BusinessWorld (Philippines) articles from December 2009, page 4

BusinessWorld (Philippines) archives from December 2009

SPECIAL REPORT: Pre-election Survey.
December 21, 2009... Two administration allies and an opposition senator, all reelectionists, topped a senatorial survey held shortly after the deadline of the filing of candidacies. A Social Weather Stations (SWS) pre-election poll commissioned by BusinessWorld...

State prosecutors to complete Ampatuan murder charge list.
December 21, 2009... Byline: Ira P. Pedrasa State prosecutors will file today the final 17 counts of murder against Andal U. Ampatuan, Jr., mayor of Datu Unsay in Maguindanao province and principal suspect in a mass murder nearly a month ago. Senior State...

Defense dep't, Comelec to scrap 2006 pact.
December 21, 2009... The Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Defense department will sign an agreement that would allow soldiers to escort candidates and election paraphernalia, an activity banned by a 2006 deal between the two bodies. The 2006 agreement,...

Media blitz sought for Baguio tourism.
December 21, 2009... Byline: Adriel M. Paglinawan A BAGUIO tourism group, seeking to avoid experiencing a slump, has proposed to address "inaccurate" reports about the impact of calamities on the city. Amboy Guevara, Jr., executive director of Baguio...

SPECIAL REPORT.
December 21, 2009... While full lists still have to be finalized, BusinessWorld, in partnership with the Social Weather Stations, sought to shed some light on the national status of three races: that for president, vice-president, and senator. Questions were...

Increasing investments crucial to reducing poverty - WB exec.
December 21, 2009... SUSTAINED strong growth is key to reducing poverty but the government has to lure more investments, widen access to education, and enhance agricultural productivity to ensure that economic expansion benefits more poor Filipinos, the chief World...

Roadblock hit in JPEPA tariff talks.
December 21, 2009... Byline: Jessica Anne D. Hermosa Implementation of a bilateral trade deal has hit a roadblock, with Japan declining the Philippines' petition to exempt the local automotive industry from tariff cuts next year. The Philippines, however, will...

Banks get reprieve from reporting rule.
December 21, 2009... Byline: Don Gil K. Carreon Banks have been given one more year to comply with a requirement that they detail their risks and what they intend to do about them. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr. told...

RP disappointed but gets funding out of Copenhagen.
December 21, 2009... Byline: Neil Jerome C. Morales Philippine negotiators yesterday expressed disappointment with the failure of heads of states to hammer out a new legally binding climate deal in Copenhagen. The country, however, managed to secure $310...

'Negotiated dev't' approach adopted for Tokyo property.
December 21, 2009... The government will resort to a "negotiated development" for property owned in Tokyo after an attempt to auction off a 50-year lease failed earlier this month. "We are now going for a negotiated development. The bidding for the lease of the...

WEALTH MANAGER.
December 21, 2009... Byline: Billy Cortez When there is inflation, the value of a peso cannot stay constant. When inflation goes up, there's a decline in the purchasing power of money. For example, if the inflation rate is 2% annually, then theoretically, a...

$116-million MWSS loan approved.
December 21, 2009... Byline: Don Gil K. Carreon THE BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has approved in principle the plan of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to borrow $116.6 million to rehabilitate Angat Dam's old aqueduct system and extend...

'Least controversial' laws in 2010, says Nograles.
December 21, 2009... Byline: Jhoanna Frances S. Valdez No major legislation is expected when Congress resumes session next year amid an election period. Congress last July 27 vowed to pass a new agrarian reform law, rationalization of fiscal incentives, and...

WEEKENDER.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Jeffrey O. Valisno It is amazing how much things can change in just a year. One day, Kristina Bernadette Aquino-Yap - better known as Kris Aquino - seemed to have everything. She had a thriving showbiz career with three regular TV...

WEEKENDER: going out.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Johanna D. Poblete EXHIBIT SunPIOLOgy Until Dec. 18 Art Hall of the Enterprise Center Piolo Pascual, actor, movie producer, model, singer and arguably every Filipina Cinderella's fantasy (check out his TV soap opera), is...

WEEKENDER: going out.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Sam L. Marcelo BALLET * Paskong Pista Daily until Jan. 3, 7 p.m. * Alamat: Si Sibol at Si Gunaw Dec. 25- 27 Aliw Theater and Star Theater, Star City, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd, Pasay City Christmas season is the busiest...

WEEKENDER: movies.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Noel Vera MOVIE REVIEW * 'Merika Directed by Gil Portes * Condemned Directed by Mario O'Hara * Bulaklak sa City Jail Directed by Mario O'Hara Gil Portes' 'Merika opens the same way any ordinary life will usually open - in...

WEEKENDER: movies.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Jeffrey O. Valisno Like the usual gift giving tradition of Kris Kringle, this year's Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) promises to provide a wide variety of ideas to suit everyone's taste (and tolerance levels) from "something scary,"...

WEEKENDER: staying in.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Jeffrey O. Valisno CD REVIEW Paskong Walang Katulad Ariel Rivera Sony Music Philippines Thirteen years ago, romantic balladeer Ariel Rivera, then a relative newcomer, released a Christmas album entitled Paskong Walang...

WEEKENDER: staying in.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Sam L. Marcelo Squeezing 40 years of history into some 200 pages is a Sisyphean feat made even more difficult when the subject is as grand as the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). Genesis, a glossy commemorative magazine...

WEEKENDER: health.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Jeffrey O. Valisno Taking care of babies and toddlers is a huge task as it is, but more so, during the holidays. While everybody in the household is busy with the festivities, babies and toddlers must also contend with weather...

WEEKENDER: health.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Adriel M. Paglinawan Over 40,000 Filipino newborns die annually as hospital practices prevent them from benefiting from their mothers' natural protection during the first hour of their lives, a Health Department study showed. "More...

WEEKENDER: health.
December 18, 2009... Lifestyle medicine center With the alarming rise of people developing lifestyle-related diseases, Asian Hospital and Medical Center has taken the lead in helping people alter their lifestyle practices with the unveiling of its new Lifestyle...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
December 18, 2009... "Today's most effective advertising, isn't advertising," announced David Guerrero and Paul Roebuck, chairman and CEO, respectively, of BBDO Guerrero / Proximity Philippines when they met with a select group of media recently. The pair who...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Nanette Franco-Diyco My entire family was leisurely going around Tiendesitas last Sunday, enjoying the cool afternoon breeze while drinking fresh buko juice. We were just about ready to call it a day when we happened to pass an end...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Jeffrey O. Valisno Swiss chocolate brand Toblerone has been a market leader since it was created in 1908 by Theodore Tobler and Emil Baumann. It was thus expected that its local distributors, Kraft Foods (Philippines), Inc., come up...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Terence A. Hockenhull What is it about computer salesmen? Why do many of them appear to lack the ability to talk about their products in simple layman's language? I'm sure that most customers are like me. Perhaps we can't describe...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
December 18, 2009... Enervon and Virlanie In cooperation with the Virlanie Foundation, Enervon recently launched "Share the Happy," a new advocacy campaign for the benefit of hundreds of neglected but deserving youth. Through the campaign, Enervon provides...

WEEKENDER: travel.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Jeffrey O. Valisno Smart travelers know very well that planning is essential for a stress-free vacation. And while many are currently busy with the holiday rush, some are already making reservations for that dream summer getaway next...

WEEKENDER: travel.
December 18, 2009... The Richmonde Hotel The Richmonde Hotel offers holiday room packages available from now until Jan. 10, 2010 (except Dec. 31). The discounted nightly rates range from P3,900 net for a Superior Room to P6,700 net for a Two-Bedroom Suite. All...

WEEKENDER.
December 18, 2009... PERFORMANCES The Philippine Madrigal Singers Concert. Dec. 16, 8 p.m. Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City. The Madrigal Singers will hold a concert featuring the Philippine Montessori...

BDO certain of hitting goal.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Louella D. Desiderio Banco de Oro Unibank, Inc., the country's largest in terms of assets, said it is confident of hitting P5.5 billion in net income this year with its lending business continuing to perform strongly as the year...

Peso retreats on Fed outlook.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Louella D. Desiderio The peso continued to post losses against the dollar yesterday after the dollar strengthened on belief the US economy is pulling out of a slump. The local currency closed at P46.61 a dollar, losing 36 centavos...

BPI inks risk-sharing facility agreement with IFC.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Louella D. Desiderio A risk-sharing facility agreement between Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) and the International Finance Corp. (IFC), the World Bank's private investment arm, is expected to enhance the country's...

BSP urges banks to lend to small borrowers.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Carmelito Q. Francisco DAVAO CITY - The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is urging banks to relax their lending policies and attend to the needs of small borrowers. "We always encourage them to relax their credit standards," said...

Prices climb on select buying of blue chips.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Kristine Jane R. Liu Select issues pulled up share prices yesterday, bucking the minimal decline of US stocks on Wednesday night, analysts said. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) was up by 0.52% or 15.78 points...

GIVE AND GO.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Michael Angelo S. Murillo Notwithstanding the many injuries they have had to endure up to this point, the Barangay Ginebra Kings have been a shrewd and resilient lot for the most part of the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup. Currently...

COURTSIDE.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Anthony L. Cuaycong "What's wrong with them?" A friend, who's also an avid follower of the National Basketball Association, asked in passing about the Wizards the other day as they gave up their fifth straight outing. I shrugged my...

CHESS PIECE.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Bobby Ang The FIDE World Chess Cup took place in the oil-boom town of Khanty- Mansiysk, in that general part of Russia we usually refer to as Siberia, from Nov. 20 up to Dec. 15, 2009. It was a seven-round knockout event comprising of...

HIV cases expected to double by end-2009, says DoH official.
December 18, 2009... The Department of Health (DoH) announced that the reported number of new HIV infections by the end of 2009 will increase by more than 100% compared to 2007. This was reported by Eric Tayag, director of the DoH National Epidemiology Center, at...

Richmonde Hotel offers holiday promos.
December 18, 2009... The Richmonde Hotel provides you with a homey haven this Yuletide season with its delightful Holiday Room Rates available from Dec. 14 until Jan. 10, 2010 (except Dec. 31, 2009). Celebrate the holidays in style and enjoy bonding moments with...

BPI launches mobile banking service.
December 18, 2009... BPI Express Mobile Banking brings the bank to your mobile phone. Clients can choose between the menu-based or Internet-based full mobile banking facility, which allows them to transfer funds, inquire balance, reload prepaid airtime, and pay...

CONSUMER GUIDE.
December 18, 2009... Revlon introduces DoubleTwist mascara Revlon, with a strong history of influencing trends, is once again breaking new grounds with its latest DoubleTwist Mascara. Boasting the next-generation mascara technology, it features a revolutionary...

BRIEFS.
December 18, 2009... Announcement bared Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank) announced that select branches will be open to accommodate the public's banking needs during the holidays. Select Metrobank branches will be open on Dec. 19, 20, 24, 26, 27, 30,...

TAKE TEN.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Behn Cervantes When I resided in the Manhattan area, I naturally got interested in the many Filipino organizations in the East Coast. Most of them are involved in beauty contests, many balls and fund-raising parties and intramurals....

SPECIAL FEATURE: Bluest of the Blue.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Katrina Paola B. Alvarez In the days of feudal Europe, the Loyola family was said to have cared so well for its people that there was often enough food left over for even the wild wolves to have their fill. This reputation has been...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Bluest of the Blue.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Hannah Muralla The most important nod that Aurelio Montinola III, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) president and CEO, gave was in 1973 when, along with his classmates, he voted in favor of a plebiscite to make the all-male college...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Bluest of the Blue.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Victoria T. Vizcarra Nelson Padilla was always a builder at heart. But before he could fulfill his childhood ambition of constructing whole communities, he first had to spend 15 years as an investment banker. It was only after his...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Bluest of the Blue.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Katrina Paola B. Alvarez Already enrolled at another college, the young Cecilio K. Pedro almost never made it to the halls of the Ateneo. The future founder of Lamoiyan Corporation needed convincing by Justice Pompeo Diaz, a family...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Bluest of the Blue.
December 18, 2009... A person's overall health is much more dependent on his oral health than most people think. Certain mouth diseases, for instance, can make chewing and ingesting food difficult. Perhaps the dirtiest body part, the mouth hosts up to 700...

Economic Indicators.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Josephine Valle-Sison Consistent with the disappointing growth in the third quarter and the lackluster domestic job market, labor productivity posted a slight decline from a year ago. Based on BusinessWorld computation using...

Popular Economics.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Ma. Aizl Camille B. Cabarles "One of the prerequisites to the orderly and well-balanced growth of urban areas is an effective system of local utilities, the absence of which is recognized as a deterrent to economic growth, a hazard to...

US raises grant assistance to Philippines.
December 18, 2009... THE US CONGRESS has raised development and security assistance to the Philippines for 2010 by 12.9% to 135.1 million from 119.7 million this year, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement yesterday. The statement quoted...

Cash transfer program in E. Visayas expanded.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Sarwell Q. Meniano TACLOBAN CITY - Coverage in Eastern Visayas of the government's conditional cash transfer program, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), will be expanded to the provinces of Eastern Samar, Leyte, Biliran and...

Congress Targeting 2010 Budget Ratification Today
December 18, 2009... Byline: Bernard U. Allauigan CONGRESS is set to ratify the proposed P1.54-trillion 2010 national budget today, dousing speculation that the government will have to operate on a reenacted budget next year, leaving much room for executive...

Caticlan reclamation planned.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Francis Allan L. Angelo ILOILO CITY - The provincial government plans to reclaim 2.6 hectares of the foreshore area in Caticlan, jump-off point to the resort island of Boracay. The P260-million project will begin in January next...

BoP swings to deficit in Nov. (... but 11-month tally within surplus.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Don Gil K. Carreon THE PHILIPPINES' external payment position turned negative in November, as the inflows from loans that month were not enough to offset payments of maturing obligations of the government and the central bank, the...

Ban on young black tiger shrimp imports lifted.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Neil Jerome C. Morales THE BUREAU of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has lifted an eight- year-old ban on the importation of broodstock and postlarvae stages of black tiger shrimps (Penaeus monodon) in order to support efforts to...

Chicken gap hits Visayas, Mindanao.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Neil Jerome C. Morales LOWER-THAN-PROJECTED chicken production may have caused a supply gap in the Visayas and Mindanao, government and industry officials said in separate interviews yesterday. The shortage was observed by traders...

TAXWISE OR OTHERWISE.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Emir M. Castro The fall of Bataan conjures images of a dark period in Philippine history. But from the perspective of industrial development, Bataan, on the contrary, represents the first salvo of a clustering concept known as the...

VANTAGE POINT.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Luis V. Teodoro Gary Olivar, oddly enough while defending his boss's non-attendance at the joint session of Congress last week that was supposed to review Presidential Proclamation 1959, let slip last Thursday (December 10) what he...

VECTOR.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Sonny Coloma Today's youth are very much concerned that there is widespread moral decay in our country today. They want to get involved and do their part in promoting higher levels of ethical consciousness in the academe, in business,...

FENCE SITTER.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Antonio R. Samson The stocks that will make it to the composite index are being bandied about. Of the 90 or so in the list, maybe only four qualify as stock picks. The rest are relegated to nuisance stocks, either dismissed for lack...

RULE OF LAW.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Augusto R. Bundang Just when I thought charity is a virtue, here comes the government again discouraging the public not to give alms to street children and mendicants who carol in the streets during this time of the year. Caroling,...

TRADE TRIPPER.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Jemy Gatdula Got to thinking about this reindeer Olaf. He's "the other reindeer." And the one that exposes the darker side of Santa's entourage, the price of fame, etc. The fact that these reflections come with dollops of double blue...

IN THE WORKPLACE.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Reylito A.H. Elbo I think my boss has risen to his level of incompetence. Why can't he move fast enough to make a decision on many things? I've already given my recommendation and yet he drags his feet, which results in many delayed...

SM Prime eyeing offshore real estate fund for malls in China.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Kristine Jane R. Liu Sy-led SM Prime Holdings, Inc. is considering putting the assets of its Hong Kong-based property unit under a Chinese real estate investment trust (REIT) to solidify its overseas market presence. This is an...

Managers told to be flexible ahead of region-led recovery.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Jessica Anne D. Hermosa Managers in Asia should be flexible and "tech-savvy" to successfully steer firms ahead of a region-led economic recovery and an increasingly globalized landscape, speakers at a conference said yesterday. ...

Regulators reject utility's petition to delay lower cap in system.
December 18, 2009... The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has junked the request of the Angeles Electric Cooperative to defer the implementation of a lower system loss cap next year following the denial of a similar request by Manila Electric Co. (Meralco). In...

No massive layoff in Bacolod, says outsourcing company.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Nanette L. Guadalquiver BACOLOD - Outsourcing firm Transcom Asia has denied there will be massive layoffs in its Bacolod operations following reports that close to 170 call center agents were retrenched this week. "Nobody has been...

Power firm named Cebu's top importer.
December 18, 2009... CEBU CITY - A consortium of power companies building a 246-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant in the western city of Toledo was named Cebu's top importer this year. The Bureau of Customs at the Cebu Port collected P225.85 million from Cebu...

Bank transfers Valenzuela branch to Cagayan de Oro.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Louise G. Dumas CAGAYAN DE ORO - Chinatrust (Philippines) Commercial Bank Corp. will open an office here on Jan. 4, the second in Mindanao after the first branch in Davao City. The Taiwanese bank had decided to shut its branch in...

Warning raised on encounters in pursuit of inmates.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Darwin T. Wee ZAMBOANGA CITY - Clashes between Moro rebels and state troopers pursuing 29 inmates in Basilan could happen, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) warned yesterday, as operations encroach on rebel-held areas. In a...

House Okays Conditional Cash Transfer
December 18, 2009... Byline: Jhoanna Frances S. Valdez The House of Representatives approved on second reading Wednesday night a bill seeking to institutionalize the conditional cash transfer program in a bid to reduce poverty and promote human capital...

Fajardo quits spokesman role.
December 18, 2009... Presidential Assistant for Central Luzon Lorelei C. Fajardo has relinquished her post as deputy presidential spokesman held since 2007 after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo asked her to focus on one role. Ms. Fajardo said she was given a...

Voter turnout still high despite fraud, violence.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Adriel M. Paglinawan VOTER TURNOUT in the Philippines, despite allegations of widespread fraud during elections, has remained one of the highest among established democracies worldwide, highlighted in major transitions in the last 12...

Tax incentives OK'd.
December 18, 2009... THE HOUSE and ways committee has approved tax incentives to the proposed Philippine Workers' Compensation Authority, which will replace the current Employees' Compensation Commission. Under the still-unnumbered substitute measure to House Bills...

Task forces sought.
December 18, 2009... TACLOBAN CITY - A top official of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) has asked local officials to comply with the presidential directive to create anti-hunger task forces in the provinces. "The directive to create the task force is immediate...

Measure approved.
December 18, 2009... A HOUSE bill recently approved at committee level would seek to set up an agency that would craft market valuation standards, a current function of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue. The ways and means committee has recommended approval on...

Fund proposed.
December 18, 2009... A House bill has been filed that requires the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office to provide funds for the state's educational assistance program. House Bill 6934, authored by A Teacher party-list Rep. Ulpiano P. Sarmiento III, seeks to allot...

Bill to benefit homeless.
December 18, 2009... A SENATE bill has been filed that seeks to provide assistance to homeless families, including squatters. Reelectionist Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, chairman of the economic affairs committee, filed Senate Bill 3538 to uplift the poor. Under...

Evacuation in high gear with imminent eruption of Mayon.
December 18, 2009... Byline: AFP and Gerard S. dela Pena LEGAZPI - A major eruption of Mayon volcano could be just weeks away, scientists warned yesterday, as thousands of residents faced the prospect of four months in temporary shelters. "We saw the formation...

Lady judge to handle massacre trial.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Adriel M. Paglinawan and Ira P. Pedrasa The HIGH-PROFILE trial of Datu Unsay Mayor Andal U. Ampatuan, Jr., prime suspect in the Maguindanao massacre, would be handled by a lady judge at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court. Jocelyn...

Comelec to comply with rule.
December 18, 2009... Byline: Bernard U. Allauigan The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday said it will comply with the Supreme Court ruling extending the voter registration to Jan. 9 from Oct. 31, and will no longer file an appeal to reconsider the...