Negros geothermal receives safety seal

CEBU CITY – The Energy Development Corporation's (EDC) 222.5-megawatt (MW) Southern Negros Geothermal Project has been certified as compliant with the minimum health standards set by the government on COVID-19.

The utmost importance that we give to the health and safety of our workforce and partners have been put to the test since the start of the pandemic last year. It was imperative for EDC to keep everyone safe from the time they enter our facilities to the time they go home to their families as we continue to provide an uninterrupted source of clean, reliable power to our country,” Southern Negros Geothermal Project (SNGP) head Engr. Debonnaire Mamhot said.

Although getting the safety seal certification is voluntary, the geothermal leader took on the challenge and invited representatives from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to inspect its 24/7 green energy facility in Valencia, Negros Oriental to showcase its health and safety protocols for its employees and contractors on site.

 Through the collaborative efforts of EDC’s Occupational Health team and COVID-19 officers led by Mary Trishia Alesna, Safety Officers Earl Alano and Ma. Theresa Cardino, and Compliance Officer Bonife Marie Gaso-Llena, they were able to showcase EDC-SNGP’s protocols and implementation that consisted of thorough health entry screening (temperature scanners, health declaration form, QR Code scanning) strengthened COVID-Health Information, Education, and Communication campaign, and signages reminding everyone of our minimum health standards and the need for full compliance.

“This certification encourages us to share our best practices with our stakeholders and other companies to help them keep their own people safe from COVID-19 and harm,” Mamhot added.

EDC’s Negros team has been consistently recognized for its practices that go beyond compliance and sustainability.

In June 2020, it won the Gawad Tugas award for the Clean Air and Water-Power Plant Category from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for its exemplary performance in environmental protection, conservation, and management. 

Its Baslay Coffee Project for its Baslay Farmers’ Association also received the prestigious Grand Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of the Philippines and the Best CSR Award for Enterprise Development from the League of Corporate Foundations’ CSR Guild Awards also in 2020.

EDC likewise elevates its power customers in Negros Island and all over the country by helping them lower their carbon footprint and even becoming carbon neutral through the clean, reliable, geothermal energy or Geo 24/7 that it provides them.

In total, EDC generates over 40 percent of the Philippines’ renewable energy output and serves about 10 percent of the country’s overall electricity demand with its installed capacity of almost 1,500MW.

Marcos predicts highest voters’ turnout in 2022 elections despite pandemic

CEBU CITY – Senator Imee Marcos expressed her optimism that the number of voters in the 2022 elections could be the highest the country has ever seen despite the pandemic, with voter registration sure to be extended to October 31.

Marcos, who chairs the Senate committee on electoral reforms and people’s participation, lauded the swift action that the Comelec took to pass a resolution by Wednesday that will override the original deadline for voter registration due the next day.

“The more voters, the louder the voice of the people and of God in next year’s elections. Director Elnas (Teopisto Jr.) has confirmed that the commissioners en banc will get the resolution done tomorrow,” Marcos said.

More than 61 million new and returning voters have already registered as of August, compared to the 61,843,771 who cast their votes in the 2019 national and local elections.

Due to time and logistical constraints compounded by the pandemic, the Comelec had hesitated to extend the voter registration period until the Senate approved a bill for that purpose on Tuesday.

Would-be voters continue to flock even before sunrise to Comelec’s satellite centers where limited daily slots for registration are being offered, in keeping with health and safety protocols.

   

   

 

Turkish-inspired Leylam food business opens drive-thru amid pandemic

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY-– Leylam, the first and largest chain of Turkish-inspired food selection in the Philippines is bullish on Shawarma food business with the opening Tuesday of its Drive-Thru store for drive and take out type of patrons amid the pandemic.

    

    

Leylam’s vice president for marketing Alsmith Ricana said, the launch of the Drive-Thru store at  V.Rama Avenue is the company’s contribution to the community amid the pandemic to open job opportunities to Cebuano youth and provide its patron with healthy and mouth-watering array of take-away food prepared in a hygiene-conscious stores.

“At the height of the pandemic, Leylam managed to come up with new strategies to adapt and survive. It has managed to become a delivery leader in the food industry by partnering with two of the biggest delivery platforms in the country. By the end of 2020, Leylam was able to be at the forefront of the food delivery business,” Ricana said.

The pandemic ushered Leylam to come up with new ways to serve its customers and in June 2020, it introduced its Leylam Mobile, a food truck designed to drive and park at different locations where customers’ mobility became a challenge due to strict quarantine protocols.

In the same year, Leylam came up with a new store concept, the Leylam Drive By, to allow customers to buy their Leylam favorites without going out of their vehicles 24/7.

As this concept became a hit, Leylam decided to bring it to another level! The first quarter of 2021 pushes Leylam to build the first Leylam Drive Thru, the first ever in the Shawarma industry, as people across the world have shifted to take-outs and drive thru concepts.

In its 14th year of operations, prior to the pandemic, Leylam was able to provide jobs to more than 1,000 employees across the country.  It was able to develop its business model from carts to stalls into a full restaurant through its Leyla Deluxe concept.

 This whole new concept pioneered by Leylam brings shawarma patrons to a new level.  Leylam Deluxe stores offer a different dining experience with its ‘instagrammable” store looks, new menu line and fast casual service process. This was introduced in the same year when Leylam did a full rebranding in 2017.

 Flashback

Witnessing the warmth and food-loving traits of Filipinos, Turkish Food Experts introduced a unique food selection to the Filipino market in May 2005.

Though inspired by a foreign taste, a distinct recipe adapted from Turkey, the customers began to appreciate the specialty of Leylam – the Wrap and the evolution for two other product options with Filipino adaptation came to existence, the Leylam Rice and Leylam Noodles.

“Our special sauce formulation and tender lean beef of supreme quality are some of the attributes that give Leylam products the extraordinary taste that enticed and gained the loyalty of its patrons,” Ugur Tasçi, Leylam’s president and CEO said.

Leylam started with two outlets, one, a food stall in Chong Hua Hospital and the other at Robinsons Fuente on May 27, 2005. In October of the same year, additional stores opened in Metro Ayala, Mandaue Pacific Mall and Metro Gaisano.

Since then Leylam continues to expand to the nearby towns, cities and even the neighboring islands and regions.  On March 2, 2007 Leylam was introduced in Bacolod City while Iloilo started tasting Leylam’s goodness on September 8, 2008.

The demand for Leylam reached the country’s capital and made way to the first Manila store on October 2, 2009.  A year after, Mindanao opened its first store on February 19, 2010 and in the same year, Leylam became a nationwide brand.

Leylam is also active as an event stall, serving delectable products during special events like concerts and other crowd gathering celebrations.  It is also noticeable through food carts, stalls and stand-alone stores inside the major malls, supermarkets, select university canteens and special events.

As it values every customer and makes sure to cater their needs for healthier food options whether for comfort food or meal to fill an empty stomach, Leylam developed the idea of introducing several outlet formats that will satisfy every market segment in the area that the company operates.

 

In its 15 years in the Shawarma food industry, the market demand for Leylam has paved the way to more than 151 branches nationwide that made Leylam the first and largest chain of company-owned Shawarma stores in the Philippines. (Photos: Leylam/Google Images)

 

 

Embraer signs multi-year services agreement with Alliance Airlines

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

SINGAPORE-- Embraer has signed a multi-year services agreement with Alliance Airlines to provide materials support for the carrier’s fleet of E190s.  Through Embraer’s Services & Support portfolio of solutions, the agreement covers more than 300 repairable components and includes both materials and technical administration services supported from Embraer Asia Pacific’s facility in Singapore.

“Alliance has world leading on time and operational performance, a key attribute sought by our customers in Australia and the broader region. The Repair Management Service Program we have with Embraer will enhance our fleet performance and strengthen our business as it grows,” said Lee Schofield, Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Airlines. 

Alliance has a committed fleet of 32 E190s with 12 E190s currently in Australia with the remaining 20 to enter revenue service during the next 12 months.

Johann Bordais, President & CEO, Embraer Services & Support said that they are glad to partner with Alliance Airlines at this pivotal moment.  Alliance Airlines has rapidly grown its fleet of E-Jets which has proven to be instrumental as domestic aviation grows in Australia.  This services agreement will enable Alliance to secure their fleet availability with effective, efficient and competitive solutions.

    

Embraer provides support to airlines worldwide, with its technical expertise and its vast component services network. The results are significant savings in repair and inventory carrying costs and a reduction in warehousing space and resources required for repair management, while ultimately providing guaranteed performance levels.

Embraer Services & Support’s portfolio offers a wide range of competitive solutions designed to every customer to support the growing fleet of Embraer aircraft worldwide and deliver the best after-sales experience in the global aerospace industry. (Photos: Embraer/Google Images)

Cebu could be next creative entertainment hub in PH

 MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY – The creative entertainment industry sector and its stakeholders noted that Cebu could be the next creative entertainment hub in the country and is expected to achieve P500 million annual revenue in the next two years and over P30 billion by 2030.

According to Mario Panganiban, a trustee of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and president of Toon City Academy in Cebu that creativity is in the DNA of Cebuanos and Cebu has a vibrant creative entertainment subsector, including radio dramas, Visayan-language movies and music, among others.

“We are naturally creative. We like to entertain. We like to perform,” he shared this during the virtual launching of the Creative Entertainment Week (CEW) on Sept. 27 as among the activities of the 2021 Cebu Business Month (CBM), an annual event organized by CCCI.

Panganiban cited as an example the holding of the Cebu Pop Music Festival, which had generated original Visayan songs in 1981; there were also Visayan language drama series aired over the radio, a popular entertainment at the time and he recalled that Cebu had been making films in the 1960s.

He added that Cebu and other areas in the Visayas and Mindanao had a very prolific comics industry published in the local language.

“After realizing that we are behind and we have big potential, we have to push the creative entertainment sector and that’s the reason we have the Creative Entertainment Week (CEW). When we really look at the global figure, even Manila, we’re getting to be behind in a field where we have a natural advantage,” Panganiban pointed out.

 Need to develop animation and gaming industries in Cebu

Meanwhile Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. (ACPI) president Juan Miguel del Rosario revealed that while the global value of animation is $270 billion, the Philippines only accounts for between $20 million to $30 million in revenues as of 2020.

“Our hope is ultimately that by 2030 the Philippines will be a premier destination of animation in Southeast Asia, adding that ACPI wants to make Cebu a major provider of animation in the Philippines,” as Del Rosario noted that there are existing creative businesses in Cebu that are very successful and global.

He said that the country’s animation industry has registered 5.5 percent growth per year with five major studios supplying 75 percent of the country's total revenues. The Philippines services Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, United States and Canada.

The gaming industry is another huge creative sector, according to James Lo, president of Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP) that country’s game companies have been involved in the creation of high-quality games.

“If you’re familiar with Playstation or the Xbox or the Nintendo Switch, and so on, these are what we call consoles. We call them the category of Triple A and basically the best of the best. I proudly announce that a lot of our game companies that are focused on animation and game assets, they actually provide all of these,” Lo revealed.

A number of games that are played on the different consoles, some of those games are actually the art assets, the environment, maps, the characters, the animations, effects are actually done here in the Philippines, Lo said.

Lo bared that in 2020, the global games market reached $86.3 billion for Mobile Devices and P37.4 billion for personal computers.  Of this amount, Asia Pacific share is at $74.8 billion while Filipinos spending on games reached $572 million.

“There are many, many opportunities in the game industry and I am happy to sit down with you and talk about all these opportunities,” Lo stated.

Panganiban noted that these targets and developments for Cebu’s creative entertainment industry as the next economic driver can be achieved with the support of the Creative Industries Development bill, the City of Cebu, and the support of partners such as the Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. (ACPI), the Creative Content Creators Association of the Philippines (SIKAP), Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), Film Development Council of the Philippines, Cultural Center of the Philippines, and other government agencies.

CCCI Immediate Past President Virgilio Espeleta believes that CEW paves the way for the Cebuanos to perceive shared challenges within the creative sectors, and to ponder on the best strategies that CCCI and other sectors can adopt in proactively finding support, programs, and interventions for the artists.

Espelita said that CEW is an exceptional example of collaboration and cooperation of the business community, the government, private sectors and organizations can work as one under one goal to support our artisans. (Photos: Google Images)

 

Sunpride’s legacy, achievements all in a coffee table book

 MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY – Who would have thought that most of the breakfast viands of Filipinos come from Sunpride--tocinos, hotdogs, bacon, ham, Holiday corned beef and others in different variants have been there for 50 years.

This was the realization of most of the members of media during the virtual launching and unveiling of Sunpride’s commemorative book, “Fuller at 50: Retracing Sunpride’s Proud Legacy” on Sept. 24 as part of the “Cebu Press Freedom Week” celebration.

Don Hanley Wong, Marketing Head of Sunpride Foods Inc., in his opening message during the virtual event said that the book covers the company’s three journeys— its rich past, its present achievements, and its pursuit of innovation and excellence for the next 50 years.

“We wanted a commemorative book to mark our 50th anniversary. We know that the trend now is to go digital. But more than accessibility in mind, we wanted something tangible and lasting. We're proud to have it alongside all the other historical books with the Cebu City and Mandaue City public libraries and in the Cebuano Center Studies Library,” Wong said.

Penned by a Cebu-based journalist, Cris Evert Lato-Ruffolo, the book retraces Sunpride's humble beginnings, especially the roles of founders Dr. Sergio Wong, George Castillo and Sixto Castillo, and was written for the younger generation of leaders to have a better idea of what traditional companies went through to get to where they are now.

Ruffolo commented on her favorite parts of the book where she singled out the portion about the challenges that Sunpride encountered, endured, and overcame over the years.  It showcases an organization that is not immune to problems but whose people chose to come together and find solutions and answers.

The author also noted the importance of looking back and reflecting on the past to charter a meaningful direction for the present and reach the desired destination in the future.  The anniversary book is truly a collective effort of committed individuals who share a common vision of documenting Sunpride’s 50th year in a commemorative publication.

“Sunpride sets the example for Cebuano companies to look inward and reflect on their rich history, heritage, and socio-economic contributions so they can celebrate their milestones as they plan on what else to accomplish in the years to come,” Ruffolo added.

The coffee table book will soon be available at the Cebu City Public Library, Mandaue City Public Library, and Cebuano Studies Center Library.  The digital storybook version can be found on Sunpride’s newly revamped website, https://www.sunpridefoods.com.

The ceremonial turnover/unveiling was led by Sunpride’s Marketing Head Don Hanley Wong and Marketing Team Leader Bryan Astrolabio.  Receiving their commemorative book copies were Angelina Cagatulia from Mandaue City Public Library and library staff Sharon Jakosalem representing Chief Librarian Rosario Chua from Cebu City Public Library.

As part of the company’s milestone, Sunpride has prepared several exciting activities for its loyal customers and employees until the end of the year. 

Renowned Cebuano Chef Myke Sarthou, better known as Chef Tatung, will hold a live cooking demo in October to share his simple yet delicious recipes for Sunpride brands such as Holiday, Sunpride, Good Morning, Shoppers, and Kassel.

There are also numerous surprises for its workforce, including employee recognition and special videos about Sunpride leaders and exemplary employees.

Sunpride continues to work hard to constantly evolve. The family-run business created over 100 products and multi-class brands, providing jobs to more than 1,000 regular employees and on-call workers.

With its 50-year track record of providing Filipinos a fuller, tastier, better lifestyle, Sunpride is looking forward to reaffirming its position as a leading provider of affordable protein in the years to come.