Hotel opening postponed

By Debra Magallon-Estero

THE opening of the hotel property of SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) in Cebu will be delayed to the middle of 2010 after suppliers commissioned by the company failed to deliver items due to the effects of the typhoons that hit the Luzon areas in September and October.

Earlier, SMIC had announced that the Radisson Hotel would open next month.

SM Prime Holdings Inc. vice president for marketing Marissa Fernan told reporters last Thursday that some of the hotel’s suppliers, including those commissioned to provide the hotel with furniture, are based in Metro Manila.

Fernan also said the hotel would use the brand name Radisson Blu.

Radisson Blu is the brand name used by Radisson hotels located outside the United States. It would be the first Radisson Blu hotel in the country.

SMIC signed a contract with the Radisson Hotels and Resorts, a member of the US-based Carlson Hotels Worldwide, in September of 2008.

Prior to this, SMIC had entered into an agreement with Accor to operate the hotel under the Sofitel brand.

At its opening, the 20-story hotel will feature 400 rooms and five-star amenities that include conference rooms, a restaurant, and a well-refurbished lobby.

Hotel opening postponed

By Debra Magallon-Estero

THE opening of the hotel property of SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) in Cebu will be delayed to the middle of 2010 after suppliers commissioned by the company failed to deliver items due to the effects of the typhoons that hit the Luzon areas in September and October.

Earlier, SMIC had announced that the Radisson Hotel would open next month.

SM Prime Holdings Inc. vice president for marketing Marissa Fernan told reporters last Thursday that some of the hotel’s suppliers, including those commissioned to provide the hotel with furniture, are based in Metro Manila.

Fernan also said the hotel would use the brand name Radisson Blu.

Radisson Blu is the brand name used by Radisson hotels located outside the United States. It would be the first Radisson Blu hotel in the country.

SMIC signed a contract with the Radisson Hotels and Resorts, a member of the US-based Carlson Hotels Worldwide, in September of 2008.

Prior to this, SMIC had entered into an agreement with Accor to operate the hotel under the Sofitel brand.

At its opening, the 20-story hotel will feature 400 rooms and five-star amenities that include conference rooms, a restaurant, and a well-refurbished lobby.

Help for SMEs, biz groups

A GERMAN ministry has partnered with the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) in a project that aims to further strengthen the business chambers and the small and medium enterprise sector in the Visayas and Northern Mindanao.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) funds the Working for Enhancement of the Chamber and Association Network in the Visayas and Caraga (We Can Visayas & Caraga) project through the Foundation for Economic Development and Vocational Training (SEQUA).

SEQUA has appointed the Federation of Catholic Entrepreneurs, whose project implementation arm is the AFOS Foundation for Entrepreneurial Development Cooperation, to work in partnership with CCCI in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project.

Technical aid

“This project provides technical assistance, like training and consultancy, to the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through partnerships with the business chambers they belong to,” said SEQUA project manager Simone Lehmann in a press conference yesterday.

AFOS resident representative Dr. Stephan Kunz said some of the training programs they will implement under the We Can Visayas and Caraga project are strategic planning, leadership and management training, and skills training in different fields, including handicraft, fashion accessories, food processing, aquaculture and tourism.

“The overall goal is to improve the business environment for SME development while the participating chambers and associations are in the position to maintain an improved service offer for the SMEs,” We Can steering committee chairman Jose Ng said.

The project will be implemented within three years, from August 2009 to July 2012, with possible extension of another three years if needed.

Since it started, AFOS and CCCI have already undertaken field assessments and data gathering, and consultative and planning workshops with participating chambers.

Coverage

Initially, the project will cover the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Iloilo and Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Western Visayas; Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Central Visayas; Samar Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Ormoc Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Eastern Visayas; and Bislig Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Butuan City Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Caraga.

Kunz said they will eventually extend their technical assistance to other regions even before the possible extension of the project after 2012.

“There is a need for (such) support in other regions whose economic climate is different from each other,” he said.

Complementary

He added that We Can will complement existing projects and private sector development and promotion programs of German development agencies like the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the German Development Service (DED) in the country.

Other members of the We Can project management are incoming area vice president for the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Visayas Francis Monera and CCCI executive director Teresa Pono.

Help for SMEs, biz groups

A GERMAN ministry has partnered with the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) in a project that aims to further strengthen the business chambers and the small and medium enterprise sector in the Visayas and Northern Mindanao.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) funds the Working for Enhancement of the Chamber and Association Network in the Visayas and Caraga (We Can Visayas & Caraga) project through the Foundation for Economic Development and Vocational Training (SEQUA).

SEQUA has appointed the Federation of Catholic Entrepreneurs, whose project implementation arm is the AFOS Foundation for Entrepreneurial Development Cooperation, to work in partnership with CCCI in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project.

Technical aid

“This project provides technical assistance, like training and consultancy, to the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through partnerships with the business chambers they belong to,” said SEQUA project manager Simone Lehmann in a press conference yesterday.

AFOS resident representative Dr. Stephan Kunz said some of the training programs they will implement under the We Can Visayas and Caraga project are strategic planning, leadership and management training, and skills training in different fields, including handicraft, fashion accessories, food processing, aquaculture and tourism.

“The overall goal is to improve the business environment for SME development while the participating chambers and associations are in the position to maintain an improved service offer for the SMEs,” We Can steering committee chairman Jose Ng said.

The project will be implemented within three years, from August 2009 to July 2012, with possible extension of another three years if needed.

Since it started, AFOS and CCCI have already undertaken field assessments and data gathering, and consultative and planning workshops with participating chambers.

Coverage

Initially, the project will cover the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Iloilo and Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Western Visayas; Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Central Visayas; Samar Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Ormoc Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Eastern Visayas; and Bislig Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Butuan City Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Caraga.

Kunz said they will eventually extend their technical assistance to other regions even before the possible extension of the project after 2012.

“There is a need for (such) support in other regions whose economic climate is different from each other,” he said.

Complementary

He added that We Can will complement existing projects and private sector development and promotion programs of German development agencies like the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the German Development Service (DED) in the country.

Other members of the We Can project management are incoming area vice president for the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Visayas Francis Monera and CCCI executive director Teresa Pono.

Coops to put up gas stations chain

TO make the cooperative industry grow in the country and further become a model of strong cooperative movement in Asia, Philippine cooperatives are considering putting up a chain of gasoline stations and a shopping mall.

National Cooperative Development Council (NCDC) chairman Arthur Aller made this recent announcement, saying that these projects will be part of a cooperative “blueprint” that will showcase the industry’s best practices.

This blueprint will be drafted within the next two years in time for the next Asian Cooperative Teamshop.

Aller explained that putting up a chain of gasoline stations will help cooperatives cope with the unstable fuel prices that have affected their businesses.

Cooperatives will be convening transport groups and pooling out resources to put up this project, he said.

These stations are initially planned to be located in places where local cooperative councils exist, like the Provincial Cooperative Development Council in Oriental Negros.

Blueprint

“Once the blueprint is done, we will replicate the (gasoline station) in other areas,” said Aller.

Cooperatives are also looking into the establishment of a federated ownership and management of a shopping mall that would eventually compete with big shopping malls in the country like SM.

Aller said this planned mall is designed to establish a pool of consumer groups that will patronize and support cooperative-owned businesses.

“This is an ambitious plan, but if we will start small with a group of people who, despite their limited funds, will pool resources to make this plan possible, we could grow big enough to compete with other malls. We just have to start with a small model,” he said.

The plan for a shopping mall was spurred by the cooperatives’ same objective, which is to provide business opportunities to their members.

NCDC serves as a consultative body for cooperatives that continue to grow in number and in membership.

The Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) estimated 7,000 cooperatives nationwide now applying for the new registration mandated under the Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008.

These cooperatives collectively register close to P200 billion in assets and close to seven million members.

The CDA reported that the standards and best practices of cooperatives in the Philippines are way ahead of those of other Asian counties and are being used as benchmarks by neighboring nations like Thailand and Indonesia.