Bohol: The new Phl paradise

The staff of PeopleAsia magazine had their summer outing at the Bellevue Resort Hotel in Bohol — a top-of-the-line facility under the Bellevue Hotels and Resorts Group with Johnny Chan as chairman. Acting as host was Arthur Lopez who is president of the Philippine Hotel Owners Association and AML Hotel Consultancy that serves as consultant for the hotel group.

The luxury resort, which sits on a 3.5-hectare property in Panglao, is developing a reputation as one of the best five-star resorts in the country with its excellent facilities and amenities, fantastic food and superb services from the friendly and accommodating staff. But what really sets the property apart from most others is the fact that from the onset, the management has consciously adopted a green approach in the development, taking into consideration the challenges faced by tourism establishments in Panglao. For instance, the access to adequate supply of potable water — which Bellevue solved by building its own desalination plant instead of building a deep well or transporting water from Tagbilaran City.

The resort takes pride in being environment-friendly, putting up a wastewater treatment facility as well as a water storage facility for collected rainwater. Power is also used efficiently by giving guests the option to cool their rooms with fresh air instead of the air conditioner and designing the rooms in such a way that natural lighting and ventilation is maximized.  For its efforts, the hotel recently won the 2015 ASEAN Green Hotel Award.

The fact is, Bohol is fast becoming a major tourist spot, with visitors expected to increase once the construction of the new P4.6 billion international airport is completed, with funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA. The new airport will be 10 times larger than the current one in Tagbilaran, with plans to put up flights to and from Japan, China and South Korea. According to sources, the new airport facility will adopt green measures in its design, for instance maximizing natural ventilation and putting up solar panels on the roof, while filters will be used for the drainage system to make sure the waters of Panglao will not be contaminated. 

Hopefully, Gov. Edgar Chatto and the local officials will see to it that developers, most especially in Panglao, will adhere to green practices so that the island will not go the way of Boracay which has become over developed and congested, with contaminated waters and the coral reefs threatened as well.

For sure, the new airport will drive even more tourists to Bohol which the local government is promoting as an ecotourism destination to ensure sustainability and prevent congestion especially in more developed areas.  The province of Bohol has a lot to offer in terms of ecotourism such as loom weaving, mangrove planting and other activities that can be conducted in select local communities in order for tourists to see and experience the locals’ way of life.

MNTC arbitration case a disturbing development

The recent decision of the Manila North Tollways Corporation to file an arbitration case before the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) in Geneva against the government is causing disquiet among foreign businessmen who are disturbed by the seeming penchant of the government to change business rules in midstream. MNTC has been asking government through the Toll Regulatory Board to act on its petition to adjust toll rates which has been pending since 2013 – resulting in at least P3 billion losses due to foregone revenues from January 2013 to December 2015.

Under the concession agreement entered into by the government with toll road operators – which had been spending billions on maintenance, improvement and expansion of the tool roads for the convenience of motorists – periodic rate adjustments are provided for. However, TRB has been putting off the increases for the longest time, perennially reviewing the petitions. “Government has to balance public interest with the need of businesses to recover a reasonable return on their investments,” opined a businessman, noting that the arbitrary decisions and violations of contract stipulations serve as deal breakers that have kept the Philippine from attracting foreign direct investments that it should be getting in light of its growing reputation as Asia’s fast rising economic star.

MVP in Silicon Valley

PLDT chairman and CEO Manny Pangilinan spent some time in Silicon Valley where he met with some tech leaders and partners. MVP also had some “facetime” with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in the latter’s headquarters in Menlo Park to explore opportunities in strengthening their partnership, specifically in the area of mobile broadband services and how the company can solidify its position as the top digital company in the Philippines.  

The telco is engaged in a strategic rebranding and is expanding its platform of Internet services on-demand. Describing the digital world as dynamic and complex, the PLDT chief expressed confidence that the company will be successful in its “pivot to digital.” 

As PLDT noted in its PSE disclosure, “the company’s business has evolved such that its revenues are no longer mainly from its long distance toll revenue business, but are now largely from its expanded business portfolio that includes wireless telecommunications, data, broadband, and information technology services and other related value added services.” 

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