PLDT exec keeps investment plan for Cebu medical tourism facility

Sun.Star Cebu <> Thursday, June 11, 2009

BY NANCY R. CUDIS, Sun.Star Staff Reporter

A SUBSIDIARY of First Pacific Co. Ltd., which owns a significant stake in the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), continues to eye Cebu as a potential investment area for medical tourism.

However, since it made an announcement in June last year to invest in a hospital in Cebu, Metro Pacific Resources Inc. has not yet finalized talks or set a target date and location for the facility.

Manuel V. Pangilinan, chairman of First Pacific and PLDT, said in a news conference Tuesday in Makati that this does not mean the company has dropped its interest to seek a local partner and build a medical facility in Cebu.

When asked about his interest in the Cebu City Medical Center, which he visited in September last year, he said there is “no update yet.” Pangilinan’s plans for a retirement village for medical travelers, which would be linked to a hospital, have not moved as well.

“We are looking at three hospitals in the Visayas and Mindanao.

We have no target yet in Cebu, although we have already been approached by one owner. We’re looking at this (development),” he said.

Pangilinan declined to disclose the names of the hospitals, saying that owners “might be sensitive” to having their business deals made public while talks are still ongoing.

Metro Pacific has share-holdings in the Makati Medical Center and the Davao Doctors’ Hospital.

Apart from Cebu, Pangi-linan said Metro Pacific is also eyeing investments in hospitals in Pampanga, Bacolod, Davao, Zamboanga and Iloilo, which are considered “prime markets” for medical tourism.

Favorite

“Metro Pacific is investing on hospitals. If there is an adjunct or collateral investment in medical tourism, Cebu (would be) a perfect candidate because it is one of the principal tourist destinations in the country. That would be good (for hospital operations). But our principal focus is hospitals,” said Pangilinan.

Pangilinan said that Metro Pacific is not inclined to invest in tourism-related facilities, like hotels. “(That is) out of (our) line,” he added.

He pointed out that PLDT and its subsidiary, Smart Communications Inc., are looking at more investment opportunities in Cebu’s growing business process outsourcing industry.

Pangilinan announced last year that instead of buying shares and investing in existing hospitals with established client base, the Metro Pacific plans to build a new hospital in Cebu sometime this year as none of the existing ones are up for sale.

Part of the plan is for Metro Pacific to invest P1.5 billion while its Cebu partner will provide the land for the Cebu hospital that will be designed with spa-like facilities and 300 beds.

In an interview last year, Pangilinan said the hospital project in Cebu would cater to local residents, balikbayans and major tourist markets, including Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, China and the US.

He added that Metro Pacific plans to have the medical facility accredited by international insurance companies.

Aside from its interest in telecommunications and medical care, the First Pacific group is working on a P20-billion investment in power distribution company Meralco, which it expects to clinch next month. When this is done, Pangilinan said he will focus other potential investments like Mimosa in Pampanga.

Filed under: Business, Health and Wellness, IT/Computers/Software Development, Real Estate, Tourism

Savings from ‘green’ buildings

Sun.Star Cebu <> Tuesday, June 9, 2009

BY NANCY R. CUDIS, Sun.Star Staff Reporter

GREEN architecture movement advocates are urging building owners and investors to take a “long-term” perspective in putting up or renovating their structures.

United Architects of the Philippines Green Architecture Movement (GAM) chairman Edgar Reformado said investing in a green building may cost more in the beginning but the property owner will save money in the long run through lower operating costs.

Reformado cited potential huge savings in electricity and water as the land value of the site increases. He added that designing with green materials also enhances indoor air quality and improves occupants’ health.

A green building, also known as sustainable building, is designed, built, operated and renovated to increase efficiency of resource use, and to reduce impact on human health and environment.

Miguel Guerrero III, a “green” architect, said retrofitting an existing energy-hungry building to become a green one is not “necessarily expensive.”

Zero cost

“There are zero-cost strategies that could be carried out, such as orientation of the building’s surrounding natural resources and utilizing them to provide natural lighting and ventilation to the structure,” he told Sun.Star Cebu in a separate interview.

There may be incremental capital cost, he said, for systems designed to recycle water or use solar energy to power up the building.

“The (savings in) operational costs will pay for it in the long run. (Right now), the architects have the responsibility to correct the buildings that (collectively) consume almost 50 percent of the energy produced in the world. We have to reduce too much reliance on energy, especially generated by fossil fuel power plants,” he said.

Reformado said that there are “very few” building owners and even developers who are amenable to the prospects of green architecture and who integrate them in their conceptual designs.

For his part, Guerrero lamented the entry of foreign architects into the country who are not familiar with the country’s tropical climate as they introduce buildings fit for weather conditions in the West. As a result, owners have to install powerful air conditioning systems that consume a lot of energy.

He added that it is cheaper to retrofit a building for energy efficiency rather than demolish it and build a new one on site.

“The retrofitting process would involve assessing the site (that) includes determining wind direction and blocking off some areas facing the west. There is also need to study the air conditioning system and perhaps zone its usage by turning it on (only) in some areas of the building. The owner can also use collected rainwater to flush toilets to address the issue of water savings,” he said.

Guerrero was one of the resource speakers during last Friday’s Green Seminar, which was part of the 17th Construction Show Cebu.

Filed under: Business, Construction/Building, Environment, Health and Wellness, Real Estate

SM allots P25M to give bowling center facelift

Sun.Star Cebu <> Wednesday, June 3, 2009

BY NANCY R. CUDIS, Sun.Star Staff Reporter

SM Bowling Centre Cebu has been given a fresh look to attract families, young professionals and their friends and even tourists.

Last week, SM City Cebu launched the renovated bowling facility that boasts of 28 state-of-the-art lanes, LCD monitors for score recording, “chic and urban” lounge seats, and six billiard tables, among others.

“We want to bring bowling back to its glorious days. We aim to attract yuppies, parents and children to play together and cheer each other,” said bowling center manager Moenil Lapa.

He said the renovation of the facility was estimated to be more than P25 million.

The renovation, which was done in three phases, started in October last year. Even during the renovation, Lapa said the bowling center continued to receive a “good number of customers” and revenues have been “improving.” He did not give figures, however.

He said that among the bowling center’s top foreign customers Kuwaitis and Koreans.

Ric Camaligan, vice president for SM leisure group, said that the bowling center has been established for almost 18 years.

“This is now renovated to (support) our (desire) to come closer to the people. We want to be a place for the family, for more bonding time and a (venue) to keep (our) bodies healthy,” he said.

The SM Bowling Centre Cebu also provides bumper lanes that block off gutters, ensuring children the chance at knocking down pins at every single release. According to the SM management, this bumper bowling system builds up a child’s confidence and guarantees enjoyment.

The center will also house a bigger snack bar, locker rooms, and smoking area.

Located at the third level of SM City Cebu, the facility is open from 12 noon to 11 p.m. from Monday to Friday, and from 10 am to 11 p.m. on holidays and weekends.

Filed under: Business, Fun/Entertainment, Health and Wellness, Tourism

‘List more poor folk’

Sun.Star Cebu <> Friday, May 29, 2009

BY NANCY R. CUDIS, Sun.Star Staff Reporter

IN its bid to help achieve universal coverage by February 2010, the regional unit of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) intends to get more indigents to enroll with them this year.

According to Philhealth 7, Central Visayas recorded only 53 percent of the nearly 400,000 registered low-income members in
the region.

“Not all local government units have enrolled (all) their indigents in our program. Some have enrolled only half of the total number. Philhealth is planning to get the other half enrolled this year,” said Philhealth 7 assistant vice president William Chavez.

This “aggressive” campaign to get more enrollees is part of Philhealth 7’s goal to achieve 85-percent coverage in Central Visayas by October this year.

This is the same percentage target set by the national office of the government health insurance provider at the national level.

In an interview last week, Chavez said Philhealth 7 has attained this 85 percent mark or more than six million of the region’s population. However, Philhealth has to continually monitor the expiration dates of the health cards given to indigents last year.

The indigent program is an insurance plan for the poor that is shouldered by the local government unit and the National Government.

As of the end of 2008, Philhealth reported that 3.3 million indigent families or 16.5 million beneficiaries nationwide have been enrolled in the sponsored program.

Meanwhile, Philhealth has increased by 35 percent its member benefits. The increase, which became effective starting April 5, covers professional fees, room and board, drugs and medicine, X-ray, laboratory and operating rooms, depending on the category—whether primary, secondary or tertiary—of the hospital where the member is confined in.

Chavez considers the member benefit expansion as a “good” strategy to help members cope with the global financial crisis.

It is also meant to encourage more people to become Philhealth members.

He cited a patient who availed himself of P10,000-worth of Philhealth benefits during a six-day hospitalization before the effectivity of the increase. When the patient was hospitalized again last April 9 to 17, and received about P27,000-worth of Philhealth benefits.

Philhealth 7 will also put up a satellite office in Mandaue City this year to cater to existing and potential members in Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City, Cordova, and northern area of Cebu.

As of 2008, there are 1,531 private and government Philhealth-accredited hospitals in the country, 92 of which are in Central Visayas. There are also more than 21,000 Philhealth-accredited professionals nationwide.

Filed under: Business, Health and Wellness

Medical tourism in Cebu growing

Sun.Star Cebu <> Wednesday, May 27, 2009

BY NANCY R. CUDIS, Sun.Star Staff Reporter

AMID the global financial crisis that has affected the travel market, the Cebu Health and Wellness Council (CHWC) remains upbeat about Cebu’s potential in medical tourism.

The group is seeing an increasing number of medical travelers in the province—foreigners and balikbayans who are attracted to the “value-for-money” packages developed by the CHWC.

These packages, said CHWC president Oscar Tuason, include a combination of medical check-ups and leisure—two services that Cebu can readily offer.

One of the popular packages is for seven days and six nights in Cebu. It includes a two-night stay in a reputable hotel in Cebu City where the traveler undergoes medical and dental check-ups, and experience spa service. The package also includes heritage, cultural and shopping tours.

“The client will also spend the last three nights in a hotel-resort in Mactan where he or she will enjoy the sun, the sand and the sea,” said Tuason, also Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital (CDUH) administrator.

CHWC is a private-public sector coalition of stakeholders in the hospital industry, those that provide dental services, spas,
travel and tour operators, the Department of Health, Department of Tourism (DOT) and Department of Trade and Industry.

The group aims to direct the development and promotion of the health and wellness industry in Cebu.

Packages

Tuason said CHWC can “tailor-make” packages to meet client requirements, like in the case of 35 to 45 Koreans who want to come to Cebu for a vacation and take the time during the trip to undergo an executive check-up.

CHWC also monitors the growing influx of medical travelers to Cebu.

Tuason cited CDUH, which now accommodates more than 40 medical travelers a month since January. In the last quarter of 2008, it recorded an average of 30 medical travelers monthly.

He said that apart from attractive travel packages, more medical travelers want to come to Cebu since the pro-vince’s closest competitors—Thailand and India—are having political problems.

Recently, CHWC and the DOT hosted a tour of the facilities of CDUH, Perpetual Succour Hospital and Chong Hua Hospital for 53 buyers coming from Russia, South and North America, and Asia.

“We have been getting return calls from these buyers who are organizing potential medical travelers to come here. For this year, we are upbeat about the utilization of medical and tourism facilities in Cebu by foreign clients (coming from our buyers’ countries),” said Tuason.

Filed under: Business, Health and Wellness, Tourism

Hospital converts docs’ quarters into suites with concierge service

Sun.Star Cebu <> Monday, May 18, 2009

BY NANCY R. CUDIS, Sun.Star Staff Reporter

THE Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital (CDUH) opened last Saturday a floor with 17 new “hotel-like” luxury suites to cater to the growing demand for more comfortable hospital accommodation.

The new facility, located at the CDUH building on Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City, is equipped with spacious rooms and a full-time concierge service.

The 17 new suites augment the hospital’s eight existing standard suites.

“Local and foreign patients (came) and ask why we only have few suite rooms. This floor is dedicated (to them) as we continue to provide quality medical service,” said CDUH president Dr. Potenciano Larrazabal Jr., who estimated the investment for the facility to be about P30 million.

He said the demand for more hospital suites come from local company executives and foreign nationals, like Europeans and Americans.

Medical tourism

“We are also into medical tourism. A month ago, we showed travel agents our facilities and they were (so) impressed that they are looking forward to sending medical travelers here,” he added.

He said that once the luxury suites gain substantial market response, CDUH will put up specialized services in other areas of the hospital.

In a separate interview, CDUH administrator Oscar Tuason said that more people, even locals, prefer comfortable hospital rooms for their family members, friends and visitors.

Up until last year, the hospital has been accommodating an average of 30 medical tourists a month. Since January, it recorded more than 40 foreign travelers a month.

“Foreigners have higher set of demands in terms of accommodation. Here, we are combining luxury accommodation with high quality health care service and patient security and safety,” Tuason said, adding that the luxury suites manifest the growing medical tourism industry in Cebu.

The construction of the new suites in the area that used to house resident doctors’ quarters and department offices started four months ago.

Tuason said the daily rate of a luxury suite is up to P3,850, which includes concierge service, change of pillows, IV insertion and nursing care, among others. The CDUH standard suite rate is about P3,100 a day.

“For the luxury suites, we will assign long-tenured nurses who are the most courteous, most outgoing, most friendly and most compassionate…while) concierge service staff are hotel and restaurant management graduates with experience in (big) resort hotels. This means that our customers will be pampered and served to the fullest,” he said.

“We also have in mind to build a VIP suite, our top-of-the-line accommodation that is double the size of our luxury suite with amenities like a separate dining area. But this only depends on how our customers respond and utilize our luxury suites,” Tuason said.

Filed under: Business, Health and Wellness, Tourism

Spa offers organic treatment oils at Cebu facility, eyes expansion

Sun.Star Cebu <> Friday, May 15, 2009

BY NANCY R. CUDIS, Sun.Star Staff Reporter

TO help uplift the local spa industry and promote wellness, a new spa opened at Parkmall.

Langkawi Discovery Spa offers the “preventive approach” in taking care of one’s body through the use of organic and natural materials.

The spa is eyeing health buffs, nature lovers and environmental protection advocates as potential clients.

Langkawi spa director Sheila Mendez said the facility houses 16 beds and 18 therapists who provide spa services like organic body scrub and foot spa, as well as non-pricking non-surgical facial treatment called Biodroga.

Biodroga is considered a popular anti-aging treatment in Europe, said Mendez.

Ed Mendez, Sheila’s husband, said the family initially invested P3 million for the new facility.

The use of natural essential oils sets Langkawi apart from other spas in Cebu, Ed said.

“Essential oil has a therapeutic effect on our bodies. Our base carrier oil is (from) grape seeds mixed with lavender, cedar wood, rosemary, lemon grass and jojoba, among others.

The smell of essential oil triggers our olfactory senses. Upon massage, it opens up skin pores and penetrates into our circulation system,” said Ed, also Spa Association of the Philippines Inc. national board director for the Visayas and Mindanao.

Langkawi’s signature massages include Kondalini energy revitalizing massage or deep tissue massage, Swedish touch therapy, and Namikotsi shiatsu.

Ed said Langkawi is the only day spa that carries Biodroga products outside Metro Manila since these items can only be found in the country’s resorts and hotels.

When demand for Lang-kawi’s services grows, he said the company will consider opening another outlet in Cebu City.

The spa will formally open on May 30.

Meanwhile, Langkawi is supporting the preservation of the Danajon Reef located near Bohol, Cebu and Leyte.

Filed under: Business, Fun/Entertainment, Health, Health and Wellness, Small and Medium Enterprises, Tourism