AXA opens bigger and better branch in Iloilo

AXA Philippines, one of the top life insurance companies in the country, recently transferred to a bigger and better branch office in Iloilo along M.H. del Pilar St.

Furniture firm gets aid from Science department

THE Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through the agency’s Small Enterprise Technology and Upgrading Program (DOST-SETUP) has provided P685,500 financial assistance to a furniture firm in Zamboanga Sibugay province.

The recipient of the financial assistance is the Rene Woodcraft and Furniture owned by Rene Hapona located in the village of Sta. Clara, Naga, Zamboanga Sibugay, according to DOST regional director Brenda Nazareth-Manzano.

Globe logs 2% hike in net income

MANILA–Despite stiff competition and high costs for their “transformation initiatives,” Globe Telecom Inc. reported a two percent growth in core net income amounting to P10.3 billion for 2012 and record-high service revenues.

At the press conference following their annual stockholder’s meeting yesterday, Globe Telecom president and CEO Ernest Cu considered their transformation initiatives “ambitious,” saying they were trying to achieve many things simultaneously.

Summer vacation best time to start building business, entrepreneurs say

THE summer vacation can be a perfect time for students to start a business, Cebuano entrepreneurs said.

The Islands Group president Jonathan Jay Aldeguer says it is possible to “create wealth” even while still a student. He said “you just have to have passion and commitment to make your business successful.”

Officials visit Cebu to promote marine resort

THE increasing number of Filipinos traveling locally pushed a Manila-based hotel to be more aggressive in their domestic promotions.

Hotel H2O general manager Lily Santos-Adrid said they hope to attract Cebuanos to stay in their facility, especially this summer.

Smart, IdeaSpace bring AngelHack to Philippines

SMART Communications, Inc. (Smart) and business incubator IdeaSpace Foundation have partnered with US-based AngelHack to launch the Philippine leg of the what is considered the world’s biggest coding marathon.

The April-June AngelHack Spring Global Challenge is expected to bring in 6,000 developers in 32 cities in Asia Pacific, North America, South America and Europe.

Globe bucks dominance of Smart-Sun merger

AYALA-LED Globe Telecommunications Inc. said Tuesday it will only focus on giving continuous and good connectivity to its subscribers despite the dominance of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), which bought Digitel Telecommunications Philippines Inc. (Digitel) last year.

"We're just focusing on our services. We have not changed our strategy. The strategy of Globe is to become very customer-focused and deliver that in a well-executed manner," said Globe president and chief executive officer Ernest Cu in a briefing.

LBC Express launches TXT Remit in Cebu

LBC Express Inc (LBC-EI) launched its prepaid remittance card in Cebu last Thursday during a press conference in Radisson Blu Hotel.

The company said its TXT Remit allows transferring and claiming remittances via SMS.

No takers for creative sector income tax holidays: official

THOUGH activities in film, theater and music were qualified for income tax holidays under the government’s investment priorities plan (IPP) in 2011, Board of Investments (BOI) Governor Oliver Butalid said there were no takers.

Smartphones, tablets fuel gadget sales hike

HOMEGROWN retailer Junrex Cellphone and Accessories reported a 20 percent growth in sales in the first quarter this year, driven by huge sales in smartphones and tablets.

Rosy outlook for PH to bring more benefits

BUSINESS leaders in Davao City have expressed optimism the rosy outlook for Philippines by various institutions will bring benefits to the country and its people.

"Ratings firm like Fitch, Standard and Poor, and Moody's are world renowned firms that assess the capacity, capabilities, progress, or performance of an economy or a company," Daniel T. Lim, president of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII), said.

Pampanga eyes Tagum's program for butchers

THE Provincial Government of Pampanga that prides its place as the home of the country's leading meat processing plants is set to replicate Tagum City's successful program on butchering.

The local government of Tagum received last week the team from Pampanga who engaged in a forum with stakeholders to know how the city managed its skills training program for butchers where after passing rigorous trade tests to measure their skills by foreign employers are then hired to work either in Australia or Canada.

Econ strategies for exporters up in Philexport-Davao meet

THE Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc in Davao Region (Philexport 11-Davao) will be holding its 1st General Membership Meeting for the year 2013 on April 19, at the Grand Regal Hotel, Lanang, Davao City.

The assembly will serve as a venue to directly address the current major economic and industrial development strategies plotted for exporters from the entire region.

Business leaders ‘very optimistic’

FOLLOWING rosy forecasts for the country from different institutions, Philippine business leaders expressed high business optimism for the year, an international survey showed.

Limpag: Will you let Facebook take over your phone?

FACEBOOK Home was unveiled last week after weeks of widespread speculations that the social networking behemoth was launching its own phone. What Mark Zuckerberg unveiled last week, however, was a launcher for Android that, according to the company, “puts your friends at the heart of your phone.”

Owners of family firms told: don’t force kids to take over

FAMILY business owners should not pressure their children to immediately take over the company, said speakers at a forum held over the weekend.

University of Asia and the Pacific co-founder Bernardo Villegas said during the Family Enterprise Excellence Conference last Saturday that succession must be viewed as a future opportunity and part of the growth of the business, rather than an obligation.

SSS hikes education loans, eases eligibility terms

MORE college and vocational-technical (voc-tech) course students can expect to meet their financial requirements for enrollment as the Social Security System (SSS) further liberalized the guidelines of its educational loan facility called the SSS Educational Assistance Loan Program or "Educ-Assist".

SSS president and chief executive officer Emilio de Quiros Jr. said members earning P25,000 and below per month are now eligible for Educ-Assist loans, replacing SSS' former limit of P15,000 on the monthly income needed to qualify under previous guidelines.

Modern township unveiled

A TWO-DAY event, dubbed as "A Showcase of Camella Lifestyle" at the SMX Convention Center at SM Lanang Premier, marked the official launch of Camella Davao, the new township development of Camella in Communal, Buhangin.

A joint-venture between Camella and the family of Compostela Governor Arturo Uy, this modern residential development project, spanning close to 30 hectares, is the latest addition to Camella's roster of master-planned communities in South Mindanao area, including Solariega, Toscana, Camella Cerritos, Camella Northpoint -- all in Davao City -- and Camella Tagum, Camella General Santos and its upcoming development in Koronadal, South Cotabato.

200MW will soon be added to Mindanao grid: DOE exec

SOME 200 megawatts (MW) will be added to Mindanao grid once the modular generator sets come into play as another measure to ease power deficiency.

Irma Exconde, assistant secretary for electricity power industry management of Department of Energy (DOE), made the announcement during the public consultation on Interim Mindanao Electricity Market (IMEM) Friday at the Grand Regal Hotel.

Therma Marine rates lowest in 24 months

POWER rates of AboitizPower subsidiary Therma Marine last month was one of the lowest in 24 months owing to the continued dip in world oil prices.

For March 2013, Therma Marine's power cost to customers was at P7.13 per kilowatt-hour (kwh) based on 100-percent utilization. This was on the back of an average fuel purchase of P29.13 per liter on the same month.

AirAsia starts P1 anniversary seat sale

CLARK FREEPORT – Philippines’ AirAsia is offering a one peso base fare promo for all destinations starting April 5 as part of its first year anniversary celebrations.    "It is hard to believe, it has been a year already since we launched our operations. We had many challenges but the potential for growth is tremendous and we aim to play a big role in growing the market. The passenger traffic in Clark has grown tremendously last year and we have consistently remained committed in providing our guest with the highest standards in safety, efficiency and quality service,” Freddy Herrera, AirAsia Inc. Commercial Head, said.

San Pedro: CRK Near, Not ‘Too Far’

ONCE in a while, we get brickbats from Filipinos based overseas but the recent ideas threshed out by a certain Architect Ben Lao are points to ponder although I may not agree with some of his contentions.

‘Include cargo in CCT exemption’

THE Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines Inc. (JCCIPI) called for exempting foreign air and sea carriers from paying the three percent common carrier’s tax (CCT) as a means to improve the country’s export competitiveness.

Forum today to tackle family business

MORE than 50 percent of enterprises in the country are family-owned and have evolved as one of the formidable forces in the Philippine economy.

But how can family businesses make the most of this opportunity if they are facing internal problems such as conflicts between siblings, balancing the family interest with the business interest or encountering succession difficulties, inter-generational conflicts and lack of family governance?

Japanese sets up English school

WITH Cebu becoming a tourist and investment destination for Asians, a 32-year-old Japanese who studied English in the city saw an opportunity to create his own school for Japanese to learn the language at an intensive level.

Almirante: Regulations, part of CBA

IN 1992, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (Decs) issued the Revised Manual of Regulations for Private Schools, among the provisions of which requires college faculty members to have a master’s degree as a minimum educational qualification for acquiring regular status.

Pursuant thereto, petitioner University of the East (UE) hired respondent Mariti D. Bueno in 1997 and respondent Analiza F. Pepanio in 2000, both on a semester-to-semester basis, to teach in its college. They could not qualify for probationary or regular status because they lacked postgraduate degrees.

Batuhan: Catholic vote

A FEW months back, I was having a somewhat late lunch in one of Cebu’s more popular restaurants. What I had hoped would be a quiet time to unwind and relax after somewhat of a hectic morning turned out to be anything but.

Philippine Prudential remains stable, says exec

THE top executive of Filipino-owned insurance company, the Philippine Prudential Life Insurance Company Inc. (Philippine Prudential), assured Friday that the firm has remained "financially sound," and will continue to protect the interest of its 1.8 million policyholders and their families.

"Philippine Prudential is financially sound, as it remains to be a stable and strongly capitalized company, duly-licensed by our government regulator, the Insurance Commission," Philippine Prudential president and CEO Gregorio D. Mercado said in a statement.

Cebuana Lhuillier launches insurance product in Davao

THE Cebuana Lhuillier Insurance Solutions (Clis), the insurance arm of pawnshop chain Cebuana Lhuillier, launched on Thursday its latest product to offer a more affordable compulsory third party liability (CTPL) insurance to vehicle owners.

This developed as Cebuana Lhuillier is also bent to become a total microfinance solution center other than being a pawning and remittance outlet.

Firm to put up P2-B hotel in Clark

CLARK FREEPORT -- The Eagle Sky Corporation is set to establish a five-star hotel and casino worth P2 billion inside the Freeport.

Dr. Ireneo “Bong” Alvaro, president of Eagle Sky Corporation, said the two-building, six-storey Hotel Midori with 120 rooms was designed by Taiwanese architects from Harvard University.