Ng: Selling e-books

ONE of the things I have long been yearning to do is to sell my books. I have a couple of business toons printed, but it was kind of hard to sell this. A distributor did this for me in Manila and after a year, close to 1,000 copies of my eNGy toons were sold (these were volumes 1 to 4 of my booklets). But it was not worth it. In order to sell, I had to give the distributor significant discounts and marketing costs plus, of course, the bookstores got cuts also.

Toral: Social media use by executives

I GOT the chance to interview entrepreneur Pacita “Chit” Juan (http://bit.ly/chitjuan) of Le Bistro Vert and EchoStore about how she uses social media to promote her businesses and advocacies. She is a very active Twitter user. Apart from maintaining a personal account, she made one for her businesses and advocacies.

Through Twitter, people now get in touch with her to express how they like her products and even ask for tips.

Smart unveils P1/minute Internet charging package

SMART Communications, Inc. (Smart) has introduced a new Internet package that lets prepaid subscribers use their handsets to access the Internet for quick, small ‘bites’ at the rate of P1 per minute.

Company officials said this new offer makes on-the-go Web access possible for prepaid subscribers who have small amounts of airtime and will thus help open up the mobile Internet to a much broader, low-income market.

‘Bright year ahead for real estate’

FOR officials of an investment company, real property will continue to be an “optimistic” sector for 2011.

Justino Ocampo, senior vice president of First Metro Investment Corp., said that with a 3.5 million backlog in housing that needs to be served, the demand needs to be filled up.

Globe showcases network infra to ICT officials attending summit

GLOBE Telecom welcomed international information and communications technology (ICT) dignitaries to its network operations center (NOC) for a tour of its network management and monitoring systems.

Cebu Pacific improves Robinson’s ticketing office

TO SERVE its growing number of clients, Cebu Pacific yesterday opened its improved ticketing office at the ground floor of Robinson’s Cebu

Corporate Communications manager RG Orense said that they operate the most number of flights from Cebu and saw the need to expand the capability of their ticketing office and call center.

Globe, IRRI uses mobile tech to give farmers info on crops

GLOBE Telecom, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), has come up with a mobile service for farmers to help ensure sustainability of the country’s rice production.

Through the newly-launched Nutrient Manager for Rice Mobile (NMRiceMobile) toll-free text messaging service, rice farmers, even those in far-flung provinces, can now gain access to vital information on how to properly manage their fields.

Tax notes: Scopes of letters of authority

LETTERS of Authority (LOA) authorize revenue officers to examine a taxpayer’s books of account and other accounting records for the purpose of collecting the correct amount of tax. Although the LOA empowers revenue officers to conduct an examination or assessment, it does not give them powers beyond that.

DA to set up seed bodegas

TO ATTAIN rice self-sufficiency in three years, the Department of Agriculture (DA), through the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), will set up seed bodegas all over the country.

The DA announced in its website that BPI, together with the Regional Field Units, will establish one or two seed bodegas in every region.

Primary Homes lines up 5 projects

AT least four or five projects are being lined up by Primary Homes Inc. for the year, including a seaside community.

Primary Homes president Stephen Charles Liu said that these will be a mix of condominium, subdivision and townhouse units with a capital expenditure of about P2 billion.

Cebu developer creates software to allow phone users to dial names

THE problem of remembering long phone numbers prompted a Cebu-based developer to create a software that uses names instead of numbers when connecting to people.

SpellDial creator Albert Padin, 22, said the creation of the software aims to provide a tool for connection to people without having to go through lengthy numbers.

Reeves: Hope after a deportation order

IMMIGRATION Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids continue to be a serious concern for immigrants in the United States. ICE agents’ main targets are individuals with deportation or removal orders who failed to depart or those who left but returned to the United States illegally.

Globe loyalty programs in finals of GSMA awards

GLOBE Telecom’s loyalty programs, including MyRewards, MyGlobe and TM Astig Rewards, entered the finals in the Best Mobile Advertising and Marketing Campaign category in the 16th GSMA Global Mobile Awards.

Out of over 400 entries, the “first comprehensive rewards program by a telco company” for its loyal postpaid and prepaid subscribers was selected as finalist in the -giving body. The GSMA is an annual competition that celebrates innovation and excellence in digital and mobile technologies, programs and campaigns.

Momentum to help PH in 2011

AFTER 2010’s strong economic performance, economists believe the gains from the previous year will continue in 2011.

During the 2011 Economic and Investment Briefing of First Metro Investment Corp., executive vice president Roberto Juanchito Dispo said their projections for 2010 were all realized.

Translation company picks Cebu as first operations site in Asia

INTERNATIONAL firm Lingo24 will open a language translation business facility in Cebu, its first hub in Asia.

“We’ve seen a lot of international companies moving here. We’ve seen Cebu as one of the best cities to start our operations in Asia,” said Lingo24 managing director Christian Arno.

Almirante: Due process

IN A complaint for illegal dismissal and money claims filed by respondents against petitioner New Puerto Commercial, the Court of Appeals (CA) found the dismissal was for just cause but respondents were denied procedural due process. It held that the formal investigation of respondents for misappropriation of company funds was a mere afterthought, because it was conducted after petitioner had notice of the complaint filed before the labor office. Hence, it awarded nominal damages of P30,000.00. Was the award justified?

Ruling: No.

Batuhan: Warriors for our time (2)

HUNDREDS of years ago, before modern Japan was forged, the world’s greatest warriors fought and died on this beautiful land. Warriors steeped in the fighting arts—born and raised to fight and kill other men—honed their craft and perfected their trade in this uncertain world, living their lives from day-to-day, not knowing when they themselves would die at the hands of other warriors.

Higher ice cream sales help RFM post a cool P625M in net income

FOOD and beverage company RFM Corp. ended the year with P625 million in net income, or 39 percent over its original target.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the company said its preliminary unaudited yearend report showed a 71 percent growth in net income, which it attributed to increased contributions from its branded businesses.

Low-cost Smart Money transfers from Canada to RP launched

VANCOUVER BC -- Filipinos in Canada now have an affordable and secure alternative to sending money to their loved ones in the Philippines.

Developer ready to deliver Avalon units by last quarter

AFTER taking over the development of a condominium project across the Ayala Center Cebu, Primary Homes Inc. is ready to deliver its units by the last quarter of the year.

Primary Homes president, Architect Stephen Charles Liu, told reporters that when they took over the project from Korean-owned Fastem Housing and Development Inc., less than 20 percent of 200 units had been sold.

Smart powers USC Infoboard

THE network of schools powered by the Infoboard service of wireless leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has now expanded to include one of the top universities in the country outside of Metro Manila – the University of San Carlos (USC) in Cebu.

In a turnover ceremony recently held at the USC campus, Smart and USC jointly unveiled the new USC customized SIM and USC Infoboard - a Web-based group messaging service that will allow the school to upload, manage and send customized information to all the members of its community.

Luxury cruise vessel visits Cebu

MORE than 300 foreign tourists got a taste of Cebu as the luxury cruise liner they were traveling on docked at the Cebu International Port (CIP) yesterday morning.

Mid-sized companies ‘to invest more in IT’

MORE than half of mid-sized companies are planning to increase their information technology (IT) budgets over the next 12 to 18 months, according to a recent study by IBM.

In a statement sent to Sun.Star Cebu, IBM said companies are investing in a wide range of areas including analytics, cloud computing, collaboration, mobility and consumer relationship solutions.

Ng: IT prospects

IS THIS going to be a good year for information and communications technology (ICT)? It depends on who you ask.

Toral: Corporate newsletter goes social

I GOT the chance to interview Rosan Cruz (http://bit.ly/rosancruz), senior AVP of Lopez Holdings, about her experience in extending a conglomerate paper-based newsletter, LopezLink, to online and now through social media.

According to Rosan, the monthly corporate newsletter has a limited print run and not everyone in the group of companies receives a copy. To promote the content in the group, a website was created. They hope in the process to ease out the printed edition.

Cebu Pacific offers Japan, China, Korea seat sale; lowered rates for domestic destinations also available

CEBU Pacific (CEB) is offering a seat sale to mainland China, Japan and South Korea until Jan. 27, or until seats last.

According to the company, CEB is the only Philippine low-cost carrier operating to all three major North Asian countries. For travel from April 1 to June 30, one may avail oneself of P1,888 ‘Go Lite’ seats from Manila to Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Price of milk goes up

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has increased the suggested retail price of milk products after a a milk producer in the country issued a notice of the price hike in their products.

Alaska Milk Corp. announced that it is increasing the prices of its milk products following the rise in cost of raw materials such as sugar, tin plate and skim milk last year.

Exporter targets 20% growth in ‘11

AN export company in the gifts, toys and houseware (GTH) sector hopes to grow by 20 percent this year despite challenges in the market.

Bon Ace Fashion Tools Inc. owner Ramir Bonghanoy said the industry is optimistic this year, with the onset of the global economic recovery.

Gov’t to be strict in monitoring coops

THE Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) is now very strict in supervising and monitoring cooperatives because of the 78,000 cooperatives registered in the country, only 20,365 are operating.

Of the total, 16,608 are non-operating; 18,667 are considered dissolved; while 17,441 are deemed canceled.

Nokia goes ‘green’ with C7 smartphone

NOKIA takes another lead among mobile devices and services, this time by going green.

The brand has taken environmental thinking to the next level by providing products that feature innovations such as biopaints and recycled materials and expansion of service and application offerings that improve lives for individuals, communities and our planet.