other tourism-related industries.
Established February of last year, CHRS’ optimism is anchored on the province’s thriving tourism industry, which it has already successfully tapped.
CHRS is one of the many companies under the Cebu Country Farmers Market Inc., which also includes other companies like The Gustavian and The Artisan Gourmet Chef under its wing.
In an interview with its sales and marketing director Caroline H. Cañares, she said that CHRS started as a consumer of kitchen facilities for their own company’s chain of restaurant business but since they saw the huge potential market for this kind of services and products in Cebu, they started to cater to hotels, resorts, and restaurants selling their own fabricated products.
Now, CHRS is meeting the rising demand of new restaurants, bars, and clubs in the city for their professional kitchen facilities in their operations.
The company now designs and manufactures solutions for their every client’s needs ranging from complete stainless steel products, oven ranges, deep fryers, chilling units, toasters, bakery equipments as well as China Wares, glass wares, buffet wares, among others.
Cañares said that after they put up their own showroom in Mandaue City, they have had received positive feedbacks from their clientele making them achieve a good first year in terms of sales.
She said that despite having lean months, they still did not experience slowdown of sales even with today’s crisis because more new developments in the city still continue to come into shape.
“We were able to achieve our return of investment even for last year’s operation alone. Now 2009 is a promising year for us and because there is a crisis we are projecting conservative targets of 30 percent more of what we were able to rake in from last year,” said Cañares.
She said that more than just the hotel and restaurant industry, they are also eyeing the bakery sector, coffee shop industry and even households and small and medium entrepreneurs who are into canteens and catering services.
“We continue to explore and expand the market. There are several growth areas for us here considering the new developments in the area. Even with competition, we are sure that we can have a piece of that big market. There will always be business that will require our services,” said Cañares.
She said that after their apparent success in penetrating the Cebu market, they are already gearing up towards exploring other areas like the huge Luzon-based consumers.
Cañares said that they are looking at the possibility of putting up another showroom in Metro Manila soon that can service the huge market in Luzon.
Right now CHRS’ operations in Cebu is also servicing the client-base all over Visayas and Mindanao areas such as Iloilo, Caticlan, Tacloban, Davao, Dumaguete, Bacolod and Bohol.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
CHRS is in the business of providing food and beverage products and services to the city’s consumer market specifically the food and hospitality sectors and other tourism-related industries.
Established February of last year, CHRS’ optimism is anchored on the province’s thriving tourism industry, which it has already successfully tapped.
CHRS is one of the many companies under the Cebu Country Farmers Market Inc., which also includes other companies like The Gustavian and The Artisan Gourmet Chef under its wing.
In an interview with its sales and marketing director Caroline H. Cañares, she said that CHRS started as a consumer of kitchen facilities for their own company’s chain of restaurant business but since they saw the huge potential market for this kind of services and products in Cebu, they started to cater to hotels, resorts, and restaurants selling their own fabricated products.
Now, CHRS is meeting the rising demand of new restaurants, bars, and clubs in the city for their professional kitchen facilities in their operations.
The company now designs and manufactures solutions for their every client’s needs ranging from complete stainless steel products, oven ranges, deep fryers, chilling units, toasters, bakery equipments as well as China Wares, glass wares, buffet wares, among others.
Cañares said that after they put up their own showroom in Mandaue City, they have had received positive feedbacks from their clientele making them achieve a good first year in terms of sales.
She said that despite having lean months, they still did not experience slowdown of sales even with today’s crisis because more new developments in the city still continue to come into shape.
“We were able to achieve our return of investment even for last year’s operation alone. Now 2009 is a promising year for us and because there is a crisis we are projecting conservative targets of 30 percent more of what we were able to rake in from last year,” said Cañares.
She said that more than just the hotel and restaurant industry, they are also eyeing the bakery sector, coffee shop industry and even households and small and medium entrepreneurs who are into canteens and catering services.
“We continue to explore and expand the market. There are several growth areas for us here considering the new developments in the area. Even with competition, we are sure that we can have a piece of that big market. There will always be business that will require our services,” said Cañares.
She said that after their apparent success in penetrating the Cebu market, they are already gearing up towards exploring other areas like the huge Luzon-based consumers.
Cañares said that they are looking at the possibility of putting up another showroom in Metro Manila soon that can service the huge market in Luzon.
Right now CHRS’ operations in Cebu is also servicing the client-base all over Visayas and Mindanao areas such as Iloilo, Caticlan, Tacloban, Davao, Dumaguete, Bacolod and Bohol.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
April to July period: Commodity prices in Central
CEBU, Philippines - Prices of basic necessities and prime commodities in Central Visayas have dropped by an average of three percent from its prices three months ago, however remained comparatively higher against the prices in the same period of last year.
Based on the recent price monitoring report of the Department of Trade and Industry regional office, with Cebu City as the key city for the monitoring, data showed that prices of basic commodities in supermarkets and wet markets have remained stable for the month of July.
A can of sardines, which is now pegged at a standard retail price of P11.80 was sold three months ago at P12.40, which translates to a drop of 4.8 percent. However, the prevailing price is still relatively higher than the price a year ago, which was pegged at only P10.70.
Meanwhile, as prices of evaporated and condensed milk posted insignificant changes in its prices, the price of powdered filled milk posted a 13.4 percent increase from its price a year ago at P43.65 per 180 grams to P49.50 for the month of July this year.
Coffee refill, on the other hand, posted a 9.09 percent increase from P13.75 per 25 grams last year to P16.60 per 25 grams this year.
Prices of detergent soap posted the highest increase so far. A 420 gram laundry soap that sells for P16.50 last year is now pegged at P20.50 this year translating to a 24 percent increase.
A can of corn beef, which was sold three months ago at P30.50 now sells only for P29 in wet markets and P28.80 in supermarkets, an average drop of around five percent. However, vis-à-vis year ago prices, the prevailing price is still 10.68 percent higher.
Prices of luncheon meat posted a 10 percent increase from last April’s price of P24.50 compared to the prevailing price of P26.95 in supermarkets this month.
Prices of hard flour posted the biggest drop of 15 percent from its price of P950 per 25 kilogram last year to P800 per 25 kilogram this month. The price of flour also dropped by eight percent from three months ago, which was pegged at P870 per 25 kilogram.
With the dropping inflation, prices of basic necessities and commodities are expected to go down further in the coming months.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
Based on the recent price monitoring report of the Department of Trade and Industry regional office, with Cebu City as the key city for the monitoring, data showed that prices of basic commodities in supermarkets and wet markets have remained stable for the month of July.
A can of sardines, which is now pegged at a standard retail price of P11.80 was sold three months ago at P12.40, which translates to a drop of 4.8 percent. However, the prevailing price is still relatively higher than the price a year ago, which was pegged at only P10.70.
Meanwhile, as prices of evaporated and condensed milk posted insignificant changes in its prices, the price of powdered filled milk posted a 13.4 percent increase from its price a year ago at P43.65 per 180 grams to P49.50 for the month of July this year.
Coffee refill, on the other hand, posted a 9.09 percent increase from P13.75 per 25 grams last year to P16.60 per 25 grams this year.
Prices of detergent soap posted the highest increase so far. A 420 gram laundry soap that sells for P16.50 last year is now pegged at P20.50 this year translating to a 24 percent increase.
A can of corn beef, which was sold three months ago at P30.50 now sells only for P29 in wet markets and P28.80 in supermarkets, an average drop of around five percent. However, vis-à-vis year ago prices, the prevailing price is still 10.68 percent higher.
Prices of luncheon meat posted a 10 percent increase from last April’s price of P24.50 compared to the prevailing price of P26.95 in supermarkets this month.
Prices of hard flour posted the biggest drop of 15 percent from its price of P950 per 25 kilogram last year to P800 per 25 kilogram this month. The price of flour also dropped by eight percent from three months ago, which was pegged at P870 per 25 kilogram.
With the dropping inflation, prices of basic necessities and commodities are expected to go down further in the coming months.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
Security Bank confident to meet 25% growth target
CEBU, Philippines – The aggressive demand for consumer loans specifically in the Visayas and Mindanao market prompted Security Bank Corporation (SECB) to target higher growth performance with Security Bank president and chief executive officer (CEO) Alberto S. Villarosa, he said that the bank can easily achieve the 25 percent growth target for 2009 for its entire operations in Visayas and Mindanao, as the market shows increasing interest in availing consumer loan products, like car and housing loans.
Likewise, he said the bank has also seen an improvement of loans from the corporate market, from large corporations down to the SMEs (Small and Medium Entreprises).
He said this positive development that emerged against the backdrop of global meltdown, will push a good double digit growth for the company in 2009.
Villarosa also noted a positive development in the “savings culture” of Filipinos, saying that the bank has also welcomed the development of the capital market, which had been growing significantly in the last couple of years.
Security Bank, a publicly listed company, posted a 10 percent slowdown of its net income performance in the first quarter of 2009 to P750 million.
This level is better than the bank’s targets for the period and on track towards achieving its expected full year performance goals, said Villarosa
However, the bank was able to offset this performance, with a high 23 percent Return on Equity (ROE) versus the 19 percent ROE for the full year 2008, thus maintaining its track record for superior returns for its shareholders.
“We are very pleased with our first quarter business and financial results, specifically the significant and steady growth in our core businesses even as we prudently risk manage the earnings stream from our volatile trading activities, “he said
Villarosa said the bank’s core business continue to provide its solid foundation and fundamentally sound balance sheet and capital base with which to pursue the opportunities for the remainder of the year.
“While we recognize that the dislocation brought about the current global financial crisis has yet to fully stabilize, we continue to maintain an outlook of guarded optimism for the country and for Security Bank in particular,” he added.
The bank’s core businesses as reflected in the vibrant 38 percent growth of its loan portfolio to P67 billion and the 28 percent increase in its deposit base to P108 billion over the first quarter last year.
More significantly, the growth was accompanied by a 24 percent year-on-year increase in net interest income to P1.4 billion for the quarter.
In the last seven years, the bank poured its highest capital expenditure (capex) in spending about half-a-billion pesos for branch expansion and technology upgrade.
Villarosa said the bank is cautiously optimistic of the Philippine economic prospects, and there‘s no way to go, but to push on aggressive moves, saying “our biggest enemy is complacency.”
The bank’s P500 million capital expenditure for 2009, will be spent mostly in technology advancement of the banks growing 119 branches across the country, giving the optimum customer-service advantage to its clients.
In Cebu, the bank, already spent at least P30 million investments for the opening of three bank outlets, located in Banilad, North Road, and Tipolo in Mandaue City, making a total of five branches in Metro Cebu.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
Likewise, he said the bank has also seen an improvement of loans from the corporate market, from large corporations down to the SMEs (Small and Medium Entreprises).
He said this positive development that emerged against the backdrop of global meltdown, will push a good double digit growth for the company in 2009.
Villarosa also noted a positive development in the “savings culture” of Filipinos, saying that the bank has also welcomed the development of the capital market, which had been growing significantly in the last couple of years.
Security Bank, a publicly listed company, posted a 10 percent slowdown of its net income performance in the first quarter of 2009 to P750 million.
This level is better than the bank’s targets for the period and on track towards achieving its expected full year performance goals, said Villarosa
However, the bank was able to offset this performance, with a high 23 percent Return on Equity (ROE) versus the 19 percent ROE for the full year 2008, thus maintaining its track record for superior returns for its shareholders.
“We are very pleased with our first quarter business and financial results, specifically the significant and steady growth in our core businesses even as we prudently risk manage the earnings stream from our volatile trading activities, “he said
Villarosa said the bank’s core business continue to provide its solid foundation and fundamentally sound balance sheet and capital base with which to pursue the opportunities for the remainder of the year.
“While we recognize that the dislocation brought about the current global financial crisis has yet to fully stabilize, we continue to maintain an outlook of guarded optimism for the country and for Security Bank in particular,” he added.
The bank’s core businesses as reflected in the vibrant 38 percent growth of its loan portfolio to P67 billion and the 28 percent increase in its deposit base to P108 billion over the first quarter last year.
More significantly, the growth was accompanied by a 24 percent year-on-year increase in net interest income to P1.4 billion for the quarter.
In the last seven years, the bank poured its highest capital expenditure (capex) in spending about half-a-billion pesos for branch expansion and technology upgrade.
Villarosa said the bank is cautiously optimistic of the Philippine economic prospects, and there‘s no way to go, but to push on aggressive moves, saying “our biggest enemy is complacency.”
The bank’s P500 million capital expenditure for 2009, will be spent mostly in technology advancement of the banks growing 119 branches across the country, giving the optimum customer-service advantage to its clients.
In Cebu, the bank, already spent at least P30 million investments for the opening of three bank outlets, located in Banilad, North Road, and Tipolo in Mandaue City, making a total of five branches in Metro Cebu.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
Veterans bank posts 10% revenue growth in July
CEBU, Philippines - Despite the weak global financial landscape, Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) managed to post a 10 percent growth as of July this year, with over P51 billion revenues.
As of yearend 2008, the bank only posted P45 billion in revenues, this year PVB is expecting a turn-around.
The bank earmarks an estimated P2.2 billion in the next two years to open 15 branches across the country.
The P2.2 billion investment cost is calculated based on an average expenses incurred in a one building construction which is P15 million.
PVB president and chief executive officer (CEO) Ricardo A. Balbido Jr, in an earlier interview said that the bank is very liquid and in fact has excess capacity.
“This is a good indication of depositors’ strong confidence of the bank,” he said.
The aggressive expansion plan of the bank this year is primarily prompted by the approval of the Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas (BSP) for 15 new branch licenses.
Yesterday, the bank broke ground to officially kick off the construction of the four-story PVB building at the 1,200 square-meter property owned by the bank located at Osmeña Bouvelard.
PVB vice president Mike Villareal said PVB is expecting to formally inaugurate the building in Cebu before the end of this year.
The P28 million integrated-used building will provide value added services to veterans transacting with the bank, including medical clinics, outpatient diagnostic services, centralized disbursement of medicines, among others.
The new building which will be opened six months from now, will only use about 360 square-meters for the branch’s facility (a relocation from the Cebu Doctors’ branch), the rest will be dedicated for support services such as medical facilities, commercial outlets, and offices.
At present there are a total of 45 PVB branches nationwide. Two of which are located in Cebu, the branches near Cebu Doctors Hospital in Capitol Site, and in Mandaue City. These two branches in Cebu are servicing to over five thousand veterans.
The bank’s total resources grew by 25.3 percent to P45.59 billion by year-end 2008 compared to P36.4 billion in 2007.
According to Balbino, majority of the growth resulted from total deposits that grew by 25.3 percent to P37.1 billion from P29.6 billion year-on-year.
The bank’s total loan receivables ballooned by 38.5 percent to P19.1 billion as of December 31, 2009 from the P13.8 billion of the same period of the previous year.
Net income stood at P406 million for the year 2008, or a 23 percent decrease from the P528.6 million reported in 2007.
Sorce: The Freeman Cebu
As of yearend 2008, the bank only posted P45 billion in revenues, this year PVB is expecting a turn-around.
The bank earmarks an estimated P2.2 billion in the next two years to open 15 branches across the country.
The P2.2 billion investment cost is calculated based on an average expenses incurred in a one building construction which is P15 million.
PVB president and chief executive officer (CEO) Ricardo A. Balbido Jr, in an earlier interview said that the bank is very liquid and in fact has excess capacity.
“This is a good indication of depositors’ strong confidence of the bank,” he said.
The aggressive expansion plan of the bank this year is primarily prompted by the approval of the Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas (BSP) for 15 new branch licenses.
Yesterday, the bank broke ground to officially kick off the construction of the four-story PVB building at the 1,200 square-meter property owned by the bank located at Osmeña Bouvelard.
PVB vice president Mike Villareal said PVB is expecting to formally inaugurate the building in Cebu before the end of this year.
The P28 million integrated-used building will provide value added services to veterans transacting with the bank, including medical clinics, outpatient diagnostic services, centralized disbursement of medicines, among others.
The new building which will be opened six months from now, will only use about 360 square-meters for the branch’s facility (a relocation from the Cebu Doctors’ branch), the rest will be dedicated for support services such as medical facilities, commercial outlets, and offices.
At present there are a total of 45 PVB branches nationwide. Two of which are located in Cebu, the branches near Cebu Doctors Hospital in Capitol Site, and in Mandaue City. These two branches in Cebu are servicing to over five thousand veterans.
The bank’s total resources grew by 25.3 percent to P45.59 billion by year-end 2008 compared to P36.4 billion in 2007.
According to Balbino, majority of the growth resulted from total deposits that grew by 25.3 percent to P37.1 billion from P29.6 billion year-on-year.
The bank’s total loan receivables ballooned by 38.5 percent to P19.1 billion as of December 31, 2009 from the P13.8 billion of the same period of the previous year.
Net income stood at P406 million for the year 2008, or a 23 percent decrease from the P528.6 million reported in 2007.
Sorce: The Freeman Cebu
CICT dares IT sector to sustain top position
CEBU, Philippines -
The Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) throws a challenge to Cebu ICT stakeholders to sustain its number one position as “Emerging BPO hub” in the world, after the latter showed signs of being complacent.
“We hope to see revival of Cebu’s aggressiveness in promoting the province as BPO/ICT hub,” said CICT Commissioner Monchito B. Ibrahim during his speech on the recently concluded “ICT Convergence” held at the Cebu International Convention Center.
He said although some sectors in the industry like the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for IT (Cedfit) and the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) have been doing their own promotional events for ICT, there are also other opportunities that stakeholders have missed.
Ibrahim referred to the series of promotions organized by the CICT abroad, of which Cebu has not been very active in participating in.
“We’d like to see Cebu more participative in our promotions abroad,” he said adding that what are seen to be very active in their promotions are the next wave Cities like Davao and Cagayan de Oro.
For a year, Ibrahim said Cebu has not been very active in its ICT promotions, at least in joining nationwide efforts through different government initiatives.
Sustained efforts should be started by Cebu stakeholders in order not to lose the opportunity for improving from emerging to “emerged’ BPO destination in the world.
However, Ibrahim lauded Cebu’s efforts in pioneering the active stance in positioning itself as BPO/ICT destination, the reason why it was tagged as number one “Emerging BPO destination” globally.
“I think Cebu has done a tremendous work in achieving its position right now. But it has to be sustained. Cebu needs to spend time and efforts holding on, and improving its manpower pool,” he said.
In the beginning, Cebu has taken its lead. Thus, most second wave cities now are looking at Cebu as its model City. However, complacency might cause Cebu to plunge.
The Convergence 2009 is an ICT road show that is aimed at pursuing objectives according to CICT’s four strategic areas; Cyberservices, Human Capital Development, eGoverment Development and ICT Infrastructure.
The Cebu leg opened last August 25 to 26. The two-day road show supported by Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P) and Coordinating Council of Private Education Association (COCOPEA) aimed to highlight key programs such as; BPO-IT Career Caravan, Community eCenter Program, BizSpark, Service Science Management and Engineering, eSkwela, iSchools, Creative Content Development Project, Nettop ng Bayan, eLGU, eBayad and eSerbisyo, among others.
According to Ibrahim, CICT has make noise in putting pressure to Cebu stakeholders to avoid complacency, as other emerging BPO destinations in world, like Vietnam, China, Bangladesh, Mongolia and Indonesia are doing double time in attracting BPO market around the world.
It’s a good thing that the Philippines, particularly Cebu, has another attraction that also lures investors not only for its skilled and high qualified English speaking manpower pool but also for its tourism ingredient.
For his part, Cebu Investments and Promotions Center (CIPC) managing director Joel Mari S. Yu said that although Cebu’s promotion has been sustained, the problem now is the sluggish inquiries from the global investors caused by recession jitters.
Yu said Ibrahim is entitled to his own opinion in saying that “Cebu has been complacent in its promotions to sustain its number position as emerging BPO hub in the world.”—
Source: The Freeman Cebu
The Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) throws a challenge to Cebu ICT stakeholders to sustain its number one position as “Emerging BPO hub” in the world, after the latter showed signs of being complacent.
“We hope to see revival of Cebu’s aggressiveness in promoting the province as BPO/ICT hub,” said CICT Commissioner Monchito B. Ibrahim during his speech on the recently concluded “ICT Convergence” held at the Cebu International Convention Center.
He said although some sectors in the industry like the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for IT (Cedfit) and the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) have been doing their own promotional events for ICT, there are also other opportunities that stakeholders have missed.
Ibrahim referred to the series of promotions organized by the CICT abroad, of which Cebu has not been very active in participating in.
“We’d like to see Cebu more participative in our promotions abroad,” he said adding that what are seen to be very active in their promotions are the next wave Cities like Davao and Cagayan de Oro.
For a year, Ibrahim said Cebu has not been very active in its ICT promotions, at least in joining nationwide efforts through different government initiatives.
Sustained efforts should be started by Cebu stakeholders in order not to lose the opportunity for improving from emerging to “emerged’ BPO destination in the world.
However, Ibrahim lauded Cebu’s efforts in pioneering the active stance in positioning itself as BPO/ICT destination, the reason why it was tagged as number one “Emerging BPO destination” globally.
“I think Cebu has done a tremendous work in achieving its position right now. But it has to be sustained. Cebu needs to spend time and efforts holding on, and improving its manpower pool,” he said.
In the beginning, Cebu has taken its lead. Thus, most second wave cities now are looking at Cebu as its model City. However, complacency might cause Cebu to plunge.
The Convergence 2009 is an ICT road show that is aimed at pursuing objectives according to CICT’s four strategic areas; Cyberservices, Human Capital Development, eGoverment Development and ICT Infrastructure.
The Cebu leg opened last August 25 to 26. The two-day road show supported by Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P) and Coordinating Council of Private Education Association (COCOPEA) aimed to highlight key programs such as; BPO-IT Career Caravan, Community eCenter Program, BizSpark, Service Science Management and Engineering, eSkwela, iSchools, Creative Content Development Project, Nettop ng Bayan, eLGU, eBayad and eSerbisyo, among others.
According to Ibrahim, CICT has make noise in putting pressure to Cebu stakeholders to avoid complacency, as other emerging BPO destinations in world, like Vietnam, China, Bangladesh, Mongolia and Indonesia are doing double time in attracting BPO market around the world.
It’s a good thing that the Philippines, particularly Cebu, has another attraction that also lures investors not only for its skilled and high qualified English speaking manpower pool but also for its tourism ingredient.
For his part, Cebu Investments and Promotions Center (CIPC) managing director Joel Mari S. Yu said that although Cebu’s promotion has been sustained, the problem now is the sluggish inquiries from the global investors caused by recession jitters.
Yu said Ibrahim is entitled to his own opinion in saying that “Cebu has been complacent in its promotions to sustain its number position as emerging BPO hub in the world.”—
Source: The Freeman Cebu
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Resto eyes more outlets
A HOMEGROWN Mexican-inspired restaurant chain is eyeing a total of 10 outlets in the country before the end of the year.
Mooon Café, now owned and managed by Pages Holdings Inc., just opened its fourth company-owned outlet last Aug. 12 at Parkmall, Mandaue City.
The company is scheduled to open a fifth company-owned outlet in November this year at Robinsons Cybergate Cebu in Fuente Osmeña, Cebu City.
Yesterday, the first franchise outlet of Mooon Café opened in Cagayan de Oro City.
Franchised outlets are expected to open at the Grand Gaisano Mall Mactan in October, at Robinsons Mall Dumaguete City in November, at SM North Edsa in Quezon City in November and one in Davao City within the year.
“Having ten outlets by the end of the year is (achievable),” said Bunny Pages, chairman of Pages Holdings Inc.
The company bought Mooon Café from its original owners two years ago for about P700,000, invested P3 million for the renovation of the original branch located in Guadalupe, and reopened it in June 2007.
Pages Holdings executive vice president John Pages said their expansion experience with one of their businesses, Thirsty Juices and Shakes, has prepared them for the expansion of Mooon Café.
Growth factors
Bunny attributed the growth of the company’s first restaurant venture to their good food, affordable pricing and ambiance.
Young professionals and families continue to flock to the restaurant chain that is being managed by Charlie Pages.
John said the outlets’ strategic location is one factor in the success of the business.
The second branch opened at The Walk, at Asiatown IT (information technology) Park in June 2008 and third at The Terraces in Ayala Center Cebu in December last year.
The company invested at least P4 million for its fourth outlet at Parkmall, where it occupies 130 square meters. The outlet is designed with a capacity of 100 persons.
Pages Holdings continues to receive inquiries from potential franchises who want to open outlets in Manila where the challenge lies in “getting the right location” with plenty of foot traffic, Bunny said.
The company contracted RK Franchise Consultancy to help organize the restaurant’s franchising system.
Mooon Café’s franchise fee in Luzon is P1 million and P800,000 in the Visayas and Mindanao. Return on investment for franchise outlets is estimated to be 16 months.
Bunny disclosed that the company is open to franchisees who want to put up Mooon Café outlets outside the Philippines through a licensing scheme.
Apart from Thirsty and Mooon Café, Pages Holdings Inc. also owns and operates Playhouse Children’s Center, My Playroom Kids Care Center and Bright Academy.
It also acquired a 50-percent stake in Taters Snack League Cebu. It plans to open a second Taters outlet in Cebu at SM IMAX Theater in November.
NCR expands facility at the eBloc Tower
CEBU, Philippines -
Despite the fragile global economic landscape, one of the largest Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies in Cebu expanded its facility at the Asiatown IT Park.
NCR Cebu Development Center Inc., recently opened its latest office hub at the newly constructed eBloc Tower within the Asiatown IT Park, occupying a 6,974 square-meter office space.
“Our relationship with NCR is one which we have nurtured based on mutual trust, respectful partnership and shared vision for Cebu’s potential in terms of global growth,” said Cebu Property Ventures and Development Corporation (CPVDC) President Francis Monera, adding that the latest development by NCR “reaffirmed” the latter’s commitment to CPVDC.
NCR is an assisted-service and point-of-sale solutions in over 150 countries worldwide. Its core industries are financial and retail. The extensive NCR solutions portfolio also serves the travel, healthcare, food and hospitality, entertainment and gaming, and government and public sector industries
NCR has been a locator at the Asiatown IT Park since February 2004 when they first occupied 1,512-sq m space at the eOffice. The IT Park is owned and managed by Ayala Land Inc. subsidiary CPVDC.
Narinder Singh, Managing Director of NCR Cebu Development Center, Inc., in turn commended the relationship and projects built by CPVDC.
“It is a great company to work with, very professional and quality of work cannot be matched with any other builder,” Singh said.
Singh noted that the eBloc Tower offers “the biggest floor plate in Cebu,” which is required by the scale of their operations. “Its building has a design for fit-out without wasting too much space.”
With the eBloc Tower ideally located inside Cebu’s premier I.T. hub, Singh described the site as, “the best place without any problem of transportation and food facilities.”
The 12-story eBloc Tower is a project of Asian I-Office Properties, Inc., a special purpose vehicle created with the joint efforts and resources of CPVDC and the Ayala Land Inc. Corporate Business Group.
It sits on a 4,432-sq m lot near Globe Telecom Tower, Skyrise Building and CJRS. The building features redundant power and water supply, optimum telecommunications facilities, centralized sewage and a secure location, among others.
Earlier, CIPC managing director Joel Mari S. Yu said investors especially BPOs are still very cautious in pursuing their expansion plans, especially in putting up new locations, and sites.
However, Yu said despite this development, existing players in the BPO sector are still expanding their workforce and operations, which is good news for Cebuanos.
“BPO companies are still hiring,” he said adding that although there is no new investments, but expansion moves of locators here keep the economy in shape, amid the weak economic environment.
Fuente Triangle to build more condotel properties
CEBU, Philippines - The property development arm of J. King and Sons Inc., Fuente Triangle Realty Development, plans to develop at least two more multi-billion-peso condotel properties in the country in the next two years, eyeing the top tourism destinations in the country.
Fuente Triangle vice president for sales and marketing Jose Ma. H. Gianzon announced that the company will build condotel properties in Bohol and Tagaytay starting next year. This is on top of the company’s P5 billion investment projects already being built in Cebu and in Boracay Island.
The company plans to build a P1.2 billion sprawling condotel facility on its recently acquired property in Tagaytay. It also purchased a three-hectare lot on Panglao Island in Bohol province to establish the first condotel on the island.
According to Gianzon, the Richard King-led company will break ground its development project in Bohol early next year.
Also, the Crown Regency Group, the hotel management arm of the J. King and Son’s Inc., recently got the hotel management operation of two condotel facilities in Metro Manila, the Regalla Towers, and Melenia Towers, with a total of 255 units.
Gianzon said the company believes that the next big thing to happen in the Philippines will be the influx of condotel investors coming in from different parts of the world. With the company’s wide network of Club Membership through the Club Ultima, through its partnership with Interval International with over 2,000 hotels and resorts partners all over the world.
To date, Fuente Triangle has built a total of 800 condotel rooms nationwide in Ramos Street in Cebu, and in Boracay. About 40 percent of the total available units are already sold-out, he said.
The company ‘s strong confidence to attract worldwide condotel investors is backed with its Club Membership benefits which allows condotel owners to enjoy free night stays in its partner hotel and resorts worldwide, while earning revenues in their condotel units in the Philippines.
For an investment of P5 million for instance, return of investments (ROI) is assured within a short period of time or at least seven years.
“We would like to attract global investors. Most of our sales so far came from external investments. Money is coming into the Philippines because of our attractive condotel offer,” he said in a press conference.
Prices of real estate properties have not gone down even during the hard times, it instead plateaud, he said adding that unlike in the United States wherein value of real estate products had gone further down than its original value.
The company is one of the most active developers in the country today in terms of building condotels, of which two developments are now being built in Boracay Island, to give premium benefits to the Club Ultima members, while condominium unit owners can earn hotel generated revenue from the Crown Regency hotel management.
"One way to confront the economic crisis is to offer good value investments and opportunities to people," Gianzon said.
The company has five operating hotels around the country, three in Cebu, one in Davao, and one in Makati, two more hotels will be opened soon in Boracay.
No takers yet for PTA properties
CEBU, Philippines -
Investors who are looking for good tourism related investments should start looking at properties up for sale by the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA), this as PTA properties in Cebu and Bohol have no takers yet.
PTA chairman Joseph Ace Durano downplayed impressions that acquiring state-owned properties could be hassle and laced with bureaucratic red tape, saying “we just disposed and turned over some PTA-owned properties like in Tacloban and Boracay.”
Durano specifically mentioned the Argao Beach Club as a good property, which investors should consider very seriously.
Aside from focusing on Mactan Island, Durano said Cebu has ample areas that can be developed as tourism destination to be established with accommodation facilities, or other tourism related structures.
“There are a lot of options that investors should consider. We are proving them wrong in thinking that government-owned properties are difficult to acquire,” Durano said.
Of the total 40 estates and eight operating tourism-related entities, three of which are located in Cebu, and one in Bohol that are open for “outright-purchase” deal to interested investors, he said.
As of this moment, interested investors of these properties are inclined for lease agreement, which is not in line with the government’s thrust for privatization.
The huge property formerly Argao Beach Club, the over 100-hectare PTA-owned Kan-Irag estate in Cebu, and also in Moalboal are being opened for sale to capitalists, especially those who wanted to develop an integrated retirement village or other related projects.
Aside from the Kan-Irag property, the Moalboal, and Argao Beach Club have no major problems, only some glitches on entitlement, informal settlers, which can be settled easily by the government once, interested buyers will come in.
The Kan-Irag properly which was initially developed by the Gotesco Group about 10 years ago, is facing legal battle, as the PTA is fighting to get back the its ownership.
There are now a number proposals submitted by different interested developers for these properties, including the Balicasag Islet in Bohol, but Durano said all the proposals offering a “lease-only” deal, but not property buy-out.
According to Durano, the PTA Board has decided to sell the properties, or go into joint venture with a private entity, in order to generate financial revenue, for the use of tourism infrastructure which is now the primary program of the government.
Of the P1.1 billion budget of PTA a year, only P300 million is left for infrastructure project, the rest or P800 million is spend to subsidize for maintenance and operations of these properties.
With the active stance of the government to dispose the PTA-owned properties, Durano assured that potential buyer, or investor shall not be confronted with so many documentary requirements.
Despite the government’s call to encourage investors to consider these PTA-owned properties, there are still no final takers especially for Cebu and Bohol.
Shangri-La's Mactan Launches Malaysian Cuisine Promotion
CEBU, Philippines -
Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu celebrates the tasty treasures of Malaysian cuisine with the Makanan Malaysia Food Festival at Tides. A spectrum of flavors will be showcased on the lunch buffet on August 23 and 30, 2009 and on the dinner buffet on August 21, 22, 28 and 29, 2009. As an added treat, dining guests will also have the chance to win a round-trip ticket for two to Kota Kinabalu, including accommodation. The buffet lunch is available for PHP1,650++ and the dinner buffet for PHP1,888++ per person. Prestige cardholders are entitled to a 25 per cent discount. For inquiries and reservations, please call the resort at (63 32) 231 8224 or e-mail mac@shangri-la.com.
The trip to Kota Kinabalu is courtesy of Malaysia Airlines. To make the trip a most memorable one, the winners will also receive a three-day, two-night stay with breakfast buffet for two at Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa, Kota Kinabalu, which was recently named by Travel and Leisure magazine as the ninth best resort in Asia. The raffle for the trip will take place on the last day of the festival.
Reflective of the rich heritage of its nation, Malaysian cuisine is a colorful combination of the gastronomies of the Malays, Indians, Chinese and Nyoya people of the Malaysian Peninsula.
Chef Boon Bun Hoe, Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu’s assistant chef, who hails from Kuala Lumpur, is set to showcase flavorful dishes from different parts of the Malaysian Peninsula. Assistant chef in the resort since 2006, Chef Boon’s culinary expertise includes 15 years of experience in the food and beverage industry and several international culinary awards, including a gold medal in the World Golden Chef Competition held in Kuala Lumpur in 2005.
Beginning on the weekend of August 21, 2009, the palates of discerning diners will delight in the dash of spice sprinkled with sweetness in world-famous Malaysian dishes such as Nasi Lemak, the Malaysian national dish made of steamed coconut rice served with small anchovies and peanuts. Flavorful dishes showcasing the country’s different cultural influences will also be part of the buffet spread.
Indian-influenced Malaysian fare includes Roti Canai, a form of puffed bread served with curry sauce or chili paste. In Malaysia, Roti Canai is typically served round-the-clock, enjoyed by locals as a source of energy during breakfast, as an appetizer for lunch and dinner or as a light midnight snack. Curry Ayam or Chicken Curry will offer spice enthusiasts something to keep their taste buds satisfied.
With its origins from Chinese traders who set foot in Malaysia in the late 1800s, Chinese-influenced Malaysian dishes have evolved throughout the years to create unique flavors that are distinctly Malaysian. Bak Kut Teh or Braised Herbal Pork Rib Broth is a dish of Chinese origin traditionally served as an invigorating tonic. Best paired with Chinese tea, it is also known to increase vitality and improve overall health.
Nyonya cuisine, passed down from generation to generation of Chinese Malays, is said to have its origins in the Ming Dynasty, when the Chinese Emperor betrothed Princess Hang Li Po to the Sultan of Malacca. The descendants of the princess and her entourage gave birth to the Peranakan people and their Nyonya women who held the secrets of Nyonya cooking. While Nyonya cooking is a fusion of Chinese and local Malay cuisine, it is eclectically flavored and makes use of special seasoning called belacan, a dried paste made from shrimp. Laksa or Seafood Curry Noodles with thick coconut gravy and special condiments tops the list of Nyonya dishes to be served during the food festiva
Cebu City Marriott Hotel Presents The Flavors Of Israel
CEBU, Philippines -
Cebu City Marriott Hotel (CCMH) and the Embassy of Israel the Flavors of Israel, a precious culinary experience of the finest tastes and delicacies from the colorful culture of Israel. From August 19to August 28, the Garden Caféat the Cebu City Marriott brings back to its residence the Israeli Food Festivalfeaturing the culinary expertise of guest Chef Zion Barnes, who was specially flown in from Tel-Aviv, Israel to spearhead the food preparations.
Barnes combines in his menu the contemporary Israeli cuisine and his innovative recipes and fine gastronomic creations with traditional influences from the cooking styles of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Spanish, German and European. Gourmands can enjoy the exciting spread of Israeli delicacies such as: Hummus salad, Kubbe soup, Majadera, Grilled lamb racks, Zenia, Oshpelau, Shakshoka, Burekaswith desserts like Halva pie, Knaphe, Kadaif with mascarpone cream, Baklava….
Some of the menu items are designs from Barnes’ eclectic experiences and exquisite skills in modern Israeli cuisines. In his salad list is an assortment of healthy blends — the Fatush, a mixture of vegetables, herbs and Mediterranean croutons; and Tabola, a combination of cracked wheat and chopped vegetables. One must try the sandwiches like Sabich, a pack of eggplant slices, potatoes, boiled eggs and amba sauce.
Nightly Dinner Buffet is at PhP1,000.00 nett per person inclusive of free-flowing soda and iced tea. Children six (6) years old and below are free of charge. Dinner buffet is available from 6:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M.
Reservations and inquiries may be made at Tel. 415-6100 Ext. 8116 or email: ccmhotel@mozcom.com
Monday, August 24, 2009
One Oasis targets yuppies, OFWs
CEBU, Philippines - The uniquely conceptualized residential condominium within a residential subdivision, One Oasis Cebu, will soon rise in the city following the groundbreaking ceremony held over the weekend by property developer Filinvest Land Incorporated.
Boler Binamira, Area Sales Head for Visayas of Filinvest, said that their target market include the starting families, young professionals and families of Overseas Filipino Workers.
After the positive response from the market in Davao and Ortigas, where the two One Oasis projects are found, Filinvest decided to make one in Cebu seeing that the city “is in the verge of condominium age.”
Binamira shared that there location in Cebu, which is in Kasambagan, Mabolo, is perfect for its accessibility from the big establishments in Cebu like the malls, churches and food establishments and is not far away from the Mactan Cebu International Airport and the beaches found in the Lapu-Lapu area.
But he said that despite it being in the city, the amenities of the medium-rise project still assure the residents of a comfortable place to live in with their gardens and huge open spaces that would be found within almost four hectares of total land area.
He said that for those who would want to have their own place for a budget around P2 million which could an amount for a place outside of the city, he said that they could have the same ambience but right at the heart of the Cebu city.
He also said that they are confident with the Cebu market since they know that Cebuanos are wise spenders and are not afraid to invest for something, which they know is worth it.
After the ground breaking, Binamira said that construction will immediately start where eight buildings are expected to rise with 110 units each.
Binamira explained that they will be starting if with one building and proceed with the next building after four months. With this pace, he said that they expect the whole project to finish in three years.
These buildings will have studio units with an area of 22 square meters at P1.4 million, one-bedroom unit with 35 square meters at P2.3 million and their two-bedroom units at P2.7 million with a floor area of almost 40 square meters.
Binamira said that there prices are affordable and are priced equally or even lower from other condominiums which are found in the city.
Other amenities included would be their multipurpose clubhouse, adult and kiddie pools, basketball court, children’s play area, and jogging or walking paths, and a 24 hour security.
Aside from the said condominium, Filinvest also has a multi-billion project proposed to be located in the South Road properties which Binamira said already has plans that are one of a kind and is of international standards. He said that it would help in the efforts of promoting Cebu more as a destination for tourists.
These projects are part of the goal of the company in making Cebu as a “Filinvest City” where they could produce more of their well-priced and quality properties that more people could avail of.
The how to's of real estate valuation
MANILA, Philippines - What is the market value of your property? Do you need to hire an appraiser or can you do it yourself? How would appraisal be done? How reliable is appraisal for making investment decision in real estate?These are only some of the many questions that would be answered in the seminar on “Property Valuation: How to do it yourself” that Urban Institute will conduct on Sept. 16, 1:30 to 6 p.m. at the Maximo Function Room, Second Floor, Max’s Restaurant, near Glorietta 2, Ayala Center, Makati City.The seminar covers the topics: needs for appraisal; principles of real estate values; factors that influence real estate values; how appraisals are done and methodologies; data collection and verification; appraisal methods for valuation of lots only, lot with improvements and properties with income; what price to pay for raw lands intended for subdivision development; how to scrutinize appraisal works & accuracy of values; the preparation of appraisal reports; appraisal as a profession; and many others.
The lecturer is Engr. Enrico S. Cruz, who has more than 40 years in real estate, engineering, construction, management and education. Cruz is also a licensed real estate consultant and 1st and 8th placer in the real estate appraiser’s and broker’s board examinations respectively, and was invested as a “Real Estate Fellow” by the Philippine Council of Real Estate Educators.
RLC's first condo in Cebu will be ahead of schedule
MANILA, Philippines - Robinsons Land Corporation will complete ahead of schedule its first tower in the AmiSa Private Residences, the residential component of AmiSa, its master-planned five-star leisure resort community in Punta Engano, Mactan, Cebu.
Tower A, a 14-storey structure, will be topped-off by mid-September. It is scheduled to be completed by May 2010, seven months ahead of schedule.
Sales of Tower A units have been brisk, allowing the company to start and complete the project earlier than scheduled. The bulk of buyers are from the Visayas while a significant number of overseas Filipinos and investors from Manila have also snapped up the units. Tower B is already currently pre-selling.Meanwhile, the AmiSa clubhouse and swimming pools will be completed by the first quarter next year to ensure residents will have a place to relax and unwind as soon as they move in.
AmiSa is designed to have six residential condominiums featuring Australian Gold Coast architecture that offer breathtaking views of the beach, sea and Cebu’s coastline.
It will also have a five-star hotel with amenities, an entertainment center, two big and beautiful pools, tree-lined walks and nooks, pocket parks, and open spaces that lead to a pristine white sand beach, and sports activity areas.
In Manila, visit the AmiSa showroom at Robinsons Place Manila’s Padre Faura Wing or at the RLC Grand Showroom at Robinsons Galleria. More information is at www.robinsonsproperties.com.ph. You may also call (02) 397-1888, (02) 3970101 or (0922) 8380888.
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