MAYOR Arlene Arcillas Nazareno of the city of Santa Rosa will be the guest of honor and speaker of Eternal Gardens Memorial Park when it honors its top sales producers at its annual awards on  April 17 at Wack Wack Golf Club in Mandaluyong City.

Nazareno had earlier cited Eternal Gardens as a welcome investor during the recent groundbreaking of its eighth park in the city. Eternal Gardens Santa Rosa is the company’s second park in Laguna, following Eternal Gardens Biñan.

Nazareno’s father, former mayor Leon C. Arcillas, is known as the father of Santa Rosa’s cityhood, and was at the helm as the city rapidly grew into one of Southern Tagalog region’s most progressive cities. It holds the titles of “Little Detroit of the Philippines,” for being the site of six global automotive manufacturers; Silicon Valley of the Philippines; and Philippine Investment Capital in South Luzon.

Heading the awardees to be honored by Eternal Gardens on its Grand Annual Awards Night is Gloria E. Sanchez, the company’s top general agency manager for 2007.

Company executives cite her for setting an all-time high record in sales as a sales  agent  in 2001, which she herself broke this year.

Besides Biñan and Santa  Rosa, Eternal Gardens also has memorial parks in Baesa, Caloocan City, the first in the chain; the cities of Dagupan, Batangas, Lipa, Naga and Cabanatuan.

Eternal Gardens is headed by Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, founder and chairman emeritus; Benjamin V. Ramos, president; and D. Edgard A. Cabangon, chairman and chief executive officer.

PRIVATE think tank Ibon Foundation Inc. believes the government can ensure the public of cheaper rice prices by strengthening the National Food Authority (NFA), doing away with trade liberalization and resisting creditor pressure.

A FILIPINO-owned mining firm is investing P751 million for a nickel mining and processing project in Carrascal, Surigao del Sur.

MILITANT groups reiterated Tuesday the call for legislated wage hike and urged President Arroyo to certify as urgent the P125 wage-hike bill in the wake of the increasing price of rice and other basic commodities in the Philippines.

AMID rising criticisms of the country’s statistical agencies, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) has urged the government and the private sector to increase their investments in statistics.

ONE of the largest banks in Germany, Bank IM Bistum, based in Essen will set up a microfinance system in the Philippines to provide fund assistance to small farmers and rural communities, identified as the most vulnerable sectors in the food crisis in the country.

MAYOR Arlene Arcillas Nazareno of the city of Santa Rosa will be the guest of honor and speaker of Eternal Gardens Memorial Park when it honors its top sales producers at its annual awards on  April 17 at Wack Wack Golf Club in Mandaluyong City.

OPPONENTS of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa) chided President Arroyo’s pitch Monday for the senators to approve the controversial treaty when Congress resumes sessions next Monday.