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

Offense better than defense in PR crisis

By PRWORKS Inc.

Many corporate crises stem from attacks in the news media on the reputation of the corporation or its top officials or its services and products. The attacks could come from competitors, the media, the labor union, or government agencies.

When this happens, some corporate leaders lamely respond to the attack, just stay silent and hope it goes away, or surrender to the pressure.

Unfortunately, the news media is primarily driven by allegations. The people who accuse or raise damaging issues against a corporate entity shape the news coverage. A straight news story, though written supposedly in an “objective” manner, is usually biased favoring the allegation.

Note that many news leads or the first paragraph of a news item are usually about an allegation then alludes to the other side somewhere down the story. Worse, “the other side” sometimes merely says you could not be contacted for comment as of press time in an attempt to make a news story look objective.

Often, when a reporter calls for your comment on an allegation, the story is already written and he just wants to complete it with your side on it.

Newspaper readers often readily accept the allegation as the truth and deem “the other side” as mere excuses unless the one reading is the accused or knows the real truth.

One might decide not to respond in the hope that the media coverage on the allegations would go away.

When the attack is isolated and buried deep in the papers, this might be the right thing to do.

But often, controversial issues raised against a corporation get follow up stories and later comments by columnists and radio commentators. And we are conditioned to believe that innocent people don’t run and hide from problems.

Thus, hesitation or a “no comment” would raise suspicion. Silence, in the minds of many, is guilt. A lame reply to a baseless attack makes news readers doubt the confidence of the accused in his own innocence.

But waging a vigorous defense unfortunately entails more resources and far less efficient than going into the offensive. Soldiers exert more effort digging trenches, barricades and barbwires than crawling near and tossing a grenade into an enemy machine gun nest.

By going into the offensive, one forces his adversaries to stop or take a step backward to assess what happened and take defensive measures. They should also realize that you are not a pushover and they picked on the wrong guy. Their media campaign won’t be a walk in the park.

Filed under: Views , Business, Corporate Crisis, Media, Perception, Perception Management, PR, public relations, Reputation Management, Truth

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

The Prince Warehouse Club Sari-Sari Festival 2008

3RD SARI-SARI STORE FESTIVAL: Senator Mar Roxas inspects different stalls of participants of the recent 3rd Sari-Sari Store Festival, held at the Cebu International Convention Center, together with Roberto Go, President of Prince Warehouse Club. Roxas, who authored the newly enacted Magna Carta for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), gave a speech stressing the importance of “never giving up the long term” and to “act by design, not by default,” as a means to personal success and national development.

The Sari-Sari Festival 2008, The Prince Warehouse Club’s landmark event held at the Cebu International Convention Center last July 25, 2008, was organized by PRWorks. Dubbed as Sari-Sari Society Convention the past 2 years, Prince Warehouse Club aspires to make this year’s gathering bigger and more fun-filled thus the name Sari-Sari Society Festival. Prince Warehouse Club aims to bring together members from all over the province through the festival by way of an exhibition, a variety show, and helpful discussions on entrepreneurship, micro-finance, and sari-sari store best practices and success stories. This is Prince Warehouse Club’s way of expressing gratitude for the members’ continued support in sustaining and advancing the club’s vision.

Visit The Prince Warehouse Club Sari-Sari Festival 2008 Blog »

Filed under: Events , Business, Cebu, Philippines, Prince Warehouse Club, Retailing, Sari-Sari Store Festival 2008, Sari-Sari Stores

Cebu ranks 8th for investors

By Linette C. Ramos

CEBU CITY — Foreign investment experts have again noticed Cebu City’s potential for business and ranked it as eighth of the Top 10 Asian Cities of the Future, in a list by the Finance Direct Investment (fDi) magazine of the Financial Times Group.

Only two other Philippine cities, Quezon City and Davao City, made it to the top 10, ranking seventh and 10th place, respectively.

Cebu City also ranked fourth in the list of 10 most cost-effective cities, seventh in the best quality of life category and second in development and promotion, next only to Singapore.

Continue reading ‘Cebu ranks 8th for investors’

Filed under: News , Business, Cebu, Cebu City, Commerce, Economy, Philippines, Small and Medium Enterprises, Top 10 Asian Cities of the Future, Visayas

RP renews membership to AFECA

AFTER MORE THAN 10 years of absence, the Philippine’s meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) industry has revived its participation and membership to the Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Association (AFECA).AFECA is an organization of MICE industry leaders in Asia. It was organized to give Asia a voice in the MICE global industry. The Philippines is a founding-member of AFECA.

“They (AFECA members) looked for us because the Philippines is a founding-member and we were gone. Just this year, we are coming back,” said Marissa Nallana, chairperson of the Philippine Association for Conventions, Exhibit Organizers and Suppliers (PACEO).

Ms. Nallana recently attended the AFECA annual general meeting and the 2007 Asian MICE leaders forum held last September 25-27 in Taipei, Taiwan. She said the country’s revival to AFECA, through PACEO, is a joint effort of the organization and the Department of Tourism.

Filed under: News , AFECA, Business, Cebu, Cebu International Convention Center, CICC, Commerce, conventions, Economy, exhibitions, incentives, meetings, Philippines

Cebu Motorshow Benefits Vis-Min Entrepreneurs

Transport entrepreneurs in the Visayas and Mindanao are among many exhibitors who will benefit from the 8th Motorshow Cebu International at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) on October 16to 21, 2007.

Haydee Kwan, Motorshow Philippines International, Inc. Director, that is spearheading the only event of its kind and magnitude outside Metro Manila, revealed this

Over the years, small and medium-scale transport entrepreneurs in the countryside have survived and grown on their own merit. Now, we want to make sure that their industry and ingenuity will get the attention that they deserve, Kwan said.

Located away from major manufacturers of automotive and motorcycle accessories and parts, provincial Filipino entrepreneurs are known for their ability to produce alternative transport products often made from scrap materials.

In lieu of accessories and parts that are difficult to access in remote areas, these ingenious innovations often amaze even the more established manufacturers of auto and cycle parts, bodies and engines.

The Motorshow Cebu International will provide a good exposure for these small companies who fill a special niche in a rapidly expanding transport market. Throughout the six-day event, meet-and-match possibilities between buyers and sellers are endless, Kwan explained.

Filed under: Case Studies , Auto, Business, Cars, Cebu, Cebu International Convention Center, CICC, Commerce, Economy, Motoring, Motorshow, Philippines, Visayas

Launching a web resource for entrepreneurs in Cebu

The decision to re-launch SME.com.ph in Cebu, in central Philippines, shows PR savvy for Planters Development Bank marketing strategi

sts in reaching out to small and medium entrepreneurs in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The web site provides entrepreneurs with a wealth of resources and other support services online. “SME.com.ph connects you and your business to the world market the quick, easy and affordable way,” says bank officials.

Aiming to reach out to the growing number of SMEs in southern Philippines, Plantersbank demonstrate its commitment to be a relevant player in the development of the countryside.

Located some 500 kilometers south of Manila, Cebu is considered an engine of economic growth in the south largely fueled by small and medium enterprises in the export, import, IT and service industries.

Filed under: Case Studies , Business, Cebu, Commerce, Economy, Mindanao, Philippines, Plantersbank, Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs, Visayas