Pinoy farmer finalist in International Cocoa Awards

Filipino farmer makes it to the finals of 2019 International Cocoa Awards


Antonio Colina
Manila Bulletin
18 August 2019


DAVAO CITY – Jose Saguban, a farmer from Kialaw, Malabog in Paquibato District, Davao City, will compete with 49 other farmers from all over the world for the prestigious 2019 International Cocoa Awards (ICA) during the Salon Du Chocolat in Paris, France on October 30 after his beans were selected as one of the top 50 cocoa beans out of the 223 samples from 55 countries.



Saguban’s entry was the only one to make the cut out of the five bean samples from the Philippines. The farmer supplies beans to Auro Chocolate, maker of fine dark chocolates.

Auro Chocolate said it has been helping Saguban and other members of the Paquibato Tree Developers Cooperative with new farm techniques to achieve better quality, mentoring them on the fermentation protocols. The company prepared and sponsored Saguban to join the competition.

“We’d like to thank all of our farming partners for working tirelessly to improve the quality, and not just put the Philippines on the map for cacao beans but for showing the world that we can make gold,” the company said.

Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao (CIDAMI) executive director Valente Turtur said five samples — two from Compostela Valley, two from Calinan District, and one from Paquibato District — were sent to Paris at six kilos per entry last February.

All the bean samples were subjected to physical quality and sensory evaluation from February until June, and flavor sensory evaluation of coca liquor by the Cocoa of Excellence (CoEx) technical committee from July to August.

The entries from the Philippines were all winners of the Philippine National Cacao Industry Council’s National Cacao Award System, which was established to select the best cacao beans that will represent the country in the international competition, Turtur said.

According to CoEx, the ICA, a global competition recognizing the work of cocoa farmers and celebrating the diversity of cocoa flavors, and spearheaded by Bioversity International and Event International, recognizes “quality, flavor, and diversity of cocoas according to their origin.”

The best 50 samples, which will be processed into chocolate, will undergo another stage of flavor sensory evaluation by the CoEx technical committee and a broader panel of professionals. Out of 50 finalists, the CoEx will select 15 to 20 winners.

The winners, including the finalists, will be showcased at the Salon Du Chocolat, which will gather 500 participants from 60 countries, including over 200 renowned chefs and pastry chefs.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed the country’s cocoa beans production level reached only 7,983 MT in 2018, 81% of which came from the Davao region.

From 2008 to 2018, the production only grew by 2,834 MT or 55.04% of the Philippines’ cacao production which is insignificant compared to one million MT a year from Ivory Coast, 800,000 MT from Ghana, and 400,000 MT from Indonesia, Turtur said.

Roro: Made in PH

First Pinoy-made RoRo ship launched


Michael Joe Delizo
ABS-CBN News
19 August 2019

MANILA — The first Filipino-made roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessel was launched Saturday at North Harbor in the capital, providing a potential boost to the local ship-building industry. 

The 468-seater M/V Isla Simara passenger ship with a 12-meter long vehicle ramp is the brainchild of Shogun Ships Corp. Inc. and Josefa Slipways Inc.

It is the first RoRo ship in the Philippines with a modern Automation and Control System that can be monitored real-time in the company’s head office. 

M/V Isla Simara is also the first local RoRo ship with a Marine Evacuation System, a lifesaving device that is similar to an airplane’s evacuation chute through which passengers can slide directly to a lifeboat without getting wet. 

The ship is expected to sail on its maiden commercial trip next week from Matnog to Allen towns in Northern Samar.

“This will boost the local ship-building industry in the Philippines,” said Thadedeus Jovelanos, president of Philippine Register of Shipping. 

“It shows that we can build better, better, and better because we continuously learn,” he added. 

M/V Isla Simara is part of the Shogun Ships' initiative to improve the quality of locally built ships, said the company's president Vicente Cordero. 

“We hope that with this project, [we] can inspire other ship owners and ship builders to do this kind of ship in the future,” he said. 

PH an outlier in AsPac

PHL an outlier in slowing Asia-Pacific M&A  market

Arra B. Francia
BusinessWorld
04 July 2019

THE PHILIPPINES was the fastest-growing market in the Asia- Pacific (APAC) region ex-Japan in terms of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) last semester, driven by the consolidation of one of the country’s largest cement players.

In its Global & Regional M&A Report for the first half of 2019, media firm Mergermarket revealed that the value of M&A deals in the country soared by 398.2% or $2.2 billion during the period.

This was primarily driven by conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC)’s acquisition of an 85.7% stake in Holcim Philippines, Inc. from LafargeHolcim Ltd.

“The surge in the Philippines was largely driven by the flagship ‘Build, Build, Build’ campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte, which is spurring consolidation among cement players,” Mergermarket said in its report.

Holcim Philippines disclosed in May that SMC has agreed to acquire 85.7% of the firm for $2.15 billion, making it the biggest M&A deal in the local cement industry. The sale of LafargeHolcim’s Philippine assets is part of its rationalization program to exit from the “hyper competitive arena in Southeast Asia.”

The Philippines defied the slowdown seen in the region as well as in individual markets. Mergermarket noted that dealmaking “slowed down to levels unseen since 2013,” attributing the decline to the escalating trade war between the United States and China.

APAC ex-Japan tallied 1,525 deals last semester worth $241 billion, resulting in a drop in global market share to 13.4% from 18.6% in the same period last year.

China and Hong Kong accounted for more than half of the region’s total deal value, although deals from the former dropped by 44.7% year on year.

Deals in Hong Kong meanwhile dipped by 11.1%.

India followed as the largest M&A market, despite also posting a 52.8% decrease to $33.5 billion.

Southeast Asia showed a more favorable performance in the same period, with Singapore increasing by 154% to $17.1 billion for the period. Indonesia picked up by 88.6% to $6.6 billion, while Malaysia jumped by 16.4% to $3.7 billion.

In terms of sector, consumer-related transactions booked a 7.6% increase to $23.2 billion from 144 deals. The technology sector dropped by 66% to $22.9 billion, “as the tech war between the US and China is threatening to disrupt the supply chain and create a digital iron curtain between countries using US technologies and those who adopt Chinese ones.”

Meanwhile, Mergermarket also said that private equity (PE) buyouts appear “bleak and is expected to worsen in the near future.” PE buyouts amounted to $28.8 billion in the first half, 57% down from last year’s $67.1 billion. PE exits were also weak at $28.25 billion, 62% lower than last year’s $73.4 billion. — Arra B. Francia

5G Southeast Asia's first

Southeast Asia's First 5G Internet for Homes Is in Philippines

By

Siegfrid Alegado | Bloomberg

‎June‎ ‎21‎, ‎2019‎ ‎

Globe Telecom Inc. will offer next month a fifth generation or 5G wireless broadband for Philippines homes, the first commercially available internet with such speed in Southeast Asia, the company said.

“We made a crucial step in fulfilling our goal of connecting more Filipino homes,” Ernest Cu, president at Globe, said in a statement. Offering 5G speed, which is faster and more secure, will help the company’s 2020 goal of connecting 2 million households to its various home internet products from 1.7 million in the first quarter, Cu said.

The venture of Ayala Corp. and Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. will initially offer 5G packages in Pasig City in the capital region and in nearby provinces of Cavite and Bulacan. Globe's share price was little changed at 2,218 pesos on Friday morning.

Globe's statement didn't say which company it tapped for the home 5G. Last month, a Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd spokeswoman in the Philippines said Globe and rival PLDT Inc. both committed to continue 5G initiatives with the Chinese tech company.

Coa-Cola's P1B PH investment

Coca-Cola to invest in P1B recycling facility in Philippines

ABS-CBN News

Jun 07 2019 

MANILA - Coca-Cola Philippines Inc said it would invest in a P1-billion food-grade recycling facility to help boost sustainability efforts in the country. 

The project, which aims to collect, sort, clean and wash PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles, is Coca-Cola's first major investment in a recycling facility in Southeast Asia, Coca-Cola Philippines said in a statement. 

"Coca-Cola has called the Philippines its home for 107 years and counting, and we want to do our part in ensuring sustainability within its shores," Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines Inc president and CEO Gareth McGeown said. 

Once completed, it is expected to improve PET collection and recycling rates in the Philippines and generate more jobs, Coca-Cola said.

Gareth McGeown, President and CEO of Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines Inc met with Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon, principal author of House Bill 7903 also known as An Act Providing For The Phase-Out Of Single-Use Plastic Products, to discuss Coca-Cola’s plans on how to further improve the collection and recycling of PET plastic bottles in the country. Handout

The project is part of the company's "World Without Waste" global commitment, which aims to collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle and can it sells by 2030, the beverage maker said.

All cans and bottles of Coca-Cola is "100 percent recyclable" and have value as a recycled material, McGeown said. 

Coca-Cola said it plans to use an average of 50 percent recycled content in its packaging, including PET bottles.

Taiwanese motors in PH

Kymco plans to build P1-B facility in Philippines

By Janina C. Lim, Reporter Business World

10 April 2019

KYMCO Philippines, Inc. is planning to put up a P1-billion facility in the country to boost its current capacity to meet growing demand and to allow future expansion into electric motorcycles.

In a press briefing in Makati City on Wednesday, Kymco Philippines President Allan B. Santiago said the company is looking to build the facility in north or south Luzon, particularly Laguna and Batangas due to their proximity to the Batangas port.

The local unit of Taiwan’s Kwang Yang Co. Motors Ltd. expects to start construction of the facility next year, and targets to operate by 2022 or 2023. The facility will have a monthly production of 6,000 up to 20,000 units.

“After about a decade of operations in the country, we have seen the potential and economic opportunities that the Philippines has to offer, and we believe that it is high time for us to take our presence and commitment to the next level… We are exerting more effort with our plan to bolster our investment in both the Philippine market and Filipino labor,” Mr. Santiago said.

Kymco Phillippines’ current capacity at its 250-hectare plant in Taguig City stands at 5,000 units per month. Monthly sales currently reach more than 1,500 units.

Steel bar exporter

PH becomes steel bar exporter

SteelAsia’s first shipment to Canada

By Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat\ 24March 2019

Manila Bulletin

Leading Philippine steel firm SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp. is delivering its first export of rebars to Canada, making the Philippines a steel bar exporter again after several decades.

SteelAsia SVP and Head of Sales Yvette Sy said the company shipped 10,000 metric tons of rebar to Canada worth over P300 million (around $6 million). Rebars are used by the construction sector to provide tensile strength for infrastructure, buildings, housing, and other structures.

“We are excited to see Philippine-made rebars being used in buildings and infrastructure in Canada. This shows that our steel products are competitive and world-class, having passed the stringent standards on steel set by Canadian authorities,” she said.

SteelAsia is the first steel bar manufacturer in the Philippines to have an Integrated Management System (IMS) certification when its Environment (ISO 14001) and Health and Safety (OHSAS 18001) Management Systems were integrated with its Quality Management System (ISO 9001).

SteelAsia’s Quality Management System has also been certified to conform to UK CARES or the UK Certification Authority for Reinforcing Steel Bars, the only Philippine company to achieve such certification at this time.

“We hope to do our part in raising the reputation of Philippine manufacturing by ensuring that our steel products are at par with the best in the world,” Sy said.

She also assured that SteelAsia will continue to ably support domestic requirements, especially the ongoing massive infrastructure developments in the country.

The Yao-owned SteelAsia is the Philippines’ flagship steel firm with six rebar rolling mills across the country – three in Luzon, one in the Visayas, and two in Mindanao – producing an output of over two million tons per year.

“We are proud to contribute to the country’s development, not only through the manufacture of quality steel locally but also by earning precious foreign exchange for the country through exports,” Sy concluded.

In December last year, SteelAsia Chairman Benjamin Yao have partnered with China’s HBIS Group Co. Ltd. and Huili Investment Fund Management Co. Ltd. to jointly undertake the country’s first integrated steel manufacturing operation in Misamis Oriental worth $4.4 billion.

The facilities in the plant will include those related to port operation, sintering, coking, pelletizing, iron-making, steel-making, steel rolling and further processing. The construction and ramp-up period is scheduled to span from three to five years.

Manila's New Norwegian Training Center

Norwegian To Open New Crew Training Facility in the Philippines 


Cruise Industry News
21 March 2019

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) today announced plans for the development and construction of the Norwegian Cruise Line Center of Excellence, a new shipboard seafarer training facility near Manila in the Philippines. 

NCLH said that the 200,000-square-foot facility will serve both new and existing shipboard team members across the company and will provide training for various onboard service areas. The training campus will enable the company to fully immerse trainees in their coursework, reduce onboard training time and further improve upon service levels. 

The facilities have been designed to provide trainees with realistic work and living experiences aboard a cruise ship, which will include replicas of staterooms, galley, casino floor, full service bar as well as safety and security training areas. Slated for 2020 completion, the center will provide annual training for as many as 8,000 shipboard team members each year. 

“As the company continues to grow and execute on our disciplined newbuild pipeline with eleven ships on order through 2027, the Center of Excellence will enable us to train and develop shipboard staff to meet the growing demand for top talent and to provide our guests with the high level of service and best-in-class vacation experience they have come to expect,” said Frank Del Rio, president and CEO, in a prepared statement.

NCLH has secured a 7.2 acre parcel of land near Manila, where it plans to develop the center. Construction is scheduled to begin this year with the facility slated to open its doors in late 2020.

The company’s three cruise brands currently source approximately 65 percent of their shipboard talent from Southeast Asia and anticipates an even higher demand for personnel from the region in the coming years. The central location of the Philippines, as well as its high percentage of multi-lingual citizens, has proven to be an ideal location for the training and development facility, NCLH stated.