Happy Meals To Stir Development of North Reclamation Area

Hey guys, check out the fast development at the reclamation area in Mandaue city near Cebu Doctors University, Parkmall, and the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC).  Aside from the new offices, there are several new food outlets and the plush 8th floor resto-bar “Level 8.” Below is a press release re the newly-opened “Happy Meals Plaza” which is a PRWorks client.

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The opening today of Happy Meals Plaza located near the Cebu Doctors’ University is expected to attract the attention of food lovers who go out of their way for tasty yet quick meals and further stir business activities at the North Reclamation Area, Mandaue City.

Happy Meals Plaza is a food court that houses 17 concessionaires that offers a variety of food, drinks and beverages and
entertainment.  Among the establishments that open today are Conching’s Native Chicken and Fastfood, Cansi House, Cebu Bizworks Café, Gustoso, Mommy Louv Jhay Food Express and Bacolod’s Original Seruy.

Located at P. Larrazabal Avenue, the food court that also offers free WIFI connection, wide parking spaces, live acoustic bands on weekends, chill and house music, and flat screen cable TV and video sits right at the heart of  the bustling North Reclamation Area in Mandaue City.

A drive around the area would surprise Cebuanos at the rapid growth of economic activities ranging from plush dining places and restobars at Parkmall to the line of eateries just across the new Cebu Doctors’ University campus.

Moreover, commercial and business offices are sprouting fast all over the reclamation area.

“Happy Meals Plaza is not just built for people to eat and get entertained. It is also an extension of offices, a place where individuals can work.  It is a place for work and leisure.  It is where the happiest people meet and dine,” Happy Meals Plaza Managing Director Sally Uy said.

Filed under: Events, News , Cebu, Cebu International Convention Center, Development, fastfood, Food, Mandaue City, Prworks

Global plane, train builder chooses Cebu

Bombardier Transportation, the global giant that builds planes and trains, has chosen to open its finance center in Cebu, the progressive resort city in central Philippines, to service the multinational company’s international operations.

Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia and acting Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama led local officials, representatives from the business community, Cebu-based diplomats, and members of the Cebu media in gracing the grand inauguration of the Bombardier Finance Center at the TGU building in Cebu City’s upscale Asiatown IT Park on April 27, 2009.

The search began in August 2008 months after top Bombardier officials mandated the formation of a finance shared service center to reduce cost and increase the quality of financial information.

A team scouted several countries in Europe and Asia. They considered, deliberated and evaluated various qualified places. And Cebu stood out as the best place to combine work and leisure.

“Best tourist attractions, presence of people with good English skills, cost-efficiency and political stability are some of the major factors that led the team to choose the Queen City of the South to be Bombardier’ Transportation’s Global finance service center,” said Kennerth Lundgren, head of the financial services project, change management, ERP and Process Improvement.

An initial 25 Filipinos are now being trained to serve as the finance center staff. Search for competent accountants and finance wizards would continue to complete the planned 150 workforce. After two months of training, they will be brought to the United Kingdom for work shadowing. By October 2009, all of Bombardier’s finance operations will be transferred to Cebu.

Doris Mongaya of PRWorks Inc. pointed out that the Bombardier decision came about even before the onset of the global economic crisis that hit First World countries badly. “This means Cebu has what it takes to compete for the relocation of vital facilities of global giants that now need to streamline operations to increase efficiency.”

PRWorks Inc. is the sister company of the newly-formed Konseptworks that won the event management contract for the grand inauguration of the Bombardier finance center. A result of Mongaya’s partnership with Bong Abela of Concepts and More, the new company focuses on corporate events and marketing for international and national companies looking at the vast market in Cebu and Southern Philippines.

PRWorks Inc., in particular, takes pride in its excellent access to local governments, the local business community, and local media that has made it the favored local partner of Asia’s event and PR giant Teamasia, Globe Telecom, Sanofi-Aventis and SPC Power Corp.

Filed under: Events, News , Business, Cebu, Economy, global crisis, Philippines, planes, Prworks, trains, Visayas

Globe Telecom taps PRWorks for Vis-Min coverage of Annual Stockholders’ Meeting

TWELVE journalists from Visayas and Mindanao again covered the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting of Globe Telecom held at the Intercontinental Hotel Manila in Makati City last April 2, 2009.

Four business writers and editors from Cebu City, five from Davao City, one from Bacolod City, and two from Iloilo City arrived in Manila with Globe Telecom Cebu’s Jerry Yntig on April 1, said PRWORKS Inc. Managing Director Doris Mongaya.

Doris Mongaya (seated, second from left) poses with journalists from Visayas and Mindanao who covered the recent Globe Telecom Annual Stockholders' Meeting.

During the press conference after the stockholders’ meeting, Globe Telecom President and CEO Gerardo C. Ablaza, Jr. announced that the company recorded its highest quarterly revenue performance in the fourth quarter with service revenues of P16.3 billion, up 5% quarter-on-quarter and surpassing the previous best of P16.1 billion from the same period last year.”

Globe Telecom “maintained its momentum in wireless subscriber acquisitions by adding one million SIMs, ending the year with a total subscriber base of 24.7 million, up 22% from a year ago. The Company’s mass market brand, TM, led the growth, accounting for 70% of the 4.4 million net additions in 2008, bringing in more than 3 million incremental SIMs.

The Company also registered its strongest broadband subscriber take-up this quarter, driven by healthy demand for its wireless broadband offer. This period’s net additions of about 55,000 exceeded the performance

of the first three quarters of the year, enabling the Company to close the year with a broadband subscriber base of 234,000, almost
double that of 2007.”

Having recognized Visayas and Mindanao as a vast market growth area, Globe Telecom has continued inviting journalists from Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod and Davao to cover its annual stockholders’ meeting.

This year, Globe Telecom tapped the services of  PRWORKS Inc., the preferred PR and events agency in the Visayas and Mindanao, as its partner in making the nationwide coverage possible.

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Globe Telecom board chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala (right) poses with deputy CEO Ernest L. Cu, and President and CEO Gerardo C. Ablaza Jr.

Filed under: Events, News , Business, Cellphone, Corporate, Globe Telecom, Mindanao, Philippine Business, Philippine Economy, Philippines, Prworks, Stockholders, Stockholders Meeting, Visayas

Companies join fundraising drive for Cebu’s poor kids

PRWorks handled the publicity and media relations for the Cebu launching of World Vision’s “Adopt A Child Program” last July 26, 2008 at the Mang Inasal Park Mall @168 Branch in Mandaue City, Cebu.

ONE’S pocket change may be someone else’s future, that is if people heed the call of World Vision and some companies operating in Cebu to donate money—no matter how small—to pay for the education of underprivileged children in the province.

Mang Inasal, Timex, Thirsty Shakes and Fruit Juices, and some members of Rotary Club of Cebu-Fuente have offered to house coin banks for World Vision, an international Christian organization that implements poverty alleviation programs worldwide.

Pat Niñal of Timex said that aside from housing 10 coin banks, the company is also supporting the education of 20 children.

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Filed under: News , Humanitarianism, World Vision

Bankers teach pupils how to save

PRWorks managed the publicity and media relations for the launching of Real Bank’s “Bata Bata Magimpok at Magsinop Program” held at the Mandaue City Central School last July 14, 2008.

CEBU CITY, Philippines – His father taught him to save 20 percent of his earnings every month.

Real Bank chairman Jose G. Araullo said he followed his father’s advice and never experienced a financial crisis.

Remembering childhood lessons on being thrifty, Araullo is now bent on encouraging public school students the value of saving.

“I was trained that way. My parents instilled in me the importance of saving money. I thought this is a very good lesson and I want to impart this to students,” Araullo told reporters on Monday.

Such childhood values have become a catalyst for a nationwide advocacy campaign to encourage public school students to save part of their allowance in a bank.

Araullo led education and bank officials in the launching of the bank’s “Bata… Bata… Mag-impok at Magsinop” program at the Mandaue City Central school.

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Filed under: News , Cebu, Mandaue City, Mandaue City Central School, Real Bank

GT Cosmetics Expansion

Early this year, PRWorks managed media campaign to complement GT Cosmetic’s expansion of its distribution network of beauty products to other parts of Visayas and Mindanao.

Filed under: News

Bank conducts forum to help local SMEs grow businesses

The SME Speaker Series was a Planters Development Bank event promoted by PRWorks.

A BANK that caters to the needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) launched in Cebu a series of symposium as part of its commitment to uplift the status of the country’s SMEs, particularly those in the export sector.

Ambassador Jesus Tambunting, also chief executive officer of Planters Development Bank (Planters Bank), said the bank has decided to have the first of five SME speaker series in Cebu since most of the world-class exporters come from the province.

“We believe that Cebu is the center of excellence for export,” Tambunting said during an interview.

Being a choice bank for SMEs, Tambunting said that Planters Bank has already released P1.4 billion in loans to SMEs in the Visayas. Another P3.8 billion was availed of by SMEs in Mindanao.

One of the things that they looked into to attract SMEs is to simplify the paperwork needed for loan applications. The current processing time for loans from the point of application to the release of loan proceeds would take about two to three weeks.

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Filed under: News , Cebu, Planters Bank, Planters Development Bank, Small and Medium Enterprises, SME speaker series, SMEs

Work starts on Naga plants

In February 2008, PRWorks managed the publicity for the inauguration of the construction work of two 100-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plants in Naga City, Cebu.

NEARLY two years after the project broke ground, the construction of two 100-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plants in Naga City, Cebu commenced yesterday.

The coal power generations plants are being proposed by the consortium of Salcon Power Corp. (SPC) and Korea Electric Power Corp. (Kepco). The consortium, known as Kepco-SPC (KSPC), proposed the project in 2003 yet with the original target completion in 2008.

SPC senior vice president and chief operating officer Antonio Corpuz said the delay in the construction of the plants was caused by government bureaucratic requirements, not financial difficulties.

The first 100 MW plant is expected to become fully operational in February 2011 while the second one will be in May of the same year.

Continue reading ‘Work starts on Naga plants’

Filed under: News , Cebu, Korea Electric Power Corp., Naga City, Power Plant, Salcon Power Corp.