2nd Visayas OTOP Fair Goes to Boracay

Expected to join the 2^nd Visayas One Town One Product (OTOP) Fair goes to Boracay are 99 OTOP Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from Region 6 (39 SMEs), Region 7 (35 SMEs), and Region 8 (25 SMEs).

Department of Trade and Industry Western Visayas Regional Director Dominic P. Abad said that the fair will run for five days from 23 - 27 May 2007 at the La Carmela de Boracay Resort.

Two selling areas will be provided for the buyers. One is at the second floor of the resort for the regular selling from 2:00PM-11:00PM daily and the other is at the beach front of the resort for the night market from 7:00PM-11:00PM daily.

Products for sale are souvenir items, beachwear, novelty items, furnishings, natural fiber, and fashion accessories such as bags, shawls, headgears and footwear, including food items and horticulture inputs.

To add color to the fair, two live mannequins will carry and present Visayas OTOP products under the direction and choreography of International Lifestyle Designer PJ Aranador.

To make the fair more alive, a rolling band will be commissioned to roam from station 1, 2 and 3 in addition to a sailboat bearing the OTOP logo that will sail around the Island.

To enliven the night market, a sand art castle with all the candle lights featuring OTOP will be mounted plus a band to play reggae music on May 25.

Abad said that the Island of Boracay was chosen as the venue because most of the souvenir shops are here, domestic and foreign tourists abound in the area, and it has great market and tourism potentials.

Invited to come are buyers from Manila and from the three regions, governors and mayors and other government officials from the National Government Agencies, among others.

The 2^nd OTOP fair will focus on selling the products produced by the SMEs of the three regions under the DTI OTOP Philippines program.

OTOP is one of the priority programs of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to promote entrepreneurship and create jobs in the countryside.

It encourages the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to produce and market distinct products or services using indigenous raw materials and manpower of every municipality or city.

Executives of the Local Government Units (LGUs) take the lead in identifying, developing, and promoting a specific product or service which has a competitive advantage.

The DTI through the Provincial Offices and the SME Development Group assist the LGUs in identifying the specific product and coordinated other forms of assistance from other government agencies such as the Departments of Agriculture (DA), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Interior and Local Government (DILG), Science and Technology (DOST), Tourism (DOT) and the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA), among others.

Package of assistance include business counseling, skills and entrepreneurial training, marketing, and introduction of appropriate technologies.

The 1^st OTOP fair, which was held in Cebu City last year, focused on the product development initiatives of the DTI highlighting the tourism and market potentials of the Supra Region, the Central Philippines , which attracts more than half of the foreign tourists in the country.

The fair became a vehicle to showcase the OTOPs of Region 6, 7 and 8 and generated sales amounting to P 3.77M for the 4-day fair.

Bent on promoting the products of small entrepreneurs in LGUs, DTI -Regional Operations Group (ROG) Undersecretary Carissa Cruz-Evangelista signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Development Bank of the Philippines for a special window on financing for the OTOP SMEs on April 16 this year. (DTI)

Asian telcos meet in Cebu

More than 300 delegates from over 110 telecommunications carriers and entities from Asia, Europe and the Pacific Rim converged in Cebu Tuesday for the four-day 3rd Asian Carriers Conference (ACC).

The Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) Co. and its subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. are organizing the conference which is being held at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City until Friday.

PLDT group head for International and Carrier Business Victorico P. Vargas said the event was conceived by the PLDT Group to create a venue for discussion of trends, such as the Next Generation Network and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and the challenges and opportunities in the fast-paced telecommunications industry.

These are in addition to basic bilateral commercial and technical discussions between the various telecom entities.

”This year, we have expanded our guest list to include not only fixed and mobile carriers, but also roaming partners, VoIP and value-added service providers, submarine cable operators, vendors and supplies,” Vargas said in a press release.

”We’re proud to say that it is growing to become the largest telecommunications conference in the region,” he added.

When ACC started in 2005, it was able to attract 150 delegates. Last year, the attendance grew to over 180 delegates.

This year, registered delegates have reached over 300, and the number is expected to approach 350 when the conference commences.

”Asian carriers as well as those from other continents and regions now have an alternative venue in Asia to discuss business and industry concerns," said Vargas.

"We made sure the topics for discussion and opportunities for dialogue would be very comprehensive. Support from the carrier and other Telco players like suppliers and cable operators has been strong and well above expectations,” he added.

Vargas said PLDT and Smart hope to achieve in this conference is to create a venue and environment for carries and telecom players to strengthen existing relations, improve business, help resolve issues, as well as find new opportunities in a relaxed and hassle-free atmosphere.

In addition, PLDT and Smart aim to contribute to the promotion of the Philippines as a tourist destination by allowing foreign counterparts to immerse themselves in Philippine culture and enjoy Cebu and its surroundings.

In the works is a proposal to set up an organization for the conference to make it more potent, more cohesive and able to facilitate sharing and cooperation to help the Asian telecom industry advance much faster.

Aside from PLDT and Smart, major sponsors, speakers and exhibitors of the ACC include major telecom players such as France Telecom, Belgacom of Belgium, VSNL/Teleglobe of India and Canada, IDT of the UK, US Sprint, Verizon Business, Hong Kong Colo, NEC of Japan, Comptertel of Mexico, Mabuhay Satellite and Telarix.

Other countries to be represented at the conference include Japan, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh India, Egypt, Oman, the Untied Arab Emirates, South Africa, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Russia, the United States, and Canada, among others.(PNA)

Central Visayas investments jump to P12B in first quarter

Investments in Central Visayas registered with the Board of Investment (BOI) Cebu extension office jumped a hundredfold to P12.23 billion in the first quarter this year compared to the P120 million registered in the same period last year.

South Western Cement Corp. contributed the bulk of the total investment at P12.14 billion, according to BOI records.

The proposed cement plant, which will be located in the southwestern Cebu town of Malabuyoc, is a fully integrated cement project that will have its own quarry.

Its commercial operation is expected to begin in 2011, with a production capacity of 1.6 million metric tons of cement per year or 39.16 million bags per year.

The other new projects that registered with the BOI-Cebu are Firm Builders Realty Development Corp. (FBRDC), with an investment of P41.5 million, Platinum Premium Seafood Products Inc. with P38.6 million and Fashion Accessories 4 U Corp. with P10.42 million.

The new businesses that came from fashion jewelry, processed fish products and cement are located in Cebu.

FBRDC, which is into mass housing projects, is in Oriental Negros.

The firms, which secured the BOI’s approval, will enjoy incentives, such as income tax holidays, tax and customs duty exemptions on capital equipment and spare parts and net operating loss carryover.

Meanwhile, the data also showed that the employment to be generated by the companies total 670.

The figure represents a 200 percent jump from the 219 jobs created in the first quarter of last year. (PNA)

Cebu sets 3-day grand sales blitz, June 15-17

Taking advantage of its image as the country's premiere tourist destination Cebu's business sector is coming up with a three-day sales blitz next month dubbed "Shop Cebu" that will be participated by key tourism players and sprucing up local businesses.

"Shop Cebu," an undertaking of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) aims to establish Cebu as the region's shopping and dining destination. The event is one of the highlights of the Cebu Business Month (CBM) celebrated every June and spearheaded by the CCCI.

The three-day event will be a grand sales blitz among Cebu retailers as the malls in Cebu City will hold a three-day grand sale from June 15 to 17 with a midnight sale on the 16th. Hotels, restaurants, resto-bars, spas and other establishments will also offer discounts during the period.

The CCCI's tourism committee in-charge of the "Shop Cebu" event urges people to 'shop till you drop' from simple wristbands to T-shirts to musical instruments. It will also be a shopping adventure for shopping enthusiasts as one chooses from among handicraft centers, world-class malls and department stores that sell quality souvenir items like fashion accessories and furniture, handicrafted guitars and shellcraft goods.

Working together with the CCCI for the "Shop Cebu" event are the Cebu City Government, Cebu Provincial Government, ABS-CBN, Cebu Pacific and Taiheiyo Cement Philippines.

The CBM's twin focus for this years's celebration is on information and communication technology and tourism development under the theme "Let's Go Cebu!." (PIA)

SMPHI waits for control over SRP

SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPHI) president Hans Sy has said the company is “willing to wait” on its plan to take full control over the 295-hectare (ha) South Road Properties (SRP) in Cebu City.

Sy said SMPHI, the company behind SM super malls, will not abort plans of long-term development strategies for SRP to signify its confidence over Cebu’s bullish economy.

”We can’t make any move yet because we are still awaiting a formal position. There’s no firm offer. It has not reached to the level if we are developers or what. There are many things to settle like the master plan, price, technical details, etcetera, but we are willing to wait,” Sy told reporters.

Sy was in Cebu Friday for the soft opening of the SM City Cebu Northwing, which is a five-level annex to its existing 13.8-ha property at the Cebu North Reclamation Area.

He said the company’s multi-billion-peso offer, which includes “taking over the full obligation of paying” for the balance of Cebu City Hall’s P6.3-billion loan with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, involves a mixed-use facility and an information technology (IT) park at the SRP.

”It will be another Mall of Asia type of development,” he said.

Capitalizing on the burgeoning growth of the IT sector, SMPHI initially offered a joint venture with the City Government to develop an IT Park within a government-owned lot, similar to that of the Cebu Provincial Government and the Cebu Property Ventures and Development Corp. (CPVDC).

CPVDC, a subsidiary of Ayala Land Holdings Inc., developed the Asiatown IT Park in Barangay Apas, Cebu City.

SMPHI earlier mulled plans to invest P2 billion for the construction of two more malls in the province. The company was eyeing the SRP as a feasible site for one of its malls.

He said the construction of the two malls, which are expected to cost P1 billion each including the land value, will begin once SMPHI finds the lot for the projects. The plan is included in the project to put up four more additional malls in the Visayas.

Other prospective sites are Mactan island and “a little bit farther than Banilad,” Sy said.

”We’re really serious and bullish about Cebu. In fact, it’s our priority area for Visayas and Mindanao projects,” he said.

According to Sy, the company is in the look out for mall expansions, as it foresees growth in the country’s retail sector.

More malls, he said, helps decongest mall traffic.

SMPHI inaugurated last time its MS Bacolod branch in Negros Occidental, bringing to four the total number of malls in the Visayas.

In addition, SMPHI and the Iloilo government are now finalizing the bidding to develop a 54-ha lot of the Iloilo airport for another mixed-use facility, which includes residential and IT park developments.

Meanwhile, the 10.9-ha annex in SM City Cebu, dubbed the Northwing, is estimated to cost between P200 million and P300 million and is expected to open next month.

It has 171 leasable spaces and has 148 tenants. It has parking spaces on three floors and the roof deck can accommodate about 1,946 vehicles.

The Northwing, which is designed for the upper class market, will house upscale shops, specialty shops, a comfort lounge, concierge, entertainment area and restaurants. (PNA)