CEBU's Modern Skyscrapers, new constructions, IT Parks, and UPDATES about CEBU

[nItO/pIrEnA]

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down na pud ba ang SSC?

[diehardbisdak]

yup...

[diehardbisdak]

IT mission promotes investments in Cebu
Manila Standard / Michael Caber
18 September 2006

A DELEGATION of information technology companies from Cebu will be in San Francisco this week to market the island’s call center and business process outsourcing services, government officials said.

“Cebu is undoubtedly one of the fastest-growing economic areas of the Philippines and it has successfully positioned itself as a primary trade and investment destination,” said Special Trade representative Maria Roseni Alvero.

Alvero adding that the mission would be an opportunity for the trade and investment delegation from Cebu to learn first-hand the requirements of companies in San Francisco and the Bay Area and for Cebu firms to explore future business partnerships and opportunities.

The Cebu delegation will be headed by representatives from the Cebu Investment and Promotion Center and by officials of four major outsourcing companies operating in Cebu—Alliance Software Inc., Infinite Outsourcing Inc., Ng Khai Development Corp., and SRD and Co.

Among the activities the mission will join is an investment forum on Sept. 19 at the Philippine Center in San Francisco, where the group will present economic developments and investment opportunities in Cebu, Alvero said.

The group will also meet with California-based companies to showcase Cebu as an IT and outsourcing investment destination and to develop business alliances.


******************************* in related news......


Cebu seeks more investments from Silicon Valley
INQ7.net
Alexander Villafania
Last updated 09:04pm (Mla time) 09/17/2006


A GROUP of Cebu-based local government officials and heads of private companies are headed to San Francisco, California for a trade mission aimed at finding new partners and possible investment opportunities from Silicon Valley firms.

The delegation, which leaves on September 18 and will return on the 22nd, will be led by the Cebu Investment and Promotion Center (CIPC). It would be joined by officers from Alliance Software Inc, Infinit Outsourcing Inc, Ng Khai Development Corporation and SRD & Co.

The companies are all business process outsourcing operators that have offices in Cebu.

Special Trade Representative Maria Roseni Alvero said in a statement that the mission aims to scout for certain requirements of San Francisco-based companies that BPO providers in the Philippines can address.

Alvero also said that part of the activities of the IT mission is an investment forum at 6 pm on September 19 at the Social Hall of the Philippine Center in San Francisco where the group will present current economic developments and investment opportunities in Cebu.

Cebu has been heavily promoting itself as an investment location. Just last April, a group of businessmen and Cebu government officials that have formed the Cebu Educational Foundation for Information Technology conducted a tour of some companies in San Francisco in an effort to create a model derived from Silicon Valley that Cebu can follow.

[diehardbisdak]

... in related statement from the Dept. of Foreign Affairs regarding the above news

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DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
P R E S S R E L E A S E
www.dfa.gov.ph
2330 Roxas Blvd., Pasay City, Philippines
Tel. No. 834-4000

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SFA-AGR-76006
13 September 2006
Cebu-based Companies to Embark on I.T. trade and Investment Mission to San Francisco and Bay Area

13 September 2006 — The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center – Silicon Valley have announced that a delegation of Information Technology firms based in Cebu will be in San Francisco and the Bay Area from 18 – 22 September 2006 for a marketing campaign for Cebu’s IT, call center, and shared services (business process outsourcing-BPO) industries.

“Cebu is undoubtedly one of the fastest growing economic areas in the Philippines, and it has successfully positioned itself as a primary trade and investment destination”, said Special Trade Representative Maria Roseni Alvero, adding that “it will be an opportunity for the trade and investment delegation from Cebu to experience first-hand the demands and requirements of companies in San Francisco and the Bay Area and for Cebu firms to explore future business partnerships and opportunities.”

The Cebu delegation will be headed by representatives from the Cebu Investment and Promotion Center (CIPC) and by officials of four major BPO companies operating in Cebu, namely, Alliance Software, Inc. Infinit Outsourcing, Inc., Ng Khai Development Corporation, and SRD & Co.

Ms. Alvero also said that part of the activities of the Cebu IT mission to San Francisco is an investment forum on 19 September 2006 at 6:00 p.m. at the Social Hall of the Philippine Center in San Francisco, where the group will present current economic developments and investment opportunities in Cebu. The group will also be meeting with California-based companies to showcase Cebu as a premiere IT and BPO investment destination and to develop business alliances.

Detailed information about the Cebu Trade and Investment Mission may be obtained from the Philippine Trade and investment Center-Silicon Valley, 5201 Great America Parkway, Suite 356, Santa Clara, CA, Telephone number (1-40 9809823, email: ptic-sv@philippinecentersf.com.

[Khabz02]

nice investment mission. we hope that with the mission it will fruitioned into the best not just for the Cebuanos but to the Filipinos in general as well. Kudos!

[diehardbisdak]

RP’s spa industry ‘growing,’ gaining int’l recognition
Sun-Star Network Online
Monday, 18 September 2006

ASIDE from the recently concluded general assembly of the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Inter-Parliamentary Organization, Cebu hosted another international event over the weekend, which brought about 100 foreign visitors to the province.

The three-day 2006 Spa Industry Seminar, which ended yesterday, brought to Cebu spa industry players from East Asia, Australia, United States and the Middle East, among others.

The event, organized by Singapore-based consulting firm, Turning Point, was held at Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa, according to a statement.

The seminar is an annual international conference promoting innovations, products and services targeted toward spa industry managers and stakeholders.

During the opening last Friday, Philippine Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said the spa business in the country has grown and has won national and international recognition despite its being a new player in the global industry.

“Hosting the conference here is the biggest feather in our cap,” he said.

The Department of Tourism has been promoting the Philippines as a wellness destination with the proliferation of niche spas and medical tourism.

The spa industry is already gaining momentum in Cebu as more spa operators open shop in the province. Some industry players have also organized the Spa and Wellness Association in Cebu to police its own rank.

Among the highlights of the spa event is a workshop on traditional massage or hilot, which also involves chiropractic manipulation.

Shangri-La Mactan’s Chi spa village is one of the first spas in Cebu to offer hilot as a spa treatment. Chi is the biggest spa facility among Shangri-La’s properties all over the world.

Shangri-La Mactan is one of the sponsors of the spa industry seminar.

“Shangri-La is honored to host this highly regarded annual spa conference. This is an excellent opportunity not only for Shangri-La, but also for the country to be recognized as a preferred spa destination,” general manager Timothy Wright said.

Shangri-La Mactan was recently included in the top 25 best leisure hotels and top 25 spa resorts in Asia by online travel magazine, SmartTravel Asia.com. It was also voted among Asia’s best vacation resorts by Asiamoney.com aside from being a three-time winner of Time Reader’s Choice award. (JBN)

[diehardbisdak]

...update !!!

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Malaysia Airlines announced additions to its international network for the winter schedule. From Oct. 29 it will increase Paris Charles de Gaulle service to daily aboard 777s and add a sixth weekly 747-400 flight to Los Angeles. Weekly services to Hanoi will increase to nine and to Cebu to four. Last week it announced a comprehensive codeshare agreement with Virgin Blue covering 22 MAS flights into Australia.

source: http://atwonline.com/news/other.html...=9%2F18%2F2006

[diehardbisdak]

OT: ... another feat for Cebu

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Feature:
Cebuano discovers Jupiter "Red Spot Jr" from his backyard
By Minerva BC Newman

Cebu City (18 September) -- Christopher Go, a Cebuano amateur astronomer, is making waves in the international scene, particularly in astronomy after he discovered the "Red Spot Jr." of the planet Jupiter from his own backyard.

Go has a degree in Physics at the University of San Carlos and has been an avid sky watcher since he was in high school and has been imaging planets since 2003. "More on documenting the changes in planets by taking electronic photos using various types of telescopes," Go explains.

This young Cebuano astronomer is also a businessman, exporting furniture, but it seems skyward is his directions since he discovered the smaller red spot around Jupiter during one of his routine imaging. Go describes himself as a 'planetary imager.'

"I take electronic pictures of Jupiter whenever it's Jupiter season." He beams, and what exactly does it mean by Jupiter season? "It starts as dawn until evening, and I discovered the red spot at 4:30 a.m. Philippine time last February 25, 2006," he quips.

His discovery sent the astronomers worldwide in a magnificent panic. NASA website, on March 3, 2006 read: "Backyard astronomers grab your telescopes. Jupiter is growing a new red spot. Christopher Go of the Philippines photographed it on February 27th using an 11-inch telescope and a CCD camera."

Astronomers all over the world report their achievements directly to the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers based in Georgia, USA, which usually broadcast them. Go, in an exclusive interview with the Cebu Daily News, described his discovery of "Red Spot Jr.":

"The spot was an existing storm on planet Jupiter, called Oval BA. It started with three spots in the 1930s and 1940s, and during that time there was a disturbance in the south tropical zone of Jupiter. It created three south temperate spots, and in the 1998 to 2003 the spots merged and formed the Oval BA. It was still white during that time and it remained white for five years until December of last year. I think that on December 1 to 9, 2005, the spot turned red. It took about three months for the discovery because of the condition of Jupiter. It was very low so nobody in the earth's northern hemisphere was able to see it. It's a little higher here in the Philippines compared to other places in the northern hemisphere. Higher in terms of latitude, which means, Jupiter is more visible in Cebu."

Life has changed so much for this young amateur astronomer. He has come a long way since he started imaging the "most dynamic planet in the universe. According to him, he has been filing his reports on all his observations to the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers in Georgia since three years ago. "It's a standard operating procedure when you have an image; you have to make a report directly to them," Go added.

According to Go, anybody who images Jupiter is a significant contributor because it increases our understanding on the planet. "I made one of my most significant contributions in 2004, when a white spot on a south equatorial belt turned into a rift. Basically, it's a lightning system in the south equatorial belt and it created a break in its band. Most of these we could not understand why," he explains.

Go further said, the reason there is much publicity on his discovery of 'Red Spot Jr.' is because this is the first time in history that the world is able to witness a major anti-cyclonic white storm that turned red. "I'm part of the group of researchers based in Berkely California, USA that is studying the discovery. We will have a presentation next month in Pasadena, California during the annual meeting of the American Astronomers Association Division for Planetary Sciences," Go said.

This young Cebuano astronomer is having fun right now as he is one of those amateur astronomers that would pit his brains with the giants in the field. He said, his companions have doctorate degrees in Physics and Astronomy. The group will present his discovery in a poster presentation entitled: "Junior Red Spot: The Evolution of Red Spot Junior" in front of bout 3,000 astronomers all over the world that will attend the meeting that is sponsored by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The presentation, according to Go, would focus on detailing his documentation. It would also include the images which the group took using the Hubble space telescope and the two observatories in Mauna Kea, the largest telescope in the world.

Go went on to say that there are many Filipino contributors like him but he lamented that most of them are not recognized in the country. He said, there is Fr. Leo Boethin, an SVD priest based in the northern province of the country that discovered one of the planets that will be targets of Deep Impact, a satellite in the U.S. There are other Filipino contributors and scientists, like Edwin Aguirre and Imelda Joson, the first couple to have a comet named after them, he reported.

For Christopher Go, being an amateur astronomer that comes from a third world country like the Philippines, his journey was a hard road. When he started making waves, he was accused of plagiarism. He sighed and said, "At first, nobody believed me… It is difficult for a Filipino to reach the top in the international arena because we belong to a poor country. You have to persevere and be the best because not just people from abroad but also people here will put you down, telling you that your efforts are useless."

Currently, Christopher Go, a Filipino from Cebu is the top planetary imagers in the world! He was recognized in the October 2005 issue of the Sky and Telescope Magazine as "one of the planetary masters in the world."

Recently, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA) urged Malacanang to confer to Go the highest presidential honor, the Order of Lakandula for discovering the Red Spot Jr.

[arnoldsa]

^^

cool..

[Tj-Mixxed]

^^ pics ni sugbuanon! ehehehheheh cool shots marvz!