Firm says green home building cheaper

CEBU-based Greenovate Corp. is offering Cebuanos what they said was an alternative and affordable way of building houses through its Green Home product.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Greenovate Corp. manager Pinky Sy said the company is introducing an environment-friendly innovation that uses pre-fabricated materials in building houses that cater across all markets.

Ng: Business case for proprietary systems

LAST week, I had a chance to visit some technology incubators in Manila. These are managed by a government agency and it is worthwhile that these facilities exist and are operated. The presence of tech incubators in the US and in many parts of the world, as well as great universities, has always been the harbinger of great tech companies. Incubators also provide the initial convenience as well as the mentoring and the environment that encourages entrepreneurship.

Business leaders, management rep defend gov’t directors in wage board

THOUGH labor groups have expressed disappointment with Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 7 Director Asteria Caberte, those on the side of management do not find anything irregular about her decisions at the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB).

Employers’ representative Hidelito Pascual said he could not find any justification to have Caberte or National Economic Development Authority (Neda) 7 Director Marlene Rodriguez removed from the board.

Ciudad project ‘to boost Cebu tourism’

FIFTH Avenue Development Corp. says the Ciudad project will further strengthen Cebu’s title as an Asean City of Culture.

Globe proposes 3-year lowering of interconnection fees

GLOBE Telecom recently proposed a three-year plan to reduce interconnection rates in support of the National Telecommunications Commission’s (NTC) request for telecommunication companies to lower interconnection charges.

In a statement, Globe Telecom submitted a position paper detailing its proposal on reducing fees for subscribers calling and sending texts outside their respective networks.

Improve standards for Cebu: Yu

IN promoting an area to foreign clients, there is a difference when it comes to promotion for tourism and for investments, the marketing director of the Cebu Investment Promotions Center noted.

Joel Mari Yu, in a recent presentation on emerging industries, admitted that the Philippines has lost its competitive advantage in attracting foreign direct investments in manufacturing to China.

Toral: When a newspaper commits a mistake

WHEN a newspaper publishes a story with wrong snippets of information and acknowledges it through an erratum in its printed edition, should the online edition be corrected? This is what I asked my online peers in Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ and those who replied did so with a resounding yes.

Recall CICT order, gov’t told

MEMBERS of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP) are appealing to government to recall the abolition of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT).

NICP members said Executive Order 47 is a setback for the Philippine ICT sector.

Association opposes House proposal to let importers, exporters act as customs brokers

THE Chamber of Customs Brokers Inc. (CCBI) is opposing a proposal in the House of Representatives that would allow exporters and importers to represent themselves as customs brokers.

The proposal is contained in House Bill 1653 filed by Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and Maximo Rodriguez Jr. of Cagayan de Oro City.

Reeves: Arizona anti-immigrant laws

ON JUNE 2, 2011, the state of Alabama passed a bill that permits its police officers to detain a person if the police officer has a “reasonable suspicion” that the person does not have any lawful immigration status in the United States.

The Alabama immigration bill also provides additional penalties for businesses that hire undocumented workers.

Tax notes: VAT on exchange of properties for shares of stocks

THE 12% value-added tax (VAT) shall now apply on all goods or properties exchanged for shares of stocks, unless the good or property, or the transferor is specifically exempt pursuant to Revenue Regulations (RR) No. 10-2011.

Prior to RR 10-2011, the VAT rules provided for exemption from VAT on exchange of properties for shares of stock in case of transfer of real property for shares of stock where both parties, i.e., transferee and tansferor, are both real estate dealers, and the transferor gains control of the transferee-corporation.

CIE students win in global CyberFair

SENIOR and junior high school students of the Centre for International Education (CIE) Main Campus in Cebu City recently garnered the Platinum Award in the 2011 International Schools CyberFair competition conducted by GlobalSchoolNet, a web-based worldwide non-profit educational organization.

Cebu ‘becoming more attractive’

WITH the number of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) continuing to increase, those in the real estate industry feel that their sector will continue to grow.

Danny Antonio of Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI) said OFWs wanting to invest and seeking to build homes for their families are one of the biggest sources of revenues for the real estate industry.

Zubuchon opens outlet in One Mango

FOLLOWING the success of its two retail outlets in Cebu, Zubufoods Inc. recently expanded its operations by opening a stand-alone Zubuchon restaurant in One Mango on General Maxilom Ave.

Limpag: News writing: 5Ws, GPS

WHEN fire broke out in Barangay Tejero late Saturday afternoon, I was dragged to the scene by my wife, who wanted to cover it for her news blog and as trial for the system of Yahoo! Philippines’ foray into local news.

I can no longer recall the last time I covered a fire for news. But it was definitely before mobile Internet became as ubiquitous as it is today. I think it was also before I had a wife who would drag me to a fire scene.

Batuhan: For the public good

DOMINIQUE Strauss-Kahn seems to be getting off the hook. The former managing director of the International Monetary Fund, who hit the headlines some weeks back, was accused of sexually assaulting a chambermaid in a ritzy news hotel. Guilty or not, the days that followed showed Mr. Strauss-Kahn—or DSK as he is known in French political circles—paraded before the world’s press like some common criminal, tried and convicted by the public, even before his side of the story could be heard.

Erratic rules drive investors away

ISSUES such as foreign ownership policies and the perception that government tends to change its rules often are seen as factors that have led the country to rank low among its Asean neighbors in being a desired location for foreign investments, a former diplomat said.

Delia Domingo Albert, former Philippine ambassador to Germany, noted that foreign investors find such policies disadvantageous.

New PAMI mutual fund banks on Asian growth

PHILAM Asset Management Inc. (PAMI) recently launched in Cebu its ninth mutual fund, PAMI Asia Balanced Fund Inc. (PABFI).

A top official reported that since the launching of the newest fund early this year, PABFI has reached $13.5 million as Filipino investors slowly shift investments in fixed-income instruments to the equity market.

Almirante: No illegal dismissal

Dominador A. Almirante Labor case digest

FIVE former employees filed a complaint for illegal dismissal against petitioner Exodus International Construction Corp. However, Exodus contended that, contrary to their allegations, the respondents (Guillermo Biscocho, Fernando Pereda, Ferdinand Mariano, Gregorio Bellita and Miguel Bobillo) were never dismissed from the service.

Café Gloria launching on July 9

CEBU CITY -- Café Gloria follows the success of San Remigio Beach Club Sports and Leisure Resort and San Remigio Pension Suites, its sister companies all under the management of its general manager, Mark Anthony Ynoc.

Furniture makers set ‘super show’

AS THEY join forces, furniture industries in Cebu and Manila hope to showcase their best in one international “super show” this October.

The Cebu International Furniture and Furnishings Exhibition (Cebu Next) will be housed at the Manila Fame International, in an attempt to maximize the strained resources of Philippine furniture manufacturers and give international buyers more reasons to visit the country.

PRA, IBM collaborate on spreading awareness on ‘smarter commerce’

THE Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) Cebu chapter is working with IBM in increasing awareness of the concept of smarter commerce in the retail industry among Visayas retailers.

I.Protect: Territorial principle

Clint Fabiosa & Ana Liza Villamor

Ng: Typing speed

I’VE always been a fan of records and feats. Here’s one that is interesting: According to Fox News, 15-year-old Mikheil Saakashvili, the son of the president of Georgia, can boast of a new Guinness World record. He was reported to be able to type the entire English alphabet from A to Z in the Apple iPad in 5.26 seconds, establishing a new record and winning over Charlie Joseph McDonnell, who did it in 6.31 seconds last year. Mind you, the difference is just second.

Gov’t pledges support for SMEs

THE government’s economic managers yesterday pledged to expand the markets of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the country through infrastructure development.

The move is part of the aim of government for more inclusive economic growth. The economic managers held a video conference during a pre-Sona (State of the Nation Address) forum held yesterday.

Globe Business offers SMEs phone bundles under Negostar deals

GLOBE Business is offering a suite of wired, wireless and broadband solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) such as Ehje’s Peanut Butter and Encash. As a one-stop-shop for the communication needs of entrepreneurs, it is launching new Negostar deals exclusively for SME customers.

Technical information company opens Cebu outsourcing facility

KNOWLEDGE process outsourcing (KPO) company GGS Technical Publication Services opened a facility in Cebu.

A top official said the expansion in the Philippines, particularly in Cebu, was meant to maximize Cebu’s competitive engineers and serve the company’s growing Asian clients.

Search on for country’s top chief finance officer

THEY used to be “figure heads” crunching numbers and fixing the balance sheets. Nowadays, the chief finance officer (CFO) has shed the stereotype in pinstriped suit as he or she takes on a role that goes far beyond figures.

Toral: Google+ and why I love Facebook

LAST week, the Internet geek community was abuzz when Google+ was announced (http://plus.google.com). It is considered the search giant’s answer to Facebook and you can do a lot of things in it, combining features from various Facebook applications.

As it is still in beta or testing phase, I was able to add friends through it despite the closure of invitations by exploiting a widely-publicized loophole of adding photos and tagging those I want to invite.

PSE sets new record high

THE Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) set a new record high yesterday after the stock market reflected gains from the Asian and US markets.

The PSEi surged 69.93 points or 1.61 percent to close at 4,421.56. This is the market’s new all-time high after its previous high of 4,397.30 recorded last Nov. 4, 2010, PSE said in a press statement.