Friday, October 12, 2012

Shaping Up to Life’s Challenges



Her story might be straight out of a telenovela.  Being a girl born to a Chinese family, Hilda Co Ong was never given preference even if she was an only child.  Growing up, she hoped her fairytale marriage  to her high school sweetheart, Jonah Tan Ong, in 1984 would bring her a happy ending but fate had other plans.

Her husband, Jonah, was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer (a cancerous tumor at the back of the nose toward the base of a skull) early in the marriage and this prompted her to spend most of her time and energy tending to her husband’s medical needs.  For the next five years, the hospital room became their second home.  She gave so much of herself to the caring of her husband that her own subsequent hospitalization and surgery (hysterectomy) was welcomed as a vacation, a treat even.  “In a way, I was thankful I got sick, too.  With somebody else taking care of me, I was able to recharge and recuperate immediately and face the bigger challenges that lie ahead,” reveals Hilda.

In 1990, Jonah finally succumbed to the Big C and left Hilda to care for her two young children, Jhon Henson and Jeff Hanzen.  From the indefinite leave she took from her family’s business, she bounced back when asked to return to work.  In time, she felt confined with routinary nature of clerical and administrative work she tendered at her family’s electrical supply business.  “I knew I was not growing there, career-wise.  I wanted to broaden my horizon so I started making plans on my own,” shares Hilda.  Armed with a strong will to keep her family living comfortably, she left the family business and ventured on to a business of her own.

Hilda’s efforts paid off when she opened Shapes Salon for Men & Women in 1996 at the heart of Binondo.  In the same year, Shapes’ sister branch was opened in Banawe, Quezon City.  The salons offered the usual services like hair cutting, styling, perming, straightening and coloring but Hilda wanted to go beyond the usual.  “After studying and perfecting the process, Shapes’ expertise was soon known due to our good hair rebonding services,” proudly declares Hilda.

Shapes’ rebonding treatments can lasts for hours, making sure that the customer’s hair will be straight, soft and shiny.  “After the initial treatment, we give our customers special shampoos and conditioners to take home with them.  We also teach them the proper care needed for treated hair.  Then, we schedule the client to comeback after a week so we can check if the hair needs follow-up procedures.”  If necessary, Shapes Salon will also offer free hot-oil treatments as an additional service for customers.

“Customer satisfaction is very important to us.  Their testimonials and referrals are our most reliable advertising tool that surely brings us more customers,” stresses Hilda.  With this in mind, she does her own product testing before offering new hair treatments and styling products in her salon.  “I want to test the products first so I can make improvements before introducing the treatment to my customers.  Sometimes, I adjust the treatment time or add another conditioning process to achieve the best results.”

“At Shapes Salon, we are also proud of our hair coloring services.  We are one of the few salons around that does hair rebonding and coloring in one treatment,” says Hilda.  “Sometimes, customers come to us with roots showing their natural hair color.  At their request, we can target color the roots so it will blend in with the rest of the treated hair.  This way, the customer does not only save on cost but also on salon time, too.” 

Indeed, Hilda has grown from life’s challenges.  Her loving care to her dearly-departed husband and family now transcends to her salon clients thus, they can be assured of quality services at Shapes – a salon built from a woman’s caring heart.

For hair treatments and hair styling, you can find Shapes Salon for Men & Women at 911 Benavidez Street, Binodo, Manila and at 753 Banawe Street corner Sct. Alcaraz, Quezon City.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Manila, Boracay top tourist destination list




The tourism campaign, “It’s more fun in the Philippines”, of the Department of Tourism (DOT) was launched in January this year, serves as a thematic platform, in application of cross-promotion, convergence initiatives, and public-private partnerships, to all markets around the world.

Aside from the obvious definition, the Department would like to spin the “FUN” to carry a deeper meaning encompassing “good governance and competitive offerings that practice good business, proper management, and sustainable development.” “FUN” then translates to easy, convenient, and hassle-free visitations that should be evident across the tourism value chain, added the department.

As part of its international campaign, the DOT released a TV commercial via global media giant CNN that featured some of the most creative memes from the public.
The department also participated in travel fairs and placed ads in strategic spots. In particular, the campaign stickers on double-decker buses, taxi cabs, and underground stations were reported to have received “overwhelming support in London.”  The roll-out included twenty-five double-decker buses and fifty iconic black cabs that carried a uniform design of the slogan and different faces of the Philippines.  A billboard can also be spotted in Los Angeles, placed along Century Boulevard and Aviation Road near the LAX.

On the local front, the department shared the campaign logo design and materials to partners in both the private and public sectors. Its website, www.itsmorefuninthephilippines.com, is currently being developed to feature more information such as places to see in the country depending on tourists’ interests.

Sharing the fun, sharing the buzz
With about 25M Facebook and Twitter users in the Philippines, the Department is tapping the power of social media to push the campaign locally and create higher mileage.  The Department is also poised to launch audio-visual presentations, tv commercials, print ads, and a photo library of fun photos this year.

As projected the Department is now confident that they will be able to achieve its year-end target with the arrival of 1,819,781 foreign visitors from January to May.  Compared to last year’s 1,609,651 visitors, this figure is 13.05 percent higher in volume.

The Department also reported that all key markets registered a positive growth from January to May, with Korea, USA, Japan, China, and Taiwan maintaining their positions as the country’s top tourist generators.  Korea remains to be the biggest source, contributing 397,170 visitors for a share of 21.83 percent of the total volume and posting a 12.41 percent growth.  Overseas Filipinos supplied 5.16 percent to the total tourist traffic with 93,814 arrivals, exhibiting a steady growth rate of 4.26 percent.

Tourism chief Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. said that the Department’s goal is to rally the whole Filipino nation around a very simple idea: Tourism is the people’s business.

“More than any other country in Asia, the Philippines has the power of buzz and buzz creation beyond anything our competition can generate. This same insight has been at the core of our new tourism campaign with a central strategy executed and spread by millions of active, enthusiastic Filipinos who feel they have the power to persuade people to visit their country. Its phenomenal and viral success so far is greatly due to the people who have participated in the campaign with their catchy and witty versions, each proving to the world how it is indeed more fun in the Philippines. It is hoped that every Filipino will continue to support the campaign and engage in becoming tourism ambassadors who will ensure that our foreign guests will always have a positive, memorable, and FUN experience,” added Jimenez.

More destinations, more visitors
Based on the 2011 Visitor Sample Survey for Inbound visitors, the most popular destinations are Manila, Boracay, Cebu, Laguna, and Tagaytay.  These destinations are most visited by tourists because these places continue to offer varied types of products and activities, namely, sun, sea and beach, entertainment and shopping, sightseeing and recreation.

In terms of popularity, fast-rising destinations from the Visayas are Albay, Camarines Sur (especially Caramoan), and Samar.  Tourist interest in these places is steadily growing due to the untapped and natural resources and beautiful sceneries.

The Tourism Department also projects that the Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas will be the next favored tourist destinations once the needed infrastructure and investment in accommodation and tourism products are completed.

More arrivals, more revenues
The DOT already completed the National Tourism Development Plan for 2011-2016, that carries the ambitious target of 10 million international arrivals, 35.5 million domestic travelers, that roughly translates to Php1.9 trillion in tourism revenues, or 8.1 percent share to GDP and 6.8 million employment.

To achieve these figures, the Department seeks the improvement of NAIA and other secondary international airports, the development of an online reservation system for access to Puerto Princesa Underground River, the adoption of a new “Five Star Grading System” as new national accommodation standards for hotels, resorts, and other accommodation establishments.

In the capital city of Manila, the Department has planned improvements at the Rizal Park by adding new LED lighting system, WIMAX coverage, installation of CCTV cameras, and redevelopment projects of the Intramuros such as the construction of the San Ignacio Church, the Maestranza, Fort Santiago, and the Rizal Shrine.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Get to know the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean



HTC Android phones

It is no doubt that the Android operating system is the world’s most popular mobile platform today.  The IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker reported that the Android cornered 68.1 percent market share of all smartphones shipped during the second quarter of 2012, while BlackBerry and Symbian reached just 4.8 percent and 4.4 percent respectively.

Its latest version, the Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, is the fastest and smoothest Android yet. Compared to the Android 4.0, the Jelly Bean is noticeable for its simplicity and beauty, carries the new Google search experience and boasts a host of other exciting features.

With much improved touch responses, the screens moves fast, fluid and in one smooth motion.  The experience is not different when switching between apps.  Plus, the moment you touch the screen your device’s CPU instantly boosts and turns down on its own extending battery life.

While Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, made snapping photos a breeze, Jelly Bean is on the same speed but made the viewing photos more fun. From the camera, simply swipe photo to filmstrip view and view the photos you just took.  Put away those you don’t like in one quick swipe, too.

Share your photos and videos with just a simple tap with Android Beam on Jelly Bean.  You can also share contacts, web pages, YouTube videos, directions, and apps. By touching two NFC-enabled Android devices back-to-back, materials on the screen will be beamed to the other screen with a single tap.

Of course, the Android helps you get connected with e-mails, calls and Google+ without fail.

For blind users, the Android hosts the 'Gesture Mode' to reliably navigate the UI using touch and swipe gestures in combination with speech output. Jelly Bean also adds support for accessibility plug-ins to enable external Braille input and output devices via USB and
Bluetooth.

With Jelly Bean it's even easier and more fun to customize the home screen.  Widgets adjust automatically to make room for other widgets or apps.
Samsung Galaxy S III

Encoding information on Android is made more accurate and relevant with its dictionaries. Users find the language model in Jelly Bean adapting over time, and making smart guesses the next word that will be typed.  With improved text-to-speech capabilities, voice typing is better even when there is no data connection, so you can type with your voice wherever you are.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Benjamin Liuson, his Business is his Advocacy



Benjamin Liuson of The Generics Pharmacy

Benjamin Liuson, the president and chief executive of The Generic’s Pharmacy, learned early the values of industry and hard work.  He and his siblings grew up in traditional Chinese family setting where members of the household pitched in the family business.  Back then the Liuson family was making eye glasses and picture frames.

The Liuson family bought a company in 1960 that wholesales medicines.  Being in the business for 20 years, they distributed generic and low priced medicines to retailers in the hope that the public will benefit from cheap medicines.  But due to the steep mark up of retailers, these medicines remained a high priced commodity in the market.  Thus, in 2001, Benjamin Liuson established the The Generics Pharmacy.

The Generics Pharmacy mainly sells antibiotics, appetite stimulants, cough and cold remedies, diuretics, food supplements and anti-allergy drugs that are priced much lower compared to those found in other drugstores.  “The difference is that we offer 100% generics medicine,” Liuson proudly said.
 
In 2007, the company started its retail operations and began franchising branches.  The Generics Pharmacy is the first generics retail pharmacy to franchise in the country.  In a span of three years, the company was able to remarkably establish 880 stores. 

Liuson explains their formula in business is “a combination of quality and low pricing.”  “Our medicines are both effective and affordable. If the product is good, then the customer will re-purchase,” he said. “We have a product list of 400 medicines. If they are not the same with the suggested retail price, then it is always lower. Our medicines are the same as the branded. The only difference is the price,” he added.

125 branches and counting.
Since the company serves the basic necessity of providing Filipinos quality, effective, and affordable medicines, he also already considers the business itself as an actuation towards the fulfillment of its corporate social responsibility.  “Medicines and health care are basic rights, not a privilege, of Filipinos.  By offering low-priced, yet effective medicines, TGP is contributing to the health of Filipino families and the entire nation,” Liuson said.

According to its top executive, the company is geared to aggressively expand in the second-, third- and fourth-class municipalities.  The company has already 1,050 pre-approved locations that franchisees can readily tap.

“In the next three years, we should have 1,500 outlets,” Liuson revealed.  “I think we can go up to 2,000 outlets nationwide.”

They are also currently assessing possibilities of putting up stores in countries like Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and the States after gaining a foothold in the domestic market.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

How the Android OS dominated the Philippine market



There is no doubt that the Android mobile operating system is growing popularity, especially on devices like the smartphones.  As a mobile operating system, Android supports features of a personal computer such as the touch screen capabilities, cellular connectivity including WiFi, GPS mobile navigation, camera, video capture, speech recognition, voice recording, music player, and personal digital assistant among others.  As of date, the latest Android version available in the local market is the Jelly Bean 4.1.
Since the market is fast-growing, telecommunications companies are beefing up their network services to serve the growing number of Android users.  With the backing of the best telecommunication networks, users can fully enjoy the features and application softwares available to Android phones.  Locally, all telecommunication companies are ready and are serving Android smartphones, making them more accessible to users. 
Nikon will launch the first camera on Android, the Coolpix S800c this September.

The most obvious advantage of the Android is the number of gadgets that are running on the said operating system.  There are smartphones, tablets, and now, even cameras carrying the Android system.  The proliferation of Android products makes connectivity, sharing of files and photos and availability of applications within reach of consumers.  This will easily make for a community of loyal Android users.  In the local market, many mobile phone manufacturers are jumping on the Android bandwagon, making the system more popular than ever.
Android-based devices, like the Galaxy S II from Samsung, are fitted with features that are excellent in terms of style, speed, and capability.  Not to mention, they are user friendly and can be fitted with numerous apps that keep users engaged with their devices.

Unlike its chief competitor, the Android system is widely preferred due to its affordable pricing.  This marketing strategy makes the pull of technology to upgrade hard to resist, thus, consumers avail of smartphones or gadgets sporting the latest technological features their spending income can afford.  But that does not mean that the Android product is less capable compared than its high-priced competitor because the system delivers almost the same kind of capabilities and user experience.

This is a boon to Filipino smartphone users because this allows users to engage with social media formats like Facebook and Twitter without being tied down on a computer terminal.  With updates, shout outs and tweets on real time, information is more accessible to more people in a faster rate as part of the online media.
Since last year or so, an increasing number of developers have joined in the Android bandwagon and developed applications for Android. Now, the Android Market is filled to the brim with applications or apps that deliver variety, quality and entertainment. Android users can easily avail of these applications and that is a strong reason why users remain loyal to their operating system.

The market also responded positively to the fact that Google is the company that developed the Android operating system. With a brand name that is solidly established in the market, users are confident that they are using an operating system that could deliver well.  True enough, many consumers of technological products gravitated toward Android devices as seen by its leadership in the market.

Moreover, the Android operating system had improved dramatically over the past years.  If Google continues to tread toward this direction, users are in for a treat with exciting developments coming their way.  With the unveiling of a much improved Android operating system, smartphones and gadget manufacturers as well as app developers will surely follow suit with more amazing products in the coming years.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Loads of Toys and Fun at the Toy Expo!



Yesterday I went to the first ever Toy Expo at the SMX Exhibition Halls at the SM Mall of Asia.  Staged by Toy Kingdom, the expo was loaded with brand new line of toys, big discounts and fun games.  The expo carried the same brands you can find at any Toy Kingdom stores but shoppers will get to preview and buy new models and sets of their favorite toy brands.

Ivory Ice Crystal Lalaloopsy doll
 I gravitated first at the Lalaloopsy booth and found the first Ivory Ice Crystal Lalaloopsy doll on display (around P2000).  The sales attendant told more characters will be coming soon.  I also happen to spot a smaller version of the Lalaloopsy doll priced around P1000.

The sales attendant also showed me the Moxie mermaid doll equipped with a sensor so the doll swims on its own when submerged in water.

The Hello Kitty was surreal with pink walls and displays.  Shoppers can get real close to the Hello Kitty mascot and take photos with her.

A couple of shoppers were fun to watch as they struggled to copy the dance moves on the new Xbox.  They tried to copy Lady Gaga’s dance routine (yikes!).  The interactive display that responded to the players’ movements really showed the awesome technology the Xbox carried.

There were new models of Transformers, Ben 10 merchandise and even a display of the “new” Bumblebee car, the Chevy Camaro!

I also checked the latest LeapFrog mini tablet.  The sales attendant impressed me with an application the taught kids to write the cursive alphabet.  A bundle of a first generation LeapFrog with two cartridges was up on sale for P8000.  The sales attendant said it was a steal with a total savings of P2000!

Zoobles twin pack
There were big discounts of Zoobles that sell for P100 a piece or a twin pack for P200.  The same twin pack was sold round P500 last Christmas.

If you're interested in the Trash pack, they came out with new gummy soft characters and a starter kit sells for P100 a pop!

I also saw a Justice League set with a 50% price-off.  Moreover, almost all booths carried discounted items from 50 to 70% off!

There was serious fun at the Nickelodeon booth where I played games and won cute items.  The first was the “Guess the Mess” game.  Curious and anxious at first, I thought I would be touching slimy and mushy stuff but won the game outright.  (Spoiler alert! I felt sand, powder and zippers!)  I also played a life-size board game and won more stuff from Nickelodeon.

Be sure to bring your kids this weekend at the SM Toy Fair.  Lots of character mascots will be dropping by for the ‘greet and meet’ sessions with shoppers.  Not bad for an early Christmas shopping trip if you’re up to it!
Moxie mermaid dolls

Trash pack set

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Holcim Centennial year celebrated with Community Service


Holcim plant in La Union.
Cement maker Holcim Philippines’s nearly 1,700 employees came out in force for a day of service for its communities in commemoration of its 100th year anniversary of the Swiss construction materials giant Holcim Ltd. Declared as Community Day, Holcim Philippines employees participated in the outreach efforts in its communities in La Union, Bulacan, Misamis Oriental and Davao.

The company also launched Sagot Ko ang Bukas, a campaign to encourage its employees and its partners to pledge on how they can contribute to a better future.

“We’re dealing with an issue of such magnitude, and we know that these efforts can never be enough. We know we have to keep pushing so that we extend beyond our walls – to our families, business partners, to the man on the street.  We know that we have to find a way to bring the concept of sustainability on a personal level, to make it applicable to individual roles,” said Beng Prado, Holcim Philippines vice president for Corporate Communications.

For this, the company has created a Facebook page and microsite on its website where people can register their pledgers.

These activities are part of the Holcim Group’s commitment to have its 80,000 employees world wide participate in outreach efforts in recognition of the role strong community support played in the Holcim Group’s success, and in line with the company’s values and commitment to sustainable development.

Holcim Philippines also plans to add to another flagship corporate social responsibility program (CSR) that focuses on skills training with another which is centered on employee volunteerism for education.

The company’s main CSR program is the ‘Galing Mason, which seeks to raise profile and skills of local masons and has helped train over 3,500 people.

This year, Holcim Philippines will expand its Project Fostering a Child’s Education of Project, which allows employees to contribute to their time and funds to help deserving children finish up to high school. The program was piloted in its Bulacan facility in 2010, and has attracted over a hundred volunteers there.