Cebu needs smart power grid, energy management firm says

By Katlene O. Cacho

Friday, September 13, 2013

OF the five critical areas of concern to make Cebu a “smart city”, French energy management company Schneider Electric said a smart grid should be a priority.

Ian dela Rosa, country sales manager-IT business unit of Schneider Electric, pointed out that as more people migrate to the urban areas, the demand for energy will continue to increase, on top of the power businesses need.

“It is important to understand that each city is a unique entity...Every city is faced with similar challenges but priorities will vary. In one city, electricity will be a short-term priority because of power blackouts; in another, electricity will be a mid-term one because of rising costs. But there is one ambition-to make every city smarter,” said dela Rosa.

At present, 61.28 percent of the 4.17 million people in Cebu live in the city. By 2020, it is projected that the population would grow by 5.18 million, of whom 70 to 80 percent will reside in the city.

Aside from smart grid, other equally important areas of concern for a smart city include mobility, water, public services, and buildings and homes.

“Smart infrastructure is the building block for a sustainable Cebu,” dela Rosa said.

Dela Rosa was in Cebu for this year’s Xperience Efficiency roadshow held at Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu. The exhibition brought together business, government and community leaders to learn and drive change in today’s energy and sustainability challenges.

The exhibition featured 20 breakout sessions and interactive displays on the latest integrated energy trends and alternative ways that will not only address current challenges, “but also transform how we all work, team up and play,” the company said.

“We envision cities in the country to become smart cities,” said dela Rosa.

The company said Smart City presents an alternative and long-term solution to energy management that cuts across all industries, including data centers and information technology (IT).

As an integrated process, Smart City gives businesses new ways and ideas to save money, increase efficiency, improve competitiveness and drive better performance in the workplace, the company also said.

Dela Rosa said transforming cities in the country into smart cities is attainable, given the high awareness of Filipinos about energy management.

He said what energy efficiency advocates are hoping to see is that this high awareness translates into action and implementation by local governments.

“Collaboration is an effective measure to realize all these energy efficiency efforts,” he said.

Schneider Electric generated 24 billion euros in sales last year, of which 41 percent came from new economies.

Asia Pacific outgrew North America in contributions, posting 27 percent. The company’s North American sales grew by only 25 percent.

CCCI’s new exec director brings ‘green credentials’ to the job

By Mia A. Aznar

Saturday, September 21, 2013

A WOMAN who has spent considerable time championing environmental causes is the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (CCCI) new executive director.

May Elizabeth Segura-Ybañez, who joined the CCCI in August, replaced Salvador “Buddy” Villasis, who vacated the position in July.

For Ybañez, becoming executive director of an organization that aims to be Cebu’s engine of business growth toward global competitiveness is a challenge she welcomes.

The chamber’s programs impressed Ybañez and she felt being executive director was something she could participate in.

Ybañez considers team management her strength, having worked with people in the agriculture and fisheries sector, government and international development.

She has served 10 years as team leader of the Philippine Environmental Governance Project of the USAID in Central Visayas.

International consultancies

Before that, she was also executive director of the Philippine-Canadian Environment Economic Management and spent 10 years working for the World Bank’s Central Visayas project management office. She is also founding president of the Cebu Biodiversity Conservation Foundation.

Ybañez has also held consultancies with international organizations.

Her background comes in handy, as one of CCCI’s objectives is to promote sustainability in all its programs and projects.

As executive director, Ybañez will be responsible for managing the daily operations of the CCCI, ensuring the policies, programs and projects are implemented according to the objectives and goals set by the CCCI board.

She also has to make sure the CCCI effectively serves its members and that they feel the value of being a member of the organization. Her job also requires her to look for opportunities to fulfill CCCI’s vision of being the engine of Cebu’s growth toward global competitiveness.

“I saw it as a challenge and I felt it was something I could help them with,” she told Sun.Star Cebu.

She is married to former Cebu Provincial Board member Roberto Ybañez.

One of her biggest duties will be to prepare CCCI members for the Asean integration and make sure the impact of the Asean Economic Community is not negative on Cebu’s businesses.

ALI hands CHI rights to Mactan project

By Katlene O. Cacho

Thursday, September 19, 2013

PROPERTY developer Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) said Tuesday said it has transferred the rights of the joint venture project in Mactan to its affiliate Cebu Holdings Inc. (CHI)

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), ALI announced it has “transferred to CHI all of its interest, rights, obligations, and undertakings in Taft Punta Engaño Property Inc. (TPEPI) pursuant to the company’s joint venture agreement with Taft Property Development Corp. (TPVDC) and TPEPI.”

ALI said the transaction will allow the company to “consolidate its businesses resulting in improved efficiencies and synergy creation to maximize opportunities in Cebu real estate market.”

TPEPI is a joint venture with TPVDC, a Cebu-based real estate company and member of the Vicsal Group of Companies, for the purpose of developing a 12-hectare property in Mactan, Cebu.

In a statement sent to Sun.Star Cebu, CHI president Francis Monera said CHI shall “invest into the joint venture company (JVC), and CHI and subsidiaries of mother company, (ALI) shall manage the JVC projects.”

“CHI brings 25 years of expertise in managing large-scale, integrated, and mixed-used development projects with landmark developments such as Cebu Business Park and Cebu IT Park. TPVDC, with their experience in the Gaisano Metro chain of stores, shall likewise bring into the joint venture its solid background in the retail operations,” said Monera.

He said the 12-hectare property in Mactan is envisioned to become an integrated mixed-use development with retail, residential, and hotel components. The proposed development will offer a value proposition which is distinct from that of other projects of CHI in Cebu City.

Monera, however, said they will provide more details when they complete their planning. For Project Accreditation & Inquiry call (032) 3181589 | 09173236123.

Developer plans socialized units in Minglanilla

By Jeandie O. Galolo

Saturday, September 21, 2013

INSTEAD of developing properties solely for the high and mid-market, a homegrown real estate developer decided to venture into socialized and economic housing for the “underserved” sector before the end of the year.

Cebu Landmasters, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Jose Soberano III disclosed on Tuesday that the company will launch their socialized and economic housing project on a 6.5-hectare lot in Linao, Minglanilla before the end of 2013,
with 400 houses expected to rise in the next few years.

This move, according to Soberano, shows the company’s desire to provide homes to the “underserved” sectors of the society instead of just focusing on the needs of more affluent markets.

He said that by “underserved”, he meant those who earn P10,000 per month or less.

Just recently, Cebu Landmasters celebrated the topping off of its 12th project, the Midori Residences, on A.S. Fortuna St. in Mandaue and broke ground for another mid-rise condominium project, the Mivesa Garden Residences, in Barangay Lahug.

P400,000 per unit

Both of these cater to the high and middle market.

Soberano said each house will cost around P400,000 and below for the socialized housing, with an estimated lot area of 32 square meters. “Economic” housing units can go for P600,000 to P1 million.

Residents can also enjoy amenities like a clubhouse and community centers and will be provided with security like that of most subdivisions, said Soberano.

In addition, he emphasized that owning a house nowadays in a socialized housing community is no longer a problem since banks and other financial institutions offer housing loans with low interest rates.

PAG-IBIG or the Home Development Mutual Fund, which he cited, is encouraging such kinds of loans. He said that for a 25-year payment period on a P400,000 housing loan, one will be paying less than P2,000 a month.

Urban development requirement

Rather than renting a property, Soberano advised those who wish to own a house, but don’t have enough money, to avail themselves of a housing loan.

Soberano said he is also eyeing on developing more socialized housing projects, but hopes that others in the private sector will also do the same.

“Let the private sector or developers look at this area. We cannot just leave this to Habitat (for Humanity) or Gawad Kalinga. We also have a major role to play here,” he said.

Republic Act 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 mandates developers to use 20 percent of their total project costs to “build new settlements or implement slum improvement and resettlement programs, enter into joint-venture projects with the local government units or housing agencies, and participate in community mortgage programs.”

Compliance

Soberano said although there are various ways in complying with the law, the “real compliance is still putting up (socialized) houses.”

He said he envisions to put up a four- or five-story building in a one- or two-hectare property in the city as part of the company’s socialized housing advocacy.

“If we (developers) don’t give them that kind of alternative, then they (underserved sectors) will continue to just flourish in the urban areas…in places that are not really equipped for residential living,” Soberano said.

Instead of just focusing on how much money developers can make out of it, he said it is better to think of how it can contribute to the improvement of communities.

“Economic growth? I would say it’s now more on trying to put some kind of shift on ‘attitude’. There’s an ‘attitude shift’. If you have a home that is properly managed, you have set some line of discipline.”

PHL investment level deteriorating–WB

Details

 

Category: Top News

Published on Saturday, 14 September 2013 22:00

Written by Jun B. Vallecera

INVESTMENT activities in the Philippines as percent of local output or gross domestic product (GDP) have fallen sharply lower to only around 20 percent of GDP the past decade from some 30 percent of GDP in the 1970s, the Manila unit of the World Bank reported on Friday.

The deteriorating level of investments is one of a number of problems hounding the economy that has kept productivity low in the agricultural sector and the local manufacturing sector rather weak, for instance.

These developments, in turn, helped perpetuate the high 26.5-percent incidence of poverty in the country and partly explains why about a third of middle-income Filipinos would rather work abroad or migrate to other countries altogether, the World Bank said in its 2013 Philippine Development Report released only on Friday.

According to the World Bank, 60 years of underinvestments contributed to the slow growth of agriculture, whose potential
contribution to overall economic expansion cannot be underestimated.

Agriculture in the Philippines is backward-looking and unproductive, while its manufacturing sector is stagnant and offers few job opportunities for Filipinos, the World Bank said.

“Although the country’s average growth record of 4.1 percent in the last three decades is comparable to global performance, it is considerably lower than the 6.5-percent growth of its more dynamic East Asian peers over the same period. In per-capita terms, Philippine growth is much lower at around 1.4 percent, given its historically higher population growth rate of 2.7 percent. While there have been a few growth spurts, the country has rarely been able to sustain growth at above 5 percent for an extended period, again in contrast to its neighbors,” the World Bank said.

Karl Kendrick Chua, senior country economist at the World Bank in Manila, said the Philippines has a long way to catch up with Malaysia, for instance, whose above 7-percent growth had been going on for maybe 20 or 30 years.

He said that while Manila typically attracts $2 billion worth of foreign direct investments (FDI) in a year, its neighbors have no trouble attracting 10 times more FDI.

It was noted the Philippines posted high growth rates in the 1970 as a result of large-scale growth in infrastructure, although this was not sustainable as such growth was debt-driven and best illustrated by the debt crisis in the 1980s.

Growth accelerated in the 1990s, when the government promoted exports, FDI and domestic competition, but was stymied by the 1997 region-wide financial crisis and brought the country to its third recession in 15 years.

“Finally, between 2003 and 2012, the country generated higher per-capita growth of above 3 percent; however, this has yet to translate into significant job creation and poverty reduction. Growth has largely benefited the top 20 percent of Filipinos,” the World Bank said.

The World Bank blames persistent policy distortions and lack of structural transformation as explanation for the slow growth of agriculture and manufacturing the past 60 years.

“In agriculture, these include protectionist policies, such as the rice self-sufficiency policy, large subsidies for inputs and distortions in institutions that prevent broad and secure access to land by small shareholders,” it said.

It also said protectionist policies in place as far back as the 1930s, such as high tariff walls, preferential loans and tax incentives to cronies in addition to uncompetitive practices in the various manufacturing industries contributed to the decline of the sector.

“With the exception of food manufacturing and electronics, the rest of the manufacturing subsectors either stagnated or declined. The bulk of manufacturing value added has come from capital-intensive industries such as electronics, while labor-intensive manufacturing such as garments, footwear and furniture continued to decline,” the World Bank said.

In the same Philippine Development Report, the World Bank highlighted the need for the government to accelerate inclusive growth and the creation of jobs to help reduce the poverty incidence and sustain growth for the long haul.

This developed even as an additional 1.15 million enter the labor force every year, or 14.6 million more in the next four years.

According to the World Bank, only one of four Filipino jobseekers eventually gets a job and only around half of some 500,000 graduates every year are absorbed; the other half will find work overseas.

It said more recent high-growth outturns help employ some of the jobless but even then, an estimated 12.4 million will have been jobless by 2016.

“Addressing this jobs challenge requires meeting a dual challenge: expanding the formal-sector employment even faster while rapidly raising the incomes of those informally employed,” the World Bank said.