Maniolas

If you have a son or daughter who is thinking of studying in the US, I hope you were able to catch our short interview on our TV show, Business & Leisure with one of the key staff members of the US Embassy.  In the last two weeks, we had two officials from the US Embassy talk about their sections’ respective roles and their relevance to Philippine concerns. Mr. Jim McCarthy from the Foreign Commercial Service of the US Embassy graced the show and talked about his section’s crucial role in matching business partnerships between American and Philippine companies. This section was formed back in the ’80s primarily to promote US exports to different countries. Since 2009, according to Jim McCarthy, trade between our two countries has been increasing steadily so that by now, the two-way trail of trade is about $18 billion. The Foreign Commercial Service’s responsibility is to link US companies who come here looking for potential Philippine partners or buyers with the right Philippine parties, form trade missions, and arrange “gold key” appointments which are really one-on-one meetings between key representatives from US and local businesses. They also have what they call single company promotions for companies wanting to launch a new business or just looking to expand their existing business in the Philippines. Part of their mandate is to support the small and medium American companies and to educate them on the market opportunities here in various fields and match them with small and medium Philippine Read More …

In a report, Economic Planning Secretary and NEDA chief Emmanuel Esguerra said inflation – the measure of how fast prices in the choice basket of goods and services are moving within a certain period – eased to 1.3 percent in January from 1.5 percent in December 2015 and 2.4 percent a year earlier. STAR/File photo MANILA, Philippines – The increase in prices of basic goods and services in the country slowed in January as costs of food items remained stable, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said yesterday. In a report, Economic Planning Secretary and NEDA chief Emmanuel Esguerra said inflation – the measure of how fast prices in the choice basket of goods and services are moving within a certain period – eased to 1.3 percent in January from 1.5 percent in December 2015 and 2.4 percent a year earlier. He said inflation for the food subgroup  – which account for more than a third of the basket – slowed as prices of fish, fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, and eggs became stable. “Good weather conditions at the onset of 2016 allowed prices of these food items to stabilize. This was an improvement from the previous month when Typhoon Nona pushed up prices due to hampered production, transport, and delivery of agricultural products in the affected areas,” Esguerra added. The January inflation rate fell within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas target of 0.8-1.6 percent for the period, and exactly in line with market consensus. Inflation in non-food items also Read More …

The Max’s Group is pursuing its expansion with the planned opening of 60 to 80 new stores across all its brands, both locally and overseas. This is in line with its goal to have 1,000 stores by 2020. STAR/File photo MANILA, Philippines – The Max’s Group Inc. has approved a two-year share buy back program amounting to P350 million. In its disclosure, the company said received the green light from its board to implement a two-year share buy back program. “This is in line with the corporation’s cash management activities seen to benefit shareholders in the long-term. At today’s closing price of P14.54 per share,  the amount of P350 million is equivalent to approximately 2.2 percent of the firm’s  total outstanding shares,” Max’s said. Companies have been buying back shares since last year amid the ongoing market volatility, which has pulled down share prices. These include Bloomberry Resorts Corp., International Container Terminal Services Inc., Energy Development Corp., Splash Corp., Phinma Corp. Vista Land and Belle Corp. Analysts said many companies are buying back shares to take advantage of the low price environment. The Max’s Group is pursuing its expansion with the planned opening of 60 to 80 new stores across all its brands, both locally and overseas. This is in line with its goal to have 1,000 stores by 2020. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 It recently signed an agreement with China-based partners JuYangYiTong of the Zhongfa Group to build at least 15 Yellow Cab Pizza Read More …

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has partnered with the transport sector to improve air quality in Metro Manila. The agency and transport leaders signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the conduct of free emission testing of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) at their respective garages and terminals. “The purpose is not to apprehend public utility vehicles, but to help our transport groups address their emissions and ensure that their vehicles comply with the law before they drive around major thoroughfares,” Environment Assistant Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna said. The transport groups that signed the MOA were Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators sa Pilipinas (LTOP), Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (ACTO), Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEDJODAP), and Pang-kalahatang Sanggunian Manila and Suburbs Drivers Association Nationwide (PASANG-MASDA). Under the agreement, transport groups are to submit their PUJs for voluntary testing jointly conducted by the DENR, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and Land Transportation Office (LTO). Cuna said the results of garage emission testing will be used to assess the current emission compliance of PUJs in the National Capital Region. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Furthermore, DENR will provide technical assistance to LTFRB and LTO on the possible establishment of their own anti-smoke belching operations (ASBO). Conducting ASBO along the roadside and terminal emission testing nationwide are government initiatives to ensure that vehicles comply with the in-use emission standards set by Administrative Order No. 2000-81 or Read More …