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.

Almirante: Belated appeal

RESPONDENT Myrna Macaraeg was employed as a security guard of petitioner Leopard Security and Investigation Agency. Her complaint for illegal dismissal against the petitioner was dismissed by the labor arbiter for lack of merit. Her appeal to the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) was likewise dismissed for having been filed out of time.

Batuhan: False pretenses

AMONG all the educational institutions in the Philippines, one name stands tall and proud among the rest.

That’s right. That name is the Asian Institute of Management (AIM).

Mobile security crucial for firms

AS THE demand for smartphones continues to rise, so does the need for mobile security, an official from Kaspersky Lab said yesterday.

Kaspersky Lab business development manager Bryan Sat said devices such as smartphones are now becoming an “increasingly attractive” target of cybercriminals, particularly for stealing confidential information.

Cebu Business Month launched

TO DRUM up excitement for the Cebu Business Month this June, organizers from the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) launched the celebration by introducing a new theme song and a list of activities they hope will bring in participation from the business sector.

Smart wins international award for app

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia-For the second year in a row, Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) received the award for Best Community Telecom Project at the 16th Telecom Asia Awards, the region’s longest-running and most prestigious telecom industry awards program that recognizes innovative and outstanding performance by Asian service providers and industry executives.

I.Protect: World famous marks

Clint Fabiosa & Ana Liza Villamor

Ng: Consumption cost

LAST NIGHT, I fell asleep while watching TV. When I woke up in the morning, the TV was still on.

I am sure many people do that so the question is – how much does it cost?

A passion to share

By John Pages and Bunny Pages

JOHN PAGES: Ever since I was little, I’ve always idolized my father. In my La Salle Bacolod elementary yearbook, one of the quotations inscribed beside my photo was this goal: “To be like my father.”

Web services ‘a threat to telcos’

THREATS to telecommunications companies are not limited to their competition.

Globe Telecom Inc. president and chief executive officer Ernest Cu admitted social media is one of the biggest threats to their industry.

McDonald’s targets to sign up 312 students under SPES program

THE McDonald’s Philippines’ Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES), in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), is targeting 312 beneficiaries this year.

UCPB takes on energy conservation to improve offices

WITH almost 50 years of providing top-notch financial services to its clients, the United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) continues to exceed industry-standards and ventures into another project focused on preserving and protecting the environment, the company announced in a press statement.

Dubbed the UCPB Corporate Office Power Conservation Project, the initiative is the bank’s way of supporting the call for a “greener environment” in the modern workplace.

Banks asked to seek out SMEs

RATHER than passively wait for small and medium enterprises (SME) to approach banks for credit, Filipino Cebuano Business Club Inc. (FCBI) encouraged financial institutions to actively seek out potential borrowers.

“Smaller firms are relatively shy about accessing the bank loans, so banks should really go out of their way,” said FCBI president Rey Calooy during the organization’s executive meeting with officials of Metrobank.

Smart, Opera offer P15/day unli surf

SMART Communications, Inc. (Smart) has launched the Opera UnliSurf 15 data plan, making it the most affordable mobile surfing service in the country, the company said in a press statement. Smart’s Opera UnliSurf 15 packages are available in two options.

The daily unlimited package lets users surf the Internet for 24 hours for P15 and the unlimited five-day package allows users to access the internet for P60 or P12 a day. This package includes free data for file downloading up to 15MB per day.

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.