Ongpin firm bares plans to harness Net potentials

PhilWeb.Com, a newly established firm owned by the group of former trade minister Roberto Ongpin, bared plans yesterday of launching a full chain of revenue-generating projects to harness the vast business potentials of the Internet and set the company apart from other players in the field.

At the same time, Alex Villamar, PhilWeb president, said that they will put up an e-venture fund to help acquire Internet-related companies whose products and services will create synergy with PhilWeb.Com's business platforms.

Already, PhilWeb has gained majority control of South Seas Natural Resources, a PSE-traded firm, to become the first publicly listed integrated Internet company in the Philippines.

Villamar pointed out that among the things the firm is looking into are e-commerce solutions and activities, tie-ups with other local Internet and technology companies, applications development, and other partnerships within the industry, he said.

In contrast, he noted that most Internet providers concentrate only on one area of business, particularly dial-up Internet access or the creation and management of an e-commerce site.

PhilWeb, he stressed, will focus on the so-called ABCDEs of Internet. "A stands for Access, B for Business solutions, C for Commerce, D for Distribution and E for E-ventures," he said, pointing out the company's main areas of business.

Initially, Villamar said that PhilWeb is banking on the predicted explosive growth of e-commerce in the Philippines, thus, the move to put up e-commerce sites and offer satellite-based broadband multi-media and high-speed Internet access through its partnership with PhoenixNet.Ltd., the Hong Kong-based affiliate of AsiaSat, the largest Asian satellite company.

Aside from developing e-commerce applications for identified customer segments, the company, also aims to host, market and manage e-commerce solutions developed by partner firms, he said.