Oro's best enterprises join national productivity confab

IN line with the Productivity Month celebration in November this year, the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) held a National Productivity Convention on Nov. 23 and 24 in Manila.

Public hearing set for sugar workers' wage adjustments

THE Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) announced that talks on wage rate adjustments for sugar industry workers will start on December 7 at RR Family Spring Resort, Tubigon, Maramag town, Bukidnon.

Oro hosts seminar on Free Trade Agreements

AN INFORMATION seminar on Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) will be held on December 2, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., at Pryce Plaza Hotel in Upper Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City.

Senate to conduct hearing on state of banana industry

THE Senate committee on agriculture will conduct an inquiry on the state of the Philippine banana industry in Davao City on Thursday, following the imposition of a trade embargo by the United States and its allies in Iran, one of the biggest buyers of the country's banana.

Government, industry experts join first software exhibit here

SEVERAL government and industry experts are joining local software developers and other stakeholders to talk on their successful experiences and best practices in software development on December 5-6 at the Event Centre of SM City Davao.

RDC okays Davao development plan

THE draft Medium Term Davao Regional Development Plan (MTRDP) for the period 2010-2016 was recently approved by the Regional Development Council (RDC 11), the region's highest policy-making body.

Loalde launches lifestyle brand

HOMEGROWN Loalde Group launched on Monday its latest lifestyle brand, Fish18.

Fish18 is a retail concept store that will provide stylish and current fashion apparel, shoes, bags, accessories, gift ideas, and novelty items for both men and women.

ADB to invest in ‘green’ energy

THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) will invest US$40 million to fund renewable energy projects in India, the Philippines and the rest of the continent.

LPG price hikes in December bared

BARELY three weeks before Christmas, cooking gas retailers said they would raise prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) twice in December to reflect the upward trend in the international market.

Overseas workers don’t pay for insurance fee

THE government reminded recruitment agencies against charging overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) with insurance fee, citing it might cost them their license to operate.

Regional wage board holds 'diskwento caravan'

HAVING a hard time budgeting for goods this Christmas season? Visit the provincial Capitol on December 8 to 10, 2010, to enjoy cheaper products.

Tour guides boost Oro tourism

TOUR guides in Cagayan de Oro convened yesterday for the first time to address the increasing number of tourists visiting the city as they encouraged individuals in the tour services to join the group and more effectively dispatch its services.

DOST tells inventors to make use of government assistance programs

TO encourage cash-strapped inventors to continue developing their creations, the Department of Science and Technology hopes they will take advantage of their assistance programs.

George Colorado, division head of the DOST’s Technology Application and Promotion Institute (Tapi), said they have programs that help inventors from the first stages of developing a concept to its commercialization.

Tax notes: Reminder on business renewal of LGU registration

UNDER the Local Government Code (LGC), all business establishments are required to renew annually their registration with local government units (LGUs). The annual renewal of business registration consists of, but is not limited to, payment of local business tax (LBT), mayor’s permit fee, sanitary inspection fee, garbage fee, building inspection fee, electrical inspection fee, mechanical inspection fee, plumbing inspection fee, fire inspection fee, personnel fee, business plate registration fee and other charges imposed by the different LGUs.

CCCI members off to Hawaii for trade mission

SEVERAL members of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) are going to Hawaii today to foster business ties with business chambers in Honolulu. Among those joining the trade mission are representatives from the tourism, real estate, construction and furniture sectors.

EU pours P10B for Mindanao; envoy laments bad publicity

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The European Union has extended nearly P10 billion in a span of two decades to peace and development efforts in Mindanao, a region its top diplomat bemoaned as being generally portrayed "as a land of chaos" despite its economic potentials.

Japanese investor to develop 10k has. for castor oil production

A JAPANESE company is putting up an initial capital of P500 million for the establishment of a 10,000-hectare castor oil plantation in Davao del Norte.

Improve tobacco tax system to save more lives

THE logic is simple -- improve the current tobacco tax system to improve health, and to improve lives.

Corn production in Davao Norte gets boost

DAVAO del Norte's corn program got a boost from the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Davao Region with the turnover of a new farm tractor under the government's Agri-PNoy Maisan Program.

Revenue office eyes one-stop shop

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is eyeing a one-stop shop that will be set up in partnership with the Davao City government to facilitate convenience among taxpaying clients and to promote tax awareness.

World smallest, lightest printers unveiled here

CONFIDENT in Davao City's growing market for quality printers, Fuji Xerox Printer Channel (FXPC) first launched in the city its new products -- the new DocuPrint series -- touted as the smallest and lightest models in its class.

Uplands: Last frontier of Filipino farmers

"POOREST of the poor." "Marginalized." These are some of the terms used to describe the upland farmers in the Philippines. But the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) Foundation, Inc., a non-governmental organization in Kinuskusan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur, depicted them as "neglected."

DOST to teach patents to students

WITH just three to five percent of local invention patent applications each year, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) plans to introduce students to the patent system.

George Colorado, division head of the Technology Application and Promotion Institute under the DOST, said the Invent School Program encourages students to invent things. They will also be made aware of intellectual property rights.

Demand for mobile broadband services expected

A TELECOMMUNICATION firm projected a steady demand for mobile broadband services in the coming years as increased competition prompted lower prices for smartphones.

Pot draws interest to lotto sales

THOSE who cannot find luck in lottery draws find fortune in running a lotto outlet.

For five years, Alex Remedios and a partner have been managing a lotto station in Villa Leyson, Cebu City, reaping five percent of ticket sales.

Microsoft brings Lync to Cebu

MICROSOFT unveiled this week to Cebuanos its latest communication server software aimed at helping companies increase productivity and reduce both capital and operational costs.

Bohol weavers ready for large orders

AFTER a series of trade shows in the country, the Bohol Weaving Project of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 7 and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) expect to get a bigger volume of orders from foreign buyers.

Materials research and development (R&D) project manager Ingrid Haufe, in a press briefing on Thursday, said they are focusing on upgrading the quality management systems of the weaving centers to ensure quality and volume of orders.

Almirante: Liability of corporate officer

Dominador Almirante Labor case digest

PETITIONER Wensha Spa Center Inc. (Wensha) is a sauna bath and massage services busi ness. Xu Zhi Jie (Xu) is its president. In a case for illegal dismissal filed by Loreta Yung (Loreta) against petitioner, the Court of Appeals found for the former and held Xu jointly and severally liable with Wensha to pay the award to Loreta. Did the Court of Appeals (CA) err?

Batuhan: In practice

Allan S. B. Batuhan Foreign Exchange

THOUGH the theory can be simple, the practice is nowhere near as clear-cut.

Cebu Pacific slashes fares to China and Taiwan

THE Philippines' largest national flag carrier, Cebu Pacific (CEB), announces a seat sale for its flights to China and leisure destinations in the Philippines.