Cisco, Baguio govt expand tie-up

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

CISCO said on Monday the local government of Baguio expanded their partnership to train personnel that man the city’s smart city command center.

Through its partnership with technology solutions provider Quantela, Cisco conducted its Center of Excellence Training Capability Program to ensure that both IT professionals and non-IT personnel in Baguio City’s Smart City Command Center are “equipped to operate and maximize the full use of the command center.”

By capacitating city personnel, the local government of Baguio expects emergency response to be more efficient and disaster resilience to be improved.

“Transforming a city, like

India blocks

BYD’s bid to set up plant

INDIA rejected Chinese carmaker BYD Co.’s proposal to build a $1 billion electric-vehicle plant in partnership with a local company, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The Indian government dismissed the plan from BYD and Hyderabadbased Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd. on national security concerns, the people said, asking not to be identified as the decision is not yet public. The use of Chinese homegrown technology is a concern, one of the people said.

Foreign direct investment in India’s automobile sector doesn’t typically require approval. Investment proposals from countries that share a border with India, however, need political and security clearance from the ministries of external and home affairs.

BYD declined to comment. Representatives for Megha, which was established in 1989 and has infrastructure projects in sectors from power to transport, didn’t return phone calls or an email seeking comment. Bloomberg News transforming a business, requires investment in people, processes, and technology. Our close partnership with Mayor Benjamin Magalong to design a holistic upskilling blueprint for the Smart City Command Center personnel is integral to the vast improvements we see in the urbanized city of Baguio today. We are thrilled to see the progress that the team has made and how it has enabled them to better meet the needs of citizens,” Cisco Philippines Managing Director Zaza SorianoNicart said.

The capacity-building program consisted of a two-week training conducted on-site at Baguio’s Smart City Command Center, which engaged personnel across the city’s public sector agencies, such as the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO).

Through the program aimed at enabling them to assess security risks and emergencies, provide up-to-date information to citizens on city services on the “Baguio in my pocket” application, and track and resolve help requests submitted by citizens.

Nicart noted that apart from training, Cisco invested in resources to build a simulated environment for the command center, deployed by its partner Quantela, to enable developers to experiment with new technologies, application integrations, configurations, and features.

Earlier this month, Cisco announced the completion of the Smart City Command Center, which will allow city planners to “streamline and transform city management decisions and public services.”

The command center now serves as the core of the city’s operations, enabling real-time monitoring, analysis, decisionmaking, and rapid response to emergencies. Cisco’s networking, security, and collaboration technologies power the underlying infrastructure of the platform. The solution includes industrial and network switches, data center architecture, as well as firewalls, and advanced threat detection response tools, ensuring that the command center is secure from end to end at all times.

“Empowering Baguio City with the right skills and resources to navigate their digital shift not only allows the local government to carry out their mandate holistically but also elevates the way of life for its citizens and tourists,” Nicart said. “All these are in line with Cisco’s purpose to power an inclusive future for all, as we bridge the digital divide one city at a time.”

Landers opens new branch in Laguna

SANTA Rosa, Laguna—Landers Superstore has opened its 10th branch in Nuvali to bring “world-class brands” not only to the residents of the province, but also to those living in other provinces in Southern Tagalog.

“We’re the fastest-growing retailer in the Philippines that opened three stores in three months,” Landers President and CEO Greg Davis said during the recent store opening ceremony last July 20.

In June, Landers opened its 9th outlet at Arca South in Taguig City, following the soft launching of its 8th store in Angeles City, Pampanga last April 28.

The Laguna store, according to officials, features an expansive retail area, cozy dining spot, high ceilings, and beautiful accent lights, complemented by its “Instagrammable interiors.”

From everyday essentials to special purchases, members can choose all the items they need—from the store’s wide array of imported and local goods, hard-to-find items, exclusive labels and premium brands.

Another interesting feature of the store is the Farmer’s Market section that offers the freshest fruits and vegetables sourced from community farms in the region and nearby provinces.

Delicious food options are varied—from Landers Central that serves American comfort food like New York-style pizza, pasta and fried chicken to the in-house cafe Doppio that sells coffee, milk tea, blended drinks and pastries.

Members of Landers Superstores enjoy exclusive perks, such as low-priced medicines from Capital Care Pharmacy, big fuel discounts from Landers-Caltex, free haircut and blow-dry from Federal Barbers, and exclusive deals on Solane tanks and refills which can be purchased online at its website www. landers.ph or via its app.

“What’s more, they can look forward to promos and events like the Super Crazy Sale, Super Fuel Sale, Piso Sale, Fresh & Produce Sale, and Sampling Festivals that bring big price markdowns and year-round savings,” company officials said.

According to Davis, Landers is on an “aggressive expansion mode” as Filipinos are now going out again to shop in physical stores.

“We’re seeing lots of our members come out and shop again. It’s not just like once a month or once a week, [but] sometimes even twice a week [that] we’re seeing more customers shopping more often,” he told the BusinessMirror on the sidelines of the event.

He said the company is opening other outlet in Bacolod next month. Davis, however, did not provide more details.

“The rest is we’re still working on how we construct the buildings [and] what’s the right time to open them. We want to make sure that when we land in a community, it’s a great landing and everyone knows and loves it.”

B1

LEGACY carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) said on Monday it has entered into a codeshare agreement with China Airlines to beef up its Taiwan operations.

PAL VP for Sales Bud Britanico said with the agreement, the Filipino carrier is expanding its international network to include Manila-Kaohsiung and Cebu-Taipei services.

He noted that the expanded codeshare arrangement allows PAL and China Airlines to offer “greater connectivity and convenience to their customers, with each carrier promoting the development of the air travel market between the Philippines and Taiwan.”

“Philippine Airlines is keen to serve the growing demand for travel stimulated by the continuing visafree arrangement for Filipino travel to Taiwan. We will build on our strong partnership with China Airlines to offer more convenient access for Filipino tourists to visit Taiwan, even as we welcome Taiwanese tourists to come and visit the fun and festive Philippines.”

The agreement allows PAL to offer four weekly codeshared services between Manila and Kaoshiung and five weekly flights between Cebu and Taipei.

“Cebu is a great destination for both business and leisure, while Kaohsiung is a dynamic port city and economic hub that also houses many Overseas Filipino Workers. We are glad to expand our network, even as we continue to offer regular twice daily flights between Manila and Taipei,” Britanico said.

The codeshare agreement also allows China Airlines to access PAL’s domestic network by placing its “CI” code on select PAL-operated flights from Manila to Cebu, Davao and Iloilo, as well as from Cebu to Davao and Iloilo, for the carriage of passengers traveling between Taiwan and these Philippine cities.

“China Airlines has been focusing on the Filipino market as part of our ongoing efforts to expand the Southeast Asia network in recent years. The Taipei-Cebu route flown by the new A321neo aircraft was introduced at the end of 2022 alongside the existing Taipei-Manila and Kaohsiung-Manila services to further expand the travel network between Taiwan and the Philippines,” China Airlines VP of Corporate Development Jeremy Chang said.

The newly offered services build on an existing the two groups’ codeshare partnership on the Manila-Taipei and Taipei-Manila routes, where PAL operates 14 weekly flights and China Airlines likewise operates 14 weekly flights.

“Philippine Airlines is a longstanding China Airlines partner and the latest expansion to the codesharing arrangement will not only strengthen collaboration between the two airlines but also promote business and tourism between the two regions,” Chang said.

PAL and China Airlines have been codeshare partners since 2015.

Lorenz S. Marasigan