What are the issues relating to starting and growing - from brainstorming to business plan construction - a business? Are you an entrepreneur? Share your stories. Post away :)

I’ll take a stab at this thread. My responses below are random thoughts that popped up strictly from experience (versus MBA school) and limited to what I’ve done here in the US.

Don’t believe everything you hear including what I say here. Validate the information to make sure the advice you hear is true or false. When we started our health care business four years ago, we got advice left and right from well meaning people who seem to be in “the know”. For example, we were told that our capital need will be in excess of $250,000 in order for us to succeed. We were able to do it at less than $100,000 by avoiding consultants, Do ItYourself whenever possible, and learning the business like the back of your hand.

Going into a business with a partner is like going on a long trip with someone. It is always easy to find someone to come along with you, but not as easy to get rid of them if the relationship sours. :bash: If you can do it alone, grab the opportunity. Don’t go into partnership with someone just because he’s you’re old classmate or he’s your best drinking buddy. :cheers: Compatibility in personality, values, integrity and goals are more important. What is that potential partner bringing on the table to increase the viability of success for the business? How does this person take winning or losing? Can they hang with you when the going gets tough? What about you? Can you work with someone or are you better at working alone?

Are you a risk taker? Can you walk down Tondo in the middle of the night and yell “Stelllllllaaaa”? (A la Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire) :ohno: Accept risk like a wicked mother in law. You’re stuck with her as long you’re married to her daughter called Business. If you’re truly serious about pursuing Business, ask yourself this question, “What’s the worst that can happen to me if I fail?” If you can get up after you stumble, go for it. Otherwise, look for other opportunities.

It takes money to make money. Do the budget and determine how much it will take to make the business succeed. Some people go into business with lots of inspiration but very little capital, not understanding that there’s a period of time when all you do is bleed before seeing any green.

Can you herd cats? Running a business means wearing many hats, knowing to juggle multiple tasks and working long hours for peanuts. If you have the skills and willing to make the sacrifice, the rewards are there.

It’s going to get worse before it gets better. :nuts:

my first venture into entrepreneurship was at the age of 10. my dad gave me an idea and that was to sell "agogo" (hindi yung dancer ha :lol:). agogo in negros refers to ice candy.

ang target market ko...mga laborers from the farm who would converge in the house to get their week's wages. they would be there in the front yard the entire saturday morning waiting for their names to be called by the office personnel supervising the payroll. in the meantime, umiikot ako with my styrofoam ice box selling agogo at 25 centavos per. mga 150 agogos yung binebenta ko per saturday. gross sales...P 37.50 . capital ko mga P15 to P18. going home with an extra P 20.00 per week wasn't all too bad in 1978 :)

i will always treasure that time when i was a kid. it did well to lay a foundation for future ventures.

I was supposed to email this to one of the forumers with whom I share a start-up project. Initially email was in mind but then I thought of posting it here instead for the benefit of all ;)

The 20 Most Important Questions In Business
Brett Nelson, 11.21.07, 6:30 PM ET
Forbes.com

excerpts.....


Companies fail for a host of reasons. Bad luck plays a role, sure, but disaster usually strikes because of a more fundamental flaw--in the original idea, the strategy, the execution or all of the above.

When it comes to building a business, even Warren Buffett would agree that no one can spot every opportunity or anticipate every threat. There are simply too many variables. And in an increasingly competitive global economy, those variables are changing faster than ever before.

What entrepreneurs can do is ask the core set of tough questions that govern the fate of any enterprise. Armed with those answers, they stand the best chance of beating some fairly dire odds: Studies estimate that just two-thirds of all start-ups survive the first two years, and less than half make it to the fourth.

Make no mistake: Digging for those answers is a grueling exercise--one that takes serious intellectual and emotional honesty. With any hope, the process begins long before money's been spent, products are built and customers are lost.

The real challenge, though, is to keep digging as the business grows. New opportunities and threats emerge, and yesterday's answers may not--and probably won't--suffice. Relentlessly asking the tough questions is how behemoths like Wal-Mart (nyse: WMT - news - people ), Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) and General Electric (nyse: GE - news - people ) stay on top.

With that in mind, we present the 20 most important questions entrepreneurs need to answer--and keep answering--to build their businesses. Some highlights:

What is your value proposition?

This is the single most important question of the bunch. If you can't explain--in three, jargon-free sentences or less--why customers need your product, you do not have a value proposition. Without a need, there is no incentive for customers to pay. And without sales, you have no business. Period.

Does your product address a viable market?

Entrepreneurs are passionate to a fault. Many fall in love with an idea before confirming that there's any viable market for it, let alone one large enough to attract investment capital. If a market doesn't yet exist--the toxic term of art here is "white space"--they assume they can create one. (Hint: There may be a reason for all that white space.)


What differentiates your product from the competitors'?

Few companies can rely on--let alone afford--clever marketing schemes to separate themselves from the competition. Yes, Starbucks (nasdaq: SBUX - news - people ) made people believe they wanted $4 caffeinated concoctions, and Louis Vuitton lulled people into shelling out $1,500 for denim handbags, but those are the exceptions that prove the rule. If you want to win in business, you need to offer something tangibly valuable that the competition doesn't. Examples: rock-bottom prices (Wal-Mart); ingenious product design (Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people )); extreme convenience (Fed Ex (nyse: FDX - news - people )).

How much cash do you need to survive the early years?

It doesn't matter how much money your business might make down the road if you can't get out of your garage. Plenty of business plans boast hockey-stick-style financial projections but run out of cash before the good times kick in. (Remember all those busted dot-com companies from the tech boom?) Three words: Mind the cash.

What are your strengths?

Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ) writes powerful search algorithms; Steinway works wonders with wood; Cisco (nasdaq: CSCO - news - people ) sniffs out promising new technologies and buys them. Figure out what you're good at and stick to it. An obvious notion, perhaps, but plenty of zealous entrepreneurs lose their way--especially when the world seems so full of possibilities.

How big is the threat of new entrants?

If you're smart enough to spy a profitable business opportunity, you can bet competition isn't far behind. Some barriers to entry--patented technology, a storied brand--are more fortified than others, but eventually someone will find a way to do what you do faster, cheaper and maybe even better. If not a direct competitor, then a substitute technology might take a chunk out of your hide. (Think what digital film did to Kodak.) The trick: building a loyal following before that happens.

How much power do your suppliers have?

Convincing customers to buy your products is tough enough without suppliers breaking your back. Basic rule of thumb: The fewer the number of suppliers, the more sway they have. Take the steel industry, which relies on a handful of companies for its iron feedstock. If two of those big guys should get together--as BHP Billiton (nyse: BBL - news - people ) and Rio Tinto (nyse: RTP - news - people ) have been discussing--they would have significant pricing power, potentially crimping steel producers' margins. On the flipside, beware getting hooked on low-cost providers who don't keep an eye on quality. ("Lead-laced" Barbie, anyone?)

Does the business scale?

Bill Gates plowed piles of money into developing the first copy of Microsoft Office. The beauty: Each additional copy of that software program costs next to nothing to produce. That's called scale--and it's the difference between modest wealth and obscene riches. What models don't scale? Think service businesses, where the need for people grows along with revenues.

What price will your customers pay?

Get this answer wrong and you could leave bags of money on the table--or worse, send customers running into the arms of the competition. When Apple sliced the price of its iPhone by a third after only two months on the market, even loyal customers screamed, forcing chief Steve Jobs to apologize and offer a partial rebate. Consultants get paid handsomely to help companies arrive at the right price. For more affordable advice, check out The Six-Step Guide To Pricing Your Product. Wannabe consultants should read How To Price Your Consulting Services.

How committed are you to making this happen?

About a year ago, Chuck Prince, recently resigned chief executive of Citigroup (nyse: C - news - people ), addressed a group at New York University's Stern School of Business. An audience member asked what life looked like at the helm of such a colossal firm. Prince responded that, save for a few exceptions, every evening for the next five months was already accounted for. Fair warning: If you want to run the show, get ready to give everything--and then some.

This is one skill that I don't have. I hope someone can teach me how to sell something.

I remember back in HS, we were selling pina polvoron for our entrepreneurship class and each of us had daily quota to meet. Just to meet my quota I sold my polvoron 50% off the original price. I just paid the loss I incurred just to meet the quota.

In elementary I already recognized that I don't have the faculty to do business. :ohno:

What are the issues relating to starting and growing - from brainstorming to business plan construction - a business? Are you an entrepreneur? Share your stories. Post away :)

@sinj... maybe you should post this in the Samahan or in the Economy subforum to get more responses. Suggestion lang.

This is one skill that I don't have. I hope someone can teach me how to sell something.

I remember back in HS, we were selling pina polvoron for our entrepreneurship class and each of us had daily quota to meet. Just to meet my quota I sold my polvoron 50% off the original price. I just paid the loss I incurred just to meet the quota.

In elementary I already recognized that I don't have the faculty to do business. :ohno:

You can learn it @soul. It just needs one good start-up project that you really believe in such that you can throw your heart and soul behind the venture. You'll be surprised you can do it.

Besides, business nowadays is not limited to selling or moving products. ;)

This is one skill that I don't have. I hope someone can teach me how to sell something.

I remember back in HS, we were selling pina polvoron for our entrepreneurship class and each of us had daily quota to meet. Just to meet my quota I sold my polvoron 50% off the original price. I just paid the loss I incurred just to meet the quota.

In elementary I already recognized that I don't have the faculty to do business. :ohno:


Got this from a book:

Forget about selling. People love to buy but hate to be sold. Concentrate on HELPING customers buy what's best for them.


meron na bang lumapit sa yo at pinilit kang bumili ng encyclopedia?

@amigo and @sugarboy - Thank you for the insights. :D Maybe one of these days I can have my own business... Let's see.

Question @soul. You seem to be a good writer. What kind of stuff do you like writing about? Something which you can really say you have a fair amount of expertise on.

?

@sinj... maybe you should post this in the Samahan or in the Economy subforum to get more responses. Suggestion lang.

I agree.

Question @soul. You seem to be a good writer. What kind of stuff do you like writing about? Something which you can really say you have a fair amount of expertise on.

?


Actually any topic under the sun as long as I know what I want to say to my readers. But most of my writings are personal perceptions, understandings, opinions, or ideas. Before I establish my views I always make sure that they are supported by theories, usually theories from mix fields.

Basta kung ano lang masagi sa utak ko. :D

mods, would it be possible to move this to the Economy Thread/Category?

@sinj... maybe you should post this in the Samahan or in the Economy subforum to get more responses. Suggestion lang.

mods, would it be possible to move this to the Economy Thread/Category?

Hope this is moved or else sayang itong thread na ito.

I always see alot of threads on Filipinos working abroad or foreign investments in The Philippines. How about Philippine businesses and their investments abroad.

Alot of Philippine companies big or small have invested overseas and some of them are very sucessful. And their list of clients doesn't just cater to Filipinos abroad but also the locals.

One prominent example would be San Miguel. San Miguel is one of the most successful Philippine companies in HK. It is also one of the leading beer products and are endorsed but some top HK celebrities such as Stephen Chow and Jet Li

IHdTLEGoKm4

What do you think?

those philippine dried mangoes from cebu along w/pnoy mango drink
i see them at costco
knorr sinigang/tamarind mix, i see them on our local mexican stores
so as mang thomas lechon salsa, theyre there

are you sure it's from cebu? hehehe, baka sa mexico galing yan.

^^ Yeah, Cebu is already exporting dried mangoes. :)

-----

@WANCH: The Lamoiyan Corp. has started to go abroad. Their first product to circulate in SE Asia is their Hapee toothpaste. Another one is SM, but to the Chinese market only since their malls abroad are all in China. I hope more and more Filipino companies would start to meet the world market. And I hope the world would accept the Philippines as a global market player as well. :D

are you sure it's from cebu? hehehe, baka sa mexico galing yan.

Dried mangoes are allowed into the US. Fresh mangoes from the Philippines aren't, but "Manila Mangoes" from Mexico are. ;)

Dried mangoes are allowed into the US. Fresh mangoes from the Philippines aren't, but "Manila Mangoes" from Mexico are. ;)


wala kayo nito?http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a325/cbuilt/DSC00025.jpg


sayang naman ang sarap nito, ang tamis:lol: hindi ko natiis kinain ko yung isa kahit wala pa ako sa bahay. hindi ko napigil:lol: zambales galing yan

^^ By way of Mexico, yes! :colgate: There are even little stickers on the fruit that says "Manila Mango, product of Mexico." Things that makes you go hmm....right? ;)

puros pagkain lang ata ang produktong pilipino - manga, niyog, saging, at JOLLIBEE pala. hindi na nabago ang status nating 'consumer economy'.

puros pagkain lang ata ang produktong pilipino - manga, niyog, saging, at JOLLIBEE pala. hindi na nabago ang status nating 'consumer economy'.

Yes Jollibee though their main clients are Filipinos living in that particular area. We have it in HK :D

puros pagkain lang ata ang produktong pilipino - manga, niyog, saging, at JOLLIBEE pala. hindi na nabago ang status nating 'consumer economy'.


hindi pa kasi natin kaya gumawa ng kotse na ang pangalan/brand ay "noypi":lol::lol::lol:

o robot na ang pangalan ay "huwan da botro"

^^ Yeah, Cebu is already exporting dried mangoes. :)

-----

@WANCH: The Lamoiyan Corp. has started to go abroad. Their first product to circulate in SE Asia is their Hapee toothpaste. Another one is SM, but to the Chinese market only since their malls abroad are all in China. I hope more and more Filipino companies would start to meet the world market. And I hope the world would accept the Philippines as a global market player as well. :D

there is an SM in Guam already :D
meron ding Bench sa Daly City, marami-rami na din ang jollibee/chowking/red ribbon dito, with a sprinkle of goldlocks/maxx.

i dont know tho if Seafood city is Philippine based... sabi sabi nila si PING daw ang may ari :D:nuts:

ang pinoy products na palagi kong nakikita naman sa mga groceries eh yung silverswan toyo/datu puti suka tapos yung patis,,, palagi yan sila :lol:

maybe we can include our beloved/be-hated abscbn... may myx kase dito :D puro english naman... :ohno:

there's bench in shanghai i've seen it there last time...some food products, fruits (mostly bananas), candies, biscuits, beer can be seen in local supermarkets in china and taiwan...the rest from the pinoy stores or store;s selling imported goods.

there is an SM in Guam already :D
meron ding Bench sa Daly City, marami-rami na din ang jollibee/chowking/red ribbon dito, with a sprinkle of goldlocks/maxx.

i dont know tho if Seafood city is Philippine based... sabi sabi nila si PING daw ang may ari :D:nuts:

ang pinoy products na palagi kong nakikita naman sa mga groceries eh yung silverswan toyo/datu puti suka tapos yung patis,,, palagi yan sila :lol:

maybe we can include our beloved/be-hated abscbn... may myx kase dito :D puro english naman... :ohno:

Ai meron na bang SM sa Guam? 'Di ko alam eh. :D

Gustung-gusto ko ung tagline ng Bench ngayon - "Born in Manila; sold in the world." -- > Panalo!

there's bench in shanghai i've seen it there last time...some food products, fruits (mostly bananas), candies, biscuits, beer can be seen in local supermarkets in china and taiwan...the rest from the pinoy stores or store;s selling imported goods.

The Bench I saw in Shanghai was Bench Body.

^^ By way of Mexico, yes! :colgate: There are even little stickers on the fruit that says "Manila Mango, product of Mexico." Things that makes you go hmm....right? ;)

manila mango from mexico isn't really from manila right? they just call it manila.

why dont they allow fresh mangoes from the philippines? our mangoes are the sweetest pa naman

^^ It's a variety of the mangoes grown in the Philippines, hence they just tagged the name "Manila" to it. Our fresh mangoes aren't allowed in the US since they have to pass FDA regulations fit for import into the country.

manila mango from mexico isn't really from manila right? they just call it manila.

why dont they allow fresh mangoes from the philippines? our mangoes are the sweetest pa naman

well we could always do something about it, we'll call our mail order brides,...mexican mail order brides from manila...


take that mexico...:lol:

do Philippines telcos and banks have presence abroad?

mostly remmitance center nakikita ko :lol:

mostly remmitance center nakikita ko :lol:

Yes they are present in HK with Metrobank or BPI. But these banks also have offices in HK which is not just remmitances but also the bank's interests in the region.

mostly remmitance center nakikita ko :lol:

Iremit - might be our future equivalent to the western union - it's the only pse listed remittance company. but i'm not updated of the number of branches they have now

PNB, Metro, BPI and Landbank have a lot of branches and rep office abroad.


@wanch i didn't really noticed that Body word after Bench. all i can remember is i saw Bench:lol:

How about LBC? also that Atlas shipping company which is owned by Rico Puno

^ilang balikbayan na ba ang napapadala mo at nangongomisyon ka kay rico j

^^ :lol: ano yun? pwedeng mangumisyon?

may percentage share(kita/komisyon) ka raw for every balikbayan box sent na ikaw ang agent. lol

in UK - Farochilen Group of Companies (dealing with remittance, travel agencies, balikbayan boxes and retail goods), UMAC Forex - deals with balikbayan boxes, PNB & Allied have banks in UK regulated under FSA - Financial Services Authority in UK and they also offer remittance services. Iremit, Metrobank, BPI and other remittance centers are plenty as well in UK

How about those Philippine companies that are listed, and/or having operations abroad...

PLDT is one... IMI too... and SPI.

You could add to the list

There is a BPI branch in Los angeles and New York City. LBC is in the US also as my wifes friend is working there in san francisco. Dried cebu mangoes are in costco. My best friends in fresno buy these allthe time and they are the same that you buy in mercury drug only in the 500g bags. Jollibee is in california although it is quite a failure cause jollibee in comparison to mcdonalds and the such is considered much lower quality so noone goes. In San Diego, there is a jollibee that no matter when i went by it there was no more than 2 cars in the drive thru and the building was very small. PLDT does not have operations in the US as well as any other philippine telco company. They are not in the US. Only pldt is on the New York Stock Exchange though. I have not seen bench or penshoppe or any other philippine clothing company in the US in california, but that doesn't mean its not there. I did hear that there is a goldilocks in las vegas and Los angeles.

there is a goldilocks here in Concord, Ca, malaki siya in fairness :D

PNB and RCBC

diba may red ribbon sa US?

'Yun ding ni-purchase ng Jollibee na giant fast food chain din sa China. :D

Chwoking nalang kasi ipromote nila instead of Jolibee. Masmasarap pa!

Puwedeng pumatok at maging world-renowned ang halo-halo natin. Dito sa amin, marami-raming Koreano ang nagChochowking.

^^ I think they should do something with the variety of their foods. :)

masarap din naman ang greenwich pero talo sila sa papa johns :P

diba may red ribbon sa US?

yup, pero mas masarap ang gawa sa Pinas. yung ube cake sa US parang dry. :puke:

baka fake ang ube ginamit. coloring lang?

Major Filipino brand ignites local competition
Goldilocks empire poses a new threat to independent merchants at Main Street and 12th (http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=a6453a80-0418-4365-9432-6d907684f66b)

The area around St. Patrick's Catholic Parish on Main Street at 12th Avenue is home to a smattering of independent businesses that cater to Vancouver's growing Filipino community.

The church's congregation is predominantly Filipino, with some estimates as high as 90 per cent; and these bakeries, restaurants and grocery stores -- most just a hop and a skip from the church -- are at their busiest after weekend mass services. Basically, the line-ups start when church ends.

Many observers wouldn't have noticed it, but a few weeks ago, a well-known brand name from the Philippines opened its doors in a compact but prime location here, smack against the church's north wall.

The arrival of Goldilocks, a bakery and restaurant chain with some 300 locations in the Philippines and a storied history going back to the mid-1960s, is, for some, akin to Starbucks landing on Commercial Drive's mom-and-pop cappuccino strip a few years ago.

On a recent weekday, Julie Soriano and Norma Surilla nod at this comparison over a morning coffee at this new Goldilocks. The women -- both long-time Vancouver residents who grew up in the Philippines -- say sitting here reminds them of home.

"It's famous in our place. Once Filipinos see the brand -- it's very popular -- they feel like they are in their own country. Even if you are rich or you are a star, [Goldilocks] is the first place you go to," said Surilla.

Across the street and down a block, business at Aling Mary's Filipino Store, a bakery and grocery outlet, hasn't yet seen any impact, good or bad, from Goldilocks, according to manager Raelynne Reyes, but she acknowledges in a phone interview that "they are a huge chain and we are just an independent local company."

Goldilocks was started in 1966 when two sisters from a Chinese-Filipino family in Manila, Milagros Leelin Yee and Clarita Leelin Go, decided to go into business. In particular, they were known for making fancy cakes for special occasions such as baptisms, birthdays, graduations and weddings.

Today, more than 3,500 employees work for the Goldilocks' empire. It spans 300 locations across the Philippines, almost 20 in the U.S., and, now, two in Vancouver.

All of the North American branches are company-owned and run by family members, who migrated from the Philippines in the mid-1970s. About half of the locations in the Philippines are franchises.

In a service that has helped further endear it to Filipino expatriates wanting to stay in touch with farflung friends and relatives, the company ships its trademark tarts, cookies, brioches, and rolls across North America in small quantity, door-to-door, care package-like deliveries.

For example, you can send a young coconut pie to someone in Nunavut (customers have done this) or a sampler bag of pan de sal dinner rolls and shortbread-like polvoron to Yellowknife (again, it's been done.)

You can even help cater someone's birthday celebration in the Philippines by arranging for plates of Goldilocks' party food -- everything from baked macaroni to barbecued meat trays -- to arrive on their doorstep, much like you might use a florist. The delivery charge for Metro Manila is just $8, while more provincial destinations cost $15.

In the U.S., large factories and processing plants in northern and southern California serve the company's branches, plus wholesale clients such as Costco Warehouse and the Marriott hotel chain.

In Vancouver, it is comparatively a much smaller operation. Since 1984, the company has had a retail presence on West Broadway at Fir, just off the Burrard bridge. It ships product to a few Asian food chains, making everything at the 5,000-square-foot [465-square-metre] Broadway location.

The company's original founders and most of their children now manage growing operations in California and Nevada, or have returned to do the same in the Philippines, but one of the daughters, 39 year-old Maj Yee, has remained in Vancouver and currently oversees the Canadian business.

Yee doesn't take credit for the Main Street location next to St. Patrick's Church, which is also home to an elementary and high school. She had been targeting expansion in Surrey or Richmond when property developers approached her with the idea.

She hopes that igniting competition among Filipino merchants here will only widen the pie for everyone. "It's good because it also allows us to broaden the reach of Filipino food," said Yee

Dried mangoes are allowed into the US. Fresh mangoes from the Philippines aren't, but "Manila Mangoes" from Mexico are. ;)

^^ It's a variety of the mangoes grown in the Philippines, hence they just tagged the name "Manila" to it. Our fresh mangoes aren't allowed in the US since they have to pass FDA regulations fit for import into the country.
mangoes from the philippines (specifically from guimaras) have been allowed exportation to the US for a few years. i believe mangoes from other regions are now allowed as well except palawan. look it up. :)

^^ It's a variety of the mangoes grown in the Philippines, hence they just tagged the name "Manila" to it. Our fresh mangoes aren't allowed in the US since they have to pass FDA regulations fit for import into the country.

Aren't mangoes from Guimaras available in the US anymore? They were branded as Philippine Super Mangoes.

New levels of production and exports of banana from Philippines displaces the Ecuadorean fruit in Asian markets. In less than a year, Ecuador lost half of its market in Japan and the tendency is decreasing.

Sales in 2006 reached USD 27.1 millions; last year it only reached USD 15.5 million. Ecuadorean growers are concerned that this trend will occur in other markets such as the Middle East and the EU too.

The Philippines are the most "dangerous" competitor for Ecuador, even more than Colombia and Costa Rica, declared some Ecuadorean exporters. Philippines has 40,000 hectares with a capacity of 120 million boxes per year.

Unifruit a Philippine-based firm will replace 5,000 hectares of rice plantations with bananas during the next five years with expectations to double its production. On the other hand, Ecuador reduced sales to the traditional markets: Italy, US, Germany and Spain. In spite of that, global exports continue to increase. In 2007, sales reached USD 1,250.9 million, 5,7% more than 2006. This is due to increasing exports to markets such as Russia, Belgium, former Yugoslavia, and Argentina among others.

According to Sergio Seminario, grower and exporter of bananas from Ecuador, the Philippines are the most important competitor from Ecuador. It overpasses Colombia and it is almost exporting the levels of Costa Rica. "Bananas from Philippines will not compete only in Asia but will look for new markets where Ecuador has exports. Colombia and Costa Rica have captive markets and will not be affected"

There is a general concern on the necessity to take care of Asian markets. Pompilio Espinosa, president at the Federación de la Cámaras de Productores de Banano, argues "the only thing we need is that government and banana growers/exporters define a certain policy".

Tariffs are also of a main concern for Ecuadorean exporters as Eduardo Ledesma, from AEBE argues, "middle East countries such as Syria, Iran, and Egypt have high tariffs of up to 32%. This does not include shipping costs of 25 days".

According to Ledesma, Costa Rica and Honduras have a special agreement with China to sale bananas in exchange of home appliance products. “We don't have this kind of agreements and we risk to lose these markets. It is urgent to strengthen commercial links and reduce trade obstacles”.

Publication date: 4/9/2008
Author: Jahir Lombana (http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=19723)
Copyright: www.freshplaza.com

those philippine dried mangoes from cebu

yea for $10.. :lol:

we have a lot of philippine exported goods here in America.

Manila's Ayala enters Indian real estate market
http://in.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idINMAN5403020080421

MANILA, April 21 (Reuters) - The Philippines' biggest property developer Ayala Land (ALI.PS: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday an affiliate would form a joint venture with India's Mahindra Group to build an exclusive residential development in Chennai.

Mahindra will own 51 percent of the joint venture and the remainder will be owned by an investment vehicle controlled by ARCH Capital, an affiliate of Ayala Land.

Neither company said how much they would invest in the tie-up, which will be called Mahindra Residential Developers Ltd.

"This joint venture through ARCH Capital represents Ayala's first major foray into the Indian real estate market," said Fernando Zobel de Ayala, chairman of Ayala Land, in a statement.

"The Indian market is very attractive and we see many opportunities for joint development and partnerships in the future, not only in residential real estate development but even in high-growth areas such as business process outsourcing."

Ayala Land's entry into the Indian property market comes amid fears of a possible halt to a local real estate boom, as overseas demand for Philippine apartments and houses is hit by the slowdown in the United States.

The joint venture with Mahindra will involve 750 residential units being built on around 55 acres in the Mahindra World City in Chennai, the largest city in south India.

Ayala Land -- controlled by the Philippines' richest family, the Spanish-Filipino Zobel de Ayalas -- builds upscale malls, hotels, high-rise offices and residential condominiums and villages in the Philippines.

Its shares finished 2.3 percent down on Monday at 10.5 pesos, underperforming the general index which was 0.9 percent weaker. (Reporting by Carmel Crimmins; Editing by David Holmes)

^^ It's a variety of the mangoes grown in the Philippines, hence they just tagged the name "Manila" to it. Our fresh mangoes aren't allowed in the US since they have to pass FDA regulations fit for import into the country.

Marami lang arte ang FDA. Naniniwala ka ba na walang halong kemikal yung mga pagkain na binibili dito? Bakit yung iba 'organic' kuno ang mga binebenta sa merkado dito?

^^ Masarap nga ang mga "organic" foods dito na loaded, mura, masarap at malalaki... kaya siguro lumalaki ang aking ti..........











yan... :lol:


So far, maliit pa dede ko... :nuts:

^^:lol:

@askal that's why the chinese in the mainland are curious why other countries especially the us are saying their products are poisonous when in fact they live longer than them:lol: as usual it's business with politics that is going on.

by the way, Chowking is not ours it is taiwanese company

guys this are the list na alam ko mga company na nag-iinvest sa ibang bansa

Real Estate

Ayala - India
- USA
- HongKong
Eton - China
- Russia
- Australia ata?
SM - China
- alam ko may plano din sila ti invest in Vietnam

Water

Manila Water - India

Construction

EEI - Middle East

Banking

May isang banko ata di ko maalala kung RCBC ,bank of commerce etc.ang may agreement sa isang bansa sa africa or central america na sila ang mga hahandle ng Central Bank nila

Port Operator

International Container Terminal Services,Inc.(ICTSI)-
Philippines
Brazil
Poland
Australia
Madagascar
Japan
Indonesia
Mauritius
Cayman Islands
Bermuda.

ayan lang po!

^^:lol:

@askal that's why the chinese in the mainland are curious why other countries especially the us are saying their products are poisonous when in fact they live longer than them:lol: as usual it's business with politics that is going on.

by the way, Chowking is not ours it is taiwanese company

I thought Chowking is owned / partially owned by Tony Tan Ciaktong, owner of Jollibee and Greenwich. San Miguel is also the the largest food conglomerate in SEAsia and owns the biggest food conglomerate in Australia. :)

guys this are the list na alam ko mga company na nag-iinvest sa ibang bansa

Real Estate

Ayala - India
- USA
- HongKong
Eton - China
- Russia
- Australia ata?
SM - China
- alam ko may plano din sila ti invest in Vietnam

Water

Manila Water - India

Construction

EEI - Middle East

Banking

May isang banko ata di ko maalala kung RCBC ,bank of commerce etc.ang may agreement sa isang bansa sa africa or central america na sila ang mga hahandle ng Central Bank nila

Port Operator

International Container Terminal Services,Inc.(ICTSI)-
Philippines
Brazil
Poland
Australia
Madagascar
Japan
Indonesia
Mauritius
Cayman Islands
Bermuda.

ayan lang po!

What's Eton's development in Russia?

What's Eton's development in Russia?

Sorry shimao ng china yung may project sa Russia nag-recall lang ako sa isip ko!:)

^^ Oh I see...:)

I thought Chowking is owned / partially owned by Tony Tan Ciaktong, owner of Jollibee and Greenwich. San Miguel is also the the largest food conglomerate in SEAsia and owns the biggest food conglomerate in Australia. :)

kid you're right sorry i didn't make it clear, it is 100% owned by Tan since 1999 or 2000 not sure about now. the name however is taiwanese/chinese company but unlike the philippines it's selling different producst like cakes and pastries. its not so successful here however compared to chowking there in the philippines.

i wonder if there's also a successful philippine company there owned by a pure filipino, not owned by chinese...spanish immigrants or by their 1st or 2nd, 3rd generations?

i wonder if there's also a successful philippine company there owned by a pure filipino, not owned by chinese...spanish immigrants or by their 1st or 2nd, 3rd generations?

There's one which is the Lamoyan Corporation :)

There produce the Hapee toothpaste and so is Gumtect and Kutitap

kid you're right sorry i didn't make it clear, it is 100% owned by Tan since 1999 or 2000 not sure about now. the name however is taiwanese/chinese company but unlike the philippines it's selling different producst like cakes and pastries. its not so successful here however compared to chowking there in the philippines.

Okies. :)

i wonder if there's also a successful philippine company there owned by a pure filipino, not owned by chinese...spanish immigrants or by their 1st or 2nd, 3rd generations?

ABS-CBN? Ilonggo Tycoon Oscar Lopez' father started the business and I think his grandson manages the company. Correction though. Pure Filipinos is not a matter of race, it's citizenship. You must've meant pure Filipino Malays. :)

^^ You guys heard of Diosdado Banatao (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S3_Graphics#History)

There's one which is the Lamoyan Corporation :)

There produce the Hapee toothpaste and so is Gumtect and Kutitap

ok thanks, hapee i know but gumtect and kutitap are they toothpaste too?

Okies. :)


ABS-CBN? Ilonggo Tycoon Oscar Lopez' father started the business and I think his grandson manages the company. Correction though. Pure Filipinos is not a matter of race, it's citizenship. You must've meant pure Filipino Malays. :)

kid when i refer to pure filipino, that means you would not immediately identify or relate him to be as tsinoy, mestizo katsila, etc. there's none pure anyway except for the atis:)

ok thanks, hapee i know but gumtect and kutitap are they toothpaste too?



kid when i refer to pure filipino, that means you would not immediately identify or relate him to be as tsinoy, mestizo katsila, etc. there's none pure anyway except for the atis:)

Yes they are toothpaste but Kutitap for example targets the low market.

^^ok thanks

^^ You guys heard of Diosdado Banatao (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S3_Graphics#History)

How inspiring. However, S3 is an American corporation not Filipino. We only wish S3 is a Filipino corporation though. :lol:

my first VGA chip was S3. hehehe
no idea na pinoy pala gumawa noon.

How inspiring. However, S3 is an American corporation not Filipino. We only wish S3 is a Filipino corporation though. :lol:

Baka hindi uunlad kasi si Mang Dado kung sa Pinas siya. :lol:


http://asianpacificfund.org/awards/img/DiosdadoPBanatao_1998.jpg
Diosdado P. Banatao
Partner, Mayfield Fund

Diosdado (Dado) P. Banatao is one of Silicon Valley's best-known and most successful entrepreneurs. Before joining Mayfield Fund in 1998, Dado founded three Silicon Valley semiconductor companies: S3 Inc., Chips+Technologies, Inc., and Mostron. He also serves as Chairman of SIRF Technology, Marvell Semiconductor, New Moon Software, Stream Machines, and Silicon Access - all privately held companies - and as a Board Member of ISSI.

A native of the Philippines, Dado looks for ways to translate his industry expertise and contacts into programs benefiting the Philippines. As Chairman of the Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC), Dado works with other Filipino Americans in this region to bring resources together to realize the Philippines' potential as a newly industrialized country by the year 2000.

On a personal level, Dado contributes both time and experience to companies and various institutions in the Philippines. In 1993, Dado was awarded both the Ellis Island Medal of Honor by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations and the Distinguished Asian Leadership Award by the Asian Business League of San Francisco. In 1997, he was honored by Ernst & Young, Inc. Magazine and Merrill Lynch Business Financial Services as "Master Entrepreneur of the Year."

^^ Kaya nga wish ko lang. Libreng managinip :lol:

^^ Kaya nga wish ko lang. Libreng managinip :lol:

Hehehe, I wish la wis-wis kawayan also about his success na sana sa Pinas lahat nangyari ito.
We met him in one of the IT seminar/conf pero iba ang tindida niya.
Alam ko kaagad na Pinoy si Banatao, yung kasama kong Pinoy from Oracle sabi, "pre' Pinoy ba talaga?" sabi ko, yeah, Banatao surname is from the mountain province( nanghula lang ako :lol:), "sige, paglapit natin sitsitan mo siya". Hehehe!
He is indeed a very nice person.

Di ba yung Super turbo charger, jeep and abaka net market di sa ibang bansa?

Boba craze comes to hip Midland cafe (http://www.mywesttexas.com/articles/2008/05/20/entertainment/food/xago_boba_5-21.txt)

Angelica Garcia saunters into Xago in the Mesa Verde shopping center and stares at the bright red furniture, plasma TV and the artwork hanging on the yellow walls.

"This place is so hip," she says under her breath, but loud enough for Xago owner Jingson Morales to hear.

Then, looking over the menu behind him she asks, "What is boba?"

"It's like gummy bears in your drink," Morales says, smiling. "It's chewy and sweet."

While boba has been the craze for the past eight years in cities such as Los Angeles, New York and even Houston, Xago has dubbed itself as the first to offer it in Midland.

Morales opened Xago (pronounced as sago) less than two months ago.

The Filipino native, who came to the United States in 2001, spent several months in Southern California, and knew about the popularity of Tapioca Express -- one of the first chains to serve the boba balls in smoothies, tea drinks or slushies.

Boba originates from Taiwan and other Asian countries such as the Philippines adapted it to their own traditional dishes.

Filipinos call the balls -- made of starch and cassava root -- sago. Hence the inspiration for Jingson's café.

The boba drink is also known as boba tea, pearl tea or bubble tea.

With the drink's popularity in Asia, a Taiwanese trio decided to introduce it in America. They opened Tapioca Express in El Monte, Calif. It was the first chain to popularize the drink in the United States.

More than 60 stores now comprise the chain in the United States in Canada, said spokeswoman Allyson Lin. Two Tapioca Express locations recently opened in Houston.

An entrepreneur's dream

The success of the chain has inspired other mom-and-pop stores, such as Morales'.

"I knew I always wanted my own business," the 25-year-old said. "And when I came to Midland and saw they didn't have anything like it, I decided to give it a try."

Jingson and his five sisters came to Midland to reunite with their parents, who had moved here in 1990 to work in the medical industry.

It took 11 years before the Department of Immigration approved his parents' petition to bring their children to the United States.

"We lived with aunts and uncles at the time," he said. "It was tough and it took a lot of adjustment for me to get use to living with my parents."

Morales said that he saw the sacrifice his parents made and wanted to make something of himself.

"I feel like I have a lot to prove of myself," he said, looking around his store.

And Xago just may be it, he said.

While sago in the Philippines often is sold by street vendors, Morales envisioned a trendy place for customers to spend several hours at a time.

Located at the corner of Midland Drive and Neely Avenue, Morales literally built Xago.

He, along with some friends, built countertops, table tops and part of the lighting fixtures.

"I would be here working from the moment I woke up until the moment I was ready to go to bed," he said.

A friend painted the artwork featured on his walls.

Morales added a touch of fun in his decor. Instead of customers writing on the furniture and bathroom walls, he hung up some plywood and made it the "tagging wall" to hold people's creative expressions.

Because he's close to Lee High School, Xago Boba attracts the younger crowd.

After school and in the evenings, students come to Xago to hold study groups, play Rock Band on his plasma TV or challenge each other to board games.

Professionals and college students also come to have a boba tea while they use Xago's free wireless Internet access.

On any given day, more than 75 customers walk through Xago's doors, Morales said.

Parents come at the suggestion of their children. Others simply come for the drinks. "More than 70 percent of my first-time customers become regulars," Morales said.

Garcia walked into Xago out of curiosity, she says. She had taken her sister to the salon a few doors down and was drawn to the unusual name of the place.

After tasting a strawberry-mango smoothie with boba, she came back less than an hour later with her sister in tow.

"It's really good," the 31-year-old mother said. "I can't wait to bring my kids here. They would love it."

Cebu based products that grows internationally:

-Bo's Coffee- KSA (soon to expand in US)

-Penshoppe- Asia ( soon globally)

-Chika-an Restaurant- has branch somewhere in California



I've read this from Sun.Star Cebu, forgot the date though

Jollibee to buy majority stake in Taipei resto chain (http://http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=122259)

Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC), the country's largest fast food operator, is acquiring a majority stake in a restaurant chain in Taiwan through its wholly-owned unit Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd.

In a statement, the company said Jollibee Worldwide signed a joint venture agreement with owners of the Lao Dong restaurant business that is based in Taipei.

Under the terms, JFC will buy 70 percent of Lao Dong for P61.1 million. It will also invest P30.6 million in the joint venture while the present owners will invest another P13.1 million. The deal is expected to be completed within this year.

"The joint venture shall operate and expand the Lao Dong restaurant chains in Taiwan and in the People's Republic of China," JFC said.

"Further, the head and one of the present owners of the Lao Dong business, Mr. Liu Cheng Hsiung, shall assist the Jollibee group in developing food products and processing and preparation techniques for its business units in China, the Philipiines and other countries."

Currently, Lao Dong, which serves beef noodles as its core products, has eight stores and a commissary in Taipei. It has annual sales of NT 121.6 million.

JFC runs the largest quick food service network in the Philippines. As of April 30, 2008, it was operating a total of 1,469 stores in the Philippines and 194 stores overseas. Its popular brands include Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Delifrance and Red Ribbon

From another newspaper about Jollibee...

Business Mirror

Jollibee purchases Taiwan food chain
June 20, 2008
By Honey Madrilejos-Reyes
Reporter


THE Philippines’ biggest fast-food operator Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) is buying a controlling stake in one of Taiwan’s known restaurant chains for P61.1 million, its chief finance officer said.

The acquisition, said JFC’s Ysmael Baysa, was coursed through wholly owned unit Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd. (JWPL).

Baysa said JWPL signed on June 18 a joint-venture agreement with the owners of noodle house Lao Dong.

Under the terms, JWPL will buy 70 percent of Lao Dong for P61.1 million. It will also invest P30.6 million in a newly formed joint-venture company while the present owners will invest P13.1 million. The deal is expected to be completed within this year.

“The joint venture will operate and expand the Lao Dong restaurant chains in Taiwan and in the People’s Republic of China,” said Baysa.

At present, Lao Dong has eight stores and a commissary in Taipei, with annual sales reaching NT 121.6 million (P176 million). Founded in 1950, the full-service restaurant has beef noodles as its core product.

Meanwhile, market analysts described the latest investment of JFC as a good move, especially now that local food products are feeling the pressure of high inflation.

“This [purchase] balances the act aside from the fact that Lao Dong has a lot room to grow its expansion,” said an expert from a local brokerage house.

As of April 30, 2008, JFC was operating a total of 1,469 stores in the Philippines and 194 stores overseas. Its popular brands include Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Delifrance and Red Ribbon.

The company is also pursuing plans of expanding into India through acquisition of a brand.

JFC chairman and president Tony Tan Caktiong, in a previous interview, said the company is keen on acquiring a fast-food chain that specializes either in Chinese or Indian food.

“We are always on the lookout for opportunities in India,” he said.

GSIS eyes manager for $400-m fund (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business3_june24_2008)


State pension fund Government Service Insurance System is investing more funds overseas amid the slump in the local equities market.

GSIS president and general manager Winston Garcia told reporters following the annual stockholders’ meeting of National Reinsurance Corp. of the Philippines that the pension fund would invest $400 million from the $1-billion fund allotted for overseas markets this year. Garcia sits as chairman of National Reinsurance.

He said GSIS would pick another fund manager to handle the $400-million fund.

Garcia said the fund could be invested in fixed income, equities and non-traditional instruments in several countries.

GSIS early this year signed an agreement with ING and Credit Agricole Asset Management to each manage an initial $300 million for investments outside the Philippines.

Garcia said its overseas investment so far had yielded positive results, earning a monthly average of 1 percent, excluding foreign exchange gains.

He said the decision to invest the pension fund’s capital overseas enabled GSIS to diversify its investments.

“In the Philippines, if the stock market is down everything is down. But if you diversify overseas, not all equities and securities are down,” said Garcia.

He said now is a good time to invest in the equities market because the potential upside, if the market began to recover, would be higher.

“If you place your investments strategically overseas, you could generate strong return on your funds,” Garcia said.

GSIS earlier reported a 20 percent growth in net operating revenues for the first nine months of the year to P35 billion from P29.2 billion year-on-year on higher revenues from local investments.

Revenues from other investments also grew by 29 percent to P15.3 billion from P11.8 billion due to earnings of P153.4 million from domestic investments managed by local fund managers.

GSIS also booked P10.4 billion in earnings from sales of stocks in the first nine months of 2007 compared with P756.3 million on year.

GSIS earlier sold its shareholdings in several blue-chip companies, including San Miguel Corp., Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and Ayala Corp.



* * * * *


Mas makakabuti kung magkakaroon ng sariling Sovereign Wealth Fund ang Pinas :)

By BERNIE CAHILES–MAGKILAT (http://www.mb.com.ph/BSNS20080625128134.html)

The Spanish Chamber of Commerce (La Camara) yesterday bared plans to go on aggressive roadshow for the rest of the year in a bid to further increase presence of Spanish products in the country and to promote business tie-ups between Filipinos and Spanish businessmen.


La Camara president Jose Luis Romero-Salas said the chamber will hold expos in Bacolod City, Baguio City, Davao City, and Metro Manila during the second half of the year.

"We are going to hold some of the biggest Spanish expos during the remainder of the year. It is our commitment to bring Spanish companies and their products into the country while at the same time have local businesses find partners for their products to penetrate the Spanish market," Romero-Salas said.

The La Camara will be making its second visit to Baguio City over the last two years as it takes 16 Spanish wine and food companies and distributors for a fresh two-day expo at the end of the month.

Already having a strong presence in Region I and II, Romero-Salas said they are looking at strengthening business relationship with the influential Baguio Chamber of Commerce whose members have business operations in key cities in northern Philippines.

"There is now a strong market demand for Spanish products in those areas. This new visit is aimed at introducing new products and Spanish companies looking for partners," Romero-Salas said.

Later in the year, the La Camara will be holding similar expos in Bacolod City and Davao City – two locations where the chamber see huge two-way trade potentials.

Romero-Salas characterized both cities as the most logical destinations of Spanish products and services in the south.

"They are highly urbanized cities that have experienced high economic growth over the last three years. We will be looking to establish partnerships there between Spanish companies and local business establishments," Romero-Salas said.

Also later in the year, the La Camara will be staging the fifth annual Spanish Products and Services Expo in Taguig City.

Romero-Salas expects the annual event to be the biggest with the participation of more Spanish companies looking to establish business operations in the country.

Over the last three years, the La Camara roadshow has also visited Boracay, Cebu City, Iloilo City, Quezon Province, Tugegarao, and Zamboanga City.

The La Camara has 105 members that have local operations in the food, healthcare, hotel, insurance, liquor, personal care, property, tobacco, and travel industries.

In 2007, Spanish exports to the Philippines reached $ 185.37 million while Philippine exports to Spain reached $ 366.17 million.

Madrid’s main exports to Manila consisted of plastic raw materials and semimanufacturers, brandy, wines, veterinary and pharmaceutical products, automobile spare parts and accessories and electric equipment.

Manila’s main exports to Madrid included cement, electronics and IT products, frozen tuna, coconut oil and garments.

In 2006, investments made by Spanish businessmen here amounted to $ 269,000 only or a measly .02 percent of the total Spanish investments overseas of $ 1.6 billion.

Jollibee Foods borrows $100 million
to finance investments in China (http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/09092008/companies01.html)

By Honey Madrilejos-Reyes
Reporter

JOLLIBEE Foods Corp. (JFC), the largest fast-food chain operator in the country, is borrowing $100 million a consortium of financial lenders to support investments in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The company, which practically has no debt and has not borrowed money in the Philippines since 2001, said the Renminbi-denominated loan (amounting CNY 700 million) will be paid in three years at a fixed interest rate for JFC and at a floating rate for the lenders at Libor plus 2.25 percent.

The lenders include Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co., Banco de Oro Unibank Inc., Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., and the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. The facility has been arranged by UBS AG.

In a statement, JFC chairman and chief executive Tony Tan Caktiong said the loan will allow the company to pursue profitable expansion in one of the largest and fastest-growing consumer markets in the world

“We will use the money this year and in 2009 in China, specifically for the expansion of the store network of Yonghe King and our other brands, investments in commissary and product development facilities of the group, and the acquisition of Hongzhuangyuan Restaurant chain that is based in Beijing,” he said.

JFC chief finance officer Ysmael Baysa, for his part, said the loan provides the lowest cost of financing for the group’s business expansion in China. With the loan, he said JFC will be able to use existing cash for other opportunities in the Philippines and other countries besides China.

Baysa added that since the company has a strong cash position resulting from steady financial performance, he said they can easily settle the borrowings.

As of end July this year, JFC had 1,472 stores in the Philippines and 219 stores abroad for a total of 1,691 stores worldwide. In China alone, the group operates a total of 123 stores as of end-July, of which, 121 are Chinese-style fast-food chain Yonghe King, one Jollibee store and one Chinese-style teahouse Chun Shui Tang.

On June 18, JFC signed a joint-venture deal to purchase 70 percent of Taiwanese restaurant chain Lao Dong for $1.3 million and invest $700,000 for the expansion of the brand in Taiwan and in china.

In August, JFC announced the 100-percent acquisition of the Hongzhuangyuan congee restaurant chain, which operates 37 stores in Beijing. The deal, to be completed next month, is worth $55.5 million.

does this VVV count? :)

BE Impressive Laser Art Tile
Arthur Lee
84 Elm St., Danvers, MA


This business gets personal (http://www.salemnews.com/pubiz/local_story_252204844.html?keyword=topstory)

By Ethan Forman
Staff writer

http://www.salemnews.com/pubiz/images_sizedimage_252204748/xl
Danvers resident Arthur Lee last year opened a shop, BE Impressive Laser Art Tile, at 84 Elm St. that specializes in
reproducing your favorite photo, artwork or pattern on tile.

DANVERS — Arthur Lee can reproduce a favorite photo of your kid or maybe Fenway Park on glass, wood, slate, ceramic, granite or marble tiles and spread them across your wall or walkway.

Not only can he reproduce the image on a single tile, using special software, Lee can stretch the image across many tiles to make something monumental.

Lee, 49, is a native of the Philippines, an architect by background and a father of two, Abigail, 9, and Vincent, 7, with his wife, Eiren.

In October, the 13-year Danvers resident opened BE Impressive Laser Art Tile on the first floor of a house at 84 Elm St., within sight of Town Hall.

It's a small operation, with Lee doing most of the printing on a large printer in the back of the showroom.

What does the business involve?

Basically, I have three technologies I use here. I do laser engraving, color printed tile and art mosaics.

What's the difference between you and other tile stores?

Everything I do is custom-made.

So you can use the technology to match a pattern?

You take a picture of your old textile or a fabric. ... Instead of printing it on paper, you print it on a tile.

Are you independent?

I started this from scratch. I started in late October last year (making keepsakes and trivets). This particular tile business I started in February.

What's the key to getting a good reproduction on a tile?

The key here is a high-image resolution. With that, I can do anything. ... What I tell people is the quality of the product is as good as the image you give me.

What's the cost?

The average is $125 per square foot. (He offers discounts for large projects.)

Why open up on Elm Street instead of in an office park?

I want to be part of Danvers. That's why I joined the Rotary Club and the Danvers Art Association. When you are so far away from your birth country, you want to be part of a community.

FRENCH RETAIL FIRM Groupe Auchan SA is looking to import garments from the Philippines to supply its shopping centers in Europe and Asia, the Bureau of Export Trade Promotion (BETP) said.

Product samples of eight Philippine garment companies have passed Auchan’s initial inspection, BETP said in a statement yesterday. Local garment companies will meet with the French firm’s principal buyer in Bangkok next month to finalize supply deals.

Mulliez family-owned Auchan operates 1,088 supermarkets and shopping centers in 11 countries in Europe, including France, Spain, and Italy, BETP said. The firm also has sites in Taiwan and mainland China.

"Garments exports from China are becoming more expensive, so Philippine goods are now competitive in terms of pricing, quality, and design," Vina Arcenal, BETP Consumer Division point person for the Auchan transaction, said in a phone interview yesterday.

http://www.bworldonline.com/BW092608/content.php?id=055

^^ Basically says, why get Chinese when you can get Philippine? :D

Jollibee completes acquisition of Beijing-based congee chain (http://www.bworldonline.com/BW100308/content.php?id=041)

HOMEGROWN FAST-FOOD giant Jollibee Foods Corp. has completed the purchase of a Beijing-based congee restaurant chain in China, in line with efforts to expand its presence in the populous nation.

In a disclosure, the company said the deal to buy Hong Zhuang Yuan was consummated upon approval by China’s Ministry of Commerce and after the congee restaurant’s owners complied with conditions for the sale.

The retail giant bought the Chinese food chain for P2.5 billion through its wholly owned subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide, Pte. Ltd.

"Of the amount, P1.62 billion was paid to the sellers as initial payment, and the [balance] will be paid within the next 12 months," Jollibee told the exchange.

The company said the payment for Hong Zhuang Yuan would be funded by a $100-million loan from several banks.

The Beijing restaurant has an estimated annual sales of P1.3 billion this year, and operates a total of 38 restaurants, 31 of which are company-owned.

The company first disclosed its plan to acquire Hong Zhuang Yuan in September last year. Jollibee President and Chief Executive Officer Tony Tan Caktiong said the congee restaurant would be a strong addition to their presence in China in terms of market segment and geographical coverage.

Jollibee operates the largest restaurant network in the country, operating a total of 1,480 stores — 636 Jollibee branches, 377 Chowking stores, 231 Greenwich outlets, 204 Red Ribbon stores, 27 Delifrance branches and five Manong Pepe outlets.

The group also operates 223 stores and has bought a number of restaurants abroad, particularly in Taiwan and China.

Aside from Hong Zhuang Yuan, Jollibee has acquired three Chinese restaurants to gain a foothold in the huge consumer market.

It bought 70% of Taipei restaurant Lao Dong in June and Chun Shui Tang tea ohuse in 2006. In 2004, Jollibee bought Chinese fast-food chain Yonghe King for $22.5 million.

In July, the company entered into a joint venture deal with US-based Chow Fun Holdings LLC, where Jollibee will have a 12% stake in the US-based Asian restaurant for $950,000.

The fast-food giant has been hit by rising commodity prices, posting an 18.7% drop in its net profit to P645 million in the second quarter.

Shares of the company yesterday lost 1% or 50 centavos to P49.50. — Kristine Jane R. Liu

ICTSI bags Brunei port concession
By Jenniffer B. Austria

Port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. yesterday said the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam has agreed to award the container terminal cargo handling operations at Palau, Muara Besar, Brunei Darussalam to the company.

ICTSI, in a disclosure to the stock exchange, said it received the favorable decision of the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam through a letter sent by the Brunei Economic Development Board.

The award, ICTSI said, was subject to several requirements, including the negotiation of a formal memorandum of understanding between the parties.

ICTSI said it would provide as terminal operator, assistance in the design of the 660-meter terminal to be constructed by the Brunei economic board on Palau Muara Besar Island.

ICTSI also expects to undertake storage and handling of all container cargoes through the terminal after construction of under a concession agreement.

ICTSI has port operations in Brazil, Poland, Madagascar, China, Colombia, Indonesia, Georgia, Ecuador, Syria and Japan.

ICTSI operates the Manila International Container Terminal, and port terminals in Subic, Batangas, Davao, General Santos and mostly recently in Mindanao International located at Phividec Industrial Estate in Tagaloan, Misamis Oriental.

The port operator earlier reported a consolidated net income of P1.58 billion in the first half of the year, up 17 percent from P1.35 billion year-on-year.

Revenue from port operations grew 49 percent to P9.5 billion from P6.4 billion on year.

Consolidated net income in the second quarter stood at P784 million, up 6 percent year-on-year from P736 million while consolidated revenue reached P5.04 billion, up 53 percent from P3.29 billion.

The company achieved the favorable financial performance despite the “general unease” over the impact of the US economic slowdown on international trade and containerized cargo traffic.

The company said the earnings growth was driven mainly by strong volumes in Manila, Davao City and in Brazil, Madagascar, China, Ecuador and Georgia.
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business2_oct3_2008

PNB, Allied Bank invest in China
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has approved the 591-million yuan (P4 billion) equity investment of Allied Banking Corp. and Philippine National Bank in the Allied Bank’s China operations.

PNB said in a disclosure to the stock exchange that it would infuse 394.1 million yuan (P2.7 billion) into Allied Commercial Bank, formerly Xiamen Commercial Bank, while Allied Bank would invest 154 million yuan (P1.056 billion).

Allied Bank and PNB, both controlled by taipan Lucio Tan, are in the process of merging to create the country’s fourth-largest bank.

PNB said the balance of 42.9 million yuan would come from the conversion of Allied Bank’s share in Allied Commercial Bank’s undivided profit into equity.

The Lucio Tan banks initially planned to increase the capital of Allied Commercial Bank to P6 billion for its China expansion. Allied Bank is the only Philippine bank with a commercial banking license in China and one of only 35 given such a permit by Chinese authorities.

Allied Commercial Bank started operations in Xiamen in Fujian province in September 1993. It set up a branch in Chongqing in 2003.

Allied Commercial Bank increased its paid-up capital by $12 million in 2005, allowing it to do renminbi or local currency transactions. In 2006, Allied Bank increased its equity investments in the bank again by $11.3 million, raising its stake in the bank to 78.78 percent from 73.94 percent. Eileen A. Mencias
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business5_oct3_2008

EDC to expand in Indonesia
By Ted P. Torres
Thursday, October 9, 2008
The country’s top geothermal power firm Energy Development Corp. (EDC) will expand its operations to Indonesia, a ranking executive of the Lopez Group said.

EDC, formerly the government-controlled Philippine National Oil Co.-Energy Development Corp., (PNOC-EDC), was acquired last year by the Lopez-owned First Gen Corp.

First Gen. Corp. president Federico R. Lopez said that they will first concentrate on “revving up EDC after being under government guidance for so many years.”

In a press briefing, Lopez said they unearthed so much “inefficiencies” in the organization which require a lot of fixing. Nonetheless, he cited that even then, PNOC-EDC was able to register a recurring a net income of P6.5 billion.

“When we have put everything in place, we will be looking for a partner to expand to Indonesia,” he said. Indonesia has a reported potential of 20,000 megawatts (MW) of geothermal power.

Lopez said the country’s geothermal energy sources have a huge potential domestically, and in the region. With the passage of the Renewable Energy bill, the potentials of geothermal as a domestic power source and as a potential investment area for foreign business are intensified.

“For me, Indonesia’s geothermal potential is much greater than the Philippines, and they have only tapped so little and we intend to partner up there and basically help them develop their geothermal industry,” the First Gen executive said.

EDC is seeking partners to pursue the expansion of three geothermal plants in South Sumatra, North Sulawesi and Lampung in Indonesia.

First Gen is the largest vertically-integrated power generation company in the Philippines, with an installed capacity of 2,582 MW, or 17 percent of total installed capacity in the country today.

Its assets comprise the 1,000-MW Santa Rita and 500-MW San Lorenzo natural gas-fired power plants, the 225-MW Bauang medium-speed bunker-fired diesel power plant, the Pantabangan/Masiway hydroelectric complex and the 1.6-MW Agusan mini-hydropower plant.

EDC is the country’s largest producer of geothermal power and the global leader in wet streamfield technology. The Philippines, meanwhile, is the world’s second major developer and user of geothermal power after the United States.

http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=49&type=2&sec=27&aid=2008100811

^^:lol:

@askal that's why the chinese in the mainland are curious why other countries especially the us are saying their products are poisonous when in fact they live longer than them:lol: as usual it's business with politics that is going on.

by the way, Chowking is not ours it is taiwanese company

from wiki
Chowking is a Philippine-based Chinese cuisine fast-food restaurant chain, predominantly selling noodle soups, dimsum and rice toppings. It was founded in 1985 by Robert Kuan as a Chinese counterpart to American fast-food giant McDonald's, Chowking expanded steadily through the 1980s and 1990s, and eventually venturing into international markets, such as the United States, Middle East and newly Indonesia. The chain was bought by Jollibee Foods Corporation in 2000[1], who have since continued both local and international expansion.[

RP remittance firm to serve Chinese workers in the UK (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/126003/RP-remittance-firm-to-serve-Chinese-workers-in-the-UK#)

Article posted October 09, 2008 - 01:58 PM
MANILA, Philippines - iRemit Inc., the Philippines’ largest non-bank remittance company, entered into an agreement with the Bank of China, allowing it to serve Chinese nationals working in the United Kingdom (UK).

The partnership with the Manila branch of the Bank of China (BOCMNL) also allows iRemit “to achieve [its] goal of expanding its business in mainland China," the company said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE). The statement quoted Harris Jacildo, the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer.

“This move signals a more aggressive expansion program for iRemit," Jacildo said. “Now, we are not just catering to Filipinos but to Chinese nationals around the globe. We’re expanding the scope of our capabilities to connect people and meet their remittance needs, paving the way to be a remittance provider of choice globally."

The remittance agreement “will benefit thousands of customers based in the UK who wish to send remittances to their families in China," iRemit said.

Besides offering same day processing of cash transfers, remittances “may be withdrawn from any of the Bank of China’s 12,000 domestic branches," the company said.

Although it will be initially offered to customers in the United Kingdom, the arrangement will soon expand its coverage to clients in Canada and Australia.

iRemit has remittance centers in 25 countries worldwide.

The Bank of China Ltd. is one of the big four state-owned commercial lenders which has outlets in 26 countries including the Philippines, UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, among others.

Shares of iRemit fell P0.05 to P3.85 apiece during Thursday’s trading at the PSE. - GMANews.TV

TUCP satisfied with GSIS disclosure on foreign investments (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&p=49&type=2&sec=24&aid=20081010152)
By Mayen Jaymalin
Saturday, October 11, 2008

The country’s largest labor group yesterday said the foreign investments of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) were found to be generally safe.

“Based on our cursory review of the stated investments, we consider the pension fund’s overseas portfolio to be generally safe, balanced and sound. GSIS members and pensioners can now sleep better at night,” Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) secretary-general and former senator Ernesto Herrera said.

Based on the GSIS’ disclosure, none of the banks listed are particularly at risk of collapsing.

“The GSIS may have suffered temporary losses on account of the sharp decline in the prices of these bank stocks due to the worsening global financial crisis, but these losses are temporary. Once the prices of these bank stocks recover, the portfolio should also recover,” Herrera stressed.

He welcomed the decision of the GSIS to disclose details of its multi-billion investments overseas in a two-page advertisement published in The STAR last Friday.

“We are not out to make things difficult for the GSIS. We just wanted absolute transparency and full disclosure that are consistent with good governance and public accountability. And now we have it. This is good – that the GSIS has finally decided to come clean,” Herrera said in a statement.

Aside from the TUCP, members of the Senate have urged the GSIS to disclose the details of its Global Investment Program (GIP).

Herrera said TUCP would have eventually gone to court to compel the GSIS to disclose the details of its GIP had the pension agency not voluntarily published the details.

The GSIS listed the details of its GIP to include P10.456 billion of investments in “global fixed income” instruments, P4.127 billion in “global equities,” P3.08 billion in “global property securities,” and P8.875 billion in “cash, short-term notes and other investments.”

While the GSIS did not provide the exact amounts it invested in every type of instrument, Herrera said the TUCP still welcomed the listing.

BPI to expand in Europe despite slowdown
AYALA-led Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) will proceed with its plans of expanding its presence in Europe despite the challenging economic conditions worldwide.

Remittances from that part of the globe should remain robust, said BPI, which beat rival banks last year in terms of cornering the overseas Filipino market. "We believe in infrastructure building. We believe things will be better in the long run," Teresita B. Tan, BPI senior vice-president and head of the Overseas Banking and Channel Services Group, told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of a briefing yesterday.

BPI is currently preparing to open four new branches of its London-based subsidiary, BPI Europe Plc. The four new branches, which will be in Milan and Rome in Italy, and Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, were slated to open sometime in June or July next year, Ms. Tan said. The bank opened its European subsidiary in Threadneedle Street in London last year. It opened its first branch in Earl’s Court Garden, also in London, last month.

The countries were selected on the basis of high concentration of Filipino workers and migrants, whom BPI provides remittance-related services to, Ms. Tan said.

http://www.bworldonline.com/BW101408/content.php?id=023

Zest-O eyes Indonesia
Local juice drink maker Zest-O Corp. plans to build a new plant outside the country next year to expand its market reach.

In an interview, Zest-O Chairman Alfredo M. Yao told BusinessWorld that he was looking for a strategic property in Indonesia where Zest-O can set up a new plant.

"Right now, we are already exporting to Indonesia and next year we are putting up our plant," Mr. Yao said.

He said Zest-O was also on lookout for other regions that have the same culture as the Philippines, where it would be easier to do business.

Zest-O has seven manufacturing facilities in the country and one in the Middle East.

Mr. Yao said Zest-O was not affected by the global financial crunch unlike other companies because of the nature of its product, which he described as a "low-cost" drink.

The businessman noted that Zest-O products are sold not only in the country but also in other parts of Asia, the Middle East, and the United States.

Zest-O products include Sunglo juice drinks, Zest-O Juice in Can, Zest-O Juice Drinks, Big 250, Orchard Fresh, and Zest-O Choc-o and Milk-o.

Mr. Yao last month changed the name of budget airline Asian Spirit, Inc. to Zest Airways, Inc. after his AMY Holdings, Inc. bought Asian Spirit, reportedly for P1 billion, in March. — KJRL
http://www.bworldonline.com/BW102708/content.php?id=044

ICTSI signs agreement to design, build port in Brunei (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/129860/ICTSI-signs-agreement-to-design-build-port-in-Brunei)
10/28/2008 | 03:03 PM

MANILA, Philippines - Manila-based International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) signed an agreement with the Brunei government, allowing the company to assist in designing and building the country’s Pulau Muara Besar (PMB) Container Terminal.

ICTSI “is the preferred port operator of the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB)," the company said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE).

The company added that “the BEDB will award a Concession Agreement to ICTSI or its subsidiary to operate the PMB Container Terminal once it is completed and ready for commercial operation."

ICTSI, the Philippines’ largest port, runs four facilities in the Philippines such as the NSD Waterfront Area at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales, Bauan International Port in Batangas, Sasa International Port in Davao City, and the Makar Wharf in General Santos City, South Cotabato.

The company also manages other facilities abroad through its other subsidiaries including Brazil, Poland, Japan, Madagascar, Indonesia, Syria, China, Ecuador, Georgia, and Colombia.

Shares of ICTSI went up P0.25 to P12.75 during Tuesday’s trading at the PSE. - GMANews.TV

Manila Water’s profit up 13% despite crunch
MANILA Water said its net income rose 13 percent in the first nine months, to P1.99 billion from P1.75 billion, on higher sales and lower system losses.

“The company’s financial performance was largely a result of its aggressive capital investments of more than P26 billion and the full implementation of the new accounting rules this year,” the Ayala-led utility, concessionaire for the eastern part of Metro Manila, said in a statement.

The group said billings rose 5 percent to 291.5 million cubic meters after the projects in its expansion areas resulted in 33,000 new service connections. Water losses dropped to 20 percent from 25 percent.

Net income rose 14 percent to P731 million for the third quarter alone, the group said.

Manila Water provides water and sewerage services to over five million people in Makati, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Marikina, most parts of Quezon City, Sta. Ana and San Andres in Manila, San Juan, Taguig and Pateros, and to the cities and municipalities in Rizal province further east of Metro Manila.

Chief finance officer Sherissa Nuesa said the group hoped to secure a long-term water concession in Vietnam, where it secured a $15-million water leak reduction and management contract in Ho Chi Minh in June.

She said the utility also continued to explore opportunities in India, where it earlier pre-qualified to bid for a 10-year water contract in West Bengal. Jenniffer B. Austria http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news5_oct30_2008

Jollibee expands stores in US, targets non-Filipino customers (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/10/30/08/jollibee-expands-stores-us-targets-non-filipino-customers)
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/30/2008 2:34 PM

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Homegrown fastfood giant Jollibee Corporation opened its 20th store in the United States as it continues to pursue Filipino and non-Filipino customers in international markets.

In a statement, Jollibee said it opened its third outlet in Los Angeles, California where many Filipino families have settled.

Aside from Jollibee standard burgers, chicken meals and spaghetti, also retailed in the stores are products of subsidiaries, such as its pastry arm Red Ribon and Chinese food retailer Chowking.

Jollibee’s first foray abroad was in California. It currently has 650 stores around the world, including those in Nevada and New York in the US. It also has stores in Brueni, Hongkong, Vietnam and Saipan.

While overseas expansions have mostly been dictated by existing communities of Filipino migrants who are longing for food that reminds them of home, Jollibee’s US operations have started to target other races, including the Hispanics.

Last June, a second Jollibee outlet was opened in a mall in Panorama City where 90 percent of the clientele are Hispanics.

“The next step is to conquer international markets further. We take our role as the torchbearer of the global Filipino brand very seriously.” Jollibee president Ernesto Tanmantiong said in the statement.

Jollibee said it will open 4 more malls in the US before the end of the year.

as of 10/30/2008 2:34 PM

The Jollibee quality in the US sucks, IMO. I was disappointed when I had my first and only Jollibee meal of this year when I went to California. I like the Jollibee in the Philippines much better.

The Jollibee quality in the US sucks, IMO. I was disappointed when I had my first and only Jollibee meal of this year when I went to California. I like the Jollibee in the Philippines much better.

well, they have to do something to penetrate the US market...

Jollibee to open 4 more stores in the US before year ends
Listed fastfood giant Jollibee Corp. will open four more stores in the US before the year ends despite evidence that the country was headed into a recession.

In a statement posted on its Web site, Jollibee said it would open outlets in Moreno Valley and Milpitas this month and two more in West Covina and Stockton in December. The cities are all in California, home to the largest Filipino population in the US.

The company will have 24 stores in the US by yearend, including the four it opened earlier.

Jollibee said it was also targeting the Hispanic market. The Tan Caktiong-led firm earlier opened a branch in Panorama Mall, where 90% of its clients are Hispanic.

Officials of Red Ribbon, a unit of Jollibee, earlier noted that next to Filipinos, Latin Americans were the most frequent visitors to their stores.

But there are concerns that a US-led global economic slowdown might affect even the fastfood industry, which is traditionally recession-proof.

Earlier this year, rivals McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, KFC and Pizza Hut reported slower sales in the US due to higher food costs and a slowdown in consumer spending due to the plummeting housing market.

A report by American broadcasting network ABC News said the announcements signaled that the country might be entering a recession since the fastfood industry is among the last to feel the effects of a major economic slowdown. — D.G.K. Carreon
http://www.bworldonline.com/BW110308/content.php?id=044

San Miguel eyes 51% of PT Bumi By Elizabeth Sanchez-Lacson

Philippine beverage, food and packaging conglomerate San Miguel Corp., in a diversification thrust, is keen on acquiring at least 51 percent of Indonesian mining heavyweight PT Bumi Resources, its president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang confirmed this in a text message.

San Miguel earlier said it wanted to tap Indonesia’s PT Bakrie & Brothers for a possible alliance that could boost its bid for PT Bumi, which is in mining, oil, gas and other energy-related activities.

Through various subsidiaries, PT Bumi owns the world’s largest export coal mine, with operations in East and South Kalimantan. It has 11 billion tons of mineable coal reserves. It has posted about 55 million tons in average sales volume over the past three years.

News agency reports on Tuesday said San Miguel was preparing a bid to counter that of investment group Northstar Pacific, which announced a plan to buy a 35-percent stake in PT Bumi from PT Bakrie & Brothers, controlled by the family of Indonesia’s Chief Social Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie.

Northstar Pacific is operated by Indonesian banker Patrick Walujo, a former Goldman Sachs banker.

Bakrie & Brothers hopes to raise more than $1 billion to repay short-term debts amid the global financial market turmoil.

In a research report, the stockbrokerage firm Campos Lanuza & Co. said PT Bumi had a market value equivalent to P192 billion as of Oct. 28, and San Miguel might have to spend P67 billion to buy even only 35 percent of PT Bumi from PT Bakrie.

It said that such an acquisition spending, in addition to P27 billion to buy into power retailer Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), might result in a weakening of San Miguel’s balance sheet.

“Our view is that management will be prudent with cash,” Campos Lanuza wrote. “To recall, San Miguel plans to spin off some of its assets and that should raise some more for these new investments.”

San Miguel earlier disclosed it would buy 27 percent of Meralco from the Government Service Insurance System for P27.09 billion, at P90 per share, with a 20-percent down payment to be paid 15 days from the sale and purchase agreement date and the balance to be paid over three years.

As of June, San Miguel had cash assets of P105 billion.

The company has also announced plans to go into high-growth industries, including mining, power generation and transmission, infrastructure, water distribution and other utilities, and property development. It said it would invest about $750 million in new businesses.
http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20081106-170498/San-Miguel-eyes-51-of-PT-Bumi

Entrepreneurship according to John (http://business.inquirer.net/money/features/view/20090102-181022/Entrepreneurship-according-to-John)

I have been invited to share my thoughts on Asian conglomerates and the global economy, and why they have been successful in many ways.

The best way I can share my thoughts with you is to recall some of my own experiences in starting and growing JG Summit Holdings. Embedded in these experiences are some lessons learned in making businesses successful not just in their domestic markets, but also in a more international arena of competition.

Entrepreneurial passion

I believe that the first element of successful conglomerates is the ability to sustain the entrepreneurial passion of their founders. A common thread that I have observed is that many Asian conglomerates were started by immigrants who engaged in business as a matter of survival. Entrepreneurial skill was not an option; it was a necessity!

In our case, I was the eldest son of a Chinese businessman who settled in the city of Cebu in the Visayan Islands.

While our family achieved some prosperity before the last world war, that all changed when my father suddenly died of an illness and when the war put everyone on equal footing.

I started working at the age of 13, selling soap, candles and thread in a small stall at the city market. My small trading business grew into a vibrant trade between my home in Cebu and Manila.

Eventually, through hard work, frugality and the help of all my siblings, we expanded this to trading between the Philippines and the United States.

This entrepreneurial drive and desire to survive and thrive got us into manufacturing. It became clear to me that we would not grow very much just importing goods. With this in mind we set up a corn starch manufacturing concern called Universal Corn Products, which eventually evolved into what is now our largest business with a pan-Asian footprint — Universal Robina Corp.

Through Universal Robina we have achieved our present position as the Philippines’ largest and most dominant snacks and beverage player, and one of the fastest growing around the Asean region. Other businesses were spawned by the robust cash profits of our branded food business and over time, we forayed into a very diverse set of businesses.

These businesses became the foundation of JG Summit Holdings Inc., a holding company we formed in 1990 which went public in 1993. Today, we are engaged in eight major businesses: food, real estate, telecommunications, airlines, petrochemicals, banking and financial services, retail and publishing. We are also increasing our presence in other markets in Southeast Asia and Greater China.

While these businesses seem diverse and unrelated, all of them actually have a common thread — they are all large and growing consumer-oriented or consumption-driven industries; and they all require innovative entrepreneurial skill, and disciplined operating management.

Access funds

The second element of success that I have observed from Asian conglomerates is their ability to access funds and channel capital into industries that developed into globally competitive businesses.

I have observed two categories of conglomerates in the region and they follow very distinct geographic and industry lines.

First, in North Asia we have the “keiretsu” of Japan and the “chaebol” of South Korea, and perhaps some Taiwanese industrial groups, that are engaged in capital-intensive and well protected heavy industries like steel, petrochemicals, electronics, automobiles, shipbuilding, engineering and construction.

Second, in Southeast Asia we have the large family-owned and managed conglomerates that got involved in manufacturing, trade, real estate, telecommunications, airlines and other services.

The first group was well capitalized and well protected such that they were able to build their capabilities to penetrate and compete in global markets. In many respects they were aided with tariff protection and direct subsidies until they were able to transition to directly accessing the international capital markets themselves.

The second group did not require (and was not given) as much access to low-cost capital and government protection as the first group, and they developed their competitiveness by achieving scale via their participation in a wide variety of industries (as opposed to just focusing on just a few related ones) that enjoyed a broad consumer demand base. Many of our businesses in JG Summit follow the patterns of this second category of Asian conglomerates.

Consumer spending

We could not just focus on just one industry because the only way for us to get bigger was to get involved in other businesses that were also driven by consumer spending — like real estate and retail. Eventually, by continually plowing back our profits into these new businesses we were able to get into telcos and airlines and petrochemicals, which became accessible to us either because the government deregulated them and handed out franchises, or because government liberalized international capital sources which gave Philippine companies greater access to the international capital markets for lower cost funding.

Family control

The third element of success I have observed is that successful Asian conglomerates have learned to maintain strong family or core shareholder control, even as they broadened their investor base and professionalized their management organization. Before the last world war, the dominant civil leadership came from colonial powers. They basically defined how businesses were organized and developed. After the war, with the departure of the colonial powers from most of Asia, entrepreneurial families started to define how businesses were formed and developed, and this gave birth to the form of conglomerate that we see successful in most of Asia today.

The strong family or core shareholder control enables these large organizations to sustain the original entrepreneurial effectiveness of the founders, while imbibing the experience, science and efficiency of professionally trained managers. In JG Summit, while our oversight boards include independent directors who represent the interest of the broader base of our minority shareholders, there are a larger number of family members from both the older as well as the younger generations.

By the way, professionalism is not exclusive to those who are not family members. Over the years a family-run conglomerate will have to spawn and breed family members who are trained and educated in the disciplines of globally competitive management practices.

This is something they cannot abdicate to non-family professionals.

Conversely, entrepreneurial skill cannot also just remain among family members. It is important to be very intentional about developing a culture of innovation and value-creation throughout the conglomerate so that non-family professionals will also be equally skilled in entrepreneurship. We make this very deliberate in JG Summit.

We have sent both family and non-family members of management to the best business and management schools of the world; and we have also allowed our professional managers enough entrepreneurial space for calculated risk-taking in order for them to develop the same instincts about creating value that has served our group well over the years, and across so many different businesses.

Key ingredients

These I believe are the key ingredients of a successful Asian conglomerate:

1) the founders’ entrepreneurial passion;

2) capital access and economies of scale; and

3) continuing professionalism anchored on a strong entrepreneurial culture.

I want to try ostrich farming, beekeeping, VCO making etc...:D

Still love my city life with fast internet access:D pero mas marap ang tulog ko talaga sa probinsya kahit maraming lamok:D

my father had planted almost the whole piece of lot beside ours in the province. both flanks. :lol: our lot was not enough. now they are selling the fresh produce regularly. food is one good business as the demand is stable. if you want a life in the farm, then the little agri expertise you got from the university will come in handy.

kami noon yung lupa namin may tanim na mga mais at kung anoanong gulay, nung minsan tinaniman nga yun ng mga sunflowers at may mga manok pa pero kadalasan for our own consumption lang at yung iba kinakain nung caretaker tapos nung huli nagtayo na sya ng tindahan sa labas ng compound at dun nya ibinebenta ang mga naaani nila. yung manok naman namin na marami-rami na rin bigla nalang unti-unting naubos, nung tinanong namin sila, sabi nila kinain ng sawa. pati nga yung asong pinoy nung bumisita kami hinanap namin, sabi nawala nalang daw bigla, kinain daw siguro ng sawa. hindi naman sa nambibintang kami ng tao pero may duda lang kami na pinulutan siguro nila ang mga yun.

kami noon yung lupa namin may tanim na mga mais at kung anoanong gulay, nung minsan tinaniman nga yun ng mga sunflowers at may mga manok pa pero kadalasan for our own consumption lang at yung iba kinakain nung caretaker tapos nung huli nagtayo na sya ng tindahan sa labas ng compound at dun nya ibinebenta ang mga naaani nila. yung manok naman namin na marami-rami na rin bigla nalang unti-unting naubos, nung tinanong namin sila, sabi nila kinain ng sawa. pati nga yung asong pinoy nung bumisita kami hinanap namin, sabi nawala nalang daw bigla, kinain daw siguro ng sawa. hindi naman sa nambibintang kami ng tao pero may duda lang kami na pinulutan siguro nila ang mga yun.

ano ba hitsura ng caretaker nyo? mukhang sawa ba?:D Baka nga kinain ng sawa, maniwala ka na lang:D


Sa amin namn ngayon, meron kaming Coconut plantation:D(kunyari malaki):D, dahil sa matanda na ang Erpat at walang anak na nakatira kasama sa kanila, ayun pinahawakan ng kamag-anak, ang problema merong sako-sakong copra nawawala/unreported:D, at may nakarating na balita (galing mismo sa ama ng caretaker) na benebenta raw sa iba ng hindi alam ni Erpat, at yung lupa raw namin baka hindi na namin makuha sa kanya. Kinausap ni Erpat si caretaker, siniraan lang daw sya ng kangyang ama:D

Ayun napag usapan naming mga anak na bawiin na lang at pahawakan ng anak na uuwi na galing sa Middle East.

Mahirap talaga minsan tumulong, ikaw na itong tumulong, sasawahin/aahasin ka pa:D

^^ totoo yan, minsan mahirap talagang tumulong lalo na kung yung tinutulungan mo mga walang utang na loob. pero minsan naman ang nangyayari mabuti ang relationship mo sa ama na caretaker mo pero pagdating sa anak ang sasama na ng ugali at halos di na ibigay ang lupa mo dahil matagal na daw na sila ang nangalaga. e naawa ka nga lang sa tatay nila kaya pinatira mo dun sa lupa mo dahil wala silang matirhan tapos aagawin pa sayo ang lupa mo na pera mo naman ang ipinambili mo at pinaghirapan mo rin.

buti nalang yung caretaker namin okey naman kausap dahil sabi nila kung gagamitin na daw namin ang lupa huwag daw kaming mag-alala dahil aalis daw sila. kaya pinagkaiwalaan nalang namin na magiging totoo siya sa binitawang salita na binigkas niya sa harap ng kanyang mga anak.

^^Kaya nga sabi ng lolo ko tungkol dito:

"If you are planning for a year, sow rice;
if you are planning for a decade, plant trees;
if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people. "

Hindi ko naman maintindihan pa rin.




:horse:

i'm planning to go into this a few years from now...

with my korean friend :lol: i'm gonna be one of those 'puppet companies'...pero i don't see myself being at the losing end, after all, the business would be registered under my name--not that i plan to ditch my friend anyway...

^^ but if they do something illegal. it is you who will be held responsible because the business is under your name. so you better be careful and monitor the business well.

^^yup, harmless naman yung plan namin...restaurant lang...tapos we wont start working on it until i get back home dyan sa atin...so in 2 years pa...for all we know, baka di matuloy...:lol:

^^ako rin meyron sanang planong bumili at magpatakbo isang franchise- DUNKIN DONUT

business partner ko sana yung kaibigan kong Indian.
kilala ko since our Residency Training Years.
Meyron na yung familia niya ng 15 DUNKIN DONUT outlets!

kaya lang dahil sa recession, nasa backburner muna yung plano:ohno:






:horse:

my father had planted almost the whole piece of lot beside ours in the province. both flanks. :lol: our lot was not enough. now they are selling the fresh produce regularly. food is one good business as the demand is stable. if you want a life in the farm, then the little agri expertise you got from the university will come in handy.

My family haven't really invested on entrepreneurship (apart for an uncle of mine). Our lands are now leased to Dole Company in Mindanao for planting bananas and pineapples. It´s hard to compete with the "big guys" they say. Although, my mother bought the land titles of her father before he died (family problems/drama) she doesn't benefit from it because her immediate family is too big (12 kids total). They now sell copra, tobacco, and vegetables in the province. It's nice to have a farm but for me I think it's good if I ever retire when I am old. :lol:

If I ever have a sizable land near the sea, I would definitely would turn it into a seaside resort. Not a pricey one tho but economic wise too for the general population.

“Totoo ang mga kwento ng boss ko. Nakakangilo sa ngipin pero totoo. At bagama’t nakakapikon s’ya minsan e mabait at mabuti s’yang tao. Sa bayan nila, hinihikayat ang mga tao na umunlad. Dito raw sa atin, pag umuunlad ang mga tao, hinihila pababa. Nakakatakot mag negosyo kasi yari ka sa mga “tauhan ng gobyerno”. Pag nakitang namumunga ka, babatuhin ka nang babatuhin hanggang sa malaglag ang mga prutas mo. Walang pinagkaiba kung legal o illegal ang negosyo mo, maglalagay at maglalagay ka rin sa mga kinauukulan. Bakit ka pa magli-legal???

Hindi na importante kung ano ang negosyo at bayan ng amo ko. Hindi na rin pinag-uusapan dito kung “racist” s’ya o mas maraming kapintasan ang bansa nila. Ang issue dito at “Tayo”. Hindi ako naiinis sa mga sinasabi n’ya. Naiinis ako dahil TOTOO ang mga sinasabi n’ya.

Sa pag-uwi ko sa bahay naisip ko, bakit ang Hong Kong at Singapore, hindi naman gaanong nabiyayaan ng likas na yaman pero maunlad? Bakit ang mga Hapon, bobo mag-English pero mayaman? Sa Pilipinas kahit bawal magtinda sa sidewalk, may nagtitinda. Kahit bawal magtapon ng basura kung saan-saan, meron pa ring tapon nang tapon. Paano pa kaya uunlad ang bansa natin n’yan?

Disiplina lang kaya talaga ang problema sa ‘tin? Sigurado akong kahit sa mga sandaling ‘to, may isang Pilipino na bumabasa ng nakasulat ditto kahit na sinabi nang bawal ito basahin. Tigas talaga ng ulo!”

-Bakit_Baliktad_Magbasa_ng_Libro_ang_mga_Pilipino_III
by Bob Ong

^^ sa HK din daw uso ang mga protection money sa mga gang na pati mga police takot sa kanila. meron pa nga sa HK yung mga ginawang dosabled at hawak ng mga sindikato upang mamalimos at may iba kinikidnap upang gawing mga puta sa mga bar at may connection din sa mga pulis at pamahalaan ang sindikato kaya mahirap supilin. kwento lang yan ng isang kakilala namin na may negosyo sa HK.

sa malaysia din daming kotongan at protection money sa mga kawani ng pamahalaan at sa pulis.

^^
Disiplina lang kaya talaga ang problema sa ‘tin? Sigurado akong kahit sa mga sandaling ‘to, may isang Pilipino na bumabasa ng nakasulat ditto kahit na sinabi nang bawal ito basahin. Tigas talaga ng ulo!”

Tama ka rito maxxclip, malaki talaga ang magagawa ng disiplina sa ating bansa,
pero sa aking pananaw, isa lamang ito sa mgabagay na kailangan para
lumago ang negosyo o umunlad ang kabuhayan.

sa HK din daw uso ang mga protection money sa mga gang na pati mga police takot sa kanila...
sa malaysia din daming kotongan at protection money sa mga kawani ng pamahalaan at sa pulis...

vinz, idaragdag ko na rin dito ang U.S. Dito sa New York yung kaibigan kong
Chinese American hindi na nagtuloy magtayo ng maliit na Chinese Food Take out counter. Bago kasi ma-aprubahan yung kanyang lisensiya, sinabihan na siya ng mga pulis na "dapat libre sila tuwing o-order." I can't believe it but it's true. kung hindi pulis, gangs, o mafioso.:ohno:

Encore recycled bags made in the Philippines

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Antonio Juan "Tony" Boquer, Jr.

Tony Boquer was born and raised in Manila,
where he received his BA and MBA from the
prestigious Ateneo de Manila University.
He belongs to the prominent mestizo Boquer clan.

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Boquer family patriarch Don Daniel Esteve Boquer
came to the Philippines from Barcelona, in Catalunya.
He married a mestiza from the Ramirez clan of Manila.

Tony Boquer married Dorothea Margaret Hernandez,
a mestiza who is also from Manila, and emigrated
along with his family to the United States.

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He is General Manager of TV station KWHE-14 in Hawaii.

Tony Boquer is also a former Principal of the Holy Family
Catholic Academy in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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FALL 2001: HOLY FAMILY NAMED NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL

Proclaimed a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in school leadership, curriculum, student achievement and parental involvement, Holy Family received the U.S. Department of Education's prestigious Blue Ribbon Award.
Travelling to Washington D.C. to receive the award on behalf of the school were (from left to right) former principal, Tony Boquer, and teachers, Ms. Mary Beth Beale and Mrs. Josephine Wong.

Source: http://www.holyfamilycatholicacademy.org/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=11&Itemid=56.

Boquer Fuels His Faith

CAN it be September already? What better way to start a new month than with good news: A distraught looking woman at a neighborhood gas station got up the courage to ask a kind looking fellow motorist if he could spare a couple of dollars so she could put some gas in her dilapidated vehicle and get home. The man started to hand over some cash, but said since he was paying with a credit card she should just go ahead and pump the gas she needed. She was unsure whether to stop at $2 or $3 or what, but he said, "Aw, just fill it up." The woman was so overwhelmed that she burst into tears, but to Holy Family Principal Tony Boquer, he was merely practicing what he preaches and teaches ...

Source: http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/09/01/features/donnelly.html.

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Three sisters (L-R) Marie Michelle "Kelly" Hernandez Boquer,
Monica Ann "Rica" Hernandez Boquer, and Dorothea Margaret
"Cherie" Hernandez Boquer founded the company Encore Bags.
They were born in Manila and are the daughters of Tony Boquer.
They came up with the idea for their company at a reunion in Manila!

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The Hawaii-based company sells bags that are handcrafted in
the Philippines by a women's cooperative from recycled materials.
The money earned that they earn goes to an educational fund for
its 500 members. What a great social cause!!!

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The company was founded last year and has opened a kiosk in
Honolulu at the Waikele Premium Outlets (next to Geoffrey Beene).
Go to their website here:
http://www.encorebagsonline.com/IntheMedia.html

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One of their bags was featured on an episode of "Ugly Betty" in the U.S.!!!
"La fea más bella" is the Mexican version of the popular TV show.
It is shown on ABC-5 in the Philippines.
Filipinos love both the Mexican and American versions!
There is now a Philippine version on ABS-CBN too!

Leku Eder, an Asian Home Accent Store in Danville, California

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Carlos "Charlie" Ugarte and his family

Carlos Ugarte and his wife moved with their children from the
Philippines to California, where they now run an acclaimed
Asian home furnishings store.

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Leku Eder is their business's name, which means "beautiful place"
The name is Basque! An Asian store with a Basque name! How Filipino!
The Ugartes are Basque-Filipino mestizos, of course!

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What beautiful tesoros del Oriente!!!

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Leku Eder, an Asian Home Accent Store in Danville, California

Leku Eder, which means "beautiful place" in Euskara, is not only a place where one can find beautiful handcrafted products, but also a place where people go to feel centered and experience a spirit of Zen and comfort. Owner Jeanette Ugarte tells EuskoSare about her store and her love for using art in the home.

Prior to running her own store, Leku Eder owner Jeanette Ugarte told EuskoSare that she was teaching at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco. After attending many grand openings of her students, she decided to put herself out there and take a risk. Jeanette and her husband Carlos decided to open up a store together along with their nephew and his wife. After three weeks, their nephew and wife decided to return to their native country of the Philippines. However, Jeanette and Carlos continued on, defining the store and developing new sources. They traveled to the Philippines, China, and Indonesia finding great things that matched their original vision of Leku Eder which was "to take beautiful, unique, art oriented products that are handmade and offer them in a store gallery setting and using art in your home and not waiting until the children are grown and out of your house..." Ugarte adds, "Every day you should think of life as the art of the table, being together as a family, enjoying a beautiful meal, involving the whole family, just being together...”

Although Carlos Ugarte physically looks Basque, he is actually from the Philippines. His grandfather, a sea captain, immigrated to the Philippines from the province of Bizkaia in the 1890’s. Leku Eder is the name of the house that his grandfather built in Manila where he modeled the architecture of his native country and used indigenous materials of the Philippines such as nara wood and capiz shell shingles. It is now a historical landmark in Manila. Carlos and Jeanette lived in the Philippines for several years and found that there was an opportunity to bring wonderful treasures to the United States.

Leku Eder’s main floor is a showroom, with the second floor a gallery and tearoom. They offer antique furniture as well as handcrafted baskets and hand painted bone china: tea pots, tea cups, coffee cups, and service pieces. Jeanette states, “It’s art for the home, everything that you could imagine for your home that would be an art element.” Leku Eder also provides the environment and the forum for groups who wish to do tea tasting, very much the way you would taste wine.

The owners take pride in knowing their clients on a personal level. People come into their store and feel safe. Many times, people come in after having a really rough day at work and feel the need to ground themselves and feel centered. They come to the store to feel good. Leku Eder is a place where people go to feel centered and experience a spirit of Zen and comfort.

Source: http://www.euskosare.org/euskal_mundua/leku_eder_danville_2006.

They belong to the Basque mestizo Ugarte clan of Manila and Cebu.
The Ugarte family is one of the most prominent in the Philippines.
They are closely-related to almost all of the most famous mestizo clans
in the Philippines: the Aboitiz, Melian, Zobel-de Ayala, Ortigas, Trillo,
de Sequera, Gomez, Villa-Abrille, Darza- Escaño-Lhuillier, etc. clans.
Members now live in Cebu, Metro Manila, Australia, Spain, Canada, and the U.S.

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Emilio "Emil" Ugarte, Jr., a well-known mortgage broker based near Sydney

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Iñaki Ugarte

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Patriarch Iñaki Ugarte was Chairman of family-run Advertising Associates, Inc.

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Famous San Miguel beer billboard along the National Highway in Ilocos Sur!

Advertising Associates was the Philippines' leader in outdoor advertising
for over half a century -- it began as advertiser for the San Miguel Brewery!
San Miguel VP Don Sebastian Ugarte later acquired the company with his in-laws.
Members of the Ugarte-Melian clan operated the firm in the following decades.

Historical Sketch

Advertising Associates was founded in 1946 in order to service all advertising needs of San Miguel Brewery, its subsidiaries, and associated companies in the Soriano Enterprises. As originally conceived AA was both an advertising agency and a sign manufacturer producing billboards, neon signs and all types of display advertising. However in 1949 the inherent conflict between common ownership of agency and media became evident and San Miguel decided to separate the agency and manufacturing functions and to sell the outdoor advertising portion and retain the advertising agency. The agency portion was re-incorporated as Philippine Advertising Counselors and remained part of San Miguel until 1961.

Early in 1950 the controlling interest in AA was sold to Aboitiz & Co., who later sold the majority to Jesus Cabarrus in 1954.

In 1958 a group led by Sebastian Ugarte, Leopoldo Melian and John J. Foley purchased the majority interest from Cabarrus and the same group continues in control to this date. Aboitiz & Co., while the largest individual stockholder, has retained its minority interest to the present. Originally conceived as a manufacturer of all kinds of outdoor signs AA was also the first large scale manufacturer of all types of screen process printing.

However over the years as screen process printing became more competitive and therefore more marginal, AA found it impractical to continue with its printing department and over the past twenty years has specialized in Neon signs, Billboards and all types of displays.

Originally located in a rented building on Isla de Provisor, Manila, AA in 1960 purchased a 6,000 square meter lot on Sheridan Street in Mandaluyong and constructed its offices and shops there, and has been operating from that location on August 1, 1961 up to December 1994, until it moved its operation to its present address at 15 N. Domingo St., Quezon City. The incorporators and original board of directors were all officers of the Soriano business group. The current Board of Directors consists of Mr. Iñaki Ugarte as its Chairman of the Board, Mrs. Miren Ugarte-Foley who is also President, Mr. Frank Abueva as Executive Vice President and General Manager, Mrs. Mercedes Ugarte-Gonzales and Atty. Ignacio Ortigas [husband of the former Margarita Ugarte Melian].

The corporation's bankers are, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Mandaluyong Branch and the Bank of Commerce Ortigas Branch.

The company's attorneys are Formoso and Quimbo law office. Over the fifty years of its existence Advertising Associates has been a dominant factor in outdoor advertising all over the Philippines and intends to maintain that position.

Source: http://www.advertising-associates.com/historical_sketch.htm.

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Iñaki Ugarte (2nd from the right) at the Manila Polo Club

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Jose Mari Ugarte is the Editor-in-Chief of Rogue magazine!
He and his friends left C!'s Manifesto magazine to start Rogue.

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Jose Mari Ugarte with '60s mestizo playboy and socialite
Don Rene de la Riva Knecht at the Rogue launch event!

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Rogue magazine is famous for its photo spreads,
featuring the Philippines' most beautiful mestiza models,
such as Bianca Araneta-Elizalde!

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His wife (2nd from the right) Rita Trillo-Ugarte is President of ExcelAsia

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ExcelAsia is an emerging HR solutions/training company in the Philippines

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Sister Anna Maria "Annie" Trillo is a Vice-President at ExcelAsia

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Brother-in-law Miguel "Mikel" Ugarte is Chairman of ExcelAsia.
He is also CFO of the H. Lhuillier company and is married to a
member of the Spanish-French mestizo Lhuillier-Darza clan.
Mikel and his wife are prominent socialites in the Philippines.

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The Ugarte clan at their Tali beach house!
Did you know that their beach house is also called Leku Eder (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsPiDRNGnR0)?

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Don Jose Marcelino Ugarte is a Managing Director at CEMEX Philippines

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The Ugarte/Uharte (Huarte, in Spanish) clan is descended from a noble
family from Markina in Bizkaia (Vizcaya) in the Basque Country of Spain.

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Prince Imperial of Mexico Agustín Jeronimo de Iturbide y Huarte
and Chilean strongman Gen. Augusto José Ramón Pinochet y Ugarte
are two of the more famous descendants of this Basque clan!

The founding family patriarch in the Philippines, Don Marcelino Ugarte,
was a sea captain who immigrated to the Philippines in the late 1800s.
He married Ana "Anita" Aboitiz y Yrastorza, a Visayan Basque mestiza.

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Their daughter Maria Natividad "Naty" Aboitiz Ugarte would marry
businessman Don Leopoldo Zobel Melian, who was a son of insurance
industry exec Don Antonio Melian y Pavia, el conde de Peracamps (left),
and a nephew of tycoons Don Enrique (center) and Don Fernando (right)
Zobel y de Ayala, Managing Partners of Ayala Corp. in the Philippines!
Their son Don Enrique Ugarte Melian is the current conde de Peracamps and
was Managing Director of the famous resort Sotogrande, S.A. in Spain!
Sotogrande was "discovered" by Enrique's uncle Don Alfredo Zobel Melian
and was developed by Ayala Corp. under Col. Joseph McMicking.

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Sebastián Aboitiz Ugarte

Don Marcelino's son Don Sebastián was a famous executive at San Miguel!
He was a graduate of the presitigious De La Salle University, where he was a
star football player and teammate of Don Francisco "Paquito" Ortigas, Jr.!
Back in the "golden-age" of football in the Philippines, the San Miguel Corporation organization was very much involved in the Philippine Football Association league. Their team was run by the revered Sebastián Ugarte, who was an Executive Vice-President at A. Soriano & Co. Under his leadership, the Soriano group even funded and acquired in the early 60's the services of foremost British coaches Alan Rogers and Brian Birch to train referees, coaches and players. Later, they were succeeded by the pair of Danny McClelan and Graham Adams, who also trained the national and youth players. Later, in 1961, San Miguel via the PFA invited four medical students from Spain who were proficient in the game. With the SMC efforts starting to pay off and promotional support coming from Elizalde Company, 20,000 came to the Rizal Football Stadium to watch the Finals of the 8th Asian Youth Football Tournament in 1966.
Source: http://www.velletrisoccergroup.com/pages/countries/philippines1.php.
Tragically, Don Sebastian Ugarte disappeared on an airplane flight to Mindanao,
while working for San Miguel -- the exact circumstances remain controversial.
Ugarte Field, a park near the Makati Stock Exchange, was named in his honour.
Sebastian Ugarte was a President of the De La Salle Alumni Assoc. (1947-48).

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Gathering of former De La Salle Alumni Association (DLSAA) Presidents.
Front row (L-R): Br. Josiah Benedict FSC (alumni coordinator),
Ernesto Rufino, Sr., René Kahn, Br. Agustine Philip FSC (auxiliary provincial),
Felipe Montserrat, Sr., Sebastián Ugarte, Br. Crescentius Richard FSC (president);
Back row (L-R): Guillermo José, Sr., Marcos Roces, Sr., Antonio Beltrán, Sr.,
Miguel Y. Ortigas, Sr., Francisco V. Ortigas, Jr., and Ramón Campos, Jr.

Football stars Don Sebastian and Don Emilio Ugarte, Sr. were among
the first class inducted into the DLSAA's Sports Hall of Fame in 1993!

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Emilio M. Ugarte, Jr. was inducted into the DLSAA Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

THE Philippines is considered one of the world’s best producers of fine furniture.

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Eduardo "Duque/Duke" G. Zuluaga

Duque Zuluaga is a prominent businessman in the Philippines and a
highly sought-after speaker for regional entrepreneurship events.
He is Managing Director of ModaForma, a Philippine furniture supplier.

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Duque is also Executive Vice President of Azcor Lighting Systems Inc,
the biggest manufacturer of decorative lighting in the Philippines!

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Duque Zuluaga belongs to the Basque mestizo Zuluaga clan of the
Bicol Region, Cebu, and Manila. They are cousins of the Azcona clan.

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He is also Chairman of the Philippine International Furniture Show:
Manila Now!

Philippine Furniture Industry Soars

THE Philippines is considered one of the world’s best producers of fine furniture. The likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie buy Kenneth Cobonpue’s furniture proudly made in Cebu.

The country began as an exporter of wicker and rattan furniture but the industry has diversified into different materials such as metal, leather, wood and bamboo. Other materials used are rattan, buri, and marble. It’s not just sofas and chairs anymore. Filipino furniture makers are now exporting desks, armoires, cabinets, kitchen storage units among others.

Cebu is the biggest source of world-class furniture, accounting for 20 percent of total volume. Over 300 furniture manufacturers and exporters are based in Cebu with companies providing direct employment to about 80,000 people.

In 2004, Cebu’s total furniture exports reached $120 million, which is 40 percent of total furniture exports of $294 million.

The industry is not without its problems. Furniture manufacturers and exporters import raw materials not available in the country. Filipinos also face stiff competition from countries with cheaper labor costs.

The United States-trained Cobonpue has put the country in the furniture spotlight with his bold and modern designs which make use of different materials such as bamboo and metal.

The Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines is an association that works with companies, chapters and affiliates for the mutual benefit and sustained growth of the industry. The chamber is considered the catalyst and advocate of the Philippine furniture industry.

Every year, the organization holds the Philippine International Furniture Show-Manila Now to spotlight new designs and innovations in the industry. The chamber has even invited design masters such as Karim Rashid and Gaetano Pesce to collaborate with local designers.

Eduardo Zuluaga, chairman of Manila Now 2008, says the event is a new venue that showcases the inherent talent, skills and creativity of the Filipino.

Manila Now 2008 has been moved from Feb. 27 to March 5 to 8 at the SMX Convention Center so that it would be within the Asean furniture trade show circuit.

Zuluaga explains that the new schedule is right after the Malaysia International Furniture Fair and before the International Furniture Fair Singapore/Asean Furniture Show 2008.

“This makes it more convenient for buyers, because it is within the circuit. This means that buyers can effectively see six different countries in less than two weeks,” he says.

Zuluaga says this translates to bigger sales for participants and a higher volume of exports for the country.

The chamber has also teamed up with Global-Link Business Communications Phils. Inc. to market and professionally manage the show.

“This partnership is expected to increase buyer attendance by 20 percent,” says Zuluaga.

Source: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=myMoney1_jan17_2008.

Next year, Manila Now will go on tour, holding events throughout the region!

Manila Now Goes on Nationwide Promo Tour

The Chamber of Furniture Industry of the Philippines (CFIP) recently announced that the Manila Now 2009 – The Philippine International Furniture Show (PIFS) will go on a nationwide tour to meet with the local media while presenting the show to manufacturers and exporters of furniture, furnishings and accessories from all over the country as well as several countries around the region.

“Our objectives are simple: we want our fellow exporters to know that we care about their business, we care about their welfare and we care about their success… and we have the best available venue, Manila Now 2009, for them to showcase their products and services to a high quality audience. This is the only show that truly means business!” according to Eduardo Zuluaga, chairman of Manila Now.

The Manila No 2009 tour will kickoff in Davao on June 19th, then Cebu on June 20th, Bacolod on June 26, Iloilo on June 27, Manila on July 3 and Pampanga on July 4. Other key cities are also being planned which includes Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Over 500 selected guests have confirmed to participate in these activities.

“We would like our exporters to know that we have secured a three year contract with the SMX Convention Center, the biggest exhibition center in the Philippines. It is twice the size of the WTC and is a really great platform for exhibitors to showcase their products. We obtained reasonable rental rates and are now passing on the savings to exhibitors in terms of discounts and subsidies,” Zuluaga added.

During our last event, our foreign buyers grew by sixty percent as compared to that of 2007. Twenty percent of all foreign buyers were new and 20% were retailers. Forty percent of all buyers surveyed said our prices were reasonably good and only a low 5% said we were expensive. And, a whopping 97% of foreign buyers said they would return next year.

Source: http://www.dailymirror.ph/June/business06122008&03.html.

By Alastair McIndoe (http://business.asiaone.com/Business/News/SME%2BCentral/Story/A1Story20090121-116174.html)

http://business.asiaone.com/A1MEDIA/business/01Jan09/images/20090121.124359_phil.jpg

'CONGRATULATIONS on making the leap,' Dr Carl Balita tells his class of 21 former overseas Filipino workers now learning to start small businesses.

All of them were laid off from electronics factories in Taiwan last month, the first casualties in this country's army of migrant workers of the global economic meltdown. They have decided to return home to the Philippines, taking their chances starting small businesses with government assistance rather than trying to find jobs overseas again in these bleak times.

'They should have stayed home in the first place,' said Dr Balita, who runs a microfinance training company in Manila.

'For the placement fee of around 120,000 pesos (S$3,800) paid to recruitment agencies for a job abroad, they could have started a small restaurant or a little Internet cafe'

The first wave of layoffs among overseas Filipino workers caused by the global economic crisis is still just an ominous ripple. The retrenched workers, thought to number several thousand, are mainly from the manufacturing and construction sectors.

Remittances were still robust last November, up 10.5 per cent at US$1.3 billion (S$1.9 billion) compared with November 2007, according to the central bank's latest data on the inflows of migrant money. In the first 11 months of last year, a record 1.2 million Filipinos were deployed overseas, either on new or renewed contracts.

It was only last month that the retrenchments became noticeable. And as the global recession deepens, fears are intensifying among international labour groups that the fallout for migrant workers from developing economies like the Philippines, one of the world's biggest labour-exporting countries, will be severe.

The Philippine government is preparing for the worst. It has readied livelihood programmes - Dr Balita runs one of them - for laid-off overseas workers. The lifeline package includes a small amount of start-up financing and access to special loans from state banks: up to 50,000 pesos for uncollateralised loans.

'By the looks of it, job losses will be increasing,' said Ms Teresita Manzala, deputy administrator of the labour department's National Reintegration Centre for Overseas Filipino Workers. 'We received the first distress signals in October and then only in Taiwan. Now we're seeing losses in Australia, Macau, the United Arab Emirates and the Czech Republic.'

This is not unfamiliar territory for the Philippine authorities. Three years ago, several thousand workers were repatriated from war-torn Lebanon.

'We have a lot of experience running programmes for displaced workers, but this is not business as usual; we have to be flexible with the regulations and cut red tape,' said Ms Manzala, referring to the financial assistance packages.

At a reintegration centre in Manila's old Spanish walled city, seven Filipinos, all but one of them women, laid off last month from a plant in the Czech Republic, were signing on for the livelihood programme when The Straits Times visited last Friday. 'We got a plane ticket and no compensation,' complained one member of the group.

Just over 600 retrenched overseas workers have visited this centre since the first layoffs; 242 applied for the training. Data is still being collected from regional offices to get a broader picture of the likely demand for the programme.

Going by Mr Balita's class, many returned home mired in debt. Fees charged by recruitment agencies are way beyond the means of many job seekers. Families and relatives invariably chip in, but there is a well-beaten path to loan agencies.

Ms Brenda Pila, 22, borrowed 70,000 pesos to get a job in a semiconductor factory in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. She earned NT$17,000 (S$756) a month, double her salary as an office worker in Manila. Like numerous Filipinos in unskilled jobs abroad, she has a college degree.

She started work last August, elated to be able to support her family. Four months later, she was laid off. Along with many other export-dependent Taiwanese businesses, her firm saw orders plunging.

'I was so angry about the wasted effort,' said Ms Pila. Worry clouded her face as she talked about the loan: 'I can barely pay the interest, let alone the principal.' With the government grant, she plans to start a small meat-processing business from her kitchen, turning meat into sausages to sell.

Half of the 28 courses for returning overseas workers run by the Technology Resource Centre, a government agency, are to do with food, seen as one of the safer business bets here. Mobile phone repair businesses are popular on the non-food side.

It is still a gamble: 70 per cent of enterprises started by former overseas workers fold because of poor planning and inadequate training, according to one estimate. Even so, the moderating inflation rate is good news for small business start-ups, especially in the food sector. And the broad economy, at least for now, is not in the eye of the global financial storm, thanks to the local banking system which is largely unburdened by toxic debt.

'I'm excited about trying a small business; it's something I never even thought of before until I lost my job in Taiwan,' said 27-year-old accountancy graduate Ryan. He plans to open an Internet cafe in his neighbourhood, starting with a few second-hand computers.

RP fishing firm plans $25-M tuna factory in Papua New Guinea

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — A major fishing company here has partnered with local and Thai firms for a $25-million canned tuna factory in Papua New Guinea, a company official confirmed on Wednesday.

Augusto C. Natividad, senior vice-president of Frabelle Fishing Corp., said its subsidiary, Frabelle (PNG) Ltd., will build the tuna cannery with Thai Union Corp. and Century Canning Corp.

"Construction works at the cannery is set to begin soon in Lae City, Morobe province," said Mr. Natividad in a phone interview.

Frabelle supplies yellowfin and skipjack tuna to canneries in this city. The company has since expanded into processing, and already has a factory with 180 metric ton-a-day capacity in Lae City.

The new factory this tri-venture plans to build will involve a 350 MT daily processing capacity and hopes to employ 6,000 locals there, Mr. Natividad said. It will be built in two phases, the first of which is expected to be completed in 18 months from the start of construction, he added.

At www.atuna.com, a global tuna information resource center, Mr. Natividad admitted that the construction of the new tuna plant had faced hurdles related to land ownership "that was solved days ago."

Another Filipino firm, RD Tuna Canners, is also operating in Papua New Guinea. RD Tuna is part of the business empire of the RD Group of Companies owned by businessman Rodrigo E. Rivera, Sr. — Romer S. Sarmiento
http://www.bworldonline.com/BW021209/content.php?id=054

SM Prime 2008 earnings rise to P6.4B (http://http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/02/20/09/sm-prime-2008-earnings-7-p64b)
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 02/20/2009 11:41 AM


Despite a tougher business environment, SM Prime Holdings Inc., the country's biggest mall developer, said its net income last year grew 7 percent with the entry of new malls and expansion of existing ones.

In a statement, SM Prime reported a net income of P6.4 billion for 2008 against P6 billion in 2007 on the back of a 12-percent rise in revenues to P17.8 billion.

The company said the results included the operations of the three SM malls in Xiamen and Jinjiang in southern China and Chengdu in central China.

"Notwithstanding the global financial situation, SM Prime achieved its goals and sustained its expansion in 2008. The company performed fairly well and was able to deliver on its targets and objectives due mainly to the unwavering support of its loyal customers, tenants, suppliers, shareholders, and employees," said SM Prime president Hans Sy.

In 2008, rental fees continued to account for the largest share of SM Prime’s consolidated revenues at P15.4 billion, up 15 percent year-on-year. Bulk of the increase came from additional space in new malls and mall expansions during the year.

SM Prime opened SM City Marikina, SM City Rosales and SM City Baliwag and expanded SM City North Edsa and SM Megamall.

Put together, the new malls and expansions in 2008 added 353,000 square meters to SM Prime's gross floor area. The average occupancy rate of the new malls now stands at 93 percent.

Meanwhile, cinema ticket sales during the year was flat due to the dearth of movie blockbusters.

SM Prime spent P8.2 billion in operating expenses for full year 2008, an increase of 15 percent from P7.1 billion in 2007. Income from operations posted a 9 percent growth from P8.8 billion in 2007 to P9.6 billion last year.

For 2009, SM Prime plans to open SM City Naga in Camarines Sur, SM City Rosario in Cavite, SM City Pamplona in Las Piñas, and the Sky Garden at SM City North Edsa. The company is also set to expand SM City Rosales in Pangasinan.

By the end of the year, SM Prime will have 36 malls nationwide and three malls in China, with an estimated gross floor area of 4.9 million square meters.

SM Prime is a unit of conglomerate SM Investments Corp., owned by one of the country's richest men, Henry Sy.

SM to build shopping complex near The Fort (http://http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/03/03/09/sm-build-shopping-complex-near-fort)
By Honey Madrilejos-Reyes, Business Mirror | 03/03/2009 8:07 AM


Known to have a solid reputation of going against any economic downturn, the SM Group controlled by retail magnate Henry Sy is planning to build a P2-billion shopping center in Taguig City by the end of the year.

A BusinessMirror source said the project—to be undertaken by the group’s mall development arm SM Prime Holdings Inc.—would be a part of a commercial complex envisioned to rise on a sprawling property owned by the Taguig government.

The shopping center alone is expected occupy around 1.8 hectares. A hotel project, to be handled by another entity, is also planned within the complex.

“SM is leasing the property from the Taguig government for 25 years,” the source said.

The design of the shopping center is still being finalized but the source said it would more or less cater to the upper market because of its proximity to Ayala’s residential and commercial developments Serendra and Bonifacio High Street. Meanwhile, Ayala’s mall development Market! Market! mostly attracts low- to middle-income customers.

“We expect to complete the shopping center by 2011,” added the source privy to the negotiations.

The SM group’s expansion in Taguig, the source added, indicates its bullish outlook on the country’s fundamentals despite the challenges brought by the global financial crisis.

The Taguig property was part of the donation given by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority to the local government as its share in the Bonifacio Global City project.

Earlier, SM Prime reported a consolidated net income of P6.4 billion in 2008 from P6.0 billion the year before. Revenues, on the other hand, grew 12 percent to P17.8 billion. These results included the operations of the three SM malls in China. The SM China in the mainland are located in the cities of Xiamen and Jinjiang in Southern China, and Chengdu in Central China.

“Notwithstanding the global financial situation, SM Prime achieved its goals and sustained its expansion in 2008,” said president Hans Sy.

Rental fees continued to account for the largest share of SM Prime’s consolidated revenues last year, amounting to P15.4 billion. Bulk of the increase came from additional space in new malls and mall expansions during the year. The new malls were SM City Marikina, SM City Rosales, and SM City Baliwag. Mall expansions were seen in The Annex at SM City North Edsa and The Atrium at SM Megamall.

Put together, the new malls and expansions in 2008 added 9 percent, equivalent to 353,000 square meters (sqm) in gross floor area (GFA) for a total of 4.3 million sqm. The average occupancy rate of the new malls now stands at 9 percent.

This year, the company plans to open SM City Naga in Camarines Sur, SM City Rosario in Cavite, SM City Pamplona in Las Piñas and the Sky Garden at SM City North Edsa. The company is also set to expand SM City Rosales in Pangasinan.

By the end of the year, SM Prime will have 36 malls nationwide and three in China, with an estimated GFA of 4.9 million sqm.

We will launch this year

"Doctor Management"

It is a management firm...accountants..managers...and techies to solve your enterprenual problem..like controls...surveilance...operating system on various businesses..inventory losses...etc....

We are looking for partners...just PM me if interested...

PLDT eyes $2-B investments in India (http://http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/03/03/09/pldt-eyes-2-b-investments-india)
Reuters | 03/03/2009 8:02 PM

The Philippines' largest listed company, telecoms firm PLDT, said on Tuesday it was eyeing acquisition opportunities in India that could see investments of up to $2 billion.

"I think there are opportunities in India that could have an investment range of anywhere between $500 million all the way up to $2 billion," Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co (PLDT) chairman Manuel Pangilinan told a results briefing.

"It's a market where the valuation of telcos has gone down significantly, so if we could take a look at it, it must make sense obviously for us," Pangilinan said.

PLDT is currently "in various degrees of discussions" with several firms in India, he added, but did not disclose details.

PLDT, which is owned by Hong Kong's First Pacific Co Ltd and Japan's NTT Communications and NTT DoCoMo, earlier forecast a smaller rise in core profit this year as a slowing domestic economy hits subscriber growth.

Core earnings are expected to rise 5 percent in 2009 to 40 billion pesos ($819 million) from 38.1 billion pesos in 2008. Last year's earnings marked an 8 percent increase over 2007.

Tax Benefit

PLDT, which runs the country's dominant fixed line business and is also the biggest wireless phone provider, has a market value of about $8.5 billion.

The company said P2 billion of this year's core profit, which strips out currency and derivatives gains, will come from the reduction in the corporate income tax rate to 30 percent from 35 percent. That would indicate that without the tax benefit, the company's bottomline will largely be flat.

"The economic conditions are difficult and, second, as you increase the penetration rate, it will of course be a little bit more difficult to gain more subscribers," Napoleon Nazareno, PLDT president and chief executive, told the briefing.

Full-year net profit was P34.6 billion, down 4 percent from 2007 and below forecasts of P37.2 billion, according to Reuters Estimates. PLDT said 2008 earnings were dragged down by asset impairment charges from earlier investments in information technology and foreign exchange losses.

"It's a good set of results, especially in the current environment," said Macquarie analyst Rama Maruvada. "The outlook obviously is a little bit challenging, more so because it's a macro thing, it's not really an execution issue."

For 2009, PLDT expects service revenues to rise 5 percent to P150 billion.

The company has allocated P27 billion for capital spending this year, up from last year's P25.2 billion, but officials said the amount can be tweaked.

PLDT last month said it raised P5 billion through an issuance of fixed rate notes to fund its capital outlay and officials said there could be more similar debt issues.

"We're trying to shift more of our borrowings to peso-denominated borrowings with respect to capex financing as well as replacing our maturities with debt," said PLDT Treasurer Anabelle Chua. "Over time, it minimises our exposure to forex revaluation," she said, adding the company has more than $300 million in debt maturing this year.

PLDT shares closed up 0.5 percent at P2,185 on Tuesday, compared with the main index's 0.2 percent rise.

Franchising industry predicts 45-percent growth this year (http://http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/03/08/09/franchising-industry-predicts-45-percent-growth-year)

By Max V. de Leon,BusinessMirror | 03/09/2009 12:32 AM


The franchising frenzy is on once again in the Philippines, with the industry predicting at least a 45-percent growth this year as more Filipinos seek franchising opportunities to survive the crisis.

Armando Bartolome, president of GMB Franchise Developers and considered as Philippine franchising guru, said strong growths will be registered both in the number of existing firms that will open their business concepts to franchisees, as well as in the number of franchised outlets.

“The industry will be at its all-time high this year because the crisis is forcing companies to go into franchising as a way to expand their business. At the same time, Filipinos who are seeking another source of income for fear of losing their jobs, and even those that already lost their jobs, are multiplying,” Bartolome told the BusinessMirror at the sidelines of the Philippine International Food and Beverage Expo at the World Trade Center on Friday.

Currently, Bartolome said there are about 1,000 franchisors in the country, with about 70 percent of them home-grown. The number of franchisors, he said, can easily grow by 45 percent this year.

New franchisors, Bartolome said, can sign in up to 10 franchisees in the first year.

Existing franchisors, on the other hand, can expect up to 30- percent growth in their franchised outlets.

“There is really a strong demand for franchising concepts right now, especially for the companies that are well-advertised,” Bartolome said.

He said demand is coming largely from overseas Filipino workers and their families, retirees, entrepreneurs and the salaried individuals who need to augment their income.

The hot franchise concepts right now are the Hong Kong noodle stands and dim sums.

Bartolome said Metro Manila could be nearing saturation already for some franchise concepts, so it is best to go to the provinces.

Also, he said, it would be a wise move to pick the low-end and mass-type concepts.

Gerlie Pagtakhan, general manager of GSP Lechon Manok Inc., said the company is opening up at least two franchise outlets each month. It is offering a cart business for roasted chicken at only P175,000 all-in.

Pagtakhan said some of their franchisees have recovered their investments in less than three months, particularly those who are selling at least 40 pieces of chicken per day.

Bartolome said the public should be careful in hooking up with a franchisor and carefully review the contract first because it is the only instrument that they can use should they need to go to court in the future.

I think I come from a family of businessmen.

My grandfather used to produce shows for artistas in the 1960s to 1970s. My dad used to travel with artistas around the country and he was in-charged of giving them their sweldos.

Until my grand dad thought of venturing into advertising (outdoor, that is) in the 1970s as well.

Because of that, almost all of my dad's siblings, including him, have put up their own companies making billboards, signs, tarpaulines, and other outdoor and printed materials.

things weren't always bright as they would have seemed. but all brothers were helping each other out, to some extent of course.

whenever the business is doing good, money really does pour in!

our family weren't into advertising really in the first place. my grandfather's family are known throughout our Central Luzon province for exporting furniture.

Creative entrepreneurs explore Cebu's artistry (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=446241&publicationSubCategoryId=108)
By Ehda M. Dagooc Updated March 07, 2009 12:00 AM


CEBU, Philippines - Close to 50 international delegates from different creative sectors in Southeast Asia are now in Cebu exploring the world-renowned creative competence of Cebuanos, through the formal launching of “Creative Cebu” campaign, initiated by the British Council.

The eight-day “Creative Cebu” drive officially opened yesterday with the delegates going around the creative icons in Cebu, part of which was to witness the furniture products being showcased at the ongoing Cebu International and Furnishings Exhibition Show or CebuX 2009 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

The delegates were also toured yesterday to different furniture manufacturing plants, like the showroom of world renowned designer Kenneth Cobonpue as well as at the “One Visayas” exhibition held at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) to see craftsmanship of the entire Visayas region.

Jay P. Aldeguer, one of the prime movers of the “Creative Cebu” program and known as the creative entrepreneur nexus in the Philippines told The Freeman yesterday that the official launching of “Creative City” Cebu will bring the province to a higher level in terms of capitalizing on the creative industry to spur further economic development in the province.

Today, the campaign will also officially open the two-day festival called “Tubod Fest” at the Ayala Center Cebu---The Terraces, which puts together all the elements supporting the creative industry in Cebu.

The festival does not only display products, but also inviting financial institutions to participate, to explore opportunities or extend funding requirements to start-up companies, especially those that are identified in the OTOP (One-Town-One-Product) program.

A Focus-Group-Discussion (FGD) was also held yesterday in a bid to formalize the Information Technology and Inter-active sector as part of the broad creative industry sector.

According to Aldeguer, Creative Cebu campaign is now trying to work with the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (Cedfit), identifying the players in the inter-active creative sector, such as those software developers in animation, gaming, among others.

Cebuano Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) advocate lawyer Andrew Ong, will also tackle on the importance of copyright in the creative sector industry.

This afternoon’s “Creative Cebu” conference to be held at the Parklane International Hotel, will tackle mostly on how to develop the creative industry in Cebu, with international experts discussing key matters, such as how the United Kingdom (UK) creative industry has developed, and also explore other countries’ success in maximizing the “wealth” of the creative industry.

The “Creative Cebu” campaign is part of the British Council’s “Creative City” program.

The launching of the Creative Cebu, Aldeguer said hopes to address issues in the creative industry here, such as harnessing the skills of the potential talents, and provide them the even the “glimpse” of how “creativity” impacts the economy, across all industries.

Initial plan is to implement a “Big-Brother” partnership between successful companies and micro-creative players.

The lack of avenue for designers, and artists to get together, and learn from each other, is one of the problems that are being identified, why the creative industry in Cebu has not been moving, despite its potential, said Carungay.

Identifying creative entrepreneurs goes beyond jewelry and furniture designers, it includes a huge spectrum in the creative economy, including, industrial graphic artists, architecture, visual arts, performing arts, screen, inter-active web designers, culture and heritage and festivals, film animation artists, among others.

When the British Council was deciding on a place to call its creative city in the Philippines, several places came in the list, including Manila, Silay, Vigan, Liliw, Paete, Davao and Cebu.

After careful consideration, the British Council decided that Cebu was the perfect choice given its history of successes in the arts and its long list of creative Cebuanos recognized the world over.

Creative industry to prosper if given government support (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=447651&publicationSubCategoryId=108)
By Ehda M. Dagooc Updated March 12, 2009 12:00 AM


CEBU, Philippines - Cebu’s creative industry will only prosper if given ample support by the government coupled with a constant coordination from a strong advocacy group of the creative industry in the province.

This according to Andrew Senior, head for creative economy unit of the British Council, during the official launching of “Creative Cebu” program.

Both government and the industry players are urged to work together in maximizing the potential of Cebu’s creative industry, and making it one of the economic drivers of the province.

A strong advocacy group to push Cebu’s creative industry is needed in order to persuade the government in making policies and development programs for the sector and to understand the creative industry very well, as it covers a broad spectrum of skills.

The sustainability of the “Creative Cebu” program now lies in the hands of the successful Cebuano creative entrepreneurs, on how to nurture the province’s creative sector, providing opportunities for creative people to make money out of their world-class creations and talents.

Senior suggests that the industry needs “very strong, influential and articulate” people to lead the Creative Cebu” industry, to constantly work with the government and ultimately find help and support assistance.

In the United Kingdom for instance, a lot of government agencies are supporting the creative sector because of the persistence of players to strengthen the industry.

One of the things the government should put their involvement into, is the education sector, teaching students to capitalize on their talents, rather than considering it a “hobby or passion.”

While it is important to recognize ones talent, what matters now, is a talented person should also know in “paying his way into the world.”

Naturally, artists, or creative people are the “most difficult raw material to manage”, because artists’ temperament are erratic, and most of them do not have strong “business sense.”

The government and creative entrepreneurs should be able to formulate a good program educating the passionate creative people to make money out of their talents, capitalize on it. After all, the world’s economy now is highly dominated by creative people.

Strong networking between creative people, and alliance between creative entrepreneurs should be established, Senior said.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/03/11/dining/11brfjollibee_600.jpg
March 11, 2009
Jollibee Brings a Filipino Addiction to Queens By MATT GROSS
Jollibee
62-29 Roosevelt Avenue (63rd Street), Woodside, Queens;
(718) 426-4445; jollibee.com.ph.

On a recent Sunday afternoon beneath the No. 7 train tracks in Woodside,
Queens, a thin, pale man with a goatee approached the 30-odd people
waiting to enter the shiny new restaurant with the friendly apian mascot, and
asked what was going on. A jumble of excited responses followed, which he summarized thusly:
“So it’s a Filipino thing?”

Yes, Jollibee is a Filipino thing, a fast-food chain from the
sprawling archipelago, with 600-plus outlets there, across Asia and on our
own West Coast.

The Woodside branch is New York’s first, and since its mid-February opening,
expatriates have lined up for a taste of home, on weekends waiting as much
as an hour just to get in the door.

Jollibee is known as the McDonald’s of the Philippines,
and its menu will be familiar to anyone who’s passed under the golden arches.

Chickenjoy, Jollibee’s specialty (one piece, $2.99; three pieces, $6.89;
18 pieces, $38.99), is straightforward fried chicken,
with moist meat, a crispy but not too thick batter and, when ordered spicy, a dusting of potent chili
powder. It’s a bit salty, but as one diner explained, that’s why Filipinos enjoy Chickenjoy.

After a passel of forgettable burgers ($1.39 to $6.29) and fresh, honest sides
(buttered corn, mashed potatoes — regular $1.99, large $3.59), the menu
heads for odder territory.

Spaghetti ($4.49) is topped with a sweet, hot-dog-and-ham-studded tomato
sauce, and is frighteningly addictive. Palabok Fiesta ($5.79) is the only
recognizably Asian dish: rice noodles in a gummy-but-yummy sauce
of fish flakes, pork, shrimp, egg and crumbled chicharrón.

Jollibee’s signature deep-fried peach-mango pie ($2.29) is crusty and
intensely fruity, at once a Filipino thing, a Georgia thing and something else
entirely. It’s worth the wait.
http://events.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/dining/reviews/11brief-002.html?scp=1&sq=jollibee&st=cse

:horse:

jollibee should be targeting china, vietnam, cambodia and other developing countries.

Entrepreneur opens skills training center (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=449498&publicationSubCategoryId=108)
Updated March 18, 2009 12:00 AM


CEBU, Philippines - As most companies these days are cutting on cost to manage the impact of the economic recession, ample skills that require lesser training is now becoming a prerequisite for a worker to land a good job.

This is one of the reasons why entrepreneur Glenn Anthony O. Soco opened up a new venture called Global Power Skills Development Center, Inc., which offers short training courses on housekeeping, food and beverage service and bartending.

Aimed to provide skills development to the workforce, Soco said that the training center will serve as a training ground that will produce more qualified people into the work force.

After having started early this year in January, the training center now offers housekeeping national certificate II, food and beverage service national certificate II and bartending which are among the top skills required in the hotel and restaurant services industry.

“Our courses are all TESDA accredited and we are looking at expanding these courses to accommodate more training for the hotel and restaurant service,” said Soco.

“We noticed a need to upgrade the skills of job applicants and align these skills so that they can qualify for the available jobs in the market. There are a lot of jobs in the market but there is a lack of qualified manpower,” he added.

Soco said that demand is particularly great in the restaurant and hotel industry as the number of new hotels and restaurants continue to expand in the city.

“There are more new hotels and restaurants opening in the city but the standard has become more challenging to cope so applicants need to really have further training to be in the best position to get the jobs available in the market,” said Soco.— Rhia de Pablo

Bukas meron akong pupuntahan na Commercial space for rent sa Alabang area. 2nd biz ko na to na bubuksan:D:D:D sana ok pa rin:D kahit mahina ang world economy:D

^^^ I knew the owner of Head Zone, I don't know if it's still doing well. They ahd 3 branches back then in Manila, Quezon City and Makati.Too bad the real owner got so obsessed in migrating in North America when his business was booming. Sometimes envy dominates sanity. Keep that up, you'll make it big one day.

Alot of filipinos should learn more on enterprenuralship and innovativeness because this is one way and key for a better economy.

BayanTrade sells to Indonesia (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view/20090327-196590/BayanTrade-sells-to-Indonesia)
By Alexander Villafania

MANILA, Philippines--Business solutions provider BayanTrade has begun selling new solutions for the construction and property industry in Indonesia.

Cristina Mendoza, BayanTrade regional product manager for industry solutions, said the introduction of the new services is part of the company’s plans to boost its offshore businesses, particularly its Southeast Asian market.

The company started offering its two business solutions built on top of business software SAP.

Bayantrade is working with its Indonesian subsidiary PT Columbus IT.

The solutions are mainly project management applications for the construction and property development industry. These cover management of construction materials, subcontractors and financials, the company said.

In early 2008, BayanTrade started its international expansion by acquiring CITP Singapore Pte Limited and its subsidiary PT Columbus IT in Indonesia.

Since then, the company has been offering enterprise resource planning solutions, with the new BT Properties and BT Builder being the latest additions.

BayanTrade was formed in 2002 by six of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines. Ayala Corporation, Aboitiz and Co, Benpres Holdings, JG Summit, Unilab and PLDT. The company was established to initially service procurement requirements of the group.

Currently, the major shareholders of BayanTrade include Azalea International Ventures Partners (a subsidiary of Ayala Corporation), ePLDT (subsidiary of PLDT), Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Manila Electric Company, ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp, and Bayan Telecommunications.

EEI bags $192-million Saudi Arabia project (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=454625&publicationSubCategoryId=66)
By Zinnia B. Dela Peña Updated April 03, 2009 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - Construction giant EEI Corp., through its joint venture Al-Rushaid Construction Co. Ltd., has bagged a $192-million offshore project for Saudi Polymers Co. Ltd.’s ethylene plant located in Saudi Arabia.

In a statement, EEI said this brings its current portfolio of projects in Saudi Arabia to over P30 billion.

EEI has been a player in the foreign market since 1974 when it first ventured into the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Since then, the company has won major contracts in a wide range of large-scale industrial projects including petroleum refineries, power plants and major industrial installations in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Algeria, Libya, Brunei, Malaysia and, recently, New Caledonia in the Pacific

In Saudi Arabia, EEI has undertaken numerous oil and gas refinery projects, gas oil separators, desalination terminals and tank farms for Saudi Aramco.

The company currently employs about 9,000 workers in its overseas operations.

EEI has also clinched huge contracts in the local market, including the P2.84-billion joint venture project with Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Ltd. for the construction of Berth 6 of the Manila International Container Terminal of port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc.

EEI posted a record net income of P506 million last year, up 44.57 percent from P350 million in 2007 due to increased construction activities overseas.

The board of directors of the company also declared a cash dividend of P0.10 per share to common stockholders which will be paid in four payment dates at P0.025 per share to stockholders of record as of April 7, 2009, June 4, 2009, Sept. 4, 2009 and Dec. 2, 2009.

Founded in 1931, EEI has been involved in the construction and erection of large-scale heavy and light industrial projects, infrastructure and property development projects. It has also expanded into the pension of general contract and specially construction services.

Listed at the Philippine Stock Exchange, EEI is a member of the Yuchengco Group of Company, a leading diversified conglomerate with interests in banking, financial and insurance services, education and property development.

JFC plans to open 3,000 stores overseas (http://mb.com.ph/articles/203051/jfc-plans-open-3000-stores-overseas)
By JAMES A. LOYOLA

Jollibee Foods Corporation is aiming to open 3,000 stores overseas over the next 10 years, about 75 percent of the 4,000 stores it hopes to have operating by 2020.

“We envision that by the year 2020, Jollibee will already have 4,000 stores, 75 percent of which are outside the Philippines,” said Jollibee vice president for international operations Dennis Flores.

He noted that “we know it will be tough to achieve but if you look back 30 years ago when this company started, would you have believed how it has grown this big from just an ice cream parlor.”

Fresh from opening its store in Queens, New York last February 14 its first in the East Coast, USA Jollibee has already set its sights on other populous cities.|

Flores said 12 more stores are in the works for Jollibee’s operations in Asia this year four each in Saudi Arabia and Vietnam, two in Dubai and one each in Qatar and Brunei. Macau is also another area that is currently being considered.

In the US, Jollibee hopes to open seven more stores in various locations Plaza Bonita in San Diego, Rosemead and New West Covina in South California, Village Square and Colonnade both in Las Vegas, Oceanside in San Diego, and Concorde Seafood City in North Carolina before the end of 2010.

“As of the fourth quarter of 2008, our foreign operations accounted already for 15.9 percent of our system wide sales. Our aim is to derive at least half of our revenues from outside of the Philippines at some point in the future, both from organic growth and acquisitions even as we expect our Philippine business to sustain a healthy growth rate in the years to come,” said JFC chairman Tony Tan Caktiong.

Behind The Business Plan Of Pirates Inc. (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103657301)

Piracy off the coast of Somalia has become an international problem — and an international business. Navy SEALS rescued an American merchant captain earlier this month after Somali pirates raided the Maersk Alabama as it was making its way around the Horn of Africa to deliver aid.

But the issues of criminality and the potential for violence aside, a closer look at the "business model" of piracy reveals that the plan makes economic sense.

A piracy operation begins, as with any other start-up business, with venture capital.

J. Peter Pham at James Madison University says piracy financiers are usually ethnic Somali businessmen who live outside the country and who typically call a relative in Somalia and suggest they launch a piracy business. The investor will offer $250,000 or more in seed money, while the relative goes shopping.

"You'll need some speedboats; you'll need some weapons; you also need some intelligence because you can't troll the Indian Ocean, a million square miles, looking for merchant vessels," says Pham, adding that the pirates also need food for the voyage — "a caterer."

Yes, a caterer.

"Think of it as everything you would need to go into the cruise ship business," Pham says. "Everything that you would need to run a cruise ship line, short of the entertainment, you need to run a piracy operation."


Staffing Is Not A Problem

And like a cruise ship line, a piracy operation needs a crew. Somalia is an impoverished and largely lawless country with high unemployment. As a result, there is a huge work force looking for jobs.

Once the supplies and employees are ready, the piracy start-up is ready to launch.

But, Pham cautions, the pirates must choose their target carefully.

"Does it have any value? Who is the crew? Do they have any security onboard? Who owns the ship? All of those things have to be factored. This is a business decision, to seize a ship. Westerners command a lot more money than poor Filipinos, whose country and families don't have the money to ransom them," Pham says.

"A European is going to fetch you a lot more than a Filipino. No one is going to ransom an African. I'm being brutally frank, but it's true," he says.


Finding The Right Customer

If the pirates have made "good" business decisions, they will soon successfully seize a ship — and have "customers" such as Per Gullestrup, CEO of the Clipper Group, a Danish shipping company. One of the company's ships, with its crew of 13, was hijacked last November in the Gulf of Aden.

When it happened, Gullestrup called the company's insurer, who wanted Gullestrup to pay a ransom and get the ship back — otherwise, the insurer would be stuck with covering a $15 million ship. Gullestrup's company could have tried to take the ship back by force, but that is usually when hostages get killed.

So the insurer put Gullestrup in touch with a professional ransom negotiator.

After three days, the pirates called.

"They introduced themselves, you know, 'My name is Ali; I'm your friendly pirate today' — not quite, but you almost got that sense. They're not making threats or anything. They're very polite in their whole demeanor," Gullestrup says.

They just politely demanded $7 million.

Just as Gullestrup had hired a professional negotiator, the pirates hired one, too — usually someone who speaks English well, often a lawyer. In this instance the pirates' negotiator — "Ali" — had spent 29 years in the U.S.


Let's Make A Deal

Ali gets a commission out of the ransom, so he has an incentive to drive up the price. Gullestrup laughed at the initial demand for $7 million, calling it "a fantasy number."

He says he never considered paying that amount, because it was "way, way, way above the market and way, way above what we knew was being paid for other ships and … for similar hijackings."

So the pirates started high, Gullestrup started low, and the haggling began.

For a couple of weeks, the two sides went back and forth, simply restating their positions. Eventually, Gullestrup recalls, "We decided to say to them, 'OK, then there's nothing else to talk about, and we won't call you anymore, and you can call us when you are ready to reduce your demands.' "

Gullestrup says he wasn't worried about the safety of his crew because Somali pirates rarely threaten or kill hostages. The moment crew members get hurt or killed, the pirates lose their most important bargaining chip.

The pirates did eventually blink: But their demand was still much higher than the market rate, so Gullestrup and Ali did some more haggling and finally agreed on a ransom payment — somewhere between $1 million and $2 million (Gullestrup wouldn't give an exact figure).


Faxing Over The Details

The agreement was ironed out, and then Gullestrup literally faxed over the details to the ship. The money was loaded into duffel bags that were put into a watertight container, which was then flown over the hijacked ship and dropped into the water.

"They had a little boat, and they went over, picked up the container and brought it aboard the ship," Gullestrup recalls.

This, of course, is where the pirates settle up. Gullestrup says all the pirates who worked the hijacking showed up for payday. As a result, there were about 30 pirates onboard the vessel.

First, expenses such as food were paid. Then, the pirates paid themselves. Those who took a lot of risk got paid more.


Checking The Time Sheets On Payday

Gullestrup says they actually found time sheets onboard the ship after the pirates had left.

"We could see that there was a time sheet on a particular person who had been onboard and dates they had been onboard and so many dollars per day, and then a total sum on the time sheet," he says. The pirates, in effect, were clocking in and out.

From this and other ransom situations, here's a typical accounting for a piracy operation: About 20 percent goes to pay off officials who look the other way. About 50 percent is for expenses and payroll. The leader of an attack makes $10,000 to $20,000 (the average Somali family lives on $500 a year). The initial investor — who put in $250,000 of seed capital — gets 30 percent, sometimes up to $500,000.

Gullestrup's ship and crew were returned safely, although the pirates didn't actually want to get off the ship right away. That's because they were afraid of getting robbed by other pirates on their way back to shore, Gullestrup says, so he gave them a ride north, dropping them closer to home.

Fortunately, he says, he was going that way anyway.

Grabe, pag na kidnap ako sasabihin ko ako'y African:D:D:D na nag papaya kaya pumuti ng konti:D

Public urged to buy local to help protect trades (http://mb.com.ph/articles/204615/public-urged-buy-local-help-protect-trades)
By MARVYN BENANING

An alliance of entrepreneurs and nationalist traders called on Filipino consumers to shun foreign products, buy local items and mitigate the impact of the economic crisis.

Augusto Camba, associate director of the Foundation for a Sustainable Society (FSSI) said "consumers must buy local," adding that this is a doable method in combating the impact of the imported economic crisis.

Camba stressed that it is now the time for Filipinos to be patriotic and patronize local products, noting that up to 96 percent of all enterprises in the country are typically small but they employ the vast majority of workers.

The fair trade advocate explained that buying local makes our businesses viable, explaining that "viable businesses do not retrench their workers."

Last February, 46,000 Filipinos lost their jobs due to downsizing and shutdowns, particularly in electronics, which suffered a devastating 67 per cent slash in exports; apparel, with a 5 percent reduction of sales and furniture and woodcraft, with 2 percent.

Camba also made a pitch for hog raisers who are suffering reduction in sales due to the erroneous reports about a supposed swine flu pandemic even as not a single hog has been affected here. The hysteria fueled by wrong wire reports has been a bane to Filipino hog breeders.

"If government could simply show buyers where to buy local hogs, then we can address a public health crisis and also avoid killing families who depend on hog raising for survival. After doing this, we need to talk about how we shoulkd protect our industries to protect our health, environment and livelihood," Camba said.

The business leader is also drumming up support for the World Fair Trade Day on May 9, which will be celebrated in 70 countries.

On that day, various groups will hold trade fairs, product sales and other activities in venues spread throughout Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Camba said his group is backing initiatives to make products environment-friendly and is supporting enterprises that balance financial viability, social equity and ecological soundness.

"The Philippine economy, being largely agricultural, remains to be vulnerable to the vagaries of the global economy. Consumers, policymakers and producers have the challenge of ensuring that trade remains fair, especially to the poor," he said.

^^^ I knew the owner of Head Zone, I don't know if it's still doing well. They ahd 3 branches back then in Manila, Quezon City and Makati.Too bad the real owner got so obsessed in migrating in North America when his business was booming. Sometimes envy dominates sanity. Keep that up, you'll make it big one day.

Alot of filipinos should learn more on enterprenuralship and innovativeness because this is one way and key for a better economy.

For years I was regular customer of head zone at edsa shang. Anna was my stylist.

I spent a good sum for the hair cut, hot oil, and tips. But the quality of the hair cuts went down and it just wasn't worth the time and the money to go there anymore.

Public urged to buy local to help protect trades (http://mb.com.ph/articles/204615/public-urged-buy-local-help-protect-trades)
By MARVYN BENANING

An alliance of entrepreneurs and nationalist traders called on Filipino consumers to shun foreign products, buy local items and mitigate the impact of the economic crisis.

Augusto Camba, associate director of the Foundation for a Sustainable Society (FSSI) said "consumers must buy local," adding that this is a doable method in combating the impact of the imported economic crisis.

Camba stressed that it is now the time for Filipinos to be patriotic and patronize local products, noting that up to 96 percent of all enterprises in the country are typically small but they employ the vast majority of workers.

The fair trade advocate explained that buying local makes our businesses viable, explaining that "viable businesses do not retrench their workers."

Last February, 46,000 Filipinos lost their jobs due to downsizing and shutdowns, particularly in electronics, which suffered a devastating 67 per cent slash in exports; apparel, with a 5 percent reduction of sales and furniture and woodcraft, with 2 percent.

Camba also made a pitch for hog raisers who are suffering reduction in sales due to the erroneous reports about a supposed swine flu pandemic even as not a single hog has been affected here. The hysteria fueled by wrong wire reports has been a bane to Filipino hog breeders.

"If government could simply show buyers where to buy local hogs, then we can address a public health crisis and also avoid killing families who depend on hog raising for survival. After doing this, we need to talk about how we shoulkd protect our industries to protect our health, environment and livelihood," Camba said.

The business leader is also drumming up support for the World Fair Trade Day on May 9, which will be celebrated in 70 countries.

On that day, various groups will hold trade fairs, product sales and other activities in venues spread throughout Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Camba said his group is backing initiatives to make products environment-friendly and is supporting enterprises that balance financial viability, social equity and ecological soundness.

"The Philippine economy, being largely agricultural, remains to be vulnerable to the vagaries of the global economy. Consumers, policymakers and producers have the challenge of ensuring that trade remains fair, especially to the poor," he said.


I hope the call and the move to Buy Pilipino will continue to roll!

The most effective weapon for the country at all time, recession and no recession...

for a progressive philippines!:cheers:

Food woes fuel entrepreneur’s biz (http://http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/05142008/headlines04.html)

By Dennis D. Estopace
Reporter

AS other businesses grapple with the soaring cost of food and fuel, the Philippines’ bet for the World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in Monte Carlo says it is fortuitous they are in the dairy business.

Alaska Milk Corp. president and chief executive Wilfred Steven Uytengsu Jr. spoke to the BusinessMirror after a cocktail reception held before he goes to Monte Carlo to represent the Philippines in accounting firm Ernst & Young’s World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards on May 31. He vies against representatives of 44 countries.

Uytengsu said “the concern over sustainability of food must lead to a review of sources of energy.”

Saying he frowns on an indiscriminate use of biofuels as energy source, Uytengsu said countries like the United States should review their strategy of tapping corn for ethanol. “This is a basic commodity that could be wisely used for food production than energy.”

The use of such commodities has skewed supplies and is driving prices up, especially for raw materials used to raise livestock from where such consumer products as milk are produced, Uytengsu added.

A Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) paper released in February this year said that agricultural commodity prices began rising sharply in 2006, led by dairy, “which on average increased by nearly 80 percent.”

The report titled “Growing demand on agriculture and rising prices of commodities,” said that on the demand side, the emerging biofuels market which uses sugar, maize, cassava, oilseeds, and palm oil among others, has added to the upward pressure. “These commodities, which have predominantly been used as food, are now being grown as feedstock for producing biofuels.”

Likewise, the report cited a changing structure of demand, mainly, that “diversifying diets” also add to the higher commodity prices. This, the United Nations agency said, is characterized by people “moving away from starchy foods towards more meat and dairy products, which is intensifying demand for feed grains and strengthening the linkages between different food commodities.”

Alaska Milk apparently benefited from such situation, based on its report submitted to the Philippine Stock Exchange that showed its full-year net income rose 65 percent to P663 million in 2007 from P402 million in 2006.

“Revenues for the year surged 53 percent to P9.08 billion from P5.92 billion a year ago, buoyed by the strong performance of the company’s core milk products,” a statement of the publicly-listed firm said.

But the company’s cost of sales and operating expenses for the year also doubled to P8.13 billion last year from the amount in 2006. “Increased sales volume, combined with the higher cost of production inputs, skimmed milk powder in particular, pushed cost of sales higher year-on-year.”

Uytengsu said they are not unconcerned about the difficulties of people, and so “we are trying to mitigate the impact of high food prices on consumers.”

He vowed to keep balancing shareholder interest, that is, the company’s bottom line, and the interest of price-sensitive consumers. “I think this balancing act remains a core challenge for many entrepreneurs today.”

Business month to inspire entrepreneurs (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=464692&publicationSubCategoryId=108)
By Ehda M. Dagooc Updated May 06, 2009 12:00 AM


CEBU, Philippines – This year’s Cebu Business Month will focus on strengthening and sustaining the business prowess of Cebu amid a global financial catastrophe.

The 18th CBM, which carries the theme “Get Inspired,” is aimed at inspiring entrepreneurs in Cebu to keep on moving and be inspired by successful business icons that had been through several challenges in the business arena.

Organized by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), CBM 2009 chairman Jay Y. Yuvallos said that instead of pursuing more on business networking and international promotion, the event, which is the largest business event in Cebu, will zoom in the survivors of the lingering world crisis.

Working with an earmarked expenditure target of P12 million, the month-long event in June will showcase successful and inspiring business leaders and entrepreneurs who continue to push their nerves and stay in business, despite great difficulties.

“It is the best time to provide Cebuanos the inspiration they need to surmount the challenges. [After-all] crisis or no crisis all of us needs to be inspired,” said CCCI president Sam Chioson.

Based on the platform of the three industries considered as the “bread and butter” of Cebu’s economy—Information, Communication Technology (ICT), Tourism and Entrepreneurship, Yuvallos said players of these fields will be given utmost help to survive and get strength from established players.

Yuvallos added that this year’s CBM will mark another historical moment—to encourage industry players to “hold hands” together and prepare for the recovery, which he believes will be attained very soon.

While the rest of the world is haunted by the economic future uncertainties, Cebu will prove its “resiliency” and unity. Together—Cebuanos will be able to fight this worst time in economic history, he said.

The objective of this year’s CBM will be more on direct impact to the players, setting aside the event’s traditional goal of promoting Cebu industries to national and international levels, Yuvallos said.

The Entrepreneurship committee for instance, headed by young Cebuana entrepreneur Kate Dychangco Anzani of the Dychangco Group of Companies, will open up an inspirational gallery and exhibit dubbed “100 Trails of Success” that will showcase Cebu’s inspiring Entrepreneurs and their businesses recognizing their efforts and sharing their inspirational stories to the public.

Tourism maverick Mila Espina who heads the CBM Tourism events said that this year’s CBM Tourism event, will bring a twist to the promotion of tourism sector in the province, with emphasis on discovering the unexplored places in Cebu—thus the theme, “Explore Cebu.”

ICT on the other hand, which is the most resilient industry, will strengthen the industry’s dynamism in pushing Cebu as an emerging Island of Innovation.

Chaired by ICT expert Jerry Rapes of software engineering services company-- Exist Global Inc., the ICT related events this coming June will give light to the players and concerned government agencies to make Cebu as a legitimate ICT player in the world.

“We don’t want to stay as the number one ‘emerging BPO destination in the world’,” Rapes said emphasizing that Cebu stakeholders have to work together closely into bringing Cebu ICT to a higher level, from emerging to “emerged”.

Chowking franchisee in UAE eyes more stores (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=myMoney1_may28_2009)

Ahmed Lafir has been expanding his Chowking franchise in the United Arab Emirates at the rate of three stores a year with an average growth of over 90 percent for the past three years. Despite the global crisis, Lafir, the Indian-born managing director of Tradeline L.L.C., a conglomerate specializing in fertilizers, petrochemicals, agro commodities and steel and aluminum products, has faith that the Filipino brand will continue to succeed.

The company is also negotiating to open Jollibee stores in the UAE. Tradeline employs about 400 people of different nationalities for the Chowking franchise.

During a recent Chowking franchise convention in Baguio City, Lafir said his company will have 14 Chowking stores in the UAE alone by yearend, including those in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. He also plans to open stores in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar in the future.

Five years ago, Lafir admits that people in the UAE were skeptical about having Chowking there mainly because the food could be different from that in the Philippine outlets.

“I had no idea about the serving size or the size of the store and the type of the service, I just followed my heart,” he says.

Even after the success of the first store, Lafir was still hesitant to expand until he realized the potential of the brand in UAE, which has a Filipino population of 400 milllion.

“No matter what happens, Filipinos will always go to a more familiar brand,” he says.

Lafir says part of the franchise’s success in the UAE is that his company deviated from the Filipino model. Beyond the typical Chowking fare of noodles, dimsum and chicken, the outlets also serve home-style dishes such as bulalo and kare-kare. The stores in the UAE are also spacious and can seat up to 200 people for parties.

Tradeline also has its own commissary that can service up to 50 stores and its own research and development team.

Despite the crisis, Lafir says Tradeline’s Chowking franchise is doing well.

“It is even faring better than our other businesses. I don’t have any regrets [entering the business]. Chowking gave me the confidence to diversify. Now, I know I can be successful in anything if I put my heart into it,” he adds.

Business month to inspire entrepreneurs (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=464692&publicationSubCategoryId=108)
By Ehda M. Dagooc Updated May 06, 2009 12:00 AM


CEBU, Philippines – This year’s Cebu Business Month will focus on strengthening and sustaining the business prowess of Cebu amid a global financial catastrophe.

The 18th CBM, which carries the theme “Get Inspired,” is aimed at inspiring entrepreneurs in Cebu to keep on moving and be inspired by successful business icons that had been through several challenges in the business arena.

Organized by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), CBM 2009 chairman Jay Y. Yuvallos said that instead of pursuing more on business networking and international promotion, the event, which is the largest business event in Cebu, will zoom in the survivors of the lingering world crisis.

Working with an earmarked expenditure target of P12 million, the month-long event in June will showcase successful and inspiring business leaders and entrepreneurs who continue to push their nerves and stay in business, despite great difficulties.

“It is the best time to provide Cebuanos the inspiration they need to surmount the challenges. [After-all] crisis or no crisis all of us needs to be inspired,” said CCCI president Sam Chioson.

Based on the platform of the three industries considered as the “bread and butter” of Cebu’s economy—Information, Communication Technology (ICT), Tourism and Entrepreneurship, Yuvallos said players of these fields will be given utmost help to survive and get strength from established players.

Yuvallos added that this year’s CBM will mark another historical moment—to encourage industry players to “hold hands” together and prepare for the recovery, which he believes will be attained very soon.

While the rest of the world is haunted by the economic future uncertainties, Cebu will prove its “resiliency” and unity. Together—Cebuanos will be able to fight this worst time in economic history, he said.

The objective of this year’s CBM will be more on direct impact to the players, setting aside the event’s traditional goal of promoting Cebu industries to national and international levels, Yuvallos said.

The Entrepreneurship committee for instance, headed by young Cebuana entrepreneur Kate Dychangco Anzani of the Dychangco Group of Companies, will open up an inspirational gallery and exhibit dubbed “100 Trails of Success” that will showcase Cebu’s inspiring Entrepreneurs and their businesses recognizing their efforts and sharing their inspirational stories to the public.

Tourism maverick Mila Espina who heads the CBM Tourism events said that this year’s CBM Tourism event, will bring a twist to the promotion of tourism sector in the province, with emphasis on discovering the unexplored places in Cebu—thus the theme, “Explore Cebu.”

ICT on the other hand, which is the most resilient industry, will strengthen the industry’s dynamism in pushing Cebu as an emerging Island of Innovation.

Chaired by ICT expert Jerry Rapes of software engineering services company-- Exist Global Inc., the ICT related events this coming June will give light to the players and concerned government agencies to make Cebu as a legitimate ICT player in the world.

“We don’t want to stay as the number one ‘emerging BPO destination in the world’,” Rapes said emphasizing that Cebu stakeholders have to work together closely into bringing Cebu ICT to a higher level, from emerging to “emerged”.

Pa-insert lang po... :)

I am a bit saddened that only the ICT, Tourism and Entrepreneurship are being highlighted in Cebu...The whole of Cebu has a vast area of land which can be utilized for different kind of farming and a long stretch of beach/sea fronts which is good not only for resorts, but also for fisheries.

If rice can not grow on Cebu's soil, then how about tropical fruit plantations? Cebu has plenty supply of milkfish and prawn hatchlings, and yet, why milkfish and prawn farming is not that popular?

Agriculture and fishery is a big plus for Cebu if only given enough attention.

Pasensya na sa sentimento... :)

Pa-insert lang po... :)

I am a bit saddened that only the ICT, Tourism and Entrepreneurship are being highlighted in Cebu...The whole of Cebu has a vast area of land which can be utilized for different kind of farming and a long stretch of beach/sea fronts which is good not only for resorts, but also for fisheries.

If rice can not grow on Cebu's soil, then how about tropical fruit plantations? Cebu has plenty supply of milkfish and prawn hatchlings, and yet, why milkfish and prawn farming is not that popular?

Agriculture and fishery is a big plus for Cebu if only given enough attention.

Pasensya na sa sentimento... :)

No, you are definitely correct sir!:cheers:

Shopping you can click on (http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20090529-207838/Shopping-you-can-click-on)

Wanting to shop late one Sunday night, I logged on to Code-Limited.com, a relatively new shopping website. I browsed through the site, which showcases the creations of up-and-coming young Filipino designers who have yet to hit the mainstream.

There are many interesting pieces—from splattered blazers and tulip skirts to tiered dresses and bikinis. There are accessories too—pretty bags and colorful headpieces.

After minutes of going through the site, I zoomed in on my choice—the Crisselda Jersey Dress by Dollface, which was available in red and back. I clicked on the black one, added it to my cart and checked out.

Immediately after, I received an e-mail from Code-Limited.com, giving me details about my order. During the next few days, I continued to get e-mailed updates about my order. On Thursday, my dress arrived and it looked just as it did on the site—classic, feminine and a little sexy.

Young designers

This is what Stephanie Lo, Charlene Falcis, Cheena Ng-Lio want to do—bring the creations of local young designers to your doorstep.

The three met through the School of Fashion and the Arts (SOFA) where they all took short-term degrees. Stephanie was a Behavioral Science and Marketing graduate from De La Salle University, Charlene graduated from the University of the Philippines’ Industrial Engineering program and now has a food business, and Cheena graduated from St. Scholastica and started her own clothing label Amour.

The three learned at SOFA that a lot of local designers have a hard time getting a break in the industry because they couldn’t put up their own store. Wanting to give these designers the chance to make it both in the local and international market, they put up Code-Limited.com.

Stephanie said, “Many young and upcoming designers join bazaars and consign their items. We thought that the Code-Limited website can provide a more permanent platform for them since it’s live 24/7.”

They first put up the website in March. Stephanie admits that the Philippine market for online shopping isn’t as mature as other countries yet, but they know it is growing. “It’s getting there slowly especially with the push of those selling in Multiply. The future is online—you see most businesses adding online sites too. We plan to be one of the pioneers for this.”

Word of mouth

Brands available on the website include Amour, Avenue Montaigne, Cina, Cocomo, Dollface, Electric Cutes, Eleven, Fofa, Glitterati, Love Culture, Maisie, Marrosa, My Little Dress, Plume, Undernourished Manila and Vida.

In the beginning, their clients were mostly their friends. Their business started to spread by word of mouth.

Stephanie, Charlene, and Cheena believe there’s a huge market for Code-Limited. “The brands we feature on the site have different target markets. The price range is very affordable—P1,500 to P4,000 for a dress. People between the ages of 16 and 30 shop at our website.”

So far, the party dresses are the big sellers.

While some of the products are also available at the SOFA Retail Lab at Rockwell Power Plant Mall’s second floor, some designs are exclusive to the website. “You wouldn’t be able to buy it anywhere else.”

New pieces are uploaded to the website weekly.

Hassle-free

Stephanie, Charlene and Cheena love being young entrepreneurs for a very good reason. “We like that we’re able to start a change. We want to start a different view of online buying. That Code-Limited isn’t on Multiply—this is a more formal and cohesive way of transacting.”

Payment can be made through credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, GCash and bank deposit. The website offers free delivery within Metro Manila and free delivery to other destinations in the Philippines with a minimum purchase of P3,000. And since sizes and the right fit are a concern of online shoppers, the website provides a measuring guide and also allows customers to try on the clothes for seven days to see if they fit (with the exception of the makeup and the bathing suits).

Code-Limited’s customers appreciate the ease of online shopping. “They are glad that it’s hassle-free for them to shop,” says Stephanie.

The site doesn’t just aim to discover young fashion talents and provide people with the convenience of shopping on the Internet, they also want to help sustain the livelihood of local seamstresses.

The three still have a lot of plans for their site. “We want to establish partnerships with fashion schools, organizations and companies that have the same goals as we have. We want to act as the online consolidator of all efforts to advance the local industry,” Charlene said.

She added, “Code-Limited will ultimately and eventually be the one-stop shop for everything to buy and to know about Filipino brands and designers. We aim to list most if not all of the local industry movers in our Fashion Directory and to upload over a hundred new items in our Online Mall every month. Expect us to reach you in your schools, offices and frequently visited establishments through the fashion shows and private sales we plan to hold.”

They also intend to go beyond clothes. “We’ll have more products on the site—like right now, we have mineral makeup by Bare Beauty,” said Stephanie.

Stephanie, Charlene, and Cheena will continue to be hard at work on Code-Limited.com, driven by their inspiration—the young designers. “The designers, the young talents, they inspire us, their creativity inspires us.”

Visit www.code-limited.com.

SM group forays into business hotels (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/june/04/yehey/business/20090604bus12.html)


The SM group announced that it plans to open its first businessman’s hotel in the next three years in a bid to boost its foray in the tourism industry and complement the businesses of its operating units.

Merril Yu, SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) senior vice president for hotel investments, said the company is planning to develop 14 hotels with 50 to 150 rooms within the areas where its various super malls are located.

SMIC will be building its first batch of hotels in Metro Manila and Cebu and would spend about P1.4 million for every room. The businessman’s hotel chain would be marketed under the brand SM Casa.

According to Yu, a businessman’s hotel strips down amenities to simple necessities needed by people who are usually mainly looking for a place to stay while away from home.

SMIC earlier this week said that it has allocated another P700 million for capital expenditures for the business, which will be spent until 2012.

“The capex includes two sites that begin the rollout with additional capex later,” Yu said.

The SM group is pursuing all tourism businesses under its Tourism and Entertainment division. Harley Sy, SMIC president, said the new unit will serve as a vehicle for a large-scale opportunity to promote Philippine tourism and is expected to fuel the company’s continued growth.

The new division carries the company’s interests in various hotels and tourism-related businesses of the firm, starting with its flagship Hamilo Coast in Batangas, hotels like Radisson Hotel in Cebu and in Mall of Asia in Parañaque, the Taal Vista Hotel Tagaytay in Taal, Batangas, and the company’s project in the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.’s (Pagcor) Pagcor City beside the Mall of Asia.

Chowking UAE franchise owner eyes more stores (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=475380&publicationSubCategoryId=78)


MANILA, Philippines - MANILA, Philippines - For someone who just stumbled upon the food business by accident, Ahmed Lafir surely has the Midas touch for a good brand.

The Indian-born managing director of Dubai-based Tradeline L.L.C., a leading conglomerate specializing in fertilizers, petrochemicals, agro commodities, as well as steel and aluminum products, has been expanding his Chowking franchise in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the rate of three stores a year with an average sales growth of over 90 percent in the past three years. And while many pundits say the UAE is in for a hard landing as the global economic crisis stalls its property boom - the bedrock of much of its success - Lafir retains his unwavering faith in the Filipino brand.

In a recent visit to attend Chowking’s franchise convention in Baguio City, Lafir even unveiled plans to open more stores in the UAE and in other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member-countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar in the future. By yearend, Tradeline will have a network of 14 Chowking stores in the UAE alone, including those in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Lafir said he is also in talks with Jollibee Food Corp., Chowking’s parent company, to open stores in the UAE.

Accidental investor

The stern determination on Lafir’s face was a far cry from five years ago when he became the white knight for the Chowking franchise. From a mere silent partner, Lafir found himself thrust into the frontlines and making his first visit to Manila “to see for myself what I was buying by default.”

“My initial problem was that I did not have any inkling about Filipino food. Chowking was being promoted as Filipino food with a Chinese twist,” he said.

Being new to the game, Lafir had to adjust tremendously to the business. “People were at first doubtful about our food, saying it’s not exactly the same Chowking they had back home in the Philippines. I had no idea about the serving size or the size of the store and the type of service, whether fast food-style or fine dining. I just followed my heart.”

After the success of his first Chowking store in April 2003, Lafir admitted he was quite hesitant to expand, not knowing if the market was ready for another store. But it took only a year before he realized the strong brand potential of Chowking in the UAE, which plays host to an estimated 400 million Filipinos.

“Filipinos go to the name they know best. They usually patronize their own brand,” Lafir said.

Expansion strategy

Despite the home court advantage, he said Chowking UAE deliberately “did not follow the Filipino model.” Beyond the typical Chowking fare — noodles, dimsum and chicken — Chowking UAE also serves up other Filipino home-style dishes such as bulalo (beef and bone marrow soup) and kare-kare (oxtail or tripe stew). The UAE stores are also more spacious and can seat up to 200 people for parties. To keep up with demand, Tradeline has also set up its own commissary that can cater to up to 50 stores and its own research and development team. Its Chowking business now provides jobs to 400 people of various nationalities.

While Chowking in the UAE will continue to target the Filipino market, he said, “we will also improve our menu to attract others” such as the large population of Indians and Africans. “Still, Filipinos will be our core market as they’re the captive market for the brand and we don’t want to take on risks,” he stressed.

Lafir sees the global economic turmoil as a business hiccup more than a malaise. “Our business is still the least hit. Our Chowking franchise business is even faring better than our other businesses like commodities,” he added.

Whatever the market condition, the accidental investor is now more confident of riding out the storm and navigating amid turbulence. “I don’t have any regrets [entering this business]. It gave me confidence to diversify into other businesses,” Lafir said. “I now know that I can be successful in any business if I put my heart into it.”

Pinoy puts up successful Steel Foundry business in Alberta, Canada :cheers:


Excerpt from the company's website;

Michael Ang immigrated to Canada from the Philippines in 1973. Ang had owned and operated a foundry in the city of Davao and it was his dream to create another company in his adopted land. He was encouraged by the success of Highland Foundry Ltd. In Vancouver. In the late 1970s, Ang was searching for the ideal place to start a new business and Alberta, with its booming, oil-based economy, was an obvious choice. He made the move to Calgary and broke ground for his new M.A. Steel Foundry 1981. Production began in March 1982.

Unfortunately, the bottom fell out of the oil market in the early 1980s and the oil industry and entire Alberta economy suffered. Whereas many oil companies and support industries suffered or went out of business, M.A. Steel not only survived but did a good business. As Ang had planned, his major customers were oil industry equipment manufacturers.

As well as its owner's strong work ethic and love of the foundry business, there were a number of reasons M.A. prospered. It was the only steel foundry in southern Alberta to use the no-bake molding system. This gave the company a dimensional accuracy advantage over those foundries using the green sand system. As well, the M.A. induction furnaces allowed production of all grades of carbon and stainless steel and low alloy steel castings.

Starting a new business during recession is always a daunting proposition, but there are advantages. One was that Ang was able to recruit a core team of experienced employees who remain with the company today. Still, there were some tough times. For example, bitter weather conditions in the winter of 1983 made it difficult to work outside, particularly on the roof to do repairs to the cooling tubes of the belting furnace heat exchanger system. The M.A. team learned their lesson; next year, anti-freeze instead of water was used in the system.

M.A.'s first big order was for twenty 12-inch check-valve body castings for the Interprovincial Pipeline Company. The Bechtel Corporation ordered castings for the Alcan expansion at Kitimat, B.C. The Esso, Shell, and British Petroleum corporations ordered tube hangers for the steam generators used in heavy oil projects. The company's biggest casting was a 3'500-lb. valve body which required two furnaces to cast. In 1988, M.A. Steel became the first Western Canadian foundry to be C.S.A. registered and certified to Z 229.3 and to the I.S.O. 9003 quality-assurance program. In February 1994, M.A. Steel became the first steel foundry in Canada to be certified to I.S.O. 9002

Our Mission:

We endeavour to be a leader in the foundry industry in the production of steel and stainless steel castings. We were the first foundry in western Canada to purchase MAGMASoft casting simulation and use it in conjunction with SolidWorks 3D to ensure the highest quality castings every time.

We are always striving to improve the quality of our castings by the continuous training of our employees which is our most valuable asset. We are currently certified to the ISO 9001:2000 international standard.

Our customers always come first and we will respond quickly to any issues that arise. We will also offer suggestions to help our customers get new products into the marketplace on time.

SM group forays into business hotels (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/june/04/yehey/business/20090604bus12.html)


The SM group announced that it plans to open its first businessman’s hotel in the next three years in a bid to boost its foray in the tourism industry and complement the businesses of its operating units.

Merril Yu, SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) senior vice president for hotel investments, said the company is planning to develop 14 hotels with 50 to 150 rooms within the areas where its various super malls are located.

SMIC will be building its first batch of hotels in Metro Manila and Cebu and would spend about P1.4 million for every room. The businessman’s hotel chain would be marketed under the brand SM Casa.

According to Yu, a businessman’s hotel strips down amenities to simple necessities needed by people who are usually mainly looking for a place to stay while away from home.

SMIC earlier this week said that it has allocated another P700 million for capital expenditures for the business, which will be spent until 2012.

“The capex includes two sites that begin the rollout with additional capex later,” Yu said.

The SM group is pursuing all tourism businesses under its Tourism and Entertainment division. Harley Sy, SMIC president, said the new unit will serve as a vehicle for a large-scale opportunity to promote Philippine tourism and is expected to fuel the company’s continued growth.

The new division carries the company’s interests in various hotels and tourism-related businesses of the firm, starting with its flagship Hamilo Coast in Batangas, hotels like Radisson Hotel in Cebu and in Mall of Asia in Parañaque, the Taal Vista Hotel Tagaytay in Taal, Batangas, and the company’s project in the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.’s (Pagcor) Pagcor City beside the Mall of Asia.

IMO, SM should put up a hotel in Ortigas.

Pinoy puts up successful Steel Foundry business in Alberta, Canada :cheers:
[COLOR="Red"][B]



I hope someday, he would also put up a steel foundry plant in his land of birth, the Philippines.

Malakas talaga ang Chowking dito sa UAE, pati mga ibang lahi, kumakain din dito. May branch pa nga sila sa Jumeirah Beach Residences.

http://www.uaeinteract.com/news/article_pics/31574.jpg

Sayang ang Jollibee dito dahil hindi gaanong malakas. Sayang, dahil tinalo pa sila ng Marry Brown ng Malaysia. Btw, magkakaroon na ng franchise ang Barrio Fiesta sa Dubai, hi-end ang target nila kaya sa upscale na Burjuman Centre sila magbubukas. Ang dapat ding pumasok dito sa Dubai (o kaya sa Middle East) ay ang Goldilocks at Pancake House.

I hope someday, he would also put up a steel foundry plant in his land of birth, the Philippines.

The parent family still have their foundry here sa Davao - still operational.

check link http://wikimapia.org/6019264/Premium-A-C-Corporation-Apo-Rolling-Mills-M-A-Foundry-Inc

Malakas talaga ang Chowking dito sa UAE, pati mga ibang lahi, kumakain din dito. May branch pa nga sila sa Jumeirah Beach Residences.

http://www.uaeinteract.com/news/article_pics/31574.jpg

Sayang ang Jollibee dito dahil hindi gaanong malakas. Sayang, dahil tinalo pa sila ng Marry Brown ng Malaysia. Btw, magkakaroon na ng franchise ang Barrio Fiesta sa Dubai, hi-end ang target nila kaya sa upscale na Burjuman Centre sila magbubukas. Ang dapat ding pumasok dito sa Dubai (o kaya sa Middle East) ay ang Goldilocks at Pancake House.

You should also help to promote it sa mga boss, ka-opisina, sa mga foreigners na kakilala nyo. Baka hindi maganda ang marketing ng Jollibee dyan.

The parent family still have their foundry here sa Davao - still operational.

check link http://wikimapia.org/6019264/Premium-A-C-Corporation-Apo-Rolling-Mills-M-A-Foundry-Inc

Rall, thanks for pointing that out. I was about to post something along that line but was unsure whether they're still operating. I guess they still have the Fil-Chinese values ingrained in them. AFAIK, if their business originated and prospers at a certain place they don't usually abandon their roots even when they expand to a much bigger location since it since it is considered as a sign of good fortune. Case in point is the SM Empire of the Sy family which still has offices in Carriedo where their business began.

The parent family still have their foundry here sa Davao - still operational.

check link http://wikimapia.org/6019264/Premium-A-C-Corporation-Apo-Rolling-Mills-M-A-Foundry-Inc

Thanks, and definitely good news!:cheers:

You should also help to promote it sa mga boss, ka-opisina, sa mga foreigners na kakilala nyo. Baka hindi maganda ang marketing ng Jollibee dyan.

Hindi lang marketing ang problema, ang produkto nila mismo. Hindi nakuha ang lasa ng Jolibee sa Pilipinas. Kung madadala nila ang Goldilocks at Red Ribbon dito, malaki ang tsansa dahil wala pang gaanong kumpetisyon sa field nila.

Isa pang dapat na pasukin ng Pilipinas ay ang 'halal' products.

Hindi lang marketing ang problema, ang produkto nila mismo. Hindi nakuha ang lasa ng Jolibee sa Pilipinas. Kung madadala nila ang Goldilocks at Red Ribbon dito, malaki ang tsansa dahil wala pang gaanong kumpetisyon sa field nila.

Isa pang dapat na pasukin ng Pilipinas ay ang 'halal' products.


Yup, iba nga lasa ng Jolibee dito sa Dubai.
Anyway, ano ba ibig mong sabihin sa 'halal' products?

Yup, iba nga lasa ng Jolibee dito sa Dubai.
Anyway, ano ba ibig mong sabihin sa 'halal' products?

Its a certification that the food was prepared the Muslim way...or based on Muslim standard.:)

Its a certification that the food was prepared the Muslim way...or based on Muslim standard.:)

Ganun ba, nagtataka lang kasi ako may mga produkto na may "halal" na nakatatak na hindi naman animal based yun like a certain skin whitener product tapos puro chemical lang naman component niya.

Ganun ba, nagtataka lang kasi ako may mga produkto na may "halal" na nakatatak na hindi naman animal based yun like a certain skin whitener product tapos puro chemical lang naman component niya.

Yes,to prove na hindi animal based yung product.

This is kinda old news but still worthy of posting in this thread. A high tech company which is one of the leaders in Solid State Drive Technology was established by a Filipino family in Fremont, California and now has its International headquarters in Taguig where they also do Research and Development for new products. :cheers:

BiTMICRO Networks Establishes International Headquarters in the Philippines
Business Wire , Sept 24, 2003

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 2003

BiTMICRO Networks, a pioneer in intelligent flash disk ATA / IDE, SCSI, USB, VME, Compact PCI, Firewire, Ethernet, and Fibre Channel solid state disk (SSD) storage solutions, announced today the opening of its international headquarters in the Philippines. The company also announced the appointment of Wilhelmina Yap-Chan (Mia) as President of BiTMICRO Networks International Inc., the organization responsible for all business operations outside the U.S. and Canada, including those in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific.

"The establishment of our international headquarters in the Philippines and Mia Yap-Chan's appointment as President represent key milestones in BiTMICRO's plans to expand market presence, enhance customer support and build further on the strong solid state storage business platform we've established in the Americas," said Rey Bruce, Chairman and CEO of BiTMICRO Networks. "The EMEA and Asia Pacific regions offer us great opportunity for sustained profitable growth -- now we have the locally based leadership, experience and market insight that our international team will provide to take full advantage of these tremendous opportunities."

BiTMICRO Networks International Inc. is composed of business units for sales and marketing, engineering, research and development (R&D), and customer support that will soon be offering round-the-clock customer and product support services to any part of the world together with its U.S. counterparts. Philippine operations will be complemented by manufacturing (final assembly and testing) capabilities in the future, including new satellite offices in key growth markets in Germany, the U.K., China, Japan and Korea.

"I'm looking forward to leading BiTMICRO Networks International Inc. during this new and exciting chapter in our organization's history," said new President Mia Yap-Chan, who previously served as Vice President for Investor Relations for Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT).

"With the establishment of our international headquarters in the Philippines," added Yap-Chan, "we will now be closer to our partners and customers in these regions, which enhances our ability to provide innovative solid state storage solutions, services and support tailored to meet their needs."

Yap-Chan joined BiTMICRO in June 2003 and was heavily involved in the planning and conceptualization stages of the company's international operations. BiTMICRO Networks International Inc. is expected to be fully operational during the last quarter of 2003 and will hold offices at the NetOne Center, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig in the Philippines.

About BiTMICRO Networks

BiTMICRO Networks Inc. (http://www.bitmicro.com), a privately held California corporation, is the world's premier supplier of rugged and high performance non-volatile solid-state disk, flash disk drive, and network storage and management solutions. E-Disks(R) storage solutions are offered with SCSI, IDE / ATA, Fibre Channel, USB, Firewire, Compact PCI, VME, PMC and Ethernet interfaces in 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch hard disk drive footprints, single-wide PMC, 3U and 6U board, and 19-inch rackmount configurations scalable up to several terabytes of pure solid state storage. E-Disk(R) SAN StorView software is a web based storage management software for E-Disk(R) SAN. E-Disk(R) SafeCapacity-Hotfile software complements E-Disk storage solutions by effectively managing different types of disk subsystems and increasing complex data sets such that a constant high-level of file system I/O performance is maintained.

From Dennis Posadas' column;

Sometimes you just get surprised that some Filipino or Filipino-American companies come up with really cutting edge stuff that does us proud. Case in point is BiTMICRO (www.bitmicro.com), a chip company headquartered in the Fremont area of Silicon Valley in California. BiTMICRO is a world leader in flash memory based solid state disk (SSD) and storage technology. Their recent claim to fame, reported by Reuters, is the world’s first terabyte flash SCSI drive. Two other products, nicknamed EDSA and LUNETA, were also released by the Company.

The Enhanced Datamover and Storage Accelerator (EDSA) flash I/O controller (FIC) is a proprietary application specific IC (ASIC) that succeeds the highly successful disk controller chipset of BiTMICRO’s electronic disk technology. The EDSA technology allowed the firm to upgrade their solid state disk capacities to terabytes of pure flash memory. EDSA goes hand in hand with their Logical Unifier of Extensive Transfer Arrays (LUNETA), their proprietary flash memory management interface controller.

I heard about BiTMICRO from the local chip design community that cannot seem to stop gushing about the company. Judging from the way they are making waves in the international chip community, I can see why.

This is kinda old news but still worthy of posting in this thread. A high tech company which is one of the leaders in Solid State Drive Technology was established by a Filipino family in Fremont, California and now has its International headquarters in Taguig where they also do Research and Development for new products. :cheers:

BiTMICRO Networks Establishes International Headquarters in the Philippines
Business Wire , Sept 24, 2003

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 2003

BiTMICRO Networks, a pioneer in intelligent flash disk ATA / IDE, SCSI, USB, VME, Compact PCI, Firewire, Ethernet, and Fibre Channel solid state disk (SSD) storage solutions, announced today the opening of its international headquarters in the Philippines. The company also announced the appointment of Wilhelmina Yap-Chan (Mia) as President of BiTMICRO Networks International Inc., the organization responsible for all business operations outside the U.S. and Canada, including those in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific.

"The establishment of our international headquarters in the Philippines and Mia Yap-Chan's appointment as President represent key milestones in BiTMICRO's plans to expand market presence, enhance customer support and build further on the strong solid state storage business platform we've established in the Americas," said Rey Bruce, Chairman and CEO of BiTMICRO Networks. "The EMEA and Asia Pacific regions offer us great opportunity for sustained profitable growth -- now we have the locally based leadership, experience and market insight that our international team will provide to take full advantage of these tremendous opportunities."

BiTMICRO Networks International Inc. is composed of business units for sales and marketing, engineering, research and development (R&D), and customer support that will soon be offering round-the-clock customer and product support services to any part of the world together with its U.S. counterparts. Philippine operations will be complemented by manufacturing (final assembly and testing) capabilities in the future, including new satellite offices in key growth markets in Germany, the U.K., China, Japan and Korea.

"I'm looking forward to leading BiTMICRO Networks International Inc. during this new and exciting chapter in our organization's history," said new President Mia Yap-Chan, who previously served as Vice President for Investor Relations for Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT).

"With the establishment of our international headquarters in the Philippines," added Yap-Chan, "we will now be closer to our partners and customers in these regions, which enhances our ability to provide innovative solid state storage solutions, services and support tailored to meet their needs."

Yap-Chan joined BiTMICRO in June 2003 and was heavily involved in the planning and conceptualization stages of the company's international operations. BiTMICRO Networks International Inc. is expected to be fully operational during the last quarter of 2003 and will hold offices at the NetOne Center, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig in the Philippines.

About BiTMICRO Networks

BiTMICRO Networks Inc. (http://www.bitmicro.com), a privately held California corporation, is the world's premier supplier of rugged and high performance non-volatile solid-state disk, flash disk drive, and network storage and management solutions. E-Disks(R) storage solutions are offered with SCSI, IDE / ATA, Fibre Channel, USB, Firewire, Compact PCI, VME, PMC and Ethernet interfaces in 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch hard disk drive footprints, single-wide PMC, 3U and 6U board, and 19-inch rackmount configurations scalable up to several terabytes of pure solid state storage. E-Disk(R) SAN StorView software is a web based storage management software for E-Disk(R) SAN. E-Disk(R) SafeCapacity-Hotfile software complements E-Disk storage solutions by effectively managing different types of disk subsystems and increasing complex data sets such that a constant high-level of file system I/O performance is maintained.

From Dennis Posadas' column;

Sometimes you just get surprised that some Filipino or Filipino-American companies come up with really cutting edge stuff that does us proud. Case in point is BiTMICRO (www.bitmicro.com), a chip company headquartered in the Fremont area of Silicon Valley in California. BiTMICRO is a world leader in flash memory based solid state disk (SSD) and storage technology. Their recent claim to fame, reported by Reuters, is the world’s first terabyte flash SCSI drive. Two other products, nicknamed EDSA and LUNETA, were also released by the Company.

The Enhanced Datamover and Storage Accelerator (EDSA) flash I/O controller (FIC) is a proprietary application specific IC (ASIC) that succeeds the highly successful disk controller chipset of BiTMICRO’s electronic disk technology. The EDSA technology allowed the firm to upgrade their solid state disk capacities to terabytes of pure flash memory. EDSA goes hand in hand with their Logical Unifier of Extensive Transfer Arrays (LUNETA), their proprietary flash memory management interface controller.

I heard about BiTMICRO from the local chip design community that cannot seem to stop gushing about the company. Judging from the way they are making waves in the international chip community, I can see why.

Am so proud of this...Di pahuhuli ang mga Pinoy...:banana:

At EDSA at LUNETA pa ang gamit nila... :)

^^^^Me too.

Very proud of this Pinoy company!!!:cheers::)

Jollibee to open 2 outlets in Qatar (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=481942&publicationSubCategoryId=66)
By Zinnia B. Dela Peña Updated June 29, 2009 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - Local fastfood giant Jollibee Foods Corp. is further expanding its presence in the Middle East region with plans to put up two stores in Qatar – one Jollibee and one Chowking.

Qatar, an oil-rich nation, has the second highest GDP per capita in the world.

On the sidelines of the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting Friday, JFC president Tony Tan Caktiong said the food firm continues to be on a global expansion mode to anticipate fresh opportunities when they arise.

“Despite the difficult economic environment, we believe there are still enormous opportunities for our business to grow in the medium and long term future, here in our country and outside of our country. We believe that there are so much unmet needs whenever consumers eat outside of their homes, both in the emerging and developed markets,” said Tan Caktiong.

Tan Caktiong said the group is exploring new markets like Qatar and other areas where there is a large concentration of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as it continues to expand in existing markets like China, United States, Vietnam and India.

The company is targeting to build the same number of branches it did last year. It opened a total of 186 new stores – 110 in the Philippines and 76 overseas – the highest number of new store openings in its 30-year history.

Ysmael Baysa, chief finance officer of Jollibee, said 65 percent of new stores openings would be in the Philippines while the balance of 35 percent would be abroad.

Baysa estimates that number of branches it will open abroad will outpace new store openings here in the next five years as it accelerates its expansion overseas.

As of end-December 2008, the Jollibee Group had a total of 1,804 stores worldwide, of which 1,515 are located here comprising flagship brand Jollibee 651, Chowking 387, Greenwich 231, Red Ribbon 211, Delifrance 26 and Manong Pepe’s 9. It had a total of 289 stores operating abroad: Yonghe King in the People’s Republic of China with 141 stores, Jollibee 49 mostly in the United States, Chowking 31 mostly in the United States and the United Arab Emirates, Chu Shui Tang Tea House and Hongzhuangyuan which has 38 stores in China.

The group has set aside P4 billion for its capital spending this year to sustain double-digit growth in sales and net earnings. This year’s capex is a bit lower than last year’s level of P4 billion which included acquisitions.

In the first quarter this year, JFC reported a 17-percent jump in net profit on the back of a 14-percent growth in sales.

Tan Caktiong said JFC remains on the lookout for acquisitions to further boost its cashflow and ensure long-term growth.

Last year, the group acquired Hongzhuangyuan, a restaurant chain with congee as its core products with 38 stores located mostly in Beijing in the People’s Republic of China. It also signed a joint venture agreement for a 70-percent equity in Lao Dong, a restaurant chain in Taiwan.

Aside from these, JFC bought shares in Chow Fun Holdings, a restaurant chain in the United Sates serving Asian cuisine.

At end-December, JFC was operating a total of 1,515 stores in the country and 289 worldwide. 

Other popular brands under the Jollibee Group include pizza and pasta chain Greenwich, Red Ribbon Bakeshop and French gourmet chain Delifrance.

We should build up more companies that will serve as the supplier base for multinational companies which relocate in the Philippines to cut costs. This company used to be an importer and refurbisher of machinery but now supplies various multinational companies with precision metal parts, dies and molds. Localization is the key and the government should support them with business friendly policies in order to upgrade their capabilities in the long term.

Company History

Optitech Machine Tools started as a used machine seller and was established on August 15, 1991 when Mr. Emilio Ang decided to continue the business of Mega Machines & Lindum Machinery in importing "USED" MACHINE TOOLS.
Optitiech Machine Tools at first concentrated only in rehabilitating and selling machine but because of increase in manufacturing activity here in the Philippines, Optitech Machine Tools started doing servicing or sub contracting from Japanese multinational companies.
Mr. Emilio Ang, who has more than a decade of experience then in making Die and Mold started designing and fabricating toolings for multinational companies.

Optitech Machine Tools now on present day has moved to a new 5,000 sq.m. location in Laguna and has grown into one of the most complete tooling fabrication center in the Philippines. Now, we are not only making tooling for Multinational companies but OEM parts as well.
We owe our growth to our continous investment on new equipment, hard working management and employees, providing exceptional service and continous support from our parents.

Mission

To provide exceptional service and support beyond industry standards.
To provide the highest quality of workmanship at a competitive price.
To contribute to our society in nation building.
To embrace change and seek for constant improvement.
To apply our extensive technological know-how in order to deliver excellent products and services.

Vision

We strive to be the most advanced and progressive manufacturing company not only in the Philippines but all over the world reaching out to local and international markets.

Products and Services

Precision / Semi-Precision Tooling
Semicon / Electronics Toolings
Jigs and Fixtures
General Machining
Stainless Metal Sheet Structural Fabrication
Industrial Automation and other customized product
Electronic Companies Cabinets
SUS Aluminum Profile / Tables / Racks Trolleys / Push Carts
Turning Jobs
Machining Jobs
Custom Sheet Metal Fabrication

Industries Served

Automotive Industry
Appliance Industry
Construction Equipment Industry
Semicon Industry
Agriculture Equipment Industry
Consumer Products

Not Pinoy-owned, but catering to Pinoys....go figure. :dunno:

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Filipino restaurant opens (http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=July2009&file=Local_News2009071224138.xml)

The Kamay Kainan, which showcases Filipino dishes, recently opened its doors to the public.

Kare-Kare, Sinigang, Adobo, Kaldereta, Pakbet, Daing na Bangus, Afritada, Mechado, Pancit, Tapsilog, Halo-Halo and Leche Flan are few of the dishes and desserts that Filipinos miss the most when they leave the Philippines, and these are some of the dishes that can be sampled in the restaurant.

With the increasing number of Filipino workers in Doha, restaurateurs and businessmen have put up more Filipino restaurants to cater to the Filipino palate.

Businessman Zaher Sahloul, owner of the restaurant who also owns three retail shops in Dubai, said he decided to open a Filipino restaurant here because the market calls for it, and he plans to open more.

“I love Filipino dishes… I went to the Philippines twice and I have stayed there for a month each time… I like the food and the tourist spots… I also like the restaurants there,” said Zaher, who personally designed the look of his two-story restaurant, which is located in Najma near Souq Al Haraj.

The restaurant also features acoustic nights every weekend featuring Filipino bands. Zaher said he plans to invite famous Filipino entertainers to come here to perform for a few weeks.

^^ At least, our food is being appreciated now by a different nationality.

^^ At least, our food is being appreciated now by a different nationality.

agree.:)

Yung director ng Survivor na nagshooting sa Caramoan nagustuhan daw yung Laing na gawang Bicol. :)

Here's another Pinoy owned company that manufactures machinery for corrugated box packaging like stitching, slitting, gluer, slotter machines etc. I wish there were more of these kinds of business that will lessen our dependence on foreign machineries and equipment.

Here's the company's website;

http://www.qnmach.com.ph/main.php?p=5


QN MACHINERIES was established in 1962 as a general machine shop. While engaging in fabrication of precision parts, we frequently encountered problems that are related to packaging. This gave us an idea to design a new concept of machine that is suitable for local consumptions and some of these are the stitching machines and corrugated converting machineries. We are the only company in the Philippines who are offering the most extensive line of wire stitchers and corrugated converting machineries. After more than thirty (30) years in this line of business, new models are always under modification and development and sometimes to do job that has not been done before, sometimes to do a better or faster job than is already being done.

A good number of business-minded people with minimal capitalization who opted to venture in packaging industry have made good in this line of business and now are established companies and we are proud to say that eighty percent (80%) of them used our machineries. Up to this day, they come to visit us for consultation and sometimes to purchase more machineries for their business expansion.

Now as the pioneer and the largest manufacturer of stitching wire and the only company in the Philippines that manufactures stitching machines and corrugated converting machineries and major parts fabricator of packaging machineries, we assure our perpetual and new clients that our service are backed-up by well trained technicians and engineers with knowledge of modern technologies related to the field of packaging not to mention our machine shop which is equipped with the latest modern machineries. We design and build a special single purpose tooling with new processes never been used in the industry of packaging. Our parts are precisely machined and grind to finish to have an accurate size. We used special steel that are machined, hardened and tempered as our standard.

A local company that sells locally made RC (Radio Controlled) helicopters, parts and kits. Here's their website; :nuts:

http://www2.realheli.com/

Teknoware Engineering (Heli Divison)
#59 4th Avenue
Grace Park, Caloocan City 1400
Philippines

Maxum was developed in 2004 by a group of engineers who are into the hobby of rc helicopter flying.

Teknoware has 12 years of experience specializing in automation, cnc machining, machine parts design & fabrication for semiconductor assembly plants located in the Philippines such as Texas instruments, Sanyo, Philips, Amkor etc.

It was built around the concept of a custom-made machine for all-around and all-weather sports flying. Maxum has got the best of both worlds--PERFORMANCE and FUEL ECONOMY. It is designed and manufactured in the Philippines by Teknoware Engineering and it is being marketed under the brand name and ownership of REALHELI (a division of Teknoware).

All Maxums are painstakingly manufactured with the same ISO9001 quality standards that Teknoware follows in its semiconductor business.

Hope you take time to browse thru our website and find out what sets this heli apart from the more popular brands of gasser helis. Feel free to contact us if you have additional questions about us and our products. We might even be able to design and customize special retrofits for your applications. Be among the first to own a real helicopter machine!

‘My best is yet to come!’ (http://www.asianjournal.com/data/PDF/2009_LA/2009_07_08/2009_LA_07_08_MDWK-p%202.pdf)

another link here (http://www.asianjournal.com/aj-magazine/midweek-mgzn/2257-the-life-and-loves-of-sammy-lorenzana-jr.html?showall=1)

Behind most of the Philippine products you see in stores today is an amazing story. The story of Sammy Lorenzana Jr., the pioneer importer of products from the Philippines, not only to the US, but to many other parts of the world.

"I started it all, around forty years ago. I first imported Lorenzana bagoong, patis, and other spices. Then, I expanded the line to include around 500 products - including seafood, vegetables, sweets, juices, snack foods etc," said Solomon Udarbe Lorenzana Jr, better known to family and friends as Sammy.

The story began in 1908 when Sammy’s grandfather,Don Felipe Lorenzana, from Tagudin, Ilocos Sur started the business. Sammy recalls, "Don Felipe was a Protestant bishop in our town. He was also a trader and bought in goods from China and sold it in the Philippines. He learned how to make bagoong from his travels in China. One of his 16 children, my father, Solomon Lardizabal Lorenzana, decided to continue the business. He and his wife, Anita Udarbe, made bagoong and other Filipino sauces in their backyard in Ilocos."

"I saw the hardships of my parents as they did all the work by themselves. Even at an early age, I was very interested in the family business," Sammy said.

The second of six children, Sammy went to San Francisco when he was 18, where he took up Business Administration at the University of San Francisco. After graduation, he was drafted into the US army and was sent to Germany. He served the US Army for two years and then went back home to the Philippines.

"When I came back to the Philippines, Marcos was in power. Life was hard. I didn’t like it there. I left in disgust," Sammy recalled. He went back to Europe and decided to further his studies in Germany where he took up his doctorate in Economics at the University of Heidelberg, the same university where Jose Rizal took up his second doctorate. While in Germany, Sammy married a German nurse with whom he has two children, Diana and Eva Kircher.

Speaking of his first wife, Sammy said, "We were happy but our cultures clashed. So, the marriage ended, although we have remained good friends."

Then came a challenge from his father that changed Sammy’s life. " My father talked to me and convinced me to sell the Lorenzana products in the US. He said that at that time, almost forty years ago, he was selling some Lorenzana products in the US and was making around $1,000 a month. He challenged me, ‘maybe you can make it $10,000 a month’. We had no money then. My dad just said, ‘Ikaw na ang bahala.’ With a handshake, my father made me exclusive distributor worldwide. But, he didn’t give me any capital to run the business," remembered Sammy.

So Sammy went to LA in the early 70s. "I stayed with friends. I cleaned apartments. I worked hard. I went into selling insurance and other jobs. My friends used to ask me, ‘You’re the son of a rich man, why are you working petty jobs here in LA?’ But I answered, ‘My father is not really rich; he only looks rich.’ You know, it’s very hard to enrich yourself in the Philippines if you are an honest man," Sam stated.

Sammy started to work on exporting the Lorenzana products in the US and established the Lorenzana Food Corporation, USA. He developed the market and soon expanded their product line from the original Lorenzana bagoong. "I was able to develop around 500 products --from frozen veggies, to coconut milk and juices, to sweet desserts and seafood," he said.

As demand for his products grew, so did his business. He set up franchises for his products, not only in the US but in many other countries in the world, like the Middle East, Canada, and Europe. Sammy Lorenzana, Jr. worked hard and became one of the biggest importers of Filipino products in the US. "By 1975, I was up there. I was on top of the world, buying new cars, houses, and buildings," he recalled.

In the late 70’s, Sammy met his second wife, Josephine "Joy" Orduna, a beauty queen and a valedictorian in high school, who he describes as "the most beautiful woman in LA" at that time. They have three children, Ariana, Karina and Sammyboy. "I’m so proud of the achievements of these children. Ariana has a BA in Psychology from Barnard College and Columbia University and is now pursuing her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at UCSD. Karina took up BA in International Relations at Tufts University ‘05 and will soon finish her Masters in Public Administration from Princeton University. Solomon III or Sammyboy has a BS Double Major in Decision Sciences and Policy and Management, Minor in Engineering Studies from Carnegie Mellon University," Sammy proudly stated. "With the marriage, I got distracted from business. Plus, I made a lot of mistakes and encountered many trials," he added.

Sammy expounded on his business struggles. "Being the pioneer importer, I was the one who encountered all the difficulties. I was always fighting the customs and FDA. You know at that time, our Filipino products were not acceptable to them - especially the bagoong. They were throwing it into the garbage, containers worth thousands of dollars. There was so much discrimination at that time and I lost all my cases in spite of so many appeals and petitions. It was just too hard to win. You either wanted to just give up or shoot everybody who were giving you such a hard time in customs and FDA, " Sammy said.

For two decades, Sammy did good in making money, at one time having a net worth of $30 Million. " But I wasn’t good in keeping the money," said Sam.

One weakness, Sammy admitted, is that he is too trusting. "I opened my heart and home to people who were in need. So many people came to me for loans, for financial help and I gave as much as I could. I helped thousands, here in the US, in other countries and in the Philippines. Once, I was in an airport abroad- a stranger, isang kababayan went up to me saying he had no money, no job. Naawa ako. I gave him what I had -- even my coat, kasi nilalamig siya eh. I wished him well. But sadly, many people also took advantage of my generosity and trust. Nagsamantala. I became a target of many sinister people. Some took my businesses; others ran off with my money. I can say that I am the most swindled person in history. But I believe God’s promise that there will be a Day of Reckoning and Retribution."

Financial difficulties, family squabbles and health problems forced Sammy to lie low in the 90s. " The bad economy in the Philippines affected our company back home. My siblings in the Philippines were fighting over the corporation. I resigned. I was so downhearted. I’ve done all those things for the family but I felt that they didn’t appreciate my sacrifice. I stopped importing products from the Philippines. My building and homes were foreclosed. I got divorced. I developed high blood pressure and had depression. I lost so much weight, from 140 to 120 lbs. The struggles were just too hard to fathom."

"I cast all my cares on the Lord and like He promised in the Bible, He gave me rest. I realized that I’ve made so many mistakes in my life but I’ve learned from them all. I got wisdom and I got back my energy and strength. Two words that I can say helped me after all those struggles are resourcefulness and serendipity," Sammy shared.

But it’s hard to put a good man down. By the early 2000, Sammy was back on his feet. He started to develop his own products - along with the other products that he has been importing in the past. He has been busy traveling all over the world, expanding his network.

In 2003, Sammy found a new inspiration, Janelle Baulite, who became the mother of his youngest children, Lady Janella and Jacob Job. "I love beautiful women. That is my weakness. I have loved five women and I’m credited with 9 children - Diana, Eva, Ariana, Karina, Sammy Boy, Cecile, Arthur, Lady Janella and Jacob Job. They have all made me happy in many ways. My children are my precious treasures," Sammy said.

The president of SLorenzana Foods is now busy rebuilding his business with his son, Sammyboy. "I am currently looking for people of integrity -who are honest and hardworking - to be brokers and distributors of my products. I will not ask for any fee as I share my wisdom, trade secrets and business contacts and expertise. All they need to do is to help me promote and sell my products anywhere in the world. We will build something great together," said Sammy.

"I am on my second wind. As I’ve said, I have committed so many mistakes from which I have learned so much. There are very little mistakes I have not committed yet so I know the business will be better this time," said Sammy, who claims to move so fast and work so hard that he tires people around him. Amazing feat for a man of 72. But then, Sammy Lorenzana, Jr. has never ceased to amaze people. So those who know him believe him when he says, "As far as I am concerned, the best is yet to come."

Very inspirational story indeed. I think their company was the one which first competed with Aling Tentay's in the local market for Patis. They should get a local partner in the middle east where there's a lot of OFWs.

On another note here's a mechatronics engineering company that should also serve as an inspiration for our engineering graduates to become entrepreneurs while at the same time honing their skills and talents to raise our country's technological capability and productivity thru the use of locally developed and fabricated machinery for the benefit of various industries.


East Asia Mechatronics


http://www.eastasiamechatronics.com/index.html

Building machines since 1982
Learn more
We'll make that machine for you.

Since 1982, we have been designing and making machines for the Philippines stone industry.Gantry cranes and overhead cranes, automatic block cutter for marble blocks weighing 15-25 Tons, automatic slab polishers, these big machines have honed our mechanical engineering skills to what we are now.

Now we design and manufacture machines for several industries.

We supply Zero-G Manipulators for heavy car parts, Taper rolling machines for mufflers, Auto rotary welding machines for headers, Auto welding machines for exhaust systems, Leak testing machines for radiators and exhaust, Assembly Jigs and Inspection machines for the Automotive Industry.

For the Semiconductor industry, we supply XYZ robots and Auto guided vehicles. We used the XYZ for Boat to tray, package loaders, pick and place systems. The Auto guided vehicle we supplied runs on optical rails and is battery operated and with touchscreen control.

We also supplied other industries with punching dies, cutters, mixers, squeezers, filling machines, marking machines, purging machines and testing machines.

All designed by our dedicated engineering team and manufactured and assembled in house in our
facility in Pasig, Philippines.

Whatever your machine need is, you'll find that our engineers are capable of helping you.

How we do it?

We employ the brightest engineers from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Our engineers came from UP, CIT and MSU.

We have board top notchers, licensed Professional ME's, ECE's and well experienced machine designers so your machines are well engineered.

We have a part numbering system so all parts in your machine is not only documented but can be readily ordered from us anytime. We have a secure data warehouse for all drawings and related documents and this is backed up everyday.

We use 3D CAD in designing so before any metal is cut, your machine is already finished inside the computer. This means your machine has already been "virtually" designed, debated and inspected before we do any machining.

We use Milling machines, CNC and conventional, and lathe machines to make your parts in house because we want to have full control of our production schedule, so we can make production promises that we can keep.

Let me also share some information about Alliance Software Incorporated. This is a 100% Filipino software design and development company based in Cebu.

From starting head count of 17 engineers(including me), the head count increased to 175 as of 2007, seven years after its foundation.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Alliance Software, Inc. (http://www.alliance.com.ph/about.html) is a Philippine based global application development outsourcing company. Alliance was established in 2000 and has since grown to become one of the Philippines' largest and most respected independent software development outsourcing company.

Alliance's delivery model is anchored on both on-shore and off-shore approach stressing on effective use of our key strengths in our people, process and technology. Effective on-shore Bridge Engineering services are provided by our on-shore Tokyo office, Alliance Software Japan.

We have developed our service capabilities to include the entire spectrum of the Software Development process starting from Design (UI and Logic), Development (on various proprietary and open source technologies), QA/Testing, Deployment to Documentation (in English and Nihongo)

With our ISO and CMMI certifications, we continue to strive for the highest quality levels complemented with the most cost effective, scalable and dependable delivery models that off shore operations can achieve.

Alliance is headquartered in Cebu, Philippines and have offices in Manila, Philippines and Tokyo, Japan.

Jollibee readies China expansion to reduce reliance on RP sales (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business5_july25_2009)

Jollibee Foods Corp., a fastfood restaurant chain that outsells McDonald’s Corp. in the Philippines, plans to expand in China, counting on the world’s most populous nation to meet a goal of making half of its sales abroad.

“After the Philippines, our most important market is China,” chief financial officer Ysmael Baysa said in an interview. “China is the world’s most promising economy.”

Jollibee, whose market value has grown sevenfold since listing in 1993, plans to start opening more stores overseas than domestically in two years, Baysa said. The company will add brands in China, where the restaurant industry grew 26.5 percent last year to $259 billion, according to Euromonitor.

“The potential for a higher growth rate will come from abroad,” said Lovell Sarreal, an analyst at ATR KimEng Securities Inc., who recommends buying the company’s stock. “Jollibee has a strong cash flow so it can acquire more brands.”

The restaurant operator will keep its strategy of using its Philippine brands in areas where there are large concentrations of overseas Filipinos and buying local brands in markets such as China, where it doesn’t have that advantage, Baysa said.

“We are less interested in bringing our own brands to other markets,” Baysa said. “If we go for local consumers in a foreign market like China, then it’s better for us to buy a local brand then improve and expand it.”

Jollibee owns Shanghai-based Yonghe King, acquired in 2004 for $11.5 million, and Beijing-based Hongzhuangyuan, bought for $55.5 million last year. The two China chains’ 182 outlets account for over half of the company’s 306 stores outside the Philippines.

Jollibee, which increased Yonghe’s outlets to 143 from 77 when the brand was acquired, will add more stores for Hongzhuangyuan’s 39 outlets, Baysa said. The company also plans to bring Lao Dong, a beef noodle restaurant based in Taiwan, into China and add to the two outlets it has for Chun Shui Tang Tea House, he said. Jollibee holds the China franchise for Taiwan-based Chun Shui Tang Tea House, he said.

Jollibee shares have gained 627 percent since the stock began trading in June 1993, outpacing a 59-percent advance in main Philippine Stock Exchange Index over the same period and a 3.2-percent loss in the MSCI Asia-Pacific Index.

Yup, iba nga lasa ng Jolibee dito sa Dubai.
Anyway, ano ba ibig mong sabihin sa 'halal' products?

^^ur in Dubai but u dont know what Halal means? :runaway:

Hindi lang marketing ang problema, ang produkto nila mismo. Hindi nakuha ang lasa ng Jolibee sa Pilipinas. Kung madadala nila ang Goldilocks at Red Ribbon dito, malaki ang tsansa dahil wala pang gaanong kumpetisyon sa field nila.

Isa pang dapat na pasukin ng Pilipinas ay ang 'halal' products.

^^Agreed...They should have thought about this a long long time ago...There are over 200 million muslims in this region alone...

Another company that should be emulated. This is a member of the Ramcar Group of Companies that also includes the master franchise holder of KFC, Mister Donut, Kaisa Consulting, Motolite and Supercharge car Batteries. They first starte out as a repair shop for Ramcars machineries and equipment. :banana:

Ramcar Technology, Inc. is now certified to ISO 9001:2000 Certification International Philippines Inc. awarded Ramcar Technology, Inc. an ISO 9001:2000 certificate with Registration No. CIP/3849/06/10/498 on November 10, 2006.

ISO 9001:2000 is a standard process, developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), that ensures a company's capacity to provide consistent products and services to its customers. It recognizes the value of enhancing customer satisfaction through effective application and continual improvement of its Quality Management System, and assures strict total conformance to processes, as well as customer and regulatory requirements.

The ISO 9001:2000 certificate demonstrates Ramcar Technology, Inc.'s commitment to live up to its Quality Policy: to provide consistent, high quality products and services that result in maximum customer satisfaction.

Ramtech Launches Its Hybrid Plastic Injection Molding Machine

Ramtech is proud to announce another milestone. We have just delivered our first Injection Machine. Our design features a "hybrid" construction, using electric motors for injection and hydraulics for clamping. The electric motors will allow for faster injection cycles. The first model has a clamping force of 230 tonnes while the next unit we will develop will have a clamping force of 350 tonnes.

Ramtech Delivers First 100% Locally Designed Machine;

Ramcar Technology delivered the first true 100% locally designed battery making machine, a "mechanized lug cutter" that cuts lugs off plates in x-y axes in one cycle. While most battery equipment manufacturers use designs that are similar to one another, the motorcycle lug cutter represents a unique achievement in that no similar design can be found anywhere in the world.

Ramtech Releases a "Four-Cavity" Battery Cover Injection Mold

The company also released this year the first "four-cavity" battery cover injection mold. While previous molds had one cavity only, this is the first time the shop produced a mold that injects four covers in one cycle.

Ramtech Builds Its Biggest Injection Mold

Ramtech built the biggest injection mold in its history, a 1100 x 1250 x 1400 mold to inject a polypropylene tank. The tanks are used as charging tanks in the Dry Charge battery plant.

Ramtech Builds State of the Art Formation System

The machine fabrication department designed and built the charging facility for wet charged maintenance free batteries. This system consists of welded polypropylene tanks, the conveyor systems, the cooling system, the fume collection and scrubbing system and all the electricals and electronics. Found only in advanced battery factories, this method of charging is truly a "state of the art" design that Ramcar Technology can be proud of.

Chowking International:
http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/6178/ourstores.jpg

^^

:ohno: Tsk..tsk..tsk..looks like someone failed geography. Why is the flag of the United Arab Emirates in India? :?








:rofl:

^^

:ohno: Tsk..tsk..tsk..looks like someone failed geography. Why is the flag of the United Arab Emirates in India? :?

:rofl:

You notice it too, I got this from the chowking international website.:lol:

You notice it too, I got this from the chowking international website.:lol:

Anong website?

^^ur in Dubai but u dont know what Halal means? :runaway:



Just because a person is in Dubai, he should know what halal means?
Anyways, i know what it means exactly even before i got here. Don't sweat it.


^^

:ohno: Tsk..tsk..tsk..looks like someone failed geography. Why is the flag of the United Arab Emirates in India? :?


:rofl:

If it was the other way around, India flag in UAE map, i will not wonder at all... :lol:

Anong website?

here's the link migo:

http://www.chowking.com/module.php?LM=store

"Just because a person is in Dubai, he should know what halal means?
Anyways, i know what it means exactly even before i got here. Don't sweat it."

- you should know because in almost all the supermarkets there, there is a "halal" section. if you knew what it meant, why ask?

"Just because a person is in Dubai, he should know what halal means?
Anyways, i know what it means exactly even before i got here. Don't sweat it."

- you should know because in almost all the supermarkets there, there is a "halal" section. if you knew what it meant, why ask?

WTF!?!

There is NO HALAL SECTION in all supermarkets here in Dubai, but there is a NON-HALAL and NON MUSLIM Section.

Hope this ends here na as we are out of topic na..

If you really want to know why I asked, PM me.

Negotiations for "Thirsty"Dubai franchise underway
By Ehda M. Dagooc (The Freeman) Updated August 31, 2009 12:00 AM


CEBU, Philippines - Homegrown fresh fruit juice chain, Thirsty Juices and Shakes will be hitting the Middle East market soon, as the Pages Holdings Inc., is now negotiating with an interested investor to set up outlets in Dubai.

Now on its 13th year in providing healthy drink options to Filipino consumers, Thirsty will start its international penetration, hopefully to start an outlet in Dubai, said Pages Holdings Inc., chairman Bunny Pages.

Pages said the company is negotiating for master-franchise agreement with an interested investor in Dubai, for the opening of several outlets there that will bring this Cebu brand to the Middle East market.

Part of the company’s initial plan, Pages said is to offer the franchise for the brand via licensing agreement that will be locked for five years.

However, Pages said negotiation for this venture is still ongoing and no official or concrete deals have been signed yet.

If this venture will be finalized, Thirsty will be one of the pioneer Cebu-grown brands that penetrates the Dubai market, although there are number of Cebuano entrepreneurs who are currently clinching franchise deals for Dubai ventures such as Bo’s Coffee Club, among others.

In the Philippines, Thirsty brand is present in 100 locations, 30 outlets are managed by franchisees.

Pages said, although the sales-performance of this kind of products is mostly seasonal, business is still profitable.

Pursuing the international market could mean greater risk for the brand, however, with the licensing agreement, Pages hopes that it will provide good expansion opportunity for the brand.

Though old news, still it's another inspiring success story by a local company that's making strides in the international marketplace.

Metaphil International inaugurates 540-million peso facility
by Zeny N. Novabos

Key officers of the Aboitiz Group, international and local clients, local suppliers and subcontractors, banking partners, local government officials and media friends graced the event.

The Aboitiz Group was led by the president and chief executive officer of Aboitiz Power Corporation Erramon Aboitiz. International and local clients include Kobe Steel (Japan), Taim, Metals and Components, Outotec Pty. Ltd. (Australia), Dow Group, Howden U.K., Howden Global, and Leighton. Local clients include Dole Phils, San Julio Realty and Metaphil’s neighbors THICI, FBMA and TTSP. Top supplier Regan Industries led the suppliers and subcontractors. Banker friends from Security Bank and City Savings Bank were present. Local government officials led by Congressman Pablo John Garcia, Balamban Mayor Alex Binghay, Asturias Mayor Alan Adlawan and Arpili barangay captain Primo Paulin. Metaphil had full support from team leaders and members led by the chair and chief executive officer Roberto E. Aboitiz and president and chief operating officer NapR. Pe, Jr.

Arpili barangay captain Primo Paulin repeatedly thanked Aboitiz for the investments have “benefited micro-entreprenuers,such as tricycle drivers, sari-sari stores, restaurants and others.” “Balamban, a sleepy town 15 years ago, now has a vibrant economy and has provided families with economic security,” reinforced Balamban mayor Alex Binghay. “We will continue to manage cost, quality and delivery of our clients as we place Cebu and the Philippines in the centerstage of construction, fabrication and engineering”, assures Roberto Aboitiz.

“The facility will make any Filipino proud,” says honored guest Congressman Pablo John Garcia of the 3rd District, Cebu Province. “Aboitiz has once again honored its commitment to Balamban’s future. Aboitiz’s confidence in the place and its people, which builds the confidence of the place and its people, on and on in a widening circle can only make both stronger.

The synergy between Aboitiz and Balamban has transformed the sleepy town of Balamban into the economic dynamo that it is today.” The yard, spanning 10.5 hectares and built starting in July last year, will be operational in November. Referred to as a modular yard, it is primarily intended to build fabrication modules weighing 600 tons per module. Fabrication capacity is 18,000 tons per year. “The new yard is Metaphil’s growth platform”, says Metaphil’s Roberto E. Aboitiz. “The old shop [in Mandaue, Cebu] has become too small as the industry requires larger pre-fabrication assemblies and equipment.”

The new world-class facility will grow the construction business of the Aboitiz Group as fabrication capacity is expected to double; thereby, generating a potential revenue of two billion pesos. Even when construction of the facility was on-going, many prospects from different parts of the world have shown interest in the facility. This facility is the second of its kind in the Philippines. Apart from fabrication works, Metaphil International, Inc. can provide engineering design and detailing services to international and Philippine clients. It is expected to generate jobs for about a thousand Filipinos. The yard includes an outloading facility which is important in transporting the modules from the fabrication and assembly area to the shipping vessel. The facility, along with the equipment, is definitely in accordance to international standards.

Metaphil is eyeing millions of dollars in exports to Australia, New Caledonia, USA, etc. through the world-class mining companies, such as Outotec Pty. Ltd., Metso Minerals (Australia) Ltd., Delkor Pty. Ltd. , Clyde Bergemann Materials Handling. Large international clients include Technip,Inc., Dow Chemicals, Inc. and Fluor Daniel. Metaphil International, Inc. is a PEZAregistered company managed by Aboitiz Construction Group, Inc., an ISO 9001:2000 company trusted for 30 years for its quality and reliable construction.

The much-awaited inauguration of the new fabrication and outloading facility of Metaphil International, Inc., finally came true on October 18, 2008. The 540-million peso facility stands proud in Arpili in Balamban Special Economic Zone, Cebu. Congressman Pablo John Garcia and Mayor Alex Binghay cut the ribbon during the inauguration of the modular fabrication yard. Looking on are Metaphil’s Nap R. Pe, Jr., Arpili Bgy.Captain Primo Paulin and Metaphil’s Roberto E. Aboitiz.

Metaphil Fabricates For Vietnam :banana:

The project covers fabrication, painting,rubber lining and trial assembly of 35 flotation cells. Managed by Metaphil’s fabrication manager Edwin Quiapo, the cells will be delivered in December 2007.

The flotation cells provide the highest level of separation efficiency necessaryfor the extraction of platinum. The cells will be used in the Nui Phao Mining Venturein Nguyen Province in Vietnam. Metso Minerals project manager Mike Beevers says, “Metaphil, besting Indonesia and Malaysia, asked all the right questions and made us confident that we can work efficiently and effectively together. Metaphil, an ISO company, is recognised as having the capacity and infrastructure to deliver on quality within a very tight schedule,” Beevers adds.

“You can count on us! We commit to quality and reliability and will protect the customer’s interest,” assures Metaphil chair and ceo Roberto Aboitiz. Metaphil, a local company in Cebu, is trusted for its nearly 3 decades of quality construction and fabrication performance. It has worldwide presence and boasts of world-class quality. Early this year, Metaphil hit local news when it shipped 5 units of 20-meter by 23-meter thickeners to New Caledonia. Each thickener weighed 243-tons. Strategically located to provide cost effective supply to Southeast Asia and Oceania, Metaphil is being considered for a long-term relationship with Metso. As the global market leader in mineral processing equipment, Metso Minerals looks at Metaphil as a supplier of high quality engineering equipment and services.

Metso Minerals is a business area of Metso Corporation, a company with net sales of EUR 5 billion in 2006 and quoted on the stock exchanges in Helsinki and New York.

^^^^
tryuly a good news that needs media attention.

A sign that we are capable of becoming an industrialized country in the future!:cheers:

Another ex-OFW story that should be spread among our countrymen abroad coz they have a powerful potential as proven by this Pinoy who noticed that he was making foreigners rich rather than improving the lot of his family and helping his countrymen. If our army of overseas worker especially our engineers will emulate this guy, there is hope for the future generations of our country. :cheers:

Ex-OFW shows what globally competitive is
Top News
Written by Wilfredo Rodolfo III / Reporter
Monday, 31 August 2009 23:37

CEBU CITY—A local manufacturing firm in Lapu-Lapu City started by a former overseas Filipino workers (OFW) is standing as a fine example of how Filipinos, when they put their mind to something, can compete with the best of the world.

Engineer Raul Luche Jr. was a typical OFW in his younger days, working for companies in Asia and the Middle East. He was a hard worker and had strived to give his employer his best skills, looking for solutions that will optimize production and maximize revenues.

In 1995 Luche realized how he could use his knowledge and expertise to advance not the interests of foreign-owned companies, but himself, his community and his countrymen.

“I was making many people richer, so I thought maybe it’s time for me to look after my family and my country,” Luche said.

Luche made a humble start, but did what he did best—designing functional, affordable, easy-to-operate, easy-to maintain pipe-making machines. to the Middle East.In less than a decade, ABtech Machineries and Engineering Services Corp. has grown to employ over 150 people and directly compete with companies from Japan and Germany. His products are shipped to clients in Brazil , Australia, Thailand

Today Abtech is the leading manufacturer of spiral pipe mills in Southeast Asia and is recognized worldwide as a brand of choice by the biggest companies.

“Our products are cost-effective and, most of all, easy to operate and maintain. That is the symbol of Filipino ingenuity,” Luche said. “Only a Filipino who has spent long hours working in the field will realize how important an equipment that is easy to operate and maintain is.”

He said his company specializes in “combining Filipino integrating local fabrication competence and the choice machine parts and components from the best brands in the world market.” Integrating the two elements make the company a cut above the competition.

Luche believes the Filipino can compete with the best of the world if only the Filipino worker will put his mind into his craft.

Inside ABtech’s biggest facility in Lapu-lapu City in Cebu, Luche implements systems that maximize productivity, ensuring customers of top quality.

“We believe that we simply cannot make a mistake in this business. It will cost us a lot and it will cost us future business,” Luche said.

Here's the company's website;

http://www.abtechspiralpipe.com/

Here's a list of their buyers all over the world. Take note, they're exporting to China and India, two of the most competitive machinery manufacturers;

http://www.abtechspiralpipe.com/reference.php

Jollibee to focus on China, India for next acquisition
09/01/2009 | 05:11 PM
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Fastfood giant Jollibee Foods Corp. is focusing on China and India for its next acquisition, company officials said Tuesday.

Ernersto Tanmantiong, JFC president, told reporters that the company sees China and India as countries with huge potential owing to their large population.

“The acquisition is more on China and India…because of the huge potential of the market," Tanmantiong said on the sidelines of the company's launch of its latest product offering – the Jollibee Chicken Barbecue.

On the other hand, JFC will also expand its stores in Vietnam.

JFC's desire to acquire more restaurant or food chains abroad is borne out of its long-term goal of sourcing half of its revenues from overseas operations.

For the first six months of the year, the company reported that its net income improved 16.2 percent to P1.308 billion or higher by 16.2 percent from P1.125 billion reported in the same period in 2008. System wide retail sales surged 12.4 percent to P30.956 billion.

As of end-June, JFC runs 317 stores abroad.

These are Yonghe King in China with 154 stores; Jollibee, 50; Red Ribbon, 33; Chowking, 31; CST, one; Hongzhuangyuan, 39: and Lao Dong (Taiwan), nine.

Currently, overseas operations only contribute about 10 percent of JFC's revenues.

“We still have a long way to go. Maybe in more than five years, we'll be able to achieve that goal," the JFC official said.

Tanmantiong said the company expects sales to remain steady for the rest of the year. He said the company is excited with the launch of its latest offering.

“We don't know yet (what the revenue contribution of this product is). Hopefully, this will replicate the success of Chicken Joy, but of course the fried chicken is still the preferred choice for many," he said.

Its chicken barbecue is expected to be a hit among kids and those who stay away from fried food.

“In the near future, we plan to offer this product abroad," Tanmantiong said.

The Jollibee Chicken Barbecue is available as a one-piece solo meal for P69 and as a two-piece solo meal for P119.

Value meals, which come with a regular drink are priced at P89 and P139 for the one-piece and two-piece sets, respectively.

The Jollibee Chicken Barbecue is already available in Metro Manila and will soon be enjoyed in other parts of the country.

JFC operates the Philippines' largest fast food network.

As of end of the first half, the company has a total of 1,528 stores in the Philippines. These include 664 Jollibee outlets, 390 Chowking branches, 228 Greenwich stores, 210 Red Ribbon branches, 23 Delifrance restaurants, and 13 Manong Pepe’s outlets. - GMANews.TV

^^Jollibee foods, they're really aggressive in expanding...soon it will rival Mc. Donald's in the international scene.

^^

yes and it will! If Jollibee has outselled McDonald's in the Philippines then why not in China. Jollibee is a pride to the Philippine Food Industry.

^^^^
tryuly a good news that needs media attention.

A sign that we are capable of becoming an industrialized country in the future!:cheers:

Philippines, along with Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa and Turkey are considered NIC (Newly Industrialized Countries)

Philippines, along with Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa and Turkey are considered NIC (Newly Industrialized Countries)

Agree!:cheers:

^^

yes and it will! If Jollibee has outselled McDonald's in the Philippines then why not in China. Jollibee is a pride to the Philippine Food Industry.

^^Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Max's, Red ribbon, goldelocks...

Just because a person is in Dubai, he should know what halal means?
Anyways, i know what it means exactly even before i got here. Don't sweat it.
:

^^ok...ok...:lol: salam! :nocrook:

Cebus's Loalde eyes outlets in Malaysia, Singapore
By Ehda M. Dagooc (The Freeman) Updated September 05, 2009 12:00 AM


CEBU, Philippines - After making it big in the domestic market, sophisticated apparel brand Loalde gears up for the international market with new outlets set to open in Malaysia and Singapore in the next few months.

Aldeguer Group of Company (AGC) president Jay P. Aldeguer said the company is still negotiating with its potential partners in these countries and probably the deal would be a franchise operation.

The provider of apparel products for sophisticated market, Loalde has two boutiques in Cebu, one in Makati, two in Bacolod and Iloilo, as well as in Davao City, and one in Cagayan de Oro City.

Loalde is one of the long-standing Cebuano-owned apparel brand for men and women in the Philippines. AGC is also the mother company of other apparel brands such as Island Souvenirs, USA Sports, Bisaya Ispisyal, among others.Aldeguer also mentioned that Loalde is also planning to open more shops in Metro Manila, aside from its plan to venture into overseas market.

Just like its sister company, Island Souvenirs, which has outlets in other countries like USA, Saipan, among others, Loalde is also starting to open its doors to international market.

Capturing the growing market for sophisticated apparel fashion not only in the highly-urbanized areas such as Metro Manila, and Cebu, Loalde has been able to penetrate other cities in the Philippines, such as Iloilo City, Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City.Recently, the company opened its 10th outlet in Bacolod City at the SM Supermall.

According to Aldeguer, with the success of the Loalde brand in the Philippines, there is no reason why it can’t be successful in other Asian countries also.

Aldeguer said the increased purchasing power of Filipinos, with the robust investments in BPO (Business Process Outsourcing), and other employment and entrepreneurial opportunities have pave the way for more dynamic retail industry, including the branded RTW (Ready-To-Wear) products.

Specifically, he said Cebuanos’ buying preference has improved, the market has become more sophisticated, thus, despite the existence of cheap products, sales of branded or original items in different retail merchandize are still doing very well.

Another inspiring story of a local machinery manufacturer exporting papermaking/converting machines to 40 countries worldwide.

Great Wall Machinery and Manufacturing (Phils.), Inc.

Machinery for the paper converting industry in the Philippines before 1975 were all imported from abroad, mostly from West Germany, Japan and a small portion of the imported machine coming from United States and other European countries. The cheapest paper converting machinery available in those years were obtained from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the People's Republic of China. These machinery's were obtained with understandably very average in quality, performance, speed and durability. Most paper converters had to invest in large amount of capital to start a new operation or to expand existing ones. With the abundance of resources in terms of raw materials, manpower and potential buyers, like a cub among the lions, a great task was ahead for the Philippine paper converters, thus GREAT WALL MACHINERY AND MANUFACTURING PHILIPPINES INCORPORATED was conceived.

About the Company

http://www.greatwallmachinery.com/

In view of the market demand for such equipment's, its aim was to supplement and gradually substitute imported paper converting machines with locally manufactured and fabricated quality machinery, taking into consideration technological advancements as well as financial constraints of the Philippine working environment and the Filipino entrepreneur respectively during these critical years of the Philippine paper converting industry. Being the only pioneer in the paper converting machinery manufacturing and fabrication industry in the Philippines, GREAT WALL MACHINERY regardless of quality of fabrications and reasonable price, had to face the one truly difficult obstacle of the Filipino people, "colonial mentality". The line of thinking of most of the Filipino entrepreneurs, business people and the population in general, were that local products were no match for the quality of their imported counterparts. However, the company proved them false through the years by outmatching the competition from abroad in terms of cost and technological adaptability and feasibility to the Filipino worker and the Filipino working environment. Even as early as the late seventies, the company was already beating the Japanese in their own game – good quality at a low price. GREAT WALL MACHINERY offered better quality at a much lower price! To this day, the same product marketing policy is being practiced.

In mid-70s, Great Wall Machinery started producing equipment and materials such as conventional sheeting machines, custom-made unwind stands, waste
paper baling machines, disc ruling machines, creasing & cutting presses,
punching/perforating machines, spiral winding machines, back strip gluing
machine, electro-mechanical waste paper baling presses and knife grinding
machines for the notebook manufacturing, paper manufacturing, paper
converting, printing and corrugated carton industries.

Presently, Great Wall Machinery is averaging two (2) sheeter installations per
week combining productions from the Philippines and China factories.

Great Wall Machinery now employs not less than two hundred (200) work force in both assembly locations.

As of to date, more than 800 sheeters has been installed in almost forty (40)
countries around the globe: The Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong,
Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India,
Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Malta, Kenya, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Italy, Canada, United States of America, Mexico, Haiti, Guatemala, Ecuador, Panama, Dominican Republic, etc.

Here's a list and pictures of their machines;

http://www.greatwallmachinery.com/products.html

^^^^^^

Another great news for the country. I hope this kind of industrial investments will continue to pour in our country.:cheers::cheers:

qt70iSmZUVo

Eto, manufacturer lang ng weighing scales that we normally take for granted. But come to think of it everytime I used to go to our markets and noticed that most weighing scales that vendors used were Fuji brand. At first I thought that they were Japanese made due to its name. We never realize that inspite of our country being inundated with Chinese made products there are still local companies who were able to compete effectively and survive the onslaught. I guess we can learn a thing or two on how they did it. Here's the company's website;:cheers:


First Philippine Scales, Inc.
http://www.timbangan.ph/about_us.php

About Us

First Philippine Scales, Inc. (FPSI) is the country's leading, multi-awarded and most innovative manufacturer of weighing devices - FUJI WEIGHING SCALES. It is considered as the pioneer and the premier name in dial scales manufacturing. FPSI supplies most of local market's demands serving Metro Manila as well as major cities and municipalities throughout the country.

The company started in 1968 as a trading firm for various types of weighing scales from Taiwan, Japan and the US. And in 1975, FPSI shifted into high gear by opening up its first and own manufacturing facility. Resiliency paid off as the company was able to overcome growing pains of the shift from trading to manufacturing, as well as the economic crisis prevailing during those times. The succeeding few years turned out to be milestones for First Philippine Scales as demands for dependable and economical weighing scales increased rapidly. This eventually led to the opening of a bigger and modern manufacturing plant for mechanical scales at the city of Malabon in 1996.

To ensure that the goal of producing quality products is sustained, FPSI continued to develop and improve its manufacturing standards and implemented strict quality control in all its finished products. The same policy is being applied to all imported weighing devices distributed by FPSI in the country, and is covered by a one year service warranty. In line with the company’s commitment to TOTAL QUALITY, FPSI set-up its own Metrology Laboratory for weights and scales utilizing the latest technology. The calibration facility is traceable to PTB in Germany and conforms to international standards. The Department of Trade and Industry granted accreditation to the calibration facility the ISO17025.

Recognizing the quality and craftsmanship of all FPSI products, an international group recently awarded Fuji Weighing Scales as one of the world’s Superbrands joining the ranks of globally-recognized products and trademarks. As demands continue to grow, First Philippine Scales, Inc. will continue to provide more top quality weighing devices, enhance its manufacturing capabilities and improve its customer service. Indeed, First Philippine Scales, Inc. prove to be a hallmark in the industry with quality products and customer service as primary objectives, a tradition synonymous to the brand - FUJI.

Eto, manufacturer lang ng weighing scales that we normally take for granted. But come to think of it everytime I used to go to our markets and noticed that most weighing scales that vendors used were Fuji brand. At first I thought that they were Japanese made due to its name. We never realize that inspite of our country being inundated with Chinese made products there are still local companies who were able to compete effectively and survive the onslaught. I guess we can learn a thing or two on how they did it. Here's the company's website;:cheers:


First Philippine Scales, Inc.
http://www.timbangan.ph/about_us.php

About Us

First Philippine Scales, Inc. (FPSI) is the country's leading, multi-awarded and most innovative manufacturer of weighing devices - FUJI WEIGHING SCALES. It is considered as the pioneer and the premier name in dial scales manufacturing. FPSI supplies most of local market's demands serving Metro Manila as well as major cities and municipalities throughout the country.

Great news for me!:cheers::cheers:

^^^^^^

Another great news for the country. I hope this kind of industrial investments will continue to pour in our country.:cheers::cheers:

True. For local industrial investments to flourish, our government needs to support their industry and give them assistance on capital and technology.

True. For local industrial investments to flourish, our government needs to support their industry and give them assistance on capital and technology.

Yeah I agree, I also noticed that a lot of manufacturers especially of machinery and equipment that I posted on this thread started out as importers and/or exclusive distributors of foreign made goods but later on they eventually branched into manufacturing the products themselves realizing that they can build something more affordable, suited to local conditions and in certain cases even matches or exceeds the quality of their imported counterparts. What is heartening to note is that some of them became confident enough of their capability that they became exporters even to countries where we normally imported those same goods. :banana:

Seeing this pattern on how former importers evolved and became successful, what the government can do is pass laws that would encourage more importers to follow the same path of development rather than keep maintaining a business model that continuously drains our country and it's OFW's of hard earned foreign exchange. In addition, manufacturing has a much higher value added to our economy, spurs more innovation and encourages the younger generation to take up more science and engineering courses where their knowledge and skills would be much more applicable compared to a service-oriented economy. Notwithstanding our high power costs and other negative factors that discourage manufacturing, these companies have proven that even without much government support but with the proper approach, goods can still be produced competitively in our country.

Yeah I agree, I also noticed that a lot of manufacturers especially of machinery and equipment that I posted on this thread started out as importers and/or exclusive distributors of foreign made goods but later on they eventually branched into manufacturing the products themselves realizing that they can build something more affordable, suited to local conditions and in certain cases even matches or exceeds the quality of their imported counterparts. What is heartening to note is that some of them became confident enough of their capability that they became exporters even to countries where we normally imported those same goods. :banana:

Seeing this pattern on how former importers evolved and became successful, what the government can do is pass laws that would encourage more importers to follow the same path of development rather than keep maintaining a business model that continuously drains our country and it's OFW's of hard earned foreign exchange. In addition, manufacturing has a much higher value added to our economy, spurs more innovation and encourages the younger generation to take up more science and engineering courses where their knowledge and skills would be much more applicable compared to a service-oriented economy. Notwithstanding our high power costs and other negative factors that discourage manufacturing, these companies have proven that even without much government support but with the proper approach, goods can still be produced competitively in our country.

Definitely agree with this.:cheers:

Philippines, along with Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa and Turkey are considered NIC (Newly Industrialized Countries)

Am sorry i dont get it... You mean NIC na ang Philippines?

Cebu, Philippines is a place that prides itself of being the home of many elite online gamers that ranks on top in various online game tournaments. Cebu had hosted many huge events such as online game tournaments and more. Many elite online gamers in are versed and exercises online game commodity trading: RMT (http://www.ingamex.com.ph/).

Trading game items for real money has always been a profitable alternative for gamers that frequently play online games. By trading game items for real money, sellers earn money by selling game items (http://www.ingamex.com.ph/) collected in game and buyers get a good bargain from gaming commodities purchased from the seller.

However, due to the limitation of finding potential buyers, sellers end up selling valuable game commodities at lesser profit to a limited number of willing buyers. For this reason, a company ventures to provide every online gamers in the country a safe and secure gaming commodity market. This company hosts a website (http://www.ingamex.com.ph/) that serves the community of online gamers that would want to buy and sell gaming commodities for bargains and profit.

This opportunity (http://www.ingamex.com.ph/) to earn money by selling online gaming commodities can now be done online without online gamers meeting in real life though this company's service. Everybody can now trade anonymously and securely with this online service especially designed for online gamers trading online game items. Visit this site (http://www.ingamex.com.ph/) to know more on how to trade game items that's fast, safe and payments and deliveries for game items are guaranteed.

Homegrown brands going global
By Ehda M. Dagooc (The Freeman) Updated October 21, 2009 12:00 AM


CEBU, Philippines - Cebu-grown brands are now bound for international feat as players are serious in hitting the global market despite the perceived retail slowdown in the worldwide marketplace.

“Cebu companies are now making it big in Metro Manila and are now starting to create a name worldwide. The local retail industry is indeed very bullish,” said Pages Holdings Inc. (PHI) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bunny Pages in a text interview.

Some of the successful Cebu brands, like Loalde, Junrex Cellphones, Thirsty Fresh Fruits and Juices, Café Laguna restaurant, Colonnade Supermarket and Julie’s Bakeshop, are named finalists to the 13th Outstanding Filipino Retailers and Shopping Centers of the Year (OFR) Award for 2009.

“Being recognized as a finalist is a reward in itself. It’s an honor not only for the company but for the Cebu garment industry,” said Loalde President Chris Aldeguer.

The OFR Award is the “Oscars” of the Philippine retail industry, a press statement read.

The event is a joint project of the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The OFR Award seeks to recognize the country's retailers who have epitomized the model of a successful retailer in terms of growth and good ethical practices.

With the belief that the Filipino retailer has all the makings of a world-class retailer, PRA and DTI launched in 1997 the OFR in the face of retail liberalization which opened the Philippine market to foreign retailers.

The PRA created the Shopping Center of the Year Award in 2002, adding to the OFR Awards in recognition of Philippine world-class retail/shopping centers that promote the growth and development of the industry.

For his part, Philippine Retail Association (PRA-Cebu) chairman Jay Aldeguer said that the perceived threat of the global crisis has turned to opportunity as more retailers heeded the call to raise the bar of local retailing.

“They responded by investing in training, technology and adopting world-class-standards and best practices for their organization,” said Jay Aldeguer.

Earlier, Hong Kong Trade Development Council assistance executive director Raymund Yip urged Filipino retailers, especially garment manufacturers in Cebu to aggressively start an international expansion.

Yip believes that Filipino-developed brands specifically in garment have huge potential in hitting the global market.

By simply putting its commercial presence in Hong Kong is already a good start, he said.

Cebu, Philippines is a place that prides itself of being the home of many elite online gamers that ranks on top in various online game tournaments. Cebu had hosted many huge events such as online game tournaments and more. Many elite online gamers in are versed and exercises online game commodity trading: RMT (http://www.ingamex.com.ph/).

Trading game items for real money has always been a profitable alternative for gamers that frequently play online games. By trading game items for real money, sellers earn money by selling game items (http://www.ingamex.com.ph/) collected in game and buyers get a good bargain from gaming commodities purchased from the seller.

However, due to the limitation of finding potential buyers, sellers end up selling valuable game commodities at lesser profit to a limited number of willing buyers. For this reason, a company ventures to provide every online gamers in the country a safe and secure gaming commodity market. This company hosts a website (http://www.ingamex.com.ph/) that serves the community of online gamers that would want to buy and sell gaming commodities for bargains and profit.

This opportunity (http://www.ingamex.com.ph/) to earn money by selling online gaming commodities can now be done online without online gamers meeting in real life though this company's service. Everybody can now trade anonymously and securely with this online service especially designed for online gamers trading online game items. Visit this site (http://www.ingamex.com.ph/) to know more on how to trade game items that's fast, safe and payments and deliveries for game items are guaranteed.

Last month, my friend sold all his online game items including the character for P10,000.00.

Homegrown brands going global
By Ehda M. Dagooc (The Freeman) Updated October 21, 2009 12:00 AM


CEBU, Philippines - Cebu-grown brands are now bound for international feat as players are serious in hitting the global market despite the perceived retail slowdown in the worldwide marketplace.

“Cebu companies are now making it big in Metro Manila and are now starting to create a name worldwide. The local retail industry is indeed very bullish,” said Pages Holdings Inc. (PHI) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bunny Pages in a text interview.

Some of the successful Cebu brands, like Loalde, Junrex Cellphones, Thirsty Fresh Fruits and Juices, Café Laguna restaurant, Colonnade Supermarket and Julie’s Bakeshop, are named finalists to the 13th Outstanding Filipino Retailers and Shopping Centers of the Year (OFR) Award for 2009.

“Being recognized as a finalist is a reward in itself. It’s an honor not only for the company but for the Cebu garment industry,” said Loalde President Chris Aldeguer.

The OFR Award is the “Oscars” of the Philippine retail industry, a press statement read.

The event is a joint project of the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The OFR Award seeks to recognize the country's retailers who have epitomized the model of a successful retailer in terms of growth and good ethical practices.

With the belief that the Filipino retailer has all the makings of a world-class retailer, PRA and DTI launched in 1997 the OFR in the face of retail liberalization which opened the Philippine market to foreign retailers.

The PRA created the Shopping Center of the Year Award in 2002, adding to the OFR Awards in recognition of Philippine world-class retail/shopping centers that promote the growth and development of the industry.

For his part, Philippine Retail Association (PRA-Cebu) chairman Jay Aldeguer said that the perceived threat of the global crisis has turned to opportunity as more retailers heeded the call to raise the bar of local retailing.

“They responded by investing in training, technology and adopting world-class-standards and best practices for their organization,” said Jay Aldeguer.

Earlier, Hong Kong Trade Development Council assistance executive director Raymund Yip urged Filipino retailers, especially garment manufacturers in Cebu to aggressively start an international expansion.

Yip believes that Filipino-developed brands specifically in garment have huge potential in hitting the global market.

By simply putting its commercial presence in Hong Kong is already a good start, he said.

:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

^^ By way of Mexico, yes! :colgate: There are even little stickers on the fruit that says "Manila Mango, product of Mexico." Things that makes you go hmm....right? ;)

Actually "Manila mango" is carabao mango which was brought to mexico during the galleon trade and planted in mexico, since then they were called "manila mango"

Indian mango si hardly edible. "Manila mango" is the best mango in the world.

Am sorry i dont get it... You mean NIC na ang Philippines?

Yes, we are....... we are even listed in the roster of "The Next 11 Economies".

Actually "Manila mango" is carabao mango which was brought to mexico during the galleon trade and planted in mexico, since then they were called "manila mango"

bagong hybrid yang carabao mango... where did you get that galleon trade info.

the manila mangoes in mexico were planted by the Elizalde family... they did that kasi years ago the US made it hard for pinoys to export fresh fruit mangoes from pinas... so they planted the mangoes in mexico... easier to sell to the US.

bagong hybrid yang carabao mango... where did you get that galleon trade info.

the manila mangoes in mexico were planted by the Elizalde family... they did that kasi years ago the US made it hard for pinoys to export fresh fruit mangoes from pinas... so they planted the mangoes in mexico... easier to sell to the US.

Dito ata:D
http://www2.eluniversal.com.mx/pls/impreso/noticia.html?id_nota=10753&tabla=miami

Wire services
El Universal
Martes 07 de junio de 2005
Since the thriving galleon trade between New Spain and the Philippines first brought the seedlings of the Manila mango to Acapulco more than 200 years ago, Mexico has gradually made the fruit its own.

It now wants to officially adopt the name, but the Philippine government is fighting custody.

In the globalized 21st century, as both countries seek to expand exports of mangoes and other fresh produce to nations worldwide, Mexican growers have launched an effort to obtain a socalled geographical indication or domain of origin for the Manila mango, a type of patent that would restrict the use of the name Manila to mangoes grown in Mexico.

A domain of origin certifies a product's excellence, increasing its exports. It also protects its name from infringement by others in this case, growers in the Philippines, where mangoes are now produced under the name Manila Super Mango, or Carabao.

The Manila mango does not pose much of a threat to the Philippines currently; it represents less than 1 percent of Mexico's mango exports due to the variety's fragility and a fruit-fly problem, the latter of which is also an obstacle to obtaining the domain of origin.

"We are still a long way from obtaining the denomination," said Jorge Mendoza, a member of the state committee for mango production in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, where most Manila mangoes are cultivated.

But Mexican mango growers do hope one day to achieve it. They would like to convert the small, pale-yellow Manila whose delicate skin and intensely juicy flesh makes it one of the nation's favorite domestically consumed mangoes into an export success, including in markets targeted by the Philippines.

In the meantime, Mexico already is gaining some mileage from the Manila name through other mangoes. In the United States, the name "Honey Manila" is often applied to the widely exported Ataulfo variety from southern Chiapas state, "because the Americans can't pronounce 'Ataulfo,' " said Blanca Nelly Partida, a representative of Mexico's national mango export association, EMEX.

The Filipinos don't want to lose the right to use a name that originated in their country or to see Mexico profiting unfairly from it. They also have hinted that they might try to obtain the domain of origin for themselves.

"Mexico acknowledges that their Manila mango variety came from the Philippines," said Adrián S. Cristóbal, director-general of the Philippine Intellectual Property Office, or IPO. "By using the name Manila mango, the public can be misled as to the true origin of the fruit. ... This is essentially unfair competition."

Cristóbal said government officials may resort to the international Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, or TRIPS, which allows nations belonging to the World Trade Organization to stop other members from obtaining a domain of origin if it misleads consumers as to a product's true origin.

The way Mexico sees it, the Manila mango long ago became a product unique to this country.

Although Manila seedlings arrived in Mexico from the Philippines in 1779 during the galleon trade, the variety was crossed with other mangoes over the years, so today's Manila mangoes possess a genetic mix found only in Mexico, said Héctor Cabrera, an expert with the National Institute of Forest, Agricultural and Livestock research.

"It shouldn't be confused with the original Carabao," he said.

Mexico, the world's largest mango exporter, shipped more than US130 million in mangoes in 2004, the majority to the United States, with smaller markets in Canada, Japan and European countries, respectively, the Economy Department reported.

The Philippines shipped US31 million to its four top markets in 2004: Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and China, according to the country's trade department. Both countries are looking to expand their mango export markets, raising the level of competition between them.

Seeking domains of origin is an extremely strong trend in today's cutthroat global economy, where companies are fighting to keep a competitive edge and not leave themselves unprotected, said Mexico agricultural economist Yolanda Trapaga.

But the Manila mango case is uncommon and could have an impact on other products in the future because it redefines the label's traditional concept of origin, Trapaga said.

While the designation usually is based on a product and where its from such as the town of Tequila, Mexico, or the province of Champagne, France the Manila mango's domain would refer not so much to the fruit itself as to the hybridization and cultivation practices in Mexico that supposedly make the variety unique.

All countries seeking the domain of origin must comply with WTO rules. But because the WTO does not currently recognize, or regulate, the domain of origin, most countries seeking the designation work out mutually acceptable agreements with their trading partners, Trapaga said. Mexico's next step, therefore is "to start hashing this out with the Philippines," she said. "There has to be a bilateral negotiation, to see where it goes."

^^^^
ha... never expected that info... then suppliers of the fresh produce are wrong... they need to know these.

they have been telling pinoy customers at the Figueroa Produce Market and the Lorenzana Grocery that the manila mangoes are by the pinoy Elizalde family in mexico.

Delgado family buys Shell in Guam, Saipan, Palau

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 11/26/2009 4:59 PM


MANILA - A company controlled by the Philippines' Delgado family has reached an agreement with Royal Dutch Shell to acquire the latter's downstream marketing businesses in the North Pacific Islands (NPI), which includes Guam, Saipan, and Palau.

Island Petroleum & Energy Holdings LLC (IP&E), a member of the Delgado Group of Companies, bought Shell's retail, commercial, and aviation businesses in the NPI for an undisclosed amount.

The deal, which is subject to regulatory approvals and consents, follows Shell's review of its downstream marketing businesses in the NPI. Shell said the move is consistent with the company's strategy to concentrate its global downstream portfolio.

Shell said its sold retail network "will remain Shell-branded through trademark licensing agreements," while aviation "will be serviced through a technical service agreement."

Under separate deals, IP&E will also be appointed as the distributor of Shell-branded lubricants and service Shell Marine Product customers in the NPI.

"The decision by Shell to move to a distributor model supports its portfolio focus drive and follows a number of similar deals in other countries," Shell said in a statement.

The value of the Delgado Group's investments in the NPI is rise to $150 million once the transaction with Shell is completed. At present, the family has investments in aviation services, logistics solutions, telecommunications, fuels and lubricants supply, and marketing.

IT&E, an affiliate of IP&E, is the leading telecommunications firm in the NPI. In 2005, IT&E acquired Verizon's fixed and wireless assets in Guam and Saipan.

Other companies under the Delgado Group include Citadel Holdings, which has interests in aviation services.
as of 11/26/2009 5:10 PM

Jollibee drops Taiwanese brand
in mainland operation

BY ALBERT CASTRO
Malaya Business Insights
Dec. 10, 2009

Jollibee Foods Corp. (Jollibee) is dropping the Chun Shui Tang Tea House brand from its China fastfood portfolio, three years after it was introduced citing the difficulty of breaking into the mainland Chinese market.

Jollibee told regulators that its franchising agreement with Chun Shui Tang franchisor Ice Tea International which gave it sole right to bring the Chun Shui Tang brand to the mainland has been terminated.

Jollibee, through one of its subsidiaries, have been operating two Chun Shui Tang outlets in China since 2006. Chun Shui Tang operates 24-hour tea in Shanghai, China, under the management of Jollibee.

Chun Shui Tang Tea House, owned by Chun Sui Tang Tea House Ltd. Of Taiwan, is a well-known brand in Taiwan for its iced and hot tea, pastries and rice meals in a "comfortable restaurant setting" for working men and women in metropolitan centers.

Jollibee’s experience with Chun Shui Tang started in 2004, when it formed a team of business managers and store crew, some from Taiwan to lay the groundwork for its new tea house business. They trained in Chun Shui Tang Tea House in Taiwan for several months and have been working in Shanghai since the latter part of 2004 in coordination with the Research and Development from the Jollibee Group and from Chun Sui Tang Tea House, Ltd.

"For Chun Shui Tan, it did not perform to our expectation and there are a lot of challenges transporting a brand from one location to another place," said Gilda Mquilan, Jollibee Corp. communications manager.

The sale from Chun Shui Tang accounts for less than 1 percent of Jollibee worldwide sales.

Jollibee at the same time said that it is dissolving its partnership with Lao Dong Pte., Ltd (Singapore) for the venture that should have brought Taiwanese brand Lao Dong to China. Jollibee owns 70 percent of the venture.

The agreement for dissolution was signed on Tuesday, said Jollibee.

The decision to drop the plan was influenced by the company’s experience with Chun Shui Tang.

Jollibee has committed to invest a total of P94.7 million for the planned entry of Lao Dong to China --- P63.1 million as equity share in the venture and P31.6 million as capital investment.

The Lao Dong business was entered into in 2008.

The divestment from Chun Shui Tang and Lao Dong leaves Jollibee with brands Hong Zhuang Yuan and Yonghe King for its China business.

Hong Zhuang Yuan is a congee noodle restaurant while Yonghe King is a popular Chinese fastfood chain in mainland China.

The two brands have a total of 197 stores as of end October, and accounts for 9 percent of worldwide sales, Jollibee said.

Jollibee’s foreign business grew 53 percent in Q3, The China business grew 76 percent from last year.

Jollibee will open a total of 35 stores in China by end-2009. It plans to open an even higher number of stores in 2010.

guys this are the list na alam ko mga company na nag-iinvest sa ibang bansa


Banking

May isang banko ata di ko maalala kung RCBC ,bank of commerce etc.ang may agreement sa isang bansa sa africa or central america na sila ang mga hahandle ng Central Bank nila


ayan lang po!

hindi rcbc yun. bank of commerce ni tony boy coquangco

not sure if this is relevant here but i just wanna post this Bench store located
at the Pacific center downtown Vancouver, though some stores like The Bay
(a chain big stores all over Canada) carry this brand. I'm not sure though
if there are still some stores in other areas in metro vancouver....


http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/1573/picture002hi.jpg___________________________________________


MyThread:Vancouver & Burbs (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=973646&page=5")

^thats not a bench store made from pnas, its a bench store of UK

^^ you are right Tigs
That Bench brand was established in Manchester England in 1989
which is absolutely not the Bench brand of Ben Chan.
I thought all the while it is Ben Chan's...my bad

________________________________________
MyThread:Vancouver & Burbs (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=973646&page=5")

^^ Hhmm. How coincidental it is for that to be somehow similar to Ben Chan's Bench. Its signage is "Bench." while here, it's "Bench/" Wala lang. I just find it weird (?) for both brands to use punctuation/special characters in their brands.

Bench/ started in 1987.

Bench. started in 1989.

yea!! i was surprised too when i saw that branch in Edmonton Mall in Alberta Canada..
i really thought it was the Philippine Bench and was proud..
but then i've read from another blog.. that it was different and it was from UK

the difference was the "." and the "/"

o well.. the Philippine made "Bench/" was first

That Bench Philippines would have trouble expanding overseas if they have plans to do so because of that Bench in the UK. There would be a legal battle for sure.

That Bench Philippines would have trouble expanding overseas if they have plans to do so because of that Bench in the UK. There would be a legal battle for sure.

Actually Bench has already expanded overseas especially in China and the Middle east.

If indeed Bench Philippines started first than the British Bench, well Suyen (owner of Bench) has an upper hand.

^^ And Bench/ also has stores on the West Coast as we speak, mostly concentrated in California. IMO, it's almost impossible if the two haven't crossed roads yet.

O.T.

is penshoppe, maldita, human, oxygen, kamiseta are local brands? kasi sabi ng friend ko pinoy brands daw ito..

O.T.

is penshoppe, maldita, human, oxygen, kamiseta are local brands? kasi sabi ng friend ko pinoy brands daw ito..

Yes.
Bayo, folded and hung, company b, collezione are local brands.

Oishi food snack maker to expand RP presence

By Ma. Elisa P. Osorio
(The Philippine Star)
Updated December 16, 2009 12:00 AM

NINGBO CITY, China – Manufacturing giant Liwayway (China) Co., Ltd., maker of the popular Oishi brand of snack foods, announced they will increase their investments in the Philippines as the company is set to open a manufacturing facility in Tarlac next year.

In an interview with The STAR, chairman Larry Chan said that they are opening their fourth facility in the Philippines, which will be operational soon in Tarlac.

The Philippine operations make up about 30 percent of the entire operations of Liwayway, Chan noted.

In the Philippines, the main manufacturing facility is located in Imus, Cavite, with satellite factories in Cagayan de Oro and Cebu City, to strengthen the nationwide distribution. Oishi products are also exported to Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong, among others.

“We are expanding our operations and we are expecting an increase in sales for next year,” Chan said during a plant tour for the Friendship Delegation to China composed of select members of the Tuesday Club headed by Dr. Lucio C. Tan and Carlos Chan. Aside from their operations in China and the Philippines, Liwayway also has a presence in Vietnam and Myanmar.

Chan expressed confidence that they will be able to increase their market share because as of the present, they are only serving less than half of the 1.3 billion Chinese population.

Chan said they would like to increase sales by 15 percent next year.

According to him, their facility in China can produce up to 80,000 cases per day, during peak months, but on the average their production is half at 40,000 cases.

Chan said that Oishi is the preferred snack of the Chinese market outselling even a popular American brand because they have a wide range of products made through a wide variety of processes. Currently, their product line has expanded to over 50 variants of salty snacks, cereals, popcorn, cookies, powdered juices, and sauces.

The best seller, Chan said, is still the Kirei Yummy Flakes, which makes up eight percent of total sales.

Liwayway Marketing Corp., a Filipino company first ventured into China in 1993, under the leadership of its patriarch and taipan Carlos Chan. It started with two companies in Shanghai: Shanghai Liwayway Food Industries Litd. and Shanghai Prawn Cracker Foodstuff Company Ltd.

Since then, the China operations have grown to 12 plants located all over the mainland under the head company, Liwayway (China) Co. Ltd.

Liwayway also set up production facilities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 1997 and in Yangon, Myanmar in 1999, where Oishi is now the leading snack food brand.

View previous articles from this author.

SMC acquires majority stake in Australian firm

By Zinnia B. Dela Peña
(The Philippine Star)
Updated December 16, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - San Miguel Corp. is further expanding its presence in the packaging business with the acquisition of a majority stake in Cospak Group, the largest packaging trading firm in Australasia.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, San Miguel said the deal was entered into by its packaging unit San Miguel Yamamura Packaging International Ltd. (SMYPIL). The company didn’t provide other details, but said it expects the deal to be completed no later than February 2010.

Based in Sydney, Australia, the Cospak Group operates in New Zealand and has trading outposts in South Africa and Italy. Combined with its manufacturing operations, the annual revenues of the Cospak Group exceed A$120 million (P5.16 billion).

SMYPIL, on the other hand, has businesses in Malaysia, Vietnam, China and Indonesia.

SMYPIL said it “hopes to make the Cospak Group the vehicle for its Australasian and rapidly growing exports business.”

Last year, San Miguel sold its erstwhile flagship overseas business, Australian dairy and juice manufacturer National Foods, to Japanese brewer Kirin Holdings for $2.6 billion.

San Miguel is aiming to raise $800 million from the sale of its overseas beer operations and a public offering of a 10-to-14 percent stake in packaging unit in its early 2010 to raise about $100 million.

Nihon Yamamura Glass, a Japanese maker of glass bottles and plastic containers, holds a 35-percent stake in the packaging unit which it bought for $130 million in January 2008.

San Miguel, which is moving away from its traditional food and drinks businesses, will be using proceeds from asset sales to fund its entry into heavy industry and pay down debt.

Solid Group launches 'Ninoy-Cory' cellphone

By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
(The Philippine Star)
Updated December 18, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The Solid Group, makers of the only Filipino mobile phone brand My Phone, has come up with the “NinoyCory phone,” the first series in the company’s My Heroes line of collector phones.

The mobile phone comes in Cory yellow, with the signature Ninoy eyeglasses in front and images of Ninoy and Cory at the back. When one clicks the yellow ribbon icon on the phone’s menu, a number of items would appear, including prayers, an Aquino biography, Ninoy and Cory trivia, Ninoy and Cory inspirational messages, Ninoy’s letters and poems, Cory’s personal prayers, Aquino speeches, the Aquino library, and the Aquino gallery.

One look at the phone and one will immediately realize that it is not just for Cory or Ninoy followers. Even the faithful will find the phone handy as it contains audio files of the Rosary, Stations of the Cross, various novenas (Lady of Manaoag, Perpetual Help, Sto. Nino, Black Nazarene, Lady of Antipolo, Lady Mediatrix, Lady of Guadalupe, St. Clare and St. Jude), common prayers (morning offering, Angelus, three o’clock prayer, evening prayer, Our Father, Hail Mary), intercession prayers, as well as ebooks of the entire Bible, to name a few.

Solid Group president David Lim told The STAR that while he does not know Ninoy or Cory personally, Kris Aquino’s appearance on television following her mother’s death her she would continue supporting elder brother Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s plans and that she would continue their devotion to the rosary gave Lim the idea of producing just 20 phones for the Aquino family.

The Solid Group just released the Pinoy phone which contains the rosary as well as 132 other prayers, and this gave Lim the idea of giving the Aquino family a memorabilia of Ninoy and Cory.

“I called up the factory (the Myphone brand of mobile phones are made in the China factory of the Lim family which produces the Amoy phone, one of the biggest phone brands in China but everything else, including the software is manufactured in the Philippines) and asked them to produce 20 phones for the Aquino family. My mom (businesswoman Elena Lim) knows Cory very well. We had no plans of launching it, just a keepsake for the Aquino family,” Lim said.

The idea of producing more of the NinoyCory phones came one day when Lim met somebody abroad who was looking for a yellow phone, and who was saying that the Pinoy phone series of MyPhone came only in black, white, red, green and orange. The girl happens to be a cousin of Rafael “Rapa” Lopa, a nephew of Cory, who immediately called upon learning of the plan to produce a limited number of NinoyCory phones.

“She said that everybody should remember Cory. That led to our meeting with the Benigno Aquino Foundation,” Lim said.

The Solid Group top executive said a large number of the NinoyCory phone’s content came from the Foundation and that the company immediately put up a team to work on it. “I also remembered that when Cory died, my mom wrote a poem which she just scribbled on scratch paper. I asked her for it and it is reproduced in the phone,” Lim revealed.

At the launch of the NinoyCory phone alone, the Solid Group had to produce 30,000 phones. “And to think that we started it only 45 days ago. Considering that we are pressed for time, we can still polish the content,” he said. The number of NinoyCory phones that will be made available to the market will depend on how the public accepts it.

“It is very exciting. People, including those in our office, are grabbing the phones and want not just one, but two, even 20 at a time. After all, it is the first prayer phone ever made,” Lim added.

The phone sells for P4,990 and is the first Qwerty phone to be released under the MyPhone brand.

He said because Solid Group believes in the projects of the Benigno Aquino Foundation, including education and feeding programs, the company will be donating a certain amount to the foundation, which did not charge anything when it shared some of the contents of the phone.

Asked how the Aquino family reacted to the phone, Lim said: “They love it.”

Lim also told the STAR they are now in talks with a number of parties to decide on who will be featured next in MyPhone’s My Hero series. “There are several candidates. We are thinking of Ka Erdy Manalo for the Iglesia ni Cristo group and we are still in discussions with Manny Pacquiao’s group,” he revealed.

Solid Group plans to release 16 other variations of the Qwerty phone in the next two to three months, all of which will be entry-level phones.

The company does not charge for the content, just the phone and the cost of the memory card.

SMC acquires majority interest in Cospak parent company


Written by Miguel Camus / Reporter
Tuesday, 22 December 2009 19:28
Business Mirror

Food and beverage giant San Miguel Corp. is moving rapidly on its plan to acquire majority ownership of the Cospak Group, the largest packaging company in Australasia.

San Miguel, through subsidiary San Miguel Yamamura Packaging International Ltd., told the stock exchange on Tuesday that it acquired 60.7 million shares of JHK Investments Pty. Ltd., the parent company of Sydney-based Cospak, for a total of A$34.65 million or over P1.4 billion.

The shares were owned by JHK Investments’ controlling shareholder James Huntly Knox. On top of this, San Miguel Yamamura subscribed to an additional 12.27 million shares in JHK Investments for A$5 million.

“San Miguel Yamamura owns an aggregate of 65 percent of the outstanding shares of JHK Investments,” chief finance officer  Ferdinand Constantino told the exchange.

San Miguel said it already paid an initial A$24.74 million last week for the shares. The remaining A$9.91 million will be payable by San Miguel Yamamura “ through an earn-out scheme based on the attainment by JHK Investments of an agreed Earning for interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for the period ending December 31, 2008 and June 30, 2010.”

Cospak is a 100-percent Australian-owned private company providing a comprehensive range of rigid and flexible packaging to the wine, beverage, food and pharmaceutical industries. It also has three manufacturing sites located in Sydney, Auckland and Guangzhou and exports to  Singapore, New Guinea, Pacific Islands and the Philippines.

The move is seen to strengthen San Miguel Yamamura’s presence in the Australasian market, referring to the area in the South Pacific which includes Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea. San Miguel had been supplying packaging products to Cospak since the early 1980s.

Analysts noted that brining in a strong business is one way to increase the value of San Miguel Yamamura, which may push through with plans to implement an initial public offering next year after several delays.

Since announcing its plan to diversify outside its core food and drinks business two years ago, San Miguel had already spun off its local beer unit San Miguel Brewery Inc. (SMB), which was subsequently listed on the local stock exchange.

Last week, San Miguel sold its international beer unit San Miguel Brewing International Ltd. to SMB, a joint venture company with Japan’s Kirin Brewery, for $300 million.

Funds generated from this sale, and the eventual listing of San Miguel Yamamura will likewise help the conglomerate pay for its continuing diversification which has included investments in power distribution and generation, telecommunications, toll roads and financial services.

San Miguel’s packaging business continues to do well, reporting consolidated net income of P1.38 billion for the first nine months of the year.

SMC said this is “significantly higher” than last year’s performance.

SMC acquires majority interest in Cospak parent company

Food and beverage giant San Miguel Corp. is moving rapidly on its plan to acquire majority ownership of the Cospak Group, the largest packaging company in Australasia.

San Miguel, through subsidiary San Miguel Yamamura Packaging International Ltd., told the stock exchange on Tuesday that it acquired 60.7 million shares of JHK Investments Pty. Ltd., the parent company of Sydney-based Cospak, for a total of A$34.65 million or over P1.4 billion.

The shares were owned by JHK Investments’ controlling shareholder James Huntly Knox. On top of this, San Miguel Yamamura subscribed to an additional 12.27 million shares in JHK Investments for A$5 million.

“San Miguel Yamamura owns an aggregate of 65 percent of the outstanding shares of JHK Investments,” chief finance officer  Ferdinand Constantino told the exchange.

San Miguel said it already paid an initial A$24.74 million last week for the shares. The remaining A$9.91 million will be payable by San Miguel Yamamura “ through an earn-out scheme based on the attainment by JHK Investments of an agreed Earning for interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for the period ending December 31, 2008 and June 30, 2010.”

Cospak is a 100-percent Australian-owned private company providing a comprehensive range of rigid and flexible packaging to the wine, beverage, food and pharmaceutical industries. It also has three manufacturing sites located in Sydney, Auckland and Guangzhou and exports to  Singapore, New Guinea, Pacific Islands and the Philippines.

The move is seen to strengthen San Miguel Yamamura’s presence in the Australasian market, referring to the area in the South Pacific which includes Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea. San Miguel had been supplying packaging products to Cospak since the early 1980s.

Analysts noted that brining in a strong business is one way to increase the value of San Miguel Yamamura, which may push through with plans to implement an initial public offering next year after several delays.

Since announcing its plan to diversify outside its core food and drinks business two years ago, San Miguel had already spun off its local beer unit San Miguel Brewery Inc. (SMB), which was subsequently listed on the local stock exchange.

Last week, San Miguel sold its international beer unit San Miguel Brewing International Ltd. to SMB, a joint venture company with Japan’s Kirin Brewery, for $300 million.

Funds generated from this sale, and the eventual listing of San Miguel Yamamura will likewise help the conglomerate pay for its continuing diversification which has included investments in power distribution and generation, telecommunications, toll roads and financial services.

San Miguel’s packaging business continues to do well, reporting consolidated net income of P1.38 billion for the first nine months of the year.

SMC said this is “significantly higher” than last year’s performance. [businessmirror (http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/companies/20032-smc-acquires-majority-interest-in-cospak-parent-company.html)]

Ito ang pilipinong dapat nating gayahin...

http://guevent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=2&Itemid

The Guevent Group of Companies (GGC) is the consummation of a single man's life work. Propelled by a tiger-projective, creative Filipino entrepreneurship and pioneered by the visionary Domingo M. Guevara.

1930. The conception. With a small capital, the late Domingo M. Guevara opened a radio repair shop named Radiowealth, Incorporated.

Today, what was initially a radio shop is now a formidable highly diversified conglomerate of seventeen companies. One man's vision spawned into a "giant." A string of synergistic activities, spanning related to unknown territories and servicing various industries and consumers, depicting the massive growth of the Guevent Group of Companies.

In the early years, its corporate activities witnessed expansion into communications equipment, supplying provisions for the U. S. Armed Forces in the Philippines and the Bureau of Posts. Eventually, it ventured into the importation of all kinds of machineries.

Radiowealth, Inc. pioneered local television manufacturing and the production of electronic components and home appliances in the 50's. In the 60's, it launched the first television picture tube and manufactured various consumer items like electric ranges, floor polishers, car stereos, 20-inch color TV sets and radiophone.

A sister company, DMG, Inc., was also heavily involved in car manufacturing, having introduced the now classic Volkswagen buggy in the late 60's, assembled locally with components imported from Germany.

Later, in 1969, it introduced the first Philippine-born automobile, the "SAKBAYAN," with everything in it Filipino-made except the engine.

In the early 70's, the company was commended by the Progressive Car Manufacturing Program, being the only 100% Filipino-owned car manufaturer.

Adverse conditions during the Martial Law forced the company to temporarily halt operations in 1981. In 1986, amidst a promising business climate, the company was revitalized, and resumed operations full force.

Guevent Industrial Development Corporation is the acknowledged flagship of the conglomerate. Other companies include the G&S Transport Corp., G&S Travel and Tours, Inc., and Guevent Insurance Agency Corp., all wholly-owned. Consequent ventures have resulted into great partnership, of which the family holds majority of shares: Guevent Graphics with Asia Graphics Ltd. (Hong Kong) and Radiowealth Finance Company, public-owned and listed at the Stock Exchange.

As the business progressed, the succeeding two generations of the Guevara clan set up their own businesses with the pioneer as financier and chief adviser: Asian High Technology Corp.; Honeycomb Builders, Inc.; Aquatic Agro-Industrial Corp.; G&S Travel & Tours, Inc.; Guevent Ventures, Inc.; Tree's Company; International Turfcare Corp.; Pan Mar Corp.; and Balangkas Pilipinas Software Co.

More than vision and leadership, the rebirthing, growth and expansion of the vast conglomerate is a testament to the Filipino entrepreneurial virtue of hard work, patience and industry.

Flying V investing P500m for expansion

by Alena Mae S. Flores
Manila Standard
Dec.31, 2009

Flying V will invest P500 million for expansion that includes the construction of 80 more retail stations and four depots next year, a company official said.

Joey Cruz, Flying V senior vice president, told reporters that the additional stations were aimed at penetrating remote areas.

“This will help generate savings for our countrymen, spur local economic growth and generate employment,” Cruz said.

He said Flying V would finance the expansion projects “from internally generated funds and infusion of new capital from profits and depreciation.”

Flying V now has 203 retail stations around the country, after building 37 new outlets this year.

The company has five storage facilities in key strategic areas—Poro Point, La Union in the north, Sta. Ana and Mandaluyong in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao.

Cruz said the company hoped to complete four more depots next year.

The Flying V official said the company at mid-year reduced its original plan to build 100 stations because of unfavorable conditions.

Cruz cited the “very competitive nature of the industry,” which was further aggravated by Malacañang’s order to freeze petroleum prices in November to their Oct. 15 levels. The freeze resulted in billions of pesos worth of losses for the industry.

“As we look into the future, Flying V’s focus shall concentrate on alternative sources of energy and the promotion of bio-fuels. It shall continue to explore areas under solar, wind, the development of compressed natural gas, biomass and other indigenous sources of biofuels,” Cruz said.

Cruz said Flying V launched rehabilitation efforts after storms Ondoy and Pepeng wreaked havoc on the population.

The company distributed more than 30,000 relief bags to residents of affected areas. Flying V teamed up with the Sagip Kapamilya of ABS CBN Foundation to feed more than 2,800 people in Angono, Rizal in October.

Lopez-owned power firm eyes international expansion

Energy Development Corp., the country's biggest producer of geothermal power, is reportedly eyeing prospective drilling projects in Kenya, in a bid to expand its presence in the international market.

According to EDC president and COO Richard B. Tantoco, the company has received an invitation to bid for geothermal power projects in Kenya, but the company is still studying the idea of participating in the bidding.

Tantoco said the company's targets for 2010 included the strengthening of its presence in the international market.

"One of our goals is to advance the technical side of our drilling services by expanding our international operation and eventually generate more income from this," Tantoco said.

Tantoco further added that while they saw local operations bringing in earnings for the company over the next four years, the Lopez-led firm should start scouting and exploring for lucrative overseas opportunities. He, however, declined to cite specific plans for EDC's overseas expansion, saying it was too early to do so.

Sources earlier said that EDC already submitted a bid offer for a prospective geothermal drilling project in Chile, but Tantoco merely said "there's nothing going on in Chile."

As part of its thrust for overseas expansion, EDC vice chairman Paul A. Aquino earlier said the company was eyeing new sites for its geothermal exploration projects, particularly in South Asia and the Middle East.

In Indonesia, Aquino had said that the company was looking at four prospects for geothermal exploration.

"We decided to go for the third type of expansion there, which is the preliminary survey of areas that are not owned or have not been contracted by any party," Aquino said.

He added that the company, which already has a branch there, plans to operate in Indonesia as a 100-percent foreign-owned entity and without a local partner.

Currently, the company has a drilling contract with Lihir Gold Ltd. (LGL) of Papua New Guinea, which is among the leading gold producers in the region. It sources most of its power requirements for its gold mine and processing facility from geothermal energy.

Since 1999, these drilling contracts with LGL have been a major source of revenues for the Lopez-led firm.
http://business.inquirer.net/money/breakingnews/view/20100105-245679/Lopez-owned-power-firm-eyes-international-expansion

Jollibee one of Asia’s best—Wall Street Journal (http://technology.inquirer.net/infotech/infotech/view/20091228-244315/Jollibee-one-of-Asias-bestWall-Street-Journal)

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines’ largest fast-food chain Jollibee received a plaque of recognition from The Wall Street Journal Asia for being one of the top regional companies in the publication’s Asia 200 survey.

Jollibee president Ernesto Tan Caktiong received the award from WSJA associate editor Peter Stein at the recently held event in Beijing, China.

Asia’s most-renowned business publication awarded JFC as The Most Admired Company in the Philippines.

The country’s biggest food business corporation was recognized after its sales increased by 18 percent, maintaining its number one ranking in terms of company reputation and innovation as voted by business executives and readers of The Wall Street Journal Asia.

JFC owes most of its success to its biggest food chain, Jollibee, which captured the loyalty of Filipinos by providing quality meals at affordable prices.

Yes.
Bayo, folded and hung, company b, collezione are local brands.

among those brands.. sino na ang nakapenetrate abroad? bench ba?

^^ Yes. They have a number of stores in the Middle East and the United States' West Coast.

Jollibee one of Asia’s best—Wall Street Journal (http://technology.inquirer.net/infotech/infotech/view/20091228-244315/Jollibee-one-of-Asias-bestWall-Street-Journal)

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines’ largest fast-food chain Jollibee received a plaque of recognition from The Wall Street Journal Asia for being one of the top regional companies in the publication’s Asia 200 survey.

Jollibee president Ernesto Tan Caktiong received the award from WSJA associate editor Peter Stein at the recently held event in Beijing, China.

Asia’s most-renowned business publication awarded JFC as The Most Admired Company in the Philippines.

The country’s biggest food business corporation was recognized after its sales increased by 18 percent, maintaining its number one ranking in terms of company reputation and innovation as voted by business executives and readers of The Wall Street Journal Asia.

JFC owes most of its success to its biggest food chain, Jollibee, which captured the loyalty of Filipinos by providing quality meals at affordable prices.

:cheers::cheers::cheers:

ok din guys ung mga damit sa BLUED, mas maganda at matibay ang fabric sa Bench, mas ok din ang designs at fit. The best thing is that it's 100% RP made. Sadly, hindi xa maxadong kalat, ang alam ko lang sa Market Market. Mejo mas mahal ng 150- 200 pesos sa Bench and Penshoppe, but it's really worth it.

ang bilis kasi mag himulmol ang mga damit sa bench..