Kim Jones can’t wait to hit the beach with her favorite summer must-haves.
Mar 172014
Mar 162014
MANILA, Philippines – Breakfast is considered as the most important meal of the day and if you’re looking for a wide variety of local and international dishes for a headstart, then Italianni’s Breakfast Creations will surely wake up your appetite. Available at its branches in Greenbelt 2 and Bonifacio High Street daily from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Italianni’s newest breakfast menu offers 40 dishes that are served with complimentary coffee for a morning mix. With choices starting at P165, these satisfying meals promise to be heavy on the tummy but not on one’s pocket. For those with a discerning palate, corporate chef Josh Boutwood has created the Gourmet Breakfast Selection. Best-sellers include the Classic Eggs Florentine, soft-boiled eggs and spinach on a toasted English muffin finished off with creamy Parmesan sauce. Chef Josh also highly recommends the Homemade Corned Beef Brisket that sits atop a Mideterranean Potato Omelette along with spinach and fried egg. Classic Eggs Florentine Lifestyle Feature ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: Homemade Corned Beef Brisket with Potato Omellete Italianni’s has also recreated classic Filipino breakfast dishes with an international flair, which are undoubtedly among the best items in the entire breakfast menu. If you want a loaded Pinoy meal, then try the Filipino platter, a combination of spicy tuyo, Vigan longganisa and corned beef. If you like a top-seller, then indulge on the Crispy Pancetta Bacon – thin crispy strips of pork belly served with fried rice and sunny side-ups. Like a sinful crispy Read More …
Mar 162014
MANILA, Philippines – New York-based Filipina graphic designer, educator, design guru and AIGA Medal recipient Lucille Tenazas is set to share her knowledge on design and the creative process as she leads the upcoming Adobo Masterclass titled “Purposeful purposelessness: A Unique approach to Design Thinking.” The class will focus on generating creative thinking through unconventional strategies. The workshop will begin with a lecture presented by Tenazas, where she will highlight her approach and methodology. After the lecture, participants will have a chance to apply their insights as they collaborate on a project, exploring word play, chance operations, and random connections. Participants will be challenged to view objects, situations and ideas in new ways. Tenazas is associate dean and a Henry Wolf professor in the School of Art Media and Technology at Parsons The New School for Design in New York. She has spent the last 30 years as a graphic designer and educator, working with corporations, city, state and federal entities, as well as cultural instituions in the United States. In 2013, Tenazas was awarded the distinguished AIGA medal by the American Institute of Graphic Arts, which described her as “a charismatic leader and design practitioner.” Tenazas also received the National Design Award in Communications Design from the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in 2002. The Adobo Masterclass will be held on March 26 at The City Club at Makati Place, along Ayala Avenue Extension from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., in cooperation with event partners, Bensimon, Executive Decisions, Super Read More …
Mar 162014
Hermie Limbo, general manager and country director for Ecolab and Nalco Philippines (left) and Mike Murphy, Ecolab general manager and market head, Southeast Asia and Korea, during the recent inauguration of Ecolab’s new head office. MANILA, Philippines – Ecolab Philippines, Inc. recently moved to its new head office located at the 18th floor, W Fifth Avenue Building, 5th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City. Called “One Manila,” the sleek and contemporary 1,367-sqm office space serves as the new headquarters of Ecolab Philippines, Inc. and Nalco Philippines, Inc., which is now part of Ecolab. In December 2011, Ecolab announced the merger with Nalco that resulted in the birth of a formidable US$13 billion global entity with some 45,000 employees in 171 countries with businesses in water, hygiene, sanitation and energy. Both companies combined under the name Ecolab. The inauguration of the new corporate office was led by Mike Murphy, Ecolab general manager and market head, Southeast Asia and Korea, and Hermie Limbo, general manager and country director for Ecolab and Nalco Philippines. They were joined by members of the company’s management committee, managers and employees from different departments, including their manufacturing plant personnel from Binan and Calamba, Laguna. “Our move to our new corporate address as ‘One Manila’ is expected to strengthen the synergy of the two companies,” says Limbo. “It will definitely result in more efficient operations and increased productivity with the ultimate goal of satisfying our customers. We take pride in what we do as One Ecolab: protecting Read More …
Mar 162014
MANILA, Philippines – The conclusion of the earnings season and uncertainties over key developments overseas will dampen sentiments in the stock market this week, analysts said. Overseas headlines like tensions in Ukraine and US Federal Reserve tapering will dictate trades in a week marked by healthy correction, they said. “Prospective weakness might still be felt early this week, with no firm resolution in sight yet on the geopolitical conflict in Ukraine,” said online brokerage firm 2Trade-Asia.com. “The ongoing technical correction, along with the dampened sentiment on fundamental factors, could send the main index back to 6,250,” said Abbygayle M. Estrella, an analyst at AB Capital Securities Inc. Freya Natividad, investment analyst at Papa Securities, said the main index’s drop in the 6,300 territory opens up the possibility of a technical rally early in the week, before trades are dominated by overseas sentiments. Week-on-week, the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) dropped 1.4 percent or 90.59 points to 6,391.24, ending its four-week rally. The decline was led by the service sector (-2.5 percent) and property (-1.7 percent). Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Investor pessimism dominated the week due to continued political tension in Ukraine. On the economic front, world’s second largest economy China reported weak retail sales and factory output data for February. Average turnover value eased slowed 29 percent to P7 billion. However, net foreign buying hit P645 million, reversing the previous week’s net selling of P186 million. For this week, investors will look out for trading Read More …
Mar 162014
MANILA, Philippines – Credit rating agencies (CRAs), hired to assess the creditworthiness of companies and debt issuances, will be subject to stringent accreditation and operational requirements. In a memorandum, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said it came up with guidelines on the accreditation, operations and Reporting of CRAs “to increase transparency and improve the integrity of credit ratings.” CRAs are tapped by corporations that plan to offer of issue commercial papers of debt securities like bonds. Such firms perform credit evaluation of corporations and business projects or of debt issues, assessing the overall creditworthiness of the borrower as a guidance to the investing public. Under the guidelines, SEC said a CRA should be a stock corporation with a paid-up capital of at least P10 million, which will increase to P15 million after the third year to cover operational improvements. CRAs should be composed of qualified and independent officers and personnel to conduct rating activities. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 For the application for annual accreditation, CRAs are required to submit a list of shareholders and corporate affiliation, other business activities, a written code of conduct, rating scale and criteria, operating procedures, and copy of written agreement with issuers. Prior to rating the creditworthiness of an issuer or debt security, the CRA should sign a contract to render assessment services. Local debt watchers include Philippine Rating Services Corp. and Credit Rating and Investors Services Philippines Inc. The top three global credit raters are Fitch Ratings, Standard Read More …
Mar 162014
MANILA, Philippines – Banks, law enforcers, and consumers should all work together to minimize losses from stolen information from automated teller machine (ATM) cards, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said. “This kind of loss should be approached as a shared responsibility,” BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. said in an e-mail to reporters over the weekend. “Banks are required to take all prudent measures to minimize the risk. Customers should be careful in handling their ATM cards. Police authorities should be running hard after the criminal syndicates,” he said. Tetangco made the comment when asked if banks should be required to provide insurance products to cover losses from ATM fraud or scams. “Without these in place, insurance will be a costly and counter-productive proposition. Customers will ultimately bear the cost either in higher fees or more restrictive services,” Tetangco said. The central bank has estimated losses to ATM fraud at P220 million in 2013, Vicente De Villa III, director at the BSP’s Supervisory Data Center, told a Senate hearing last month. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Thieves have resorted to skimming, in which information stored in one’s card is stolen through devices installed in an ATM, the BSP chief said. “A skimmed card by itself will not work unless the PIN has also been compromised. So a related issue is how the password is stolen with the skimmed card,” Tetangco said. “In the past, it was the hidden camera that was the solution. Banks could validate Read More …
Mar 162014
MANILA, Philippines – The country should see sustained growth in its gross international reserves (GIR) as global financial markets experience less volatility, the research arm of Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. said. “As the dust settles in the global financial markets, the rise in the country’s GIR levels in the coming months is seen to be sustained,” Pauline Revillas, research analyst at Metrobank, said in a recent report. “The BSP is in fact forecasting its GIR to grow by almost six percent this year from the end-2013 level of $83.2 billion,” she noted. GIR went up to $80.343 billion in February after falling to a 19-month low in January. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) attributed the rise in reserves to revaluation adjustments of gold and income from the central bank’s foreign exchange operations and investments abroad. “The volatility in the global financial markets was a factor in the rise of the February level,” Revillas said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “For one, the market’s risk aversion, on the back of sluggish US and Chinese economic growths, fueled a rise in the demand for commodities like gold. Thus, the value of gold in the international market rose in recent months,” she added. Revillas further said: “Furthermore, in February, the peso managed to regain its ground and remained stable within the 44-level amid the pressure on the US dollar.” The GIR indicates a country’s ability to pay for its foreign debt and imports of goods and services. Read More …
Mar 162014
The Catholic Church is adopting a new “4 Ps” approach to strengthen its efforts against human trafficking, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said. Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said this approach involving “Prevention, prosecution, protection and partnership” should particularly protect women and children. ”We partner with all these initiatives so that all these small streams can become a river that can sweep away this evil, as all evil, human trafficking thrives in darkness,” Pabillo told Church-run Radio Veritas. Excerpts of the interview were posted on the CBCP news site. Pabillo added this approach is also in support of the United Nations’ protocol to fight the problem. Also, the CBCP noted the International Justice Mission had said at least 100,000 cases of human trafficking involving children were reported in 2013, including sex trafficking of minors. “As long as the problem is not recognized, the evil doers can continue and expand their activities. Truth is our powerful weapon,” Pabillo said. — LBG, GMA News
Mar 162014
222 PMA Class of 2014 graduates urged to serve honestly. The graduates of the Philippine Military Academy “Siklab Diwa” Class of 2014 throw their caps in the air at the graduation rites held in Fort Gregorio Del Pilar in Baguio City on Sunday March 16. Thom Picana A lawmaker expressed dismay on Sunday over the failure of the Philippine Military Academy and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to resolve the case of dismissed PMA cadet Aldrin Cudia, barring him from attending graduation rites. ABS party-list Representative Catalina Leonen-Pizarro said the AFP should have acted with haste on Cudia’s appeal so he could have still marched along with the Siklab Diwa Class of 2014 if he were allowed to graduate. “[Cudia’s] case is still hanging while the graduation is ongoing. The problem now [is] if suddenly the appeal of Cudia be granted, then he would have already missed the rites. Sayang naman,” she told GMA News Online in a text message. Last week, Pizarro filed a House resolution that sought to hasten the AFP and PMA’s review of Cudia’s case and resolve it before the graduation rites. The lawmaker said her resolution might now be considered moot and academic since Cudia’s case is still unresolved although the graduation ceremonies are over. According to its website, the ABS (Arts Business and Science Professionals) party-list was created “to protect and advance the collective interests and concerns of Filipino professionals who constitute the highly trained and skilled manpower of the country.” Defense Secretary Voltaire Read More …