Convergys opens new recruitment center in Cebu

MANILA – Convergys has opened a new recruitment center in Cebu, as the country’s largest private employer is set to hire at least 1,000 employees for operations in that city this year.

In a statement, Convergys said its new recruitment center is located at the ground floor of The Link building, which is at the entrance of the Cebu IT Park on the corner of Salinas Drive and Jose Maria del Mar Drive.

The Link is also home to the company’s fifth operating site in Cebu and Convergys’ 21st in the country.

Early this month, Convergys launched operations in its 22nd site in Davao, marking the call center company’s first venture into Mindanao.

Transferred from another site, the new Convergys Cebu Recruitment Center features more space, a new look and an enhanced overall experience for job applicants.

“What sets Convergys apart from all the other companies I worked for is the speed of change. You need to be agile, quick to learn while keeping steady with the right processes. A person with a high learning ability who is process-oriented, has a high EQ and can inspire others to achieve more is likely to grow in the company,” said Cebu-based Butch Sison, Convergys vice president for operations.

On its 10th year of operations in the Philippines, Convergys has been named twice as the country’s ICT-BPO company of the year and thrice as the employer of the year.

The company’s clients are in the financial services, technology, cable, telecommunications, satellite, automotive, retail, and healthcare industries.

source: interaksyon.com

Everything you need at Quest Hotel-Cebu

MANILA, Philippines - It’s an exciting time to be in Cebu City right now. The Queen City of the South lives up to its name, thanks to its robust economy and booming tourism industry. A major destination in the country for locals and foreigners alike, Cebu offers plenty of opportunities for businesspeople and vacationers all year-round. Answering the need for a perfect place to stay in the city is the Quest Hotel Conference Center-Cebu.

The first, and important, rule of running a business is having a good location. Quest Hotel has that and more. The hotel, located along Archbishop Reyes Avenue, is just minutes away from the central business district. And right across the street is Ayala Center-Cebu, one of the premier shopping malls in the city. Less than half an hour away is the famous Magellan’s Cross as well as the seaport. Travel time from the Mactan International Airport to the hotel is about 45 minutes.

Quest Hotel is a three-star establishment that strives to give guests the best value for their money. From the location to the hotel’s clean and modern design aesthetic, many will be delighted at what they will see. “We call ourselves the ‘Great Value Hotel,’” says Karen Mendoza, executive assistant manager. “We have been doing so well in terms of occupancy, considering the competition surrounding us. Our rates are really very reasonable.”

Aimed at the corporate market, Quest Hotel offers a simple yet adequate kind of stay for people who place a premium on value. Ten state-of-the-art meeting rooms can accommodate anywhere from 10 people for small meetings to 150 people for large corporate events, celebrations, and other gatherings. Four different room types offer basic amenities, but all are outfitted with king-size beds and are covered with free Wi-Fi. Wide-screen TVs, a safe, and mini bar come standard for the deluxe, premier deluxe, junior and corporate suites — basically all that anyone needs for a comfortable stay. Mendoza says, “Room amenities are basic. There are some you need to request (if you need them) like dental kits, etc., but we don’t want our guests to worry about anything because everything is here. We have a pool on the seventh floor and one big restaurant at the lobby level.”


That would be the Pusô Bistro & Bar. Named after Cebu’s unique “hanging” rice, which is wrapped and cooked in young coconut leaves shaped like a human heart, the restaurant serves many local and international dishes with an all-you-can-eat buffet at P499 per person. The name serves a double purpose for Quest Hotel and, according to Mendoza, it is reflective of the “uncomplicated” type of service they offer.




For a three-star hotel to truly shine, the efficiency and quality of service of its staff has to be excellent. And that’s a level that Quest Hotel employees all strive for. “It’s service from the heart,” Mendoza continues. “It speaks for itself.” And according to her, they must be doing something right in that regard. Karen shares that on review site TripAdvisor.com, Quest Hotel ranks fourth in positive guest reviews among the 68 hotels in Cebu. “Most of the guest comments say they like staying at Quest because of the great location, value for money, great service and modern feel.” That’s the kind of feedback that every hotel dreams of.

“We want guests to enjoy their stay and to come back,” says Mendoza. “And we have been very successful in achieving that because we have a lot of returning guests.” That’s great news for a hotel that has been around for only a little over a year. It shows how a little quality service goes a long way. The journey has just begun for Quest Hotel, but already, the future looks bright.


 Quest Hotel and Conference Center-Cebu is located along Archbishop Reyes Avenue in Cebu City. For inquiries or reservations, call (+6332) 402-5999, fax at (+6332) 402-5998, e-mail at CebuInfo@Quest-Hotels.Com or log on to Cebu.QuestHotels.com.

source: philstar.com

New Condo Project Earmarked P4-B

CEBU CITY, Cebu — Owing to the bullishness in Cebu’s real estate landscape, Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) and affiliate Cebu Property Ventures Development Corp. (CPVDC) have earmarked P4 billion for five-tower condominium development spread in the next four to five years at the Cebu IT Park.

The new condominium development dubbed Avida Riala is an expansion of the Avida Towers Cebu, which has 1,045 units launched in 2010.

Avida Riala, siting on a 21,000 square meter property, will have a total of 3,300 condominium units of studio-type and one and two bedroom units. The rooms are priced between P1.8 million to P5.5 million.

It is located right across eBlock Tower 1, home building of JPMorgan & Chase Co.

The projects’sTower 1 to cost an estimated P800 million, will have 621 units and is set for groundbreaking in November this year. Completion target is set first quarter, 2016.

“Our success of the Avida brand in Cebu has prompted us to boost expansion with this new project, Avida Towers Riala,” said Avida Land Corp. president Christopher Maglanoc told local media.

He said the shift to a bigger residential community is due to the increasing demand for condominium properties in the area, which has a rapidly growing outsourcing sector.

Avida Riala project is a mixed-used development in partnership with the landowners, VH Properties.

On top of the residential amenities, the company will also add shopping and dining outlets to the property and a 5,000-square meter amenity area including a grand lawn, lounge pool, shooting court and jogging trail.

source: mb.com.ph

Customs Foils DVD Smuggle Bid

Alert personnel of the Customs X-Ray Inspection Project (XIP) have foiled an attempt to smuggle some 700,000 pieces of blank Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs) which illegally arrived at the Port of Cebu.

XIP head and lawyer Lourdes Mangaoang said the seizure came after the shipment's consignee, ZAKHRIS General Merchandise of Mabolo, Cebu presented a fake import permit to Customs authorities.

She said the importation of DVDs requires the approval of the Optical Media Board.

“It was certified by OMB Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ronnie Ricketts that their documents were fake,” Mangaoang said.

The XIP placed the total value of the confiscated DVDs at P6 million. They were found stacked in a 20-footer container van.

“If smugglers think that some out-ports of the Bureau of Customs are lax, they are definitely wrong. All BoC regulated ports in the country are on a 24/7 alert mode for suspicious shipments,” Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon said.

source: mb.com.ph

Catholic school defies court order, bars students from grad rites over Facebook bikini pics

MANILA, Philippines - Though the court sided with the female teenage students in Cebu City who posted on Facebook pictures of themselves in bikinis, they were still not allowed by their school to attend Friday's graduation rites.

Despite the issuance of a temporary restraining order by Cebu Regional Trial Court Judge Wilfredo Navarro, Saint Theresa's College still barred the students from entering the school grounds during the commencement ceremony, according to a news report. Nonetheless, the students will still be given their diplomas.

The Catholic school filed a motion for the court to reconsider its decision. The court was supposed to hear the motion of the school on Friday at 10 a.m. but the judge was unavailable.

Earlier, Navarro ordered the school to allow the students to attend their graduation ceremony, otherwise the school's action would be "un-Christian" and possibly illegal.

He also said that minors were supposed to be protected from every form of child abuse, including verbal abuse.

In their complaint, the students alleged that Sister Celeste Ma. Purisima Pe, the school principal, called them “sluts”, “addicts”, “drunkards” and “cheap.”

Pe's camp denied the allegation. The principal said the students were given due process when they were asked last February to explain their side of the issue.

School officials also met with the students' parents, showed them the photos of their children, and were told of the decisions and actions of the school's disciplinary committee.

The school, run by the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, prohibits students from uploading on the Internet their photos showing "ample body exposure." The prohibition is contained in the school's handbook, which is customarily given to students.

A report from radio dzMM on Friday said that while the students' photos were not public and were only shared to their Facebook friends, their classmates or their parents might have alerted school officials about the pictures.

The issue drew mixed reactions from InterAksyon.com readers. Some defended the school's decision while others took the cudgels for the students.

Yal Puzla from USC-TC Cebu City said that "from the start," the students "knew the rules of the school" and thus should have not studied there if they had no intention to follow the school's policy.

"Ambot naman lang, wala na lang unta sa eskwela sa St. Theresa para libre mo post sa networking site;-)," said Puzla.

Via Chan said: "As A theresian, WE ARE OBLIGED TO FOLLOW the school rules in and out the vicinity. What's the use of the handbook if you just disregard what's written on it?"

"And please you don't know half of the story, those aren't the pictures, there are more nasty and more indecent ones. so please don't judge the school," added Chan.

Khamil Andan Xxvii of the World Citi Colleges said: "oh well lets just say social network now adays are also used for prostitution. couldn't blame this people, sobrang hirap ng buhay kaya may mga ganto, and yes ang mga kabataan ngayun mas in sakanila ang magpost ng sexy picture without knowing na nababastos cla they're all after compliments"

Freelance artist Perry Crsit Lequigan said: "the FACT na umabot sya sa graduation, it means alam na alam niya ang RULES and REGULATIONS sa school, sinuway niya ang batas ng eskwelahan dapat may kaparusahan para di pamaresan.... but of course may DUE PROCESS!"

Aleth Velasquez of St. Paul University Manila said: "The nuns has no right to demean those girls, they may have misbehaved, but they are entitled to march in graduation, this is unfair, legally the nuns are guilty for the violation of the children's right via verbal abuse..being catholic is not on how we dress up, being catholic is how we treat other people with respect."

Estefan Ezequias Onesimo Benecio said: "TEACH, NOT PUNISH.. Students should have been given thorough counseling instead of leaving them with heavy emotional burden.. This is what I expect from a Religious school, not name-calling and prejudices."

Terence Logramonte Valdehueza of Xavier-Ateneo de Cagayan said: "Calling and judging someone 'sluts', 'addicts', 'drunkards' and 'cheap' is not part of due process. If I were one of the two teens, I will sue the principal for slander and seek for moral damages."

Nancy Arceo Chan of the University of the Philippines-Diliman said: "It's time the school show all the pictures posted and you will agree that these kids need to be penalized....the truth must come out....no lesson learned here....what a fiasco!"

source: interaksyon.com