BusinessWorld (Philippines) articles from January 2009

BusinessWorld (Philippines) archives from January 2009

WEEKENDER.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Sam L. Marcelo When it opened in 1969, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) was dreamt by former First Lady Imelda Marcos to be an Asian cultural mecca. Since the construction of this monumental edifice, deemed worthy of...

WEEKENDER.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Sam L. Marcelo The year-long 40th anniversary celebrations of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) begins with Pasinaya 2009, a "see-all-you-can, pay- what-you-can" open house led by CCP Resident Companies. On Feb. 1,...

WEEKENDER: going out.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Sam L. Marcelo February, the shortest month of the year, is also one of the most jampacked since it has been co-opted by Cupid as the month of love and hearts, by Presidential Proclamation No. 683 as National Arts Month, and by...

WEEKENDER: going out.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Jeffrey O. Valisno CONCERT Falling in Love Jan. 30 and 31, 8 p.m. Music Museum, Theater Mall, Greenhills Shopping Complex, Greenhills, San Juan Singers are known for wearing their hearts on their sleeves, and...

WEEKENDER: movies.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Noel Vera MOVIE REVIEW Australia Directed by Baz Luhrmann Baz Luhrmann's $130 million epic Australia (2008) is possibly the single biggest event to ever come out of that continent - possibly the single biggest event...

WEEKENDER: health.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Emilia Narni J. David Hospitals in the Philippines are continuing to expand into other investments despite the global economic downturn. Many of these hospitals focus on centers for medical tourism and specialized centers for...

WEEKENDER: health.
January 30, 2009... Laser technology for eyes One of the pioneering eye centers in the country that corrects farsightedness, nearsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia (reading problem) with Nidek EC5000 Excimer Laser System is Advanced Vision Laser Center...

WEEKENDER: travel.
January 30, 2009... Iriga City in Bicol will come alive as the city celebrates its annual Tinagba Festival from Feb. 5 to 11. The festival is an ancient Bicol first harvest offering that features a caravan of gaily-decorated bull carts or motorized floats....

WEEKENDER: travel.
January 30, 2009... Hilton Cebu Resort Fall in love all over again as the Hilton Cebu Resort and Spa presents a romantic Valentine's date idea beginning with a pre-booked Cebu Pacific flight to Cebu. Guests can avail of discounts from the hotel by simply...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Raoul J. Chee Kee Since ancient Egyptian times, women have been tinting their nails with color derived from various plant sources. It was only in the 20th century that people began seeing the slick, saturated colors many have...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Johanna D. Poblete You sit on one of the comfy leather chairs inclined for a perfect, unimpeded view of the movie screen. The lights dim, the credits roll, and then you hear a softly whispered, "Is the temperature too hot for...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Nanette Franco- Diyco Prestigious international and local magazines annually outshine each other with their respective versions of "Man of the Year" or "People of the Year." These issues are predictably the magazines'...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Terence A. Hockenhull Last week, I went to National Bookstore to buy a number of different items for my children. Not finding the items I needed, I politely asked one of the sales assistants to help me. The young lady cheerfully...

WEEKENDER.
January 30, 2009... PERFORMANCES Piano Concert. Jan. 31, 7 p.m. St. Cecilia's Hall, St. Scholastica's College, Leon Guinto St., Malate, Manila. Lydia Artymiw is the featured piano soloist in the opening concert of the Manila Symphony Orchestra. She will...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Health and HMO's.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Hannah Muralla More than the disease, it is the cure that hurts. This is especially true when, on top of the pain and inconvenience brought by illness, the patient is burdened by fees for consultation, hospitalization and...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Health and HMO's.
January 30, 2009... The Medical City (TMC), a private, tertiary care hospital, has distilled some forty years of experience in hospital operation and administration in the establishment of its world-class healthcare complex that serves some 40,000 inpatients and...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Health and HMO's.
January 30, 2009... Philamlife affirms its 100% commitment to the Filipinos through HEALTH 100, the first health insurance product that will take care of you until you reach your centennial year. Health protection is one thing that is inevitable to deal with...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Health and HMO's.
January 30, 2009... Body Worx Spa and Fitness Clubs located right along busy West Avenue., Quezon City is a spacious 2000-square meter facility for your overall fitness, health and relaxation. Top of the line Cybex fitness facilities, equipment that are...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Cutting-Edge Technology.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Agape Grace E. Miguel As the new year sets in, tech geeks and aficionados are again on the lookout for a fresh wave of high tech gadgets that will be hitting local shores soon. Whether it be a tinier camcorder, a feature-packed...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Cutting-Edge Technology.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Hannah M. Muralla As the world increasingly gets wired to the Internet, the supply of pirated software available in cyberspace also gets an inevitable boost. Such was the finding of the Fifth Annual Business Software Alliance...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Cutting-Edge Technology.
January 30, 2009... If there is one thing Sony has proven to the world, it is that great things do come in ALL sizes. Its latest products, the statuesque living room anchor pieces BRAVIA X450 and Z450, and pocket-sized wonder VAIO P, are powered by the...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Cutting-Edge Technology.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Anton Javier B. Dizon Gizmo makers seem to be moving in a different direction from the rest of the world these days. Despite the difficult economic year ahead, tech firms continue to crank out new and spiffed-up gadgets at speeds...

Housing agency sets bond float.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Don Gil K. Carreon State firm National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. (NHMFC) will begin accepting bids for its maiden offer of residential mortgage-backed securities next week, riding on renewed investor interest in emerging market...

Deposit insurance bill faces approval delays.
January 30, 2009... Disagreements by the House and the Senate over how to strengthen the state deposit insurer may derail the approval of a measure doubling the maximum deposit insurance coverage to half a million pesos. The House banks and financial...

BRIEFS.
January 30, 2009... AFPSLAI raises dividend rate The Armed Forces and Police Savings and Loan Association Inc. (AFPSLAI) raised its dividend rate for the last quarter of 2008 due to higher income. In a press release, the AFPSLAI yesterday declared a 16%...

Pessimism rules despite positive GDP data.
January 30, 2009... Byline: AFP with Kristine Jane R. Liu Share prices closed 0.5% lower yesterday as bad news over company closures outweighed other favorable developments, dealers said. The composite index fell 8.87 points to 1,860.69 points, while the...

COURTSIDE.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Anthony L. Cuaycong Don't ask me when Colin Montgomerie went from trying to grace the 2010 Ryder Cup on the merits of his game to leading it from the sidelines. In this regard, yesterday's press conference announcing his...

GIVE AND GO.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Michael Angelo S. Murillo While much of the attention in the Philippine Basketball Association right now is focused on the ongoing All-Filipino Cup titular series between the Alaska Aces and Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters, the rest...

TAKE TEN.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Behn Cervantes Holcim Philippines, "one of the world's leading suppliers of cement and aggregates," is a Swiss multination that strongly advocates corporate responsibility in words and in deed. The company, found "in more than 70...

SPECIAL FEATURE.
January 30, 2009... The Philamlife Tower is a premier edifice at the heart of the Makati central business district comprising of 46 floors built with 21st-century office accommodation. Located along Paseo de Roxas opposite the Ayala Triangle and within walking...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Philamlife Tower Celebrates 10th Anniversary.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Agape Grace E. Miguel In a fast-moving business environment, the right technology is needed to help organizations handle one of their most important assets: information. As part of its core interests as a global IT solutions...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Philamlife Tower Celebrates 10th Anniversary.
January 30, 2009... Financial planning is gaining more regard these days as many people feel the need to be financially prepared and secured for economic uncertainties. The key to a superior financial plan is an early and consistent commitment to it. An early...

RP franchise industry sees more opportunities this year.
January 30, 2009... Amid the global financial crunch, the Philippine franchising sector flourished in 2008 and is expected to remain strong despite the global economic crunch. This was the conclusion of an informal survey among members of the Philippine...

A sweet haven for Habitat home partners.
January 30, 2009... Aling Dinia Alas, 53, once contracted amoebiasis at her old dwelling place. They had no running water and, due to lack of funds, was forced to drink the water brought to her place by a roving water tank, which gets its water from a local deep...

Touch Solutions joins Oracle Partner Network.
January 30, 2009... Touch Solutions Inc., one of the country's leading providers of open systems enterprise solutions, recently announced its readiness to provide Oracle Enterprise Linux solutions, including selling Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support for...

PEOPLE.
January 30, 2009... Nutrition expert Shelley Case speaks in 'Gluten-Free Diet' seminar Healthy Options highlights the benefits of a gluten-free diet, especially for people with food sensitivities or are related to those with celiac disease, in an upcoming...

BRIEFS.
January 30, 2009... PNB in Israel Philippine National Bank (PNB) has partnered with Ehud Neor, one of Israel's leading companies in the money transfer business, to be its first send-out agent to service the growing Filipino market there. The partnership...

Business group wants scrutiny of infra projects.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Jessica Anne D. Hermosa Private sector contributors to the proposed P100-billion stimulus package remain committed to the effort, but will only shell out their share after the infrastructure projects to be funded are identified,...

Decline in demand from BPO points to office space glut.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Kristine Jane R. Liu With the country's business process outsourcing (BPO) industry hit hard by the global economic slowdown last year, property sector growth fell way below expectations, indicating a glut in office spaces,...

RP, UAE agree to more flights.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Paolo Luis G. Montecillo The Philippines and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to allow more flights between them, representatives of the Philippine air panel said yesterday. Officials attending the two-day...

VECTOR.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Sonny Coloma "We've had a miracle on 34th Street," New York Gov. David Paterson said at a news conference in Manhattan. "I believe now we've had a miracle on the Hudson. This pilot, without any engines, was somehow able to land...

VANTAGE POINT.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Luis V. Teodoro Filipinos aren't Russians but how they love to designate "czars" to head this or that campaign or group of offices. It's a practice they've picked up from US media and officialdom. Both have the habit of...

FENCE SITTER.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Antonio R. Samson It has been an accepted linguistic practice, especially for so-called political analysts, to be loose with categories of candidates, attaching the suffix "-able" to every elective position imaginable. This was...

RULE OF LAW.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Basilio H. Alo While our public officials squabble on television about the varied aspects of the evil that is narcotics, the problem should be recognized as not simply a local one, but more accurately a regional one. One...

TRADE TRIPPER.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Jemy Gatdula Despite the absolute need to have a successful conclusion of the ongoing Doha Round, with "successful" being defined as the attainment of the "developmental" aspects of the negotiations, nevertheless the volume of...

Corporate farming bill to cost gov't P300M - Finance dep't.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Alexis Douglas B. Romero The government will lose around P300 million a year once Congress approves a measure providing tax perks to companies that will engage in corporate farming, a Finance department official said yesterday....

Agri dep't to adopt stricter rules after discovery of bogus NGOs.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Neil Jerome C. Morales The Agriculture department will adopt stricter rules in transferring funds to program partners to ensure proper use of funds, the department yesterday said in a press release. The new guidelines include...

SSS to stay out of stock market for now - Neri.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Joel B. Escovilla DAVAO CITY - The Social Security System (SSS) will try to steer clear of the stock market this year, in favor of industries instead that will yield predictable returns, as it takes a more conservative stance in...

Compostela Valley braces for impact of global downturn on mining.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Joel B. Escovilla DAVAO CITY - The provincial government of Compostela Valley, which counts mining as its "champion industry," is bracing for tough times ahead as prices of metallic and non-metallic minerals drop in the global...

Industry groups insisting on private corn imports.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Neil Jerome C. Morales Plans of the private sector to import corn are on hold pending the release of importing mechanics with the National Food Authority (NFA) and the Finance department, government and industry officials said...

Abaca output in E. Visayas up, but falls short of target.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Sarwell Q. Meniano TACLOBAN CITY - Abaca production in Eastern Visayas increased last year, but still below target. Jeffrey Espena, regional director of the Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA), said production reached...

Australian animal laboratory set to examine Ebola Reston.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Neil Jerome C. Morales The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) will send samples of the Ebola Reston virus to an animal laboratory in Australia to observe the effects of the virus on hogs and establish whether hog-to-hog transmission...

Crisis a mere 'bump in the road' for Aboitiz group's realty arm.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Marites S. Villamor CEBU CITY - Aboitizland, Inc. will pursue its projects this year despite the slowing global economy, and has in fact started planning for the years beyond 2009. Aboitizland President Andoni F. Aboitiz said...

San Mig unit eyes major borrowing.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Kristine Jane R. Liu with AFP San Miguel Corp.'s beer unit plans to borrow P40 billion ($851 million) through what is expected to be the country's biggest ever domestic corporate bond issue. San Miguel Brewery, Inc. will use...

Alaska Milk: Gaining investor confidence through transparency (6th MAP.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Daniel Anne B. Nepomuceno For listed company Alaska Milk Corp., straightforward communication has always been the primary consideration in preparing its annual reports; 2007 was no different. Results of the company's...

FMIC: Getting the word out about its prudence and conservatism.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Daniel Anne B. Nepomuceno "Global minds, local hands," was First Metro Investment Corp.'s (FMIC) theme for its 2007 annual report. Coinciding with its 35th anniversary, market leadership, management competence and sense of pride...

Ship liner to exit rehab earlier than planned.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Paolo Luis G. Montecillo Kuwaiti-backed shipping firm Negros Navigation Co., Inc. (Nenaco) is expected to exit its 10-year rehabilitation program next month, five years earlier than planned. In an interview, Nenaco receiver...

Zed wants suits vs NTC junked.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Paolo Luis G. Montecillo Local mobile content provider Zed Philippines, Inc. has withdrawn its suit against the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), which had sanctioned it for allegedly violating foreign ownership...

Maynilad eyes half capacity for treatment facility this year.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Ava Kashima K. Austria Consunji-led Maynilad Water Services, Inc. has halved its original P1.1-billion investment in a water treatment facility in Muntinlupa following a regulatory halt on water rate increases this year. ...

Meralco transformer installed.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Ava Kashima K. Austria Global electrical engineering conglomerate Siemens, Inc. has energized a power transformer and equipment in a substation of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) in Cavite to help the utility address energy...

Sony Philippines expects weaker 2009 sales.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Paolo Luis G. Montecillo The local unit of Japanese electronics maker Sony Corp. expects weaker sales this year as demand is hit by the global economic turmoil. Speaking on the sidelines of a briefing in Makati on Wednesday,...

Emergency scheme yields nearly 64,000 jobs.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Jhoanna Frances S. Valdez A job creation program initiated by the government has produced more than half of the expected number of jobs ahead of a June deadline, the head of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) yesterday...

IN THE WORKPLACE.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Reylito A.H Elbo There's a new investor coming to merge with our organization that could result in a 50-50 interest between the new and old owners. In addition to the usual due diligence study, his group wants to find out the...

Military suspends operations for kidnap victims as talks start.
January 30, 2009... Byline: AFP and Darwin T. Wee Troops suspended their pursuit of gunmen holding three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers as an official began talks to win their freedom after two weeks of captivity, the government...

Local gov't to probe mine blasting.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Romer S. Sarmiento GENERAL SANTOS CITY - Explosives have been utilized to fast-track exploration works at a mining site in T'boli, South Cotabato province, where quality gold and silver deposits have been confirmed by studies,...

Local law banning short-time stay in motels, inns declared as.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Ira P. Pedrasa The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday declared as unconstitutional a Manila City ordinance prohibiting short-term admissions in hotels, motels, inns, lodging houses and similar establishments, noting this was not a...

Full autonomy process set for Muslim Mindanao region.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Bernardette S. Sto. Domingo and Darwin T. Wee CLARK FIELD, PAMPANGA - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has issued an executive order that would fast-track full autonomy status for the Muslim Mindanao region under a peace...

UN agency calls for higher farm production.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Neil Jerome C. Morales The agriculture agency of the United Nations (UN) warned of a worsening global food shortage if countries would not resort to drastic measures to increase farm output amid the global economic slowdown. ...

Body formed to unify parties.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Bernardette S. Sto. Domingo CLARK FIELD, PAMPANGA - It's all systems go for the delayed merger of administration parties Lakas-Christian-Muslim-Democrats and the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino or Kampi, a move that is seen to...

Tighter fund control eyed.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Bernard U. Allauigan The Senate committee on accountability of public officers and investigations (Blue Ribbon) is seeking revisions to the Omnibus Election Code to limit fund disbursement within a period before election day to...

Slain mayor.
January 30, 2009... ZAMBOANGA - A mayor was shot dead yesterday and several of his followers wounded in a suspected rido ambush in Mindanao, police and military officials said. Karam Jakilan's convoy was attacked in Basilan province. They struck on a road...

Thursday sessions.
January 30, 2009... The Senate, as agreed upon during a caucus, will start holding Thursday morning sessions starting next week to pass local bills from the House of Representatives, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said yesterday.

Peace-keeping role.
January 30, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia said Thursday it could resume its peace monitoring role in Mindanao if Manila was willing to clarify its position on an accord that collapsed last year. Malaysia but pulled them out last year after the peace process...

Retailers expect higher cooking gas prices (Shell adjusts rates by P4.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Ava Kashima K. Austria Expect further upward adjustments in cooking gas prices, industry leaders said, after a major oil refiner yesterday increased rates for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) due to supply problems in Asia. ...

Poll recall system restored.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Emilia Narni J. David Groups and individuals who seek to oust elected officials at the local level under the recall system have only a four-month window of opportunity to do so after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) had...

Military exercises to be held in Luzon.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Louella D. Desiderio The Philippines-United States military exercises this year would be held in Southern Luzon next month, and will focus on defense capability and post-conflict response. Maj. Ramon P. Zagala, spokesman for...

Regulator tapped in rent control bill.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Bernard U. Allauigan The housing regulatory agency has been tapped to head a new body to control rate increases under a looming permanent rent control system. Senator Rodolfo G. Biazon, chairman of the committee on urban...

Gov't caught unprepared (... scrambles to determine extent of job.
January 30, 2009... Saying that recent, successive reports of job losses were "very unusual" and have made the government "nervous," the Labor department is meeting with industry groups today to ascertain the situation of each sector and explore measures to...

BSP delivers follow-through rate cut.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Maria Eloisa I. Calderon The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) yesterday reduced policy rates by half a percentage point, following through its aggressive rate cut last month. The decision, which brought down the overnight...

IMF pushes 'unconventional' steps.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Maria Eloisa I. Calderon Emerging markets' ability to raise fresh capital will erode without aggressive action from policy makers to shore up severely impaired investor confidence as the global financial storm rages, the...

Fourth-quarter growth better than expected.
January 30, 2009... A better-than-expected fourth quarter pushed 2008 economic growth to near the upper end of official targets even as a global downturn continued to tighten its hold. Government officials claimed the result showed the crisis had not taken...

CHESS PIECE.
January 30, 2009... Byline: Bobby Ang Many years ago someone gave me the "Chessmaster" program - this was several years before the arrival of Chessbase and Fritz, when computers still did not have hard disks and instead had two floppy disk drives (the big...

COURTSIDE.
January 29, 2009... Byline: Anthony L. Cuaycong As expected, not a few quarters have gone to town skewering Joe Torre for using The Yankee Years as a means to pillory the Major League Baseball franchise. It doesn't matter that the book hasn't yet been...

Phinma Group expands BPO business.
January 29, 2009... Listed firm Bacnotan Consolidated Industries, Inc. (BCII), the holding company of the Phinma Group, recently made an important addition to its business process outsourcing (BPO) business with its acquisition of a Hong Kong-based firm with...