Business Views that Matter
Business Silver Buying
Exchange Rates
Gold Buying (troy oz.)
US$ 19.55 US$ 1272.65
As of June 13, 2014
Peso-Dollar ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Exchange Rate
Php 43.757
5.50%
Repo Rate
Reverse Repo Rate
3.50%
Inflation Rate (May‘ 14) 4.5%
91-Day T-Bill Rate
1.440%
.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................
UNITED STATES, Dollar 43.757000 JAPAN, Yen 0.430500 UNITED KINGDOM, Pound 74.006200 HONGKONG, Dollar 5.645400 SWITZERLAND, Franc 48.732600 CANADA, Dollar 40.336500 SINGAPORE, Dollar 35.064500 AUSTRALIA, Dollar 41.284100 BAHRAIN, Dinar 116.066300 SAUDI ARABIA, Rial 11.667000 BRUNEI, Dollar 34.924600 INDONESIA, Rupiah 0.003700 THAILAND, Baht 1.348900 UAE, Dirham 11.913500 EUROPEAN MU, Euro 59.308200 CHINA, Yuan 7.036600 Malaysia, Ringgit 13.646400 KOREA, Won 0.043000 As of June 13, 2014
Source: BSP
Economy At A Glance Indicator Latest Aerial view of McKinley Hill
forbes town center
Property major
THE MACTAN newton
eastwood city megaworld
Megaworld
Previous
Year Ago
Gross National Income Gross Domestic Product
7.6 (1Q 2014) 5.7 (1Q 2014) US$4.54 Exports billion (April 2014) US$5.4 Imports billion (Mar 2014) 4.1 Headline (April Inflation 2014) Rate 2.9 Core (April Inflation 2014) Rate 18.2% Underemployment (April 2014) Rate
7.8 (4Q 2013) 6.5 (4Q 2013) US$5.2 billion (March 2014) US$4.72 billion (Feb 2014) 3.9 (Mar 2014) 3.9 (Mar 2014) 19.5% (Jan 2014)
7.3 (1Q 2013) 7.7 (1Q 2013) US$ 4.51 billion (April 2013) US$5.0 billion (Mar 2013) 2.6 (April 2013) 3.1 (April 2013) 19.2% (April 2013)
Unemployment 7.0% (April Rate
7.5% (Jan 2014)
7.1% (Jan 2013)
2014)
Source: NEDA/NSCB
As of June 13, 2014
books higher than projected profit in Q1 HEFTY revenues from leasing its office and retail portfolio pushed the bottom-line of listed property major Megaworld, owned by ethnic Chinese tycoon Andrew Tan, in this year’s first quarter, a sign of brisk business in the real estate market. The Philippines’ leading and the no. 1 office developer and landlord, Megaworld posted a 49-percent jump in net income to P2.69-billion, year-on-year, due to strong sales in its various townships, particularly Newport City, Uptown in Bonifacio, McKinley Hill and Eastwood City. “As we celebrate our 25 years in the real estate industry, we look forward to another record breaking year for Megaworld,” says Tan in a statement to the Philippines Stock Exchange. Megaworld’s rental income from office developments and lifestyle malls also surged to a record P1.7 billion, 23 percent higher than in the same period in 2013. Total revenues of Megaworld, together with its subsidiaries Empire East Land Holdings and Suntrust Properties, rose 22 percent to P9.94 billion for the first quarter 2014, up from P8.15 billion for the same period in 2013. Consolidation Megaworld, and its subsidiaries, posted P19.6 billion in reservation sales in the first quarter 2014 which is 9 percent higher compared to same period last year. Just last week, the company announced the planned consolidation of Tan’s real estate companies under Megaworld with the acquisition of 49.2% stake of Alliance
Global Group, Inc. in Global-Estate Resorts, Inc. (GERI). The acquisition brings Megaworld’s majority stake in GERI to 74.96% and increases the property giant’s total land bank to more than 3,900 hectares. Megaworld is also set to further solidify its position as the leader in office developments in terms of total office space inventory by completing another 112,000 square meters of office spaces this year. By the end of 2014, the company will have around 712,000 square meters of office spaces in its portfolio with the completion of new state-of-the-art office towers in Uptown Bonifacio, The Mactan Newtown in Cebu, and Iloilo Business Park. On the retail side, Megaworld is also set to complete additional commercial and retail spaces with the completion of the Venice Grand Canal Mall in McKinley Hill, and some commercial strips at The Mactan Newtown. No. 1 in Real Estate Megaworld’s existing commercial and retail space portfolio is currently at 304,083 square meters. To date, the company has 10 townships all throughout the country covering around 300 hectares of land. This includes the 17-hectare Eastwood City,
considered to be the country’s first cyberpark. Over the past 24 years, the Megaworld Group has emerged as the country’s No. 1 real estate organization. It has completed more than 320 residential and office buildings with a total area of around 5.6 million square meters. Currently, about 185 residential, office and hotel buildings with a total area of around 5.4 million square meters are under development. Megaworld is also expanding Eastwood City, its first township in the Philippines and the country’s first cyberpark, to an additional 1.5 hectares amid growing demand for office and commercial spaces in the township. “The tremendous success of Eastwood City as the country’s first cyberpark and premiere township has attracted thousands of Filipinos to live here,” says Tan. At least three office towers are in the expansion pipeline. First to rise will be a high-rise mixed-use tower that combines residential, office and commercial in a cluster. The company is projecting to accommodate around 100,000 square meters of office spaces that will be built progressively over the next few years and around 600 residential units in the Eastwood
1.5-hectare expansion plan. All towers will have leasable commercial spaces at the ground levels. “With the expansion, we are looking forward to a more exciting mix of new commercial and retail partners in this new side of Eastwood City,” says Kevin L. Tan, first vice president and head of commercial division, Megaworld. Home to IT workers To date, Eastwood City is home to an estimated 60,000 IT and BPO workers in 59 companies, making it the biggest cyberpark in the Philippines in terms of workforce. It is also home to around 25,000 residents and about 500 commercial and retail partners. Established in 1999, Eastwood City is one of Megaworld’s most successful townships that pioneered the “live-work-play” lifestyle concept in the Philippines. It is a testament to how far a developer can do when it comes to marrying urbanization and sustainability. The township currently has 10 office buildings, mostly occupied by some of the country’s biggest IT-BPO companies, 19 residential condominium towers, three Megaworld lifestyle malls (Eastwood Mall, Citywalk 1 & 2 and Cyber & Fashion Mall) and the Eastwood Richmonde Hotel.
ILOILO BUSINESS PARK
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Transport
Building Linkages for Understanding
NAIA’s Problematic State
One would expect the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), which is the only major international airport in Metro Manila, to be among the top performing airports in the country. However, one would be wrong.
NAIA has a very inefficient system, from the air-conditioning up to the flight plans, especially in Terminal 2 which is leased exclusively to Philippine Airlines (PAL). There is an ever present excruciating heat wave washing over passengers inside the glass-enclosed terminal. Even complaint after complaint from travelers have been to no avail. Meanwhile, NAIA 3 has been bogged with controversy due to foreign planes refusing to move to the more spacious and modern Terminal 3 due to fear of being tangled in a legal dispute between Manila and German airport operator Fraport AG. However, airports have announced that the transfer to NAIA 3 would be complete by August. Nonetheless, NAIA 1 has been ranked number one as the worst airport in Asia by travel website Sleeping In Airports. The travel site describes “collapsing ceilings, overcrowding, unbridled bribery and taxi drivers scamming travelers on fares.” In 2011, NAIA 1 was named as the world’s worst airport. The site Sleeping In Airports acknowledged that the Philippine government has been working to progress NAIA 1’s facil-
ities. It seems though that there have yet to be any developments at all. Passengers continue to harp about long, numerous queues that begin even as far as outside the terminal, which stretch on until the passenger proceeds to the gate. There have also been reports of taxi drivers who manipulate their meters to jack up their fare prices. Airport authorities, though, say that they were able to crack down on the practice of taxi drivers. Travelers continue to report on corruption at NAIA 1, detailing officers asking for cash payments to speed up normal procedures. Rainy Season Preparations NAIA authorities have recently
implemented contingency measures to make certain passenger safety and welfare following the onset of the rainy season. Manila International Airport Authority general manager Jose Angel Honrado had a conference with the Weather Disturbance Management Committee on Friday to discuss overall direction and control procedures during bad weather. Present in the conference were MIAA senior officials and managers of NAIA’s four terminals. Honrado specifically directed the terminal managers to coordinate well with their respective emergency response teams. “They are mandated under MIAA guidelines on severe and extreme
weather disturbances to carry out emergency procedures in their areas of responsibility in accordance with the airport emergency plan. Under the guidelines, the terminal Manager is the ERT (emergency response team) chief,” Honrado said. Honrado also mandated on the terminal managers to make sure that target completion dates were met for projects that could turn into potential problems during the rainy season if left unfinished. “Like in NAIA Terminal 2, we have completed waterproofing works in the domestic portion. We have now moved to the international wing,” he said. MIAA authorities said the renovation, repair, and completion works in the other terminals were proceeding as planned.
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Think Green For A Better Planet
Environment
PLAYING FAVORITES IS the Aquino administration turning a blind eye on US environmental violations? Malacañang has chosen to play favorites, condemning China for its brazen acts against the country’s environment, and yet are absolutely lenient when it comes to US ecological violations. Is President Aquino not addressing the issue in fear that it will affect RP-US diplomatic relations, especially when much-needed military support has been emphasized after the previous Obama visit? The Aquino administration’s sincerity in following up the case of the destruction of the Tubbataha reefs over a year ago by both Chinese vessels and US warships found in Philippine waters is put into question due to its lack of interest in pursuing the US while calling for China’s accountability in the incident. The grounding of the USS Guardian in Tubbataha last 2013 caused the destruction of at least 2,345 square meters of the marine protected area, while Chinese fishing vessels hit the heritage site not long after. The government is quick to condemn China for the damage it caused, stating that they are here to defy our national sovereignty and poach within Philippine waters. Environmental groups raised concerns that other marine reserves and areas would not fare so well as the Tubbataha Reef if poaching activities continued. Meanwhile, the government continues to neglect its obligation to
also hold responsible the US whose presence in the Philippines is to guard its country’s interests. In 2012, a US warship allegedly disposed toxic chemical wastes at Subic Bay, claiming as means of a cover-up that it disposed “waste water” which was already treated aboard the ship. However, the secret dumping of toxic waste is an affront to Philippine sovereignty, as it showed their utter disregard for the environment and health of the Filipinos.
Environmental Violations of the US in the PH For decades, the US military has been dumping toxic wastes in the waters of Subic Bay. The most recent incident was in October 2012 where Glenn Marine, a US Navy contractor, was tasked to collect toilet and kitchen water from ships, and dumped untreated wastes whose toxicity levels were an estimated 700 times the allowable level. Senate investigators found out that Glenn Marine violated Philippine environmental laws, revealing that it had no clearance from the Philippine government to dispose waste in the sea, and there was no equipment to test whether or not the waste was harmful to marine life. US warship USS Guardian caused the destruction of 2,345 square meters of the Tubbataha coral reef. Critical habitat for the survival of endangered species in the Manila Bay Reclamation Project. The reclamation project might have brought serious problems such as flooding, liquefaction, loss of habitat to marine and bird species, reduce ecological services and displacement of people and communities. The impact of disaster brought about by Typhoon Pablo was aggravated by disaster unpreparedness, logging operations and land conversion into plantations for agricultural export. Compiled by Andrea Lim Source: Kalikasan Partylist
Importance of Tubbataha The Tubbataha Reef Marine Park covers about 130,028 hectares, including the North and South Reefs. It is a unique example of an atoll reef with a very high density of marine species, with the North Islet serving as a nesting site for birds and marine turtles. The site is an excellent example of a pristine coral reef with a 100meter perpendicular wall, extensive lagoons and two coral islands. In December 1993, UNESCO declared Tubbataha as a World Heritage Site. With 358 species of mostly hard corals, it is recognized as having one of the most remarkable coral reefs on the planet. One millimeter of hard corals takes one year to grow, while one meter of hard corals to mature takes approximately 250 years. According to CNN, Tubbataha is among the top eight dive sites in the world.
Turn Science to DRRM Practice - Legarda Senator Loren Legarda highlighted the challenge of translating knowledge into practice to effectively manage disasters and reduce risks, during her opening keynote speech today at the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) Conference 2014 in Beijing, China. Legarda, UNISDR Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in Asia-Pacific, said that the overflowing information and statistics on natural hazards, disaster risks and climate change should be communicated to and understood by governments and communities to be able to make science work towards building resilient communities. “It is not enough that climate scientists know the risks. Governments, local leaders and the people on the ground should understand the vulnerability of their communities and be equipped with options, resources and the tools to enable them to become drivers of action in their respective
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communities,” she said. The Senator cited the Philippines’ experience during Typhoon Haiyan. Authorities warned communities about storm surges that may reach up to six meters high. Many citizens stocked up on food, secured their homes and stayed indoors, not knowing that it was not the kind of preparation for a storm surge. Even those in evacuation centers were not spared from the deadly onslaught of the storm surges. “Was it a case of inadequate information or a case of information not being understood and appreciated by national and local officials, and by the people on the ground? People had no notion of storm surges, plain and simple. In the end, it cost thousands of lives,” she lamented. Furthermore, an assessment of Tacloban, which greatly bore the brunt of the storm’s impact, showed that the city’s location is highly susceptible to disaster risks. The geohazard map for Tacloban showed a
province massively covered by color purple on its outskirts and red within, which means the coastal areas were susceptible to flooding, while the inland was highly susceptible to landslides. “The map’s color coding scheme represented susceptibility to landslides and flooding, but the people did not know any of that. The challenge here is to translate scientific terminologies to layman’s terms. Citizens should be able to digest the information on a geo-hazard map or a weather bulletin. Raising public awareness should be made to resonate loudly and as far deep into the communities as possible,” Legarda said. She explained that science is needed in strengthening building codes; making risk-sensitive land use plans that are linked into yearly investment plans of governments; adopting early warning system for crop harvests; capacitating private sector, especially the micro, small and medium enterprises, in creating business con-
tinuity plans that reflect corporate strategy on how to swiftly spring back to operations after each disaster. “Scientific experts need to be given the wherewithal to do their job of gathering, validating and processing scientific data that will enable the accurate prediction of events. These are indispensable inputs to designing practical solutions and communicating the risks to our people. Knowing when, where and in what magnitude a natural hazard will strike is fundamental to keeping our people prepared,” she said. “We have come together to this conference to exchange knowledge and devise strategies. We must use this opportunity not just to gain knowledge from one another, but also to transform that knowledge into concrete actions. We are builders not just of communities of today, but communities of the future. Let us not rebuild the risks. We must rebuild stronger and wiser,” said Legarda.
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Health Among the first PPP projects implemented in the health sector was the construction of a private Philippine Orthopedic Center inside the National Kidney Transplant Institute compound in Quezon City, which will replace the governmentrun POC in Banawe Street in the same city. Aquino’s health secretary Enrique One declared that 72 public hospitals were subject to privatization, and defended the P5.69B budget allotted to privatize the POC to winning bidder Megawide Construction Corp.World Citi Inc, saying that it will be used to build a 700-bed tertiary hospital within the NKTI compound. The new POC will be called the Center for Bone and Joint Diseases, Trauma and Rehabilitation Medicine. Once it becomes operational, it will permit
Henry Sy’s Megawide to allocate only 10% of its beds to impoverished patients, while the rest will be allocated to paying patients who will either be shelling out cash or paying through PhilHealth or other private insurance accounts. Labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) condemned the Aquino administration for its anti-poor program, saying that the privatization of health services is a “death sentence to workers and the poor.” KMU Secretary-General Roger Saluta says that the privatization of the POC is the first step in the government’s abandonment of its responsibility to subsidize health services. Selling out public hospitals to big capitalists is proof that the administration has decided to put the fate of its patients in the hands of private businesses
Wellness is Life
PPP Bad For PH Health
By Andrea Lim
The privatization of public hospitals under Aquino’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program makes it clear that the government is not concerned with developing the country’s health sector, which it considers a burden and not a service that needs to be improved.
that will certainly prioritize its profits over services. Department of Health (DOH) Assistant Secretary Enrique Tayag claims that the new POC will still remain a ‘government hospital’ despite being part of the PPP program. However, the question is not whether it will remain a government hospital
or not, but if health care will still remain accessible. Aquino has made it evident that his real interest in privatizing public hospitals is to help big corporations gain more profits at the expense of sick Filipinos. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights emphasized that healthcare is a human
right and should be provided by the state. The administration actually has the funds to modernize the country’s public hospitals, but instead these funds are going to the pork barrel of Aquino and other politicians, other sources of corruption, and payments for foreign debt.
North Cotabato Outbreak Preventable THE recent cholera outbreak in North Cotabato could have been prevented had the government supplied enough access to clean water and pushed for stronger sanitation campaigns in the local communities. Cholera outbreaks should be a thing of the past, as recent scientific breakthroughs have identified the major causes of the disease. As the outbreak recently plagued four barangays in Almada, North Cotabato, it puts the Department of Health’s capabilities into question, considering that it does not cost much to do so. Funding from international health organizations would make the spread of cholera controllable, utilizing tried-and-tested methods and with the availability of low-cost sanitation
technolog y. Health authorities confirmed that there were 438 villagers out of 769 that complained of painful abdominal spasms, nausea and diarrhea who tested positive to Vibrio cholerae. Eight villagers elapsed due to dehydration after contracting the disease in the epidemic that began on May 10 of this year. Almada municipal administrator Ruben Cadava said that North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza sent an adequate number of medicine and health workers to the municipality. Nonetheless, it is still the responsibility of the government to make certain of the eradication of such diseases, especially when prevention is as simple as providing safe, clean drinking water.
Prevention and Control The risk of acquiring cholera is very low for people visiting areas with cholera pandemic. If precautions are observed properly, contracting the disease is unlikely. Basic cholera prevention includes drinking safe water. Bottled water with unbroken seals and canned or bottled carbonated beverages are safe to drink and use. To ensure that water is safe, boil it or treat it with a chlorine product or household bleach. Also wash hands before eating or preparing food, before feeding the children, after using the toilet, and after taking care of someone ill with diarrhea. Use latrines or bury feces, and do not defecate in any body of water. Cook food well, and avoid raw fruits and vegetables unless otherwise
personally cooked and cleaned. In addition, clean up safely and efficiently. Currently, there are two oral cholera vaccines available, Dukoral which is World Health Organization (WHO) prequalified and licensed in over 60 countries, and ShanChol, which is licensed in India and is pending WHO prequalification. Because the vaccine is a two dose vaccine, multiple weeks can elapse before persons receiving the vaccine are protected. Therefore, vaccination should not replace standard prevention and control measures. In addition, it is not a recommended cholera vaccine for most travelers. This is because the available vaccine offers incomplete protection for a relatively short period of time.
Food and Sex: The Joy of Eating
Y
es, the world is an oyster - succulent, throbbing, and breath-halting. Since man began to look at food not just as a source of nourishment but as a deliverer of infinite pleasures, food and sex have been intertwined like lovers’ limbs in furious feasting. The joy of partaking of food is so intense that you’d be compelled to share a personal titillation with others and, when possible, with somebody special. Thus, an intimate dinner date – from the hors d’oeuvre to the entree to the dessert – serves only as the aperitif to the main course. The restaurant only as the anteroom to the red chamber of love. “Both eating and making love provide nourishment and satiation — living energy that is transformed” say gourmand Jennifer Iannolo in her essay in the Atlasphere. “It is not surprising that some foods have been described as orgasmic. It is possible to swoon after experiencing a taste so sublime that one could die on the spot and be joyous for having had the good fortune to exist for that singular moment of pleasure”, she adds. “To die for” is a Pinoy battlecry when they are unable to resist a spread that may include
food which dietitians and doctors sternly warn us against. Pleasure is always tempting that man (and even woman) forges the path of least resistance to gain paradise. Executive chef Rudolf Sodamin, in his book Seduction and Spices, said that “foodstuffs provided the energy to make love; they provided the sense of well-being and a yen to embrace a lover. Sharing in the prepa rat ion and partaking of food between men and women together like no other act – a concept so intrinsic that Boboy Yonzon Adam and Eve’s transgression of the flesh was euphemized by their munching of the apple.” Bite. Lick. Nibble. Suck. And then some. In our armory of dictions, we equate the same words that describe our acts of consumption with that of copulation. Describing what and how we eat or make love are so interchangeable and enthralling. After all, these deeply involve all our senses – touch, smell, sight, and hearing - and conscript
MyPAD
practically all parts of our bodies – from the rigid protuberances to the damp and soft recesses. We go into hyper-drive when we associate the physical and even aural characteristics of food with sensual parts of the body. A woman’s cleavage as that of ripe mangoes. The suckling and slurping of star apple, with its dagta, as sexual. The innocent pop of a champagne bottle and the subsequent gushing of its contents as erotic. Iannolo said that eating and sex may be the only two acts that evoke all of man’s senses simultaneously. “The very expression ‘mouth feel’, she says, “evokes a whole new category of expression outside the world of wine tasting”. And then there is the magic of scent. A man’s musk. Or the whetting action of clove and cinnamon. The Filipino male lover has described a woman’s essence smelling of pinipig to durian, from virgin to wild woman. Clearly, there is a wide spectrum of preferences, from the tame to the hot and exotic. But whatever the choices, there is the urge to further in-
tensify the desire, the engagement. Even if sensuality is in itself strong and heady, man has, for ages, been seeking mindblowing aphrodisiacs, as relentless as his search has been for the fountain of youth. The promise of strength, impetuousness and wild abandon of galloping hormones powerfully beckons. Sodamin, who has established a reputation for elevating cruise cuisine into romantic fine dining, says: “For as long as people have sought to enhance sexual pleasure by stirring desire, building stamina, intensifying orgasm, and retaining virility, they have turned to aphrodisiacs in the form of foods, ointments, potions and charms.” Our Asian neighbors have a menu of purportedly medicinal but exotic foods to help boost their sexual prowess – from cobra to scorpions, from bird saliva to monkey brain. And pity the animal kingdom that are being raided for sex stimulants. Wonder no more why supposedly Chinese fishermen forage our territories for turtles and pangolins, reputedly strong aphrodisiacs. Filipinos do not go for rhinoceros horns or gekkos. We may have our bat-n-ball or soup #5, rather sticky affairs concocted from cattle, but by and large, our preference for aphrodisiacs is rathWE TAKE A STAND
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er tame. Among the list is avocado because it is shaped like a testicle, or tahong because, you may agree or not, it imitates the look of an active fuerta. Uh, okay. For a race that stupefy the world with its proclivity for meals “six times a day”, we are rather conservative with our sex culinary adventures. But wait, our new-found prosperity and world view, fired up by the Internet, might free us to be more adventurous. Openly that is. All over the world, history has shown that lovers’ desires seem insatiable that they must scale up their meals into buffet and smorgasbord, in feasts and orgies of food, oftentimes in homage to deities or saints, like Bacchanalia. Indeed, food and sex are venerated rites in every religion. Virgins being sacrificed at the altar to ask for good harvest seems to be fair trade when supplicating voracious gods to be kinder. Sodamin asks: “How can two things so primal, so essential for the propagation of the species, also nourish the soul? Sex the act of procreation, became “making love” – the ultimate expression of one’s feelings.” And when we become slave to the call of the flesh, we sheepishly reason: “Masarap kasi eh”. Burp.
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Foreign
Fostering International Relations
POHANG CLASS CORVETTE
FORGING AN ALLIANCE SOUTH KOREA DONATES CORVETTE WARSHIP TO RP
South Korea has donated a corvette warship to the Philippine Navy amid growing tensions with foreign powers, specifically China over maritime territorial disputes. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs announced the donation as the latest in a series of military benefactors to the country. Others include two ex-Coast Guard cutters from the US and 10 new patrol boats via a $184 million loan from Japan.
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Shaping the Future
InfoTech Cloud Computing Convenience Over Consequences? Cloud computing is, simply put, an online database where one can store and access data and programs instead of through a computer’s hard drive.
It is similar to that of a Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive, although the difference is that files and documents are stored in an online system. One upside to cloud computing is that files can be accessed any where, through laptop or even smartphone, as long there is an internet connection available. Cloud computing also manages to secure user systems – files are protected using SSL encryption, with each user getting a separate encryption key. Hence, this new technology seems to
be a better cost saving alternative, which it is. Among cloud computing brands include Google Drive, SugarSync, 4Shared and Cubby. On the other hand, the risks of cloud computing is not a new topic among business owners and users. Among concerns raised involve issues of privacy, compliance and legal issues. One recent article in PC World covers topics such as who accesses data, regulatory compliance and data loss and recovery. Corporate cloud computing is expected to grow rapidly, but with it are potential risks.
Cloud-based APPS • Google Drive
Google Drive gives you access to your work from anywhere, across your Mac, PC, mobile devices and on the web. Simply download Drive on your Mac or PC to sync files from your computer to the cloud.
Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet PROS Incredibly thin and waterproof, too Snappy performance Sony’s Android UI is thoughtful and lightweight Gadget Review CONS Relatively short battery life Glossy screen Middling speakers Both cameras are underwhelming CONCLUSION Not only is the Tablet Z2 the thinnest and lightest tab Sony has ever made, but also it’s far and away the best. It’s trim design and strong spec sheet makes it a strong competitor against similarly sized tabs from Sony’s archrival, Samsung.
• SpiderOak
SpiderOak provides an easy, secure and consolidated free online backup, storage, access, sharing & sync tool for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux (Ubuntu, Debian & Fedora).
• Microsoft OneDrive
OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) delivers a satisfactory online file storage and sharing solution in a free and easy to use service. It has a design that is both attractive and functional.
• ownCloud
ownCloud gives you web services under your control. It is a selfhosted open source platform with file sync & sharing at its core and available clients for desktop and mobile.
chronizes your files using a peerto-peer (P2P) protocol.
• 4Shared
4Shared is a large online storage facility where Internet users store their text, audio, video, photo, and other files and share them, if they wish, with other people.
• SugarSync
SugarSync lets you synchronize, backup and remotely access files and folders across your PC or Mac.
• CloudApp
CloudApp is a dead-simple way to share files, screenshots, almost anything, quickly and seamlessly. CloudApp allows you to share images, links, music, videos and files.
• Box.com
Box.com’s online file storage makes it easy to securely share content as a link or a shared folder with anyone - inside or outside your company.
• Cubby
• BitTorrent Sync
Free yourself from limitations. 5GB online storage free. With Cubby, your stuff is shared across all your computers, tablets, and smartphones and always accessible at Cubby.com.
became a for purchases, for credit card the same goal of machine, it establishing credit has already records. Aside from become a relying on what Point of bank records could Sale (POS) do, it is also advismachine. able for businessUntil now men to establish however, good relationships Ike Señeres handheld with bank officers, POS maso that there would be familiarity on the side of both chines could only handle cash parties when the time is right to transactions. Now that the POS machine in the cell phone could apply for a loan or a credit card. Not too long ago, business- already accept credit card and men had to apply for a merchant debit card payments, let us see account in order to be able to what good it could do for our accept credit card payments. local businessmen. Down the Very recently however, Globe line, I think that it will not be Telecom has launched a service too long now before the mobile that will enable anyone to ac- phone will also become an ATM cept credit card payments. This machine. When that happens, new service will surely revolu- it will actually be the ambulant tionize the way we do business businessman who will become on credit terms. Of course, this your walking ATM machine. It may just be a play of words, new service is no big deal for the big retailers because they have but the probable ambulant busialways had merchant accounts. nessman of the future could acLet us see how this new service tually be the lowly vendor of the could improve the revenues of present. Give the lowly vendor of today a phablet (a cross between our local businessmen. Long before the mobile phone a phone and a tablet), and he
will have thousands of electronic brochures in his hand, and that would be more than enough for him or her to sell you anything under the sun. As if that is not enough, he or she will also be able to broker for you if you want to sell anything under the sun. There was a time when lines were clearly drawn between internet commerce and mobile commerce. Now, the lines are practically gone, because anyone could do electronic commerce (e-commerce) using either a computer or a mobile phone. That is really nothing new, but what was missing before was ownership of a credit card to be able to buy anything online. That is not a problem now, because of open access to debit cards. What was also missing was the means to be able to sell anything online, and be able to accept credit card or debit card payments. That is also not a problem now. Beyond the credit cards, what our local businessmen needs now is more access to bank credit lines. For feedback, email iseneres@yahoo.com or text +639083159262
Automatically sync files between computers via secure, distributed technology. BitTorrent Sync syn-
ONLINE BANKING
L
egally speaking, there are no more usurers in the Philippines because anti-usury laws have been abolished. That is like saying that there are no more subversives in the Philippines too, because anti-subversion laws have also been abolished. The fact is, there are still many financiers who are lending money at usurious (merely a figure of speech now) rates, and there are still many people who are trying to undermine the government in subversive (also merely a figure of speech now) ways. As it is now, the laws might have removed the legal basis of the problems, but the problems still exist. Under normal circumstances, no businessman in his right mind would borrow money at too high (read as usurious) interest rates, if only he could get much lower (read as reasonable) interest rates elsewhere. As it is supposed to be, businessmen are supposed to be able to get reasonable interest rates from legal (read as transparent) sources such as the banks, but that is
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easier said than done. As it actually happens, many businessmen are unable to borrow money from the banks because they are not “bankable” from the perspective of these banks. As it is now, many businessmen could not get credit cards because of the same reason that they are not bankable. To put it another way, they could not get credit cards because they do not have a credit history, meaning that they do not have credit records. The good news is, anyone could now get prepaid credit cards, an oxymoron because these are actually just debit cards. The bad news however is that debit cards are not enough for businessmen to apply for merchant accounts, and these would actually exclude them from the world of electronic commerce. By comparison, prepaid credit cards are better than the socalled money cards or cash cards because the former would enable anyone to establish credit records. It is also better to use prepaid credit cards instead of ATM cards for the purpose of paying
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SCIENCE WORKS
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etc. I Like How You’re Thinking! A teacher is teaching a class and sees that Johnny isn’t paying attention, so she asks him, “If there are three ducks sitting on a fence and you shoot one, how many are left?” “None,” Johnny answers. “Why?” The teacher asks. “Because the shot scared them all off.” He replies. “No, there are two left, but I like how you’re thinking!” The teacher says. Johnny then asks the teacher, “You see three women walking out of an ice cream parlor. One is licking her ice cream, one is sucking her ice cream, and one is biting her ice cream. Which one is married?” And the teacher responds, “The one sucking her ice cream.” Johnny says, “No, the one with the wedding ring, but I like how you’re thinking!”
Not for Anyone
A man is sitting on his own in a restaurant when he sees a beautiful woman at another table. He sends her a bottle of
the most expensive wine on the menu, and she writes him a note: “I will not touch a drop of this wine unless you can assure me that you have seven inches in your pants.” He writes back to her, “Give me the wine. As gorgeous as you are, I’m not cutting off three inches for anyone.”
What is it?
Arnold Schwarzenegger has a big one, Michael J. Fox has a small one, Madonna doesn’t have one, The Pope has one but doesn’t use it, Dominique Strauss-Khan uses his all the time. What is it? A last name! And shame on you for thinking it was something else.
As Many As I Want
A little girl and boy are fighting about the differences between the sexes, and which gender is better. Finally, the boy drops his pants and says, “Here’s something I have that you’ll never have!” The little girl is pretty upset by this, since it is clearly true, and runs home
crying. A while later, she comes running back with a smile on her face. She lifts her dress, drops her knickers, and yells, “My mommy says that with one of these, I can have as many of those as I want!”
I Need…
A few months after his parents were divorced, Little Johnny passed by his mom’s bedroom and saw her rubbing her body and moaning, “I need a man, I need a man!” Over the next several months, he saw her doing this often. One day, he came home from school and heard her moaning differently. When he peeked into her bedroom, he saw a man on top of her. Little Johnny ran into his room, took off his clothes, threw himself on his bed, and started stroking himself, moaning, “I need a bike! I need a bike!”
The Perfect P*nis
A five-year-old boy asked his friend what a pen*s was. His friend’s response was that
he did not know and he would ask his dad. That evening the second boy asked his dad. His dad gladly exposed himself to his son and, holding his pen*s in one hand, said, “Son, this is a pen*s. In fact, if you take a closer look you will notice that this is a perfect pen*s.” The next day the boy saw his friend at recess and called him behind a hedge. The boy exposed himself and whispered, “This is a pen*s. In fact, if it were three inches shorter it would be a perfect pen*s.”
Your ear or your finger?
A man and a woman were having drinks when they got into an argument about who enjoyed sex more. The man
Laughs and The Extraordinary
said, “Men obviously enjoy sex more than women. Why do you think we’re so obsessed with getting laid?” “That doesn’t prove anything,” the woman countered. “Think about this: when your ear itches and you stick your little finger in it, wiggle it around, and then pull it out, which feels better—your ear or your finger?”
Olympics!
A man is out shopping and discovers a new brand of Olympic condoms. Clearly impressed, he buys a pack.Upon getting home he announces to his wife the purchase he just made.“Olympic condoms?”, she blurts, “What makes them so special?”“There are three colors”, he replies, “Gold, Silver and Bronze.”“What color are you going to wear tonight?”, she asks cheekily.“Gold of course”, says the man proudly. The wife responds wryly, “Why don’t you wear Silver? It would be nice if you came second for a change.”
MYSTERY NEWS Zoo worker mistaken for real gorilla A zoo worker in Tenerife dressed as a gorilla is recovering after being mistakenly shot with enough tranquiliser to take down a 400lb gorilla. The Loro Parque employee was dressed in a gorilla costume as part of a practice drill to simulate the escape of a captive gorilla when he was shot in the leg with the highdose dart. It seems not everyone had been informed that a drill was taking place and when a zoo vet saw the “gorilla” running through the park, he thought an actual gorilla had escaped and took action. The vet fired the shot (designed for a 400lb gorilla) at the man and hit
him in the leg. According to La Opinion de Tenerife newspaper when the man was later located he was in his underwear. The tranquilliser can be a sedative, anaesthetic, or paralytic agent, but it is unclear what the dart fired at the man contained. The worker had a severe allergic reaction to the tranquiliser and was taken to hospital. Drills like this happen regularly at zoos, but this is the first report of an incident of this kind. The zoo said that the vet had only been working there for two months. The zoo said in a statement:
“Loro Parque simulated the escape of an animal from its enclosure in the gorilla park. “As part of the simulation, which took place in the security zone of the area and was attended only by authorised personnel, they set off the emergency alarm. “Once they had carried out the various procedures, one keeper in the wild mammals team was accidentally struck by the medical tranquiliser that vets use in these instances. “As a result, emergency services were called and he was taken to hospital.” © Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved
Unknown Creature Eats Big Shark Scientists have identified a Great White Shark that was attacked and eaten by something much larger. The otherwise healthy 2.7m-long shark was being tracked by researchers who were studying its movements when it experienced a sudden and dramatic temperature increase before inexplicably plummeting 580m in to the depths. Four months later its electronic tag was found washed up on a beach in Australia around 4 kilometers from where it had disappeared. The research team believes that the shark had been attacked by a much larger animal, an unidentified behemoth that could be something that has never been seen before. “When I was first told about the data that came back from the tag that was on the shark, I was absolutely blown away,” said film-
maker Dave Riggs who is involved in a new documentary that is being produced about the mystery. “The question that not only came to my mind but everyone’s mind who was involved was, ‘what did that?’ It was obviously eaten. What’s gonna eat a shark that big?” (unexplained-mysteries.com)
BALITAAN SA HOTEL REMBRANDT
Former Senator Nene Pimentel denied receiving money from Janet Napoles or Benhur Luy, says lawyers are preparing appropriate cases against those filing accusations. Meanwhile, CCW Mimaropa regional chairperson representing CARP Farmers Federation of Oriental Mindoro talks on issue of non-distribution of land titles under CARP.
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