Almost all homeowners will agree that home security system is one of the most important issues to consider when protecting the home and its assets. When choosing a home security system, a new customer can be overwhelmed when presented with the variety of cameras, motion detectors, and alarms from which they will base their choice. These choices can be as little as a simple wireless security system or it can be as intricate as highly advanced infrared motion detectors. Regardless of unit cost, reliability is the most important aspect of the best home security system.

The cost of a home security system is not an assured guarantee that it can provide the best quality. Other things like response time are also important in cases of emergency, and a home security system needs to be able to alert the appropriate agency and authority if an intruder is present in the premises. More importantly, it needs to maintain proper accuracy to limit the amount of false alarms, which can cost owners high fees. Motion detectors, for instance, require proper installation to be able to pick up the culprit's movement instead of those made by guard dogs and stray animals.

For first time purchases for alarm systems, customers are advised to do their research first and compare the different home security systems and read customer comments when making a decision. Reputable companies are now including customer feedback on their sites for its readers along with comments of satisfaction. However, from all of these sites, only one emerged as Consumers Digest Best Buy™ for home security and the best choice for a world-class security system, Protect America.

The GE Home Security System from Protect America is ideal for many homes, apartment or even a small business at an affordable budget. The Copper Package, for instance, will only cost US$ 29.95 per month and will already include the following features:

• Talking Control Panel


• 1 Motion Detector


• 3 Entry Points


• Internal Siren and Door Chime


• Battery Backup


• One Button Arming


• 3 Window Decals


• 1 Yard Sign

Protect America also has an extensive selection of GE wireless home security components. Aside from that, they have one of the most flexible range of monitoring services, including cellular monitoring, two-way voice monitoring, HomePulse broadband monitoring, or standard talking command station monitoring over landline.

It cannot be denied that the GE Home Security System from Protect America is vital to the protection of families from unforeseen elements that can destroy assets and have lethal consequences. Given its affordability, it is probably the largest investment any homeowner can buy when it comes to securing a home.

Call this toll free number now and avail of free 2 keychain remotes for every order: 877-470-2751.

Read More ...

According to gmanews.tv, the Lopez group may sell its interest in the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) at the right price and at the right time. This was hinted by the family’s patriarch a day before the company holds its annual stockholders’ meeting.

"If other opportunities arise that are significantly more attractive than Meralco, then we also have the option to sell down or sell out at significantly higher values than would have been possible if we had opted to engage in a battle of attrition," said Oscar M. Lopez, chairman and chief executive officer of the First Philippine Holdings Corp. (FPHC).

He made this announcement during the annual stockholders’ meeting of the FPHC, Meralco’s parent company, held on 25 May 2009.

During the same meeting, he defended the group’s earlier decision to sell 20 percent of its Meralco stake to the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), which are both headed by Manuel V. Pangilinan.

The 20 percent stake sale has helped “forge a strategic alliance that will enable us to continue to participate, both as owners and as business partners, in a Meralco whose potential value has been greatly been enhanced by the possibilities of synergy with PLDT," Lopez said.

Besides providing Meralco – and its parent – much-needed funds to manage its debts, the transaction has also "liberated" the Lopezes from defending its challenges to their ownership and management.

Two years ago, FPHC bought the 9.1 percent Meralco stake held by Spanish company Union Fenosa using debts.

The group’s financial obligations increased when it had to cover the 40 percent interest of Icelandic firm Reykjavik Energy Invest, and Spalmare Holdings BV in the joint venture that won the bidding for a substantial interest in PNOC-Energy Development Corp. (EDC).

FPHC’s debts have been cut in half with the Meralco stake sale to PLDT, First Holdings president Elpidio Ibanez said.

Meanwhile, the transaction reportedly allowed PLDT to fortify its lease agreements with the electricity distributor.

PLDT currently rents Meralco posts and its similar structures for cables of its phone and internet business.

Meralco, the Philippines’ largest electric company, is set to hold its stockholders’ meeting on Tuesday, an occasion that may give rise to a proxy war similar to the one that occurred exactly one year ago.

In 2008, then-substantial shareholder Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) disputed the validity of proxies presented by the Lopezes, a move the pension fund claimed allowed the family to retain Meralco control.

The pension fund later sold its 27 percent Meralco stake to San Miguel Corp., a Manila-based food conglomerate seeking to diversify into non-core and higher-yielding businesses such as energy and telecommunications.

Lopez credited San Miguel for using "friendlier tactics to win over Meralco."

As a result, pundits and market observers alike are looking forward to surprises regarding Tuesday’s stockholders’ meeting.

PLDT, together with First Holdings, hold a combined 43.4 percent of Meralco.

For his part, SMC president Ramon S. Ang said that the company, with its allies, have a combined 43 percent control.

The remaining shares are considered as a "swing vote" for Meralco's ownership.

Read More ...

Latvia, a small Baltic country with a population of only 1.7 million, is interested in forging ties with the Philippines through cultural and educational exchange as well as trade and tourism.

Robert Lim Joseph, the honorary consul general of Latvia to the country, said diplomatic relations ca first be strengthened by mutual exchange of students and cultural performers while trade and investment possibilities are explored.

Joseph said Latvia is strong on optic fibers, whose technology can help the Philippines develop its telecommunications industry.

Joseph added that the former Russian republic is also reputable in gem-making, especially costume jewelry, which the Philippines can tap for its pearl exports by removing the export tax on these special goods. The technology can also be adopted to boost the local jewelry industry in the country.

There is a growing awareness of the Philippines in Latvia as shown by the growing number of tourist from that country. In return, Latvia is also offering its beautiful castles, parks rivers and mountains, which are embodied in its 500-year capital of Riga, as an alternative destination for Filipino tourists.

Joseph said that Latvia and the Philippines have many things in common, like love for dried and smoked fish, for songs, gaiety and festivals, and for nature. Like the Philippines, which was under the Spaniards, Americans and Japanese, Latvia was also placed under the jurisdiction of Swedes, Germans and Russians, while shedding blood to keep themselves independent.

As chairperson emeritus of the national Association of Independent Travel Agencies, Joseph said that Filipinos can learn from Latvians who do not surrender their rights to foreigners for free, but demand for reciprocity just like in the case of their open skies policy.

Read More ...

The 155 years of banking leadership of Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) is a clear proof of its reliability and credibility in providing services to Filipinos worldwide. From the vast array of their products and services comes a new addition which is definitely OFW-friendly; the BPInoy Remittance. This service is fast, safe and easy to avail because of the bank’s reliable overseas remittance offices and several alliances.

The service got an additional boost after the largest bank in terms of capital in the Arab world tapped the extensive remittance network of Ayala-led BPI. A remittance service partnership agreement was forged by the National Commercial Bank (NCB) and the listed bank’s overseas remittance business division. This means that Filipinos based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can now easily remit their hard-earned money from Saudi Arabia to their families.

"We believe that our partnership with BPI is the right platform to serve the interest of our customers, especially Filipino families, as well as contributing positively to the economies of both the Philippines and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," Omar M. Hashem, NCB senior vice president and head of electronic transactions banking division, said.

Money can be transferred 24/7 using the NCB phone banking service on 920000330 or through any of the 1,400 NCB ATMs all over the Kingdom or AlAhli Online banking. Filipinos can also use remittance services through ATM machines, phone banking and online banking of NCB, which has 275 branches all over the Kingdom.

In the Philippines, BPI's remittance service gives the sender a number of options on how they want their money to be remitted. There are 4 convenient ways of remitting money to the country:

1. Direct Credit to Account — with BPI’s more than 1,300 ATMs nationwide, this is probably the fastest and safest way since the recipients in the Philippines can immediately withdraw the money from their personal account. This is so hassle-free since all they have to do is visit the nearest BPI ATM.


2. Branch-Pick-Up — beneficiaries can also choose to just claim the remittance proceeds from any BPI or BPI Family Bank Branch nationwide.


3. Door-to-Door Delivery — beneficiaries can also choose to have their remittances delivered to their doorstep. Those who are in Metro Manila may receive it within 24 hours while provincial residents may receive them from 48 to 72 hours.


4. Credit to Other Bank’s Account — BPI can also forward remittances to the beneficiary’s bank account in another commercial bank if they do not have an account with BPI. The funds will be forwarded to the bank’s head office within 48 hours and it will then be credited to the beneficiary’s account.

Service fees charge by BPI varies depending on how the Filipinos abroad are going to send it, although fees for US$ to Php remittance usually range from US$ 7.00 for direct credit to US$ 13.00 for door-to-door delivery in a provincial address. To learn more about the service fees, just visit the BPI website for a complete list of charges.

Read More ...

The effects of the economic downturn has spread all over the world in a rapid pace that even bargain-hunters in a grocery store northeast of Paris are squinting as they scan figures stamped on shrink-wrapped chunks of Gruyere and bags of green olives. These shoppers are not concerned about the price because they already know that they are low in a place that specializes in surplus goods offloaded from big-name supermarket chains, but they are trying read the barely visible "use by" date.

Many of these food has only one day remaining before the cheese is past its prime. Even the olives have just crossed their "too-old" threshold and shoppers are snapping them up.

According to Associated Press (AP), buying expired food sounds like culinary blasphemy in a place like France, where many already fear the cherished art of preparing and indulging in a good meal – so central to the nation's image of itself – is slowly evaporating. In France as elsewhere, cheaper and faster nourishment has long been gaining on the slow-roasted, lovingly basted, passionately whipped kind.

Now, the recession is hitting especially hard those whose belts were already tight, and pulling them in to dozens of markets like this one around France that specialize in "destockage alimentaire," or food de-stocking, reselling leftovers from mainstream stores at a deep discount.

Customers at this shop in Argenteuil aren't the only ones counting the centimes they spend on food. A Parisian shop peddling "anti-crisis" sandwiches for one euro (about $1.30) is doing brisk business. Even Michelin-starred chefs have hints for thrifty eating in the land of haute cuisine.

"The food here is cheaper, that's why I come," said Marie-Therese Capria, a teacher's aide who takes a bus from a neighboring town to shop at two food outlets in Argenteuil and estimates that she saves about €10 (about US$ 13) a week.

The experience of examining expiration dates, she says, is not so far from that at French open-air produce markets, where vendors often ask, "When do you want to eat this?"

"If you say 'tonight,' they give you the ripest melon," she said.

Food safety authorities say she has little to worry about, and that markets like those in Argenteuil are no riskier than mainstream supermarkets.

They note a key distinction: Perishable goods such as milk can cause food poisoning if consumed after their expiration dates, while chips and conserved foods such as olives and "become less crunchy or lose a bit of flavor, but are not dangerous," said Sylvie Garnier of the government food inspection agency DGCCSF.

Crisis or no, "consumers in France are among the best-protected in the world from food risks," she insisted.

France's industry leader in food de-stocking is a company called Noz, which opened its first market in 1976 and now has some 160 around France. Sales have jumped 20 percent over the past year, said CEO Remy Adrion.

"It has always been a good business model, we are seeing it now," he said.

He maintains that Noz has done consistently good business and is cashing in on the crisis by chance.

A new sandwich shop near Paris' Opera Garnier is doing so by design.

Goutu, where most sandwiches cost €1, opened in January to meet what its owners predicted would be growing demand for low-cost calories in a high-cost neighborhood. The narrow, spare shop sells about 2,000 sandwiches a week – fillings range from standard ham to creamed fish roe – and they're planning three more in Paris in the next three months.

Owners of more traditional French restaurants fear the crisis will push diners into the embrace of places like Goutu, or McDonald's. They are hoping a new EU law allowing lower restaurant taxes will help them keep clientele.

Grab-a-sandwich lunches have been on the rise in French cities for years, replacing the multi-course meals once de rigueur everywhere from the kitchens of the working class to the dining halls of the ruling class.

Michelin-starred chef Jacques Pourcel isn't resisting the sandwich wave but riding it. He led the judging panel as eight chefs sliced, diced, chopped, grilled and smoked their way through an international sandwich competition in Paris last month. British chef Seth Ward took the title, enticing the jury's appetite with his "Red Ruby" beef baguette, garnished with a celery remoulade, garlic paste, mayonnaise and fried shallots.

Pourcel remained upbeat about the downturn's effects on French plates and palates.

"During all crises, there is always a return to values – family values, work values but also the value of good food" – even if it's stuffed inside a baguette, he said.

"Crisis menus" are popping up in restaurants around Paris, as chefs drop prices once a week to keep customers. Even high-end establishments are joining in: La Maison Blanche on Paris' tony Avenue Montaigne has a "New Deal Menu," a prix fixe meal for €69 including cocoa-dusted foie gras and grilled Coquilles St. Jacques.

Carrefour, the world's second biggest retailer after Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and France's biggest supermarket chain, is reportedly considering a new brand of low-cost generic products.

But some shoppers say that's not enough.

Anti-capitalist protesters have been staging free-for-all picnics in recent months in French supermarkets, filling up carts with store goods, emptying their contents onto a folding table, and then eating them. They encourage other shoppers to join in.

But they don't pay for a thing. Their aim: to nibble away at the stores' corporate profits and protest prices they say are too high.

France's president is loath to let France's culinary reputation succumb to recession. Nicolas Sarkozy wants French cuisine protected by UNESCO, the UN cultural agency – while there's still something left to preserve.

Read More ...

For seven summers, the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) has brought together undergraduates nominated by various colleges and universities across the country for a week-long immersion into how business operates in the ‘real world’.

Dubbed "The Best Meets the Best", the annual AmCham Business Orientation Program (BOP) gives future business leaders valuable business insights gained through CEO-hosted visits to AmCham member companies and partners, discussions with leaders from the corporate world and the academe, and participation in creating effective solutions to challenges faced by top Filipino corporation in a culminating business case. The experience leaves them with better understanding and appreciation of business workings across industries that can be applied to both their learning and career choices.

Twenty-eight college achievers pursuing degrees in accounting, management and economics make up AmCham BOP Batch 7 which began last April 2009.

Nomination was based on excellent performance in both academic and co-curricular endeavors and nominees went through a stringent BOP screening process before acceptance into the program.

"Despite the effects of the economic recession on our member companies, support for this project continues. This sends a very strong message of belief and a vote of confidence in the Filipino youth and future leaders of this country," said AmCham executive director Robert Sears at a cocktail held 18 April 2009 to welcome the current crop of participants.

"Each year we try to outdo the experience of the BOP Batch of the year before to give our participants the best possible experience. We also try to widen our reach each year and in 2009, we are proud to say we have student leaders from as far away as Marawi," said AmCham BOP 2009 chairman and Goodyear Philippines president Dave J. Morin.

Respected professionals from various universities and fields have committed time and resources to the success of the 2009 program. The culminating business case will be handled by industry leaders John Clements Consultants president Carol Dominguez, Jollibee Foods Corp. vice president for marketing Gold Tantoco and Goodyear Philippines director and Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Prof. Ning Lagman. A session on entrepreneurship will be given by Avis president and Goodyear board member Andy Ferreria.

Read More ...

On Friday, 8 May 2009, motorist should expect a heavy all-day traffic in Metro Manila. Several activities are lined up that will make that day a horrific experience for those who will be bringing their vehicles to work and for those who are simply taking buses and jeepneys to the office. The only alternative, it seems, in order not to report late, is to take the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system. Nevertheless, passengers still need to contend with the pushing and shoving common during rush hours in those tightly packed trains.

The first contributory factor to the traffic on Friday is the scheduled Unity Ride for the Environment (URE), which is expected to attract thousands of motorcyclist to ride together from White Plains Avenue to Balintawak, Quezon City until the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). The convoy, which hopes to raise funds to purchase tree saplings that will be planted around Ambuklao Dam, is one of the projects undertaken as a prelude for the 15th Annual Motorcycle Convention that will be held on Baguio City until 10 May.

From 6:30 A.M., participants will gather at White Plains near EDSA and will be flagged off at 10:00 A.M. by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. They will traverse EDSA towards NLEX, which was declared open by the President herself, and proceed to Clark Field in Pampanga for the mini-program.

The second reason for the traffic will be the celebration of Makati's 339th Foundation Day. An Annual Grand Parade will be held on 8 May along the stretch of Ayala Avenue. The theme adopted was "Celebrate Progress and Service to the People" and it will showcase elaborate floats and participants in colorful costumes, including those from Makati’s sister cities and municipalities.

Traffic on Ayala Avenue will be rerouted starting 7:00 A.M. to give way to the parade, one of the major highlights of the month-long festivities. The city’s Department of Public Safety is advising motorists to take other alternate routes to get to their destination.

The third reason for the traffic is that a day of celebration will be held on Friday, a regular working day, in honor of returning Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao. Officials from Malacañang Palace announced that they want the country to express their gratitude to the boxer for bringing worldwide acclaim to the Philippine by defeating Ricky Hatton in the second round of their fight last 3 May 2009. Pacquiao also equaled a boxing milestone with a title in a sixth career weight class with a devastating left to the chin that hospitalized the Englishman.

It was reported that a massive motorcade is being organized that will take Pacquiao around Metro Manila before the scheduled luncheon with the President at the Palace. The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will be taking the lead in the motorcade.

Lastly, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) tropical storm Chan-Hom is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility also on Friday, threatening areas in northern and central Luzon. It is not certain if this storm will take the luster from the three activities mentioned above, but one thing is clear, it will be given the local name "Emong" once it enters the Philippine territory.

As of 5 May, the weather disturbance was located over the South China Sea or approximately 550 nautical miles west-southwest of Manila, packing winds of 85 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 105 kph. It would start to bring "moderate" rainshowers over provinces in the western section of central Luzon, including Metro Manila, Zambales and Cavite, on 6 May 2009.

With all of these things happening on Friday, 8 May 2009, it might be better to just take a leave, stay at home and watch a good movie. Just don't forget to keep those flashlights charged just in case Metro Manila experienced some power shutdowns because of thunderstorms.

Read More ...