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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Customer service and infrastructure must be developed at El Nido

Ateneo Professor on Entrepreneurship



I noticed that hordes of tourists are attracted to El Nido.  It is very nice and such a memorable experience to be at El Nido.  I would say it is better than Boracay or Bohol.   At Boracay there are only few places to visit and one major island.  But at El Nido there are 47 islands to visit (during high tide;  at low tide there are only 46)  and many, at least 2 dozens of them have interesting points to be seen

What are the enabling environmental forces:

l.  The direct flight from Davao and Cebu to Puerto Princesa;

2.  The roro bus trips;

3.  The good Globe and Smart telco network (wake up Sun Cell - there is no signal here)

4.  The tourism drive of province of Palawan and DOT (It is more fun in Palawan - it rhymes)

However there are other things that must be upgraded:

l.  The tricycle thing.  The van will offload you at the terminal;  and tricyles will whisk you to your hotel destination at P50.00 per tricycle;   why cant the van take you to your hotel direct.  You are tired from a 5 hour 270 km trip and the tourist will suffer this inconvenience.  Is this an LGU regulation or that of TODA (as in the floodway in Pasig) rule to give them livelihood.  Paging Gov Mitra, and DOT

2.  The hotel staff badly need HRM training:  you have to take tissue paper and soap and glasses from the front desk;  the bathroom tabo are old and soiled;   the dining tables are dirty.  Service bad.  There is no customer service.  You see their staff texting and maybe doing fb, and inattentive even to foreigners.

3.  The drainage of the town drains into the  loading area.

4.  The city skyline, its town planning must be unlike that of  Boracay (where the townside is ugly)

Anyway, the beauty of the islands offset many of these shortcomings.   Would you visit El Nido.  I think you should


 x                                Prof Jorge at Large Lagoon

 x                                   The secret lagoon (no longer secret)


 x




 x                              The Miniloc Island resort





                                       The secret lagoon


                                       Prof Jorge at Large Lagoon

                                  View of the rock promontory from town proper




                                           The port at sunrise



                                   Tricyle at P50.00 php per trip from terminal


                                 Rundown shops  - eyesore?  better planning needed?

                                  Upgrading the drainae/sewer system so as not to pollute the bay?

Pricey places at El Nido

Ateneo Professor on Entrepreneurship
                                          Exitting the large lagoon;  part of island hopping


I am at El Nido Palawan right now.  I thought that Amampulo is the most expensive place in town.  At P10,000 per night?  The place for celebrity.  But our tour guide nearly floored us with this info:

Miniloc Island Resort -  PHP 25,000.00 per night/per person (JV with Ayala)

Lagen Island Resort -  PHP 45,000.00 per night per person

Panguulasian Island Resort -  PHP 55,000.00 per night per person.

That is roughly $l,000.00++ per in USD...

Wow.

I did not know that there are such individuals who can afford these accommodations.

Are we not glad that there are such places in Palawan/Philippines

 x                              Miniloc Island;  there is Globe signal here;  nice


.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Business opportunities in Palawan

Ateneo Professor on Entrepreneurship

The strong emphasis on preservation of marine and forest life discourages businesses that are extractive and polluting in nature.  However ecotourism brings in a lot of dollars and livelihood to people of Palawan:    there is growing number of hostels, inns, restaurants, transport vans.  I would say that the activity is as frenetic as in Thailand.  The growth of tourism in Palawan would probably at this point exceed that of Cebu and Bohol but may be equal that of Boracay.

The emphasis would be HRM activities, renewable energy, non polluting industries, service industries.  Thus fast food, malls, health services are increasing in number.  

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Good and bad news on PHL economy

Ateneo Professor on Entrepreneurship

From Satur Ocampo's column "At Ground Level" by Satur Ocampo

The good news:

l.  Moody's has upgraded PHL debt from Ba2 to Ba1 (one notch below investment grade)

2.  Goldman Sach's has considered PHL as one of the 11 emerging economies (the others are Bangladesh, Indonesia, Egypt, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Korea and Vietnam)

3.  PHL ranks 4th (moving from 6th) in terms of most favorable environment for micro enterprise, according to Economic Intelligence Unit.

4.  According to Nielsen, PHL ranks third in consumer confidence given the expansion of business at BPO

The bad news:

l. At 7% rate, PHL has one of the highest unemployment rate in the region.  Most countries have moved from heavy dependence on agriculture to manufacturing to industries and services sector.

2.  PHL has continuously slid down in WB list of doing business from l36 to 138.  What is the public sector doing. (And yet PHL is improving on its competitiveness)

3.   PHL has failed in 4 out of 7 MTD of the UN

What can we do to improve our country?

Special Report_Business Model_Lei Pichay

Hi Prof Jorge,

Please see link for my Special Report: Business Model: http://www.slideshare.net/lrp315/business-model-14752254

Thank you.

Best Regards,
Lei Pichay


Financial Statements - Special Report by Rhea Jardin



Renewable Energy - Wind Farms in the Phils.

Ateneo Professor on Entrepreneurship

From Philstar

The Asian Development Bank has provided for a funding of $500,000 to the PHL to build government capabilities for pre feasibility and economic studies on wind power projects.

Earlier US DOE has determined the potential of 76,000 MW capacity through various wind energy projects.  As of todate, only the $50 million a 33 MW project in Bangui Bay Ilocos Norte has been constructed.  Another one, an P8 billion Wind Power Energy System in Puerto Galera is under construction

The DOE will gather data in these areas: Cagayan,  Camarines Norte, and Aklan for wind power projects.  The data will be placed under the care of UP and Ateneo.  EU is also pushing for more renewable energy projects in the country which are mini grids in small islands.

What are the opportunities emerging from this news?

How will this affect global warming and the fossil fuel usage?

From PHIL Daily Inquirer on renewable energy

DOE taps academe as renewable energy centers