It’s called BOSS, short for business one-stop shop, an initiative by the Quezon City Government that aims to lessen the burden of businessmen when securing business permit. Launched last Friday, officer-in-charge for the Business Permit and Licensing Office Pacifico F. Maghacot, Jr. said they are expecting to have at least 12,000 new businesses within the [...]

Convergys Corp., the largest private employer in the Philippines, is planning to hire additional 3,600 new employees as it expands its five existing sites in the country to bring their total number of workforce to 25,000 by the end of 2010. Marife Zamora, country manager of Convergys Philippines, said the expansion is meant to meet [...]

Davao City is being considered to be the next big investment for the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, as well the information and technology sector.
According to Oscar R. Sañez, CEO of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP), Davao was ranked number 1 in their list of Top 10 Next Wave Cities 2010 because [...]

If food and beverage giant San Miguel Corporation (SMC), would have its way, it will redevelop the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA), as it being geared to become the country’s premier international gateway.
San Miguel, in its disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), that it is evaluating the viability of investing in the redevelopment of [...]

A substance called “magic sugar” which is being widely used as an artificial sweetener is not safe for consumption. Because of this, the government of the City of Manila is taking measures to prohibit the use of this substance.
Dr. Loraine Sanchez of the city health office said that the authorities are closely coordinating with police [...]

A new laptop line was launched formally in Cebu City by Suzuki Technology. The new laptops promise speed, price and performance to attract the fast growing entry-level market segment.
Not to be mistaken, and has no relation with the motor vehicle brand, the company said it have the international trademark for all IT products. The Singapore-based [...]

The new appointment system at the new consular building of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is in full swing after it was launched last March 9.  The agency said around 55% of people who apply for passport daily have used the system which allow them to complete the process of applying for their passport [...]

International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) is venturing into the overseas bond market. The port operator will be seen in the next few days offering as much as $250 million worth of 10-year bonds. ICTSI would be the first non-bank Philippine corporate issuer to offer the overseas bond market.

Local banks have agreed to help raise and lend the Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) P14-billion for its construction of a 164-megawatt coal-fired power plant in La Paz, Iloilo City. The Panay Energy is owned by George Ty’s Metrobank group, and the loans were arranged by First Metro Investment Corp. (FMIC), the investment banking arm [...]

Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) continues its expansion plan for the year especially in Mindanao. The property giant is constructing an integrated mixed-use complex in Cagayan de Oro, which is estimated to cost at least P2.5 billion.
ALI senior vice president and chief finance officer Jaime E. Ysmael, in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), [...]

In Bacolod City, another business process outsourcing firm will be setting up office by the middle of the year. Panasiatic Call Center Inc. brings to eight the number of call centers in the city who have provided more than 7,000 jobs.
Company chief operating officer Nabil Edmon Salamouni said they will be opening the call center [...]

The Philippine flag-carrier, the Philippine Airlines (PAL) will be resuming its service to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 28, 2010, after four years its absence in the said city. The PAL decided to bring back its flight to Riyadh in response to the clamor of more than two million Filipino Overseas Worker (OFW) communities in [...]

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 [...]

SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPHI), member of the SM group companies, the largest mall chain in the country today, will soon be building the biggest shopping mall in the Visayas and Mindanao. In three years’ time, the P2-billion land deal between SMPHI and the city of Cebu is expected to be finished.

In the efforts to crack down software piracy in the Philippines, the Pilipinas Anti-Piracy Team (PAPT) caught two men installing counterfeit software as an “add-on service” at the Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan City recently.
The two men, who are now facing up to nine years imprisonment and a fine of P1.5 million for violating [...]

The Magna Carta for Disabled Persons which would mandate local governments to have specific programs for people with disabilities has been approved by the Senate on its second reading. The act which was under Senate Bill 3650 or the proposed act establishing the institutional mechanism to ensure the implementation of programs and services for persons [...]

The RD Corporation, a Filipino owned company, is planning to expand its investment in the tuna cannery business and is earmarking about $15 million for its prospect. This was disclosed by RD Group chairman Rodrigo Rivera, who said that they will be starting the new cannery by the first quarter of 2010 and will be [...]

It’s official – Manny for Manny. Manny Pacquiao for Manny Villar that is. That is because the pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao has declared his support for Nacionalist Party (NP) president and standard-bearer Senator Manny Villar.
He officially joined the roster of NP members when he took his oath allegiance… err, membership, before Villar last Thursday in [...]

Business establishments in Quezon City can breathe a sigh of relief, as the city government announced that it won’t be raising its business taxes until June of next year. Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. made the announcement and assured the local business community that they won’t be increasing taxes until he finishes his term [...]

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 [...]