Destination: Pangasinan Last Part

The next stop for the DasoLand tour was the cactuses. I never seen different types of cactuses that you can only find in one place. Then we proceed to the zoo.  Before entering, we had our shoe soles submerged in water to remove the mud.

The first area of the zoo was the aviary, followed by the reptile cage, where different types of snakes are confined, then, the stable. The horses here where mostly foreign and they will be used to rent out while within the premises. The zoo animals surely taken care of unlike some public zoos and there’s a veterinarian that comes on timely basis. 

Leaving the zoo, there’s a souvenir shop that looks like a typical structure in the Ifugao region and sells handicrafts. I also came across their chapel that has a non-traditional structure and was very open. They also have a boating facility also for renting boats. DasoLand is also a resort and lodging facility. After leaving DasoLand, we passed something what Pangasinan was named from: salt. We took a quick tour of the salt farm and saw different areas for the stages of making salt. 

Salt (sodium chloride) as I saw it was undergoing a process of solar evaporation in the field drained. After drained, it will be cleaned by fresh water and drain again and the salt is ready. Leaving Pangasinan, we parted ways after having a hearty dinner at Joseph and Jaemark’s  grill when we got back in Metro Manila.

Dinner at Joseph and Jaemark's. Courtesy of Mrs. Neneng Arceo

Why ASCOF Lagundi is still the number one choice for Lucy Torres-Gomez

Meticulous mom Lucy Torres-Gomez is extra careful in choosing the type of medication she gives to her daughter Juliana.

“Juliana is at that age wherein she is prone to common cough and cold, and I don’t want to give her just any over-the-counter chemical formulation that may prove to be harmful to her health in the long run.  It’s always safer to choose natural medicines instead,” Lucy says.

Lucy, despite her busy schedule as TV host-actress and newly elected congresswoman of Ormoc, Leyte, is fully committed to being a hands-on mom to ten year-old Juliana.  She always sees to it that she attends to her daughter’s most important needs, especially when it involves her health.

“No mother would like to see her child sick,” she says.

Lucy adds that this is why moms like her make sure that their children eat healthy and likewise live in a clean and safe environment.

“But the thing is we can’t always protect them from the unhealthy things that they are exposed to. So just as we are meticulous with the food we serve our children, we should also be very careful with the medicine we give them,” Lucy says.

For Lucy, nothing comes close to ASCOF Lagundi when it comes to treating Juliana for coughs because ASCOF is made from 100-percent Lagundi leaves.

Lagundi is one of the ten herbal medicines endorsed by the Department of Health.  Doctors around the country have long used it to treat cough and asthma symptoms. 

ASCOF Lagundi likewise comes from a trusted name in consumer healthcare, Pascual Laboratories.  It is commercially available in syrup (Ponkan, Strawberry, Menthol and Menthol Sugar-free flavors), tablet and capsule formats.

“Having ASCOF in a readily-available syrup format for children is a good thing—especially for moms like me.  It provides the needed relief, without giving us moms the worry of putting our children’s health at risk,” Lucy says.

Lucy’s concern over the danger that some chemical cough medications may cause children is, after all, warranted as they may contain a combination of chemicals that could possibly produce side effects, such as palpitations, intestinal bleeding, drowsiness and damaged liver.

A mixture of chemically-formulated decongestant, antihistamine, pain reliever, and cough suppressant in one cough medication, for example, may be potentially dangerous to kids.

Just as important is the dosage of cough medication administered to children. If this is not properly monitored, kids may suffer from drug overdose.  In extreme cases, the wrong dosage may lead to respiratory distress and even death.

“I always check the label of the medicines that we take. With ASCOF Lagundi syrup, it has no side effects. That is why its safe. Spending a few minutes of your time researching or asking your doctor about the right medication you give your kids helps a lot,” Lucy advices. 

She concludes, “The reason why you give your kids medication in the first place is to make sure that they go back to being healthy, and not to expose them to more health risks.”

Destination: Pangasinan Part 7-DasoLand

Leaving Lingayen, we passed by a developing theme park/resort named DasoLand.  Owned and operated by Menardo Jimenez, Jr. It is not like a theme park you can compare with EK. 

After a delicious lunch provided by the staff, we started with the Santa Nativity Village, where you can walk the path and see the life-size scenes of the Nativity as it is chronologically arranged. After Nativity walk, we entered Santa’s House which is actually a Santa Clause museum where you can find mostly Santa Claus dolls and memorabilia from all shapes and sizes.

Our next part of the tour was the Butterfly Garden. We through a hall where there are preserved butterflies before going to the actual habitat. This was my first time to take picture of a butterfly up close.

Our next stop was an old-style house with antique furniture. Being here was like you’re on a set of a filming a movie set in 1800’s. We also see old devices or simple machinery from era when there was no technology yet but depends on muscle power drawn by cattle like carts. After the devices were the military vehicles from the Second World War. In my next blog post about Pangasinan, I will continue with the rest of the DasoLand tour.

RONAN KEATING & BURT BACHARACH TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM 'WHEN RONAN MET BURT'

Ronan Keating has teamed up with legendary composer Burt Bacharach to record his brand new solo album, 'When Ronan Met Burt', was released via MCA Music.

A long time fan of Burt's staggering back catalogue, Ronan is thrilled to be working with one of his all-time musical heroes on this very special collaboration. The Irish superstar first contacted Burt last year; he was ecstatic when the iconic composer and producer agreed for them to work together.

Backed by a full orchestra, the result was a spectacular album recorded by the duo earlier this year. All the tracks featured are classics composed by Burt over the course of his impressive fifty year career and include instantly recognisable hits such as 'Walk On By', 'The Look Of Love', 'What The World Needs Now Is Love' and 'I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself'.  All the tracks were recorded live with a full orchestra, ensuring that the grandeur and stature of these timeless classics was captured and conserved.

"It has been a dream come true to work with Burt on this album," Ronan says of the collaboration. "I grew up listening to his songs and the tracks we've chosen to record for the album are simply some of the greatest pop masterpieces ever written, so it was an honour to sing them alongside the man himself."

Speaking about the recording session Ronan said, 'It was one of the hardest sessions I've done.  It's hard enough trying to do justice to such legendary tunes but to record them with the man himself was another level of pressure'.

Burt said of the process, 'To do these songs with a different slant and approach on them made it very interesting for me.  And too be able to work with Ronan and expose these songs to maybe a younger audience as well as my fan base. Then to be able to record it in the legendary Capitol recording studio - full orchestra live. Quite a trip we were on Ronan.'

'When Ronan Met Burt' is Ronan's seventh solo album in the UK and is his first solo release in this country since 2009's 'Winter Songs'. He has since spent time in Australia working as a judge on the Australian version of 'The X Factor' and went on to win the competition with one of the acts he mentored. He will again return as a judge on the new series of the show later this year.

Tracklisting:

The Look Of Love

Walk On By

I'll Never Fall In Love Again

Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do)

My Little Red Book

What The World Needs Now

Something Big

I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself

This House Is Empty Now

Make It Easy On Yourself

AVAILABLE NOW IN MUSIC STORES

Destination: Pangasinan Part 6

On our last night in Lingayen, we were also invited to join recognition night as part of the Pangasinan’s festivities. What I never expected was that there were also popular personalities like Jose De Venecia and Leticia Ramos-Shahani. After the event, we all have a souvenir group picture printed at the lobby. I went out by myself to look at the unveiled monument of the Pangasinan in the Capitol grounds and the government structures that also look good well lit at night and took a look at the War Memorial before I called it a night.

The following day, I went up early to take pictures of the World War 2 vehicles displayed in the Capitol area. Before checking out the hotel, I never thought I can have the experience teeing off at the golf range. After a few misses, I got to hit the ball. This is something I won’t forget because I may never get another chance to play an expensive sport again.

Before leaving Lingayen, we pay a visit to a photo exhibit and had our last group picture along with our hosts from the Pangasinan government. Along the way, we still have two stops which I will continue on my next Pangasinan post.

SPi Global's Maulik Parekh tackles building companies for the next generation BPO in Asia CEO Forum

Makati, Philippines—08 February 2011—A company that is solution-centric, people-centric, and innovation-centric is what describes the DNA of the next-generation business process outsourcing company, Maulik Parekh, SPi Global's President and Chief Executive Officer told executives in the recently-held Asia CEO Forum.

The Asia CEO Forum, which is operated by the Chalre Associates and headquartered in Manila, is one of the most important regular networking events for the international business community in the Asia Pacific region. The forum provides an opportunity for the spreading of ideas that help both expatriate and Asian management personnel overseeing enterprises in Southeast Asia. 

Being a seasoned executive and a recognized thought leader in the Philippine BPO industry, Maulik knows whereof he speaks. Clearly familiar with global and local BPO trends and developments, he noted that despite the impressive performance of the offshoring and outsourcing industry in the Philippines, BPO companies should not be complacent. Instead, they must still be able to create value for their clients; nurture their leaders to their full potential, taking advantage of the opportunity to employ many good ones because BPO is a people intensive business; and foster entrepreneurship and creativity that would manifest ideas into reality to ensure growth in the coming years.

“The Philippine offshore market size is expected to triple by 2016 with revenues growing from US$9 billion to US$25 billion. Globally, the revenues in the BPO sector may reach US$124 billion in 2016, up from the $45 billion recorded in 2010,” Parekh said recognizing the huge potential of companies to get a bigger slice of the market if they are poised for it

With competition growing, especially in the Asia Pacific region, companies must be able to differentiate themselves and be able to offer services with increasing value for their clients. “One of the trends that we should all watch out for is the shift in the level of business that’s generated from voice to non-voice. In 2016, the non-voice sector is expected to grow to 58% from 2010's 43%, looking at the local BPO industry as an example. The ratio between voice and non-voice already showed what the future should be. Non-voice is the future.”

Expounding on value creation for clients, Parekh stated that companies must have a holistic understanding of the industry and the way products or services can be delivered not only cheaper but also better and faster. He noted that although cost-saving strategies offered by BPO vendors are essential in driving the industry's growth, it would be more helpful to look at the other side of the equation.“ Engagements are driven by clients and they have realized that creating more value with less cost is done by leveraging their existing offshoring and outsourcing partnership with companies like SPi Global,” Parekh added.

Delving deeper into how SPi is poised for the next generation BPO, Maulik shared a recent major initiative that his company is undertaking—the so called SPi Healthcare Academy, which he says is a value–centric solution to an identified industry gap. Knowing the huge potential of healthcare information management in the major markets and aware that the Philippines can play a key role in the sector the SPi Healthcare Academy aims to develop the required talent and skills that can prepare Filipinos in the healthcare industry for high-value work through Certified Professional Coding Program, Mentor Training Program, and Web-based Continuing Education.

On being people-centric, Parekh explained that BPO being a people-intensive business should foster the spirit of entrepreneurship and creativity among its people as this will help fuel 

company and industry growth in the coming years. To be truly people-centric, employees need to be provided an environment that has the right organizational structure that supports career advancement, the right leadership that inspires the mind and nurtures the spirit, and the right culture that rewards performers based on merits. 

“I really believe that if a company creates a more people-centric culture and create an environment that is sticky to the people, we won't have to worry about trying to bring in 100,000 people incrementally into the system every year,” he added.

“Be innovation-centric,” the last point emphasized by Maulik as important to be ready for the next generation BPO. For SPi Global, this is about developing cutting-edge technology and solutions for the changing landscape of the publishing marketplace done through the SPi Innovation Lab.

About SPi Global

SPi Global is one of the world's largest and most diversified Knowledge Process Outsourcing and Customer Relationship Management service providers in the industry. The company has more than 14,000 employees globally, serving more than 500 clients worldwide. It is also the largest Filipino-owned BPO company employing 11,000 people in the Philippines.