Philippines ‘needs to transition’ to knowledge process outsourcing

AFTER making its mark in the contact center segment, the Philippines has to transition to knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) if it wants to continue expanding its reach in business process outsourcing.

Jonathan Defensor de Luzuriaga, executive vice president of CIBI Information Center, said that while contact centers pay $8 to $12 an hour, KPO and information technology outsourcing pay $15 to $24 an hour.

Developer signs deal to take over project in Bohol

JC ARMAMENTO Development Inc. (JCAD Inc.), a Cebu-based developer, signed a multi-million peso deal for the takeover of the Bethany Village Project in Bohol late last year.

The project will be renamed into Bethlehem Garden Homes, a Caribbean-inspired community of 309 houses of four different models, duplexes and two-storey single attached and singe detached houses.

Smart ‘broadbands’ Visayan homage to Child Jesus

CEBU CITY -- Every January, millions of people flock to Cebu City for the Sinulog festival, to pay homage to the Child Jesus amid song, dance, and religious fervor. This time, millions more all over the world will be able to do so, in real time and over the Internet.

IBM tops list of US patents for 2010

SOFTWARE firm IBM recently announced it topped the list of the world’s most inventive companies for 18th consecutive year, with a record of 5,896 US patents in 2010.

The company said IBM became the first company to be granted 5,000 US patents in a single year.

City exporters support cargo weighing rate hike

EXPORTERS in Cagayan de Oro City have thrown their support to the proposed increase in the rates charged in weighing outbound cargoes.

Info campaign on small biz intellectual property protection pushed

THE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IP Philippines) will launch this year more information campaign to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to promote the importance of protecting intellectual assets in their businesses.

Government urged to initiate raw material development program

THE government has been asked to spearhead a program focusing on the development of raw material used particularly in handicrafts, furniture and furnishings industries to ensure stable supply that could help bring down business costs.

Labor group seeks P55 wage hike

IN A bid to counter the successive increases in fares and other basic commodities, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) pushes for the adjustment of the minimum wage in Metro Manila by P55.

Customs seizes illegal products

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) impounded shipments of alcoholic products and used clothing worth P30 million at Manila International Container Port (MICP) Thursday.

Traders welcome anti-trust law

WHILE local business leaders welcome the passage of a law that will protect and promote businesses, they also hope that the creation of an anti-trust law will not have provisions that will hamper free enterprise in the country.

Filipino Cebuano Business Club president Rey Calooy said that limiting the actions of businesses could discourage investors.

Pyroworks schedules series of shows in Cebu for Sinulog

PYROTECHNICS company Pyroworks International, Inc. will light up Cebu’s skies in a series of shows during the Sinulog celebration.

Owner Brian Benjamin Lim announced major pyrotechnic events to be held SM City Cebu, Ayala Center Cebu, Cebu City Sports Center grandstand and Crown Regency Hotel beginning Saturday, Jan. 15.

Visual artists call for gov’t support

A GROUP of Cebuano visual artists said they still see a lot of opportunities but they badly need the support of the government to keep the industry alive.

Visual artist Andrew Barba told reporters they need a facility where all visual artists of Cebu can showcase their art pieces.

Ng: Facebook, smartphones and tablets define 2010

IT’S THE start of the year and it’s time to take stock of the significant events in ICT last year. I guess locally, we will remember 2010 as the year the Philippines became the number one country for call center services worldwide. It was also the year that Facebook finally went mainstream. We saw politicians, grandparents and even one-year-old siblings get Facebook accounts. People whom you know as not having an email address are there.

Toral: Content, community and conversation

DURING the DigitalFilipino Web Awards last year, one talk that caught my attention was that of Erwin Oliva, when he discussed the 3Cs he observed in performing his work in Yahoo! Philippines as country editor. The 3Cs are content, community and conversation.

I asked him, “Which comes first?” Erwin replied that it was hard to say. Instead, he compared it to the famous Filipino breakfast tapa-sinangag-itlog or tapsilog, which tastes better when you eat them altogether.

Globe CEO to speak in mobile money transfer meet

GLOBE Telecom president and chief executive officer Ernest Cu will join mobile money transfer business leaders from the Asia Pacific region at the annual mobile money transfer Asia-Pacific MMT-APAC conference and expo at the Hyatt Hotel in Manila from Jan. 17 to 20.

Cu is set to deliver a keynote address on “Globe GCash executing on telco-financial service convergence” on Jan. 18.

DTI implements new rates for biz listing

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced that starting January 3 this year, the four-tiered registration fee for the business name application shall already apply.

P125M orthopedic center soon to rise in Bajada

AN INTERNATIONAL charitable organization is set to open a P125 million orthopedic center for children along J.P. Laurel Avenue in Bajada, Davao City before the third quarter of this year.

Foreigners want conducive business environment

OFFICIALS of the British government called for the establishment of a business environment in the Philippines that would be “conducive” to foreign investors.

Mall building seen as IT center

CITY councilors are now studying the possibility of endorsing to the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) through a Presidential proclamation the existing 6,563-square-meter Cybermall building along R.N. Pelaez Boulevard in Barangay Kauswagan to become an Information Technology (IT) center.

City Hall offers fast biz permit processing

THE City Government is now upgrading into much faster and better business permit registration and renewal system through its one-stop-shop processing center at the ground floor of City Hall.

Barangay clearance needed for biz permit applications

STARTING Wednesday, the City Government is now requiring business establishments to secure a barangay clearance before they can apply for business permits.

16 Tesda scholars off to Dubai

AT LEAST 16 Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) scholars are bound to work as heavy equipment operators in Dubai.

BIR clarifies VAT exemption of agri contract growers

SERVICES not covered by agricultural contract growing will now be levied a 12 percent value added tax (VAT) as per Memorandum Circular 97-2010 of the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

MSME productivity contest on

A COMPETITION for the best productivity improvement programs of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) was launched to intensify awareness and commitment to quality and productivity improvement practices.

Dubbed as Productivity Olympics 2011, the competition will not only focus on the impact of productivity improvement programs on workforce development and business performance but will also highlight business models and strategies undertaken by MSMEs such as franchising, innovations, service quality and green initiatives.

SSS offers amnesty for delinquent employers

THE Social Security System (SSS) is offering a six-month amnesty program for delinquent employers.

The amnesty, which will end on June 30, benefits employees with overdue loans taken under current or previous employers or when they were self-employed or voluntary members.

Eaga officials to set 2011 priorities in Kuching meet

KUCHING, Sarawak, Sabah -- Officials from the four member countries of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-Eaga) are set to meet here starting today for the BIMP-Eaga 2011 Strategic Planning Meeting.

Davao LGUs urged to avail of MRDP funds

LOCAL government units in Davao Region and the rest of Mindanao have been urged to take full advantage of the package of development investments made available through the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP-II).

MTC exec to replicate Bantay Turismo

MINDANAO Tourism Council president Araceli Ayuste urged local government units in Mindanao to adopt the Bantay Turismo in order to ensure the security of local and foreign tourists.

BIR Central Visayas beats target

WITH a collection target of P11.4 billion for 2010, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Region No. 13 (Central Visayas) exceeded its collection target by 11.9 percent and increased its collection by 33 percent from the previous year.

BIR 13 Regional Director Jose N. Tan considers his agency lucky, saying taxpayers were cooperative with them in 2010.

Gloomy weather brings dismal sales

TRADERS Junaid Mapandi, 47, and Rowena Mendonez, 43, still hope for good sales in the days leading to the Sinulog celebration despite the gloomy weather in recent days.

Mapandi, a batik trader from Zamboanga City, said they had sluggish sales in the past few days starting in January due to the gloomy weather.