...the ballet dancer at Finland tilt

Filipino ballet dancers triumph in Finland competition

By Maria Sheila Riikonen,

ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

06/08/2012

 

 

HELSINKI - Ballet Philippines' principal dancers Candice Adea and Jean Marc "JM" Cordero won the top prizes at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition on June 7.

 

Adea won first prize for Seniors: Ladies (8000 euro) while her dance partner and real-life sweetheart Cordero won the Jury´s Special Prize for Best pas de deux -technique (2000 euro).

They won the jury’s approval in this prestigious competition, which attracted 69 dancers from 28 different countries. In the senior and junior division, the top male and female dancers received prizes worth over 55,000 euro.

During the Gala Award Night, the winning pair performed the classical ballet “Diana ja Acteon” pas de deux, which  Finnish dancer and professor Jorma Uotinen widely applauded and described as a “dream, delicate, and achingly beautiful”.

HIBC 2012 guest blogger Johanna Aurava heaped praises for the second time on their final performance.

“Magical was no other than my early favorite, Candice Adea. Again. She danced her Diana and Actéon variation with such technical purity, exquisite expression and warmth.. I think most of the audience has already fallen in love with her! Adea and her now non-competing partner had also one of the scariest over-head lifts, which had one of my back-stage friends praying for their safety! If Ms. Adea doesn't place high, I should be very surprised," Aurava said.

Deputy Principal Arja Tervo from Finland’s Ballet School commented: “...they (Candice and JM) reached out to the audience and touch their hearts....they made us feel special.”

“PILIPINAS we got the GOLD and the BEST PAS DE DEUX TECHNIQUE award ,“ Candice thanked her fans through her Facebook fan page. “Thank you Lord for being there every step of the way."

"We came here to Finland...to just give our best," Cordero said earlier in an interview with ABS-CBN News.
"We are truly satisfied with the results and... overjoyed," Victor Ursabia smiled to the Pinoys who congratulated him right after the results were announced.

"The women's race was tight...but Candice Adea's virtuosity was dazzling,” Mika Saarelainen from a leading Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat wrote.

The competition's top prize, the Gloria Grand Prix, worth 15 000 euro went to Chinese Yun Wang, 23, who won 7 of the ballet competition prizes. 

Finnish National Ballet dancer and homegrown favorite Maria Baranova, 2009 Junior First Prize winner,  came second and third went to Belarusian Ekaterina Oleynik .

Meanwhile, the Senior Men's category was not awarded any First Prize, at all.  Instead, two competitors were placed second --  Rodrigo Almarales Cuba and China‘s Ruichen Sun.

“We are not just looking at the highest jumps and the perfect pirouttes, we also want to see depth and passion,” Kenneth Greve, Director of the National Ballet of Finland, summarized the jury’s decision.
The elegant Gala was hosted by well-known Finnish performance artists Uotinen and Minna Tervamäki. World famous ballerina Barbora Kohoutková also performed with the National Ballet. 

The National Opera was full and corporate sponsers were highly visible. No less than Finland's former President Tarja Halonen graced the final round last June 4.  Professor Doris Laine-Almi, who is credited for starting the Helsinki International Ballet Competition was present in the preliminaries.

‘Proud na proud tayo sa kanila (We are very proud of them),”  Celine Railonkoski, a long-time Pinoy resident, said after watching the performance. Ticket prices for the performances ranged from 25 to 150 euros.

Tessie Ruutu, cultural director of the Finnish-Philippine Association ry who sat in the fourth row said she was nervous and excited before the results were announced, “para na akong hihimatayin sa kaba” (I almost fainted with excitement).

Now, she and the 2,000-strong Pinoy community are just looking forward to celebrating the Philippines Independence Day party in Finland with Adea and Cordero performing a special dance on June 10.

---

...the cybersecurity tilt winner

Pinoy students top intl cybersecurity tilt

June 7, 2012

GMA News

 

 

Filipinos again showed their high potential in information and communications technology after topping a security vendor's annual international conference.

 

Kaspersky Lab said the Filipino students were named the overall winners in the global cup, under the banner "IT Security for the Next Generation."

 

Members of the Philippine team included:

 

• Joshua Arvin Lat, first place winner in the Kaspersky Lab 2012 Student Conference Global Cup
• Kevin Charles Atienza
• Rod Xavier Bondoc

"We are very happy that our undergraduate research paper got first place. We did not expect it would stand a chance against those of post-graduate students' papers from all over the world," Lat said.

 

Bondoc added they were already very happy to have reached the International Cup and represented the country, "but winning it proved that we can compete with other countries when it comes to cyber technology."

 

Atienza, who was in Warsaw, Poland when he learned of the win, said he was impressed with Josh's presentation skills that made them win the competition.

 

"This student conference provides a motivation and incentive for students to improve the qualities of their research. I'm grateful for Kaspersky Lab for providing students like us this opportunity," he said.

 

Placing second was Iwan Gulenko from Germany and third was Napa Sae-Bae from New York.

 

The event was held at the prestigious Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands last May 11 to 13.

 

It brought together the brightest researchers from four preliminary regional rounds: North America, Europe, Russia and the Commonwealth Independent States and from the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa.

 

Lat, 22, from the University of the Philippines, won first prize as the team leader of the research paper, “SOUL System: Secure Online USB Login System.”

 

Co-authoring the paper were his classmates Atienza and Bondoc, all Computer Science students when they submitted the paper to Kaspersky Lab.

 

They won 1,500 euros for their winning paper.

 

Lat is also invited to be a part of the program committee for the competition next year.

 

The second placer, Gulenko, is from the University of Munich in Germany, who presented a research paper entitled, “Concept and Development of a Facebook Application to Raise Security and Risk Awareness Regarding Social Engineering." He won 1000 euros for his paper.

 

Meanwhile, Napa Sae-Bae of the Polytechnic Institute of New York University took third place with her research on “Biometric-Rich Gestures: A Novel Approach to Authentication on Multi-touch Devices” for which she received 750 euros as cash prize.

 

The jury also decided to present a special prize to Ang Cui from Columbia University in New York for his work “Killing the Myth of Cisco IOS Diversity: Recent Advances in Reliable Shell code Design,” in co-authorship with Jatin Kataria and Salvatore J. Stolfo.

 

Jury member Dr. Priyadarsi Nanda, professor at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, said the quality of the student papers is absolutely outstanding.

 

"I am amazed to see the level of research presented across all the papers selected for the conference. I believe such initiatives by Kaspersky Lab play a major role in bringing academics, security experts at Kaspersky Lab and, most importantly, the best student brains closer to each other and promoting the culture of education and research around the world,” Nanda said.

 

This is the third year of the student conference with the inclusion of Asia Pacific countries. It is the first time the Philippines was shortlisted for this competition. 

 

The Philippines was represented by two teams in the regional cup held at the City University of Hongkong last March 14 to 16.

 

In that stage, the Philippine team won the top two prizes.

 

Lat and his team clinched the first prize while Ranyel Maliwanag and his team members Mariah Strella Indrinal and Marynyriene Silvestre, who are also Computer Science students from UP Diliman scored second prize.

 

The annual conference has been held since 2008. The most promising student papers submitted to the organizers are selected, and those nominees are invited to participate in the conference.

 

There, they have an opportunity to present their research work, competing with their fellow participants from other universities, as well as attend master classes and presentations from industry experts, and to join those experts in discussions on contemporary IT security problems.

 

Regional rounds of the conference are held in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, and Russia and the CIS, with the strongest candidates progressing to the final phase.

 

“The international ‘IT Security for the Next Generation’ conference is a platform for discussion and the exchange of knowledge and experience, bringing together current and future IT security professionals. The conference aims to support and encourage talented young specialists in the battle against Internet threats, while helping them form an idea of the IT security profession and current industry trends while they are still at university,” said Veniamin Ginodman, Director of Educational Programs at Kaspersky Lab.

 

In this year's student conference, 14 winners of the regional rounds participated in the finals of the ‘IT Security for the Next Generation’ international conference.

 

Alongside leading Kaspersky Lab security experts, the jury included:

 

• Last year’s winner Mark Seeger, Doctoral researcher, CASED Department Secure Services;
• Prof. Andrey Philippovich from the Bauman Moscow State Technical University;
• Prof. Gevorg Margarov from the State Engineering University of Armenia;
• Prof. Nasir Memon from the CSE Department, NYU Poly;
• Dr. Priyadarsi Nanda, professor at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia;
• Dr. Andrew Martin, MA DPhil MBCS CEng CITP, university lecturer in Software Engineering from the Department of Computer Science of the University of Oxford;
• Dr. Maria Papadaki, lecturer in Network Security, Centre for Security, Communications and Network Research at the University of Plymouth.

 

Professor Memon of the NYU Poly highlighted that “creating a secure and reliable infrastructure is one of the biggest challenges we face in a globalized economy and it is imperative that we get the brightest minds to tackle this problem."

 

"The Kaspersky challenge is a great example of how we can excite and challenge talented students from around the world and make them aware of the challenges we face,” Memon added.

 

“This is a unique event,” added Martin of the student conference.

 

“In its varied audience, it is a great reminder that IT security is a very diverse field, needing many perspectives in  order to solve the hardest problems.  The students' enthusiasm and their immersion in the digital world helps to inject energy into a community always in need of new ideas,” Martin said. — TJD, GMA News

...the sexiest actresses

KC, Carmen Soo rank in int'l sexiest list

ABS-CBNnews.com

06/07/2012

 

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipina actress-host KC Concepcion and Malaysian model-actress Carmen Soo both ranked in a list of sexiest international actresses by a New York-based lifestyle website.

KC Concepcion as she appears in the January-February issue of men's magazine Rogue

Concepcion was ranked 23rd in a list of the "25 Sexiest International Actresses You Haven't Heard Of" by fashion and lifestyle website Complex.

The list, where Filipino TV-mainstay Soo ranked fifth, is a compilation of international beauties seen to be "the next beautiful foreign woman who can sideline the exhausted A-list actresses fronting every contemporary U.S. film."

Sharon Cuneta's eldest daughter, who is not new to being named "sexiest" (she has consistently ranked in men's magazine FHM's "World's Sexiest" list), was recognized not only for her achievements in showbiz, but also for her being the United Nation's National Ambassador Against Hunger.

Soo, on the other hand, was recognized for her movie-star fame across Southeast Asian countries. Soo starred in the ABS-CBN series "Kahit Isang Saglit," opposite actor Jericho Rosales.

Malaysian actress Carmen Soo. Photo courtesy of CarmenSoo.com

Ranking No. 1 in the list is Adriana Fonseca, a Mexican actress who is a telenovela mainstay in her native country.

Concepcion is set to host the Philippine edition of international singing competition "The X-Factor," and will star alongside actress Judy Ann Santos in upcoming primetime series "Against All Odds."

---

...the new investments

P16.5-B New Projects, P10-B Expansion, Ecozone Investments Reach P26.5 Billion

 

By BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT

June 6, 2012

Manila Bulletin

 

 

Investors are flocking into the various economic zones (ecozone) in the country with total investments of P26.5 billion in new and expansion projects in the first five months of the year.

Of these investments, P16.5 billion are new projects while P10 billion are expansion programs of existing locators of the various PEZA zones. There are a total of 42 new electronics firms that are investing in the country and their investments are expected to employ 17,000 workers.

"Investors are on an expansion mode. The time is certainly positive," said Lilia B. De Lima, Director-General of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).

Of the expansion projects, De Lima reported that Toshiba Information Equipment Systems has expanded with P3.6 billion for the manufacturer of new advanced technology equivalent to 2.5 inch terabyte hard disk drive.

It will hire 2,240 workers once it starts commercial operations within the year.

The Toshiba expansion here is part of the relocation of some of its production from its Thailand operation, De Lima said.

Toshiba’s exports for this expansion project alone is estimated to reach $1.327 billion in a single year alone.
The other big investor is Maxim Philis Operating Corp. with P3.2 billion worth of investments for final testing facility of a semiconductor kits in Gateway Industrial Park in General Trias Cavite. This project is going to employ 272 new workers.

Pilipinas Kao Inc. is investing P1.6 billion for increased production capacity of its high purity fatty alcohol using coconut products. The company’s existing manufacturing plant is located in Hasaan, Misamis Oriental.

Wiring harness manufacturer Yazaki Torres has two expansions for each of its two plants in Calamba and Batangas for a for a total of P1.156 billion. The two expansion projects will employ 2,262 Filipinos.

Ernesto Santiago, president of the Semiconductor and Electronics Industry of the Philippines Inc., said they expect to hit its exports growth target of between 10 to 15 percent this year over last year.

The industry already posted a 5.6 percent exports growth in the first quarter this year.

"Prospects for this yearare a lot better," Santiago said.

...the "FUN" in London

‘It’s more fun in the Philippines’ catching on—survey

By Amy R. Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Thursday, June 7th, 2012

TOURISM DRIVE On board one of London’s iconic double-deck buses, President Aquino and Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. lead a photo shoot promoting the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” tourism campaign at Intercontinental London Park Lane Hotel in the British capital. The campaign was also launched via taxi cabs and subway train stations. MALACAÑANG PHOTO

The country’s new tourism slogan, “It’s more fun in the Philippines,” is gaining more positive reactions among Filipinos since its launch in January this year.

Based on the results of a tracking survey conducted by independent research firm Ipsos ASI Philippines, the overall likeability of the Philippines’ tourism slogan even improved in March at 92 percent from only 87 percent in February.

These responses came from the 1,000 interviews conducted by the company in February and another 1,000 interviews in March, among Metro Manila respondents whose ages ranged from 15 to 64 years old. The campaign assessment is part of Ipsos AsiaBUS, an omnibus survey for Asia.

Of the respondents polled, 87 percent said in March that the tourism slogan remained “believable” as against the 84 percent of those who said so in February.

Uniqueness of the slogan was stronger in March with 82 percent of those who were polled believing so, as against the 66 percent in February. This improvement may be attributed to the fact that the issue regarding the similarity to Switzerland’s old tourism campaign may have already toned down.

Positive reactions

This meant, according to Ipsos Philippines, that the campaign is “communicating its intended messaging, such as making Filipinos proud, making people want to travel, making people want to tell others about the beauty of the Philippines and making people believe that it is more fun in the Philippines.”

This likewise confirmed the generally positive emotions that the tourism slogan evoked such as happiness and being proud as Filipinos, the company added.

“This tracking study shows and confirms the generally positive reactions to the tourism campaign. Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. and the Department of Tourism should be congratulated for a job well done,” said Carole Sarthou, managing director of Ipsos Philippines.

Mass media

“Although it is a successful campaign for now, it needs to carry through the momentum and rally all Filipinos towards the tourism campaign to ensure long term success. That means the tourism slogan should be communicated via mass media channels, and not only through social network channels. The Filipinos are the strongest asset in selling our country and making visitors feel that it is really ‘more fun in the Philippines,’” Sarthou further said.

Ipsos Philippines pointed out that the initial success of the tourism campaign can be attributed to the “power” of the Internet and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The survey on the respondents in February and March this year revealed that these websites were the second main source of awareness next to television

...the US top Chefs

Pinay one of top 10 pastry chefs in US

 

ABS-CBNnews.com

06/07/2012

 

 

US-based Filipina pastry chef Sally Camacho. Photo from "Top Chef Just Desserts" website.

MANILA, Philippines – A Los Angeles-based Filipina is one of the best pastry chefs in the United States, according to a magazine.

Dessert Professional Magazine included Sally Camacho, a runner-up in season 2 of the hit reality cooking show “Top Chef: Just Desserts,” in its list of the top 10 pastry chefs in the US.

The nine other chefs include: Craig Harzewski of Chicago, Sandro Micheli of New York, Marc Aumont of New York, Christina Tosi of New York, Angela Pinkerton of New York, Damien Herrgot of New York, Nathaniel Reid of Florida, Jean Marie Auboine of Las Vegas and Chris Hanmer of Las Vegas, the man who beat Camacho on the TV show.

Born in Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, Camacho works as a pastry chef in Wolfgang Puck’s WP24.

She recently went to Madrid, Spain to represent the United States in Valrhona’s Madrid Fusion Pastry Competition.

Last year, she won the Valrhona C3 Competition in France. She and her pastry team also bagged gold medals at the Culinary Olympics in Germany in 2008.

‘Top Chef’ experience

Early this year, Camacho admitted that she was disappointed when she failed to win the title of “Top Chef” on season two of “Top Chef: Just Desserts.”




“I thought I was going to win it,” Camacho told ABS-CBN News. “I came into the competition wanting to win. You don’t go there to show up. You go there to win.”

Despite the loss, Camacho said that being on the show was a great experience.

---

...the growth forecast (Moody's)

Moody’s unit raises Philippines growth forecast

Cites anti-corruption drive, infra program

By:  Michelle V. Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Thursday, June 7th, 2012

 

Workers climb scaffoldings of a building under construction on May 31, 2012, in Manila. Moody’s Analytics, the economic research unit of credit watcher Moody’s, said in its latest paper on the Philippines that the country “kicked off 2012 at a blistering pace,” prompting it to upgrade its economic growth forecast for the Philippines in 2012 to 4.7 from 4 percent. AP PHOTO/PAT ROQUE

The research arm of Moody’s Investors Services has raised its economic growth forecast for the Philippines this year to 4.7 percent from 4 percent, citing the government’s ant-corruption drive and big push for infrastructure development that will aid efforts to attract investors.

The revision of the forecast came after the Philippines posted a 6.4-percent growth in its gross domestic product in the first quarter, beating most expectations. It was the second-fastest growth rate for the period in Asia after China’s 8.1 percent.

“The Philippines kicked off 2012 at a blistering pace. This prompted an upward revision to the growth forecast,” Moody’s Analytics, the economic research unit of credit watcher Moody’s, said in its latest paper on the country.

It said the Aquino administration’s focus on good governance was tickling the interest of investors on the Philippines, which used to be out of the radar screen of most foreign firms.

The research firm also expressed confidence that the promotion of public infrastructure among potential investors from the private sector would significantly boost investments in the remainder of the year. The Aquino administration has promised to speed up the implementation of its Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program this year.

“The investment environment in the Philippines has improved over the past year as President Aquino’s plans have begun to take effect, with a focus on infrastructure development, stamping out corruption, and the seemingly obligatory chastisement of his predecessor, Gloria Arroyo, who now sits in jail on charges of electoral sabotage,” Moody Analytics said.

It credited the business confidence resulting from good governance for the recent favorable performance of the Philippines’ stock market. It said that the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) was so far up 12 percent this year and this growth was faster than most Asian stock market indices.

“These twin policy arms, lifting infrastructure and reducing corruption, should also help to shore up both domestic and foreign direct investment, lifting the economy’s long-term growth prospects,” it said.

The 4.7-percent growth projection of Moody’s Analytics, however, was below the government’s official target of 5 to 6 percent. It said the gap between its projection and the government’s was the view on exports and remittances

...the US best actress

Anna Maria Perez de Tagle wins best actress award in US

June 7, 2012
GMA News

For her role in the Broadway musical "Godspell," Filipino-American actress and singer Anna Maria Perez de Tagle won Best Featured Actress in a Musical in the "10th Annual BroadwayWorld.com Awards."

California-born De Tagle, 21, won against 28 other actresses.

Known as “Wengky” to family and friends, De Tagle is the granddaughter of “Reyna ng Kundiman” Sylvia La Torre.

De Tagle is the child of Archie Perez de Tagle, a former TV personality, and Evelyn Enriquez.

According to the entertainment website BroadwayWorld.com, the voting opened on May 3 this year and ran through June 4, 2012.
"This year, we shattered all previous site records, by more than DOUBLE, as hundreds of thousands of theatregoers and fans weighed in on their favorites of th 2011-12 theatre season on Broadway, Off-Broadway and beyond," the website said.


"The BroadwayWorld.com Awards are by far the largest and most popular online Broadway polling event of its kind, open to all and with fully visible and audited results," it added.

On her Facebook page, De Tagle said: "THANK YOU TO ALL MY FANS AND FRIENDS AND ALL WHO VOTED FOR ME! LOVE YOU ALL! Xoixo...Anna Maria"

Godspell

“Godspell” is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak about a series of parables based on the Bible’s Gospel of Matthew, featuring the passion of Christ.

"Godspell" was cited as the Best Revival of a Musical in the 10th Annual BroadwayWorld.com Awards.

The official website of the awards shows the complete list of winners:

Best Book of a Musical

Harvey Fierstein- "Newsies"

Best Choreography

Christopher Gatelli- "Newsies"

Best Costume Design

Gregg Barnes- "Follies"

Best Direction of a Musical

Jeff Calhoun- "Newsies"

Best Direction of a Play

Roger Rees and Alex Timbers- "Peter and the Starcatcher" 

Best Featured Actor in a Musical

Andrew Keenan-Bolger- "Newsies"

Best Featured Actor in a Play

Christian Borle- Peter and the Starcatcher

Best Featured Actress in a Musical

Anna Maria Perez de Tagle- "Godspell"

Best Featured Actress in a Play

Celia Keenan-Bolger- "Peter and the Starcatcher "

Best Leading Actor in a Musical

Jeremy Jordan- "Newsies" 

Best Leading Actor in a Play

Alan Rickman- "Seminar"

Best Leading Actress in a Musical

Audra McDonald- "Porgy and Bess"

Best Leading Actress in a Play

Tracie Bennett- "End of the Rainbow"

Best Lighting Design

Hugh Vanstone- "Ghost"

Best Long-Running Broadway Show

"Wicked" 

Best Musical

"Newsies"

Best Off-Broadway Musical

"Rent"

Best Off-Broadway Play

"Sons of the Prophet"

Best Orchestrations

Danny Troob- "Newsies"

Best Play

Peter and the Starcatcher

Best Revival of a Musical

Godspell

Best Revival of a Play

Death of a Salesman

Best Scenic Design

Tobin Ost- "Newsies"

Best Score

Alan Menken and Jack Feldman- "Newsies"

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Ken Travis- "Newsies"

Best Sound Design of a Play

Darron L. West- "Peter and the Starcatcher"

Best Touring Production

"Wicked"

...the climb

Philippines climbs 20 notches up in business destination ranking

By: Amy R. Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Tuesday, June 5th, 2012

 

Workers unload a shipment of imported Malaysian lumber for the Philippine market in this file photo. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Enabling Trade Report for 2012, the Philippines has improved its standing as a business destination, particularly in terms of market access, ranking 72nd out of 132. AFP PHOTO/ROMEO GACAD

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines has improved its standing as a business destination, particularly in terms of market access, ranking 72nd out of 132 countries on the World Economic Forum’s enabling trade index.

According to “The Global Enabling Trade Report 2012,” the Philippines climbed by 20 notches up the index from the previous 92nd spot in 2010, reflecting what was perceived as a reduction in trade barriers.

The Global Enabling Trade Report 2012 measures the factors, policies and services that facilitate the trade in goods across the borders of 132 countries. It includes the areas of market access, border administration, transport and communications infrastructure, and business environment. Each area consists of pillars and indicators that assess the different aspects of a country’s trade environment.

The Philippines, in particular, showed a remarkable improvement in the area of market access, where it jumped 50 notches to No. 14 from being No. 64 in 2010.

The market access sub-index measures the extent to which the policy framework of the country welcomes foreign goods into the country and enables access to foreign markets for its exporters, according to the report.

In terms of efficiency of import-export procedures, the country took the No. 48 spot, also an improvement from the No. 55 position posted in 2010.

The Philippines, however, fell six places to No. 62 out of the 132 countries, in terms of efficiency of customs administration, from its previous record of No. 56 in 2010. Based on the trade report, among the most problematic factors for trade in the Philippines included access to imported inputs at competitive prices; identifying potential markets and buyers; and corruption at the border, among other concerns.

The country continues to lag in terms of transparency of border administration, ranking a dismal 117th out of the 132 countries. This was, however, an improvement compared with the 119th position of the Philippines back in 2010. This particular pillar was measured in terms of irregular payments in exports and imports and Corruption Perceptions Index.

Meanwhile, Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo, in a statement issued on Tuesday, assured the public that the government would continue its efforts to reduce trade barriers and further improve the business environment in the Philippines.

“It’s been a long time coming, we’re happy with the results, it shows that all our efforts this past two years are starting to pay off,” Domingo said in response to the results of the 2012 Global Enabling Trade Report.

The trade chief attributed the country’s improvement in rankings to the Department of Trade and Industry’s efforts to facilitate trade across borders such as the Doing Business in Free Trade Areas (DBFTA), an awareness campaign that has aimed to help various stakeholders understand the emerging and new markets, as well as instruments such as free trade agreements (FTAs).

More DBFTA sessions will be held in key cities in the country this year, and each session will include presentations on market opportunities, including non-tariff measures, country’s FTA markets, tariff rates of top exports for sectors under the FTAs, rules of origin, an open forum, as well as business testimonials.

Help desks would also be made available after each session to provide assistance to interested exporters and importers, he said.

Other initiatives are already in place to bring down trade barriers, according to Domingo, who cited the Asean Single Window (ASW)—a component of the progressive schemes on customs development shared by the 10-member Asean bloc. It is tasked with the formulation and implementation of rules and procedures for trade facilitation.

Recently, the Philippines was chosen to chair the Asean Single Window Steering Committee to supervise ASW’s upcoming projects and activities.

The DTI is also pursuing reforms to improve the ease of doing business in the country through the Philippine Business Registry (PBR) and the Business Permits and License Streamlining (BPLS) program for the local governments.

The Philippine Business Registry was launched last January to speed up the business registration process in a matter of hours as against the weeklong wait under the previous system.

The streamlining of business permits and licensing systems, on the other hand, is a joint project of DTI and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), which targets to reduce the number of days, steps, documents and signatures required to get a permit from the local government units.

...the best Speakers in Malaysia

UP Diliman debaters dominate Best Speakers list in Malaysia tourney

 

Rouchelle Dinglasan,

GMA News

June 5, 2012

 

 

The University of the Philippines-Diliman Debate Society members dominated the recent United Asians Debating Championship (UADC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, bagging four spots in the list of Top 10 Best Speakers.

 

In a statement posted on its website, the UP-Diliman Debate Society named the awardees as:

• Angelique Pearl Simbulan (BA Political Science, Fourth Year) — Overall Best Speaker;
• Alistair Jan Zosa (BS Business Administration and Accountancy, 2012) — Second Best Speaker;
• Raymund Victor Vitorio (BA English Studies, 2009) — Third Best Speaker, and
• Valeri Filia D’Marie Inting (IV BS Social Work) — 10th Best Speaker.

 

Zosa was also named as the Chief Adjudicator for UADC 2013.

 

“He will be leading the Adjudication Core that will be in charge of making the motions for next year’s tournament,” the Debate Society said.

 

Meanwhile, Third year Juris Doctor student Jesus Nicardo Falcis III was also awarded as one of the Top 10 Adjudicators.

 

Still, the UP-D debaters fell short and reached only the quarterfinals.

 

UP-Diliman Team A — composed of Simbulan, Zosa, and Inting — made it to the quarterfinals after facing Grand Champion Nanyang Technological University Team A.

 

Meanwhile, UP Diliman Team B — composed of Carlo Raphael Borromeo (IV BS Business Economics), Garie Ouano (IV Economics), and Jose Fernando Escalante (III BS Psychology) — reached octofinals but bowed down to Ateneo de Manila University Team A, the event’s First Runner-Up.

 

UADC is an annual competition conducted in the Asian Parliamentary format. It gathers over 600 debaters from universities across Asia. - VVP, GMA News

...the cool school

Filipino-owned MINT College to open in San Francisco

ABS-CBNnews.com

06/04/2012

 

 

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino-owned MINT College, the first college to offer free iPads to its students, will open a new facility in San Francisco, California next year.

 

The new facility in San Francisco will be opened in 2013. It will have a Silicon Valley startup-like atmosphere with sound studio, gaming room, internet radio station, Maclab and cafe.

MINT College has also partnered with Foothill College in Silicon Valley to offer co-branded programs in business, arts and technology. This partnership is expected to provide its colleges with an opportunity to collaborate with innovative technology and design companies.

"Being able to give our students the opportunity to work on real world projects as early as their first year at MINT is part of our overall philosophy of integrating theory and practice early on and ensuring a seamless transition into the real world," Bal Endriga, MINT College President, said in a statement.

MINT College is also offering iOS Application courses. 

"At a time when corporations were still trying to figure out how to develop iOS apps, MINT was already teaching it as a course from a beginner’s level all the way to advanced programming," he said.

"In today’s fast-paced environment, it behooves all schools to be able to adapt to the latest and relevant technologies, as this will provide students with much needed advantages when looking for employment in a highly demanding and competitive global market."

MINT College is based in San Francisco but has a campus in Manila. It will open in China in 2014.

It offers both undergraduate degrees and professional courses in design, film, music, entrepreneurship, game design, information technology and computer science.

...the new taste of London

Pinoy food favorites now popular in London

By Aurea Calica,

The Philippine Star

06/04/2012

 

 

LONDON – Filipino food favorites like okoy, lumpiang sariwa and others have gained popularity here by word of mouth and the Filipino couple who owns the restaurant serving them shares their gratefulness and excitement.

 

Filipino investors who have expressed desire to come here are actually looking at the food business, not just as a way to make money but to further introduce Philippine cuisine abroad.

For Filipino husband and wife, Felix and Tess Peñas, who have been residing here since 1990 after they got married, getting Filipino foods appreciated through their restaurant is their way of helping the Philippines become recognized abroad.

It was Felix who first came here in 1979 as his mother, who had been here since 1972, petitioned him. “I was just 18 years old,” he said.

Tess used to work in an accounting firm while Felix was manager in a hotel run by his family.

Tess was asked by her husband to quit her job after she bore their daughter so she could take care of her personally.

The couple admitted they first thought of putting up a French restaurant but changed their minds and took the risk of introducing Filipino food in Europe.

“Our aim is to promote Filipino food in London.  We also eat in Filipino restaurants here and sometimes the guests... so I told my wife, we better start our own, and if we do start our own, we better make it big, so people can make a good impression of the food,” Felix said.

“Actually, it’s a driving force in opening up the restaurant. I really don’t want to open a restaurant, I said it was going to be really hard work. But he said no, we better … he’s the one who’s pushing me to do it,” Tess added.

“I told her we have to try. Even if we don’t succeed, we have to try,” Felix said.

Tess said it was good they tried because four months later, they received an award from an organization recognizing the quality of food they were serving.

“She was successful anyway, a lot of people say that Filipino food is good and they want to go to the Philippines to taste some more food. So in a way, we’re also promoting the Philippines,” he said.

Tess proudly shared that one time a customer from the countryside told them they were going to visit the Philippines and they wanted to try the local cuisine, so they searched the Internet web which “said we’re the best.”

“We got a nice review so when they went there, they were surprised, all the way, they started the okoy, lumpiang sariwa, down to the halo-halo and the selection of dessert. They finished everything. Okay, it was positive. At least they know that they ate some Filipino food,” she said.

Aside from the taste of the foods, Felix said “the ambiance of the restaurant” also contributed to its appeal to foreigners.

Tess said she was the one personally in charge of the cooking, practicing what she learned from her mother.
“Her mom is a very good cook,” Felix said.

“When I was young, I used to stay, looking at her kitchen, staying on the table and then watching her... I’m always the critique of my mom, and I said there’s something missing with this and everything,” she said.
The couple said they also took up culinary arts just to be sure.

Felix said their customers were initially surprised they took the gamble of opening up a Filipino restaurant.
“Surprisingly good, fantastic food (for them). (They said) you should go out, you should come out,” they quoted customers as saying as they found their foods unique and must be out on the street and not just in an exclusive place.

Tess said they did not have to modify the tastes for foreign customers and the trick was simple. “Don’t overcook everything – the potato, just blanche it, and even the pinakbet,” she said.

She said they got a good mix of customers now after those who had sampled the menu promoted the restaurant on their own.

“When we started, may (there is a) Filipino (restaurant), they bring their friends, different nationalities, their neighbors – they tried the food, then lookout, lookout, and then apparently one of our neighbors says don’t you know, the very, very rich lady came to your restaurant and tried the food and (is) the one promoting you. And we didn’t know her,” Tess said.

“ We didn’t even know because we’re downstairs, and that comment is very positive. You can see in our website, so people are saying ‘oh don’t you know that you have a very good review?’

And I said I have no time looking at our website, but it’s good to know,” she said, adding it was great to learn that other Filipinos were proud of them.

The couple will be able to meet President Aquino during his visit here starting Tuesday until Thursday.

“I would like to tell the President to help us, we’re in the restaurant business, and we want a big back-up from way back, back home. We would like him to support us in his way, his own way or maybe the government could put some, I don’t know ha, if I say this, put some funding for the Filipinos it’s because it’s happening… it’s helping their people like… to put up different restaurants just to promote their cuisine. Now, here it’s very hard because financially, you have to have a big, big capital but we don’t know, we don’t know how to support us but Mr. President, if you’re watching this interview, can you please help us in a way, if financially, you could give us loan,” she said.

Tess said they would love to have more and more people try and love the Filipino cuisine.

“They’re really, do you know the bistek tagalog… and they were surprised when they said ‘oh my God,’ and they always come back, they like the bistek tagalog,” she said.

Even other nationalities ask for her afritada, the Bicol express and other recipes.

“No wonder, a lot of them taking pictures of our dishes and then the ingredients. And now they want to cook it at home. And they come back and say they are not the same,” she said.

Felix said they were optimistic that they could make it because of good comments from people everywhere.

“Our plan is actually to make it bigger, and we want to go to supermarkets and put Filipino food in the shelves,” Felix said.

Tess agreed: “Yes, why not adobo?”

Felix said Chinese, Thai, Indian foods were already in the supermarkets here.

“Maybe next time, they see adobo – Filipino adobo in the supermarkets,” he said.

“And afritada... It’s in the oven. That’s our dream,” Tess remarked.

...the maturing Philippines

Analysts: New Philippine 'maturity' reaping rewards

 

 

CECIL MORELLA,

Agence France-Presse

June 4, 2012

 

 

The Philippines passed a crucial stress-test with the orderly sacking of its top judge, confirming a growing political maturity that is helping drive an economic revival, analysts say.

 

The Philippine economy has for decades been one of Asia's biggest underachievers, bedeviled by coups, corruption and political chaos that scared off investors who instead pumped billions of dollars into neighboring nations.

 

That is changing, amid a belief that President Benigno Aquino III's heavy focus during his first two years in office on fighting graft and improving standards of governance is starting to pay off.

 

"This whole commitment of this administration to fight corruption has reverberated and increased confidence," said Peter Perfecto, head of the Makati Business Club, one of the nation's most influential business groups.

 

One of the biggest wins for Aquino came in the last week when the Senate found the Supreme Court's chief justice, Renato Corona, guilty of hiding more than $4 million in bank deposits and ordered him to be removed from office.

 

It was the first time a chief justice had been sacked and, remarkably for a country so used to political turmoil, passed with barely a whimper of a street protest and the military remaining respectfully silent.

 

"It was indeed an achievement to have the process completed without extra-constitutional efforts," said Steven Rood, country representative of the Asia Foundation, a US-based group that promotes governance in the region.

 

When a bloodless "people power" revolt ended Ferdinand Marcos' 20-year rule and revived democracy in 1986, it also convinced Filipinos that extra-legal shortcuts were the most effective way to resolve major political crises.

 

Corazon Aquino, the incumbent leader's late mother, stared down military rebels and multiple coup attempts during her six years in office after replacing Marcos.

 

In 2001, military-backed street protests ousted then-president Joseph Estrada after his Senate impeachment trial for corruption broke down.

 

This led to the ascension of Gloria Arroyo, who survived three military rebellions but ended her near-decade in power in 2010 with a reputation for being corrupt. She has since been charged with vote-rigging.

 

She denies accusations of corruption.

 

Benigno Aquino III has been able to maintain political stability because people and institutions largely believe his anti-graft campaign is delivering results.

 

"The current administration was elected on a platform that anti-corruption is the best economic strategy, and they continue to pursue that policy direction," the Asia Foundation's Rood said.

 

Other significant developments in Aquino's drive include overhauling the budget disbursement system, reviewing Arroyo-era government contracts and naming an ex-Supreme Court justice as chief anti-corruption prosecutor.

 

He also named reformist bureau chiefs at the country's main revenue-collection agencies, which have been aggressively filing cases against alleged big-time tax evaders and smugglers.

 

Crisanto Frianeza, secretary-general of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, praised Aquino's efforts to cut red tape, a key obstacle that breeds corruption.

 

"Local governments are instituting a system that makes it easier to register a business. It still needs a lot of work, but compared to before, we already have a good system," Frianeza said.

 

Analysts say that, amid all the reforms, it is no coincidence that foreign direct investments jumped 153.7 percent annually to $850 million in the first two months of this year.

 

The economy also grew 6.4 percent in the first quarter, topping all forecasts and one of the best-performing in Asia, while stock prices have hit record highs, up 14 percent this year.

 

Major credit-rating agencies have made six positive actions on the Philippines since Aquino came to office.

 

The latest, Moody's upgrade on the Philippine outlook to positive from stable, came on the same day that the Senate sacked Corona.

 

Nevertheless, economists and analysts acknowledge that huge challenges remain.

 

Debt is still two rungs below investment grade and the World Bank's International Finance Corp. rates the Philippines 136th globally among 183 economies in terms of ease of doing business.

 

Most crucially, even Aquino admits that the war on graft will take many years to win.

 

Corruption watchdog Transparency International ranked the Philippines the 129th most corrupt country out of 183 in 2011, slightly up from 134th the previous year. —Agence France-Presse

...the phenomenal rise of BPO

Invest in PH, foreign traders urged

By: Tina G. Santos
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Sunday, June 3rd, 2012

 

 

MANILA, Philippines—German and Canadian entrepreneurs have been urged to consider doing business in the Philippines, which has seen a phenomenal rise in the number of call centers as well as business and knowledge process outsourcing (BPO/KPO) firms.

MORE CALLS. In this file photo is a typical scenario during peak hours in a local call center. This year, call centers or business and knowledge process outsourcing (BPO/KPO) firms are in again for another boost from German and Canadian investors.

“There is now high foreign investor confidence in the Philippines and the administration of President Aquino is actively seeking public-private partnerships and is encouraging stronger foreign direct investments,” Philippine Ambassador to Germany Maria Cleofe Natividad told German businessmen during a forum cohosted last week by the Philippine Embassy in Berlin and the Wirtschaftsrat der CDU Berlin-Brandenburg.

Wirtschaftsrat der CDU Berlin-Brandenburg is a large and influential private business association affiliated with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the largest political party in Germany.

The forum aims to increase awareness of the Philippines among German entrepreneurs, according to a statement issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Saturday.

Some 40 Berlin-based German entrepreneurs attended the business forum and listened to presentations made by business leaders from the Philippines, including Henry Schumacher, executive vice president of the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines; Klaus Preschle, former Philippine resident representative of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and founder and president of BPO Consulting Professionals Asia, and commercial counselor Jose Antonio Buencamino.

They expounded on the strengths of Filipino workers, their cultural compatibility with the western world and their outstanding service orientation, the DFA said.

“They explained the benefits and advantages of doing business in the Philippines,” the DFA added.

They likewise emphasized that the Philippines has been ranked as the world’s best in business English proficiency, and the third largest English-speaking country in the world.

Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador to Canada Leslie Gatan exhorted Canadian businessmen “to look towards the Philippines as their definitive gateway to the Asean Economic Community (AEC) and Asia.”

Gatan made the call when he addressed members of the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce at the exclusive Saskatoon Club in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, last week, according to the DFA.

Ken Zeigler, business consultant and partner at GPC Capital Corp., who moderated the open forum, urged his colleagues to look at the Philippines not just as a source of migrants and laborers, but also as potential savvy business partners in a global economic environment, the DFA said.

...the cure for banana disease

Filipino discovers cure for dreaded banana diseases

 

 

Julia Jasmine Madrazo-Sta. Romana

June 2, 2012

GMA News

 

 

For years, scientists and agriculturists all over the world have been working on developing a cure for Moko and Panama Disease —fungal and bacterial infections that could potentially wipe out the world's banana plantations.

 

Moko disease is a virulent bacterial infection that causes the fruits to ripen prematurely and kills infected plants in just a few weeks. Panama disease or fusarium wilt, on the other hand, is caused by the fungus Fusarium oxyforumcubense and is so damaging that it single-handedly destroyed the Malaysian banana industry only 3 years after it was discovered.

 

These diseases are grave concerns for the Philippines: we are the 3rd largest banana exporting nation in the world, contributing around 12% of global banana exports. It’s a P35 billion industry that contributes almost P400 million in local taxes alone.

Traditional treatments: ineffective

 

The traditional method of treating Panama and Moko disease has been to treat the infected plantation with insecticides, then chop and burn the infected crops. The problem with this method is that it doesn’t kill the spores that are already in the soil, and it doesn’t treat the healthy banana offshoots that can serve as carriers for the diseases. Thus, the diseases have a chance to recur and spread even further throughout plantation until the crops are completely wiped out. 

 

This has been the way to treat Panama and Moko disease until recently, when one Filipino scientist —after two whole years of research and testing— claims to have developed a cure that works for both diseases. 

 

Dr.Angelito Dela Cruz is a plant pathologist, horticulturist, and nematologist with an impressive resume. He started his career at UPLB where he taught and worked as a researcher for 15 years and has worked for several major multinational plantations for almost 20 years. He’s now the VP for Technical services atDelfiAgriventures, a Filipino company that develops and produces agricultural, aquaculture, and environmental products.

 

Dr. Dela Cruz's probiotic treatment

What makes Dr.Dela Cruz’s treatment system unique is that it’s not a drug in the traditional sense. When farmers encounter plant pests, their first response would be to kill it by using pesticides, herbicides or antibiotics. However, Dr. Dela Cruz claims that his treatment system works more like a vaccine than an antibiotic: it helps the plant heal itself.

 

The treatment system works a lot like how probiotic drinks —such as Yakult, that classic kids' favorite— work in humans. The idea is is to introduce "good bacteria", which help crowd out and prevent the spread of "bad bacteria".

 

The Moko-Panama disease treatment system is administered by first injecting the affected plants and surrounding plants with a proprietary clay mineral extract. The minerals in this solution (iron and other trace elements) have natural disinfectant properties that kill bacteria and fungi.

 

The next step is to treat the soil with the same clay mineral extract. Not only will this kill the fungi and the bacteria in the soil, it also conditions the soil by neutralizing the soil pH or soil acidity. By making the soil pH neutral, it makes it easier for the plants to absorb nutrients. When the infected plants absorb nutrient better, they become healthier and better at fighting off the infection. 

 

Conditioning the soil also prepares the plants for the next step of the treatment process. When the soil is in good condition (neutral pH, high oxygen levels, rich in minerals), it encourages the growth of beneficial microorganisms. These microorganisms can inhibit the growth of Fusariumoxyforumcubense, eventually wiping them out. To speed up this process, the soil is then inoculated the Panama disease’s natural enemy, Trichodermaharzlanum, and other beneficial microorganisms.

 

Limitations and further studies

Dela Cruz's system does have its limits, however: it can’t save moderate to severe cases of Moko and Panama disease.

Dr.Dela Cruz explains, “In those stages, the vascular system of the plant has been damaged beyond repair. But you still have to inject the treatment in those cases to save the buffer plants and prevent the spread of infection. This way if the farmer does need to chop down several banana trees, he only needs to get rid of the dead ones. He’ll still have some production from the healthy buffer plants and those that have been cured.”

 

No synthetic chemicals are used as all the materials used for this treatment system come from natural sources. The plants and soil come out healthier after treatment. And there’s no risk of contaminating the bananas with harmful pesticides. “The products used in this treatment system are so safe, you can ingest it and not suffer any ill effects,” claims Mr. Roberto Del Fierro, President of DelfiAgriventures. “It was really important for us for this system to be food-grade safe because it touches our food. We also want the farmers that implement this in their farms to feel safe and not have to worry about their health.”

 

Dela Cruz's Moko-Panama disease treatment system has been tested and proven to be effective by studies with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) in small and large banana plantations in 2011. It has since been adopted by the DA as the standard for treating Panama and Moko disease. — TJD, GMA News

...the PH films in Denmark

Denmark mounts Filipino film festival

 

ABS-CBNnews.com

 06/03/2012

 

 

A scene from the movie "Captive" by Brillante Mendoza

MANILA, Philippines -- The first recurrent film festival dedicated to cinema from the Philippines in Europe will open later this month in Denmark.

The Filippinsk Film Festival will be held in Copenhagen from June 11-17 and in Aarhus from June 14-20 as it hopes to “bring together a Danish and Filipino audience to build a bridge between the two cultures.”

“The Filipino cinema reflects a developing movement and has been awarded in the past five years in many film festivals in Europe (Cannes, Berlin, Venice),” the organizers said in a statement.

According to the festival’s website, Filippinsk aims to provide the Danish audience, and by extension a Scandinavian audience, with “an opportunity to discover, understand and appreciate a culture from a developing country through films.”

It also hopes to help Filipino filmmakers distribute their films in Europe.

Organizers said it expects to attract 1,500 moviegoers throughout all week, as well as national media coverage.

The guest of honor at the Filipino film festival is filmmaker Brillante Mendoza, who will be visiting Copenhagen.

Mendoza received the award for best director at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009 for his movie, “Kinatay,” which is among the films to be screened at the festival.

The festival will show Mendoza’s latest movie, the critically acclaimed drama “Captive,” starring French actress Isabelle Huppert.

Also to be screened at the festival are Mendoza’s “Lola, acclaimed independent films “Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa,” “Nono” and “Isda,” and the comedy “Here Comes the Bride,” starring Angelica Panganiban.

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