...the aggie sector rebound

Food Exports Expected To Recover

 

February 18, 2012

Manila Bulletin

 

 

MANILA, Philippines — Although the country’s agriculture exports lagged behind other ASEAN countries, industry leaders believe there is great potential not just to catch up with neighbors but to be the leading food exporter of some agro-food products where the Philippines has the competitive advantage.

Roberto C. Amores, president of Philippine Food Exporters (Philfoodex), said at the launch of the 11th Philippine Food Expo that the government just have to step up its productivity enhancement programs in order to reverse the problem of declining agricultural production, which is making the supply of raw materials scarce and costly.

Other cost issues are the high prices of fuel, labor rates and commodity prices will increase production costs.
“Thus, despite the higher export value, producers and processors will gain less income because of rising cost of materials and other production inputs,” Amores said.

Amores, who is also the Chairman of the Philippine Okra Producers and Exporters Association (POPEA) also mentioned that there is a need to speed up the market and trade protocols to expand access to markets of our agro-food products like China and Korea.

The case of okra, he said, the Philippines had been exporting fresh okra to Japan with Thailand as its main competitor. But the demand of okra in Japan is seasonal and limited.

To increase export sales performance, there is need to explore other markets like Korea (for fresh okra) and the USA and Europe (for frozen okra) through an expanded support on market research and promotions.

Recently, POPEA discovered that okra can access the Korean market. The opportunity to enter the Korean market would be attained once the protocols are established by the Bureau of Plant Industry Quarantine Service in coordination with Korean Plant Quarantine.

At present, the POPEA has started doing their own market research and promotions of fresh okra through some Korean buyers. The Korean Plan Quarantine officials have visited one of the packing house and production area of an exporter in Tarlac last November, 2011.

To further expand demand of fresh okra especially that of the Japanese variety in the domestic market, new food preparations with okra as the main material will be conceived by a culinary group. Food sampling of okra based on these innovative food preparations will be one of the special events to be featured in the 11th Philippine Food Expo.

“Our Philippine okra shall be positioned as a healthy and nutritious vegetable food of choice. And if the POPEA program promoting our okra in the local market gets on stream, we expect that the increase demand will redound to benefit our small producers in terms of the incremental income which can be coming from the increased recovery of export grade rejects and increased volume,” said Amores.

Philfoodex is inviting everyone to visit the 11th Philippine Food Expo which is scheduled on February 23 to 26, 2012 at the World Trade Center, Pasay City, Metro Manila.

With the theme, “From Farm to Fork: The Best Philippine Food Products to the World ” the annual premier trade event seeks to highlight the importance of strengthening the food supply chain amid the expanding demand of global consumers.

The theme also underscores the need to build stronger ties with all players in the Philippine food sector to enhance its competitiveness in the global market and expand markets for existing and new food products.

With expanded participation of the fresh and processed food producers and exporters including allied industries, this year’s Philippine Food Expo is expected to draw many visitors and serious trade buyers which are expected to surpass last year’s recorded level of more than 27,000 visitor’s.

Philippines food export sales as of November 2011 reached $2,356.33 million or 24.06% higher than last year’s $1,899 million. By product groups, processed food/beverages contributed $ 941.80 million, fruits and vegetables, $907.52 million and marine products accounted for $ 507.01 million.

Data further showed that by products, cavendish bananas showed a strong sales performance of $440.87 million from the January to November, 2011 period. This was followed by tuna exports valued at $261.98 million and canned pineapple which generated sales of $174.47 million

...the new World's New 7 Wonder cities Nominee

Vigan In The Mix For World's New 7 Wonder Cities

By FREDDIE G. LAZARO

February 17, 2012

VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur, Philippines — This city, which gives the Philippines pride as a World Heritage Site, has been chosen as one of the nominees for the New 7 Wonder Cities of the World (N7WCW), Mayor Eva Marie Singson Medina revealed Friday.

Vigan City had been nominated for the search of the N7WC with 15 other cities in the country such as Manila, Bacolod, Cebu, General Santos, Vigan, Legaspi, Marikina, Makati, Quezon, Baguio, Davao, Iloilo, Zamboanga, Taguig and Tagaytay.

It was also reported that Vigan is one of the 38 cities nominated worldwide for the said search.

Earlier, the Underground River of the Puerto Princesa in Palawan was voted as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature (N7WN).

To enlist Vigan in the new seven wonder cities of the world, anyone can vote on-line.

To note, Vigan is a prominent city globally due to its existing Spanish ancestral houses; its delicious delicacies such as ‘longganisa’ (native sausage), ‘empanada,’ (deep-fried rice dough filled with egg and vegetables), bagnet (deep fry pork) and various ricecakes; its attractive “burnay” jars; native woven cloth called “inabel;” horse-drawn carriages or “kalesas;” the Archbishop’s Palace of the Nueva Segovia and Saint Paul Metropolitan Cathedral; and other cultural traditions.




Vigan Longganiza



Vigan Empanada

Bagnet

Abel Iloco

It is also noted that Vigan City has been the recipient of several prestigious national awards.

To name a few are the national hall-of-fame awardee as Most Child Friendly Component City of the Philippines and Best Performing Local Government Unit of Region 1.

...the Broadway newcomer

Fil-Am actress lights up Broadway in 'Godspell'

February 18, 2012

GMA News

Filipino-American actress Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, granddaughter of legendary Filipino actress-singer Sylvia La Torre, is lighting up the Broadway stage with her performance in the musical "Godspell."

According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), Pereze Tagle was born on December 23, 1990 in San Francisco, California.

IMDb said Perez de Tagle was a junior finalist for "Star Search" (1983) before she bagged a role on Disney's hit "Hannah Montana" (2006).

She played the lead role of Joy Moy in 2009's "FAME" from MGM/Lakeshore Entertainment, and has opened for the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato in the popular acts' North and South American Tours.

Aside from acting, Perez de Tagle also volunteers at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, her IMDb profile said.

Her hobbies include designing clothes, dancing, singing, playing the piano, reading, and snow skiing.

According to a news release of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Perez de Tagle, called on Consul General Mario de Leon Jr. at the Philippine Center in New York on February 13.

With Perez de Tagle during her call were her parents Evelyn and former television and film personality Archie Perez de Tagle, and brother King.

During her call, Perez de Tagle invited De Leon to see a performance of "Godspell," the celebrated musical by Stephen Schwartz which opened on Broadway in November 2011.

"She stars alongside other emerging talents such as film and television actor Hunter Parrish and sings the musical's signature song 'Day by Day,'" the DFA said.

"She is a role model for many talented and aspiring Filipino performers to continue pursuing their artistic dreams," De Leon said as he congratulated Perez de Tagle on her success. - VVP, GMA News

...the all-time high index

Philippine stocks surge to an all-time high in liquidity-driven rally; PSEi up 2.39%

By VICTOR D. SOLLORANO,

GMA News
February 17, 2012

Share prices on the Philippine Stock Exchange surged to an all-time high in a liquidity-driven rally on Friday, boosted by hopes of a bailout package for debt-ridden Greece and positive economic data from the US.

The main PSEi rose 114.14 points or 2.39 percent to close at 4,880.1, following three successive days of declines.

More than 9.895 billion shares valued at P8.292 billion were traded.

“This is a liquidity-driven rally,” said Mark Angeles, head of research at First Metro Securities Brokerage Corp.

“There are liquidity flows recurring… coming in with the optimism on US jobs data” and the bailout package for Greece, said Angeles.

The previous PSEi high was on Feb. 2, 2012 at 4,822.08 points.

Year-to-date, the PSEi has gained 11.6 percent. Friday's performance was also the index's highest point growth since October 7, 2011 when it posted a gain of 118.74 points, the PSE said in a statement.

This was also the index's highest percentage growth since October 7, 2011

when it posted a gain of 3.1 percent.

Intraday, the PSEi hit a new high at 4,886.99 points surpassing the previous

record intra-day level of 4,855.00 points posted on February 6, 2012.

"Hopes towards a second bailout for Greece as well as positive data on the US jobs and housing markets have boosted today's trading following tepid market movement in the past days. Strong corporate and local fundamentals have in turn pushed the market further as the gains we posted today topped the other market rallies in Asia." said PSE president and CEO Hans B. Sicat.

Other Asian markets reacted positively to those developments.

“Asian shares rebounded on Friday on signs euro zone officials will soon approve a long-awaited bailout for Greece, reducing the risk of a debt default, and after jobs and manufacturing data pointed to a healthier US economy," according to a Reuters.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan rose as much as 1.4 percent, recovering most of the losses during Asia's trading day on Thursday when worries about a delay in signing a Greek deal sparked fears of a Greek default, the Reuters report noted.

US jobless claims unexpectedly fell last week to a near four-year low, January housing starts came in better than forecast, and the pace of factory activity in the US Mid-Atlantic region gained momentum in February.

The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose to 1,358.05 on Thursday, a nine-month high, boosted by the US data.

"Sentiment has brightened to encourage risk taking," said Masayuki Doshida, senior market analyst at Rakuten Securities.

"An easy monetary environment continues, with another liquidity injection scheduled later this month from the European Central Bank and expectations a March default by Greece can be avoided spurring 'risk-on' momentum," he said.

Euro zone officials said on Thursday they were putting the finishing touches to a second bailout deal for Greece for approval on Monday, with a focus on how Greece can prioritize debt repayment and ways to ensure Athens commits to reforms.

As global central banks create money, the financial system gets awashed with cash, said First Metro’s Angeles.

“Creating such liquidity drives equities higher and bond yields lower,” Angeles added.

Winners led losers 123 to 56, with 28 issues closing unchanged during Friday’s trading on the PSE. — With Reuters/KG, GMA News

...the nursing board topnotch

Nursing board topnotcher: Top 10 was my only option

by Michael Josh Villanueva

Rappler.com

02/17/2012

 

 

 

MANILA , Philippines - “Wala sa option ko na hindi mag-Top 10. Nandoon ang hopes ko,” said 22-year-old Jerald Pelayo, a graduate of Mountain View College in Valencia, Bukidnon. (Not placing in the Top 10 wasn’t an option for me. All my hopes were pinned on it.)

“I’m still in utter disbelief. I still have to keep reminding myself that it is not a dream,” Pelayo told Rappler in an interview. Rappler spoke with Pelayo 3 hours after he received the phone call from his clinical instructor who informed him about the exam results.

 He placed No. 1 in the Nursing Board Exams out of 67,095 who took it on Dec 18-19 in 2011.

 Born and raised in Masbate, Pelayo, however, started dreaming of becoming a doctor after seeing a lot of medical dramas on TV while he was growing up. And while he wasn’t sure about where to go for medical school, it appears that he has the rest of his life planned out.

“When I pass the board, I dream of becoming a missionary doctor to help those patients who are financially burdened. I want to take up a specialization -- either be a neurologist or a cardiologist. But I want to practice in other countries and then come back and help my countrymen,” Pelayo said.

Nursing was part of his plans to prepare himself for his medical ambitions.

Lifted all to Him

A deeply religious person, Pelayo said he had a covenant with the Lord.

If he finished in the Top 5 of the Nursing Board Exams he would attend medical school at the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay (UERM). If he placed anywhere between 6-10 then he’d attend the West Visayas State University.

His uncertainties about where to go for medical school became irrelevant when he received news that he had topped the board exams.

 While waiting for the results to be announced, Pelayo was working on editing a review book for nursing students called “FundaTips.” He said he didn't want his mind to remain idle while waiting for the results. His book co-editor is Weanne Estrada who topped the Nursing Board exams last year.

As if a foretelling of what was to come, the book’s author, Art Sarossa, teased him earlier this year, “Sana Top 1 ka rin, para back-to-back top notchers ang mga editors ko.” (I wish you’d top the exam too, so my editors would be back-to-back topnotchers).

To prepare for the exams, Pelayo formed a study group with 3 other Adventist students from Mountain View College in Valencia, Bukidnon. Pelayo said they all passed.

When the day of the exam came he had help from above. “The exam was so hard, so during the exam I lifted it all up to Him. I prayed that He’d use my knowledge and that God would do great things through me.” - Rappler.com

...the health care management info outsourcing

PH to lead global healthcare outsourcing in 2012—ICTO

By Anna Valmero

loQal 

“Medical information outsourcing is the most promising of the four sectors. In fact, the Philippines is the de facto number one this year, not in the total number of seats but in terms of being a destination of choice,” - Alejandro Melchor, Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO) deputy executive director

QUEZON CITY, METROMANILA—After surpassing India as the global outsourcing leader in voice-based services, the Philippines is poised again this year to become a top service provider in the healthcare information management space.

The availability of licensed healthcare professionals such as nurses in the country ensures the steady supply of agents to fill in the seats for healthcare outsourcing, said Alejandro Melchor, Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO) deputy executive director.

Melchor said that the country should move into “high-value chain” services to continue its growth in the outsourcing industry.

Healthcare information management outsourcing is one of four areas that ICTO identified for expansion.

The other three include finance and accounting, HR outsourcing, and animation and creative process outsourcing.

“Medical information outsourcing is the most promising of the four sectors. In fact, the Philippines is the de facto number one this year, not in the total number of seats but in terms of being a destination of choice,” said Melchor.

The steady growth of the aging baby boomers in the United States and the recently signed landmark healthcare law “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” under the Obama administration create a promising future for the outsourcing business, said Melchor.

At least $530 billion dollars are needed to implement the US measure, which means a huge market for outsourcing players like the Philippines, explained Melchor.

Aside from back-office medical transcription, the healthcare outsourcing market has evolved to include high-value services including clinical coding, disease management, revenue cycle management and pharmaceutical benefits management.

“A little retooling of skills is needed to make the Filipino medical workers IT-savvy,” he said.

ICTO promised it will work and coordinate efforts closely with the Business Process Association Philippines (BPAP) and the Healthcare Information Management Outsourcing Association of the Philippines to plan a roadmap for the four high-growth areas.

In an earlier interview, Department of Science and Technology secretary Mario Montejo said the outsourcing sectors is one of the agency's top five-point agenda for 2012.

ICTO is one of the newest divisions of  DOST after the Aquino administration dissolved the former Commission on Information and Communications Technology.

Montejo said DOST, through the ICTO, will help improve industry competitiveness “by producing better graduates for the outsourcing through partnership with other institutions.”

The Philippine outsourcing sector will grow to $25 billion in export revenues in 2016 and generate 1.3 million direct and 3.2 million indirect jobs, according to BPAP.

...the freshwater

Fil-Am helps provide fresh drinking water for children in Africa

 

ROSE-AN JESSICA DIOQUINO,

GMA News

February 16, 2012

 

 

By mixing business with social advocacy, a young Filipino-American helps provide fresh drinking water to children in Africa by managing an online writing service.

Ralph Hoffarber, who earned a degree in business administration from the University of Oregon in 2010, is the co-founder of ThirstyTalent.com.

Both in their twenties, Hoffarber and his partner, Kwame Essieh produce resumes, web content, and sales letters for a fee.

“A lot of young professionals struggle with words so we’d like to be their alternative whenever possible,” Hoffarber noted.

ThirstyTalent partnered with GlobalWater.org, to children in Africa, where the lack of safe drinking water is a major problem.

Every writing service accomplished by the ThirstyTalent team gives “at least one gallon of clean purified water… to a child in need,” the website of ThirstyTalent said.

Both ThirstyTalent and GlobalWater are working “to drill wells across rural Africa ensuring safe and easily accessible drinking for a lifetime,” it added. - VVP, GMA News

...the peacekeepers

115 Filipino peacekeepers honored

By Frances Mangosing
INQUIRER.net

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

 

MANILA, Philippines—The 115 Filipino peacekeepers who recently arrived in the country were honoured in a ceremony at the General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo Wednesday.

The members of the 15th Philippine Contingent to Liberia, who served in the United Nations peacekeeping mission for almost 10 months, were awarded the UN Service Medal for their “significant role” in maintaining peace and security in Liberia.

The contingent was composed of eight officers and 107 personnel from the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy, and Philippine Air Force. It has two female soldiers, a doctor, and a corps of engineers.

Colonel Jorge Lomboy III, contingent commander, said the Filipino peacekeepers were sent to maintain peace and security, especially in the conduct of elections held in October and November last year in Liberia.
Lomboy commended his team for the success of the mission.

Vice Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Reynaldo Mapagu congratulated the contingent for its unceasing service to the people of Liberia that he said contributes in the country’s quest for self-recovery and lasting peace.

In a speech delivered by Inspector General Major General Ireneo Espino, Mapagu said that “in the complex and highly volatile environment of Liberia, a country that has its share of socio-economic problems, our Filipino contingent exhibited extraordinary dedication to foster an environment conducive to peace, order and security.”

...the UN director

Filipina named head of UN statistical agency By Jovan Cerda Philstar.com February 15, 2012

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipina has been appointed as the new director of the United Nations Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (UN-SIAP), a statement from the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) released Wednesday said.


Margarita F. Guerrero, a former director of the Industry and Trade Statistics Department of the National Statistics Office, is the new head of UN-SIAP, an international body tasked to produce and disseminate statistics relevant to the economic development of UN member-countries in the region.

Guerrero is the third Filipino and the second woman to hold the position of director of UN-SIAP. She previously served as lecturer/statistician of the UN-SIAP and was the regional adviser on Statistics at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, NSCB said.

"The NSCB and the PSS (Philippine Statistical System) benefited from the valuable contribution of Dr. Guerrero in the development of statistics in the Philippines through her membership and sharing of expertise in the various NSCB-created committees such as the Technical Committee on Survey Design, Technical Committee on Seasonal Adjustment of Philippine Time Series, and Interagency Committee on Trade Statistics, among others," the state agency added.

A graduate of statistics from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Guerrero joined the UPLB faculty and served as director of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics. She earned her doctorate degree in statistics in 1984 from the Iowa State University, NSCB said.

...the BBC writer

British Pinoy writes for BBC series

by Edward Lao,

ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

02/14/2012

British-Filipino scriptwriter John Jackson

LONDON, UK - A British-Filipino scriptwriter is part of the team behind BBC's eight-part series "Being Human", which returned to TV screens earlier this month.

The show, currently in its fourth season, airs on channel BBC3, tells the story of three unlikely flatmates - a vampire, werewolf and ghost.

John Jackson, 33, describes the show as a comedy drama about what it means to be human. “These characters, like the rest of us, are always struggling to be normal - whatever that means,” he said.

Jackson has been working on the show since series three, which aired last year. He was the main writer of episode four, named "The Pack."

For this season, he spent time sharing ideas with five other writers, as well as creator of the show Toby Whithouse.

"He [Toby] comes up with the overall story for the whole series, which we discuss as a group, and then we all go off and work on specific episodes,” he said.

"Things change as the series develops so it's nice to see how your ideas influence the whole thing, and how stuff the other writers come up with in their episodes influence yours", Jackson added.

In an interview with ABS-CBN Europe, Jackson shared how he got into TV writing, some of the obstacles, as well as his ideas and future aims.

Thrown into the deep end

After graduating from Cambridge University with a degree in English, Jackson knew he wanted to write. But like many aspirants, he was unsure of where to start and questioned whether he could actually make a living out of it. He thought it was “something to do as a hobby whilst working in a 'real' job".

The British Pinoy said he "kind of fell into TV" in 2001 after applying for a job as a Junior Script Editor at broadcaster ITV. He did not land the role, but to his delight, they called back around six months later, asking if he would be interested in working on a show called "Night and Day."

Jackson jumped at the opportunity and was immediately thrown into the deep end. According to his London-based agent, Knight Hall Agency Ltd, Jackson ended up writing 35 episodes and rewriting as many if not more.

"Night and Day" did not last, but Jackson feels the experience was pivotal in his development.

"The soap wasn't very successful but that was kind-of good for me as I ended up writing lots of it - probably because no 'proper writers' were interested, and I was pretty cheap in comparison. I was still on my junior wage,” Jackson said.

"It was a great place to learn the trade. With soap operas you're telling so much story that you get to learn so many types of characters and situations. I think I learnt more in that year or so than I would ever have learnt on a screenwriting course,” he added.

Following his stint with "Night and Day," Jackson moved to Children's BBC (CBBC) before getting his break on flagship channel BBC1's "Robin Hood". After that he decided to go freelance and has since written for BBC3 shows "Lip Service" and "Being Human."

Jackson, who describes his scripts as pacey with snappy dialogue, feels he benefited from growing up with parents of different nationalities.

“I'm sure the mix of an English dad and Filipina mum is one of the reasons I write. My mum, and my dad when he was alive - are both natural storytellers,” Jackson said.

“Growing up with a foot in two different cultures means that you always end up looking at things in a slightly different way. You're simultaneously on the inside and the outside, so perhaps it means you can be a bit more objective,” he said.

Developing ideas

Aside from writing for TV shows, Jackson is also busy developing his own ideas. He wants his own show one day and is equally eager to showcase Filipino culture.

"At the moment I'm working on an action-drama pilot for US TV about hostage rescue, a supernatural cop show set in London, and a whole bunch of other scripts and ideas, including one about a Filipino restaurant”, Jackson said.

“Selfishly, it's a part of myself I've not really had a chance to explore in my work. I did write a screenplay way back about a mixed Anglo-Filipino born in London, whose cousin turns up from the Philippines out of the blue, but that was never produced. Rightly so – I was a real beginner back then,” he added.

Despite that, the writer acknowledges it may take time before a show celebrating Filipino culture makes it onto British TV screens.

“I suppose it's tough from a broadcaster's point of view. The Filipino community is not as big or familiar to mainstream audiences as say the Indian or Caribbean community in the UK, which makes it hard to justify commissioning a show like 'The Kumars' or 'Desmond's'. However, I think that's changing as the community grows, and I also think that audiences are much more prepared to watch a show, and go into worlds they might not fully understand - as long as the show is good,” Jackson said.

If a Filipino-centric show does eventually make its way onto British TV, Jackson is confident it will be embraced by viewers.

“I definitely think it's something that audiences in the UK, or anywhere else, would really enjoy. There are so many things about Filipino culture – hospitality, performance, family dynamics, character traits, gossip, attitudes to work, life, food. I think it's a goldmine for drama and most definitely comedy,” Jackson said.

“It's funny, I was in a meeting recently, pitching an idea about a Filipino sitcom, and the producer said he was worried that we might not be able to get enough Filipino actors to play the roles. I was like, are you kidding?!

Drama schools in London are like Filipino fame academies - you're not going to struggle to find a more singing, dancing, performing culture anywhere in the world - so don't worry about that”, he said.

Struggle, but exciting

Despite having already been in the industry for 11 years, Jackson said he still goes through trying times.

"I suppose the things I love and hate about writing are the same thing. The process of coming up with ideas and working them through is sometimes torturous - you get angry, guilty, you doubt yourself, but then something happens and it's really exciting,” he said.

"The process of actually putting words on the page can be a real struggle, but suddenly you'll come up with something funny or that really gets to the heart of a character or situation and it all opens up,” Jackson added.

"It's not all single moments though. I spend a lot of time just thinking through the logic of a situation, or the journey of a character, and then even longer honing scenes and lines down afterwards. This is both a real grind but it must be what I enjoy or I guess I wouldn't be doing it".

When asked if he had any advice for aspiring writers, Jackson said, "Just get on with it really. If you've got an idea, get it down and just play around with it".

"Before I started writing professionally I thought it was a magical process - that ideas come out of nowhere.

 But the reality is that it's a process, and you have to just sit down, or in my case walk - a lot, and work things through. Other than that, all the cliché's are probably true - write what you know, be persistent, and don't be too precious about showing work to other people,” he added.

Jackson is credited for being the main writer of episode 6 of this season's "Being Human." The episode "Puppy Love" will air on BBC3 on March 11 (Sunday) at 9pm (GMT).

---

...the progress

More Progressive Philippines Will Be Given 'Investment Grade' Rating

Number Don't Lie

By ANDREW JAMES MASIGAN

February 13, 2012

The general outlook is that the Philippines has one of the healthiest economies in the region given its budget surplus position, sufficient currency reserves, low government debt to GDP ratio, low inflation and strong banking system. He believes an investment upgrade is forthcoming for us as well.

MANILA, Philippines — Two weeks ago, Indonesia got a credit rating upgrade from Moody’s Investors Services—putting it at Baa3, restoring its status back to investment grade since the Asian financial crisis of the ’90s. This follows a prior ratings upgrade given by Fitch Ratings, which also put it at investment grade, citing a stable outlook, strong growth and declining public debt.

Indonesia is on a roll. Our neighbor to the south has been siphoning billions of dollars in investments lately due to its stable political environment, sound economic policies and ginormous market of 240 million people. Its recent credit upgrades will only funnel in more capital into this emerging dragon economy. Clearly, the bureaucratic and policy reforms it put in place years ago are now paying dividends.

I recently attended an economic briefing given by the Prudential Group’s asset management director, Robert Rountree, who gave an outsider’s view on the Philippines’ financial health. The Singapore-based Rountree proclaims the Philippines as “looking very solid.” The general outlook is that the Philippines has one of the healthiest economies in the region given its budget surplus position, sufficient currency reserves, low government debt to GDP ratio, low inflation and strong banking system. He believes an investment upgrade is forthcoming for us as well.

The Philippines is now rated as one notch below investment grade according to Fitch, while Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s put us at two notches below. The country stands to gain tremendous economic benefits even if just one among the three credit rating agencies puts us at investment grade. For those unaware of its significance, to be classified an “investment grade economy” is tantamount to a seal of good housekeeping. It tells the investing public that the country is a safe environment to do business in, given its sound economic policies and prudent financial management. It boosts investor confidence, which in turn translates into a deluge of hard currency flowing into the system.

An investment grade economy also means lesser risk of default on sovereign loans. This means cheaper cost of money for our national debt. Since we are talking about billions of dollars here, savings from interest expense can very well be diverted to other uses; perhaps for infrastructure or social development programs.

HSBC’s head of investment strategy, Arjuna Mahendran, also shared his views on the Philippine economy.

He, too, believes the Philippines is deserving of a credit rating upgrade and thinks that it is soon forthcoming.

If so, it will be our sixth consecutive upgrade from the three international ratings agencies in a span of 18 months.

Analysts agree that the Philippines’ and Indonesia’s domestic driven economies insulate them from the financial turbulence in the Eurozone. This is why we have remained relatively strong despite the crisis in the other side of the hemisphere. Less than 10 percent of Philippine and Indonesian trade is with Europe.

The Difference Between ID And PH

While think tanks all over the world recognize Indonesia’s and the Philippines’ sound financial health, the unfortunate thing is that Indonesia is able to cash in on it by attracting massive amounts of foreign direct investment (FDIs), while we do not. Between January and October last year, records show that the Philippines’ haul of FDIs decreased by 25 percent to only $729 million. Indonesia’s, on the other hand, increased by 21 percent; it is, in fact, looking at a grand total of $9.6 billion for the entire year!

Government rationalizes our lackluster FDI performance by blaming uncertainties and financial constraints in Europe. But this line of reasoning is completely debunked by Indonesia’s impressive performance. We operate under the same environment, after all. The real culprit is our expensive cost of power, insufficient infrastructure, policy instability, less competitive fiscal incentives and some investor-harassing LGUs. These issues have to be fleshed out if we are to come anywhere close to Indonesia’s numbers.

On the macro side, the Philippines registered a whole year’s GDP growth of only 3.7 percent while Indonesia rallied ahead with 6.5 percent. Three negative factors contributed to our uninspiring performance last year.

The first is declining exports, which fell by 5.9 percent from the year before—we are really paying the price for our overdependence on the electronics and semi-conductors industry. Agriculture also declined by 2.5 percent due to the series of typhoons. Finally, government’s lack of public spending failed to pump-prime the economy.

Looking Forward

The differences between Indonesia and the Philippines are glaring, at least in as far as FDI generation and GDP performance is concerned. But to be fair, Indonesia has been on its road of reform for nearly eight years now, while we have barely been at it for two years.

Still, we have gained significant traction in our anti-corruption reforms. We have also done a lot to restore confidence in our justice system. These two, by themselves, are huge feats and will have a great impact on how the economy performs in years to come.

But for us to really break away from the pack, just like Indonesia, we need to address certain critical issues. Outdated infrastructure, lack of export diversification, high cost of doing business, and bureaucratic red tape are areas that need attention the most.

While government is doing what it can to address these very issues, getting them done is unfortunately taking longer than we would like. Nevertheless, we are generally on the right track. I am confident that if we simply stay on course, our time will come soon.

Andrew Masigan is an economist, political analyst and businessman. He is a 20-year veteran in the hospitality and tourism industry.

...the top investment site

Philippines Tops As Investment Site

 

JETRO Competitiveness Survey In Asia

February 13, 2012

The Philippines has emerged as the most competitive country among seven Asian economies as an investment destination and doing business whether in manufacturing or services sectors, the latest survey conducted by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) revealed.


MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has emerged as the most competitive country among seven Asian economies as an investment destination and doing business whether in manufacturing or services sectors, the latest survey conducted by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) revealed.

Trade and Industry Undersecretary Cristino L. Panlilio said that JETRO came out with this Philippine Competitiveness survey by comparing the Philippines with six other Asian countries wherein the Philippines bested China, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Myanmar in most categories.

 Competitiveness indicators included in the survey are financial costs, sufficient labor supply and reasonable salary (for manufacturing and non-manufacturing personnel).

The survey was conducted by JETRO on Japanese-affiliated Firms in Asia and Oceania for the period August-September 2011.

“We are the cheapest in almost all categories of doing business,” Panlilio said.

The Philippines garnered favorable ratings in terms of competitiveness advantage on business environment in comparison to other Asian countries, the report said.

Based on the survey results, the Philippines has the cheapest rates when it comes to labor, rentals and land prices. The Philippines also has the least problem on the competency of its labor pool.

In terms of sufficiency of labor supply, the Philippines emerged to have the most plentiful number of workers and second to Malaysia when it comes to the availability of executives.

“In terms of employment retention, we have the best loyalty record. In terms of problems of workers competency, we have the least problem,” Panlilio said.

“The implication of this project is that even in Asia, we are now very competitive. In fact, we are the most competitive when it comes to those factors of business or investment decision making,” Panlilio said.

Specifically, the JETRO survey showed that when it comes to problems on increasing financial costs in the Philippines, the country had the lowest percentage rating of 4.6 percent while China had 64.1 percent.

Comparatively, ratings of Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Thailand and Malaysia ranged from 51.9 to 61.5 percent.

In terms of problems in shortage of land/offices, rising land prices/rental, the survey results showed this is not a major problem in the Philippines considering that the 5.8 percent rating is way far lower than the 32 percent rating of India, which is the highest. Ratings of Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam ranged from 9.8 percent-18 percent for this particular indicator.

On problems in skyrockettng payroll costs, again the Philippines had the lowest rating of 18.2 percent with Vietnam having the highest 61.3 percent. Malaysia was second lowest with 27.5 percent while ratings of Indonesia, India and Thailand ranged from 40.8 to 48.1 percent.

On sufficiency of labor supply, the survey showed the Philippines had the lowest rating of 3.2 percent followed by India, 4.2 percent and Indonesia, 4.4 percent respectively, in terms of difficulty in recruiting general staff.

This particular rating means there is a large pool of general staff which MNCs can recruit or hire. Ratings of China, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam ranged from 28.6 percent to 36.7 percent with Vietnam having the highest rating when it comes to difficulty in recruiting general staff.

On the difficulty in recruiting executives, Malaysia had the lowest rating of 37.9 percent followed by the Philippines 39 percent. Myanmar had the highest rating of 64.3 percent while the ratings of Thailand, China, Indonesia, India and Vietnam ranged from 40 to 52.8 percent.

Another indicator is low rate of worker’s employment retention where the Philippines had a rating of 30.6 percent, the lowest among ratings of other Asian countries. Vietnam had 48.7 percent rating so far the highest, while ratings of Thailand, China, India and Malaysia ranged from 33.6 percent to 42.5 percent.

The Philippines boasts of highly competent and English-proficient labor force. Thus the rating of 37.9 percent the lowest which means our country does not have a major problem when it comes to worker’s competency compared to Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, China, Vietnam and Myanmar, with ratings from 40.9 percent to 56.3 percent with Myanmar having their highest percentage when it comes to problems on worker’s competency.

For the manufacturing sector only, when it comes to difficulty in quality control Philippine ratings of 26.7 percent, the lowest so far among other Asian countries in the report, proved that manufacturing firms had minimal problems on quality control compared to India with the highest rating of 45.5 percent. Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and China with rating of 28.7 to 43.4 percent.

Reasonable salary, another competitiveness indicator, showed that the Philippines had 5.3 percent rating salary base-up rate for 2011-2012. Malaysia followed with 4.5 percent. Vietnam had the highest rating of 17.1 percent for said indicator while Thailand’s rating was third from the lowest at 6 percent, followed by Indonesia, 9 percent; China, 11.4 percent and India,, 12.8 percent.

For the annual salary (including bonuses, allowances, benefits like SSS, Pag-Ibig etc) of the manufacturing staff, the Philippines ranked third from the lowest giving an annual salary of $4,048.

The lowest was Vietnam with annual salary of $2,196 followed by Indonesia, $3,980. Annual salary ranges of India, Thailand, China and Malaysia were from $4,495 to $6,340 with Malaysia giving the highest annual salary for its manufacturing staff.

0n annual salary (including bonuses, allowances, SSS, etc) for manufacturing engineers, again, Vietnam’s annual salary of $4,793 was the lowest, followed by the Philippines, $6,494.

Malaysia had the highest annual salary for manufacturing engineers at $16,092 while annual salaries of Indonesia, China, India, and Thailand ranged from $9,937 to $11,464.

On annual salary (including onuses, allowances, SSS, Etc) for mfg managers, still Vietnam’s annual salary of $11,526 was the lowest annual salary of $5,199 again followed by Indonesia and the Philippines at $6,852 and $7,324, respectively. Malaysia had the highest annual salary for non-mfg staff at $14,554 while annual salaries of India, Thailand and China ranged from 10,088 to $12,334.

On annual salary (including bonuses, allowances, SSS, etc) for non-manufacturing manages, again Vietnam continued to be giving the lowest annual salary of $14,977 for non-mfg managers, followed by the Philippines and Indonesia at $19,187 and $23,068, respectively.

Consistent for annual salaries, all categories, Malaysia had the highest annual salary at $35,117 while annual salaries of India, Thailand and China ranged from $25,179 to $27,610. (Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat)

...the math wizzards at Singapore

Pinoy teens bag medals in Singapore Math Olympiad

 

February 12, 2012

GMA News

 

 

Filipino high school students won four medals in the inaugural Raffles Invitation Mathematical Olympiad held from Feb. 6 to 11 in Singapore.

Winners all: (From left) Mikaela Angelina Uy, Camille Dee, Brandon Chan and Ruselle Guadalupe. Photo from Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines

The Filipino medalists were headed by Mikaela Angelina Uy, third year student of St. Jude Catholic School, who bagged a silver medal in the contest, which was organized by Raffles Institution, the oldest and one of the prestigious schools in Singapore.

Besides Uy, three other students garnered bronze medals. They are Camille Dee, fourth year student of Immaculate Conception Academy Greenhills; Brandon Chan, fourth year student of Philippine Cultural College-Caloocan; and Ruselle Guadalupe, fourth year student of of Valenzuela Science High School.

The four comprised the lone team from the Philippines.

“We are very happy that all the four won a medal each,” said Dr. Simon Chua, president of the Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines (MTG), which took care in training the students.

The Raffles Invitation Mathematical Olympiad was participated in by 100 students from nine countries: Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

Among the contestants, 8 got gold medals, 16 won silver and 36 got bronze.

The Raffles Invitational Mathematical Olympiad is “a biennial international mathematics event that provides a platform for discovering, encouraging and challenging Grade 7-12 mathematically gifted school students to pit their skills in a rigorous competition.” - Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines

...the splendor of Palawan

'Bourne' actress awed by Palawan

By By Perseus Echeminada

Philstar 

“I can live in Palawan forever!”

These were the words of Hollywood actress Rachel Weisz during the shooting of “The Bourne Legacy” in El Nido, Palawan recently, the movie’s local producer said yesterday.

Jun Juban, of the Philippine Film Studios Inc., told reporters during the weekly news forum at Annabel’s restaurant in Quezon City that Weisz was amazed at Palawan’s beauty.

Juban said the El Nido scene will show the natural beauty of Palawan to millions of viewers across the globe when the movie opens in theaters sometime in August.

“The contingent, including the cast who visited the island, has been very expressive with their awe and amazement,” he said.

Juban said because of the captivating beauty of the islands in Palawan, the end part of the action-packed movie was shot in these places.

Aerial night shots of Manila and Makati will also be seen in the movie, according to Juban.

He said tourism was definitely boosted because of the movie.

“There are close to 200 staff, crew and actors involved in this film. This means 10,000 hotel room nights spread in two major hotels in Manila. This definitely exceeded initial projections,” he said.

The local producer thanked the government for its support, particularly Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the departments of the Interior and Local Government, Finance and Tourism and local officials of the cities of Manila, Pasay, Navotas, Quezon and Marikina where scenes of the movie were shot.

Juban said the producers of the movie are planning to have the premier showing in Manila.

“We have been part of the Filipino film industry for three decades and it’s only now that a top action franchise movie is featuring Manila as Manila. Once we see The Bourne Legacy on the wide screen worldwide, our fellow kababayans will surely be very proud,” Juban said. (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

...the Apo Reef

Apo Reef Marine National Park: Beyond first impressions

By Gael Hilotin

Yahoo! Travel

09 February 2011

For most beaches I know, a thing is true in daylight but at the end of the day it becomes a lie, except for one island... Apo Reef. At first sight though, Apo Reef is like any other white sand beach in the Philippines.

Nothing extraordinary, huts tucked in the island surrounded by tropical trees and one huge cabana where the rangers orient the tourists about this protected island.

But our weekend beach camp slowly unveiled us the pulchritude of this world renowned island located in Sablayan, Mindoro Occidental in the Philippines. The beach turns green and bluish farther down the horizon.

The white washed modern lighthouse added more drama to the tranquil surroundings and pristine waters. Rock formations are clustered at the edge of the island adorned with verdant foliage.


Here are some suggested activities to enjoy your stay on the island:

 

 Diving in Apo Reef

In Apo Reef, diving is not a requirement, but with an island considered as an underwater wonder of the world, you will regret it if you don't dive!






Apo Reef National Park is Asia's largest atoll-like reef and the world's second largest after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It is therefore not surprising that it is considered a mecca for divers.

 

Snorkeling in Apo Reef

 

But even inexperienced snorkelers like us can catch a glimpse of a magical array of coral, fish and other marine life in Apo Reef. I did not like the way they handled the snorkeling though, we were left clinging into a bamboo while a smaller outrigger boat pulled us. It was tiring, not to mention it was too deep for us to see the marine life clearly.








Good thing, the next day, we were able to snorkel freely (and not pull us with that bamboo) into a boat wreck somewhere in the midst of the sea. We swam deep under and were able to explore the rich iridescent marine life of Apo Reef.

 

Beach camp

If you are getting ready for beach camping, Apo Reef is the place to be! Sea, sand, sun, brilliant sunsets and dark skies! I miss how slow travel and camping out in this serene island makes one feel like your soul is at peace, just bumming around the island without thinking of moving hurriedly into the next destination like we normally do.







Because the island is protected, not to mention that the boat ride is quite hefty, there's not a lot of crowd here. It is like owning the island to yourselves, but with some park rangers to help you out in case you needed help in preparing your camp food. There are no camp stores within the park. Campers should bring all the food and fresh water they will need during their visit which can be bought in Sablayan town market.

 

Cruising in the mangrove swamp

Apo Reef has more to offer aside from its majestic marine life and long coastline of white sand and pristine waters. It is also rich in mangrove forest! Mangrove forests are helpful in stabilizing the coastline, reducing erosion from storm surges, currents, waves, and tides.






A walkway made of bamboo was built by the park rangers leading to a majestic mangrove swamp. And at its end, you will find a bamboo raft used for cruising at the mangrove swamp.

 

Climbing the lighthouse

They say the best place to view a beach is by either climbing up the cliff or by diving underwater. But for me, the best part of being at Apo Reef is sitting on top of the lighthouse. It felt surreal climbing the minimalist lighthouse while it teases me with the view of the mangroves.






The unassuming lonely sentinel stands in the midst of a mangrove forest overlooking the vast sea as if it owns the entire deserted island. I could see the blue sky meet the sea in the horizon and yet the world does not seem to end there.

 

Watching the sunset

At the end of the day, we were sitting on the sand watching one of the most beautiful sunsets our eyes have ever laid on. The sun is visible nowhere but it looks as if it is rising from an unusual direction. The sky illuminated rays of pink and tangerine curtain-like lights reminiscent of aurora borealis that could not be justified by my photo.








While on the other side, the bright bold moon is making its way up in the sky. The mood looks as if there is a war between the two gods; who will take home the crown for the loveliest scene.


My first sight of Apo Reef has taught me one important thing, that indeed the real voyage of discovery consists of not seeking new landscape but having new eyes.