The Ching Palace

This plush Chinese restaurant was still in its first year in December 2004 when it got hit by a crisis when a society columnist of Cebu’s top newspaper Sun.Star Cebu wrote a ruthless tirade regarding the quality of its food.

The column was a result of a tiff between the management and two customers who turned out to be relatives of the columnist. Because Ching Palace relied on the word of mouth in building its clientele within the AB market in Cebu, the published column somehow affected perception of its quality that had its impact on sales.

Filed under: Case Studies, Business, Cebu, Chinese Restaurant, Ching Palace, Commerce, Economy, Food, Media, Philippines, Prowrks Inc, Restaurant, Visayas

SALCON Power Corporation Campaign

In 2004, the SALCON Power Corporation in Naga, Cebu became the target of an NGO environmental campaign for its partnership with the Korean Power Corporation (KEPCO) for the construction of two 100 megawatts coal-fired power plants.

The NGO called CARE or Cebu Alliance for Renewable Energy conducted mobilizations in Naga town and in Cebu City to attract the attention of media. It had initiated organizing efforts in the communities around the SALCON Power Complex. It presented various data about global warming, conducted area tests with other NGOs like Greenpeace. In fact, CARE was backed by the Leftist BAYAN Muna and was bolstered by an earlier NGO campaign that prevented the construction of a similar coal-fired plant in Iloilo Island.

Because of the municipal government’s support of the construction of the two plants, the mayor and other LGU officials also became targets of an effective tri-media barrage.

Filed under: Case Studies, brownout, Business, Cebu, Commerce, Crisis Management, Economy, Global Warming, Kepco, Korean Power Corporation, Philippines, power crisis, power failure, power outage, Salcon Power Corporation, Visayas