DOE Eyes to Establish Strategic Oil Reserve

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In its effort to shield consumers from volatile international oil prices and ensure supply security, the Department of Energy (DOE) is pushing its efforts to engage the country's downstream oil industry within this month.

Earlier, DOE has announced that it has directed its attached agency, PNOC-EC (Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corporation), to engage in the selling of petroleum products sourced from non-OPEC members to independent petroleum dealers and to vulnerable sectors, such as public utility transport groups.

Cusi, who is the ex-officio Chairman of the PNOC-EC, said the move was meant to enhance competition among existing oil industry players and stabilize domestic oil prices.

“We are looking at other countries. Russia is just an option. PNOC-EC expects to receive the first shipment by end of June,” Cusi said.  

According to Cusi, PNOC-EC is looking at the different areas for the reserve’s storage and among the areas being considered are Subic, Phividec Complex and Quezon.

At present, oil companies are required to maintain a Minimum lnventory Requirement (MlR) of in-country stocks equivalent to 30 days of crude and products for refiners, 15 days of products for importers/bulk suppliers and seven days of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stocks for LPG players.

Meanwhile, aside from ensuring the country’s supply, the DOE will also come out with a policy on unbundling petroleum product prices.

“We need to unbundle the prices. It has to happen,” the Energy Chief stressed, adding that this will provide the consumers more information about the petroleum products that they buy.

The DOE is currently conducting consultations with the stakeholders on the mechanism for unbundling.

International geopolitical developments, which include US sanctions on Iran, the drop in OPEC production levels and the political changes unfolding in Venezuela have resulted in the recent uptrend in oil prices for the past weeks.

With the volatility of oil prices, the DOE is encouraging consumers to be smart and judicious in the use of petroleum products, such as driving efficiently and managing trips properly to save on fuel costs, among others.

Cusi: Pagbilao Plant to Boost Energy Security, PH Dev't

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Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi on Friday (1 June) lauded the Pagbilao Energy Corporation (PEC) for beefing up its two power plants in Pagbilao, Quezon with a third facility that can produce additional 420 megawatts (MW) of electricity.

"With the growing economy spurring more and more commercial activities, the demand for power is also growing, so we would need power plants like the Pagbilao Unit 3 to sustain national development," Cusi said.

"The plant will also go a long way in supplying the energy needs of the country beyond the Duterte administration, thereby supporting future businesses," said Cusi.

The DOE Secretary acknowledged that the Pagbilao Unit 3 power plant is coal-fired, but he said it complies with environmental standards through the use of flue-gas desulfurizer (FGD) technology. FGD removes sulfur dioxide from exhaust flue gases of fossil-fuel power plants.

The PEC built the Pagbilao Unit 3 power plant at a cost of P976 million.

The plant is beside the Unit 1 and Unit 2 facility of the Pagbilao Power Station. Units 1, 2 and 3, which are all of the same technology, could generate a total of 735 MW.

Cusi Bags GSP Award

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The Department of Energy (DOE) headed by Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi was given an Institutional Citation Award by the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) during its 24th National Council Convention and Triennial Awards on May 26, 2018 at the Summit Ridge Hotel in Tagaytay City.

In January 2018, the DOE held a ceremonial signing with the GSP to train around 2.2 million Girl Scouts nationwide on E-Power Mo’s E-Safety on efficiency and conservation.

The DOE-GSP partnership conducts lectures on basic electricity concepts and energy consumption of various appliances as well as hands-on experiments.

It also aims to encourage Girl Scouts to pursue energy-related careers by stimulating their interests and passion despite the challenges in gender stereotyping.

Receiving the award for Cusi is DOE-CWPO Supervising Science Research Specialist Engr. Milo G. Lilang (2nd from left) together with (L-R) GSP National Executive Director Dolores T. Santiago, GSP National President Susan R. Locsin and GSP 24th National Council Convention Awards Committee Chairperson Dr. Paz H. Diaz.

OTHER PHOTO

EMPOWERED WOMEN: The DOE Gender and Development Focal Point System (GAD-FPS) headed by Dir. Mylene C. Capongcol figured prominently in the recognition given to the Department of Energy as Institutional Citation Awardee during the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) 24th National Council Convention and Triennial Awards in Tagaytay City last Saturday.

The award cited DOE's unwavering support to GSP through its ENEReady and EnerKids programs.

Aligned with the DOE's #EPowerMo campaign, the #ENEReady and #EnerKids programs aim to promote gender balance and development in the energy sector and educate the younger generation on energy efficiency and conservation measures.

DOE GAD-FPS officers in photo are (L-R) Oil Industry Management Bureau Asst. Dir. Rodela I. Romero, CWPO Chief Helen B. Arias, Energy Policy and Planning Bureau Asst. Dir. Carmencita A. Bariso, and Energy Research and Testing Laboratory Services Dir. Amelia M. De Guzman.

SAGC Joins PRRD in his Official Visit to the Republic of Korea

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Earlier in the afternoon of 5 June 2018, Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi (right), received letters of intent from several Korean companies for possible investments in the country's energy sector during the Philippines-Korea Business Forum and Luncheon hosted by the Korean Business Community for President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi presents to President Rodrigo R. Duterte, the letters of intent submitted by Korean firms SK Engineering & Construction, Sy Enc Co. Ltd., BKS Energy Industry Ltd., and SK E&S for various potential energy investments in the country.

Energy  Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi joins President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Cabinet Members in a meeting with the Filipino community in South Korea on 3 June 2018.

Be Wary of Celebrity Or Influencer Endorsements, They're Most Likely Be Fake

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Most of the time it is hard to believe truthfulness in everything when you know what's really happening behind all those brand promotions.

Many of us could not really scrutinize on the brand shortcomings and mention the epic fails because we fear that we may no longer get invited for future collaborations.

Naturally, the brands or PRs would screen the media or bloggers and retain only those who give a favorable review or feature, and avoid the critics.

Thus, the consuming public would mostly get to read only the positive stories, and less of the intriguing or controversial issues.

During my first year as a blogger, I got hired to talk negatively about a certain brand, and the sponsor was the competition. However, I was truly disgusted with the brand so I had very little problem coming out with nasty stories because they were all true.

But the point here is that both media and bloggers could actually be hired and get paid to either promote or demote certain brands, products, services and even people.

Paid ads actually benefit those with deep pockets because people would think that the brands with lavish publicity in the form of ads (trad or online), endorsers (celebrities or influencers), CSRs, campaigns, outreaches, etc., are the better brands.

This is the nasty truth within our community. People should not believe everything media or bloggers say because we've been pollutted by insincerities brought about by the aim to earn big, or become more popular.

Trust noone but yourself. You should put trust less for brands with celebrity endorsements since these celebrities are all given a hefty talent fee to endorse. This is probably why even known fitness and health buffs are endorsing junk food, canned foods, and sugar-filled treats, which we all know are not the most preferred and ideal to recommend.

Celebrities would say good things about the brand since they are getting a pretty good ex-deal with the arrangement. Remember glutathione endorsements, when the endorser already has great white complexion already. Canned food endorsement for fit and fab physical appearance? But we all know those fabulous abs resulted from strenous exercises and better diet.

We could list down several examples but that would make this blog too lengthy.

Overall, consumers should be the critic themselves and must not rely on hearsay or even glamorous testimonials because nowadays almost everyone has a price, and those big corporations could easily come up with a massive campaign to make themselves and their products, services and people, look good even when they are not.

Yamaha Team Pilipinas Expand Skill Set After ARRC Stint

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Yamaha Team Pilipinas Masato Fernando and McKinley Kyle Paz remained unfazed in their maiden campaign at the AP250 Category of the ARRC. Facing a bevy of highly experienced riders the Filipino tandem had their plates full on the tracks but still showcased their determination and valiantly competed against their fellow riders. During their race Masato suffered a slippage during the race which cost him his position but luckily “The Chairman” only had minor injuries. It’s still notable how he locked up the 17th spot as a first timer in this division. Paz meanwhile, improved from his previous finish of 27th by claiming the 23rd spot. The 17-year-old wunderkind pushed himself to the limit and displayed his growth in this racing journey.

The experience for the two proved to be priceless as they return to the Philippines as better and more complete riders. Their improvement will continue as they train for their next international races. Their potential has grown and their racing discipline will be a key factor moving forward. Of course, Yamaha Motor Philippines will be there every step of the way as they climb the international ranks and also continue to cultivate local riders. The race continues for the ultimate goal of having the first ever Filipino MotoGp Rider.

Honda PH Joins Color Manila’s CM Challenge Run in Taguig

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Honda Philippines, Inc. (HPI), the number one motorcycle manufacturer in the Philippines, joins Color Manila’s CM CHALLENGE, the biggest obstacle fun run in the country, at McKinley West in Taguig City.

After conquering Clark, Pampanga and Sta. Rosa, Laguna last March and April respectively, HPI joins for another leg of Color Manila this time in Taguig City. To match the concept of this fun, entertaining and exciting event, HPI brings the colorful lineup of the new Honda BeAT and its nine color variants and a test ride course complete with its learn-to-ride program and free test ride of HPI’s automatic models, that matches the fun and youthful vibe in the event, while runners dance to their own BeAT with the ONE DREAM dance contest.

“In Honda, we believe in providing the joy of mobility to every Filipino, which is why we sponsored Color Manila Paradise Run, the biggest and most colorful concept run in the country and spread the excitement and fun in different cities in the Philippines. Through Color Manila, we can relate to the interests of the millennials through their fun lifestyle,” said Mr. Jomel Jerezo, General Manager and Department Manager of Motorcycle Business Planning.

This CM CHALLENGE is a unique event with exciting twists where participating runners will have to skip, hop, slide, crawl, and run, while they are brimming in colored powders from the color stations situated throughout the 5 kilometer route. It is capped off with the latest beats from the DJ while colored powders are thrown in the air.

Founded in 2012, Color Manila is the pioneer of colorful and fun concept runs in the Philippines. Runners can choose to join different concept runs such as CM Classic, CM Blacklight, CM Paradise, CM Glitter, and CM Challenge, to spread the excitement and fun of running one city at a time.

For more information, visitwww.colormanila.com or follow their Facebook and www.facebook.com/colormanila/ and twitter @Colormanila. You can also follow Honda Philippines, Inc. on Facebook –www.facebook.com/hondaph/ or visit their official website – www.hondaph.com.

Ex-kindergarten Teacher Laura Balin Gallantly Marches to World Title Opportunity

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Promotional debutante Laura “The Gladiadora” Balin, a well-rounded South American contender who has a phenomenal 90 percent finishing rate, is planning to shock the world as she squares off with a rising Chinese martial arts superstar in her maiden assignment under ONE Championship.

Balin is slated to challenge China’s Xiong Jing Nan for the ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship in the main event of ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER, which takes place at the Studio City Event Center in Macau, China on 23 June.

Both competitors are known for their striking prowess as well as their grappling savvy, guaranteeing a thrilling action-packed encounter between the two female strawweights.

“This will be a fight of two cobras taking very careful shots at each other,” Balin stated. “I am sure it will be a very intense and interesting fight. I am sure that I will surprise everyone in my debut.”

The 38-year-old Argentinian hopes to make a huge impact in her ONE Championship debut as she will enter enemy territory with a chance to capture world title gold in her first promotional appearance.

Balin, who has faced some stiff competition in South America, has emerged with one of the most impressive records in the Latin American region.

Known by the moniker “The Gladiadora” due to his never-say-die attitude, she will be bringing her skills across the globe to test herself against the first-ever Chinese mixed martial arts world champion.

Prior to becoming one of South America’s most successful female mixed martial artists, Balin was a kindergarten teacher at a local school in Argentina.

A good mother to her two sons, who are now aged 18 and 14, Balin adored a simple kind of life, but things changed when her husband, Guillermo, convinced her to give kickboxing a try and offered to be her trainer.

It did not take long for Balin to fall in love with the striking discipline, and she soon decided to leave her teaching career behind for a new adventure in combat sports.

“I started practicing kickboxing in 2008 or 2009. I made my debut when I was 30 years old in that discipline, and in 2011, I began competing in mixed martial arts,” she shared. “I did have to make some changes in my life because I was a teacher. I taught at a school, and I had to leave that job to commit to this as long as possible.”

Balin acknowledged that she got a late start in mixed martial arts, but her dedication to the craft eventually turned her into one of the most talented strawweights in South America.

“It is a feeling that few have, knowing what to do. Very few people get that feeling. But when I started this, I suddenly knew what I wanted to do all my life,” she bared. ”Martial arts is in my blood. I had learned so many techniques that I wanted to try it.”

“I enjoy every day of practice in the gym. I love the constant challenges that this sport brings to me, so when it came to pursuing mixed martial arts professionally, I simply wanted to see how far I could go. It is an amazing experience,” Balin added.

Balin has experienced a tremendous amount of success since making her professional mixed martial arts debut in October 2011, compiling an eye-catching 10-2 record.

Out of her 10 total victories, nine have come by spectacular finish, including five submissions and four knockouts.

Balin will now leave her home country and travel thousands of miles across the world to challenge Xiong for her ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship in Macau, China.

“Any goal that you want, you need to work towards it every day. Find that goal. Find that one thing that you are passionate about and hold on to it. You do not always need to get punched to follow your dream, but you do need to take a few blows with every goal that you really care about,” she said.

Even if she is setting foot on foreign soil for the first world title contest of her career, Balin assures that she is in no way intimidated with her opponent’s hometown advantage.

“It is not something I worry about really. It is more of an incentive. I do not really take into consideration if I am on the home side or the visitor side. I am going to give my best all the same,” she stressed.

Although Xiong may be riding a wave of momentum due to her impressive winning streak, Balin is not overly concerned about the opposition that is in front of her on 23 June.

“I see many ways that this fight could go,” she declared. “Fighters always need to be prepared for a variety of different outcomes. I have to get ready to beat her within five rounds. This will be a long fight, and I need to prepare for it.”

Balin may take a few blows from Xiong at ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER, but she cares about achieving victory and is willing to eat a few punches to get her arm raised with a gold-plated strap draped over her shoulder.

“Whenever I step inside the cage or ring, nobody knows what is going to happen, so I am focusing on getting the win, and not on the pressure of getting it. I am ready to fight for the title and bring it home to Argentina,” she concluded.

​For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.​ ​

The Shoppes at The Infinity: Newest Commercial District to Boost Pampanga’s Business and Tourism

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Set to highlight the commerce potential of Central Luzon, The Shoppes at The Infinity will soon excite with its distinctive offerings and good finds

Touted as the first and largest central business district at the heart of Central Luzon; Pampanga homegrown developer AC Beautiful Island Realty Development Corporation (ACBI) is unveiling its pilot development. The newest retail and commercial hub dubbed as The Shoppes at The Infinity is expected to be the next-go-to leisure destination in the region.

“The Shoppes, a sprawling retail strip within the upcoming vibrant fully-integrated city will offer 15,600 square meters of palatable delights, local and global boutique brands and service establishments making it not only a shopper’s paradise but a top-of-mind recreation experience,” said Byron John T. Siy, General Manager of ACBI Realty Development Corporation.

“We envision The Shoppes to complement the trade and investment prowess of The Infinity. As business and leisure are industries that now work side by side, we want to make sure that we are offering a complete and one-stop-shop destination at par with central business districts here and abroad,” added Siy.

Inspired by renowned mixed-used developments in the country whose success was driven by its commercial components, The Shoppes is anticipated to fire up the transformation of the area. The retail landscape will highlight a relaxed and nature-inspired atmosphere while satisfying the shopping and dining needs of the region.

The recreation zone will start construction as soon as mid of this year and the first phase is projected to be fully operational by the second quarter of 2019. The shopping mecca will follow a modern contemporary design influence with the help of leading style firm LG+V Architects.
ACBI, the real estate arm of JENRA Group of Companies is the power behind The Infinity. They conceptualized the commerce district not only to open prospects for Pampanga but to serve as a commerce link of the region to the rest of Luzon. This can be owed to the strategic location of The Infinity at the gateway of Central Luzon and its direct connection to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) via the Angeles Exit.
The Infinity traverses the cities of Angeles and Mabalacat in Pampanga. Masterplanned by Palafox Associates, The Infinity will be a 40-hectare development that will soon house business, commercial, residential and all other dynamic features that completes a community.

Utilities at The Infinity are carefully tucked underground making the road networks functional and aesthetic. Moreover, sustainable features are also in place as the company follows the green building code.
In addition, The Infinity offers freehold ownership and long-term lease investment options.

SAP Announces New Suite of Solutions to Modernize CRM and a New Data Management Suite

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SAP SE fulfilled its ambition to disrupt the marketplace for customer relationship management (CRM) with the formal introduction of a new suite of applications, SAP® C/4HANA, to help businesses serve and retain customers. SAP also announced the SAP HANA® Data Management Suite, the industry’s first comprehensive data management solution that enables companies to turn data sprawl into business value. The announcement was made by SAP CEO Bill McDermott at the company’s annual SAPPHIRE NOW® conference.

SAP C/4HANA is an integrated offering designed to modernize the sales-only focus of legacy CRM solutions. Following the completed acquisitions of market leaders Hybris, Gigya and CallidusCloud, SAP now ties together solutions to support all front-office functions, such as consumer data protection, marketing, commerce, sales and customer service.

“SAP was the last to accept the status quo of CRM and is now the first to change it,” McDermott said. “The legacy CRM systems are all about sales; SAP C/4HANA is all about the consumer. We recognize that every part of a business needs to be focused on a single view of the consumer. When you connect all SAP applications together in an intelligent cloud suite, the demand chain directly fuels the behaviors of the supply chain.”

Building on the company’s reputation as an end-to-end business solutions provider, the new SAP C/4HANA suite will offer full integration with SAP’s business applications portfolio, led by its market-leading ERP suite, SAP S/4HANA®. The combination of assets features new machine learning capabilities from SAP Leonardo, a set of intelligent technologies the company introduced last year, as well as the new SAP HANA Data Management Suite, which enables companies to gain visibility and control of their highly distributed data. The company’s overall strategy, focused on helping businesses run as intelligent enterprises, highlights the demand for a balanced approach to automation in the workplace.

Expanding its customer service solutions offerings, SAP also announced it has acquired Switzerland-based Coresystems AG to improve field-service customer experience, especially in the manufacturing, energy, high-tech and telecommunications industries. Coresystems’ platform service provides real-time scheduling for customer-service requests and uses artificial intelligence-powered crowd-service technology. This broadens the service technician pool to include company employees, freelancers and industry partners to assign the best-qualified technician to each call by taking into account expertise, location and availability of the individual service expert.

These announcements come on the heels of Europe’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which took effect on May 25. The massive regulatory change has caused businesses to take a critical look at their legacy CRM investments.

Managing Data to Reach Customers

All systems rely on data, yet the challenge facing companies today is distributed data — data that is not just in transactional systems but scattered across products, machines and people. It is about data that must be ingested, prepared and made enterprise relevant. SAP HANA Data Management Suite enables enterprises to turn massive amounts of data — both structured and unstructured — into valuable, usable knowledge, no matter where it resides. SAP HANA Data Management Suite allows customers to maximize the potential of their data safely, simply and efficiently.

More About SAP C/4HANA

The SAP C/4HANA portfolio includes SAP Marketing Cloud, SAP Commerce Cloud, SAP Service Cloud, SAP Customer Data Cloud (including the acquired Gigya solutions) and SAP Sales Cloud (including the acquired CallidusCloud solutions). Additionally, SAP Sales Cloud unites the SAP Hybris® Revenue Cloud solution and SAP Hybris Cloud for Customer (comprised of SAP Hybris Sales Cloud and SAP Hybris Service Cloud solutions).

These cloud solutions — formerly on the market under the SAP Hybris brand name — as well as SAP’s commerce and customer engagement organization are now consolidated under the SAP Customer Experience business unit to support a consistent brand experience.