Banaba now a Japanese trademark

Did you know 1: Japan holds the international trademark for banaba, even though it imports the bulk of the stuff used in teas from countries like the Philippines.

Oh yes, there’s talk that China will be launching its own line of lagundi products next year. Lagundi, which is a cure for anything that affects the lungs, is one of five herbs that the Philippines is currently nurturing for the export market. One of the five herbs, tsaang gubat, is already being piloted as the main ingredient in toothpaste, in large part because it has a high fluoride content.

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Did you know 2: After three years of support – in terms of financial, technical, and psychic – the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions headed by executive director Fe Agoncillo-Reyes is letting go of the Movement 8, a group and now recognized brand of Philippine furniture exporters.

CITEM is eyeing another industry group to sell. Included in the list of possibilities is garments, which Ms. Agoncillo-Reyes used to head as executive director of the Garments and Textile Export Board.

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Did you know 3: SGV & Co. chairman and managing partner David Balangue is hosting a send-off party on May 16 for National Book Store, Inc. founder Socorro Ramos, who will represent the country in the World Entrepreneur of the Year 2005 organized by SGV’s international partner, Ernst & Young.

This will be only the second year that the country has participated in the international award. Last year, Jollibee Foods Corp. president and chief executive officer Tony Tan Caktiong was named World Entrepreneur of the Year.

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The Chinese-Filipino Business Club offered to organize and defray the cost of a government-led study tour of Taiwan’s robust small business sector.

The invitation, which was addressed to Trade Undersecretary for SME development Zorayda Amelia Alonzo, was, however, turned down.

You see, the Office of the Government Counsel said such a grant might be, uhm, misconstrued and asked the business club to instead donate whatever it was willing to spend for the study tour (said to be about P1 million), to the coffers of government, to be disbursed by government as it sees fit.

Well, the project, which was supposed to be one of (if not) the flagship project this year of the country’s second biggest business clubs based in Binondo, is now dead in the water.

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That Boracay joint project between Fairways & Bluewater Resort Golf & Country Club, Inc. chaired by Noel Carino and the group of Golden Arches Development Corp. chairman George Yang and MC Home Depot majority stockholder Jose Chung is called Balaihara.

The hotel component – actually a "villatel" where 270 suites/villas will be constructed and then sold to individuals on the condition that they allow the Fairways Group to rent out the rooms to tourists most of the year – is part of the New Coast development anchored by the golf resort.

It is expected to be completed before the start of next summer.