News

Focus on profitable business - Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Focus on profitable business, Johari tells Bumi businessmen

By Wilfred Pilo

KUCHING: Bumiputera businessmen have been urged to focus on profitable business if they want to be successful. (full story)

Take part in SCORE projects, DUBS members urged - Tuesday, February 17, 2009
By Peter Sibon

KUCHING: Members of the Sarawak Bumiputera Chamber of Entreprenuers (DUBS) must participate in the implementation of projects in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE). (full story)

More flights by Philippine carrier - Wednesday, February 04, 2009
KOTA KINABALU: Southeast Asian Airlines has increased its Puerto
Princesa-Kota Kinabalu flight frequency from once to twice a week. (full story)

Mindanao bemoans govt indecision on halal cert. - Thursday, January 22, 2009
Mindanao bemoans govt indecision on halal certification

DAVAO CITY – Businessmen in Mindanao lament the indecision of government to address the issue of halal certification which could open the multi-billion dollar market in the Middle East to Philippine food exports. The options include certification by the East Asean Growth Area (Eaga), or create a Philippine agency to certify that a particular food is okay for Muslims to consume. (full story)

Glan town eyes trading post with Indonesia - Thursday, January 22, 2009
Glan town eyes trading post with Indonesia, citing geography

GLAN, Sarangani –Mayor Enrique Yap Jr. has disclosed he is negotiating with the Indonesian government consulate general to transfer the Tahuna trading to Glan municipality instead of Davao City so that job opportunities can be made available to the people of Sarangani province. (full story)

Brunei Hosts Talks On Car Ferry To Sabah - Thursday, January 22, 2009
Bandar Seri Begawan - The Ports Department under the Ministry of Communications hosted the 2nd Coordination Meeting on Car Ferry Services between Menumbok in Sabah, the Federal Territory of Labuan and Serasa, Brunei Darussalam.
The meeting' opened yesterday at the Purple Jade Meeting Room, The Centrepoint Hotel, Gadong. (full story)

South East Asian Airlines planning flights toMacau - Thursday, January 22, 2009
South East Asian Airlines planning flights to Macau

Wednesday, 07 January 2009

South East Asian Airlines (SEAir) is planning to start flying to Macau as early as April, and despite the spiraling fuel prices and incursion of the major carriers, the airline will acquire two new airbuses which are scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of this year.
According to the Philippines News Agency, Avelino Zapanta, SEAir president, said this is the many firsts of SEAir this 2009.
Zapanta said the airline will also go international, noting that with the recent signing of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) Open Sky Agreement, “it is full speed ahead for SEAir as it plans to operate flights for Singapore, Macau, Incheon [in South Korea], Bangkok and Kaoshiung [in Taiwan].”
”In April 2009, we will fly to Singapore and Macau, [and] in August, Bangkok and Hong Kong, and in September, we are looking at Incheon, Bangkok and Kaoshiung,” Zapanta said.
All new flights will use the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark, Pampanga, Zapanta added.
According to the report, in November last year, flights from Puerto Princesa to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia were made available. The total routing of the operation is Clark-Caticlan-Puerto Princesa-Kota Kinabalu.
This is SEAir's first international flight which also serves as its entry point to the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) market.
Meanwhile, Patrick Tan, vice president for commercial affairs, said “we believe in tourism as the industry of the future for the Philippines and SEAir wishes to continue to contribute in the tradition of its pioneering effort that started 14 years and recently has been manifested in new services to Tablas, Daet, Baler, Basco and Borongan.”
Aviation records show that in January to October last year, more than 35 percent of all flights to Caticlan in Boracay were via SEAir. There are at least four local carriers flying to the island paradise, the report added.
SEAir made 3,511 flights to and from Caticlan. This translates to 635 flights more than the nearest competitor.
SEAir is owned by foreign partnership of Iren Dornier and Nikos Gitsis with 40 percent, and the Filipino group of Tomas Lopez, Jr. with 60 percent. (full story)

‘Paradise-to-Paradise’ route now open - Wednesday, January 07, 2009
MANILA, Philippines—Tourists no longer have to take a circuitous route just to visit Puerto Princesa from Kota Kinabalu or vice versa. The two cities boast of three World Heritage sites. (full story)

So far yet so near - Wednesday, January 07, 2009
The tourist in us may dream of visiting places far away but sometimes all we need is a trip to our neighbor to discover a different kind of paradise. Kota Kinabalu, or KK as the locals would lovingly call it, is the capital city of Sabah, Malaysia and is only a few miles away from the southernmost tip of Palawan. Tagging along with fellow journalists on a recent inaugural trip by SEAIR, I had the pleasure of exploring her wonders. Aboard the sturdy 33-seater Dornier 328, we breezed through Manila, Caticlan, Puerto Princesa, and arrived in Kota Kinabalu just in time for an afternoon rest. (full story)

SEAir’s 2 new airbuses to be delivered 1Q of 2009 - Wednesday, January 07, 2009
MANILA, Jan. 6 (PNA) – Despite the spiraling fuel prices and incursion of the major carriers, South East Asian Airlines (SEAir) will acquire two new airbuses which are scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2009. (full story)