AS it continues to expand its network operations across the country, world-leading C-store chain giant 7-Eleven makes another successful milestone in its brand-building campaign, this time with the landmark opening of its first store in Surigao del Sur in Mindanao.
The new outlet is along Quintos Street, Bungtod, Tandag City, located at the Tandag City Plaza, which is one of the most visited places in the city. Located beside the park and near the old Cathedral Church, the plaza became more suitable for business ventures, commercial and tourism activities after its renovation last year.
Situated in a customer-centric area, the target market of the Tandag City Plaza store is comprised of residential, transit, school, visitors and commuters passing through Tandag, and commercial since it is also near mining companies, municipal government, dormitories and apartments.
In addition to bringing innovative products and convenient retail services in Surigao del Sur, the milestone entry of 7-Eleven is seen to fast-track future development in the area by providing income-generating opportunities for locals through job creation.
Despite its small population, Gil Abad, Mindanao Regional Business unit head, said that Tandag remains a relevant and strategic gateway for 7-Eleven as it also offers great investment opportunities for medium-sized commercial complexes, hotels, resorts and amusement parks, food establishments, food processing, fish canning and deboning, clothing and fashion accessories, and demonstration farms.
“We are expecting a good return on sales due to increasing rate of tourism and commercialization, as well as the fast development of the province, especially Tandag City, which paved the way for the expansion of 7-Eleven in the Eastern area,” Abad added.
For the year 2019, Abad revealed that Philippine Seven Corp. (PSC), the exclusive local licencor of 7-Eleven, is still planning and looking into opening 65 stores for the whole Mindanao Island.
Currently, 7-Eleven has a total of 2,508 stores nationwide, 1,351 of which are franchise-owned and 1,157 are corporate-owned outlets. For franchising inquiries, call (02) 726-9968, 0920-9508651, 0917-8711686, e-mail franchising@7-eleven.com.ph or visit www.7-eleven.com.ph.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/7-eleven-expands-to-surigao-opens-first-store-in-tandag-city/
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
HRAP says Build, Build, Build’ can boost tourism
WITH the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program going full swing, the Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines (HRAP) expressed bullishness on the country’s tourism industry next year.
“The whole industry is bullish. The Duterte administration’s thrust toward infrastructure development is going to boost the tourism industry as it will bring more tourists to other places in the country,” said Eugene Yap in a recent interview with the BusinessMirror on the sidelines of he Christmas lighting event of Bayview Park Hotel in Manila.
“We are thinking of a 10-percent growth in 2019. The impact of the property boom is also felt in the tourism industry as a lot of hotels are being constructed to meet the demands of the influx of tourists in the country,” Yap added.
Moreover, Yap said HRAP is also promoting the Philippines to investors for potential projects to boost economic inclusivity. “There are a lot of untapped last wilderness in the Philippines,” he said.
Big-ticket projects such as the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 7, Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 expansion, Skyway connector road, Metro Subway and Clark International Airport modernization, among others, are expected to spur up development around the country.
According to Department of Tourism (DOT) data, the Philippines achieved a 8.32-percent growth when it received 5.3 million visitors in the January-to-September 2018 period compared to 4.9 million visitors in the same period of last year.
The top 12 markets by volume are Korea (21.84 percent), China (17.94 percent), the US (14.74 percent), Japan (8.9 percent), Australia (3.62 percent), Taiwan (3.36 percent), Canada (3.12 percent), the United Kingdom (2.82 percent), Singapore (2.42 percent), Malaysia (1.98 percent), Hong Kong (1.79 percent) and India (1.72 percent).
In its tourism national strategy, the DOT aims to “formulate an integrated sustainable tourism management plan for central Philippines, identifying viable critical environmental, infrastructure and community-based projects to link and integrate the tourism development of the area.”
Under their tourism management plan, the DOT aims to “provide a comprehensive planning framework for the development of tourism so that it can play a key role in the development of the regional economy.”
The DOT also wants to pursue a “vision of the future direction and content of tourism development, which can help to focus and guide the actions of the various stakeholders toward a shared goal.”
Yap, also the vice president and general manager of Bayview Hotel Development Corp., said Bayview is also preparing and developing its capabilities to maintain its competitiveness in the three-star category.
“We’re concentrating in developing our resources and investing in our resources to maintain our stature in the tourism service industry,” said Yap.
“I hope guests see as for who we are as an affordable hotel and we keep on challenging ourselves,” he added.
Yap said Bayview is also upgrading and renovating rooms and enhancing the meal offerings. “We are refurbishing, reinvesting and retraining.”
https://businessmirror.com.ph/hrap-says-build-build-build-can-boost-tourism/
“The whole industry is bullish. The Duterte administration’s thrust toward infrastructure development is going to boost the tourism industry as it will bring more tourists to other places in the country,” said Eugene Yap in a recent interview with the BusinessMirror on the sidelines of he Christmas lighting event of Bayview Park Hotel in Manila.
“We are thinking of a 10-percent growth in 2019. The impact of the property boom is also felt in the tourism industry as a lot of hotels are being constructed to meet the demands of the influx of tourists in the country,” Yap added.
Moreover, Yap said HRAP is also promoting the Philippines to investors for potential projects to boost economic inclusivity. “There are a lot of untapped last wilderness in the Philippines,” he said.
Big-ticket projects such as the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 7, Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 expansion, Skyway connector road, Metro Subway and Clark International Airport modernization, among others, are expected to spur up development around the country.
According to Department of Tourism (DOT) data, the Philippines achieved a 8.32-percent growth when it received 5.3 million visitors in the January-to-September 2018 period compared to 4.9 million visitors in the same period of last year.
The top 12 markets by volume are Korea (21.84 percent), China (17.94 percent), the US (14.74 percent), Japan (8.9 percent), Australia (3.62 percent), Taiwan (3.36 percent), Canada (3.12 percent), the United Kingdom (2.82 percent), Singapore (2.42 percent), Malaysia (1.98 percent), Hong Kong (1.79 percent) and India (1.72 percent).
In its tourism national strategy, the DOT aims to “formulate an integrated sustainable tourism management plan for central Philippines, identifying viable critical environmental, infrastructure and community-based projects to link and integrate the tourism development of the area.”
Under their tourism management plan, the DOT aims to “provide a comprehensive planning framework for the development of tourism so that it can play a key role in the development of the regional economy.”
The DOT also wants to pursue a “vision of the future direction and content of tourism development, which can help to focus and guide the actions of the various stakeholders toward a shared goal.”
Yap, also the vice president and general manager of Bayview Hotel Development Corp., said Bayview is also preparing and developing its capabilities to maintain its competitiveness in the three-star category.
“We’re concentrating in developing our resources and investing in our resources to maintain our stature in the tourism service industry,” said Yap.
“I hope guests see as for who we are as an affordable hotel and we keep on challenging ourselves,” he added.
Yap said Bayview is also upgrading and renovating rooms and enhancing the meal offerings. “We are refurbishing, reinvesting and retraining.”
https://businessmirror.com.ph/hrap-says-build-build-build-can-boost-tourism/
Why Caloocan City consists of two separate areas
Among the 16 cities and one town of Metro Manila or the National Capital Region, the 56-year-old Caloocan City is the only one with two noncontiguous parts separated land it cannot call its own. One such part is contiguous with Manila in the south, while the other one abuts with the Central Luzon province of Bulacan in the north. The two parts are separated by the Quezon City territory in Novaliches as well as a portion of Valenzuela City, formerly Polo town of Bulacan.
In a sense, the composition of Caloocan City technically violates certain provisions of the Local Government Code (LGC), particularly Chapter II, Section 7-C, which provides that the land area of local government units (LGUs) such as provinces, cities, towns and barangays must be contiguous unless they consist of several islands separated by bodies of water.
In the case of Caloocan, there is no body of water in Novaliches except the man-made La Mesa reservoir or lake and the Tullahan River, which ends at the Manila Bay after passing through portions of the adjoining cities of Quezon, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Malabon and Navotas.
However, it is important to note that when Caloocan was declared as a city on February 16, 1962, the Local Government Code was still nonexistent. The LGC was enacted in 1991, after the revival of the Congress during the administration of the late President Corazon C. Aquino.
At present, officials of Caloocan City cannot go from the main city hall in Grace Park to the city’s other half near Bulacan without passing either through Quezon City in Novaliches or Valenzuela City. This is particularly true if they pass through the North Luzon Expressway (Nlex) and the old Novaliches-Polo Road renamed Gen. Luis St. The same is true if they choose to pass through Quirino Highway from Balintawak.
How come the large area of Caloocan City is divided?
When Quezon City was created under Commonwealth Act 502, which was signed by President Manuel L. Quezon on October 12, 1939, it comprised of 73.35 square kilometers (sq km) or 7,335 hectares taken from the then adjacent Rizal towns of Caloocan, San Juan, Pasig, Marikina and Mandaluyong.
Caloocan was the biggest town among these areas at that time as it then included the neighboring 48-year-old municipality of Novaliches, which was abolished and reduced to a barrio in 1903 as part of the economic measures of the early American regime in the Philippines. Novaliches was created as a town during the Spanish regime in the Philippines in 1855.
After Quezon’s death at Saranac Lake, New York, on August 1, 1944, the Philippine Congress passed Republic Act 333 on July 17, 1948, which made Quezon City the new capital of the Philippines, replacing Manila.
This law required the relocation of the QC boundary further north, thereby slicing Novaliches almost through the middle. It also marked the inclusion in the new capital city of the summer residence of then- President Elpidio Quirino, which was on a hill that overlooked the scenic vicinity of the La Mesa dam or Novaliches reservoir.
With the addition of half of Novaliches to QC, the new capital city’s area expanded to over 15,000 hectares. A series of amendments to the original QC charter since then resulted in the increase of the city’s area to 171.17 sq km or 17,171 hectares at present, the largest in Metro Manila.
Since Quezon City has the largest area in the metropolis, it also accounts for the biggest population of 2,936,116 as of 2015, based on Philippine Statistics Authority data. It is followed by Manila with 1,780,148 people; Caloocan City, 1,583,978; Taguig City, 804,935; Pasig City, 755,300; Parañaque City, 665,822; Valenzuela City, 620,422; Las Pinas City, 588,894; Makati City, 582,602; Muntinlupa City, 504,509; Marikina City, 450,741; Pasay City, 416,522; Mandaluyong City, 386,276; Malabon City, 365,525; Navotas City, 249,463; San Juan City, 122,180; and Pateros, 63,840.
On May 29, 1976, then-President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. issued Presidential Decree (PD) 940 restoring Manila as the national capital and reverting QC to its original status as a city created in honor of its late founder, former President Manuel Quezon. The decree became effective on June 24 of that year, coinciding with the celebration of Manila’s 405th anniversary.
In PD 940, Marcos said: “Manila has always been, to the Filipino people and in the eye of the world, the premier city of the Philippines, it being the center of trade, commerce, education and culture; and from time immemorial has been the seat of the national government of the Philippines.”
https://businessmirror.com.ph/why-caloocan-city-consists-of-two-separate-areas/
In a sense, the composition of Caloocan City technically violates certain provisions of the Local Government Code (LGC), particularly Chapter II, Section 7-C, which provides that the land area of local government units (LGUs) such as provinces, cities, towns and barangays must be contiguous unless they consist of several islands separated by bodies of water.
In the case of Caloocan, there is no body of water in Novaliches except the man-made La Mesa reservoir or lake and the Tullahan River, which ends at the Manila Bay after passing through portions of the adjoining cities of Quezon, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Malabon and Navotas.
However, it is important to note that when Caloocan was declared as a city on February 16, 1962, the Local Government Code was still nonexistent. The LGC was enacted in 1991, after the revival of the Congress during the administration of the late President Corazon C. Aquino.
At present, officials of Caloocan City cannot go from the main city hall in Grace Park to the city’s other half near Bulacan without passing either through Quezon City in Novaliches or Valenzuela City. This is particularly true if they pass through the North Luzon Expressway (Nlex) and the old Novaliches-Polo Road renamed Gen. Luis St. The same is true if they choose to pass through Quirino Highway from Balintawak.
How come the large area of Caloocan City is divided?
When Quezon City was created under Commonwealth Act 502, which was signed by President Manuel L. Quezon on October 12, 1939, it comprised of 73.35 square kilometers (sq km) or 7,335 hectares taken from the then adjacent Rizal towns of Caloocan, San Juan, Pasig, Marikina and Mandaluyong.
Caloocan was the biggest town among these areas at that time as it then included the neighboring 48-year-old municipality of Novaliches, which was abolished and reduced to a barrio in 1903 as part of the economic measures of the early American regime in the Philippines. Novaliches was created as a town during the Spanish regime in the Philippines in 1855.
After Quezon’s death at Saranac Lake, New York, on August 1, 1944, the Philippine Congress passed Republic Act 333 on July 17, 1948, which made Quezon City the new capital of the Philippines, replacing Manila.
This law required the relocation of the QC boundary further north, thereby slicing Novaliches almost through the middle. It also marked the inclusion in the new capital city of the summer residence of then- President Elpidio Quirino, which was on a hill that overlooked the scenic vicinity of the La Mesa dam or Novaliches reservoir.
With the addition of half of Novaliches to QC, the new capital city’s area expanded to over 15,000 hectares. A series of amendments to the original QC charter since then resulted in the increase of the city’s area to 171.17 sq km or 17,171 hectares at present, the largest in Metro Manila.
Since Quezon City has the largest area in the metropolis, it also accounts for the biggest population of 2,936,116 as of 2015, based on Philippine Statistics Authority data. It is followed by Manila with 1,780,148 people; Caloocan City, 1,583,978; Taguig City, 804,935; Pasig City, 755,300; Parañaque City, 665,822; Valenzuela City, 620,422; Las Pinas City, 588,894; Makati City, 582,602; Muntinlupa City, 504,509; Marikina City, 450,741; Pasay City, 416,522; Mandaluyong City, 386,276; Malabon City, 365,525; Navotas City, 249,463; San Juan City, 122,180; and Pateros, 63,840.
On May 29, 1976, then-President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. issued Presidential Decree (PD) 940 restoring Manila as the national capital and reverting QC to its original status as a city created in honor of its late founder, former President Manuel Quezon. The decree became effective on June 24 of that year, coinciding with the celebration of Manila’s 405th anniversary.
In PD 940, Marcos said: “Manila has always been, to the Filipino people and in the eye of the world, the premier city of the Philippines, it being the center of trade, commerce, education and culture; and from time immemorial has been the seat of the national government of the Philippines.”
https://businessmirror.com.ph/why-caloocan-city-consists-of-two-separate-areas/