Now, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and even foreign investors outside the country can check a real estate property they are interested in, without necessarily being in the Philippines. That is because the Philippine Chamber of Real Estate and Builders Association (CREBA) have deployed in the Internet the Philippines’ first fully-automated Web GIS parcellary mapping service. [...]

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.

Because of the continuing growth of technology-based industries in the Philippines, and the support that they get from the government, computing giant IBM plans to pour more investments in the country. IBM developer relations general manager James Corgel said the Philippines, particularly Quezon City, was one of the only 40 locations worldwide which was chosen [...]

Here’s another first from the Smart Communications, the country’s leading wireless services provider. The company launched recently the beta phase of its mobile email, the first daily flat-rate, unlimited push email solution in the country.

Last week, a public high school in Floridablanca, Pampanga, became the first school to receive Smart Communication’s high-speed wireless Internet connection.
In spite of the presence of different Internet shops in the town proper, the Paguiruan High School (PHS) is a “dead” spot. Thanks to Smart, it received the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), a [...]

A new and improved myDSL service which was designed for business use was launched last week by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT). The new service was geared specifically for the small and medium enterprise (SME) segment.

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 [...]

Megalink, one the country’s biggest network of automated teller machine (ATM) has added a new service to mobile phone users which enables cell phone subscribers to pay their bills or load up their phones with load credits through the network. Megalink has already arranged an agreement with the two largest mobile phone service providers in [...]

Internet giant Google has come to the aid of Philippine business as it offers business stimulus package to local businesses. Google, together with STI Colleges has offered to build free websites for 200 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Aside from that, they will also be given P2,000 worth of free credits on Google AdWords.

Just this week, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas gave the nod of approval to Globe Telecommunications and Ayala Group to venture into the mobile banking business using the license of Pilipinas Savings Bank.
In recent news, Smart Communications is also planning to venture into microfinance, according to Napoleon Nazareno, Smart president. “We are also looking into [...]

The First Gen Energy Solutions Inc. (FGES) has agreed to supply the electricity requirement of Iloilo Electric Cooperative 1 (ILECO 1). FGES is the retail energy supplier and electricity aggregator subsidiary of First Gen Corp.
According to Richard Tantoco, the executive vice president and chief operating officer of First Gen and FGES, the power that would [...]

The country’s leading provider of voice, data and video telecommunication services, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), has opened its fifth Innovation Laboratory at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. The P20-million Innolab facility was built to help boost the information technology (IT) sector in the ecozone.
The four other Innolab sites of PLDT in the Philippines [...]

The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has teamed with the stiffest competitor of its affiliate mobile company Globe Telecoms. BPI and Smart Communications has entered into a partnership that would provide a new mobile banking platform that will offer a full range of services to the two companies’ common clients.

Local tile manufacturer Mariwasa Siam Ceramics Inc. was recently awarded by the Department of Energy two certificates of registration for its biomass project, which will make use of biomass residues such as rice husk, saw dust and coconut husk in power generation. The DOE said Mariwasa will make use of the biomass gasification technology, where [...]

More investments on renewable energy are coming in the Philippines, as another British firm expressed interest to build a total of 30 megawatt (MW) ethanol-based power plants in Bukidnon and Tarlac.

The Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank) will be offering a first the Philippine banking industry. Metrobank will roll out a pioneering line of Chinese yuan-denominated products and services in the Philippines as it bid to capture a bigger share of the banking business arising from the economic boom in China.

Smart Communications recently has made available in the market the first reloadable international direct dialing (IDD) card in the country. With its new product, the leading wireless phone provider is eyeing budget-conscious household because it allows them to make calls to 17 key overseas destinations for as low as P2.50 per minute.

Another Filipino is leading in an international competition, this time in the field of architect design. His name is Gonzalo “Jun” Raymundo Jr., a Filipino architect, and he is one of the top 10 finalists in the prestigious Guggenheim Art Shelter Competition. At present, he is leading the online voting poll for the award.

In the Philippines, natural rubber production remains an emerging industry even though the country started growing trees at around the same time as Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. These three countries at present supplies 75 percent of the world’s rubber requirement.
This year though, the Philippines is hopeful that there will be an increase in the country’s [...]

The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) opened for bidding the independent power producer administrator (IPPA) contracts for the National Power Corp.’s three hydro-electric power plants.  These are the 30-megawatt Benguet Mini-Hydro; 345-MW San Roque Multi-Purpose Hydro-electric Power Plant in Pangasinan and the 70-MW Bakun Hydroelectric Power Plant in Ilocos Sur.