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TOO
BUSY TO DO SOMETHING Too tired to get up
and go? Too lazy to go to the bank? What
if suddenly, you realize you have
forgotten what the balance is on your
bank account or credit card?
Bank of the Philippine Islands, on its
156th anniversary, is offering a new
service called BPI Express Mobile. This
means you can bank using your cellular
phone – but be sure it’s Globe. BPI has
tied up with Globe to bring to its
clients the convenience of mobile
banking. The mechanics on how to enroll
is explained in www.bpiexpressonline.com
One hundred fifty-six years – that’s
more than one century and half – of
doing banking business is indeed a feat.
As BPI looks forward to more innovations
in the near future, it would also do
well to look backward for glimpses of
its colorful history.
The King of Spain
In 1828 King Ferdinand VII of Spain
issued a decree mandating the
establishment of a public bank in
colonial Philippines. It was no easy
task at the time, hence, it took 23
years before the El Banco Espaņol
Filipino de Isabel II came into
existence. The bank, located in Aduana
Street in Intramuros, was named after
the reigning queen of Spain and also the
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daughter of Ferdinand.
Involvement of Mr. Ayala
The first managers of the bank were Jose
Maria Tuason and Fernando Aguirre with
civil and ecclesiastical officials as
board members. Representing the business
sector was Antonio de Ayala who ran a
business known as Casa Roxas, the
precursor of the present Ayala
Corporation.
Spanish Revolution and
Downfall of the
Monarchy
In 1868 Emilio Castelar launched the
Spanish Revolution which led to the
foundation of the Republic of Spain.
Naturally, the bank aforementioned
dropped the name of the deposed queen
and came to be known simply as El Banco
Espaņol Filipino. Later on, the bank
relocated from Intramuros to Plaza
Cervantes in the Binondo district which
had become the nerve center of retail
traffic controlled by the Chinese and
the export-import business dominated by
the British.
Enter the United States
Following Spain’s military and naval
defeat in the Spanish-American War, the
bank was forced to cut off its Spanish
ties and convert to a private bank. It
was eventually renamed Bank of the
Philippine Islands, a name it has kept
to the present.
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Qatar Airways Scoops
Three Skytrax Awards |
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Qatar
Airways has once again been honored in
the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards
with three accolades in this year’s
survey, including being |
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Qatar Airways
Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al
Baker |
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have
once again proved that they have what it
takes to deliver the best levels of
service in the skies,” he added.
Qatar Airways’ First Class product
includes a 180 degree flat bed onboard
its long-range |
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named
as having the Best First Class in the
world.
The Doha-based carrier secured the Best
Airline in the Middle East award for the
second year running, while cabin crew
once again won top honours as Best in
the Middle East for the fifth
consecutive year.
Qatar Airways also saw its global
ranking rise to be named among the top
five airlines in the world in the annual
survey of almost 15 million
international travellers spread across
90 nationalities. The airline’s global
ranking rose to a commendable 4th
position. The elite top five group
features airlines from the
service-oriented Far East.
Earlier this year, Qatar Airways held
onto Skytrax’s coveted Five Star award
for excellence and service quality.
The airline’s Chief Executive Officer
Akbar Al Baker said he was honored to
see such prestigious awards bestowed on
the airline.
“We have come a long way since we
launched our airline just 10 years ago
and these awards clearly demonstrate
that Qatar Airways is firmly in the top
league of international airlines,” he
said.
“I would like to thank the staff at
Qatar Airways around the world for their
tremendous dedication and commitment to
the job they do so well. Our cabin crew
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Airbus
A340s, while the latter aircraft also
features a unique First Class lounge for
passengers to relax and unwind at 35,000
feet. In November 2006, Qatar Airways
opened the world’s first passenger
building dedicated to its First and
Business Class passengers at Doha
International Airport. The USD90 million
Premium Terminal features exclusive
check-in, duty-free shopping, fine
dining, spa treatments, games room,
business center and a medical room.
The award for cabin crew was based on a
number of criteria, including
professionalism of staff in handling
passengers, efficiency, problem-solving,
enthusiasm, friendliness and appearance.
Skytrax Chief Executive Edward Plaisted
said the 2007 survey was the longest and
biggest ever featuring the most number
of respondents in interviews conducted
between August 2006 and June 2007.
The awards are recognised around the
world and are renowned for being the
only truly global, independent passenger
survey.
Qatar Airways today operates a modern
fleet of 58 all-Airbus aircraft to 78
destinations across Europe, Middle East,
Africa, Indian subcontinent, Far East
and America from its Doha hub. |
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ONCE AGAIN CEBU
scored another hit on the
Chinese market as the inaugural
flight of China Southern
Airlines from Shanghai to Cebu
has proven to be a runaway
success in terms of visitors’
reception.
The three-day, four-night stay
of the Shanghai visitors last
week in Cebu and Bohol has
proven to be quite fun-filled
and memorable as the visitors
had their fill of the various
tourism attractions in the
Cebu-Bohol corridor.
In an interview with Gerard
Pangga of the Department of
Tourism (DOT) Shanghai office,
he said the inaugural flight was
off to a very good start as the
visitors enjoyed the shopping
and spas in Cebu as well as the
whale- and dolphin-watching
activities and the Chinese
cuisine in Bohol Beach Club.
“Cebu is a value-for-money
destination since the prices of
signature goods is lower here
than in China. Likewise,
word-of-mouth publicity is quite
credible with the Chinese due to
their first-hand experience with
the destination,” Pangga smiled
before reporters gathered at the
Cebu Grand Convention Center.
He added that Cebu is more well
known in China due to an
extensive marketing campaign
involving massive advertising in
billboards, radio, print, and
television—thus ensuring steady
viewership and patronage.
Manny Osmena, proprietor of
Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa,
expressed excitement on the
influx of the Chinese visitors,
saying that it would prove to be
very beneficial to Cebu and the
country in general.
“Cebu can capture a small slice
of the tourists in Sanya, China.
As the favourite holiday
destination in China, rooms in
Sanya are very difficult to
reserve. Luckily, Cebu is just
as near to several Chinese
provinces as Sanya,” he grinned.
Sanya, known as the Hawaii of
China, is host to several brand
hotels, resorts, and
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restaurants. Room
reservations can take months due
to the perennial overflow of
local tourists.
Future Developments
Pangga noted the need for larger
aircraft since the plane seating
of 150 passengers was already
full with 143 passengers plus
their heavy luggage.
“We see the urgent need for the
Airbus 330 planes to accommodate
more passengers. From twice
weekly, I see an increase to
four flights weekly and even
daily flights before long since
all Shanghai-Cebu flights are
fully booked till October,” he
declared.
Pangga also disclosed that
long-term negotiations were
already signed with the
Waterfront Cebu City Hotel &
Casino and the Marco Polo Plaza
Hotel, the two host hotels in
the city.
He stated that other upscale
properties such as Shangri-La
Mactan and Plantation Bay will
soon enter the picture due to
the perceived lack of rooms and
the strong purchasing capacity
of Shanghai, the financial
capital of China.
The Grand Convention Center
served as the final stopover of
the Shanghai visitors who just
disembarked from their whole-day
sojourn in Bohol en route to
another grand Chinese buffet
dinner complete with various
cultural presentations.
VIP guests were DOT Secretary
Joseph Ace Durano, Department of
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary
Frank Benedicto, Cebu Gov.
Gwendolyn Garcia, Chinese
Ambassador to the Philippines
Zhao, Philippine Ambassador to
Shanghai Jesus Yabes and Tourism
Regional Director Dawnie Roa.
Chinese visitors took video
footages of the five dance
troops in action and later
joined them in the tinikling, a
national dance presentation.
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