22 December 2006

Philippines: Largest nickel mine in Asia on brink of collapse

The Philnico Industrial Corp. on Thursday said it is looking for new players as the $1 billion deal to revive one of Asia's largest nickel mines is facing collapse. Chinese investors and their Philippine counterparts encountered major disagreements over valuation and share ownership.

Philnico said the Chinese investors are seeking more time to review their offer for the revival of the mothballed nickel refinery and mining operations in Nonoc Island off Surigao City in the Philippines.

Philnico president Evaristo Narbaes Jr., said, "We are open to other options and we have received several offers from Japanese companies.

He said other companies from Russia and China have shown significant interest for the project.

Narvaez adds, "Our main concern is to protect the interests of our stakeholders, which is not only the stockholders of the company but also the interests of the country, the government, and the local community."

One sticky point is a disagreement over how much Philnico's $300-million obligation to the government would be worth once these are converted into shares in the rehabilitated firm.

Source: All Headline News

Interviews

IBM sees Philippine recovery, opportunity

Chin Wah Wong 06/09/2001 01:25:00

IBM Corp. is hopeful that the Philippines is on the cusp of economic recovery, and that more local companies will be making IT investments to seize new opportunities.

"The Philippines is in a period of transition," said IBM Philippines president and chief executive officer Jack Hamill, during an exclusive briefing for the Computerworld Philippines editorial team last week. "You go through ups and downs politically and economically, but we've passed the low point, and we're on the cusp. The economic cycle is beginning to turn, confidence is returning, and the government is doing the right things."

IBM Philippines, Hamill said, has reflected the country's economic environment this year, facing serious challenges in the first half, and picking up in the third and fourth quarters.

Services

In particular, Hamill said, IBM's services business has been gaining ground as more and more local companies accept the concept of IT outsourcing.

"Outsourcing is a counter-cyclical activity for most companies," Hamill said. "As business slows, companies want to focus on their core competencies, and usually IT isn't one of them. But it is ours, and we're the dominant player in outsourcing because we offer all the components, from soup to nuts."

Local expertise, Hamill added, is backed by a global network of IT specialists from IBM offices worldwide.

These advantages have enabled IBM to rack up large regional outsourcing clients such as Westpac Bank, Japan Airlines, and Thai Farmers Bank, and local customers such as Procter & Gamble Philippines; Maynilad Water Services, Inc.; and Jollibee Foods Corp.

Hamill emphasized, however, that outsourcing is a global trend that will continue to grow in the IT world. "This isn't happening only because of a weak economy, so this is a very strategic focus for us," he said.

Worldwide, Hamill said, services account for the largest share of IBM's revenue pie, contributing about 40.6 percent in the second quarter this year. "We expect this to surpass 50 percent as we go forward," he added. The local subsidiary shows a similar revenue mix, he said.

At the moment, the bulk of IBM's service contracts in the Philippines are for help desk services, said Jose Ma. B. Gajitos, country manager for delivery operations, IBM Global Services.

"A lot of our customers are concerned with how to support users nationwide. That's one of our strengths, since we provide on-site services. So IT help desk services are complimentary to on-site support, and the bulk of our contracts are there."

Half of IBM Philippines' workforce, or 150 people are involved in services, and 20 of them are focused specifically on outsourcing, Gajitos said.

Gajitos acknowledged that some companies are still reluctant to go into IT outsourcing, but said others are warming up to the idea. "The reluctance stems from a lack of full understanding of what outsourcing means to their business," Hamill said. "It doesn't mean we'll put a whole bunch of people out of work. That's not the way it works. Our IT services include taking over (a customer's) IT department, and that means they become part of IBM."

IBM Global Services, IBM's services division is made up of three businesses -- integrated technology services, strategic outsourcing, and business innovation services.

Integrated technology services encompass business recovery consulting, networking consulting and integration, hardware and support services, business continuity and recovery services, and high availability services.

Business innovation services include e-business consulting, business management services, customer relationship management (CRM) consulting, supply chain management (SCM) consulting, Web application development consulting, and business intelligence.

Strategic outsourcing services includes e-business hosting services, IT outsourcing services, network outsourcing services, and business process management services.

Software

This year, IBM also consolidated various software brands -- including Lotus and Informix -- under the IBM Software Group. Other brands include DB2, Tivoli, and WebSphere. The consolidation, Hamill said, gives IBM the most comprehensive e- business software solutions portfolio today.

"We just integrated Informix effectively last July 1," said Victor M. Silvino, country manager for the IBM Software Group. Silvino said existing Informix customers welcomed the move, since it guaranteed that their investments in the database platform would be protected.

At the same time, Silvino described the database market as tight. "We have a lot of work to do," he said.

In particular, Silvino acknowledged that Oracle is a strong competitor in the local database market, but said IBM would leverage on the best practices from its various software operations to build up both Informix and DB2, which are being marketed as separate products by separate teams.

Silvino also said WebSphere, IBM's software platform for developing and deploying Web applications, suffered a decline in the local market after the dot-com crash last year, but it's building momentum again as companies realize that the Web is still the way to go in the long run. For these companies, Silvino added, WebSphere is a strategic investment.

Another significant development, Silvino said, is IBM's substantial investments in Linux, the free, open source operating system.

"We're still in the education stage. Some key companies have done pilots but have not implemented it company-wide," Silvino said. These pilots, he said, may later pave the way for standardization around Linux.

For his part, Enrique G. Velasco, country channels executive, said IBM's key business partners are using Linux as a way to offer server consolidation. "If you can consolidate a lot of Windows NT servers onto a Linux server, that would significantly lower the total cost of ownership in relation to Microsoft's licensing charges," Velasco said.

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Laguna (province)

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Laguna is a province of the Philippines found in the CALABARZON region in Luzon. Its capital is Santa Cruz and the province is located southeast of Metro Manila, south of the province of Rizal, west of Quezon, north of Batangas and east of Cavite. Laguna almost completely surrounds Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the country. The province got its name from the Spanish word lago, which means lake.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

Province of Laguna

Region: CALABARZON (Region IV-A)

Capital: Santa Cruz

Founded: March 10, 1917

Population:
2000 census—1,965,872 (6th largest)
Density—1,117 per km² (3rd highest)

Area: 1,759.7 km² (17th smallest)

Divisions:
Highly urbanized cities—0
Component cities—3
Municipalities—27
Barangays—674
Congressional districts—4

Languages: Tagalog, English language

Governor: Teresita S. Lazaro (2004-2007)

Laguna is notable for being the birthplace of José Rizal, the country's national hero. Laguna is also famous among tourists for the Pagsanjan Falls, Pila, Laguna Town Plaza, the wood carvings and papier mache created by the people of Paete, the turumba of Pakil, the hot spring resorts in Los Baños on the slopes of Mt. Makiling, and Hidden Valley Springs in Calauan.

Contents [hide] 1 People and culture 2 Economy 3 Geography 3.1 Political 3.1.1 Cities 3.1.2 Municipalities 3.2 Physical 4 Climate 5 Tourist attractions 5.1 Historical 5.2 Natural 5.3 Man-Made 5.4 Educational 6 History 7 External links

[edit] People and culture

[edit] Economy

• Natural Resources: Laguna is endowed with abundant natural resources. Its forests are filled with bamboo, rattan, and soft hardwood. Its wide fields and vast forests are ideal for growing rice, coconuts, vegetables, tropical fruits, orchids, and other ornamental flowers and exotic plants. The province is also rich in mineral resources such as clay, jasper and basalt glass.

There are about forty rivers in Laguna with a total area of almost 0.5 square kilometres. In the forests of Mount Makiling and in the waters of Laguna de Bay are an abundance of flora and fauna. The Laguna de Bay has an approximate area of 3800 km² broken down into 2900 km² of land and 900 km² of lake proper with 220 km shoreline.

Laguna's greatest natural resource is water. It has an estimated 300 million US gallons (1,100,000 m³) of underground water, capable of generating energy for Laguna's expanding power needs. At least seven principal water basins in the province with a total of 5,773 km² drainage area and 1,316 km² level area provide an estimated 9.238 km³ total run-off annually.

• Agricultural Activities: Crop Production, Livestock and Poultry Production, Fishing

• Investment Opportunities: Ecotourism enterprises; Convention centers; Coconut inter-cropping; Forest Trees, Cutflowers & ornamentals; Fruit & vegetable processing; Herbal medicines; Herbal essences; Gifts and housewares; Metalcraft (Industrial equipment, Engines, Surgical instruments, Agricultural machinery, tools); Service Facilities (Packaging, Warehousing, Trucking services, dryers); Electronics (Consumer electronics, Telecommunications, Computers & peripherals, Semi-conductors); and Garments and footwear; Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Tourism.

• Financial Institutions: Banking institutions maintain an extensive branch network in Laguna. Commercial banks, savings and mortgage banks, private development banks, stock savings and loan associations, and rural banks operated a total of 267 branches in the province.

Non-bank financial institutions provide supplementary financial services to Laguna residents and businesses. A total of 394 offices have been set up by lending investors, pawnshops, financial companies, nonstock savings and loan associations, and investment houses with quasi-banking functions.

• Exports: US$7.0 Billion (1997) out of total Philippine exports of $25 Billion

US$1.5 billion (1996)

[edit] Geography

[edit] Political

Laguna is subdivided into 27 municipalities and 3 cities.

[edit] Cities

• Calamba City
• San Pablo City
• Santa Rosa City

[edit] Municipalities

Alaminos Bay Biñan Cabuyao Calauan Cavinti Famy Kalayaan Liliw

Los Baños Luisiana Lumban Mabitac Magdalena Majayjay Nagcarlan Paete Pagsanjan

Pakil Pangil Pila Rizal San Pedro Santa Cruz Santa Maria Siniloan Victoria

[edit] Physical

Laguna lies on the southern shores of Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the country. On the southern border of the province are Mt. Makiling (Maquiling) and Mt. Banahaw, both are long dormant volcanoes, but still sources of geothermal energy. Mt. Makiling is popular for the numerous hot spring resorts that are found on its slopes. Pagsanjan Falls, is a popular waterfall that tumbles down a deep gorge in the hills.

The eastern portion of Laguna straddles the southernmost portions of the Sierra Madre mountain range.

[edit] Climate

The province is relatively dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year for a small portion near the southern boundary. The other parts, west of Santa Cruz municipality, experience a dry season from November to April and rainy season during the rest of the year. The eastern and southern most portions do not have distinct season, with rainfall more evenly distributed throughout the year.

[edit] Tourist attractions

[edit] Historical

• Rizal Shrine, Calamba City - The Rizal Shrine is located in Calamba City and features the home of José Rizal.
• Homma–Yamashita Shrine, Los Baños
• Japanese Garden, Caliraya, Cavinti
• Underground Cemetery, Nagcarlan
• The Battle of Mabitac Mural, Mabitac. Cultural: National Arts Center, UP Los Baños
• Pila Town Plaza and Ancestral Houses
• Philippines' Oldest Crematorium, Pinagbayanan, Pila, Laguna

[edit] Natural

• Pagsanjan Falls, Cavinti - The Pagsanjan Falls used to be called the Magdapio Falls but have become popularly known as the Pagsanjan Falls because the trip starts in Pagsanjan. The falls are actually located upstream in Cavinti, and not in Pagsanjan as many think. The boat ride goes through many rapids before reaching the falls.
• Mount Makiling, Los Baños
• Hidden Valley Springs
• Crocodile Lake, Los Baños
• Seven Lakes, San Pablo City
• Dalatiwan River, Botocan, Majayjay
• Buruwisan Falls, Siniloan

[edit] Man-Made

• Diocesan Shrine of St. Anthony of Padua, Pila, Laguna
• Pila Museum, Pila, Laguna
• Boy Scouts of the Philippines Camp, UP Los Baños
• Hot Spring Resorts, Los Baños & Calamba
• Paete’s Woodcarving, Paete
• Religious: St. Gregory Church (Majayjay Catholic Church)
• St. James The Apostle Church (Paete Church)
• San Pedro De Alcantara Church (Pakil Church)
• Our Lady Of Candelaria (Mabitac Church)

[edit] Educational

• Pila Museum, Pila, Laguna
• University of the Philippines, Los Baños (UPLB)
• Philippine High School for the Arts, Los Baños
• Museum of Natural History, Los Baños
• University of the Philippines Botanical Garden, U. P. Los Baños
• Makiling Rainforest Park / Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve, U.P. Los Baños
• Kamalig Gallery, Paete; Aera Museum (Escudero Private Museum), San Pablo City
• The Coca-Cola Pavilion, CCBPI Plant, Santa Rosa
• Riceworld Museum International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Los Baños
• Museum of the Wildlife Collections Of Dr. Dioscoro Rabor, Los Baños
• Entomology Museum, Institute of Biological Sciences Bldg., U.P. Los Banos
• Pedro Guevara Memorial National High School (Formerly Laguna High School and Pedro Guevara Memorial High School)

[edit] History

The Province of Laguna was named after Laguna de Bay, the body of water that forms its northern boundary. Laguna de Bay, in turn, was named after the town of Bay (Laguna de Bay is Spanish which means "Lake of Bay"), the first provincial capital. Captain Juan de Salcedo with a band of one hundred Spanish-Mexican soldiers and many Bisayan allies conquered the province and its surrounding regions for Spain in 1571. Seven years later, two Franciscan friars started the work of Christianization.

In 1577, the Franciscan missionaries arrived in Manila, and in 1578 they started evangelizing Laguna, Rizal, Tayabas (now Quezon) and the Bicol Peninsula. Fathers Juan de Placencia and Diego de Orepesa were the earliest Franciscans sent to these places. From 1580, the towns of Bay, Caliraya, Majayjay, Nagcarlan, Liliw, Pila, Santa Cruz, Lumban, Pangil and Siniloan were founded. In 1678, Fray Hernando Cabrera founded San Pablo de los Montes (now San Pablo City) and built a wooden church and convent considered as the best and finest in the province.

In 1670, delimitation of borders were made between Lucban, Majayjay and Cavite. The populous town at that time was Bay, the capital of the province until 1688, when the seat of the provincial government was moved to Pagsanjan, and later, in 1858, to Santa Cruz. In 1754, the Province of Laguna and Tayabas were divided, with the Malinao River separating the towns of Majayjay and Lucban.

The province became a bloody battle ground for the Chinese during the two instances that they rose in revolt against Spain. In 1603's, the Chinese made their last stand in the mountains of San Pablo, and in 1639, they fortified themselves in the highlands of Cavinti and Lumban, surrendering in Pagsanjan a year later.

The loyalty of the people of Laguna to the crown was tested during the British invasion (1762-1764) when thousands of Filipinos rallied to its defense. When a detachment of British troops under Captain Thomas Backhouse entered the province in search of the silver cargo of the galleon Filipino, Francisco de San Juan of Pagsanjan led a band of volunteers that fought them in several engagements in and around the town which was then the provincial capital (1688-1858). Captain Backhouse plundered the town and burned its newly reconstructed church but San Juan succeeded in escaping with the precious hoard to Pampanga where the treasure greatly bolstered the defense effort of Simon Anda. For his heroism, San Juan was made a brigade commander and alcalde mayor of Tayabas (now Quezon) province.

If Filipino loyalty gradually degenerated into bitter hostility, it was the fault of the Spaniards themselves, including the clergy. They perpetrated such grave abuses that the resentment of the Filipinos was fanned into a rising flood of nationalism. In 1840 for instance, religious intolerance led the people of Majayjay, Nagcarlan, Bay, and Biñan to join the revolt of Hermano Pule (Apolinario de la Cruz) of Lucban, Tayabas.

Laguna was also exposed to the aspirations of its most famous son, Dr. Jose Rizal, who was born in Calamba. The persecution of Dr. Jose Rizal and his parents toward the end of the century further aggravated the situation, so that by 1896, thousands of patriotic inhabitants, especially of Bay, Los Baños, Nagcarlan, Magdalena, Santa Cruz, and Pagsanjan had joined the revolutionary Katipunan.

Laguna was one of the eight provinces to rise in revolt against the Spanish misrule led by Generals Paciano Rizal of Calamba, Severino Taino of Pagsanjan, Agueda Kahabagan (woman general) of Calauan, and Miguel Malvar of Batangas. The ill-equipped Filipino forces fought the well-armed enemy until on August 31, 1898, when the last Spanish garrison surrendered to the victorious patriots in Santa Cruz. The province was cleared of Spaniards. There had been only one respite, the Pact of Biac-na-Bato on December 14 to 15, 1897.

Laguna actively supported the first Philippine Republic proclaimed at Malolos on January 23, 1899. Her two delegates to the Malolos Congress, Don Higino Benitez and Don Graciano Cordero, were natives of Pagsanjan.

Upon the outbreak of the Filipino-American War (1899-1901), General Juan Cailles and General Paciano Rizal led the defense of Laguna until June 30, 1901, when surrender became inevitable. Cailles became the first Filipino Governor of Laguna under the American flag.

The Province of Laguna progressed rapidly in peace. Roads were built, schools were established, and in 1917, the Manila Railroad Company extended its line to Laguna as far as Pagsanjan.

During the Japanese occupation (1942-1945), Laguna was a center of resistance despite the presence of Makapili traitors.

Present-day Laguna shows a thriving economy. Peopled by 1,734,618 (1997 estimated population) industrious citizens and possessing a total area of 1760 km² of land, Laguna produces millions of pesos worth of coconuts, rice, sugar, citrus fruits, lanzones and other products. Tourists flock to its beauty spots, especially Pagsanjan Falls, Los Baños Hot Springs, Makiling National Park, Caliraya Lake and many others. Levels of development vary. The towns near Metro Manila have become industrialized whereas the inner towns continue to engage in agricultural production or pursue agri-based industries and cottage and small-scale industries.

Laguna was one of the first sites of the Philippine Revolution. Calamba City is the birthplace of José Rizal, the country's national hero.

[edit] External links

• Official Website of the Provincial Government of Laguna
• Cavinti, Laguna Philippines
• Pila, Laguna, Philippines
• Paete, Laguna, Philippines

Province of Laguna
City	Calamba | San Pablo | Santa Rosa
Municipalities	Alaminos | Bay | Biñan | Cabuyao | Calauan | Cavinti | Famy | Kalayaan | Liliw | Los Baños | Luisiana | Lumban | Mabitac | Magdalena | Majayjay | Nagcarlan | Paete | Pagsanjan | Pakil | Pangil | Pila | Rizal | San Pedro | Santa Cruz | Santa Maria | Siniloan | Victoria
Special Zones	Canlubang Industrial Zone | Makiling Forest Reserve | Los Baños Science and Nature City of the Philippines

	Philippines
Capital	Manila | National Capital Region
Provinces	Abra | Agusan del Norte | Agusan del Sur | Aklan | Albay | Antique | Apayao | Aurora | Basilan | Bataan | Batanes | Batangas | Benguet | Biliran | Bohol | Bukidnon | Bulacan | Cagayan | Camarines Norte | Camarines Sur | Camiguin | Capiz | Catanduanes | Cavite | Cebu | Compostela Valley | Cotabato | Davao del Norte | Davao del Sur | Davao Oriental | Eastern Samar | Guimaras | Ifugao | Ilocos Norte | Ilocos Sur | Iloilo | Isabela | Kalinga | La Union | Laguna | Lanao del Norte | Lanao del Sur | Leyte | Maguindanao | Marinduque | Masbate | Misamis Occidental | Misamis Oriental | Mountain Province | Negros Occidental | Negros Oriental | Northern Samar | Nueva Ecija | Nueva Vizcaya | Occidental Mindoro | Oriental Mindoro | Palawan | Pampanga | Pangasinan | Quezon | Quirino | Rizal | Romblon | Samar | Sarangani | Shariff Kabunsuan | Siquijor | Sorsogon | South Cotabato | Southern Leyte | Sultan Kudarat | Sulu | Surigao del Norte | Surigao del Sur | Tarlac | Tawi-Tawi | Zambales | Zamboanga del Norte | Zamboanga del Sur | Zamboanga Sibugay
Other subdivisions	Regions | Cities | Municipalities | Barangays | Legislative districts
Territorial disputes	Sabah | Scarborough Shoal | Spratly Islands

De La Hoya confirms 7-fight deal with Pacquiao Inquirer Last updated 01:03am (Mla time) 09/27/2006 Published on Page A27 of the September 27, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer THE GUESSING game is over. Oscar De La Hoya, the world’s most charismatic boxer-cum-promoter, has finally confirmed that he has signed a seven-fight deal with Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao. The hitherto secret pact immediately drew furious catcalls and a threat of legal action from Top Rank chief Bob Arum, the powerful promoter of Pacquiao’s final fight with Mexico’s Erik Morales. De la Hoya revealed in an exclusive interview with ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael that, indeed, Pacquiao is now under his promotional outfit, Golden Boy Promotions. Angry Arum “Yes, we have signed Manny Pacquiao,” De La Hoya told Rafael, who first broke the news in an earlier report. “Manny wants to finish his career with us. It puts a smile on my face because he trusts us. He is putting his career in our hands. It says a lot about our company.” Rival promoter Arum was furious over the development. Arum said the De La Hoya contract violated a stipulation in his separate agreement with Pacquiao which bars the Filipino hero from signing a promotional deal before his Nov. 18 fight with Morales in Las Vegas. “Golden Boy has torturously interfered with our contract,” Rafael quoted Arum as saying. “Under the specific language of the contract, they had to wait until after the fight was over to sign [any promotional contract]. “I’m not going to let it slide,” Arum, a man both feared and respected in the world boxing community, told Rafael. “What we do is up to the attorneys. I don’t like my contracts to be violated. Manny’s lawyer [Jeng Gacal] went through my contract with a fine-toothed comb. I negotiated with him and specifically this paragraph.” Arum’s American lawyer, Michael Marley, in a report carried by fightnightnews.com, said there is nothing his client can do about the deal if Pacquiao signs it after the Morales fight. “There is nothing he [Arum] can do about it [contract]... which becomes effective even two minutes after the Morales match,” Michael said. De La Hoya said they merely beat Arum to the draw. “It was basically us out-thinking the competition,” De La Hoya told Rafael. “I had a goal and that goal was to sign Manny Pacquiao. We strategized and we figured it out and we were willing to do whatever it took to sign him.” Airport interception According to De La Hoya, he first met Pacquiao at the airport when the Filipino arrived to begin training for the Morales fight. “Manny looks up to me and I think he can be one of the greatest fighters ever to come out of the Philippines,” De La Hoya said. “We just clicked and we were able to come to an agreement.” De La Hoya said the Filipino superstar requested that the signing be kept a secret until after the fight with Morales because he was worried about retribution from Arum. Pacquiao, according to De La Hoya, was “concerned” that Arum, the judges or the referee might go against him during the Nov. 18 match. “It was Manny’s request to keep it a secret until after the fight, but we talked about it yesterday,” De La Hoya said. “I told him we can’t keep secrets from the media or the boxing world. He understood and I assured him that everything would be OK. De La Hoya said he assured Pacquiao that “everything would be fair” and that they would “make sure it is an even playing field.” Salven L. Lagumbay, contributor

Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Central bank sees credit outlook upgrade in 6 months Reuters Last updated 02:09am (Mla time) 09/27/2006 INTERNATIONAL credit rating agencies may upgrade the Philippines' credit outlook in six months as the government's financial position improves, Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. of the central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, said Tuesday Ratings agencies Standard and Poor's and Fitch Ratings earlier this year revised the country's sovereign outlook to "stable" from "negative" after the government increased and widened the value-added tax. The only other major agency -- Moody's Investor Service -- has a "negative" outlook. "The likelihood of an outlook upgrade in the next six months is being strengthened by sustained fiscal improvement as demonstrated by a better than target fiscal deficit performance for 2006," Tetangco said in text message to Reuters, adding that the relatively stable political environment also provided support for sustained economic growth. Patricia Lui, managing analyst of Informal Global Markets, said Tetangco was likely to be referring to an upgrade by Moody's since it was the only agency with a "negative" outlook on the Philippines. "Moody's has said it needs to see the full-year deficit and the full-year tax revenues before it actually does anything so that is probably the most likely move among any of the three rating agencies," Lui said. Moody's has a "negative" outlook because it is concerned about the sustainability of the government's improved revenues. It rates Philippine debt at four notches below investment grade. S and P's rating is three notches below and Fitch's rating is two below. At the stock market, the main index closed 0.51 percent higher at 2,544.48 points on Tuesday after Tetangco's comments. The peso ended firmer at 50.32 to the dollar from 50.365 on Monday. The government has posted four monthly budget surpluses this year. The latest, in August, followed increased tax collections and a tight rein on spending. A budget surplus of 14 billion pesos in August brought the January-August budget deficit to P34.2 billion, compared with P80.82 billion in the same months last year. The government, which sets quarterly budget deficit targets, is aiming for a January-September deficit of 122 billion pesos. For the year, it wants to cut the budget deficit to 125 billion pesos, or 2.1 percent of the gross domestic product, from 146 billion pesos last year, or 2.7 percent of GDP. It aims to balance the budget in 2008. The government spends about one-third of its budget on interest payments. With INQ7.net

Copyright 2006 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Service-oriented architecture not yet flying in Asia-Pacific By Alexander Villafania INQ7.net Posted date: September 26, 2006 SERVICE-ORIENTED architecture (SOA) is a fairly new idea but many firms in the US and Europe are already adopting. However, with business growing in Asia-Pacific countries, it comes as a surprise that many companies have not heard or are even less inclined to adopt SOA. By definition, SOA is a strategy that allows companies to reuse their existing IT infrastructure as they acquire new solutions that will help improve their operations. While the older solutions continue to run, the new applications enhance their capabilities, regardless of what software or hardware platform they are running on. SOA is best implemented in a Web-enabled infrastructure wherein different applications are regarded as separate services but are cohesively running on the same platform. In a presentation, Oracle Asia Pacific SOA Director Doug Gibson said SOA implementation in Asia Pacific is about 33 percent. It becomes significantly lower in the Southeast Asian region -- of which the Philippines is a part -- with 90 percent of companies interviewed were not familiar with SOA. Incidentally, Gibson said many IT experts in the Asia Pacific region are aware of what SOA is but have low working knowledge and have no plans of implementing these in the short term. “These companies are instead in adopting SOA-like strategies by reusing the IT capabilities and consolidation of different business applications,” Gibson said. He added that in some cases, companies are using middleware to link existing systems as well as new solutions, which is the same as in SOA. But while SOA adoption is low in Asia Pacific, Gibson said the market is still huge. Citing a report by the Gartner Group, 60 percent of Asian companies will use SOA as their guiding principle by 2008. Likewise, he said the forecast for SOA growth in Asia Pacific is 8.2 percent from 2004 to 2009. “But most importantly, to achieve these numbers, the SOA proponents must continue to educate the market,” Gibson said.

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©Copyright 2001-2006 INQ7 Interactive, Inc. An INQUIRER and GMA Network Company

Close to 500 mobile phone users from 9 regions including Cebu, Davao, Manila, Luzon and other parts of the country were interviewed from February to July 2002 to come up with this report.

Highlights of the report are:

• 57% of our respondents are subscribed to Globe while 47% with Smart. 70% are prepaid subscribers. Smart is most popular to ages 24 and below.
• 82% of our respondents own a Nokia mobile phone with the 3310 model leading followed by the 3210.
• On the average, 20 text message are sent daily by our respondents with the 33 to 36 age group being most active.

Text messaging capital of the world
In the year 2000, the country was referred as the text messaging capital of the world. Close to 300 million text messages are sent through the country’s mobile networks everyday.

Out of the 14.6 million mobile phone subscribers as of end 2002, we estimate that 90% are in prepaid plan.

The Philippine wireless application developer community skills cover short messaging service (SMS or text messaging) to Web, Unix and Microsoft-based for the wireless and fixed line, WAP, GPRS, Palm, IPAQ. Languages used are C++, Java, Visual Basic, J2ME, Brew, Symbian, among others.

For instance, notes the study, the Philippines had 27 mobile phones per 100 people in 2003, compared with Indonesia’s nine. If that gap remains, the Philippines could expect its GDP to grow by one percentage point a year faster than that of Indonesia.

Mount Apo

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Jump to: navigation, search

Mount Apo
The Grandfather of Philippine Mountains
Elevation	2,954 metres (9,691 feet)
Location	Philippines
Coordinates	7°0′30″N, 125°16′33″E
Type	Stratovolcano
Last eruption	Unknown
First ascent	1880 by Don Joaquin Rajal and party
Easiest route	hike

Mount Apo is the highest mountain in the Philippines and overlooks Davao City, a few kilometres to the northeast.

Mt. Apo was first climbed on October 10, 1880 by a party led by Don Joaquin Rajal.

Mount Apo is one of the most popular climbing destinations in the country. The summit is very easy to reach, unlike other mountains such as Mount Halcon and Mount Banahaw. On May 9, 1936, Mount Apo was declared a national park by President Manuel L. Quezon. The mountain is home to over 270 bird species, with more than a hundred that are endemic.

A stratovolcano, Apo is flat topped, with three peaks. A source of geothermal energy, the time of its most recent eruption is unknown, and none are verified in historic times.

[edit]

References

• Global Volcanism Program

This Philippines location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

LaCie in the Philippines
23 August 2006 | Posted in Editorial, LaCie, Storage by Jayvee

I came from a press launch yesterday for LaCie, the French company that specializes in storage solutions for consumers and enterprises. One of the products they launched was the LaCie USB key.

The small credit card size was not as surprising as it would have been if it was introduced two years ago but it still amuses me how such a small device can carry 8GB of data.

Does this mark a new trend in portable storage where we’ll stop carrying 512MB flash drives and go for these high capacity keys instead? Only time will tell.

LaCie is distributed by Millenium Computer Technology Corporation and their products are now available at your favorite gadget outlets.

On monopolies and cartels By Honesto General Inquirer Last updated 09:10pm (Mla time) 09/17/2006 Published on page B8 of the September 18, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer THERE seems to be a continuing tendency to interchange monopolies and cartels. While the mutual aim is to avoid competition in an open and free market, a monopoly and a cartel are two entirely different creatures. A monopoly exists when a person has full control over the supply of a commodity or service. Meralco, with its exclusive right to distribute electricity in Metro Manila, is a classic example of a monopoly. A cartel exists when two or more persons agree on how to supply a commodity or service. For example, fire insurance used to be sold under the strict price-fixing rules of a cartel composed of all insurance companies. Fortunately, in 1994, because of the Asean Free trade Agreement, the Insurance Commission broke up the cartel. This has led to a severe drop in the price of fire insurance. The Constitution treats monopolies and cartels differently. Article XII, Section 19, says: "The State shall regulate or prohibit monopolies when the public interest so requires. No combination in restraint of trade or unfair competition shall be allowed." The energy regulatory board watches over the monopolies in the generation and distribution of electricity. Although there are more cartels than monopolies, no government agency regulates cartels. As a result, no one has ever been convicted under Article 186 of the Revised Penal Code, which defines the crime of entering or taking part in any conspiracy to restrain trade or commerce. This law might as well have been written with invisible ink. Whenever the oil companies raises or cuts prices of their products at the same hour, they violate Article 186. But, who is the consumer who will file suit against these huge international companies? In the United States, the dreaded Anti-Trust Division of the Justice Department keeps a watchful eye on anything that will tend to avoid or reduce competition in the open market. Even Bill Gates, the richest man in the world, has been the target of an anti-trust suit. There are several forms of cartel. The most common, of course, is the price-fixing type. The banking cartel, which prescribes minimum and maximum interest rates, is probably the most visible. Another form of cartel is where the members are restricted to sell their products in their respective areas. The cement cartel is this type of cartel. The members agree, "I don't sell cement in your area, you don't sell cement in mine." Still another form of cartel avoids competition by assigning specific products to each member. One may be assigned to manufacture electric motors up to 50 horsepower only, the other to manufacture electric motors of more than 50 horsepower. One form of cartel--this is probably unique here--is when a so-called consortium of insurance companies, to the exclusion of others, exclusively provides a specially-designed liability insurance policy, which a government agency, by its own directive, requires from, say, owners of public utility vehicles. The high prices of almost anything you buy nowadays can be traced to the proliferation of cartels in this country. The sooner the government starts a program to break up these cartels, the better it will be for everyone. Perhaps, as a starter, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez should prosecute somebody under Article 186 of the Revised Penal Code. Previous columns: Senate Bill 2263: Cheaper quality medicines? – 9/11/06 GSIS e-card (Part 2) – 9/04/06 Leakage – 8/28/06 Sona: Creating jobs – 8/21/06 GSIS e-card – 8/14/06 Corruption charges vs the insurance commissioner – 8/07/06 Sec. Raul Gonzalez: Opinion No. 46 s. 2006 – 7/31/06 One Voice: Who needs Cha-cha? – 7/24/06 One Voice vs Sigaw – 7/17/06 A visit to Rapu-Rapu - 07/10/2006 Casiño's fantasy - 07/03/2006

Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

@PLAY Who’s watching TV? By Joey Alarilla INQ7.net Last updated 11:03am (Mla time) 09/12/2006 DO you still watch shows on your TV set, or movies in a cinema? Then you’re part of what will become a steadily declining minority. If blogs exploded into mainstream consciousness in 2004, the year 2006 belongs to online video, with video sharing sites such as YouTube leading the way. The growing popularity of watching ourselves online has disrupted the traditional distribution model of broadcast networks, cable companies and movie studios, leaving the Old Media scrambling to tap the Internet. With broadband becoming more affordable, it’s now viable to do all your watching online instead of, you know, turning on the boob tube or relying on your cable company. Not only that, but the rise of online video has meant we as the consumers now have the power to choose what we want to watch, and we as producers of content can now upload our own videos and create our own shows. I remember people once scoffing over the notion of a medium with user-generated content such as, say, a video clip of a cat repeatedly flushing the toilet (which last time I checked has been viewed on YouTube 1,175,283 times) could cause network executives to lose sleep. But what do you know, we’d rather watch things we actually enjoy, rather than intelligent fare from our local TV networks such as GMA 7’s "Eat Bulaga" and ABS CBN’s "Wowowee." That's one facet of this revolution: we're now no longer at the mercy of network executives. Different factors have been contributing to the decline of TV audiences, including the popularity of cable, but what we are also seeing now is that more of us, particularly among the younger people, would rather watch on our PCs while we’re surfing. Besides, when we’re watching free TV, we might be spending more time seeing commercials. At least in the US, they’re Tivoing away commercials, something which naturally alarms advertisers and the traditional broadcast networks that rely on these ads. Another facet is that these free, powerful online tools give creative talents the chance to directly reach out to their audience, without having to rely on a studio. Would you scoff at brilliant work, simply because it was shown online rather than on TV or the cinema? Which is why I find it funny that some broadcast network types seem smug that they will automatically produce the best online video content. What we are seeing as the online revolution democratizes the production and consumption of content is that, just as in the case of newspapers, often it’s not real talent that’s the edge of mainstream media, but rather access to technology back when it was so expensive that you had to be rich to afford them. Now that you could shoot high-quality video using a cheap digital video recorder or even a camera phone, and upload them to YouTube, Google Video, iTunes or any of the many video sharing sites, you no longer have to be a Lopez or a Gozon to have your own broadcast network. With tech leveling the playing field, real talent can shine. To give you an example of how online video can change the balance of power, a sitcom that the former WB network (which has since merged with UPN to create The CW) passed on has gained a second life on YouTube. You can check out the pilot that "Scrubs" creator Bill Lawrence shot for WB together with "Scrubs" and "Family Guy" writers Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan, and decide for yourself if the network executives were off their rocker. It’s generated so much online buzz that it seems the network is now considering airing it, after all. Here’s Part I, Part 2 and Part 3. The good thing is that a number of network executives and movie moguls are realizing that they have to make their content available online. Again, I don’t believe this is a zero-sum battle where only user-generated content will dominate, or only professionally made videos from traditional broadcasters will win. Rather, it will be a market that truly reflects the taste of different audiences, making available content that would otherwise have never seen the light of day in a TV network whose main concern is to please advertisers and come up with tired but reliable formulas. Online, we have room for experimentation and risk-taking, mainly because of the lower barriers to production. Sometimes you can only sigh at what you could do with the budget TV shows have. What’s generating buzz now is the stampede toward selling downloadable movies. We’re not just talking about sites like Cinemanow, but also video sharing sites such as Guba.com, which has signed up Warner Brothers and Sony Pictures. To me, Guba.com is one of the most interesting contenders because it has reduced the prices (it's supposed to be a limited time offer) for its movies to 4.99 US dollars for older titles such as "Spider-Man 2," and 9.99 US dollars for newer movies. Unfortunately, like many sites, Guba is only available in the US. And even if some sites allow users in other countries to download videos, the Philippines isn’t among those covered by their service. The biggest news, of course, is that Apple will have announced by the time you read this that it will offer downloadable movies on iTunes. In fact, Amazon.com, apparently not wanting to make its announcement after Apple has already unveiled the new iTunes service, launched its Unbox downloadable movies service last week. I can’t give you any feedback on it, though, because it’s for US customers only. You can check out the Unbox link on the Amazon.com homepage. Remember how disruptive the original Napster was when it made music file-sharing ludicrously easy? This ultimately paved the way for iTunes to prove there was a market for legal music downloads. We know that the technology for online movie downloading is here, so it’s a question of making the content available online. Make legal video downloads more attractive to consumers, and make your content truly compelling. Otherwise, who’s watching you? E-mail the author at joeyalarilla@gmail.com and visit his blog at www.alarilla.com. Previous columns: Geeks, Greeks, 11/9, 9/11, and lost Filipino dreams (09/05/2006) So long, Pluto, and thanks for all the flat fish (08/30/2006) I heart 360 (08/22/2006) Wake up and smell the coffee, Dead Tree People (08/16/2006) Of chips, Widgets, PayPal and blogger cabals (08/08/2006) Signal to noise (07/26/2006) Stop using tech as a weapon (07/11/2006) Nostalgia and new technology (06/28/2006) Of iPod killers and song slayers (06/20/2006) Net neutrality and the digital divide (05/30/2006) New networks (06/04/2006) Roam if you want to (05/16/2006)

Copyright 2006 INQ7.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wanted: More trained medical transcriptionists By Riza T. Olchondra Inquirer Last updated 09:05pm (Mla time) 09/17/2006 THERE is demand for 150,000 new medical transcriptionists (MTs) every year, but training schools cannot produce enough quality graduates to serve the need. The problem lies, at least in part, in the training, said Jose Mari Cuervo, director of an MT school called MediTrans Academy (MTA). Medical transcription involves transcribing voice recordings by physicians and healthcare professionals about medical reports and checkups, correspondence with patients, assessments, medical procedures and diagnosis. The data is stored in a database and sent electronically back to the medical professional who made the recording. Apart from skills in speed typing, MTs may have to edit materials depending on the clarity of the dictation, as well as the dictating professional's grammar. These skills can be learned or enhanced in medical transcription schools, said Cuervo. After graduating or completing training, new MTs can earn at least P10,000 a month with additional incentives depending on how many lines they can transcribe in a day. Those with their own US-based clients can earn in dollars--about $13.05 an hour--while working at home. As an MT's skills level goes up, so does the pay. "There is no problem in finding clients at all--the problem is that there are not enough MTs to serve the demand," Cuervo said. "The backlog of data is just so large. But without the right skills, our MTs cannot get a lot of repeat business." There are nearly 20 companies in the Philippines that offer MT services to the $10-billion MT market in the United States, and several schools have sprung up to help train future transcriptionists. "[However] unlike other MT schools, we (MTA) do not distinguish our curriculum on whether a student or trainee has an allied medical background or not," Cuervo said. "Our curriculum focuses on a skills-set unique to a medical transcriptionist, as opposed to diagnostic skills learned by doctors. Therefore, all must go through the six-month course," he added. Cuervo said training based on the model curriculum of the American Association of Medical Transcription is one way of ensuring that its graduates can satisfy clients from the US, the main driver of the worldwide MT industry. To maintain the quality of instruction, each class at MTA is limited to a maximum of 15 students. Classes are held Monday to Friday. A student can choose from morning, afternoon, to evening sessions. Each course lasts for six months, with the last month devoted to on-the-job training. To date, the school has branches in Alabang, Libis, Pasig City and soon in Makati City. MTA is also in association with Calamba Doctors Hospital in Laguna and the Calayan Foundation in Lucena City. "(MTA) believes in controlled growth," Cuervo said. "After all, we are not a diploma mill. And since the future of the MT industry rests on quality at the training level, the schools cannot compromise, really."

Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

RP firm to launch an online directory for college students By Erwin Oliva INQ7.net Last updated 09:06pm (Mla time) 09/17/2006 A STARTUP Philippine company is set to launch an online directory for local college students. Dubbed Eskwela.com, the Internet-based directory will initially invite a selected number of students from the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman, Quezon City to become part of its online community. These students can in turn invite others to join the network, said Terence Pua, the directory's co-founder. Pua was also founder of Pusit.com, former Philippine affiliate of Friendster. Pua said Eskwela.com will be different from popular networking communities like mySpace or Friendster that are open to everyone. It will be a "by-invitation only" Internet community that requires users to at least have an e-mail account from a university, he said. "When I was in university, I've always wanted easy access to an online directory," Pua said, adding that the site had great potential judging from the success of Facebook, a social networking site in the US popular with college students. Eskwela.com will start with UP Diliman students and later expand to other UP campuses. Eventually, the website will invite college students from other local universities. The Internet community will operate independently from existing university systems, Pua stressed.

Copyright 2006 INQ7.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Cebu seeks more investments from Silicon Valley INQ7.net Last updated 09:04pm (Mla time) 09/17/2006 A GROUP of Cebu-based local government officials and heads of private companies are headed to San Francisco, California for a trade mission aimed at finding new partners and possible investment opportunities from Silicon Valley firms. The delegation, which leaves on September 18 and will return on the 22nd, will be led by the Cebu Investment and Promotion Center (CIPC). It would be joined by officers from Alliance Software Inc, Infinit Outsourcing Inc, Ng Khai Development Corporation and SRD & Co. The companies are all business process outsourcing operators that have offices in Cebu. Special Trade Representative Maria Roseni Alvero said in a statement that the mission aims to scout for certain requirements of San Francisco-based companies that BPO providers in the Philippines can address. Alvero also said that part of the activities of the IT mission is an investment forum at 6 pm on September 19 at the Social Hall of the Philippine Center in San Francisco where the group will present current economic developments and investment opportunities in Cebu. Cebu has been heavily promoting itself as an investment location. Just last April, a group of businessmen and Cebu government officials that have formed the Cebu Educational Foundation for Information Technology conducted a tour of some companies in San Francisco in an effort to create a model derived from Silicon Valley that Cebu can follow. Alexander Villafania

Copyright 2006 INQ7.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

US VoIP firm sees $50-M prospect in RP By Riza T. Olchondra Inquirer Last updated 09:06pm (Mla time) 09/17/2006 A TEXAS-BASED provider of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has said it expects $50 million of the company's global profits to come from the Philippines in two years' time, because of the country's strong business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. Accela Inc. said that it has saved its customers $450,980 in total call charges over the past 12 months, and this is expected to draw more clients over the next year. VoIP allows voice calls to be made anywhere in the world using the same connection used for Internet access. With just one connection needed for both services, IP carriers can charge more affordable rates for VoIP than international voice calls made through traditional telephone lines. Accela Inc. president Kevin Ford said in a press briefing that the company currently earns $20 million in annual global revenues, and sees this growing to $100 million in two years. About 20 percent of the target revenue is expected to come from VoIP services to BPOs in the Philippines. Data from the Department of Trade and Industry showed that BPOs in the Philippines grew at an annual average of about 160 percent between 2001 to 2004 and amounted to about $1.655 billion in 2004. "[That is why] we are extremely bullish in the call center industry here in the Philippines," Ford stressed. According to the same government source, the biggest sub-sector in the Philippine BPO industry is customer care and call centers, which rake in $864 million in revenue today and employ over 100,000 Filipinos. To better serve the needs of this growth sector, Accela has invested almost $1 million in its operations and expects to spend the same amount yearly.

Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Commenting on Philippine reforms, WB cites Vietnam's pace Agence France-Presse Last updated 03:49am (Mla time) 09/13/2006 The Philippines runs the risk of being left further behind its Asian neighbors unless it pushes ahead with dramatic economic reforms, the World Bank managing director warned Tuesday. "The Philippines is not reaching its full potential and may be facing the risk of falling further behind the rest of its Asian neighbors," warned managing director Juan Jose Daboub at a forum on governance in Manila. He cited the rapid growth of China and India but also noted that Vietnam, which once lagged behind the Philippines, had shown remarkable success, cutting in half the number of its poor in just over a decade. Daboub said this was happening in a "closed society [with] no political freedom but economic freedom has started to pick up," thanks to market reforms. In contrast, the Philippines, with an open democracy, free press, well-educated population, and active private and civil sector, was still struggling to bring more of its population out of poverty. He noted that a previous joint World Bank-Asian Development Bank survey found the two major obstacles to more investment in the Philippines were macro-economic instability and corruption. Daboub said the Philippines was showing improvement with the passage of key fiscal reforms that were reducing the budget deficit, allowing more money to go to investment, social services and education. He said the success of China and India showed the Philippines could also enjoy rapid growth, citing the country's open society, active private sector, lively civil society groups, and high levels of literacy and skilled labor force. "These conditions are fertile ground for good economic policies to grow and flourish," he said. Among the measures he suggested was to reduce the size of the state, saying this would also reduced the chance of misuse of funds while raising the activity of the private sector and civil society. He also said it was up to the government and the people of the Philippines to improve governance, increase transparency and the accountability of state institutions.

Copyright 2006 Agence France-Presse. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CHARTER CHANGE Aquino leads campaign for constitutional convention But not under Arroyo By Maila Ager INQ7.net Last updated 10:32am (Mla time) 09/13/2006 VARIOUS political and non-organization leaders, led by former president Corazon Aquino, have launched another campaign against the administration's Charter change initiative but this time expressed their support for a constitutional convention (ConCon) to effect changes in the 1987 Constitution. But at the same time, the “Citizens for Concon” or C4CC said that while it supports Charter change through a constitutional convention, it says that this should not be enforced under the term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The C4CC was among those who joined the “Assembly of Leaders against GMA's [Gloria Macapagal Arroyo] Chacha [Charter change]” held at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan Wednesday. Leah Navarro, convenor of the Black and White Movement, said the group was advocating a “no-Chacha (Charter change)” movement under the Arroyo administration. “They [C4CC] are saying that Chacha is okay but not under Gloria. And if there will be Chacha, it should be effected through a Concon,” Navarro said in Filipino before the start of the forum. Former congresswoman Luwalhati Antonino, one of the participants, confirmed that majority of them was supportive of Concon. “If they propose Concon, majority of us will support it, if not all” she said. Antonino would present during the gathering evidence that some of the signatures supposedly gathered by the proponent of a people's initiative, Sigaw ng Bayan (People’s Cry), from General Santos City were either faked or were not registered voters. The former lawmaker is one of the complainants against the people's initiative, which the Commission on Elections junked recently. But Sigaw ng Bayan, which filed the petition before the poll body, had sought the intervention of the Supreme Court and asked that it overrule the Comelec. Aside from Aquino, other prominent leaders who attended the gathering were former vice president Teofisto Guingona, Brother Eddie Villanueva of Jesus Is Lord Movement, Senator Franklin Drilon, Batanes Representative Henedina Abad and husband, former education secretary Florencio Abad: former social welfare secretary Corazon Soliman, former presidential adviser on peace process Teresita Deles, former senator Wigberto Tañada, and San Juan Mayor JV Ejercito, among others.

Copyright 2006 INQ7.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Filipinos are top Multiply users

By DAVID DIZON
abs-cbnNEWS.com

A third of the traffic going to social networking site Multiply, or approximately 300 million page views, is coming from Filipino users worldwide, top Multiply executives said Wednesday.

Multiply president and founder Peter Pezaris said Multiply gets about a billion page views a month, a third of which comes from Filipinos in different parts of the globe. This makes Filipinos the number one users of Multiply, ranking higher than users in the United States where the site is based.

Pezaris said the Filipino culture's emphasis on family and relationships is the main reason why the social networking site is so popular in the Philippines.

"The reason why we are popular here, I think, relates to that notion of friends and family, the fact that our service is much more focused on connecting you with people that you know in real life rather than introducing you to people that you don’t know. It’s a site that really plays into the cultural phenomenon that’s here in the Philippines," he told abs-cbnNEWS.com.

David Hersh, Multiply vice-president for business development, also said the integration of unlimited photosharing in Multiply is very attractive to Filipino Internet users. Most Filipino Multiply users are female, in the 18-25 age bracket, and average about 160 Multiply page views a month.

"Filipinos are just rabid consumers of content. It’s amazing. Those 160 page views aren’t just fluff page views of people bouncing from profile to profile. It’s people consuming photos, videos and blogs from the people in their world. It’s meaningful activity. It reflects the deep level of engagement that we have with our user base especially here in the Philippines," Pezaris said.

For the Philippine market, Multiply recently partnered with ABS-CBN Interactive to tap local advertisers and launch mobile services for Filipino Multiply users. (Disclosure: Abs-cbnNEWS.com is run by ABS-CBN Interactive.)

Paolo Pineda, ABS-CBN Interactive managing director, said the company is the exclusive reseller of advertising on Multiply for the Philippines. He said ABS-CBN Interactive will also be actively campaigning to build Multiply's user base in the country.

One of the successful Multiply communities launched by ABS-CBN Interactive centered on the Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition Plus show. The show now has two sites - the official one where profiles and schedules are posted and a Multiply site where PBB fans can go online.

Pineda said one local call center that advertised on Multiply was able to attract recruits through its Multiply community site.

"It’s more of these community building efforts online for Filipinos worldwide. We want to really try to populate the brand and get more people to understand it and work on the advertising and get the brands to see that this is really a safe place to put your brand in," he said.

Hersh said Multiply currently has nine million registered users worldwide, of which 2.2 million are Filipinos. He said that while the growth of Multiply has been slower compared to other social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, it is the real-world relationships in Multiply that sets it apart and ensures its longevity.

"If your online social network is full of people that you have no real world connection to, there’s very little reason to keep you there and it’s very easy for you to switch. But on Multiply, it’s your real-world social network online and your content and it’s the discussion that goes on around that content that’s going to keep you coming back," he said.

Adds Pezaris: "It’s closer, deeper relationships which enables the sharing of personal, meaningful content to you and the continuing sharing of that is the personal documentation of your life online. Over a period of time, you build up this history like a living scrapbook of what’s happening in your life and it’s a collaborative effort because while you add to it, all your friends and family add to it also and that’s what really develops the long-term value."

Richard John Hatton MBE, more commonly known as Ricky "the Hitman" Hatton, (born 6 October 1978, in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England), is a British professional boxer is a two-time IBF and IBO light welterweight champion, having relinquished the IBF belt, only to step back down to the weight class and beat Juan Urango.

He was the WBA Welterweight Champion, but relinquished this title on 31 August 2006.^[3] Hatton is also the former WBU, WBA Light Welterweight Champion and WBC, WBA, WBO Inter-Continental Light Welterweight Champion, and current Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight Champion.

Pacquiao vs. Hatton

On May 2, 2009, Pacquiao is set to battle Ricky Hatton for the latter's IBO and Ring Magazine Light Welterweight titles.^[34] Since the Wembley Stadium in the United Kingdom had been rejected as the venue for this championship bout, it would be held in the United States at MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[35]

The fight was placed in jeopardy due to disputes with both camps over the fight purse money. Pacquiao wanted a 60-40 share while Hatton insisted on an equal 50-50 share, but later offered Pacquiao a 52-48 split.^[36] Arum believed that Hatton's popularity in the sport will bring enormous pay-per-view revenue, which other fighters would not be able to contribute.^[37]

On the other hand, Pacquiao's astute trainer Freddie Roach argued that a 60/40 share was fair for his ward because Pacquiao just destroyed De La Hoya, while Hatton was knocked out by Floyd Mayweather Jr. However, Hatton and his camp believed he deserved a more even split as he was the reigning Ring Light Welterweight champion, a division in which he remains undefeated, and a large draw in the U.K..^[38] If the fight with Hatton would not materialize on a 55/45 share, which should favor Pacquiao, Roach stated that they would look into either fighting Mayweather, Venezuelan knockout artist Edwin Valero or even Pacquiao's rugged arch rival Juan Manuel Marquez.^[39][40] Meanwhile, Hatton’s lawyer threatened to file a suit against Pacquiao if the Filipino fighter backed out of a “verbal contract” for a 50-50 split in earnings for their superfight.^[41]

Since Pacquiao had not signed off on the fight contract and had not accepted the 52-48 share that Bob Arum renegotiated with the Hatton's camp, the mega fight was officially scrapped. Both Arum and Roach stated that they were unable to contact Pacquiao during the final days of negotiations. Roach was quoted as saying that "a $12 million guarantee today is unbelievable" and that he hoped Pacquiao "comes to his senses".^[42] Arum even speculated that the world's best pound for pound warrior might just have to sit out for the remainder of the year.^[43].

The already scuppered mega fight between Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton had been resurrected, after Pacquiao confirmed that he had changed his mind and had signed the fight contract. Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, was jubilant about the decision of Pacquiao to pursue his fight with Hatton, and even went on record and proclaimed that his boxer (Pacquiao) would receive an unprecedented $20 million for this junior welterweight mega fight.^[44] This super fight has a great chance of breaking pay-per-view records, revenue wise, due to the massive boxing fans from UK who would be rooting for their countryman Ricky Hatton, and of course, the charisma and drawing power of the pound for pound King Manny Pacquiao in the international realm.

HBO would air the fight between Pacquiao and Hatton on May 2, 2009. The most recognized pay-per-view infrastructure would present 24/7 series for both gladiators leading up to their junior welterweight showdown at MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.^[45]

694 Million People Currently Use the Internet Worldwide According To comScore Networks

comScore Announces New Worldwide Online Universe Estimate Based on the World’s Largest, Most Representative Sample and Most Robust Methodology

Estimate Marks a Major Step Forward for Marketers and Media Properties around the World

RESTON, VA, May 4, 2006 – comScore Networks today announced the launch of comScore World Metrix, the first true estimate of global online audience size and behavior based on activity from the world’s largest online behavioral research panel. The comScore World Metrix panel has active representation from countries that comprise 99 percent of the global Internet population.  In launching comScore World Metrix, the company announced that 694 million people, age 15+, used the Internet worldwide from all locations in March 2006, representing 14 percent of the world’s total population within this age group.  This number marks the first worldwide universe estimate based on a consistent methodology across all countries. 

Notably, comScore World Metrix includes measurement of the major Asian countries, including China, Japan, India and Korea, which represent nearly 25 percent of the total worldwide online population (or 168.1 million users), and which, in the aggregate, are 11 percent larger than the U.S. (152 million users).

“Today, the online audience in the U.S. represents less than a quarter of Internet users across the globe, versus ten years ago when it accounted for two-thirds of the global audience,” said Peter Daboll, president and CEO of comScore Media Metrix.  “This is a sea change of enormous proportion, and comScore is pleased to be able to provide measurement to aid the world’s largest marketers in understanding how the world uses the Internet.”

“Previously, MSN has attempted to harmonize disparate sources of data to get a global view.  The fact that comScore World Metrix data are produced with a consistent methodology worldwide will make a significant difference, enabling us to analyze what is happening globally and truly understand consumer online behavior,” said Chris Dobson, vice president of sales, MSN International. “This is a significant step forward for the industry and timed perfectly as the importance of markets outside the U.S. grows, especially rapidly developing countries like China and India, which up to now have not enjoyed such insight.”

* Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafe and, access from mobile phones or PDAs.

Event Organizers, Event Planners in Manila

• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

American Idol is… Ramiele Malubay?

By Giovanni Paolo J. Yazon

FOR the third time, a Filipino makes it to the top 10 of American Idol!

Her name is Ramiele Malubay, a 4-feet and 11-inch native of Florida, tagged as a “small girl with a huge voice, funky hair and dynamic personality.”

And for the nth time, she survived the elimination last Thursday—enduring the cruelty of Randy Jackson while charming Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell.

Ramiele began belting out songs at age 12, and her musical influences include Aretha Franklin, The Jackson 5, Mariah Carey as well as Lani Misalucha and Regine Velasquez.

Citing in her profile at the American Idol Web site that the country’s Nightingale and Asia’s Songbird were among those singers who have a bearing on her was what endeared herself to many Filipinos.

Born in Saudi Arabia, the 20-year-old Idol wannabe spent her early years here until her family migrated in the United States. The Malubays now reside in Miramar, Florida. She finished her secondary education at the Zephyrhills High School in Florida, and was a student-nurse at the Broward Community College prior to the contest. She may have been “Americanized” in many ways, but Ramiele’s never forgotten where she came from. She can still speak Tagalog and the Ilocano dialect fluently.

Previous six Fil-Ams who reached the top 24 of this reality TV talent series created by Simon Fuller were Brad Estrin (Season 1), Jordan Segundo (Season 2), Jasmine Trias and Camile Velasco (Season 3), Jose “Sway” Peñala (Season 5), and AJ Tablado (Season 6).

Sharon Galvez—formerly known as Zhar Santos of the Smokey Mountain—the ‘90s teen pop group which was the brainchild of Ryan Cayabyab—generated ripples of excitement among Filipinos during the fourth season three years ago. But despite impressing ruthless judge Simon Cowell in most of her routines, the then 28-year-old waitress failed to earn a slot in the top 24. Only Jasmine and Camile were lucky enough to go through final 12. But Camile was the fourth to be eliminated, while Jasmine finished third overall.

As American Idol Season 7 goes to a stage where everyone could just be anyone on any episode, Ramiele’s legions of fans and kababayans worldwide hope, pray to high heavens and cast their votes via SMS to help her stay on top until the competition’s conclusion.

But would Ramiele Malubay be able to equal, if not surpass Jasmine Trias’ feat, or just have the same fate as Camile Velasco? Will she make it to the final three or not? Here’s what some of the Idol viewers said:

“She will make it [to top three]. She has a very good chance. ‘Vocally’, she’s okay.”

–Resty Furuc, software developer

“No, she won’t [make it]. She keeps on choosing songs that don’t highlight her vocal range. She’s trying to copy Regine Velasquez. American Idol isn’t a venue for imitating anybody.”

—Ria Olson, health care officer

“She’s gonna make it. I think her performance is way better than the other female finalists.”

—Alvin Perez, fitness trainor

“She will go far [in the contest], but not as far as top three.”

—Christian Guatlo, migrant worker

“Yes. She spices up every song that she sings. She sounds better than Jasmine Trias!”

—Ihna Obispo, bank teller

“No. [Because] Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson will choose a ‘pure’ American in the end. Look what happened to Jasmine Trias? Finalists with foreign [particularly Asian] lineage have zero chance of winning the grand prize. It’s a sad fact.”

—Donald Carpio, student

“Ramiele [Malubay] has what it takes to make it to the top three—she has the looks, the [stage] presence and the voice. What could ruin her chances to reach the finals is a bad choice of song. Song choice, as Simon Cowell has always emphasized, can make or break a singer. I completely agree with him. All American Idol contestants are only good as their last performance. Ramiele, if she doesn’t chuck the habit of picking the wrong song, might get booted out of the competition sooner than we think.”

—Gabby Libarios, journalist

“No. She’s not that versatile, and her previous performances were quite disappointing.”

—Lizet Pinpin, student

“Yes. I applaud her for being proud to be Pinoy ever since she got in at American Idol. I believe that she will make it because she’s natural, and her personality’s simply engaging. She’s a real talent and very worthy of the title. I am glad because she’s making us [all] proud.”

—Catherine Untalan, Miss Earth 2006 second runner-up

“Yes. She will make it to the final three… [She will make us all proud].”

—Cecille Garcia Mapa, theater actress

Philippines
Map and data for Philippines.

National Statistics Coordination Board
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National Statistics Office
Philippines population information.

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Philippines Internet and Telecommunications
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Global Internet usage

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  (Redirected from Global internet usage)

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Country population penetration of Internet use in 2007

2007 distribution of Internet users by country (CIA)

This article provides information relating to the number of people who use the Internet by language, nationality, geography, etc.

Contents [hide] 1 Total number of Internet users 2 Languages used on the Internet 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Total number of Internet users

As of December 2007, approximately 1,319,872,109 people worldwide use the Internet, according to Internet World Stats.

[edit] Languages used on the Internet

The most-used language on the Internet is English. Although the total number of native English speakers in the world is about 322 million, English is spoken as a second language by up to 1.2 billion people around the world. They make their contributions to the Internet in their own language as well as in English.

Chinese is the most spoken native language on Earth, and the second language on the Internet. The Chinese population online is increasing at a high rate; this is expected to have a great impact on the Internet in the near future.

Notably absent from the table below is Hindi, the most widely spoken language in India, the second most populated country in the world. This is due to preference for English among most users having Internet access. The Indian population online is also increasing at a high rate; this is also expected to have a great impact on the Internet in the near future.

The figures in the table below were taken from Global Reach ^[1]. These are estimates, for September 2004, of the world online population per language.

Browse Southeast Asia

Top Sites Philippines

Browse the most popular sites on the web. Learn more.

1.

Yahoo!

Personalized content and search options. Chatrooms, free e-mail, clubs, and pager.
yahoo.com
Site info for yahoo.com 

2.

Friendster

Friendster is a leading global social network emphasizing genuine friendships and the discovery of new people through friends. Search for old friends and classmates, stay in better touch with friends, share photos and videos, and so much more.
friendster.com
Site info for friendster.com 

3.

YouTube

YouTube is a way to get your videos to the people who matter to you. Upload, tag and share your videos worldwide!
youtube.com
Site info for youtube.com 

4.

Google.com.ph

google.com.ph
Site info for google.com.ph 

5.

Multiply

Users can create, share and discuss blogs, photos, videos and music with others as well as post reviews of movies and books, or share a calendar of events.
multiply.com
Site info for multiply.com 

Interested in popular sites on the web?

Buy a List of 10,000 or 100,000!

 

6.

Google

Enables users to search the Web, Usenet, and images. Features include PageRank, caching and translation of results, and an option to find similar pages. The company's focus is developing search technology.
google.com
Site info for google.com 

7.

Wikipedia

An online collaborative encyclopedia.
wikipedia.org
Site info for wikipedia.org 

8.

Blogger.com

Free, automated weblog publishing tool that sends updates to a site via FTP.
blogger.com
Site info for blogger.com 

9.

Imeem

Users interact with each other by watching, posting, and sharing content of all media types, including blogs, photos, audio, and video.
imeem.com
Site info for imeem.com 

10.

Photobucket image hosting and photo sharing

Provides image hosting for auctions, live journals, blogs, message boards, personal websites and online photo albums. Reliable, fast and very simple to use.
photobucket.com
Site info for photobucket.com 

11.

Y8

Y8.com has Free Online Mini Games in both Flash and Shockwave as well as Flash Fun Animations.
y8.com
Site info for y8.com 

12.

Microsoft Network (MSN)

Dialup access and content provider.
msn.com
Site info for msn.com 

13.

Friendster-layouts.com

friendster-layouts.com
Site info for friendster-layouts.com 

14.

Youporn.com

youporn.com
Site info for youporn.com 

15.

Microsoft Corporation

Main site for product information, support, and news.
microsoft.com
Site info for microsoft.com 

16.

Facebook

A social utility that connects people, to keep up with friends, upload photos, share links and videos.
facebook.com
Site info for facebook.com 

17.

RedTube

Portal gigante de vídeos de sexo.
redtube.com
Site info for redtube.com 

18.

RapidShare

Users can upload up to 100 meg files for sharing. Provides downloads of 100 megs per hour on the free service. Premium service also available.
rapidshare.com
Site info for rapidshare.com 

19.

Googlesyndication.com

googlesyndication.com
Site info for googlesyndication.com 

20.

Windows Live

Search engine from Microsoft.
live.com
Site info for live.com 

21.

Myspace

Social Networking Site.
myspace.com
Site info for myspace.com 

22.

Flickr

Picture galleries available with social networking, chat, groups, and photo ratings.
flickr.com
Site info for flickr.com 

23.

Mp3-codes.com

mp3-codes.com
Site info for mp3-codes.com 

24.

WordPress.com

Free blogs managed by the developers of the WordPress software. Includes custom design templates, integrated stats, automatic spam protection and many more features.
wordpress.com
Site info for wordpress.com 

25.

Zwani.com

zwani.com
Site info for zwani.com 

« PMP Today Weekly Round Up Issue no. 2 Zune Scorpio and Draco Delayed to September or Beyond »

Publication Date:  April 2006
Number of Pages: 41
Price:  US$ 1,500 - Single User License
Format: Delivery by email, in PDF format, within 24 hours.
Purchase Inquiries: Email to sales @ aprg.com for invoice and payment information.

FilipinoPeople.com

http://www.filipinopeople.com

Filipino American Heritage MOnth comes to Santa Clara

By Ria Marie Reyes

Copyright © 1995-2001. Project PULL.
All rights reserved.

project pull is a learning organization
with the pilipino american community

2124 Rock Street, Suite 23
Mountain View CA 94043-2623
phone/fax   (650) 962-8775
URL http://www.projectpull.org

Filipino Folkdance Links

updated 11-Apr-2003

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Over the next 10 years, Canada will need almost 2 million skilled workers and professionals, and guess where’s its looking? (via Inquirer)

Drawing on its well-established relationship with overseas Filipino workers, Canada is once again throwing its doors open to employees who can fill the labor shortages in various provinces. Just a few examples:

* British Columbia is looking for 22,000-24,000 temporary workers to help it prepare for the 2018 Winter Olympics

* Manitoba and Alberta need more caregivers, nannies, and skilled workers like pipe fitters and welders.

* Alberta is also looking for maintenance managers and facility operators.

* Prince Edward Island needs construction workers, meat processors, educators and researchers.

British Columbia has already started the process with the signing of a two-year memorandum of understanding with the Philippine government. As a result, a joint labor committee will be established to oversee the training, certification and assessment of the Filipino employees and their Canadian employers. (via Canada.com). Most of the labor needs will be handled by private recruitment agencies.

ASIATYPE, INC.
Suite 114, Columbia Tower
Ortigas Avenue, Greenhills
Mandaluyong City
Philippines 1550

Tel: +63 2 744 6262
Fax: +63 2 727 6053

E-mail us »

See location map »

Crown Tower U Belt - Lifestyle Condo In U Belt Sampaloc Mla.

Asking Price: $35,000 USD  (Financing Available)

CROWN TOWER University Belt - Definitely More Than Your Usual College Dorm!

Affordable Lifestyle Condos in University Belt, Manila.
Lifestyle condos walking distance to prestigious University of Sto. Tomas.
PAYMENT TERMS MADE MORE AFFORDABLE!
PRICE STARTS AT P1.4M!!! NO DOWNPAYMENT
25% payable in 24 months.
75% Balance In-House or Bank-Financing up to 15 years to pay!!!
ABSOLUTELY NO VAT
Very ideal for families with students studying or will study in the University Belt. Also for professionals in the area who do not want to go through the hassle of traffic. For investors who may want to open up their own business through rental business in this high-occupancy rate area?

WHY RENT WHEN YOU CAN OWN YOUR UNIT?
At approximately the same price per month, you may own one of our units in a building that will be maintained and operated by professional property managers.
Project Concept
• Crown Asia creates a master thesis of value and practicality that would serve as an investment that will earn high remarks!
• Crown Tower University Belt is Crown Asia’s response to execute a building strategy for function, cost and comfort in high arty-style.
• Crown Tower University Belt shall be the latest home of choice for:
a. Families with children going to nearby colleges & universities;
b. Young, mobile & chic urbanites working at nearby business areas (University Belt, Binondo, Intramuros);
c. Medical professionals working at nearby medical schools or institutions;
d. Starting families;
e. Real estate / property investors;


• A 25-storey building of a modern contemporary inspired community
a. Ideal for young, busy groups of people;
b. With strategically and carefully designed architecture to answer the needs of its target market.
• The elements to attain academic excellence are all here!
a. Location;
b. Comfort;
c. Style;
d. Value;
• It embodies the concepts of modern, progressive urban living
a. Convenience
b. Privacy
• Commercial / retail establishments
Restaurants, stores and shops of numerous products and offerings, essential to the homeowners and its neighborhood.
• Complete, chic and sensible amenities made available.
a. to provide homeowners means of having a healthy lifestyle;
b. to create an environment of design excellence that will inspire anyone to top any task.
• Transportation and accessibility is never a problem
a. Crown Tower University Belt is located at G. Tolentino St., Sampaloc, Manila.
b. Right by the time honored España Avenue
c. Across the street from University of Santo Tomas, it is literally 20 steps away from the tree lined España Ave. and the tree laden campus of UST.
d. With the LRT Station and bus stops just minutes away and available round the clock.
ARHITECTURE
• by internationally-renowned RECIO + CASAS.
• Recio+Casas, since its inception, have been responsible for many prestigious projects such as First Pacific Bank in Hong Kong, Mandarin Hotel Macau, Thailand's Stock Exchange Building, and Phuket Yatch Club Hotel. In the Philippines, some of the firm’s noteworthy projects are
Pacific Plaza Towers in Fort Bonifacio, Salcedo Park in Makati and Richmonde Hotel in Ortigas.

Because of Crown Tower University Belt's proximity to major hospitals, educational institutions, and commercial areas, aside from university students, our clientele also include those in the medical profession, faculty members, start-up families, balikbayans, and other investors.
A mixture of commercial and residential condominium units, Crown Tower embodies the concepts of modern, progressive urban living – convenience and privacy and security. Specific units would be made available for business enterprises, to the benefit of residents who enjoy not only the exclusivity of their residence but also the convenience of finding everything they want near.
On top of all the amenities, the tower is designed to assure homeowners of their privacy, security and exclusivity.
LIFESTYLE AMENITIES
• Cyber Library
• Event Plazas ( Function Room )
• Sundeck / Gardens
• Swimming Pool at the Podium deck
• Roof deck
• Fitness Gym
• Laundromat
• Internet Café

BUILDING FEATURES
• Mixed use commercial and residential units
• Security counter for 24-hour security check
• Grand Residential Lobbies
• CCTV of the lobby & key areas of the building (for security)
• Condominium Administration by experienced Property Manager
• Centralized Deepwell and Overhead Water Tanks
• Three (3) high speed passenger elevators and One (1) service lift
• Complete Amenities
• Four ( 4 ) Levels Podium Parking
• Provision for raceways for internet connection, cable TV and telephone
• Standby generator set
• Fire detection and alarm system
BUILDING FEATURES

• Mixed – used commercial and residential units.
• Security counter for 24 hours security check.
• CCTV at the lobby & key areas of the building.
• Condominium administration by experienced Property Manager.
• Three high speed elevators and one service lift.
• Three level podium parking.
• Provision for raceways for internet connection, cable TV and telephone.
• Standby generator set.
• Fire detection and alarm system.

For investors, Crown Tower will command a higher rental rate because it will be the newest in the area, and because of its more advanced features and amenities.

About This Property

Features - Amenities

Pictures  (click to view a larger image)

DoJ clears Ayala firm in mall blast

MANILA, Philippines—No officer of the Ayala firm that runs the Glorietta 2 mall in Makati City will be held criminally liable for the explosion on Oct. 19, 2007, that killed 11 people. But the Department of Justice threw out the Ayala theory that a bomb attack had caused the blast.

The DoJ panel led by Senior State Prosecutor Leo Dacera recommended the filing of criminal charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and multiple physical injuries against eight officers and staff members of Makati Supermarket Corp. (MSC) and two private firms that conducted repair work in the area.

It likewise cleared Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel of any liability.

MSC spokesperson Federico Ples could not be reached for comment Thursday despite repeated attempts by the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).

The DoJ panel threw out the contention of Ayala Property Management Corp. (APMC) that the blast that also injured more than 100 persons and damaged a wing of the shopping complex was caused by an explosive.

According to the panel, there was sufficient evidence to believe that a buildup of methane gas and diesel fumes in the MSC basement in the Glorietta mall—which is owned by the Makati Supermarket Corp.—led to the blast. Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) owns the land which is leased to MSC.

It was the Philippine National Police and the Department of Interior and Local Government that had filed the complaints against APMC, MSC and BFP officials at the DoJ.

The accused

Those recommended charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and physical injuries were MSC assistant for projects and project engineer Candelario Valdueza; Marchem Industrial Sales and Services operations manager Clifford Arriola; Marchem supervisor Joselito Buenaventura; Marchem maintenance personnel Charlie Nepomuceno, Jonathan Ibuna and Juan Ricafort; Metaline operations manager and engineer Ricardo Cruz, and Metaline foreman Miguel Velasco Jr.

Marchem had conducted electrical work in the MSC basement, and Metaline, pipe work.

Those cleared of criminal responsibility were APMC building engineer Marcelo Botenes and building administrator Jowell Velvez, and Glorietta building manager Arnel Gonzales.

The DoJ panel said it found “worthwhile” to mention that Ayala companies had voluntarily shouldered the medical, funeral and burial expenses of the victims, and extended financial assistance to the injured.

SFO4 Anthony Grey, SFO2 Leonilo Balaois and Senior Insp. Reynaldo Enoc of the BFP were also cleared of neglect of duty.

But the multi-agency task force that looked into the Glorietta 2 explosion is considering filing a motion to include Ayala engineers and firemen in the charges, Director Geary Barias, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office, told the Inquirer.

Barias said the task force would hold a case conference shortly. “If we see no more need [to file the motion], we will let it be,” he said.

Civil liability

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Thursday told reporters that while no Ayala official would be held criminally liable for the explosion, the victims or their families could still file civil cases for damages.

“Civilly, I believe that [APMC] may still be liable. But I’m not suggesting that because they might say I encouraged it,” he said.

Gonzalez also said APMC could still contest the finding that a biogas explosion, and not a bomb attack, was responsible for the blast, “in the anticipation that there will be people who will charge them for damages.”

Although APMC runs the Glorietta mall, MSC is responsible for overseeing the repair being conducted in its own basement, the DoJ panel said in a 51-page resolution.

“The integration of the building into Glorietta 2 notwithstanding, MSC, as owner of the building, remains directly responsible for the proper maintenance and upkeep of its facilities and utilities,” it said.

The DoJ panel also said that even if MSC had designated ALI as manager of the building through a memorandum of agreement, ALI’s role was limited to selecting tenants, conducting audit examinations relating to the rent due, the billing and collection of rentals and the administration of financial matters.

“Verily, under both the [agreement] and original contract of lease between MSC and ALI, the responsibility for repairs and maintenance of the building, i.e. physical maintenance, shall be for the account of MSC,” it said.

The DoJ panel also pointed out that none of the equipment in the MSC basement was owned by the Ayala companies, and that the building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and sanitary permits were in the name of MSC.

Thus, it said, MSC’s Valdueza could not excuse himself from responsibility for the blast. (Valdueza had contended that it was APMC that was responsible for maintaining the Glorietta mall, and that he had reminded it of the need to fix the pumps.)

Failures

In finding Marchem personnel liable, the DoJ panel said they had failed to maintain and inspect the basement and supervise their maintenance personnel.

Marchem personnel also failed to observe safety practices that led to the defective pumps and the accumulation of methane in the MSC basement, the panel said.

Marchem was also found to have altered the electrical safety devices in the basement and failed to use explosion-proof electric control cabinets and equipment.

(In their defense, Marchem personnel had countered that the electrical system and pumps in the basement were working properly, and that they had not been negligent.)

Metaline officials were recommended charged for failing to properly install the air duct ventilation system and fire protection system of the MSC building. (They had earlier said that the complaint against them was baseless and that the DILG recommendation to prosecute them ran counter to the PNP findings.)

As for the BFP officials, the DoJ panel said they inspected the building three months before the incident and the MSC was found to have complied with the building code, and their issuance of fire safety inspection certificates were found to have been done regularly.

Since their inspection, activities took place that altered the landscape of the MSC.

Happy

Barias said the task force was “happy” that charges had been recommended by the DoJ.

He added: “We are glad that the DoJ has sustained the results of our investigation that the blast was caused by an accumulation of gases in the basement.”

In maintaining that the explosion was caused by an accumulation of methane gas, the DoJ panel noted the reports of the public works and labor departments and the National Bureau of Investigation’s physics report.

According to the reports: The gas accumulated in the basement after several pumps broke down, reducing the number of working pumps.

The basement became flooded and foul odor pervaded it. There was also increased temperature and accumulation of diesel vapors because of the storage of diesel fuel in the basement, poor ventilation and lack of an exhaust system.

The spark

The spark that set off the blast could have come from the use of jumpers on the safety fuse and the presence of open switches, motor pumps and circuit breakers, among others.

As for the findings of Ayala’s consultants that the blast was triggered by a bomb, the DoJ panel said these were matters of defense that should be aired in a trial.

Ayala’s consultants had said that samples taken from the basement contained explosives residue, and that biogas generated by the sump pits could not have caused the blast because the pits were emptied thrice a day. With reports from Alcuin Papa and Elizabeth Sanchez-Lacson

Copyright 2008 INQUIRER.net and content partners. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

MANILA, Philippines -- Grizzled veterans of the Philippine National Police (PNP) are in the thick of Chemistry 101.

PNP investigators have found themselves leafing through textbooks and combing the Internet to bone up on high school and college chemistry in the wake of the explosion at the Glorietta 2 mall on October 19.

At a meeting with Philippine Daily Inquirer reporters and editors on Wednesday, Chief Superintendent Luizo Ticman, director of the Southern Police District and head of the Multi-Agency Investigation Task Force looking into the blast, took pains to explain how methane could have been involved.

Later, he joked: “Well, that explanation should be good for [a grade of] 76.”

Ticman said information had been free-flowing for police investigators because “people from different disciplines”-- such as chemists as well as arson, metallurgic and petrochemical experts -- were part of the task force.

Director Geary Barias, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said police were learning so many things from the Glorietta explosion, including chemistry, the law on criminal negligence, and how to handle crisis situations.

“It’s Chemistry 101 all over again. I think I have information overload,” he told the Inquirer, adding that he had had to go online to do research on methane and other deadly gases.

Barias’ job appears doubly hard because he has been named police spokesperson on matters related to the explosion.

“I have to understand [the information], digest it, so it will be understandable to the public,” he said.

But Barias does not seem to mind the crash course: “I’m learning a lot of things. We have to be thorough and accurate in our investigation. It also helps in explaining things to our people and media friends.”

Bomb investigators are also going back to school, so to speak.

According to a police investigator, an American explosives expert recently conducted a seminar on gas blasts for members of Explosive Ordnance Division units in Metro Manila.

Police officials said this was part of the cooperation being extended by foreign governments to the PNP.

Philippines: Police Charge 15 for Makati Mall Explosion

January 10th, 2008 · No Comments

Tags: glorita explsoion · mall explosion · glorietta · philippine · terrorism · manila · makati

The 2007 Glorietta explosion occurred in the Glorietta 2 section of the Glorietta shopping complex at Ayala Center in Makati, Metropolitan Manila, in the Philippines on 19 October 2007 at around 1:25 PM PST. Initial reports indicated that the explosion originated from an LPG tank explosion in an in-mall restaurant.^[1] However, authorities were (as of yet) unable to confirm the true nature or source of the explosion. The blast has killed eleven persons and injured more than 100. Many of the victims were admitted at the Makati Medical Center and Ospital ng Makati.^[2][3][4]

We at Ayala Land are deeply saddened by yesterday’s explosion that occurred at around 1:30pm in Glorietta 2. We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the families affected by this tragedy. We stand in solidarity with those who were hurt during the explosion, and would like to ensure the public that we are extending the utmost care and maximum medical treatment to the injured and the families of those killed.

In terms of our priorities at this point, we are focusing our efforts on three areas:

1. Extending maximum assistance to those injured and the families of those who died.
2. Cooperating with authorities in the police investigation
3. Ensuring safety and security of our customers  

VICTIM ASSISTANCE

In terms of assisting those injured from the explosion, our people have been in the hospital since yesterday afternoon and continue to be there, working closely with the Red Cross and the doctors and medical personnel of Makati Medical Center and Ospital ng Makati. Our company physician, Dr. Bernardo Cueto, has been designated as the attending physician at Makati Medical Center.
We would like to commend the valiant effort of the Red Cross, the medical personnel at Makati Med and Ospital ng Makati, and all those involved in the rescue operations for their bravery and courage in this time of tragedy. Our primary concern continues to be the welfare and well-being of those injured, the families of those killed, and all those affected by this tragedy.

We have been monitoring closely the status of the injured. Based on reports we have received, as of this morning 68 injured persons were brought to Makati Medical Center and 34 injured persons to Ospital ng Makati. Of these 102 injured persons, 71 have been released 2 remain in Ospital ng Makati but will be discharged today, and 15 in Makati Medical Center are still confined, and 3 are in the Intensive Care Unit. Per police reports, 9 deaths have been confirmed. We are extending maximum assistance and care to the victims of this tragedy and their families.  

We will have a mass immediately after this press conference at 11am in Glorietta 3 in memory of those killed and to continue to pray for the safe recovery of those injured.

COOPERATION WITH AUTHORITIES RE. INVESTIGATION

In terms of the investigation moving forward, we are in close and constant communication with the authorities from the PNP and Makati City Hall. The PNP is in the lead in the investigation, we are extending to them our full support and cooperation as they ascertain the cause and nature of the explosion. 

CUSTOMERS AND SAFETY

Finally, with regards to the safety and security of our customers, the safety and security of the public continue to be our paramount concern at Ayala Center and at all our malls, as it has always been.

A team of independent structural engineers from Aromin and Sy Associates as well as our own people inspected the site of the explosion last night and again this morning. After undergoing an extensive study of the premises, they have determined that Glorietta 1, 3, and 4’s structural integrity is sound and gave us assurances that we will be able to resume normal mall operations for these areas today. In this regard, we have determined that we can, in fact, resume normal operations for Glorietta 1, 3, and 4 this morning. The affected area at Glorietta 2 has been cordoned off as police investigations continue.

In light of this incident, we will be further beefing up security at Glorietta and across all our malls. For Glorietta in particular, we will be supplementing the complement of 120 security guards that regularly protect and patrol the interior and exterior of the mall with additional security personnel and bomb-sniffing dogs. This is in addition to the metal detectors that we installed last year at the mall entrances with heavy pedestrian traffic. We have instructed all security personnel to continue to be vigilant and to continue to coordinate closely with the PNP and the local government of the City of Makati.

Again, we would like to assure the public that your safety at our malls continues to be our primary concern, and we will continue to review our procedures moving forward to continue to ensure the safety of the public even as we resume normal mall operations.

To conclude, let me just say that we at Ayala Land are deeply saddened at what has happened. We, too, are victims of this incident, and we will extend our utmost cooperation to the investigating authorities to determine the cause and nature of the explosion. As a gesture of our solidarity with the victims and their families, we are extending moral and financial help to them and will provide them maximum care and assistance.

The following are the contact persons from Ayala Land:

• For coordination with the families of those injured:
  • Elis Tanlapco, 0917-851-5609
• For inquiries on identities of those injured / deceased, please call the Red Cross hotline: 819-5767; 815-9469; 0915-987-6716.
• For all media inquiries:  
  • Alfie Reyes, Corporate Spokesman – 0917-807-7296;
  • Jan Bengzon, Head, External Affairs – 0917-840-5552
• For all tenant inquiries:       
  • Myrna Fernandez, Ayala Malls Group – 0917-839-8095
  • Pam Perez, Ayala Malls Group – 0917-881-1009

Director General Avelino Razon Jr., chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said that bomb experts from the United States (from the Federal Bureau of Investigation), Australia (Australian Federal Police) and Israel submitted the results of their investigation on the Glorietta 2 explosion to Filipino investigators Tuesday.

The foreign bomb experts assisted in the investigation on the explosion in Makati City and they have ruled out the theory that a bomb caused the explosion. Razon cited the absence of bomb fragments and the rupturing of a diesel tank at the basement of the Glorietta mall as signs indicating the explosion was an accident and not a bomb.

#606 Jaime Zobel de Ayala & family

© Munshi Ahmed

Distribution of Billionaires by Residence

Jaime Zobel de Ayala (born 1934) is a prominent Filipino businessman and photographer of German and Spanish descent^{[citation needed]}. He served as both president and chairman of Ayala Corporation from 1984 to 1994 (succeeding his first cousin, Enrique Zobel), when he retired as president. In 2006 he retired as chairman; he is currently chairman emeritus of the corporation. His eldest son, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II, is chairman and chief executive officer of Ayala while his younger son, Fernando Zobel, is president of the corporation.

Zobel graduated from Harvard University in 1957 with a Bachelor of Arts in architectural science. He was Philippine ambassador to the Court of St. James's in London and the Scandinavian countries from 1970 to 1975. He is married to Beatriz Miranda Zobel de Ayala.

In the 2006 Forbes ranking of billionaires, "Jaime Zobel de Ayala & family" was ranked #606 with a net worth of US$1.3 billion.

In 2007, Jaime Zobel de Ayala tied with Henry Sy as the richest person in the Philippines with a net worth of $2.6 Billion according to Forbes magazine.

The February 2008 Forbes Asia magazine’s first Heroes of Philanthropy list included 4 Filipinos - Jaime Zobel de Ayala, John Gokongwei, Ramon del Rosario Jr., and Oscar Lopez.The list is composed of 4 philanthropists each from 13 selected countries and territories in Asia.^[1]

Tinikling

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Tinikling - (tikling-bird; in-to be like; tinikling- to be like a tikling) is a dance from the Philippines.

Tinikling involves two people hitting bamboo poles, using them to beat, tap, and slide on the ground and against each other in coordination with one or more dancers who step over and in between the poles in a dance. It originated in Leyte among the Visayan islands in central Philippines as an imitation of the tikling bird dodging bamboo traps set by rice farmers. The bamboo is also used as a percussive instrument as it is banged against the ground (or a piece of wood to make it easier to hold) and each other in a pattern. when the bamboo closes it has to be hard enough to make a sound and the dancers must be quick enough to not get their foot (or feet) caught. As the dance continues the banging of the bamboo becomes faster and harder , the sound of clashing bamboo thrills the crowd and the quickness of feet demonstrated by the dancers awes them.

In the United States, tinikling is taught as part of physical education class in many elementary schools. It is a form of aerobic exercise that also improves spatial awareness, rhythm, foot and leg speed, agility, and coordination.

[edit] See also

• Cariñosa - A similar dance, regarded as the national dance of the Philippines.^{[citation needed]}

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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinikling"

Categories: Dances of the Philippines | Philippines stubs

SM Mall of Asia

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SM Mall of Asia
"No other mall comes close."
Facts and statistics
Location	Bay City, Pasay City, Philippines
Opening date	May 21, 2006
Developer	SM Prime Holdings
Management	SM Prime Holdings
Owner	SM Prime Holdings
Architect	Arquitectonica
No. of stores and services	600 shops, 150 dining establishments
No. of anchor tenants	9
Total retail floor area	407,101 m²
Parking	5,000 cars
No. of floors	2 for the Main and Entertainment Malls, 5 for the North and 8 South Parking Buildings
Website	SM Mall of Asia

Coordinates: 14°32′6.24″N, 120°58′55.75″E

The 'SM Mall of Asia' (also known as MOA) is the largest shopping mall in the Philippines and is the 3rd largest shopping mall in the world in terms of Gross Leasable Area according to Forbes Magazine, after the South Dongguan Mall (China) and Golden Resources Mall (China). ^[1] It opened on May 21, 2006.^[2]

It is owned and operated by SM Prime Holdings, under the management of Henry Sy, a Chinese-Filipino business tycoon. It was abbreviated as MoA.