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Foreign firm to present power supply options to the country

Roy — Sun, 15 May 2011 05:26:39 +0000

A United Kingdom company is offering the Philippines its power solution to help avoid power disruptions in the country.

The British Embassy in Manila said Aggreko, a developer of power solutions, will be coming in the country next week to make a presentation of its product. The embassy said the company’s expertise could help address the possible power shortage in the near future which poses a threat to businesses operating in the country.

Aggreko is bringing to the country its more than 45 years of experience in the power solution industry. The company is said to be the world leader in the supply of temporary power and temperature control services. It will present its alternative solutions to potential power disruptions when it makes its presentation to the country next week.

The target participants in its presentations include the construction industry, food and beverages, agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, government and institutions, mining and mineral processing, ports and telecommunications, among others.

Aggreko owns the world’s largest power rental fleet which consists of diesel and natural gas generating sets. Company experts will be in Manila to present different power supply options to help businesses avoid opportunity lost and other costs that could be brought about by power disruptions.

The company will be organizing the seminar presentation in partnership with the British Embassy in Manila, through UK Trade & Investment. The aim of the seminar is to inform industries in the country of the different power supply options available in case of unavoidable future power supply shortages.

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Osama Bin Laden killed by US forces

Roy — Mon, 02 May 2011 05:41:27 +0000

The al-Qaeda founder and leader Osama Bin Laden was reported to have been killed US forces in Pakistan. US President Barack Obama reported that Bin Laden was killed in a mansion outside Islamabad following a joint operation of the US military and Pakistani forces. Obama said after the “firefight,” the US forces took possession of his body.

The death of Bin Laden came almost 10 years after the US government spearheaded the manhunt operation against him following the 9/11 attack, leaving nearly 3,000 Americans dead. The notorious al-Qaeda leader was accused of being behind the number of atrocities, including the attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001.

Obama said that he earlier authorized a special operation to get Osama, “Today, I ordered an operation to get Osama and bring him to justice. After a firefight, a small team of special action force killed Osama and took custody of his body.”

The US president thanked the Pakistani government for its cooperation in the operations.

Obama said he was briefed in August last year of the possible location of Bin Laden, which was a compound outside the capital of Pakistan.

Crowds gathered outside the White House in Washington DC were cheering and waving flags. Some were singing the “Star Spangled Banner” and some were chanting “USA, USA” when Obama made the announcement.

Meanwhile, the US has put its embassies around the world on alert for a possible al-Qaeda reprisal attacks following the death of their leader.

Former president George W. Bush described the news as a “momentous achievement.” He said, “The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.”

While another former president, Bill Clinton said, “This is a profoundly important moment not just for the families of those who lost their lives on 9/11 and in al-Qaeda’s other attacks but for people all over the world who want to build a common future of peace, freedom and cooperation for our children.”

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Roach predicts Pacquiao by KO

Roy — Sun, 01 May 2011 21:50:56 +0000

Trainer Freddie Roach declared that his prized fighter Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao could very well be the first boxer to knockout former five-time world champ “Sugar” Shane Mosley on their May 7 fight at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

Roach said that Pacquiao is in tip-top shape and said he is 100 percent ready for the fight. He said Mosley’s attacking game is perfect for Pacquiao’s aggressive style. He confidently predicted that his ward would win by a knockout. “I think all fights should end in knockouts so I’m looking for a knockout,” said Roach.

However, Pacquiao downplayed the knockout angle saying that at 39 Mosley “is still very strong and moves like he’s 30 years old.” “We’re not focused for the knockout. All we do is work hard and if the knockout comes, it comes. We’ve prepared ourselves for fighting 12 rounds,” he said.

The undisputed pound-for-pound king added, “If the knockouts come, they come. What matters is the fight that we can give to the people and the fans. I want them to be happy and excited about our performance.”

Pacquiao considers his May 7 World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title defense bigger than his most recent fights against Margarito because Mosley “moves fast and he has good speed and power.” Quickly adding, “That’s what I want. He throws a lot of punches. It will be good for us and it will be a good fight.”

Mosley, who has been tagged as the underdog in their upcoming match said it only motivates him even more “to shock the world” and beat Pacquiao decisively. He believes he can hurt Pacquiao with some well-timed power shots when they trade blows in the middle of the ring.

“If Margarito, who is slow, could hit him with so many shots, think how much more I could hit him. Styles make fights, and I think I have what it takes to beat Pacquiao.” Mosley said. He predicts he would stop Pacquiao “by the seventh round.”

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Bruno Mars included in the TIME Magazine 100 influential people list

Roy — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 13:33:11 +0000

Half-Filipino and world music sensation Bruno Mars made it to the TIME magazine’s list of 100 most influential people for 2011. Born Peter Gene Hernandez to a Filipino mother and Puerto Rican father, 25-year old Bruno Mars ranked no. 64 in the TIME Magazine’s list, as he joins an illustrious list of artists and activists, reformers and researches, heads of state and captains of industry who have affected people and their views across the globe.

Bruno Mars is best known for his songs “Just the Way You Are” and “Grenade.” He received six Grammy nominations and won the Best Male Pop Vocal award for the song “Just the Way You Are” at the recent Grammy Awards. His song “Nothing on You” was named Song of the Year for 2010 at the Soul Trains Awards.

He is regarded by his fellow artists as part of the new wave of musicians who do everything. Bruno Mars sing, play, write and produce.

“There are a lot of people in this world who can sing and play the piano and guitar. Hell, I sing and play the piano and guitar. But there’s something different about Bruno Mars. He has a musicality, a presence in his voice that I’ve never heard from anyone else,” said singer, rapper, musician and record producer B.o.B. when interviewed by TIME.

“When he performs live, nothing is prerecorded or fudged. It’s a straight up, classic performance. That’s so rare these days. We needed only two sessions to record “Nothin’ on You.” But when we perform live is when you really see our chemistry in action.” he added.

Other artists who were also in the list of the TIME 100 were Justin Bieber and Glee star Chris Colfer.

To see the complete list, log on to the TIME Magazine website.

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Azkals to play in Manila

Roy — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 23:56:32 +0000

The popular football team Azkals will play in the country on July. Team coordinator Patrick Ace Bright confirmed on Thursday that the first qualifying match between Philippine’s Azkals and Sri Lanka for the 2014 FIFA World Cup will be held at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on July 3.

“This will not be the last time the Azkals will play here in the Philippines. We still have an upcoming match against Kuwait and we look forward to bringing the game here in Panaad (Park and Stadium),” Bright said. The Azkals will play a home and away game where the June 29 match will be in Sri Lanka.

Bright also added that by having the game in Manila, the will be able to transport its logistics to the country easily.

Philippine Football Federation (PFF president Mariano Araneta said that Panaad Stadium was also considered as a probably venue for the match against Sri Lanka. But he explained that PFF also wanted to hold the match here, since the country has not hosted an international match for quite some time. The latest of which was the 1991 Southeast Asian Games held at the Rizal Memorial Stadium where the Philippine Team reached semifinals.

Meanwhile, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) chairman and PFF Advisory Council member Monico Puentevella said that since the capital of the Philippines is Manila, Manileños should be given the see the Azkals too. “I hope we don’t threaten the games here with the 30 percent amusement tax the next time it will be staged here. The Azkals will surely generate millions with this game in Rizal,” he said.

It could be recalled that last February, the match between the Azkals and Mongolia in Bacolod City, the Bacolod City Council passed a resolution charging the organizers with a 30 percent amusement tax on the ticket sales of the match. Fortunately, the city council waived the tax later upon the request of the PFF.

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Pacquiao starts training with sparring

Roy — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 06:44:57 +0000

Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao started sparring at the Shape up Boxing Gym in Baguio City on Tuesday, focusing on the timing of his punches. This signals the start of his hard training in preparation for his May 7 title defense against Shane Mosley at the MGM Garden.

The undisputed pound-for-pound king spent 4 rounds of sparring against training partners, Shawn Porter and David Rodela, having 2 rounds with each. Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach said that his timing is not yet perfect. “He’s not 100% okay yet, especially in his timing,” Roach said. “He’s a little bit cautious with his moves, but that understandable. I can see him improving a lot before we leave for Los Angeles on Saturday.”

Pacquiao’s training session included a 6-round mitt work and several rounds with the heavy bag, double end bag, speed ball and conditioning work. Roach said Tuesday’s session was a testament of the champ’s willingness to undergo hard training.

The big bag, double end and the speed ball was not yet actually needed. But Pacquiao requested for them. This only means he’s serious in whatever he wants to do in training. The champ said he needs to recover from his down time boxing, which is why he is working so hard. His last fight was last November 14 where he clobbered Mexico’s Antonio Margarito to win his 8th world title, the World Boxing Council (WBC) junior middleweight title.

He admitted that the still has to fine tune his timing. However, he assured his fans that there is still time for him to make adjustments. His sparring partners, Porter and Rodela, said Pacquiao’s still has this attitude of mixing it up with his opponents.

“He still possesses the power and speed like before,” said Porter, “I challenged him to toe-to-toe and he accepted the dare. He amazed me as usual.” Rodela added, “Yeah, same with me. I wanted to mix it up with him and he obliged.”

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Globe continues providing low-cost rates for families of OFWs

Roy — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 01:00:06 +0000

In its effort to alleviate the plight of Filipino families who have love ones working abroad, Globe Telecom announced that it will continue to provide more affordable rates for international services.

Head of Overseas Filipino Communities and Alliances, Consumer Marketing of Globe Telecom Richie Sison said “In these times of uncertainties in other parts of the world, we recognize the need to stay in constant touch with friends and relatives who are overseas, with more options available, making IDD calls from the Philippines to the world has become even more affordable.” He added, “The mobile phone is still the most immediate way of contacting loved-ones abroad and we are making our international services available to ease the worries of our kababayan both here and abroad.”

The Globe IDD Sakto Calls promo will be maintained until April 30 to allow families of OFWs more flexible talk time with their loved-ones abroad. The IDD Sakto Calls give callers one of the lowest IDD rates in the country. For just 15 centavos (P0.15) per second, families here can call their loved-ones in United States, Hawaii, Canada, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, Taiwan, Thailand, Kuwait, Equatorial Guinea, United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia. These are mostly places with great numbers of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). In other countries, the rate is 30 centavos (P0.30) per IDD second. These rates are about half the price of regular IDD calls.

Globe IDD Sakto Calls requires no registration. Subscribers only need to dial 12800 + country code + area code + phone number to call an international landline. For international mobile phone numbers, just dial 12800 + cellphone number. Without the 12800 prefix though, they will be charged with the regular IDD rate of US$0.40 per minute. This service is best for quick hi’s and hello’s and in giving updates and other short messages because of its exact, pay-per-use per second charging.

Other low-cost Globe products are tipIDD card for those who want the best per-minute rates, available in denominations of P25, P100, and P200. It offers rates as low as P2.5 per minute to US, Canada and Hong Kong.

For those who want to keep in-touch via text messaging, there’s ITXT50 which gives subscribers 100 international texts good for 10 days to 190 destinations worldwide for just P50. To register for the service, just text ITXT50 to 8888.

Globe Telecom is relentless in growing partnerships to provide the world-widest coverage and the most affordable offers to its subscribers. Globe currently has more than 25 international call and text products and offers in 17 countries that give lower rates for calls to the Philippines, and over 600 roaming partners from all over the world.

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Price rollback on gasoline prices by P1 a liter

Roy — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 03:00:44 +0000

The Department of Energy (DoE) said last week it is expecting gasoline to be lower this week as demand in the world market decreases when Japan was hit an earthquake and tsunami. “The downward trend began after Japan catastrophes. We saw prices going down due to the market reaction that global economy will slow down and so the demand for gasoline will down as well,” Energy Undersecretary Jose M. Layug explained.

True enough, three oil companies implemented a price reduction on their gasoline prices by P1 a liter starting Monday.

Easter Petroleum Corp. (EPC) was first to rollback its price on gasoline effective 5 a.m. today. Seaoil and Unioil also reduced prices starting 6 a.m. The price of diesel though, remains unchanged.

EPC chairman and president Fernando Martinez said the rollback was due to lower prices in the international oil market. However, he said the movement in the diesel prices “was not sufficient to offset the increase in the cost of coconut methyl ester, a component of biodiesel.”

The DoE said diesel prices remains as Japan is seen to increase diesel use given the breakdown of a nuclear facility in its tsunami-battered northeastern region.

The rollback of gasoline prices brings relief to local motorists who have experienced a series of price hike for the last months. Average gasoline prices have risen by P6.55 per liter since the beginning of the year, including today’s reduction, while diesel prices have been adjusted by P7.10 per liter. Latest monitoring from the DoE shows gasoline prices range from P52.25 to P57.96 per liter with a common price of P54.50, and diesel from P44.65 to P46.65 per liter with a common price of P46.10.

International prices of gasoline, DoE said, rose to $121.84 from $120.74 per barrel, while diesel was up $131.65 from $129.50 per barrel. Dubai crude rose by $1 per barrel, with the benchmark commodity sold at $108.77 per barrel during the contract period March 1 and 11. This brought the total increase for diesel and gasoline to P5.50 per liter and a rollback of 25 centavos with net increase of P5 per liter since start of the crisis in Libya.
The DOE has been strictly monitoring the compliance of local petroleum players on their oil price movements and importation.

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Philippine’s Julaton retains WBO title.txt

Roy — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 01:17:21 +0000

Only a week after Filipino boxing champ Nonito Donaire Jr. won over opponent, Mexican Fernando Montiel, to claim the World Boxing Organization and (WBO) and World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweights crown, another Filipino brought the Philippines to the boxing limelight.

Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton defeated Franches Alcanter, from Kansas City, to retain her WBO super-bantamweight title on Saturday at the Craneway Pavilion Point Richmond, California.

Julaton displayed her boxing skills as she dominated Alcanter during the bout. She kept her challenger at bay with impressive footwork, powerful lead left jab and solid combinations to control the 10-round title to successfully defend the title she won from Maria Elena Villalobos last July. The 30-year old champ won by scores of 98-92, 97-93, and 96-84 and an improved fight card of 8-2-1 overall.

“I just kept her away with those left jabs of mine. I know Franchesca will be bringing her A-game in the ring, but I was ready for it,” Julaton said after the fight.

Alcanter, dubbed as “The Chosen One,” fell to 18-10, as she failed to win a world title in her fifth and latest attempt. She mostly forced on the defensive end by the champions aggressive stance. She had her best moment in the sixth round when she connected on a straight right that shook Julaton a bit.

Julaton, now based in Daly City, California, whose parents are from Pozzorubio, Pangasinan, had the challenger under her control, rocking Alcanter on the ropes several times with punishing left and rights. At the end of the bout, she was left with a bloodied nose and spotted a welt just under her right eye.

Orion Sports’ Allan Tremblay, Julaton’s promoter, said the next fight of the champion could be in the Philippines. Julaton is the first and only lady boxing champion from the country. Along with her and Donaire, Philippines have two other current world champions in Donnie Nietes (WBO minimumweight) and of course, Manny Pacquiao.

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World Bank acknowledges Philippine’s growth potential

Roy — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 08:49:20 +0000

Based on World Bank’s (WB) assessment, the Philippines have the potential of generating more investment this year, as well as next year. The World Bank cited recent reports about improving business sentiments that could fuel economic growth faster than its previous estimates. It has set its growth forecast for the Philippines at 5 percent this year and 5.4 percent for 2012, adding that these figures could be exceeded if the improving sentiment would translate to actual investments.

Bert Hofman, country director of the World Bank for the Philippines, stated in their latest “Philippines Quarterly Update,” that “Strong private investment in the fourth quarter of 2010 and bullish business confidence are encouraging signs that the economy can attract investments needed to boost potential growth and generate more jobs.” He also said that the county was poised to generate more income from exports its continuing efforts to diversify its markets.

The Philippine government, however, has a projection of 7 to 8 percent growth for 2011 and 2012, respectively. The country’s actual growth last year was 7.3 percent. The World Bank said that the lower growth rate it gave for this year and 2012 was because they considered that the robust growth last year was partly due to base effects, as the economy had slowed down in 2009. But it said the country has a chance to grow faster than projected, in its latest quarterly report.

Eric Le Borgne, World Bank’s chief economist for the Philippines, said, “Government efforts to improve the investment climate, tackle corruption and weak governance, along with more credit rating upgrades could boost investor confidence and attract more private investments in the next few years.”

The World Bank also cited business process outsourcing (BPO) and tourism, as the two industries that could generate more investments and therefore register the fastest growth this year. The bank’s report also stated the risks that could affect the country’s ability to grow faster, these are extremely bad weather condition which could disrupt food supply, and increases in the prices of oil and other commodities in the world market.

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Invesment plans of the Coca-cola company

arbe — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:39:06 +0000

Coca-Cola is one of the most biggest beverages company in the world. Now they are planning to invest here in the Philippines. They are planning to invest $1 billion in the next five years to improve their products here in the Philippines. They also promise that they will substantially invest here in the Philippines.

Last Tuesday the giant beverage company said that they will pledge in the remote public schools that they will build 100 more classrooms across the country and going to distribute to 100,000 children with Iron Deficiency Anemia a vitamin-fortified drink to somehow help them increase their vitamin level.

Mr. Guillermo Aponte the president and general manager of the Coca-Cola Philippines said that they will be expanding their successful Little Red School house program by supporting the Department of Education and constructing 100 classrooms that are fully outfitted in the remote areas.

And since 1997 the Coca-cola’s Little Red School house program has helped nearly 50,00 students and almost 3,000 teachers in 50 provinces and have built 81 school buildings.

Last Tuesday the giant beverage company also announced their Live Positive campaign.

The Live Positive campaign is a campaign of which the company will improve their water waste management that can helped to save the nature. They are focused to save the nature by reducing the packaging materials in their PET bottles by more than 15,000 by 2013.

We hope that the Coca-cola company will not lose their support in the Philippines and specially in saving the environment.

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Aspiring Entrepreneurs

PinoyBusiness — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:48:08 +0000

When you are a businessman you always want your children to follow your footsteps. You always want them to inherit your family business but in some families the children is forced to inherit it even if they don’t like to enter the business industry. There is also some cases that the child thought that he don’t want to inherit the business but in he end he enjoyed and loved it.

Do every aspiring youth entrepreneurs have what it takes to become successful in the business industry? Well if you have a family that have a good business you surely have a good chances in suceeding in this industry. However, even if you don’t have a family business on your back well that’s ok. In business there are many oppurtunities that will come to you just need to have a patience and work hard for it.

Just like this comming Sept. 27 there will be a summit that will be held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City that will be focusing for the young Filipino entrepreneurs. This will help the young entrepreneurs to establish themselves in the business industry this can also help them to know more about how can you manage well one business and many tips of how to become a sucsessfull businessman.

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Chinese delegates who attended Phitex 2010 to push RP as travel destination

Roy — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 08:48:41 +0000

Chinese delegates to the recently held 10th Philippine Travel Exchange (Phitex) at the Manila Hotel said they were impressed by the warmth and hospitality of Filipinos that they immediately enjoyed their stay right on the first two days of their visit.

Kelly Jiao from Shanghai, who led the delegation , said “At first, our group was a bit worried and wary. But after two days, everyone was enjoying her stay and didn’t worry at all as we met with our local counterparts for the Phitex 2010 business meetings.”

As such, the group from China have committed to promote Philippines tourism products and destinations to their countrymen once they returned home from a trip to Palawan.

Likewise, Bob Jia who is the general manager of Shanghai Synwalk International Travel Service, also said they would continue pushing the Philippines to the Chinese market, and described the country as a place of beautiful scenery and wonderful people that the world should see and appreciate.

The Chinese delegates arrived in Manila last August 31, together with the rest of the foreign delegation. They had a welcome dinner at the H2O Hotel, treated to a water, light and laser show at the Ocean Park, had a tour of the Oceanarium, all in the tourism complex at the Rizal Park near Manila Bay.

On the second day, they had a city tour that culminated in a dinner show at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila, where they were treated to a night of Filipino music and world-class entertainment. On the next day, they were all at the Manila Hotel for a full day of pre-scheduled one-on-one business sessions with local sellers of various tourism products.

Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim formally opened the business meetings with a short message that exuded his confidence in hitting the government’s 3.3 million target foreign visitor arrivals for 2010. “I am truly grateful that, despite the challenges we faced the past week and a half, we were still able to attract 96 foreign delegates from around the world and 191 Filipino sellers representing 112 companies. I believe this is a clear statement of your confidence in Philippine tourism,” he said.

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Taking a break

Roy — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 01:21:28 +0000

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” and the same goes true to an entrepreneur. A friend of mine is convincing me to buy wow account so we can play together. I found out that he unwinds by playing the World of Warcraft and he wants me to be in it too so he can beat me to pulp. Yeah, he’s kinda mean. But what can I say? He’s my friend!

Anyway he explained to me what wow accounts are and he even gave me sites where I can buy cheap wow accounts. I did not give in immediately to him, but I said I will look into it when I have the time and is actually finished with all my backlogs.

But what he doesn’t know is that, I’ve been finished with my backlogs two weeks ago and is actually browsing and trying the game so I can give him a good fight. Hey, I don’t want to be beaten to pulp!

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Philippines expects 108 delegates for Phitex 2010

Roy — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:04:55 +0000

A total 108 delegates from wholesale travel agents from all over the world are coming to the Philippines for the upcoming 10th Philippine Travel Exchange (Phitex 2010) to forge deals with the different sectors of the local tourism industry.

Tourism Secretary Alberto A. Lim said that the delegates who will be coming in are large representations from outbound travel wholesales in China, Korea, Japan, Asia Pacific, North America, India, the Middle East and Europe. He said the Phitex 2010 is geared towards bringing in big volume of tourists from around the world.

“They will do business with 194 local sellers of tour packages, thus generating volumes of foreign visitors over the short and long term,” the tourism secretary said.

Phitex 2010 will be held on September 2 this year, at the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel. The event is an industry-based and government-supported marketing initiative that aims to link foreign wholesale buyers and local sellers of tourism products and services in a full day of one-on-one business meetings, with each delegate being accorded a number of pre-scheduled appointments for table-top discussions.

Undersecretary for Tourism Planning and Promotions (TPP) Vicente R. Romano III said this will effectively make the foreign wholesalers themselves to “push the Philippine tourism brand in their respective countries through OTC (over-the-counter) or POS (point-of-sale) promotion and other agency-driven consumer marketing schemes.”

“At the same time, their participation in Phitex 2010 will guide the members of the local tourism industry in conducting product development based on market-specific demands, or the actual requirement of their target foreign clients,” he added. This will help local industry players to learn more about the present and future global market opportunities that they could take advantage of.

“All in all, Phitex 2010 will boost and guide our efforts in focusing on infrastructure and product development since this event covers both ends (supply and demand) of the market spectrum,” the undersecretary said.

The theme of this year’s Phitex is “Awesome Philippines, Awesome Sceneries, Awesome Activities, Awesome Experiences.” The event will be officially opened by Secretary Lim who will speak on the strategic direction of the country’s tourism development for the duration of his term.

To welcome the participants for this year’s Phitex, a welcome dinner will be held in celebration of “A Decade of AWESOME Phitex Experience,” which will be jointly hosted by the Department of Tourism and Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila.

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Philippines is the third cheapest tourist destination in Southeast Asia

Roy — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 08:30:45 +0000

A recent survey conducted by one of the leading financial publications in Asia showed the Philippines as the third cheapest tourist destination in Southeast Asia. The survey was made by FinanceAsia, one of the leading business publications in the region, which utilized Mandarin Oriental’s rack rates as basis for the reader’s outlook.

Ahead of the Philippines in the list at the number one and two slots are Indonesia and Thailand respectively, while Malaysia comes in at fourth after the Philippines. “Despite our readers’ increasingly eccentric voting patterns, Indonesia seems a reasonable choice,” FinanceAsia said in its report.

It also added, “A cursory glance at Mandarin Oriental’s rack rates shows a deluxe room in August costs $345 a night in Bangkok, which would get you a club room in Manila – plus change for a taxi to the airport. In Jakarta, a deluxe room is just $173 (and about the same in Kuala Lumpur which is literally half the price of Bangkok.”

The Economist’s Big Mac Index was another method used in the survey. It uses the price of burgers around the world as a light-hearted measure of relative currency values, and used as a benchmarker for tourists to work out how expensive an unfamiliar country could be.

But the result of this data is the opposite of those in the Mandarin data, which shows Indonesia’s Big Mac costing $2.28, more expensive that either Thailand ($2.16) or Malaysia ($2.12). On the upside, readers stuck in Hong Kong for the summer can take advantage of the second cheapest Big Macs in the world – cheaper even than China.

The report continues, “But anecdotal evidence suggests that it’s lower than in either Thailand or Malaysia.” That makes the Philippines the cheapest place for both burgers and hotel rooms. Also, the report noted that the peso also has the advantage of getting cheaper

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IFC to invest $300 million in RP’s power sector

Roy — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 06:02:42 +0000

The country’s power sector, including renewable energy projects, is likely to get a big boos from the World Bank (WB). WB’s private sector arm, the International Finance Corp. (IFC), is looking at pouring in more than $300 million in investment to the said industry in the Philippines.

IFC resident representatives to the Philippines, Jesse Ang, said they have already invested $900 million in the Philippines in the last three years. “Around $600 million to $700 million of the $900 million went to the power sector,” Ang said.

He also said that IFC was looking at renewable-energy projects, such as biomass, wind and mini-hydroelectric power plants.

“Renewable energy is one are we’re focused on. In the Philippines, when you say renewable energy, it involves solar, biomass and wind. We think hydro power plants are good for the country, because if we have the resource, we should use it. Although there is higher capital expenditure, the operating cost of the hydro is much less. And we find them good deliverers of power, and they’re quite flexible as you can switch them on and off. So if there are opportunities to do more hydros, why not?” Ang said.

According to him, IFC is currently talking with various renewable-energy developers. “The companies we’re in talks with are focusing on mini-hydro, biomass, wind and solar. There’s a lot of interest in the Philippines right now for renewable energy.”

For last year, in order to assist local banks in moving loan financing away from high-energy-consuming projects toward those favoring energy efficiency and emission reduction, IFC launched its sustainable-energy finance program in the Philippines.

IFC head of advisory services and sustainability program manager for the Philippines, William Beloe, said his agency and the Department of Energy have found out there are about $8 billion worth of financing opportunities available and needed in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Ang said, while financing renewable energy projects can be a good business, at the same time, it also helps combat climate change. He added that IFC will provide Philippine banks funding and know-how so that they can provide capital to renewable-energy and energy-efficient projects.

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Link Proz:Getting your website out

Roy — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 23:49:04 +0000

So you finally decided to get your own website for your business so you can reach more potential customers. How then do you let web surfers and online shoppers that your site and up and they should check it out. There are lots of ways really, like joining online forums, and getting link referral from companies like Link Proz, who can spread the news of your website’s existence for you.

Online companies like LinkProz can help you get noticed on the wide, wide world of the Internet. They can get you potential clients and not just mere curious web surfers by getting the specific details of your business and sending them to your specific target market.

You could liken to advertising, only you are talking to but one company and they will be the one who will be going out and seeking for visitors for your online shop. Yes, it could be another expense on your part. But treat it as an investment, one investment that can get you more returns that distributing flyers and inserts to your local magazines.

But short on a budget, like I said, you can try promoting your site on online business forums and social media, like multiply, facebook, and the likes. It could be tedious though, but it could still get you results.

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Texas Insturments looks to more years of operations in the country

Roy — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:37:33 +0000

Texas Instruments (TI), one of the world’s leader in the semiconductor industry, has been doing business in the Philippines for more than 30 years, and the company plans to stay longer in the country. In fact, TI has earmarked $1 billion in new investments for its planned expansion of its operation in the country for the next 10 years.

According to TI Philippines president and managing director Norberto “Bing” Viera, they (TI) have good experience in the Philippines in their more than 30 years of operations here, and thus, they want to stay longer and even expand their business.

TI credits skilled and industrious workforce and a government that was very supportive in all their stages of operations, as just some of the factors that influenced them to stay longer in the country. While they have set up in Clark, Pampanga, most of the company’s operations in the Philippines were in Baguio.

TI actually had two choose between two countries, of which Philippines was one, when they are looking for a new site which would serve as a major processing unit in the region. Viera said that the other country was offering them very competitive incentives to locate there, but they choose Philippines because of the aggressiveness of the concerned government officials.

Viera said, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Trade Secretary Peter Favila were very accommodating made the process of operating in the country painless. He said Favila was very helpful in facilitating all the requirements they need to operate in the Philippines.

According to him, the company’s negotiation with the government started in January 2007, and an agreement was signed in April of the same year. After a few months, they were able to break ground for the development of their Clark site. They finished the construction of the 77,000-square feet building in October 2008 which cost them $400 million.

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Jovit Baldovino wins Pilipinas Got Talent

Roy — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 23:43:38 +0000

The grand finals of the nationwide talent show “Pilipinas Got Talent” (PGT) was one of the most talked-about topic Twitter this last weekend. It even became the top trending topic, dislodging the much-anticipated 2010 FIFA World Cup.

As the finals wind up on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum, Jovit Baldovino, the 16-year old “siomai” vendor from Rosario, Batangas emerged the grand winner.

Starting from his audition piece, “Faithfully” last February, down to his final song, “Too Much Love Will Kill You” last Saturday, Baldovino sang his way to the heart of many Filipino audiences. He has in fact became another local YouTube sensation as his soaring and searing vocal prowess was even compared to Arnel Pineda, another Filipino YouTube sensation who became the lead vocals of the American band, Journey.

For being the grand prize winner, Baldovino received P2 million cash prize. He dedicated his victory to the Batangueños, his family, fans, and The Filipino Channel (TFC) subscribers.

Baldovino bested other finalists, Keith Clark Davila, the Ezra Bank, singers Ingrid Payaket and Sherwin Baguion, multi-instrumentalist Maria Jeline Oliva, ventriloquist/puppeteer Ruther Urquia, Fil-Norwegian singer Markki Stroem, the Luntayao Family and magician Allan “Alakim” de Paz, who all received P100,000 each for making it to the finals.

Here’s Baldovino and his winning piece on the grand finals of PGT:

Even before making it big in PGT, Baldovino was already singing when he was still a child at baptismal and birthday parties to help augment the family income.

Congratulations Jovit Baldovino!