Maniolas

In this Monday, May 9, 2011 file photo, LinkedIn Corp., the professional networking Web site, displays its logo outside of headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. LinkedIn began 2014 with its largest quarterly loss since going public as the online professional networking service ramped up its investments in projects aimed at attracting more users on the lookout for better jobs and career advice. AP/Paul Sakuma SAN FRANCISCO — LinkedIn began the year with its largest quarterly loss since going public as the online professional networking service ramped up its investments in projects aimed at attracting more users on the lookout for better jobs and career advice. Despite the setback, the first-quarter results announced Thursday surpassed the analyst projections that sway investors. LinkedIn has cleared Wall Street’s financial hurdles in all 12 of its quarters as a public company, a stretch dating back to May 2011. Nevertheless, LinkedIn Corp. has fallen out of favor with investors amid concerns about the company’s rising expenses and slowing revenue growth. Management issued a forecast indicating those trends will extend into the current quarter ending in June. LinkedIn’s stock shed $7.02, or 4.4 percent, to $154.20 in Thursday’s extended trading. The shares are about 40 percent below their all-time high of $257.56 reached last September. LinkedIn’s stock nearly doubled in value last year, enabling CEO Jeff Weiner to reap a nearly $170 million windfall by exercising some of the stock options he has accumulated since joining the company in 2008. Despite the stock-price drop, LinkedIn remains intent on Read More …

MANILA, Philippines – State-owned Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is set to bid out the lease and development of a prime property covering 5,000 square meters (sqm) in the Bonifacio South area in Taguig City. BCDA executive vice president Aileen Zosa said in a statement yesterday the property to be put to auction, the Lawton Corporate Center Lot,  is located along Lawton Avenue and is between the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority and McKinley West, a joint-venture project of BCDA and Megaworld Corp. “We are optimistic and expect this property to draw a lot of interest from top real estate developers because of its strategic location and proximity to various high-end commercial and residential areas like Bonifacio Global City, McKinley, Forbes Park, and Newport City, including the NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) III,” she said. She added that the plan to widen Lawton Avenue from the existing dual two lane road to a dual three lane road to address the increased traffic volume would augur well for the planned development in the Lawton Corporate Center Lot. BCDA business development manager Arrey Perez said the firm is finalizing the Terms of Reference and other bid documents for the property. “We plan to officially start the public bidding process by the first or second week of May,” he said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 He said an invitation for the bidding of the property would be published in newspapers. The BCDA plans to lease the property Read More …

MANILA, Philippines – Belle Corp., the leisure and gaming arm of the SM Group, plans to further cement control in an online lottery system provider by securing a majority stake. The move will firm up Belle’s commitment in Pacific Online Systems Corp., which is pursuing an aggressive expansion program after hostilities in Mindanao and natural disasters in Visayas disrupted operations last year. “It would be nice to own 50.1 percent so we can consolidate (Pacific Online in the books),” said Belle vice-chairman Willy Ocier. “When you have a company that is gaming-related, it would make sense for us to increase our exposure to it,” he said. Belle currently owns 43 percent of Pacific Online, the online lottery system provider of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in the Visayas and Mindanao. Early this year, Abacus Consolidated Resources & Holdings Inc. trimmed its stake in Pacific Online to seven percent from 15 percent, with Belle buying the block to increase its shares to 43 percent of outstanding shares. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Ocier said Belle already has the time to pursue acquisitions following the completion of negotiations last year for a $1.3-billion integrated casino project. Belle is the builder of the $1.3-billion City of Dreams Manila complex in the Manila Bay reclamation area. Macau-based casino giant Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd., for its part, leases the property and will operate the casino. For this year, Pacific Online is focusing on recovery and expansion efforts. “We are busy Read More …

Sta. Rita MANILA, Philippines – The National Power Corp. (Napocor) has completed the repairs of three remote rain gauge stations at the Angat Watershed Reservation in Bulacan, the state-run power company said yesterday. The move is part of Napocor’s efforts to prepare for the rainy season as water elevation in Angat Dam remains low. Napocor, through its Dams Management Department’s Flood Forecasting and Warning System Division (FFWSD), has repaired the Matulid, Maputi and Talaguio rain gauge stations, Napocor president Ma. Gladys Cruz-Sta. Rita said. “These rain gauges measure rainfall intensity in the area which translates to water inflow and help us manage water utilization in Angat Dam. Data collected from these rain gauges are very important especially during rainy season because it supplies the primary inputs in forecasting inflow to the reservoir,” she said. She said that with the assistance of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippine’s (NGCP), the country’s power grid operator, Napocor personnel were able to expedite the repair of the rain gauges located distantly from each other and which are almost not accessible by land. The repair works are part of Napocor’s regular maintenance of the facility. These include replacing of batteries, checking of wires and cleaning of rain gauges and solar panels. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Based on Napocor data, Angat Dam’s elevation is at 183.62 meters above sea level (masl) as of yesterday. “There has been no decrease in water elevation since yesterday. In fact, the water level increased Read More …

MANILA, Philippines – The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) intends to implement programs that would increase awareness of the public and improve enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) to ensure the country would remain out of the Office of the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) Watch List. IPOPHL director general Ricardo Blancaflor said in a press conference    yesterday that while the country’s removal from the USTR’s list of countries with IPR violations and problems is a milestone, challenges remain such as internet piracy, changing technology and prosecution of those involved in the sale of counterfeit items.        “What steps do we have to take so we will not be back on the list? We    have to be vigilant,” he said.        The IPOPHL, Blancaflor said, would implement programs that would increase the awareness of the public on the importance of IPR so that they would    stop patronizing counterfeit products.        Based on a survey conducted by the agency, 54 percent of the respondents know about IPR.        “What we want is to bring this (54 percent) to 100 percent. They should not just have awareness, but also have respect for IP,” IPOPHL deputy director general Allan Gepty added.       Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1  The IPOPHL is working with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to come up with a model ordinance which would cover activities to raise the public’s IPR consciousness.        The IPOPHL is also continuing with the training of prosecutors on IPR.        The government, he Read More …