BusinessWorld (Philippines) articles from June 2012

BusinessWorld (Philippines) archives from June 2012

Property Loans Hit Fresh Peak (but Banks' Real Estate Exposure Still
June 29, 2012... Byline: Kathleen A. Martin BANK EXPOSURE to the real estate sector - bulk of it in loans - hit a new high at the end of May, but stayed below the limit set by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), an official statement yesterday said. BSP...

Pioneer Life Eyes Premium, Client Buildup
June 29, 2012... Byline: Diane Claire J. Jiao INSURER Pioneer Life aims to make significant strides in the microinsurance business this year, eyeing one million clients and P100 million in premium income. This would represent a doubling of the insurer's...

Courtside
June 29, 2012... Byline: Anthony L. Cuaycong Judging from the way LeBron James comported himself Wednesday on Late Show With David Letterman, it's clear that the newly minted National Basketball Association Finals Most Valuable Player is still on Cloud Nine....

Reyes Leads Five Filipino Cue Artists into Last 32 in Doha
June 29, 2012... Byline: Marlon Bernardino FIVE FILIPINO cue artists from a total of 17 participants are still in contention in the ongoing 2012 World 9-ball Championship at the Al Sadd Sports Club in Doha, Qatar. Hall of famer Efren "Bata" Reyes, still...

Give and Go
June 29, 2012... Byline: Michael Angelo S. Murillo After a month and a half of play, the elimination round of the season- ending Philippine Basketball Association Governors' Cup hits its concluding stretch this weekend. But not like the usual windup, action...

Look and Feel Great Expo Set
June 29, 2012... THE HEALTH, wellness and beauty revolution continues as Look and Feel Great Expo 4th run hits SM Megamall Megatrade Hall 2 on June 30 to July 1. The event features health, wellness and beauty seminar and entertainment activities. The 4th run...

Philam Life Launches BalikBayani Forum
June 29, 2012... PHILAM LIFE recently launched its financial literacy program for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) through the BalikBayani Forum Caravan. Philam Life, in partnership with the Bank of the Philippine Islands and the Ople Policy Center and...

Asian Eye Rockwell Opens Optical Shop
June 29, 2012... AFTER 10 years of making high-quality, world-class eye care services accessible both to Filipino and foreign patients, Asian Eye continues to expand its Rockwell clinic to further enhance patient experience, and grow its services to address the...

People
June 29, 2012... QUEDANCOR names new officer-in-charge THE GOVERNING Board of the Quedan and Rural Credit Guarantee Corporation (QUEDANCOR) has designated Board Secretary Atty. Armando R. Crobalde, Jr. to oversee the Corporation's operational activities as...

The Quiet Man Passes
June 29, 2012... Byline: Noel Vera He was known, if he was known at all, as legendary filmmaker Lino Brocka's collaborator; the more malicious wags called him Brocka's lover (for the record - no, and there's a reason why). He acted in several of Brocka's...

Briefs
June 29, 2012... Book launched THE FIRST detailed book on enactment of laws is now available at National Book Store. Entitled "How Bills Become Philippines Laws," it describes in detail the step by step processes on how bills are deliberated upon by...

Filmmakers, Choreographer, Singer, Painter in Arts Show
June 29, 2012... LIVELY conversations on film, music, visual arts and dance are in store for listeners and viewers of Art 2 Art in July as host ballerina Lisa Macuja interviews both emerging talents and established artists in her Sunday afternoon program. On...

Weekender
June 29, 2012... Byline: Raoul J. Chee Kee It seems unnaturally noisy near the entrance of the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit. People are talking at the same time and unlike in other museums where photography of special exhibits is strictly forbidden, the...

Take Ten
June 29, 2012... Byline: Behn Cervantes One of my oldest friends is Chitong Rivera. I first met him when he was a young boy and my father took me to Cabanatuan City, the city of my birth, in 1951. My Dad then left the next year for a seven-year stay in New...

WEEKENDER: Going Out
June 29, 2012... Byline: Jeffrey O. Valisno CONCERT Dan Hill Greatest Hits Tour 2012 June 29, 8 p.m. Midas Hotel and Casino Ballroom, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City He may be a Grammy-winning record producer with 26 hit singles on the US Billboard Hot...

WEEKENDER: Staying In
June 29, 2012... Byline: Camille Erika R. Sarte BOOK From The Kitchen To The Heart Vicky Veloso-Barrera OMG Literature, Inc. Vicky Veloso-Barrera's From The Kitchen To The Heart gives readers a break from the fast-paced life in the Metro and its...

WEEKENDER: Movies
June 29, 2012... THE Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the French Embassy presents Irma Vep Invades CCP!, a retrospective of films by the acclaimed French director Olivier Assayas, on June 28-30. Assayas started out as a critic for Cahiers du...

WEEKENDER: Health
June 29, 2012... Byline: Reiner W. Gloor In 1736, Benjamin Franklin stressed the importance of fire prevention when he said that "an ounce of prevention is better than cure." Franklin would have not realized that his advice would go beyond fire fighting and...

WEEKENDER: Environment
June 29, 2012... A top university is looking at ways to move people around the metro in a way that does not include the use of cars and is enlisting the public's help to do so. The Ateneo School of Government's Innovations at the Base of the Pyramid in Asia...

WEEKENDER: Environment
June 29, 2012... Byline: Romer S. Sarmiento KORONADAL - The city government is urging more volunteers to participate in its second Tree Growing Festival that aims to plant 250,000 trees in various villages here. Mayor Peter B. Miguel said the local...

WEEKENDER: Marketing
June 29, 2012... Byline: Raoul J. Chee Kee A year after their first collaboration, a Brazilian brand of utilitarian flip-flops and an Italian high fashion apparel brand have teamed up again for a limited line of high-end tsinelas. The Missoni <3 Havaianas...

WEEKENDER: Marketing
June 29, 2012... Byline: Nanette Franco-Diyco Jollibee's marketing honchos and McCann Erickson's strategic planners in a huddle, gleefully mindful of their product's market leadership, concretized by 171 drive-through stores out of 752 Jollibee stores all...

WEEKENDER: Marketing
June 29, 2012... As the new celebrity endorser of 555 Tuna, action star Robin Padilla is the main attraction in the brand's new TV commercial. Shot in Escolta St. in Binondo, Manila, the TVC reflects 555 Tuna's campaign titled "Katawang Palaban" (fighting body)....

WEEKENDER: Marketing
June 29, 2012... Byline: Terence A. Hockenhull Few salespeople seem able to talk about their products in simple layman's terms. It is almost as though they believe that the more complicated they make the product, the better value it represents. They seem to...

WEEKENDER: Travel
June 29, 2012... Byline: Jeffrey O. Valisno In many ways, staying at the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa in Mactan Island, Cebu feels like coming home. From the moment you drive through the gates, until the time you leave, you will experience warm gracious...

Weekender
June 29, 2012... PERFORMANCES Rock of Ages. Until July 8. Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Ayala corner Buendia Aves., Makati Atlantis Productions presents Chris D'Ariennnzo's musical hit which makes use of rock songs from the 1980s. Directed by Chari...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Who Is Who: Marketing Mavericks
June 29, 2012... Byline: Gianna B. Villavicencio TAKING FLIGHTS can be cause for some anxiety, but imagine what it's like for the employees who must work to ensure the airline's service. In an interview, Candice Alabanza Iyog, Cebu Pacific Air's...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Who Is Who: Marketing Mavericks
June 29, 2012... Byline: Anna Patricia G. Valerio Even the best product or service in the market doesn't have much value if it's not sold to the right people. More than just creating a fitting brand and selling it to consumers, marketing is about...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Who Is Who: Marketing Mavericks
June 29, 2012... Byline: Eush Tayco RAYMOND RODRIGUEZ, first vice-president for marketing for Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation, reckons he's always been meant for marketing. One of his engineering professors at De La Salle University, after one of his...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Who Is Who: Marketing Mavericks
June 29, 2012... Byline: Gianna B. Villavicencio CHICKENS ARE OFTEN associated with cowardice, but Dino Rafael "Dondi" Alentajan, corporate marketing manager of Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc. (BAVI), has been brave in his career. With 13 years of experience as a...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Who Is Who: Marketing Mavericks
June 29, 2012... Byline: Anna Patricia G. Valerio THE UBIQUITOUS Starex that became a fixture of the Filipino family's garage in the 1990s might have been Hyundai's way of tugging at local heartstrings, but the Korean car brand has shown that it's not a...

SPECIAL FEATURE: Who Is Who: Marketing Mavericks
June 29, 2012... Byline: Eush Tayco FOR RICKY PENA, senior vice-president of postpaid and broadband marketing at Sun Cellular, industrial engineering and marketing go hand in hand. "The mantra of an industrial engineer is 'there's always a better way to do...

Meralco Postpones Testing of Prepaid Electricity Scheme
June 29, 2012... Byline: Emilia Narni J. David DISTRIBUTION utility Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has postponed its prepaid electricity testing to the end of the year as it is only now awarding the project to a technical consultant, an official said...

Farm Mechanization Seen Improving Agriculture Output
June 29, 2012... Byline: Bettina Faye V. Roc THE AGRICULTURE department is ramping up farm mechanization in the Philippines in a bid to boost the country's agricultural output and catch up with major rice producing countries in the region, its officials said...

Gov't Forms Team to Help Ford Workers (Campi Still Upbeat Despite
June 29, 2012... Byline: Noemi M. Gonzales and Kim Arveen M. Patria THE GOVERNMENT has set up a quick-response team to assist workers who may lose their jobs due to an impending factory closure of US auto maker Ford Motor Co., a Palace official said...

Cebu Urged to Lead in Tourism Promotions
June 29, 2012... Byline: Marlen D. Limpag CEBU CITY - As a top tourist destination, Cebu should lead in the aggressive development and promotion of the country's tourism programs, a top government official said yesterday. Tourism Assistant Secretary...

Abaca Production Program Gets P1M Fund
June 29, 2012... Byline: Darwin T. Wee ZAMBOANGA CITY - The regional office of the Department of Agriculture has recently released P1-million to the Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA) for its abaca production program in Zamboanga Peninsula. ...

Vantage Point
June 29, 2012... Byline: Luis V. Teodoro Do most of the country's media organizations, among them the broadsheet that claims to have the largest audited circulation in the country, want war with China? Do they think the Philippines could win such a war? Do...

Davao City Amends Investment Code
June 29, 2012... Byline: Carmelito Q. Francisco DAVAO CITY - The city government is revising its investment code and is looking at exempting new business projects from paying real property taxes for up to five years instead of allowing them not to pay certain...

Fence Sitter
June 29, 2012... Byline: Antonio R. Samson It's supposed to be a compliment to describe an executive as being "hands on." It implies he is on top of everything and able to get into operational details, and if need be, to change the flat tire of a limo like...

Surveil
June 29, 2012... Byline: Amina Rasul The oldest institution of public administration of the Philippines is celebrating 60 years of service this year. The University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) indeed has...

Streetwise
June 29, 2012... Byline: Carol Pagaduan-Araullo You know something is terribly wrong with the Philippine economy when Malacanang and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) boast of our being "international creditors" for the first time, and attribute this to...

Trade Tripper
June 29, 2012... Byline: Jemy Gatdula Nowadays, to talk about morality is a bad thing. It speaks to many, particularly the young, of suppression of freedom, self-expression, and creativity. To the simplistic-minded, morality is synonymous to the repression of...

IP E-Game Ventures Buys P70-Million Casino Property
June 29, 2012... Byline: Cliff Harvey C. Venzon IP E-GAME Ventures, Inc. has firmed up its foray into the tourism industry, yesterday announcing the acquisition of a P70-million property in a casino complex in Cagayan. The company's investment will be...

JG Summit Naphtha Cracker to Earn $1B in 2014
June 29, 2012... Byline: Cliff Harvey C. Venzon GOKONGWEI-LED JG Summit Holdings, Inc. is looking to book as much as $1 billion from its naphtha cracker's first year of operation starting early 2014, an official yesterday said. "In the first full year of...

GERI Aims for 20% Profit Growth
June 29, 2012... Byline: Franz Jonathan G. de la Fuente LISTED GLOBAL-ESTATE Resorts, Inc., the leisure development arm of Alliance Global Group, Inc., is looking to grow profits by a fifth this year, an official yesterday said. "Our primary objective this...

Miner to Invest $10 Million into Metal Processing Plant
June 29, 2012... Byline: Emilia Narni J. David LISTED MINER Oriental Peninsula Resources Group, Inc. will build a $10-million new plant that will process its nickel and iron, the company said yesterday. The firm plans to build the sintering plant in...

Cavite Resort Project Readied
June 29, 2012... Byline: Franz Jonathan G. de la Fuente RESORT OPERATOR Boulevard Holdings, Inc. has tapped a Singapore-based consultancy to evaluate the master plan of its Puerto Azul project in Cavite for $370,000, a disclosure to the local bourse yesterday...

Mindoro Resources to Sell Gold Assets
June 29, 2012... Byline: Bettina Faye V. Roc MINDORO RESOURCES Ltd. aims to complete the proposed sale of several of its gold and copper-gold assets to Australian miner Red Mountain Mining Ltd. by August, the firm yesterday said. In a statement, Mindoro...

Share Transfer Prepared
June 29, 2012... PANGILINAN-LED Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc. has moved to transfer its stake of some 25% in developer Rockwell Land Corp. to Lopez- run First Philippine Holdings Corp., disclosure to the local bourse yesterday showed. "Beacon will be...

ICTSI Plans to Build 7th Berth at Local Port
June 29, 2012... Byline: Cliff Harvey C. Venzon INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) plans to build another dock at its Manila port for operation by 2016 after just completing work on its sixth berth, an official yesterday said. "If we...

Revenue Increase Eyed
June 29, 2012... CEBU AIR, Inc., the operator of budget carrier Cebu Pacific, expects its revenues to grow by up to 20% as it looks to increase its passenger volume by double-digits, an official said. "For the whole year, [the target is] 10-20% growth [in...

Stock Hike Okayed
June 29, 2012... PAL Holdings, Inc., the operator of flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL), has moved to increase its capital stock by 15% amid plans expand the country's oldest airline, a disclosure to the local bourse showed. PAL Holdings' board of directors...

Land Claim Assailed
June 29, 2012... BACOLOD CITY - Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Maranon, Jr. has assailed SM Prime Holdings, Inc. for allegedly trying to register its adverse claim on the 7.7-hectare lot that was sold and leased by the provincial government to rival Ayala Land,...

NSO Set to Revise Existing Labor Survey (Questions for Those below 15
June 29, 2012... THE NATIONAL Statistics Office (NSO) is eyeing to make revisions in its labor survey to include measuring the number of working children from ages five to 14, among others, an official said. "We're designing questions for those below 15...

No Strikes Recorded from Jan. to May
June 29, 2012... Byline: Kathryn Mae P. Tubadeza THE COUNTRY was strike free for the first five months of 2012, data from the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) showed. NCMB recorded no Actual Strikes/Lockouts in the country, down by 100%...

Group Vows to Sanction Child Labor
June 29, 2012... Byline: Sarwell Q. Meniano IN TACLOBAN City, the Ormoc-Kananga Mill District Development Council Foundation, Inc. (MDDCFI) has vowed to penalize sugarcane farmers who will hire minors for extensive farm work. Roy Bernard C. Fiel, chairman...

Training to Boost Rubber Production
June 29, 2012... Byline: Amilbahar S. Mawallil ZAMBOANGA CITY - An inter-agency supported training for farmers aimed at boosting rubber production was held early this week in Siay town in the province of Zamboanga Sibugay. Edyll Grace P. Poligrates of the...

Comelec Sets Month-Long Gun Ban for ARMM Voter Listing
June 29, 2012... Byline: Monica Joy O. Cantilero THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) has imposed a month-long gun ban in July for the general registration of voters in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Under Comelec Resolution 9479 that...

Cebu IT Stakeholders Explore Solutions to Chronic Talent Lack
June 29, 2012... Byline: Marites S. Villamor with Marlen D. Limpag CEBU CITY - Instead of holding endless discussions about the chronic lack of and resulting war for quality talent, some stakeholders of the information technology-business process outsourcing...

Policeman Nabbed for Arms
June 29, 2012... Byline: Louie O. Pacardo KORONADAL - High-powered firearms have been seized from a policeman's house in a town in Maguindanao, according to the regional police force, with the suspects arrested for questioning. Sr. Supt. Leo E. Quevedo,...

Coast Guard Upgrade P1.5B: Roxas
June 29, 2012... Byline: Noemi M. Gonzales AT LEAST P1.5 billion has been allocated for the upgrade of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) modernization program in the next two years, a Cabinet official said yesterday. Transportation Secretary Manuel A. Roxas...

Pimentel Bolts UNA, Cites Objection to Zubiri in Lineup
June 29, 2012... Byline: Antonio Siegfrid O. Alegado SENATOR AQUILINO Martin "Koko" D. L. Pimentel III has quit the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) over differences in the inclusion of former senator Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri in the coalition's...

Trader, Broker Facing P18-M Smuggling Raps
June 29, 2012... Byline: Aubrey E. Barrameda SMUGGLING CHARGES were filed yesterday against a trader and a broker for alleged illegal importation P18 million worth of soya bean oil. Criminal complaints were slapped by the Bureau of Customs (BoC) against...

Crisis Management Committee Downgraded
June 29, 2012... Byline: Amilbahar S. Mawallil ZAMBOANGA CITY - The provincial crisis management committee has been downgraded to a monitoring body as the Jordanian journalist who went missing on June 12 is no longer considered a hostage case, said Sulu...

Framework Changes OK'd
June 29, 2012... Byline: Antonio Siegfrid O. Alegado CHANGES HAVE been approved on frameworks to harmonize education programs and rationalize social protection initiatives, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) announced yesterday. In a...

Rules to Ease Passport Application
June 29, 2012... GUIDELINES HAVE been released to ease the process of applying for passports and access to consular services, said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday. Issued on Tuesday for immediate implementation, the new guidelines will...

Dindo Crosses N. Luzon
June 29, 2012... TROPICAL STORM Dindo (international name: Doksuri) yesterday crossed the tip of Northern Luzon, causing floods and landslides that blocked roads, even as classes were suspended in affected provinces. Defense Undersecretary Benito T. Ramos,...

Court Clears Report
June 29, 2012... THE SUPREME COURT (SC) has declared that the Senate did not abuse its discretion when it recommended the transfer of control over state shares in a sequestered firm from the Presidential Commission on Good Government to the Finance department....

Fresh AMLA Changes Required by October
June 29, 2012... Byline: Noemi M. Gonzales and Antonio Siegfrid O. Alegado ADDITIONAL amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) have to be passed by October if the Philippines is to again avoid the threat of a Financial Action Task Force (FATF)...

Ilagan Now a City
June 29, 2012... A MEASURE converting the municipality of Ilagan in Isabela province into a component city was signed into law by President Benigno S. C. Aquino III. The conversion, stipulated under Republic Act No. 10169, will allow Ilagan to obtain a higher...

SM Buy-In Blocked by Ortigas Group
June 29, 2012... Byline: Franz Jonathan G. de la Fuente THE ORTIGAS family has acquired Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp.'s (HSBC) 34% stake in the clan's property firm for some P11 billion, blocking the SM Group's attempts to buy into one of the country's...

Ayala Land Sets New Global City Premium Project
June 29, 2012... Byline: Franz Jonathan G. de la Fuente PROPERTY FIRM Ayala Land, Inc. will be investing P30 billion over the next four years to build One Bonifacio High Street, a 3.2-hectare premium mixed-use block west of the existing High Street commercial...

Gov't Looking to Borrow P108B in the 3rd Quarter
June 29, 2012... Byline: Diane Claire J. Jiao THE GOVERNMENT is slated to borrow P108 billion from the local debt markets in the third quarter, with a preference for longer tenors amid continued uncertainty in the global economy. The Bureau of the Treasury...

Positive Rating Momentum Has Stalled, Says Fitch
June 29, 2012... Byline: Diane Claire J. Jiao POSITIVE credit rating momentum in emerging Asia has stalled, Fitch Ratings yesterday warned, noting concerns over sovereign balance sheets and private sector leverage. In a statement released yesterday, the...

Fewer Marriages, and at a Later Age
June 29, 2012... Byline: Daniel Anne N. Rodriguez FEWER COUPLES are getting married and those who choose to tie the knot are doing so at a later age, government data showed, as weddings become more and more expensive. The total number of registered...

Chess Piece
June 29, 2012... Byline: Bobby Ang 7th Tal Memorial Moscow, Russia June 8-18, 2012 Final Standings 1. GM Magnus Carlsen NOR 2835, 5.5/9 2-3. GM Fabiano Caruana ITA 2770, GM Teimour Radjabov AZE 2784, 5.0/9 4-7. GM Vladimir Kramnik RUS 2801,...

Philam Life Touts Industry Leadership
June 28, 2012... Byline: Diane Claire J. Jiao PHILIPPINE AMERICAN Life and General Insurance Co. (Philam Life) insisted on its overall leadership in the industry after it slipped to second place in a 2011 ranking released by the state regulator last Monday....

'Window Dressing' Spurs Bourse Past 5,200
June 28, 2012... Byline: Cliff Harvey C. Venzon STOCKS breached the 5,200 mark yesterday, riding on companies' seasonal window dressing and an improvement on Wall Street. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) rose for the fourth consecutive...

Courtside
June 28, 2012... Byline: Anthony L. Cuaycong As with countless other hoops fans, I vividly remember the 1992 Olympics far more than any other since then, and all because of the Dream Team. Indeed, the marquee names who made up the greatest squad ever...

3 Philippine Rowing Teams to Compete in Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival
June 28, 2012... THIS JULY (2, 4 to 8), the waters of Victoria Harbor will turn into an expansive battleground, with thousands of dragon boat racers fighting for the sport's highest accolades in the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival, jointly launched by the Hong...

Int'l Travel Trade Event Slated
June 28, 2012... ALL THE sectors of the tourism industry are joining hands for a Manila-based international travel trade event that can help ensure year- round high-volume sales, particularly during the low season. The event, aptly named Travel Madness Expo...

ECHOStore Presents Business Story
June 28, 2012... FOUR YEARS ago, Reena Francisco, Jeannie Javelosa and Chit Juan pitched a winning idea for a social enterprise called ECHOStore at the Business in Development Challenge in the Netherlands. ECHO is the acronym for "Empowering Communities with...

Marriott Manila Launches Flavors of Asia
June 28, 2012... TO PAY tribute to the revered cuisine of the world, Marriott Manila brings home four of the Asia's most famous cuisines. From Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, Marriott Cafe tantalizes everyone with a masterpiece through a month-long...