Based on their advocacies, Binondo-based business clubs have different priorities.

For one, the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. now offers Mandarin classes every Saturday. Mind you, the teachers are first-rate, if they get the nod from Lucio Tan, who likes to reach for the Confucian classics in his free time.

For another, the Chinese-Filipino Business Club offers entrepreneurship programs.  The teachers here are provided by the Department of Trade and Industry.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap pushed for and has gotten the nod for a P200-million fund for organic farming technologies. This should go hand-in-hand with the P400-million financing program that Development Bank of the Philippines president and chief executive officer Reynaldo David has set up for farmers engaged in organic agriculture.

As everybody knows, organic farming means no chemicals in the use of fertilizers and insecticides. This is in sharp contrast to hybrid farming, which messes around with different, say, rice prototypes; and genetically modified farming, which throws in together different qualities from different species like, say, a tomato and a frog (read: yes, there is such a tomato GMO).

Did you know 1: Indonesians have now surpassed Filipinos as the domestic helpers of choice in Hong Kong.

That could, of course, change if HK agrees to a proposal by manpower agencies to increase the minimum monthly salary of HK$3,480 (the equivalent of P20,000) to a level nearer the Taiwan minimum equivalent to HK$5,000.

There’s also a proposal to reduce the processing time from the current 10 weeks to somewhere closer to Singapore’s four weeks.

Did you know 2: As tourists, Koreans pretty much prepay their Philippine trip. This means most of the money spent, from meals to medical service, stay in Korea.

Now, the Chinese are encouraged to spend their money in the Philippines, whether as tourists or investors.

By the way, there’s a Chinese company that will sign next month a long-term lease agreement to develop an island near Coron, Palawan, into a Chinese retirement community, complete with hospitals and recreational facilities.

As always, there’s a lot of freshly printed P100, P500 and P1,000 bills going around this Christmas season. And corollary to that, there’s also a need to be extra careful of counterfeit bills.

Check the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas web site for quick tips on how to spot these fakes.

Now, for those who are more interested in getting hold of smaller bills that can be given to the postman, the garbage men, and yes, even the bill collectors, go to your favorite bank branch early (read: do it now) and ask the manager to reserve some crisp P20s and P50s for you and say when you will pick them up. 

HUSH Puppies is targeting a 20-percent “plus” growth in sales next year and will be offering its customers more styles, especially in the children’s market.

RP stocks rise on growth outlook

THE Philippine stock index Thursday advanced on mounting speculation the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates, helping avert a recession in the Southeast Asian nation’s biggest overseas market for labor and goods.

DELL Philippines and Accent Micro Technologies Inc. (AMTI) have partnered in opening the Accent Micro Technology Solution Center, a first in the country.

THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Thursday said it has awarded a license to the Team (Philippines) Energy Corp. (TPEC) as the 8th wholesale aggregator (WA).

Based on their advocacies, Binondo-based business clubs have different priorities.

For one, the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. now offers Mandarin classes every Saturday. Mind you, the teachers are first-rate, if they get the nod from Lucio Tan, who likes to reach for the Confucian classics in his free time.