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SAMPLE WORKS ’08 – ‘09

Paolo Miguel S. Cruz Email: [email protected] Y!M: [email protected]

More than anything, a believer An interview with Rick M. Santos; Chairman of CB Richard Ellis Philippines. In sports, as in any endeavor worth taking, it is always important to remember to go back to the basics. Ask some highly driven people and the gist of the principle that they live by that one would get is to: keep your eye on the goal, sometimes take risks, and tirelessly work your way towards that goal with the fundamentals to back you up.

Rick M. Santos, Chairman of CB Richard Ellis Philippines (CBRE), is a firm believer of these simple principles as the corporate atmosphere of CBRE is molded around the idea that every member is a great part of the team. Mr. Santos further explained that even now, CBRE as a whole would like to keep that same spirit of entrepreneurship so that “everybody is responsible for covering their own bases, and everyone is responsible for working hard.”

Though, this is not to say that the people within CBRE work as separate individuals. “We’ve been a big believer of teamwork, because it’s very hard to accomplish something significant as individuals, so we still embrace the same components of teamwork. From a management perspective, everyone from the top down is encouraged to be player-coaches so everybody feels like a part of the team. Everybody’s got their hands in the business.”

And it this teamwork isn’t limited to just within the company either, as in a conference a few months ago, Mr. Santos was among those who had shed new light in the situation of the country in time of global economic crisis and after. Like moving words given during the crucial last two minutes of a basketball game, this revelation came in timely manner, further supporting some speculations that the country could indeed make it through if it continued to take the right steps in enlivening the economy.

Yet, during these trying times, what is it that makes him confident that he can continue to market the Philippines to the rest of the world? He revealed that he, with the company CB Richard Ellis, has continued to believe in the Philippines. “Where everyone has given up and moved out, we’ve decided to stay.”

That may sound too simple but, like he believes – he has to stick to the fundamentals to break through the defenses of any strong adversary.

The fundamentals of this builder

Mr. Santos then related that part of the principle that he follows in business he learned from his parents – hailing from a Father with Filipino, Chinese, and Spanish heritage and Mother who was a volunteer for the US peace corps. “They taught me that I should focus on the simple aspects – get into business I was sure of, apply strategies I already learned.”

But for most part, he learned from schooling and from experience. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley, the London School of Economic and Oxford University. During his days in the university, he thought about the possibilities of outsourcing and it was on this topic that he developed a thesis.

As a professional in the real estate and consultancy industry, he has years of experience behind him. He has served as the Managing Director of CB Richard Ellis Hong Kong & the Head of Institutional Investment Properties for Asia. He helped to build the cross border investment team and out-bound movement of Investment Capital across Asia and the sub-continent, as well as driving the Greater China business forward.

Mr. Santos was also tasked with growing the investment platform in these fast growth markets and has been successful in assignments across Asia working with North American and EMEA funds in the sale and acquisition of institutional real estate.

Previously, he was the President of CB Richard Ellis Philippines and has been involved with the Hong Kong, China, and Pan Asia business as an Asian Board Member since 2002 and AsiaPacific Board in 2003. He also served as the link partner to emerging market countries of: India, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. Eyes on the Prize

It was said earlier that Mr. Santos continues to believe in the Philippines. But how much is he willing to stake in this belief in the country?

A great deal. He had made it apparent in stating that: “the vision for CBRE Philippines still hasn’t changed. It’s to stick to being the best services provider, to continue good things for the country, to help create good jobs.”

To this, he is determined to continue some of CBRE’s projects which augment the skills and competences that he has found in Filipinos, specifically their thrusts in education and training programs.

“We come here everyday to practice the same thing that makes a company successful, so our country becomes successful. And we also want to get back to the community – so I think the company will get more involved with education, scholarships, foundations and trainings.”

“We do continue to do the right things for the country, so I think we are very happy that we could start with the BPO, real-estate side and how we have come to create thousands of jobs every year to utilize our young people’s talents. They don’t need to go overseas now, they’re able to stay in their own country and have a good jab.”

From the business perspective he reveals that he sees that there is much that the country can tap to boost the economy. In the real estate industry alone, he said that the demand remains constant and that the country can continue to supply this demand.

Having traveled a lot to many different countries has also enabled him to excel in his work. He then revealed that he traveled as much as three to four times per week.

“I think it’s good to travel since staying in one place often freezes the mind. It’s good to keep moving, so you can find time to re-focus. It’s good to have some time in the air to think about what your priorities are.”

“Sometimes, it also lets me pick up other ideas and concepts. While in the air, I usually wake up early and read the newspapers – from the local Philippine papers to international papers and some journals. From this I can think in the international perspective and figure out how it’s going to help the Philippines locally.”

What’s the next goal for this player-coach? “I think the best thing we can do is to continue to market and sell the Philippines, talk to all our international investors and talk about the markets in Asia that bear great potential and that’s what we can introduce to them.

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DA SUCCESS STORY (Mas-Coop) Hand in hand in progress Through striving towards a common goal, the people of Sanchez Mira, Cagayan were able to turn a small investment into a great asset, not only to their community, but also to its neighboring areas. Formerly the Masisit-Dacal RIC credit cooperative, the Masisit-Dacal Livelihood Cooperative was formed on April 1986 when the rural improvement club of Masisit sought to create a means for which members can effectively provide support for each other for their livelihood projects (such as salt-making, bagoong-making and food processing.) With an initial capital of P4,200, the cooperative immediately sought to maximize its resources by financial assistance, entrepreneurial and livelihood projects for its members. And soon, due to the growing need for financing from its members, the cooperative sought help from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) which came in the form of Tulong sa Tao: Self-Employment Loan Assistance Program or TST: SELA, and the Micro Credit Program III. It had also received help from the Land Bank of the Philippines through a rediscounting facility. In 1999, it was been converted into a multi-purpose cooperative. With this, the co-op was able to aggressively pursue other services such as: agri-business financing; a consumer store which initially sold farming inputs and grocery items; trucking operations; agri-centers that sold animal feeds at fair prices and offered artificial insemination services; a rice mill; a warehouse for its members, which finally solved the problem of storage; and a beach resort with a multipurpose hall and lodging. It also set up a Youth Savers Club which involved the children of the members, from 0 to 18 years old for a savings account. These projects also prompted an increase in the co-op’s area of operations, setting up branches in Cagayan and Apayao provinces. Its membership had also increased to include associates from 31 municipalities and 124 barangays. What had started as a small cooperative with 31 incorporating members and an initial capital of P4,200 has now grown into a livelihood cooperative with a total of 2,719 members, and total assets amounting to P106.5M. Since its inception, the Masisit-Dacal Livelihood Cooperative has been the recipient of several awards. It was recognized as: the National Gawad Saka Awardee, Most Outstanding Small Farmers/Fisherfolk Organization 2004; 2nd Place: Land Bank of the Philippines Gawad Pitak Award; 2nd Place: Landbank Gawad Pitak Agri-brand category 2004; 5th place: Landbank’s Gawad Pitak Agri-brand category 2003; Gawad Pitak Awardee: Regional Level 2003; Gawad ng Katapatan 2003: Landbank; 2003 Key Co-op: Landbank; Gawad Saka Provincial and Regional

Level Awardee; Gawad Saka National 2nd Placer 2003 Search for Outstanding Small Farmers/Fisherfolk Organization; Regional Winner Lowland Category, 1st Place: Landbank National Key Co-op 2002; Search for 2002 Model Sustainable Development Project; Most Outstanding Cooperative 2002, LGU of Sanchez Mira Cagayan; Most supportive Cooperative in 2000 and 2002 awarded by CAVALCO; Gawad Pitak Awardee 1998 Regional Winner and National Nominiee, Landbank; 1997 Most Outstanding Leadership as Mentor Cooperative, Landbank; and 1995 Most outstanding NGO Provincial Level DTI Region. These are good testimonies to the success that the people of Sanchez Mira have achieved through hard work and their genuine dedication to improving community livelihood. Froilan M. Pacris, Chairman of the co-op revealed that they intend the make the cooperative more of service to its members in the next few years. This shall be done by increasing accessibility through the creation of more branches, revitalizing the salt industry, adopting of technologies to lessen labor, increasing cassava production, and increasing productivity. “We endeavor to continue upgrading the competence of the staff, strengthening the delivery of services, increase productivity of the coop,” he also said. “The cooperative movement is truly a very effective means of helping our working brothers and sisters to improve their lives socially and economically. If you care for others, help them through your coop,” Pacris added. ###

DA SUCCESS STORY (Gawad Saka) Fruits of Labor For Marcelina V. Saquing, an agricultural technologist at Tabuk, Kalinga, her commitment and determination to learn as much as she can in the agriculture industry and share her knowledge has allowed her to make meaningful changes in the lives of the rural folk in her hometown. Her career as an agricultural extension worker started in May of 1995, when an opportunity presented itself in the form of the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) team of the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) presented their plan of conducting a training of trainers for rice in the region. The training of trainers (ToT) is an intensive four-month, three-days-a-week, season-long training course in non-formal education (NFE) techniques and integrated pest management (IPM) for extension workers. Marcelina’s persistence, enthusiasm and interest in agriculture enabled her to break through the obstacle of limited number of slots available, which almost denied her entry in the training program. Gilbert L. Lawis, the Municipal Agricultural Officer of Tabuk, (at the time) affirms that it was her positive attitude that convinced him to include her in the list of trainees. According to Marcelina, the ToT has taught her the rudiments of conducting farmer field school sessions and other necessary elements to make her effective as a facilitator. And while she was in the training program, her dedication, industry, good performance and sustained interest made her an exemplary model to her peers. She was named ‘outstanding facilitator’ at the end of the training program. Farmer field school (FFS), by design, is a ‘school without walls’ where about twenty-five farmers meet once a week for the duration of the cropping season from planting to harvest. In each weekly session of the FFS, the farmers, working in groups, conduct agro ecosystem analysis (AESA), team building activities and special topics. These special topics are designed based on immediate problems encountered by farmers in their farming activities. Trained FFS facilitators enable farmers to properly utilize their own experiences in the improvement of their farms. In 1995 to 2000, she has conduced 31 FFS where around 930 farmers have been trained. And in 2001 to 2005, she has conducted 20 Field schools where around 600 farmers have been trained. In total, she has trained over 1,530 farmers in 51 FFS.

Now a highly respected hybrid rice inspector, Marcelina has been nominated several times as an outstanding agricultural technologist in her province. And many years after her beginning as a facilitator, she still works as hard as ever in serving farmers in the region. Truly, she has become one agent of meaningful change in the lives of the rural folk in the CAR. “Realizing the technologies that I taught and being applied by the farmers, in observing their positive behavior, it is a great reward for me as a facilitator. Attending the ToT for rice and the refresher course, and other related trainings were worth it,” she said. ###

Secretary Lapus to the education sector: be like the sequoia “Let us be like the giant sequoia trees. Let us hold each other together so that when the strong winds of educational issues blow, we can reinforce one another and hold each other up.”

These are the words of Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Jesli Lapus during the recent DepEd-NEAP (National Educators Academy of the Philippines) Executive training program held at the NEAP Teachers Camp in Baguio City. Secretary Lapus summed up the crucial functions of schools’ division superintendents in relation to the delivery of high-caliber instruction into three: authority, responsibility, and accountability.

This focus on the improvement of the skills and competencies of its human resource pool is part of the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA), which is a package of policy reforms in education aimed towards the United Nations-mandated Education For All (EFA) by 2015 target.

Through the BESRA, DepEd recognizes that decentralization in education, or a SchoolBased Management (SBM) scheme, will allow schools to continuously improve. Meanwhile, according to Lapus, the best persons to plan, manage, and improve the schools are those who are involved and are affected by the school operations themselves. Prior to SBM, DepEd had also studied different decentralization models such as the Third Elementary Education Project (TEEP) and the Secondary Education Development and Improvement Project (SEDIP). At present, both TEEP and SEDIP have resulted in initiatives in 23 provinces that have made DepEd even more ready for SBM approach. However, for SBM to be truly successful, the problem of lack of professional manager skills of middle level education officials (from principals to higher level) must first be addressed. DepEd has opted to institutionalize training to create a pool of professional managers to solve this.

Arrangements have also been made with reputable training and management schools such as AIM, Meralco Management and Leadership Development Center, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) to conduct professional management training, which results in programs such as the NEAP Executive Program.

“This is people empowerment at its best,” said Sec. Lapus during the opening program. The DepEd Secretary also reminded the trainees of the importance of leadership by example and called on them to use what they have learned to boost the skills of their subordinates. One of the tasks of a good manager, says Lapus, is to find those with potential within their team and allow these people to develop fully.

“Be guided by results of studies which say that treating your staff as teammates is the better option. By all means, be an inspiring leader on your way to becoming the best manager!” said Lapus.

To further emphasize his point, Sec Lapus had also recounted a story about sequoia trees. One distinct quality of the sequoia is that its roots are just barely beneath the surface. Common knowledge would dictate that trees, especially those like in stature as the sequoia, would easily topple over without roots that grow deep into the earth.

Before 2015, the Department of Education needs to make lasting changes on the structure of the Philippine education sector to meet the Education For All target. Due to this, the schools’ division superintendents and assistant superintendents – equipped with their newlygained knowledge and skills in management – can become the foundations for quality standards of basic education.

“You see, we have to make each other strong, not only for ourselves but for the more than 20 million Filipino school children under our care,” said Sec Lapus, ###

Greenfield’s playground at the heart of urban community

Today’s rapidly developing cities are quickly becoming more and more congested as more buildings are built every year to meet the demands of progress. With such a trend, the most that the people get as avenues for respite from daily work stress are small green spaces and smoking areas. These miniscule sanctuaries, however, offer an atmosphere that is not very different from the one that people are trying escape from – they are still too small and too constricting.

Meanwhile, there are communities that are starting to go for the uncommon. For instance there is the Greenfield District in Mandaluyong, with its sprawling green oasis the Greenfield Central Park.

“Historically, open spaces define a center of an urban community,” said Arch. Christian dela Pena, project architect of Greenfield for the Central Park, explaining why it was deemed necessary to allot space for a park, when instead it could have been used for a few more buildings to house a number of food and retail establishments. “Intended as the focus of civic and commercial activity, these spaces provide refreshing atmosphere in an otherwise congested urban setting.”

Aside from this, the central park is said to integrate and reinforce Greenfield district’s pedestrian network, which optimizes traffic and appreciates land values. Because of its size, the park also doubles as multifunctional space. It will serve as communal space for families, and performance spaces to attract consumers and shoppers.

There doesn’t seem to be many places locally that are called, simply, “central park.” In fact, more often than not – because parks have long since been replaced by malls as places to unwind – a mention of that name would easier remind someone of the large public, urban park in New York City. But how similar is Greenfield’s central park to New York’s?

In terms of the overall concept: not much, apparently. The Greenfield central park is, instead, inspired by some of the country’s popular local attractions which fits better with Filipino sensibilities. Other than this, however, it should offer similar attractions and activities.

The Greenfield Central Park is designed for the family, shoppers, and pedestrians who prefer a cool spot to relax. This urban sprawl is naturally separated into a diverse collection of spaces – playgrounds buffered by magnificent landscape, vegetation, water features for active play, lawns for relaxation. The perimeter is also wrapped by cafes and food and market stands protected by the arcades.

“With the proliferation of enclosed and air conditioned shopping malls, many people – from children and their parents to young professionals – now prefer to gather in places where they can see trees and shrubs, have snacks or sip coffee while watching people pass by,” said Arch. dela Pena, “Also, as energy costs increase, providing an environment that will encourage natural ventilation, reduce heat island effect has tangible and economic value. In simpler words, the Central Park is where all segments meet up and stay.”

The heat island effect is a phenomenon where heat is trapped in congested cities and communities.

What else can be expected from the Greenfield Central Park? During fair weather, families can come by and have picnics while their children play around. Special activities and events can also be hosted by companies for their clients and employees. It is touted to be the perfect spot for socializing and gatherings.

Greenfield itself is preparing to fill the calendar with activities for the Central Park. “We can have kite flying, fairs, expositions, open air conventions, car and pet shows, concerts, even open air sports fests, any outdoor activity we can think of,” said dela Pena.

Greenfield Development Corporation is among the country’s major developers of high quality-residential developments, shopping centers and business districts. The company continues to provide superior value in its developments and is focused in its pursuit to create innovative and outstanding lifestyle products that revolutionize the way we live.

For more information on Greenfield District, please call 6318651 to 52 loc. 62 or visit www.greenfield.com.ph

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In Pramana: ‘what you see is what you get’ just got better

Located within Greenfield City in Santa Rosa, Laguna is the Pramana Residential Park which is the Greenfield Development Corporations answer to residential developments in the country that quickly lose their coherence as communities when residents settle in en masse. In this residential community, everything – from start of construction to house expansion have been included in a master plan ensuring that the overall look of the houses and the community itself is maintained even many years into the future.

Green Architecture For Pramana, the planning was done simultaneously with the designing of the houses. Since the concept was that of a residential park, the architects took advantage of the wind and natural lighting.

And from the outside, the houses look impressive. The architects used the term tropical modern to capture the overall design that was implemented – one which captured the modernistic look with linear elements and additions and modifications that made the best of a tropical country setting.

Arch. Santaromana added: “When we first visited the site, we were able to take note of the continuous winds. So our immediate solution was to do cross-ventilation all over the houses. The locations of the bedrooms, the living, and dining rooms are all corners so you’ll enjoy natural ventilation and passive cooling throughout the year just by opening windows on both sides.”

Then there is the issue of day lighting. The significantly larger glass windows found in all rooms ensure that every room is very well lit, reducing the need for artificial lighting for majority of the day.

“If you want to prevent heat, all you have to do is to draw a translucent curtain, and you’ll still get the natural light. You have the option to be energy efficient. We call it greening the architecture making it very environmentally friendly,” said Arch. Santaromana.

Arch. Eblan calls it a part of teaching potential buyers that the units they will purchase can easily be more expensive than the price that they are sold for. But because of the functional elements added into the design, the benefits in the long run are worth more.

The Provision of Space As a residential park, the amount of open space exceeds the saleable space which is unusual for mmunities.

“It’s more generous than any subdivision you can think of, in terms of open space, amenities, and how the houses are built. They are single detached units without any problems for future encroachment by neighboring units,” said Arch. Santaromana.

The amenity of open spaces has also been maximized in the design of the houses themselves. The units were designed to be built with a good number of glass windows which add to the openness of the area. Future residents will be able to appreciate the beauty of the surrounding areas even from the inside of their homes.

The Filipino term ‘maaliwalas’ (meaning spacious) has been repeatedly used to describe the houses.

Meanwhile, the pieces of land that are not available for sale are to be kept as pocket parks, meditation gardens, view corridors, and play areas giving the residents venues for recreation.

“It was a privilege to have worked on a site as beautiful as Sta. Rosa,” said Archt. Ebalan, “and it was one that we took full advantage of by creating houses which will also appreciate the outside.”

Well-planned Development Greenfield has also set advanced association restrictions for the benefit of the cohesion of the entire village.

“Pramana is a controlled community visually and functionally. Here, you will not expect to see a house that suddenly looked out of place, even outrageous in design because Greenfield will be offering choices for expansion formulas to the homeowners,” Arch. Santaromana said.

Arch. Ebalan said that when people buy a basic lot, there will also be an existing

recommended expansion plan that comes with it. “It’s not restrictive, if you think about it, since several options are provided – in terms of color, the material, the finishes – but these were carefully chosen just so that the overall look of the village will not be disturbed,” she said.

The lot cuts range from 150 sqm to 250 sqm while house designs range from 155 sqm to 186 sqm in basic layouts. These can be expanded depending on the chosen lot size and house design.

For the provision of basic necessities, facilities are already in place at Pramana. Semiunderground electrical wiring system has been installed to minimize unsightly electrical cables. The whole community is wi-fi ready, and wireless landline phones are supported. As for the water supply, the residential park has an overhead tank system to provide contingent water supply.

Finally, Arch. Santaromana described the houses in Pramana as: “Luxurious but not expensive, elegant but not super unreasonable.”

Greenfield Development Corporation is a multi-product developer of high qualityresidential developments, shopping centers and commercial business districts. The company continues to provide superior value in its developments and is widely recognized as a benchmark for innovative and outstanding lifestyle products that revolutionize the way we live.

For more information on Pramana Residential Park, please call 53-Green or visit www.pramana.com.ph

Getting to know the Oxes No matter how people may see it, either the year has passed by very quickly or it couldn’t end soon enough, the fact remains that pretty soon we will have to bid farewell to the year of the rat and usher in a new year. In just a few months more and we’ll be leaving behind the year of the Rat and welcoming to the year of the Ox as per the Chinese zodiac cycle. But before we take a peek of what’s in store for the following year, it might be interesting if we first acquaint ourselves with the traits typical of people born under this sign. People born under this sign are generally seen as hardworking and steadfast, very much like the Ox. The male ox is described in Lillian Too & Jennifer Too’s book “Fortune & feng shui 2008 Ox” as the understated ox gentleman. On the other hand, the female ox is called “the steely female ox.” What do these descriptions mean? Take a look at some of their personality traits. Described in the “Fortune &feng shui” book for the Ox, the male ox is “the strong and silent type, the sort of man who plans and plots his moves carefully, who thinks things through before speaking his mind, and who is tough under the skin!” The female ox, on the other hand is described as “quiet conservative, and strong […] She is seldom sentimental and rarely romantic. Possessed of an iron will and a vivid sense of responsibility, the Ox lady is usually self-disciplined and likes to think of herself as highly principled.” This year has been better than the last one for these ox people, as they are amongst those who were blessed with opportunities for growth in their careers, chances to strengthen relationships with others, and in chances to broaden their horizons with traveling. As the year is already fast ending, what do these remaining months have in store for them? The ninth month, from early October to early November is bound to be filled with quarrels so they are advised to keep it cool and avoid getting worked up unnecessarily. The tenth month, from November to December, is problematic as it poses dangers of illnesses and accidents – because of this, they should remain as cautious as possible and avoid places such as hospitals and cemeteries because the negative energy in these are overwhelming. If it is unavoidable, at least keep visits to a minimum. Good news on the eleventh month though as it is a month for new beginnings. Ox people should expect some major changes in this month and it would be prudent to take

advantage of these. The should be brave about these new things and accept them as something positive. Finally, the twelfth month will definitely be hectic as a lot will be happening both in their personal lives and in their work. Not to worry though, most things are bound to go as planned, and there will be some much needed assistance from friends. This should be a great springboard for the year to come. In any case, there’s so much more to find out, especially for people born under the different signs. For a chance to find out the secrets to wealth, health, and success through Feng Shui, the World of Feng Shui Philippines (WOFS) extends its invitation to good fortune to its fellow Pinoys through its 2009 Philippine Feng Shui Updates son January 17, 2009 at the Grand Ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel in Makati City. Be there and find just how you can attract the luck you need in this coming year. ###

Total Philippines Strengthens Local Presence, Inaugurates 500th Service Station for the Asia Pacific Region Total Philippines recently inaugurated its Newport service station – the 500th Total service station in the Asia-Pacific – marking a strengthening of Total’s presence and commitment to the country and to the Asia region

“Total’s retail network is one of the fastest growing in the region and we are proud that our 500th station in Asia can be found right here in the Philippines,” Anna Whitehouse, President and Managing Director of Total Philippines, said in her speech during the inauguration ceremonies.

The new station is strategically positioned across the road from the new terminal of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Ms. Whitehouse further goes to say: “ we are just as proud that this service station is located in one of the most progressive and fastest developing cities in the country.”

Total has been in the Philippines since 1997 and currently has 120 stations. It is continuing to expand to the south, in particular, through its eight stations in Panay. Total has also invested in an oil depot in Cadiz to better serve this southern network.

In addition to making available high-quality Total fuels, a complete range of Total Lubricants is also available at the station. The station also features a “Bonjour” convenience store designed to serve the customers’ personal needs. This is augmented by “Café Bonjour” where coffee, cakes, and pastries are offered. Furthermore, the station offers full-attended forecourt service and also has standard amenities such as free air and water for vehicles. ### --Total (Philippines) Corporation was incorporated in 1997 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Total. It is engaged in the importation, storage and distribution of fuels, oils, lubricants and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The company has around 180 employees and has invested over US$80 million in various infrastructures which include oil depots in Bataan and Manila and an LPG filling plant in Taguig City. Total’s strategic plan in the Philippines is to continue to strengthen its existing partnerships and further develop its business.