1. Gatchalian joins casino bid

Waterfront Philippines Inc. of businessman William Gatchalian plans to put up a 2,500-room hotel and casino facility within the 40-hectare Bagong Nayong Pilipino-Manila Bay Integrated Tourism City on the reclaimed area.

Gatchalian told reporters that the company would build the planned Grand Waterfront Hotel and Casino in joint venture with a Macau-based casino and hotel operator.

The project is expected to initially cost between P500 million and P1 billion..

10/04/2008 | 284 Hits

2. Global cuisines woo desi tongues

India - If globalisation is here, can world cuisine be far behind? A slew of foreign restaurant chains and labels are seeking out upscale neighbourhoods and hang-out zones to take the palate of the Indian customer beyond the usual burger-pizza routine championed by the likes of McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Wimpy’s.

Irish, Korean, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Australian and Filipino fare are on offer from the labels that are looking for places in malls, multiplexes and tony residential areas of metro cities. At stake is a Rs 1,000-crore restaurant market in India, which is growing at 28 per cent a year as increasing disposable incomes make eating out a passionate habit, aided by overseas travels that spur vagabond tongues.

10/04/2008 | 221 Hits

3. Coming soon: Power Lotto with P50-M minimum pot

Lotto-crazy Filipinos will have a new lottery to line up for starting next month once the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) launches its “Power Lotto” draw where the minimum prize money starts at P50 million.

But there's a catch: To be able to start with such a large pot, organizers will have to charge clients P50 per bet -- 400 percent more than the charge for a regular and Mega Lotto bet and 150-percent more than the P20 Super Lotto fee. And the chance of winning is one in 34.7 million.

This was disclosed to reporters on Wednesday by Pacific Online System Corp. chairman and president Willy N. Ocier in the course of detailing the company's plans for this year.

According to him, the game is targeted at the more affluent “AB segment” of the betting market, which according to organizers' observations, tends to place bets only after the accumulated lotto prize money breaches the P50-million mark.

10/04/2008 | 565 Hits

4. New package of benefits awaits OFWs

Hong Kong (via PLDT) (1 April) -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to set up an "OWWA Tambayan" here where Hong Kong-based overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) could converge on their days off from work. Filipino workers here, particularly the domestic workers who comprise the bulk of OFWs in this former British colony, usually converge in public parks on Sundays. The President ordered the setting up of the OWWA center cum "tambayan" when she had coffee last night (Sunday, March 30) with officers of five HK-based OFW organizations at the Grand Hyatt Hotel here.

08/04/2008 | 282 Hits

5. ‘Pinoy Idol’ kicks off with 179 hopefuls

So far the most ambitious and most-awaited reality talent search in the country, GMA-7’s “Pinoy Idol,” was launched in a grand debut last night.

After scouring the archipelago for a prime batch of aspirants, the program commenced its selection among the 179 hopefuls who received gold tickets.

The three judges—talent-manager Wyngard Tracy, singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid and singer-actress Jolina Magdangal—gave compliments to deserving contestants, and useful, if candid, critiques to those who faltered.

08/04/2008 | 46 Hits

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