Petron says network expansion on track
OIL refiner Petron Corp. said on Tuesday it is on track of its target to have 5,000 stations in three to four years, Ramon S. Ang, the company chairman and chief executive, said during the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting.
51 die as powerful tornado hits Oklahoma City suburb
MOORE, Oklahoma—A monstrous tornado at least a half-mile (800 meters) wide roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs on Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds up to 200 mph (320 kph). At least 51 people were killed, including at least 20 children, and officials said the death toll was expected to rise.
More investments needed in agriculture
AGRICULTURE Secretary Proceso J. Alcala is right: Big local and foreign corporations should invest in agriculture, not only to ensure food security, but also to accelerate countryside development.
China’s Li in India to boost trade ties
INDIA and China sought to draw a line under a military standoff along part of their disputed border, agreeing to accelerate talks on a settlement and boost trade that they said would help drive the world economy.
Obama to Thein Sein: Myanmar’s democratic progress fuels economy
PRESIDENT Barack Obama told Myanmar President Thein Sein that building democracy and ending human-rights abuses would bring greater prosperity to the Southeast Asian nation.
News
TRO snags government’s drive vs smuggling
The government’s campaign against tax cheats and smugglers has suffered a setback as the Court of Appeals (CA) stopped the Department of Justice (DOJ) from filing a P5-billion tax case against the top executive of an oil company and a broker.
Groups to Erap: Trash proposal to reclaim Manila Bay
Former president and now Manila Mayor-elect Joseph “Erap” Ejercito Estrada was asked on Tuesday to rescind an ordinance approved by outgoing Mayor Alfredo Lim allowing the reclamation of portions of Manila Bay for a controversial development project near the United States Embassy.
Navy’s second frigate starts sea trials
THE BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) began its much-awaited sea trials as part of preparations for its journey to the Philippines.
Residents do not want a geothermal plant in Irosin, Sorsogon–ICAG
IROSIN, Sorsogon—In the 1990s, the locals successfully blocked attempts of the Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) to put up a geothermal power plant in the area, Irosin Coalition Against Geothermal (ICAG) Chairman Dr. Precy D. Gante told the BusinessMirror on May 19.
More investments needed in agriculture
AGRICULTURE Secretary Proceso J. Alcala is right: Big local and foreign corporations should invest in agriculture, not only to ensure food security, but also to accelerate countryside development.
China’s Li in India to boost trade ties
INDIA and China sought to draw a line under a military standoff along part of their disputed border, agreeing to accelerate talks on a settlement and boost trade that they said would help drive the world economy.
Business
Petron says network expansion on track
OIL refiner Petron Corp. said on Tuesday it is on track of its target to have 5,000 stations in three to four years, Ramon S. Ang, the company chairman and chief executive, said during the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting.
Environment department allocates P55 million for coffee, bamboo plantations
THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has set aside P55 million for the establishment of a coffee plantation inside Bukidnon province’s Camp Kibaritan and a bamboo plantation inside Nueva Ecija province’s Fort Magsaysay in support of the government’s National Greening Program (NGP).
High fees, few rural outlets slash benefits of remittances–report
HIGH charges and few rural outlets cut the benefits of the billion-dollar remittances sent by Asian migrants to their families, a report by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (Ifad) and the World Bank said on Tuesday.
From the Citi, a gem of a program supports PHL microenterprises
EVERY Filipino entrepreneur aspires for success—but the road is not always easy. How does one get the ample funding, right skills and an effective network? Faced with these challenges, not everyone is able to turn his dream of owning a business into reality.
Empowering SMEs through technology
ELECTRONICS powerhouse Samsung and telecom giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) seek to empower Filipino small- and medium-scale entrepreneurs (SMEs) even more under a program that makes full use of technology to optimize productivity and output.
Malaysia developing green technology as AEC niche
THE Malaysian economy, which grew from its agricultural roots, is rediscovering possibilities in business solutions that promote green technology.
Sports
Supporting cast benchmark for Heat
MIAMI—Erik Spoelstra, mad chemist that he is, started Dexter Pittman in Game Three of the 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers. Predictably, that lab experiment blew up in Spoelstra’s face like the unstable concoction it was, and, if memory serves, set off a chain reaction of panic that left many wondering whether the Heat’s grand gamble was doomed.
Lifestyle
Fewer Facebook users take a liking to its new Home software
SAN FRANCISCO—It may be too soon to call Facebook Home a flop. But it’s clearly not the breakout hit that some expected. One month after its splashy debut, fewer and fewer people are downloading Facebook’s new mobile software. It took weeks for Facebook Home to hit 1 million downloads—less than 0.1 percent of its 1.1 billion monthly active-user base.
‘Cleopatra,’ a spectacle on- and off-screen
THERE was the spectacle, the runaway budget, the fights with the studio. But almost everyone thinks about the 1963 movie Cleopatra for one thing: Liz and Dick.
Of rocks and things
AN ecotourist’s delight.
That’s probably the best way to describe Northern Samar.
It’s a coastal region blessed with so many beaches, caves and rock formations, waterfalls and hot springs, as well as popular historical and religious sites fashioned by the creative minds and hands of men.
Features
For Nivea’s country manager, the beauty of the Philippines is not just skin-deep
SOME say Manila is not the best destination in the Philippines. But for several foreign tourists and business executives who already visited the country, Manila is the place to be as it is where marble meets dust, where passion finds success.
End-to-end pharmacovigilance is a must–Unilab
NOT all medicines—even those with the same generic names—are created equal. And in numerous cases, the difference—particularly in quality, divides the line between life and death for patients.
For first time, stem cells are produced from cloning technique
WASHINGTON—For the first time, scientists have created human embryos that are genetic copies of living people and used them to make stem cells—a feat that paves the way for treating a range of diseases with personalized body tissues, but also ignites fears of human cloning.
Fuego expands service to property management
WITH the increasing number of travelers and homeowners in the country today, Fuego Hotels & Properties Management Corp. has announced the growth of its sales and marketing team, as well as its list of services, which now includes providing consultancy to properties that need guidance in setting up their own hotel and resort.
Embrace the cold call
IN the course of researching my new book, Reinventing You, I gained a newfound respect for the merits of cold calling. Ringing up total strangers on the phone doesn’t have to be a sleazy sales tactic. Instead, it can simply be a way to connect with someone you might not otherwise have access to.
ADMU, Epictech partner to include Syspro ERP in curriculum
THE Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) has recently entered into a partnership with Epictech Inc., a business solutions provider, to integrate the Syspro Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) suite into its curriculum.
Sacrificing the Great Barrier Reef for mining, port development
SYDNEY—Mining and port development coupled with decreasing water quality along Australia’s northeastern coast are threatening the continent’s World Heritage-listed tourist drawcard, the Great Barrier Reef.
Rooftop generators may cause yet another industrial disaster in Bangladesh
DHAKA—As Aleya Begum sewed pants for 11 hours each day, vibrations from a power generator shuddered across the roof of her Dhaka garment factory.
Five ridiculously easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint
IN the news last week were stories about how the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has hit a record high, exceeding the long-feared 400-parts-per-million milestone, US scientists announced.
So, what’s the big deal about CO2 and why should we be alarmed?
Climate change is happening…so what?
NEW YORK—Seven in 10 US citizens believe climate change is real and happening now. Yet most have never even contacted a government official about the issue, let alone volunteered with an environmental organization or taken other action.
Africa, Asia see boom in priests as Europe withers
VATICAN CITY—The number of Catholic priests in Africa and Asia has shot up over the past decade while decreasing in Europe, mirroring trends in the numbers of Catholic faithful that helped lead to the election of Pope Francis as the first non-European pope in over a millennium.
Understanding cholesterol and the role of magnesium, sulfur in our health
CHOLESTEROL is widely thought as bad for the health. But this notorious fat, which is associated to heart problems, is essential to the body, said Mary Jean Netario Cruz, an integrative-health consultant.
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