An electric tricycle, or E-Trike, will be making some significant milestone in the coming years as more and more Filipinos recognized the dangers of Global Warming.

The British embassy recently turned over E-Trikes, to the city government of Surigao City as part of a project by the Islas Ecology Development Advocacy (ISDA) Foundation to push for an alternative mode of public transport that is not only good for the environment but also economically viable.

British embassy representative and Climate Change Attaché Angela Ibay handed over the keys to the E-Trikes to Surigao City Mayor Alfonso Casurra.

"In Europe there is much talk of electric vehicles. Here in the Philippines, that vision is turned into reality. E-jeepneys are now plying the streets of Makati. Now we see the introduction of another alternative mode of environmentally friendly and sustainable transport, the E-Trike, with its Philippine design, adapted to Philippine conditions, and using renewable energy as a source of electric power," said Ibay.

The ISDA Foundation conducted a study on the viability and sustainability of a solar powered charging station to service public electric tricycles to show that green technologies can be affordable. The results of the study will encourage private sector participation in finding practical solutions for climate change mitigation.

In the Philippines, the transport sector is the biggest source of greenhouse gases comprising about 38 percent of emissions. Presently there are more than 3,000 two-stroke tricycles operating in Surigao City. The number of two-stroke tricycles is increasing and not only do they add to traffic congestion but they are a main source of noise and air pollution. The E-Trikes can accommodate about eight people – more than the usual capacity of two-stroke tricycles – so switching to the Etrike will not only reduce carbon emissions but will also contribute to traffic decongestion.

An important component of the project is providing the tricycle drivers and operators access to credit, which the foundation has done through an arrangement with a rural bank for affordable micro-financing to enable drivers and operators to purchase the E-Trikes.

According to ISDA Foundation, the Surigao City government has already discontinued the renewal of tricycle franchises except for electric tricycles, which the foundation hopes will pave the way for tricycle drivers and operators to make the switch to the E-Trike.

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El Niño has already dried up several farmlands, reservoirs and waterways all over the country, forcing farmers to find other ways to adapt and survive. Even lakes and ponds were not spared as many witnessed them left parched from the heat.

While freshwater fishponds are drying up, brackishwater fishponds are suffering from high salinity which can affect the growth of fish.

Mariculture or sea farming is one way of mitigating the effects of El Niño, according to Phillip Ong, president of Santeh Feeds Corp. He cited several advantages of mariculture over its freshwater and brackishwater counterparts.

"The Philippines has an inherent advantage with its long coastline. Farming the sea with high value marine species will be more profitable than land-based farms. Pond culture requires big investments in land development and pond preparation. For marine cage farming, the set up time is greatly reduced," he said.

Land-based aquaculture requires building ponds or tanks, which require more resources and time to develop and maintain. On the other hand, mariculture uses 'sea cages' – a system of nets and a frame to contain the fish – which are submerged in the ocean.

"Also, the sea maintains a fairly constant temperature and salinity throughout the year, which is good for the health of the fish because it reduces stress brought about by sudden changes," explained Ong.

Importantly too, Ong said water exchange is generally high in floating sea cages. This means there is no need to expend energy for pumping water and providing aeration, even at high stocking densities. Even with fuel and electricity cost continuing to go up, production cost is hardly affected. This means lower prices for the consumers.

Lastly the cages can be moved to new areas in the ocean to reduce the build-up of biological wastes in an area.

He said all these advantages have played a key role in the growth of mariculture. In Asia, the leading aquaculture region in the world, the aquaculture industry is diversifying to include increasing proportions of marine finfish which are high in market value.

With global statistics showing that almost half of all fish consumed today is farmed and not caught, mariculture offers a lot of economic and environmental opportunities for the Philippines considering the country’s history and advantage in fisheries.

Critical to succeeding in mariculture is setting up an efficient mariculture park to which Santeh cites the following as key success factors: 1) site 2) cage and structures 3) quality seeds 4) farming technology 5) quality feed 6) market access and development.

For the ideal site, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has selected locations that offer ideal environmental factors – secure and weather protected areas; support of local government and DENR; available trained personnel and clusters of support services and infrastructure.

The Floatech Corp. under the Santeh Group offers the right cages and structures. Floatech has the manufacturing facilities, design expertise as well as components (built in-house) to construct and install durable cages.

Santeh can recommend and supply the right fish feeds and seeds with its complete range of aquaculture feed products and years of experience in the industry.

When it comes to farming technology, Fishwealth Farming Corp., also under the Santeh Group, provides the actual mariculture experience to run the operation. Through Fishwealth, farmers will receive techno-demonstrations and learn how to produce high value marine fish.

Completing the mariculture set-up is Fishta Seafood Corp., also under the Santeh Group, which can provide the logistics and sales distribution channels to major supermarkets in Metro Manila and key provinces.

With the support of the BFAR and Santeh’s network and expertise, mariculture becomes a more viable and sustainable alternative to its land-based counterpart.

A wide variety of fish species like bangus, pompano, snapper, seabass, grouper and other high value species can be cultivated in the sea for maximum profit.

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They say nothing really beats hardwork. One example of this is when one town's 'Puto King' was reported to have literally struck 'white gold' with the their famous puto.

Rufo de la Cruz, 66, and his wife Leonora of Barangay Dinalaoan, Calasiao, Pangasinan began selling their white, marshmallow soft, bite-size puto (rice cake) in the 1970s during town fiestas and carnivals.

"We literally started from nothing. But thanks to God for giving us puto which is a great blessing," he told The Philippine STAR during the town’s recent puto festival.

Rudy and Leonor borrowed PhP 70 to start their puto business. They bought two gantas of rice plus sugar and made about 1,200 pieces of puto.

Aling Leonora occupied a small space where their puto was displayed, while Mang Rudy went around during fiestas to sell their product. There were times when the couple stayed up nights to cook the puto, the recipes of which they learned from their mothers, who were also puto makers.

They put up a stall near the shrine of the Señor Divino Tesoro here and near the Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Church, selling their puto under the brand Bella’s Puto, the name of their eldest child.

From their sweat, industry, persistence and determination, the couple were able to save and build a beautiful two-storey house, and bought several vehicles and invested in real estate, all thanks to puto. But their greatest pride is having sent their six children to school and all have earned college degrees.

It is indeed a far cry and a long journey from the days when they would only have bagoong (shrimp paste) and rice to eat, and he would split wood with a hatchet earning PhP 2 a day and grate coconut to earn extra money.

"It's God to whom we give glory for what we have reached in life," he said, adding that he is sharing their blessings by helping other less fortunate people.

"We won't stop producing puto because maybe this is God's plan for us so we can also help others," he added.

Bella’s Puto starts making puto at 10:00 P.M. and finishes at 4:00 A.M. with an average production of 48,000 pieces a day.

Restaurant owners from as far as Metro Manila come to their stall here to pick up about 30 to 40 kilos of puto a day. Bella's Puto also has stalls in major malls in Central and Northern Luzon.

And what is the secret of their melts-in-the mouth puto? Mang Rudy says it’s the kind of water, rice, and sugar they use – plus the passion they put in to produce the best tasting puto in town.

Bella's Puto has a shelf life of three days, up to six days when refrigerated. Aside from their white puto, they also sell bite-size kutsinta and other colorful and flavored puto like pandan (green), cheese (yellow), strawberry (red) and ube (violet), mostly on order for special occasions. A kilo of puto sells for P70.

Bella's Puto has joined several trade fairs held in big malls and other festivals in many parts of the country, including malls in Metro Manila, to market Pangasinan's pride. It has earned several awards and their success story was named provincial winner in the Sipag at Tiyaga contest last year, earning them PhP 120,000. They also won an award from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the national level for their inspiring story.

Mang Rudy is thankful to government agencies like the DTI, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Tourism, the provincial and municipal governments for opening many doors of opportunity to make their product known.

Mang Rudy is the president of the Calasiao Puto Producers Association composed of more than 50 members occupying 40 stalls in front of the town hall.

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Last 23 April 2010, several experts called for a paradigm shift from traditional CSR (corporate social responsibility) to CSV (creating shared value) during the Creating Shared Value (CSV) Forum. It was a call that earned the praise of members of the business community and non-governmental organizations that attended the event.

The event's main speaker, Harvard University Professor and Creating Shared Value (CSV) proponent Mark Kramer, gave an eye-opening lecture that hinges on a revolutionary idea: Social programs need not be a cost of doing business; they can even be done in a way that increases a business’ profitability. According to Kramer, businesses would even spend more for programs that benefit society in such a case.

"Traditionally, the relationship between business and society has been viewed as in opposition to one another. That is not necessarily true. In fact, you can find ways in which businesses and society can work together for their mutual benefit. The reality is, business and society are interdependent –one cannot truly thrive and succeed without the other's help," said Kramer.

Kramer explained that Creating Shared Value encourages corporations to transform their business philosophy so that it integrates the goal of benefiting society within their core strategies. He also added that when corporations discover that they can increase profits by benefiting society in the course of doing business, they tend to make more investments into social programs.

As an example, Kramer cited one multinational corporation (he declined to specify its identity) that will invest billions of dollars in helping small farmers plant, grow and harvest more of a certain rare plant. The plant, says Kramer, produces an oil that is essential to that company’s product.

Kramer explained further that company is willing to give the farmers all the support they need because it will benefit from the raw material produced. The small farmers, on the other hand, will benefit from increased income and improved livelihood. Kramer added that in such cases, entire communities benefit as incomes increase and standards of living improve.

Nestlé Philippines SVP and Head of Corporate Communications Edith de Leon said that Nestlé organized the event in order to share its business philosophy that has been in place since the company was founded almost 140 years ago.

Nestlé has been creating shared value long before the term CSV was coined. It is a philosophy that informs all its business decisions. In the Philippines, for instance, Nestlé is supporting the livelihood of some 30,000 small Filipino farmers and their families.

"Mainly, this is done through the Nestlé Experimental and Demonstration Farm (NEDF) in Davao. The NEDF provides free training to farmers of the most effective practices and technologies to increase the quality and quantity of their harvests—and consequently, their incomes. That partnership, forged to ensure the quality and supply of Nescafé, has been a beneficial one for both the farmers and the company through several decades," she says.

The CSV Forum also featured experts who discussed other urgent challenges affecting corporations and society today. In particular, the forum focused on Nutrition, Water and Rural Development. Dr. Mario Capanzana, Director of the Food and Nutrition Research Council lectured about Nutrition, while Mr. Arjun Thapan, Special Senior Adviser to the President on Infrastructure and Water of the Asian Development Bank spoke about Water. Antonio Meloto, Chairman of Gawad Kalinga, spoke about Rural Development.

Any corporation that wishes to make the leap from CSR to CSV must first decide on which social needs it is best able to address. "There are generic social issues, like workplace safety and fair labor practices, that affect all companies. Then there are social issues that distinctly fit into a company’s core business. For instance, the issue of air pollution and environmental damage will be specific to a car company that decides to sell cars that use hybrid engines," says Kramer.

Kramer added that a company that is able to use the CSV approach in both generic issues, as well as those that are particular to its core business will be able to gain a competitive edge, while benefiting society at the same time.

From the enthusiastic applause given by the audience at the end of the CSV Forum, it can be said that the seeds for the CSV paradigm shift have been successfully planted.

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Outdoor advertising has gone a very long way since it gained prominence in the middle of the century. Its growing popularity has extended beyond merely creating brand awareness or promoting products and services to increase sales. Now, a number of companies and organizations are employing out of home media to communicate specific advocacy programs.

A group of 10 billboard operators established an advocacy group named Outdoor Media Advocacy Group (OMAG). The Group aims to advocate reforms in the outdoor advertising industry, and to espouse social awareness by using out-of-home as a mass medium for public service.

Outdoor Media Advocacy Group (OMAG) executive director and spokesperson Troy Bañez said based on statistics, out of home ads have become the fastest-growing and effective advertising medium available. He noted that people are "spending more time outdoors on the road, or in business and commercial establishments."

"We undertake our advocacy campaigns to inform the public of current concerns that have an impact on their lives," said Bañez. "We aim to be vessels for effecting positive change."

One of the group's more notable programs is the A-H1N1 awareness campaign launched in August 2009. Its main objective is to communicate the importance of sanitation and proper hygiene to help thwart not only the flu strain but other diseases as well. Billboards urging people to always wash their hands with soap and water were mounted in different areas nationwide.

Another advocacy done by the group was the Tarp for Tent program. When typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng struck the country, the group donated their used tarpaulins to serve as temporary shelter for the victims and evacuees

OMAG's most recent campaign centers on educating people on the importance of making the right decision in this year’s election. "People always say they want a brighter future, better political leaders and an end to poverty. But some of them fail to realize the impact of their votes in attaining these goals," Bañez said.

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Seek No More invites all interested individuals (bloggers, writers, students, etc.) to join an online contest and get a chance to be one of the three winners of Limited Edition Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak trading cards plus thousands of Entrecard credits (ECs).

It will be an opportunity to help raise awareness for Kiva (http://www.kiva.org) and at the same time earn an opportunity to own instant collectibles.

WHO CAN ENTER

The contest is open to all INDIVIDUALS, regardless of where they are. Each contestant is allowed to earn a maximum of two entry points only. However, Seek No More reserves the right to pre-screen all contestants and determine who are really qualified.

HOW TO ENTER

Entering is simple. Earn points by completing only two tasks. The more points earned the better chance of spreading the word about Kiva and also of winning some Entrecard Credits! So, if you earn two points as opposed to getting one, your chances of winning will be greatly increased.

Just make sure that you leave a comment below stating your intention to join and the URL address of your site.

DURATION

The contest will run for a month only, 5 May 2010 until 5 June 2010. At the end of the 30 days, entries will be tallied and raffle draws will be made using a random system. Winners will be announced on 10 June 2010.

MECHANICS

1 Entry - Subscribe to Seek No More via email.

1 Entry – post the 125x125 contest avatar shown below, which links back to the Seek No More blog for the duration of the contest (5 May - 5 June). We very much prefer to have it placed near the Entrecard widget for easy access.

You can just copy the codes shown right below the avatar.

<a href="http://seeknomore.blogspot.com/2010/04/trading-cards-and-ec-contest.html" target="_blank"><img src=" http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb55/Sparhawk_photo/Seek%20Pics/Contest_Ad125x125.png " border="0" alt="Trading Cards and EC Contest"></a>

PRIZES

Three Winners will EACH receive a pair of Limited Edition Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak trading cards and 5,000 EC credits (worth about US$ 12.00)

The first TEN participants to this contest will automatically receive 300 ECs each just for joining.

Bonus Prize: The top quality commenter during the whole duration of the contest will also receive a pair of Limited Edition Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak trading card and 3,000 EC credits.

There is absolutely no cost on your part because shipping and handling cost will be shouldered by Seek No More. This is our small way of showing everyone how much we really appreciate your visit on this site and for participating in a great cause with great people in the Blogosphere!

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With the country experiencing smoldering heat this summer because of the El Niño weather phenomenon, it is gratifying to note that Manila Water Co. is vigorously pursuing watershed reforestation and implementing climate change adaptation programs to help ensure sustainable water supply for Metro Manila residents.

In 2007, Manila Water became the first Philippine company to have a climate change policy which covers climate change mitigation and adaptation, disaster response and mitigation, and greenhouse gas monitoring.

"Our mandate is to make sure that there is adequate water supply within our concession area. We can only do that if we have reliable water sources over the long-term and our watershed points are crucial components of the water cycle," said Manila Water president Jose Rene Almendras during a recent forum with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP).

Manila Water is currently working with local governments and other private firms to protect three important watersheds, namely: the Angat and Ipo Watersheds in Norzagaray, Bulacan and the La Mesa Watershed in Quezon City.

The Angat Watershed, which houses the Angat Dam, has a combined area of 56,000 hectares and provides 97 percent of the water supply of Metro Manila while the adjacent Ipo Watershed has an area of 6,600 hectares. The La Mesa Watershed on the other hand has combined lot area 2,700 hectares.

Due to deforestation, Angat's forest cover is now only 80 percent; Ipo, 30 percent; and La Mesa, 85 percent.

Almendras said Manila Water is also taking an active role in reforesting another vital watershed area, the Marikina Watershed, which straddles a huge part of Rizal province, including Antipolo and covers about 28,000 hectares.

For this initiative, Manila Water is working closely with the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF), which is the private sector NGO tasked to undertake reconstruction activities following typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.

Manila Water provides water and wastewater services to 6.1 million people from 23 cities and municipalities of eastern Metro Manila and Rizal province which include Makati, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Taguig, Pateros, and parts of Manila and Quezon City.

Manila Water is also a leader in wastewater management and operates the largest sewer network in the country with the most modern full treatment facilities.

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PLDT-SME Nation is actively promoting the merging of cutting-edge ideas and entrepreneurship when it recently played host to TEDx (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) Fort Bonifacio's 'Imagine-Nation Philippines.' The event held at the STI Academic Center was the venue for for inspiring and informative talks on innovative nation-building.

With PLDT-SME Nation linked with the generation of ideas and ideas worth spreading — TEDx's key goal — guests and small-and-medium business owners were treated to inspirational discussions from free thinkers heading the talks.

"PLDT-SME Nation is committed to helping SMEs be successful – but we are also working to encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship among a new generation of entrepreneurs. It's heartening that we are able to do this by spreading ideas such as that of TEDx," says PLDT-SME Nation vice president and head Kat Luna-Abelarde.

TEDx is an annual international event. Its conferences bring in passionate speakers who are experts on a wide range of topics to inspire more like-minded individuals. CEOs, scientists, creatives, innovators, and philanthropists such as Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Sir Richard Branson, Philippe Starck, and Bono, among its long listing of guest speakers, have participated in TED.

Leading the discussions were Reyes Barbecue co-owner Inez Reyes, detailing the struggles they went through in turning their business into one of the top franchises in the country.

"Before any business can succeed, an entrepreneur must survive the struggles of that could make or break one’s venture during the start-up stage. You always have to evolve with the changing times to ensure your business stays on top of a cut-throat market," says Reyes.

Knowing how to harness what the changing times have to offer – such as information technology, for example, could prove advantageous for an SME.

"When we started out, we didn't have the technology that business owners could avail of today, like the products from PLDT-SME Nation for example. It's ideal to always make use of available resources to keep your business at premium in the competitive market," adds Reyes.

Other speakers included Deaf advocate and first Magna Cum Laude of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Ana Arce, award-winning photojournalist VJ Villafranca, National scientist and advocate for the rural poor Dr. Lourdes Cruz, Inventor Dr. David Manalo, and husband and wife team of Dr. Christopher Bernido and Dr. Ma. Victoria Carpio-Bernido who are both respected physicists and educators.

"The SMEs are the backbone of the economy, making up more than 90 percent of economic activity. Since technology plays a vital role for this industry, we at PLDT-SME Nation are providing SMEs with products that will enable them to start their business and help their business grow," says PLDT-SME Nation marketing head Amil Azurin.

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