Maniolas

By Doris C. DumlaoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 4:08 pm | Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014 INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Ayala Land Inc. will soon have a changing of the guards following the nomination of Bernard Vincent Dy as its new president and chief executive officer to succeed the retiring Antonino Aquino. In a press statement on Wednesday, ALI announced the nomination of Dy, 50, as the new chief executive subject to confirmation by the board at the organizational meeting following the company’s stockholders meeting on April 7. Aquino, 66, will continue to serve as director and member of the executive committee of the board. “I thank Tony Aquino for his exceptional leadership throughout his 34-year career at the Ayala group. During those years he led the Ayala Property Management Corp. and Manila Water Co., Inc.,” ALI chair Fernando Zobel de Ayala said. “Under his leadership, he dramatically improved the operating efficiency and profitability of Manila Water, which enabled it to make continuous service improvements in its concession area,” Zobel de Ayala said. At the same time, Zobel de Ayala expressed confidence in Dy, adding that the executive had been with the company over the past 17 years and would likely keep ALI on its growth trajectory. “He has overseen major transformative programs over his career with land and residential development, commercial and retail leasing and most recently, as overall chief operating officer,” he said. Dy joined ALI in 1997 and has held various leadership positions in the organization. In 2003, he was Read More …

Tiger’s tale: As part of the strategic alliance of Tigerair with Cebu Pacific Air, Tigerair Philippines now operates an Airbus A320 aircraft from Cebu Pacific. MANILA, Philippines – As part of the strategic alliance of Tigerair with Cebu Pacific Air (CEB), Tigerair Philippines now operates an Airbus A320 aircraft from Cebu Pacific, the first of four aircraft that will be transferred on lease to Tigerair Philippines.  Tigerair Philippines pilots and cabin crew will fly the aircraft from Terminal 4.  The aircraft will serve the Tigerair Philippines menu.  The leased aircraft will complement the three Airbus A320 aircraft of Tigerair Philippines.  “We give you more reasons to fly with us,” says Tigerair’s vice president for commercial Joey Laurente.  “With our alliance with Cebu Pacific, our customers can now expect a more vibrant and dynamic Tigerair as we leverage on their wide network, flight frequencies, and customer service.  Watch us move as we collaborate to bring you innovative deals in the coming days.” Tigerair flies you to Cebu, Bacolod, Clark, Kalibo, Iloilo, Tacloban, and Puerto Princesa.  For bookings and inquiries, visit www.cebupacificair.com or call reservation hotlines 702-0888 or 230-8888.  The latest seat sale can be found on CEB’s official Twitter (@cebupacificair) and Facebook pages.

2014 (AFP) – Philippine soldiers aboard a fishing vessel engaged Saturday in a dramatic stand-off with Chinese coastguard ships near a remote South China Sea reef claimed by both countries, an AFP journalist witnessed. The Philippine ship finally slipped past the Chinese blockade to reach Second Thomas Shoal, where a handful of Filipino marines are stationed on a Navy vessel that has been grounded there since 1999 to assert their nation’s sovereignty. The Philippine military said the ship, a fishing vessel with soldiers on board, had completed its mission to deliver fresh supplies to the navy ship and rotate the troops. “They were able to pass through the Chinese coastguard vessel and the mission is a success,” Cherryl Tindog, a spokeswoman for the military’s western command, told AFP. “We have successfully re-supplied and rotated the troops.” An AFP reporter and photographer were on a Philippine military plane that circled above the area during the stand-off, which they said lasted for about two hours. Four Chinese vessels had encircled Second Thomas Shoal as the Philippine vessel approached, according to the AFP reporter. Two of the vessels, with “Chinese coastguard” written on the side of the boats, then chased the Philippine boat and tried to block it from reaching the shoal. The vessels appeared to get within a few hundred metres of each other. China claims most of the South China Sea, even waters and islets approaching its neighbours. Second Thomas Shoal is part of the Spratlys, a chain of islets and Read More …

Photo shows (from left) Jerome Briones, ophthalmology franchise manager, Novartis Healthcare Philippines; Dr. Carlos Emmanoel Chua, ophthalmologist; Dr. Albert Mamaril, Retina Section head, SLMC-Bonifacio Global City; Thomas Weigold, president and managing director, Novartis Healthcare Philippines; Dr. Ruben Lim Bon Siong, head, SLMC-Quezon City’s Eye Institute; Dr. Pearl Villalon, Retina Section head, SLMC-Quezon City; and Christine Fajardo, corporate affairs and market access head, Novartis Healthcare Philippines. MANILA, Philippines – Novartis Healthcare Philippines and the Eye Institute of St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of blindness-causing eye diseases. “The Eye Institute, which is renowned for its world-class eye specialists and cutting-edge technology, is pleased to partner anew with global eye care leader Novartis, in addressing the eye care needs of Filipino patients,” said Dr. Edgardo Cortez, SLMC president and CEO. “Our partnership with the SLMC Eye Institute is in line with our company’s commitment to enhance eye care in the country and promote Filipino patients’ access to effective eye treatments,” said Thomas Weigold, country president and managing director of Novartis Healthcare Philippines. Top officials of the SLMC Eye Institute and Novartis Healthcare Philippines signed the MOA during a media briefing entitled “Blindness, the invisible threat — How can we respond?” last Tuesday at the F1 Hotel Manila in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City. Under the MOA, Novartis Healthcare Philippines will provide free Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) to a total of 360 qualified patients of the Eye Institute (180 patients each Read More …

MANILA, Philippines – Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, has decided to end direct flights to Dubai from the Clark International Airport in Pampanga starting May 1 due to low load factor, intense competition, and the controversial excise tax imposed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on jet fuel used for international flights. Emirates, through an official statement, confirmed that it is suspending its daily, non-stop flights between  Clark   International   Airport  and  Dubai  starting May 1 barely seven months after it started the service due to the flights not filling up. “The decision was made after a review of the airline’s operations to ensure the best utilization of its aircraft fleet for its overall business objectives,” the airline said in a statement. However, the airline said it would continue to fly to  Dubai  three times a day via the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).  “Emirates will continue to operate its three daily, non-stop flights between  Manila  and  Dubai  and is taking all necessary steps to accommodate affected passengers on alternate flights,” Emirates said. The airline launched direct flights between Clark and  Dubai  last Oct. 1 using Boeing 777 with 42 Business Class flatbed seats and 216 Economic Class seats. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Emirates, during the launch of the non-stop flights to Dubai via the international gateway in Pampanga, was confident of attracting overseas Filipino workers mostly residing in the Northern and Central Luzon as well as tourists from the Middle East Read More …