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DTI to bring SME Caravan to Antique

Roy — Sun, 15 May 2011 17:43:22 +0000

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will bring business caravan to Antique. The DTI has chosen the province to be one of the sites for the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) caravan which is slated on the 26th and 27th day of this month.

The trade department is encouraging businesses falling under the category of small and medium enterprises to take part in the said business caravan as it could be of great help for them because they would gain knowledge and skills in the field of their specialization.

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector are considered by the national government as the backbone of the country’s economy. They contribute to employment and generate output for the economy. The government considers this sector as a vital link in dispensing new industries to the countryside and providing gainful employment. With this in mind, the government initiated a comprehensive and integrated strategies in sustaining the growth and development of the MSME sector, one of them is the SME Caravan.

Through the SME Caravan, the MSME’s could gain improved access to government and private sector services, particularly in areas where the provision of business services are limited. The caravan also aims to create awareness of SME’s various business development services that are available to them, both from the government and private sector.

During the business caravan, there would be resource speakers who will cover different business topics like Access to Markets, particularly Product Development and Marketing the Business, Packaging and Labeling, Product Costing and Pricing, and How to Participate in Trade Fairs.

For the finance said of business, the Access to Finance module will cover Business Plan Preparations, while the session on Productivity and Efficiency will cover topics such as Good Manufacturing Practices and Food Safety. The module on Entrepreneurship will cover Entrepreneurial Mindset and Opportunity Seeking lectures.

The seminars are free and DTI published information materials on MSMEs will be provided to each seminar participant.

Supporting the DTI in business caravan are different agencies and organizations like the Land Bank of Philippines, Development Bank of the Philippines, Provincial Government, TESDA, OPA, PPDO, DAR, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and Non-Government Organizations.

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Transport firm to pioneer electric buses in the Philippines

Roy — Sun, 01 May 2011 14:57:44 +0000

Local transport firm Green Frog Zero Emission Transport Corp. dared to take the huge risk in the electric vehicle industry and expressed interest to buy some 3,000 electric buses in the next seven years, with the initial 38 units coming in from China within the year.

Green Frog director Philip Apostol said the 36-passenger buses will be fielded in Makati City with an P8 fare trip. The first 10 buses arriving midyear will ply the Buendia line while the 28 units will take other routes. The buses will initially ply a route that goes along Buendia from EDSA to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX). Eventually, they will be available to commuters with the whole of Makati.

“The plan is to implement to project within 90 days after the signing of the MOA (memorandum of agreement) with the Makati LGU. This is a PPP (Public-Private-Partnership) with Makati,” he said. Apostol admits that cost of the e-buses was high, but hopes that the government “would work” with them.

He did not disclosed the cost of the electric buses but said that normally, the bigger electric buses would cost $300,000 (P13.5 million) each. Green Frog’s buses, however, will be smaller and would cost less.

The company is seeking tax perks, among other incentives, and a pioneer status from the Board of Investments, to make the project economically viable.

Negotiations by the company with banks and government financial institutions have been started, seeking for the best financing package. It also seeks some guarantees from the Philippine Export Import Credit Agency (PhilExim) to get lower interest rates.

Apostol said the half of the revenues will be coming from advertising income to help keep fares at reasonable levels during the initial roll-out.

Another Green Frog director, Servillano Batac, said talks were also ongoing between government and financial institutions for the mechanics of a “tap-and-go” system for the electric buses. “The idea is that you will be able to use your MRT (Metro Rail Transit) cards to pay our electric buses, just like in other countries,” he said.

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DTI intensifies awareness campaign on benefits of FTAs

Roy — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 04:24:19 +0000

The Department of Trade and Industry said that many among our exporters are not really aware of the trade opportunities under the country’s free trade agreements (FTA). That is why it is intensifying its information awareness campaign focusing on the government’s priority exports.

Gregory L. Domingo, DTI Secretary, said that the basic information awareness campaigns from March to November this year will focus on sectors such as motor vehicle parts and vehicles, food, garments and textiles, minerals, coconut products, construction and related materials, wearable, home style and IT/BPO. “More targeted information sessions will enlighten our businessmen to engage or expand their business according to what is viable in our FTA markets,” he said.

The trade secretary stressed that by understanding emerging and new markets, as well as instruments such as the FTA, will help exporters address new challenges in the global business environment. For 2010, the Philippines achieved a record of over $51 billion in export revenues.

At present, the country has FTAs with ASEA, China, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. An FTA with India is already in the work and due for implementation on the last part of the year. On March 31, a second round of information sessions targeting specific sectors will be launched at the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC).

Domingo said export companies have not yet fully utilized the FTAs “because businessmen are not properly informed of the business opportunities that the country has gained from our FTA.” Last year, the agency was able to conduct information campaigns in 11 cities, benefitting some 2,000 businessmen.

International Trade Undersecretary Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. said, “Exploring the FTA markets is one of our core strategies to increase our exports over the next six years and sustain its steady growth. He said that this year’s sectoral sessions will include presentations on market opportunities, including non-tariff measures, in the country’s FTA markets; tariff rates on top exports for each sector under the FTAs, rules of origin, open forum, as well as business testimonials from those who have benefitted from FTAs.

“The FTAs are strategic tools or pathways for growth and competitiveness. Not only do these open markets for our goods and services, but they also compel us, as a people to take a hard look at our economic structures and implement the much needed reforms to put our economy in step with the global environment,” he added.

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New mutual fund unit from Philam group

Roy — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 02:36:24 +0000

The Pami Asia Balanced Fund, the fund management unit of the Philam group, has been given license by the Securities and Exchange Commission to operate as an open-end investment company and to register its entire authorized capital stock consisting of eight million common shares at a par value of P0.45 each. The new mutual fund will invest in a mix of bonds and stocks across Asian emerging markets.

Gina Goco-Morales, the executive vice president of Philam Asset Management Inc. said, “It’s a new fund. Pami Asia Balanced Fund invests 50 percent in Asian equities and 50 percent in Asian fixed income.”

The seed capital for the new fund was provided by Pami. It is also the investment manager and principal distributor of the said new fund. In their documents submitted, Pami will be entering into a sub-management agreement with Amundi Singapore Ltd., which a specialist in global asset management. The new local mutual fund will seek to ensure long-terms growth of the invested funds. This it will do by tapping into the growth potential of Asia. The new investment fund is meant for investors who are looking for “moderate” risk investments. “The fund is positioned as an alternative to other mutual funds and balanced funds that are invested in Philippine securities,” according to the regulatory filing.

The fund’s aim is to provide investors with income and long-term capital appreciation through investment in equities, equity-related securities and debt securities of issuers across Asia-Pacific outside of Japan. The fund specifically aims to cover issuers across China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore and the Philippines.

The offering price is the net asset value per share plus an entry fee or sales load together with applicable taxes. Minimum investment is $5,000 and additional purchase is possible for at least $1,000

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Some marketing tips for your small business

arbe — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 22:26:48 +0000

If you are a small business here are some marketing tips for you to find customers and generate sales higher.

One of this tips is don’t spend much in advertising you are not a big business so you can’t always afford to pay for that. You can always offer your advertising a little catchy and easy for prospective customers to respond to it.

You need also to offer a cheaper version because some of the customers want a lower price and never cared for the quality in that case you can avoid losing sales and can offer to the customer your smaller or lower version of your service or product.

If you offer a cheaper version you also had to offer a premium version because if there are customers that are wanting a lower and smaller price product there are also a customers that are ready to pay a higher price just to get a premium product or service.

Try something that other small businesses can’t do so that you may said to your self that “at least I try” and also try to trim your ads so that you can run more ads at the same cost.

You can also join with the other small businesses and have a joint promotions so that their customers can try your product and your customers can try their product.

These are some tips that can help you if you are managing a small business.

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Starting a franchise

arbe — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:51:56 +0000

Every Entrepreneur wants their business to grow and have profit. They always have new ideas in their mind to fuel their business but what if you don’t have that kind of many ideas in your mind and still you want to have your own business. Well there is a answer to your problem. Nowadays there are many business opportunities like franchising.

A franchise is like a package that you can buy if you want to start a business but you don’t know what to do. And in this package it is full of many usable ideas that you can use and learn on. Most in this ideas are tried and tested from other franchiser that have their own experience so you can be confident if you invest with them.

And if you enter a franchise it is not like you buy their product then you do the other things on your own. If you enter a franchise the franchisor will support you not only in the improvement of the product but also in the idea of financial supporting.

And also you will learn how to play the market especially in the community where you are in. You can also apply your own idea so that you can improve your own store.

The ideal franchise opportunities are food oriented business, service oriented business and also the combination of the two ideas.

Whether what ideas it may be a successful franchise is still considered in the determination of person who wants to enter it.

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Gather yourself up

arbe — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 23:00:32 +0000

There are many ways to ruin your business reputation especially when you are losing little by little. The first is you are showing how transparent your business is in the market. The second is you lie about your business saying to others that you are doing great when you are not. The third is how desperate you are. No matter how desperate you are you don’t need to show to your customers how desperate you are because they make take advantage of you or they might run from you.

This are the facts that can ruin your reputation but you can prevent all of that to happen. You just need to gather your self up and say to your self that you don’t need to be desperate because everyone is going through that situation.

One of the things you can do if you are in a losing situation is keep marketing. Now that you have your own time, do some promotions so that your time is not being wasted. Write some articles about your business so that you can keep your self busy and that can also improve your social promotions.

Don’t lie about your status, every businessmen sometimes having some trouble about their business so don’t be shame on it. And if you want someone to hire you as a consultant you don’t need to lower your price or show them that you are not busy because they will thought that you are not a good consultant.

There are many ways so that your reputation wont be ruined the answer is always in your self.

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Redpages.ph provides business platform for businesses and consumers alike

Roy — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:53:01 +0000

A new web portal that caters to business and customers alike has been set up by Creative OnlineMedia Inc. which is called the redpages.ph.

Dennis Ng, chief executive officer of Creative OnlineMedia, saw the opportunity in the services sector. The redpages.ph allows business to advertise and promote their products and services, while buyers can also access the portal to look for suppliers. It is now the fastest growing online business directory in the Philippines. It provides an online marketplace for suppliers and buyers to conduct their business on the Internet.

Ng said, “Buyers need not search the telephone directory and call each business listed on its pages for quotations. All a buyer has to do is post at redpages.ph their buying leads for suppliers to see and send their quotations. Buyers can post unlimited buying leads at no cost.”

As of December 2009, there are over 17,300 Philippine businesses that are listed in the online business portal.

Business can register for a free redpages.ph account and upload up to five products at the site, for free too. There is also a premium membership account with an annual fee of P8, 888.00. Businesses who registered for this account can unlimited product postings, as well as a premium website template.

COO of Creative OnlineMedia Paul Maclang said, “The annual payment represents a very minimal investment compared to the countless benefits and opportunities offered to a premium account through redpages.ph.”

Prospective buyers who visit the site can view mini-webpages and listings in over 32 major industry categories and nearly 350 products sub-categories from agriculture to utilities, among others.

For its premium members, redpages.ph offers a professionally designed website templates to choose from to suit a particular company’s business. Companies in the premium members list are given industry-specific website template that will suit them.

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Subic marketed as MICE hub

Roy — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:59:29 +0000

The Subic Bay Freeport is fast becoming the country’s center of meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE). This was noted by Department of Tourism Secretary Ace Durano during the opening of the MICECON 2010 held recently.

“Subic opens up a new world for MICE since it offers a very wide array of both man-made and natural facilities for corporate guests who mostly comprise this $300 billion global market, just one percent of which can add $3 billion to our consistently growing tourism dollar receipts,” he said.

Durano said that delegates who attended the said convention are expected to contribute to that goal as they spread the good news about Subic and the Northern Philippines when they return home to their respective countries and clientele.

Participants coming from the Philippines are then poised to step up and adapt their marketing and product development efforts to meet specific global requirements, especially now that MICE is becoming a very popular business tool worldwide.

It was the first time that a MICE event was held north of Manila. Previous conventions were staged in Cebu, Boracay, Davao, Bacolod and Batangas. Durano said the staging of MICECON 2010 in Subic was intended to develop and market the North as another MICE destination outside Manila.

The event was held at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center. It also brought in guest from around the Freeport and along the Subic-Clark corridor. This include Balanga town in Bataan, which is now a popular destination for bird watching.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) administrator Armand Arreza who welcomed the guests during Saturday’s opening ceremonies said, “This tour of North Philippines will all the more highlight Subic’ complete amenities for MICE activities as these complement those of its neighboring localities.”

“Moreover, the SBMA maintains a large pool of qualified and English-speaking workforce, mainly from the city of Olongapo and the nearby provinces of Zambales and Bataan,” he added.

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SMB acquired international beer unit of SMC

Roy — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:48:07 +0000

Food and beverage conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) recently completed the $300-million sale of the international beer business to its flagship unit San Miguel Brewery (SMB) Inc. Both San Miguel and SMB reported to the Philippines Stock Exchange, separately, the closing of the deal. It marked the completion of the spin-off of all the conglomerate’s beer businesses.

SMC got The Royal Bank of Scotland to act as its sole financial adviser in the transaction, while SMB acquired the services of ING as its independent financial adviser.

The local beer business of the SMC has already been acquired by SMB earlier. SMB is a joint venture between San Miguel and Kirin Group of Japan. SMC owns 51 percent of SMB while Tokyo-based Kirin owns 48 percent. The sale would be funded through borrowings. 10 banks have been hired to arrange a $300-million borrowing.

SMB plans to integrate both the domestic and international beer business, in its effort to improve the growth and returns of the business as a whole and broaden SMB’s geographic participation, and also in strengthening its brands and presence in the region.

As for SMC, the company plans to use the proceeds of the sale to fund its expansions and new acquisitions as the conglomerate diversifies into other industries, like power, infrastructure and utilities.

Among those planned acquisitions is the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway where SMC submitted a bid for the operation and management of the said project. The conglomerate also submitted a bid for the privatization of the 246-megawat Angat hydroelectric power plant in Norzagaray, Bulacan.

Meanwhile, SMB president Roberto Huang said the acquisition would allow the company to expand its footprint on a bigger and broader platform in Southeast Asia and China and provide potential access to Kirin’s other market in Asia. “Additional brewing facilities overseas will offer greater operating flexibility for San Miguel Brewery’s operations and provide real opportunity for enhancing the already solid performance of our domestic operations,” Huang said.

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More banks to offer renminbi-denominated products in the Philippines

Roy — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:31:15 +0000

Because of the increasing volume of transactions in the Philippines, many banks in the Philippines are planning to offer products and services denominated in Chinese yuan or renminbi to their clients in the near future. According to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando Tetangco Jr., these banks are looking to offer renminbi-denominated products and services due to the country’s strengthening partnership with China.

“Renminbi business is expected to grow in 2010 even further as more banks become acquainted with the business opportunities in the Chinese currency,” Tetangco said. He also cited the growing partnership between Manila and Beijing particularly in the areas of trade tourism, education, agriculture and other economic sectors.

In the last quarter of 2009, five local banks have already launched their renminbi deposit products. One of them already registered a 10-fold increase in the volume of transactions in the last two months of 2009.

Tetangco said that the settlement of renminbi banknotes in the Philippines amounted to 174.6 million Chinese yuan last year from only 0.5 million Chinese yuan in 2008.

The central bank’s Monetary Board approved the inclusion of the renminbi in the list of currencies convertible with the BSP in December 2006. In 2008, it provided direct conversion of the Chinese currency in recognition of its heightened role as the currency of choice for trade within the region.

The growth of the Chinese yuan was brought about by the effort of the Chinese government which has taken steps to boost the use of its currency among countries in the region as part of its broad aim to make the renminbi an “international currency.” Different Chinese entities have since signed up for swap agreements with various counterparts in the region mainly for trade purposes.

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Women’s group in Baguion converts trash into cash

Roy — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 02:27:06 +0000

In Baguio City, enterprising housewives banded themselves together and formed a group which challenged the local government to send the city’s uncollected garbage to them. A challenge which have live up, up to this day.

These women from 10 barangay in the city have doing this for decades now – they have been converting trash into novelty items. The idea was introduced to them by the Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation Inc (JVOFI) and some environment advocates, at the start of the new millennium.

The novelty items that they produce are not your typical products which you can inside a mall. The women have produced market bags made of discarded fruit drink boxes, which sell for P100; they also wallets woven out of snack wrappers, which sell for P30 per piece; a sofa cushion from recycled newspapers; and decorative flowers fashioned out of used soda plastic containers, among others.

The products of this creative group of women are all directly delivered to their European buyers with who they have a direct supply contract, said Soledad Valencia, 54, who is the head of the Dinnadan Ethnic Handicrafts of Barangay Dontogan in Baguio. The contract is worth up to P200,000 of recycled décor, Valencia said. The most valued products are wallets and bags that show which kind of trash it is recycled from, she added.

Unfortunately, in spite of the success of this women’s group, there are still some resident in the city who realizes the economics of garbage. The city government is now allowing villages to tax their residents for the trash they produce, with the intention and hope that it would add value to things households throw away.

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10 MW biomass power plant to be put up in Quezon

Roy — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:50:14 +0000

A local firm engaged in the production of renewable energy is planning to put up a biomass plant in Quezon. A 10 megawatt (MW) biomass plant in Quezon is one of the upcoming projects of Ecoenerhiya. Company director for business development, Antonio Lopez, was quoted as saying that the project would cost about $36 million (P1.7 billion).

The P1.2 billion of the P1.7 billion would be financed through borrowing and the remaining cost will be coming from the company’s equity. According to Lopez, Ecoenerhiya is currently negotiating with Banco De Oro as possible provider of financing for the project, which is expected to be sealed by April this year.

The company hopes to start the construction of the Quezon plant in May this year and finish it by June next year. The 10 MW biomass project is a part of the total 24 projects which the company is eyeing. They expect to carry out half of the projects within a five-year time. The company is also open to accepting investors who would like to take part in their projects, said Lopez. “We are talking with investors, but we are not yet sure whether we will tie up with PNOC-RC. We are looking at all possibilities,” he said.

PNOC-Renewables Corporation (PNOC-RC), is one the companies being eyed to be one of the company’s partner in some of the proposed biomass facilities.

The biomass project in Quezon province will be undertaken through a special purpose vehicle company, Unisan Biogen, of which, Lopez is the president.

Ecoenerhiya, through Unisan, will develop the plants, take minority stake and sell equity to other investors, according to Lopez. The 10 MW project in Quezon will be used as a test by the company to determine if they will pursue their plan to put up more biomass projects.

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Locally developed online games pushed by game developers

Roy — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:57:08 +0000

Online games always a ready audience in the Filipino market. There is a big market for Filipino online gamers, although most the games were created outside the country. A group of Filipinos with entrepreneurial mindset is eyeing to cash in on this online gaming craze capturing Filipinos from all walks of like.

The Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), together with its partner the I-Café Pilipinas, is exploring the possibility of developing and marketing locally made online games.

GDAP executive director Cesar Tolentino said the organizations partnership with I-Café was expected to pave the way for a sustainable growth for both the game development and Internet café industries.

An early product of the collaboration was Bangu-Bang, the country’s first locally developed online game, was introduced to the members of I-Café Pilipinas recently. This new local online games could provide additional revenue streams to Internet cafes.

Bangu-Bang Mania was developed and published by Virtual Titania Amusement Software (ViTas). Raineir Umali, president of ViTas said the market is now looking for more diverse content than what was being offered by traditional online game bigwigs China and Korea.

The Bangu-Bang is now being studied and evaluated by member of I-Café Pilipinas and will be deployed to the local market.

Aside from the development of local online games, GDAP also supports I-Café Pilipinas’ project called the “Ligtas na Digital Batang Pinoy.” This advocacy sought to create materials that would teach local communities how to properly use Internet-based technologies and Internet access. It’s main goal is to promote the responsible use of Internet and Internet access.

I-Café aims to publish the materials for the program in the vernacular to ensure better understanding by the audience it wants to reach.

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Creative process outsourcing pushed by local animators

Roy — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:37:51 +0000

Our local animators have already proven themselves in the international arena, and their works have sought by many big international animation film companies. Now, they are hoping that Filipino animators would gain an even bigger spot on the world animation map.

The Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. (ACPI) is advocating “creative process outsourcing” CPO and believe that the country could be a leader this sector after proving to be a formidable force in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector.

ACPI president Rowena Bagadion said in a statement, “I am personally advocating to various agencies like the Business Process Association of the Philippines, Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of Foreign Affairs that the Philippines should claim CPO, given the Filipinos’ inherent talent in designing anything from print animation to product modeling.”

Bagadion is also pushing for creative industries to be consolidated under one umbrella organization, this it will be easier for the country to market such services and create a brand for itself in the international arena.

An umbrella organization for CPO should cover the animation and game development industries, music and sound engineering, advertising, film, industrial design, architecture, comics, photography, publishing, and also those that fell under corporate communication such as writing and conceptualization.

“We want our brand of animation. If one is familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the Filipino industry has matured to a point where we are now seeking for self-actualization,” she said.

Because of consistency in workmanship, quickness in delivering output, English proficiency, understanding of concepts and story lines, and not to mention a lower cost for international companies, our local animation industry has been making its mark in the world.

More than 5,000 jobs to local animators are being provided by the industry, and contribute to the dollar inflow of the country. Last year’s animation revenue stood at $110 million.

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Demand for bluetooth headsets growing

Roy — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:46:39 +0000

Because of the continuous growth of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in the Philippines, so are the related businesses and products that go along with them. One of them is the headset, particularly the blue-tooth headset.

GN Netcom, Denmark-based and the world’s largest manufacturer of hearing aids and headsets, is very much aware of this and have in fact capitalized on the growing demands for their product. The company has already dominated the domestic market and is supplying 60% of the headsets used in the BPO sector.

The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and the Ayala Group, are just some of the GN clients. Woldtext Systems Inc., GN’s local distributors said, “we want every executive and every middle manager to use Jabra headsets.”

GN Netcom Regional Managing Director for South Asia Ralph Ede explained, “Jabra’s high quality wireless headsets are targeted towards executives and personnel who need to answer landline calls away from their desks toggle calls from mobile phones and softphones using only a single handset.”

Jabra now has 30% market share worldwide on contact center and office headsets, and 20% of the market in headsets for the mobile market. Per GN’s forecast, the global market of headsets in 2009 is to be worth around $2.5 billion. It further followed that this is growing rapidly at 17% every year.

This is attributed mainly for the continuous demand for Bluetooth-enabled and wireless products, particularly in the office markets. Because 95% of office workers spend part of their time on the go, and majority miss important calls because there are away from their desk.

GN also noted that 86% of enterprises have personnel who spend over one day per week out of the office. These would all benefit from headsets that could increase their mobility and merge multiple devices for easier communication management.

The company is optimistic that the demand for Bluetooth headset will continue to grow because of increased mobility, as well as the adoption of unified communication solutions and increase in home office workers.

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Trade fair to feature products from Cordillera Autonomous Region

Roy — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:00:25 +0000

To help entrepreneurs, especially those who were affected by the recent typhoons, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said that they will be staging the trade fair called Impakabsat.

A yearly regional trade fair of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Impakabsat features products from Ifugao, Mountain Province, Abra, Kalinga, Apayao, Benguet and Baguio, where the events name was derived.

This year though, DTI said the event will be executed in a bigger scale. The trade agency said the event will prove that Northern Luzon people can quickly recover even in the face of calamities. Literally motivated by the Ilocano word “kabsat” or “kinnabsatan” which means “brotherly pact,” the SMEs from this region were able to learn what it meant to be competitive while being productive.

The event, spearheaded by the DTI, will be fully supported by the regional and provincial government units in CAR. Participating manufacturers will display their food and beverages in the event, such as fruit wines and veggie-noodles. It will be opened on December 22, 2009 at the Megatrade Hall 1, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City.

From a mere selling of products, Impakabsat has evolved into a celebration and exposition of upland culture that also promote the tourism and investment potential of the upland region.

Aside from the food and wine products, the usual trade displays include furniture and furnishings, woodcrafts, loom woven products, bamboo craft, silver craft, more processed food s and other items.

The Impakabsat 2009 will also feature new designs and creation by Cordillera craftsmen through the RDC Souvenir Products Development Project, and the identified One-Town-One-Product (OTOP) companies and product of CARP beneficiaries of the different municipalities in CAR.

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Sucess from a secret halo-halo recipe

Roy — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:29:45 +0000

His halo-halo business literally brings him called “cold cash.”

Xavier Mercado, a 28-year old entrepreneur from Iloilo, built his restaurant on a secret Ilokano recipe for halo-halo. “I love halo-halo, I consider it as one of the best desserts ever,” Mercado said.

His love story with halo-halo, a favorite summer concoction of Filipinos, started when he was just 10 years old. At the tender young age, he is already selling the dessert and snack treat in front of their house in San Fernando City.

In 2004, he opened his restaurant, “Halo-Halo de Iloko,” embarking into the entrepreneurial world with nothing but his passion for his favorite childhood treat, together with the support of his friends.

Mercado said, “We started from scratch. I borrowed the freezer and refrigerator from my parents. My partner, whose family is in the food catering business, borrowed her mom’s kitchen utensils. Sometimes, our friends would come by to help us serve our customers.”

Soon, through patience and consistent quality of product and service, their halo-halo eventually attracted people, gathering customers even during the rainy season. And all through this continuing success, Mercado’s secret remains to be a secret.

“I cook the ingredients at home. Then these are delivered to the store. I’m the only one who knows the recipe. Not even the restaurant’s personnel know what ingredients go in the halo-halo,” he said. Although he said that the main ingredients were sourced from other La Union towns.

But aside from the halo-halo, Mercado’s restaurant also offers other delectable snacks. He made sure that their menu would carry affordable Ilocano dishes, like emparedados, a native hamburger made from homemade longganisa and garlic bread; pinakbet with bagnet; pinapaitan and okoy.

Mercado said that the restaurant’s name was derived from the Museo de Iloko in Agoo town. He claimed it to be unique and inviting when you hear the word ‘de Iloko’ especially to those who come from other places.

“Halo-Halo de Iloko is my inspiration. It’s a product of my passion for cooking, of being creative to come up with authentic food,” Mercado said.

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Woman Entrepreneur for 2009 – Corazon Dayro Ong

Roy — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:07:44 +0000

Corazon Dayro Ong was awarded the recognition as this year’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year. She was known to be the brain behind the highly successful and innovative food product, San Marino Corned Tuna. The honor was awarded to Ong during the recently concluded Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 awarding ceremonies which was held at the Makati Shangri La Hotel on October 15.

In an interview during the event, Ong expressed her gratitude for the Filipino consumers for their high level of acceptance for her latest innovation.

Mrs. Ong is the founder and vice chairman of food manufacturing firm CDO-Foodsphere inc. She was awarded Woman Entrepreneur for 2009 by Ernst and Young for her exemplary skills in entrepreneurship, leadership and community development, traits that make her a trailblazer in the Philippine business.

She is nutritionist and dietician by profession. She started a small meat processing venture 34 years ago, and through her excellence as a woman entrepreneur, she steered the small business venture until it becomes one of the pillars of the food manufacturing sector in the country today.

“The key to the overall success of the company is the passion for continuous product innovation,” says Mrs. Ong.

The CDO-Foodsphere was able to earn the trust and confidence of the Filipino consumer through its consistent product innovation. It also employs strategic distribution and a well-synchronized advertising promotion to push its cost-competitive products.

Under Ong’s efficient leadership, the company has developed into a modern and leading food company known for its product innovation that provides the best quality and affordable food products, earning the trust of the Filipino people.

Her latest product, the San Marino Corned Tuna which was launched last July 30, 2009, manifests Mrs. Ong’s latest innovation in the food industry.

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PR Gaz Haus aims for 500 outlets in the next 5 years

Roy — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:14:35 +0000

The only liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) franchiser in the country, PR Gaz Haus, is embarking on an ambitious 500-store expansion binge. This it hopes to accomplish in the next five years, according to company chief operating officer for franchising Siu Ping C. Par.

The company official said that in Metro Manila alone, PR Gaz Haus is targeting to put up at least five outlets per month starting 2010. She said the company is now ready to challenge the major players for a bigger market share in Metro Manila after the company acquired the former LPG refilling plant of Caltex in barangay Bagong Ilog in Pasig.

The said refilling plant is very much capable of supporting up to 300 stores and its production capacity is said to be eight times higher that the companyâ€™s existing plants in Cavite, Pangasinan and Zambales.

PR Gaz Haus sells its own brand of LPG in 2.7-, 5-, 11-, 22-, and 50-kilogram cylinders. It currently has 93 stores in the Luzon area, 13 of which are located in Metro Manila and the rest are in Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Laguna and Cavite.

The company owns the 61 of the store outlets, and the rest are franchised.

PR Gaz Hausâ€™s franchise fee is P150,000 for a five-year contract, while the whole franchise package cost aboutÂ P1.2 million which covers the inventory for three days, software, renovation, signages, two tricycles for delivery and training of personnel.

Par said, â€œWe expect our sales to continue picking up with our customers, particularly those in the provinces, relying more on LPG instead of firewood and coal because of the rainy days were having.â€ She said the companyâ€™s sales I currently growing by 20% over last year, exceeding its 2009 target of 18% growth.

PR Gaz Haus, Par added, has already built a customer base of about 160,000 since it started retailing in 2003 mainly through its aggressive â€œpresalesâ€ program, in which the companyâ€™s technicians are giving free stove check-up and cleaning even to noncustomers.