BusinessWorld (Philippines) articles from September 2011

BusinessWorld (Philippines) archives from September 2011

WEEKENDER.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Sam L. Marcelo First of two parts Heritage structures are like endangered species: there are not many of them left and once they've been destroyed, they're extinct. Gone forever. Kaput. Republic Act (RA) 10066, known as the...

WEEKENDER: going out.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Sam L. Marcelo THEATER Tatlong Tabing: Three Plays by Tony Perez Presented by Tanghalang Pilipino Sept. 30 to Oct. 23 Tanghalang Huseng Batute, Cultural Center of the Philippines, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City ...

WEEKENDER: going out.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Sam L. Marcelo THEATER Peter Pan - A Musical Adventure Presented by Repertory Philippines and Stages Sept. 30 to Oct. 30, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. Meralco Theater, Ortigas Ave.,...

WEEKENDER: movies.(Movie review)
September 30, 2011... Byline: Noel Vera MOVIE REVIEW Hanna Directed by Joe Wright Hanna, Joe Wright's first attempt to direct an original screenplay as opposed to a literary adaptation, is fun in a lowbrow way, easily his most enjoyable work yet. It's...

WEEKENDER: health.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Reiner W. Gloor Since the enactment of the Generics Act (RA 6675) in September 1988, the month of September every year has been designated by the Department of Health (DoH) as the Generics Month. Every year programs with various...

WEEKENDER: health.
September 30, 2011... Eye care for diabetics INDIVIDUALS SUFFERING from diabetes must consciously control their blood sugar levels and manage this disease daily either through careful diet, exercise, oral medication and/or insulin treatment. Another important...

WEEKENDER: environment.
September 30, 2011... "Stop treating Mother Earth like dirt!" So goes the impassioned appeal of many environmental groups that advocate for sustainable, environmentally sound farming practices. Practical Abundance, a one-day hands-on training workshop, aims to...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Jeffrey O. Valisno The influx of crowded coffee shops around town is a good indication that many Filipinos enjoy spending leisure time with family and friends beyond where they live and work. Not everybody, however, likes to have...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
September 30, 2011... Cool snack from Nestle NESTLE ice cream and Pan De Manila bring you the newest merienda craze in Pan de Sorbetes. For food-loving Filipinos, a hands-down favorite snack is pandesal and peanut butter. Nothing beats this classic pairing of...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Raoul J. Chee Kee Those of us who grew up with fond memories of birthdays spent at the defunct Magnolia Ice Cream House on Aurora Boulevard in Quezon City have something new to look forward to. Earlier this month, the first...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Nanette Franco-Diyco The day after the second anniversary of Ondoy ironically brought in tonnage of rains and a seemingly unending deluge of water spilling the guts out of rivers. This time, it was Typhoon Pedring relentlessly hitting...

WEEKENDER: marketing.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Terence A. Hockenhull It seems to me that some companies just don't understand that telephones, e-mails and faxes are an important interface with customers. A couple of weeks ago, I had a problem with my computer hard disk drive and...

WEEKENDER: travel.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Raoul J. Chee Kee If there was a competition for the most complete and fully loaded resort in the country, Shangri-La Mactan would surely be near the top of that list. From the moment you are met at the airport, ushered into a...

WEEKENDER: going out.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Jeffrey O. Valisno CONCERT Toni @ 10 Sept. 30, 8 p.m. Araneta Coliseum, Cubao, Quezon City Since she was first seen exclaiming "I Love You, Piolo!" in a TV commercial for a soft drink brand 10 years ago, singer-TV host...

COURTSIDE.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Anthony L. Cuaycong The other day, Mets shortstop Jose Reyes took himself out of a game against the Reds after successfully reaching base to start the bottom of the first inning. Having claimed a bunt single to raise his batting...

GIVE AND GO.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Michael Angelo S. Murillo The Philippine Basketball Association opens shop for the 37th year on Oct. 2 with a promise of what is to be another banner season. Anchored on competitive and exciting games, the league is seen to underscore...

CHESS PIECE.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Bobby Ang In the second round of the just-concluded FIDE World Cup Wesley So was eliminated by GM Sergey Karjakin 1.5-2.5. They drew the two standard games and went into rapid tie-breaks, where Wesley So fell to a nifty piece of...

Career, leadership confab set.
September 30, 2011... ITPROSASIA.COM, the Philippines' leading technology jobs resource, will be launching its first-ever tech career and leadership conference for students, CelebrateIT! to be held at the AFP Theater, Camp Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Nov....

Crowne Plaza presents engagement package.
September 30, 2011... CROWNE PLAZA Manila Galleria launches its Chinese Engagement package known as the Ting Hun, a tradition which has been followed by the Chinese for many years. Designed specifically for the Chinese family in mind, Crowne Plaza's Ting Hun...

MDC launches Lakbay Kalikasan program.
September 30, 2011... IN THE RECENT Lakbay Kalikasan relaunch held at the Meralco Development Center (MDC) in Antipolo City, the visiting kids did not only prove themselves aware of the problems that the environment is facing, but also made a pledge to protect Mother...

CONSUMER GUIDE.
September 30, 2011... Resorts World Manila bares lifestyle offerings TOURISTS AND LOCALS alike now have more to celebrate with the arrival of the first integrated lifestyle hub in the Philippines, Resorts World Manila (RWM). RWM is the latest addition to the...

BRIEFS.
September 30, 2011... Package offered FOR A ROOTIN' tootin' Wild West Style Cowboy Party, Texas Roadhouse Grill offers special menu packages with enough choices to fit a variety of budgets and a fun party venue, with great service to boot. For its Set Menu...

TAKE TEN.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Behn Cervantes "As Time Goes By" is one of the most popular songs composed for film. It is aptly romantic for a well-devised sentimental film like Casablanca. It really adds to the mood. The film won the Oscar as the year's Best...

HOT THIS WEEKEND.
September 30, 2011... Harana concert THE PHILIPPINE Opera Company's show, Ang Bagong Harana, will have performances on Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, 8 p.m., with a 3:30 p.m. matinee on Oct. 1, at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati. This is a showcase of the...

BDO closes Tier 2 offer a day earlier.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Ann Rozainne R. Gregorio BANCO DE ORO Unibank, Inc. (BDO) closed its offer of debt notes qualifying as Tier 2 capital yesterday, a day ahead of schedule, after encountering heavy demand for the investment instruments. In a...

Assistance readied for storm victims.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Ann Rozainne R. Gregorio THE HOME Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund) said P5 billion is available to members who were affected by typhoon Pedring (international code name: Nesat). In a statement, the housing agency said...

Stocks defy selling to post meager gains.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Franz Jonathan G. de la Fuente BARGAIN hunting and a last-minute rally by banking stocks allowed the main index to defy the heavy selling at the start of trading and to post a slight gain by the end of yesterday's session. The...

UCPB extending P326-M loan to Davao power co-op.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Ann Rozainne R. Gregorio DAVAO DEL NORTE Electric Cooperative (Daneco) is tapping a P326- million loan from the United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) to finance the expansion and rehabilitation of its facilities amid growing demand...

VANTAGE POINT.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Luis V. Teodoro Benigno Aquino III was in attendance at the launch of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in New York last September 20 where he also delivered the keynote address. Convened by the United States and Brazil, the OGP...

FENCE SITTER.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Antonio R. Samson Boxes have become favorite metaphors for conventional thinking. Somebody too conventional is seen to be boxed in by tradition. The need to experiment with yet untried and even unworkable ideas is always a nice topic...

STREETWISE.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Carol Pagaduan-Araullo The protracted global economic depression is sending the economies of even advanced capitalist countries such as the United States and members of the European Union on a tailspin. Despite fits of financial...

TRADE TRIPPER.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Jemy Gatdula The Philippines appealed its quite surprising and bizarre loss in "Philippines - Taxes on Distilled Spirits" (docketed as DS396 and DS403) to the WTO's Appellate Body last Sept. 23, 2011. With admirable tenacity and...

Gov't to spend an initial P500M to train workers.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Johanna Paola D. Poblete AT LEAST P500 million has been set aside for the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to develop a training program for students and faculty of state universities and colleges (SUCs)....

Country should tap work force as 'competitive edge' in ASEAN.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Cliff Harvey C. Venzon THE PHILIPPINES should use its human capital to take advantage of the economic integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), delegates to a regional forum said yesterday. Discussing the...

Narrow wage gap worries labor exec.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Antonio Siegfrid O. Alegado THE NARROWING wage gap among employees is resulting in more skilled workers leaving the country, not to mention a disincentive to upgrade skills, a government official said yesterday. National Wages and...

IN THE WORKPLACE.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Reylito A. H. Elbo My boss told me to improve our performance appraisal system. Specifically, he suggested that we dabble in self-appraisal and allow our employees to share in the responsibility of evaluating their own performance....

JG Summit expects profits to bounce back in 2012.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Franz Jonathan G. de la Fuente LISTED CONGLOMERATE JG Summit Holdings, Inc. expects to post growth in 2012 as cost hikes - blamed as the culprit behind an expected profit drop this year - are seen to ease, a ranking official yesterday...

Expansion slated for Masinloc plant.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Emilia Narni J. David AES PHILIPPINES Corp. is taking a staggered approach to the planned expansion of its Masinloc coal-fired power plant to feel out the market, a ranking official yesterday said. The American firm wants to wait...

DENR balks at 50-year permit extension.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Louella D. Desiderio THE GOVERNMENT is leaning towards extending the mining permits of Gold Fields, Ltd. by just another 25 years instead of the 50 being requested by the firm due to mandated limits, a state official yesterday said....

AgriNurture to supply coconut water to US beverage brand.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Louella D. Desiderio AGRINURTURE, INC. is putting up a $5-million coconut juice factory in Pili, Camarines Sur, to supply United States beverage brand Vita Coco, the listed farming firm yesterday said. The new facility will have an...

P7.3-billion issue okayed.
September 30, 2011... SAN MIGUEL Corp. has bagged the local bourse's approval to list 97.333 million preferred shares that had been issued to private investors, generally banks, for a total of over P7.3 billion. The Philippine Stock Exchange said in a notice...

Investment pledged.
September 30, 2011... CLARK FREEPORT - Ingasco, Inc., the local arm of Japanese firm Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corp., is putting up a $50-million air separation plant here, Clark Development Corp. President Felipe Antonio B. Remollo yesterday said. The facility will rise on...

Dividends declared.
September 30, 2011... AYALA LAND, Inc. has decided to pay out dividends of 4.64% per annum on its unlisted preferred shares, a disclosure to the local bourse yesterday showed. The cash dividend worth P0.005 per share was endorsed in a special meeting on Wednesday. It...

Sale period extended.
September 30, 2011... ONGPIN-CONTROLLED Anchor Land Holdings, Inc. moved to extend its existing special share sale to run until Oct. 14, a disclosure to the local bourse showed yesterday. The offering had been due to end this week. Anchor Land says the extension was...

More shares listed.
September 30, 2011... JOLLIBEE FOODS Corp. has listed 101.5 million more common shares, with a par value of P1 per share in line with its senior management stock option plan, the firm said in a disclosure to the local bourse yesterday. Another 7,787 common shares are...

Shipment completed.
September 30, 2011... MINER TVI Pacific, Inc. yesterday said it had completed its 24th shipment of copper from its Zamboanga del Norte project. TVI Pacific said its subsidiary, TVI Resource Development, Inc. (TVIRD), shipped 5,369 dry metric tons (dmt) of copper from...

Capital infused.
September 30, 2011... TECHNOLOGY FIRM IPVG Corp. has infused more capital to its subsidiary IP Converge Data Center, Inc., a disclosure to the local bourse yesterday showed. IP Converge Data Center said its parent company subscribed to 40 million shares on Wednesday,...

Payout received.
September 30, 2011... UNITED STATES-BASED salmon firm Spence & Co., Ltd. paid $600,000 in dividends to its new parent company Alliance Select Foods International, Inc. according to filings with the local bourse. This was after Alliance Select acquired Spence for...

Military operation vs Kato looms.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Romer S. Sarmiento COTABATO CITY - A military operation looms against breakaway Moro rebel commander Ameril Umbra Kato with the impending declaration of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to drop him from its ranks if he refuses...

Higher voter participation abroad sought.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Nathaniel R. Melican A NEW one-year listing period for voters staying abroad who wish to participate in the 2013 midterm elections will kick off this October, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said yesterday, with the aim of...

Lower pump prices seen by next week.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Rouchelle R. Dinglasan PUMP PRICES may go down next week to reflect the global trend arising from economic uncertainties in Europe, a Cabinet official said yesterday. Energy Secretary Jose Rene D. Almendras said on the sidelines of...

Casualties, damage tab rising as Pedring exits Philippines.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Antonio Siegfrid O. Alegado and AFP THE NUMBER of casualties and damage cost from Pedring (international name: Nesat) continued to rise a day after the howler exited the country, an official said yesterday. Undersecretary Benito T....

BIR maintains campaign vs erring professionals.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Diane Claire J. Jiao THE BUREAU of Internal Revenue (BIR) continued its drive against the tax evasion of self-employed professionals by slapping charges against two doctors, a lawyer and a rice importer yesterday at the Department of...

Balangiga still awaiting bells after 110 years.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Sarwell Q. Meniano BALANGIGA, EASTERN SAMAR - The Balangiga Encounter Day this week was commemorated with officials resounding the call for the return of the bells taken by American troops as war booty 110 years ago. Mayor Viscuso...

DBP officials facing charges.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Noemi M. Gonzales BUSINESSMAN ROBERTO V. Ongpin yesterday filed a complaint against Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) officials in connection with the alleged P600 million in behest loans. Charged with libel and violation...

De Lima wants updates to Revised Penal Code.
September 30, 2011... JUSTICE SECRETARY Leila M. de Lima has vowed to update the justice system - the penal code in particular - to address current issues. Speaking at the "Future of Justice System in the Philippines" forum at the Asian Institute of Management in...

Lower age to charge offenders sought.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Antonio Siegfrid O. Alegado CONGRESS SHOULD consider lowering the age of those who can be liable for offenses given the rising cases of crimes committed by minors, the country's top police officer said yesterday. "We are seeing...

Confidence echoed.
September 30, 2011... ANOTHER CABINET official on Thursday voiced optimisim that the Philippines will bag investment grade rating from three US-based debt watchers next year. Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad told reporters in Malacanang this was the impression...

Families poorest here.
September 30, 2011... KORONADAL - The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has the lowest average family income, according to latest data of the National Statistical Coordination Board. The 2009 Family Income and Expenditure Survey showed that ARMM had the...

Environment key to dev't.
September 30, 2011... THE MINDANAO Development Authority said in a statement on Thursday that regional planners, meeting in a recent workshop in Davao City, worked out details of the Mindanao Integrated River Basin and Watershed Development and Management Program, to...

Mid-September sees 'hot money' inflows sink.
September 30, 2011... FOREIGN PORTFOLIO investments - also called, "hot money" for the ease by which they are put in and taken out of local markets - posted a net inflow last Sept. 12-16 that was a 88.36% drop to just over a tenth the amount recorded a year ago. ...

Philippines slips in IT competitiveness.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Kathleen A. Martin THE PHILIPPINES slipped a notch in a list of 66 economies ranked according to support they give information technology (IT) firms in a biennial survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit for Business...

Regulator asked to postpone start of 'open access' regime.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Emilia Narni J. David GROUPS in the power industry have asked the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to postpone the declaration of an "open access" regime "to a more viable date," saying there is not enough time to prepare needed...

Need for sustainable water extraction stressed.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Emilia Narni J. David PLANS to develop water resources should consider sustainability as a constant requirement, speakers stressed at the start on Thursday of the three-day 19th Philippine Water Works Association International...

Budget department insists catch-up spending ongoing.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Diane Claire J. Jiao THE DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) yesterday defended its spending performance, insisting the government has turned a corner with catch-up plans starting to take effect. In an official statement,...

Charter Change Limits Pledged by Legislators
September 30, 2011... Byline: Noemi M. Gonzales CONGRESS has again turned its sights on revamping the Constitution but its leaders yesterday pledged that amendments would be limited this time to economic provisions seen as restricting foreign investments. ...

Manufacturing growth picks up.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Carmina Angelica C. Valeroso FACTORY OUTPUT growth accelerated to 6.8% in July, data from the National Statistics Office (NSO) showed, but experts said this was not enough to hasten economic activity. July's gain, as measured by...

DBCC to soon reassess targets, Budget chief says.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Johanna Paola D. Poblete and Antonio Siegfrid O. Alegado ECONOMIC MANAGERS will soon meet for a review of the country's macroeconomic targets, the head of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) yesterday said. "[The...

Listed firms post 7% fall in 1st half net profits - PSE.(Financial report)
September 30, 2011... LISTED FIRMS' profits fell by 7% in the first half, the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) yesterday reported, as higher revenues were offset by increased costs and reduced consumer demand. "Despite the modest growth in listed companies'...

No business like agribusinessn (Ernst & Young, Entrepreneur of the.
September 30, 2011... The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines has concluded its 2011 search for the country's most successful and inspiring entrepreneurs. It is a program of the SGV Foundation, Inc. with co-presenters De La Salle University, Department of Trade and...

Midyear briefing set by economic managers.
September 30, 2011... Byline: Diane Claire J. Jiao ECONOMIC MANAGERS will meet with investors today to brief them on the country's first-half performance. It will also be an opportunity for businessmen to air their concerns amid fresh fears of a looming global...

Security Bank plans LTNCD issue, announces dividends.
September 29, 2011... Byline: Ann Rozainne R. Gregorio SECURITY BANK Corp. (Security Bank) will take advantage of a very liquid market to raise fresh funds for lending, planning the issuance of long-term negotiable certificates of deposit (LTNCDs). In a...

PSEi rises 4% as it tracks other markets.
September 29, 2011... Byline: Franz Jonathan G. de la Fuente THE STOCK market closed higher on Wednesday following a one-day trading halt due to bad weather, tracking foreign markets that climbed on new moves to resolve Greece's debt crisis. The Philippine...

Non-banks' net income rises in H1 as interest profits surge.
September 29, 2011... Byline: Diane Claire J. Jiao THE NET INCOME of non-banks with quasi-banking functions jumped by more than a quarter in the first semester compared to a year ago, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas showed. The net income after tax of...

Buffet dining: quality not quantity.
September 29, 2011... Byline: Camille Erika R. Sarte Hyatt Manila's Market Cafe offers diners a different buffet dining experience with its many live cooking stations and special dishes served up on "Theme Nights" every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The...

SPECIAL FEATURE: PMAP 55th Anniversary.
September 29, 2011... FOUNDATION The 1950s - a decade of global transformation, with the world largely recovered from World War II, even with other tensions emerging: the decolonization of Asia and Africa, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Arab-Israeli...

SPECIAL FEATURE: health guide.
September 29, 2011... Byline: Gianna B. Villavicencio ASLEEP ALL DAY and up all night? Life can turn people into all sorts of nocturnal creatures: a student reviewing for finals, a party animal, a graveyard shift worker, or a parent lulling a baby to sleep....

SPECIAL FEATURE: health guide.
September 29, 2011... Byline: Victoria T. Vizcarra TODAY'S COMPANIES need to warm up fast to the idea of nontraditional office hours if they want to keep their work force in the pink. Last year, the Cochrane Collaboration research team, headed by Clare Bambra...

SPECIAL FEATURE: health guide.
September 29, 2011... Byline: Eush Tayco SLEEP DEPRIVATION has long been known to cause a variety of adverse physiological effects, ranging from depression to obesity. Lately, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine and Sleep Medicine Center...

Housing complex promised to state agency employees.
September 29, 2011... Byline: Louise G. Dumas CAGAYAN DE ORO - A residential development for employees of state-run Phividec Industrial Authority (PIA) is set to rise in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental after the agency inked on Monday a deal with housing authorities....

Diaper firm ventures into hotel business.
September 29, 2011... Byline: Franz Jonathan G. de la Fuente FIRST SLP Holdings, Inc., the firm behind EQ and Prokids diaper brands, is venturing into real estate via a P3-billion investment to bring the global hotel chain Marco Polo to Metro Manila, an official...

Davao event spaces expand.(Conference news)
September 29, 2011... Byline: Joel B. Escovilla DAVAO CITY - SM Investments Corp.'s hotel and conventions arm is angling to bag the contract to host an annual industry conference at its new space slated to open here next year. The firm is entering the...

Tuna congress repeats call for reforms in fishing sector.
September 29, 2011... KEY PLAYERS in the country's bustling tuna industry repeated their call for key policy reforms at the recently concluded 13th National Tuna Congress held in General Santos City. Some 400 delegates representing a cross-section of the tuna...

Fungus hits banana farms in Davao City.
September 29, 2011... Byline: Joel B. Escovilla DAVAO CITY - Small banana growers in Calinan district, about 30 kilometers northwest of the city proper, abandoned early this week three hectares of plantations after these were hit by one of the most dangerous...