Freelancing ‘a sunshine industry’

ONLINE freelancing will be a key work option as technology makes the world even more connected, officials of an international online work platform said.

Elance Bangladesh country manager Saidur Mamun Khan said “freelancing has evolved into a radical way of working” that offers “opportunities and convenience.”

Legal research app wins pitching tiff

MY Legal Whiz (MLW), an app that attempts to revolutionize how legal research is done, won the Echelon 2013 Satellite Philippines pitching competition together with Duets, a sing-along app that creates a new experience of collaborative karaoke.

Hospital invests in system to cut oxygen cost

AS they prepare to make improvements on their hospital, the Visayas Community Medical Center (VCMC) hope they can ease the burden of patients by investing in a machine that would drop oxygen prices to the minimum.

Limpag: Cebu developer team heads to Silicon Valley

HERE'S yet another great news for Cebu’s tech startup community: NextIX, a technology solutions provider founded by Roberto “Bobby” Suson in Cebu in 2006, is heading to Silicon Valley with two mobile application projects: GroupJump and Miimove.

The two projects are among the 2012 ON3 winners picked by the Science and Technology Council from a nationwide search in four regional competitions in Davao, Cebu, Pangasinan and Manila.

Moving ahead fast

HOMEGROWN real estate developer AboitizLand Inc. launched last Thursday the P417-million Phase 2 development of its high-end project Priveya Hills.

Last year, the firm announced it was going to spend P3.5 billion for the five-phase development of the 60-hectare, lot-only residential project.

Business leaders stay unruffled by Korean situation

ALTHOUGH confident there’s no reason for the local business community to panic, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) President Lito Maderazo said any untoward event in the Korean Peninsula will have a significant economic impact on the country in general and Cebu in particular.

He said that if the tension between North and South Korea escalates, it will hit Philippine tourism, considering that Korean tourists and language students make up the biggest group of foreign arrivals in the country.

In river tour, Aloguinsan folks prove ‘green’ viable

IT WAS just curiosity at first that prompted some Aloguinsan residents to join environmental protection efforts by the local government, until they realized the potential of their town’s nature reserve.

Batuhan: The power of information

I WENT to school in an age when information was indeed power.

Almirante: Work-related illness of seafarers

Dominador Almirante Labor case digest

RESPONDENT Salvador T. Serna worked since 1989 with petitioners Career Philippines Ship Management, Inc. (Career Phils.) and Societe Anonyme Monegasque Administratio Maritime Ft. Aeriennemonaco (Aeriennemonaco). In his third consecutive contract, he worked as a bosun of M/V Hyde Park, a chemical tanker.

Bakery owners open new hotel

CEBU’s booming tourism industry has spurred the owners of a homegrown bakery chain to diversify into the hotel business.

Park ‘n Go owner Alicia Rama-Ty announced yesterday their entry into the tourism sector through their flagship boutique hotel Aicila Suites in Nasipit, Talamban, Cebu City.

Jobs bridging program launched in Cebu

A JOBS bridging program for graduates of technical and vocational courses with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) was brought to Cebu yesterday.

The “Hanapbuhay Para sa Tesda Specialista” program kicked off in Central Visayas in Bohol two days ago. It was launched in Manila last month and is now being replicated in major provinces.

I.Protect: Fundador

Clint Fabiosa & Ana Liza Villamor

HOW can one tell if the Fundador brandy that you buy is genuine or counterfeit?

Ng: Technology and crime

LATEST reports have indicated that Windows 8 tablets have sold over three million units worldwide during the first quarter of 2013, according to market information company Strategy Analytics. Is that high, or low? Well, it came from almost zero, and that is about 7.5 percent of the total market – up from none compared to same period last year.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Chamber hosts business matching between PH, Chinese biz leaders

IN sync with its advocacy on trade promotion, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and the local governments of Cebu conducted yesterday the First Philippines-China Trade and Investment Forum and Business Matching.

It was part of the official launch of the Cebu Busines Month, which is scheduled in June, and was meant to be a venue for local entrepreneurs and Chinese delegates to explore business opportunities.