...the happy nations

Filipinos 'third happiest' in Asia, says report

 

 

By Kim Arveen Patria

Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom

 

Thanks to happiness inside the home, Filipinos emerged as the third happiest people in Asia in 2013, a new report showed.

 

 

Thanks to happiness inside the home, Filipinos emerged as the third happiest people in Asia in 2013, a new report showed.

The Philippines was named the third happiest among five countries in Asia assessed for innovations firm Eden Strategy Institute's Happiness Index.

The country scored 90 points in the Happiness Index, which the Eden said is based on more than 200 million social media accounts in the five countries covered by the study.

Singapore was deemed the happiest country in Asia with a Happiness Index score of 518 points, followed by Malaysia, 245 points.

Ranked lower than the Philippines was India with 29 points and Indonesia, 11 points.

"In the Philippines, happiness comes from a sense of large, extended families," Eden said.

It added that predominantly Catholic Pinoys "have a predisposition to look for the best in everyone".

"They are taught from young to support the underdog, find joy in hard work, and smile at hardships," Eden said further.

The report was released in time for the United Nations-declared International Day of Happiness, Mar. 20.

"Policymakers are questioning the sustainability of pursuing economic growth, in the light of global social, environmental, and governance challenges," Eden said.

It also noted how several countries have initiated efforts to measure "gross national happiness" versus gross domestic product as a quality of life indicator.

The Philippines' National Statistical Coordination Board has recently included its own Happiness Index in its statistical data.

 

 

...the PH enviable position

Bloomberg chief says PH in an ‘enviable position’

By Daxim L. Lucas
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Tuesday, March 19th, 2013

 

 

 

 “And I think you are in a very enviable position to have a President who is focused on driving the country forward, creating transparency in the markets and building the economy with a solid and sustainable foundation.” - Peter Grauer, Bloomberg chair

 

 

President Aquino: Due credit. FILE PHOTO

The Philippines’ growing momentum in economic growth is due to a large degree to the Aquino administration, whose policies have given local and foreign businessmen fresh impetus to invest in the country, according to the head of one of the world’s biggest and most influential financial news organization.

Bloomberg L.P. chair Peter Grauer said the Philippines was in an “enviable position” vis-a-vis other countries around the world that lacked leadership at a time of great economic uncertainty.

“But I think leadership is a key differentiator and the [Philippines] today has quite a strong leadership,” he said in an interview with the Inquirer. “This will allow [the country] to move forward in a very thoughtful and solid pace of growth.”

The New York-based chief of Bloomberg —whose computer terminals are described as the gold standard of financial market news and analytics—visited the country on Monday and Tuesday to meet with government officials and business leaders amid the Philippines’ rising prominence in the international investment scene.

“I talk a fair amount about the leadership vacuum that exists in a lot of countries around the world,” Grauer said, when asked about what makes the Philippines attractive to the foreign business community. “And I think you are in a very enviable position to have a President who is focused on driving the country forward, creating transparency in the markets and building the economy with a solid and sustainable foundation.”

Bloomberg is a 15,000-member organization (which includes 2,300 news personnel in various media platforms) and has 172 bureaus in 72 countries. Its Bloomberg terminals —leased for approximately $1,700 a month per unit—is used by 310,000 subscribers in 174 countries.

Grauer noted that a significant part of Bloomberg’s revenue growth in recent years has been occurring in Asia as both the United States and Europe struggle with their economic difficulties. And within Asia, he said the Philippines was particularly promising.

“The economies are bumping along at zero or very little growth [in other advanced economies],” he said. “It’s much more fun here. It manifests itself. People walk with a little more spring in their step. It’s very intangible, but you see it and you feel it.”

In general, the growth of Bloomberg’s business in the Asean region—at an average 14 percent in 2012 for Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore—has outstripped the financial service organization’s global average growth rate of 0.5 percent. Grauer said he believed that the growth rate reflected the actual and potential expansion of the local economy as well.

“It’s matter of sustaining [the growth] and that’s a function of the quality of the leadership that you have,” the Bloomberg chief said when asked about challenges facing the Philippines going forward. “You seem to be in a very good position today, with a President who is leading the country in the right direction. And that’s not always the case in other countries.”

Apart from growing Bloomberg’s footprint in the Philippines, Grauer said his organization was also interested in helping the country’s capital markets mature and grow further.

In particular, he said Bloomberg was working toward providing more “localized” services that would help clients value government and corporate bonds more accurately on the Bloomberg system; developing a system to facilitate the trading of interest rate swaps, as well as partnering with the local bourse to develop exchange-traded funds, futures and options.

“A lot of these things take time to develop, but we think that the Philippines will be a very attractive market for us, going forward,” Grauer said. “We want to be partners with both the local market participants and regulators and other players like the finance ministry and the central bank.”

...the Clark airport

Clark airport wins international award

 

ABS-CBNnews.com

03/19/2013

 

 

MANILA, Philippines - The Clark International Airport on Monday won an international award, beating 6 other airports in Asia.

 

The Clark airport (IATA Code: CRK), won the 2013 Routes Airport Marketing Awards in the Asia Heats, under 20 million passengers category.

The award was given during an annual gathering of the region's airline and airport operators in Mumbai, India.

The Philippine Department of Tourism (DoT) also received the Highly Commended-Destination Marketing Award, narrowly missing top honors in the category won by Tourism Australia.

Routes Asia, organized by UBM Aviation Routes Ltd based in Manchester in the UK, is the largest route development event for the entire Asia region.

This year, over 700 aviation professionals travelled to Mumbai to participate in the global airline and airport networking event.

Clark International Airport Corporation president Victor Jose Luciano, in a press statement Tuesday, said the awards are a major boost for Philippine aviation and tourism.

“The real winner here is not only Clark Airport nor the Department of Tourism but the entire aviation and tourism industry in the country. Slowly but surely, we are putting the Philippines back on the global stage and the major players in these industries are taking notice and positive interest in our country,” Luciano said.

“Also, what we have shown here is that under the good governance thrust of President Aquino, the Philippines can at last be at par with our more developed and prosperous neighbors in the region,” he added.

According to UBM Aviation Routes, the “Routes Airport Marketing Awards recognize and reward the highest standards of marketing activities undertaken by airports. This year the awards were split into two categories based on the size of the airport, and also a new tourism award for best destination marketing campaign by a tourism authority.”

In the under 20 million passengers category, CRK edged out 6other major airports in Asia, namely, Aukland International Airport in Mangere, New Zealand; Bengaluru International Airport in Devanahalli, Kamataka, India; Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad, Hyderabad, Andrha Pradesh, India; Juanda-Surabaya International Airport in Sidoarjo, Indonesia; Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan; and Siem Reap International Airport in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Short-listed for the Destination Marketing Awards were the Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Philippine Department of Tourism, the Singapore Tourism Board, Tourism Australia, and Tourism New Zealand.

Changi International Airport in Singapore won the award for the over 20 million passengers category.
Susan Willis, Marketing and Analysis Manager at UBM Aviation Routes, said CRK got the nod of awards judges due to its "effective growth" in 2012.

"Your airport was voted for by the airline community together with a panel of industry experts drawn from the airline networking planning community where they considered your marketing services and effective growth over the last 12 months," Willis told Clark airport official.

Luciano cited CRK's "phenomenal performance" in terms of growth in its passenger traffic and aircraft movement last year.

"Clark Airport had yet another banner year in 2012 posting an unprecedented 72% growth in passenger traffic, 69% increase in air traffic movements, and 44% increase in airport revenues.

Despite another challenging year for the global aviation industry, Clark Airport continued its march as one of the region’s fastest growing airports during the past four years," Luciano said.

At the end of 2012, CRK drew a total of 1,315,757 domestic and international passengers surpassing the 767,109 figure from the previous year. Meanwhile, airport revenue grew by 44% from P355 million in 2011 to P511 million in 2012 even though expenses in running the airport increased by only 7% or from P303 million in 2011 to P324 million in 2012.

Luciano said "2013 promises to be an even bigger year for Clark airport."

"The start of the new year brought with it new optimism and higher expectations. After signing an agreement with CIAC during the second week of February this year, Emirates announced that it has selected CRK as its second Philippine destination with daily direct flights from Dubai to Clark starting on October 1, 2013," he said.

 

...the Asia-Pacific retail congress host

Philippines wins bid to host Asia-Pacific retail congress

 

 

Business Mirror

Published on Tuesday, 19 March 2013 

THE Philippines has won the right to host again the Asia-Pacific Retailers Convention and Exhibition (APRCE) in 2015, the same event that placed the country on the global retail radar when Manila hosted it 22 years ago.

 

The Philippine Retailers Association (PRA), the country’s largest organization of retailers and suppliers/service providers and the prime movers in the retail industry, recently announced that it won the bid to bring the gathering of the region’s retail industry leaders to the country for the second time during the Heads of Delegations (HOD) meeting of the Federation of Asia Pacific Retailers Association (FAPRA).

 

PRA and Robinsons Recreation Corp. President Frederick D. Go headed the local association’s delegation that made the bid for the country’s hosting of the APRCE at the HOD Meeting of the FAPRA held in Turkey last year. The PRA delegation also included PRA Vice Chairman and Toby’s Sports Chairman Roberto Claudio, PRA Vice Chairman and Central Books President Ma. Alegria Sibal-Limjoco and PRA Secretary-General Evelyn Balmeo- Salire.

 

FAPRA is the regional organization of retailers composed of 17 member-countries, including the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Mongolia, Turkey, Fiji and India

 

“2015 is a perfect timing for us to host APRCE because it is the first year of the Asean economic integration. With Southeast Asia becoming a borderless single market by 2015, it is important that we show to the world that the Philippines can be the best entry point for global retailers in Asean,” Go said.

 

Turkey will host the 16th APRCE in September this year. APRCE is the longest-running regional retail conference and expo in the Asia-Pacific region.

 

“The country’s hosting of the event comes in time for the completion of several retail and entertainment projects in Manila and in the key cities around the country. By 2013, the first facilities of Manila’s centerpiece gaming venue, the Manila Entertainment City of Pagcor [Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.], are expected to be completed,” Go said.

 

By 2015, over 40 new malls will be added to the Philippine retail landscape—which will show delegates to the APRCE a clear picture of the progressive Philippine retail industry. They will also see firsthand the bevy of international brands that enjoy prominence in the country.

 

The APRCE is expected to draw over 4,000 local and foreign attendees from the Asia-Pacific region. Sponsorship and exhibit opportunities are already open.

 

In Photo: PRA and Robinsons Recreation Corp. President Frederick D. Go. (Nonie Reyes)

 

 

...the PHL bond market

Phl bond market second fastest-growing in East Asia

By Zinnia B. Dela Peña

The Philippine Star

March 19, 2013

 

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine bond market was the second fastest-growing among emerging economies in East Asia last year, rising by 20.5 percent as the unresolved budget deadlock in the US and the debt crisis in Europe prompted investors to turn to safe-haven and higher yielding investments.

According to the Asian Development Bank’s latest Asia Bond Monitor, the bond market in the Philippines was one of the most preferred sites for portfolio investments given the country’s robust economy supported by strong domestic consumption and investment growth. It came second to Vietnam, whose bond market grew 42.7 percent.

Outstanding fixed-income instruments issued by the government and government-controlled companies reached P3.6 trillion as of end-December last year.

Treasury bonds registered the most rapid pace, rising by 24.5 percent to P3.2 trillion last year from a year ago.

Outstanding treasury bills represented a 6.8-percent growth to P275 billion while that of corporate bonds posted an annual growth rate of 20.7 percent at P526 billion.

For the entire region, the outstanding amount of bonds stood at $6.5 trillion or an increase of 12 percent in local currency terms. The corporate markets, though smaller than the government bond markets, drove the increase, growing 18.6 percent to $2.3 trillion last year.

In the past 10 years, emerging East Asia’s bond markets have grown by over 16 percent annually and now account for nearly 10 percent of total global bonds outstanding.

According to the ADB, the region’s growing bond markets have reduced the need to borrow in foreign currency, allowing government and companies to borrow more in and at longer maturities.

A heavy reliance on foreign borrowing in the past has caused exchange rates to depreciate, forcing governments to either reduce spending or raise taxes.

Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima said the bond market is an important pillar of economic growth if the Philippines is to build sustainable infrastructure.

Purisima said the government is confident the country’s bond market will continue to grow at a faster pace given President Aquino’s good governance program.

He said the market has significant room for growth, noting that only a few corporations have been tapping the debt market, of which 60 percent comprises banks.

The government has programmed P120 billion in borrowings in the first quarter this year through its regular auctions,This will consist P45 billion of Treasury bills with 91,182 and 364-day tenors and the remainder in the form of treasury bonds with maturities of 7, 10 and 25 years.

Thiam Hee Ng, senior economist in ADB’s Office of Regional Economic integration, however, cautioned that the surge in capital inflows could raise the risk of asset price bubbles in the region.

“Emerging East Asia is much more resilient than it used to be but governments still need to be careful that the surge in capital inflows doesn’t fuel excessive rises in asset prices and that they are prepared for a possible reversal in the flows when the economies of the US and Europe pick up again,” Ng said.

 

...the Germany's Next Top Model designer

Furne One works with Heidi Klum for Germany's Next Top Model

 

By Majah Moralde

ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

03/18/2013

 

 

DUBAI - Dubai-based fashion designer Furne One, who hails from Cebu City in the Philippines, is again making waves in the fashion scene in Europe as his designs have recently been featured in the pilot episode of Europe’s top-rating reality TV show, Germany’s Next Top Model (GNTM).

 

Prior to this, fashion models also donned his haute couture designs in the season finale of the US reality TV show, America’s Next Top Model (ANTM), hosted by renowned supermodel Tyra Banks last November.

Furne designed more than 40 pieces for the season opening of GNTM, hosted by world-famous supermodel Heidi Klum, who personally visited him in Dubai for the location shoot of the TV show.
He has been designing for Klum and her TV program for around seven years now.

“Working with Heidi, to begin with, is really a privilege for me considering that she’s a superstar. She’s a supermodel and it’s a top-rating showing in Europe in Germany,” he said.

Klum, and her popular show GNTM, has helped him carve a niche in the international fashion scene. He is now one of the sought-after designers in Hollywood.

“Aside from the European market, it also opened doors for me with the celebrities in America like Katy Perry, because every season Heidi is bringing in pop superstars to perform in Germany. It’s a huge thing. It’s a very big event. It’s a live show and held in a stadium of about 25,000 people watching,” he said.

Furne also counts Shakira and Jennifer Lopez among his long list of famous clientele.
At this stage, he is preparing his awe-inspiring designs for the season finale of GNTM, which will be aired in May.

 

...the top Asian Film awardees

Nora Aunor, Eddie Garcia win top acting honors at Asian Film Awards

By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

March 18, 2013

Facebook photos. Eugene Domingo (left), Eddie Garcia  and Nora Aunor

MANILA, Philippines—Two Filipino actors, Nora Aunor and Eddie Garcia, won big at the 7th Asian Film Awards (AFA), held at the Grand Hall of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Hong Kong Monday night.
 

Photo grab: wsbtv (Atlanta, Georgia)

The Philippines actress Nora Aunor poses with her trophy after winning the Best Actress Award of her movie "Thy Womb" at the Asian Film Awards as part of the 37th Hong Kong International Film Festival in Hong Kong Monday, March. 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Aunor won for best actress for Brillante Ma. Mendoza’s “Thy Womb”—the same role which earlier won her best actress at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards held in Brisbane, Australia in November.

 

Photo grab: Times Colonist (Canada)

Actor Eddie Garcia of the Philippines raises his trophy after winning the People's Choice Favourite Actor award for his role in the film " Bwakaw ", at the Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong Monday, March 18, 2013. At left is the Hong Kong actress Deanie Ip. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Garcia won for best actor for Jun Robles Lana’s “Bwakaw”—the same role which earlier won him best actor at the Asia Pacific Film Festival held in Macau in December. Garcia also won people’s choice favorite actor for the same film.

Among Aunor’s fellow nominees in the best actress category were South Korea’s Cho Min-soo (“Pieta”), Afghanistan’s Golshifteh Farahani (“The Patience Stone”), Taiwan’s Gwei Lun-Mei (“GF*BF*”) and China’s Hao Lei (“Mystery”).

People’s choice favorite actress went to Min-soo of South Korea.

Also nominated for best actor with Garcia are Taiwan’s Joseph Chang (“GF*BF*”), Hong Kong’s Tony Leung Ka-fai (“Cold War”), China’s Liu Ye (“The Last Supper”) and South Korea’s (“Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time”).

Last year, two Filipinos brought home trophies from the AFA: Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino won best supporting actress for Loy Arcenas’ “Niño,” while Eugene Domingo won people’s choice favorite actress for Marlon Rivera’s “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank.”

In 2009, Gina Pareño won best supporting actress for Mendoza’s “Serbis” at the AFA.

This year’s jury was headed by Cantopop singer-actor Andy Lau, who was voted last year’s people’s choice favorite actor for “A Simple Life.”

The people’s choice favorite actor and actress categories were decided by an online poll among Netizens.

Apart from Garcia and Aunor, Domingo also attended the AFA as a presenter.

Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh, who starred in the Oscar-winning film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” was honored with the “Excellence in Asian Cinema” award.

 

...the PH economic status 2013 (ADB)

ADB sees investment grade for PH in 2013

byCai Ordinario

Rappler.com
Posted on 03/18/2013

INVESTMENT GRADE. The Asian Development Bank says the Philippines will likely get a credit rating upgrade soon

MANILA, Philippines – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) believes the Philippines will attain investment grade in 2013.

“The Philippines' strong economic performance has led to positive actions from several ratings agencies. In October, Moody’s raised the Philippines’ sovereign debt rating to Ba1, one notch below investment grade. In December, Standard & Poor’s kept its Philippine debut rating unchanged at BB+, but raised its outlook to positive from stable, making it likely that the Philippines will be upgraded in 2013,” ADB said in its Asia Bond Monitor report.

Released on Monday, March 18, ADB’s report said the Philippines was the third best-performing bond market in 2012.

The Philippine local currency bond market posted a growth of 20.5%, just behind Vietnam’s 42.7% growth, and India’s 24.3%.

In terms of value, the Manila-based multilateral development bank said Japan was still the region’s largest market, with $11.7 trillion, followed by China, with $3.8 trillion.

By end-2012, ADB said emerging East Asia had $6.5 trillion in outstanding local currency bonds versus $5.7 trillion in 2011. This marked a quarterly increase of 3% and an annual increase of 12%. The corporate bond markets, though smaller than the government bond markets, drove the increase, growing 6.2% on quarter and 18.6% on year to $2.3 trillion. – Rappler.com

 

...the Asian Youth Boxing Champions

FOUR FILIPINO BOXERS WIN GOLD IN ASIAN YOUTH BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS

By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 17 Mar 2013



Four talented and courageous young Filipinos won gold medals in the Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships at the Subic Freeport on Saturday providing a boost to the grassroots development program initiated by the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines headed by its president Ricky Vargas and the eminent businessman-sportsman Manny Pangilinan as chairman.

Light flyweight Jade Bornea, light welterweight Eumir Felix Marcial, flyweight Ian Clark Bautista and lightweight James Palicte fulfilled the expectations of the ABAP leaders and executive director Ed Picson with the finest showing of the country in years.

The support from hometown fans certainly lifted the spirits of the young fighters and gave them an advantage especially in close fights.

A bronze medalist in the World Youth Championship in Armenia last December light flyweight Bornea defeated Shatlykmyrat Myradov of Tukmenistan, 17-10, in their 49-kilogram semifinal bout but had a much tougher time against Japan’s Kosei Tanaka before taking the country’s first gold 15-13.

The score was tied at 8-8 going into the final round before Bornea with a solid left followed by a right which jolted Tanaka emerged winner 7-5 to edge the game Japanese.

Ian Clark Bautista won the flyweight gold with a 19-10 win over Uzbekistan’s tough Mirazizbek Murzahalilov after coasting to a 6-3 lead in the opening round marked by a cracking left hook and a right straight. A counter left by Bautista in the second round staggered the Uzbek fighter who was unable to penetrate the solid defense of the Filipino.

Lightweight James Palicte took the first round by a close 5-4 margin against China’s Liu Xiaoshuaichn and held on to that lead 10-9 at the end of the second due mainly to a terrific uppercut that stunned the Chinese boxer who kept pressing the action. Another solid uppercut by Palicte sealed a 17-13 win although the final score was no indication of the closeness of the bout.

The fourth and final gold medal of the Philippines was won by Eumir Felix Marcial who put on the most impressive performance by the Filipinos beating Mongolia’s Batzorig Otgonjorgal by a runaway 29-12 margin.

The switch-hitting Marcial, the reigning World Junior Champion who is a power puncher battered his opponent from the opening bell to take a 11-5 lead at the end of round one nailing the Mongolian with a vicious left straight and a solid combination.

Marcial kept up the pressure in a second round slugfest with some big shots to move ahead 22-11 before coasting in the final round for the big win that won the hearts of fight fans.

Amateur Boxing Association president and former Philippine Boxing Association chairman Ricky Vargas was ecstatic over the performance of the youth squad as he said “while we cheer for every boxer we reserved even louder cheers for the ABAP team that has been working hard for an efficient and properly run tournament.”

ABAP chairman Manny Pangilinan was overjoyed over the boxers showing and texted the Manila Standard saying “Congrats to ABAP. Mabuhay ang Pinoy boxers. Go ABAP!”

 

...the Filipino work ethic

Prince Faisal commends Filipino work ethic

 

 

RIYADH: Rodolfo C. Estimo Jr.

Arab news

Saturday 16 March 2013



“Their (Filipino workers') efficiency and hard work has contributed to the national development of both Saudi Arabia and the Philippines." - Prince Faisal Bin Salman, Governor of Madinah
 

 

 

Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman receives Philippine Ambassador Ezzedin H. Tago in his office.

      

 

 

Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman has lauded overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the region for their work ethic.

“Their efficiency and hard work has contributed to the national development of both Saudi Arabia and the Philippines,” Prince Faisal said.

 He made the statement to Philippine Ambassador Ezzedin H. Tago, who called on him last Sunday to congratulate him on his appointment as the new Madinah governor.

 Tago thanked Prince Faisal for the excellent treatment accorded to OFWs in Madinah who are mostly nurses and other medical workers and to Filipino students in the region studying Arabic, Islamic law and theology.

 He also expressed his thanks for the services accorded to Filipino pilgrims coming to the Kingdom to perform Haj annually. Eight thousand Filipino pilgrims will perform Haj this year, up from 6,000 last year.

 Tago invited Prince Faisal to visit the Philippines. The prince said he had not yet visited the Philippines but his father, Crown Prince Salman was in the country on an official visit in 1999 as Riyadh governor.

 Prince Faisal said he would cooperate fully with the Philippine Embassy in connection with the concerns of Filipino workers in the region.