DAVAO CITY — A group of traders from the cities of Davao and General Santos are set to go on a trade mission to Manado, North Sulwesi, Indonesia, within the week to finalize details of the Davao City / General Santos City (Philippines) — Tahuna/Bitung (Indonesia) shipping route services that would kick off next month.
EARLIER this month, findings of an Ernst & Young (EY) survey on fraud, bribery and corruption made the headlines. It revealed a concerning picture of some executives’ attitudes towards private sector misconduct in the Philippines and 58 other countries. It is only apt, then, to now discuss how to uncover such unethical practices and minimize their impact on business.
MANILA, Philippines – As I sit typing this, anger is spewing out of every keystroke. Anger at my fellow man. Or “men,” I should say. In case nobody has noticed, there is an all-out war going on against women. All over the place. Don’t believe it? Well, you may want to remove your head from the sand and take a look around. Two hundred girls are kidnapped and forced into marriage in Nigeria, in a village I once traveled to when I worked there. They haven’t been found and the world has suddenly forgotten them. It’s now illegal in Nigeria to even demonstrate for them! When was the last time we heard of 200 boys being kidnapped and forced into marriages? A woman in Pakistan is stoned to death by her own family for marrying someone she loved, instead of marrying the man they had chosen for her. It’s called “honor killing” and is legal in many places. When did we last hear of a man being killed by his family for choosing a wife on his own? Lifestyle Feature ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: A friend of mine last week asked me to help one of her friends by giving her some therapy advice for rehabilitating a fractured elbow. The woman is a highly educated optometrist and mother of a toddler, juggling a professional life, motherhood, and being a loyal spouse. What happened? Well, she was beaten by her husband and sustained the fracture when she was Read More …
Dr. Rose Zeta-Capeding receives the Dr. Jose P. Rizal Award trophy and gold medallion for research. I am blissfully married and a proud mother to three young men. My husband Leo knows that I am also engaged in another love affair, a sweet and enduring one. And he approves, so do my sons. This love affair is with research, and it started during my pediatric residency training. I can still remember vividly the excitement and the long nights, the discovery of meaningful developments, the joy of reading medical journals, the eagerness to prepare something thorough and relevant. The excitement I felt continued up to my postgraduate internship, my fellowship in infectious diseases and it has lasted till now. My husband was never jealous and my relationship with my sons never soured despite this other ongoing and never-ending love affair. I could not ask for more. This is the best life. So last May 23, the family accompanied me to Vigan, Ilocos Sur, to attend the 107th annual convention hosted by the Philippine Medical Association (PMA). Being included as one of the 15 finalists for the coveted Dr. Jose P. Rizal Memorial Awards is a proud moment for my family. With them around, I was the proudest wife, mom and doctor. While individual citations were being read on stage for the top awardees for Community Leadership (Dr. Purisima A. Bueno), Government Service (Dr. Maria Victoria M. Abesamis), Clinical Practice (Dr. Bonaleth M. De Vera) and Academe (Dr. Estrella B. Paje-Villar), I Read More …
MANILA, Philippines – Romeo Gutierrez holds his 30th one-man show titled “Figurative Abstraction,” which opens on July 2 at ArtAsia Gallery, fourth floor, Artwalk, SM Megamall A, Mandaluyong City. The show runs until July 16. For inquries, call or SMS 0907-4420284 or email phynnebarnett@yahoo.com.sg. Gutierrez is a former board of director and vice president of the Art Association of the Philippines.
In a previous article, we have written about how the Philippines is blessed in many different ways (see There’s More in the Philippines, 13 January 2014). We pointed out the many good things in our country, such as the strong GDP growth brought about by OFW remittances and BPOs because of the unique talent and personality of the Filipino. We also cited the reforms that were instituted and PNoy’s focus on governance, which created a secular bull market for stocks. For this article though, we will put the spotlight on one of our country’s biggest blessings – mineral resources. More minerals in the Philippines In order to highlight our natural resources, we came out with a series of articles about our country’s main metal exports (see What is Nickel?, 22 November 2010, The ‘Red Metal’, 29 November 2010, and Gold Sparkles, 13 December 2010). Although these were written more than 3 years ago, the fact remains that much of our country’s wealth remains underground. According to the DENR, the Philippines is ranked as the 5th most mineralized country in the world. Rich in many metals, research firms have estimated that our total mineral reserves amount to as much as US$1.5 trillion – more than 5x our total GDP! The unique Philippine nickel situation Although the Philippines is known for being rich in gold and copper, it is also rich in another mineral – nickel. Nickel’s main characteristic is its high melting point and exceptional resistance to corrosion, making it a Read More …
MANILA, Philippines – Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), the country’s biggest power distributor, has extended the interim power supply agreements it entered into with independent power producers, a ranking official said. This is on the back of the tight supply situation in the Luzon Grid. Meralco senior vice-president and head of Customer Retail Services Al Panlilio said that the power distributor extended three agreements until July and October. “Global Business Power and 1590 extended from July 1 to October 31 2014. Also, Panasia is extended until July 31 2014,” Panlilio said. Meralco has signed power supply agreements that could provide up to 204 megawatts in much needed additional capacity from April to June 30 as part of efforts to help lessen the company’s exposure to volatile prices at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM). WESM is the country’s trading floor for electricity. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Meralco had signed separate agreements with Global Business Power’s Toledo Power Co. for up to 28 MW and an option for additional 9 MW and with Panay Power Corp. for up to 27 MW both covering the period April 1 to June 30. It also signed agreements with 1590 Energy Corp. for up to 140 MW in capacity and associated energy output from its 225-MW Bauang Power Plant in La Union and with PanAsia Energy Inc. for the purchase of up to a maximum capacity of 270 megawatts (MW) from April to June. Furthermore, Meralco is also supporting Interruptible Load Program (ILP) Read More …
Some months ago before it was publicly announced, Ramon Ang told me he intended to buy a minority position in GMA 7. It was said in passing over lunch while we were talking about other things. I couldn’t dismiss it as just another item in RSA’s shopping spree. I had to ask him the most obvious question. Why? It made sense for MVP to want GMA 7 but RSA himself said a long time ago that owning media is just a headache. What made him change his mind? His answer was quick: content. He said he was buying GMA 7 because content is now the name of the game. What he said is true and I expressed the suspicion he was listening to too many speeches of MVP and Gabby Lopez. Both have been saying “content is king” for years now. Not so. RSA said he finds time to read the latest business magazines and journals. He said he gets a lot of ideas from his readings, including how to provide passengers of Philippine Airlines a state of the art entertainment system without costing them or the airline an arm and a leg. Still, there didn’t seem to be any obvious synergy for GMA 7 with the conglomerate he has assembled so far for San Miguel. I knew he owned some personal interest in Solar News but GMA 7 requires a lot more serious money. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 So I asked him where he Read More …
MANILA, Philippines – JG Summit Holdings Inc. is increasing its capital spending by nearly a quarter to P44 billion this year to support key initiatives of its operating units. Core earnings of the conglomerate are projected to grow by double-digit this year on the back of continued expansion of its property, snacks and petrochemical businesses, and higher dividend income from investments in power generation and telecommunications, its top executive said. JG Summit president and chief operating officer Lance Y. Gokongwei said the P44.2-billion capital spending will drive the growth of the company this year. The amount was 23 percent higher than the P35.9 billion spent in 2013. Of the total, P16 billion will go to Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC), P14.1 billion for budget carrier Cebu Air Inc., P9 billion for snacks and beverage giant Universal Robina Corp. (URC), P5 billion for JG Summit Petrochemicals Corp. and P100 million for Robinsons Bank Corp. “The economy is growing very well and we’d like to participate in that (through) food, property, chemicals, bank and airline,” Gokongwei said. In particular, URC will commission a creamer factory in Vietnam and a bioethanol facility in the Philippines. It will also complete the construction of a factory in central Vietnam while improving its selling systems in Indonesia and Thailand. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 RLC, for its part, has opened five malls in fiscal year ending September 2014 while two more are in the construction stage. It will also launch P6 billion to Read More …
MANILA, Philippines – Nisce Skin ‘n Face recently launched Rocco Nacino (photo) as its newest addition to the brand’s pool of celebrity endorsers. According to Nisce Skin ‘n Face COO and chief aesthetician, Antoinette Nisce, Rocco possesses the qualities they look for an endorser. “We are meticulous in all we do, as this would reflect the quality of our products and services, the same goes with choosing our endorsers. We are thorough in choosing who will best represent our brand, and we found Rocco Nacino to fit the bill.” Facials and other skin treatments are not just for women; and women should not be the only ones conscious about how they look, as men should also take time and effort to look and feel good. Out of the wide selection of services offered at Nisce Skin, Rocco shares that his favorite is the facial and skin rejuvenation treatments, particularly IPL (Intense Pulse Light) for total skin rejuvenation. He also loves Silk Peel which is microdermabrasion, a treatment to remove dead epidermal cells, with dermal infusion of serums for whitening, anti- aging and anti-acne treatments. He also treats himself to Nisce’s SPA services for relaxation. For details, visit www.nisceskin.com, follow Nisce Skin ’n Face on Instagram: www.instagram.com/nisceskin and Facebook: www.facebook.com/Nisceskin.