Maniolas

ILOILO CITY – Malaysian tourists in the Philippines are increasing, while Boracay Island is the most favored destination in Western Visayas, according to the region’s Department of Tourism. According to the DOT’s report, there is a 233.17 percent increase in Malaysian tourist arrivals for Western Visayas with 19,890 arrivals as of January 7, 2015, higher compared to 2013’s 5,970 tourist arrivals. DOT Regional Director Helen Catalbas said Aklan and Boracay remain the top destination for Malaysians with 5,477 in 2013 to 19,600 in 2014. Bacolod City came second with 107 Malaysian arrivals and Negros Occidental with 70 tourist arrivals. The number of tourist arrivals is expected to increase as final reports from the six provinces and two highly-urbanized cities are expected to be sent to the region’s DOT office. DISCLAIMER: Sun.Star website welcomes friendly debate, but comments posted on this site do not necessary reflect the views of the Sun.Star management and its affiliates. Sun.Star reserves the right to delete, reproduce or modify comments posted here without notice. Posts that are inappropriate will automatically be deleted. Forum rules: Do not use obscenity. Some words have been banned. Stick to the topic. Do not veer away from the discussion. Be coherent and respectful. Do not shout or use CAPITAL LETTERS!

Bienvenido Bautista MARKETING guru Bienvenido Bautista was president and managing director of such large food and beverage companies as San Miguel Brewery, Kraft, Universal Robina Corp. Here, he shares his thoughts on turning around brands and businesses. Question: As former president of Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC)—Pharma, I understand you were able to turn around this profit-challenged government company within your 14-month stay. What issues plagued PITC and how did you turn around PITC? Answer: PITC Pharma or PPI is the only government owned pharmaceutical company, which formerly owned Botika ng Bayan (BNB). It spearheaded the drive to promote and encourage the use of generic pharmaceutical products at low prices. Unfortunately, with the entry of more pharmacies that focused primarily on generics, like Generics Pharmacy, Generika, even Watsons, with their advertising budgets (PPI had none), consumers went to these competitors instead. Additionally, PPI was logistically challenged—cash flow was an issue. Suppliers weren’t being paid, thus stocks in BNBs were depleted, causing customer dissatisfaction. The objective of offering low priced generics through low-end botikas was good, but given the pressures of competition and poor fiscal management, BNB died a natural death in 2013. But PPI had an ace which it could use—as a procurement arm for any government agency that needed to buy medicines. Thus, when an agency like the DOH (Department of Health) needs to procure medicines for their projects, they have two options: Buy it themselves or buy the medicines through PPI. In reality, PPI took the hassles of Read More …

A local newspaper has reported that intelligence agents have been sent by the CIA to assess the security situation for the Manila visit of Pope Francis who is arriving at Villamor Air Base at 5:45 this afternoon. According to sources, other international intel organizations have been sharing information to identify security concerns and assess the threat level, among them Israel’s Mossad that reportedly issued a warning about possible attacks to the Vatican by the terrorist group ISIS/ISIL. Additional reports also identified the Pope as a specific target by Islamic terrorists following the pontiff’s condemnation of the shootings in Paris that resulted in the killing of journalists working for the weekly satire Charlie Hebdo. Much earlier, local papers also carried news reports that ISIS operatives have been recruiting in Mindanao, and that a hundred young Filipinos have gone to Syria and Iraq to fight for ISIS. And let’s not forget, no less than an Iraqi official had raised the possibility of an ISIS threat following the Pope’s strong condemnation of the terrorist group last year. The Vatican has denied receiving such reports or warnings from Mossad, CIA and other organizations, but we wouldn’t be surprised at the existence of such warnings considering the heightened alert across France and Italy in the aftermath of the Paris shootings. The Philippine government, however, has admitted that local authorities have been coordinating with the Interpol and Asean to identify individuals who have joined the ISIS in Syria and Iraq. In one of our previous columns, Read More …

THE year 2015 or the year of the Wooden Sheep will have businesses keep their momentum of businesses, according to Feng Shui enthusiast Edgar Hao. “The year of the Sheep will be better than last year. This is a year good for business and opportunities,” Hao said in an interview on Tuesday. The year of the Wooden Sheep which will officially kick in on Feb. 19, has the sense of balance as all the five elements including wood, water, metal, fire and earth will be found in this year’s Feng Shui chart, which serves as their guide in making predictions. “There is momentum. The balanced astronomical signs signify a year of prosperity and a year of opportunities. The presence of fire element, for instance, will continue to push opportunities especially in business,” said Hao, who has been practicing practical Feng Shui for 15 years. 2 elements The year of the sheep is symbolized by two elements— with yin wood sitting on top of earth. Although this signals disharmony as the “wood conquers earth on the destructive cycle,” such conflicts, according to Hao, may be more easily resolved with compromise and concessions in 2015 as the nature of the yin wood is a flower which is easy to adjust directions and is much more flexible. “Yin wood symbolizes the small branches of tree which is not stubborn and can easily adjust to changing circumstances. With such character, expect 2015 will be comparatively less violent than 2014,” said Hao. “In 2015, the Read More …

popular . Sensitivities Europe’s Muslims feel heat of backlash after Paris terror Korean airline heiress, Binays on same page Singapore hospital sacks Filipino nurse for ‘offensive’ online remarks Jeepney popemobile drives to history LPA east of Mindanao now a tropical depression Translating mercy Choosing ex-military chief to head gov’t peace panel an insult, says Joma Sison videos Key US military command’s Twitter, YouTube sites hacked Pope Francis’ arrival speech in Sri Lanka For nth time, De Lima inspects Bilibid Pope Francis arrives in Sri Lanka for first leg of weeklong Asian tour Excitement builds ahead of Pope Francis’ PH visit MANILA, Philippines – The Gokongwei-led Universal Robina Corp. chalked up a net profit of P11.65 billion in its fiscal year ending September 2014, 15.2 percent higher year-on-year, as the company expanded the branded consumer food business here and abroad. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Wednesday, URC reported a 14.1 percent year-on-year growth in net sales to P92.38 billion. The local branded consumer food (BCF) group business grew net sales by 24.1 percent year-on-year to P52.35 billion while the international branded consumer food business expanded by 7.8 percent to P23.78 billion. On the other hand, non-branded consumer foods group posted a 2.9 percent decline in net sales due to lower sugar volumes. Operating income for the fiscal year amounted to P14.12 billion, up by 37.4 percent versus last year. Operating income margins expanded by 259 basis points versus the previous fiscal year due to lower average prices Read More …