Here it is ... a museum-like restaurant --- the STK Ta Bay Sa Paolito's Seafood House.
This "House of Exotic Food" is found at Orchid Street in Capitol Site, Cebu City. Their website address is http://stktabay.com/
Sure, the food tasted very good. I ate tuna panga, baked scallops and lechon kawali with rice (this statement has been edited by Aga, my eating buddy). I would have wanted to order more but then I also wanted to eat the mint brownies of Starbucks Cafe, a special Christmas treat.
STK Ta Bay, though, feels a little creepy with all the antiques around. Take note of the capiz (sea shell) windows. With their ambience, you'd expect to meet a supernatural being any moment.
Sorry for the blurry photo. This picture was taken with a cellphone camera.
The Cebu Fashion Accessories Manufacturers and Exporters (Fame) Foundation made initial earnings amounting to $1.7 million from its first international show in Cebu.
Cebu Fame president Janet Chua said the amount represents only the initial negotiated sales from 89 percent of the show’s exhibitors and is the direct result of the participation of 147 foreign buyers and 5,000 registered visitors.
Fame held last Sept. 20-22 the international fashion accessories show, Bijoux (French for jewelry), at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa.
Of the initial sale figure, more than $740,000 were booked sales while more than $910,000 are still under negotiation and over $14,000 has been reported as total cash sales.
Bijoux e-marketing and publicity committee head Reyna Tio said the buyers are representatives of various foreign brands. “Their number is small but they are well-chosen because we target our products on the right clients, (those) who will really buy.”
Fame pointed out that the Bijoux sales were bigger that what the group earned during an exhibit in Hong Kong last June.
Fame reported a total of 147 exhibitors in the Bijoux Cebu, about 53 percent of which are small enterprises and 45 percent are medium-sized businesses. At least 96 percent of the products displayed during the show were costume jewelry.
Although costume jewelry made up most of the sales, exhibitors noted an increase in the popularity of other product lines, including bags, baskets, house ware, footwear, belts and hats.
Chua said that these pieces are marketable because “these were intricately designed, (are) affordable (and) fit the present fashion demand.”
She said the market for Philippine products might pick up in 2009 after three years of slowdown because these products are now made in line with market demand while target foreign buyers are showing interest in natural wood accessories as a result of ecological awareness.
With this, the local fashion accessories sector also hopes to increase the country’s market share next year as target buyers from the United States and Europe increase their orders.
Bijoux Cebu is Fame’s counterpart to the furniture sector’s annual Cebu X (Cebu International Furniture and Furnishings Exhibition). It was organized to showcase Cebu and the Philippines as Asia’s destination for green jewelry.
Bijoux Cebu chairman Butch Carungay said that the industry plans to hold on a much bigger space at the Shangri-La Mactan next year.
More than 80 exhibitors from all over Central Visayas participated in the five-day Sandugo Regional Product and Raw Material Showcase at the Island City Mall, Tagbilaran City, Bohol on July 23 to 27.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Central Visayas Regional Director Asteria Caberte said the exhibition brought sales of Php 22 Million and highlighted the finest of the region's OTOP (OneTown, One Product) including unique products and services that make use of indigenous raw materials and local ingenuity.
Caberte said the participants come from the tourism, food, fashion accessories, crafts, Gifts, Toys and Housewares, and Information and Communications Technology sectors.
Craft producers in Central Visayas presented prototypes of their work after a series of trainings and one-on-one consultations with expert designers.
The fair also featured a raw materials gallery to afford buyers and product designers with a plethora of materials to use, and this will be complemented with craft demonstrations for the interested public, according to Caberte.
Emerging tourist destinations in the region will likewise be showcased with packaged tours to be made readily available at the booths.
National buyers were present during the fair, including exporters, buying agents, wholesalers, retailers, manufacturers and subcontractors.
Booths were set up at the Island City Mall to display the wealth of natural wonders and the related adventure and fun activities that are available for tourists and visitors who wish to explore the following destinations on the rise.
Several DTI initiated or assisted programs geared towards making our local products and services globally competitive were launched during the 2008 Sandugo Regional Product and Raw Material Showcase.
These programs include the Subcontracting Partnership for Innovation Program (SPIN); Integrated Technology Systems and Support Amenities for Food Enterprises (ITS SAFE) project implemented by the Bohol Chamber of Commerce in close coordination with the DTI, The Department Of Science and Technology and the Provincial Small and Medium Development Council; the offering of B.S. Industrial Design course at the Central Visayas State College for Agriculture, Forestry and Trade (CVSCAFT) with support from the German Technical Cooperation Program or GTZ and DTI; The DTI Product Catalogue, Tatak Bohol Concept and the Information and Communication Technology Council.
The OneTown, One Product (OTOP) program is all about developing local skills, using indigenous materials and promoting entrepreneurship & partnership.
I would like to invite everyone to the Sandugo Regional Product and Raw Material Showcase at the Island City Mall, TagbilaranCity on July 23 to 27.
The exhibition will bring to the island the finest of Central Visayas’ OTOP (OneTown, One Product), highlighting unique products and services that make use of indigenous raw materials and local ingenuity.
Participants will come from the tourism, food, fashion accessories, crafts, gifts, toys and house ware, and information and communications technology sectors.
Craft producers in Central Visayas will be presenting prototypes of their work, which are of world-class quality after a series of trainings and one-one–one consultations with expert designers.
The fair will also feature a raw materials gallery to afford buyers and product designers with a plethora of materials to use, and this will be complemented with craft demonstrations for the interested public.
Emerging tourist destinations in the region will likewise be showcased with packaged tours to be made readily available at the booths.
National and international buyers are also expected to be present during the fair, including exporters, buying agents, wholesalers, retailers, manufacturers and subcontractors.
Booths will also be set up at the Island City Mall to display the wealth of natural wonders and the related adventure and fun activities that are available for tourists and visitors who wish to explore the following destinations on the rise.
Several DTI-initiated or assisted programs geared towards making our local products and services globally competitive will be launched during the 2008 Sandugo Regional Product and Raw Material Showcase.
The Trade and IndustryInformationCenter (TIIC) recently spearheaded a DTI-wide Communication Plan Seminar-Workshop held on 04-06 June 2008 at the Subic International Hotel.
The workshop, which was facilitated by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), was organized to gather inputs from all DTI bureaus, attached agencies, and regional offices to ensure that their own ComPlan needs are integrated into the DTI-wide ComPlan.
All DTI Communications Officers were invited to attend the said workshop.
Before the DTI Complan Workshop, we had the Philippine Registry seminar (June 2-4) held on the same venue.
Most participants came from the National Economic Research and Business Assistance Centers (NERBAC) in the country.
The Philippine Business Registry (PBR), the online registry and business registration facility, highlights the collaborative efforts of national and local government agencies to help streamline business registration procedures in the country.
What made the week memorable was the time I took to explore AngelesCity and Clark Freeport on my own. I actually booked a room at the Koala Inn for such activity.
We traveled from Cebu to Bohol via Supercat seacraft for our second Management Committee Meeting (MANCOM) last May 5 - 7.
Other than tackling official business, what did we do ?
I and my officemates watched the concert of Jed Madela, Richard Poon and Sam Milby (I like Jed’s choice of songs and his rendition of my favorites. In fact, I'm impressed with his singing voice. He has a wide vocal range and a clean, clear, smooth voice ... good for a cappella or with simple instrumental accompaniment)
I also remember eating the Buzz (Beehive Farm) halo-halo, an all natural Filipino treat made of home made ice cream and fruits in season, at the Island City Mall … yummy. The Island City Mall is a bit crowded nowadays with the increasing number of traders and mall visitors. It's about time for mall expansion.
By the way, the Baclayon Bed and Breakfast hotel where we stayed has a homey ambience and a good view of the Bohol countryside and crystal blue sea.
I attended the 5th reunion of our clan last weekend. It was the usual family gathering except that the secretariat gave us an activity program with a diagram of the family tree attached and a list of officers of the family cooperative --- unusual for someone like me who hadn't attended a family reunion in years.
I noticed that it was organized the way anyone would handle a national conference. And indeed this is a conference of relatives from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The documentation staff also took photos of the event using a cellphone and digital camera for easy uploading on the family website. They distributed compact disk recordings of past reunions (our family reunion is every two years) which I haven't yet seen until now since my computer broke down. They also took the opportunity to update the list of contact information of relatives (cellphone numbers and email addresses) .... how's that for family efficiency and organization?
”You are where your actions and choices have taken you.”
This means that every minor or major decision you make will somehow affect your future ---- whether this be your choice of school, friends, husband/wife, job or public official Or whether you binge on junk food, sex or drugs.
I have the feeling that everyone knows this universal law of cause and effect; some just do not want to be responsible for their own lives. They blame just about everyone for their pathetic situation - God, family, society, government etc. except themselves.You meet these people all the time..they are what you call emotional and financial suckers.
I’m bringing up this topic because I’ve just met one emotional sucker today, Yep the one who rants on and on about how life can be so unfair, as if life has the power to control people's actions.
You can say they are their own worst enemy… those who seem to be enslaved by their vices, those who can’t seem to break a destructive habit. But what is habit anyway but action that is repeated or rather mindlessly done.
Why can’t many people make a habit of continuous improvement ? Doing minor aspects of their life differently and try to see if it works better for them. I haven’t yet met anyone who has embraced change … positive change as a way of life. I’m not talking here of earth moving, revolutionary change but just minor modifications in behavior or appearance.
Who knows, these tiny everyday alterations or modifications could in the end change us for the better, in turn affect the attitude of our family or society towards us and, if luck would have it, contribute to world peace.
The 2008 Philippine population report of the National Statistics Office came out recently. It indicated that population growth in the country, considered one of the highest in the world with a baby born every three minutes, has slowed down for the first time since the 1960s.
Finally, after years of desperate effort from government to slow down baby-production in this country, there is a positive sign that Filipinos have decided to turn their attention instead to activities that are financially rewarding.
It’s about time since there is currently a global food crisis and a looming environment problem.
The Asian Development Bank put the Philippines' population growth rate as of 2006 at 2.1 percent, similar to Laos and Malaysia but higher than Thailand's 0.8 percent rate, Vietnam's 1.4 percent, and Indonesia's 1.3 percent. The Philippines ranks as the second most populous country in Southeast Asia next to Indonesia, which has 222 million people.
More liberal and like minded individuals are hoping that the growth rate will ease further to 1.95 percent or better yet 0.8 percent (similar to Thailand) by 2010 in what economists say would tremendously help the economic development of our country.
An average Filipino family has about 5 members. This is actually more than what a single breadwinner can handle. The good news is that the growing middle class and more opportunities for education has increasingly led Filipinos to delay marriage and families.
A friend who chose to remain single was wondering what the benefits are for having children… considering the enormous amount of money required to raise them.“Are we having children because our society or family expects it?”I said it’s probably because they want companionship or someone to take care of them during old age. She suggested getting a puppy or hiring a caregiver or better yet have more "real" friends who you can treat as family… it’s cheaper. “Besides having children, doesn’t guarantee you’ll get what you want.”
I'm wondering whether some Filipinos are in denial about the population problem. We blame pollution, deforestation, climate change for our environment woes but fail to make the connection on population growth.
Costs of having many children are shouldered not just by the family and the community, but also the environment. Crowded places are heavily import-dependent for the basic needs of their people such as water and food. We need areas to grow rice, corn, fruits etc. We also need space to store water.
Come to think of it, is retaining a natural environment that nourishes both body and soul important to Filipinos ?
We recently participated in a workshop entitled Accessing Markets Through the Value Chain Approach and Creating A Functioning Market for Business Development Services (BDS).
The Value Chain Approach aims to open global markets for SMEs. This necessitates a systematic analysis of the various functions along the value chain of priority subsector.A value-chain is an institutional arrangement linking and coordinating producers, processors, traders and distributors of a particular product. It is an economic model which combines the selection of a product and the appropriate technology with a particular way of organizing the actors in order to access the market.
Business Development Services are non-financial services that improve the performance of enterprises, their access to markets and their ability to compete. Effective and responsive BDS are considered as means to achieve higher productivity and efficiency of SMEs.
In the traditional Philippine model for business development, government implements tasks which can be done by BDS providers in the private sector. This workshop was meant to wean government away from doing the BDS tasks such as trade fair organization and market / product development. Hoepfully, in the end, governemnt will concentrate instead on matching BDS providers with SMEs.
What did I find memorable in that workshop ? the LUNCH BUFFET at Parklane Hotel !!
Kidding aside, the workshop was an eye opener and very useful for the office staff. However, I just love so much the hotel's lunch buffet. Maybe I should go back there during my free time.
I recently read on the Net the opening remarks of Rex C. Drilon II, President of the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation and Chief Operating Officer of Ortigas & Company on the occasion of the launching of the book “Iloilo: A Rich and Noble Land.”
Drilon mentioned that the new Iloilo Investment Promotions Center (IIPC) was modeled after the tri-sectoral Cebu Investment and Promotions Center (CIPC) of Cebu city and province.
After 18 years, the Philippines and the world has finally noticed the efforts of CIPC. I remember several years back when I assisted CIPC in making their presentations. I was still in pony tails and fresh from college. Everyone then was still trying to get acquainted with the work involved. At the same time, they had to contend with a lot of criticisms from the public. But look at them now !
Of course, CIPC's success came with the help of other factors. The economic success of Cebu is also the result of positioning, serious planning, an industrious population and local governments which understand the needs of business. I've always known that electing the right government leaders (not voting based on irrelevant traits such as popularity, physical desirability, relationship etc.... traits that poor, uneducated Filipinos usually consider) is crucial to economic success.
I constantly get exasperated when some people in the country vote for "artistas" simply because they are popular or nice to them. Why vote for an inept person simply because he/she is nice to you? You are not looking for a wife, husband, boyfriend or girlfriend when you vote. You don't live in the same house with your mayor, governor or president. As long as candidates to government positions are capable and can perform their jobs well, what they are in private is none of our business.
If you are a Filipino, here is something to really ponder on. I do agree with Mr. Joey Concepcion, CEO of RFM Corporation and one of the movers of Go Negosyo, on this statement:
“While it is true that the economic boom is happening, it is for those who want to take part of it. You just can't be a citizen of the Philippines and do nothing and expect that if we see a Philippine economic boom, you will instantly get rich…no way my friend, you have to do something! Either invest or start a business.
For those successful in business it’s time we follow the big brother approach so the small would- be entrepreneurs will have a chance to succeed and also partake in the economic boom of this country.
So we all need to develop and offer new business ideas to differentiate from current business models and not just have a “me too” type of business. This is where we hope Go Negosyo thru its vision of “teaching a nation how to fish…” will contribute by getting the big brother mentorship going and the government playing the role also of a father teaching his son how to fish.
I pray that the Go Negosyo advocacy will inspire people to get into business and those who have been successful should in return help others. Thru this process, we hope to see a more vibrant and more prosperous entrepreneurial nation.” --- Joey Concepcion (February 2007)
So for those Filipinos who still think that wealth is something that just drops from heaven, wake up and get real !
We're aggressively promoting the services of NERBAC-Cebu. I'm suppose to promote the services of NERBAC-Cebu on local radio programs but am having difficulty getting free ads.
Cebu NERBAC is being made a pilot project by the Philippine government for fast business registering and licensing.
Created through the Republic Act 7470, NERBAC is an all-in-one center that houses all concerned agencies in the government. It processes all regulatory requirements in starting a business and provides investments information on Central Visayas.
The NERBAC-Cebu was formally opened to the public in year 2007.
Since NERBAC will serve as a “one-stop” processing and documentation center for all documentary requirements in running a business, any form of corruption will be eliminated.
We hope businessmen will support this government move and have their businesses registered at the NERBAC-Cebu. We also hope that other NGAs, especially those agencies that have to do with business registering and licensing, will also support by providing a permanent staff to the center.
One of the highlights of the Familiarization tour for tour guides on the One Town One Product is the visit to the St. Benedicts Monatery.
Some people may not know this, but Carmen is the mountainside home to the Benedictine priests in Cebu. The Benedictine monastery is one of the tourist attractions in Carmen.
We arrived at the site in the afternoon of March 3. The place is quiet, tranquil and a perfect place to meditate. The photos I've taken are worth a thousand words.
The Trans-central Highway connects the highlands of Cebu City to Balamban. It is obviously my favorite road in Cebu. It has less people, less vehicular traffic and even less urban encroachment since it is within the watershed areas of Kot-kot, Lusaran and Mananga.
