MANILA, Philippines -
United Kingdom-based investment bank Credit Suisse sees the property and banking sectors are likely to benefit from the positive outcome of the presidential, national, and local elections scheduled in May.
In its Asian Daily, Credit Suisse research analyst Gilbert Lopez said property and banking companies that are being traded at the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) have the most potential upsides to the share price.
“We continue to have a positive political outcome in May 2010 as our base case. Under this scenario, we believe the property and banking sectors would do best and have the most potential upsides to the share price,” Lopez stressed.
He pointed out that the Metrobank Group of taipan George SK Ty as well as property companies such as Ayala Land Inc. and mall giant SM Prime of retail king Henry Sy are expected to perform well.
He said the share price of Metrobank could go up to P59 from the current level of P42 while that of Ayala Land could increase to P14.43 from P10.50 and SM Prime could improve to P12.07 from P9.40.
He added that diversified conglomerate Ayala Corp. and Sy’s SM investments are also expected to perform well this year. The share price of Ayala Corp. is expected to increase to P399.85 from P290 while that of SM Investments would improve to P395.74 from P317.50.
The investment bank stressed the need for the next government to pursue fiscal consolidation after the failure of the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to achieve a balanced budget due to the global economic meltdown.
“A fairly smooth presidential and general elections should help the upcoming government with a better chance of achieving its most pressing problem of fiscal consolidation,” Credit Suisse said.
The Philippines has postponed the achievement of a balanced budget to 2013 after failing to balance the budget in 2008 and this year under the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP).
The country likely posted a record high budget deficit of over P290 billion last year due to the full impact of the global financial meltdown eclipsing the previous record level of P210.7 billion booked in 2002.
“The next government needs to raise tax revenues to gross domestic product, which has been a disappointment over the last two years,” Lopez added.
He explained that the government needs to greatly improve collection efficiency, along with reversing the recent tax breaks that contributed to the disappointing tax revenues.
Source: The Philstar
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
CEMEX-Veco substation adds 10MW to CNP grid
CEBU, Philippines - With the worsening energy problems in the province, the additional supply of 10 Megawatts from the new CEMEX Philippines - Visayan Electric Company substation is a welcome development that would help to alleviate the power interruptions and brownouts in the area.
CEMEX Philippines, one of the biggest producers of cement in the country, together with officials of VECO, Naga Mayor Valdemar Chiong and Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday had the ceremonial switching of the CEMEX-VECO Interconnection in APO Cement Plant, Tina-an Naga, Cebu.
CEMEX being initially known for its huge cement production which bought APO Cement in 2001, has its own power plant that produces energy for its operations however has decided to share 10 Megawatts of its total power to the whole province to help mitigate power interruptions that has been heavily experienced in the past year.
Just recently, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines also announced a power shortage of 200 MW for the whole Visayas due to the shutdown of the power plant in Managdong, Leyte for a preventive maintenance.
Normandy Chan, Deputy Plant Director of Apo Cement said that their whole diesel fired power plant has the capacity of 66 MW wherein they use 40 MW for its internal operations.
This means excess power of more than 15 MW, which they are happy that they could contribute to the province that has been suffering from the lack of energy.
Chan said that they have started supplying 10 MW to VECO but has reached to 15 and may increase in the future.
Jaime Ruiz de Jaro, president of CEMEX Philippines and Asia said that even though they are largely on the production of top quality building materials, they are always looking for opportunities to help out.
“This is part of CEMEX’s continuing commitment to help sustain progress and development of Cebu,” de Jaro said.
According to recent data produced by the Cebu Energy Development Corporation, as of January 11 this year, Cebu has imported 254 MW from Leyte to give additional supply to the increasing demand of 549 MW wherein the dependable capacity is at 293 MW and should have a reserve of 128MW resulting to a deficit of 113MW for Cebu alone.
Atty. Darwin Mariano, Public Affairs Director of Cemex Philippines Asia explained that CEMEX would now be able to share the 10 MW of power to the Cebu-Negros-Panay Grid through the interconnection that would help VECO lessen their problem on cutting of power when plants bug down or needs to go down for maintenance.
Ethel Natera, the corporate communications officer of VECO said that the 10 MW would definitely be a big help so that they would turn of the power in certain places when needed.
Natera explained that the 10 MW would not be supplied to one particular area or feeder, as they call it, but would be distributed where it is needed. She said that the extra energy could already be a big addition to the supply for the feeders which energy demand depends on the population in the area and the establishments located in the vicinity.
According to Natera, CEMEX would be supplying energy in the morning which is the peak hours for energy demand but in the evening where there is less energy needed, CEMEX would be the one who would be buying from them since it is the peak of their operations.
So far, Natera said that CEMX has bought around 12 MW from them.
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia showed the province’s appreciation for the extra energy provided by CEMEX saying that it is important to “address the urgent need to be addressed in order to sustain the phenomenal growth that Cebu has achieved.”
Garcia acknowledged the huge support of the CEMEX not only for the power supply but as well as in previous projects like road constructions and the building of classrooms in the provinces which was damaged by typhoons in which CEMEX donated bags of cement.
Erramon Aboitiz, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Aboitiz Equity Ventures and Chairman of the Board of VECO said that they see this as a “win-win-win” situation since this not only help them and CEMEX but the general public as well.
Aboitiz said that this is a milestone for them which is a first in the history of VECO where the substation is owned by VECO that directly synchronizes with the generating plant that employs unique switching equipment on its feeders for easy load transfer to and from VECO and APO power plants. It also functions as both a distribution substation and a transmission substation.
Naga Mayor Chiong and Atty. Paterno Acabodello, the representative of first district representative Eduardo Gullas also graced the event as well as other members of the private and public sector.
Source: The Freeman
CEMEX Philippines, one of the biggest producers of cement in the country, together with officials of VECO, Naga Mayor Valdemar Chiong and Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday had the ceremonial switching of the CEMEX-VECO Interconnection in APO Cement Plant, Tina-an Naga, Cebu.
CEMEX being initially known for its huge cement production which bought APO Cement in 2001, has its own power plant that produces energy for its operations however has decided to share 10 Megawatts of its total power to the whole province to help mitigate power interruptions that has been heavily experienced in the past year.
Just recently, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines also announced a power shortage of 200 MW for the whole Visayas due to the shutdown of the power plant in Managdong, Leyte for a preventive maintenance.
Normandy Chan, Deputy Plant Director of Apo Cement said that their whole diesel fired power plant has the capacity of 66 MW wherein they use 40 MW for its internal operations.
This means excess power of more than 15 MW, which they are happy that they could contribute to the province that has been suffering from the lack of energy.
Chan said that they have started supplying 10 MW to VECO but has reached to 15 and may increase in the future.
Jaime Ruiz de Jaro, president of CEMEX Philippines and Asia said that even though they are largely on the production of top quality building materials, they are always looking for opportunities to help out.
“This is part of CEMEX’s continuing commitment to help sustain progress and development of Cebu,” de Jaro said.
According to recent data produced by the Cebu Energy Development Corporation, as of January 11 this year, Cebu has imported 254 MW from Leyte to give additional supply to the increasing demand of 549 MW wherein the dependable capacity is at 293 MW and should have a reserve of 128MW resulting to a deficit of 113MW for Cebu alone.
Atty. Darwin Mariano, Public Affairs Director of Cemex Philippines Asia explained that CEMEX would now be able to share the 10 MW of power to the Cebu-Negros-Panay Grid through the interconnection that would help VECO lessen their problem on cutting of power when plants bug down or needs to go down for maintenance.
Ethel Natera, the corporate communications officer of VECO said that the 10 MW would definitely be a big help so that they would turn of the power in certain places when needed.
Natera explained that the 10 MW would not be supplied to one particular area or feeder, as they call it, but would be distributed where it is needed. She said that the extra energy could already be a big addition to the supply for the feeders which energy demand depends on the population in the area and the establishments located in the vicinity.
According to Natera, CEMEX would be supplying energy in the morning which is the peak hours for energy demand but in the evening where there is less energy needed, CEMEX would be the one who would be buying from them since it is the peak of their operations.
So far, Natera said that CEMX has bought around 12 MW from them.
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia showed the province’s appreciation for the extra energy provided by CEMEX saying that it is important to “address the urgent need to be addressed in order to sustain the phenomenal growth that Cebu has achieved.”
Garcia acknowledged the huge support of the CEMEX not only for the power supply but as well as in previous projects like road constructions and the building of classrooms in the provinces which was damaged by typhoons in which CEMEX donated bags of cement.
Erramon Aboitiz, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Aboitiz Equity Ventures and Chairman of the Board of VECO said that they see this as a “win-win-win” situation since this not only help them and CEMEX but the general public as well.
Aboitiz said that this is a milestone for them which is a first in the history of VECO where the substation is owned by VECO that directly synchronizes with the generating plant that employs unique switching equipment on its feeders for easy load transfer to and from VECO and APO power plants. It also functions as both a distribution substation and a transmission substation.
Naga Mayor Chiong and Atty. Paterno Acabodello, the representative of first district representative Eduardo Gullas also graced the event as well as other members of the private and public sector.
Source: The Freeman
Lawyers file case against Innodata
CEBU, Philippines - A group of lawyers has filed a case before the National Labor Relations Commission against Innodata Knowledge Services for alleged violation of procedural process by putting around 60 employees under forced leave allegedly without notice.
In an interview with The Freeman, lawyer Giovanni Sususco, one of the complainants in the case, said Innodata allegedly failed to observe the procedural due process of giving employees and the Department of Labor and Employment a 30-day notice prior to the start of the forced leave.
“As far as we know, according to the Labor Code, employees and DOLE must be notified first so we can have enough time to look for another job or at least find other ways to earn,” Sususco said.
He said the company allegedly made the announcement on January 7, the very day they were asked to take a forced leave.
“We are bringing this case to the NLRC to make our case a precedent to other call center or Business Process Outsourcing employees who have been affected by this practice or those threatened to be affected,” he added.
Sususco said they understand that implementing a forced leave is a management’s prerogative, but only if the management can prove that the move is due to economic condition and not defeating or circumventing the rights of the employees.
“But they were not able to prove us that it is for economic condition. Because we know that there are projects available,” he said.
The company, according to Sususco, told them that the legal document review account they were handling can no longer afford to compensate the employees.
“They even asked us to work on other projects not included in our contracts so it is not enough reason to ask us for a forced leave because there are other projects that we can handle,” Sususco said.
The complainants want the company to pay them P50,000 each for nominal damages for not observing the procedural due process in imposing the forced leave; P50,000 for moral damages; P50,000 for exemplary damages; and P25,000 for attorney’s fees.
Source: The Freeman
In an interview with The Freeman, lawyer Giovanni Sususco, one of the complainants in the case, said Innodata allegedly failed to observe the procedural due process of giving employees and the Department of Labor and Employment a 30-day notice prior to the start of the forced leave.
“As far as we know, according to the Labor Code, employees and DOLE must be notified first so we can have enough time to look for another job or at least find other ways to earn,” Sususco said.
He said the company allegedly made the announcement on January 7, the very day they were asked to take a forced leave.
“We are bringing this case to the NLRC to make our case a precedent to other call center or Business Process Outsourcing employees who have been affected by this practice or those threatened to be affected,” he added.
Sususco said they understand that implementing a forced leave is a management’s prerogative, but only if the management can prove that the move is due to economic condition and not defeating or circumventing the rights of the employees.
“But they were not able to prove us that it is for economic condition. Because we know that there are projects available,” he said.
The company, according to Sususco, told them that the legal document review account they were handling can no longer afford to compensate the employees.
“They even asked us to work on other projects not included in our contracts so it is not enough reason to ask us for a forced leave because there are other projects that we can handle,” Sususco said.
The complainants want the company to pay them P50,000 each for nominal damages for not observing the procedural due process in imposing the forced leave; P50,000 for moral damages; P50,000 for exemplary damages; and P25,000 for attorney’s fees.
Source: The Freeman
Monday, February 1, 2010
Another round of power interruptions set to hit the Visayas
CEBU CITY -- A major geothermal power plant in Leyte was shut down on Saturday for preventive maintenance, compounding the generation deficiency caused by the lack of imported power from Luzon and the unavailability or derated capacities of some units in Cebu.
Power utilities in Cebu, Negros and Panay are bracing for a shortage of up to 200 megawatts (MW) during peak hours starting today, as the 120-megawatt Mahanagdong plant undergoes preventive maintenance for 10 days.
Impact
This means another week of rotating power interruptions of up to one hour during peak periods.
"The impact of the supply shortage will be felt starting Monday," said Belinda S. Canlas, National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) corporate communication officer in the Visayas, in an advisory sent by text last Saturday.
"The shortage will be felt Visayas-wide, as this will be equitably distributed among the major islands and cities," Ms. Canlas explained.
The shutdown of the Mahanagdong facility and some plants in Cebu contradicted an assurance made just last December by an NGCP official that no generating plant was to undergo preventive maintenance until next month.
"They were trying to delay the preventive maintenance shutdown but it was no longer possible," Ms. Canlas explained in a telephone interview.
She declined to identify the other power plants that were unavailable or have de-rated capacities, but sources said the 50-MW Cebu Thermal Power Plant 1 run by SPC Power Corp. in Naga is out again.
Bearing the brunt
The shutdown of the Mahanagdong plant on Saturday caused a 97-MW shortage in the Visayas, as reported on the NGCP Web site.
The Visayas region, including Bohol and Leyte, had a peak load of 1071 MW that day, but available capacity reached only 975 MW on that day.
The NGCP’s power outlook yesterday showed a shortage of 82 MW in the Visayas, thin reserves of 73 MW in Mindanao and 1087-MW reserves in Luzon.
Metro Cebu and neighboring towns, which require about 600 MW during peak hours, are expected to bear the brunt of the shortage in the region.
The Visayan Electric Co., Inc. (VECO), which serves over 300,000 power users in Cebu, is usually asked to de-load two-thirds of the deficiency, explained VECO corporate communications manager Ethel T. Natera.
For a 200-MW shortage, Ms. Natera said VECO expects to be asked to drop roughly 65 MW.
So far, she said VECO has been asked to de-load 40-50MW.
No respite
Metro Cebu has had no respite from rotating one-hour power interruptions, the latest of which occurred when the 50-MW power that the Luzon grid sends to augment the supply in the Cebu-Negros-Panay grid was cut off on Jan. 19 as Luzon itself ran out of reserves then.
The Malitbog power plant, which also supplies Luzon and Cebu-Negros-Panay grids, had also been shut down then for maintenance.
VECO, however, is getting help from its customers that de-load from the system during a shortage under the interruptible load program.
As of last week, Ms. Natera said the program has shaved 21.4 MW from VECO’s system and minimized the areas affected by power interruptions during peak hours -- from 10-12 a.m., 1-3 p.m. to 5:30-8 p.m.
"More customers, including the small ones with less than 1-MW requirement, have joined the program. We are prepared to cope with the shortage," she said.
Conservation boost
VECO has also employed demand-side management to lessen the impact of the shortage by distributing 15-watt compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to its customers.
As of the first week of January, Ms. Natera said they have distributed 60,000 CFL bulbs.
The target is to give out 250,000 bulbs.
In Negros, NGCP-Negros head Zosimo Briones said load-shedding will still be expected, although the privatized generating units of the National Power Corp. (Napocor) in Negros will be available.
"The preparation is on the power plant side, [meanwhile] the NGCP facilities are [in place]," he said.
Green Core Geothermal, Inc. now operates the 192.5-megawatt Palinpinon geothermal power plants in Valencia, Negros Oriental.
Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) general manager Sulpicio Lagarde, Jr. said power supply to CENECO, which serves 140,000 consumers, should not be adversely affected as it sources electricity from the Palinpinon plants.
"We are not getting power from Leyte. Right now, all of our power supply are from Palinpinon. So, there will no effect to CENECO. The immediate effect is nil," he said.
Prepared
But he said CENECO will continue to issue its daily possible load shedding schedules during peak hours either because of the de-rated capacity of a Palinpinon geothermal power plant or generation deficiency, as instructed by NGCP.
In Iloilo, the management of Panay Electric Co. (PECo), the sole power distributor in Iloilo City, said it will ask Panay Power Corp. (PPC) to make up for any shortage in the next 10 days.
Randy S. Pastolero, PECo operations manager, said Iloilo City might be affected by the shortage as the city also draws 8-15 MW from the Cebu-Negros-Panay grid.
"We will ask PPC to compensate for the lost capacity from the grid," Mr. Pastolero said.
"If they can’t, we have to rotate outages [sic]."
Power interruptions ranging from 15 minutes to four hours hit Iloilo City on Saturday after PECo replaced rotting electric posts in Molo and Iloilo City proper districts.
Iloilo City, which has a peak demand of 82 MW, draws 75 MW from PPC, a subsidiary of Metrobank Group’s Global Business Power Corp. (GBPC).
Watching
Wilfred L. Billena, general manager of Iloilo Electric Cooperative (Ileco) 1, said they have yet to know the effects of the shutdown of the Leyte geothermal plant on their system.
He said their main source of power is Palinpinon geothermal power plant in Negros and PPC in Iloilo City.
"The effects of the preventive maintenance will depend on the NGCP’s load shedding schedule," Mr. Billena said.
The power supply situation in Cebu, Negros and Panay is expected to ease by the end of February or early March with the expected commissioning of the first 82-MW coal-fired plant that Cebu Energy Development Corp. has completed in Toledo City in Cebu.
Cebu Energy is building two more 82-MW units and plans to build a fourth in anticipation of another round of power shortage by 2013.
Global Business, which partly owns Cebu Energy, is also constructing a 164-MW coal-fired power plant in LaPaz, Iloilo City.
Source: The Businessworld Online
Power utilities in Cebu, Negros and Panay are bracing for a shortage of up to 200 megawatts (MW) during peak hours starting today, as the 120-megawatt Mahanagdong plant undergoes preventive maintenance for 10 days.
Impact
This means another week of rotating power interruptions of up to one hour during peak periods.
"The impact of the supply shortage will be felt starting Monday," said Belinda S. Canlas, National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) corporate communication officer in the Visayas, in an advisory sent by text last Saturday.
"The shortage will be felt Visayas-wide, as this will be equitably distributed among the major islands and cities," Ms. Canlas explained.
The shutdown of the Mahanagdong facility and some plants in Cebu contradicted an assurance made just last December by an NGCP official that no generating plant was to undergo preventive maintenance until next month.
"They were trying to delay the preventive maintenance shutdown but it was no longer possible," Ms. Canlas explained in a telephone interview.
She declined to identify the other power plants that were unavailable or have de-rated capacities, but sources said the 50-MW Cebu Thermal Power Plant 1 run by SPC Power Corp. in Naga is out again.
Bearing the brunt
The shutdown of the Mahanagdong plant on Saturday caused a 97-MW shortage in the Visayas, as reported on the NGCP Web site.
The Visayas region, including Bohol and Leyte, had a peak load of 1071 MW that day, but available capacity reached only 975 MW on that day.
The NGCP’s power outlook yesterday showed a shortage of 82 MW in the Visayas, thin reserves of 73 MW in Mindanao and 1087-MW reserves in Luzon.
Metro Cebu and neighboring towns, which require about 600 MW during peak hours, are expected to bear the brunt of the shortage in the region.
The Visayan Electric Co., Inc. (VECO), which serves over 300,000 power users in Cebu, is usually asked to de-load two-thirds of the deficiency, explained VECO corporate communications manager Ethel T. Natera.
For a 200-MW shortage, Ms. Natera said VECO expects to be asked to drop roughly 65 MW.
So far, she said VECO has been asked to de-load 40-50MW.
No respite
Metro Cebu has had no respite from rotating one-hour power interruptions, the latest of which occurred when the 50-MW power that the Luzon grid sends to augment the supply in the Cebu-Negros-Panay grid was cut off on Jan. 19 as Luzon itself ran out of reserves then.
The Malitbog power plant, which also supplies Luzon and Cebu-Negros-Panay grids, had also been shut down then for maintenance.
VECO, however, is getting help from its customers that de-load from the system during a shortage under the interruptible load program.
As of last week, Ms. Natera said the program has shaved 21.4 MW from VECO’s system and minimized the areas affected by power interruptions during peak hours -- from 10-12 a.m., 1-3 p.m. to 5:30-8 p.m.
"More customers, including the small ones with less than 1-MW requirement, have joined the program. We are prepared to cope with the shortage," she said.
Conservation boost
VECO has also employed demand-side management to lessen the impact of the shortage by distributing 15-watt compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to its customers.
As of the first week of January, Ms. Natera said they have distributed 60,000 CFL bulbs.
The target is to give out 250,000 bulbs.
In Negros, NGCP-Negros head Zosimo Briones said load-shedding will still be expected, although the privatized generating units of the National Power Corp. (Napocor) in Negros will be available.
"The preparation is on the power plant side, [meanwhile] the NGCP facilities are [in place]," he said.
Green Core Geothermal, Inc. now operates the 192.5-megawatt Palinpinon geothermal power plants in Valencia, Negros Oriental.
Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) general manager Sulpicio Lagarde, Jr. said power supply to CENECO, which serves 140,000 consumers, should not be adversely affected as it sources electricity from the Palinpinon plants.
"We are not getting power from Leyte. Right now, all of our power supply are from Palinpinon. So, there will no effect to CENECO. The immediate effect is nil," he said.
Prepared
But he said CENECO will continue to issue its daily possible load shedding schedules during peak hours either because of the de-rated capacity of a Palinpinon geothermal power plant or generation deficiency, as instructed by NGCP.
In Iloilo, the management of Panay Electric Co. (PECo), the sole power distributor in Iloilo City, said it will ask Panay Power Corp. (PPC) to make up for any shortage in the next 10 days.
Randy S. Pastolero, PECo operations manager, said Iloilo City might be affected by the shortage as the city also draws 8-15 MW from the Cebu-Negros-Panay grid.
"We will ask PPC to compensate for the lost capacity from the grid," Mr. Pastolero said.
"If they can’t, we have to rotate outages [sic]."
Power interruptions ranging from 15 minutes to four hours hit Iloilo City on Saturday after PECo replaced rotting electric posts in Molo and Iloilo City proper districts.
Iloilo City, which has a peak demand of 82 MW, draws 75 MW from PPC, a subsidiary of Metrobank Group’s Global Business Power Corp. (GBPC).
Watching
Wilfred L. Billena, general manager of Iloilo Electric Cooperative (Ileco) 1, said they have yet to know the effects of the shutdown of the Leyte geothermal plant on their system.
He said their main source of power is Palinpinon geothermal power plant in Negros and PPC in Iloilo City.
"The effects of the preventive maintenance will depend on the NGCP’s load shedding schedule," Mr. Billena said.
The power supply situation in Cebu, Negros and Panay is expected to ease by the end of February or early March with the expected commissioning of the first 82-MW coal-fired plant that Cebu Energy Development Corp. has completed in Toledo City in Cebu.
Cebu Energy is building two more 82-MW units and plans to build a fourth in anticipation of another round of power shortage by 2013.
Global Business, which partly owns Cebu Energy, is also constructing a 164-MW coal-fired power plant in LaPaz, Iloilo City.
Source: The Businessworld Online
Indian BPO opens second facility
Indian business process outsourcing (BPO) firm Hinduja Global Solutions, Ltd. opened another facility in the Philippines on Friday, bringing its total investments to the country to $35 million.
The 3,522-square-meter, 1,000-seat call center at Eastwood Cyberpark in Libis, Quezon City cost $2.5 million.
This complements an existing facility also in Libis, known as HTMT Philippines. Opened in 2004 after the Hinduja Group’s acquisition of Customer Contact Center (C-Cubed), the facility which measures 8,672 square meters and has 2,000 seats is the single largest facility of the group outside India, company officials said.
Hinduja Global Solutions serves 80 clients across the globe and employs over 14,500 across 23 "delivery centers" and offices in the United States, Canada, Europe, Mauritius, India and the Philippines.
It also has "strategic working relationship arrangements" with partners in Colombia and China which altogether employ over 1,800 people that serve the South American, Chinese and Japanese markets.
The company plans to build another 1,000-seat facility in 2011 possibly in Metro Manila. Company executives said they were also looking at sites in Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, and Dumaguete.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who was present at the inauguration of the facility, said the BPO sector remains one of the major drivers of the economy.
"Our BPO industry remains strong. In fact our local industry is planning to corner at least 10% of the global market this year," Mrs. Arroyo said in her speech.
Source: The Businessworld Online
The 3,522-square-meter, 1,000-seat call center at Eastwood Cyberpark in Libis, Quezon City cost $2.5 million.
This complements an existing facility also in Libis, known as HTMT Philippines. Opened in 2004 after the Hinduja Group’s acquisition of Customer Contact Center (C-Cubed), the facility which measures 8,672 square meters and has 2,000 seats is the single largest facility of the group outside India, company officials said.
Hinduja Global Solutions serves 80 clients across the globe and employs over 14,500 across 23 "delivery centers" and offices in the United States, Canada, Europe, Mauritius, India and the Philippines.
It also has "strategic working relationship arrangements" with partners in Colombia and China which altogether employ over 1,800 people that serve the South American, Chinese and Japanese markets.
The company plans to build another 1,000-seat facility in 2011 possibly in Metro Manila. Company executives said they were also looking at sites in Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, and Dumaguete.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who was present at the inauguration of the facility, said the BPO sector remains one of the major drivers of the economy.
"Our BPO industry remains strong. In fact our local industry is planning to corner at least 10% of the global market this year," Mrs. Arroyo said in her speech.
Source: The Businessworld Online
IBM opens 2nd global delivery center in Cebu
CEBU, Philippines - Technology solutions giant IBM has opened its second Global Delivery Center (GDC) in the Philippines, in Cebu, taking advantage of the province’s abundant supply of high-value Information Technology (IT) talents.
The Cebu GDC site for Application Services (AS) will complement the Manila’s GDC operations that will focus on providing support service and product development for package, web technology, and other consumer application product developments.
Initially, Cebu site will focus on capabilities in Java, testing and groupware, said Lula Mohanty IBM director for GDC Philippines.
“This is a big revelation to the world that Philippines can do. We have full spectrum of applications services here,” Lula said in a press conference on the formal opening of the Cebu GDC site located at the TGU Tower in Asia Town IT Park.
In IBM’s eight strategy centers in the world, Philippines is considered as one of the central and strategic locations, said Richard Patterson vice president for Globally Integrated Delivery.
Patterson said one of the considerations IBM has seriously look at in expanding its operations around the world especially in the high-end capabilities such as the GDC facility, is the government’s strong support in this kind of investment, strong academe system that provides ample supply of talents and IT capabilities, good IT infrastructure, and stable environment in terms of political stand point.
With this, Patterson said “Cebu became a logical choice. We saw the capability and skills here.”
IBM is expanding its applications services in the country offering key competencies such as Java, and Web technologies, Lotus Notes, Testing and Software Maintenance.
Local IT stakeholders said the entry of IBM in Cebu will reinforce Cebu’s name in the global IT investment community.
According to Lula, IBM still has to calibrate the strength of Cebu high-value IT talent and it may focus on the three identified services—Java, Testing and group-ware.
One of the services that will be delivered by GDC sites, is to provide support to IBM’s clients worldwide, or develop product depends on the unique demand to IBM’s customers worldwide, Patterson explained.
Source: The Freeman
The Cebu GDC site for Application Services (AS) will complement the Manila’s GDC operations that will focus on providing support service and product development for package, web technology, and other consumer application product developments.
Initially, Cebu site will focus on capabilities in Java, testing and groupware, said Lula Mohanty IBM director for GDC Philippines.
“This is a big revelation to the world that Philippines can do. We have full spectrum of applications services here,” Lula said in a press conference on the formal opening of the Cebu GDC site located at the TGU Tower in Asia Town IT Park.
In IBM’s eight strategy centers in the world, Philippines is considered as one of the central and strategic locations, said Richard Patterson vice president for Globally Integrated Delivery.
Patterson said one of the considerations IBM has seriously look at in expanding its operations around the world especially in the high-end capabilities such as the GDC facility, is the government’s strong support in this kind of investment, strong academe system that provides ample supply of talents and IT capabilities, good IT infrastructure, and stable environment in terms of political stand point.
With this, Patterson said “Cebu became a logical choice. We saw the capability and skills here.”
IBM is expanding its applications services in the country offering key competencies such as Java, and Web technologies, Lotus Notes, Testing and Software Maintenance.
Local IT stakeholders said the entry of IBM in Cebu will reinforce Cebu’s name in the global IT investment community.
According to Lula, IBM still has to calibrate the strength of Cebu high-value IT talent and it may focus on the three identified services—Java, Testing and group-ware.
One of the services that will be delivered by GDC sites, is to provide support to IBM’s clients worldwide, or develop product depends on the unique demand to IBM’s customers worldwide, Patterson explained.
Source: The Freeman
Prime Homes pleased with positive feedback
CEBU, Philippines - After launching their first project last year, Prime Homes Development Corporation is pleased to see the support of the public for Henaville subdivision in Compostela, North of Cebu, which is now 50 percent sold out.
During the grand launching anniversary of Henaville, Prime Homes general manager Rey Alfonso said that they are happy with how the public has accepted their first project and that they are pleased with the good feedback from the existing residents of the subdivision.
Offering “affordable, safe, decent and nurturing” houses and a community, Alfonso said that around 50 percent of the 286 units in Henaville are already sold.
Alfonso said that all the 66 units in the first phase are already sold out, while 8o percent of the 72 units in the phase two are already sold. Some of the phase two units are, however, still under construction and is targeted to be completed and turned over mid of this year.
The third phase will start construction in June this year with 64 units targeted to be finished by December said Alfonso while the fourth phase is aimed to start construction next year.
Stretched over the 2.9 hectare area, Alfonso shared that the subdivision would have all facilities needed like a playground, a basketball court, a multipurpose hall, and many more but would still offer very affordable prices ranging from 1.050M to 1.4M for its duplex and town homes.
Alfonso showed their model houses, the Ana and Trisha units. Ana has a lot area of 80 sq. m and a floor area of 40 square meters while the Trisha unit has a 50 sq. meter lot area and floor area of 64 square meters.
At present, Alfonso said that they have 17 residents living in Henaville already and they have had no complaints so far. Most of their clients, Alfonso said are Overseas Filipino Workers, young professionals and starting up families.
With a lot of developments sprouting all over the province, Alfonso said that it could be a challenge but then their thrust is not minding the competition and just doing what they need to do to give the best quality of houses and services to their clients.
He said that this is just the start of their plans and hopefully next year they would venture into socialized low-cost houses which could be of help to a lot of people who would want to own their own houses but is on a limited budget.
But for the meantime, Alfonso said that they are focusing on Henaville and the completion of the project and is hoping to gather more to avail of their quality and affordable units.
Source: The Freeman
During the grand launching anniversary of Henaville, Prime Homes general manager Rey Alfonso said that they are happy with how the public has accepted their first project and that they are pleased with the good feedback from the existing residents of the subdivision.
Offering “affordable, safe, decent and nurturing” houses and a community, Alfonso said that around 50 percent of the 286 units in Henaville are already sold.
Alfonso said that all the 66 units in the first phase are already sold out, while 8o percent of the 72 units in the phase two are already sold. Some of the phase two units are, however, still under construction and is targeted to be completed and turned over mid of this year.
The third phase will start construction in June this year with 64 units targeted to be finished by December said Alfonso while the fourth phase is aimed to start construction next year.
Stretched over the 2.9 hectare area, Alfonso shared that the subdivision would have all facilities needed like a playground, a basketball court, a multipurpose hall, and many more but would still offer very affordable prices ranging from 1.050M to 1.4M for its duplex and town homes.
Alfonso showed their model houses, the Ana and Trisha units. Ana has a lot area of 80 sq. m and a floor area of 40 square meters while the Trisha unit has a 50 sq. meter lot area and floor area of 64 square meters.
At present, Alfonso said that they have 17 residents living in Henaville already and they have had no complaints so far. Most of their clients, Alfonso said are Overseas Filipino Workers, young professionals and starting up families.
With a lot of developments sprouting all over the province, Alfonso said that it could be a challenge but then their thrust is not minding the competition and just doing what they need to do to give the best quality of houses and services to their clients.
He said that this is just the start of their plans and hopefully next year they would venture into socialized low-cost houses which could be of help to a lot of people who would want to own their own houses but is on a limited budget.
But for the meantime, Alfonso said that they are focusing on Henaville and the completion of the project and is hoping to gather more to avail of their quality and affordable units.
Source: The Freeman
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Living la vida buena in Amisa
MANILA, Philippines - Living a life of indulgence does not come easy when you’re used to living in the city.
In the urban jungle, you wake up to the music of honking cars and rise to the smell of gasoline. You deal with traffic and stress, as well as a string of bills to pay. So you grit your teeth, take a deep breath and join the constant struggle to get ahead in the rat race, in the hope of someday reaping your reward: living a life of ease.
But if what if there’s a way to cash in that reward a little early, would you go ahead and take it?
Robinsons Land Corporation presents this tantalizing challenge in AmiSa, a masterplanned community and leisure estate in Mactan Island, Cebu.
Imagine waking up to the sound of the waves rolling up to the shore, as fresh air from the sea wafts through the open window. Picture yourself and your loved ones taking long lazy walks along the beach, or refreshing dips in the ocean. Envision an afternoon with nothing but rest and relaxation on your agenda.
Perhaps then you might be able to wrap your mind around the idea of living la vida buena.
With AmiSa, Robinsons Land Corporation offers the prospect of luxury resort living in a destination famous for its gentle climate, azure waters and white sand beaches.
Sprawled across six hectares of prime real estate in the Punta Engaño district of Mactan, Amisa boasts of a 200-meter beachfront. The property is a mere 10-minute drive from the Mactan Airport, and a 30-minute drive from Cebu City’s commercial and business district.
Source: The Philippine Star
In the urban jungle, you wake up to the music of honking cars and rise to the smell of gasoline. You deal with traffic and stress, as well as a string of bills to pay. So you grit your teeth, take a deep breath and join the constant struggle to get ahead in the rat race, in the hope of someday reaping your reward: living a life of ease.
But if what if there’s a way to cash in that reward a little early, would you go ahead and take it?
Robinsons Land Corporation presents this tantalizing challenge in AmiSa, a masterplanned community and leisure estate in Mactan Island, Cebu.
Pursuit of happiness
AmiSa is Sanskrit for object of enjoyment, a pleasing or beautiful object. True to its name, AmiSa fashions itself as a Nirvana for those seeking respite from the rigours of urban living, where everyday is a holiday and the pursuit of happiness is a valid exercise.Imagine waking up to the sound of the waves rolling up to the shore, as fresh air from the sea wafts through the open window. Picture yourself and your loved ones taking long lazy walks along the beach, or refreshing dips in the ocean. Envision an afternoon with nothing but rest and relaxation on your agenda.
Perhaps then you might be able to wrap your mind around the idea of living la vida buena.
With AmiSa, Robinsons Land Corporation offers the prospect of luxury resort living in a destination famous for its gentle climate, azure waters and white sand beaches.
A destination on its own
According to Frederick Go, RLC president and chief operating officer, AmiSa is the perfect beach getaway from the chaos and confusion of the city.Sprawled across six hectares of prime real estate in the Punta Engaño district of Mactan, Amisa boasts of a 200-meter beachfront. The property is a mere 10-minute drive from the Mactan Airport, and a 30-minute drive from Cebu City’s commercial and business district.
Source: The Philippine Star
PhilHealth covers prenatal care for normal child birth
CEBU, Philippines - To ensure safer pregnancy for expecting women, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) made prenatal care a key component in its benefit package for normal child birth.
Prenatal care is important not just for pregnant women but also for their unborn babies. Maternal difficulties such as diabetes and high blood pressure which are harmful both to the mother and the child may be detected earlier through prenatal visits with a skilled or trained health care provider. Constant check-up and monitoring during these visits ensure a healthier pregnancy and delivery for both the mother and child.
Members may avail themselves of P1,500 as prenatal care benefit covering drugs and medicines, laboratory tests and ancillary procedures. Reimbursement for prenatal expenses is generally paid to the member. But corresponding official receipts for the procedures and/or drugs and medicines availed of must be submitted in support of the claim.
Prenatal care in lying-in clinics has been an integral part PhilHealth’s maternity care package. But it was only with the recent expansion of its normal delivery package that expenses for prenatal care in hospitals also became reimbursable. This is PhilHealth’s way of encouraging pregnant women to really undergo prenatal care in support of the Department of Health’s safe motherhood campaign.
Source: The Freeman
Prenatal care is important not just for pregnant women but also for their unborn babies. Maternal difficulties such as diabetes and high blood pressure which are harmful both to the mother and the child may be detected earlier through prenatal visits with a skilled or trained health care provider. Constant check-up and monitoring during these visits ensure a healthier pregnancy and delivery for both the mother and child.
Members may avail themselves of P1,500 as prenatal care benefit covering drugs and medicines, laboratory tests and ancillary procedures. Reimbursement for prenatal expenses is generally paid to the member. But corresponding official receipts for the procedures and/or drugs and medicines availed of must be submitted in support of the claim.
Prenatal care in lying-in clinics has been an integral part PhilHealth’s maternity care package. But it was only with the recent expansion of its normal delivery package that expenses for prenatal care in hospitals also became reimbursable. This is PhilHealth’s way of encouraging pregnant women to really undergo prenatal care in support of the Department of Health’s safe motherhood campaign.
Source: The Freeman
Plant repairs to cause 200 MW power shortage
CEBU, Philippines - The Visayas is expected to experience a power shortage of up to 200 megawatts tomorrow following the shutdown of a 120-megawatt power plant in Leyte due to a scheduled preventive maintenance.
National Grid Corporation of the Philippines Corporate Communications Officer for the Visayas Belinda Canlas said in a power advisory that starting yesterday, Mahanagdong geothermal power plant in Leyte will undertake preventive maintenance schedule for 10 days.
“As a result of the 10-day shutdown, the Visayas grid’s power supply will decrease with the scheduled maintenance of other major power plants in Cebu,” Canlas said.
She added that the impact of the shortage will be felt Visayas-wide tomorrow “as it will be distributed among the major islands and cities”.
As of yesterday, the available capacity of the Visayas is 975 megawatts with peak load reaching up to 1,072 megawatts resulting to 97 megawatt-shortfall according to the daily power bulletin of NGCP.
Yesterday, only Visayas has experienced a shortfall while Luzon and Mindanao were able to maintain a positive gross reserve. Luzon had an available capacity of 6,518 megawatts and a peak load of 5,707 megawatts leaving a reserve of 811 megawatts. Mindanao, on the other hand, had an available capacity of 1,233 megawatts and a peak load of only 1,122 megawatts.
Ethel Natera, corporate communications officer of the Visayan Electric Company said that they cannot forecast yet if there will be an interruption or not by Monday.
“We only depend on the power available at the grid at a specific time and we implement actions based on real-time data. There is no way to forecast which areas we will interrupt,” Natera said.
Veco is the major distributor of power in the Visayas and is serving most of Metro Cebu.
She said that at any time, they have a measure in place in cases like power shortage. One of which is the one-hour rotation scheme where in power distribution in a specific group of areas is interrupted for one hour and restored afterwards before Veco will interrupt another area.
Natera said due to lack of reserve, Veco has been interrupting power distribution by almost everyday strategically in different areas.
Veco however is trying to minimize the interruptions by encouraging major consumers to join the interruptible program where in consumer voluntarily sheds load. Natera said that Veco was able to enjoin around 20 major consumers who are contributing about 20 to 30 megawatts everyday.
“So mohangyo na lang gyud mi sa public for wise use of electricity since we are experiencing a shortage,” said Natera.
Source: The Freeman
National Grid Corporation of the Philippines Corporate Communications Officer for the Visayas Belinda Canlas said in a power advisory that starting yesterday, Mahanagdong geothermal power plant in Leyte will undertake preventive maintenance schedule for 10 days.
“As a result of the 10-day shutdown, the Visayas grid’s power supply will decrease with the scheduled maintenance of other major power plants in Cebu,” Canlas said.
She added that the impact of the shortage will be felt Visayas-wide tomorrow “as it will be distributed among the major islands and cities”.
As of yesterday, the available capacity of the Visayas is 975 megawatts with peak load reaching up to 1,072 megawatts resulting to 97 megawatt-shortfall according to the daily power bulletin of NGCP.
Yesterday, only Visayas has experienced a shortfall while Luzon and Mindanao were able to maintain a positive gross reserve. Luzon had an available capacity of 6,518 megawatts and a peak load of 5,707 megawatts leaving a reserve of 811 megawatts. Mindanao, on the other hand, had an available capacity of 1,233 megawatts and a peak load of only 1,122 megawatts.
Ethel Natera, corporate communications officer of the Visayan Electric Company said that they cannot forecast yet if there will be an interruption or not by Monday.
“We only depend on the power available at the grid at a specific time and we implement actions based on real-time data. There is no way to forecast which areas we will interrupt,” Natera said.
Veco is the major distributor of power in the Visayas and is serving most of Metro Cebu.
She said that at any time, they have a measure in place in cases like power shortage. One of which is the one-hour rotation scheme where in power distribution in a specific group of areas is interrupted for one hour and restored afterwards before Veco will interrupt another area.
Natera said due to lack of reserve, Veco has been interrupting power distribution by almost everyday strategically in different areas.
Veco however is trying to minimize the interruptions by encouraging major consumers to join the interruptible program where in consumer voluntarily sheds load. Natera said that Veco was able to enjoin around 20 major consumers who are contributing about 20 to 30 megawatts everyday.
“So mohangyo na lang gyud mi sa public for wise use of electricity since we are experiencing a shortage,” said Natera.
Source: The Freeman
Crown Regency's Chinese New Year "888 Dinner Buffet"
CEBU, Philippines - Chinese New Year is a holiday that celebrates the beginning of a new year according to the lunar calendar. It is considered to be one of the most important holidays for Chinese families.
The holiday is celebrated with big family gatherings, gift giving, the eating of symbolic foods and display of festive decorations -- all focused on bringing good luck for the New Year and celebrating the coming of Spring.
The start of Chinese New Year changes every year since it is dictated by the lunar calendar. The Gregorian or solar calendar, which is based on the Earth's movement around the sun and has a fixed number of 365 days a year (366 during a leap year), is the most widely used calendar system in the world and has been the official calendar used in China since 1912.
But in China, the lunar calendar is still used to determine traditional holidays like Chinese New Year. Since the lunar calendar is based on the phases of the moon – which has a shorter cycle than the sun – Chinese New Year is never on the same day each year, but typically falls somewhere between January 21st and February 20th.Very interestingly for 2010, it falls on February 14th, which is universally celebrated too as Valentine's Day. However, to mark the Chinese New Year with an equally festive mood, Crown Regency Hotel & Towers has opted to give an impact by way of a New Year's Eve celebration on February 13th, through its "888 Dinner Buffet" at its authentic Chinese cuisine known as the Wang Shan Lo Restaurant, located at the 20th Floor of Club Ultima Tower 2. This will be complimented with Dragon and Lion Dancers and free entrance to the Sky Experience Adventure and one Sky Ride --- either the Skywalk Extreme or the Edge Coaster Ride.Treat your loved ones to this one-of-its-kind Chinese New Year dinner buffet for only Php888 per person and get to enjoy a sumptuous array of authentic Chinese dishes that our Hong Kong chef has specially prepared for this celebration. Afford your New Year with a good start with food prepared for good luck! For reservations, please call 418-8888 and be connected to any of our friendly sales executives.
Source: The Freeman
The holiday is celebrated with big family gatherings, gift giving, the eating of symbolic foods and display of festive decorations -- all focused on bringing good luck for the New Year and celebrating the coming of Spring.
The start of Chinese New Year changes every year since it is dictated by the lunar calendar. The Gregorian or solar calendar, which is based on the Earth's movement around the sun and has a fixed number of 365 days a year (366 during a leap year), is the most widely used calendar system in the world and has been the official calendar used in China since 1912.
But in China, the lunar calendar is still used to determine traditional holidays like Chinese New Year. Since the lunar calendar is based on the phases of the moon – which has a shorter cycle than the sun – Chinese New Year is never on the same day each year, but typically falls somewhere between January 21st and February 20th.Very interestingly for 2010, it falls on February 14th, which is universally celebrated too as Valentine's Day. However, to mark the Chinese New Year with an equally festive mood, Crown Regency Hotel & Towers has opted to give an impact by way of a New Year's Eve celebration on February 13th, through its "888 Dinner Buffet" at its authentic Chinese cuisine known as the Wang Shan Lo Restaurant, located at the 20th Floor of Club Ultima Tower 2. This will be complimented with Dragon and Lion Dancers and free entrance to the Sky Experience Adventure and one Sky Ride --- either the Skywalk Extreme or the Edge Coaster Ride.Treat your loved ones to this one-of-its-kind Chinese New Year dinner buffet for only Php888 per person and get to enjoy a sumptuous array of authentic Chinese dishes that our Hong Kong chef has specially prepared for this celebration. Afford your New Year with a good start with food prepared for good luck! For reservations, please call 418-8888 and be connected to any of our friendly sales executives.
Source: The Freeman
DOT targets at least 1% of world's MICE market
CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Tourism targets to capture a significant share of the world’s $300 billion market of the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions.
DOT secretary Joseph Ace Durano said that the MICE market is a stable source of foreign investors as the sector has proven its strength and resilience to price fluctuations and other concerns brought about by the change in season, which resulted to an increase in hotel bookings by MICE participants in the country.
Durano said that the market could account for at least 50 million trips taken each year all over the world, all for the MICE purposes adding that of the whole industry’s share of $300 billion, $280 billion go to meetings and conventions, while $8.5 billion are for incentive travel and exhibitions for several billions more.
He said that gaining at least one percent of the Global MICE market would be substantial enough to build significant economic impact for the country as a MICE destination.
According to the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation, DOT’s marketing arm, the Philippines hosted an average of 150 international corporate conferences, meetings and exhibitions each year.
“The global MICE industry is highly competitive that most countries continue to promote heavily in this tourism segment to capture a slice of the large and still lucratively expanding MICE pie.”
Durano said that there are strategies that they need to practice in order to further promote the industry like developing a more local MICE destination, expand total venue and room capacity, improve support infrastructure, raise industry capabilities, creativity, innovation and enhance the skills of the tourism workforce.
“Such are the reasons for the staging of the Philippine MICE conference at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center on February 4 to 7” said Durano which is said to be the biggest event for the Philippine MICE industry.MICECON chairman and Tourism Undersecretary for Planning and Promotions Edu Jarque Jr. said that the MICECON 2010 is a must-join event for MICE players and those interested in the tourism industry in general “since it will highlight the world’s best practices in this field and the various activities that our foreign counterparts do to take advantage of this $300 billion global market.”
Tourism leaders from different countries all over the world are expected to attend the MICECON.
Source: The Freeman
DOT secretary Joseph Ace Durano said that the MICE market is a stable source of foreign investors as the sector has proven its strength and resilience to price fluctuations and other concerns brought about by the change in season, which resulted to an increase in hotel bookings by MICE participants in the country.
Durano said that the market could account for at least 50 million trips taken each year all over the world, all for the MICE purposes adding that of the whole industry’s share of $300 billion, $280 billion go to meetings and conventions, while $8.5 billion are for incentive travel and exhibitions for several billions more.
He said that gaining at least one percent of the Global MICE market would be substantial enough to build significant economic impact for the country as a MICE destination.
According to the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation, DOT’s marketing arm, the Philippines hosted an average of 150 international corporate conferences, meetings and exhibitions each year.
“The global MICE industry is highly competitive that most countries continue to promote heavily in this tourism segment to capture a slice of the large and still lucratively expanding MICE pie.”
Durano said that there are strategies that they need to practice in order to further promote the industry like developing a more local MICE destination, expand total venue and room capacity, improve support infrastructure, raise industry capabilities, creativity, innovation and enhance the skills of the tourism workforce.
“Such are the reasons for the staging of the Philippine MICE conference at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center on February 4 to 7” said Durano which is said to be the biggest event for the Philippine MICE industry.MICECON chairman and Tourism Undersecretary for Planning and Promotions Edu Jarque Jr. said that the MICECON 2010 is a must-join event for MICE players and those interested in the tourism industry in general “since it will highlight the world’s best practices in this field and the various activities that our foreign counterparts do to take advantage of this $300 billion global market.”
Tourism leaders from different countries all over the world are expected to attend the MICECON.
Source: The Freeman
Suroy suroy, kaon kaon sa sugbo
CEBU, Philippines - There were many warnings. In fact, an officemate joked that I should weigh myself before and after the event to see the effects. I told them I will just practice self control but they laughed off my strong reserve saying it is impossible to resist.
It was my first Suroy Suroy and I was really excited. I have heard many stories about the tour. I heard that it is tiring but exciting, that you will get to meet many tourists and that you will get to taste the delicacies of the different municipalities or cities in the province.
I received a lot of tips from officemates who have joined other Suroy Suroy in the past and received warnings, too. The tips were mainly about what to bring to the tour and the warnings were mostly about food, lots of food. You see, I have been trying to go on a diet since a long time ago, but my job at the Lifestyle Section just isn’t for someone who is dieting. So I have been putting off my diet for sometime and finally resolved that I will start to be serious about it in 2010. And voila! My first assignment for the year was the Suroy Suroy Sugbo Southern Heritage Trail!
The Suroy Suroy Sugbo is a tourism initiative of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia. It aims to bring busloads of tourists to historical, cultural and natural attractions in the different municipalities of the province. The Suroy Suroy Sugbo Southern Heritage Trail last January 20 to 22 covered 22 of the province’s 44 municipalities and seven cities.
The first Suroy Suroy for 2010 and the 22nd tour since it started in 2005, the Southern Heritage Trail was the biggest tour so far with over 300 participants. A total of 5 tourist buses and several coasters and vans transported balikbayans and local tourists to the different treasures in the south.
While the suroy, or literally “going around” to the different sights in the province is the highlight of the tour, one important component of the activity is the gastronomical adventure that participants go through at every stop. Can you imagine the 22 stops made in this Southern Heritage Trail?!
The Suroy Suroy trail is overflowing with delicious and unique yet simple food. Piniritong kamote, linung-ag nga saging ug ginamos, sinugbang isda, humba, linarang, puto balanghoy, are among the foodstuffs served by the different municipalities along the trail.
Although the food served is simple, you will see though that each municipality really puts an effort to prepare the best that they can offer. My companions at the media van said that the municipalities compete with one another on matters concerning food! There are even some mayors, my media companions said, who check the food served by other towns along the trail so his or her town could prepare something more special.
The Suroy Suroy breakfast trail usually consists of budbud, sikwate and manga, bam-i, buwad, chorizo, puso and lechon, among others. While queuing at the buffet tables, I heard a tourist squeal with glee, “Hala! Naay buwad. Kalami!”
Morning and afternoon snacks in the Suroy Suroy trail consists of piniritong camote, banana-Q, binignit, linung-ag nga saging ug ginamos, puto balanghoy, torta from Argao, budbud, sikwate and manga, puto, kutchinta, saksak, linusak and anagon, among others.
While snacking on puto balanghoy in Santander, Crescencia Escalante Ruiz, who is now based in Quebec, Canada, shared that native food from Cebu is “the best.” “I am from Argao and it has been such a long time since I have tasted this (puto balanghoy). The food here is really delicious. Like the chorizo, we were given chorizo by friends while in Canada but the chorizo here is really lami,” she said.
Siblings Boboy Reyes, Grace Aguilar and Josephine Perez, a balikbayan, sat on the grass in Argao’s plaza, picnic style, while snacking on torta and fresh buko juice.
Lunches and dinners are also feasts with puso, lechon, escabeche, humba, inasal nga manok bisaya, kinilaw, sinugba, kaldereta, dinuguan, talaba, pasayan and other seafood.
Travel time between stops/municipalities or cities is only between 15 to 30 minutes but it is really a wonder that all tourists, most often than not, get off their buses to eat, with gusto at that, to the delight of the host towns. Just imagine that all the lechon served in the different towns, including the 14 served in the last stop, Talisay City, were devoured to the bones!
Mayor Yvonne Cabaron of Moalboal said it is always fulfilling for a host municipality to see the participants of the Suroy Suroy satisfied, gastronomically. “The preparations for the Suroy Suroy are a community effort. Everyone contributes, so everyone is happy when our visitors leave our town satisfied,” she said.
So, that was my first Suroy Suroy. I never knew that riding on and getting off a van and eating at an average of eight stops a day can be sooo tiring. And, by the way, I gained a pound. See you in the next Kaon Kaon, er, Suroy Suroy Sugbo!
Source: The Freeman
It was my first Suroy Suroy and I was really excited. I have heard many stories about the tour. I heard that it is tiring but exciting, that you will get to meet many tourists and that you will get to taste the delicacies of the different municipalities or cities in the province.
I received a lot of tips from officemates who have joined other Suroy Suroy in the past and received warnings, too. The tips were mainly about what to bring to the tour and the warnings were mostly about food, lots of food. You see, I have been trying to go on a diet since a long time ago, but my job at the Lifestyle Section just isn’t for someone who is dieting. So I have been putting off my diet for sometime and finally resolved that I will start to be serious about it in 2010. And voila! My first assignment for the year was the Suroy Suroy Sugbo Southern Heritage Trail!
The Suroy Suroy Sugbo is a tourism initiative of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia. It aims to bring busloads of tourists to historical, cultural and natural attractions in the different municipalities of the province. The Suroy Suroy Sugbo Southern Heritage Trail last January 20 to 22 covered 22 of the province’s 44 municipalities and seven cities.
The first Suroy Suroy for 2010 and the 22nd tour since it started in 2005, the Southern Heritage Trail was the biggest tour so far with over 300 participants. A total of 5 tourist buses and several coasters and vans transported balikbayans and local tourists to the different treasures in the south.
While the suroy, or literally “going around” to the different sights in the province is the highlight of the tour, one important component of the activity is the gastronomical adventure that participants go through at every stop. Can you imagine the 22 stops made in this Southern Heritage Trail?!
The Suroy Suroy trail is overflowing with delicious and unique yet simple food. Piniritong kamote, linung-ag nga saging ug ginamos, sinugbang isda, humba, linarang, puto balanghoy, are among the foodstuffs served by the different municipalities along the trail.
Although the food served is simple, you will see though that each municipality really puts an effort to prepare the best that they can offer. My companions at the media van said that the municipalities compete with one another on matters concerning food! There are even some mayors, my media companions said, who check the food served by other towns along the trail so his or her town could prepare something more special.
The Suroy Suroy breakfast trail usually consists of budbud, sikwate and manga, bam-i, buwad, chorizo, puso and lechon, among others. While queuing at the buffet tables, I heard a tourist squeal with glee, “Hala! Naay buwad. Kalami!”
Morning and afternoon snacks in the Suroy Suroy trail consists of piniritong camote, banana-Q, binignit, linung-ag nga saging ug ginamos, puto balanghoy, torta from Argao, budbud, sikwate and manga, puto, kutchinta, saksak, linusak and anagon, among others.
While snacking on puto balanghoy in Santander, Crescencia Escalante Ruiz, who is now based in Quebec, Canada, shared that native food from Cebu is “the best.” “I am from Argao and it has been such a long time since I have tasted this (puto balanghoy). The food here is really delicious. Like the chorizo, we were given chorizo by friends while in Canada but the chorizo here is really lami,” she said.
Siblings Boboy Reyes, Grace Aguilar and Josephine Perez, a balikbayan, sat on the grass in Argao’s plaza, picnic style, while snacking on torta and fresh buko juice.
Lunches and dinners are also feasts with puso, lechon, escabeche, humba, inasal nga manok bisaya, kinilaw, sinugba, kaldereta, dinuguan, talaba, pasayan and other seafood.
Travel time between stops/municipalities or cities is only between 15 to 30 minutes but it is really a wonder that all tourists, most often than not, get off their buses to eat, with gusto at that, to the delight of the host towns. Just imagine that all the lechon served in the different towns, including the 14 served in the last stop, Talisay City, were devoured to the bones!
Mayor Yvonne Cabaron of Moalboal said it is always fulfilling for a host municipality to see the participants of the Suroy Suroy satisfied, gastronomically. “The preparations for the Suroy Suroy are a community effort. Everyone contributes, so everyone is happy when our visitors leave our town satisfied,” she said.
So, that was my first Suroy Suroy. I never knew that riding on and getting off a van and eating at an average of eight stops a day can be sooo tiring. And, by the way, I gained a pound. See you in the next Kaon Kaon, er, Suroy Suroy Sugbo!
Source: The Freeman
Friday, January 29, 2010
PDIC ‘wise saver’ roadshow goes to Cebu
CEBU CITY
The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) took its “wise saver” campaign to this city on Wednesday, bringing representatives of the country’s banking industry to teach more than a thousand business students from universities on how to save properly and wisely.
PDIC president Jose Nograles said reforms in the banking sector have ensured that banks are stronger and regulatory systems better, in order to protect the interest of the saving public. He admits the Legacy scandal that sent several rural banks into bankruptcy and affected thousands of investors has pushed the industry to be more vigilant.
But he told students that the best way to keep money is still in the banks, and it is the responsibility of the sector to encourage people to save.
“We will be continuing with our efforts to teach people on the basics of saving,” Nograles told reporters. “We would also like depositors to be responsible bankers. Banking requires the trust of everybody involved from the clients to the banks.”
Over 1,000 students from the University of San Jose-Recoletos and University of San Carlos joined the Cebu stop of the campaign called Be a Wise Saver. Also present at the program were officials from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilpinas, the Cebu Bankers Club and the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines.
PDIC also partnered with the country’s rural banks, who admit they are trying to break free from the stigma caused by the Legacy scam. Nograles said rural banks continue to be at the forefront of microfinancing and community banking relationships.
According to Tomas Gomez IV, past president of the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines, their group has continued to grow steadily despite the Legacy scandal. He said as of December 2009, there were 2,170 rural banks in the country with 6 million depositors. Half of the rural banks are in places where there are no other banks, he said.
“Many times it is the only bank in the town. Rural banks also have a social purpose in the community,” Gomez IV.
Nograles said rural banks continue to serve their purpose in rural communities and should not be affected by the Legacy scam.
“Legacy was not your usual bank closure and they were doing the usual rural bank operation,” he said. “The relationship with the community remains the core strength of the rural bankers and microfinancing is their core competency.”
The PDIC launched its first financial literacy advocacy five years ago with a unique curriculum-based program in the country and the first in the Asian region. The nationwide advocacy teaches the young people on the value of saving, the impact of savings mobilization on economic growth and PDICs role in helping maintain the stability of the banking system.
Source: Business Mirror
Growing dumpsite stench affects SRP marketability
CEBU, Philippines - Touted as the “jewel” that could reap millions for Cebu, the South Road Properties is at risk of losing its sparkle with the mounting concerns regarding the Inayawan dumpsite, which is located right at the middle of SRP and the Inayawan residential area.
The Cebu Investments Promotions Center (CIPC), the marketing arm of SRP, admits that the growing stench at the open dumpsite could affect the marketability of the SRP, despite its strategic location as the gateway to the south.
CIPC managing director Joel Mari S. Yu said they have already recommended to the Cebu City government for the immediate relocation of the dumpsite, for the SRP to attract more investors as well as to prevent complaints from existing investors such as Bigfoot Global Solutions, Filinvest Land Incorporated, and SM Prime Holdings.
“I have already recommended to the Mayor that the dumpsite should be relocated soon. But as to how soon? It will depend on the City government,” Yu said adding that the concern of the investors, who are currently building their facilities at the area, is on the foul smell that oozes from the dump to the rest of the 300-hectare spread area.
“The SRP is our premier investment destination in Cebu. The dumpsite must be relocated in order to attract more investors. The presence of the dumpsite is not good specifically that SRP will be the next “pride” of Cebu,” Yu said.
Just this month, SM Prime Holdings finally clinched a deal with the Cebu City Government for the purchase of 30-hectares of prime lots for a P20 billion development project at the SRP.
SM Prime Holdings plans to build one of the world’s largest malls at the SRP as well as establishments of high-end residential condo units, hotels, hospital, and a university.
Filinvest Land Incorporated (FLI), on the other hand, will also spend P25 billion to develop 40-hectares at the SRP.
Filinvest earlier announced that the company will build a multi-residential development that will give Cebu City another landmark with an international flavor, as well as attract the local investors.
Yu said Mayor Tomas Osmeña has already agreed to his recommendation of the relocation but the timetable will depend on how fast the Cebu City government could act on this.
In 2008, Bigfoot Global Solutions, reportedly complained about the foul odor coming from the Inayawan dumpsite, which prompted the Cebu City government to use filling materials to cover the hills of trash. This was when Bigfoot personnel were about to move in to their new building at the SRP.
The city government in fact, encouraged the public to donate leftover sand, gravel and other filling materials at the SRP.
However, if the presence of the dumpsite at the SRP hampers the entry of potential investors in the area, relocating it would also mean cutting off the means of livelihood of the scavengers who largely depend on the daily load of garbage dumped at the Inayawan dumpsite.
Lola Minda, a resident of the area who has made a living through scavenging, said she does not really care about the unpleasant smell anymore since what she does at the dump has given them food on their tables.
The old lady said a lot of them depend on what they get from the trash and it has been their livelihood for so many years already and they have no idea what to do and where to go if the dumpsite will be closed as to what they have heard from reports.
She shared that there are times that they find pieces of jewelry in the garbage which is a great help to them but other than that they hope to find other things, which they could benefit from like pieces of metal, plastic and bottles.
Maricris Arites, another resident of the area for the past 15 years said that a lot of people live near the dumpsite and in fact is divided into different areas just at the back portion of the mountain of garbage.
She said they have grown used to the stench, which really gets bad, especially during the rainy season followed by a very hot day and the garbage is being bulldozed and compacted.
But then she said it does not bother them, in fact more and more people are locating in the area to find livelihood through scavenging.
Erlinda Quisel, who has been selling cooked food with her mother just steps away from the dumping site, said that it has not affected their business at all since most of the residents prefer to eat there rather than going to the small stores located at the main road, which is very far.
And as more scavengers grow by the day at the area, small businesses likewise sprouted near the dumpsite selling meals unmindful of the foul smell at the area that could be harmful to their health.
But for Quisel, she said their health has not been affected and ever since, they have lived happily in the area.
The 15.41-hectare Inayawan landfill started its operation in 1998. Although the landfill’s lifespan was supposed to be only seven years, it is still operating until now due to the lack of a relocation site and the city government has been using a compactor machine for the leveling and pushing of the garbage at the landfill.
Environmentalists have already raised concerns on the growing number of garbage in the area made up of non-segregated trash that would cause damage to the environment and the residents within the area.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
The Cebu Investments Promotions Center (CIPC), the marketing arm of SRP, admits that the growing stench at the open dumpsite could affect the marketability of the SRP, despite its strategic location as the gateway to the south.
CIPC managing director Joel Mari S. Yu said they have already recommended to the Cebu City government for the immediate relocation of the dumpsite, for the SRP to attract more investors as well as to prevent complaints from existing investors such as Bigfoot Global Solutions, Filinvest Land Incorporated, and SM Prime Holdings.
“I have already recommended to the Mayor that the dumpsite should be relocated soon. But as to how soon? It will depend on the City government,” Yu said adding that the concern of the investors, who are currently building their facilities at the area, is on the foul smell that oozes from the dump to the rest of the 300-hectare spread area.
“The SRP is our premier investment destination in Cebu. The dumpsite must be relocated in order to attract more investors. The presence of the dumpsite is not good specifically that SRP will be the next “pride” of Cebu,” Yu said.
Just this month, SM Prime Holdings finally clinched a deal with the Cebu City Government for the purchase of 30-hectares of prime lots for a P20 billion development project at the SRP.
SM Prime Holdings plans to build one of the world’s largest malls at the SRP as well as establishments of high-end residential condo units, hotels, hospital, and a university.
Filinvest Land Incorporated (FLI), on the other hand, will also spend P25 billion to develop 40-hectares at the SRP.
Filinvest earlier announced that the company will build a multi-residential development that will give Cebu City another landmark with an international flavor, as well as attract the local investors.
Yu said Mayor Tomas Osmeña has already agreed to his recommendation of the relocation but the timetable will depend on how fast the Cebu City government could act on this.
In 2008, Bigfoot Global Solutions, reportedly complained about the foul odor coming from the Inayawan dumpsite, which prompted the Cebu City government to use filling materials to cover the hills of trash. This was when Bigfoot personnel were about to move in to their new building at the SRP.
The city government in fact, encouraged the public to donate leftover sand, gravel and other filling materials at the SRP.
However, if the presence of the dumpsite at the SRP hampers the entry of potential investors in the area, relocating it would also mean cutting off the means of livelihood of the scavengers who largely depend on the daily load of garbage dumped at the Inayawan dumpsite.
Lola Minda, a resident of the area who has made a living through scavenging, said she does not really care about the unpleasant smell anymore since what she does at the dump has given them food on their tables.
The old lady said a lot of them depend on what they get from the trash and it has been their livelihood for so many years already and they have no idea what to do and where to go if the dumpsite will be closed as to what they have heard from reports.
She shared that there are times that they find pieces of jewelry in the garbage which is a great help to them but other than that they hope to find other things, which they could benefit from like pieces of metal, plastic and bottles.
Maricris Arites, another resident of the area for the past 15 years said that a lot of people live near the dumpsite and in fact is divided into different areas just at the back portion of the mountain of garbage.
She said they have grown used to the stench, which really gets bad, especially during the rainy season followed by a very hot day and the garbage is being bulldozed and compacted.
But then she said it does not bother them, in fact more and more people are locating in the area to find livelihood through scavenging.
Erlinda Quisel, who has been selling cooked food with her mother just steps away from the dumping site, said that it has not affected their business at all since most of the residents prefer to eat there rather than going to the small stores located at the main road, which is very far.
And as more scavengers grow by the day at the area, small businesses likewise sprouted near the dumpsite selling meals unmindful of the foul smell at the area that could be harmful to their health.
But for Quisel, she said their health has not been affected and ever since, they have lived happily in the area.
The 15.41-hectare Inayawan landfill started its operation in 1998. Although the landfill’s lifespan was supposed to be only seven years, it is still operating until now due to the lack of a relocation site and the city government has been using a compactor machine for the leveling and pushing of the garbage at the landfill.
Environmentalists have already raised concerns on the growing number of garbage in the area made up of non-segregated trash that would cause damage to the environment and the residents within the area.
Source: The Freeman Cebu
Pinoys abroad tapped to wake up sleepy Bohol town
MARIBOJOC, Bohol
The explorer Pigafetta would have chosen this town over Mactan had it already sported a Hollywood-like sign on its mountain ranges.
The explorer Pigafetta would have chosen this town over Mactan had it already sported a Hollywood-like sign on its mountain ranges.
But had this town did, it may have attracted not only Pigafetta—who was desperate to escape after his and Ferdinand Magellan’s fleet was pummeled in the Battle of Mactan—but also other explorers who may know only Bohol because of its famed chocolate hills.
That is ultimately what this project hopes to accomplish, according to Mayor Leoncio Evasco: to lure back its former residents, or at least their resources, from abroad.
Evasco said he has secured commitment from the Maribojoc Association USA to construct a Maribojoc billboard—similar to what Hollywood in Los Angeles, USA, has—on the side of the mountain range that faces the Maribojoc Bay.
Evasco is the man behind such project which, he said, aims to raise tourism receipts and attract investors in his town, a five-minute ride northwest of Bohol’s capital city of Tagbilaran.
Evasco said he’s starting with Maribojocanons overseas as a target market.
“We want to raise awareness to the returning Maribojocanons about the town that they left, of what it has become today, and of the values and people that were lost here.”
Evasco spoke to the OFW Journalism Consortium last month to promote the project, which will be announced during the annual town fiesta on May 5.
The feast is the highlight of a town-wide reunion from April 10 to July 31 called Balik Maribojoc.
Besides announcing the construction of the Hollywood-like sign, the reunion aims to showcase some of Maribojoc’s tourist spots.
One of this is Punta Cruz, Bohol’s remaining watch tower, which deterred Spanish pirates during the 19th century.
Punta Cruz is also symbolic for overseas Filipinos and their families in Maribojoc since it is here where the germ for the town’s version of diaspora philanthropy was seeded.
Crossing
PUNTA Cruz is a historic site for the informal, town-wide group of families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who meet in this triangular, sturdy structure almost every month.
The last gathering in October of more than 300 families affirmed Evasco’s belief in the possibility of tapping OFWs as source of social investment.
People just kept coming and the seats were not enough. Municipal government employee James Mabilin, then manning the entrance of the watch-tower compound, couldn’t stop the influx.
The organizers said they expected representatives of only 200 migrant families.
Seafarers waiting for their next contract bankrolled lechon (roasted pig). College-level children of overseas Maribojocanons hosted parlor games around the grassy complex.
Amazed at the turnout, Evasco said he donated P5,000 for additional cash prizes for the parlor games.
“We never had this kind of a crowd, coming from OFWs [and their families] in our town,” Evasco said.
Still, those who joined the gathering represented only half of the total 742 overseas workers and emigrants from this town of 18,133 people.
The figure is based on Mabilin’s census of families with dependents and relatives abroad in Maribojoc’s 22 upland, lowland and coastal villages.
While only half were represented in that gathering last year, it failed to dampen the spirit of Virginia Alindajao, 48, wife of an electrician in Saudi Arabia since 1993.
“I never realized that we OFWs and OFW families,” she said in Pilipino, “are just around waiting to get ourselves together.”
Alindajao is also one of the organizers of Punta Cruz Environmental Organization.
When the buzzword of forming an OFW group swept Maribojoc, she signed up.
Alindajao’s euphoria was shared by Laura Manuta, Mayor Evasco’s sister and a former nurse in Germany and in Saudi Arabia.
Manuta is also a volunteer nurse for the Holy Cross Parish’s medical clinic since retiring in 1997.
She’s also president of the land-based OFW family circle group called the Maribojoc Land-based Migrant Workers and Beneficiaries Association.
On the other hand, the Maribojoc Seafarers and Beneficiaries Association has the town’s agricultural officer, seaman’s wife Eva Bolasco, as its head.
Stronghold
THE stronghold of Maribojoc’s OFW population, Mabilin told the OFW Journalism Consortium, is not the remittances plowing into the town, estimated to be between P52 million to 84 million annually.
It is the OFW townmates’ alayon (bayanihan in Pilipino, or community spirit), Mabilin said.
In December, the groups recommended forgoing a town-wide Christmas party to donate school supplies and slippers to children in the town’s poorest village of Candavid.
Filipino migration and development analysts have remarked the potential of luring the resources and bayanihan spirit of overseas Filipinos and their families right in the migrants’ rural hometowns.
Evasco and the OFW family circles that his office, the Municipal Manpower Development and Placement Office, facilitated to organize are seeking to make that spirit transform the town into an economic paradise.
A fourth-class municipality which income in 2008 was P61.358 million, this sleepy town lacked jobs, forcing some middle-class residents go to the provincial capital of Tagbilaran City, the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao (like Evasco himself) and Manila, and overseas.
Overseas Maribojocanons’ remittances that pass by the town’s only two pawnshops, as well as banks and money-transfer outfits in Tagbilaran City (some 14 kilometers from Maribojoc) are the single-biggest economic drivers of Maribojoc, said Evasco.
The lack of vibrant economic activities apart from retail trade, fishing and farming made Maribojoc a fifth-class municipality previously.
“Nothing wrong if you go elsewhere,” two-year Mayor Evasco recalled telling some Maribojocanons during casual conversations, “but come back home and bring with you the ideas and experience you learned elsewhere.”
Maybe after the Hollywood-like sign facing the sea, some would mimic Pigafetta’s journey but not accidentally landing in this town whose name was taken from a pine tree named “Malabojoc.”
Source: Business Mirror
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)