WELLNESS IN BUSINESS: 72-hectare Iloilo Business Park set to be the business, lifestyle and tourism hub in Western Visayas

Megaworld, the Andrew Tan-led property giant, is developing a modern financial center inside the 72-hectare Iloilo Business Park, with several banks and companies already set to build regional headquarters in the district, a ranking official said over the weekend.Jennifer Palmares-Fong, head of marketing of Iloilo Business Park, said interest has been strong, with commercial lots almost sold out.“There has been a strong interest from various sectors, particularly financial and banking, to establish their businesses in Iloilo Business Park. Since we announced the township being envisioned as Iloilo City’s new central business district or CBD, everyone wants their presence here,” she said.Megaworld has allocated nine hectares of the entire township for the commercial district.It started selling the lots at P47,000 per square meter in 2013. Today, the lots, which range from 611sqm to 1,735 sqm, are now sold at P70,000 or a 49 percent increase from its original price a couple of years ago, according to Megaworld.Eighty percent of the lands have already been sold to banks and financial institutions as well as local enterprises but Palmares-Fong said the lots are also viable for hotels.Among the major banks that are set to establish their regional headquarters and offices in Iloilo Business Park’s financial district include the George Ty-owned Metrobank and the Aboitiz Group’s Unionbank.“Aside from banks and financial institutions, other commercial businesses like car and furniture showrooms as well as regional headquarters of corporations are welcome to the financial district of Iloilo Business Park,” she said.Megaworld is developing the commercial district, which will rise toward the southern part of the township near the iconic Iloilo River. It is envisioned to be one of the busiest districts in the Iloilo Business Park once completed. It will be directly connected to the township center via the six-lane Megaworld Boulevard.Megaworld’s Iloilo Business Park, occupying 72-hectares on the former site of the Old Mandurriao Airport, is envisioned to be the biggest business, lifestyle and tourism hub in Western Visayas.Aside from the financial and commercial district, Iloilo Business Park will be home to two business hotels – Richmonde Hotel Iloilo and Courtyard by Marriott. The Iloilo Convention Center, which will be the largest convention facility in Region VI, will also be part of the business park as well as state-of-the-art BPO office towers, luxury residential condominiums including The Palladium, the tallest residential tower in Western Visayas, and the Festive Walk Mall. In addition to this, Megaworld is also developing The Street of Festive Walk, a 1.1-kilometer commercial and retail strip, which will be the longest dining and retail strip in the entire Western Visayas region. The property giant has lined up several projects for the year in Luzon and Visayas including the development of residential projects in the Makati Central Business District, office buildings in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig and its township projects.

http://www.philstar.com/business/2015/08/03/1483783/megaworld-develop-modern-financial-center-iloilo
Megaworld to develop modern financial center in Iloilo by Iris C. Gonzales (The Philippine Star)

WELLNESS IN ENVIRONMENT: Solar Companies will push to quadruple Incentive Scheme for Renewable Energy Suppliers

Philippine Solar Power Alliance (PSPA) said it would propose the steps to make it easier to develop projects worth an estimated $4 billion in the pipeline from local firms such as Aboitiz Power Corp and foreign companies like Thailand's Chow Steel Industries PCL. Located right above the equator, the Philippines is blessed with plenty of sunlight throughout the year that could be used to help meet soaring power demand as manufacturing grows and call centre businesses boom. But worries over the initial expense of solar projects have stymied the sector's development with many projects still at very tentative stages, hampering the country's efforts to shake its dependence on imported fossil fuels. Under the government's current incentive programme, 500 megawatts of solar capacity will be entitled to guaranteed prices for 20 years. But the PSPA wants to extend that to around 2 gigawatts. "We will draft an industry roadmap, which we will present to the government as the basis of our proposal which is for 2 gigawatts," said Theresa Cruz-Capellan, chief executive of SunAsia Energy Inc and president of the PSPA. The country's solar capacity currently stands at around 110 MW. Mario Marasigan, director of the renewable energy management division of the government's energy department, said Manila would need time to assess the impact of more ambitious solar targets. The PSPA also said getting regulatory approval such as permission to convert land into solar farms and other environmental clearance had been slow.  "We have to deal with many people in the government from local to national level to get permits," Cruz-Capellan told Reuters in an interview. She added that a rule saying that projects need to be 80-percent complete before developers can apply to receive minimum tariffs, sometimes made it difficult to get financing. The government's Marasigan said that conditions for receiving guaranteed tariffs were clear. "It's first-come, first-served based on completion," he said. The proposals would help the Philippines follow regional neighbour Thailand, which has poured record sums of money into its solar sector. (By Enrico dela Cruz with Editing by Joseph Radford) http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/07/13/philippines-energy-solar-idINL3N0ZP2MY20150713

WELLNESS IN TOURISM: 10th Ambassador, Consuls General & Tourism Directors Tour (ACGTDT) officially launched to Filipino-American community in New York

The presentation on the 10th ACGTDT was given by Ms. Mitchelle Cristalle D. De Vera, PDOT-NY Representative, who described how this special annual tour sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Tourism in Manila would enable all participants to join Philippine diplomats from the United States to explore Philippine tourism sites from 6 to 10 July 2015. She presented slides and video samples of ACGTDT tours in past years, and further revealed how for the first time this year, the basic tour itinerary of the ACGTDT would include an excursion of both Manila and Cebu, along with yearly routine activities such as a scheduled group luncheon at Malacanang Palace. Post-tour packages to other destinations such as Palawan, Bohol, and Vigan could be arranged at additional costs.

Read source: http://www.filipinoexpress.com/express-week/1717-philippine-consulate-and-department-of-tourism-launch-10th-acgtdt-at-the-philippine-center-in-new-york

WELLNESS IN BUSINESS: Philippine Banking Industry remains attractive due to its 100 million population and low credit

Yuanta Bank is the second Taiwanese bank and the fifth foreign bank permitted to do business in the Philippines following the passage of the amended foreign banks law last year. The revised measure, signed into law by President Aquino in July last year, removed the limit of foreign banks in the country earlier set at only 10. Under the new law, foreign banks may now own as much as 100 percent of any local bank, removing the previous cap of 60 percent. The BSP started receiving applications for new foreign banks in late December last year following the release of the implementing rules and regulations in November.
Since January, the central bank has approved the entry of Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui, South Korea’s Shinhan Bank, Taiwan’s Cathay United, and the Industrial Bank of Korea. BSP Deputy Governor Nestor Espenila Jr said the BSP is still processing the application of another Asian bank, which he declined to name.
“I cannot give details yet,” he said. Espenilla said banks in the Asia Pacific region are setting its sights on the Philippines. “Asia is the growing part of the global economy and Asia itself is trading amongst themselves. We also have this Asean Economic Community so there are so many economic drivers that is why that is the case,” he added. According to him, banks from the US and Europe have also expressed interest in setting up shop in the Philippines. “They (European and US banks) have asked about our law. My sense is they are not yet moving now but they are clearly looking at future opportunities,” the BSP official said.

Read source:  http://www.philstar.com/business/2015/07/07/1473976/bsp-welcomes-more-foreign-banks

WELLNESS IN ARTS: Extraordinary Art by Extraordinary People where Disability did not limit Artists' Achievements

The Mu Sigma Phi Fraternity of the UP College of Medicine presented “Obra: An Exhibit,”a benefit show featuring works by differently abled artists, at the Museum of a History of Ideas, UP Manila.
The show, which was part of a larger project called “ObraX: Extraordinary Art by Extraordinary People” whose advocacy revolved around the promotion of the many capabilities of the differently abled, featured 40 paintings made by abled artists Nice So, Christopher Solis and Association of Mouth and Foot Painters (AMFPA) representatives Jovito Sasutona, John Feruelo and Amado Dulnuan.
Dr. Gregorio T. Alvior Jr., an alumnus of the UP College of Medicine, opened the exhibit. He was joined by alumni brothers Dr. Ruter Maralit, Dr. Jose Alvin Mojica, and Dr. Rafael Bundoc with Dr. Josephine Bundoc. In his closing remarks, Dr. Copernico Villaruel Jr., an active supporter of the arts, said disability must not limit a person’s achievements. In a silent auction, guests bid on their favored pieces. Through their paintings, these abled artists were instrumental in reaching out to the pediatric patients of UP-PGH with hearing impairment. Three members of the AMFPA also attended a live exhibition of their talent in mouth and foot painting. Vell Baria, a singer with autism, performed Mutya ng Pasig in the interim. She was also part of “Reverb: Echoing Awareness through the Arts,” a concert featuring the differently abled, still under “ObraX.”
Source: http://www.philstar.com/arts-and-culture/2015/05/25/1457903/obra-manila

PEACE UPDATE: DFA hopes Chinese military to use possible factor to contribute in maintenance of peace and stability

Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose was reacting to the Chinese military white paper that said it might shift its strategy from defense to offense. "We are still studying the latest white paper on military strategy. We hope the Chinese military will use possible factor to contribute in the maintenance of peace and stability in the region," Jose said in a press briefing. Hua Chunying, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, sent a "gentle reminder" to the Philippines that it's not going to bully smaller countries but Manila must not provoke and instigate tensions in the region. She also said the United States, which is sending its most advanced military ship to the region, must stop "inflammatory" activities there.This was after a state-owned Global Times editorial said a war is inevitable between China and the US if Washington doesn't stop demanding Beijing to halt reclamation activities in the disputed Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea. Jose said Washington's increased presence in the region is still part of its rebalance to Asia policy, which was announced at the start of US President Barack Obama's second term."[There's] nothing new with that. The timetable [was] advanced because of the reclamation work that poses threat to freedom of navigation and unimpeded flow of commerce and the marine degradation," Jose said.He added that the Philippines is committed to its diplomatic and legal approach, as well as trying to enhance Manila's defense capabilities. Jose said the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) remains to be the international law that must be followed to resolve the disputes in the sea peacefully. The Philippines brought the sea dispute to the UN Arbitral Tribunal last year.China claims almost 90 percent of the 3.5 million square kilometers West Philippine Sea.

Source:  http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2015/05/28/philippines-china-use-military-peace-409975

WELLNESS TOUR: Clairemont Hills' 1st Health and Wellness Seminar with Amb Zara Jane Juan as Speaker

Anchor Land’s newest residential enclave in San Juan, Clairemont Hills organized its first ever Health and Wellness Seminar for its clients last March 28, 2015. Clairemont Hills, considered as one of Anchor Land’s highly premium projects consists of a 16-story residential condominium and urban townhouses that offe modernist structure and design as well as an ideal place to raise and live with the family. Clairemont Hills boasts of manicured gardens, modern amenities, spaceous grounds all in an enclosed yet intimate community. The seminar focused on Mindfulness and Wellness which was, facilitated by Ambassador Zara Jane Juan. Along with the discussions are the basic tips on how to handle stress, wellness tips on food that nourish and detox , and how to engage in a holistic lifestyle. “Meditation is an effective way to manage stress and heal the mind, body and soul” Amb. Zara stressed during her talk. Basic meditation techniques were also taught to all participants as part of the seminar activity which also include Focused Meditation Technique, Activity-Oriented Meditation Technique, Mindfulness Technique and Meditative Prayer. Everyone was also participative during the question and answer portion, as clients were given a chance to raise their questions. Foods and refreshments were served right after the program. Anchor Land aims to mount more activities and events at Clairemont Hills that focus on the many facets of Health and Wellness.