Clarence Delgado dreams of becoming a doctor someday.
Feb 282015
Feb 282015
ACER Aspire Switch 12 A company official worth his salt visits the markets where his firm maintains a presence in order to help local teams strategize and expand the business. Often, officials go on these trips to look into the problems of local teams and identify new game plans and policies to further raise revenues and market shares. But for Oliver Ahrens, senior vice president of multinational hardware and electronics firm Acer Inc., his first trip to the Philippines last week marked a departure from his normal experience. “Usually, I only come to a country when there is a need to. The Philippines is an exemption. The Philippines is, really, for us something like a poster boy for business,” Ahrens says during a briefing last week. ACER Iconia Tab 10 A3-A20FHD “If you ask me, the Philippines has, in Asia Pacific, the best go-to-market strategy, and the best new production introduction (NPI) process. Positioning products, and communicating these to the distribution channels—nobody is doing it as good as the Philippines. And this one of the reasons for our high market share here. For me, it is also a learning trip to understand a little bit more how [things are] done here,” he explains. True enough, Acer Philippines Inc. expects to sustain its strong momentum this year, with revenues projected to grow by a double-digit pace anew, while its market share in key product segments could further rise to cement its foothold in the local market. “The Philippines for us is Read More …
Feb 282015
MANILA, Philippines – Listed Filipino-owned construction and engineering firm Megawide Corp. is retooling itself from being a contractor for high-rise residential developments to becoming the country’s leading infrastructure developer. Megawide has been steadily changing its focus and advanced building methodologies towards the improvement of Philippine infrastructure. “This continues to be an exciting time for Megawide which has seen tremendous growth in the last five years,” the company said. “It continues to be a strong performer in the industry, breaking ground with new construction methodologies that allow for faster and more efficient building techniques,” it added. Megawide’s vision is now evolving to apply its core competence in construction and engineering towards uplifting Philippine infrastructure, “contributing to this key strategy in promoting sustainable economic growth in the country.” To date, Megawide is engaged in five out of nine awarded Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 These include Phase 1 and 2 of the Philippine School Infrastructure Project with the Department of Education, the modernization of the Philippine Orthopedic Center with the Department of Health, the Mactan Cebu International Airport Passenger Terminal Building and the Integrated Transport System – Southwest Terminal Project, both with the Department of Transportation and Communications. “The building sector has the highest concentration of projects within the Aquino government’s PPP program, and Megawide’s core competence as a builder is noticeably central to each of its PPP projects,” the company said. Megawide, which started as a contractor for residential towers particularly those of Read More …
Feb 282015
The camp of Senator Bong Revilla Jr. will likely file a motion asking the Sandiganbayan for permission to visit his son, Cavite Vice Gov. Jolo Revilla whom the family says accidentally shot himself while cleaning a gun on Satruday morning. The senator’s legal counsel Ramon Esguerra, the incident will most likely prompt their camp to make a legal move to formalize the visit. “I believe it is most likely that we will ask the Court to permit him to visit his son at the hospital. I have no details about the incident but I am sure the matter will be duly investigated,” Esguerra said. The senator is currently at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center over graft cases in relation to the pork barrel scam. “Let us in the meantime heed the plea of the family to join them in praying for Vice Governor Jolo Revilla’s speedy and full recovery,” Esguerra said. The younger Revilla was brought to a hospital on Saturday after he reportedly sustained a gunshot wound to his upper right chest when he accidentally pulled the trigger while cleaning a gun at the family’s Ayala Alabang home. His mother, Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla and brother Bacoor Mayor Strike Revilla are already at the ICU of the Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Muntinlupa City where he is currently confined. — Andrei Medina/JDS, GMA News
Feb 282015
A military assault on Islamic militants in the southern Philippines entered its fifth day on Saturday, with the toll rising to 24 guerrillas and two soldiers dead, officials said. Ten Abu Sayyaf militants were killed in a two-hour clash on Friday after the army pounded their jungle lair on Jolo island with artillery and helicopter gunships, said Colonel Alan Arrojado, who is leading the assault. Another 14 rebels and two troops had been killed since the fighting erupted on Tuesday, he said. Battles were raging in the mountainous and thickly forested villages of Patikul town, an area controlled by Abu Sayyaf, a group of a few hundred gunmen with links to the Al-Qaeda network. The militants were reportedly moving with three Malaysian Jemaah Islamiyah members who were providing them with bomb-making training, military spokesman Colonel Restituto Padilla told AFP. “This (assault) will not stop until we put an end to the Abu Sayyaf,” Padilla said. The Malaysians have been “monitored for some time” he said. The Abu Sayyaf in the past have harboured JI militants, including Umar Patek and Dulmatin, key suspects in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people. The group is currently holding at least seven hostages, according to the military. A German couple that they had held captive for six months were freed in October last year with the bandits claiming they were paid 250 million pesos ($5.7 million) in ransom. Despite receiving training assistance from the United States, the Philippines has struggled to contain Read More …
Feb 272015
NEW YORK — Uber says a database containing the names and drivers’ license numbers of 50,000 of its drivers was breached in May. The ride-sharing service says it has notified the drivers and hasn’t received any reports of the information being misused. Uber says it will offer a one-year membership in Experian’s ProtectMyID Alert identity theft protection service to the drivers involved. The company said Friday the breach affects drivers in multiple states, but involves only a “small percentage” of its current and former drivers. Uber says it discovered a potential breach in September. It announced the events in a statement posted on its blog and described them as a one-time occurrence. The San Francisco company says it has changed the access protocols for its database to prevent similar breaches. Uber is the latest company to report a data breach in recent months. Others include retailer Home Depot, health insurer Anthem and Sony Pictures Entertainment. The problems can be costly as well as damaging to consumers’ perception of a company. Uber is privately-held and valued at $40 billion. It lets passengers summon cars through an app in more than 250 cities worldwide, but faces multiples legal and regulatory challenges as it expands in the United States and abroad. The company has been criticized over the thoroughness of the background checks it does on drivers and other safety issues as well as its method of raising prices when demand goes up. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Earlier Read More …
Feb 272015
Wardrobe malfunctions, stolen Oscar gown, and a worldwide debate over the color of a dress!
Feb 272015
Defense Secretary Volatire Gazmin, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas attend the 5th public hearing on the Mamasapano incident. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Even as the government has yet to formally demand the surrender of Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters involved in the bloody Jan. 25 clash in Mamasapano, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the Moro group can show good faith by committing to turn over their men at the appropriate time. “Wala pang kapangyarihan to compel the surrender of MILF members. Kung gusto ipakita ng MILF ang good faith, napakalaking confidence-building measure kung ngayon pa lang [ay] magpahayag na sila na i-susurender ang mga miyembro sa tamang panahon,” De Lima told reporters before the resumption of the Senate hearing on the Mamasapano clash. De Lima reiterated that there is no demand yet from the government for the MILF to surrender their members involved in the encounter which left 44 PNP-Special Action Force commandos and 18 MILF fighers dead. On Monday, De Lima was asked by Sen. Ralph Recto if the government has a standing demand for the MILF to yield their fighters involved in the clash. To which, De Lima replied: “We have no coercive power at this point to demand that they (MILF) surrender those involved. “We have to find out first exactly what happened, who are involved, identify them precisely, and when the proper time comes there would be appropriate legal processes like the issuance of subpoena at the preliminary investigation Read More …
Feb 272015
Business groups seeking a chance to win the P35.4-billion Cavite Laguna Expressway (Calax) project, now on its second bidding round, are being given until May 19 this year to prepare and submit their proposals, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said in a published notice Friday. The notice, formally known as an invitation to bid, marks the start of the rebidding process for the 45.5-kilometer tollroad, which aims to spur development in areas south of Metro Manila while reducing road congestion. The project is among the larger public private partnership (PPP) deals rolled out by the Aquino administration. But it ran into trouble in 2014 when bidder San Miguel Corp. sought President Aquino’s intervention in June last year, following its disqualification over a typographical error on its bid bond. Malacañang in late 2014 sided with SMC, given that its P20.1-billion “premium offer” was about P8.4 billion higher than the amount being offered by a consortium between Ayala Corp. and a unit of Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., which emerged as the frontrunner after SMC was removed from the running. As expected, the current rebid process will include the P20.1-billion floor price, the DPWH invite showed. This is to match SMC’s premium offer, which is an amount that comes on top of the cost to build the tollroad. The expressway project will also be auctioned under a single-stage process, meaning a single submission for pre-qualification, technical and financial proposals on May 19, to save time. Assuming the project is awarded Read More …
Feb 272015
MANILA, Philippines – Four of the biggest names in Philippine business are joining forces to form a powerhouse team that hopes to snag the government’s largest Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project to date. Holding firm Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. (AEV), real estate giants Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) and Megaworld Corp., and SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPH) have teamed up for the first time to form Trident Infrastructure and Development Corp., a consortium which yesterday filed the pre-qualification documents with the Department of Public Work and Highways for the P123.8-billion Laguna Lakeshore Expressway and Dike Project. With its bid, Trident hopes to design, construct, operate and maintain the Laguna Lake Expressway-Dike Project under the PPP program of the government. Under the agreement of the four big Filipino companies, each of the members will have an equal share of 25 percent in the project. Trident will combine the infrastructure expertise, reclamation and land development experience of AEV, ALI, Megaworld and SMPH. The consortium is also seen to benefit from the combined financial muscle and the national and international network of experts the four companies have. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “Trident brings together the expertise, experience, financial strength, and network that is needed to successfully execute a project the size and scale of Laguna Lakeshore Expressway and Dike Project,” the consortium said. “Trident is a joint venture company incorporated formed for purposes of pre-qualifying for the bidding and evaluating the feasibility of the project,” the super team added. San Read More …