Iloilo City ripe for P15-B Ayala investments

"THIS southern city is a good area for large scale investments," said Tony T. Aquino, president and CEO of Ayala Land Inc. (ALI), during the launching of ALI's latest project in Iloilo City on Wednesday.

He said “tremendous growth in the past few years showed that Iloilo City is ripe for our P15 billion infusion in the next 10 years.”

Summit to tackle power issues

THE high cost of power and other issues affecting the sector will be discussed by energy stakeholders in the Visayas in a summit this Friday.

Pages: The books that changed my life

Bunny Pages Business is a team sport

I’VE lost count on the number of books that I’ve read these past 30 years. It was a blessing that I used reading as a refuge for my shyness and lack of self-confidence.

Smart ‘helps boost’ tourism in Region 6

SMART Communications, Inc. (Smart) continues to partner with DOT Region 6 through projects that encourage tourists to visit its destinations.

Last year, Smart contributed to the renovation of the Boracay Tourist Information and Assistance Center. The center is managed by the local government unit of Malay.

DTI assists MSMEs in trade exhibits

THE Department of Trade and Industry-Cebu said it is confident local micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs) have the potential to compete outside Cebu.

DTI-Cebu business development division chief Elias Guia Tecson said they are working to help MSMEs in upcoming trade exhibits nationwide.

Globe sustains leadership in international LTE roaming service

GLOBE Telecom sustains leadership in international LTE roaming service as it strengthens partnership with SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest mobile operator to further expand its LTE international data roaming service coverage.

Baywalk complies with closure order

THE Bacolod Baywalk Restaurant and Entertainment Place said they complied with the order of the City Government of Bacolod to cease and desist from operation due to lack of the mayor's permit.

Local leaders support Aboitiz hydro project

THE town mayor of Impasug-ong and the village chief of Guihean, both in Bukidnon, expressed their support for the proposed Hedcor-built hydropower project in their areas.

Both officials called on local residents to welcome the hydro investor in their community. This developed during the official signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the municipality, barangays and the AboitizPower subsidiary, Hedcor Bukidnon over the project.

Setting a standard in condo investment

EXPERT or amateur investors eyeing condominiums as a real estate investment will find Camella Northpoint easily passing their stringent standards for choosing a condo property to bank their money on.

That's because Northpoint has all the qualities they look for in a great condo investment. Its value proposition is clearly unmatched with its world-class appeal, deluxe facilities and amenities, and the enhanced lifestyle it gives its residents and homeowners, making it an attractive and desirable address.

DanaTeq penetrates PH market, sets up office

SINGAPORE-BASED company DanaTeq Pte. (DTQ), one of the pioneers in Dynamic Real-Time Analytic-based Campaign Management Solutions, recently signed two extensive service agreements with the Philippine's major telecommunications companies, thereby establishing a physical presence in the country.

DanaTeq will implement next generation intelligent service networks for the two telecommunication giants for enhanced customer care and better servicing to end users.

New school offers courses on visual design for summer

BEFORE the school year opens, a local university with a special department for design hopes those with creative inclinations will spend the summer with them.

MVP announces new appointments

MANILA-First Pacific Company Limited (FPC) managing director and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company chairman Manuel Pangilinan yesterday announced new key appointments in his group.

Toral: E-commerce research

I JUST attended the first meeting of I-Metrics Asia Pacific Corp. This is my first Start-Up 100 Project and I am glad that it covers a subject that is close to my heart – e-commerce statistics.

Clark Water posts 20% growth as income surges to P85.9M

CLARK Water Corporation, the water and wastewater operator of Clark Freeport and the Clark Special Economic Zone, posted a revenue growth of 14 percent on the back of higher billed volume and lower non-revenue water.

Meanwhile, operating expenses declined slightly enabling the company’s net income to grow by 20 percent to P85.9 million in 2012 from P71.4 million the previous year.

New markets for sugar, banana to sustain growth in exports

GROWTH in agro-based exports may be sustained with the opening up of new markets for sugar and bananas, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

"In addition to South Korea and India, Indonesia and the Middle East were also identified as potential market for sugar," said Emmanuel F. Esguerra, Neda officer-in-charge and deputy director general.

Program to improve manufacturing urged

METALS and engineering industry players are proposing a program that will improve the country's manufacturing capabilities and product designs crucial for the sector to achieve much higher growth over the next few years.

"Manufacturing has to be a program, we want to see more government declaration to help the industry. If we want to see growth, there should be a central plan," said Jimmy Chan, Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) trustee for the metals sector.

SMEs challenged to ‘leave comfort zone’

A BUSINESS management agency challenged small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Cebu to change the way they think and work, in preparation for an integrated Southeast Asian economy in 2015.

Cebu Holdings Inc. planning new business district

AYALA-led property developer Cebu Holdings Inc. (CHI) announced yesterday that it is planning to develop another business district in Cebu to cater to the growing demand for mixed-used development in the province.

Tax notes: Implementation of EFPS facility

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has observed that there are some Electronic Filing and Payment System ( EFPS) registered taxpayers who are still filing their tax returns and/or paying their taxes manually. Hence, the BIR recently mandated that all revenue district officers to immediately review and determine the compliance of EFPS taxpayers within their area of jurisdiction as regards the e-filing and e-payment through the EFPS facility with the issuance of Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) No. 30-2013.

Inclusive growth needs activity outside Metro Manila: Neda

RATHER than make a draft beforehand, proponents of the Philippine Development Plan hope to get inputs from stakeholders first and provide a midterm update that incorporates ideas of all those involved.

National Economic Development Authority (Neda) Assistant Director General Rosemarie Edillon said that to achieve inclusive growth, they intend to see growth spread beyond Metro Manila, which was why consultation workshops like yesterday’s event was held.

Firms told to teach workers IT security

BEYOND installing the latest security software, companies are also encouraged to increase the IT security literacy of their employees to prevent or minimize security risks like data loss, according to an official of an anti-virus company.

Limpag: Silicon Valley calls SpellDial

THEY were at a “really low point,” SpellDial founder Albert Padin said in our interview. After two years of chasing their startup dream to make the world dial names instead of numbers, Padin had to look for a job.

DTI holds ‘upgrading seminar’ on maguey fiber

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Cebu conducted last week an upgrading and product development seminar for maguey fiber in Aloguinsan, Cebu.

The agency said the seminar is part of its thrust to empower communities and provide alternative income to people in the countryside.

Chambers nominate Bian to Asian business award

A PROMINENT business leader in Davao City has been nominated by various chambers of commerce all over the country in the prestigious 2013 Asian Women in Business Entrepreneurship Leadership Award.

Joji Ilagan Bian, an esteemed business leader and educator in the city, has been nominated by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Mindanao Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (Armm) Business Council to the New York-based award body for her "consistent entrepreneurial passion in all her endeavor."

Philippine exports to grow 10-17%

DESPITE the decline in February, Philippine exports are expected to grow 10 to 17.2 percent this year.

Zeno Ronald Abenoja, director of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' Department of Economic Research, said the 10 percent growth of merchandise exports was based on the projections adopted by the Development Budget Coordinating Committee (DBCC) last November.

Growing crops in the cities (First of two-parts)

HUNGER, poverty, and environmental degradation -- these are the problems most urban areas in developing countries are facing.

"The vast, increasing population of the urban poor often goes hungry because they cannot afford to purchase food," deplored the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Tabije: Vietnam: A travelogue (Conclusion)

IN MY conversations with Vietnamese colleagues and friends, the fact that they have beaten and driven away powerful colonial countries such as China, France and the US is obviously a great source of pride for them.

Sun posts 18% growth in prepaid revenues

MOBILE phone operator Sun Cellular posted a robust 18 percent growth in its prepaid cellular revenues in 2012. From almost P10 billion in 2011, Sun Cellular's Prepaid revenues climbed up to P11.7 billion last year.

It also registered a six-percent increase in its subscriber base with a total of over 14 million prepaid subscribers by the end of last year.

Tourism department to pitch diving

THE Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 will intensify its marketing campaign for various tourism products of the Philippines, but particularly high-value diving as a leisure activity for foreign tourists.

Give MSME products more space, stores asked

A RESOLUTION that pushes for more supermarket space for products from micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) was recently sent to the Cebu City Government.

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Council (MSMEDC) drafted Resolution 2013-003 during a meeting last Feb. 22, in cooperation with the Filipino-Cebuano Business Club (FCBI) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).