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Eto pa o, iba pa yung sa Good Morning America...Abangan

Pacquiao to appear in '60 Minutes'
The Philippine Star | 02/09/2010 7:29 AM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/02/08 ... 60-minutes

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao is being lined up for a special appearance on “60 Minutes” the long-running and award-winning television newsmagazine of CBS.

Top Rank’s main man Bob Arum, Michael Marley of The Examiner wrote yesterday, said a CBS crew will soon begin shooting clips of Pacquiao as he trains at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles for a March 13 fight.

It was not clear, however, if Pacquiao would appear on the 42-year-old program before or after his March 13 showdown with Ghana’s Joshua Clottey at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

What’s important, Arum, however, said, is that Pacquiao has truly crossed all the boundaries as the greatest boxer of his era.

“It just shows that interest in Manny has transcended sports, gone beyond that,” Arum said.

“Good Morning America on the ABC network is also going to do something on Manny. It is really phenomenal how the interest is widening on Pacman,” said the ageless boxing promoter and Harvard lawyer.

Last year, as Pacquiao waged and won big battles against Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto, the reigning pound-for-pound champion also scored a very big hit by landing on the cover of Time Magazine.

He also appeared at the Jimmy Kimmel Show in LA, and graced a few pages of Sports Illustrated. He was chosen as Fighter of the Decade by Ring Magazine and ESPN, and will soon be honored by the Boxing Writers Association of America. – Abac Cordero

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French firm to provide biomass energy to off-grid areas
Posted on 09:19 PM, February 07, 2010
http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=5892

NATIONAL POWER Corp. (Napocor) will tie up with French company Enertine to provide power using biomass technology to areas not reached by the country’s main grids, the state-owned company’s top official said.

“For Enertine, there is no specific raw material as they are okay with any biomass material,” Napocor President Froilan A. Tampinco told reporters.

The usual biomass feedstock are agriculture by-products such as rice and sugarcane husks, crop stalks as well as wood wastes, logging residues and dead wood.

“The only requirement is we go to a site where there is a sustainable source of raw material for biomass, so we are still assessing,” Mr. Tampinco said.

The project will be carried out under Napocor’s Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG), which is the company’s electrification program. SPUG provides electricity to remote islands and far-flung island villages not connected to any of the country’s three main grids.

The biomass facilities will be installed in different locations and may combine for a total capacity of up to 42 megawatts.

“They are ready to come in with whatever capacities are necessary as long as we identify the site, the load and if there can be a source of sustainable biomass raw material,” Mr. Tampinco said...

Napocor’s main grid operations are now being handled by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) following the passage of Republic Act 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001.

“We’re focusing on off-grid so the capacity requirements are rather small and to me, that’s the beauty or the value of renewable energy because it’s readily adaptable for small loads,” Mr. Tampinco said.

SPUG operates 304 generating units with a total capacity of about 129 megawatts. Operations include a hydroelectric plant and a hybrid wind turbine farm. It also serves 78 island grids and eight isolated grids providing electricity to 42 customers consisting of 39 electric cooperatives and three local government units. -- Jose Bimbo F. Santos

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With the rank of Grand Officer....

Lhuillier gets award from Italian gov't
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 02/06/2010 6:59 PM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/pinoy-migrat ... ian-govt-0

MANILA, Philippines – A Philippine diplomat recently received a prestigious award from the Italian government for his many contributions to the welfare of Filipino overseas workers and in promoting goodwill between the 2 countries.

Ambassador Philippine Lhuillier became the first Philippine Ambassador to Italy to receive the Ordine della Stella della Solidarieta Italiana (Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity) with the rank of Grand Officer.

"I share this award with the Filipino community in Italy whom I have the highest respects. Without their cooperation in strengthening Philippine-Italian relations, I would not have been recognized by the Italian Government," Lhuillier said in his acceptance speech.

Italian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Stefania Craxia presented the award to Lhuillier during the ceremonial luncheon on January 27.

Craxia said the award was given by the Italian government in appreciation of the contributions made by Lhuillier to the bilateral cooperation between Italy and the Philippines as he went beyond the normal call of duty in the promotion of friendship and solidarity between the two countries...

The award was originally instituted in 1947 to recognize expatriates and foreigners who made an outstanding contribution to the reconstruction of Italy after World War II.

It has since been awarded to diplomats and foreigners who have made significant achievements in fostering goodwill for the host country and the country represented by the diplomat. This is the highest Italian award given to foreigners as well as Italians living abroad.

The badge bears the inscription Solidarietà Italiana encircling a depiction of the Good Samaritan.

The order is bestowed in 3 ranks by decree of the President of the Republic, head of the order, on the recommendation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. These are first class (grand officer), second class (commander), and third class (knight).

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Car manufacturers -- one of the beneficiaries of the blessings in disguise of Ondoy aftermath....

New auto sales climb 34% in January
By BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT
February 9, 2010, 4:57pm
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/242669/ne ... 34-january

The auto industry started the year right with a whopping 33.8 percent jump in sales to 11,763 units against 8,791 units in January last year defying a traditionally slow month in January, reported the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI).

"A high January sales volume augurs well for the year. It is a good start for stronger sales for 2010," said CAMPI president Elizabeth H. Lee.

Of the total January sales, the passenger car segment posted a 14.3 percent increase with sales reaching 3,856 units from 3,375 units in January 2009 while the commercial vehicle segment continued its dominance with a robust 46 percent growth after brisk sales of 7,907 units versus 5,416 units in January last year.

Commercial vehicle sales account for 67.2 percent of the total market and passenger car with 32.8 percent share.

"We are looking forward to a much stronger growth for this year 2010 with increased spending as a result of bullish OFW remittances projected as high as 8% or exceeding $18 billion; increased appetite for investment and business expansion; continued liquidity in the market; ease in taking out loans and availability of loans serving buyers needs; ....not to mention this being an election year as well," Lee said...

“With the robust growth of CV sales particularly AUV and LCV sales where most are used for both family and for business use, Filipinos are now showing more aggressiveness in either starting a business or expanding their current businesses," Lee said.

Sales of AUVs (Asian utility vehicles) increased by 53.5 percent as sales reached 2,606 units from 1,698 units in January last year.

LCV (light commercial vehicle) sales, which consist of pick-up trucks, vans, compact SUVs and full SUVs continue to dominate the CV segment with a robust growth of 46.7% versus the same period last year with sales hitting 5,176 units from 3,528 units in January 2009.

The LCV is also the most resilient segment with a minimal expected decline from seasonally high December sales to January sales with only a 3.3% decline. Despite the expected decline, January sales still outperformed the past year's average sales volume...

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Ngayon $12B na ang projected revenues for the year!

RP BPO’s set to be a $12 billion industry in 2010
Posted on February 9th, 2010 under Biz Progress
http://goodnewspilipinas.com/?p=10381

The Business Process Outsourcing industry was the bread [and butter] of the Philippine economy yet again in 2009. It continues to be the country’s sunshine industry, generating more than $7.2 billion or 324 billion pesos in revenues last year.

Business Processing Association of the Philippines executive director for information and research Gillian Joyce Virata said , that was a 19-percent gain from $6.1 billion or 275 billion pesos in 2008, and forecast to to continue treading the growth path in 2010, with revenues seen hitting $12 billion or 540 billion pesos.

The sector generated 70,000 new jobs last year, bringing the industry total to 442,164 employees, and will likely surpass half a million in 2010...

She said the priority programs for 2010 would include the creation of a virtual BPO university, the rollout of the National Assessment Competency Program to an initial 10,000 students, the provision of P350 million worth of scholarships under the Pangulong Gloria Scholarship fund, the launch of a local and international campaign on the Filipino knowledge worker, and the conduct of the 2nd International Outsourcing Summit.

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On the road to recovery na...

Exports up 23.6% in December
First double-digit rise since February 2008
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 02/10/2010 10:56 AM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/02/ ... 6-december

MANILA, Philippines (1st UPDATE) - Philippine exports posted double-digit growth for the first time in 22 months in December, indicating that demand has started to gain momentum after the global downturn.

Data from the National Statistics Office showed that Philippine export revenues reached $3.304 billion in December, up 23.6% from the $2.675 billion recorded in the same month in 2008.

Shipments of electronic products, which accounted for 56.9% of total export revenues, jumped 40.9% to $1.881 billion during the month. Semiconductor exports, which took the biggest share of electronic products, grew 36.9% to $1.295 billion.

Aside from electronics, the other key exports of the Philippines in December were apparel and clothing accessories, coconut oil, ignition wiring sets, woodcrafts and furniture, metal components, and petroleum products.

The United States remained the Philippines' top export destination, buying $627.86 million worth of goods. This was 9.4% higher than the $573.98 million recorded in December 2008.

Japan came in second with $507.46 million, followed by the Netherlands ($295.24 million), Singapore ($283.19 million), and Germany ($245.18 million).

Philippine exports started to slow down in September 2008 and had since posted contractions. They recovered only in November last year, with a revised growth of 5.7%.

For the whole of 2009, exports dropped 21.9% to $38.327 billion from the previous year's level of $49.078 billion. But this was better than the government's projected 25% drop.

The government is currently looking at 7% to 9% growth in the country's exports for 2010. -Karen Flores, abs-cbnNEWS.com, with Reuters

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Oscar best picture nominee “Up” is Pinoy made
Posted on February 10th, 2010
http://goodnewspilipinas.com/?p=10406

An animated feature film nominated in the 82nd Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood next month was made by Pinoys.

The animated comedy adventure “Up” produced by Disney-Pixar has joined the select list of nominees for best animated picture and best film in the prestigious Oscar awards.

Two Filipino talents Ronnie del Carmen, story supervisor and Ricky Nierva, production designer played key roles in the production of “Up.”

Ronnie works at Pixar as a story artist, story supervisor, character designer, and illustrator. On top of having the coolest job in the world, he even finds time to self-publish his own comic, Paper Biscuit. Add the fact that he has a fantastic blog, Tirade, and you have one incredibly creative and busy guy.

He worked as a story supervisor for Pixar’s “Toy Story” and “Cars”, and led the studio’s team of story artists to whip up “Finding Nemo.”

Nierva works in Pixar as a character designer/visual development artist/storyboard artist/art director/children’s book illustrator. But most of my time is spent character designing. He helps to design the main characters and miscellaneous characters, making sure the look of all the characters of the film feel integrated with the type of story that’s being told and the type of world that’s being created.

He was the art director for Finding Nemo and was visual development artist for Monsters, Inc...

“Up,” which recently won the Golden Globe for best animated feature, is one of the various animated films and TV series produced by talented Filipino animators employed in the back offices of big movie studios abroad.

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Yey!!! Bridging the physical divide and also providing a chance for overqualified OFWs working as domestics to upgrade their skills.

Grant expands 'Tulay' program for OFWs, kin
by Maria Aleta Nishimori, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 02/10/2010 8:41 PM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/pinoy-migrat ... m-ofws-kin

MANILA, Philippines – A new grant was awarded this year to a nongovernment organization helping overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for the expansion of the information and technology skills training program for OFWs and their kin.

Microsoft Philippines awarded the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute with US$117,000 in cash and US$112,656 software grants for the expansion of the ‘Tulay’ Project.

“We at Microsoft recognize the significant contributions of the OFW community to the country, and this is why we came up with a program such as Tulay—to help complement their technology skills,” said John Bessey, Managing Director of Microsoft Philippines.

Bessey said the concept behind Tulay is still the same—to provide OFWs and their families with access to IT skills, enrich their communication experience, and open doors to more opportunities...

“The program serves not only a virtual bridge, closing the digital divide. We also ensure that we bridge the physical divide between our OFWs and their families through technology,” Bessey said.

Tulay partnerships

Tulay was launched by Microsoft Philippines in 2004, in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and its attached agency, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). Four years later, Microsoft partnered with the Ople Center.

“With Tulay, there is no limit to learning. OFWs and their loved ones can continuously develop their technology skills for free. We are giving these modern-day heroes a way to communicate regularly with their loved ones and the opportunity to equip themselves with employable skills that will give them access to alternative career opportunities when they finally want to come home,” Bessey added.

Tulay students learn basic computer, word processing, spreadsheet, internet, digital media, presentations and database fundamentals.

Since the launch of Tulay, more than 20,000 individuals have been trained by the program. There are currently 24 Tulay centers here and abroad.

Ople Center head and senatorial bet Susan Ople thanked Microsoft Philippines for the new grant.

Transforming OFWs

Ople said the new grant will be used to reactivate, improve, and strengthen Tulay Centers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; put up a Tulay Center that would cater to seafarers and their dependents; establish a Tulay Center in ARMM; and, provide financial literacy seminars to existing and future graduates of the program.

“We, at the Ople Center, observe that once empowered, the horizons of OFWs and their dependents suddenly expand,” Ople said.

Ople shared that they had an OFW Tulay graduate who worked as a domestic helper. After acquiring new IT skills and graduating from program she left again for abroad, “but this time, no longer as a domestic helper, but as a computer secretary in Dubai”.

“By transforming them into modern-technology users, we have also transformed their occupational possibilities. From being in the most vulnerable category of workers into professional staff,” she said.

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Guys, this Pinoy needs our online votes. Let's support him.

Vote for Pinoy in U.S T-Shirt Design Finals
Posted on February 11th, 2010
AJ Dimarucot
http://goodnewspilipinas.com/?p=10415

The artwork of a Filipino graphic artist is a finalist in the $20,000 Threadless T-shirt Design of the Year contest. The competition is sponsored by US based T-shirt company called Threadless.

AJ Dimarucot is a freelance graphic artist based in the Philippines and his T-Shirt design which made it to final 12 is called Electric Sky.

There is an online competition and AJ needs our votes to win the competition. Check out AJ’s shirt design Electric Sky and vote for it on: http://www.threadless.com/bt/year,2009

Vote now as the competition ends on February 15.

For the Threadless.com contest, they print hundreds of t-shirts every year. So every month, they hold a Bestee of the Month contest (best design of the month).

AJ won the monthly prize in April 2009. Now after choosing winners (through votes) over a period of 12 months, they have a showdown for the Bestee of the Year from those 12 previous winners, so now AJ is competing for the grand prize of $20,000 against the other 11 monthly winners.

AJ has made a name for himself in the graphic design world as most of my clients are based in the U.S. and has worked with brands like Nike and Adidas for t-shirt graphics. He just recently designed a piece for Nike and Manny Pacquiao which you can see here: http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Nike-x-M ... t/416002...

AJ finished Engineering at U.P. Diliman before answering his real calling, which is to design.

His inspiration comes from local and global art, and is extremely proud to be Pinoy, and carrying the Philippine flag of t-shirt design in the international arena.

AJ is a bemedalled winner having also won on another website design competition called Designbyhumans.com back in 2008.

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Feel lucky? For reference only...Check next year kung tama mga predictions

Tiger Year predictions on RP biz & economy
Posted on February 11th, 2010
http://goodnewspilipinas.com/?p=10411

Philippine business is set to be in good hands in the Year of the Golden Tiger, which officially starts on February 14.

According to Joseph Chau, resident feng shui master of Mandarin Oriental Manila, “the economy can be better after the election , as everything will settle down.”

He added: “It will be a good and peaceful year for business; money will come if you put effort into it. The key to success is communication. So every person running for office should pay attention to this skill.”

Feng shui or geomancy is the age-old Chinese practice of arranging spaces and structures to achieve balance or harmony in life, and release positive energy or “chi.”

Geomancers make forecasts based on the 12 animal signs in Chinese astrology.

In Chinese astrology, the Tiger is the strongest animal among all the 12 animal signs, after the Dragon. It is also the symbol of leadership. So this year, Chau said, “it will be a challenging year for most people, especially those born in the months of August, September, October, November, December and January. You will have good luck for six years!”

Most businesses will face “many challenges” this year, especially business owners born in the year of the Tiger, Monkey and Snake. The industries that will be lucky this year should revolve around metal, so these would be the automotive industry, banking, computers, electronics and mining. “Those with better prospects in 2010 are also the hotel and tourism industries, because the Philippines is a hot country, thus has a fire element. You need to cool it down with water which is the element for hotels and tourism.”

He cautioned people from becoming “too greedy,” however, as one can easily lose his shirt this year. “Don’t expect too much; you can win greatly and also lose greatly. You must be satisfied with what you have. For instance, you will put your money in a high-risk investment-you can earn big and then lose everything.”

The global economy continues to be depressed, he said, explaining that the “wealth star is in prison.” To release it, the home or office should be sparsely designed. “There should not be too many furniture, or not have big furniture as these will block the flow of energy. Money will not come in.”

The lucky zodiac signs in 2010 are the Rabbit, Dragon, Horse, Goat, Rooster, Dog and Pig, while those signs said to be “offending the Tai Suey [Grand Duke of the year]“, or the unlucky signs are the Tiger, Monkey, Snake, Pig and Ox.

(Excerpts of the story from Stella Arnaldo of the Business Mirror)

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A worthy cause...

Rotary Club offers free cleft palate surgeries
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 02/10/2010 6:43 PM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/public-servi ... -surgeries

MANILA, Philippines - The Rotary Club of Manila Foundation will be conducting free cleft palate surgeries from April 11 to 16 this year.

The medical mission, now on its second year, is an annual event that focuses on providing help to people, especially the poor, who are afflicted with cleft lips or palates.

To avail of free surgery, Interested individuals must apply for mandatory screening at the D. Macapagal Memorial Medical Center (formerly known as Caloocan City General Hospital).

Applicants can look for Dra. Melba Eduarte at the hospital or call (02) 7923 and (02) 325 5308 (contact person: Ms. Marie Sariego).

Applicant screenings are now ongoing. The project is jointly organized by the Rotary Club of Manila, Rotary Clubs Diepholz-Vechta in Germany and Stadskanaal in the Netherlands.

It is also made possible through the efforts of Operation Restore Hope, a group of medical volunteers from Germany, New Zealand and Australia who perform surgeries on indigent Filipino children every year.
as of 02/10/2010 6:43 PM

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Chance for a free trip for 4 to Brazil...But, sa Islander pa rin tayo ha -- Pinoy e! ;);)

Shiny happy people
Saturday, February 13, 2010 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
http://www.bworldonline.com/weekender/c ... ?section=2

Ever since a Brazilian brand of slippers was brought in by an enterprising young couple in 2003, it has grown locally by leaps and bounds. From roughly 400 pairs in 2004, Freddy and Anne Gonzalez and their team were able to sell over 1.8 million pairs of Havaianas by the end of 2009.

Havaianas Philippines has an ongoing competition where participants stand the chance of bagging a trip for four to Brazil

As anyone who has purchased a pair will know, these slippers are not exactly cheap. Prices range from P700 to almost P1,000 a pair.

Much has already been written about how the slippers were perfect for the Philippines because we share a beach culture like that found in Australia and countless Havaianaticos (Havaianas fanatics) have bragged about how many pairs they own and still plan to buy.

"People continue to come up to us to show us pictures of a beach wedding where the guests wore Havaianas or a video of a family reunion where the different branches wore specific colors," Ms. Gonzalez, Managing Director of Havaianas Philippines, told BusinessWorld.

She realized that the owners’ happy moments were often linked to Havaianas -- where they were wearing the slippers and who they were with at the time.

It was this realization that led to the brand’s new campaign, Happy Soles, and its ongoing competition, Happy Soles will Travel to Brazil.

Unlike other campaigns where a qualifying purchase is required before one can join, the contest is open to anyone with access to a video camera and a wellspring of creativity.

Interested parties need only answer the question, "If anything were possible, what would you do to make the world happy for a day?" as creatively and as succinctly as they can. The winner and three of his or her friends will then receive an all-expense paid vacation in Brazil.

Although the trip -- which can take up the better part of a day -- is reason enough to join, Havaianas has thrown in a bunch of extras including quirky shirts from David & Goliath, resort and street wear from Aloha Board Sports, and a Sony CyberShot camera, a Sony HandyCam camcorder, a Sony Walkman MP3 player and a Sony Vaio laptop.

Campaign period

While video entries can be uploaded on the campaign Web site (www.havaianasphilippines.com/happysoles) starting Feb. 18, they can also be recorded at the Havaianas roving booths that will visit key malls nationwide.

The top ten happiest and most creative videos will be short listed by a panel of judges but the public will decide who wins the trip through online voting.

"So much has changed in the past few years. During our past campaigns, we would receive several hundred entries. Now, we’re expecting more participants because entries can be uploaded and there is no purchase required," Ms. Gonzalez said.

The Havaianas roving booth will be at SM City Lipa until Feb. 14 before moving to Bonifacio High Street (Feb, 18-28 ), Ayala Center Cebu (March 8-14), LimKetKai Mall in Cagayan de Oro (March 22-28 ), Station 1 in Boracay (April 1-3), Gaisano Mall in Davao (April 5-11), Robinsons Place Bacolod (April 19-25), Rockwell Tent in Makati (April 22-26) and Trinoma Mall in QC (April 30-May 2). -- Raoul J. Chee Kee

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Go, Jollibee, go!

Jollibee shares GK mission
By Patricia Esteves (The Philippine Star) Updated February 14, 2010 12:00 AM
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?ar ... egoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines – Building homes for the underprivileged is an advocacy close to Jollibee chairman Tony Tan Caktiong’s heart, according to his wife Grace...

“Tony realized that ‘a roof over one’s head’ can do wonders and transform a man because of the new sense of human dignity that comes with the new home. This sense of dignity can inspire a man to become responsible not only for his family but also for his community. Since Tony witnessed this transformation, he has embraced home building for the underprivileged,” Grace added.

“It is one of the reasons why Jollibee forged ties with Gawad Kalinga (GK) because they share the same vision and mission of empowering the less fortunate members of our community.”

“Jollibee Foundation envisions every Filipino to be able to access basic community services and live a life defined by dignity, purpose and active participation in nation building. This is also GK’s advocacy,” Grace said.

To date, Jollibee has built 200 homes for GK.

Last Jan. 29, Jollibee again formally turned over 49 homes to underprivileged beneficiaries living in a danger zone in Butuan City.

Jollibee has two other villages in Las Piñas and Southern Leyte...

The partnership between Jollibee and GK started in 2005 with the construction of the first Jollibee-GK village in Sitio Pulo in Las Piñas which now has a total of 51 homes. The beneficiaries lost their former homes to a fire that razed the whole community.

Belen Rillo, Jollibee vice president, said one of the remarkable things about the project was the participation of 329 employees from Jollibee, Chowking, Red Ribbon, Greenwich and Delifrance who volunteered in the construction of the houses along with the beneficiaries. Today, Jollibee continues to support the Sibol school in the village.

The second Jollibee-GK village is located in Bontoc, Southern Leyte.

The third village in Butuan, Jollibee said, is a testimony to the company’s commitment to take people away from danger zones and give them decent, safe and sturdy homes...

“It is important that we sustain what is now in place and shift the system, in such a way that the beneficiaries are empowered to help themselves. After some time, they should be able to take care of themselves. But along the way, we support and empower. Sustainability and empowerment are among the prime considerations with our programs,” she said...

The company plans to continue supporting the Bayan-Anihan, GK’s food sustainability program in which beneficiaries plant vegetables for their own consumption...

“We actually have an existing program to link small farmers to the JFC (Jollibee Foods Corp.) supply chain but not in GK sites. Eventually when the community is ready and is able to attain their daily requirements from the Bayan-Anihan program, we hope we can help them move into larger scale and consider integrating their undertaking with our Bridging Farmers to JFC Supply Chain program. This is our long-term goal,” she said.