BusinessWorld (Philippines) articles from April 2011

BusinessWorld (Philippines) archives from April 2011

SPECIAL FEATURE: Responsible Mining.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Hannah M. Muralla Pristine beaches, beautiful reefs, and hospitable locals are only some of the Philippines' best kept treasures. But the country has another, more literal take on the word "riches": an abundance of mineral resources....

SPECIAL FEATURE: Responsible Mining.
April 29, 2011... ALL EYES were glued to the TV screen when the rescue of 33 miners trapped for 69 days in the San Jose copper-gold mine in Chile was broadcast all over the world last year. While the widespread attention it garnered is more a reflection of public...

WEEKENDER: staying in.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Jeffrey O. Valisno CD REVIEW The Manhattan Connection: The Songs of Jose Mari Chan Various Artists Universal Records For more than four decades, singer-songwriter Jose Mari Chan has been one of the giants of the local...

WEEKENDER: movies.(Movie review)
April 29, 2011... Byline: Noel Vera MOVIE REVIEW Arthur Directed by Jason Winer Steve Gordon's Arthur (1981) was an unlikely triumph - a comedy about a drunken millionaire deft enough to pilfer your approval, perhaps even a little sympathy (drunks and...

WEEKENDER.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Camille Erika R. Sarte Gawker, a New York City-based online newsmagazine/blog, recently uncovered a 1994 video from American media company Knight-Ridder, predicting that e-readers and tablet PC's would eventually replace printed...

WEEKENDER: going out.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Jeffrey O. Valisno CONCERT Switchfoot Live in Manila: The Hello Hurricane Tour April 30, 7:30 p.m. Philsports Arena (formerly ULTRA), Pasig City While the American band Switchfoot had been in the music business since 1996,...

WEEKENDER: going out.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Jeffrey O. Valisno CONCERT Pulp Summer Slam XI: Resurrection April 30, 12 noon Amoranto Stadium, Scout Chuatoco, Quezon City Pulp Summer Slam, the annual rock music festival, made history last year when as many as 35,000...

WEEKENDER: going out.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Sam L. Marcelo EVENTS The International Dance Day Concert April 29 Rizal Park Open-Air Auditorium, Manila National Heritage Month Opening May 1 Rizal Park and the National Museum of the Philippines, P. Burgos Ave.,...

WEEKENDER: health.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Jeffrey O. Valisno The use of radio frequency (RF) current in medicine was first developed more than 75 years ago by two doctors, Harvey Cushing and W. T. Bovie, who introduced the electro-surgical unit for cutting of tissue and...

WEEKENDER: health.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Reiner W. Gloor Pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) is a long, complex and expensive process necessary to discover and produce a medicine that will help save and improve lives. The various stages of discovery and...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Raoul J. Chee Kee Collaborations are growing more common as fashion designers whose creations are usually seen as too expensive strive to reach untapped markets. Some of the more recent pairings include Lanvin with flash fashion...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Nanette Franco-Diyco Off C5, en route to Eastwood from Makati encountering some expected traffic just before dark, I was entertained by a huge billboard that spelled summer fun going berserk. Jumping into your favorite swimming hole...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
April 29, 2011... Ipanema summer line THIS SUMMER choose from Ipanema's range of sandals that conform to every contour of the sole which means less pressure is placed on the body when walking - perfect when staying out from morning 'til night. You can view...

WEEKENDER: travel.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Raoul J. Chee Kee The trip to Beijing earlier this month was one that this writer had been looking forward to for several weeks. Travel Web sites had been visited and friends and family members who had made the trip were pestered with...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Terence A. Hockenhull Many salespersons who are out in the field meeting with clients return to their offices to tell colleagues and managers that their clients will probably buy because of the comments made during the course of the...

WEEKENDER.
April 29, 2011... PERFORMANCE Bayanihan Folk Dance Concert. May 1. Conrado Benitez Hall, Taft Ave., Manila. Philippine Women's University, The Philippine Women's University once again features the Bayanihan Folk Dance Company of the Philippines every first...

SPECIAL FEATURE: TAGAYTAY CITY.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Hannah M. Muralla Tagaytay's temperature is on the rise, and it's not just the season. Mt. Taal, which last erupted in 1977, has recently been showing sustained seismic activity, giving out rumbling sounds and emitting alarming levels...

SPECIAL FEATURE: TAGAYTAY CITY.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Hannah M. Muralla AFTER A ROUND of golf or a swing at the zipline, consider sampling these Tagaytay delicacies before making the trip back home. With Cavite's highest peak said to have some of the sweetest buko (young coconut) in...

SPECIAL FEATURE: TAGAYTAY CITY.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Victoria T. Vizcarra FOR CAFFEINE connoisseurs looking to take a break from their usual perk-up, a cup of 'black gold' might be the best way to reawaken one's tastebuds. In the Philippines, it's recognized as kape alamid in the...

SPECIAL FEATURE: TAGAYTAY CITY.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Anna Patricia G. Valerio TAGAYTAY'S TOURIST attractions are virtually second home to its regular visitors, but in case there's an activity that you might have missed, here's a brief list of the weekend destination's most popular...

SPECIAL FEATURE: TAGAYTAY CITY.(Restaurant review)
April 29, 2011... Byline: Katrina Paola B. Alvarez ITS COOL CLIMATE may be Tagaytay's biggest draw, but it is the city's epicurean delights that are making its visitors stay. Here's a quick rundown of the restaurants that gourmands may want to add to their...

TAKE TEN.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Behn Cervantes As a child, I was truly attracted to tales about Lorelei and similar mermaids. So, despite the fact that I was not a local movie fan, I watched the very pretty Edna Luna as Dyesebel. These legendary temptresses were...

Hotels show pay-per-view fight.
April 29, 2011... SEVERAL HOTELS will be showing the boxing bout between Manny Pacquiao and Sugar Shane Mosley on May 8. The Eastwood Richmonde Hotel will show the fight as it happens live at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, 9 a.m. Boxing enthusiasts can...

Funding options eyed.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Diane Claire J. Jiao THE GOVERNMENT is geared towards lengthening maturities and reducing foreign-denominated debt papers when it raises $500 million through bond issuances this year. "If we go to the market, it will be to complete...

Fed's decision on rates buoys local currency.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Ann Rozainne R. Gregorio with AFP THE PESO gained ground against the dollar yesterday, landing on the P42 per dollar territory, as investors preferred emerging markets' assets on news of the US Fed's move to retain policy rates after...

Forex facility for Libyan dinar scrapped.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Antonio Siegfrid O. Alegado THE MONETARY Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has decided to terminate its currency exchange facility (CEF) for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) returning from Libya starting on July 1. ...

BPI to have additional web-enabled teller units.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Ann Rozainne R. Gregorio THE BANK of the Philippine Islands (BPI), the country's third largest in terms of assets, targets to have 500 customer-transaction assist units by the end of the year to better provide convenience to its...

Index retreats as investors pocket gains.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Neil Jerome C. Morales SHARE PRICES retreated yesterday on the back of profit taking. The Philippine Stock Exchange index or PSEi lost 0.98% or 42.49 points to close at 4,278.83, while the broader all-share index declined by 1.01%...

SPECIAL FEATURE: UST's 400th Anniversary.
April 29, 2011... THE UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST) will conclude April with a twin celebration: its 400th founding anniversary on April 28, and the beatification of the late John Paul II, who had visited the university twice, on May 1. To mark the World...

SPECIAL FEATURE: UST's 400th Anniversary.
April 29, 2011... THE 400th-year foundation jubilee of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) was highlighted with a Eucharistic celebration, opening of the Jubilee Door, a fair and film festival, international conference, and a grand alumni homecoming dinner during...

COURTSIDE.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Anthony L. Cuaycong Everybody and his mother knew Kobe Bryant was going to take to the court last Wednesday. As badly swollen as his left ankle was, and as much as he fretted over its condition, terming it an "injury" as opposed to...

GIVE AND GO.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Michael Angelo S. Murillo Will the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters be defeated again in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner's Cup is the question circulating in the PBA-dom nowadays. Not since the month of February...

CHESS PIECE.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Bobby Ang 12th European Championship 2011 Aix-les-Bains, France March 21-April 3, 2011 Final Standings (according to tie-breaks) 1-4. GM Vladimir Potkin RUS 2653, GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek POL 2711, GM Judit Polgar HUN...

Philippines confident of favorable WTO ruling.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Ana Mae G. Roa THE GOVERNMENT yesterday said it is confident that the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO) will uphold an earlier panel ruling ordering Thailand to amend unfair taxes on Philippine cigarette exports. ...

Outsourcing sales growth slows in 2009 - BSP survey.
April 29, 2011... THE COUNTRY's business process outsourcing sector managed to post strong growth in 2009 amid the start of recovery from the global economic slump, though it continued the slowdown that began the previous year, the central bank said in a...

Japan credit rater upgrades outlook for the Philippines.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Antonio Siegfrid O. Alegado JAPAN CREDIT RATING Agency, Ltd. (JCR) has upgraded the Philippines' credit outlook to positive from stable, as it affirmed its BBB- grade on the country's foreign currency and local currency long-term...

'We have a very good case'.
April 29, 2011... THE GOVERNMENT hopes to bag a debt rating or outlook upgrade after it briefed credit raters in the US on efforts to improve its finances. "I believe we have a very good case. I am confident that they will give us the benefit of the doubt,"...

ADB eyes up to $500-M package for e-trikes.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Louella D. Desiderio THE ASIAN Development Bank (ADB) is prepared to offer a $100-million to $500-million loan package to finance the development in three to five years of an electric tricycle (e-trike) system that can support up to...

VANTAGE POINT.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Luis V. Teodoro With the 21st century so young, the media are already calling the April 29 event "The wedding of the century." The British media's focus on the wedding of William Windsor and Catherine Middleton is understandable. ...

FENCE SITTER.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Antonio R. Samson The one making a PowerPoint presentation or delivering a speech is too often not the same person who worked on it. An army of assistants and cut- and-paste artists provide the slides or the words that are read out in...

STREETWISE.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Carol Pagaduan-Araullo No one - not even employers or the government - will dispute the sad state of Philippine labor today. The figures do not lie or dissemble. And yet year in and year out, government and employers merely raise...

TRADE TRIPPER.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Jemy Gatdula One of the fascinating things to see is how full the churches were last weekend, what with the celebration of Easter Sunday. But what's sad to note is that behind the facade of apparent devoutness lies a certain...

San Miguel triggers option to sell more shares to local buyers.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Neil Jerome C. Morales SAN MIGUEL Corp. has decided to sell more shares to the domestic market, exercising an earlier announced option to increase the number in case of excessive demand, bookrunners yesterday said. "As of Monday,...

Sy-led unit eyes deal with Raintree for hotel.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Neil Jerome C. Morales BELLE CORP., the high-end developer controlled by the Sy family, is in talks with hotel operator HSAI Raintree for the management of one of the three hotels at a planned $750-million complex, an official...

Smart Communications receives tax perks from Manila city gov't.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Kathleen A. Martin SMART COMMUNICATIONS, Inc. has been granted tax breaks for operations in the city of Manila, an ordinance published yesterday showed. Smart will no longer have to pay the local government real property taxes "on...

IN THE WORKPLACE.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Reylito A. H. Elbo We don't have a formal policy on promotion in our family-led corporation. In the meantime, how do we select, appoint, and manage newly promoted employees? - White Lily. A man was sitting at a bar enjoying a drink...

Philex Mining profits up 156% in Q1 on higher output, prices.(Financial report)
April 29, 2011... Byline: Eliza J. Diaz PHILEX MINING Corp. more than doubled its profits in the first quarter over year-ago levels after the Pangilinan-led company bagged its second highest revenue haul for the period due to improved output and world market...

Galoc oil yield declines.
April 29, 2011... THE GALOC oil field in offshore Palawan yielded 15% less barrels in the first quarter versus year-ago levels, Otto Energy Ltd. said in a statement yesterday. Output was down to 651,551 barrels in the period of January to March from 767,315...

Hydro plant bags tax perks.
April 29, 2011... A FIRST Gen Corp. unit has qualified for tax breaks for the operation of its 1.6-megawatt (MW) hydroelectric power plan in Bukidnon, the Board of Investments (BoI) said in a statement yesterday. Bukidnon Power Corp. (FGBPC), a wholly owned unit...

HK firms plan RP projects.
April 29, 2011... SEVERAL FIRMS based in Hong Kong are looking to invest in the Philippines, particularly into the country's infrastructure, fashion, textile and power industries, the Board of Investments (BoI) said in a statement yesterday. This, after BoI...

ArthaLand to pay off debts.
April 29, 2011... THE ENTRY of tuna canner Century Pacific Group into ArthaLand Corp. will allow the property firm to pay off some debts, fund a condominium project and also improve marketing, officials yesterday said."The P450 million will be utilized...for...

Clear policy sought vs child labor in small-scale mining.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Johanna Paola D. Poblete THE PALACE wants clear policy on national and local laws on small- scale mining to avoid a repeat of last week's landslide that killed several minors, a Palace official said yesterday. Presidential...

Governor asks court to halt fertilizer fund mess hearings.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Noemi M. Gonzales A PROVINCIAL governor linked to the fertilizer fund scandal in the past administration yesterday asked the Sandiganbayan to suspend proceedings against him. Sorsogon Governor Raul R. Lee, a member of the...

Mining companies still paying 'tax' to rebels.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Vanessa J. Almeda SURIGAO CITY - Mining companies in a Mindanao region continue to pay so-called revolutionary taxes to communist rebels amid fears of harassment despite protection provided by the government, a military official told...

Tighter airport security rules next month to meet upgrade.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Noemi M. Gonzales TIGHTER AIRPORT security rules will be implemented next month in line with efforts to obtain a rating upgrade for the aviation sector, an official said yesterday. Published yesterday were standards for centers,...

Gold traders tax dodgers: BIR.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Nathaniel R. Melican THE BUREAU of Internal Revenue (BIR) yesterday filed tax evasion charges against four gold traders who had transacted with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). Charged with the Department of Justice were...

Charges sought against suspect in bar examination bombing.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Nathaniel R. Melican THE DEPARTMENT of Justice has found probable cause to file charges against the suspect in last year's bar examinations based on claims of eyewitnesses. In a resolution issued April 27, Prosecution Attorney...

Judge finally promoted to higher court.
April 29, 2011... PRESIDENT BENIGNO S. C. Aquino III has promoted a judge bypassed several times by the previous administration to the Sandiganbayan. Judge Oscar C. Herrera, Jr. was appointed justice of the Sandiganbayan, a statement from the Office of the...

Popular Economics.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Karen Joyce Q. Ang The ballooning population, which is often blamed for a host of economic woes, can be the country's saving grace in the future given the increasing number of young people. With the abundance of land and capital...

May Day aid to extend to vulnerable sectors.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Johanna D. Poblete and Diane Claire J. Jiao A LABOR DAY benefits package is still being finalized by Malacanang but will likely include assistance not just for workers but other vulnerable sectors of society, officials yesterday said....

Frequency allocations added to Globe-PLDT row.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Kathleen A. Martin GLOBE TELECOM, Inc. yesterday ramped up its objection to Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.'s (PLDT) planned purchase of Digital Telecommunications Philippines, Inc. (Digitel), calling for a reallocation of...

Export growth goal still 10%, Trade exec says.
April 29, 2011... THE PHILIPPINES' 10% export growth target for this year will not be revised despite concerns arising from last month's disaster in Japan, a Trade official yesterday said. "As of now, we're on target at 10% for the year. As of now, we don't...

Consumer prices, capital flows top risks for Asian economies.
April 29, 2011... Byline: Antonio Siegfrid O. Alegado ASIAN ECONOMIES face the challenge of ensuring sustained and inclusive growth amid risks posed by rising inflation and increased capital inflows, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) yesterday said. ...

LCF to hold CSR expo in July.
April 29, 2011... THE LEAGUE of Corporate Foundations (LCF) has announced that its annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Expo will be held on July 20 and 21 at the SMX Convention Center. Adopting the theme "Taking CSR to New Heights," the 10th CSR Expo...

PDIC receiving claims of BF depositors.
April 29, 2011... THE PHILIPPINE Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) has started receiving claims of Banco Filipino Savings and Mortgage Bank (BF) depositors with account balances of above P10,000 until May 13, at the premises of the bank's branches and head office...

AES Phils. is finalist in Edison Award.
April 29, 2011... AES PHILIPPINES, a subsidiary of the global energy company AES, has been nominated as one of the finalists for the 2010 Edison Award - the electric power industry's most prestigious honor. Presented annually by the Edison Electric Institute...

CONSUMER GUIDE.
April 29, 2011... Malaysia Airlines launches promotion DISCOVER THE Truly Asian experience of Malaysia as flag carrier Malaysia Airlines launches its Global Deals, Dream Getaway until May 24. For as low as $409 and $625 (all-in) for economy and business...

BRIEFS.
April 29, 2011... Deadline announced THE 61st CARLOS Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (Palanca Awards), the country's most prestigious and longest-running literary contest, reminds contestants that the deadline for the submission of entries is midnight...

Local business expo set in May.
April 28, 2011... THE KABUHAYANG Pinoy Expo is set on May 5-7 at the Activity Center of TriNoma Mall. It aims to provide business and livelihood opportunities to the public by showcasing different easy to start business and livelihood projects. Now on its...

Muslims to be first women mining engineers.
April 28, 2011... TWO MUSLIM women are among the 15 students from conflict-affected areas of Mindanao being provided with financial support to enable them to complete college degrees in mining engineering, through USAID's Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM)...

DoT sets Bicol street dance festival.
April 28, 2011... IT WILL be grand display of colors, culture and grace as Bicol's best festivals gather together in a grand street dance extravaganza in Legazpi City, Albay tomorrow. Dubbed "Gayon Bikol Festival of Festivals," the event is spearheaded by the...

PEOPLE.
April 28, 2011... Prieto-Romualdez is 22nd Ad Congress head ANYONE WHO takes on the Ad Congress has to be insane. At least that's what Sandy Prieto-Romualdez thought she was when she accepted the task of being 22nd Philippine Advertising Congress (PAC)...

BRIEFS.
April 28, 2011... Conference scheduled PRESIDENT BENIGNO S. C. Aquino III will grace the 32nd National Conference of Employers (NCE 32) slated on May 4-5 at the Marriott Hotel, Pasay City, as guest of honor and closing speaker. Anchored on the theme,...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Prime Movers of Investment Banking.
April 28, 2011... Byline: Katrina Paola B. Alvarez Things are looking up for the local capital markets as industry players discuss potential growth areas for the rest of the year. "We think that it is still growing, driven mainly by high domestic...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Prime Movers of Investment Banking.
April 28, 2011... Byline: Katrina Paola B. Alvarez AS PART of the Philippines' first bank, BPI Capital Corp. draws on a century of experience to navigate the local capital markets. It's currently one of the country's top investment houses and is a major driver...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Prime Movers of Investment Banking.
April 28, 2011... Byline: Katrina Paola B. Alvarez IN 1997, the Philippine National Bank (PNB) carved out its investment banking group to establish the PNB Capital and Investment Corp. Unfortunately, the Asian financial crisis that same year soon sent the new...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Prime Movers of Investment Banking.
April 28, 2011... Byline: Anna Patricia G. Valerio INCORPORATED IN 1972, First Metro Investment Corp. (FMIC) started as an investment house with quasi-banking functions in 1974. In 2000, 26 years after it set up shop, Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co....

COURTSIDE.
April 28, 2011... Byline: Anthony L. Cuaycong Today, the Spurs will get a standing ovation. In the waning seconds of Game Five of their first-round play-off series, they will be on the receiving end of cheers from an extremely appreciative crowd at the...

Fourth International Game Fishing Tournament kicks off in Siargao.
April 28, 2011... Byline: Vanessa L. Almeda SURIGAO CITY - It is all systems go for the opening today of the 4th International Game Fishing Tournament in Pilar town, Siargao Island, organizers of the event said yesterday. One hundred anglers from Russia,...

DBP to open 10 branches.
April 28, 2011... Byline: Ann Rozainne R. Gregorio STATE-RUN Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) plans to open 10 more branches this year, a bank official said yesterday. "DBP will open 10 more branches this year as part of our plan to expand our...

Gov't confident of investor interest, plans to raise $4.5B.
April 28, 2011... Byline: Diane Claire J. Jiao THE GOVERNMENT is confident it can capitalize on the current investor interest in Asia, as it seeks to raise $500 million more through bond issuances this year. "There is a strong appetite for emerging markets...

Peso gains vs dollar, ends P43.215.
April 28, 2011... Byline: Ann Rozainne R. Gregorio THE PESO strengthened against the dollar yesterday driven by investors' appetite for risky assets and remittance inflows. The peso firmed up by six-and-a-half centavos to settle at P43.215 per dollar...

Index recovers as earnings reports trickle in.
April 28, 2011... Byline: Neil Jerome C. Morales THE MAIN index climbed anew yesterday as investors took positions ahead of the release of first-quarter corporate earnings reports, analysts said. The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) inched up by 0.37%...

Keeping things traditional.
April 28, 2011... Byline: Jeffrey O. Valisno Given its name, it is apt that the distinct aroma of grape-based Italian pomace brandy (grappa) greets you as you enter this casual dining restaurant. For years, Grappa's has been sating Makati's palate for...